Hinduism Chapter 2 Summary

1312 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Hindu religions and traditions

Chapter 2: The Different Aspects of Hinduism
The Gods and Goddesses
Since Hindus generally believe in the existence of Brahman, or the supreme creator, and other minor divinities, Hinduism cannot be considered as a religion based on polytheism. Believers claim that the gods and goddesses in this world (e.g. Lakshmi, Indra, Vishnu, Mitra, Varuna, Siva, Saraswathi, Brahma, Parvathi, etc.) are just manifestations of Brahman, which is the highest god. In addition, these gods are commonly worshipped as individual deities. These divinities are the forms that Brahman uses to implement his tasks and plans as the creator of the entire universe. According to Hindu writings, Brahman is both spiritual and immortal. In his ultimate form, he is considered …show more content…

Hindus worship her so that she will make them rich. Laxmi Pujan, one of the grandest Hindu festivals, is celebrated just for this goddess.
The gods of the Hindus:
1. Shiva – He is known as the destroyer. Believers call him the “God of Gods”.
2. Vishnu – This god is known as the protector.
3. Brahma – He created the entire universe. Similar to Indra, Hindus do not worship him as an individual god because of his behavior. Instead, he is worshipped as an important member of the Trinity (together with Vishnu and Shiva).
4. Dattatreya – He is the most powerful god in Hinduism. According to Hindu teachings, he is the combination of the three major deities (e.g. Vishnu, Shiva, and Brahma).
5. Ganesha – The son of Parvati and Shiva. Hindus depict him as a god with an elephant’s head and a human’s body.
6. Krishna – The killer of demons. He is the god who told the divine song (Bhagavad Gita) to Arjuna.
7. Narshimha – He is often depicted as a god with a lion’s head and a human’s body. He is one of Vishnu’s forms. According to an ancient tale, he killed Hiranyakashyapu, the demon king.
8. Hanuman – He is referred to as the monkey god. Hindus believe that he is immortal and that he still lives during the present

Show More
Related

  • Hindu Religion: Ganesha, the Elephant-Headed God

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Ganesha, the Elephant-Headed God, is the most worshipped god in the Hindu religion most commonly practiced in India. He represents Wisdom and the distinction between good and bad and is the leader of ganas, also known as beings.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast Hinduism And Buddhism

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are all part of the triumvirate which is the upkeep of the world. Brahma is the first triumvirate, Vishnu being the second and Shiva being the

    Read More

  • Roman Empire Chapter 6 Summary

    659 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many Hindus consider Jesus a god, one of their most popular ones in

    Read More

  • Death And Afterlife In The Epic Of Gilgamesh

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hindus believe that when a soul expires, it acquires rebirth in a new body. This cycle is called samsara. To be set free from the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth one must discover their true nature in order to be with the Brahman in Nirvana. In figure G a picture of a Cambodian statue of the A.D. 900 of Brahma meditating is presented. Nirvana is a state where pain, worry and the outer world do not exist. When a person in Hindu religion has bad Karma, they must take rebirth multiple times. The sacred source of all existence is divided among three gods. Brahma is the creator, Vishnu is the preserver, and Shiva is the destroyer. All three contribute to a person’s life and death and afterlife. In figure H a picture of a Vishnu sculpture is shown, and in figure I a picture of a sculpture of Shiva is

    Read More

  • Lord Ganesha In Hindu Religion

    772 Words  | 2 Pages

    http://www.lotussculpture.com/ganesh1.html Ganesh is one of the most beloved gods of the Hindu people, as well as the most important. The son of Shiva and Parvati, no spiritual worship in the Hindu belief system is initiated until the Lord Ganesha is invoked. The Lord Ganesha is not only celebrated amongst Hindus, but also Jains, Buddhists and pagans the world over. Many European pagans and wiccas hold Lord Ganesha very highly in their personal pantheon of dieties. They believe that the Lord Ganesha and his ability to remove obstacles, love of art and science makes their lives better.

    Read More

  • Hindu Religious Traditions

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    “For thousands of years people have associated objects in the sky, the Earth, and aspects of their physical world with the gods and goddesses of their culture” (Windows Team, 2000, Mythology). The Hindu culture is no different with the association of several gods and goddesses acknowledged through their traditional worship. Worshipping the many gods and goddesses makes Hinduism difficult to comprehend the many elements of the tradition. The worship of many gods and goddesses is rooted in henotheism. “Belief in one god without denying the existence of others” (Yahooligans! Reference, 2000). This way of worship is what makes Hinduism complex and hard to understand.

    Read More

  • Supreme Beings Of Animism

    1072 Words  | 3 Pages

    Narayana or the Supreme being has the power of preservation, creation, recreation and dissolution. The supreme being is broken down into three Gods. There is Brahman the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer. Hindus sometimes call their supreme being Brahman because it is seen as the ultimate reality and not just the creator. It is an impersonal oneness that is beyond all moral and personal distinctions.

    Read More

  • Cultural Impact of Hinduism in India

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hinduism has faith in the deity that is visualized in a triad. They are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; and Siva, the destroyer. The article about Hinduism in the www.religioustolerance.org states that there are thousands of gods that Hindus believe, but generally there are two major sects in Hinduism; the Vaishnavaism – esteems Vishnu as the supreme god, and Shivaism – esteems Siva as the supreme god. Like other religions, Hinduism has books that give its followers directions for living. They are the Vedas and Upanishads, and epics such as Mahabarata, Ramayana, and Bhagwad Gita. The Vedas is the most fundamental book for Hindus. It was dictated by the god Syva's

    Read More

  • A Reflection upon Creation: Hinduism and Buddhism

    1129 Words  | 3 Pages

    Classical Hindu Mythology. Cornelia Dimmitt and J. A. B. van Buitenen. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1978. 38-40. Print.

    Read More

  • Hindu Religion Essay

    1336 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hindu’s believe that just as the traditional Christian God did, that all their Gods have taken a physical form to live here on Earth. There are many Gods and Goddess throughout Hinduism so I will focus on the three main ones. The most important of these Gods is Brahman. He is considered to be the one true God and the creator of everything. He is formless, limitless, and eternal, and is believed to be a real entity that encompasses everything, seen and unseen, in the universe (Srinivasan). The second member of the Hindu trinity is Vishnu. This God is the preserver, and he maintains the order and harmony to the universe, which is periodically created by Brahman and destroyed by Shiva (Srinivasan). He is worshipped in many forms and is an important, yet somewhat mysterious God. The third God of the trinity is Shiva who is the God in charge of destroying the universe to prepare for its renewal. Followers believe that any negative energy in the vicinity can be ridden by just the utterance of this God’s name. Devotion to specific Gods on based on the individual’s own life and growing up or needs they may need addressed. Although, even when only devotion of one God is given, the others are always acknowledged. Hindus believe that the Gods all exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments, and personal devotions create a closeness to them (Nine Beliefs of

    Read More

  • Essay On Hindu Culture

    1407 Words  | 3 Pages

    Today, Hinduism stands as India’s primary religion. In fact, India houses 90% of the world’s Hindi population and 79.8% of India’s population follows the Hindu religion, according to the 2011 census. It is thought by some to be the oldest religion in the world and the “eternal law” (Fowler). This culture is truly one as defined by Edward Taylor: “A complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs, and any other capability and habit acquired by man as a member of society.” In order to have somewhat of an understanding about what the Hindu religion entails, one must study the Hindu conception of God, its basic concepts and key beliefs, as well as symbolism.

    Read More

  • Hindu Mythology

    1002 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hindu mythology has been around for ages; it is the world’s oldest surviving religion. Hinduism was formed through diverse traditions in the year 2,000 B.C.E. There is no single person that gets the credit of developing Hindu Mythology because one person did not create it. Hinduism was originated in India, where it is the most practiced now. Hinduism has over a billion followers and about two-thirds of those people are in India. There are many temples open to worship gods and goddesses. “The needs of the gods would be met by the worshipers who have to prepare themselves through purification rites to draw near to their god” (Organ,193) Hinduism is not only the oldest religion but one of the biggest, with Islam then Christianity being above it.

    Read More

  • Nature of God

    602 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Hinduism there is one ultimate God, Brahman, who lives within each individual. Hinduism is a belief system that is followed to help one find Atman, which is your personal part of Brahman inside of you. There are 330 million God/Goddesses that people can choose...

    Read More

  • The Lord Shiva: Hindu Traditions

    862 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Hindu religion there are three main gods, apart of the triumvirate, and those are: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The god Shiva is important in this triumvirate because he is the destroyer of the world. Shiva is the destroyer, but he also has many other complex roles and many of those roles tend to contradict each other. The god Shiva has many names and is the god of various aspects of life including yoga and dance. Shiva has gained a large following in the Hindu religion and those that follow him are called Shaivas.

    Read More

  • Reflection Paper On Hinduism

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Hinduism some of the things I found most fascinating is that the idea of God in Hindu is compounded and how they worship. There is one Supreme God and his form is unlimited. The Supreme God’s qualities and forms are represented by the numerous deities that stem from him. The deities God can form can be either male or female, allowing Hindus to pray to a god or goddess.

    Read More

More about Hinduism Chapter 2 Summary

Open Document