Vaishnavism is one of the major branches of Hinduism. The followers of Vaishnavism worship Vishnu and his incarnations or Avatars and are known as Vaishnavites, Rama and Krishna being the most popular amongst the incarnations. It is monotheism in which worship of a personal god is the focus. Vaishnavites believe that Vishnu is the Supreme god and he is the one who simultaneously permeates all creation and exists beyond it. Vishnu’s consort is believed to be Lakshmi, the auspicious one.
The Vaikuntha form of Vishnu first originated from Pancaratrins in the 9th century. It was installed in a new temple at Avantipura. The Vaikuntha form of Vishnu consists of a crowned human face alongside Varaha and Narasimha. A face is seen at the back of this image which is generally known as Kapilamuni. The faces of Varaha and Narasimha are depicted outward and not inwards to create a clear angular dimension. Surprisingly, Varaha is depicted as ferocious as Narasimha in the icons found at Avantipura. Towards this stage of Vaikuntha iconography there are three stages.They are Bija Mantra, 18 syllabled Murti Mantra and Dhyana Mantra.The Vaikuntha cult spread from the Ganga-Jamuna plain to present Bangladesh. The Vaikuntha form of Vishnu is a complex form of Vishnu and is also known as Vaikuntha Chaturmurthi. In the “Vishnudharmottara Purana” the Vaikuntha Chaturmurthi is depicted four-faced and eight-armed with Varaha on the left and Narasimha on the right. The Kapilamuni is a halo demonic, grimacing face with fangs and a third vertical eye on the forehead. Towards his left is a small attendant known as Chakrapurusha, symbolizing the personification of the war discus, and towards his right is the originally balanced Gadadevi, symbolizing the fema...
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...auty, he forgot about everything else including Lord Shiva and wanted nothing but Mohini. Mohini asked him to dance like her before he could have her and an astounded Bhasmasura agreed. Hence, Mohini began to dance and Bhasmasura followed every step she performed. Mohini, after making sure that the asura was totally lost of his senses in lust for, touched her own head. Bhasmasura also followed her and in an instant, he was turned to ash.
After having saved from Bhasmasura, Lord Shiva, along with his consort, Parvati, visited Lord Vishnu as a token of gratitude. Shiva requested Lord Vishnu to dance for him in the Mohini form and he agreed. Shiva just couldn’t control his desire for Mohini and indulged in union with her, while Parvati lamented. This union resulted in the birth of Lord Ayyappa, who was also known as Hariharaputra-son of Hari(Vishnu) and Hara(Shiva).
Many people in the world have a strong belief in their religion and base many life decisions off of it. These same people have a way of shutting out any historical possibilities that could otherwise differentiate with their beliefs. There are many different religions and spiritual practices throughout the entire world and history. Judaism and Hinduism are atop the list of the most practiced throughout the Worlds history, as well as the two original religious traditions.
In the chapter on Hinduism in Philip Novak’s book The World’s Wisdom the section titled “The Transmigration of the Soul” describes the Hindu concept of reincarnation, the wheel of life, and ultimately becoming one with god. The lines in this passage very concisely describe the Hindu concepts of Brahman, Atman, Samsara, Karma, Maya and Moksha (Molloy). I believe that these concepts are at the core of all of the expressions of the Hindu religion; which makes understanding this paragraph the key to having a basic understanding of the Hindu religion.
First, we begin with Vishnu. He is often described as “the one who gives rise to all,” specifically all the other gods and goddesses. Vishnu is also one of the three forms depicted in the Trimurti; which creates, sustains, and destroys the cosmos as we know it. Vishnu is often portrayed as the sustainer of the Trimurti; he maintains the world. Within the northern Sanskrit tradition of Pancaratra, Vishnu is noted to be “the Lord of transcendent cause and sustaining power of the cosmos”. If this Sri Vaisnava is held to be true, Vishnu would ultimately have to be seen as the most Absolute since he is t...
Shiva, known as the Destroyer, is at times compassionate, erotic and destructive. One of the principal Hindu deities, Shiva is worshiped as the destroyer and restorer of worlds and in many other forms. Whenever dharma is threatened, Vishnu travels from heaven to earth in one of ten incarnations. Shiva is considered a member of the triad also including Brahma and Vishnu.
The Question of Origin: Hinduism believes everything has been in existence and is a part of numerous gods. In (Foundation of Indian Psychology Vol.2 Pg.116) the text Hinduism is a treasury of spiritual laws discovered by different people in different times of life. Over the centuries the Hindus beliefs are not literally interpreted by the scriptures and there ethics are derived from them.
Upon the reading of chapters 1-6 of the Great Scripture of Hinduism, The Bhagavad Gita (the 'Lord's Song';), I am completely and utterly fascinated. The story's emphasis on selfless acts, devotion, and meditation is like no other I have ever encountered before. Through the narration of Sanjaya and the conversation of Sri Krishna (Vishnu incarnate) and Prince Arjuna, the principles of Hinduism are eloquently illustrated.
Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion and was originated in the Indian subcontinent. Is rare that a big religion like Hinduism don’t have a single founder, religious organization, specific theological system and don’t even a system of morality, but it is a religion that has evolved over thousands of years. Hinduism has a diverse body of cultural and philosophical practices. Hinduism consists of belief and tradition. The most recognized belief and traditions of the Hinduism are Karma, Dharma, Samsara and Moshka. Hindu people don’t believe in violence, but they do believe in prayers, honesty, truth, austerity, celibacy and penance. The Hindu scriptures are collectively referred to as the Shashtras. The Hindu scriptures were initially passed on orally from generation to generation until finally ancient scholars wrote them down; mainly in the Sanskrit language that was the prevailing language of the time. Some of the Hindu scriptures are the Shruti and Smritis. The Shruti primarily refers to the Vedas which represent eternal truths revealed to ancient sages but some other Hindu individuals associated the Vedas with a God or a powerful person. The Smritis are all of the other text different than the Shruti. The most know of the Smritis are the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Although the Hindus worship a large pantheon of Gods and Goddesses, they believe in the one Supreme Power that manifests itself in various forms.
He has a human body that is blue, and has four arms. Shiva is the destroyer of the world. Hindu’s believe that Shiva is a good and bad source. They believe that even though Shiva destroys what has been created, good effects come out if. Shiva looks like a blue normal man.
Hinduism is often viewed as a particularly tolerant religion. The lack of a single omniscient God, absence of a prophet, and the open worship of what may look like many Gods may tell a tale of open worship, individuality within religion, and a peaceful, tolerant way of life. Without further examining what Hinduism entails, this may seem like the perfect religion. When the impression of superiority is looked at with a little skepticism, the pretty picture is marred by the deep scratches of discrimination, sexism, and elitism.
• Vishnu, (Krishna) the Preserver, who preserves these new creations. Whenever Dharma (eternal order, righteousness, religion, law, and duty) is threatened, Vishnu travels from heaven to earth in one of ten incarnations;
Hinduism is a very complicated religion from an outsiders prospective. When I think about it I never have really given any thought to what Hinduism is, so what is this religion, what do they believe in, what are the social and cultural influences and what is the desire for liberation from earthly existence?
Hinduism has been a religion for a long time, the Buddha was a Hindu before seeing how terrible the world was, he then found the religion Buddhism. Since the creator of Buddhism was Hinduism as a child, it is only expected for the two religions to be similar. While the two religions are similar they are also quite different as seen by their creation stories. The creation stories are these religions way of explaining how the world started. With most religions the creation story gives the most basic beliefs of the religion as this is where their religion supposedly starts its life. The two stories this paper focuses on is no different, and since they technically have the same origin, it can be obvious as to how they would be similar. However, in the case of the idea of social order and moral decline, they can be different too.
Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion and was originated in the Indian subcontinent. Surprisingly as big as it is rare that Hinduism doesn’t have a start. Not a single founder, religious organization, or specific system, but it has evolved over thousands of years. Hinduism has a wide range of body in cultural and philosophical practices. Hinduism consists of belief and tradition. It has not only survived countless attacks from invading nations and religions, but has also changed and grown more than anything other religion has. It has been suggested that the Aryans are said to have invaded India around 1500 BC, added their traditions and chaste system to the culture. This is the only origin of the idea of Hinduism known.
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
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.