Comparing the Iconography and Mythology of Two Major Hindu Deities
In Hindu tradition, Brahma created the universe, Vishnu maintained it
and Shiva destroyed it. These three gods comprise the Hindu trinity
(the trimurti) and are considered to be the leading gods of the
religion, especially Brahma, who is the oldest of all the gods. This
point is questionable though as the Visnu Purana talks of Brahma
emerging from Vishnu's navel to maintain the world after Vishnu has
created it and then he returns to the navel after Shiva has destroyed
it. If this is the case then Vishnu's position as a god is elevated
from merely the maintainer to the creator. This essay intends to
compare and contrast the iconography and mythology of the two major
Hindu deities Vishnu and Shiva with reference to their relationship
with Brahma as part of the Hindu trinity.
The Hindu god Vishnu is very powerful to his followers, the Vaishnavas,
and he is found as an icon in many temples although he is also
believed to dwell in the heart of all beings. Vishnu is said to be
young compared to the other gods and blue in colour. He is depicted as
having four hands holding a lotus, symbolising purity, mace, a conch
shell to blow and a discus as a weapon. Vishnu is married to the
goddesses Sri and Laksmi who were initially individuals but eventually
merged into one being. Vishnu has a curl of hair on his chest given to
him by his wife Sri to show her devotion and in this particular
depiction, is seen wearing the jewel kaustubha which arose from the
ocean of milk after being churned up. Another image of the deity
Vishnu is of him "lying asleep upon the coils of the great cos...
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... symbolises his purity and the fire Shiva encircles is representing the
life cycle of the universe. However, this essay does not attempt to
deny the importance of the scriptures, as without them, the pictures
are merely pictures and not visions of spirituality. In conclusion,
although this essay has looked at Vishnu and Shiva individually as
separate deities, the focus must be left on them as one, for that is
what they are, existing only with each other. The cycle of the
universe relies on all of them, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, to continue
for if one were to disappear, the chain of the creation, destruction
and recreation of the world would be broken. "Germination creates the
tree, destroys the seed and preserves the species; the joiner creates
the table, destroys the tree and preserves the wood" (Larousse,
1965:211).
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Hinduism and Christianity are two religions that have been around for thousands of years. Both of these religions have developed many philosophies on different aspects that can be compared to show their similarities and differences. The Hindu and Christian religion agree on many things. Based on humanity, our society follows some of the rules also because of the religion and laws. From the holy literature, there have been many different concepts that have been pledged but they all are supposed to lead you to the same effects such as a happy, healthy life, contribution to the world around us humans, and some kind of freedom after death. Some of the main subjects that can be reflected upon after learning of the history and fundamentals of these religions are the paths to enlightenment and/or salvation, the style of treating women through religions aspects, and the afterlife. This paper will give an analytic comparison of these two religions relating to the topics.
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