Hinduism is stated as the major religion and culture of a majority of South Asia. Due to its age and multiple influences of origin, it is difficult to state a single age of origin – however, Hinduism has been an influence for approximately 3500 years and even longer if developmental versions of the religion are to be included. Throughout its lifespan, Hinduism presents itself as a dynamic religion, from the early Hinduism straight from Vedic texts to its modern interpretation and many schools of thought that originate from Hinduism. The transformation of Hinduism was largely made possible by the gurus, or teachers, who offered larger options of interpretations and different levels of exclusivity. Though majority male, females did play key roles …show more content…
However, Sri Sarada Devi could be best associated with Hinduism in the context of a devotee rather than a guru. Her extreme devotion to Sri Ramakrishna was highly praised and was so deep that she was able to create the image of Sri Ramakrishna as a true spiritual deity, not only for her to follow, but for others to follow as well. Sarada Devi also placed the concept of ashrama on a whole new level, competing with the ashrama practiced in Jainism. One could even say that the Jainist ways of life were a large influence to her due to their value of life and compassion. Another example of how Sarada Devi promotes Hinduism is through her embodiment, whether intentional or natural, of Kali – aka the Divine Mother – and Laksmi. Kali is a Hindu goddess that is thought of as the devi of creation and destruction, most aptly known as the destroyer of evil forces. Laksmi, the wife of Visnu, is the devi that represents wealth, fortune, and prosperity. Both devi’s aptly play into the character of The Holy Mother, as she embraces all her children’s sins and “frees” them – like Kali – as well as being fiercely protective to her children and the innocent. Laksmi represents the nurturing side of The Holy Mother as she provides food (even prasada) and rejects no child asking for her blessing. Due to the second-hand nature of her words and philosophies, it is impossible to know …show more content…
One could not truly state that she was a political activist, yet despite this, her image and philosophy was used in a political way when counteracting the West and colonialism. However, as stated in Goulet’s The Lives of Sarada Devi, Sarada “included a political identity (or a ‘politiczed Sarada’)” (Goulet, 174). Sarada Devi’s social view of caste system and gender roles was very much used as a form of her politicized identity. Despite being unable to fully define either Sri Sarada Devi or Sri Ramakrishna with the term “feminist”- it is surely a term that Western studiers have dubbed them with. Sarada Devi wholeheartedly believed in the concept of love and peace for all, whether that included a feminist agenda will be unable to be proved conclusive. However, Sri Sarada Devi’s philosophy and well-regarded identity proved as an influence for future generations of female guru. However, despite her political activism, the legacy of Sri Sarada Devi and her everyday actions seemed to have proved more of an influence in western society. Sarada Devi is one of the more well-known “saints of the East” (Johnsen) which have influenced western thinkers regarding the concept of charity and compassion. An interesting comparison would by the role of Sarada Devi to the role of a similar saint from the West is Mother Theresa. *note: this comparison was brought up in class and cannot be stated as my
Selvadurai uses an allusion to demonstrate his grandmother’s role as a negative mentor in Shivan’s life. His dream of seeing his grandmother “incarnated as the demoness Kali” running after him (in the body of his mother) is very telling of what Shivan subconsciously thinks of his grandmother. (Selvadurai 371) The demoness Kali is the Hindu goddess of destruction. Though she is seen as a god, her physical appearance is quite appalling. Her dark skin, red eyes, fangs and necklace made of human heads are all quite terrifying. When portrayed, she is often seen standing on top of the Hindu god Shiva as well. Kali’s frightful appearance, paired with her relationship with the god Shiva is very telling of Shivan’s relationship with his aachi. He fears her with every fibre of his being. In said dream, he imagines himself as his mother, carrying a child, running from his grandmother, but proving to be unfruitful when Kali, “snatches the infant from [his] arms and opens her mouth wide to consume him”. (Selvadurai 371) This baby is Shivan, and Kali eating the baby shows how as a mentor, she has taken away all the innocence from Shivan and taken him away from his mother. Shivan’s ammi shows how even negative mentors can push their mentees into
In Nehru’s India, women were victims of a “passive revolution” that subtly advanced bourgeoisie men of higher castes under a guise of parliamentary democracy. Though women have presided over the Indian National Congress, served as a prime minister, and represent a large part of India’s la...
Mother Teresa was one of the most renowned humanitarians of her time. She dedicated her life to other people never to herself. She had many missions throughout her lifetime and was well known throughout the world. Mother Teresa was a kind-hearted woman whose quest was to make this world a better place.
Hinduism is made of many different religions and does not have one origin or single founder. The religion of Hinduism is very old, “300-100 B.C.E.--- The first trace of temple worship. Hindu people worship at the shrine, where Hindus make offerings to a murti. A murti is a statue of a god or goddess” (McMillan). In addition, other religions are based off Hinduism, “5000-10000 B.C.---Hinduism can be traced back to 5000-10000 B.C. Hinduism is a very old religion, many religions are based off of Hinduism, like Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism” (McMillan).
Hinduism, also known by the name Sanatana-Dharma, is often referred to as the “oldest religion” in the world, is generally considered to be an ethnic religion and is fundamentally based on the religion of the original Aryan settlers. “Hinduism, from the Persian Hindi (Sanskrit sindhu), literally "river." Means "of the Indus Valley" or simply "Indian." Hindus call their religion sanatama dharma,"eternal religion" or "eternal truth” (“Facts on Hinduism”). It was founded around 3000 BCE, and is now considered to be the third largest religion in the world. Followers of Hinduism, which is estimated to be anywhere around 900 million, are especially concentrated in India, Nepal, and other countries throughout Asia. The broader world contact that has occurred since World War II allowed various forms of Hinduism to become more widely known and accepted. The multiple Hindu sects, including the Krishna Consciousness, have been particularly successful among young American and Europeans and claims to be adherent around the world. Hinduism is dissimilar compared to other religions, in the fact that it has no founders. This religion is considered to be permissive in creed or code as it is not necessarily coordinated in any way, even though various sects and cults are formulated. This religion is especially known for its tolerance because it is willing to accommodate those who are exceptionally religious; whether it be a Jew, Christian, or Muslim as a part of their religion. Hinduism is very transformable and accepts elements of different religion. Overtime it has even developed different aspects of both Christianity and Buddhism and incorporated them into the religion of Hinduism. Hinduism worships a multiplicity of gods; the most important in...
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.
Out of the 365 days in a year, Diwali, known as the “festival of lights,” is by far the most important day to celebrate for every Indian. Like much of Indian and Hindu tradition, this holiday comes with a historical background framing its significance. The history of Diwali reflects the memory of Ram shooting an arrow through Raven’s stomach because Raven kidnapped Sita. In Hinduism, ladies are highly regarded because following that event, Ram doubted Sita for her purity and gave her the Agni pariksha (the fire test). Although the test proved her purity and bravery, Sita became upset and appealed to mother earth to conceal her within. Mother earth, understanding her sorrow, accepted her. This event from the time of the gods forecasted the biggest factor to tear apart marriage in Hindu culture by investigating the theme of doubt. The profound religious meaning behind this is opaque and is further formed by uniting family and friends together to celebrate the festival of lights. Another important holiday is Holi, the festival of color, which occurs around the season of harvest. Today, it is celebrated by spreading many colorful powders on everyone participating. The deeper significance behind Holi is between the power of truth, honesty, and good karma versus evil. Lord Krishna was born with a darker skin color and his love, Radha, was born with a fairer skin tone. Once Lord Krishna had a blue skin color
Hinduism was the first major religion to develop in South Asia. Along with it, came a strict caste system and clear social hierarchy. Hinduism stressed the importance of karma and people purifying their lives over many reincarnations to achieve holy perfection. Later on, Buddhism developed in India and incorporated many of the same cultural and religious practices. One key change was the looseness of the religion in regards to social status, as it did not see a person 's place in the caste system as a factor in achieving the afterlife. In response to a decline in Hinduism, especially among the poorer classes, Hinduism became more accepting of these classes and also developed alternate paths of devotion. In summation, South Asian religion has taken on a trend of
Unlike most religions, Hinduism has no specific founder, scripture or set of teachings. Hinduism has over nine hundred million followers today. The history of Hinduism is that it was found in the Indus Valley and it is an oral religion. Hindu’s believe in the three gods named Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is believed to be the creator of the world and creatures.
Mahasweta Devi, always writes for deprived section of people. She is a loving daughter, a clerk, a lecturer, a journalist, an editor, a novelist, a dramatist and above all an ardent social activist. Her stories bring to the surface not only the misery of the completely ignored tribal people, but also articulate the oppression of w...
Because of its long tradition, its links to social status and its integration with cultural activities, Hinduism has had an enormous influence on Indian society. It is not only a religion, but also a way of life for Indians.
While most traditional religions are easy to define and comprehend, Hinduism is not. It cannot be spoken about as one single entity but rather a label for many different traditions within itself that originated in India. It is the world’s third largest religion with a following of a billion people. Hinduism, at its most basic definition, is the belief in either several gods or goddess, or the belief in one God with many faces. It is a way of life that relies heavily on the ideas of cause and effect. They believe in reincarnation with a desire to be liberated from the cycle of birth and death. They believe it is the key to a lifetime of happiness, prosperity and love. While it is considered to be the oldest
Throughout history, women’s roles have changed drastically. As times changed so did the opportunities and demands. Women adapted significantly well to these new changes, and so they were able to influence and help shape these periods, as well as benefit from them. Women suffered from much discrimination, and were not allowed to attend universities, vote, speak in public or own any property. Also, they did not have a choice but to fight for their place in society. Regardless of all these difficulties, women gathered strength and succeeded in establishing permanent social changes.
The first and most highly regarded brand of Hinduism is the symbol of Brahman, Aum or Om. The Aum is made of three Sanskrit letters A, U, and M. All the major Hindu matrams begin with the chanting of “Aum”, which they believe was the only sound heard when the universe was brought into motion. Hindus often wear this symbol on their clothing and jewelry, put it on their cars and plaster it onto temple walls. They believe that it will protect them from evil and bring them good luck. Another common symbol of Hinduism is the Swastika. Although this sign is generally associated with Nazi Germany, it originally was derived from the Hindu religion where it represents peace and prosperity. “Swastika” literally translates to “everything is good”. The symbol used by the Germans was a slightly tilted inversion of this Hindu symbol. A third symbol which is often linked to Hinduism is the lotus. Many gods and goddesses are depicted holding or sitting on a lotus. However, it is specifically a representation of the goddess “Shri” or “Lakshmi” who is “associated in every possible way with the lotus” (Zimmer, p. 91). The flower also represents politeness and culture and is used in certain rituals. These symbols among many others, are extremely important in performing rituals and carrying on
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.