The concept of God, gods, and goddesses in Hinduism is such a complex kaleidoscope of philosophies and origins it would be futile to admit of any simple explanation. In the same nature, we see the vast numbers of idols that have come to represent it. Throughout the ages God has been transformed into countless forms in the Hindu pantheon. He/She has been sculpted, painted, aniconicized into symbols and has been represented in nature. However, in doing so, many believe that Hindus have unknowingly transformed the religion into polytheistic form, as one Indian theist states,
" (That) polytheism sways the men of this religion (Hinduism)..." (Kapoor 61).
If this is so, then it could be viewed that because of the idolization of countless gods and goddesses, Hindus have lost their connection with one true impersonal God. Therefore Hinduism is not monotheistic, but a "lower form of worship" (Kapoor 61). It shall be shown that philosophers such as Swami Dayananda Swami stood firmly against the act of idol worship and had tried to (and succeeded) in many ways to rekindle Vedic Hinduism in the form of the Arya Samaj. While other philosophers such as Sri Paramahamsa Ramkrishna was in no rejection to the act of idol worship and felt that all the spiritual texts led to only one God.
From this essay, arguments from both Dayananda who had represented the Vedas and Ramkrishna who chose no particular text, will be examined and ultimately it shall be decided whether iconic worship is at all needed in Hinduism.
God almighty according to Hinduism, is the ultimate Reality behind the universe and all the diverse objects, activities and events therein. All laws of nature, all forms of energy, space and time are nothing but the manifestation ...
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...hna achieved the phenomenon known as samadhi (blissful inner peace, moksha) in every faith he absorbed. Whether he attained samadhi in Christianity, Islam or Hinduism, he ultimately revealed that God was One and the same.
Therefore from the analysis of these two philosophers, it is undoubtedly seen why Ramkrishna's argument would be held far more dearly in a land of secularism. His message stands as fresh and unifying because it applies to all faiths, not just Hindus.
While some may argue that Dayananda was a greater exponent of Hindu consciousness for his proclamation of Hindu self pride, it is Ramakrishna who had provided a universal message.
In the end, whichever side one decides upon, one cannot deny the effect both sages had on countless numbers of people. That is why they equally stand as among the greatest proponents of Hinduism in the modern age.
In conclusion, it is obvious that the Absolute is recognized to be within more than one god or goddess. The question that then arises is “who is truly the Absolute?” It could be Vishnu, Siva, or any of the forms of the Devi (Durga). The simple fact is that whether the Absolute be Vishnu, Siva, or the Devi, they all encompass the same qualities that the Absolute is understood to exhibit in their respected branches of Hinduism. Since certain people of the Hindu religion believe that their god or goddess is the Absolute, it is possible that the Absolute is simply all of the gods and goddesses in one body working together to be most supreme and powerful creator within the religion.
They have been called "gods." These almighty, powerful beings that are far too superior for us to understand; or so most of us have been made to believe. Some may say he is a Great Examiner, others could say he is the Creator. Some could even say he doesn't exist. Frankly, what I want to emphasize is how such beliefs could reduce even the bravest and strongest of us all to a whimpering child. Something that we ar...
...s a diversion for the evils of the world that way Hinduism can remain pure. The Buddha is seen as a possible avatar of Vishnu, who was brought to lead the critical and condemning Hindu’s away from Hinduism. (Mittal and Thursby 81) This rejection is the major reason why Buddhism and Hinduism are two separate religions. The different beliefs and ideals certainly further the separation, but had Hindus accepted the Buddha’s teachings, the relationship between Buddhism and Hinduism might have been very different.
In this term paper I will be comparing and contrasting Buddhism and Hinduism. Comparing both Hinduism belief, sacred text and overall view of how the world SHOULD be. Hinduism and Buddhism are two of the most influential and complex religions around the world. Both religions have similar philosophies and originated in India before 500 B.C. Both are among the top five major religions being practiced in today’s world. Hinduism ranks as the third most popular organized religion and is much older than Buddhism. Buddhism is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, or Lord Buddha, who considered himself a Hindu before being called to his path and attaining enlightenment, and therefore given this fact, it follows that Buddhism share many similarities and some very distinct differences in certain doctrinal sacred texts, ideals, practices, and beliefs of Hinduism.
The English word religion loosely translates into “rules” in Latin. Therefore, a religion teaches us how to think, how to act, and basically everything except what to eat in the morning. The Hindu and Christian religion agree on many things and our society follows some of the rules too because religion and laws are based on humanity. From holy literature many different ideas have been pawned but they are all supposed to lead you to the same things: a happy, healthy life, contribution to the world around us, and some kind of liberation after death. Concerning these ideals the Hindu religion has come up with three ways to make sure that everybody will get what they want out of life and those are the four stages, the four goals, and the four castes of life. There is so much holy war about which religion is right and wrong but if they all are striving for the same thing it is hard for me to see why they take place. In this essay I will show that Christianity is very similar to Hinduism.
Ram Mohan Roy: He argued for the construction of a society based on both modern European science and Indian devotional Hinduism
Hinduism and Christianity are two religions that have been around for thousands of years. These religions have developed philosophies on certain subjects that can be compared in order to show their similarities and differences. Some of the main subjects that can be reflected upon are the paths to enlightenment or salvation, the religions' treatment of women, and the concept of the afterlife. This paper will give an analytic comparison of these religions through the discussion of these topics.
Hinduism is a polytheistic religion with countless Gods and Deities, that is now the third most followed religion in the world, after Christianity and Islam. The word “hindu” originated from the Sanskrit word “Sindhu” which is a historical name of the longest river in Asia, northwest of India. Hinduism is unique, the only religion without a founder, no one scripture, and it is without a specific set of rules and expectations. It is often described as being a way of life, unlike other religions, and is said to be an assortment of different religious, philosophical ideas, and cultural practices that began in India. While it doesn’t have specific teachings, it does have sacred texts, the Sanatana Dharma, otherwise known as “The Eternal Teaching”.
Upon reading about the historical and religious background of Ancient India, one can clearly assume that the country was strongly influenced by three main religious teachings: Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. These three sects in religious thinking have many similarities as all recognize the life-cycle and the need of liberation, they worship one central deity that used to be a human who gained enlightenment and they all recognize the existence of the eternal soul and after-death re-incarnation. However, they also share a lot of differences that mark the underlying principles of practicing them. I will identify the scope of differences and similarities in these ancient religions in an attempt to understand why each attracted followers, why each was shaped a certain way and how they preserved the interest of followers on into the modern times as well.
“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.
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
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.
Essentially it is hard to define Hinduism as a religion or a philosophy. It contains so many cultures, philosophical systems that make itself complicated. Besides it has so many Gods and Goddess. We can convey that this state is the reflection of complex society in Indian, people from different races, geographic areas. Whereas it would be seen as a complication, there is a constant ritual with the spiritual of Hinduism.
Hindu mythology has interesting theories on how the Earth was created and the reincarnation of people, Hinduism is very different to many other mythologies and has some unique key features that make it stand out from the rest. History tells that there are over 330 million gods in Hindu mythology. There are six main gods in Hinduism. Hindu’s have an interesting belief of what happens to them after death, the afterlife Hindus believe in must be met by accomplishing a goal. Hinduism is a unique belief in many gods, the life cycle and reincarnation of its people.
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.