About Maha Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri is celebrated throughout the country; it is particularly popular in Uttar Pradesh. Maha Shivratri falls on the 14th day of the dark half of 'Margasirsa' (February-March). The name means "the night of Shiva". The ceremonies take place chiefly at night. This is a festival observed in honour of Lord Shiva and it is believed that on this day Lord Shiva was married to Parvati. On this festival people worship 'Shiva - the Destroyer'. This night marks the night when
Saivism is a pan-Hindu religion that focuses on the traditions of Hinduism that worships the deity Shiva (or sometimes his consort and power, Sakti), practiced widely across India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. Saivism is also the oldest form of Hinduism worship. Like Vaisnavism, Saivism has obtained many varieties of ritual practices and ideologies, though it has leaned more towards ascetic ideals. An important myth in the tales of Shiva is the story of Daksa, which is told in the Mahabharata, where we
Hinduism Origins and Beliefs Hinduism is the world's oldest known religion, it can be traced back all the way to 5,000 7,000 B.C. This very complex and peaceful religion originated around the Indus Valley near the river Indus (India). ‘Hindu’ is derived from the Sanskrit word sindhu used by the Aryans. The word Hindu or Indu was used by Greeks and Persians to denote the country and the people living beyond the Indus river. Unlike most other religions
just one supreme and all powerful god. Throughout the world there are many religions that have a belief of worshipping only one god such as Baha'i Faith, Caodaiism, Cheondoism, Christianity, Deism, Eckankar, Islam, Judaism, Mandaeism, Rastafari, Shaivism, Seicho-no-Ie, Shaktism, Sikhism, Tengrism, Tenrissm, Vaishnavism, and Zoroastrianism. Those who only worship one god believe that their god is their creator and accomplished all of their work without the assistance from any other entity. Most
Ardhanarishvara is in essence Shiva, not Parvati. Mythology also reflects this, where Parvati becomes a part of Siva. It is likewise reflected in iconography: Shiva often has 2 supernatural arms & Parvati has just 1 arm, & his bull vahana – and not her lion vahana – typically accompanies them. Very seldom can one see the female half to the right & the male half to the left in the Ardhanarishvara image. Symbolism Ardhanarishvara symbolizes the inseparable male and female principles. The composite
philosopher and then developed by Mencius (Doniger, 2009). Hinduism is one of the world’s major religions that evolved from the Vedic religion of ancient India. Hinduism has branches that contain several sects. The major branches are Vaishnavism and Shaivism. These sects rely on their own set of scriptures but their focal point is the ancient Vedas. The philosophical Vedic texts, from the Aryans, involved the Upanishads in searching for knowledge on how the human beings would escape reincarnation. Hinduism
Kristen Knopf Comparative Religions Thursday 8:30-11:15 March 6th, 2014 Ancient Religions Buddhism and Hinduism share many similar beliefs. The idea of being reborn after death until one reaches a certain point to which they reach their Nirvana, or Moksha as they refer to the action of being set free of the life, death, rebirth cycle. Both of these religions share a belief in karma being one of the defining factors of a person’s place in the world. Similarly, both religions advocate for nonviolence
in some aspects; hence, we don’t know the exact creation period and name(s) of creator(s). During centuries, the borders between these beliefs were becoming more and more blurry, and now we have 4 main branches of Hinduism: Vaishnavism (Vishnu), Shaivism (Shiva), Shaktism (Devi) and Smartism – and these list does not include regional versions of those. In the contrary, we know, by whom and thus when Buddhism had appeared and developed – Gautama Buddha lived in 6-5th centuries B.C.. Talking about
Eastern Religion Current Issues Paper Eastern religion refers to religions that are mostly either Indian or Chinese in origin. These Dharma faiths are composed of Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism along with the Chinese religious philosophies of Daoism and Confucianism. This grouping also includes other religions, most notably Shinto, the traditional religion of Japan. Eastern Religion Characteristics and Changes Eastern religions are said to be some of the oldest known dated religions
Just last week, a man beheaded an infant in Bankura, West Bengal. This incident has caused many to reflect on the sanity of Sadhus. The man, Lakkhikanto Karmakar, was seen by various village people performing a ritual with the infant’s head. The man is supposedly “holy” and did this act to offer it as a sacrifice to Goddess Kali. The act didn’t stop there. He later hung the infants head around the idol. This holy man is what we call a Sadhu in Hinduism. A Sadhu refers to a “Holy Man” in Hinduism
doesn’t have to be. Bhakti can be done as a community. Devotional verses or poems are sung or read by the people of the community. Although Hindu’s can choose what gods they would like to worship and follow the most common ones are Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism. These gods have rituals and festivals that go with them. Although practicing Bhakti is a popular and big part of Hinduism it is not mandatory. Not all Hindus worship a
inscriptions testify to the performance of Vedic sacrifices by Brahmans at the behest of local chiefs. Chinese chronicles attest to an Indian like kingdom in Vietnam two centuries earlier. The dominant form of Hinduism exported to Southeast Asia was Shaivism, though some Vaishnavism was also known there. Later, from the 9th century onward, Tantrism, both Hindu and Buddhist, spread throughout the region.” Having both originated from the Indian continent, both religions, while maintaining the fundamental
Shakti Hinduism and Sikhism are being combined to form Shakti Sikhism, a sort of feminist Sikhism, in which the deity that is prayed to is a powerful and independent woman and that practices equality. This is to balance out with many other religions in which men have higher status over women. This Shakti Sikhism would balance out the gender status stereotypes, and would have women be more active in their religion. In Sikhism, it is debatable whether religious texts portray women well, or if they