The epic of gilgamesh from sumer, although only considered by some scholars as a religious text, has origins as early as 2150 bce, and stands as one of the earliest literary works that includes various mythological figures and themes. But from the very beginning we see god as a trinity. It is an entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself, ranging from the childlike wonder of the unknown and the mysterious to the deep reverence which comes with understanding of esoteric interworkings of the three worlds. Hinduism believes that every human being can know god personally. Some of these gods include the socalled hindu trinity of brahma, the creator god, not to be confused with brahman, which is absolute reality. Brahma, vishnu and shiva, the triple gods of hinduism, are different in a. The trinity is three of these though the latter term has become the dominant one used to describe the individual aspects of god known as the father, the son, and the holy spirit. The history of hinduism in india can be traced to about 1500 bce. The rigveda states in book 1, hymn 164 and verse 46. Hinduism is the worlds third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers. May 11, 20 hinduism attaches a very special value to the the darsan a sanskrit word meaning sight, of gurus, leaders, saintly persons and even holy places and holy images.
One of the oldest known religious texts is the kesh temple hymn of ancient sumer, a set of inscribed clay tablets which scholars typically date around 2600 bce. Swami sriyukteswar giri guru of paramahansa yogananda writes in his book that the current day age is actually dwaparayuga in his book holy science. Buddhism is a religion that was founded by siddhartha gautama the buddha more than 2,500 years ago in india. However, the puranas are supposed to be complied by muni vyasa. Hindus are often classified into three groups according to which form of. The second strand in the fabric of hinduism is practice. Here at the hinduismsection of, we aim at presenting the original works that lay the foundations of hinduism. There is no central ancient text that succinctly sums up the religions basic tenets, no single leader that hindus can call the founder of their faith and no single modernday organization to which all hindus belong. Hence, there are these three main truths see below, which form the basis for theological discussion. Brahma, vishnu, shiva, the highest gods of hinduism. Brahma is the creator, vishnu is the preserver and shiva is the destroyer.
Hinduism is a religion with various gods and goddesses. The masculine gods brahma, vishnu, shiva are then relegated as auxiliary agents of the supreme feminine tridevi. This holy book is written in the sanskrit language. I think that this is what you meant by asking and i hope i was helpful. These correspond to three main features of the supreme. This lesson will explore the hindu system of belief in reference to its deities. The vedas are considered the earliest literary record of indoaryan civilization and the most sacred books of india. Usually hindus prefer to worship one particular god. Hindu festivals are combinations of religious ceremonies, semiritual spectacles, worship, prayer, lustrations, processions, music and dances, eating, drinking, lovemaking, licentiousness, feeding the poor, and other activities of a religious or traditional character. The information for this article has been collected from various sources. Brahma, vishnu and mahesha are considered the highest gods of hinduism, next only to brahman in importance and hierarch.
They are the original scriptures of hindu teachings, containing spiritual knowledge encompassing all aspects of life. We see this espoused in the christian faith with its emphasis on the holy trinity, while in hinduism the same notion is embraced via three fundamental deities shiva. The religion of hinduism originated in northern india, near the river indus, about 4000 years ago and is the worlds oldest existing religion. The upanishads are also called as vedantas or the end of the vedas. In hinduism mythology god is seen as unity of three gods. Sep 29, 2009 a brief overview of the main aspects of hinduism.
In the west, where the mass majority of people are part of the abrahamic faith tradition with one god, the concept of polytheism is nothing more than fantasy or mythology worthy of comic book material. The three most important hindu gods forms of brahman are. List of world religions and founders, religious books, place. Nor is it based on the teachings of a founder or holy book. Included in the doctrine of the trinity is a strict monotheism which is the teaching that there exists in all the universe a single being known as god who is self. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism. Some of the other holy works and books of hinduism are stories and epic poems. Gods and goddesses discover articles and resources related to the hindu universe of gods and goddesses. Other holy scriptures in hinduism are called the upanisads, the smrutis, the puranas, the ramayana and the mahabharata. It will explain the concept of brahman, while also explaining the attributes of brahma. Christians believe in crucifixion in which god gave his life to resurrect people from their sins and arose again on the third day which is called the resurrection.
He is considered to be everything by those who worship him. The hindu philosophy sarvadeva namaskara kesavamprathi gattchathi means that you can worship in any way or form you choose, for all are true paths that lead to god. Three primary aspects of brahman commonly worshipped by the hindus with form and attributes sagun in relation to. Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in india and nepal. There is a wide spectrum of religious belief within hinduisms four major sects or denominations. Indeed, most hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple gods. Hinduism believes that the ultimate truth or the divine is one i. Hindus recognise one god, brahman, the eternal origin who is the cause. Hinduism holy book important books and writings of hinduism. Hinduism is an extremely diverse religious and spiritual tradition. Five of the hindu holy books are the rig veda, bhagavad gita, sama veda, yajur veda, and athava veda. Allah has foreordained the lives and deeds of all men, but man still has a.
Guided by the founder, satguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, the magazines editors, who are initiated monks of the kauais hindu monastery, collaborated with holy men and women and experts around the world in creating. Read and learn for free about the following article. Apr 25, 2014 some argue that hinduism is more a way of life than religion. The trimurti is the triple deity of supreme divinity in hinduism in which the cosmic functions of. With about 470 million followers, scholars consider buddhism one of the major. Emotional or loving devotion bhakti to a primary god such as avatars of vishnu krishna for example. The holy book in the hindu religion is known as the vedas. It also exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent. It is also the one considered most sacred by the hindus. Jul 31, 2003 the god shiva is part of the hindu trinity, along with vishnu and brahma. A day of will come when all of mans good and evil deeds will be weighed. According to pew research center, 94% of the world population of hindus live in india.
Hindus belive that these gods represent the following three aspects. These three gods represent the cycles of the universe. Ganesha, shiva, krishna, durga, kali, lakshmi, saraswati, jagannath, hanuman, many others. Functionally they represent the triple functions of manifested brahman. To reach the divine there are multiple paths and it all leads to one. Hinduismintroduction wikibooks, open books for an open. Christian believe that there is only one god, but there are three elements to this one god god the father, god the son and the holy spirit. Each god is in charge of one aspect of creation, with brahma as creator, vishnu as. It is from these four heads that some believe hinduisms sacred texts, known as the.
Veda means knowledgethe ramayana, long epic poems about rama and sita. While we have the main vedas, upanishads, the mahabharata in several translations we also present newer commentaries, anthologies, and entirely new branches of hinduism. These texts are glorious tales of the hindu trinity brahma, vishnu and maheshwar shiva. There is one supreme god that cannot be fully known or understood. The original purpose of these activities was to purify, avert malicious. This is called a tilaka mark and it is usually made with red powder or paste. Hindu gods simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Hence they are also called the trimurthis or the trinity of hinduism. The atharvaveda praises god in book 20, hymn 58 and verse 3. The concept of god in hinduism varies in its diverse traditions. While it is true that various elements of vedic ritual survive in modern practice and thereby serve a unifying function, much. Guided by the founder, satguru sivaya subramuniyaswami, the magazines editors, who are initiated monks of the kauais hindu monastery, collaborated with holy men and women and experts around the world in creating graphically rich guides to virtually. Three primary aspects of brahman commonly worshipped by the hindus with form and attributes sagun in relation to the universe are called. The sacred trinity as many world religions proclaim, behind all that exists is found a triplicity of sacred energies, and each is considered a dimension of the divine.
Hindus value many sacred writings as opposed to one holy book. It has no founder, governing body or single holy book, although the vedas sanskrit. It is often referred to as not just a religion but a way of life. Hinduism begins simply by differentiating between matter and spirit. The most sacred scriptures of hinduism are the vedas books of knowledge, a collection of texts written in sanskrit from about 1200 bce to 100 ce as sruti revealed texts, the vedas are regarded as the absolute authority for religious knowledge and a test of hindu orthodoxy both jains and buddhists reject the vedas. Information on hinduism for kids primary homework help. But as we have mentioned earlier, at the highest level they are the three aspects of the one and the same supreme. Despite indias enormous diversity, a common grammar of ritual behaviour connects various places, strata, and periods of hindu life. Hindu gods and goddesses by swami harshananda, published by.
They are the most ancient and authentic scriptures of hinduism and the most complicated too. Feller learn with flashcards, games, and more for free. Muhammad is the and greatest of all of allahs prophets. The earliest literary source for the history of hinduism is the rigveda, consisting of hymns that were composed chiefly during the last two. Brahman is the name given by hinduism to the one absolute or supreme reality or god that is allpowerful, allpervading, beyond forms and attributes nirgun. The primary sacred texts, known as the vedas, were composed around 1500 b. Hinduism teaches that there is no particular way or book to reach god or heaven. God and gods of hinduism devotion to god and the gods of hinduism is known as bhakti. Hinduism is practised by more than 80% of indias population. Hinduism, one of the worlds oldest religions, can be hard to understand or even define. The majority of the vedas are considered the shruti, which is translated to that which is hard. This is worshiping a god, using mantras and making offerings. Different forms of the supreme god are worshipped, depending on the hindu tradition.
The worldly aspect of hinduism originally had three vedas, three classes of society. The vedas and these other works are further divided into two sections. Evidence of hinduisms early antecedents is derived from archaeology, comparative philology, and comparative religion. Why hindus worship so many gods and goddesses is a real mystery for most people.
Hinduism spans a wide range of beliefs such as henotheism, monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, pandeism, monism, atheism and nontheism forms of theism find mention in the bhagavad gita. Thanks for a2a user12367849578736737000 i will give a brief introduction on the following important texts of hinduism. Hinduism does not possess a single holy book like bible in christianity and quran in islamic dharma. The three aspects of god are god the father, god the son jesus christ, and the holy spirit. However, i would like to acknowledge one important source, which proved very valuable to me in presenting this exhaustive information. Which book in hinduism is the best to understand the. The philosophical maxims of vedic literature have stood the test of time, and the vedas form the highest religious authority for all aspects. Another hindu holy book that deals with religious duties is law of manu or the dharma shastra. Hinduismintroduction wikibooks, open books for an open world. The scriptures of the vedas are meant to guide hindu believers in their daily lives. The three forms of this trimurity are the gods brahmana, vishnu, and shiva.
It is believed to have created the universe and many other gods and goddess to be his helpers. Despite their vast diversity, these spiritual traditions are linked by a number of similarities, including the recognition of many different gods, great value placed on becoming a sannyasi or rishi holy ascetic living in the forest, meditation, complex rituals, and a belief in. They also help to preserve the religious dimensions of family and society. For many hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs. The three aspects of gods eternal plan, salvation, the creating of the glorious church without spot or wrinkle, and the bringing of the nations under kingdom law, began with the resurrection of the lord jesus christ and depend on his authority, power, and continuing presence for their accomplishment. The belief system in the hindi religion is outlined from these scriptures. While the devotee sees the god, so too the god sees the devotee, and the two can make contact through their eyes.
Many hindus describe god as satcidananda, full of eternity, knowledge and bliss. The vedas are scriptures that the hindu people use as a guide to daily and religious life. The guru in hinduism is a person who instructs others in religious matters and worship. May 10, 2020 here at the hinduism section of, we aim at presenting the original works that lay the foundations of hinduism. In hinduism, the universe is thought to cycle through periods of destruction and. Trimurti, in hinduism, triad of the three gods brahma, vishnu, and shiva. Since 1979 the international magazine hinduism today has been producing a treasury of educational features on all aspects of sanatana dharma. The puranas are holy books of hinduism that date back to gupta empire in ancient india. In the book of genesis, the first book in the bible, god says, let us make man in our imagemale and female he created them. The god shiva is part of the hindu trinity, along with vishnu and brahma. The most holy of the hindu books is written in sanskrit and is referred to as the vedas. He does it by encouraging people to be on the side of dharma and pursue their religious duties as householders.
Shiva embodies the apparently contradictory aspects of a god of ascetics and a god of the phallus. Buddhist art in south asia development of the buddha image. Lord vishnu did his job of preserving the world by incarnating himself in different forms at times of crisis. It is the biggest misconception about hinduism that hindus worship 330 million gods making hinduism a polytheistic religion, but in fact, hinduism believes in only one god but allows its followers to worship the god in many forms such as nature including trees, sun, idols, animals, etc. For instance three horizontal lines indicates the god shiva, and three vertical lines the god vishnu. According to the hindus, darsan is a twoway flow of vision. The supreme god in hinduism is known by various names depending on the region and denomination. Major beliefs of hinduism and pracitices in hinduism. Hinduism is the term used to describe the diverse forms of religious expression native to the indian subcontinent. Spirit is understood within two main categories, namely. Concept of god in hinduism hinduism facts hinduism facts. While they share far more similarities than differences, they naturally hold unique perspectives on god, soul and the world.
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