Hinduism- Beliefs And Teachings Flashcards
What do Hindus mean by Brahman?
Brahman is the Hindu name for God or Supreme Being. Nirguna Brahman is God/the Supreme
Being as a spiritual presence only. Saguna Brahman is God/the Supreme Being shown in form.
The Om or Aum is the sound and symbol of Brahman.
Three aspects of the Divine
• Existing everywhere, as a non-personal
God, called Brahman.
• Being within the Heart of everyone, called
antaryami, meaning ‘the God within’
• As a personal God or Lord, called
Bhagavan and approached through many
different deities, living in the spiritual worlds
called Vaikuntha.
There are three main aspects of
Brahman.
These are expressed in
the Trimurti
and are:
• Brahma, the Creator.
• Vishnu, the Preserver.
• Shiva, the Destroyer.
Brahma faces north, south, east and west because
he is responsible for all of the created world.
The special meaning of the four objects:
Vedas: The earliest Hindu scriptures. This shows he is guided by the
Vedas – some Hindus believe he was responsible for their origin.
The spoon: Represents a sacrificial ladle used in worship. Brahma is
responsible for offerings during worship.
Mala: A string of beads that are used during meditation.
The water pot: Represents the water of life, which was responsible for
the beginning of creation.
Stories from Hindu tradition- Brahma
- Brahma created a female deity called Shatarupa and fell in love with her. Shiva through
this obsession was wrong so punished him by making him no longer worshipped as other
gods. - Brahma was too busy listening to the music of Saraswati to pay attention to a high-priest
who wanted him to lead a fire sacrifice so the high-priest punished him
The Trimurti - Vishnu
The Sanskrit word Vishnu means ‘one who enters everywhere’.
He is mainly worshipped through his incarnations or avatars, especially
Rama and Krishna.
Vishnu is special in four ways
• He represents the soul of the entire universe
• He gave birth to Brahma who created the universe
• He enters the heart of every living being to become ‘the lord within’
• He is worshipped through avatars
Vishnu is believed to step in to restore moral order, prevent suffering and
disaster, and show kindness and generosity to his devotees.
Stories from Hindu tradition- Vishnu
- Disguised as a dwarf, Vishnu tricked the demon world-ruler, Bali, into giving him everything he could cover in three strides. Vishnu covered the earth and skies in two strides. The third strides was to rest his foot on Bali’s head, acknowledging Vishnu’s supremacy as God.
- Prahlada was a devotee of Vishnu but the son of a demon king who thought he was the greatest. His father repeatedly tried to kill him, but Vishnu saved him every time and remained devoted to Vishnu. He was rewarded with eternal bliss in heaven.
The Trimurti- shiva
Shiva is the most complex of Hindu gods. He is thought to be in charge of destruction and recreating afterwards.
His symbol is the linga, or male sex organ, which shows his ability to recreate.
Symbols shiva
Animal hides: sign of an ascetic, as well as his mastery over the tiger,
which represents lust.
Trident: represents the three deities of the Trimurti
Serpents: represents Shiva’s creative powers after destruction
Third eye: represents spiritual knowledge and power, is able to destroy
evil
Ash: sign of an ascetic
Blue body: from when he drank poison to save the world
River Ganges: flows from Shiva’s head, representing everlasting time.
Earrings: different symbols show that Shiva is both male and female.
Nandi the bull: symbolises courage and shows Shiva’s calm and gentle
aspects
Vaishnavism
is a tradition that focuses on the worship of Vishnu. Vaishnava worship is based on
scriptures, and focuses on bhakti (personal devotion) through saying mantras and repetitive
prayers known as japa. Vaishnavas believe that Vishnu is within them as the antaryami, and
their aim in life is to serve Vishnu. Vaishnavas believe that the atman is separate from the
Supreme Being.
Shaivism
is a tradition that focuses on the worship of Shiva. Shaivas focus on Shiva’s dancing
form, Nataraja. Shaivas are often ascetics who are trying to gain liberation from the cycle of
samsara. They practice astanga yoga, and some even smoke marijuana as an aid to
meditation. They believe that the atman and Brahman are one and therefore there is only one
reality.
Both groups use stories to claim that their deity is superior:
Stories from Hindu tradition
- Shiva is a flaming post extending into eternity. Both Brahma and Vishnu try to find the end
but cannot. Therefore, Shiva is the eternal God, more powerful than Vishnu or Brahma. He is a
never-ending pillar of light. - Bhrigu insulted each of the gods of the trimurti to discover which was most important and
influence only by goodness. Both Shiva and Brahma were furious, but Vishnu apologised for
hurting Bhrigu. Vaishnavas claim that Vishnu is more filled with goodness and superior to the
other members of the trimurti.
Saraswati
The consort of Brahma and goddess of learning.
Her son is Manu. He is thought of as the father of mankind
and another of the Laws of Manu, which is the book of moral
laws in Hindu scriptures. The Vedas, the oldest Hindu holy text,
are also thought to be Saraswati’s children so she is often
referred to as Veda-Mata, mother of the Vedas.
Lakshmi
The consort of Vishnu, often referred to as Sri, a
word meaning beauty, prosperity and wealth. She is
especially worshipped during the festival of Diwali when she
is prayed to for a prosperous new year. Her marriage to
Vishnu is considered the prefect union.
Shakti
Also known as Parvati, Durga and Kali.
Parvati- known to be caring for others and both patient and
wise. The balance of female and male is often represented in
Hinduism by images of Shiva and Parvati as halves of one
person.
Durga- a warrior goddess who symbolises the ‘hidden strength’
of women, and divine opposition to evil
Kali: a fierce and wild goddess. She is associated with death
and destruction- particularly of demons, whose blood she
caught on her tongue.
Hanuman and Ganesha
are animal gods who are believed to be born from Shiva and Parvati.
Hanuman is known for strength and devotion to duty, and is the patron of wrestlers, sportsmen
and soldiers. Ganesha is the god of good luck and removers of obstacles.
The avatars
Hindus believe that the god Vishnu has shown himself in many different forms at special times
and for special reasons. There are 10 avatars. The most important are the seventh, Rama, and
the eighth Krishna.
Matsya, the fish that kills Damanaka to save the Vedas and saves mankind.
Kurma, the turtle that helps the Devas and Asuras churn the ocean for the nectar of
immortality.
Varaha, the boar that rescues the Earth and kills Hiranyaksha.
Narasimha, the half-lion half human, who defeats the demon Hiranyakashapu -nara(man),
simha (lion).
Vamana, the dwarf that grows into a giant to save the world from King Bali.
Parashurama, “Rama of the battle axe,” a sage who appeared in the Treta Yuga. He killed
Kartavirya Arjuna’s army and clan and then killed all the ksatriyas 21 times.
Rama, Sri Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya who killed Demon King Raavan.
Balarama, The elder brother of Krishna and considered the eighth avatar of Vishnu in puranic
texts. In some modern interpretations, however, Krishna is considered the eighth avatar and
the Buddha the ninth.
Krishna, the ninth Avatar of Vishnu and associated with the Dwapara Yuga.
Kalki, the tenth avatar of Vishnu and said to be the harbinger of the end of Kali Yuga. This is
the only avatar of Vishnu that is yet to manifest itself
Hindu ideas about the world and how it works
• Time is cyclical
• The material world is repeatedly created
• The universe is one of many bubbles floating in space
• There are three tiers of our universe: the heavenly planets; the earthly realm; the lower
worlds
• There is not a single account of creation; instead, there are many interrelated stories.
• There are two realities: spirit (purusa) and matter (prakriti)
The cycle of four ages
• Hindus believe that time is separated into four long
periods of time called yugas totalling 4,320,000 years.
These are broken down into gold (1,728,000yrs), silver
(1,296,000yrs) copper (864,000yrs) and iron (432,000yrs).
This current age, leaving 427,000yrs.
• Each age gets shorter and is believed to be more
corrupt.
• At the end of this age, Vishnu will appear as Kalki (the
10th avatar) riding a white horse. He will kill the remaining
evil and start a new birth of a golden age, and the
cycle will start again.
The universe
• The universe is clusters of bubbles floating in space created from Vishnu’s breath.
• In each universe, there is an upper realm of heavenly planets, an earthly realm, and a
lower world full of less pleasant beings.
• Every form of creation has a place within these universes.
• In each cycle of life, humans may move into a different realm.
Matter
• Hindus believe the world is made up of spirit, purusa, and matter, prakriti, but different
Hindus will interpret their relationship differently.
• When a soul reaches enlightenment, the world ceases to have matter/substance and it is
shown to be an illusion, or maya
• Matter is believed to go through three stages: creation, maintenance and destruction.
• In human life these are seen as passion (red), goodness (yellow) and ignorance (blue),
and explain how humans behave
Atman
The word atman is a Sanskrit word meaning ‘real self’ or inner self’. Hindus believe that the
atman is the real and eternal ‘self’. All living beings in this world have an atman inside of
them.
Stories from Hindu tradition- atman
After the universe was created, atman was created. Atman travelled through the universe
and come to planet Earth; there, atman helped to bring alive new beings. As these beings
were part of Earth, their bodies died but their atman remained.
