By Kalli Tillman, Essays and More Admin
Admin Comments: Just a little thing I wrote about Hinduism a while ago. Could have been better, but this is how it ended up.
About Hinduism
Hinduism is the third most popular religion in the world, with over 900 million Hindus around the world. The word “Hinduism” is believed to have come from the Persian hindu, meaning river. This word was used to refer to people who live near the Indus River Valley. People who believe in Hinduism call their religion sanatama dharma, which means “eternal religion”, or varnasramadharma, which means the completion of duties based on class and age. Since Hinduism had existed for about four thousand years, to the founder and the date it was founded are unknown. Hindus have many gods and goddesses, and each person believes a different god or goddess to be the one true god. The most commonly believed in “true gods” are Shiva, and Vishnu. The Hindu “bible” is the Vedas, a group of sacred writings.
History
The first sacred texts found date from 1200 BC and were mainly about sacrifices to gods and nature. In 700 BC, a more philosophical ideal was created, and by 500 BC, new religions inspired by Hinduism had arisen, most notably Buddhism. It is thought that this religion originated with the people of the Indus River Valley, and was a product of invasion by a European culture called the Aryans. However, no signs of an attack have been discover along the Indus river, so it is more likely that the Aryans migrated to the area and began to live with the Indians. Hinduism started to be noticed by the west in the 20th century, and though not many have directly converted to Hinduism, its influence is present in the west in such things as yoga, which was originally a Hindu practice.
Hindu Beliefs
Sruti and Smruti
Sruti are known by Hindus as inspired directly from the gods, and smruti are said to come from sages. More modern sruti are considered very important and are memorized some students in Hindu schools, while the older sruti are vastly different from current Hindu beliefs. The only things that are considered sruti are the Vedas, which contain texts about more barbaric practices, such as sacrifices, as well as more philosophical ideals and practices (called Upanishads). Smurti are more recent, and are used to make the sruti understandable to the general public. Smruti are the history, laws, philosophical manuals, and myths of the Hindu religion.
Cows
Hindus are mostly vegetarian, so a cow is kept to provide milk and cheeses. Before cows were kept by families, they would be sacrificed to the gods. However, if a cow could still make milk, it was not to be killed. Later on, Hindus stopped eating cows altogether, mostly because of all of the necessities a cow could provide (milk, butter, lamp fuel from feces). In early AD, cows would be given as gifts to high-ranking priests, so killing a cow was considered to have the same implications as killing a priest. Cows are honored once a year on Gopastami, where they are washed and given offerings in temples.
Brahman
The “Ultimate Reality”, aka Brahman, is infinite, and is where the universe came from. The gods and goddesses of Hinduism are said to be a materialization of Brahman, which is within all living things.
Chakras

Chakras
The seven main chakras transport physical, mental, and spiritual energy throughout the body. Opening the chakras (which usually involves yoga) leads to healing and enlightenment. Every chakra has a spot on the body, and they are each represented by a lotus flower. The ida, pingala, and sushumna connect the chakras and carry life force to every part of the body. The ida is calming, feminine, and connected to the left nostril, while the pingala is energizing, male, and connected to the right nostril. The chakras are vertically along the body, and sometimes an eighth chakra is added above the head.
Hindu Practices
Ayurveda
Ayurveda is a holistic healing method that is over 5,000 years old. Students of Ayurveda should know distillation, cooking, sugar making, pharmaceutical procedures, basic metalworking, and the different medicinal uses of plants. Most Ayurvedic treatments use herbs to cure ailments and diseases, though alkaline-based chemicals began to be used in the end of the 1st millennium AD. The basic principle of Ayurveda is the idea that an organism adapts to changes in the surroundings or its diet. Ayurvedic medicines hope to aid in this process.
Namaste
Namaste means ‘salutations to you’. It is used as a greeting in India and is usually accompanied with a small bow with hands pressed together in a praying position. Namaste can also be interpreted as ‘not myself to you’, which shows respect towards the person you are greeting, or as ‘not for me, but for thee’ which shows honor and the will to do service for the person being greeted. This greeting is used in both India and Nepal.
Sects
Vaishnavism
The largest of the Hindu denominations, people who practice Vaishnavism worship Vishnu. Along with the Vedas, Vaishnavites (or Vaishnavas) also follow the Bhagavad Gita, Gita Govinda, Bhagavata Purana, and Vishnu Samhita, which are mainly about Vishnu and his manifestations, Rama and Krishna. Vaishvanites believe in one high god who has six traits: power, knowledge, infinite energy, strength, majesty, and self-sustainability. A “Supreme God” is thought to encompass everything in the universe and more, occasionally including lower gods. Vishnu’s partner, Lakshmi, is considered to be another part of the “Supreme God”. Vaishnavites can often be identified by a T, U, or Y-shaped white mark on the forehead or body accompanied by a red dot.
Śaivism
Śaivism is quite popular across the Southern part of India and in Sri Lanka. It is believed to have been brought to India by a sage named Agastya, where Indian saints adopted the religion and spread it throughout the country in the Middle Ages. Śaivites believe that Śiva is the “Supreme One”, and that he connects everything as one and exists everywhere at the same time. A symbol called lingam is used when worshipping Śiva; this symbol represents the universe.
Symbols
“Om” or “Aum”
Aum has three sounds within it: a-u-m. These three parts symbolize trios within Hinduism, such as earth, atmosphere, and heaven, as well as the tree main gods, Vishnu, Brahma, and Śiva. The om sound is spoken during prayers, meditations, yoga, and more. This sound and its symbol represent the “essence of the universe”. Om is said to be one of the first sounds ever created, existing even before our universe. It is the most sacred sound.
Bindi
A bindi is a dot places between the eyes that was worn by married women. Supposedly, it would protect the family of the woman who wore it. Bindis are also used in religious ceremonies to aid in concentration. In recent times, bindis are more of a decoration than a symbol, and can be seen with more varying designs than a simple red dot.
Lotus Flower

Lotus
Lotuses symbolize being unattached. Due to their association with beauty, gods and goddesses are often depicted holding lotus flowers or with lotus symbols. Brahma (the creation god, not Brahman) and Lakshmi are most commonly seen with lotuses. Lotus flowers with different amount of petals and of various colors are used to represent the chakras.
Swastika
While a swastika has negative connotations in the United States, in India, the word swastika means “all is well”. A swastika with arms facing to the right represents the sun, and is one of the symbols used by Vishnu. A left-facing swastika represents night and the goddess Kali. The Nazis used a swastika because of it’s association with purity and magic.
Important Gods and Goddesses
Vishnu
Vishnu is a protector, and is believed to be the “Supreme God” by the Vaishnavites. Vishnu, along with Brahma and Shiva, is a part of what makes up the universe and it’s laws. Pictures of Vishnu usually depict him with four arms, and holding a club (representing time), lotus (Vishnu’s feminine side, denotes creation and can represent creativity), conch (meaning eternity, also represents the om sound), and disc (symbolizes a chakra and can be used as a weapon) in his hands. When Vishnu comes to earth, he embodies one of his avatars. The first time he arrived on earth he was Matsya the fish, then Kurma the turtle, Varaha the boar, Narasimha the lion man, Vamana the dwarf, Parashurama the priest and warrior, Rama the prince, Krishna the cow herder, and, finally, Buddha the sage. His tenth avatar, Kalki the horseman, has not been to earth yet. According to legend, Vishnu saved the human race from Shiva (who had turned into a monster) by allowing Shiva to drink his blood instead of drinking the blood of humans.
Shiva or Śiva
Shiva (whose name means “Auspicious One”) holds a poison in his throat so that it does not spread into lakes and oceans and destroy humanity. Out of the three universe gods (Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma), Shiva is the destroyer. When Shiva is shown with four arms, he holds a drum (symbolizes creation), trident, deerskin, and club. In some depictions, Shiva has a river flowing through his hair. Supposedly, he lowered the Ganges River to earth by letting it travel through his hair. Anither version of Shiva is Nataraja, the dancing god. He wears a tiger skin around his body and a snake around his neck. Nataraja holds a ball of fire in one hand, and Shiva’s drum in the opposite hand, showing the balance between creation and destruction. This dancing god stands upon a dwarf, representing the conquering of laziness and ignorance. His hair is long and forms a halo above his head, which is feminine and gives Nataraja magic powers.
Brahma
Two myths exist regarding Brahma’s creation. The first myth is that Brahma hatched from a golden egg. Later on, however, he was said to have come out of a lotus that grew on Vishnu’s navel. Though Brahma is not as popular as Vishnu or Shiva, a picture of him is required in all temples to the universe gods because he created the earth and everything on it. Brahma has four arms and commonly holds a pot of water, a prayer book, a spoon, and a rosary. He uses a white swan as transportation. Every four billion years, Brahma dies and is reborn another four billion years later, which destroys and subsequently rebuilds the universe.
Lakshmi
A favorite among women, Lakshmi brings wealth and good luck to those who worship her. She holds a lotus that represents fertility and clarity. Lakshmi has four hands, symbolizing aspects of life: wants, righteousness, wealth, and leaving the cycle of life. When she is accompanying Vishnu, Lakshmi is sometimes known as Lakshmi-Narayan. Lakshmi is the feminine part of the “Supreme God”, and she is the goddess of prosperity and beauty, as well as generosity and wealth. On a full moon, Lakshmi is said to visit the houses of her worshippers and bring them wealth.
Ganesh
Created by the goddess Parvati to guard her bedroom, Ganesh would not let Shiva enter, so the two began to fight. In the end, Ganesh was beheaded. Parvati was enraged, and in order to ease her sorrow, Shiva told his followers to bring him the head of the first living creature they saw. The head of an elephant was brought to Shiva, and he placed in onto Ganesh to bring him back to life. Ganesh became the ruler of Shiva’s followers. Using a mouse as his method of travel, depicting Ganesh with only two arms is banned. Thus, he can be seen with any number of arms greater than two, and can hold one of 57 symbols in each hand. Ganesh’s ears hear all, but only keep the good things. In Southern India, Ganesh is married to Brahma’s two daughters, Buddhi and Siddhi. Siddhi represents achievement and Buddhi is wisdom. Achievement and wisdom perfectly match up with Ganesh’s intelligence, as symbolized by his large head and elephant features.
Kali
Kali is the goddess of destruction. In one story, she became so engulfed in a battle that she started to destroy everything she saw. Shiva stopped her by laying under her feet to protect the earth. Surprised by this, Kali stuck out her tongue and then halted the annihilation. Kali carries a sword, and the head of a demon in two of her hands. The other two hands are in mantras (symbols made by the hands and fingers) that say “fear not” and bless her followers. She wears a necklace of fifty heads, one head for each letter of the sanskrit alphabet, representing knowledge. Since Kali is also the goddess of time, she has three eyes that symbolize the past, present, and future.
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