March 28, 2023

After studying Module 5: Lecture Materials & Resources, discuss the following: It is said that there are over 330 million gods and goddesses within the Hindu religion and e

Hindu Deity Discussion

After studying Module 5: Lecture Materials & Resources, discuss the following:

It is said that there are over 330 million gods and goddesses within the Hindu religion and each god/goddess has his or her own story that reveals his or her own religious significance. For this discussion, you will be selecting 2 different Hindu gods/goddesses of your choosing that you would be interested in learning more about.

For each selected Hindu deity, you must provide the following:

Name and Title (Ex: Vishnu, God of Preservation)
Image of the deity
Brief explanation of why you chose that specific god/goddess. Below are some examples of this:
- Maybe that Hindu god/goddess reminds you of a Christian saint or biblical character who is the Catholic patron/patroness of a particular human endeavor, career field, or avocation that somehow pertains to you
  - Ex: Saint Cecilia Patroness of Musicians and Sarasvati Hindu Goddess of Music
- Maybe you found the specific image of that god/goddess intriguing
- Maybe there is a pop culture reference to the deity
  - Ex: TV series, movie, book, video game, etc.
Deity in Scripture
- Summarize a story from the Hindu scriptures in which that the deity plays a major role.
  - This can be their origin story or another important story about the deity.
Relationship to other Hindu Deities
- How is this specific deity related to at least 2 other Hindu deities?
  - Ex: Is the selected deity a mother/father to another deity or possibly a husband/wife of another deity?
Imagery & Symbolism
- Explain the traditional symbolism associated with the selected deity
  - Ex: Color of their skin, why they are depicted with specific animals, pose or stance in which they are depicted, any object they may be holding or that are depicted around them

Websites for assistance in selecting specific Hindu gods/goddesses:

Submission Instructions:

Your initial post should be at least 150 words. Incorporating resources is not required, however, you must cite them correctly if referencing. The instructor will provide proper citation instructions in the announcements.

55555RELG4_Voorst_Ch03.pptx.pdf

Encountering Hinduism: Many Paths to Liberation

LEARNING OUTCOMES

website, in whole or in part. RELG4 | CH3

1. Explain what Hinduism means and its strengths and weaknesses as a name

2. Explain how the main periods of Hinduism’s history have shaped its present, especially its unity and diversity

3. Outline the essentials of Hindu teachings in your own words

4. Relate Hindu ethics to the essential Hindu teachings

5. Outline the ways Hindus worship, at home and in temples

6. State the main aspects of Hindu life around the world today, especially in North America

website, in whole or in part.

Hinduism

• Umbrella term gradually imposed on Hindus, and then accepted by them • Hindu – First appeared around

500 B.C.E as a Persian word for the Indus River and the inhabitants of the valley

• Upper-class Hindus in India refer to their religion as the “eternal way of life”

LO 1

website, in whole or in part.

The Vedic Period

• Around 2500 B.C.E., the Indus Valley civilization thrived in northwest India • Main city-states – Harappa and

Mohenjo-Daro • Inhabited by dark-skinned Dravidians • Traded internationally • Declined around 1500 B.C.E., when the

Aryans migrated into northwest India

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

The Vedic Period (1500–600 B.C.E.)

• Aryans brought oral collections called Vedas • Vedas: Books of knowledge ➖ Consist of Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva

Vedas ➖ Comprise hymns to various deities,

instructions and songs for sacrifice, and spells to bring on blessings and keep away evil

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

The Vedic Period (1500–600 B.C.E.) (continued 1)

• Rituals • Sacrifice by means of fire ➖ Heart of Vedic religion • Vedic sacrificial rituals aimed at aiding and

strengthening deities ➖ Deities strengthen the world so that those

who offer sacrifice may prosper • Agnihotra ritual to the sun ➖ Symbolizes Agni carrying sacrifice to Indra,

Varuna, and Brahma

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

The Vedic Period (1500–600 B.C.E.) (continued 2)

• Rishi: “Seer” of the divine • Writer of the Vedas • Took a trip to the realm of the deities and

experienced their hidden truth when he drank soma

• Sacrifice became a necessity in Aryan society • Religious and social power were

consolidated in the hands of the Brahmins • Brahmanas – Books detailing sacrifice

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

Upanishadic Period (600–400 B.C.E)

• Upanishads: Philosophical scriptures at the end of the Vedic period • Included dialogues between teachers and

students who sought sacred knowledge through a withdrawal from ordinary life

• Brahman: Foundation of all physical matter, energy, time, space, and being itself ➖ Present in all people as atman ➖ Atman: Individual’s innermost self or soul

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

Upanishadic Period (600–400 B.C.E) (continued)

• Religious quest is to realize that brahman and one’s atman are the same ➖ Realization brings freedom from

ignorance and misery, and liberation from the endless cycle of reincarnation

• Teachings coalesced into yoga

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

Classical Period (400 B.C.E–600 C.E.)

• Rise of converts to Jainism and Buddhism prompted integration of foreign elements • Upanishads were accepted into the Vedic

body of scriptures • Low gods of the non-Aryan classes were

incorporated • Non-Aryans were taken into the religious

system as lower castes and outcastes

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

Important Literature from the Classical Period

Mahabharata

Ramayana

Bhagavad Gita

Laws of Manu

LO 2

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The Devotional Period (600 C.E.–Present)

• Rise of devotional movements • Bhakti: Devotion ➖ Advocates of bhakti in southern India

used poetry and song to praise Shiva and Vishnu around the sixth century C.E.

➖ Spread into most Hindu traditions by the seventeenth century

• Famous devotees – Mahadeviyakka and Mirabai

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

The Devotional Period (600 C.E.–Present) (continued 1)

• Tantrism • Writings in the Tantric movement based on

practices outside the elite Brahmin tradition • Tantras criticize the religious establishment

and also affirm traditional Hindu teachings ➖ Right-handed path – Employs mantra,

mandala, and ritual techniques based on body geography

➖ Left-handed path – Ritual actions forbidden in mainstream Hinduism

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

The Devotional Period (600 C.E.–Present) (continued 2)

• Rise of Hindu reform movements or revisionism • Caused by the arrival of European

colonizers and Christian missionaries in the nineteenth century

• Aimed at ending: ➖ The harshest features of the caste system ➖ Superstitions ➖ Popular blessings and curses ➖ Worship of images

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

The Devotional Period (600 C.E.–Present) (continued 3)

• Government of modern India has tolerated all religions • Has brought significant improvement to the

lives of the lower classes and the outcastes ➖ Has provoked a religious–political reaction

widely referred to as Hindu fundamentalism

LO 2

website, in whole or in part.

Shiva – God of Destruction

• Guides and empowers destruction in the cosmic cycle of creation, destruction, and recreation • Destruction symbolizes removal of

obstacles to salvation • Consorts – Parvati, Durga, and Kali • Son – Ganesha, the elephant-

headed god • Main symbols – Lingam, Nandi,

and trident

LO 3

website, in whole or in part.

Vishnu – God of Life

• Supervises universal order and prosperity

• Protects and preserves the world • Incarnates when needed to defeat enemies

of humans and gods ➖ Rama in Ramayana ➖ Krishna in Bhagavad Gita

• Consort – Lakshmi, goddess of fortune

LO 3

website, in whole or in part.

Shakti – The Goddess

• Portrayed in the Rig Veda as the powerful upholder of the universe

• Worshiped as Devi and Mahadevi • Female power in the goddess is seen as the

cause of creation, preservation, and end of the world

• Forms – Lakshmi, Kali, and Durga

• Yoni: Symbol that represents the feminine power of the cosmos

LO 3

website, in whole or in part.

Hindu Doctrinal Concepts

• Dharma • Righteousness, law, duty, moral teachings,

religion, or order in the universe • Specific to one’s social position, caste

membership, stage of life, and gender • A Hindu must conform primarily to his or her

class and caste dharma, which will lead to better reincarnation

LO 3

website, in whole or in part.

Hindu Doctrinal Concepts (continued)

• Stages of life • Samsara: Cycle of reincarnation • Jiva: Personal soul that

collects karma and is subject to reincarnation

• Karma: Deeds or acts that influence reincarnation

• Moksha: Liberation from rebirth and samsara

LO 3

website, in whole or in part.

Paths to Moksha

Path of deeds (karma)

Path of knowledge

Path of devotion

LO 3

Figure

3.3 The Hindu Varna System and the Dalits

LO 4

website, in whole or in part.

Four Stages of a Man’s Life in the Upper Three Castes

• Gaining knowledge for caste duties

Student stage

• Marrying and raising a family

Householder stage

• Retiring

Forest-dweller stage

• Becoming a renunciant

Sanyasin stage

LO 4

website, in whole or in part.

Goals of Life

• Social morality and ritual duties

Dharma

• Material success and prosperity

Artha

• Aesthetic pleasure of mind and body

Kama

• Release from life

Moksha

LO 4

website, in whole or in part.

Lives of Hindu Women

• Hindu women get married while young • Bear children, raise them, and run the home • Traditionally not allowed at the shrine or in

the kitchen during menstruation • Abortion is legal and frequent

• Prenatal gender-testing is outlawed since 1994 because of selective abortion of females

• Divorced or widowed women are considered unlucky

LO 4

website, in whole or in part.

Hindu Rituals

• Puja • Honor or veneration of the gods • A daily ritual event for observant Hindus • Murti: Representation of the deity ➖ Suggests something beyond the visible

form that receives worship offered in visible form

➖ Power or essence of the deity is believed to inhabit the murti

LO 5

website, in whole or in part.

Temple Worship

• Deity and temple belong to one of the strands within the Hindu pantheon • Shaivite, Vaishnavite, or Shakta

• The murti is central and treated as an honored guest • Essence of the food offered is received by

the deity and the leftovers are given back as prasad

• Fragrance, light, and hymns of praise are offered, and devotees bows to show respect

LO 5

website, in whole or in part.

Home Shrines

• Family god has the center stage • Daily worship involves:

• Bathing and purification of space with mantra

• Ringing a bell to honor gods and get their attention

• Lamp swung before the shrine ➖ Divinity resides in the fire and worshipers

receive it by holding fingers over the flame and then touching their eyes

LO 5

website, in whole or in part.

Pilgrimage, Festivals, and Funerals

• Brings purification from sin and ritual impurity, gains merit, fulfills vows, and leads to betterment of this life and the next

• Kumbha Mela is the largest pilgrimage event in the world

Pilgrimage

• Indicate change of seasons, celebrate harvests, and promote fertility of animals and crops

• Dedicated to gods or goddesses, and mark events from Indian epics

Festivals and holidays

• Death rites enable the deceased to join dead ancestors happily

Funerals

LO 5

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Yoga

• Tool for achieving liberation, or the mental discipline that can lead to liberation

• Types • Hatha yoga • Karma yoga • Jnana yoga • Bhakti yoga

LO 5

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Yogic Steps to Achieve Samadhi or “Bliss”

Follow ethical guidelines on behavior toward others

Follow guidelines on behavior toward oneself

Learn and use formal yoga postures

Perform breathing exercises, coordinated with physical postures

Withdraw senses from the exterior world

Concentrate on one single thing

Meditate to move beyond concentration

LO 5

website, in whole or in part.

Hinduism in North America Today – Hindu Gurus

• First successful Hindu missionary to the West • Established first Hindu temple in North

America • Stressed the philosophical teachings of the

Upanishads

Vivekananda

• Founded the Self-Realization Fellowship of North America in 1920

• Teaches yoga that enables one to realize the god within

Paramahansa Yogananda

LO 6

website, in whole or in part.

Hinduism in North America Today – Hindu Gurus (continued)

• Founder of Spiritual Regeneration Movement or Transcendental Meditation (TM)

• Teachings emphasize one’s inner divine essence and the liberation in knowing one’s true identity

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

LO 6

website, in whole or in part.

Hindu Migration and Life in North America

• Ways in which Hindu traditions are preserved • At home • By joining cultural organizations and by

sending children to Hindu summer camps • By building authentic temples

• Marriage within caste is a necessity • Most marriages are arranged to an extent

LO 6

35HIST4 | CH6 35

KEY TERMS

35RELG4 | CH3

• Atman • Reincarnation • Yoga • Sadhus • Bhagavad Gita • Laws of Manu • Bhakti • Tantras • Mantra • Hindutva • Lingam

• Indus Valley Civilization

• Om (Aum) • Swatika • Dravidians • Aryans • Vedas • Agnihotra • Rishi • Upanishads • Brahman

KEY TERMS (continued 1)

36RELG4 | CH3

• Shudras • Outcastes • Dalits • Jati • Student stage • Householder stage • Forest-dweller stage • Sannyasin stage • Artha • Kama • Bindi

• Yoni • Dharma • Samsara • Jiva • Karma • Moksha • Caste • Varna • Brahmins • Kshatriyas • Vaishyas

KEY TERMS (continued 2)

37RELG4 | CH3

• Suttee • Puja • Murti • Kumbha Mela • Transcendental

Meditation (TM) • Diaspora

SUMMARY

38RELG4 | CH3

• “Hinduism” is derived from an ancient Persian word for Indus River Valley

• Main deities in the three devotional movements are Shiva, Vishnu, and Durga

• Main concepts are dharma, karma, and moksha

• Spread of Hinduism in the West began with Swami Vivekananda

website, in whole or in part. RELG4 | CH3

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After studying Module 5: Lecture Materials & Resources, discuss the following: It is said that there are over 330 million gods and goddesses within the Hindu religion and e

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