HinduismSanatana Dharma

“The Everlasting Way”

OMthat which hath no beginning or end

Monotheism

God is Infinite. Although one cannot divide or subtract from the Infinite, the Infinite can be represented in different ways. The Infinite also manifests in billions of ways.

Hinduism believes not only in One God, but also in His Supreme Personality. This personality is manifested in different forms around us and within us perpetually. Therefore, the Infinite manifests in billions of ways to help mankind visualize the Divine Being. This belief of Hinduism is often confused with polytheism.

That the Supreme can be worshipped in any form is a unique concept in Hinduism. Hinduism worships multiple forms of the one God.

BRAHMAN: Universal PowerATMAN: Universal Spirit

Brahman is the indescribable, inexhaustible, omniscient, omnipresent, original, first, eternal and absolute principle who is without a beginning, without an end , who is hidden in all and who is the cause, source, material and effect of all creation known, unknown and yet to happen in the entire universe.

Hindu Concept of Time

• The transcendence of time is the aim of every Indian spiritual tradition.

• Time is often presented as an eternal wheel that binds the soul to a mortal existence of ignorance and suffering.

• Hindus believe that the universe is without a beginning or an end.

• The universe is projected in vast cycles of creation and destruction. Shiva dancing

The Cycles of Time

• Satya yuga (golden age) 4,000,000 years• Treta yuga (silver age) 3,600,000 years• Dvapara yuga (copper age) 2,400,000 years• Kali yuga (iron age) 1,200,000 years• Pralaya (cosmic deluge ) 4,000,000 years• New Creation 400,000 years• Duration of One Cycle: 12,000,000 years• Total duration of the four yugas is called a kalpa.  At the end of

kalyuga the universe is dissolved by pralaya (cosmic deluge ) and another cycle begins. Each cycle of creation lasts one kalpa, that is 12,000,000 human years ( or 12,000 Brahma years).

BrahmaThe Creator

His 4 heads represent the four Yugas or cycles of time in Hinduism.

At the end of these cycles of time the Universe is ripe for destruction and must be created again.

The God Shiva will then destroy the universe so that it can be created again.

One of the earliest iconographic descriptions of Brahma is that of the four-faced god seated on a lotus.

The Lord has in his four hands a water-pot (kamandalu), a manuscript (Vedas), a sacrificial implement (sruva) and a rosary (mala).

Saraswati She presides over and protects wisdom and the arts, and sheinvented writing.

Her four hands represent four aspects of human personality in learning:

Mind

Intellect

Alertness

Ego

In one of her arms she holds a stringed musical instrument, the vina, symbolizing the arts as a whole.

In another hand she holds a bundle of manuscripts, a symbol of wisdom and of writing.

In her remaining hands, she holds a string of prayer-beads, the symbol of piety, and very often a lotus, the symbol of purity.

Vishnuthe Preserver

Protector of dharma (righteousness) and the guardian of humanity. His particular task is the conservation or preservation of the Divine Order in the world.

Vishnu has 10 avatars or incarnations. He assumes these

and comes down to earth in order to help humanity. He

carries his symbols of: a white conch shell with which he is victor over the demonsa rotating disc, a weapon to oppose every enemy of the Divine ordera golden mace, symbol of his royal power in the realm of gods and men. a lotus flower, symbol of purity and original creation.

The ten incarnations (dashavtar) of Vishnu

1 Matsya (The fish) 2 Kurma (The tortoise) 3 Varaha (The boar) 4 Narsinha/Nrusinha (The man-lion) 5 Vaman (The dwarf) 6 Parshuram 7 Rama 8 Krishna 9 Buddha 10 Kalki

Vishnu sleeps on the coils of the giant multi-hearded serpent, Ananta,who drifts endlessly on the eternal sea of milk. As

the lord sleeps, he dreams the cosmos into reality.

Lakshmi

The goddess of beauty, of good luck and wealth. She is generally depicted

seated or standing on a lotus flower.

Lakshmi sprang from the primeval ocean.

Lakshmi usually accompanies Vishnu in his incarnations on

earth.

Lakshmi and her

children, Saraswati

and Ganesha

Krishna Krishna is the 8th avatar of Vishnu. The mythology around Krishna is the most colorful and the richest

in lyricism, adventure and in love in all its forms, from the sensuous to the worship of the divine.

Krishna is central to the Mahabharata, the Sanskrit epic that is eight times longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey put together.

Krishna is the most accessible of the major Hindu deities. He is a loyal ally of humans and always helps his friends. His worship is popular all over India and there are many sacred shines to him.

In Hinduism there is a concept known as Bhakti. Bhakti is the emotional attachment and love of a devotee for his or her personal god. This is common in the worship of Krishna.        

Krishna

The Bhagavad-Gita

inThe

Mahabharata

Krishna and Arjuna

Rama and Sita Rama is the 7th avatar of

Vishnu. Lord Rama, the hero of the

Ramayana, is one of the most commonly adored gods of Hindus.

He is always holding a bow and arrow indicating his readiness to destroy evils.

More commonly he is pictured in a family style with his wife Sita, his brother Lakshmana and his devotee Hanumana who is sitting near Lord Rama's feet.

Shiva the

Destroyer

Lord of the Dance

He performs the dance of destruction

so that the world can be recreated.

Shiva is the acknowledgment that

everything that comes to birth comes ultimately to

death and from death comes new life.

He is cruel and yet tender, wrathful and merciful,

unpredictable and yet ever the same.

Parvathi-Uma

Parvathi is the very expression of femininity, the woman par excellence, daughter of the Himalayas. She is beautiful, sweet, tender, and is always portrayed as Shiva's erotic partner.

The Great Goddess Parvati and Uma are the benign aspects of the

goddess; the destroyer goddesses Kali and Durga are in turn all aspects of the Devi, or the Great Goddess.

Kali is the negative aspect of the Goddess and symbolizes death. In this form she is sometimes considered the presiding deity of famine and disease. This is the negative aspect and symbolizes death. In this form she is sometimes considered the presiding deity of famine and disease.

Kali

Durga

Ganesha God of knowledge and the

remover of obstacles He has four hands, elephant's

head and a big belly. His vehicle is a tiny mouse. The combination of his

elephant-like head and a quick moving tiny mouse vehicle represents tremendous wisdom, intelligence, and presence of mind.

GaneshaIn his hands he carries

a rope -- to carry devotees to the truth

an axe -- to cut devotees' attachments

a sweet dessert ball –laddoo -- to reward devotees for spiritual activity

His fourth hand's palm is always extended to bless people.

As Sri Ramakrishna says, there can be as many spiritual paths as there are

spiritual aspirants & similarly there can really be as many Gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions & social background of the

devotees.