İnanç Dosyası 7 | Hinduism 2

The truth of religion and philosophy is expressed in Hindu symbolism, by means of idols, models, emblems and allegories. The whole range of Hindu symbols possesses spiritual significance which pertains to life. For example, the swastika, the ancient Aryan symbol of perfection can be seen on temple walls. Symbols derived from nature, such as water, lotus flowers, trees and animals are of great moment. Animals have been revered in India since ancient times, particularly the cow, the elephant and the snake. Cows represent fertility and nurture, and even in cities, they, and large white bulls, wander about freely. Since the cow is sacred, its skin is also sacred. Therefore leather is not generally used in bags, belts and shoes; wooden sandals and plastic goods are preferred especially when entering the temples. Elephants symbolise protection, while the snake is a symbol of fertility and prosperity. The sacred bo tree, the pipal, is reckoned to represent Brahma, the herb basil is associated with the God Vishnu, while the banyan tree is related to Shiva. 

        A Shiva shrine in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa

India–Chennai (Madras), Kapalaashwara Temple, devoted Shiva worshippers

Each God possesses a conveyance, a consort and several emblems. Female consorts of the deities are derived from the ancient cult of the Mother Goddess, adopted by Hinduism through marriage with Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and other deities. 

Brahma is the source of all knowledge, and is usually portrayed with four heads, each bearded and crowned. His conveyance is a swan or a goose, symbolising knowledge, his consort being Saraswati, the goddess of learning. 

There are ten incarnations of Vishnu, nine of which have already visited earth as a fish, a turtle, a boar, a half-man half-lion, a dwarf, a Brahmin, Rama, Krishna and Buddha. The ultimate incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu is as the horse (Kalki), whose arrival is expected at the time when earth's present cycle is ending. His function is to destroy the world to recreate it. In Hinduism Vishnu gives mankind warning of floods. His consort, Lakshmi, is the goddess of wealth and fortune, often depicted sitting on a lotus flower. She has visited the earth under different names with each of his various incarnations. Vishnu is depicted with four arms representing the four points of the compass: north, south, east and west. 

He holds four objects in his hands: a discus, symbolising universal domination; a mace, which is a symbol of the mind, authority, control and maintenance of order; a lotus flower, representing universal purity, and a conch shell, symbolising the most sacred sound “om", which is the principle mantra, a sacred word or syllable, purporting to be the first sound of creation. The shape of the "3" is the symbol of the creation, maintenance and destruction of the universe as in the Trimurti. The inverted crescent shape is the emblem of the logical mind and the dot inside it represents Brahman. The God Vishnu's conveyance is Garuda, a giant eagle or kite, symbol of the sky and the sun. Hare Krishna is the sect known as Krishna Consciousness, and the chant used by its members, the Vaishnavas, worshippers of Vishnu, Krishna being one of his incarnations.

The God Shiva, destroyer of the universe and also of evil manifests himself in many different forms, and has over a thousand names, such as Lord of Knowledge, Lord of the Dance, Lord of Time and Lord of the Yogis... Lord Shiva is generally worshipped as the Linga, symbol of male energy encompassed by Yoni, the female life-source. It is not the Linga itself that is worshipped, but rather the deity of whom it is the symbol. Indeed, Linga is the Sanskrit word for symbol. Shiva Linga, when Shiva refers to infinite Reality, is one of the indirect ways of communicating Reality. The circle, having no beginning and no end, represents supreme Reality, which also has neither beginning nor end. Lord Shiva's third eye, the Eye of Wisdom, grants the god divine vision of Reality, since its vision goes beyond that of two human eyes. Lord Shiva is sometimes depicted holding a trident, symbolising destruction of the ego with its three-fold desires of the body, mind and intellect. This trident shows Shiva's victory over his self and his arrival at the state of Perfection. Shiva rides on the back of the Bull Nandi, embodying sexual energy, of whose impulses he is in control. Parvati is the most modest, compassionate and protective of the many consorts of Shiva who express the different aspects of his nature. But in whatever form she appears, she is Shakti, the Sanskrit word for divine female energy. Her other forms are Durga and Kali, the goddesses of destruction, with terrifying and awesome features. 

Many other deities hold important positions in the pantheon of Hinduism, one of which is Ganesh, portrayed with the head of an elephant. He is the son of Shiva and Parvati, worshipped as the God of Learning, Remover of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings. Another is Hanuman, the Monkey God, who symbolises heroism. Krishna, one of Vishnu's favourite avatars, representing Atman, the Inner Self, is usually coloured blue and plays a flute. 

India – Mamallapuram, Shore Temple.

The temple dates from the early eighth century and is considered to be the earliest stone-built temple in South India. The most sacred part of the temple contains the icon, the Linga.The worshippers enter it during Darshan to stay in the presence of the icon and touch it.

A Hindu holy man, a sadhu, is trying to help a devotee to solve his problems.

  

The four Vedas (c.1200-900 BCE), the Brahmanas (c.900-700 BCE), the Uphanishads (c.700 BCE), the Mahabharata, an account of a battle for the kingdom of Bharata, containing the Bhagavad Gita (c.500 BCE), instructions from Krishna to Arjuna before the battle, the epic poem Ramayana, (200BCE - 200CE), and the Puranas (250 - 1350 CE), mythology and cosmology, are the sacred writings of Hinduism.

 

A Shivan priest in Mount Abu, Rajasthan, with his devotees.