So question that always comes up when we talk about hinduism is the following what is the hindu view of god. God is like an infinite being amongst the infinitely large ones. Dharma primarily means duty, which is central to its beliefs and practices. This paper correlates hindu concepts of god to those found in the semitic religious tradition and the bahai faith. Shaktism in which the female aspects of god are primarily worshipped. It is our intentions to make this videos brief, and easy to digest. Hinduism does not condemn those who deny god as the creator and ruler of the world, who do not accept the existence of an eternal soul and the state of moksha or state of liberation. However, learned hindus, who are well versed in their scriptures, insist that a hindu should believe in and worship only one god. Shaivism in which shiva is worshipped as the main god. Brahma, saraswati, lakshmi, maha vishnu, shiva, durga, harihara and ardhanarishvara. Hinduism is defined and described in a variety of ways, as the following items indicate. Hinduism is a name given to these collection of philosophies. The origin of the gods in hinduism is basically threefold. Hinduism a brief overview of the development of hinduism.
Do hindus see god as personal or impersonal western hindu. The realisation of god is regarded as the supreme blessedness or shreyas, as apart from preyas or temporal experience of satisfaction. Knowing the one great god in this intimate and experiential way is the goal of hindu. In a religious context, any act of immorality that violates the harmonious relationship with god is deemed a sin. The key principles, beliefs and concepts of hinduism. Indeed, most hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in multiple gods. This is what gives rise to ahimsa, the key concept of hinduism to not to injure any living being in thought, word or deed. The concept of god in hinduism by swami krishnananda. The hindu concept of god is not of an entity that creates the universe and blesses or punishes people at will. The existence of god or gods is one of the crucial subjects in the field of religious studies. An introduction to the hindu religion hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world, and is based on ancient texts known as the vedas, as well as prehistoric animist religions which existed in the mohenjo daro civilization. Concept of god in hinduism in hindu vedic religion there is only one supreme god which exist at two different levels of reality. Sep 20, 2017 concept of god in hinduism in hindu vedic religion there is only one supreme god which exist at two different levels of reality.
This knowing that god is always with us gives us hope and courage. The prasna upanishad says that god is the supreme prajapati or creator, in whom are blended both the matter and energy of the universe. It is the only religion, that is not founded in a single historic event or prophet, but which itself precedes recorded history. Hinduism also asserts that divinity is equally present in every soul, whether that be in a human or a subhuman body. Thats when i have introduced concept of one god from hinduism. Basic concepts of hinduism magazine web edition january. When the god is called the lord of all creatures, it is the god irrespective of the gender, animal race, or whatever other differentiation one could think of. A quick answer to this question is very simple, it goes, hindus all believe in one supreme god who created the universe. Zakir naik is not responsible for the information published on this site. Zakir naik hinduism is mankinds oldest spiritual declaration, the very fountainhead of faith on the planet. Dec 14, 2017 god is not separate from creation, but all life, all atoms, all beings have the divine within them. Brahman the absolute is one, indivisible, unchangeable, beyond action and inaction beyond good and evil.
Before we begin the discussion, let us be clear that the concept of sin in hinduism is different from that of the abrahamic religions. Concept of god in hinduism,christianity and in islam. While some hindus believe in the existence of three gods, some believe in thousands of gods, and some others in thirty three crore i. It is an aspect of a duality, its opposite being virtue or dharma. Fight back and reclaim wendy donigers valuable book taken away from you by a spineless publisher and the fundamentalists they made a deal with. Hinduism is human thought about god in continuous evolution.
One of the unique understandings in hinduism is that god is not far away, living in a remote heaven, but is inside each and every soul, in the heart and consciousness, waiting to be discovered. The word sindhu came to be known as hindu and hinduism. Let us examine the concept of god in these major religions in light of their respective scriptures and study if there are similarities. When he differentiates the concept of god between hinduism. One can believe a wide variety of things about god, the universe and the path to liberation and still be considered a hindu.
The basic concepts of god, soul and bondage or technically, pati, pacu and paca have not been clearly understood. Aug 17, 2017 when the god is called the lord of all creatures, it is the god irrespective of the gender, animal race, or whatever other differentiation one could think of. Concept of god in the vedas and the quran hindi scribd. Hinduism spans a wide range of beliefs such as henotheism, monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, pandeism, monism, atheism and nontheism. The concept of person in the hindu tradition differs radically from how it has. Concept of god in hinduism hinduism facts hinduism facts.
God in hinduism exists at three different levels of reality simultaneously. Hindus would attest to this, by professing belief in a multitude of. The concept of god in hinduism varies in its diverse traditions. But in most of them a supreme god is regarded as an entity that exists and gives life to all things. Concept of god in hinduism and islam dr zakir naik biography. Unlike abrahmic religions such as christianity and islam, hinduism mentions that creator and created are not separate and both of them are same, just as a paper manifests as different types of books, god manifests in all forms and we are all part of him rather than being separate.
This first video addresses the question, why does hinduism have so many gods. Pdf the concept of ultimate reality according to hinduism. This paper is an attempt to analyze the concept of god in hinduism, buddhism and islam in order to present a christian response to it. Hinduism gives less importance to the image of god in ones mind than to what values one carries and how. This is what gives rise to ahimsa, the key concept of hinduism to not. It is this concept that allows the hindu to see all of life as divinity. This is because the peoples of india with different languages and cultures have understood the one god in.
A few questions about the hindu forms of god and yoga which is a name of the mother goddess. It explains the nature of the supreme god, called brahman in sanskrit. This paper is centered on the origin of the concept of gods in the indian religions and how it has. Id ode sot believe in inflicting rigid rules of prayer. The six persons who are parties to this conversation, namely, rnb, dd, ot, pp, sv and pa are all hindus who have grown in an atmosphere full of the culture and tradition. All hindus worship one supreme being, though by different names. If your worksheet says section 2 you will have to use the page in the packet titled section 2 to find that answer. I am currently studying with the himalayan academy, who believe that shiva has both personal and impersonal aspects, but is primarily our personal god as absolute. He lectures in religious studies in the faculty of divinity at the university of cambridge and is the author of a number of books. Hinduism is not a single religion, it is actually a collection of various religions. This statement means that god is like an infinitesimal being amongst the infinitely small ones. If you ask some lay persons who are hindus that how many gods do they believe in, some may say three, some may say thirtythree, some may say a thousand, while some may say thirtythree crores i.
I have been studying about hindu gods and goddesses as well as the religion itself. Allah almighty is the ever living, the one who sustains and protects all that exists. We believe that everyone from highest god to the lowest living being in the manifest creation have been assigned specific duties and act according to natural disposition prakriti dharma. The word hinduism came to be known for the culture, religion and philosophy of the people on the banks sindhu river. Hinduism as well as its history of relations with buddhism, christianity, and islam. Pdf hinduism is commonly thought to represent polytheism. God and gods of hinduism devotion to god and the gods of hinduism is known as bhakti. It is an entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself, ranging from the childlike wonder of the unknown and the mysterious to the deep reverence which comes with understanding of esoteric. The goal is to assist young hindus learn about hinduism, and to disspell common misconception about hinduism. Hindu gods simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Hindu beliefs and scriptures the upanishads are the part of the vedas that teach philosophy. God is not separate from creation, but all life, all atoms, all beings have the divine within them. It is important to remember that hinduism cannot be attributed to a single founder at a specific date in history. In hinduism, god is practical and has evidence of working for human peace and increasing efficiency of brain to achieve better results. May 08, 2015 concept of god in hinduism answering dr. Patanjali, the founder of the yoga system of philosophy, speaks of the transformation of one genus or species into another. Different philosophies within hinduism reconcile these seemingly conflicting statements about. In this research paper we will discuss the concept of god in hinduism and islam, the two major world religions.
It is believed to have created the universe and many other gods and goddess to be his. Mar 10, 2015 in a religious context, any act of immorality that violates the harmonious relationship with god is deemed a sin. The concept of god in hinduism sanskriti hinduism and. God is understood not only postulated the beauty of hinduism is that the concept of god is tried to be understood, experienced. Of all such religions the most prominent are vaishnavism, which refers to the worship of vishnu the supreme god, shaivism, the veneration of shiva god when he manifests for the purpose of universal destruction, and shaktism, reverence for the.
This philosophy created independent idols and a deity instead of. For example, there is no concept of original sin in hinduism. Concept of god in the vedas and the quran hindi free download as pdf. They need regulation through meditation, yoga, worshipping etc.
Hinduism, is also known as the eternal religion or sanatana dharma. The kathopanishad has it that god is the root of this tree of world existence. Consequently, the concept of god within hinduism is difficult to encapsulate. Hinduism never claims that a particular prophet is the prophet and a particular faith is the faith. A comparative study of the concept of god in hinduism and. Hinduism is commonly perceived as a polytheistic religion. Hinduism upholds that god can be realised through all paths. Concept of god in hinduism download important scriptures on advaita philosophynon dualism school of hinduism shankara bhashya in hindu vedic religion there is only one supreme god which exist at two different levels of reality. Jan 16, 2011 hindu students association and hinduism today, brings you series of videos to educate hindus, and nonhindus on basics of hinduism. Everyone has got the right to follow his own path and to approach god in his own way. A quick answer to this question is very simple, it goes, hindus all. Different philosophies within hinduism reconcile these seemingly conflicting statements about the nature of god in various ways. Interestingly, the abstraction of sin in hinduism does not propound sin as a crime against god, but as an immoral act against dharma i.
Vaishnavism in which vishnu worshipped as the main god. Answer all questions completely and make sure your name is on the paper before turning it in. It is an entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself, ranging from the childlike wonder of the unknown and the mysterious to the deep reverence which comes with understanding of esoteric interworkings of the three worlds. A lot of people seem to think that all hindus see god as ultimately impersonal. Most hindus see god as primarily personal, though possibly having transcendent or impersonal aspects. The worlds major religions hinduism, new age, buddhism, islam, following jesus christ are each quite unique. Otherwise it goes against the idea of god s omnipresence. Hinduism has no fixed creed by which it may be said to stand or fall, for it is convinced that the spirit will outgrow the creed. Hindu god and goddesses ramakrishna math, bull temple road.
The word upanishad means sitting by devotedly, as a student sits near his guru to learn. Concept of god in hinduism it is the biggest misconception about hinduism that hindus worship 330 million gods making hinduism a polytheistic religion, but in fact, hinduism believes in only one god but allows its followers to worship the god in many forms such as nature including trees, sun, idols, animals, etc. Hinduism has mainly four major denominations and adherent to this denominations mostly believes in monotheism. How to explain concept of god in hinduism to kids sanskriti. Hinduism does not render the upholders of such views unfit to be recognised as pious and.