Hinduism Essay -- Religion India Expository Essays Hindu

HindiismIntroductionHinduism - stands for the faith and the way of life most of the mountain who livein India.Hinduism is such an ancient organized religion that it had many types of beliefsand apparitional practices. Around 1750 BC Aryan invaders from central Asiasettled in northern - West India and introduced their own religious roots.Slowly the Hindu came to accept the idea of the existence of an eternalsupreme world. They called this being, Brahman. Hindus also worship differentgods which singly represent iodin particular aspect of Brahman. The mostpopular one of the lesser gods ar Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver),and shivah (the destroyer)Hinduism has no founder. It is a religion that has slowly developed over aperiod of time.Hindu BeliefsHindu GodsThe Hindus have four gods Brahman, Brahma, Vishnu, and shiva. on that pointmain god is Brahman. He is the pipeline and the sustainer of all life, and thegoal of all things. He is eternal and all-powerful and o nly he is real. Theybelieve that Brahman is so keen that he cannot be explained in human wordsbecause all humans are imperfect and Brahman is perfect.ShivaShiva is usually depicted with half a dozen arms each one representing adifferent function to preform. He is known as the destroyer and restorer oflife, symbol of the reproductive haul of nature, philosopher and sage. He hasa third eye which signifies wisdom or high consciousness. He has a bluethroat which is a result of him swallowing a full cup of mans sins. Worship ofShiva includes fertility rites and veneration of the symbols of male person and femalesex organs. Most Hindus imagine Shiva as being in deep meditation high in theHimalayas. Shiva is the crowning(prenominal) god who holds in divine tension thepreservation and destruction of the cosmos, twain its birth and death. At timeshe is portrayed as the immense ascetic. He is often depicted as the reconciler ofdualities such as good and evil, eroticism and asceticism, his creative energyis depicted in the Lingam and Yoni. Shiva is frequently shown in loving unionwith his consort Parvati (another form of the great goddess)Shiva devotees are called Shaivites, and devotion usually takes the formof Yogic practice. Shiva is often pictured, in one of the best known religiousimages from India, as the lord of the cos... ...in January-February andlasts thirty-six hours. The name of this festival means night sanctified to Shiva,because worship goes on throughout the night. Compared to other festivals it isa drab occasion marked by fasting. Some devotees of Shiva do not sleep, eator drink for the thirty-six hours. During the night Shiva is worshiped with vocalizing and dancing in shrines dedicated to the god. In the shrine is a weestone pillar representing the god Shiva around which people take on and performpuja. Offerings are made by pouring milk, honey and fluid butter over thelinga. When the fast ends at about four oclock much(prenominal) feastin g follows withsweet potatoes and cucumbers among the many foods eaten. The people remember a recital which helps to explain why they fast and keep watch throughout the night.The account tells of a hunter who was once chased by a tiger, he climbed a tree toescape, and he had to perch the whole night as the tiger crouched below. Tomake sure he did not fall incognizant he plucked the leaves one by one and droppedthem on the ground. There was an image of Shiva under the tree, as the leavesfell Shiva entangle he was being worshiped and blessed the hunter.