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Hinduism (What are some symbols of the religion? (Pratik (A symbol of the…
Hinduism
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Colours in Hinduism
Red
- Indicates both sensuality and purity
- Is of utmost significance
- Used for marriages, the birth of a child, festivals
- A red mark is placed on the forehead during ceremonies
- Women put red powder on their parting as a sign of marriage
- Women wear a red sari during marriage
- Red powder is thrown on statues of deities and phallic symbols during prayers
- Colour of Shakti (prowess)
- Red coloured dress is put on deities who are charitable, brave, protective and can destroy evil
- A woman’s body is wrapped in a red cloth for cremation
Saffron
- Most sacred colour
- Represents fire, purity and religious abstinence
- The colour of holy men and ascetics who have renounced the world
- Wearing saffron symbolises the quest for light
Yellow
- Colour of knowledge and learning & activates the mind
- Symbolises happiness, peace, mediation, competence and mental development
- Colour of spring
- Lord Vishnu, Krishna and Ganesha all wear yellow dresses to symbolise their knowledge
- Single girls wear yellow to attract a mate and keep away evil spirits
Green
- A festive colour
- Represents life, happiness, peace and Nature
- Stabilises the mind
White
- A mixture of seven different colours
- Symbolises all qualities
- Represents purity, cleanliness, peace and knowledge
- Saraswati (goddess of knowledge) always wear white dress & sits on a white lotus
- Brahman is associated with white
- Religious leaders cover themselves with white ashes
- Also the colour of mourning
Blue
- Creator has given maximum blue to Nature (i.e. the sky, oceans, rivers and lakes)
- Deities with the qualities bravery, manliness, determination, ability to deal with difficult situations and a stable mind and depth of character are represented by blue
- Lord Rama and Krishan spent their lives protecting humanity and destroying evil
- They are therefore coloured blue
What are the holy texts?
Darshanas
- Texts that contain attempts to develop & systematise the Vedas
- Considered ‘Manuals of Philosophy’
- Six Darshana sutras are; Brahma Sutra - Vedanta philosophy of Sage Vyasa; Mimamsa Sutra - Philosophy of rites and rituals of Sage Jaimini; Nyaya Sutra - Logical analysis of Sage Gautama; Vaisheshika Sutra - Atomic philosophy of Sage Kanada; Sankya Sutras - Sankya philosophy of Sage Kapila; Yoga Sutras - Yoga philosophy of Sage Patanjali
Sacred Texts
Smruti (remembered)
- Smruti are considered products of the great sages’ minds
- Smruti carry as much authority as sruti
- Smruti texts help explain sruti and make them more meaningful
- Despite lesser authority, smruti are most recent and most
beloved
- Smruti texts include the Itihasas (History of Epics), Puranas
(Mythology), Dharma Shastras (Law Codes), Agamas and
Tantras (Sectarian Scriptures), and Darshanas (Manuals of
Philosophy)
Sruti (heard)
- Also called Shruti or Shruthi
- Sruti scriptures considered divinely inspired, fully authoritative
for belief and practice
- Religion of sruti texts bears little resemblance to modern
Hinduism & is largely unknown
- Sruti held in very high regard and portions are memorised for
religious merit
- Only texts regarded as sruti are the Vedas
- Vedas include sacrificial formulas and philosophical Upanishads
Itihasas
- Narrative traditions composed during 500 to 1000 BC
- Tell of divine incarnations and philosophical and ethical
reflection
- Reflect popular, non-Brahmanic interests & rise of theistic
Hinduism focused on Shiva, Vishnu and Shakti
- Include the Mahabharata and Ramayana epics as well as the
Puranas
Tantras
- ‘Looms’ or ‘weaving’
- Sectarian scriptures dealing with certain aspects of a god and
rules of discipline for the worshipper
- Dedicated to each of the three major theological traditions
- Vaishnavism, Shavism, Shaktism (Divine Mother)
- Each denomination adores its go as the Ultimate Reality
- Associated with ‘medieval India’, written between 500 and 1800
- 4 parts; Philosophical and spiritual truths; Yoga and mental
discipline; Rules for creating temples/statues of deities; Rules on
religious rituals and festivals
Vedas
- Most sacred scriptures of Hinduism (‘Books of Knowledge’)
- Collection of texts written in Sanskrit from about 1200 to 100 BC
- As sruti, regarded as the absolute authority for religious
knowledge
- “For Hindus, the Veda is a symbol of unchallenged authority and
tradition”
- Selections are memorised and recited for religious merit
- Much of the presented religion is unknown and plays little or no
role
- Written from perspective of powerful priests and warrior-kings
- Scholars say is it unlikely it represents the totality of religious
belief & practice
- Primary concerns are war, rain and dealing with slaves in earlier
parts of the Vedas
- Initially consisted of four collections of mantras (Samhitas); Rig
Veda (Wisdom of Verses; Sama Veda (Wisdom of Chants); Yajur
Veda (Wisdom of Sacrificial Formulas; Atharva Veda (Wisdom of
Atharvan Priests)
- Three additional literature attached to each Samhita;
Brahmanas (discussions of ritual); Aranyakas (books studied in
the forest); Upanishads (philosophical writings)
- In these, the polytheism of earlier Vedas evolved into a
pantheism focused on Brahman, the supreme reality of the
universe
- This concept is a key feature of Hindu philosophy today
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What is Hinduism?
- Estimated 1 billion Hindus worldwide
- Hinduism is the third largest after Christianity and Islam
- About 80 percent of India’s population are Hindus
- 30 million Hindus live outside of India
- Hinduism has no founder or date of origin
- Authors and dates of the sacred texts are unknown
- Oldest text estimated to date from as early as 1500 BC
- Described as the product of religious development over nearly 4000 years
- Hinduism encompasses a lot of traditions which are closely related
- It is not a homogeneous, organised system
- Some follow gods whereas others look inward to the divine Self (atman)
- Majority recognise the existence of Brahman
- Most respect the authority of the Vedas and the Brahmans
- Religious life might take the form of devotion to God or gods, duties of family life or concentrated meditation
- First sacred writings of Hinduism date to about 1500-1200 BC
- They were primarily concerned with ritual sacrifices
- Philosophical focus began to develop around 700 BC
- 500 BC developed Buddhism and Jainism
- Gained popularity in the 20th century
- The chakra system and yoga influenced the West greatly