Hinduism

:This article is about the Hindu religion; for other meanings of the word, see Hindu (disambiguation).

Important symbolism and themes in Hinduism

Tika (symbol on forehead or between eyebrows)

The laltika (or bindi) (seen left) is a religious symbol sometimes denoting marriage. It is also believed to symbolise the need to cultivate supramental consciousness, which is achieved by opening the mystic "third eye."

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Hindus stress meditative insight, an intuition beyond the mind and body, a trait that is often associated with the ascetic god Shiva. Men, too, will bear on their foreheads the equivalent tika (tilaka) mark, usually on religious occasions, its shape often representing particular devotion to a certain main deity: a 'U' shape stands for Vishnu, a group of three horizontal lines for Shiva. It is not uncommon for some to meld both in an amalgam marker signifying Hari-Hara (Vishnu-Shiva indissoluble).

Related Topics:
Shiva - Tilaka - Vishnu

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Ahimsa (non-violence), vegetarian diet and the cow

Ahimsa is a concept which advocates non-violence and a respect for all life. The term ahimsa first appears in the Upanishads and in Raja Yoga, it is the first of the five yamas, or eternal vows/restraints of yoga.

Related Topics:
Upanishad - Raja Yoga

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A large section of Hindus embrace vegetarianism in a bid to respect higher forms of life, restricting their diet to plants and vegetables. While vegetarianism is not dogma, it is recommended as a sattwic (purifying) lifestyle. About 30% of today's Hindu population, especially in orthodox communities in South India, in certain northerly states like Gujarat, and in many Brahmin enclaves around the subcontinent, is vegetarian.

Related Topics:
Sattwic - Hindu - South India - Brahmin

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Those Hindus who do eat meat predominantly abstain from beef, some even avoid the usage of leather products. This is possibly because the largely pastoral Vedic people and subsequent generations relied so heavily on the cow for dairy products, tilling of fields and fuel for fertiliser that its status as a 'caretaker' led to identifying it as an almost maternal figure (so the term gau mata). While most Hindus do not worship the cow, it still holds an honoured place in Hindu society. It is said that Krishna is both Govinda (herder of cows) and Gopala (protector of cows), and Shiva's attendant is Nandi, the bull. With the stress on vegetarianism (usually followed even by meat-eating Hindus on religious days) and the sacred nature of the cow, it is no wonder that most holy cities and areas in India have a ban on selling beef.

Related Topics:
Hindus - Beef - Krishna - Govinda - Shiva - Nandi

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Hindu symbolism

Among the most revered symbols in Hinduism, two are quintessentially a part of its culture and representative of its general ethos:

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Aum (ॐ) is the standard sign of Hinduism, and is prefixed and sometimes suffixed to all Hindu mantras and prayers. It contains an enormous and diverse amount of symbolism; Hindus consider its sound and vibration to be the divine representation of existence, encompassing all of manifold nature into the One eternal truth. ; see Aum for more detail.

Related Topics:
'''''Aum''''' - Mantra

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The swastika (卐) is an Arya, or noble symbol. It stands for satya, truth, and stability within the power of Brahma or, alternatively, of Surya, the sun. Its rotation in four directions has been used to represent many ideas, but primarily describes the four directions and their harmonious whole. It has been used in Hinduism since the early Vedic culture and is still widespread in the Indian subcontinent. Many Eastern cultures still hold it to be sacred, especially in India, in spite of the recent association with Nazism which perverted the original meaning of this universal symbol. See Swastika.

Related Topics:
Swastika - Arya - Satya - Brahma - Surya - Vedic culture - Indian subcontinent - India - Nazism

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Murtis (icons)

Whether believing in the One source as formless (nirguna brahman, without attributes) or as a personal God (saguna Brahman, with attributes), Hindus understand that the one truth may be seen as different to different people. The philosophy of Bhakti seeks to tap into the universal divinity through personal form, which explains the proliferation of so many Gods and Goddesses in India, often reflecting the singular inclinations of small regions or groups of people.

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Worship of deities is often done through the aid of pictures or icons (murti) which are conduits for the devotee's consciousness, markers for the human soul that signify the ineffable and illimitable nature of the love and grandeur of God. They are symbols of the greater principle, representing and are never presumed to be the concept or entity itself.

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In a Hindu Temple, the divine spirit/energy is commonly invoked into the Murtis at their installation. Worship of such Murtis is done everyday in a temple. Most practising Hindus also maintain a temple in their homes for worship and meditation.

Related Topics:
Hindu Temple

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Some of deities worshipped are Vishnu (as Krishna or Rama), Swaminarayan, Shiva, Devi (the Mother as many female deities, such as Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kali and Durga), Ganesha, Skanda and Hanuman. Also, the puranas list twenty-five avatara of Vishnu : Catursana, Narad, Varaha, Matsya, Yajna, Nara-Narayana, Kapila, Dattatreya, Hayasirsa, Hamsa, Prsnigarbha, Rsabha, Prithu, Narasimha , Kurma, Dhanvantari, Mohini, Vamana, Parasurama, Raghavendra, Vyasa, Balarama, Krishna, Buddha.

Related Topics:
Vishnu - Krishna - Rama - Swaminarayan - Shiva - Devi - Lakshmi - Saraswati - Kali - Durga - Ganesha - Skanda - Hanuman - Purana - Catursana - Narad - Varaha - Matsya - Yajna - Nara-Narayana - Kapila - Dattatreya - Hayasirsa - Hamsa - Prsnigarbha - Rsabha - Prithu - Narasimha - Kurma - Dhanvantari - Mohini - Vamana - Parasurama - Raghavendra - Vyasa - Balarama - Buddha

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Mantra

Reciting mantras is a fundamental practice in Hinduism. Much of mantra yoga, as it is called, is done through japa (repetition). Mantras are said, through their meaning, sound, and chanting style, to help meditational focus for the sadhaka (practitioner). They can also be used to aid in expression of love for the deity, another facet of Bhakti yoga akin to the understanding of the murti. They often give courage in exigent times and serve to help 'invoke' one's inner spiritual strength. Indeed, Mahatma Gandhi's dying words were a two-word mantra to the Lord Rama: "Hai Ram!"'.

Related Topics:
Mantra - Sadhaka - Bhakti yoga - Murti - Mahatma Gandhi - Rama

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The most revered mantra in Hinduism is the famed Gayatri Mantra (see Sanskrit for pronunciation):

Related Topics:
Gayatri Mantra - Sanskrit

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:Devanagari: ॐ भूर्भुवस्वः | तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यम् | भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि | धियो यो नः प्रचोदयात्

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:Transliteration: OM bhūr bhuva svaḥ | tat savitūr vareṇyam | bhargo devasya dhīmahi | dhiyo yo naḥ pra-codayāt

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:Translation: "May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the God / so May he stimulate our prayers."

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It is considered one of the most universal of all Hindu mantras, invoking the universal Brahman as the principle of knowledge and the illumination of the primordial Sun. Many Hindus to this day, in a tradition that has continued unbroken for at least 3,000 years, perform morning ablutions at the bank of a sacred river (especially the Ganga/Ganges).

Related Topics:
Brahman - Ganga - Ganges

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