 Cultural Religion of
India
 The grouping of
thousands of different
“religions” with similar
beliefs
 Developed over
thousands of years (is
the oldest “major”
religion)
 Parent religion to
Buddhism, Jainism, Sik
hism and more
 Is considered
“Monotheistic” by
Hindus
 “Polytheistic” by
westerners
 Clearly formed out of an
animistic style of
worship (god is not
separate from creation)

Brahma
(Creator)
Vishnu
(Sustainer)
Shiva
(Destroyer)

 Brahman(universal energy/god) and
Atman (individual energy/soul/god)
 Dharma (Ethics/Duties)
 Samsara (The continuing cycle of birth-
life-death-rebirth
 Karma (actions and reaction)
 Moksha (liberation from samsara)
 Yoga (path or practices)

 Brahman
The concept of Brahman is that God is the
universal creative energy or spirit
 Many devotees worship only one form of
Brahman (Vishnu and Shiva) but there is an
acknowledgement that God is one, universal, and
that all that is, is incorporated and there is still
more.
 Because all the universe is Brahman, everything
must be treated with respect.
 Because Brahman is everything and more, Hindu
Sacred texts describe it as
“Not _______” ex. Brahman is not a dog, not a
house, not the sky, not the sun etc.

 Atman
The concept that Brahman is in everything leads to Atman,
 Atman is the term for Brahman in each of us.
 The greeting “namaste” means "That which is of God in me
greets that which is of God in you.“ it is accompanied by a bow
with hands in the form of an “offering sign” (Añjali Mudrā)
 Atman can mean breath, meaning the breath of life etc. It
commonly refers to the real you not the ego/material version, but
the part of you that recognizes that you are god, and see god in
everything else.
 One of the purposes of yoga and other meditative practices is to
recognize atman in one’s self, or rather to recognize Brahman in
yourself and everything else.
To be able to say “I am that” or summed up in 4 great sayings
from the sacred Upanishads
You are that
I am Brahman
All this is truly Brahman
This self is Brahman

-Dharma is a really
simple
concept, which has
lead to a really
complex system of
rules and
responsibilities for
Hindu people.
-The belief in
dharma is the
principle religious
backing of the Indian
caste system –that
though
illegal, separates and
“oppresses” millions
or people in India.
Karma, is the belief that if one does
actions that follow their dharma they will
receive reward in the next life, where as if
they do not follow their dharma, they will
be punished in the next life.

SAMSARA MOKSHA
 Samsara is the cycle of life death
life death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life
death life death life death life etc
 Moksha is the release from this
cycle. It is the Hindu equivalent
of salvation or nirvana
 Devotees disagree on the best
way to achieve Moksha
 Some believe that the best you can
do is to recognize the spirit of God
 Others believe you can recognize
god in yourself and thus become
part of him again
 Others believe you can recognize
and obtain the eternal love of God.
 They also disagree on whether
one can obtain moksha while
living (physically)

The Vedas
 There are four Vedas, the Rig
Veda, Sama Veda, Yajur Veda
and Atharva Veda. The Vedas
are the primary texts of
Hinduism.
 The Vedas contain
hymns, incantations, and
rituals from ancient India.
 Each of the Vedas typically
deals with specific things, IE
one will give instructions on
how to perform sacrifices
where as another might give
examples of good mantras to
use.
 Though they may be the most
sacred text of the Hindu
books, they are not usually
understood by most common
people. The
Upanishads, Epics and
Puranas are much more
common.
The
Upanishads
 Are philosophical
texts of the Hindu
religion. More
than 200 are
known, of which
the first dozen or
so, the oldest and
most
important, are
variously referred
to as the
principal, main
(mukhya) or old
Upanishads.
The Bhagavad Gita and
Mahabharata
•Epic poem concerning the story of
Krishna and other stories (some
historical references-mythology)
The Puranas
“of ancient times”
•Are narratives of the
history of the universe
from creation to
destruction, genealogie
s of
kings, heroes, sages, an
d demigods, and
descriptions of Hindu
cosmology, philosophy,
and geography
Ramayana
•Epic poem concerning the
story of Rama
•Explores the concept of
Dharma

Followers of Vishnu
wear a “tilak” in the
shape of a “U” with two
vertical lines crossed
over the nose. This
shape is often said to
represent the foot of
Vishnu. Between these
lines they often have
another color
representing one of the
many wives of the
avatars of Vishnu.

 Beliefs:
 Usually followers
of Vishnu worship
one of the sacred
avatars of Vishnu.
 What is an
Avatar?

 Lord Vishnu's preserving, protecting
powers have been manifested to the world
in a variety of forms, called Avatars, in
which one or more of his divine attributes
were embodied in the shape of a human
being or an animal or a human-animal
combined form, possessing great and
sometimes supernatural powers.
 All these Avatars of Vishnu appeared in
the world either to correct some great evil
or to effect some great good on earth.
These avatars are ten in
number, however, the Bhag wad Purana
increases them to twenty two and adds
further that they are innumerable.
Of the ten universally recognized
avatars, nine have already manifested
whereas the tenth is yet to appear.
It is important to note that all of the
Avatars are earthly form of Lord Vishnu
, who himself is eternal, unchangeable
and immutable.

Buddha Krishna (pictured
with his lady -
Radha)

Matsya Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the form of Fish
The first avatar, Matsya, was taken by Lord Vishnu at the end of the Satyuga (last age), when a
flood destroyed the world. Through this avatar, he saved humanity and the sacred Veda text
from the flood.
Kurma Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the form of Turtle
The second avatar, Kurma, was taken in the Satyuga (last age) to help the Devas and to obtain
the amrut (nectar) of immortality which was also sought after by the Asuras (demons). He
helped in creating the world by giving support of his back through this avatar.
Varaha Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the form of Boar
The third avatar, Varaha, was taken at the end of the last flood in the Satyuga, when Bhoomi
Devi (Earth Mother) sank to the bottom of the ocean. Vishnu, in the form of varaha, dived into
the ocean and raised the goddess out of the ocean, supported by his two tusks.
Narsimha Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the form of Half - Man and Half - Lion
The fourth Avatar, Narsimha, was taken in the Satyuga (last age) to kill a tyrant demon king.
Narsimha is the only avatar which was Hybrid in form being half human and half animal.
Vamana Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the form of a Dwarf
The fifth avatar, Vamana, appeared in the Tretayuga in order to destroy Bali, the king of
demons. He came during a huge ceremony conducted by the king and cleverly asked for just
three feet of land, measured by his own small feet. Vamana covered whole of the earth and the
heaven, subduing Bali into his feet.

Parshurama Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the form of a Brahmin
The sixth avatar, Parshurama, appeared in the Tretayuga to destroy the warrior caste. When the
kings of the earth became despotic and started to harm people and saints in the forest, Vishnu
incarnated as Parshurama and destroyed all the kings who were harassing the people.
Rama Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the form of the King
The seventh avatar, Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhaya, appeared in the Tretayuga, to rescue
Sita with his loyal servant Hanuman and his brother, Lakshmana, and killed the demon Ravana.
Lord Rama became one of the most popular gods in the Hindu religion.
Krishna Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the form of a Cowherd's Boy
The eighth avatar, Krishna, along with his brother Balarama, appeared in the Dwaparyuga to kill
the demon king, Kansa. Lord Krishna conveyed the message of love and humanity to the world.
Krishna told the epic poem Bhagavad Gita to the warrior Arjuna ,in which he acclaimed :
''Whenever Dharma, or the situation of law and order, is endangered on this world, I incarnate
onto this world to re establish Dharma, law and order, and to protect the Sadhus or saints and to
destroy the evil elements of the society.''
Buddha Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the Form of Buddha
The ninth avatar, Mahavira Buddha, appeared in the Kalyuga, to teach the lesson of following a
middle path in life. ''Buddha'' means 'the enlightened one'. He taught that all sorrow comes from
attachments and desires, so it's better to curb all attachments in order to remain happy.
Kalki Avatar - Lord Vishnu in the form of Horse
The tenth Avatar, Kalki, ("Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of foulness"), is yet to appear on
the earth. And it is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we
currently exist, which will end in the year 428899 CE.

Followers of Vishnu
practice their religion in
much the same form as
other Hindu believers.
Devotion or “Bhakti” is
especially important to
Vaishnavites and can be
seen through a variety of
practices (such as wearing
different
symbols, clothes, and
practicing slightly different
forms of yoga)
From the western point of
view though, the practices
of Vaishnavites would not
be that different from other
Hindu worship, adherents
go to temple, make
sacrifices and are blessed.
They say mantras, practice
yoga and meditation, and
fulfill their dharma .

Mantras
A mantra is a
sound, syllable, word, or
group of words that are
considered capable of
"creating transformation“
Mantras are used in all
religions, but take center
stage in many of the
Hindu religious
rituals, as well as
common practices in
Indian cultural practices
such as yoga/meditation.
Singing “HARE KRISHNA”
AUM
“om”

Shaivism and
Shaivites
Shaivites wear their tilak with three
horizontal lines across the forehead.
Other Symbols associated with
Shiva are:
-Trident (three aspects of
god, creation, sustaining, destruction
)
-Snake Necklace (control over death
and rebirth)
-Crown of Skulls (death)
-Two Sided Drum (heartbeat and
AUM)
-Crescent Moon(sign of fertility and
sign of white bull)
-White Bull(sign of control over
fertility)
-Tiger fur blanket (potential creative
energy)
-Third Eye
(enlightenment/consciousness)

 Aum Namah Shivay (I bow to Shiva)
 Om Namah Shivay is a very powerful mantra. It has
been said about this mantra that if this mantra
vibrates continually in your heart, then you have no
need to perform austerities, to meditate, or to
practice yoga. To repeat this mantra you need no
rituals or ceremonies, nor must you repeat it at an
auspicious time or in a particular place." This mantra
is free of all restrictions. It can be repeated by
anyone, young or old, rich or poor and no matter
what state a person is in, it will purify him.
 To practice this, repeat to yourself over and over
with the full understanding that you are bowing to
God (the god within you).

 “Om Namah Shivaaya
Shivaaya namaha,
Shivaaya namah om
Shivaaya namaha, namaha Shivaaya
Shambhu Shankara namah Shivaaya,
Girijaa Shankara namah Shivaaya
Arunaachala Shiva namah Shivaaya “
I bow to the Soul of all. I bow to my Self. I
don't know who I am, so I bow to
you, Shiva, my own true Self. I bow to my
teachers who loved me with Love. Who took
care of me when I couldn't take care of myself.
I owe everything to them. How can I repay
them? They have everything in the world.
Only my love is mine to give, but in giving I
find that it is their love flowing through me
back to the world...I have nothing. I have
everything. I want nothing. Only let it flow to
you, my love... sing! – Krishna Das’ interpretation
The version of the song you
are listening to is by an
American man who spent
several years in India
learning this particular style
of mantra inspired music
(the version of “Hare
Krishna” was also by him).
These songs, though
inspired by Indian music
and using Indian
instruments often have a
more western sound because
he is uses western scales and
rhythm.

Nataraja
is a depiction of Shiva as the cosmic dancer who
performs his divine dance to destroy a weary universe
and make preparations for god Brahma to start the
process of creation.
The form is present in most Shiva temples in South
India, and is the main deity in the famous temple at
Chidambaram.
The sculpture is usually made in bronze, with Shiva
dancing in an aureole of flames, lifting his left leg (and
in rare cases, the right leg) and balancing over a demon
or dwarf who symbolizes ignorance.
It is a well known sculptural symbol in India and
popularly used as a symbol of Indian culture.[2]
The two most common forms of Shiva's dance are the
Lasya (the gentle form of dance), associated with the
creation of the world,
and the Tandava (the violent and dangerous
dance), associated with the destruction of weary
worldviews - weary perspectives & lifestyles. In
essence, the Lasya and the Tandava are just two aspects
of Shiva's nature; for he destroys in order to
create, tearing down to build again.

Ardhanarishvara
is an androgynous deity composed
of Shiva and his consort Shakti,
representing the synthesis of
masculine and feminine energies.
The Ardhanari form also illustrates
how the female principle of God,
Shakti, is inseparable from the
male principle of God, Shiva.
Ardhanari in iconography is
depicted as half-male and half-
female, split down the middle.

In Hinduism, Devi or Shakti
represent the female form of God.
The feminine half of the Gods are
considered their mates/consorts.
Without the feminine form the
masculine form is made impotent so
the two forms are often worshipped
together, or are at least revered
somewhat equally.

 She is the goddess of speech and
learning, and is the creator of Sanskrit, the
language of the Vedas.
 She is the consort of Brahma , the creator
and member of the Hindu Trinity.
 She is equally revered by Hindus, Jains and
the Buddhists.
 Her iconography depicts her association
with art, science and culture,
 She is shown as having four arms, and the
most common items held by her in her
hands are a book, a vina (lute), a mala, and a
water pot.
 The book signified art, science and learning;
 the vina associates her with music and
performing arts;
 and the prayer beads and water pot signify
her association with religious rites.

 Sri, commonly known as
Lakshmi and also called Sri
Lakshmi, is one of the most
popular and widely worshiped
Goddesses in Hindu tradition
 She represents ten qualities and
objects, namely, food, royal
power, universal
sovereignty, knowledge, power,
holy
luster, kingdom, fortune, bounte
ousness, and beauty.
 She is also associated with the
lotus and elephant
 By the late epic period (400
AD), Lakshmi became associated
with Vishnu, and emerged as his
wife or consort, and acquired - in
addition to her earlier attributes -
characteristics of a model wife.
 She is worshiped on Diwali, a
new moon night, to symbolize
that her presence is enough to
dispel all the darkness from the
hearts of her devotees.

 Parvati is the daughter of the
mountains (the Himalayas), and
manifests the aspect
 of the goddess as the wife of Shiva.
She is generally considered a benign
goddess.
 She is one of the principal deities of
Shaktism and sometimes considered
the essence of Shakti herself,
 She has been identified as a
reincarnation of Dakshayani or
Sati, Shiva’s first wife, who
destroyed her by self-immolation
because her father, Daksha, had
insulted Shiva.
 Parvati, when depicted alongside
Shiva appears with two arms, but
when alone, she is shown having
four arms, and riding a tiger or lion.
 She is also known by a number of
other names, including Durga
(Goddess Beyond reach)
Ambika (mother),
Gauri (golden),
Shyama (dark
complexioned), Bhavani (Mother of
Universe) Bhairavi (awesome) and
Kali (black-colored or Goddess of
Time).

 Son of Shiva and Parvati
 He is popularly
worshipped as a remover
of obstacles, though
traditionally he also places
obstacles in the path of
those who need to be
checked.
 Ganesha is considered to
be the Lord of letters and
learning
 Ganesha is identified with
the Hindu mantra Aum –
he personifies the primal
sound

 These practices are all
attempts to reach god
or godhood through
physical
(postures, positions
and breathing) or
mental (meditation)
acts.
 The goal is to center
on God either by
denying the worldly
or expressing it to its
fullest.

 A mudrā is a spiritual gesture and
an energetic seal of authenticity
employed in the iconography and
spiritual practice of Indian religions
 While some mudrās involve the
entire body, most are performed
with the hands and fingers.
 One hundred and eight mudras are
used in regular Tantric rituals.
 In yoga, mudrās are used in
conjunction with pranayama (yogic
breathing exercises), generally while
seated in Vajrasana pose, to
stimulate different parts of the body.
 A brain research paper published in
the National Academy of Sciences in
November 2009, demonstrated that
hand gestures stimulate the same
regions of the brain as language


THROUGHOUT the
history of Hinduism ascetic
ideals have maintained so
strong a hold on the minds
of the cultured and
uncultured classes alike
that it may be well to
devote some attention to
the subject of asceticism
itself. There is no land in
the world in which ascetic
practices have been so
widely followed. To the
mind of the Hindu, the life
of the sannyasi who has
freed himself from all
human ties, and stripped
himself of all -that
ministers to physical
comfort and well-being, has
almost always seemed to be
the highest.

 Though most transgender
and transsexual people in
India are openly
discriminated against , they
are mentioned positively in
both the epic sacred texts.
 Hijra/Aravanis have been
typically treated as
prostitutes and/or eunuchs
in Indian culture.
 They do however have one
sacred role in blessing
celebrations such as the birth
of a male child or a wedding
ceremony.

 What did you learn?
 What concepts have you
heard of?
 What concepts can you
relate to?