On Hinduism

Hinduism’s core principle is the recognition of the Brahman–the primary source of energy and creation, all-pervasive and eternal.  We are a result and a part of this Brahman–often also referred to as the “Truth”.  Brahman at its core is conceptually genderless. 

In non-Indic and Western parlance, Brahman’s loose translation and interpretation as “God” raises the natural question of it being male or female, which for Hindus is not an inquiry.  The recognition of the divinity of the eternal truth (Brahman) has many conduits, which may have a gendered identity.  Most often, these are the deities that represent aspects of the Brahman and have both male and female identities. 

Gender is related to a physical body. Brahman is an all-pervading cosmic life force that is genderless and formless.  Brahman in a male body and Brahman in a female body–that is how Hindus see the Brahman.  Brahman (God) is a genderless cosmic life force.

Other reading material: 

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhil Anand 

Contributor: Rajeev Singh

In Hindu temples, homes, and countless folktales, you will hear of Hanuman, “the Monkey God”. What is important about him is neither that he’s a “monkey” nor that he is considered a divinity or “God”; he is revered as a powerful heroic figure filled with devotional surrender.  

Hanuman is one of the dearest deities in the Hindu tradition, imbued with valor, mischief, strength, and devotion. He is the personification of strength and devotion, and that is why his tales are loved all over the world.

Hanuman in Ramayana

It is his complete Devotion that sets him apart.  The story of Hanuman comes to us from Ramayana, the earlier of the two major epics in Hinduism (the other being the Mahabharata).  In the epic, Lord Sri Rama, (God incarnate in human form) is engaged in an epic battle with the king of Lanka, who has wrongfully kidnapped his wife.  Hanuman is part of a tribe of monkeys that meet Sri Rama, and this ragtag army of monkeys help Sri Rama (and his younger brother, Lakshmana) win against the rich, mighty and arrogant Ravana. 

Hanuman as Yogi

Hanuman is a complete yogi.  One of his names is  Bajrang (or Vajra-anga, the thunderbolt Bodied one), which is one of the highest achievements for a yogi, to have a thunderbolt energy body (in yoga the subtle body is an energy body).  He is the son of the Wind, a reference also to his mastery of the breath, which you know as Pranayama.  He has all the mystical powers that a yogi can acquire (there are eight siddhis, or yogic superpowers, such as the ability to be tiny, heavy, fly, and so on).  He is also the symbol of Bhakti Yoga, the yoga of devotion, being completely surrendered to his master. So Hanuman is the complete yogi, with excellence in all the yogas of Action, Meditation, and Devotion.

Hanuman Chalisa

Many western adherents to the Bhakti tradition (like the singer Krishna Das) make it a point to memorize the Hanuman Chalisa, the forty verses in praise of Hanuman.  Singing the Chalisa is a tradition followed all over India, and a large percentage of modern Hindus will be able to recite and chant along.  The chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa brings joy, relief, and a connection with a powerful-yet-surrendered Yogi. Something we should all aspire to become.

Sundar Kand

There are many fun stories associated with Hanuman.  Let me tell you just one. He was born with immense powers but was very playful as a child.  After one such naughty episode, he was cursed to forget all his powers. He would stay forgetful until someone reminds him.  As it happens, he is reminded of his powers at a pivotal point in the epic, when someone is needed to cross the Ocean to go to the island of Lanka to look for Rama’s wife. This is the beginning of some of the most beautiful poetry in the epic, and even today many Hindus chant the “Sundar Kand”, (beautiful chapter) which describes the exploits of Hanuman in Lanka. 

We all have powers that we don’t remember.  A mentor or coach can help us by reminding us of our own super-powers. Isn’t that a memorable story?

Ask for His help!

Hanuman is one of the few Chiranjeevis in the Hindu tradition (Chiran-jeevi means “lives forever”), and it is said that he still roams this Earth and comes to help when he is invoked.

Other reading material: Hindu God Hanuman,

Relevant videos:  Krishna Das on Hanuman Chalisa

Contributor: Gaurav Rastogi

Hinduism is a religion popular for its identity of being a theology with an ocean of gods. It is believed that Hindus worship millions of gods. What is the truth behind this claim? 

The word ‘God’ itself has many names in the Indian languages, the prime language being Sanskrit. Deva, Ishvara, Prabhu, Bhagwan, Sura, Parmatman and many more are the synonyms used to denote the almighty divine power.

To get an idea about the number of gods, first we need to acquaint yourself with the fact that most religions of the world are classified into one of the three theories of religion depending on the numbers of gods they believe in; namely monotheism, polytheism and henotheism.

A religion that believes in one god is monotheistic, many gods is polytheistic and a religion that believes in the existence of many gods but it’s members may choose to worship one or two gods of their choice are known as henotheistic religions. Hinduism is one very unique religion which belongs to all of the categories that represent the three  theories in religion. Hinduism is monotheistic is one sense, polytheistic in another and henotheistic in a very general way. 

A core concept in one of the most ancient Hindu texts, Upanishads, is the concept of one ultimate underlying supreme cosmic reality residing in the universe known as “Brahman”. Brahman is the one and only indivisible eternal divine spiritual substance in the universe. If a Hindu believes ‘only’ in this highest spiritual substance ‘Brahman’ which is genderless, than he is monotheistic. This concept of god is that of an impersonal god, who has no form or physical quality.

The Brahman represents itself in millions of different ways; each representation of Brahman is named as a god which could be either feminine or masucline. These are energies that oversee every aspect of the functioning of the universe. When one experiences god in these forms, one thinks his faith in Hinduism is polytheistic. These gods could be elements from nature like the sun, moon, wind, fire, rivers, mountains, trees or they could be personal gods that existed in some time in a form of an animal or a human or a semi human. These gods do have a physical form, a name, a quality ascribed to them. Each of these gods represent some special power or symbolize a certain character trait very typical to them.

Lastly when someone chooses to worship one of the many divine forms of the Brahman, one participates in the Hindu religion in the henotheistic sense. Hindu henotheism is an attitude of worshipping one god without denying the existence of other gods. That one god could be any element from the nature of a physical god.

The number thirty three has a significance in the Hindu scriptures. The Rig Veda, a very ancient hindu text, talks about eleven gods belonging to the realm of heaven, eleven belonging to earth and eleven to the waters. Again these are the most distinctively known gods but there are more than thirty three. 

Here we have seen there is not a hierarchy of gods in Hinduism but there is a hierarchy of belief systems. No one god is higher than the others, all gods enjoy equal status in the Hindu culture. Hinduism is a kaleidoscope of beliefs and the number of gods you believe in defines your lens of looking at the divinity.

Other reading material:

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhil Anand Hinduism Q & A: How Many Gods Are There, 

Contributor: Mona Rawal

The religious practices of most Hindus include visiting temples and praying before an image of a deity. To a non-practitioner, this looks exactly like the “graven image” worship that the Christian Bible rejects. The truth is exactly the opposite. Hindus see divinity everywhere and are not required to pray at a temple or to an image. Hindus go to the temple and bow before the life-force that is inside the image.

What separates a living person from his otherwise dead body is the life force. No sane person burns or buries living people, but dead bodies are disposed of by cremation or burial. It’s the life force that matters. It is that life force that Hindus revere. That life force is everywhere in this living Universe. We invite that life force to inhabit the visible form of a statue so that we can see the unseen and pray from our hearts.

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Let’s look at this question in detail.

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It is important to understand that Hindus are not Idol worshipers. They visit temples to worship a deity that is infused with a life force in that Idol. This process of consecrating (by mantras and other Agama rituals) an idol with a life force or Prana is known as Prana Pratishta. Hence it is no longer a mere stone or a statue, but a living entity that possesses a life force, which is thereafter called Vigraha (a manifested form of the Divine). So, Idol is not God, but it is God inside the Idol.

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Examining closely and seeking help from the very source of Hindu scriptures, the Vedas. This is a verse from Chandogya Upanishad from Sama Veda:
Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma – Everything is Brahman

सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म तज्जलानिति शान्त उपासीत अथ खलु क्रतुमयः पुरुषो
यथाक्रतुरस्मिल्लोके पुरुषो भवति तथेतः प्रेत्य भवति स क्रतुं कुर्वीतः| 3-114-1
From Him do all things originate, into Him do they dissolve and by Him are they sustained. In other words, everything is Brahman. On Him should one meditate in tranquillity. For as is one’s faith, such indeed one is; and as is one’s faith in this world, such one becomes on departing hence. Let one, therefore, cultivate faith.

This means God is present everywhere, in You, in Me, and in all human beings including your worst enemy. Not only is He present in humans, but He is also present in all animals, even in the smallest of the smallest beings. He is even present in a stone.

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Let’s look at other references in the Vedas. These are the mantras from the Sri Rudram 9th Anuvaka
Nama ireenyaya cha prapadhyaya cha (Sri Rudram 9.1.1)
Nama kimsilaaya cha kshyanaaya cha (Sri Rudram 9.1.2)

This mantra states that the Lord is present even in small, small stones. It’s very evident from the scriptures that God is present everywhere both in living/non-living and visible/invisible objects.

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Then the question arises, why do we dedicate a place such as an Altar at home or a temple to worship the deity? The process of connecting with the Divine is filled with subtle descriptions to contemplate the object of worship. The Hymns and verses are capsuled with subtle details. They are not just words/statements that are uttered or chanted mechanically. Its benefit is fully attained when the same worship is done with the awareness of its intended purpose. For instance, deity worship is typically a four step process. After entering the sanctum, the devotee stands near the deity and performs:

1. Dhyana (meditate upon the God in your heart),
2. Avāhana (Invoke the object of meditation into the Vigraha in front of you),
3. Samarpana (present your offerings to the Deity) and
4. Udvāsana (Bringing the object of meditation back to your heart)
   You can now appreciate the meaning of Vigraha, as a mediating vehicle through which the divine within, becomes real to the worshipper for Worship.

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Now, let us move on to some misconceptions in this form of worship. Vedic hymns and verses can easily be misunderstood without the guidance of a bonafide Guru. For instance, this verse is from the Yajurveda
न तस्य प्रतिमा अस्ति यस्य नाम महद्यशः । हिरण्यगर्भ इ्त्येष मा मा हिंसीदित्येषा यस्मान्न जात इत्येषः ॥
na tasya pratimA asti yasya nAma mahadyashah | hiraNyagarbha ityeSha mA mA himsI ditye ShA yasmA nna jAta ityeShah || 32.3

The word ‘pratima’ in this verse can easily be mistaken for the word ‘Idol’ , but there are two words here ‘prati’ & ‘ma’. ‘prati’ means ‘like’ and ‘ma’ is the ‘negation’, which means no comparison. In this verse, the usage of pratima is to describe that, ‘there is no comparison of Him, whose name is Great Glory’.

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Let’s hope this clears most of the common questions and the philosophical background for Vigrahārādana (Deity Worship).
Visual presentation of the above text: https://youtu.be/G08lWGw-cKs

Other reading material: Idol-Worshipper: Who Is And Who Is Not?,
Relevant videos: Dharma Speaks, Significance of forms and temples (String),

Contributor: Dharmi Sarkar

Hindus believe in the one all-pervasive divinity that energizes the entire universe. Being the source of all visible and invisible forms, Hindus have liberty to worship this divinity both as having a form (sagun or saakaar) or as being formless (nirgun or nirakaar). If you know gold, you also know gold jewelries are also gold.
The formless “God” may be approached as if S/He is a person with form, without necessarily implying that the form is all there is. The name and form are just ways for us humans to engage with the ultimately nameless and formless but is not mandatory.

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Other reading material:

Relevant videos: Swami Nikhil Anand Hinduism Q & A: Does God Have A Form

Contributor: Nilesh Chaudhary

Hindus believe in one Supreme God who created the universe. It is an all-pervasive divine reality, formless (Brahman, nirgun), or manifested in different forms (Ishvara, God/Goddess or Deities; sagun). Contrary to prevailing misconceptions, Hindus worship One Supreme Being, though by different names. 

The Sanskrit hymn, Rig Veda I.164.46:

Ekam sat vipraha bahudha vadanti

Truth is one, the wise call it by many names.

The government may be contacted through the postal service, the police, the judiciary and the office of the President. We can distinguish between different aspects of the functioning of the government, while still agreeing that there is only ONE government. Hindus believe that the ONE divinity can be experienced in myriad ways. Even for one form of divinity, say Vishnu (the all-pervading one), Hindus routinely memorize 1,000 names for an essentially nameless and formless divinity. There is one Truth, and the wise know to call it by many names.

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Other reading material: HAF: Short answers to real questions about Hinduism

Hinduism Today: Why does Hinduism have so many Gods?Relevant videos: Swami Nikhil Anand Hinduism Q & A: How Many Gods Are There

Ordinary Hindus and Hindu scholars do not consider Shivalingan a phallic symbol. For them, the formless representation of Shiva has no likeness to any human anatomy.
Arvind Sharma, the Birks Professor of Comparative Religion at Canada’s McGill University, doesn’t deny the possibility of an anatomically accurate interpretation of Shivalingam. However, he blames such misrepresentation on the cult of phallic worship that mistakenly identified Shivalingam as a phallic symbol.
Even Mahatma Gandhi was not aware of any such interpretation. On September 15, 1927 Gandhji wrote in Young India that “It was in a missionary book that I first learnt that shivalingam had any obscene significance at all. And even now, when I see a Shivalingam, neither the shape nor the association in which I see it suggests any obscenity.”
Like any other language, Sanskrit also has words with many meanings depending on the context. The term ‘linga’ in Sanskrit means ‘mark’ or ‘sign’ as well as ‘phallus.’ Hindus use the word ‘linga’ in the former sense. As the sign of Shiva, writes Eck, “the linga is honoured in the sancta of many temples and shrines of India.”

Shiva represents the pure light of consciousness. The linga, or sign, is a physical manifestation of a more intuitively understood phenomena. It is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva.

The significance of Shivalingam in Hinduism in general and Shaivite tradition in particular is immense. According to Shiva Purana (Vidyesvara Samhita: Chapter 5 to 11) the Shiva lingam is a fiery column of light–Niskala Lingam which has no beginning and end. Niskala means nameless and formless aspect of Brahman. There is no mention of any likeness to human anatomy.

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Source: https://theprint.in/opinion/western-reading-of-shivalingam-as-phallic-symbol-is-incorrect-for-hindus-shiva-is-formless/971907/
Other reading material:
Relevant videos: Sex & Shiva Lingam
Contributor: Avatans Kumar