Hinduism
Sanatana Dharma
“The Everlasting Way”
OM
that which hath no beginning or end
Monotheism
 God is Infinite. Although one cannot divide or subtract from the
Infinite, the Infinite can be represented in different ways. The Infinite
also manifests in billions of ways.
 Hinduism believes not only in One God, but also in His Supreme
Personality. This personality is manifested in different forms around
us and within us perpetually. Therefore, the Infinite manifests in
billions of ways to help mankind visualize the Divine Being. This
belief of Hinduism is often confused with polytheism.
 That the Supreme can be worshipped in any form is a unique concept
in Hinduism. Hinduism worships multiple forms of the one God.
BRAHMAN: Universal Power
ATMAN: Universal Spirit
Brahman is the indescribable, inexhaustible,
omniscient, omnipresent, original, first,
eternal and absolute principle who is
without a beginning, without an end , who
is hidden in all and who is the cause, source,
material and effect of all creation known,
unknown and yet to happen in the entire
universe.
• The transcendence of time is
the aim of every Indian
spiritual tradition.
• Time is often presented as an
eternal wheel that binds the
soul to a mortal existence of
ignorance and suffering.
• Hindus believe that the
universe is without a
beginning or an end.
• The universe is projected in
vast cycles of creation and
destruction.
Hindu
Concept
of Time
Shiva dancing
The Cycles of Time
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Satya yuga (golden age) 4,000,000 years
Treta yuga (silver age) 3,600,000 years
Dvapara yuga (copper age) 2,400,000 years
Kali yuga (iron age) 1,200,000 years
Pralaya (cosmic deluge ) 4,000,000 years
New Creation 400,000 years
Duration of One Cycle: 12,000,000 years
Total duration of the four yugas is called a kalpa. At the end of
kalyuga the universe is dissolved by pralaya (cosmic deluge )
and another cycle begins. Each cycle of creation lasts one
kalpa, that is 12,000,000 human years ( or 12,000 Brahma
years).
Brahma
The Creator
 His 4 heads represent the four
Yugas or cycles of time in
Hinduism.
 At the end of these cycles of time
the Universe is ripe for
destruction and must be created
again.
 The God Shiva will then destroy
the universe so that it can be
created again.
 One of the earliest iconographic
descriptions of Brahma is that of
the four-faced god seated on a
lotus.
 The Lord has in his four hands a
water-pot (kamandalu), a
manuscript (Vedas), a
sacrificial implement (sruva)
and a rosary (mala).
Saraswati
 She presides over and
protects wisdom and the
arts, and she
invented writing.
Her four hands
represent four aspects of
human personality in
learning:
Mind
Intellect
Alertness
Ego
In one of her arms she
holds a stringed musical
instrument, the vina,
symbolizing the arts as a
whole.
In another hand she holds
a bundle of manuscripts, a
symbol of wisdom and of
writing.
 In her remaining hands,
she holds a string of
prayer-beads, the symbol
of piety, and very often a
lotus, the symbol of purity.
Vishnu
the Preserver
Protector of dharma
(righteousness) and the
guardian of humanity.
His particular task is
the conservation or
preservation of the
Divine Order in the
world.
Vishnu has 10 avatars or
incarnations. He assumes these
and comes down to earth in
order to help humanity. He
carries his symbols of:
 a white conch shell with
which he is victor over the
demons
a rotating disc, a weapon to
oppose every enemy of the
Divine order
a golden mace, symbol of
his royal power in the realm of
gods and men.
a lotus flower, symbol of
purity and original creation.
The ten incarnations
(dashavtar) of Vishnu
1 Matsya (The fish)
2 Kurma (The tortoise)
3 Varaha (The boar)
4 Narsinha/Nrusinha (The manlion)
5 Vaman (The dwarf)
6 Parshuram
7 Rama
8 Krishna
9 Buddha
10 Kalki
Vishnu sleeps on the coils of the giant multi-hearded serpent,
Ananta,who drifts endlessly on the eternal sea of milk. As the
lord sleeps, he dreams the cosmos into reality.
Lakshmi
The goddess of
beauty, of good luck
and wealth. She is
generally depicted
seated or standing on
a lotus flower.
Lakshmi sprang from
the primeval ocean.
Lakshmi usually
accompanies Vishnu
in his incarnations on
earth.
Lakshmi
and her
children,
Saraswati
and
Ganesha
Krishna
 Krishna is the 8th avatar of Vishnu.
 The mythology around Krishna is the most colorful and the
richest in lyricism, adventure and in love in all its forms, from
the sensuous to the worship of the divine.
 Krishna is central to the Mahabharata, the Sanskrit epic that is
eight times longer than the Iliad and the Odyssey put together.
 Krishna is the most accessible of the major Hindu deities. He
is a loyal ally of humans and always helps his friends. His
worship is popular all over India and there are many sacred
shines to him.
 In Hinduism there is a concept known as Bhakti. Bhakti is the
emotional attachment and love of a devotee for his or her
personal god. This is common in the worship of Krishna.
Krishna
The
Bhagavad-Gita
in
The
Mahabharata
Krishna and
Arjuna
Rama and Sita
 Rama is the 7th avatar of
Vishnu.
 Lord Rama, the hero of the
Ramayana, is one of the
most commonly adored
gods of Hindus.
 He is always holding a bow and
arrow indicating his readiness
to destroy evils.
 More commonly he is pictured
in a family style with his wife
Sita, his brother Lakshmana
and his devotee Hanumana
who is sitting near Lord
Rama's feet.
Shiva
the
Destroyer
Lord of the Dance
He performs the
dance of destruction
so that the world
can be recreated.
Shiva is the
acknowledgment that
everything that comes to
birth comes ultimately to
death and from death
comes new life.
He is cruel and yet tender,
wrathful and merciful,
unpredictable and yet ever
the same.
Parvathi-Uma
Parvathi is the very
expression of
femininity, the
woman par
excellence, daughter
of the Himalayas.
She is beautiful,
sweet, tender, and is
always portrayed as
Shiva's erotic partner.
The Great Goddess
 Parvati and Uma are the benign aspects of the
goddess; the destroyer goddesses Kali and Durga
are in turn all aspects of the Devi, or the Great
Goddess.
 Kali is the negative aspect of the Goddess and
symbolizes death. In this form she is sometimes
considered the presiding deity of famine and
disease. This is the negative aspect and symbolizes
death. In this form she is sometimes considered
the presiding deity of famine and disease.
Durga
Kali
Ganesha
 God of knowledge and the
remover of obstacles
 He has four hands, elephant's
head and a big belly.
 His vehicle is a tiny mouse.
 The combination of his
elephant-like head and a
quick moving tiny mouse
vehicle represents
tremendous wisdom,
intelligence, and presence of
mind.
Ganesha
In his hands he carries
 a rope -- to carry
devotees to the truth
 an axe -- to cut
devotees' attachments
 a sweet dessert ball –
laddoo -- to reward
devotees for spiritual
activity
 His fourth hand's palm
is always extended to
bless people.
As Sri Ramakrishna says, there can be
as many spiritual paths as there are
spiritual aspirants & similarly there can
really be as many Gods as there are
devotees to suit the moods, feelings,
emotions & social background of the
devotees.