Unit 2 Hinduism: Beliefs, Teachings and Practices - Prestatyn High School
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Unit 2
Hinduism: Beliefs, Teachings and
Practices
Religious Studies
Prestatyn High School
Unit 2
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Hindu Gods
Nature and role of Trimurti
Many Hindus believe in Brahman as the ultimate reality – one 'Supreme Spirit' in many
forms. Brahman is male, female and even animal.
Brahman is also commonly understood as
the Trimurti - three gods with three key
functions:
• Brahma - the source of all creation.
• Vishnu - responsible for keeping or
preserving all good things on Earth and
bringing harmony when needed.
• Shiva – destroyer who assists in the
creation of new things – some things have
to end for others to begin.
However, many Hindus believe in Vishnu or Shiva as the one Supreme Deity.
The atman of each of us may also hold a 'spark' of Brahman. For most Hindus, Brahman is
present in the lives of all living things.
The traditional Hindu greeting 'Namaste', usually performed with joined palms and bowed
head, may be translated as 'I bow to the divine spark within you', or ‘the God in me greets
the God in you.”
Shakti
Shakti literally means 'strength' and symbolises
feminine aspects of the divine, often referred to as
Devi and Mata. Some of the many forms of Shakti
include:
• Saraswati – inspires music, drama, science and poetry. Many pray to her for help in these
areas.
• Lakshmi - many Hindus pray to her for a happy family life and financial security.
• Parvati - known to be caring for others and both patient and wise. The balance of female
and male is often represented in Hinduism by images of Shiva and Parvati as halves of one
person.
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• Durga - a warrior goddess who symbolises the 'hidden strength' of women, and divine
opposition to evil.
Other popular deities
• Lord Krishna - one of the most popular gods and source of many legends.
• Prince Rama and Princess Sita - a beautiful love story and model for how people should
live. They both demonstrate loyalty, bravery and disregard for material possessions.
• Hanuman - a deity in the form of a monkey, recognised for his bravery and loyalty. Many
Hindus pray to Lord Hanuman for help in overcoming difficulties.
• Lord Ganesh - commonly depicted with an elephant's head, Ganesh represents wisdom
and prosperity.
Incarnations and avatars
Many Hindus believe that Lord Vishnu has appeared on Earth in human or animal form,
called incarnations or avatars. Examples of this include Rama and Krishna who were both
princes. Hindus believe they were sent to save the Earth in times of danger. Buddha is also
believed to be an avatar of Lord Vishnu.
Worship
For most Hindus there are four aims in life:
• dharma - fulfilling moral duties and living life in accordance with right actions
• artha - gaining wealth in an honest manner and using it wisely
• kama - enjoying the pleasures and beauty of life
• moksha - the ultimate goal involving ending the cycle of reincarnation
There are also four different stages of life most Hindus recognise. These are referred to as
ashrama.
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Features and importance of daily puja: Home
Some Hindus use images to assist puja. Murti are statues of deities, which have been
consecrated and must be treated with respect.
Features of puja
• Water, fruit, flowers and incense may be offered to the murti.
• A bell is rung to 'waken' the deities and arti performed.
• Personal or communal mantras may be chanted.
In addition to puja at home, some Hindus undertake forms of yoga or meditation to help
them to connect with Brahman.
Use and significance of symbolism in private worship
Many Hindus may have images of the sacred syllable aum around
their home. Many Hindus start or end worship by saying 'aum' and
others use it to aid meditation.
The sound of 'aum' connects all these parts of an atman together and
in doing so, connects to the 'Supreme Atman' Brahman.
Prayer and meditation
Many Hindus refer to prayer as prarthana. This may be personal prayer asking or thanking
the divine for blessings in life, or repeating a particular mantra or other prayer.
Many Hindus believe that through experience and meditation they can gain knowledge of
Brahman. This is a personal experience, reached individually.
Some meditate by chanting sacred verses, or by repeating aum. Others may use breath
control, or controlled breathing and body postures, what most people commonly call 'yoga'.
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Other focuses of meditation include the use of a mala or a mandala, a complex pattern that
concentrates the mind, meaning everyday thoughts are cleared away.
Many Hindus who meditate believe it enables them to connect with the divine on a spiritual
level in a way that other forms of worship, eg performing rituals, does not.
Most Hindus worship a personal God in the form of one of the main deities, which they
believe to be forms of Brahman. Some try to communicate directly with Brahman through
meditation, but many use meditation or puja.
Features of a community puja include:
• water, fruit, flowers and incense may be offered
• a bell is rung to 'waken' the deities
• arti is performed by the priest
• personal prayer may be offered and communal mantras may be chanted together
At a community puja, the arti tray is passed around. Worshippers often put money on the
tray, which is used for the upkeep of the mandir.
Many puja services end with the sharing of prashad, food that is offered to, and have been
blessed by God. This is distributed among the worshippers.
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The Mandir
In a community mandir or temple, the shrine, where the murti are kept, is the central and
most important part. There is often a tower, which signifies the presence of the murti.
Some community mandir are dedicated to a particular Hindu god or goddess, whose murti
takes pride of place and is the main focus of worship.
People are asked to remove their shoes and sometimes to wash their hands before entering
the mandir, as it is considered respectful to be clean before God. There may be singing of
bhajans and sometimes a learned scholar may read aloud or explain a passage from the
scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita.
A special type of puja called yajna (or havan) is the ritual of the sacred fire found in the
Vedas. The priest recites mantra from the Vedas as ghee is poured into the fire. Rice,
coconut and other foods are offered as a sacrifice to the fire god Agni, and placed in the
flames.
Some Hindus have yajna/havan to wish for special blessings, eg as part of a wedding
ceremony or when they are moving into a new home.
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Use and significance of symbolism in public worship
Element in Hindu
Symbolic meaning
worship
Design of mandir or Gateway entrance and tall tower over the murti showing the
temple importance of the god or goddess.
Examples include Lord Shiva riding Nandi the bull, which
Large statue of the
represents Shiva's power and energy, or Durga Mata riding a
'vehicle' of the deity
tiger to show her power and strength.
Different images of the deities reflect different aspects of
Murtis
Brahman, eg Shiva the destroyer.
Ringing a bell 'Waking the deity'.
Represent the earth and all she provides and symbolise the
Offerings of food,
thankfulness of worshippers and their hope that the deities will
money, incense, flowers
answer their prayers.
Taking off
Shows reverence and respect.
shoes/washing hands
Symbolises the belief in good overcoming evil and the 'light'
Diva
provided by the divine.
Hindu worship is often colourful and noisy. In addition to murti, many mandir have art work to
help Hindus think about the many forms of Brahman, and are sometimes very elaborately
decorated.
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In addition to bhajan being sung, other music, drama and dance may be used to praise
deities in a range of forms and to re-tell stories from scripture.
Varanasi
Varanasi is an ancient city on the banks of the River Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, Northern
India.
It is one of the most sacred sites in
India because it is believed to have
been the home of Lord Shiva. Some
Hindus believe that the River Ganges
pays its respects to Lord Shiva by the
direction in which it flows. Usually, the
river flows from the north to the south,
but at Varanasi it flows from the south
to the north.
Millions of pilgrims visit Varanasi in
order to purify themselves by bathing
in the River Ganges at sunrise.
Some Hindus believe that if they die at
Varanasi, they might be able to attain
moksha sooner. Because of this,
some Hindus go there when they are
close to death in order to die there.
Others have their ashes scattered
there by relatives. A feature of the
landscape at Varanasi is the
cremation ghats that line the banks of
the Ganges.
The processions that take the dead
bodies to the ghats may be joyful,
even accompanied by singing and
dancing, because of the belief in reincarnation and the possibility of moksha of the person
who has died.
There are many different funeral rituals, but often the body is dipped into the Ganges and
covered with ghee, then wrapped in cotton before being cremated in the open on a funeral
pyre. The ashes are then scattered in the River Ganges.
Nature and importance
There are lots of mandir in Varanasi, dedicated to Lord Shiva and other deities. Some
Hindus believe that worshipping at the mandir in Varanasi dedicated to their favourite deity
builds positive merit and may aid their path to moksha.
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Rites of Passage
Birth Rites
In some Hindu families, just after the birth of a child, the sacred syllable aum is written on the
baby's tongue with honey. The name of God in a form the family holds dear, eg Krishna,
may be whispered into the child’s ear.
The Fifth Samskara - Nam Samskar (name giving ceremony)
In some Hindu families, 40 days after birth, the baby is taken to the community mandir for a
naming ceremony. The father offers ghee-soaked wood on the fire. After announcing the
baby’s name, the priest pours holy water onto the baby’s head and puts a few drops of amrit
on the baby’s tongue.
Other Hindus perform the naming ceremony on the 12th day of the baby’s life. Sometimes
the father whispers the baby’s name into his or her ear.
Many Hindu parents decide on the first letter of the child’s name by reading the astrological
signs at the time of the birth and choosing a name that matches these signs. A priest or
religious leader may give advice on this, or even choose the name.
In some families, the father might seek blessing from the family god or goddess by placing
the baby’s horoscope before the murti. In others, the father’s sister has the job of choosing
the name from a selection the parents have written down.
In the past, most names were either names of gods and goddesses or reflected important
qualities, eg Shanti (meaning 'peace'). While many Hindus continue this tradition today, it is
also becoming more popular in both the UK and urban India to invent a name or to use
Western names.
Commitment
Sacred Thread ceremony (Upanayana)
The Sacred Thread ceremony is a ceremony for boys in some Hindu communities to confirm
they are of an age to take on religious
responsibility. Girls are sometimes
honoured in the same way, but it is rare
for them to receive and wear the thread.
In some Hindu communities, the male
participant’s head is shaved for the
ceremony, symbolising a cleansing from
their old ways of living. New clothes are
put on after bathing. Gifts and blessings
from family and friends are often
received.
9|PageIn some communities, the person asks family and friends for alms to show that they no
longer expect the family to automatically provide for them now they are an adult.
Features of the Sacred Thread ceremony include:
• the thread is made up of three strands, representing purity of thought, words and actions
• the cotton strands go over the left shoulder and under the right arm
• janoi wearers may chant a special mantra when putting on and taking off their sacred
thread
• vows are made to obey all aspects of the first ashrama
Some young Hindus also accept a Guru at this point and start their study of scripture. It is
increasingly common for young Hindus in the UK and in urban India to have the ceremony at
different ages.
Marriage
The Hindu marriage ceremony is considered sacred, binding a man and woman together for
life. It takes the Hindu couple into the second ashrama.
Traditionally, the day before the marriage, the bride has her hands and feet decorated with
beautiful designs made with henna.
On the morning of the marriage, the bride and groom take baths and put on perfumed oils to
symbolise being pure and ready to commit themselves to each other. In some Hindu
communities the bride and groom fast until the wedding ceremony is complete.
Features of the marriage ceremony
• Most weddings take place in a mandap which contains a
sacred fire at its centre. The groom traditionally waits for
the bride in the mandap with the priest and family
members.
• Prayers and offerings are made to Lord Ganesh.
• The bride and groom place flower garlands around each
other’s necks, symbolising an unbroken circle to show
eternal union. The priest then ties the bride’s sari to a
scarf worn by the groom, symbolising the couple’s
physical and spiritual union.
• The bride and groom throw offerings of grains into the
sacred fire in the hope of fertility regarding both food
supplies and children. They walk several times around the
sacred fire with each circuit representing different aspects
of marriage.
• The bride and groom take seven steps and make seven
promises to each other, including respecting each other,
to have children, to be together for life and to protect each other.
10 | P a g e• The groom puts red powder into the bride’s hair to show that she is now a married woman.
• The parents, family members and friends give their blessing to the couple using rice as a
symbol of fertility.
In a traditional Hindu marriage, the aim is for the couple to grow together and share their
joys and sorrows with each other. They will take care of their children and later, share
wisdom with their grandchildren.
Death rites
Death rites vary from family to family and also according to which type of Hindu tradition is
followed. The region of India a family comes from will also have an impact on what happens
when a Hindu dies. In some communities, relatives wash their body and clothe it in white
garments. They may put a few drops of water from the River Ganges into the mouth of the
deceased to help purify them.
In India, relatives may carry the corpse on a stretcher to the funeral pyre that is near a river
before the next sunrise or sunset and traditionally, the eldest son lights the funeral pyre. In
the UK, many Hindu families have the body cremated as soon as reasonably possible at a
crematorium.
During the funeral ceremony, the priest and the mourners may recite verses from scripture
and mantra. Most Hindus would say they are grieving for the person they knew, not the
atman, which they believe will be reincarnated.
Shraddha
After the death of a loved one, some Hindus perform Shraddha. Offerings are made to
family gods and goddesses to help the atman of the deceased to move on. Some Hindus
believe the atman remains around loved ones while they grieve, so Shraddha symbolises an
end to mourning. Some Hindus give gifts in charity on behalf of the departed loved one.
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