The Nature of the Hindu God
Hindus believe in one God named
Brahman, however they also
believe that God can take many
forms.
Hindus believe that God, the Supreme
Spirit, oversees the whole universe.
Brahman is symbolized by the sacred
syllable of Om(or Aum). This YouTube
clip, titled 'Om Chanting Meditation:
VeryPowerful' (2012) is a good
example of how Hindu's use the
syllable Aum in order to focus their
meditation.
Many Hindus believe that God is present in every person as the inner soul, this is called the Atman. Brahman contains the essence of everything; good and evil, male and female, movement and stillness.
Hindus believe that Brahman
has three main forms, which is
called the Trimurti, and these
are:
-
Brahma - The Creator
-
Vishnu - The Preserver
-
Shiva - The Destroyer
Vishnu
Within the Trimurti, Vishnu is the preserver and protector of the universe. As the preserver of the universe, it is His role to return to earth in order to restore the balance of good and evil within the world. It is understood that Vishnu has been reincarnated nine times, but Hindu's believe that He will come once more near the end of times.
Vishnu's worshipers, usually called Vaishnava, consider him the greatest God. Vaishnava's only worship Vishnu as they regard the other Gods as lesser or demi God's. There is Vishnu monotheism which is called Vaishnavism.
In the Rig Veda, the oldest of the four Vedas, Vishnu is mentioned numerous times alongside the other forms of God.
He is often described as having a
human body, with blue coloring and
four arms. His hands always carry
objects in them which represent the
things he is responsible for. For
example, he holds the lotus flower,
which represents the glorious existence,
the mace, which shows mental and
physical strength, the chakra, which
symbolizes the mind, and the conch,
which is the sound of 'Aum'.
He is either represented in two
positions, either standing upright on a
lotus flower with Lakshmi close beside
him, or reclining on the coils of a
serpent with Lakshmi massaging his
feet surrounded by the Milky Ocean.
The Bhagavad Gita, otherwise known as the 'Song of the Lord' is the sixth book of the Mahabharata, which is the world's longest poem. This holy book was composed between 500 BCE and 100 BCE. The following is a direct quote found in the Bhagavad Gita, 4:7-8:
'For whenever the law of righteousness
Withers away, and lawlessness raises
its head,
Then do I generate myself on earth
For the protection of the good,
For the destruction of evildoers
For the setting up of righteousness
I come into being, age after age.'
This quote is a clear reference towards the reincarnation of Vishnu over the years. It says that Vishnu comes down
to earth when the 'law of righteousness withers away' and when 'lawlessness raises it's head' suggesting that He will come down to Earth when there is alot of evil within the world. Vishnu comes down in order to protect 'the good' and destroy the 'evildoers'.
