HIST 2070 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Oneworld, Mimana, Vaisheshika
27 Jun 2018
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Classical Hinduism:
Classical Hindu belief focuses on sacrifice to and worship of a pantheon of gods and goddesses -
as had Indian religion since the Ancient era
In the classical era, there are three principle gods who are manifestations of the underlying
truth or sole god, Brahman:
oBrahma, the creator
oShiva, the destroyer
oVishnu, the preserver
There is also belief in a personification of the female principle, known as 'the goddess' or 'Devi'
oShe is a force of 'femaleness' found within all the gods and is regarded as a creative
power
Brahma
oCreator of the world, but is regarded as being quiescent apart from the creative act
oVery few temples devoted to Brahma
Shiva
oGod of death and destruction, and dancing
oThe physical suffering that Shiva brings to the world is necessary to remove desire for
this world, and increase desire for Brahman
oAlso the god of sexual activity, as sexuality is the pair to death
Vishnu
oGod of love, charity and forgiveness
oHis special concern is the welfare of humanity, he reappears in different forms on earth
to help and guide the human race
oHis incarnations are referred to as avatars
Devi, or the goddess
oAlthough theologically considered to be a manifestation of femaleness, worship of
goddesses who were aspects of Devi developed
The practice of classical Hinduism
oThere are two main routes of devotion within classical Hinduism
One most often followed by ordinary Hindus is devotion, prayer, worship and
sacrifice to individual gods and goddesses
Second main route of devotion within classical Hinduism is called generally, the
Way of Knowledge - this route is more individual and sometimes intellectual than the
devotion to gods through temples and shrines
The six systems are:
oSankhya - arose during the pre-classical era and is atheistic, believing only in the
existence of two forces, that of spirit and that of matter
oYoga - sees existence dualistically, believing that the goal of life is to link oneself to
Brahman through meditation and physical positions aiding meditation
oMimana - involves ending the cycle of rebirth through close attention to the Vedas
oVaisheshika - does not believe in gods, rather believes that the universe is composed of
the eternal elements, earth, water, air, fire, soul, mind, ether, time and space. Some
practitioners later added a belief in one god
oNyaya: atheistic and believes that all truth comes from a study of the world - something
like modern scientists who are atheists, except that the system concentrates on logic and
philosophy in the ancient Greek fashion
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Classical hindu belief focuses on sacrifice to and worship of a pantheon of gods and goddesses - as had indian religion since the ancient era. In the classical era, there are three principle gods who are manifestations of the underlying truth or sole god, brahman: o o. There is also belief in a personification of the female principle, known as "the goddess" or "devi" o. She is a force of "femaleness" found within all the gods and is regarded as a creative power. Creator of the world, but is regarded as being quiescent apart from the creative act: very few temples devoted to brahma. Shiva: god of death and destruction, and dancing o. The physical suffering that shiva brings to the world is necessary to remove desire for this world, and increase desire for brahman: also the god of sexual activity, as sexuality is the pair to death.
