மிஸிஸிபி கிளேரியான் லெட்ஜரில் இந்துமதம் பற்றிய கட்டுரை

மிஸிஸிப்பியிலிருந்து வெளிவரும் கிளேரியான் லெட்ஜரில் இந்துமதம் பற்றி பல்கலைக்கழகத்தை சார்ந்தா சீதா ஸ்ரீநிவாஸன் எழுதிய கட்டுரையை இங்கே குறிப்பிடுவதில் மகிழ்ச்சி அடைகிறேன்

Hindus believe that the divine resides in every aspect of nature

By Seetha Srinivasan
Special to The Clarion-Ledger


"Truth is one; the wise call it by many names." - Rig Veda, 1.64

Even those who have the most basic familiarity with Hinduism know that its followers worship more than one god. Hinduism is indeed sometimes called a religion of a million gods. The fundamental premise of the faith, however, is belief in the unity of one great God, the Absolute, the Brahman.

Hindus believe that this Absolute is formless, a supreme cosmic force that is everywhere but that cannot be completely known. They believe that the Absolute manifests itself and its powers through myriad gods and goddesses. A Hindu devotee's aim in worshiping one or more of the faith's deities, is to express his or her unity with the Absolute.

For Hindu believers, the Absolute/the Brahman takes different forms to guide various aspects of their existence. Hindus respond to those deities that meet their individual needs. As they worship, Hindus direct their prayers to those aspects of the divine essence that they believe speaks to the circumstances of their lives.

Hindu sages teach that people approach God through icons, images and rituals because of the limitations of the believers, not because the deity requires it. Most human beings need a way to focus in prayer, a concrete representation of an idea that helps them to concentrate.

Hindus believe in gods and goddesses. They recognize a feminine complement to a masculine god, that the essence of the divine is dual. It is interesting to note that the word for strength in most Indian languages derives from the Sanskrit word Shakti, which means feminine energy.

Hindus believe that the divine, the all-pervasive sacred spirit resides in every aspect of nature, and hence that nature in all its forms, animate and inanimate, including the elements, has to be respected. In a Hindu worship service, a puja, typically more than one manifestation of the Absolute, is invoked.

Hinduism is not a congregational religion, and its adherents worship singly or in family groups. Sacred rituals are performed in homes or in temples. Nearly all Hindu households have a sacred space dedicated to the worship of the household's gods and goddesses. The space can be modest in the extreme or it can be grand, and families may pray together or individually, in a manner they consider appropriate.

Unlike most other religions, Hinduism has no sermons. Hindu priests, learned in the complex practice of rituals, serve as a medium between individuals and their gods. Scholars give lectures and conduct discussions on questions of philosophy and theology of the faith, but these are apart from services in temples.

Hinduism's rituals are complex and they are many, but in essence what they signify is simple: embrace of a transcendent Absolute God with innumerable manifestations.

The purpose of prayers and rituals is to enable adherents in their quest to allow good to triumph over evil, light over dark, creation over destruction.

Hinduism teaches an acknowledgment of the divine in all things and exhorts its followers to embody spirituality in their every thought, word and deed.


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Seetha Srinivasan is director of University Press of Mississippi and is a Hindu.