The Concept of Hinduism

Sally Hoang, Amy Le, and Tiffany Zhang

Names and Titles of the Founders

The Hindu Triumvirate: Brahma the

Creator, Shiva the Destroyer, and Vishnu
the Preserver. They are the most
important gods.
Brahma was the creator of the Earth, as
well as living organisms and demons.
Vishnu sends his avatars to Earth to
preserve peace, while Shiva destroys the
universe and recreates it.
Names and Titles of the Founders

Rama and Krishna were both incarnations

of Vishnu sent to Earth as preservers and
heroes.
Rama was a worshipped hero, having a
basis on several historical figures. He was
dually noted as a good husband and
warrior.
Krishna was a god disguised as a prince,
disguised as a commoner, setting on
several adventures.
Names and Titles of the Founders

Rishis interpret the Vedas and write

hymns, epics, and poems.
The Saptarishi are the seven most
important sages in Hinduism.
Along with Valmiki, they wrote religious
texts to spread the word, including:
Ramayana
Bhagavad Gita
Puranas
Mahabharata
The Afterlife

The main goal is to escape the cycle of

rebirth and reincarnation. Death is only
temporary.
You will continue the cycle until you are
pure, free of sin, and rid bad karma.
There is no external hell, but hellish states
of mind during reincarnation. This can be
undone with positive karma and
selflessness.
The Afterlife

There are three afterlives. When you die,

your soul gathers up your breaths and
deities, escaping through the head to
antariksham (interstellar space.)
Your breaths and deities return to the
macrocosm.
Body elements, called bhutas return to
Earth to be reincarnated.
The Afterlife

Liberated souls, or souls that removed bad

karma, travel up uttarayana, the northern
path, into Kailasa.
Souls who lived virtuous lives go through
dakshinayana, the southern path to the
ancestral world. They fall to earth as rain,
being reborn into pure people.
The path adhogati, goes to the
subterranean world. Its for people who
indulge in sins. They are reincarnated as
insects and worms.
The Founders Lives

Brahma was born from a golden egg and

created all organisms on Earth. Demons,
gods, ancestors, and men were made,
then abandoned his body to create dawn
and dusk.
Vishnu goes down to earth during times
of war or unrest to preserve peace, the
most well know being Rama, Krishna, and
Buddha. He has 10 avatars.
Shiva destroys the universe as Nataraja
after every cycle and recreates it, making
everything pure.
The Founders Lives

Rama is the seventh incarnation of

Vishnu. He was first birthed to deal with
the multi-headed demon Ravana.
Later in his life, Rama fought a demon
when leaving home with the sage
Visvamitra and killed Taraka.
After snapping Shivas bow, he earns
Sitas had in marriage and they marry.
Rama and his family end up being exiled
from his kingdom for 14 years.
The Founders Lives

Rama and Ravana clash, but Sita was

kidnapped. His journey was met with
several obstacles. He killed Kabandha ,
whose spirit advises him to ask Sugriva,
king of monkeys, to help.
He restored Sugrivas throne from Balin
and is given an army. Hanuman brought
Rama back to Lanka. The battle was won
and he reunited with Sita.
He is widely celebrated among mortals
due to him fulfilling several duties.
The Founders Lives

Krishna is the eighth incarnation of

Vishnu. When Krishna was born, Kamsa
was about to kill him, but mother hid him.
Krishna was a god disguised as a mortal
hero disguised as a prince disguised as a
commoner.
He was known as a punisher of human
deeds, but also the bringer of
enlightenment. He performed many
miracles and slain demons.
The Founders Lives

His adventures include killing Putana, the

bull Danava, the snake Kaliya, and the king
of the Hayas, also beheading Kamsa.
Krishna also killed several demons,
including Muru and his 7,000 sons,
Pralamba, Naraka, and the sea-demon
Pancajana.
Krishna and Rama end up being the most
celebrated avatars of Vishnu. Hes more
celebrated than Brahma in cases.
The Founders Lives

The Rishis, in turn, interpret the hymns

from the Vedas and write poetry.
Valmiki wrote an important text called
Ramayana, about the life of Rama. He
made contact with the Seven Sages, who
changed his life and became a maharshi.
The combination of his sight of the
murder of two lovebirds and his meeting
with Narada, a sage of Vishnu, inspired
him to write about Rama, given the
blessing of Brahma.
The Founders Lives

The Saptarishi: Agastya, Atri, Bharadwaja,

Gautama, Jamadagni, Vasistha, and
Vishvamitra.
Agastya was the grandson of Brahma and
author of Agastya Samhita, who wrote
down the information of Indian medicine
from Lord Muruga.
Atri composed hymns and poems to Agni,
Indra, and other deities.
The Founders Lives

Bharadwaja was a Hindi scholar, a

descendant of the rishi Angirasa,
mediator, and leader of the faith.
Gautama Maharishi is credited with
writing several hymns in Mandala 1 and is
mentioned in the Rig Veda.
Jamadagni is the sixth incarnation of
Vishnu who killed his wife and king, and
also studied the Mahabharata.
The Founders Lives

Vasistha authored the seventh book of the

Mahabharata, emphasizing that you must
be important in this world.
Vishvamitra was the first Rishi to
understand the Gayatri Mantra fully. He
was also a king of ancient India, but also a
warrior, becoming a Rishi due to
competition with Vasistha.
Deities and Holy Sites

Brahma created the universe. He has

four faces, where one of the four Vedas
come from each mouth.
Vishnu preserves the universe. His role
is to descend to earth during conflicts
and restore balance to the world.
Shiva destroys the universe. Although it
may sound as if he would end the
world, it means his responsibility was
to rid of the negative aspects of
humans.
Deities and Holy Sites

There are seven ancient holy towns:

Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Varanasi,
Kanchipuram, Dvaraka, Ujjain
The Char Dham (also called four abodes)
are pilgrimage sites in India, with Puri
representing the east, Rameshwaram as
the south, Dvaraka as the west, and
Badrinath as the north
There are also four maha kumbha mela
sites: Prayaga (Allahabad), Haridwar,
Ujjain, and Nasik
When and Where Founded

Hinduism was believed to be

founded around 2300 - 1500 BC.
There was no specific founder.
There was no specific place of
origin either, other than
somewhere in Northern India, near
the river Indus.
When and Where Founded

Most people believe it came from

Pakistan.
Hinduism is composed of many
major sects and numerous other sub
sects, each with local or regional
variations.
Despite the differences, all Hindus
agree on samsara (the cycle of
rebirth) and karma (destiny or fate).
What Place of Worship is Called

Most Hindus worship at home, where a

shrine is built and offerings are made.
Offerings are given to the murti, a
sacred statue of a god or goddess.
Worshippers often repeat the name of
their favorite divine being.
Basic Architecture

A Mandir, otherwise known as a Hindu

Temple, is a building for communal worship.
Drawings and carvings can be found on all
over the place.
They are laid out in eight different directions,
with a god representing each of them. The
most important part of a mandir is the womb
chamber, which is a windowless shrine at the
heart of the temple.
Offerings to the gods include fruit, flowers,
water, and incense.
 Famous People

Ramakrishna was a Hindu religious leader

and the founder of the Ramakrishna Order.
Ramanuja taught Hindus that they should
worship Vishnu, and helped construct a few
Vishnu temples in the city of Mysore.
Dayananda Saraswati was a religious leader
that helped promote womens rights. His
works inspired many people to self
governance, spiritualism, and nationalism.
Places Associated With Religion

The Ramakrishna Order is one of the largest

religious orders in the modern world. Founded
by Ramakrishna, its headquarters lies in
Kolkata.
The Ganges River, also known as the Ganga,
is personified as the goddess Ganga. Rituals
are often held there as a part of the Hindu
pilgrimage.
The Vrindavan Land of Krishna is considered
the divine playground of Krishna and is
settled in the town district of Mathura.