Religion: Hinduism
Hinduism - Deities
- Shiva: Topic PageIn Hinduism, the third chief god (with Brahma and Vishnu) making up the Trimurti.
- Ganesh: Topic PageHindu god of prophecy, son of Shiva and Parvati; he is represented as elephant-headed.
- Krishna: Topic PageEighth avatar (incarnation) of the Hindu god Vishnu. The devotion of the bhakti movement is usually directed towards Krishna.
- VishnuFrom The Columbia Encyclopedia
Also called Narayana, Vishnu is regarded as the supreme God, of whom other gods are secondary manifestations. - KaliFrom The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In Hindu mythology, the goddess of destruction and creation, and the wife of Shiva.
Hinduism - Scripture
- Bhagavad Gita: Topic Page
[Skt.,=song of the Lord], Sanskrit poem incorporated into the Mahabharata, one of the greatest religious classics of Hinduism. - Mahabharata: Topic PageClassical Sanskrit epic of India, probably composed between 200 B.C. and A.D. 200.
- Ramayana: Topic Pageclassical Sanskrit epic of India: "The Story of Rama"
- VedaFrom The Columbia Encyclopedia
The oldest scriptures of Hinduism and the most ancient religious texts in an Indo-European language.
Hinduism - Practices and Beliefs
Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend, Thames & Hudson by Provides accessible, informative and authoritative entries to answer any major question about Hinduism, its mythology, practices, customs and laws.
- Hinduism: Topic PageHindu culture began about 4000 bce on the Indian subcontinent; today some 900 million followers worldwide practice Hindu traditions, or the “Vedic dispensation.”
- Yoga: Topic Page[Skt.,=union], general term for spiritual disciplines in Hinduism, Buddhism, and throughout S Asia that are directed toward attaining higher consciousness.
- Vedanta: Topic PageOne of the six classical systems of Indian philosophy.
- Reincarnation: Topic PageBelief that after death the human soul or the spirit of a plant or animal may live again.
- Tantra (Topic Page)Tantric practices use both ritual and meditation to unify the devotee with the chosen deity.
- Kumbh Mela: Topic PageHindu festival that commemorates a 12-year celestial battle between gods and demons, over a pitcher (kumbh) containing the sacred nectar of immortality (amrit).
- DiwaliFrom The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather Guide
In Hinduism, festival in October/November celebrating Lakshmi, goddess of light and wealth, as well as the New Year and the story of the Rāmāyana. - Puja: Topic PageAn act of worship in which the deity is invited to descend into its image and is treated as a guest.
Hinduism - Divisions
- Jainism: Topic PageA religious system of India which rejects the Hindu tradition of sacrifice, among other Hindu rituals.
- AjivikaFrom The Columbia Encyclopedia
The Ajivikas were an ascetic, atheistic, anti-Brahmanical community whose pessimistic doctrines are related to those of Jainism.