TSR Hindu Society

How are Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva related to each other? How are the related to the all-pervading God mentioned in Hindu scripture?

At it's core, Hinduism is a monotheistic religion (I think), so how do these 3 tie into all that?

Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva represent the three stages of the universe's life. Brahma is responsible for its creation, Vishnu is responsible for its maintenance and operation. Shiva is responsible for the destruction of the universe. This design persists in Hinduism as Hinduism views time in a cyclical manner, not linear.

There are multiple stories in the Puranas about how they came about. Some stories show Shiva as the dominant God, some show Vishnu as this figure. Brahma is not prayed too.

You'll meet some Hindus (uncommon though) who believe Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are independent of each other and are Gods in their own right. However most believe (myself included) that they are just forms of the eternal in something we understand (just about).

Sanatan Dharma is pluralistic and one can be a complete pantheist or atheist and still be a Hindu. It has been the work of many Hindus since colonialism to make Hinduism an acceptable religion in the West. The first step in this acceptability is to show Hinduism as a strictly monotheistic religion which it is definately not. Any and every text is open to the individuals interpretation.

The Vedas rarely speaks of one God. The Vedas also includes elements of pantheism. The Upanishads are a much bigger proponent of monotheism than the Vedas.

But Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are quite symbolic on every level as everything has a beginning, middle and end.

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Oh okay, that makes more sense, thank you

So Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are kinda like personifications of the Universe's life, like you don't actually believe that there is a God named Brahma, a God named Vishnu and a God named Shiva that are controlling everything, they have just been created to make things easier to understand for the human mind? By "you" I mean you specifically, since I'm sure there are alternative views within the religion

I hear you about the bold bit, it is the same with Sikhism, it is so sad that people try to make the Eastern philosophies fit into Abrahamic cubbies instead of being proud of their uniqueness.

What are the Upanishads? I remember you saying that the authors of the Vedas are unknown, is it the same with the Upanishads? How many different sets of scripture are there in Hinduism? I know about Vedas, Bhagavad Gita and now Upanishads, are there more?

Hey! I'm not Hindu but I think it is not only a beautiful religion but a beautiful lifestyle, an accepting and kind lifestyle. I like the idea that it is more what you do than what you Believe that defines Who you are. I'm doing some research for a self chosen project and I would like to ask a couple of questions to Hindus who could probably give me a more informed response. Sorry if some of these sound like I am ignorant to Hinduism and do not know much about it but I am trying to discover more and so I must learn!
i was wondering, in Hindu weddings, why is the brides head covered? Is it a sign of modesty and respect?
also, are arranged marriages a common occurence?
What is dharma?
and the last one, I understand that Hindu gods are infact forms of Brahman, does that mean that all gods of other religions could be regarded as Brahman?

oh wait and one last one (sorry!) I was wondering if anyone knew any passages from the scriptures about love, or family?? Sorry I seem so uneducated, I just want to learn more!
thanks

Exactly, they are concepts embedded in people's mind. The idea of birth, life and death is woven in the belief of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh. I think it is a fantastic method of putting across such philosophy and mindset through faith and belief. I believe life is exactly as the concept of the trinity. We must all go through these three stages. The genius is, Vedic scriptures then later on from the the Vedas speak on the underlying eternal reality that simply pervades everything and nothing. In the same way, if we are to break free from the constant cycle of rebirth we may also become one with whatever that is eternal.

I dont belive in their literal existence. However next year I will go to Kailash Parvat and I know my heart will be beating like a drum when i'm there. Whenever I've been to places like Haridwar, Gokul, Rishikesh, Mahabalipum, something takes over and I can't quite put my finger on what it is.

It sickens me that we feel the need to have our faiths 'approved' by the West. I always see it. Hindus love to quote westerners on our religion and culture as if their opinion holds more weight. The desperate attempt to portray it as strict monotheism probably hurts the most as it remove my favourite thing about Hinduism, the flexibility. We may all believe different things but each and every Hindu will have something in common with one another which shows (to me) that what they have in common are fundamental.

The Upanishads are written in a student-guru conversation. The Upanishads have been written for thousands of years. They have provided the philosophy and deep thought of ancient India. It was less focused on deities and rituals. It was probably highly valued by intellectuals which is the reason it was an exclusive text. Not entirely, Yagnavalkya Rushi was one of first authors and there have been many (I think females too). It only stopped in the previous millennium.

Oh lord, there are so many. It'll hurt your head trying to get them all. The only others on top of the Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita would probably be the Brahma Sutras. They are a commentary of the Vedas if I can remember correctly. It has been remembered through time for its quality and some say it is instrumental.

Religious scriptures in Hinduism are set in two groups. One is Shruti (revealed, not of human origin) and the other is Smriti (to be remembered).

In Shruti we technically only have the Vedas. However nowadays, people tend to include the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and sometimes the Brahma Sutras. Which is fine imo, very thoughtful scripts.

Smriti contains things like the Mahabharata (which contains the Bhagavad Gita), Ramayan, Manu Smriti etc.

Shruti is dominant to Smriti EVERY single time with 0 exceptions. However in practice, it may differ.

It's nice to be able to talk about my religion. Never get a real chance to do that.

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This is one thing I really love about Hinduism, it is not afraid of creativity. Hinduism, more than any other faith in the world today, is a true reflection of the greatness of human imagination. Hinduism really does things out of the box but it does them well, I think it is a great way to get the message across. But it only works because Hinduism allows for individuality and flexibility, which I think are another of it's main strengths.



Have fun! Are all those places you listed in Gujarat? What would you say is the number one must-see Hindu temple/pilgrimage site in the world?




Agreed, hopefully it doesn't last much longer. Our people try so hard to be accepted by westerners but the funny thing is, many westerners are more fascinated by Eastern philosophy than the Abrahamic religions with which they are familiar. How ironic. I certainly hope this mindset doesn't last much longer, from what I have been told, India is westernizing quite quickly but from my observations, the Indians in the diaspora tend to be much more appreciative of their religion, culture and traditions than the ones in the subcontinent. Personally, I don't want to see India become westernized, it is possible for a country to develop while staying true to it's traditions, India would be better off following the example of Japan.





Thank you for the information I think I am going to stick with trying to get through the Bhagavad Gita first, from what I have been told, it isn't as hard to comprehend as the Vedas but it still provides a very good insight into Hindu/Dharmic philosophy.


This is what I have been using to read it: http://www.bhagavad-gita.org/index-english.html


Every verse has commentaries underneath it, but do you perhaps know of any other resources which would help explain the message, it is still kinda hard to udnerstand at times


Btw, do Hindus know who wrote the Bhagavad Gita?





I enjoy it as well, Hinduism is such a fascinating philosophy. Do you think Hinduism has a bright future in India? I know India is westernizing, but does that also mean that people are throwing their religion out the window? I'd imagine that westernization in India would have less adverse affects than it did in the west since Hinduism is flexible and can adapt, whereas Christianity is far more rigid.

Thank you so much! You explanation of dharma makes sense, I can't explain how but I understand it better now. I appreciate your help with the scriptures thank youuu!

Hello!

Why would you consider Hinduism better than Buddhism or Sikhism?

In for this.

Hehe, let me pose this in your society as well.