First of all, let me remove the misconception. There is only one God, I myself am a Hindu and believe there is only one God. This God has no name, no form, no image, no idol no picture as stated in the verses of the Vedas (The world's oldest and Hinduism's primary scriptures). The pictures of gods and goddesses you see can be known as mythology in a sense. This makes Hinduism difficult to explain, but since it is so old, many things have changed as time progresses. I am a Vedantist Hindu, only praying to open god and using the Vedas as my ultimate guide in life.
Muslim here, so obviously have very little knowledge on Hinduism.
Are all Hindu Gods at the same level? Or is there one or few who are at the top?
I read that many of the Gods are Demi-Gods or reincarnations of Gods?
Hinduism is fascinating but I do get a little confused
Hello, first of all its nice to know that you are interested in Hinduism. Hinduism has a number of sects and caste systems which worship God in a number of forms. (My previous reply to someone ^^) states that Hinduism only believes that there is one God. If at all there is any representation of that god it is the all mighty ॐ (A'um). There is no hierarchy in God(s) since there is no more than one God.
Hey there, Lord Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati as you may know. It is believed that when Parvati was at home without the presence of Shiva, she had no one to protect her. As a result she produced Ganesha from her own bodily dust. Ganesha was born with a human head but Shiva was not informed of his birth. When Shiva arrived from meditation, he saw Ganesha blocking the door to protect Parvati. Ganesha refused to move out of the way and Shiva became enraged. Shiva therefore cut Ganeshas head.
Hello, first of all its nice to know that you are interested in Hinduism. Hinduism has a number of sects and caste systems which worship God in a number of forms. (My previous reply to someone ^^) states that Hinduism only believes that there is one God. If at all there is any representation of that god it is the all mighty ॐ (A'um). There is no hierarchy in God(s) since there is no more than one God.
Hello, first of all its nice to know that you are interested in Hinduism. Hinduism has a number of sects and caste systems which worship God in a number of forms. (My previous reply to someone ^^) states that Hinduism only believes that there is one God. If at all there is any representation of that god it is the all mighty ॐ (A'um). There is no hierarchy in God(s) since there is no more than one God.
Hey there, Lord Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati as you may know. It is believed that when Parvati was at home without the presence of Shiva, she had no one to protect her. As a result she produced Ganesha from her own bodily dust. Ganesha was born with a human head but Shiva was not informed of his birth. When Shiva arrived from meditation, he saw Ganesha blocking the door to protect Parvati. Ganesha refused to move out of the way and Shiva became enraged. Shiva therefore cut Ganeshas head.
From what I understand, as Hinduism (in it's earlest form, quite different to what it is today) spread across India, it absorbed many of the myths and traditions of the cultures that had already existed, as generations went on they sort of became blurred together which is why there are so many branches, traditions and yes - gods
So one sect may worship Lord Shiva as a form of God (A'um) for example?
So are the likes of Lord Ganesh etc not God's, but merely a form of God or mythological stories?
You could say so yes. I forgot to mention the full explanation of A'um. Hinduism believes that God has three personalities; Bh'rama, Vishnu and Shiva. Bh'rama is the creator side of God almighty. Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer (of evil and sins). The three personalities represent the three syllables in the holy A'um
From what I understand, as Hinduism (in it's earlest form, quite different to what it is today) spread across India, it absorbed many of the myths and traditions of the cultures that had already existed, as generations went on they sort of became blurred together which is why there are so many branches, traditions and yes - gods
I agree. If anyone here wants to understand Hinduism at its purest, the Vedas are your best guides, to Hinduism And effectively to life too.
You could say so yes. I forgot to mention the full explanation of A'um. Hinduism believes that God has three personalities; Bh'rama, Vishnu and Shiva. Bh'rama is the creator side of God almighty. Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer (of evil and sins). The three personalities represent the three syllables in the holy A'um
You could say so yes. I forgot to mention the full explanation of A'um. Hinduism believes that God has three personalities; Bh'rama, Vishnu and Shiva. Bh'rama is the creator side of God almighty. Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva is the destroyer (of evil and sins). The three personalities represent the three syllables in the holy A'um
Hello, nice thread :-) My personal knowledge and learning of Hinduism initially came about through Western Hindu 'convert' teachers, like Ram Dass, and Bhagavan Dass. I have generally found kirtan and bhakti yoga to be supremely beautiful to engage in. My question is, what do you think of western non-Hindus joining your gatherings? I've always been made to feel very welcome at Temple but I wondered if this is generally acceptable to Hindu communities outside the specific city I live in.
Hello, nice thread :-) My personal knowledge and learning of Hinduism initially came about through Western Hindu 'convert' teachers, like Ram Dass, and Bhagavan Dass. I have generally found kirtan and bhakti yoga to be supremely beautiful to engage in. My question is, what do you think of western non-Hindus joining your gatherings? I've always been made to feel very welcome at Temple but I wondered if this is generally acceptable to Hindu communities outside the specific city I live in.
Thank you!
Hinduism is welcome to everyone, its doors have never, are never and will never be closed to anyone. As long as you respect the basis and foundation of the eternal law of Hinduism you're fine