Hindusim

Hinduism claims to be the world's oldest religion. It's also a very complicated one – so complicated that it almost defies breaking down into the sort of bite–sized chunks of information on which we quizzers depend.

The first issue is how many gods there are in Hinduism. Some sources say it's a monotheistic religion, with only one God. If this were true, to talk about Hindu gods of this, that and the other (as we do in respect of the ancient European mythologies) would be nonsense. Other sources, however, describe Hinduism as polytheistic. This page on the BBC website goes one better, by contradicting itself in its own introduction:

"Contrary to popular understanding, Hindus recognise one God, Brahman, the eternal origin who is the cause and foundation of all existence.

"The gods of the Hindu faith represent different expressions of Brahman.

"Different Hindu communities may have their own divinities whom they worship, but these are simply different ways of approaching the Ultimate.

"Hindus recognise three principal gods ..."

The "three principal gods" are listed in the following section.

I note that when writing about "one God", 'God' has a capital G; whereas when writing about more than one god, the g's are in lower case. I've got a feeling that's probably as close as I'm going to get to resolving this issue ...

The Hindu Trinity

Creator of the Universe: "the unborn", "the lord of all life"; often depicted with four heads, or four faces, and four arms; from each of his mouths came one of the four Vedas. Not to be confused with Brahman		Brahma
"The Preserver": Hindus believe that the Ganges flows from his feet		Vishnu
God of destruction: "the Destroyer", also "the Restorer"		Shiva

Other

Descent of a deity to Earth in bodily form		Avatar
Most sacred city of the Hindus: probably India's oldest city, on the banks of the Ganges in Uttar Pradesh. More properly known as Varanasi		Benares
Decoration worn in the centre of the forehead, close to the eyebrows, by women in South Asia – most closely associated with the Hindu religion: traditionally a bright red dot, but can also be of other colours, with a sign or a piece of jewellery; from Sanskrit bindu, meaning a drop, small particle, or dot		Bindi
Name used in the Hindu faith for the Ultimate Reality – the essential cause of everything that exists		Brahman
The highest caste, representing teachers, scholars and priests		Brahmins
The Hindu's "duty" to respect and care for all living things		Dharma
Festival held in October or November, known as the Festival of Lights		Diwali
Sacred animals that support the Earth		Elephants
Hindu god with the head of an elephant (also revered by Buddhists)		Ganesh(a)
Sacred river of the Hindus		Ganges
Bird of Hindu mythology – the mount of Vishnu; gave its name to Indonesia's national airline		Garuda
The 'monkey god': a divine companion of Rama (a form of Vishnu), upheld as a model for all human devotion, for his devotion to Rama; appears in the form of a monkey with a red face, who stands erect like a human		Hanuman
Festival where Hindus spray each other with coloured water		Holi
King of the gods, and of heaven and the sky; associated with weather (including thunder, lightning, storms, rains and river flows) and war; often compared to ancient European gods Zeus, Jupiter and Thor; depicted riding on a white elephant known as Airavata		Indra
Incarnation of Vishnu, beneath whose chariot Hindus were believed by Europeans to immolate themselves (a name imported into English to refer to a certain type of vehicle)		Jagannath (Juggernaut)
Goddess of time and change; name means 'black'; consort of Shiva, on whose body she is often seen standing. Originally associated with death and war		Kali
The concept of "action" or "deed", the sum of everything a person does; often associated with destiny; summarised as "as you sow, so shall you reap"		Karma
One of the most popular and most powerful incarnations of Vishnu, the Godhead of the Hindu Trinity of deities: the hero of the Mahabharata; his name means 'black' or 'dark', indicating mystery		Krishna
Goddess of wealth, fortune, love, beauty, joy and prosperity		Lakshmi
Sanskrit epic, dating to the 8th century BC, said to be the longest epic poem ever written; tells the story of Krishna (among other things) (cf. Ramayana)		Mahabharata
Festival whose name literally means "nine nights" in Sanskrit: held five times a year (the most important being in September or October), to celebrate the nine forms of the mother goddess Shakti (synonymous with Devi)		Navaratri
Specially–selected pre–teenaged girls are worshipped as Kumari, or 'living goddesses' – manifestations of the divine female energy or devi – by certain Hindus in (country)		Nepal
Town in Rajasthan where Brahma is said to have fallen to earth on a lotus flower: one of the five sacred Hindu pilgrimage sites – often said to be the principal one		Pushkar
Sanskrit epic of the 1st century BC, telling the story of Rama, "an ideal man", who is the seventh of the ten avatars of Vishnu (cf. Mahabharata)		Ramayana
Custom of a widow immolating herself on her husband's funeral pyre (illegal in India since 1829)		Sati (Suttee)
Mandir(a)		Temple
Hinduism's oldest scriptures: a set of four texts, originating in ancient India; Sanskrit for 'knowledge'		Vedas

© Haydn Thompson 2017–24