Hinduism

The Trinity

Brahma Brahma is known as the creator of the universe. Brahma has four heads and hands. He holds the Vedas. He is transported on a swan. Brahma’s wife is Saraswati who is the goddess of learning.

Vishnu Vishnu is known as the preserver of the universe. He is the balance between creation and destruction. When there is too much evil, Vishnu comes as an avatar to restore the balance. He has four arms and a special sword and bow. He rides a very large bird. His wife is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and beauty.

Shiva Shiva is known as the destroyer of the universe. He wears a necklace of skulls around his neck. He rides on a bull. He has a number of wives who represent the mother goddess, including Shakti Parvati, Kali and Uma.

Other gods There are many other gods besides those in the Trinity who are worshipped. Generally, Hindus choose one of these gods to worship specifically. Therefore the Hindu religion is divided into smaller sects where those followers worship one of the many gods. Some animals are believed to be sacred because they behave like humans and therefore, should not be destroyed.

Sacred Texts The Vedas are a collection of hymns and ceremonies. The Bhagavad Gita is a poem about a conversation between avatar Krishna and a heroic warrior and many believes, shows the essence of Hinduism. The Ramayana is an epic which describes dharma.

Endless Cycle Samsara – endless cycle of life, death and rebirth – seen as difficult and pointless – hope to be freed from it. Karma – Hindus believe that very bad actions can result in a person not being reborn as a human being. Moksha – release from cycle of rebirth – when one strives to replace ignorance with wisdom.

Hindu Worship Hindus worship in temples where one god is the focus. They believe that in the statues of these gods are the gods themselves. They bathe, dress and feed the statues. Many temples have wonderful festivals in honor of the god they host. Millions of Hindus participate in these festivals.

Hindu Worship Hindus also worship in their homes. They choose a deity for that family and have daily worship rituals for that god. There are also other familial rituals for momentous occasions, such as marriage, the birth of a child, etc.

Yoga Yoga is a form of meditation where the person attempts to remove self mentally and spiritually.

Caste System

Transmigration of the Soul samsara

Dharma Dharma is the role a person must fill in the caste system Good Dharma means you move up, bad means you move down.

Daily Quiz Trade and Grade 7/10 Enrichment – Karma Situations –Groups of 5 6/10 or less Re-teach – Matching Game