Shiv The Hindu Dualities Of Life

Hinduism is a religion practiced all over the world and has gained a large following. Hinduism got its start in the Indus Valley civilization and since then has evolved into a open and tolerant religion upon which every and anybody from all walks of life are welcome. In Hinduism there is a divine reality which can best be described as all reality is ultimately one for monistic Hindus or that there is no distinction between the divine reality and the rest of reality for dualistic Hindus. Either way it is put Hindus try to understand divine reality through their different gods, images, nature, and avatars.

The Hindus call their supreme reality “Brahman,” a God of infinite being, infinite awareness, and infinite bliss. “Utter reality, utter consciousness, and utterly beyond all possibility of frustration is the basic Hindu view of God” (Smith 1991). Hinduism sees their God as an archetype of supremacy with the noblest crown, a parent, loving, merciful, almighty, eternal salvation, and an understanding companion. There is also a distinction between personal (ramanuja) and transpersonal (shankara) notions of God in Hinduism; “God so conceived is called Saguna Brahman, or God-with-attributes or God-without-attributes, Nirguna Brahman” (Smith, 1991). Also, it is important to realize that God’s relation in Hinduism varies on symbolism and what is embraced: the creator, the preserver, and the destroyer who resolves all finite forms of life. They view the world as “God-dependent.” A personalist in Hinduism “will see little religious availability in the idea od a God who is so far removed from our predicaments as to be unaware of our very existence” (Smith, 1991). Were as a transpersonalist sees God serving as a master in their life to guide them through their struggles and becomes possessed by this

The art depicts to me the Indian life cycle and religious perspective when she poses in different forms which she depicts with her hands and feet (Shiva). According to MFAH bulletin board, it explains the nonverbal poses that “Shiva Nataraja” makes such the little man underneath her feet is “Apasmara” resembles the human race “ignorance, forgetfulness, and recklessness”, and one of her hands depicts holding a “…drum…beat of this drum signifies the sound of creation” and her large third eye resembles the looks between “truth” and “illusion” (Shiva). Also, it amazes me the vivid image the artist presented from this bronze statue of “Shiva Nataraja” which depicts in a live and dynamic form.

Another distinction between Hinduism and Buddhism is their concepts of deity. Although Hinduism claims to be a monotheistic religion, worshiping only Brahma Nerguna, Hindus worship 33 million other gods that are aspects of Brahma Nerguna. Some of the most common gods or aspects are Ganesha, Vishnu, and Shiva. Ganesha is the god of good luck, Vishnu is the god of families, health, and children, and Shiva is the destroyer. Buddhism has different branches that seem to contradict its original teachings. Some Buddhists worship Buddha, while the remainder of Buddhist think of Buddha as just a man and follow his teachings.

Hinduism is a polytheistic religion that is very much a part of the people in India and Nepal. It has over 900 million followers worldwide and it is considered one of the oldest religions in the world, dating back many thousands of years. This religion is split into many different branches because of their belief in many gods and goddesses. Each branch worships a different god that they view as “supreme above all others.” Granted that they had a great leader, Mahatma Gandhi, they were able to change the world, and more specifically the United States. His philosophical ideas inspired our country to fight for equality. But in order to understand this better, it is important to have a deeper understanding of the Hinduism beliefs.

As stated previously, this is a depiction of Buddha Maitreya. He is a particularly interesting subject because of his special place in Buddhism, namely that he is both a bodhisattva and a Buddha. It is believed that when the current version of our world ends he will be the next great teacher. He is thus greatly revered

Hinduism is commonly thought of as the world’s oldest religion. There are approximately one billion Hindus worldwide. The vast majority live in India, although there are large populations of Hindus in South Asia, United States, Australia, Western Europe, and Canada. Hindus recognize a supreme being that can exist in copious different forms and identities and several local deities as well. Some of the important deities include Vishnu, Shiva and Shiva’s consort. Vishnu is a God that has been depicted to have arrived on Earth in both the forms of a human and an animal. It has been said that his purpose was to

As the most complex deity within the Hindu pantheon, Shiva is an extraordinarily important god. Although equal to Vishnu and Brahman, Shiva is engulfed in an eternal paradox as a result of his diverse characteristics. Furthermore, Shiva represents a variety of spiritual and domestic aspects of Hindu culture. Importantly, Shiva embodies the energy of the universe as both creator and destroyer; he is the ultimate construction of non-duality. Further, Shiva’s power and significance demonstrates philosophical teachings as to the way in which certain aspects of Hindu life are constructed. To illustrate, the iconography of Shiva incorporates identifying characteristics that are necessary to understanding his relevance as a god, Shiva establishes

The reason this figure have four hands is to show the power or universality of this figure. When I saw this four arms in a circular frame, what first came to my mind is that each hand represent a cardinal point i.e. North, South, East and west. Therefore, the shiva Nataraja symbolizes four major points of the world or a spiritual

To showcase Divinity in Indian culture, I have chosen the artifact of Shiva Nataraja. Shiva is one of the many gods of the Hindu religion. Practitioners of the Hindu religion believe that God is vast and that the description or image of him/her cannot be just one thing. This is why Shiva is only one of the many manifestations of God, also known as Brahman. The Hindu Gods were seen as embodying every aspect of life. Shiva is known as the destroyer. Brahma is the highest, ultimate God. Shiva would found in a temple or in one’s personal shrine. Multiple aspects if the image represent Godliness or Brahman. The drum in Shiva’s hand represents Aum, the vibratory sound that was used by God to create and sustain the universe. The hand that is pointed toward the extended foot represents salvation that can be brought forth by Brahman. Under Shiva’s foot, there is a dwarf-like figure. It is a representation of Shiva, or the Gods, being above mankind and other wordly things.

The photograph demonstrates specific angles of the sculpture, Shiva Nataraja, which creates implied motion. First, the huge, round ring with flames coming out of it demonstrates a dynamic position of the sculpture. Shiva grabs the ring with both of his rear hands and balances on his right foot on top of a small creature and his left foot raised to his chest, which creates a more energized and continuous motion. Shiva's feet coordinate with his hands, as the lower left hand is diagonally crossing his chest with its palm faced down and his right hand palm raised, facing forward, which creates an energized and dancing posed of Shiva.

Shiva has appeared in sculpture before in Chapter 4, but has evolved and no longer appears self-absorbed. The god holds in his upper right hand a hand drum that creates sound. His upper left hand holds fire that could destroy the universe. With his lower right hand, he is making the “have no fear” gesture. Shiva’s dance is so energetic; the energy of his dance makes his hair fly to the sides.

Brahma is the god of creation. In today’s world, he is the least worshipped god in India. There are only two temples in all of India dedicated to him (Brahma). Brahma has a unique look, with four heads and four arms. The second god, Vishnu, is the god of preservation. Thus far in creation, he has been said to be incarnated nine times. Worshippers believe that he will incarnate one last time near the end of the world. Similarly, to what Paul thought of Jesus, “Like any major god, Vishnu is involved in a number of colorful stories which illustrate his virtues as the protector of cosmic order” (Vishnu). Vishnu is uniquely depicted by having blue skin, and four arms. In his four hands, he holds objects representing what he is dependable for. Shiva, the last god, is the god of destruction. In Hinduism, destruction is considered necessary for new life forms to appear. Shiva is portrayed by his blue face and white body, three eyes, and four arms.

The god Vishnu is the creator, and Shiva is the destroyer. One is not looked upon as better than the other. This shows the ultimate realism that the Hindu culture possesses. These are not the only gods in Hindu culture. There are many others and all have special skills and talents. The gods themselves also give birth to the idea of avatars, or the form of god when he or she comes to earth.

In contrast to majority of devout religions, Hinduism participates in the worship of many gods – thus making it a polytheistic religion consisting of a Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The Brahma is the The Creator, and a member of the Hindu Trinity. Brahma intimately creates everything in the universe. In addition, Vishnu maintains the balance and harmony of the universe. Last but not least, Shiva perpetually destroys the universe: “it’s the necessary step to make renewal possible” (Hindu Gods and