The Hindu Deity : Vishnu

Hinduism: Universally viewed as a polytheistic religion and one of the oldest. Its 900 million followers’ spiritual goal is to merge as one with Brahma, its supreme God. This achievement is through reincarnation determined on karma, depending ones past deeds coinciding to one’s future.

Hinduism, Buddhism and Shinto, while vast in differences there is much to learn about these three religions similarities as well. Some facts and history of Hinduism include, Hinduism (being the oldest of the three) is dated back in pre-history before 10000 BC even believed to predate the Indus River Valley Civilization! The Vedas (the holy text of Hinduism) is the foundation for Indian culture and also the basic belief system of Hinduism. The basic belief structure of Hinduism is as follows, the three doctrines; Samsara (1) which means “successive rebirths” indicating the belief in reincarnation started by ATMA or the spark of life given by the god Brahma. This cycle continues until the soul collects enough good Karma (2) to break from the

Dualistic Hindus try and understand divine reality through their many different gods. With that there is a focus put onto the one god Brahman which Brood describes as, “supreme, unitary reality, the ground of all Being.” (Brood et al., 2016). The monistic viewpoint of Brahman can best be described as the belief that all reality is ultimately one. Brahman is, “treated as a basic cosmic principle.” (Hopkins, 1971). According to Hopkins in the, “Atharva Veda, brahman is said to have the lowest and highest forms and to be ‘the womb of both the existent and the nonexistent.’ In 10.2 it is said that ‘by brahman the earth was disposed, as brahman the sky was set above, as brahman this atmosphere, the wide expanse, was set aloft and crosswise.’” (Hopkins, 1971). Brahman can most easily relate to the Christian, Islam, and Judaism God.Both Brahman and the God of Christianity, Islam,

Hinduism is a major religion in India as well as Nepal and a few other Asian countries. It has more than 900 million followers throughout the world but interestingly, this religion has no single founder, no single scripture and no single set of teachings that are uniformly believed and followed by all Hindus. Hinduism is said to exist as a supreme being while both Buddhism and Confucianism are based on the teachings of a man while Taoism revolves around a concept.1 (Kokemuller, J.) All of them have similarities and differences to a great extent.

Hinduism is a major religious and cultural tradition of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a diverse family of devotional and ascetic cults and philosophical schools, all sharing a belief in reincarnation and involving the worship of a large pantheon of deities.

The Upanishads are the foundation of the Hindu philosophical thought, and have profoundly influenced diverse traditions. The Bhagaved Gita (Part of the Mahabharata) is one of the most popular sacred texts of Hinduism. Hinduism has many gods and goddesses, all manifestations of the supreme being. Brahma is considered to be the creator of all universe. Vishnu is considered to be the preserver or protector of the universe. Shiva is considered to be the destroyer of the universe. Varanasi is the oldest city of India and also considered the most holy place. Cows are the symbol of earth. It always gives and feeds, representing life and the support of life. “Kumbhamela” is a Hindu festival, known as the largest gathering in the world. The holiest number in Hinduism is 108 beads. 108 is the ratio of the sun’s distance from earth to the sun’s diameter. Or the moon’s distance from earth to the moons diameter. Yoga is originated from Hinduism as well.

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

Vishnu, to his worshipers, is all-powerful and supreme. He is believed to be to god from whose navel a lotus sprang giving birth to Brahma, the creator. Vishnu created the universe by separating the heavens and the earth and has rescued it on a number of occasions. As Hopfe and Woodward state “Vishnu is known as a god of love, benevolence, and forgiveness (Hinduism 94).” “ In some incarnations, he has come as a man.” (94). The third popular god is Brahma, the creator of the world.

There are numerous gods in Hinduism, in which the most important ones including the Creator Brahma, the Preserver Vishnu and the Destroyer Siva. Brahma created the earth, the mortal world and the heaven, Vishnu safeguards the world and preserves the order and peace in

Unlike other religions across the world, Hinduism does not have a specific way of worship, or a god and scriptures to be used. The religion that is considered to be the oldest has an array of beliefs and practices within it, and therefore many have always referred to it as a family religion or a way of life. In the recent years, it has been established that there is a way in conformation to an almost similarity among the Hindus, and a larger population now consider a sacred text known as Veda and have a shared system of values known as dharma.

The statement from the ecumenical Hindu organization, "We can follow Jesus without contradiction, for he is none other than another avatara of Lord Vishnu.” specifically compares how Jesus and Vishnu, the second god, all represented with an ability to create, upkeep, and have power over the world. As their ability as a creator and destroyer of the world, shows that Jesus would be seen as another god in Hinduism as being considered to be respected into their religion. As Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva, as one, are all combined that gives an ideal belief that they do believe in Jesus without the conflict of other outside influences. However, Hinduism prophecies closely relates to Jesus' life story from the Bhavishya Purana origins and the idea of

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

Throughout the history of mankind, there have been many great men who have left an impact on today’s world. Some of these men may have changed a certain system was run or established a better community for other people. While doing these things is certainly commendable, there is one man who stands above the rest. This man is unique in every way from His conception to His death. In addition, this man made astonishing claims and performed many great miracles. While there were many that embraced this man, there were many that called him foolish and a sinner. This man was Jesus Christ. Through the use of Old Testament prophets, various New Testament testimonies, and certain divine attributes, it is proven that Jesus Christ is unique in that He and God are one.