Hinduism. Index of contents Introduction The importance of the Ganges River Origins of Sanskrit The Vedas and Mahabharata The various gods.

Hinduism

Index of contents

• Introduction

• The importance of the Ganges River

• Origins of Sanskrit

• The Vedas and Mahabharata

• The various gods

Introduction

• India is the most religiously nation in the world

Hindus, Muslims, Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs, Jews and Christians live in India

• Hinduism is the oldest and most practiced religion in India

• Hinduism survived although political riots and foreign invasions ruled India

• The beliefs of Hindu inclued many influences, sacred texts and thousands of gods

The importance of the Ganges River

• The Ganges is the most revered river is formed by two mountain streams, the

Bhagirathi and Alaknanda• The Ganges is important for fertile plain

that provides food and support for nearly a billion people

• The river has played a vital role in the growth of the civilizations

• According to Hindu mythology the Ganges is a goddess Ganga

• Ganga lives in the heavens until a human king, Bhagiratha, prayed to the god Brahma to have her descend to Earth

people bath in the Ganges River in order to purify their souls

• A picture which points out their situation and shows that the religion is a very important part for hindu society

A map of the Ganges River

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• here are some more pictures for you

Origins of Sanskrit

• an ancient Indo-European languagehistorical language of Hinduism and one of

the 22 official languages of India• Sanskrit´s first written record can be found

in the Rig-Vedait is divided into two general categories,

the more ancient Vedic Sanskrit and Classical Sanskrit

• In the 18th century, Sir William Jones, a judge and language scholar, theorized that Sanskrit was linked to Greek and Latin through a common original language

The Sanskrit Alphabet

• Many of the languages spoken in India today are descended from Sanskrit

The Vedas and Mahabharata

The Vedas• the Vedas are

Hinduism‘s oldest and most sacred texts

• complied by Vyasa Krishna Dwaipayana

• the texts are collections of hymns and ritual instructions used to perform Vedic ceremonies

• the oldest is the Rig-Veda a collection of over 1000 hymns

• the remaining books are the Atharva-Veda a collection of myths, verses, spells and

prayers named after the priest Atharvan• the Yajur-Veda a book detailing Vedic

sacrifice • the Sama-Veda a collection of liturgical

chants

Mahabharata

• the Mahabharata is one of two major epics in ancient Indian literature

• the story began in the oral tradition and was composed in Sanskrit over centuries

• the epic is composed of nearly 100000 verses divided into 18 books the sixth book contains the central text of Hinduism

The various gods

Shiva

• known as the destroyer the thrid of the principal gods of the Hindu

• Hindus believe that Shiva destroys the world in order to recreate it and is the source of both good and evil

• he is often presented with a blue face and throat; long, dark hair; and holds a trident (Dreizack)

• he is also the ideal family man and husband when shown with is wife, the godess Parvati

Krishna and Radha • Krishna is one of the most important gods in

India• he is represent as a young man playing the

flute these image derive from the stories of his early life

• in the middel ages the love between Krishna and the cowgirl Radha inspired a rich literature still treasured by people of all communities in all walks of life

• Radha symbolizes the individual‘s surrender to the love of God

Hanuman

• the monkey king is the son of the Vedic wind god, Vayu

• he has the head of a monkey and the body of a human, along with the power to fly and change size and shape

• Representations of Hanuman often show him flying through the air

Saraswati• Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge,

music and art• even today, students pray to her to achieve

success in their studies and exams • she is traditionally shown as a fair young

woman dressed in a white sari, seated on a lotus with four arms

• in her frint two arms, Saraswati holds or plays a veena (instrument)

• in her back two hands, she holds other things, such as a manuscript

that are symbols of meditations and knowledge

Lakshmi

• Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of beauty and wealth

• she is represented as a beautiful young woman with four arms sitting or standing on a lotus bud

• her four arms symbolize the four goals of human life

• Lakshmi is usually shown clasping a lotus flower; in her two back hands, she holds gold coins, signs of wealth

• Hindus believe Lakshmi bestow good fortune and well-being on the family

Ganesha

• Ganesha is the elephant-headed Hindu god

• the son of the god Shiva and his wife, the goddess Parvati, Ganesha is represented with the head of an elephant over a plump human body with four arms