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This is something I've been curious about. I hope I don't sound ignorant, but when Hindus worship say Ganesha, for instance, in what sense do they believe he exists? I mean do they literally believe in some guy with an elephant head floating around in heaven/another dimension, in a pantheon with Vishnu, Shiva.etc? Or is his form more symbolic of like a spirit? Or maybe just an avatar that represents certain qualities of the supreme God, since some educated Hindus seem to have a more monotheistic or pantheistic belief system.
In Hinduism much importance is given to the symbols than most other religions. The Hindu symbols range from the mark one puts on the forehead to the idols of the deities that get worshipped by the ardent Hindu devotees. Each one has its own significance.
This is something I've been curious about. I hope I don't sound ignorant, but when Hindus worship say Ganesha, for instance, in what sense do they believe he exists? I mean do they literally believe in some guy with an elephant head floating around in heaven/another dimension, in a pantheon with Vishnu, Shiva.etc? Or is his form more symbolic of like a spirit? Or maybe just an avatar that represents certain qualities of the supreme God, since some educated Hindus seem to have a more monotheistic or pantheistic belief system.
I have asked some Hindus this question myself, and I have always got different answers. Frankly, I think, most Hindus just make up stuff as they go along and dont know what they are doing. Much of what they do is purely cultural (not religious).
I have referred to some Hindu texts, and I have never been able to find any information re: rituals and deities. Their main text, Geeta, is a story book (no pun intended) and the older Vedas are works of philosophy, and talk about things like the universe, yoga and meditation. Therefore, everything else is made up and varies greatly.
You must have heard things like: Hinduism is not really a religion. I sometimes think that it might be true since everyone seems to have their own definition of Hinduism.
Did you know that there are significant number of Hindus that do not believe in idol worship (no Ganesha, etc)....
I have asked some Hindus this question myself, and I have always got different answers. Frankly, I think, most Hindus just make up stuff as they go along and dont know what they are doing. Much of what they do is purely cultural (not religious).
I have referred to some Hindu texts, and I have never been able to find any information re: rituals and deities. Their main text, Geeta, is a story book (no pun intended) and the older Vedas are works of philosophy, and talk about things like the universe, yoga and meditation. Therefore, everything else is made up and varies greatly.
You must have heard things like: Hinduism is not really a religion. I sometimes think that it might be true since everyone seems to have their own definition of Hinduism.
Did you know that there are significant number of Hindus that do not believe in idol worship (no Ganesha, etc)....
I have had the same experience with Hindus. The ones in Southern India may worship an idol god that would be non-existent among the northern Indian Hindus. Some folks prefer to worship rats over snakes others may prefer worshipping a cow over Monkey (no pun intended). I guess you got it right, some of the stuff may have been made up and other may be result of one's own interpretation of Geetha.
The actual Hinduism is a monotheistic belief with no idol worship according to hindu scriptures but it has taken a whole new image over the centuries.
I have had the same experience with Hindus. The ones in Southern India may worship an idol god that would be non-existent among the northern Indian Hindus. Some folks prefer to worship rats over snakes others may prefer worshipping a cow over Monkey (no pun intended). I guess you got it right, some of the stuff may have been made up and other may be result of one's own interpretation of Geetha.
The actual Hinduism is a monotheistic belief with no idol worship according to hindu scriptures but it has taken a whole new image over the centuries.
But the Gita (I think that's the correct way to spell it) is a story-book. It is considered sacred (again, made up), but there are no claims like - "it is the true word of god" associated with it. It was written by a priest and he made no divine claims about it.
So, the Gita and Hinduism are very different from Koran and Islam or Bible and Christianity.
This is something I've been curious about. I hope I don't sound ignorant, but when Hindus worship say Ganesha, for instance, in what sense do they believe he exists? I mean do they literally believe in some guy with an elephant head floating around in heaven/another dimension, in a pantheon with Vishnu, Shiva.etc? Or is his form more symbolic of like a spirit? Or maybe just an avatar that represents certain qualities of the supreme God, since some educated Hindus seem to have a more monotheistic or pantheistic belief system.
I have met Hindus who have held all of those varieties of beliefs. It's even more diverse and less monolithic of an umbrella of beliefs then the big three groups of Abrahamic religions are. For myself, they are more like symbols of aspects of the universe, but much deeper then that in affecting a way of thinking about the world. This is why you often hear of Gods being aspects of other Gods, like nested dolls. It makes sense if for example you imagine that Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are creation, preservation and destruction. If that is the case, the end of a hardship is destruction, as is death or enlightenment. It is easy then to understand how gods can be aspects of other gods.
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