Simple Guide to Attending Hindu Ceremonies

WHAT HINDUS BELIEVE

Hinduism has evolved over millennia, with roots going back to the civilizations of the Indus Valley in the third millennium BCE. The spiritual path and way of life that emerged in India became the Vedic Dharma (the Divine Knowledge), also known as Sanatana Dharma (the Eternal Law) and later as Hinduism. Today India and Nepal are, formally, secular countries, but the majority of Indians and Nepalese are Hindus, and there are Hindu communities around the world.

Hinduism is a complex religious system, but, contrary to appearances, is a monotheistic faith, with belief in a Supreme Being. This universal spirit, or ultimate reality, is Brahman, or Nirguna-Brahman, meaning ‘without attributes’, sometimes referred to as ‘That’. The visible manifestations of Brahman are called saguna, meaning ‘with attributes’. Three forces arise out of Brahman. Known as the the Trimurti, these are often depicted as a three-headed image. They are Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the sustainer; and Mahesh or Shiva, the destroyer. The female principle of Shiva is Shakti, worshipped in her own right, and sometimes known as mata (mother) or devi (goddess).

Their respective consorts – some say, the representations of their feminine attributes – are Saraswati, goddess of learning, knowledge and the arts; Lakshmi, goddess of beauty and prosperity; and Parvati, goddess of love and devotion, although her darker sides are represented in Durga, goddess of overcoming difficulties, and Kali.

The incarnations of the Trimurti are known as avatars. Vishnu has had numerous mythical avatars, the best known being Lord Krishna, whose consort is Radha. Followers of Vishnu, also known as Narayan, are called Vaishnavites, and sometimes wear sandalwood paste in vertical stripes on their foreheads. Two of Shiva’s incarnations are Pashupati, champion of animals, and Nataraj, king of the dance. Shaivites wear ritual ash in horizontal stripes on their foreheads.

Statue of Lord Krishna revealing the avatars of Vishnu.

Another key aspect of Hinduism is the Jivatman, the soul, or divine consciousness residing in each individual. This is part of the eternal Atman, the Supreme Self – with a capital ‘S’, to distinguish it from the Ahamkara, the small ‘ego-driven’ self that experiences human suffering. This concept is what makes Hinduism a non-dualist religion, believing as it does that we are Brahman (God/Atman) and Brahman is ourselves, that is, there is no separation: we are ‘one’. The goal of meditation, chanting and devotion to spiritual practice is therefore to reconnect with the Supreme Self that we always have been and always will be.

SAMSARA, KARMA, DHARMA, MOKSHA

Hindus believe in samsara, or the transmigration of souls, and life is lived with awareness of karma, the law of cause and effect. This means that what you do in this lifetime will be stored up as sanskaras (imprints in the non-physical body) that return with each rebirth and influence how well, or otherwise, your life goes next time round. It is said that each lifetime brings the opportunity to burn past sanskaras by living a righteous life of dharma (truth) and following spiritual practices. It is hoped that this minimises the number of rebirths, or improves their quality, and ultimately leads to moksha – freedom from the cycle of life, death and rebirth.

‘DEITIES’

Human beings seem to need a focus for devotion, and Hinduism accommodates this by including human attributes in that focus. For example, Hindus might pray to Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and learning, for a good outcome in an exam; to