Page 17 - Perceptions papers

from the word Sindhu, the name of a mighty river flowing from Tibet across India and Pakistan

to the Arabian Sea. The English name of this river is Indus. Hinduism was not developed based

on the ideas of a single founder. It was synthesized in the course of time through convergence of

many cultures and religious practices.

Name of the Being or Ultimate revered: Different people within Hinduism revere or worship

different imaginary aspects of the supreme godhead. There are innumerable deities and also

many methods of worshiping in Hinduism. In the Hindu mysticism, the Purusha or the Eternal

Universal Being or Brahman is revered and meditated upon. Brahman is formless pure

consciousness that pervades the whole universe and beyond. Brahman is also present in every

person as soul or atman. Although Brahman is basically formless, it may also appear in

innumerable forms. There are three major aspects of Brahman: Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the

preserver), and Shiva (the destroyer). The formless pure consciousness gave rise the universe

containing many forms: galaxies, stars, planets, molecules, atoms, subatomic particles and the

various life forms. Common people generally do not comprehend or contemplate upon the

abstract concept of pure consciousness or Brahman. It is relatively easier to think of gods and

goddesses in the heaven that determines our birth and death, our fortunes and misfortunes, our

happiness and sufferings, our health and diseases, and so on. Such a belief system in the heaven

and supernatural gave rise to the concept of many gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Worshiping

various gods and goddesses constitutes the ritualistic aspects of Hinduism.

Major attributes of the Being/Ultimate (such as eternal, omnipresent, etc.): According to the

philosophical schools of Hinduism, the pure consciousness or Purusha is the ultimate being that

gave rise to matter and the manifested material universe or Prakriti or nature. Thus nature is a

manifestation of the ultimate being. The preserver aspect of Brahman – Vishnu is believed to

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