One of the best ways in which to do this effectively was to open the levels of discourse between the groups on all components of the religion, including the Trimurti, which is the Hindu version of the Holy Trinity. The Blackwell Companion to Hinduism defines the Trimurti as a concept "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer or preserver or "indwelling-life," and Shiva the destroyer or transformer" (Flood 139)
Sabellianism was the idea that rather than individual and permanent entities, the three parts of the trinity were all modes of one singular God. The members of the Trimurti are equal because they are, according to the religion, the same person, but in a different form (Grudem 226)
In many Hindu temples, iconography of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam can be found. The only thing that Hindu leaders are concerned with is that practitioners somehow find their way to a God or some power which is higher than their selves (Keene 78)
Theologians argue the Hinduism is unlike any other religion on the Earth because instead of one system of beliefs, Hinduism continues to expand as a whole in order to encompass a larger group of individuals. According to Axel Michaels, "Hinduism is not a homogenous religion at all, but is rather a potpourri of religions, doctrines and attitudes towards life, rites and cults, moral and social norms" (Michaels 3)
N. Nanda explains, "Hinduism is not limited by the view of a single founder, a single holy man or a single holy book" (Nanda 106)
From this point, for some Hindu believers, the three gods would be forever intertwined. The Trimurti appears primarily in epic poetry rather than the holy books of Hinduism (Ninan 184)
Also, he is almost always showed adorned with various ornaments including a crown, a garland of flowers, the Kaustubha jewel around his neck, and a golden earring in each ear. Vishnu has other names because he has supposedly come to the earth nine separate times to save the world from destruction (Penney 8)
There was one particular group which was dedicated to the Hindu trinity. In the early twentieth century Swami Abhishiktananda and Jules Monchanin co-founded an ashram named Saccidananda Ashram (Phan 318-319)
Before their unification, the gods were separate entities called Agni for hearth, Vidyut for light, and Surya for the sun. In the text of the Padma Puranas, these three gods joined to become a single entity "in order to form this world, the supreme spirit produced from his right side Brahma and in order to maintain this world, the supreme spirit produced Vishnu from his left side and to destroy he gave rise to Shiva from his middle" (Yaday)
Each of these three, however, have a great deal in common in that they are all using a particular form of ritual to cleanse their soul, release the bounds of earthly existence, and promising something far, far better than any life they have known. This very premise of utilizing a path is essential in Hinduism -- and the idea, also echoed in the Buddhist traditions, is to progress through various existences until the lessons have been learned such that the next incarnation is completely without earthly bounds (Bowes, 1976)
If one wants to uphold his dharma, he cannot do so due to lack of wealth. Kama, in a narrow sense, means sexual desire, or enjoying the pleasures of life ("Heart of Hinduism," 2004)
The ritualization of society, too, has been a long tradition on the Indian subcontinent and surrounding areas. In addition, because there is little meat or areas to raise beef, the idea of vegetarianism and the sacredness of the cow make cultural sense (Hinduism, cited in www
Later additions to the Vedas were the Upanishads, which elaborates on how the soul (Atman) can be united with the ultimate truth (Brahman) through meditation. It was written around 700 BC ("Hinduism, Information, Gods…," 2009)
¶ … Christianity and Islam, Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world, And, unlike Islam or Christianity, it does not have a single belief system, a central religious organization, did not have a single Prophet/Messianic founder, or a single system of law/morality. Despite this, 13% of the world's population consider themselves Hindu, most located on or near the Indian subcontinent (Knott, 2000)
It is often quite difficult for westerners to understand Hinduism, not just because of the number of sects that exist within its areas of predominance, but because it does not need the formulization and intellectual overlord that many western religions seem to require. This is why, according to some, Hinduism is seen as a philosophical belief system rather than a religion -- but this is likely picking nits since it adheres to most of the formal definitions of "religion" (Michaels, 2004)
The most significant of these is the Manusmrti, written around 200 AC, which dealt with Hindu law and conduct. The Puranas, written around 400-500 AC are mythological texts, which often told the stories of the gods and goddesses (Rinehart, 2004)
Jnana yoga focuses on the acquisition of knowledge, but it is the third way, Bhakti, that promises release from the mundanity of the world through a personal approach to God, or devotion through acts of worship and symbolism. (Rood, 1994)
The confusion emanates from Hindu's believe in so many different Gods, which contributes to the existence of many different sects in the religion. However, these sects worship Braham, which implies that their origin is from Braham, the creator God (Achari, 2013)
With regards to the issue of identity, Christians maintain that humans are unique and purposeful creations of God. According to Genesis 1:28-30 and Genesis 2:15, mankind was not only created in God's image and likeliness, but was also given the authority to rule over the earth through caring for plant life and livestock (Gutierrez & Weider, 2011, p
However, these sects worship Braham, which implies that their origin is from Braham, the creator God (Achari, 2013). On the question of identity, Hindus maintain that all living beings are manifestations of God regardless of their forms (Hays, 2011)