Transcript LI: To know some Hindu Symbols

LI: To know some Hindu
Symbols
What do we mean when we
talk about symbols?
• Do all religions have symbols?
The Hindu Symbol of Aum
(Om)
This symbol is the most
important and special
symbol in Hinduism.
Aum represents the Brahman
(from where the whole universe
came).
Sacred syllable
First sound of creation
The Hindu Swastika
The swastika is a very holy
symbol representing the sun
god Surya.
It also shows
how Hinduism is about
every part/direction of your
life.
Represents good luck
Which four directions could
this mean?
Trident/ Trishul
• The trihsula (also
spelled trishul or tris
ula, Sanskrit for
"three spear") is
a trident spear that is
the emblem of the
god Shiva. The
weapon symbolizes
empire and the
irresistible force of
transcendental reality.
Trident/Trishul
•
The three prongs of
the trishula represent
Shiva's three aspects
of:
• creator,
• preserver
• destroyer
• as well as the three
shaktis (powers):
• will
• action
• wisdom
• The fearsome
goddess Durga also
brandishes a trishula
in one of her seven
hands.
The lotus flower
Hindus believe the Creator
Brahma came from a lotus flower.
The lotus is also important
in Hinduism, as, despite
coming from muddy waters, it
becomes a beautiful flower.
People too should become kind
and good and should never
turn in to bad people.
Coconut…
• The coconut's rough exterior fibers look like
hairs, and its round shape and three eyes
resemble a face. For this reason the coconut
has been used to represent the three eyes of
the Hindu god Shiva. The coconut can also
symbolize a proud heart as it is has a rough
exterior but the fruit within is sweet and
tender.
Coconut…
• During puja, Hindus make an offering to the
deity and receive a blessing in return. Both
the fruit and leaves of a coconut may be
used during puja. The coconut fruit is used to
represent a divine consciousness and is
often displayed with its leaves in a copper
pot called a kalasha.
Bindi…
• a dot worn on women's
foreheads. It is a form
of the tilak, a symbolic
mark worn by many
Hindu men and women,
but has less religious
connotations than other
tilaks.
Bindi
• The bindi is a way of accentuating the third eye, the area
between the eyebrows where attention is focused during
meditation. Men and women often apply a tilak after
a puja ritual or on other religious occasions as a way of
invoking religious feelings, concentration and focus.
Sometimes a woman's bindi represents sectarian affiliation,
like the men's tilak, but this is less common.
Sindoor/a
• Sindoor is the mark of a married woman
in Hinduism. Single women wear the dot in
different colors ("bindi" in Hindi) but do not
apply sindoorin their maang. Hindu widows
do not wear sindoor, signifying that their
husband is no longer alive.
Tilaka
• The tilak (Sanskrit tilaka, "mark") is a mark worn on the
forehead and other parts of the body for spiritual reasons.
• On a man, the tilak takes the form of different lines, indicating
his religious affiliation. On women, a tilak usually takes the
form of a decorative dot (or Bindi), which usually denotes
marriage and auspiciousness, but which has its own
symbolism. In a woman's case a Tilaka is a sign of her being
in wedlock Among men, the Tilaka has been traditionally
interpreted as a good luck charm.
Group work
• Presentations will be done
Friday
• Four groups of Three
• Rubric
– When celebrated
(1)
– Date celebrated (1)
– Significance (1)
– Three important
things done (6)
– Two pictures (1)
• Festivals
– Mahashivaraatri
– Krishna Janam
Ashtami
– Rama Nami
– Nava raatri
– Holi
– Diwali
(Use the Believers All text to assist
with information)
Mahashivaraatri – the night of
Shiva
• is celebrated with devotion and
religious fervor in honor of Lord
Shiva, one of the deities of Hindu
Trinity. Shivaratri falls on the
moonless 14th night of the new
moon in the Hindu month of
Phalgun/February- March in
English Calendar. Celebrating the
festival of Shivaratri devotees
observe day and night fast and
perform ritual worship of Shiva
Lingam to appease Lord Shiva.
Shiva lingam/linga
usually represented
by a phallus
Krishna Janam…
This festival is celebrated on two days,
once on the actual day ( Janam
Ashtami) of his birth in prison at
Mathura, and the next day (Krishna
Jayanthi) on his being discovered in the
house of Nand and Yashoda at Gokul.
According to the Mythology and
scriptures Krishna plays an enlightening
role in the Mahabharatha (Great epic)
giving us the life enduring message
from the Bhagavat Gita.
Krishna Janam…
• This is the festival of sweets and revives the
childhood stages of Krishna. The Lord is
worshipped with offerings – milk, curd,
butter, cream, honey and avvalakki (all are
Krishna’s favourites), variety of fruits and
flowers along with lots and lots of sweets
and savouries.
Krishna Janam…
• People decorate the idols of God with
flowers and decorate the Lord with silk and
jewelery. They arrange dolls/idols depicting
the childhood of Krishna in the cradle,
stealing butter, playing with the Gopikas,
Mother Yashodha viewing the Vishwa
Roopa Darshana, Krishna with Radha etc.
Krishna Janam…
• Rangolis (sacred, coloured
designs/patterns decorated on floor) are
drawn in front of the houses with various
colours. Special foot steps of Lord is
made as if baby entering the house. The
Puja is performed in at midnight of
Janam Ashtami. People arrange for
Bhajans (Devotional songs) and
Sathsang (singing in Bhajans).
Rama Nami
• A festival that celebrates the birth of Lord Rama the son
of King Dasharath. Usually falls in the month of April
• Some people choose to fast. The diet of such a person
would include potatoes made in any form without haldi
(turmeric), garlic, ginger or onion. He can also eat fruit
and root vegetables of any kind. Curd, tea, coffee, milk,
and water are also permitted.
Rama Nami/Rama Navami
• First, the youngest female member of the family
applies teeka to all the male members of the family. A
red bindi is applied on the foreheads of all the female
members. Everyone participates in the puja by first
sprinkling the water, roli, and aipun on the gods and
then showering handfuls of rice on the deities. Then
everybody stands up to perform the arti at the end of
which ganga jal or plain water is sprinkled over the
gathering. The singing of bhajans goes on for the
entire puja. Finally, the prasad is distributed among
all the people who have gathered for worship.
Nava raatri
• Navaratri, Dussehra, and
Durga Puja
• The first nine days of this
festival are known
as Navaratri, and are filled
with dance in honor of the
Mother Goddess. The tenth
day, called Dussehra, is
devoted to celebrating the
defeat of the demon king
Ravana by Lord Rama.
Nava raatri
• It also coincides with the victory of the
revered warrior Goddess Durga over the
evil buffalo demon Mahishasura.
• In eastern India, the festival is observed
as Durga Puja. Huge statues of the
Goddess are made and immersed in the
holy Ganges River. The festival is an
extremely social and theatrical event, with
drama, dance, and cultural performances
held throughout the country.
Holi – festival of colours
• Holi is a two day festival that also celebrates
the victory of good over evil, as well as the
abundance of the spring harvest season.
People exuberantly throw colored powder and
water all over each other, have parties, and
dance under water sprinklers. Bhang(a paste
made from cannabis plants) is also
traditionally consumed during the celebrations.
Holi
Diwali/DeepawaliFestival of light
• The biggest and the brightest of all Hindu
festivals. It's the festival of lights (deep=
light and avali = a row i.e., a row of lights)
that's marked by four days of celebration,
which literally illumines the country with its
brilliance, and dazzles all with its joy.
Diwali/Deepawali• Diwali is a five day festival
that represents the start of
the Hindu New Year. It's
known as the "Festival of
Lights" for all the fireworks,
small clay lamps, and
candles that are lit during
the celebrations. These
lights are said to represent
the victory of good over
evil, and brightness over
darkness.