Essay why ganesha have the head of an elephant
Module HINDUISM
Topic for Module: Hinduism
1) View Lecture 3
2) View Videos
3) Revealing World Religions e-book, “Hinduism,” sections 5-11
4) Communication: Post Response to Module Posting
1) View Lecture 3 & Answer Questions below
1. What major gods constitute the Trimurti and what interlinked functions do they represent?
2. Which of the gods of the Trimurti is rarely worshiped today?
3. The word ____________ refers to a god appearing under different forms or incarnations.
4. Which god does a lingam usually represent?
5. Ganesha has the head of an __________________.
6. What are the names of the two most popular avatars of Vishnu?
7. What characteristics do Durga and Kali share in common?
2) View Videos & Answer Questions below
Video A, Iyengar Yoga, Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (3 minutes)
Note: this is a type of HATHA yoga. You will later learn from Exploring World Religions, that there are five main types of yoga. Hatha yoga is the yoga of physical postures. When you read the word “yoga” you probably think of physical postures; this is Hatha yoga.
8. Hatha yoga identifies a connection between the mind and the __________.
9. The practice of Hatha yoga is designed to create a feeling of _____________ in the body, mind, and spirit.
10. What is “monkey mind”?
Video B,Ganesha,Religion & Ethics Newsweekly (3 minutes)
11. The god Ganesha is known as the remover of ____________.
12. According to the video, what is one reason why devotion to Ganesha is so popular?
13. Hindus do not worship the statue (image) itself, rather they worship________________________ (Hint: what happens at the start of the worship ritual?)
Video C, Kali,Religion & Ethics Newsweekly Video (3 minutes)
Note: many Hindus will speak of the Trimurti (the three gods) as the forces of creator (Brahma), sustainer (Vishnu), and destroyer (Shiva). In this video, the devotee in the temple dedicated to Kali attributes all three of the cosmic actions of creating, sustaining and destruction to Kali. Thus, different Hindus are devoted to different gods/goddesses and view them as possessing different levels of power.
14. What example is given to illustrate that creation comes out of destruction, and what is created is destroyed again?
15. What does Kali wear around her neck?
16. What are some of the actions that are done to the statue to demonstrate affection?
Video D, Diwali,Religion & Ethics Newsweekly Video (2 minutes)
17. “Diwali” or “Deepavali” means “festival of ____________.”
18. The goddess Lakshmi, is the goddess of ____________.
3) Revealing World Religions e-book, “Hinduism,” sections 5-11
Section 5: Yoga
19. In order to reach moksha, people follow different methods to help them live spiritually; these are various types of ___yoga_______.
20. The spiritual discipline of knowledge, involving the study of scripture, is called ____Jnana_____ yoga.
21. The spiritual discipline of selfless action is called ____Karma________ yoga.
22. What solution to Arjuna’s dilemma does Krishna give in the Bhagavad-Gita? Note: this solution is understood as being universally applicable to all people.
If one acts without attention to consequences, if one engages in a completely selfless performance of worldly duty, then one will not create the karmic repercussions that result in continued attached to world of samsara.
23. The spiritual discipline of devotion to a god/goddess or guru is called ____Bhakti_______ yoga.
24. The “royal” / psychological discipline of practices preparing for meditation is called ______Raja_______ yoga.
25. What is the meaning of “ahimsa”?
Nonviolence or non-harm.
26. The spiritual discipline of physical postures and exercises is called _____Hatha________ yoga.
Note: The types of yoga most common for priests and intellectuals are jnana, raja, and hatha. The types of yoga most common for the average person are karma and bhakti.
27. What is the meaning of “ashramas”?
Four life stages have traditionally been considered appropriate for upper caste and sometimes their wives.
28. List the four stages of life in English.
• Student.
• Householder.
• Retiree.
• Renunciate.
29. What is a “sannyasin”?
The final stage in the ideal Hindu four staged life.
COMPLETE ELECTRONIC EXERCISES AT END OF THIS SECTION
Section 6: Schools of Hindu Philosophy
Note: this is a complicated section. You only need to remember the terms in the questions below. It is not expected that you remember any additional details of Schools of Hindu Philosophy. Most Hindus do not participate in a school of philosophy.
30. There are three main schools of Hindu philosophy. The first is ___Samkhya______ philosophy, that divides the world into two substances.
31. The second main school of Hindu philosophy is ____Advaita________ ____Vedanta_____ which literally means “not two” Vedanta.
32. Vedanta insists that the world is not divided into two substances. Instead, there is nothing but ___Brahman_______.
33. The third main school of Hindu philosophy is known as ____Tantrism_____ philosophy that is an unconventional secret, underground religious path within Hinduism.
34. What practices does the “right hand” path of Tantric Hinduism include?
Traditional practices of yoga, self-restraint and meditation.
35. What practices does the “left hand” path of Tantric Hinduism include?
The practice for the left hand path consist primarily of engaging in acts that ordinary Hinduism regards as taboo.
COMPLETE ELECTRONIC EXERCISES AT END OF THIS SECTION
Section 7: The Hindu Pantheon
36. What does it mean to say that Hinduism is “polytheistic”?
It includes many gods and goddess, all of whom are seen as legitimate objects of worship.
37. Who is Saraswati?
She is Brahma’s wife or consort.
38. Who is Lakshmi?
Lakshmi is the consort or wife of Vishnu.
39. Which god is worshiped through his avatars?
Vishnu.
40. Who are the two most important avatars of Vishnu?
Rama and Krishna.
41. What is the name of the monkey-faced god?
Hanuman.
42. As a young man, Krishna is often pictured as playing a __flute______ and surrounded by ____cows_____________.
43. One of the most common images of Shiva is as ___Lord of the dance____.
44. What is a lingam?
It means “phallus” in Sanskrit.
45. What is a yoni?
The female image that corresponds to the lingams.
46. Who is Ganesha?
Son of Parvati. He is an extremely popular god in his own right.
47. Why does Ganesha have the head of an elephant?
According to Hindu legend, Parvati made Ganesha her door-keeper while she retired to take a bath. At that moment, Shiva came home from a long trip. When Ganesha refused to let him in the door, Shiva cut off his head.When Shiva cut off Ganesha’s head, Parvati emerged, furious at Shiva and inconsolable over the loss of their son, Ganesha. The other gods agreed that Ganesha could be restored to life if he were given a new head, the head of the first creature to come along. This creature happened to be an elephant, so Ganesha now has the head of an elephant.
48. Who or what is Devi?
It means “goddess”
49. Who is Durga?
Durga is goddess of battle.
50. Who is Kali?
He is closely related to Durga who is exceptionally vicious in battle.
COMPLETE ELECTRONIC EXERCISES AT END OF THIS SECTION
Section 8: Puja & Pilgrimage
51. The __Vedic___ tradition consists of studying scripture and performing fire rituals.
52. The ___Ascetic____ tradition focuses on seeking moksha through practices such as mediation and self-denial (e.g., fasting from food, and not owning any possessions).
53. The ___popular______ tradition consists of practices that have developed at a grass roots level, such as astrology and specialized diets.
54. The _____Devotional_____ tradition is the most popular type of Hinduism today.
55. What does the devotional tradition consist of?
It consists of all forms of ritual and worship aimed at honoring the gods and goddesses or seeking aid from them.
56. To whom are Vaishnavas devoted?
Vaishnavas are generally vegetarian. The gods they worship (Vishnu, Rama, and Krishna) are similar to the God of the Western religions: orderly, righteous, and working to restore good in the world.
57. To whom are Shaivas devoted?
They are more likely to engage in ascetic practices and to meditate.
58. To whom are Shaktas devoted?
Shaktas worship the great goddess as the ultimate divine
59. What is commonly done when a person offers “puja”?
The devotee makes offerings to the god or goddess, usually in the form of fruit, flowers, incense, water, or cloth. In so doing, the devotee is making a symbolic offering of self.
60. The most well know site of pilgrimage for Hindus is the __________ ___________.
These pilgrimages are often linked to special festivals or holidays when Hindus from all over India will arrive at a particular temple to celebrate. One of the more ascetic forms of pilgrimage involves a four-day hike to a cave in Kashmir where a stalagmite of ice is said to be Shiva’s lingam.
61. What is a “guru”?
Gurus, or spiritual teachers, are essential to Hinduism. Gurus are sometimes viewed as the living embodiments of the gods and are worshiped in much the same way, with offerings and prostrations
62. Most Hindus worship at home (at altars and shrines with images of the gods) and some worship at public houses of worship called ____Temples________.
63. What is the importance of sacred music and dance?
Almost all of them involve retelling stories from the epics and the puranas. The performances may not always be sacred, but the themes generally are. The romance of Krishna and Radha, for example, is a favorite theme.
COMPLETE ELECTRONIC EXERCISES AT END OF THIS SECTION
Section 9: Hinduism in the West
64. What does it mean to say that “Hinduism is not traditionally an evangelical religion”?
Hinduism is not traditionally an evangelical religion. Unlike Christianity, for example, Hinduism has not sent missionaries to foreign countries to seek converts to Hinduism. However, many outsiders have been inspired to adopt iconographic, ritual, or philosophical aspects of Hinduism into their own religions. For example, on the west coast of Africa, a local goddess called MamiWata is sometimes represented with Hindu icons and given typically Hindu offerings like perfume, flowers, and fruit.
65. Philosophical Hinduism has found its way to the West through temples of the _____Vedanta______ Society.
66. A form of ascetic Hinduism found in the West is _______transcendental_______ meditation.
67. Devotional Hinduism has found its way to the West through the __________ ______bhakti yoga______ (the common name for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).
68. The most widely practiced form of Hinduism in the West is _____hatha_______ _____yoga______, though it is often practiced without a spiritual component.
COMPLETE ELECTRONIC EXERCISES AT END OF THIS SECTION
Section 10: Growing Up Hindu
69. As a child, how did ShilpaToolsidas feel about her mother’s devotion to ritual?
70. According to ShilpaToolsidas, what is the religious view of most mainstream Hindus?
71. What is kanthi?
72. How does she describe Holi?
73. How does she describe Diwali?
74. What does she do every morning?
Section 11: Becoming Hindu
75. What is AnuttamaDasa’s position in ISKCON?
76. In high school and college, what were his questions about God?
77. What did he do during his two year process of thinking about the role of religion in his life?
78. What did he feel was necessary in order to be happy?
79. What are some of the basic teachings of Krishna theology?
4) Post Response to Module Posting
In your response, give an example of “karma” or “samsara” or “reincarnation” that you have seen or heard in popular media, such as TV, movies, or music. What was the general point of the popular presentation? In what ways does this popular presentation connect/agree with the insights presented in the original posting by a member of your group? In what ways might it differ? For example, do you think American media views karma/samsara/reincarnation more as entertainment than as religious belief?
Your response should provide additional information to the original posting. This is not a forum to discuss other issues; it is a forum to share your answers to the assigned questions.
