Symbolism In Hinduism
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One of the least known
facts about Hinduism is that for many centuries
its core
beliefs and practices were kept hidden from
the general public. People were not allowed
to know truths about the divinities or secrets
about the spiritual practices or the methods
of performing various rituals and rites.
This happened in two significant ways. Firstly
the priestly families decided not to teach
the Vedas and other sacred literature to
those who they thought were unqualified
to know them by virtue of their birth and
profession. Therefore they did not allow
the other castes to know about the ritual
aspects of the religion. In fact, in this
regard, we cannot just isolate and
blame the priestly caste. What they did
was part of a social practice that characterized
Hindu society. Every caste more or less
kept the secrets of their respective professions
strictly within their families or castes.
Secondly those who transcended the caste
distinctions and joined the ascetic traditions
were bound to the master and disciple tradition,
which dictated that only those who were
able to earn the confidence of their masters
by virtue of their sincerity and personal
effort were allowed to learn the secrets
of their respective paths and when they
taught to others they were bound by the
same tradition. Because of these
two developments the only way the
rest of the population could get some knowledge
of their religion was through fringe methods
such as listening to the stories from the Puranas
and the Epics or the discourses of the
wandering ascetics or watching some dance
dramas. The Hindu scriptures are replete
with metaphors, containing deeper philosophical
truths, couched in symbolism, not obvious
immediately to ordinary individuals. Some
of them, especially the Vedas, the Upanishads,
are written in a coded or symbolic language.
Like all manifest creation, they also have
a manifest content which is visible to all
and a hidden content that would not be so
obvious to us unless we have some intuitive
ability. The hidden part unravels itself
to the extent we have withdrawn into ourselves.
They come to you as flashes from the depths
of consciousness in moments of heightened
awareness. The following articles are an
attempt in this direction. Readers are requested
to note that in presenting these articles
we do not claim any exclusive authority
on the subject of symbolism in Hinduism.
We have made interpretations based upon
our understanding of the subject matter.
We request those who are endowed with intuitive
knowledge to present their articles for
this section so that we will understand
the symbolism hidden behind our religious
traditions and its many truths.
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| Symbolic Significance
of Numbers in Hinduism According to the
author the numbers in Hinduism serve the same purpose
as idols in worship and meditation |
The Vedic Deities
Know the symbolic significance of Vedic Deities
from this article. |
The Ganges and Lord
Siva
What does this story of the origin of river
Ganges actually represent? Know from here. |
The True Meaning
of Sanyasa
Know the true meaning of Sanyas in this article. |
| Symbolism of
Nataraja According to the author the
image of Nataraja is an iconic representation of
the whole of Saiva Siddhanta philosophy |
The Trinity of Gods
We have presented here the symbolic significance
of the Hindu Trinity |
The Significance
of the four Yugas
This article is about the secrets of the four great
Yugas or epochs. |
The Participants
in the Gita
What do the characters of the Bhagavad gita symbolically
represent ? Know the answer from here. |
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Symbolism of the Vedas
The Vedas are divided into four parts. Do you know
what they stand for? Know the secrets of Vedic Symbolism
from here. |
Purusha& Prakriti
This article is about the two great principles of
the manifest universe based upon the descriptions
given in the Bhagavad-Gita. |
The Vehicles of Gods
and Goddesses
Know from this article the hidden significance of
the vehicles of gods and goddesses. |
The Churning of the
Oceans
We have presented here the symbolic significance
of this absorbing mythological story. |
Shri Hanuman
Read the symbolic significance of Shri Hanumanji
from here. |
The Secret
Code Of The Bhagavadgita
This book deals with the little known aspects of
the Bhagavad Gita. It is the result of 15 years
of study. |
The Symbolism
of Puja
Puja is the most common form of Hindu worship, with
a hidden symbolism unknown to many. We have presented
the same here. |
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Significance of Puja
Find the many interpretations given in Hinduism
to the word "puja" .. |
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