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Symbolism In Hinduism



 


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 The hidden part unravels itself to the extent we have withdrawn into ourselves.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.

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.
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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