@MattMystrieo If you are still seeking, I would recommend Huston Smith's The World Religions. It will be an excellent summary of such an amazingly vast and disparate collection of interlocking traditions, and it will give you a vocabulary to further your studies.
I see that there are mainly two views of Shiva in India. One is of a legendary figure who shows many defects according to the stories told of him. And the other view is of Shiva as the Supreme God who pervades everything in the universe, and who is All-Powerful and All-Knowing. I believe that this second view is absolutely correct. I respect those who want to believe the stories that have been written on the legendary Shiva. My preference is of Shiva as the All-Powerful God. Peace to you all!
@1macboo Yes, Hinduism teaches that all Gods are the same, they can combine together to form the Supreme Energy or split apart to be different Gods serving their own purpose. It's more like Greek mythology in several aspects, Even the Planets are considered Gods in Hinduism just like the Greeks. Also, the Chief God of Greeks, Zeus is surprisingly mentioned in Hinduism in his exact same form and aspects with a Thunderbolt and being the Chief God, except he is considered a Demi-God.
Please don't misunderstand me! I am not judging. I am merely stating that I believe in what appears to me as rational and truthful. The fact is, stories exist in all mythologies of different cultures. It is difficult to know which are true and which not. But when the True God of the universe speaks to His creatures, that is when people can know the truth. I'm just sharing my understanding. Whatever you like to believe in, is your right, & I'll respect it & love you even if I can't understand it.
i would like to hear complete versions of alot of those songs. what the names for the songs used in this video anyway? the ones i'm most interested in myself are the ones used for vishnu, lakshmi, sarasvati, parvati, ganesha, rama, krishna, and durga. lakshmi's and sarasvati's are the ones that interest me most. now if only i knew hindi...
For some creatures to benefit, others must sometimes die. From the point of view of the Zebra, getting eaten by a lion appears unfair. But to the lion, it is a blessing. And to the point of view of the svannah grass, a dead zebra means it can grow more. So, for some creatures to get benefits, others HAVE to die. This is the law of Nature, a perfect balance. Sometimes humans are the ones who are wiped out. And sometimes it is other creatures. That's life!
But why should I doubt the Supreme Being when He has spoken to me? Several times, God has shown me He exists by showing me things that will happen in the future, and they do come true. I am a humble person, and that is only the grace of God. I did nothing to deserve it. But I asked for proof of His existence, and He answered not once but many times. So I have no doubts at all. And I also know that God does not like people thanking others for things HE gives them. That is terrible ingratitude.
Yes, I know that Murtis are not worshipped for what they are, but for what they represent. But what DO they represent? Do Shiva, Parvati, Ganesh, Hanuman and others really exist? Or are they just mythological figures created by the minds of men, and have their shapes, colours and decidedly Indian features been given to them by men? Could you kindly answer that question please? Thank you. If I like, I can make a new god and worship it. Will it benefit or harm me, however? That is my 2nd question.
Why did these gods never appear outside India? I am trying to understand. If they are real, and truly exist, and could harm me if I ignore them or benefit me if I worship them, then do I not deserve to know? But if they are only figures of mythology, then of what use will they be to me? There are many such figures in Greek, Aztec, Roman, Germanic, Celtic and Mayan mythologies. Which of all these truly exist? Which can truly be harmful or beneficial?
@Peace4everynation Shiva is not only known to the Hindus and he is well loved all over the world under other names. It is normal for Gods to have stories about their unorthodox adventures etc the Sumerians did too and if the physical manifestation of Shiva entity appeared to be defective in there might be a reason. We are in the physical plane what can we know about hyperdimensional beings.. Gods they are much more evolved. Naturally we might not understand 100% why something is a certain way.
Let's say there is a University professor. You know he's there, and you have some very important questions to ask . Instead, you go to a nursery school child and ask him. The child has defective knowledge, is weak in many ways, yet a person could choose to ask the child some very intricate philosophical question. Would that be a clever thing to do? To ignore the professor, a specialist in the subject, and to prefer to ask a 3-year-old child? To ask things of weak, lesser gods is the same!
The Supreme God is the Creator of everything, the Supreme Conscience and Intelligence of the Universe, the source of everything that exists. If a god does not know things, or cannot do something, or is weak in any other way, then that is obviously not the Supreme God. Only the Supreme God truly deserves to be prayed to. To worship lesser beings whose existence is doubtful is senseless, when an All-powerful entity exists. Why worship legends and mythical beings? This Supreme God has many names.
Well, if you don't like it, I won't call you "my dear", although you are dear to me as a human being. The term "lesser gods" is in no way derogatory...it is used by Hindus themselves. Just google HINDUISM LESSER GODS to see. Do you not believe in the Supreme Deity, under shich come all the others? That is what I read on most Hindu websites.
@miladmeah IVXXL is not a possible number. what this translates into is (10-5-1)+(50-10), which btw would equal 44. the correct way to right that is LXIV. and irregardless, the best system for multiplication is the mayan system, which btw is extinct, and they developed a concept of 0 all by themselves. and ironnically, their system worked more like roman numerals than indian numerals. go look it up.
I respect the beliefs of Hindus, of course I do. I am only pointing out that Shiva does not seem to be the most powerful God, as he ignores who his son is and cannot replace his son's own head on his son's body after he has killed him. That is all. Clearly, there must be a more powerful God than that. That is my point.
Yes, so did I. Different places have different LESSER gods, but they all talk of a Supreme God, Who is One. Isn't that strange? This idea of One Supreme God or Spirit unites mankind. All their different lesser gods divide mankind. I'm all for unity. Division saddens me, personally. There's enough suffering in the world without everyone putting more accent on mythical, invented divine beings, rather than on the One Supreme God Who is common to most cultures on earth, and Who is real.
I'm not insulting your intelligence! If I decide that a figure I create is a divine being, and say that this is the Supreme God...will my believing that enable that created being to harm or benefit me? I have a Hindu friend who tried an experiment once. He made a figurine unknown to any Hindu and placed it in a shrine. Sure enough, some people turned up and started to worship it. What was it? Was it a divine being? I only believe in reality. If Shiva reveals things to mankind, he is indeed real.
@miladmeah Yes all the world over similar archetypes are found. Either all the same Gods came by at different times to see us in different continents or beings of similar energies showed up on every continent. Our oldest myths speak of those who from heavens came and if you look carefully you see the same symbols. Some of the gods might have even come back repeatedly. Naturally they say this is mythology and not real but what is real? Is this physical world even real?
This is informative, yet confusing to me. If some gods have to ask for help from others, then why should human beings ask the lesser gods for help? Why not just ask the All-powerful God in the first place? I worship the One Almighty God, and I have found Him to possess even more powers than those attributed to these legendary devas and devis created by men. The gods and goddesses do not really exist. If they did, all of mankind would know about them. Only the One True God is known by all nations
If you think I'm against Hinduism, you are wrong! Go and visit my channel and watch some videos I made highlighting the similarities between Hinduism and Islam. I have many Hindu friends all over the world. Don't judge me without knowledge. How can you condemn me for trying to bring unity among all people? Unlike some people, I don't encourage people of the world to worship gods/goddesses who look Chinese or Indian or African or European. That leaves doors open for racism. Let God be Invisible.
If a god has a weakness, or can be outwitted or overpowered by another being, then that god does not deserve our worship. I do not understand why Shiva did not know his own son Ganesh, and so he struck his head off. If Shiva were God, he would surely have all knowledge. But he clearly does not. And if he had all power, why did he not just stick Ganesh's OWN head back onto his body, instead of killing a poor baby elephant with a thick neck and fitting it onto a boy's thin neck? Shiva lacks power.
It isn't you who will decide how many Gods there are, my friend! Whoever is God is God. If there is only one, how can you say: "There SHOULD be several"? It's like saying, there should be several suns instead of one, then we could have light all day long on all sides of the planet. God cannot be corrupted, otherwise He isn't divine. "Corrupt" doesn't go with "God".
You said there should be multiple gods, that's the same as several gods, my dear. Multiple=several. The laws of nature are like this, some die, millions are saved. How do you think God should be? Should God send angels every single time an accident happens to prevent people from getting hurt? That would be a fantasy world. Nature has laws, and we are all affected by them positively and negatively. It's part of life. Mass floods bring loads of benefits to many creatures on earth.
The most corrupted of men have believed in idol-worship too. And some have been total atheist too. That rpoves nothing. The fact is that everything in the universe points to unity of source and unity of existence. Can you point out which parts of the universe came from this god or that goddess? All of it points to unity. I see unity in human beings too. God is Invisible. We don't see devas or devis appearing anywhere on earth, and why should they look like Indians? It's not a question of my ego.
Disgusting things? I respect the right of anyone to pray to anything in any way they please, my dear. All I'm highlighting is that some ways are unifying and others are divisive. I think you will find that there are many Hindus who would agree with me to a large degree. I am expressing my view about things, and why I disagree with the worship of lesser gods instead of the Higher God in Whom Hindus do also believe. What happened to freedom of speech? R people only allowed to agree with you here?
Your "ROFLMAO"ing is rather annoying. You must be very young. Anyway, most nations agree that there is a God or Great Spirit above all others. This is what you find in First Nations of America, in Africa, in Australia, and in many other places. Even if they believe in lesser deities, there is always a SUPREME GOD. You should read more about the concept of God in different cultures, my young friend.
thanks for making me sit through half an hour of class because of this video! much apprecciated.
That was really really intresting, I'm trying to learn more about Hinduism but I can't find many good sources/documentaries, so thanks for this.
@CSHallo I am, thank you very much. I will make sure to have a look.
@MattMystrieo If you are still seeking, I would recommend Huston Smith's The World Religions. It will be an excellent summary of such an amazingly vast and disparate collection of interlocking traditions, and it will give you a vocabulary to further your studies.
I see that there are mainly two views of Shiva in India. One is of a legendary figure who shows many defects according to the stories told of him. And the other view is of Shiva as the Supreme God who pervades everything in the universe, and who is All-Powerful and All-Knowing. I believe that this second view is absolutely correct. I respect those who want to believe the stories that have been written on the legendary Shiva. My preference is of Shiva as the All-Powerful God. Peace to you all!
@1macboo Yes, Hinduism teaches that all Gods are the same, they can combine together to form the Supreme Energy or split apart to be different Gods serving their own purpose. It's more like Greek mythology in several aspects, Even the Planets are considered Gods in Hinduism just like the Greeks.
Also, the Chief God of Greeks, Zeus is surprisingly mentioned in Hinduism in his exact same form and aspects with a Thunderbolt and being the Chief God, except he is considered a Demi-God.
I loved Parvati's form of avatar goddess of destruction.
And she's a powerful "consort" to shiva. (;" wink wink"
Beautiful culture
Please don't misunderstand me! I am not judging. I am merely stating that I believe in what appears to me as rational and truthful. The fact is, stories exist in all mythologies of different cultures. It is difficult to know which are true and which not. But when the True God of the universe speaks to His creatures, that is when people can know the truth. I'm just sharing my understanding. Whatever you like to believe in, is your right, & I'll respect it & love you even if I can't understand it.
love the video. i want to make a Hindu friend.but don't get out much. was introduced to Buddhism awhile back.
i would like to hear complete versions of alot of those songs. what the names for the songs used in this video anyway? the ones i'm most interested in myself are the ones used for vishnu, lakshmi, sarasvati, parvati, ganesha, rama, krishna, and durga. lakshmi's and sarasvati's are the ones that interest me most. now if only i knew hindi...
For some creatures to benefit, others must sometimes die. From the point of view of the Zebra, getting eaten by a lion appears unfair. But to the lion, it is a blessing. And to the point of view of the svannah grass, a dead zebra means it can grow more. So, for some creatures to get benefits, others HAVE to die. This is the law of Nature, a perfect balance. Sometimes humans are the ones who are wiped out. And sometimes it is other creatures. That's life!
Nice video! I really like the song used for Rama. Can you tell me the name and who sings it? Thank you.
no we had to sit down in our class and watch this video wich i honestly was abt half a sleep during it and take power notes for every single god...
But why should I doubt the Supreme Being when He has spoken to me? Several times, God has shown me He exists by showing me things that will happen in the future, and they do come true. I am a humble person, and that is only the grace of God. I did nothing to deserve it. But I asked for proof of His existence, and He answered not once but many times. So I have no doubts at all. And I also know that God does not like people thanking others for things HE gives them. That is terrible ingratitude.
terrific video!!
Yes, I know that Murtis are not worshipped for what they are, but for what they represent. But what DO they represent? Do Shiva, Parvati, Ganesh, Hanuman and others really exist? Or are they just mythological figures created by the minds of men, and have their shapes, colours and decidedly Indian features been given to them by men? Could you kindly answer that question please? Thank you. If I like, I can make a new god and worship it. Will it benefit or harm me, however? That is my 2nd question.
what is the song at Krishna??
Why did these gods never appear outside India? I am trying to understand. If they are real, and truly exist, and could harm me if I ignore them or benefit me if I worship them, then do I not deserve to know? But if they are only figures of mythology, then of what use will they be to me? There are many such figures in Greek, Aztec, Roman, Germanic, Celtic and Mayan mythologies. Which of all these truly exist? Which can truly be harmful or beneficial?
@Peace4everynation Shiva is not only known to the Hindus and he is well loved all over the world under other names. It is normal for Gods to have stories about their unorthodox adventures etc the Sumerians did too and if the physical manifestation of Shiva entity appeared to be defective in there might be a reason. We are in the physical plane what can we know about hyperdimensional beings.. Gods they are much more evolved. Naturally we might not understand 100% why something is a certain way.
Let's say there is a University professor. You know he's there, and you have some very important questions to ask . Instead, you go to a nursery school child and ask him. The child has defective knowledge, is weak in many ways, yet a person could choose to ask the child some very intricate philosophical question. Would that be a clever thing to do? To ignore the professor, a specialist in the subject, and to prefer to ask a 3-year-old child? To ask things of weak, lesser gods is the same!
I have been studying this religion and have found it to be amazing !!!
@irishmckiddo Well but Bhrama is everything you could say... right?
I have never smoked or drunk alcohol or used any intoxicant in my life, my dear.
The Supreme God is the Creator of everything, the Supreme Conscience and Intelligence of the Universe, the source of everything that exists. If a god does not know things, or cannot do something, or is weak in any other way, then that is obviously not the Supreme God. Only the Supreme God truly deserves to be prayed to. To worship lesser beings whose existence is doubtful is senseless, when an All-powerful entity exists. Why worship legends and mythical beings? This Supreme God has many names.
Well, if you don't like it, I won't call you "my dear", although you are dear to me as a human being. The term "lesser gods" is in no way derogatory...it is used by Hindus themselves. Just google HINDUISM LESSER GODS to see. Do you not believe in the Supreme Deity, under shich come all the others? That is what I read on most Hindu websites.
@miladmeah IVXXL is not a possible number. what this translates into is (10-5-1)+(50-10), which btw would equal 44. the correct way to right that is LXIV. and irregardless, the best system for multiplication is the mayan system, which btw is extinct, and they developed a concept of 0 all by themselves. and ironnically, their system worked more like roman numerals than indian numerals. go look it up.
Ok, you didn't say should, I only understood it as such. But One God makes sense, as long as He cannot be corrupted.
I respect the beliefs of Hindus, of course I do. I am only pointing out that Shiva does not seem to be the most powerful God, as he ignores who his son is and cannot replace his son's own head on his son's body after he has killed him. That is all. Clearly, there must be a more powerful God than that. That is my point.
Yes, so did I. Different places have different LESSER gods, but they all talk of a Supreme God, Who is One. Isn't that strange? This idea of One Supreme God or Spirit unites mankind. All their different lesser gods divide mankind. I'm all for unity. Division saddens me, personally. There's enough suffering in the world without everyone putting more accent on mythical, invented divine beings, rather than on the One Supreme God Who is common to most cultures on earth, and Who is real.
I'm not insulting your intelligence! If I decide that a figure I create is a divine being, and say that this is the Supreme God...will my believing that enable that created being to harm or benefit me? I have a Hindu friend who tried an experiment once. He made a figurine unknown to any Hindu and placed it in a shrine. Sure enough, some people turned up and started to worship it. What was it? Was it a divine being? I only believe in reality. If Shiva reveals things to mankind, he is indeed real.
@miladmeah Yes all the world over similar archetypes are found. Either all the same Gods came by at different times to see us in different continents or beings of similar energies showed up on every continent. Our oldest myths speak of those who from heavens came and if you look carefully you see the same symbols. Some of the gods might have even come back repeatedly. Naturally they say this is mythology and not real but what is real? Is this physical world even real?
This is informative, yet confusing to me. If some gods have to ask for help from others, then why should human beings ask the lesser gods for help? Why not just ask the All-powerful God in the first place? I worship the One Almighty God, and I have found Him to possess even more powers than those attributed to these legendary devas and devis created by men. The gods and goddesses do not really exist. If they did, all of mankind would know about them. Only the One True God is known by all nations
If you think I'm against Hinduism, you are wrong! Go and visit my channel and watch some videos I made highlighting the similarities between Hinduism and Islam. I have many Hindu friends all over the world. Don't judge me without knowledge. How can you condemn me for trying to bring unity among all people? Unlike some people, I don't encourage people of the world to worship gods/goddesses who look Chinese or Indian or African or European. That leaves doors open for racism. Let God be Invisible.
If a god has a weakness, or can be outwitted or overpowered by another being, then that god does not deserve our worship. I do not understand why Shiva did not know his own son Ganesh, and so he struck his head off. If Shiva were God, he would surely have all knowledge. But he clearly does not. And if he had all power, why did he not just stick Ganesh's OWN head back onto his body, instead of killing a poor baby elephant with a thick neck and fitting it onto a boy's thin neck? Shiva lacks power.
It isn't you who will decide how many Gods there are, my friend! Whoever is God is God. If there is only one, how can you say: "There SHOULD be several"? It's like saying, there should be several suns instead of one, then we could have light all day long on all sides of the planet. God cannot be corrupted, otherwise He isn't divine. "Corrupt" doesn't go with "God".
You said there should be multiple gods, that's the same as several gods, my dear. Multiple=several.
The laws of nature are like this, some die, millions are saved. How do you think God should be? Should God send angels every single time an accident happens to prevent people from getting hurt? That would be a fantasy world. Nature has laws, and we are all affected by them positively and negatively. It's part of life. Mass floods bring loads of benefits to many creatures on earth.
The most corrupted of men have believed in idol-worship too. And some have been total atheist too. That rpoves nothing. The fact is that everything in the universe points to unity of source and unity of existence. Can you point out which parts of the universe came from this god or that goddess? All of it points to unity. I see unity in human beings too. God is Invisible. We don't see devas or devis appearing anywhere on earth, and why should they look like Indians? It's not a question of my ego.
Disgusting things? I respect the right of anyone to pray to anything in any way they please, my dear. All I'm highlighting is that some ways are unifying and others are divisive. I think you will find that there are many Hindus who would agree with me to a large degree. I am expressing my view about things, and why I disagree with the worship of lesser gods instead of the Higher God in Whom Hindus do also believe. What happened to freedom of speech? R people only allowed to agree with you here?
Anything he wants. He is the true god. Not the one from abraham teachings
Your "ROFLMAO"ing is rather annoying. You must be very young. Anyway, most nations agree that there is a God or Great Spirit above all others. This is what you find in First Nations of America, in Africa, in Australia, and in many other places. Even if they believe in lesser deities, there is always a SUPREME GOD. You should read more about the concept of God in different cultures, my young friend.