Some questions

[Achanda]

A few questions...

1. How do Hindus view the gods of other religions? Are they considered equal to or lesser than Hindu deities? Are Yahweh, Allah, Ahura Mazda, Woden, Amaterasu, etc. recognized as divine beings?

2. Are Hindu gods considered individual beings in their own right, or simply as reflections or symbols of Brahman?

3. Is Hinduism considered a universal faith or mainly an ethnic religion? Can the Sanatana Dharma be practiced just as effectively abroad as it can in India itself?

[Agnideva]

Namaste Achanda,

Some good questions .

1. How do Hindus view the gods of other religions? Are they considered equal to or lesser than Hindu deities? Are Yahweh, Allah, Ahura Mazda, Woden, Amaterasu, etc. recognized as divine beings?

There is nothing about this �officially�, so it really depends on the person. Some Hindus who have more of a universalist outlook tend to look upon Gods of all religions as one and the same. Others may not have any views on this at all.

2. Are Hindu gods considered individual beings in their own right, or simply as reflections or symbols of Brahman?

Well, again the answer to this one depends on who is answering the question. There are multiple ways of looking at this. All Hindus believe that the Divine is transcendent and immanent. So, that means there is no being that is separate or separable from that Brahman, whether it be you, me or the Gods. In that sense, we may view the Gods as individuals at one level, but just aspects of Brahman at another level.

A great Hindu master was once asked: "do the Gods really exist?"
The master replied: "if you believe you exist, why shouldn�t they?"

3. Is Hinduism considered a universal faith or mainly an ethnic religion? Can the Sanatana Dharma be practiced just as effectively abroad as it can in India itself?

I see Hinduism as a universal faith, independent of Indian ethnicity. For Indian people, �Hindu� is both a cultural/social as well as religious identity, so sometimes this can be confusing. There are millions of followers of Sanatana Dharma (ethnic Indian and non-Indian) outside of India who practice it just as well (and in some cases perhaps even more effectively than) in India. It is estimated that in the US only about 50% of the Sanatana Dharma followers are ethnic Indians.

OM Shanti,
A.

[Achanda]

Thanks for the info Agnideva.

A great Hindu master was once asked: "do the Gods really exist?"
The master replied: "if you believe you exist, why shouldn�t they?"

This is a great quote. Do you know off hand which Hindu teacher it was that said this?

[Agnideva]

Namaste Achanda,

This is a great quote. Do you know off hand which Hindu teacher it was that said this?

It was Guru Ramana Maharshi who said this. I came across this quote of his a couple of years ago on the internet, but now I can't find it any more . Oh well...

OM Shanti,
A.

[Achanda]

I was reading a translation of the Upanishads I picked up at a used bookstore. At the end of the Katha Upanishad it says:

The universe is a tree eternally existing, its root aloft, its branches spread below. The pure root of the tree is Brahman, the immortal, in whom the three worlds have their being, whom none can transcend, who is verily the Self.

The footnotes said the three worlds are the sky, the earth, and the nether world.

Is it common in Indian mythology to describe the universe as a tree?

[Eastern Mind]

Achanda : You asked pertinent questions, and as was explained before, you will get many different answers from all the different sects, depending on who is answering. In the end, it is only you who must decide which answer makes the most sense to you.

1. How do Hindus view the gods of other religions? Are they considered equal to or lesser than Hindu deities? Are Yahweh, Allah, Ahura Mazda, Woden, Amaterasu, etc. recognized as divine beings?

Personally, I have no established view, rather I don't really care, as the Gods I worship are enough for me. Many Hindus would agree. If I did hold a view, it would be that there is one supreme God, yet other divine beings we call Gods, created by the Supreme God as 'helpers'.

2. Are Hindu gods considered individual beings in their own right, or simply as reflections or symbols of Brahman?

Depends on the God: Siva to Saivites, Vishnu to Vaishnavites, the Mother to Shaktites, are all Supreme. Gods like Ganesha have a particular purpose. I personally believe they are individual; beings in their own right. Practical mystical contact, not scripture, has led me to that belief.

3. Is Hinduism considered a universal faith or mainly an ethnic religion? Can the Sanatana Dharma be practiced just as effectively abroad as it can in India itself?[/quote]

Sanatana Dharma can be practised anywhere, for it is within yourself. There are many ways to practise. There are Hindus who focus on scripture, Hindus who focus on temple worship, and Hindus who focus on a guru, and a large variety of Hindus who practise bits and portions of all 3 of the above. The Hindu diaspora is at least as large as the 3 Abrahamic religions combined. Depending on where you mean by abroad, there are temples now in many countries, but not all. Scriptures can be found anywhere if you have internet access, and the third pillar, the teachers, can also be found in most places abroad.
Good luck in your search/research. Keep asking questions. Aum Namshivaya

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

I was reading a translation of the Upanishads I picked up at a used bookstore. At the end of the Katha Upanishad it says:

The footnotes said the three worlds are the sky, the earth, and the nether world.
Is it common in Indian mythology to describe the universe as a tree?

Namaste Achanda,
Yes , the notion of a tree is used. What is key ( for me) for this tree ( Asvattha tree as its called) is its source - the sap. The sap makes up the bark, the leaves, the branches, the buds, its strength. Yet this sap is the same thoughout the tree, but expresses itself differently. Like that, so is Brahman, like the sap. The same everywhere, yet expresses itself as a galaxy, as air (Vayu) fire (agni), as space ( akshsa) as water/fluid (apa), as caitanya ( consciousness) and the wheel of time (kalachakra), etc.
Also see the Bhagavad Gita - CHapt 15 as Krsna explains the Asvattha tree a bit more.


So, the tree example is a good one. Yet as Yama says in this valli the tree has its roots upwards and its branches go down to earth. It symbolizes all 'this' that we see and sense is rooted in Brahman, and the notion of space, is a symbol for Brahman, where the roots orignate from.
Some may call it cidakasha or 'consciousness space'. If I were thinking of Siva, might say cidambaram - or the hall of consciousness, a temple in Tamal Nadu is considered this hallof consciousness, and has Nataraj - Siva dancing there, His comic display of creation,destruction.
Om Nama Sivaya

pranams,

[Achanda]

Once again, I appreciate the feedback everyone!