So I have always wondered why most of the Hindhu gods have many arms and why others are 4 and others 6. I did some research online and found many different theories to why they have many hands. Some say that it is because to show how different they are physically to humans. What i found strange was that the difference in the number of hands is as a result of superiority. That some gods are superior over others. This is strange to me because i thought Hinduism accepts all other religions to be equal and why then label the superiority of the gods?
And also, is it because of the belief of reincarnation that Hindhu's tend to worship children born with what the western world will consider deformities (Two heads, unusuall number of hands etc.)? for example this Baby Born with two faces
I think that even though the Hindu religion is accepting of other religions and views, they will still assign a value to each of their Gods. They are not denying any Gods but rather saying one is higher or on a different level. For example, someone who has a Master's degree is superior in the years of education received to a person who has a Bachelor's degree. We will still accept what people have to say rather if they have a degree or not but the superiority of education is recognized.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the pictures are really nice and a good example.
The issue is not so much of superiority and inferiority as of family relations. Hindu gods tend either to be each others' parents, children, siblings, etc., or often simply alternate manifestations of the same person, as Durga, the earth-goddess, is an aspect of Parvati, Siva's lover.
ReplyDeleteCecilia presents an interesting point in so far as individuals place importance upon gods based on their tendencies. However, I differ in opinion with regards to the standardized idea of a higher and lower gods with regards to the personal gods (i.e. inside of atman Brahman). I think gods are prioritized at an individual level; for example, a serious student will focus on Saraswati (goddess of knowledge), but an administrator will focus on Ganesh (remover of obstacles). Hence, importance is based on individual tendencies.
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