Hinduism
For Hindus, the purpose of our passage on earth is to "realize the divinity of the soul". This mystical purpose suggests a great diversity of teachings and doctrines. The underlying principles of Hinduism are not easily described, as there is no single philosophy. It is perhaps the only religion with such a variety of theoretical principles and practices. It cannot be attributed to a founder, nor does it have a holy book to serve as a basic spiritual guide. Veda, Upanishad and Bhagavad Gita form a heterogeneous set of sacred texts. For Hindus, the essential religious path is devotion(bhakti) to one or more chosen deities. Although membership in a sect revering several deities is widespread, devotion to a single god of one's choice is widely accepted. Most followers are thus polytheists, worshipping all or part of the vast pantheon of deities. In practice, a worshiper tends to address his or her prayers to one god, or several, in a very close personal relationship.
The Veda ("vision" or "knowledge" in Sanskrit) is "revealed knowledge. This knowledge has been transmitted orally from Brahman to Brahman since the Vedic period (1500 BC). This knowledge, collected in a set of texts, would have been revealed by hearing(shruti) to the Indian sages called rishi. Hindus believe that the Veda is eternal and singular.
Brahma, the creator god
Brahma, the creator god of the trimurti, the Hindu trinity, symbolizes the aspect of the Supreme Reality that brings forth creation. He is considered the Creator of the universe. His consort is Sarasvati, the goddess of learning and knowledge. She provides Brahma with the knowledge necessary for the creation process.
Brahma is usually represented as a bearded deity with four faces and four hands. In popular images, he is depicted sitting on a lotus. He holds a rosary in his upper right hand, a book in his upper left hand, a kamandalu (water pot) in his lower left hand and bestows grace with his lower right hand. His faces represent the sacred knowledge of the four vedas. They thus symbolize the fact that Brahma is the source of all knowledge necessary for the creation of the universe. His four arms represent the four directions and the omnipresence and omnipotence of the god. The hands represent the four aspects of the human personality: mind, intellect, ego and empirical self or conditioned consciousness. The rosary symbolizes the cycle of time by which the world moves from creation to preservation, from preservation to dissolution and from dissolution to new creation. Although essential to the Hindu pantheon, it is little worshipped in Rajasthan. He has only one temple, in Pushkar, which nevertheless attracts many pilgrims.
Vishnu, the conservative god
Vishnu is the most venerated god of Hinduism. He is responsible for preserving the universe created by Brahma. The origin of the worship of Vishnu by the Aryan and Dravidian conquerors is not exactly known. In the Vedas and the sacred literature of the Aryans, Vishnu is classified as a minor god. In some Puranic literature, Vishnu is said to be eternal, a unique spirit associated with the primitive waters that are omnipresent in the creation of the universe.
In Hinduism, the representation of Vishnu as the savior of the world is late. According to one belief, the powers of Good and Evil (gods and demons) are in struggle for world domination. When the balance of these powers is destroyed, Vishnu or his avatar descends to earth to restore equality. It is said that 9 descents have already taken place, with the tenth one to occur in the future. The coming of Rama and Krishna correspond to the 7th and 8th descents. Vishnu is often represented as a blue man with four arms. He holds in each of his hands a wheel(chakra), a conch shell(shanka), a lotus(padma) and a club(gada). The disc symbolizes the power of the mind and has 6 spokes, like the 6 petals of the lotus flower. The conch represents the primordial ocean, the creation. The lotus corresponds to the unfolding of creation, but also to purity and truth. The club holds the power of knowledge, from which all others, both mental and physical, are derived. It is also the threatening weapon that sets the believer on the path of spirituality rather than material attraction. Vishnu has a thousand names, and their repeated utterance is an act of devotion.
Shiva, the destructive god
Shiva is a dual god, representing both destruction and regeneration. As a destroyer, he is depicted as a naked ascetic wearing a necklace of skulls and surrounded by a train of demons and snakes. As a reproductive power, he is worshipped in the form of a lingam, a stone monolith of phallic form. As a regenerator, he takes the form of a handsome blue man with long hair pulled up in a bun on the top of his forehead, armed with a trident. He is accompanied by a nandi, a bull. In contrast to the representation of Vishnu, Shiva also symbolizes renunciation. He appears as an ascetic practicing meditation, alone in the Himalayas, sitting on a tiger skin, wearing a simple loincloth and covered with sacred ashes. From his long hair flows the source of the Ganges, the sacred river of the Hindus.
Often, Shiva appears as an asocial being who burned Kama, the god of love, with a single glance. But this image hides another. Although he seems difficult to reach, Shiva is a loving deity who saves the souls of devotees who are devoted to him. His wife is Parvati, with whom he had two sons: Kartikeya, the god of war, and Ganesh, the elephant-headed god representing wisdom, intelligence and prudence.
Hindu Goddesses
The Hindu religion does not put women aside and many goddesses appear in the pantheon and are ardently venerated. This is true for Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu. She is particularly celebrated during the festival of Diwali, which marks the beginning of the new year in the Hindu calendar. She symbolizes success and wealth.
Parvati, the wife of Shiva, is considered as the Divine Mother. She has two main facets: the benevolence that brings her help and a powerful and dangerous personality that must be appeased. She is particularly venerated in India and appears alongside Shiva in temples and processions.
Durga is one of the epithets of Parvati and is considered the shakti ("energy") of the impersonal Absolute. She is worshipped alone, unlike Parvati, who is always accompanied by her husband. She is represented as a warrior equipped with swords and shields, riding a tiger. She is in charge of chasing demons when the gods are unable to do so.
Kali, always represented in black, is the female equivalent of Shiva. She symbolizes destruction and creation. She often offers a terrifying image, with a bloody tongue coming out of her mouth, garlands of human skulls around her neck, a severed head in her hand and brandished weapons dripping with blood. It is a metaphor for the destructive capacity of the divine, the suffering of the world and the return of all things to the goddess at the moment of death.
Local deities
Hinduism is not fixed and its pantheon is extensible. It is common to see small altars on the side of country roads, trees transformed into sacred altars dedicated to local deities who protect the inhabitants from natural disasters or bad energy. The faithful often give these protectors the face of a warrior or a martyred fighter of the village. While some local deities have their own temple, others are attached to a main temple, or a specific altar is dedicated to them. Among the deities specific to Rajasthan, we can mention Baba Ramdev, a great defender of the oppressed who lived at the end of the 14th century. Karni Mata is worshipped at the Rat Temple in Deshnok, near Bikaner, and is considered an incarnation of the goddess Durga. Pabuji, mostly worshipped in rural areas, is invoked to protect livestock. Tejaji is prayed to cure snake bites while Shital Mata has the power to cure smallpox.
The rituals of Hinduism
The puja ("respect") consists of a set of ritual offerings (flowers, food, money...) and prayers addressed to the gods. It is practiced at sunrise and sunset in temples and home altars. Pujas can also be celebrated on special occasions, of which there are many in India. Among orthodox Hindus, dawn and dusk are greeted with the recitation of the Gayatri Mantra, the prayer to the sun, from the Rig Veda. Personal worship of the gods at the family altar always involves the lighting of a lamp, the offering of food and the sprinkling of incense smoke before the holy images, while prayers are muttered. In the evening, especially in rural areas, women may gather for long sessions of chanted hymns. Traditionally, the first chapati (bread cake) baked in the morning is given to a cow or other animal in the street. Sometimes a handful of grain is also set aside to give to the needy or to birds. These small sacrifices and gifts serve to accumulate merit for the family.
The temple
Hindus go to the temple to pray. The basic shape of a Hindu shrine is a square cell, oriented to the points of the compass, with an image or statue of the deity in the center, and topped by a flat ceiling. The shrine is often topped by a sikhara, an oblong tower, representing Mount Meru. Each temple symbolizes the center of the universe, from which the god watches over his domain and helps his followers. Worship is not done by a congregation, but by individuals or groups of devotees who come to the temple to have a vision(darshan) of the god, to pray, to make an offering. Because the god exists in totality in the holy place, any offering that has approached his representation brings the grace of the divine to the world of humans when it returns to them. Only those of the Brahmin caste who have been trained are able to handle the power of the deity, and most shrines are run by priests who take the offerings, present them directly to the image, and return some of them to the devotees to take home.
The pilgrimage
Rajasthan has many holy places associated with the deeds of the gods, the waters of a sacred river or the past presence of holy men. The purana, or texts of "ancient knowledge," describe countless sacred places and the benefits of going there as a devotee. For many Indians, pilgrimage is the preferred form of tourism, which is practiced with the family. For most devotees, pilgrimage involves preliminary vows and fasting, a journey on foot punctuated by religious songs and hymns. Upon arrival at the site, pilgrims contact a priest, who, for a fee, will plan a program of ritual activities. Some pilgrimages attract tens of thousands of worshippers and it is sometimes necessary to wait for hours in line to see the idol, while the rest of the year the temple is deserted. The most sacred temples have a tank of sacred water where pilgrims immerse themselves completely before going to the temple. The surroundings of the temples during the pilgrimage period or those very visited all year round host stalls overflowing with offerings and religious trinkets.
Other religions of Rajasthan
Islam. In addition to plundering and seizing power, the first Muslim invaders had as their mission the propagation of religion. The foundation of the Delhi Sultanate at the end of the twelfth century brought about some conversions among the wealthy classes anxious to maintain good relations with the occupier. However, most converts to Islam sought to escape their social situation. While Islam played a predominant role in Delhi until the decline of the Mughal Empire, it had much less influence in Rajasthan, ruled by Hindu rulers. Today, 9% of the population of Rajasthan is Muslim. At a time of resurgent Hindu nationalism, which is reflected in fiery political speeches, the Muslims of Rajasthan are trying to keep a low profile. Islam with its unique dogma referring to the Koranic revelation does not mix well with Hinduism in perpetual research, based on personal experience and open to all mystics
Sikhism. This religion deviated from Hinduism and was founded by Guru Nanak in the 19th century in Punjab. It affirms the uniqueness of God and the necessity to create peaceful links between religions. It proscribes the caste system, child marriage and the sacrifice of widows at the stake of their husbands. Sikhs refer to the Granth Sahib, a compilation of writings by Guru Nanak and his successors until the early 18th century. The Sikh community represents 1.7% of people in Rajasthan. The men are easily recognizable by their tight turbans, their uncut hair and their thick beards. The women do not wear a sari, but the salwar kameez, a loose tunic over ankle-length pants. Sikhs all have the same surname of Singh, which means "lion", but not all Singhs are Sikhs.
Jainism. The founder, Mahavir, is the last of the 24 pious characters called tirthankars or "ford passers". He was the contemporary of Buddha, that is to say in the 6th century before our era. The example of the tirthankars helps the faithful to free themselves from the illusions attaching the soul to the world. In addition to this devotion, Jains strive not to harm any form of life. They are sometimes seen going with their mouths covered with a handkerchief so as not to swallow insects. They observe a strictly vegetarian diet and prohibitions related to ritual purity (not wearing leather, not entering a temple during menstruation for women ...). The religious of the digambara sect are the most rigorous and live completely naked to mark their total detachment from the materialist world. Originally, Jainism aimed at escaping Brahmanic ritualism and did not recognize a clergy. The Brahmins however knew how to recover the cult and officiate in the Jain temples. If Rajasthan counts only 1 % of faithful, its temples are absolutely sumptuous. Those of Ranakpur, Dilwara and Mount Abu attract many foreign visitors to the cult.
