#purana pakistan

[retropakistan]

Vintage Rawalpindi: A Glimpse Into the City's Timeless Elegance

#Rawalpindi in the 80's

Courtesy : Vintage Pakistan

[beenasarwar]

Hope, wisdom and cynicism: Voices from rural Sri Lanka

The lakes, paddy fields and forests of the ancient village of Dutuwewa are a world away from Colombo’s high-rises and colonial buildings. As elsewhere, decisions taken by ‘old men’ in the corridors of power impact life here, just as these rural voters will impact politics nationally. PERSONAL POLITICALFROM DUTUWEWA WITH LOVE By Beena SarwarTimes are tough and it’s hard to make ends meet. A…

[gkfarming]

Haryana was part of the Kuru Kingdom during the Vedic era during 1200 BCE.

Haryana has been inhabited since the pre-historic period. Haryana was part of the Indus Valley civilization during the Bronze Age period. The ancient sites of Rakhigarhi and Bhirrana are some of the oldest Indus Valley civilization sites.(5) Haryana was part of the Kuru Kingdom during the Vedic era during 1200 BCE.(6)(7)(8) The area now Haryana has been ruled by some of the major empires of India. The Pushyabhuti dynasty ruled the region in the 7th century, with its capital at Thanesar. Harsha was a prominent king of the dynasty.(9) The Tomara dynasty ruled the region from 8th to 12th century. The Chahamanas of Shakambhari defeated them in the 12th century.(10)

Harsha Ka Tila mound, ruins from the reign of 7th century ruler Harsha.

Lal kot built by Anangpal Tomar in 1052

Portrait of Hem Chandra Vikramaditya, who fought and won across North India from the Punjab to Bengal, winning 22 straight battles.(11)

In 1192, Chahamanas were defeated by Ghurids in Second Battle of Tarain.(10) In 1398, Timur attacked and sacked the cities of Sirsa, Fatehabad, Sunam, Kaithal and Panipat.(12)(13) In the First Battle of Panipat (1526), Babur defeated the Lodis. Hem Chandra Vikramaditya claimed royal status after defeating Akbar's Mughal forces on 7 October 1556 in the Battle of Delhi. In the Second Battle of Panipat (1556), Akbar defeated the local Haryanvi Hindu Emperor of Delhi, who belonged to Rewari. Hem Chandra Vikramaditya had won 22 battles across India from Punjab to Bengal, defeating the Mughals and Afghans. Hemu had defeated Akbar's forces twice at Agra and the Battle of Delhi in 1556 to become the last Hindu Emperor of India with a formal coronation at Purana Quila in Delhi on 7 October 1556. In the Third Battle of Panipat (1761), the Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali defeated the Marathas.(14)

In 1966, the Punjab Reorganisation Act (1966) came into effect, resulting in the creation of the state of Haryana on 1 November 1966.(15)

Distribution

Haryanvis within Haryana

See also: Demography of Haryana

The main communities in Haryana are Gujjar, Jat, Brahmin, Agarwal, Ahir, Chamar, Nai, Ror,Rajput, Saini, Kumhar, Bishnoi etc.(16) Punjabi khatri and Sindhi refugees who migrated from Pakistan had settled in large numbers in Haryana and delhi.

Haryanvi diaspora overseas

(icon)

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2021)

See also: Indian disaspora overseas

There is increasingly large diaspora of Haryanvis in Australia, Canada, Singapore, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, USA, etc.

In Australia, the community lives mainly in Sydney and Melbourne, has set up Association of Haryanvis in Australia (AHA) which organise events.(17)

In Singapore, the community has set up the Singapore Haryanvi Kunba organisation in 2012 which also has a Facebook group of same name. Singapore has Arya Samaj and several Hindu temples.

Culture

Main article: Haryanvi culture

Language

Main article: Haryanvi language

Haryanvi, like Khariboli and Braj is a branch of the Western Hindi dialect, and it is written in Devanagari script.(18)

Folk music and dance

Main article: Music of Haryana

Folk music is integral part of Haryanvi culture. Folk song are sung during occasion of child birth, wedding, festival, and Satsang (singing religious songs).(2) Some haryanvi folk songs which are sung by young woman and girls are Phagan, katak, Samman, Jatki, Jachcha, Bande-Bandee, Santhene. Some songs which are sung by older women are Mangal geet, Bhajan, Sagai, bhat, Kuan pujan, Sanjhi and Holi. Folk songs are sung in Tar or Mandra stan.(19) Some dances are Khoriya, Chaupaiya, Loor, Been, Ghoomar, Dhamal, Phaag, Sawan and Gugga.(19)

Cuisine

Haryana is agricultural state known for producing foodgrains such as wheat, barley, pearl millet, maize, rice and high-quality dairy. Daily village meal in Haryana consist of a simple thali of roti, paired with a leafy stir-fry (saag in dishes such as gajar methi or aloo palak), condiments such as chaas, chutney, pickles. Some known Haryanvi dishes are green choliya (green chickpeas), bathua yogurt, bajre ki roti, sangri ki sabzi (beans), kachri ki chutney (wild cucumber) and bajre ki khichdi. Some sweets are panjiri and pinni prepared by unrefined sugar like bura and shakkar and diary. Malpua are popular during festivals.(20)

Clothes

See also: History of clothing in the Indian subcontinent and History of Textile industry in India

Traditional attire for men is turban, shirt, dhoti, jutti and cotton or woollen shawl. Traditional attire for female is typically an orhna (veil), shirt or angia (short blouse), ghagri (heavy long skirt) and Jitti. Saris are also worn. Traditionally the Khaddar (coarse cotton weave cloth) is a frequently used as the fabric.(21)(22)

Cinema

See also: Haryanvi cinema and List of Haryanvi-language films

The First movie of Haryanvi cinema is Dharti which was released in 1968. The first financially successful Haryanvi movie was Chandrawal (1984) which spurted the continuing production of Haryanvi films, although none have been as successful.(23) Other films such as Phool Badan and Chora Haryane Ka followed with only about one out of twelve films being profitable at the box office.(23) In 2000, Aswini Chowdhary won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best Debut Film of a Director at the National Film Awards for the Haryanvi film Laddo.(24) In 2010 the government of Haryana announced they were considering establishing a film board to promote Haryanvi-language films.(25)

[pain-nil]

Pain Nil Tablets | Hakeem Purana

Pain Nil Tablets | Hakeem Purana

Pain Nil Herbal Tablets stand out as the best joint pain treatment in Pakistan, renowned for their effectiveness in alleviating knee pain, hip pain, ankle pain, and all forms of joint discomfort. With meticulous care and expertise, our team has formulated these tablets to directly target the root cause of joint pain. They provide long-lasting relief without any side effects, ensuring your comfort and well-being.

[herbal-medicines]

Pain Nil Herbal Tablets

Introducing Pain Nil Herbal Tablets, your ultimate solution for joint pain relief. Our meticulously crafted herbal remedy offers unparalleled relief from joint pain, ensuring a pain-free lifestyle for those suffering from debilitating conditions like arthritis, rheumatism, and muscular discomfort.

Pain Nil Herbal Tablets stand out as the best joint pain treatment in Pakistan, renowned for their effectiveness in alleviating knee pain, hip pain, ankle pain, and all forms of joint discomfort. With meticulous care and expertise, our team has formulated these tablets to directly target the root cause of joint pain. They provide long-lasting relief without any side effects, ensuring your comfort and well-being.

Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, our Pain Nil Herbal Tablets are the preferred choice for individuals seeking a natural and holistic approach to joint pain management. Whether you’re grappling with arthritis, knee pain, or muscular discomfort, our tablets offer comprehensive relief. As a result, you can reclaim your mobility and enjoy life to the fullest.

[universaltrader]

Pain Nil Herbal Tablets Hakeem Purana Purchase Original Imported Largest Online Products Store in Pakistan with Best Online Price with Cash on Delivery

[indrabalakhanna]

Satsang Ishwar TV | 28-08-2023 | Episode: 2128 | Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj ...

#चुल्लू_भर_पानी_में डूब मरो

First India News Exposed

In the Gita Vedas and Puranas there is no evidence of bringing Kaanwar and offering Ganga water on Shivling.

Even Lord Shiva is not pleased by performing arbitrary practices like Kaanwar Yatra.

#GodMorningMonday

#AimOfSantRampalJi

#Revealing_TheSupreme_Truth

#Complete_Guru / #True_Satguru is the one who gives salvation by giving certified knowledge and true devotion from the scriptures of all our religions.

#true #truestory #truth #travel #training #trading #travelgram #travelblogger #viralreels #viral2023 #trendingreels #veda #redbull #insta #Link #SpiritualLeaderSaintRampalJi #reelsvideo #relax #reelsinstagram #reelsviral #reelsfb #Repost #recipe #reelitfeelit #reelsindia #reels2023 #reelsfypシ #red #redmi #redcarpet #reducereuserecycle #redvelvetcake #rehab #rehabilitation #daily #dailymemes #dailynews #dailypost #dailyvlog #Dailyhunt #ko #kids #kolkata #k #kerala #keto #tumbler #pinterest #tweets #WhatsAppNo #whatsappstatus #whatiwore #threads #three #thriller #throwback #TBR #ThrowbackThursday #thor #thoughtoftheday #thoughts #bhagavadgita #pure #punjabi #pune #public #photo #photography #party #photooftheday #picture #pink #Pakistan #best #bhfyp #baby #beauty #bestchallenge #bitcoin #challenge #chat #chatgpt #ChallengeChallenge #ChallengeAccepted #instagramreels #viralpage

Salvational devotion is only with the complete saint Rampal Ji Maharaj

By #SantRampalJiEternalKnowledge a devotee will become able to escape from the vicious cycle of birth & death through True Worship.

#GodMorningSunday

Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj has taught the true spiritual practice of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh in the sacred Hindu religion while opposing hypocrisy ostentation, and incorrect practices

#سفاح_الجيزة

#فاطمة_المؤمن

#حادث_الفاشينيستا

Saint Rampal ji does not condemn any religion, but by refuting the hypocrisy prevailing in the religion and practices against the scriptures, he asks to do scripture-friendly practices.

#चंद्रयान_3 #chennai #children #chinese #child

#SatlokAshram #astrology #vedas #share

#SantRampalJiMaharaj

[universals-trader]

Pain Nil Herbal Tablets Hakeem Purana Purchase Original Imported Largest Online Products Store in Pakistan with Best Online Price with Cash on Delivery

[cryptoking009]

Seven Injured In Bus Accident

FAISALABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 25th Feb, 2023 ) :As many as seven people were injured in a bus accident in the area of Khurarianwala police station here on Saturday. Rescue 1122 spokesman said that a speedy bus carrying workers of Arshad Textile Corporation turned turtle after falling into fields, while over taking a tractor trolley near 100 Chak Purana Rurka, Khurrianwala to…

[citruscloudsandmoon]

What is there to be proud about our country? Whatever pride we had is gone. I've given up. What am I gonna say now? Shahbaz Sharif is our leader? Fuck that...

Izzat denay wali zaat sirf Allah key hai. Uski fikar Nahi Karu.

Aur Jahan Tak Shabaz key Baat hai.....well you could always pretend he doesn't exist. Indifference kills a man, always 🌚

[retropakistan]

Vintage Rawalpindi: A Glimpse Into the City's Timeless Elegance

#Rawalpindi in the 1970’s

Courtesy : Vintage Pakistan

[tezlivenews]

Punishment For Rape: दुनियाभर में बलात्कारियों को मिलने वाली भयंकर सजाएं, सुनकर रूह कांप जाएगी

Punishment For Rape: दुनियाभर में बलात्कारियों को मिलने वाली भयंकर सजाएं, सुनकर रूह कांप जाएगी

पाकिस्तान ने देशभर में बढ़ती बलात्कार की घटनाओं पर रोक लगाने के लिए कड़े कानून को मंजूरी दी है। इस कानून से आदतन बलात्कारियों को केमिकल के जरिए नपुंसक भी बनाया जाएगा। पाकिस्तान में बढ़ती बलात्कार की घटनाओं के बाद इमरान खान सरकार पर कठोर कानून लागू करने का दबाव था। अब बलात्कार के मामलों के लिए अलग से कोर्ट बनाई जाएगी और उसमें फास्ट-ट्रैक सुनवाई भी होगी। अदालतें चार महीने में सुनवाई पूरी कर लेगी।…

[vajranam]

Hungry Ghost Inside Out

The Lord said: It is the men of sinful actions actuated by their previous misdeeds who become ghosts after death. Please listen to me, I shall tell you in detail. - Garuda Purana, Vedas, verse 2.22.

 Hungry ghosts are the demon-like creatures described in Buddhist, Taoist, Hindu, Sikh, and Jain texts as the remnants of the dead who are afflicted with insatiable desire, hunger or thirst as a result of bad deeds or evil intent carried out in their lifetimes Found in every part of the Far East, from the Philippines to Japan and China, Thailand, Laos, Burma, India and Pakistan, they are universally described as human-like wraiths with mummified skin, narrow withered limbs, grossly bulging stomachs, long thin necks and tiny mouths.

Hungry ghost is one of the realms of rebirth what we tend to forget that lot of us are in this kind of real state.

Let’s talk about our inner hungry ghost so we are in the century of addiction whatever is our addiction we crave something and make us unhappy.

Some will say to fight our addiction we need more of this or more of that, if you ever smoke a cigarette in your life you know that bit more than just that. Craving is inside torture that got high and low usually leave us like we been robe by something.

Fighting any addiction is not easy its fight of everyday to recognise our mind patterns, in vajrayana we learn to transform that. So how we get from addict to free, first step is understood that need of the addictive is imprint of mind, if we come from something very nasty one practitioner will visualise him or her in medicine buddha and them visualise the hungry ghost realm with the addiction we got getting satisfy and heal by the medicines buddha one the vajrayana technics used in Tibetan Buddhism, to get rib of addiction.

Now let’s talk about how we could rebirth in realm of hungry ghost? According to the Bardo if we die in state of craving it’s the straight way to hungry ghost realm. Yet when we alive and having the precious body we must remember that using our precious life focusing on our practice will help us to bypass that.

[ginazmemeoir]

War Deities

Aight people in lieu of Kargil Victory Day in India on Sunday (26 july, 1999 - when India whooped Pakistan’s ass in the Kargil war), the theme for this week is war deities.

Now almost all pagan religions have war deities, and in mythologies like Greek and Hindu, almost every single god is related to war. However, there are some deities who are specifically related to war.

Ancient Vedic Hinduism only mentions a few war deities - Rudra, a fearsome warrior from the Western Lands; Kartikeya, a boy-warrior; Shakti and Kali etc. However, these are only given prominence later in the Puranas and stories. 

The Vedas hold Indra in high esteem as a warrior, god of thunder and rain and King of the gods. The most fabled war story around him is how he had once killed the dragon Vritra with his fabled Vajra - made out of sea foam and a human skeleton (like seriously SEA FOAM and HUMAN SKELETON!!!?).

The Vedas also mention Nritti - the goddess of strife and death. She had been created cause the Earth was unable to bear the humans. And boom - Nritti is born. She aids the god of death, Yama, in his work, and plus makes humans bloodthirsty.

The war gods mentioned in the Puranas are more renowned. Here are a few : 

1. Durga : The goddess of war and victory, and the patron goddess of all royals, Durga is hailed as the warrior queen. She was created by all the gods collectively to defeat the demon Durgasur (Fortman - sounds like a video game) and his generals Shumbh and Nishumbh, cause they had a boon that only a woman can kill them (see, misogyny and dickheadedness never caused anyone any good). She is also called Mahishasurmardini - the Destroyer of Mahishasur for killing the shape-shifting demon Mahishasur (Bull Demon - sounds like the Minotaur’s Indian cousin). She is shown with a trident and 8 hands holding 8 different weapons, riding a lion.

2. Kali : Goddess of change and destruction, Kali was formed by the goddess Shakti to aid Durga in her battles. She is most famous for killing the demon Dhumralochana (Smokey Eyes - sounds like the name of your local drug dealer) and Raktabeej (Bloodseed); in fact she had killed Raktabeej by LITERALLY drinking all his blood, cause a thousand more Raktabeejs formed whenever his blood fell on the ground (btw sounds like a great idea for a DnD monster). She is depicted as wearing a garland of skulls, and with four hands - one holding a scythe, one holding a bowl, one holding a skull and one holding a trident. She is shown as standing on Shiva, the god of destruction.

3. The Pleiades - The Pleiades (called the Krittikas in Hinduism) are a group of warrior maidens in Hinduism. Legend states that they were the wives of the Saptarishis, the seven great sages. Once, they were molested by the fire god Agni, but their husbands blamed them for being molested. Tired of their misogynistic, patriarchal shit, they divorced their husbands (GOOD FOR THEM) and formed their own warrior-sisterhood. They are said to roam forests and protect children and women (sounds a LOT like Artemis’s hunt).

4.

4. Kartikeya - The commander-general of the gods, and the god of war, Kartikeya is the son of Shiva and Parvati (couple goals really). The story goes that one day Shiva and Parvati were having sex and Shiva accidentally jerked off on the ground. Now at the same time, there was this demon called Tarakasur (Treeman - sounds like evil Groot {just kidding, Groot can never be evil}), who had a boon that only Shiva and Parvati’s son could kill him. So Shiva handed over this sperm (yuck) to the fire god Agni. However Agni couldn’t bear the “energy of Shiva’s seed” (double yuck), so he handed it over to the wind god Vayu. Vayu passed it over to the river goddess Ganga, but she literally started boiling, so she deposited this sperm in a forest (yucky yucky yuck) where the forest caught fire. Finally, the Krittikas arrived, and with their powers, transformed that sperm into six babies. They all brought up the babies, trained them in different warforms blah blah blah. Then, Parvati came along to take them back (what are they, laundry?) and hugged them so tightly that they morphed into one being - Kartikeya (literally means the son of the Krittikas). Bada bing bada boom Kartikeya saves the day.

He is depicted with six heads and riding a peacock. He carries a divine spear, and his flag which features a rooster as his emblem (makes sense, you should NEVER mess with roosters). He is shown as an everyoung bo warrior, and is REALLY popular in South India, Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and Indonesia.

[universaltrader]

Pain Nil Herbal Tablets

[ayearinfaith]

𝗔 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝗙𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵, 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟰𝟴: 𝗛𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝗶𝘀𝗺

“When we think of the Hindu religion, we find it difficult, if not impossible, to define Hindu religion or even adequately describe it. Unlike other religions in the world, the Hindu religion does not claim any one prophet; it does not worship any one God; it does not subscribe to any one dogma; it does not believe in any one philosophic concept; it does not follow any one set of religious rites or performances; in fact, it does not appear to satisfy the narrow traditional features of any religion of creed. It may broadly be described as a way of life and nothing more.”

-Supreme Court of India, from 1995 ruling on the minority religion status of Ramakrishnaism

Hinduism is an indigenous faith of the Indian subcontinent, currently practiced by over 15% of the global population and the world’s third largest religion. It is one of two surviving modern traditions to evolve directly from the historical Indo-European faith, the other being Zoroastrianism. The internal diversity of Hinduism is very high and has been likened by some to the use of “Abrahamic” as a single term for diverse traditions such as Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. The word “Hinduism” was coined in the early 19th century and comes from the ethnic term “Hindu”, itself derived from the name of the Indus River, located in modern day Pakistan.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Like with Shinto or Old Norse religion, indigenous faiths of Japan and Scandinavia, pre-modern Hindus were unlikely to have perceived themselves as being members of a religion. What would become Hinduism was simply their culture. Developments in self-identification have largely developed alongside the development of and need to distinguish from other traditions in India, most notably Buddhism and Islam. One of the earliest possible identifiers would have been “Vaidika” or “Vaidika Dharma”: the “way of the Vedas”. The Vedas, whose name literally means “knowledge”, are a collection of ancient scripture, some dating back as far as 1500 BCE. Though the beliefs of the Vedas have significant differences with modern Hindu denominations, perception of the Vedas as a source of truth is generally considered to be the defining feature of Hinduism, distinguishing it from other indigenous Indian faiths such as Buddhism or Jainism. Because of this direct and still active connection to 2-3000+ year old texts, Hinduism has often been called the world’s “oldest religion”. That said, the faith of the ancient Vedic people was quite different from the modern traditions. Many of modern Hinduism’s most venerated deities, such as Shiva, Vishnu, or Ganesha, are either absent from the Vedas, exist as alternate names for other gods, or are quite minor deities. Most prominent are gods like the king of the gods, Indra, and the fire god Agni, all of whom are generally easy to relate to the deities of European pagans. Aside from the Vedas the most important and universal Hindu scripture are the Upanishads and the Puranas. The Upanishads are actually a part of the Vedas, albeit the final layer of them, written in the second half of the first millennium BCE, by which time more familiar versions of figures like Vishnu and Shiva had emerged. From these come many core Hindu concepts such as Ātman (eternal soul) and Brahman (universal consciousness). The Puranas are a hug and diverse body of literature from which most of the legends and genealogies of the gods and the universe are derived.

𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝘀

A significant difference between Hinduism and Buddhism is the belief in an eternal soul or Ātman. All living things have an Ātman, and when we die the Ātman is reincarnated in a new body. Escaping the cycle of reincarnation is seen as a type of salvation called Moksha. Though generally considered the ultimate “goal” of Hinduism, Moksha is only one of four concepts knows as Puruṣārtha, literally a “spiritual/human pursuit”. The other three are Dharma (righteous and ethical behavior, literally “path/way”), Artha (wealth, or means, also conceived of as purpose), and Kama (physical pleasures). Artha and Kama are seen as necessary for a fulfilling life, though they should never go against Dharma, and all is done in pursuit of Moksha. Karma, literally “deed” or “act”, is a concept of causality between reincarnations. Doing good deeds will cause someone to be reincarnated into a better life, while bad deeds have the opposite effect. One of the greater Hindu virtues is Ahimsa or non-violence and is applicable not just to humans, but animals and plants. This is the reason behind widespread vegetarianism in India, and also a source of conflict between Hindus and Muslims: the Islamic method of animal slaughter, Dhabīḥah, is seen as a slow and painful death in direct opposition to the Hindu method, Jhatka, which literally means “instantly”. In addition to the cycle of reincarnation, the concepts of illusion and truth are core to Hinduism. Truth in this context is Brahman, the universal consciousness and/or ultimate reality. Brahman is the supreme force in Hinduism, generally seen all pervasive and singular. The reality we perceive is ultimately an illusion, a concept called Maya. Enlightenment in Hinduism is the ability to perceive through Maya and into the true Brahman. The role of the gods in Hinduism is complex; sometimes they are supreme forces and sometimes they are just powerful superhuman entities. Often both is true, with the gods being emanations of each other and ultimately of Brahman itself. The Om, written in Devanagari as “ॐ” is one of Hinduism’s most recognizable symbols, and represents the primordial cosmic sound of the universe.

𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

As has already been stated in this post, Hinduism is incredibly diverse. Academics and philosophers, from within India and without, have made many valiant efforts to categorize the various threads. The most widely used currently differentiate by which god, or gods, have been elevated to supreme status. Though functional, use of these terms should not be thought of in the same vein as Christian denominations, like Methodist or Catholic, which have relatively clear and exclusionary division. A Hindu person may or may not identify with one, or multiple of these divisions, or may consider themselves of an altogether different traditions or prefer a different system of division altogether. The four major denominations are as follows:

𝗩𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗺

Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu denomination, and is estimated to cover 2/3rds of the Hindu population, though an exact number is impossible to gather. Vaishnavism is named for and elevates Vishnu, the preserver god, to the status of supreme consciousness. The doctrine of ten avatars is a core belief, and the epics 𝘔𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘢 and 𝘙𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘺𝘢𝘯𝘢 are important texts.

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗺

Shaivism is the second most popular denomination and probably originated in Dravidian South India. Shaivism elevates the destroyer god Shiva. Shaivism is best known for its asceticism and Yoga. The aniconic Lingam is one of its most recognizable artifacts.

𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗸𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗺

Shaktism is the worship of the supreme feminine energy, Shakti. The varied Hindu goddesses, or Devi, are collectively worshiped as emanations of this supreme force, especially Parvati, Kali, and Durga. The Hindu esoteric and mystic tradition, Tantra, is most common in this denomination.

𝗦𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗺

Smartism is named for the Smriti texts, basically any scripture that is not the Vedas (or Upanishads). Smartism holds all gods in equivalents status, though generally portrays a council of five: Ganesha, Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, and Surya. Smartism distinguishes the supreme consciousness, Brahman, into a Saguna Brahman, “Brahman with attributes”, and a Nirguna Brahman, “Brahman without attributes”. Put simply, the chosen deity is a face given to the universal consciousness as a means to understand it. Any deity can serve this function, and the more enlightened the practitioner becomes, the less they need this tutelary Saguna Brahman and can realize the true Nirguna Brahman. Smartism is seen as a syncretic tradition, developed as a means to bring disparate traditions together.

𝗔 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗳 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗼𝗿��

This has been one of the most difficult posts I have yet to write. Deciding what to include and what to omit was incredibly difficult. I wrote, deleted, and rewrote this several times. Doing research was difficult and as it turns out the internet is full of Hindu voices with a lot to say. Just to give an example, Wikipedia itself is full with meta-pages with editors striving against each other for what I would describe as the “least incorrect” version. In the end my aim was simply to give what I felt was as brief and general a post as I could write and still give an effective overview of the basic ideas and terminology one can expect to encounter when speaking about Hinduism. Even after all this, I feel like I have failed at that. However, at some point I have to stop writing this and move on for the sake of this series, and that point is now.

Image Credit: I could not determine the source, though I believe this is an Om encircled by the Om Nama Shivaya mantra. If you are able to find or know the source, please let me know.