Vaishnavism

Published on 15th March, 2020, in Mid-day In a typical Hindu temple, we do not find just one image. We find multiple images. For many people, unfamiliar with Hindu tradition, this looks like polytheism. But for Hindus, these are various manifestations or expressions of the same divine principle. Broadly there are three categories of Hinduism, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism, and so three categories of temples. Shaivism deals with the hermit, Shiva, who becomes a householder. We always see the image of the hermit with his wife and two sons: Karthikeya, who makes us feel secure, and Ganesha, who nourishes us. So, our hunger and fear ..

Published on 24th November, 2019, in Mumbai Mirror There are primarily three differences that one observes. First, you notice that Hinduism and Buddhism are not separated from each other within the local population. Second, one does not find any influence of Islam. Third, one does not find the influence of Bhakti traditions, although people do talk about Bhakti a lot. This reveals a unique form of Hinduism that perhaps thrived across India over a thousand years ago, when Buddhism and Hinduism were not separate, when Islam had no weight, and the emotionality and personalisation of god, as seen in the Bhakti tradition, had not become ..