OM or AUM:
"That Who Art",
the symbol of
the Absolute,
used frequently in prayer, as a
mystical contemplation of the ultimate reality.
HinduismSymbols of Hinduism:
OM or AUM:
"That Who Art",
the symbol of
the Absolute,
used frequently in prayer, as a
mystical contemplation of the ultimate reality.
Mandala,
a symbolic representation of the Universe.
Mandala
pictures -
Mandala
-
Mandalas on the Web
At a Temple- god Shiva with his Lingam and Yoni
The different ways in which Omkar is depicted. The syllable OM is not specific to Indian culture. It has religious significance in other religions also. The word Amen used among Christians at the end of a prayer is also said to be derived from the syllable OM. Although OM is not given any specific definition and is considered to be a cosmic sound, a primordial sound, the totality of all sounds etc., Amen means 'May it be so'.
In Arabic a similar term 'Amin' has a religious significance.
Did the Swastika originate as blueprint for a fort called Su Vastu?
In the conventional type of a fort, the fall of one of the gates to the attacking army would lead to the Enemy's pouring into the fort and lead to massacre or capture of all or most of its inhabitants. But under the Swastika grids fall of one of the four gates could still keep, at least three-fourths of the fort safe. The understanding of the Swastika as a blueprint for a fort can also be etymologically corroborated. In Sanskrit, Vasa means to inhabit and Vastu means habitation. While Su means good. The word Swastika might be an amalgam of the terms 'Su' and 'Vastu' pronounced as 'Swastu') meaning 'a good habitation'.
The clue that the Grid-chakravy like the Swastika as a defensive arrangement was a fact is also corroborated by the military practice of Chakra-vyuha used during ancient times. In the Chakra-vyuha, the army was arranged in the form of a circular grid which an enemy army was supposed to break. This was one of the techniques used during the Mahabharata war in which Arjuna's son Abhimanyu was killed. That the Chakra-vyuha was an effective form of defense and it was very difficult to break it is corroborated by the episode of Abhimanyu in the Mahabharata.
FOUNDATION AND ORGANIZATION:
Prehistoric Hinduism dates from 3000 BC, as Animism. In 1500 BC the Arians from Persia invade India and brought the "Vedas", at the same time that Moses was in Egypt.
The name "Hindus" is the way the Persians called the people living around the Hindus river.
The organization, varies in nature from region to region. There is no official creed, no structural church, no world authority nor organization... they have produce an enormous variety of religious systems, beliefs and practices... in India religion permeates every aspect of the individual and social life, with one of the most ritualistic systems of religion, though Hindu worship is primarily at home, and their beautiful temples are not for weekly congregational services; they may have 2 or 3 services a year. They are there to remind people that the gods live and are to be served.
Membership:
There are now 779 million Hindus. 700 live in India, with 92 Muslims,
20 Christians, 16 Sikhs, 6 Buddhists, and 4 Jains.
Nepal, with 89% of the population, is
the only nation where Hinduism is the state religion.
In Figi 41%. In Mauritius 50%;
Trinidad 25%; Sri Lanka 15%; Bangladesh 11%; and in the United States about 2 million,
with others influenced by TM, Hare Krishnas...
http://hindubooks.org/sudheer_birodkar/hindu_history/omkar.html
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