With the emergence of Bhaktism in South Asia, Hindus started to show their love for Hindu deities through poetry and other forms of art. Bhakti is an intense emotional love for a personal god. It favors an immediate experience of the divine. This trend leads to the creation of major Hindu devotional groups: Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism. All three major groups are unified within the realm of bhakti/devotion; however, each group is distinguishable through their belief system, traditions, and rituals.
Hindus believe in Brahman which is the ultimate truth in the universe. Everything in the universe including the deities are part of the manifestation of Brahman. Therefore, each devotional groups believe their deity as Brahman, the supreme …show more content…
This tradition is well known for its multiple avatars of Lord Vishnu. The God has 10 avatars such Rama, Krishna, Narayana, Vasudeva, Hari, and others. This tradition has been key to the development of the bhakti tradition. It is revered for the immense love for the Lord Vishnu with the multitude of Tamil poetries and songs. As opposite to Shaivism, in which devotees control their emotions with yoga and meditation, this tradition emphasizes the expression of emotions. Moreover, Vaishnavism is very important for making spirituality accessible to ordinary people not for just yogis who renounced the world. In addition to the Vedas, the devotees of Vaishnavism venerate the Bhagavad Gita as one of the core readings. One of the characteristics of Vaishnavism is the ability to develop a human relationship with the God: servant to master, parent to child, friend to friend, lover to beloved and many others. As for the spiritual practices, the devotees place great importance on religious devotion and heart rather than the importance of meditation and the head. One of the main goals of this tradition is to have a feeling of companionship with Lord Vishnu. In addition, Vaishnavism venerates the 12 alvars, an important group of saints, who expressed their immense love and passion for Lord Vishnu through hymns. Similarly, many Vaishnavites are admired for their great …show more content…
In Vaishnavism, devotees express by their hearts and souls their love to the God Vishnu by singing, prayer and having a spiritual attachment to the Lord. Perhaps, in Shaivism, Shavaites express their attachment with Shiva with physical and mental practices like yoga, meditation, and ascetic lifestyle. They see Shiva as a Supreme Being that creates, destroys and regenerates the universe. In contrast, more importantly, Vaishnavites develop human relations with the God to show their devotion. Unlike in Shaivism and Vaishnavism, Shaktas show more their devotion by performing rituals, pujas, poetries, and sacrifices. They show immense love for the Goddess to be perceived as their Mother. This expresses that each tradition performs different methods to show their devotion, yet in Shaivism, most devotees see Shiva as more as God than through a human relationship. Moreover, the way to show their love for God is somewhat different in each
Hindus believe in Brahman which is the ultimate truth in the universe. Everything in the universe including the deities are part of the manifestation of Brahman. Therefore, each devotional groups believe their deity as Brahman, the supreme …show more content…
This tradition is well known for its multiple avatars of Lord Vishnu. The God has 10 avatars such Rama, Krishna, Narayana, Vasudeva, Hari, and others. This tradition has been key to the development of the bhakti tradition. It is revered for the immense love for the Lord Vishnu with the multitude of Tamil poetries and songs. As opposite to Shaivism, in which devotees control their emotions with yoga and meditation, this tradition emphasizes the expression of emotions. Moreover, Vaishnavism is very important for making spirituality accessible to ordinary people not for just yogis who renounced the world. In addition to the Vedas, the devotees of Vaishnavism venerate the Bhagavad Gita as one of the core readings. One of the characteristics of Vaishnavism is the ability to develop a human relationship with the God: servant to master, parent to child, friend to friend, lover to beloved and many others. As for the spiritual practices, the devotees place great importance on religious devotion and heart rather than the importance of meditation and the head. One of the main goals of this tradition is to have a feeling of companionship with Lord Vishnu. In addition, Vaishnavism venerates the 12 alvars, an important group of saints, who expressed their immense love and passion for Lord Vishnu through hymns. Similarly, many Vaishnavites are admired for their great …show more content…
In Vaishnavism, devotees express by their hearts and souls their love to the God Vishnu by singing, prayer and having a spiritual attachment to the Lord. Perhaps, in Shaivism, Shavaites express their attachment with Shiva with physical and mental practices like yoga, meditation, and ascetic lifestyle. They see Shiva as a Supreme Being that creates, destroys and regenerates the universe. In contrast, more importantly, Vaishnavites develop human relations with the God to show their devotion. Unlike in Shaivism and Vaishnavism, Shaktas show more their devotion by performing rituals, pujas, poetries, and sacrifices. They show immense love for the Goddess to be perceived as their Mother. This expresses that each tradition performs different methods to show their devotion, yet in Shaivism, most devotees see Shiva as more as God than through a human relationship. Moreover, the way to show their love for God is somewhat different in each