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Hinduism Goddesses Essay

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Hinduism consists of a wide pantheon of male deities that are explored in great details over several texts. Goddess worship in Hinduism, on the other hand, has gained a significant amount of attention for its diversity in the contrasting nature of the Goddesses as well as rituals associated with the Goddesses. Over the development of Hinduism, the main Goddess, or Mahadevi, appears in many sacred mythologies (Hendry 2003). In these texts, the female deity is associated with power, or better known as Sakti, which in some scenarios exceeds that of her male counterpart. Due to the independent nature of the Goddesses, there are two schools of beliefs, Vedic and Tantric. In the Tantric school of belief, goddesses like Durga and Kali are the central …show more content…

This is an important image in several Hindu mythologies as it emphasises the uniting of opposites. On one end of the spectrum, Parvati represents the dharma and on the other end, Siva represents moksa. The unity reflects that the two key theological aspects of Hinduism should not be isolated from each other. For instance, even when married Siva is still true to his ascetic form (Kinsley 35-52). Additionally, in ancient India, the Sanskrit term to describe the wives were Dharmapathni or Sahadharmacharini, better known as the one who guides her husband and the one who walks by him on the path of dharma and righteousness, respectively. (Kinsley …show more content…

Her stance in several mythologies is also instilled with dual meaning, as the right hand is generally associated with positive gestures and her left hand holding weapons. The various weapons in her hand also symbolize different aspects of her teachings. For instance, the sword is a tool to attain higher knowledge by severing the head of the human ego in order to exit from the cycle of samsara. Although she is regarded the Goddess of death and violence, Kali’s role in the maintenance of dharma is paramount. To her devotees, she is a mother figure that educates them of the realities of life and the path to righteousness. In order for one to be her devotee, an individual must forgo all worldly connections and be prepared to face several adversities (Sugirtharajah

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