Hinduism is not only a religion, but it is also a way of life for
the followers of the faith. In their religion, like many others, Hindus place
their fate in the hands of a higher power. A large part of Hinduism is images,
which can be used to help the person of faith come to a greater understanding
and connection to their god(s). Seeing can be defined as a way to understand
and interpret things, therefore two individuals may be looking at the same
object but they may take from that object different meanings. Seeing in
Hinduism can be achieved through iconography and traditions, which leads to a
fostering of individual interpretation and a sense of community.
Iconography
and the traditions, which surround the Hindu religion and culture, foster
seeing by building a visual context for the religion as well as showing the
affects of the religion in everyday life. The Vedas is a collection of
religious documents, which describe the “relationship between the divine and
human.” The Vedas is important because it helps determine human order, how
Brahmin should interact with murti, social order, etc. In the Vedas,
varna-ashrama-dharma is explained and how the twice born have obligations
depending upon his social class and stage of life. Sampradaya, which is
translated to oral traditions, is a tradition in Hinduism where a person learns
the conducts and teachings of Hinduism to orally pass those traditions on to
the next generation. These examples show how a believer can comprehend that
Hinduism touches people’s lives and influences what they do. Hindu ceremonies
that are centered around murti (the image of the god/goddess) help the devotee
build a relationship to their god/goddess and help them come to a greater
understanding of that god/goddess. The Hindu customs use the full senses to
worship their god/goddesses (puja). They use incense to help clean the air and
aid meditation. The Brahmin ring bells to invite to god to enter the murti, and
the Brahmin bathe, give light (or fire), dress, and lay jewels and flowers on the
murti. The Brahmin give the murti offerings such as fruits and sweets, and the
left-overs may be distributed to the congregation, which would be considered to
be blessed. These acts are witnessed and include all senses, the viewer is able
to literally see his god but he is also able to connect and be with his god on
a more spiritual level. The individual interpretation leads the devotee to a
more spiritual level because he is able to have a more personal connection to
his god.
Each person has
his own background, identity, personality, and history that help him interpret
the world. Every person can vary so much in how he views the world, one person
cannot possibly get the same meaning from something that another person may
get. Plate gives an example of an artist and viewers: the viewers see the same
images that the artists has done, then two viewers are asked to produce the
same image as the artists did. The viewers create two completely different
images, different from each other and from what the artist has created, this
shows that people see and interpret things in a different light. In the Hindu
religion, darshan is the act of seeing and being seen by the murti. Seeing is
also thought of as a way of believing the truth, I have seen it therefore it is
true. Individuality is also present in the different relationships a devotee
and the divine can have such as: devotee as servant and lord as master, devotee
as friend and he lord as a friend, the devotee as a parent and the lord as a
child, etc. Having different types of relationships with the gods means that
each person worships and sees a god in a different way and has a different
connection with their god. Although Hinduism sets up a type of individuality
for each devotee to have, it also builds a sense of community for the people of
that faith as well.
Hinduism builds a
sense of community though its caste system and local traditions. The caste
system, or jati is a social division in which the Brahmins are at the top of
the casts system, and as the casts lower in rank so does their pureness,
leading finally to the untouchables. People are born into theses casts and
marry individuals of the same casts. In the Veda, a man represented the social
order; each body part of the man represented the natural hierarchy. Many things
are relevant in all Hindu’s lives, but other things may be different, such as
the gods. Different towns may have different gods that they worship that
devotees outside of that town may not have heard of. Hindus can make gods to
help with any issue they are facing; therefore there is individuality as well
as community building because the community is united in celebrating and
worshiping a unique god.
Seeing in a
religious context can be understood as a deeper understanding and connection to
a higher power. In Hinduism, seeing is achieved through the use of iconography
and traditions; for an example, when a devotee sees a murti. The purpose of
Hinduism, not only to connect the devotee to their god, is to build a sense of
community and lead the devotee to interpret the religion on their own.
