Hinduism quotes

• Brahman


  Ultimate reality, all-pervading Pure Consciousness, the Divine
• The Divine


  In the Brihadarayaka Upanishad, a wise man asks how may gods there are. The response goes from hundreds down to 1 supreme being.
• Brahma


  • Creator of all...from him comes all life
• Vishnu


  • Whenever there appears a decline in righteousness....send Myself to birth
• Shiva


  • He watches over all beings and rules over their creation and destruction
• Deities


  In the Brihadarayaka Upanishad, a wise man asks how may gods there are. The response goes from hundreds down to 1 supreme being.
• Avatars and male deities


  • "Whenever there is decay of righteousness ... then I Vishnu will come forth .. For the protection of the good and the destruction of evil doers." (Bhagavad Gita)
  • In the Ramayana, Rama defeats the evil demon Ravanna, showing good will overcome evil
• Cosmology - an understanding of the universe
• Atman


  The self hidden in the heart of all creatures ... Yet it can be seen by men who see things subtle
• Relationship between Brahman and Atman


  Compared to salt dissolved in water. The father explains to Svetaketu that: "In the same way, my son, you cannot see the Atman. But in truth he is here. Brahman is like an invisible and subtle essence.
• Namaste


  Hindu greeting which means: "I honour the God within you."
• Samsara


  The embodied Atman passes in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, it also passes into another body at death
• Karma

  One should perform Karma with detachment, without expecting the benefits, because sooner or later one shall definitely get the fruits
• Moksha


  • Having gained supreme perfection, the great souled ones who come to Me never find reincarnation that transient home of misery
  • When a man knows God, he is free: his sorrows have an end, and birth and death are no more ... [he] is one with the ONE
• The will is not free – it is a phenomenon bound by cause and effect – but there is something behind the will which is free.
• Personal Virtues


  • Ahimsa (non-harming)
  • Respect
  • Empathy
  • Mind/sense control
  • Humility
  • Love
• 4 aims of life

  • Dharma
  • Artha
  • Kama
  • Moksha
• Kama


  Fulfilling desires, acting repeatedly, It the physical, material desire fulfilment be.
• Sanatana Dharma


  Eternal dharma; Hinduism
• Varnashrama Dharma


  Dharma for specific stages in life; the idea that each stage (student, householder, etc) and each varna (social grouping) has particular duties to fulfil
• Brahman


  He is far, and he is near. He is within all and outside all.

  In truth Brahman is all
• “I look upon all creatures equally.” (Bhagavad Gita 9:29)
• Bhagavad Gita 12.13: '"Be friendly and compassionate...hate not any being."'
• Bhagavad Gita 16. 1‐3: '"Forgiveness is a Divine characteristic.”
• Katha Upanishad 2.1‐2: '"There is the path of joy and the path of pleasure. The wise man chooses the path of joy; the fool chooses the path of pleasure."'
• Mundaka Upanishad 2.2: '"In truth Brahman is all."'
• Mundaka Upanishad 2.2: '"Brahma was...the Creator of all, the Guardian of the universe."'
• Svetasvatara Upanishad 6.11: '"He watches the works of creation, lives in all things."'
• Karma


  Good acts are rewarded in the future and bad acts are punished in the future. All Hindus should strive to gain good karma for a betater reincarnation
• Moksha


  The aim of life is to escape the cycle of samsara and join with Brahman. This is achieved through gaining good karma.
• Ahimsa


  Non-violence. "Non– violence is the law of the human race and is infinitely greater than and superior to brute force." Gandhi
• Samsara


  The cycle of reincarnation; the body is an impermanent vehicle for the atman (soul)
• Dharma


  Religious duty. "This is the sum of duty. Do naught to others, which, if done to thee, could cause thee pain." The Mahabharata
• Varna-ashrama-dharma


  It is important for all Hindus to do their religious and social duty or dharma; dharma depends on your Varna (caste) and Ashrama (life stage)
• Atman/Brahman


  All people have an atman or soul which is a part of Brahman within them.
• Sanatana Dharma


  Eternal truth; doing what is right; the Hindu way of life.
• Maya


  Do not allow yourself to become distracted by illusion
• Gandhi: '"An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind."'
• Gandhi: '"There is no cause for which I am prepared to kill."'
• Gandhi: '"I shall not bear ill toward anyone."'