Cosmology- an understanding of the universe

• Cosmology


  Understanding of the universe
• Hindu cosmology


  • Hindu stories try to capture the idea of energy, which makes things come alive and act in certain ways
  • They also try to explain the difference between spiritual worlds and material worlds
• Rig Veda 10.129.6-7: 'Who verily knows and who can here declare it, whence it was born and whence comes this creation? The Gods are later than this world's production. Who knows then whence it first came into being? He, the first origin of this creation, whether he formed it all or did not form it. Whose eye controls this world in highest heaven, he verily knows it, or perhaps he knows not.'
• Hindu ideas about the world and the way it works


  • Time is cyclical
  • The material world is repeatedly created
  • The universe is one of many bubbles floating in space
  • There are three tiers of our universe - the heavenly planets, the earthly realm and the lower worlds
  • There is not a single account of creation; instead, there are many interrelated stories
  • There are two realities-spirit (purusa) and matter (prakriti). The atman, the eternal self or spirit, is distinct from the material and temporary mind and body
• Hindu understanding of time - the Cycle of Four Ages


  Hindus think that there are four very long ages, or epochs, called yugas, which continuously rotate. Time is in a total cycle of 4,320,000 years, made up of: the yuga of gold (1,728,000 years); the yuga of silver (1,296,000 years); the yuga of copper (864,000 years); and the yuga of iron (432,000 years). Each age gets shorter and more corrupt. We are living in the age of iron. So, given that human existence in the world is 5000 years into the age of iron, this leaves 427,000 years remaining until the tenth avatar of Vishnu will appear as Kalki, riding a white horse. He will kill off the remaining evil and evil-doers in the world and bring about the birth of another golden age, and so a new cycle of time will start.
• Spirit


  Spiritual reality in Hinduism, the essence of a living being which cannot be seen
• Matter


  Material reality: that from which things are made and which can be seen in Hinduism, called prakriti
• Cycle of Four Ages


  The four yugas; divisions within the cycle of time
• Enlightenment


  The gaining of true knowledge about God or self, usually through meditation and self-discipline; in Hindu and Buddhist traditions, gaining freedom from the cycle of rebirth
• Illusion


  Everything in the world which seems real but is not; in Hinduism, called maya
• Tri-guna


  The three qualities or gunas-goodness, passion and ignorance
• Matter goes through three stages: creation, maintenance and destruction
• The tri-guna are often linked to the three primary colours, red, yellow and blue, which provide the complete spectrum
• A balanced person will show serenity, contentment, knowledge, honesty, generosity and self-control
• The balance is upset by desire, ambition and wanting to control; qualities such as laziness, hopelessness, thoughtlessness and intoxication can seriously damage a person