Hindu gods are a pretty misunderstood group since "Hinduism is often characterized as being polytheistic, and while it is true that innumerable dieties are the objects of worship, many Hindus will regard these as [one] aspect or manifestation of sacred power." (Flood 10). Having one transcendant divinity that can be approached through a variety of different manifestations is just one of many distinctions between the Indian gods found in The Mahabharata and the Greek gods of The Iliad. What are some of the other distinctions? How has the relationship between the gods and humans changed? How does samsara (reincarnation) affect the relationship?Flood, Gavin. An Introduction to Hinduism. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996. Print.
"Having one transcendent divinity that can be approached through a variety of different manifestations is just one of many distinctions between the Indian gods found in The Mahabharata and the Greek gods of The Iliad. What are some of the other distinctions? How has the relationship between the gods and humans changed? How does samsara (reincarnation) affect the relationship?"
ReplyDeleteThese are fantastic questions, and, just the sort of comparison you want to have running in the background as we move from unit to unit. I like these questions a lot, and, they in turn make me wonder: a) how might the progress of the war at Troy have been different with Hindu gods, and b) what might Achilles had been like had the idea of samsara been in the mix?