Ramakrishna, also known as Gadadhar Chatterji or Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya, was a Hindu religious leader who founded the Ramakrishna Order. He was born on February 18, 1836, in Hooghly, Bengal state, India, and died on August 16, 1886, in Calcutta.
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What is the spiritual leader of Hinduism called?
Worship services (usually referred to as puja) are performed by a Hindu priest and comprise rites and rituals.
Daily deity worship (archana, homa, or aarti), special deity celebrations (Durga Puja, Shiva Abhishekham, or Govardhan Puja), special ceremonies (vahana puja or navagraha puja), and life sacrament ceremonies are all common Hindu rituals and ceremonies (samskara or weddings, pre-birth, sacred thread and last rites, to name a few).
Many Hindu temples and organizations hold worship ceremonies on their premises.
Others may be done away from the office.
The length and complexity of the services may also vary. Many Hindus practice puja at least once or twice a day, and puja may be performed numerous times at temples on any one day.
Priests must be able to efficiently and knowledgeably serve the worship service needs of a Hindu temple and community in order to officiate the many rituals and ceremonies of Hinduism.
Most priests are educated in a traditional manner, however some may have obtained their knowledge and abilities through self-study. A qualified priest is one who has a thorough understanding of the various steps involved in some of the most common worship services; can chant special prayers in Sanskrit or vernacular Indian languages (i.e. mantra or stotram); and is knowledgeable about the various items required for various ceremonies and rituals (such as flowers, rice, coconut, clarified butter, specially prepared food offerings, incense, vermilion and camphor to name only a few).
While the vast majority of Hindu priests are men, women are increasingly entering this field in India, where the majority of Hindus live, and throughout the Hindu diaspora. In smaller temples, a pandit or priest may be summoned to prepare prasadam (food offerings) for Hindu worship services, which are subsequently handed to temple devotees.
Because Hinduism is a very decentralized religion, the priest's occupation is not always certified by a central authority. The priest's religious occupation and the qualities required for his numerous responsibilities are validated and affirmed in the context of the community, where the priest typically receives training, works, and is acknowledged as competent based on the quality of his work. If a Hindu temple or organization in the United States is affiliated with a particular tradition lineage (sampradaya), the priest may be required to meet additional requirements, such as being well-versed in the sampradaya's lineage, scripture, and worship services, and certified by an authority recognized by the sampradaya.
Who are the key leaders of Hinduism?
Brahmanism evolved into Hinduism, which is a way of life and philosophy as well as a religion. Self-knowledge is the core focus of Hinduism, whatever shape one believes it takes; in understanding oneself, one learns to know God. Ignorance of what is good causes evil; knowledge of what is good prevents evil. One's purpose in life is to discern what is good and seek it in accordance with one's specific responsibility (dharma), and one's karma is the result of that appropriate effort. The closer one gets to self-actualization and therefore to realizing the Divine in one's self, the more dutifully one executes one's karma in accordance with one's dharma.
Only in the sense that it convinces one of duality and separation is the physical world an illusion. While it is possible to turn one's back on the world and live a holy austere existence, Hinduism encourages full engagement in life through the purusharthas – life goals which include:
Even though the soul recognizes that these are all temporary pleasures, it enjoys them nonetheless. Because the soul is immortal it has always existed as part of Brahman and will always exist – death is but a mirage. The soul discards the body at death and is reborn if it fails to achieve Moksha; if it succeeds, the Atman merges with Brahman and returns to its eternal home. The samsara cycle of rebirth and death will continue until the soul has had its fill of earthly experiences and pleasures and devotes its life to detachment and the pursuit of eternal rather than temporal values.
The gunas are three attributes or characteristics that are inherent in every soul and can help or impede one in achieving this goal:
The gunas are not three states that one ‘works through' from lowest to highest; they exist in all souls to varying degrees. Even if a person is normally composed and leads a happy life, passion can sweep them away or leave them spinning in helpless turmoil. Recognizing the gunas for what they are and working to manage the less desirable aspects of them, on the other hand, allows one to see one's dharma in life and how to carry it out more clearly. No one can accomplish another's responsibility; only one's own dharma can be fulfilled. Everyone comes to the planet with a specific function to play, and if one chooses not to play that role in this incarnation, they will return in successive lives until they do.
This practice is frequently linked to Hinduism's Caste System, in which one is born into a specific station that one cannot alter, must perform one's assigned duty as a member of that class for the rest of one's life, and will be reborn if one fails to do correctly. Contrary to popular belief, the British colonial government did not impose this concept on the people of India in the 19th century CE; rather, it was first suggested in the Bhagavad Gita (written between the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE), when Krishna tells Arjuna about the gunas and one's responsibility to one's dharma.
Krishna says that one must do what one is supposed to do, and he uses the varna (caste) system to describe how one should live one's life in accordance with Divine Will; anyone could be a Brahmin, a warrior, or a merchant if that was their dharma; the caste system, like the gunas, exists within each individual. Krishna's remarks were later updated in the text Manusmriti (“The Laws of Manu”), which asserted that a rigorous caste system had been established as part of the Divine Order, in which one was destined to remain in the social class one was born into for the rest of one's life. The Laws of Manu text is the first written expression of this concept as we currently know it.
Texts & Observance
Aside from Manu's later meddling, the Hindu scriptures make the concept of Eternal Order crystal apparent. As previously said, these works are divided into two categories:
- The revelation of the nature of existence as recorded by the scribes who “heard” it and documented it in the Vedas is known as Shruti (“what is heard”).
- Smritis (“what is remembered”) – stories of former great heroes and how they lived or failed to live according to Eternal Order's precepts.
- The Bhagavad Gita is a classic story in which Krishna teaches Arjuna about dharma.
- Yoga Sutras are commentaries on various yoga practices and self-liberation.
Indra, lord of the cosmic forces, thunderbolts, storms, war, and courage; Vac, goddess of consciousness, speech, and clear communication; Agni, god of fire and illumination; Kali, goddess of death; Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, remover of obstacles; Parvati, goddess of love, fertility, and strength and also Shiva's consort; and Soma, god of the sea, fertility, illumination, and ecstasy are all mentioned or Those that make up the so-called “Hindu Trinity” are among the most significant deities:
All of these gods are expressions of Brahman, the Ultimate Reality, which can only be comprehended through the prism of its own attributes. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are all of these things, as well as distinct deities with distinct personalities, motivations, and ambitions. They can also be understood through their own avatars, as they are too vast to be fully known on their own, and so take the form of other gods, the most renowned of whom is Krishna, Vishnu's avatar, who visits Earth on a regular basis to amend humanity's understanding and correct error.
Who is the leader founder of Hinduism?
Most experts believe Hinduism began in the Indus Valley, near modern-day Pakistan, between 2300 and 1500 B.C. Many Hindus, on the other hand, argue that their faith is eternal and has always existed.
Hinduism, unlike other religions, does not have a single founder, but rather is a synthesis of diverse beliefs.
The Indo-Aryans arrived in the Indus Valley around 1500 B.C., and their language and culture merged with that of the locals. There's substantial discussion about who had the most effect at the time.
The “Vedic Period,” which spanned from around 1500 B.C. to 500 B.C., was the time when the Vedas were composed. During the Vedic Period, rituals such as sacrifices and chanting were popular.
Who named Hindu religion?
Sanathana Dharma, which means “eternal righteousness,” was the original name for Hinduism. Hinduism was given its name by the Persians, who invaded India in the sixth century BC and named it after the root word Indus.
Who was god Vishnu?
Vishnu is the Hindu triumvirate's second god (orTrimurti). The triumvirate is made up of three gods who are in charge of the world's creation, maintenance, and annihilation. Brahma and Shiva are the other two gods.
Brahma is the universe's creator, whereas Shiva is its destroyer. Vishnu is the universe's preserver and defender.
In hard times, his task is to return to the earth and restore the balance of good and evil. He has been reborn nine times so far, but Hindus believe he will return one last time at the end of the world.
Vishnu's devotees, known as Vaishnavas, regard him as the greatest god. Other gods are regarded as inferior or demi gods by them. Only Vishnu is worshipped by Vaishnavas. Vaishnavism is the name given to the monotheism of Vishnu.
What do the ancient texts say about Vishnu?
Vishnu is mentioned multiple times in the Rig Veda, the holiest of the four Vedas, alongside other gods such as Indra.
He is mainly associated with light, particularly the Sun. Vishnu is not named as one of the original seven solar gods (Adityas) in early texts, but he is mentioned as their leader in later literature.
What is a religious leader called?
Clergy are the appointed leaders of established faiths. In different religious traditions, their responsibilities and tasks vary, but they usually involve presiding over specific rites and teaching their religion's teachings and practices. Individual clergy are referred to as clergyman, clergywoman, clergyperson, churchman (in churches), and cleric, with the title clerk in holy orders having a long history but being used infrequently.
