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Figure 2-18.—Hindu Sectarian Markings. Markings which may be placed upon the forehead.
Hindus honor three personifications of Brahma—three gods of equal
importance:
Brahma—the Creator
Shivs—the Destroyer
Vishnu—the Preserver or Renewer
Although many other deities are worshiped by the Hindus, nearly all
worship Shiva, Vishnu, or Shakti. Shakti is the Mother Goddess—the female
counterpart to Shiva. Followers of Vishnu think of him as a god of love.
Rama and Krishna are believed to be two of the great incarnations of
Vishnu.
Hinduism teaches that the essence of every living thing—its soul or
spirit—is “atman,” which comes from Brahma. It teaches that Brahma
forms the inmost essence of everything.
Hinduism teaches that the ultimate goal of one’s soul is in union with
Brahma, which is bliss beyond change or pain. But the soul cannot achieve
this goal in one lifetime. Adherents believe that the soul is not born and does
not die; rather it passes from body to body (reincarnation, or transmigra-
tion) until it becomes pure enough to be reunited with Brahma. Hindus
believe that the law of Karma, or the law of the dead, regulates the way the
soul moves. A person’s deeds in one life determine the nature of the next life.
Hindus maintain that a person is the product of past deeds.
The sublime objective of Hinduism is to achieve union with God, the
eternal spirit Brahma. Hinduism teaches that a person can become one with
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