Viewpoint: Vaishnavism : Monotheistic or Not?
While traditional Hinduism is commonly held to be polytheistic, and in most strains of the tradition this would be absolutely correct, there is also a monotheistic component that is often overlooked, even among historians of religion and Hindu theologians. Indeed, panchopasana, "the worship of...
| Published in: | Journal of Hindu-Christian studies |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Univ.
2021
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| In: |
Journal of Hindu-Christian studies
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| RelBib Classification: | BK Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism NBC Doctrine of God |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | While traditional Hinduism is commonly held to be polytheistic, and in most strains of the tradition this would be absolutely correct, there is also a monotheistic component that is often overlooked, even among historians of religion and Hindu theologians. Indeed, panchopasana, "the worship of five gods" (Durga, Surya, Ganesh, Shiva, and Vishnu) - often considered the very epitome of polytheistic understanding - can be seen in a monotheistic light as well, that is, as an exposition on universal categories of religion as opposed to the literal worship of five individual deities. In this article I draw upon the work of Bengali theologian Bhaktivinoda Thakura (1838-1914) to show how this is so. |
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| ISSN: | 2164-6279 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Hindu-Christian studies
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.7825/2164-6279.1798 |