14 Demandas Comun

14 Frequently Asked Questions

Demanda Des-tre: Perce alga Dios indu ave distinguintes animalin?

Question Thirteen: Why do some Hindu Gods have animal features?

R: En sonias e revelas la esentes de planas interna ia mostra se a umanas en multe formas e espresante multe potias. Alga de los aspeta umana, e otras, como Ganexa (Ganesha), ave distinguintes animalin.

A: In dreams and visions the inner-plane beings have revealed themselves to mankind to be of many forms, expressing many powers. Some appear human, and others, like Ganesha, have animal features.

Responde plu longa: La Dios variosa en la multe de tradisiones de induisme posese personalias e formas distinguida, dependente de como los ia es videda en revelas e como los es portraeda en naras e lejendas. Indus senti no nesesa de duta la fato, per esemplo, ce Senior Ganexa ave la testa de un elefante. Los sabe ce El ia es videda en tal modo par rixis e an par adorores comun. Esce El ia eleje acel forma per distingui Se como la Senior de Ostaculos? Nun es serta. La fato importante es ce a cada dia miliones de indus adora e reseta bondises de la Dio bonvolente con un Fas Elefantin. Multe indus, ci xerca un esplica, manteni ce Ganexa es un esente real cual aspeta como un elefante. Otras crede ce la forma elefantin es un simbol. Miliones es contente con la racontas antica en la Puranas cual esplica como El ia reseta la testa de un elefante. Interesante, e probable par causa de Sua fas amable, Ganexa es la plu popular de tota la Divines indu. Multe otra Divines indu ave atribuis animal, incluinte Hanuman, Varuna, Kamadhenu, la nagas, la vahanas (montadas animal de la Dios) e cuatro de la des incarnes de Vixnu (pex, tortuga, porco savaje e duiom-duileon).

Longer answer: The various Gods in Hinduism’s wide-ranging traditions possess distinct personalities and forms based on how they have been seen in visions and how they are depicted in stories and legends. Hindus feel no need to question the fact, for instance, that Lord Ganesha has the head of an elephant. They know He has been seen in this way by rishis and even by ordinary devotees. Did He choose that form to distinguish Himself as the Lord of Obstacles? No one really knows. The important fact is that millions of Hindus worship and receive blessings from the benevolent Elephant-Faced God every day. Many Hindus seeking an explanation hold that Ganesha is a real being who looks like an elephant. Others believe the elephant form is symbolic. Millions are content with the ancient stories in the Puranas that explain how He came to have an elephant head. Interestingly, and perhaps because of His endearing visage, Ganesha is the most popular of all the Hindu Deities. Numerous other Hindu Divinities have animal attributes, including Hanuman, Varuna, Kamadhenu, the Nagas, the vahanas (animal mounts of the Gods) and four of Vishnu’s ten incarnations (fish, turtle, boar and half-man-half-lion).

Esplica detaliosa: Un esplora de otra credes antica mostra ce induisme no es solitar en ave Divines con atribuis animalin. La elinicas antica ia adora la Dio Pan, ci ave la posterior, gamas e cornos de un capra, e la Dios de Mar — Ictiosentauros (Ichthyocentaurs), con testas e troncos umana, la gamas fronte de un cavalo e la codas serpentin de pex. En la panteon Ejipte, Anubis (Dio de la Sumundo) es un om con la testa de un falcon, e tal es Ra (la Dio de la Sol). Thoth (Senior de Sajia e de la Luna) ave la testa de un ibis o de un babuin, e sua sposa, Bastet, ave la forma de un gato o de un leon fema. La poplas mesoamerican ia adora Quetzalcoatl, un serpente plumida. La asirianes ia teme Tiamat, la Diva serpente potiosa, e ia adora esentes alida diversa. En Nion — do budisme e xinto es entretexeda — Kitsune la volpe e Tengu la om avial es mutaformas potiosa ci pote cambia se a formas umana o nonanimada per engana umanas. Ala multe santerias es gardada par un duple de leones-canes majiosa conoseda como Komainu o Shishi.

Elaboration: An exploration of other ancient faiths shows that Hinduism is not alone in having Divinities with animal attributes. The ancient Greeks worshiped the God Pan, who has the hindquarters, legs and horns of a goat, and the Sea Gods Ichthyocentaurs, with human heads and torsos, the front legs of a horse and the serpentine tails of fish. In Egypt’s pantheon, Anubis (God of the Underworld) is a falcon-headed man, as is Ra (the Sun God). Thoth (Lord of Wisdom and of the Moon) has the head of an ibis or a baboon, and His consort, Bastet, has the form of a cat or a lioness. The Mesoamerican peoples worshiped Quetzalcoatl, a feathered serpent. The Assyrians feared the powerful serpent Goddess Tiamat and revered various winged beings. In Japan—where Buddhism and Shintoism are intertwined—Kitsune the fox and Tengu the bird man are powerful shape-shifters who can transform into human or inanimate shapes to trick humans. Many shrines there are guarded by a pair of magical lion-dogs known as the Komainu or Shishi.

En un discute con cristianes, ci tende burla induisme sur esta punto, vos pote fa ce los recorda ce anjeles alida es duiumana e duiavia. Esentes con cuatro testas nomida la Cerubines ia es esensal en la cristianisme temprana. En la Apocalise de la Biblia, Joan scrive: “Me ia vide un trono stante en sielo; e El ci ia senta sur la trono… A la media, sirca la trono mesma, on ia ave cuatro animales con multe oios, a ante se e a pos se. La animal prima ia es simil a un leon, la numero du ia es simil a un bove, la numero tre ia ave la fas umana e la numero cuatro ia es simil a un agila volante. Cada de la cuatro animales ia ave ses alas…” (4:1-8). La descrive acorda con un raconta par la profeta iudi Elia a ante sentenios. Lo es importante ce estas es la esentes la plu potiosa en la panteon, la plu prosima a la Creor.

In a discussion with Christians, who tend to ridicule Hinduism on this point, you can recall that winged angels are half-human and half-bird. Four-headed beings called the Cherubims were central in the early Christianity. In the Bible’s Book of Revelation, John writes: “I saw a throne standing in heaven; and the One who was sitting on the throne… In the center, grouped around the throne itself, were four animals with many eyes, in front and behind. The first animal was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third animal had a human face, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle. Each of the four animals had six wings…” (4:1-8). The description matches an account by Jewish prophet Elijah centuries before. Importantly, these beings are the most powerful beings in the pantheon, closest to the Creator.

Tra la milenios, adora e consensia de Divines con distinguintes animalin ia es ombrida en la plu de cultures cuando la relijios monoteiste ia deveni protendente. Esce esta esentes ia es mera mito e imajina, como lo es representada par eruditas moderna? O esce la poplas de tempos antica ia es consensa de un realia mistica cual ia es a pos clavida? En la plu de cultures, la Dios vea ia es escluida. Sola en induisme esta adora flori nonrompeda continuante.

Over the millennia, worship and awareness of Deities with animal features was eclipsed in most cultures as the monotheistic religions grew into prominence. Were these beings mere myth and imagination, as depicted by modern scholars? Or were the peoples of ancient times aware of a mystical reality that has been sealed off? In most cultures, the old Gods have been put in exile. Only in Hinduism does such worship thrive in unbroken continuity.

On pote nota la fato evidente ce Homo sapiens ance es un spesie animal, un de multes.

One might note the obvious fact that Homo sapiens, too, is an animal species, one among many.