Reincarnation
A Key to Understanding Hindu Reincarnation
When one thinks of the concept of a divine trinity, the first thing that most Americans would think of would be the Christian trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. However, there are other equally important trinities within other religions, for the number three has had religious relevance since ancient times. The sanctity of the number three might arise from the fact that it can be seen to represent the essential triad of life: Families and the species itself continue from past to future as each pair of parents gives rise to a child, who in turn joins with another to produce another child, and so humans step their way three by three into the future.
Hinduism also has a central trinity that in important ways parallels the Christian trinity -- or that is paralleled in important ways by the Christian trinity, depending upon which way one wishes to view the analogy. This concept is expressed as the Trimurti, a Sanskrit word that can be translated into English as "three forms." This trinity takes two related but distinct forms within Hindu thought and practice.
The trimurti is incorporated in the forms of three different gods:...
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now