🌊 Vishnu on the cosmic ocean
The best-known story comes from the Puranas (scriptures full of stories about the gods). Before creation there is only a vast, dark ocean. Vishnu rests on it, lying on the coils of a great serpent called Shesha.
Hindu Beliefs about the Universe and Human Beings » Brahman, Vishnu and Aum: The Hindu Universe
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 1, 1.1 (Hinduism)
- The creation story of Brahman and Vishnu, and the great cycles of the universe
- What Aum is and why it matters to Hindus
- What Hindus believe the universe is for, and where human beings fit in it
- Why Hindus respect all living things and care for the earth, and how they respond to science
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Unlock This CourseBrahman and Vishnu: where the universe comes from
The lesson How Did the Universe Begin? Religious and Scientific Views set out the big ideas. Hinduism has no single creation story. It has many, found in different scriptures (holy writings). Behind them all is one belief: everything comes from Brahman. The Chandogya Upanishad, one of the Upanishads (scriptures about the deepest questions of life), says, 'All this is Brahman.'
Key terms:
- Brahman: the one supreme reality, the source of everything that exists. Many Hindus use the word for God.
- Trimurti: the 'three forms' through which Brahman works on the universe: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
- Aum: the sacred sound from which Hindus believe the universe arose. Also written Om.
- Atman: the eternal self or soul within every living thing.
- Moksha: liberation, when the atman is set free from being reborn.
- Lila: 'divine play'. The belief that God creates freely, out of joy.
- Ahimsa: non-violence, which means not harming any living thing.
🌸 Brahma and the lotus
A lotus flower grows from Vishnu's navel. It opens, and Brahma is sitting inside. Brahma then makes the world: the heavens, the earth, the sky and every kind of living thing.
The story does not end with creation. Each of the Trimurti has a task:
- Brahma creates the universe.
- Vishnu preserves it, which means he keeps it going and protects it.
- Shiva destroys it, so that a new creation can begin.
Then it all happens again. Hindus believe time moves in great cycles with no first beginning and no final end. One cycle is called a kalpa, or 'day of Brahma', and is said to last more than four billion years.
Hindus read these stories in different ways. Many see them as symbols of a deeper truth: the universe depends on Brahman at every moment. Some take them as accounts of real events. One ancient hymn in the Rig Veda, the oldest Hindu scripture, is very open about the mystery. It asks who can really know how creation began, and suggests that perhaps even the highest being does not know.
Aum: the sound of creation
Hindus believe that Aum was the first sound, and that the universe arose from its vibration. The Mandukya Upanishad teaches that Aum is everything: all that was, all that is and all that will be. So for Hindus, Aum is Brahman in the form of sound.
🎶 Three sounds in one
Aum is made of three sounds: A, U and M. Many Hindus link them with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and so with creation, preservation and destruction.
🙏 Aum in daily life
Hindus chant Aum at the start and end of prayers and when they meditate. Saying it reminds Hindus that Brahman is the source of everything, including themselves.
What is the universe for?
Hindus give two main answers about the purpose of the universe.
🎭 Lila: divine play
God lacks nothing, so God did not create out of need. Many Hindus, above all those who worship Vishnu, say creation is lila: the free and joyful play of God.
🌱 The journey to moksha
The universe is also the place where each atman makes its journey. Hindus believe the atman lives many lives, learning and acting in the world, until it reaches moksha.
The place of human beings and other living things
The lesson Caring for the Planet and Animal Rights explained commonality and dominion. Hindu teaching stresses commonality. Humans are one form of life among many, and every living thing has an atman: people, animals, birds and insects. The Bhagavad Gita, a much-loved scripture, says the wise see a learned priest, a cow, an elephant and a dog with an equal eye (chapter 5). An old Hindu saying, 'vasudhaiva kutumbakam', means 'the world is one family'.
Human life is still seen as special. Hindus believe a human birth is a rare chance, because humans can think about right and wrong and can work towards moksha. But this gives humans more responsibility, not the right to do as they like. Hinduism has no teaching that humans have dominion over other creatures.
🕊 Ahimsa
Because every creature has an atman, harming one is wrong. Hindus also believe that causing harm brings bad karma to the person who does it.
🥗 Vegetarianism
Many Hindus are vegetarian as a way of living by ahimsa. Not all are. Some Hindus eat fish or meat, and customs differ between regions and families.
🐄 The cow
The cow is honoured as a gentle animal that gives milk and asks for little, like a mother. Krishna is pictured as a cowherd. Most Hindus do not eat beef, and many see harming a cow as very wrong.
Care for the earth. Hindus believe Brahman is present in all of nature, so the earth is sacred. It is honoured as a mother, Bhumi Devi, and a hymn in the Atharva Veda says, 'Earth is my mother, I am her child.' Rivers such as the Ganges, and many mountains and trees, are treated as holy. Hindus act on this by wasting less, planting trees and helping to clean rivers. In 2015 Hindu leaders from around the world signed the Hindu Declaration on Climate Change, which calls on Hindus to protect the planet.
Hindu responses to the scientific account
🔬 Science and faith fit together
Most Hindus see no clash with the Big Bang theory or evolution. Hindu scriptures already speak of an ancient universe, billions of years old. Hindus who read the stories as symbols can accept what science discovers about how the universe works. Some Hindus see a likeness to evolution in the avatars (earthly forms) of Vishnu, which begin with a fish and a tortoise and end with human forms.
📖 Where they differ
Science describes one Big Bang, while Hinduism teaches endless cycles. Science does not speak of Brahman, the atman or a purpose behind it all, and Hindus hold that these are the heart of the matter. A smaller number of Hindus take the creation stories as literal fact and so question parts of the scientific account.
Common mistakes
Do not mix up Brahman (the supreme reality) and Brahma (the creator god). Do not write that all Hindus are vegetarian: many are, but not all. Do not say Hindus believe the universe was created once: they believe it is created, preserved and destroyed again and again.
Exam-style question
Paper 1 style. (a) and (b) test AO1; (c) and (d) test AO1 and AO2.
(a) Identify three ways in which religious believers show respect for living things. [3 marks]
(b) Choose one religion. Outline two beliefs about the origin of the universe in this religion. [4 marks]
(c) Choose one religion. Explain why followers of this religion believe they should care for other living things. [6 marks]
(d) 'Human beings are no more important than any other living thing.' Evaluate this statement, showing you have considered different points of view. In your answer you should refer to at least one religion. [12 marks]
Model answer
(a) 1. Being vegetarian (1). 2. Refusing to harm animals (1). 3. Protecting the places where wildlife lives (1).
(b) Hinduism. Hindus believe that everything comes from Brahman, the supreme reality (1), as the Chandogya Upanishad says, 'All this is Brahman' (1). Hindus believe that Brahma, the creator, was born from a lotus growing from Vishnu (1), and that Brahma then made the world and every kind of living thing (1).
(c) Hinduism. Hindus believe that every living thing has an atman, an eternal self. This means animals are not just objects for humans to use. The Bhagavad Gita teaches that the wise see a priest, a cow and a dog with an equal eye.
Hindus also follow ahimsa, which means non-violence. Harming a creature that has an atman is wrong and brings bad karma, so many Hindus choose to be vegetarian.
Finally, Hindus believe Brahman is present in all of nature, so the earth and its creatures are sacred. This is why the cow is honoured like a mother.
(d) Plan. For: Hindus believe every living thing has an atman, so all life shares the same worth; the Gita says the wise see all creatures with an equal eye; ahimsa applies to every creature, not only to people; some non-religious people argue that humans are simply one animal among many, produced by evolution.
Against: Hindus believe a human birth is a rare chance, because humans can tell right from wrong and work towards moksha; some Hindus eat meat, which suggests that not all Hindus see animal life as equal to human life; many non-religious people say humans matter more because they can reason and plan.
Possible conclusion: judge each point as you go, then pick a side. For example: I partly agree. For Hindus, humans have a special chance to reach moksha, but that makes them more responsible for other creatures, not more free to harm them.
Exam tip
In part (b) the question says 'origin of the universe', so give beliefs about how it began, such as Brahman, the lotus story or Aum. Beliefs about ahimsa or the cow would score nothing here.