Hinduism

may believe in an all-encompassing, indivisible being--similar in many ways to the god of Christians, Jews, and Muslims--they also believe that the many aspects of the divine may be viewed and worshiped through particular gods and goddesses that embody different aspects of the cosmos (Huyler 70).

So while monotheistic in theory, Hinduism is actually polytheistic in practice. One example of this is how Hindu children are encouraged to seek out those gods or goddesses that most motivate and inspire them and to worship them as they see fit (Huyler 70). Many of the goddesses are also the embodiment of contradiction, yet it is this union of contrary elements that reflects some of the key theological understandings of Hinduism, which hold that balance may only be brought about when all factors are present and in their place. One expression of this is the daily ritual some Hindu believers have of standing in water, usually the Ganges River, while holding out their arms and praying to the sun. The water is the feminine aspect of the divine and

. . .
itory. As Haberman (1999) puts it, "Kali represents the untamable and unpredictable that threaten the social order of dharma" (177). At the end of the battle, the gods declare Durga to be the highest principle in the universe. Durga counters this by explaining that her role, as well as Kalis, is as an avatar or incarnation, sent to intervene by setting the world back into balance (Bose 112). As incarnations, they both embody the shakti, of the male gods. As Campbell explains, shakti is a Sanskrit term that means "power, capacity, energy, faculty, or capability" and is used to "denote the energy or active power of a male divinity as embodied in his spouse" (Campbell 217). It is a term that is central to understanding the duality of Hinduism. For every male who carries sperm, there must be a female who has a womb where it can be planted. For every action, there must be a reaction. Although Durga was not playing the stereotypical role of submissive and subservient mother/daughter/wife to the gods, she was acting out her very real spiritual role, that of being the opposite number and ballast to the male gods, while Kali was sent to be the balance for the demonic horders. In these roles, the female can be both creator and dest
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Durga Kali, Durga Instead, Conclusion Huyler, Jews Muslims--they, Shiva Uma, Durga Uma, Brahma Brahma, According Bose, Uma Durga, Uma Shiva, hindu woman, university press, uma shiva, gods goddesses, 111 according bose, york ny, husband children, balance cosmos, huyler 24, huyler 70, 70 goddesses, oxford university press, york ny oxford, ny oxford university, bose 111 according,
Approximate Word count = 1703
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)