Key Idea: The sanatana dharma has no creed. Hindus may conceive God as saguna — personal and having form — or as nirguna — non-personal and without form, and both are within the tradition. The guide's summary is that Hinduism is based on orthopraxy and conformity to tradition and duty rather than orthodoxy or correct belief.
Tested as
- Essays on statements of belief, authority and schools
- Whether diversity strengthens or weakens the tradition
- Beliefs about liberation, karma and the world
Watch for
- Giving one school's account as the Hindu belief
- Treating moksha as a reward for good karma
- Saying Hindus have no beliefs because there is no creed
Use
- Saguna and nirguna; Brahman and the Trimurti
- Maya, atman, jiva, karma, samsara, moksha
- "Depending on schools of thought" — the guide's own qualifier
| Doctrine | What the guide says |
|---|---|
| Brahman | Ultimate reality — a Hindu expression of monism |
| Trimurti | Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Sustainer, Shiva the Destroyer; all male gods have female consorts who sustain the sanatana dharma |
| The condition | Humans are in maya, a state of illusion; the aim is to release the atman from the jiva |
| Karma | The law of actions — action causes karma, which influences rebirth |
| Moksha | Liberation: union or intimacy with God, or release from samsara, depending on schools of thought |
| Authority | The Vedas, the Brahmins, the Upanishads and the gurus |
The three schools to be able to distinguish
- Shankara — Advaita Vedanta: atman is Brahman; the world of separate things is maya; liberation is realising what was always the case, and jnana yoga carries the weight.
- Ramanuja — the self and the world are real and related to Brahman as a body to the one who has it; Brahman is personal, so bhakti is a path in its own right.
- Madhva — pressed the distinction between self and God further still.
- All three read the same Upanishads and the same Gita, and all three remain Hindu.
Discuss the Hindu understanding of maya.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Justify the claim that Hinduism can accommodate very different accounts of God.
🔒 Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
What do saguna and nirguna mean? Saguna conceives God as personal and having form; nirguna as non-personal and without form. Both are within the sanatana dharma, which the guide says has no creed.
Name the Trimurti and their roles. Brahma, responsible for creation; Vishnu, for the preservation of creation; Shiva, for destruction.
What does the guide say moksha is? Liberation — union or intimacy with God, or release from samsara, depending on schools of thought. Quoting the qualifier is what keeps the answer accurate.
What is the difference between Shankara and Ramanuja? Shankara reads atman as identical with Brahman, so liberation is realisation and knowledge carries the weight. Ramanuja holds the self and world real and Brahman personal, so devotion is a path in its own right.
Exam tips
- Quote "depending on schools of thought" whenever you describe moksha.
- Name Shankara and Ramanuja once each. Two names show you know the diversity is structured.
- Orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy is the guide's own summary. Use it as a conclusion.
- Maya is about perception, not about the world being unreal in every school.