• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Is there Satan in Hinduism?

Vinayaka

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
In a debate thread, I suggested that Satan is a foreign concept to Hinduism. I know for sure it is to my version of Hinduism, but now am wondering what other Hindus think. Maybe indeed I'm wrong, and most other Hindus believe in Satan. After all, I (nor any other Hindu) can speak for all the schools within Hinduism.

Yes we have asuras, and the instinctive mind, and other things leading us away from God. But Satan?

Thanks in advance for any clarifications or insights.

Reminders .. I put this in the Hindu DIR, because I want to know what other Hindus think. Not looking for debate.
 
sayak83

sayak83

Veteran Member
Staff member
Premium Member
Vinayaka said:
In a debate thread, I suggested that Satan is a foreign concept to Hinduism. I know for sure it is to my version of Hinduism, but now am wondering what other Hindus think. Maybe indeed I'm wrong, and most other Hindus believe in Satan. After all, I (nor any other Hindu) can speak for all the schools within Hinduism.

Yes we have asuras, and the instinctive mind, and other things leading us away from God. But Satan?

Thanks in advance for any clarifications or insights.

Reminders .. I put this in the Hindu DIR, because I want to know what other Hindus think. Not looking for debate.
Click to expand...
No.
 
George-ananda

George-ananda

Advaita Vedanta, Theosophy, Spiritualism
Premium Member
Vinayaka said:
In a debate thread, I suggested that Satan is a foreign concept to Hinduism. I know for sure it is to my version of Hinduism, but now am wondering what other Hindus think. Maybe indeed I'm wrong, and most other Hindus believe in Satan. After all, I (nor any other Hindu) can speak for all the schools within Hinduism.

Yes we have asuras, and the instinctive mind, and other things leading us away from God. But Satan?

Thanks in advance for any clarifications or insights.

Reminders .. I put this in the Hindu DIR, because I want to know what other Hindus think. Not looking for debate.
Click to expand...
What I think is that there are entities in a temporary state of evil and the phrase 'satanic' can work to describe them, but not the grand entity leader called 'Satan' like in fundamentalist Biblical terms.
 
K

Kapalika

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I believe in Satan as an Ishvara, so yes I do. I just don't believe it is the "devil" that is featured in Islam and Christianity and my Satan is quite different than theirs and is comparable to forms of Kali and Shiva.

edit;

To expand without revealing things I feel is not my place to reveal, it's tied on many levels, but most generally with the essential essence of all existence, though nondual in it's core nature, emanates into apparent dualities through various expressions. This ties into the root meaning of the word Satan: "opposition". This balance of self-opposing nature is what creates the cosmic dance and our world. It is only when it opposes it's self-opposing nature (the ultimate opposition; defying it's own underlying nature, even if paradoxical) that the apparent duality folds back in on itself and is experienced as nonduality.

People often forget about the dark side of the Universe, of God or whatever you call it. Isvharas like Kali and Bhairava can remind us of that, but even those are often drawn into more pleasant ideas.
 
Last edited:
Aupmanyav

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
No Satan. He lives towards west of us, half way around the world. A related question - do the Chinese and Japanese have Satan. I understand Philippines has capitulated completely and to a lesser extent South Korea and Fiji.
 
SpentaMaynu

SpentaMaynu

One God, All in all
It's difficult for my Western mind to grasp the idea of there not being a literal person called Satan... But I've came a long way since I stood back from Christianity and took All in perspective (as well as I could). I believe that anything therefore that keeps me away from realizing Ultimate Reality is a satan (in the original meaning 'accuser' as far as I know)... I am most often my own worst satan/enemy because I get attached to the material things
 
Sw. Vandana Jyothi

Sw. Vandana Jyothi

Truth is One, many are the Names
Premium Member
The simple answer IMO, is if it isn't Sat or Chit or Ananda (Brahman), it doesn't exist. But raised in a country whose dialogue (or perhaps one could even say dominant monologue) was Christian-based, the shrill and fear-mongering concept of "Satan, a powerfully evil entity out to do me in" cannot be escaped. The very word conjures up thought-forms and feelings to be examined, some of which horrors surely were added later by priests, etc., who had axes to grind exacerbated by impure motives in order to control an ignorant populace. In that context, as a student and sadhaka of Hinduism, long ago I had to strip the word of its "color" first in order to see if there was any parallel on my chosen path to Self-realization. So, for this Hindu, what I came up with and that which satisfies my "need to know" is anything which is asat (whether in form or formless) might be considered "Satan."
 
Aupmanyav

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
The arrow tipped tail is a must and so are horns, long incisors and trident.

devil-from-rottentoons-com2.gif
 
K

Kapalika

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Aupmanyav said:
The arrow tipped tail is a must and so are horns, long incisors and trident.

devil-from-rottentoons-com2.gif
Click to expand...

These types of depictions are influenced by Pan, mostly. I've heard it argued by some Satanists that the trident was taken from Shiva, to try to reinforce how the Christian Satan is a vlified conflation of many non christian gods. However, not the kind of image I'd see Satan as. Though I think you are trying to have a sense of humor about it?

As some have pointed out, some might consider Maya to be a devil of sorts, as so some might consider the Kali (short A) of the kali yuga to be.

Personally, I distinguish between "satan" and "the devil". The later is a feature of Islam and Christianity, which I think most other religions do not have. I can't think of any "devil" (powerful enemy of 'god' or All working against it) that Hinduism has, although it might have 'adversaries' or 'testers' depending on the sect. Maya might be considered one such adversary but in a more abstract sense. And I've already explained my own views on the topic.
 
Shantanu

Shantanu

Well-Known Member
Vinayaka said:
In a debate thread, I suggested that Satan is a foreign concept to Hinduism. I know for sure it is to my version of Hinduism, but now am wondering what other Hindus think. Maybe indeed I'm wrong, and most other Hindus believe in Satan. After all, I (nor any other Hindu) can speak for all the schools within Hinduism.

Yes we have asuras, and the instinctive mind, and other things leading us away from God. But Satan?

Thanks in advance for any clarifications or insights.

Reminders .. I put this in the Hindu DIR, because I want to know what other Hindus think. Not looking for debate.
Click to expand...
Do you think there is evil in this world, and it comes from a spiriual source. Of course there is evil and so there is Satan: In the trimurti the Satan is Shiva, the tamasic Deity.
 
Vinayaka

Vinayaka

devotee
Premium Member
Shantanu said:
Do you think there is evil in this world, and it comes from a spiriual source. Of course there is evil and so there is Satan: In the trimurti the Satan is Shiva, the tamasic Deity.
Click to expand...

I believe there is anava. The triple bondage is anava, karma, and maya. I don't believe in intrinsic evil. Now of course Hindus do have differing schools, and there may be some who believe in some sort of absolute evil. I personally don't know of any.

You may not be familiar with anava, but it's the darkness, the cloud, the ignorance, the veil to reality, that permeates this sphere. Not evil at all, just there, like paint layers covering a beautiful painting.

Do you remember that I'm a Saivite, so comparing my Beloved Shiva to the devil of Abrahamic Religions is just silly to me, if not insulting?
 
Aupmanyav

Aupmanyav

Be your own guru
"Temples related with Ravana in India are Ravana Mandir Bisrakh, Koteshwar Temple Gujarat, Vidisha RavangramTemple and Murudeshwara Temple has Ravana Statue,Koneswaram temple of Sri Lanka is one of the most famous Ravana temple in the world.The Most Powerful Negative Character In Hindu Mythology." Google Search for "Ravana temples in India".
https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiAx_z2rbnOAhXEMY8KHdN3CIMQFggfMAA&url=http://www.walkthroughindia.com/festivals/religion/5-famous-temples-of-ravana-in-india-the-demon-king-of-lanka/&usg=AFQjCNG7n1U-WdnZvIryKWyH34WVJwhJvQ&sig2=B67VNeHsOqgrZT_ePXG66A&bvm=bv.129422649,d.c2I

There is a fight going on in a village near Delhi these days. The village is supposed to be the ancestral village of Ravana and some people there want to install a new Ravana idol in the temple. Other Hindus are against it. But then, Indian Constitution guarantees religious freedom and these people have a right to heir own temple of Ravana and his idol. Now the idol will be installed in presence of police.
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en...59.1163.0j4j1j1.6.0...0.0...1ac.1._rgrGSuLzbU

No Hindu denies that Ravana was a very pious person, a great scholar and one of the greatest devotees of Lord Shiva.
 

Attachments

  • upload_2016-8-11_18-7-59.jpeg
    upload_2016-8-11_18-7-59.jpeg
    8.5 KB · Views: 127
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top