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despict God as a tall white bearded man in his
later years. The gods of the Hindu's are usually
portrayed as young, for they never grow old.
Their bodies not being of ordinary flesh and
blood but mear vehicles for the devine spirit.
The presence of 4 or more arms is a show of
the Gods greater power over man. Modern Hindus
gods and goddesses are rarely shown not smiling
affectionately upon devotees. Dressed sumptuously
or sometimes scantily, they wore bright clothes
and rich jewelry. With 300,000 Gods and Goddesses,
stories of a complex religion of myths and legends,
full of symbolism and mystical philosophy comes
forth.
Brahma
- the creator, is described as 'the first cause
in the Universe'.
Brahma is the son of the Supreme Being. Brahma's
only task was creator, never destroying what
he creates. This singular task makes him a lesser
god than the two others of the supreme triad.
According to the myths, Brahma originally possessed
only one head. He acquired the other heads when
woman was created (much list Eve created out
of Adam's rib). His love for her (woman) caused
him to follow her wherever she moved. Causing
the heads to grow, facing each direction, to
follow her. When she (woman) rose into the sky
in despair of his ever watching eyes, a fifth
head grew. Finally when God Brahma joined her,
the human race was created. Brahma's mount is
a goose.
Vishnu
- god of duration, preservation of the cycle.
Vishnu contains every possible contradiction
and in consequence is therefore the great and
complete god. The sacred writ states that Vishnu
is 'the infinite ocean of the Universe', from
which the entire world springs forth. Vishnu
is often seen richly dressed and having four
arms. Also on his forehead you may find incscribed
a symbol in the shape of a U. This god always
carries his symbols in his hands for easy recognition.
Vishnu's moount is an enormous eagle, Garuda.
Shiva:
Shiva - god of constant change, god of destruction,
end of a particular creation and condition for
appearance of a new one. Shiva, also known as
the 'good One' or Mahadeva the 'Greatest' or
'Great God'. This god is more complex, 'many
sided' than Vishnu. Shiva can be seen sitting
upon a skin of a tiger or a panther, or with
three white horizontal stripes upon his forehead.
The Mahabharata tells a story of Shiva's vertical
third eye...... Once during meditation upon
the Himalayas, his consort Uma came softly near
him and playfully covered his eyes with her
two hands. What happened was terrifying. The
whole world was plunged into darkness. Suddenly,
a great flame sprand from the forehead of the
god, at the base of which appeared an eye, as
brilliant as the sun, which gave light again
to the world. Shiva's mount is a bull, Nandi.
Krishna:
This is how Lord Krishna describes God in the
Holy Bhagavad Gita. And to most Hindus he is
the God himself, the Supreme Being, the Absolute,
the Brahman, the Purna Purushotam. The great
exponent of the Gita, Krishna is the ninth and
the complete incarnate of Vishnu, the Godhead
of the Hindu Trinity of deities. Of all the
Vishnu avatars he is the most popular, and perhaps
of all Hindu gods the one closest to the heart
of the masses.
Hanuman
:
Hanuman appears in the Ramayanain the episode
where Rama battles the evil demon Ravana. It
is with the help of Hanuman and his tribe of
monkeys that Rama defeats Ravana and frees his
wife Sita. Hanuman, who is a symbol of heroism
and courage, is venerated as a defender of the
gods in shrines dedicated especially to him
all over India, Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia.
Sarasvati:
Sarasvati is the consort of Brahma and was once
venerated as a river. She is the goddess of
fertility and the benign, creative life-giving
principle. Sarasvati has gradually come to be
the patron goddess of the arts and scholarly
pursuits. She is usually depicted sitting on
a lotus playing a musical instrument.
Laxmi:
In Hinduism,the Mahadevi or Mother goddess represents
the feminine side of the male gods and are usually
referred to as consorts. There are hundreds
of goddesses and shrines dedicated to them in
India. Many of the goddesses are associated
with agriculture and natural phenomenon such
as birth, fertility and death. Lakshmi who is
the consort of Vishu is the benign mother goddess.
She is frequently depicted standing on a lotus
blossom flanked by two elephants.
Kali:
Kali is one of the many consorts of Shiva. She
represents the feminine energy in its destructive
form. Kali is also the destroyer of evil and
the mother goddess who gives as well as destoys
life. Her images are usually terrifying: she
wields a sword and her tongue drips blood. Kali
usually wears a necklace of human skulls and
in one of her four hands she holds a severed
human head. She is sometimes also shown holding
a human skull containing the blood sacrifices
she demands.
Durga:
One of the forms of the goddess Shakti, She
was born fully grown. Durga is famous as the
man-armed many-weaponed goddess who slays the
buffalo-demon Mahish.Durga is Shiva's consort
is identified as the goddess of energy, she
is the all powerful warrior who fights demons.
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