Important figures or powers of the Polytheistic Religion
The Three Central Powers, "Trimurti"
Brahma: Considered to be the universal "creator", this god is revered by all Hindus. Brahma is closely connected to the universal power the Hindus believe unite everything in the world together, called the "Brahman", which is also the name of the highest positioned nobles of the caste system. Both the Brahma, the god, and the Brahman, the power, are considered to be infinite. Brahma is conceived as a bearded, four-faced, four-armed deity. With his lower right hand he bestows grace, and his lower left had grasps a kamandaul, a water pot. The four faces represent this knowledge of the four purposes of life, and this four arms represent the four directions of Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma symbolized the Universal Mind and one's own mind and intellect. This deity is known to be naturally gifted with the mind and he has already realized the universal power, Brahma.
Vishnu: Commonly known as the "protector" or the "destroyer", this god is considered to be a deity characterized by mercy and peacefulness or the one that preserves and sustains the universe. This god is usually depicted to be holding four objects of divinity: the conch, discus, club, and lotus. The Hindus believe the Vishnu deity is asleep or is reclining until the next annihilation or the renewal of the world. The worship of Vishnu is very popular among Hindus and is also known under the names of Vasudeva and Narayana. This god is thought to have incarnated into many animals or half animal and half human.
Shiva: As the "auspicious" one, Shiva is associated with destruction and generation. Lord Shiva is also the Lord of mercy and compassion. He is supposed to protect people from evil forces such as lust, greed, or anger. Shiva has a third eye, which is considered to be not only a source of inward vision, but also a source of vision when focused outwardly. The Shiva is symbolized by the bull and the linga. Shiva is often symbolized as Nataraj, a cosmic dancer.
Other Important Gods and Goddesses (Deities)
Devi : The Devi is considered to be the "Mother Goddess" and is responsible for embedding love for mothers inside all newborns. Devi is considered to be a symbolism of ultimate divinity, and remains to be one of the most revered Hindu goddess of all time.
Ganesha: This is the elephant-faced deity. He represents the power of the Suppreme Being, meaning that he is said to remove obstacles and ensure success in human endeavors. Lord Ganesha has different parts of the body that symbolize different things. Its large head with with a wide mouth and large ears represent wisdom and understating one must perfect in life. The mouth also represents that people should enjoy the world and the ears depict a perfect person who has the capacity to listen to others. The Lord has four arms that indicate the lord is omnipresent. However, when the Lord only has two hands, it is considered taboo. Ganesha's trunk is a symbol of his discrimination (viveka), a most important quality necessary for spiritual progress. The left tusk is broken, to symbolize emotion and the idea that one must conquer emotions with wisdom to attain perfection. Hence, the right tusk that is not broken symbolizes wisdom.
Krishna: Krishna is one of the most popular Hindu Gods and he is believed to embody love and devine, that destroys all pain and sin. Hindus consider Krishna as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Krishna is most often depicted as a young boy with a flute in his hand and his consort, Radha, standing beside him. He is mentioned as a wise chariot driver of Arjuna, in some of India's most famous epics; the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad-Purana. In these stories, Krishna rid the earth of many demons.
The Vedic Gods
Indra: The Indra is the chief deity of war and rain, which were the two aspects of life that aroused the most concern at the time
Agni: Agni is considered to be the fire of sacrifice, and serves as the mediator between the Gods and man. Soma is the drink of sacrifice closely connected to Agni.
Varuna: Varuna is a deity connected with morality, guilt, and forgiveness. Varuna is a god of the rita, which is a concept regarding faithfulness to promises both with Gods and with humans themselves. The Varuna was long revered for protecting humans against the evil.
Other Important Gods and Goddesses (Deities)
Devi : The Devi is considered to be the "Mother Goddess" and is responsible for embedding love for mothers inside all newborns. Devi is considered to be a symbolism of ultimate divinity, and remains to be one of the most revered Hindu goddess of all time.
Ganesha: This is the elephant-faced deity. He represents the power of the Suppreme Being. He is said to remove obstacles and ensures success in human endeavors. Lord Ganesh is the first son of Lord Shia and the Devine Mother Parati. Lord Ganesha has different parts of the body that symbolize different things. Its large head with with a wide mouth and large ears represent wisdom and understating one must perfect in life. The mouth also represents that people should enjoy the world and the ears depict a perfect person who has the capacity to listen to others. The Lord has four arms that indicate the lord is omnipresent. However, when the Lord only has two hands, it is considered taboo. Ganesha's trunk is a symbol of his discrimination (viveka), a most important quality necessary for spiritual progress. The left tusk is broekn, to symbolize emotion and the idea that one must conquer emotions with wisdom to attain perfection. Hence, the right tusk that is not broken symbolizes wisdom.
The Vedic Gods
Indra: The Indra is the chief deity of war and rain, which were the two aspects of life that aroused the most concern at the time
Agni: Agni is considered to be the fire of sacrifice, and serves as the mediator between the Gods and man. Soma is the drink of sacrifice closely connected to Agni.
Varuna: Varuna is a deity connected with morality, guilt, and forgiveness. Varuna is a god of the rita, which is a concept regarding faithfulness to promises both with Gods and with humans themselves. The Varuna was long revered for protecting humans against the evil.
Brahma: Considered to be the universal "creator", this god is revered by all Hindus. Brahma is closely connected to the universal power the Hindus believe unite everything in the world together, called the "Brahman", which is also the name of the highest positioned nobles of the caste system. Both the Brahma, the god, and the Brahman, the power, are considered to be infinite. Brahma is conceived as a bearded, four-faced, four-armed deity. With his lower right hand he bestows grace, and his lower left had grasps a kamandaul, a water pot. The four faces represent this knowledge of the four purposes of life, and this four arms represent the four directions of Lord Brahma. Lord Brahma symbolized the Universal Mind and one's own mind and intellect. This deity is known to be naturally gifted with the mind and he has already realized the universal power, Brahma.
Vishnu: Commonly known as the "protector" or the "destroyer", this god is considered to be a deity characterized by mercy and peacefulness or the one that preserves and sustains the universe. This god is usually depicted to be holding four objects of divinity: the conch, discus, club, and lotus. The Hindus believe the Vishnu deity is asleep or is reclining until the next annihilation or the renewal of the world. The worship of Vishnu is very popular among Hindus and is also known under the names of Vasudeva and Narayana. This god is thought to have incarnated into many animals or half animal and half human.
Shiva: As the "auspicious" one, Shiva is associated with destruction and generation. Lord Shiva is also the Lord of mercy and compassion. He is supposed to protect people from evil forces such as lust, greed, or anger. Shiva has a third eye, which is considered to be not only a source of inward vision, but also a source of vision when focused outwardly. The Shiva is symbolized by the bull and the linga. Shiva is often symbolized as Nataraj, a cosmic dancer.
Other Important Gods and Goddesses (Deities)
Devi : The Devi is considered to be the "Mother Goddess" and is responsible for embedding love for mothers inside all newborns. Devi is considered to be a symbolism of ultimate divinity, and remains to be one of the most revered Hindu goddess of all time.
Ganesha: This is the elephant-faced deity. He represents the power of the Suppreme Being, meaning that he is said to remove obstacles and ensure success in human endeavors. Lord Ganesha has different parts of the body that symbolize different things. Its large head with with a wide mouth and large ears represent wisdom and understating one must perfect in life. The mouth also represents that people should enjoy the world and the ears depict a perfect person who has the capacity to listen to others. The Lord has four arms that indicate the lord is omnipresent. However, when the Lord only has two hands, it is considered taboo. Ganesha's trunk is a symbol of his discrimination (viveka), a most important quality necessary for spiritual progress. The left tusk is broken, to symbolize emotion and the idea that one must conquer emotions with wisdom to attain perfection. Hence, the right tusk that is not broken symbolizes wisdom.
Krishna: Krishna is one of the most popular Hindu Gods and he is believed to embody love and devine, that destroys all pain and sin. Hindus consider Krishna as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Krishna is most often depicted as a young boy with a flute in his hand and his consort, Radha, standing beside him. He is mentioned as a wise chariot driver of Arjuna, in some of India's most famous epics; the Mahabharata and the Bhagavad-Purana. In these stories, Krishna rid the earth of many demons.
The Vedic Gods
Indra: The Indra is the chief deity of war and rain, which were the two aspects of life that aroused the most concern at the time
Agni: Agni is considered to be the fire of sacrifice, and serves as the mediator between the Gods and man. Soma is the drink of sacrifice closely connected to Agni.
Varuna: Varuna is a deity connected with morality, guilt, and forgiveness. Varuna is a god of the rita, which is a concept regarding faithfulness to promises both with Gods and with humans themselves. The Varuna was long revered for protecting humans against the evil.
Other Important Gods and Goddesses (Deities)
Devi : The Devi is considered to be the "Mother Goddess" and is responsible for embedding love for mothers inside all newborns. Devi is considered to be a symbolism of ultimate divinity, and remains to be one of the most revered Hindu goddess of all time.
Ganesha: This is the elephant-faced deity. He represents the power of the Suppreme Being. He is said to remove obstacles and ensures success in human endeavors. Lord Ganesh is the first son of Lord Shia and the Devine Mother Parati. Lord Ganesha has different parts of the body that symbolize different things. Its large head with with a wide mouth and large ears represent wisdom and understating one must perfect in life. The mouth also represents that people should enjoy the world and the ears depict a perfect person who has the capacity to listen to others. The Lord has four arms that indicate the lord is omnipresent. However, when the Lord only has two hands, it is considered taboo. Ganesha's trunk is a symbol of his discrimination (viveka), a most important quality necessary for spiritual progress. The left tusk is broekn, to symbolize emotion and the idea that one must conquer emotions with wisdom to attain perfection. Hence, the right tusk that is not broken symbolizes wisdom.
The Vedic Gods
Indra: The Indra is the chief deity of war and rain, which were the two aspects of life that aroused the most concern at the time
Agni: Agni is considered to be the fire of sacrifice, and serves as the mediator between the Gods and man. Soma is the drink of sacrifice closely connected to Agni.
Varuna: Varuna is a deity connected with morality, guilt, and forgiveness. Varuna is a god of the rita, which is a concept regarding faithfulness to promises both with Gods and with humans themselves. The Varuna was long revered for protecting humans against the evil.