In the Indian pantheon, the gods are revered as Murthy. These beings are either aspects of the Supreme Brahman, avatars of the Supreme Being, or substantially powerful entities known as Devas. Terms and epithets in various Hindu traditions also include Ishwara, Ishwari, Bhagavan and Bhagavati.
History reference
Hindu deities evolved from the Vedic era (second millennium BC) to the medieval era (first millennium BC). At the regional level - in India, Nepal and in Southeast Asia. The exact nature of faith in relation to each deity varies between different Hindu denominations and philosophies. In total, in various traditions, there are 330 thousand of such supernatural beings.
The similarities between Kama and Cupid, Vishvakarma and Vulcan, Indra and Zeus lead many to the hasty conclusion that the gods of Indian mythology are like Greek celestials. But Greek mythology is completely different from Hindu. It reflects the subjective truth of the Greeks, who believed in polytheism.
Images
Most often, the Indian pantheon of gods is depicted in humanoid forms, complemented by a set of unique and complex iconography in each case. Illustrations of major deities include Parvati, Vishnu, Sri (Lakshmi), Siva, Sati, Brahma and Sarasvati. They have different and complex personalities, but are often seen as aspects of the same Supreme Reality called Brahman.
Traditions
Since ancient times, the idea of equivalence has been cherished for all Indians. In the texts and sculptures of those times, the basic concepts are:
- Harihara (half of Shiva, half of Vishnu).
- Ardhanarishvara (half of Shiva, half of Parvati).
Myths claim to be the same. The gods of the Indian pantheon inspired their own traditions: Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism. They are united by common mythology, ritual grammar, Theosophy, axiology and polycentrism.
In India and beyond
Some Hindu traditions, such as the ancient Charvak, denied all deities and concepts of God or Goddess. During the British colonial era of the 19th century, religious societies such as Arya Samaj and Brahma Samaj rejected celestials and adopted monotheistic concepts like the Abrahamic religions. Hindu deities were adopted in other religions (Jainism). And also in regions beyond its borders, such as Buddhist Thailand and Japan. In these countries, Indian gods continue to be worshiped in regional temples or arts.
Idea of man
In the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism, the human body is described as a temple, and the deities are described as parts inside it. In this case, Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva are described as Atman (soul), which the Indians consider eternal in every living being. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions. A person can choose who he should be: a polytheist, pantheist, monotheist, monistist, agnostist, atheist or humanist.
Dave and Davy
The gods of the Indian pantheon have masculine (Deva) and feminine (Devi) beginnings. The root of these terms means "heavenly, divine, something superior." The etymological meaning is "radiant."
In ancient Vedic literature, all supernatural beings are called asuras. By the end of this period, benevolent celestials are called Dev-asuras. In post-Vedic texts such as the Puranas and Itihasas of Hinduism, the Devas represent good, and the Asuras represent evil. In medieval Indian literature, the gods are referred to as Suras.
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation from Trimurti. His wife is Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. According to the Puranas, Brahma is a self-generated lotus flower. He grew up from the navel of Vishnu at the beginning of the universe. Another legend says that Brahma was born in water. He placed a seed in it, which later became a golden egg. Thus was born the creator, Hiranyagarbha. The rest of the golden egg expanded into Brahmanda, or the Universe.
Brahma is traditionally depicted with four heads, four faces, and four hands. With each head, he constantly reads one of the four Vedas. He is often depicted with a white beard, which indicates the almost eternal nature of his existence. Unlike other gods, Brahma has no weapons at all.
Shiva
Shiva is considered the supreme deity in Shivaism, the denomination of Hinduism. Many Indians, such as followers of the Smarta tradition, are free to accept various manifestations of the divine. Shaivism, along with the traditions of Vaishnavas that focus on Vishnu and the traditions of Sakta who worship Devi, are three of the most influential denominations.
Shiva worship is a Pan-Hindu tradition. Shiva is one of the five basic forms of the Divine in Smartism, which places particular emphasis on the five deities. The four others are Vishnu, Devi, Ganesha and Surya. Another way of thinking about deities in Hinduism is Trimurti (Brahma-Vishnu-Shiva). The first personifies the creator, the second - the keeper, the third - the destroyer or transformer.
Attributes of Shiva
God is usually depicted with the following attributes:
- The third eye with which he burned desire (Kama) to the ashes.
- Garland with a snake.
- Crescent Moon of the fifth day (punch). It is placed near the fiery third eye and shows the power of the soma, the sacrifice. This means that Shiva has the power of reproduction along with the power of destruction. The moon is also a measure of time. Thus, Shiva is known by the names of Somasundara and Chandrashekara.
- The sacred river Ganges flows from his tangled hair. Shiva brought purifying water to people. The Ganges also designates fertility as one of the creative aspects of God.
- A small hourglass-shaped drum is known as "damaru". This is one of the attributes of Shiva in his famous dance performance of Nataraja. A special gesture of the hand (mudra) called damaru-hasta is used to hold it.
- Vibhuti - three lines of ash drawn on the forehead. They represent the essence that remains after all Malov (impurity, ignorance, ego) and Vasan (sympathy, antipathy, attachment to your body, worldly glory and pleasures). Vibhuti is worshiped as a form of Siva and means the immortality of the soul and the glories of the Lord.
- Ashes. Shiva soils his body with it. This is an ancient tradition of cremation asceticism.
- Tiger, elephant and deer skins.
- Trident is a special weapon of Shiva.
- Nandi, the Bull, is his Wahana (Sanskrit for the chariot).
- Lingam. Shiva is often worshiped in this form. The Kailash Mountain in the Himalayas is its traditional abode.
- Shiva is often portrayed in deep meditation. It is said that he eradicates Kama (sexual desire), Mohu (material desire) and Maya (worldly thoughts) from the minds of his devotees.
God of prosperity
The Indian god Ganesha is the most famous and beloved not only in Hinduism, but also in other cultures. Lord of good luck, he gives everyone success and prosperity. Ganesha is the eliminator of any spiritual and material obstacles. He also puts obstacles in the life path of those of his subjects who need verification.
Thanks to such qualities, his image is present everywhere, having many forms, and he is called to help in the performance of any tasks. Ganesha is the patron of literature, art and science. Devotees are confident that he will grant protection against adversity, success and prosperity. The lesser-known role of Ganesha is the destroyer of vanity, pride and selfishness.
Attributes of Ganesha developed over many centuries. The people consider him the son of Shiva and Parvati, although the Puranas disagree about his birth. Its original form is a simple elephant. Over time, she transformed into a man with a round belly and an elephant head. Usually he is depicted with four hands, although their number can vary from two to sixteen. Each Ganesha item has an important spiritual meaning. They include:
- broken tusk;
- water lily;
- mace;
- disk;
- a bowl of sweets;
- beads;
- musical instrument;
- staff or spear.
God of thunder and storm
In the Hindu creation myth, the god Indra was born from the mouth of the original God or giant Purusha. He sits on a throne in the thunderclouds of Svarga, or the third sky, is the ruler of clouds and heaven with his wife Indrani. In Indian mythology, clouds are equated with divine cattle, and the sound of thunder during storms is Indra fighting the demons who are always trying to steal these heavenly cows. Rain equates to God milking his flock. Indra covers and controls the universe, balancing the earth in the palm of his hand and manipulating it in accordance with his whim. He created rivers and streams, shaping the mountains and valleys with his sacred ax.
Monkey god
The Indian god Hanuman is strong, full of valor, with various skills and abilities. He had only one thought - to serve Lord Rama with the greatest humility and devotion. Like many Indian gods, Hanuman has several variants of origin. One of them suggests that the monkey god is the son of Shiva and Parvati.
Thanks to his courage, perseverance, strength and devotional service, Hanuman is considered the perfect symbol of selflessness and fidelity. Worshiping him helps a person to resist bad karma generated by selfish actions. He bestows power on the believer in his own trials during his journey through life. Hanuman is also summoned in the fight against witchcraft. Protective amulets with his image are extremely popular among devotees.
Lakshmi
The Indian god of wealth has a feminine beginning. Lakshmi is the spouse and active energy of Vishnu. She has four hands that symbolize the right goals in a person’s life:
- Dharma;
- Kama;
- Artha;
- Moksha.
Lakshmi is the goddess of luck, wealth, beauty and youth.
The Indian epic Mahabharata describes the birth of a goddess. Once demons and gods excited the primeval Milky Ocean. Brahma and Vishnu tried to calm the stormy waters. Then Lakshmi appeared from the ocean. She was dressed in white clothes and radiated beauty and youth. In the images, Lakshmi usually stands or sits on a large lotus flower. In her hands is a blue or pink flower and a pot of water. The other two hands bless the believers and shower them with gold coins. In temple decorative sculptures, Lakshmi is portrayed with his spouse Vishnu.
Pit
The Indian god of death, Yama, is the king of ancestors and the final judge on the appointment of souls. He is also known as the “restraint”, Pretaraja (King of ghosts), Dharmaraja (King of justice). By virtue of his responsibility for making the right decisions based on the records of human actions, God is especially associated with the rule of law.
Yama is the son of Vivasvata, the sun god. His mother is Saranyu-Samjna (conscience). He is not a punisher of sinful souls, unlike the gods of the underworld and the dead, described in other cultures. However, believers are afraid of the Pit. Two of his giant hounds dogs inspire fear. These are scary creatures with two pairs of eyes. They are called to guard the path that leads the dead to God. Sometimes dogs take delinquent or lost souls out of the human world.
In the images, the Pit appears with green or blue skin, dressed in a red robe. His crew is a buffalo (or elephant). In the hands of the Pit is a mace or rod made by the Sun, and a loop that indicates the catch of souls.