In the Indian pantheon, the gods are revered as Murti. These beings are either aspects of the Supreme Brahman, avatars of the Supreme Being, or essentially powerful beings known as Devas. Terms and epithets in various Hindu traditions also include Ishvara, Ishwari, Bhagavan and Bhagavati.
Historical background
Hindu deities evolved from the Vedic era (second millennium BC) to the medieval era (first millennium AD). At the regional level - in India, Nepal and Southeast Asia. The exact nature of belief regarding each deity varies between different Hindu denominations and philosophies. In total, there are 330,000 such supernatural beings in various traditions.
The similarities of Kama and Cupid, Vishvakarma and Vulcan, Indra and Zeus lead many to the hasty conclusion that the gods of Indian mythology are similar to Greek celestials. But Greek mythology is completely different from Hindu mythology. 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), Shiva, Sati, Brahma and Saraswati. They have distinct and complex personalities, but are often seen as aspects of the same Supreme Reality called Brahman.
Traditions
From ancient times, the idea of equivalence has been cherished by all Hindus. In the texts and sculptures of those times, the basic concepts are:
- Harihara (half Shiva, half Vishnu).
- Ardhanarishvara (half Shiva, half Parvati).
Myths claim they are the same. The gods of the Indian pantheon inspired their own traditions: Vaishnavism, Shaivism and Shaktism. They are united by a common mythology, ritual grammar, theosophy, axiology and polycentrism.
In India and beyond
Some Hindu traditions, such as the ancient Charvakas, denied all deities and concepts of God or Goddess. During the British colonial era of the 19th century, religious societies such as the Arya Samaj and Brahma Samaj rejected the celestials and adopted monotheistic concepts similar to the Abrahamic religions. Hindu deities have been 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.
The idea of a person
In the ancient and medieval texts of Hinduism, the human body is described as a temple, and the deities as parts inside it. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva are described as Atman (soul), which Hindus consider to be eternal in every living being. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions. A person can choose to be a polytheist, a pantheist, a monotheist, a monist, an agnostoist, an atheist, or a humanist.
Dev and Devi
The gods of the Indian pantheon have a male (Dev) and a female (Devi) beginning. The root of these terms means "heavenly, divine, transcendent". The etymological meaning is "shining".
In ancient Vedic literature, all supernatural beings are called asuras. By the end of this period, the benevolent celestials are called Deva-asuras. In post-Vedic texts such as the Puranas and Itihas of Hinduism, the Devas are good and the Asuras are evil. In medieval Indian literature, Gods are referred to as Suras.
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation from the Trimurti. His consort is Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. According to the Puranas, Brahma is the self-born lotus flower. It grew from the navel of Vishnu at the beginning of the universe. Another legend says that Brahma was born in water. In it he placed the seed, which later became the 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 arms. With each head he constantly recites one of the four Vedas. He is often depicted with a white beard, indicating the almost eternal nature of his existence. Unlike other gods, Brahma has no weapons at all.
Shiva
Shiva is considered the supreme deity in Shaivism, a denomination of Hinduism. Many Hindus, such as the followers of the Smarta tradition, are free to accept various manifestations of the divine. Shaivism, along with the Vaishnava traditions that focus on Vishnu and the Sakta traditions that worship Devi, are three of the most influential faiths.
Worship of Shiva is a pan-Hindu tradition. Shiva is one of the five main 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 ashes.
- Garland with a snake.
- Crescent moon of the fifth day (panchami). It is placed near the fiery third eye and shows the power of soma, 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 as Somasundara and Chandrashekara.
- The sacred river Ganges flows from his tangled hair. Shiva brought cleansing water to the people. Ganga also denotes fertility as one of the creative aspects of God.
- The small hourglass-shaped drum is known as "damaru". This is one of the attributes of Shiva in his famous Nataraja dance performance. To hold it, a special hand gesture (mudra), called damaru-hasta, is used.
- Vibhuti - three lines of ash drawn on the forehead. They represent the essence that remains after all Mal (impurity, ignorance, ego) and Vasan (sympathy, dislike, attachment to one's body, worldly fame and pleasures). Vibhuti is revered as a form of Shiva and means the immortality of the soul and the manifested glory of the Lord.
- Ashes. Shiva soils his body with it. This is an ancient tradition of cremation asceticism.
- Tiger, elephant and deer skins.
- The trident is Shiva's special weapon.
- Nandi, the Bull, is his Vahana (Sanskrit for chariot).
- Lingam. Shiva is often worshiped in this form. Mount Kailash in the Himalayas is his traditional abode.
- Shiva is often depicted as deep in meditation. He is said to eradicate Kama (sexual desire), Moha (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. The Lord of Fortune, He grants success and prosperity to all. Ganesha is the remover of any spiritual and material obstacles. He also putsobstacles in the path of life of those of their subjects who need to be checked.
Because of these qualities, his image is everywhere, in many forms, and he is called upon to assist in any task. Ganesha is the patron of literature, art and science. Devotees are sure that he will grant protection from adversity, success and prosperity. A lesser known role of Ganesha is that of the destroyer of vanity, pride and selfishness.
The paraphernalia of Ganesha has evolved over many centuries. He is popularly considered the son of Shiva and Parvati, although the Puranas disagree on his birth. His original form is a simple elephant. Over time, she transformed into a human with a round belly and an elephant head. He is usually depicted with four arms, although their number can vary from two to sixteen. Each item of Ganesha has an important spiritual meaning. They include:
- broken tusk;
- water lily;
- mace;
- disk;
- bowl of sweets;
- rosary;
- musical instrument;
- staff or spear.
God of thunder and storms
In the Hindu creation myth, the god Indra was born from the mouth of the primordial God or the giant Purusha. He sits on a throne in the thunderclouds of Svarga, or the third heaven, and is the ruler of the clouds and heavens along 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 forever trying to steal these heavenly cows. Rain is equated with God milking hisherd. Indra embraces and controls the universe, balancing the earth in the palm of his hand and manipulating it according to his whim. He created rivers and streams, shaping 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 origins. One of them suggests that the monkey god is the son of Shiva and Parvati.
Due to his courage, perseverance, strength and devotion, Hanuman is considered the perfect symbol of selflessness and loy alty. Worshiping him helps a person to resist bad karma generated by selfish actions. He grants the believer strength in his own trials during his journey through life. Hanuman is also invoked in the fight against witchcraft. Protective amulets bearing his image are extremely popular among devotees.
Lakshmi
The Indian god of we alth is feminine. Lakshmi is the consort and active energy of Vishnu. She has four arms that symbolize the right goals in human life:
- Dharma;
- Kama;
- Artha;
- Moksha.
Lakshmi is the goddess of good luck, we alth, beauty and youth.
The Indian epic Mahabharata describes the birth of a goddess. One day demons and gods agitated the primevalMilk 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 depicted with her husband Vishnu.
Pit
The Indian god of death Yama is the king of the ancestors and the final judge of the appointment of souls. He is also known as "restrainer", Pretaraja (King of ghosts), Dharmaraja (King of justice). By virtue of his responsibility to make correct decisions based on the records of human deeds, 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 the punisher of sinful souls, unlike the gods of the underworld and the dead described in other cultures. However, the believers are afraid of Yama. Fear is inspired by his two giant hounds. These are scary creatures with two pairs of eyes. They are called upon to guard the path that leads the dead to God. Sometimes dogs take delinquent or lost souls from the human world.
In the images, Yama appears with green or blue skin, dressed in a red robe. Its crew is a buffalo (or elephant). In Yama's hands is a mace or wand made by the Sun, and a noose that indicates the capture of souls.
