Hindu Gods and Goddess

They are all manifestations of the

attributes of the one god/goddess
• Brahma – the Creator/Knowledge
• Shiva – the Destroyer (but he’s not too
negative because by destruction new things
can be created)
• Vishnu – the Preserver

(See? Aspects of life, birth, living, dying)

Shiva - Destruction
Lord Shiva appears in a
meditating but ever-happy
posture. He has matted hair
which holds the flowing
Ganges River and a crescent
moon,
a serpent coiled around his
neck, a trident (trishul) in his
one hand and ashes all over
his body.
 His consort Parvati, the Goddess of disintegration, assists him in this.
Parvati represents prakriti or nature, which means perishable matter, in
the absence of which true and complete destruction by Siva becomes
impossible. (As we are all aware of today, only biodegradable matter can
be destroyed).
 He wears a necklace made of skulls
signifying his role as destructor.
He has snakes coiling all over his body
& his hair is matted and long extending
over the whole sky & space.
The crescent moon adorns his crown,
signifying his control on the time cycle.
He has a third eye on his forehead, which is
the source of knowledge & wisdom.
The holy Ganges is imprisoned in his flowing
locks..
 The above description should convey him as an angry & destructive
image, yet being the source of all knowledge he is often in a meditative
pose with half closed eyes looking out into the universe as well as in to his
self, signifying that his act of destruction is in itself an act of creation for in
the absence of destruction there can be no creation.
 In India, Lord Vishnu is worshiped primarily as Avatar, or incarnations,
particularly as Rama and Krishna, the principal characters of the epics
Ramayana and Mahabharata. The preserver god of the Trinity Vishnu has
four hands. The first holds a conch shell (sankha) indicating spread of the
divine sound "Om"; one holds a discus (chakra), a reminder of the wheel
of time, and to lead a good life; one holds a lotus which is an example of
glorious existence and the fourth hands holds a mace indicating the
power and the punishing capacity of the Lord if discipline in life is ignored.
 Lord Vishnu's consort is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth
Vishnu is the Lord of protection & maintenance. His consort Lakshmi is the
possessor of wealth, which is a necessity for maintenance. Goddess
Lakshmi represents not only material wealth, but also the wealth of grains,

courage, and valor , offspring, success, and luxurious life, eternal bliss.
The dark color of the Lord represents the passive and formless ether, a
great quality for a pervading god.
He rests on the bed of the powerful, coiled serpent with 1000 head,
Seshanag who represents the sleeping universe.
 Brahma is the Lord of creation and is assisted in this process by his
consort Saraswathi, who is the possessor of ultimate knowledge.
He has four heads (originally five), representing the four vedas, which are
said to have sprung from his heads. He is bearded & his eyes are closed in
meditation. He sits on a lotus & his vehicle is the swan. In his four arms he
holds the Vedas, the water pot, sacrificial spoon & a mala. He is a serene
soul and is the provider of all sources of knowledge & wisdom.
 Goddess Saraswati

Saraswati is the Goddess of learning, knowledge, and

wisdom. The Sanskrit word sara means "essence" and

swa means "self." Thus Saraswati means "the essence

of the self." Saraswati is represented in Hindu

mythology as the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the

Creator of the universe. Since knowledge is necessary

for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power

of Brahma.
 In Her popular images and pictures,
Goddess Saraswati is generally depicted
with four arms (some pictures may show
only two arms), wearing a white sari and
seated on a white lotus. She holds a book
and a rosary in Her rear two hands, while
the front two hands are engaged in the
playing of a lute (veena). Her right leg is
shown slightly pushing against Her left leg.
She uses a swan as Her vehicle. There is a
peacock by Her side gazing at Her.
The worship of God as Mother- has had a significant impact on Hinduism.
The position of women in the Hindu religion is dignified because each
woman is considered a manifestation of the Divine Mother. Hindus view
man and woman as the two wings of the same bird. Thus, a man is
considered incomplete without a woman, since "it is not possible for- a
•bird to fly on only one wing"---Swami Vivekananda. Through the worship
of God in the form of Mother, Hinduism offers a unique reverence to
womanhood.
 If God is our- father, why cannot God be our Mother! If we are the
children of our heavenly Father, why cannot we be the children of our
heavenly Mother!" This rhetorical question is the basis of why Hindus
recognize and accept both male and female aspects of Nature and
worship the Supreme Reality in the form of Mother, Father, Friend,
Master, Guru, and Savior. Thus Lord Krishna declares in the Bhagawad
Gita:

"I am the Father- of this Universe. I am the Mother of this universe, and
the Creator- of all. I am the Highest to be known, the Purifier, the holy
OM, and the three Vedas."
Hanuman, Rama, Sita-The Ramayana
Rama, Sita, Laksman, Hanuman
Rama and Sita on the throne
Who is this?
Who is this?
 Mahabharata
• Another ancient Sanskrit Epic.
• In these stories we will meet….
Asura/Deva: demons, demi-gods
Daksha - Daksha, "the skilled one", is an ancient
creator god, and a son of Aditi and Brahma.
Ganesha, God of New Beginnings
 Your Job
• In groups, you will read one of these Hindu
stories, keeping track of the major occurrences.
• You will analyze them according to subject, moral
and theme as well as identifying archetypes.
• You will choose one character to analyze in depth
(there will be writing involved), showing what
qualities Hindus value.
• Finally, you will create a Power point (as a group
so each member will do 2-3 slides) to share your
story and analysis with the class.