Running head: HINDU GODS AND GODDESSES 1

HINDU GODS AND GODDESSES

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This essay focuses on the fundamental beliefs of Hinduism, focusing on deity figures of

this religion. Hinduism as a religion is said to be originated from the Indus valley, where they

worship a profusion of gods and goddesses. Hinduisms value the existence of deities and the

significance of gods and goddesses and represent them through symbols of curved arts and

nature such as animals and flowers. These curved arts are designed and kept in homes, temples,

and shrines to signify holy ground and only worship (Narayanan, 2018). Although there are

many goddesses and gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the principal deities in Hinduism. In

this essay, we shall discuss how the gods and goddesses of Hinduism affect how Hindus view the

world and the various ways these deities teach humans to find fulfilment lives. The paper shall

focus on Lord Krishna, Shiva, and goddess Shri-Lakshmi. These gods play an important role in

how the Hindus believe and perceive the world we live in. Hindus tend to believe in one supreme

God, the authority of the sacred scriptures' Vedas', and the adherence of concepts such as Karma,

Dharma, and truth. Hindus believe that truth is eternal, as significantly portrayed by the actions

of the deities.

Krishna in Hinduism is referred to as the most colourful incarnation, a philosopher,

teacher, dancer, warrior, and hero. Because of the many definitions, different people tend to

interpret, perceive, and experience his presence in various ways. Lord Krishna brings the nature

of Hinduism as pantheism, which means God is everything for them in everything(Schmelzle,

2021). Because of this, Hindus believe that the whole universe is conceived as God. Hindus

believe that Lord Krishna has taught them to live and the importance of attaining higher thinking

to understand the world's truth. Through the teachings of Krishna, Hindus believe that there is

only one truth in the world and only that it is expressed by the wise in different ways. This means

all the gods represent one truth and only have an imb different way of showing this truth to the
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Hindus. For example, through the teachings of Krishna, there is only of God who is Brahma, and

in their scriptures, 'Vedas' is the ultimate authority in the world. Just like God Brahma, the

scriptures have no end or the beginning, and if the world ended, the scriptures and Brahma would

remain unimpaired and continue to exist. As a protector, he protects Hindus from the evil world

and spirits. As a philosopher, Krishna motivates Hindus to be conquerors and the importance of

sacrificing and doing it for future success.

Through the teachings of Krishna, Hindus believe that they should live lives that strive to

attain Dharma which is crucial in achieving the Hindus faith. Hindus believe in the concept of

man that a person's soul is immortal. In the event of death, their soul is reincarnated into another

body for another purpose, depending on how they lived their previous lives. This is the basis of

the concept of Karma. Lord Krishna teaches Hindus about Karma and its consequences in the

next life, thus educating members on the importance of avoiding Karma punishments in the next

life (Schmelzle, 2021). The teachings of Krishna contribute to the concept of Moksha, where

Hindu believes that the goal of an individual soul is Moksha. Another significant impact Lord

Krishna has on Hindu lives is that he help people revive their sequential spiritual destiny. He is

considered the God of love, compassion, protection and tenders, where Hindus are urged to

emulate these key attributes. Lastly, Lord Krishna teaches Hindus that everything happens for a

reason, and there is always a reason for something to happen. This helps Hindus be calm and

understand every situation in their day-to-day lives.

Lord Shiva is the most powerful, strongest and fascinative of all the Hindu gods. He is

considered an immortal deity, and he can achieve this by Tapasya. Hindus believe that Lord

Shiva is the father of all universe, and he destroys it to create it. This is symbolic to the faith of

Hindus, as the power to destroy and recreate by Shiva gives the perfect picture of how imperfect
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the world is. Lord Shiva is an art of Hinduism that believes it destroys the word's illusions,

imperfections, and old ideas and changes it to positivity and perfection. The destruction, in this

case, is arbitrary but constructive. Just as Shiva, the world can be a source of both evil and good.

Hindus believe that worshipping Lord Shiva brings one calm and balanced (Dhanabal, 2021).

This keeps sorrows away. He is an important god worshipped by a Hindu sect called Shaivism.

As Krishna warned his followers about Karma, Hindus believe that Lord Shiva can destroy a

person's Karma and when they reincarnate, they will begin another life. Hindus believe Lord

Shiva has the power to change someone's destiny. He has power over the law of destiny and can

modify the course of his devotee's life and events to fulfil their wishes. Today, Hindus believe

they can get rid of their troubles when they worship Shiva on Mondays because the crescent

moon adorns his matted locks. Most Hindus devote themselves to Lord Shiva and spend their

lives understanding him and growing to proper in their lives. Lord Shiva plays many roles and

has many personalities, thus becoming a big part of the Hindu culture because most people can

relate to him.

Goddess Shri-Lakshmi is the primary goddess of the Hindusim. She is the goddess of

fortune and prosperity. She is an essential element in the religious life of Hinduism. Hindus

believe that Shri-Lakshmi has the divine power to transform dreams into reality. She is

considered a goddess worth living because of her supreme and royalty nature. Hindus put her

image or sculpture in the homes as it is believed she will bring prosperity and prosperity to their

homes and businesses. Also, Hindus believe that Shri-Lakshmi brings fame to all her devotees.

Shri-Lakshmi is a moist and abundant harvest and dwells in cow dung used as manure (Mandal,

Mallick, & Mahalik, 2021). Hindus believe that her presence to be discernable as it has

mysterious potency of the earth. Her nature as a goddess represents perfection, royal authority
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and spiritual ascendance. Shri-Lakshmi has four hands, which holds four items symbolic of

Hinduism. In Hinduism, the four hands stand for virtues of life that Hindus must possess. These

include Dharma, righteousness, Kama, which represents desire, artha, wealth, and Moksha,

which signifies salvation. In her sculpture, her hands are dropping gold coins. This is significant

to Hinduism because she is showering her worshippers with wealth.

Thus, when Hindus want a financial breakthrough, pray to goddess Shri-Lakshmi for

wealth and prosperity. Also, Shri-Lakshmi is flanked by two elephants, which is symbolic to

Hinduism. This helps them to agree that one's Dharma is government by the purity and attaining

wisdom which is vital to attain prosperity in both the forms of materially and spirituality. Shri-

Lakshmi represent the aspect of purity in the faith of Hindu. Today, Hindus pray on Fridays as it

is considered the most special day to worship Shri-Lakshmi. She can be worshipped daily, but

Hindus focus on October and Fridays. Shri-Lakshmi is celebrated in the Diwali festivals, where

Hindus stamp a small footprint from the house entrance towards the puja room entrance. This is

significant in the Hinduism faith as it symbolizes a way of welcoming goddess Shri-Lakshmi in

their household, which is a form of good luck.

To conclude, this essay has discussed how the gods and goddesses in Hinduism influence

how Hindus view the world and the various ways humans find fulfilment from Hinduism deities.

Each God and goddesses serve a unique purpose and influence Hinduism in their particular way.

In their unique way, the gods and goddesses represent a piece of the one true God. As a

polytheistic religion, worshipers have a large pool of gods and goddesses to choose to worship as

they all are part of one supreme God.

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References

Dhanabal, M. (2021). Worship of Lord Shiva and the development of Religious Principles.

International Research Journal of Tamil, 3(S-2), 1-5.

Mandal, U., Mallick, S. K., & Mahalik, G. (2021). Plants and their Resources are Utilized in

Gajalakshmi Puja for Adoring Goddess Lakshmi. Jour Pl Sci Res, 37(1), 207-210.

Narayanan, V. (2018). Hinduism. In Her Voice, Her Faith (pp. 11-57). Routledge.

Schmelzle, L. (2021). Hindu Mythology: The Effect of Ancient Vedic Myths of Lord Krishna

and Lord Shiva