Hindu Gods and Goddesses

Lord Ganeshji

Lord Ganesha also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists. Lord Ganesha is the son of All powerful Lord Shiva and Parvati.

Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.

Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. He was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya arose, who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Brahma Purana and Brahmanda Purana are other two Puranic genre encyclopaedic texts that deal with Ganesha.

Worship of the deity Lord Krishna, either in the form of deity Lord Krishna or in the form of Vasudeva, Bala Krishna or Gopala can be traced to as early as the 4th Century BC Worship of Krishna as Svayam Bhagavan, or the Supreme Being known as Krishnaism, arose in the Middle Ages in the context of the Bhakti movement. From the 10th Century AD, Lord Krishna became a favorite subject in performing arts and regional traditions of devotion developed for forms of Krishna, such as Jagannatha in Odisha, Vithoba in Maharashtra and Shrinathji in Rajasthan. Since the 1960s the worship of Lord Krishna has also spread to the Western world and to Africa.

Some religiously oriented scholars have tried to calculate dates for the birth of Lord Krishna, some believing that Lord Krishna, under the name of "Vasudeva Govinda Krishna Shauri," flourished as the ruler of Shuraseni and Vrishni tribes on the now-submerged island of Dwaraka (off the coast of Gujarat, India) sometime between 3200 and 3100 BC.

GODDESS UMIYA MATAJI

Goddess Umiya is an incarnation of Shakti and is the patron deity or Kuldevi of the Kadva Patidar community of Gujarat. She is referred as Shri Umiya Mataji or Shree Ma Umiya and is the almighty mother Goddess of the Universe. She is the provider of strength, peace and prosperity.

Goddess Umiya is the name given to Goddess Sati and Goddess Parvati by the Kadva Patidar community. Legend has it that once during one of their divine missions to annihilate demons, Lord Shiva and Uma (Goddess Parvati) took rest on the banks of Saraswati River. Goddess Uma created 52 statues from the mud here and Lord Shiva breathed life into them. These 52 people became the first people of the Kadva Patidar Community.

LORD SHANKAR

Lord Shiva the auspicious one is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is worshiped as the Supreme God within Shaivism, one of the three most influential denominations in contemporary Hinduism. He is the destroyer within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity that includes Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu. In Shaivism tradition, Lord Shiva is the "Creator, Destroyer and Regenerator". He is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism.

At the highest level, Lord Shiva is regarded as formless, limitless, transcendent and unchanging absolute Brahman, and the primal Atmaa (soul, self) of the universe. Lord Shiva has many benevolent and fearsome depictions. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash as well as a householder with wife Parvati and his two children, Ganesha and Kartikeya. In his fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons. Lord Shiva is also regarded as the patron God of yoga, meditation and arts.

The main iconographical attributes of Lord Shiva are the third eye on his forehead, the serpent around his neck, the adorning crescent moon, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the trishula as his weapon and the damaru. Lord Shiva is usually worshiped in the aniconic form of Lingam.

The worship of Lord Shiva is a pan-Hindu tradition, practiced widely across all of India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

GODDESS PARVATI

Parvati is the Hindu Goddess of Fertility, Love and Devotion; as well as of divine strength and power. She is the gentle and nurturing aspect of the Hindu Goddess Shakti and one of the central deities of the Goddess oriented Shakta sect. She is the Mother Goddess in Hinduism, and has many attributes and aspects. Each of her aspects is expressed with a different name, giving her over 100 names in regional Hindu stories of India. Along with Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth and prosperity) and Goddess Saraswati (Goddess of Knowledge and Learning), she forms the trinity of Hindu Goddesses (Tridevi).

Parvati is the wife of the Hindu God Shiva - the protector and regenerator of universe and all life. She is the daughter of the mountain king Himavan and mother Mena. Parvati is the mother of Hindu deities Ganesha and Kartikeya. Some communities also believe her to be the sister of the God Vishnu and the river-Goddess Ganga. With Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati is a central deity in the Shaiva sect. In Hindu belief, she is the recreative energy and power of Shiva, and she is the cause of a bond that connects all beings and a means of their spiritual release. In Hindu temples dedicated to her and Shiva, she is symbolically represented as the argha or yoni. She is found extensively in ancient Indian literature, and her statues and iconography grace Hindu temples.

Lord Ram and Sita

Lord Rama or Ramachandra is the seventh avatar of the Hindu God Vishnu. He is the central figure of the Hindu epic Ramayana, which is the principal narration of the events connected to his incarnation on earth, his ideals and his greatness. Lord Rama is one of the many popular deities in Hinduism and especially of the various Vaishnava sects. Religious texts and scriptures based on his life have been a formative component in numerous cultures of South and Southeast Asia. Along with Lord Krishna, Lord Rama is considered to be one of the most important avatars of Lord Vishnu. In a few Rama-centric sects, he is considered the Supreme Being, rather than an avatar. Born as the eldest son of Kaushalya and Dasharatha, ruler of Ayodhya Kingdom(now in Uttar Pradesh), Lord Rama is referred as "Maryada Purushottama" within Hinduism, which literally means the Perfect Man or Lord of Self-Control or Lord of Virtue. His wife Sita is considered by Hindus to be an avatar of Goddess Lakshmi and the embodiment of a great woman.

 

Rama and his brothers Lakshman, Bharat, Shatrughna were the chaturvyuha expansions of Lord Vishnu (Vasudev, Sankarshan, Pradyumna, Aniruddha). Lord Rama's life and journey is one of adherence to dharma despite harsh tests and obstacles and many pains of life and time. For the sake of his father's honour, Rama abandons his claim to Ayodhya's throne to serve an exile of fourteen years in the forest. His wife Sita and brother Lakshmana decide to join him, and all three spend the fourteen years in exile together. While in exile, Sita is kidnapped by Ravana, the king of Lanka. After a long and arduous search, Lord Rama fights a colossal war against Ravana's armies. In a war of powerful and magical beings, greatly destructive weaponry and battles, Lord Rama slays Ravana in battle and liberates his wife. Having completed his exile, Lord Rama returns to be crowned king in Ayodhya and eventually becomes emperor, rules with happiness, peace, duty, prosperity and justice-a period known as Rama Rajya

The legend of Lord Rama is deeply influential and popular in the societies of the Indian subcontinent and across South East Asia. Lord Rama is revered for his unending compassion, courage and devotion to religious values and duty. As per Lord Hanuman, Lord Rama is Supreme Being and every issue can be solved by mere chanting of Lord Rama name. Even with the chanting of Lord Rama name 10 millions time moksh can be achieved.

HINDU GODS AND GODDESSES

Hindus believe in the innermost that there is One God without a second the absolute, formless and only Reality known as Brahma, the Supreme Being, and the Universal Soul. Brahma is the universe and all within the universe. Brahma has no form and is limitless; it is the Reality and the Truth.

That is why the Hinduism is a pantheistic religion: God is synonymous with the universe. Yet Hinduism is polytheistic at the very same time. Hindus worship a variety of Gods and Goddesses who personify aspects of the One True God. In this way people worship Gods in countless ways based on family tradition, local and regional habits or other considerations.

Shrinathji

Shrinathji is a form of Hindu God Krishna, manifested as a seven-year-old child (Balak). The principal shrine of Shrinathji is situated at the temple town of Nathdwara, located 48 Kilometers North-east of Udaipur city in Rajasthan. Shrinathji is the central presiding deity of the Vaishnava sect known as the Pushti Marg (The way of grace) or the Vallabh Sampradaya or Shuddhadvaita, established by Shri Vallabhacharya. Shrinathji is worshipped mainly by the followers of Bhakti Yoga and the Vaishnava in Gujarat and Rajasthan among others. Vitthal Nathji, son of Vallabhacharya institutionalised the worship of Shrinathji at Nathdwara. On account of the popularity of Shrinathji, Nathdwara town itself is referred to as 'Shrinathji'. People also call it bava's (shreenath ji bava) nagri. Initially, the child Lord Krishna deity was referred to as Devdaman (The conqueror of Gods - Referring to over-powering of Indra by Lord Krishna in the lifting of Govardhan hill). Shri Vallabhacharya named him as Gopala and the place of his worship as 'Gopalpur'. Later, Vitthal Nathji named the deity as Shrinathji.

Lord Krishna and Radha

Lord Krishna is a major Hindu deity worshiped in a variety of different perspectives. Lord Krishna is recognised as the Svayam Bhagavan in his own right or as the complete/absolute incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Lord Krishna is one of the most widely revered and popular of all Hindu deities. Lord Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) of the month of Shraavana in the Hindu calendar.

Lord Krishna is also known as Govinda, Mukunda, Madhusudhana, and Vasudeva. Lord Krishna is often described and portrayed as an infant eating butter; a young boy playing a flute, as in the Bhagavata Purana; a young man along with Radha; a young man surrounded by women; or as an elder giving direction and guidance, as in the Bhagavad Gita. The stories of Lord Krishna appear across a broad spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions. They portray him in various perspectives: a God-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero, and the Supreme Being. The principal scriptures discussing Lord Krishna's story are the Srimad Bhagavatam, the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana, and the Vishnu Purana. The anecdotes and narratives of Lord Krishna, in topic, are generally titled as Krishna Leela.

LAXMI JI

Laxmi Ji is Hindu Goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. She is wife and active energy of God Vishnu, who is Supreme God in Vaishnavism. Her four hands represent the four goals of human life considered important to the Hindu way of life dharma, kāma, artha, and moksha. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments. In Buddhist sects of Tibet, Nepal and southeast Asia, goddess Vasudhara mirrors the characteristics and attributes of the Hindu Goddess Lakshmi with minor iconographic differences.

Lakshmi is also called Sri or Thirumagal because she is endowed with six auspicious and divine strength even to Vishnu. When Lord Vishnu descended on the Earth as the avatars Lord Rama and Lord Krishna, Goddess Lakshmi descended as his respective consorts: Sita (Rama's wife) and Rukmini(Krishna's wife). In the ancient scriptures of India, all women are declared to be embodiments of Goddess Lakshmi. The marriage and relationship between Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Vishnu as wife and husband, states Patricia Monaghan, is the paradigm for rituals and ceremonies for the bride and groom in Hindu weddings.

Archaeological discoveries and ancient coins suggest the recognition and reverence for Goddess Lakshmi in the Scytho-Parthian kingdom and throughout India by the 1st millennium BC. Goddess Lakshmi's iconography and statues have also been found in Hindu temples throughout South East Asia, estimated to be from second half of first millennium AD.

In modern times, Laxmi Ji is worshipped as Goddess of Wealth. She is also worshipped as consort of Lord Vishnu in many temples. The festivals of Diwali and Sharad Purnima (Kojagiri Purnima) are celebrated in her honour.

 

Lord Hanuman

Hanuman is a God and an ardent devotee of the God Rama. He is one of the central figures in the Hindu epic Ramayana and its various versions. As one of the Chiranjivi he is also mentioned in several other texts, including Mahabharata, the various Puranas and some Jain texts. Vanara (monkey), Hanuman participated in Lord Rama's war against the demon king Ravana. Several texts also present him as an incarnation of Lord Shiva. He is the son of Anjana and Kesari, and is also described as the son of the wind-God Pawan, who according to several stories, played a role in his birth.

Manojavam, the one who is swift as mind.

Maarutatulyavegam, the one who has a speed equal to the wind God.

Jitendriyam, the one who has complete control of his senses.

Buddhimataamvarishtham, the one who is most senior among intellectuals.

Vaanarayoothamukhyam, the one who is the chief of vanara army. Similar in meaning to

Vaanaraanaamadheesham.

Shreeraamadootam, the one who is the messenger of Rama.

Atulita Bala Dhaamam, the one who is the repository of incomparable strength.

Hemshailaabha Deham, the one whose body resembles a golden mountain.

Hemshailaabha Deham, the one whose body resembles a golden mountain.

Danujvana Krushanum, the one who is the destroyer of forces of demons. Gyaaninaam Agraganyam, the one who is considered foremost among knowledgeable beings.

Sakala Guna Nidhaanam, the one who is the repository of all the virtues and good qualities.

Raghupati Priya Bhaktam, the one who is the dearest of all devotees to Rama.

Sankata Mochana, the one who liberates (moca) from dangers (sankata).