Hindu Deities and Mythology

Alexandra A. Borden

Hindu Deities and Mythology

The world of Hindus is quite different than most of our own. They have many gods and goddesses and live with Dharma and Karma on their minds. Hinduism has a very diverse belief system with many myths and versions of the same Supreme Being known as Brahman.

In the Nineteenth Century, Hinduism was a very broad term given to describe a range of religions in India. Eighty percent of India's population is Hindu. Even though it is a very broad term and there are many ways of being Hindu, there are many universal threads running through the faith. The roots of Hinduism derive from the traditions of the Indus Valley, in the more developed Dravidian culture, and the Vedic religion of the Aryans. The oral texts known as Vedas, which to the Hindus are the eternal truth, were passed down from the Aryans. They consist of four collections of texts along with the later Samhitas, Brahmanas, Upanishads, and Sutras. The Vedic religion also contained many elemental deities, relating to Earth, Air, Fire, Water, etc. The Hindu religion mainly focuses on the Trimurti, or Trinity. The trinity consists of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. All gods to Hindus are part of a correlating divine energy that makes them one in the same. This one true god is known as Brahman. It has a similar idea as the god of the three monotheistic religions descending from Abraham starting with the Jews. The Trimurti are only three of the many versions of Brahman but are the highest manifestations and are usually the ones put the most time and effort worshipping. They are approached through rituals and sacrifices performed by the Hindus. The Rig Veda is mainly composed of hymns and prayers to them. The concept of Dharma is the natural universal laws and when observed, humans are ensured to be happy and contented creatures. The goal of Dharma is to unite oneself with Brahman or the divine energy of the universe. When one practices Dharma, they develop good Karma. When in the known world, a Hindu believes it is very important to accumulate good Karma. This was because of the caste system. The caste system was a very complex social division method enforced by the law.

The deities focused on most in Hinduism are the ones from the Trimurti and their consorts. Lakshmi was Vishnu's consort, Shakti is Shiva's consort, and Saraswati was Brahma's. Brahma is known as The Creator. Brahma grew in a lotus out of the navel of a sleeping Vishnu. In order to create the world along with the human race, Brahma made a goddess out of himself. One half was a man and the other was a woman, she is known as Saraswati. She is the mother of the Vedas and the goddess of knowledge, speech, music, and all other creative arts. Vishnu is known as The Preserver. He preserves and protects creation and is the embodiment of mercy and goodness. He is the self-existent, all-pervading power that preserves the universe and maintains Dharma. He is said to come down in ten incarnations in human form to fight off an evil force. We are still waiting on the tenth incarnation and the last one is accepted to be Buddha. Lakshmi is Vishnu's consort. She is the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune, and wealth. She also signifies love and grace. She is reborn along with Vishnu as his consort each time he is incarnated. Shiva is known as The Destroyer. He destroys the world and after, Brahma creates it again. He is responsible for change both in the form of death and destruction and in the positive sense of destroying the ego. This also includes shedding old habits attachments. Shakti was Shiva's spouse. Shakti is the Mother Goddess and goes by many, many names. She is the source of all, the universal principle of energy, power or creativity. She manifests to destroy demonic forces and restore balance.

Hindus do not worship just these gods and goddesses though. Kali is a ferocious form of the Divine Mother. She is the goddess of time and the transformation we call "Death." She is often depicted in a fear-inducing manner. She appears wild, violent, and a sometimes hideous form but she is often the subject of intense devotion. She developed quite a taste for blood as well; many sacrifices were made to her. Indra is the king of the gods and the ruler of the heavens. One might be reminded of Zeus. He is the god of thunder and rain and is a magnificent warrior. He is often viewed as a symbol of courage and strength. Durga is in essence the goddess of power. She manifested when the very existence of gods was threatened. When she was created from the radiance of all the other gods, she also obtained some extremely powerful weapons. Maya is the goddess of illusion and this is what her name literally translates to. Maya creates ignorance of the individual self. Ganesha is worshipped to avoid obstacles and is associated with wisdom. His odd-looking elephant head causes for contradiction of accepting him as a divine force. This forces the Hindus to look beyond his physical appearance. Therefore, Ganesha creates faith to remove obstacles, forcing one to look beyond form, and removing doubts to look to the spiritual side of everything. Annapurna is the Hindu goddess of food and cooking. She is empowered to supply food to an unlimited amount of people. Annapurna also symbolizes the divine aspect of nourishing care.

Just as there are gods the Hindus praised, there is an assortment of demons they fear. Bali is the Demon King and at one time, acquired enough power to chase the gods from the heavens but was tricked back into the underworld. Apasmara is the demon of ignorance and forgetfulness. The twins Koka and Vikoka instigate wars and other evil things. The Vetala are a type of vampire. They lived as spirits in dead bodies. Andhaka was born of Shiva's tear, but his lust for Parvati (or Shakti) angered him greatly and caused him to take his son's life. A Bhuta is a bad soul of a human being who died tragically such as by suicide or execution. A race of beings known as Rakshasas ate human beings but lived in very solitary places.

Hinduism has a rich mythological background that helps to explain concepts and lessons to its followers. There is a very interesting story about a Saint and a Scorpion. One day a saint was bathing in a river, and his disciple was sitting near his