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Various Gods |
Shiva the Destroyer:Shiva is the third in the Hindu trinity along with Vishnu
and Brahma. He is everything, and therefore appears in many different forms. In the Shiva Purana
text, he has over 1,000 names, such as Mahesvara, the Lord of Knowledge, and Mahakala, the Lord of
Time. He is creator, destroyer, and preserver, and is often depicted with three faces: two opposites,
such as male and female, great yogi and diligent householder, or Bhairava the destroyer and the
giver of rest; and the third, serene and peaceful, reconciling them. His city is Varanasi, and anyone
who dies there will go straight through death to Shiva, even if they are burdened by bad karma.
Shiva is often worshiped through the linga, male energy surrounded by the yoni, the female
source of life. According to the Shiva Purana, "it is not the linga that is worshiped, but
the one whose symbol it is."
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The Mother Goddess: The Mother Goddess (Mahadevi) is manifested either as a consort of the principal male Hindu deities,
or in a generic form that encompasses thousands of local goddesses or devis. These can be benign
and fruitful, such as Lakshmi or Parvati, or powerful and destructive, such as Kali or Durga. Throughout India
there are shrines to a huge number of goddesses. Many have a tribal origin, are based on the ancient idea of an earth or
mother goddess associated with agriculture and fertility, and may need to be appeased with sacrificial blood
offerings. The worship of the Goddess as female energy, or shakti, is particularly important in the
ancient texts that are collectively known as the Tantras. In some Tantric traditions shakti is viewed as a purely
abstract creative power of the male god Shiva; in others Shakti is personified in various gentle or ferocious
divine forms.
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Vishnu the Preserver: Vishnu, known as the "Pervader" or perhaps "the One who takes many forms,"
was not prominent in the Vedas but became a major deity and a member of the Hindu Trinity. He
preserves the universe (when he sleeps, creation is withdrawn to a seed from which it will rise again
when he wakes). Vaishnavites, one of the largest Hindu groups, are the devotees of Vishnu as Ishvara, the
Supreme Being, worshiped in the forms of his manifestations or incarnations. Because of his pervasive
presence, images as the focus of worship are of great importance, as are temple architecture and carving.
Among the great Vaishnavites are Caitanya (founder of a tradition, sampradaya, which includes the
Hare Krishna movement), Ramanuja, a thinker who placed God at the center of philosophy, and bhakti
(devoted love) poets like Mirabai and Surdas: "Surdas says: Without devotion to God, you will make yourself
into a stale crumb to be eaten by the tiger of Time." The Vishnu Purana is one of the 18 Great Puranas;
it describes Vishnu's relation to the universe and his activity within it.
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Other Gods: As well as the principal deities of Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma, and the Goddess, there are
numerous other deities that retain important positions in the Hindu pantheon. These include the elemental
Vedic gods such as Surya the sun god, Agni the fire god, Indra the god of war, Vayu the wind god, and Varuna,
guardian of the cosmic order. Many pre-Vedic local cult deities are also still worshiped, and the divine is
acknowledged in all living things. Certain animals, reptiles, and even trees are venerated and receive a
special place in the divine hierarchy, such as Naga the snake deity, and yakshas and yakshinas,
who are nature spirits. Two of the incarnations of the god Vishnu, Narasimha the lion and Varaha the boar,
probably started out as local cults of the animals. Three of the most important gods are Hanuman, the Monkey
God, and the two sons of Shiva and Parvati: the elephant-headed Ganesh and the youthful Kartikeyya.
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