All About Gods

 1) Lord Vishnu 2) Brahma 3) Hanuman 4) Lord Krishna 5) Mata Saraswati 6) Mata Durga

 7) Indra  8) Mata Lakshmi 9) Lord Shiva 10) Mata Kali 11) Lord Rama 12) Ganesha 13) Brahma-

14) Mata Saraswati 15) Venkateswara 16) Satyanarayana 17) Rama 18) Krishna 19) Kartikeya

20) Gayatri  21) Hindu details ETC

 

Hindu God and Goddess

Hindus view cosmic activity of the Supreme Being as comprised of three tasks: creation, preservation, and dissolution and recreation. Hindus associate these three cosmic tasks with the three deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Lord Brahma brings forth the creation and represents the creative principle of the Supreme Being. Lord Vishnu maintains the universe and represents the eternal principle of preservation. Lord Shiva represents the principle of dissolution and recreation. These three deities together form the Hindu Trinity.

Hindu religion is often labeled as a religion of 330 million gods. According to the Hindu scriptures, living beings are not apart from God, since He lives in each and every one of them in the form of atman (BG 10.39). The number 330 million was simply used to give a symbolic expression to the fundamental Hindu doctrine that God lives in the hearts of all living beings.

Hinduism is supposed to be 'apauruseya', i.e., of impersonal origin & so also are the Gods of Hinduism. They are eternal & though the deities appear to be different & independent, they are really facets of the same Brahman, the Supreme God.

As Sri Ramakrishna says, there can be as many spiritual paths as there are spiritual aspirants & similarly there can really be as many Gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions & social background of the devotees.

The Hindu scriptures were eloquent while describing the qualities of God. He is all-knowing & all powerful. He is the very personification of justice, love & beauty. He is ever ready to shower His grace, mercy & blessings on His creation.

From the Rig Veda, we come to know of the vedic gods eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, twelve Adityas, Indra & Prajapathi, being the Gods of earth, the heavens & the space.

The main Hindu Gods as we accept today can be broadly classified as Saiva Gods (Siva, His consort, His sons, His other forms), Vaishnava Gods (Vishnu, His consort, His various avatharams)& Sakthi or Saktha (Forms of Goddess Sakthi).

 

Lord Vishnu

In the basic Hindu Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Hindu god Vishnu is the preserver and protector of creation. Vishnu is the embodiment of mercy and goodness, the self-existent, all-pervading power that preserves the universe and maintains the cosmic order Dharma.

Vishnu is often represented resting on the coiled serpent Shesha, with Vishnu's consort Lakshmi massaging his feet. Vishnu never sleeps and is the deity of Shanti, the peaceful mood. Vishnu does not however tolerate ego.

Most often, the Hindu god Vishnu is shown with four attributes or weapons. In one hand Vishnu holds the conch or Sankha. The second hand of Vishnu holds the disc or Vaijra. The third hand of Vishnu holds the club and in the fourth hand Vishnu holds the lotus or Padma. Vishnu also has a bow called Sarnga and a sword called Nandaka.

Most of the time, good and evil forces are evenly matched in the world. But at times, the balance is destroyed and evil demons get the upper hand. Often in response to a request by the other gods, Vishnu then incarnates in a human form to set the balance right again. 9 Vishnu incarnations are generally recognized as Vishnu avatars, even though some sources also see other important figures of the indian epics as incarnations of Vishnu.

Following is an overview of the 9 principal avatars of Vishnu :

First incarnation of Vishnu : Matsya or the Fish incarnation : in this form Vishnu saved the Saint Vaivaswata, the hindu variety of the biblical Noah (or vice versa).

Second incarnation of Vishnu : Kurma or the Turtle incarnation : at the Churning of the Ocean, Vishnu as Koorma (or Kurma) offered his back as a pivot on which to rest the Mount Mandara, used as a churning stick by gods and demons. More information also on the Kurma page.

Third incarnation of Vishnu : Varaha or the Boar incarnation of Vishnu : he killed the demon Hiranyaksha, recovered the stolen Veda's and released the Earth from the bottom of the ocean.

Fourth incarnation of Vishnu : Narasingha or the Lion incarnation : as a creature who was half-lion and half-man, Vishnu killed the demon Hiranyashasipu, brother of Niranyaksha, who had gained the boon of immunity from attacks by man, beast or god.

Fifth incarnation of Vishnu : Vamana or the Dwarf incarnation : he killed the demon Bali, who had gained dominion over the Earth and had chased the gods from the heavens. More can be read on the Vamana page.

Sixth incarnation of Vishnu : Parasurama : he killed the King Kartavirya, who had stolen the holy cow Kamadhenu, which could grant all desires.

Seventh incarnation of Vishnu : Ram : he killed the demon King Ravana, who had abducted Sita. More on Ram can be read on the Ramayana page.

Eigth incarnation of Vishnu : Krishna : he killed Kansa, son of a demon and the tyrannical King of Mathura. More on Krishna can be read in the Life of Krishna.

Ninth incarnation of Vishnu : Buddha : Vishnu incarnated to remove suffering from the world. More on Buddha can be read on the Buddha page.

Tenth Incarnation of Vishnu : Kalki : still to come at the end of the Kaliyuga or the present age of decline, when Vishnu will appear in person on Earth, seated on a white horse, Kalki, which is his tenth incarnation.

Brahma

Within the hindu trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, Brahma is the creator, Vishnu the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Nevertheless, Brahma grew in a lotus out of the navel of the sleeping Vishnu. The daily alternation of light and dark is attributed to the activity of Brahma.

Brahma's mind born sons are the seers Marici, Atri, Angiras, Pulastya, Pulaha, Kratuj, Pracetas, Vashishta, Bhrgu and Narada. From Brahma's body came his nine sons Daksa, Dharma, Kama, Anger, Greed, Delusion (Maya), Lust, Joy, Death and Bharata and one daughter called Angaja.

In order to create the world and produce the human race, Brahma made a goddess out of himself. One half was woman and the other half was man. Brahma called the woman Gayatri, but she also became known by many other names such as Saraswati.

Brahma has four heads, but used to have five. The four extra heads appeared when Gayatri was very ashamed with Brahma's love for her and tried to escape from his gaze. The tremendous tapas that Brahma had practiced for the purpose of creation was entirely annihilated through his desire to unite with his daughter. One head was lost later when Brahma lied to Vishnu and thus caused Shiva to become very angry.

The four Veda's are said to have sprung from his heads. In the Life of Ganga, Brahma advised Bhagiratha to ask the help of Shiva in containing the power of Ganga (goddess of the Ganges river).

Hanuman

Hanuman is the monkey deity renowned for his courage, power and faithful, selfless service. The Life of Hanuman is related below in the form of short numbered and illustrated accounts of some of the most important parts of his life.

Some say Hanuman was born as the son of the King and Queen of the Monkeys. To others, he is the son of Anjana, an female Apsara who had been transformed into a monkey by a curse, and Vayu, the wind god. It is also said that from his father Vayu Hanuman received the ability to fly.

As soon as Hanuman was born he felt hungry and his mother could not satisfy him. Then he caught sight of the Sun and thinking it was a fruit he leapt after it. The Sun took flight but Hanuman chased him as far as Indra's heaven. Here however, Indra intervened and injured Hanuman's jaw with his thunderbolt.

But his father was quick to avenge him and entered the bodies of all gods and gave them colic. Indra apologized to Vayu and agreed that Hanuman should become immortal. All the gods came together to bless young Hanuman in a cave.

As a young monkey god, Hanuman was quite naughty and abused his powers to pester the saints living in the nearby forest. On this painting Hanuman can be seen creating a whirlwind with his breath, drinking offered water, pulling a supporting stick with his tail, pulling a beard and dousing a sacred fire.

Finally all the gods prayed to Brahma to find a solution. Thus a curse was created to protect the world from the mischief that young Hanuman created, by removing his knowledge of his powers.

The Power of Hanuman - of which becoming big is just one example - only became available again when Jambavant, King of the bears, remembered Hanuman that he has that power.

And that power was really great. Hanuman could easily fight an elephant for example, since he could become much bigger than the elephant at will.

At the time of the Ramayana, Hanuman was send as an advance spy to Lanka. To reach the island he had to fly over the sea but there was blocked by Sursa, who wanted to test him. She had a boon that everybody who comes before her must pass through her mouth. However, when she wanted to swallow Hanuman, he became bigger and bigger so she also had to become bigger and bigger. Then Hanuman suddenly became very small and went in through her ear, coming out of her mouth, thus fulfilling the boon.

In the Ashokvatika or forest of Ashoka trees on Lanka, Hanuman spies on Ravana, who is trying in vain to press Sita into becoming his wife. Later he contacted Sita in the gardens of Ravana's palace, told her of the plans being made for her deliverance and gave her Rama's signet ring as a token.

Pleased with his succes, Hanuman fought the demon Meghnaath, son of Ravana, in the gardens of the palace of Lanka. He won over Meghnaath, but was finally captured by Ravana's demons.

Brought before the demon king, Ravana ordered that while as a messenger of Rama he could not be killed, his tail could be set afire with cloth and oil. But Hanuman used his powers to enlarge his tail indefinitely, untill the demons had no cloth left to cover it. While they still tried to put fire to his tail, Hanuman became suddenly very small and escaped from his ropes.

Trailing his burning tail behind him, Hanuman then set fire to all of Lanka and flew back to the mainland. He rejoined Rama and gave him valuable information on Ravana's forces. The army crossed a bridge to Lanka that was made by another monkey leader and master architect called Nala.

During the mighty battle that followed, Hanuman defeated the Demon Lankini, who was the principal guard of the city of Lanka.

Hanuman's greatest feat during the battle of Lanka however was to bring back the herb that cured Lakshman from a fatal wound. He flew al the way to the Himalayas to find it, harassed by many demons, such as Kalanemi. Because Indra was confusing him, Hanuman could not find the herb and finally brought the entire mountain to Lanka.

Ravana was defeated by Ram and Ram and Sita were crowned King and Queen of Ayodhya. Obviously Hanuman was present, remained Ram's favorite general and continued his life in service to him. When Rama offered him any boon that he cared to name, he asked to live for as long as men spoke of the deeds of Rama.

Lord Krishna

Lord Krishna appeared over five thousand years ago in Mathura, India to Devaki and Vasudeva in the jail cell of the tyrant Kamsa. The place of His birth is known as Sri Krishna Janmasthana. He appeared with His brother Balarama in response to the demigods' prayers for protection from the widespread influence of demonic administration on earth.

Previously, the demigods and demons had been at war in the heavens. When the demons were defeated by the demigods, they decided to instead attack this planet earth. Thus, they invaded the earth by discretely taking birth as princes in powerful royal families of the time.

And as the earth became overrun by militaristic activities of these kingly demons, the demigods including the Earth goddess earnestly sought Lord Visnu's protection. Seeing the deteriorating social and political conditions and hearing the prayers of the demigods, the all-compassionate Supreme Lord Sri Krishna decided to descend for the benefit of all.

The Supreme Lord descends from time to time in this material world to reestablish the teachings of the Vedas. In His Bhagavad-gita, Lord Krishna promises: "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion--at that time I descend Myself. To deliver the pious and to annihilate the miscreants, as well as to reestablish the principles of religion, I Myself appear milleniumm after millenium."

Although eternal the Lord appears in specific circumstances out of mercy for His devotees. In fact, His principal biography, the Srimad Bhagavatam states, "the learned men describe the births and activities of the Unborn and Inactive." Therefore, although He appears within the material dimensions of time and space, He is most definitely not of it.

Historically, Lord Krishna appeared on the midnight of the 8th day of the dark half of the month of Sravana. This corresponds to July 19th 3228 BC. He exhibited His pastimes for a little over 125 years and dissappeared on February 18th 3102 BC on the new moon night of Phalguna. (His departure marks the beginning of the current age of corruption known as Kali.)

The great scholar Srila Vishvanatha Chakravarti neatly outlines Lord Krishna's activities in this way: the first three years and four months were spent in Gokula, then equal lengths of time in Vmdavana and Nandagram, eighteen years and four months in Mathura, and finally ninety-six years and eight months in Dvaraka totalling 125 years of manifest pastimes. See the Krishna-lila chart.

Lord Krishna's early pastimes are briefly summarized at the website Krishna's Adventures in Vraja"During this childhood time , He grew up as the son of His foster parents Nanda and Yasoda in the midst of the idyllic beauty of Gokula, Vrindavana, and Nandagram. Not only did He destroy numerous demons, but also performed His famous rasa dance.

Krishna enjoyed the dance of love (rasa-lila) with the gopis many of whom are expansions of His own internal energies. The supreme gopi known as Srimati Radharani is the object of Krishna's highest devotion. This beautiful dance would occur in the autumn season at night under a full moon when Lord Krsna would captivate the young gopis with the extraordinary music of His flute . These esoteric pastimes constitute the most confidential expression of divinity ever revealed.

Usually the conception of sprirtual perfection consists of overwhelming feelings only of awe and reverence at God's majesty. However, in these pastimes each devotee loves God either as a master, a best freind, a mischievous son, or even as an intimate lover, thus revealing the infinite possibilities of divine love. These early pastimes of Lord Krsna in Vrindavana illustrate the extraordinary intimacy that one can have with God. These pastimes are described in detail by Sri Visvantha Chakravarti in his Sri Krishna Bhavanamrta Mahakavya

When Krsna and Balarama were older, They were invited to Mathura, where Karnsa, Their demonic uncle, was planning Their death in a wrestling match against two large and powerful wrestlers. When Kamsa saw his wrestlers defeated, he ordered his friends to drive the brothers out of Mathura, plunder the riches of Their cowherd friends, and kill Their fathers, Nanda and Vasudeva. However, Krishna immediately killed Kamsa and Balarama killed his eight brothers. Lord Krishna then established the pious King Ugrasena as the emperor of several kingdoms.

In Mathura, both Krishna and Balarama were initiated by Gargamuni in the Gayatri mantra> Later They went to live under the care of Sandipani Muni who instructed Them in all the Vedic arts and sciences in sixty-four days and nights especially in military science, politics and spirituality. As an offering (guru-daksina) to Their teacher, They recovered his son from death. Although God does not need instruction from anyone else, Lord Krsna and His brother set the perfect example : one must accept instruction from and serve a bona-fide spiritual master to advance in spiritual life.

For the next eighteen years, They continued to live in Mathura halting the impending threat of many demonic kings. Later in Their pastimes Lord Balarama married a princess named Revati. Lord Krsna married many queens, the foremost among them being the extraordinarily beautiftil Queen Rukmini. (See Sri Rukmini website for the story of Their marriage). Both Krishna and Balarama established Their palaces in Dvaraka off the coast of western India, where They enjoyed married life for many years. Although They were married, Lord Krsna and Lord Balarama exhibited the quality of detachment from material life perfectly.

When They were about ninety years old, the great world war of Kuruksetra took place. This climactic battle brought together all the major world leaders. Lord Krsna took the role of a charioteer on the side of the pious Pandavas, while Lord Balarama refusing to participate went on a pilgrimage tour thereby blessing the entire land of India.

At the start of the war, Lord Krishna displayed His stupendous Universal Form delivered His famous message known as the Bhagavad-gita, literally the Song of God. This Song contains the essence of all knowledge having been spoken by the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Himself. This war concluded with the destruction of the demonic kings and the reinstatement of the righteous Pandava princes.

Having completed Their mission, Balarama and Krsna resumed Their life in Dvaraka where They spent some thirty-five more years before ending Their earthly manifest activities The foremost description of Lord Krishna's activities occurs in the Srimad Bhagavatam, literally "the Beautiful Book of God."

Mata Saraswati

Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music and all the creative arts. Saraswati is called the Mother of the Veda's and the repository of Brahma's creative intelligence. Saraswati is also called Vak Devi, the goddess of speech.

Dressed in white, Saraswati holds a mala and a palmleaf scroll, indicating knowledge. Saraswati usually rides a swan and sometimes a peacock, while playing music on a veena.

The Vilma Vashi temple in Dilwara is dedicated to Saraswati. Students worship Saraswati to perform well in examinations.

Mata Durga

Durga is an incarnation of Devi or the Mother Goddess, a unified symbol of all divine forces. For Shaivas Durga is the wife of Shiva. For Vaishnavas and Shaktas Durga is another form of Uma or Parvati.

The Hindu Goddess Durga manifested when evil forces threathened the very existance of the Gods. To destroy these demons, all gods offered their radiance to her creation and each formed part of Durga's body. Durga also obtained very powerful weapons, such as the chakra from Vishnu and a trident from Shiva.

Durga killed the powerful demon Mahish and all his great commanders. Demonic forces are self-destructive but very powerful. Divine forces are constructive but slow and efficient. When demonic forces create imbalance, all gods unite, becoming one divine force called Shakti or Durga.

Indra

Indra is the king of the gods and ruler of the heavens. Indra is the god of thunder and rain and a great warrior, a symbol of courage and strength. Vayu is his friend and servant and the Vasus are his advisers. Indra's mount is the elephant Airavata and he also has a golden chariot drawn by ten thousand horses.

Indra is as quick as the wind and carries a hook, sword, conch, noose, a rainbow and the much feared magic weapon Vaijra. His kingdom is situated near Mt. Meru and Indra's love for Amrita (Soma) is legendary.

At many times, Indra lost controll over the heavens to the demons. So Indra became always watchful to destroy any man or demon that became too powerful. In the Life of Ganga epic, Indra saw King Sagar triumph over all kings of the Earth. When King Sagar decided to organize an Ashwamedh Yagya (horse sacrifice) that would make him emperor of earth, Indra stole the horse and hid it with Sage Kapila, who later burned Sagar's army to ashes.

When hungry young Hanuman sought to devour the Sun, Indra hit him with his Vaijra. This angered the father of Hanuman, until Indra agreed to make Hanuman immortal.

Mata Lakshmi

Lakshmi was the daughter of the sage Bhrigu and took refuge in the ocean of milk when the gods were sent into exile. Lakshmi was reborn during the Churning of the Ocean. As soon as the gods saw Lakshmi, they all fell in love with her beauty. Shiva claimed Lakshmi as his wife, but since he had already taken the Moon, her hand was given to Vishnu, whom Lakshmi herself preferred.

Lakshmi was reborn as his consort each time when Vishnu incarnated. For example, Lakshmi was Sita to Rama, Radha and later Rukmini to Krishna.

Lakshmi is the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth. Being the consort of Vishnu, the preserving principle, Lakshmi also signifies love and grace. Lakshmi often expresses her devotion to Vishnu by massaging his feet as he lies on the coils of the snake Shesha. While Lakshmi is generally worshipped to achieve success, she does not reside long with anyone who is lazy or desires Her only as wealth.

Lord Shiva

Shiva is the destroyer of the world, following Brahma the creator and Vishnu the preserver, after which Brahma again creates the world and so on. Shiva is responsible for change both in the form of death and destruction and in the positive sense of the shedding of old habits. In Satyam, Shivam, Sundaram or Truth, Goodness and Beauty, Shiva also represents the most essential goodness.

Shiva is the god of the yogis, self-controlled and celibate, while at the same time a lover of his spouse (shakti). Shiva's first wife was Sati and his second wife was Parvati, also known as Uma, Gauri, Durga, Kali and Shakti. His sons are Ganesha and Kartikeya. Shiva lives on Mount Kailasa in the Himalayas.

Shiva's main attributes are the trident that represents the three gunas and the snakes that show he is beyond the power of death and poison and also stand for the Kundalini energy. The vehicle of Shiva is the white bull called Nandi (the joyful).

When Ganga incarnated on Earth, Shiva captured her in his hair to avoid that she would flood all of Earth

Mata Kali

Kali is a ferocious form of the Divine Mother, who sent her Shakti, the Mother Gauri, to free the gods from the dominion of the demonic forces Shumbh and Nishumbh. Kali is the goddess of time and of the transformation that is death. Kali also is the Kundalini energy that paralyses the attachments produced by the solar and lunar currents (both demons).

The Hindu goddess Kali is the first of the ten Mahavidyas - the others are Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chinnamasta and Dhumavati, Matangi, Kamala and Bagla Mukhi. Therefore Kali is also known as Adya, the firstborn. In the ignorant ones she creates fear, while for others Kali removes the fear of death.

Lord Rama

Ram is the 7th incarnation of Vishnu and the central figure of the Ramayana epic. The Ramayan is the very soul of India. It is a complete guide to God-realization, the path to which lies in righteousness. The ideals of man are beautifully portrayed in it. Everyone should emulate those ideals and grow into ideal human beings and ideal citizens.

Ram took birth to free the earth from the cruelty and sins of the demon King Ravana (Ravan). Ravana had practiced austerities in order to propitiate Shiva and Brahma, who had granted him immunity from being killed by gods, gandharvas or demons. One of the gods had to take on a human form in order to be able to defeat Ravana.

Ram was born as the first son of Dasharatha, king of Ayodhya. Ram's mother was Kausilya. Ram had three brothers : Bharata (Bharat) born from the second wife Kaikeyi, and Lakshmana (Lakshman) and Shatrughna born from the third wife Sumitra.

One day Saint Vishwamitra visited Ayodhya and asked Dashratha to send Ram and Lakshmana with him because the Yakshini (demon) Tarka - with her two sons Mareech and Subahu - were terrifying him and the other saints at his ashram. They were not letting them worship and meditate. Ram went with Lakshmana and Vishwamitra to kill Tarka. On the way to Saint Vishwamitra's ashram there was a dense forest. When they entered the forest Tarka came to kill them but Ram killed her and her son Subahu with a weapon given to him by Vishwamitra. Ram also shot an arrow at Mareech and threw him 100 yojan far away.

Later Ram went with Saint Vishwamitr to Mithila where the wise King Janak ruled. King Janak had organized a svayamvaraa (an acient custom wherein the bride chose her husband of her own accord from amongst a number of suitors). It was announced that whosoever will bend the bow of Lord Shiva will marry King Janak's daughter Sita. Sita was an incarnation of Lakshmi, the consort of Lord Vishnu. But none of the suitors was able to lift Lord Shiva's bow, except Ram. Ram lifted the bow with his one hand and bended it so hard that it even broke.

 

So Ram got married to Sita, and his brothers got happily married to Sita's sisters. After returning and living happily in Ayodhya the old King Dashrath decided that it was time to give his kingdom to his beloved son Ram. There Kaikeyi, the third and youngest wife of the King, claimed the throne for her son Bharat. A long time before the young Queen had saved the King's life and he had promised to fulfill her two wishes. Manthara, the crooked and evil-minded maid-servant of Kaikeyi influenced the queen to claim her wishes now in favor of her son and to request Dashrath to banish Ram from the kingdom for fourteen years, and to install Bharat on the throne instead. The King was shocked, his heart was broken, but he knew that truth is the highest Dharm, and that he had to fulfill his promise to his wife. So Ram went to exile happily, knowing that to obey and serve his father was the highest duty of a son.

After Ram left to the forest, Dashrath died from the pangs of separation from his beloved son Ram. Bharat went to the forest to meet his brother Ram and to request him to come back to Ayodhya. When Ram refused to return, in honor of the promise to his father, Bharat took Ram's "khadau" (wooden sandals) and placed them symbolically on Ayodhya's throne. Until his brother returned from the exile Bharat served the kingdom as a true and honest caretaker of Ram.

Once Surpnakha, the sister of Ravana, passed by the place where Ram was living. She saw Ram and became impressed by his beauty. She transformed herself into a beautiful lady and went to Ram and asked him to marry her. When Ram refused and told her he is already married to Sita, she became angry. Coming back to her original form she ran towards Sita to kill her. When Lakshman saw that he cut her nose and one ear. Surpnakha then send her brother Khardushan with fourteen thousand rakshasas to avenge her. But all were killed by Ram.

Surpnakha now sought vengeance through her older brother Ravana, but only got his interest by pointing out that the beautiful Sita would be a fitting wife for him. Ravana lured Ram and Lakshman away from Sita by sending an enchanted deer of extreme beauty and then took Sita to his kingdom of Lanka. On the way, Jatayu, a vulture bird and old friend of Ram's father Dashrath, fought Ravan but was fatally wounded. He lived only long enough to tell Ram what had happened upon his return.

In Lanka, Ravana tried to threathen Sita into marrying him, but was rejected again and again. Meanwhile, Ram made an alliance with the monkey King Sugreeva, who had been exiled from his kingdom by his brother Bali. Ram helped Sugreeva to regain his kingdom and in return Sugreeva raised an army of monkeys and bears, led by Hanuman. When they reached the sea, Hanuman flew across. On the way he had many adventures, which can be found on the Hanuman page.

In Lanka, Hanuman promised Sita that help would come soon. When he was then captured by the rakshasas, Ravana ordered them to set fire to Hanuman's tail, wrapping it with oily rags. But Hanuman increased the length of his tail so much that there seemed no end to it. He escaped and used his burning tail to set fire to all of Lanka.

Meanwhile, Ram's army had build a huge bridge between Lanka and the mainland. They crossed the ocean and attacked Ravana's army. During the battle, Lakshmana was heavily wounded, but he was cured by a magic herb which Hanuman flew all the way to the Himalayas to obtain. Not finding the herb at first, Hanuman brought the entire mountain just to be sure. Finally, all rakshasa generals were killed and the battle become a single combat between Ravana and Ram. Finally, Ram killed Ravana with a special weapon given to him by saint Agastya.

This was a moment of great rejoicing. Ram and Sita were finally crowned King and Queen of Ayodhya, though people were doubting that Sita had preserved her virtue while being Ravana's captive, which is another story in itself.

Ganesha

All Tantric and spiritual worship in the Hindu tradition begins with the invocation of Ganesha (or Ganesh), the elephant-headed god.

Ganesha became the Lord (Isha) of all existing beings (Gana) after winning a contest from his brother Kartikay. When given the task to race around the universe, Ganesha did not start the race like Kartikay did, but simply walked around Shiva and Parvati, both his father and mother as the source of all existence.

Many stories describe how Ganesha got the elepant head. One tells how Parvati created Ganesha in absence of Shiva to guard her quarters. When Shiva wanted to see her Ganesha forbid it, at which point Shiva cut of his head. Later Shiva restored Ganesha to life and provided him with the head of an elephant, because no other was available. In another story, Ganesha's head is burned to ashes when Saturn is forced by Parvati to look at her child and bless him.

Ganesha rides a rat that represents the subjugated demon of vanity and impertinence.

Acceptance of the somewhat funny looking elephant man Ganesha as the divine force stills the rational mind and it's doubts, forcing one to look beyond outer appearances. Thus Ganesha creates the faith to remove all obstacles.

Meditation on the Ganesha Yantra creates internal balance.

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GODS AND GODDESSES

There are numerous gods and goddesses worshipped by Hindus all over India. The invisible deities are represented by a complexity of images and idols symbolizing divine powers. Many of these idols are housed within ornate temples of unparalleled beauty and grandeur. The Hindu gods are very much alive and live in temples, snow capped peaks, in rivers and oceans and above all in the very hearts and minds of the Hindus.

Lord Brahma is the first of the Hindu Trinity. He is the Creator God. He is regarded as the Supreme being, the God of Gods. In the beginning Brahma was the Universe, he created Gods. After having created Gods, he placed them in these worlds eg: AGNI in this world, Vayu in the atmosphere and Surya in the sky. Brahma generated the Gods and the entire world. Within him is the Universe.
 

He is a four headed God.
 

He has four hands , each hand is holding a sacrificial tool (sruva), the Vedas(knowledge), a water pot(kamandalu) and a rosary respectively.
 

He appears seated on a lotus which is a symbol of glorious existence.
His vehicle is the goose(hans) which is known for its judgement between good and bad. His consort is Saraswati, the Goddess of learning.

 

Vishnu

He is the second member of the Hindu Trinity. He is said to be the Preserver or Sustainer of life, especially in his associations with the principles of order, righteousness and truth(dharma). Every now and then, when these are threatened, he comes out of his transcedence in order to restore order. He takes on an earthly form and becomes incarnated. He is also known as Hari, the remover.
 

He is described having a dark colour representing the passive and formless ether , a great quality for a pervading God.

He has four hands :
 

* First hand holds the conch shell(sankha) indicating spread of the divine sound"Om",
 

* One hand holds a discus(chakra) which is a reminder of the wheel of time, and to lead a good life,
 

* One holds a lotus(Padma) which is an example of glorious existence and
 

* The fourth hand holds a mace(gada) indicating the power and punishing capacity of the Lord if discipline is broken.
 

Out of his navel blossoms a lotus which holds Brahma, the God of Creation whose responsibilities Vishnu has assumed.
 

His vehicle is Garuda , the swift flying bird - which can spread the Vedic knowledge with great courage. He is often depicted reclining on a coiled and many headed cobra(sheshnag) which rests on the cosmic waters. This represents the sleeping Universe.
 

 

There are a total of ten incarnations(avatars) of Vishnu. These include -- a fish, tortoise, man-lion, boar, dwarf, Parasu-Ram, Rama(of Ramayana), Krishna, Buddha and Kalki , who is yet to come.
Lord Vishnu's consort is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth.

 

Shiva

He is the third member of the Hindu trinity. He is believed to be the Destroyer God, his destructive leads ultimately to good for he removes impurity for the sake of protection. He is also known as "Nataraj" - Lord of the Dance - who dances the world into and out of existence.


The Lord's attributes represent his victory over the demonic activity, and calmness of human nature. As is seen in other places in Hindu religion, Shiva shows the union of opposite principles which make him a representation of the totality of life. He is at the same time -- the Creator and Destroyer; ascetic and erotic ; life denying and life affirming; spiritual and material.


Lord Shiva has matted hair that holds the flowing Ganga river and a crescent Moon ; a cobra snake coiled round his neck, a Trishul(trident) and Tiger skin cloth and ashes all over his body. Shiva-Linga, a sign of the Lord is adored instead of him and Shiva temples have ShivaLinga as the main deity. In ShivaLinga, God is sought to be represented as having form as well as without form; Saguna as well as Nirguna.
 

The symbolic significance of Shiva's body :
 

· His arms: In one of his upper arms, Siva holds the kettle drum( damroo) whose sound symbolizes creative energy. The other upper arm holds the fire pot of destruction. The lower right hand shows abhaya (Do not fear) mudra . The lower left hand points to the Lord's lifted foot saying "Your salvation lies in worshipping my feet !"
 

· At the base of the crown of hair on Siva's head is a skull - this is symbolic of Siva's destroying energy.
 

· River Ganga on his head denotes fertility.
 

· The crescent moon on his head ( Siva is Chandrasekhara) signifies Siva's grace and also Time.
 

· The cobra on his head indicates Kundalinishakti at Sahasrara-chakra
 

· His third eye stands for omniscience or wisdom.
 

· On his right ear, Siva wears makara-kundala, signifying the male principle and on the left, the tatanka ( being Ardhanarisa) denoting the female principles.
 

· His necklace of skulls of Brahma, Vishnu and others proclaim that he is the arbiter of numberless creations and destructions
 

· The ashes smeared all over his body are symbolic of purity. It reminds us that in the love of transient Samsara we should not lose sight of the God. The body will end up in ashes.
 

· Beads of Rudraksh he wears represent the solidified tears of pity Shiva sheds at the woes of his bhaktas.
 

· He wears the Upavita or the sacred thread consisting of 96 strands representing the 96 tatvas , this represents that he is the arbiter of all actions.
 

· The Tiger skin he wears on his loins tells us that we must strip ourselves of ahankara or pride which is equated to the tiger.

Siva's Nataraja according to some is the same as Pancha-kshara.


His feet is Na,
Navel - Ma;
Shoulders - Si;
Face- Va
Head -- Ya

Siva as Dakshinamurti is another beautiful concept. He becomes the cosmic preceptor. His chinmudra where the right thumb and first finger meet while the other three stand away has great philosophical significance.
· The thumb represents God
· The forefinger the individual self
· The other three fingers are delusion, toil and egoism.
The meaning is : relieved of these three doshas, the individual self unites with the cosmic self
His wifes include Parvati and Sati and his sons are Ganesh(elephant headed) and Kartikeya(many headed). His vehicle is a bull (Nandi) - which is a symbol of happiness and strength

 

Goddess Saraswati is the Goddess of Knowledge. She possesses the power of speech, wisdom and learning. She is the consort of Lord Brahma. She is shown as dressed in white - a sign of purity and rides on a white goose. She has four hands which represent four aspects of human personality in learning -- mind, alertness, intellect and ego.


She has sacred sculptures in one hand and the other hand holds a lotus - a symbol of true knowledge . Her other two hands are shown playing voilin ( veena), the music of love and life.

 

 

 

Lakshmi

She is the Goddess of Prosperity and wife of Lord Vishnu, mother of Kama. The other names of Lakshmi are Haripriya - the beeloved of Hari ; Padma - the Lotus ; Padmalaya - she who dwells on a lotus; Jaladhija - the Ocean born; Chanchala - the fickle one; Lokamata - the mother of the world.
 

She is believed to have sprung from the froth of the milk ocean when it was churned by the Devas and Asuras, in full beauty with a lotus in her hand. In the descents of Vishnu, she was his associate. When Vishnu was born as a dwarf, she appeared from a lotus as Padma (Kamala), when he was born as Rama (Parasu) she was Dharini; when he was Raghava (Ramachandra) she was Sita; when he was Krishna, she was Rukmini.
 

When Vishnu takes a celestial form, she appears as divine; if he is a mortal she becomes a mortal too, transforming her own person agreeably to whatever character it pleases Vishnu to assume.

 

Durga

Goddess Durga is the consort of Lord Shiva. Her other names are Parvati or Lalita.She exists in various divine - both friendly and fearful forms. Two of her very powerful forms are Durga - the Goddess beyond reach and Kali - the Goddess of destruction. She has a charming personality and is adored by married women for a happy married life.


 Both the forms have eight hands and great power and Energy (Shakti). Durga rides on a lion and Kali rides on a corpse of a demon. Kali is the destructive aspect, she is time personified, hence the garland of skull, blood etc. She is dark because future is beyond one's ken. Her disheveled hair and robes show her non-stop activity. She holds a drawn sword affirming that your and my life is mortal. Her unraised hand shows abhaya for one who has controlled his senses. Her lower hand shows varada-mudra or boon to her devotee.Parvati was called Sati in her previous divine incarnation.


The family of Lord Shiva, Parvati and their sons - Ganesha and Kartikeya is an ideal example of family love and unity.

 

Lord Venkateswara is a very popular Hindu deity and is another form of Lord Vishnu.

He is also known as Balaji or Bithala, Venkateswer or Venkatachalapathi.
He is described as having a dark complexion and four hands.

In his upper hands he holds a discus - which is a symbol of power and a conch shell - a symbol of existence.

The lower hands are extended downwards to ask devotees to have faith and surrender to him for protection.

 

 

 

He is worshipped commonly by Hindus in their homes with family and friends, usually on a full moon (purnima) day of the month.

In this puja, people worship by reciting the gracious story of Lord Satyanarayana, this story was told by Lord Vishnu himself to the sage Narada for the benefit of humankind. He is another form of Lord Vishnu; he has four hands but his fourth hand does not hold a lotus, this is held up to bless the devotees.

 

Lord Rama, represents qualities, such as honour, courage and valour and is held up as a model of manliness. He is one of the most commonly adored Gods of Hindus.


He is called Maryada-Purushottama, the Great one who never deviated from the norms set by Dharma. In the eyes of the Hindus, the touchstone of human excellence is Dharma.

He upheld the supremacy of Dharma in every one of his human relationships and hence became an ideal son, an ideal brother, an ideal husband, an ideal disciple, an ideal friend, an ideal kind and even an ideal foe.


He is always shown holding a bow and arrow indicating his readiness to destroy evils; with his wife Sita, brother Lakshman and devotee Hanuman who is sitting near Lord Rama's feet.

 

Lord Krishna is another of the most commonly worshipped deities in the Hindu faith.
He is considered to be the eighth avatar of Vishnu. His incarnation brought about a profound influence upon Indian thought and life. He plays a very important part in the Hindu epic Mahabharata, where he is a friend, philosopher and guide to Arjun. The wise philosophy of Krishna and his teachings have been embodied in the Bhagwad Gita.

He is also known for destroying evil powers throughout his life.
Lord Krishna is shown as blue in colour and wears yellow clothes. The blue colour is always associated with infinity ( both the sky and ocean are blue), the yellow colour represents earth.

The blue form of Krishna clothed in yellow suggests the Infinite reality reduced to a finite human being.

He is usually shown with his pet cow, playing the flute which symbolizes the spread of the melody of love to the people. Along with Radha, his childhood devotee, the pair is worshipped as Radha-Krishna. This association symbolizes the eternal love between people and God.
 

The birth of Krishna in a prison, and the manner in which his father took him out of the prison inspite of all security, signifies that the infinite being can never be restricted or limited to the human form.

 

He is the second son of Lord Shiva ( Absolute reality) and Goddess Parvati (Transcedent reality). He is also called Subramaniam, Sanmukha, Guha, Shadannana , Skanda. He is a picture of human perfection, through symbolism he indicates ways and means to reach that perfection.


He is the war God, and was created by all the Gods to lead the heavenly hosts and destroy the demons.

While Lord Ganesha removes all obstacles, Kartikeya bestows all spiritual powers, particularly the power of knowledge.

He has six heads corresponding to the five senses and the mind.


Kartikeya carries on one hand a spear called Shakti, which symbolizes the destruction of negative tendencies in humans; his other hand is always blessing devotees.
 

His vehicle is a peacock which grips a snake with his feet. The peacock is capable of destroying harmful serpents - this symbolizes harmful ego and desires of people.

 

Ganesha

Ganesha, also called Ganapati, is a god of wisdom, prudence and salvation.
Ga means "knowledge", na means " salvation", isa and pati mean "lord". Ganesha is also said to mean "lord of the ganas", Shiva's multitude of attendants. In south India, Ganesha is worshipped as Pillaiyar. He is also called Vinayak( knowledgeable) or Vigneshwar (God to remove obstacles)

Philosophical significance of Ganesha's form:

There have been many interpretations of Ganesha body. Mugdala Purana explains that Ganesha's human body represents "tvam". His elephantine countenance representing "tat" and their joining together signifies the non difference of "tvam" (You) and "tat"(Brahman) .

Thus the body of Ganesha is the visible representation of the highest reality, Brahman, realised from "tat tvam ast"
 

Ganesha is represented as a short. pot-bellied man with an elephant's head with one tusk, four arms and a yellow skin. His vehicle is a tiny mouse. In his hand he holds a conch shell, a discus,a club/axe and a lotus.
 

In mythology:

· The elephant symbolises devotion, patience and truth.
· The Modaka or cake he holds in his trunk indicates that, beneath the outer layer of sordid self, lies the Atman which is sweet and which must be discovered by everyone.
· His corpulent figure conveys prosperity
· the laddoos he is always shown with are meant to reward devotees for spiritual activity.
· Ganesha rides on a mouse, signifying the unity of the small with the big.
· Ganesha's mouse, by gnawing its way through everything, is said to symbolize the god's ability to destroy all obstacles. Ganesha is also known as Ekdanta, or the one with one tooth., because one of his tusks is broken.
· In his upper hands he holds a hook and a noose. The noose is for pulling man along the right path, the hook is for goading forward the recalcitrant. In this manner Ganesha helps us in overcoming obstacles and ensures success.
· The fourth hand's palm is always extended to bless people.
· Ganesh'a ears, which appear like large winnowing baskets, have a philosophical significance too. Just as one uses a winnowing basket to separate grains from dirt, one must use discrimination (viveka) to separate the real (Brahman) from the unreal (Maya).
· The snake that runs round his hip is indicative of Energy in all forms.

Ganesha is unmarried because he reveres womanhood as his own Mother.
 

A unique combination of his elephant - like head and a quick moving tiny mouse vehicle represents tremendous wisdom, intelligence and presence of mind. Ganapati meaning leader of the ganas(public) represents the qualities that a leader should have.

A leader should listen to everybody, therefore the large ears.

He should have nose to scent out the smallest problem ; which a large trunk does with sensitivity.

A large forehead is an indicator of a brilliant mind.

It is important for a leader not to let out all that he knows or all that he has been told ; that is why Lord Ganapati has a large stomach.

Also, his corpulent body , awkward gait, broken tusk and guffaw tell us that outward beauty has no relation to inner perfection.
 

According to Padma Purana, one day when Shiva was sleeping, Parashurama came to visit him. However Ganesha would not allow Parashurama in for his father's sleep would be disturbed. When Parashurama insisted, a fight broke out, in the course of this struggle, Parashurama threw his axe at Ganesha. This has had been given to him by Shiva. Recognising the axe and out of reverence for his father, Ganesha refused to intercept the weapon. He bowed and took the impact on one of his tusks, which broke.

Why does Ganesha have an Elephant's head?
 

According to Padma Purana, Ganesha is the younger son of Shiva and Parvati, while according tomShiva Purana, Ganesha was created by Parvati from her own soil and water of Ganga. This makes Parvati and Ganga his mothers, and he is sometimes therefore known as Dwimatri. Once when Shiva was away, Parvati wanted someone to guard the door while she bathed. From the scurf of her body, she moulded a boy and gave him life. She told him to attend the door and not allow anyone to enter. Shiva returned, and when he tried to enter, was stopped by Ganesha. An argument arose, and enraged, Shiva cut off Ganesha's head and entered. When Parvati discovered that Shiva had entered by beheading her son, she was inconsolable. Repentant, Shiva ordered that the head of the first living being that was found should be brought to him. This happened to be the head of an elephant calf. He placed this on Ganesha's head and restored him to life.

Why we pray to Ganesha before undertaking any important task?
 

A legend explains that once Shiva asked Kartikeya and Ganesha to circle the world and return. Kartikeya hurried off on his peacock, but Ganesha walked around Shiva and Parvati. He explained that for him, his parents constituted the world. Pleased, Shiva granted him a boon, saying that before undertaking any important task, people would pray to Ganesha. Therefore, no matter what the occasion or ceremony be, Ganesha is worshipped before all deities.

The Puranas say that the fourth day of the month, known as Chaturthi, is specially Ganesha auspicious for Ganesha worship.It is believed that Ganesha was born on the chaturthi of Bhadra.

Worshipping Lord Ganesha

The peculiar manner in which we worship him by rapping at our forehead with our knuckles and pulling at the earlobes with crossed hands etc. helps nadi-suddhi or purification of the nadis and puts our psychic powers in proper tune for his worship. The materials of worship for Ganesha, the dhruv-grass, arka-flower and leaves etc. which are the least coveted by common people, have a lesson. No part of creation is repellent to God. He is much pleased with the lowest of creation as with the highest.
Breaking coconuts before Ganesha coaxes us to break the hard nut of our ego before God.
 

 

Lord Ganesha the world over
 

Lord Ganpati has a widespread presence the world over.
· In Greece, the Greek God of wisdom is known as Janus, is pictured with the head of an elephant.
· In Mexico, the elephant headed, human torso God is worshipped.
· Nepal : Lord Ganpati is known as Suryanganpati
· Cambodia : He is known as Prahaganpati
· In Japan : Vinayakshra
· Java : He is worshipped as Kalantak

Hanuman

Hanuman is the monkey God, a noble hero and a great devotee of Lord Rama. He is also called Mahaveera ( the great hero), Pavan-suta (son of air) or Bajrangbali , Hanumat ( because he had large jaws)
 

Lord Hanuman is a provider of courage, hope, knowledge , intellect and devotion. He is shown as a robust monkey holding a mace(gada)-which is a sign of bravery ; and has a picture of lord Rama tattooed on his heart - which is a sign of devotion to lord Rama.

 


 According to the sacred texts, The Gayatri is Brahma, Gayatri is Vishnu, Gayatri is Shiva, Gayatri is Vedas. Gayatri later came to be personified as a Goddess. She is another consort of lord Brahma.


She is shown as having five heads and is usually seated on a red lotus - this signifies wealth. She is wearing crowns on all five heads , the crowns bear nine types of gems, which signify lusture of Divine Light flowing into the heart of the aspirant. The four heads of Gayatri represent the four Vedas, the fifth head represents the almighty God. In her ten hands she holds all symbols of Lord Vishnu. The weapons held by the ten hands of Gayatri give a divine protection , desired boon to the aspirant, at the same time all the enemies and bad elements working unfavourably against the devotee are killed.


Gayatri is the name of one of the most important Vedic hymes consisting of twenty four syllables. The hymn is addresses to Lord Surya (Sun) as the supreme generative source.
 

Significance behind the five faces:
 

A darshan of these five faces of Gayatri idol is capable of removing Five Great Sins we have committed if any. While this darshan removes great sins committed by the aspirant , it grants at the same time Five types of Divine grace from Lord Shiva

Significance of Ten eyes:
 

The eyes of Gayatri are watching at the ten directions ( 8 directions + sky and Earth) for performing Dushtanigraha (killing bad people) and Sishtaparipaalana ( protecting the good)
 

Significance of Ten hands :
 

The first five hands signify five types of Sukhas( comforts) obtainable from this earth and the other five hands signify five types of Divine BLISS obtainable from the Divine and Spiritual lokas.

Indra

 

He is often referred to as the Hercules of Hindu mythology.

He is a classical example of a King and warrior god. He is also called "Slayer of Vrtra" as he killed the demon of drought Vrtra ia a famous battle

 

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Hindu details

Just as a single force in space can be mathematically conceived as having various spatial components, the Supreme Being or God, the personal form of the Ultimate Reality, is conceived by Hindus as having various aspects. A Hindu deity (god or goddess; note small g) represents a particular aspect of the Supreme Being. For example, Saraswati represents the learning and knowledge aspect of the Supreme Being. Thus, if a Hindu wants to pray for acquiring knowledge and understanding, he prays to Saraswati. Just as sunlight cannot have a separate and independent existence from the sun itself, a Hindu deity does not have a separate and independent existence from the Supreme Being. Thus, Hindu worship of deities is monotheistic polytheism and not simple polytheism. 

Hindus declare that there is only one Supreme Being and He is the God of all religions. There is no "other God." Thus the Biblical Commandment "Thou shalt have no other God before me," really means, "Thou shalt not deny the Ultimate Reality or worship any power other than the Ultimate Reality." 

Hindus view cosmic activity of the Supreme Being as comprised of three tasks: creation, preservation, and dissolution and recreation. Hindus associate these three cosmic tasks with the three deities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Lord Brahma brings forth the creation and represents the creative principle of the Supreme Being. Lord Vishnu maintains the universe and represents the eternal principle of preservation. Lord Shiva represents the principle of dissolution and recreation. These three deities together form the Hindu Trinity. 

One must clearly understand that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are not three independent deities. They represent the same power (the Supreme Being), but in three different aspects. Just as a man may be called a doctor, father or husband based upon the tasks he performs, the Supreme Being is called Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva when conceived as performing the three different cosmic tasks of creation, preser-vation, and dissolution/recreation. "The oneness of the three gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is brought out by the mystic symbol AUM where 'A' represents Vishnu, 'U' Shiva and 'M' Brahma." 

Hindu religion is often labeled as a religion of 330 million gods. This misunderstanding arises when people fail to grasp the symbolism of the Hindu pantheon. According to the Hindu scriptures, living beings are not apart from God, since He lives in each and every one of them in the form of atman (BG 10.39). Thus each living being is a unique manifestation of God. In ancient times it was believed that there were 330 million living beings. This gave rise to the idea of 330 million deities or gods. Actually, this vast number of gods could not have been possibly worshipped, since 330 million names could not have been designed for them. The number 330 million was simply used to give a symbolic expression to the fundamental Hindu doctrine that God lives in the hearts of all living beings.

 

Lord Ganesha

Lord Ganesha - the Hindu deity in a human form but with the head of an elephant - represents the power of the Supreme Being that removes obstacles and ensures success in human endeavors. For this reason, Hindus worship Ganesha first before beginning any religious, spiritual or worldly activity. In Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is the first son of Lord Shiva and the Divine Mother Parvati. Their second son is Lord Subramanya and their daughter is Jyoti. As explained below, the portrayal of Lord Ganesha as the blend of human and animal parts symbolizes the ideals of perfection as conceived by Hindu sages and illustrates some philosophical concepts of profound spiritual significance.

  • Elephant head, wide mouth, and large ears: the large head of an elephant symbolizes wisdom, understanding, and a discriminating intellect that one must possess to attain perfection in life. The wide mouth represents the natural human desire to enjoy life in the world. The large ears signify that a perfect person is the one who possesses a great capacity to listen to others and assimilate ideas.

  • The trunk and two tusks with the left tusk broken: there is no known human instrument that has an operating range as wide as that of an elephant's trunk. It can uproot a tree and yet lift a needle off the ground. Likewise, the human mind must be strong enough to face the ups and downs of the external world and yet delicate enough to explore the subtle realms of the inner world. The two tusks denote the two aspects of the human personality, wisdom and emotion. The right tusk represents wisdom and the left tusk represents emotion. The broken left tusk conveys the idea that one must conquer emotions with wisdom to attain perfection.

  • Elephant eyes: the elephant eyes are said to possess natural deceptiveness that allows them to perceive objects to be bigger than what they really are. Thus the elephant eyes symbolize the idea that even if an individual gets "bigger and bigger" in wealth and wisdom, he should perceive others to be bigger than himself; that is, surrender one's pride and attain humility.

  • The four arms and various objects in the four hands: the four arms indicate that the Lord is omnipresent and omnipotent. The left side of the body symbolizes emotion and the right side symbolizes reason. An axe in the upper left hand and a lotus in the upper right hand signify that in order to attain spiritual perfection, one should cut worldly attachments and conquer emotions. This enables one to live in the world without being affected by earthly temptations, just as a lotus remains in water but is not affected by it. A tray of Laddus (a popular snack) near the Lord denotes that He bestows wealth and prosperity upon His devotees. The lower right hand is shown in a blessing pose, which signifies that Ganesha always blesses His devotees.

  • A human body with a big belly: the human body possesses a human heart, which is a symbol of kindness and compassion toward all. Ganesha's body is usually portrayed wearing red and yellow clothes. Yellow symbolizes purity, peace and truthfulness. Red symbolizes the activity in the world. These are the qualities of a perfect person who perforrns all duties in the world, with purity, peace, and truthfulness. The big belly signifies that a perfect individual must have a large capacity to face all pleasant and unpleasant experiences of the world.

  • A mouse sitting near the feet of Ganesha and gazing at the tray of Laddus: a mouse symbalizes the ego that can nibble all that is good and noble in a person. A mouse sitting near the feet of Ganesha indicates that a perfect person is one who has conquered his (or her) ego. A mouse gazing at the Laddus, but not consuming them, denotes that a purified or controlled ego can live in the world without being affected by the worldly temptations. The mouse is also the vehicle of Ganesha, signifying that one must control ego in order for wisdom to shine forth.

  • Right foot dangling over the left foot: as stated above, the left side of the body symbolizes emotion and the right side symbolizes reason and knowledge. The right foot dangling over the left foot illustrates that in order to live a successful life one should utilize knowledge and reason to overcome emotions.

 

Lord Shiva

Lord Shiva represents the aspect of the Supreme Being (Brahman of the Upanishads) that continuously dissolves to recreate in the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation of the universe. As stated earlier, Lord Shiva is the third member of the Hindu Trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu.

Owing to His cosmic activity of dissolution and recreation, the words destroyer and destruction have been erroneously associated with Lord Shiva. This difficulty arises when people fail to grasp the true significance of His cosmic role. The creation sustains itself by a delicate balance between the opposing forces of good and evil. When this balance is disturbed and sustenance of life becomes impossible, Lord Shiva dissolves the universe for creation of the next cycle so that the unliberated souls will have another opportunity to liberate themselves from bondage with the physical world. Thus, Lord Shiva protects the souls from pain and suffering that would be caused by a dysfunctional universe. In analogous cyclic processes, winter is essential for spring to appear and the night is necessary for the morning to follow. To further illustrate, a goldsmith does not destroy gold when he melts old irreparable golden jewelry to create beautiful new ornaments.

Lord Shiva is the Lord of mercy and compassion. He protects devotees from evil forces such as lust, greed, and anger. He grants boons, bestows grace and awakens wisdom in His devotees. The symbolism discussed below includes major symbols that are common to all pictures and images of Shiva venerated by Hindus. Since the tasks of Lord Shiva are numerous, He cannot be symbolized in one form. For this reason the images of Shiva vary significantly in their symbolism.

  • The unclad body covered with ashes: the unclad body symbolizes the transcendental aspect of the Lord. Since most things reduce to ashes when burned, ashes symbolize the physical universe. The ashes on the unclad body of the Lord signify that Shiva is the source of the entire universe which emanates from Him, but He transcends the physical phenomena and is not affected by it.

  • Matted locks: Lord Shiva is the Master of yoga. The three matted locks on the head of the Lord convey the idea that integration of the physical, mental and spiritual energies is the ideal of yoga.

  • Ganga: Ganga (river Ganges) is associated with Hindu mythology and is the most sacred river of Hindus. According to tradition, one who bathes in Ganga (revered as Mother Ganga) in accordance with traditional rites and ceremonies on religious occasions in combination with certain astrological events, is freed from sin and attains knowledge, purity and peace. Ganga, symbolically represented on the head of the Lord by a female (Mother Ganga) with a jet of water emanating from her mouth and falling on the ground, signifies that the Lord destroys sin, removes ignorance, and bestows knowledge, purity and peace on the devotees.

  • The crescent moon: is shown on the side of the Lord's head as an ornament, and not as an integral part of His countenance. The waxing and waning phenomenon of the moon symbolizes the time cycle through which creation evolves from the beginning to the end. Since the Lord is the Eternal Reality, He is beyond time. Thus, the crescent moon is only one of His ornaments, and not an integral part of Him.

  • Three eyes: Lord Shiva, also called Tryambaka Deva (literally, "three-eyed Lord"), is depicted as having three eyes: the sun is His right eye, the moon the left eye and fire the third eye. The two eyes on the right and left indicate His activity in the physical world. The third eye in the center of the forehead symbolizes spiritual knowledge and power, and is thus called the eye of wisdom or knowledge. Like fire, the powerful gaze of Shiva's third eye annihilates evil, and thus the evil-doers fear His third eye.

  • Half-open eyes: when the Lord opens His eyes, a new cycle of creation emerges and when He closes them, the universe dissolves for creation of the next cycle. The half-open eyes convey the idea that creation is going through cyclic process, with no beginning and no end. Lord Shiva is the Master of Yoga, as He uses His yogic power to project the universe from Himself. The half-open eyes also symbolize His yogic posture.

  • Kundalas (two ear rings): two Kundalas, Alakshya (meaning "which cannot be shown by any sign") and Niranjan (meaning "which cannot be seen by mortal eyes") in the ears of the Lord signify that He is beyond ordinary perception. Since the kundala in the left ear of the Lord is of the type used by women and the one in His right ear is of the type used by men, these Kundalas also symbolize the Shiva and Shakti (male and female) principle of creation.

  • Snake around the neck: sages have used snakes to symbolize the yogic power of Lord Shiva with which He dissolves and recreates the universe. Like a yogi, a snake hoards nothing, carries nothing, builds nothing, lives on air alone for a long time, and lives in mountains and forests. The venom of a snake, therefore, symbolizes the yogic power.

  • A snake (Vasuki Naga): is shown curled three times around the neck of the Lord and is looking towards His right side. The three coils of the snake symbolize the past, present and future - time in cycles. The Lord wearing the curled snake like an ornament signifies that creation proceeds in cycles and is time dependent, but the Lord Himself transcends time. The right side of the body symbolizes the human activities based upon knowledge, reason and logic. The snake looking towards the right side of the Lord signifies that the Lord's eternal laws of reason and justice preserve natural order in the universe.

  • Rudraksha necklace: Rudra is another name of Shiva. Rudra also means "strict or uncompromising" and aksha means "eye." Rudraksha necklace worn by the Lord illustrates that He uses His cosmic laws firmly - without compromise - to maintain law and order in the universe. The necklace has 108 beads which symbolize the elements used in the creation of the world.

  • Varda Mudra: the Lord's right hand is shown in a boon- bestowing and blessing pose. As stated earlier, Lord Shiva annihilates evil, grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens wisdom in His devotees.

  • Trident (Trisula): a three-pronged trident shown adjacent to the Lord symbolizes His three fundamental powers (shakti) of will (iccha), action (kriya) and knowledge (jnana). The trident also symbolizes the Lord's power to destroy evil and ignorance.

  • Damaru (drum): a small drum with two sides separated from each other by a thin neck-like structure symbolizes the two utterly dissimilar states of existence, unmanifest and manifest. When a damaru is vibrated, it produces dissimilar sounds which are fused together by resonance to create one sound. The sound thus produced symbolizes Nada, the cosmic sound of AUM, which can be heard during deep meditation. According to Hindu scriptures, Nada is the source of creation.

  • Kamandalu: a water pot (Kamandalu) made from a dry pumpkin contains nectar and is shown on the ground next to Shiva. The process of making Kamandalu has deep spiritual significance. A ripe pumpkin is plucked from a plant, its fruit is removed and the shell is cleaned for containing the nectar. In the same way, an individual must break away from attachment to the physical world and clean his inner self of egoistic desires in order to experience the bliss of the Self, symbolized by the nectar in the Kamandalu.

  • Nandi: the bull is associated with Shiva and is said to be His vehicle. The bull symbolizes both power and ignorance. Lord Shiva's use of the bull as a vehicle conveys the idea that He removes ignorance and bestows power of wisdom on His devotees. The bull is called Vrisha in Sanskrit. Vrisha also means dharma (righteousness). Thus a bull shown next to Shiva also indicates that He is the etemal companion of righteousness.

  • Tiger skin: a tiger skin symbolizes potential energy. Lord Shiva, sitting on or wearing a tiger skin, illustrates the idea that He is the source of the creative energy that remains in potential form during the dissolution state of the universe. Of His own Divine Will, the Lord activates the potential form of the creative energy to project the universe in endless cycles.

  • Cremation ground: Shiva sitting in the cremation ground signifies that He is the controller of death in the physical world. Since birth and death are cyclic, controlling one implies controlling the other. Thus, Lord Shiva is revered as the ultimate controller of birth and death in the phenomenal world.

 

Lord Brahma

Lord Brahma symbolizes the aspect of the Supreme Reality that brings forth the creation. For this very reason, Hindus call Lord Brahma the Creator of the universe. He is the first member of the Hindu Trinity that also includes Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. His divine consort is Saraswati, the Goddess of learning and knowledge. Goddess Saraswati provides Lord Brahma with knowledge that is necessary for the process of creation. 

Brahma is usually conceived of by Hindus as a bearded, four-faced, four-armed deity. In popular images, He carries a rosary in the upper right hand, a book in the upper left hand, a kamandalu (water pot) in the lower left hand, and bestows grace with His lower right hand. The four faces represent the sacred knowledge of the four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama, and Atharva), and this is the most prominent feature of any image of Brahma. The four faces, therefore, symbolize that Brahma is the source of all knowledge necessary for the creation of the universe. The four arms represent the four directions and thus represent the omnipresence and omnipotence of Lord Brahma. 

The four hands represent the four aspects of human personality: mind (back right hand), intellect (back left hand), ego (front right hand), and the empirical self or conditioned consciousness (front left hand). The rosary symbolizes the time cycle through which the world moves from creation to sustenance, from sustenance to dissolution, and from dissolution to new creation. The rosary also symbolizes the materials used in the process of creation. Its position in the back right hand suggests the intelligent use of these materials in the process of creation. 

A book in the back hand (symbolizing the intellect) illustrates that right knowledge is important for any kind of creative work. A water pot (kamandalu) in the front left hand symbolizes the cosmic energy by which Brahma brings the universe into existence. The hand symbolizing ego (the front right hand) is shown in the pose of bestowing grace. This conveys the idea that the Lord bestows grace and protects all sincere devotees. 

The color gold symbolizes activity and thus the golden face of Brahma indicates that the Lord is active when involved in the process of creation. The white beard denotes wisdom and the long beard conveys the idea that creation is an eternal process. The crown on the head of the Lord implies that the Lord has supreme power and authority over the process of creation. 

The lotus symbolizes the Supreme Reality, the essence of all things and beings in the universe. Brahma sitting or standing on a lotus indicates that He represents the creative power of the Supreme Reality. The color white symbolizes purity. Thus Brahma wearing clothes that are off-white, represents the dual nature of creation, that is purity and impurity, happiness and unhappiness, vice and virtue, knowledge and ignorance, and so on. 

In Hindu mythology, a swan is said to possess a unique discriminating faculty, which enables it to distinguish pure milk from a mixture of milk and water. The swan is therefore used to symbolize the power of discrimination. Brahma uses the swan as a vehicle. This is intended to convey the idea that although creation is pluralistic in nature, there is only one Supreme Reality that the entire universe emanates from. This knowledge can be acquired by an individual by training his mind and Intellect to acquire the power of right discrimination. 

As creation is the work of the mind and the intellect, Lord Brahma symbolizes the Universal Mind. From the standpoint of an individual, Brahma symbolizes one's own mind and intellect. Since an individual is naturally gifted with the mind and intellect, he or she may be said to have already realized Brahma. For this reason the worship of Brahma is not very popular among all Hindus. He is, however, worshipped by seekers of knowledge, such as students, teachers, scholars and scientists

 

Lord Vishnu

Lord Vishnu represents the aspect of the Supreme Reality that preserves and sustains the universe. Although there are variations in images and pictures of Lord Vishnu, He is generally symbolized by a human body with four arms. In His hands He carries a conch (shankha), a mace (gada), and discus (chakra). He wears a crown, two earrings, a garland (mala) of flowers, and a gem around the neck. He has a blue body and wears yellow clothes. The Lord is shown standing on a thousand-headed snake (named Shesha Nag), and the snake stands with its hoods open over the head of the Lord. 

The four arms indicate Lord's omnipresence and omnipotence. The two front arms signify the lord's activity in the physical world and the two back arms signify His activity in the spiritual world. The right side of the body represents the creative activities of the mind and the intellect. The left side symbolizes the activities of the heart; that is, love, kindness, and compassion. 

A conch in the upper left hand indicates that the Lord communicates with His devotees with love and understanding. When blowing His conch, He reminds his devotes to live in this world with kindness and compassion towards all living beings. A chakra in His upper right hand conveys the idea that the Lord uses this weapon to protect His devotees from evil. The mace denotes energy and a mace in the Lord's left lower hand signifies that He sustains the manifest world by the energy that He holds in Himself. His front right hand is depicted bestowing grace on His devotees. 

The snake denotes the mind and the thousand heads of the snake signify innumerable desires and passions of an individual. Just as a snake destroys its victim by its venom, an uncontrolled mind destroys the world by the venom of its possessiveness. The Lord has controlled all desires, and this is symbolized by showing Him seated on the two coils of the snake. When a sincere devotee of the Lord controls his desires, the Lord fulfills the devotee's genuine desires and helps him on his path. 

The blue sky in the background of the Lord suggests that He pervades the entire universe. The blue color symbolizes infinity. The blue body of the Lord signifies that He has infinite attributes. He is nameless, formless, and immeasurable. The color yellow is associated with earthly existence and the yellow clothes of the Lord signify that He incarnates Himself on this earth to uphold righteousness and destroy evil and unrighteousness. 

A flower garland around the Lord's neck is a symbol of the devotee's adoration for the Lord. A gem decorating His neck signifies that the Lord fulfills all genuine desires of His devotees and provides for their needs. The crown is a symbol of the Lord's supreme power and authority. The two earrings signify the dual nature of creation, such as knowledge and ignorance, happiness and unhappiness, and pleasure and pain. 

The worship of Lord Vishnu is very popular among Hindus, especially among the followers of the Vaishnava tradition (Vaishnavism). He is the second member of the Hindu Trinity, with Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva as the other two. Lord Vishnu is also known by other names, such as Vasudeva and Narayana. The following ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu are described in Hindu mythology and are popular among Hindus. These incarnations reveal the help rendered by God during various stages of human evolution. As shown below, the first two incarnations are in the animal form, the third one is half-human and half-animal, and the fourth and the subsequent ones are all in human form. These incarnations relate to human evolution from aquatic life to human life, and are consistent with the modern theory of evolution suggested by science: 

  • Matsya (fish)---saves Sage Manu from floods and recovers the Vedas from demons.

  • Kurma (tortoise)---sustains the earth on his back.

  • Varaha (boar)---brings the earth back from the bottom of the ocean where it was dragged down by a demon, known as Hiranyaksha; Varaha kills the demon.

  • Narasimha (man-lion)---kills the demon King Hiranyakashipu, who was planning to kill his own son, a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

  • Vamana (dwarf)---the first human incarnation of the Lord, kills the demon King Mahabhali, who had deprived the gods of their possessions.

  • Parasurama (the warrior with an axe)---saves Brahmins from the tyranny of the arrogant Kshatriyas.

  • Rama---kills Ravana, the demon king of Lanka.

  • Sri Krishna---the most popular incarnation; Krishna's contributions throughout his life include the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.

  • Buddha---Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and accept his teachings, but do not directly worship him.

  • Kalkin (a man on a white horse)---this incarnation is yet to come and will mark the end of all evil in the world.

 

Goddess Durga

Goddess Durga represents the power of the Supreme Being that preserves moral order and righteousness in the creation. The Sanskrit word Durga means a fort or a place that is protected and thus difficult to reach. Durga, also called Divine Mother, protects mankind from evil and misery by destroying evil forces such as selfishness, jealousy, prejudice, hatred, anger, and ego.

The worship of Goddess Durga is very popular among Hindus. She is also called by many other names, such as Parvati, Ambika, and Kali In the form of Parvati, She is known as the divine spouse of Lord Shiva and is the mother of Her two sons, Ganesha and Karttikeya, and daughter Jyoti. There are many temples dedicated to Durga's worship in India.

In Her images, Goddess Durga is shown in a female form, wearing red clothes. She has eighteen arms, carrying many objects in Her hands. The red color symbolizes action and the red clothes signify that She is always busy destroying evil and protecting mankind from pain and suffering caused by evil forces. Following is the symbolism associated with Goddess Durga:

  • A tiger symbolizes unlimited power. Durga riding a tiger indicates that She possesses unlimited power and uses it to protect virtue and destroy evil. The eighteen arms of Durga signify that She possesses combined power of the nine incarnations of Lord Vishnu that have appeared on the earth at different times in the past. The tenth incarnation, the Kalkin (a man on a white horse), is still to come. Thus, Goddess Durga represents a united front of all Divine forces against the negative forces of evil and wickedness.

  • The sound that emanates from a conch is the sound of the sacred syllable AUM, which is said to be the sound of creation. A conch in one of the Goddess's hands signifies the ultimate victory of virtue over evil and righteousness over unrighteousness.

  • Other weapons in the hands of Durga such as a mace, sword, disc, arrow, and trident convey the idea that one weapon cannot destroy all different kinds of enemies. Different weapons must be used to fight enemies depending upon the circumstances. For example, selfishness must be destroyed by detachment, jealousy by desirelessness, prejudice by self-knowledge, and ego by discrimination.

 

Goddess Lakshmi

Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and spiritual. The word ''Lakshmi'' is derived from the Sanskrit word Laksme, meaning "goal." Lakshmi, therefore, represents the goal of life, which includes worldly as well as spiritual prosperity. In Hindu mythology, Goddess Lakshmi, also called Shri, is the divine spouse of Lord Vishnu and provides Him with wealth for the maintenance and preservation of the creation.

In Her images and pictures, Lakshmi is depicted in a female form with four arms and four hands. She wears red clothes with a golden lining and is standing on a lotus. She has golden coins and lotuses in her hands. Two elephants (some pictures show four) are shown next to the Goddess. This symbolism conveys the following spiritual theme:

  • The four arms represent the four directions in space and thus symbolize omnipresence and omnipotence of the Goddess. The red color syinbolizes activity. The golden lining (embroidery) on Her red dress denotes prosperity. The idea conveyed here is that the Goddess is always busy distributing wealth and prosperity to the devotees. The lotus seat, which Lakshmi is standing upon, signifies that while living in this world, one should enjoy its wealth, but not become obsessed with it. Such a living is analogous to a lotus that grows in water but is not wetted by water.

  • The four hands represent the four ends of human life: dharma (righteousness), kama (genuine desires), artha (wealth), and moksha (liberation from birth and death). The front hands represent the activity in the physical world and the back hands indicate the spiritual activities that lead to spiritual perfection.

  • Since the right side of the body symbolizes activity, a lotus in the back right hand conveys the idea that one must perform all duties in the world in accordance with dharma. This leads to moksha (liberation), which is symbolized by a lotus in the back left hand of Lakshmi. The golden coins falling on the ground from the front left hand of Lakshmi illustrate that She provides wealth and prosperity to Her devotees. Her front right hand is shown bestowing blessings upon the devotees.

  • The two elephants standing next to the Goddess symbolize the name and fame associated with worldly wealth. The idea conveyed here is that a true devotee should not earn wealth merely to acquire name and fame or only to satisfy his own material desires, but should share it with others in order to bring happiness to others in addition to himself.

  • Some pictures show four elephants spraying water from golden vessels onto Goddess Lakshmi. The four elephants represent the four ends of human life as discussed above. The spraying of water denotes activity. The golden vessels denote wisdom and purity. The four elephants spraying water from the golden vessels on the Goddess illustrate the theme that continuous self-effort, in accordance with one's dharma and govemed by wisdom and purity, leads to both material and spiritual prosperity.

Goddess Lakshmi is regularly worshipped in home shrines and temples by Her devotees. A special worship is offered to Her annually on the auspicious day of Diwali, with religious rituals and colorful ceremonies specifically devoted to Her. 

 

Goddess Saraswati

Saraswati is the Goddess of leaming, 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. Goddess Saraswati is worshipped by all persons interested in knowledge, especially students, teachers, scholars, and scientists.

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. This symbolism illustrates the following spiritual ideas:

  • The lotus is a symbol of the Supreme Reality, and a white lotus also denotes supreme knowledge. By sitting on a lotus, Saraswati signifies that She is Herself rooted in the Supreme Reality, and symbolizes supreme knowledge. The white color symbolizes purity and knowledge. The white sari that the Goddess is wearing denotes that She is the embodiment of pure knowledge.

  • The four amms denote Her omnipresence and omnipotence. The two front amms indicate Her activity in the physical world and the two back arms signify Her presence in the spiritual world. The four hands represent the four elements of the inner personality. The mind (manas) is represented by the front right hand, the intellect (buddhi) by the front left hand, the conditioned consciousness (chitta) by the rear left hand, and the ego (ahankara) by the rear right hand.

  • The left side of the body symbolizes the qualities of the heart and the right side symbolizes activities of the mind and intellect. A book in the rear left hand signifies that knowledge acquired must be used with love and kindness to promote prosperity of mankind.

  • The rosary signifies concentration, meditation, and contemplation, leading to samadhi, or union with God. A rosary in the rear right hand representing ego conveys that true knowledge acquired with love and devotion melts the ego and results in liberation (moksha) of the seeker from the bondage to the physical world.

  • The Goddess is shown playing a musical instrument that is held in Her front hands, which denote mind and intellect. This symbol conveys that the seeker must tune his mind and intellect in order to live in perfect harmony with the world. Such harmonious living enables the individual to utilize acquired knowledge for the welfare of all mankind.

  • Two swans are depicted on the left side of the Goddess. A swan is said to have a sensitive beak that enables it to distinguish pure milk from a mixture of milk and water. A swan, therefore, symbolizes the power of discrimination, or the ability to discriminate between right and wrong or good and bad. Saraswati uses the swan as Her carrier. This indicates that one must acquire and apply knowledge with discrimination for the good of mankind. Knowledge that is dominated by ego can destroy the world.

  • A peacock is sitting next to Saraswati and is anxiously waiting to serve as Her vehicle. A peacock depicts unpredictable behavior as its moods can be influenced by the changes in the weather. Saraswati is using a swan as a vehicle and not the peacock. This signifies that one should overcome fear, indecision, and fickleness in order to acquire true knowledge.

 

Sita, Rama, Lakshmana

Lord Rama is the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The worship of Lord Rama is very popular among all Hindus, as is evident by the numerous temples dedicated to him in India. In the temple images, Rama is usually shown with his faithful wife Sita, devoted brother Lakshmana, and his beloved devotee Hanuman. The life story of Rama and the main purpose of his incarnation (to destroy the demon king Ravana) is described in the great epic Ramayana. A study of the epic Ramayana reveals the following theme:

  • Rama represents an ideal man, as conceived by the Hindu mind. In the story of Ramayana, Rama's personality depicts him as the perfect son, devoted brother, true husband, trusted friend, ideal king, and a noble adversary.

  • In images and pictures, Rama is shown carrying a bow and arrow. The bow and arrow convey that Rama is always ready to destroy evil and protect righteousness. He is himself an embodiment of dharma.

  • Sita symbolizes an ideal daughter, wife, mother, and queen. Whereas Rama symbolizes standards of perfection that can be conceived in all the facets of a man's life, Mother Sita represents all that is great and noble in womanhood. She is revered as an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi, the divine consort of Lord Vishnu.

  • Lakshmana symbolizes the ideal of sacrifice. He leaves his young wife behind in the palace and chooses to accompany his brother (Rama) in exile. He sacrifices the amenities of his personal life to serve his elder brother.

 

Radha and Krishna

Lord Krishna is the eighth and the most popular incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He was born in approximately 3200 BCE in Vrindavan, where he was brought up by the cowherd family of Yashoda and Nanda. His childhood playmates were gopas (cowherd boys) and gopis (cowherd girls), who were greatly devoted to him. Of all gopis, Radha loved Krishna the most.

In the forests of Vrindavan, Krishna often played his flute and gopis danced with him in ecstasy. The Gopis represent the individual souls trapped in physical bodies. Radha symbolizes the individual soul that is awakened to the love of God and is absorbed in such love. The sound of Krishna's flute represents the call of the divine for the individual souls.

The gopis' love for Krishna signifies the eternal bond between the individual soul and God. The dance of the gopis and Krishna (Rasa Lila) signifies the union of the human and Divine, the dance of the souls. In the forest, the gopis dance with Krishna and are absorbed in their love for him. This illustrates that when an individual soul responds to the call of the Divine, the soul enjoys union with the Lord and becomes absorbed in the divine ecstasy.

Of all the incarnations, Lord Krishna is revered as a full and complete incamation (purna avatara) of Lord Vishnu. He commands love, respect, and adoration from all Hindus of all walks of life. 

Hanuman, the great monkey hero, also called Maruti, assists Rama in his battle with Ravana to rescue Sita, who had been kidnapped by Ravana. Hanuman symbolizes the qualities of an ideal devotee of God, which can be represented by the letters of his name, as follows:

  • H = Humility and hopefulness (optimism)

  • A = Admiration (truthfulness, devotion)

  • N = Nobility (sincerity, loyalty, modesty)

  • U = Understanding (knowledge)

  • M = Mastery over ego (kindness, compassion)

  • A = Achievements (strength)

  • N = Nishkama-karma (selfless work in service of God)

After his coronation, following victory in the battle with Ravana, Rama distributed gifts to all those who had assisted him in his battle with Ravana. Turning towards Hanuman, Rama said, "There is nothing I can give you that would match the service you have rendered to me. All I can do is to give you my own self." Upon hearing these words, Hanuman stood by Rama, in all humility, with hands joined together in front of his (Hanuman's) mouth, and head slightly bent in the pose of service for Rama. To this day, this picture of Hanuman, as a humble devotee of the Lord, is the most popular among the admirers and worshippers of Hanuman.

The worship of Hanuman, therefore, symbolizes the worship of the Supreme Lord, for acquiring knowledge, physical and mental strength, truthfulness, sincerity, selflessness, humility, loyalty, and profound devotion to the Lord

Goddess Tripore Sondari is the main Shakti without which Shiv is "Shuni". The detailed description of this Goddess has been given in "Sunderlahri". As can be seen from the photograph, lords "Brahma", "Vishnu", "Mahesh" & Rudder are four pillars of her "Throne" and "Shanker" as "Assan" of the "Throne" on which Goddess Tripore Sondari is seated. This picture alone shows how powerful is Goddess "Tripore Sondari" (Supreme energy of the universe).

1

The Beliefs of Hinduism

The following is a presentation of two creeds, one for Saivite Hindus and one for Hindus of all denominations, as well as ten slokas presenting five precepts and five practices that constitute the minimum Hindu parents must teach their children to pass on Sanatana Dharma to the next generation.

An important part of the Hindu renaissance of this century has been the discovery of the need for simple creeds expressing the basic beliefs of the Hindu faith. Every religion has a creed of one form or another, an authoritative formulation of its beliefs. Historically, creeds have developed whenever religions migrate from their homelands. Until then, the beliefs are fully contained in the culture and taught to children as a natural part of growing up. But when followers settle in other countries where alien faiths predominate, the importance of a simple statement of faith arises. A creed is the distillation of volumes of knowledge into a series of easy-to-remember beliefs, or shraddha. A creed is meant to summarize the specific teachings or articles of faith, to imbed and thus protect and transmit the beliefs. Creeds give strength to individuals seeking to understand life and religion. Creeds also allow members of one faith to express, in elementary and consistent terms, their traditions to members of another.

Though the vast array of doctrines within the Sanatana Dharma has not always been articulated in summary form, from ancient times unto today we have the well-known creedal mahavakya, "great sayings," of the Vedic Upanishads. Now, in this technological age in which village integrity is being replaced by worldwide mobility, the importance of a creed becomes apparent if religious identity is to be preserved. We need two kinds of strength that which is found in diversity and individual freedom to inquire and that which derives from a union of minds in upholding the universal principles of our faith. It was in 1979, when we were developing the first edition of Dancing with Siva, Hinduism's Contemporary Catechism, that we formulated our summation of the essential creed of Saivite Hinduism. These are given below.

Following these twelve beliefs, a simpler creed, broader and more all-encompassing, is given summarizing the beliefs shared not only by Saivites, but by all Hindus.

TWELVE BELIEFS: A CREED FOR SAIVITE HINDUS

1. Siva's followers all believe that Lord Siva is God, whose Absolute Being, Parasiva, transcends time, form and space. The yogi silently exclaims, "It is not this. It is not that." Yea, such an inscrutable God is God Siva. Aum.

2. Siva's followers all believe that Lord Siva is God, whose immanent nature of love, Parashakti, is the substratum, primal substance or pure consciousness flowing through all form as energy, existence, knowledge and bliss. Aum.

3. Siva's followers all believe that Lord Siva is God, whose immanent nature is the Primal Soul, Supreme Mahadeva, Paramesvara, author of Vedas and agamas, the creator, preserver and destroyer of all that exists. Aum.

4. Siva's followers all believe in the Mahadeva Lord Ganesha, son of Siva-Sakti, to whom they must first supplicate before beginning any worship or task. His rule is compassionate. His law is just. Justice is His mind. Aum.

5. Siva's followers all believe in the Mahadeva Karttikeya, son of Siva-sakti, whose vel of grace dissolves the bondages of ignorance. The yogi, locked in lotus, venerates Murugan. Thus restrained, his mind becomes calm. Aum.

6. Siva's followers all believe that each soul is created by Lord Siva and is identical to Him, and that this identity will be fully realized by all souls when the bondage of anava, karma and maya is removed by His Grace. Aum.

7. Siva's followers all believe in three worlds: the gross plane, where souls take on physical bodies; the subtle plane, where souls take on astral bodies; and the causal plane, where souls exist in their self-effulgent form. Aum.

8. Siva's followers all believe in the law of karma that one must reap the effects of all actions he has caused and that each soul continues to reincarnate until all karmas are resolved and moksha, liberation, is attained. Aum.

9. Siva's followers all believe that the performance of charya, virtuous living, kriya, temple worship, and yoga, leading to Parasiva through the grace of the living satguru, is absolutely necessary to bring forth jnana, wisdom. Aum.

10. Siva's followers all believe there is no intrinsic evil. Evil has no source, unless the source of evil's seeming be ignorance itself. They are truly compassionate, knowing that ultimately there is no good or bad. All is Siva's will. Aum.

11. Siva's followers all believe that religion is the harmonious working together of the three worlds and that this harmony can be created through temple worship, wherein the beings of all three worlds can communicate. Aum.

12. Siva's followers all believe in the Panchakshara Mantra, the five sacred syllables "Namah Sivaya," as Saivism's foremost and essential mantra. The secret of Namah Sivaya is to hear it from the right lips at the right time. Aum.

NINE BELIEFS: A CREED FOR ALL HINDUS

What do Most Hindus Believe? There are nine beliefs, or shraddha, which though not exhaustive, offer a simple summary of Hindu spirituality.

1. Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion which has neither beginning nor end.

2. Hindus believe in a one, all-pervasive Supreme Being who is both immanent and transcendent, both Creator and Unmanifest Reality.

3. Hindus believe that the universe undergoes endless cycles of creation, preservation and dissolution.

4. Hindus believe in karma, the law of cause and effect by which each individual creates his own destiny by his thoughts, words and deeds.

5. Hindus believe that the soul reincarnates, evolving through many births until all karmas have been resolved, and moksha, spiritual knowledge and liberation from the cycle of rebirth, is attained. Not a single soul will be eternally deprived of this destiny.

6. Hindus believe that divine beings exist in unseen worlds and that temple worship, rituals, sacraments as well as personal devotionals create a communion with these devas and Gods.

7. Hindus believe that a spiritually awakened master, or satguru, is essential to know the Transcendent Absolute, as are personal discipline, good conduct, purification, pilgrimage, self-inquiry and meditation.

8. Hindus believe that all life is sacred, to be loved and revered, and therefore practice ahimsa, "noninjury."

9. Hindus believe that no particular religion teaches the only way to salvation above all others, but that all genuine religious paths are facets of God's Pure Love and Light, deserving tolerance and understanding.

WHAT ARE HINDU CHILDREN TAUGHT

In the last two decades, loving Hindu parents worldwide have called for a common religious code to teach their sons and daughters. They have asked, "What is the minimum I must do to dispatch my duty to my religion and my children?" The World Hindu Federation of Nepal discussed this need at its international conference in Bali in late 1992. In response, as a member of the WHF advisory board, I told the Bali Mahasangha that I would work with my research staff to prepare the minimal duties for parents to pass on the Sanatana Dharma to the next generation. The the following ten slokas are the result. Acharyas concur that these are enough to know and follow to be a good Hindu. These are five precepts constituting the essential Hindu beliefs, and five practices which are corresponding observances performed in expression of these beliefs. The modern Hindu child raised up with these ten slokas soon becomes a fully functioning human being, one who is tolerant, devotional, fair, fearless, obedient, secure, happy, selfless, detached and traditional. From the point of view of fathers and mothers with busy lives and love of dharma, they provide the minimal we need to know and teach to be good Hindus and pass the dharma on.

FIVE PRECEPTS, PANCHA SRADDHA

Hindus believe in the divinity of the Vedas, the world's most ancient scripture, and venerate the Agamas as equally revealed. These primordial hymns are God's word and the bedrock of Sanatana Dharma, the eternal religion which has neither beginning nor end.

1. Sarva Brahman, God is All in all: The dear children are taught of one Supreme Being, all-pervasive, transcendent, creator, preserver, destroyer, manifesting in various forms, worshiped in all religions by many names, the immortal Self in all. They learn to be tolerant, knowing the soul's divinity and the unity of all mankind.

2. Mandira, Holy Temples: The dear children are taught that God, other divine beings and highly evolved souls exist in unseen worlds. They learn to be devoted, knowing that temple worship, fire-ceremonies, sacraments and devotionals open channels for loving blessings, help and guidance from these beings.

3. Karma, Cosmic Justice: The dear children are taught of karma, the divine law of cause and effect by which every thought, word and deed justly returns to them in this or a future life. They learn to be compassionate, knowing that each experience, good or bad, is the self-created reward of prior expressions of free will.

4. Samsara-Moksha, Liberation: The dear children are taught that souls experience righteousness, wealth and pleasure in many births, while maturing spiritually. They learn to be fearless, knowing that all souls, without exception, will ultimately attain Self Realization, liberation from rebirth and union with God.

5. Veda, Guru Scripture, Preceptor: The dear children are taught that God revealed the Vedas and Agamas, which contain the eternal truths. They learn to be obedient, following the precepts of these sacred scriptures and awakened satgurus, whose guidance is absolutely essential for spiritual progress and enlightenment.

FIVE PRACTICES, PANCHA KRIYA

(THE PANCHA NITYA KARMAS)

1. Upasana, Worship: The dear children are taught daily worship in the family shrine room, rituals, disciplines, chants, yogas and religious study. They learn to be secure through devotion in home and temple, wearing traditional dress, bringing forth love of the Divine and preparing the mind for serene meditation.

2. Utsava, Holy Days: The dear children are taught to participate in Hindu festivals and holy days in the home and temple. They learn to be happy through sweet communion with God at such auspicious celebrations. Utsava includes fasting and attending the temple on Monday or Friday and other holy days.

3. Dharma, Virtuous Living: The dear children are taught to live a life of duty and good conduct. They learn to be selfless by thinking of others first, being respectful of parents, elders and swamis,following divine law, especially ahimsa, mental, emotional and physical noninjury to all beings. Thus they resolve karmas.

4. Tirthayatra, Pilgrimage: The dear children are taught the value of pilgrimage and are taken at least once a year for darshan of holy persons, temples and places, near or far. They learn to be detached by setting aside worldly affairs and making God, Gods and gurus life's singular focus during these journeys.

5. Samskara, Rites of Passage: The dear children are taught to observe the many sacraments which mark and sanctify their passages through life. They learn to be traditional by celebrating the rites of birth, name-giving, head-shaving, first feeding, ear-piercing,first learning, coming of age, marriage and death.

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God and Gods of Hinduism

Devotion to God and the Gods of Hinduism is known as Bhakti. It is an entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself, ranging from the childlike wonder of the unknown and the mysterious to the deep reverence which comes with understanding of esoteric interworkings of the three worlds. Hinduism views existence as composed of three worlds. The First World is the physical universe; the Second World is the subtle astral or mental plane of existence in which the devas, angels and spirits live; and the Third World is the spiritual universe of the Mahadevas, "great shining beings," our Hindu Gods. Hinduism is the harmonious working together of these three worlds.

The most prevalent expression of worship for the Hindu comes as devotion to God and the Gods. In the Hindu pantheon there are said to be three hundred and thirty-three million Gods. Hindus believe in one Supreme Being. The plurality of Gods are perceived as divine creations of that one Being. So, Hinduism has one supreme God, but it has an extensive hierarchy of Gods. Many people look at the Gods as mere symbols, representations of forces or mind strata, or as various Personifications generated as a projection o of man's mind onto an impersonal pure Beingness. Many Hindus have been told over and over that the Gods are not really beings, but merely symbols of spiritual matters, and unfortunately many have accepted this erroneous notion about the Gods. In reality, the Mahadevas are individual soul beings, and down through the ages ordinary men and women, great saints and sages, prophets and mystics in all cultures have inwardly seen, heard, and been profoundly influenced by these superconscious inner plane beings. Lord Ganesha is such a being. He can think just as we can think. He can see and understand and make decisions - so vast in their implications and complexity that we could never comprehend them with our human faculties and understanding.


 

"Great indeed are the Gods who have sprung out of Brahman."


-Atharva Veda



 

A Hierarchy of Gods Guide Hinduism

A unique and all-encompassing characteristic of Hinduism is that one devotee may be worshipping Ganesha while a friend worships Siva or Vishnu or Kali, yet both honor the other's choice and feel no sense of conflict. The Hindu religion brings us the gift of tolerance that allows for different stages of worship, different and personal expressions of devotion and even different Gods to guide our life on this earth.

Hinduism is a family of four main denominations - Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, Smartism - under a divine hierarchy of Mahadevas. These intelligent beings have evolved through eons of time and are able to help mankind without themselves having to live in a physical body. These great Mahadevas, with their multitudes of angelic devas, live and work constantly and tirelessly for the people of our religion, protecting and guiding them, opening new doors and closing unused ones.

In the Vedas, God is called Brahman, the Supreme Being who simultaneously exists as the absolute transcendent Parabrahman, as omniscient consciousness or shakti power and as the personal prime Deity. The word Brahman comes from the Sanskrit root Brh which means to grow, manifest, expand, referring to the Brahman Mind of pure consciousness that underlies, emanates and resonates as all existence. Brahman is simultaneously Purusha, the Primal Soul. He is perfection of being, the original soul who creates/emanates innumerable individual souls - including the Gods. Some Gods, such as Lord Ganesha, did not undergo evolution as we know it, but were emanated as mature Mahadevas whose minds simultaneously govern and interpenetrate specific orders of space and time. They are so close to Brahman that they fulfill their cosmic functions in perfect accord with God's wisdom, intent and action.


 

"He who is beyond all exists as the relative universe. That part of Him appears as sentient and insentient beings. From a part of Him was born the body of the universe, and out of this body were born the Gods, the earth and men."


- Rig Veda


As God and the Gods are individual soul beings, so too is humankind. The soul body is a body of light which evolves and matures into the likeness of Purusha Brahman just as the seed of a tree one day becomes a tree. Within this body of light and consciousness exist, without beginning or end, the two perfections of Parabrahman and Satchidananda. Satchidananda is the superconscious mind of the soul body - the mind of Brahman. Parabrahman is the inmost core of the soul. We are That. We do not become That.


 

"He who sparkles in your eyes, who lights the heavens and hides in the souls of all creatures is God, your Self."


- Siva Yogaswami of the Natha Sampradaya


 

Our soul body is slowly evolving. Man has five bodies, each more subtle than the last. Visualize the soul of man as a lightbulb and his various bodies or sheaths as colored fabrics covering the pure white light. The physical body is the outermost body. Next comes the pranic body, then the physical body's subtle duplicate, the astral body. Then there is the mental or intellectual body in which one can travel instantaneously anywhere. Then comes the body of the soul. This is the body that evolves from birth to birth, that reincarnates into new outer sheaths and does not die when the physical body returns its elements to the earth. The soul body eventually evolves as the body of golden light, the golden body of the soul. This soul body in its final evolution is the most perfect form, the prototype of human form. Once physical births have ceased, this soul body still continues to evolve in subtle realms of existence. This effulgent body of the illumined soul, even after Nirvikalpa Samadhi, God-Realization, continues to evolve in the inner worlds until the final merger into Brahman.


 

"When beholding by this yoga, he beholds the Gold-colored maker, the Lord, the Purusha, Brahman, the cause."


- Maitrayana Upanishad



 

Do God and the Gods have Gender?

Esoterically, it must be admitted that none of the Gods has a wife. Their consorts are not to be considered as separate from them, but as aspects of their being, as their shakti or power. The Mahadevas who live in the Third World cannot be likened to men and women who live on the earth. They exist in perfectly evolved soul bodies, bodies which are not properly differentiated by sex. They are pure beings made of pure consciousness and light; they are neither male nor female. To better understand these Divine Gods, we sometimes conceive them as being the man if they are strong in expression or the woman if they are gentle and compassionate. There are no husbands and wives in the vast, superconscious realms of the Third World. The husband/wife notion is a puranic myth. The term Goddess can refer to a female perception or depiction of a Third World being (Mahadeva) in its natural state, which is genderless, or to a Second World being residing in a female astral-mental body. For example, Lakshmi and Sarasvati are not wives of Vishnu and Brahma, but personified powers of a sexless Deity who extends abundance and learning through the motherly empathy of a female form. And many of the village deities who protect children and crops are actually souls living close to earth in the astral plane, still functioning through the astral female or male body that is a duplicate of their last physical body.


 

"They meditate on Her to become immortal. The Lord of immortals blesses you. He who wears the Ganga and contains Her - strive to reach Him."


- St. Tirumular of the Natha Sampradaya



 

Communicating with God and the Gods

It is in the Hindu temple that the three worlds meet and devotees invoke the Gods of our religion. The temple is built as a palace in which the Gods live. It is the home of the Gods, a sacred place unlike every other place on the earth. The Hindu must associate himself with these Gods in a very sensitive way when he approaches the temple. Though the devotee rarely has the psychic vision of the Deity, he is aware of the God's divine presence. As he approaches the sanctum sanctorum, the Hindu is fully aware that an intelligent being, greater and more evolved than himself, is there. This God is intently aware of him, safeguarding him, fully knowing his inmost thought, fully capable of coping with any situation the devotee may mentally lay at his Holy Feet. It is important that we approach the Deity in this way - conscious and confident that our needs are known in the inner spiritual worlds.

The physical representation of the God, be it a stone or metal image, a yantra or other sacred form, simply marks the place that the God will manifest in or hover over in his etheric body. It can be conceived as an antenna to receive the divine rays of the God or as the material body in or through which the God manifests in this First World. When we perform puja, a religious ritual, we are attracting the attention of the devas and Mahadevas in the inner worlds. That is the purpose of a puja; it is a form of communication. To enhance this communication we establish an altar in the temple or in the home. This becomes charged or magnetized through our devotional thoughts and feelings which radiate out and affect the surrounding environment. You can feel the presence of these divine beings, and this radiation from them is known as shakti.

Shakti is a vibration. It is first experienced in the simple physical glimpse of the form of the Deity in the sanctum. Later that physical sight gives way to a clairvoyant vision or to a refined cognition received through the sensitive ganglia within your nerve system: the chakras. Through these receptors a subtle message is received, often not consciously. Perhaps not immediately, but the message that the shakti carries from the Mahadeva manifests in your life. This is the way the Gods converse. It is a communication more real than the communication of language that you experience each day.


 

How God and the Gods Help Us

Visiting a Hindu temple, receiving the shakti from the majestic Gods of our religion, can altogether change the life of an individual. It alters the flow of the pranas or life currents within his body. It draws his awareness into the deeper chakras. But the change is slow. He lives with the experience for months and months after his visit to the temple. The devotee comes to know and love the Deity. The Deity extends sublime psychic assistance, but never tests or punishes a devotee. Shakti coming from the great temples of our Gods can change the patterns of karma dating back many past lives, clearing and clarifying conditions that were created hundreds of years ago and are but seeds now, waiting to manifest in the future. Through the grace of the Gods those seeds can be removed, if the manifestation in the future would not enhance the evolution of the soul.


 

"As the worshipper sees the image of his Deity in stone, clay, wood, or painting, then the God grants light from the Self completely of His own accord. Thus as fire from wood, the moon casts its reflection in the water pot spontaneously."


- Karana Agama


If a temple or shrine is not available for worship, then it is possible to establish a communication with the Deity through visualization. Take for example, Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed governor of nature, dharma, science and knowledge. Worship of Lord Ganesha is immediate; to think of His form is to contact Him. Close your eyes for a second, visualize His murthi or form and a direct communication has begun. This is like punching in a code on a computer terminal which gives immediate access to a central supercomputer. All information and answers to every question are now available. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we can use the computer terminal of our brain and code in the divine image of Lord Ganesha. We have complete access to His grand computer mind which has been programmed over eons of time and naturally encompasses the intricacies of the universe in all its ramifications and simplicities.


 

Toward Ultimate Communion: Yoga

Hindus look to God and the Gods for very practical assistance - from affairs of employment, family, heart to knowledge both secular and superconscious. A Hindu devoutly believes that the Gods from their dwelling in the Third World are capable of consciously working with the forces of evolution in the universe and they could then certainly manage a few simpler problems. He devoutly believes that the Gods are given to care for man on the planet and see him through his tenure on earth and that their decisions are vast in their implications. Their overview spans time itself, and yet their detailed focus upon the complicated fabric of human affairs is just as awesome.

It is through the sanction of the Gods that the Hindu undertakes the practice of yoga - that orthodox and strictly Hindu science of meditation that leads to union of the many with the One. Yoga is the culmination of years of religious and devotional service and can only be successful with the support of the Gods who are the sentries guarding the gates of the various strata of consciousness. This sanction, once obtained, can and does allow the kundalini force within the core of the spine to safely rise and merge with the Supreme that all Hindus know is the Absolute - timeless, causeless, and spaceless. But first much work has to be done, much work and worship.

Finally, it must be clearly understood that God and the Gods are not a psychological product of the Hindu religious mind. They are far older than the universe and are the fountainheads of its galactic energies, shining stars and sunlit planets. They are loving overseers and custodians of the cosmos, earth and mankind. The Hindu cosmological terrain envelopes all of humanity. It is not exclusive. Hinduism has historically accepted converts from other religions and adoptives (those with no previous faith) into its knowledge and practices. The Vedic rishis spoke of guiding strangers into the full embrace of the Sanatana Dharma, "the Eternal Path" and into the universal sanctuary of the Hindu pantheon. A vedic rite called vratyastoma purified those returning to Hinduism and Swami Vivekananda declared, "Why, born aliens have been converted in the past by crowds, and the process is still going on." Each citizen of earth so interested has the option of entering the Hindu religion.

 

 


 

                1000 Names Of Sri Radha          

 


 

 

[Name and text number]

Abhayaprada, 84 * Abhistada, 21 * Acyutapriya, 58 * Aharada, 56 * Akasa-rupa, 121 * Alakesvara-pujya, 181 * Amavasya, 65 * Ambhoda, 56 * Ambika, 73 * Amoha, 29 * Anamsa, 46 * Ananda-yukta, 151 * Anandaprada, 70 * Anandarpita-cetana, 173 * Ananga-lata, 107 * Ananga-mohini, 106 * Anda-bahya, 53 * Anda-madhyastha, 53 * Anda-paripalini, 53 * Anda-rupa, 53 * Anda-samhartri, 53 * Andhakara-bhaya-dhvasta, 58 * Anga-harini, 100 * Angara-purna, 76 * Animady-asta-siddhi-da, 159 * Anna-purna, 68 * Anuttama, 19 * Anuttara, 32 * Anviksiki, 163 * Aparajita, 23, 81 * Apavrta, 138 * Apurva, 51 * Apurva-da, 160 * Ardha-candra-dhara, 99 * Ardra-pada-ga, 151 * Arjuna-sakhi, 169 * Arundhati, 184 * Asavasakta-vasana, 173 * Asesa-sadhani, 184 * Asoka, 20 * Atapa-rupa, 177 * Ati-sundari, 113 * Atita-gamana, 56 * Atita-guna, 44

Badhu-rupa, 41 * Bakula, 79 * Bakulamoda, 79 * Balaradhya, 96 * Balesvari, 96 * Bara, 104 * Bhagesvari, 95 * Bhagini, 95 * Bhaimi, 169 * Bhakta, 139, 179 * Bhakta-bhukti-subha-prada, 179 * Bhakta-gati, 124 * Bhakta-kalpa-drumatita, 44 * Bhakta-phala-prada, 139 * Bhaktananda-pradayini, 43 * Bhakti-gamya, 43 * Bhakti-priya, 43 * Bhaktika, 124 * Bhakty-atita, 124 * Bhama, 49 * Bhandira-talavana-ga, 116 * Bharati, 41 * Bharya, 174 * Bhasati-vegini, 174 * Bhaumi, 169 * Bhava-bhavini, 112, 178 * Bhava-nasanta-kariny, 121 * Bhavatiga, 120 * Bhavisya, 120 * Bhavya, 120 * Bhavya-gatra, 120 * Bhayapaha, 65 * Bhima-kulodvaha, 169 * Bhogya, 95 * Bhranti, 40 * Bhukti, 160 * Bhumi, 168 * Bhuta, 120, 184 * Bhuvana, 169 * Bhuvana-mohini, 75 * Bhuvana-sundari, 77 * Bhuvanesvari, 78 * Bilva-vapuh, 104 * Bilva-vrksa-nivasini, 104 * Bilva-vrksa-priya, 104 * Bilvatmika, 104 * Bilvopama-stani, 104 * Brahma, 112 * Brahma-patni, 36 * Brahma-rupa, 51 * Brahma-visnu-sivardhanga, 183 * Brahmaloka-pratisthita, 49 * Brahmanda-bhanda-madbyastha, 51 * Brahmanda-bhanda-rupini, 51 * Brahmanda-gocara, 112 * Brahmanda-paripalini, 51 * Buddhi, 43

Caitanya, 140 * Caitanya-rupa, 140 * Caitanya-rupini, 140 * Cancala, 77 * Cancalamoda, 77 * Candi, 69 * Candra, 99 * Candra-gatri, 119 * Candra-kesi, 143 * Candra-koti-sugatri, 82 * Candra-prema-tarangini, 143 * Candranana-manohari, 82 * Candravali, 143 * Catur-bhuja, 137 * Catura, 177 * Caturi, 177 * Citra, 27 * Citra-lekha, 75 * Citra-malini, 30 * Citra-rupini, 27

Dadhi-bhandarthini, 171 * Dadimi-kusumopama, 62 * Daksa-kanya, 48, 77 * Daksa-yajna-hara, 77 * Daksi, 77 * Dama, 175 * Dama-dharini, 175 * Damini, 175 * Damodara-priya, 13 * Danujendra-nivarini, 134 * Daru-haridrika, 174 * Daya, 40 * Daya-rupa, 115 * Dayadhara, 115 * Dayanvita, 115 * Deva-mata, 48 * Devari-kula-mardini, 33 * Devi, 33, 47, 160 * Dhairya-rupa-dhara, 63 * Dhama-rupiny, 160 * Dhana-dhanya-vidhatri, 182 * Dhanya, 109 * Dharini, 79, 133 * Dhatranandapradayini, 25 * Dhatri, 42 * Dhira, 63 * Dhrti, 33, 63 * Dhumra, 112 * Dhumra-kesa, 112 * Dina, 179 * Dipa-datri, 32 * Dipa-priya, 32 * Draupadi, 168 * Drk-pata-mohita, 98 * Dugdha-manthana-karmadhya, 170 * Dugdha-manthana-tat-para, 170 * Duhkha-hantri, 32, 127 * Duhkha-hara, 127 * Duhkha-kartri, 32 * Durba-dala-tanu-ccbavih, 144 * Durga, 46 * Durgati-nasini, 46 * Durva-dala-syama-tanuh, 144 * Dvaraka-vasini, 42 * Dvi-bhuja, 137

Eka, 46 * Ekanga, 36 * Ela-lavanga-karpura, 92

Gagana, 126 * Gaganesi, 132 * Gaja-mukta, 105 * Gajendra-gamini, 107 * Gaji, 132 * Gamanagamana-priya, 16 * Gamanatita-nirbhara, 129 * Gamya, 129 * Gana-mata, 127 * Gana-tosita, 126 * Ganadhyaksa, 19 * Ganga, 129 * Ganga-jalamayi, 129 * Gangerita, 130 * Gati, 50 * Gati-jna, 134 * Gati-nistha, 29 * Gati-prada, 16, 29 * Gatimatam-dhatri, 24 * Gati, 19, 21, 24 * Gaunya, 161 * Gaura-candranana, 115 * Gaura-vigraha, 137 * Gaurangi, 53 * Gauri, 53, 56 * Gavadhyaksa, 19 * Gavam, 19 * Gavesi, 134 * Gavesvari, 134 * Gavi-vasini, 134 * Gavisi, 134 * Gaya, 129 * Gayatri, 20 * Gayesvari, 133 * Gayottara, 136 * Geha-bhavana-bhavana, 180 * Ghati, 111 * Ghrta-lipta, 171 * Girbana, 30 * Girbana-gana-sevita, 30 * Girbana-vandya, 30 * Girija, 47 * Gita, 129 * Gita-gamya, 16 * Gita-kusala, 134 * Gokarna, 93 * Gokulananda-dayini, 15 * Gokulananda-kartri, 15 * Gokulantara-geha, 28 * Gokulanvita-deha, 91 * Gokulatva-pradayini, 91 * Gopa, 14 * Gopa-mata, 71, 133 * Gopa-nandinim, 56 * Gopa-patni, 41 * Gopa-rajya-prada, 75 * Gopa-sundari, 71 * Gopa-vanita, 75 * Gopala-palika, 70 * Gopala-vanita, 85 * Gopalasya, 29 * Gopananda-kari, 13 * Gopanganavestita, 172 * Gopaniya, 46 * Gopi, 13 * Gopinatha-manohara, 68 * Gopinathesvari, 69 * Govardhana-hasya, 132 * Govardhanesvari, 132 * Govinda-gana-pujita, 66 * Govinda-priya-karini, 87 * Govinda-raja-grhini, 66 * Gramya, 129 * Guna, 161 * Gunatita-phala-prada, 161

Hai-hai-tala-dhara, 151 * Haimavati, 50, 145 * Haimi, 99 * Hara, 133, 136 * Hara-kanta, 73 * Hara-patni, 74 * Hara-prana, 164 * Hara-prita, 74 * Hara-rata, 73 * Hara-tosana-tatpara, 74 * Harananda-pradayini, 73 * Harer jaya, 79 * Hares tanuh, 48 * Haresvari, 74 * Hari-bhakti-pradayini, 140 * Hari-bhavana-sila, 164 * Hari-bhusana-bhusadhya, 151 * Hari-dvara, 177 * Hari-kanta, 14 * Hari-kautuka-mangala, 176 * Hari-prada, 177 * Hari-prana, 164 * Hari-priya, 14 * Hari-sannidhya-datri, 176 * Hari-tosana-tat-para, 164 * Hari-vallabha, 166 * Harid-ambara-dharini, 175 * Haridra, 173 * Harini, 57, 133, 184 * Hariny, 173 * Harita, 173 * Hasya-bhasana-tat-para, 172 * Hava-bhavanvita, 111 * Haya, 132, 182 * Hayakrtih, 132 * Hayasya, 127 * Hayi, 182 * He-he-sabda-svarupa, 152 * Hela, 162 * Hema, 116 * Hema-gatri, 19 * Hema-mandana, 116 * Hema-mukhi, 99 * Hema-ragadbya, 113 * Hema-sundari, 25 * Heramba-suta, 127 * Hetu-yukta, 136 * Hi-hi-vakya-visarada, 152 * Himalaya-suta, 47 * Hiranya-da, 160 * Hrdya, 14

Indranila-mani-nyasta, 65 * Isvari, 46

Jagad-ambika, 70 * Jagad-ananda-kartri, 152 * Jagad-anvaya, 94 * Jagad-bija, 148 * Jagad-utpatti-karika, 118 * Jagad-yoni, 148 * Jagannatha, 81 * Jagannatha-priya, 25 * Jagannathesvari, 81 * Jagatam-adhisthatri, 73 * Jahnu-kanyka, 50 * Jaimuti, 84 * Jaitra-prada, 177 * Jala-saya, 156 * Jala-tala, 156 * Jalodari, 112, 141 * Jamatr-kula-vandita, 79 * Jambala-malika, 147 * Jambavati, 49 * Janakananda-karini, 71 * Janaki, 71 * Janani, 24 * Janma-mrtyu-jarapaha, 24 * Janmasunya, 24 * Jatila, 94 * Java-kusuma-sankasa, 62 * Jaya, 18, 70, 182 * Jaya-patni, 80 * Jaya-prada, 18 * Jayanti, 85 * Jimuta-rupa, 84 * Jitamitra-pramodini, 84 * Jitarthi, 177 * Jitendriya, 31 * Jiva, 18 * Jiva-vandya, 39 * Jivananda-pradayini, 18

Kadambari-pana-para, 102 * Kailasa-vasini, 72, 149 * Kailasacala-vasini, 87 * Kailasini, 175 * Kaivalya-dayini, 68 * Kaivalya-patha-da, 122 * Kaivalya-sundari, 68 * Kaivarti, 116 * Kala, 115, 168 * Kaladhinatha-vadana, 115 * Kalanathadhirohini, 115 * Kali-kalmasa-bhanga, 86 * Kali-kalmasa-nasini, 86 * Kali-kalmasa-rupa, 86 * Kalindatanaya-tira, 102 * Kalindi, 50 * Kalindi-kula-dipika, 101 * Kalpa, 53, 184 * Kalpa-rupini, 184 * Kama-bija-pradayini, 158 * Kama-kala, 101 * Kama-karika, 101 * Kama-lalasa-vigraha, 17 * Kama-prakasika, 159 * Kama-sastra-prakasini, 158 * Kama-sastra-vinoda, 158 * Kama-vallabha, 103 * Kamala, 25, 72 * Kamala-kanta-grhini, 72 * Kamala-sundari, 26 * Kamalalaya, 72 * Kamanga-harini, 46 * Kamari-kanta, 17 * Kamesi, 17 * Kamesvari, 101 * Kaminy, 159 * Kampamana, 131 * Kamsa-hara, 131 * Kanakakrti, 133 * Kancanabha, 19 * Kancanangada-dharini, 19 * Kandarpa-koti-janani, 158 * Kandarpa-koti-sundari, 157 * Kanta, 26, 96 * Kanta-nitambini, 96 * Kantara-sustha-vasini, 141 * Kantara-vasini, 32 * Kanti, 33 * Kanya, 14 * Kapala-malini, 160 * Kapila, 111 * Karani, 100 * Karika, 101 * Karini, 150 * Karna, 93 * Karttika-vrata-kartri, 156 * Karttiki, 65 * Karuna, 93 * Karunamaya-karini, 93 * Karunarnava-dharini, 57 * Karunarnava-rupini, 168 * Karunarnava-sampurna, 57 * Karunya, 93 * Karyatita, 100 * Kaulini, 94 * Kaumari, 76 * Kauseyambara-dharini, 117 * Kaya, 182 * Kesa, 101, 111 * Kesa-pasa-rata, 143 * Kesa-saivala-dhatri, 119 * Kesava, 90 * Kesava-prita, 90 * Kesava-priya, 90 * Kesavananda-datri, 89 * Kesavananda-dayini, 89 * Kesavi, 90 * Kesini, 175 * Kevala, 84 * Khecara-suta, 81 * Khecaratva-pradayini, 81 * Khecari, 81 * Kisora-sanga-samsarga, 115 * Kisora-vallabha, 101 * Kisori, 25 * Kisorini, 100 * Kosa, 117 * Kosa-rupa, 118 * Kosala, 168 * Kosavari, 118 * Koti-kandarpa-lavanya, 157 * Krida-kautuka-rupini, 163 * Kripatita, 93 * Krodhini, 171 * Krpa, 86 * Krpanvita, 161 * Krpavati, 87 * Krsna, 11, 12, 26, 32, 139, 147, 149, 171, 172, 174, 178, 181 * Krsna-bhakta-phalarthini, 150 * Krsna-bhogya, 95 * Krsna-kala, 178 * Krsna-kanta, 12, 55 * Krsna-kroda, 141 * Krsna-pivari, 96 * Krsna-prema, 140 * Krsna-prema-parayana, 44 * Krsna-prema-rata, 139 * Krsna-prema-tarangini, 109 * Krsna-premavati, 109 * Krsna-prita, 139 * Krsna-rata, 139 * Krsna-samyuta, 11 * Krsna-sangarthini, 172 * Krsna-stuta, 55 * Krsna-taranga-da, 145 * Krsna-tosana-tat-para, 139 * Krsnacandra-priya, 32 * Krsnam, 104 * Krsnananda-pradayini, 12 * Krsnananda-vidhayini, 178 * Krsnanga-vasini, 14 * Krsnartha-rahita, 179 * Krsnartha-vasana, 178 * Krsnartha-vyakula, 181 * Krsnarthini, 178 * Krsnavatara-nirata, 150 * Krsnesi, 103 * Ksama, 33 * Ksamakula, 40 * Ksema, 46, 83 * Ksema-kari, 83 * Ksetra, 94 * Ksetra-nivasini, 136 * Ksetradhisthatr-rupa, 89 * Ksetratita, 89 * Ksina, 169 * Ksirodasayini, 33 * Ksudha, 143 * Ksudra-kitanga-samsarga, 157 * Ksut, 40 * Kula-dipika, 31 * Kula-ksetra-nivasini, 129 * Kula-prada, 89 * Kula-priya, 34 * Kula-pujya, 34 * Kulajendra-nivasini, 85 * Kulavati, 87 * Kulina, 31 * Kulodvaha, 32 * Kumari, 71 * Kumuda, 103 * Kumudananda, 103 * Kusmanda-bhuta-vetala, 161 * Kusumamoda-dharini, 102 * Kutila, 94 * Kutilalaka, 97 * Kutira-vasini, 112 * Kuveresvara-vallabha, 181

Lajja, 33 * Laksmana-geha-stha, 78 * Laksmi, 33, 168 * Lalita, 30 * Langhana-ksama, 122 * Lata, 107 * Lavanga, 129 * Lavanga-namni, 91 * Lavanya-mangala, 162 * Lila, 162

Mabodari, 141 * Mada-dayini, 138 * Madana-mohini, 12, 46 * Madhava-mano, 57 * Madhavi, 57 * Maha-bhima, 84 * Maha-durga, 141 * Maha-jiva-prada, 26 * Maha-laksmi, 34, 42 * Maha-mukta, 105 * Maha-mukti-phala-prada, 105 * Maha-visnu-priya, 53 * Mahalasa, 67 * Maheyi, 76 * Malati-malya-bhusadhya, 54 * Malati-malya-dharini, 54 * Manda-lajja, 48 * Mangala-prada, 58 * Mangalamoda-janani, 146 * Mangalya, 58 * Mano-'dhisthatr-devi, 44 * Manohara, 39 * Manorama, 114 * Mathura, 180 * Mathura-raja, 180 * Mati, 21, 32, 33 * Matsya-raja-suta, 76 * Matsya-rupa, 100 * Maya, 70 * Megha-rupa, 113 * Mekhalamoda-dharini, 146 * Minavatara, 132 * Minesi, 132 * Mitravinda, 50 * Moha, 29 * Mohana, 169 * Mudrasya, 138 * Mukha-vasa-mukhanvita, 92 * Mukhi, 99 * Mukhya, 92 * Mukhya-nivasini, 92 * Mukhya-prada, 92 * Mukti-datri, 160 * Mukti-hetu, 122 * Mukti-hetu-langhani, 122

Nada-bindu-vidharini, 155 * Nada-rupa, 155 * Nadesi, 155 * Naga-karnika, 93 * Naga-mata, 163 * Nagara, 144 * Nagaralingana-para, 145 * Nagarananda-karini, 144 * Nagarangana-mangala, 145 * Nagendra, 163 * Nagendra-kanya, 88 * Nairvani, 136 * Nanda, 85 * Nanda-priya, 23 * Nanda-suta, 23 * Nandanandana-patni, 18 * Nandanangana, 171 * Nara-sevya, 165 * Narakarnava-nasini, 165 * Narakarnava-samhantri, 165 * Naranga-kula-mandana, 91 * Naranga-phala-sobhita, 98 * Narangana, 165 * Narangi, 91 * Narasimhi, 76 * Naratita, 165 * Narayana-priya, 97 * Narayani, 93 * Naresvari, 165 * Nari, 77 * Nasgari-raga, 144 * Nasini, 161 * Nava-durgika, 76 * Nava-nari, 98 * Navanitika, 98 * Navina, 98 * Nayaka-prita, 69 * Nayakananda-rupini, 69 * Nayika, 69 * Nayika-nayananvita, 69 * Nidra, 40, 143 * Nila, 94 * Nilakantha-priya, 95 * Nilambara-vidhatri, 95 * Nilambaradhara, 63, 94 * Nimba-dadima-rupini, 103 * Nirakula, 27 * Niralamba, 35 * Niralamba-gana-priya, 35 * Niralamba-janaih pujya, 35 * Niraloka, 35 * Niramaya, 46 * Nirantara, 53 * Nirasraya, 35 * Nirguna, 27 * Nirvana-datri, 136 * Niscaitanya, 174 * Nisceta, 174 * Niskulina, 27 * Nisphala, 84 * Nitambini, 96 * Niti, 21 * Niti-sastra-priya, 21 * Nitya, 22 * Nitya-gehini, 41 * Nitya-rupa, 41 * Nitya-tarangini, 110 * Nityananda-kari, 86 * Nityangi, 41 * Nivasa-kusala, 136

Pada-padma-subha, 65 * Padma, 25 * Padma-hasta, 25 * Padmangaraga-samraga, 119 * Palini, 46 * Pana-pananda-dayini, 170 * Pana-patra, 170 * Panarthini, 170 * Panasakta-tara, 170 * Panca-sakti-svarupa, 106 * Pandava-priya, 168 * Pandava-sakhi, 129 * Pandita, 153 * Pandita-guna, 153 * Panditananda-karini, 153 * Para, 37, 39, 47, 64 * Paranugraha-karini, 56 * Parat, 39, 47 * Paripalana-kartri, 153 * Paripurna, 50 * Parvatadhinivasa, 136 * Parvati, 47 * Pasa-sambandhini, 111 * Pati-prana, 184 * Pati-vakya-vinodini, 184 * Pati-vrata, 67, 184 * Paurnamasi, 65 * Pavitra, 26 * Pavitra-guna-siladhya, 130 * Pavitra-guna-simadhya, 131 * Pavitra-kula-dipani, 131 * Pavitra-kula-dipika, 130 * Pavitrananda-dayini, 130 * Payasvini, 26 * Payo-datri, 26 * Payoda-da, 25 * Pingala, 116 * Pipasa, 40 * Pivari, 116 * Pradhana-gopika, 14 * Prakrti, 40 * Prana, 147 * Prana-priya, 138 * Prana-rupa, 138 * Prana-rupiny, 138 * Prana-sarvasva-dayini, 149 * Prana-vimocana, 147 * Pranava, 182 * Pranavartha-svarupini, 182 * Pranavesi, 182 * Pratar-asini, 98 * Prema, 109 * Prema-bhakta, 140 * Prema-bhakti-prada, 109 * Prema-bhakti-tarangini, 110 * Prema-datri, 108 * Prema-hara, 108 * Prema-krida-paritangi, 110 * Prema-priya, 108 * Prema-rupa, 108 * Prema-saktimayi, 108 * Prema-tarangika, 143 * Premalingana-siddhangi, 146 * Premananda-tarangini, 108, 109 * Premartha-dayini, 110 * Preta-prana-vinasini, 184 * Priti-janani, 154 * Priya, 12, 29, 73, 140, 145 * Pundarikaksa-gehini, 39 * Pundarikaksa-nilaya, 39 * Pundarikaksa-sevya, 39 * Pundarikaksa-vallabha, 39 * Purnatara, 50 * Pusti, 33 * Puta-gatra, 130

Radha-ramana-kanta, 149 * Radhana-rupini, 149 * Radhika, 11 * Radhya, 149 * Radhyanandaprada, 23 * Ragini, 178 * Raksasi-nasini, 184 * Rama, 74 * Rama-rata, 74 * Rambha, 72 * Ramesvari, 74 * Rasa, 90 * Rasa-gamya, 36 * Rasa-krida, 39 * Rasa-krida-kari, 90 * Rasa-mandala-madhyastha, 37 * Rasa-mandala-sevya, 38 * Rasa-mandala-sobhita, 37 * Rasa-priya, 36 * Rasa-rati, 173 * Rasa-sundari, 90 * Rasadhisthatr-devata, 36 * Rasasakta, 173 * Rasesvari, 37 * Rasika, 37 * Rasikananda, 37 * Rati-prada, 78, 122 * Rati-prita, 78 * Rati-ranga-parityaga, 122 * Rati-rupa, 78 * Rati-srestha, 78 * Rati-vega, 122 * Rati, 78, 123 * Ratna-bhusana-bhusana, 147 * Ratna-kundala-bhusita, 63 * Ratna-mala-vibhusita, 64 * Ratna-malya-dhara, 64 * Ratna-manjira-bhusangi, 147 * Ratna-simhasana-stha, 63 * Ratnalankara-samyukta, 64 * Ratnendra-sara-haradhya, 64 * Raudra, 111 * Raudra-rupa, 177 * Revati, 49 * Rini, 118 * Rohini, 99 * Rudrananda-prakasini, 111 * Rukmini, 49 * Rupa, 29, 68, 92, 106 * Rupa-padapa-vasini, 155 * Rupavati, 96 * Rupini, 70, 112

Saci, 184 * Sad-bhuja, 137 * Sadananda, 68 * Sadasiva-manohara, 40 * Sadhvi, 67, 184 * Sadhya-vilasika, 146 * Sadyo-mukti-prada, 47 * Sahasrasya, 138 * Saila, 25 * Sairisi, 125 * Saisavananda-karini, 106 * Saiva, 113 * Saiva-simsapa, 184 * Saivalananda-dayini, 113 * Sakalepsita-datri, 184 * Sakhi, 117, 120, 175 * Sakhi-madhya-nivasini, 129 * Sakti, 106 * Sakti-svarupini, 106 * Salila, 97 * Sambhu-kanta, 40 * Samha, 118 * Samhara-karini, 118 * Samhara-sabdadhya, 154 * Samhartri, 34 * Samsara-nasini, 113 * Samsara-ragini, 120 * Samsararnava-para-da, 55 * Samudra-jala-vasika, 143 * Samudra-jala-vasini, 143 * Samudra-mathanodbhuta, 143 * Samudramrta-rupa, 143 * Sandrananda-visarada, 152 * Sanga-dosa-vinasini, 157 * Sankata, 97 * Sankhaspada, 79 * Sannyasa-dharma-kusala, 136 * Sannyasesi, 136 * Sara-bhuta, 53 * Sara-carma-dhara, 181 * Sarac-candra-mukhi, 136 * Sarada, 56 * Saradanvita, 161 * Saran-mukhi, 136 * Sarasvati, 36 * Sarpini, 94 * Sarva, 39, 47, 110 * Sarva-bhutanam, 46, 100 * Sarva-daityanam, 34 * Sarva-jivesvari, 39 * Sarva-karana-karana, 43 * Sarva-mangala, 26 * Sarva-vandya, 46 * Sarvaga, 36 * Sarvajnatva-vidhatri, 128 * Sarvanga-sundari, 129 * Sasi-koti-sama-prabha, 54 * Sasi-sekhara, 53 * Sasi-su-sobhana, 99 * Sastra-rupa, 163 * Sastra-siddhanta-karini, 163 * Sati, 47, 76 * Satya, 49 * Satya-prada, 148 * Satya-rupa, 41 * Satyavati, 148 * Saumya, 29 * Saumya-datri, 46 * Saumya-kulodvaha, 29 * Savala, 162 * Savitri, 34 * Sesa, 70 * Sesavati, 70 * Seva-sevya, 83 * Sevakananda-dayika, 148 * Sevitepsita-sarvada, 127 * Sevya, 36, 83 * Siddha, 146 * Siddha-ksetra-nivasini, 88 * Siddha-rupa, 88 * Siddha-yogini, 41 * Sila-tala-nivasini, 156 * Sindhu-kanya, 42 * Sirisa-kusumakrti, 125 * Sirisa-kusumamoda, 125 * Sirisa-kusumojjvala, 125 * Sirisa-mrdhvi, 125 * Sisira, 113 * Sita, 67 * Sitala, 162 * Siva, 18, 46, 83 * Siva-bhakta, 83 * Siva-bhakti-da, 124 * Siva-bhakti-sukhanvita, 126 * Siva-brahma-hari-priya, 53 * Siva-kroda, 141 * Siva-prana, 164 * Siva-sakti-svarupa, 124 * Sivanvita, 83, 164 * Sivardhanga-viharini, 124 * Smrti, 33 * Sokanasini, 20 * Sokorahita, 20 * Sranti, 40 * Srestha, 61, 68 * Srestha-rupa, 61 * Sri-ganesa, 60 * Sri-garbha, 58 * Sri-hara, 59 * Sri-kama, 59 * Sri-kriya-rupini, 60 * Sri-krsna-bhajananvita, 60 * Sri-krsna-bhavanamoda, 180 * Sri-krsna-rahita, 179 * Sri-nitamba, 60 * Sri-nivasa, 58 * Sri-prada, 58 * Sri-radha, 11, 61 * Sri-rupa, 59 * Sri-svarupasrita, 60 * Sri-svarupini, 59 * Srida, 59 * Sridamananda-datri, 59 * Sridamasya, 175 * Sridamesvara-vallabha, 59 * Srila, 60 * Srimati, 12, 61 * Srisa, 58 * Srkkani-parimohita, 97 * Srnkhala, 111 * Srsti-sthiti-kari, 118 * Sruti, 60 * Sruti-priya, 61 * Sthana-datri, 42 * Sthana-rupa, 43 * Sthira, 53 * Sthiti-vinodini, 153 * Sthiti, 43 * Su-gopi, 75 * Su-komala, 119 * Su-kulina, 27 * Su-locana, 77 * Su-vesini, 121 * Subalasya, 174 * Subha, 23, 75, 94, 122, 181 * Subhangi, 23 * Subhankari, 46 * Suci, 65 * Suddha-sattva, 31 * Sukadeva-gunatita, 117 * Sukadeva-priya, 117 * Sukhesvari, 127 * Suki, 116 * Suksma, 84 * Sulaksmana, 50 * Sunya, 155 * Sunya-sthana-sthita, 155 * Susevini, 115 * Svarga-laksmi, 168 * Svasa, 174 * Svayam, 37 * Svayam-prabha, 42 * Sveta, 110 * Sveta-campaka-varnabha, 54 * Syama, 107, 136 * Syama-sakhi, 120 * Syama-vallabha, 57 * Syamala, 75

Taitilananda-paritosaka, 105 * Takra-yukta, 171 * Tami, 177 * Tami, 99 * Tamisra, 177 * Tarkali, 103 * Tejasvini, 122 * Tejo-rupa, 122 * Thai-thai-sabda-sakti-prakasini, 151 * Timingla-kulamoda, 100 * Tira-gebini, 102 * Trailokya-mata, 73 * Trailokya-sundari, 14 * Tulasi-tosika, 105 * Tulasy-adhisthatr-devi, 55

Ucca-nica, 145 * Ugra-rupa, 141 * Ujjvala-gatrika, 22 * Ujjvalaprada, 22 * Unmada-vidhayini, 180

Vadana, 159 * Vadhu, 83 * Vaijayanti, 103 * Vaikuntha-natha-grhini, 66 * Vaikuntha-paramalaya, 66 * Vaikuntha-sundari, 67 * Vaikunthadeva-devadhya, 67 * Vairagyakula-dipika, 72 * Vaisali, 123 * Vaisnavi, 34, 49 * Vakra-rupa, 80 * Vakra-viksana-viksita, 80 * Vakresvari, 80 * Vallabha, 11, 99, 166 * Vama-bhaga, 87 * Vama-devi, 87 * Vamanga-harini visnoh, 126 * Varahi, 76 * Vasana-harini, 156 * Vasanta-raga-samraga, 137 * Vasanta-vasanakrti, 137 * Vasini, 25, 27, 90, 94, 102, 184 * Vatsala, 168 * Veda-gamini, 34 * Veda-marga-pravardhini, 21 * Veda-sara, 47 * Veda-vadini, 114 * Vedagamya, 22 * Vedagarbha, 21 * Vedamata, 20 * Vedapara, 22 * Vedapriya, 21 * Vedatita, 20, 35 * Vedavati, 67 * Vegadhya, 114 * Vegavati, 114 * Venu-rati, 28 * Venu-vadya, 28 * Venu-vadya-parayana, 28 * Vetravati, 97 * Vibhavari, 97 * Vicitra-kathaka, 172 * Vicitra-mani-bhusana, 148 * Vicitra-vasini, 27 * Vicittra-kanakojjvala, 22 * Vidusam, 154 * Viduttama, 20 * Vidvaj-jana-manohara, 154 * Vidvat-prema-vivardhini, 154 * Vidya, 162 * Vidya-svarupini, 162 * Vidyamana, 162 * Vidyarthini, 162 * Vidyut-prabha, 133 * Viharini hareh, 179 * Vihasya, 138 * Vijaya, 80 * Vijita, 126 * Vijitamoda, 126 * Vikalotkarsini, 117 * Vikasita-mukhambuja, 15 * Vilasini, 49 * Vilasiny, 23 * Vimala, 32 * Vimalangi, 23 * Vimalodaka, 32 * Vimoha, 29 * Vindhyacala-nivasini, 131 * Vindhyadri-parivasini, 119 * Vindhyalaya, 120 * Vipra-mata, 133 * Viraga-kusala, 116 * Virahini, 179 * Viraja, 78 * Visakha, 30 * Visala-grha-vasa, 123 * Visala-kula-sambhava, 123 * Visala-netra, 123 * Visala-vadari, 123 * Visnor anga-nivasini, 16 * Visnu-bhavana-tatpara, 82 * Visnu-kanta, 16 * Visnu-priya, 16 * Visnu-vaksah-sthala-stha, 82 * Visoka, 20, 30 * Vrksa-rupa, 53 * Vrnda, 48 * Vrndaranya-priya, 48 * Vrndavana-vihari, 15 * Vrndavana-vilasini, 48, 55 * Vrndavanesvari, 12 * Vrsabhanu-suta, 18

Yacakayacakananda, 150 * Yacakojjvala, 150 * Yadavendra-vadhu, 83 * Yaga-yoga-hara, 160 * Yamalarjuna-bhanjini, 80 * Yamini, 159 * Yamini-natha, 159 * Yaminisvari, 159 * Yamuna, 79 * Yamuna-jala-vasini, 177 * Yamuna-para-kautuka, 171 * Yamuna-tosa-karini, 85 * Yamunangi, 85 * Yasasvini, 13 * Yaso-'rthini, 177 * Yasoda, 56 * Yasoda-kroda-vasini, 167 * Yasodananana-vallabha, 13 * Yasodananda-gehini, 17 * Yasodananda-patni, 17 * Yasodanandana-prana, 166, 167 * Yasodanandanakrida, 167 * Yasodanandanaramya, 166 * Yasodanandanarthada, 167 * Yasodanandanesvari, 166 * Yasogamya, 13 * Yati, 81 * Yauvanananda, 71 * Yoga-gamya, 62 * Yoga-mata, 61 * Yoga-priya, 62 * Yoga-rupini, 88 * Yoga-siddha, 88 * Yogananda-kari, 28 * Yogatita, 61 * Yogesa, 61 * Yogesi, 88 * Yogini, 88 * Yogini-gana-vandita, 62 * Yosid-ananda-karini, 108 * Yosit-sakti-svarupa, 107 * Yuga-priya, 61 * Yuvati, 71, 96 *

Sri Radha-sahasra-nama

 _______

Hindu Gods and Goddess


 

  Kali : sect name of the goddess Durga is depicted as wife to Shiva. Her idol is black, smeared with blood, has huge teeth and a protruding tongue that drips with blood. She wears a garland of skulls, earrings of corpses and is girdled with serpents. She usually has four arms, symbolizing absolute power over all finite things. One hand holds a sword, the second holds a severed human head, the third is believed by her devotees to be removing fright and the fourth is often interpreted as granting ecstasy. Kali, all-powerful, absolute and all pervasive, is beyond fear and finite existence and is therefore believed to be able to protect her devotees against fear and grant them limitless harmony and peace. Finally, as total night, devouring all that exists, she is sometimes depicted as standing on Lord Shiva, which, like the necklace of skulls, symbolizes the remains of finite existence. Kali's devotees reportedly pleased her in the past with human sacrifices.


 

Below are few other Hindu Gods and Goddesses


 

     Aditi : Highest creator of all that has been created. Variously described as the mother, wife and/or daughter of Vishnu; ma of the gods and all heavenly bodies.

     Ambika : a personification of Parvati in Hindu mythology. An amazingly beautiful woman who lured devils to their deaths. She announced that she would not summit to anyone who had not defeated her in battle and when they approached to fight her she killed their retinue with a supersonic hum, then transformed herself into the fearsome Kali and slew them.

    Brahma : the post-Vedic form of Prajapati; the originator and creator

    Devi : A twelve-armed warrior goddess, created by Brahma, Vishnu and Siva to slay Mahishasura, the buffalo-demon, who menaced the universe.

    Durga : One of the forms of the goddess Shakti, She was born fully grown. Durga is famous as the man-armed many-weaponed goddess who slays the buffalo-demon Mahish.

    Ganesha : The god of wisdom and prosperity. He is depicted with a chubby human body, four arms and an elephant's head. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati.

    Kama : God of desire and love. Son of Vishnu and Lakshmi and husband of Rati

    Krishna : He is believed and worshipped as an incarnation of Vishnu by his devotees.

    Lakshmi : A companion of Vishnu and mother of Kama. She is the goddess of beauty, wealth and enjoyment.


 

 

Goddess Durga


 

Sarvo Mongol Mongolay
Shiva Sorvarto Sadhika
Shoronya Shombhoka Gauri
Naraine Namo Stu Ta

Once a year, in the autumnal month of Ashwin, Goddess Durga comes home to her parents, together with her four children, Ganesh, Laxmi, Karttik and Saraswati, and enjoys all the love and attention lavished on her. Unfortunately, this visit lasts only three days, and on the fourth day she starts on her journey back to her husband's abode in the mountain kingdom of Kailash.

Durga - Goddess of deliverance - comes to earth on the seventh day after the autumn new moon. She is depicted by the 'kumors' or potters as a resplendent golden figure standing on a lion's back, each of her ten arms bearing a particular weapon, as she triumphs over the demon Mahisasura.

In Sanskrit Durga means " She who is incomprehensible or difficult to reach ." Goddess Durga is a form of Shakti worshipped for her gracious as well as terrifying aspect. Mother of the Universe, she represents the infinite power of the universe and is a symbol of a female dynamism.

Durga, a beautiful warrior seated upon a tiger, was the first appearance of the great goddess. Also called by many other names, such as Parvati, Ambika, and Kali. Destroyer of demons, she is worshipped during Durga puja, most popular among Bengalis.

Durga is worshipped in various other forms also. She is

  • Uma, "light";

  • Gauri , "yellow or brilliant";

  • Parvati, "the mountaineer";

  • Jagatmata , "the-mother-of-the-world"

  • Durga "the inaccessible";

  • Kali , "the black";

  • Chandi , "the fierce";

  • Bhairavi , "the terrible."


 

Durga Aarti

     JAI AMBE GAURII MAIYAA JAI SHYAAMAA GAURII NISHADINA TUMAKO DHYAAVATA HARI BRAHMA SHIVAJII MAANGA SINDUURA VIRAAJATA TIKO MRIGA MADAKO UJJVALASE DAUU NAINAA CHANDRAVANA NIIKO KANAKA SAMAANA KALEVARA, RAKTAAMBARA RAAJE RAKTAPUSHPA GALAMAALAA, KANTHAHAARA SAAJE KEHARI VAAHANA RAAJATA, KHADAGA KHAPPARA DHAARI SURA NARA MUNIJANA SEVATA, TINAKE DUKHA HAARI KAANANA KUNADALA SHOBHITA, NAASAAGRE MOTII KOTIKA CHANDRA DIVAAKARA, SAM RAAJATA JYOTII SHUMBHA NISHUMBHA BIDAARE, MAHISHAASURA GHAATII DHUUMRA VILOCHANA NAINAA, NISHADINA MADAMAATII BRAHMAANII RUDRAANII, TUMA KAMALAA RAANII AAGAMA-NIGAMA BAKHAANII, TUMA SHIVA PATARAANII , CHAUSATHA YOGINII GAAVATA, NRITYA KARATA BHAIRON BAAJATA TAALA MRIDANGA, AURA BAAJATA DAMARUU TUMA HO JAGA KII MAATAA, TUMA HII HO BHARTAA BHAKTANA KII DUKHA HARTAA, SUKHA SAMPATI KARTAA BHUJAA CHAARA ATI SHOBHITA, VARA MUDRAA DHAARII MANAVAANCHITA PHALA PAAVATA, SEVATA NARA NAARII KANCHANA THAALA VIRAAJATA, AGARU KAPUURA BAATII BHAALAKETU MEIN RAAJATA, KOTIRATANA JYOTII
 

Translation
Glory to you, O divine Mother Gauri, glory to you, O Parvati, who are so rich in maiden grace , the object of daily meditation by brahma,vishnu and shiva.
O Ambe! On your forehead is a mark of vermilion along with a mark of musk . Your twin eyes are bright and your face beautiful as the moon.
Your body with a tinge of gold is beautifully dressed in red attire; on your throat there is a wreath of red blossoms like a beautiful necklace.
Your vehicle, the lion, is, O Mother in keeping with your majestic form; you hold a sword and a skull in your hands, and on you attend the gods, hermits, men and your devotees, whose grief you drive away.
You are adorned with rings on your ears and with pearl on the tip of your nose, your radiance looks as beautiful as that of myriad of moons and suns.
O slayer of the demon Mahish, you tore apart the bodies of Shumbha, Nishumbha and Dhuumravilochana. Your eyes reflected a frenzy of wrath everyday and night.
You are the beloved companion of Brahma, Rudra and Vishnu. The Vedas and the Shastras describe you as the queen companion of Shiva
Sixty-four Yoginis chorus your glory and glorify you, while Shiva dances in tune to the accompaniment of the sound of tambour and drum .
You are mother of the universe, the almighty, its sustainer, reliever of your devotees' hardships and bestower of prosperity and happiness
The four arms you have adorned your person, while the hand raised in benediction reveals your compassionate aspect. Those among men and women who wait on you and worship you have all their wishes fulfilled.
In a golden platter are beautifully laid aloe and camphor, both of which have lighted; and the radiance of your forehead is reflecting the splendour of gems.
 

Forms of Durga


 

 

Goddess Durga has been glorified by 10 different aspects of the manifestation her "Shakti" or 'Power', called "Dasha-Mahavidya". The nine-day period from the new moon day to the ninth day of Ashvina is considered the most auspicious time of the Hindu calendar and is hence the most celebrated time of the year as Durga Puja. The nine different forms of Devi are worshiped over the nine days. The most popular forms of Durga, under which she is worshipped, are:

Durga Shailputri (Daughter of Mountain)

Goddess Durga's first form in the Nava-Durga, daughter of Himalaya. In previous birth she was the daughter of Daksha, the son of Lord Brahma. Her name was Sati - Bhavani. i.e. the wife of Lord Shiva. In this mold the mother is seen holding a trident in her right hand and a lotus in her left and she is mounted on an ox.

Daksha once arranged for a ceremony of the holy fire (Yagna), and chose not to invite his daughter and son-in-law. But Sati being obstinate, reached there. On going uninvited to the ceremony, Daksha insulted Shiva. Sati could not tolerate the insult of husband and burnt herself in the fire of Yagna. Shiva, on hearing this incident was enraged and ordered his followers to immediately demolish the Daksha Yagna. Sati was reborn as the daughter of the king of the mountains, Himalaya in the name of Parvati - Hemvati and got married with Shiva.

 

She is the most powerful and glorified of all. She is worshiped in the first day of the Navratri celebrations.

 

Brahmacharini

The second Durga Shakti is Brahamcharini . Here "Brahma" means meditation. That is, the Goddess is the meditator or a practitioner of penance. She is seen here holding a string of rosary beads in her right hand and a Kamandalu (an urn containing holy water) in her left hand.

In her previous life, when she was reborn as the daughter of Himalaya, she performed severe penance to have Mahadeva as her husband. The sage God Narada advised her to take up meditation to win Shiva. For undergoing strict meditation she was known as Brahmacharini or Tapasyacharini. From that time her name Uma became familiar.

This form of Durga gives the devotees everlasting success. Worship of this appearance enriches the faculties of sacrifice, honesty and self-discipline. In times of utter distress the worship of this form gives success and the willpower to come out victorious. This form of Durga is worshiped in the second day of the Durga puja.

Chandraghanta

Goddess Durga's third form is known as Chandraghanta. This name finds its explanation in the a half-circular moon on the temple of the Goddess that resembles a bell. She has three eyes and ten hands. The ten hands of the Goddess wield ten different weapons. She is seated on Lion and is worshipped on the third day of the Navratri celebration.

She is Golden color and her appearance always spreads a calm and eternal peace all round. Worship of the deity helps one eliminate the sorrow, hazards and dangers in ones life.

Kushmanda

The fourth appearance of the Goddess is in the form of Kushmanda. She gets the name as she created the universe with a smile. She shines brightly in all the ten directions like Sun. She has eight hands and is also known as "Ashtabhuja. The Goddess seven hands hold the holy urn (Kamandul), a bow, an arrow, a lotus, a pot containing wine, a disc and a club. The eighth hand holds a string of rosary beads that is believed to provide success and prudence. She seems brilliant riding on Lion.

She is worshiped on the fourth day of the Navratri. Worship of this form of the Devi exterminates sorrow and diseases and augments life, fame and strength.

Skanda Mata

Fifth form of Durga is "Skanda Mata". Kumar Kartik's other name is Skanda. As Goddess Durga is the mother of Kartik, she is referred to as "Skandamata". Skanda Mata is a deity of fire. The Goddess is seen holding her son Skanda with the top right hand and lotus in her lower hand. The top left hand is positioned in a blessing gesture and the other hand holds a lotus. The goddess is fair and seated on a lotus. That is why the Goddess is also known as "Padmasana".

Katyayani

Katyaayani is the sixth form of Goddess Durga. Sage Katyaayan was the son of the great sage Kat. Katyayan had observed rigorous penance and worship of "Bhagavati Paramba with a desire to get paramba as his daughter. The wish was granted and she took birth as a daughter of Katyayan and therefore named as "Katyayani". She has four hands. The top right hand is positioned in a gesture of providing courage and the other hand is positioned in a gesture of rendering a boon. The top left hand is holding a sword and the other holding a lotus. The Goddess is mounted on a lion and she is worshiped on the sixth day of the Durga puja. If one worships the deity with a pure soul he attains success in religion, wealth, passion and salvation. Disease, sorrow and fear are eliminated.

The Story

 

According to Hindu mythology, a demon named Mahisashura had threatened Gods out of heaven and established his evil dominion there and this devil was a constant threat to the existence of the universe. Mahisashura could not be defeated by any of god or man due to a boon he received after intense prayers to Brahma.

Neither Indra, king of gods, nor Kumara, commander of the celestial armies could stop him. In despair the gods called on Vishnu for help. Vishnu confronted the demon Mahisashura first as Narasimha the man lion and then as Varaha, the boar, but each time he failed to subdue the demon.

Shiva, the supreme ascetic, disturbed by the violence opened his third eye unleashing the fire of doom. Even the power of Shiva's third eye capable of destroying the three worlds could not arrest Mahisashura's march.

At that very moment a stream of lightning dazzled forth from the mouths of Brahma, in the form of the goddess Brahmi. She rode a swan and held books of wisdom in her hands.

Simultaneously, the shaktis of the other gods emerged taking female forms. From Indra, rose Indrani bearing a thunderbolt, riding an elephant, from Kumara rose Kaumari holding a lance and riding a peacock, from Vishnu rose Vaishanavi on an eagle with a discus whirling on her finger, from Varaha came the sharp tusk sow Varahi, from Shiva came Shiavani riding a bull bearing a trident.

They rose to the sky and merged with each other in a blinding light. The sounds of the conchs, drums and bells filled the air. With bated breath, the gods watched the light. From the heavenly light arose a beautiful goddess Durga ‘the inaccessible one'.

Then all the gods furnished her with their special weapons. Shiva gave his trident, Vishnu his discus and mace, Indra his thunderbolt, Kurmara his lance, Brahma his bow. Then mounting a lion, Durga prepared for battle.

A great battle commenced. Mountains shook, oceans trembled, clouds scattered across the sky, as the buffalo demon attacked Durga. He rushed towards her, sometimes as a buffalo, sometimes as a lion, sometimes as an elephant. The goddess broke the buffalo's horns with her mace, sheared the lion's mane with her lance, cut the elephant's trunk with her sword.

Weapon after weapon, when hurled at the buffalo demon, but each time he managed to rise up undefeated.

Realizing that her weapons had no effect on Mahisashura, Durga threw them aside, dismounted from her lion and with her bare hands sprang upon Mahisashura's back. With her tender feet she kicked his head. The demon, immune to the weapons of all the gods, fell senseless at the touch of Durga's feet.

Durga then raised her trident and plunged it into the buffalo demons heart conquering the unconquerable.

The Festival

What makes Durga Puja intoxicating is the tension between calm spirituality and ecstatic sensuality, the twin poles of Hindu religious worship. The festival of Durga Puja is celebrated all over India with different festivities and rituals. Durga Puja is celebrated in the autumn, in the month of September/October. It is the time when the weather remains at its best giving the atmosphere a festive mood. The advent of autumn is impossible to overlook in any corner of the land. It arouses one from bed at dawn, with the sound of high-pitched, ululations, the frantic blowing of conch shells and bell metal cymbals. This simple ceremony marks the arrival of the Mother Goddess Durga, for the festival of Durga Puja.

 

Common rituals and Some Important Facts

 

Durga Puja is basically a festival with a long series of rituals followed on every day of the Puja. Starting from the day of the Mahalaya, the days of Sashthi, Saptami, Ashtami, Navami and Dashami or Bijoya Dashami every day has its own unique rituals to follow. But it is not only the festival that has rituals associated with it, but also the making of Durga idols is governed by a series of rituals. These rituals are closely related with the holy river Ganga. The elemental ritual, which is most commonly followed, is that the ingredients that are used to make the idol of goddess Durga come from the holy river. The activity of immersing the idol in the Ganga at the end of the festival this way points to a theme of cyclical regeneration too. Generally, the idol of Durga is flanked by the idols of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Kartik and Ganesh, all of whom are believed to be her children. The goddess sits atop a lion, which is her vahan. The favourite tableau is of her stabbing Asura, the demon. It is symbolic of the victory that she had achieved for the gods over the demons

 

Some Important Facts

 

Time of the year: October 2001
Places to visit: West Bengal, Assam, Jharkhand, Orissa,Bihar and Mysore
Duration: Nine to five days
Best Idols Made in: Kumartuli
Day of drawing eyes on the idol: Mahalaya
 

 


 

Durga Puja Rituals

 

The Goddess is shown with ten hands astride a lion with one of her legs on the Mahishasura, the demon. The spear in her hand is firmly struck on the demon's chest. Each of her ten hands carry a separate weapon, resembling the ones contributed by the other Gods. Ganesh and Laxmi flank the Goddess on one side and Saraswati and Kartick on the other. The background is a pictorial arc ('Chalchitra' is the name) with different pictures of Gods and demons drawn on it.

Chakshudaan

The process of drawing the eyes of the Goddess image starts on the day of Mahalaya, which is the last moon before puja. Mahalaya brings the news that durgapuja is coming very soon.

Debipaksha

The period between fifteen days from the new moon to next full moon is known as Debipaksha. This time is supposed to be very auspicious. The Bengali depicts the image of Devi Durga as "Dashapraharana-dharini" means each of her hands carrying ten different weapons gifted by other gods to kill the demon,"Mahishasura". The Goddess astrides a lion with one leg on Mahishasura. Devi is accompanied by Sri Ganesh and Laxmi on her right side and Saraswati and Kartick on her left side.

Mahashashthi (9th Oct. 2005)

On this day Goddess Durga arrives, accompanied by her children. She is welcomed with much joy amidst the beats of dhak. Unveiling the face of the idol is the main ritual on this day. Kalaparambho, the ritual performed before the commencement of the puja precedes Bodhon, Amontron and Adibas.

Mahasaptami (10 th Oct. 2005)

Saptami is the first day of Durga puja. Kola Bow or Nabapatrika is given a early dawn bath. This is an ancient ritual of worshiping nine types of plants. They are together worshiped as a symbol of the goddess. The main Saptami Puja follows Kalparambho and Mahasnan.

Mahaastami (11 th Oct. 2005)

The day beguns with a recital of Sanskrit hymns in community puja pandals as thousands of devotees offer anjali to the goddess. Kumari Puja or the worship of little girls as the mother goddess was a special part of the rituals observed in a number of traditional and household pujas. As the day wore on, it was time for the important Sandhi Puja, which marks the inter-linking of the Maha Ashtami and Maha Navami. Sandhi Puja

An integral and important part of Durga Puja, Sandhi Puja, is performed at the juncture of the 8th and 9th lunar day. Sandhi puja lasts from the last 24 minutes of Ashtami till the first 24 minutes of Nabami. During this juncture (the "Sandhikhan"), Durga is worshipped in her Chamunda form. Devi Durga killed, Chando and Mundo, the two asuras at "Sandhikhan" and thus acquired the name of "Chamunda".

Chamunda Worship :

While the Goddess and Mahishasura were engaged in a fierce battle, the two generals of Mahisha, Chando and Mundo attacked the Devi from the rear. Durga appeared to them, a brilliantly glowing woman with her hair knotted on her head, a crescent moon above her forehead, a 'tilak' on her forehead and a garland around her neck. With golden earrings and clad in a yellow sari she emitted a golden glow. Her ten hands possessed ten different weapons. Though she appeared beautiful her face turned blue with anger when she faced Chondo and Mundo. From her third eye then emerged a Devi with a large falchion and a shield. She had a large face, bloody tongue and sunken blood shot eyes. She was Chamunda. With a terrifying shriek she leapt forward and killed them. This moment was the juncture of the 8th and 9th lunar day.

Mahanavami (12 th Oct. 2005)

Durga Puja concludes on this day. The main Navami puja begins after the end of Sandhi Puja. The Navami Bhog is offered to the goddess. This is later partaken as prasad by the devotees.

Dashami (12 th Oct. 2005)

Dashami bids a tearful farewell to the Goddess. Most of the community pujas postpone the farewell as long as possible and arrange a grand send-off. The images are carried in processions around the locality and finally is immersed in a nearby river or lake. Sweetmeats are exchanged between families as a token of good relation between them. This ritual, is called as 'Bijoya', generally continues till Kalipuja, which is held on the next new moon.

 

Mahalaya

Mahalaya is an auspicious occasion ushering in the aura of Durga Puja. Goddess Durga visits the earth for only four days but seven days prior to the Pujas, starts the Mahalaya. The midnight chants of various hymns of 'Mahishasura Mardini' reminds one of the beginning of Durga Puja.

From this day starts 'Devipaksha'. It's a kind of invocation or invitation to the mother goddess to descend on earth - "Jago Tumi Jago". This is done through the chanting of mantras and singing devotional songs.

In the pre-dawn hours people pray for their demised relatives. This ritual is known as 'Torpon'. This day bears immense significance for the Bengalis. The rituals start from early down and end during the midday. Devotees and worshipers buy clothes and sweets to offer to their forefathers.


 

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