Hindu Mythology Three Major Gods

Brahma Widely respected Creator of the world; self born from the lotus flower Two temples devoted in India No cult of devotees Four, red bearded faces Four arms Sarasvati: chief wife Goddess of knowledge Goddess of speech Goddess of Poetry Goddess of Wisdom

Brahma

Shiva Most popular “The destroyer” Death, destruction, disease and dance Trident (most common symbol) Fertility; sexually alert (symbol of organs) Shivaites; Shiva as ultimate reality Worship and attend Shiva Guru; prescribed path Pavarati: wife Kali (necklace of human skulls) Durga

Shiva

Gurus

Vishnu Preserver Love and forgiveness Love of play; joins humanity 9-10 forms Vaishnavites: Vishnu as ultimate reality Lakshmi: wife (rose from ocean) Incarnations (avatars): in order to restore moral order Manifestations to fight evil

Vishnu

The Temple

Incarnations of Vishnu Depending on local customs, the number, names and identities of avatars are sometimes changed Matsya: fish Kurma: tortoise Varaha: boar Narasimha: lion-man Vamana: dwarf Parashurama: Rama with an axe Rama: Prince of Ayodhya Krishna: black tribal Buddha: completely enlightened one

Incarnations of Vishnu Krishna Also a supreme god Most popular avatar Poetry, music and art in his honor Cult devotion-Hare Krishnas Bhagavad Gita: epic poem 8th-9th century BCE Arjuna contemplates going to war Answered by Krishna, his charioteer Poem is a conversation between them about duties in life Reveals he is an avatar

Incarnations of Vishnu Rama Ramayana: Epic poem Read for a month Told orally and through literature Plays, movies, comic books Rama to save his wife Sita from Ravana 200 BCE in Sanskrit Various version and regional languages Different endings

Ramayana Rama wins Sita in an archery contest Rama is obvious heir to the throne Dasharatha forced to give throne to Bharata as to not break promise to Kaikeyi Sita kidnapped by Ravana