1. World Religions Hinduism

2. Hindu Trinity  Consists of three deities  Three properties of one god  Each deity has a female counterpart  Brahma – Saraswati  Vishnu – Lakshmi  Shiva – Parvati

3. Brahma  The creator  4 faces, 4 corner of the universe  Holds string of prayer beads and holy book  Pictured sitting on a lotus flower

4. Vishnu  The preserver  Maintains balance between good and evil  Carries a lotus, a discus, a conch shell and a mace  Has many avatars (incarnations), either human or animal

5. Vishnu (in different forms) 1. Matsya – fish 2. Kurma – tortoise 3. Varah – boar 4. Narasimha – man-lion 5. Vamana – dwarf 6. Parashurama – Rama with an axe 7. Rama – prince 8. Krishna – young hero and lover 9. The Buddha 10. Kalki – yet to come

6. VISHNU, and his 10 avatars (representations)

7. Shiva  Destroyer and restorer (purifier)  Appears in many forms  Shiva Nataraj – god of dance  Holds trident, snake around neck and matted hair

8. Saraswati  Goddess of wisdom and learning  Holds a book and musical instrument

9. Lakshmi  Goddess of wealth and good fortune  Brings good fortune in the form of gold coins  Holds a lotus

10. Parvati  Represent kindness and gentleness  Also called Kali or Durga; warrior form  Holds weapons of destruction; holds a thunderbolt and discus

11. DurgaKali

12. Shiva, Parvati and Ganesha

13. GANESHA, Remover of all obstacles, son of SHIVA and PARVATI

14. THE LEGEND OF GANESHA According to a legend in the Puranas, Parvati, the wife of Shiva was once interrupted while bathing. Wanting privacy, she used her powers to create a handsome young man and told him “You are Ganesha, you are my son. Be my doorkeeper. Let no one into my house without my permission!” Soon after, Lord Shiva arrived but the youth refused to let him pass. Insulted, Shiva beheaded the youth with his trident. When Parvati found out she was furious and threatened to destroy the world. In order to pacify her, Shiva commanded his followers to bring the first head that they could find. They returned with the head of an elephant and attached it to the body. Shiva then restored Ganesha to life. Ganesha is represented with a broken tusk. This happened when the sage Vyasa wished to dictate the epic poem the Mahabharata. Ganesha agreed to be the scribe and broke off a tusk to use as a writing instrument. Ganesha is popular with all Hindus. He is known as the “remover of obstacles”. Hindus commence a new undertaking with a prayer to Ganesha to remove the obstructions that might stand in the way of success. (Incidentally, why do Hindu gods have many arms? It is a symbol of omnipotence.) To Consider: Why is Ganesha so popular with Hindus? What can you learn about Hinduism from this brief story? In what other ways do religions present their gods as powerful figures? What difficult obstacles are you presently dealing with in your life? What are your sources of help?

15. WORLD RELIGIONS TEXTBOOK Read pages 244-247: and answer the following questions: 1.) What is iconography? 2.) How does iconography benefit those who cant read or write? 3.) What is iconography tied to?