hindu deities

Brahma

God of creation - in the trinity. has four heads because while creating the earth he created a beautiful women and his head followed her wherever she went so when she kept moving around he got four heads.

Agri

Indra's twin brother and the god of fire. a very old god who brought fire to the people and wears red to show destructive powers.

Shiva

The destroyer of the trinity. does not give into material desires. the trident represents the trinity and cyclical nature of life.

atman

a person's essential self. the Brahman part of everyone

Krishna

an eternally young god incarnation of vishnu. Created to destroy evil and sins and is a supreme being. always seen playing the flute.

rajahs

chiefs which ruled the villages with the help of a council of warriors

dharma

duties and obligations of a specific caste

Moksha

goal for life where the soul is freed from the body so it can unite with Brahman. Takes more than one life to achieve so that is why there is reincarnation

Soma

god of the moon as well as a symbol for the drink soma. a fertility god and lord of the plants.

Sarasvati

goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts. consort of brama and the mother of the verdas. white for true knowledge and purity, modestly dressed, 4 arms for mind, intellect, alertness, and ego, water for the creative purification powers, and the vena a musical instrument made for her. Has a festival january 10th to honor her.

Sita

incarnation of Lakshmi and a popular idol in the Hindu culture. A role model for all women - perfect women. usually pictured with Rama, her husband.

Radha

incarnation of Lakshmi who's father was the king of the cow herders so she grew up a cow girl with Krishna. Goddess of charm, dedication, beauty, and loyalty as well as being the ideal wife. consort of krishna and usually pictured with him.

Indra

known as the king of gods and the god of war. Known for his personification of the drought. Sitting with one leg down symbolizes bravery and has a thunderbolt making him much like zeus of the greek gods.

vedas

oral religious traditions

varna

social classes - Brahmans (priests), Kshatriyas (warriors), vaisyas (landowners), Sudras (servants)

caste

social groups based on birth

Kalki

the 10th incarnation of vishnu that will come at the end of this era. A destroyer of the bad which comes on a horse with a sword.

Rama

the 7th incarnation of Vishnu and is the perfect man. Won his wife, Sita, because he strung the bow which he always caries. Many of his stories are in the Ramayana

karma

the actions you do affect you in this life or another.

Parvati

the daughter of the mountain king, used to be the consort to shiva, and mother of ganesha. Used her beauty to gain respect and is the goddess of love and devotion. Empowers women to do whatever they want. Usually pictured with Shiva in a "family portrait". without Shiva she is naked and has four arms to represent the four main gods.

Lakshmi

the goddess of good luck, fertility, love and prosperity. Pictured on a lotus leaf for fertility and has a halo and crown for importance. has four hands - two with gold and two with lotus'. Married to Vishnu and has many incarnates.

Hanuman

the incarnation of shiva and represents physical strength, perseverance, and devotion. Helps Rama in the Ramayana fighting enemies and finding Sita.

Brahman

the main god that all the other gods are part of

Vedas and Upanishads

the most important texts in the Hindu culture

Devi Durga

the mother goddess who is invincible and has all the goodness of women piled into her. Killed the evil. has 18 arms for destroying evil, a tiger for unlimited power, conch for sound of creation, trident for the trinity, sword for power.

Vishnu

the protector of the trinity. His blue color represents the infinity and always being present. His lotus represents spiritual liberation, the conch represents life, the chakra is a weapon used symbolizing the spiritual mind, and the mace represents physical and spiritual strength.

Aryans

the semi-nomadic warlike people who came into the Indus valley after or in the late years of the Indus Valley civilization

jati

the small communities that India is broken up into

Ganesha

the son of shiva and the god of prosperity. an ax to cut off all bonds, a rope to pull the highest goal closer, a trunk to show adaptability, a big head to think big, small eyes for concentration, and a small mouth for talking less.

Surya

the sun god who rides a chariot with 7 horses across the sky. has 4 arms holding a lily, wheel, shell, and one showing a gesture of projection.

Kali

the warrior goddess. The consort of Shiva but summoned by many gods. 50 heads worn around the neck for infinite wisdom, a sword for the destroyer of false consciousness, and hands around the waist for liberation from karma.

Ramayana and Mahabharata

two most famous Hindu epics. The baghavad gita is a section of the mahabharata

reincarnation

where even when your body dies your soul is still alive and is born again in another form

sansksrit

written language the Aryan's came up with to write down their previously oral traditions