NAQT: You Gotta Know These Hindu Deities and Heroes
Rubbing two sticks together, sacrificial fires, patron of priests, red body, two heads, three legs, four arms, seven tongues, flaming javelin, Khandav Forest
Agni
Chief hero of the Mahabharata, son of Indra, one of five Pandava brothers, 100 cousins, bhakti, married to Draupadi
Arjuna
Third of the trimurti, the Creator, egg into cosmic waters, chief priest, four heads, Four Vedas, fifth head until Shiva plucked it, wife is Savitri
Brahma
Elephant head, wisdom and learning, remover of obstacles, riding rat, saffron paste, two wives, good fortune
Ganesh/Ganesha
Son of wind god and Queen Anjana, human body with monkey head, swallows the sun, immortality and shapeshifting
Hanuman
God of rain, thunder, and war, thunderbolt, four-tusked white elephant, ruled swarga, Rig Veda hymns, Marut storm gods, soma, Aryan conquest of India, defeats Vritra who stole the world's water
Indra
Eighth avatar of Vishnu, plucks two hairs, across river Yamuna to safety in Gokula, depicted as a child or adult, prankster, plays flute, warrior with angelic face, in Bhagavad Gita reveals the dharma and bhakti
Krishna
Born from the churning of the ocean, goddess of prosperity and patron to moneylenders, feminine beauty, lotus flower, virtue & honesty
Lakshmi (Sri)
Seventh avatar of Vishnu, hero of Ramayana, can string Shiva's bow, Bharata, Sita, walk through fire
Rama
Lord Mahesh, the Destroyer in the Trimurti, sitting on tiger skill and riding bull Nandi, three eyes - all knowing, Lord of underworld beings, necklace of skulls, trident as weapon, blue throat, has two sons
Shiva
Incarnations of mother goddess, demon-slayer who rides a lion, Kali as incarnation with bloodthirsty goals, dance
Shiva's Consort
Part of the Trimurti or the holy trinity of Hindu gods, the Preserver, descends as avatar, nine incarnations have appeared including Matsya, Kurma, Varah, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, and Buddha, flaming sword, dark blue skin, rides eagle Garuda, conch as symbol
Vishnu
