Essentially there are three main Hindu Gods (similar to the Christian Trinity^*):

• Shiva - the Destroyer/Transformer,
• Vishnu - the Sustainer and
• Brahma - the Creator.

Brahma, the Creator, then joins with primordial Matter to produce

• the various Goddesses (mainly three - Saraswati, Laxmi, Parvati),
• Ganesha and Hanuman (the two part-'animal' Gods).

One way to understand the significance of the main personal Hindu Gods is to look at their relationship with the Elements of Creation and the Chakra system in the human body:

Diety		Element		Chakra		Role	Ray	Energy/Quality (From Theosophy)
Shiva (the Father)		Spirit (Paramatma)		7	Sahasrara/Crown	Destroyer/Transformer	1	Will, Purpose or Power
Vishnu (the Son)	Rama, Krishna, (Jesus)	Soul (Atma)		6	Ajna/Eyebrows	Sustainer/Savior	2	Love and Wisdom
Brahma (the Holy Spirit) + His Creation	Saraswati	Mind+Body	Ether/Space (Akash)	5	Vishuddha/Throat	Sound/Speech/Learning	3	Active, Creative Intelligence
	Hanuman		Wind/Air (Vayu)	4	Anahata/Heart	Strength/Support/Healer	4	Harmony through Conflict, or Beauty or Art
	Laxmi		Fire (Agni)	3	Manipura/Solar Plexus	Prosperity/Abundance	5	Concrete Knowledge or Science
	Parvati		Water (Jala)	2	Swadhisthana/Sacral	Passion/Self Sacrifice	6	Devotion or Idealism
	Ganesha		Earth (Prithvi)	1	Muladhara/Root	Ritual/Mantras	7	Ceremonial Order or Magic or Ritual

In the Ramayana, Sita is the Kundalini Shakti that rises from the Muladhara Chakra to meet Rama at the Ajna center. The goal is of course to go beyond that to meet Shiva at the Crown Chakra for ultimate liberation.

According to Adi Shankaracharya (8th Century Hindu scholar, teacher, philosopher, leader), all Hindus should worship the five following Gods (Panchayatana/Pancha Devata) in order:

• Shiva
• Vishnu
• Devi (The Goddess)
• Surya (The Sun God) and
• Ganesha

I have added some information based on Theosophical literature and clearly marked it in green color to indicate that it may not be main-stream Hindu thought (in my opinion, Theosophy is to Hindu Thought as Quantum Physics is to Newtonian Physics - there is no contradiction, one just expands on the other). Incidentally, the energies of the Chakras are referred to in Theosophy as the energies of the Seven Rays - however they are numbered in reverse. So Ray One, is the energy of the Crown or seventh Chakra and Ray Seven is that of the Muladhara or first Chakra.

Please click on each name to read more (or Expand All):

• The Trinity

  The Hindu Trinity consists of Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Sustainer and Shiva the Destroyer. As in a human being, these three can be considered to be the Mind, Soul and Spirit of the Universe respectively. They are really energies or forces rather than persons, but when a person embodying one of these energies incarnates, he can act as the actual God himself. The attributes/qualities of the three Gods: Shiva - the Destroyer/Transformer - Will, Power and Strength - corresponds to the 'Father' in Christianity Vishnu - the Sustainer/Preserver - Love and Wisdom - corresponds to the 'Son' in Christianity Brahma - the Creator - Creative Intelligence - corresponds to the 'Holy Spirit' in Christianity Note: Here is a comparison of Hinduism and Christianity (and Islam)

• Shiva

  Shiva is the first of the Hindu Trinity (though Vishnu devotees may argue about it). He is not just the Destroyer, he is actually the Transformer, who destroys the old and makes way for the new. He is there at the beginning of the Universe to get it started. Though Brahma creates the Universe and Vishnu sustains it, Shiva is the one who wills the Universe into existence through Brahma. After creation is complete, he sits alone in a state of Samadhi (the Supreme Yogi), watching the world with his eyes closed. With respect to the Chakras in the human body, Shiva is at the crown or seventh chakra. At the final stages of enlightenment, the kundalini shakti rises to meet Shiva at the crown chakra as the disciple finally achieves Nirvikalpa Samadhi. At the end of the cycle of Universe, Shiva again becomes active and destroys the structures of the old Universe to make way for rebirth and renewal. The Myth : The famous myth about him is that of 'Samudra Manthan'. The Churning of the Primordial Ocean, at the beginning of the Universe where the primacy of Good over Evil was established (though the primacy is only marginal and Evil is not eliminated). The churning by the forces of good (devas) as well as the forces of evil (asuras) is supposed to have produced many supernatural and precious beings as well as materials, but also produced a dangerous poison which could have destroyed the world. Shiva saves the world by swallowing this poison himself and as result his throat becomes permanently blue. Some have speculated that this churning is really describing the formation of our galaxy - the Milky Way. The Meru mountain at the center of the churning is at the center of the Milky Way and the spiral shape is the result of the churning. On the individual human being's level, a similar churning is experienced on the path to self-realization as the kundalini awakens and rises thru the chakras. Shiva is often worshipped in the form on the 'linga' - a phallic symbol together with the female counterpart - the yoni. This symbol is considered the most abstract symbol of God that you can visualize - the source of all Creation. Other Names : Bhairav, Bholenath, Chandrashekhar, Gangadhara, Kashinath, Mahadeva, Mahesha, Nagesh, Nataraja, Nilakantha, Rudra, Sadashiva, Shambhu, Shankara, Umapati Regional Equivalents : Khandoba (Maharashtra), Mangesh (Goa), Ayyappan - actually a combination of Shiva and Vishnu (Kerala)

• Vishnu

  Vishnu is the second of the Hindu Trinity. He is the Sustainer who after the Universe has been created, actively takes part in protecting, rescuing and maintaining it through its various cycles. In order to perform this task, he periodically incarnates in specific humans called Avatars, who act as Saviors and Teachers for the age in which they are born. In Hinduism, the most prominent amongst these Avatars are Shri Rama and Shri Krishna. With respect to the Chakras in the human body, Vishnu is at the sixth chakra (Ajna Center) where the disciple achieves Savikalpa Samadhi. The last two Avatars of Vishnu (Rama and Krishna) appear to be historical figures. The other first seven seem to be symbolic of the process of evolution on earth (from fish to turtle to boar to half lion-man to dwarf) rather than actual historical figures. Rama and Krishna are the only Avatars which are actively worshipped today. The last Avatar, that of Kalki, is yet to come. The Myth : Maha Vishnu is said to be reclining and resting on the Ananta Sesha (endless celestial serpent) floating in space. As he lies on this vast bed of a snake with one thousand heads, he dreams. As he dreams, a lotus emerges from his navel. The lotus blooms into a full flower and in the middle of it is an egg. The egg soon hatches and Brahma emerges from the egg and starts to create the Universe. So the entire Universe is the dream of Narayana. Sesha also means remainder (as in mathematics) - the Sesha is made of left over 'stuff' from the previous universe. Other Names : Jagannath, Vishwanath, Narayana, Jagadish, Achyut, Keshava, Madhava, Balaji, Madhusudana, a thousand more names Regional Equivalents : Vithoba or Panduranga (Maharashtra) Mohini: Mohini is a special female form of Vishnu (it is more of a disguise rather than a full avatar). Vishnu assumed this guise for the first time during 'Samudra Manthan' (see Shiva myth above). During the churning, when it looked like the Asuras (or anti-Gods) would also like to share in the resulting nectar of immortality, Vishnu took the form of a beautiful, alluring female and deceived the asuras by offering them water instead of the nectar while giving the Gods the real stuff. Mohini appears again to destroy the demon Bhasmaura when he becomes too powerful and dangerous (you can read about it here.) Other Names : Mohini is also worshipped in Goa (and Maharashtra) as Mahalsa, Mhalsa or Narayani. Note: It is interesting to note that while Shiva, the Father protects us from death by drinking the poison himself, Vishnu the Son offers us the nectar of immortality - he also assures the primacy of Good over Evil by denying this immortality to the wicked (doing this by using guile, deception and even seduction).

• Brahma

  Brahma is the third of the Hindu Trinity. He is the Creator of the Universe. Some say that once the Universe is created, Brahma's job is done, hence nobody worships him any more. Others give a more slanderous, mythical reason for not worshipping Brahma (we will talk about this myth in a minute). But the actual fact is that Brahma creates the Universe and then animates and gives it life, so he is present in every aspect of Creation. There is no longer a Brahma separate from his Creation. So we actually worship Brahma in the form of the living, breathing Universe, though we may not worship him directly. With respect to the Chakras in the human body, Brahma resides at all of the lower Five Chakras. These five chakras also represent the Five Primordial elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Space - hence Brahma has five heads. The legend is that Shiva was angry at one of these heads and cut it off, leaving Brahma with only four heads. The fifth head is said to have stuck to Shiva. The Cycles of the Universe:The Universe is continuously going through a process of Creation, Destruction and Rebirth. A specific Universe lasts as long as the Life of its Brahma (equivalent to about 311.04 trillion years). During this period, the Universe goes through multiple deaths and rebirths that correspond to the days in Brahmas life - the dead period being during the night of Brahma's full day(about 4.32 billion human years). Hinduism like modern physics does not preclude the existence of multiple universes each with its own Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Here is another explanation of the cycles in more modern terms. Some periods associated with the cycles of the Universe and Brahma: Life of a Brahma - 100 Brahma years - 311,040,000,000,000 years One Brama Year - 360 Brahma days - 3,110,400,000,000 years One Brahma Day - two Kalpas (one for Brahma day and 1 for the Brahma night) - 4,320,000,000 years x 2 One Kalpa - 14 Manavantara - 4,320,000,000 years One Manavantara - 71 Mahayugas - 308,571,414 years Original Hindu Mahayuga - In Hinduism, the world is supposed to have four yugas or ages - 1) Satya Yuga - the Age of Truth and perfect morality, 2) Treta Yuga - three fourth perfect, 3) Dwapara Yuga - half perfect 4) Kali Yuga - our own age of imperfection. One Mahayuaga = 4800*360 Satya yuga, 3600*360 Treta yuga, 2400*360 Dwapara yuga, 1200*360 Kali yuga - 4,320,000 years. Kali yuga maybe started - 3102 BCE Ms. Norelli-Bachelet Mahayuga = 34,560 Satya yuga, 25,920 Treta yuga, 17,280 Dwapara yuga, 8640 Kali yuga - 86,400 years. Guénon Mahayuga = 25,920 Satya yuga(started 62801 BCE), 19,440 Treta yuga(started 36881 BCE), 12,960 Dwapara yuga(started 17441 BCE), 6480 Kali yuga(started 4481 BCE) - 64,800 years Yukteshwar Mahayuga - 4800*2 Satya yuga, 3600*2 Treta yuga, 2400*2 Dwapara yuga, 1200*2 Kali yuga - 24,000 years (precession of the equinoxes). Dwapara started 3101 BCE, Kali yuga started 701 BCE According to some scholars Kali Yuga has already ended and either Satya yuga or Dwapara yuga has started, not so according to others (apparently there is a similar dispute about Kali yuga among the Masters). The Unfortunate, Slanderous Myth: There are many versions of the myth of Creation with different persons and phases involved, but it is obvious that the first task for the Creator was to create Matter (Note: While Spirit is considered to be Male, Matter (Mater/Mother) is considered to be Female). So the first thing Brahma creates is Sandhya - Sandhya means twilight - that would be the transitional thing between 'No Universe' and a 'Real Universe'. Sandhya actually is 'primordial matter', she is female and as she is his creation, she is Brahma's 'daughter'. Brahma needs to give this 'primordial matter' life and form, to do that he needs to enter it and literally become part of it. So now comes the myth (probably produced by some overly clever, poetic rishi) - the story goes that Brahma lusts after his own daughter Sandhya and has sex with her - ie commits incest. For one thing, Brahma is a God, not so much a real person, but a force or energy. Such a being does not have sex, does not have lust, does not have children (sons or daughters) or any other such thing. But the aforementioned rishi thought he was inventing a wonderful myth that also explains the absence of Brahma in religious lives of Hindus - he declared that for committing this sin Brahma is now cursed so that he will never be worshipped by any one. The rishi never anticipated the narrow, dirty, lascivious minds of the internet generation (especially of the Urdu speaking variety) that would now pass judgment on Brahma because they heard the taboo word 'incest'. But the fact is that Brahma does indeed enter ('has sex with') primordial matter to create the five primordial elements and eventually the entire living Universe which through evolution produced its magical diversity of creatures. Everytime we worship Creation, the Mother, Mother Nature, Mother Earth, the Goddess; we are worshipping Brahma. Brahma does not exist in time and space as a separate being, but exists in the form of all beings - animate and inanimate from entire planets and constellations to individual creatures - great and small (He so to speak 'impregnates' all of them). Brahma is now present in every atom (or subatomic particle) as well as in every celestial body. He enters into and becomes part of everything, he no longer exists apart from his creation. Goddess worship now replaces the worship of Brahma.

• Ganesha

  Ganesha may not be one of the trinity, but he plays an extremely important role in the religious lives of all Hindus. He has a stout human body with the head of an elephant. He has been variously called the Lord of Categories (Ganapati), the Leader of the Celestial Hosts, the Lord of Thresholds - terms which don't tell us anything much. The most important way in which he is remembered is as the Remover of Obstacles (VighnaHarta). On every occasion, at every ritual, Hindus first pay obeisance to Ganesha before anyone else and ask him to clear the path forward of any possible obstacles. Ganesha is found at the Root or Muladhara Chakra in a human being. The Myth : Once upon a time, Shiva was out hunting (unlike many Hindus he is a non-vegetarian and a great hunter) and Parvati was alone at home minding the house. Being quite dirty, Parvati decided to take a shower. But there was a problem - what if some stranger came to the house while she was in the shower and her husband off hunting? The stranger may walk right in and see her! (In those days, houses did not have locks). Parvati decided to create somebody to guard the house (She can do that - she is a Goddess!). Parvati scraped some of the dirt off her own body and shaped it into an image of a young boy and then gave the image life. This boy, her son, was Ganesha. She asked him to guard the door and went off to take her shower. While she was in the shower, Shiva returned home with his kill. He was surprised to see the unfamiliar boy standing at the door. When Shiva asked to be let in, the boy refused. Shiva explained to him that he was the master of the house, but the boy still refused, saying his mother had told him not to let any one in. Shiva sent some of his servants after the boy, but the boy fought them off easily. Shiva now became angry (Shiva is quick to anger), he opened his third eye, cut off the boy's head and reduced it to ash. Just then Parvati came out and saw what had happened and was grief stricken. She screamed and wailed in sorrow and told Shiva that he had killed his own son. Being a woman, she told Shiva, I don't care how you do it, I want my son back alive and well. Shiva now has a problem. He was God, so he could bring dead people back to life, but not one without a head! He went off looking for a replacement head. The first creature he saw was a elephant which was about to die. He took the elephant's head and replaced it on Ganesha's body. This is the story of Ganesha's birth and why he has an elephant head. An Explanation of the Myth :This is my favorite Hindu myth. As the story indicates, Ganesha is the younger son of Shiva and Parvati. As stated before, Gods do not get married and produce children and so don't have any real sons and daughters. But it does mean that there an important relationship between Ganesha and Shiva. Also Ganesha is clearly made from dirt/dust. Actually he represents the Earth element (not the planet Earth but the substance itself, the primordial ingredient of all solids) at the root chakra. The elephant head is said to symbolize wisdom and knowledge (needs to be large to hold a lot of it). However I believe the significance is in the cutting off of the head - Shiva also cuts off one of the heads of Brahma (leaving him with four). Ganesha is actually that same head (the Earth element) - so Brahma controls only four of the five basic elements while the fifth has been appropriated by Shiva as his own son. Ganesha is the Earth element - the foundation on which all of creation is built. So he is always to be worshipped first. Incidentally the Earth is said to rest on the backs of four elephants. Elephants also play a part in the creation myth. Other Names : Ekadanta Chaturbhuj Gajanana Ganapati Heramba Lambodara Mangalamurti Siddhivinayaka Vakratunda Vighnahara Vignaharta Vigneshwara Vinayaka

• Saraswati

  Saraswati is the Goddess of speech, language, learning and music. She resides at the Throat Chakra in a human being. Saraswati is supposed to be Brahma's consort. However, she is actually his creation - she appears when the Universe is created. Hence some literature may talk of her as Brahma's daughter. It bears mentioning again that these Gods are energies and forces, they don't have real wives or families or children. Brahma has created everything (with the exception of the other two beings of the trinity), so all can be said to be his children. Sarawati is always shown dressed in white playing a musical instrument, veena. Saraswati is also a mythical river that flows through Northern India. Along with Laxmi and Durga, Saraswati is part of the Navratri celebration and puja.

• Laxmi

  Laxmi is the Goddess of abundance, power, prosperity and material wealth. She resides at the Manipura Chakra in a human being. She is supposed to be Vishnu's consort. It bears repeating that these Gods are energies and forces, they don't have real wives or families or children. She is Vishnu's consort in the sense that she complement's his energies. She is really that part of Mother Nature that provides us with abundance of goods and resources. She is worshipped regularly throughout the year, but is also an important part of the Diwali celebration. Other Names : Manushri, Chakrika, Kamalika, Aishwarya, Lalima, Kalyani, Nandika, Rujula, Vaishnavi, Samruddhi, Narayani, Bhargavi, Sridevi, Chanchala, Jalaja, Madhavi, Sujata, Shreya.

• Parvati

  Parvati (Daughter of the Mountain) is the Goddess of fertility, fidelity, asceticism, idealism and power. She resides at the Swadhisthana Chakra in a human being. Parvati is known for performing austerities, physical mortifications, fasting and her total devotion to Shiva. She is usually worshipped in her form as Shakti, Durga or Kali. Other Names : Amba Ambika Annapoorna Aparna Bhavani Chandika Durga Gauri Shakti Uma Kamakshi Meenakshi

• Durga/Devi

  Durga is the Devi - all Goddesses as one, but basically the three main Goddesses (Saraswati,Laxmi,Parvati). She is a fierce protector and the slayer of the demon Mahisasura. She is the One both gods and men call upon when they are under attack and need to be rescued. She is shown with ten hands with each hand bearing a weapon and riding on lion (or tiger). Durga is worshipped all over India during the festival of Navratri (nine nights). In Bengal Durga Puja is the main festival of the year. Out of the nine days, Durga is worshipped as Kali or Shakti in the first three days, as Laxmi in the next three days and as Saraswati in the last three days. The tenth day is celebrated as Vijayadashmi, the day of Victory (of Good over Evil). In some regions Durga is worshipped in different form on each of the nine days as NavDurga. The Myth : Hindu mythology posits three types of beings - Devas (can be considered angels/demigods rather than 'Gods'), Manavas (humans), Rakshasas/Asuras (can be considered demons, actually more like anti-gods). Devas live and rule heaven, Asuras rule the underworld and humans live on Earth. Devas and Asuras are constantly in battle with each other. Asuras sometimes dominate the Earth and occasionally even Heaven. Once when Asuras with their leader Mahishasura (Buffalo Demon) had defeated the Devas, taken over heaven and were terrorizing the three worlds, the devas asked the Gods (Shiva/Vishnu/Brahma) for help. The Gods created Durga, an incarnation of Parvati - but she is really a combination of all Goddesses. There are several versions of this myth, most famous being the one from the Devi Mahatmyam. Durga goes to battle with Mahishasura and his armies. The demon changes his form to a lion, then an elephant and then into a buffalo, but the goddess destroys all of them and in the end places her foot on his neck, impales him with her spear and then chops of his head with her sword. Soon after, two more Asuras - Shumbha and Nishumbha take over the three worlds and make life miserable for everyone. The devas again ask Parvati/Durga to intervene. Shumbha instead proposes that he and Durga get married. The Goddess declares that anyone who can defeat her in battle may become her husband. Shumbha first sends his chieftain Dhumralochana (with 60 thousand others) to get the Goddess, but she slays him and her lions finishes off the rest. Shumbha then sends two more mighty asuras - Chanda and Munda with their own army. Now Durga gets very angry and from her eyebrows appears another terrible goddess - Kalika or Kali. Kali kills both Asuras and brings their heads to Durga. Kali then kills another magical Asura named Raktabija and drinks all his blood (see below under Kali). Durga then proceeds to slay both Shumbha and Nishumbha. An Explanation of the Myth :What are we to make of all this blood bath? Clearly Power lies within the Feminine aspect of God. Also the Goddess can be ruthless in protecting those in her care. But are there such beings as Devas and Asuras? Are these two constantly at war? We really don't know . The story is about the triumph of Good over Evil, that evil does exist, but also that we can expect protection from it by entreating the Goddess. The way to look at the story on a personal level: Each of us has our version of Mahishasura resident within us - the angry, arrogant, lustful, power hungry (even the slothful one, who keeps sending others to handle things). Raktabija is our vasanas or tendencies/habits/addictions that never die and actually multiply and increase. Here again, it is the Goddess that will slay these personal demons and free us from there domination - this may involve much pain and bloodshed, but the result is peace and calm.

• Kali

  Kali is the black Goddess that emerges from Durgas eyebrows when she gets angry. She is terrible, scary and blood thirsty. She is pitch black, naked, wearing a garland of skulls with a scimitar in one of her hands with which she can cut off your head. Her mouth is gaping open with her tongue hanging out, so that she can suck and drink your blood. Some have tried to soften her by saying her face is smiling and beautiful. I don't agree, Kali is hideous, frightening and out of control. The best thing you can do when she comes at you is to get out of the way or if escape is not possible, to lie down and play dead - which is exactly what Shiva does. I believe the best way to understand Kali is in the form of Mother Nature gone wild - she is the tsunami that surges towards land and destroys everything in its path without discrimination or the earthquake that swallows an entire township without any mercy. The Myth : This is part of the story told above under Durga. Kali first emerges from Durga to take care of the demons Chanda and Munda by cutting off there heads and bringing them back to Durga. Later Durga is confronted by the demon Raktabija. Whenever a drop of blood is spilt from Raktabija ('blood seed'), another demon emerges from the drop. Kali hangs out her tongue, spreads it on the floor and sucks up every drop of blood before it hits the ground as she attacks Raktabija with her scimitar. She becomes drunk with all the blood. After all the demons have been killed, she continues with her rampage and no one can stop her. She refuses to listen even to Shiva (her 'husband'). Shiva then throws himself on the ground before her (Shiva becomes Shava - a corpse) while Kali proceeds to dance on his chest. Eventually Kali calms down and realizes she has been trampling her own husband. An Explanation of the Myth :On a global level, Kali is no doubt the destructive and remorseless power of Mother Nature like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, hurricanes, forest fires that destroy and kill almost irrationally. Or on the cosmic level, an exploding super nova or a black hole that devours anything that approaches. However these destructive forces often leave the affected areas cleansed and make way for renewal and rebirth of the area. On a personal level, Kali is the force that torments and persecutes you, but which will ultimately free you of your vasanas (karmic tendencies/habits/addictions) and help you grow along the path. This may be your boss or teacher or prison warden, but very often it is your own spouse. A married couple occasionally take turns dancing on each other's chest (hopefully not literally, usually one of them is the dominant one). At extreme times, it may be best to escape the torment or just play dead - Kali will eventually calm down. Note on her name: Kali means the black one. Kal also means Time (or could be death). Elsewhere on the web, the age we are living in (Kali Yuga) is described as Kali's age. Actually, this is quite incorrect. Kali Yuga, though spelt the same way is actually pronounced 'Culli Yuga' and is a completely different word, meaning Age of Quarrel or Discord, not at all the same as the word Kaali.

Celestial objects like planets, stars, comets etc, may appear to us, as dead objects without a will or a mind of their own or the ability to act outside their apparent fixed orbits. This is totally incorrect. Almost all celestial bodies are ensoled by a heavenly, living being. In fact all the beings that ensole each planet of our solar system can be considered to be like a 'God' with the Sun being the highest God in our solar system.

• Surya

  Surya is the Sun God, the God of our solar system. He is one of the five Gods to be worshipped by all Hindus as prescribed by Adi Shankaracharya. These days not that many people spend time worshipping him (except maybe in Southern India), but the famous Gayatri mantra is really directed towards him. In time to come, people will realize his importance and active worship of Surya will soon be revived. He is an incarnation of Vishnu (sixth chakra). He is always shown drawn by a chariot with seven horses. The seven horses are actually the Seven Sacred Planets through whom the Sun, the main God of our solar system, looks after all the creatures within the solar system. Incidentally, the seven sacred planets are referred to in the Bible as 'the Seven Spirits before the throne of God'. They really act as vital organs within the Solar God's body rather than totally independent beings. The Earth is not one of the sacred planets.

  In progress ...

• Kartikeya

  Kartikeya is said to be the elder son of Shiva. He is the Commander of Gods forces. He has six heads, six temples (or abodes), nursed by the six Kritikas (stars from the Pleiades). He is really an incarnation of Shiva himself. Elsewhere on this website, the importance of Kartikeya is explained, as he is also the Planetary God of our Earth - though this is not a Hindu belief but a Theosophical one. Once this fact is understood, worship of Kartikeya will spread all over India (currently it is prevalent mainly in South India). The Myth : This myth is as fanciful as Brahma's myth. Though no taboos are broken, it is still salacious enough to get some idiots on the internet excited. You can read the details here. The devas need a powerful commander for their army to fight a demon - Tarakasur, so they hatch a plot to make Shiva produce a son. To make a long story short, six sparks of Shiva's potent seed fall into the hands of Agni (the fire God), who can not handle them. So he drops them into a pond at the mouth of the Ganges. This produces six babies which are nursed by the wives of the Saptarishi - six Kritikas. The babies are then combined by Parvati into one with six faces - Kartikeya. Actually there are multiple stories - another one from the Mahabharata can been read here (there is a tendency to mix up these stories). An Explanation of the Myth :This is an interesting myth, not easy to decipher. The number six is the key. This blog offers an explanation. The writer says that the six headed Kartikeya represents the lower six chakras with the seventh not included because 'the seventh is in the cosmic realm'. The writer is on the right track, in that the six does refer to six of the chakras. But I believe, he is wrong about the seventh not being included. In fact, it is probably the throat chakra that is not included - Kartikeya represents and resides in the other six chakras. Kartikeya is created from Shiva(chakra 7 - see table at the top), Agni(chakra 3), Water(chakra 2) and is also nursed by six (out of the seven) Kritikas (According to the story in the Mahabharata, Arundhati, the goddess of the sky, is the one who is not included). Kartikeya then resides at all six chakras (excluding the throat chakra), but the main energy is at those three chakras, especially the seventh - making him an incarnation of Shiva. Other Names : Skanda, Murugan, Subramanya, Shanmukha, Sanat Kumara

• Navagraha (Nine Planets)

  In addition to the Sun Deity, Hindus also worship the Navagraha - the Nine 'Planets' (the Sun being one of them) - the others are: Buddh (Mercury) Mangala (Mars) Shukra (Venus) Guru (Jupiter) Shani (Saturn) Chandra (Moon) The lunar nodes - Rahu and Ketu. Worship of the planets is common only in certain communities and regions (mainly in Southern India), otherwise they are only used in astrology. The ancient Hindus were of course unaware of the planets that could not be observed with the naked eye - Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. They were also likely unaware of the invisible planet Vulcan. The Hindus adjusted for astrological influences of these unknown planets by using the Moon and its nodes - Rahu and Ketu. According to esoteric sources, there are actually twelve planets (three of which are invisible iincuding Vulcan). Seven of these twelve are the sacred planets: Uranus 1st Chakra Mercury 4th Chakra Vulcan 7th Chakra Venus 3rd Chakra Jupiter 6th Chakra Neptune 2nd Chakra Saturn 5th Chakra

  In progress ...

• Dattatreya

  Datttreya is a form of the Trinity in one person. He is said to be the supreme Guru. The Guru of all gurus.

  In progress ...

• Hariharputra / Ayyappa

  Hariharputra is said to be the son of Shiva and Vishnu (in his female form as Mohini). There are multiple myths as to how he came into being. The story goes that a demoness, Mahishi (in another similar story it is the demon Kalikeyan) obtains a boon for Brahma such that she could only be killed by a son of both Shiva nd Vishnu, essentially making her invincible. The gods now look to Shiva for a solution that will protect them from this invincible demoness. Shiva asks Vishnu to assume the form of Mohini and then is so enamoured by this beautiful, seductive enchantress that the result of their union produces Hariharaputra, a son of both Shiva and Vishnu. Hariharaputra then proceeds to kill the demoness. Ayyappa, a God worshipped in South India is considered to be an incarnation of Hariharpura (if not Hariharputra himself). An Explanation of the Myth :As in all myths of the birth of a God, our poetic rishis always have to invent a myth involving sex (after all how can there be a birth without copulation and conception? The only problem is that such stories drive the dirty minds of the internet wild). But as explained above in the Kartikeya story, Gods do not have sex or spill semen. Hariharputra is a God who embodies the energies of the sixth and seventh chakra (Vishnu and Shiva respectively). This is unusual because the two energies are quite different (Vishnu - energy of Love and Wisdom while Shiva - energy of Will and Power). Since Hariharputra/Ayyappa embody two energies, technically they should have been depicted with two heads - for some reason this is not done. Like Kartikeya, Hariharputra is eternally celibate (women are often forbidden in his temples). Ayyappa can also be listed under human incarnations according to the story that says he is Manikantan, the son of Rajasekhara, the king of Pandalam.

• Rama

  Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu and is the hero of the epic Ramayana. The Ramayana is set in the Treta Yuga (see Yugas above). The epic poem was written by Valmiki (said to be a reformed highway robber). The story of Rama can be compared to the typical Hero's Journey popularized by Joseph Campbell. Rama is a prince of Ayodhya who loses his throne due to the machinations of his step-mother and is sent into exile for fourteen years with his wife Sita (who he has won in a royal contest). He is accompanied in exile by his loyal half-brother Laxmana who never leaves his side. The son of his scheming step-mother, Bharata refuses to accept the throne and awaits Rama's return while acting as a regent. Like all such heroes, Rama goes through many trials and experiences in exile - in the beginning the time in the jungle is pleasant and idyllic, then his wife is abducted by the demon king Ravana, he finds a devotee in the mighty ape Hanuman, befriends the monkey king Sugriva and battles on his behalf, then fights a war with the demon king to rescue his wife. When the fourteen years are over, there is the joyful return to his kingdom of Ayodhya to reign as king - this joyful return is still celebrated by all Hindus at the time of Diwali. However Rama was not to live happily ever after, since he is then forced to banish his wife (while pregnant) to a distant ashram. The epic is really a story of perfection which sets examples or role models for all of us. Rama in the perfect son, the perfect husband, the perfect warrior, the perfect ruler. Sita is the perfect wife. Lakshmana is the perfect brother and so is Bharata. Hanuman is the perfect devotee. Ravana may even be the perfect villain. The reign of Rama in Ayodhya is supposed to be the most just, prosperous, happy, peaceful reign the world has ever seen (or will ever see). Many Hindus still dream of a time to come, when such a reign - 'Rama Rajya' will occur again. But in spite of all this perfection, personal happiness for Rama and his family is elusive - that is the human condition. We strive to be perfect like Rama for the sake of perfection but we may never gain happiness from it. Rama is worshipped by all Hindus throughout India and his birth anniversary is celebrated at the festival of Ram Navami. Rama resides at the Ajna chakra in the human body.

• Hanuman

  Hanuman is a part human, part monkey/ape warrior who plays the part of a devotee of Rama in the Ramayana. He is supposed to be the Son of the Wind (Pawan Suta). Though elsewhere on the web, he is described as an incarnation of Shiva, I personally don't agree with this view. He is the Son of the Wind Element and hence an incarnation of Brahma rather than Shiva. These days amongst many Hindus, Hanuman as a deity is almost as popular as Rama if not more so. Hanuman is seen as a protector of the weak, the destroyer of fear. When you call upon him, all evil beings vanish. He is the eternal celibate bachelor. When sent to find and rescue Sita, he has difficulty recognizing her because he has never looked at her face, but only seen her feet. Myths : Hanuman is so powerful and strong that as a child, he once tried to swallow the sun thinking that it was a fruit. He is able to change his form at will from as small as a cat to as big as a mountain. He can leap great distances and fly through the air. When looking for the abducted Sita, he jumps across the ocean between India and Shri Lanka where she is being imprisoned. In Lanka, the demons capture him and tie a cloth around his tail and set it on fire. Hanuman then jumps all over the city with his tail on fire and burns the city down. When Lakshmana is injured in battle and about to die, Hanuman is sent to fetch the magical Sanjivani herb that grows on top of a mountain. Not being able to identify the herb, Hanuman carries and brings back the entire mountain and saves Lakshmana's life. When presented with a necklace (or ring) by Rama and Sita and told that they would both always be with him if he kept the necklace, he proceeds to break each stone in the necklace with his teeth. When asked by the shocked onlookers, why he was doing such a thing, Hanuman says he is looking for Rama and Sita inside the necklace. He is then told that Rama and Sita are everywhere. On hearing this Hanuman tears open his own chest with his bare hands, and sure enough, Rama and Sita are seen literally resident in his heart. Hanuman is at the heart chakra in the human body. Other Names : Maruti, BajarangBali, Anjeneya, Pavanputra, Pavansuta

• Sita

  Sita is the wife of Rama in the Ramayana. She is supposed to be born of the Earth or daughter of the Earth - the name means 'furrow'. Once when King Janak was having a field ploughed, they found a baby girl buried in the earth, but alive and well. The king adopts the baby and raises her as his own daughter, Sita. Rama wins her as his wife in a contest held by her father. She is the ideal wife and joins Rama in exile without hesitation. She is revered and respected by all. Even Ravana the demon king who abducts her, is in awe of her. She is proud and dignified - after her abduction and confinement, she refuses to slink away 'like a thief' with Hanuman when he finds her (She prefers to be rescued in battle). She is so pure and devoted to Rama that she passes the Agni Pariksha (Ordeal by Fire) without a scratch or scar. She has only a few faults but those lead to her abduction by the demon king. Though she does not mind life in exile, she craves some things like the luxurious skin of a deer that she sees. She is bit stubborn and ignores Lakshmana's warning about the deer being a demon in disguise and sends Rama to hunt down the deer. Again she ignores Lakshmana's protective line (Lakshman Resha) and crosses the boundary leading to her abduction. Though she has a devoted husband in Rama, she has a relatively unhappy life. Rama for all his perfection, does not treat her well or justly. He puts his duty to his kingdom and his subjects before marriage and wife (such is the lot of many women). He makes her go through the Trial by Fire after her rescue from Ravana - she has to sit on a burning pyre to prove her chastity - the fire will not hurt her if she is pure. She passes the test, but a few years later, when some laundryman raises suspicions about her purity while staying under Ravana's care, Rama banishes her from his kingdom just to maintain the appearance of rectitude. He does not even know that she is pregnant. She has twin sons in Valmiki's hermitage and spends fourteen more years in exile. At the end of this period Rama discovers both Sita and his sons (who he did not know existed) in the hermitage. Even now he hesitates to welcome her. Sita in disgust and despair, begs her Mother, the Earth to take her back - she has had enough of this world. The Earth opens up and swallows her daughter. Rama goes back to his kingdom with his new found sons, eventually to retire himself to the forest leaving his sons to rule the kingdom. Sita is the Kundalini energy that lies dormant in the earth and then rises from the Root Chakra to meet Rama at the Ajna Center. Other Names : Janaki, Maithili

• Krishna

  Krishna is an incarnation of Vishnu and is one of the main protagonists of the epic Mahabharata. The Mahabharata is set in the Dwapara Yuga. Humanity and the world have evolved since the Treta Yuga of the Ramayana - there are not that many demons/shape shifters and no more half human/half ape species. But there are still humans who are really demons at heart. In such a world is born Krishna - he is a Sampoorna Avatar - a Complete Avatar. He is already enlightened at birth - he does not have to go through the trials and tribulations of Rama, he has an easy life while watching and helping the people around him, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, go through their trials. There is an attempt to assassinate him at birth, but he survives that attempt and is raised among a community of cowherds. Here he grows up happy and naughty, loved by all. As he grows up, their love for him grows - he is basically irresistible to both men and women, especially women. He has many wives but his favorite is not his wife - she is Radha who is actually married to someone else. Most of the temples for Krishna contain an idol of Radha next to Krishna (Radha is also said be a divine incarnation). His favorite disciple is Arjuna and it is to Arjuna that Krishna addresses the famous Bhagvat Gita - 'Song of God', explaining to Arjuna what life and the human condition is about and what his true dharma or goal in life is - this is God's discourse on life. Krishna is worshipped by all Hindus throughout India. His birth anniversary is celebrated at the festival of Krishna Janmashtami or Gokulashtami. Worshippers recreate his childhood by creating human pyramids to break a curd pot hung high above. His defeat and slaying of the demon Narkasura is also celebrated during the Diwali days. Other Names : Govinda, Gopala, Nandalal, Brijbal, Devaki Nandan, Yashoda Nandan, Dwarakanath, Ghanshyam, Giridhari, Gopinatha, Kanha, Kanhaiya, Madhava, Mukunda, Nanda Gopala, Parthasarathy, Radha Vallabh, Rajagopala, Shyamasundara

  In progress ...

• The Mahabharata and the Pandavas

  The Pandavas are not considered to be Gods. They are five brothers who are the other protagonists of the epic Mahabharata together with their common wife Draupadi. The Mahabharata is a very interesting epic. Although it is no doubt based on a historical battle between two sets of cousins, it is also written as an allegory on multiple levels and vast volumes have been written on the meaning of the whole story and in particular the Bhagvat Gita which is a part of the epic poem. It is the story of India or Bharat Varsha and at the same time it is a story of humanity and the human condition. The epic is said to have been composed by Vyaasa (who may have himself fathered the two brothers whose families are in a fight). THE STORY: On the surface, the story is a simple, common one - the sons of two half brothers Pandu and Dhrithrashtra are in a dispute over who should ascend to the throne of Hastinapur - the eldest son of Pandu, Yudhishtir (eldest of the five Pandavas) or the eldest son of Dhrithrashtra, Duryodhana (eldest of a hundred Kauravas). Drithrashtra is blind and Pandu is pale skinned. Pandu is first made king since Drithrashtra is blind, but Drithrashtra becomes king when Pandu abdicates and retires. Yudhishtir is senior to Duryodhana, but Duryoudhana is ambitious and does not want the Panadavas to have any land. Initially the Pandavas establish a separate kingdom, but they lose everything (including their wife) to the Kauravas in a dice game (with a loaded dice provided by Duryodhana's uncle). The Pandavas are forced into exile for thirteen years. Upon their return, they try to get their kingdom back to no avail. When all negotiations fail, a major battle is inevitable (you can read the details at Wikipedia). Krishna is a friend of both families. He does not wish to take sides. He tells them that one side can have his entire army and the other side can have him as an advisor/helper but a non-combatant. The Pandavas pick Krishna and the Kauravas pick his army. Krishna becomes Arjuna's charioteer in the battle which will be fought on the battle field of Kurukshetra. With the battle about to begin, Arjuna sees the army on the other side with all his cousins, his uncles and his own teacher and can not bear to take up arms against his own kin. This is when Krishna recites to him the Bhagwat Gita, right there on the battle field (with the two armies facing each other). There have been volumes of commentaries and explanations written on the Gita. In essence, the 'Song of the Lord' says that a human being has to act selflessly according to his dharma or duty (in the case of Arjuna, the warrior, it is to fight for a just cause), without any attachment to the fruits of the action; that death, though tragic is not the end; that those who die in battle will reincarnate in new bodies. He goes on the explain the different types of yogas (karma, bhakti, jnana), the nature of the world, the nature of God, the theory of Avatars etc - basically most of the Hindu philosophy as given in the Vedas and Upanishads. Arjuna then relents and the battle begins. The battle is fierce and brutal with much intrigue, twists of fate and many casualties. Krishna helps the Pandavas win the war - often using subtle deceitful tactics. In the end most of the participants die with only the Pandavas, Krishna and a few others surviving (even Arjuna's son is killed). This does not turn out well for anyone, even Krishna is cursed by Duryodhana's mother for not preventing the bloodshed, so that his dynasty too will eventually be destroyed. At the death of Krishna, Kali Yuga (our current Age of Discord) begins. THE MORAL: Mahabharata is a timeless story that happens endlessly everywhere, so it is really a story of humanity, the struggle of life - relevant today and will be equally relevant in the future. There are heroes and villains like any other story, but there is no us-versus-them in the battle - instead we humans are all related - all cousins, uncles, nephews and nieces. It is also a story that tells us that ultimately in life, we have to take action, do our duty/job whatever it is. Bhakti is good, Jnana is great, Meditation is wonderful, but the goal in life is action - nishkam karma (selfless action) in the Kurukshetra (the battle field) of our worldly life. THE HIDDEN (ESOTERIC) MEANING IN THE MAHABHARATA: ALLEGORY 1: In a person, the blind Drithrashtra represents the blind mind, the pale Pandu represents the weak flesh, the five Pandavas are the five senses and Krishna is the conscience leading the way. Kurukshetra is the everyday world where we have to fight our daily battles. The battle is not with an enemy, but with life, with all the Kauravas in the world (these are not necessarily people but all adversities and difficulties that we face). ALLEGORY 2: The Pandavas and Kauravas make up the gross as well as subtle bodies of a human being and the battle of Kurukshetra is the constant battle we wage between our human weaknesses and divine selves, between our flawed humanity and our better selves, between our physical desires/ambitions and our spiritual aspirations. Here are the different players and their corresponding parts in our human existence: Bodies of Man Character Physical Body/Reasoning Intellect Annamaya Kosha Dhritarastra/Gandhari Etheric body Pranamaya Kosha Pandu Astral/Emotional Body Manomaya Kosha Madri Mental Body Vigyanmaya Kosha Kunti Causal Body Anandamaya Kosha Vyasa   Chakras Diety 7 Sahasrara/Crown Shiva 6 Ajna/Eyebrows Krishna 5 Vishuddha/Throat Pandavas Yudhishtir 4 Anahata/Heart Bhima 3 Manipura/Solar Plexus Arjuna 2 Swadhisthana/Sacral Nakula 1 Muladhara/Root Sahadev Drithrashtra (the blind king) - Our physical body and its blindness to reality - blind to the the nature of the world and our true Self. Gandhari (Drithrashtra's wife) - Our rational intellect and its voluntary blindness to reality (although it has the ability to see) Pandu (the pale) - Our pranic or etheric body (which is in fact similarly pale, almost translucent). The etheric body is said to loose its vitality (or etheric energies) everytime a man ejaculates. So it was with Pandu, who is cursed to die if he ever has sex and ultimately does die while having sex with his second wife Kunti (Pandu's first wife) - She is our higher, intuitional self (Mental body or Buddhi). She understands the world and Pandu's weakness. She provides him with sons by invoking various Gods (Surya, Dharma, Vayu, Indra) using a special mantra and then giving birth to four sons (by immaculate conception). However, the first son she has (by the Sun God) is born before her marriage and is abandoned by her as a bastard. Madri (Pandu's second wife) - She is beautiful and seductive. She is our astral/emotional body. She too uses the mantra (lent to her by Kunti) to give birth to twins (by the Ashwins - nature Gods). However, she is so desirable that Pandu can not resist her and she proves to be his undoing. Vyasa is the causal body which fathers the human being. The Pandava brothers - Yudhishtir, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, Sahadev are the lower five chakras in a human being (5 through 1 respectively). The bastard son Karna is not fit to be at the sixth chakra and is replaced there by Krishna. Draupadi, who is married to all five, is the Kundalini Shakti that rises through the five chakras to meet Krishna at the Ajna center. Kurukshetra - The battle field is within ourselves - the Kauravas are our karmic vasanas (tendencies/habits/addictions) that we have to constantly fight against. The Initial Subplot (or perhaps the prologue) This the story is of how the Kuru dynasty came about. There was once a king named Shantanu and he had two wives - Satyavati and Ganga. Satyavati, his second wife, a very beautiful commoner whom the king falls madly in love with, is the daughter of a fisherman, while Ganga his first wife is a river Goddess. The king has eight sons by the Goddess but she drowns the first seven and only lets the eighth one live when the king protests. The surviving son becomes a great, learned and highly respected warrior - named Devavrat or Bhishma. Satyavati, the second wife (who agrees to marry him only if her own son becomes the heir) gives him two sons - both of whom were of not much consequence. Although they were both married (the wives apparently procured for them by Bhishma) they are incapable of producing any offspring before their early deaths. Earlier in her life, Satyavati has had another son by the great Rishi Parashara. That son is Vyasa, the very author of our whole story. Wanting heirs to the throne, Satyavati asks her living son Vyasa, to impregnate the two widows and produce heirs - this is how Drithrashtra and Pandu are born. So what does this strange, confusing tale mean? This allegory is even more difficult to decipher. A few things are clear - Ganga represents female divinity - literally the Goddess, Satyavati represents physical, female sexuality (hence the rather sly if not unkind nickname - Matsyagandha). Shantanu represents the physical male, Parashara represents the spiritual male and so does Vyasa. The propagation of the dynasty (representing the human race) is through the union of the spiritual male and the physical, sexual female. The physical males play a rather unimportant role. The Goddess Ganga also does not help much in the propagation of the race, except in producing someone like Bhishma - the very image of rectitude and honor More Allegories: ??? - Let me know if you know any, I am sure there are some more.

  In progress ...

• Kalki, the last Avatar

  Kalki is the next incarnation of Vishnu to come at the end of Kali Yuga. He is the 'destroyer' of darkness, dirt, ignorance. He will come riding on a horse name Devadutta and carrying a flaming sword with which he will separate out all evil on Earth and finally destroy it. He will reestablish righteousness usher in a new Satya Yuga.

There is another class of Divine Incarnations that take place in India - unlike the human incarnations listed above (where divinity descends into mortal humans). These are incarnations of Divine Beings, themselves, as mortal humans. To put it a bit simplistically, in the previous case, a man becomes God and in this case a God becomes man, i.e. in one case a man like Rama becomes an Avatar when the divine spirit descends into him and in the other case, a God like Saibaba becomes a man by taking birth in a human body. To understand the difference better, please read this webpage. The first type of Avatars (Rama, Krishna, Jesus) come only approximately every 2160 years, while the second type occur every century in India (often several living at the same time). India and Hinduism have been very lucky and very blessed that these second type of divine beings (Gods from outside our system) take birth regularly in India as mortal humans (the first type of Avatars can occur in any country). The main task of these type of Avatars is anchoring of 'Good' on this planet and help balance out the 'evil'.

I have listed them below in the order of their importance (in my opinion). There are many of them, but I have just listed the most important and well known ones.

• Sai Baba

  Shirdi Sai Baba appeared in India in the state of Maharashtra in the 19th century. He has millions of followers who consider him a Saint and an Avatar. Many people believe that he is one of a series - a triple Avatar: Shirdi Sai Baba, Sathya Sai Baba and (one yet to appear) Prema Sai Baba. There are many temples dedicated to Shirdi Sai Baba, mainly in Maharashtra but also all over the country. I personally believe, that Sai Baba can indeed be considered a God, and worship of Sai Baba can be substituted for any of the male Gods of the Hindu Pantheon (with the exception of the Goddesses and Ganapati). In fact, the chances of prayers to Sai Baba being answered, are possibly higher than prayers to one of the other human incarnations (this is because Sai Baba is still personally present in the Earth sphere, preparing for his next incarnation).

     Recent Controversy (Click to read more...)

  I have belatedly decided to add this section, because recently a controversy has been started by one Shankaracharya Swaroopananda 'Saraswati'. I don't like to call him by that exalted title, because he besmirches the name of the original Adi Shankaraharya. He is really a Hindu version of the Taliban trying to destroy what other people consider Divine (of course he is not violent and evil like the real Taliban). Actually I should be kinder to Mr Swaroopananda - he is not Taliban, he is more like the Hindu version of Pope Benedict - we can all hope that he resigns soon and gets replaced by our own version of Pope Francis. Mr Swaroopananda has recently proclaimed that SaiBaba is not a 'God', that SaiBaba is not even a 'Saint', that he should not be worshipped by Hindus. Mr Swaroopananda is led to this conclusion because SaiBaba first appeared as a Muslim and Swaroopananda cannot believe that a Hindu God or Saint can come as a Muslim. This bigoted view should be rejected by everyone. The Divine can incarnate as any human - a Muslim, a Christian, an 'Untouchable', just anybody. Shirdi Sai Baba is actually the most important of these Divine Cosmic Incarnations.

• Swami Samarth

  TBD.

• Ramakrishna Paramhansa

  TBD.

• Ramana Maharishi

  TBD.

• Mahavatar Babaji

  Not much is known or verified about this Avatar. Some claim he is over 2000 years old, but it not known whether he is still alive.
  

• Many Others - Yogananda, Vivekananda, Anandimayi Ma, Shripad Vallabh, Narasimha Saraswati, Ganapati Sachidananda(still living) etc

Just as planets are ensouled by 'Gods', bodies of water, particularly rivers, are ensouled by 'Goddesses'. These are highly evolved, spiritually advanced beings from the angelic evolution who play a role in not only nourishing the land but purifying it as well as making it sacred. The many rivers of India are one of the main reasons that the land is sacred (in spite of filth and squalor which seems to be everywhere).

Below are the seven main rivers of India approximately in the order of their spiritual status and importance. All rivers are feminine and can be considered to be incarnations of Parvati.

• Ganga or the Ganges

  Ganga is the holiest of the Indian rivers. She is said to have descended from heaven due to the prayers and penance of King Bhagiratha. She said to flow through the plains of India after being relatively tamed by having her source on Mount Kailasa and passing through Shiva's knotted hair. Millions of hindus every year make the pilgrimage to bathe in her waters.
  

• Yamuna

  
  

• Sarawati

  This river named after the Goddess Saraswati is mentioned many times in Hindu scriptures, but seems to have disappeared since then. It is said to flow underground and meet Ganga and Yamuna at the Triveni Sangam - the confluence of the three rivers.
  

• Godavari

  
  

• Kaveri

  
  

• Narmada

  
  

• Kshipra

  
  

• Though Hinduism has so many Gods worshipped devotedly by all Hindus, Hindu philosophy as given in the Upanishads states unequivocally that there is only one entity or being that underlies all existence including all the Gods. This entity pervades all of creation but it also stands apart from creation. It is totally impersonal (this is in sharp contrast to major monotheistic religions which all believe in a single personal God). This entity is named brahmn (not Brahma with a long 'a' at the end, it is usually spelt as brahman). I hesitate to capitalize it since it is not a person. It is totally beyond human understanding, human knowledge, human thought or human comprehension. It is not a thing nor is it a non-thing, it is not a person nor is it a non-person, it has no gender neither does it have a number, it is infinite and endless. After all the Universes and the Gods are dissolved/destroyed in the final MahaPralaya, this entity still remains and out of it new Universes will be born. It is not possible to relate to this entity or to worship it, the only thing that we can do is ultimately become one with it and experience being it - Tat Tvam Asi (Thou Art That). The process of union with the Absolute takes many lifetimes of spiritual practice and service (one lifetime of meditation will not do it). Brahmn is indescribable, so the only thing possible to know is what it is not (Neti, Neti). However, we do know three attributes of this 'substance' - it is existence/being (Sat), it is consciousness (Chit) and it is bliss (Ananda) - Satchidananda.

A Note on Hindu Temples:

Created: March 17, 2013

This page is still under constructon...

Palo Alto, California