Hindu gods

Examples of some Hindu gods (from top): Brahma, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Vishnu, Shiva, Durga, Harihara and Ardhanarishvara.

Hindu gods are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. In Hinduism, the concept of god or goddess is not like that of monotheistic religions. The gods of most cultures in Asia are icons of excellence. They may be questioned. Each represents a strength of human character. In Hinduism there are many beliefs about different gods. In most of them a god is in charge. Supreme divine power in Hinduism is Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. the sole ultimate truth, an entity that exists and gives life to all things. It is formless and is referred to as Vishnu or Narayana, Adi Parashakti/Shakti or Durga and Shiva or Mahadeva in different sects of Hinduism. Different forms (Avatars) of the same entity or supreme Brahman are worshipped in the traditions and sects in Hinduism. The terms for deity within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati.

Hindus believe all it's devi-devas are different forms of that same formless Brahman. Devi-Devas in Hinduism are thought as highly advanced spiritual beings and are often represented in human form or partially human and partially animal forms. Sometimes they are also represented as non-living things and plants.

The three gods who started creation: Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva are called Bhagwans (also known as Bhagavān). Yakshas are all male gods created by the three Bhagwans.

The main god in the Vaishnavite sect of Hinduism is Vishnu. Vishnu is revered as the supreme Paramatman in Vaishnava tradition. Shiva is the Supreme, in Shaivite traditions while in Shakti traditions, Adi Parashakti is supreme. Other names such as Ishvara, Bhagavan, Bhagvati, Parmeshwara and Paramatamana also means Hindu gods and all of them mainly denote Brahman. Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma are the major gods and Lakshmi, Parvati and Saraswati are the major goddesses in Hinduism. Many Hindus believe that Brahma is the Creator, Vishnu is the preserver and Shiva or Maheshwar is destroyer.

List

Some Hindu deities include:

Shiva, (Siva) is one of the most important gods and is considered a member of the holy trinity (trimurti) of Hinduism with Brahma and Vishnu. A complex character, he may represent goodness, benevolence and serve as the Protector.

Vishnu, is the god of Preservation, the great maintainer who appears in various incarnations (avatara) to provide salvation for humanity. Some of his best-known avatars, who are tremendously popular and beloved throughout Hindu India, are the gods Krishna and Rama.

Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, also called Ganapati, elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, who is traditionally worshipped before any major enterprise and is the patron of intellectuals, bankers, scribes, and authors.

Krishna is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities.

Durga, is a major deity in Hinduism. She is worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Devi and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction and wars.

Lakshmi, is the consort of the god Vishnu. She is one of the most popular goddesses of Hindu mythology and is known as the goddess of wealth and purity.

Brahma, is the first god in the Hindu triumvirate, or trimurti. The triumvirate consists of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world. The other two gods are Vishnu and Shiva. Vishnu is the preserver of the universe, while Shiva's role is to destroy it in order to re-create.

Hanuman, is a divine vanara companion of the god Rama. Hanuman is one of the central characters of the epic Ramayana. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and one of the chiranjivis.

Rama is an incarnation of Vishnu, God of Protection. Vishnu is one of a trinity of the three most important Hindu gods – Brahma the creator, Vishnu the protector, and Shiva the destroyer. Vishnu has had nine incarnations on earth as different beings. One of these is as Rama.

Kali goddess of time, doomsday, and death, or the black goddess (the feminine form of Sanskrit kala, “time-doomsday-death” or “black”)

Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is a part of the tridevi of Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati.

Indra, the king of the gods. He is one of the main gods of the Rigveda and is the Indo-European cousin of the German Wotan, Norse Odin, Greek Zeus, and Roman Jupiter. In early religious texts, Indra plays a variety of roles.

Kartikeya, also known as Skanda, Kumara, Murugan, Mahasena, Shanmukha and Subrahmanya, is the Hindu god of war. He is a son of Parvati and Shiva, brother of Ganesha, and a god whose life story has many versions in Hinduism.

Agni, fire-god of Hinduism, second only to Indra in the Vedic mythology of ancient India. He is equally the fire of the sun, of lightning, and of both the domestic and the sacrificial hearth.

Parvati, (Uma or Gauri) is the Hindu goddess of fertility, love, beauty, harmony, marriage, children, and devotion; as well as of divine strength and power. She is the one and only source of all the destructive energy which can be used by gods to defeat asuras. She is seen as a motherly figure who protects her devotees and children. She is the one who killed asuras like Mahisasura, Durgamasura, raktabija, Dhumraksha, and Dhumralochana in her various forms such as Durga, Kali, Mariamman, Shakti and Bhuvaneshvari. She is one of the most powerful and important deities in Hinduism. She is generally worshipped during the festival Navratri. She is a well-known deity in Shaktism, the goddess centric- sect in Hinduism. She is the mother of the deities Ganesha and Kartikeya. She is considered to be the daughter of himavan. Parvati is the consort of lordShiva and is often considered to be the mother of the universe. Parvati once created a goddess named Kaushiki to slay the demon brothers Shumbha and Nishumbha. She has many temples in India including the famous Vindhyachal Temple and Maa Vaishno Devi temple. She is usually depicted with 2 or 4 arms carrying weapons such as Trishula and Scimitar.

Varuna, in the Vedic phase of Hindu mythology, the god-sovereign, the personification of divine authority. He is the ruler of the sky realm and the upholder of cosmic and moral law (rita), a duty shared with the group of gods known as the Adityas (see Aditi), of whom he was the chief.

Vayu, is a primary Hindu deity, the lord of the winds as well as deity of breath and the spiritual father of Hanuman and Bhima.

Radha, also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and a consort of the god Krishna. She is worshiped as the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion and devotion. She is considered an avatar of Lakshmi and is also described as the chief of gopis (milkmaids).

Sita, is the heroine of the epic Ramayana and its other versions. She is described as the daughter of Bhūmi (the earth) and the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Videha and his wife, Queen Sunayana.

Surya, (also known as Aditya) is the Hindu god of the Sun. He is considered the creator of the universe and the source of all life. He is the supreme soul who brings light and warmth to the world.

Rudra is a Rigvedic deity associated with wind or storm, Vayu and the hunt. One translation of the name is 'the roarer'. In the Rigveda, Rudra is praised as the 'mightiest of the mighty'. Rudra means "who eradicates problems from their roots".

Shakti, In Hinduism, every god has a Shakti, or energy force. It's one of the reasons she is worshipped by millions of people throughout India. Shakti is also known as Parvati, Durga, and Kali, She's an archetype who you might call upon for strength, fertility, and power.

Yama, the god of the dead. The Vedas describe him as the first man who died, blazing the path of mortality down which all humans have since followed. He is the guardian of the south (the region of death) and presides over the resting place of the dead, which is located under the earth.

Prajapati, the great creator deity of the Vedic period of ancient India. In the post-Vedic age he came to be identified with the Hindu god Brahma.

Supreme God

The idea of a single, widely accepted supreme God in Hinduism is not uniform and varies across different traditions. Some followers worship specific deities as the supreme being, such as Vishnu, Shakti, or Shiva, while others have a more abstract understanding of divinity. In some cases, all deities are seen as manifestations of a single ultimate reality. The cultural and linguistic diversity of India has influenced the varied interpretations of the concept of a supreme God within Hinduism.

Regional and family traditions can play a large part in influencing this choice. There are four principal Hindu denominations —Vaishnavism, Shaktism, Shaivism, and Smartism. For Vaishnavites, God Vishnu is God Of Supreme, For Shaktas, Goddess Shakti is supreme, For Shaivites, God Shiva is Supreme. For Smartas—who see all Deities as reflections of the One God—the choice of Deity is left to the devotee.

Most Hindus worship some form of a personal aspect of God, although they believe in the more abstract concept of a Supreme God as well. They generally choose one concept of God, and cultivate devotion to that chosen form, while at the same time respecting the chosen ideals of other people. The many different names given to the Supreme God in Hinduism encourage many paths, as opposed to conformity to just one.

The unique understanding in Hinduism is that God is not far away, living in a remote heaven, but is all-pervasive and energizes the entire universe. He is also inside each soul, waiting to be discovered. Knowing the one Supreme God in this intimate and experiential way is the goal of Hindu spirituality.

Other gods

Hindus also believe in many Gods (Devas) who perform various functions, like executives in a large corporation. These should not be confused with the Supreme God. These deities are highly advanced beings who have specific duties and powers—not unlike the heavenly spirits, overlords or archangels in other faiths. Each denomination worships the Supreme God and its own set of divine beings.

Devas (also called Devatās) are an integral part of the colorful Hindu culture. These various forms of God are represented in innumerable paintings, statues, murals, and scriptural stories that can be found in temples, homes, businesses, and other places. In Hinduism the scriptures recommend that for the satisfaction of a particular material desire a person may worship a particular deity. For example, shopkeepers frequently keep a statue or picture of the devi Lakshmi in their shops.

Bhuvaneswari

The concept of Goddess Bhuvaneswari as the supreme goddess emerged in historical religious literature as a term to define the powerful and influential nature of female deities in India. Throughout history, goddesses have been portrayed as the mother of the universe, through whose powers the universe is created and destroyed. The gradual changes in belief through time shape the concept of Bhuvaneswari and express how the different Goddesses, though very different in personality, all carry the power of the universe on their shoulders.