THE prominent figures of HINDU by
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 22:49
Hinduism is known for a
multitude of gods and
goddesses. Here's an
introduction to the prominent
figures of the Hindu pantheon.
Brahma
Vishnu
Shiva
Ganesha
Krishna
Hanuman
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 23:17
7. Lakshmi
Goddess Lakshmi means "Good
Luck" to Hindus. The word
'Lakshmi' is derived from the
Sanskrit word Laksya, meaning
'aim' or 'goal', and she is the
goddess of wealth and
prosperity, both material and
spiritual. She is the household
goddess of most Hindu families,
and a favorite of women.
Lakshmi is depicted as a
beautiful woman of golden
complexion, with four hands,
sitting or standing on a full-
bloomed lotus and holding a lotus
bud, which stands for beauty,
purity and fertility.
8. Durga
The Mother Goddess — known
variously as Durga, Bhavani,
Sherawali, Amba, Chandika, Gauri,
Parvati, Vaishno Devi —
represents the fiery powers of
the gods. The name “Durgaâ€
means “inaccessibleâ€, and she
is the personification of the
active side of the divine
“ shakti†energy of Lord Shiva.
Durga is usually portrayed as
riding a lion, and carrying
weapons in her many arms. She
is the protector of the
righteous, and destroyer of the
evil.
9. Kali
Kali, or the dark goddess, is the
fearful and ferocious form of
the mother goddess Durga. She
is depicted as having born from
the brow of Goddess Durga
during one of her battles with
the evil forces. Kali is
represented with perhaps the
fiercest features amongst all
the world's deities. Her tongue
protrudes from her mouth, her
eyes are red, and her face and
breasts are sullied with blood.
She stands with one foot on the
thigh, and another on the chest
of her husband, Shiva.
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 22:52
BRAHMA
Hinduism lacks any unified
system of beliefs and ideas. It is
a phenomenon and represents a
broad spectrum of beliefs and
practices which on one hand are
akin to paganism, pantheism and
the like, and on the other very
profound, abstract,
metaphysical ideas.
Since religion and culture are
nearly interchangeable terms in
Hinduism, emotive expressions
like 'bhakti' (devotion) or
'dharma' (what is right) and
'yoga' (discipline) are used to
depict essential aspects of the
religion.
Hinduism believes in idol worship,
reincarnation, karma, dharma
and moksha. Some moral ideals
in Hinduism include non-violence,
truthfulness, friendship,
compassion, fortitude, self-
control, purity and generosity.
Human life is divided into four
stages, and there are defined
rites and rituals for each stage
from birth till death.
Traditional Hinduism has two life-
long dharmas that one can
follow: ‘Grihastha
Dharma’ (Domestic Religion) and
‘Sannyasin Dharma’ (Ascetic
Religion). The ‘Grihastha Dharma’
has four goals: ‘kÄma’ (sensual
pleasure), ‘artha’ (wealth and
prosperity), ‘dharma’ (the laws
of life), and ‘moksha’ (liberation
from the cycle of births). The
‘ Sannyasin Dharma’ recognizes
‘moksha’ as its ultimate goal.
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 23:16
4. Rama
Rama, the perfect avatar of the
Supreme Protector Vishnu, is an
all-time favorite among Hindu
deities. The most popular symbol
of chivalry and virtue, Rama is
“ the embodiment of truth, of
morality, the ideal son, the ideal
husband, and above all, the ideal
king." He is widely believed to be
an actual historical figure - a
"tribal hero of ancient India" -
whose exploits form the great
Hindu epic of Ramayana or The
Romance of Rama.
5. Hanuman
Hanuman, the mighty ape that
aided Lord Rama in his expedition
against evil forces, described in
the epic Ramayana, is one of the
most popular idols in the Hindu
pantheon. Believed to be an
avatar of Lord Shiva, Hanuman is
worshipped as a symbol of
physical strength, perseverance
and devotion. In times of trouble,
it is a common faith among
Hindus to chant the name of
Hanuman or sing his hymn -
"Hanuman Chalisa". Hanuman
temples are among the most
common public shrines found in
India.
6. Vishnu
The peace-loving deity of the
Hindu Trinity, Vishnu is the
Preserver or Sustainer of life
with his steadfast principles of
order, righteousness and truth.
When these values are under
threat, Vishnu emerges out of
his transcendence to restore
peace and order on earth.
Vishnu ’s earthly incarnations
have 10 major avatars. The
devout followers of Vishnu are
called Vaishnavas, and his
consort is Lakshmi. Vishnu is
popularly worshipped as Lord
Venkateshwara in the southern
India.
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 23:14
Hindus have a multitude of gods
and goddesses that symbolize
the one abstract Supreme Being
or Brahman. The most
fundamental of Hindu deities are
the Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva. But many other gods such
as Ganesha, Krishna, Rama,
Hanuman, and goddesses like
Lakshmi, Durga, Kali and
Saraswati top the popularity
chart with Hindus across the
world
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 23:17
10. Saraswati
Saraswati, the goddess of
knowledge and learning,
represents the free flow of
wisdom and consciousness. She
is the mother of the Vedas, and
chants to her, called the
'Saraswati Vandana' often begin
and end Vedic lessons. The
goddess of wisdom, art and
music, she is the daughter of
Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. It
is believed that goddess
Saraswati endows human beings
with the powers of speech,
wisdom and learning.
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 22:54
VISHNU According to Swami Vivekananda,
"the accumulated treasury of
spiritual laws discovered by
different persons in different
times" constitutes the sacred
Hindu texts. Collectively referred
to as the Shastras, there are
two types of sacred writings in
the Hindu scriptures: Shruti
(heard) and Smriti (memorized).
Sruti literature refers to the
habit of ancient Hindu saints who
led a solitary life in the woods,
where they developed a
consciousness that enabled
them to 'hear' or cognize the
truths of the universe. Sruti
literatures are of two parts: the
Vedas and the Upanishads.
There are four Vedas:
The Rig Veda -"Royal
Knowledge"
The Sama Veda - "Knowledge
of Chants"
The Yajur Veda - "Knowledge
of Sacrificial Rituals"
The Atharva Veda -
"Knowledge of Incarnations"
There are 108 extant
Upanishads, of which 10 are
most important: Isa, Kena,
Katha, Prashna, Mundaka,
Mandukya, Taitiriya, Aitareya,
Chandogya, Brihadaranyaka.
Smriti Literature refers to
'memorized' or 'remembered'
poetry and epics. They are more
popular with Hindus, because
they are easy to understand,
explains universal truths through
symbolism and mythology, and
contain some of the most
beautiful and exciting stories in
the history of religion world
literature. The three most
important of Smriti literature
are:
The Bhagavad Gita - The
most well known of the Hindu
scriptures, called the "Song
of the Adorable One", written
about the 2nd century BC
and forms the sixth part of
Mahabharata. It contains
some of the most brilliant
theological lessons about the
nature of God and of life ever
written.
The Mahabharata - The
world's longest epic poem
written about 9th century
BC, and deals with the power
struggle between the
Pandava and the Kaurava
families, with an intertwining
of numerous episodes that
make up life.
The Ramayana - The most
popular of Hindu epics,
composed by Valmiki around
4th or 2nd centuries BC with
later additions up to about
300 CE. It depicts the story
of the royal couple of Ayodha
- Ram and Sita and a host of
other characters and their
exploits.
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 23:00
Ganesha:
The Lord of Success
About the elephant-headed deity
- the Hindu god of success, the
importance of his form and how
he got his head.
Ganesh Chaturthi
About the Great Ganesha
festival. Read how to celebrate
this auspicious occasion and
pray for inner strength and
success in all your undertakings...
Ganesha Gallery: Paintings &
Sculptures
Ganesha is one of the most
popular Hindu deities. We present
here a selection of
contemporary Ganesha paintings
and sculptures...
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 23:04
Who is Krishna?
The great exponent of the
Bhagavad Gita, Krishna is the
ninth and the most powerful
incarnation of Vishnu, the
Godhead of the Hindu Trinity of
deities. Read all about the 'Dark
Lord', his life and teachings...
Christ-Krishna Connection
Similarities in the names, lives
and teachings of the greatest
figures of the world's greatest
religions have enough fuel for
the curious mind to prod into the
proposition that they were
indeed one and the same person.
Indeed it's hard to ignore a host
of likenesses between Jesus
Christ and Lord Krishna.
The Story of the Birth of Lord
Krishna
The birth of Krishna is in itself a
transcendental phenomenon
that generates awe among the
Hindus and overwhelms one and
all with its supra mundane
happenings.
Lord Krishna Speaks on
Knowledge
Krishna knowledge quotations
wisdom gyan gita 10 questions
faq Lord krisna krsna vedanta
guru teach intellect geetha
bhagavad books spiritual writings
readings literature life meaning
Hinduism information vedic
tradition Hindu hinduism
scriptures vivekananda Hindu
Indian India religion
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 23:09
GODDESS.. Saraswati: Goddess of
Knowledge & Arts
Saraswati, the goddess of
knowledge and arts, represents
the free flow of wisdom and
consciousness. She is the
mother of the Vedas, and chants
to her often begin and end Vedic
lessons.
Kali: The Dark Mother
Goddess Kali, the Dark Mother is
one such deity with whom
devotees have a very loving and
intimate bond. Get close to Kali -
the fearful goddess with a heart
of a mother!
Lakshmi: Goddess of Wealth &
Beauty!
All about the Hindu deity Lakshmi
- the goddess of prosperity,
wealth, purity, generosity, and
the embodiment of beauty,
grace and charm.
Goddess Durga
Goddess Durga is the mother of
the universe and is worshipped
as the supreme power of the
Supreme Being.
Kali: The Dark Mother
The love between the Divine
Mother and her human children is
a unique relationship. Kali, the
Dark Mother is one such deity
with whom devotees have a very
loving and intimate bond. Get
close to Kali - the fearful
goddess with a heart of a
mother!
Lakshmi: Goddess of Wealth &
Beauty
About the domestic deity
Lakshmi - the goddess of
prosperity, wealth, purity,
generosity, and the embodiment
of beauty, grace and charm.
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 23:15
1. Ganesha
Easily recognizable as the
elephant-deity riding a mouse,
Ganesha is arguably he most
popular Hindu God, and one of the
commonest mnemonics for
anything associated with
Hinduism. The son of Shiva and
Parvati, Ganesha is depicted has
having a curved trunk and big
ears, and a huge pot-bellied body
of a human being. He is the lord
of success and destroyer of
evils and obstacles. He is also
worshipped as the god of
knowledge, wisdom and wealth.
2. Shiva
The most powerful and
fascinating deity in Hinduism,
who represents death and
dissolution. One of the godheads
in the Hindu Trinity, and known by
many names - Mahadeva,
Pashupati, Nataraja, Vishwanath,
Bhole Nath - Shiva is perhaps the
most complex of Hindu deities.
Hindus recognise this by putting
his shrine in the temple separate
from those of other deities and
worshipping Shiva as a phallic
symbol called the ‘Shiva
Limgam’ in most temples.
3. Krishna
The great exponent of the Gita,
Krishna is the ninth and the most
complete avatar of Vishnu, the
Godhead of the Hindu Trinity. Of
all avatars he is the most
popular and perhaps the one
closest to the heart of the
masses. This blue-skinned deity
has influenced the Indian
thought, life and culture in
myriad ways - not only its
religion and philosophy, but also
into its mysticism and literature,
painting and sculpture, dance
and music, and all aspects of
Indian folklore.
Mahesh 2010/12/21 23:06
Good info-jaihind-
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/21 23:06
Lord Hanuman
Hanuman,
the mighty monkey
deity is among the most popular
gods in the Hindu pantheon. Read
how an ape can become so
venerable, and about the exciting
exploits of this simian icon that
never fail to thrill us.
The Greatness of Hanuman
The character of Hanuman
teaches us of the unlimited
power that lies unused within
each one of us. His greatness lies
in his complete merger with his
Lord, which also formed the
base of his genial qualities.
Hanuman's Life & Education
Read about the story of
Hanuman's birth, childhood and
education.
Hanuman in Hindu Epics
It is hard to find a mythical
character who features
prominently in both the great
epics of Ramayana and the
Mahabharata.
Someone 2010/12/22 11:18
Intresting and very informative topic. Though topic lacks proper editing but still this is an fine topic u posted
_dreamprince_ 2010/12/24 00:24
Quote:
Untouched: Intresting and very informative topic. Though topic lacks proper editing but still this is an fine topic u posted
TheMouse 2010/12/24 06:42
As U haven't edited out the words referring to pics U might have uploaded some as attachments, bro. May Ganesha rain blessings on U, bro!
_LeGoLaS_ 2015/01/19 14:35
Quote:
_dreamprince_: Hinduism is known for a
multitude of gods and
goddesses. Here's an
introduction to the prominent
figures of the Hindu pantheon.
Brahma
Vishnu
Shiva
Ganesha
Krishna
Hanuman
where parabrahma? parabrahma is the ultimate
haris 2015/01/21 08:31
тнє × Ï…Ð¸gâ„“Ñ” вσσк...
#78
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