Hindu Gods

The Hindu pantheon has over 330 million deities. There is god in all things. The rise of Hinduism among the Indian population resulted in the worshiping of many Gods. To begin, there was Deva, the father of all Gods. He watched over the many Gods that served the various needs of the Indian people. As per the Hindu belief, the God and Goddesses are living beings of a separate macrocosm.

The concept of God in India lies in the fact that God resides in the soul of every individual. God is the master of all creation and the destruction as well. He is the colossal being and stays in the gigantic things as well as in the smallest particle of the world.

Hindu Gods can be classified as Saiva Gods (Siva, His consort, His sons, His other forms), Vaishnava Gods (Vishnu, His consort, His various avatharams) & Sakthi or Saktha (Forms of Goddess Sakthi). There are other sects such as Ganapathyam (Lord Ganesha, son of Lord Siva), Kaumaram (Lord Muruga, son of Lord Siva), Souram (Lord Surya). Hinduism defines God as the being who is visible and at the same time invisible, He has a form and He is formless as well.



Ganesh
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. He is the lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of knowledge, wisdom and wealth.

Shiva
Represents death and dissolution. 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.

Krishna
Is the ninth and the most complete avatar of Vishnu, the Godhead of the Hindu Trinity. 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.

Rama
Is an all-time favorite among Hindu deities. 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.

Hanuman
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.

Vishnu
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.

Lakshmi
'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.

Durga
Represents the fiery powers of the gods. The name “Durga” means “inaccessible”, 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.

It is said in hinduism as per Srimad Devi Bhagwat Purana, God or ParaBrahman always appears in the form of Adi parashakti, She grants the tasks to Trimurti to generate, sustain and destroy.

Shiva and Vishnu are regarded as Mahādevas ("great gods" ) due to their central positions in worship and scriptures. The Tridevi or triplet goddesses of Hinduism have close to equal importance as the trimurti. Brahma is creator, so he needs knowledge or goddess Saraswati (Vaak) to create. Vishnu is observer, so he needs the goddess of wealth and prosperity, goddess Lakshmi (Shri). Finally, Shiva is destroyer and re-creator, so he needs goddess Parvati, Durga, or Kali for power. Without the Tridevi, the Trimurti are not complete and vice versa.

Devas and devis
The pantheon in Śrauta consists of many deities. Gods are called devas (or devatās) and goddesses are called devis. The most ancient Vedic devas included Indra, Agni, Soma, Varuna, Mitra, Savitri, Rudra, Prajapati, Vishnu, Aryaman, and the ashvins. Important devis were Sarasvati, Ushas, and Prithvi. Later scriptures called the Puranas recount traditional stories about each individual deity, such as Ganesha and Hanuman, and avatars such as Rama and Krishna.

Devas in the Vedas
The main devas are (vide 6th anuvaka of Chamakam): Aditya, Agni, Antariksha, Ashwinis, Brahma, Brihaspati, Dishas, Dyaus, Indra, Ganesha, Marutas, Mitra, Mitravaruna, Moordha, Prajapati, Prithvi, Pusha, Rudra, Savitr, Shiva, Soma, Varuna, Vayu, Vishnu, and Vishvedavas.