They are all manifestations of the attributes of the one god/goddess • Brahma – the Creator/Knowledge • Shiva – the Destroyer (but he’s not too negative because by destruction new things can be created) • Vishnu – the Preserver
(See? Aspects of life, birth, living, dying) Shiva - Destruction
Lord Shiva appears in a meditating but ever-happy posture. He has matted hair which holds the flowing Ganges River and a crescent moon, a serpent coiled around his neck, a trident (trishul) in his one hand and ashes all over his body.
His consort Parvati, the Goddess of disintegration, assists him in this. Parvati represents prakriti or nature, which means perishable matter, in the absence of which true and complete destruction by Siva becomes impossible. (As we are all aware of today, only biodegradable matter can be destroyed).
He wears a necklace made of skulls signifying his role as destructor. He has snakes coiling all over his body & his hair is matted and long extending over the whole sky & space. The crescent moon adorns his crown, signifying his control on the time cycle. He has a third eye on his forehead, which is the source of knowledge & wisdom. The holy Ganges is imprisoned in his flowing locks..
The above description should convey him as an angry & destructive image, yet being the source of all knowledge he is often in a meditative pose with half closed eyes looking out into the universe as well as in to his self, signifying that his act of destruction is in itself an act of creation for in the absence of destruction there can be no creation.
In India, Lord Vishnu is worshiped primarily as Avatar, or incarnations, particularly as Rama and Krishna, the principal characters of the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata. The preserver god of the Trinity Vishnu has four hands. The first holds a conch shell (sankha) indicating spread of the divine sound "Om"; one holds a discus (chakra), a reminder of the wheel of time, and to lead a good life; one holds a lotus which is an example of glorious existence and the fourth hands holds a mace indicating the power and the punishing capacity of the Lord if discipline in life is ignored.
Lord Vishnu's consort is Goddess Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth Vishnu is the Lord of protection & maintenance. His consort Lakshmi is the possessor of wealth, which is a necessity for maintenance. Goddess Lakshmi represents not only material wealth, but also the wealth of grains, courage, and valor , offspring, success, and luxurious life, eternal bliss.
The dark color of the Lord represents the passive and formless ether, a great quality for a pervading god. He rests on the bed of the powerful, coiled serpent with 1000 head, Seshanag who represents the sleeping universe.
Brahma is the Lord of creation and is assisted in this process by his consort Saraswathi, who is the possessor of ultimate knowledge. He has four heads (originally five), representing the four vedas, which are said to have sprung from his heads. He is bearded & his eyes are closed in meditation. He sits on a lotus & his vehicle is the swan. In his four arms he holds the Vedas, the water pot, sacrificial spoon & a mala. He is a serene soul and is the provider of all sources of knowledge & wisdom.
Goddess Saraswati
Saraswati is the Goddess of learning, knowledge, and wisdom. The Sanskrit word sara means "essence" and swa means "self." Thus Saraswati means "the essence of the self." Saraswati is represented in Hindu mythology as the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the
Creator of the universe. Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Brahma.
In Her popular images and pictures, Goddess Saraswati is generally depicted with four arms (some pictures may show only two arms), wearing a white sari and seated on a white lotus. She holds a book and a rosary in Her rear two hands, while the front two hands are engaged in the playing of a lute (veena). Her right leg is shown slightly pushing against Her left leg. She uses a swan as Her vehicle. There is a peacock by Her side gazing at Her. The worship of God as Mother- has had a significant impact on Hinduism. The position of women in the Hindu religion is dignified because each woman is considered a manifestation of the Divine Mother. Hindus view man and woman as the two wings of the same bird. Thus, a man is considered incomplete without a woman, since "it is not possible for- a •bird to fly on only one wing"---Swami Vivekananda. Through the worship of God in the form of Mother, Hinduism offers a unique reverence to womanhood.
If God is our- father, why cannot God be our Mother! If we are the children of our heavenly Father, why cannot we be the children of our heavenly Mother!" This rhetorical question is the basis of why Hindus recognize and accept both male and female aspects of Nature and worship the Supreme Reality in the form of Mother, Father, Friend, Master, Guru, and Savior. Thus Lord Krishna declares in the Bhagawad Gita:
"I am the Father- of this Universe. I am the Mother of this universe, and the Creator- of all. I am the Highest to be known, the Purifier, the holy OM, and the three Vedas."
Hanuman, Rama, Sita-The Ramayana
Rama, Sita, Laksman, Hanuman Rama and Sita on the throne Who is this?
Who is this?
Mahabharata
• Another ancient Sanskrit Epic. • In these stories we will meet…. Asura/Deva: demons, demi-gods
Daksha - Daksha, "the skilled one", is an ancient creator god, and a son of Aditi and Brahma.
Ganesha, God of New Beginnings
Your Job
• In groups, you will read one of these Hindu stories, keeping track of the major occurrences. • You will analyze them according to subject, moral and theme as well as identifying archetypes. • You will choose one character to analyze in depth (there will be writing involved), showing what qualities Hindus value. • Finally, you will create a Power point (as a group so each member will do 2-3 slides) to share your story and analysis with the class.