#HINDU GOD FACES FREE#

Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and arts, represents the free flowing of wisdom and consciousness. Her four hands symbolizes the four ends of human life: dharma or righteousness, kama or desires, artha or wealth, and moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. In statuary and artwork, Lakshmi is usually depicted as a beautiful woman with four hands, sitting on a full-bloomed lotus and holding a lotus bud. Known as the daughter of mother goddess Durga and the wife of Vishnu, Lakshmi is an important domestic deity and her presence is found in almost every household. In a sense, Kali grants liberation by demising the illusion of the ego.įor Hindus, the goddess Lakshmi is the symbol of prosperity, fertility, purity, generosity, and the embodiment of beauty and grace. Kali is said to remove our attachment with the body reinforcing the awareness that the body is a temporary condition. Albeit her immense destructive power, she is a strong mother-figure and symbolic of compassionate-love. Powerful yet widely misunderstood, Mother Kali is the goddess of death, time, and doomsday. It is commonly believed that these three forms actually represent earth (Brahma), water (Vishnu), and fire (Shiva). Later, the three gods were separated and took on their own individualism. Initially, the Trimurti was worshipped as a single entity- the Supreme Being. Trimurti, the term denotes “having three forms,” refers to the three main Hindu gods mentioned above: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. It is left to Vishnu to preserve the world and Shiva to continue its path of cosmic reincarnation. One of the reasons why Brahma is rarely worshipped is that Brahma’s role as the creator is over. Currently, there are only two temples in the whole of India devoted to him- one in Pushkar and the other in Kerala. Brahma is the least worshipped god in Hinduism today. Lord Brahma represents the source of the universal mind as well as intellect. The god of creation, Brahma is the creator of the world and all creatures. There are many mantras reciting Lord Shiva, one of which is Om Namah Shivaya. You might call on Shiva as a source of inspiration as you try to achieve a goal or when experiencing hardships in life. Shiva is the ultimate representation of how great destruction precedes new opportunities. Shiva is married to Parvarti, also known as Shakti, with whom he has two sons: Ganesha, the remover of all obstacles and Skanda, god of war. The god of both protector and destroyer, Lord Shiva is a powerful god and is widely worshipped for its potent destructive energy. You might call on Vishnu if you’re seeking protection, patience, knowledge, or prosperity. Comes after creation, Vishnu sustains the universe and upholds its many laws. Symbolically, Lord Vishnu represents justice and moral order.

The god of preserver, Vishnu is also known as the divine arbitrator. The exceedingly wide variety of gods to choose from allows the aspirant to draw on and embody the symbolic power of a particular god when needed in specific life circumstances.īelow is a list of 8 Hindu gods and goddesses that you would commonly come across in the modern yoga world today: As a prominent Hindu saint Sri Ramakrishna once wrote, “There can be as many Hindu Gods as there are devotees to suit the moods, feelings, emotions and social backgrounds of the devotees.” On the other hand, Hindu religion is also polytheistic as it is populated with myriad gods and goddesses. On one hand Hinduism is a pantheistic religion: it identifies God with the universe and human beings are only manifestations. Essentially, the primary goal of Hinduism is to attain ‘moksha’ from the cycle of rebirth. There are three principal beliefs in Hinduism, which are afterlife and reincarnation, Karma (action), and Dharma (righteousness). In our 200Hrs Yoga Teacher training in Bali,Dr.Ganesh, our philosophy teacher, also refers to the mantra OM as the essence of all the Hindu Gods. Brahman equates with the universe and everything in it, it has no form nor does it have any limits it is Reality and the ultimate Truth. Hinduism, in its core philosophy, believes that God is absolute, formless, and only known as Brahman, the Supreme- Universal Soul. Whether Hinduism is classified as a religion is debatable as unlike many other world religions, Hinduism lacks a designated founder or prophet, and hence, most Hindus would consider it a way of life. Although, current research has marked the existence of Hinduism from the various archaeological and literary sources, its beginning, evolution, and progression over such an extensive period of time, remains obscure. Originated from India, Hinduism and all the Hindu Gods and Goddesses have been around for at least 5,000 years. The Origin of Hinduism and all the Hindu Gods

Hindu god faces