Friday, April 17, 2009

Hindu Gods and Goddesses

Kali : sect name of the goddess Durga is depicted as wife to Shiva. Her idol is black, smeared with blood, has huge teeth and a protruding tongue that drips with blood. She wears a garland of skulls, earrings of corpses and is girdled with serpents. She usually has four arms, symbolizing absolute power over all finite things. One hand holds a sword, the second holds a severed human head, the third is believed by her devotees to be removing fright and the fourth is often interpreted as granting ecstasy.Kali, all-powerful, absolute and all pervasive, is beyond fear and finite existence and is therefore believed to be able to protect her devotees against fear and grant them limitless harmony and peace.



Finally, as total night, devouring all that exists, she is sometimes depicted as standing on Lord Shiva, which, like the necklace of skulls, symbolizes the remains of finite existence. Kali's devotees reportedly pleased her in the past with human sacrifices.Below are few other Hindu Gods and Goddesses:

Aditi
Highest creator of all that has been created. Variously described as the mother, wife and/or daughter of Vishnu; ma of the gods and all heavenly bodies.

Ambika
a personification of Parvati in Hindu mythology. An amazingly beautiful woman who lured devils to their deaths. She announced that she would not summit to anyone who had not defeated her in battle and when they approached to fight her she killed their retinue with a supersonic hum, then transformed herself into the fearsome Kali and slew them.

Brahma
the post-Vedic form of Prajapati; the originator and creator

Devi
A twelve-armed warrior goddess, created by Brahma, Vishnu and Siva to slay Mahishasura, the buffalo-demon, who menaced the universe.

Durga One of the forms of the goddess Shakti, She was born fully grown. Durga is famous as the man-armed many-weaponed goddess who slays the buffalo-demon Mahish.

Ganesha
The god of wisdom and prosperity. He is depicted with a chubby human body, four arms and an elephant's head. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati.

Kama
God of desire and love. Son of Vishnu and Lakshmi and husband of Rati

Krishna
He is believed and worshipped as an incarnation of Vishnu by his devotees.

Lakshmi
A companion of Vishnu and mother of Kama. She is the goddess of beauty, wealth and enjoyment.