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HINDU GODDESSES
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
As with most cultures, the Hindu gods and goddesses are kept alive in the hearts of Hindus through centuries of storytelling. The earliest Hindu scriptures to be written down were the sacred texts of the Vedas. No one knows when they were composed, but they were passed on orally from generation to generation for thousands of years, eventually being written down around 1500 BCE. The Vedas are a collection of hymns and chants, instructions for rituals, and sacred teachings.
Shortly after the Vedas were written, the Upanishads were composed. More philosophical in nature, the Upanishads reveal the spiritual insights of the first gurus.
The Ramayana tells the tale of Rama, an incarnation of Vishnu, and his triumph over the demon king, Ravana, In twenty-four thousand verses, the complex struggle between good and evil is described, weaving itself around a fascinating study of karma (the consequence of past deeds.) The tale concludes with a sublime statement on the purpose of life.
The Mahabharata is four times longer than the Ramayana. Its main theme is also the struggle between good and evil, this time exemplified by two families. The famous passage within the Mahabharata called the Bhagavad Gita contains instructions from the god Krishna (another incarnation of Vishnu) to the warrior Arjuna on the eve of a battle he is destined to fight. In its scope and profundity, the complete Mahabharata is comparable to the Bible or the epics of Homer.
The last of the major sacred Hindu texts to appear were the Puranas, the great storehouse of Hindu mythology. The word purana means "ancient narrative," and the Puranas are the tales of the gods. From these tales, the great Hindu triad of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu emerges.
The most significant stories of the Hindu deities revolve around the eternal dynamic of creation and destruction, the basic process of life. Brahma is the creator and Shiva is the destroyer. Together with Vishnu, the preserver, these three gods form the basic trinity of Hinduism. Married to them, in different manifestations, is the feminine spirit of Shakti, the energy that give rise to all existence.
Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu appear over and over in these stories, taking on different incarnations at different times, for like nature they are not fixed. The three gods and their female counterparts have human emotions and complex relationships. Sometimes angry, sometimes calm, they are supreme. Hundreds and thousands of other gods support and color the great triad, reflecting life in its many aspects--from trees and animals to emotions and desires. The gods live on sacred mountains together and visit earth in times of need or distress.
Having probed deeply into the nature of things, the early Hindu seers described creation as having emerged from a divine essence, which they called Brahman. This divine essence is formless; it is the void that Hindus call "God." Descending into the realms of existence, Brahman is perceived as three energies that create and maintain life -- Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. By giving names to these energies, the early seers of Hinduism began the creation of their many myths that act as a bridge between that which we perceive and that which we cannot know. The gods are not God; they simply represent the energies that make up life.
The Hindu gods are born of an impulse to know. Thus, the firstborn, Brahma, is the source of all knowledge. He is the seed, the creator of the universe. He is not actively worshipped because his work is done. However, Vishnu, who is the preserver of things, is often worshipped by those who have an interest in the pleasures of life. He guides events and tries hard to keep balance. Shiva is the destroyer; he sees rebirth through destruction. He is usually worshipped by those whose interest is in death and transformation.
Provoking these three, compelling them to manifest, is the feminine energy of Shakti, the divine energy that gives rise to all creation. It is the complement of the male energy of the triad and is inseparable from it.
This energy of Shakti manifests itself as a goddess. Without Shakti, the gods are nonexistent. She becomes their consort, and her many faces represent all aspects of creation. In her incarnation as Sarasvati, the consort of Brahma, she is creation itself. As Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, she is beauty. As Parvati, the consort of Shiva, she is referred to as Saraswati and represents space and time.
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Last update: September 4, 2009
