hindu deities

9/10/2015 HinduDeities&TheirMeanings

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Hindu Deities & Their Meanings

Images of Hindu Deities & their meaningsContrary to popular belief in the West, Hindu deities are not "individual gods", indicating a polytheistic faith. Theyare, rather, different representations of particular aspects of the one god, the source, known as Brahman. The"human" or physical representation of Brahman's aspects or attributes in the form of deities is a vehicle for thedevotee to focus his or her attention, devotion or meditation on that particular aspect or attribute in a form moreeasily visualized and held in the mind.

The many deities of Hinduism, which may be seen as reflecting different aspects of Brahman, are represented byimages. Use is made of such features as posture, dress, multiple arms and symbolic objects to represent each deity. Itshould be noted, however, that there may be a range of different ways of representing a particular deity, particularlywhen the deity is seen to represent several different qualities. In some cases, symbols are used to show that a deitybelongs to a particular 'family', e.g. there is a range of deities associated with Vishnu. In addition some symbolsbelong to the common heritage of Hinduism or more generally of India.

Images may be made from metal, stone, wood or plastic. The images found in temples will tend to be much moremajestic than those found in Hindu homes. The image only becomes a "murti", an embodiment of Brahman,through a special act of consecration when it is installed in the temple or home. It then becomes a focal point forworship. Some images are consecrated on a 'permanent' basis and will continue to be used on the temple or homeshrine unless they become damaged. Broken or damaged images are discarded as they no longer fulfill their purposeof representing the deity. Sometimes an image will only be consecrated for a specific period of time, e.g. a festival,after which it will be destroyed, perhaps as part of the concluding ritual of the festival.

Each deity is associated with a 'vehicle', a bird or animal on which it travels. The vehicles are used in Indian religiousart to reflect and at times to extend the powers or qualities of the deity with which it is associated. These are oftenbetter expressed by an animal than by a human being. The vehicle also represents the close relationship between allliving things.

There is a range of views within Hinduism about images of the deities. Most accept that within the context ofworship they mediate the presence of Brahman/the particular deity and help the worshipper to visualize the deity. Tothose outsiders who find it difficult to empathize with the brightly colored plastic images which feature in manyHindu homes, some Hindu writers point to the very 'concrete' mental images of God held by many worshippers inother traditions, e.g. God as 'an old man in the sky'. Perhaps the very fact that there are so many images makes thepoint that each can tell only a very small part of the whole story.

You may view them in order by scrolling down,or jump to the ones you'd like to see by clicking on the names in the index below:

Page 1: Brahma - Durga - GaneshaPage 2: Hanuman - Kali - Krishna - Krishna as a baby

Page 3: Lakshmana - Lakshmi - Parvati - Krishna & Radha - RadhaPage 4: Rama - Ramdarbar - Ravana - Sarasvati

Page 5: Shiva - Shiva Nataraj (Nataraja)Page 6: Sita & Rama - Sita - Trimurti - Vishnu



Page 6: Sita & Rama - Sita - Trimurti - VishnuThe Goddess as Knowledge

BrahmaAs the creator of the world whose four heads and fourarms represent the four points of the compass, it maybe thought that Brahma would have a dominant rolewithin Hinduism. Though he represents one of thethree main forms of Brahman, he is very muchsubordinated to Vishnu, who represents the sustainingaspect of Brahman and Shiva who represents thedestructive aspect. In fact, one story tells of Brahma'sfifth head being burnt up by Shiva's third eye.

He may be shown holding a vase of water, symbolizingthe water from which the universe evolved, a rosary forcounting the passage of time, a sacrificial spoon linkinghim with the Brahmin priests and their traditional rolein the offering of sacrifices and the four Vedas, ancientsacred books of the Hindus. He is also at times shownwith a disc and an alms bowl. He may be depicted on alotus throne. He is often bearded, and may wear a blackor white garment.

His consort (wife/partner) is Sarasvati, goddess ofwisdom and music and his vehicle is a swan or a goose.

As creation is the work of the mind and theintellect, Lord Brahma symbolizes the UniversalMind. From the standpoint of an individual,Brahma symbolizes one's own mind and intellect.Since an individual is naturally gifted with the mind and intellect, he or she may be said to have alreadyrealized Brahma. For this reason the worship of Brahma is not very popular among all Hindus. He is,however, worshipped by seekers of knowledge, such as students, teachers, scholars and scientists.

DurgaThe name 'Durga' means 'Inaccessible' and this may reflect something ofthe mystery at the heart of this deity. Though loving and kind to thosewho worship her, as the consort (wife/partner) of Shiva in her warriorform, she symbolizes the violent and destructive qualities of theMother Goddess (Shakti). These qualities are explained by a story fromthe Hindu tradition according to which she was born fully grown fromflames which issued from the mouths of Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva andother lesser deities who created her for the purpose of destroying thebuffalo demon, symbol of death.

The weapons which she holds which may include Shiva's trident,Vishnu's discus, a bow and arrow, a sword and shield, and a javelin arefor the destruction of evil and the protection of good.

The eight arms with which she is at times shown have beeninterpreted as representing health, education, wealth, organization,

unity, fame, courage and truth. Other images show Durga with ten arms. Her vehicle is a lion or tiger which

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further emphasizes her violent and aggressive qualities. As a figure of power, she has been likened to a sort offeminine St George.

Durga, also called Divine Mother, protects mankind from evil and misery by destroying evil forces such asselfishness, jealousy, prejudice, hatred, anger, and ego. For example, selfishness must be destroyed bydetachment, jealousy by desirelessness, prejudice by self-knowledge, and ego by discrimination.

GaneshaThe image of Ganesha is one of the mostdistinctive ones within Hinduism. The image hasan elephant's head and a large human bodyusually colored pink or yellow. The elephant'shead symbolizes the gaining of knowledgethrough listening (ears) and reflection (largehead). The two tusks, one whole and the otherbroken, reflect the existence of perfection andimperfection in the physical world. There is awealth of symbolism associated with his 'potbelly'. It has been interpreted as reflecting anability to digest whatever experiences life brings.Or, to draw on another motif to be found inHinduism, that in some sense the whole universeis contained inside him. It may also be seen as asign of well-being and of his role as a provider ofearthly riches. Ganesha is shown with one legon the ground and the other one folded as ifhe were meditating. This reflects a balancebetween the practical and spiritual life, atheme which is repeated in the symbolism ofsome of the objects associated with him.

In his hands he holds such objects as a rope ornoose, to trap the things which attract the mindto the world, and a goad or iron hook, to represent the need to control desires. But he is also typically shown with abowl of sweetmeats representing earthly prosperity and well-being. He may also be shown with an axe or trident,both of which link him with Shiva. Other symbolic objects which may be associated with Ganesha are a shell, waterlily, mace and discus.

He is pictured with four arms symbolizing such aspects of Hinduism as the four Vedas (ancient sacred books), thefour aims of Hinduism and the four stages of life.

His vehicle is a rat or a mouse as these creatures are known for their ability to gnaw through barriers. Thecombination of the elephant and the rat or mouse ensures that all obstacles, of whatever size, are removed. The factthat a rat/mouse and food are often shown around or under his feet has also been interpreted as reflecting the ideathat desires and wealth are both under his control.

Ganesha is worshipped as the deity who removes barriers and bestows wisdom and good fortune. ManyHindus have an image of Ganesha on their shrines and pray to him before they begin their worship of other deities.He is also worshipped at the beginning of any new venture such as a wedding or the building of a newhouse. Ganesha is often shown with an open hand, palms upturned, sometimes holding a gift to show himgranting favors to his devotees.

As god of wisdom he is invoked at the beginning of books and may be shown holding a tusk as a pen since he isregarded as the writer of the scriptures and hence the patron of schools and of the written word.

In Hindu mythology Ganesha is identified as the son of Shiva and Parvati. The custom of placing an image ofGanesha at doorways recalls the story of his courage in defending his mother. The stories about the loss of his headall tend to agree that it was replaced by that of the first living animal that came along, which was an elephant.



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