Indian goddess of love. Female Indian gods. Mount of the god Kama

India is a country in which, next to the main religion “Hinduism”, others peacefully exist - Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Islam, Christianity, Baha'is, the Swaminarayan movement.

The word “Hinduism” itself means “eternal path”. This belief has its origins in the Vedic culture, which is believed to have been brought to India in the 2nd-1st millennium BC by the ancient Aryans. The postulates of this religion are written down in the holy book “Vedas” and are fundamental to many pagan cultures that spread both in Indian and European civilizations.

Hindu temples are dedicated to different gods that make up the pantheon of gods. The main, Universal Gods are considered to be Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. All other Hindu gods come from them. But along with the worship of any of the gods of the pantheon, in Hinduism there is also a movement in which believers consider their soul, the human soul, to be part of the Supreme Spirit of Brahman and worship only him.

But let's return to the Gods of the Universe.

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

Brahma. This is God the creator, omniscient and power giver. He has many faces and looks in all directions.

Vishnu. God is the preserver, the observer. He is depicted with big eyes. Later, Vishnu supplanted Brahma, and he began to be called the creator of the Universe, and Brahma was assigned the role of a god who appeared in a lotus that grew from Vishnu's navel.

Shiva. God the Destroyer. He is revered as the maintainer of order in the Universe. He protects people from illusions in life, destroying them and returning believers to true values. Shiva is multi-armed, he is a dancer, with his dance he awakens the Universe at the beginning of his life period and destroys it at the end.

This is the complex distribution of responsibilities of the three main gods, represented by three faces in the Vishnu Temple at Chitorag Fort. In the Brahma Temple at Pushkar, the oldest surviving temple still in use today, the sanctum contains a sculpture of a four-faced god.

Each of the gods has a wife, who is Shakti - a deity who carries the feminine principle of the Universe, its energy:

For Brahma, this is Saraswati - the goddess of words and sciences;

Vishnu has Lakshmi, the goddess of happiness and triumph, the mother of the god of love - Kama. She is always with Vishnu, in all his avatars (incarnations).

Shiva's wife is Parvati. They talk about her as an ordinary woman who fell in love with the destroyer god and achieved his favor. One of her incarnations is the goddess Kali - complete darkness, destroyer of ignorance.

Parvati is the mother of the god of wisdom and removal of obstacles, Ganesh.

The goal of Hindus of different directions can be called the desire for unity with God through the realization of the unity of all existence and the achievement of perfect peace. Their faith does not limit worldly pleasures and teaches them to honor all living things as one of the possible embodiments of their own future life.

The symbol of Hinduism is “Om” or “Aum” - the universal name of God, the three letter signs of which personify the three main gods and the sphere of their action - Creation, Maintenance and Destruction, and also identify three states of consciousness - awakening, meditative immersion and deep sleep.

The sound "Om" itself is a mantra. Her singing activates all the forces of the body and awakens energy, bestowing health.

Brahma

Brahma is the “great creator,” the deity responsible for creation in the great Trinity of Hinduism. Sometimes his creativity is shared by the Divine Mother. Brahma is red in color, he has four heads, in the original there were all five, but one was burned by the third eye of Shiva, since Brahma addressed him without due respect. In his four hands, Brahma holds a scepter (in another version - a rosary), a bow, a begging bowl and the Riveda manuscript. In later myths he is shown giving the supreme goddess a begging bowl and revealing the magical wisdom of written sources. Brahma personifies the masculine principle, while all other gods of the Hindu pantheon can represent the feminine. Brahma's four heads, four legs and four arms, according to some interpretations, represent the four Vedas.

Brahma also participates in the legend concerning the creation of the world. The primary being, who had no qualities, the self-existent Brahman created the cosmic waters and placed in them a grain, which later became a golden egg - Hiranyagarbha, from which Brahma, the creator of the universe, hatched. The first person on earth was Purusha - the Cosmic personality, which, by the way, is one of the names of Brahma. According to another legend, Brahma emerged from a lotus flower located in Vishnu's navel in the presence of his wife Lakshmi, the lotus goddess who personifies abundance and good fortune. His passion for his own slender and charming daughter became the reason for the birth of humanity. Brahma's relationship with his daughter, the divine Vak - “ outside world", the melodious cow bringing milk and water" or the "mother of the Vedas" led to the spread of the human race. Vak represents both speech and natural forces, in a sense it symbolizes maya (illusion). Next to the man, Vak is depicted in the form of a lioness, and such a couple is often depicted near the entrance to a Hindu temple.

The goose or hamsa is the vehicle (vahana) of Brahma. Its origin according to myth is explained by the fact that the name of this bird is consonant with cosmic breath. When you inhale, the sound is “ham”, and when you exhale, the sound is “sa”. This is the main breathing exercise of yoga and the breathing rhythm of the entire universe. In temple architecture there is also a motif of a hamsa or a pair of geese, usually depicted on two sides of a lotus - a symbol of knowledge.

The myth of the creation of the linga concerns the dispute between Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma over who is the creator of the universe. An ever-growing linga, crowned with a flame, which rose from the depths of the cosmic ocean, intervened in their dispute. Brahma, turning into a goose, and Vishnu, turning into a boar, decided to find out what was the matter. So they saw the connection of the male and female principles of the universe, but they could not find an end to it.

To help him create the universe, Brahma created seven great sages, as well as seven Prajapatis - the ancestors of the human race. Since all these fathers of the universe were born from the mind, and not from the body of Brahma, they are also called Manasputras or “sons of the mind.”

According to one legend, Brahma is practically not worshiped in India due to the curse of the great sage Brahmarisha Bhrigu. Once upon a time, a large fire sacrifice (yajna) was organized on earth, in which Bhrigu was the chief priest. It was decided that the greatest of the gods would be present at the yajna, and Bhrigu had to highlight the most important of the trinity. When he went to Brahma, he practically did not hear him, carried away by the magical music of Saraswati. Angry, Bhrigu cursed Brahma, saying that from now on no one on earth would ask him for anything, and would not worship him at all.

According to the Brahma Purana and Hindu cosmology, Brahma is the creator, but is not identified as a separate deity in Hinduism. He is remembered here only in connection with creation and Brahman - the material of all things. Brahma's lifespan is one hundred Brahma years or 311 trillion human years. The next hundred years are the sleep of existence, after which a new Brahma appears and creation begins anew. Therefore, Brahma is considered the executor of the destined will of Brahman.

Saraswati

In Hinduism, Saraswati is one of the three goddesses who make up the female half of the Trimurti (trinity). The other two are Lakshmi and Durga. The idea of Saraswati is as the goddess of the river, and at a later time an appeal to her appeared as the goddess of knowledge, music and the fine arts. She is the wife of Brahma, the Indian god of creation. There is a parallel between Saraswati and such goddesses of the Hindu cult as Vak, Rati, Kanti, Savitri and Gayatri. She is addressed as Shonapunya - "purified of blood."

As the goddess of the river (water), Saraswati personifies fertility and prosperity. It is associated with purity and creativity, especially in all things related to communication, such as literature and public speaking. In the post-Vedic era, she began to lose her status as a river goddess and became more and more associated with the arts: literature, music and others. Her name in literary translation means "she who flows", which can equally refer to thoughts, words or spoken flow.

Goddess Saraswati is usually depicted as a beautiful woman with yellow skin, dressed in the robes of a pure white, seated on a white lotus (although a swan is usually considered her vahana), which symbolizes her experience in knowing the absolute Truth. Thus, she is endowed not only with knowledge, but, in addition, with the experience of a higher reality. She is mainly associated with the color white, which symbolizes purity or true knowledge. Sometimes, however, it is associated with the color yellow - the color of blossoming mustard, which just begins to bud during its festival in the spring. Saraswati is not as hung with gold and precious stones as Lakshmi, she is dressed more modestly, which perhaps allegorically speaks of her preference for knowledge of spheres that are above the world of things.

Ganesha, Lakshmi, Saraswati

In depictions, she usually has four arms, each representing an aspect of the human personality in learning: mind, intelligence, attention, and selfishness. In these four hands she holds:

A book. These are the sacred Vedas, which represent the universal, divine, comprehensive and true knowledge, as well as its excellence in sciences and literature

Mala. A rosary made of white beads, representing the power of meditation and spirituality as such.

Sacred water. A pot of sacred water symbolizes the power of creativity and the power of purification

Guilt. A musical instrument signifies her excellence in all arts and sciences.

Saraswati is also associated with anuraga, a rhythm that expresses all emotions and feelings through music or words. It is believed that if children are named after her, they will be very successful in their studies in the future.

A white swan swims at Saraswati's feet. According to legend, the sacred swan, if offered a mixture of milk and honey, will drink one milk from it. Thus, the swan symbolizes the distinction between good and bad, between the eternal and the fleeting. Due to this inseparable association with the swan, Goddess Saraswati is also addressed as Hamsavahini, that is, the one “who uses the swan as a means of transportation.”

Saraswati is usually depicted near a flowing river, which perhaps reflects her historical image as a river deity. The lotus and swan also indicate ancient origins.

Sometimes a peacock is present next to the goddess. This bird symbolizes pride in its beauty. Usually the peacock is located at Saraswati’s feet, so she teaches not to focus on one’s own appearance, but to search for eternal truth.

Vishnu

As a preserver and restorer, Vishnu is very popular among supporters of Hinduism. The root from which his name is derived, vish, means “to fill”: he is said to be omnipresent and fill all creation. His power manifests in the world through many forms called avatars or incarnations. The essence of incarnations is that part of his divine power is born in the form of a person or other creature. The Avatar appears when there is an urgent need to prevent the influence of evil on the earth. “When order, justice and mortals are in danger, I descend to earth,” says Vishnu. Despite the fact that devotees of Vishnu mention twenty-eight incarnations of Vishnu, only ten are the main ones in the chronology of Hinduism.

Krishna steals butter

Yashoda punishes Krishna for stealing butter

Vishnu is usually depicted as a handsome Janos with dark skin. of blue color, dressed as an ancient ruler. In his four hands he holds a conical conch shell, a discus, a club and a lotus flower. He rides Garuda, the sun bird, the enemy of all snakes. This antagonism is revealed in the struggle between Krishna and the water serpent Kaliya. When Balarama reminded Krishna of his divine identity, he performed a dance on Kaliya's head. Having defeated the tormented snake king, Krishna ordered him to leave the Yamuna River and move to the endless ocean, promising that Garuda - the golden sun bird - would never dare to attack him because his rider had touched him.

Half of Vishnu's main avatars are people, half are animals.

While the entire multitude of universes are in a manifested state, the Primordial Vishnu monitors the state of affairs in each of them and periodically incarnates in one place or another in whole or in part in order to restore order. According to the most common classification, 10 avatars (incarnations) of Vishnu visited our Earth.

1. Fish (matsya). When the Earth was flooded with the waters of the global flood, Vishnu took the form of a fish, which first warned Manu (the ancestor of humanity, the son of Brahma) about the impending danger, and then, on a ship tied to the horn on her head, carried Manu, his family and the seven great ones out of the flood sages (rishis).

2. Turtle (kurma). During the flood, many divine treasures were lost, including ambrosia (amrita), with the help of which the gods preserved eternal youth. Vishnu took the form of a gigantic turtle and sank to the bottom of the cosmic ocean. The gods placed Mount Mandara on his back and wrapped the divine serpent Vasuki around the mountain. Then they pulled the kite and thus spun the mountain, churning the ocean like an ordinary Indian milkman churns butter. Amrita and many other treasures, including the goddess Lakshmi, floated to the surface of the foaming ocean.

3. Boar (varaha). The demon Hiranyaksha again plunged the Earth into the depths of the cosmic ocean. Vishnu took the form of a giant boar, killed the demon and set the Earth in place, lifting it on his tusk.

4. Lion Man (Narasimha). Another demon, Hiranyakasipu, received a gift from Brahma with the magical ability to become invulnerable. Neither beast, nor man, nor god could kill him, day or night. Taking advantage of his safety, he began to persecute gods and people and even his pious son Prahlada. Then Prahlada turned to Vishnu for help. At sunset, i.e. neither day nor night, the god suddenly appeared from a column in the demon's palace in the guise of a half-lion, half-man and killed Hiranyakasipu

5. Dwarf (vamana). A demon named Bali seized power over the world and, having performed a series of ascetic feats, achieved supernatural power and began to threaten even the gods. Vishnu appeared before him in the form of a dwarf and asked for a gift of as much land as he could measure in three steps. When the gift was promised, the god turned into a giant and took two steps with which he covered the earth, the sky and all the space between them, but generously refrained from taking the third step, leaving the underworld to the demon.

Rama, Sita

6. Parashurama ("Rama with an ax"). Vishnu took human form, being born as the son of the brahman Jamadagni. When the brahmana's father was robbed by the evil king Kartavirya, Parashurama killed him. The sons of Kartavirya, in turn, killed Jamadagni, after which the angry Parashurama exterminated all the men from the kshatriya (warrior) class 21 times in a row.

Rama draws the Kodanda bow

7. Rama, prince of Ayodhya, hero of the epic drama "Ramayana". Vishnu incarnated in his image to save the world from the oppression of the demon Ravana. Rama is usually depicted as a dark-skinned man, often armed with a bow and arrow. He is accompanied by his loving wife Sita - the embodiment of female fidelity, his three devoted brothers - Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna - and Hanuman, the king of the monkeys, a faithful friend and comrade-in-arms. Rama is revered as the embodiment of the ideal husband, commander and monarch.

Rama, Sita, Lakshmana

8. Krishna, the most significant of the incarnations of Vishnu -
is the most popular deity in India today. He was the last of the Yadava pastoral family. Vishnu pulled out two of his hairs: white and black, and placed them in the womb of Devaki and Rohini, so Krishna appeared from the black hair, and Balarama from the white hair. Kansa, the ruler of Madhura, learned that Devaki's son would kill him, and ordered his mother to exchange Krishna for the daughter of the shepherds Nanda and Yashoda. On the way to Madhura, Krishna performs many feats. Yashoda learns about his divine origin by looking into his mouth and seeing the entire universe there. The symbol of devotion is the love of the cowherd girl Radha for Krishna.

Krishna tells Arjuna about his divine origin, being his charioteer during the battle of the Pandavas and Kauravas. He reveals divine truth to Arjuna, which is why the Bhagavad Gita is not so much an epic as it is the holy book of Hinduism.

9. Buddha, the last incarnation of Vishnu in the past. According to the Gitagovinda of the great poet Jayadeva, Vishnu incarnated as Buddha out of compassion for animals to put an end to blood sacrifices.

10. Kalki - future incarnation. Hindus believe that at the end of our dark era, Vishnu will appear in the form of a man riding a white horse, with a flaming sword in his hand. He will condemn the sinners, reward the virtuous and revive the Satya Yuga ("golden age").

Lakshmi

Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, light, wisdom, lotus, good fortune, beauty, courage and fertility. Images akin to Lakshmi or Sri are also found in Jainism and Buddhism, not to mention numerous Hindu temples. She is kind to children and generous with gifts. Because of her maternal feelings and because she is the wife of Narayan (the Supreme Being), the image of the Mother of the universe is transferred to her.

Lakshmi is the wife of Vishnu, she was married to all his incarnations: in the time of Rama she was Sita, in the time of Krishna - Rukmini, when he appeared as Venkateswara, she was Alamelu. According to Vaishnava beliefs, she is the mother goddess and the shakti (energy) of Narayan.

There is an ancient legend about the appearance of the goddess Lakshmi. The hot-tempered sage Durvasa once gave Indra, the king of the gods, a garland of flowers that should never wither. Indra gave this garland to his elephant, Airavata. When Durvasa saw such disrespect for himself that the elephant was walking around with a divine garland around his neck, he cursed Indra, saying that he and all the gods would lose their power because of his pride and careless attitude. The curse came true: the demons drove the gods out of heaven. The defeated gods went to seek refuge with the Creator - the god Brahma, who invited them to plow the ocean of milk - Kshirshagar - in order to obtain the nectar of immortality. For help, the gods turned to Vishnu, who took the avatar of Kurma (turtle) and supported Mantara Parvat (mountain) like a stupa in a churn, while the king of snakes Vasuki played the role of a rope. Gods and demons, under the control of the wise ruler of Bali, Chakravarti, helped each other to choke this ocean of milk.

Vishnu and Lakshmi on the hoods of Shesha Naga

Among all the divine gifts that emerged from the ocean during the churning process, Goddess Lakshmi also appeared, choosing Vishnu as her husband, so only he has the power to control illusion (maya). This legend also explains why Lakshmi is called the daughter of the ocean; the moon, which also emerged from the ocean during churning, is called brother Lakshmi in myths. Elder sister Lakshmi is the goddess of failure Alakshmi. It is believed that she also came out of the ocean of milk. According to Vishnu Purana, Lakshmi is the daughter of Bhrigu and Khyati, she was brought up in Swarga, but due to Durvasa's curse, she had to settle in Kshirsagar.

Lakshmi is the power and maya of the god Vishnu. In some images she can be seen in two forms: Bhudevi and Sridevi, standing to different parties Vishnu. Bhudevi is a form of fertility and is essentially mother earth. Sridevi represents wealth and knowledge. Many people are mistakenly saying that Vishnu has two wives, but this is not true. Regardless of the number of forms, it is still one goddess.

Lakshmi is depicted as a beautiful woman with four arms, seated on a lotus, dressed in luxurious robes and adorned with jewels. Her facial expression is always peaceful and loving. The most important distinguishing feature of Lakshmi is that she always sits on a lotus. The lotus symbolizes Sri Lakshmi's inextricable connection with purity and spiritual strength. Rooted to the mud but blooming above the water, one whose flower is not polluted, the lotus represents spiritual perfection and the meaning of spiritual achievements. Besides Lakshmi, many deities in Hindu iconography stand or sit on a lotus. Many of Lakshmi's epithets include comparisons to a lotus.

Goddess Lakshmi traditionally rides on an owl (uluka), a bird that sleeps during the day and watches at night.

Shiva

The name Shiva is not found in ancient manuscripts, but the word Rudra is often used there - “Roaring or growling, terrifying.”

Shiva is pleasant to look at and has four arms, four faces and three eyes. The third eye, located in the center of the forehead, its fiery gaze makes all living beings cower. Sometimes the third eye is drawn symbolically as three horizontal stripes; Devotees of this god apply them to their foreheads. Shiva is wearing the skin of a tiger, and a snake is wrapped twice around his neck. He is the chief ascetic, the Divine Yogi, who sits alone on the top of Mount Kailash, high in the Himalayan mountains. By order of Indra, the god of love Kama shot an arrow of passion, which was designed to tear him away from many years of contemplation, and directed his attention to Parvati - the “mountain dweller”, the daughter of the king of the Himalayas, the incarnation of the Supreme Goddess. But when the arrow reached its target, Shiva, brought out of his state of meditation, incinerated Kama with a flash of his anger. Despite the fact that Shiva agreed to the rebirth of the god of love, his beautiful body was never restored, which is why Kama is called ananga - “incorporeal” - by another name.

Lord Shiva in the family circle

The destructive aspect of Shiva is revealed by another of his names - Bhairava - “swallower of joy.” In this capacity, Shiva walks around cemeteries and cremation grounds with snakes on his head and a bunch of skulls as a necklace, with a retinue of demons. The opposite characteristic of this deity becomes apparent when he performs his cosmic dance as Nataraja, the “king of dancers.” The diversity of images of Shiva is reflected in the sculpture and painting of South India, and the sacred dance is often performed in front of temples by people in a trance.

Shiva Nataraja

Shiva Nataraja is surrounded by flames forming a circle - symbolism of the process of creation of the universe. He stands with one leg raised, the other resting on a tiny figure crouched against a lotus. This dwarf demon symbolizes human ignorance (in another interpretation, the figurine symbolizes a devotee who completely surrenders to the will of the deity) - this is how the path to wisdom and liberation from the shackles of the material worlds is depicted. In one hand of the deity there is a drum - a symbol of speech; his second hand blesses; in the palm of the third hand a tongue of flame flickers, reminiscent of its destructive qualities; the fourth hand is turned towards the raised leg - freed from illusions. Taken together, this illustrates the path to salvation for the devotee.

Lord Shiva drinks an ocean of poison

In Mamallapuram, in the south of Madras, there is a famous mountain cave– Steps to the Ganges. It reflects the famous legend about the manifestation of Shiva as Gangadhara - “He who could hold the Ganges River.” Once upon a time the earth lacked moisture, and the life-giving waters of the Ganges flowed in the skies, washing only higher worlds. The earth was so filled with ash that it seemed impossible to cleanse it. To put an end to all this, the sage Bhagiratha proposed to move the Ganges from heaven. But the size of the divine river was so great that if it rushed like a stream onto the earth, it would have significantly harmed it. And then Shiva intervened, placing his head under the flow of water, which, wriggling in his hair, turned into seven calm tributaries. To move, Shiva uses Nandi, a milky-white bull, which always stands on the outside of the temple. Nandi carefully looks after all four-legged creatures.

Goddess Durga

According to Indian folk tradition, the goddess Durga is the wife of Shiva in one of his forms. Durga was especially revered by the non-Aryan part of the population of India, and, at that period in the history of India, when Indian folk beliefs were synthesized with Hinduism, she was included in the Indian pantheon of gods as the incarnation of Parvati, one of the wives of Shiv.

Parvati, Shiva, Ganesha

The cult of the Great Mother Goddess, who embodied the destructive and creative forces of nature, was closely associated with the goddess Durga. We find similar interpretations of the essence of Durga in Shaivism and Tantrism, in which this deity represented the creative energy of Shiva, being his shakti.

Hanuman, Rama and Lakshmana worship Shiva

Most often, Durga appears as a warrior goddess who wages an irreconcilable war with demons, protects the gods, and also maintains world order. One of the most popular Indian legends tells how Durga destroyed the demon Mahishi, who at one time cast down the gods from heaven to earth, in a duel. This demon was considered invincible, but was himself overthrown by Durga, after which he settled with eight assistant yoginis in the Vindhya Mountains.

In Hindu folk fine arts Goddess Durga appears as a ten-armed woman who sits majestically on a lion or tiger. In her hands there is a weapon of retribution, as well as symbols belonging to other gods: the trident of Shiva, the bow of Vayu, the vajra of Indra, the disk of Vishnu, etc. Such an image indicates that the gods gave Durga part of their powers so that she would not only protect, but also destroy everything that interferes with development.

Shiva and Parvati

It is not without reason that the mantras dedicated to the goddess Durga contain not so much ideas of destruction as the desire to overcome all manifestations of evil. She always triumphs over pain, suffering and other adversities.

Devi

Devi is often called the great goddess - Mahadevi. Consort of Shiva, Hindus worship her in two aspects: blessing and cruel. In the positive aspect, she is Uma - “light”, Gauri - “yellow” or “luminous”, Parvati - “mountain” and Jaganmata - “mother of the worlds”. Her negative, frightening incarnations are Durga - “impregnable”, Kali - “black”, Chandi - “cruel” and Bhairavi - “terrible”.

Shiva and Devi are referred to as the dualistic personalization of Brahman - the primary substance. Like Vishnu, Shiva does not come into direct contact with the material elements of the universe, but instead manifests himself through the power of energy or shakti, which, according to myth, is personalized in the person of his wife or daughter. In Hindu iconography, the presence of the deity's shakti - its female component - is very important, if only because it attracts the devotee and helps him on his path. Devi worship peaked during the Tantric period dating back to the seventh century, when liberation could only be achieved through mithuna, the state of the couple. But the earliest example of the close embrace of devotees is recorded at the Buddhist monuments at Scarvi, dating back to the second century BC. Rites of a very free form for the fertilization of the earth are, of course, performed among all peoples, and the ritual expression of the language of relationships used to awaken dormant sexual energy can still be found in traditional jokes and toasts made by guests at a wedding ceremony.

At the end of the Vedic era, there were several goddesses recognized as the wives of Shiva or Rudra, and accordingly, they were worshiped by different castes in different regions of India. different goddesses. All this theistic diversity finally merged into one great goddess - Devi, whose origin is described as the mother goddess of the lowland Hindus. The Supreme Goddess Devi "contains the whole world in her womb", she "lights the lamp of wisdom" and "brings joy to the heart of Shiva, her Lord." This is what Shankara wrote in the ninth century, but to this day the Divine Mother remains the greatest force in Hinduism.

The first incarnation of the great goddess was Durga - a beautiful warrior with skin yellow color, sitting on a tiger. The circumstances under which she appeared were sad: the demon Manisha, using his power, terrorized all the surrounding creatures. The gods were afraid of his huge water bull, and even Vishna or Shiva could not oppose him. And only the united energy (shakti) of all the heavenly inhabitants seemed capable of destroying Manisha, and so the eighteen-armed Durga entered the battlefield. After a titanic fight, she sat on the bull and took away the demon’s weapon - a terrifying mace. Later, when the power of Devi was already fixed, the gods from time to time, as needed, turned to her, giving her this or that weapon and power, so that she became “Comprehensive”.

The most shocking thing is the incarnation of the goddess as Kali. She stands on the prostrate body of Shiva, who rests on a lotus bed. Dressed in a sumptuous robe adorned with precious designs, Kali also wears a garland of cutting weapons and a necklace of skulls. Her tongue hangs out of her mouth, possibly tasting blood. She has four hands: the first right one clutches a bloody sword, the other holds a severed head by the hair. With another hand she blesses the devotees. She absorbed the ruthlessness and inexorability of Rudra and Shiva, acting as Bharavi. In this image of the Divine Mother there are both attributes of death and attributes of life. “Your hands,” says Shankar, addressing her, “hold relief and pain. The shadow of pain and the elixir of immortality - all this is yours!

Devi has many famous names: she and Tara (goddess of wisdom), Radha (beloved of Krishna), Ambika (mother of Vidura and wife of Vichitravirya), Bhavani (fertile aspect of Shakti, who needed to perform daily puja - worship), Pithivi (goddess of the earth) and so on.

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Ganesha

Ganesha is one of the most famous and perhaps the most famous incarnations of the divine in Hinduism. It is very easy to distinguish it by its elephant head, although it has many other attributes. Ganesha is worshiped as the god of circumstances Vignesh, the patron of sciences and arts, and the god of wisdom and intelligence. He is paid homage at the beginning of every rite or ceremony; Before you start writing anything, you need to turn to him as the patron of letters.

Ganesha is a popular character in Indian art. Ideas about Ganesha vary, and the details of the image are constantly changing. He may be depicted standing, dancing, fighting demons, a boy playing with his family, sitting, or in any other situation. There are many legends about his outstanding appearance, but just like the images, they differ from each other. The most common theory that can be deduced from all these myths is that Ganesha was born with both the torso and head of a man, but was beheaded by Shiva when he came between Parvati and her husband. Then Shiva replaced Ganesha's head with an elephant's. Other stories say that when Ganesha was born, Parvati decided to show him to the other gods. Unfortunately, the god Shani was present at the ceremony, who looked at him with an evil eye, and the baby's head turned to ashes. According to another legend, Ganesha appeared because of Shiva’s laughter. Then Shiva found him too attractive, so he cursed him and Ganesha had an elephant's head and a prominent belly.

Ganesha's earliest name is Ekadanta ("he who has one tusk"), indicating that he has only one intact tusk. In some early images, Ganesha holds a second, broken tusk. According to Mudgala Purana, the second incarnation of Ganesha is Ekadanta. The prominent abdomen of Ganesha is also his characteristic feature, which was noted in the statues of the Gupta period. The Mudgala Purana states that among the incarnations of Ganesha were Lambodara (“Dangling Belly”) and Mahodara (“Dangling Belly”) and Mahodara (“Dangling Belly”). Big belly"), descriptions of which focus on his stomach. The Brahmanda Purana says that all the universes of the past, present and future are represented in Lambodara, which is why it has such a constitution. The number of arms of Ganesha varies, with the most famous forms ranging from two to sixteen arms. Many images depict an elephant-headed god with four arms, which is reflected in the Puranic texts. His earliest depictions had only two arms, and forms with fourteen and twenty arms did not appear in central India until the ninth to tenth centuries.

The colors most often associated with Ganesha are red and yellow, but during various ceremonies the use of other colors may be prescribed (for example, during meditation he should be visualized as a blue figure.)

Of the eight incarnations described in the Mudagala Purana, five use the mouse as their vehicle. In addition to the mouse, other animals are also used: Vakratunda, for example, rides a lion, Vikata rides a peacock, and Vignaraya rides the divine snake Shesha. Among the Jains, it is believed that the vahana (vehicle) of Ganesha is a mouse, an elephant, a turtle, a ram or a peacock.

Some say that Parvati dreamed of a son, but Shiva did not give her this happiness. Then, by the power of her desire, she separated the tiny child from her skin and began to lovingly feed him with her milk. Other myths claim that Parvati molded a child from clay and revived him with her heat mother's love. There is also an option according to which Shiva, feeling sorry for his beloved, squeezed the edge of her light clothes into a ball and called him son. And the child came to life from the warmth of her breast.

Parvati, proud of the beauty of the child, asked everyone to admire him and with the same request turned to the cruel god Shani, who could destroy everything he laid his eyes on. The foolish mother insisted that Shani look at the boy, and immediately the child's head disappeared. Brahma advised Parvati to give him the head of the first creature she came across. This creature turned out to be an elephant.

According to another myth, Shiva himself, in anger, cut off the head of his son when he did not let him into Parvati’s chambers while she was taking a bath. Then, touched by the grief of his wife, Shiva ordered his servants to cut off the head of the first living creature they met on the way and bring this head. Having met the baby elephant, the servants cut off his head and delivered it to their master, who, by the power of divine spells, fixed this head on the child’s shoulders.

Because of his heavy elephant head, Ganesha could not grow tall and slender, but his short, wide body had a kind heart, and everyone loved him. He grew up smart and calm, and when he matured, Shiva elevated him to the rank of ruler of all the demigods and spirits subordinate to him. Ganesha, with the help of the goddess Saraswati, comprehended many sciences, and therefore always favors people who strive for knowledge.

According to legend, Ganesha lost one of his tusks in a collision with Parashurama, that is, the human incarnation of the god Vishnu. Parashurama came to visit Shiva, he was sleeping, and Ganesha refused to wake him. Parashurama could not contain his anger when he saw that this strange young man was obstructing him, and with one swing of his ax he cut off his tusk. No one dared to violate the will of Parashurama and correct what he had done, so Ganesha was forever left with one tusk.

Ganesha is considered the God of wisdom, the Remover of Obstacles and the patron of all who study various sciences. It is good to have a talisman on your desktop, at home or in the office. Ganesha will help you earn more, stimulate professional success and increase profits. It is better to place it in the zone of assistants - in the northwest.

The talisman is stone Ganesha made of semi-precious stones, copper, wood (for example, sandalwood), etc. In India, where Ganesha is especially revered, there are many plastic figurines. It doesn’t matter what material Ganesha is made of, only respectful attitude towards him is important.

Activation of the talisman

For active work The talisman needs to be scratched on Ganesha’s tummy or right palm. In addition, you can put coins or sweets next to him - Ganesha loves offerings and will definitely please you with pleasant surprises. One more nuance: this talisman can be activated with Hindu mantras:

1. OM GAM GANAPATAYA NAMAH.

It is considered the most important mantra for the god Ganesha. She bestows purity of intentions, good luck in business and removes obstacles from the path.

2. OM SRI GANESHAYA NAMAH.

As a result of repeating this mantra, success is achieved in any commercial endeavor, the desire for excellence, deep knowledge of the world, and the flowering of talents are realized.

Http://www.ganesha.kz/node/1033

Universal form of the Lord

Three deities - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - are considered supreme.

They constitute the concept of Trimurti, i.e. a triple image uniting Brahma the creator, Vishnu the omnipotent and Shiva the destroyer.

In addition to the three Supreme Deities, Hindus worship many other gods, the most famous of which are the following:

Nandi

A huge bull ridden by Shiva. This is a symbol of creative power and at the same time raging passions. Shiva teaches how to pacify a bull, and in other words, how to suppress sensual desires in oneself.

Kama

God of sensual pleasure and eroticism. Its origin is dual. Some believe that he arose from the primeval chaos, while others believe that Kama is the creation of Lakshmi and Vishnu. This god brings love to people and spring to the earth. He rides on a parrot, which is a symbol of poetry. Kama has a bow and arrows in his hands. The bow is made from sugar cane and the arrows are made from flowers. Kama's wife is Rati, personifying erotic desire.

Indra

He is the lord and lord of various deities. An ardent opponent of asuras (demonic creatures). Indra lives in a rich palace. According to legend, asuras very often overthrew Indra and seized power over the world. Then Indra called Vishnu for help, who immediately took the form of Krishna. Indra in this case also changed his image and became King Arjuna - the famous king of the Mahabharata. Indra moves on an elephant, and holds lightning in his hands like a scepter. Indra almost always acts as the guardian of a drink or plants that give wisdom, immortality, and eternal youth.

From the middle of the 2nd millennium BC. the cult of Indra becomes dominant. This period in India is conventionally called “Vedic” (from the word “Vedas” - collections of hymns to deities, an invaluable monument of ancient Indian culture). The images of Indra, Shiva, Vishnu and other numerous gods and deities of the ancient Indian pantheon were also reflected in art.

Garuda

The sacred bird on which Vishnu travels around the world. She flies at the speed of light, and with her wings she can restrain the rotation of the worlds. Has the head of an eagle. Steals the drink of immortality for the gods.

Apsaras
Beautiful maidens born from the waters of the primeval ocean. There is a legend that they were taught to dance by Vishnu himself, who appeared to them in the form of the king of dancers. And the maidens, in turn, taught the temple dancers to dance. thus the art of dance in India is of "divine origin".

Varuna
The all-seeing god of the Vedas, who descended from his heavenly palace to become the god of waters. At the same time, he is the guardian of the Western part of the Universe.

Pit

HANUMAN
Monkey god, son of Vayu (wind god), friend and faithful servant of Rama. In his honor, monkeys are considered sacred.
Kama
Indian god of love. Like his European counterpart, he is depicted as a handsome youth, armed with a bow and arrows, the only difference being that his bow is made of sugar cane, and his arrows are flowers. Apsaras (nymphs) serve in his service.

Hindus treat sacred animals with special trepidation and reverence. And no wonder: after all, in one of your future rebirths you can turn out to be the same monkey, goat or eagle. So, willy-nilly, Hindus have to honor and respect them.

The main pet in India. The image of a cow is associated among Hindus with a deity, so everything that it gives is also sacred. Killing a cow in India is more horrifying than killing a human being.

Snake (cobra)

Often snakes are called by a common name - naga. According to legend, they have supernatural qualities. Snakes are permanent inhabitants of wells, rivers, and springs. They are guardians of water and crops. Nagas are also considered treasure keepers. Therefore, their images can often be seen at the entrances to temples and sanctuaries.

Monkey

Let us remember that the lord of the monkeys Hanuman helped Rama to save Zita from the captivity of an evil demon. After this event, any monkey is considered sacred, especially for the Vishnaites.

The domestication of elephants in India began in 2000 BC. Hindus bred both traditional domestic animals (goats, pigs, sheep) and newly domesticated ones (buffaloes, zebu and elephants). India was even called “Elephant Country”.

http://zhurnal.lib.ru/d/dolgaja_g_a/indya6.shtml
http://ayurvedatour.ru/info/mat_1403.htm
http://www.samvel.net/ind_pic/indpic.htm

Hinduism is one of the most unusual religions in the world, in which polytheism (polytheism) reaches incredible proportions. An innumerable number of gods and goddesses decorate the niches of the pantheon.

Three deities - Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva - are considered supreme.

They constitute the concept of Trimurti, i.e. a triple image uniting Brahma the creator, Vishnu the omnipotent and Shiva the destroyer.

In addition to the three Supreme Deities, Hindus worship many other gods, the most famous of which are the following:

Indra is the god of war, the king of the demigods, the ruler of one of the lower heavens - Amaravati. It is believed that he guards the Eastern side of the world.

Varuna is the all-seeing god of the Vedas, who descended from his heavenly palace to become the god of waters. At the same time, he is the guardian of the Western part of the Universe.

Yama is the guardian of the South Side, the god of death, who rules in Purgatory, where sinners are tormented until their next birth.

Kubera is the god of precious metals, stones, minerals and wealth in general, the ruler of the Northern side of the world. His place of residence is considered to be the beautiful city of Alaka, not far from Mount Kailash. Under his command are countless armies of gnomes (guhyaka) and mountain spirits (yaksha).

Ganesha (Ganapathi) is the elephant-headed god, the second son of Shiva and Parvati, the leader of the ganas (demigods, servants of Shiva). He is the Remover of Obstacles and the patron of all who study various sciences. The most beloved deity of the Hindus, most often depicted in dance. His attributes are one broken tusk, a fat belly, and sits on a rat.

Hanuman is a monkey god, son of Vayu (god of wind), friend and faithful servant of Rama. In his honor, monkeys are considered sacred.

Kama is the Indian god of love. Like his European counterpart, he is depicted as a handsome youth, armed with a bow and arrows, the only difference being that his bow is made of sugar cane, and his arrows are flowers. Apsaras (nymphs) serve in his service.

In addition, all gods and demigods had wives, who usually bore the same names as male deities, only with feminine endings - for example, Indrani.

Similar to the three Supreme Deities, the wives of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the Supreme among the many female deities of the Indian pantheon and are highly revered by Hindus:

Saraswati is the wife of God Brahma, the patroness of art, music and literature. She is depicted as a young, beautiful, fair-skinned woman with a veena (Indian lute) and a book in her hands, accompanied by a swan. According to legend, it was Saraswati who invented Sanskrit.

Lakshmi is the goddess of luck and prosperity, wife of God Vishnu. According to legend, she emerged from the waters of the churned Causal Ocean. She is usually depicted as a blooming, beautiful woman seated or standing on a lotus, often with a lotus in her hand. It is believed that being the wife of Vishnu, she incarnates as the consort of each of his incarnations. Thus, she is worshiped as Goddess Sita, consort of Rama (see below); Rukmini, the first queen of Krishna, and Radha, the eternal lover of God Krishna.

Parvati is the wife of God Shiva in her benevolent aspect, but in her fearsome form she is worshiped as Durga or Kali. In her hostile aspect, Parvati is depicted as a terrible witch, multi-armed and armed various types weapons, with bared fangs, a bloody tongue and a necklace of skulls around his neck.

Vishnu

Vishnu is usually depicted as a four-armed man with skin dark blue, with a crown on his head, holding in his hands symbolic attributes: a conch shell, a Sudarshana disk, a staff and a lotus; on his neck is the sacred kaustubha gemstone. Vishnu flies astride Garuda - a gigantic eagle with a half-human face. Hindus revere Vishnu as the "all-encompassing deity" in the sense that all other Gods are either emanations from him or reflect aspects of him.

According to the cosmogonic myth of Hinduism, Vishnu is the eternal ruler on the planets of the “spiritual sky” - Vaikunthas (here he is called Narayana). Sometimes the edge of the spiritual sky of brahmajyoti is covered by a spiritual cloud. This darkened part is called mahat-tattva.

Then Lord Narayana takes the form of Maha-Vishnu and lies down on the waters of the Causal Ocean. At the same time, he remains in the meditation sleep of yoga nidra. The moment Maha-Vishnu exhales, countless universes emanate from his pores. They float on the surface of the Causal Ocean, like bubbles of foam. All these universes exist only during one exhalation of Maha-Vishnu.

In each of the many universes the same Maha-Vishnu again enters as Garbhodakasayi-Vishnu and lies down in the Ocean of Garbha on the serpent Shesha, who is also one of the aspects of Narayana.

From the navel on the belly of Garbhodakasayi-Vishnu, a lotus stem grows, and on this lotus, Brahma, the lord of that particular Universe, is born. Brahma creates from his mind and body various forms of living beings, which provide the opportunity for Individual Souls (atma) to manifest in the material world. He also creates the Sun, the Moon, all the planets of the “material sky” and the various demigods who control these planets, i.e. actually creates his own Universe.

The life time of the Universe is considered equal to the life time of Brahma and is 100 “Brahma years”, which exactly corresponds to the duration of the exhalation of Maha-Vishnu. When Maha-Vishnu breathes in, all the myriad universes, each with its own Brahma, return to the unmanifest state and wait for Maha-Vishnu to exhale again.

The main cosmological cycle in Hinduism is considered to be kalpa - “the day of Brahma”, which consists of 14 manvantaras, or secondary cycles, each lasting 306,720 thousand years, with large intervals between them. 360 such days and nights constitute the “year of Brahma.” Every "cosmic day" Brahma creates the Universe and every "cosmic night" he absorbs it, and while he sleeps, the entire Universe resides in his body in the form of pure potency. Each manvantara contains 71 mahayugas, and each mahayuga, in turn, is divided into four yugas (epochs) - Krita (another name for Satya), Treta, Dvapara and Kali. Their duration is respectively:

Satya Yuga - 1,728 thousand human years,
Treta Yuga – 1,296 thousand years,
Dvapara Yuga – 864 thousand years and
Kali Yuga – 432 thousand years.

Each Yuga represents a further decline in a person's religiosity, morality, strength, stature, longevity and happiness compared to the previous ones. It is believed that we are currently in the age of Kali Yuga, which began about 5,000 years ago.

Fish (matsya). When the Earth was flooded with the waters of the global flood, Vishnu took the form of a fish, which first warned Manu (the ancestor of humanity, the son of Brahma) about the impending danger, and then, on a ship tied to the horn on her head, carried Manu, his family and the seven great ones out of the flood sages (rishis).
Turtle (kurma). During the flood, many divine treasures were lost, including ambrosia (amrita), with the help of which the gods preserved eternal youth. Vishnu took the form of a gigantic turtle and sank to the bottom of the cosmic ocean. The gods placed Mount Mandara on his back and wrapped the divine serpent Vasuki around the mountain. Then they pulled the kite and thus spun the mountain, churning the ocean like an ordinary Indian milkman churns butter. Amrita and many other treasures, including the goddess Lakshmi, floated to the surface of the foaming ocean.
Boar (varaha). The demon Hiranyaksha again plunged the Earth into the depths of the cosmic ocean. Vishnu took the form of a giant boar, killed the demon and set the Earth in place, lifting it on his tusk.
Lion Man (Narasimha). Another demon, Hiranyakasipu, received a gift from Brahma with the magical ability to become invulnerable. Neither beast, nor man, nor god could kill him, day or night. Taking advantage of his safety, he began to persecute gods and people and even his pious son Prahlada. Then Prahlada turned to Vishnu for help. At sunset, i.e. neither day nor night, the god suddenly appeared from a column in the demon's palace in the guise of a half-lion, half-man and killed Hiranyakasipu
Dwarf (vamana). A demon named Bali seized power over the world and, having performed a series of ascetic feats, achieved supernatural power and began to threaten even the gods. Vishnu appeared before him in the form of a dwarf and asked for a gift of as much land as he could measure in three steps. When the gift was promised, the god turned into a giant and took two steps with which he covered the earth, the sky and all the space between them, but generously refrained from taking the third step, leaving the underworld to the demon.
Parashurama ("Rama with an axe"). Vishnu took human form, being born as the son of the brahman Jamadagni. When the brahmana's father was robbed by the evil king Kartavirya, Parashurama killed him. The sons of Kartavirya, in turn, killed Jamadagni, after which the angry Parashurama exterminated all the men from the kshatriya (warrior) class 21 times in a row.
Rama, prince of Ayodhya, hero of the epic drama Ramayana. Vishnu incarnated in his image to save the world from the oppression of the demon Ravana. Rama is usually depicted as a dark-skinned man, often armed with a bow and arrow. He is accompanied by his loving wife Sita - the embodiment of female fidelity, his three devoted brothers - Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna - and Hanuman, the king of the monkeys, a faithful friend and comrade-in-arms. Rama is revered as the embodiment of the ideal husband, commander and monarch.
Krishna, the most significant incarnation of Vishnu.

Stories from the life of this deity are most often addressed in dance. Most people like to depict either his childhood pranks, such as stealing butter from Yashoda (his adoptive mother), or his love affairs with the gopis (shepherdesses), the most beloved of whom was the beautiful Radha.

A detailed biography of the god Krishna is contained in the most famous epic work - the Mahabharata.

His brief history is as follows: Krishna was born in Mathura, into the Yadavas tribe. His father was Vasudeva, his mother was Devaki, the cousin of the then reigning king Kansa. There was a prophecy that Kansa would die at the hands of Devaki's eighth son, so he set out to destroy all her children. But Krishna and his elder brother Balarama escaped the beating; they were adopted and raised by the shepherd Nanda and his wife Yashoda from Vrindavan. Kansa, having learned that the brothers had escaped the death prepared for them, made many attempts to destroy the children. But Krishna, being the incarnation of God, performed many miracles and feats: he killed demons sent by Kansa, sheltered the inhabitants of Vrindavan from the storm, raising Mount Govardhana on his little finger above their heads, etc. In his spare time performing heroic deeds, he tended cows, played the flute for the gopis, and indulged in his childhood pranks.

When he grew up and said goodbye to his idyllic shepherd life, he went to Mathura to fight his evil cousin. He killed Kansa and became the ruler of the kingdom of Mathura, but, pressed on the one hand by Kansa's father-in-law, the ruler of Magadha, and on the other by the nameless king of the Yavanas of the north-west, he left the kingdom and founded a new capital at Dwarka in Saurashtra. Here he married Rukmini and made her the chief of his wives, of whom he had 16,108 and who bore him 180 thousand sons. In the main tale of the Mahabharata, throughout the history of the struggle of the royal families, he appears as a constant friend and adviser to the five Pandava brothers, and before the battle of Kurukshetra, which is the culmination of the epic Mahabharata, he, addressing Arjuna, one of the brothers, utters his great sermon set out in the Bhagavad Gita.

Buddha, the last incarnation of Vishnu in the past. According to the Gitagovinda of the great poet Jayadeva, Vishnu incarnated as Buddha out of compassion for animals to put an end to blood sacrifices.
Kalki is the future incarnation. Hindus believe that at the end of our dark era, Vishnu will appear in the form of a man riding a white horse, with a flaming sword in his hand. He will condemn the sinners, reward the virtuous and revive the Satya Yuga ("golden age").

There are already many publications dedicated to one of the most famous works of scientific literature - the Kama Sutra. And there is not one about the patron god of Love itself, and the art of love - Kama (Old Indian kama - “desire”, “sensual attraction”, “love”). I'm correcting myself. 🙂

Kama is one of the most ancient Vedic gods. The Vedas tell us that he is “self-born”, emerging from the heart of Brahman, as the son of Dharma.

But already in epic literature somewhat different information is given. Here Kama is the son of the goddess of happiness and family well-being Lakshmi and one of the supreme gods - Vishnu. He has two wives (many indian gods were polygamists) - Rati - the goddess of love passion and Priti - love. The younger brother (in other sources - son) of Kama is Krodha (“anger”). The daughter of Kama is Trishna (“thirst” - in this case we mean the thirst for existence, caused by desires).

God of love Kama.

Kama-deva is depicted as a young man sitting on a parrot (this is his vahana - a riding animal) or on a chariot. In his hands is a bow made of sugar cane with a bowstring made of bees and five arrows made of flowers. The Kama banner depicts a makara - a fantastic sea monster (something between a dolphin and a crocodile).

Kama has many epithets: Manmatha (“confusing the soul”), Manasija (“born in the soul”), Madana (“intoxicating”), Shamantaka (“destroyer of peace”), Sringarayoii (“source of pleasure”).

They also call him Ananga - “Deprived of members.” Here is a reference to the popular legend of the incineration of Kama by the god Shiva. It tells how the goddess Parvati, who was in love with Shiva, could not achieve reciprocity from him, since he performed a great yogic feat and meditated endlessly. Kama came to her aid, sneaking up and shooting a flower arrow into the heart of Shiva. Of course, he wanted the best. And he achieved his goal - Shiva fell in love with Parvati. But on the other hand, no one should be disturbed during yogic practice - neither people, nor, especially, gods. Mahadev, disturbed by Kama, incinerated him with the power of his third eye.

I know four versions of what happened next. According to the first, Kama remained incorporeal. According to the second, his body is returned to him for three spring months - spring holidays, and, in particular, Holi, are associated with this. The third, most common version says that Parvati and Rati were able to persuade Shiva to return Kama’s body. And the fourth version was found in the Soundarya Lahari (Tantric Shakta poem): “Devi’s navel is the deep lake into which Kama dived to escape when his body was on fire from the rage of Shiva, the row of hairs on Her belly is the steam rising from this” :)

Once upon a time in my youth 🙂 I wrote a hymn to Kama. I think over the past years it has not lost its relevance :)

Kamadeva and his wives

Hymn to Kama.

O Kamadeva, put into my mouth the words that will be said about Love.
For there is nothing in this Universe sweeter than Love.

For there is nothing higher in this Universe than Love.

For there is nothing in this Universe more accessible and more difficult to achieve than Love.
And the words that come to us
when we talk about Love,
are they worthy of it?

And what can you say in words,
can they convey
the heavenly nature of Love?

Can they bring us closer
to unraveling the greatest mystery of the Universe?

Can they teach us Love?

Oh, Self-born, reveal to me the secret of your song,
that song where there are no words,
for they are not needed for what can only be heard with the heart.

O Kamadeva, burned by Love itself,
Your reed bow is life itself.
From your flower arrows-desires
there is no protection and no salvation,
but whoever was not wounded by your arrow -
did he live?
for if life is a product of Love,
if life itself is Love,
then how can you live without Love and outside of Love?

We continue our excursion into Hinduism. Today we will talk about the beautiful companions of the Hindu pantheon and some of their descendants. By the way, many Indian gods and goddesses help in creativity, help remove obstacles and achieve well-being and prosperity. If you want to know the details, then read on ☺

As I already said in the post “Hinduism and the Supreme Indian Gods”, at the top of the Indian “Olympus” there are the Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, who form the Trimurti. Each of them has a wonderful life partner (or even all lives), of divine or human origin, but always with a very difficult fate. After they linked their lives and destiny with their divine spouses, they became Shakti - deities (divine power, light) carrying feminine energy in the universe.

Companion of Brahma

Brahma's wife is the beautiful goddess Saraswati, the patroness of the hearth, fertility, and prosperity. In addition, she favors creators, giving special preference to writers of all stripes and musicians.

Saraswati is often called the river goddess, the goddess of water, moreover, her name translates as “she who flows.” Saraswati is usually depicted as a beautiful woman in white robes, seated on a white lotus flower. It is not difficult to guess that white is her color, symbolizing knowledge and cleansing from blood. Her clothes are rich, but, compared to Lakshmi’s attire, they are very modest (we’ll get to Lakshmi later). Most likely, this indirectly indicates that she is above worldly goods, since she has learned the highest truth. Her symbol is also a light yellow blooming mustard flower, which just begins to form into buds in the spring during the holiday in her honor.

Saraswati, like Brahma, has four arms. And just like her divine husband, in other of them she holds a rosary, naturally white, and the Vedas. In her third hand she has a vana (national musical instrument), in the fourth - sacred water (it’s not dawn that she is the goddess of water). Often a white swan swims at Saraswati’s feet, which is also a symbol of her experience and wisdom in knowing the highest truth. Saraswati is sometimes called Hamsavahini, which means "she who uses a swan for transportation."

If you remember, last time I told you that according to one of the theories, humanity appeared as a result of Brahma’s passion for his daughter Vak. This state of affairs does not really suit some believers, which is why Vak is often positioned as one of the incarnations of Saraswati. Her other images can be Rati, Kanti, Savitri and Gayatri. The goddess is very popular in India, sometimes she is even called Mahadevi - the Great Mother. It is believed that if you name your daughter Saraswati, she will study diligently, and there will be prosperity and contentment in her future home.

Companion of Vishnu

As we remember, Vishnu came to earth 9 times in different avatars and each time his wife was Lakshmi, naturally, in her different incarnations. The most famous and revered are Sita (when Vishnu was Rama) and Rukmini (Vishnu - Krishna).

But no matter how they call her in one form or another, no one doubts that this is Lakshmi. Lakshmi emerged from the depths of the Comic Ocean along with other treasures, so many revere her as a divine treasure. She, like a true woman, is both the strength and weakness of her chosen one, which is repeatedly reflected in folk art, for example in Ramayat. Often her image overshadows Saraswati, as well as Vishnu Brahma, and it is to her that the role of the Great Mother Mahadevi is shifted.

Lakshmi is traditionally depicted sitting on a pink or red lotus flower as a beautiful young woman, younger than Saraswati, wearing beautiful expensive clothes and jewelry. She usually uses a white owl as a means of transportation. She, like other gods, has four arms, but no obligatory objects that she holds can be distinguished. Sometimes she is depicted with lotuses, sometimes with gold coins - whatever the artist’s imagination allows. Lakshmi is incredibly popular in India because, in addition to being the wife of the supreme deity, she is also the patron of wealth, good fortune, luck, light, knowledge, wisdom, light, courage and fertility. She is a welcome guest in any home.

Surprisingly, but true, in order to earn her favor, the following actions, already familiar to us, are mandatory. The Goddess does not accept clutter, if your house is full of garbage, dust, unused things, do not expect her to visit you. The air in the house should be fresh, there must be water in the carafe, home plant(if there is no garden), candles and incense. The most favorable area for placing the image of Lakshmi is the south-eastern part of the house. If you remember my post, then according to Chinese tradition, the wealth zone is located there, and the minimum measures to attract it come down to cleaning and ventilation. There is reason to think...

The offspring of Lakshmi and Vishnu is the god of love Kama. We have all heard a lot or a little about the Kama Sutra, and so, if translated literally, it means “the rules of love (lust).” By the way, poor Kama was seriously injured by the god Shiva, which brought upon the latter the serious wrath of Vishnu and Lakshmi. Kama fired an arrow of passion at Shiva when he was in deep asceticism and many years of meditation in order to attract his attention to the beautiful daughter of the king of the Himalayas, Parvati. This angered Shiva so much that he incinerated Kama with his third eye. Under pressure from Vishnu, Lakshmi and other gods, he was forced to agree to the rebirth of the god of love. Despite all his efforts, Kama was revived to life by ananga (incorporeal) and now he is everywhere.

Shiva's companions

Here we are gradually approaching the love affairs of the great ascetic Shiva. There were many of them, depending on the form of its manifestation. Religious scholars did not agree on whether this woman was alone or not.

Here I will talk about them as different, because if all this diversity of forms and essences is “shoved” into one character, I’m afraid I will get confused myself. Naturally, I won’t be able to write about them all, so we’ll focus on the most revered ones.

Devi - "goddess". Devi is especially revered among followers of tantra. Goddess Devi "contains the whole world in her womb", she "lights the lamp of wisdom" and "brings joy to the heart of Shiva, her Lord." Today in India, rituals dedicated to Devi are often performed on the eve of marriage, and, as we understand, no one is interested in the religion of the couple ☺

Sati – “true, immaculate.” Sati was the daughter of king (god?) Daksha. On the day of her coming of age, he sent out an invitation to all the gods, with the exception of Shiva, so that Sati could choose a worthy husband. He believed that Shiva was behaving unworthy of the gods, damaging their name and essence. When Sati entered the hall and did not see the only one whom she worshiped and whose wife she dreamed of becoming, she offered him a prayer asking him to accept the wedding garland. Shiva accepted her gift and Dakshi had no choice but to marry Sati to him. But the story didn't end there. Dakshi decided to arrange a huge sacrifice in honor of the gods, again depriving Shiva of his attention. This act outraged Sati and she came to his house without an invitation, claiming that Shiva is the god above all gods. Defending her husband's honor, she herself stepped into the sacrificial fire and burned in its flames...

Upon learning of the death of his beloved, Shiva was distraught with grief. With his servants, he came to Daksha's palace and killed him and his followers. After that, with the body of his beloved in his arms, he danced his divine dance 7 times around all the worlds. The crazy rhythm of his dance brought destruction and sadness to everything around, the scale of the disaster reached such a volume that they forced Vishnu to intervene, who, in order to stop this crazy dance, cut Sati’s body into several parts and they fell to the ground. After this, Shiva came to his senses, repented of killing Daksha and even gave him back his life (though with the head of a goat, since his original one was lost).

Uma – “Graceful.” There is a version that she is the rebirth of the goddess Sati, but skeptics are inclined to believe that Sati’s body was cut into several parts and fell in different places, so that she could not be reborn in a single image. Her name is sometimes associated with Barhma, since she is his intermediary in communication with other gods. Based on this, Uma is the patroness of oratory. Uma also became the cause of a divine conflict when the servants of Brahma found her in the arms of Shiva in the sacred forest. He was so angry that he doomed any male, regardless of his species, to turn into a female as soon as he entered the forest territory.

Parvati - "mountain". Another possible rebirth of Sati, daughter of King Himvan, ruler of the Himalayas. The girl loved Shiva very much, but he did not pay any attention to her and was completely absorbed in meditation and asceticism. In the end, the Gods could not stand the suffering of the beautiful Parvati and sent Kama to awaken passion and desire in him, for which, the poor fellow, he paid. Having noticed the beauty and devotion of the girl, Shiva nevertheless considered her unworthy, and she was forced to perform difficult ascetic feats for many years in order to achieve his favor. Ultimately, she succeeded and became not only Shiva's beloved wife, but also the mother of his son Ganesh.

Ganesha is one of the most popular characters, even in countries where the main religion is Buddhism, he is still revered. For example, in the north of the Thai city of Chiang Mai there is an absolutely stunning one. It is very easy to distinguish him from all other gods - he is the only one with an elephant's head. By the way, according to one version, he was deprived of his human head by his own father Shiva, who did not recognize his son in the grown-up Ganesha and was jealous of Parvati. In order to revive his son, he ordered the servants to kill the first animal they came across and bring its head to the palace. By coincidence, it turned out to be the head of a baby elephant, which Shiva attached in place of his son’s head in order to resurrect him and calm the inconsolable Parvati.

Ganesha uses a white mouse as a means of transportation, so Hindus do not favor cats - since they eat mice and cause Ganesha’s wrath. And no one wants his anger; on the contrary, they crave his favor. After all, Ganesha is considered the patron of prosperity, the remover of obstacles, he helps to increase earnings and profits, and also stimulates success in school and profession. For these purposes, a figurine of Ganesh is often placed on the desktop or at the cash register, and special mantras are also chanted, for example: OM GAM GANAPATAYA NAMAH or OM SRI GANESHAYA NAMAH.

Durga - “unapproachable”. There are many legends associated with the appearance of Durga, but one of the most popular is the following. One day, the king of the giants, Mahisha, defeated the gods, deprived them of everything and expelled them from their homes. Then Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva combined their powers and released dazzling rays of light from their eyes, from which emerged a warrior goddess with three eyes and eighteen arms. Then each of the gods gave her his weapon: Brahma - a rosary and a jug of water, Vishnu - a throwing disc, Shiva - a trident, Varuna - a conch, Agni - a dart, Vayu - a bow, Surya - a quiver of arrows, Indra - lightning, Kubera - a mace , Kala - shield and sword, Vishwakarma - battle ax. Mahisha was inflamed with passion for Durga and wanted to make her his wife, but he said that he would submit only to the one who defeats her in battle. She jumped off her tiger and jumped on the back of Mahishi, who had taken the form of a bull to fight. With her feet she struck the bull's head with such crushing force that he fell unconscious to the ground. After this, Durga cut off his head with a sword.

Kali – “black”. Probably the most controversial goddess of the Hindu pantheon, one of the most beautiful and at the same time dangerous. Her skin is black, she is a great warrior and a great dancer, like her husband Shiva. She is usually depicted in expensive clothing with a necklace of skulls and a belt made of severed hands. Most often, she has four hands: in one she holds a bloody sword, in the other - the head of a defeated enemy, and the other two hands bless her subjects. That is, it simultaneously brings both death and immortality. During the battle, she pulls out her tongue to drink the blood of her victims (by the way, according to many theories, Kali is the prototype of Lilith and vampires). Sometimes she is depicted with one foot on her chest and the other on the thigh of a prostrate Shiva. This is explained by the following legend. Having defeated the giant Raktvija, she began to dance in joy, and her dance was so passionate and unbridled that it threatened to destroy the earth and the whole world. The gods tried to persuade her, but everything was in vain. Then Shiva lay down at her feet, and Kali continued to dance until she saw her own husband under her feet. She was ashamed of her own fury and the disrespect shown to the great god that she stopped dead in her tracks. By the way, Shiva forgave her quite easily.

Among Shiva’s companions there are also Jagadgauri, Chinnamustaka, Tara, Muktakesi, Dasabhuja, Singhavanini, Mahishamandini, Jagaddhatri, Ambika, Bhavani, Pithivi, etc., you can’t remember them all ☺ .

Well, perhaps that’s the end of the fairy tale, whoever read to the end - well done ☺! I hope you found it interesting.

The Hindu god Kama is the embodiment of love and sexual desire. It has long been considered one of the most important inhabitants of the Indian pantheon, as it was responsible for procreation. Therefore, it is not surprising that many sacred rituals and legends are associated with it, which we will talk about.

Birth of a God

God Kama is the fruit of the love of two great celestials of India. So, his father was Vishnu himself - the god who preserves order and harmony in the world. As for Kama's mother, she became Lakshmi - a heavenly princess who personifies beauty, abundance and wealth.

Given such a pedigree, it is not surprising that the god Kama became one of the most powerful avatars in Hindu mythology. Only a few deities, who were also descendants of the highest celestials of India, could compare with his greatness.

Essence of Kama

Kama is the god of love in Hinduism. He personifies everything connected with this feeling, and also carries the wisdom of bodily pleasures. Perhaps for a Russian person such a worldview will seem a little vulgar, but it should be understood that for Hindus sex is one of the most important components of a happy marriage. They have long believed that both partners should do everything possible to satisfy each other's bodily needs.

Therefore, it should not be surprising that mythology attributes sexual intelligence to Kama, which he used to educate his followers. Also, those who wanted to quickly acquire offspring appealed to God for help. After all, who, if not he, is able to help in this matter.

Kama - god of love, armed with a bow

Since ancient times, the god Kama has been depicted as a beautiful young man armed with a bow. For many researchers, this fact seems very strange, as it suggests its similarity to the Greek Cupid. True, today there is no evidence that one of the cultures adopted the image of the god of love from another.

In addition, there are a number of features that are unique to the Hindu celestial. Thus, the god Kama is armed with a bow consisting of sugar cane. In this case, the role of the bowstring is played by honey bees, thereby symbolizing the sweetness of love. In addition to the bow, the god Kama held a waving banner in his hand. It depicts a makara, a chimera animal with the features of a crocodile and a dolphin.

Also, according to myths, the god’s quiver always contains five arrows, the tips of which are inflorescences of various flowers. For example, the flower of the Ashoka tree generated love, and the mango awakened burning passion. Like this in an unusual way Hindus tried to explain that each person experiences love differently.

Mount of the god Kama

I would like to pay special attention to the mount of the god, or, as it is also called, the vakhan. For Kama, such a beast was a huge parrot, whose height was slightly smaller than the rider himself. More importantly, however, the bird was always depicted with a red beak and green plumage, for good reason.

Thus, the red beak was a symbol of bright emotions, passionate love and determination. Green feathers, on the contrary, spoke of calm, harmony and prosperity. Together, these two colors personified a happy marriage, built on genuine feelings and promising family well-being.

Family ties

According to popular belief, the god Kama was married to the goddess of love passion, Rati. It was she who accompanied her husband throughout his heavenly life. However, there are several myths that Kama's second wife was the goddess of pure love, Priti. In general, there is nothing unusual about this, since polygamy is a completely common practice for Hindus.

It is much more difficult to understand the hereditary line of this deity. Thus, he had a daughter, Trishna, who personified spiritual thirst or passion for life. In addition, some sources report that Kama had either a son or a younger brother named Krodha (the god who creates anger in the hearts of people).

Rebirth of the god Kama

The power of Kama's arrows affected both people and celestial beings. And then one day the goddess Parvati came to him, asking him to make Shiva fall in love with her. He was her strongest passion, but at the same time he did not reciprocate, since for many centuries he devoted himself entirely to yogic practices.

Without thinking twice, Kama agreed to help Parvati. He crept up to the meditating god and struck his heart with an arrow. At the same moment, Shiva fell in love with the beautiful maiden, but, enraged by Kama’s impudent behavior, he incinerated him with just one glance. Seeing what happened, Parvati was horrified, since she was the culprit of what was happening.

So she fell to her knees and began tearfully asking to resurrect the god of love. Rati, who came running here after hearing about the great grief, also joined her prayer. Shiva's anger quickly gave way to pity for the girls, and he restored the life of the murdered Kama.

Rituals and traditions

In old India there were many temples dedicated to the god of love. At the same time, they performed not only a spiritual, but also an educational role. Thus, inexperienced boys and girls were taught the wisdom of love here, so that they could use them in family life.

They also asked for Kama’s blessing when wedding ceremonies and during the conception of a child. Because of this, many rituals and prayers appeared that could attract the attention of the deity. Some of them are still used in the everyday life of Hindus, thereby glorifying the deeds of the god Kama.