Hindu deities

Related civilizations: India, Southeast Asia.

Date: beginning in c. 200 b.c.e.

Locale: South Asia, India

Hinduism

Although Vedism, an early form of Hinduism, existed from as early as 1500 b.c.e., Hinduism did not emerge in its classic configuration—with its emphasis on nonviolence, pilgrimages, and the celebration of multiple gods—until circa 200 b.c.e. Three primary ways to practice Hinduism developed: the way of deeds, the way of knowledge, and the way of devotion. Although each led to a different way of worship, each emphasized the limitations on physical desires as a precondition to entering moksha, or release from the cycle of death and rebirth (samsara).

The way of deeds built on the existing idea of karma, which said that the way a person led his or her life would determine the individual’s chance for deliverance through reincarnation. It also built on the traditional Indian beliefs in ahiṁsā (nonviolence) and dharma (good conduct). Various sets of laws of correct behavior were developed. The most famous of these is the Manusmṛti (probably compiled 200 b.c.e.-200 c.e.; The Laws of Manu, 1886). These codes defined the rituals that a faithful Hindu should carry out to live the way of deeds successfully.

Knowledge was another path that could lead to spiritual fulfillment. According to this path, ignorance is the cause of evil and suffering for humans, and the awareness of the union with the Brahmā is the desired spiritual state. The knowledge of having reached the union with Brahmā indicates that one has escaped the wheel of life. This intellectual approach to salvation was more important among the priests and the elite.

The path followed by the common people to spiritual fulfillment has been the way of devotion. This means devoting the self to one of the manifestations of god such as Śiva or Vishnu (Viṣṇu), performing puja or worship rituals at their shrines, embarking on pilgrimages, and engaging in other acts of worship. The god can aid the devotee in his or her quest for deliverance from this life. The Bhagavadgītā (c. 200 b.c.e.-200 c.e.; The Bhagavad Gita, 1785), one of the classics of Hindu religious literature, is one of the early expressions of the way of devotion, and it teaches that devotion is the only sure way to gain salvation.

Important among the many gods of Hinduism are the remote creator god Brahmā and two popular gods, Śiva and Vishnu. Brahmā is godliness, and the other gods are manifestations of that godliness. Both Śiva and Vishnu have a complex of other gods associated with them.

Śiva, the Destroyer, is the most popular god in classic Hinduism, and it is his greatness and power that give him the potential to destroy. Śiva evolved from the Vedic god Rudra, who was originally associated with the healing powers of the medicinal herbs in the mountains. Later Śiva actually took on the identity with all forms of life, including vegetable, animal, and human, and especially with the concept of life creation, meaning sexual energy. The representation of Śiva in popular shrines is the lingam, a phallic-shaped black stone. The lingam is set in the yoni, which is a round flat stone that represents Pārvatī, the consort of Śiva. These symbols of life are placed at the center of shrines dedicated to Śiva, and they are decorated with substances that represent life such as milk and flowers.

Śiva’s life energy is also shown in dance, and he is known as the dancing god. He is frequently portrayed in a dancing pose with four arms whirling gracefully and one leg lifted in the air in movement. In spite of Śiva’s association with life, he is also the patron of ascetics and holy men. This side of Śiva draws from his power as the destroyer because he can control or negate the desires of the flesh to permit his spiritual being to express itself. Therefore, Śiva has followers who are devoted to both the celebration of life and to asceticism.

Pārvatī is an important goddess and has many manifestations in the different regions of India. She may be the great mother, the gracious and kind one, or the unapproachable one. In northeastern India in the area of Bengal, people are devoted to Pārvatī as the great mother, and that devotion has developed into Śaktism or the adoration of the godliness of female qualities. Pārvatī is Mother Earth, and she represents the life-giving qualities of the earth.

Śiva and Pārvatī’s son, Ganesha (Gaṇeśa), is the elephant-headed god who is one of the most popular of the Indian pantheon. Ganesha is called the Remover of Obstacles because he has the strength of the elephant, and because of that strength, he can virtually guarantee success to any venture. Therefore, many people are his devotees. Another god figure associated with Śiva is Nandi, the white bull, who is Śiva’s mount. Naga, the cobra, is also associated with Śiva and represents fertility and strength. Shrines to Śiva usually include images of Ganesha, Nandi, and Naga.

The other great god complex is focused around Vishnu, the Preserver. Vishnu is the god of home and family values, and he represents stability and order. He is the god of love, and when he sees that good is endangered, he uses all his powers to preserve it. In contrast to Śiva, who has contradictory characteristics, Vishnu is always benevolent. Vishnu has come down to earth at critical times in the past to reveal truth or to save the world or legendary figures. Vishnu’s appearances on earth are called avatars (incarnation in human form), and there have been nine throughout history. The tenth avatar of Vishnu is said to be Kalki, a saving figure with a flaming sword who will come on a white horse to destroy evil and to rescue the faithful. That final saving avatar of Vishnu will be the culmination of history for the devotees of Vishnu.

Bibliography

Embree, Ainslie T. Sources of Indian Tradition. 2d ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 1988.

Kinsley, David R. Hinduism: A Cultural Perspective. 2d ed. Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice Hall, 1993.

Noss, David S., and John B. Noss. A History of the World’s Religions. 9th ed. New York: Macmillan College Publishing, 1994.

Smith, Huston. The World’s Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991.