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The Eternal Dharma

The vast cosmology of the devas and their many avatars, from the Vedas and the great epics of India.

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14 entries

B

BrahmaThe CreatorThe four-faced creator from whom the worlds issue at the dawn of each cosmic day — immensely powerful in myth, and almost never worshipped in temples.Deity

D

DurgaThe Invincible GoddessThe warrior goddess assembled from the massed light of all the gods, lion-mounted slayer of the buffalo demon Mahishasura.Deity

G

Ganesha (Ganesh)Remover of ObstaclesThe elephant-headed son of Shiva and Parvati, lord of beginnings and remover (and placer) of obstacles, invoked before every undertaking.DeityGarudaThe Divine EagleThe golden sun-eagle who carries Vishnu — thief of the gods' nectar, liberator of his enslaved mother, and the eternal enemy of the serpents.Creature

H

HanumanThe Monkey GodSon of the wind, greatest of the vanaras, and Rama's perfect servant — the leaper of oceans who became one of India's most worshipped gods.Deity

I

IndraKing of the DevasKing of the gods and lord of storm and war — wielder of the thunderbolt, slayer of the serpent Vritra, and the deity Hinduism gradually demoted.Deity

K

KaliGoddess of TimeThe black goddess of time and dissolution — annihilator of demons and of the ego, and to millions of Bengali devotees simply the Mother.DeityKrishnaEighth Avatar of VishnuCowherd, lover, statesman and charioteer — the avatar of Vishnu who speaks the Bhagavad Gita and anchors India's largest devotional tradition.Deity

L

Lakshmi (Laxmi)Goddess of Wealth and FortuneGoddess of wealth, beauty and good fortune, born from the churning of the ocean and inseparable consort of Vishnu.Deity

N

NagaThe Serpent BeingsSemi-divine serpent beings of the waters and the underworld — hooded and jewel-crowned guardians of treasure, of rain, and of hidden knowledge.Creature

R

RamaSeventh Avatar of VishnuPrince of Ayodhya and seventh avatar of Vishnu — exiled hero of the Ramayana, slayer of Ravana, and the ideal of dharma.Deity

S

Saraswati (Sarasvati)Goddess of Knowledge and MusicGoddess of speech, learning, music and the arts — a Vedic river who became the patron of every word written or sung.DeityShivaThe DestroyerThe destroyer and transformer — ascetic on the cremation ground, lord of the cosmic dance, and for millions of Shaivas the supreme reality itself.Deity

V

VishnuThe PreserverThe preserver of cosmic order — the god who descends age after age, as Rama, as Krishna, and in other forms, to set dharma right when it fails.Deity