|
Vedic Gods :
Indra, Surya, Vayu, Agni, Varuna
Trimurthy :
Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh
INDRA or the king of all celestial beings, has the most flamboyant personality. Ruler of the sky, he rides a white elephant called Airawata. He is the lord of storms and lightning and carries the vajra or thunderbolt as his weapon. The seven-coloured rainbow is his bow and cascades of rain are his arrows. Inspite of such a powerful arsenal of weapons, Indra, lord of the sky, is a peaceful, heavenly ruler who offers refuge to everyone. He is generous and helpful to all those who follow dharma. In the epic story of the Mahabharata, Indra is the father of Arjun, the powerful Pandava prince.
Perhaps the most important Vedic deity is SURYA, the sun. A repository of energy, power and radiance, the sun, according to the Aryans, sustained life and gave them security and prosperity. In the Vedas, the sun is represented as a handsome, golden youth who rides the chariot of light, drawn by seven horses - one for each day of the week. The swastika, a common Hindu symbol of munificence, belongs to the sun, a true karmayogi who gives abundantly, without asking for anything in return.
There are only two ancient sun temples in India, both of which are archaeological treasures. They do not however, have idols, which were destroyed by conquering vandals long years ago. The first is in Modhera, Gujarat and the other, a more famous one, is in Konarak, Orissa. Both are nearly a thousand years old and feature some of the best sculptures of the era.
The other Vedic gods do not have special shrines but are often depicted in the friezes of south Indian temples and the carvings decorating the shrines of Khajuraho, in Madhya Pradesh.
The personality of VAYU, the wind god, is aptly turbulent and restless. However, he too, has a romantic aspect to his speed-oriented activity.
He is lovingly called the bearer of fragrances, the carrier of pollen and seeds, the supporter of birds and flowers. Also called Pavan, he is the Vedic god entrusted with the rejuvenation of nature. In the Ramayana, Vayu is the father of Hanuman, the monkey god. In the Mahabharata, he is the father of Bhima, the strongest of the Pandava princes.
The Indians worshipped AGNI, the fire god, with great devotion. Since they practised their religion by performing sacrifices, Agni was the carrier of their sacred offerings to all other gods. Since anything touched by fire becomes pure, the Aryans believed him to be an ever-present sakshin or witness to all events of religious importance. They believed that he was present in the poorest as well as the richest of homes and could therefore witness sacraments accompanying births, marriages and deaths.
In sculptures and paintings Agni is depicted as a dark man with headgear made of smoke. His pennant is also of smoke. He carries a javelin which throws out flames. His vehicle is a chariot driven by the wind and drawn by fiery red horses. Even today, in most Hindu rituals, Agni is considered the chief witness and representative of all the gods.
The Vedic god who is the master of oceans and rivers, is VARUNA. In various sculptures and paintings, he is represented with a water pot in his hand and is the deity of fluidity and movement. He destroys all evil sprits in the underwater world and rides a fish called Makarna. Pushpagiri is the underwater mountain where Varuna lives in his gem-encrusted palace. His chariot, created with white surf, is drawn by several horses made of powerful ocean waves.
As the deity whose cosmic power creates the world, BRAHMA is also considered to be the protector of the world. He is the font of wisdom and knowledge and being an abstract principle, is rarely ever seen or represented in any temple or place of worship.
When he is portrayed in mythology, his vehicle is a goose and he is often depicted wearing white. In his hands he carries the Vedic texts and a jug of water, the element which is associated with peace and contemplative silence. His consort is the calm, white clad Saraswati, goddess of learning and knowledge.
According to ancient Hindu belief Bramha was himself created from the vibrations of the cosmic sound Om which lies at the sacred heart of all being and unites creation in its all encompassing and eternal reverberation.
VISHNU is the second deity of the triad. As the preserver of the universe, he is the embodiment of generosity. Represented often as a divine being, sleeping on the coiled serpent Shesha or Ananta floating in the cosmic ocean. Since his role is to preserve, Vishnu or Narayana, is the only god in the Trimurti who is born again and again when the balance of right and wrong or dharma is disturbed in this world. His 10 avataras or incarnations, are the subject of many scriptures, the Puranas and epics. In each incarnation, he fights evil and restores dharma.
He is extremely handsome, has a blue complexion and is dressed in a pitambar or yellow silk robes. In his hands he holds a lotus (peace); a conch (warning for wrong doers); a chakra (destruction of evil) and a mace (his power to fight).
His vehicle is the celestial Garuda or eagle. His wife is Shree or Lakshmi. She is reborn as his wife in every incarnation.
Vishnu and Lakshmi or Lakshminarayan, are worshipped with devotion and are considered the symbol of marital bliss.
The last deity of the Trimurti is MAHESH (Shiva), whose worship is one of the most ancient in India, and the proof is found even in the relics of the Indus Valley Civilization. His abode is the snow covered expanse of Mount Kailas in the Himalayas. He is Neelkanth, the blue throated god who is dressed in a tiger skin, and has a knot of matted hair through which the river Ganga flows. He wears the moon in his crest and sits in meditative silence in the mountains. His vehicle is Nandi, the celestial bull, and his consort is Parvati or Uma, the beautiful daughter of the Himalayas.
Shiva is also Nataraja, lord of the cosmic dance Tandava, symbolising the cosmic order. According to legend, it was performed at the Chidambaram temple in Tamil Nadu. Other sources say that the site was Gaya in Bihar, which is one of the holiest cities in India.
Shiva portrays many of the qualities of human beings. He is simple-minded but quick to anger and impulsive in his attitude. He personifies the disintegrative elements of nature and is the god of destruction. But he is also the god of fertility and sexuality. Many potent symbols are associated with Shiva. The linga or phallic representation of Shiva is basic to all Shaivite worship. On the other hand, he is also the god of ascetism, the mahayogi, the personification of austere penance and meditation.
There are innumerable myths associated with Shiva. One such story tells how he acquired the third eye on his forehead. This eye was created by him to save the world from darkness when his wife Parvati, mischievously covered both his eyes and the world was plunged into darkness, creating chaos.
Shiva is easily pleased by devotion and uses a trident to destroy enemies. The small drum in his hand, damroo, symbolises the relentless passing of time. Shiva means 'pure'. He is said to have swallowed the poison of life to save mankind and the gods during the churning of the cosmic ocean.
Innumerable temples are devoted to him. The 12 natural Jyotirlinga temples from Kedarnath in the Himalayas to Rameshwaram at the southern tip of India are world famous. The other 10 are in: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh; Somnath, Gujarat; Srisailam, Andhra Pradesh; Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh; Mahakaleshwar, Madhya Pradesh; Grishneshwar, Bhimshankar, Trimbakeshwar, Vaijnath and Nagnath, Maharashtra.
At Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, he is Shivanataraja made of a single emerald. In Tanjore, Tamil Nadu, he is Brahadeeshwara. In Nepal, he is Pashupatinath. Sculptures and bronzes of Shiva are some of the most famous treasures of Indian archaeology. The cave temple of Elephanta, Maharashtra houses a sculpture of the Trimurti; a panel showing the wedding of Shiva an Parvati, as well as a sculpture of Ardhanareeshwara or Shiva as the combination of man and his energy, that is woman.
|
Forums
