A deity or a god, is a postulated preternatural being, usually, but not always, of significant power, worshipped, thought holy, divine, or sacred, held in high regard, or respected by human beings. They assume a variety of forms, but are frequently depicted as having human or animal form. Sometimes it is considered blasphemous to imagine the deity as having any concrete form. They are usually immortal. They are commonly assumed to have personalities and to possess consciousness, intellects, desires, and emotions much like human ...

Including:

Deity - Etymology Deity - Relation with humanity Deity - Religion
Deity - Singular God

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Deity, Deity - Etymology, Deity - Relation with humanity, Deity - Religion, Deity - Singular God

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Judaism and Islam visualize God in strictly monotheistic terms as one being; Christianity believes likewise but for many Christians, God is at the same time an indivisible Trinity, with three distinct persons, a view not accepted in the other two religions. Abrahamic religion - Judaism. Jewish theology is based on the Hebrew Bible, where the nature and commandments of the Jewish Supreme Being are revealed through the writings of Moses (the Torah, known in Christianity as the Pentateuch), and the wri ...

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Abrahamic religion, Abrahamic religion - Overview, Abrahamic religion - Origins, Abrahamic religion - Patriarchs, Abrahamic religion - The Supreme Deity, Abrahamic religion - Judaism, Abrahamic religion - Christianity, Abrahamic religion - Islam, Abrahamic religion - Inclusivity, Abrahamic religion - Religious scriptures, Abrahamic religion - Judaism, Abrahamic religion - Christianity, Abrahamic religion - Islam, Abrahamic religion - Rastafari movement, Abrahamic religion - The coming, Abrahamic religion - Afterlife, Abrahamic religion - Judaism, Abrahamic religion - Christianity, Abrahamic religion - Islam, Abrahamic religion - Worship, Abrahamic religion - Circumcision, Abrahamic religion - Food restrictions, Abrahamic religion - Evangelism

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Agni is a Hindu deity. The word agni is Sanskrit for "fire" (noun), cognate with Latin ignis. In Hinduism, he is a deva, second only to Indra in the power and importance attributed to him in Vedic mythology. He is Indra's twin, and therefore a son of Dyaus Pita and Prthivi. He is a son of Kasyapa and Aditi or a Queen who kept her pregnancy secret from her husband. He has ten mothers, or ten sisters, or ten maidservants, who represent the ten fingers of the man who lights the fire. He has two parents: these ...

Including:

Agni - Agni in other faiths and religions

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Gods Enlil and 7 who decree fate Ishtar and planet Venus Tiamat and Tablets of Destiny Annunaki and astronauts Marduk and Babylon Heroes Utnapishtim and world-flood Tammuz and new life Gilgamesh and Cedar Forest Enkidu, the man-beast Monsters Zu, the lion-eagle Kingu, mankind's blood R ...

Including:

Mesopotamian mythology - What Deities did they worship? Mesopotamian mythology - The Primary Deities for each phase of Mesopotamian Religion Mesopotamian mythology - The Three Sky Deities Mesopotamian mythology - Sources

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Hinduism: How God and the Gods Help Us

 Visiting a Hindu temple, receiving the shakti from the majestic Gods of our religion, can altogether change the life of an individual. It alters the flow of the pranas or life currents within his body. It draws his awareness into the deeper chakras. But the change is slow. He lives with the experience for months and months after his visit to the temple. The devotee comes to know and love the Deity. The Deity extends sublime psychic assistance, but never tests or punishes a devotee.

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Hinduism: Communicating with God and the Gods in Hinduism

 It is in the Hindu temple that the three worlds meet and devotees invoke the Gods of our religion. The temple is built as a palace in which the Gods live. It is the home of the Gods, a sacred place unlike every other place on the earth. The Hindu must associate himself with these Gods in a very sensitive way when he approaches the temple. Though the devotee rarely has the psychic vision of the Deity, he is aware of the God's divine presence. As he approaches the sanctum sanctorum, the Hindu is fully aware that an intelligent being, greater and more evolved than himself, is there. This God is intently aware of him, safeguarding him, fully knowing his inmost thought, fully capable of coping with any situation the devotee may mentally lay at his Holy Feet. It is important that we approach the Deity in this way - conscious and confident that our needs are known in the inner spiritual worlds.

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January every year, devotees throng the Sabarimala temple situated in the Sahayadri ranges in Kerala, to participate in the renowned Mandala Puja conducted during Makara Sankaranti.

The deity worshipped here, Lord Ayyappa, is believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu and is also known as Sastha and Harihara Sutha. The basic concept of incarnation is that God descends in order to let man ascend.

(See also: Makara Sankaranti, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Read more here: » Makara Sankaranti: A Different Kind of Pilgrimage - about Makara Sankaranti  

On Dhanteras , Hindus worship Lord Dhanwantari, the deity of health and healing. Dhan is wealth or Lakshmi - so the goddess of wealth and prosperity is also prayed to.

Every household buys something new. But we tend to forget the real meaning of wealth which is sound health. Lord Dhanwantari also symbolises the spirit of knowledge and nature, including all about herbs and medicinal plants.

(See also: Dhanteras, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

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The lakhs of Shiva temples all over India include the famous temples at Amarnath in Kashmir, Somnath in Gujarat, Vishwanath in Varanasi and Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain.

The names of these Shiva temples define Shiva's various divine functions, exalting Him as the Supreme Soul. The linga is worshipped as the very image of Shiva. The linga indicates that Shiva has neither male nor female human form like do the other deities; the Lord is an incorporeal point of Light. This is why, the 12 well-known Shiva temples in India are also known as Jyotirlinga Mat h signifying his form of Light.

(See also: Shivaratri, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

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Durga Puja or Navaratri:

This festival is observed twice a year, once in the month of Chaitra and then in Aswayuja. It lasts for nine days in honour of the nine manifestations of Durga. During Navaratri (the word literally means "nine nights") devotees of Durga observe a fast. Brahmins are fed and prayers are offered for the protection of health and property.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

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Shanidev is Partly Shiva's Avatar

Shani or Shanichar (Saturn) is believed to be the son of Surya the Sun-god and Chhaya. So he is also called Saura. His other names include Kruradris and Kruralochana (the cruel-eyed), Mandu (dull or slow), Pangu (physically challenged), Saptarchi (seven-eyed) and Asita (dark). Shani is believed to wield evil influence, so anyone born under his influence is at risk. Hence the day named after him, Shanivara, is considered inauspicious to begin any new venture.

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Hinduism: Do God and the Gods in Hinduism have Gender?

 Esoterically, it must be admitted that none of the Gods has a wife. Their consorts are not to be considered as separate from them, but as aspects of their being, as their shakti or power. The Mahadevas who live in the Third World cannot be likened to men and women who live on the earth. They exist in perfectly evolved soul bodies, bodies which are not properly differentiated by sex. They are pure beings made of pure consciousness and light; they are neither male nor female.

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God and Gods of Hinduism

The most prevalent expression of worship for the Hindu comes as devotion to God and the Gods. In the Hindu pantheon there are said to be three hundred and thirty-three million Gods. Hindus believe in one Supreme Being. The plurality of Gods are perceived as divine creations of that one Being. So, Hinduism has one supreme God, but it has an extensive hierarchy of Gods. Many people look at the Gods as mere symbols, representations of forces or mind strata, or as various Personifications generated as a projection o of man's mind onto an impersonal pure Beingness.

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Nine Questions About Hinduism

Prepared for the July 4th, 1990 meeting of the youth of the Hindu Temple of greater Chicago, by Gurudeva, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

1) What is the Hindu definition of God-monotheistic or polytheistic?

2) Could you describe the process of reincarnation?

3) What is karma?

4) Why do Hindus regard the cow as sacred?

5) Are Hindus idol worshippers?

6) Is there a rule about Hindus eating meat?

7) Why do Hindu women wear the dot on the forehead?

8) Is the memorization of slokas and mantras essential to being a good Hindu?

9) How can we use scriptures and the Bhagavad Gita or religious books as a practical guide to growing up in the United States?

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What is the Hindu definition of God -monotheistic or polytheistic?

There is much confusion about this, not among Hindus but among those on the outside looking in.

Hinduism is both a monotheistic and a henotheistic religion. Hindus believe in one supreme God who created the universe and who is worshipped as Light, Love and Consciousness. Hindus were never polytheistic, but were always henotheistic. Henotheism is defined by Webster's as "the belief in or worship of one God without denying the existence of others."

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God and Gods of Hinduism

Devotion to God and the Gods of Hinduism is known as Bhakti. It is an entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself, ranging from the childlike wonder of the unknown and the mysterious to the deep reverence which comes with understanding of esoteric interworkings of the three worlds. Hinduism views existence as composed of three worlds. The First World is the physical universe; the Second World is the subtle astral or mental plane of existence in which the devas, angels and spirits live; and the Third World is the spiritual universe of the Mahadevas, "great shining beings," our Hindu Gods. Hinduism is the harmonious working together of these three worlds.

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A Hierarchy of Gods Guide Hinduism

 A unique and all-encompassing characteristic of Hinduism is that one devotee may be worshipping Ganesha while a friend worships Siva or Vishnu or Kali, yet both honor the other's choice and feel no sense of conflict. The Hindu religion brings us the gift of tolerance that allows for different stages of worship, different and personal expressions of devotion and even different Gods to guide our life on this earth.

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 The Vaastu Purusha who is the indwelling energy of the Earth itself, is first propitiated before any building activities are begun. This energy pervades the built space and enhances the life of the occupants. When the texts speak of not harming the energies they are offering guidelines for design, which safeguard the existing environmental patterns.

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