Shruti Vedas Rig Veda Sama Veda Yajur Veda Atharva Veda Brahmanas Aranyakas Upanishads Smriti Itihāsas Mahābhārata Bhagavad Gītā Ramayana Puranas (List) Tantras Sutras (List) Stotras Ashtavakra Gita < ...

Including:

• Hindu deities - Trimurti
• Hindu deities - Popular gods
• Hindu deities - Denominations of Hinduism
• Hindu deities - Polytheistic gods
• Hindu deities - Smartism
• Hindu deities - The Trinity
• Hindu deities - Vedic Deities
• Hindu deities - The 10 Avatars of Vishnu
• Hindu deities - The 'Hidden' Avatar
• Hindu deities - Relatives
• Hindu deities - Mother goddesses

Read more here: » Hindu deities: Encyclopedia - Hindu deities

See also:

List of Hindu deities, List of Hindu deities - A, List of Hindu deities - B, List of Hindu deities - C, List of Hindu deities - D, List of Hindu deities - E, List of Hindu deities - G, List of Hindu deities - H, List of Hindu deities - I, List of Hindu deities - K, List of Hindu deities - L, List of Hindu deities - M, List of Hindu deities - N, List of Hindu deities - P, List of Hindu deities - R, List of Hindu deities - S, List of Hindu deities - T, List of Hindu deities - U, List of Hindu deities - V, List of Hindu deities - Y, List of Hindu deities - Aspects, List of Hindu deities - Aspects of Brahma, List of Hindu deities - Aspects of Shiva, List of Hindu deities - Aspects of Devi, List of Hindu deities - Aspects of Vishnu, List of Hindu deities - Incarnations, List of Hindu deities - Mental son of Brahma, List of Hindu deities - Incarnations of Vayu, List of Hindu deities - Avatara of Lakshmi, List of Hindu deities - Manifestation of Durga, List of Hindu deities - Avatars of Vishnu

Read more here: » List of Hindu deities: Encyclopedia II - List of Hindu deities - Aspects

Although the pantheistic system allowed only a subordinate rank to the old polytheistic gods, and the actual religious belief of the people was probably but little affected by their existence, they continued to occupy an important place in the affections of the poet, and were still represented as exercising considerable influence on the destinies of man. The most prominent of them were regarded as the appointed Loka palas, or guardians of the world; and as such they were made to preside over the four cardinal and (according to some a ...

See also:

Hindu deities, Hindu deities - Trimurti, Hindu deities - Popular gods, Hindu deities - Denominations of Hinduism, Hindu deities - Polytheistic gods, Hindu deities - Smartism, Hindu deities - The Trinity, Hindu deities - Vedic Deities, Hindu deities - The 10 Avatars of Vishnu, Hindu deities - The 'Hidden' Avatar, Hindu deities - Relatives, Hindu deities - Mother goddesses

Read more here: » Hindu deities: Encyclopedia II - Hindu deities - Polytheistic gods

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)

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.

Read more here: » Hinduism: How God and the Gods Help Us

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.

Read more here: » Hinduism: God and Gods of Hinduism

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.

Read more here: » Hinduism: Communicating with God and the Gods in Hinduism

MOTHER SARASWATHI

Mother Saraswathi, is divine knowledge personified, the embodiment of knowledge of the Absolute. The sound of Her celestial veena awakens the notes of the sublime utterances of the Upanishads which reveal the Truth, and the sacred monosyllable, Om. She bestows the knowledge of the supreme, mystic sound and then gives full knowledge of the Self as represented by Her pure, dazzling snow-white apparel. Therefore, to propitiate Saraswathi, the giver of knowledge, is the third stage.

From " Hindu Fasts & Festivals " by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Saraswathi: The Hindu Godess Mother Saraswathi

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.

Read more here: » Durga Puja or Navaratri: Hindu Festivals - Durga Puja or Navaratri

Vasanta Panchami

This is an important bathing day. All Hindus observe it. It is also known as Magh Sukla Panchami as it falls in the month of Magh (January-February). This is the festival that marks the first day of spring.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Vasanta Panchami: Festivals in Hinduism -Vasanta Panchami

Vak or Vac IPA [va:c] (stem vāc-, nominative vāk) is the Sanskrit word for "speech", "voice", "talk", or "language". Personified, Vak is a goddess, most frequently she is identified with Bharati or Sarasvati, the goddess of speech. In the Veda she is also represented as created by Prajapati and married to him; in other places she is called the mother of the Vedas and wife of Indra. See also. Hindu deities List of Hindu deities < ...

Read more here: » Vac: Encyclopedia - Vac

A solar deity is a deity who represents the sun, or an aspect of it. People have worshipped the sun and solar deities for all of recorded history. Hence, many beliefs and legends have been formed around this worship, most notably the various myths containing the "missing sun" motif from around the world. Although many sources contend that solar deities are generally male, and the brother, father, husband and/or enemy of the lunar deity (usually female), this is not cross-culturally upheld, as sun goddesses are found on every continent ...

Including:

• Solar deity - Missing sun
• Solar deity - Examples
• Solar deity - Chinese mythology
• Solar deity - Hindu mythology

Read more here: » Solar deity: Encyclopedia - Solar deity

In Hinduism, Surya is the chief solar deity, son of Dyaus Pita or Indra. He has hair and arms of gold. His chariot is pulled by seven horses, which represent the seven colors of rainbow. Tvashtri is his son, as are the twins Yama and Yami and the Asvins (by Saranya). Another name also used in vedic astrology is Ravi. A well-known Hindu mode of worship of Surya is done at the rising (and also setting) of the Sun, known as Surya Namaskara (Sun Salutation). Twelve yogic postures are assumed in order with twelve sacred Hindu ...

Read more here: » Surya: Encyclopedia - Surya

In Hinduism, Venkateshwara (also spelled as Venkateswara, Venkateshwer or Venkatachalapathi) is a much-worshipped form of Vishnu. He is also known as Balaji or Lord Venkateswara. Vishnu, in the form of Venkateshwara, is much worshipped at the famed Tirupati temple. Venkateshwara is the presiding deity at Tirumala temple complex, believed to be the richest of the Hindu shrines in the world. The temple is situated in the region of seven hills in southern Andhra Pradesh in Chittoor district. It i ...

Including:

• Venkateshwara - The legend
• Venkateshwara - Socio-cultural history

Read more here: » Venkateshwara: Encyclopedia - Venkateshwara

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

Read more here: » Agni: Encyclopedia - Agni

In Hinduism, Aditi (Sanskrit - limitless) is a goddess of the sky, consciousness, the past, the future and fertility. She is an ancient goddess, mother of Agni and the Adityas with Kasyapa, though she is occasionally said to be married to Brahma, with whom she is the mother of Daksha. She is associated with cows, a very holy animal in Hindu beliefs. See also. List of Hindu deities List of Hinduism-related articles List of Hindu deit ...

Including:

• Aditi - External link

Read more here: » Aditi: Encyclopedia - Aditi

Vishnu (IAST viṣṇu, Devanagari विष्णु, with honorific Shri Vishnu; śrī viṣṇu, श्रीविष्णु ), is a form of God, to whom many Hindus pray. For Vaishn ...

Including:

• Vishnu - Etymology
• Vishnu - pre-Puranic Vishnu
• Vishnu - Theological attributes and more
• Vishnu - Relations with other Deities
• Vishnu - Iconography
• Vishnu - Worship
• Vishnu - Names
• Vishnu - Theological beliefs and philosophy

Read more here: » Vishnu: Encyclopedia - Vishnu

Vedic mythology that occupies a pivotal position in the history of religions, is a significant aspect of Hindu mythology and has directly contributed to the evolution and development of Hinduism. Vedic mythology, which finds expression in a number of Vedic rituals and symbolism, also contains a number of religious concepts, which are generally indistinguishable from Hindu traditions. Vedic mythology - Background. The Vedic mythology is best recorded in the four Vedas, also called the Vedam, which are part o ...

Including:

• Vedic mythology - Background
• Vedic mythology - Dimensions
• Vedic mythology - The deities
• Vedic mythology - The rituals
• Vedic mythology - The concepts
• Vedic mythology - Vedic quotes

Read more here: » Vedic mythology: Encyclopedia - Vedic mythology

In Hinduism, Vayu (also known as Pavan) is a primary god, father of Bhima and Hanuman. As the words for air (vayu) or wind (pavan) it is one of the Panchamahabhuta the "five great elements" in Hinduism. The Sanskrit word `Vayu' is cognate to the Latin 'vita' meaning life. The primary referent of the word is thus the "god of Life," who is sometimes for clarity referred to as "Mukhya-Vayu" (the chief Vayu) or "Mukhya Prana" (the chief of Life). `Vayu' and `Prana' are synonyms. There is a set of five deities, each ca ...

Read more here: » Vayu: Encyclopedia - Vayu

Shruti Vedas Rig Veda Sama Veda Yajur Veda Atharva Veda Brahmanas Aranyakas Upanishads Smriti Itihāsas Mahābhārata Bhagavad Gītā Ramayana Puranas (List) Tantras Sutras (List) Stotras Ashtavakra Gita Gita G ...

Read more here: » Yami: Encyclopedia - Yami