Theistic Developments

The early gods and goddesses are “symbols of the

fundamental powers of existence….They represent the powers that create and destroy life, that control the ebb and flow of existence.” (Koller p.14)

Early Gods & Goddesses

Essential – for cooking

of food, heating of homes, light in the dark of night

Represents the power of transformation both destructive and creative

Nearly 1/3 of 1008 Vedic hymns are addressed to Agni

Agni: God of Fire

Sometimes thought to

have been brought down by nomadic Aryans

Vanquishes enemies and protects those who are vulnerable

Symbolizes courage and strength

Indra: Lord of the Thunderbolt

Associated with the sky, water, the celestial ocean,

the underworld and law

He is the keeper of the cosmic force, Rita

Varuna: The Sky God

Described as speech, also truth,

perception and is associated with nourishment

Sometimes shown as golden skinned woman and at others as a cow

Her four arms represent the four aspects of the human ability to learn: mind, intellect, alertness, and ego.

Later syncretized with Sarasvati associated with knowledge

Vac: Goddess of Speech

Later Theistic Developments: Two Conceptions of the Divine

Nirguna Brahman

the god without attributes - pure being, pure consciousness, unknowable

infinite with no exclusions - the "philosopher's god“

neither personified nor personal.

Saguna Brahman - god with attributes -

being, awareness, and bliss

a personal god with three relations to the world: Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu each with their corresponding feminine consorts.

This is the “concretized” version of the divine.

Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva

Relief of Trimurti at Ellora Caves

Later Theistic Developments: The Vedic Trimurti

not popular in folklore - only two

temples in India dedicated to him. Theoretically, the four castes (classes) and 4 human functions sprouted from him: the Mouth - Brahmins (priests) -

cogitation the arms - Kshatriyas (warrior class) -

protection the thighs - Vaisyas (administrators) -

sustenance the feet - Shudras (laborers) - service

He is often shown with 4 heads, representing these functions

Sometimes he is shown as a small figure in the center of the mystic lotus that emerges from the sleeping Vishnu's navel.

Brahma: The Creator

(originally Vac) symbolizes

wisdom and music as she rides a swan or peacock, while holding a lute and a manuscript.

Brahma’s Consort: Sarasvati

Vishnu: The Preserver

Known as the benevolent deity. When needed, comes into being (incarnation) in human form to help out humans

Is generally accepted to have at least ten incarnations including: a. The Fish - which saved Manu and the sages

and the Veda from the great flood b. The Tortoise c. The Boar d. The Man-Lion e. The Dwarf f. Rama of the Axe g. Rama, king of Ayodhya, hero of the Ramayana

who killed the demon Ravana of Sri Lanka h. Krishna i. The Buddha (of the later developing

Buddhism) j. Kalkin - the incarnation of the future,

variously described as a horse, a horse-headed man or, a man seated on a white horse with flaming sword in hand. He will bring judgment to earth and restore the golden age.

Statue of Vishnu, showing his twelve avatars, in Singapore

Vishnu’s Avatar: Krishna

The name means dark, or black suggesting a hero-god of the darker aborigines of India - first appearing as a hero and slayer of his uncle/cousin King Kamsa of Mathura.

"In the Mahabharata, Krishna appears as the charioteer of Arjuna in the fratricidal struggle. On the first day of battle Arjuna, seeing many near relatives in the opposing ranks, refuses to fight and incur the sin of fratricide, however just the cause. His dialogue with Krishna in the course of which he is convinced that he must fight, is called the Bhagavad Gita…."

Krishna's favorite consort is Radha, one of the gopis, or cowherds. This relationship seems to have inspired much of the romantic poetry and many romantic images of the two entwined. World Religions: From Ancient History to the

Present

14th century Fresco of Krishna on interior wall City Palace, Udaipur

Vishnu’s Consort: Lakshmi

Goddess of prosperity and good fortune.

Usually shown wearing red & often shown giving Vishnu a foot massage! Vishnu and Lakshmi on Shesha Nāga, c. 1870.and

Lakshmi on Shesha Nāga, c. 1870. V& A Museum

is the god who comes announcing' destruction or

the 'storm' (flood, etc.) This god is a male god of pre- Aryan origin -- possibly the "destroyer" since it came with them. Prayers to this god center around hopes that this "destroyer" will stay away a little longer. However, Shiva is most often worshipped for his procreative powers and the Shiva Lingam is used to symbolize this function.

"Shiva can assume many roles for his devotees. He is an ascetic, a fertility god, a ghoul, a divine hermit delighting in solitary meditation high in the Himalayas, a scholar, a supremely devoted spouse. Among his many titles are the Lord of the Creatures, The Lord of Sacrifice, The Divine Hermaphrodite, the Great Ascetic, The Divine Yogi, The Cosmic Musician. Above all, he is the King of Dancers, whose movements signify the eternal life-death rhythm of the universe....The animal particularly associated with Shiva is Nandi, the bull, whose image is usually found in Shaivite temples along with the carved stone symbol signifying the creative male energy of the universe." (Nancy Wilson Ross, Hinduism, Buddhism, Zen. 1966)

Shiva: The Destroyer

“The Lord of the Dance” “In this bronze Nataraja, Shiva

stands serene and assured, master of the universe, within a circular prabha aureole framed with five-tipped flames that represent the oscillating universe. The god rests his right foot on the back of the dwarfish demonic figure of Mushalagan, representing darkness and ignorance to be overcome, who meekly raises his head to look up at the lord.” (http://www.royalacademy.or

g.uk/exhibitions/chola/shiva,305,AR.html)

Shiva Nataraja

Right: Shiva and Parvati with Their Children

Ganesha and Karttikeya (Skanda) ca. 1830 Painting , Kangra, Pahari Hills, India - Housed in the Smithsonian Institute.

Below: The Holy family: Shiva, Parvati, Skanda and Ganesha, with vahanas (mounts) Nandi bull, lion and rat. Attributed to Sajnu, Mandi, circa 1825. Opaque watercolour and gold on wasli. (indianminiaturepaintings.co.uk)

Shiva’s Family

Parvati: The young wife, the mother

Goddess of love and devotion - beautiful and kind

Mother of Ganesha and Karttikeya (Skanda)

The Consorts of Shiva

Shakti: Name meaning energy or force

The mother-goddess, is also the wife of Shiva

daughter of the Himalaya, a personification

of the towering mountains that guard India's

northern boundaries.

Also known as Mata – the divine earth mother

Sometimes shown as the female half

of Shiva

The Consorts of Shiva

Durga “Durga is the most splendid manifestation of

Devi. Virginal and sublime, contain within her the power of all the gods combined, she is the invincible power of Nature who triumphs over those who seek to subjugate her. In this sculpture she is shown with 10 arms holding a variety of weapons slaying the Buffalo demon, Mahisha. Her vahana or vehicle a lion is assisting Durga.” (lotussculpture.com)

The Consorts of Shiva

Kali “…ugly and violent - perhaps showing the negative

aspect of the maternal principle - showing the Mother Goddess as tomb as well as womb of all life - emphasizing as does Shiva that destruction and production arise from the same source. Kali is sometimes garlanded with serpents, hung round with skulls, brandishing a sword, holding a severed demon's head, she may also be making with one or more hands a mudra of reassurance of even a gift giving gesture. In some images she is shown dancing on the supine body of her spouse, Shiva, a symbolic stance which (leads the question that) by using Great Time or Eternity other names of Shiva) as her dancing platform, is the Mother or lesser "time" here implying the rise and fall, appearance and disappearance, of all phenomena from an eternal cosmological substratum?"

Hinduism, Nancy Wilson Ross)

The Consorts of Shiva

Son of Shiva and Parvati

He is the Lord of success and

destroyer of evils and remover of obstacles.

He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth.

Seated Ganesha, 1200-1300, originally from Karnataka State of India, sculpted from schist (a medium-grade metamorphic rock) currently located in Asian Art Museum of San Francisco

Ganesha

Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate

supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties.

The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse. http://hinduism.about.com/od/lordganesha/a/ganesha.htm

Significance of Ganesha’s Form: