The Principle Gods of The Hindu Pantheon
The Hindu pantheon is crowded with multiple Gods – 330 million is the official count. However, this figure is grossly misleading. The majority of Hindu Gods are actually avatars of earlier Gods.
In the third chapter of the Rig Veda, the character, Yajnavalkya, explains there are 33 important Gods. Throughout the course of the conversation he says there is only one God. All the other Gods are merely aspects of the Absolute God.
And that Absolute God is you.
The Gods (devas) are fragments of your higher self. The demons (asparas) are your lower consciousness. Devas and Asparas are manifestations of how you think, feel and behave. And those aspects of human nature are symbolically personified within the millions of Gods that have featured in Hindu myth over thousands of years.
In this blog we focus on the principle Gods that are still worshipped by Hindus throughout the world. The myths in which they feature have life lessons that are as prevalent today as they were thousands of years ago.
We also retell Hindu myths and discuss the meanings of esoteric symbolism. Knowing how to decipher the symbolism in ancient myths gives you a profound insight into the underlying meaning of the stories.
But for now, we would like to present a brief introduction to the most popular Gods still worshipped by millions of Hindu’s today. And give you a glimpse of their true meaning in Hindu myth.
The Trimurti and their consorts
The three principle Gods of Hindu Mythology are Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer). Known collectively as the Trimurti, the Gods are important aspects of human nature and when coupled with their consorts reflect the dual energies and dual nature of mankind.
Brahma and Saraswati
Brahma is the creator of Gods, demons, ancestors, men and all living creatures on Earth. In the early myths of the Rig Vedas, Brahma was considered the supreme God, but later lost his authority and is often found disappointing the other Gods for handing out boons without merit.
The crucial esoteric meaning of Brahma is the thoughts and ideas. Sometimes you have good, and other times are not so good.
Saraswati, the consort of Brahma is the goddess of learning, wisdom and music. As the feminine principle to Brahma, Saraswati is a reminder to nurture thoughts with arts, sciences and other intellectual pursuits that keep the mind sharp and ideas pure.
Shiva and Shakti
Shiva’s penchant for destruction heralds him as the most supreme God of the Hindu pantheon. The reason for this is because Shiva is the aspect of our character that can destroy our ego and transform our habitual ways of old into new ways of living.
Shakti is the Universal life force, the primordial energy required to bring things into being. Without Shakti, the consciousness of Shiva is latent. In later myths, Shakti is reincarnated as Parvati, Durga and Kali.
Vishnu and Lakshmi
Vishnu is the preserver and Supreme reality that manifests as goodness and compassion. Symbolically he represents the results of transformation, which we must maintain to move on to the next spiritual level rather than falling back into old habits.
This idea is cemented in Vishnu’s consort, Lakshmi, the Goddess of wealth, well-being and beauty. Hindus worship Lakshmi to bring good luck and alleviate suffering.
Other popular Gods in Hinduism
The Gods featured in the list below are the most powerful and important of the ancient Hindu texts. It should be noted that other than Indra and Surya, the other Gods are manifestations of earlier Gods that originally appeared in the Vedas, the oldest Hindu texts that we know of.
Indra
Indra is one of the most important of the 33 Gods mentioned in the Rig Veda. Known as the King of the Gods, his warrior status symbolises the strength and courage you need to overcome demons. With his thunder bolt – the Viajra – Indra has the power to connect the physical realm with the spiritual realm.
Surya
Surya is one of the original sun Gods. In later Hindu myths, he rose to dominance and eventually embodied all 12 of the Adityas mentioned in the Vedas, all of which represent aspects of our moral character. Surya is the ego, the decision maker caught between the rights and wrongs of our higher and lower consciousness.
Ganesh
Perhaps the most familiar of all Hindu Gods is the elephant-headed Ganesh, the God of good fortune, success and prosperity. Ganesh removes obstacles and is Lord of new beginnings. If you start to stray from the path, the deity will place obstacles in front of you as a challenge.
Hanuman
The flying monkey, Hanuman is a superhuman devotee of Rama. Symbolically he represents trustworthiness, strength and faithfulness. Because of these positive traits, Hanuman is considered the greatest devotee that ever lived. In Hindu mythology, he serves as a reminder that we are all blessed with uber-human qualities to overcome adversity.
Skanda
Skanda is the elephant-headed brother of Ganesha and first son of Shiva. Although he is described as a war-God, his brave efforts are for valiant reasons of love and virtuousness. His duty is protect you from the demons of your habitual mind.
Krishna
Lord Krishna is the most worshiped of all Hindu Gods, despite being the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He is widely believed to have been a real living person. This is possibly true as Krishna represents an enlightened being, God in man.
Rama
Rama is the 7th incarnation of Vishnu, and is as popular with Hindu’s as his predecessor, Krishna. In the epic, Ramayana, the supreme deity has to make sacrifices to be the perfect man, husband and King and as such is the mythological personification of what we should aim to achieve in life.
We will discuss the Hindu deities above in greater depth throughout this blog. You will learn the fascinating stories and esoteric symbolism of ancient Hindu myths and come to learn that all these characters represent aspects of our true selves.