|
|
From
Subhamoy Das,
Hindus have a multitude of gods and
goddesses that symbolize the one abstract Supreme Being or
Brahman. The most fundamental of Hindu deities are the Trinity of
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. But many other gods such as Ganesha,
Krishna, Rama, Hanuman, and goddesses like Lakshmi, Durga, Kali
and Saraswati top the popularity chart with Hindus across the
world.
|
Easily recognizable as the
elephant-deity riding a mouse, Ganesha is arguably he most
popular Hindu God, and one of the commonest mnemonics for
anything associated with Hinduism. The son of Shiva and
Parvati, Ganesha is depicted has having a curved trunk and big
ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the
lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is
also worshipped as the god of knowledge, wisdom and wealth.
The most powerful and
fascinating deity in Hinduism, who represents death and
dissolution. One of the godheads in the Hindu Trinity, and
known by many names - Mahadeva, Pashupati, Nataraja,
Vishwanath, Bhole Nath - Shiva is perhaps the most complex
of Hindu deities. Hindus recognise this by putting his
shrine in the temple separate from those of other deities
and worshipping Shiva as a phallic symbol called the
�Shiva Limgam� in most temples.
The great exponent of the
Gita, Krishna is the ninth and the most complete avatar of
Vishnu, the Godhead of the Hindu Trinity. Of all avatars
he is the most popular and perhaps the one closest to the
heart of the masses. This blue-skinned deity has
influenced the Indian thought, life and culture in myriad
ways - not only its religion and philosophy, but also into
its mysticism and literature, painting and sculpture,
dance and music, and all aspects of Indian folklore.
Rama, the perfect avatar
of the Supreme Protector Vishnu, is an all-time favorite
among Hindu deities. The most popular symbol of chivalry
and virtue, Rama is �the embodiment of truth, of morality,
the ideal son, the ideal husband, and above all, the ideal
king." He is widely believed to be an actual historical
figure - a "tribal hero of ancient India" - whose exploits
form the great Hindu epic of Ramayana or The Romance of
Rama.
Hanuman, the mighty ape
that aided Lord Rama in his expedition against evil
forces, described in the epic Ramayana, is one of the most
popular idols in the Hindu pantheon. Believed to be an
avatar of Lord Shiva, Hanuman is worshipped as a symbol of
physical strength, perseverance and devotion. In times of
trouble, it is a common faith among Hindus to chant the
name of Hanuman or sing his hymn - "Hanuman Chalisa".
Hanuman temples are among the most common public shrines
found in India.
The peace-loving deity of
the Hindu Trinity, Vishnu is the Preserver or Sustainer of
life with his steadfast principles of order, righteousness
and truth. When these values are under threat, Vishnu
emerges out of his transcendence to restore peace and
order on earth. Vishnu�s earthly incarnations have 10
major avatars. The devout followers of Vishnu are called
Vaishnavas, and his consort is Lakshmi. Vishnu is
popularly worshipped as Lord Venkateshwara in the southern
India.
Goddess Lakshmi means
"Good Luck" to Hindus. The word 'Lakshmi' is derived from
the Sanskrit word Laksya, meaning 'aim' or 'goal', and she
is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both material and
spiritual. She is the household goddess of most Hindu
families, and a favorite of women. Lakshmi is depicted as
a beautiful woman of golden complexion, with four hands,
sitting or standing on a full-bloomed lotus and holding a
lotus bud, which stands for beauty, purity and fertility.
The Mother Goddess � known
variously as Durga, Bhavani, Sherawali, Amba, Chandika,
Gauri, Parvati, Vaishno Devi � represents the fiery powers
of the gods. The name �Durga� means �inaccessible�, and
she is the personification of the active side of the
divine �shakti� energy of Lord Shiva. Durga is usually
portrayed as riding a lion, and carrying weapons in her
many arms. She is the protector of the righteous, and
destroyer of the evil.
Kali, or the dark goddess,
is the fearful and ferocious form of the mother goddess
Durga. She is depicted as having born from the brow of
Goddess Durga during one of her battles with the evil
forces. Kali is represented with perhaps the fiercest
features amongst all the world's deities. Her tongue
protrudes from her mouth, her eyes are red, and her face
and breasts are sullied with blood. She stands with one
foot on the thigh, and another on the chest of her
husband, Shiva.
Saraswati, the goddess of
knowledge and learning, represents the free flow of wisdom
and consciousness. She is the mother of the Vedas, and
chants to her, called the 'Saraswati Vandana' often begin
and end Vedic lessons. The goddess of wisdom, art and
music, she is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga.
It is believed that goddess Saraswati endows human beings
with the powers of speech, wisdom and learning.
http://hinduism.about.com/od/godsgoddesses/tp/deities.htm
|
|
Download Bengali Songs
Durga
Puja is one of the most important festivel of Bengalies. The festivel goes
on for five days. People play dhak, dhunuchi and shiuli on that occasion.
The occasion starts from Mahalaya day, the day durga was assigned the task
of eliminating evil
|
|
|
){kind=link}