Hindu Deities and Heroes Himavath Jois
Trimurti – Brahma “The Creator” Has four heads Few people worship him – due to curse from his wife
Trimurti – Shiva “The Destroyer” Rides the bull Nandi When third eye opens, universe is destroyed and regenerated Carries a trident
Trimurti – Vishnu “The Preserver” Descends to Earth as an “avatar” when the universe needs preserving Sits on the snake Shesha with goddess Parvati Holds a conch, mace, and lotus
Ganesha Elephant headed son of Shiva Rides a mouse Parvati creates Ganesha after scrubbing saffron off of her Head was cut off by Shiva, replaced with an elephant head Worshipped for removal of life’s obstacles
Avatars - Rama Son of Dasharatha and Kaushalya Royal prince forced to live in exile Uses exile to kill the demon Ravana and preserves the world from destruction
Avatars - Krishna Vishnu uses two hairs from him to impregnate Devaki, a prince’s wife on Earth Krishna is born (rain story) Krishna kills demon Kamsa Serves as charioteer for Arjuna, recites the Bhagavad Gita
Indra King of the Gods God of rain, thunder, and lightning, wields thunderbolt – Vajra Defeats the dragon Vritra
Lakshmi Goddess of wealth Sits on lotus flower next to Vishnu Appears in avatars as well Epitome of female beauty
Parvati Shiva’s consort, has many incarnations Durga – rides a lion, carries many weapons Kali – demon slayer, Shiva postrates himself before her, turning her into Parvati
Hanuman “The monkey god” – Vanara Son of wind god Vaayu and Anjana As a child, swallows the sun and is cursed by Indra Vaayu refuses to breathe air into the world, Indra therefore apologizes Serves next to Rama during his exile period
Agni God of fire In Mahabharata, his grandfather is a great sage serving Krishna Agni burns the Khandav forest during the epic
Arjuna Chief hero in Mahabharata, a fight between cousins (good vs. evil) The son of Indra Krishna preaches to him in Bhagavad Gita to be devoted and fight for a just cause