Terms. Yuga: a Hindu philosophy that refers to an 'era' within a cycle of four ages: the Satya Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga

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1 DEITIES

2 Terms Brahman: the concept of the Godhead found in Hinduism. Brahman is the unchanging, infinite, immanent, and transcendent reality which is the Divine Ground of all matter, energy, time, space, being, and everything beyond in this universe. Devi: supreme godess, all goddesses are a form of Devi Vedas: are a large body of texts originating in India. They are the oldest scriptural texts of Hinduism. Yuga: a Hindu philosophy that refers to an 'era' within a cycle of four ages: the Satya Yuga, Dvapara Yuga, and Kali Yuga

3 Avatar: In Hindu philosophy, most commonly refers to the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of a higher being, or the Supreme Being onto planet Earth. The Sanskrit word avatāra- literally means descent, and usually implies a deliberate descent into lower realms of existence for special purposes. The term is used primarily in Hinduism, for incarnations of Vishnu whom many Hindus worship as God. Shiva and Ganesha are also described as descending in the form of avatars.

4 Brahma Brahma is part of the Hindu trimurti, and he is the creator of the universe Brahma is depicted as red in color with four heads, bearded faces, and four arms His hands hold a kamandalu, his bow or a rosary, a sacrificial ladle, and the Vedas. Brahman, the Supreme Being, assigned Brahma the work of creating the universe. To assist him in this endeavor, Brahma created 10 Prajapatis (Lord of Creatures, identified as Vishnu and his many forms), who are believed to be the fathers of the human race.

5 Brahma is not worshiped as much as the other gods. This may be because of the following story in Hindu legends Once, Vishnu and Brahma approached Shiva and requested to find his beginning and end. Vishnu was appointed the end, and Brahma the beginning. Each took their journey, and neither could find their appointed destination. Vishnu, satisfied, came up to Shiva and bowed down to him as a form of Brahman. Brahma did not give up so easily. As he was going up, he saw a kaitha flower, dear to Shiva. His ego forced him to ask the flower to bear false witness of Brahma's finding Shiva's beginning. When Brahma told his tale, Shiva, the all-knowing, was angered by Brahma s ego. Shiva thus cursed him so that no being in the three worlds will worship him.

6 Vishnu Vishnu is another one of the Hindu trimurti He is the preserver of the world As the preserver, he represents mercy and goodness He is said to be the cosmic ocean, which was the only thing in existence before the creation of the universe. He comes in primarily ten avatars: Matsya, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Balarama, Buddha, Kalk, and Yuga

7 Matsya Vishnu s avatars Matsya, the fish, helped warn Manu of the coming deluge (flood) that would destroy all life Kurma, the turtle. He sat at the bottom of the ocean during the great flood. A mountain was placed on his back by the other gods so that they could churn the sea and find the ancient treasures of the Vedic peoples. Varaha, He is in the form of a boar in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of cosmic ocean. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha lasted for a thousand years, Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in the universe. Kurma Varaha

8 Vishnu s avatars Narasimha, the Man-Lion, this form is primarily known as the Great Protector, being a form of Vishnu who specifically defends and protects his devotees in times of need. Vamana, the Dwarf Brahmana (priest). Parashurama, Rama with the axe, who appeared in the Treta Yuga. He fought the advancing ocean back thus saving the lands of Konkan and Malaba. Rama, Sri Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya. He is one of the most popular heroes of Hindu mythology Rama's courage in searching for Sita and fighting a terrible war to rescue his wife and their honor is complemented by Sita's absolute devotion to her husband's love. Narasimha Vamana Parashurama Rama

9 Vishnu s avatars Krishna (meaning 'dark colored' or 'all attractive') appeared in the Dwapara Yuga along with his brother Balarama. Balarama is included as the eighth or ninth Dasavatara in some versions of the list which either contain no reference to Buddha, or list Krishna as the source of all avatars. Buddha (meaning 'the enlightened one') appeared in the Kali Yuga Kalki (meaning "Eternity", or "time", or "The Destroyer of foulness ) is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist, which will end in the year CE. Krishna Buddha Kalki

10 Shiva Shiva is the last one of the Hindu trimurti Shiva is the destroyer and is believed to be a formless, timeless and a space less Supreme God Shiva is considered the holiest of holy names Shiva is the third god and is the destroyer of all evil He represents darkness and is said to be the 'angry god'. Therefore, Shiva is also regarded as a reproductive power, which restores what has been dissolved.

11 A few Other Hindu Deities Saraswati wife of Brahma Lakshmi wealth, light, wisdom, the lotus flower and fortune Durga embodiment of feminine and creative energy Parvati wife of Shiva Kartikeya Perfection Ganesh Knowledge, Remove Obstacles Hanuman Devotion, Courage Gauri Purity, Pusterity Gayatri Vedas

12 Bibliography