The Trinity and their Consorts
The
Trinity in the Hindu pantheon consists of Brahma the creator, Vishnu
the preserver and Shiva the destroyer. Worshipped as three distinct
gods, they are facets of the one Supreme Reality, known in Hinduism as
Brahman or Parabrahman.
Brahma the creator creates the world
as we see it, Vishnu the preserver oversees that the world created by
Brahma functions according to natural laws, and Shiva the destroyer
ensures that all living beings on earth undergo ‘change’ when their
time comes.
The consorts of the gods in the Hindu Trinity are
goddesses in their own right. Saraswati, the consort of Brahma is the
goddess of knowledge; Lakshmi the goddess of wealth is the consort of
Vishnu; and Parvati, Shiva’s consort, is the goddess of power. The
three goddesses are worshipped separately and also along with their
spouses.
Goddess Gayatri is believed to the personification of
the Supreme Reality. She is worshipped as the culmination of the Hindu
trinity and their consorts in one all-encompassing form.
Vishnu’s avatars
While
Brahma and Shiva are worshipped only in one form, Vishnu is worshipped
in several forms, with ten of his incarnations being widely accepted
and worshipped. Called avatars, some of these incarnations are
worshipped devoutly even today. Narasimha – the part-lion and part-man
manifestation, Rama – the epitome of perfection, and Krishna – the
clever strategist who always strove to uphold dharma are the avatars of
Vishnu, each with several temples dedicated to them.
Lord Venkateshwara at Tirupati
Lord
Venkateshwara, the lord of the seven hills in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh
(South India), is Hinduism’s most popular god in present times. The
hordes of devotees flocking to the temple in Tirupati everyday
challenge the logistical abilities of the temple authorities. Lord
Venkateshwara is believed to be Vishnu playing his role of the
preserver in this eon.
Hanuman, Ganesha and Kartikeya
Hanuman,
the monkey god, has a popular following. A monkey with supernatural
powers, he was Lord Rama’s devoted helper. Devotees pray to him for
devotion and courage. Hanuman is believed to be an avatar of Shiva.
Ganesha,
the rotund, elephant-faced god is the remover of all obstacles, and is
worshipped lovingly all over India. His brother Kartikeya, worshipped
mainly in South India, is believed to grant spiritual knowledge to his
devotees. Both Ganesha and Kartikeya are sons of the divine couple
Shiva and Parvati.
River goddesses
Hinduism
grants rivers the status of ‘mother’, with the greatest being Mother
Ganga – the River Ganges. All rivers are depicted as goddesses and are
enshrined in temples on the riverbank. The Ganga aarti – a ritual
worship of the river Ganges – is a daily affair that brings thousands
of devotees flocking to the banks of the Ganga in Haridwar, Uttar
Pradesh, in North India.
There is no hierarchy in this
multitude of Hindu gods. There are just different reasons, like family
practices, for instance, that make devotees worship one god or the
other. Worship of any god is believed to be directed towards the
Supreme Reality and takes you further along the spiritual path, closer
to the spiritual goal of moksha.
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