PrabhuBhakti Blog

Hindu religion is one of the oldest religions in the world. One can find many Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism. Apauruseya - one which is not originated because of individuals is what Hinduism is referred to as. Gods in Hinduism are referred to like this. There are several deities in Hindu religion but are different forms of the same ultimate truth. Brahman is the supreme power in this universe.

Qualities of God Described in Holy Texts

Holy scriptures of Hinduism contain the characteristics of a god in them. As he is the ultimate power in the universe, everything that happens must be known to him. He is the image of love, beauty and justice. He is the creator of this universe, so he is always ready to bless the living and non-living beings and shower his grace on them. It is mentioned in Rig Veda that eleven Rudras, 12 Adityas, 8 Vasus, Indra and Prajapathi are rulers of all the beings on Earth, the Space and the Heaven. The religious Scripture also says, even though there are many deities in Hinduism, the ultimate power is only one i.e. there is only one truth.

Adhikaara and Ishta Devaa, 2 philosophies in Hinduism, give the choice to devotees to follow any god suiting their belief system and to find answers to their spiritual questions. An individual can believe in any god in order to fulfill his spiritual quest.

Important Gods and Goddesses

As Hinduism has many Goddesses and Gods, it is difficult to classify them in any manner. But, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the most important gods in Hindu religion, who are responsible for creation, preservation or protection and destruction of the universe, respectively. Female deities who are different avtars of Shakti also highly revered in Hinduism in addition to Gods. Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati are 3 important goddesses of Hindu religion. Durga and Kali are also considered to be forms of Shakti.

There are other deities (forms of these gods and goddesses), who are being revered by thousands of devotees. There are thousands of followers for Rama, Krishna, Hanuman and Ganesha, worldwide. Devis and Devas are another name for Goddesses and Gods.

Important Avtars

As per Hindu religion, the most important avtars are the ten avtars of the protector, Vishnu. Hindus believe that Lord Vishnu, in order to protect the world from evil spirits, takes birth in different avtars in each Yuga. There are 10 avtars of Vishnu. They are Balarama, Vamana, Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Narasimha, Rama, Parashurama, Krishna and Khalki. According to Hinduism, we currently live in Kaliyuga and Vishnu take the form of Khalki, the tenth incarnation.

Hindus also worship sun, air, water, fire and earth. These are also known as five elements. They respect flora and fauna and regard them as gifts from god.

Famed as the granary of South India, Thanjavur or Tanjore is a place in Tamil Nadu renowned for music, art and wealth, but best known for its temple architecture. The place hosts some of the world renowned architectural wonders. The ancient Tanjore was a strong hold of the Chola dynasty, after whom the Marathas and Nayaks came in.

Tanjore became prosperous under the rule of Chola king Rajaraja Cholan I, who built the world famous Brihadeeswara temple. The temple turned 1000 last year and was built in 1010AD. The temple is completely built in granite and has been listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Brihadeeswara temple, also known as big temple, has one of the tallest temple towers or Vimanas in the world and the tallest in Southern part of India, which measures 216 ft in length. The big Kalash on the top is believed to be carved out from a single stone. This Shiva temple has a single-stone statue of Nandi, Lord Shiva’s vehicle outside the temple, which is16 ft long and 13 ft high. The shadow of the temple gopuram never falls on ground, a popular belief which makes the temple attract many visitors and devotees of Lord Shiva.

Tirupati and Amarnath are two of the most popular pilgrimage sites in India. Log on to Prabhubhakti to know more about them. 

India is home to many of the most beautiful architectural structures. Ellora caves, situated in the state of Maharashtra, are famous for their cave temples and sculptures. The many temples in this area are excavated from rocks and represent three different faiths viz Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. Ellora caves, built around 350 AD, are the most perfect example of cave architecture in India.

You can find 34 temples laid from north to south, in total in the area, among which 17 in the centre are dedicated to Hinduism, 12 caves to the south side are to Buddhism and 5 to the north side are dedicated to Jainism. The Buddhist caves, of which the main one is the Vishwakarma cave, were built in 7^th and 8^th centuries where as the caves built for Hindu deities (important ones are that of Kailasanatha, Dasavathara, Rameshwara, Dhumar Lena and Nikantha) were built from 7^th century to 9^th. The Jain caves were built in the 9^th century.

Very close to the city of Aurangabad, these cave temples were built by the rulers of Rashtrakuda dynasty. Ellora caves are listed as a heritage site by the UNESCO.

To read the childhood stories of Krishna in Vrindaban, log on to Prabhubhakti.

There are many symbols in Hinduism that reveal a lot about creation, universe and are different ways to connect with god, the supreme power. One of those important symbols is Yantra, meaning a machine or an instrument. This symbol has sets of geometrical shapes, which represent divinity. These geometrical shapes are usually circles, triangles, squares and dot.

Yantras have a dot, known as Bindu, at the centre, from where creation, space, time and energy emanate. The different geometrical patterns represent the unfolding of creation.

The Sri Yantra is considered to be symbol of Goddess of Shakti and emanate great power from them. Sages and people who are in search of spiritual enlightenment use this symbol for meditation. Numerical Yantras are used as talismans which have the power to mitigate illnesses, repel negative forces, attract happiness and wealth. Some Yantras have a bija mantra or seed mantra at the centre instead of the bindu, representing a particular deity.

The Yantra is a focal point where you concentrate all your energies, the relentless chatter of mind ends and calms down. Gradually the mind becomes free of all thoughts and silent. Sages with higher consciousness use Yantras to connect with the absolute power.

Know more about Brahma and Shivafrom Prabhubhakti.

As you all know Hanuman is the devotee, friend and a close associate of Lord Rama, the King of Ayodhya. There are many stories of Hanuman helping Lord Rama during his fourteen years of exile from Ayodhya. Never can the incident of saving Lord Lakshmana by bringing Mrita Sanjeevani and searching for Devi Sita in Lanka, be forgotten by any Hanuman devotee.

Hanuman’s affection towards Lord Rama is popular with all his worshippers. You might have noticed Lord Hanuman with Sindoor covered body in almost all the temples. The reason behind this act reveals his love for Lord Rama.

The story goes like this – One day Devi Sita was applying Sindoor on her forehead and Hanuman saw this. Out of curiosity he asked the reason for this act. She replied with a smile that, applying Sindoor will bring all the good luck to Lord Rama and he will lead a prosperous and happy life. Hearing this, he disappeared and came back with his body fully smeared with Sindoor. He said he wanted to see Rama happier and leading a longer life. Lord Rama heard this and gave a boon to his devotees saying whoever worships Hanuman by applying Sindoor to his body will be able to lead a happy life.