Hindus are all over the world, but most Hindus are found in India. The only country where the majority of the population is Hindu is neighboring Nepal. There are many gods in Hinduism, arising from all the movements, and we will highlight a few here.
Hinduism and the gods
Hinduism actually consists of a number of different movements, but for convenience it was once summarized (in the 19th century) by the British under the name Hinduism. This name in turn comes from the Persian pronunciation for the people of the Sundu River, who later became Hindu. The corruption again has to do with the pronunciation.
All these movements have their own saints and predecessors and also their favorite gods. Some of the most famous and for some very important are Brahma, the creator, Shiva, the destroyer and recreater and Vishnu, the preserver.
What do the gods stand for (some well-known ones)
Brahma
Brahma is the god of creation, the creator of the universe and god of wisdom. His wife is Saraswati and stands for art, music and literature.
Vishnu
Vishnu represents the sustainer, the custodian and he does this with the four arms depicted holding the lotus flower, the trumpet shell, the discus and the club. His wife is Lakshmi.
Lakshmi
Lakshmi represents love, beauty and prosperity. Born from the ocean, she is ambitious. It represents liberation from the cycle of life and death and is achieved through hard work, dedication and sacrifice.
Shiva
Shiva represents the destroyed aspects of God, the dynamics and is also the god of the yogis. After all, everything is only temporary and at some point it will change or destroy. The often dancing Shiva represents energy that travels through the universe and causes the extremes of seasons, new life and death. Parvati is his wife.
Parvati
Parvati faces marriage and loves to serve her beloved Shiva. She represents the stable factor in the whole, the one who makes the earth’s crops blossom and with her seductive beauty you get to know life. She is strong, a tower of strength.
Durga
Durga represents power, power with which the universe has flourished. She draws her strength from the lion, with which she defeats the demons. She is too strong for the demons who want to take over the earthly world.
Ganesha
Ganesha is the optimist. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva and has the famous elephant head. He represents wisdom and knowledge and he removes obstacles that you encounter during your life. He owes the elephant head to his father, because thinking it was an intruder he beheaded Ganesha and then discovered that it was his son. He got the elephant’s head in return.
Hanuman
Hanuman is more or less the monkey god and is one of heroic deeds and matchless powers. Vayu is his father and lord of the wind, which gives him the ability to fly. He is smart and selfless and acts accordingly.
Finally
Even if you are not religious or you follow another faith, the stories surrounding the gods, who come from all the movements, can still be impressive. Much has been written about the gods over the years and so you get an impression of what they stand for. Typical, but certainly also beautiful, is the fact that no matter how cruel they sometimes are, in the end they always stand for what is right. my view on