For a European, Hinduism seems to be something very complex, incomprehensible, alien. This is partly due to polytheism, which has reached incredible proportions. All these Indian gods, goddesses, spirits. It seems that remembering their names and functions is simply impossible. However, as in any religion, along with many secondary
petty gods or saints there is the so-called supreme pantheon. In Hinduism, as in Christianity, there is an idea of the trinity of the Most High, but in a slightly different aspect. There is a certain dynamism here - the creator-almighty-destroyer. Thus, the supreme Indian gods, whose names are Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, are considered not just supreme. They reflect the dynamism in the development of all things.
All Indian gods and demigods had wives. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva were no exception. Their companions were called, respectively, Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvatti. These goddesses were also considered supreme and revered by the Hindus. They, along with their husbands, controlled the lives of people. So, Saraswati patronized music, art and literature. According to legend, it was she who invented Sanskrit - the oldest written language. Lakshmi was considered the goddess of love, family hearth, good luck. She embodies the wife of all the incarnations of Vishnu. Parvatti is the wife of Shiva. In a negative aspect, she is revered under the name Kali. In this case, she is fully consistent with her husband, as it represents destruction. Kali is portrayed as a terrible many-armed woman in a necklace of skulls, with black developing hair, bloody fangs.
There are other Indian gods especially revered in India. For example, Ganesha,
son of Parvatti and Shiva. He is depicted with the
head of an elephant and is revered as the keeper of wealth, prosperity and happiness, a god who removes obstacles and the patron of sciences. Ganesha is also the leader of the minions of Shiva. He is often portrayed as dancing.
The Indian god of love - Kama - looks like his antique "colleague." He is portrayed as a handsome young man with a bow and arrow. Only his bow is made of reed, and instead of arrows - flowers.
Indian gods often lost their paramount importance, transforming into the lords of the cardinal points. For example, Varuna is a god-judge, the embodiment of world order and justice. In addition, Varuna is the almighty of the sea waters, the god of rain and turbulent currents. He held the highest court and punished sinners, but gradually lost its meaning, transforming into the ruler of the West.
Indra is originally the god of war, battle, thunder and lightning, the king of all demigods. He had lightning in his hand, with which he punished enemies or brought back to life the soldiers who had fallen in battle. Also lost its original meaning, becoming the ruler of the east.
Surya is
the sun god, the all-seeing eye of the gods. His main task was to pour out the light. Surya walked across the sky, delimiting day and night. Some myths mention the seven horses on which he circled the sky. In this version, Surya has something in common with Helios. Over time, became the ruler of the southeast.
God Yama is the lord of the kingdom of the dead. His wife and companion - Yami - embodies his creative energy. Yama is considered the brother of Manu, the first person to survive the Flood. And although Yama was originally a merciful god, over time he, like many Indian gods, acquired very different qualities and began to be revered as a fierce destructive force.