Hindu Gods and Goddesses Flashcards
(28 cards)
Who is Devi? What are some of her other names or manifestations?
Devi literally means Goddess - she is Mother Earth
She is also Sakti (“divine power”), Parvati (“daughter of the mountain”), Uma, Kali (Goddess of Death), Lakshmi, Durga (“stubborn”), Sri, Gauri (“Gold”)
She is worshipped both as Uma/Gauri (the lighter/benevolent sides of her character) and Durga/Kali (the darker sides of her character)
What is an ascetic?
Someone who deprives themself of all physical needs to strengthen the soul
What is Hindu metaphysics?
The belief that all is one in unity, hence the belief in reincarnation
What is the story of Devi and the buffalo demon?
The buffalo demon oppresses the Gods
Devi gives them refuge and practices asceticism
The buffalo demon wants Devi to marry him, her rejection leads to a battle, which Devi wins by gaining power from the blood of victims sacrificed to her, then cutting off the demon’s head
Who is Siva?
The God of the Phallus, which is ironic because he is free of passion and does not want to have kids
He is married to Devi and they quarrel often, but this ultimately strengthens their union and they fuse into an androgyne
He is also known as Hara and Rudra
He is also Lord of the Dance
He is also the Destroyer or Punisher of the wicked (opposite of Vishnu)
Who is Adi?
A God that seeks to kill Siva by disguising himself as Devi and hiding a weapon (teeth) in the vagina
Siva realizes and places a weapon on his phallus, killing Adi
What are Siva and Devi arguing about before Adi tries to kill Siva?
What happens in the end?
Devi sought his love and marriage by practicing asceticism, but now she feels insulted by him and leaves
She is transformed into a new manifestation of herself, returns to Siva, and they make love
Who is Ganesa?
The son of Devi, crafted by Siva from fabric because he doesn’t want to have a child
He is eventually decapitated and his head is replaced with that of an elephant
He is the God of wisdom, literature, and good fortune
Who is Indra?
The God of the rain, also referred to as Sakra, is a mighty and brave warrior known for slaying Trisias and Vrta
Who is Trisias? Why does Indra kill him? What happens after?
A 3-headed God that grows in power as he practices asceticism
Indra grows fearful of his growing power and so, after a failed attempt of the nymphs to seduce Trisias, he kills him and cuts off his heads
This act of brahmincide (killing a priest) is a sin, which Indra must repent for by putting it on someone else (trees, rivers, earth, and women)
Who is Vrta? How does Indra kill him?
A reptile-like demon that Tvastr creates to kill Indra as revenge for killing his son Trisias
He received a boon that he could not be killed during night or day, by wet or dry, by a weapon, etc.
So, during sunset, Indra kills him with foam (which is empowered by Krishna)
This is yet another act of brahmincide that he must repent for
Who is Krishna?
The Supreme God, commonly called Vishnu
Other names include Hari and Madhava
As one of the newer Gods, he tends to use intelligence or indirect power over brute strength
Everything is within him as one = identity is an illusion and doesn’t exist (represented when his mother sees the whole universe in his mouth)
Who is Putanta? What does she attempt to do to Krishna and what happens to her?
Meaning “putrid”, she is the infant-swallower, with a massive burnt body, sharp teeth, and hideous red hair
She finds Krishna concealed as a baby and tries to poison him with breastmilk, but he sucks the life’s breath out of her until she dies
Despite her intentions, she ultimately goes to heaven because her sins are purified when she nurses the divine Krishna
Who is Taraka? What happens in this story?
A demon with great powers whom Krishna attempts to fight (but he fails and flees in fear)
Brahma reveals that only the child of Siva can kill Taraka
So, Indra calls on Kama (the God of desire) to tempt Siva into having a child with Devi
Siva notices Kama’s presence and burns him, but he is revived after Devi convinces Siva to bring him back to life
Who is Lakshmi?
The wife of Vishnu/Krishna
She is the personification of maternal benevolence
One of her notable avatars is Sita
Who is Vishnu?
He is considered the preserver, serving as a figure of comfort and guidance in times of catastrophe (the opposite of Siva)
Two of his most important avatars are Krishna and Rama
Who are Yami and Yama? What happens between them?
Yami (feminine) and Yama (masculine) are twins and Yami wants to become one with Yama by marrying and having a child together (in her eyes, they were destined for one another since birth)
Yama rejects her, setting a moral example about incest
Who is Rama?
An avatar of Vishnu, main character of the Ramayana
He is dedicated to dharma - the principle of justice
Who is Sita?
An avatar of Lakshmi and wife of Rama
She was given to given as a prize after he won a shooting contest with Siva’s bow
Who is Bharata?
A brother of Rama in the Ramayana
His mother uses a boon to make him heir instead of Rama, but he refuses and attempts to convince Rama to come back
He rules temporarily until Rama’s exile is over
Who is Lahshmana?
A brother of Rama in the Ramayana (his closest sibling and best friend)
He goes with Rama into exile and also helps Sita with her trial of fire
Why is Rama sent into exile for 14 years?
His brother, Bharata’s, mother uses one of her boons to make Bharata heir to the throne instead of Rama
He then goes into exile in the forest with Sita and his other brother Lakshmana, leaving behind his sandals as a symbol of his eventual return
Who is Ravana?
The demon that kidnaps Sita in the Ramayana
What does Rama do that’s heroic?
Obeys the decree of his exile and holds onto who he is in the process
Single-handedly conquers an army of 14,000
Rescues Sita, with the help of the holy monkeys, when she is abducted by the demon Ravana
