The Hindu pantheon is headed by the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. There are a range of avatars, other deities, demi-Gods, Demons and sages in the pantheon.
By the time of the Epic period, the Hindu pantheon was very much as we know it today. The Epics and the Puranas, which are the scriptures of this period, refer to this pantheon with minor differences.
At the head of the Hindu pantheon are the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Though they are manifestations of the same Supreme Being, in the Epic period their separate manifestations became important. These Supreme Gods have their consorts. Brahma’s consort Saraswati is the Goddess of Learning. Vishnu’s consort Lakshmi is the Goddess of Prosperity and Shiva’s consort Parvati, is the giver of Shakti, which is best translated as life force.
Vishnu has appeared on earth as several avatars for the purpose of quelling evil. The most important of these are the Rama and Krishna avatars, which are worshipped as independent Gods.
Shiva and Parvati have two sons, Kartikeya and Ganesh, who are an integral part of the Hindu pantheon. Kartikeya is the elder son who is also the leader of the armed forces of the demi-Gods. He is much revered in South India. Ganesh, the God with the elephant head, is the younger son. It has been ordained that no God can be worshipped unless offerings are first made to Ganesh. Also no work of any importance is undertaken until due respects are paid to Ganesh.
Brahma was responsible for the creation of the Universe and everything in it. Using his divine powers Brahma has created many celestial sages who play roles of varying importance in Hindu mythology. The most famous is Narada, who is sometimes the mischievous celestial messenger and at others the epitome of devotion. Another famous sage is Kashyap who is the father of the demi-Gods and Demons. Brahma also created the first man Manu, who was the progenitors of the human race.
The demi-Gods or Devas are subordinate to the Supreme Gods. They represent the various natural forces. Indra is the God of Thunder, Varun the God of Sea, Yama the God of Death and so on. Indra is their king and rules over them with an iron fist. Their kingdom is Heaven. Subordinate to the demi-Gods are the deities of the planets, animals, rivers and so on. The demi-Gods are rarely worshipped today but play an important role in the mythology that has been written down in the Epics and the Puranas.
The archenemies of the Devas are the Demons or Asuras. Both the Devas and Asuras had the same father, the sage Kashyap, but different mothers. Aditi, the mother of the Devas was virtuous and hence the Devas are supposed to be the righteous ones. Diti, the mother of the Asuras, was a shrewish woman and therefore the Asuras are evil. The Devas and Asuras are always at war over the kingdom of Heaven. The Asuras always lose because the trinity, in particular Vishnu, directly or indirectly abets the Devas.
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