Summary
Highlights
Hinduism believes in Brahman, the ultimate reality, with numerous gods and goddesses representing its different aspects. This makes Hinduism both pantheistic and polytheistic. There are 33 million gods, but this video will cover the most important ones.
Brahma emerged from a golden egg to create the world. He was once a fundamental deity but his worship decreased over time, replaced by Vishnu and Shiva. He is part of the Trimurti and husband of Saraswati, often depicted with four faces.
Vishnu is the god of preservation and protector of good, a supreme god in Vaishnavism. He is part of the Trimurti and Lakshmi's consort, known for several avatars like Rama and Krishna. He is highly worshipped in modern Hinduism and depicted with a lotus, discus, and conch.
Shiva is the third god of the Trimurti, representing destruction of evil, meditation, time, and yoga. He is the supreme god of Shaivism and Parvati's consort. He has many avatars, a female counterpart (Parvati, Kali, or Durga), and is associated with the Ganges River, often depicted with three eyes, a trident, and a snake.
Parvati is the Hindu mother goddess presiding over energy, creativity, marriage, and motherhood. She is Shiva's wife and part of the Tridevi, with associations to childbirth, love, beauty, fertility, and divine strength. She has over a thousand names and is important in Shaivism.
Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, art, and music, believed to preside over consciousness and wisdom. She is the daughter of Shiva and Durga, and wife of Brahma, credited with creating Sanskrit. She is depicted flying on a white goose and holding a book, giving humankind speech and intelligence.
Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, good fortune, and material accomplishments, Vishnu's consort and central to Vaishnavism. She is associated with prosperity and spiritual fulfillment, often depicted with four arms holding lotus flowers and sometimes with white elephants. She is one of the essential goddesses and part of the Tridevi.
Durga is the goddess of protection, a central figure in the struggle between good and evil. She is the protectress of good and destroyer of evil, depicted riding a lion into battle with multiple arms holding weapons. She is also worshipped as a mother goddess, with her principal festival being Durga Puja. She is sometimes seen as Shiva's consort or an aspect of Shiva.
Ganesha, son of Shiva and Parvati, is the god of success, wisdom, and new beginnings, and the remover of obstacles. He is widely worshipped across all branches of Hinduism, ranking among the most influential deities. He is depicted as a potbellied elephant, sometimes riding a mouse, and is central to rights and adorations concerning new beginnings.
Kali is the Hindu goddess of destruction, death, war, violence, and time, sometimes an avatar or wife of Shiva, or a violent incarnation of Parvati. She is depicted with black or blue skin, wearing a skirt of severed arms and a garland of heads. She represents the wild side of destruction and is associated with sexuality and motherly love.
Krishna is Vishnu's eighth avatar, god of compassion, tenderness, protection, and love, also worshipped as a supreme god. His symbol is the flute, used for seductive purposes, and he is often depicted as blue-skinned playing it. He is the central figure of the Bhagavad Gita and a highly adored god in modern Hinduism.
Rama is Vishnu's seventh avatar, the main character of the Ramayana epic. He is known for chivalry and virtue, representing righteousness, ethics, morality, and reason. He symbolizes the unity between mental, physical, and psychical realms and embodies human perfection.
Hanuman, the monkey god, is an iconic figure in Vaishnavism and a main character in the Ramayana. He represents physical strength, devotion, perseverance, and service. He helped Lord Rama and is known for his loyalty, often depicted tearing open his chest to reveal Rama and Sita. His temples are common in India, and he is worshipped as the god of martial arts and scholarship.
Beyond the prime deities, other notable gods include: Indra (former king of gods, now god of rains), Agni (god of fire), Surya (god of the sun), Prajapati (creator, identified with Brahma), Aditi (mother of Vishnu, goddess of the infinite), Balarama (Vishnu incarnation, Krishna's companion), Harihara (combination of Vishnu and Shiva), Kalki (future avatar of Vishnu), Nataraja (Shiva as the cosmic dancer), Skanda (Shiva's war-god son), Varuna (Vedic god of sky and morality), Kubera (god of wealth), and Yama (god of death).