The+Art+of+HINDU+GODS+AND+GODDESSES

__ **The Trimurti - The Three Most Important Hindu Gods** __

They are: __** Brahma - The Creator **__ Brahma is the source, the seed, and the creator of all beings in the world. At the time of creation, he emerged as the first differentiated consciousness from the primal waters. Brahma created himself.

__**Vishnu - The Preserver** __ Vishnu is described as the god of three strides, the upholder of law and the giver of boons. Over the course of time, he became Narayana, which means the dweller of waters and dweller of human beings.

__**Shiva - The Destroyer** __ Shiva is the quintessential destroyer. His duty is to destroy all the worlds at the end of creation and dissolve them into nothingness. There are thousands of other Hindu gods and goddesses. A few of these are __: __ __**Annapurna** __ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 19px; text-align: center;">The Hindu goddess of food and cooking. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">She is able to supply food to an unlimited number of people

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">__<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">**Ganesha** __ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">All tantric and spiritual worship in the Hindu tradition begins with the invocation of Lord Ganesha, the elephant headed god. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">Ganesha became the Lord of all existing beings after winning a contest from his brother Kartikay. media type="youtube" key="v9OWmku3U1M" height="283" width="504" align="center"

The mantra of Ganesha

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">__<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">**Maya** __ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">The literal meaning of the word "Maya" is illusion. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">Maya creates the ignorance of the individual self.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">__<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">**Saraswati** __ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, and all of the creative arts. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">She is called the mother of the Vedas and the repository of Brahma's creative intelligence. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">She is the main muse of every Indian artist.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">__<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">**Buddha** __ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">In Hinduism, Buddha is regarded as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">This is a true honour, even though Buddhists may not see it that way.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">__<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">**Krishna** __ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">Krishna is commonly regarded as the eighth incarnation of Vishnu. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">He is the embodiment of love and divine joy that destroys all pain and sin, the protector of <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">sacred utterances and cows, and an instigator of all forms of knowledge and born to establish the religion of love.

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">__<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">**Lakshmi** __ <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">As soon as the gods saw Lakshmi, they all fell in love with her beauty and Shiva claimed her as his wife. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">Shiva had already taken the Moon, and so Lakshmi was given to Vishnu, whom she preferred. <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Palatino Linotype','Book Antiqua',Palatino,serif; text-align: center;">Lakshmi is the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth.