text:
Don't mess with her—

take my word for it.

This book is protected by the great

goddess Kali and belongs to:

Dedicated to

One  Orange  Giraffe

PLUME

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Copyright © Sanjay Patel, 2006

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eISBN 978-1-101-65779-9

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Book  design by  Sanjay Patel

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Ladoos (Sweets)

Who  knew there were so

many gods?

Introduction

Ganesha Blessing

Ganesha

Trimurti (Hindu Trinity)

Brahma

Vishnu

Shiva

Manifestations of Shiva

Uma Maheshvara

Rudra

Bhairava

Nataraja

Lingam

Mother Goddess (Mahadevi)

Sarasvati

Durga

Lakshmi

Parvati

Sita

Kali

Ten Avatars of Vishnu

(Dashavatar)

Matsya (fish)

Kurma (turtle)

Varaha (boar)

Narasimha (lion)

Vamana (dwarf)

Parashurama

Rama

Krishna

Buddha

Kalki

Hindu Epics

Mahabharata

Bhagavad Gita

Ramayana

Demigods

Agni

Indra

Vayu

Kubera

Varuna

Kama

Karttikeya

Ganga

Yama

Nine Planets (Navagraha)

Surya

Chandra

Mangala

Guru

Budha

Sukra

Shani

Rahu

Ketu

Animal Gods

Nagas

Garuda

Hanuman

Surabhi

Chronology of Creation

Satya (Krita) Yuga

Treta Yuga

Duapara Yuga

Kali Yuga

Glossary

Acknowledgments

Sanjay Patel

3-26-06

There was one big bonus to waking  up  early to help my dad: cartoons.  Specifically, I

liked  Japanese  cartoons like  Voltron  and  Robotech. I  would sit glued to the TV as long

as possible  until  it was time to go off to school.  By  the time  I  got back home in the

afternoon, it was  American  cartoons like  Looney Tunes, GI Joe, and  Transformers  that

held my imagination, and when the cartoons were over,  I  would pore over comics

and draw from them—this was my nirvana.  As I  got older  I  never lost the passion for

drawing or animation, so  I  enrolled at  CalArts  in the character animation department.

In  two short years,  I  was recruited by  Pixar. The art of animation merges many powerful

disciplines, but  I  always gravitated toward storytelling and design—which are the

perfect tools to retell the  Hindu  mythology.

Hindu  imagery is a feast of storytelling, design, and philosophy.  But  as  I  was growing

up, I  saw it as a mystery of people and animals that made no sense.  Being  raised in the

East-West  culture clash,  I  was exposed to  Hinduism  through my parents' best efforts,

but they were met by my lack of interest due to my frustration with trying to fit in.

I'm  what some might call  ABCD, American-born  confused Desi  (Indian),  though  I  was

actually born in the  United  Kingdom.  I  have no formal education in  Hindu  mythology

beyond what my family exposed me to.  It  was only after  I  started drawing  Hindu

gods that  I  started to ask serious questions. This is where my informal education of

Hinduism  began and the confusion started to clear.  I  examined books full of  vivid

miniature paintings of  Hindu  mythology and would draw my own  versions  of them.

Gradually I  started to read about my favorite gods and goddesses, was entertained by

their exploits, and began to  understand  what they have come to symbolize. The more

I  read and researched, the more inspired  I  was to draw, and before  I  knew it,  I  was well

on my way to creating this book.

I've  tried to take a fun and lighthearted approach to designing these gods. This

mythology is the source of deep religious belief for millions of people and, with this

in mind,  I've  treaded  very  carefully and looked to create the most harmless and  joyful

designs possible.  I  quickly made a connection with  Sanrio's  ultracute  Hello  Kitty

designs and thought, "Well, there's a style that no one could get offended by."  My  first

experiment was "chunky monkey," a drawing  I  did of a plump  Hanuman  flying in the

air.  I  showed it to my wife, and she shook her head with a big smile on her face.  From

there  I  drew  Shiva  surrounded by cute cobras that looked more like worms and  Krishna

playing his flute.  But  it was designing the more frightening aspects of  Hinduism  that

I  had the most fun with, such as the goddess  Kali  and her dual aspects of fear and

comfort.  She  may be carrying the head of her  victim,  but she has an innocent smile

that's also sort of disarming and comforting.  It's  my sincere hope that these designs

and explanations pique people's curiosity and help them make a fun connection to the

ancient mythologies of  Hinduism.

Ganesha  was granted a  very  special gift to make  up  for the fact

that he had an elephant's head.  His  gift was that no one would

begin important endeavors or pujas  (religious  rituals) without

seeking  Ganesha's  blessing first.  Carrying  on in the  Hindu

tradition,  The Little Book of Hindu Deities  starts by honoring and

introducing  Ganesha.

Ganesha  is the eldest son of  Shiva  and his wife,  Parvati,

and he is the lord of all living things.  He  became lord

when he beat his brother, Karttikeya, in a race around

the  universe. Instead  of bolting across the earth like his

brother did,  Ganesha  simply circled his parents—the

sources of life—to win the race. There are many stories

that explain how  Ganesha  came to have the head of an

elephant.  One  says that his mother created  Ganesha  out

of dirt to protect her while  Shiva  was away.  When Shiva

came home to see his wife,  Ganesha  refused him entry,

not realizing who  Shiva  was, and in anger  Shiva  cut

off his son's head.  In  a panic to appease his distraught

wife,  Shiva  brought  Ganesha  back to life and gave him

the head of an elephant.  It  wasn't a perfect match, but

Ganesha's  elephant ears have served him well, the

better to hear the needs of his people.  Ganesha  brings

good luck and also clears obstacles, as symbolized by

the ax he carries.  For  these reasons he is worshipped

before important events and rituals.  Ganesha  also has

a sweet tooth, so be sure to share your ladoos  (sweets)

with him.

(guh-NAY-shuh)

In Hinduism, God is thought to be made up of three gods. This holy trinity is

known as the Trimurti. The three forms of this trinity are the gods  Brahma,

Vishnu, and Shiva. Hindus believe that the gods within the trinity represent

the following three aspects: creation  (Brahma);  preservation  (Vishnu);  and

destruction  (Shiva). But  we should not forget that behind all great gods

there are great goddesses that assist them in their duties. These goddesses

are the consorts of the Trimurti; they are  Sarasvati, Lakshmi,  and  Parvati.

(try-MOOR-tee)

A  single day in  Brahma's  life lasts more than four million

years.  He  is the creator of the world and all the living

things  upon  it.  It  is said that when  Brahma  wanted to

create the  universe,  he designed a goddess out of his

own flesh and blood.  She  came to be known as  Sarasvati.

Being  a shy goddess,  Sarasvati  was  uncomfortable  with

Brahma's  adoring eyes and tried to hide from his gaze.

But  each way she turned,  Brahma  sprouted a head so

he could always watch her.  In  addition to having four

heads,  Brahma  keeps his four hands busy grooming his

long beards.  Sometimes  he rides a magical goose or

white swan endowed with the ability to tell good from

evil.  Unlike  other gods,  Brahma  carries no weapon,

though he does keep a carafe of water with him at all

times, and not  just  to quench his thirst—it contains

the source of life.  Brahma  is also the keeper of the

Holy Vedas,  the books containing the story of how the

world was created.  Brahma's  four faces are thought to

represent the four  Vedas,  though you can only ever see

three of his faces, since his fourth face is always behind

him.

(BRUH-ma)

It  is said that good and evil forces are always battling

for control of the world—the gods work to preserve the

good, and the demons work to spread evil.  Vishnu's  role

in the great trinity is that of the invincible protector.

Generally,  when all is going well, good and evil are in

balance.  When  things fall into chaos, however,  Vishnu

takes a trip down to earth to preserve justice. Sometimes

he comes as himself, a blue four-armed god, but he

can also appear in the form of  Matsya,  Kurma,  Varaha,

Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama,  Krishna,

Buddha,  or Kalki. These are the ten incarnations, or

avatars, of  Vishnu.  The most famous incarnations are

his seventh, eighth, and ninth forms,  Rama,  Krishna,

and  Buddha. Vishnu  is often depicted sleeping in the

coils of a giant snake floating on a cosmic ocean, though

he recommends that  unless  you're invincible, it's better

to sleep in your own bed than on snakes.

(VISH-noo)

Shiva  is one of the oldest gods of  India  and plays many

important roles.  He  is a devout meditator and yogi, a cosmic

dancer setting the rhythms of the  universe,  a benevolent

protector and husband, and part of the great  Hindu  trinity.

Shiva  is the god of destruction, transformation, and

regeneration.  As  such, snakes and deer are often associated

with  Shiva,  as they are able to shed their skin or grow new

antlers.  Shiva  is often found meditating on top of the

Himalayas,  a place of pilgrimage for thousands of  Hindus.

Although Shiva  likes to get away from it all, he is also

husband to  Parvati  and father to  Ganesha  and Karttikeya,

so he's got a pretty busy life.  He  might sport a loincloth and

have long hippie hair, but he's still a responsible father—

aside from that time he cut off  Ganesha's  head.  Shiva

usually  has a trident stuck into the ground next to where

he's sitting. The three tines of this pitchfork-type weapon

correspond to the creation, protection, and destruction

of the  universe. At  his other side, he has a drum so he can

kick  up  his heels when he's done meditating.  Some  think

that when  Shiva  finishes dancing, the world will come to an

end—so keep the music coming!  Shiva  has long hair, but he

is not a girl.  He just  doesn't like haircuts.

(SHIV-ah)

Hindu  gods are not strictly defined; they evolve organically to

merge many ideologies as one.  Shiva  is narrowly defined within

the  Hindu  trinity as a destructive force, but taken in isolation

we see he is, in fact, a god with many faces and attributes.

These aspects take shape as  Shiva's  manifestations from loving

husband, nurturing father, and meditative yogi to terrifying

protector. Depending on the circumstance,  Shiva  takes on a

different form to protect his devotees.

Shiva  and his consort,  Parvati,  symbolize the yin and yang

of nature.  Parvati  is also known as  Uma,  and  Shiva  is also

known as  Maheshvara.  Together they are the inseparable

one, known as  Uma Maheshvara.  Through  Parvati, Shiva

is able to manifest his full potential and express himself

as a loving husband and caring father.  Without  her

he would remain an isolated monk immersed in yoga

meditation.  Parvati  not only complements  Shiva,  she

completes him.  According  to myth, after their marriage,

Shiva  and  Parvati  went on a honeymoon that lasted many

years, which irritated the gods to no end. The gods took

it  upon  themselves to try and break  up  the two lovebirds,

but whenever they tried to interrupt,  Shiva  would

quickly expose the gods to the melting heat of his third

eye.  Eventually Shiva  and  Parvati  emerged as a married

couple with their children, Karttikeya  (also  known as

Skanda)  and  Ganesha,  making a home on  Mount  Kailash,

in the  Himalayas.  The constant companion and  vehicle  of

Lord Shiva  and his family is the snow-white bull known

as  Nandi,  on whom, it is thought, only those who have

conquered their desires through yoga are fit to ride.  Who

needs a dog as a companion when you can ride a bull?

That is, if you've done your yoga.

(OO-ma  muh-hesh-VAR-ah)

Perhaps  the first and oldest manifestation of  Shiva  is the god

Rudra ("howler"). According  to legend,  Brahma,  the god of

creation, was once so angry that from his forehead sprang

Rudra,  who split into male and female forms, representing

the perfect balance of the male and female energies. To the

early  Hindu  practitioners,  Rudra  was a nature god who took

out his  vengeance  through natural disasters. The  Vedas

have many references to  Rudra's  wrath and came to call

him by many names: the roaring god, the terrible god, the

god of storms, and the god of the tempest.  No  one was safe

from  Rudra;  he brought sickness to gods, men, and animals.

But  to be fair,  Rudra  wasn't all bad. The  Vedas  also mention

that if you were lucky enough to be on his good side,  Rudra

could be kind and generous.  As Hinduism  progressed over

time,  Rudra's  destructive qualities merged with the traits of

other beneficial gods of nature.  Eventually,  he came to be

known as a caring god and as the lord of the animals and the

patron of hunters.  You  can recognize  Rudra  by the antelope

emerging from his hand and the ax carried by hunters in

his other hand. This complex evolution—from wrathful

primitive god to sympathetic icon of meditation—explains

many of  Shiva's  contradictions.

(ROO-drah)

Shiva  has dozens of manifestations in his enraged aspect, but

Bhairava  is  Shiva  at his most terrifying.  Bhairava  is especially

scary since he has the power to conjure  up  our own worst fears

and force  us  to confront them.  Bhairava  appears before  us

naked and horrible, displaying his sharp fangs.  It's  no surprise

that his name has become synonymous with fear—he is thought

to be a manifestation of  Shiva's  anger and his  vengeance  toward

Lord Brahma. According  to legend,  Brahma  created a beautiful

daughter and grew to have  unnatural  desires for her.  Because

he was so enamored with his own daughter,  Brahma  actually

grew a fifth head so he could pay constant attention to her.  But

his daughter was suffocated by all of her father's attention and

decided it would be better to die and move on to heaven than be

shamed by her own father.  Shiva  was so offended by the creator's

actions that his anger took on the terrifying shape of  Bhairava

and exacted  vengeance  on  Brahma  by cutting off one of his five

heads.  Brahma  learned a painful lesson and ended his lust for

his own creations.  But  since  Brahma  was actually  Shiva's  father,

the beheading caused  Bhairava  great grief.  Bhairava  atoned for

his sins by doing penance.  He  became a beggar and was cursed

to  use  his father's decapitated skull as a begging bowl.  For  years

Bhairava  wandered in near blindness with  Brahma's  skull stuck

to his hand.  Only upon  reaching the holy city of  Benares  did he

receive forgiveness, and the begging bowl dropped from his

hand.  Bhairava  does have some redeeming qualities.  He  is  useful

as a protector against harm and is still painted in  villages  to ward

off evil spirits.  But  two wrongs don't make a right—so next time

you're angry with your parents, don't turn into a monster.

(bai-RUH-vuh)

One  of the great symbols of  Hinduism  is  Shiva's

manifestation as  Nataraja,  the king of dancers.  Nataraja's

cosmic dance symbolizes the balance of the three

aspects of the  Hindu  trinity—creation, preservation, and

destruction—where opposites are intrinsically connected.

To begin,  Nataraja  holds a small drum in his  upper  right

hand from which creation is said to spring forth in the

form of musical rhythm.  His  lower right hand forms a

gesture of blessing, symbolizing preservation. The  upper

left hand holds a flame, which is thought to symbolize

the destruction of life. Thus, the hand holding the drum

and the one holding fire balance the forces of creation

and destruction. The arm held across the chest gestures

toward his raised foot as a promise of Nataraja's mercy and

kindness to all his devotees.  His  other foot rests on a dwarf

demon, which is thought to symbolize human cruelty

and people's lack of respect for one another. Through his

dance,  Nataraja  shows  us  how to achieve enlightenment;

by forgetting yourself and losing hold of maya  (illusion),

you can finally be liberated from the cycle of death and

rebirth.  Who  else but a god can manage to do so much

while standing on only one foot?

(NUH-tuh-rahj-uh)

It  is important to note that the lingam is not a manifestation

but an age-old symbol of  Shiva.  Due to  Shiva's  complex

forms and aspects, a simple stone became the easiest way

to worship him. The lingam can be found in almost all of

Shiva's  temples as the focal point of worship.  Lingams  are

usually  composed of stone, either carved or found already

formed.  Generally  a smooth rounded stone is placed  upright

into a circular base known as a yoni. Together the stone

and the base symbolize the  union  of man and woman, also

known as  Shiva  and  Shakti.  The yoni typically has an inner

ring that acts as a drain for water that is offered  upon  the

lingam during ceremonies.  Sometimes  there is a hanging

pot of water above it with a tiny hole in the bottom to allow

a constant drip of water to fall  upon  the holy stone. The

lingam is seen by many as a phallic symbol or as a sign of

Shiva's  fertile energy. This energy is thought to radiate heat,

which is why water is offered  upon  it, to cool or calm the god's

energy.  Often  the lingam is marked with three horizontal

lines that represent the three aspects of the divine. During

puja,  Shiva  devotees mark their own foreheads with three

lines in sacred ash or sandalwood paste.  Perhaps  the next

time you are skipping stones near a river, you might find a

sign of  Lord Shiva.

(LIN-gum)

Mahadevi  is a complex figure and takes on many forms.  Her  early

incarnations were associated with fertility and nature, such as the

goddess  Ganga,  who later manifested herself as the life-sustaining

river  Ganges. Later Mahadevi  became  Shiva's  benevolent and loving

wife,  Parvati,  who matches her husband in her mastery of yoga.

Finally,  she became the  ultimate  goddess, appearing as a bloodthirsty

warrior known as Durga and Kali.

(Mahadevi)

Sarasvati  is the goddess of knowledge and the arts.  She  has

the proud status of being the first goddess to be worshipped

in  Hinduism  and is a shining example for her younger siblings,

Lakshmi  and  Parvati. Goddess Sarasvati,  being wise and creative,

was thought to be the perfect match for  Brahma,  the lord of

creation.  But  according to some legends,  Sarasvati  and  Brahma

had a disastrous marriage.  Put  off by  Sarasvati's  lack of affection

due to her being both his daughter and wife,  Brahma  chose to

disinherit her and kick her out of his house.  So  much for divorce

court.  But  this great insult didn't go  unpunished. Brahma  was

subsequently cursed to lose his devotees and their worship in the

temples. Thankfully,  Sarasvati  bounced back with a fabulous set

of pearl mala  (rosaries)  to channel her anger through meditation,

and went on to establish a  unique  identity.  She  developed a

creative community of her own and has come to symbolize the

independent woman as a thinker and a gifted creator. Though

this goddess has no children, it is widely believed that musicians,

artists, writers, and students are all part of her family and  under

her care.  Free  from a husband's nagging,  Sarasvati  enjoys playing

her instrument, the  veena,  as loud as she wants and can sit

glued to her favorite books, the  Vedas,  guilt-free for hours.  She

is a picture of grace and elegance, so it's little wonder that she

chooses the beautiful white swan as her constant companion.

Gods,  eat your heart out, because this goddess is not available

or interested—that is,  unless  you have a library card or can play

back-up sitar.

(suh-ruhs-VAH-tee)

When  the buffalo demon  Mahish—rumored  to be an

invincible giant—and his army of demons threatened to

push the gods out of heaven, the gods called a meeting

to discuss how to get rid of him.  Shiva  suggested each

god contribute a portion of his or her power to create a

whole new being, the result of which was a new goddess

whose face reflected the light of  Shiva  and who had six

arms from  Lord Vishnu  and two feet from  Lord Brahma.

And  so Durga was born, a powerful and pretty goddess.

She  is good-looking and fierce—a lethal combination!

Before  facing  Mahish,  Durga equipped herself with a

sword, a club, and a chakra  (discus). A  fearless warrior,

she easily defeated  Mahish  and restored balance to the

world of the gods.  With  the name Durga, which means

"invincible" in  Sanskrit,  she was kind of a shoe-in.  In

India,  people celebrate Durga's  victory  over  Mahish

in one of their most important festivals, Durga  Puja,

which lasts ten days.  But  Durga isn't all fighting and no

fun. Through her battles against suffering and injustice,

she brings kindness and harmony.  She  is known to feed

both people and animals, and is partial to riding around

on big tigers or lions.  And  Durga is never afraid, not

even in the dark.

(DOOR-gah)

Beautiful Lakshmi  is the goddess of wealth and happiness.

When  the gods were sent into exile,  Lakshmi  hid in the ocean

of milk.  It  did wonders for her skin, but it wasn't as fun as

being with the gods. Then, a great flood occurred, covering

all of the earth. The gods came out of hiding and set  up  a

huge game of tug-of-war with the demons below, each

pulling their side to stir  up  some waves and hopefully reveal

some of the precious things that were lost  under  the milk.

One  of those precious things was  Lakshmi,  who was reborn

with a clear complexion during what became known as the

churning of the ocean.  When  the gods saw  Lakshmi  emerge

from the milk, they all fell in love with her.  Shiva  was the

boldest and claimed her as his wife, but  Lakshmi  didn't want

him.  She  wanted to be with  Vishnu. How  do you turn down

one of the oldest gods of  India? Luckily, Lakshmi  didn't have

to.  Shiva  had already taken  Parvati  as his wife, so  Lakshmi

became  Vishnu's  consort.  She's  never too far from his side

and can often be found massaging his feet.  Now  that's love.

When  her hands aren't occupied rubbing her husband's

tired toes, one of her four arms bestows gifts of prosperity;

the others hold lotus flowers and the holy  Aum  symbol for

well-being.  Lakshmi  is best known for good luck, but don't

expect her to  visit  you at the slot machines.  She  has a really

low tolerance for people who only desire her for money.

(LAHK-shmee)

Parvati  is known by many names:  Uma, Guari,  and  Shakti.

She  was born into royalty high in the  Himalayas. According

to legend, a priest came to her  village  when  Parvati  was

a child and studied the marks on her body in order to

predict her future. The priest concluded that  Parvati  would

marry a great yogi.  Parvati's  royal parents were not happy

at the prospect of their daughter marrying a poor yogi.

But  despite their efforts, they could not dissuade  Parvati

from falling in love with  Shiva. Parvati  resolved to win

over the reclusive god.  She visited Shiva's  cave every day,

filling it with flowers and fruits, hoping to win his love.  But

Shiva  was steadfast in his meditation, never once casting

his gaze  upon  her lovely face.  Exasperated,  the goddess

decided to fight fire with fire and took retreat in the forest.

She  went into an extended meditative state to create

so much concentrated energy that  Shiva  would find it

impossible to ignore her.  Eventually, Parvati's  plan worked,

as her energy became so great that  Shiva's  meditation was

interrupted and he stepped out of his cave to accept her

as his wife.  Parvati's  commitment to  Lord Shiva  is seen as

the ideal of the  unflappable Hindu  wife and devotee.  She

is also the nurturing mother of two children,  Ganesha  and

Karttikeya, who became great gods in their own right.

(par-VUH-tee)

From  the  very  beginning  Sita  was quite special, as she was

literally made from the earth.  She  was discovered as a baby,

divinely born in a furrow of a plowed field, which is why

she is thought of as the daughter of the earth goddess.  But

this farm girl is no country bumpkin.  Her  saga of abduction

and devotion, in the epic story the  Ramayana,  has inspired

India  throughout the ages.  Sita,  an avatar of goddess

Lakshmi,  was the central love interest of  Prince Rama (the

seventh incarnation of  Vishnu). According  to legend,  Sita

was abducted and imprisoned by the demon king  Ravana.

After  being imprisoned for months in  Ravana's  palace,  Sita

was finally rescued by  Rama  and his army.  Returning  to

their rightful kingdom,  Rama  and  Sita ushered  in an era of

peace and prosperity.  However,  within  Rama's  court a rumor

emerged questioning  Sita's  chastity during her capture.

For  the sake of peace in his kingdom,  Rama  gave in to the

rumors and, as pressure mounted, rejected  Sita. Finding  no

other way to prove herself,  Sita  walked into a blazing fire to

prove her purity.  Astonishingly,  the god of fire,  Agni,  did not

harm her.  Sita  returned to  Rama  intact, but he again put his

kingdom's wishes ahead of his own and rejected her loyalty.

Tired of  Rama's  priorities and the injustice of the world, she

asked for sanctuary with the earth goddess.  All  the gods

watched as the earth split open, allowing  Sita  to descend

deep within, never to return.  Sita's  martyrdom to her duty

as a steadfast and faithful wife has left a profound legacy.

(SEE-tah)

Kali, the "Black  One,"  is said to have shot from Durga's forehead

when the protecting goddess was in a rage, and so she takes the

form of the great goddess at her most terrifying.  Just  looking at

her is enough to give you nightmares.  She  has four arms, a third

red eye, and a belt made of human hands.  In  one hand, she carries

the head of a demon, in two others, her weapons of destruction—

a sickle and a sword. To complete her skimpy ensemble, she

wears a necklace made of skulls, which is one of the few things

covering her naked body. Though the fiercest of the gods, Kali is

quite often mistaken as the goddess of death  (this  is actually the

Hindu  god  Yama's  responsibility).  She  is, in fact, the goddess of

kala  (time)  and is thought to end our illusions and free  us  from the

cycle of karma by bringing  us  liberation from our bodies.  Her  role

is profound, as she is responsible for making sure that all things

die in order to continue the cycle of life. Kali's blood-dripping

tongue symbolizes her great  victory  over the demon  Raktabija,

who was extra hard to kill because the blood from each wound

Kali inflicted spawned a new demon.  But  quick-witted Kali solved

the dilemma by drinking the demon's blood so that not a drop

could spill.  She  then swallowed his whole body in one quick bite.

What  can you say?  Some  girls have big appetites.  It  is important

to note that Kali  vanquished  this demon in order to protect her

devotees, who regard her as a loving mother goddess, not a killer.

Kali also works part-time making sure everyone gets the measles

and the mumps so their bodies can be stronger when they need

to fight other germs.

(KAH-lee)

(Dashavatar)

The great god  Vishnu  is seen as the protector of the  universe. Vishnu

descended to earth ten times as  various  avatars whenever the earth was

threatened by evil.  His  avatars followed an evolutionary pattern, from

fish and reptile through mammals and men and finally to the future

creator.  It  is through his avatars that  Vishnu  maintains his role as the

great preserver of creation.

Vishnu's  first incarnation is in the form of an enormous fish

known as  Matsya. In  this form  Vishnu  saved the four  Vedas

from being lost forever in the great flood.  It  all started when

the lord of creation,  Brahma,  started to fall asleep. That

would have been really bad, since if  Brahma  ever falls asleep,

it would bring forth the  Pralaya (Brahma's  night), and the

universe  as we know it would come to an end.  As Brahma

drifted off, an asura  (demon)  named  Hayagriva  decided to

take advantage of the sleepy god and steal the  Vedas  from

him.  But Vishnu  saw  Hayagriva  take the holy books and

descend into the ocean.  Vishnu  quickly took the form of

Matsya  and dove deep into the blue water.  He  swam  until  he

came  upon Hayagriva  and  vanquished  the demon easily with

his enormous bulk and a crushing blow from his mighty tail

fin.  Vishnu  then grabbed the sacred  Vedas  and raced to the

surface to deliver them to  Brahma. As  the  Pralaya  was fast

approaching, signaling an end to all life on earth,  Vishnu  had

just  enough time to save one special person from the ocean

waters.  Luckily  he picked  Manu,  the forefather of mankind,

whom he dragged across the sea in a conch shell and kept

safe  until  the ocean finally calmed down and creation could

begin again.  Matsya  is something of a lifeguard for humans

and books, but he doesn't recommend reading  underwater.

(mut-SYE-yah)

The second avatar of  Vishnu  is Kurma, the strong turtle.

In  the ongoing battles between the devatas  (gods)  and

asuras  (demons),  there was once an occasion when the gods

suddenly lost all their strength due to a curse. The devatas

approached  Vishnu  for help.  He  advised them to retrieve the

amrita  (the  nectar of immortality) from the flooded earth by

churning the primitive ocean of milk  using  a mountain as a

churning stick.  Vishnu  knew that the devatas alone couldn't

move a mountain and advised them to seek help from their

enemy, the asuras, in exchange for a share of the precious

nectar. Working together, they  used  the giant serpent Vasuki

as a rope to tie around the great mountain to help turn it

and whip  up  the ocean.  But  as the churning proceeded, the

mountain began sinking into the ocean.  Noticing  the sinking

mountain,  Lord Vishnu  quickly took the form of the turtle

Kurma.  Crawling underneath  the mountain, Kurma was

able to keep the mountain afloat by supporting it  upon  his

strong shell.  But  as soon as the amrita surfaced, the asuras

grabbed it and wouldn't share it with the devatas.  Vishnu

quickly  used  his great power and seduced the asuras into

serving the nectar to the devatas first, leaving not one drop

for the greedy demons.  Fueled  by the nectar, the devatas

regained their powers and were once again able to hold

their own against the demons.

(KOOR-muh)

The rugged boar is the third incarnation of  Vishnu.

According  to  Indian  legend, after the great flood of

Pralaya,  as  Brahma  was busy creating a new  universe,

the earth goddess  Bhoomdevi  was stolen by the

horrible demon  Hiranyaksha,  who not only stole the

earth but hid  Bhoomdevi  deep within the cosmic ocean

of creation.  All  the gods were outraged by this atrocity

and commenced a holy fire ritual to summon  Lord

Vishnu. Quickly  realizing the gravity of the situation,

Vishnu  transformed himself into a giant boar and dove

deep into the cosmic ocean. The boar's giant nostrils and

powerful sense of smell helped him search every corner

of the ocean  until  he found the earth, hooked it on his

tusks, and carried it back to the surface.  On  the way, he

ran into  Hiranyaksha,  who was looking for a fight and

thought the boar would be no match for him.  But  the

poor demon didn't stand a chance against the divine

boar, as  Varaha  rammed  Hiranyaksha  in one powerful

thrust and brought an end to his stealing of planets. The

earth goddess  Bhoomdevi  was saved and sanctified by

the great preserver's touch. The trip through the soup

of creation also left the planet washed and fertile, and

helped create a suitable home for mankind.

(vuh-RAH-huh)

After  the great boar  Varaha  destroyed  Hiranyaksha,  his

brother, King  Hiranyakashipu,  raged with revenge and

anger. The king hated  Vishnu  so much that he tortured

Vishnu's  followers. To make matters worse, the king was

protected by an enchantment given to him by  Brahma

for the king's previous good deeds. The enchantment

ensured that the king couldn't be killed by a god, man,

or animal.  He  would not die on earth or in space, by

burning or drowning, during the daytime or the night,

indoors or outdoors.  In  short, his bases were covered.

However,  this king had a son who refused to turn against

Vishnu,  much as his father tried to change his son's mind.

Angered  that his son would not obey him, the king

tried to kill his son, and  Vishnu  decided to intervene as

Narasimha (half  man, half lion, the fourth incarnation

of  Vishnu)  to destroy the tyrant king before he could

hurt his son.  As  cunning as the king was,  Narasimha  was

smarter.  Being  part man and part animal, he was able to

kill the king during the twilight hours and place his body

on his lap above the earth, yet not in space, standing in

a doorway.  Narasimha  recommends that kings should

not only be wise but also nice.

(nuh-ruh-SIM-huh)

The fifth incarnation of  Vishnu  is the clever dwarf

Vamana. According  to legend,  Bali,  the king of demons,

set  up  shop on earth and gave  Indra,  the god of the

heavens, a pink slip.  Wanting  to push  Bali  back into the

underworld  where he belonged,  Vishnu  decided he'd

need to trick  Bali  into giving  up  his new property.  So

he shrunk down into  Vamana's  adorable little body and

asked  Bali  if he could have as much land as he could

cover in three steps.  Looking  at  Vamana's  short legs and

tiny feet,  Bali  agreed, letting out a loud snort.  Vishnu

then revealed himself to the demon king, transforming

from  Vamana's  diminutive form into that of a giant that

kept growing  until  he was looking down on earth from

outer space.  Smiling  at  Bali, Vishnu  then took three

fateful steps.  His  first step encircled everything  Bali

owned in the heavens.  His  second step covered every

square inch of earth.  But  on his third step,  Vishnu  rested,

allowing  Bali  and the other demons possession of the

underworld. Which just  goes to show that you should

be nice to small people or they might walk all over you

someday.

(vuh-MUN-uh)

The sixth incarnation of  Vishnu  is  Parashurama,  also known

as  Rama  with an ax.  His  story takes place in a time when

the warrior caste known as the Kshatriyas was dishonoring

its name by corruption and disrespect to the priest caste,

known as the  Brahman,  whom it was sworn to protect

and defend.  Luckily  a  Brahman  boy named  Parashurama

showed more interest in his ax and the art of warfare than

in his priestly duties.  So,  when a battle began after the

Kshatriya king stole a priest's magical cow,  Parashurama

was quick to retaliate with his deadly ax.  He  destroyed the

seven-armed Kshatriya king and his army, sending a clear

message to the warrior caste that if it would not protect the

Brahman,  then the  Brahmans  would protect themselves.

The warrior caste was astonished by the ax-wielding

Brahmans  and retaliated by killing  Parashurama's  father.

This sent  Parashurama  and his mighty ax into a horrific

rampage of twenty-one battles that wiped out the entire

race of warriors.  Although Parashurama  was  victorious,  he

was struck with great remorse and threw his ax as far away

as he could.  So  don't be fooled; fighting isn't all about glory!

Some  say that after so much  violence  done by his own hand,

Parashurama  disappeared from society and committed the

rest of his life to penance on a mountaintop.

(puh-ruh-shoo-RUH-muh)

Vishnu's  seventh incarnation is in the form of  Rama,  who

came to earth to destroy the evil king  Ravana. Rama  is

the great hero of the epic story the  Ramayana,  one of

the most beloved stories of  India. In  the story,  Rama  is

banished from his rightful kingdom of  Ayodhya  by his

wicked stepmother and is sent into exile for fourteen

years.  While  he is away,  Rama's  wife,  Sita,  is abducted by

the nefarious king  Ravana. Hearing  the news,  Rama  sets

out on a quest to find his dear wife and conquer the evil

tyrant  Ravana. Both Rama  and  Sita  are seen as symbols

of loyalty and bravery.  Lord Rama  is celebrated every

year in  India  by a number of festivals, beginning with

Rama Navami,  which marks his birthday. This is followed

by the celebration of Dussehra, ten days of plays that

reenact episodes from the  Ramayana. Leading up  to the

grand finale on the tenth day, giant effigies of  Ravana,

several stories high, are set ablaze, symbolizing the evil

king's defeat.  And  finally comes the festival of lights

known as Diwali, thought to commemorate  Rama  and

Sita's  return to their kingdom and their coronation.

Rama's  legacy as the ideal man, husband, and king is an

inspiration to millions of  Indians  every day.

(RAH-muh)

The eighth incarnation of  Vishnu  is Krishna.  His  name

means both "the dark one" and "all-attractive one."  He  is

considered to be one of the most important and widely

worshipped gods in  India. In Vishnu's  previous avatar, the

great king  Rama  was forever dutiful, following the rules and

always serving his kingdom before himself, which is why it

is thought that  Rama  was reincarnated as Krishna: to act out

everything that he restrained himself from in his previously

proud but boring life. This modest son of a cowherd won

the hearts and minds of his devotees by playfully breaking

all the rules and by showing generosity of his love. There

are many stories of Krishna as a mischievous child.  One  of

his most famous exploits was when his hand got caught

in the butter  jar,  earning him the nickname  Maakhanchor

(butter  thief).  As  Krishna grew older, he began to steal the

hearts of women as well.  His  favorite pastime as a youth was

frolicking with gopis, the girls who looked after the cows.

In  the evenings, Krishna's flute-playing enchanted them to

dance for his pleasure.  But  no woman was more important

to Krishna than  Radha. It  is said that  Radha  didn't open her

eyes as a young girl  until  Krishna appeared in front of her.

The love between  Radha  and Krishna developed into the

devotional movement known as bhakti yoga, which has

come to be known as the  Hare  Krishna movement.

(KRISH-nuh)

The ninth incarnation of  Vishnu  is  Buddha. In  the

beginning of the present era  (Kali Yuga),  the  Brahman  had

overburdened the  Hindu  dogma with pointless rituals

and sacrifice that brought more harm than good to its

members.  Vishnu  manifested himself on earth as  Buddha

and made it his mission to end the  Brahman  oppression

and to purify their rituals.  His  radical thinking inspired an

end to the sacrifice of animals as offerings to the gods. The

new doctrines, which he preached as  Buddha,  taught that

everyone could end the cycle of rebirth and attain the state

of bliss known as nirvana.  Only  by practicing and eventually

mastering the principles of detachment, mindfulness,

and meditation could one hope to overcome the suffering

of existence.  Buddha  was also critical of the  Hindu  caste

system and believed that an individual's karma determined

that person's place in society.  A  bold reformer of  Hinduism,

Buddha's virtues  have spread around the world and continue

to attract countless devotees.  Many  people picture  Buddha

as a  jolly  fellow with a potbelly, but he is actually  very  fit and

free from the temptations of society.  He  is often depicted

seated on a lotus, calmly meditating and wearing a simple

garment,  usually  only a robe. During his life,  Buddha  shared

his  vast  knowledge freely and encouraged people to live in

peace, reminding them to keep things simple.

(BOO-duh)

Kalki is the tenth and final  Maha Avatar (great  avatar) of

Vishnu,  also known as the avatar of the future.  He  is to

appear at the end of the present age of Kali  Yuga (Age

of Darkness), when the environment is polluted and

society is shrouded in corruption.  Only  then will Kalki

arrive as a one-man army to demolish the imperfect

earth.  He  will appear as a crusader riding a white horse,

brandishing a flaming sword, and acting as the final

judge  and savior of mankind. Kalki doesn't promise any

horseback rides to those who let desire, ego, and anger

consume them, but he is sure to restore the  universal

law of order known as dharma. The souls who are spared

Kalki's wrath will be purified and go on to start life again

in the new era known as the  Satya Yuga (Golden Age),

marking the beginning of a new cycle of creation.  So

next time you see a flying horse, it might be a sign to

behave better.

(KUHL-kee)

The two great  Hindu  epics are the  Mahabharata  and the  Ramayana.

The  Mahabharata  is a sprawling history of  India's  ancient dynasties'

struggle with one another for land and power.  It  also explains most of

Hinduism's  major gods and goddesses.  It  has been said that everything

worth knowing is found within its pages, including the stand-alone

portion called the  Bhagavad Gita.  The  Ramayana  is more intimate in

its scope, primarily following  Rama  and his small band of devotees in

their quest to rescue his wife,  Sita.  These sacred texts are the cultural

foundation of  India  and the  Hindu  mythology.

The  Mahabharata  is incredibly long—nearly three times

the length of the  Bible—and  tells the story of the early

ancestors of ancient  India,  the  Pandavas  and Kauravas, two

royal  Bharata  dynasties, and their ongoing conflicts. The

author of this enduring work is the divine sage  Vyasa,  who

was a close companion to both families and so knew their

histories intimately. Toward the end of his life, Vyasa decided

it was time to dictate the story of the  Mahabharata  so later

generations could benefit from its great lessons. This was a

monumental task, as the story spanned hundreds of years of

history and mythology.  In  an effort to find a suitable scribe,

Vyasa  turned to  Brahma  for guidance.  Without  hesitation

Brahma  dispatched  Ganesha,  the god of wisdom and the

clearer of obstacles, to help with this task.  Upon  meeting

Vyasa, Ganesha  pledged his devotion and proclaimed that

he would write down the story as fast as  Vyasa  could recite

it.  Vyasa  agreed so long as  Ganesha  wrote without error

and  understood  the meaning of what was being said before

writing it.  Ganesha  agreed and in turn challenged  Vyasa  to

recite the story without break  until  it was complete.  Vyasa

agreed to  Ganesha's  terms, and together they began their

great task  under  the shade of a banyan tree.  But  before

they could begin, they needed something to write with, so

Ganesha  broke off one of his own tusks to  use  as a pen. This

is why  Ganesha  is depicted with only one tusk  (not  because

of all the sweets he eats).

(muh-ha-BAH-ruh-tuh)

Although  the  Bhagavad Gita  is  just  a small section of the great

epic  Mahabharata,  it has nearly eclipsed all other sacred texts in

Hinduism.  Bhagavad Gita  means "song of the lord" and refers to

the message that  Lord  Krishna conveyed to  Arjuna,  the great hero

of the  Mahabharata. A  member of the  Pandava  family,  Arjuna  was

an acclaimed warrior and leader of the  Pandava  army.  At  the start

of the  Bhagavad Gita,  he faced a moral dilemma:  Should  he wage

war against his own blood relatives, the Kauravas, with whom

he spent his childhood days, or should he risk letting his people

down by retreating from combat?  On  the eve of battle,  Arjuna  lost

his nerve to fight and put the war on hold.  Not  knowing whom

to turn to, he began a conversation with his charioteer,  unaware

that the driver of his chariot was actually  Lord Vishnu  in disguise

as Krishna.Through their conversation, Krishna convinced  Arjuna

that he should only concern himself with doing his duty and not

with the outcome. To sway  Arjuna  toward accepting his advice,

Krishna revealed his true form.  He  explained that war would

cause the bodies of the slain to be shed off like  vessels  and that

the souls would endure. Krishna declared that there is no shame

in doing your duty, and as a member of the Kshatriya warrior

caste, it was  Arjuna's  duty to fight.  Lord  Krishna restored  Arjuna's

nerve to begin and eventually win the battle, and in doing so he

showed that we must move beyond our own egos and merge

with divine consciousness to fulfill our duties. The great peace

activist  Mahatma Gandhi  read the  Bhagavad Gita  often when he

was imprisoned; it kept him committed to his duty and his cause.

The  Bhagavad Gita  and its message of finding mental peace are

as  useful  today as they were 3,000 years ago.

(BUH-guh-vuhd GEE-ta)

The Ramayana is the second of the two great Indian epics

and is a story of devotion and duty. The celebrated hero

Rama, Vishnu's seventh avatar, lends his name to the

story as it chronicles his journey to save his beloved wife,

Sita. Rama was due to take over his father's kingdom of

Ayodhya, but he was cheated out of his rightful position

when his stepmother, Kaikeyi, exiled him to the forest for

fourteen years. Rama honored his stepmother's wishes

and took leave of his kingdom. Before leaving, he advised

his wife to stay in the palace, away from the hardships of

forest life, but Sita insisted on accompanying her husband

and remained dutifully at his side. Together with his half-

brother, Lakshmana, Rama and Sita fled to the woods. But a

little while later, when Rama and his brother were hunting,

Sita was abducted by Ravana, the king of the demons. As

Rama and Lakshmana searched for Sita, they came across

the monkey chief Sugriva and were promised the help of

his monkey army, led by the loyal Hanuman. After the fleet-

footed Hanuman succeeded in locating the imprisoned Sita

on the island of Lanka (modern-day Sri Lanka), they set

to work building a land bridge from the tip of India to the

island. With the help of the monkey army, Rama defeated

both Ravana and his army, Sita was finally rescued, and they

returned home victorious. So work hard to do your duty, and

if things get tough, it never hurts to ask a monkey for help.

(rah-ma-YAH-nuh)

Demigods,  also known as devas, are gods that have a

lower status than the mahadevas (great gods), since they

are servants to the supreme god Vishnu. There are many

demigods, and they rule everything in the universe from  fire,

water, and air to love, death, and war. Thus, Hindus consider

the entire universe sacred and worthy of worship.

Agni is one of the most important of the ancient Hindu gods.

He is the god of  fire,  and his  flame  is thought to dwell in each of

us. Though perhaps not what is intended by the saying  "fire  in

the belly," Agni is also believed to bring us energy and life as we

digest our food. It is said that his  flame  ignites the stars in the

sky and brings light to our planet through the sun.  Even  though

Agni was revered by the ancient Hindus and a number of sacred

books are dedicated to him, he is not an arrogant god. Agni gives

to the poor just as he gives to the rich, warming the hearths of

both homes indiscriminately. Agni's  flame  is used in many Hindu

ceremonies, and he has the honor of acting as a conduit between

the gods and humans. Something of a messenger boy, Agni

carries the prayers of the gods' devotees to the gods themselves

after offerings are made to him. To make an offering to Agni, one

must present a gift to feed his  flame  and keep it burning brightly.

However, one cannot just make an offering to the god of  fire

without  first  consulting a compass. Agni is very particular about

which direction he is facing when an offering is made to him. If

Agni is facing east, his  fire  should be used for sacrifices to the

gods. When he is facing south, his  fire  should be used for sacrifices

to the spirits of the dead. And be sure that you do not confuse

Agni's  flame  with your cooking  fire;  that should always face

toward the west. It's important to get this right, as you wouldn't

want your offerings to the spirits of the dead commingling with

your simmering curries. If this is too confusing, just make Agni an

offering of ghee (clarified butter). This will keep you in any god's

good graces. So next time you burn a little butter, don't feel bad.

It might bring some good luck.

(UHG-nee)

Indra is the god of war and storms, particularly those involving

thunder and lightning. In ancient times Indra reigned supreme

because he controlled the great celestial weapon, the vajra

(lightning). He used the vajra to  zap  his enemies and to revive

those killed in battle—a handy feature in a celestial weapon. In

addition, Indra was known to imbibe a special nectar known as

soma, the drink of immortality, which would expand his size to

gigantic proportions. This helped him battle his enemies and

caused him to let out some mean burps. Armed with his power

drink and lightning bolt, Indra would ride into battle on the great

white elephant Airavata, whose mighty steps shook the ground

and echoed like thunder. Indra's most notable exploit was when

he went into battle with the demon Vritra, a greedy dragon who

got carried away with staying hydrated and drank all the water

in the world. Indra was outraged and vowed to take back the

liquid of life.  Chugging  as much soma as he could, Indra let out a

fearsome burp as he  filled  with strength. Thunder boomed across

the land as Indra and his powerful elephant charged toward

Vritra, ready to pop the dragon demon like a water balloon. As

Vritra's stomach was split wide open by Indra's lightning bolt, a

deluge of water fell from the sky, ending the years of drought

that had plagued the land and its people. Indra became a hero

and was crowned the king of all gods, a lofty title but one that

was short-lived. Indra's fate was the same as many of the ancient

Hindu gods: Over time he lost much of his importance. Eventually,

Indra was given the minor role of a weather god, offering up the

same forecast of thunder, lightning, and rain.

(IN-druh)

Vayu is the god of air and wind. He is also known as  Pavana

(the purifier). He gets around on the back of the nimble

antelope, one of the few animals fast and agile enough to

keep up with the gale-force winds he unleashes. Vayu is

thought to have had many affairs, one of which caused him

to father Hanuman, the monkey god. According to legend,

once, when the gods were looking for a vacation home,

they asked a sage to recommend a place on earth. The sage

thought it would be best to create a perfect paradise and

so gave careful instructions to Vayu to create a wind so

powerful that the peak of  Mount Meru,  a holy mountain,

would blow off and become a sanctified piece of land  fit

for the gods. Vayu thought he had this one in the bag and

began to huff and puff.  Unbeknownst  to Vayu, the peak of

the mountain was protected by  Garuda,  a bird often seen

carrying Lord Vishnu from place to place.  Garuda  spread his

mighty wings and shielded the sacred peak fromVayu's  fierce

winds for a full year.  Eventually Garuda's  will and feathers

were nearly eroded, and the poor bird was forced to take a

rest. As  Garuda  lowered his tired wings, the sage informed

Vayu of the mountain peak's vulnerability. At that moment,

Vayu blasted the peak so strongly that the top broke off and

went  flying  clear across India. It landed with a huge splash

in the ocean, where it now rests as the tropical paradise of

Sri Lanka, a stunning home for any god.

(VYE-yoo)

The dwarf god Kubera has a checkered past. He started

as a demon and a known thief. In the great Hindu epic

Ramayana, Kubera was accused of abducting Sita. In fact, it

was Kubera's brother, Ravana, who did the kidnapping, using

Kubera's magical chariot as the getaway vehicle.  Guilty  by

association, Kubera had to work to restore his reputation.

Using  his special chariot, he delivered jewels and other

valuables into the hands of the poor. But Kubera wasn't

always so generous. Some believe he was only elevated to

the status of a god because he tried to rob a temple devoted

to Shiva. During the robbery, Kubera's bumbling ways caused

his torch to blow out. He tried again and again to relight it,

but to no avail.  Finally,  on the tenth attempt, he succeeded,

but of course he was no closer to stealing anything of value

from the temple. Kubera's pathetic attempt to rob the

temple amused Shiva, who astonishingly granted the thief

immortal status as a god. Who says crime doesn't pay? These

days, Kubera uses his knowledge of jewelry heists and bank

robberies to guard the earth's treasures. Kubera is depicted

with a fat belly, a clear sign of his greedy appetite for wealth.

He carries a water jug and a money pouch, and he is never

far from  Nakula,  his pet mongoose, known to spew out

jewels—but only into the hands of his master. Who needs a

credit card when you have a handy-dandy mongoose to pay

for your expenses?

(koo-BAY-ruh)

Varuna is one of several gods who used to be greatly

revered, but now serves a much more minor role in

Hinduism. Long ago, Varuna reigned over a wide

variety of territories: He controlled the movement

of the sun in the sky; ensured that the night and day

never met, maintained order amongst the gods and

goddesses; created rain, sleet, and snow; and was the

final  word in enforcing contracts between two parties.

In short, Varuna had his hands in a lot of pots. He was all

powerful and always busy. He rode a sea monster to get

around—in and of itself a symbol of his power over land

and sea. To help keep order, he had a lasso and a snake.

But worship of this overworked god fell off largely due

to his mishandling of one of the earth's most precious

resources: water. When the demon Vritra drank up all

the water on earth, Varuna didn't know what to do. The

great god Indra had to intercede to recover what was

stolen. Afterward, Varuna was  fired  as head honcho, and

Indra took his place as the supreme god. Since water

was Varuna's downfall, he was put in charge of guarding

the waters of the earth.

(VUH-roo-nuh)

Kama is the son of Vishnu and Lakshmi, the god of preservation

and the goddess of fortune. He is considered the god of love

and desire, so it's no surprise that his mythology reads like a

romance novel.  Not  only is he blessed with eternal youth, but

he is also thought to be one of the most handsome gods. He

can be seen riding a parrot, the symbol of sensuality, and goes

nowhere without his tools of love: the mythical bow and arrow.

Kama, similar to the  Greek Cupid,  shoots arrows of desire that

make their intended targets fall blissfully in love. The epitome

of romance, Kama is happily married and is accompanied by his

wife, known as passion, and his friend, spring. This trinity of love

has innumerable stories, but it is Kama's matchmaking skills that

have become legend. According to one story, Kama disturbed

Shiva when he was deep in meditation by shooting him with his

arrow of love. But instead of fanning the  flames  of passion, Kama

unwittingly unleashed the scorching heat of Shiva's ire. With one

quick  glance from his third eye, Shiva incinerated Kama—but

not before Kama's arrow of love had hit its mark, for Shiva fell in

love with  Parvati,  and later the two were happily married. Lots of

good that did Kama! He was now dead, and love had died with

him. Without love to bring forth new life, it wasn't long before

the universe began to die. The gods, fearing extinction, begged

Shiva to have Kama reborn. Shiva agreed, and Kama was restored

as a son of Krishna, who was no stranger to love. Thus, romance

and desire were restored to the universe. But if you want to ask

someone out on a date, it's probably not a good idea to shoot

them with an arrow—better leave that to the professionals.

(KAH-muh)

Don't  be fooled by this god's adorable appearance, for he is

Karttikeya, the secretary of defense to the gods' armed forces.

He is also known as Skanda in the southern states of India,

where he is far more popular than in the northern regions.

Karttikeya is the poster child of warfare. He's young, brave,

and always ready to take up his favorite weapon, the spear.

Instead of a tank or destroyer, he rides a peacock. The peacock,

though seemingly not a vicious animal, is more than capable of

destroying harmful serpents, which represent the ego and bad

desires. Karttikeya and his brother, Ganesha, are the sons of the

god Shiva and goddess Parvati and accordingly had very special

births.  Ganesha's  birth came when  Parvati  molded him out of

clay. Karttikeya is the creation of Shiva, with a little help from

the  fire  and river gods, Agni and  Ganga.  According to legend,

while Lord Shiva and  Parvati  were on their honeymoon, having

a wonderfully blissful time, the gods were in a panic that a child

would be conceived that would be so mighty and invincible

that he would topple all other gods. They intended to put a

stop to the two lovebirds and interrupted their private union.

As a result Shiva's glowing seed was accidentally released into

the air. His seed was so bright and luminous that only Agni,

god of  fire,  could carry it. Agni deposited the seed, according

to Shiva's directions, in the  Ganges  River. The goddess  Ganga

then nourished the seed, causing a living being, Karttikeya, to

spring from it.

(kar-tih-KAY-yuh)

Goddess Ganga  was born from one of Vishnu's divine toes.  One  day,

as Vishnu was listening to Shiva play beautiful music, Vishnu's toes

began to heat up and started to melt! Hoping to contain the god's

melting feet, another god scooped up the liquid, which then became

the  Ganges  River, deemed holy because of its origins. According to

legend, the  Ganges  originally  flowed  only through heaven. It was

due to a mortal, King Sagar, that the river came down to earth. King

Sagar had  60,000  sons, each of whom he loved dearly.  One  day, the

king sent his sons out to  find  his horse, which had been set loose to

roam the land months before. As it so happened, the horse came to

rest near a sage named Kapila  Muni,  who was mistakenly thought

to have stolen the horse. When the sons confronted  Muni,  the sage

burned them to ashes, trapping their souls on earth. King Sagar

was greatly distraught, especially when he learned that his sons'

only hope of reaching heaven would be if the sacred river  Ganges

flowed  down to the earth and washed over their ashes. Luckily, King

Sagar's great-grandson Bhagirathi was a sage of the good variety

and performed rigid penances directed toward Brahma until the

god of creation agreed to allow the river to fall to earth.  Goddess

Ganga  was not happy about her relocation and swore that as she

descended she would fall with such force that she'd  flood  the whole

world and destroy humanity. To prevent this, Shiva stood under

the spot where  Ganga  fell from the sky and cushioned her fall by

using his thick hair as a sponge. Her water was made even more

holy by Shiva's contact, and the locks of his hair divided her into

seven rivers, which are the  Ganges  and its tributaries.  Eventually

the  Ganges  found its way to King Sagar's sons and sanctified their

remains.  Ganga  is most often depicted tangled in Lord Shiva's hair

or as a beautiful goddess riding  Makara,  a crocodile. Hindus believe

that bathing repeatedly in the  Ganges'  waters cleanses one of sin

and secures one's place in heaven.

(GUN-guh)

Yama is the god of judgment and death. Knowing everyone's

deeds, he imparts justice according to their history and then

escorts their souls to their  final  judgment in hell or heaven,

thus keeping earth tidy and free from lingering spirits. Yama

rides an intimidating black buffalo, a form that he also adopts

from time to time when he needs to sneak up on his victims.

In one hand, he wields a noose, with which he snatches hold

of his prey; in the other, he holds a mace, which represents

the weapon of punishment. Yama did not begin as a god.

He earned his title by being the  first  human to die and thus

the  first  to learn about the path of the dead. Yama's death

had an unexpected consequence. After Yama died, Yami, his

twin sister, went into an inconsolable sadness. Her grief was

so great that it began to threaten the entire universe. Since

Yama andYami were the  first  humans to test out creation, the

gods had never run into this problem before. They  quickly

realized that they had forgotten to create the passage of

time, making it impossible for Yami to reach an end to her

grieving. The gods' simple solution was to create night, thus

bringing the passage of time into being.  Over  time Yami

was able to move beyond her grief, and creation was once

again restored. Another of Yama's more useful traits is his

tendency to bonk you over the head to help you forget your

emotional pain.

(YUH-muh)

In the Indian solar system, there are nine planets that are believed to influence

and affect Hindus in their daily lives. The nine planets are called  Navagraha,

nava  meaning  "nine"  and  graha  meaning  "planets."  Hindus have ascribed a

rich mythology to each of the planets and have determined what positive and

negative impacts they have upon one's life, depending upon their position in

the sky and the temperament of the planet. By using Hindu astrology and birth

charts, an individual can determine what might occur in his or her life and what

needs to be done in order to offset one's bad karma developed during a former

life or to develop good karma in the present life.

(Navagraha)

Since ancient times, millions of Hindus have started their

day by chanting the  Gayatri Mantra,  a greeting to the

great sun god Surya, also known as Savita. Repeating the

holy mantra directed toward this god is believed to bring

success and salvation and can help one attain a place in

heaven. Surya is known as  "the  one who enlightens and

stimulates understanding." The role of Surya is very similar

to that of Brahma, the god of creation. Surya is thought

to preserve life on earth through his nourishing rays, his

warmth, and his light.  Each  day, Surya rides across the

sky in a golden chariot drawn by seven white horses, one

horse for each day of the week. The chariot is driven by

the god of sunrise, a hero of Hindu legend named Arjuna.

Sometimes Surya is depicted with two hands, each holding

a lotus, the symbol of creation. Sometimes he has four

hands, one holding a lotus, another a conch shell, another

a chakra, and the last hand held in a gesture of protection.

It's not safe to stare at the sun, but if you look  quickly,  you

might see him  flashing  you a peace sign.

(SOOR-yuh)

The moon, known as  Chandra,  is the second most important

planetary god. Similar to how Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, was

born, the moon emerged from the sea of milk when it was being

whipped into a frenzy by the demons and gods. When  Chandra

rose from the milky water, he nearly blinded the gods and demons

with his powerful luminosity.  Not  owning sunglasses, the gods

unanimously decided that  Chandra  should be sent to live in the

cosmos and given the status of a planet.  Perhaps  if the moon were

less weak-minded, he could have argued for a place among the

gods. Instead, he packed his bags and set up shop in outer space.

From  there,  Chandra  moved from one disastrous affair to another.

His  first  lover, Tara, was the wife of his guru Brihaspati.  From  their

illicit union, the planet  Mercury  was born. He was named Budha

and hated his father immediately, as his birth was the result of a

deadly sin.  From  this hatred, a rivalry sprung between the moon

and his son, which continues to this day. As time progressed,

Chandra's  deeds went from bad to worse as he set out to marry

the twenty-seven daughters of  Daksha,  an ancient god.  Daksha

granted  Chandra  permission to marry his many daughters under

the condition that the moon not favor one daughter above the

rest or else he would suffer the consequences. But  Chandra  failed

to keep his promise and was cursed to lose his divine luster, which

is the cause of the moon's waxing and waning.  Despite Chandra's

checkered past, he is considered one of the best planets to be

born under and promises wealth and happiness.  Perhaps  this is

because he is associated with soma, an intoxicating drink known

to dazzle even the most ferocious of the gods.

(CHUN-druh)

The red planet,  Mars,  is considered one of the worst

planets to be born under, as it is known as  Mangala,  the

god of warfare. He is an aggressive god, often associated

with Karttikeya (the god of war), the violence brought

about through war, and the sacrifices necessary to

satisfy the greater good. He has four hands, two of which

hold the weapons of war, generally a bow and a javelin,

while the other two are held in positions of protection

and blessing. He can be seen charging into battle atop

a forceful ram. Though a ferocious god and something

of a hothead,  Mangala  isn't without virtue. He is known

for his valor, strength, resolve, and courage. He is also

known to offer protection to the weak and weary, and

he serves as the guardian of dharma, the sacred path

each of us must follow through life.

(MAHN-guh-luh)

The planet  Jupiter  is known as  Guru  or Brihaspati. He

is the teacher of the gods and so is one of the most

important planets.  Guru's  wardrobe is made up mostly

of yellow and gold-colored robes, which he is often

seen wearing while sitting on a lotus like a wise sage.

His teacher's salary affords him a golden crown, wishing

wand, and a  fine  rosary for his meditation. The worship

of this planet can cure stomachaches, clean up sins, and

improve your grade point average, as he is the source of

vidya (good education). Thursdays are considered to be

the best day to worship  Guru,  and if you  find  yourself

eating channa dhal that day, consider setting some aside

for this great teacher, because apples won't win you

any brownie points.  Guru  recommends that everybody,

including the gods, pay attention to their teachers, or

else you might get a stomachache.

(GOO-roo)

Brahma, the god of creation, named the planet  Mercury

"Budha"in  honor of the planet's sharp intellect. But don't

confuse this wise planet with Buddha the enlightened

sage; the only thing they have in common is their names.

Those who are born under this planet have a definite

edge should they choose to pursue a career in education

or business, as they are known to be efficient, funny, and

literate. They also get to leave their calculators at home

since they are savvy in mathematics as well. Budha bears

a striking resemblance to the handsome god Vishnu,

which is a cause for some confusion as, in order to earn

Budha's respect, it is  quite  common for people to pray to

Vishnu instead.  Unlike  some gods, Budha doesn't seem

to mind sharing the spotlight and will take your prayers

however you choose to give them. We generally see him

depicted with four hands and riding upon a chariot or

a lion. Three of his hands hold a sword, a shield, and a

mace, while the fourth one is held in a blessing gesture.

A prayer to Budha, especially on Wednesdays, brings

blessings of fertile lands and juicy tomatoes.

(BOO-duh)

If  Guru  is the teacher of the gods, Sukra is his polar

opposite. Associated with the planet Venus, Sukra is the

spiritual tutor to the demons. He  finds  himself  quite  busy

protecting the demons from their long list of enemies and

resurrecting the dead using his excellent memory for magical

formulas. Although this planet is smart, once in a while he

miscalculates and bad things happen.  For  example, one

time he turned himself from a two-eyed god into a one-eyed

god. According to legend, Sukra was helping Bali, the king of

the demons, perform a  fire  ceremony.  During  the ceremony,

Vamana (Lord Vishnu in the guise of a dwarf), asked the

king for a small gift. Sukra was immediately suspicious of

the dwarf and advised King Bali not to entertain Vamana's

request. But the king, thinking he knew better than his

tutor, disregarded Sukra's advice. In accordance with Hindu

custom, he lifted a jug of water in order to pour it on the

ground, a necessary step to show he has authorized the gift.

Sukra foresaw the king's action and  quickly  recited a magic

formula so he could enter the water invisibly to prevent it

from falling. But Vamana was one step ahead of Sukra. He

rammed a straw into the basin of water, which caused Sukra

to lose an eye. The water thereupon fell, and the gift was

ratified. Those born under this planet will have the handy

ability of knowing the past, present, and future.

(SOOK-ruh)

Saturn, known as Lord Shani, has possibly the worst reputation

amongst the planets.  For  those unlucky enough to be born

under his influence, a life of pain and misery awaits. In fact,

many dread Shani's power, not just those born under him,

as he's been known to rid Hindus of their wealth in order to

teach them a harsh lesson about karma. Some Hindus even

refuse to do business during periods of Shani's orbit in order

to avoid his influence. This planet's reputation began to sour

when he accidentally caused Lord  Ganesha's  head to fall off,

an interesting variation from the legend of Shiva cutting it off.

Even  for a god, it's difficult to recover from something like that!

Saturn earned another bad mark when his half-brother became

angry with him and stabbed him in the foot, causing him to

limp. As such, he is known as the slowest of the nine planets.

According to Hindu mythology, Shani is the son of Surya (the

sun) and  Chaya  (the sun's "shadow wife"), and it is believed that

Chaya's  shadow element is what makes Shani so harmful.  On

the bright side, under Shani's influence a person's character is

strengthened—he teaches us how to overcome our hardships

through hard work and taking responsibility. In a bittersweet

way, he brings about bad things in order to motivate a person

to change. It has been said that Saturn disciplines us until we

can learn to discipline ourselves. When Shani is not limping

from one place to the next, he rides the crow, which is thought

to protect him against thieves.

(SHUH-nee)

Rahu is classified by Hindu astronomers as a planet, but

really he should be thought of as an  "eclipse"  demon.

Legend has it that after a great  flood  covered the world,

the gods and demons got together to help each other  find

some of the precious items that were submerged in the

water.  One  such item was amrita, the nectar of the gods.

Rahu, a demon, disguised himself as one of the gods and

quickly  stole a drink of the precious liquid.  Once  the drink

passed his lips, Rahu became immortal, and just in time,

for within seconds, the sun and moon detected the fraud.

They shouted to Lord Vishnu for help. Vishnu turned to

where Rahu stood and launched his chakra from the tip

of his  finger.  With blinding speed, Vishnu's wheel severed

Rahu's head from his body. But the nectar had already

been swallowed, assuring Rahu and the severed parts of

his body immortality. His head was transferred to the solar

system, where periodically Rahu takes revenge on the sun

and moon for squealing on him by swallowing them up,

which we know to be solar and lunar eclipses.

(RAH-hoo)

Ketu is an imaginary planet. According to Hindu myth-

ology, Ketu represents the tail of the eclipse demon,

Rahu. The two planets are parts of the same demon, made

immortal through trickery and speed but busted for theft

by the sun and moon. Rahu, the head of the demon, is

forever angry and plotting his revenge on the tattletale

gods. This is in perfect contrast to Ketu, who was cut off

from Rahu by Lord Vishnu's chakra. Since he has been

touched by Lord Vishnu, however indirectly, Ketu is

thought to be in a perpetual state of bliss. With his chill

demeanor, he is considered to be more detached from the

world's desires, while Rahu is still toiling to exact revenge,

always angry due to his worldly concerns and bruised

ego. Still, Ketu doesn't mind helping Rahu when it comes

time to get back at the sun and the moon. Together,

they periodically swallow them, causing solar and lunar

eclipses. Because Ketu and Rahu are able to blacken these

two bright globes, they are considered the most powerful

influences in the  zodiac.  Truth be told, Ketu would rather

just hang out with Lord Vishnu; but don't tell his other

half!

(KHET-oo)

Hindus believe that gods reside in all living creatures. In fact, many

gods and goddesses manifest themselves as animals or have divine

creatures as their means of transport. Animals are so omnipresent in

Hinduism that many gods are symbolized by their respective animal.

The god Krishna's symbol is the docile cow, and king cobras are the

symbols of Shiva and Vishnu, while the elephant-headed  Ganesha  is

the perfect hybrid of animal and god. Through this interweaving of

gods and nature, the ancients cultivated a deep respect for animals

and learned to coexist with them.

Nagas,  or snakes, have been honored since ancient times

in India. According to Hindu belief, snakes have a dual

identity: They are at once semidivine and semidemonic.

Sacred snakes are thought to wrap their coils around the

earth's treasures, ensuring their constant protection.

They have also come to symbolize the infinity of creation,

as snakes miraculously shed and regenerate their own

skin. But, in their demonic aspect, nagas appear as part

human and part snake, as in the case of the demons

Rahu and Ketu.  Nagas  are also often depicted with

several heads, such as Vasuki, the snake king, who used

his serpent body as a rope to help the gods during their

quest  to churn the oceans. The god Vishnu also rests in

the coils of a great multiheaded snake known as Sesha.

To further sanctify nagas, they were once thought to

have sheltered the meditating Buddha during a great

storm by surrounding the wise monk with the coils of

their bodies and forming an awning with their hoods.

Controlling  many aspects of water, such as rivers, lakes,

and rainfall, snakes have come to symbolize life and

fertility.

(NAH-guhs)

Garuda  is the king of birds. He can move from one world

to another at the speed of light, which makes it easy for

him when he must relay messages between the gods and

humans.  Garuda  is half bird, half man, and is often seen

with wings, talons, and a beak, while his body, arms, and

legs are human. He also has  quite  an appetite. As soon as

he poked his head out of the shell from which he was born,

he wanted to eat. His dad sent him off to a small village

to  find  food (meaning he could eat the people who lived

there). But he warned  Garuda, "Do  not eat the Brahman."

Garuda,  in his haste, however, swallowed the Brahman,

who got lodged in his throat. Scared to disobey his father

and murder a Brahman, let alone choke to death,  Garuda

spit the Brahman and villagers out. This left  Garuda  very

hungry and frustrated. But unbeknownst to him, Vishnu

had been watching. Approaching  Garuda,  Vishnu asked if

Garuda  would like to perch on his arm and eat from his  flesh.

Awed that when he bit into Vishnu, he left no visible marks,

Garuda  realized he was in the presence of a god and pledged

his lifelong allegiance to him. So it's not uncommon to see

Vishnu soaring through the sky on  Garuda's  back. If you are

lucky, someday you may  find  one of  Garuda's  feathers.

(GUH-roo-duh)

Hanuman, the son of Vayu, the lord of winds, is also known

as the monkey king. He has the head of a monkey and a

muscular human body, with the special ability to expand

to the size of a mountain or shrink down to the size of a

fly.  He is often depicted  flying  in the air while carrying a

mountain single-handedly, which is a reference to his role

in helping his friend Rama during his great battle with

Lord Ravana, as chronicled in the epic Ramayana. When

Ravana injured Rama's younger brother, Lakshmana,

on the battlefield, Hanuman  flew  to the mountains to

retrieve healing herbs.  Unsure  which herbs to pick,

Hanuman returned with the entire mountain. When he

was sent as Rama's envoy, Hanuman was given a ring to

convince Sita that he truly was her husband's messenger.

With a formidable leap, he crossed the seas and reached

Lanka (known today as Sri Lanka), where Sita was being

held captive. He succeeded in relaying Rama's message

to Sita and went on to help build a bridge from India to

Lanka, enabling Rama's army to free Sita. In addition to

being strong and clever, Hanuman is a loyal and faithful

friend. When was the last time someone brought you a

mountain?

(HUH-noo-muhn)

The mythical mother of all cows is Surabhi. She is seen as a

symbol of abundance and generosity, and she helps purify

our bodies, blessing us with good health and prosperity.

Cows  are of great importance, as they take care of many

of our needs.  Not  only do they provide milk for children

and adults, their by-products of yogurt, buttermilk, and

butter are an integral part of the daily Indian diet. Their

dung is a useful year-round fuel supply and is a tool in

agriculture and rural development.  Even  after death,

their skins are reclaimed and used for leather goods. India

celebrates the sacred cow through worship of one of its

favorite gods, Krishna, also known as  Govinda  (cowherd)

and  Gopala  (protector of cows). Krishna loved the taste of

fresh butter and kept a cow as a symbol of his kindness.

To guarantee that this valuable resource is not abused or

mistreated, Hindus give cows a very special place in Indian

society, that of a sacred mother—they cannot be harmed

under any circumstance. Through religious significance

and cultural laws, Hindus have made sure the humble

cow is protected and venerated as a powerful symbol of

nonviolence and the respect Hindus have for all animals.

Remember, without cows we wouldn't be able to enjoy

our favorite snack, cookies and milk.

(SOO-ruh-bee)

In the beginning, while Vishnu slept in the infinite coils of the great serpent

Sesha, it is thought that he dreamt up the creator god, Brahma, who emerged

from Vishnu's navel already seated upon a perfect lotus  flower.  Brahma then

began the work of creation, starting with the four yugas (great ages) known

as Satya (Krita) Yuga, Treta Yuga,  Duapara Yuga,  and Kali Yuga.  Each  of these

ages repeats  1,000  times in each cycle of creation, known as a Kalpa, which

is then followed by the disillusion of the universe, known as  Pralaya.  It is

believed that this all takes place within Vishnu's dream, which is our reality.

Thus, everything we know is maya (illusion), or merely a  figment  of Vishnu's

imagination.

(Age of Truth)

The  first quarter  of the creation cycle is known as the

golden age of perfection and harmony.

LOST TREASURE

The churning of the cosmic waters yields

great gifts: the sun and the moon; the gods

of earth,  fire,  wind, and water; the great

goddess Lakshmi; the white elephant

Airavata; and a divine cow and horse.

VAMANA  OUTWITS  BALI

Vamana, an avatar of Vishnu, tricks the

demon king Bali out of his kingdom on

earth and heaven. Vamana also blinds

Bali's advisor Sukra in one eye and drives

the demons down to the underworld.

CHURNING  of the  OCEANS

Both gods and demons cooperate to churn

the cosmic oceans to recover the gifts

lost during the previous disillusion of the

universe.

MANU  and the  FLOOD

Before the beginning of our time, there

was an end of an age.  Pralaya,  the end of

creation, was imminent, so to ensure that

knowledge and mankind would survive,

Vishnu descended to earth as his  first

avatar,  Matsya,  to save  Manu  and the

Vedas from destruction.

BRAHMA,  CREATOR

Brahma begins another cycle of creation.

He creates the universe and everything in it,

including gods and demons, using Vishnu's

body as the substance of creation.

STOLEN AMRITA

After finding the lost nectar of immortality,

the demon Rahu manages to steal a sip. He

pays dearly for this, as Vishnu severs him

into two undying beings, Rahu and Ketu.

VRITRA,  DEMON OF DROUGHT

Indra slays the dragon Vritra with the use

of his lightning weapon known as vajra,

and he recovers the water stolen from the

world.

HONORABLE RAMA

Vishnu's seventh avatar, Rama,

destroys evil in the form of Ravana,

a demon king. His legend lives on

because of the rich example he set

for following one's duty, honor, and

dharma.

PARASHURAMA  RAMPAGE

The Brahman priest  Parashurama

punishes the warrior caste for its

corruption and lack of honor.

HANUMAN, LOYAL  COMMANDER

The clever monkey-man known as

Hanuman saves Rama's brother during

battle and leads his army to victory.

(Age of Reason)

The perfection age comes to an end, which marks the

beginning of the less-than-ideal age in the second  quarter

of the world cycle.

(Age of  Greed)

During the third  quarter  of the world cycle, greed

and the ambitions of kings burden the earth.

MAHABHARATA

The epic war between two great

dynasties of the  Pandavas  and the

Kauravas for the throne and kingdom

ruled by the Kuru clan.

KRISHNA, LOVER of LIFE

With the charm of his  flute  and his

playful spirit, Vishnu's eighth avatar,

Krishna, teaches men and women to

let go of their greed and anger.

BHAGAVAD  GITA

Krishna, disguised as Arjuna's

charioteer, advises Arjuna to follow

his dharma and to lead his army to

victory.

FUTURE  AVATAR

Vishnu's  final  avatar, Kalki, is said to

appear during the  final  days of this

age to act as judge and savior.

ENLIGHTENED ONE

Vishnu's ninth avatar is Buddha,

the great purifier of Hinduism and

preacher of contemplation and

compassion.

SATYA (KRITA) YUGA

A new cycle of perfection and

harmony begins, and hope

is once again restored to

humanity.

PRALAYA

The disillusion of the universe arrives,

signaling the start of another cycle.

(Age of  Darkness)

Today we live in the final  quarter  of the world cycle,

characterized as the age of chaos and moral breakdown.

time

Asura:  Beings that are considered

demonic and mortal enemies of the

devatas.

Brahman:  The Hindu priesthood caste.

Chakra:  Ancient symbol of the sun and

cycles of life. As a disc, it is a powerful

weapon and a common attribute of

Lord Vishnu.

Devatas:  The gods that work to protect

and control the universe.

Dharma:  A philosophy and code of

conduct that emphasizes religious duty

and honor.

Ghee:  Clarified  butter used as a fuel for

holy  fires.

Holy Vedas:  Ancient set of text for

conducting religious rituals and prayers

to the Hindu gods.

Kala:  Time, or related to the god of

death.

Kalpa:  One  cycle of creation.

Karma:  A belief that positive events

are the results of positive past deeds in

previous lives.

Lingam:  A sacred stone symbol of Lord

Shiva.

Maharishi:  One  who has mastered his

mind, body, and soul, and is considered

enlightened.

Maya:  Illusion, or the things that bind

us to our desires.

Nirvana:  A state of liberation from the

mind and body.

Pralaya:  The disillusion of the universe,

also known as Brahma's night.

Puja:  A Hindu religious ceremony.

Shakti:  Strength or power personified

as  Devi,  the great goddess.

Trimurti:  The holy trinity of Hindu

gods, comprised of Brahma, Vishnu,

and Shiva.

Sanjay Patel  is an animator and storyboard artist at  Pixar  Animation Studios. He

spends a lot of time looking for taquerias that will serve him french fries along with his

burritos. He was born in  England  and raised in L.A. but has never been to India. Sanjay

and his wife left the country once to go to Italy and found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant

in  Florence  that served french fries on top of fried eggs.

To my wife,  Manisha, thank you for carrying my contact lens case and

splitting milk shakes with me. There was no way this book could have been

made without your eyes and your good taste. I must have asked you to look at

this stuff a gazillion times until you said those magic words, "Oh, that's cute."

The most mellow New Yorker that Inevermet, my patient editor,  Emily  Haynes.

Thank you for gracing this book with your editorial wisdom and sensitivity. You

patched up my literary weaknesses and taught me about the all-important em

dash.

With respect to my fabulous agent  Tina Wexler  at ICM, whom I've met through

particles of DNA that she sends along with contracts. Thank you for discovering

my artwork in the abyss of cyberspace and  finding  a home for it at  Plume.

Brace  Man, thanks for being a pal and believing in this book from the very start.

Ern  and  Zen, thank you for your friendship and support with this project.

To my buddies  Billy, Dan, and  Toaster, thanks for all the laughs, and to all my friends in

the animation department ghetto, keep smoothing out those splines.

Big thanks to the  Afterworks  crew. Without the support

and excitement of a group of us all doing books together, I

wouldn't have made it this far.

To my Adobe InDesign gurus,  Mr. Giglio  (www.superfunfun.

com),  Mr.  Boyd, Mr. Dreyfus, and  Mrs.  Hill, you're all design

lifesavers.

Rinky Baby,  thanks for untangling the mess I made on the

Web.  Mrs. Charu, thanks for teaching me my Hindi ABC's.  Mr.

Rosenast, you're always there with the funny ideas free of

charge.

To all my teachers:  Julie Tabler, thank you for taking me under your wing and starting me

on my path.  Mr.  Sonnenburg  (www.conducthappiness.com), thanks for showing me how

to airbrush an eye and telling me about  CalArts.  Kevin  and  Jill, I can't think of two better

people to learn the joy of animation from.

To the illustrators who dazzled my eyes, my sincere apologies if

I've stared too long:  J. Otto, Richard Scarry, Saul Steinberg, the

Provensens, and  Mary  Blair.

To all my  Guju  friends and family, it's hard to stay in touch and

create things like this. Thanks for your love and support; now,

go rent some rooms.

OM  SHANTI (praise peace)

The sacred syllable  Om  (Aum) is considered the main symbol

of Hinduism and is revered as a holy mantra.  Shanti  simply

means  "peace."  This phrase is how Hindus have begun and

ended their teachings for thousands of years.

144

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaBook


text:
Home News Mobile Apple iPad Pro 2021 with 12.9″ Display Leaked Through CAD Renders!
Apple iPad Pro 2021 with 12.9″ Display Leaked Through CAD Renders!
Sayak Mukherjee
Apple's iPad range has a product for everyone's need, and unsurprisingly it has become the most popular choice in the entire tablet market. We had earlier covered Apple's intention to shift to the Mini-LED display with the 2021 iPad Pro refresh. 91mobiles has now dropped sneak peeks into the CAD renders of the new Apple iPad Pro 2021 and here's what we think about it.
iPad Pro is in the Air!
Leaked images of CAD renders of the upcoming 12.9″ iPad Pro 2021 has just surfaced, and it looks fairly close to the existing line up of the Pro models taking hints from the 4th Gen iPad Air from 2020. 91mobiles, however, couldn't confirm the specifications of the hardware.
The images of the 3D designs of the iPad Pro 12.9″ model for the 2021 model year show clear hints of design cues both from the existing iPad Pro models launched in the first half of 2020 and some inspiration from the iPad Air 2020. This means the iPad Pro 2021 will continue with a slab-like design with a flat side and flat back with a slight protrusion from the rear camera module. The iPad Pro 2021 will also shed some thickness around the bezels. The camera module seems to have been squared out while retaining the rounded edges. The camera hump will house camera units, a LiDAR sensor, and a flash.
iPad Pro 2021 with a slab like design.
The designs show off the quad-speaker grilles, two at the top and two at the bottom. Interesting and much-awaited addition is the Type C port at the bottom, much like the 4th Gen iPad Air. The right side will house the volume rockers and the magnetic cradle for charging the Apple Pencil. The bottom part of the back will be the smart connector's home for the compatible cases and covers to latch onto it.
Our earlier coverage on the 2021 iPad Pro dealt with the news of Apple's shift to Mini-LED display for deeper blacks, richer colors, higher brightness, and increased efficiency. The iPad Pro might run on the A14 Bionic that debuted last year, albeit with some modifications to pump up the performance to deal with heavier workloads and establish hierarchy amongst the existing iPad lineup. Hardware details remain very much in the dark, but the regular leaks and reports suggest that a Q1 2021 launch would be fairly likely.
Previous articleSamsung Debuts Exynos 2100, to Take on A14 Bionic and Snapdragon 888
Next articleCES 2021: LG Showcases Rollable Phone – Expected to Launch This Year
An auto-enthusiast & tech hobbyist who passes time with cinema.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Brilliant, Genius, Bravo! Not many authors(?) or 'Publishers' are brilliant enough to write satire so perfectly. Even fewer will commit SO THOROUGHLY that even the publishing company is part of the 'play'. Intentionally horrible, awful, unsexy, childish and poorly structured writing (wink). Cover images that fail to capture anything about the book (or arouse... anything, at all.). Story/Book Titles by Thesaurus. Tags by shotgun. Description that is carefully crafted to be purposely meaningless and astoundingly vague. Even the location/cover story behind the authors/publisher entertainingly fake, fake, fake ;-) Brilliant, Bravo! Kudos to you all(?) K.P.
Brilliant, Genius, Bravo! Not many authors(?) or 'Publishers' are brilliant enough to write satire so perfectly. Even fewer will commit SO THOROUGHLY that even the publishing company is part of the 'play'. Intentionally horrible, awful, unsexy, childish and poorly structured writing (wink). Cover images that fail to capture anything about the book (or arouse... anything, at all.). Story/Book Titles by Thesaurus. Tags by shotgun. Description that is carefully crafted to be purposely meaningless and astoundingly vague. Even the location/cover story behind the authors/publisher is entertainingly fake, fake, fake ;-) Brilliant, Bravo! Congratulations to you all(?) K.P.
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Above: A new system will allow players to buy tokens for game time they can sell on this auction house for gold.
Blizzard Entertainment is fighting back against gold sellers in World of Warcraft by giving players the chance to buy and sell gold themselves, using tokens for monthly subscription time.
This morning, the makers of the largest subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game in the world announced a system in which players can buy tokens for 30 days of game time with cash — then sell them on an in-game auction to obtain gold for their characters.
This is the most recent dip into free-to-play online game mechanics by Blizzard in a sector that could hit $17 billion in 2017, according to market researcher SuperData. And it could have its biggest effect in Asia, where free-to-play is the reigning business model.
This comes a month after we learned that WoW is back above 10 million monthly subscribers after years or declining players.
Strapped for cash? The new system will give you a way to buy game time for in-game gold. Strapped for gold? You'll now be able to buy it by selling the tokens. I chatted with lead game designer Ion "Watcher" Hazzikostas to find out how it works.
Yes, he's aware of the debacle that was the real money auction house in the company's Diablo III action-adventure game. Yes, he knows people will try to defraud the system. Yes, he's aware of the danger that people will use this gold to try to buy their way to power and dominance. Some raid gear and auction house changes may come as a result of all this.
I'll tell you what he said about all that in a minute; stick with us. First, the basics.
Above: A graphic from Blizzard explaining the new system.
The person with the cash will buy a WoW Token good for 30 days of game time from Warcraft's in-game shop. Blizzard hasn't set the cash price yet, Hazzikostas said, but "it's not going to be cheaper than a monthly subscription," which runs $15 a month.
The token is bound to the player when they buy it; they cannot give it away or trade it. It won't expire, and can't be deleted. The only thing they can do with it is put it up on a special tab in the in-game auction house.
At the time they post it, WoW's auction house tells them exactly how much gold they'll get for it when it sells. While there is no set amount tokens will trade for (more on that in a second), once a transaction has been placed the price is guaranteed. In that sense, it's more like an options market than a true auction: It has no bidding. There is no auction house cut. Players who post and buy tokens know exactly what they'll get.
Buyers in-game can purchase the tokens with gold, and they know exactly how much they'll pay at the time they buy a token. They receive the token after paying the price, and can then apply it to their account to add game time. Like the seller, they can't do anything else with it — no gifts, no trading.
One nice feature: If you have a lapsed WoW account that has enough gold in it to purchase a token, you can do that right from the character select screen. Right now, lapsed accounts are restricted – players are subject to the same constraints as trial accounts, able to only play lower-level characters and barred from the auction house and trade.
On a lapsed account, if your higher level character with enough gold, you'll see a "Reactivate with gold" button, even though you can't log into that character.
Above: The new feature will add a button under the "Reactivate Now" that will offer the opportunity to reactivate with gold.
While buyers and sellers will see guaranteed prices at the time they list a token or purchase one, the market's day-to-day sale prices in gold will actually fluctuate depending on auction house activity.
At any given point, all if the tokens in the auction house will share the same price across a geographic region (the Americas, Europe, Taiwan, Korea, and China), but that price will move up or down depending on an algorithm calculating historical supply or demand in that area.
One interesting note is that no matter when or how big the movement in the market is, sellers and buyers will always be guaranteed to get the price they saw. If a seller posts a token and the market moves downward before a buyer picks it up, the purchaser will pay the cheaper price — but the seller will still get the higher gold price they were quoted when listing the token. The same thing will happen in reverse: If a buyer pays more gold for the token than the seller was promised, the seller will still get paid the lower price.


Oliver Lightload is a hauler.
Oliver likes posing as a long-haul trucker, but the truth is he just likes the Top Down Truck Stop. You see, he's actually an online stockbroker, and he lives less than a mile down the road. He likes to pop in once in a while and crack some jokes, take a nap, or just listen to stories from the constantly changing clientele, all on their way to someplace far off and exotic.
The "FN" is a reference to "Finding Nemo".
His diecast though have UP in it rather than FN.
In comic 'New tire for Sally', Oliver transports tires for Casa Dela Tires.


text:
On 24 February 2017, Mr. Hugo Cuesta Leaño, Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Meritas, visited Gallant. Mr. Cuesta and Mrs. Cuesta were greeted by our Managing Partner, Ms. Brenda Lee, and three other Partners of our Firm, Ms. Amanda Liu, Mr. Walter Lee and Mr. Philip Wong. Our firm was glad to explore closer relationship of collaboration with Cuesta Campos y Asociados, the member firm of Meritas in Mexico. For information about Meritas, see: www.meritas.org
(From left to right) Mr. Cuesta (Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Meritas), Mr. Philip Wong (Partner of our Firm), Ms. Brenda Lee (Managing Partner of our Firm), Mrs. Cuesta, Ms. Amanda Liu (Partner of our Firm) and Mr. Walter Lee (Partner of our Firm).