The Ramayana is often compared to Iliad by Homer because these two epic poems have a lot in common in plot. In the Ramayana, Dasharatha is the King of Ayodhya and has three wives and four sons, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shartrughana. Rama is the favorite son of his father because he is brave, righteous and skillful in everything. When he grows to the manhood, the great sage Vishvamitra comes and askes for help in defending the demons. At his request, Rama and Lakshamana agree to aid him in slaying the demons.
The details of the nine planetary gods in Hindu religion are given below: 1. Lord Surya – The Sun God Surya is the chief, the solar deity, one of the Adityas, son of Kashyapa and one of his wives Aditi, of Indra, or of Dyaus Pita. Lord Surya or the Sun God occupies the central place amongst the navagrahas facing the east. Also known as Ravi, Surya is the Lord of ‘Simha Rashi’ or Leo sign in Zodiac. Surya’s vahana is a chariot drawn by seven horses.
Next, in her gentle, radiant dayini form (Lakshmi, Sarasvati), she is the gracious donor of boons, wealth, fortune, and success. As heroine (Sita, Draupadi, and Radha) and beloved, Devi comes down to earth and provides inspiring models for earthly women. In this aspect, Devi is then seen as a local protector of villages, towns, and individual tribal peoples, where she is concerned only with local affairs. In her fifth aspect, Devi appears as semi-divine (Nagini, Sundari) force, manifesting herself through fertility spirits, and other supernatural forms. Finally, she is also represented in women saints and yoginis, who are born on earth but endowed with deep spirituality and other-worldly
He is the most important god of Vaishnavism, the largest Hindu sect. Indeed, to illustrate Vishnu’s superior status, Brahma is, in some accounts, considered to have been born from a lotus flower which grew from Vishnu’s naval. A complex character, Vishnu is the Preserver and guardian of men (Narayana), he protects the order of things (dharma) and, when necessary, he appears on earth in various incarnations or avatars to fight demons and fierce creatures and so maintain cosmic harmony. Vishnu represents Sattvaguna and is the centripetal force as it were, responsible for sustenance, protection and maintenance of the created universe. Etymologically speaking, the word 'Vishnu ' means 'one who pervades, one who has entered into everything. '
For Vaishnavas, Durga is another name/form of Uma or Parvati. This is especially prevalent in the Shakta denomination within Hinduism, which worships the Goddess Devi in all her manifestations. Durga is the goddess of power and strength, is perhaps the most important goddess of the Hindus. She is a multi-dimensional Goddess, with many names, many personas, and many facets. As Mahishasuramardini or Shakti, she is the destroyer of evil - with her ten mighty arms carrying lethal weapons she triumphantly slays the demon Mahishasura.
Blavatsky’s teachings were influenced by Buddhist and Vedic teachings, as we can see from this Hindu legend of the creation of the world. In the Bhagavad-Gita, Krishna, who is the incarnation of Vishnu, gives his description of nature, called prakriti (in Sanskrit) to differentiate matter from spirit (purusha). Prakriti (matter or nature) is divided into eight elements according to Bhagavad-Gita: earth, water, fire, air, ether, manas, buddhi, and ahamkara. Krishna tells us, “These are the eightfold divisions of my manifestation.” This allows us to complete the picture of God’s creation as manifested in a human soul which is incarnated. Here is the complete definition of spirit and matter as incarnated in a human form.
The Hindu cosmology is having or including many myths about creation. And the most important players have risen and fallen in importance over a period of 100 years. The earliest Vedic text, the Rig Veda, tells of a gigantic being, Purusha, possessing a thousand heads, eyes, and feet. He completely covered the earth, extending beyond it by the space of ten fingers. When the Gods sacrificed Purusha, his body produced a purer or easier to see through butter, which to be the source of the birds and animals.
One of the legends believes that the monk, Buddhanjnana, worshiped Vasudhara and she granted him his wish of hundreds of pearl necklaces every day. He then sold the necklaces and used his good fortune to help the monastery and fellow monks. He also bought many relics that were of significant importance, such as ritual objects and votive statues. As he continued to use his good fortunes for the well-being of others and not for personal gain, he continued to receive the gifts and fortunes of Vasudhara. Another legend called “The Inquiry of the Layman Sucundra”, describes a struggling philosopher who was trying to provide the necessary means to support his family.
This gives Hijras a unique space in the society, and traditional Indians still invite Hijras to seek their blessings on important occasions such as marriage. As Holly Boswell notes, "it is very interesting to note that the majority of older world religions perceived their deities as hermaphroditic and whole-gendered. Ardhanarisvara in Hinduism, Avalokitesvara and Kuan Yin in Buddhism, and Dionysus in the Greek pantheon are examples of this. Divine androgyny is reflected in subsequent representations of avatars such as Sri Krishna in Vedanta, Lan Ts'ai Ho in Taoist China, and even Jesus Christ. In the Qabbalah, Adam mirrored an androgynous God before the split into Eve and subsequent fall from grace.
According to Hindu mythology, Gaja Lakshmi brought back the wealth lost by Indra (king of demi-gods) from the ocean. Goddess Gaja Lakshmi is four-armed, in red garments, carries two lotuses, other two arms in abhaya mudra and varada mudra, surrounded by two elephants bathing her with water