Deities

Georgia Benson-Waterdown & Molly McSweeney

What are Deities?

Deities are defined as the supreme or divine ruler of any polytheistic religion.
In some religions such as christianity a deity is called a god.
Hinduism is the religion that commonly calls them deities.
They contain powers that an average mortal does not possess.
Throughout history deities have been defined through many ways and even altered to better fit
certain religions or beliefs. Initially a Deity was simply to be indistinguishable from nature itself
however, it was later characterized as the personification of such qualities man strive to be.

Unlimited knowledge in the hands of a Deity imposed a

predestination that destroyed the possibility for ''freewill.''
You can't be free to choose when your choice is restricted
by what a Deity already knows; and hence, what will
inevitably become your eventuality. The dynamics of
"time" prevent it.

Worship in Hinduism
The main deities actually create four sections of worship within
Hinduism.
Shaivism is where Shiva is worshipped as the main god.
Vaishnavism is where Vishnu is worshipped as the main god.

Shaktism is where
the female aspects
of a god are
primarily
worshipped.
Smartism is where six main deities
are worshipped: shiva, Vishnu, Shakti
(aspects), Ganesh, Murugan and
Surya.

Main Deities in Hinduism

Shiva is known as the destroyer and transformer. He has a third eye, blue skin, and a trident in his hand.
Vishnu is the preserver, has four arms, blue skin, and rests on a snake.
Three goddesses that represent the Shaktis are Saraswati the goddess of knowledge and the arts, Lakshmi
the goddess of wealth and property, and Parvati the divine mother. Each are wives of another god.
Ganesh is easily recognizable as the elephant deity. He is the lord of success and destroyer of evils. He can
also be worshiped as the god of wisdom and wealth.
Murugan is the god of war and son of Shiva commonly seen with a peacock.
Surya is the god of the sun with four arms usually pulled by a chariot of horses.
Each of the most commonly worshipped Deities in Hinduism are draped
with lavish gold jewelry and bold rhinestones.
Elegant cloth and fabric often cover part of these divine rulers along with
crown-like head pieces that dangle at the temples or between the eyes.

Lesser Deities
The lesser deities are divided into four groups: Adityas, Vasus, Rudras, and Ashvins.
Adityas( offspring of Aditi): Mitra, Varuna, Aryaman, Bhaga, Ravi, Yama.
Vasus( Assistants of Indra and Vishnu): Agni, Aha, Dhruva, Soma.
Rudras: 11 of the 33 children of the sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi, along with 12 Adityas, 8 Vasus, and 2
Ashvins.
Ashvins( twin gods): Nasatya and Dasra.

Lesser Deities are still common amongst Hindu

households and worship centers. In some cases a
smaller image of a lesser deity would be put up for
worship next to a larger image of one main deity.

About Worshipping the Deities

Puja is the term used for Hindu worship to the deities.

Hindu worship is more of an individual act rather than a communal act.

Worshippers will pray to specific deities.

Worshipping can be done in temples or at home.

The worshippers will offer food to the deities.

Worshippers worship in shrines dedicated to specific deities

There are often shrines in Hindu homes for direct devotion between
the worshipper and the deity.

"Hindu Temple." BBC Bristol. 24

Sept. 2014. Web. 25 Mar. 2016.

Foods Offered to the Deities

The food that is offered to the deities are referred to as prasada. Prasada means gracious gift or grace.
The religious offerings are consumed by the worshippers. The preparation, offering, and eating of the food is
considered a powerful meditation. The plate that holds the offered food is never used for any other purpose.
There are guidelines that need to be followed when making the offered food such as:
1. The offerings must be purely vegetarian
2. The offerings must not include garlic, onions, or mushrooms.
3. The food cannot be tasted before being offered to the deities.

Work Cited
"Brahma." BBC. N.p., 24 Aug. 2009. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.
"Hindu Gods Chart." World History Charts Hindu Gods Chart Comments. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.

"Is Holy Communion Equivalent to Prasadam?Is It Safe for Catholics to Consume Prasadam?"
EPHESIANS511NET A Roman Catholic Ministry Exposing Errors in the Indian Church. N.p., 02 Aug. 2014. Web. 23
Mar. 2016.
Morales, Dr. Frank Gaetano. "A Guide to Prasada: Why Hindus Offer Food to the Gods." About.com Religion & Spirituality. N.p.,
02 Aug. 2015. Web. 22 Mar. 2016.