The foundations of Hinduism are the eternal and supersensuous truths discovered by ancient Indian sages. These revealed Divine Truths are called the Vedas. According to the teachings of the Vedas, God is the One without a second — the absolute, formless, and only Reality. God is referred to as Brahman, the Supreme Universal Soul. It is said in the Vedas that by His mere will, Brahman manifests Himself as this universe. Hence, creation, preservation and dissolution of this world are the three aspects of God. These three basic aspects of God are represented by the Trinity called as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. There are also other deities in Hinduism to personify the various other endless powers and aspects of God. These are the gods and goddesses of Hinduism. A brief idea about a few important gods and goddesses of Hinduism are given in this book.

The Hindu pantheon comprises such a multitude of gods and goddesses that even the most devout can find it difficult to remember their names and characteristics. This self-contained volume presents a comprehensive picture of the gods and goddesses commonly worshiped in India; their origins, and their related myths and legends. It covers the deities from both the Vedic and Puranic literature, as well as demons, sacred birds, and other lore, all accompanied by excellent illustrations from traditional sources.

Hindu gods serve mankind with compassion and devotion, breathing wisdom into every aspect of life. This exquisitely illustrated book presents profiles of 30 deitiesfrom the powerful triad of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the preserver, and Shiva the destroyer, to the colorful supporting cast of gods such as Ganesha and Saraswati. Author Priya Hemenway tells the stories of how these gods came to be, how theyre worshipped, and how they remain forever alive in the hearts of those who seek to know themselves.

Whenever there is degeneration of thought and increase in sin, I shall incarnate in different forms - Lord Sri Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita the Supreme Being has no form to protect the righteous and the virtuous. He has emerged in the many forms of gods and goddesses to guide and teach humanity to lead an ideal life. No major religion in the world can claim to have as many gods and goddesses as Hinduism. At the same time, no other religion has as many forms of worship and places of pilgrimage as do the Hindus. the plurality of gods and goddesses are not evidence of different streams of thought, neither are they there to create confusion: they fulfil a definite purpose. Each god and goddess is assigned a special responsibility. In their own sphere of activity, they are benevolent. Gods and goddesses emerge and thrive upon positive values like patience, tolerance, love and forgiveness and lead one to a path of truth, honesty and integrity.

Buddhism introduced many Hindu Gods and Goddesses to the Japanese. The rulers were the first to be attracted to them. Historical records show that they earnestly believed in the miracles of these divinities promised in the sutras. Many miracle stories started appearing in popular literature as the divinities percolated down to the masses. The resulting naturalisation process in the case of some divinities went to the extent that they became an integral part of the native Shinto pantheon. Their popularity remains unabated even today. The Tantric Buddhist sects also played a vital role in propagating the divinities. They regularly worshipped the divinities in their temples where people thronged in large numbers. Many steps in these ceremonies, for instance, the homa ritual, are very familiar to the present-day Hindus. The monks have also produced a considerable volume of religious literature related to these divinities. Descriptions of many divinities show that they have not changed substantially over centuries. A study of these writings also shows that a large volume of Hindu myths and legends related to these deities were transmitted to Japan. These writings are also a testimony to the way the ancestors of the present-day Hindus thought about these deities, say, around the eighth or ninth century of the Christian era.