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Vishnu and Lakshmi: Goddess Lakshmi means "Good Luck" to Hindus. The word 'Lakshmi' is derived from
the Sanskrit word Laksya, meaning 'aim' or 'goal', and she is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, both
material and spiritual. She is the household goddess of most Hindu families, and a favorite of women.
Vishnu and Lakshmi: The peace-loving deity of the Hindu Trinity, Vishnu is the Preserver or Sustainer of
life with his steadfast principles of order, righteousness and truth. When these values are under threat,
Vishnu emerges out of his transcendence to restore peace and order on earth. Vishnu’s earthly
incarnations have 10 major avatars. The devout followers of Vishnu are called Vaishnavas, and his
consort is Lakshmi
Brahma the Creator: Brahma is the creator of the universe and of all beings, as depicted in the Hindu
cosmology. The Vedas, the oldest and the holiest of Hindu scriptures, are attributed to Brahma, and thus
Brahma is regarded as the father of dharma. He is not to be confused with Brahman which is a general
term for the Supreme Being or Almighty God. Although Brahma is one of the Trinity, his popularity is no
match to that of Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma is to be found to exist more in scriptures than in homes and
temples.
Durga is the mother of the universe and believed to be the power behind the work of creation,
preservation, and destruction of the world.
Shiva the Destroyer: The most powerful and fascinating deity in Hinduism, who represents death and
dissolution.
Kali: Kali, or the dark goddess, is the fearful and ferocious form of the mother goddess Durga. She is
depicted as having born from the brow of Goddess Durga during one of her battles with the evil forces.
Kali is represented with perhaps the fiercest features amongst all the world's deities. Her tongue
protrudes from her mouth, her eyes are red, and her face is red with blood. She stands with one foot on
the thigh, and another on the chest of her husband,
Lakshmana, Rama, Sita, and Hanuman (kneeling).
Rama, the perfect avatar of the Supreme Protector Vishnu, is an all-time favorite among Hindu deities.
The most popular symbol of chivalry and virtue, Rama - in the words of Swami Vivekananda - is "the
embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, and above all, the ideal king."
Hanuman, the mighty ape that aided Lord Rama in his expedition against evil forces, described in the
epic Ramayana, is one of the most popular idols in the Hindu pantheon. Believed to be an avatar of Lord
Shiva, Hanuman is worshipped as a symbol of physical strength, perseverance and devotion. In times of
trouble, it is a common faith among Hindus to chant the name of Hanuman.
Ganesha: He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshiped as the god
of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth.
Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and arts, represents the free flow of wisdom and consciousness.
She is the mother of the Vedas, and chants to her, called the 'Saraswati Vandana' often begin and end
Vedic lessons. Saraswati is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga. It is believed that goddess
Saraswati endows human beings with the powers of speech, wisdom and learning. She has four hands
representing four aspects of human personality in learning: mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She has
sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus – the symbol of true knowledge – in the second.
Savitri: goddess in Hindu mythology, the daughter of
the solar deity Savitr and the wife of the creator god
Brahma. The Mahabharata recounts how Savitri used
the power of her dedication to her husband Satyavan to
prevent Yama, the god of the dead, from taking him
when he was fated to die. She became the epitome of
the faithful wife.
Yama: in the mythology of India, the god of the dead. The
Vedas describe him as the first man who died, blazing the
path of mortality down which all humans have since
followed. He is the guardian of the south (the region of
death) and presides over the resting place of the dead,
which is located under the earth. In the Vedas, Yama was
represented as a cheerful king of the departed ancestors,
not as a punisher of sins, but in later mythology he became
known as the just judge (Dharmaraja) who weighs the
good and evil deeds of the dead and determines
retribution.