Don't Know Much About Mythology - Kenneth C. Davis [161]
So, then, one might ask: where did the Hindu Creation begin?
One may never know. Even if the “One” knows.
How do you get ten gods in one?
Simple. Count their “avatars.”
In the breadth of Indian myth, gods often appear in many physical forms called avatars. Based on a Sanskrit word meaning “descent of a deity from heaven” (American Heritage Dictionary), an avatar isn’t simply a disguise that a god slips on and off—like Zeus becoming a thunderbolt or a swan and then turning back into Zeus again. Nor is it a simple manifestation, such as the goddess Ganga appearing as the Ganges River. An avatar is an entirely separate entity. In Hindu myth and theology, an avatar can be human or animal and have its own name, personality, physical characteristics, and purpose in life.
That means a goddess like Devi could be a benevolent mother—but her avatar Durga could be dark and destructive. A god’s avatar could also take the form of a fish or a boar. Those are just two of the avatars of Vishnu, the central god most associated with these incarnations. Vishnu comes in at least ten different varieties, ranging from tortoise and dwarf priest to king and warrior hero. As Vishnu and the other divinities in this “Who’s Who” amply demonstrate, each avatar provides the Hindu gods epic opportunities for adventures and miraculous doings.
WHO’S WHO OF HINDU GODS
Although there are virtually thousands of gods in the Hindu pantheon, these lists include some of the chief deities worshipped in India throughout its long history. Part I includes the earliest gods in the Vedic pantheon. These gods are prominent in the Rig-Veda, and are part of the oral tradition that dates to the Aryan arrival in 1500 BCE. Part II comprises the gods and their manifestations who took a dominant role in the period after the establishment of the Hindu pantheon from about 600 BCE on. The earlier gods were not replaced but usually demoted to lesser rank and power.
Part I: “The Old Gods”
Agni The god of fire, Agni is one of the three chief deities of the ancient Rig-Veda. Although he appears in many guises, he is usually depicted with seven arms and a goat’s head, or as a red man with many arms and legs, riding a ram, belching, and emitting light. Agni is more than simply a bringer of fire—he is the vital spark in nature that sometimes consumes in order to create. Manifested both as lightning and the spark of human imagination, Agni symbolizes the Hindu idea of rebirth through destruction. In his role as a “guardian” deity, he is believed to have made the sun and filled the night sky with stars.
When Hindus burn the bodies of their dead, they believe Agni dispatches their souls to heaven in the form of smoke and grants immortality. Among his symbols are a phallic stick used to start a fire by rubbing it in a wooden hole—a metaphor for the heat of the sexual act.
Indra In the early Vedic hymns, Indra is the king of the gods, chief god of sky, storms, and thunderbolts—much like the Greek Zeus. Possibly based on a historical Aryan warrior, he is a great fighter, a lusty drinker of soma—the nectar of the gods—and is often shown with a bloated belly full of the intoxicating beverage (see below). Already tall and powerfully built, Indra grows to enormous size and fills the heavens and earth when he drinks soma.
Indra’s position and power result from his defeat of Vritra, the lord of chaos, a serpent-dragon who swallows the world’s water and causes a drought. During their intense battle, the serpent swallows Indra and retains the upper hand until