 
   
  
    - ANNAPURNA (F)
      
 
- BALRAMA/BALARAMA (M)
      
        - symbol of strength, ideal man, protector from desires, symbol of duty, honesty and simplicity 
 
- BHUVANESHWAR (F)
      
        - queen of the Phenomenal World (Bhuvan) 
 
- BRAHMA (M)
      
        - of the Trimurti, creator 
- four faces, old man, Brahmin 
 
- DEVI (F)
      
        - great mother goddess; creative force 
- DURGA
          
            - combats evil, rids the world of demons, destroys ignorance, goddess of sleep and creativity, introduced yoga to mankind 
- consort of Shiva 
- yellow-tinged skin with vampire-like teeth 
 
- KALI
          
            - destruction, human sacrifice 
- "the black one"; portrayed with a necklace of skulls and a belt of severed arms or snakes 
 
 
- DHANWANTARI/DHANWANTRI (M)
      
 
- DHUMVATI (F)
      
        - beholder of smoke 
- reeeeeaaaaaly ugly 
 
- GANGA (F)
      
        - purification, divinely manifested in the river river Ganges (or Ganga) 
 
- GARUDA (M)
      
        - messenger, king of the birds 
- has head, wings, talons, beak of eagle and body and limbs of man 
 
- HANUMAN
      
        - monkey headed god who aids Rama in the Ramayana; gifted healer with supernatural powers who understands the curative qualities of herbs 
 
- KARTIKAY (M)
      
 
- MATANGI (F)
      
 
- MAYA (F)
      
        - illusion; ignorance of individual self 
 
- SATI (F)
      
        - wife of Shiva; reincarnated as Parvati 
 
- SARASWATI/SARASVATI (F)
      
        - music, arts, knowledge, science, language, invented Sanskrit, gives birth to the first man 
 
- SHIVA (M)
      
        - of the Trimurti, destruction 
- ascetic, dreadlocks, wears animal skins, white skin from cremation ash, has a "third-eye", wears snakes as jewelry, trident 
- vahana: Nandi the bull 
- PARVATI/UMA (F)
          
 
- GANESH (M)
          
            - new beginnings, good fortune, noose, axe, sweets, broken tusk to write down Mahabharata 
- elephant headed fat man 
- vahana: rat 
 
 
- VISHNU (M)
      
        - of the Trimurti, preserver 
- blue man, holding four objects 
- LAKSHMI (F)
          
 
- BHUDEVI (F)
          
 
- avatars/incarnations:
          
            - MATYSA: fish (Biblical Noah) 
- KURMA: turtle; stage in development of life where the ability to breathe air and walk out of the water is developed 
- VARAHA: boar; dove down and rescued earth (Bhudevi) 
- NARASINGHA: lion-headed man 
- VAMANA: dwarf 
- PARASURAMA 
- RAMA/RAM: man with bow and arrow Ramayana 
- KRISHNA: man; Mahabharata 
- BUDDHA 
- KALKI: still to come at the end of the present age (Kaliyuga); seated on a white horse like the Christian anti-christ 
 
 
         nov 11 2009 ∞
 mar 24 2011 +