The Hindu Pantheon

As the deities of one of the most enduring cultures ever to exist on a Prime Material world, the powers of the Hindu people are variable, adaptable beings. Their pantheon has undergone substantial changes over the millennia, and its history is such a tangled web of overlapping spheres of influence that even the Fraternity of Order’s bean-counters have all but given up on trying to understand them.

Well, most bean-counters anyway. Hakna Dawson, an aasimar researcher, brings you the following update, revealing the darks regarding the recent changes among the Hindu powers. Some are in the dead-book, and some are new – read on to tumble to the latest chant.One of the key concepts in Hindu beliefs is cyclical time. It is believed that all existence passes through several repeating eras, as the three base forces – Creation, Preservation, and Destruction – take their turn. For the past several centuries, the multiverse has been rolling through its final stage, the era of death, Kali Yuga. It is when the current age ends that All is destroyed, and from its remains will spring the roots of a new existence.

BRAHMA The Creator, Mighty One Greater Power Symbol: Four-faced head Home Plane: Astral Plane Alignment: Neutral Portfolio: Creation, balance, cycles Domains: Balance, Creation, Fate, Strength Favored Weapon: Unarmed strikeKnown Proxies: None Dogma: See textBrahma is the first of the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity of deities that creates, maintains, and destroys the multiverse in a never-ending cycle. The entire universe had sprung from Brahma's mind in a moment of immense effort, and since then Brahma has more or less left it to itself (or to Vishnu, more precisely). This transcendent deity seems to have no desire to interfere with his creation, and no dogma whatsoever for his followers. Not surprisingly, this attitude has left him with few direct worshipers, but he retains his status of a greater power due to the fact that most Hindu believers worship the Trimurti as a whole, including the indifferent creator. Brahma’s consort is Saraswathi, the goddess of wisdom and arts.VISHNU The Preserver, Chu Ta, Sustainer of Life Greater Power Symbol: Sun, shell, lotus, mace Home Plane: Mount Celestia/Mercuria/the Divine Lotus Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Preservation, life, order, truth Domains: Good, Healing, Law, Protection Favored Weapon: Heavy maceKnown Proxies: Anaghat Singh, LG quasi-power (female human) Pal 16. Dogma: Always value life, and defend all sentient beings from evil, as the Preserver himself does. Attain salvation by faithfully following predetermined paths of duty. Vishnu, the most popular deity of the Trimurti, is responsible for no less than the maintainance of the entire universe. He is a benevolent deity, associated with the principles of protection, righteousness and dharma. On several occasions Vishnu has come out of his reverie to restore the world from the brink of (premature) destruction. It is on such occasions that he creates his proxies, the most recent one being the human Krishna, now himself ascended to godhood. Prophecies claim that Vishnu’s final proxy will be a mortal called Kalkin, who will herald the end of existence and the coming of Shiva. When Vishnu's task is finally over and the multiverse is at an end, he will fall asleep atop his mount, the great serpent Shesha, and from his belly a lotus flower will spring, giving birth to a new Brahma, the creator of new worlds. Vishnu’s consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune and prosperity.SHIVA The Destroyer, Nataraja, The Dancer in the FlamesGreater PowerSymbol: Cobra headHome Plane: Negative Energy Plane/the VortexAlignment: Chaotic neutralPortfolio: Destruction, entropy, endingsDomains: Chaos, Destruction, Fire, TimeFavored Weapon: TridentKnown Proxies: NoneDogma: Watch entropy take its toll, and do not be afraid. Prepare yourself to face the end of All with a smile, and welcome the purifying flames. Pray to Shiva not to undo you before your time comes, but never hesitate to lend a hand to a destructive process, if you find it worthy and well-timed.Shiva is the third of the Trimurti and the deity of ultimate destruction. All that Brahma creates and Vishnu preserves is for Shiva to destroy so that it may be created anew. Shiva is the one who will tear down the multiverse after the end of the current age, making room for the creation of a new one. He is entropy incarnate, and as such does not consider himself evil and malicious.

To achieve his goal, Shiva’s been meditating for centuries at a time in his realm, the Vortex, on the perfect methods by which utter ruin can be accomplished. Recently however, as his moment draws near, he began stirring from his contemplation and drawing strength from others preparing for the End. He has entirely incorporated the essence of two deities, Agni the Purifying Flame and Rudra the Crying Hunter. These two are now worshiped merely as aspects of Shiva. Cults of Shiva are already incorporating the themes of flame and disease into their rituals.

Shiva’s consort is the goddess Parvati, better known as Kali, another multifaceted power, and one with a related portfolio.GANESHA The Remover of Obstacles, The Destroyer of Sorrow Lesser Power Symbol: An elephant's head Home Plane: Beastlands/Brux/Restweal Alignment: Neutral good Portfolio: Good fortune, friendship, guile, prosperity Domains: Animal, Good, Planning, Protection Favored Weapon: An elephant's tusk (falchion)Known Proxies: Mathel, NG quasi-power (male loxo) Clr 15 Dogma: You can endure all difficulties and undo any misfortune, if Ganesha is with you. Be neither subject to fear, nor cause of fear. Aid others so that you will receive aid when in need. Prosper, and give thanks.A fairly young power, Ganesha is a personification of purity, innocence, and inner beauty. He strives to bring out the inner child in his worshipers, at the same time guiding them away from wrongdoing and fear. Ganesha has partially assumed the portfolios of some older, mostly forgotten powers, namely Puchan and Mitra. Today, most Hindu believers send a quick prayer to Ganesha before starting any important new ventures.

Although Ganesha is the son of Kali and Shiva, he had inherited surprisingly little of his parents’ violent nature. It is said that after given birth by Kali, Ganesha was (accidentally or not) beheaded by Shiva. To quell the maternal rage of his consort, Shiva replaced his son's head with the head of the first creature he could find – an elephant. For that reason, Ganesha is always depicted as an ugly little creature with an elephant head sitting rather confidently on a big pot belly; this should inspire his worshipers to always look for true values beneath the outward appearance. Ganesha has only one tusk, having lost the other one in an encounter with Parasurama. His mount is a white mouse.INDRA The Sky, The Storm, The Slayer of Demons Intermediate Power Symbol: White elephant Home Plane: Limbo/Swarga Alignment: Chaotic neutral Portfolio: Storms, leadership, warfare Domains: Chaos, Storm, Strength, War Favored Weapon: ShortspearKnown Proxies: None Dogma: Be mighty and be free. Know no fear and no boundaries. Lead by example, especially in a contest of strength. Never admit defeat, and never bow to an enemy.Indra is an old deity; once he was the leader of the pantheon, but in recent millennia his worship had declined in favor of the Trimurti. He is the lord of the blue sky, the wielder of storms, prone to drinking, often losing control over himself, mighty and sensuous, always concerned about his status, at times scheming and at times troubled.

Indra and the wind god, Vayu, rule the realm of Swarga attended by asuras; these two used to share this realm with the fire god, Agni, but since he has been devoured by Shiva, they rule alone. Indra is credited with winning many battles to drive the demons away and ensure victory to the gods. His most famous achievement was the slaying of a mighty Abyssal Lord, Vratasura. Indra is generally shown with four arms and riding on a white elephant. Sometimes he is shown with his wife, the aasimon Sachidevi, but mostly he is alone. KRISHNAJagannatha, Lord of the World, Insatiable One Demipower Symbol: A sitar with silver strings Home Plane: Prime Material Plane/wanders Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Revelry, music, dancing Domains: Chaos, Good, Glory, Strength Favored Weapon: Unarmed strikeKnown Proxies: None Dogma: Find cause for laughter in all things. Enjoy all that life has to offer, celebrate it, and share it with others. One grows stronger and wiser with experience, and should never refuse a challenge. Krishna was the eighth avatar of Vishnu, manifested to rid the world of a tyrannical half-demon king. Numerous legends describe his heroic exploits – he slew or defeated scores of evil demons and monsters. Either as a consequence of his popularity among worshipers, or as a reward from Vishnu for his deeds, Krishna has been granted the status of an autonomous demigod.

Although Krishna was at first celebrated primarily as a heroic figure, throughout the centuries his worship had been slowly shifting to the Ravenous Reveler aspect. He is adored as a mischievous trickster, notorious lover, and unrivaled musician and dancer.LAKSHMI The Resplendent One Intermediate Power Symbol: Silver owl with golden eyes Home Plane: Bytopia/Shurrock/Unknown Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Crops, fortune, riches, children, victory Domains: Law, Luck, Trade, Travel Favored Weapon: Kris (dagger)Known Proxies: None Dogma: Luck favors those who are thankful – one should give praise whenever good comes his way. Respect and honor all deserving creatures so that you will be protected from strife. Do not harbor envy or desire what is not your own, for that is the way to fortune.The consort of Vishnu, the goddess of wealth and provider of all material comforts, Lakshmi is sometimes worshipped as an aspect of Parvati, but still remains a separate entity. Born from the milky ocean when the gods and demons churned it, she was presented to Vishnu as a gift. She is generally shown seated on a lotus flower holding lotus flowers in two of her four hands. The owl is her vehicle, standing symbolically for intelligence, shifting fortune, and loneliness and fear which are the companions of the rich and famous. Lakshmi is worshipped traditionally by businessmen, merchants and traders, and rituals in her honor are usually conducted with a lot of fanfare. PARVATI The Dark Mother, Mahadeva, Kali Durga, Shakti Greater Power Symbol: Sri Chakra Home Plane: Arcadia/Buxenus/unknown, Outlands/wanders, or Abyss/643rd/Caverns of the Skull Alignment: Lawful good, neutral, or chaotic evil Portfolio: Love, spirituality, warfare; beauty, nobility, perfection; or destruction, personal power, murder Domains: Courage, Good, Law; Balance, Charm, Luck; or Chaos, Death, Evil Favored Weapon: Unarmed strike, dagger, or strangling cordKnown Proxies: Proxies of her Kali aspect are many, and do not last long Dogma: The dogma that Parvati’s worshipers adhere to depends on which of her three aspects they choose. It ranges from “protect the innocent by standing up to the wicked” to “observe the perfection in all things” to “prove yourself strong by destroying the unworthy”.

Parvati is a controversial deity, worshipped in many different aspects of wildly different characteristics. As Durga, she is lawful good, the great mother and warrior, considered by some to be of a higher order than even the Trimurti. As Lalitha, she is neutral, representing all that is brilliant, refined, and distant, the aloof beauty. As Kali, she is chaotic evil, the personification of death and destruction, more ferocious than even her husband Shiva. This last aspect has been dominant for several centuries, and is expected to hold sway over the other two until the end of the multiverse.

Some sages even believe that Parvati incorporates all female deities of the pantheon – Lakshmi, Saraswathi, and the rest – as merely additional aspects of the one goddess. It goes without saying that Parvati's worshippers are a diverse lot, and her appearance varies as well. RATRI Queen of the Night, The Gentle Shadow Lesser Power Symbol: Silhouette of a woman, grey on black Home Plane: Hades/Niflheim/The Dark of Night Alignment: Neutral Portfolio: Dusk, beauty, shadows Domains: Charm, Darkness, Illusion, Trickery Favored Weapon: Kris (dagger)Known Proxies: None Dogma: Learn to rule the shadows, for they can either hide you from all harm or conceal your path to salvation. Appreciate the delicacy of what is not known but only hinted at, the unseen beauty.Although the sovereign of darkness and all things that abide in it, Ratri is not a personification of night. Rather, she rules the darkness as a shepherd rules his herd, by watching over it without being a part of it. All who ply their trade by night pray to Ratri, and their fickle mistress sometimes helps them by concealing their activities, and reveals them if offended. Ratri the dusk is sister to Ushas the dawn; they follow each other in a never-ending dance over the heavens, with Surya the Sun always between them.SARASWATHI The Giver of Essence, The One Who Flows Intermediate Power Symbol: Flowing river Home Plane: Elysium/the River Oceanus Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: Learning, speech, memory, rivers Domains: Good, Knowledge, Law, Water Favored Weapon: Wave (unarmed attack)Known Proxies: Rudbin Khartep, LG quasi-power (male human) Wiz 13 Dogma: Oppose ignorance, always. Recognize the divine gifts called "language" and "memory", and do not take them for granted. Use and share your knowledge to achieve greater good, never hoard it for yourself.The consort of Brahma, the goddess of learning and keeper of memories, Saraswathi is sometimes worshipped as an aspect of Parvati, but is usually recognized as a separate entity. Saraswathi was worshipped early on as a personification of a sacred river on the Prime Material Plane (a part of Oceanus, now dried up), but she took over the portfolio of learning and knowledge from a deceased deity called Brihaspati. Since then, she is a “river of knowledge” that flows from Brahma to the mortals, and the “light of knowledge” that dispels our ignorance. Saraswathi is generally depicted as graceful goddess in spotless white clothes, seated on a lotus seat, holding a veena on her lap, with a peacock or a swan wandering near by. The bird symbolizes beauty, grace and wisdom. SOMA The Prophet, The Drinker, The Illusionist Lesser Power Symbol: A half-moon Home Plane: Ysgard/Ysgard/The Gates of the Moon Alignment: Chaotic neutral Portfolio: Soma-juice, the moon, madness, prophecy Domains: Chaos, Plant, Madness, Moon. Favored Weapon: Tulwas (scimitar)Known Proxies: None Dogma: Escape from the dreary Material into the Dream. Seek the mysteries of unbound consciousness, and use them to relieve the difficulties of the less fortunate who have not yet found the path to full perception. Soma is the god of inspiration, the intoxicant who stirs the minds of gods and mortals alike. He brings joy into the lives of people, cures them from diseases and leads them to the worlds of bliss and immortality. He gives strength not only to mortals, but to the gods as well. Because of him, Indra was able to slay Vratasura. Soma is the god of soma-juice and the moon, and implicitly the lord of all plants. He manifests himself in the soma plant, which provides a powerful juice that causes men to see hallucinations. Soma is often depicted as a human face on the moon, and sometimes as a bull, giant, or bird.SURYA The Light Most Excellent, The Golden One Intermediate Power Symbol: The sun’s disc on a white background Home Plane: Mount Celestia/Mercuria/Goldfire Alignment: Lawful good Portfolio: The sun, health, vitality Domains: Good, Healing, Law, Sun Favored Weapon: Sunbeam (Spear)Known Proxies: Penemue, LG quasi-power (throne archon) Dogma: Celebrate the gift of sunlight that brings us life and health. Be active, vigilant, strong in body and soul. Pray that the Sun expels the darkness from both our flesh and our minds.Swift and beautiful, Surya is the blazing sun. He rides the skies in his golden chariot drawn by seven heavenly horses, who are the daughters of Varuna. Giver of power and strength, destroyer of laziness and darkness, with bright light radiating from him, he knows all that lives.

Surya in his more benevolent mood is sometimes called Mitra, the provider of good health, who removes the heart disease. Surya and Mitra may or may not have been two separate powers, but it is fairly certain they are a single entity now. Surya is rarely depicted in human form, but is said to be extremely brilliant, with radiant hairTVASHTRIThe Artificer Demipower Symbol: Pinwheel fan Home Plane: The Outlands/Tvashtri’s Laboratory Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: Art, inventions, creativity Domains: Artifice, Chaos, Good, Magic Favored Weapon: Kris (dagger)Known Proxies: None Dogma: Always be on the lookout for unknown secrets, for unexpected ideas, for new ways to achieve your goals. Strive for perfection in all your acts and thoughts. Improve yourself by learning and creating.Long ago, Tvashtri was a mighty priest and a gifted inventor that eventually earned the gift of immortality. It is not known whether this was a gift of the gods, or that Tvashtri somehow learned this ultimate secret himself. Now known as Tvashtri the Artificer, he is the patron of artisans, architects, and inventors.

Tvashtri spends most of his time creating the weapons of the gods, many of which he enchants so that they will never do him any harm. He usually appears as a short man wearing a golden robe. USHAS The Fleeing Dawn, The Lady of Light Lesser Power Symbol: Upper half of the sun's disc, on a grey background Home Plane: Elysium/Eronia/Morninglory Alignment: Chaotic good Portfolio: The dawn, beauty, purity, happiness Domains: Chaos, Charm, Good, Luck Favored Weapon: ShortbowKnown Proxies: None Dogma: Celebrate each new day as a gift from the gods. Look ahead with hope in your heart. Goddess of light and beauty, Ushas is the dawn, the daughter of the sky, she who rouses all life and stirs all living creatures. Borne on a hundred chariots, she yokes her steed before the arrival of Surya the sun and is never late - she eludes Surya the sun who is always eager to catch her, but never does. She brings not just light to the sleeping mankind, but hope, happiness, riches and all the good things.

Ushas the dawn is sister to Ratri the dusk; they follow each other in a never-ending dance over the heavens, with Surya the Sun always between them. VARUNA The All-Seeing Night Sky, The True Judge Intermediate Power Symbol: A four-pointed star inside an eye Home Plane: Mechanus/The Vigilant Eye Alignment: Lawful neutral Portfolio: Judgment, divinations, order Domains: Air, Law, Knowledge, Protection Favored Weapon: LongbowKnown Proxies: None Dogma: Respect and obey the lawgivers, and Varuna as the highest among them. Know that no secrets are safe from the all-seeing god, and no wrongdoings will be forgiven. Be grateful for the heavenly order that sustains the world.As old as Indra, Varuna was once a much more important power. Today he is largely replaced by Brahma as an omni-sentient and omnipotent divine presence – now he is thought of as merely omni-sentient. He is the calm sky, with its innumerable spies (stars) who are spread everywhere, acting as his eyes and ears. He knows all that goes on in this world. If two people are talking together, know that Varuna is there watching every thing that is going on. He is the ultimate dispenser of justice, the ordainer and enforcer of law, and upholder of the world order.

He is often depicted as the rider of a chariot drawn by seven swans, with four hands and an umbrella over his head. In some images the swans are replaced by a crocodile.VAYU The Fickle Breath Lesser Power Symbol: A sapling bending in the wind Home Plane: Limbo/Swarga Alignment: Chaotic neutral Portfolio: Winds, destruction, life Domains: Air, Chaos, Destruction, Weather Favored Weapon: Tulwas (scimitar)Known Proxies: None Dogma: Never shackled, always changing, bring down the static old, rise up the mutable new… Bow to no one, neither power nor mortal. This elemental power of unpredictable temperament is as old as any other member of the pantheon. Little can be said of Vayu that is not liable to change at any moment. Some believe that his winds are not only tools of destruction, but also heralds of change for the better. Those that bow to Vayu usually do so in the hope of redirecting his wrath from them and onto their enemies, but sometimes short prayers are uttered at childbirth for the god to grant the newborn its first breath.

Vayu the Wind and Indra the Sky rule the realm of Swarga attended by asuras; these two used to share this realm with the fire god, Agni, but since he has been devoured by Shiva, they rule alone.

Vayu is rarely seen in a material, humanoid form. He is usually depicted as a whirlwind with two eyes, a mouth, and six ghostly hands.YAMA The Controller, The Red Death Intermediate Power Symbol: A curved red blade Home Plane: Mechanus/Yamasadena Alignment: Lawful neutral Portfolio: The dead, reincarnation, secrets Domains: Death, Knowledge, Law, Repose Favored Weapon: Tulwas (scimitar)Known Proxies: Talandra the Bright, LN quasi-power (female human) Ftr 10 Dogma: Strive to unravel all mysteries, opening the way to the greatest one of all - death itself. Respect but do not fear death, for he is a just lord, and all are welcome in his domain.As the first man to die, Yama became the lord and judge of the dead, as well as a master of knowledge. While Kali has the power over death and Varuna the power to know all that living men know, Yama has control over the dead themselves, and the knowledge of all they have once known. He is the one who decides whether a deceased soul will be reincarnated, and how. He is obsessed with solving the ultimate mysteries of life and death which elude even the gods.

He is depicted dressed in robes of red, while holding a red scimitar and a noose, either riding a buffalo or sitting on a throne while he reviews the deeds of men and accords punishment.