I would like let people know I'm working on writeup to include the Hindu pantheon in UPS. I'm also studying the religion, so it's fairly convenient (though, I'm not an expert).
Please post suggestions and objections here 
Hinduism in UPS
Sat, 2006-07-29 14:42
#1
Hinduism in UPS
Sat, 2006-07-29 22:25
#3
Hinduism in UPS
[off-topic]What school are you at?[/off-topic]
Christopher Newport University, of Newport News, VA.
The Hindu gods were in Planescape 2e, btw, so you might want to reference where they use to be before deciding on their UPS location. Siva, for example, is on the Negative Energy Plane, which makes sense for him but is very unusual for a god.
I didn't know this. I tried searching the PS encyclopedia for info but I couldn't find a thing. Tell you what, I'll write what I think of it, and you can correct me where I've gone wrong. My main source will be the relgion itself (i.e. the Complete Idiots Guide to Hinduism).
I had Shiva put in the Astral Plane, btw, since he's supposed the consciousness which all others will return to when the universe ends. In this respect, I don't think the Negative Material Plane makes much sense.
Most of the other gods are going to be put in either Mount Celestia or Arcadia, since the entire pantheon seems to be Lawful Good aligned anyway. That is, if I don't decide to plop a few Vedic demons in too.
Also keep in mind that Hinduism conceives its gods differently than western polytheistic traditions.
Believe me, I'm making that point clear.
Sun, 2006-07-30 00:27
#4
Hinduism in UPS
The Hindu pantheon was briefly discussed in On Hallowed Ground.
I also found this handy list on Dicefreaks. Use as much or as little as you want of it. (the alignments might have been more related to the Vedic lore of pre-Hindu India)
/start list
EAST INDIAN (1)
Agni, CG greater god of fire, messages.
Limbo/Swarga
Brahma, N greater god of creation, balance, cycles.
Astral/unknown
Brihaspati, LG intermediate god of wisdom, worship.
Heaven/Lunia/Nectar of Life
Garuda, LG lesser god of air, birds, servitude.
Heaven/Mercuria/The Divine Lotus
Ganesha (Ganesh), NG lesser god of fortune, friendship, guile, prosperity.
Beastlands/Brux/Restwell
Indra, CE intermediate god of weather, battle.
Limbo/Swarga
Parvati (2) (Durga, Lalitha, Kali), N intermediate goddess of love, spirituality, warfare (as Durga); beauty, nobility, perfection (as Lalitha); destruction, power, murder (as Kali).
Arcadia/Buxenus/unknown /// Outlands/wanders /// Abyss/643rd/The Caverns of the Skull
Karttikeya, CG demigod of war, warriors.
Ysgard/Ysgard/The Fortunes of War
Krishna (3), CG demigod of revelry, music, dancing.
Prime Material Plane/wanders
Lakshmi, CG lesser goddess of fortune.
Heaven/Mercuria/The Divine Lotus
Mitra, LG intermediate god of friendship, contracts, warmth, light, growth.
Heaven/Mercuria/Goldfire
Puchan, NG intermediate god of relationships, travellers.
Beastlands/Brux/Restwell
Ratri, NE lesser goddess of night, darkness.
Hades/Niflheim/The Dark of Night
Ravana, LE intermediate god of evil spirits.
Acheron/Avalas/The Vault of the Waters
Rudra (4), NE intermediate god of storms, disease.
Mechanus/The Focus of Energy
Savitri, NG intermediate god of life, light.
Elysium/Amoria/The Domain of the Day-Long Sun
Sarawathi, LG intermediate goddess of learning, speech, memory, rivers.
Elysium/The River Oceanus
Shiva (Siva), CN greater god of destruction.
Negative Energy/The Vortex
Soma, CG intermediate god of moon, plants, prophecy.
Ysgard/Ysgard/The Gates of the Moon
Surya, LG intermediate god of morning, evening.
Heaven/Mercuria/Goldfire
Tvashtri, CG demigod of invention, creation.
Outlands/Tvashri's Library
Ushas, LG intermediate of light, dawn, wakefulness, locks.
Elysium/Eronia/Morninglory
Varuna, LN intermediate god of cosmic order, dharma.
Mechanus/The Vigilant Eye
Vayu, CN lesser god of wind, life, destruction.
Limbo/Swarga
Vishnu (5), LG greater god of mercy, light, preservation.
Heaven/Mercuria/The Divine Lotus
Yama, LN intermediate god of judgement of the dead.
Mechanus/Yamasadena
(1) All of the East Indian gods are said to be aspects of an overpower known as the Brahman.
(2) Parvati has three aspects: Durga, who is Lawful Good; Lalitha, who is Neutral; and Kali, who is Chaotic Evil. Some argue that all female members of the East Indian pantheon are indeed her aspects.
(3) Originally an avatar of Vishnu, but was granted autonomous status.
(4) Formerly Lawful Neutral, but overthrown by a Neutral Evil aspect of himself.
(5) Vishnu employs his avatars very rarely; indeed, he has only done so nine times. His past avatars have been Mastya, a fish; Kurma, a tortoise; Varaha, a boar; Narasimha, a half-lion/half-human; Vamana, a dwarf; Parasurama, a human cleric; Rama, a human warrior who; Krishna, a human bard (who became a demigod in his own right); and Siddhartha Guatama, the Buddha, a human mystic. He is said to be reserving his tenth and final avatar, the horseman Kalki, for the end of this era, when the world shall be destroyed by Shiva so it may be rebuilt by Brahma.
/end list
Note that several of these gods were ganked in the Pantheon War (the Hindus were split between the Triumvirate and the Alliance), but I'm intending to keep the big 3 (Brahma, Siva, and Vishnu) along with others whoe are well known.
Sun, 2006-07-30 07:22
#5
Hinduism in UPS
Thanks, btw. This is definitely based on the old Vedic gods, not the new Hindu ones. If the Hindu pantheon is going to get split, it might be along the lines of the old gods (Agni, Indra, Mitra, Rudra, Ushas, Sarasvati) vs. the newer gods (Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Durga, Ganesh, Kali). This would explain how much the Hindu pantheon has changed. The old pantheon, of course, gets slaughtered and replaced.
I don't agree with some of the alignments, I'll have them changed.
Sun, 2006-07-30 08:46
#6
Hinduism in UPS
This is turning out to be harder than I thought, lol.
Sun, 2006-07-30 09:27
#7
Hinduism in UPS
How about this:
The Hindu Pantheon
The Hindu pantheon is old, real old. It's said that Hinduism was the first great religion, created by long-lost civilizations when life first dawned. Others say that Hinduism existed while there was still ashes from the previous universe. Whether a blood agrees with it or not, it's always just been there, fixed like the spire to the Planes.
For the longest time the multiverse forgot about the Hindu gods. In their eyes, they were the Old Gods, ones which ruled yesterday but no longer had the promise of material wealth and satisfaction which the newer ones offered. They were eclipsed by the younger, more ambitious souls, who warred for more belief, more territory, and more power.
During the Pantheon war, only a few Hindu gods involved themselves. The three Vedic gods Agni, Rudra, and Indra got themselves killed in the fighting on both sides, as well as many other minor devas. The other old Vedic gods were left severely weakened. Mitra, Saravati and Savitar all retreated into a permanent meditation on the slopes of Mount Celestia, shocked by the ills of the universe. Durga was a fearsome presence in many battles, cutting a bloody swathe during Ragnarok. Kali was slain by a Lawful Good version of herself, and has been since replaced. Hanuman developed a stellar reputation by acting as a divine field medic, saving literally millions of lives, with no bias towards whichever side.
Hinduism's pseudo-neutrality, hybrid polytheism and monotheism, and tolerant scripture made it a excellent refuge of faith for many who lost their own. Even some gods embittered by the entire conflict actually joined the Hindu pantheon, in particular some of the non-human deities and Ehlonna. Although individual Hindu gods and warriors did fight in the war, there were no armies of Hindu petitioners. It was, by and large, a matter of choice, and many Hindu gods didn't understand the conflict let alone want to be a part of it.
Recently, Hinduism has reinstated itself as a rather permanent fixture on the planes. As one of the few religions even resembling polytheism, many think of it as a dated, wrong, insane or even evil religion. The Hindus beg to differ, pointing out that they haven't spilled much blood at all compared to the "True" religions. Still, many religions have made a crack at converting or conquering them, with little success.
Thu, 2006-08-03 22:43
#8
Hinduism in UPS
I know there's a writeup in our entries on the Vedic Pantheon in 3.5 PS...
Ah ha! Found it: [url=/node/]/node/]
Fri, 2006-08-04 19:44
#9
Hinduism in UPS
A note on one possible important ramification of the Hindu pantheon's lack of participation: a pantheon whose followers and petitioners didn't much participate in the Pantheon War could well be in a position similar to Hinduism today: one of the most populously followed religions in existence, without even much trying!
Fri, 2006-08-04 20:04
#10
Hinduism in UPS
A note on one possible important ramification of the Hindu pantheon's lack of participation: a pantheon whose followers and petitioners didn't much participate in the Pantheon War could well be in a position similar to Hinduism today: one of the most populously followed religions in existence, without even much trying!
I agree. Hinduism has a massive pacifistic streak (Ghandi, anyone?) that should be reflected. It's not perfect, but they've done a lot less slaughter than most other religions. Nevertheless, I would like to get rid of some of the older gods like Indra.
Quote:
Ah ha! Found it: /node/]It's good material and I'll be sure to use it, but I don't like the way Kali nor Shiva is portrayed, particularly Kali, but I'll be sure to correct that.
[off-topic]What school are you at?[/off-topic]
The Hindu gods were in Planescape 2e, btw, so you might want to reference where they use to be before deciding on their UPS location. Siva, for example, is on the Negative Energy Plane, which makes sense for him but is very unusual for a god.
Also keep in mind that Hinduism conceives its gods differently than western polytheistic traditions.