HIndu Blog Posts, About Hindu Gods, goddesses

Diwali Festival of Lights: Worship of Lakshmi

01-golden-temple-diwali — Lakshmi is worshiped throughout Diwali Festival of Lights

Lakshmi is no doubt worshiped throughout the year as the important Hindu Goddess of Wealth, but she is most astutely worship during the Hindu festival of Diwali, festival of lights. Diwali is a very important 5-day holiday on the Hindu calendar in which families celebrate traditional activities together in their homes. Participants in Diwali light small clay oil lamps which represents the conquering of good over evil. The lamps are left lit throughout the night as followers cleanse their homes in order to welcome Goddess Lakshmi. Throughout history people have put oil lamps outside their homes on Diwali in hopes that Lakshmi would come visit their homes and bless them. Lakshmi Puja is the most important day of the Diwali festival of lights in northern India. Fireworks are set off in order to send away evil spirits. Sweets and snacks are shared among family and friends and an overall grand celebration ensues.

It is no question that the Diwali festival is a celebration of great joy for Hindus, honoring Lakshmi’s abundance in their lives. Lakshmi is an endless symbol of wealth in all its forms. Wealth comes in many ways, not just the monetary wealth we think of. She is a symbol of wealth of knowledge, wealth of courage, wealth of victory, and every other way in which wealth manifests. Thus she is celebrated for her endless abundance. Lakshmi is a symbol of luck to most Hindus and is celebrated daily in most homes. She is a symbol of femininity for Hindu women with her gorgeous golden complexion sitting upon a blooming lotus bud. The budding lotus represents fertility and purity. She is believed to lead devotees into both material and spiritual prosperity.

As October is coming to a close, many Hindus are prepping for Diwali to start on the 13^th of November, celebrated through the 17^th of November. Prep your oil lamps and prepare to celebrate with Hindus across the globe and celebrate the diving beauty Lakshmi, Hindu Goddess of Wealth.

Hindu God Shiva as Harihara

Glory to you, O Shiva! Glory to you, O Omkaara! May Brahma, Vishnu and the assembly of other gods, including the great Lord Shiva, relieve me of my afflictions!

As many know, Hindu God Shiva comes in many different forms. One such popular form is that of Shiva as Harihara, an important integration between Hindu God Shiva and Hindu God Vishnu. The worship of Shiva as Harihara is an important form as it reiterates to devotees that worship of Shiva, Vishnu, or any of the prominent Hindu Gods is but the worship of every prominent Hindu God, one and the same. When one worships Shiva, one also worships Vishnu, and all the other important deities collectively in the spirit of divine oneness. All followers of Hinduism are all looking for one thing, the divine. When one comes to fully realize this concept, they understand that we are all worshiping the same inherent thing, dharma, just from different approaches. Both Vishnavites and Shaivities worship Harihara as a form of the one supreme god.

There is often much debate within Hinduism as to the inherent importance of Shiva and Vishnu. Vishnavites believe that Vishnu is the supreme god, while Shaivities believe Shiva to be the ultimate being. Conversely others believe that both are equal, manifesting different aspects of the same Supreme Being. In many cases, however, even if one is preferred over the other, much respect is allotted to the other.

“Shiva and Vishnu are one and the same entity. They are essentially one and the same. They are the names given to the different aspects of the all-pervading Supreme Soul or the Absolute. ‘Sivasya hridayam vishnur-vishnoscha hridayam sivah—Vishnu is the heart of Siva and likewise Siva is the heart of Vishnu’.”
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Hindu Goddess Saraswati: Goddess of Knowledge

“May Goddess Saraswati, who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon, and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops, who is adorned in radiant white attire, on whose beautiful arm rests the veena, and whose throne is a white lotus, who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me. May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness, and ignorance.”

Within Hinduism, Saraswati is the Goddess of knowledge, art, music, and science. Companion to Brahma, it is said that Saraswati was key to his creation of the Universe. As his source of vital spirit and energy, she along with Goddess Kali and Lakshmi played pivotal roles in helping the gods shape and maintain the universe. Saraswati also plays an important role in Buddhism as sacred devotee of Gautama Buddha making sure his teachings live on in practice. She is daughter to Durga and sister to Ganesh.

Hindu Goddess Saraswati — Click here to view all our Saraswati Statues

Saraswati is thought to contain the divine flow of all things serving as a beautiful body of knowledge and catalyst of learning throughout the world. Her sultry appearance is striking and the epitome of feminine and divine beauty. Her beauty is strategic in order to make knowledge and learning alluring to onlookers. She is often depicted in flowing white to symbolize her purity and unmatched mind while seated upon a lotus flower which represents the light in knowledge. By worshiping Saraswati one is able to realize the possibility of infinite knowledge and an endless quest of enrichment. She embodies not only knowledge itself, but the highest of spiritual knowledge, much like Buddhist teaching of the Gautama Buddha reaching enlightenment. Her potential is fully realized and as one follows her example they too can become enlightened.

Many devotees believe strongly in offering honey to goddess Saraswati during worship as a symbol of the purest of knowledge.

Click to learn more about Hindu goddess Saraswati.

Hindu Goddess Brahmacharni, the 2nd of 9 Durgas

Navratri, Hindu Goddess Brahmacharni, durga — The Hindu Goddess Brahmacharni venerated on the 2nd day of the Navaratri prayers. Click on the picture above to view all our statues of the Hindu Goddess Durga.

Brahmacharni is the second phase of nine Durgas. She is venerated on the 2nd day of Navratri. Here “Brahma” means penance. So, Brahmacharini is one who practices penance.

Bramha refers to the meditative aspect of Brahmacharini and is always depicted as pious women or Sannyasin. She is also worshiped as goddess Tara and is associated with the pious form of Hindu Goddess Shakti. She is believed to be that aspect of Mother Goddess Devi, which was present in Sati and Goddess Parvati, when they both did intense austerities to get Lord Shiva as husband.

Brahmacharini is known for knowledge of scriptures, essence and penance. She is depicted with prayer beads in her right hand and Kamandal in left hand.

The Hindu Goddess Shailputri, Uma Parvati

“Worship of Shailaputri gives Stability, Health, Spiritual Awareness, Love, Compassion and Dignity.”

The Hindu Goddess Shailaputri, Uma Parvati — View Statues of the Hindu Goddess Shailaputri, Uma Parvati. Above is a stunning bronze of Parvati with her two sons Ganesh and Murugan.

The first form of the Hindu Goddess mother Durga among her nine forms is Shailaputri. ‘Shail’ means mountains. ‘Putri’ means daughter. As such she is the Daughter of the Mountains, popularly known as Uma-Parvati in Puranic mythology.

The Hindu Goddess Shailputri is venerated on the first day of the Navaratri prayers. She is said to be the embodiment of the power of the Hindu Gods Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. She is described as Hindu Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva and the mother of Ganesha and Murugan.

Shailaputri was born to Daksha Prajapati. Once Daksha had organized a big Yagna and did not invite Shiva. But Sati being obstinate, reached there against Siva’s advise. Thereupon Daksha insulted Shiva. Sati could not tolerate the insult of husband and burnt herself in the fire of Yagna. Shiva carried her and shook the world with his Thandava. Seeing his agony, Lord Vishnu used his sudharsana chakra to dismember the corpse. They fall on to the earth and became Shakti Peeths. In her next birth, Sati, became the daughter of Himalaya as Parvati. In the Nava Durga pantheon she is referred as Shailaputri.

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