| The modern pantheon takes shape | |
 |
One of the ways the deities are integrated into a coherent pantheon is through their participation in the evolution of the cosmos; Vishnu plays a central role, resting on his great serpent Shesha during the aeon-long Night of Brahma |
 |
When it's time for a new yuga to begin, a lotus springs from Vishnu's navel, and the Brahma for that yuga appears-- and creates that particular universe |
 |
Early in cosmic history, the gods all pull together, as they and the Asuras jointly perform the great Churning of the Ocean of Milk |
 |
From this churning emerges the "Kama-dhenu," or wish-fulfilling cow, who can be shown as containing all the deities |
 |
Of the three great gods, it is BRAHMA who tends to get short shrift; independent images of him are relatively rare, and he is not widely worshipped nowadays |
 |
VISHNU comes to have his avataras (incarnations), usually numbering ten (though not always quite the same ten), including not only *Rama* and *Krishna* but also the Buddha, and a future avatar named Kalki who will appear at the end of the yuga |
 |
Vishnu is also sometimes given the heads and attributes of Shiva, Ganesha, and many other deities, in one of many displays of what Max Muller called "henotheism"; and he has his own powerful consort, Shri Lakshmi |
 |
Though SHIVA has no avataras, he has a particularly diverse set of forms; his aniconic form, the lingam, develops early, and sometimes includes his face or figure |
 |
Shiva's unforgettable eyes-closed cosmic dance too can be seen developing gradually over time |
 |
Shiva is the god of paradox, the austerely focused "erotic ascetic": he punishes Kamadeva, the god of desire, for shooting at him-- but he's vulnerable to the arrows, too |
 |
Struck by those arrows, Shiva can be depicted in domestic poses-- sometimes holding a family picnic in a burning ghat with Parvati, Ganesh, and often Karttikeya |
 |
Shiva also has a paradoxical half-man half-woman form, Arddhanarishvara ("half-woman-lord"); and he always bears the river-goddess Ganga in his hair |
 |
In addition, he participates in a half-Vishnu half-Shiva form called "Hari-Hara" |
|
MURTI* |
The famous Elephanta "trimurti," or triple vision of Shiva, becomes an archetype as well, giving rise over time to its own remarkable variations |
 |
The three great gods themselves nowadays often form a "trimurti" of one kind or another; some Hindus even call it a "trinity" |
 |
The gods and their consorts can be shown as a kind of family, sometimes with equal prominence, but more often with one of them preeminent and honored by the others |
 |
Their "vahanas," or animal vehicles, also connect the gods strongly to the natural world |
 |
Pilgrimage sites are often seen as sponsored by several of the gods together; many stories and images link less famous local gods to more famous ones |
 |
Not only the *Upanishadic OM symbol*, but also the auspicious swastika (later reversed and *appropriated by the Nazis*), can be a sign of unity and harmony |
 |
Small depictions of Vedic fire sacrifices are often inserted at the edges of deity pictures, and suggest ancient legitimacy and continuity |
 |
Samples from a set of modern gold-embossed religious prints, showing some aspects and configurations of the pantheon that are especially popular nowadays |