There is also a reading guide and that can be found HERE
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| Ganesha Painting at Temple in Bhadrachalam Image Source: Wikimedia |
- Shiva - a mountain mentacant
- Parvati - Shiva's wife, a mountain princess
- Ganesha - Son of Shiva; head of an elephant
- Kartikeya - Son of Shiva: holds spear, rides peacock
- One day the family was visited by a sage, who loved to cause trouble and pranks
- He offered a mango to the best son
- Shiva could not decide which was the best so at Parvati's suggestion, he told them the first to race around the world thrice would be the winner
- Kartikeya traveled around the literal world while Ganesha did nothing.
- When Kartikeya was close to finishing his third round, Ganesha hurriedly ran around his parents and declared himself the winner.
- Ganesha traveled around HIS world, while Kartikeya went around THE world
- Ganesha asked "which world matters more?"
- "Myth is an idea churned in my world; mythology is a set of stories, symbols, and rituals that communicate a myth"
- To anyone who is not used to Hinduism or just Indian culture in general, images such a the above are dissected way to in depth.
- Shiva is a god, not god
- When he shuts his eyes the world is said to end.
- This is why he is called the destroyer.
- He is considered God because of this
- gods of lesser status are spelled with a lower case (g).
- "Parvati is a Goddess because she embodies the whole range of emotions from fear to love, from domination to affection, while Ganga, the river who spouts out from Shiva's topknot, is a goddess, her divinity restricted to the river she embodies"
- Vishnu - pan Hindu God
- a king who reclines on the coils of a serpent that floats on the ocean of milk
- Vishnu's wives
- Shri and Bhu - goddesses of wealth and Earth
- Vishnu came to Earth to look for one of his wives after a fight
- Ended up falling in love with Padmavati
- Princess of land located in the shadow of seven hills
- She agreed to marry him in exchange for a huge bridal prince
- Vishnu took out a loan from Kubera
- Kubera is the treasurer of the Goddess Shri
- As long as Vishnu is in debt, he cannot come back to his heavenly abode
- He stays on top of the seven hills in the form of Tirupati Balajii
- Devotees offer great wealth to help him repay his depth
- Parrot and lotus are associated with Kama - the Hindu cupid
- Hindu mythology is similar to Greek mythology, but Greek mythology is DIFFERENT form Hindu mythology.
- Greeks did not believe in God, but had gods and goddesses
- The gods of Greek mythology became masters of the universe by overthrowing the Titans, an earlier race of powerful beings, who in turn had become powerful by overcoming giants
- Ganesha again
- Removes obstacles and brings luck
- god worshiped before one starts a project
- Elephant is a strong animal with no natural enemy
- Fat belly implies an abundance of food and less work, prosperity affluence
- Rat is Ganesha's pet
- symbolizes the problems of life
- Ganesha represents a life full of power and prosperity
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