Indian religion and mythology can be considered to be almost identical. The oldest Indian written records are the Vedas, which were a group of hymns dedicated to the Aryan gods. These gods represented nature, while the Vedic religion was very materialistic. The Vedic religion was later transformed into Hinduism with the three main gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva.
The Main
VEDIC GODS, which were a part of the warrior class, or caste:(a caste is a name for a group that separates people into certain classes)
The Story of Indra and the DragonThe following gods were a part of the "priestly caste,":
The following are some other gods:
Tvashtri, the priest, created a three-headed son, which was intended to take over Indra’s throne. Indra wasn’t overtaken by him, and ordered that the son have his heads cut off. Tvashtri was infuriated by this, and therefore created Vritra, the dragon. Vritra swallowed Indra, but Indra tickled its throat, and jumped out to began fighting again. He was unable to defeat the dragon, so he fled to Vishnu, who told him it would be best to try to compromise with the dragon. The dragon agreed that there should be peace, and that Indra was not allowed to attack him day or night, nor with a solid or a liquid. Therefore, at twilight one evening, Indra threw a column of foam at the dragon, and he fell dead. Everyone rejoyced, but Indra had sinned terribly for killing the son of a god.
HINDU GODS (and concepts)
The Story of Rama and SitaVishnu: the major Hindu god. He is usually represented with four arms, and one holds a lotus, another a conch, the third a discus, and the last hand holds a mace. He is worshiped with mostly devotion, and has the ability to take on many forms.
Brahma: He is sometimes depicted as a god, but mostly represents the spiritual underlying of all occurrences.
Maya: She is the illusion, who tempts all and causes them to turn to materialism.
Karma: This is the debt of sin that a person makes during their lifetime, and that must be paid off before the soul can become perfect.
Siva: He is an important god who represents creation and destruction. He has four arms, and a he uses a third eye for destruction.
Prince Rama was the strongest, and most handsome man to ever exist. He won the princess Sita by bending a bow. However, Rama’s stepmother sent Rama to a jungle, in which he lived for fourteen years, with his wife and brother, Lakshman. The stepmother wanted her own son to receive the throne. The three journeyed, and Rama was given a bow by a hermit. They later came to the land of the violent magicians, called the Rakshas. Here they built a house, and soon a Raksha maiden fell in love with Rama. She attempted to kill Sita, but was stopped and sent back without a nose to her brother, Ravan. Her brother changed Raksha into a jeweled deer, and Rama went hunting for it, for the sake of Sita, for she wanted it. The deer cried out in the voice of Rama when she was struck with the arrow, and Sita sent Lakshman after the cry. While the men were away, Sita was abducted. Soon after, the men met Ravan and his magicians, and fought them. Rama slew Ravan with one of his holy arrows. Rama ignored his freed wife, so she walked into flames, but was not burned, proving her undying loyaly to Rama. They were reunited, and lived as rulers of the kingdom they were meant to be given in the beginning.
The Story of Buddha
Siddharta was born to Queen Maya, who died 7 days later. He was told, by his father, the he must seek a wife, so he won over Yasodhara, and married her. He was happy for a short time, but soon left his wife, son, and servants to try to discover the true meaning of life. He was known as Sakyamuni when he took part in Yoga, but he was also dissatisfied with this. He sought the tree of wisdom, and when he found it, he sat beneath it. Mara, the Tempter, tried to seduce him with three maidens, tired to kill him with an army of devils, and also tried to kill him by hurling a disk at him. All of these proved ineffective. While still beneath the tree, a vision came to him, and he realized that either he could die, and enter Nirvana now, or he could stay on the earth to teach. So, he chose to teach people to have a love for all things, and that this would help them to avoid the pain associated with selfish desires. He was now known as a Buddha, or "Enlightened One," and he was able to perform miracles through his wisdom. He died at the age of eighty, and was greatly mourned for by all of his followers