Hindu Symbols

All gods in the Hindu Pantheon have some identifying marks. Many have quite a good number of them, some representing their characteristics, some their ‘vehicles’. Thus the goose of Brahma, the eagle of Vishnu, the bull of Siva, the peacock of Kartikeya, the elephant of Indra, the owl of Lakshmi, the swan of Saraswati, are all vehicles, by which we can identify them. Of the three main Gods, the Trimurti, Brahma has four faces to give out the four Vedas; Siva is represented by a linga, a stone emblem which along with the salagrama of Vishnu is the least anthropomorphic symbol of Divinity. Siva’s trident bespeaks of His government and authority. The crescent moon depicted on His forehead indicates His greatness. It recalls the sovereignty that was assigned to Him when the moon was discovered during the churning of the ocean. The Bhagavata (XII. 11) gives the symbolic meanings of Vishnu’s weapons, apparel, etc. He has a discus, a club, a conch-shell, indicating His authority and power. The auspicious mark, Srivatsa, usually represented on His breast in the form of a curl of hair represents His brilliance and capability; the garland symbolizes the variegated Maya, the sacred thread, the three-lettered Aum. The Tulasi in a house represents Vishnu’s presence and protection. In this way, it may be shown that every article on the person of a deity represents its particular quality or power. The Vibhuti Yoga of the Gita gives a number of animate and inanimate objects which can be identified with the Deity. The image of Kali dancing on the breast of Siva is also symbolic of Time manifesting itself in the background of the Timeless. The Tantras have given rise to innumerable symbols. Of these the Yantras, the geometrical diagrams of various forms, are very popular.