Krishna & Radha
Hannah Rosenthal
In this image, a youthful Krishna plays his flute while Radha looks on. Krishna is considered by some to be the supreme deity and is an avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. Radha is his most beloved and is believed by her devotees to be the source of all manifestations of divine feminine energy or shakti.
Vishnu & Lakshmi
Emily Smith
This image depicts Vishnu resting on the snake Shesha. Vishnu’s consort, Lakshmi, is at his feet as a symbol of devotion. Emerging from Vishnu’s navel is Brahma, who is seated on a lotus blossom. The image tells the story of Brahma creating the universe at the end of a one cycle of time, but the depiction of Brahma also serves as a metaphor for the entire universe that he created.
Kali & Shiva
Kalina Fridrich
Seen here is Kali, the consort of Shiva, the destroyer. She is known for her unkempt appearance, symbolizing the compassionate destroyer of the ego. She wears a garland of skulls and a skirt of arms, and she holds the decapitated head of the demon Raktabija (blood drop) in one hand and a sword to attest to her help in releasing her children of their attachment to their physical form in the other. In this scene, she is also found standing on Shiva, as he gazes up at her. Kali’s tongue is out as a sign of embarrassment for stepping on her husband.
Vishwakarma
Jin Jun
As the deity of craftsmanship and architecture, Vishwakarma has a ring of tools around him. In each hand, he holds the type of things he creates for other gods. He built their palaces, weapons, and flying chariots. The white circle around his head represents his great knowledge and the blue background symbolizes Vishwakarma’s creativity, his ability to deal determinedly with difficult tasks.
Durga
Lipi Thaker
Durga, or Devi, is the primary goddess in Hinduism and is represented through countless manifestations. She was created through the collective shakti, or energy, of all the gods to defeat the invincible buffalo demon, Mahishasura. She carries a variety of weapons in her multiple arms, which were given to her by the gods that produced her.
Trimurti
Karishma Pareek
The three deities of the Hindu Triad (trimurti) Brahma the Creator, Vishnu the Preserver, and Shiva the Destroyer are depicted. Vishnu (center) holds a conch, disk, and club and is shown with the king of all serpent deities, Shesha. He is flanked by the four-headed Brahma (left), who emerged from Vishnu’s navel in order to create the universe, as well as Shiva (right), who wears a tiger skin, a snake, and holds a trident representing the three gunas (qualities).
Shiva & Parvati
Divya Sethi
This picture depicts Shiva and his consort Parvati as one, as a half-man and half-woman, known as Ardhanarishvara. This form symbolizes the balance of male and female energies, suggesting non-duality. They are accompanied by both of their respective mounts, the bull for Shiva and the lion for Parvati.
Shani
Dea Biancarelli
Shani, meaning the “slow moving one” is a demi-god of patience, endeavor, and misfortune. He is one of the Navagrahas (nine planets), representing Saturn. Typically pictured with dark skin, he rides a chariot because of an injured knee, and his crow represents his dark characteristics.
Saraswati
Patricia Diaz-Centeno
This poster is the image of Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, music, and creativity. She is the consort of Brahma and symbolizes his creative power. In her hands she holds the veena, a string instrument which signifies control over one’s physical organs or actions. Her vehicle is the swan, as it symbolizes the ability to tell right from wrong.
Panchmukh
Arush Sabharwal
The origin of the Panchmukh (five face) Hanuman is found in the Ramayana, where Hanuman must rescue Ram and Lakshman from the netherworld by killing Mahiravana. He had to extinguish five lamps burning there in five different directions at the same time. Hanuman thus takes the five-face form to extinguish the lamps in order to kill Mahiravana.
Draupadi
Shama Patel
Draupadi, the wife of the five Pandava brothers of the Hindu Mahabarata epic, is being harassed by the Kauravas during a dice game. While they forcibly pull at her clothing, Draupadi prays to Krishna who protects her by making her sari endless. Draupadi’s humiliation results in the battle of Kurukshetra where she becomes a strong mediator between the rival families of the Pandavas and the Kauravas.
Rama
Prachi Patel
Rama, the 7th incarnation of Vishnu, took birth to free the earth from the sins of the ten-headed demon king of Lanka, Ravana. Pictured alongside him is his brother, Lakshmana who helps Rama fight the battle against Ravana and his army of demons. Fighting besides the brothers is the army of monkeys led by Hanuman, a great devotee of Rama and his wife, Sita. This depiction is but a small part of the great epic poem, the Ramayana, which describes the story of Rama and the events leading up to Sita getting abducted by Ravana.
Lakshmi
Maya Itkin-Hein
Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu, is the Hindu goddess of wealth and prosperity. She is depicted as a beautiful woman with four arms and hands. She sits on a lotus with coins cascading from both her open palm and the vessel at her side, and is flanked by two elephants.
Krishna
Susruthi Rajanala
This poster depicts Krishna lifting the Govardhan hill to protect the people and animals of his town from heavy storms and flooding. Lord Indra, who sent the storm towards the town in anger, is seen bowing in front of Krishna out of respect and repentance.
Ganesh
Grant Bachhuber
Ganesh, the remover of obstacles and patron of arts, sciences, and intellect, is pictured in a seated position. In one hand he holds an axe, in another he holds a looped chord or noose, in a third he holds a bowl of sweets, and his fourth hand is turned outward in a gesture of protection.
