In Hindu mythology the Supreme Being manifests itself as three different forms responsible for different functions. These forms have come to be known as Supreme Gods. Brahma is responsible for the Creation of the Universe. Vishnu is responsible for its Preservation and Shiva for the Destruction. After Destruction there is another Creation and the cycle continues. Each of these Supreme Gods has his consort. Brahma’s consort is Saraswati who is the Goddess of Learning. Vishnu has Lakshmi for his consort who is the Goddess of Prosperity and Shiva’s consort is Parvati, the giver of Shakti, which is best translated as life force. Vishnu has no children. Shiva and Parvati have two sons, Kartikeya and Ganesh. Though Kartikeya is elder, Ganesh, the God with the elephant head is more revered. In fact it has been ordained that no God can be worshipped unless offerings are first made to Ganesh. Also no work of any importance is undertaken until due respects are paid to Ganesh. Using his divine powers Brahma has created many celestial sages who play roles of varying importance in Hindu mythology. The most famous is Narada, who is sometimes the mischievous celestial messenger and at others the epitome of devotion. Another famous sage is Kashyap who is the father of the demi-Gods and Demons.
The demi-Gods or Devas are subordinate to the Supreme Gods, but both are often referred to as just Gods, so one must keep the distinction in mind. They represent the Paganistic aspect of Hindu mythology, with Gods representing the various natural forces. Indra is the God of Thunder, Varun the God of Sea, Yama the God of Death and so on. Indra is their king and rules over them with an iron fist. Their kingdom is Heaven. Subordinate to the demi-Gods are the deities of the planets, animals, rivers and so on.
The archenemies of the Devas are the Demons or Asuras. Both the Devas and Asuras had the same father, the sage Kashyap, but different mothers. Aditi, the mother of the Devas was a paragon of virtue and hence the Devas are supposed to be the embodiment of all that is good. Though this is not always true. Diti, the mother of the Asuras, was a shrewish woman therefore the Asuras are the Evil ones. The Devas and Asuras are always at war, because the Asuras covet the kingdom of Heaven. Whenever there is a new Asura king, he invades Heaven sure that victory will be his. But the Asuras always lose in the end. The Supreme Gods, in particular Vishnu, directly or indirectly abet the Devas because they do not want Evil to triumph.
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