Preface

Once a student asked a holyman, "Where is God? The holyman didn't provide a direct answer. He put a counter question, "Where isn't God?" It made the student ponder. He found the answer to his poser.

What place is there in the universe where God force does not rule? The whole universe is energized by His Power. All creatures and things are just various manifestations of God. Even vacuum is Unmanifest God or His manifestation which is beyond our comprehension. But certain manifest figures or symbolic characters are blessed with extra God power which shows up as divine qualities in them. Such superhuman figures or symbols are described by Holy Scriptures as gods, goddesses, incarnations or messiahs. They serve as various projection points of various dimensions of power Supreme.

Puranas propound that noble deeds can lift a man to the level of divinity. The erosion or depreciation of the credit of deeds again pushes one down to the mortal level to take birth again as a Hanuman. so gods too are prone to frailties like jealousy, back-biting scheming, ego clashes and cheating like ordinary earthlings. Sometimes their stories make such a pathetic reading that one naturally tends cynically to suspect the truth of their divine qualities.

Nevertheless the stories illustrate an interesting scenario of divine clashes, prejudices, manipulative tactics, love games and the battle of wits. And the reader gets valuable information on various modes of penance making, fasting, worshiping and meditation plus related rewards and individual characteristics of individual characteristics of individual divine beings. That is a fabulous bonus.

Hope this compilation will help you know the gods and goddesses better and become religiously educated. Your suggestions are welcome.

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