Something interesting: Orange is a traditional bride's color. I wonder why Gab was wearing so much of it during her stay in India...
Creation
Brahman
Karma
Mendhi
Who's Who:
The Major Gods and Goddess
Devi
Creation
(Note: My encylopedia listed many creation stories, I chose this one because it was the shortest ;) )
Brahma created the universe from a half-gold half-silver egg. First he created the waters and in them placed a seed. It grew into an egg with Brahma split open. From the golden half came the heavens, and from the silver half came earth and all the plants and animals on it.
Brahman
Brahman is the universe and all things in the universe (including the gods/goddess). It is the ultimate reality, "The all that is one." I suppose you could call it a non-personal god. All the gods and goddess are personified aspects of Brahman. It accepts all formulations of truth. There is only one reality, but it cannot be limited to a particular name or form. (I think this is what they're speaking of when they are saying "The way of the warrior" or other ways. They're merely saying there are many paths to truth.)
Karma
Karma is the idea that previous acts determine the condition into which a being is reborn. All earthly process are cyclic and worldy existence is no exception. Misfortune and luck are also effects of Karma. The goal of existence is to break the cycle and become one with Brahman.
Mendhi
Mendhi is the traditional Indian art of henna painting. It is traditionally used as part of a wedding ceremony to create intricate patterns decorating the brides hands and feet. It is said that the deeper the color of the mendhi the stronger the bride's love for her future husband. Also, a good deeply-coloured design is a sign of good luck for the marital couple. It is common for the names of the bride and groom to be hidden in the mehndi design; and the wedding night cannot commence until the groom has found the names. A bride is not expected to perform any housework until her wedding mendhi has faded.
Who's Who:
Major Gods and Goddess:
(Note: these are only a few of the many, many, many indian gods)
Brahma
He is the creator and consort of Saraswati. He has four hands and heads.
Saraswati
She is the wife of Brahma and goddess of learning. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning; mind, intellect, alertness and ego.
Vishnu
He is the manifestation of the preservative aspect of Brahman. Whenever law and order are in danger he leaves heaven and manifests on earth as an avator. Krishna is one of these earthly forms. He is usually shown as being blue and having four arms. His consort is the goddess Lakshmi.
Lakshmi
She is the goddess of prosperity, purity, chastity and generosity and the wife of Vishnu.
Shiva
He is the manifestation of the destructive aspect of Brahman. He is also the husband of Durga and has two sons- Ganesha and Kartikeya.
Durga, also known as Parvati or Lalitha
She is the wife of Shiva and exists in various divine forms. Two of her fierce but very powerful forms are Durga (goddess beyond reach) and Kali (goddess of destruction). Both have eight hands and great power and energy. She has two sons- Ganesha and Kartikeya.
Ganesha
He is the first son of Durga and Shiva and is the god of knowledge and remover of obstacles. He has an elephant's head.
Kartikeya
He is the second son of Shiva and Durga. He is also known as Subramaniam, Skanda, Guha, Shadannana or Sanmukha (because he has six faces). He is the war God and was created by all the Gods to lead the heavenly hosts and destroy the demons. He is the most masculine and fierce of all the Gods.
Hanuman
He is a monkey god (suprise, suprise!) and is a provider of courage, hope, knowledge, intellect and devotion.
Devi:
Devi means literally "goddess." She has many guises. She is "Ma" the gentle and approachable mother. As Jaganmata, or Mother of the universe, she assumes cosmic proportions, destroying evil and addressing herself to the creation and dissolution of the worlds. She is worshiped by thousands of names that often reflect local customs and legends. In some forms she is benign and gentle, while in other forms she is dynamic and ferocious, but in all forms she is helpful to her devotees.