Page 139 - Hinduism
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needy persons, and daily gifts of small amounts of grain to birds or other animals serve to accumulate merit for the family through their self-sacrifice.
VI.2 The Worship of Personal Gods
For the vast majority of Hindus, the most important religious path is bhakti (devotion) to personal gods. There are a wide variety of gods to choose from, and although sectarian adherence to particular deities is often strong, there is a widespread acceptance of choice in the desired god (ishta devata) as the most appropriate focus for any particular person. Most devotees are therefore polytheists, worshiping all or part of the vast pantheon of deities, some of whom have come down from Vedic times. In practice, a worshiper tends to concentrate prayers on one deity or on a small group of deities with whom there is a close personal relationship.
VI.3 Hindu Gods and their Vehicles
Aditya - seven horses
Agni - the ram
Brahma - seven swans
Durga - the lion
Ganesha - the mouse
Indra - the elephant
Kartikeya - the peacock
Lakshmi - the owl
Saraswati - the swan or the peacock Shakti - the bull
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