Ganesha, also spelled Ganesh, also called Ganapati, elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, who is traditionally worshipped before any major enterprise and is the patron of intellectuals, bankers, scribes, and authors. His name means both “Lord of the People” (gana means the common people) and “Lord of the Ganas” (Ganesha is the chief of the ganas, the goblin hosts of Shiva).

Krishna, Sanskrit Kṛṣṇa, one of the most widely revered and most popular of all Indian divinities, worshipped as the eighth incarnation (avatar, or avatara) of the Hindu god Vishnu and also as a supreme god in his own right.

Rama, one of the most widely worshipped Hindu deities, the embodiment of chivalry and virtue. Although there are three Ramas mentioned in Indian tradition—Parashurama, Balarama, and Ramachandra—the name is specifically associated with Ramachandra, the seventh incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu. His story is told briefly in the Mahabharata (“Great Epic of the Bharata Dynasty”) and at great length in the Ramayana (“Rama’s Journey”).

Shiva, (Sanskrit: “Auspicious One”) also spelled Śiwa or Śiva , one of the main deities of Hinduism, whom Shaivites worship as the supreme god. Among his common epithets are Shambhu (“Benign”), Shankara (“Beneficent”), Mahesha (“Great Lord”), and Mahadeva (“Great God”).

Vishnu, (Sanskrit: “The Pervader”) one of the principal Hindu deities. Vishnu combines many lesser divine figures and local heroes, chiefly through his avatars, particularly Rama and Krishna. His appearances are innumerable; he is often said to have 10 avatars—but not always the same 10. Among the 1,000 names of Vishnu (repeated as an act of devotion by his worshipers) are Vasudeva, Narayana, and Hari.

one of the greatest of the Hindu SCRIPTURES . It forms part of Book VI of the and is written in the form of a dialogue between the warrior Prince ARJUNA and his friend and charioteer, KRISHNA (often considered an earthly incarnation of the god VISHNU , but in the conception of the text itself he is the supreme divinity). The Bhagavad Gjte , consisting of 700 Sanskrit verses divided into 18 chapters, is of a later date than many parts of the Maheb-herata and was most probably written in the 1st or 2nd century

one of the two Sanskrit epic poems of ancient India (the other being the Ramayana). The Mahabharata is an important source of information on the development of Hinduism between 400 bce and 200 ce and is regarded by Hindus as both a text about dharma (Hindu moral law) and a history (itihasa, literally “that’s what happened”).

VEDĀNTA. The word vedānta literally means "end [anta] of the Veda," that is to say, the concluding part of the apauruṣeya, or revealed Vedic literature, which is traditionally believed to comprise the Saṃhitās, the Brāhmaṇas, the Āraṇyakas, and the Upaniṣads. Vedānta thus primarily denotes the Upaniṣads and their teachings.

Yoga, (Sanskrit: “Yoking” or “Union”) one of the six systems (darshans) of Indian philosophy. Its influence has been widespread among many other schools of Indian thought. Its basic text is the Yoga-sutras by Patanjali (c. 2nd century bce or 5th century ce).

The Hindu festival of Ramanavami celebrates the birth of Rama, who was the first son of King Dasaratha of Ayodhya.

Diwali, known as the Festival of Lights, is one of the most important of Hindu festivals and is celebrated throughout the subcontinent and among Hindu communities around the world.

Holi is a colorful and boisterous Hindu spring festival in India, also known as the Festival of Colors. This is a time of shedding inhibitions: People smear each other with red and yellow powder and shower each other with colored water shot from bamboo blowpipes or water pistols.

Ganges River, Hindi Ganga, great river of the plains of the northern Indian subcontinent. Although officially as well as popularly called the Ganga in Hindi and in other Indian languages, internationally it is known by its conventional name, the Ganges. From time immemorial it has been the holy river of Hinduism.

a physical incarnation of a God

The belief that when a person dies their essence or soul passes on to another form, which can be any number of human or non-human forms. As a soul moves through this cycle over many lifetimes they gradually mature until they reach liberation. Note: the concept of reincarnation does exist in other faiths and is not completely unique to Hinduism.

This term literally means work but as a doctrine refers to the moral law of cause and effect that governs the universe

a person’s duty to live according to their religious and social roles. In the caste system, a person’s social class which he or she is born into partially determines his or her Dharma

This is a series of introductory lessons on the art and culture of Hinduism on the learning website Khan Academy. You do not need to create a Khan Academy account to access these lessons.