A primer to Dieties

At first glance, it may seem that Samsara is a veritible shopping mall of dieties- so many to choose from. But Samsara is not polytheistic in theory, it is henotheistic.

All Samsarans believe that the Ultimate of All Things is what is called the Brahman (also called the Great Spirit)- a formless, genderless, neutral SPIRIT that is responsible for all good things and all evil things. There is no concept of a higher order of evil- or a Satan/Hell equivalent. No one goes to hell, though when some particularily horrid sinners die, their souls go to a place called Naraka- where they are ritually cleansed by being shown the horrors of what they wrought. If they express repentence- their souls go on to reborn. Life is an endless series of second chances. Salvation is never really denied, but delayed depending on your actions.

All knowledge of this Brahman comes from the tome called the Vedanta. Vedanta speaks of all things- from the nature of the universe to how life came into existence. The Brahman does not actively intervene in the lives of people, but it may manifest in forms that help the world if it occasionally goes out of balance.

This is where the Mitraa and Lawgivers cleave from each other.

Mitraa:
The Mitraa believed that the Great Spirit takes different forms to help people comprehend Its message. Thus, though its forms are diverse- it still stems from the Great Spirit and is part of it. Thus, the Mitraa- seeing the Brahman is neutral- do not dissuade from different forms of worship believing that they all have to learn their own lessons and make their own decisions instead of being led down one path. All dieties fall under the Mitraa domain, including the following:

"Sometimes the learning is the lesson" - said the first head of the Mitraa- Malavika.

Here are some of the prominent Gods:

1. Brahma: The venerable, bearded, craftsman and architect of life is the God that is supposed to create all things. From the fashioning of flowers designed to delight those who pass them, to the creation of monsters that cause fear in all those that view them, Brahma is the manifestation that creates it all. He is the Creator, though very few people in the Lands worship him. Most of them who do are architects.

The first of his creations was Saraswati- the Goddess of Knowledge and Arts. Widely worshipped in the southern provinces, flashes of brilliance, or genius are often attributed to her.

2. Vishnu: The preserver of life and the balance, Vishnu is described as a breathtakingly beautiful dark skinned man who lies atop a coiled servant in the "ocean of milk" in the heavens. This is the manifestation that takes the most active interest in the welfare of humanity, and both he and his consort Lakshmi are worshipped more than any other diety. Lakshmi is the Goddess of wealth and prosperity.

3. Shiva: . Shiva is a very intimidating diety, a tall tawny skinned man, with matted hair, his ash streaked body covered with writhing snakes, when the world is not fit to exist anymore, and cannot be redeemed, Shiva does his dance- the Tandav, the dance of destruction that destroys the entire world so that it may be created again. As the next age approaches, suddenly there is a resurgence of interest in this diety.

But fearsome as Shiva is, he is not as powerful or as terrifying as his consort. Parvati is a gentle, pious goddess widely worshipped by women who wish to make a good marriage, but when enraged she takes the form of Kali- The Dark Mother- so powerful, so all consuming that no God, not even the Brahman can stop her. Kali is the color of the night, her nakedness covered with garlands of skulls. She has four arms, each bearing a weapon and once she is angered, there is nothing known that can stop her stampede of destruction. Often the patron goddess of Beserker like Barbarians, she has gained quite the following among cults who take her destructive nature to justify their own unholy acts.

Chandi: Chandi is a vestige of the early tribal roots of much of the region. She is seen as a nature goddess, a motherly figure, often benevolent and kind. However, if insulted, she is known to unleash plague on an unsuspecting populance.

Ayappa: This God is the patron God of celibacy even through adulthood. He is said to loathe women, and many of his followers spurn family life and live their life as monks.

Lawgivers:

The Lawgivers concede that all dieties may be forms of the great Spirit, but they exist only to test mortals on their sense of judgment. There is only one form the Spirit wants you to follow- they claim, and that is Rudra. Rudra is said to be a tawny skinned, male manifestation of Brahman whose fellowship requires austerity, sacrifice, pious living, charitable acts AND living a life free of what they believe is sin. It is only when the mortal rejects all the false beings and accepts Rudra- that the first step towards salvation is achieved. The Lawgivers do this by preaching, spreading their work through acts of kindness, and the like so that people are inspired to learn more about them.

Many people believe Rudra is an early manifestation of Shiva- the God of destruction but the Lawgivers deny it.

"We convert through compassion. For every person gained into Rudra's fold by false means (lying, coersion, violence, bribery) is a false one"

Pavitra: The Pavitra cleaved from the Lawgivers twenty years ago. Their basic beliefs are similar to the Lawgivers in that they believe that Rudra is the one true manifestation of the spirit, but their worship is far more vehement. They believe the end of the Yuga is coming, a cycle drawing to a close, and the end of the world arrives. For Rudra to intervene, and if indeed He even shall, the world must be cleansed of the worst of sin. Thus, they call themselves "Rudra's thunderbolt", and attack where Rudra cannot.


So where do Cows fit in? Well, a cow is seen as the ultimate giver because there is no animal that is more useful. As most of Samsara is vegetarian- the milk and clarified butter is immensely important. The cow also is a beast of burden, ploughing the fields, and towing carts. The manure fertilizes fields and is dried to make a source of fuel when wood is not readily available. To kill such a valuable animal seems like a waste. Further, most Samsarans live so closely with their beasts that to kill any once they get old and useless is unthinkable.

As time went on- the cow became the symbol of plenty and is now treated with much of the status accorded to a diety. You may never hit a cow, unless you wish to turn the entire crowd around you hostile. If a cow blocks your path, you either wait, or try and lure it away with something delicious. If you kill a cow on purpose- the penalty is death. If you kill it by accident, you must pay the village to which it belongs gold commensurate to the weight of a cow. Let me remind you that a cow is very heavy and if you cannot come up with that much gold, you will be a debted laborer forced to their lands until the villagers believe you have been punished enough. Some unscrupolous villagers have earned a lifetime of free labor because of the unfortunate act of some poor fellow.

While cows are supreme, all animals are sacred. All of them. In fact you may say that in some ways human life is not as highly regarded as animal life. The equivalent in terms of humans are children. To the Samsaran, all children and animals are alike in the sense that they are innocent and we are deemed their protectors. Thus, they must be protected from those who would use their superior intelligence and might to do them harm. Note that each time you kill an animal, even if it is in secret, there is a chance that the act will be discovered. If so- good luck getting quests from anybody. Because both Mitraa and Lawgivers will shun you. Even those violent Pavitra would rather kill women than horses.

That is the primer, folks. You will learn more about the deities and animals in the game if you choose to.