Hindu God: Lord Vishnu and his avatars

 due to the curse by a sage named 'Durvasa' because Indra (the king of the Devas/Gods), had insulted a gift (garland) given by the sage, Durvasa, by throwing it onto his elephant which trampled upon it and powers The Devas(Gods) lost their strength

. . The devas/gods finally approached Lord Vishnu (preserver god) for help! . With the devas (gods) weakened, the asuras (a group of power-seeking deities or demons), moved forth to conquer them Accordingly, the Devas (benevolent gods) lost their immortality and kingdom

. He also suggested that since the nectar was hidden under the 'ocean of milk' it was not an easy task to lay hands on it (difficult task for god/s??!!!). The only option was to get the help of the Asuras or the Deomons Lord Vishnu suggested them to drink the 'nectar of immortality' to regain their lost glory

. Now, Lord Indra (King of Gods) and the other gods together with the Asuras or the demons set their foot to accomplish the mission. , by promising them a share in the 'nectar of immortality' So, the gods declare 'truce' with their only enemies, Asuras or the demons

. The devas/gods took the head-end of the snake while the asuras/demons were commanded to take the tail-end. This nectar could only be produced by 'churning' (stir milk in order to get butter) the 'ocean of milk' and by pouring certain herbal medicines into it. For this purpose, they (team of Gods and demons!) uproot and use 'Mount Mandara' as a churning stick and the serpent 'Vasuki' (king of all serpents) as the rope

As the churning continued, Mt. Mandara began to gradually sink into the mud at the bottom of the milk-ocean. In order to provide support for the mountain so it would not sink any further, Vishnu took the form of Kurma (Kurma avatar), the tortoise, and supported the mountain upon his broad back.

The devas continued on with their churning, and eventually fourteen precious articles appeared on the surface of the water. The last precious article to emerge from the ocean of milk was Dhanwantri, the Lord of Physicians, who arrived carrying a bowl of 'amrit' or the 'nectar of immorality'.

. Gods holding the head-end of the snake looked stupidly at each other! The asuras/demons who by now were tired of pulling the tail-end of the deadly king serpent were exited to see the awaited. They immediately rushed ahead and took charge of this bowl that contained 'the nectar of immortality'

. Thanks to the timely trick played by Lord Vishnu! . Dumb Asuras/demons were awestruck by the beauty of this lady, who cunningly took possession of the bowl with the 'nectar of immortality' from them and handed it over to the davas/gods Lord Vishnu, who was a turtle (Kurma avatar), transformed himself as a female (Mohini) and began seducing asuras/demons

Ladies and gentleman, this is the status of Hindu god! powerless & stupid! Gods teaming up with demons, loosing the battle, cheating, seducing...!! Afterall, what purpose did this avatar serve anyway?

Origin of words, 'Hindu', 'Hinduism' & 'Hindustan'

Origin of words, 'Hindu', 'Hinduism' & 'Hindustan'

Hindu is the Persian name for the Indus River, first encountered in the Old Persian word Hindu, corresponding to Vedic Sanskrit Sindhu, the Indus River.

The term was used for those who lived in the Indian subcontinent on or beyond the "Sindhu" river. In Arabic, the term al-Hind (the Hind) also refers to 'the land of the people of modern day India'.

The term Hindu is not a Sanskrit word. It is neither religious nor found in any Buddhist or Jain texts or any of the official 23 languages of India. Some sources report that it was Alexander the Great who first renamed the River Sindhu as the Indu, dropping the beginning “S”, thus making it easier for the Greeks to pronounce. This became known as the Indus.

Thereafter, the Muslim and Persian visitors pronounced the Sindhu (or Indu) as “Hindu,” even though at the time the people of the area did not use the name “Hindu” themselves. Thus the people dwelling around river Sindhu were 'Hindu' and the place was referred to as 'Hind' or 'Al Hind' and later which became 'Hindustan'.

In Farsi and Arabic, the term "Hind" denotes the Indian subcontinent. No religion ever existed that was called “Hinduism” and hence the term was a mere foreign innovation, a continuation of a Muslim term that became popular through the decades.

When light-skinned, nomadic "Aryan" Indo-European tribes invaded Northern India from Russia and Central Asia, they brought with them their religion of Vedism. These beliefs mingled with the more advanced, indigenous Indian native beliefs, often called the "Indus valley culture."

The British referred these cultural practices and beleives of the local inhabitants as ‘Hinduism’. Hinduism is used in the sense of "Indian pagan" in English from the 17th century.

The suffix 'STAN' is Persian for "place of", a cognate to Pashto -tun, and derived from the Indo-Aryan equivalent, -sthana. In Indo-Aryan languages, sthana means "place", and is cognate to the Latin terms, state and status (meaning "to stand"). Hindustan is the Muslim name of the Indian subcontinent.

Example: Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan etc.

The term is also used more generally, as in Persian 'Rigestan', place of sand or desert and 'Golestan', place of roses or rose garden', Hindi/Sanskrit 'Devasthan', place of Devas/Gods or the Hindu Temple etc.

Hinduism differs from other religions as it does not have a single founder, a specific theological system, a single system of morality, or a central religious body. It is actually made up of thousands of different religious groups and sects that have evolved in India over the last 5000 years or more.

Hinduism is actually not a religion at all. It is simply a way of life that exsited amongst the people who inhibited around the river 'Sindhu' in the ancient time. It does not have a single God concept and it has no rules laid down.

The Hindu priest is merely the go between, connecting a man to his faith, blind or otherwise. He merely chants the required mantras (Sanskrit connotations to the forces of Nature that are ultimately what Gods are in Hinduism). They do not guide the Hindus to the path of righteousness, that job is left to swamis and Gurus. The priests merely collect money and disperse blessings on behalf of God.