(RNS) — Hindus in India have had a helping hand — several in fact — when it comes to fighting deadly contagions like COVID-19: multi-armed goddesses co-opted to help contain and kill pestilence.

Their names used to reverberate through early morning prayers, fire rites, and sacred chants. As guardians of rain, fire, dawn, and justice, they were the lifeblood of ancient Indian devotion. But ...

Indra, the Vedic god of rain and thunder, was once the supreme ruler of the heavens. Wielding his mighty vajra (thunderbolt), he was celebrated in the Rigveda for slaying the serpent-demon Vritra, ...

In partnership with Writers in the Schools, this writing workshop will focus on Asia Society Texas Center's current exhibition, Transcendent Deities of India: Everyday Occurrence of the Divine. An ...