Cosmic Limericks about Indian Gods

When Westerners think of Indian religion, they tend to think of multiple gods with multiple arms and colorful accoutrements. This is not an inaccurate perception, but neither is it wholly complete. Yes, we can define Hindus as polytheists who believe in many gods. We can also call them monotheists who believe is just one god. All things are Brahma, they say, and all things are one.

You can easily say that Hindus are henotheistic, believing in many gods but choosing to worship just one. Then you could argue that they are pantheistic, believing that all of nature is infused with god. Or even panentheistic, meaning that god is all of nature plus something more. Then there’s the notion of pandeism, believing that god created the world and then absorbed himself into it. Some Hindus even claim to be atheists, just believing in many states of consciousness.

With so many definitions, Hinduism becomes a very difficult religion to reject. Still, it’s hard to get past the idea that they have many gods. And to reinforce that idea, here are a few limericks about a few Indian gods.

Lord of Obstacles 
There once was a pachyderm guru Ganesh
A god with a trunk and a thick burly flesh
  His best known maneuver
As hurdle remover
Is opening doorways and starting afresh

Durga the Dreadful  
When you come upon Kali don’t hate her
But fear her, she is the cremator
Bow down to her feet
In a cosmos complete
God bless her, she is the creator

Provider of Plenty  
Lakshmi my goddess I praise your comeuppance
All that I need and no need for redundance
The favors you render
The beauty and splendor
I gratefully feed on your fruits of abundance

Sacred Manifestations 
Open your treasure and share it with Shiva
One half a warrior, the other a diva
A visit from Kali
Is tragic or jolly
But I’ve seen the two sides and now I’m a believa

O. M.  
Original Mother and Oracle Mind
The Ocean of Meaning we all wish to find
The Optimal Metric
And Opus Majestic
Omnipotent Matrix that can’t be defined

Further Reading

If you liked these limericks about Indian Gods, you’ll be sure to enjoy:

• Limericks about Indian Philosophy
• Limericks about the Bhagavad Gita
• Limericks about Greek Gods
• The Meaning of Om
• 8 Common questions about limericks