Editing Lord of Light (section)

=== Major characters ===
* Sam is one of the crew of the ''Star of India'', the starship which brought the colonists to the planet. Aboard the starship, he had been a botanist and operated the ship's hydroponic gardens. He thus belongs to the group who are known as the First, a diminishing group of people. As Sam says, "All the rest are dead, or are gods". He himself had been a god, styling himself Kalkin. Thanks to his several lives and exploits, he is known by many names, such as ''Maitreya, Lord of Light, Manjusri of the Sword, Binder of Demons'' and so on. His major contribution to the ascendancy of the Gods was his use of what he termed electrodirection, or mental control of [[Electromagnetism|electromagnetics]], to control and destroy or bind the most hostile natives of the planet, beings of pure energy known to men as demons. The power can also interfere with electronics and machinery, and, if strengthened, alter gravitation. Eventually disillusioned by the rise of the Gods, he retires to the life of Prince Siddhartha, until he finally rebels. In doing so, he creates more legends, and gains more names, including ''[[Buddhahood|Buddha]], The Enlightened One, [[Tathagatha]], Mahasamatman or Great-Souled Sam'' etc. After an episode of 'demonic possession' by one of the planet's original inhabitants, his 'mind' can exist outside his body, even if his body is killed. His character is inspired by the Buddhist figure of [[Siddhartha Gautama]].
* [[Yama (Hinduism)|Yama]], the God of Death, begins as Sam's enemy, but later becomes his chief ally. A juvenile scientific genius, he was mortally injured in an accidental explosion, so that he had to be quickly reincarnated into the first available body, which happened to be middle-aged. He therefore was "old before he was young", and did not have the same outlook as someone who has "known first love in the days of spring". He is a "master of arms, master of sciences", who has created much of the new technology behind the power of the Gods' regime, while himself being a peerless combatant with both medieval and technologically advanced weaponry. He also has the power of the ''death gaze'': he can kill by looking his victim in the eyes. Asked by Sam how he can bear to serve a "bunch of drunken body changers" he puts forth a "higher cause" rationale. However he also is emotionally involved with Kali, and eventually revolts as a result of her betrayal. Ganesha assesses him as "too serious, too conscientious", and "emotionally unstable". He is loosely based on [[Yama (Hinduism)|the Hindu god of the same name]].
* [[Kali]], Goddess of Destruction, also known as ''Durga'', consort of Kalkin, and once called ''Candi the Fierce'', is another of the ''First''. Over the centuries, she has been Sam's lover, companion, wife, comrade-in-arms, and finally enemy. She yearns for the days when the planet was still wild and unconquered. As Sam warns Yama, who loves her, she loves only "those who bring her gifts of chaos". Like Yama, she has the death-gaze power, along with many others only hinted at. She also carries a weapon, the skull-wheel, which is some kind of ultrasonic emitter that causes confusion and oblivion, even to the demons. She is very loosely based on [[Kali|the Hindu goddess of the same name]].
* Tak, of the Bright Spear, is a former demigod exiled to the world as an ape, as punishment for trying to help Sam while he was in captivity. He is also Sam's son, possibly of Sam's original body, a fact of which Sam may not be aware. Tak is very philosophical and practical, once rationalizing that when people have many bodies, biological parenthood becomes meaningless; and yet that kinship seems to be his motive for helping Sam.
* [[Kubera]] is Yama's friend and companion in an order of the Gods called the ''[[Lokapalas]]''. He loves his food and drink; no matter how he is reincarnated, his body always runs to fat. He is however, shrewdly intelligent and a master technologist, surpassing Yama in some areas. He is known as steadfastedly loyal, and has never broken his word once he has given it. He has the unique ability to invest inanimate objects with emotion and feelings, which he uses to create the ''Pavilion of Silence at Worldsend'', a structure at the far end of the place known as Heaven in which rooms are dedicated to emotions such as Despair, Heartbreak, and Fear. This is a place of retreat for the Gods. After centuries of idleness as a God he eventually breaks with the rest and helps Sam. He is very loosely based on [[Kubera|the Hindu god of the same name]].
* [[Ratri]], the Goddess of the Night, is Kubera's friend who is drawn into the conflict, not altogether unwillingly. She too is disgusted by the treatment Sam received in Heaven, and goes to Kubera for advice after she witnesses Brahma's last twitches when he is poisoned. Eventually she helps Kubera escape Heaven with Sam. Her power is to cast Night—enforced darkness—across any area, which is used in the Battle of Keenset. After that battle, because she is judged to have been merely weak-willed in helping Sam, she is expelled from Heaven to wander the world in bodies that can not express her powers, or her beauty. In spite of this she can occasionally summon the strength to become the Goddess whose "radiance drives out the dark". As a character she provides an emotional counterweight to Yama's hatred and Sam's zeal. She is very loosely based on [[Ratri|the Hindu goddess of the same name]].