Other deities also should be considered in the same light , as different aspects of the Supreme God, manifesting themselves for specific purposes.  The powers of these deities which are inseparable from them even as the power of fire to burn cannot be separated from it have been conceived of as their consorts and called Sarasvati, Parvati (or Sakti) and Lakshmi. 

This does not amount to saying that all these deities are imaginary creations. All of them, without exception, are different modes and aspects of Paramatman, the Supreme Self or God, even as all dolls made of sugar are sugar itself. Since it is difficult for common people like us to worship God as He is, the ancient Rishis have given these forms and their names after receiving them from God Himself through Tapas or austerities.

Hence, the realization that one gets through meditation on these is identical with God experience.  Now a word about the incongruities found in some of the Puranas. Since they have evolved over several centuries, it is difficult to separate the earlier original from the later accretions. It is reasonable to surmise that quite a few of the latter might have been interpolations introduced during the periods of conflicts among the various cults and sects, to establish the superiority of one over the other. Hence the incongruities deserve to be ignored. 

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