There are four main sects in Hinduism. They are Saivism, Vaishnavism, Shaktism and Smartism. All the sects of Hinduism believe in the existence of One Supreme Godhead and that God can appear in any form He or She wishes. They also believe in The Three Aspects of God. The Aspects of God are represented differently in the different sects of Hinduism according to the forms within the sect. Below are diagrams of the  representation of Three Aspects of God according to the Hindu sects.

In Saivism Paramatma can be represented by any of God Shiva's forms such as Lord Nataraja, Lord Thiagaraja, Lord Shankara, Lord Dakshinamurthi, Lord Bhairava among many other forms of God Shiva. In some forms such as Lord Thiagaraja, God Shiva is often depicted together with His consort, Goddess Parvathi.

Parashakti is usually represented by Ardhanarishwara, who is half-God Shiva and half-Goddess Parvathi. Parashakti is also represented in worship as the Divine Light. Followers of Ramalingaswamigal (Vallalar) for instance, mainly worship God Shiva as the Divine Light (Arut-Perum Jyothi.)

Parabrahman in Saivism is represented by the Shivalingam, whose formless form is a representation of God beyond all attributes. Apart from the Shivalingam a sanctum in a temple devoid of any form, that is nothing but empty space, (such as the one in Chidambaram Temple) is sometimes used to represent Parabrahman.

In Shaktism any form of the Goddess such as Goddess Lakshmi, Kali, Durga, Parvathi, Saraswati, Bhumidevi, Rajarajeswari, Mariamman represent Paramatma. Generally in Shakta temples or depcitions of the Goddess as Paramatma, their male consorts rarely present or portrayed.

Parashakti in Shaktism is the same as in Saivism, where the main deity reprsentation is Ardhanarishwara. A more rare depiction of Parashakti is the deity Vishnudurga, who is half-God Vishnu and half-Goddess Durga.

The Shivalingam is also (as in all the Hindu sects) used to in Shaktism to represent Parabrahman.

Any of God Vishnu's avatars represent Paramatma. His most worshipped forms are Lord Venkateshwara, Lord Krishna, Lord Rama, Lord Narasimha and Lord Narayana. He is often depicted with His consort, who are all avatars of Goddess Lakshmi or Bhumidevi.

In Vaishnavite theology, Parashakti is represented by the Ocean of Bliss on which God Vishnu rests with His consort Goddess Lakshmi. God Vishnu as Lord Narayana is often depicted lying down on a bed created by coils of the mythical nine-headed serpent Shesa Naga with Goddess Lakshmi at His feet.

In Vaishnavism, Parabrahman is also depicted by the Shivalingam, though Vaishnavites address the Shivalingam as Ishwara.

Smarta theology promotes the concept of Ishta Devata. The Ishta Devata of the devotee represents Paramatma. Thus any form of God from any of the Hindu sects may be used as Paramatma. For the purpose of illustration we will use Lord Nataraja to represent Paramatma, but remember the form of the deity is actually the devotee's choice.

Parashakti is represented by the Sun in Smarta theology. The Sun is Surya is often deified as the Lord who rides a chariot pulled by fleet footed bright gleaming horses. Parashakti is also represented as fire or Lord Agni in the agnihotra (homa) ceremony which is central to Smarta worship practices.

Parabrahman is represented by the Shivalingam in Smarta theology, as with the rest of the Hindu sects.