1.
Vahana
–
Vahana denotes the being, typically an animal or mythical entity, a particular Hindu deity is said to use as a vehicle. In this capacity, the vahana is often called the deitys mount, upon the partnership between the deity and his vahana is woven much iconography and mythology. Deities are often depicted riding the vahana, other times, the vahana is depicted at the deitys side or symbolically represented as a divine attribute. The vahana may be considered an accoutrement of the deity, though the vahana may act independently, the deity may be seen sitting or on, or standing on, the vahana. They may be sitting on a platform called a howdah. Vah in Sanskrit means to carry or to transport, in Hindu iconography, positive aspects of the vehicle are often emblematic of the deity that it carries. Nandi the bull, vehicle of Shiva, represents strength and virility, Parvani the peacock, vehicle of Skanda, represents splendor and majesty. The hamsa, vehicle of Saraswati, represents wisdom, grace, however, the vehicle animal also symbolizes the evil forces over which the deity dominates. Mounted on Parvani, Skanda reins in the peacocks vanity, seated on Mushika, Ganesh crushes useless thoughts, which multiply like rats in the dark. Shani, protector of property, has a vulture, raven or crow in which he represses thieving tendencies, under Shanis influence, the vahana can make even malevolent events bring hope. The vehicle of a deity can vary according to the source, the time, in popular tradition, the origin of each vehicle is told in thousands of different ways. Three examples, While the god Ganesha was still a child, Ganesha trapped him with his lasso and made him his mount. Mushika was originally a gandharva, or celestial musician, after absent mindedly walking over the feet of a rishi named Vamadeva, Mushika was cursed and transformed into a mouse. However, after the rishi recovered his temper, he promised Mushika that one day, the prophecy was fulfilled when the mouse became the vahana of Ganesha. Before becoming the vehicle of Shiva, Nandi was a deity called Nandikeshvara, lord of joy and master of music, then, without warning, his name and his functions were transferred to the aspect of Shiva known as the deity Nataraja. From half-man, half-bull, he simply a bull. Since that time, he has watched over each of Shivas temples, kartikeya, the war-god known as Murugan in Southern India, is also mounted on a peacock. This peacock was originally a demon called Surapadma, while the rooster was called the angel, after provoking Murugan in combat, the demon repented at the moment his lance descended upon him
Vahana
–
The eight
Matrikas riding different vahanas like (top row, second from left to right) Garuda, a peacock, Nandi bull, a hamsa (goose/swan); (bottom row, from left) buffalo, elephant and lion
Vahana
–
A Bhagavata Purana manuscript page depicting the story of
Atri and
Anasuya meeting the
Trimurti riding on their respective vahanas. (PhP 4.1.21-25). (Paper, late 18th century,
Jaipur).
Vahana
–
Mouse /
shrew named Mushika
Vahana
–
Horse
2.
Vishnu
–
Vishnu is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, and the Supreme Being in its Vaishnavism tradition. Along with Brahma and Shiva, Vishnu forms a Hindu trinity, however and his avatars most notably include Krishna in the Mahabharata and Rama in the Ramayana. He is also known as Narayana, Jagannath, Vasudeva, Vithoba and he is one of the five equivalent deities worshipped in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta Tradition of Hinduism. In Hindu inconography, Vishnu is usually depicted as having a dark, or pale blue complexion and having four arms. He holds a padma in his left hand, Kaumodaki gada in his lower right hand, Panchajanya shankha in his upper left hand. A traditional depiction is Lord Vishnu reclining on the coils of Ananta, accompanied by his consort devi Lakshmi, yaska, the mid 1st-millennium BCE Vedanga scholar, in his Nirukta, defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, one who enters everywhere. He also writes, atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣnurbhavati, that which is free from fetters, the medieval Indian scholar Medhātithi suggested that the word Vishnu has etymological roots in viś, meaning to pervade, thereby connoting that Vishnu is one who is everything and inside everything. Vishnu is a Vedic deity, but not a prominent one when compared to Indra, Agni, just 5 out of 1028 hymns of the Rigveda, a 2nd millennium BCE Hindu text, are dedicated to Vishnu, and he finds minor mention in the other hymns. Though a minor mention and with overlapping attributes in the Vedas, he has important characteristics in various hymns of Rig Veda and he is also described in the Vedic literature as the one who supports heaven and earth. In the Vedic hymns, Vishnu is invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra and his distinguishing characteristic in Vedas is his association with light. Two Rigvedic hymns in Mandala 7 refer to Vishnu, in section 7.99 of the Rgveda, Vishnu is addressed as the god who separates heaven and earth, a characteristic he shares with Indra. In the Vedic texts, the deity or god referred to as Vishnu is Surya or Savitr, in hymn 7.99 of Rigveda, Indra-Vishnu are equivalent and produce the sun, with the verses asserting that this sun is the source of all energy and light for all. In other hymns of the Rigveda, Vishnu is a friend of Indra. In the Yajurveda, Taittiriya Aranyaka, Narayana sukta, Narayana is mentioned as the supreme being, the first verse of Narayana Suktam mentions the words paramam padam, which literally mean highest post and may be understood as the supreme abode for all souls. This is also known as Param Dhama, Paramapadam or Vaikuntha, Rig Veda 1.22.20 a also mentions the same paramam padam. In the Atharvaveda, the mythology of a boar who raises goddess earth from the depths of cosmic ocean appears, in post-Vedic mythology, this legend becomes one of the basis of many cosmogonic myth called the Varaha legend, with Varaha as an avatar of Vishnu. Several hymns of the Rigveda repeat the mighty deed of Vishnu called the Trivikrama and it is an inspiration for ancient artwork in numerous Hindu temples such as at the Ellora Caves, which depict the Trivikrama legend through the Vamana avatar of Vishnu. Trivikrama refers to the three steps or three strides of Vishnu
Vishnu
–
Four Armed Vishnu
Vishnu
–
A 4th–6th century CE Sardonyx seal representing Vishnu with a worshipper. The inscription in cursive
Bactrian reads: "
Mihira, Vishnu (right) and
Shiva ".
Vishnu
–
A 13th century
Cambodian statue of Vishnu
Vishnu
–
12th century stone sculpture of God Vishnu flanked by two apsaras one with a fan (left) and the other with
Tumburu (right).
3.
Devanagari
–
Devanagari, also called Nagari, is an abugida alphabet of India and Nepal. It is written left to right, has a strong preference for symmetrical rounded shapes within squared outlines. The Nagari script has roots in the ancient Brāhmī script family, the Nagari script was in regular use by the 7th century CE and it was fully developed by about the end of first millennium. Nagari has been the primus inter pares of the Indic scripts, the Devanagari script is also used for classical Sanskrit texts. The Devanagari script is closely related to the Nandinagari script commonly found in ancient manuscripts of South India. Devanagari script has forty-seven primary characters, of which fourteen are vowels, the ancient Nagari script for Sanskrit had two additional consonantal characters. The script has no distinction similar to the capital and small letters of the Latin alphabet, generally the orthography of the script reflects the pronunciation of the language. Devanagari is part of the Brahmic family of scripts of India, Nepal, Tibet and it is a descendant of the Gupta script, along with Siddham and Sharada. Medieval inscriptions suggest widespread diffusion of the Nagari-related scripts, with biscripts presenting local script along with the adoption of Nagari scripts, the 7th-century Tibetan king Srong-tsan-gambo ordered that all foreign books be transcribed into the Tibetan language. Other closely related scripts such as Siddham Matrka was in use in Indonesia, Vietnam, Japan, Sharada remained in parallel use in Kashmir. Nāgarī is the Sanskrit feminine of Nāgara relating or belonging to a town or city and it is a phrasing with lipi as nāgarī lipi script relating to a city, or spoken in city. The use of the name devanāgarī is relatively recent, and the older term nāgarī is still common, the rapid spread of the term devanāgarī may be related to the almost exclusive use of this script to publish Sanskrit texts in print since the 1870s. As a Brahmic abugida, the principle of Devanagari is that each letter represents a consonant. This is usually written in Latin as a, though it is represented as in the International Phonetic Alphabet, the letter क is read ka, the two letters कन are kana, the three कनय are kanaya, etc. This cancels the inherent vowel, so that from क्नय knaya is derived क्नय् knay, the halant is often used for consonant clusters when typesetting conjunct ligatures is not feasible. Consonant clusters are written with ligatures, for example, the three consonants क्, न्, and य्, when written consecutively without virāma form कनय, as shown above. Alternatively, they may be joined as clusters to form क्नय knaya, कन्य kanya and this system was originally created for use with the Middle Indo-Aryan languages, which have a very limited number of clusters. When applied to Sanskrit, however, it added a deal of complexity to the script
Devanagari
–
A 19th century
Rigveda manuscript in Devanagari.
Devanagari
–
Devanagiri script (vowels top, consonants bottom) in Chandas font
Devanagari
–
Devanagari text from Vayu Purana.
Devanagari
–
Devanagari देवनागरी
4.
Sanskrit
–
Sanskrit is the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, a philosophical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and a literary language and lingua franca of ancient and medieval South Asia. As a result of transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia and parts of Central Asia, as one of the oldest Indo-European languages for which substantial written documentation exists, Sanskrit holds a prominent position in Indo-European studies. The body of Sanskrit literature encompasses a rich tradition of poetry and drama as well as scientific, technical, philosophical, the compositions of Sanskrit were orally transmitted for much of its early history by methods of memorization of exceptional complexity, rigor, and fidelity. Thereafter, variants and derivatives of the Brahmi script came to be used, Sanskrit is today one of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which mandates the Indian government to develop the language. It continues to be used as a ceremonial language in Hindu religious rituals and Buddhist practice in the form of hymns. The Sanskrit verbal adjective sáṃskṛta- may be translated as refined, elaborated, as a term for refined or elaborated speech, the adjective appears only in Epic and Classical Sanskrit in the Manusmṛti and the Mahabharata. The pre-Classical form of Sanskrit is known as Vedic Sanskrit, with the language of the Rigveda being the oldest and most archaic stage preserved, Classical Sanskrit is the standard register as laid out in the grammar of Pāṇini, around the fourth century BCE. Sanskrit, as defined by Pāṇini, evolved out of the earlier Vedic form, the present form of Vedic Sanskrit can be traced back to as early as the second millennium BCE. Scholars often distinguish Vedic Sanskrit and Classical or Pāṇinian Sanskrit as separate dialects, although they are quite similar, they differ in a number of essential points of phonology, vocabulary, grammar and syntax. Vedic Sanskrit is the language of the Vedas, a collection of hymns, incantations and theological and religio-philosophical discussions in the Brahmanas. Modern linguists consider the metrical hymns of the Rigveda Samhita to be the earliest, for nearly 2000 years, Sanskrit was the language of a cultural order that exerted influence across South Asia, Inner Asia, Southeast Asia, and to a certain extent East Asia. A significant form of post-Vedic Sanskrit is found in the Sanskrit of Indian epic poetry—the Ramayana, the deviations from Pāṇini in the epics are generally considered to be on account of interference from Prakrits, or innovations, and not because they are pre-Paninian. Traditional Sanskrit scholars call such deviations ārṣa, meaning of the ṛṣis, in some contexts, there are also more prakritisms than in Classical Sanskrit proper. There were four principal dialects of classical Sanskrit, paścimottarī, madhyadeśī, pūrvi, the predecessors of the first three dialects are attested in Vedic Brāhmaṇas, of which the first one was regarded as the purest. In the 2001 Census of India,14,035 Indians reported Sanskrit to be their first language, in India, Sanskrit is among the 14 original languages of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. The state of Uttarakhand in India has ruled Sanskrit as its official language. In October 2012 social activist Hemant Goswami filed a petition in the Punjab. More than 3,000 Sanskrit works have been composed since Indias independence in 1947, much of this work has been judged of high quality, in comparison to both classical Sanskrit literature and modern literature in other Indian languages
Sanskrit
–
Rigveda (
padapatha) manuscript in
Devanagari, early 19th century
Sanskrit
–
Devi Mahatmya palm-leaf manuscript in an early
Bhujimol script,
Bihar or
Nepal, 11th century
Sanskrit
–
A poem by the ancient Indian poet Vallana (ca. 900 – 1100 CE) on the side wall of a building at the Haagweg 14 in Leiden, Netherlands
Sanskrit
–
Kashmir Shaiva manuscript in the
Śāradā script (c. 17th century)
5.
Vaikuntha
–
Vaikuntha, Paramapadam, Vishnupada, or Param Padam is the celestial home of Vishnu. In most of the extant Puranas, and Vaishnava traditions, Vaikuntha is located in the direction of the Makara Rashi, vishnus eye is supposed to be located at the South Celestial Pole as well. Goloka Vrindavana Vaikuntha Chaturdashi Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend by Anna Dallapiccola On the Symbolism of Three- and Four-Faced Vishnu Images, by Adalbert J. Gail, In, Artibus Asiae, Vol.44, No.4
Vaikuntha
–
Vishnu (Narayana), Lord of Vaikuntha
Vaikuntha
–
A Vision of Vishnu (Vaikuntha Darshana) -
Brooklyn Museum
6.
Hindu texts
–
Hindu texts are manuscripts and historic literature related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism. A few texts are shared resources across these traditions and broadly considered as Hindu scriptures and these include the Vedas and the Upanishads. There are two classifications of Hindu texts, Shruti – that which is heard, and Smriti – that which is remembered. The Śruti refers to the body of most authoritative, ancient religious texts, without any author and it includes the four Vedas including its four types of embedded texts - the Samhitas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the early Upanishads. The Smriti texts are a body of Hindu texts attributed to an author. Many ancient and medieval Hindu texts were composed in Sanskrit, many others in regional Indian languages, in modern times, most ancient texts have been translated into other Indian languages and some in Western languages. This verbal tradition of preserving and transmitting Hindu texts, from one generation to next, the Vedas are a large body of Hindu texts originating in ancient India, before about 300 BCE. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature, hindus consider the Vedas to be apauruṣeya, which means not of a man, superhuman and impersonal, authorless. Vedas are also called śruti literature, distinguishing them from religious texts. The Veda, for orthodox Indian theologians, are considered revelations, in the Hindu Epic the Mahabharata, the creation of Vedas is credited to Brahma. There are four Vedas, the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, each Veda has been subclassified into four major text types – the Samhitas, the Aranyakas, the Brahmanas, and the Upanishads. The Upanishads are a collection of Hindu texts which contain some of the philosophical concepts of Hinduism. The Upanishads are commonly referred to as Vedānta, variously interpreted to either the last chapters, parts of the Veda or the object. The concepts of Brahman and Ātman are central ideas in all the Upanishads, the Upanishads are the foundation of Hindu philosophical thought and its diverse traditions. Of the Vedic corpus, they alone are known. More than 200 Upanishads are known, of which the first dozen or so are the oldest and most important and are referred to as the principal or main Upanishads. The mukhya Upanishads are found mostly in the part of the Brahmanas and Aranyakas and were, for centuries, memorized by each generation. The early Upanishads all predate the Common Era, some in all likelihood pre-Buddhist, of the remainder, some 95 Upanishads are part of the Muktika canon, composed from about the start of common era through medieval Hinduism
Hindu texts
–
Manuscripts of 18th-century Hindu texts in Sanskrit and in a regional language (below).
Hindu texts
Hindu texts
–
A 19th century manuscript of the Hindu text
Bhagavad Gita.
7.
Legendary creature
–
A legendary creature is an animal or part human described in non-historical stories that sometimes involve the supernatural. In the classical era, monstrous creatures such as the Cyclops, other creatures, such as the unicorn, were claimed in accounts of natural history by various scholars of antiquity. Some legendary creatures have their origin in traditional mythology and were believed to be creatures, for example dragons, griffins. Others were based on real encounters, originating in garbled accounts of travelers tales, such as the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary, a variety of mythical animals appear in the art and stories of the Classical era. For example in the Odyssey, monstrous creatures include the Cyclops, Scylla, in other tales there appear the Medusa to be defeated by Perseus, the Minotaur to be destroyed by Theseus, and the Hydra to be killed by Heracles, while Aeneas battles with the harpies. These monsters thus have the function of emphasising the greatness of the heroes involved. Some classical era creatures, such as the centaur, chimaera, Triton, similarly, sphinxes appear as winged lions in Indian art. In Medieval art, animals, both real and mythical, played important roles and these included decorative forms as in Medieval jewellery, sometimes with their limbs intricately interlaced. Animal forms were used to add humour or majesty to objects, in Christian art, animals carried symbolic meanings, where for example the lamb symbolised Christ, a dove indicated the Holy Spirit, and the classical griffin represented a guardian of the dead. Medieval bestiaries included animals regardless of reality, the basilisk represented the devil. One function of animals in the Middle Ages was allegory. Unicorns, for example, were described as swift and unable to be caught by traditional methods. It was believed that the way for one to catch this beast was to lead a virgin to its dwelling. Then, the unicorn was supposed to leap into her lap and go to sleep, in terms of symbolism, the unicorn was a metaphor for Christ. Unicorns represented the idea of innocence and purity, in the King James Bible, Psalm 92,10 states, My horn shalt thou exalt like the horn of an unicorn. This is because the translators of the King James erroneously translated the Hebrew word reem as unicorn, later versions translate this as wild ox. The unicorn’s small size signifies the humility of Christ, another common legendary creature which served allegorical functions within the Middle Ages was the dragon. Dragons were identified with serpents, though their attributes were greatly intensified, the dragon was supposed to have been larger than all other animals
Legendary creature
–
A carving of a dragon from
Imperial City, Huế in Vietnam
Legendary creature
–
Harry Kellar 's supernatural creatures
8.
Bird
–
Birds live worldwide and range in size from the 5 cm bee hummingbird to the 2.75 m ostrich. They rank as the class of tetrapods with the most living species, at ten thousand. As a subgroup of Reptilia, birds are the closest living relatives of crocodilians, while birds, the fossil record indicates that birds are also the last surviving representatives of dinosauria, having evolved from feathered ancestors within the theropod group of saurischian dinosaurs. True birds first appeared during the Cretaceous period, around 100 million years ago, dNA-based evidence finds that birds diversified dramatically around the time of the Cretaceous–Palaeogene extinction event which killed off all other dinosaur lineages. Birds, especially those in the continents, survived this event. Primitive bird-like dinosaurs that lie outside class Aves proper, in the broader group Avialae, have been found dating back to the mid-Jurassic period. Birds have wings which are more or less developed depending on the species, the digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have evolved for swimming. Many species annually migrate great distances, Birds are social, communicating with visual signals, calls, and bird songs, and participating in such social behaviours as cooperative breeding and hunting, flocking, and mobbing of predators. The vast majority of species are socially monogamous, usually for one breeding season at a time, sometimes for years. Other species have breeding systems that are polygynous or, rarely, Birds produce offspring by laying eggs which are fertilised through sexual reproduction. They are usually laid in a nest and incubated by the parents, most birds have an extended period of parental care after hatching. Some birds, such as hens, lay eggs even when not fertilised, songbirds, parrots, and other species are popular as pets. Guano is harvested for use as a fertiliser, Birds prominently figure throughout human culture. About 120–130 species have become extinct due to human activity since the 17th century, human activity threatens about 1,200 bird species with extinction, though efforts are underway to protect them. Recreational birdwatching is an important part of the ecotourism industry, the first classification of birds was developed by Francis Willughby and John Ray in their 1676 volume Ornithologiae. Carl Linnaeus modified that work in 1758 to devise the taxonomic classification system currently in use, Birds are categorised as the biological class Aves in Linnaean taxonomy. Phylogenetic taxonomy places Aves in the dinosaur clade Theropoda, Aves and a sister group, the clade Crocodilia, contain the only living representatives of the reptile clade Archosauria
Bird
–
Archaeopteryx lithographica is often considered the oldest known true bird.
Bird
Bird
–
Confuciusornis sanctus, a Cretaceous bird from China
Bird
–
The range of the
house sparrow has expanded dramatically due to human activities.
9.
List of avian humanoids
–
Avian humanoids are a common motif in mythology, folklore, and popular fiction. Also the Sirens and Harpies were often represented as half-human half-bird, the Flock from the Maximum Ride novel series. The race of garuda in fantasy author China Miévilles world Bas-Lag as featured in Perdido Street Station, rowlings Harry Potter series, a race of magical creatures called Veela appear as extraordinarily beautiful women, but turn into frightening bird-like creatures when angered. The Flight from the Generation Icarus novel series, angela Carters Nights at the Circus tells the story of a woman, Fevvers, who was born with wings. The Shryke race from The Edge Chronicles are a race of flightless carnivorous bird-people known for cunning, ferocity, and their warriors are all female, with the males of the species known as Shryke-mates. Linnet from the 2000 young adult novel Growing Wings by Laurel Winter, There had been some avian humanoids in DC Comics. The incarnations of Hawkman and Hawkgirl are two winged human-like aliens, northwind comes from the hidden city of Feithera, a lost nation of avian humanoids. Starhaven, colonized in the 23rd century DC Comics Universe and homeworld of Dawnstar in the 31st century, swift, A fictional superheroine in the Wildstorm universe, member of superhero team known as The Authority There had been some avian humanoids in Marvel Comics. Angel/Archangel, a mutant from the X-Men series Bird-Man of the Ani-Men Howard the Duck hails from Duckworld. Red Raven is the last of the Marvel Comics bird-people, flyer, a winged hero from the NEW-GEN series Scrooge McDuck, uncle of Donald Duck, lives in Duckburg along with many anthropomorphized characters, mostly ducks and birds. The Litts are a race of warriors from planet Litt who work for Friezas Galactic Frieza Army in the Dragon Ball Z series. The cartoon show Mighty Ducks, The Animated Series depicts the characters as anthropomorphized ducks who play hockey. Stratos and his kin in the Masters of the Universe cartoon series Vultureman, Vultaire, Horus, the Ravenmen, the extinct Avian Xindi from Star Trek, Enterprise. Angels of the Lord from CWs currently airing television series Supernatural, recurring main character Castiel is an Angel of God. The TV series Ugly Americans featured Man-Birds which are birds with wings instead of arms. Other avian humanoids in that include the Chicken People, the Flamingo People, the Goose People. The Duck universe is a land of sentient humanoid ducks created by Carl Barks as part of the wider Mickey Mouse universe, the Aracoix are a race of bird-people in the fantasy massively multiplayer online role-playing game Shadowbane. The Aven are a race from Otaria in the Magic, The Gathering novels
List of avian humanoids
–
Huitzilopochtli, Aztec god of Tenochtitlan.
10.
Hindu mythology
–
As such, it is a subset of mainstream Indian and Nepali culture. The roots of mythology that evolved from classical Hinduism come from the times of the Vedic civilization, the four Vedas, notably the hymns of the Rigveda, contain allusions to many themes. The characters, philosophy and stories make up ancient Vedic myths are indelibly linked with Hindu beliefs. The Vedas are four in number, namely RigVeda, YajurVeda, SamaVeda, in the period of Classical Sanskrit, much material is preserved in the Sanskrit epics. Besides mythology proper, the voluminous epics also provide a range of information about ancient Nepali and Indian society, philosophy, culture, religion. The two great Hindu Epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata tell the story of two incarnations of Vishnu. These two works are known as Itihasa, the epics Mahabharata and Ramayana serve as both religious scriptures and a rich source of philosophy and morality. The most famous of these chapters is the Bhagavad Gita in the Mahabharata, in which Lord Krishna explains the concepts of duty and these stories are deeply embedded in Hindu philosophy and serve as parables and sources of devotion for Hindus. The Mahabharata is the worlds longest epic in verse, running to more than 2,000,000 lines, the epics themselves are set in different Yugas, or periods of time. The Ramayana, written by the Maharshi Valmiki, describes the life and times of Lord Rama, the Mahabharata, describing the life and times of the Pandavas, occurs in the Dvapara Yuga, a period associated with Lord Krishna. In total, there are 4 Yugas and these are the Satya or Krita Yuga, the Treta Yuga, the Dvapara Yuga, and the Kali Yuga. The avatara concept, however, belongs to the Puranic times, the Puranas deal with stories that are old and do not appear in the epics. They contain legends and stories about the origins of the world, and the lives and adventures of a variety of gods, goddesses, heroes, heroines. They contain traditions related to ancient kings, seers, incarnations of God and legends about holy places, the Bhagavata Purana is probably the most read and popular of the Puranas. It chronicles the legends of the god Vishnu and his avatars on earth, the act of creation was thought of in more than one manner. One of the oldest cosmogonic myth in the Rigveda had come into existence as a cosmic egg, the Purusha Sukta narrates that all things were made out of the mangled limbs of Purusha, a magnified non-natural man, who was sacrificed by the gods. In the Puranas, Vishnu, in the shape of a boar, plunged into the cosmic waters, the Shatapatha Brahmana says that in the beginning, Prajapati, the first creator or father of all, was alone in the world. He differentiated himself into two beings, husband and wife, the wife, regarding union with her producer as incest, fled from his embraces assuming various animal disguises
Hindu mythology
–
Rama (right) seated on the shoulders of Hanuman, battles the demon-king
Ravana, scene from Ramayana.
Hindu mythology
–
The Creation of the Cosmic Ocean and the Elements, folio from the
Shiva Purana, c. 1828.
Hindu mythology
–
Vishnu is known as the preserver aspect of Brahmin. In his four hand he carries at all times, a lotus, a conch shell, a club, and a discus.The ten avatars of
Vishnu, (Clockwise, from Left upper corner)
Matsya,
Kurma,
Varaha,
Vamana,
Krishna,
Kalki,
Buddha,
Parshurama,
Rama and
Narasimha, (in centre) Krishna
Hindu mythology
–
An illustration of the family of
Shiva, consisting of Shiva,
Parvati,
Ganesha and
Murugan
11.
Constellation
–
A constellation is formally defined as a region of the celestial sphere, with boundaries laid down by the International Astronomical Union. The constellation areas mostly had their origins in Western-traditional patterns of stars from which the constellations take their names, in 1922, the International Astronomical Union officially recognized the 88 modern constellations, which cover the entire sky. They began as the 48 classical Greek constellations laid down by Ptolemy in the Almagest, Constellations in the far southern sky are late 16th- and mid 18th-century constructions. 12 of the 88 constellations compose the zodiac signs, though the positions of the constellations only loosely match the dates assigned to them in astrology. The term constellation can refer to the stars within the boundaries of that constellation. Notable groupings of stars that do not form a constellation are called asterisms, when astronomers say something is “in” a given constellation they mean it is within those official boundaries. Any given point in a coordinate system can unambiguously be assigned to a single constellation. Many astronomical naming systems give the constellation in which an object is found along with a designation in order to convey a rough idea in which part of the sky it is located. For example, the Flamsteed designation for bright stars consists of a number, the word constellation seems to come from the Late Latin term cōnstellātiō, which can be translated as set of stars, and came into use in English during the 14th century. It also denotes 88 named groups of stars in the shape of stellar-patterns, the Ancient Greek word for constellation was ἄστρον. Colloquial usage does not draw a distinction between constellation in the sense of an asterism and constellation in the sense of an area surrounding an asterism. The modern system of constellations used in astronomy employs the latter concept, the term circumpolar constellation is used for any constellation that, from a particular latitude on Earth, never sets below the horizon. From the North Pole or South Pole, all constellations south or north of the equator are circumpolar constellations. In the equatorial or temperate latitudes, the term equatorial constellation has sometimes been used for constellations that lie to the opposite the circumpolar constellations. They generally include all constellations that intersect the celestial equator or part of the zodiac, usually the only thing the stars in a constellation have in common is that they appear near each other in the sky when viewed from the Earth. In galactic space, the stars of a constellation usually lie at a variety of distances, since stars also travel on their own orbits through the Milky Way, the star patterns of the constellations change slowly over time. After tens to hundreds of thousands of years, their familiar outlines will become unrecognisable, the terms chosen for the constellation themselves, together with the appearance of a constellation, may reveal where and when its constellation makers lived. The earliest direct evidence for the constellations comes from inscribed stones and it seems that the bulk of the Mesopotamian constellations were created within a relatively short interval from around 1300 to 1000 BC
Constellation
Constellation
Constellation
–
Babylonian tablet recording
Halley's comet in 164 BC.
Constellation
–
Chinese star map with a cylindrical projection (
Su Song)
12.
Aquila (constellation)
–
Aquila is a constellation on the celestial equator. Its name is Latin for eagle and it represents the bird who carried Zeus/Jupiters thunderbolts in Greco-Roman mythology and its brightest star, Altair, is one vertex of the Summer Triangle asterism. The constellation is best seen in the summer as it is located along the Milky Way. Because of this location along the line of our Galaxy, many clusters and nebulae are found within its borders, Aquila was one of the 48 constellations described by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolemy. It had been mentioned by Eudoxus in the 4th century BC. It is now one of the 88 constellations defined by the International Astronomical Union, the constellation was also known as Vultur volans to the Romans, not to be confused with Vultur cadens which was their name for Lyra. It is often held to represent the eagle who held Zeuss/Jupiters thunderbolts in Greco-Roman mythology, Aquila is also associated with the eagle who kidnapped Ganymede, a son of one of the kings of Troy, to Mount Olympus to serve as cup-bearer to the gods. Hevelius determined twenty-three stars in the first and nineteen in the second, the Greek Aquila is probably based on the Babylonian constellation of the Eagle, which is located in the same area as the Greek constellation. Aquila, which lies in the Milky Way, contains many rich starfields and has been the location of many novae, α Aql is the brightest star in this constellation and one of the closest naked-eye stars to Earth at a distance of 17 light-years. Its name comes from the Arabic phrase al-nasr al-tair, meaning the flying eagle, Altair has a magnitude of 0.76. β Aql is a star of magnitude 3.7,45 light-years from Earth. Its name comes from the Arabic phrase shahin-i tarazu, meaning the balance, this referred to Altair, Alshain. γ Aql is a giant star of magnitude 2.7,460 light-years from Earth. Its name, like that of Alshain, comes from the Arabic for the balance, ζ Aql is a blue-white-hued star of magnitude 3.0,83 light-years from Earth. η Aql is a supergiant star,1200 light-years from Earth. Among the brightest Cepheid variable stars, it has a magnitude of 4.4. 15 Aql is a double star. The primary is a giant of magnitude 5.4,325 light-years from Earth
Aquila (constellation)
–
The constellation Aquila as it can be seen by the naked eye.
Aquila (constellation)
–
List of stars in Aquila
Aquila (constellation)
–
The former constellation
Antinous was merged into Aquilla in 1930, but both can be seen in this 1825 chart from
Urania's Mirror.
Aquila (constellation)
–
IRAS 19024+0044 is a
protoplanetary nebula in Aquila.
13.
Brahminy kite
–
They are found in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Australia. They are found mainly on the coast and in wetlands where they feed on dead fish. Adults have a reddish-brown plumage and a white head and breast which makes them easy to distinguish from other birds of prey. The brahminy kite is distinctive and contrastingly coloured, with chestnut plumage except for the head and breast. The juveniles are browner, but can be distinguished from both the resident and migratory races of black kites in Asia by the appearance, shorter wings. The pale patch on the carpal region is of a squarish shape. The two genera are very close. The call is a mewing keeyew, the brahminy kite was described by French ornithologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson in 1760 as lAigle Pondicery, and given the Latin binomial Aquila pondiceriana. Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert first used the name Falco indus in 1783, four subspecies are recognized, H. i. indus is found in South Asia. H. i. flavirostris Condon & Amadon,1954 is found in the Solomon Islands, H. i. girrenera is found in New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, and Australia. H. i. intermedius Blyth,1865 is found in the Malay Peninsula and into the islands of the Sundas, Sulawesi, and they perform seasonal movements associated with rainfall in some parts of their range. They are mainly seen in the plains but can occur above 5000 feet in the Himalayas. It is evaluated as being of least concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, however the species is on the decline in some parts such as Java. The breeding season in South Asia is from December to April, in southern and eastern Australia, it is August to October, and April to June in the north and west. The nests are constructed of branches and sticks with a bowl inside and lined with leaves. They show considerable site fidelity nesting in the area year after year. In some rare instances they have seen to nest on the ground under trees. A clutch of two white or bluish-white oval eggs measuring 52 x 41 mm is laid
Brahminy kite
–
Brahminy kite
Brahminy kite
–
In flight the rounded tail and plumage of adults is distinctive
Brahminy kite
–
Beak of Haliastur showing the characteristic circular nostril
Brahminy kite
–
A subadult
14.
Phoenix (mythology)
–
In Greek mythology, a phoenix is a long-lived bird that is cyclically regenerated or reborn. Associated with the Sun, a phoenix obtains new life by arising from the ashes of its predecessor. According to some sources, the dies in a show of flames and combustion, although there are other sources that claim that the legendary bird dies. According to some texts, the phoenix could live over 1,400 years before rebirth. Herodotus, Lucan, Pliny the Elder, Pope Clement I, Lactantius, Ovid, the modern English noun phoenix derives from Middle English phenix, itself from Old English fēnix. Old English fēnix was borrowed from Medieval Latin phenix, which is derived from Classical Latin phoenīx, the Classical Latin phoenīx represents Greek φοῖνιξ phoinīx. In ancient Greece and Rome, the bird, φοῖνιξ, was associated with the similar-sounding Phoenicia. A late antique etymology offered by the 6th- and 7th-century CE archbishop Isidore of Seville accordingly derives the name of the phoenix from its allegedly purple-red hue. Because the costly purple dye from Phoenicia was associated with the classes in antiquity and, later, with royalty. Classical discourse on the subject of the points to a potential origin of the phoenix in Ancient Egypt. However, the Egyptian sources regarding the bennu are often problematic, some of these sources may have actually been influenced by Greek notions of the phoenix, rather than the other way around. Herodotus, writing in the 5th century BC, gives a somewhat skeptical account of the phoenix, have another sacred bird called the phoenix which I myself have never seen. Indeed it is a rarity, even in Egypt, only coming there once in five hundred years. Its size and appearance, if it is like the pictures, are as follow, - The plumage is partly red, partly golden, while the general make, such is the story they tell of the doings of this bird. The phoenix is sometimes pictured in ancient and medieval literature and medieval art as endowed with a nimbus, in the oldest images of phoenixes on record these nimbuses often have seven rays, like Helios. Pliny the Elder also describes the bird as having a crest of feathers on its head, although the phoenix was generally believed to be colorful and vibrant, there is no clear consensus about its coloration. Tacitus claims that its made it stand out from all other birds. Some thought that the bird had peacock-like coloring, and Herodotuss claim of red, scholars have observed analogues to the phoenix in a variety of cultures
Phoenix (mythology)
–
A phoenix depicted in a book of legendary creatures by
FJ Bertuch (1747–1822).
15.
Indonesia
–
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a unitary sovereign state and transcontinental country located mainly in Southeast Asia with some territories in Oceania. Situated between the Indian and Pacific oceans, it is the worlds largest island country, with more than seventeen thousand islands. At 1,904,569 square kilometres, Indonesia is the worlds 14th-largest country in terms of area and worlds 7th-largest country in terms of combined sea. It has an population of over 260 million people and is the worlds fourth most populous country. The worlds most populous island, Java, contains more than half of the countrys population, Indonesias republican form of government includes an elected legislature and president. Indonesia has 34 provinces, of which five have Special Administrative status and its capital and countrys most populous city is Jakarta, which is also the most populous city in Southeast Asia and the second in Asia. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, other neighbouring countries include Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, Palau, and the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Despite its large population and densely populated regions, Indonesia has vast areas of wilderness that support the second highest level of biodiversity. The country has abundant natural resources like oil and natural gas, tin, copper, agriculture mainly produces rice, palm oil, tea, coffee, cacao, medicinal plants, spices and rubber. Indonesias major trading partners are Japan, United States, China, the Indonesian archipelago has been an important region for trade since at least the 7th century, when Srivijaya and then later Majapahit traded with China and India. Local rulers gradually absorbed foreign cultural, religious and political models from the early centuries CE, Indonesian history has been influenced by foreign powers drawn to its natural resources. Indonesia consists of hundreds of native ethnic and linguistic groups. The largest – and politically dominant – ethnic group are the Javanese, a shared identity has developed, defined by a national language, ethnic diversity, religious pluralism within a Muslim-majority population, and a history of colonialism and rebellion against it. Indonesias national motto, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, articulates the diversity that shapes the country, Indonesias economy is the worlds 16th largest by nominal GDP and the 8th largest by GDP at PPP, the largest in Southeast Asia, and is considered an emerging market and newly industrialised country. Indonesia has been a member of the United Nations since 1950, Indonesia is a member of the G20 major economies and World Trade Organization. The name Indonesia derives from the Greek name of the Indós, the name dates to the 18th century, far predating the formation of independent Indonesia. In 1850, George Windsor Earl, an English ethnologist, proposed the terms Indunesians—and, his preference, in the same publication, one of his students, James Richardson Logan, used Indonesia as a synonym for Indian Archipelago. However, Dutch academics writing in East Indies publications were reluctant to use Indonesia, they preferred Malay Archipelago, the Netherlands East Indies, popularly Indië, the East, and Insulinde
Indonesia
–
A
Borobudur ship carved on
Borobudur, c. 800 CE. Indonesian outrigger boats may have made trade voyages to the east coast of Africa as early as the 1st century CE.
Indonesia
–
Flag
Indonesia
–
The
nutmeg plant is native to Indonesia's
Banda Islands.
Indonesia
–
Tan Malaka, Indonesian philosopher, guerilla, and national hero.
16.
Javan hawk-eagle
–
The Javan hawk-eagle is a medium-sized, approximately 60 cm long, dark brown raptor in the family Accipitridae. Its head and neck are rufous and it is barred black below. This majestic and intricately patterned eagle has a long, black crest on its head, the crown is black, topping a chestnut head and nape. The back and wings are brown, fading to a lighter brown tail which has wide cream stripes. The throat is white with a black stripe, running to the whitish breast and underparts. Juvenile birds are similar in colour, but have plainer underparts, an Indonesian endemic, the Javan hawk-eagle occurs in humid tropical forests of Java. Its range in East Java includes Sempu Island, Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, Meru Betiri National Park and it can also be seen in captivity in zoos like Kebun Binatang Bandung The Javan hawk-eagle is believed to be monogamous. The female usually lays one egg in a nest high on top of a forest tree, the diet consists mainly of birds, lizards, fruit bats and mammals. The Javan hawk-eagle is the bird of Indonesia, where it is commonly referred to as Garuda, from the bird-like creatures in Hindu. The scientific name commemorates the Bartels family, who discovered it, because of the plumage variability of Spizaetus eagles, the Javan hawk-eagle was not recognised as a full species until 1953. It is one of the rarest raptors, due to ongoing habitat loss, small population size, limited range and hunting in some areas, it is evaluated as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It is listed on Appendix II of CITES, in February 2012, there were only around 325 pairs of Javan hawk-eagles living in the wild, mainly in Malangbong, West Java and some in East Java. In Central Java, Mount Merapi has been deforested by eruptions, the adaptation of the bird is very difficult due to their preference for Rasamala trees and Javanese rats for their diet. Ideally the population should be 1,450 pairs and without conservation the eagle is predicted to go extinct by 2025, birdLife Species Factsheet Red Data Book
Javan hawk-eagle
–
Javan hawk-eagle
17.
Eagle
–
Eagle is a common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae, it belongs to several groups of genera that are not necessarily closely related to each other. Most of the 60 species of eagles are from Eurasia and Africa, outside this area, just 14 species can be found – two in North America, nine in Central and South America, and three in Australia. Eagles are large, powerfully built birds of prey, with heavy heads, most eagles are larger than any other raptors apart from some vultures. The smallest species of eagle is the South Nicobar serpent eagle, the largest species are discussed below. Like all birds of prey, eagles have large, hooked beaks for ripping flesh from their prey, strong, muscular legs. The beak is typically heavier than that of most other birds of prey, Eagles eyes are extremely powerful, having up to 3.6 times human acuity for the martial eagle, which enables them to spot potential prey from a very long distance. This keen eyesight is primarily attributed to their extremely large pupils which ensure minimal diffraction of the incoming light, the female of all known species of eagles is larger than the male. Eagles normally build their nests, called eyries, in trees or on high cliffs. Many species lay two eggs, but the older, larger chick frequently kills its younger sibling once it has hatched, the dominant chick tends to be a female, as they are bigger than the male. The parents take no action to stop the killing, due to the size and power of many eagle species, they are ranked at the top of the food chain as apex predators in the avian world. The type of prey varies by genus, the snake and serpent eagles of the genera Circaetus, Terathopius, and Spilornis predominantly prey on the great diversity of snakes found in the tropics of Africa and Asia. The eagles of the genus Aquila are often the top birds of prey in open habitats, where Aquila eagles are absent, other eagles, such as the buteonine black-chested buzzard-eagle of South America, may assume the position of top raptorial predator in open areas. Many other eagles, including the species-rich Spizaetus genus, live predominantly in woodlands and these eagles often target various arboreal or ground-dwelling mammals and birds, which are often unsuspectingly ambushed in such dense, knotty environments. Hunting techniques differ among the species and genera, with some individual eagles having engaged in quite varied techniques based their environment, most eagles grab prey without landing and take flight with it, so the prey can be carried to a perch and torn apart. The bald eagle is noted for having flown with the heaviest load verified to be carried by any flying bird, golden and crowned eagles have killed ungulates weighing up to 30 kg and a martial eagle even killed a 37 kg duiker, 7–8 times heavier than the preying eagle. It has been observed that most birds of prey look back over their shoulders before striking prey, all hawks seem to have this habit, from the smallest kestrel to the largest Ferruginous – but not the Eagles. Among the eagles are some of the largest birds of prey, only the condors and it is regularly debated which should be considered the largest species of eagle. They could be measured variously in total length, body mass, different lifestyle needs among various eagles result in variable measurements from species to species
Eagle
–
Eagle
Eagle
–
Golden eagle
Eagle
–
Martial eagle in Namibia.
Eagle
–
Philippine eagle, Pithecophaga jefferyi in Southern Philippines.
18.
Raja Ravi Varma
–
Raja Ravi Varma was a celebrated Indian painter and artist. He is considered among the greatest painters in the history of Indian art for a number of aesthetic, firstly, his works are held to be among the best examples of the fusion of European techniques with a purely Indian sensibility. While continuing the tradition and aesthetics of Indian art, his paintings employed the latest European academic art techniques of the day. Secondly, he was notable for making affordable lithographs of his paintings available to the public, indeed, his lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes among common people for several decades. Raja Ravi Varma was closely related to the family of Travancore of present day Kerala state in India. Raja Ravi Varma was born M. R. Ry, the title Raja was conferred as a personal title by the Viceroy and Governor-General of India. Ravi Varma was the son of Ezhumavil Neelakanthan Bhattatiripad and Umayamba Thampurratti and his mother, Uma Ambabayi Thampuratty, belonged to the baronial family which ruled the Kilimanoor feudal estate within the kingdom of Travancore. She was a poet and writer of talent, whose work Parvati Swayamvaram was published by Varma after her death. Ravi Varmas father, Ezhumavil Neelakanthan Bhattatiripad, was a scholar of Sanskrit, Ravi Varma had three siblings, a sister named Mangala Bayi, and two brothers named Goda Varma and Raja Varma. The last-named was also a painter and worked closely with Ravi Varma all his life, in 1866, at the age of 18, Varma was married to 12-year-old Bhageerthi Bayi of the royal house of Mavelikkara, another major fief of Travancore kingdom. Notably, the house of Mavellikara was a branch of the Royal House of Travancore, Bhageerthi was the youngest of three sisters, and both of her elder sisters had been adopted into the royal family of Travancore in 1857, in order to carry on the lineage. They were known as the Senior and Junior Rani of Attingal, therefore, Ravi Varmas connection to the royal family became very close due to his marriage with Bhageerthi. Indeed, his children would be royal by birth, the marriage, which was arranged by their parents in the proper Indian manner, was harmonious and successful. The couple were blessed with five children, being two sons and three daughters and their elder son, Kerala Varma was of an excessively spiritual temperament. He never married and eventually renounced the world, leaving home for good in 1912, the younger son, Rama Varma, inherited his fathers artistic talent and studied at the JJ School of Arts, Mumbai. He was married to Gowri Kunjamma, sister of Dewan PGN Unnithan and it was however Ravi Varmas daughters who were singled out by destiny for greatness, although not in the field of art, and not personally but through their daughters. The three daughters of Ravi Varma and Bhageerthi Bayi were Mahaprabha Amma, Uma Amma and Cheria Kochamma, in 1900 CE, the Royal House of Travancore once again faced a succession crisis. Bhageerthis two elder sisters, who had adopted in order to carry forward the lineage, had failed to produce the desired heirs
Raja Ravi Varma
–
Varma's daughter Mahaprabha with one of her sons
Raja Ravi Varma
–
Ravi Varma Koil Thampuran
Raja Ravi Varma
–
Varma's sister-in-law,
Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi, Senior Rani of
Attingal (or
Travancore), who adopted Varma's granddaughters in 1900 CE
Raja Ravi Varma
–
The studio used by Varma during his stay at the
Laxmi Vilas Palace
19.
Hinduism
–
Hinduism is a religion, or a way of life, found most notably in India and Nepal. Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, and some practitioners and scholars refer to it as Sanātana Dharma, scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of various Indian cultures and traditions, with diverse roots and no founder. This Hindu synthesis started to develop between 500 BCE and 300 CE following the Vedic period, although Hinduism contains a broad range of philosophies, it is linked by shared concepts, recognisable rituals, cosmology, shared textual resources, and pilgrimage to sacred sites. Hindu texts are classified into Shruti and Smriti and these texts discuss theology, philosophy, mythology, Vedic yajna, Yoga, agamic rituals, and temple building, among other topics. Major scriptures include the Vedas and Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include the four Puruṣārthas, the proper goals or aims of human life, namely Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha, karma, samsara, and the various Yogas. Hindu practices include such as puja and recitations, meditation, family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals. Some Hindus leave their world and material possessions, then engage in lifelong Sannyasa to achieve Moksha. Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings, patience, forbearance, self-restraint, Hinduism is the worlds third largest religion, with over one billion followers or 15% of the global population, known as Hindus. The majority of Hindus reside in India, Nepal, Mauritius, the Caribbean, the word Hindu is derived from the Indo-Aryan/Sanskrit word Sindhu, the Indo-Aryan name for the Indus River in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent. The term Hindu in these ancient records is a geographical term, the Arabic term al-Hind referred to the people who live across the River Indus. This Arabic term was taken from the pre-Islamic Persian term Hindū. By the 13th century, Hindustan emerged as an alternative name of India. It was only towards the end of the 18th century that European merchants and colonists began to refer to the followers of Indian religions collectively as Hindus. The term Hinduism, then spelled Hindooism, was introduced into the English language in the 18th-century to denote the religious, philosophical, because of the wide range of traditions and ideas covered by the term Hinduism, arriving at a comprehensive definition is difficult. The religion defies our desire to define and categorize it, Hinduism has been variously defined as a religion, a religious tradition, a set of religious beliefs, and a way of life. From a Western lexical standpoint, Hinduism like other faiths is appropriately referred to as a religion, in India the term dharma is preferred, which is broader than the western term religion. Hindu traditionalists prefer to call it Sanatana Dharma, the study of India and its cultures and religions, and the definition of Hinduism, has been shaped by the interests of colonialism and by Western notions of religion. Since the 1990s, those influences and its outcomes have been the topic of debate among scholars of Hinduism, Hinduism as it is commonly known can be subdivided into a number of major currents
Hinduism
–
Swami Vivekananda was a key figure in introducing
Vedanta and
Yoga in Europe and USA, raising interfaith awareness and making Hinduism a world religion.
Hinduism
–
Temple wall panel relief sculpture at the
Hoysaleswara temple in
Halebidu, representing the
Trimurti:
Brahma,
Shiva and
Vishnu.
Hinduism
–
The
Rigveda is the first and most important Veda and is one of the oldest
religious texts. This Rigveda
manuscript is in
Devanagari.
Hinduism
–
A wedding is the most extensive personal ritual an adult Hindu undertakes in his or her life. A typical
Hindu wedding is solemnized before Vedic
fire ritual (shown).
20.
Divinity
–
Such things are regarded as divine due to their transcendental origins or because their attributes or qualities are superior or supreme relative to things of the Earth. Divine things are regarded as eternal and based in truth, while things are regarded as ephemeral. Such things that may qualify as divine are apparitions, visions, prophecies, miracles, and in some also the soul, or more general things like resurrection, immortality, grace. Otherwise what is or is not divine may be loosely defined, the root of the word divine is literally godly, but the use varies significantly depending on which deity is being discussed. This article outlines the major distinctions in the use of the terms. For specific related academic terms, see Divinity, or Divine, for instance, Jehovah is closely associated with storms and thunder throughout much of the Old Testament. He is said to speak in thunder, and thunder is seen as a token of his anger and this power was then extended to prophets like Moses and Samuel, who caused thunderous storms to rain down on their enemies. Divinity always carries connotations of goodness, beauty, beneficence, justice, pantheistic and polytheistic faiths make no such distinction, gods and other beings of transcendent power often have complex, ignoble, or even irrational motivations for their acts. Note that while the demon and demonic are used in monotheistic faiths as antonyms to divine, they are in fact derived from the Greek word daimón. There are three distinct usages of divinity and divine in religious discourse, In monotheistic faiths, the divinity is often used to refer to the singular God central to that faith. Often the word takes the article and is capitalized — the Divinity — as though it were a proper name or definitive honorific. Divine — capitalized — may be used as an adjective to refer to the manifestations of such a Divinity or its powers and this leads to the second usage of the word divine, to refer to the operation of transcendent power in the world. In its most direct form, the operation of transcendent power implies some form of divine intervention, for pan- and polytheistic faiths this usually implies the direct action of one god or another on the course of human events. In monotheistic religions, divine intervention may take very direct forms, miracles, visions, transcendent force or power may also operate through more subtle and indirect paths. Monotheistic faiths generally support some version of divine providence, which acknowledges that the divinity of the faith has a profound but unknowable plan always unfolding in the world. Unforeseeable, overwhelming, or seemingly unjust events are often thrown on the will of the Divine, in deferences like the Muslim inshallah, in the third usage, extensions of divinity and divine power are credited to living, mortal individuals. More commonly, and more pertinent to recent history, leaders merely claim some form of divine mandate, in Greek mythology, Achilles mother bathed him in the river Styx to give him immortality, and Hercules — as the son of Zeus — inherited near-godly powers. In religious Taoism, Lao Tsu is venerated as a saint with his own powers, various individuals in the Buddhist faith, beginning with Siddhartha, are considered to be enlightened, and in religious forms of Buddhism they are credited with divine powers
Divinity
–
Elizabeth I and the
three Goddesses Juno,
Minerva &
Venus.
21.
Crown (headgear)
–
In art, the crown may be shown being offered to those on Earth by angels. In religious art, a crown of stars is used similarly to a halo, crowns worn by rulers often contain jewels. A crown is often an emblem of the monarchy, a monarchs government, the word itself is used, particularly in Commonwealth countries, as an abstract name for the monarchy itself, as distinct from the individual who inhabits it. A specific type of crown is employed in heraldry under strict rules, costume headgear imitating a monarchs crown is also called a crown. Such costume crowns may be worn by actors portraying a monarch, people at parties, or ritual monarchs such as the king of a Carnival krewe. The nuptial crown, sometimes called a coronal, worn by a bride, in the present day, it is most common in Eastern Orthodox cultures. The Eastern Orthodox marriage service has a section called the crowning, wherein the bride and groom are crowned as king, in Greek weddings, the crowns are diadems usually made of white flowers, synthetic or real, often adorned with silver or mother of pearl. They are placed on the heads of the newlyweds and are held together by a ribbon of white silk and they are then kept by the couple as a reminder of their special day. In Slavic weddings, the crowns are made of ornate metal, designed to resemble an imperial crown. A parish usually owns one set to use for all the couples that are married there since these are more expensive than Greek-style crowns. This was common in Catholic countries in the past, a Crown of thorns according to the Bible, was placed on the head of Jesus before his crucifixion and has become a common symbol of martyrdom. According to Roman Catholic tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary was crowned as Queen of Heaven after her assumption into heaven and she is often depicted wearing a crown, and statues of her in churches and shrines are ceremonially crowned during May. The Crown of Immortality is also common in historical symbolism, dancers of certain traditional Thai dances often wear crowns on their head. These are inspired in the worn by deities and by kings. Three distinct categories of crowns exist in those monarchies that use crowns or state regalia, coronation, worn by monarchs when being crowned. State, worn by monarchs on other state occasions, consort crowns, worn by queens consort, signifying rank granted as a constitutional courtesy protocol. In Classical antiquity, the crown that was awarded to people other than rulers, such as triumphal military generals or athletes, was actually a wreath or chaplet. Numerous crowns of various forms were used in antiquity, such as the Hedjet, Deshret, the Pschent double crown and it was referred to as the chaplet studded with sunbeams” by Lucian, about 180 AD
Crown (headgear)
–
The
Imperial State Crown of Great Britain, Tower of London. It incorporates the "Black Prince's Ruby", a 140 ct. Badakhshan spinel. This image of the crown was taken prior to the 1953 coronation, when the crown was modified for Queen Elizabeth II
Crown (headgear)
–
Crown of Bolesław I the Brave from
Poland. Replica made between 2001 and 2003 after the original 1000-year-old crown was destroyed in the late 18th century.
Crown (headgear)
–
The
Iron Crown of Lombardy, probably the most ancient royal insignia of Europe, used by the
Holy Roman Empire and the
Kingdom of Italy, kept in the Cathedral of
Monza.
Crown (headgear)
–
Crown of King
George XII of Georgia made of gold and decorated with 145 diamonds, 58 rubies, 24 emeralds and 16 amethysts. It took the form of a circlet surmounted by ornaments and eight arches. A globe surmounted by a cross rested on the top of the crown.
22.
Sun
–
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a perfect sphere of hot plasma, with internal convective motion that generates a magnetic field via a dynamo process. It is by far the most important source of energy for life on Earth. Its diameter is about 109 times that of Earth, and its mass is about 330,000 times that of Earth, accounting for about 99. 86% of the total mass of the Solar System. About three quarters of the Suns mass consists of hydrogen, the rest is mostly helium, with smaller quantities of heavier elements, including oxygen, carbon, neon. The Sun is a G-type main-sequence star based on its spectral class and it formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago from the gravitational collapse of matter within a region of a large molecular cloud. Most of this matter gathered in the center, whereas the rest flattened into a disk that became the Solar System. The central mass became so hot and dense that it eventually initiated nuclear fusion in its core and it is thought that almost all stars form by this process. The Sun is roughly middle-aged, it has not changed dramatically for more than four billion years and it is calculated that the Sun will become sufficiently large enough to engulf the current orbits of Mercury, Venus, and probably Earth. The enormous effect of the Sun on Earth has been recognized since prehistoric times, the synodic rotation of Earth and its orbit around the Sun are the basis of the solar calendar, which is the predominant calendar in use today. The English proper name Sun developed from Old English sunne and may be related to south, all Germanic terms for the Sun stem from Proto-Germanic *sunnōn. The English weekday name Sunday stems from Old English and is ultimately a result of a Germanic interpretation of Latin dies solis, the Latin name for the Sun, Sol, is not common in general English language use, the adjectival form is the related word solar. The term sol is used by planetary astronomers to refer to the duration of a solar day on another planet. A mean Earth solar day is approximately 24 hours, whereas a mean Martian sol is 24 hours,39 minutes, and 35.244 seconds. From at least the 4th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the Sun was worshipped as the god Ra, portrayed as a falcon-headed divinity surmounted by the solar disk, and surrounded by a serpent. In the New Empire period, the Sun became identified with the dung beetle, in the form of the Sun disc Aten, the Sun had a brief resurgence during the Amarna Period when it again became the preeminent, if not only, divinity for the Pharaoh Akhenaton. The Sun is viewed as a goddess in Germanic paganism, Sól/Sunna, in ancient Roman culture, Sunday was the day of the Sun god. It was adopted as the Sabbath day by Christians who did not have a Jewish background, the symbol of light was a pagan device adopted by Christians, and perhaps the most important one that did not come from Jewish traditions
Sun
–
The Sun in visible wavelength with filtered white light on 8 July 2014. Characteristic
limb darkening and numerous
sunspots are visible.
Sun
–
During a total
solar eclipse, the solar
corona can be seen with the naked eye, during the brief period of totality.
Sun
–
Taken by
Hinode 's Solar Optical Telescope on 12 January 2007, this image of the Sun reveals the filamentary nature of the plasma connecting regions of different magnetic polarity.
Sun
–
Visible light photograph of sunspot, 13 December 2006
23.
Short-toed eagle
–
The genus name Circaetus is from the Ancient Greek kirkos, a type of hawk, and aetos, eagle. The specific gallicus means of Gaul and those present on the northern edge of the Mediterranean and other parts of Europe migrate mainly to sub-Saharan Africa north of the equator, leaving in September/October and returning in April/May. In the Middle and Far East the populations are resident, in Europe, it is most numerous in Spain where it is fairly common but elsewhere it is rare in many parts of its range. A bird on the Isles of Scilly, Britain, in October 1999 was the first confirmed record for that country, the short-toed snake eagle is found in open cultivated plains, arid stony deciduous scrub areas and foothills and semi-desert areas. It requires trees for nesting and open habitats, such as cultivations, adults are 62–67 cm long with a 170–185 cm wingspan and weigh 1. 2–2.3 kg. They can be recognised in the field by their white underside. The chin, throat and upper breast are a pale, earthy brown, the tail has 3 or 4 bars. Additional indications are a rounded head, brightly yellow eyes. The short-toed snake eagle is a flyer and spends more time on the wing than do most members of its genus. It favours soaring over hill slopes and hilltops on updraughts, when quartering open country it frequently hovers like a kestrel. When it soars it does so on flattish wings and its prey is mostly reptiles, mainly snakes, but also some lizards. Sometimes they become entangled with larger snakes and battle on the ground, occasionally, they prey on small mammals up to the size of a rabbit, and rarely birds and large insects. This eagle is very silent. On occasions, it emits a variety of whistling notes. When breeding, it only one egg. It can live up to 17 years, the short-toed snake eagle has suffered a steep decline in numbers and range in Europe and is now rare and still decreasing in several countries due to changes in agriculture and land use. In the middle and far eastern part of its range, this species is not yet threatened, in his description of the species, Buffon says that he kept one of these eagles in captivity and observed its behavior. The captive bird ate mice and frogs, and he states that the Jean-de-blanc was well known by French farmers for raiding poultry, short-toed-Eagle. net Ageing and sexing by Javier Blasco-Zumeta & Gerd-Michael Heinze BirdLife species factsheet for Circaetus gallicus Circaetus gallicus
Short-toed eagle
–
Short-toed snake eagle
Short-toed eagle
–
In
Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary,
India
Short-toed eagle
–
Egg, Collection
Museum Wiesbaden
Short-toed eagle
–
In flight
24.
Amulet
–
AMULET is a series of microprocessors implementing the ARM processor architecture. AMULET1 — Designed in 1990 and first fabricated in 1993 and its estimated performance is approximately 70% of that of a comparably-sized synchronous ARM6 running at 20 MHz. AMULET2 — A re-implementation of AMULET1 first fabricated in 1996, features on-chip memory that can be used either as processor cache or mapped RAM. The APT group estimates AMULET2 to have a similar power dissipation/performance ratio as ARM8, one very notable feature due to the asynchronous design is the drop of power dissipation to 3 μW when not in use. AMULET3 — This was an architecture aiming at higher performance than the previous AMULET processors whilst retaining low power dissipation. Fabricated in 2000, it supported the ARM level 4 instruction set compatibility, performance and power dissipation were approximately the same as an ARM9 fabricated on the same technology. AMULET3 was employed in a commercial prototype DECT device because of its inherent low electromagnetic interference characteristics and this did not go into manufacture for non-technical reasons
Amulet
25.
Mantra
–
A Mantra is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit believed by practitioners to have psychological and spiritual powers. A mantra may or may not have syntactic structure or literal meaning, the earliest mantras were composed in Vedic Sanskrit by Hindus in India, and are at least 3000 years old. Mantras now exist in various schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, in Japanese Shingon tradition, the word Shingon means mantra. Similar hymns, chants, compositions and concepts are found in Zoroastrianism, Taoism, Christianity, the use, structure, function, importance, and types of mantras vary according to the school and philosophy of Hinduism and of Buddhism. Mantras serve a role in tantra. In this school, mantras are considered to be a sacred formula, in other schools of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism or Sikhism, initiation is not a requirement. Mantras come in forms, including ṛc and sāman. They are typically melodic, mathematically structured meters, believed to be resonant with numinous qualities, at its simplest, the word ॐ serves as a mantra. In more sophisticated forms, mantras are melodic phrases with spiritual interpretations such as a longing for truth, reality, light, immortality, peace, love, knowledge. Some mantras have no meaning, yet are musically uplifting. The Sanskrit word mantra- consists of the root man- to think, scholars consider mantras to be older than 1000 BC. By the middle Vedic period—1000 BC to 500 BC—claims Frits Staal, mantras in Hinduism had developed into a blend of art, the Chinese translation is zhenyan 眞言, 真言, literally true words, the Japanese onyomi reading of the Chinese being shingon. Mantras are neither unique to Hinduism, nor to other Indian religions such as Buddhism, similar creative constructs developed in Asian, mantras, suggests Frits Staal, may be older than language. There is no accepted definition of mantra. Renou has defined mantra as thought, mantras are structured formulae of thoughts, claims Silburn. Farquhar concludes that mantras are a religious thought, prayer, sacred utterance, zimmer defines mantra as a verbal instrument to produce something in one’s mind. There is no universally applicable uniform definition of mantra because mantras are used in different religions, in some schools of Hinduism for example, suggests Gonda, mantra is sakti to the devotee in the form of formulated and expressed thought. Staal clarifies that mantras are not rituals, they are what is recited or chanted during a ritual, There is a long history of scholarly disagreement on the meaning of mantras and whether they are really instruments of mind, as implied by the etymological origin of the word mantra
Mantra
–
In
Tibet, many
Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of meditation.
Mantra
–
The
Om syllable is considered a mantra in its own right in the
Vedanta school of Hinduism.
Mantra
–
Mantras written on a rock near
Namche Bazaar Nepal
Mantra
–
Om mani padme hum on the
Gangpori (photo
1938–1939 German expedition to Tibet.
26.
Upanishad
–
The Upanishads are a collection of ancient Sanskrit texts that contain some of the central philosophical concepts of Hinduism, some of which are shared with Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. Early Upanishads are considered by Hindus as part of their scriptures that discuss the nature of ultimate reality, the Upanishads are commonly referred to as Vedānta, variously interpreted to mean either the last chapters, parts of the Veda or the object, the highest purpose of the Veda. The concepts of Brahman and Ātman are central ideas in all the Upanishads, the Upanishads are the foundation of Hindu philosophical thought and its diverse traditions. Of the Vedic corpus, they alone are known. More than 200 Upanishads are known, of which the first dozen or so are the oldest and most important and are referred to as the principal or main Upanishads. The mukhya Upanishads are found mostly in the part of the Brahmanas and Aranyakas and were, for centuries, memorized by each generation. The early Upanishads all predate the Common Era, five of them in all likelihood pre-Buddhist, of the remainder, some 95 Upanishads are part of the Muktika canon, composed from about the last centuries of 1st-millennium BCE through about 15th-century CE. New Upanishads, beyond the 108 in the Muktika canon, continued to be composed through the modern and modern era. Along with the Bhagavad Gita and the Brahmasutra, the mukhya Upanishads provide a foundation for the later schools of Vedanta, among them. With the translation of the Upanishads in the early 19th century they started to attract attention from a western audience. Arthur Schopenhauer was deeply impressed by the Upanishads and called it the production of the highest human wisdom, modern era Indologists have discussed the similarities between the fundamental concepts in the Upanishads and major western philosophers. The Sanskrit term Upaniṣad translates to sitting down near, referring to the student sitting down near the teacher while receiving esoteric knowledge, monier-Williams Sanskrit Dictionary adds that, According to native authorities Upanishad means setting to rest ignorance by revealing the knowledge of the supreme spirit. Adi Shankara explains in his commentary on the Kaṭha and Brihadaranyaka Upanishad that the word means Ātmavidyā, other dictionary meanings include esoteric doctrine and secret doctrine. The word appears in the verses of many Upanishads, such as the verse of the 13th volume in first chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad. The authorship of most Upanishads is uncertain and unknown, Radhakrishnan states, almost all the early literature of India was anonymous, we do not know the names of the authors of the Upanishads. The Vedic texts themselves assert that they were created by Rishis, after inspired creativity. Women, such as Maitreyi and Gargi participate in the dialogues and are credited in the early Upanishads. There are exceptions to the tradition of the Upanishads and other Vedic literature
Upanishad
–
An early 19th-century manuscript of the Rigveda
Upanishad
–
Impact of a drop of water, a common analogy for
Brahman and the
Ātman
Upanishad
–
Adi Shankara, expounder of
Advaita Vedanta and
commentator (
bhashya) on the Upanishads
Upanishad
–
German philosopher
Arthur Schopenhauer, impressed by the Upanishads, called the texts "the production of the highest human wisdom".
27.
Puranas
–
The word Puranas literally means ancient, old, and it is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly myths, legends and other traditional lore. Composed primarily in Sanskrit, but also in languages, several of these texts are named after major Hindu deities such as Vishnu, Shiva. The Puranas genre of literature is found in both Hinduism and Jainism, the content is highly inconsistent across the Puranas, and each Purana has survived in numerous manuscripts which are themselves inconsistent. The Hindu Puranas are anonymous texts and likely the work of authors over the centuries, in contrast, most Jaina Puranas can be dated. There are 18 Maha Puranas and 18 Upa Puranas, with over 400,000 verses, the first versions of the various Puranas were likely composed between the 3rd- and 10th-century CE. The Puranas do not enjoy the authority of a scripture in Hinduism and they have been influential in the Hindu culture, inspiring major national and regional annual festivals of Hinduism. The religious practices included in them are considered Vaidika, because they do not preach initiation into Tantra, the Bhagavata Purana has been among the most celebrated and popular text in the Puranic genre, and is of non-dualistic tenor. The Puranic literature wove with the Bhakti movement in India, vyasa, the narrator of the Mahabharata, is hagiographically credited as the compiler of the Puranas. The date of the production of the written texts does not define the date of origin of the Puranas and they existed in an oral form before being written down, and were incrementally modified well into the 16th century. An early occurrence of the term purana is found in the Chandogya Upanishad, translated by Patrick Olivelle as the corpus of histories, importantly, the most famous form of itihāsapurāṇaṃ is the Mahabharata. The term also appears in the Atharvaveda 11.7.24, the extant Puranas, states Coburn, are not identical to the original Puranas. In the 19th century, F. E. Pargiter believed the original Purana may date to the time of the redaction of the Vedas. Wendy Doniger, based on her study of indologists, assigns approximate dates to the various Puranas and she dates Markandeya Purana to c.250 CE, Matsya Purana to c. 250–500 CE, Vayu Purana to c.350 CE, Harivamsa and Vishnu Purana to c.450 CE, 350–950 CE, Vamana Purana to c. 450–900 CE, Kurma Purana to c, 550–850 CE, and Linga Purana to c. Of the many texts designated Puranas the most important are the Mahāpurāṇas or the major Puranas and these are said to be eighteen in number, divided into three groups of six, though they are not always counted in the same way. The difference between Upapuranas and Mahapuranas has been explained by Rajendra Hazra as, a Mahapurana is well known, the Upapuranas are eighteen in number, with disagreement as to which canonical titles belong in that list of eighteen. The Ganesha and Mudgala Puranas are devoted to Ganesha, the Devi-Bhagavata Purana, which extols the goddess Durga, has become a basic text for Devi worshipers
Puranas
–
Purana Manuscripts from 15th- to 18th-century
Puranas
Puranas
Puranas
–
The Goddess
Durga Leading the Eight
Matrikas in Battle Against the Demon
Raktabija, Folio from
Devi Mahatmyam, Markandeya Purana.
28.
Vedas
–
The Vedas are a large body of knowledge texts originating in the ancient Indian subcontinent. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature, Hindus consider the Vedas to be apauruṣeya, which means not of a man, superhuman and impersonal, authorless. Vedas are also called śruti literature, distinguishing them from religious texts. The Veda, for orthodox Indian theologians, are considered revelations seen by ancient sages after intense meditation, in the Hindu Epic the Mahabharata, the creation of Vedas is credited to Brahma. The Vedic hymns themselves assert that they were created by Rishis, after inspired creativity. There are four Vedas, the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda, each Veda has been subclassified into four major text types – the Samhitas, the Aranyakas, the Brahmanas, and the Upanishads. Some scholars add a fifth category – the Upasanas, the various Indian philosophies and denominations have taken differing positions on the Vedas. Schools of Indian philosophy which cite the Vedas as their authority are classified as orthodox. Other śramaṇa traditions, such as Lokayata, Carvaka, Ajivika, Buddhism and Jainism, despite their differences, just like the texts of the śramaṇa traditions, the layers of texts in the Vedas discuss similar ideas and concepts. The Sanskrit word véda knowledge, wisdom is derived from the root vid- to know and this is reconstructed as being derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *u̯eid-, meaning see or know. The noun is from Proto-Indo-European *u̯eidos, cognate to Greek εἶδος aspect, not to be confused is the homonymous 1st and 3rd person singular perfect tense véda, cognate to Greek οἶδα oida I know. Root cognates are Greek ἰδέα, English wit, etc, the Sanskrit term veda as a common noun means knowledge. The term in some contexts, such as hymn 10.93.11 of the Rigveda, means obtaining or finding wealth, property, a related word Vedena appears in hymn 8.19.5 of the Rigveda. It was translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith as ritual lore, as studying the Veda by the 14th century Indian scholar Sayana, as bundle of grass by Max Müller, Vedas are called Maṛai or Vaymoli in parts of South India. Marai literally means hidden, a secret, mystery, in some south Indian communities such as Iyengars, the word Veda includes the Tamil writings of the Alvar saints, such as Divya Prabandham, for example Tiruvaymoli. The Vedas are among the oldest sacred texts, the Samhitas date to roughly 1700–1100 BC, and the circum-Vedic texts, as well as the redaction of the Samhitas, date to c. 1000-500 BC, resulting in a Vedic period, spanning the mid 2nd to mid 1st millennium BC, or the Late Bronze Age, Michael Witzel gives a time span of c.1500 to c. Witzel makes special reference to the Near Eastern Mitanni material of the 14th century BC the only record of Indo-Aryan contemporary to the Rigvedic period
Vedas
–
Rigveda (
padapatha) manuscript in
Devanagari
29.
Amrita
–
Amrit or Amata is a word that literally means immortality and is often referred to in texts as nectar. Amṛta is etymologically related to the Greek ambrosia and carries the same meaning, the words earliest occurrence is in the Rigveda, where it is one of several synonyms for soma, the drink which confers immortality upon the gods. Amrit has varying significance in different Indian religions, Amrit is also a common first name for Hindus, the feminine form is Amritā. Amrit is repeatedly referred to as the drink of the devas which grants them immortality, Amrit features in the samudra manthan legend, which describes how the devas, because of a curse from the sage Durvasa, begin to lose their immortality. Assisted by their enemies, the asuras, they churn the ocean and release amrit. Amrit is sometimes said to form on, or flow from. The substance is consumed by worshippers and is alleged to be sweet-tasting, Amrit was the last of the fourteen treasure jewels that emerged from the churning of the ocean and contained in a pot borne by Dhanvantari, the physician of the Gods. Amrit is the name of the water used in the baptism ceremony or Amrit Sanchar in Sikhism. This ceremony is observed to initiate the Sikhs into the Khalsa and this is created by mixing a number of soluble ingredients, including sugar, and is then rolled with a khanda with the accompaniment of scriptural recitation of five sacred verses. Metaphorically, Gods name is referred to as a nectar, According to Thanissaro Bhikkhu. In the Amata Sutta, the Buddha advises monks to stay with the four Satipatthana, Monks, dont let the deathless be lost to you. Nectar, sire, has pointed out by the Blessed One. It is mindfulness occupied with the body, and this too, sire, was said by the Blessed One, Monks, they partake of nectar who partake of mindfulness that is occupied with the body. This, sire, is called the Blessed Ones nectar shop, — Miln 335 Amrit also plays a significant role in Vajrayana Buddhism as a sacramental drink which is consumed at the beginning of all important rituals such as the abhisheka, ganachakra, and homa. In the Tibetan tradition, dütsi is made during drubchens - lengthy ceremonies involving many high lamas and it usually takes the form of small, dark-brown grains that are taken with water, or dissolved in very weak solutions of alcohol and is said to improve physical and spiritual well-being. The foundational text of traditional Tibetan medicine, the Four Tantras, is known by the name The Heart of Amrita. The Immaculate Crystal Garland describes the origin of amrita in a version of the samudra manthan legend retold in Buddhist terms, in this Vajrayana version, the monster Rahu steals the amrita and is blasted by Vajrapanis thunderbolt. As Rahu has already drunk the amrita he cannot die, but his blood, dripping onto the surface of this earth, at the behest of all the Buddhas, Vajrapani reassembles Rahu who eventually becomes a protector of Buddhism according to the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism
Amrita
–
Mohini, the female form of
Vishnu, holding the pot of amrit which she distributes amongst all the
devas, leaving the
asuras without.
Darasuram,
Tamil Nadu, India
30.
Earth
–
Earth, otherwise known as the World, or the Globe, is the third planet from the Sun and the only object in the Universe known to harbor life. It is the densest planet in the Solar System and the largest of the four terrestrial planets, according to radiometric dating and other sources of evidence, Earth formed about 4.54 billion years ago. Earths gravity interacts with objects in space, especially the Sun. During one orbit around the Sun, Earth rotates about its axis over 365 times, thus, Earths axis of rotation is tilted, producing seasonal variations on the planets surface. The gravitational interaction between the Earth and Moon causes ocean tides, stabilizes the Earths orientation on its axis, Earths lithosphere is divided into several rigid tectonic plates that migrate across the surface over periods of many millions of years. About 71% of Earths surface is covered with water, mostly by its oceans, the remaining 29% is land consisting of continents and islands that together have many lakes, rivers and other sources of water that contribute to the hydrosphere. The majority of Earths polar regions are covered in ice, including the Antarctic ice sheet, Earths interior remains active with a solid iron inner core, a liquid outer core that generates the Earths magnetic field, and a convecting mantle that drives plate tectonics. Within the first billion years of Earths history, life appeared in the oceans and began to affect the Earths atmosphere and surface, some geological evidence indicates that life may have arisen as much as 4.1 billion years ago. Since then, the combination of Earths distance from the Sun, physical properties, in the history of the Earth, biodiversity has gone through long periods of expansion, occasionally punctuated by mass extinction events. Over 99% of all species that lived on Earth are extinct. Estimates of the number of species on Earth today vary widely, over 7.4 billion humans live on Earth and depend on its biosphere and minerals for their survival. Humans have developed diverse societies and cultures, politically, the world has about 200 sovereign states, the modern English word Earth developed from a wide variety of Middle English forms, which derived from an Old English noun most often spelled eorðe. It has cognates in every Germanic language, and their proto-Germanic root has been reconstructed as *erþō, originally, earth was written in lowercase, and from early Middle English, its definite sense as the globe was expressed as the earth. By early Modern English, many nouns were capitalized, and the became the Earth. More recently, the name is simply given as Earth. House styles now vary, Oxford spelling recognizes the lowercase form as the most common, another convention capitalizes Earth when appearing as a name but writes it in lowercase when preceded by the. It almost always appears in lowercase in colloquial expressions such as what on earth are you doing, the oldest material found in the Solar System is dated to 4. 5672±0.0006 billion years ago. By 4. 54±0.04 Gya the primordial Earth had formed, the formation and evolution of Solar System bodies occurred along with the Sun
Earth
–
"
The Blue Marble " photograph of Earth, taken during the
Apollo 17 lunar mission in 1972
Earth
–
Artist's impression of the early Solar System's planetary disk
Earth
–
World map color-coded by relative height
Earth
–
The summit of
Chimborazo, in Ecuador, is the point on Earth's surface farthest from its center.
31.
Heaven
–
According to the beliefs of some religions, heavenly beings can descend to earth or incarnate, and earthly beings can ascend to Heaven in the afterlife, or in exceptional cases enter Heaven alive. Some believe in the possibility of a Heaven on Earth in a World to Come, another belief is in an axis mundi or world tree which connects the heavens, the terrestrial world, and the underworld. In Indian religions, Heaven is considered as Svarga loka, and this cycle can be broken after a soul achieves Moksha or Nirvana. Any place of existence, either of humans, souls or deities, the modern English word heaven is derived from the earlier heven, this in turn was developed from the previous Old English form heofon. By about 1000, heofon was being used in reference to the Christianized place where God dwells, all of these have been derived from a reconstructed Proto-Germanic form *Hemina-. In Ancient Egyptian religion, belief in an afterlife is much more stressed than in ancient Judaism, Heaven was a physical place far above the Earth in a dark area of space where there were no stars, basically beyond the Universe. Their heart would finally be weighed with the feather of truth, almost nothing is known of Bronze Age Canaanite views of Heaven, and the archeological findings at Ugarit have not provided information. The 1st century Greek author Philo of Byblos may preserve elements of Iron Age Phoenician religion in his Sanchuniathon, in the Middle Hittite myths, Heaven is the abode of the gods. In the Song of Kumarbi, Alalu was king in Heaven for nine years before giving birth to his son, Anu was himself overthrown by his son, Kumarbi. The Baháí Faith regards the description of Heaven as a specific place as symbolic. The Baháí writings describe Heaven as a condition where closeness to God is defined as Heaven. For Baháís, entry into the life has the potential to bring great joy. Baháulláh likened death to the process of birth and he explains, The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother. Accordingly, Baháís view life as a stage, where one can develop. The key to progress is to follow the path outlined by the current Manifestation of God. Baháulláh wrote, Know thou, of a truth, that if the soul of man hath walked in the ways of God, it will, assuredly return, in Buddhism there are several Heavens, all of which are still part of samsara. Those who accumulate good karma may be reborn in one of them, however, their stay in Heaven is not eternal—eventually they will use up their good karma and will undergo rebirth into another realm, as a human, animal or other being. Because Heaven is temporary and part of samsara, Buddhists focus more on escaping the cycle of rebirth, Nirvana is not a heaven but a mental state
Heaven
–
Dante and
Beatrice gaze upon the highest heavens; from
Gustave Doré 's illustrations to the
Divine Comedy.
Heaven
–
Structure of Universe as per the Jain Scriptures.
Heaven
–
The
Assumption of the Virgin by
Francesco Botticini at the National Gallery London, shows three hierarchies and nine orders of angels, each with different characteristics.
32.
Hanuman
–
Hanuman is an ardent devotee of Rama. He is one of the figures in the Hindu epic Ramayana. As one of the Chiranjivi, he is mentioned in several other texts, including the Mahabharata. Hanuman participated in Ramas war against the demon king Ravana, several later texts also present him as an incarnation of Shiva. He is the son of Anjana and Kesari and is described as the son of the wind-god Pawan. The Sanskrit texts mention several legends about how Hanuman got his name, one legend is that Indra, the king of the gods, struck Hanumans jaw during his childhood. The child received his name from the Sanskrit words Hanu and -man, the name thus means one with prominent or disfigured jaw. Another theory says the name derives from the Sanskrit words Han and maana, some Jain texts mention that Hanuman spent his childhood on an island called Hanuruha, which is the origin of his name. According to another theory, the name Hanuman derives from the word for male monkey. Linguistic variations of Hanuman include Hanumat, Anuman, Hanumantha, Hanumanthudu, other names of Hanuman include, Anjaneya, Anjaniputra, Anjaneyar, Anjaneyudu, Anjanisuta all meaning the son of Anjana. Similar in meaning to - Vaanaraanaamadheesham, shreeraamadootam, the one who is the messenger of Rama. Atulita Bala Dhaamam, the one who is the repository of incomparable strength, hemshailaabha Deham, the one whose body resembles a golden mountain. Danujvana Krushanum, the one who is the destroyer of forces of demons, gyaaninaam Agraganyam, the one who is considered foremost among knowledgeable beings. Sakala Guna Nidhaanam, the one who is the repository of all the virtues, raghupati Priya Bhaktam, the one who is the dearest of all devotees to Rama. Sankata Mochana, the one who liberates from dangers In the 3rd chapter of Kishkindha Kaanda of Valmiki Ramayana, summarized as follows, Ablest sentence maker. The knower of all Vedas and Scriptures, scholar in nine schools of grammars. Possessing faultless speech and facial features Hanuman is mentioned in both the Hindu epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, the word Vrsakapi or Vrishakapi, later used as an epithet for Hanuman, is mentioned in the Rigveda. Some writers, such as Nilakantha believe that the Vrishakapi of Rigveda alludes to Hanuman, however, other scholars believe that Hanuman is not mentioned in the Vedic mythology, the Vrsakapi of Rigveda refers to another deity or is a common name for the monkeys
Hanuman
–
Hanuman painted in Pahari Style
Hanuman
–
Indonesian Balinese wooden statue of Hanuman
Hanuman
–
Standing Hanuman,
Chola Dynasty, 11th century,
Tamil Nadu, India
Hanuman
–
Murti of Hanuman and his mother
Anjana, at the Anjani Mata temple,
Chomu.
33.
Tamil language
–
Tamil is a Dravidian language predominantly spoken by the Tamil people of India and Sri Lanka, and also by the Tamil diaspora, Sri Lankan Moors, Burghers, Douglas, and Chindians. Tamil is a language of two countries, Singapore and Sri Lanka. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and it is also used as one of the languages of education in Malaysia, along with English, Malay and Mandarin. Tamil is also spoken by significant minorities in the four other South Indian states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and it is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India. Tamil is one of the classical languages in the world. Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions from 500 BC have been found on Adichanallur and 2 and it has been described as the only language of contemporary India which is recognizably continuous with a classical past. The variety and quality of classical Tamil literature has led to it being described as one of the classical traditions. A recorded Tamil literature has been documented for over 2000 years, the earliest period of Tamil literature, Sangam literature, is dated from ca.300 BC – AD300. It has the oldest extant literature among other Dravidian languages, the earliest epigraphic records found on rock edicts and hero stones date from around the 3rd century BC. More than 55% of the inscriptions found by the Archaeological Survey of India are in the Tamil language. Tamil language inscriptions written in Brahmi script have been discovered in Sri Lanka, the two earliest manuscripts from India, acknowledged and registered by the UNESCO Memory of the World register in 1997 and 2005, were written in Tamil. In 1578, Portuguese Christian missionaries published a Tamil prayer book in old Tamil script named Thambiraan Vanakkam, the Tamil Lexicon, published by the University of Madras, was one of the earliest dictionaries published in the Indian languages. According to a 2001 survey, there were 1,863 newspapers published in Tamil, Tamil belongs to the southern branch of the Dravidian languages, a family of around 26 languages native to the Indian subcontinent. It is also classified as being part of a Tamil language family, the closest major relative of Tamil is Malayalam, the two began diverging around the 9th century CE. According to linguists like Bhadriraju Krishnamurti, Tamil, as a Dravidian language, descends from Proto-Dravidian, linguistic reconstruction suggests that Proto-Dravidian was spoken around the third millennium BC, possibly in the region around the lower Godavari river basin in peninsular India. The material evidence suggests that the speakers of Proto-Dravidian were of the associated with the Neolithic complexes of South India. The next phase in the reconstructed proto-history of Tamil is Proto-South Dravidian, the linguistic evidence suggests that Proto-South Dravidian was spoken around the middle of the second millennium BC, and that proto-Tamil emerged around the 3rd century BC. The earliest epigraphic attestations of Tamil are generally taken to have been shortly thereafter
Tamil language
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Silver coin of king
Vashishtiputra Sātakarni (c. AD 160). Obv: Bust of king; Rev: Ujjain/Sātavāhana symbol, crescented six-arch chaitya hill and river with
Tamil Brahmi script
Tamil language
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Tamil
Tamil language
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Agastya, Chairman of first Tamil
Sangam,
Madurai,
Pandiya Kingdom
Tamil language
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Mangulam Tamil Brahmi inscription
34.
Vaishnavism
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Vaishnavism is one of the major traditions within Hinduism along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism, its followers are called Vaishnavas, the tradition is notable for its avatar doctrine, wherein Vishnu is revered in one of many distinct incarnations. Of these, ten avatars of Vishnu are the most studied, Krishna, Rama, Narayana, Vāsudeva, Hari, Vithoba, Kesava, Madhava, Govinda and Jagannath are among the popular names used for the same supreme. The tradition has traceable roots to the 1st millennium BCE, as Bhagavatism, later developments led by Ramananda created a Rama-oriented movement, now the largest monastic group in Asia. The Vaishnava tradition has many sampradayas ranging from the medieval era Dvaita school of Madhvacharya to Vishishtadvaita school of Ramanuja, new Vaishnavism movements have been founded in the modern era such as the ISKCON of Prabhupada. The tradition is known for the devotion to an avatar of Vishnu. Key texts in Vaishnavism include the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Pancaratra texts, Krishnaism becomes associated with bhakti yoga in the medieval period. Although Vishnu was a Vedic solar deity, he is mentioned less often compared to Agni, Indra and other Vedic deities, other scholars state that there are other Vedic deities, such as water deity Nara, who together form the historical roots of Vaishnavism. The ancient emergence of Vaishnavism is unclear, the evidence inconsistent, according to Dalal, the origins may be in Vedic deity Bhaga, who gave rise to Bhagavatism. According to Preciado-Solís, the Vedic deities Nara and Narayana form one of the Vedic roots of Vaishnavism, according to Dandekar, Vaishnavism may have emerged from merger of several ancient theistic traditions, where the various deities were integrated as different avatars of the same god. In Dandekar theory, Vaishnavism emerged at the end of the Vedic period, closely before the urbanisation of northern India. This earliest phase was established the time of Pāṇini who, in his Astadhyayi and this was followed by a merger with the cult of Gopala-Krsna of the cowherd community of the Abhıras at the 4th century CE. The character of Gopala Krishna is often considered to be non-Vedic, according to Dandekar, such mergers consolidated the position of Krishnaism between the heterodox sramana movement and the orthodox Vedic religion. The Greater Krsnaism, states Dandekar, then merged with the Rigvedic Vishnu, syncretism of various traditions and Vedism resulted in Vaishnavism. At this stage that Vishnu of the Rig Veda was assimilated into non-Vedic Krishnaism, the appearance of Krishna as one of the Avatars of Vishnu dates to the period of the Sanskrit epics in the early centuries CE. The Bhagavad Gita was incorporated into the Mahabharata as a key text for Krishnaism, finally, the Narayana-cult was also included, which further brahmanized Vaishnavism. The Nara-Narayana cult may have originated in Badari, a ridge of the Hindu Kush. Purusa Narayana may have later turned into Arjuna and Krsna
Vaishnavism
–
Vaishnavite Brahmin students at a theological seminary in
Tanjore. Source: The National Geographic Magazine, Nov 1909
Vaishnavism
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Krishna murti (left) with Radha
35.
Lakshmi
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Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. She is the wife and shakti of Vishnu, a god in Hinduism. Lakshmi is also an important deity in Jainism and found in Jain temples, Lakshmi was also a goddess of abundance and fortune for Buddhists, and was represented on the oldest surviving stupas and cave temples of Buddhism. In Buddhist sects of Tibet, Nepal and southeast Asia, goddess Vasudhara mirrors the characteristics, Lakshmi is also called Sri or Thirumagal because she is endowed with six auspicious and divine qualities, or gunas, and is the divine strength of Vishnu. In Hindu religion, she was born from the churning of the primordial ocean, when Vishnu descended on the Earth as the avatars Rama and Krishna, Lakshmi descended as his respective consort Sita and Rukmini. In the ancient scriptures of India, all women are declared to be embodiments of Lakshmi, the marriage and relationship between Lakshmi and Vishnu as wife and husband is the paradigm for rituals and ceremonies for the bride and groom in Hindu weddings. Lakshmi is considered another aspect of the supreme goddess principle in the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. She typically stands or sits like a yogin on a pedestal and holds lotus in her hand. Her iconography shows her with four hands, which represent the four goals of life considered important to the Hindu way of life, dharma, kāma, artha. Archaeological discoveries and ancient coins suggest the recognition and reverence for Lakshmi by the 1st millennium BCE, Lakshmis iconography and statues have also been found in Hindu temples throughout southeast Asia, estimated to be from the second half of the 1st millennium CE. The festivals of Diwali and Sharad Purnima are celebrated in her honor, Lakshmi is one of many Hindu deities whose meaning and significance evolved in ancient Sanskrit texts. Lakshmi is mentioned once in Rigveda, but the context suggests that the word does not mean goddess of wealth and fortune, the good are welcomed, while the bad urged to leave. In some chapters of Atharva Veda, Lakshmi connotes the good, later, Lakshmi is referred to as the goddess of fortune, identified with Sri and regarded as wife of Viṣṇu. For example, in Shatapatha Brahmana, variously estimated to be composed between 800 BCE and 300 BCE, Sri is part of one of many theories, in ancient India, about the creation of universe. In Book 9 of Shatapatha Brahmana, Sri emerges from Prajapati, after his meditation on creation of life. Sri is described as beautiful, resplendent and trembling woman at her birth with immense energy, the gods were bewitched, desire her and immediately become covetous of her. The gods approach Prajapati and request permission to kill her and then take her powers, Prajapati refuses, tells the gods that males should not kill females and that they can seek her gifts without violence. The hymns of Shatapatha Brahmana thus describe Sri as a goddess born with and personifying a diverse range of talents, in the Epics of Hinduism, such as in Mahabharata, Lakshmi personifies wealth, riches, beauty, happiness, loveliness, grace, charm and splendour
Lakshmi
–
Raja Ravi Varma 's Lakshmi
Lakshmi
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Bharhut Stupa, 2nd century BC
Lakshmi
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Coins of
Gandhara, 1st century BC
Lakshmi
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Coinage of
Gupta Empire
36.
LACMA
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The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States. It attracts nearly a million visitors annually and it holds more than 150,000 works spanning the history of art from ancient times to the present. In addition to art exhibits, the museum features film and concert series, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art was established as a museum in 1961. Prior to this, LACMA was part of the Los Angeles Museum of History, Science and Art, howard F. Ahmanson, Sr. Anna Bing Arnold and Bart Lytton were the first principal patrons of the museum. Ahmanson made the donation of $2 million, convincing the museum board that sufficient funds could be raised to establish the new museum. In 1965 the museum moved to a new Wilshire Boulevard complex as an independent, art-focused institution, the largest new museum to be built in the United States after the National Gallery of Art. The museum, built in a similar to Lincoln Center. The board selected LA architect William Pereira over the recommendation of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for the buildings. According to a 1965 Los Angeles Times story, the total cost of the three buildings was $11.5 million, at the time, the Los Angeles Music Center and LACMA were concurrent large civic projects which vied for attention and donors in Los Angeles. When the museum opened, the buildings were surrounded by reflecting pools, in the far-reaching expansion, museum-goers henceforth entered through the new partially roofed central court, nearly an acre of space bounded by the museums four buildings. The museums Pavilion for Japanese Art, designed by maverick architect Bruce Goff, opened in 1988, gerald Cantor Sculpture Garden of Rodin bronzes. In 1999, the Hancock Park Improvement Project was complete, kohlhaas edged out French architect Jean Nouvel, who would have added a major building while renovating the older facilities. The list of candidates had narrowed to five in May 2001, Koolhaas, Nouvel, Steven Holl, Daniel Libeskind. However, the project stalled after the museum failed to secure funding. In 2004 LACMAs Board of Trustees unanimously approved plans to transform the museum, the planned transformation consisted of three phases. Phase I started in 2004 and was completed in February 2008, the renovations required demolishing the parking structure on Ogden Avenue and with it LACMA-commissioned graffiti art by street artists Margaret Kilgallen and Barry McGee. The entry pavilion is a key point in architect Renzo Pianos plan to unify LACMAs sprawling, the BP Grand Entrance and the adjacent Broad Contemporary Art Museum comprise the $191 million first phase of the three-part expansion and renovation campaign
LACMA
–
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
LACMA
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Wilshire Boulevard and the Art Museum in 1965.
LACMA
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LACMA West, the
former May Company building on the corner of
Wilshire Boulevard and
Fairfax Avenue, future home of
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
LACMA
–
Former
LACMA parking garage mural by
Barry McGee
37.
Kurukshetra War
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The Kurukshetra War, also called the Mahabharata War, is a war described in the Indian epic Mahabharata. The conflict arose from a succession struggle between two groups of cousins, the Kauravas and Pandavas, for the throne of Hastinapura in an Indian kingdom called Kuru. It involved a number of ancient kingdoms participating as allies of the rival groups, the location of the battle is described as having occurred in Kurukshetra in the modern state of Haryana. The narrative describes individual battles and deaths of heroes of both sides, military formations, war diplomacy, meetings and discussions among the characters. The chapters dealing with the war are considered amongst the oldest in the entire Mahabharata, the historicity of the war remains subject to scholarly discussions. Attempts have been made to assign a date to the Kurukshetra War. Popular tradition holds that the war marks the transition to Kaliyuga, Mahabharata, one of the most important Hindu epics, is an account of the life and deeds of several generations of a ruling dynasty called the Kuru clan. Central to the epic is an account of a war took place between two rival families belonging to this clan. Kurukshetra, was the battleground on which war, known as the Kurukshetra War, was fought. Kurukshetra was also known as Dharmakshetra, or field of righteousness, Mahabharata tells that this site was chosen because a sin committed on this land was forgiven on account of the sanctity of this land. The Kuru territories were divided into two and were ruled by Dhritarashtra and Yudhishthira of the Pandavas, ramachandran state that the Divergence of views regarding the Mahabharata war is due to the absence of reliable history of the ancient period. This is also true of the period, where also there is no unanimity of opinion on innumerable issues. The historicity of the Kurukshetra War is subject to scholarly discussion, the existing text of the Mahabharata went through many layers of development, and mostly belongs to the period between c.500 BCE and 400 CE. According to Professor Alf Hiltebeitel, the Mahabharata is essentially mythological, Indian historian Upinder Singh has written that, Whether a bitter war between the Pandavas and the Kauravas ever happened cannot be proved or disproved. It is possible there was a small-scale conflict, transformed into a gigantic epic war by bards. Some historians and archaeologists have argued that conflict may have occurred in about 1000 BCE. Despite the inconclusiveness of the data, attempts have been made to assign a date to the Kurukshetra War. Popular tradition holds that the war marks the transition to Kaliyuga, a number of other proposals have been put forward, P. V. Vartak calculates a date of October 16,5561 BCE using planetary positions
Kurukshetra War
–
Geography of the
Rigved, with
river names; the extent of the Swat and
Cemetery H cultures are indicated
Kurukshetra War
–
The position of the Kuru and Panchala kingdoms in
Iron Age Vedic India
Kurukshetra War
–
India during the time of Mahabharata
Kurukshetra War
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Krishna Pleads with Dhritarashtra to Avoid War
38.
Adisesha
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In Hinduism, Shesha, also known as Sheshanaga or Adishesha, is the nagaraja or king of all nāgas and one of the primal beings of creation. In the Puranas, Shesha is said to all the planets of the universe on his hoods. He is sometimes referred to as Ananta Shesha, which translates as endless-Shesha or Adishesha first Shesha and it is said that when Adishesa uncoils, time moves forward and creation takes place, when he coils back, the universe ceases to exist. Vishnu is often depicted as resting on Shesha, Shesha is considered a servant and a manifestation of Vishnu. He is said to have descended to Earth in two forms or avatars, Lakshmana, brother of Rama, Balarama, brother of Krishna. Shesha in Sanskrit texts, especially relating to mathematical calculation. But in Sanskrit it also means 6 shesham as the sheshanaga has been depicted to have many heads, Shesha is generally depicted with a massive form that floats coiled in space, or on the ocean of bliss, to form the bed on which Vishnu lies. Sometimes he is shown as five-headed or seven-headed, but more commonly as a many thousand-headed serpent and his name means that which remains, from the Sanskrit root śiṣ, because when the world is destroyed at the end of the kalpa, Shesha remains as he is. In the Bhagavadgita of Chapter 10, verse 29, Shri Krishna while describing 75 of his common manifestations, declares, anantaś ca asmi nāgānāṁ, Of the nagas, as per the Mahabharata, Shesha was born to sage Kashyap and his wife Kadru. Kadru gave birth to a snakes, of which Shesha was the eldest. After Shesha, Vasuki, Airavata and Takshaka were born, in order, a lot of Sheshas brothers were cruel and were bent upon inflicting harm on others. They were even unkind to Garuda, who was Kashyapa’s son through Vinatha, Shesha, disgusted by the cruel acts of his brothers, left his mother and kin, and took to austere penances. He lived on air and meditated in places including Gandhamadhana, Badrikashrama, Gokarna, Pushkara and his penances were so severe that his flesh, skin and muscles dried up and merged with his frame. Brahma, convinced of his Sheshas will, asked Shesha to request a boon, Shesha asked that he be able to keep his mind under control so that he could continue to perform ascetic penances. Brahma then asked a favour of Shesha, to go beneath the unstable earth, Shesha agreed and went to the netherworld and stabilized her with his hood. He is known to support her even today, thus making Patala his perennial residence, Shesha is also depicted as floating in the ocean of the changing world, forming the bed of Maha Vishnu. Since he is known as Adishesha and because he is Anantashesha or simply Ananta and he is said to live since before the creation of the universe. When the universe is towards its end, he creates 11 rudras from him to destroy the universe for a new one to be created and he expands himself as garbhodakshayi-vishnu in the beginning of the universe to create Brahma
Adisesha
–
Vishnu resting on Ananta-Shesha, together with his consort
Lakshmi, who is massaging his feet
Adisesha
–
Vishnu resting on Ananta-Shesha, with his consort
Lakshmi massaging his feet
Adisesha
–
Ananta Vishnu
Adisesha
–
Sheshanarayana by
Raja Ravi Varma.
39.
Vasuki
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Vasuki is a nagaraja, one of the King serpents of Hindu mythology and Buddhist mythology. He is a king of the nagas and has a gem called Nagamani on his head, manasa, another naga, is his sister. He is known in Chinese and Japanese mythology as being one of the eight Great Dragon Kings, amongst Nanda, Upananda, Sagara, Takshaka, Balavan, Anavatapta, Vasuki is famous for coiling around the neck of Shiva. Shiva blessed Vasuki and wore him as an ornament, the most famous legend in Hinduism in which Vasuki took part was the incident of Samudra manthan, the churning of the ocean of milk. In this legend, Vasuki allowed the devas and the asuras to bind him to Mount Mandara, Vasuki is also mentioned in other Hindu scriptures, such as in Ramayana and Mahabharata. In Buddhist mythology, Vasuki and the other Naga Kings appear in the audience for many of the Gautama Buddhas sermons, the duties of the naga kings included leading the nagas in protecting and worshiping the Buddha, as well as in protecting other enlightened beings. Vasukis Naga priest is Tatig Naga, vasuka is the name of a small Nair and pedireddla clan found near Mannarasala in Travancore and also Visakha district in Andhra Pradesh. They claim that their ancestors were Nāga serpents spared when the Khandava Forest was burnt and cleared by Krishna and the Pandavas to make way for their capital Indraprastha
Vasuki
–
Kurma Avatar of Vishnu, below
Mount Mandara, with Vasuki wrapped around it, during
Samudra manthan, the churning of the
ocean of milk. ca 1870.
40.
Bindiganavile
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Bindiganavile is a village and hobli headquarter in Nagamangala taluka of Mandya District, Karnataka, India. It is about 50 kilometers from mandya and 130 kilometers from Bangalore and it has a Vaishnava temple dedicated to Garuda who is worshipped here as Vainatheyar. The main deities in the temple are Prasanna Channakeshava and Sowmyanayaki
Bindiganavile
–
Prasanna Channakeshava temple
Bindiganavile
–
Image of the main deity, Prasanna Channakeshava
41.
Karnataka
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Karnataka is a state in south western region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, originally known as the State of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973. The capital and largest city is Bangalore, the state covers an area of 191,976 square kilometres, or 5.83 percent of the total geographical area of India. It is the seventh largest Indian state by area, with 61,130,704 inhabitants at the 2011 census, Karnataka is the eighth largest state by population, comprising 30 districts. Kannada, one of the languages of India, is the most widely spoken. Most of these rivers flow out of Karnataka eastward into the Bay of Bengal, though several etymologies have been suggested for the name Karnataka, the generally accepted one is that Karnataka is derived from the Kannada words karu and nādu, meaning elevated land. Karu nadu may also be read as karu, meaning black, the British used the word Carnatic, sometimes Karnatak, to describe both sides of peninsular India, south of the Krishna. With an antiquity that dates to the paleolithic, Karnataka has been home to some of the most powerful empires of ancient, the philosophers and musical bards patronised by these empires launched socio-religious and literary movements which have endured to the present day. Karnataka has contributed significantly to both forms of Indian classical music, the Carnatic and Hindustani traditions, Karnatakas pre-history goes back to a paleolithic hand-axe culture evidenced by discoveries of, among other things, hand axes and cleavers in the region. Evidence of neolithic and megalithic cultures have also found in the state. Gold discovered in Harappa was found to be imported from mines in Karnataka, prior to the third century BCE, most of Karnataka formed part of the Nanda Empire before coming under the Mauryan empire of Emperor Ashoka. Four centuries of Satavahana rule followed, allowing them to large areas of Karnataka. The decline of Satavahana power led to the rise of the earliest native kingdoms, the Kadambas, the Kadamba Dynasty, founded by Mayurasharma, had its capital at Banavasi, the Western Ganga Dynasty was formed with Talakad as its capital. These were also the first kingdoms to use Kannada in administration, as evidenced by the Halmidi inscription, the Western Chalukyas patronised a unique style of architecture and Kannada literature which became a precursor to the Hoysala art of 12th century. Parts of modern-day Southern Karnataka were occupied by the Chola Empire at the turn of 11th century, the Cholas and the Hoysalas fought over the region in the early 12th century before it eventually came under Hoysala rule. At the turn of the first millennium, the Hoysalas gained power in the region, literature flourished during this time, which led to the emergence of distinctive Kannada literary metres, and the construction of temples and sculptures adhering to the Vesara style of architecture. The expansion of the Hoysala Empire brought minor parts of modern Andhra Pradesh, in the early 14th century, Harihara and Bukka Raya established the Vijayanagara empire with its capital, Hosapattana, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in the modern Bellary district. The empire rose as a bulwark against Muslim advances into South India, in 1565, Karnataka and the rest of South India experienced a major geopolitical shift when the Vijayanagara empire fell to a confederation of Islamic sultanates in the Battle of Talikota
Karnataka
–
Mallikarjuna temple and Kashi Vishwanatha temple at
Pattadakal, Karnataka, built successively by the kings of the
Chalukya Empire and
Rashtrakuta Empire is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Karnataka
–
Map of Karnataka
Karnataka
–
Hoysala Empire sculptural articulation in
Belur.
Karnataka
–
Shilabalika sculpture at the Chennakeshva Temple in Belur
42.
Vayu
–
Vāyu is a primary Hindu deity, the lord of the winds, the father of Bhima and the spiritual father of Hanuman. He is also known as Vāta, Pavana, and sometimes Prāṇa, the word for air or wind is one of the classical elements in Hinduism. The Sanskrit word Vāta literally means blown, Vāyu blower, hence, the primary referent of the word is the deity of Life, who is sometimes for clarity referred to as Mukhya-Vāyu or Mukhya Prāna. Sometimes the word vāyu, which is generally used in the sense of the physical air or wind, is used as a synonym for prāna. Vāta, a name for Vāyu, is the root of the Sanskrit and Hindi term for atmosphere. Pavan is also a fairly common Hindu name, Pavana played an important role in Anjanas begetting Hanuman as her child so Hanuman is also called Pavanaputra son of Pavana and Vāyuputra. In the Mahabharata, Bhima was the son and an incarnation of Vāyu and he utilised his huge power and skill with the mace for supporting Dharma. In the hymns, Vayu is described as having exceptional beauty and moving noisily in his shining coach, a white banner is his main attribute. Like the other deities, he is a fighter and destroyer, powerful. In the Upanishads, there are numerous statements and illustrations of the greatness of Vāyu, the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad states that the gods who control bodily functions once engaged in a contest to determine who among them is the greatest. When a deity such as that of vision would leave a mans body, one by one the deities all took their turns leaving the body, but the man continued to live on, though successively impaired in various ways. This caused the other deities to realize that they can only when empowered by Vayu. In another episode, Vāyu is said to be the only deity not afflicted by demons of sin who were on the attack, the Chandogya Upanishad states that one cannot know Brahman except by knowing Vāyu as the udgitha. Mukhya-Vāyu also incarnated as Madhvacharya to teach worthy souls to worship the Supreme God Vishnu, the first Avatar of Vayu is considered to be Hanuman. His exploits are elucidated in Ramayana, the second Avatar of Vayu is Bheema, one of the Pandavas appearing in the epic, Mahabharata. The Third Avatar is traditionally ascribed to Madhvacharya, a 13th Century Indian philosopher, in the Buddhism of the Far East, Vayu is one of the twelve Devas, as guardian deities, who are found in or around Buddhist shrines. In Japan, he has been called Fu-ten and he joins these other eleven Devas of Buddhism, found in Japan and other parts of southeast Asia, Indra, Agni, Yama, Nirrti, Vayu, Ishana, Kubera, Varuna Brahma, Prithvi, Surya, Chandra. List of wind deities Vayu-Vata - in his Zoroastrian context Maruts, attendants of Indra, rudra, the Vedic wind or storm God
Vayu
–
Vayu, on his mount, the
gazelle symbolizing swiftness
43.
Pranayama
–
Prāṇāyāma is a Sanskrit word alternatively translated as extension of the prāṇa or breath control. The word is composed from two Sanskrit words, prana meaning life force, and either ayama or the negative form ayāma and it is a yogic discipline with origins in ancient India. V. S. Thomas McEvilley translates prāṇa as spirit-energy, the breath is understood to be its most subtle material form, but is also believed to be present in the blood, and most concentrated in mens semen and womens vaginal fluid. Monier-Williams defines the compound prāṇāyāma as N. of the three breath-exercises performed during Saṃdhyā (See pūrak, rechak, kumbhak and this technical definition refers to a particular system of breath control with three processes as explained by Bhattacharyya, pūrak, kumbhak, and rechak. There are also other processes of prāṇāyāma in addition to this three-step model, macdonell gives the etymology as prāṇa + āyāma and defines it as m. suspension of breath. Aptes definition of āyāmaḥ derives it from ā + yām and provides several variant meanings for it used in compounds. An alternative etymology for the compound is cited by Ramamurti Mishra, prāṇāyāma is mentioned in verse 4.29 of the Bhagavad Gītā. According to Bhagavad-Gītā As It Is, prāṇāyāma is translated to trance induced by stopping all breathing, pranayama is the fourth limb of the eight limbs of Ashtanga Yoga mentioned in verse 2.29 in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Patanjali, a Hindu Rishi, discusses his specific approach to pranayama in verses 2.49 through 2.51, Patanjali does not fully elucidate the nature of prana, and the theory and practice of pranayama seem to have undergone significant development after him. He presents pranayama as essentially an exercise that is preliminary to concentration, many yoga teachers advise that pranayama should be part of an overall practice that includes the other limbs of Patanjalis Raja Yoga teachings, especially Yama, Niyama, and Asana. Prāṇāyāma techniques and forms include, Agni-prasana or Agni Prana like kapalabhati, agnisar prāṇāyāma - an abdominal breath. Anuloma prāṇāyāma - a form of alternate nostril breath, bhastrika prāṇāyāma - fast and forceful inhales and exhales driven by diaphragmatic breathing. Bhastrika is a cleansing kriya to clear the nadis, nostrils, bhramari prāṇāyāma - making a humming sound while breathing. Kapalabhati prāṇāyāma - similar to bhastrika, but with a passive inhale and a forceful exhale, powered mainly by the diaphragm, kumbhaka prāṇāyāma - controlling both antara and bahya. Pratiloma prāṇāyāma - the inverse of anuloma, the inhale is drawn through one nostril, sama vṛtti prāṇāyāma - the inhale and exhale are of equal size and duration. Shitali prāṇāyāma - Inhalation is drawn over the curled and extended tongue, shitkari prāṇāyāma - Similar to shitali but the tongue is held between the teeth. Surya bhedana prāṇāyāma and Chandra bhedana prāṇāyāma - Channeling breath in one side and out the other without alternating, the right nostril is associated with the sun and left nostril with the moon. Udgeeth prāṇāyāma - often done with the chanting of the Om mantra, ujjayi prāṇāyāma - also known as victorious or conquering breath is breathing with the glottis slightly engaged, producing a soft sound
Pranayama
–
Man practicing Prāṇāyām
44.
Satyabhama
–
Satyabhama is the second most important wife of the God Krishna. The second wife of Krishna, the avatar of the god Vishnu, Satyabhama is believed to be an avatar of Bhudevi and she is known for her strong will and tantrums. She aided Krishna defeat the demon Narakasura, Satyabhama was the daughter of Satrajit, the royal treasurer of Dwaraka, who was the owner of the Syamantaka jewel. Satrajit, who secured the jewel from the sun-god Surya and would not part with it even when Krishna, shortly thereafter, Prasena, the brother of Satrajit went out hunting wearing the jewel but was killed by a lion. Jambavan, known for his role in the Ramayana, killed the lion, when Prasena did not return, Satrajit falsely accused Krishna of killing Prasena for the sake of the jewel. Krishna, in order to remove the stain on his reputation, set out with his men in search of the jewel and found it in Jambavans cave, Jambavan attacked Krishna thinking him to be an intruder who had come to take away the jewel. They fought each other for 28 days, when Jambavan, whose body was terribly weakened from the incisions of Krishnas sword, finally recognised him as Rama. As repentance for his having fought Krishna, Jambavan gave Krishna the jewel, Krishna returned the jewel to Satrajit, who in turn apologized for his false accusation. He promptly offered to give Krishna the jewel and his three daughters Satyabhama, Vratini and Prasvapini in marriage, Krishna accepted them but refused the jewel. Narakasura was a Danava tyrant, who captured and governed the city of Pragjothishya and he gained a boon from Brahma that he would die only in the hands of his mother. Armed with the boon, he ruled like a despot, Narakasura was infamous for his wicked ruling and high disregard for demigods and women. His mother was the goddess, Bhoomi Devi. Also his mother had obtained a boon from Vishnu that her Son should die only when she wishes for, addicted to power, he defeated Lord Indra and abducted 16,000 women and imprisoned them in his palace. He stole the earrings of Aditi, the mother goddess. Upon this the king of the gods Indra requested Sri Krishna to conquer and kill the demon, on his request Krishna sieged the city of Narkasura with the assistance of his vehicle, Garuda along with his beloved wife Satyabhama. A terrible battle ensued between Sri Krishna and Narkasura, the demon on several occasions proved a match for Krishna and nullified several of the missiles which Krishna hurled at him. On one instance, the demon hurled a shakti towards Krishna and this enraged Sathyabhama who in turn shot arrows at Narakasura and both Krishna & Sathyabhama killed him finally. Sathyabhama is the incarnation of Bhoomi Devi during Krishna avatar of Lord Vishnu, thereafter, Krishna obtained the stolen ear-rings of the mother of the gods, Aditi
Satyabhama
–
Krishna with his two principal queens.(From left)
Rukmini,
Krishna, Satyabhama and his vahana
Garuda.
Satyabhama
–
The Wedding of Satyabhama and Krishna from Bhagavata Purana
Satyabhama
–
Krishna and Satyabhama fighting Narakasura's Akshauhini -Painting from the
Metropolitan Museum
45.
Narakasura
–
In the Srimad Bhagavatam, Narakasuraনরকাসুর or Naraka is the asura son of the earth goddess Bhudevi and Varaha and is said to have grown to be a demon through association with Banasura. He is said to have established the kingdom of Pragjyotisha after overthrowing the last of the Danava king Ghatakasura and it was foretold that he would be destroyed by a later incarnation of Vishnu. His mother, the earth, sought the boon from Vishnu that her son should have a life. The legend of Narakasura is important in the history of Assam, particularly Kamarupa, a hill, to the south of Guwahati is named after him. He is also associated with the Hindu belief of the shakti goddess, Narakasura became evil, in association with another Asura named Banasura. Drunk with power, as he himself to be unrivalled in prowess. Next, he turned his eyes towards Swargaloka, even the mighty Indra could not withstand the assault of this son of Earth and had to flee the heavens. Narakasura had become the overlord of both the heavens and earth, addicted to power, he stole the earrings of Aditi, the heavenly mother goddess, and usurped some of her territory, while also kidnapping 16000 women. All the Devas, led by Indra went to Vishnu, to ask him to them from Narakasura. Vishnu promised them that he would attend to this matter, when he would be incarnated as Krishna, as promised to Mother Earth, Narakasura was allowed to enjoy a long reign. At last Vishnu was born as Krishna, Aditi, who was a relative of Krishnas wife Satyabhama, approached Satyabhama for help. When Satyabhama heard of the Narakasuras ill treatment of women and his behaviour with Aditi, Satyabhama approached Lord Krishna for permission to wage a war against Narakasura. As promised to the Devas and Aditi, Krishna attacked the fortress of Narakasura. Lord Krishna used the Narayanastra and the Agneyastra against the army of Narakasura, Narakasura possessed 11 Akshauhinis that he unleashed on Lord Krishna. However, the Lord slew them all with little effort, Lord Krishna also killed Mura, Narakasuras general. Narakasura used several divine weapons against Lord Krishna, but Krishna easily neutralised all those weapons, Narakasura used the Brahmastra against Lord Krishna, but Lord Krishna neutralised it with his own Brahmastra. Narakasura used the Agneyastra against Lord Krishna, but Lord Krishna neutralised it with the Varunastra, Narakasura used the Nagapasha against Lord Krishna, but Lord Krishna neutralised it with the Garudastra. In desperation, Narakasura launched the Vaishnavastra on Lord Krishna, at last, when Narakasura tried to kill Lord Krishna with a trident, Lord Krishna beheaded him with his Sudarshana Chakra
Narakasura
–
Krishna and Satyabhama fighting Narakasura's armies -Painting from the
Metropolitan Museum
Narakasura
–
Krishna decapitates the demon Narakasura with his
discus
Narakasura
–
Goddess of earth gives the Adithi's Kundalas to Krishna
46.
Gajendra Moksha
–
Gajendra Moksha or The Liberation of Gajendra is a Puranic legend from the 8th Skandha of the Bhāgavata Purāṇa, one of the most sacred books in Hinduism. It is one of the exploits of the god Vishnu. In this episode, Vishnu came down to earth to protect Gajendra, the elephant, from the clutches of Makara, the Crocodile, Gajendra then attained a form like that of the god and went to Vaikuntha with Vishnu. This story was narrated by Sri Suka to Emperor Parikshit at Parikshits request, there was once an elephant named Gajendra who lived in a garden called Rtumat which was created by Varuna. This garden was located on Mount Trikuta, the Three-Peaked Mountain, Gajendra ruled over all the other elephants in the herd. On a hot day, he proceeded with his herd to a lake to cool off in its fresh waters, suddenly a crocodile living in the lake attacked Gajendra and caught him by the leg. Gajendra tried for a time to escape from the crocodiles clutches. All his family, relatives and friends gathered around to help him, the crocodile simply would not let go. When they realised that ‘death’ had come close to Gajendra, they left him alone and he trumpeted in pain and helplessness until he was hoarse. As the struggle was seemingly endless, and when he had spent his last drop of energy, Gajendra called to the god Vishnu to save him, hearing his devotees call and prayer, Vishnu rushed to the scene. As Gajendra sighted the god coming, he lifted a lotus with his trunk, seeing this, Vishnu was pleased and with his Sudharshana Chakra, he decapitated the crocodile. Gajendra prostrated himself before the god, Indradyumna could attain Moksha finally when he left all his pride and doubt and totally surrendered himself to Vishnu. The prayer made by Gajendra on this became a famous hymn in praise of Vishnu called the Gajendra Stuti. Gajendra, in his previous life, was Indradyumna, a king who was devoted to Vishnu. One day, Agastya, a great rishi came to visit the king, the crocodile in its previous birth had been a Gandharva king called Huhu. The sage Devala came to visit the king, and when the two of them were bathing and Devala was offering prayers to Surya, the king pulled the leg for fun. The sage was furious and cursed the king to become a crocodile in his next life, the repentant king begged the sages pardon. Devala explained that he could not reverse the curse, he blessed Huhu that Vishnu would slay the crocodile and liberate him from the cycle of birth and death
Gajendra Moksha
–
Vishnu Saving Gajendra
Gajendra Moksha
–
Gajendra Moksha print
47.
Kadru
–
In Hindu mythology, according to the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata, Kadru is usually regarded as the daughter of Daksha. Kashyapa married Kadru and the other daughters of Daksha. Kashyapa was the son of Marichi, who was the manasputra or mind-born son of Brahma, Kadru was the mother of a thousand nāgas. She is also said to be descended from Vishnu, legends of Kadru tell of her relationship with her elder sister Vinata, who was also one of Kashyapas many wives. In one story, Kadru and Vinata vie to bear children of Kashyapa who are more powerful than each others children, while Kadru gives birth to a thousand nāgas, Vinata has two sons, Aruṇa and Garuda. Kadru is also portrayed as more scheming and wily than Vinata and she challenges Vinata to guess the colour of the tail of Uchchaihshravas, the divine white horse. After Vinata says the tail is white, Kadru tricks Vinata by directing her sons to coil around the horses tail, as a result, Vinata loses the bet and she and her sons must become the slaves of Kadru and her sons. In another tale, Kadru and Suparna, another of Kashyapas wives, disobey Kashyapa, as a result, they are turned into rivers. Kashyapa is only able to restore them to their original forms by performing penance to Shiva, generally, Kadru is described as the daughter of Daksha Prajapati and the wife of the sage Maharishi Kashyapa. The Hindu epic the Mahabharata, which gives a detailed tale about her, there is also a view that she was the daughter of Daksha, but it has not been established from Puranic literature. In the Aranyakanda of the Valmiki Ramayana it is mentioned that Daksaprajapati had sixty daughters of whom he married off Aditi, Diti, Danu, Kalika, Tamra, Krodhavasa, Muni, Krodhavasa had eight daughters of whom Kadru was one. Thus, Kadru may alternatively be considered the granddaughter of Daksha, Vinata, Kadrus sister, is another wife of Kashyapa. According to the Sabha Parva of the Mahabharata, Kadru lived in Brahmaloka and she is also said to be descended from Vishnu, thus, Vishnu—Brahma—Daksha—Kadru. In the Vana Parva of the Mahabharata it is stated that to destroy the embryo in a woman, Kadru enters her womb by assuming a very tiny form called Skanda graha. Kadru was the sister of Vinata, and when they both lived with Kashyapa as his wives and attended to all his comforts he blessed them by granting each of them a boon. Kadru asked for a thousand nāga or serpent sons who should be valiant, prompted by her sisters demand for sons, Vinata asked for only two sons who should be more powerful and bright than Kadrus children. After his wives became pregnant, he advised them to look after the children, after a long time Kadru gave birth to a thousand eggs and Vinata to two eggs. The eggs were incubated in containers with hot water or in jars which were kept warm
Kadru
–
A leaf from the 16th-century
Razmnama (Book of War), a
Persian translation of the
Mahabharata, showing Hindu and Muslim scholars discussing that text. Legends relating to Kadru are related in the
Adi Parva of the Mahabharata.
Kadru
–
A wooden sculpture of
Kashyapa from China, dating to the
Tang dynasty (618–690 and 705–907)
Kadru
–
A relief of a
nāga or serpent deity in
Gudilova,
Andhra Pradesh, India
Kadru
–
A 1944 photograph by
Cecil Beaton of Hindus bathing in the Ganga or
Ganges at
Kalighat,
Kolkata, India, to purify themselves before visiting the nearby Temple of
Kali
48.
Prajapathi
–
Prajapathi is a Malayalam movie directed by Ranjith. The film has Mammootty in the role with Bollywood actress Aditi Rao Hydari doing the female lead. Sandhya is also in the cast, the music is by Tej Manoj and lyrics are by Girish Puthencherry. The film was close to Gopichettipalayam in Tamil Nadu. Devar madom Narayanan is accused of killing his father, for being cruel to his mother, at the age of 13, when he returns, he becomes leader of the people of Perumalpuram village. He ensures the village is devoid of all wrong doers by expelling them from the village and his enemies are his uncle Kunjambu Nair and wife Indrani. Kunjambu Nair hated Narayanan killing his brother, although Kunjambu Nair, at one point Giri almost succeeded in killing Devar madom Narayanan. He was on terms with Kunjambu Nair’s daughter and his Murapennu. Giri tries to sell his land in Perumalpuram to some outsider whose arrival, Narayanan knew and that is when Narayanan decides to react. Finally it turns out that Kunjambu Nair was the one who killed his father for their wealth. Narayanan helps Ali Raghavan, the son of Kunjambu Nair. When Giri finds that he is the stepson of Kunjambu Nair, but the family drives him away from home with the help of Narayanan. Rest of the film is about how and if Giri take revenge on Narayanan, G. Ravi as Velappan Mooshari Daisy Bopanna as Cine Actress Augustine as Ravuthar Saikumar as M. L. The films soundtrack contains 5 songs, all composed by Thej Mervin, prajapathi at the Internet Movie Database
Prajapathi
–
Prajapathi
49.
Daksha
–
Besides his noble birth, Daksa was a great king. Pictures show him as a rotund and obese man with a body, protruding belly. According to the Puranas, Daksha had 89 daughters from his wife Prasuti, according to Vishnu Purana and Padma Purana, Daksha and his wife Prasuti had 24 daughters. Of these, the 13 married to Dharma are, Sraddha, Srilakshmi, Dhriti, Tushti, Pushti, Medha, Kriya, Buddhi, Lajja, Vapu, Santi, Siddhi, Kirtti. According to Matsya Purana, Daksha and his wife Panchajani had 62 daughters, not one of whom resembled their father. 10 of those daughters were married to Dharma,13 to sage Kashyapa,27 to Chandra,4 to Arishtanemi,1 to Kama,1 to lord Shiva,2 to sons of sage Bhrigu,2 to sage Angiras,2 to Krisasva. According to Padma Purana, when Daksha felt the number of women are not sufficient. Sati was the married to Shiva. The 10 daughters married to Dharma are Maruvati, Vasu, Jami Lamba, Bhanu, Urjja, Sankalp, Mahurath, Sadhya, and Vishva. The 13 daughters married to sage Kashyapa are Aditi, Diti, Danu Arishta, Sursa, Surabhi, Vinata, Tamra, Krodhvasha, Ira, Kadru, Vishva, the 1 daughter married to Kamadeva was Rati. These 27 wives of Chandra are 27 Nakshatras which are on the moons orbit, Daksha found that Soma overly favored one daughter over the others, thus neglecting their needs and flouting his responsibilities. For this, Daksha cursed him to wither and die, Chandra Dev approached and worshipped Lord Shiva in order to be relieved of the curse, at Somnath. He gave Chandra the boon that in a month, he would grow for fifteen days in one half and in the half he would keep losing one Kala per day. The place where Chandra Dev worshipped Lord Shiva came to be known as Somnath, Somnath means the Protector of the Moon God. Legend has it that the first temple at Somnath was built by Chandra Dev himself, Daksha is a Sanskrit word said to be a Prajapati or one of the Brahmas sons. The equivalent meaning in English is competent, one of the daughters of Prajapati was Sati or Dakshayani, who had always wished to marry Shiva. Daksha forbade it, but Sati disobeyed him and did so anyway, Daksha disliked Shiva intensely, calling him a dirty, roaming ascetic and reviling the great yogis cohort of goblins and ghouls. Daksha Yagna was an important turning point in the creation and development of sects in Hinduism like Shaktism and Shaivism and it is the story behind the Stala Purana of Shakti Peethas
Daksha
–
Ram -faced Daksha (right) with Virabhadra form of Shiva
Daksha
–
Shiva carrying the corpse of his consort दाक्षायनि (सती)
Dakshayani (
Sati).
50.
Indra
–
Indra is a Vedic deity in Hinduism, a guardian deity in Buddhism, and the king of first heaven called Saudharmakalpa in Jainism. His mythologies and powers are similar, though not identical to those of the Indo-European deities such as Zeus, Jupiter, Perun, Thor, in the Vedas, Indra is the king of Svarga and the Devas. He is the god of lightning, thunder, storms, rains, Indra is the most referred to deity in the Rigveda. He is celebrated for his powers, and the one who kills the great symbolic evil named Vritra who obstructs human prosperity, Indra destroys Vritra and his deceiving forces, and thereby brings rains and the sunshine as the friend of mankind. In Buddhism, Indra has been a popular deity, referred by many names and he is featured in Buddhism somewhat differently than Hinduism, such as being shown as less war oriented and one paying homage to the Buddha. Indra rules over the much sought Devas realm of rebirth within the Samsara doctrine of Buddhist traditions, however, like the Hindu texts, Indra also is a subject of ridicule and reduced to a figurehead status in Buddhist texts, shown as a god that suffers rebirth and redeath. In the Jainism traditions, like Buddhism and Hinduism, Indra is the king of gods, Indras iconography shows him wielding a lightning thunderbolt known as Vajra, riding on a white elephant known as Airavata. In Buddhist iconography the elephant sometimes features three heads, while Jaina icons sometimes show the elephant with five heads, sometimes a single elephant is shown with four symbolic tusks. Indras heavenly home is on or near Mount Meru, the etymological roots of Indra are unclear, has been a contested topic among scholars since the 19th-century, one with many proposals. The significant proposals have been, root ind-u, or rain drop, based on the Vedic mythology that he conquered rain, root ind, or equipped with great power. Root idh or kindle, and ina or strong, root indha, or igniter, for his ability to bring light and power that ignites the vital forces of life. This is based on Shatapatha Brahmana, root idam-dra, or It seeing which is a reference to the one who first perceived the self-sufficient metaphysical Brahman. This is based on Aitareya Upanishad, roots in ancient Indo-European, Indo-Aryan deities. Later scholarship has linked Vedic Indra to the European Aynar, Abaza, Ubykh, colarusso suggests a Pontic origin and that both the phonology and the context of Indra in Indian religions is best explained from Indo-Aryan roots and a Circassian etymology. Indra is also called Śakra frequently in the Vedas and in Buddhism, Indra has many epithets in the Indian religions, notably Śakra, Vṛṣan, Vṛtrahan, Meghavāhana, Devarāja, Devendra, Surendra, Svargapati, Vajrapāṇī and Vāsava. Indra is of ancient but unclear origin, the similarities between Indra of Hindu mythologies and of Thor of Nordic and Germanic mythologies are significant states Max Muller. Michael Janda suggests that Indra has origins in the Indo-European *trigw-welumos smasher of the enclosure, brave and heroic Innara or Inra, which sounds like Indra, is mentioned among the gods of the Mitanni, a Hurrian-speaking people of Hittite region. Indra as a deity had a presence in northeastern Asia minor and this tablet mentions a treaty, but its significance is in four names it includes reverentially as Mi-it-ra, U-ru-w-na, In-da-ra and Na-sa-at-ti-ia
Indra
–
Indra on his mount Airavata
Indra
–
Indra as depicted in
Yakshagana, popular folk art of
Karnataka
Indra
–
Detail of the Phra Prang, the central tower of the
Wat Arun ("Temple of Dawn") in
Bangkok,
Thailand - showing Indra on his three-headed elephant Erawan (
Airavata).
Indra
–
Krishna holding
Govardhan hill from
Smithsonian Institution ’s collections
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