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Svayamvara
''Svayaṃvara'' ( ) is a matrimonial tradition in ancient Indian society where a bride, usually from '' Kṣatriya'' (warrior) caste, selects her husband from a group of assembled suitors either by her own choice or a public contest between her suitors. This practice is mainly featured in the two major Sanskrit epics, the ''Mahābhārata'' and the '' Rāmāyaṇa'', though its prevalence and portrayal vary significantly between them. Origins of ''Svayaṃvara'' can be traced back to the Vedic period and few scholars suggest that it emerged from the ''Gāndharva'' marriage tradition, diverging from more ritualistic and arranged forms of marriage, and developed as a narrative device within the epics to highlight the heroism and valor of protagonists, aligning with the ''Kṣatriya'' ethos of competition and martial prowess. Despite being closely associated with the epics, ''Svayaṃvara'' is not listed as a form of marriage in the ''Dharmaśāstra'', a collection of Sanskrit tex ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Draupadi
Draupadi (), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is the central heroine of the Indian epic poetry, ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. In the epic, she is the princess of Panchala Kingdom, who later becomes the empress of Kuru kingdom, Kuru Kingdom. She is the Polyandry, common wife of the five Pandava brothers—Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva—and is renowned for her beauty, courage, devotion, intelligence and rhetorical skills. She is also described as ''sakhi''—a close friend—of the god Krishna. Draupadi, along with her twin brother Dhrishtadyumna, emerges fully grown from a ''yajna'' (fire sacrifice) organized by King Drupada of Panchala. Draupadi’s marriage is determined through a ''svayamvara'' (self-choice ceremony), structured as an archery contest of great difficulty. Arjuna succeeds in the challenge and wins her hand. However, their mother, Kunti, unknowingly instructs her sons to share whatever they had brought home, resu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hindu Marriage
The Hindu marriage () is the most important of all the samskaras, the rites of passage described in the '' Dharmashastra'' texts. Variously defined, it is generally described to be a social institution for the establishment and regulation of a proper relationship between the sexes, as stated by Manu. Marriage is regarded to be a sacrament by Hindus, rather than a form of social contract, since they believe that all men and women are created to be parents, and practise dharma together, as ordained by the Vedas. Aspects Conception The ideal conception of marriage that was laid down by the ancient Indians is one in which it is a ceremonial gift of a bride (Vadhū) by her father, or another appropriate family member, to a bride-groom (Vara), so that they may fulfil the purposes of human existence together. In such a conception, ''vivaha'', which originally meant the wedding ceremony, but has to acquire the definition of marriage as a whole, is meant for procreation, and the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Damayanti Svayamvara
Damayanti () is a heroine in ancient Indian literature, primarily known for her role in the episode of '' Nalopakhyana'', which is embedded within the '' Vana Parva'' (the third book) of the epic '' Mahabharata'' (c. 400 BCE – 400 CE). She is celebrated for her beauty, intelligence, unwavering love, and steadfast devotion to her husband, Nala, the king of Nishadha kingdom. Damayanti is the princess of ancient Vidarbha Kingdom and the daughter of King Bhima. She falls in love with Nala after hearing about his virtues from a divine swan. She chooses him in a swayamvara (self-choice ceremony), even rejecting gods who had disguised themselves as Nala. Their happiness is short-lived when Nala, influenced by the malicious deity Kali, loses his kingdom in a game of dice and is forced into exile. Overcome with despair and shame, he abandons Damayanti in the forest. Undeterred, she endures great hardships and eventually reaches her father’s court. Determined to find Nala, she d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gāndharva Marriage
A Gandharva marriage (Sanskrit: गान्धर्व विवाह, ''gāndharva vivāha'', IPA: ənd̪ʱərvə vɪvaːhə is one of the eight classical types of Hindu marriage. This ancient tradition from the Indian subcontinent was based on consensual acceptance between two people, with no rituals, witnesses or family participation. The marriage of Dushyanta and Shakuntala is a historically celebrated example of this class of marriage. Etymology In Hinduism and Buddhism, ''Gandharvas'' are male nature spirits and the masculine counterparts of the Apsaras. They are passionate lovers of women and arouse erotic and romantic passion in women. History The Smritis of Hinduism recognize eight types of marriage, one of them being Gandharva marriage. The other seven are: ''Brahma'', ''Daiva'', ''Arya'', ''Prajapatya'', ''Asura'', ''Raksasa'' and ''Paisacha''.The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, James G. Lochtefeld (2001), , Page 427Hindu Saṁskāras: Socio-religious ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arjuna
Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, [ɐɾd͡ʒun̪ə]) is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. He is the son of Indra, the king of the Deva (Hinduism), gods, and Kunti, wife of King Pandu of Kuru kingdom, Kuru dynasty—making him a Demigod, divine-born hero. Arjuna is famed for his extraordinary prowess in archery and mastery over Astra (weapon), celestial weapons. Throughout the epic, Arjuna sustains a close friendship with his maternal cousin, Krishna, who serves as his spiritual guide. Arjuna is celebrated for numerous heroic exploits throughout the epic. From childhood, he emerges as an excellent pupil, studying under the warrior-sage Drona. In his youth, Arjuna wins the hand of Draupadi, the princess of the Pañcāla, Panchalas, by excelling in a formidable archery competition. Soon after, he goes on a journey during a period ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gandharva Marriage
A Gandharva marriage (Sanskrit: गान्धर्व विवाह, ''gāndharva vivāha'', IPA: ənd̪ʱərvə vɪvaːhə is one of the eight classical types of Hindu marriage. This ancient tradition from the Indian subcontinent was based on consensual acceptance between two people, with no rituals, witnesses or family participation. The marriage of Dushyanta and Shakuntala is a historically celebrated example of this class of marriage. Etymology In Hinduism and Buddhism, '' Gandharvas'' are male nature spirits and the masculine counterparts of the Apsaras. They are passionate lovers of women and arouse erotic and romantic passion in women. History The Smritis of Hinduism recognize eight types of marriage, one of them being Gandharva marriage. The other seven are: ''Brahma'', ''Daiva'', ''Arya'', ''Prajapatya'', ''Asura'', ''Raksasa'' and ''Paisacha''.The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, James G. Lochtefeld (2001), , Page 427Hindu Saṁskāras: Socio-relig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ṛg Veda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from ऋच्, "praise" and वेद, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Shakha of the many survive today, namely the Śakalya Shakha. Much of the contents contained in the remaining Shakhas are now lost or are not available in the public forum. The ''Rigveda'' is the oldest known Vedic Sanskrit text. Its early layers are among the oldest extant texts in any Indo-European language. Most scholars believe that the sounds and texts of the ''Rigveda'' have been orally transmitted with precision since the 2nd millennium BCE, through methods of memorisation of exceptional complexity, rigour and fidelity, though the dates are not confirmed and remain contentious till concrete evidence surfaces. Philological and linguistic evidence indicates that the bulk of the ''Rigveda'' Samhita was composed in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahābhārata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kurukshetra War, a war of succession between two groups of princely cousins, the Kauravas and the Pāṇḍavas. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or '' puruṣārtha'' (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the ''Mahābhārata'' are the ''Bhagavad Gita'', the story of Damayanti, the story of Shakuntala, the story of Pururava and Urvashi, the story of Savitri and Satyavan, the story of Kacha and Devayani, the story of Rishyasringa and an abbreviated version of the ''Rāmāyaṇa'', often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the authorship of the ''Mahābhārata'' is attributed to Vyāsa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical growth and comp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Edward Washburn Hopkins
Edward Washburn Hopkins, Ph.D., LL.D. (September 8, 1857 July 16, 1932), an American Sanskrit scholar, was born in Northampton, Massachusetts. He graduated at Columbia College in 1878, studied at Leipzig, where he received the degree of Ph.D. in 1881, was an instructor at Columbia (1881–1885), and professor at Bryn Mawr (1885–1895), and became professor of Sanskrit and comparative philology in Yale University in 1895. He became secretary of the American Oriental Society and editor of the ''Journal of the American Oriental Society The ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' is a quarterly academic journal published by the American Oriental Society since 1843. The editor in chief is Peri Bearman (Harvard University). [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Common Era
Common Era (CE) and Before the Common Era (BCE) are year notations for the Gregorian calendar (and its predecessor, the Julian calendar), the world's most widely used calendar era. Common Era and Before the Common Era are alternatives to the original Anno Domini (AD) and Before Christ (BC) notations used for the same calendar era. The two notation systems are numerically equivalent: " CE" and "AD " each describe the current year; "400 BCE" and "400 BC" are the same year. The expression can be traced back to 1615, when it first appears in a book by Johannes Kepler as the (), and to 1635 in English as " Vulgar Era". The term "Common Era" can be found in English as early as 1708, and became more widely used in the mid-19th century by Jewish religious scholars. Since the late 20th century, BCE and CE have become popular in academic and scientific publications on the grounds that BCE and CE are religiously neutral terms. They have been promoted as more sensitive to non-Christia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arti Dhand
Arti Dhand is an associate professor at the University of Toronto, Department for the Study of Religion. She specialises in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana Hindu epics, Hindu ethics, gender issues in Hinduism, and religion and sexuality. Career She has authored several publications including ''Woman as Fire, Woman as Sage: Sexual Ideology in the Mahabharata'' published in 2008 and numerous articles on topics such as "Engendering Brahmanirvanam in the Mahabharata: A Conversation between Suka and Sulabha," "Hinduism and Pedagogy: Teaching Hinduism to Hindus in the Canadian Diaspora," and "The Subversive Nature of Dharma in the Mahabharata: A Tale of Women, Smelly Ascetics, and God." She was a key speaker at the 2005 conference of the London School of Oriental and African Studies. The SOAS also commends her scholarly works in her chosen field of research. Education Arti Dhand has a B.A. and M.A. from the University of Calgary, and a Ph.D. from McGill University McGill Univer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manusmṛti
The ''Manusmṛti'' (), also known as the ''Mānava-Dharmaśāstra'' or the Laws of Manu, is one of the many legal texts and constitutions among the many ' of Hinduism. Over fifty manuscripts of the ''Manusmriti'' are now known, but the earliest discovered, most translated, and presumed authentic version since the 18th century is the "Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) manuscript with Kulluka Bhatta commentary". Modern scholarship states this presumed authenticity is false, and that the various manuscripts of ''Manusmriti'' discovered in India are inconsistent with each other. The metrical text is in Sanskrit, is dated to the 2nd century BCE to 2nd century CE, and presents itself as a discourse given by Manu (Svayambhuva) and Bhrigu on dharma topics such as duties, rights, laws, conduct, and virtues. The text's influence had historically spread outside India, influencing Hindu kingdoms in modern Cambodia and Indonesia. In 1776, ''Manusmriti'' became one of the first Sanskrit texts ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
