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Vamana
Vamana (), also known as Trivikrama (), Urukrama (), Upendra (), Dadhivamana (), and Balibandhana () is an Dashavatara, avatar of the Hinduism, Hindu deity Vishnu. He is the fifth avatar of Vishnu, and the first Dashavatara in the Treta Yuga, after Narasimha. Originating in the Vedas, Vamana is most commonly associated in the Hindu epics and Puranas with the legend of taking back the three worlds (collectively referred to as the ''Trailokya'') from the daitya-king Mahabali, Bali by taking three steps to restore the cosmic order. He is the youngest among the adityas, the sons of Aditi and the sage Kashyapa. Nomenclature and etymology 'Vāmana' (Sanskrit वामन) means 'dwarf', 'small' or 'small or short in stature'. It also means 'dwarfish bull', which is notable as Vishnu is directly associated with dwarfish animals (including bulls) in the Vedas (see below). Stated in Puranas, Puranic literature to be born of the great sage Kashyapa and his wife Aditi, other names o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Onam
Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. Onam commemorates Vamana and King Mahabali. According to Hindu legends, Onam is celebrated in Kerala in remembrance of the good governance under the rule of daitya king Mahabali, a mythical king who once ruled Kerala. The legend holds that jealous of Mahabali's popularity and his power, the devas and gods conspired to end his reign. They sent Vamana to earth in the form of a dwarf Brahmin who trampled Mahabali to patala (netherworld). Vamana asked Mahabali for three feet of land as his wish from the generous Mahabali. Since denying gifts to Brahmin is considered a sacrilege, Mahabali agreed to fulfill Vamana’s wish. In the first two feet Vamana measured the entirety of universe, leaving nowhere to place his third foot. Mahabali offered his own head to place ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within the Trimurti, the triple deity of supreme divinity that includes Brahma and Shiva. Gavin Flood, An Introduction to Hinduism' (1996), p. 17. In Vaishnavism, Vishnu is the supreme being who creates, protects, and transforms the universe. In the Shaktism tradition, the Goddess, or Adi Shakti, is described as the supreme Para Brahman, yet Vishnu is revered along with Shiva and Brahma. Tridevi is stated to be the energy and creative power ( Shakti) of each, with Lakshmi being the equal complementary partner of Vishnu. He is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. According to Vaishnavism, the highest form of Ishvara is with qualities ( Saguna), and have certain form, but is li ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Balipratipada
, also called as ''Bali Padyami'', ''Padva'', ''Virapratipada'' or ''Dyutapratipada'', is the fourth day of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. It is celebrated in honour of the notional return of the daitya-king Bali to earth. Bali Padyami falls in the Gregorian calendar months of October or November. It is the first (or 16th) day of the Hindu month of Kartika and is the first day of its bright lunar fortnight. In many parts of India such as Gujarat and Rajasthan, it is the regional traditional New Year Day in Vikram Samvat and also called the Bestu Varas or ''Varsha Pratipada''. This is the half amongst the three and a half muhurats in a year.This is celebrated as the New Year's Day according to the "Vikram Samvat". The Balipratipada is an ancient festival. The earliest mention of Bali's story being acted out in dramas and poetry of ancient India is found in the c. 2nd-century BCE '' Mahābhāṣya'' of Patanjali on Panini's ''Astadhyayi'' 3.1.26. The festival has link ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dasavatara
The Dashavatara ( sa, दशावतार, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning "ten", and , roughly equivalent to " incarnation". The list of included avatars varies across sects and regions, particularly in respect to the inclusion of Balarama (brother of Krishna) or Gautama Buddha. Though no list can be uncontroversially presented as standard, the "most accepted list found in Puranas and other texts is ..Krishna, Buddha." Most draw from the following set of figures, in this order: Matsya; Kurma; Varaha; Narasimha; Vamana; Parashurama; Rama; Krishna or Balarama; Buddha or Krishna; and Kalki. In traditions that omit Krishna, he often replaces Vishnu as the source of all avatars. Some traditions include a regional deity such as Vithoba or Jagannath in penultimate position, replacing Krishna or Buddha. All avatars h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dashavatara
The Dashavatara ( sa, दशावतार, ) are the ten primary avatars of Vishnu, a principal Hindu god. Vishnu is said to descend in the form of an avatar to restore cosmic order. The word ''Dashavatara'' derives from , meaning "ten", and , roughly equivalent to "incarnation". The list of included avatars varies across sects and regions, particularly in respect to the inclusion of Balarama (brother of Krishna) or Gautama Buddha. Though no list can be uncontroversially presented as standard, the "most accepted list found in Puranas and other texts is ..Krishna, Buddha." Most draw from the following set of figures, in this order: Matsya; Kurma; Varaha; Narasimha; Vamana; Parashurama; Rama; Krishna or Balarama; Buddha or Krishna; and Kalki. In traditions that omit Krishna, he often replaces Vishnu as the source of all avatars. Some traditions include a regional deity such as Vithoba or Jagannath in penultimate position, replacing Krishna or Buddha. All avatars have appe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahabali
Mahabali (IAST: Mahābalī), also known as Bali, Indrasenan, or Māveli, is a daitya king featured in Hinduism. He is the grandson of Prahlada, and a descendant of the sage Kashyapa. There are many versions of his legend, in ancient texts such as the ''Shatapatha Brahmana'', ''Ramayana'', ''Mahabharata'', and several ''Puranas''. According to Hindu literature, he was banished beneath the earth into the ''patala'' (netherworld) by the Vamana avatar of Vishnu. In Hinduism, Mahabali is considered one of the Chiranjivi, a group of eight immortals. It is believed that he will become the King of Svarga (heaven) in the next ''yuga''. In Kerala, King Mahabali is considered to be the noblest and most prosperous ruler, who transformed his kingdom into a heavenly place. His legend is a major part of the annual festival Onam in the state of Kerala, and Balipratipada (the fourth day of Deepavali and first day of Kartika month) festival in North India and Tulunadu. Hinduism Mahabali is des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends and other traditional lore. The Puranas are known for the intricate layers of symbolism depicted within their stories. Composed originally in Sanskrit and in other Indian languages,John Cort (1993), Purana Perennis: Reciprocity and Transformation in Hindu and Jaina Texts (Editor: Wendy Doniger), State University of New York Press, , pages 185-204 several of these texts are named after major Hindu gods such as Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, and Adi Shakti. The Puranic genre of literature is found in both Hinduism and Jainism. The Puranic literature is encyclopedic, and it includes diverse topics such as cosmogony, cosmology, genealogies of gods, goddesses, kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, folk tales, pilgrimages, temples, medicine, astronomy, gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes used to refer to any guru or revered human being. The word ''avatar'' does not appear in the Vedic literature; however, it appears in developed forms in post-Vedic literature, and as a noun particularly in the Puranic literature after the 6th century CE. Despite that, the concept of an avatar is compatible with the content of the Vedic literature like the Upanishads as it is symbolic imagery of the Saguna Brahman concept in the philosophy of Hinduism. The ''Rigveda'' describes Indra as endowed with a mysterious power of assuming any form at will. The '' Bhagavad Gita'' expounds the doctrine of Avatara but with terms other than ''avatar''. Theologically, the term is most often associated with the Hindu god Vishnu, th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aditi
Aditi ( Sanskrit: अदिति, lit. 'boundless' or 'limitless' or 'innocence') is an important Vedic goddess in Hinduism. She is the personification of the sprawling infinite and vast cosmos. She is the goddess of motherhood, consciousness, unconsciousness, the past, the future, and fertility. She is the mother of the celestial deities known as the adityas, and is referred to as the mother of many deities. As celestial mother of numerous beings, the synthesis of all things, she is associated with space (''akasha'') and with mystic speech ('' Vāc''). She may be seen as a feminine form of Brahma, and associated with the primal substance (''mulaprakriti'') in the Vedanta. She is mentioned more than 250 times in the ''Rigveda,'' the verses replete with her praise. Family Aditi is the daughter of Daksha and Asikni (Panchajani). The '' Puranas'', such as the ''Shiva Purana'' and the '' Bhagavata Purana'', suggest that Daksha married all of his daughters off to d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamandalu
Kamandalu (Sanskrit: कमण्डलु, ) or kamandal or kamandalam is an oblong water pot, originating from the Indian subcontinent, made of a dry gourd (pumpkin) or coconut shell, metal, wood of the Kamandalataru tree, or from clay, usually with a handle and sometimes with a spout. Hindu ascetics or yogis often use it for storing drinking water. The water-filled kamandalu, which is invariably carried by ascetics, is stated to represent a simple and self-contained life. The ''kamandalu'' also used in Hindu iconography, in depiction of deities related with asceticism or water. It is, thus, viewed as a symbol of ascetism in Hinduism. The ''kamandalu'' is also used by Jain monks and in depictions of some bodhisattvas. Method of making The ''kamandalu'' may be made of various materials, including metal, clay, wood and dry gourd. For making the gourd ''kamandalu'', a ripe pumpkin is plucked and the inner plum and seeds are cleaned. This leaves only the outer shell, which is use ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Adityas
In Hinduism, Adityas ( sa, आदित्य, Āditya, of Aditi, ), refers to the offspring of Aditi, the goddess representing the infinity. The name ''Aditya'', in the singular, is taken to refer to the sun god Surya. Generally, Adityas are twelve in number and consists of Vivasvan, Aryaman, Tvashta, Savitr, Bhaga, Dhata, Mitra, Varuna, Amsa, Pushan, Indra and Vishnu (in the form of Vamana). They appear in the '' Rig Veda'', where there are 6–8 in number, all male. The number increases to 12 in the '' Brahmanas''. The Mahabharata and the '' Puranas'' mention the sage Kashyapa as their father. In each month of the year a different Aditya is said to shine. Sun worship Characterisation The Aditya have been described in the Rig Veda as bright and pure as streams of water, free from all guile and falsehood, blameless, perfect. This class of deities has been seen as upholding the movables and immovable Dharma. Adityas are beneficent gods who act as protector ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daitya
According to ancient scriptures, the daityas ( Sanskrit: दैत्य) are a race of asuras, descending from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the earth, and required three of Vishnu's avataras to be vanquished. Literature The Manusmṛiti classifies the daityas as good, while placing them at a lower level than the devas: The origin and noteworthy members of this race are specified in the Harivamsha Purana: List of daityas Some of the notable daityas mentioned in Hindu mythology include: *Hiranyakashipu - First son of Kashyapa and Diti * Hiraṇyakṣa - Second son of Kashyapa and Diti *Holika - First daughter of Kashyapa and Diti *Andhakasura - Son of Hiranyaksha (Born from the sweat of Shiva) *Prahlada - Son of Hiranyakashipu *Simhika - Daughter of Hiranyakashipu *Virocana - Son of Prahlada, father of Mahabali * Devamba - Mother of Mahabali * Mahabali - Son of V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
