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Brahmastra
The () is a celestial weapon (''astra'') created and owned by the god Brahma along with its more powerful variant, the ''Brahmashirastra. The later is considered as the most destructive, powerful, and irresistible weapon mentioned in all of Hinduism. Only a handful of gods and warrior-heros, namely Parasurama, Parashurama, Rama, Meghnada, Meghanada, Bhisma, Bhishma, Drona, Karna, Ashwatthama, Arjuna, and Lakshmana, were said to have possessed the knowledge to invoke this weapon. Description It is termed as a fiery weapon that creates a fierce fireball, blazing up with terrible flames and countless horrendous thunder flashes. When discharged, all nature including trees, oceans, and animals tremble. The sky surrounds with flame, glaciers melt, and mountains shatter with copious noise all around. When used, the Brahmastra which is person-centric can destroy a powerful enemy if they do not possess an alternate counter weapon. If it is Brahmashirā astra, it causes collateral ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astra (weapon)
An () is a supernatural weapon in Hindu epics. It is presided over by a specific deity and imbued with spiritual and occult powers. The term came to denote any weapon that was released from the hand (such as an arrow), compared to holding it (such as a sword). The bearer of an ''astra'' is an ''astradhari'' (). History Astras are supernatural weapons invoked using ''mantras''. In battle, a warrior would use a mantra to convert any weapon (usually an arrow) into a divine weapon. Astras comprise four classes of weapons. The origin of Astras is elaborated in the ''Ahirbudhnya Samhita'', a dialogue between Sage Narada and Shiva. When Narada asks Shiva about the origin of Astras, the god recounts a story: Eons ago, before the universe was created, Vishnu assumed many forms for his own amusement. Eventually, he assumed the form of Brahma and created the universe. In order to protect the universe from wicked beings of his own creation, Vishnu created the Sudarshana Chakra. However, only ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Meghnada
Meghanada (, ), also referred to by his epithet Indrajit (), according to Hindu texts, was the eldest son of Ravana and the crown prince of Lanka, who conquered Indraloka (Heaven). He is regarded as one of the greatest warriors in Hindu texts. He is a major character mentioned in the Indian epic ''Ramayana.'' Meghanada is the central character in Bengali epic poem '' Meghnad Badh Kavya''. He played an active role in the great war between Rama and Ravana. He acquired many kinds of celestial weapons from his Guru Shukra. His most prominent feat is having defeated the devas in heaven. Using the Brahmastra, Indrajit killed 670 million vanaras in a single day; nearly exterminating the entirety of the vanara race. No warrior had ever achieved this statistical feat before in the Ramayana. He is the only warrior in the entire Ramayana to defeat both Rama and Lakshmana twice while they were both armed by making them unconscious in a battle with the help of astras and sorcery (once by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drona
Droṇa (, ), also referred to as Dronacharya (, ), is a major character of the Hindu epic Mahabharata. In the epic, he serves as the royal preceptor of the Kauravas and the Pandavas. He is one of the primary counsellors and warriors featured in the epic. Drona is the son of the sage Bharadvaja, and a descendant of the sage Angirasa. Despite being master of advanced military arts and the divine weapons known as astras, Drona initially chooses a life of poverty until he is humiliated by his friend Drupada, the king of Panchala. With the help of his students, he captures Drupada and takes away half of the kingdom. Drona serves as the second commander-in-chief of the Kaurava army, from the 11th day to the 15th day. The acharya fails four times in capturing Yudhishthira (the 11th day, 12th day, 14th day, and the 14th night). He was beheaded by Dhrishtadyumna—his student and son of Drupada—when he meditates to release his soul on the battlefield. Etymology Drona's name ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahma
Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212–226.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 218–219. He is associated with creation, knowledge, and the ''Vedas''. Brahma is prominently mentioned in Creation myth, creation legends. In some ''Puranas'', he created himself in a golden embryo known as the Hiranyagarbha. Brahma is frequently identified with the Rigvedic deities, Vedic god Prajapati.;David Leeming (2005), The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, Oxford University Press, , page 54, Quote: "Especially in the Vedanta Hindu Philosophy, Brahman is the Absolute. In the Upanishads, Brahman becomes the eternal first cause, present everywhere and nowhere, always and never. Brahman can be incarnated in Brahma, in Vishnu, in Shiva. To put it another way, eve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karna
Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण, IAST: ''Karṇa''), also known as Vasusena, Anga-Raja, Sutaputra and Radheya, is one of the major characters in the Hindu epic ''Mahābhārata''. He is the son of Surya (the Sun deity) and princess Kunti (later the Pandava queen). Kunti was granted the boon to bear a child with desired divine qualities from the gods and without much knowledge, Kunti invoked the sun god to confirm it if it was true indeed. Karna was secretly born to an unmarried Kunti in her teenage years, and fearing outrage and backlash from society over her premarital pregnancy, Kunti had to abandon the newly born Karna adrift in a basket on the Ganges. The basket is discovered floating on the Ganges River. He is adopted and raised by foster ''Suta'' parents named Radha and Adhiratha Nandana of the charioteer and poet profession working for king Dhritarashtra. Karna grows up to be an accomplished warrior of extraordinary abilities, a gifted speaker and becomes a loyal friend of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahmarshi
In Hinduism, a Brahmarshi (Sanskrit ', a tatpurusha compound of ' and ') is a member of the highest class of Rishis ("seers" or "sages"). A Brahmarshi is a sage who has attained enlightenment and became a Jivanmukta by completely understanding the meaning of Brahman and has attained the highest divine knowledge (omniscience) and self knowledge called Brahmajnana. When a Brahmarshi dies he attains Paramukti and frees himself from Samsara, the cycle of birth and death. Order The superlative title of ''Brahmarshi'' is not attested in the Vedas themselves and first appears in the Sanskrit epics. According to this classification, a Brahmarshi is the ultimate expert of religion and spiritual knowledge known as 'Brahmajnana'. Below him are the ''Maharishis'' (''Great Rishis''). The ''Saptarishis'' created out of Brahma's thoughts are perfect brahmarshis. They are often cited to be at par with the Devas in power and piety in the Puranas. Bhrigu, Angiras, Atri, Vishwamitra, Kashyapa, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uttarā
Uttarā () was the princess of Matsya, as described in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. She was the daughter of King Virata and Queen Sudeshna, at whose court the Pandavas spent a year in concealment during their exile. During this period, she learned music and dance from Arjuna, the third Pandava, and later married his son, Abhimanyu. Uttarā was widowed at a young age during the Kurukshetra War. Following the Pandavas' victory in the war, she and her unborn son were attacked by Ashwatthama, and were saved by the divine intervention of Krishna. Her son Parikshit saved the Kuru lineage from extinction, and became a well-known monarch celebrated in both the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Bhagavata Purana''. Etymology The Sanskrit name Uttarā is derived from the word Uttara by adding a feminine termination ā. It can have multiple meanings; according to British Indologist Monier Williams, in this context, it means 'upper,' 'higher,' 'superior,' or 'excellent'. The word is also used ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahmashirsha Astra
The Brahmashirastra (Sanskrit: ब्रह्मशिरास्त्र, romanized: ''Brahmaśirāstra'') or Brahmashira Namaka Astra is the most destructive weapon, or Astra, described in the ancient Indian texts, capable of ending the existence of gods or devas. Thought to be superior to the Brahmastra, the Brahmashirastra causes chain reactions of massive explosions and waves to annihilate any desired entity of the universe or even the universe itself. The weapon manifests with the four heads of Brahma as its tip. Agnivesha, Drona, Ashwatthama and Arjuna possessed the knowledge to invoke this weapon. This weapon can be invoked into any object, even to a blade of grass. In the ''Mahabharata'', it is explained that when this weapon is invoked, "It blazes up with terrible flames within a huge sphere of fire. Numerous peals of thunder to be heard, fissures start on earth, rivers become dry, thousands of meteors fell, and all living creatures became terrified with great dread. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parikshita
Parīkṣit (, ) was a Kuru king who reigned during the Middle Vedic period (12th–9th centuries BCE). Along with his son and successor, Janamejaya, he played a decisive role in the consolidation of the Kuru state, the arrangement of Vedic hymns into collections, and the development of the orthodox srauta ritual, transforming the Kuru realm into the dominant political and cultural center of northern Iron Age India. He also appears as a figure in later legends and traditions. According to the legendary accounts in Mahabharata and the Puranas, he succeeded his granduncle Yudhishthira to the throne of Hastinapur. Introduction "Listen to the good praise of the King belonging to all people, who, (like) a god, is above men, (listen to the praise) of Parikṣit! - 'Parikṣit has just now made us peaceful dwelling; darkness has just now run to its dwelling.' The Kuru householder, preparing (grains) for milling, speaks (thus) with his wife. — 'What shall I bring you, sour milk, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maharishi
Maharishi (, ) is a Sanskrit word used for members of the highest order of ancient Indian sages, popularly known in India as "seers", i.e., those who engage in research to understand and experience nature, divinity, and the divine context of existence, and these experiences' governing laws. Etymology ''Maharishi'' is derived from Sanskrit . It is formed from , meaning "great", and , meaning "saint" or "seer". Description and usage ''Maharshi'' may also refer to "seers" or "sages" in India.Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (2009) Retrieved November 9, 2011 The term became popular in English literature "sometime before 1890" and was first used in 1758.Websters Online Dictionary with Multilingual Thesaurus Translation Retrieved November 2011 [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
