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Chhinnamasta
Chhinnamasta (, :"She whose head is severed"), often spelled Chinnamasta, and also called Chhinnamastika, Chhinnamasta Kali, Prachanda Chandika and Jogani Maa (in western states of India), is a Hindu goddess ( Devi). She is one of the Mahavidyas, ten goddesses from the esoteric tradition of Tantra, and a ferocious aspect of Mahadevi, the Hindu Mother goddess. The self-decapitated nude goddess, usually standing or seated on a divine copulating couple, holding her own severed head in one hand and a scimitar in another. Three jets of blood spurt out of her bleeding neck and are drunk by her severed head and two attendants. Chhinnamasta is a goddess of contradictions. She symbolises both aspects of Devi: a life-giver and a life-taker. She is considered both a symbol of sexual self-control and an embodiment of sexual energy, depending upon interpretation. She represents death, temporality, and destruction as well as life, immortality, and recreation. The goddess conveys spir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahavidya
The ''Mahavidya'' (, , lit. ''Great Wisdoms'') are a group of ten Hindu Tantric goddesses. The ten Mahavidyas are usually named in the following sequence: Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. Nevertheless, the formation of this group encompass divergent and varied religious traditions that include ''yogini'' worship, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Vajrayana Buddhism. The development of the Mahavidyas represents an important turning point in the history of Shaktism as it marks the rise of the Bhakti aspect in Shaktism, which reached its zenith in 1700 CE. First sprung forth in the post-Puranic age, around 6th century CE, it was a new theistic movement in which the supreme being was envisioned as female. A fact epitomized by texts like ''Devi-Bhagavata Purana'', especially its last nine chapters (31–40) of the seventh ''skandha'', which are known as the ''Devi Gita'', and soon became central t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahavidyas
The ''Mahavidya'' (, , lit. ''Great Wisdoms'') are a group of ten Hinduism, Hindu Tantra, Tantric Devi, goddesses. The ten Mahavidyas are usually named in the following sequence: Kali, Tara (Devi), Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshvari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. Nevertheless, the formation of this group encompass divergent and varied religious traditions that include ''yogini'' worship, Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Vajrayana Buddhism. The development of the Mahavidyas represents an important turning point in the history of Shaktism as it marks the rise of the Bhakti aspect in Shaktism, which reached its zenith in 1700 CE. First sprung forth in the post-Puranic age, around 6th century CE, it was a new theistic movement in which the supreme being was envisioned as female. A fact epitomized by texts like ''Devi-Bhagavata Purana'', especially its last nine chapters (31–40) of the seventh ''skandha'', which are known as the ''Devi Gita'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahadevi
Mahadevi (, , IPA: / mɐɦɑd̪eʋiː/), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, and Mahamaya, is the supreme goddess in Hinduism. According to the goddess-centric sect Shaktism, all Hindu gods and goddesses are considered to be manifestations of this great goddess, who is considered as the '' Para Brahman'' or the ultimate reality. Shaktas often worship her as Durga, also believing her to have many other forms. Mahadevi is mentioned as the ''Mulaprakriti'' (Primordial Goddess) in Shakta texts, having five primary forms—Parvati, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Gayatri and Radha—collectively referred to as ''Panchaprakriti''. Besides these, Goddess Tripura Sundari, a form of Devi, is often identified with the supreme goddess Mahadevi in Shaktism. Author Helen T. Boursier says: "In Hindu philosophy, both Lakshmi (primary goddess in Vaishnavism) and Parvati (primary goddess of Shaivism) are identified as manifestations of this great goddess—Mahadevi—and the Shakti or divine power". ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shaktism
Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, manifestations, or personifications of the divine feminine energy called ''Shakti''. It includes various modes of worship, ranging from those focused on the most worshipped Durga, to gracious Parvati, and the fierce Kali. After the decline of Buddhism in India, various Hindu and Buddhist goddesses were combined to form the Mahavidya, a Pantheon (religion), pantheon of ten goddesses. The most common forms of the Mahadevi worshipped in Shaktism include: Durga, Kali, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati, and Tripura Sundari. Also worshipped are the various Gramadevatas across the Indian villages. Shaktism also encompasses various Tantra#Śaiva and Śākta tantra, tantric sub-traditions, including Vidyapitha and Kulamārga. Shaktism emphasizes that intense ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devi
''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept and reverence for goddesses appears in the Vedas, which were composed around the 2nd millennium BCE. However, they did not play a vital role in that era. Goddesses such as Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Parvati, Radha, Saraswati and Sita have continued to be revered in the modern era. The medieval era Puranas witness a major expansion in mythology and literature associated with Devi, with texts such as the ''Devi Mahatmya'', wherein she manifests as the ultimate truth and supreme power. She has inspired the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Further, Devi is viewed as central in the Hindu traditions of Shaktism and Shaivism. Etymology ''Devi'' and ''deva'' are Sanskrit terms found in Vedic literature around the 3rd millennium BCE. ''Deva'' is masculi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cremation Ground
A shmashana outside an Indian village A shmashana () is a Hindu crematory ground, where dead bodies are brought to be burnt on a pyre. It is usually located near a river or body of water on the outskirts of a village or town; as they are usually located near river ghats, they are also regionally called ''smashan ghat''s. Etymology The word has its origin from Sanskrit language: ''shma'' refers to ''shava'' ("corpse"), while ''shana'' refers to ''shanya'' ("bed"). The other Indian religions like Sikhism, Jainism and Buddhism also use ''shmashana'' for the last rites of the dead. Hinduism As per Hindu rites of Nepal and India, the dead body is brought to shmashana for the ritual of ''antyesti'' (last rites). At the cremation ground, the chief mourner has to obtain the sacred fire from one who resides by the shmashana and light funeral pyres (''chita'') for a fee. Various Hindu scriptures also give details of how to select the site of shmashana: it should be on the northern si ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vajrayogini
Vajrayoginī (; , Dorjé Naljorma) is an important figure in Buddhism, especially revered in Tibetan Buddhism. In Vajrayana she is considered a female Buddhahood, Buddha and a . Vajrayoginī is often described with the epithet ''sarvabuddhaḍākiṇī'', meaning "the [who is the Essence] of all Buddhas". She is an Anuttarayoga Tantra meditational deity (Iṣṭadevatā (Buddhism), iṣṭadevatā) and her practice includes methods for preventing ordinary death, intermediate state (bardo) and rebirth (Saṃsāra, samsara) by transforming them into paths to enlightenment, and for transforming all mundane daily experiences into higher spiritual paths. The origins of Vajrayoginī teachings date from between the 10th and 12th centuries, and draw inspiration from Hindu Tantra#Śaiva and Śākta tantra, Shaiva tantras. She appears as the consort of Padma Thotreng Tsal, and of Cakrasaṃvara, while in Vajrayoginī standalone practice, her inseparable consorts are represented by the kh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sacred Thread
''Upanayana'' () is a Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor, such as a ''guru'' or ''acharya'', and an individual's initiation into a school in Hinduism. Some traditions consider the ceremony as a spiritual rebirth for the child or future ''dvija'', twice born. It signifies the acquisition of the knowledge of and the start of a new and disciplined life as a brahmāchārya. The Upanayanam ceremony is arguably the most important rite for Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, and Vaiśya males, ensuring his rights with responsibilities and signifying his advent into adulthood''.'' The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Samskṛta texts of Hinduism and varies regionally. The sacred thread or yajñopavīta (also referred to as ''Janeu'', ''Jandhyam'', ''Pūṇūl, Muñja and Janivara'' Yonya) has become one of the most important identifiers of the ''Upanayana'' ceremony in contemporary ti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Krishnananda Agamavagisha
Krishnananda Agambagish (a.k.a. Mahamahopadhyaya Krishnananda Bhattacharya) was a noted Kulin Bengali Brahmin of Nabadwip, Nadia district origin and a renowned Pandita (Scholar) and Sadhaka of Tantra tradition who lived around 1575 CE or 1575 Saka era (1653 CE). He is the author of the greatest tantric text ever written , The Brihad '' Tantrasara''. He (being the introducer of Navya Tantric-scripture, ''Tantrasara'') is considered to be one among the four pillars of Shreehatta origin scholars in Nabadwip worked for Sanatana philosophy, alongside Raghunatha (introducer of Navya Nyaya), Raghunandana (introducer of Navya Smriti), and Vishvambhara: Chaitanya (introducer of Navya Vaishnava). Agamavagish was born from Acharya Mahesh Bhattacharya in the year 1533 at Nabadwip. He had four sons - Kashinatha, Mathuranatha, Harinatha and Vishvanath. He had a brother Sahasraksha who was a staunch Vaishnava and a worshipper of Lord Krishna. Krishnananda was ascent from Ramatoshana Vidyala ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brihat Tantrasara
Brihat Tantrasara or Tantrasara is a famous work on the social worship system of the various goddesses of the Dasamahavidya mentioned in various texts of Tantra Sadhana. Krishnananda Agambagish, a well-versed Tantric devotee of Tantra, wrote the famous book ''Brihat Tantrasara'' based on 170 Tantra Sadhana texts. This famous work of him is appreciated all over the country. Krishnananda was liberal, he had no bigotry about religion. Therefore, Tantrasara texts have been inserted by taking the essence of Tantra texts of Shaiva, Ganapathi, Shakta, Vaishnavism Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ... and Solar community. References Additional reading * Hindu tantric texts Shaktism {{Hinduism-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maharaja Sayajirao University Of Baroda
Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, Gujarat, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a public university on April 30, 1949 and was renamed after its benefactor Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad III, the former ruler of Baroda State. The university offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and doctoral programs. It houses 89 departments spread over 6 campuses (2 rural and 4 urban) covering 275 acres of land. History The university has its origins in the Baroda College, established in 1881 by Baroda State. The main building, which houses the Faculty of Arts, was designed by Robert Chisholm (architect), Robert Fellowes Chisholm in Indo-Saracenic architecture style, in a fusion of Indian and Byzantine arches and domes in brick and polychrome stone. The main dome on the convocation hall was modelled after the great dome of the Gol Gumbaz in Bijapur, Karnataka, Bijapur. Pratap Singh Gaekwad of Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
