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Shri Vidya
__NOTOC__ Shri Vidya (ISO: '; ; sometimes also spelled Sri Vidya or Shree Vidya) is a Hindu Tantric religious system devoted to the Goddess. Shri Vidya developed out of various influences, especially Kāśmīr Shaivism, and its doctrines remain similar to this tradition. In the principally Shakta theology of "the goddess is supreme, transcending the cosmos which is yet a manifestation of her." She is worshiped in the form of a mystical diagram (Sanskrit: '), a central focus and ritual object composed of nine intersecting triangles, called the Shri Yantra or '. The south Indian tradition of Sri Vidya generally focuses on Lalitā Tripurasundarī (''Beautiful Goddess of the Three Worlds'') as the main form of Mahadevi. Apart from Mahātripurasundarī, other important deities in this tradition include Gaṇapati, Bālā, Rājamātaṅgī, Mahāvārāhī, and Parā. The most important source for this branch of Sri Vidya is the '' Paraśurāma Kalpasūtra''. A thousand nam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lalita Sahasranama
The ''Lalita Sahasranama'' () is a Hindu religious text that enumerates the thousand names of Mother Goddess Lalita, which are held sacred in Hinduism particularly in Shaktism, the tradition focused on the worship of the Divine Feminine (''Shakti''). The text is written in Sanskrit and is a part of the '' Brahmanda Purana'', an ancient scripture that explores the cosmic creation and the divine order of the universe. The names describes the goddess' various attributes, accomplishments, and symbolism in the form of mantras usually chanted or sung as a hymn. Lalita Devi, often known as Tripura Sundari, is a form of Shakti worshipped as the beautiful consort of Lord Shiva and a significant deity in the Hindu pantheon. She is considered the supreme manifestation of feminine energy and is known as the epitome of beauty, grace, power, and compassion. She is also seen as the source of the creation, maintenance, and destruction of the universe, embodying the entire cycle of existe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tripura Rahasya
The Tripura Rahasya (Devanagari: त्रिपुरा रहस्य, ), also called the Haritāyana Samhitā, is a medieaval (11th-17th century CE) tantric Shakta Sanskrit text. The title has an ambiguous meaning, translated variously as ''The mystery beyond the three cities'', ''The mystery beyond the trinity'', or ''The secret of the supreme Goddess''. Tripura refers to the 'three cities' of consciousness, namely waking, dreaming and deep sleep, but also to the goddess Tripura Sundari, the prime consciousness underlying these three states. It details the path to liberation, as taught by Dattatreya to Parashurama. Nomenclatura Tripurā means "three towns" or "three places," or "the trinity." The three towns or states of consciousness are waking (Jāgṛat), dreaming (Svapna) and deep sleep (Suṣupti). The underlying consciousness of them all is called Tripura, the goddess Tripura Sundari. Rahasya means "secret" or "mystery," 'keeping secret', referring to the Sanskri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saundarya Lahari
The ''Saundarya Lahari'' () is a famous literary work in Sanskrit attributed to Pushpadanta as well as Adi Shankara. Some believe the first part "Ananda Lahari" was etched on mount Meru by Ganesha himself (or by Pushpadanta). Sage Gaudapada, the teacher of Shankar's teacher Govinda Bhagavadpada, memorised the writings of Pushpadanta which was carried down to Adi Shankara. Its hundred and three shlokas (verses) praise the beauty, grace and munificence of goddess Parvati in the form of Tripura Sundari. W. Norman Brown translated it to English which was published as volume 43 of the Harvard Oriental Series in 1958. History Scholars believe that Ādi Shankaracharya composed Soundaryalahari in Kashmir. There are several legends about this work. According to one legend, Adi Shankara visited Kailash to worship Shiva and Parvati. There, Shiva gave him a manuscript containing 100 verses which described the many facets of the goddess, as a gift to him. While Adi Shankara was returning ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sarada Tilaka
Sarada Tilaka or Sharada Tilak a collection of mantras and instructions for worship ( Homa) of various deities including Ganapati, Shiva, Vishnu and various manifestations of the goddess. It was compiled circa 800 AD by Sri Lakshmana Desikendra believed to be a native of Nasik in Maharashtra. The term 'Sarada Tilaka' means the tilaka of Sarada or goddess Saraswati, and the text deals with the tantra Tantra (; ) is an esoteric yogic tradition that developed on the India, Indian subcontinent beginning in the middle of the 1st millennium CE, first within Shaivism and later in Buddhism. The term ''tantra'', in the Greater India, Indian tr ... system of worship. Topics including Tantra Swaroopa, Tantrik Prakriya, Mantrotpatti, Yogavidya etc. are explained in detail in 25 chapters of verses. References Hindu texts {{hindu-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parasurama Kalpasutra
The Parashurama Kalpasutra () is a Shakta Agama, a Hindu text on Shri Vidya practices ascribed to the Kaula tradition. The authorship of the text is traditionally attributed to Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Vishnu and a disciple of Dattatreya. It is a sacred text for the Shri Vidya worshippers of the goddess Lalita, who is considered to be a manifestation of the goddess Adi Parashakti. The text is also used in the worship of Ganesha, Bala Tripurasundari, Matangi, and Varahi. This text has its origins in the Dattatreya Samhita and was compiled by Sumedha, a disciple of Parashurama. Key concepts Among the Agamas (manuals on rituals and practices), some are Tantras. Tantra is principally for 'upasana', inner discipline and are epitomes of knowledge. Tantras that are essentially esoteric deal with inner practices by adoration of the symbolic image, the yantra, and the mantra for awakening the Kundalini shakti. Parashurama composed the Kalpasutra, emphasizing the importance o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhavana Upanishad
The ''Bhavana Upanishad'' (, IAST: Bhāvana Upaniṣad) is a medieval era minor Upanishad of Hinduism. Composed in Sanskrit, the text is classified as one of the Shakta Upanishads and attached to the Atharvaveda. The Upanishad identifies the human body as Srichakra yantra and elaborates on this theme, and its worship. History The author and the date when ''Bhavana Upanishad'' was composed are unknown. The text was likely composed, in the same period as other Shakta Upanishads, between the 12th- and 15th-century CE. While this text is a relatively late composition in the Upanishadic collection, literary evidence confirms that Shakta Tantrism has roots in ancient times and the interaction between Vedic and Tantric traditions trace back to at least the sixth century, and the surge in Tantra tradition developments during the late medieval period, states Geoffrey Samuel, were a means to confront and cope with Islamic invasions and political instability in and after 14th-century CE in pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhaskararaya
Bhāskararāya Makhin (1690–1785) was a religious exponent and writer known for his contributions to the Shakta tradition of Hinduism. He was born in a Maharashtrian Brahmin family at Hyderabad, Telangana. Bhaskara raya was welcomed by king Serfoji II of Bhonsle dynasty in South India, and thereupon he settled in Tamil Nadu. According to Douglas Renfrew Brooks, a professor of Religion specializing in Shaktism studies, Bhāskararāya was "not only a brilliant interpreter of Srividya, he was an encyclopedic writer", and that he was a "thinker who had the wealth of Tantric and Vedic traditions at his fingertips". He belonged to the Srividya tradition of the Shakta Tantrism. Bhāskararāya is the attributed author of more than 40 writings that range from Vedanta to poems of devotion, from Indian logic and Sanskrit grammar to the studies of Tantra. Several of his texts are considered particularly notable to the Shaktism tradition, one focussed on the Mother Goddess: *Commentary on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shaunaka
Shaunaka (, ) is the name applied to teachers, and to a Shakha of the Atharvaveda. It is especially the name of a celebrated Sanskrit grammarian, author of the , the , the , six Anukramaṇīs (indices) to the Rigveda, and the Vidhāna of the Rigveda. He is the teacher of Katyayana and Ashvalayana and is said to have combined the Bashkala and Shakala Shakhas of the Rigveda. In the Mahabharata, Mahabarata, he is identified as the son of Ruru and Pramadvara, and in the Bhagavata Purana, he is identified as the grandson of Gritsamada and son of Sunaka, who belongs to the Bhrigu dynasty. Literature According to the Vishnu Purana, Shaunaka was the son of Gritsamada and invented the system of the four levels of human life. Sūta mahamuni narrated mythological stories to a group of sages headed by Shaunaka maha muni. According to Vishnumitra of Champa town, the commentator of 's commentary of , is attributed to Shaunaka who taught it to others in a satra-yajna (a 12-day very large sc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angiras
Angiras ( (stem), , , nominative singular , , , rendered Angirā in Hindi) was a Vedic rishi (sage) of Hinduism. He is described in the ''Rigveda'' as a teacher of divine knowledge, a mediator between men and gods, as well as stated in other hymns to be the first of Agni-devas (fire gods). In some texts, he is considered to be one of the seven great sages or ''Saptarishis'', but in others he is mentioned but not counted in the list of seven great sages. In some manuscripts of ''Atharvaveda'', the text is attributed to "Atharvangirasah", which is a compound of sage Atharvan and Angira. The student family of Angira are called "Angira", and they are credited to be the authors of some hymns in the first, second, fifth, eighth, ninth, and tenth books of the ''Rigveda''. By the time of the composition of the Rigveda, the Angirases were an old Rishi clan, and were stated to have participated in several events. Texts Many hymns of the ''Rigveda'' credit the Angirases as their autho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Parashurama
Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Virarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. Hindu tradition holds him to be the destroyer of the evil on Earth. According to legends, Shiva advised him to go and liberate the Mother Earth from felons, ill-behaved men, extremists, demons and those blind with pride. He is described as one amongst the ''Chiranjivi, Chiranjivis'' (Immortals), who will appear at the end of the ''Kali Yuga'' to be the guru of Vishnu's tenth and last incarnation, Kalki. Born to Jamadagni and Renuka, the Brahmin Parashurama was foretold to appear at a time when overwhelming evil prevailed on the earth. The Kshatriya class, with weapons and power, had begun to abuse their power, take what belonged to others by force and tyrannise people. He corrected the cosmic equilibrium by destroying these Kshatriyas twenty-one times (leaving some lineages). He is married to Dharani, an incarnatio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dattatreya
Dattatreya (, ), Dattā or Dattaguru, is a paradigmatic Sannyasi (monk) and one of the lords of yoga, venerated as an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Three Hindu gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, who are also collectively known as the Trimurti, incarnated in form of Dattatreya, Chandra and Durvasa as son of Sage Atri and Devi Anusuya as per the texts such as the Bhagavata Purana, the Markandeya Purana, and the Brahmanda Purana. In iconography, he is often represented as a monk with three heads. However sources of the Trimurti's taking avatar in a single body and such iconography is unknown. Several Upanishads are dedicated to him, as are texts of the Vedanta-Yoga tradition in Hinduism. One of the most important texts of Hinduism, Avadhuta Gita (literally, "song of the free soul"), is attributed to Dattatreya. Over time, Dattatreya has inspired many monastic movements in Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism, particularly in the Deccan region of India, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Prades ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
