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Shukra
Shukra (, ) is a Sanskrit word that means "clear" or "bright". It also has other meanings, such as the name of a sage who was the preceptor of the asuras and taught them the Vedas. In medieval mythology and Hindu astrology, the word refers to the planet Venus, one of the Navagrahas. Hinduism In Hinduism, Shukra is one of the sons of Bhrigu, one of the Saptarshis. He was the guru of the asuras and is also referred to as Shukracharya or Asuracharya in various Hindu texts. In another account found in the ''Mahabharata'', Shukra divided himself into two, one half became the fount of knowledge for the devas (gods) and the other half became the knowledge source of the asuras (demons). Shukra, in the ''Puranas'', is blessed by Shiva with ''Sanjeevini Vidhya'' after performing ''tapas'' to propitiate Shiva. ''Sanjeevini Vidhya'' is the knowledge of raising the dead back to life, which he used from time to time to restore life to the asuras. Later, this knowledge was sought by the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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. First mentioned in the Vedas, Vamana is most commonly associated in the Hindu epics and Puranas with the story of taking back the three worlds (collectively referred to as the Trailokya) from the daitya-king Mahabali by taking three steps to restore the cosmic order and push Mahabali into the netherworld. 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 Puranic literature to be born of the great sage Kashyapa and his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jayanti (Hinduism)
Jayanti (, ) is a character in Hindu mythology. She is the daughter of Indra, the king of the Deva (Hinduism), devas and the ruler of Svarga, and his consort, Shachi. Jayanti is described as the wife of Shukra, the god of the planet Venus and the guru of the asuras. Their union results in the birth of a daughter, Devayani. Jayanti is also described as the sister of Jayanta. She is sometimes identified with Urjjasvati, Shukra's another wife. Literature Jayanti appears primarily in the description of one event, the tale of her marriage with Shukra. The tale is retold in many Hindu scriptures with some variations as per the interpretations. The texts include the ''Vayu Purana'', the ''Matsya Purana'', the ''Brahmanda Purana'', the ''Devi Bhagavata Purana'', and the ''Padma Purana''. Legend The ''Matsya Purana'' narrates that the asuras were almost decimated in battle with the Devas (Hinduism), devas. Their guru, Shukra, goes to Mount Kailash to please the god Shiva and acquire ne ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devayani
Devayani () is a character in Hindu literature. She is described to be the daughter of Shukra, the acharya (preceptor) of the asuras, and his wife Jayanti, the daughter of Indra. She marries King Yayati, and gives birth to two sons — Yadu and Turvasu. Legend Infatuation with Kacha Kacha is described to be the handsome son of Brihaspati. He is sent by the devas to Shukra's ashrama (spiritual hermitage) to learn about the ''Mṛtasañjīvanī vidyā'' mantra, the knowledge that allows one to restore life after death. Shukra accepts him as his student, and the latter accepts the task of offering him a thousand years of service. Devayani is infatuated by the youth, and the two become an inseparable couple. The asuras, however, are suspicious of Kacha's intentions, guessing correctly that he wished to know the secret of the life-restoring mantra. They murder him on two different occasions: They kill him when he is deep within the forest and feed him to the wolves, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhrigu
Bhrigu (, ) is a rishi in Hindu tradition. He is one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, and one of the many Prajapatis (the facilitators of creation) created by Brahma. He was the first compiler of predictive astrology and also the author of '' Bhrigu Samhita'', an astrological ( jyotisha) classic. Bhrigu is considered a manasaputra ("mind-born son") of Brahma. The adjectival form of the name, '' Bhārgava'', is used to refer to the descendants and the school of Bhrigu. According to ''Manusmriti'', Bhrigu was a compatriot and companion of Svāyambhuva Manu, the progenitor of humanity. Along with Manu, Bhrigu made important contributions to the ''Manusmṛti'', which was constituted out of a sermon to a congregation of saints in the state of Brahmavarta, after the great floods in this area. As per the ''Skanda Purana'', Bhrigu migrated to Bhrigukaccha, modern Bharuch, on the banks of the Narmada river in Gujarat, leaving his son Chyavana at Dhosi Hill. According to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kavyamata
Kavyamata () is a consort of the rishi Bhrigu In Hinduism. She is the mother of Shukra, the god of the planet Venus and the preceptor of the asuras. She was beheaded by the preserver deity, Vishnu, for protecting the asuras. Legend The goddess-centric ''Devi Bhagavata Purana'' discusses the legend of this character. Once, the asuras fought a war against the devas and were severely beaten. The asuras rushed to the hermitage of Shukra, while being chased by Vishnu and the devas. None of the men were present at the hermitage when asuras arrived; Shukra and his father were at work. Kavyamata sent all the devas into a state of deep sleep. By her meditative power, Kavyamata petrified Indra, the king of the devas, paralysing him.Mani p. 402 Vishnu summoned his discus – the Sudarshana Chakra, which sliced off Kavyamata's head. Shukra's father, the great sage Bhrigu, was angered when he returned to his hermitage and cursed Vishnu for his sin of woman-slaughter, causing him to have s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker and denser than Earth and any other rocky body in the Solar System. Its atmosphere is composed of mostly carbon dioxide (), with a global sulfuric acid cloud cover and no liquid water. At the mean surface level the atmosphere reaches a temperature of and a pressure 92 times greater than Earth's at sea level, turning the lowest layer of the atmosphere into a supercritical fluid. Venus is the third brightest object in Earth's sky, after the Moon and the Sun, and, like Mercury, appears always relatively close to the Sun, either as a "morning star" or an "evening star", resulting from orbiting closer ( inferior) to the Sun than Earth. The orbits of Venus and Earth make the two planets approach each other in synodic periods of 1.6 years ... [...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 blessed to be one of the Chiranjivi, a group of seven immortals, by the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and reigns in the Sutaloka. It is believed that Mahabali will become the King of Svarga (heaven) in the next '' yuga''. In Kerala, 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 it is celebrated in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh as Balipratipada, Balipādyami, or Bali pādva (the third day of Deepavali and first day of Kartika ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saptarshis
The Saptarshi ( ) are the seven seers of ancient India who are extolled in the Vedas, and other Hindu literature such as the Skanda Purana. The Vedic Samhitas never enumerate these rishis by name, although later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do, so these constellations are easily recognizable. Hindu sacred text An early prototype of the "Saptarishi" concept may stem from the six families associated with the six "Family Books" in the Rigveda Samhita (Mandalas 2–7 in ascending order: Gṛtsamāda, Viśvāmitra, Vāmadeva, Atri, Bharadvaja, Vasiṣṭha). While not a "Family Book", Mandala 8 is mostly attributed to Kaṇva, who could be considered the 7th prototypical Saptarishi. The earliest formal list of the seven rishis is given by Jaiminiya Brahmana 2.218–221: Agastya, Atri, Bhardwaja, Gautama, Jamadagni, Vashistha, and Vishvamitra followed by Brihadaranyaka Upanisad 2.2.6 with a slightly different list: Atri, Bharadvaja, Gautama, Jamadagn ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamandalu
Kamandalu (Sanskrit: कमण्डलु, ), 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] |
Navagraha
The navagraha are nine heavenly bodies and deities that influence human life on Earth according to Hinduism and Hindu mythology. The term is derived from ''nava'' ( "nine") and ''graha'' ( "planet, seizing, laying hold of, holding"). The nine parts of the navagraha are the Sun, Moon, planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and the lunar node, two nodes of the Moon. The term ''planet'' was applied originally only to the five planets known (i.e., visible to the naked eye) and excluded the Earth. The term was later generalized, particularly during the Post-classical history, Middle Ages, to include the sun and the moon (sometimes referred to as "lights"), making a total of seven planets. The Seven days of the week#Hindu tradition, seven days of the week of the Hindu calendar also corresponds with the seven classical planets and European culture also following same patron and are Names of the days of the week#Hindu tradition, named accordingly in most languages of the India ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
