In
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
, Vaishvanara (, pronounced ), meaning "of or related to Visvanara" is an abstract concept. It is related to the soul
atman, the (universal) Self or self-existent essence of human beings.
Etymologically
Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of wordsāincluding their constituent units of sound and meaningāacross time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...
, Vaishvanara is a derivative of the conjoined word Vishvanara ''i.e.''
Vishva
Vishva is an alternative name for Vishnu, which refers to the world, the universe. Vishva or Visva may also refer to
* Jain Vishva Bharati University in Rajasthan, India
*Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal, India
*Vishva Hindu Parishad
...
(Universe) + Narah (Man) ''i.e.'' the 'Universal or Cosmic Man'. In the
Rig Veda
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' (, , from wikt:ą¤ą¤ą„, ą¤ą¤ą„, "praise" and wikt:ą¤µą„ą¤¦, ą¤µą„ą¤¦, "knowledge") is an ancient Indian Miscellany, collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sÅ«ktas''). It is one of the four sacred canoni ...
, Vaishvanara is an epithet of the fire god deity
Agni
Agni ( ) is the Deva (Hinduism), Hindu god of fire. As the Guardians of the directions#Aį¹£į¹a-DikpÄla ("Guardians of Eight Directions"), guardian deity of the southeast direction, he is typically found in southeast corners of Hindu temples. ...
.
Forms of Vaishvanara
As per the
Mandukya Upanishad
The Mandukya Upanishad (, ) is the shortest of all the Upanishads, and is assigned to Atharvaveda. It is listed as number 6 in the MuktikÄ canon of 108 Upanishads.
It is in prose, consisting of twelve short verses, and is associated with a Ri ...
, the Self has four aspects or states of consciousness.
[Easwaran, Eknath (2009-06-01). The Upanishads (Classic of Indian Spirituality) (p. 203). Nilgiri Press. Kindle Edition.] The first is the Vaishvanara manifestation, under the ''jagrat'' or the waking state which is outwardly cognitive. The Self in Vaishvanara form has seven limbs, nineteen mouths and has the capability to experience material objects.
The seven limbs of Vaishvanara pertain to the 'cosmic body' of 'Vaishvanara'. These are enumerated in verse 18.2 of the
Chandogya Upanishad
The ''Chandogya Upanishad'' (Sanskrit: , IAST: ''ChÄndogyopaniį¹£ad'') is a Sanskrit text embedded in the Chandogya Brahmana of the Sama Veda of Hinduism.Patrick Olivelle (2014), ''The Early Upanishads'', Oxford University Press; , pp. 166-1 ...
,
e heavens are his head, the sun his eyes, the air his breath, the fire his heart, the water his stomach, the earth his feet, and space his body.
The seven limbs of Vaishvanara have also referred to in the first verse of the
Mandukya Upanishad
The Mandukya Upanishad (, ) is the shortest of all the Upanishads, and is assigned to Atharvaveda. It is listed as number 6 in the MuktikÄ canon of 108 Upanishads.
It is in prose, consisting of twelve short verses, and is associated with a Ri ...
, which have been described to encompass the entire manifest universe. The nineteen "mouths" are
* The five sense organs
* The five organs of action (walking, talking, expelling, procreating, and handling)
* The five pranas
* The four functions of mind (aspects of antahkarana) - the mind (manas), the intellect (buddhi), the ego sense (ahamkara), and thought (Ƨitta)
Further, Agni Vaishvanara is regarded as Author of the Hymns of the Rig-veda (x. 79, 80).
Agning prajvalitang vande Jata-vedang Hutashanang:
Suvarna-varnam amalang samiddhang sarvvatomukham.
The
Mahanirvana Tantra also refers to certain Vaishvanara:
Vaishvanara Jataveda ihavaha ihavaha;
lohitaksha, sarvva-karmani sadhaya: svaha.
As per the Tantras, Vaishvanara meaning "Ruling or benefiting all men," is also a name of the
tantric goddess
Savitr
Savitį¹ ( , nominative Grammatical number, singular: , also rendered as Savitur), in Vedic scriptures is an Ädityas, Aditya (i.e., an "offspring" of the Vedic primeval mother goddess Aditi). His name in Vedic Sanskrit connotes "impeller, ro ...
i.
See also
*
Brahman
In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
*
Glossary of Hinduism terms
The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from Hindu culture and associated culturesā ( Indian, Nepali, Balinese) traditions, which are expressed as words in Sanskrit or other Indic languages and Dravidian languages. ...
*
Hindu deities
Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, even agnostic, atheistic, or humanist. Julius J. L ...
*
Hindu mythology
Hindu mythology refers to the collection of myths associated with Hinduism, derived from various Hindu texts and traditions. These myths are found in sacred texts such as the Vedas, the Itihasas (the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayan ...
References
{{reflist
Hindu philosophical concepts
Vedanta