|
Diti
Diti ( sa, दिति) is a daughter of the ''Prajapati'' Daksha in Hinduism. She is a wife of the sage Kashyapa and the mother of the demonic race Daityas and the divine group of Marutas. Legend According to the ''Puranic'' scriptures, Diti is one of the sixty daughters of ''Prajapati'' Daksha and his wife Asikni. She and her twelve sisters were married to the sage Kashyapa. Diti is described as the mother of two groups of beings—the Daityas and the Maruts. The most prominent of her sons were Hiranyakashipu, Hiranyaksha, Vajranaka, Arunasura, Raktabija and Surapadman. Diti also had a daughter named Simhika (also known as Holika). Birth of Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu The Bhagavata Purana describes the circumstances of the birth of the two powerful daityas: Birth of the maruts After the death of her sons in the Samudra Manthana, Diti grew inconsolable. She begged her husband to grant her a child who would be capable of defeating Indra. In due course, Diti becam ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daityas
According to ancient scriptures, the daityas (Sanskrit: दैत्य) are a race of asuras, descending from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the earth, and required three of Vishnu's avataras to be vanquished. Literature The Manusmṛiti classifies the daityas as good, while placing them at a lower level than the devas: The origin and noteworthy members of this race are specified in the Harivamsha Purana: List of daityas Some of the notable daityas mentioned in Hindu mythology include: *Hiranyakashipu - First son of Kashyapa and Diti * Hiraṇyakṣa - Second son of Kashyapa and Diti *Holika - First daughter of Kashyapa and Diti *Andhakasura - Son of Hiranyaksha (Born from the sweat of Shiva) *Prahlada - Son of Hiranyakashipu *Simhika - Daughter of Hiranyakashipu *Virocana - Son of Prahlada, father of Mahabali * Devamba - Mother of Mahabali *Mahabali - Son of Virochan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kashyapa
Kashyapa ( sa, कश्यप}, ) is a revered Vedas, Vedic Sage (philosophy), sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated Rishi, rishi, along with the other Saptarishis, listed in the colophon verse in the ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad''. Kashyapa is an ancient name, referring to many different personalities in the ancient Hindu and Buddhist texts. The place Kashmir is named after him, as well as numerous other Sanskrit texts and Indian scriptures. Name Kashyapa means "turtle" in Sanskrit. According to Michael Witzel, it is related to Avestan ''kasiiapa'', Sogdian language, Sogdian ''kyšph'', New Persian ''kašaf'', ''kaš(a)p'' which mean "tortoise", after which Kashaf Rūd or a river in Turkmenistan and Khorasan is named. Other relations include to Tocharian languages, Tokarian B ''kaccāp'' ("brainpan"), Tocharian languages, Tokarian A ''kā ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vajranaka
Vajranga () is an asura in Hinduism. According to the Puranas, he was born to Diti and was fathered by the sage Kashyapa. Diti, being the mother of the asuras, sought revenge for the deaths of her children by the hands of the devas. Diti is said to have undergone severe austerities for ten thousand years in exchange for a boon which granted her a child who would slay the devas. Kashyapa granted her wish and they birthed Vajranaka, whose body was like Indra's weapon, the vajra. Vajranka is the father of the asura Tārakāsura, who continued upon his father's war with the devas, but was ultimately vanquished by the war god, Kartikeya. Etymology Vajranga is an adjective meaning "studded with diamonds". Vajranga is a Sanskrit compound consisting of the terms vajra, meaning thunderbolt or diamond, and aṅka (अङ्क) meaning adorned. Alternatively, the name Vajranaga, derived from vajra and nāga, means diamond serpent. In Vedic Hinduism, asuras such as Vritra Vritra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiranyaksha
__NOTOC__ Hiranyaksha ( sa, हिरण्याक्ष, "golden-eyed"), also known as Hiranyanetra ( sa, हिरण्यनेत्र) was an oppressive Asura who attacked the heavens and thereafter kidnapped and attempted to destroy the earth goddess in Hindu Puranas. Legend Some of the Puranas present Hiranyaksha as the son of Diti and Kashyapa. Kashyapa (Sanskrit: कश्यप ''kaśyapa'') was an ancient sage (rishis), who is one of the Saptarshis in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, and Bharadwaja. He was the father of the Devas, Asuras, Nagas and all of humanity. He married Aditi, with whom he fathered Agni, the Aditya. With his second wife, Diti, he begot the Daityas. In this Puranic version, the good Suras and evil Asuras are the children of the same Kashyapa, and there is a constant war between good and evil. Once, Hiranyaksha assaulted the defenceless Mother Earth and pulled her deep into the cosm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marutas
In Hinduism, the Maruts (; sa, मरुत), also known as the Marutagana and sometimes identified with Rudras, are storm deities and sons of Rudra and Prisni. The number of Maruts varies from 27 to sixty (three times sixty in RV 8.96.8). They are very violent and aggressive, described as armed with golden weapons i.e. lightning and thunderbolts, as having iron teeth and roaring like lions, as residing in the northwest, as riding in golden chariots drawn by ruddy horses. In the Vedic mythology, the Maruts act as Indra's companions as a troop of young warriors. According to French comparative mythologist Georges Dumézil, they are cognate to the Einherjar and the Wild hunt. In mythology Hymn 66 of Mandala VI of the Rig Veda, the ancient collection of sacred hymns, is an eloquent account of how a natural phenomenon of a rain-storm metamorphoses into storm deities. According to the Rig Veda they wore golden helmets and breastplates, and used their axes to split the cloud ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhagavata Purana
The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sanskrit by Veda Vyasa, it promotes ''bhakti'' (devotion) towards Krishna, integrating themes from the Advaita (monism) philosophy of Adi Shankara, the Vishishtadvaita (qualified monism) of Ramanujacharya and the Dvaita (dualism) of Madhvacharya. It is widely available in almost all Indian languages. The ''Bhagavata Purana'', like other puranas, discusses a wide range of topics including cosmology, astronomy, genealogy, geography, legend, music, dance, yoga and culture. As it begins, the forces of evil have won a war between the benevolent ''Deva (Hinduism), devas'' (deities) and evil ''asuras'' (demons) and now rule the universe. Truth re-emerges as Krishna, (called "Hari#Usage in Indian religion and mythology, Hari" and "Vāsudeva" in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marutas
In Hinduism, the Maruts (; sa, मरुत), also known as the Marutagana and sometimes identified with Rudras, are storm deities and sons of Rudra and Prisni. The number of Maruts varies from 27 to sixty (three times sixty in RV 8.96.8). They are very violent and aggressive, described as armed with golden weapons i.e. lightning and thunderbolts, as having iron teeth and roaring like lions, as residing in the northwest, as riding in golden chariots drawn by ruddy horses. In the Vedic mythology, the Maruts act as Indra's companions as a troop of young warriors. According to French comparative mythologist Georges Dumézil, they are cognate to the Einherjar and the Wild hunt. In mythology Hymn 66 of Mandala VI of the Rig Veda, the ancient collection of sacred hymns, is an eloquent account of how a natural phenomenon of a rain-storm metamorphoses into storm deities. According to the Rig Veda they wore golden helmets and breastplates, and used their axes to split the cloud ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu (; also known as Hiranyakashyap) was an Asura king of the ''daityas'' from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism. His name literally translates to "clothed in gold" (''hiranya'' "gold" ''kashipu'' "soft cushion"), and is often interpreted as depicting one who is fond of wealth and sensual comforts. In the Puranas, however, it is also stated the name was derived from a golden throne called 'Hiranyakashipu' the asura sat in or nearby during the ''Atiratra'' (Soma) sacrifice. Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha was slain by Varaha avatar of Lord Vishnu. Angered by this, Hiranyakashipu decided to gain magical powers by performing a penance for Lord Brahma. He is subsequently killed by the Narasimha avatar of Lord Vishnu. His tale depicts the futility of desiring power over others and the strength of God's protection over his fully surrendered devotees (in the case of his son Prahlada). Hiranyakashipu, according to legend, earned a boon from Lord Brahma t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maruts
In Hinduism, the Maruts (; sa, मरुत), also known as the Marutagana and sometimes identified with Rudras, are storm deities and sons of Rudra and Prisni. The number of Maruts varies from 27 to sixty (three times sixty in RV 8.96.8). They are very violent and aggressive, described as armed with golden weapons i.e. lightning and thunderbolts, as having iron teeth and roaring like lions, as residing in the northwest, as riding in golden chariots drawn by ruddy horses. In the Vedic mythology, the Maruts act as Indra's companions as a troop of young warriors. According to French comparative mythologist Georges Dumézil, they are cognate to the Einherjar and the Wild hunt. In mythology Hymn 66 of Mandala VI of the Rig Veda, the ancient collection of sacred hymns, is an eloquent account of how a natural phenomenon of a rain-storm metamorphoses into storm deities. According to the Rig Veda they wore golden helmets and breastplates, and used their axes to split the clouds so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deva (Hinduism)
''Deva'' (; Sanskrit: , ) means "shiny", "exalted", "heavenly being", "divine being", "anything of excellence", and is also one of the Sanskrit terms used to indicate a deity in Hinduism.Monier Monier-Williams, A Sanskrit-English Dictionary” Etymologically and Philologically Arranged to cognate Indo-European Languages, Motilal Banarsidass, page 492 ''Deva'' is a masculine term; the feminine equivalent is '' Devi''. In the earliest Vedic literature, all supernatural beings are called ''Devas''George Williams (2008), A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, Oxford University Press, , pages 90, 112 and ''Asuras''. The concepts and legends evolved in ancient Indian literature, and by the late Vedic period, benevolent supernatural beings are referred to as ''Deva-Asuras''. In post-Vedic Hindu texts, such as the Puranas and the Itihasas of Hinduism, the ''Devas'' represent the good, and the ''Asuras'' the bad. In some medieval works of Indian literature, ''Devas'' are also referred to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asikni (goddess)
In Hindu mythology, Asikni ( sa, असिक्नी, Asiknī, the dark one' or 'night), also known as Panchajani and Virani, is a consort of Daksha in the Puranic pantheon. Most scriptures mention her as the mother of 6000 sons and 60 daughters. Etymology and epithets The Sanskrit word "Asikni" means 'dark' or 'night'; it can also refer to "a girl attending woman's apartment". The word is used in the ''Rigveda'' (c. 1500 BCE) to describe the river Chenab. She is also known by the patronymic "Panchajani" and "Virani". Life Birth Puranas differ about her parentage. Devi-Bhagavata Purana, Kalika Purana, Garuda Purana, and Brahma Purana note Asikni to have been born of Brahma's left thumb. According to the Bhagavata Purana and Shiva Purana, she was the daughter of Prajapati Panchajana. Brahma Purana, Brahmanda Purana, Vayu Purana, Kalika Purana, Kurma Purana, Padma Purana, Garuda Purana, and Shiva Purana note her to be the daughter of Prajapati Virana. Marriage Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kadru
Kadru () is usually regarded as the daughter of Daksha and the consort of the sage Kashyapa in Hindu scriptures. Kashyapa is the son of Marichi, who is a manasaputra, a mind-born son of Brahma. Kadru is best known as the mother of the nagas, the race of serpents. Legends of Kadru detail her relationship with her elder sister Vinata, who was also one of Kashyapa's many wives. In one story, Kadru and Vinata vie to bear the children of Kashyapa who are more powerful than the other. While Kadru gives birth to a thousand nagas, Vinata bears two sons, Aruṇa and Garuda. Kadru is also portrayed as more scheming and wily than Vinata. She challenges Vinata to guess the colour of the tail of Uchchaihshravas, the divine white horse. After Vinata says the tail is white, Kadru tricks Vinata by directing her sons to coil around the horse's tail, causing it to appear black. As a result, Vinata loses the bet and she and her sons are forced to become the slaves of Kadru and her sons. Anoth ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
.jpg "Click for more on -> Deva (Hinduism)")
