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Svarbhānu
Svarabhānu ( sa, स्वरभानु, lit=Splendour of Radiance) is an asura traditionally held responsible for solar eclipses in the first four Vedas. The name is also used as an attribute of the asuras Rahu and Ketu in Puranas, who are also connected to the solar eclipse and the lunar eclipse. Legend Svarbhānu is described as an asura twice in the Family Books of the ''Rigveda''. Svarbhānu is described to strike Surya, overshadowing the sun with darkness. Stella Kramrisch considers this act as Svarbhānu as a deity greater than the sun. The Rigveda further narrates after this, the king of heaven - Indra struck down Svarbhānu and sage Atri found the hidden sun and replaced it in the sky. Svarbhanu again appears in the ''Yajurveda'' and the ''Brahmanas''. According to the ''Brahmana''s, Svarbhānu with darkness pierced Āditya (the Sun), whom, however, the gods set free by means of ''svara'' (accents). An assistant of Shukra (Venus), Svarbhānu was also the teacher o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Grahana
Grahana () refers to the Sanskrit term for an eclipse. Eclipses are regarded to be noteworthy phenomena in Hinduism, and legends involving their origin and purpose are featured in Hindu mythology. Literature An eclipse is classified as either as Suryagrahana (''Sūryagrahaṇam''), a solar eclipse, or a Chandragrahana (''Candragrahaṇam''), a lunar eclipse in Hindu literature. Beliefs surrounding eclipses are regarded by scholars to be closely associated with Vedic deities, and were significant in both astrology and astronomy. The origin of eclipses is explained in the Puranic legend of the Samudra Manthana, the churning of the ocean. When the asura named Rahu attempted to pose as a deva to receive amṛtam, the nectar of eternal life, Surya and Chandra, the deities of the sun and the moon, alerted Mohini, the incarnation of Vishnu. Mohini promptly employed her discus to behead the asura, but he had already partaken the nectar, and had become immortal. Rahu's head was exile ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rahu
Rāhu (Sanskrit: राहु, 16px, ☊) is one of the nine major celestial bodies (navagraha) in Hindu texts and the king of meteors. It represents the ascension of the moon in its precessional orbit around the earth, also referred as the north lunar node, and along with Ketu, is a "shadow planet" that causes eclipses. Despite having no physical existence, Rahu has been allocated the status of the planet by ancient seers owing to its strong influence in astrology. Rahu is usually paired with Ketu, another shadow planet. The time of day considered to be under the influence of Rahu is called '' Rāhu kāla'' and is considered inauspicious. As per Hindu astrology, Rahu and Ketu have an orbital cycle of 18 years and are always 180 degrees from each other orbitally (as well as in the birth charts). This coincides with the precessional orbit of the moon or the ~18 year rotational cycle of the lunar ascending and descending nodes on the earth's ecliptic plane. This also correspo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nahusha
Nahusha ( sa, नहुष, translit=Nahuṣa) is a king of the Chandravamsha (Lunar dynasty) in Hindu mythology. He is described to be the son of Āyus, the eldest son of Pururavas, and Prabha, the daughter of Svarbhānu. Literature Nahusha is mentioned often in the Rigveda, starting in Mandala 1. Nahusha reigned from Pratishthana. According to the ''Harivamsha'', the appendix of the epic ''Mahabharata'', he married Viraja, the mind-born daughter of the Pitrs. They had six or seven sons, according to different scriptures. His eldest son Yati became a ''muni'' (ascetic). He was succeeded by his second son, Yayati. In the Shaiva variation of his story, he is said to have married Ashokasundari, the goddess who the daughter of Shiva and Parvati, and she is said to have given birth to Yayati and a hundred daughters of Nahusha. Legend Birth and early life According to the Padma Purana, Parvati and Shiva once went to the Nandana grove. Parvati saw the Kalpavriksha (wish-givin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amrita
''Amrita'' ( sa, अमृत, IAST: ''amṛta''), ''Amrit'' or ''Amata'' in Pali, (also called ''Sudha'', ''Amiy'', ''Ami'') is a Sanskrit word that means "immortality". It is a central concept within Indian religions and is often referred to in ancient Indian texts as an elixir. Its first occurrence is in the Rigveda, where it is considered one of several synonyms for ''soma'', the drink of the devas. Amrita plays a significant role in the Samudra Manthana, and is the cause of the conflict between devas and asuras competing for amrita to obtain immortality. Amrita has varying significance in different Indian religions. The word ''Amrit'' is also a common first name for Sikhs and Hindus, while its feminine form is ''Amritā''. Amrita is cognate to and shares many similarities with ambrosia; both originated from a common Proto-Indo-European source."Ambrosia" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 1, p. 315. Etymology Amrita is composed of the negat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> Indra's myths and powers are similar to other Indo-European deities such as Jupiter, Perun, Perkūnas, Zalmoxis, Taranis, Zeus, and Thor, part of the greater Proto-Indo-European mythology. Indra is the most referred deity in the ''Rigveda''. He is celebrated for his powers, and as the one who killed the great evil (a malevolent type of asura) named Vritra, who obstructed human prosperity and happiness. Indra destroys Vritra and his "deceiving forces", and thereby brings rains and sunshine as the saviour of mankind. He is also an important deity worshipped by the Kalash people, indicating his prominence in ancient Hinduism. Indra's significance diminishes in the post-Vedic Indian literature, but he still plays an important role in various m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kalanemi
Kalanemi () is an asura in Hindu mythology. He is the son of Virochana, and the grandson of Hiranyakashipu. He is slain by Vishnu in the Tarakamaya War, in which he is described to be a commander. In one of his rebirths, in various traditions, he is born as Kamsa, the son of Ugrasena, and becomes the king of Mathura. His nephew, Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, slays him for his tyranny. Kalanemi's daughter, Vrinda, becomes Jalandhara's wife. Etymology Kalanemi is a compound word made up of 'Kala', which means "time", and 'nemi', which means "the felly of a wheel or a portion". It represents the time segment of the wheel of time that denotes "the afternoon leading to sunset". 'Kala' also means "black", perceived to be the asura Kalanemi, who represents the period of darkness that "increases as the day move toward night and as the ''Dvapara Yuga'' moves towards the ''Kali Yuga''." Legend Tarakamaya War In the Padma Purana, Kalanemi fought on the side of Soma and the rest of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harivamsa
The ''Harivamsa'' ( , literally "the genealogy of Hari") is an important work of Sanskrit literature, containing 16,374 shlokas, mostly in the '' anustubh'' metre. The text is also known as the ''Harivamsa Purana.'' This text is believed to be a ''khila'' (appendix or supplement) to the MahabharataThe Mahabharata in Sanskrit: Book I: Chapter 2 in sacred-texts.com website and is traditionally ascribed to . The most celebrated commentary of the ''Mahabharata'' by , the ''Bharata Bhava Deepa'' also covers the ''Ha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
University Of Chicago Press
The University of Chicago Press is the largest and one of the oldest university presses in the United States. It is operated by the University of Chicago and publishes a wide variety of academic titles, including ''The Chicago Manual of Style'', numerous academic journals, and advanced monographs in the academic fields. One of its quasi-independent projects is the BiblioVault, a digital repository for scholarly books. The Press building is located just south of the Midway Plaisance on the University of Chicago campus. History The University of Chicago Press was founded in 1890, making it one of the oldest continuously operating university presses in the United States. Its first published book was Robert F. Harper's ''Assyrian and Babylonian Letters Belonging to the Kouyunjik Collections of the British Museum''. The book sold five copies during its first two years, but by 1900 the University of Chicago Press had published 127 books and pamphlets and 11 scholarly journals, includ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War and the fates of the Kaurava and the Pāṇḍava princes and their successors. It also contains philosophical and devotional material, such as a discussion of the four "goals of life" or ''puruṣārtha'' (12.161). Among the principal works and stories in the ''Mahābhārata'' are the '' Bhagavad Gita'', the story of Damayanti, the story of Shakuntala, the story of Pururava and Urvashi, the story of Savitri and Satyavan, the story of Kacha and Devayani, the story of Rishyasringa and an abbreviated version of the ''Rāmāyaṇa'', often considered as works in their own right. Traditionally, the authorship of the ''Mahābhārata'' is attributed to Vyāsa. There have been many attempts to unravel its historical growth and c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mohini
Mohini (Sanskrit: मोहिनी, ') is the Hindu goddess of enchantment. She is the only female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is portrayed as a ''femme fatale'', an enchantress, who maddens lovers and demons, sometimes leading them to their doom. Mohini is introduced into Hinduism in the narrative epic of the ''Mahabharata''. Here, she appears as a form of Vishnu following the Churning of the Ocean, a mesmerising beauty who distributes the amrita (the elixir of immortality) to the weakened devas (gods) and depriving it to the dominant asuras (demons), allowing the former to defeat the latter with their newfound immortality. Many different legends tell of her various exploits and marriages, including her union with the god Shiva. These tales relate, among other things, the birth of the god Shasta and the destruction of Bhasmasura, the ash-demon. Mohini's main ''modus operandi'' is to trick or beguile those she encounters. She is worshipped throughout Indian culture, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shukra
Shukra (Sanskrit: शुक्र, IAST: ) is a Sanskrit word that means "clear" or "bright". It also has other meanings, such as the name of an ancient lineage of sages who counselled Asuras in Vedic history. In medieval mythology and Hindu astrology, the term refers to the planet Venus, one of the Navagrahas. Hinduism In Hinduism, Shukra is one of the sons of Bhrigu, of the third Manu, one of the ''saptarishis''. He was the guru of Daityas and 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 becoming the fount of knowledge for the devas (gods) and the other half being the knowledge source of the asuras (demons). Shukra, in the Puranas, is blessed by Shiva with Sanjeevini Vidhya after worshipping and impressing Shiva with his devotion. Sanjeevini Vidhya is the knowledge that raises the dead back to life, which he used from time to time to restore ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahmana
The Brahmanas (; Sanskrit: , ''Brāhmaṇam'') are Vedic śruti works attached to the Samhitas (hymns and mantras) of the Rig, Sama, Yajur, and Atharva Vedas. They are a secondary layer or classification of Sanskrit texts embedded within each Veda, which explain and instruct on the performance of Vedic rituals (in which the related Samhitas are recited). In addition to explaining the symbolism and meaning of the Samhitas, Brahmana literature also expounds scientific knowledge of the Vedic Period, including observational astronomy and, particularly in relation to altar construction, geometry. Divergent in nature, some Brahmanas also contain mystical and philosophical material that constitutes Aranyakas and Upanishads. Each Veda has one or more of its own Brahmanas, and each Brahmana is generally associated with a particular Shakha or Vedic school. Less than twenty Brahmanas are currently extant, as most have been lost or destroyed. Dating of the final codification of the ''B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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