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Uchchaihshravas
In Hinduism, Uchchaihshravas ( sa, उच्चैःश्रवस्, Uccaiḥśravas or sa, उच्चैःश्रवा, Uccaiḥśravā, label=none, "long-ears" or "neighing aloud") is a seven-headed flying horse, created during the churning of the milk ocean. It is considered the best of horses, the prototype and the king of the horses. Uchchaihshravas is often described as a '' vahana'' ("vehicle") of Indra (the king of the gods), but is also recorded to be the horse of Bali, the king of the asuras (demons). Uchchaihshravas is said to be snow white in colour. Literature Mahabharata The ''Mahabharata'' mentions that Uchchaihshravas rose from the Samudra Manthana ("churning of the milk ocean") and Indra—the god-king of heaven—seized it and made it his vehicle ( vahana). The stallion rose from the ocean along with other treasures like goddess Lakshmi - the goddess of fortune, who chose Vishnu as her consort, and the amrita - the elixir of life. The l ... [...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. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
White Horses In Mythology
White horses have a special significance in the mythology, mythologies of cultures around the world. They are often associated with the sun chariot,''The Complete Dictionary of Symbols'' by Jack Tresidder, Chronicle Books, 2005, , page 241Google books copy/ref> with warrior-heroes, with fertility (in both mare and stallion manifestations), or with an Eschatology, end-of-time saviour, but other interpretations exist as well. Both white (horse), truly white horses and the more common gray (horse), grey horses, with completely white hair coats, were identified as "white" by various religious and cultural traditions. Portrayal in myth From earliest times, white horses have been mythologised as possessing exceptional properties, transcending the normal world by having wings (e.g. Pegasus from Greek mythology), or having horns (the unicorn). As part of its legendary dimension, the white horse in myth may be depicted with seven heads (Uchaishravas) or eight feet (Sleipnir), sometimes ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vinata
In Hinduism, Vinata is the mother of Aruna and Garuda. She is one of the daughters of Prajapati Daksha. She is married to Kashyapa, along with several of her sisters. She bears him two sons, the elder being Aruna and the younger being Garuda. Legend Vinata is a daughter of Daksha. Kadru is her elder sister, and when they both lived with Kashyapa as his wives, and attended to all his comforts, he blessed them by granting each of them a boon. Kadru asked for a thousand naga sons who should be valiant. Prompted by her sister's demand for sons, Vinata asked for only two sons, who should be more powerful and brighter than Kadru's children. Kashyapa granted them their wishes. After his wives became pregnant, he advised them to look after the children, and then left for his penance in the forest. Birth of Aruna According to the Mahabharata, Kadru went on to lay a thousand eggs, and Vinata, two eggs. Both of them kept their eggs in hot pots. In their five-hundredth year, the eggs of ... [...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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kshirasagara
In Hindu cosmology, the Ocean of Milk (',', ''Malayalam: Pālāḻi'') is the fifth from the centre of the seven oceans. It surrounds the continent known as Krauncha. According to Hindu scriptures, the devas and asuras worked together for a millennium to churn the ocean and release amrita, the nectar of immortal life. It is spoken of in the ''Samudra Manthana'' chapter of the Puranas, a body of ancient Hindu legends. It is called as the ''Tiruparkadal'' (Sacred sea of milk) in Tamil, and is the place where Vishnu reclines over Adishesha, along with his consort, Lakshmi. Etymology "Ocean of Milk" is the English translation of the Sanskrit terms ', ' or ', from ' "milk" and ', ' "water, ocean" or ' "ocean." The term varies across Indic languages, including ''khir sagar'' in Bengali, ''pārkaḍal'' in Tamil, and ''Pāla Kadali'' in Telugu. The Churning of the Ocean One of the most fascinating episodes of Hindu mythology involves the churning of the cosmic ocean in order to ob ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garuda
Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is also the half-brother of the Devas, Daityas, Danavas and Yakshas. He is the son of the sage Kashyapa and Vinata. He is the younger brother of Aruna, the charioteer of the Sun. Garuda is mentioned in several other texts such as the Puranas and the Vedas. Garuda is described as the king of the birds and a kite-like figure. He is shown either in a zoomorphic form (a giant bird with partially open wings) or an anthropomorphic form (a man with wings and some ornithic features). Garuda is generally portrayed as a protector with the power to swiftly travel anywhere, ever vigilant and an enemy of every serpent. He is also known as Tarkshya and Vainateya. Garuda is a part of state insignia of India, Indonesia and Thailand. The Indonesian ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aruṇa
Aruna ( sa, अरुण ) is the charioteer of Surya (Sun god) in Hinduism. He is the elder brother of Garuda. Aruna and Garuda are the sons of Vedic sage Kashyapa and his wife Vinata, daughter of Prajapati Daksha. His children were Sampati and Jatayu. He is also found in Buddhism and Jainism literature and arts. Mythology Birth Aruna is found in different, inconsistent Indian legends. In the epic ''Mahabharata'',Mani p. 55 he was born prematurely and partially developed from an egg. According to this version, Kashyapa Prajapati's two wives Vinata and Kadru wanted to have children. Kashyapa granted them a boon. Kadru asked for one thousand 'Dirghadeha' (meaning long bodied) Nāga (serpent) sons, while Vinata wanted only two yet extremely strong 'Divyadeha' (meaning emitting golden aura from body). Kashyapa blessed them, and then went away to a forest. Later, Kadru gave birth to one thousand eggs, while Vinata gave birth to two eggs. These incubated for five hundred year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nāga
The Nagas (IAST: ''nāga''; Devanāgarī: नाग) are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. A female naga is called a Nagi, or a Nagini. According to legend, they are the children of the sage Kashyapa and Kadru. Rituals devoted to these supernatural beings have been taking place throughout South Asia for at least 2,000 years. They are principally depicted in three forms: as entirely human with snakes on the heads and necks, as common serpents, or as half-human, half-snake beings in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. ''Nagaraja'' is the title given to the king of the nagas. Narratives of these beings hold cultural significance in the mythological traditions of many South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures, and within Hinduism and Buddhism, they are the ancestral origins of the Nagavanshi Kshatriyas. Etymology In Sanskrit, a () ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kamadhenu Uchchaisravas
Kamadhenu ( sa, कामधेनु, , ), also known as Surabhi (, or , ), is a divine bovine-goddess described in Hinduism as the mother of all cows. She is a miraculous cow of plenty who provides her owner whatever he desires and is often portrayed as the mother of other cattle. In iconography, she is generally depicted as a white cow with a female head and breasts, the wings of a bird, and the tail of a peafowl or as a white cow containing various deities within her body. Kamadhenu is not worshipped independently as a goddess. Rather, she is honored by the Hindu veneration of cows, who are regarded her earthly embodiments. Hindu scriptures provide diverse accounts of the birth of Kamadhenu. While some narrate that she emerged from the churning of the cosmic ocean, others describe her as the daughter of the creator god Daksha, and as the wife of the sage Kashyapa. Still other scriptures narrate that Kamadhenu was in the possession of either Jamadagni or Vashista (both a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Svarga
Svarga (), also known as Indraloka and Svargaloka, is the celestial abode of the devas in Hinduism. Svarga is one of the seven higher lokas ( esoteric planes) in Hindu cosmology. Svarga is often translated as heaven, though it is regarded to be not the equivalent of the Abrahamic Heaven. Description Svargaloka is a set of celestial worlds located on and above Mount Meru, where those who had led righteous lives by adhering to the scriptures delight in pleasures, before their next birth on earth. It is described to have been built by the deity Tvashtar, the Vedic architect of the devas. The king of the devas, Indra, is the ruler of Svarga, ruling it with his consort, Indrani. His palace in the abode is called Vaijayanta. This palace holds the famous hall, Sudharma, unrivalled among all the princely courts. The capital of Svarga is Amaravati, and its entrance is guarded by the legendary elephant, Airavata. Svarga is described to be the home of Kamadhenu, the cow of plenty, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kashyapa
Kashyapa ( sa, कश्यप}, ) is a revered Vedic 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, 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 ''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 Tokarian B ''kaccāp'' ("brainpan"), Tokarian A ''kāccap'' ("turtle", "tortoise"). Frits Staal agrees that Kaśyapa means tortoise but ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities. Krishna's birthday is celebrated every year by Hindus on Krishna Janmashtami according to the lunisolar Hindu calendar, which falls in late August or early September of the Gregorian calendar. The anecdotes and narratives of Krishna's life are generally titled as ''Krishna Leela''. He is a central character in the ''Mahabharata'', the '' Bhagavata Purana'', the ''Brahma Vaivarta Purana,'' and the '' Bhagavad Gita'', and is mentioned in many Hindu philosophical, theological, and mythological texts. They portray him in various perspectives: as a god-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero, and the universal supreme being. Quote: "Krsna's various appearances as a di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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