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Vasudeva Upanishad
''Vasudeva Upanishad'' () ( sa, वासुदेव उपनिषत्, or ''Vasudevopanishad'' is one of 108 Upanishadic Hindu texts, written in Sanskrit language. It belongs to the Vaishnava sect, which worships Vishnu and his avatar Krishna, and this late medieval era minor Upanishad is attached to the '' Samaveda''. It is one of the 14 Vaishnava Upanishads dedicated to Vaishnava sacred marks, including the Urdhva Pundra - the Vaishnava tilaka. It is described in a sermon by Krishna to the sage Narada. Date The composition date or author of the text is unknown, and is generally regarded as a "late Upanishad", in terms of dating. The use of the word Vasudeva, which is neither found in Samhita layer of Vedic literature nor the Principal Upanishads, states Max Muller, suggests that this text is a relatively modern text. Contents The sage Narada visited the god Krishna, who is called by his patronymic Vasudeva in the text, and asked Krishna about the rules of Urdhva Pun ... [...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] |
Dwarka
Dwarka () is a city and a municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the state of Gujarat in Western India. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at the mouth of the Gulf of Kutch facing the Arabian Sea. Often identified with the Dwarka Kingdom, described in the ''Bhagavata Purana'' as the ancient kingdom of Krishna and is believed to have been the first capital of Gujarat. Dwarka has the Dwarkadhish Temple dedicated to Krishna, which is one of four sacred Hindu pilgrimage sites collectively called the Chardham, which were founded by Adi Shankaracharya (686–717 AD) at the four corners of the country, was established as a monastic center and it forms part of the Dwarka temple complex. Dwarka is also one of the seven-most-ancient religious cities (Sapta Puri) in India. Dwarka is part of the "Krishna pilgrimage circuit" which includes Vrindavan, Mathura, Barsana, Gokul, Govardhan, Kurukshetra and Puri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shankha
A Shankha ( conch shell) has religious ritual importance in Hinduism. It is the shell of any suitable sea snail which had a hole made for the performer's embouchure. In Hindu history, the shankha is a sacred emblem of The Hindu preserver god Vishnu. It is still used as a trumpet in Hindu ritual, and in the past was used as a war trumpet. The shankha is praised in Hindu scriptures as a giver of fame, longevity and prosperity, the cleanser of sin and the abode of goddess Lakshmi, who is the goddess of prosperity and consort of Vishnu. The shankha is displayed in Hindu art in association with Vishnu. As a symbol of water, it is associated with female fertility and serpents (Nāgas). The shankha (representing the conch of the presiding deity of Padmanabhaswamy Temple is a part of the state emblem of the Indian state of Kerala. The symbol was derived from the erstwhile emblems of the Indian princely state of Travancore, and the Kingdom of Cochin. The shankha is one of the eight a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kaumodaki
Kaumodaki () is the gadā (mace) of the Hindu deity Vishnu. Vishnu is often depicted holding the Kaumodaki in one of his four hands; his other attributes are the chakra, the conch, and the lotus. The ''gada'' is also found in the iconography of some of Vishnu's avatars. The name, 'Kaumodak' first appears in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'', where it is associated with Vishnu's avatar, Krishna. The ''gada'' is depicted in images of Vishnu since . While initially unadorned, the size and shape of Kaumodaki vary in depictions. More elaborate design features like flutes and segments were added in depictions of Vishnu's ''gada''. Though the weapon may be depicted as an inanimate ''gada'', Kaumodaki sometimes appears personified as a woman known as Gadadevi or Gadanari in sculptures of Vishnu. In depictions that use this version, Vishnu rests one of his hands on her head, while she herself holds the ''gada'', is seen emerging from it or has the ''gada'' carved on her head/crown. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sudarshana Chakra
Sudarshana Chakra (Sanskrit: सुदर्शन चक्र, lit. "disc of auspicious vision", IAST: Sudarśana Chakra) is a spinning, celestial discus with 108 serrated edges, attributed to Vishnu and Krishna in the Hindu scriptures. The Sudarshana Chakra is generally portrayed on the right rear hand of the four hands of Vishnu, who also holds the Panchajanya (conch), the Kaumodaki (mace), and the Padma (lotus). While in the Rigveda, the Chakra was Vishnu's symbol as the wheel of time and by the late period, the Sudarshana Chakra emerged as an ayudhapurusha (an anthropomorphic form), as a fierce form of Vishnu, used for the destruction of demons. As an ''ayudhapurusha'', the deity is known as Chakraperumal or Chakratalvar. Etymology The word ''Sudarshana'' is derived from two Sanskrit words – ''Su''(सु) meaning "good/auspicious" and ''Darshana'' (दर्शन) meaning "vision". In the Monier-Williams dictionary the word Chakra is derived from the root क् ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Govinda
Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addressed to Krishna, referring to his youthful activity as a cowherd boy. Vishnu, or Krishna, is regarded as the supreme God in the Vaishnava tradition and also by much of the pan-Hindu tradition. Etymology In the word "Govinda", "Govu" means ''Indriyas''. Govinda therefore means the all-pervading, omnipresent ruler of the sense organs, or ''Indriyas''. "Govu" also means 'Vedas'. Hence Govinda is the supreme being who can be known through the Vedas. Govinda can also be translated as "protector of cows". Interpretations ''Govinda'' is a name of Krishna and also appears as the 187th and 539th name of Vishnu in the Vishnu Sahasranama, the 1,000 names of Vishnu.''Sri Vishnu Sahasranama'', commentary by Sri Sankaracharya, pgs. 69 and 115, translat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Achyuta
In Hinduism, Achyuta (IAST: ') is an epithet of Vishnu and appears as the 100th and 318th names in the Vishnu Sahasranama. It is also often used in the Bhagavad Gita as a personal name of Krishna. According to Adi Shankara's commentary on the 1000 Names of Vishnu, Achyuta means "one who will never lose his inherent nature and powers". The name also means "immovable", "unchangeable", and as such is used for "the one who is without the six transformations, beginning with birth". Literature *''"Arjuna said: O infallible one (Achyuta), please draw up my chariot between the two armies so that I may see those present here desiring to fight, and know with whom I must contend in this great trial of arms."'' (Bhagavad Gita Chapter 1, verses 21-22) *Arjuna speaking: ''"Thinking of You as my friend, I have rashly addressed You "O Krishna", "O Yadava", "O my friend", not knowing Your glories. Please forgive whatever I may have done in madness or in love. I have dishonoured You many time ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahmacharya
''Brahmacharya'' (; sa, ब्रह्मचर्य ) is a concept within Indian religions that literally means to stay in conduct within one's own Self. In Yoga, Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism it generally refers to a lifestyle characterized by sexual continence or complete abstinence. In the Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist monastic traditions, ''brahmacharya'' implies, among other things, the mandatory renunciation of sex and marriage. It is considered necessary for a monk's spiritual practice. Western notions of the religious life as practiced in monastic settings mirror these characteristics. Etymology The word ''brahmacharya'' stems from two Sanskrit roots: #''Brahma'' (Devanagari: ब्रह्म) meaning one's own Self, ultimate unchanging reality, absolute consciousness, much discussed in the Upanishads. Brahma is also the Vedic God of creation, no different from the Self or Atman. (''Ayam Ātmā Brahma (अयम् आत्मा ब्रह्म) The Self ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vaidyanatha Dikshita
''Jataka Parijata'' is an Indian astrological text that is ranked alongside Bṛhat Parāśara Horāśāstra of Parāśara Muni, Bṛhat Jātaka of Varāhamihira and Phaladīpikāḥ of Mantreśvara. It is regularly studied as a textbook and a reliable reference-book, and is one of the few books that gives time on the nativity, the other two being Horā Ratnaṃ and Jātaka Bharaṇaṃ. Jataka Parijata (Devanāgarī: , IAST: ) is written in Sanskrit in the usual Śloka-format. Its author, Vaidyanātha Dīkṣita, was probably born c.1425-1450. Many noted scholars and authors like - V.Subramanya Sastri, G.S.Kapoor, Gopesh Kumar Ojha, Bangalore Venkata Raman, Bepin Behari, Gayatri Vasudev, S.S.Chaterjee, Ernst Wilhelm, Hart De Fouw, Arthur Llewellyn Basham, Komilla Sutton - have translated and written commentaries on Jataka Parijata beside referring to its contents in their own works. Jātaka Pārijāta, according to Gopesh Kumar Ojha, was completed in the year 1347 Śa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tulasi
''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulsi'' or ''tulasi'', is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian tropics. ''Tulsi'' is cultivated for religious and traditional medicine purposes, and also for its essential oil. It is widely used as a herbal tea, commonly used in Ayurveda, and has a place within the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, in which devotees perform worship involving holy basil plants or leaves. The variety of ''Ocimum tenuiflorum'' used in Thai cuisine is referred to as Thai holy basil ( th, กะเพรา ''kaphrao'') and is the key herb in phat kaphrao, a stir-fry dish; it is not the same as Thai basil, which is a variety of ''Ocimum basilicum''. In Cambodia, it is known as ''mreah-prov'' ( km, ម្រះព្រៅ). Morphology Holy basil is an erect, many-branched subshrub, tall with hairy stems. Leaves are gr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
