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Seemantham
''Seemantham/Seemantha'' or ''Pumsavana Seemantham'', is a Hindu tradition, carried out during the 7th or 9th month of a pregnancy. Although in ancient times ''Seemantham'' was performed on the birth of each child, today it may be limited to the first born. Another small function called Valaikappu, is also done, in the early morning hours of the day of the seemantham. It means, literally bangles for protection. The expecting mother is adorned with lots of bangles, starting with one made from neem stem, then one in silver & one in gold, followed by glass bangles. Valaikappu can also be done as a separate function, though nowadays, for convenience, it's done early in the morning, before seemantham. The word "Seemantham/Seemantha" refers to parting the hair just above the eyebrow where the Goddess of Wealth, Sri Mahalakshmi, resides. This leads to the practice of applying ''kumkum'' to the parting in order to propitiate the Goddess Sri Lakshmi such that when a woman delivers a chil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Simantonnayana
Simantonnayana ( sa, सीमन्तोन्नयन, ) (literally: parting the hair) is the third of the 16 saṃskāras ( sacraments, rites of passage) in the ancient texts of Hinduism. It is observed in the last trimester of pregnancy to wish for safe delivery and is similar to a baby shower.Pandey, R.B. (1962, reprint 2003). ''The Hindu Sacraments (Saṁskāra)'' in S. Radhakrishnan (ed.) ''The Cultural Heritage of India'', Vol.II, Kolkata:The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture, , pp.390-413 The authorities are not unanimous whether this saṃskāra should be performed for the first child or it should be performed for every child.Pandey, Rajbali (1969, reprint 2002). ''Hindu Saṁskāras: Socio-Religious Study of the Hindu Sacraments'', Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, , pp.64-9 Description Simantonnayana, also called ''Simanta'' or ''Simantakarana'', literally means "parting the hair upwards".PV KaneSamskara, Chapter VI History of Dharmasastras, Vol II, Part I, Bhandar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valaikaapu
Valaikaappu (வளைகாப்பு) is a prenatal ceremony or celebration similar tbaby-shower held by South Indian women in Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, meant to bless a pregnant woman, celebrate her fertility, and prepare the baby and mother-to-be for a safe birth. It is typically held at the 7th month or the 9th month of the pregnancy. It is widely practiced among both the urban and rural populations of the region. Etymology The etymology could be related to two Tamil words that mean bangles: valaiyal (வளையல்) which is typically a glass bangle, and kaapu (காப்பு), which is often thicker and made of copper or gold. History It is related to the more formal traditions of Seemantham and Simantonnayana dating back to the 4th century BCE, documented in the Kalpa Sutras, possibly part of the Jain (Mahavira) and the slightly later, but contemporary, Buddhism traditions (dated earliest to 6th century BCE). It is practiced widely in South India. V ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahalakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with '' Maya'' ("Illusion"). Along with Parvati and Saraswati, she forms the Tridevi of Hindu goddesses. Within the goddess-oriented Shaktism, Lakshmi is venerated as the prosperity aspect of the Mother goddess. Lakshmi is both the consort and the divine energy (''shakti'') of the Hindu god Vishnu, the Supreme Being of Vaishnavism; she is also the Supreme Goddess in the sect and assists Vishnu to create, protect, and transform the universe. She is an especially prominent figure in Sri Vaishnavism, in which devotion to Lakshmi is deemed to be crucial to reach Vishnu. Whenever Vishnu descended on the earth as an avatar, Lakshmi accompanied him as consort, for example, as Sita and Radha or Rukmini as consorts of Vishnu's avatars Rama and Krishna, respectively. The eight pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kumkum
Kumkuma is a powder used for social and religious markings in India. It is made from turmeric or any other local materials. The turmeric is dried and powdered with a bit of slaked lime, which turns the rich yellow powder into a red color. In India, it is known by many names including ''kuṅkumam'' (Sanskrit कुङ्कुमम्, Tamil குங்குமம், and Malayalam കുങ്കുമം), ''kumkuma'' (Telugu కుంకుమ), ''kukum'' ( Konkani कुकूम्), ''kunku'' (Marathi कुंकू and Gujarati કંકુ), ''kumkum'' (Bengali কুমকুম and Hindi कुमकुम), and ''kunkuma'' (Kannada ಕುಂಕುಮ). Application Kumkuma is most often applied by Indians to the forehead. The reason involves the ancient Indian belief that "the human body is divided into seven vortices of energy, called chakras, beginning at the base of the spine and ending at the top of the head. The sixth chakra, also known as the third eye, is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Along with Parvati and Saraswati, she forms the Tridevi of Hindu goddesses. Within the goddess-oriented Shaktism, Lakshmi is venerated as the prosperity aspect of the Mother goddess. Lakshmi is both the consort and the divine energy (''shakti'') of the Hindu god Vishnu, the Supreme Being of Vaishnavism; she is also the Supreme Goddess in the sect and assists Vishnu to create, protect, and transform the universe. She is an especially prominent figure in Sri Vaishnavism, in which devotion to Lakshmi is deemed to be crucial to reach Vishnu. Whenever Vishnu descended on the earth as an avatar, Lakshmi accompanied him as consort, for example, as Sita and Radha or Rukmini as consorts of Vishnu's avatars Rama and Krishna, respectively. The eight ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vedic
upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism. There are four Vedas: the Rigveda, the Yajurveda, the Samaveda and the Atharvaveda. Each Veda has four subdivisions – the Samhitas (mantras and benedictions), the Aranyakas (text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolic-sacrifices), the Brahmanas (commentaries on rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices), and the Upanishads (texts discussing meditation, philosophy and spiritual knowledge).Gavin Flood (1996), ''An Introduction to Hinduism'', Cambridge University Press, , pp. 35–39A Bhattacharya (2006), ''Hindu Dharma: Introduction to Scriptures and Theology'', , pp. 8–14; George M. Williams (2003), Handbook of Hindu Mythology, Oxford University Press, , p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mantra
A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, magical or spiritual powers. Feuerstein, Georg (2003), ''The Deeper Dimension of Yoga''. Shambala Publications, Boston, MA Some mantras have a syntactic structure and literal meaning, while others do not. The earliest mantras were composed in Vedic Sanskrit in India. At its simplest, the word ॐ (Aum, Om) serves as a mantra, it is believed to be the first sound which was originated on earth. Aum sound when produced creates a reverberation in the body which helps the body and mind to be calm. In more sophisticated forms, mantras are melodic phrases with spiritual interpretations such as a human longing for truth, reality, light, immortality, peace, love, knowledge, and action. Some mantras without literal meaning are musically uplifting an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Veena
The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( sa, वीणा IAST: vīṇā), comprises various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps.Vina: Musical Instrument Encyclopædia Britannica (2010) The many regional designs have different names such as the ''Rudra veena'', the ''Saraswati veena'', the ''Vichitra veena'' and others. The North Indian ''rudra veena'', used in Hindustani classical music, is a stick zither. About 3.5 to 4 feet (1 to 1.2 meters) long to fit the measurements of the musician, it has a hollow body and two large resonating gourds under each end. It has four main strings which are melodic, and three auxiliary drone strings. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carnatic Music
Carnatic music, known as or in the Dravidian languages, South Indian languages, is a system of music commonly associated with South India, including the modern Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and Sri Lanka. It is one of two main subgenres of Indian classical music that evolved from ancient Hindu Texts and traditions, particularly the Samaveda. The other subgenre being Hindustani music, which emerged as a distinct form because of Persian or Islamic influences from Northern India. The main emphasis in Carnatic music is on vocal music; most compositions are written to be sung, and even when played on instruments, they are meant to be performed in ''gāyaki'' (singing) style. Although there are stylistic differences, the basic elements of (the relative musical pitch), (the musical sound of a single note), (the mode or melodic formulæ), and (the rhythmic cycles) form the foundation of improvisation and composition in both Carnati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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