|
Bhavani Ashtaka
The ''Bhavani Ashtaka'' (), also called the Bhavanyashtaka, is an 8th century Hindu '' ashtaka'' written by the philosopher Adi Shankara. Comprising 8 stanzas, the work extols the goddess Bhavani, an epithet of the goddess Durga. Description In the hymn, Adi Shankara proclaims Bhavani, a form of the divine mother, to be his only refuge, help, and source of strength. Hymn The first stanza of the mantra describes the author's veneration of Bhavani: {{Blockquote, text=I have neither father nor mother, neither friend nor a grandson,neither a son nor a daughter, neither a servant nor a husbandNeither have I a wife, nor any learning nor any occupationYou, Bhavani, you are alone my refuge See also * ''Annapurna Stotra'' * ''Mahishasura Mardini Stotra'' * ''Lingashtaka The ''Lingashtaka'' () is a Hinduism, Hindu hymn attributed to the 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankara. An ''Ashtakam, ashtaka'', it comprises 8 stanzas, extolling the lingam, an aniconic form of the deity Shiva ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified by adherence to the concept of ''dharma'', a Ṛta, cosmic order maintained by its followers through rituals and righteous living, as expounded in the Vedas. The word ''Hindu'' is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, it has also been described by the modern term ''Sanātana Dharma'' () emphasizing its eternal nature. ''Vaidika Dharma'' () and ''Arya dharma'' are historical endonyms for Hinduism. Hinduism entails diverse systems of thought, marked by a range of shared Glossary of Hinduism terms, concepts that discuss God in Hinduism, theology, Hindu mythology, mythology, among other topics in Hindu texts, textual sources. Hindu texts have been classified into Śruti () and Smṛti (). The major Hin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion, diffused there from the northwest in the late Bronze Age#South Asia, Bronze Age. Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, the language of classical Hindu philosophy, and of historical texts of Buddhism and Jainism. It was a lingua franca, link language in ancient and medieval South Asia, and upon transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia, East Asia and Central Asia in the early medieval era, it became a language of religion and high culture, and of the political elites in some of these regions. As a result, Sanskrit had a lasting effect on the languages of South Asia, Southeast Asia and East Asia, especially in their formal and learned vocabularies. Sanskrit generally connotes several Indo-Aryan languages# ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Adi Shankara
Adi Shankara (8th c. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya (, ), was an Indian Vedanga, Vedic scholar, Hindu philosophy, philosopher and teacher (''acharya'') of Advaita Vedanta. Reliable information on Shankara's actual life is scant, and his true impact lies in his "iconic representation of Hinduism, Hindu religion and Hindu culture, culture," despite the fact that most Hindus do not adhere to Advaita Vedanta. Tradition also portrays him as the one who reconciled the various Hindu denominations, sects (Vaishnavism, Shaivism, and Shaktism) with the introduction of the form of Puja (Hinduism), worship, the simultaneous worship of five deities – Ganesha, Surya, Vishnu, Shiva and Devi, arguing that all deities were but different forms of the one Brahman, the invisible Supreme Being.Klaus Klostermaier (2007), A Survey of Hinduism, Third Edition, State University of New York Press, , p. 40 While he is often revered as the most important Indian philosophy, Indian philosoph ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Ashtakam
The term ashtakam (), also often written astakam, is derived from the Sanskrit word ''aṣṭā'', meaning "eight". In context of poetic compositions, 'ashtakam' refers to a particular form of poetry, written in eight stanzas. Form The stanzas in an "ashtakam" are a rhyming quartet with four lines, i.e. end lines rhyme as a-a-a-a. Thus, in an ashtakam generally thirty-two lines are maintained. All these stanzas follow a strict rhyme scheme. The proper rhyme scheme for an astakam is: a-a-a-a/b-b-b-b….. (/ represents a new stanza). The rhyme designs are both ear-rhymes and eye-rhymes. Ear-rhyme where the end letters rhyme in sound and audibility, and eye-rhyme where the end letters appear similar. This rhyme sequence sets the usual structure of the astakam. astakam rhyme consists of identical ("hard-rhyme") or similar ("soft-rhyme") sounds placed at predictable locations, normally the ends of lines for external rhyme or within lines for internal rhyme. Sanskrit language exhibits ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Bhavani
Bhavānī (also known as Bhāvya, Tulajā, Turajā, Tvarita, Aṃbā, Jagadambā and Aṃbē) is an epithet associated with Durga. Bhavani translates to "giver of life," meaning the power of nature or the source of creative energy. She is considered to be a nurturing mother figure who provides for her devotees and also plays the role of dispensing justice by killing ''evil Asuras''. Bhavani is also called as Parvati or Uma. Etymology Bhavānī is an aspect of Durga, and she is considered to be a mother who provides well for her devotees and plays the role of dispensing justice by killing Asuras. She is often seen as an independent goddess, separate from Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. However, According to the Śiva Purāṇa, Bhavānī is the supreme goddess. Bhavānī (भवानी, “the giver of existence”).—One of the names of the Goddess, Devī, who is regarded as the female principle of the divine; the embodiment of the energies of the Gods. Bhavānī (भवान ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Durga
Durga (, ) is a major Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars. Durga's legend centres around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity, and dharma, representing the power of good over evil. Durga is believed to unleash her divine wrath against the wicked for the liberation of the oppressed, and entails destruction to empower creation. Durga is seen as a motherly figure and often depicted as a beautiful woman, riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon and often defeating demons. She is widely worshipped by the followers of the goddess-centric sect, Shaktism, and has importance in other denominations like Shaivism and Vaishnavism. The most important texts of Shaktism, Devi Mahatmya and Devi Bhagavata Purana, revere Devi (the Goddess) as the primordial creator of the universe and the Brahman (ultimate truth and reali ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Annapurna Stotra
The ''Annapurna Stotra'' () is a Hindu ''stotra'' written by the philosopher Adi Shankara. Comprising 12 verses, the work extols the goddess Annapurna, an aspect of the goddess Parvati. Description The hymn is based on the legend of Annapurna, a form of the goddess Parvati who represents nourishment and sustenance. Her consort, Shiva, is regarded to have begged for food from her to save the inhabitants of earth from starvation after she withdrew all sources of food from living beings. The ''Annapurna Stotra'' is popularly sung in Varanasi in performance of the arati ritual to propitiate the goddess. Hymn The first hymn of the mantra describes the attributes of Annapurna: {{Blockquote, text=''O benign Mother, who pourest out upon us everlasting bliss! Thou, the ocean of beauty! Bestower of boons and fearlessness! O supreme purifier, who washes away all sins! Thou, the visible ruler of the world, the sanctifier of King Himalaya's line! O thou, the Queen Empress of holy Kashi! D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Mahishasura Mardini Stotra
The ''Mahishasura Mardini Stotra'' (, ) is a Hindu ''stotra''. Comprising 21 verses, the work extols the goddess Durga, a principal aspect of the supreme goddess Mahadevi, and her act of slaying the asura Mahishasura. Etymology ''Mahiṣāsuramardinī'' is an epithet of Durga, literally meaning, "the slayer of the demon Mahisha", and a ''stotra'' is a eulogistic work. Description The authorship of the ''Mahishasura Mardini Stotra'' is attributed to the theologian Adi Shankara. This hymn is mentioned in the 53rd chapter of the 1st portion of the text '' Shivarahasya Purana''. The hymn is based on the text ''Devi Mahatmya'', referencing a number of legends of the goddess Durga such as slaying Mahishasura, Raktabija, as well as Chanda and Munda, as well as generally praising her attributes. According to the ''Devi Mahatmya'', in the legend called the ''Mahishasura Vadha'', furious about the asuras under Mahishasura expelling the devas and overrunning Svarga, the Trimurti (supr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Lingashtaka
The ''Lingashtaka'' () is a Hinduism, Hindu hymn attributed to the 8th-century philosopher Adi Shankara. An ''Ashtakam, ashtaka'', it comprises 8 stanzas, extolling the lingam, an aniconic form of the deity Shiva. Legend According to the ''Shiva Purana'', when Brahma and Vishnu disputed their superiority over the other, Shiva manifested before them as a massive Jyotirlinga, pillar of light. The two deities travelled along the length of the pillar in opposite directions to locate the end. While Vishnu confessed that he had been unable to locate the end, Brahma lied about having achieved his goal, proclaiming his victory. Shiva punished Brahma for his falsehood by creating Bhairava, who decapitated one of Brahma's Panchamukha, five heads. Shiva announced that Brahma would not be worshipped by humans thence; he rewarded Vishnu for his honesty by announcing that he would be widely worshipped in the same manner as himself. Brahma was forgiven following the intercession of Vishnu. Follo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Hindu Mantras
A mantra ( ; Pali: ''mantra'') or mantram (Devanagari: मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words (most often in an Indo-Iranian language like Sanskrit or Avestan) 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 a literal meaning, while others do not. ꣽ, ॐ (Aum, Om) serves as an important mantra in various Indian religions. Specifically, it is an example of a seed syllable mantra ( bijamantra). It is believed to be the first sound in Hinduism and as the sonic essence of the absolute divine reality. Longer mantras are phrases with several syllables, names and words. These phrases may have spiritual interpretations such as a name of a deity, a longing for truth, reality, light, immortality, peace, love, knowledge, and action. Examples of lon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
Shaktism
Shaktism () is a major Hindu denomination in which the God in Hinduism, deity or metaphysics, metaphysical reality is considered metaphorically to be a woman. Shaktism involves a galaxy of goddesses, all regarded as different aspects, manifestations, or personifications of the divine feminine energy called ''Shakti''. It includes various modes of worship, ranging from those focused on the most worshipped Durga, to gracious Parvati, and the fierce Kali. After the decline of Buddhism in India, various Hindu and Buddhist goddesses were combined to form the Mahavidya, a Pantheon (religion), pantheon of ten goddesses. The most common forms of the Mahadevi worshipped in Shaktism include: Durga, Kali, Saraswati, Lakshmi, Parvati, and Tripura Sundari. Also worshipped are the various Gramadevatas across the Indian villages. Shaktism also encompasses various Tantra#Śaiva and Śākta tantra, tantric sub-traditions, including Vidyapitha and Kulamārga. Shaktism emphasizes that intense ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] [Amazon] |
