Adi Shankara
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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 ...
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Jagadguru
, literally meaning " of the universe", is a title used in . Traditionally, it has been bestowed upon or used for belonging to the school (among the six traditional schools of thought in Hinduism) who have written Sanskrit commentaries on the (literally, 'the three sources') – the (the original scripture of ), the (part of the ) and the principal . Historically, ''jagadguru''s have established a lineage () and an institution to spread '' dharma.'' They bring forth a new and authoritative interpretation of the scriptures that can unify or redefine the spiritual understanding of generations. Origin and history of the term is of Sanskrit origin where ''jagat'' means 'the entire world' and ''guru'' means 'spiritual master' (literally, 'dispeller of darkness'). In the classics and scriptures, the word has been used for several Devas. In the , Arjuna addresses as the 'Supreme Master of the entire world'. Adi Shankaracharya uses the title for in his . The Sanskrit poet us ...
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Raja Ravi Varma
Raja Ravi Varma () (29 April 1848 – 2 October 1906) was an Indian painter and artist. His works are one of the best examples of the fusion of European academic art with a purely Indian sensibility and iconography. Especially, he was notable for making affordable Lithography, lithographs of his paintings available to the public, which greatly enhanced his reach and influence as a painter and public figure. His lithographs increased the involvement of common people with fine arts and defined artistic tastes among the common people. Furthermore, his religious depictions of Hindu deities and works from Indian epic poetry and Puranas have received profound acclaim. He was part of the royal family of erstwhile Parappanad, Malappuram district. Raja Ravi Varma was closely related to the royal family of Travancore of present-day Kerala state in India. Later in his life, two of his granddaughters were adopted into the royal family. Personal life Raja Ravi Varma was born M. R. Ry. Rav ...
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Brahman
In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the Vedic Upanishads, ''Brahman'' constitutes the fundamental reality that transcends the duality of existence and non-existence. It serves as the absolute ground from which time, space, and natural law emerge. It represents an unchanging, eternal principle that exists beyond all boundaries and constraints. Because it transcends all limitation, ''Brahman'' ultimately defies complete description or categorization through language. In major schools of Hindu philosophy, it is the non-physical, efficient, formal and final cause of all that exists.For dualism school of Hinduism, see: Francis X. Clooney (2010), ''Hindu God, Christian God: How Reason Helps Break Down the Boundaries between Religions'', Oxford University Press, , pages 51–58, 11 ...
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Digvijaya (conquest)
Digvijaya, (Sanskrit: दिग्विजय; ''Dig'':''"Direction"'' and ''Vijaya'':''"Victory"''), in ancient India was originally a Sanskrit term that meant conquest of the "four quarters", in a military or a moral context. In medieval times, it came to refer to the religious conquest by reputed founders of the major Hindu renunciate traditions, namely Madhva, Sankara, Chaitanya, and Vallabha. Military and moral conquest ''Digvijaya'' as a military conquest is often mentioned in Indian history and mythology, for example, the digvijaya of Bharata Chakravartin. It was followed by rituals confirming the divine grace and imperial authority of the conqueror. With his conquest, the Chakravartin unified India as a "moral empire" governed by a higher order. The Buddhist Digha Nikaya ''(Chapter 26.6-7)'', also talks about a wheel-turning monarch ( Cakravartin), who propagates ''Dharma'' in the four corners under his rulership. Religious conquest According to Sax, the religious con ...
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Chakravarti (Sanskrit Term)
A ''chakravarti'' (, ) is an ideal (or idealized) universal ruler, in Indian history, the history, and Dharmic religion, religion of India. The concept is present in Indian subcontinent cultural traditions, narrative myths and lore. There are three types of chakravarti: ''chakravala chakravarti'', an emperor who rules over all four of the continents (i.e., a universal monarch); ''dvipa chakravarti'', a ruler who governs only one of those continents; and ''pradesha chakravarti'', a monarch who leads the people of only a part of a continent, the equivalent of a local king. Dvipa chakravarti is particularly one who rules the entire Indian subcontinent (as in the case of the Mauryan Empire). The first references to a ''Chakravala Chakravartin'' appear in monuments from the time of the early Maurya Empire, in the 4th to 3rd century BCE, in reference to Ashoka, Emperor Ashoka. The word is a bahuvrihi, bahuvrīhi compound word, translating to "one who move the wheels", in the sense ...
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Agama (Hinduism)
The Agamas (Devanagari: , IAST: ) are a collection of several Tantras (Hinduism), Tantric literature and religious text, scriptures of Hindu schools.Julius Lipner (2004), Hinduism: the way of the banyan, in The Hindu World (Editors: Sushil Mittal and Gene Thursby), Routledge, , pages 27–28 The term literally means tradition or "that which has come down", and the Agama texts describe cosmology, epistemology, philosophical doctrines, precepts on meditation and practices, four kinds of yoga, mantras, temple construction, deity worship and ways to attain sixfold desires. These canonical texts are in Sanskrit and Tamil language, Tamil. The three main branches of Agama texts are Shaivism, Shaiva, Vaishnavism, Vaishnava and Shaktism, Shakta. The Agamic traditions are sometimes called Tantrism, although the term "Tantra" is usually used specifically to refer to Shakta Agamas.Mariasusai Dhavamony (1999), Hindu Spirituality, Gregorian University and Biblical Press, , pages 31–34 with fo ...
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Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hinduism, Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belonging to the Yadava clan of Lunar dynasty, Chandravamsa lineage. The empire rose to prominence as a culmination of attempts by the southern powers to ward off Muslim invasions of India, Muslim invasions by the end of the 13th century. At its peak in the early 16th century under Krishnadevaraya, it subjugated almost all of Southern India's ruling dynasties and pushed the Deccan sultanates beyond the Tungabhadra River, Tungabhadra-Krishna River, Krishna River doab region, in addition to annexing the Gajapati Empire (Odisha) up to the Krishna River, becoming one of the most prominent states in India. The empire's territory covered most of the lands of the modern-day Indian states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa, and some pa ...
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List Of Vijayanagara Emperors
The Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646) was the most prominent medieval Hindu empire of southern India. It was established on the banks of Tungabhadra River in present-day Karnataka and consisted of parts or all of the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana, Maharashtra and Sri Lanka. The Vijayanagara Empire was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty. Under the rule of Krishnadevaraya, the empire reached its peak. The empire lasted until 1646, although its power greatly declined after a major military defeat in the Battle of Talikota in 1565 by the combined armies of the Deccan sultanates. Family trees Sangama dynasty Saluva dynasty Tuluva dynasty Aravidu dynasty List of Emperors Vijayanagara Empire (1336–1646) was ruled by four different dynasties for abo ...
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14th Century
The 14th century lasted from 1 January 1301 (represented by the Roman numerals MCCCI) to 31 December 1400 (MCD). It is estimated that the century witnessed the death of more than 45 million lives from political and natural disasters in both Europe and the Mongol Empire. West Africa experienced economic growth and prosperity. In Europe, the Black Death claimed 25 million lives wiping out one third of the European population while the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of France fought in the protracted Hundred Years' War after the death of King Charles IV of France led to a claim to the French throne by King Edward III of England. This period is considered the height of chivalry and marks the beginning of strong separate identities for both England and France as well as the foundation of the Italian Renaissance and the Ottoman Empire. In Asia, Tamerlane (Timur), established the Timurid Empire, history's third largest empire to have been ever established by a single conqueror. ...
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11th Century
The 11th century is the period from 1001 (represented by the Roman numerals MI) through 1100 (MC) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the 1st century of the 2nd millennium. In the history of Europe, this period is considered the early part of the High Middle Ages. There was, after a brief ascendancy, a sudden decline of Byzantine Empire, Byzantine power and a rise of Normans, Norman domination over much of Europe, along with the prominent role in Europe of notably influential popes. Christendom experienced a formal schism in this century which had been developing over previous centuries between the Latin West and Byzantine East, causing a split in its two largest denominations to this day: Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. In Song dynasty China and the Islamic Golden Age, classical Islamic world, this century marked the high point for both classical History of science and technology in China, Chinese civilization, science and Technology of the Song dynasty, techn ...
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Jainism
Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four , supreme preachers of ''dharma''. The first in the current time cycle is Rishabhadeva, who tradition holds lived millions of years ago; the 23rd is Parshvanatha, traditionally dated to the 9th century Common Era, BCE; and the 24th is Mahāvīra, Mahavira, who lived . Jainism is considered an eternal ''dharma'' with the guiding every time cycle of the Jain cosmology, cosmology. Central to understanding Jain philosophy is the concept of ''bhedavijñāna'', or the clear distinction in the nature of the soul and non-soul entities. This principle underscores the innate purity and potential for liberation within every Jīva (Jainism), soul, distinct from the physical and menta ...
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