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Radha-Krishna
Radha-Krishna (IAST , ) is the combined form of the Hindu god Krishna with his chief consort and ''shakti'' Radha. They are regarded as the feminine as well as the masculine realities of God, in several Krishnaite traditions of Vaishnavism. In Krishnaism, Krishna is referred to as ''Svayam Bhagavan'' and Radha is illustrated as the primeval potency of the three main potencies of God, ''Hladini'' (immense spiritual bliss), ''Sandhini'' (eternality), and ''Samvit'' (existential consciousness), of which Radha is an embodiment of the feeling of love towards Krishna (''Hladini''). With Krishna, Radha is acknowledged as the Supreme Goddess. Krishna is said to be satiated only by devotional service in loving servitude, personified by Radha. Various devotees worship her to attain Krishna via her. Radha is also depicted to be Krishna himself, split into two for the purpose of his enjoyment. As per scriptures, Radha is considered as the complete incarnation of Mahalakshmi. It is believ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radha
Radha (, ), also called Radhika, is a Hindu goddess and the chief consort of the god Krishna. She is the goddess of love, tenderness, compassion, and devotion. In scriptures, Radha is mentioned as the avatar of Lakshmi and also as the Prakṛti, Mūlaprakriti, the Supreme goddess, who is the feminine counterpart and internal potency (''hladini shakti'') of Krishna. Radha accompanies Krishna in all his incarnations. Radha's birthday is celebrated every year on the occasion of Radhashtami. In relation with Krishna, Radha has dual representation—the lover consort as well as his married consort. Traditions like Nimbarka Sampradaya worship Radha as the eternal consort and wedded wife of Krishna. In contrast, traditions like Gaudiya Vaishnavism revere her as Krishna's lover and the divine consort. In Radha Vallabha Sampradaya and Haridasi Sampradaya, only Radha is worshipped as the Brahman, Supreme being. Elsewhere, she is venerated with Krishna as his principal consort in Nim ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karthik Purnima
Kartika Purnima (), also known as Kartika Pournami, is a Hindu, Sikh, and Jain cultural festival that is celebrated on ''purnima'' (full moon day), the 15th day of the lunar month Kartika. It falls on November or December of the Gregorian calendar and is also known as Tripurari Purnima or Deva-Deepavali, the gods's festival of lights. Karthika Deepam is a related festival that is celebrated in South India and Sri Lanka on a different date. It follows Diwali by about 15 days. Significance Radha-Krishna In Vaishnavite tradition, this day is considered significant and special for the worship of both Radha and Krishna. It is believed that on this day, Radha-Krishna performed rasalila with their gopis. At Jagannath Temple, Puri and all other Radha-Krishna temples, a sacred vow is observed throughout Kartika month, and performances of raaslila are organized on the day of Kartika Purnima. According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Krishna worshipped Radha on this day. Shiva ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Krishnaism
Krishnaism is a term used in scholarly circles to describe large group of independent Hinduism, Hindu traditions—sampradayas related to Vaishnavism—that center on the devotion to Krishna as ''Svayam Bhagavan'', ''Ishvara'', ''Para Brahman'', who is the source of all reality, not simply an avatar of Vishnu. This is its difference from such Vaishnavite groupings as Sri Vaishnavism, Sadh Vaishnavism, Ramanandi, Ramaism, Radha Vallabh Sampradaya, Radhaism, Sitaism etc. There is also a personal Krishnaism, that is devotion to Krishna outside of any tradition and community, as in the case of the saint-poet Meera Bai. Leading scholars do not define Krishnaism as a suborder or offshoot of Vaishnavism, considering it at least a parallel and no less ancient current of Hinduism. The teachings of the ''Bhagavad Gita'' can be considered as the first Krishnaite system of theology. Krishnaism originated in the late centuries BCE from the followers of the heroic Vāsudeva Krishna, which a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Janmashtami
Krishna Janmashtami (), also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. In certain Hindu texts, such as the ''Gita Govinda'', Krishna has been identified as supreme God and the source of all avatars. Krishna's birth is celebrated and observed on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight ( Krishna Paksha) in Shravana Masa (according to the amanta tradition). According to the purnimanta tradition), Krishna's birth is celebrated on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the dark fortnight (Krishna Paksha) in Bhadrapada Masa. This overlaps with August or September of the Gregorian calendar. It is an important festival, particularly in the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The celebratory customs associated with Janmashtami include a celebration festival, reading and recitation of religious texts, dance and enactments of the life of Krishna according to the ''Bhaga ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Its followers are called Vaishnavites or ''Vaishnava''s (), and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramanandi Sampradaya, Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively. According to a 2020 estimate by The World Religion Database (WRD), hosted at Boston University’s Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA), Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu sect, constituting about 399 million Hindus. The ancient emergence of Vaishnavism is unclear, and broadly hypothesized as a History of Hinduism, fusion of various regional non-Vedic religions with worship of Vishnu. It is considered a merger of several popular non-Vedic theistic traditio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garga Samhita (Vaishnavite Text)
''Garga Samhita'' () is a Sanskrit-language Vaishnavite scripture based on the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna. Its authorship is attributed to the sage Garga, the head priest of Krishna's clan, Yadava. It is the earliest text that associates Radha Krishna and the gopis with the Holi festival. Chapters ''Garga Samhita'' contains 11 ''khandas'' or parts: See also * Valmiki Samhita * Brahma Samhita The ''Brahma Samhita'' () is a Sanskrit '' Pancharatra'' text, composed of verses of prayer believed to have been spoken by Brahma glorifying Krishna. It is revered within Gaudiya Vaishnavism, whose 16th-century founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu ( ... * Brahma Vaivarta Purana Notes References Further reading * {{cite book , author1=Garga , author2=Danavir Goswami , author3=Kuśakratha Dāsa , title=Śrī Garga-saṃhitā , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pRpMnwEACAAJ , year=2006 , publisher=Rupanuga Vedic College , isbn=978-1-934405-21-5 Includes the o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radha Tantra
The ''Radha Tantra'' (), also known as ''Vāsudevarahasya'' (Vāsudeva's secret) is a Tantric scripture from Bengal that deals with the story of Radha-Krishna in the backdrop of Vrindavan. The scripture is written in the Sanskrit language and is dedicated to the goddess Radha. The Radha Tantra is a Shakta text, despite its direct association with the Vaishnavite deities Radha and Krishna. In the text, Radha is the ''Prakriti-Padmini,'' who is another form or expansion of Mahavidya Tripura Sundari, while Krishna is identified as a masculine form of Kali. Contrary to the theology of Vaishnavism, this text elevates the goddess as the Supreme Being. Besides being mentioned as the independent goddess, a mentor, and spiritual guru of Krishna, Radha in this text is also portrayed as the partner of Krishna who always has the upper hand in their relationship, giving her the new identity of ''Shakta Radha'' (Radha as a goddess of the Shaktism sect). Date The exact date of composition of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
ISKCON Temple, Vrindavan
ISKCON Vrindavan, also called Sri Krishna Balaram Mandir, is one of the major ISKCON temples in the world. It is a Gaudiya Vaishnava temple located in the city of Vrindavan, Mathura district, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu gods Krishna and Balarama. The other deities of temple are Radha Krishna and Gauranga Nityananda. History A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, founder–''acharya'' of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, inaugurated the Krishna Balaram Mandir and installed deities (''murtis'') of Krishna– Balaram, Radha– Shyamasundar, the '' gopis'' Lalita Devi and Vishakha Devi, and Gaura– Nitai on Ram Navami (April 20) 1975. Deities The presiding deities of the temple are Krishna and Balarama at the central altar. On the right altar are Radha Krishna as Sri Sri Radha Shyamsundar with the gopis Lalita and Vishakha. On the left altar are Chaitanya Mahaprabhu with Nityananda, and ISKCON founder ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chaitanya Charitamrita
The ''Chaitanya Charitamrita'' (; ), composed by Krishnadasa Kaviraja in 1557, is written in Bengali with a great number of Sanskrit verses in its devotional, poetic construction, including '' Shikshashtakam''. It is one of the primary biographies detailing the life and teachings of Caitanya Mahāprabhu, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnavism. The stories of Chaitanya's life are mixed with philosophical conversations detailing the process of Bhakti yoga, with special attention given to congregational chanting of the names of Krishna. Contents The Chaitanya Caritamrta is divided into three sections: Adi-lila (''Early pastimes''), Madhya-lila (''Middle pastimes'') and Antya-lila (''Final pastimes''). Each section refers to a particular phase in Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's life: Adi-lila The Adi-lila explains Chaitanya's unique theological identity (Krishna in the mood of Radharani—a combined avatar), his lineage, his closest childhood companions and their lineage, and his devoti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahma Samhita
The ''Brahma Samhita'' () is a Sanskrit '' Pancharatra'' text, composed of verses of prayer believed to have been spoken by Brahma glorifying Krishna. It is revered within Gaudiya Vaishnavism, whose 16th-century founder, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534), rediscovered a part of the work, the 62 verses of chapter five, which had previously been lost for a few centuries, at the Adikesava Perumal Temple, Kanyakumari, in South India. Mitsunori Matsubara, in his ''Pañcarātra Saṁhitās and Early Vaisṇava Theology'' dates the text at c.1300 CE. The text contains a highly esoteric description of Krishna in his abode, Goloka. In 1970, George Harrison produced a modern recording of these prayers performed by devotees of the Radha Krishna Temple in London. Titled " Govinda", the song took its title from the main chorus line of the prayer ''"govindam ādi-puruṣam tam ahaṁ bhajāmi"'', meaning "I worship Govinda, the primeval Lord". This prayer was sung by Yamunā Devi, a d ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gopala Tapani Upanishad
The ''Gopala Tapani Upanishad'' () is a Sanskrit text, and one of the later Upanishads attached to the Atharvaveda. The Gopāla-Tāpanī is one of the four ''Tāpinī'' Upanishads (''Nṛsiṁha'', ''Rāma'', ''Tripurā,'' and ''Gopāla''). This Vaishnava Upanishad belongs to the Tandya school of the Atharvaveda. Like the Gopala-Tapani Upanishad is an anthology of texts that must have pre-existed as separate texts, and were edited into a larger text by one or more ancient Indian scholars. The precise chronology of Gopala-Tapani Upanishad is uncertain, and it is variously dated to have been composed by the 8th to 6th century BCE in India.Steven Rosen (2006), Essential Hinduism, Praeger, , page 218 It is one of the largest Upanishadic compilations, and has eight Prapathakas (literally lectures, chapters), each with many volumes, and each volume contains many verses.Vol II, pp. 809-888. He has translated the Rāma Pūrva and Uttara-tāpinī and the Nṛsiṁha Pūrva and Uttara-t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naradiya Purana
The ''Naradiya Purana'' (, ) or ''Narada Purana'' (), are two Vaishnavism texts written in Sanskrit language. One of the texts is termed as a Major Purana, also called a Mahapurana, while the other is termed as a Minor Purana (''Upapurana''), also referred as ''Brihannaradiya Purana.'' Unlike most Puranas that are encyclopedic, the Brihannaradiya text is focussed almost entirely on Vishnu worship, while the Naradiya text is a compilation of 41 chapters (20%) on Vishnu-worship and rest of the chapters (80%) cover a wide range of topics including a large compilation of ''Mahatmya'' (travel guides) to temples and places along the river Ganges and neighbouring regions. The ''Naradiya Purana'' is notable for dedicating eighteen chapters on other Puranas, one entire chapter summarizing each Major Purana. It is also notable for its verses extolling Buddha in chapter 1.2. History Manuscripts of nearly all the major puranas acknowledge the existence of a major purana named either ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
