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Radharani
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 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 Supreme being. Elsewhere, she is venerated with Krishna as his principal consort in Nimbarka Sampraday ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Radhashtami
Radhashtami () is a Hindu religious day commemorating the birth anniversary of the goddess Radha, the chief consort of the god Krishna. It is celebrated in her birthplace Barsana and the entire Braj region on the eighth day ('' ashtami'') of the bright (waxing) half of the lunar month of Bhadrapada (August - September). Radhashtami falls fifteen days after Krishna Janmashtami. In Vaishnavism, Radha is revered to as the eternal consort of Krishna and worshipped for her unconditional love and unwavering devotion towards him. The festival of Radhashtami suggests that goddess Radha is a significant aspect of the cultural-religious faith system, governing the social life of people. History The Chapter 7 of ''Bhumi Khanda'' of the Sanskrit scripture Padma Purana (Volume 5) provides the detailed information and rituals related to the festival of Radhashtami. In the ''Viṣṇu Khaṇḍa'' of the Skanda Purana, it is mentioned that God Krishna had 16,000 gopis out of which Godd ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barsana
Barsana is a historical town and ''nagar panchayat'' in the Mathura district of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The town holds cultural and religious significance as the birthplace of Hindu goddess Radha, the chief consort of Krishna. Barsana is situated in the Braj region. The main attraction of the town is the historical Radha Rani Temple which attracts huge number of devotees throughout the year. Barsana is an integral part of the Krishna pilgrimage circuit which also includes Mathura, Vrindavan, Govardhan, Kurukshetra and Dwarka. Demographics India census, Barsana had a population of 9215. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Barsana has an average literacy rate of 53%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with 66% of the males and 34% of females literate. 19% of the population is under 6 years of age. Transportation Road Barsana is well connected by roads. One has to follow state highways to get to this town/city. 140 km from New D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vrindavan
Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of the main Gods in Hinduism, spent most of his childhood in this city. Vrindavan has about 5,500 temples dedicated to the worship of Krishna and his chief consort, Radha. It is one of the most sacred places for Vaishnavism, Vaishnava traditions. Vrindavan forms a part of the "Krishna pilgrimage circuit" under development by the Indian Ministry of Tourism. The circuit also includes Mathura, Barsana, Gokul, Govardhan, Kurukshetra, Dwarka and Puri. Etymology The ancient Sanskrit name of the city, (), comes from its groves of ''vṛndā'' (Ocimum tenuiflorum, holy basil) and ''vana'' (Grove (nature), grove, forest). History Vrindavan has an ancient past, associated with Hindu culture and history, and was established in the 16th and 17t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Devi
''Devī'' (; ) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is Deva (Hinduism), ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism. The concept and reverence for goddesses appears in the Vedas, which were composed around the 2nd millennium BCE. However, they did not play a vital role in that era. Goddesses such as Durga, Kali, Lakshmi, Parvati, Radha, Saraswati and Sita have continued to be revered in the modern era. The medieval era Puranas witness a major expansion in mythology and literature associated with Devi, with texts such as the ''Devi Mahatmya'', wherein she manifests as the ultimate truth and supreme power. She has inspired the Shaktism tradition of Hinduism. Further, Devi is viewed as central in the Hindu traditions of Shaktism and Shaivism. Etymology ''Devi'' and ''deva'' are Sanskrit terms found in Vedic literature around the 3rd millennium BCE. ''Deva'' is masculi ... [...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] |
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] |
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] |
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] |
Prakṛti
Prakriti ( ) is "the original or natural form or condition of anything, original or primary substance". It is a key concept in Hinduism, formulated by the '' Samkhya'' school, where it does not refer merely to matter or nature, but includes all cognitive, moral, psychological, emotional, sensorial and physical aspects of reality. ''Prakriti'' has three different innate qualities ( ''guṇas''), whose equilibrium is the basis of all empirical reality, in the form of the five panchamahabhootas (basic elements) – Akasha, Vayu, Agni, Jala, Pruthvi. ''Prakriti'' contrasts with '' Puruṣa'', which is pure awareness and metaphysical consciousness.James G. Lochtefeld (2001), The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, Rosen Publishing, , Pages 224, 265, 520 The term is also found in the texts of other Indian religions such as Jainism and Buddhism. Etymology and meaning ''Prakriti'' (Sanskrit: प्रकृति) is an early Indic concept meaning "making or placing before or at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vrishabhanu
Vrishabhanu (; IAST: ), also spelled as Brushabhanu, is a Yadava chieftain featured in Hindu scriptures. He is described as the father of the goddess Radha, who is the chief consort of god Krishna and also regarded as the incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi in Dvapara Yuga. According to the Padma Purana, Vrishbhanu was the chief of Barsana, and the owner of 10 lakh cows. In his previous birth as King Suchandra, Vrishabhanu is stated to have received a divine boon from Brahma to become the father of goddess Lakshmi in the Dvapara Yuga. Legend Boon In his previous birth, Vrishbhanu was named as Suchandra and was married to Kalavati, the grand-daughter of Daksha Prajapati. After enjoying conjugal relations with Kalavati for a long time, Suchandra retired from his family life and went to the ashrama of sage Agastya. When Kalavati started crying because of being abandoned by her husband, Brahma granted a boon to her that she would reborn with her husband in her next life, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shiva Purana
The ''Shiva Purana'' (original Sanskrit title: Śivapurāṇa (शिवपुराण) and Śivamahāpurāṇa (शिवमहापुराण) is one of eighteen major texts of the '' Purana'' genre of Sanskrit texts in Hinduism, and part of the Shaivism literature corpus. It primarily revolves around the Hindu god Shiva and goddess Parvati, but references and reveres all gods. The ''Shiva Purana'' asserts that it once consisted of 100,000 verses set out in twelve Samhitas (Books); however, the Purana adds that it was abridged by Sage Vyasa before being taught to Romaharshana. The surviving manuscripts exist in many different versions and content, with one major version with seven books (traced to South India), another with six books, while the third version traced to the medieval Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent with no books but two large sections called ''Purva-Khanda'' (Previous Section) and ''Uttara-Khanda'' (Later Section). The two versions that include books, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Holi
Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World Religions, Volume 1, , p. 212 It celebrates the eternal and divine love of the deities Radha and Krishna.R Deepta, A.K. Ramanujan's ‘Mythologies’ Poems: An Analysis, Points of View, Volume XIV, Number 1, Summer 2007, pp. 74–81 Additionally, the day signifies the triumph of good over evil, as it commemorates the victory of Vishnu as Narasimha over Hiranyakashipu.; Holi originated and is predominantly celebrated in the Indian subcontinent, but has also spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the Indian diaspora.Ebeling, Karin (10), Holi, an Indian Festival, and its Reflection in English Media; Die Ordnung des Standard und die Differenzierung der Diskurse: Akten des 41. Linguistischen Kolloquiums in Mannhe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
