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Upakarma
Upakarma (), also called Avani Avittam (, ), Janivarada Hunnime (), Gahma Purnima (), and Jamdhyala Paurnami () is a Vedic ritual practiced by Hindus especially Brahmanas: During the ritual, men change their sacred thread and begin to don a new one. Upakarma is conducted once a year during the Shravana or Dhanishtha nakshatra of the Hindu month of Shravana, when Brahmins change their ''yajñopavītam'' thread with Vedic rituals, making offerings to the rishis who composed the Vedic hymns. The day, also called ''Shravana Purnima'' ("Full Moon of Shravana") in other parts of India, usually occurs the day after the Shravana nakshatra, which marks Kerala's Onam festival. On the following day, usually coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival in North and Central India, the Gayatri Mantra is recited 1,008 times. Samaveda Brahmins perform upakarma and change their thread on the third day of the month of Bhadra. Legend On the full-moon day of the month of Shravana, Vishnu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shraavana
Śrāvaṇa () is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Śrāvaṇa is the fifth month of the year, typically beginning in mid to late July and ending in late August. In the Tamil calendar, it is known as Āadi and is the fifth month of the solar year. In lunar religious calendars, Śrāvaṇa begins on the new moon (according to the amanta tradition) or the full moon (according to the purnimanta tradition) and is the fifth month of the year. ''Srabon'' (; also spelt ''Sravan'') is the fourth month of the solar Bengali calendar. It is also the fourth month of the Nepali calendar. Śrāvaṇa is also the second month of ''Varsha'' (the rainy season). In the solar Assamese calendar it is the fourth month of the year, and is called ''Xaün''. The month of Shravana is very important for the entire Indian subcontinent, as it is connected to the arrival of the south-west monsoons. For many Hindus, the month of Shravana is a month of fasting ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan Quote: m Hindi ''rakśābandhan'' held on the full moon of the month of Savan, when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on the arm of their brothers and receive small gifts of money from them. is a popular and traditionally Hindus, Hindu annual rite or ceremony that is central to a festival of the same name celebrated in South Asia. It is also celebrated in other parts of the world significantly influenced by Hindu culture. On this day, sisters of all ages tie a talisman or amulet called the ''rakhi'' around the wrists of their brothers. The sisters symbolically protect the brothers, receive a gift in return, and traditionally invest the brothers with a share of the responsibility of their potential care. Raksha Bandhan is observed on the last day of the Hindu calendar, Hindu lunar calendar month of Shraavana, Shravana, which typically falls in August. The expression "Raksha Bandhan" (Sanskrit, literally "the bond of protection, obligation, or care") is now ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Upanayana
''Upanayana'' () is a Hindu educational sacrament, one of the traditional saṃskāras or rites of passage that marked the acceptance of a student by a preceptor, such as a ''guru'' or ''acharya'', and an individual's initiation into a school in Hinduism. Some traditions consider the ceremony as a spiritual rebirth for the child or future ''dvija'', twice born. It signifies the acquisition of the knowledge of and the start of a new and disciplined life as a brahmāchārya. The Upanayanam ceremony is arguably the most important rite for Brāhmaṇa, Kṣatriya, and Vaiśya males, ensuring his rights with responsibilities and signifying his advent into adulthood''.'' The tradition is widely discussed in ancient Samskṛta texts of Hinduism and varies regionally. The sacred thread or yajñopavīta (also referred to as ''Janeu'', ''Jandhyam'', ''Pūṇūl, Muñja and Janivara'' Yonya) has become one of the most important identifiers of the ''Upanayana'' ceremony in contemporar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tamas (philosophy)
''Tamas'' (Sanskrit: तमस् ''tamas'', ) is one of the three '' guṇas'' (tendencies, qualities, attributes), a philosophical and psychological concept developed by the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.James G. Lochtefeld, Guna, in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, Vol. 1, Rosen Publishing, , p. 265. The other two qualities are '' rajas'' (passion and activity) and '' sattva'' (purity, goodness). ''Tamas'' is the quality of inertia, inactivity, dullness, or lethargy. Generally it is referred to as the lowest ''guṇa'' of the three. Etymology The Vedic word ''támas'' refers to "darkness." The Indo-European word ''*temH-es'', means "dark", and the Lithuanian word ''tamsa'', mean "darkness." Serbian word "tama" means "darkness". Hinduism In Samkhya philosophy, a is one of three "tendencies, qualities": '' sattva'', '' rajas'' and ''tamas''. This category of qualities have been widely adopted by various schools of Hinduism for categorizing behavior and n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vedas
FIle:Atharva-Veda samhita page 471 illustration.png, upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the ''Atharvaveda''. The Vedas ( or ; ), sometimes collectively called the Veda, 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 Hindu texts, 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 Brahmanas (commentaries on and explanation of rituals, ceremonies and sacrifices – Yajñas), the Aranyakas (text on rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices and symbolic-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: Introduc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brahma
Brahma (, ) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the triple deity, trinity of Para Brahman, supreme divinity that includes Vishnu and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 212–226.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity, Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 218–219. He is associated with creation, knowledge, and the ''Vedas''. Brahma is prominently mentioned in Creation myth, creation legends. In some ''Puranas'', he created himself in a golden embryo known as the Hiranyagarbha. Brahma is frequently identified with the Rigvedic deities, Vedic god Prajapati.;David Leeming (2005), The Oxford Companion to World Mythology, Oxford University Press, , page 54, Quote: "Especially in the Vedanta Hindu Philosophy, Brahman is the Absolute. In the Upanishads, Brahman becomes the eternal first cause, present everywhere and nowhere, always and never. Brahman can be incarnated in Brahma, in Vishnu, in Shiva. To put it another way, eve ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daitya
The daityas () are a race of asuras in Hindu mythology, descended from Kashyapa and his wife, Diti. Prominent members of this race include Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu, and Mahabali, all of whom overran the earth, and required three of Vishnu's avataras to be vanquished. Literature The Manusmṛiti classifies the daityas as good, while placing them at a lower level than the devas: The origin and noteworthy members of this race are specified in the Harivamsha Purana: List of daityas Some of the notable daityas mentioned in Hindu mythology include: *Hiranyaksha – First son of Kashyapa and Diti *Hiranyakashipu – Second son of Kashyapa and Diti * Holikā – First daughter of Kashyapa and Diti * Andhakāsura – Son of Hiraṇyākṣa (Born from the sweat of Śiva) * Prahlāda – Son of Hiraṇyakaśipu * Virocana – Son of Prahlāda, father of Mahābalī * Devamba – Mother of Mahābalī * Mahābalī – Son of Virocana * Bāṇāsura – Son of Mahābalī *Uṣ� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madhu-Kaitabha
Madhu (, ) and Kaitabha (, ), also rendered Madhu-Kaiṭabhas, are the names of two asuras in Hindu texts, Hindu scriptures, and are associated with Hindu cosmology. Legend Madhu and Kaitabha both originated from the earwax within the deity Vishnu's ears, while he was in the meditative state of yoganidra. From his navel, a lotus sprouted, upon which Brahma, the creator, sat contemplating the creation of the cosmos. Two dewdrops of water upon the lotus were created by Vishnu. One drop was as sweet as honey, and from that drop emerged Madhu, imbued with the attribute of tamas (darkness). The other drop was hard, and from it was born Kaiṭabha, imbued with the attribute of rajas (activity). According to the Devi-Bhagavata Purana, Devi Bhagavata Purana, Madhu and Kaitabha originated from Vishnu's earwax, and performed a long period of ''Tapas (Indian religions), tapas'' devoted to the goddess Mahadevi, employing the Vāgbīja mantra. The goddess granted them the boon of death bef ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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] |
Rajas
''Rajas'' (Sanskrit: रजस्) is one of the three '' guṇas'' (tendencies, qualities, attributes), a philosophical and psychological concept developed by the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy.James G. Lochtefeld, Rajas, in The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism: A-M, Vol. 2, Rosen Publishing, , pages 546-547 The other two qualities are ''sattva'' (goodness, balance) and '' tamas'' (lethargy, violence, disorder). ''Rajas'' is innate tendency or quality that drives motion, energy and activity.Ian Whicher (1998), ''The Integrity of the Yoga Darśana'', State University of New York Press, pages 86-87, 124-125, 163-167, 238-243 ''Rajas'' is sometimes translated as passion, where it is used in the sense of activity, without any particular value and it can contextually be either good or bad. ''Rajas'' helps actualize the other two ''guṇa''. In simply it is the mixture of both ''sattva'' and ''tamas''. Description In Samkhya philosophy, a is one of three "tendencies, qualiti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhadra (Hindu Calendar)
Bhadra or Bhadrapada or Bhādo or Bhadraba ( Bengali: ভাদ্র ''bhādro''; Hindi: भादों ''bhādo''; Sanskrit: भाद्रपद ''bhādrapada''; ''Bhādra''; ''Bhādravo''; ''Bhadraba''; ''Bhadô'') is the sixth month of the Hindu calendar, which falls in August and September of the Gregorian calendar.Henderson, Helene. (Ed.) (2005) ''Holidays, festivals, and celebrations of the world dictionary'' Third edition. Electronic edition. Detroit: Omnigraphics, p. xxix. In India's national civil calendar (Shaka calendar), Bhadra is the sixth month of the year, beginning on middle of August and ending on middle of September (date varies). In Hindu astrology, Bhadra begins with the Sun's entry into Leo and is the sixth month of the year. In lunar religious calendars, Bhadra begins on the new moon or full moon in August or September and is the sixth month of the year. The festival of Ganesha Chaturthi, which celebrates the birthday of Ganesha, is observed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mahadevi
Mahadevi (, , IPA: / mɐɦɑd̪eʋiː/), also referred to as Adi Parashakti, and Mahamaya, is the supreme goddess in Hinduism. According to the goddess-centric sect Shaktism, all Hindu gods and goddesses are considered to be manifestations of this great goddess, who is considered as the '' Para Brahman'' or the ultimate reality. Shaktas often worship her as Durga, also believing her to have many other forms. Mahadevi is mentioned as the ''Mulaprakriti'' (Primordial Goddess) in Shakta texts, having five primary forms—Parvati, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Gayatri and Radha—collectively referred to as ''Panchaprakriti''. Besides these, Goddess Tripura Sundari, a form of Devi, is often identified with the supreme goddess Mahadevi in Shaktism. Author Helen T. Boursier says: "In Hindu philosophy, both Lakshmi (primary goddess in Vaishnavism) and Parvati (primary goddess of Shaivism) are identified as manifestations of this great goddess—Mahadevi—and the Shakti or divine power". ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
