|
Manasa
Manasa () is a Hindu goddess of snakes. She is worshipped mainly in Bihar, Odisha, Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam and other parts of northeastern India and in Uttarakhand, chiefly for the prevention and cure of snakebite, and also for fertility and prosperity. In Hinduism, Manasa is the sister of Shesha and Vasuki, king of Nāgas (serpents), and wife of sage Jaratkaru. She is the mother of the sage Astika. She is also known as ''Vishahari'' (the destroyer of poison), ''Nityā'' (eternal) and ''Padmavati''. In regional tradition, her stories emphasise her bad temper and unhappiness, due to rejection by her father, Shiva, and her husband ( Jaratkaru), and the hate of her stepmother Chandi (Shiva's wife, identified with Parvati in this context). Manasa is depicted as kind to her devotees, but harsh toward people who refuse to worship her. Denied full godhood due to her mixed parentage, Manasa's aim was to fully establish her authority as a goddess, and to acquire steadfast human devo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jaratkaru
Jaratkaru () is a rishi (sage) in Hinduism. He is the husband of the serpent-goddess Manasa and the father of their son, Astika. He appears as a secondary character in the tales of Manasa and Astika. Jaratkaru is described as a great learned sage who practises severe asceticism. Though he wants to remain celibate, he marries Manasa on persuasion of his dead ancestors, who are doomed to fall to hell if he does not procreate. The marriage fails, with hardly any emotional bond between the couple. Jaratkaru finally forsakes Manasa when she wakes him up from his deep slumber, and he feels insulted. However, he blesses Manasa before leaving who gives birth to Astika in his absence. Little is known about his early life before meeting Manasa or his later life, after abandoning her. Etymology The Hindu epic ''Mahabharata'' narrates that Jaratkaru was born in the lineage of the Yayavara Brahmanas and was the only heir of the clan. The etymology of his name is explained in the epic. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manasamangal Kāvya
''Manasamangal Kāvya'' () is recognized as the oldest of the Bengali language, Bengali Mangal-Kāvyas, chronicling the establishment of the snake-goddess Manasa's worship in Bengal. The goddess holds alternative names such as Bisahari, Janguli, and Padmavati.In the Kāvya, she is also derogatorily referred to as "Chyang-muri Kaani"(The One-Eyed Wretch") by Chand Sadagar. Story The narrative of Manasamangal commences with the merchant Chandradhar, or Chand Sadagar, who initially conflicts with Manasa but eventually becomes a devout worshipper. Manasa aspires to convert Chand, a staunch devotee of Shiva, to her worship. However, he not only refuses to worship her but also denies her deity status. In retaliation, Manasa ruins seven of Chand's ships and takes the lives of his sons. Behula, the new bride of Chand’s youngest son, Lakhindar, challenges the goddess with her unwavering courage and deep love for her husband, subsequently reviving Chand’s sons and their ships. Only af ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naag Panchami
Naga Panchami (Sanskrit: नागपञ्चमी, IAST: ''Nāgapañcamī'') is a day of traditional worship of ''naga''s (or najas or nags) or snakes (which are associated with the mythical Nāga beings) observed by Hindus, Jains, and Buddhists throughout India & Nepal, and other countries where Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist adherents live. The worship is offered on the fifth day of bright half of lunar month of Shravana (July/August), according to the Hindu calendar. Some Indian states, such as Karnataka, Rajasthan, Bihar and Gujarat, celebrate Naga Panchami on the dark half (Krishna Paksha) of the same month. As part of the festivities, a Naga or serpent deity made of silver, stone, wood, or a painting is given a reverential bath with milk and their blessings are sought for the welfare of the family. Live snakes, especially cobras, are also worshipped on this day, especially with offerings of milk and generally with the assistance of a snake charmer. In the Mahabharata epic, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vasuki
Vasuki () is the king of the nagas in Hinduism. He is described as having a gem called '' Nagamani'' (serpent's ornament) on his head. Shesha, another king of the nagas and the bed on which Vishnu rests, is his elder brother, and Manasa, another naga, is his sister. In Hindu iconography, he is generally depicted coiling around the neck of Shiva, who is believed to have blessed and worn him as an ornament. He is known in Chinese and Japanese mythology as being one of the "eight Great Dragon Kings" (八大龍王 pinyin: Bādà lóngwáng; Japanese: Hachidai Ryūō), amongst Nanda (Nāgarāja), Upananda, Sāgara (Shakara), Takshaka, Balavan, Anavatapta, and Utpala. Legend Vasuki is one of the sons of the sage Kashyapa and Kadru. He is accorded a significant role in the legend of Samudra Manthana. He is described to have allowed both the devas and the asuras to bind him to Mount Mandara, so that they could use him as their churning rope to extract the amrita from the Oc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astika (Hinduism)
Astika () is a rishi (sage) featured in Hinduism. He is the son of Jaratkaru by the serpent goddess, Manasa. Legend Birth According to the Devi Bhagavata Purana, a sage named Jaratkaru was wandering a forest when he came across his Pitrs (spirits of his forefathers), hanging over a precipice of blades of grass. His forefathers explained to him that they suffered because Jaratkaru had no children, and was the last of his line. In a bid to save his Pitrs from their ordeal, Jaratkaru decided to marry a woman who shared his name. He visited the naga king Vasuki, and married his sister, Manasa, one of whose names was Jaratkaru. At the site of Pushkara, one evening, Jaratkaru slept upon the lap of his wife, and had not performed his prayers at dusk. Facing the dilemma of having to disturb the sleep of her husband so that he may perform his duty, she chose to rouse him. Furious, Jaratkaru decided to leave his wife for this act. When Manasa begged for his forgiveness, Jaratkaru inf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nāga
In various Asian religious traditions, the Nāgas () are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. Furthermore, nāgas are also known as Dragon, dragons and Water spirit, water spirits. A female nāga is called a Nagin, or a Naiṇī Devī, Nagini. According to legend, they are the children of the sage Kashyapa and Kadru. Rituals devoted to these supernatural beings have been taking place throughout South Asia for at least 2,000 years. They are principally depicted in three forms: as entirely human with snakes on the heads and necks, as common serpents, or as half-human, half-snake beings in Hinduism and Buddhism. ''Nagaraja'' is the title given to the king of the nāgas. Narratives of these beings hold cultural significance in the mythological traditions of many South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures, and within Hinduism and Buddhism ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It is the List of states and territories of India by area, 15th largest state by area, and the List of states and union territories of India by population, 14th largest by population. Hindi is the official language of the state. The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub-capital. The state is known for its waterfalls, hills and holy places; Baidyanath Temple, Baidyanath Dham, Parasnath, Maa Dewri Temple, Dewri and Rajrappa are major religious sites. Jharkhand is primarily rural, with about 24% of its population living in cities as of 2011. Jharkhand suffers from what is sometimes termed a resource curse: it accounts for more than 40% of Mining in India, India's mineral production but 39.1% of its populati ... [...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] |
Shesha
Shesha (), also known by his epithets Sheshanaga () and Adishesha (), is a serpentine demigod ( naga) and king of the serpents ( Nagaraja), as well as a primordial being of creation in Hinduism. In the Puranas, Shesha is said to hold all the planets of the universe on his hoods and to constantly sing the glories of Vishnu from all his mouths. He is sometimes referred to as Ananta Shesha. The Narayana form of Vishnu is often depicted as resting on Shesha, accompanied by his consort Lakshmi. Shesha is considered as one of the two mounts of Vishnu alongside Garuda. He is said to have descended upon Earth in the following human forms or incarnations: Lakshmana, brother of Vishnu's incarnation Rama during the Treta Yuga, and according to some traditions, as Balarama, brother of Vishnu's incarnation Krishna during the Dvapara Yuga. According to the Mahabharata (Adi Parva), his father was Kashyapa and his mother Kadru, though in other accounts, he is usually a primordial being cre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Karkotaka
Karkotaka () is a naga king in Hinduism. One of the children of Kashyapa and Kadru, Karkotaka is regarded to have lived in a forest near the Nishadha Kingdom. According to Hindu mythology, he stings King Nala, transforming him into a twisted and ugly shape. Legend Karkotaka once deceived Narada, the divine sage, in a game of chance. Angered, Narada cursed him that he would remain stationary in the forest until he is saved by King Nala. In the ''Mahabharata'', Karkotaka encountered King Nala when there was a wildfire in the forest where he dwelt, calling out to the king to rescue him. Reducing himself to the size of a thumb, he urged Nala to save him, and the king promptly moved the serpent to a safer spot. Thus, he was freed from Narada's curse. Karkotaka asked the king to step forward ten steps, and after he did so, stung him, causing him to turn ugly. The serpent explained that he had stung the king because the malevolent Kali had possessed him, and the latter should hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kashyapa
Kashyapa (, ) is a revered Vedic sage of Hinduism., Quote: "Kasyapa (Rudra),(Vedic Seer)..." He is one of the Saptarishis, the seven ancient sages of the ''Rigveda''. Kashyapa is the most ancient and venerated rishi, along with the other Saptarishis, listed in the colophon verse in the ''Brihadaranyaka Upanishad''. Kashyapa is an ancient name, referring to many different personalities in the ancient Hindu and Buddhist texts. Name Kashyapa means "turtle" in Sanskrit. According to Michael Witzel, it is related to Avestan ''kasiiapa'', Sogdian ''kyšph'', Kurdish ''kûsî'', New Persian ''kašaf'', ''kaš(a)p'' which mean "tortoise", after which Kashaf Rūd (a river in Turkmenistan and Khorasan) is named. Other relations include to Tokarian B ''kaccāp'' ("brainpan"), Tokarian A ''kāccap'' ("turtle", "tortoise"). Frits Staal agrees that Kaśyapa means 'tortoise', but believes that it is a non-Indo-European word. History Kashyapa is credited with composing a few hymns in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kadru
Kadru (, ) is usually regarded as the daughter of Daksha and the consort of the sage Kashyapa in Hindu scriptures. Kashyapa is the son of Marichi, who is a manasputra, manasaputra, a mind-born son of Brahma. Kadru is best known as the mother of the nāgas, nagas, the race of serpents. Legends of Kadru detail her relationship with her elder sister Vinata, who was also one of Kashyapa's many wives. In one story, Kadru and Vinata vie to bear the children of Kashyapa who are more powerful than the other. While Kadru gives birth to a thousand nagas, Vinata bears two sons, Aruṇa and Garuda. Kadru is also portrayed as more scheming and wily than Vinata. She challenges Vinata to guess the colour of the tail of Uchchaihshravas, the divine white horse. After Vinata says the tail is white, Kadru tricks Vinata by directing her sons to coil around the horse's tail, causing it to appear black. As a result, Vinata loses the bet and she and her sons are forced to become the slaves of Kadru ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
