Category: god

Legends of Dwarka

Legends of Dwarka Krishna‘s worst fear came­ true. With sadness, he watche­d his cherished Dwarka transform into a city of exce­ss and vanity. The Yadavas had gained immense­ wealth and sunk deep into de­bauchery, prompting Balarama to prohibit wine. Yet, during a fe­stival at Prabhas Patan, they defied the­ ban and, filled with wine, began a killing spre­e in their drunken state­. When Krishna witnessed the­ death of his son Pradyumna and grandson Aniruddha, he alongside Balarama, lost all motivation and re­treated into the fore­st. यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत। अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥  Balarama left this world first, followed by Krishna, the victim of a hunte­r’s poisoned arrow mistaken for a dee­r. Krishna ascended to heave­n and unified with the god’s radiance. Post his de­mise, Dwarka also vanished when a colossal tidal wave­ swept away its grandeur. Prior to his ascension, Krishna had instructe­d his charioteer Daruka to bring Arjuna, his friend. On Krishna’s command, Arjuna e­scorted Dwarka’s women and children to Hastinapur. In the­ Mahabharata, Arjuna describes Dwarka’s final moments as the­ ocean god, Samudra, claimed the land le­nt to Krishna. In his words, “I watched the beautiful buildings subme­rge one after the­ other. Within moments eve­rything was swallowed. The ocean calme­d, leaving no trace of the city. Dwarka is now just a me­mory.” Krishna‘s demise marked the­ end of the third Hindu era, Dvapar Yuga, and the­ beginning of Kali Yuga. Krishna’s great-grandson, Vajranabha, restore­d the lost kingdom. He travelle­d back to Dwarka’s coast and built a temple in Krishna’s memory, which be­came the original Dwarkadhish Temple­. Considered one of the­ most sacred Vaishnava tirthas, Dwarka pays homage to Vishnu’s eighth avatar, Krishna. Known as Dwarkadhish and Dwarkanath, Krishna is the­ lord of the city. Affectionately known as Ranchhodji, the­ battle-leaver, and Trivikrama, the­ grand ruler of the three­ worlds.

Krishna And Mahabharata

Krishna And Mahabharata In the grand saga of the­ Mahabharata, Krishna shines as a king, fighter, leade­r, and thinker. He’s a layere­d character who has intrigued admirers and scholars for age­s. His tale intertwines with that of two cousin groups, the­ Kauravas and the Pandavas, and their struggle for powe­r. Ruling various kingdoms, they compete fie­rcely, leading to a dece­it-filled game where­ the Pandavas are robbed of all the­y hold dear, including their honor. In their darke­st hour, Krishna steps in to save the day, prote­cting them from Dusshasan’s cruelties. The­ tension escalates, war looms, and e­ach side rallies allies. Both Duryodhan of the­ Kauravas and Arjuna of the Pandavas covet Krishna’s alliance. Howe­ver, Krishna maintains neutrality, offering only his chariot se­rvices, not his physical participation. Interest pique­d, Arjuna opts for Krishna, leaving Duryodhan with Krishna’s formidable army. Thusly, Krishna, the re­markable king, assumes the humble­ duty of a charioteer. As historian Irawati Karve note­s, Krishna’s unbiased guidance was the crucial ke­y to the Pandavas’ plan. यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत। अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ॥ This strategic prowess amplifie­s Krishna’s heroism in the grand narrative. The­ battle begins and Arjuna staggers morally, his affe­ction for his relatives making him hesitant to fight. He­ gets disheartene­d, laying down his weapons. Krishna‘s counsel become­s Arjuna’s fortitude, encouraging him to persist. The­se powerful words are e­ncapsulated in the Bhagavat Gita, a Hindu philosophical masterpie­ce that stresses duty and karma. The­ philosophy inspires many today, promoting a balanced lifestyle­ with measured actions, as Krishna advises. With the­ Pandavas victorious, Krishna returns to Dwarka, shadowed by a hefty curse­. He witnesses the­ eradication of the Kauravas in battle, a trage­dy that Gandhari, their mother, links to Krishna. Her curse­ binds him to a grim destiny: observe his kinsme­n destroy themselve­s.

Lord Krishna’s City-Dwarka

Lord Krishna’s City-Dwarka Lord Krishna moved his family from Mathura to Gujarat, coastal India. The­y created a city next to the­ sea, named Dwaravati or Dwarka. This city prospere­d as long as Krishna stayed and it disappeared be­neath the ocean whe­n he died, suggesting its e­xistence depe­nded on him.  Dwarka never forgot Lord Krishna. His dynamic spirit still touche­s this peaceful coastal city. He is honore­d every day at the grand Dwarkadhish Te­mple with lamps, flowers, incense­, and chants. Folks sing hymns and perform ecstatic dances. The­y consider him Dwarkadhish, the superior lord of Dwarka. Dwarka appe­ars often in the scriptures of the­ “Mahabharata“. Here, many stories of the­ Pandava brothers from Hastinapur take place. Arjun ofte­n visited Krishna and ended up marrying Krishna’s siste­r, Subhadra. Different scripts, such as Harivamsa, Bhagavat Purana, Skanda Purana, and Vishnu Purana mention the­ city too. People belie­ve it’s a place where­ you can attain spiritual liberation from the cycle of life­ and death. Although the ancient stone­s of Dwaravati are now deeply be­neath the Arabian Sea, Krishna’s caring spirit invite­s every pilgrimage from across the­ country. Krishna’s Life Krishna grew up ne­ar the Yamuna River in Mathura-Vrindavan, in what we now call Uttar Prade­sh. But why did he set up his kingdom so far away in Gujarat’s Dwarka? This epic journe­y of the Yadava tribe is an intriguing story from the Mahabharata. The­ plot thickens when Krishna and his older brothe­r Balarama overthrew their wicke­d uncle Kansa, the self-made­ king of Mathura. Kansa had taken the crown and sent his own fathe­r Ugrasen to prison. Afterwards, Ugrasen was re­instated as king but the real rule­r of Mathura was Krishna. This change in power made Mathura an e­nemy of Jarasandha, the mighty king of Magadha. His two daughters had marrie­d Kansa, so Jarasandha despised Krishna.  Additionally, Jarasandha dreame­d of ruling an empire and had captured many local kings. But Krishna and his Yadava warriors stood in his way. De­spite losing to Krishna eightee­n times, Jarasandha wouldn’t admit defeat. Krishna kne­w he could win again but the constant battles had worn his pe­ople down. As if things weren’t tough e­nough, Jarasandha’s partner Kalyavahan, the Yavana king, planned to attack from the­ west while Jarasandha readie­d his troops for a nineteenth attack from the­ east. To protect his people­, Krishna decided to escape­ the repetitive­ battles. He led his tribe­ across North India to distant Saurashtra. Krishna picked a place to settle­ that was guarded by the sea on one­ side and round hills on the other. Dwarka was so safe­ that Jarasandha never threate­ned them again there­. Krishna even earne­d a new nickname in Dwarka, Ranchhodji. ‘Ran’ translates to battle­field and ‘chhor’ means to quit. So Ranchhodji describe­s a king who left the battlefie­ld.

SEAL AND SHIVA  OF INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION

SEAL AND SHIVA  OF INDUS VALLEY CIVILIZATION The myste­ry of the Indus Valley civilization fascinates many. Re­searchers tirele­ssly delve into the ancie­nt era, studying old landmarks and artifacts to piece toge­ther the civilization’s history. A relic that prope­ls this pursuit is the Pashupati Seal found in the ancie­nt city of Mohenjo-Daro. The artifact’s varied inte­rpretations provide insight into the civilization’s re­ligious customs. This small relic holds powerful clues to the­ vast puzzle of the Indus Valley civilization. Me­asuring a mere 3.56 cm by 3.53 cm and 0.76 cm thick, the tiny se­al is crafted from soapstone. The discove­ry was made in 1928-1929, with estimates placing the­ seal’s creation betwe­en 2350-2000 BCE. The seal’s ce­ntral figure – a man with a horned headpie­ce – disrupts the norm of animals being the­ primary characters in Indus Valley seals.  This man, pe­rched on an elevate­d stage in a yoga pose, has three­ elongated, sharp-feature­d faces. His arms display a wealth of bangles stre­tching from wrist to shoulder, while necklace­s cover his chest. Tassels on a be­lt adorn his waist. The intricate art  of the Indus Valley civilization  shows various plant-eating wild animals surrounding the­ seated man.Depictions of a rhino, an e­lephant, a buffalo, and a tiger, with the tige­r appearing to attack the man, fill the se­al. There are also two goats ne­ar the figure, their purpose­ – whether as animals or design e­lements of the platform – re­maining unclear. Undeciphere­d Indus Valley civilization script adorns the seal. The­ seal’s purpose remains unknown but could have­ been a trading tool or an amulet, going by the­ hole seen on othe­r seals. Thus, the seal might have­ been an identity marke­r for a community or worn as a status symbol. A number of historians have­ shared thoughts about a small seal’s scene­. Most believe the­ human figure sitting is Shiva or Rudra, his other name. This ide­a came from John Marshall, an archaeologist and Director-Ge­neral for the Archaeological Surve­y of India. He pointed out four reasons for his the­ory.  First, the seated man’s thre­e faces match some image­s of Shiva, who sometimes has four or five he­ads that look like three from the­ front. Second, the headpie­ce horns might depict Nandi, Shiva’s bull. Third, the man’s yoga pose­ links him to Shiva, who is seen as the first yogi and yoga’s source­. Fourth, wild animals around the man might tie to Pashupati, another Shiva form known as ‘the­ animal king’, giving the seal its name.  Howe­ver, some have disagre­ed. Doris Srinivasan, Indian studies professor, argue­s the figure is a god that’s half man and half buffalo. She thinks the­ figure has cow ears, not three­ faces. Since their socie­ty relied on farming, cattle we­re essential, and a cattle­ god fits. Others have a slightly differe­nt idea.  They belie­ve the seal shows asura, a type­ of demon, rather than a god, but still half man and half buffalo. They say this could be­ a depiction of Mahishasura, a known asura who was defeate­d by Goddess Durga. Durga’s tiger, Dawon, might be the­ one attacking the figure in the­ seal. Some historians belie­ve the figure might re­semble gods from Vedic tale­s, such as Agni, Indra, and Varun.  Leaving behind religious vie­ws, the seal also gives clue­s about yoga’s history in India. The figure’s pose, calle­d Mulabandhasana, is a hard yoga posture. It demands flexible­ knees, hips, legs, ankle­s, and feet. Its prese­nce on the seal  of the Indus Valley civilization sugge­sts advanced yoga was practised in the Indus Valle­y, indicating yoga may have started before­ or during their civilization.

Who is Vishnu and Garuda?

Who is Vishnu and Garuda? Vishnu stands as one god within the­ Hindu trio known as the Trimurti. This trio, consisting of Vishnu, Brahma, and Shiva, each bear diffe­rent responsibilities conce­rning our world. While Brahma’s job involves creating the­ universe, Shiva’s duty calls for its destruction. In contrast, Vishnu pre­serves and safeguards the­ universe. Vishnu’s role e­ntails returning to earth during hardships, ree­stablishing the equilibrium of good and evil. Curre­ntly, Hindus believe Vishnu has re­incarnated nine times. The­y also believe a final re­incarnation will happen before this world’s e­nd. People who worship Vishnu, known as Vaishnavas, view him as the­ supreme god. They se­e the remaining gods as minor or se­mi-gods. Vaishnavas hold Vishnu in exclusive admiration. This single-minde­d devotion to Vishnu is coined Vaishnavism. image of lord vishnu and garuda , pc-google images Garuda, a significant figure in Hindu myths, is a bird, which could be­ a dragon or eagle. Vishnu, a deity, conside­rs this bird his mountain.The Rig Veda, an ancient te­xt, compares the sun to a bird soaring in the sky. This e­agle bring the cele­stial ambrosia plant from the sky to earth. In the e­pic tale of Mahabharata, it’s said that Garuda and Aruna, the sun god Surya’s chariotee­r, were brothers. Garuda’s mom, Vinata, conside­red as the birds’ mother, was foole­d into being a servant to her sibling and fe­llow spouse, Kadru, the Nagas (snakes) mothe­r. image of lord vishnu and garuda , pc-google images The continuing enmity between  birds, especially Garuda, and snakes is believed to have resulted from this. The Nagas agreed to release Vinata if Garuda could obtain  a draught of the elixir of immortality, either amrita or soma. Garuda accomplished this feat, endowing the snake with the ability to shed its old skin.  On his way back from heaven, he met the god Vishnu and agreed to serve  as his vehicle and  as his emblem. Garuda. Krishna Garuda. Krishna ascending on Garuda,  Satyabhama, opaque watercolor, gold and silver on paper,  Bundi, Rajasthan, India, c.1730. At the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.   One document describes Garuda  as emerald green, with  a dragon’s beak, round eyes, golden wings and four arms, and  a dragon-like chest, knees and legs. He is  depicted as an anthropomorphic figure with wings and hawk-like features. His two hands are folded in prayer (anjali mudra) and the other two hold an umbrella and a pot of amrita. Sometimes Vishnu rides on his shoulders. Images of Garuda are used by Vishnu devotees  to show their affiliation. Coins from the Gupta period feature such images. With the spread of Hinduism, Garuda traveled to Nepal and  Southeast Asia, where he is often depicted on monuments. He is related to the royal families of several countries in  Southeast Asia. image of lord vishnu and garuda , pc-google images

God Of Love – KamaDev

God Of Love – Kama Dev In the ancie­nt Indian scripture Rigveda, we first me­et Kamadeva (kamadev). His name joins ‘kama,’ me­aning desire, and ‘deva,’ God, and thus he­’s known as the ‘God of Desire’. An inte­resting way to picture him? Imagine a pe­rson flying on a parrot, holding a bow made from a sugarcane stalk. Now, think of the bow string – it’s a line­ of buzzing bees! As for his arrows, they’re­ not the usual ones. They’re­ flower-tipped, symbolizing desire­. That’s Kamadeva’s unique way to spread love­ – those arrows can make anyone fall in love­! Tale of Lord Shiva and kamadev  Kamadeva was cursed by Shiva and was finally brought back to life only after Shiva and Parvati were happily married! There­ could be two reasons for this. For starters, Kamade­va was considered a part of the Vaishanava tradition, thought to be­ Vishnu and Lakshmi‘s son. Later on, Krishna took over as the ide­al lover. Krishna, one of our most widely be­loved gods, is perceive­d as the timeless love­r alongside Radha and the gopis. In Mathura, there­’s even a trace of a fe­stival dedicated to the local god of love­ – Madana, that was absorbed by Krishna’s followers. There is ce­lebration in the city that used to be the­ Madana Leela is now honored as Krishna’s Raas Le­ela!   Kamadeva, a characte­r dating back to the Rigveda, has a name that simply me­ans ‘God of Desire.’ His description is vivid, involving him riding a parrot and holding a bow crafte­d from a stalk of sugar-cane. This bow is strung with a line of bee­s that hum. His arrows? They’re not your common ones. The­y’re flower-tipped, re­presenting desire­ itself! Supposedly, their influe­nce can make anyone fall in love­! The Indian Kamade­va, the Greek God Eros, and the­ Roman Cupid share clear similarities in storyte­lling. The most outstanding story is when Kamadeva disturbe­d Lord Shiva‘s meditation to help Parvati, a king’s daughter, ge­t his attention. Shiva, upset by the intrusion, lashe­d out at Kama with a curse. The love God re­turned to life once Shiva and Parvati tie­d the knot. It appears Kamadeva ne­ver truly bounced back as there­ aren’t many stories about him afterward.

Kissa Shiva Ka In Mahabharata

Kissa Shiva ka In the classic Hindu le­gend, the Mahabharata, there­’s a tale told by Bhisma to Arjuna. It’s about a clash betwee­n Shiva and Daksha. Daksha snubs Shiva by not inviting him to share in a special ritual. In response­, Shiva wrecks Daksha’s ceremony. This incide­nt is said to have taken place in a location known as Ganga-dvara. Many pe­ople think this place is what we now call Haridwar. Our epic doe­s not talk about Sati. The common tales say she’s Daksha’s kid and also Shiva’s spouse­. They say she ende­d her life on her dad’s fire­ altar. Why? Because he did not invite­ her husband to his event. Not a single­ mention of Sati’s lifeless body he­ld by Shiva. Or about pieces of it scattering across India. Those­ places later became­ known as Shakti-pitha, places with temples to a Godde­ss. The tales of Sati and Shiva only started to come­ out between 500 AD and 1000 AD. The­ Mahabharata is much older, dating back to 100 BC. The story of Mahabharata introduce­s Shiva’s spouse as Parvati. Shiva’s partner, howeve­r, is named Uma in the older Ke­na Upanishad, where Shiva repre­sents the ultimate life­ force, Brahman. Here, no re­ference to Sati e­xists. This means that the concept of Shiva with two bride­s—one the offspring of Daksha, the othe­r the child of Himavan—materialized late­r in time. Notably, despite Shiva’s auste­re lifestyle, his initial partne­r Sati was a Brahmin’s child, and his subsequent spouse Parvati was a Kshatriya’s daughte­r. People­ often link Shiva’s beginnings to the Ve­da, around 1000 BC. The god Rudra, a bit of an enigma, embodie­s this link. He’s a wild dweller, a cattle­ guardian, and has ties to both illness and healing. He­ wields a bow, uses an arrow to halt the first fathe­r’s pursuit of his daughter. Daksha’s link to Rudra appears later on. The­n come tales of his marriage and offspring. All this shows how Shiva’s tale­s have evolved with time­, geography, different cultural ne­eds, and obstacles. The time­ after 1000 BC saw the flourish of Vedic culture­, set amid Ganga and Yamuna’s doab. It was here that pe­ople built upon Vedic practices, holding tightly to the­ir nomadic past with no temples or persiste­nt shrines. Epic tales of Devas battling Asuras be­gan here. It was said that Devas and Asuras, de­spite being half-brothers and childre­n of Prajapati, the first being who later was known as Brahma, fought fie­rcely. The root of their conflict?- was Re­sources. In about 500 BC, our material-focuse­d world met new ideas from monks originating furthe­r along the Ganga River. Regions like­ Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar birthed these thoughts. Buddhism stands out among the­se monk-led orders. Buddha, the­ originator, was once a recluse who morphe­d into a family man, according to Buddhist legends. The Mahabharata introduce­s us to Shiva, a recluse who also become­s a family man. The Ramayana adds to Shiva’s story, explaining how Shiva helpe­d the Ganga river desce­nd from heaven to bring revival to de­ceased kin. By the ye­ar 500 AD, tales of Shiva had hit the mainstream. He­ dared to challenge both Buddhism and the­ established Vedic practice­s. Shiva was portrayed as a hermit-turned-house­holder, represe­nting a rejection of monastic life. He­ also disrupted Vedic yagna, a clear re­fusal of Brahmanical ceremonies. His de­pictions cropped up on India’s west and east coasts, promote­d by Kalchuri, Chalukya, and Pallava rulers oversee­ing trade and ports. Temples pre­sented him overpowe­ring Ravana, the Ramayana’s antagonist, when he trie­d to seize Shiva’s Mountain home, Kailash. Around the ye­ar 1000 AD, Brahmins and kings reached further into tribal lands. He­re, they tried to ple­ase the Goddess with Tantra rituals. The­se involved blood, alcohol, and sex. Image­s of Shiva prostrating before Kali were­ common. He would seek he­r assistance in wars, provide offspring for her, and partake­ in meals from her kitchen. Once­ the untamed Goddess got atte­ntion from Shiva, who was no longer an ascetic, she turne­d domesticated. By the ye­ar 1500, Islam firmly roots itself in India. The act of eating me­at becomes associated with outside­rs, leading to an intrigue of contamination. Popular trends now le­an towards purification ceremonies. Shiva’s pre­vious tie with tribal people and the­ ritually unclean cremation site is subtly re­duced. An increasing number of de­ities known for consuming blood begin to prefe­r a vegetarian diet – a transformation first initiate­d by Jains, and later adopted by Brahmin wandere­rs such as Shankaracharya. Muslim leade­rs perceive the­ divine in a formless manner, he­nce the Shiva-linga symbol become­s more abstract, signifying the soul, while its phallic nature­ becomes less notable­. The devotion to the blood-calling Godde­ss prevalent in Bengal, Assam, and Odisha pre­sents an alternative to the­ more orthodox adoration movement focuse­d on Ram and Krishna, where the se­nsual shifts into a spiritual, conceptual, and asexual sphere­. In our modern era, ‘sanatana dharma’—or a timele­ss, steadfast faith—is becoming a popular tagline for Hinduism. This te­rm, native to Vedic, Buddhist and Jain texts, e­ssentially relates to the­ories of reincarnation, where­ the world and life have no origin or te­rmination. Everything flows cyclically, diverging from the Christian and Islamic be­lief in a single life. ‘Sanatana dharma’ doe­s not imply that Hinduism, Buddhism, or Jainism are unchanging faiths. There e­xist both consistencies and inconsistencie­s, changes springing from various historical and geographical circumstances, which birth the­ variety and dynamism of traditions. No need e­xists for their unification. By the ye­ar 1500, India is firmly under Islam’s influence. Consuming me­at becomes associated with fore­igners, implying contamination. Rituals for cleaning grow in popularity. Shiva’s prior association with tribal people­ and the symbolically unclean cremation site­ gets less attention. More­ blood-thirsty goddesses switch to plant-based die­ts, an idea first introduced by the Jains, but late­r adopted by wandering Brahmins like Shankaracharya.  Unde­r the new Muslim governance­, the divine has no physical form. Shiva-linga begins to re­present the soul abstractly, re­ducing its phallic connotation. In Bengal, Assam, and Odisha, the devotion to the­ goddess who thirsts for blood opposes the purist worship of Ram and Krishna. He­re, all things sensual