"Universal art has succeeded in few materialization of the Divine as powerful and also as balanced. He believed that it is "the greatest representation of the pantheistic god created by the hands of man." He concludes with poetic enthusiasm: "Never have the overflowing sap of life, the pride of force superior to everything, the secret intoxication of the inner god of things been so serenely expressed."
(source: The India I Love - By Marie-Simone Renou p. 88-93).
In the words of Rene Grousset, " The three countenances of the one being are here harmonized without a trace of effort. There are few material representations of the divine principle at once as powerful and as well balanced as this in the art of the whole world. Nay, more, here we have undoubtedly the grandest representation of the pantheistic God ever made by the hand of man...Indeed, never have the exuberant vigor of life, the tumult of universal joy expressing itself in ordered harmony, the pride of a power superior to any other, and the secret exaltation of the divinity immanent in all things found such serenely expressed."
(source: The Civilization of the East – India - by Rene Grousset p.245-6).
The Hindu Trinity also called Trimurti (meaning three forms), is the representation of the three manifestations of the Supreme Reality, as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. Brahma symbolizes creation, Vishnu preservation and renewal, and Shiva dissolution or destruction necessary for recreation. It must be understood that the members of the Hindu Trinity are not three different and independent gods, but three aspects of one Supreme Reality called Bramh by the seers of the Upanishads.
1. Lord Brahma - the first member of the trinity though much less important than the other two, namely Vishnu and Mahesha, is manifested as the active creator of this universe. The name Brahma is not found in the Vedas and the Brahmanas, where the active creator is merely known as Golden-embryo (Hirayna-garbha) or the Lord of Progeny (Praja-pati).
The Mahabharata considers him as born from the embryo which took shape in Vishnu's mind when he began to think of creation.
(image source: India: A concise history - By Francis Watson p. 33).
After the destruction of one universe Vishnu falls asleep, floating on the causal waters. When another universe is to be created, Brahma appears on a lotus, which springs from the navel of Vishnu. Hence Brahma is also called Navel-born (Nabhi-ja) or the Lotus-born (Kinja-ja). When Brahma creates the world it remains in existence for one of his days, which means 2,160,000,000 years in terms of Hindu calendar.
When Brahma goes to sleep after the end of his day, the world and all that is therein is consumed by fire. When he awakes he again restores the whole creation. This goes on till the hundred years of Brahma's life is completed. When this period ends he himself loses his existence, and he all gods and sages, and the whole universe are dissolved into their constituent elements.
Today though Brahma's name is invoked in many religious services, his image is worshipped in only a few temples. Brahma seems to have been thrown into shade probably because in Hindu mind he has ceased to function actively after creation of the world, though he will exert himself again while creating a new universe when this present one will meet its end. Understandably, the legends about this god are not so numerous or rich as those centered round the other two of the trinity.
Brahma has four arms and he holds a lotus flower, his sceptre, his bow parivita, a string of beads, a bowl containing the holy water and the Vedas. He has four heads and is therefore called Chaturanana or Chaturmukha. His vehicle is the swan or goose, the symbol of knowledge. He is therefore said to be riding on the swan (hansa-vahana). He is the source of all knowledge and his consort, Saraswati, is the goddess of knowledge.
2. Lord Vishnu is the central and major deity of the trinity. He is the preserver and for all practical purposes he is deemed to be omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. The name Vishnu comes from the root vish, which means to spread in all directions, "to pervade." Hence, Vishnu is the Pervader.
Lord Vishnu symbolizes the aspect of the Supreme Reality (Bramh of the Upanishads) that preserves and sustains the things and beings in the world. He is symbolized by a human body with four arms. He is portrayed as carrying a conch (shankha), a mace (gada), and discus (chakra). He is blue body and wears yellow clothes. The worship of Lord Vishnu is very popular among Hindus, especially among the followers of the Vaishanava tradition (Vaishnavism). He is the second member of the Hindu Trimurti (trinity). He is also known by other names , such as Vasudeva, Hari, Kesava, Purusottama and Narayana.
It is said that Vishnu is the god of Time, Space and Life. It is also said that he is the god of Joy and that his footsteps are impregnated with infinite sweetness and felicity."
The worshippers of Vishnu, known as Vaishnavas, recognize in him the Supreme Being, out of whom emerge Brahma, the active creator, Vishnu himself the preserver, and Shiva or Rudra, the destructor. Vishnu's preserving, restoring and protecting powers have been manifest on earth in a variety of forms, called Avataras, in which one or more portions of his divine attributes were embodied in the shapes of a human being or an animal or a human-animal combined forms. He is bleu-skinned and in all images and relief he is seen in rich ornaments and regal garments. His wife is Lakshmi or Sri, the goddess of wealth and fortune. His place of abode is Vaikuntha (heaven) and his vehicle is Garuda, a giant-sized eagle .
Vishnu is the infinite ocean from which the world emerges. The blue body of the Lord signifies that He has infinite (as the universe) attributes. The Lord is shown standing or lying down on a thousand-headed snake (named Shesha or Ananta Nag - timeless or ageless snake). The snake stands with its hoods open over the head of the Lord.
The following ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu are described in Hindu mythology and are popular. These incarnations reveal the help rendered by God during various stages of human evolution. The first two incarnations are in the animal form, the third one is half-human and half-animal, and the fourth and the subsequent ones are all in human form. These incarnations relate to human evolution, from aquatic life to human life, and are consistent with modern theory of evolution.
1. Matsya (fish) - saves Sage Manu from floods and recovers the Vedas from demons. The only (ancient) temple for Matsya Vishnu's incarnation at the time of the "great flood" is only found at Shankhodhara in Bet Dwaraka.
2. Kurma (tortoise) - sustains the earth on his back.
3. Varaha (boar) - brings the earth back from the bottom of the ocean where it was dragged down by a demon, known as Hiranyaksha; Varaha kills the demon.
4. Narasimha (man-lion) - kills the demon King Hiranyakashipu, who was planning to kill his own son, a devotee of Lord Vishnu.
5. Vamana (dwarf) - the first human incarnation of the Lord, kills the demon King Mahabhali, who had deprived the gods of their possessions.
6. Parasurama (the warrior with an axe) - saves Brahmins from the tyranny of the arrogant Khastriya.
7. Rama - kills Ravana, the demon king of Lanka. Rama is the Manifestion of Dharma. Ramo Vigrahavan Dharmah
8. Sri Krishna - the most popular incarnation; Krishna's contributions throughout his life include the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.
9. Buddha - Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and accept his teachings, but do not directly worship him.
10.Kalki - (a man on a white horse) - this incarnation is yet to come and will mark the end of all evil in the world.
3. Lord Shiva - The Grace and the Terror of God
Lord Shiva represents the complete cyclic process of generation, destruction, and regeneration of the Universe. The all embracing nature of Lord Shiva is reflected in his 1008 names. Lord Shiva represents the aspect of the Supreme Reality (Bramh of the Upanishads) which continuously recreates, in the cyclic process of creation, preservation, dissolution and recreation. He annihilates evil, grants boons, bestows grace, destroys ignorance, and awakens wisdom in His devotees.
He is also called Rudra. In Yajur-Veda, Rudra is also called "Mahadeva." (Great God).
One of the three great gods of Hinduism, Siva is a living god. The most sacred and most ancient book of India, the Rg Veda, evokes his presence in its hymns; Vedic myths, rituals, and even astronomy itself testify to his existence from the dawn of time. From the dawn of creation, the Great Yogi, the sum of all opposites, has been the guardian of the absolute.
He is the totality of existence - male and female, light and dark, creation and destruction.
Shiva is shown in various ways. Shiva another well-known name is Yogiraja, i.e. the Lord of Yoga.
He is seated on a skin of a tiger, a number of cobras all around his neck, his long matted hair into a mop atop of his head, the crescent that he wears on the mop of his hair, the sacred river Ganga falling from his head and flowing by his side who was brought down from heavens by Bhagiratha, the trident (trishula), the symbol of his power, the sacred bull (Nandi), and the mendicant's bowl. Besides, these symbols another very important physical characteristic of Shiva is his vertical third eye. In Mahabharata, the great Hindu epic, the legend of how Shiva got the third eye is given this way. One day his beautiful consort Parvati (daughter of the King of Himalayas), stealthily went behind Shiva and playfully placed her hands over his eyes. Suddenly darkness engulfed the whole world and all beings trembled in great fear as the lord of the universe had closed his eyes. Suddenly a massive tongue of flame leapt from the forehead of Shiva; a third eye appeared there and this gave light to the world.
Another popular image of Shiva has no human form but is represented by Linga - The Linga of Light
The myth is one of the most popular of the entire Puranic corpus and is told many times
in various settings. It recounts the first appearance of Shiva linga which
pierced the three worlds as a brilliant shaft of light and was witnessed by
Brahma and Vishnu long ago.
The Vedas,
however, testify one by one that neither Brahma nor Vishnu, but Shiva is
supreme. As the two stand in disbelief, a
huge column of fire splits the earth between them and blazes up through the sky
to pierce the highest heavens. Astounded, Brahma and Vishnu decide to
determine the source and extent of this brilliant pillar of light. Vishnu
becomes a boar and burrows deep into the netherworlds. Brahma mounts his goose
and flies as far up as the heavens reach. But even after thousands of years
they cannot find the bottom or the top of the shaft of light. When they have
returned to their starting place, Shiva emerges from the light in his “partial”
bodily form.
The linga of light is thus the image of the supremacy of
Shiva. It is as what Mircea Eliade has called the axis mundi or the pillar
at the center of the world, originating deep in the netherworlds, cracking the
surface of the earth, and splitting the roof of the sky. In this linga
Shiva is not one god among others, but the unfathomable One. This light is the
mysterium tremendum which finally cannot be described or comprehended by any or
all faces and attributes.
The Hindu saint
Ramakrishna Paramhansa has explained it: It is the worship of fatherhood and
motherhood. The devotee worshipping the image prays, “O Lord, please grant me
that I may not be born into this world again; that I may not have to pass again
through a mother’s womb.” In other words it is about Moksha, which means
freedom from the cycle of birth and death but those whose level of thinking
cannot attain those heights naturally see what is most dear and near to them,
sex. The British imperialists tried to defame symbols of Hinduism as a strategy
for the conquest of India
hence there is much misconception regarding Shivalinga.
To the Westerner,
imbued with the Puritan ethics of Christian tradition and Victorian prudery, it
is difficult to grasp the meaning of a Shiva linga.
Prudery was quite
unknown to ancient Indian artists, who had no conception of ‘the sins of the
flesh’ with which Western civilizations are so preoccupied even today. For more
refer to symbols of Hinduism at the bottom of page.
The linga of light was the first linga. After that, Shiva
vowed that this unfathomable linga would become small so that people might have
it as an emblem for their worship. Wherever, the linga is, there is a tirtha,
because the linga by nature is a “crossing place” where the worlds are knit
together by the shaft of Shiva. Other deities have murits, images, but only
Shiva has the world-spanning form of a linga.”
The word linga means an emblem, symbol or a mark and the
worship of this shaft alarmed and horrified many early Western visitors to India. In
Varanasi, at the famed Kedarnath temple there is a Sivalingam in the main
sanctum, which is a low flat rock with speckled light granite on one side, a
line of white granite going across the rock and on the other side dark speckled
granite. The Puranic story is
that this lingam represents a plate of rice and lentils. The linga is certainly
a bisexual symbol but not a phallic symbol alone. The shaft of the linga of
Shiva is set in a circular base, called a "seat." It is the seat of
that divine energy (shaki)
personified as Shiva's female half and
often called by the proper name Shakti. Many ancient civilizations recognized the wonder of this concept- including the Chinese, who represent it somewhat more abstractly in the symbol of Yin and Yang. Thus it depicts the generative symbol or the fountain-source of light, this Linga represents the Lord of the Universe. The phallus aspect has been overdone by western scholars though Linga actually means a 'sign', 'mark' or 'symbol.
(source: Banaras: City of Light - By Diana L. Eck p 107-109).
The Sanskrit-English Dictionary edited by P. K. Gode and C. G. Karve is widely regarded as an authoritative work and it gives a wide range of meanings for lingam:
"The primary meaning given is: “A mark, sign, token, an emblem, a badge, symbol, distinguishing mark, characteristic.”
Shiva-lingam is a sign by which Shiva is symbolized. Note that besides the popular Shiva-lingam of the column or round egg-shaped sign, the Natraja is also the lingam of the dancing Shiva, symbolizing the universe’s creation, sustenance and dissolution. The trishul (“weapon” that pierces the veil of ignorance) is his lingam in the context of yoga, as he is also considered the supreme yogi. The Maitrayaniya-Upanishad (6.10) applies the term lingam to the entire “creation extending from the first principle (mahat)to the particulars (vishesha). It contrasts this with the linga that is “without foundation”, i.e. the unthinkable Reality itself.
In the Mahabharata (12.195.15) the linga is the vehicle, or body, of the transmigrating psyche. The term linga can also denote the phallus or, by extension, the cosmic principle of creativity.
(source: The Meaning of Lingam - By Rajeev Malhotra).
God, to us is not the creator who lives apart from the Universe but has manifested Himself as the Universe and pervades everything within. Thus, He is the indweller in all beings, material and energy. He has no form but at the same time, all forms are His. Linga Purana states, 'The foremost Linga which is devoid of smell, color, taste, hearing, touch, etc, is spoken of as prakriti (nature).
Linga means a "mark" in Sanskrit. It is a symbol that points to an inference.
When one sees a big flood in a river, one infers that there had been heavy rain earlier. When one sees smoke, one infers that there is fire. This vast Universe of countless forms is a Linga of the omnipotent Lord. When a Hindu looks at the Linga, his mind is at once elevated and he thinks of the Lord, especially Lord Siva. A Hindu knows that Lord Siva is formless. Lord Siva has no form of his own; and yet, all forms are His forms. Lord Siva pervades all forms. Every form is the form or Linga of Lord Siva. The Linga is only the outward symbol of the formless being, Lord Siva— Lord Siva incarnate, who is the indivisible, all-pervading, eternal, auspicious, ever-pure, immortal essence of this vast universe, who is the undying soul seated in the chambers of one's heart, who is one's Indweller, innermost Self or Atman and who is identical with the Supreme Brahman.
(source: Sivalinga, the Formless Form - Hinduismtoday.com 2001).
Another image of Ardhanarishwara, represents Lord Shiva as the union of substance and energy, the life principle and Shakti.
Shiva, as Destroyer, needs plenty of power and energy. This is what Parvati, or Durga or Shakti as she is called, provides. It is only the Hindu tradition, which provides, even at the conceptual level, this picture of the male and female principles working together, hand in hand, as equal partners in the universe. This concept is carried further to its logical climax in the form of Ardhanarishwara, formed by the fusion of Shiva and Shakti in one body, each occupying one half of the body, denoting that one is incomplete without the other.
(image source: Hindu Goddesses - By David Kingsley p. 51).
Shivaratri, i.e. Shiva's Night is the famous festival in honor of Lord Shiva. It is held on the 14th night of the dark half moon in the month of Magha (Jan-Feb).
The most celebrated Shiva motif is that of the Nataraja, the Lord of the Dance. The Cosmos is His theatre, there are many different steps in His repertory, He Himself is actor and audience. This is the pose in which Shiva Nataraja has been immortalized in countless beautiful sculptures, especially in South India, each detail of this image is invested with meaning. This image symbolizes the divine activities of God. " Creation arises from the drum, (sound) protection proceeds from the hand of hope, from fire proceeds destruction, from the foot that is planted upon muyalahan (dwarf) proceeds the destruction of evil, the foot held aloft gives deliverance." His serene smile shows his uninvolved transcendence, the three eyes are interpreted as sun, moon, and fire, or as the three powers of Shiva: will, knowledge, and action. The garland of skulls around his neck identifies him as time, and the death of all beings. Chidambaram is where Shiva is said to dance his cosmic drama.
"Grandest of all such representations symbolizing a
synthesis of science, art and religion is the image of Nataraja as the Cosmic
Dancer. The central idea of the dance is creation, preservation, destruction,
giving rest and release.
Rene Grousset (1885-1952) French art historian, gives a fine
interpretation of the image:
“Whether he be surrounded or not by the flaming aureole of
the Tiruvasi (Pabhamandala) – the circle of the world which he both fills and
oversteps – the King of the Dance is all rhythm and exaltation. The tambourine
which he sounds with one of his right hands draws all creatures into this
rhythmic motion and they dance in his company. The conventionalized locks of
flying hair and the blown scarfs tell of the speed of this universal movement,
which crystallizes matter and reduces it to powder in turn. One of his left
hands holds the fire which animates and devours the worlds in this cosmic
whirl. One of the God’s feet is crushing a Titan, for “this dance is danced
upon the bodies of the dead”, yet one of the right hands is making a gesture of
reassurance (abhayamudra), so true it is that, seen from the cosmic point of
view…the very cruelty of this universal determinism is kindly, as the
generative principle of the future. And, indeed, on more than one of our
bronzes the King of the Dance wears a broad smile. He smiles at death and at
life, at pain and at joy, alike, or rather,..his smile is death and life, both
joy and pain…From this lofty point of
view, in fact, all things fall into their place, finding their explanation and
logical compulsion. Here art is the faithful interpreter of a philosophical
concept. The plastic beauty of the rhythm is no more than the expression
of an ideal rhythm. The very multiplicity of arms, puzzling as it may seem at
first sight, is subject in turn to an inward law, each pair remaining a model
of elegance in itself, so that the whole being of the Nataraja thrills with a
magnificent harmony in his terrible joy. And as though to stress the point that
the dance of the divine actor is indeed a sport, (lila) – the sport of life and
death, the sport of creation and destruction, at once infinite and purposeless
– the first of the left hands hangs limply from the arm in the careless gesture
of the gajahasta (hand as the elephant’s trunk). And lastly, as we look at the
back view of the statue, are not the steadiness of these shoulders which uphold
world, and the majesty of this Jove-like torso, as it were a symbol of the
stability and immutability of substance, while the gyration of the legs in its
dizzy speed would seem to symbolize the vortex of phenomena.”
(source: The
Civilization of the East – India - by Rene Grousset p. 252 - 53).
"Be it in the Vedas, the Upanishads or
the Puranas, the Lord Shiva is always referred to with great reverence as well
as under different names. The conception of Shiva is not simply that of a
godhead whose powers have become concentrated in a single figure dominating a
certain period of Indian history. Shiva is identified with the Eternal and All
powerful; he is the Primal Soul and the great Soul from which unaccounted other
souls have sprung. Shiva is beauty, Shiva is all, he is everywhere. There is no
life, no motion and no rhythm without Siva, for he is the Cosmos itself."(source: La Danse Hindoue - by Usha Chatterji Translated from the English By Manah Garreau-Dombasle).
An entire cosmology, theology and way of salvation are embodied in this single form. To really see the meanings of Nataraja is to see into the inner workings of our own existence. Though all sacred art in India is deeply symbolic, the one figure of Nataraja can lay the workings of our life before us.
(source: Travel through Sacred India - By Roger Housden p. 110).
The Form of Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer, "a symbol of superhuman lyricism by which....medieval India has expressed its heroic adhesion...to Joy, Pain and Universal Force."
To summarize the whole interpretation of Shiva's dance: The Essential Significance of Siva's Dance is threefold: First, it is the image of his Rhythmic Play as the Source of all Movement within the Cosmos, which is Represented by the arch; Secondly, the Purpose of his Dance is to Release the Countless souls of men from the Snare of Illusion; Thirdly, the Place of Dance, Chidambaran, the Center of the Universe, is within the Heart.
The cosmic activity is the central motif of the dance.
Ananda K Coomaraswamy (1877-1947) the late curator of Indian art at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, was unexcelled in his knowledge of the art of the Orient, and unmatched in his understanding of Indian culture, language, religion and philosophy. Praising this grand achievement of art, he writes:
"This conception itself is a synthesis of science, religion and art. In the night of Brahma, Nature is inert, and cannot dance till Shiva wills it. He rises from His rapture, and dancing sends through inert matter pushing waves of awakening sound, and lo! matter also dances appearing as a glory round about Him. This is poetry; but nonetheless, science.
Whatever the origins of Siva's dance, it became in time the clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of.
“How amazing the range of thought and sympathy of those
rishi-artists who conceived such a type as this, affording an image of reality,
a key to the complex tissue of life, a theory of nature, note merely
satisfactory to a single clique or race, not acceptable to the thinkers of a
country only, but Universal in its appeal to the philosopher, the lover and the
artist of all ages and all countries…”
“Every part of such an image as this is directly
expressive not of any superstition or dogma, but of evident facts. No artist of today, however great, could more
exactly or more wisely create an image of that Energy which science must
postulate behind all phenomena. “It is not strange that the figure of
Nataraja has commanded the adoration of so many generations past; familiar with
all skepticisms, expert in tracing all beliefs to primitive superstitions,
explorers of the infinitely great and infinitely small, we are worshippers of
Nataraja still.”
(source: The Dance of Shiva - By Dr. Ananda K Coomaraswamy p.
57-66).The late astrophysicist, Carl Sagan (1934-1996) in his book, Cosmos, asserts that the Dance of Nataraja (Tandava) signifies the cycle of evolution and destruction of the cosmic universe (Big Bang Theory). "It is the clearest image of the activity of God which any art or religion can boast of." Modern physics has shown that the rhythm of creation and destruction is not only manifest in the turn of the seasons and in the birth and death of all living creatures, but also the very essence of inorganic matter. For modern physicists, then, Shiva's dance is the dance of subatomic matter. Hundreds of years ago, Indian artist created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful series of bronzes. Today, physicist have used the most advanced technology to portray the pattern of the cosmic dance. Thus, the metaphor of the cosmic dance unifies, ancient religious art and modern physics.
He further says: " The most elegant and sublime of these is a representation of the creation of the universe at the beginning of each cosmic cycle, a motif known as the cosmic dance of Lord Shiva. The god, called in this manifestation Nataraja, the Dance King. In the upper right hand is a drum whose sound is the sound of creation. In the upper left hand is a tongue of flame, a reminder that the universe, now newly created, with billions of years from now will be utterly destroyed."
(source: Cosmos - By Carl Sagan p. 213-214).
Fritjof Capra
(1939 - ) Austrian-born famous theoretical
high-energy physicist and ecologist wrote:
"Modern physics has thus revealed that every
subatomic particle not only performs an energy dance, but also is an energy dance; a pulsating
process of creation and destruction. The dance of Shiva is the
dancing universe, the ceaseless flow of energy going through an infinite
variety of patterns that melt into one another’’.For the modern physicists,
then Shiva’s dance is the dance of subatomic matter. As in Hindu mythology, it
is a continual dance of creation and destruction involving the whole cosmos;
the basis of all existence and of all natural phenomenon. Hundreds of years
ago, Indian artists created visual images of dancing Shivas in a beautiful
series of bronzes. In our times, physicists have used the most advanced
technology to portray the patterns of the cosmic dance."
(source: The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern
Physics and Eastern Mysticism - By Fritjof Capra p. 241-245).
For more refer to chapters Quotes251_270, Advanced Concepts,
Hindu Cosmology and Hindu Art).Dr. Heinrich Zimmer (1890-1943), the great German Indologist, a man of penetrating intellect, the keenest esthetic sensibility has observed:
"Shiva – Nataraja. The dance is an act of creation.
It brings about a new situation and summons into the dancer a new and higher
personality. It has a cosmogonic function, in that it rouses dormant energies
which then shape the world. On a universal scale, Shiva is the Cosmic Dancer;
in his “Dancing Manifestation”, (nritya murti) he embodies in himself and
simultaneously gives manifestation to Eternal Energy. The forces gathered and projected in his frantic, every-enduring
gyration, are the powers of the evolution, maintenance, and dissolution of the
world. Nature and all its creatures are the effects of his eternal dance. Shiva
is Kala, “the Black One” “Time”; but he is also Maha Kala, “Great Time,”
“Eternity.” As Nataraja, King of
Dancers, his gestures, wild and full of grace, precipitate the cosmic illusion;
his flying arms and legs and the swaying of his torso produce – indeed, they
are – the continuous creation-destruction of the universe, death exactly
balancing birth, annihilation the end of every coming-forth. The choreography
is the whirligig of time. But the face remains, in sovereign calm.
Shiva Nataraja is the embodiment and manifestation of
eternal energy."
(source: The Myth and Symbols in India Art and Civilization – By
Heinrich Zimmer p. 18 and 152 - 155)Lord Ram, the dark skinned God - is the seventh Avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. Born during the second age of the world called Treta Yuga, he is the immortal hero of the great religious epic of India, the Ramayana.
Refer to chapter on Hindu Scriptures.
Lord Ram, the most famous incarnation of God, appeared on Rama-navami (Chaitra 9). He is known as Maryada Purusottama and is the emblem righteousness.
Ram occupies a very reverential place in the religious life of India and in the religious history of the world. He is the embodiment of righteousness and is believed to be incarnation of the solar aspect of Lord Vishnu.
The Ramayana was written by Rishi Valmiki, who is also considered as the father of epic style of poetry. Innumerable temples are scattered all over India with the images of Ram, his younger brother Lakshman and his consort Sita, and sitting in devotional posture is Hanuman, the greatest devotee of Lord Ram.
Raama was dark; like
Vishnu; MeghaVarnam, KaalaMegham, MeghaShyaamam are the various descriptions of
Vishnu.
Lord Ram is depicted to be having two arms and
not four, which emphasizes the character of Ram as a human being and the way
god Vishnu preferred to adopt this form just to re-establish the golden age of
justice and happiness. The expression of Rama Rajya even today means the reign in which peace and
prosperity prevails.(image source: The Elements of Hinduism - By Stephen Cross p. 86).
Ram lived during the end of the Treta Yuga or the second age of the world, when the sages, the holy men and even gods were terrorized and alarmed by the misdeeds of Ravana, the demonic king of Lanka. Ravana had pleased Brahma, who had given the boon of invulnerability from the wrath of god or goddess. Ravana misused his power, and to provide deliverance, Lord Vishnu promises to descend on the earth in the form of a man by taking birth as a son to Dasharatha, a king of Ayodhya.
The festivals associated with Rama's incarnation and celebrated in India are Ram Navmi, Dussehra and Diwali. The first one is associated with the birth of Lord Rama. Dussehra is the culmination of the ten-day celebrations, organized to exhibit the episodes of the life of Lord Rama. On the tenth day the last episode of Rama's victory over Ravana is shown and the effigies of Ravana, his brother Kumbhakarna and his son Indrajit are burnt amidst loud rejoicing. Diwali is celebrated on the day on which Rama was crowned after his return to Ayodhya with Sita.
According to one of the Upanishads, named Rama-purv-tapni Upanishad, "Just as the whole nature of the large banyan tree is contained in its tiny seed, so also the whole universe moving and unmoving, is contained in the seed word Rama."
Lord Krishna
The Lotus-Eyed God. Keshava, One Who Has Long, Black
Matted Locks. Krishna,
Dark-Complexioned Lord.
Krishna, the god who delivered the message of
the Bhagavad Gita
(the timeless masterpiece of Spiritual
wisdom) to Arjuna, is
worshipped in thousands of temples throughout India. Krishna, "the Dark One," because of the dark color of his skin, was born to Devaki in prison. As a lovable child, as a shrewd diplomat, as a great sage and even as a fearless man of action, Krishna's personality has fascinated for ages not only Indians but also thinkers of other lands.
Krishna's picture is depicted in so may styles; in fact Lord Krishna has probably been the subject of numerous masterpieces of art. Sometimes he is shown as a child eating butter, at other times he is seen dancing with maidens or playing the flute or advising Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Krishna's skin color is blue the color of the sky.
The eighth incarnation of Vishnu, Krishna, has evolved into a distinct and composite persona over the millennia. Krishna devotees ardently look upon him as the Godhead, more emotively evocative than most of the other avatars.
His birthday on the eighth day in the dark fortnight of Sravana, in or around the month of August, is still celebrated with great joy and enthusiasm every year as Janmashtami. In many places, especially in Mathura, where he was born, jhankis, comprising glimpses into his childhood episodes, are displayed with lights and images of the divine child. In Maharashtra, pots of curd and buttermilk are hung high in the streets and human pyramids are formed to go up and reach out for their contents, reminiscent of the child Krishna's playful exploits for wresting milk and butter from the pots kept beyond his reach. A similar ceremony is observed in south India, where people climb up poles to win the prize money. The Jagannath temple at Puri has wooden images of Jagannath (Krishna), a Balabhadra (Balaram) and Subhadra, their sister.
As for the theophany in the eleventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, Arjuna has a vision of Krishna's awesome cosmic form and feels overwhelmed. The Lord assures him that those with an unswerving devotion to him, in the true spirit of bhakti, can see him. A complex amalgam of the human and the Divine, he is seen differently by different people. To the Pandavas he was their true friend and guide, to the cowherds he was just one of their own, to the Vrajagopis the highest object of love and the yogis saw him as the absolute truth. The Kurukshetra war symbolizes the perennial fight between the forces of light and darkness. The forces of light are guided by Krishna, the one who embodies cosmic consciousness, the Divine Incarnate who has come to lead humanity toward its greater destiny.
In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna points out that to a warrior nothing is nobler than a righteous war and declares that one should do his duty without any attachment for results. He explains to Arjuna the three noble paths. First, is that of Yoga (knowledge), which means yoking mind and body to achieve perfect unity beyond the limits of thought and language; second is that of Dharma (righteousness), which means religious duties and customs, while the third is that of Bhakti (devotion). Devotion implies love to a personal God and complete surrender to Him. This is the path that commands the strongest approval of Krishna. He says:
"Have your mind in Me, be devoted to Me, to Me shall you come...Though I am unborn, the changeless Self...to save the good and destroy evil doers, to establish the right, I am born from time to time."
Bhakti, as advocated in the Gita entailed total self-surrender to the supreme Lord in the form of Krishna, shorn of the wasteful accessories of costly rites and rituals, as a simple way to salvation, without displacing the methods of moksha through karma and gyana which evolved out of the Vedic religion.
Krishna, the youthful and delightful flute-player: as Murali-manohar, "the handsome one with a flute" he is often depicted standing beneath a sacred Kadamba tree, with his flute to his lips, his leg crossed in a graceful pose, a garland of flowers round his neck, a milk cow at his side affectionately licks his foot. It is this image that has inspired much of the devotion of the Alvar poets - Andal, for example often imagines herself as one of the Gopis. Full of devotional fervor and charming detail, it has become the classical expression of devotion to Krishna. From then on the imagery of Krishna's love affair with the Gopis became irresistible. It swept across the whole of India as poet after poet poured out his or her devotion to Krishna. For a thousand years the arts of Hindu India - poetry and music, drama, painting and dance - have found their greatest inspiration in this vision of love in the blessed land of Braj.
The notes of Krishna's flute drifting through the woods are the call of the divine. Thus the objective of Bhakti is fulfilled, and the emotional life of man in all its richness and energy is sublimated and lifted onto the plane of the spiritual life. And, as in all real love, the individual forgets himself utterly and entirely: only the object of love, the divine Krishna, the Lord, the inner Self of man, remains.
The Gita says: "God is the immutable center of infinite mobility." and Krishna is the symbol of this.
Central to Krishna's childhood was his dance with the gopis, called raasa-lila, which later became the object of worship by many of the devotional sects. Scenes from raasa-lila are now enacted with great verve not only in the Mathura-Vrindavan region but also in Assam and Manipur, sometimes in the Manipuri dance style.
The tales of women abandoning their families to run after him served as poetic expressions of the soul's quest for union with divinity. Worshippers of Krishna were expected to neglect all worldly duties to devote themselves single-mindedly to the adoration of the god.
Krishna's popularity derives partly from the fact that unlike other deities, Krishna appears in all the aspects of life usually associated with childhood, adolescence and adulthood--as a flute-playing trickster, lover of cowgirls and, finally, as a royal advisor on statecraft. What's endearing about Krishna is not so much his superhuman deeds but his human characteristics, captured in literature and art against the idyllic, pastoral background that still defines much of the Indian landscape. The Bhakti movement is broad and many-sided, and we can only touch on some of its aspects. It is first seen as distinct form around the fourth century B.C. Vasudeva (the good god), Bhagavan (the Adorable One), Narayana and Hari are several other names.
Numerous heroic incidents happened before Krishna left the human body and returned to his heavenly abode. Legend says that the gods, headed by Brahma and Shiva approached Krishna begging him to return as the latter's mission on earth had been completed. Krishna promised the gods that within seven nights he would complete the destruction of Yadavas and return to his perennial home. Bad omens started appearing in Dwaraka; strong hurricanes, screaming birds, wailing cats and dogs, howling jackals and headless spirits drew the attention of all Yadavas in Dwaraka. Krishna advised the residents to leave Dwaraka and move to Prabhasha, a site further inland.
Only Krishna and Daruka, his charioteer were left. Only those left behind at Dwarka were spared to continue the race of this tribe. Balarama, his brother and companion of Krishna, went to the seashore, performed yoga and left his body returning to his real self, viz. Sheshanaga, the serpent of eternity. Once when Krishna was sitting under a fig tree in a yogic posture a poisonous arrow by a hunter, mistakenly struck the sole of his left leg which served as a prelude for his final departure. He instructed Daruka, his charioteer, to go to Dwaraka and break the news to the residents about his end. Finally the ocean came up and swallowed the city of Dwaraka engulfing everything except the temple. (for more on Dwaraka, please refer to the chapter on Dwaraka).
The entire legend of Krishna's life and his leelas (deeds) provide a great opportunity for presentation of those events through architecture, poetry, art, music and dancing. The many facets of his endearing activities have fired the imagination of people, which no other incarnation has done. He is a naughty boy, a romantic lover, a heroic warrior, a shrewd diplomat and a great 'Sanyasi' (ascetic). Krishna is the impish prankster whose leela brings the country to a standstill. He is not only the pivotal character of an epic, the Mahabharata, but also the author of one of the most sacred books of the Hindus - a treasure house of philosophy and a fountain of solace to the troubled hearts.
But while rendering advice to Arjuna at Kurukshetra, Krishna
unabashedly reveals — in the Bhagavad
Gita — that he is infinite, his vibhutis or divine manifestations and
opulences being unlimited. No one, not even the gods, can know him completely.
Krishna then proceeds to impart what he calls the most sovereign knowledge and
profound mystery, contemplating on which alone one can attain moksha or
liberation.
Krishna said: "Everything that one can see or know
emanates from me. I am...the generating seed of all existence; the source of
both the mundane and spiritual wor-lds. All this world is pervaded by me... I
am its creator, maintainer and destroyer... I am antaryami, residing in the heart of every jiva. I am the goal,
support, Lord, abode, refuge, and friend of all. I am immortality and
death, being and non-being. No entity, either moving or non-moving, can exist
separately from Me...
"I am the syllable Om. I am Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma.
As the substratum of the material universe, I support it; as the presiding
authority, I preside over it, and as the controller, I control it; being
all-pervasive, I pervade it and as the creator, I am its cause. My vibhutis are
endless; what I have described to you is a mere indication of them. And yet,
although everything emanates from me, I remain the same, unchanged and transcendental."
It has
been said that in Krishna we have the fullest and the most perfect
manifestation of the Divine.
Swami Ramdas: "Krishna is an avatar of perfect love. The
word Krishna is derived from akarshana which means attraction. So the name itself
signifies that Krishna is the Supreme Truth, manifest in human form, to attract
the whole world towards Him."
"Such as would be the radiance of a
thousand suns bursting forth suddenly in the sky, such was the radiance of that
Mighty Spirit. There the son of Pandu beheld the whole world with all its
differences, gathered together in the body of that God of gods.
" - Bhagavad Gita chapter 18, verses 64-6.
Listen to The Bhagavad Gita podcast - By Michael Scherer - americanphonic.c
Goddesses
One of the most striking characteristics of the ancient and multi-faceted Hindu tradition is the importance of goddess worship. No other living religious tradition displays such an ancient, continuous, and diverse history of goddess worship.
Saraswati - The Goddess of Speech
Saraswati means "the essence of one's own self." Saraswati denotes that aspect of the Supreme reality which represents knowledge, learning, and wisdom. In Hindu mythology Saraswati is the divine spouse of Brahma, the god of creation. Goddess Saraswati is the embodiment of the mighty Saraswati River of the Vedas. Saraswati means "the essence of one's own self." The Sanskrit word 'sara' means essence and 'swa' means 'self'. She is the earliest goddess who is associated with a river in the Indian tradition. She is the divine spouse of Lord Brahma, the creator.
Since knowledge is necessary for creation, Saraswati symbolizes the creative power of Lord Brahma. She is also praised for her ability both to cleanse and fertilize the earth, and has been equated with the goddess of learning, poetry, music, and culture. She is associated with speech - Vac: the goddess of riverlike, streaming speech.
Saraswati is typically shown seated on a lotus. Like the swan, the lotus seat of the goddess suggests her transcendence of the physical world. She floats above the muddy imperfections of the physical world, unsullied, pure, beautiful. Although rooted in the mud (like man rooted in the physical world), the lotus perfects itself in a blossom that has transcended the mud. She inspires people to live in such a way that they may transcend their physical limitations through the ongoing creation of culture. Goddess Saraswati is worshiped throughout India and on her special day in spring, Vasant Panchmi, she is worshipped by school children as the patron goddess of learning. The Benaras Hindu University was also founded on this day.
Saraswati Vandana is a beautiful poem to art, culture and spirituality. It is a praise of learning and among those who approved the singing of Vande Mataram at the Nagpur Congress was Mahatma Gandhi.
Shakti, the divine source from which all arises, is thought of as the ' wife' of Shiva. She has many mythological forms. Often she is simply Devi, ' the Goddess ', or Mahadevi, ' the Great Goddess'. She is also Jagad Mata, 'World Mother'; Ambika, 'Gauri' ' Mother'; Uma, who nourishes the world; Parvati, the dutiful wife of Shiva, who seated high in the Himalayas by the side of her Lord represents the stability and continuity of life; the smiling and auspicious Lalita, especially worshipped in South India; the ceaselessly warring Durga; and Kali, the destroyer.
Parvati, which means "she who dwells in the mountains" or "she who is of the mountains" She is the mother of Karttikeya and Ganesha.
Durga -renowned slayer of demons, wife of Shiva personifying Shakti or divine energy.
It is Durga that the Goddess is most widely worshipped and it is she who most fully expresses the energy and complexity of Shakti. Her great festival, Durga Puja or Dussera, lasting for ten days, is an event of great importance. A Distinct group - that of the Shaktas, or worshippers of Shakti - center on her, is especially strong in Bengal. For them, the Goddess is the supreme deity, Bramh itself in feminine form. It is the third most popular group within Hinduism, giving place only to the worship of Vishnu and Shiva in importance. The name Durga indicates one who is 'hard to approach' and Durga is represented with a stern expression, suitable to the unswerving force which drives the universe. At once supremely beautiful and fierce, Durga rides upon a lion. She may be pictured with four, eight, ten or twenty arms, and in these she brandishes an impressive array of instruments and weapons - conch, discus, trident, bow, arrow, sword, dagger, serpent, mace and other objects. Each has its specific meaning, and taken together they express the ceaseless activity and complexity of Shakti.
Durga is the first and foremost a slayer of demons. She is the goddess of warfare, and in medieval India military campaigns were commenced on the last day of her festival. In Bengal and some other areas blood sacrifices are made to Durga and to Kali, although, as the only blood sacrifices to survive in Hinduism, they are regarded with distaste by the majority of Hindus. Yet at the same time Durga is the all-merciful Mother who nourishes the universe and bestows both material and spiritual wealth. Full of tenderness to those who turn to her, she is greatly beloved by her devotees.
Kali is said to have come forth from the forehead of Durga. If Durga is the fierce side of the Mahadevi, Kail is her terrible aspect: She is represented with a hideous and terrible countenance, dripping with blood, encircled with snakes, bung round with skulls and human heads, and in all respects resembling a fury rather than a goddess.
Explanations are offered for the image, black color refers to her ultimate nature, which lies beyond manifestation and is therefore unknowable, the cremation ground on whihc she is often shown dancing is where all worldly desires are burnt away, the necklace of severed heads is the universe of names and forms which she, as Shiva's power, creates and destroys; she is, as the name Kali suggests, the destructive aspect of time.
Kali is life, seen with all its dangers, bloodshed, suffering, fierce, competition, and inevitable destruction.
The Goddess Sri, who
is also commonly known as Lakshmi and is the consort of Lord Vishnu.
She is associated with prosperity, well-being, royal power, and illustriousness. Lakshmi in the Hindu pantheon of gods and goddesses is personified as the goddess of fortune and also as the embodiment of loveliness, grace and charm. She is seated on a lotus flower though sometimes she is also seen as standing on a lotus. In pictures, gold coins are seen dropping down from the palms of this goddess of prosperity.
She is associated with prosperity, well-being, royal power, and illustriousness. Lakshmi in the Hindu pantheon of gods and goddesses is personified as the goddess of fortune and also as the embodiment of loveliness, grace and charm. She is seated on a lotus flower though sometimes she is also seen as standing on a lotus. In pictures, gold coins are seen dropping down from the palms of this goddess of prosperity.
Her emergence in the
world is connected with a famous episode in the Hindu sacred stories called Samudranmanthan (Churning of the
Cosmic ocean), when with great efforts, by churning, the ocean was made to give
up all its treasures and benefits to the world. She is the most faithful
companion of life, has always appeared as the life partner in every incarnation
of Vishnu.
When Vishnu assumes his various avatars in order to uphold dharma, she incarnates herself as helpmate, on earth. When Vishnu came as Vamana (the Dwarf), she came to earth as Lotus (Padma), when he came her as Parshuram, Lakshmi followed him as his wife Dhari, when Vishnu appeared as Rama, she came here as Sita, and when Vishnu appeared as Krishna, she came in two forms, first as Radha, and later as his wife Rukmini.
When Vishnu assumes his various avatars in order to uphold dharma, she incarnates herself as helpmate, on earth. When Vishnu came as Vamana (the Dwarf), she came to earth as Lotus (Padma), when he came her as Parshuram, Lakshmi followed him as his wife Dhari, when Vishnu appeared as Rama, she came here as Sita, and when Vishnu appeared as Krishna, she came in two forms, first as Radha, and later as his wife Rukmini.
Om - the sound of the universe itself.
The imperishable sound
is the seed of all that exists.
The past, the present, the future.
- all are but the unfolding of OM.
And whatever transcends the three realms of time.
That indeed is the flowering of OM.
For instance Mundaka Upanishad would say OM is the bow, the soul is the arrow, and Brahm is the target; one must pierce it with a concentrated mind, and become like an arrow, one with it (Mu. U, II 2.3-4). The Bhagavad-Gita recognizes OM as a mantra which existed from creations beginning. Om Tat Sat, to express absolute supremacy, universality and reality of the inexpressible Absolute. The Bhagvad-Gita also reserves the highest goal for those that utter the single symbol OM while they remember the Almighty (VIII 13). Again in the Bhagvadgita, Lord Krishna would declare "the existence of the syllable OM in all the Vedas; I am the sound in ether and manhood in men” (VI 8).
To the vast majority in the Hindu fold and beyond, OM came to stand for the pure consciousness that pervades the three stages of walking, dreaming and dream-sleep, and it came to be known as pranave, to mean that it pervades life and runs through prana or breath.
(source: Return Of The Aryans – By Bhagwan S Gidwani Chapter 1 - Om Om Om! The first word of God?).
The loveliest explanation of OM is found within the ancient Vedic and Sanskrit traditions.
"Aum stands for
the supreme Reality.
It is a symbol for what was, what is,
And what shall be. A U M represents also
What lies beyond past, present and future."
- Mundakya Upanishad It is a symbol for what was, what is,
And what shall be. A U M represents also
What lies beyond past, present and future."
There is a Vedic verse as follows :
Prajapati vai idam agra asit
Tasya vak dvitiya asit
Vag vai paramam Brahma
"In the beginning was Prajapati, the Bramh with whom was the Word,
and the Word was verily the Supreme Bramh."
Omkar Prayers:
Omkaram bindu samyuktham
Nityam dhyanathi Yoginah
Kamadam mokshadam chaiva, Omkaraya namo namah
***
Mitra (Surya) The Sun God
‘Surya Atma
Jagathastatushascha’ – Yajur Veda (The Sun is the soul
of all things in cosmos, moving and unmoving)
Mitrotsavam, the festival worshipping Mitra (Sun god) is celebrated
on the 25th of December. Mitra or Surya is the giver of all, a
‘pratyaksha deivam’. Mitra is the provider of all life itself, and of energy,
light, and rains. Mitra is the bestower of all bounties on Earth and is
worshipped as Savita by the most
profound of mantras, The Gayatri mantra
Gayatri Mantra is an adoration of the effulgence of the
Sun.
oṃ
bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ
tat savitur vareṇyaṃ
bhargo devasya dhīmahi
dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt
tat savitur vareṇyaṃ
bhargo devasya dhīmahi
dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt
For thousands of
years, Hindus have understood the power of worshipping the Sun. Worshipping
Mitra helps to cure diseases, especially those related to the eyes, head, and
heart. Surya worship also sharpens the memory and intellect, gives strength and
energy, wards away enemies, and provides all round prosperity.
In Trikkur village, Thrissur district, Kerala, Mitrotsavam
rituals begin at 9 am with a Ganapati puja, followed by Surya Narayana Puja,
128 Surya Namaskarams, Chanting of Rig Veda soura mantras, Surya Tarpanam,
Savitr homam, Archana, and chanting of Surya Sholkas.
(source: Mitrotsavam 2008 - By T P Gopalkrishnan Trikkur, Thrissur).Swastika - an auspicious symbol
The word swastika comes from su-asti, “it is good”, as in
the Sanskrit greeting Pratah Swasti,
“good morning”. So swastika means “auspicious maker” or “sign of
auspiciouness”. What the swastika visually depicts, is the solar cycle, be it
during the day or during the year. It shows the circular movement at the four cardinal points: sunrise, sunset,
midnight; or spring equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox, winter solstice.
As such it is shorthand for the Zodiac as well as for all macrocosmic and
microcosmic cycles. It signifies the completeness as well as the dynamics of
the Whole. Being primarily a solar symbol, it is normally painted in solar
colors, like red, saffron or gold; while the Nazi swastika was black.
Swastika is an auspicious symbol, an
elaboration of the equal armed cross, but with the arms bent, hence also called
the 'limbed cross'. Its name is said to be a combination of su (well) asti (is)
ka (a noun ending ) i.e., 'It is well.' In Hinduism, the swastika is believed to be derived either from the wheel, symbolically reduced to four spokes and set at right angles to indicate the cardinal points, or from the two fire sticks of the Vedic sacrificial fire which were always set down in the form of a cross. As a fire and sun symbol it was also called the fire cross or solar cross.
This symbol was well known among the ancients. The archaeological discoveries in Egypt; in Hissarlik, site of Homer's Troy; in China, Greece, Scandinavia, Scythia, Mexico and Peru have proved its widespread usage.
The swastika symbol is supposed to be marked on the hood of the cobra, and is often associated with the heliolithic culture of snake-worshipping peoples such as the Nagas. It is a symbol of good luck, is often found stamped on various objects or used as motif for border designs on textiles. The rainy season is especially devoted to its honor in Maharashtra, when women draw swastikas on floors and worship them.
(source: Gods and Goddesses of India - By Kailash Nath Seth and B. K. Chaturvedi p. 180-181 and Ayodhya and After: Issues Before Hindu Society - By Koenraad Elst p 260 - 262).
According to Belgium scholar, Koenraad Elst, in his book Swastika Saffron: "A good luck asana in yoga named swastikasana is sometimes assumed in meditation in the form of an enclosed as distinct from an outstretched cross. The swastika is and remains the symbol of auspiciousness, of the eternal Cosmic Law (rta). Indeed the swastika is an obvious symbol of cosmic cyclicity, hence of endlessness or eternity. Cyclicity is a luck force in that every decline brings the perspective of future revival, and that eternity lurks behind every fleeting phenomenon. It suggests that the world never started and will never end, that every cycle is preceded and followed by more cycles. For Jains even more than for the Hindus and Buddhists, the swastika is part of their identity: a hand with a swastika on it is the official symbol of Jainism."
Like the swastika, the term Arya, which is rather central in Hindu tradition and more so in Nazism, is in need of rehabilitation. Of course, the term does not indicate a race, but a quality of character. When Gautam Buddha gives a short formulation of his teachings, he calls it the Arya Satyani, the four “Noble” Truths.
(source: The Saffron Swastika - By Koenraad Elst Voice of India ISBN 8185990697 and Ayodhya and After: Issues Before Hindu Society - By Koenraad Elst p 260 - 262). For a documentary on Hindu temples, refer to The Lost Temples of India.
Lotus
Its origin is generally assigned to the primeval waters (Taittiriya Brahmana, 1.1.3,5), from which it emerged on the eve of creation or cosmic renewal as a thousand leafed plant from Visnu's navel (representing the center of the energy of the universe).
Seated on the opened flower was the Lord Brahma.
Thus in Hinduism the lotus became the "visible representation of the womb of creation.
Shiva Linggam
A symbol of creativity, not of destruction.
The British imperialists tried to defame symbols of Hinduism as a strategy for the conquest of India hence there is much misconception regarding Shivalinga.
The misconception about Hindu Symbols and its defamation is to make Hindus lose their
self-esteem by disparaging their tradition - which also had been the strategy of the British imperialists for the
conquest of India. Lord Thomas Babbington Macaulay
(1800-59) was the first Law Member of the Governor-General's Legislature and is
best known for introducing English education in India. Speaking in the British
Parliament, he said on February 2, 1835 the following:
“Such wealth I have seen in this country (India),
such high moral values, people of such caliber, that I do not think we would
ever conquer this country unless we break the very backbone of this nation,
which (backbone) is her spiritual and cultural heritage. And therefore, I propose
that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the
Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than
their own, they will lose their self-esteem, their native self-culture and they
will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation”.
Once such is the
defamation of the symbol of Lingam: The Creative Force of God
There is much misconception regarding Shivalinga, it is
generally considered to be the phallus by most of the scholars of religion and
religious philosophy. That there was phallic worship among primitive people has
been well established. But the phallic worship of some primitive people has
absolutely no connection with the worship of Shivalinga, and appears to be
unwarranted when detached and impartial consideration is given to the form of
Shivalinga. Linga-worship is prevalent not only in all the parts of India but
it pervades many parts of Asia . It is not connected with low castes, with
orgies, with obscene rites or with anything which can be called barbarous. It
forms part of the aspirations of devout votaries and the worship offered to it
is perfectly decorous. The finds of Mohenjo Daro and Harappa have
revolutionized the idea of the movement of civilization. Once the idea was
cherished that civilization moved from West to East with the migration of the
Mediterranean race in that direction. Now it has been established that
civilization moved from East to West. The worship of Shivalinga was the
characteristic feature of the Indians. The ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans
borrowed Linga worship from the ancient civilized Indians, but in their
pitiable ignorance construed it as the phallic emblem.
The word Shishna devah occurs twice in the Rigveda. The
word is interpreted as those whose god is phallus. Many scholars advance this
interpretation to support the theory of phallic worship. But here too the
evidence is overwhelmingly against this interpretation. The foremost evidence
against this interpretation is that of Yask who says that Shishna-devah means
Abrahmacharyah, that is, lascivious. Durgacharya and Sayanacharya follow the
suit of Yaskacharya and interprete the word more or less in the same vein.
Hence the word has come to denote the immortality of the Vedic times and
illicit love intrigues.
Some scholars advance the view that Linga is a miniature
Stupa adopted by the Shaivas in imitation of the Buddha stupa consisting of the
relic of Buddha. From the discoveries made by the Indian Archaeological
Department, it is clear that from 200 BC onwards the veneration of the Buddha
and Jain stupas was very common and popular. On the slender evidence of this is
suggested that the Shaivas, many of whom were converts from Buddhism and
Jainism, might have imported it into Shaivism. The shape of the Linga also is
advanced as apoint in favour of this argument. But the finds of Mohenjo Daro
and Harappa gave a line direct to this complacent idea by proving the existence
of Linga as early as 3000 B.C. If this is so, we are to reject this
interpretation as fanciful, for it evinces that the Linga-worship was in
existence in the second century B.C. side by side with the veneration of the
stupas. Some scholars would maintain that the worship of Shivalinga originated
from yupastambha, the sacrificial post. In the Atharva Veda, there is a hymn in
which a description is found of the beginingless and endless stambha and it is
this stambha that gives place to Shivalinga and is raised to the highest
Godhead. Hence it is called Sthanu, Achala and Avyaya - the static, the immutable
and the indestructible.
Shivaa is not only a destroyer, but also a creator, and
the Nataraja dance is an accompaniment to the perpetual dissolving and
reforming of the world. There is
nothing obscene about the linggam symbol to the Hindus. Mahatma Gandhi wrote that the first time he
learned that linggam were obscene was when he was studying a missionary's
book."
The simple clear meaning of Linga is a sign, mark or
symbol. In the Upanishads and in
many other places, Linga is invariably
used in the sense of a mark or a symbol.
Avyakteshu parah
purusho vyapako Linga yeva cha
Na cheshita naiva cha tasya Lingam
Mahadadyam Vishesantam Lingam
Na cheshita naiva cha tasya Lingam
Mahadadyam Vishesantam Lingam
These three instances respectively from the Katha, the Shvetashvetara and the Maitri
Upanishads are sufficient to prove that in philosophical literature
Linga is used in the sense of a mark or
symbol and no other sense. Many a time the word Yoni is found in the
Upanishads, but it is taken to mean not as a female genital organ but merely as
the source or prima causa of the
Universe. If Linga represents a symbol, what is it symbolic of?
Cosmologically it is symbolic of the Universe, psychologically it is symbolic
of name and form, mystically it is symbolic of the Logos. Outwardly and in the
initial stage, God is conceived to be the creator of the Universe. The Universe
then is taken to be after the creator and the image of God is reflected in the
spherical universe and is represented by it. To all outward appearance the
Universe is a hemispherical thing bounded by the circular horizon and placed on
something. And the Linga with circular basis represents the Universe. The
psychological explanation of the symbol is that Linga is the cosmic soul having
self-consciousness. The cosmic soul first vibrates in its being towards
creation. The vibration is Nada, the first expression as Nama or name. From the
Nada, proceeds the Bindu, dot or form. These two Nama and Rupa or Nada and
Bindu are what is known as Pranava. The Bindu is the disclike base and Nada is
the line supervening the base. The line stands on the Bindu like a cylinder
with rounded top. This forms the Linga.
(source: Misconception of Lingam - By R Venkatrama Sharma - contributed to
this website). Refer to The Meaning of Lingam - By Rajeev Malhotra. Shesha Nag - the great serpent of Infinity
In Hindu Vedic tradition, Shesha or Sheshanaag (Shesha the Naga) is the king of all nagas, one of the primal beings of creation, and according to the Bhagavata Purana, an Avatar of the Supreme God known as Sankarshan. 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 Anantha Shesha which means endless Shesha or as Adishesha which means the first Shesha. It is said that when Adishesha uncoils, time moves forward and creation takes place. When he coils back, the universe ceases to exist. "Shesha" also means remainder: that which remains when all else ceases to exist. A dasa (servant) and also a manifestation of Lord Vishnu, he is said to have manifested in two human forms or Avatars: Lakshmana, brother of Lord Rama, and Balarama, brother of Lord Krishna.
Shesha is generally depicted with a massive form that floats coiled in space, or on the universal ocean, to form the bed on which Vishnu lies. Sometimes he is shown as five-headed or seven-headed, but more commonly as a many thousand-headed serpent, sometimes with each head wearing an ornate crown. His name means "that which remains", from the Sanskrit root śiṣ, because when the world is destroyed at the end of the kalpa, Shesha remains as he is.
In the Bhagavad Gita Chapter 10, Krishna while describing 75 of his common manifestations, declares, "anantas cha 'smi naganam:
"Of the nagas, I am Anantha."
As per the Mahabharata, Sesha was born to sage Kashyapa and his wife Kadru. Kadru gave birth to a thousand snakes, of which Sesha was the eldest. After Sesha were born Vasuki, Airavata and Takshaka, in order. A lot of Sesha’s brothers were cruel in nature and were bent upon inflicting harm on others. They were even unkind to Garuda, who was Kashyapa’s son through Vinatha, sister of Kadru. Sesha is also depicted as floating in the ocean of the changing world, forming the bed of Vishnu. He is also known as Adisesha (the foremost of snakes) and Ananthasesha or just Anantha (endless, as he is known to remain in existence even after the end of the Kalpa, when the whole world is destroyed).
For more refer to chapter on Advanced Concepts and Hindu Cosmology.
Kirtimukha Iconography
Kirtimukha in Sanskrit is the
name of a swallowing fierce monster face with huge fangs, and gaping mouth,
quite common in the iconography of Indian and Southeast Asian temple
architecture. In Southeast Asia it is often referred to as Kala and
in China it is known as T'ao t'ieh (Monster of Greed).
The word mukha in Sanskrit refers to the face while kīrti means "fame,
glory". Kirtimukha has its origin in a legend from the Skanda Purana when Jalandhara, an
all-devouring monster created from Shiva, third eye willingly ate his body
starting by its tail as per Lord Shiva's order, who pleased with the result
gave it the name face of glory. The Kirtimukha is often used as a decorative motif surmounting the pinnacle of a temple or the image of a deity, especially in South Indian architecture. This face is sometimes assimilated to, or confused with, another sculptural element, the lion face (Simhamukha). However, in order to be a Kirtimukha it has to be engaged in swallowing, for the Kirtimukha is the figure of the "all consuming" This monstrous face with bulging eyes sits also as an embellishment over the lintel of the gate to the inner sanctum in many Hindu temples signifying the reabsorption that marks the entry into the temple. Mostly it is only a face, although in some places its arms are portrayed as well.
Examples of these have found in India, Angkor wat temples in Cambodia, in Prambanan and other Hindu temples in Java and Bali as well as in Nepal and Thailand.
Hinduism is greatly misunderstood in the West. Most occidentals do not realize that Hinduism is a monotheistic belief in one God, who as Creator is beyond time, space and physical form. The entire pantheon of Hindu gods and goddesses are merely symbolic representations of different attributes of the One, Unmanifested spirit.
Kalidasa, Ancient India’s immortal poet's work glorify the Vedic
and Epic ideas and ideals pertaining to the four principal aims of life through
its four stages called Asramas. In the beginning of his all three plays
Kalidasa offers obeisance to Lord Shiva and prays to both Shiva and Paravati in
the opening verse of the Raghuvamsa. Moreover, the God Shiva is highly
eulogized by the poet in his Kumarasambhava. He also praises both Brahma and
Vishnu and offers prayers to the former in the Kumarasambhava and to the latter
in the Raghuvama. Besides, Kalidasa regards the three gods – Brahma, Vishnu and
Shiva – as three different aspects of
the same eternal Reality. Like the Rig Vedic seer, Dirghatamas, Kalidasa sees
fundamental unity in diverse name and forms of the Supreme Being.
(source: Kalidasa: His Art and Culture - By Ram Gopal p. 9 - 10). For
more on Kalidasa, refer to chapter on Sanskrit.Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (1861-1941) poet, author, philosopher, Nobel prize laureate, has written: "From the beginning, India believed in the superiority of intuition or the method of direct perception of the supersensible to intellectual reasoning. The Vedic rishis ' were the first who ever burst into the silent sea' of ultimate being and their utterances about what they saw and heard. The Kena Upanishad says: "The eye does not go thither, nor speech nor mind. We do not know, we do not understand how one can teach it. It is different from the known, it is also above the unknown." Hindu thinkers are not content with the postulating a being unrelated to humanity, who is merely the Beyond, so far as the empirical world is concerned. From the beginnings of Hindu history, attempts are made to bring God closer to the needs of man. Though it is impossible to describe the ultimate reality, it is quite possible to indicate by means of symbols aspects of it, though the symbolic description is not a substitute for the experience of God."
(source: The Legacy of India - ed. G.T. Garratt. p. 256 -286).
Hinduism created a different deity for each of God's numerous qualities to make God seem more real and approachable.
(source: India Unveiled - By Robert Arnett p. 8).
Fritjof Capra (1939- ) the famous theoretical high-energy physicist has observed:
"The rich Indian imagination has created a vast number of gods and goddesses whose incarnations and exploits are the subjects of fantastic tales, collected in epics of huge dimensions. The Hindu with deep insight knows that all these gods are creations of the mind, mythical images representing the many faces of reality. On the other hand, he also knows that they were not merely created to make the stories more attractive, but are essential vehicles to convey the doctrines of a philosophy rooted in mystical experience. The Ultimate reality called Brahman, is the unifying concept which gives Hinduism its essential monistic character in spite of the worship of numerous gods and goddesses.
(source: The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism - By Fritjof Capra p.43 and 87).
Image worship is a symbolic worship. It is the worship of supernatural realities through the symbols which are thought to represent them best. It is the translation for the present, of the infinite in terms of the finite, of the spiritual in terms of the material. A great pantheon of gods, goddesses, semi-divine beings and lesser deities unfolds in the countless myths of Hinduism which exist in numerous versions throughout Indian literature, particularly the Puranas and Epics. The myths present the collective wisdom of a timeless, anonymous and many-sided civilization and are much more than just fanciful 'biographies' of the gods. Like the great philosophical systems of India, the myths of Hinduism, reveal the ultimate reality of the universe by giving symbolic expression to that which cannot be discursively expressed.
(source: The Hindu Temple - By George Michell p. 20).
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was among India's most fervent nationalists, fighting for Indian independence from British rule wrote in an essay published in 1921 in Young India: " Idol worship is part of human nature. We hanker after symbolism. Images are an aid to worship."
René Guénon (1886-1951) has pointed out: “In India, in particular, a symbolic image represents one or another of the ‘divine attributes’, which is called pratika, for it is neither an ‘idol’, nor does it take on any qualities from that thing which it really is, an aid to meditation and a supplementary means toward realization.”
(source: Introduction a l’etude des doctrine hindoues - by René Guénon p.
209).
Hindus believe in the existence of one and
only one Supreme Being (the Bramh of the Upanishads), but worship Him in
various forms known as deities or gods (note small g). This worship of many
deities (gods) is not polytheism, but monotheistic polytheism. The monotheistic
Hindu pantheon is an affirmation that the Supreme Being can be known in many
ways and worshipped in many forms. Hinduism recognizes the diversity of the
human mind and the potential for a different level of spiritual development in
each individual. Hinduism does not, therefore, throw everyone into the
pigeonhole of a single creed. The Mahabharata
declares:
"Just as the rain
water that falls from the sky eventually reaches the ocean, so also all the
worship offered to Him, by whatever name you wish, or in whatever form you
like, ultimately goes to the one ultimate, infinite, Supreme
Reality."
(source: The Hindu Mind - Fundamentals of Hindu Religion and Philosophy for All
Ages - By Bansi Pandit p.
37-38).Huston Smith (1919 - ) born in China to Methodist missionaries, a philosopher, most eloquent writer, world-famous religion scholar who practices Hatha Yoga. He has said: " Enter Hinduism’s myths, her magnificent symbols, her several hundred images of God, her rituals that keep turning night and day like never-ending prayer wheels. It is obtuse to confuse Hinduism’s images with idolatry, and their multiplicity with polytheism. They are 'runways' from which the sense-laden human spirit can rise for its "flight of the alone to the Alone". Even village priest will frequently open their temple ceremonies with the following beloved invocation:
O Lord, forgive three sins that are due to my human limitations:
Thou art everywhere, but I worship you here;
Thou art without form, but I worship you in these forms;
Thou needest no praise, yet I offer you these prayers and salutations,
Lord, forgive three sins that are due to my human limitations.
(source: The World's Religions - By Huston Smith p. 34).
Diane L. Eck observes: "Hinduism is an imaginative, an "image-making, religious tradition in which the sacred is seen as present in the visible world – the world we see in multiple images and deities, in sacred places, and in people. The notion of darsan call attention as students of Hinduism, to the fact that India is a visual and visionary culture. God is eminently visible, although human beings have not always had the refinement of sight to see. Furthermore, the divine is visible not only in temple and shrine, bit also in the whole continuum of life – in nature, in people, in birth and growth and death. Although some Hindus, both philosophers and radical reformers, have always used the terms "nirguna"(quality-less) and nirakara (formless) to speak of the One Bramh. Yet the same tradition has simultaneously affirmed that Bramh is also saguna (with qualities) and that the multitude of "names and forms" of this world are the exuberant transformations of the One Bramh. Hinduism is sensuous in that it makes full use of the senses – seeing, touching, smelling, tasting and hearing. One "sees" the image of the deity (darsan). One "touches" it with one’s hands (sparsa), and one also "touches" the limbs of one’s own body to establish the presence of various deities (nyasa). One "hears" the sacred sound of the mantras (sravana). The ringing of bells, the offering of oil lamps, the presentation of flowers, the pouring of water and milk, the sipping of sanctified liquid offerings, the eating of consecrated foods- prasad – these are the basic constituents of Hindu worship, Puja.
(source: Darsan - Seeing the Divine Image in India - By Diane L. Eck p. 10 - 12).
Huston Smith says: "Its all together wrong to think that the
images are idols as though the copper itself is being worshipped – they are reminders that the God who dwells in
the depth of our souls. Wherever an alter is raised, there is the center
of the universe. The world’s axis passes through it, yet no visible alter is no
more than a symbol for the one time alter – the human heart and to say the
cosmic axis pierces it is to say that it is in direct touch with the infinite. Man is not just made in the image of God – He
is God. It is difficult for us to fathom the sheer immensity of the
Self of notion involved. When we see ritual acts being performed they look like
they are directed at some far of celestial potentate – and so they doubtlessly
appear to the beginning of the journey – but further along they begin to look
like chemical formulae – a science of
transformation to awaken us to the realms of gold that lies buried in our
depths – for we are kings who have fallen victim to amnesia and wander
through our kingdom in tatters not knowing who we truly are."
(source: The Mystic's Journey - India and the
Infinite: The Soul of a People – By Huston Smith).Also refer to The Wandering Ganesha - By Nanditha Krishna.
Did You Know?
Antiquities from Indian shore - stolen heritage
The richness of Hindu iconography
Fifty-four years past India's independence, Britain continues to be the largest market for precious artifacts leaving the country illegally
Indian temple towns are also an ideal hunting ground for antiquities, where the temple priests are often the chief collaborators. The panchadhaatu (five metals: gold, zinc, copper, silver, and iron) idols of the gods and goddesses, which are in high demand in the underground markets, are quietly replaced by fakes and taken through the quickest route out of the country. The theft is rarely discovered because no one but the priest ever goes inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
"The real enemy is the massive poverty and ignorance at home combined with the high prices that items such as Chola bronzes command abroad. Often foreigners, who are likely to be more aware of the true value of antiquities than the impoverished villagers who live near archaeological sites, are involved in the thefts," says Dr D. K. Sinha, retired director of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
"It is possible that many idols that are now in the temples of Tamil Nadu may be fake, with the originals having long been spirited away", says M Ram, the superintendent of the antiquities wing of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sinha agrees: "Theft or disappearance of ornaments used on deities are not uncommon and simply cannot happen without the knowledge of priests, many of whom consider it their sole right to dispose off temple property".
Refer to The Plunder of Art - By Hamendar Bhisham Pal and European, American Museums: Fortified Havens For Plunder From India – By Radha Rajan.
In one of the uncommon
discoveries of such a theft at Kondhali's
200-year old Taka Deosthan temple, a devotee who looked into the sanctum
sanctorum found the idols of the gods missing.
In the rare case when thefts or sale of stolen
artifacts are traced, winning court cases become difficult. Sale often is
organized through reputed and powerful institutions such as Sotheby's, which conducts a thriving trade in Indian antiquities. (In
fact, the CBI has been taking a close look at the activities of agents for
Sotheby's who have been scouring the Indian countryside with the connivance of
Indian art smugglers for items for their famed auctions.) However, there are reports of idols that have returned home from sojourns - reports which evoke hope among those concerned about the fate of Indian antiquities. In one instance, a Nataraja stolen from the Easwaran temple in the Tiruvilakkudi village, Thanjavur, in 1978, was traced with the help of Interpol to the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, Texas and returned to its sacred seat.
Three ancient idols were found missing from the 13th century Sri Jagannath temple in Puri on Sunday, temple administration sources said. One of the missing idols was that of Lord Madan Mohan. The two-feet high idol, made of Astadhatu (eight metals) are regarded as a representative of Lord Jagannath have been just recovered.
(source: Antiquities from Indian shore - Hindustan Times and rediff.com).
Stealing Cultural properties of others is a Sickness
A nation’s ancient treasures and monuments are the soul of its history and culture. The cultural heritage of India is slowly being robbed of its past. Its richness is being wafted away in the dark to grace the drawing rooms and museums of the newly rich millionaires of the West.
The colonial powers, to reinforce their dominance and add a veneer of respectability, collected art objects from the colonies.
India’s art heritage
cannot be evaluated in terms of money, it is priceless and cannot be replaced.
It is not enough that the police agencies be
vigilant; the people too must be more conscious in the matter and become
guardians of the wealth bestowed on them by their great ancestors.
Nature Worship
According to Swami B. V. Tripurari, in his book, Ancient Wisdom for Modern Ignorance, " Our present environmental crisis is in essence a spiritual crisis. We need only to look back to medieval Europe and the psychic revolution that vaulted Christianity to victory over paganism to find the spirit of the environmental crisis. Inhibitions to the exploitation of nature vanished as the Church took the "spirits" out of the trees, mountains, and seas. Christianity's ghost-busting theology made it possible for man to exploit nature in a mood of indifference to the feelings of natural objects. It made nature man's monopoly. This materialist paradigm has dominated the modern world for last few centuries.
The current deplorable environmental crisis demands a spiritual response. A fundamental reorientation of human consciousness, accompanied by action that is born out of inner commitment, is very much needed. One of the measures that could help a great deal to fulfill this need is to regenerate and rejuvenate basic values of Hindu culture and propagate the
Introduction
Mahatma Gandhi
(1869-1948) was among India's most fervent
nationalists, fighting for Indian independence from British rule. He
observed:
"I bow my head in reverence to our ancestors for their sense
of the beautiful in nature and for their foresight in investing beautiful
manifestations of Nature with a religious significance."
(source: Glimpses of Indian Culture - By Dr. Giriraj Shah p.
106). For more refer to chapter on Hindu Scriptures.
Hinduism has often been coined as a "environmental friendly" religion. Hindus regard everything around them as pervaded by a subtle divine presence, may it be rivers, mountains, lakes, animals, flora, the mineral world, as well as the stars and planets. It is so because the Divine reality is present as Prana/Shakti energy, power, in every electron, particle, atom, cell and in every manifestation of matter. It is its very fabric. Just like the sparks of a fire are of the same essence as the fire they were issued forth from, so is the entire creation, of the same essence as the Divine. Just as Hindus greet each other saying "Namaste", which means: I recognize and salute the Divine within you, so do they recognize the same Divine essence, in all around them.
(image source: Mount Rainier: webmaster's own collection of photos taken during a recent visit).
Ayurveda, the science of
life, which is a complete health and medicine system based on nature and
its regenerating forces. Then we have Vastu
Shastra, upon which the now well-known Feng Shui is based. Vastu,
teaches us how to place and build dwellings, according to the environment it is
situated in. It is done in such a way that the surroundings are not damaged by
the building's presence, and so that all the natural energies are flowing
uninterrupted and freely, providing comfort, peace and prosperity for the
dwellers.
Another facet of Hinduism's environmental concern is to do with food is a very physical example: vegetarianism. Typically, Hindu social thought has always included an ecological dimension. Socialism and liberalism do not have this dimension, they can at best annex it. But it is an organic part of Hindu dharma.
Another facet of Hinduism's environmental concern is to do with food is a very physical example: vegetarianism. Typically, Hindu social thought has always included an ecological dimension. Socialism and liberalism do not have this dimension, they can at best annex it. But it is an organic part of Hindu dharma.
(source: Hinduism and Environment -
hinduchatzone.com).
Throughout
the long history of India, Hindus have shared a fascination with, and respect
for, Nature and animals. This attitude went beyond the usefulness. It had to do with reverence for all of God's creation. Our ancestors worshipped trees, rivers, birds and stones and connected to the universal principle through Shiva. As we are growing more materialistic, we are losing this connection. Our ancestors saw Nature as being a manifestation of God. There was, therefore, a gratitude towards nature.
Hindu philosophy has
always had a humane and dignified view of the sacredness of all life, and that
humans are but one link in the symbiotic chain of life and consciousness.
Western philosophy, on
the other hand, treats man and nature as separate entities believing that the
former has the prerogative to exploit the latter. Thomas Carlyle in Signs of
the Times says, "We war with rude nature; and by our restless engines,
come off victorious and loaded with spoils."
Western world finds itself at the crossroads and is desperately
looking for a new philosophy “to get rid of the ecological crisis which
threatens man’s existence on earth.”
Refer to Global Warming Is an Immediate Crisis - By Al Gore and Fight Global Warming by Going Vegetarian - govegan.com.
Also refer to Meat and the
Planet - New York Times.
Refer to The Global Meat Industry - Depths Of Depravity - by Radha
Rajan and Paying a Price for Loving Red Meat - nytimes.com and Boss Hog - rolingstone.com and How “The NAFTA Flu” Exploded - By Al Giordano. Watch Miniature earth
movie. Also refer to Nature: China from
Inside - pbs.org, The Earth today stands in imminent peril, Bellying up to environmentalism - By James E. McWilliams,
The negative impact of meat production and Killing Calderon Dolphins in Denmark
(image source: webmaster's own collection of photos taken
during a recent visit).
The tradition
of maintaining sacred groves and sacred trees vanished from most countries,
due mainly to the rise of dogmatic religions like Christianity and Islam,
which advocated faith in one god and were explicitly for the eradication of
‘pagan’ practices. The underlying theme in Semitic religions is that of a
chosen people who have been divinely granted ownership of the earth and all
living things, and permission to exploit them. The Semitic perception that
humans have more "dignity" than animals has gone a long way into the
enormous decimation and extinction of non-human life on our planet not to
mention the massacre of non-believing human beings. Hindu philosophy has always
had a humane and dignified view of the sacredness of all life, and that humans
are but one link in the symbiotic chain of life and consciousness. According to Guy Sorman, visiting scholar at Hoover Institution at Stanford and the leader of new liberalism in France, author of The Genius of India (Macmillan India Ltd. 2001. ISBN 0333 93600 0) says:
"The Indian tradition, on the other hand, is that men submit to nature and form part of it, there nature preserves its sacredness, lost in the West since the Industrial Revolution." He further states that the idea of feminism and ecology came from the 1968 movement, from the meeting between India and the West. He says: "There is hardly anything in European thought to predispose the West to reject virility, the respect for authority, the mastery over nature. India too has a warrior (khastriya) tradition of virility as exemplified in the Mahabharata, only it is secondary. First, comes the veneration of thousands of goddesses - for the Indians, India is above all Mother India. India's femininity and sexual ambiguity, is the very antithesis of Western virility. For example, when the British scaled earth's highest peak, the exploit was widely hailed as the "conquest of the Everest." It was not realized and is often not realized still, that the word "conquest" was totally out of place in the context of the peak which is considered an object of reverence by many. One does not "conquer" nature. Nature humors at times, man's curiosity. Conquest is, therefore, an irreverent word."
Helen Ellerbe has written: "In the West, Christianity has distanced humanity from Nature. As people came to perceive God as a singular supremacy detached from the physical world, they lost their reverence for nature. In Christian eyes, the physical world became the realm of the devil. A society that had once celebrated nature through seasonal pagan festivals began to commemorate biblical events bearing no connection to the earth. Holidays lost much of the celebratory spirit and took on a tone of penance and sorrow. Time once thought to be cyclical like the seasons, was now perceived to be linear. In their rejection of the cyclical nature of life, orthodox Christians came to focus more upon death than upon life. Francis Bacon, (1561-1626) said: "Nature was to be bound into service and made a 'slave and 'put in constraint.' In short, nature was to be conquered, not enjoyed and certainly not revered. Nature is to be revered and befriended. 'Paganism' was a term of contempt invented by Christianity for people in the countryside who lived close to and in harmony with Nature, and whose ways of worship were spontaneous as opposed to the contrived though-categories constructed by Christianity's city-based manipulators of human minds.
(source: The Dark Side of Christian History - By Helen Ellerbe p.139 - 155).
Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860), German philosopher and writer. No other major Western philosopher so signalizes the turn towards India, combined with a disenchantment with the European-Christian tradition. He proclaimed the concordance of his philosophy with the teachings of Vedanta. His contribution to the propagation and popularization of Indian concepts has been considerable. He has said:
"Christian morality contains the great and essential imperfection of taking into consideration only man, and leaving the entire animal world without rights."
"I may mention here another fundamental error of Christianity, an error which cannot be explained away, and the mischievous consequences of which are obvious every day: I mean the unnatural distinction Christianity makes between man and the animal world to which he really belongs. It sets up man as all-important, and looks upon animals as merely things. Brahmanism and Buddhism, on the other hand, true to the facts, recognize in a positive way that man is related generally to the whole of nature, and specially and principally to animal nature; and in their systems man is always represented by the theory of metempsychosis and otherwise, as closely connected with the animal world. The important part played by animals all through Buddhism and Brahmanism, compared with the total disregard of them in Judaism and Christianity, puts an end to any question as to which system is nearer perfection, however much we in Europe may have become accustomed to the absurdity of the claim. Christianity contains, in fact, a great and essential imperfection in limiting its precepts to man, and in refusing rights to the entire animal world…"
(source: Historical Outline of Modern Religious Criticism in Western Civilization - By R G Price and crusadewatch.org).
Ann Coulter
(1961 - ) American lawyer and Conservative
political commentator has remarked:
"God gave us the
earth. We have dominion over the plants, the animals, the trees. God said,
'Earth is yours. Take it. Rape it. It's yours.'"
(source: Ann Coulter quotes).Dr. Koenraad Elst (1959 - ) Dutch historian, born in Leuven, Belgium, on 7 August 1959, into a Flemish (i.e. Dutch-speaking Belgian) Catholic family. He graduated in Philosophy, Chinese Studies and Indo-Iranian Studies at the Catholic University of Leuven. He is the author of several books including The Saffron Swastika, Decolonising The Hindu Mind - Ideological Development of Hindu Revivalism and Negationism in India: Concealilng the Record of Islam
"Bloodthirsty fanaticism which characterizes the Biblical creeds was unknown to the Pagans who had lived for long and in peace with their environment and every variety of worship in the vast stretch which is now known as the United States."
(source: History of Hindu-Christian encounters - By Koenraad Elst - voi.org). Refer to Global Meat Industry - Depths of Depravity - By Radha Rajan
(Note: The Rapture and the Environment - Many Christian fundamentalists feel that concern for the future of our planet is irrelevant, because it has no future. They believe we are living in the End Time, when the son of God will return, the righteous will enter heaven, and sinners will be condemned to eternal hellfire. They may also believe, along with millions of other Christian fundamentalists, that environmental destruction is not only to be disregarded but actually welcomed -- even hastened -- as a sign of the coming Apocalypse. American environmental policy in the Bush administration is being driven by Dominion Theologists-far-right Christian ideologues who believe that by exhausting our natural resources they will hasten the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. For most Americans Judgement Day is imminent and are making sure they are on side with Jesus before that terrifying but glorious apocalypse. National Christianism's reassuring message is that its own devotees, whilst they may for ever remain "sinners", are most certainly saved by their allegiance to the one true god. If they err in this temporary earthly life, and, for example, obliterate the life and liberty of a distant people, Jesus will understand and forgive them. Not accepting Jesus is by far a greater sin than merely squandering the resources of the earth. (source: Jesus Jihad: The Christianizing of America - The End Time). Refer to Divine Destruction: Dominion Theology and American Environmental Policy - By Stephenie Hendricks. Bill Moyers received an environmental award from Harvard University. He said: "James Watt told the U.S. Congress that protecting natural resources was unimportant in light of the imminent return of Jesus Christ. In public testimony he said, 'After the last tree is felled, Christ will come back.' - sources: Battlefield Earth - By Bill Moyers and Regarding Global warming, Dinesh D'souza has said: “bring it on! I ‘m usually a bit chilly anyway.” and The Godly Must Be Crazy - By Glen Scherer and Rapture or Rupture? - By Bryan Zepp Jamieson. Ann Coulter, American right wing columnists, has written: "The ethic of conservation is the explicit abnegation of man's dominion over the Earth. The lower species are here for our use. God said so: Go forth, be fruitful, multiply, and rape the planet--it's yours. That's our job: drilling, mining and stripping. Sweaters are the anti-Biblical view. Big gas-guzzling cars with phones and CD players and wet bars -- that's the Biblical view." Oil Good; Democrats bad; October 12, 2000. Also refer to the movie An Inconvenient Truth - by Al Gore and The Earth today stands in imminent peril - By Steve Connor.
Reverend Jerry Falwell recently told his Lynchburg, Va., Baptist congregation that global warming is Satan’s attempt to redirect the church’s primary focus” from evangelism to environmentalism.
(source: Merry Christmas! Jesus Wants You to Kill the Earth - By Frank Schaeffer - Huffington Post).
Forrrest G Wood ( ? ) an author has written: "Christianity believed
that God gave man dominion over all the earth. The
popularity in the 19th century of pre- and post-millennial sects –
which held that Christ will return one day, believers will ascend to heaven in
the “rapture,” and the world
will end – easily led to a diminished regard for the physical environment. All
this is very different in most of the polytheistic world, where man is
considered to be merely one of many beings who survived and, indeed, prospered
not because he subdued the forces of his natural environment but because he
harmonized with them. To the Hindu, whose veneration of living things are the
foundation of his faith.”
(source: Arrogance of Faith - By Forrrest G Wood p. 116 - 117 and 231).
Betty Heimann ( ? ) late
professor of Sanskrit and Indian philosophy at Ceylon University, has said: “While the West has proclaimed man’s
uniqueness as a thinking and planning creature, propagating and promoting his
domination over the natural world and his unique capacity for cultural
development and historical progress, Indians, have never tried to separate him
from the natural world and the unity of life: “No human hybris, self-elevation
and self-deceit, can here develop, where man is but another expression of
Nature’s all-embracing forces.”
(source: Tradition and Reflection: Explorations in Indian Thought - By
Wilhelm Halbfass p. 265 - 267).
Animism
(used by the colonial British in India) was another disparaging term, used to
denote the worship of spirits and forces of nature as opposed to a ‘true’
(Monotheistic) god. This bias persists in Western thought to this day, and
rather than being debunked as a phony concept, it is still widely used to
describe non-Abrahamic faiths.
The mighty serpent
Sesha, on whom Lord Vishnu rests during the intervals of creation, is reputedly
a form of the god himself (Sesha-Narayana), though he is also identified as
Balarama (Baladeva), elder brother of Lord Krishna. Animism was another
disparaging term, coined by the Colonial British in India, used to denote the
worship of spirits and forces of nature as opposed to a ‘true’ (monotheistic)
God.
(Refer to Adi Deo Arya
Devata. A Panoramic View of Tribal-Hindu Cultural Interface - By
Sandhya Jain).
***
Mahatma Gandhi bemoaned: “We
were strangers to this sort of classification – animists, aborigines, etc., but
we have learnt from the English rulers.” When the missionary Dr.
Chesterman queried if this objection applied to the ‘animist’ aboriginal races
of the Kond hills, Gandhi insisted, “Yes,
it does apply, because I know that in spite of being described as animists
these tribes have from time immemorial been absorbed in Hinduism. They are,
like the indigenous medicine, of the soil, and their roots lie deep there.”
(source: Adi Deo Arya Devata – By Sandhya Jain p. 2 - 235).
“Man, when he is strong, conquers nature,” declared William Lawrence, a Massachusetts Episcopal bishop. Anything that gets in the way will be brushed aside. “Dominion over the earth is the condition of man’s residence upon the globe,” William Pope Harrison, an editor for the Methodist Church, South, reflected in 1893.
In 1967, a brief but
influential article by UCLA History Professor Lynn White, Jr. appeared in the magazine, Science. Entitled, "The
Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis. His astounding thesis that Western
religion is one of the roots of the ecological crisis. In this article, he said that the Western world's attitudes towards
nature were shaped by the Judeo-Christian tradition (he also included Islam and
Marxism within this overall tradition). He asserts that Western
Christianity is, "the most
anthropocentric religion the world has seen. Man shares, in great measure,
God's transcendence of nature. Christianity not only established a dualism of
man and nature, but also insisted that it is God's will that man exploit nature
for his proper ends." This overemphasis on anthropocentrism gives humans
permission to exploit nature in a mood of indifference to the integrity of
natural objects. White argued that within Christian theology, "nature has
no reason for existence save to serve [humans]." Thus, for White,
Christian arrogance towards nature "bears a huge burden of guilt" for
the contemporary environmental crisis. By
destroying pagan animism, Christianity made it possible to exploit nature in a
mood of indifference to the feelings of natural objects. In older religious
traditions, humans were seen as part of nature, rather than the ruler of
nature. And in animistic religions, there was believed to be a spirit in
every tree, mountain or spring, and all had to be respected. In contrast
with paganism and Eastern religions, Christianity "not only established a
dualism of man and nature but also insisted that it is God's will that man
exploit nature for his proper ends."
(source: Religion and
Environment).
Kewal Motwani
(1899 - ) author of several books including Science and Society in India has
observed:
"Unity between
nature and man - The civilization of
India had its birth in the bosom of Mother Nature. At the time when her
history began, India was a land of vast forests. Those forests not only
administered to the daily needs of the people, giving them shelter from heat of
the sun and ravages to storms, green pastures for cattle and abundant fuel for
sacrificial and architectural purposes, but they also made a permanent
impression on the minds of the people. Their
religion had no aggressive frontiers; no walls of brick and mortar set
people apart from one another. The people lived in one vast embrace of nature,
as one family. There was no “divide and
rule” mentality, no aggressive, ruthless exploitation of nature, no
assertive individualism which has been the characteristic of civilizations
nurtured within the city walls. There was harmony within and without, and
inward realization of the Eternal became dominant aspiration of people’s lives.
There was an attitude of
identification, not conflict, a search of the One, not of the many."
(source: India: A synthesis of cultures – by Kewal Motwani p.
47).
Prudence Jones spoke person for the
UK Pagan Federation and author of the book, History of Pagan Europe has observed that all the
world's indigenous religions have three features in common: they are
nature-venerating, seeing nature as a manifestation of Divinity; they are
polytheistic and recognize many Gods, many Manifestations; they recognize the
Goddess, the female aspect of Divinity as well as the male. Show showed how
European Paganism was similar to Hinduism,
Shintoism and the North American
tradition.
According Dr. David Frawley eminent teacher and practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine:
"No
religion, perhaps, lays as much emphasis on environmental ethics as does
Hinduism. It believes in ecological responsibility and says like Native
Americans that the Earth is our mother. It champions protection of animals,
which it considers also have souls, and promotes vegetarianism. It has a strong
tradition of non-violence or ahimsa. It believes that God is present in
all nature, in all creatures, and in every human being regardless of their
faith or lack of it."According Dr. David Frawley eminent teacher and practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine:
In the ancient spiritual traditions, man was looked upon as part of nature, linked by the indissoluble spiritual and psychological bonds to the elements around him. This is very much marked in the Hindu tradition, the oldest living religious tradition in the world. The Vedas, the oldest hymns composed by great spiritual seers and thinkers which are the repository of Hindu wisdom, reflect the vibrancy of an encompassing world-view which looks upon all objects in the universe, living or non-living, as being pervaded by the same spiritual power. Hinduism believes in the all-encompassing sovereignty of the divine, manifesting itself in a graded scale of evolution. The human race, though at the top of the evolutionary pyramid at present, is not seen as something apart from the earth and its multitudinous life forms.
In The Bhagavad Gita,
sloka 20, Chapter 10, Lord Krishna says,
"I am the Self
seated in the heart of all creatures. I am the beginning, the middle and the
very end of all beings". All beings have, therefore to be treated
alike."
The ancient sacred literature of the Vedas enshrines a holistic and poetic cosmic vision. They represent the oldest, the most carefully nurtured, the most elaborately systematized and the most lovingly preserved oral tradition in the annals of the world. Unique in their perspective of time and space, their evocative poetry is a joyous and spontaneous affirmation of life and nature. The Vedic Hymn to the Earth, the Prithvi Sukta in Atharva Veda, is unquestionably the oldest and the most evocative environmental invocation. In it, the Vedic seer solemnly declares the enduring filial allegiance of humankind to Mother Earth: 'Mata Bhumih Putroham Prithivyah: Earth is my mother, I am her son.' Mother Earth is celebrated for all her natural bounties and particularly for her gifts of herbs and vegetation. Her blessings are sought for prosperity in all endeavours and fulfilment of all righteous aspirations. A covenant is made that humankind shall secure the Earth against all environmental trespass and shall never let her be oppressed. A soul-stirring prayer is sung in one of the hymns for the preservation and conservation of hills, snow-clad mountains, and all brown, black and red earth, unhurt, unsmitten, unwounded, unbroken and well defended by Indra.
(source: The East is green - ourplanet.com).
Dr. Pankaj Jain ( ) is an Assistant Professor of South Asian Religions and Ecology at the University of North Texas. In his scholarship he connects the ancient Indic traditions of Hinduism and Jainism with contemporary issues - particularly the environment. He has noted that:
"Hinduism contains numerous references to the worship of the divine in nature in its Vedas, Upanishads, Puranas, Sutras, and its other sacred texts. Millions of Hindus recite Sanskrit mantras daily to revere their rivers, mountains, trees, animals, and the earth.
Although the Chipko (tree-hugging) Movement is the most widely known example of Hindu environmental leadership, there are examples of Hindu action for the environment that are centuries old."
"Hinduism is a remarkably diverse religious and cultural phenomenon, with many local and regional manifestations. Within this universe of beliefs, several important themes emerge. The diverse theologies of Hinduism suggest that: The earth can be seen as a manifestation of the goddess, and must be treated with respect. The five elements - space, air, fire, water, and earth - are the foundation of an interconnected web of life. Dharma - often translated as “duty” - can be reinterpreted to include our responsibility to care for the earth. Simple living is a model for the development of sustainable economies. Our treatment of nature directly affects our karma. " Pancha Mahabhutas (The five great elements) create a web of life that is shown forth in the structure and interconnectedness of the cosmos and the human body. Hinduism teaches that the five great elements (space, air, fire, water, and earth) that constitute the environment are all derived from prakriti, the primal energy.
"Hinduism recognizes that the human body is composed of and related to these five elements, and connects each of the elements to one of the five senses. The human nose is related to earth, tongue to water, eyes to fire, skin to air, and ears to space. This bond between our senses and the elements is the foundation of our human relationship with the natural world. For Hinduism, nature and the environment are not outside us, not alien or hostile to us. They are an inseparable part of our existence, and they constitute our very bodies."
(source: Ten key Hindu Environmental teachings - By Dr. Pankaj Jain).
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
( My
humble Pranam, Honour and also gratitude to Ms. Sushma Londhe
ji for her noble, magnanimous
and eminent works on the peerless Wisdom of our Sacred
Scriptures)
(My humble
salutations to , H H Swamyjis, Hindu Wisdom, great Universal
Philosophers, Historians, Professors and Devotees for the
discovering collection)
( The Blog is
reverently for all the seekers of truth and lovers of wisdom
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