Hinduism (General)
Plant Myths and Traditions in India
Devi Rahasya With Parisistas
The Devirahasya is traditionally supposed to form part of the bigger compilation called Rudrayamala. The Uddharakosa, though written in the form of a dialogue between Dakshinamurti and his disciple Akshobhya, is a collection of quotations from no less than fortyseven Tantric works. The Devirahasya in all its parts seemes to have been composed by some kashmirian writter because as already referred to above the goddesses Jvalamukhi, Sarika maharajni, Sarada, Bhida and Bala are popular and have their shrines in the kashmir valley.
The Sakta Pithas
The sakta pithas by Dr D. C. Sircar, which is limited and precise in scope but has a wide appeal, brings honour to the young historian of Calcutta. Its basis is a critical edition of the Pithanimaya or Mahapithanirupana which is short treatise of the late period describing the fiftyone pilgrim spots associated with the Mother Goddess under some of her various names. Each one of the pithas is mentioned along with a particular form of the Goddess and that of siva associated with it.
The Spiritual Message of Indian Saint-Poets
Goddess Laksmi: Origin and Development
The Gitagovinda of Jayadeva
It desscribes the loves of Krsna and Radha in twelve cantos containing twenty-four songs. The songs are sung by Krsna or Radha or by Radha's mind and are connected by brief narrative or descriptive passages. The appropriate musical mode and rhythm for each song are noted in the text. This poem is really a kind of drama, of the ragakavya type, since it is usually acted.
Garuda : The Chariot of Vishnu
Garuda had been a powerful vehicle of Visnu, who participated in several wars fought by his master with the demons. The event of his bringing of the nectar from the heaven in order to relieve his mother of the bondage of the serpents is quite interesting, which, along with other events, has been suitably deal with in this works. Garuda not only adored the flags of the rulers but his seals were also embossed over the important documents in the past.
Gayatri
Gayatri is a sacred mahamantra. It is a universal prayer. The Vedas, Upanishads, puranas and various other ancient Hindu Scriptures sing in one voice the glory of Gayatri - the profound prayer. Since the Vedic times, Gayatri has been a daily prayer of the Hindus, chanted every morning and evening, addressed to Savitr, the power behind the Sun. Gayatri is considered the most exalted prayer, because unlike the other mantras, it does not seek material or worldly gains. It is a prayer that seeks the highest enlightement, the realization of the supreme being, which according to our sanathana Dharma, is the highest goal of every human being. Gayatri is, undoubtedly, the prayer or meditation meant for men and women everywhere, irrespective of their caste, creed, religion or nationality Om Gayatri.
Hanuman : The Only Devotee
Hanuman is the most important warrior of Ramayana. Though he had been a silent soldier with Sugriva, but his personality gained importance after his coming in contact with Rama. He played a leading role in the Kiskindha, Sundra and Yuddha-Kanda of Ramayana. Indeed it would be no exeggeration to say that he is the auspicious, brave and the illustrious hero of the Sundara-Kanda the selfless service rendered to Rama, Sugriva, Laksmana, Sita besides his own colleagues is beyond comparison.
Siva : The Gracious
Siva is the ancient most god of the Hindu trinity and his worship in India is of great antiquity, traces of which are found in the Harappan culture, in Vedic literature and the Puranas besides the Upanisads etc. His temples are found from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from bengal to the western regions of the country. He indeed had been the great god with enormous following throughout the country. The present account provides the glimpses of his life in brief.
Encountering Kali
Encountering Kali explores one of the most remarkable divinities the world has seen. The Hindu goddess Kali is simultaneously understood as a bllod-thirsty warrier, a deity of ritual possession, a Tantric sexual partner. and an all-loving, compassionate mother. popular and scholarly interst in her has been on the rise in the West in recent years. Responding to this phenomenon, Mc Dermott and Kripal's volume focuses on the complexities involved in interpreting kali in both her indigenous south Asian setting and her more recent Western incarnations.
Laksmi : The Consort of Visnu and Goddess of Wealth
Laksmi in Indian religious thought happens to be the spouse of Lord Visnu, she is said to have emerged as one of the gems from the churning of the ocean, jointly undertaken by the demons and the gods. Immediately after her emerging from the ocean she accepted lord Visnu as her lord. She has been in worship since time immemorial as an individual goddess as well as in the company of her lord Visnu.