DIVINEINFORMATION PART 4 Dear friends,
While going through one of my externalmemory device, I came across some good information stored from a website (not available now). I thought of sharing interesting ones fromthem as a series. These are short information. Inpart 3 I have covered four items. So I am starting with 15th item in this posting. Sincerely, Gopala Krishnan 13-05-2021 15 SOMA Also known asChandra, Soma (Moon) is identified with amrita (nectar). He is represented as acopper-coloured man, trailing a red pennant behind his three-wheeled chariot,which is drawn either by an antelope or by ten white horses. He normally hastwo hands, one carrying a mace and the other in a protective mode. His lineage says that he was the son of Dharma or ofVaruna, lord of the oceans, from which the moon rises. Accordingto a legend, Surya nourishes the moon with the water from the ocean when Soma is exhausted by the manybeings who feed upon his substance. For, during half the month, thirty-sixthousand divinities feed on Soma and thus assure their immortality. Thisaccount neatly combines the two aspects of Soma: as the nectar from which thegods derive their strength and as the moon which waxes and wanes. Thelegend of the banishment of Soma by Brahma to the outer atmosphere can beinterpreted as yet another myth explaining how intoxicants came to be banned. 15 SURYA Surya(the Sun god) is one of the most important deities of the Vedas. He usually has a lotus in each handand is usually shown in a chariot drawn across the heavens by seven horses orone horse with seven heads. He is also shown with four hands, three carrying awheel, a conch-shell and a lotus and the fourth in a protective mode. His charioteer is Aruna, the god ofdawn, who carries a whip in his hand. Being the source of light and warmth,he has the ability to control the seasons and the power to grant or withholdthe ripening of the crops. Asthe economy was agricultural based, Surya is placed amongst the highest of thegods, specially for the agricultural communities. Alsoknown as Savita, Surya was very popular in the early times, but later on lostsome of his importance to Vishnu. Even then he is the god to whomthe famous Gayatri Mantra (prayer) is chanted every day when he rises. Everyday in the morning onecan see hundreds of devotees chanting the mantras and offering water to the Sungod. Small images andvisual representations of the Sun god can be seen in the temples of other gods, but he rarely hasa full-fledged temple to himself. One of the exceptions is the famous suntemple at Konarak in Orissa. My note- In Kerala atAdityapuram near Kottayam there is a famous Sun temple. I have visited thetemple. Main offering in this temple is sandalwood. 16 VARUNA Varuna, the god of the oceans, is shownas a fair-complexioned man riding a monsterfish called Makara,which has the head and legs of an antelope. He may have two to four hands andin one of his right hands he carries a noose. Varunalost his importance even during the Vedic times. Of his former character of a celestial deity, he retainsonly the title of the regent of the Western quarter of the compass. The mythological explanation ofthis great fall is that a great conflict occurred between gods and demonsand when it was over each of the gods was assigned a clearly defined sphere ofinfluence to avoid further conflicts. >From this time onward lndra remainedgod of the atmosphere while Varunawas >ousted from the guardianship of the heavens and was given theover-lordship of >the oceans. Here he kept watch over the various demons of theocean. Varunasits with his wife, Varuni, on a throne of diamonds and the gods and goddessesof the different rivers, lakes and springs form his court. 17 VAYU Vayu is the god of the wind. Extremelyhandsome in appearance, hemoves about noisily in a shining chariot drawn by a pair of red or purplehorses. At times the number of horses increase to forty-nine or even athousand. The latter number wouldprobably be employed when there is a cyclone. He is also represented as a fair-complexionedman riding a deer and carrying a white flag. He may have two to four hands andmay carry a goad and a wheel. Often associated with Indra,Vayu won the race for the first drop ofSoma juice (ambroisia). He does not occupy considered the friend of the waters,At a later he issaid to have begotten a son, Hanuman (the monkey god), who played a conspicuousrole in the epic Ramayana. In the other epic, Mahabharata,Bhim also is said to be the son of Vayu. 18 VISHWAKARMA Vishwakarma is the divine architect of the whole universeand is normally shown as white coloured. He normally has four hands carrying awater-pot, a book and a noose. Hemay hold craftsmen's tools in one of his hands or they may be shown placed nearhis seat. He has a club in his right hand, wearsa crown, a necklace of gold, rings on his wrists and holds tools in his lefthand. All the flying chariots of the gods,their weapons, etc. were his creations. He built the city of Lanka for Ravana, and Dwaraka, the city associatedwith Krishna. It was he who revealed the science ofmechanics and architecture (Satapatya Veda). According to Satpatha Brahmana, he performed a yagna in which he offered allcreatures including himself, as sacrifice, to elucidate tile cyclic process ofdestruction and renewal of all cosmic life and matter. Hisdaughter Sanjana was married to Surya, tile Sun god. Vishwakarma is thepresiding deity of all craftsmen. Implements of the trade such as lathemachines, chisels etc. are worshipped when the Sun enters tile Bhadrapadaconstellation. Jaipur hasan industrial area named after him, and so are thousands of machiningand mechanical shops all over tile country. 19 YAMA Yamais the messenger or god of death and the judge of men. He is represented as agreen coloured man, clothed in red garments and wearing a crown. He wears a flower on his head. Hecarries a mace in one hand, and a noose in the other for catching his victims.He is sometimes shown as having four arms and sometimes two. His mount is a black buffalo. The twin brother of Yami, who laterbecame the river Yamuna, hewas the first mortal to die and having discovered the way to the other world,is the guide of those who depart this world. He has two ravenous dogs, each withfour eyes and wide nostrils. They guard the road to his abode and wanderamongst men summoning them to their master. Inthe Puranas, Yama is called the judge of men who, when they die, are broughtbefore him and Chitragupta (the Record Keeper) with whom their actions havebeen recorded. Thevirtuous are conveyed to heaven (Swarga) and the wicked to different regions ofhell (Naraka). Afterdeath thesoul takes four hours and forty minutes to reach Yama.Therefore a dead body should not be cremated before this time has elapsed. Brahma, after creating the world,realized that a place for judgement and punishment for the wicked was wanting.He therefore requested Vishwakarma, the architect god, to create one. This legendary place created forYama has a mild and salubrious climate and there is no fear of enemiesor any amiction of mind or body. Each person is rewarded according to his pastdeeds. Tothe virtuous and to the sinner Yama appears in different forms. Tothe virtuous he appears like Vishnu, with a charming, smiling face andlotus-like eyes. To the wicked he appears to have limbs ‘three hundredleagues’ long, hair like gigantic reeds and eyes like deep wells, Yamais also the guardian of the South. Iwill continue in next posting. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Thatha_Patty" group. 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