Pranam
1 Much of the meaning of the Rig Veda is imperfectly understood and the
meanings of many words have become obsolete for many centuries. However a
broad concept of the religion of Rig Veda is clear enough. {KR: I know
from whom you have taken this; are you convinced about it so you write; do
you know such spots in vedas so you ascribe?; what are the meanings of what
are the words of vedas have become obsolete-are you aware; and if these
question were to be asked will you be answering?; or simply you rolled down
another juggernaut for today quota?.
2 None of these goddesses played a major role in the practice of the
religion. The prominent gods were exclusively male dominated. *Kama* the
love-god was the Indian version of cupid, a handsome man with bow and arrow
in his hands.
{KR what do you mean by religion?; which religion?; what gods are not
playing a major role?; On Avani avittam after the yagnopaveetham you start
"agni melee purohitam -is it not in vogue?; is sanatana dharma a religion?.
}
3 A Hindu will see the power of God in everything that surrounds him,
animate or inanimate. {KR why contradictions in the beginning and here?
May be you wrote just like that perhaps ubnbound by the words'
implications. About Gates you may, but not on vedic scriptures some
ignorant treatise as truth to earth. } KR IRS 7621
On Mon, 7 Jun 2021 at 06:16, 'gopala krishnan' via Thatha_Patty <
[email protected]> wrote:
> *DIVINE INFORMATION PART 28*
>
> Dear friends,
>
> While going through one of my external memory device, I came across some
> good information stored from websites. I thought of sharing interesting
> ones from them as a series.
>
> In part 28 , I am starting with 98TH item in this posting.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Gopala Krishnan 7-6-21
>
> 98 Gods of the Vedic Period
>
> Much of the meaning of the Rig Veda is imperfectly understood and the
> meanings of many words have become obsolete for many centuries. However a
> broad concept of the religion of Rig Veda is clear enough.
>
> The chief object of worship is the Deva (*Prajapati* – father of all gods
> and humans), who is seen as ‘the bright, shining one’. Prajapati retreated
> in history and was replaced by many other major gods. The main gods of
> Vedic period are Indra, Varuna, Surya, Agni, Soma, Rudra and Yama.
>
> *Indra*, the warrior God, was associated with thunder and storm. He rode
> in a bright chariot with a thunderbolt in his hand as his weapon (akin to
> Zeus of the Greeks and Thor of the Germans). He is also depicted riding
> his mount, Iravata the elephant.
>
> *Varuna*, second only to Indra in importance, was the guardian of the
> laws of nature. He watched the populace for any misdeeds and assured a
> moral society. He was ethically the highest Vedic god and was pure and
> holy. The cosmic order (Rta) was his responsibility.
>
> *Mitra*, an important god connected with vows and covenants is also
> mentioned in the Zoroastrian pantheon under his Greco-Iranian name Mithras.
>
> *Surya*, the sun god has several other forms and names. *Savitur*, the
> stimulator, is mentioned in the holy Gayatri mantra. *Pushan* another sun
> god was the protector of the herdsman. *Visnhnu*, also exhibited solar
> characteristics and covered the earth in three paces. He would gain
> prominence much later in Hinduism, and would be retained as the main deity.
>
> *Agni*, the fire god was considered as an intermediary between gods and
> men for he consumed the sacrifice and carried it to the gods.
>
> *Soma* was originally a plant extract, which made a potent drink.
> However, later soma was identified with the moon.
>
> *Rudra* was a remote god, dwelling in the mountains. He was an archer
> and had a fierce character. He could bring disease with his arrows and
> at the same time was the guardian of healing herbs. Later Hinduism
> adopted many of his characters in their deity Shiva.
>
> *Yama*, lord of the dead, was also the guardian of the ‘World of the
> Fathers’, where the blessed dead ancestors feasted in bliss forever.
>
> *A few goddesses also are mentioned in the Rig Veda. *
>
> * Prthvi **was the goddess of the earth. *
>
> *Aditi* *was the great mother of the gods. *
>
> * Ushas **was the goddess of dawn while Ratri was the spirit of the
> night.*
>
> *Aranyani*, a nature goddess was the lady of the forest.
>
> None of these goddesses played a major role in the practice of the religion.
> The prominent gods were exclusively male dominated.
>
> *Kama* the love-god was the Indian version of cupid, a handsome man with
> bow and arrow in his hands.
>
> 99 Gods of Hinduism-Trimurthy
>
> To an uninformed observer Hinduism may appear chaotic and polytheistic.
> However, fundamentally Hindus believe in a Universal God and this belief is
> derived from the Vedic philosophy of the World Soul. The hundreds of gods
> portrayed are faces of the same single force, the Universal God. This God
> is all pervasive, omnipotent and omniscient, in the true Vedic sense
> *(sarvantharyami**)*. A Hindu will see the power of God in everything
> that surrounds him, animate or inanimate.
>
> *Animals like cows, monkeys or snakes may be considered sacred and even an
> ordinary stone may hold the power of God.*
>
> The all-pervasive God is the creator of all matter and everything created
> by the Universal God represents a part of Him. This may appear as idolatry
> to a Western observer, whose religion generally condemns it, but a Hindu
> worships the Spirit that the idol represents rather than the idol itself.
> It only gives the worshipper a channel or a symbol to concentrate on during
> his prayers and meditation.
>
> Originally, three major faces of gods came to be popularly worshipped, namely
> Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
>
> *Shiva* is almost as popular as Vishnu and is evolved from the fierce
> Vedic god Rudra. Residing in the Himalayan Mount Kailasa, Shiva is a
> great ascetic, always meditating for the welfare of the world.
>
> He is covered with ashes and from his matted hair flows the sacred river
> Ganga. He is death and time, which destroy all things. On his forehead is
> a third eye, an emblem of his superior wisdom. His neck is blue (
> *Neelakantan*), from the effects of the poison he drank in order to save
> the humanity. The bull Nandi is his mount and beside him sits his beautiful
> wife, Parvathi.
>
> Shiva is also the god of fertility and is mostly worshipped in the phallic
> symbol called *Linga*. In the South he is also called as *Pashuapati *(Lord
> of the Beasts). The Shaivite sect considers Shiva as the Supreme Being.
>
> The protector and maintainer of humanity is *Vishnu*. He lives in the
> highest heaven, the *Vaikunta*. A great eagle (*Garuda*) is his vehicle
> and *Lakshmi* is his wife seated to his right. He is considered as the
> Universal God (as early as in the Bhagavad Gita). He is also called as
> Hari (as against Hara, another name for Shiva). * Vishnu* became an
> embodiment of many popular gods, namely *Vasudeva* in Western India and
> *Narayana*, an obscure god mentioned in the *Brahmana* literature of
> Upanishads.
>
> *Krishna*, the hero of the epic Mahabharata came to be identified as an
> incarnate (avatar) of Vishnu.
>
> *Rama*, the hero of the epic Ramayana was another major avatar of Vishnu,
> incarnated in order to rid the world of the demon Ravana.
>
> When there is disorder in the world Vishnu will incarnate himself to
> restore order for the welfare of the world. In all there are ten avatars
> of Vishnu.
> 100 About Sri Jagannath Mahaprabhu
>
> Sri Jagannath Krishna, His brother Sri Balabhadra Deva and His sister Sri
> Subhadra are worshipped in Puri in the famous Vishnu temple. *Depending
> on the Vedic Date (Tithi), the deities adorn different Vesha. *The word
> 'Vesha' means form and can be loosely translated as outfit or costume.
>
> The dais on which the three deities are seated is called the Ratnavedi
> Simhasana. Ratna refers to the gems and precious stones as well as 108
> conches of various auspicious markings which are embedded on the dais. The
> three deities are dressed in different outfits for different occasions
> starting with the Mangala Arati (the first prayer offered in the Brahma
> Muhurta or early hours at about 4.00 AM).
>
> The last prayer is the Ratri Pahuda.
>
> Some of the important occasions for special Vesha are as under.
> Sri Jagannatha Vesha-Abakasha Vesha or Tadapa Uttari Vesha
>
> This is done daily, after mangala arati, for the abakash rituals. Abakash
> is the tooth brushing and bathing ritual. The clothes that are worn by the
> deities are called 'Tadapa' and 'Uttariya.'
>
> Badasrunghara Vesha
>
> This is a very beautiful vesha. It is done before the night time 'pahuda',
> when the deities are allowed to take rest. It is therefore the vesha the
> deities appear in the following morning, for mangala arati. This vesha is
> mostly made of different kinds of flowers. The Lords are decorated with
> flowered ornaments known locally in Puri as adhara, jhumpa, gava,
> chandrika, tilak, alaka, guna, hruda pallava, karapallava and tadaki among
> others. The Deities also wear many flower garlands, some with tulasi
> leaves, and silk clothes called khandua.
>
> Chandana Vesha
>
> This vesha is done for 42 days, beginning on Akshaya Trutiya.
>
> Ganapati Vesha or Hati Vesha
>
> On the full moon day of the month of Jyestha, after the bathing ceremony
> is over, the Deities are dressed in elephant costumes. Lord Jagannath and
> Lord Balabhadra are made to look like Ganapati (Ganesh, the son of Shiva
> and Parvati).
>
> Suna Vesha or Bada Tadhau Vesha
>
> On the 11th day of the bright fortnight in the month of Ashada, when the
> Deities return from the Gundicha Mandir on their chariots, they appear in
> the Suna (Gold) Vesha. They are are decorated with golden ornaments and
> wear gold crowns. Lord Jagannath and Lord Balabhada appear with hands and
> feet made of gold. Lord Jagannath holds a golden chakra in His right hand
> and a silver conch shell in His left. Lord Balabhadra holds a golden club
> in His right hand and a golden plough in His left.
>
> Raja Vesha
>
> The same outfit as Suna Vesha, but it is performed on Dussera, Kartik
> Purnima and Pousa Purnim.
>
> Banabhoji Vesha
>
> On the 10th day of the dark fortnight in the month of Bhadra, the Deities
> are dressed for a picnic, like the cowherd boys.
>
> Kaliyadalana Vesha
>
> On the 11th day of the dark fortnight of Bhadra, Lord Jagannath is dressed
> as Krishna in His pastime of killing the serpent Kaliya.
>
> Pralambasura Badha Vesha
>
> On the following day, the 12th day of the dark fortnight of Bhadra, the
> Deities are dressed to commemorate Lord Balabhadra's pastime of killing the
> demon Prahlamba.
>
> Krishna-Balarama Vesha
>
> *On the 13th day of the dark fortnight of Bhadra, Lord Jagannath and Lord
> Balabhadra are dressed very attractively as Lord Krishna and Lord Balarama.*
>
>
> Bali Vamana Vesha
>
> On the 12th day of the bright fortnight Bhadra, Lord Jagannath is dressed
> like the dwarf brahmin Vamana, who defeated the demon Bali. Vamana Deva is
> one of the das avatars, the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
>
> Radha-Damodara Vesha
>
> For an entire lunar month, from the 11th day of the bright fortnight of
> Ashwina to the 10th day of the bright fortnight of Kartika, the Deities are
> dressed in this vesha. Damodara refers to the lord with a rope tied
> around His waist, which relates to Krishna's pastimes with Mother Yashoda.
>
>
> Thiakia Vesha or Laxmi-Narayana Vesha
>
> This vesha is used on the 11th day of the bright fortnight of Kartika.
>
> Bankachula Vesha
>
> Used on the 12th day of the bright fortnight of Kartika.
>
> Adakia Vesha or Trivikrama Vesha
>
> Used on the 13th day of the bright fortnight of Kartika.
>
> Dalikia Vesha or Laxmi Nrisimha Vesha
>
> Used on the 14th day of the bright fortnight of Kartika.
>
> Nagarjuna Vesha
>
> This vesha honors Parasurama, the warrior incarnation. It is used only
> occasionally. It happens during the month of Kartika, when there are six
> days of Panchaka. This was done six times in the last 30 years on 11/3/95,
> 11/16/94, 11/26/93, 11/3/68, 11/16/67 and 11/26/66.
>
> Ghodalagi Vesha
>
> During the period from the 6th day of the bright fortnight of Margasira to
> the 5th day of the bright fortnight of Magha (Basanta Panchami) the Deities
> wear winter clothes.
>
> Jamalagi Vesha
>
> From Basanta Panchami to Dola Purnima the Deities wear modified ghoda
> (winter clothes).
>
> Padma Vesha
>
> It is done on Saturdays or Wednesdays between the new moon day of Magha
> and Basanta Panchami.
>
> 'Padma' means 'lotus,' and the Deities' dresses are made from lotus, sola
> lace and paper. These dresses are traditionally supplied by the Badachhata
> Math. Halva (sweet pudding) is offered to the Deities when They are in
> this vesha.
>
> Gaja Uddharana Vesha
>
> This vesha is done on the full moon day of the month of Magha. It
> commemorates the story of Gajendra, the king of the elephants, and the
> alligator.
>
> I will continue in next posting
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Thatha_Patty" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to [email protected].
> To view this discussion on the web visit
> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/2077127832.3248238.1623026811473%40mail.yahoo.com
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/2077127832.3248238.1623026811473%40mail.yahoo.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>
> .
>
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Thatha_Patty" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email
to [email protected].
To view this discussion on the web visit
https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/thatha_patty/CAL5XZoojNzwTip7Gi3GG2OauhZL8mS09ok5oHOHymYK2PA4GaQ%40mail.gmail.com.
