Tag: Hindu Religion

  • Hinduism Present Gods Not In Vedas Why?

    I have received a perceptive comment on the Gods worshiped in the Vedas.

    This is it.Vedic Gods Abstract ,Hinduism.jpg Vedic Gods Abstract ,Hinduism.

    After completing the Shruti texts, I moved onto the Smritis – the Itihaas and the Purans when my daughter, while reading the draft, commented : No portion of the Veds (including the Upanishads) really talk of Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh, Ganesh, Devi etc. How did the transition take place.?

    The Agams do provide a clue but to my mind there are several missing links – especially in the practices as seen from Uttar Pradesh where I come from. Can you throw any light on this?’

    I kept the comment pending lest I forget it.

    The Vedas  as rightly said do not mention the Trinity Brahma , Vishnu And Shiva as much as the other deities as Indra, Varuna , Agni.

    Shiva is not mentioned at all, excepting in Sri Rudram as Sivaaya Ca, Sivadharaya ca.

    No mention of Brahma either.

    But we have references to Vishnu and Narayana.

    Example.Narayna Suktham ,Vishnu Suktham.

    Devis Lakshmi and Durga are mentioned , Sri Suktham and Durga Suktham.

    Vishnu is mentioned six times, in the Rig Veda

    Ganapati Upanishad is found in the Atharva Veda.

    As to how the Trinity and other deities we worship today came into play is the human necessity of having a fixed an object for realization with specific attributes that are identical with human attributes.

    Vedas speak of Para Brahmanas Nirguna, with out Attributes.

    Saguna, Gods with attributes were limited to what we now consider as minor deities, like Indra, Varuna and the others.

    More of karma kanda was followed and Bhakthi Bhavam the Path of Devotion does not find a place in the Vedas as much as in the post Vedic period.

    Vedic karmas were performed as per the Vedic procedure, were more mantra oriented( the deities are bound by the Mantras) and the Deities like Agni were used as conduits in carrying the oblations and these deities were considered to be the benefactor of human needs.

    Howver as the number of these deities were numerous, there was a necessity of establishing  much more powerful deities, who are are in control of these deities.

    Thus were the Gods Brahma and others.

    As for as Shiva is concerned there are references to Siva in the South. Pre Sanatana Dharma period where He is described as Adhi Shiva and a First Siddha.

    I have published a couple of articles on this and more to follow.

    So many of the Gods we worship today were not mentioned in the Vedas.

    That does not necessarily mean they are Illusions or lies.

    As I have mentioned in my earlier Post that Hinduism does not believe in personal God but understands the Human Mind;s necessity og having one.

    So it allows the worship of these deities.

    As Krishna says,in The Bhagavad Gita

    “I shall grant the boons to one who prays  in the Form he worships and in the same manner that Deity would’

    Thereby implies the Nirguna Upasna can be supplemented by Saguna worship.

    Deities mentioned in the Rig Veda.Numbers indicate the number of times the Gods were mentioned.

    • Indra 289
    • Agni 218
    • Soma 123 (most of them in the Soma Mandala)
    • The Asvins 56
    • Varuna 46 [1]
    • the Maruts 38
    • Mitra 28[1]
    • Ushas 21
    • Vayu (Wind) 12
    • Savitr 11
    • the Rbhus 11
    • Pushan 10
    • the Apris 9
    • Brhaspati 8
    • Surya (Sun) 8
    • Dyaus and Prithivi (Heaven and Earth) 6, plus 5.84 dedicated to Earth alone
    • Apas (Waters) 6
    • Adityas 6
    • Vishnu 6
    • Brahmanaspati 6
    • Rudra 5
    • Dadhikras 4
    • the Sarasvati River / Sarasvati 3
    • Yama
    • Parjanya (Rain) 3
    • Vāc (Speech) 2 (mentioned 130 times, deified e.g. in 10.125)
    • Vastospati 2
    • Vishvakarman 2
    • Manyu 2
    • Kapinjala (the Heathcock, a form of Indra) 2

    Minor deities (one single or no dedicated hymn)

    • Manas (Thought), prominent concept, deified in 10.58
    • Dakshina (Reward for priests and poets), prominent concept, deified in 10.107
    • Jnanam (Knowledge), prominent concept, deified in 10.71
    • Purusha (“Cosmic Man” of the Purusha sukta 10.90)
    • Aditi
    • Bhaga
    • Vasukra
    • Atri
    • Apam Napat
    • Ksetrapati
    • Ghrta
    • Nirrti
    • Asamati
    • Urvasi
    • Pururavas
    • Vena
    • Aranyani
    • Mayabheda
    • Tarksya
    • Tvastar

    I have taken as a frame of reference as it is the oldest and regarded as most authentic.

    I belong to Krishna Yajur.

    Citations.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigvedic_deities

  • Varaha Avatar Validated By Continental Shift Triassic Animals

    I have posted articles, based on Hindu Puranas, Ithihasas and the references found in the Vedas, the Scriptures of the Hindus,that the world was practicing Sanatana Dharma.

    This is supported by archeological’ literary and cultural evidence found in India and the other parts of the world.

    Now this theory is validated by Geology and movement of Tectonic plates.

    Of the ten Avatars of Vishnu, four are recorded to have been in the Satya Yuga.

    1. Matsya, the fish, from the Satya Yuga. Vishnu takes the form of a fish to save Manu from apocalypse, after which he takes his boat to the new world along with one of every species of plant and animal, gathered in a massive cyclone.
    2. Kurma, the tortoise, from the Satya Yuga. When the devas and asuras were churning the Ocean of milk in order to getamrita, the nectar of immortality, the mount Mandara they were using as the churning staff started to sink and Vishnu took the form of a tortoise to bear the weight of the mountain.
    3. Varaha, the boar, from the Satya Yuga. He appeared to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth, orPrithvi, and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story. The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have lasted for a thousand years, which the former finally won. Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between his tusks and restored it to its place in the universe.
    4. Narasimha, the half-man/half-lion, from the Satya Yuga. The rakshasa (An evil person) Hiranyakashipu, the elder brother of Hiranyaksha, was granted a powerful boon from Brahma, not allowing him to be killed by man or animal, inside or out, day or night, on earth or the stars, with a weapon either living or inanimate. Vishnu descended as an anthropomorphic incarnation, with the body of a man and head and claws of a lion. He then disembowels the rakshasaat the courtyard threshold of his house, at dusk, with his claws, while he lay on his thighs.

    We are now in Kali Yuga.

    The Yuga calculation is as under.

    ” The duration of the Satya-yuga is therefore 4,800 x 360, or 1,728,000 years. The duration of the Tretā-yuga is 3,600 x 360, or 1,296,000 years. The duration of the Dvāpara-yuga is 2,400 x 360, or 864,000 years. And the last, the Kali-yuga, is 1,200 x 360, or 432,000 years in total.” (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 3.11.19) . These 4 yugas follow a timeline ratio of (4:3:2:1).”

    Now to Continetal Shift and Movement of Tectonic Plates.

    Three anicient periods are reelvant here.

    The Triassic Period 248 – 206 million years ago.

    The Jurassic Period 206-144 million years ago.

    The Cretaceous Period 144-65 million years ago.

    These three form Mesozoic Era.

     

    Leaving aside our Kali Yuga, which is 5116 Years old, we have to go back  2160000 years to reach Satya Yuga, that is 2.2 Millon Years.

     

    On checking up the Animal Kingdom I have found  Lystrosaurus, one of the earlier mammals resemble the Varaha.

    Here is The Lystrosaurus Image.

    Lystrosaurus Herd on Rock .jpg
    Lystrosaurus .Click to enlarge

     

    Varaha in Erect posture.

    Varaha Image.jpg
    Varaha.

    I have used Free Images, for detailed and better Images Google Images.

    And you can click on the Animals in the period mentioned by visiting the first Link provided at the end of this post.( animals can be found in the first column of  the page in the site)

    Many animals of that Era are similar to the descriptions found in the Puranas.

    The Puranas and Ithihasa were not fantasizing about the animals or the Avatars.

    I am restricting myself only to the animals found in that period.

    On land mass and the movement of Tectonic Plates , I will be psoting shortly.

    I will be posting an article as to why Sanatna Dharma relics are found throughout the world, with geological proof.

    And is there any connection between the Grand Canyon Natural Vishnu temple, Patala Loka( which I have shown as the Americas of Today in my earlier post)?

    Citation.

     

    http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/dinosaurs/mesozoic/Triassic.html

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yuga

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dashavatara

    http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/604667/Triassic-Period/225838/Terrestrial-reptiles-and-the-first-mammals

  • Science and Religion.

    1.Religion and Science.
    As Einstein observed’Religion with out Science is lame and Science without Religion is Blind’
    Much confusion is due to the assumption that Science and Religion and Philosophy are poles apart, which is not true.Probably,people have taken only Christianity and Judaism alone into account.Many old and Great Religions like Hinduism and Buddhism are very scientific in terms of methodology of Knowledge, Sources and definition as to what constitutes Knowledge.Space is a constraint here to examine all the ideas.To cite,Hinduism states that what is in the Microcosm is in the Macrocosm.All laws applicable ti individual species/individuals/individual units also apply to Nature/Universal Laws as a whole.Which is exactly what scientists are saying when attempting to explain Quantum Theory.The pattern of movements of electrons/protons correspond to movement in heavenly bodies.Now they have also explored the frontiers of Dark Matter/energy ; these concepts are present in ancient texts of Hinduism.
    The paradox of Time is solved by classifying Time as one that is cyclic and not linear(Which is what we are doing now).The same conclusion is arrived at by Quantum Theory which envisages the existence of multi verses in different levels, all existing at the same time.Time recoils into itself.
    Hence what the earlier texts enumerated might not have been called by them or by us as Science by our definition.But they hailed it as Truth as distinct from facts.
    So what we are uncovering now is more of rediscovering under a new name.
    2. Monotheism breeds Tolerance.Correct.One of the most tolerant Religions is Hinduism, because it evolved from Polytheism, Henotheism,and Monotheism.Monotheism has been further refined into Monism or Non Dualism.This concept has been the reason for Hinduism being very tolerant and flexible and been able to survive for more than 5000 years.
    3. Purpose Driven History.Universe is teleological.The fact that we are evolving for the better can not be doubted.We get this impression that it is not so is because we are vocal about our views and are allowed to be so because of Freedom which has been declined in earlier times.The fact that we are able to call our past mistakes as mistakes is itself is an evidence of our moral maturity.We may find many of the practices of earlier civilisations are entering into our lives as new ideas like,Gay marriages,Lesbianism etc.These ideas will again crystallize into one man one woman concept or some other form we may not know right now.
    We also see earlier Nobility being replaced by neorich and this likely to lead to turmoil akin to French Revolution.History seems to be repeating under different names and it looks as though there seems to be a purpose behind all this.