There is a conception that the terms Asura and Rakshasas are interchangeable.
This file has annotations. Move the mouse pointer over the image to see them. The bas-relief of Samudra manthan from Angkor Wat, Cambodia, shows Vishnu in the center, in his Kurma avatar, with the asuras and the devas on either side.
These terms evoke the images of Demons and Evil Doers.
The Rakshasas are said to have been born of Brahma while He was asleep and started eating Brahma.
Brahma started yelling ‘Rakshama’- Protect Me’ and Lord Vishnu banished the Rakshasas from the Earth.
“The word, Asura, including its variants, asurya and asura, occurs 88 times in the Rigveda, 71 times in the singular number, four times in the dual, 10 times in the plural, and three times as the first member of a compound. In this, the feminine form, asuryaa, is included twice. The word, asurya, has been used 19 times as an abstract noun, while the abstract form asuratva occurs 24 times, 22 times in each of the 22 times of one hymn and twice in the other two hymns….
Bhargava believes that, in most of the ancient hymns, the word, asura, is always used as an adjective meaning “powerful” or “mighty”. In the Rigveda, two generous kings, as well as some priests, have been described as asuras. One hymn requests a son who is an asura. In nine hymns, Indra is described as asura. Five times, he is said to possess asurya, and once he is said to possess asuratva.Agni has total of 12 asura descriptions, Varuna has 10, Mitra has eight, and Rudra has six. Bhargava gives a count of the word usage for every Vedic deity.”
Most of the things said by the Hindu texts looked ridiculous some time back and they are facts.
I have come across an interesting information on Makara.
Thought to be a Myth, now it is sighted in Vietnam.
Scroll down for Video.
*The Video has been rmoved by Youtube,
As it happens, sensitive information about Hinduism,Sanatana Dharma get deleted from the Net.
This is not new to me..
News about explossive information on Snia Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi , 2 G scam wriiten by me get removed.
I have been able to save the texts of these articles and I have been reposting them regularly only to be erased again!
Would some one tell me how to save the Video Links?
Makara sighted in Vietnam.
“Makara (Sanskrit: मकर) is a sea-creature in Hindu mythology. It is generally depicted as half terrestrial animal, such as a crocodile, and in hind part as aquatic animal, in the tail part, as a fish tail or peacock tail. At Ta Prohm, near Angkor Wat and built by the epic builder king Jayavarman VII in the late 1100s, a small carving on a crumbling temple wall seems to show a dinosaur – a lizard, to be exact. The hand-sized carving of the hindu-buddhist Makara can be found in a quiet corner of the complex, a stone temple engulfed in jungle vegetation where the roots of centuries-old banyan trees snake through broken walls. …
Makara’ is a Sanskrit word which means “sea dragon” or “water-monster” and in Tibetan language it is calledthe “chu-srin”, and also denotes a hybrid creature. It is the origin of the word for crocodile ‘mugger’ (मगर) in Hindi. The English word ‘mugger’ evolved meaning one who sneaks up and attacks another. The name is applied to the Mugger crocodile, the most common crocodile in India, and is descriptive of its aggressive feeding behavior.
Meanwhile, Josef Friedrich Kohl of Wurzburg University and several German scientists claimed that makara is based on dugong instead, based on his reading of Jain text of Sūryaprajñapti.
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The Makara in India is known to be the vahana(vehicle) of Ganga-devi – the goddess of the river Ganges and the vahana of the god of the sea, Varuna. A Makara is also the insignia of Kamadeva (god of lust) and Kamadeva’s flag is called makara-dhvaja, a flag having the Makara drawn on it. In Hindu astrology the Makara is also the astrological sign of Capricorn. A little research reveals this strange mythical creature to have been very popular both in ancient times and in our present day. But is it mythical?
The Makara is often depicted with the head of a crocodile, horns of a goat, the body of an antelope and a snake, the tail of a fish or peacock and the feet of a panther. Varuna is said to be the only one who can control the Makara and does not fear them (save and except for Krsna that is).
In some English translations of the Gita, for simplicity of reading, ‘makara’ has been translated as shark. But it is not a shark. The Timingila that is often mentioned along with the Makara in other Vedic texts is classified as a shark – a shark of monstrous proportions. This has been discussed at length in Krsna Talk #88.
Mahabharata mentions the Timingila and Makara as being deep within the ocean, along with other huge sea creatures:
timingilah kacchapasca tatha timi timingilah
makarascatra drsyante jale magna ivadrayah
“There were seen Timingilas, tortoises, Timi-timingilas and Makaras, that were like great rocks submerged in the water.” (Mahabharata, Vana Parva. 168.3)
The Ayurvedic text of the 6th century BCE known as Susruta Samhita also lists the Timingila and Makara as being amongst the formidable species of aquatic life:
“The Timi, Timingila, Kulisa, Paka-matsya, Nirularu, Nandi-Varalaka, Makara, Gargaraka, Candraka, Maha-mina, and Rajiva etc, constitute the family of marine fish.” (Susruta Samhita, Ch.45)
In Srimad Bhagavatam, Makaras and Timingila are mentioned as predators, attacking Markandeya Rsi:
ksut-trt-parito makarais timingilair upadruto vici-nabhasvatahatah
tamasy apare patito bhraman diso na veda kham gam ca parisramesitah
“Suffering from hunger and thirst, attacked by Makaras and Timingila and battered by the waves and the wind, Markandeya wandered through the infinite gloom that enveloped him. Overcome by exhaustion, he lost all sense of direction and could not ascertain what was the sky and what was the earth.” (Bhag. 12.9.16)
The exact year of the temple’s construction or foundation is not known (it may be thousands of years old),but it is widely believed that the current structure was built in around 1917–18.
Today, the temple is in a dilapidated state as humid winds are eating into the structure and the rich carvings on the walls of the temple are slowly eroding. At present, the building is not used for worship and the last ritual was held in the 1950s.
Currently, This temple belongs to the Hindu Council of Pakistan. According to a legend, it was around 16th century when a wealthy sailor by the name of Bhojomal Nancy Bhattia bought Manora Island from the Khan of Kalat, who owned most of the land along the coastline at that time and then his family commissioned a temple on the lay terrain.
Fruit is your best bet for significantly upping the amount of water in your diet. The amount of liquid expelled when cutting or squeezing a piece of fruit is a good indication of just how much water it contains.
Tomatoes, peaches, pineapple, strawberries and oranges contain some of the highest percentage of water, according to The Fruit Pages, an informational website that lists nutritional information about fruit. Many people mistake dried fruit and fruit juices as being just as heart healthy and weight friendly, but removing the water-rich aspects of fruit increases the calorie density and makes it more difficult for the body to process. For example, dietitians recommend grapes, but not raisins, for clients trying to shed a few pounds.
Vegetables
Also high on the list of water density are vegetables. While they may not seem as moist as many fruits, looks can be deceiving. A potato is roughly 80 percent water and only 20 percent solid mass. Cucumbers, carrots, squash and bell peppers are favorites among nutritionists. Many dietitians recommend adding these vegetables to existing meals, such as pastas and meats, to reduce calorie concentration and make you feel fuller faster.
Other Liquids
Drinking water isn’t the only liquid capable of hydrating and sating the appetite. Doctors often recommend broth soups for ailing patients to help stave off dehydration, with the added benefit of sodium to balance electrolytes.
Home-brewed lemonades and decaffeinated iced teas are also useful as supplements to straight drinking water. Caffeine is a diuretic, which causes the body to leach both water and calcium. Carbonated beverages have a more severe influence on the body, stealing calcium from your bones and eating away at your tooth enamel.
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