DEVI GODS AS FEMALE

DEVI-GOD AS FEMALE.

God may be in the details,
But the Goddess is in the questions..

Once we begin to ask them,
There's no turning back...

 

For a follower of one of the Abrahamic Religions, the answer most likely would be 'NO', as Western religions are based on the premise of a Male God, generally envisioned with white robes and a flowing white beard, sitting high on a throne in a distant heaven.

For a person following one of the Eastern religions, the answer could very well be 'YES' as most Eastern religions give equal emphasis to both Male and Female aspects of divinity. For example, Hindu Theology, believes God to be a balance of the Male and the Female Powers, the Purush and Prakriti, otherwise referred to as Shiva and Shakti.

Shiva-Shakti

Continuing in the same vein, I'll ask another question.. Bible, Genesis 1:27, states that - God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female.

Now the question here is, if God is Male, how is a female in His image???

You may not have an outright answer to this one, but I hope the questions did begin a thought process in your mind! In the current post, we will try and understand the cult of the Goddess, not only from an Indian perspective, but also from the point of view of various other world religions.

The Historical Perspective

Historically, the cult of the Mother Goddess was more widespread all over the globe than it is now. Older Western religions viz. the Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Native American etc. included Goddess worship as a central part of their cultures.

In fact, more than 50 figurines of the Goddess have been found in excavations from all over Europe, dating more than 20,000 years ago, of which, Venus of Willendorf, is the most famous. Let us take a look at some of the goddesses worshiped in other ancient religions. Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Celts, Incas, Aztecs, all had their favorite goddesses viz.-

• The Celts had Abnoba- a goddess of rivers and forests and
• Agrona- the goddess of war;
• Greeks had Rhea- the Mother of Gods;
• Aphrodite- the goddess of Love and Beauty and
• Athena- the goddess of Wisdom and War.
• Similarly, the Egyptians revered Bast- the protector of the pharaoh and
• Isis- the goddess of magic, motherhood and fertility.

Goddesses in World religions

There are many more examples from Native American, Chinese, Japanese and Polynesian mythologies indicating that most ancient religions gave as much importance to the feminine aspect of God as the masculine.

It is also interesting to note that most of these depictions look at the Goddess as the Guardian of Nature and have a Maternal connotation just like the Mother Goddess in the Indian sub-continent.

Indeed, excavations from the Indus-Saraswati Civilization, have thrown up abundance of seals and figurines that suggest goddess-worship. Sometimes its a male-god or tribal chief worshiping a goddess while on other seals there are seven attendants accompanying the central goddess.

Man bowing to a Goddess

Mother Goddess from the Indus-Valley

The female figurines in terracotta found at Mohenjo-daro are comparable to similar artifacts excavated from archaeological sites in Baluchistan, Elam, Mesopotamia, Transcaspia, Asia Minor, Syria, Palestine, Cyprus, Crete, the Balkans and Egypt.

Famous Scottish anthropologist, James George Frazer, believes that all diverse goddesses worshiped in Europe were derived from a single concept originating from the Indo-European Neolithic cultures. The figurines also show an exaggerated fertility aspect suggesting the role of the goddess as a MOTHER-figure heralding a tradition that is still unbroken in Hinduism.

Goddess Worship in Hinduism

Throughout its millenia-old history, Hinduism provided its followers with the freedom of worshiping God in whichever form they want. Thus, were born the Four major sects of Hinduism:

Vaishnavism, worship of Lord Vishnu and His Avatars

Shaivism, worship of Lord Shiva

Shaktism, worship of the Goddess or Devi

Smartism, nonsectarian worship of all gods as different forms of the Supreme Brahman

These different sects provide different concepts, rituals and spiritual exercises for different modes of Awareness of the soul. Thus, Shaivism and Shaktism identify the Goddess as the consort of Shiva but while the Goddess is one half of the Complete Whole in Shaivism, she is Supreme in the latter.

In Vaishnav tradition, Goddess is considered Lord Vishnu's Yogmaya who takes the form of Mother Durga to look after the Material Creation as Her own child.

Goddess Durga as Lord Vishnu's Yogmaya

The worship of Mother Goddess actually shows a FIVE-FOLD approach by the devotees.

The FIRST approach is the one we have seen repeated in all ancient communities of the world - that personifies Divinity as the Mother Goddess. Rigved refers to Her as the Mahimata, or Earth-Mother; Viraja, the Universal-Mother; and Aditi, the Mother-of-Gods.

Verse 7.8i.4 while addressing the Dawn-goddess Usha states - Vayam syama maturna sunavah - Let us be dear to you like sons to a mother.

Mahimata, the Mother of Creation

In the SECOND approach, Goddess is visualized Mystically in the form of Shakti, the Cosmic Energy which is the Source of all Creation. All things, material and abstract are only the manifestations of the Divine Female.

Both the Puraans and Upanishads contain numerous references to Goddess as Shakti. The Mahabharat mentions Pradyumna’s worship of Goddess Katyayani, Aniruddha’s hymn to Goddess Chandi and Yudhishthira’s hymn to Goddess Durga.

Aadi-Shakti, Cosmic Energy of the Universe

The THIRD approach, identifies the Goddess in the form of Dash-Mahavidyas or the Ten Wisdom Goddesses, who represent a spectrum of feminine divinity, from horrific goddesses at one end, to the ravishingly beautiful at the other.

Worshiped by the followers of Tantrism, they are led by the fiercest of all, Goddess Maha Kali. The devotees understand them as different aspects of the same Great Goddess suited to the tastes, temperaments, and mental levels of spiritual aspirants

The ten goddesses are: Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Matangi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagala, and Kamala.

Dash Mahavidyas

The FOURTH approach is again devotional in nature, but here the goddess is (surprisingly) worshipped as the patron of the man-of-arms.

These are the super-women worshiped by warriors when they are going to war! The various warrior goddesses are known as the Saptamatrikas, or the Seven Mothers and are expansions of Goddess Durga.

This group comprises of the warrior avatars of even otherwise benign goddesses such as Saraswati and Lakshmi (!!). Thus in the Matrika cult, Brahma's consort in martial mode is Brahmani, Shiva's better half is Maheshwari and Vishnu's consort is Vaishnavi.

The fierce Matrikas in battle mode

Image courtesy Grant Morrison's 18 Days

{Art by Mukesh Singh}

At this point, it may be worthwhile to remember the Indus-Saraswati seal shared earlier which depicted seven attendants of the central goddess. The seven may actually represent the Matrikas, especially since the depiction of these goddesses has remained almost unchanged even in later Art!

Indus-Saraswati Durga and Saptamatrikas

Later temple relief depicting the Sapta-Matrikas

The FIFTH approach is of the Puranas like the Skanda Puraan, Brahmavaivarta Puraan, Devi Bhagwat Puraan, Prapancha-saratantra, Linga Puraan etc. which describe the various goddesses as consorts of the Male gods.

Thus, while Devi Durga is described as the Core Goddess, other goddesses are described as Her expansions who form the Vital Energy (Shakti) of the Gods without whom, it is impossible for them to vanquish the Demons.

This fifth approach also covers all assorted LOCAL goddesses worshipped in India's towns and villages and accords them the status of being one with the Supreme Goddess Durga. The principal THREE forms of the Devi according to the each of the three gunas of course are Maha-Kali, Maha-Lakshmi and Maha-Saraswati.

Female Hindu Holy Trinity

The Supreme Goddess DURGA

Of all texts related to goddess worship, Markandeya Puraan contains the most vivid description in the form of a full book, known as Devi Mahatmya conceptualizing and adoring the Goddess and is the first scripture to celebrate the Goddess as the Supreme Divinity.

Goddess Durga is referred to variously as Chandi, the fierce goddess, who destroys the evil Asuras; as Annapurna or the giver of food; and as Jagaddhatri, one who upholds the world. In the ‘Devi Kavacha’ an auxiliary of the Mahatmya, Devi is conceived of in nine forms known as the Nava-durga.

These are:

1. Shailputri, daughter of the mountains;
2. Brahmacharini, dwelling in Brahman;
3. Chandraghanta, who has the moon for her bell;
4. Kushmanda, the fertility goddess;
5. Skandamata, mother of the war god Skanda;
6. Katyayani, the daughter of Rishi Katyayana;
7. Kalaratri, the dark night of dissolution;
8. Mahagauri, the light of knowledge; and
9. Siddhidatri, the bestower of success.

According to the traditional story of appearance of the Goddess, once a Buffalo-demon called Mahishasur (Greek Minotaur??) had conquered the Three Worlds. Due to a boon from Brahma, he was invincible against any male, be it a beast or human or even a demigod.

Mahishasur, the Minotaur

Mahish had subjugated the three realms and made them his slave. Tired of his tyranny, the Devas ran to Brahma for help and after Brahma disclosed his boon, the male gods decided to create a FEMALE warrior to eliminate the buffalo demon.

They decided to pool all their creative as well as destructive powers for the process, and the COMBINED energies of all the gods took shape of a beautiful Goddess who was the Devi Durga.

Goddess Durga emerges from the Energy of Gods

The goddess was gifted weapons by all the assembled gods and she set forth on her mission. As soon as the Minotaur saw Durga's Divine form, he understood that the demigods had found a way around the boon granted to him by Brahma!

Rishi Markandeya, gives a detailed account of Ma Durga's battle with the demonic forces, including the slaying of Mahish in about 700 verses, chanted religiously by ardent devotees of the Goddess especially during the current Nine Days of Durga Puja.

Durga, Kali and other Matrikas together killed scores of demons including the dreaded Asuras like Shumbh, Nishumbh and Raktabeej.

Ma Kali defeating Raktabeej

After a prolonged battle, the buffalo-demon was slain, and henceforth, Goddess Durga was given the epithet of Mahishasur Mardini, the Slayer-of-Mahish. This is the most widely depicted representation of the Goddess in art and there's a lot of profound symbolism inherent in the depiction of the Goddess in battle mode.

Durga fighting the Minotaur

By vanquishing the buffalo-demon and reigning in a fierce Lion, Goddess Durga inspires us to tame our own ANIMAL INSTINCTS and rid ourselves of our Inner demons.

Goddess Durga slaying Mahishasur

The depiction also reflects taming of the MALE EGO by the Feminine principle to bring back balance in Creation and prevent the annihilation of our World.

The FEMALE principle tames this animal urge of mankind to destroy itself and gives it a push towards the creative process of sustenance. Men have indeed been responsible for a lot of blunders in our history just to pander to our egos..

The development and deployment of the first Nuclear bomb; Iraq's annexation of Kuwait; America's attack on Afghanistan; Pakistan's attempt to steal Kargil from India, all being very apt examples of the same.. By controlling our animal urges, Ma Durga prevents us from straying from the path of Spiritual growth and brings us back in line.

Not only Hinduism, other ancient Eastern religions also recognized and revered the Goddess for the same. In my travels, I found an unlikely temple dedicated to the Goddess in Penang Island of Malaysia! Even though the deity here is worshiped as a form of Buddha, its name and depiction clearly refers to Goddess Chandi, which is another name for Goddess Durga :o)

Chundi Bodhisattva in Penang, Malaysia

Even with the increasing opportunities available to women in civilized societies, a majority of women in the developing economies as well as certain fanatical societies do not have equal rights as their male counterparts. The many hands of the Goddess could easily represent the multi-tasking woman of today!

Traditional Goddess Modern Goddess

The prerogative is on us, the Men of today to acknowledge and respect the Goddess in women around us and to accord them the same respect we reserve for the Goddess in our Temples.

Let this Navratri be a reminder to us to deal with our inner demons and re-establish the high status accorded to women in our ancient scriptures! I conclude this post with the ode to the Goddess, the Mahishasur-Mardini Stotra compiled by Shri Adi Shankracharya-

O Daughter of Himalayas, Dwelling in the Vindhyas,

O consort of Shiva, glorified by Indra,

Creatrix of the Universe, Slayer of Mahisha,

O Daughter of the Mountain, Victory to You!

Arising from the Ocean, Nourishing the Three worlds,

Delight of Raas Dance, O consort of Vishnu,

Remover of all sins, Destroyer of evil Pride,

O Daughter of the Mountain, Victory to You!

Conqueror of Daityas, Vanquisher of Danavs,

Destroyer of Dhumralochan, Slayer of Shumbh-Nishumbh,
You stemmed the spawn of Rakta-bija,

O Daughter of the Mountain, Victory to You!

You are Invincible, with your Trident,

You string your mighty bow, and weild your shiny sword,

To remove the miseries, of all the Three worlds,

O Daughter of the Mountain, Victory to You!

You are fond of battle, against worthy warriors,

You are fond of dancing, with Shiva as Ardha-narishwar,

Your beauty captivates even the heart of Cupid,

O Daughter of the Mountain, Victory to You!


You are all Auspicious, the Merciful Mother of All,

You are my mother, and I too am Your son,

Do not reject my prayer, even if its flawed,

O Daughter of the Mountain, Victory of Victories to you!

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Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:

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KALACHAKRA

Kalchakra

As each grain of Time is destroyed,

The next comes along and brings with it either Creation or Destruction.
This is the Dance of Shiva.

The eternal cycle of Life and Death; Birth and Re-birth; Formation and Dissolution is called the Kaal-chakra or the 'Wheel of Time'.

Puraanic genealogies take us back into the mists of time when Human-beings were first trying to settle down on Earth and make it their Home. The Age of Kali (Kaliyug) is astrologically believed to have commenced on 20th February 3102 BCE and consequently, we are currently in the 5114th year of this Era.

The Kaliyuga Zodiac

How did the ancients really perceive their world? Were they also as bewildered by these mind-boggling numbers as we are today? Or did they accept it nonchalantly and went back to their daily chores with a shrug.

The Indian calendar is ingeniously based on BOTH the Sun and Moon; it uses a solar year but divides it into 12 lunar months! In this calendar, seasons follow the Sun; months follow the Moon; and days follow both. To help the lunar months coincide with the solar year, the practice of inserting an extra month, called the Adhik Maas, arose which is inserted every 30 months since 60 months = 62 months.

Lunar days in the Indian calendar are called Tithis. They are calculated using the difference of the longitudinal angle between the position of the sun and moon. Because of this, the tithi may or may not have changed by the time the day has changed and this is why sometimes a tithi is omitted, and at others, two consecutive days share the same.

Tithis or Days in a Lunar Calendar

Astrologically, one of the oldest Calendars followed in Hinduism, is the Saptarishi calendar which begins from 6676 BCE (earlier referred to as BC). This version was in use in northern India from at least the 4^th century BCE, as witnessed by the statements of Greek and Roman writers.

Another Indian calendar is known as the Vikram Era, or the Vikram Samvat, which began in 57 BCE. This calendar derives its name from the original king Vikramaditya of Ujjain and the date is supposed to mark the victory of the king over the Shakas, who had invaded Ujjain. Another calenad which is the Official Indian calendar now is known as the Saka Calendar and starts in 78 CE.

Measurement of Time in Hinduism

The authenticity and veracity of these dates will be dealt with subsequently, but for now let us try to understand the basic units of measurement used in ancient India. These units are based on the method of calculation known as Kaal-ganana.

According to the principles of Indian time measurement, the smallest unit of measurement of Time is the involuntary time taken to drop one's eyelid or the Blink of an Eye. It is remarkable that the ancients chose such a mode of measurement because this time is Constant for all living individuals hence does not depend on any Variables!

• This unit is known as a 'Nimish'
• Three Units (03) of Nimish combine to form a 'Kshan'
• Five Units (05) of Kshan combine to form a 'Kashtha'
• Thirty Units (30) of Kashtha combine to form a 'Kaal'
• Thirty Units (30) of Kaal combine to form a 'Muhurat'
• Thirty Units (30) of Muhurat then combine to form a 24 hour period known as the 'Divas-ratri'

This 24 hour period is also divided into an overlapping division called the 'Praher' or 'Paher'. Each 12 hour period has 4 Prahers each, thereby dividing one rotation of Earth into 8 equal parts.

• Fifteen Units (15) of Divas-Ratri form a fortnight or a 'Paksh'. The bright waxing Moon fortnight is called the Shukla Paksh and the dark waning Moon fortnight is known as the Krishna Paksh.

Kalchakra Mandala

In one of the higher planets called Pitralok, one fortnight of humans corresponds to one day and a similar time period counts as their night. Therefore, the Bright fortnight forms the Day of the Pitras and the Dark one forms the Night.

• Two Units (2) of Pakshs combine to form a month or a 'Masa'
• Six Units (6) of Maas jointly are referred to as an 'Ayan'

The six months when Sun is in the Northern Hemisphere are called the Uttarayan and the corresponding six in the lower hemisphere form the Dakshinayan. This bright northern jurney of Sun forms One day of the Devas and the six human month Southern journey forms their Night. Thus, for the demigods, One human year is equivalent to One Day-Night period.

Calculation of Yugas

Lord Brahma's day and night are each known as a Kalpa and Brahma lives for a Hundred such Years. One day in the life of Brahma thus comes to be close to4.32 Billion human years!

• Like our 12 hour division, each day of Brahma is divided into fourteen (14) divisions known as the Manvantars. Each Manvantar is ruled over by a leader of mankind known as the Manu.
• Each Manvantar is further divided into 71 Mahayugas just as each hour of our day is divided into 60 minutes.
• Each Mahayuga is further sub-divided into 4 Yugas each which are - Satyuga, Tretayuga, Dvaparyuga and Kaliyuga.

In the continuum called Mahayuga, each successive Yuga is lesser in duration than its predecessor by 25%. Also, at the beginning and end of each Yuga, there exists a Sandhya which forms 10% of the duration of that Yuga. These are the durations of the respective Yugas:

Kritayug	Yuga	4000
	Sandhya	400
	Sandhyansh	400
			4800
Tretayug	Yuga	3000
	Sandhya	300
	Sandhyansh	300
			3600
Dwaparyug	Yuga	2000
	Sandhya	200
	Sandhyansh	200
			2400
Kaliyug	Yuga	1000
	Sandhya	100
	Sandhyansh	100
			1200
			Total	12000

In Deva Years, they correspond to the durations of 4800, 3600, 2400 and 1200 respectively and since One Deva Year is equal to 360 human years, these figures become 1728000, 1296000, 864000 and 432000 respectively.

Once a Chaturyuga cycle gets over, there is a deluge which drowns the entire Earth after which life begins anew with the next Chaturyuga/Mahayuga cycle.

When these cycles of time have repeated themselves for a 100 years of Brahma, it is time for the creator-god to leave his mortal body as well. At the end of this Time, there is dissolution of the entire Creation and all living as well as non-living matter is absorbed unto itself to once again Begin at the Beginning.

.

Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:

AUM.

AUM - In the beginning was the Word.

In Hindu belief, creation started with the Divine Syllable - Om. Knowledge was one of the first creations to take place. It is supposed to have radiated from the Mind of Lord Vishnu to that of Lord Brahma and ultimately emanate from his mouth in the form of Vedas.

The tree of knowledge that we call Hinduism is so dense that an uninitiated reader may get lost in its complexities and detail. Hindu texts abound with highly intellectual philosophies with conceptions of impressive range and depth. In one of the most beautiful examples of Vedic thought process, I'm presenting a verse from the Mandukya Upanishad:

Om
The Supreme Brahman is Infinite,
Infinite is the Brahman of a Soul,
The Infinite comes from Infinite,
And on reducing Infinite from the Infinite,
The Infinite still stands Alone!

How beautiful the imagery and how profund is the purport of this simple verse! Yet, the Path of Wisdom is a narrow one and the Rishis of yore sought to simplify the language as well as the essence of the ancient words to make it palatable for the common man. Let us try and understand the basic classification of the ancient Hindu Texts and examine them one by one:

Hinduism has never been based on just one set of principles, rather it has thrived and survived the millenia because of its acceptance of varying and sometimes even contradictory schools of thought! The most intellectual of these, the Vedanta emphasizes the Supreme Brahman as a non-personal metaphysical concept free from any mythological moorings.

Another school of thought is the Yoga which seeks the union of God (Parmatma) and Soul (Atma) by means of meditation and various physical as well as mental disciplines. In the following passages, I would try to give the gist of what each of these religious texts convey.

~*~*~ Vedas ~*~*~

The Vedas (root Vid meaning Knowledge) are called Amnaya or Apaurushya implying that they are non-human in origin and have been recieved through revelation from God. They are the foundation stones of Hinduism and were revealed to the Mantra-Drashtas or Rishis through Divine sources as they progressed on the path of Spirituality.

Vedas, the oldest texts in the World

Unlike other world religions, Vedas do not owe authority to ONE single messenger of God. Rather, they are the authority themselves for they are the knowledge of the Lord. For ages, the Vedas were passed on from one generation to another by word of mouth.

They were never written down as the ancient Indians relied more on their intellect and memory than the written word. Hence, the Vedas are also known as Shruti - 'That which is Heard' while everything else is Smriti. Shruti is considered to be of divine origin, and hence, is preserved as a whole instead of some verses.

In the beginning, the four Vedas were one and consisted of a Hundred thousand verses. But to cope with man's diminishing abilities of comprehension as time progressed, Rishi Ved-Vyas divided them into four parts and entrusted four of his brightest disciples with the task of attaining mastery over the four Vedas.

Thus, Rishi Pail mastered the Rigveda, Vaishampayan mastered Yajurveda, Jaimini took charge of Samaveda and Sumantu perfected himself in the Atharvaveda. Each of these learned seers divided their text further as time progressed so that more and more people could attain benefit from their teachings. Accordingly, today we have a total of 1180 divisions comprising of 21 sections of Rigveda, 109 of Yajurveda, 1000 of Samveda and 50 of the Atharva-veda.

Each different section in the Vedas has a concluding portion somewhat like the Summary which are collectively known as the Upanishads. These texts are widely considered the zenith of Indian thought process and belong to the highest class of philosophical entreaties in the world.

Besides, there are Aranyaks that connect Vedas to the Upanishads and the commentaries on Vedas are known as Brahmanas. Further, to simplify the study of Vedas, ancient rishis developed Vedangs which are in the form of Shiksha, Kalpa, Vyakran, Nirukta, Chhanda, and Jyotish.

Rest of the texts fall in the category of Smriti and include all the knowledge that has been derived and inculcated 'after' Shruti had already been received by the great Rishis. If ever there is a conflict between the two, it is advised that Shruti will always overrule Smriti.

~*~*~ Upavedas ~*~*~

The Upavedas are considered ancilliary texts that talk about the application of knowledge derived from the Vedas. Thus, they cover subjects ranging from music to medicine and consist of:

Ayurveda - The Knowledge of Medicine and Healthy Life

Dhanurveda - The Knowledge of Archery and Warfare

Gandharveda - The Knowledge of all Arts,

Sthapatyaveda - The Knowledge of Engineering and Architecture,

Arthashastra - The Knowledge of Governance, Economics and Polity.

All these are discussed not just in a technical fashion but as a means to attain salvation through the rigorous following of each individual form. This is in sync with the Hindu belief that you need not only pray (Bhakti yoga) or do good deeds (Karma yoga) to attain Moksha, but you can also attain Salvation through the attainment of Knowledge (Gyaan yoga).

~*~*~ Dharma Shastras ~*~*~

Dharmashastras are the ancient law-codes dealing with the Varnashram Dharma. These law books lay down the foundations of Hindu Sanskar which are the guiding principles for the behavior of individuals as well as communities within themselves as well as while interacting with each other.

Dharma-shastras lay down the Samskar

There are 18 main Dharma Shastras, most important ones belongin to Manu, Yajnavalkya, Sankha and Parashar Munis. The laws of Manu are intended for the Satyuga, those of Yajnavalkya for Tretayuga, Sankha and Likhit for Dvapar and those of Parashar for Kaliyuga.

Each law book is based on the particular time and clime hence understandably differs in its approach. It is expressly stated that the Laws should change with the evolution of Society in order to ensure the continued progress of the human race.

~*~*~ Darshan Shastras ~*~*~

These are the different Schools of Philosophy based on the Vedas. While the Itihasa, Puraans and Agams are meant for the masses, these texts are more preferred by the Intellectuals in the Society. The six different schools of thought are:

Yoga,
Nyaya,
Samkhya,
Vaisheshika,
Purv Mimamsa, and
Vedanta or Uttar Mimamsa

Some of these philosophies like the Vaisheshika are extremely scientific with the entire creation being considered to be built up of atoms (!!) while others like Vedanta are more focused on Mysticism.

~*~*~ Itihaas ~*~*~

Itihaas means History (Iti-This; Has-Happened) and this category includes four religious texts: Ramayan, Mahabharat, Yogavashishtha and the Harivansh with the former two being the most commonly referred ones.

It is difficult for the common man to understand the complex philosophies of the Upanishads and Brahma Sutras, hence the rishis have explained the Universal truths by means of historical examples, so that the common man can get inspiration to follow their path and strive to attain liberation.

Manuscipt of the Adi Kavya, Ramayan

These epics are immensely human stories that acknowledge the weaknesses and failures of its heroes as often as it promotes their strengths and victories. The ‘good guys’ are sometimes even forced to cheat and break rules to win turning these histories into very modern stories of realpolitik and the clash of ideals with the harsh realities of Life.

For example, in the Mahabharat, even Duryodhana is a complex, ultimately sympathetic figure, while a character like Karna is quite simply heart-breaking in his inability to achieve the greatness of which he knows he’s capable.

A manuscript rendition of the Mahabharat

The most revered book of Hinduism, the Bhagvad Geeta is an accompaniment to the Mahabharat epic and is considerd the Refined summary of Entire Hindu thought. In a simile, it is compared to the milk obtained from the Upanishadic cows and hence a complete reference guide for Hindu thought and beliefs.

Bhagvad Geeta is an accompaniment of the Mahabharat

~*~*~ Puraans ~*~*~

The Puraans were composed by sages to popularize the religion of the Vedas by generating devotion in the minds of all and one by means of examples from the lives of different Emperors, Kings, Sages and Saints from the millenia long Hindu history.

There are 18 main Puraans, six each devoted to Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, and an equal number of subsidiary or Upa-Puraans. These are:

Shiva Puraan, Vishnu Puraan, Brahma Puraan, Bhagvat Puraan, Naradeya Puraan, Matsya Puraan, Kurma Puraan, Varah Puraan, Vaman Puraan, Kalki Puraan, Garud Puraan, Padma Puraan, Brahmand Puraan, Brahma Vaivarta Puraan, Markandeya Puraan, Agni Puraan, Vayu Puraan, Skand Puraan, Ling Puraan and finally the Bhavishya Puraan.

The most popular of these is the Shrimad Bhagavat Puraan that teaches devotion towards Shri Krishna and Shri Hari Vishnu.

~*~*~ Agams ~*~*~

The Agams are practical manuals of divine worship comprised of :

Mantras or the group of words capable of creating Spiritual transformation;
Yantras or the Geometrical representations of God's various forms; and
Tantras or the religious practices centered on harnessing Shakti or the Divine Energy

These are again divided into three sections viz. Vaishnav, Shaiva and Shakta Agams each centered on the worship of God as Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and Goddess Shakti respectively.

All the above mentioned scriptures constitute the major body of Sacred Sanskrit literature. While Shruti is considered the root; Smriti, Itihasas and Puraans form the trunk; Agams and Darshans are the branches and the secular literature of Subhashitas, Kavyas, Nataks and Alankars form the fragrant flowers of Indian literature.

The ultimate purpose of each and everyone of these is to remind man of the necessity to follow Dharma, help the fellow-being, live a moral life and ultimately attain salvation and reach the Supreme abode of Almighty God. If we fail to utilize this human form to achieve Nirvana, we have to again Begin at the Beginning.

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Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:

DEVAS

33 Devas

May Varuna with guidance straight,
And Mitra the One-who-knows,
And Aryaman in accord with Aditya,
Guide us forth, like the wind that blows,
As with their Might Evermore
They guard the Sacred Laws,
Shelter may they vouchsafe to us,
Immortal Gods to mortal men..

Hindu mystics knew from their experience, that verbal descriptions of the Supreme Reality can be Incomplete and hence resorted to Mythology to convey the feeling of their communion with God. Vedic Seers composed hymns eulogizing the sentient beings guarding all Natural and Supernatural phenomena and called them Devas that stems from the Sanskrit root 'Div' meaning the 'Shining One'.

The effulgent Devas

The derived term 'Deus' or 'Dios' from the same root, is still used to refer to God in modern European languages and even in the translations of the New Testament of Bible. The oldest texts detail 33 principle Devas who were the guardians of Nature and Cosmic Creation. They are:

• 12 Adityas or Solar gods including Indra, Surya, Mitra and Varun
• 11 Rudras, the Manifestations of Lord Shiva
• 8 Vasus or Elemental gods such as Vayu, Agni, Antariksh and Dyaus, the Sky God
• Prajapati Brahma
• Shri Hari Vishnu

The ancients especially venerated the Adityas and Vedas are full of hymns dedicated to Indra, Agni, Surya, Varun and the like. The 12 Adityas correspond to the 12 Solar months and represent different attributes of social life. These are:

Ansh (due share),
Aryaman (nobility),
Bhaag (due inheritance),
Dhatri (ritual skill),
Tvashtar (skill in crafting),
Mitra (friendship),
Pushan/Ravi (prosperity),
Savitra/Parjanya (power of word),
Surya/Vivasvan (social law),
Varun (fate),
Vaman (cosmic law).

Indra/Shakra, of course is the eldest and the undoubted leader of other Adityas and has proved his worth on numerous occasions, most famous of his exploits being the slaying of the dragon Vritra.

Indra leads the Adityas

Interestingly, these 12 Adityas were adopted into Chinese and Japanese Buddhism as guardians of the monasteries covering the four main directions, four semi-directions, above, below and the Sun and Moon. They are known as Devas or Ten 天 in Japan (which literally means Heaven or Celestial).

The 12 Japanese Devas

A similar depiction is found on a rock-cut cave far away in Yazili Kaya in Turkey! This rock-cave has multiple depictions of Gods and Goddesses that resemble Hindu gods. The lower chamber in this cave shows a frieze with 12 gods carved onto it who were worshiped by the people known as Hittites.

The 12 Adityas from Turkey

Moving on, the 8 Vasus are attendant deities of Indra and comprise of eight elemental gods that represent the different aspects of Nature. They include:

Anal (Fire),
Anil (Wind),
Apas (Water),
Antariksh/Dyaus (Space),
Dhara (Earth),
Dhruv (Pole Star),
Prabhas (Dawn),
Soma (Moon).


The 11 Rudras are three-eyed manifestations of the Original Rudra and include Lord Shiva, who, along with Prajapati Brahma and Shri Hari Vishnu forms a part of the highest echelons of the hierarchy amongst Gods known as the Trimurti . The respective roles of the Holy Hindu Trinity are:

• Brahma, the First in this Trinity and is the Creator and Master of all Divine Ceremonies.
• Shiva, the Cosmic Dancer, Nataraj who through his celestial dance, sustains the endless rhythm of the Universe.
• Vishnu, the Preserver god who incarnates to help mankind face the challenges posed whenever Evil forces become too dominant in the Universe.

With time, other manifestations of the Supreme Lord appeared and were also incorporated in the group of Devas. Principal amongst these are Ganesh, the elephant-headed son of Lord Shiv and Shakti; and Hanuman, the monkey-god who is the 12th manifestation of Lord Shiva. Others include the twin sons of Surya - Ashwini Kumars and the ten incarnations of Lord Vishnu known as the Dashavatar.

Buddhist Cosmology expands the concept of the 33 Devas further and describes a separate Heaven for them called the Tavatimsa, on top of Mount Meru, similar to Mount Olympus of the Greeks in purpose as well as function).

Devas in the Heaven

The father of Indra is Dyaus who is worshiped as Zeus in Greek Mythology, Deus-Pater or Ju-piter in Roman Mythology, and as Ju-daea in Hebrew traditions. In Slavic Mythology, the same name appears as Div and in Norse Mythology as Ziu or Tyr.

Dyaus Pita/Zeus Pater/Jupiter

In fact, a number of gods in Indo-European civilizations have similar names as well as functions. In Norse mythology, Odin is the All-father resembling Dyaus/Zeus. The Greek god Ouranos & Vedic Varun are very similar in nomenclature as well as attributes. Likewise, the Hindu Storm-gods known as Maruts are quite similar to Mars, the Roman God of War.

The Mittanis of middle-east (2000 BCE) worshiped Mitra, Varun, Indra, Tvaṣṭṛ and Nasatya (One of the two Ashvini brothers)! Greeks also worshiped one of the Adityas, Mithras while the Egyptians and Romans were big devotees of another Aditya Surya/Apollo/Re. The rivalry between Devas and their elder brothers Asuras also finds echo in the legends of Titans and their younger brothers Olympians.

Indo-Greek gods

Hindu mythology gives an insight about the principles and thoughts valued by our ancients from the time when they had a COMMON Belief-system. However, a Hindu, with sufficient insight into his religion, will not get swayed by these different manifestations and knows that all these gods are images representing the many facets of One Reality, the Supreme Brahman.

At its core, Hinduism has always believed in One Supreme God Who manifests Himself as many in order to Create, Preserve and ultimately Annihilate the Creation. This Supreme Brahman is beyond concepts and images and this attitude of Inclusiveness provides the characteristic of tolerance to Hinduism.

Devas in the Universal Form of Lord Vishnu

I will share more insights on similar topics in the posts that you can access from the right hand panel. For now, let us grab the magic carpet called Mythology and once again, Begin at the Beginning.

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Aum Shanti: Shanti: Shanti:

INDIAN ASTRONOMY

ASTRONOMY OF ANCIENT INDIA/BHARAT

The Spiritual Realm of Bhagvat Puraan

There is a wealth of Astronomical data available in ancient Hindu scriptures. I’ll first share our current knowledge about Astronomy and then we can compare it with the details provided in our ancient texts to get a clear picture about where we stand.

Modern Astronomy talks about a Single Universe comprising of Dark Matter and brighter Heavenly bodies like the Galaxies, Stars, Planets, Asteroids, Satellites etc. This entire matter (and anti-matter) is believed to have emerged about 14 Billion Years ago in time, from a momentous explosion called the Big Bang.  

Turning to the scriptural descriptions, my personal favorite is Shrimad-Bhagavat Puraan because of its extremely scientific approach and I'm gonna use excerpts from this magnificent book to present data that I am sure will blow your mind if you have any interest in astronomy!
Inside this literary Masterpiece, one can find descriptions of the different planets from our Solar System and beyond; our Galaxy; different Planetary systems; as well as our ENTIRE Universe! Let's see what it has to offer to an interested reader in terms of Astronomy.

Universe according to Srimad Bhagvatam

The Spiritual Realm of Bhagvat Puraan

Hindu Mythology talks about TWO separate Realms in this Creation - the SPIRITUAL and the MATERIAL.
The Spiritual Realm is full of the Effulgence of Supreme Lord that spreads throughout and banishes darkness from each and every corner of this Realm. Religions that envision God as a Being of Bright Light worship the same Brahmajyoti.

The Spiritual Realm

This Supreme Heaven is believed to be the abode of Supreme Brahman in Vedas, Allah in Koran, Jehovah in Jewish texts, Param Purakh in Sikhism and the King-of-Kings in Bible. This is the Supreme Abode that all souls in the material realm strive for, and reach after attaining Nirvana. Srimad Bhagvatam, calls this the dwelling place of Lord Krishna who resides in His Spiritual abode of Golok Vrindavan.

Around this central world, there exist other Spiritual planets that revolve around it like the planets in Solar System revolve around the Sun. These are collectively known as the Vaikunth planets and each of these is the Divine residence of a Vishnu form.

On these planets reside Lord Vishnu's different incarnations alongwith Goddess Lakshmi and the Pure souls who have been able to transcend the bonds of Material Nature.

In one corner of this huge bright realm, like a ‘Dark cloud in a clear bright sky’, lies the Material Creation, where Individual Souls like YOU and ME take birth, evolve, exist, eat, earn, reproduce and ultimately die. This realm takes up about 1/4th of the entire space of the Spiritual Realm and is depicted beneath the lotus on the lower right corner of the image below.

Material Realm in a corner of the Spiritual Realm

Even though Material Realm is created for souls who want to live independent lives, the Lord, by means of His infinite expansions, still ensures they can have a smooth sailing. He takes the form of Shri Maha Vishnu for the Creation of this Material Realm and it is from Him that everything in this world emanates.

Now there is ONE MAJOR difference in the Hindu notion of the Material world and the current scientific understanding about it - Hindu scriptures state that the Material Realm is composed of Billions and Trillions of Universes (!!) and NOT just a single one!!

Billions and Billions of Universes

Scientifically, it is still undetermined whether the universe exists by itself or is just one of the countless trillions within a larger Multiverse, itself contained within the Omniverse that is the Material World.
But, according to scriptures, the Universe that we live in, is just a TINY infinitesimal part of the entire Material Creation and all these zillions of Universes are born at the Same Time from the Same Primeval Source - Shri Maha Vishnu.
EVERYTIME the Lord exhales, a Universe emerges from EACH of his body pores and with EACH of His inhalations, ALL these Universes merge BACK into His body! The multiple universes generated are floating, and they are scattered all over the Causal Ocean.

Universes emerging from Sri Maha Vishnu

I was rendered speechless by the larger-than-life imagery inherent in this concept. The mere thought of so many Universes taking Birth, Expanding and Dissolving again in Maha Vishnu’s SINGLE breath is fantastic and indeed (to use the pun) breath-taking!!

Madam Blavatsky, the founder of the Theosophical Society describes this phenomenon thus-

The Great Breath goes forth and returns again.
As it proceeds outwards, objects, worlds, and men appear.
As it recedes all things disappear into the original source.
The Great Breath is, so to speak, the universal and eternal Perpetuum Mobile.

If ever there is a Grand description of God in World literature, it has to be this one! How infinitesimal and tiny our entire existence appears to be if we humbly give thought to this notion. Our entire lifetimes are nothing, not even a fraction of a second for Lord Maha Vishnu!

Indeed our entire Universe (which by current estimates is about 13.7 Billion years old), was born with a SINGLE exhalation of the Lord and will merge back into Him with His NEXT intake of Breath!! The concept also fits the Big Bang Theory, as the moment it emerges from Lord Vishnu's body pores is THE moment of Big Bang for each Universe!

Big Bang - The Birth of a Universe

After exploding out of the body of Sri Maha Vishnu, each Universe continues to expand, and after reaching a critical threshold, again begins to contract until it is assimilated back in the body of Lord Maha Vishnu!
I thought this was probably one isolated example of the mention of a Multi-verse and maybe was not intended in the way I was interpreting it. But to my surprise, the concept of Multiple Universes is widely accepted and acknowledged in Hindu Cosmology!

Multiple Universes in Scriptures

Shri Hari Vishnu, the Cause of all Creation

Puranic literature is full of descriptions of multiple as well as parallel Universes. Hindu scriptures also declare there's Intelligent life out there in the Universe and this is gotta be the absolutely FIRST mention of ALIENS in World Literature ever!!
I will share with you a few examples from different texts to illustrate the point.Srimad Bhagavatam [6.16.37] eulogizes the Supreme Lord Vishnu in following words:

There are Innumerable Universes besides this one, and although they are unlimitedly large, they move about like atoms in You. Therefore You are called 'Without-limits'.
In verse 10.14.11, it again states:
Unlimited universes pass through the pores of Your body just as particles of dust pass through the openings of a screened window.
Lord Shiva in verse 9.4.56 again mentions thus:
My dear son, I, Lord Brahmā and the other devas, who move within this universe, cannot exhibit any power to compete with the Supreme Personality of Godhead, for Innumerable Universes and their inhabitants come into existence and are annihilated by the simple direction of the Lord Hari.

Similar views are shared by Lord Brahma in the Brahma Vaivarta Puraan where a mention of Multiple, Parallel Universes is made-

And who will search through the wide infinities of space to count the universes Side by Side, EACH containing its Brahma, its Vishnu, its Shiva? Who can count the Indras in them, ALL those Indras Side by Side, who reign at once in all the innumerable worlds; those others who passed away before them; or even the Indras who succeed each other in any given line, ascending to godly kingship, one by one, and, one by one, passing away?

Hindu scriptures declare there's Intelligent life out there, and this is gotta be absolutely the FIRST mention of ALIENS in World Literature ever!!

The obvious take-away from this concept is that according to the scriptures, there exist MORE than One Universes in our Creation and this topic has long been debated by modern Scientists. Let us see what our current notions of scientific theory have to say about it.

Multiple Universes in Science

A large body of Scientific intelligentsia believes in multiple Universes existing perhaps in parallel dimensions. Here, I would like to introduce you to perhaps the most brilliant mind of our times - Stephen Hawking, whose phenomenal work - A Brief History of Time, is by far the most important book on Space Science ever. 



Stephen Hawking's Masterpiece

In this monumental work, Mr. Hawking talks about something known as Chaotic Boundary Conditions and the Anthropic Theory. He states and I quote-

‘According to the Strong Anthropic Principle, there are either MANY different Universes or MANY different regions of a single universe, each with its own initial configuration and, perhaps, with its own set of laws of science.’

Simply put, it states that, the likelihood of development of our Single Universe from the big-bang is much less than the likelihood of Multiple Universes being born out of it!!

 



Multiple Universes emerging from the Big Bang

The notion of Parallel/Alternate Universes has been widely used in many Hollywood movies such as the recent Star-Trek film (2009), FAQ (2004), and Jet-Li movie The One (2001).

What is interesting for me is that the mention of Multiple Universes comes from the scriptures much BEFORE modern Science came to terms with accepting their existence. Short of Time-Travel, the ancient Yogis could only have grasped the basic nature of our Universe through their rigorous meditation and penance!

Till now, Science has been unable to tell us, what existed BEFORE the Big Bang. WHERE did the explosion take place if there was nothing before it happened?? WHAT caused the explosion in the first place??

But if we grasp the concepts from Srimad Bhagvatam we can understand the Science as well as Faith behind this. The Scientific Spirit of ancient Rishis makes me bow down in reverence and if you read the texts with an open mind, will amaze you with their profound philosophical insight as well.

Ancient Yogis deciphering the Universe through meditation

Our ancient beliefs are not just Myths, but Parables for explaining profound Scientific principles to the common man.

We will cover more such interesting topics in the Posts to follow and I will try to touch upon as many diverse scientific disciplines as I can use to understand and decode the myths and legends from ancient Hindu tradition.

For now, I conclude this post with the amazingly inquisitive Nasadiya Sukta from the most ancient text of Humanity -the Rigveda [10.129] which highlights the quest of ancient Rishis to find Origins of not only this Creation but that of GOD Himself-

At first was no Being neither Non-being,
There was yet no Air nor Sky spread.
So what was covering? Where was it present?
Was Water there, in the unfathomable depth?

There was no Death, nor Immortality;
Of Night or Day there was yet no sign.
The One breathed windless, self-sustaining,
Other than HIM was nothing divine.

Darkness was there, wrapping more Darkness,
And All was Water indistinguishable, Dark.
The Cosmic seed was wrapped in the Void,
Rising at last, by the power of Thought.

In this beginning, Desire took form,
The primal seed, born of the Mind.
Wisely sifting, Existence from Non-existence,

Sages have found all this in their Heart.

A Ray was stretched across the Void,

Know what was below, and what above.
Bearers of seed were there and Mighty forces,
Below was Strength, and Creative-will above.

Who really knows? Who can declare?
When did it happen? How Creation came on?

Even the Devas came after its emergence.

So who truly knows, Whence it was born?

He, from Whom this Creation Arose,
Did He fashion it or did He not,
He, who surveys it from the Highest Heaven,

He surely knows or maybe even He does not!