Who Is The Hindu God Of War?

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Who Is The Hindu God Of War
Skanda, (Sanskrit: “Leaper” or “Attacker”) also called Karttikeya, Kumara, or Subrahmanya, Hindu god of war who was the firstborn son of Shiva, The many legends giving the circumstances of his birth are often at variance with one another. In Kalidasa ‘s epic poem Kumarasambhava (“The Birth of the War God”; 5th century ce ), as in most versions of the story, the gods wished for Skanda to be born in order to destroy the demon Taraka, who had been granted a boon that he could be killed only by a son of Shiva.

  1. They sent Parvati to induce Shiva to marry her.
  2. Shiva, however, was lost in meditation and was not attracted to Parvati until he was struck by an arrow from the bow of Kama, the god of love, whom he immediately burned to ashes.
  3. After many years of abstinence, Shiva’s seed was so strong that the gods, fearing the result, sent Agni, the god of fire, to interrupt Shiva’s amorous play with Parvati.

Agni received the seed and dropped it into the Ganges, where Skanda was born. Skanda was reared by the Krittikas, six stars that make up the Pleiades and are the wives of the sage-stars who constitute the constellation Ursa Major, Hence, Skanda is also called Karttikeya (“Son of Krittikas”).

He developed his six faces to drink the milk of his six nurses. His relationship with Parvati is also acknowledged, and he is often depicted in painting and sculpture as a six-headed child held by his mother, Parvati, and accompanied by his brother Ganesha, He is called Kumara (Sankskrit: “Youth,” “Boy”) because he is generally considered to have never married.

He has enormous strength and leads the army of the gods. When he planted his spear in the earth, none could budge it save the god Vishnu, and then mountains and rivers shook. Who Is The Hindu God Of War Britannica Quiz World Religions & Traditions In South India, where the god originated as Murugan before merging with the North Indian Skanda, he has a large following under the name Subrahmanya (“Dear to the Brahmanas”). Skanda is often represented in sculpture with either six heads or one, holding a spear or bow and arrows, and either riding on or accompanied by his mount, the peacock,
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Who is most powerful god in Hinduism?

Supreme God – is the supreme God of Hinduism. Most Hindus worship him as the Supreme Being, though by different names. This is because the peoples of with different languages and cultures have understood the one God in their own distinct way. Regional and family traditions can play a large part in influencing this choice.

  1. Through history four principal Hindu denominations arose —,,, and,
  2. For Vaishnavites, God is God Of Supreme, For Shaktas, Goddess is supreme, For Shaivites, God is Supreme.
  3. For Smartas—who see all Deities as reflections of the One God—the choice of Deity is left to the devotee.
  4. Most Hindus, in their daily devotional practices, worship some form of a personal aspect of God, although they believe in the more abstract concept of a Supreme God as well.

They generally choose one concept of God, and cultivate devotion to that chosen form, while at the same time respecting the chosen ideals of other people. The many different names given to the Supreme God in Hinduism encourage a multiplicity of paths, as opposed to conformity to just one.
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Who is known as God of War *?

Read a brief summary of this topic – Ares, in Greek religion, god of war or, more properly, the spirit of battle. Unlike his Roman counterpart, Mars, he was never very popular, and his worship was not extensive in Greece. He represented the distasteful aspects of brutal warfare and slaughter.

  • From at least the time of Homer —who established him as the son of the chief god, Zeus, and Hera, his consort—Ares was one of the Olympian deities; his fellow gods and even his parents, however, were not fond of him ( Iliad, Book V, 889 ff.).
  • Nonetheless, he was accompanied in battle, by his sister Eris (Strife) and his sons (by Aphrodite ) Phobos and Deimos (Panic and Rout).

Also associated with him were two lesser war deities: Enyalius, who is virtually identical with Ares himself, and Enyo, a female counterpart. Ares’ worship was largely in the northern areas of Greece, and, although devoid of the social, moral, and theological associations usual with major deities, his cult had many interesting local features.

At Sparta, in early times, at least, human sacrifices were made to him from among the prisoners of war. In addition, a nocturnal offering of dogs—an unusual sacrificial victim, which might indicate a chthonic (infernal) deity—was made to him as Enyalius. During his festival at Geronthrae in Laconia, no women were allowed in the sacred grove, but at Tegea he was honoured in a special women’s sacrifice as Gynaikothoinas (“Entertainer of Women”).

At Athens he had a temple at the foot of the Areopagus (“Ares’ Hill”). Who Is The Hindu God Of War Britannica Quiz A Study of Greek and Roman Mythology The mythology surrounding the figure of Ares is not extensive. He was associated with Aphrodite from earliest times; in fact, Aphrodite was known locally (e.g., at Sparta) as a war goddess, apparently an early facet of her character.

  1. Occasionally, Aphrodite was Ares’ legitimate wife, and by her he fathered Deimos, Phobos (who accompanied him into battle), Harmonia, and—as first told by Simonides in the 6th century bce — Eros, god of love.
  2. By Aglauros, the daughter of Cecrops, he was the father of Alcippe.
  3. He was the sire of at least three of Heracles’ adversaries: Cycnus, Lycaon, and Diomedes of Thrace,

On vases, Ares is usually the typical armed warrior. The Parthenon frieze contains a group of Olympians, among whom Ares, in unwarlike garb, has been tentatively identified. He also appears on the great frieze of the altar at Pergamum, The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn,
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Who is the Hindu god of weapons?

Shastra –

  • – An elephant god that is one of the eight auspicious objects known as, Ankusha is also an attribute of many Hindu gods, including,
  • – A plough used as a weapon by, brother of,
  • – A horse whip which looks like a crooked stick, and is a typical attribute of, in his aspect as Rajagopala, and with,
Danda

  • Brahmadanda – The rod of (also known as Meru-danda), The Brahmadanda is capable of nullifying the effects of any divine weapon, no matter how destructive. If hurled, the impact of this weapon is excruciatingly lethal to even the celestials.
  • Kaladanda – the staff of Death is a special and lethal club used by the God or God of or Hell in Hinduism. It was the ultimate weapon; once fired it would kill anybody before it no matter what boons he had to protect himself.
  • Kankaalam – The deadly Pounder weapons that are wielded by demons
  • Kankanam – Weapons that are wielded by demons, Rod for the elimination of those very demons.
  • Kapaalam – Weapons that are wielded by demons, Rod for the elimination of those very demons
  • – In Hinduism, the god – carried the khatvāṅga as a staff weapon and are thus referred to as khatvāṅgīs,
  • Saunanda – The mushala (cylindrical rod), weapon of,
  • Ekasha Gada – The mace of Lord, A blow from the weapon is the equivalent of being hit by a million elephants.
  • – the main weapon of the Hindu monkey god, son of,
  • – Kaumodaki is the gada (mace) of the Hindu god
  • Mace of Bhima – It was presented by, It was used by King Vrishaparva.
  • Modaki Mace – The Beater mace
  • Shibika (a club) – The weapon of, god of wealth.
  • Shikhari Mace – The tower of Protection mace
  • – revere the weapon, a type of billhook, as a symbol of, ()
  • (also Sword of Drona) – a legendary sword in Hinduism.
  • – Sword of Lord, The divine sword Chandrahas (literally the laughter of the moon but referring to the shape formed by a crescent moon which resembles a smile) was given to by Lord, who was pleased by ‘s intense devotion. gave this sword to on different occasions especially to fight against,
  • Girish – A special sword of with unique characteristics.
  • Indra Kaakam – The sword of ; having a crescent shaped tip.
  • – The khanda is a symbol of, Khanda often appears in, and scriptures and art.
  • Kharga – The Sword of, which slaughters demons indiscriminately and without mercy.
  • – Is the sword of the Hindu god,,
  • Nistrimsha – The sword of, son of,
  • Pattayudha – The divine sword of Lord, commander of Lord ‘s Armies.

Parashurama holding Axe Parashu

  • – The parashu is an Indian battle-axe. It is generally wielded with two hands but could also be used with only one. It is depicted as the primary weapon of (the 6th Avatar of Lord ),
  • Sakthi – A Hatchet-like weapon, seen in ‘s iconography.
  • Tanka – The axe of, God of thunder.

Pasha

  • Dharma Paasha – The pasha of Lord,
  • Ganesha Paasha – The pasha of,
  • Kaala Paasha – The pasha of,
  • Naga Pasha – Pasha of The, Upon impact, this weapon would bind the target in the coils of living venomous snakes.
  • Parham – A long noose (of ) from which even the Gods can’t escape from.
  • Varuna Paasha – Pasha of, god of water. Can hook any beings be they, or human. Impossible to escape from the hook of this weapon.
  • Yama Paasha – Pasha of, god of death. It arrests and plucks out the life force of any living being. Except for the ‘s, no being can escape from this weapon.

Shula

  • – Vel is a divine javelin (spear) associated with the Hindu war god, It is foremost of all weapons in Hinduism. Adi shakti herself turned to vel and rested in hands of Murugan when he was about to encounter Surapadman, the mightiest of all demons. No astra or weapon is its equal as it adishakti herself who is power source of all Hindu gods.
  • Jayantha Vel – A spear which contains the power of the third eye of Lord,
  • Trident of Madhu – It was given as a boon by to Madhu, a Rakshasa. Then he gave it to his son, It was a very powerful weapon. It destroys anyone who directly fights with its master.
  • – The trident of, stylized by some as used as a missile weapon and often included a crossed stabilizer to facilitate flight when thrown. Considered to be the most powerful weapon.

Main article: See also: and Astra Narada and Vyasa come to stop Brahmasirastra wielded by Aswatthama and Arjuna

  • – The weapon discharged would emit flames inextinguishable through normal means.
  • (Sanskrit: अस्त्र) is a supernatural weapon, presided over by a specific deity. Later it came to denote any weapon which was used by releasing it from one’s hand (e.g. an arrow, compared to keeping it one’s hand e.g. a sword ). The bearer of the weapon is called Astradhari (Sanskrit: अस्त्रधारी).
  • – It is said in the epic that the weapon manifests with the all five heads of Lord as its tip. Brahma earlier lost his fifth head when he fought with Lord, This weapon is said to possess the power to destroy entire solar system or Brahmand, the 14 realms according to Hindu cosmology.
  • – It is thought that the Brahmashirsha Astra is the evolution of the Brahmastra, and 4 times stronger than Brahmastra. The weapon manifests with the four heads of Lord as its tip. When it strikes an area it will cause complete destruction and nothing will grow not even a blade of grass, for the next 12 Brahma years (1 Brahma year = 3,110,400,000,000 Human year. It will not rain for 12 Brahma years in that area, and everything including metal and earth become poisoned.
  • – Described in a number of the Puranas, it was considered one of the deadliest weapons,which can even destroy the world. It was said that when the Brahmastra was discharged,it was impossible to stop it until and unless you have its counterattack astra.
  • (Indraastra)- Would bring about a rain of arrows from the sky.
  • – The personal missile of in his or Naraina form.
  • – An irresistible destructive personal weapon of and, discharged by the mind, the eyes, words, or a bow.
  • Samvarta Astra – Weapon belonging to, Used by Emperor to annihilate thirty million gandharvas in a moment, tearing them to pieces.
  • – The most powerful weapon of Lord – capable of destroying hurled against anything. It is fastest astra. Both vaishnavastra and narayanastra are same but narayanastra can hit many targets this is for single target.
  • – A water weapon (a storm) according to the Indian scriptures, incepted by, In stories it is said to assume any weapon’s shape, just like water. This weapon is commonly mentioned as being used to counter the Agneyastra.

Arjuna throws his weapons in water as advised by Agni Dhanush & Shara

  • Ājagava – The bow of Rājā Māndātā and Pŗthu (see ).
  • – The arrow given by the sage to (seventh avatar of ) and was used to kill,
  • Arrow of Shiva – It can destroy creation. Returns to the quiver after being used.
  • (also called Ājagava ) – created by and given by to on request and used by in Mahabharat. Gandiva has 108 divine strings.
  • – A powerful bow of, During the Mahabharata, gave this bow.
  • Indra’s dart (also Vasavi Shakti) – Vasavi Shakti was used by against in the,
  • – A magic bow wielded by the Brahman, who used it to make the princess fall in love with him. ()
  • Kodandam – ‘s bow.
  • or (Shiva’s bow), also called Ājagava – The great bow of, arrows fired from the bow could not be intercepted. The bow given by to as it was broken already by shiva as it couldn’t handle his masculinity and remaining broken by during ‘s,
  • Pushpa Dhanu – The bow of, God of love; made of sugarcane with a string of honeybees.
  • Pushpa Shar – The floral arrows of
  • – the bow of the Hindu God
  • Sharkha – The bow of, 8th avatar of,
  • Teen Baan – gave three infallible arrows (Teen Baan), A single arrow was enough to destroy all opponents in any war, and it would then return to ‘s quiver.
  • (also Shiv Dhanush) – possessed this bow which was given by Lord Parashurama.It is considered to be foremost among the bows in Hindu mythology as it was personally created using Lord Shiva’s energy

chakra as ayudhapurusha. Personification of the chakra (discus) of Vishnu

  • Danda Chakra – The punisher chakra.
  • Dharma Chakra – The virtue chakra.
  • Indra Chakra – The chakra of
  • Kaal Chakra – The Time chakra, renders the enemy in a piteous state; full with magical powers.
  • Maheshwara Chakra – The Chakra of Lord,
  • – The legendary discus of, which cannot be stopped by anyone, except by Lord and Lord, It has tremendous occult and spiritual powers, by which it is able to destroy anything. not effective against Karna’s shield.
  • Vishnu Chakra – It first sparkles with cosmic radiance, revolves with one lakh revolutions per foot.
  • Shiva Vajra – A vajra 100 times more powerful than
  • – A lightning thunderbolt wielded by, called vajra.
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Is Murugan God of War?

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kartikeya
God of War and Victory Commander of the Gods
Murugan is the philosopher-warrior god of Tamils.
Other names Kumaran, Murugan, Kandan, Velavan, Velloreavan, Saravanan, Shadanana, Devasenapati, Shanmukan, Subramanya
Affiliation Deva
Abode Mount Kailash
Planet Mangala
Mantra Oṃ Saravaṇa Bhava Om Saravaṇa Bhavāya Namaḥ
Weapon Vel, bow and arrow
Animals Peacock, rooster, snake
Day Tuesday
Color Red
Mount Peacock
Gender Male
Festivals Kanda Sashti or Shashthi and Thaipusam
Consort Devasena and Valli Vallimalai Born and Married place of Shri Valli Located in Spiritual City of Vellore

Kartikeya ( Tamil : முருகன் ), also known as Murugan or Kandhan is the Tamil god of war and victory, Kartikeya is the main god worshipped in India, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Singapore, Malaysia and many other places of the world where Tamils live. Kartikeya has six shrines in Tamil Nadu, which are known as Arupadaiveedu,

In Tamil Nadu, Kartikeya has continued to be popular with all classes of society since the Sangam age. Kartikeya is considered the son of Shiva and Parvathi, who was created to kill the Asuras and be the eternal protector of the Devas and other living beings. The Asuras were demigods who frequently warred against the Devas or gods.

The six sites (padaiveedu) in Tamil Nadu where Kartikeya sojourned while leading his armies are Palani, Swamimalai, Thiruparamkundram, Pazhamudirsolai, Thiruthani and Thiruchendur, the Arupadaiveedu. Kartikeya is considered the God of Tamil language and he is mentioned a lot in Sangam literature.

The six abodes of Kartikeya are all in Tamil Nadu. Each of these temples has a unique history and different reason to worship Lord Murugan. Thai Poosam during January – February month is celebrated as a 6-day festival. On Thai Poosam day, Kavadis and Palkudams are taken by devotees in procession around Chhedanagar.

Special Abhishekams are performed to the Moolavar and Utsavar. Annadhanam is provided to all devotees participating in the functions. In the night, Kartikeya is taken in procession accompanied by Nadaswaram, Veda Parayanam around Chhedanagar. Vaikasi Visakam day, (during May –June month), Kavadis and Palkudams are taken by devotees in procession around Chhedanagar.
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Who defeated Lord Shiva?

Vāmana Purāṇa – In the Vāmana Purāṇa, the story of Andhaka’s birth remains same. Andhaka was the son of Hiraṇyākṣa and cousin of Prahlāda, Andhaka and Prahlāda, along with their army defeated the Devas, making Prahlāda the king of the three worlds, Sometime later, Prahlāda battled Vishnu, but lost the battle due to a curse the sages have placed upon him.

After his loss, he appointed Andhaka as king and successfully acquires Vishnu’s forgiveness. Upon returning, Andhaka tries to make him king again, but is met with refusal. At one point, Mahiṣāsura and Tārakāsura are killed by the gods, a feat which Andhaka thought was impossible. After this incident, Andhaka came to desire a beautiful wife and was informed about Parvati, said to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

Unaware that Parvati is his mother, Andhaka makes his way to Shiva’s abode. There he tried to abduct Parvati, but she assumed a hundred forms and knocked him unconscious in battle. Andhaka fled back to Pātāla with the intention to recuperate and make another attempt at procuring Parvati.

Prahlāda tried to dissuade him. He revealed to Andhaka his true origins about being born from the sweat of Shiva when Parvati covered his eyes. His explanation falls on deaf ears and he fails to persuade the Asura. Andhaka attacked Shiva and the other deities with his army, most of whom were obliterated.

Andhaka then disguised himself as Shiva to fool Parvati, but she managed to recognised him and hid among her servants. Unable to find her, Andhaka returns to the battle. Kārttikeya and Gaṇeśa, accompanied by the Gaṇas, destroyed Andhaka’s chariot. Shiva engaged him in battle and pierced his heart, but Andhaka was able to recover and strike Shiva with his mace.

  1. The blood that fell on the ground from the wound gave rise to the eight forms of Bhairava,
  2. Shiva impaled Andhaka on his trident and lifted him upon it.
  3. The sweat that emanated from Shiva gave rise to a girl and a boy of the colour of charcoal, who proceed to consume Andhaka’s blood before it falls onto the ground.

Shiva names the girl Cārcikā and the boy Maṅgala. He holds Andhaka impaled on his trident for thousands of years, reducing his body to a mere skeletal appearance. Andhaka begged for forgiveness and began praising Shiva, upon which Shiva agreed to release him on the condition that he accept Parvati as his mother.
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Who is World’s Strongest god?

Trimurti is considered to be the most powerful god as he is a combination of Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva. Thai people believe that praying to Trimurti will help them get their true love.
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Who was the first war god?

Kratos (God of War)

Kratos
Title God of War Ghost of Sparta Fárbauti (Cruel Striker)
Occupation General of Æsir Army General of Spartan Army (formerly) Greek God of War
Family Zeus (father) Callisto (mother) Deimos (brother)
Spouse Lysandra (first) Laufey ‘Faye’ the Just (second)

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Who is the most brutal war god?

Overview – The son of Zeus and Hera and one of the twelve Olympian deities, Ares was the god of rage, terror, and violence. Though he was often portrayed as the all-encompassing god of war, Ares traditionally represented only the most brutal, impulsive, and unrestrained aspects of combat.

  1. His counterpart Athena, meanwhile, represented the strategic and tactical aspects of martial conflict.
  2. Ares’ impulsiveness, temper, and eagerness to cause wanton destruction made him perhaps the least popular of the Olympians—widely acknowledged but seldom admired.
  3. Though Ares was a god, the Greeks sometimes called him a Thracian in an attempt to disassociate him from Greek society and values (Thrace was a region north of Greece, home to a notoriously warlike people).

Ares’ unpopularity suggests that the Greeks were all too accustomed to conflict and loath to celebrate its destructive tendencies.
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Who are the 3 most powerful Hindu gods?

Deities – The Trimurti are the most prominent deities of contemporary Hinduism. This consists of Brahma, the Creator, Vishnu, the Preserver, and Shiva, the Destroyer. Their feminine counterparts are Saraswati, the wife of Brahma, Lakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, and Parvati (or Durga ), the wife of Shiva.
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Who is the Hindu god of demons?

Etymology – Monier-Williams traces the etymological roots of Asura (असुर) to Asu (असु), which means life of the spiritual world or departed spirits. In the oldest verses of the Samhita layer of Vedic texts, the Asuras are any spiritual, divine beings including those with good or bad intentions, and constructive or destructive inclinations or nature.

  • In later verses of the Samhita layer of Vedic texts, Monier Williams states the Asuras are “evil spirits, demons and opponents of the gods”.
  • The 5th century Buddhist philosopher, Buddhaghosa explains that their name derives from the myth of their defeat at the hands of the god Śakra,
  • According to the story, the asura were dispossessed of their state in Trāyastriṃśa because they became drunk and were thrown down Mount Sumeru,

After this incident, they vowed never to drink sura again. In some Buddhist literature, they are sometimes referred to as pūrvadeva (Pāli: pubbadeva ), meaning “ancient gods.” Asuras connote the chaos-creating evil, in Indo-Iranian (collectively, Aryan ) mythology about the battle between good and evil.
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Is Kali a god?

Kali
Mother Goddess; Goddess of War, Anger, Time, Change, Creation, Destruction and Power
Member of The Ten Mahavidyas
Angered goddess Kali standing on god Shiva, who came beneath her to purge her anger.
Affiliation Adi Shakti, Durga, Parvati, Mahakali, Bhadrakali, Mahavidyas, Devi, Shakti
Abode Cremation grounds (but varies by interpretation), Manidvipa
Mantra
  • Om Jayanti Mangala Kali Bhadrakali Kapalini. Durga Kshma Shiva Dhatri Swaha Swadha Namostute
  • Om Kring Kalikaye Namo Namaha
Weapon Scimitar, Trishula ( Trident )
Gender Female
Festivals Kali Puja, Navaratri
Consort Shiva

Kali (; Sanskrit : काली, IAST : Kālī ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( Sanskrit : कालिका ), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism, In this tradition, she is considered as a ferocious form of goddess Adi Shakti, the supreme of all powers, or the ultimate reality.

She is the first of the ten Mahavidyas in the Hindu tantric tradition. Kali’s earliest appearance is when she emerged from Shiva, She is regarded as the ultimate manifestation of Shakti, the primordial cosmic energy, and the mother of all living beings. The goddess is stated to destroy evil in order to defend the innocent.

Over time, Kali has been worshipped by devotional movements and Tàntric sects variously as the Divine Mother, Mother of the Universe, Principal energy Adi Shakti, Shakta Hindu and Tantric sects additionally worship her as the ultimate reality or Brahman,
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What is Kali the god of?

Who Is The Hindu God Of War Kali, (Sanskrit: “She Who Is Black” or “She Who Is Death”) in Hinduism, goddess of time, doomsday, and death, or the black goddess (the feminine form of Sanskrit kala, “time-doomsday-death” or “black”). Kali’s origins can be traced to the deities of the village, tribal, and mountain cultures of South Asia who were gradually appropriated and transformed, if never quite tamed, by the Sanskritic traditions.

  • She makes her first major appearance in Sanskrit culture in the Devi Mahatmya (“The Glorifications of the Goddess,” c.6th century ce ).
  • Ali’s iconography, cult, and mythology commonly associate her not only with death but also with sexuality, violence, and, paradoxically, in some later traditions, with motherly love.

Although depicted in many forms throughout South Asia (and now much of the world), Kali is most often characterized as black or blue, partially or completely naked, with a long lolling tongue, multiple arms, a skirt or girdle of human arms, a necklace of decapitated heads, and a decapitated head in one of her hands.

  • She is often portrayed standing or dancing on her husband, the god Shiva, who lies prostrate beneath her.
  • Many of those portrayals depict her sticking out her tongue, which is sometimes said to indicate her surprise and embarrassment at discovering that she is trampling on her husband.
  • Yet the association of Kali with an extended tongue has early roots.

A precursor of Kali is the ogress Long Tongue, who licks up oblations in the ancient Sanskrit texts known as the Brahmanas, The Devi Mahatmya tells of Kali springing from the anger of the goddess Durga to slay the demon Raktabija (“Blood-Seed”). During the struggle a new demon emerges from each drop of Raktabija’s blood as it hits the ground; to prevent this, Kali laps up the blood before it can reach the ground. Who Is The Hindu God Of War Britannica Quiz World Religions & Traditions Worshipped throughout India but particularly in Kashmir, Kerala, South India, Bengal, and Assam, Kali is both geographically and culturally marginal. Since the late 20th century, feminist scholars and writers in the United States have seen Kali as a symbol of feminine empowerment, while members of New Age movements have found theologically and sexually liberating inspiration in her more violent sexual manifestations,
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What is Shiva the god of?

“Neelkanth” redirects here. For The bird, see Indian roller,

Shiva
God of Destruction Master of Poison and Medicine, the Great Yogi, God of Time, the Cosmic Dancer Para Brahman, the Supreme Being (Shaivism)
Member of Trimurti
Other names Shankara, Bholenath, Maheśvara, Mahadeva, Rudra, Mahakala, Sadashiva, Batara Siwa, Nataraja, Sarvesh
Devanagari शिव
Affiliation Trimurti, Ishvara, Parabrahman and Paramatman ( Shaivism )
Abode
  • Mount Kailash
  • Cremation grounds ( Shmashana Adhipati )
Mantra
  • Om Namah Shivaya
  • Om Namo Bhagavate Rudraya
  • Mahamrityunjaya Mantra
Weapon Trishula, Pashupatastra, Parashu, Pinaka bow
Symbols Lingam, Crescent Moon, Damaru (Drum), Vasuki
Day Monday and also Thrayodashi
Mount Nandi (bull)
Gender Male
Festivals Maha Shivaratri, Shravana, Kartik Purnima, Bhairava Ashtami
Personal information
Spouse Parvati / Sati
Children Kartikeya (son) Ganesha (son)

Shiva (; Sanskrit : शिव, romanized : Śiva, lit. ‘The Auspicious One’ ), also known as Mahadeva (; Sanskrit: महादेव:, romanized: Mahādevaḥ, lit. ‘The Great God’ ), or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism, He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism,

  1. Shiva is known as “The Destroyer” within the Trimurti, the Hindu trinity which also includes Brahma and Vishnu,
  2. In the Shaivite tradition, Shiva is the Supreme Lord who creates, protects and transforms the universe.
  3. In the goddess-oriented Shakta tradition, the Supreme Goddess ( Devi ) is regarded as the energy and creative power (Shakti) and the equal complementary partner of Shiva.

Shiva is one of the five equivalent deities in Panchayatana puja of the Smarta tradition of Hinduism. Shiva has many aspects, benevolent as well as fearsome. In benevolent aspects, he is depicted as an omniscient Yogi who lives an ascetic life on Mount Kailash as well as a householder with his wife Parvati and his three children, Ganesha, Kartikeya and Ashokasundari,

  1. In his fierce aspects, he is often depicted slaying demons.
  2. Shiva is also known as Adiyogi (the first Yogi ), regarded as the patron god of yoga, meditation and the arts.
  3. The iconographical attributes of Shiva are the serpent Vasuki around his neck, the adorning crescent moon, the holy river Ganga flowing from his matted hair, the third eye on his forehead (the eye that turns everything in front of it into ashes when opened), the trishula or trident as his weapon, and the damaru drum.

He is usually worshipped in the aniconic form of lingam, Shiva has pre-Vedic roots, and the figure of Shiva evolved as an amalgamation of various older non-Vedic and Vedic deities, including the Rigvedic storm god Rudra who may also have non-Vedic origins, into a single major deity.
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Who is Tamil first god?

Murugan, chief deity of the ancient Tamils of South India, son of the warrior goddess Korravai. He was later identified in part with the North Indian war god Skanda, His favourite weapon was the trident or spear, and his banner carried the emblem of a wild fowl.
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Who is bigger Shiva or Krishna?

An error occurred. – Unable to execute JavaScript. In Hindu scriptures, there are 18 puranas – each dedicated to a particular name for God – and each establishing that name as supreme. The Shiva purana establishes Lord Shiva as the greatest. The Vishnu purana establishes Lord Vishnu as the greatest.

  • The Shrimad Bhagvad Purana establishes Lord Krishna as the greatest.
  • Do you see a contradiction? There is a welcome contradiction.
  • It has been done purposely so that the devotee can be free to choose the name/form of God s/he is most comfortable with, and also be assured that the name s/he is chanting is the greatest.

Similarly, there is nothing wrong when we, as Christians, recognize the name Jesus Christ as the greatest or when we, as Muslims, recognize the name Allah as the greatest. However, we should understand that while we have the right to call the name we know for God as greatest, other fellow human beings have the right to call the name they know for God as greatest.

  1. This essentially means that call Him (or Her, if you’re a feminist) by any name, we are all reaching out to the same God within us and outside us and all around us.
  2. Instead of fighting over which name is greater, devote yourself in realizing the name/form/words of the God you worship deep within you.

If you’re a Hindu, be a good Hindu. If you’re a Muslim, be a good Muslim. If you’re a Christian, be a good Christian. While it is perfectly fine to have your favorite name for God, don’t give your faiths a bad name by looking down at those in other faiths who address God by their own favorite name(s), or by having the misconception that those who address God by different names or try to reach him through different paths will go to hell.

Observe the other path(s), go for a trek using the other path(s), meet and speak to people who’ve taken that way, read the guidebooks detailing those path(s) and you’ll find that it may be better or worse laid out, there might be more people treading them or less people treading them, but they too lead to the same peak up there! We are giving ourselves too much of credit when we think that there is only one superhighway leading to God and that anybody who is not on it will land up nowhere and that it is our moral duty to coerce them, beg them, pull them into the highway – even if the person was already on a well-paved road leading to the peak.

If you really want to help the person, show him how to be a better driver or trekker on the road s/he already is, instead of trying to change his/her road to the peak. When the missionary E. Stanley Jones had met with Mahatma Gandhi, he had asked him, “Mr.

  • Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?” Gandhi had replied, “Oh, I don’t reject Christ.
  • I love Christ.
  • It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ.” “If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today,” he added (Dibin Samuel, 14 Aug 2008, Mahatma Gandhi and Christianity, Christian Today).

On quest for conversion to Christianity, Gandhi’s message was that instead of preaching Christianity, if a Christian Missionary was to live his life in service as exemplified by Christ, the message would be better received”live the life according to the light.

If, therefore, you go on serving people and ask them also to serve, they would understand. But you quote instead John 3:16 and ask them to believe it and that has no appeal to me, and I am sure people will not understand it.” “A rose does not need to preach. It simply spreads its fragrance. The fragrance is its own sermon; the fragrance of religious and spiritual life is much finer and subtler than that of the rose.” (Dibin Samuel, 14 Aug 2008, Mahatma Gandhi and Christianity, Christian Today).

For Martin Luther King: “Mahatma Gandhi was the first person in human history to lift the ethic of love of Jesus Christ, above mere interaction between individuals and make it into a powerful and effective social force on a large scale. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable.

We may ignore him at our own peril”. When an American churchman upbraided him for this he replied “It is ironic yet inescapably true that the greatest Christian of the modern world was a man who never embraced Christianity.” (Ambassador (Retd) Alan Nazareth, Gandhi and Christianity, mkgandhi.org) “Ekam sat vipra bahauda vadanti” (There is but one REALITY, though the wise speak of it in many ways), declared the Rig Veda, the oldest scripture of the oldest living religion in the world.

In the few millenniums since the Rig Veda, the human race is still struggling to understand this simple truth. Thus, instead of trying to establish the supremacy of Krishna or Rama or Shiva or Allah or Christ, we should recognize that they are different ways to address the same God (who is all pervading and within each one of us and all around us).

Our quest should be to realize this God within us – to remove the layer of dust that is covering our inner soul. As a Hindu and as an Indian, I can safely say that this is the essence of Hinduism. This is the essence of India! हर मानव में छिपी हुई है दिव्य गुणों की आग – Har maanav mein chipi hui hai divya gunon ki aag दिल से मर्म शिखा बस छू दो तुरंत उठेगी जाग – Dil se marm shikhaa bas choo do, turant uthegi jaag “Inside every human is hidden a fire of divine qualities Simply touch the molten tip with all your heart, and it will immediately set ablaze” So forget about establishing which name of God is the greatest! Go seek out the God inside you.

Once you know that there is God within you, and that God can do anything, you’ll see that nothing is impossible! Go, outshine the stars!!
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Who cursed Shiva?

Bhrigu: The Father of Fortune Once Vishnu awoke, he apologised to Bhrigu and Bhrigu told him to descend on earth to replace anarchy with dharma. is one of the Sapta Rishis. He is also famous nowadays because the, a Sanskrit astrological (Jyotisha) treatise compiled by him, is being used as a forecasting tool.

A bundle of palm leaves, originally inscribed by the legendary Bhrigu, is said to collectively contain the future of all humans.Those interested in knowing their future ask those families who possess these bundles of palm leaves, and who know how to decode them, to find the palm leaf relevant to them.

Since knowing the future enables us to secure fortune or avoid misfortune, Bhrigu is called the, and Lakshmi, goddess of fortune, is referred to as Bhargavi, his daughter. All strategy, as we know, is based on the ability to accurately predict the future.

That makes the forecaster Bhrigu a much venerated sage. But who is this Bhrigu?The name, Bhrigu, occurs repeatedly in Hindu scriptures in various contexts. He is part of a long history of battles between rishis and Kshatriyas. It is said that it is he who brought fire from the gods to the humans. One of his wives, Puloma, was once abducted by an asura.

While being abducted, their son, Chyavana, slipped out of Puloma’s womb. The glory of the child was so great that the asura was killed. Later, Bhrigu blamed Agni, the fire god, who was supposed to watch over and protect Puloma. Bhrigu cursed that Agni would consume everything, pure and foul, henceforth.Chyavana and his wife, Arushi, had a son called Aurava.

  1. When their hermitage was attacked by Kshatriyas, Aurva, in fear, slipped out of his mother’s womb and appeared out of her thigh.
  2. He, too, would have destroyed the Kshatriyas but was prevented from doing so by his grandfather Bhrigu.
  3. So Aurva turned his anger into a horse.
  4. A fire-breathing horse which plunged itself into the sea.

The sweat of this horse makes the sea salty. The fire of this horse is responsible for creating mists above the oceans.Through his wife, Khyati, Bhrigu had another son called Mrikanda. Mrikanda is said to have woven the very first piece of cloth in the world.

He used the fibre of the lotus plant to do this. This is why he is considered to be the father of the weaving community. Bhrigu had another wife, Kavyamata, who bore him a son called Shukracharya. One day, the asuras hid behind Kavyamata. To expose the asuras, Vishnu cut her head. For this crime, Shukracharya cursed Vishnu that he would be born three times as a human: Parashurama, Rama and,

From Bhrigu came the race of Bhargavas which was often involved in fights with the Kshatriya community. Parashurama belonged to the Bhargava community and was called and was responsible for wiping out several clans of Kshatriyas and filling five lakes with their blood.

Parashuram gave up his violent spree after he met Ram, the restorer of dharma. Thus Bhrigu is connected with bringing Vishnu and hence dharma to earth. The most famous story about Bhrigu is that he wanted to find out who was the greatest god in the world: Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva. Bhrigu found Brahma too busy meditating, and so he cursed Brahma that he would never be worshipped by humans.

Shiva was busy making love to his wife, Shakti, so Bhrigu cursed him, too, saying that Shiva would only be worshipped in his symbolic form. Vishnu was sleeping when Bhrigu arrived. So Bhrigu kicked him on the right side of his chest to wake him up. Once Vishnu awoke, he apologised to Bhrigu and Bhrigu told him to descend on earth to replace with dharma.Lakshmi was furious that Bhrigu had kicked her husband, and Vishnu had done nothing to counter the disrespect.

So, she descended to earth, giving Vishnu another reason to come down to earth. Even today, in orthodox Vishnu temples, one finds the footprint of Bhrigu on the right side of Vishnu’s chest. This is called Bhrigupada. As Bhrigu was responsible for Vishnu and Lakhsmi both coming down to earth, he is venerated as the most important of the seven ancient sages.

When Lakshmi descended on earth, she appeared in a lotus flower and was raised in the house of Bhrigu which is why she is called Bhargavi. She is also called Padmavati, born of a lotus. To marry her, Vishnu took a huge loan from Kubera. Until he repays the loan, he is trapped on earth.

And so even today, at Tirupati temple, devotees give Vishnu money to repay his loan to Kubera. But by taking wealth from devotees, he is indebted to them and so obliged to fulfil their wishes. Thus, we find in these narratives how Bhrigu is linked to fortune in various ways which is why he is called the father of fortune.

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Who is Shiva’s enemy?

Jalandhara
Weapon Trishula
Personal information
Parents Shiva (creator)
Spouse Vrinda

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What is world’s oldest religion?

Hinduism () is an Indian religion or dharma, a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world’s third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global population, known as Hindus,

  • The word Hindu is an exonym, and while Hinduism has been called the oldest religion in the world, many practitioners refer to their religion as Sanātana Dharma ( Sanskrit : सनातन धर्म, lit.
  • ”the Eternal Dharma”), a modern usage, which refers to the idea that its origins lie beyond human history, as revealed in the Hindu texts,

Another endonym is Vaidika Dharma, the dharma related to the Vedas, Hinduism is a diverse system of thought marked by a range of philosophies and shared concepts, rituals, cosmological systems, pilgrimage sites, and shared textual sources that discuss theology, metaphysics, mythology, Vedic yajna, yoga, agamic rituals, and temple building, among other topics.

Prominent themes in Hindu beliefs include the four Puruṣārthas, the proper goals or aims of human life; namely, dharma (ethics/duties), artha (prosperity/work), kama (desires/passions) and moksha (liberation/freedom from the passions and the cycle of death and rebirth ), as well as karma (action, intent and consequences) and saṃsāra (cycle of death and rebirth).

Hinduism prescribes the eternal duties, such as honesty, refraining from injuring living beings ( Ahiṃsā ), patience, forbearance, self-restraint, virtue, and compassion, among others. Hindu practices include worship ( puja ), fire rituals ( homa/havan ), recitations ( pravachan ), devotion ( bhakti ), chanting ( japa ), meditation ( dhyāna ), sacrifice ( yajña ), charity ( dāna ), selfless service ( sevā ), homage to one’s ancestors ( śrāddha ), family-oriented rites of passage, annual festivals, and occasional pilgrimages ( yatra ).

  1. Along with the various practices associated with yoga, some Hindus leave their social world and material possessions and engage in lifelong Sannyasa ( monasticism ) in order to achieve moksha,
  2. Hindu texts are classified into Śruti (“heard”) and Smṛti (“remembered”), the major scriptures of which are the Vedas, the Upanishads, the Purānas, the Mahābhārata, the Rāmāyana, and the Āgamas,

There are six āstika schools of Hindu philosophy, who recognise the authority of the Vedas, namely Sānkhya, Yoga, Nyāya, Vaisheshika, Mimāmsā, and Vedānta, While the Puranic chronology presents a genealogy of thousands of years, starting with the Vedic rishis, scholars regard Hinduism as a fusion or synthesis of Brahmanical orthopraxy with various Indian cultures, having diverse roots and no specific founder.

This Hindu synthesis emerged after the Vedic period, between c.500 –200 BCE and c.300 CE, in the period of the Second Urbanisation and the early classical period of Hinduism, when the Epics and the first Purānas were composed. It flourished in the medieval period, with the decline of Buddhism in India,

Currently, the four major denominations of Hinduism are Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and the Smarta tradition, Sources of authority and eternal truths in the Hindu texts play an important role, but there is also a strong Hindu tradition of questioning authority in order to deepen the understanding of these truths and to further develop the tradition.
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Who created the God?

Responses – Defenders of religion have countered that, by definition, God is the first cause, and thus that the question is improper: We ask, “If all things have a creator, then who created God?” Actually, only created things have a creator, so it’s improper to lump God with his creation.

God has revealed himself to us in the Bible as having always existed. Atheists counter that there is no reason to assume the universe was created. The question becomes irrelevant if the universe is presumed to have circular time instead of linear time, undergoing an infinite series of big bangs and big crunches on its own.

However, this view itself raises questions such as why the universe would have such a structure, and whether those properties can be extended to apply to objects within it. It may be observed as well that if God is capable of time travel or exists in a time loop itself, it has no need of a separate creator, as it can travel to the origin of its existence and create itself, so that it will always have existed within the loop.

  1. John Lennox, professor of Mathematics at Oxford writes: Now Dawkins candidly tells us that he does not like people telling him that they also do not believe in the God in which he does not believe.
  2. But we cannot afford to base our arguments on his dislikes.
  3. For, whether he likes it or not, he openly invites the charge.
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After all, it is he who is arguing that God is a delusion. In order to weigh his argument we need first of all to know what he means by God. And his main argument is focussed on a created God. Well, several billion of us would share his disbelief in such a god.

He needn’t have bothered. Most of us have long since been convinced of what he is trying to tell us. Certainly, no Christian would ever dream of suggesting that God was created. Nor, indeed, would Jews or Muslims. His argument, by his own admission, has nothing to say about an eternal God. It is entirely beside the point.

Dawkins should shelve it on the shelf marked ‘Celestial Teapots’ where it belongs. For the God who created and upholds the universe was not created — he is eternal. He was not ‘made’ and therefore subject to the laws that science discovered; it was he who made the universe with its laws.
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Who is only God in the world?

Islam – Main articles:,, and Arabic calligraphy reading “Allah, may his glory be glorified” In Islam, () is and, the Creator, Sustainer, Ordainer and Judge of the universe. is strictly singular ( ) unique ( wahid ) and inherently One ( ahad ), all-merciful and omnipotent.

  1. Allāh exists on the, but the states that “No vision can grasp Him, but His grasp is over all vision.
  2. God is above all comprehension, yet is acquainted with all things” Allāh is the only God and the same God worshiped in and,().
  3. Islam emerged in the 7th century CE in the context of both Christianity and Judaism, with some thematic elements similar to,

Islamic belief states that did not bring a new religion from God, but rather the same religion as practiced by,,, and all the other of God. The assertion of Islam is that the message of God had been corrupted, distorted or lost over time, and the Quran was sent to Muhammad in order to correct the lost message of the (Torah), (Gospel) and,

The Quran asserts the existence of a single and absolute truth that transcends the world; a unique and indivisible being who is independent of the creation. The Quran rejects binary modes of thinking such as the idea of a of God by arguing that both generate from God’s creative act. God is a universal god rather than a local, tribal or parochial one; an absolute who integrates all affirmative values and brooks no evil.

theology, which dominated Sunni Islam from the tenth to the nineteenth century, insists on ultimate divine transcendence and holds that divine unity is not accessible to human reason. Ash’arism teaches that human knowledge regarding it is limited to what has been revealed through the prophets, and on such paradoxes as God’s creation of evil, revelation had to accept bila kayfa (without how).

Tawhid constitutes the foremost article of the Muslim, “There is no god but, Muhammad is the messenger of God. To attribute divinity to a created entity is the only unpardonable sin mentioned in the Quran. The entirety of the Islamic teaching rests on the principle of tawhid, Medieval Islamic philosopher offered a proof of monotheism from, asserting there can only be one omnipotent being.

For if there were two omnipotent beings, the first would either have power over the second (meaning the second is not omnipotent) or not (meaning the first is not omnipotent); thus implying that there could only be one omnipotent being. As they traditionally profess a concept of monotheism with a singular entity as God, Judaism and Islam reject the Christian idea of monotheism.
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Who can defeat Lord Vishnu?

Gluten, Dairy, Sugar Free Recipes, Interviews and Health Articles If there is anyone in this or any other universe who can defeat Lord Vishnu is Lord Shiva, In fact, there is a story in the Shiva Purana which states that Lord Shiva defeated Lord Vishnu and killed his sons. But generally, it is believed that they are equally powerful. |
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Who is the king god in Hinduism?

Indra, in Hindu mythology, the king of the gods. He is one of the main gods of the Rigveda and is the Indo-European cousin of the German Wotan, Norse Odin, Greek Zeus, and Roman Jupiter.
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Who is the one main god in Hinduism?

Why does Hinduism have so many gods? People often think that Hinduism is a polytheistic religion. They ask me, “Why do you have so many gods?” Hindus worship one Supreme Being called Brahman though by different names. This is because the peoples of India with many different languages and cultures have understood the one God in their own distinct way. Supreme God has uncountable divine powers. When God is formless, He is referred to by the term Brahman. When God has form, He is referred to by the term Paramatma. This is almighty God, whose three main forms are Brahma; the creator, Vishnu, the sustainer and Shiva, the destroyer. Hindus believe in many Gods who perform various functions; like executives in a large corporation. These should not be confused with the Supreme God. The unique understanding in Hinduism is that God is not far away, living in a remote heaven, but is inside each and every soul, in the heart and consciousness, waiting to be discovered. And the goal of Hinduism is knowing God in this intimate and experiential way. Hinduism is both monotheistic and henotheistic. Hinduism is not polytheistic. Henotheism (literally “one God”) better defines the Hindu view. It means the worship of one God without denying the existence of other Gods. Hindus believe in the one all-pervasive God who energizes the entire universe. It is believed that God is both in the world and beyond it. That is the highest Hindu view. Hinduism gives the freedom to approach God in one’s own way, encouraging a multiplicity of paths, not asking for conformity to just one. It allows people to believe in and pray to their own conceptualizations of the Divine in whatever form they choose, while at the same time elevating all of them to their ultimate reality, which is the singular omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient Divinity, who demands no allegiance, punishes no one for lack of belief, yet provides wisdom, comfort, compassion and freedom to those who seek it. All they need to do is look within, according to Ramdas Lamb, an associate professor at the University of Hawaii specializing in religious studies, mysticism, Indic religions, the interface between religions and society, and field studies. The unchanging reality is, that God that exists in each individual as the Supreme, Changeless Divinity. In Sanskrit, this concept is “tattvamasi,” which can be translated as “You are that” or “That you are.” Hindus believe in the formless Absolute Reality as God and also in God as personal Lord and Creator. This freedom makes the understanding of God in Hinduism, the oldest monotheistic religion. Hinduism is also unique in saying that God can be experienced, and, in fact, that is the ultimate goal of one’s soul. Aparna Chawla is a licensed dentist practicing in Central Jersey. She is a member of the Franklin Township Interfaith Council and Somerset County Cultural Diversity Coalition. : Why does Hinduism have so many gods?
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Who is stronger Shiva or Vishnu?

An error occurred. – Unable to execute JavaScript. In Hindu scriptures, there are 18 puranas – each dedicated to a particular name for God – and each establishing that name as supreme. The Shiva purana establishes Lord Shiva as the greatest. The Vishnu purana establishes Lord Vishnu as the greatest.

The Shrimad Bhagvad Purana establishes Lord Krishna as the greatest. Do you see a contradiction? There is a welcome contradiction. It has been done purposely so that the devotee can be free to choose the name/form of God s/he is most comfortable with, and also be assured that the name s/he is chanting is the greatest.

Similarly, there is nothing wrong when we, as Christians, recognize the name Jesus Christ as the greatest or when we, as Muslims, recognize the name Allah as the greatest. However, we should understand that while we have the right to call the name we know for God as greatest, other fellow human beings have the right to call the name they know for God as greatest.

  1. This essentially means that call Him (or Her, if you’re a feminist) by any name, we are all reaching out to the same God within us and outside us and all around us.
  2. Instead of fighting over which name is greater, devote yourself in realizing the name/form/words of the God you worship deep within you.

If you’re a Hindu, be a good Hindu. If you’re a Muslim, be a good Muslim. If you’re a Christian, be a good Christian. While it is perfectly fine to have your favorite name for God, don’t give your faiths a bad name by looking down at those in other faiths who address God by their own favorite name(s), or by having the misconception that those who address God by different names or try to reach him through different paths will go to hell.

Observe the other path(s), go for a trek using the other path(s), meet and speak to people who’ve taken that way, read the guidebooks detailing those path(s) and you’ll find that it may be better or worse laid out, there might be more people treading them or less people treading them, but they too lead to the same peak up there! We are giving ourselves too much of credit when we think that there is only one superhighway leading to God and that anybody who is not on it will land up nowhere and that it is our moral duty to coerce them, beg them, pull them into the highway – even if the person was already on a well-paved road leading to the peak.

If you really want to help the person, show him how to be a better driver or trekker on the road s/he already is, instead of trying to change his/her road to the peak. When the missionary E. Stanley Jones had met with Mahatma Gandhi, he had asked him, “Mr.

Gandhi, though you quote the words of Christ often, why is that you appear to so adamantly reject becoming his follower?” Gandhi had replied, “Oh, I don’t reject Christ. I love Christ. It’s just that so many of you Christians are so unlike Christ.” “If Christians would really live according to the teachings of Christ, as found in the Bible, all of India would be Christian today,” he added (Dibin Samuel, 14 Aug 2008, Mahatma Gandhi and Christianity, Christian Today).

On quest for conversion to Christianity, Gandhi’s message was that instead of preaching Christianity, if a Christian Missionary was to live his life in service as exemplified by Christ, the message would be better received”live the life according to the light.

If, therefore, you go on serving people and ask them also to serve, they would understand. But you quote instead John 3:16 and ask them to believe it and that has no appeal to me, and I am sure people will not understand it.” “A rose does not need to preach. It simply spreads its fragrance. The fragrance is its own sermon; the fragrance of religious and spiritual life is much finer and subtler than that of the rose.” (Dibin Samuel, 14 Aug 2008, Mahatma Gandhi and Christianity, Christian Today).

For Martin Luther King: “Mahatma Gandhi was the first person in human history to lift the ethic of love of Jesus Christ, above mere interaction between individuals and make it into a powerful and effective social force on a large scale. If humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable.

We may ignore him at our own peril”. When an American churchman upbraided him for this he replied “It is ironic yet inescapably true that the greatest Christian of the modern world was a man who never embraced Christianity.” (Ambassador (Retd) Alan Nazareth, Gandhi and Christianity, mkgandhi.org) “Ekam sat vipra bahauda vadanti” (There is but one REALITY, though the wise speak of it in many ways), declared the Rig Veda, the oldest scripture of the oldest living religion in the world.

In the few millenniums since the Rig Veda, the human race is still struggling to understand this simple truth. Thus, instead of trying to establish the supremacy of Krishna or Rama or Shiva or Allah or Christ, we should recognize that they are different ways to address the same God (who is all pervading and within each one of us and all around us).

  • Our quest should be to realize this God within us – to remove the layer of dust that is covering our inner soul.
  • As a Hindu and as an Indian, I can safely say that this is the essence of Hinduism.
  • This is the essence of India! हर मानव में छिपी हुई है दिव्य गुणों की आग – Har maanav mein chipi hui hai divya gunon ki aag दिल से मर्म शिखा बस छू दो तुरंत उठेगी जाग – Dil se marm shikhaa bas choo do, turant uthegi jaag “Inside every human is hidden a fire of divine qualities Simply touch the molten tip with all your heart, and it will immediately set ablaze” So forget about establishing which name of God is the greatest! Go seek out the God inside you.

Once you know that there is God within you, and that God can do anything, you’ll see that nothing is impossible! Go, outshine the stars!!
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