...Praise for The Immortals of Meluha ‘Shiva rocks. Just how much Shiva rocks the imagination is made grandiosely obvious in The Immortals of Meluha ... Shiva’s journey from cool dude... to Mahadev... is a reader’s delight... What really engages is the author’s crafting of Shiva, with almost boyworship joy’ — The Times of India ‘The story is gripping and well-paced. An essentially mythological story written in a modern style, the novel creates anticipation in the readers mind and compels one to read with great curiosity till the end. The end however is a cliff-hanger and leaves one thirsting for more.’ — Business World ‘Amongst the top 5 books recommended by Brunch... the story is fascinating.’ — The Hindustan Times ‘...has philosophy as its underlying theme but is racy enough to give its readers the adventure of a lifetime.’ — The Hindu ‘Amongst the list of favourite holiday books of 2010. A fast paced story, you are bound to read it cover to cover in one sitting.’ — The Deccan Chronicle ‘Much before the box-office verdict on Rajneeti and Raavan became apparent, Indian readers gave a thumbs-up to The Immortals Of Meluha. Its author Amish, an IIM graduate, created a delightful mix of mythology and history by making Lord Shiva the hero of his trilogy. The first part has been on the Indian bestseller charts for quite some time now.’ — The Indian Express ‘...to me, The Immortals of Meluha is a political commentary with messages for our world and...
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...Praise for The Immortals of Meluha ‘Shiva rocks. Just how much Shiva rocks the imagination is made grandiosely obvious in The Immortals of Meluha ... Shiva’s journey from cool dude... to Mahadev... is a reader’s delight... What really engages is the author’s crafting of Shiva, with almost boyworship joy’ — The Times of India ‘The story is gripping and well-paced. An essentially mythological story written in a modern style, the novel creates anticipation in the readers mind and compels one to read with great curiosity till the end. The end however is a cliff-hanger and leaves one thirsting for more.’ — Business World ‘Amongst the top 5 books recommended by Brunch... the story is fascinating.’ — The Hindustan Times ‘...has philosophy as its underlying theme but is racy enough to give its readers the adventure of a lifetime.’ — The Hindu ‘Amongst the list of favourite holiday books of 2010. A fast paced story, you are bound to read it cover to cover in one sitting.’ — The Deccan Chronicle ‘Much before the box-office verdict on Rajneeti and Raavan became apparent, Indian readers gave a thumbs-up to The Immortals Of Meluha. Its author Amish, an IIM graduate, created a delightful mix of mythology and history by making Lord Shiva the hero of his trilogy. The first part has been on the Indian bestseller charts for quite some time now.’ — The Indian Express ‘...to me, The Immortals of Meluha is a political commentary with messages for our world and...
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...The Great Emperor Raghu was a valorous king of the Ikshvaku dynasty. According to the Raghuvamsha, he was born to king Dilīpa and his queen Sudakshina. His name in Sanskrit means the fast one, deriving from Raghu's chariot driving abilities. So celebrated were the exploits of Raghu, that his dynasty itself came to be known as the Raghuvamsha or the Raghukula after him. The history of his dynasty is elaborated upon by Kalidasa in his Raghuvamsha. Contents [hide] 1 Lineage 2 Life 3 Legacy 4 See also 5 Notes [edit]Lineage A number of Puranas, which include the Vishnu Purana, the Vayu Purana, the Linga Purana, mention Dirghabahu as the son of Dilīpa and Raghu as the son of Dirghabahu. But the Harivamsha, the Brahma Purana and the Shiva Purana mention Raghu as son of Dilīpa and Dirghavahu as his epithet.[1] The lineage described in the Raghuvamsha mention Dilīpa as the father of Raghu. According to most of the Puaranas, as well as Kalidasa, Raghu was succeeded by his son Aja, who was the father of Dasharatha, the father of Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughna. [edit]Life Raghu was a great donor. It is said that no one returns from his palace empty-handed. Raghu's father Dilīpa was a very pious king, and performed as many as 100 yajnas or sacrificial rituals. Until he did so, only Indra, king of the Gods, had earned that distinction. In a bid to prevent Dilipa from equaling his record, Indra placed many hurdles in the path of the successful completion of the 100th...
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...that caught my attention was that of the dancing Shiva. Shiva the Destroyer has many faces in Hindu culture but the one that I will focus on in this discussion is Shiva Nataraja. The dancing Shiva is one of the most classic and loved symbols that captured the essence of Hindu culture and still remains timeless. To understand why the dancing Shiva is iconic art form we will look at the history and properties that make the Shiva Nataraja symbolic. The word Nataraja refers to the dancing form of Shiva due to the fact that Shiva has many forms. Nataraja meaning Lord of Dance or King of Dancers refers to the specific representation of the four armed dancing Shiva surrounded by a ring of fire. Trying to understand the dancing Shiva is not easy concept because Shiva after all is the god of Destruction. The best way to understand this concept of Shiva Nataraja is not to think of him as a destroyer but as a transformer. The appealing aspect of this Nataraja is that explains a story about the transformation of life. In Hindu religion and culture we know that things must be created, preserved and destroyed, and they are represented by gods. The same can be said about energy or life itself and this is why it is such an interesting and appealing as art and as science. The dance of Shiva can be compared to the ring of fire that surrounds it, very destructive but beautiful to watch like looking at dancing flames. The statues of Shiva Nataraja have very unique properties and this is...
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...Vaishnavism and Shaktism among numerous other traditions, and a wide spectrum of laws and prescriptions of "daily morality" based on karma, dharma, and societal norms. Hinduism is a categorisation of distinct intellectual or philosophical points of view, rather than a rigid, common set of beliefs. Hinduism has been called the "oldest religion" in the world and many practitioners refer to Hinduism as Sanātana Dharma, "the eternal law" or the "eternal way" beyond human origins. It prescribes the "eternal" duties all Hindus have to follow, regardless of class, caste, or sect, such as honesty, purity, and self-restraint. God of Hinduism. The most important hindu gods are brahma , vishnu and shiva. Brahma is the Hindu god (deva) of creation and one of the Trimūrti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahmā Purāņa, he is the father of Manu, and from Manu all human beings are descended. In the Rāmāyaņa and the Mahābhārata, he is often referred to as the progenitor or great grandsire of all human beings. He is not to be confused with the Supreme [pic]Cosmic Spirit in Hindu Vedānta philosophy known as Brahman, which is genderless. In Hindu tradition, the creation of Vedas is credited to Brahma. Sahasranama declares Vishnu as Paramatman (supreme soul) andParameshwara (supreme God). It describes Vishnu as the all-pervading essence of all beings, the master of—and beyond—the past, present and future, the creator and destroyer of all existences, one who supports, preserves...
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...Religion has always worked as an important element in human history. One of the very first forms of religion, Totemism, traces back to the era in which most of the populations relied on traditional economies of hunting, gathering, or mixed farming. Along with Totemism, a system of belief that humans worshipped spiritual things such as animals, plants, or stones, Animism and Shamanism also became popular and well known among groups of people as those religions developed and accustomed their shapes in accordance with the society and various social aspects of the time. As the society changes, many religions, coming up with their unique aims of important religious values, sometimes similar and sometimes different from each other’s, have emerged. Many of them disappeared, some of them are kept within small groups of people, and very few of them became the mainstream religions. One of the mainstream religions is Hinduism. First emerged in South Asia, the idea of Hinduism is based on Veda, the oldest religion and literature of ancient India in existence. Hinduism does not deny the existence of many gods; thus is classified as polytheism. One might ask from where these sacred believes or religion first emerged. Mircea Eliade theorized that hierophany, a manifestation of the sacred, is the basis of the religion. In his book The Sacred & The Profane, Eliade analyzed this massive idea of religion with four categories—sacred space, sacred time, sacred nature, and sacred self—under the...
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...Shiva is 'shakti' or power, Shiva the destroyer, the most powerful god of the Hindu pantheon and one of the godheads in the Hindu Trinity. Known by many names - Mahadeva, Mahayogi, Pashupati, Nataraja, Bhairava, Vishwanath, Bhava, and Bhole Nath. According to Hindu mythology lord Shiva is the destroyer in the main three supreme gods. There are three supreme gods 1st one is Lord Shiva, Second one is Brahma and third one Vishnu. Lord Shiva also has a positive side in that destruction usual leads to new forms of existence. Lord Shiva is described in art with four hand, four faces and three eyes. The third eye always keeps this power to destroy the creation, not only creation including gods and humans. Shiva is believed to be at the core of the centrifugal force of the universe, because of his responsibility for death and destruction. Since Shiva is regarded as a mighty destructive power, to numb his negative potentials he is fed with opium and is also termed as 'Bhole Shankar', one who is oblivious of the world. Unlike the godhead Brahma, the Creator, or Vishnu, the Preserver, Shiva is the dissolving force in life. But Shiva dissolves in order to create, since death is the medium for rebirth into a new life. So the opposites of life and death and creation and destruction both reside in his character. He is also often portrayed as the supreme ascetic with a passive and composed disposition. Sometimes he is depicted riding a bull called Nandi decked in garlands. Shiva, in temples is...
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...Festival or the ‘The Night of Shiva’ is celebrated with devotion and religious fervor in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the deities of Hindu Trinity. Shivaratri falls on the moonless 14th night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun, which corresponds to the month of February - March in English Calendar. Celebrating the festival of Shivaratri devotees observe day and night fast and perform ritual worship of Shiva Lingam to appease Lord Shiva. Legends of Mahashivratri: There are various interesting legends related to the festival of Maha Shivaratri. According to one of the most popular legends, Shivaratri marks the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Some believe that it was on the auspicious night of Shivaratri that Lord Shiva performed the ‘Tandava’, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction. Another popular Shivratri legend stated in Linga Purana states that it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga. Hence the day is considered to be extremely auspicious by Shiva devotees and they celebrate it as Mahashivaratri - the grand night of Shiva. Traditions and Customs of Shivaratri: Various traditions and customs related to Shivaratri Festival are dutifully followed by the worshippers of Lord Shiva. Devotees observe strict fast in honor of Shiva, though many go on a diet of fruits and milk some do not consume even a drop of water. Devotees strongly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri...
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...par to none. This observation was very evident when I visited the Saint Petersburg College’s art gallery located at the Clearwater, Florida campus. While I was glazing at the many wonderful art pieces our student body created I could foresee how advanced humanity has become as a whole. Then I see this astounding painting reaching for some type of swords that were more like levitating from a pair of hands pointing up and down from left to right and standing with one leg while the other was lifted and reaching across the other leg in a trance posture. As I got closer, I realized I was looking at Franklin Fraze’s ‘Shiva’ painting. The Hindu influenced painting is mesmerizing and reminds you of the powerful influence the Hindu culture inhibits. The painting itself is made of black and white colors contradicting the color from each side its on. Here, Shiva is seen standing on top of another sphere resembling the female and male human body. This magnificent view inspires to the creation of...
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...is an important pilgrimage destination for Hindus all over the world. People visit this town because of the Kedarnath temple that is considered as one of the small Char Dham pilgrimage. The town was ruled by King Kedar during the Satya Yug time and hence got the name. It is believed that Adi Sankaracharya built the temple in this town to worship Shiva in the form of Kedarnath, which means the King of the Mountains. The temple also has some relevance with the Pandava brothers of the great epic Mahabharata. It enshrines Shiva's Jyortilinga. Legend Pandavas won the battle of Mahabharata. However, after killing their own brothers, they were repenting over their victory. Since the battle had forced them to commit sins, they were denied an entry to heaven. To remove their sins and have an access to heaven, they were supposed to worship Lord Shiva. To do the penance, all the brothers came to this holy town and started looking for Shiva since they knew the lord liked this place and visit it to seek respite. However, to conceal his identity from them, Shiva took a form of bull. When Bhim, one of the five brothers, identified him, Shiva hid himself into the ground. The five different parts of...
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...ones rank is based on occupation and heredity. During the twelfth-century Basavanna wrote many poems that reflected his response to this structural inequality. Basavanna’s poem The crookedness of the serpent addresses the belief of equality. Emphasises on the phrase “straight enough”(2) indicates his open view to acceptance in society. His beliefs are much different than the caste system which enforced strict boundaries from one level of society to another. No matter how “crooked” you may be, Basavanna is implying the lord Shiva will deem you straight enough for acceptance; unlike the caste. The egalitarian style to his writing is in attempt to end discrimination based on the caste system. Similar to many other pieces of Basavanna, The rich will make temples for Siva also promotes anti-caste movements in the twelfth century. While analyzing this poem, the occupational status barrier is addressed. Basavanna highlights the differences in forms of Shiva worship; for the rich they use temples but for the poor they do not have those privileges therefore devote their body. This represents the physical barrier that differentiates the Brahmins from the Harijans. Also the last stanza of the poem exposes Basavanna’s expectation for the future social structure as he believes it shall fall. The caste system has evolved over time since Basavanna’s era it has become more of an ideology than a systematic social structure in India. Not only has status mobility grown but also equality. Hindus...
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...Hindu Temple Visit Ramirez, Andrea REL 2011 Fall 2013 Florida International University Shiva Vishnu Temple. Hindu Temple based on Vaasthu and Agama Shaastras Date visited: 09/08/2013. Abhishekam to Ganesha Hinduism is considered the world’s oldest religion; although, it might be more accurate to call it “a way of life” or a philosophy instead of a religion. Hinduism is incredibly diverse and it is deeply tied to the people and culture in India. It does not have a single founding figure, neither has a "church" or institution to ensure its application, and no single holy text like other religions, but several. Hinduism is characterized by the belief in reincarnation, one absolute being of multiple manifestations, the law of cause and effect, and the desire for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. It is globally accepted as a polytheistic religion; however, many Hindus believe in one supreme and ultimate being named Brahman. Hinduism personalizes Brahman in three main deities: Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. Hindu temples are built to worship God and Gods, through offerings, rituals and prayers. Worship is primarily individualistic rather than congregational, and also it can be practiced every day, there is no a particular day to go to the temple. The reason for attending the Hindu temple is to visit a particular Deity, in order to receive her or his great blessings. The Hindu temple is a special space where we can experience the Divinity. I had the chance...
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...Wanda Jenkins Dr. Michael McLaughlin World Religions: Eastern and West 2 September 2014 The Four Yogas In Hinduism, there are four paths of yoga that are utilized as a reference guide that can help one along their spiritual journey towards self-realization. These paths provide different avenues that work for different people and are tailored towards certain temperaments so that one can choose the path that will provide them with the most success. According to Philip Novak, “Hinduism recognizes four paths of yoga or methods of self-transformation: the yoga of action (karma), the yoga of devotion (bhakti), the yoga of knowledge (jnana), and the yoga of meditation (raja yoga)” (Novak 34). These are paths to spiritual self- transformation that one can take after they have been taught that the controlling of the mind comes through meditation. Karma yoga is the pathway to self-transformation through work or action in the form of selfless service. Karma yoga appeals to those who have active temperaments. An example is given out of the book explaining that we are human machines made for action or work. Meaning, that our entire body, except for the reproductive apparatus merges together through action. The drive to work is mental not economical. We are by nature selfish beings, through Karma yoga we can step out of our spiritual ignorance through selfless actions. The goal of Karma yoga is for one to continually work towards acting in a selfless nature. Karma yoga is...
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...n:am:av:el:H .. shiva-ashtottarashata-namavali The 108 Names of Lord Shiva 1 ! eS:v:ay: n:m:H . Om Shivaya Namaha Obeisances to the Auspicious One Obeisances to the Great God Shiva Obeisances to the God who exists for our happiness alone Obeisances to Shiva, who guards the path of dharma Obeisances to the God who wears the crescent moon in his hair Obeisances to the God who is pleasing and auspicious in every way Obeisances to the God of spotless form Obeisances to the Lord with thickly matted hair Obeisances to the God splendid as the red sun at daybreak 2 ! m:hðÃ:ray: n:m:H . ! S:öB:v:ð n:m:H . Om Maheshvaraya Namaha 3 Om Shambhave Namaha 4 ! ep:n:aekn:ð n:m:H . Om Pinakine Namaha 5 ! S:eS:S:ðK:ray: n:m:H . ! v:am:dðv:ay: n:m:H . Om Vamadevaya Namaha Om Shashishekharaya Namaha 6 7 ! ev:−p:ax:ay: n:m:H . ! kp:edün:ð n:m:H . Om Kapardine Namaha Om Virupakshaya Namaha 8 9 ! n:il:l::ðeht:ay: n:m:H . Om Nilalohitaya Namaha 10 ! S:ökray: n:m:H . Om Shankaraya Namaha Obeisances to the source of all prosperity Obeisances to the God who carries a spear Obeisances to the God who carries a knurled club Obeisances to Shiva, who is dear to Lord Vishnu Obeisances to the Lord whose form emits great rays of light Obeisances to Ambika's Lord Obeisances to he whose throat is shining blue Obeisances to the Lord who loves His devotees like new born calves Obeisances to the God who is existence itself Obeisances to Shiva who is...
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...Praise for the Shiva Trilogy ‘Amish’s mythical imagination mines the past and taps into the possibilities of the future. His book series, archetypal and stirring, unfolds the deepest recesses of the soul as well as our collective consciousness.’ – Deepak Chopra, world-renowned spiritual guru and bestselling author ‘Amish is a fresh new voice in Indian writing – steeped in myth and history, with a fine eye for detail and a compelling narrative style.’ – Shashi Tharoor, Minister of State in the Indian government and celebrated author ‘Furious action jumps off every page.’ – Anil Dharker, renowned journalist and author ‘Tripathi’s Shiva Trilogy is already being touted as India’s Lord of the Rings.’ – Hindustan Times ‘…Amish has mastered the art of gathering, interpreting and presenting India’s many myths, folklores and legends, and blending all of that into fast-paced thrillers that change your views about gods, cultures, histories, demons and heroes, forever.’ – Hi Blitz ‘Amish’s Shiva Trilogy has a refreshing storyline… The narration forces you to impatiently turn the page to know what secret is going to be revealed about the “Neelkanth” next.’ – The Telegraph ‘It’s a labour of love... Amish also humanizes his characters, something which most popular Indian writers fail miserably at.’ – Mint ‘Amish’s philosophy of tolerance, his understanding of mythology and his avowed admiration for Shiva are evident in his best-selling works.’ – Verve ‘Tripathi is...
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