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STO-320-sec Surya and Sanjana In Hindu mythology, Surya married Sanjana and she bore two children, Yama and Yami. Yama is the God of Death, and Yami is more commonly called Yamuna, the sacred river that runs through Vrindavana and New Delhi. Sanjaya, however, could not bear the intense light and heat radiating from her fiery […]
STO-320 Surya and Sanjana In Hindu mythology, Surya married Sanjana and she bore two children, Yama and Yami. Yama is the God of Death, and Yami is more commonly called Yamuna, the sacred river that runs through Vrindavana and New Delhi. Sanjaya, however, could not bear the intense light and heat radiating from her fiery […]
Download PDF: PCT-312 The sun is one of the five deities worshipped by the Smarta tradition. These five are Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, Ganesh and Surya. Worship of the sun goes back to ancient times. The ancestors of Rama came in the Surya vamsha (dynasty of the sun) and the Sun was their worshipable deity (note: […]
STO-501-sec King Sagar, the ruler of Ayodhya was of the Surya dynasty, and an ancestor of Rama. He performed the Asvamedha sacrifice ninety-nine times and each time the horse he sent around the earth returned to his kingdom unchallenged. Indra, the King of the Devas (gods), was jealous and during the hundredth sacrifice, he kidnapped […]
STO-503 Krishna lived in the village of Vrindavana. The men of the village were farmers and looked after cows and bulls. The ladies would milk the cows and make cream, cheese, yoghurt, butter and ghee. The bulls were used for ploughing and for pulling carts. One day, Krishna saw that the cowherd men were getting […]
STO-118 Long, long ago in the spiritual sky, Vishnu was lying down. He was resting on his couch, the great snake called Ananta. As Vishnu breathed out, all the universes came out of his mouth. They were like thousands of soap bubbles floating in the sky. Vishnu entered into each universe. He filled it with […]
Word document download: ART-0525 Shri Rangam is closely connected with the Shri Vaishnava tradition and Ramanuja. See Teachers’ Books pages 134 (picture of Shri Rangam) and 138. Shri Rangam is on an island on the Kaveri River. This was the capital of Tipu Sultan, the famous ruler of Mysore from 1782 to 1799 C.E. There […]
Word document download: FCT-0603 There are a number of ceremonies before birth, namely the purification of the womb (prior to conception) and two ceremonies during pregnancy. After birth, there are further samskaras and we list below seven of the most important. Keep in mind that specific practices and the timings vary considerably and that today […]
Word document download: FCT-0406 ‘Pongal’ means ‘it has boiled’ and refers to the sweet rice pudding that is prepared and offered to Surya, the sun god. The festival is popular in South India, particularly in Tamil Nadu. The festival coincides with Makara Sankranti, the day the sun enters Capricorn and begins its auspicious ‘northern path’. […]
Word document download: FCT-0401 Hinduism almost certainly has a longer list of festivals than any other religion. Everyday of the year, someone somewhere is celebrating a Hindu festival. For this reason, we cannot list them all here, but will concentrate on a few major ones. Pongal (January 14th or one day on either side) In […]
Word document download: FCT-0002 WHAT IS HINDUISM? Hinduism does not refer to one religion with a single set of beliefs and practices, but is an umbrella term that embraces the religious and cultural life of the Indian sub-continent The name Hindu was given by the Persian invaders to refer to the various beliefs and practices […]
Download article ‘ART-0101 God, Hindu Concepts of’ as word document Hindu Concepts of God Introduction Hinduism has no single founder, no common creed nor a unified code of practice. It boasts many founders of diverse denominations, many spiritual leaders and many sacred books. It has no traceable beginning and its past recedes into uncertainty. Yet […]
4. VISHNU, THE SLEEPING CREATOR At the temple of Budhanilakanth, just north of Kathmandu, is an ancient deity of the creator Vishnu. Carved from black stone, half submerged in the waters of a small lake, he reclines on the body of the cosmic serpent Anantasesh, coiled under him like a floating bed. His serene thirty-foot […]
Glossary Many proper names are listed under this glossary with the link reference. These include names of places, people, festivals, organisations, and sacred texts. A Adi Shankara – well-known theologian and founder of the advaita school. Also called Adi Shankaracharya. Advaita – non-dualism, the name of the theology equating the soul with God. Advaitin – […]