DOCSLIB.ORG

Works and Wisdom

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Works and Wisdom KARMA Works and Wisdom By Charles Johnston Contents The Three Kinds of Karma.....................................................5 Karma in the Upanishads.....................................................15 Karma in the Bhagavad Gita.................................................23 Krishna’s Teaching on Karma..............................................31 Karma in the Later Vedanta.................................................41 Karma and Sa!vation by Works............................................47 Karma in Modern Theosoph#..............................................53 The Three Kinds of Karma (The tr)th* so often o"sc)red in !ater times* in vario)s +a#s* that the getting rid of evi! and the ac,)isition of good can "e gained on!# "# persona! effort- that there is not* and cannot "e* an# contrivance thro)gh +hich either individ)a! or common good can "e attained* save one’s o+n persona! effort../0o)nt Leo To!sto#* on “Karma.” $hen the +ord Karma is )sed "# +riters on 1ndian phi!osoph# and re!igion it is genera!!# s)pposed that on!# one ,)ite definite tho)ght is imp!ied* and that this has "een )niform and c!ear thro)gho)t the +ho!e period of 1ndia’s deve!opment/from the dim Vedic times* tho)sands of #ears ago* to the present da#. B)t the tr)th is that this term has a !ength# and varied histor#* and its !atest meaning is the fr)it of a !ong deve!opment* +hich ma# "e divided into three c!ear!# disting)ished periods. $hen the +ord first "ecame prominent/at the c!ose of the Vedic epoch* a"o)t five tho)sand #ears ago/it had a ,)ite definite and rigid meaning2 a signification* ho+ever* +hich "ears hard!# an# re!ation to the idea it +as !ater )sed to conve#. 1ts ear!iest meaning +as (the rit)a! !a+./the comp!ete ceremonia! +hich gre+ o)t of the Vedic re!igion* a great artificia! s#stem of !ife +hich !aid ho!d of ever# man "orn )nder it 3even "efore he sa+ the !ight of da#4 and did not re!a5* in the "e!ief of its fo!!o+ers* even +hen the f!ames of the f)nera! fires had died o)t and nothing +as !eft of the visi"!e man ")t a handf)! of ashes to "e scattered on the +aters of the sacred rivers. 6t present +e need not 5 7 Karma: Works and Wisdom concern o)rse!ves +ith the detai!s of this rit)a! !a+- it is eno)gh that* gro+ing )p as precedent and tradition o)t of the s)perstitions not !ess than the tr)e and hea!th# instincts of Vedic times* it +ove itse!f into a vast* a!!8em"racing s#stem* to)ching and reg)!ating ever# act of !ife* determining for each man "eforehand +hat might and +hat might not !a+f)!!# "e done* and "ecoming for each man an a"so!)te predestination +hich made an# spontaneit# of !ife and +i!! a!most impossi"!e. 9ven if* +ear# of this forma! !ife and +orship* a man e!ected to have done +ith it a!!/to give )p ever# am"ition and hope and "ecome an aim!ess +anderer or hide himse!f in the forest far from the homes of men/the +a# of his ren)nciation +as "# in:)nction a!read# defined for him* the #ear in +hich it sho)!d "e made* and even the tho)ghts +ith +hich his mind sho)!d "e ")sied after his ren)nciation +as comp!ete. This rit)a! !a+* as a!read# stated* +as ca!!ed Karma- the !ife of o"edience to it +as the +a# of Karma* and the "oo%s +hich contained its ordinances +ere the sections of Karma. Be!ieving in its divine origin and inspiration, its fo!!o+ers he!d that it em"raced a!! the possi"i!ities of h)man !ife- that ever# deve!opment of !ife +as a!read# foreseen and provided for- that righteo)sness consisted so!e!# in this/to find o)t +hat the traditiona! !a+ en:oined* and to fo!!o+ it +ith perfect o"edience. The rit)a! !aw "eing regarded as an e5pression of the +ho!e of !ife* the +a# of Karma came to mean right action thro)gh the +ho!e of !ife/a right direction and app!ication of a!! the forces of !ife. The c)!t of the rit)a! !a+ dre+ its greatest strength from the Brahman caste. The Brahmans—at first priests* be!ieved to have inf!)ence with the gods- and practica! magicians* be!ieved to be a"!e to )se this inf!)ence thro)gh certain ceremonia! acts to practica! ends —were dependent for their wea!th on the e!aboration of ceremonies* and for their power on the ho!d +hich the# co)!d gain over the imagination of the princes who ca!!ed on them to perform these ceremonies for partic)!ar purposes2 the gaining of +ea!th* victor# over enemies* freedom from i!!ness* extension of possessions* etc. This idea of the efficac# of ceremony gre+* from the be!ief that the Brahman’s inf!)ence with one deit# or another co)!d be purchased for some specia! end* to the wider be!ief that the +ho!e of !ife co)!d best be !ived "# an obedience to the ceremonies prescribed "# the The Three Kinds of Karma & priest- so that the Brahman priest8craft grad)a!!# c!aimed to !a# ho!d on the who!e of !ife* of prince and people a!ike* and s)cceeded in imposing the be!ief that the onl# right and satisfactor# !ife +as obedience to Brahmanica! stat)te. $e need not for a moment "e!ieve that this action of Brahmanica! priest8craft +as necessari!# ma!ign* or a matter a!together of se!fish ca!c)!ation and intrig)e. ;n the contrar#* +e sha!! "e )ntr)e to h)man nat)re if +e do not perceive that in ever# stage of their deve!opment the Brahmans honest!# "e!ieved in themse!ves* as a!! priesthoods do- "e!ieved that the# had the inf!)ence +ith and over the gods +hich the# c!aimed to have/that the# co)!d confer the "enefits +hich the# asserted +o)!d fo!!o+ the d)e performance of ceremon#- and sincere!# tho)ght that the rit)a! !a+ rea!!# formed the highest and tr)est idea! of !ife* the most perfect standard of righteo)sness and tr)th. B)t in the same po!it# of ancient 1ndia* side "# side +ith the gro+ing Brahmanica! hierarch#* +as another force* strong!# antagonistic and ma%ing for a ,)ite different idea! of !ife and cond)ct. This force +as the e5pression of the geni)s of the +arrior race from +hich the r)!ers of ancient 1ndia +ere dra+n* a race profo)nd!# different in inspiration and character from that +hich gave 1ndia its priesthood- for* right!# )nderstood* the difference in caste "et+een Kshatri#a and Brahman 3prince and priest4 +as a difference in "!ood as +e!! as in occ)pation. 6s the instinct of the Brahmans !ed them to find the standard of !ife in o)t+ard o"servances* ceremonia!s* and traditions- so the instinct of the Kshatri#as !ed them to see% for the meaning of !ife in in+ard things/in the heart and +i!!* in int)ition* in the !ight of the e!f. (<o!!o+ the !a+*. said the Brahman* (and #o) +i!! gain the re+ards of the !a+.. (<o!!o+ the !ife of the e!f* as it e5presses itse!f in #o)r heart and +i!!*. said the Kshatri#a* (and #o) +i!! "ecome possessed of the po+er and "eing of the e!f.. 6s in+ard and o)t+ard things are in a"so!)te contrast* so a!so +ere the idea!s of Kshatri#a and Brahman- and this contrast is not mere!# a s)":ect for anti,)arian research* ")t rather a vivid and stri%ing pict)re of a conf!ict r)nning thro)gh the +ho!e of h)man !ife and arising ane+ for each individ)a!. 1s the +i!! to s)"mit to the order +hich seems to "e imposed on it from +itho)t* or is it to impose itse!f on o)t+ard things as their sovereign and !ord= > Karma: Works and Wisdom This abso!)te contrast in idea!s "etween the two races is admira"!# i!!)strated in the )se of the word Karma. To the Brahman priest* as we have seen, it meant the ceremonies of the rit)a! !a+* scr)pu!o)s!# performed in order to gain rightness in !ife—the re+ard of obedience to the !aw. This meaning of the term inspires the +ho!e of the sacrificia! Vedas* and the vast theo!ogica! !iterat)re which gre+ aro)nd and o)t of them; so that these books are technica!!# known as the Karma books* and the +a# of !ife the# enjoin as the Karma wa#. B)t the Kshatri#as* the r)!ers* the men of wi!! and power* attach a tota!!# different meaning to the word. 6s the# fo)nd their !ife8 impu!se not in o)tward things* ")t in their own hearts and wi!!s—in the inherent !ife and power of their own se!ves—so the# )se the term to signif#* not conformit# with the o)tward rit)a! !a+* ")t the springs of action and impu!ses of their own wi!!s* purposes* intentions* and energies* which* in their idea!* made )p the rea!it# of their !ives.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ulrich's Bimonthly Formerly "Picture of the Month"
    The rational, the moral, and the general: an exploration | W. Ulrich | Ul... 1 Werner Ulrich's Home Page: Ulrich's Bimonthly Formerly "Picture of the Month" September-October 2014 The Rational, the Moral, and the General: An Exploration Part 4: Ideas in Ancient Indian Thought / Introduction HOME An "Eastern" perspective: three ancient Indian ideas In Part 3 of this Previous | Next WER NER ULRICH'S BIO exploration we considered the character of general ideas of reason as ideal For a hyperlinked overview of all issues of "Ulrich's PUBLICATIONS limiting concepts and hence, the need for finding ways to "approximate" Bimonthly" and the previous "Picture of the Month" series, READINGS ON CSH their intent and to unfold their meaning in real-world contexts of practice. see the site map DOWNLOADS We also considered the eternal tension of the particular (or contextual) and PDF file HARD COPIES the general (or universal) in the quest for such meaning clarification and CRITICAL SYSTEMS described two basic "critical movements of thought" involved, a HEURISTICS (CSH) Note: This is the forth of the essays on the role of general CST FOR PROFESSIONALS contextualizing and a decontextualizing movement. We concluded that the & CITIZENS ideas in rational thought and notion of a cycle of critical contextualization (or "critically contextualist action. With it we begin an A TRIBUTE TO excursion into the world of C.W. CHURCHMAN cycle") might provide an elementary heuristic for reflective and discursive ideas of ancient India, as represented by the Vedic LUG ANO SUMMER SCHOOL processes of "approximation." tradition of thought and esp.
    [Show full text]
  • Interpreting the UPANISHADS
    Interpreting the UPANISHADS ANANDA WOOD Modified version 2003 Copyright 1996 by Ananda Wood Published by: Ananda Wood 1A Ashoka 3 Naylor Road Pune 411 001 India Phone (020) 612 0737 Email [email protected] Contents Preface . v ‘This’ and ‘that’ . 1 Consciousness . 6 Consciousness and perception . 11 Creation Underlying reality . 21 Cosmology and experience . 23 Creation from self . 26 The seed of creation . 27 Light from the seed . 29 The basis of experience . 30 Creation through personality . 35 Waking from deep sleep . 48 The creation of appearances . 51 Change and continuity Movement . 59 The continuing background . 60 Objective and subjective . 67 Unchanging self . 68 Continuity . 75 Life Energy . 81 Expression . 82 Learning . 84 The living principle . 89 The impersonal basis of personality ‘Human-ness’ . 93 Universal and individual . 96 Inner light . 103 Underlying consciousness . 104 The unborn source . 108 The unmoved mover . 112 One’s own self . 116 The ‘I’-principle . 117 iv Contents Self Turning back in . 119 Unbodied light . 120 The self in everyone . 135 The rider in a chariot . 138 The enjoyer and the witness . 141 Cleansing the ego . 144 Detachment and non-duality . 146 Happiness Value . 152 Outward desire . 153 Kinds of happiness . 154 One common goal . 158 Love . 160 Desire’s end . 162 Freedom . 163 The ground of all reality . 166 Non-duality . 167 The three states . 169 The divine presence God and self . 176 The rule of light . 181 Teacher and disciple Seeking truth . 195 Not found by speech . 196 Learning from a teacher . 197 Coming home . 198 Scheme of transliteration . 201 List of translated passages .
    [Show full text]
  • The Upanishads: an Introduction
    The Upanishads – An introduction What are they? 1 When were the Upanishads composed? 4 Who were the authors? 7 Where were the Upanishads taught? 11 How were the Upanishads learned? 14 What are the Upanishads for? 17 What are they? The Upanishads are ancient texts, which record the foundation of Hindu thought. They are the final part of the Vedas, the part that is concerned with pure knowledge. The word ‘veda’ means ‘knowledge’; and the Up- anishads are sometimes described as ‘vedanta’, which means the ‘culmi- nation of knowledge’. The Vedas start out as mythical and ritual texts. They tell stories about various gods; and they prescribe rituals for making use of the gods’ di- vine powers, to attain prosperity and other objectives in the world. But, at the end of the Vedas, the Upanishads leave all cosmology and all applied knowledge behind. It is not their basic concern to describe the world, nor to achieve the various objects that people desire. Their basic concern is philosophical. In a very brief and uncompromising way, they ask questions about knowledge itself. They are not satisfied with all the descriptions and the pictures that we build on top of our knowledge. Beneath this show of pictures and descriptions, they want to find out just what we really know. And they go on to ask what happiness is; beneath all the desired objects through which we pursue happiness, or run away from it. Unfortunately, such philosophical questioning is often thought to be very complicated and unfamiliar. It is thought to take one far away from ordinary life, through a highly technical and convoluted process of learn- ing, into mystifying conclusions that can only be understood in high- flown and rarefied states of experience.
    [Show full text]
  • Is a New Initiative to Give Exposure to Students About Richness and Beauty of Indian Way of Life
    18AVP501 AMRITA VALUES PROGRAMME 1 0 0 1 Amrita University's Amrita Values Programme (AVP) is a new initiative to give exposure to students about richness and beauty of Indian way of life. India is a country where history, culture, art, aesthetics, cuisine and nature exhibit more diversity than nearly anywhere else in the world. Amrita Values Programmes emphasize on making students familiar with the rich tapestry of Indian life, culture, arts, science and heritage which has historically drawn people from all over the world. Post-graduate students shall have to register for any one of the following courses, in the second semester, which may be offered by the respective school. Courses offered under the framework of Amrita Values Programme: Art of Living through Amma Amma’s messages can be put to action in our life through pragmatism and attuning of our thought process in a positive and creative manner. Every single word Amma speaks and the guidance received in on matters which we consider as trivial are rich in content and touches the very inner being of our personality. Life gets enriched by Amma’s guidance and She teaches us the art of exemplary life skills where we become witness to all the happenings around us still keeping the balance of the mind. Insights from the Ramayana Historical significance of Ramayana, the first Epic in the world – Influence of Ramayana on Indian values and culture – Storyline of Ramayana – Study of leading characters in Ramayana – Influence of Ramayana outside India – Misinterpretation of Ramayana by Colonial powers and its impact on Indian life - Relevance of Ramayana for modern times.
    [Show full text]
  • Decoding the Elements of Human Rights from the Verses of Ancient Vedic Literature and Dhar- Maśāstras: an Exegetical Study
    Preprints (www.preprints.org) | NOT PEER-REVIEWED | Posted: 29 July 2021 doi:10.20944/preprints202107.0648.v1 Article Decoding the elements of human rights from the verses of Ancient Vedic literature and Dhar- maśāstras: An Exegetical Study Authors: Shailendra Kumara Sanghamitra Choudhurybcdef a Department of Management, Sikkim University, India b Department of Asian Studies, St. Antony’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK c Department of History and Anthropology, Queen’s University, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK d Hague Academy of International Law, Hague, the Netherlands e Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India f Department of Peace and Conflict Studies and Management, Sikkim University, Gangtok, India Abstract: This manuscript aims to provide a nuanced study of the idea of rights and duties prevalent in ancient Vedic society through Vedic literature and Dharmaśāstras . This manuscript delves into the exegesis of the Védas and Dhar- maśāstras to accomplish this. The archaic Vedic literature and Dharmaśāstra texts are the origin and backbone of Sanskrit literature. They have a plethora of ideas that, if accepted, could be quite useful for the protection of any person's human rights. In Védas and Dharmaśāstras, rights and duties complement each other, and rights are integrated by duties. According to these texts, rights and duties are correlated and the relationship between rights and duties leads to the core concept of dharma (constitutional laws). Dharma is a systematic Sanskrit con- cept that includes traditions, obligation, morals, laws, order, and justice. It was a unique concept of dharma that kept checks and balances on sovereign officials and prevented them from becoming autocratic and anarchist.
    [Show full text]
  • Pranayama Teacher Training Third Session Notes Brahman the Chandogya Upanishad
    Pranayama teacher training third session notes Brahman The Chandogya Upanishad This universe comes forth from Brahman, exists in Brahman, and will return to Brahman. All is Brahman. A person is what their deep desire is. It is the deep desire in this life that shapes the life to come. So direct this deep desire to realise the Self. The Self, who can be realised by the pure in heart, who is life, light, truth, space, who gives rise to all works, all desires, all odors, all tastes, who is beyond words, who is joy abiding – this is the Self dwelling in my heart. Smaller than a grain of rice, a grain of barley, a mustard seed, a grain of millet, smaller even than the kernel of a grain of millet is the Self. This is the Self dwelling in my heart, greater than the earth, greater than the sky, greater than all the worlds. This Self who gives rise to all works, all desires, all odors, all tastes, who pervades the universe, who is beyond words, who is joy abiding, who is ever present in my heart, is Brahman indeed. To him I shall attain when my ego dies. Brahman represents the ultimate reality in the universe and is a key concept found in the Vedas and early Upanishads. Brahman is conceptualised as the cosmic principle which is the pervasive, genderless, infinite, eternal truth and bliss which does not change, yet is the cause of all changes. It has been described as sat-cit-ananda, truth-consciousness-bliss. Hridaya Yoga helps in the co-ordination and control of the subtle forces within the body, and is an educational process by which the hu- man condition is trained to become more natural.
    [Show full text]
  • The Upanishads
    The Upanishads Introduced and Translated by EKNATH EASWARAN Excerpts for HarvardX: HDS3221.5x, “Hinduism Through Its Scriptures” Reprinted with permission. © 2007, 2020 by The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation NILGIRI PRESS The Chandogya Upanishad VERSES 1.1–13.3 (PAGES 131–137) CHAPTER VI The Story of Shvetaketu 1.1 Shvetaketu was Uddalaka’s son. When he was twelve, his father said to him: “It is time for you to find a teacher, Dear one, for no one in our family Is a stranger to the spiritual life.” 1.2 So Shvetaketu went to a teacher And studied all the Vedas for twelve years. At the end of this time he returned home, Proud of his intellectual knowledge. “You seem to be proud of all this learning,” Said Uddalaka. “But did you ask Your teacher for that spiritual wisdom 1.3 Which enables you to hear the unheard, Think the unthought, and know the unknown?” “What is that wisdom, Father?” asked the son. Uddalaka said to Shvetaketu: 1.4 “As by knowing one lump of clay, dear one, We come to know all things made out of clay That they differ only in name and form, While the stuff of which all are made is clay; 1.5 As by knowing one gold nugget, dear one, We come to know all things made out of gold: That they differ only in name and form, While the stuff of which all are made is gold; 1.6 As by knowing one tool of iron, dear one, We come to know all things made out of iron: That they differ only in name and form, While the stuff of which all are made is iron – So through that spiritual wisdom, dear one, We come to know that all of life is one.” 1.7 “My teachers must not have known this wisdom,” Said Shvetaketu, “for if they had known, How could they have failed to teach it to me? Please instruct me in this wisdom, Father.” “Yes, dear one, I will,” replied his father.
    [Show full text]
  • 13 Finding Immortality Within
    Video 13 Finding Immortality Within How to Use This Course These videos are part of an ongoing monthly series in the teachings of Eknath Easwaran. The talks on this video, like all of Easwaran’s talks, are rich and deep in content. They shed light on many aspects of life, but their true value emerges as we try to apply their teachings in our daily lives. The Guide is meant to be used in conjunction with a daily practice of Easwaran’s eight-point program, based on passage meditation. We do not recommend following the practical exercises if you are not practicing this program according to the instructions given in Easwaran’s book Passage Meditation. The practical exercises are suggestions for you to explore as they seem appropriate in your life. If you are already familiar with Easwaran’s books, you will have seen some of these exercises before. But we suggest that you take this opportunity to really put them into practice, and discover their great power to deepen your spiritual life. Try them in moderation, exercising your common sense and not taking them to extreme lengths. Easwaran, like Mahatma Gandhi and many other mystics, always emphasized the importance of the middle path. Before or after watching each talk, we suggest that you read through the notes (especially the Outline of the Talk, which will help you assimilate the overall structure), and the practical exercise. Then, after watching the talk, try to put the exercise into action in your life. A week or so later, you may find it interesting to watch the talk again, with the experience of the exercise fresh in your mind.
    [Show full text]
  • The Open Court. a Tateekly Jottenal
    s The Open Court. A TaTEEKLY JOtTENAL DEVOTED TO THE RELIGION OF SCIENCE. One Dollar per Year. No. 476. (Vol. X.—41.) CHICAGO, OCTOBER 8, 1896. I \ Single Copies, 5 Cents Copyright by The Opkm Court Publishing Co.—Reprints are permitted only on condition of giving full credit to author and publisher. THE UPANISHADS AND THE BRAHMANS. way, quite recently, and to discuss it in any fulness would be out of place here ; but its results, as far as BY CHARLES JOHNSTON. they touch on the question of the origin of the Upani- "Thinking sacrifices and offerings are shads, can easily be summarised. best, these fools know not the better way." I think I may say that it is conclusively proved —Mundaka Upanishad. that there are at least four clearly distinguished races It has always been accepted as one of the estab- in India, whose character is primarily marked by dif- lished truths of Oriental studies, that the Upanishads ference of color. We are not particularly concerned contain the wisdom of the Brahmans ; the teaching with two of these races, the black race and the yellow of the Upanishads, the system of the Vedanta, and race ; but, as regards the others, it has been quite Brahmanism are constantly regarded as synonymous clearly shown that the pure nucleus of the Brahman terms. This assumption is exactly the contrary of the caste is a white race, while the true Rajputs belong truth, as I hope to show; yet the error which led to it to a red race, quite distinct in every ethnical charac- was a very natural one.
    [Show full text]
  • Promiscuity to Marriage: Emergence of an Institution in Ancient India
    [email protected] Email:[email protected] Volume: 3, Issue 4, 2016 (Oct-Dec.) INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LAW, EDUCATION, SOCIAL AND SPORTS STUDIES (IJLESS) www.ijless.kypublications.com ISSN:2455-0418 (Print), 2394-9724 (online) ©KY PUBLICATIONS 2013, INDIA www.kypublications.com Editor-in-Chief Editor-in-Chief Dr M BOSU BABU DONIPATI BABJI (Education-Sports-Social Studies) (Law) ISSN:2455INTERNATIONAL-0418 (Print), 2394JOURNA-9724L OF (online) LAW, EDUCATION, SOCIAL AND SPORTS IJLESSSTUDIES Vol.3.Issue. (IJLESS) 4.2016 (Oct-Dec.) PROMISCUITY TO MARRIAGE: EMERGENCE OF AN INSTITUTION IN ANCIENT INDIA RESEARCH ARTICLE ANOOP SINGH Research Scholar, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160014, E-Mail ID - [email protected] ABSTRACT The entirety of human sexual relations came under regulated and non-regulated sexuality and while non-regulated sexual relations comprised of adultery, fornication, incest and homosexuality while regulated sexuality was represented by the institution of marriage. Marriage was not the primary condition of human sexual relations as some of the most ancient languages did not have words for the institution of marriage in the beginning. Woman in particular kept revolting against the restrictions put upon her sexuality. But when the institution of marriage came into being, efforts were made to strengthen it. In the Indian context, traces of the lost world of the mothers can be found in religious and quasi-religious narratives. At the early stage, the institution of marriage was absent as indicated by religious myths related to promiscuous sexuality. The repeated mention of nymphs in the Hindu religious tradition was an attempt to weave the myth of beauty and promiscuous tendencies around women.
    [Show full text]
  • The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism the Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism
    The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism James G. Lochtefeld, Ph.D. The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. New York Published in 2001 by The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc. 29 East 21st Street, New York, NY 10010 Copyright © 2001 by James G. Lochtefeld First Edition All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Lochtefeld, James G., 1957– The illustrated encyclopedia of Hinduism/James G. Lochtefeld. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8239-2287-1 (set) ISBN 0-8239-3180-3 (volume 2) 1. Hinduism Encyclopedias. I. Title BL1105.L63 2000 294.5'03—dc21 99-27747 CIP Manufactured in the United States of America Nachiketas poetry are dedicated to Krishna, a dif- ferent form of Vishnu. This seeming divergence may reflect her conviction that all manifestations of Vishnu are ultimately the same or indicate the dif- N ference between personal devotion and literary expression. The thirty poems in the Nacciyar Tirumoli are told by a group of unmar- ried girls, who have taken a vow to bathe Nabhadas in the river at dawn during the coldest (c. 1600) Author of the Bhaktamal month of the year. This vow has a long (“Garland of Devotees”). In this hagio- history in southern India, where young graphic text, he gives short (six line) girls would take the oath to gain a good accounts of the lives of more than two husband and a happy married life.
    [Show full text]
  • Myths and Mights of Kama Sutra
    Myths and Might of Kama Sutra INTRODUCTION There are many myths and theories about the Kama Sutra. People question whether or not its age old traditions are relevant in today’s modern society. This is an ancient text of thousands of year back, so it may be difficult for people living in the 21st century to relate to some of its content. Some of the descriptions in the Kama Sutra can be read as somewhat ridiculous. But though some of these suggestions may seem ridiculous, they were designed for one purpose, “to bring harmony in marital life”. "Kama" is the name of the “God of Love” in the Hindu Mythology. Mallanaga Vatsyayana composed the original work of Kama Sutra somewhere about 2nd - 5th Century AD. It is believed that Vatsyayana’s real name was Mallanga and he belonged to 3rd century A.D. considering the fact that he displayed profound knowledge of geographic area comprising Avanti, Malava, Aparanta, Saurashtra, Maharashtra and Andhra he was most probably a resident of western or Southern India. In Rig Veda there is a hymn titled as Naradiya Sukta which speaks of Kama and considered it as germ or essence of mind- Manaso Retah. Atharva Veda, from where Ayurveda originated, says that Kama, that is love, passion, lust, desire, and was born first- kamo jajne prathamo. Ayurveda considers kama along with dharma, artha and moksha as base of healthy living. Health is not just the absence of illness and symptoms, but is an optimal state of harmonious well-being and a balanced way of life.
    [Show full text]