Shaivism in Ancient India: from the Earliest Times to C.A.D

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Shaivism in Ancient India: from the Earliest Times to C.A.D Shaivism in Ancient India: From the Earliest Times to C.A.D. 300 / 1982 / Ishwar Chandra Tyagi / Meenakshi Prakashan, 1982 The origin of Shaivism in India can be traced from very early times. The credit for the growth of Shiva-worshipping religious sect goes to a person named Lakulin or Nakulin. But inspite of the growing importance of Siva, the cult of Siva as the Supreme God and philosophy of Saivism did not grow before the early Christian era. The Growth of Shaivism. The credit for the growth of Shiva-worshipping religious sect goes to a person named Lakulin or Nakulin. That Lakulin is not a legendary figure, but a historical personage seems to be certain. Lakulin is generally regarded as the first great teacher of Shaivism. The Nathadwar Inscription of Udaipur and another inscription of thirteenth century A.D. refer to him. In the early centuries of the Christian era, namely during the Kusans period, Shaivism prevailed. The earliest coins bearing Shiva emblems, an image of Shiva with trident in his hand on the observe and his bull on the reverse belong to the Kusans era. The end of the Kusan rule synchronizes with the rise of Bharashivas. age or perhaps even further still, and it takes its place as the most ancient living faith in the worldâ Again to quote Dr. Prana natha: âœThe cults of Shiva and Mother Goddess have already been shown to be very old. In ancient times the Shaivas formed a set of men and women, high and low, without the distinction of caste and creed. The prominent characteristics of Shaivism, from its very inception, were the worship and meditation of the cosmic principle. Reports And Realities From the Sketch- Book of a Manager of the Rosine Association. December, 1855. Rosine Association of Philadelphia. Reports And Realities From the Sketch-Book of a Ma by Rosine Association of Phi 10 / 10. Report of the Proceedings of the Download Now. Home » India » Ancient India, from the Earliest Times to the First Century, A.D. ["Ancient India, from the Earliest Times to the First Century, A.D."] by Edward James Rapson. TYPE : PDF. Download Now. Home » » Ancient India Fron the Earliest Times to the First Century A.d. ["Ancient India Fron the Earliest Times to the First Century A.d."] by. Home » Business & Economics » Trade and commerce in ancient India, from the earliest times to c. A.D. 300. ["Trade and commerce in ancient India, from the earliest times to c. A.D. 300"] by Balram Srivastava. TYPE : PDF. Download Now. Home » History » History of India, in Nine Volumes: Vol. I - From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century B.C. ["History of India, in Nine Volumes: Vol. Shaivism has ancient roots, traceable in the Vedic literature of 2nd millennium BCE, but this is in the form of the Vedic deity Rudra.[14] The ancient text Shvetashvatara Upanishad dated to late 1st millennium BCE mentions terms such as Rudra, Shiva and Maheshwaram,[15][16] but its interpretation as a theistic or monistic text of Shaivism is disputed.[17][18]. The Rigveda (~1500â“1200 BCE) has the earliest clear mention of Rudra in its hymns such as 2.33, 1.43 and 1.114. of Shaivism, and sometimes referred to in ancient Indian texts as Raudra (from Vedic Rudra).[161]. Pashupata Atimargi[edit]. Lakulisha at Sangameshvara Temple at Mahakuta, Karnataka (Chalukya, 7th century CE). Ancient Indian Geography. India and its surrounding countries are so similar in culture and climatic conditions that the region is sometimes called the Indian sub-continent. In ancient times the geography of India was a little different than what it is today. In the northern part of India stand the Himalayan Mountains and the Hindu Kush stand in the North West. Ancient Government. In the beginning of the Vedic age people did not have a settled life and were nomads but with development in agriculture people started to settle down in groups. Early Aryan, or Vedic, culture was the early Hinduism whose interaction with non-Aryan cultures resulted in what we call Classical Hinduism. Ancient India Facts. According to Greek philosophers slavery did not exist in ancient India. Shaivism in Ancient India: From the Earliest Times to C.A.D. 300.
Recommended publications
  • 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]
  • 230594696.Pdf
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by SLOAP - Scientific & Literature Open Access Publishing International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Culture Available online at https://sloap.org/journals/index.php/ijllc/ Vol. 2, No. 3, September 2016, pages: 28~34 ISSN: 2455-8028 https://sloap.org/journals/index.php/ijllc/article/view/114 The Paradigm of Religious Evolution: The Transformation of Rudra to Pashupata Satendra Kumar Mishra a Article history: Abstract The Pashupata cult is the oldest known cult of the Saivism. Pashupata cult Received: 10 June 2016 was established around 200 BC by Lakulisha. Born to a Brahmin family Revised: 10 July 2016 according to Karavana Mahatmya, he died in the seventh month and during Approved: 20 August 2016 his short span he displayed remarkable spiritual powers. His mother floated Published: 1 September 2016 his body in a river as per the tradition and as said a group of tortoise carried the body to a Shiva shrine. The child became alive and became an ascetic. By Keywords: yet another account Lakulisha died but was revived by Lord Siva himself. Lord entered his body and preached the Pashupata moral and ethics to the Shaivism; world. The place of his rebirth is today a town called Kayavarohana "to Lakulisha; incarnate in another's body". This miracle is still celebrated among the Kaurusha; Pashupata believers. The archeological department takes care of two stone Pashupata; inscriptions there with the names of Lakulisha’s four disciples- Kushika, Kayavarohana; Maitreya, Gargya, and Kaurusha. Lakulisha was a basically a dynamic Pashupata reformist.
    [Show full text]
  • The Upanishads
    The Upanishads The Breath of the Eternal A free download book compiled from the best sources on the web Hotbook and Criaturas Digitais Studio Rio de janeiro - Brazil Index 01 Brief Introduction to the Upanishads 02 Vedas and the Upanishads 03 The 15 principals Upanishads ---------------------------------------------------- 04 KATHA Upanishad 05 ISHA Upanishad 06 KENA Upanishad 07 MAITRAYANA-BRAHMAYA Upanishad 08 Kaivalya Upanishad 09 Vajrasuchika Upanishad 10 MANDUKYA Upanishad 11 MUNDAKA Upanishad 12 Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 13 KHANDOGYA Upanishad 14 KAUSHITAKI Upanishad 15 PRASHNA Upanishad 16 SHVETASHVATARA Upanishad 17 AITAREYA Upanishad 18 TAITTIRIYA Upanishad -------------------------------------------------------- 19 Atman - The Soul Eternal 20 Upanishads: Universal Insights 21 List of 108 Upanishads Brief Introduction to the Upanishads Collectively, the Upanishads are known as Vedanta (end of the vedas). The name has struck, because they constitute the concluding part of the Vedas. The word 'upanishad' is derived from a combination of three words, namely upa+ni+sad. 'Upa' means near, 'ni' means down and 'sad' means to sit. In ancient India the knowledge of the Upanishads was imparted to students of highest merit only and that also after they spent considerable time with their teachers and proved their sincerity beyond doubt. Once the selection was done, the students were allowed to approach their teachers and receive the secret doctrine from them directly. Since the knowledge was imparted when the students sat down near their teachers and listened to them, the word 'Upanishad', became vogue. The Upanishads played a very significant role in the evolution of ancient Indian thought. Many schools of Hindu philosophy, sectarian movements and even the later day religions like Buddhism and Jainism derived richly from the vast body of knowledge contained in the Upanishads.
    [Show full text]
  • Arc India 2501 Elephanta Great Cave Approach from Sea N Entrance Of
    Arc India 2501 On Left Side Of Doorway Elephanta Great Cave ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM Approach From Sea N Entrance Of Great Cave Arc India 2511 ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM Elephanta Great Cave West Side Dvarapala Arc India 2502 On Left Of Entrance-Head Elephanta Great Cave ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM North Entrance ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM Arc India 2512 Elephanta Great Cave Arc India 2503 North Side Dvarapala Elephanta Great Cave On Right Side Of Doorway East Entrance At Right ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM With East Wing At Left ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM Arc India 2513 Elephanta Great Cave Arc India 2504 North Side Dvarapala Elephanta Great Cave On Right Side Of East Entrance At Right Doorway-Torso With East Wing At Left ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM Arc India 2514 Arc India 2505 Elephanta Great Cave Elephanta Great Cave N Side Dvarapala Head Garbha Griha On Right Side Of Doorway View From East Entrance ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM Arc India 2515 Arc India 2506 Elephanta Great Cave Elephanta Great Cave Lingam Garbha Griha From SE ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM West Wing At Distance ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM Arc India 2516 Elephanta Great Cave Arc India 2507 Sadashiva At Center Elephanta Great Cave Of South Wall Garbha Griha From SE View From North Entrance ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM Arc India 2508 Arc India 2517 Elephanta Great Cave Elephanta Great Cave Garbha Griha East Side Sadashiva ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM ACSAA Slide (C) AAAUM Arc India 2509 Arc India 2518 Elephanta Great Cave Elephanta Great Cave East Side Dvarapala Sadashiva General
    [Show full text]
  • The Sacred Mahakala in the Hindu and Buddhist Texts
    Nepalese Culture Vol. XIII : 77-94, 2019 Central Department of NeHCA, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal The sacred Mahakala in the Hindu and Buddhist texts Dr. Poonam R L Rana Abstract Mahakala is the God of Time, Maya, Creation, Destruction and Power. He is affiliated with Lord Shiva. His abode is the cremation grounds and has four arms and three eyes, sitting on five corpse. He holds trident, drum, sword and hammer. He rubs ashes from the cremation ground. He is surrounded by vultures and jackals. His consort is Kali. Both together personify time and destructive powers. The paper deals with Sacred Mahakala and it mentions legends, tales, myths in Hindus and Buddhist texts. It includes various types, forms and iconographic features of Mahakalas. This research concludes that sacred Mahakala is of great significance to both the Buddhist and the Hindus alike. Key-words: Sacred Mahakala, Hindu texts, Buddhist texts. Mahakala Newari Pauwa Etymology of the name Mahakala The word Mahakala is a Sanskrit word . Maha means ‘Great’ and Kala refers to ‘ Time or Death’ . Mahakala means “ Beyond time or Death”(Mukherjee, (1988). NY). The Tibetan Buddhism calls ‘Mahakala’ NagpoChenpo’ meaning the ‘ Great Black One’ and also ‘Ganpo’ which means ‘The Protector’. The Iconographic features of Mahakala in Hindu text In the ShaktisamgamaTantra. The male spouse of Mahakali is the outwardly frightening Mahakala (Great Time), whose meditatative image (dhyana), mantra, yantra and meditation . In the Shaktisamgamatantra, the mantra of Mahakala is ‘Hum Hum Mahakalaprasidepraside Hrim Hrim Svaha.’ The meaning of the mantra is that Kalika, is the Virat, the bija of the mantra is Hum, the shakti is Hrim and the linchpin is Svaha.
    [Show full text]
  • ANSWERED ON:20.03.2017 Virtual Tour of Monuments Kambhampati Dr
    GOVERNMENT OF INDIA CULTURE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO:2883 ANSWERED ON:20.03.2017 Virtual Tour of Monuments Kambhampati Dr. Hari Babu;Parthipan Shri R. Will the Minister of CULTURE be pleased to state: (a) whether it is a fact that Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has tied up with Google company for 360 degree virtual tour of monuments in the country; (b) if so, the details thereof including the list of monuments, state-wise and monument-wise; (c) whether the Government is aware of the fact that Andhra Pradesh is the only major State in India which does not have a circle of ASI and if so, the reasons therefor; and (d) whether there is a proposal to set up regional circle or a mini-circle in Andhra Pradesh for the upkeep of historic monuments in State and if so, the details thereof? Answer MINISTER OF STATE, CULTURE AND TOURISM (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) (DR. MAHESH SHARMA) (a)&(b) Yes, Madam. The Archaeological Survey of India and Google Ireland Limited a company incorporated under the laws of Ireland signed an Agreement on 25th September, 2013 to create standard-resolution, 360-degree, panoramic images (the "Site View Images"), giving users the ability to experience a "virtual tour" of those selected parts of the monuments/Site. 100 monuments have been covered under the scheme throughout the country. The State-wise list is at Annexure. (c)&(d) Archaeological Survey of India has established a new Circle with its Headquarter at Amaravathi, Andhra Pradesh by bifurcating its erstwhile Hyderabad Circle into Hyderabad Circle and Amaravathi Circle vide Notification No.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Pashupata' to 'Shiva'
    World Wide Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development WWJMRD 2017; 3(11): 233-236 www.wwjmrd.com International Journal ‘Pashupata’ to ‘Shiva’: The Journey of a ‘Nature God’ Peer Reviewed Journal Refereed Journal to a ‘Supreme Vedic Deity’ Indexed Journal UGC Approved Journal Impact Factor MJIF: 4.25 Satendra Kumar Mishra e-ISSN: 2454-6615 Abstract Satendra Kumar Mishra As per the Puranas, the transformation of Pashupata to Vedic Rudra and finally to Shiva was a slow Assistant Professor process of shifting culture closely interacting with each other. On critical analysis it is observed that it Amity School of Languages Amity University, Lucknow happened due to the multiplicity of belief systems attached to Shiva by all the ideologically same but Campus, India different distinct sects who worshipped him. It is to be noted that the different sects took the same Pashupata in remarkably different ways thereby assigning different ideological identities to Pashupata and Rudra, and even then there is only one Shiva. Keywords: Pashupata, Rudra, Vedic, Shiva Introduction Objective In this research, I worked on two basic points First, working on the fact that the term „Pashupata‟ has few common features in all „Shaivite‟ cults but at the same time has few features which are different between them. In the later decades these different features got entangled with each other and all branches of „Pashupata‟ and „Rudra‟ were taken to be same. Second, It is an amalgamation of the different cults of Shiva which needs extensive research to bring forward more knowledge to identify the differences between Rudra, Pashupata and the transformed Shiva.
    [Show full text]
  • Sebuah Kajian Pustaka
    International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Culture Available online at https://sloap.org/journals/index.php/ijllc/ Vol. 2, No. 3, September 2016, pages: 28~34 ISSN: 2455-8028 https://sloap.org/journals/index.php/ijllc/article/view/114 The Paradigm of Religious Evolution: The Transformation of Rudra to Pashupata Satendra Kumar Mishra a Article history: Abstract The Pashupata cult is the oldest known cult of the Saivism. Pashupata cult Received: 10 June 2016 was established around 200 BC by Lakulisha. Born to a Brahmin family Revised: 10 July 2016 according to Karavana Mahatmya, he died in the seventh month and during Approved: 20 August 2016 his short span he displayed remarkable spiritual powers. His mother floated Published: 1 September 2016 his body in a river as per the tradition and as said a group of tortoise carried the body to a Shiva shrine. The child became alive and became an ascetic. By Keywords: yet another account Lakulisha died but was revived by Lord Siva himself. Lord entered his body and preached the Pashupata moral and ethics to the Shaivism; world. The place of his rebirth is today a town called Kayavarohana "to Lakulisha; incarnate in another's body". This miracle is still celebrated among the Kaurusha; Pashupata believers. The archeological department takes care of two stone Pashupata; inscriptions there with the names of Lakulisha’s four disciples- Kushika, Kayavarohana; Maitreya, Gargya, and Kaurusha. Lakulisha was a basically a dynamic Pashupata reformist. 2455-8028 ©Copyright 2016. The Author. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-SA license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) All rights reserved.
    [Show full text]
  • Handbook of Hinduism Ancient to Contemporary Books on the Related Theme by the Same Author
    Handbook of Hinduism Ancient to Contemporary Books on the related theme by the Same Author ● Hinduism: A Gandhian Perspective (2nd Edition) ● Ethics for Our Times: Essays in Gandhian Perspective Handbook of Hinduism Ancient to Contemporary M.V. NADKARNI Ane Books Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi ♦ Chennai ♦ Mumbai Kolkata ♦ Thiruvananthapuram ♦ Pune ♦ Bengaluru Handbook of Hinduism: Ancient to Contemporary M.V. Nadkarni © Author, 2013 Published by Ane Books Pvt. Ltd. 4821, Parwana Bhawan, 1st Floor, 24 Ansari Road, Darya Ganj, New Delhi - 110 002 Tel.: +91(011) 23276843-44, Fax: +91(011) 23276863 e-mail: [email protected], Website: www.anebooks.com Branches Avantika Niwas, 1st Floor, 19 Doraiswamy Road, T. Nagar, Chennai - 600 017, Tel.: +91(044) 28141554, 28141209 e-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Gold Cornet, 1st Floor, 90 Mody Street, Chana Lane, (Mohd. Shakoor Marg), Opp. Masjid, Fort Mumbai - 400 001, Tel.: +91(022) 22622440, 22622441 e-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Flat No. 16A, 220 Vivekananda Road, Maniktala, Kolkata - 700 006, Tel.: +91(033) 23547119, 23523639 e-mail: [email protected] # 6, TC 25/2710, Kohinoor Flats, Lukes Lane, Ambujavilasam Road, Thiruvananthapuram - 01, Kerala, Tel.: +91(0471) 4068777, 4068333 e-mail: [email protected] Resident Representative No. 43, 8th ‘‘A’’ Cross, Ittumadhu, Banashankari 3rd Stage Bengaluru - 560 085, Tel.: +91 9739933889 e-mail: [email protected] 687, Narayan Peth, Appa Balwant Chowk Pune - 411 030, Mobile: 08623099279 e-mail: [email protected] Please be informed that the author and the publisher have put in their best efforts in producing this book. Every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the contents.
    [Show full text]
  • Shiva ≡ the Supreme
    || || ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय || नमः || ी कृ णाय Shiva ≡ The Supreme It is a foregone conclusion in Advaita Vedanta that Vishnu = Shiva. Why then point to scriptural passages that extol Shiva (also) as the Supreme? There is one purpose, though not very lofty. Most Hindus grow up in families that read the Ramayana and the Gita, celebrate festivals like Ramanavami and Gokulashtami, and make a pilgrimage to Tirupathi. This does not go unnoticed by some Vaishnavas, who time and again selectively quote the scriptures to ‘prove’ that Vishnu alone is the Supreme, and that Shiva is an ‘inferior’ deity. They (often) go on to claim that Vishnu is to be exclusively worshipped, suggesting that worshipping Shiva is less recommended in the Scriptures – or worse, that it may actually be ‘wrong’ to do so! As this issue keeps popping up repeatedly, this present write-up will (hopefully) end any doubts in that regard. Only two Scriptures will be cited here, which are accepted by all Hindus – the Mahabharata and the Yajur-Veda. The English translation of a verse will be supplied first, after which will follow (in most cases) its Sanskrit transliteration (saMskRRitam ) in the ITRANS format. The translation of the Mahabharata by Kisari Mohan Ganguli has been used almost verbatim, with negligible changes. Unless otherwise specified, “Shiva” will refer to the Being who resides in Kailasa, has a Blue Throat, uses Nandi for a vehicle, etc.; and “Vishnu” will denote the Being who resides in Vaikuntha, bears the Kaustubha gem, uses Garuda for a vehicle, etc. If one wants to skip the explicit details and directly obtain the conclusion, please visit the last Section V below.
    [Show full text]
  • Sacred Traditions the Heritage, Philosophy, & History of Yoga by Danny Arguetty
    Sacred Traditions The Heritage, Philosophy, & History of Yoga By Danny Arguetty PRE-VEDIC Yoga’s roots began around 2500 BCE on the banks of the Indus River (modern day Pakistan). The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) flourished in an area of land two times the size of California. The people began as animal herders in countryside villages but over time discovered the rich soil on the flood plains of the Valley. The fertile nutrients generated superior crop yields of cotton, sesame, peas, and barley. Soon two large urban centers Mohenjo-daro and Harappa began to boom enabling the Indus people to trade with neighboring civilizations. The two urban areas continued to thrive for over eight hundred years. Archeologists have extracted many artifacts from the region and among animal statues, pots, coins and tools they found a “square seal depicting a nude male deity with three faces, seated in yogic position on a throne, wearing bangles on both arms and an elaborate headdress. Five symbols of the Indus script appear on either side of the headdress which is made of two outward projecting buffalo style curved horns, with two upward projecting points. A single branch with three papal leaves rises from the middle of the headdress. Seven bangles are depicted on the left arm and six on the right, with the hands resting on the knees. The heels are pressed together under the groin and the feet project beyond the edge of the throne. The feet of the throne are carved with a hoof of a bovine as is seen on the bull and unicorn seals.
    [Show full text]