16
Short answer: Color signifies the property of the God's character. See this Mantra reference
Long answer: Honestly, anything I write here would be a duplicate of this excellent answer on Hinduism.SE: Why are Hindu Gods colored?.
I've made this answer community wiki as the content is not mine, so I don't deserve any rep from it. But at least this can be ...
13
In fact, several! Four immediately come to mind: Dionysus, Inanna/Ishtar, Aphrodite, and Cybele.
Dionysus
First up is Dionysus, a god best known for wine and drunkenness, but surely you can see how that quickly is connected to other, darker qualities. Already in the earliest text mentioning him, Dionysus is a god of two natures, "joy and sorrow" ...
13
No, Kalki only comes in this Kali Yuga, not every Kali Yuga. Let me first explain a bit about Hindu timescales. The four Yugas known as Satya, Treta, Dwapara, and Kali together make up one Mahayuga, and a thousand Mahayugas make up one Kalpa or day of Brahma. But in addition to being divided into 1000 Mahayugas, a Kalpa is also divided into fourteen ...
12
As with anything in Hinduism, there is an overabundance of sources rather than a lack of one.
Taking examples from just one text; Abirami Andhadhi, a poem on Abirami which is another name for Parvati (or Gauri, the consort of Shiva as mentioned in the other answer):
The very first stanza of the poem describes the various similes to the red colour of the ...
10
The Kamasutra likely holds some clues. At the very least, it demonstrates that sexuality was a topic covered in Vedic literature.
Puruṣārtha is a concept in Hinduism referring to the goals of human life. One of these goals is Kama which is a term for desire. Although Kama is not exclusively sexual desire, sexual desire a component.
The Kamasutra is ...
10
Yes, several!
First, of the Greek world, we have the Catalogue of Women (sometimes called the Ehoiai). This is a debatable entry, as it lacks a strict narrative. Instead, it's the account of the birth of heroes traced through their mothers. I mention it because there is a close relationship between ancient Greek genealogical poetry and Greek narrative ...
8
TL;DR
While the cow has always been treated with veneration in Hindu mythology and literature, the roots of the sacred status that it now enjoys are primarily because it was a convenient symbol of mobilization, first to counter the rising tide of Buddhism and then in the nationalist pre-independence movement. Rational arguments based on the economic value of ...
8
As you say, cows are sacred and respected in India. Indeed, a cow is often referred to as Go-Mata, meaning Cow-Mother.
There are a pretty high number of reasons why the cow is so sacred.
When Brahma created all things in the world, it took the form of a Goddess, who was his daughter. So beautiful was she, that Brahma himself was attracted to her. ...
8
Very good question!
In the ancient vedic texts and in Srimad Bhagavatam (composed about 5000 years ago) in particular, there is a mention of the 7 mothers for a human being who are as follows:
(1) the original mother,
(2) the wife of the teacher or spiritual master,
(3) the wife of a brahmana,
(4) the king's wife,
(5) the cow,
(6) the nurse,
(7) the ...
7
I would like to add a point. Surely, as answered by Malay, there are many references to different forms of cows playing a major role in various pastimes. However, along with those references and the general quintessential importance of cow-products in India, Gau-mātā (mother cow) is also revered because -
She has special importance in the Hindu scriptures. ...
7
The Irish goddess the Morrigan is a fearsome war-goddess who also embodies sovereignty. As such, she mates with the chief god, and in the Cattle Raid of Cooley she offers victory to Cuchullain if he will be her lover. He refuses, and she then proceeds to destroy him. She's a very complex goddess, incorporating lover and death aspects, as well as being a ...
6
In essence God is formless, colourless, He is in everything and everything is with in Him. ( Refer to stanza 24 in Phalashruti) He lives in everything ( Search for 'Vyasa Uvacha:-
Vasanad Vasudevasya vasitham bhuvana trayam,
Sarva bhutha nivasosi vasudeva namosthuthe.
Sri Vasudeva namosthuthe om nama ithi')
Vishnu Sahasranaam Stotra : This stotra is the ...
6
Hinduism is generally considered to have begun around 500-200 BCE. Hinduism was formed from a combination of other traditions, in what is often referred to as the "Hindu Synthesis" or "Brahmanic Synthesis". This formative process is counted as lasting into the beginning of the Gupta Empire, around 320 CE. (see The Religious Traditions of Asia: Religion, ...
5
This should explain (source):
Maruti is a highly popular name used to address Hanuman. The literal
meaning of the word 'Maruti' is the one who is born from 'Marut',
meaning air. The other names that suggest Hanuman is the son of Air
god include Maruti Nandan (Air god's son), Marutadmaja (the one born
from Air), Vayu Putra (Air god's son), and ...
5
In the wikipedia link for post-vedic texts section, it states:
In post-Vedic texts, Indra is depicted as an intoxicated hedonistic
god, his importance declines, and he evolves into a minor deity in
comparison to others in the Hindu pantheon, such as Shiva, Vishnu, or
Devi.
While I agree with the second part of Indra seeming like a minor deity in ...
5
All in all, it all depends on viewpoints. The writer's, the translator's, and the reader's. There are different and conflicting versions of the story, but Valmiki's Ramayana and the Ramacharitmanas are taken to be the main ones.
There are three main types of versions of Ravan's Death.
In which he wanted to be killed by Ram
In which the Gods made a plan for ...
5
First things first. I do not agree with Ken Graham's answer. It is incorrect. I shall shortly tell why.
The Shivling is a form in which Shiva/Mahadev is worshipped. The Shivling with Yoni
In the image you see the universal design for a Shivling. It always constitutes a Yoni. Now, this may be horribly scarring: the cylindrical figure there is called the ...
5
That depends on your inference, in my opinion.
Both Krishna and Hermes were tricksters and thieves while in their childhood. Krishna stole and ate butter ( Which led to him being shackled to two pots by his adopted mother, but that is a different story ), while Hermes did what he did with Apollo's cows. Both were musicians. Both were related to Bovines (...
4
The Sanskrit scriptures mentions the colour of the divine entities.
Sri Hari was first golden colour, then white, then sky blue and dark.
Siva is white
Durga/Lalitha - red in colour (raktha varna) golden hued (swarn Ambika)
Parvathy/Girija green in colour
In essence God is formless, colourless, He is in everything and everything is with in Him. He lives ...
4
Vishnu was not "God." He was a god. Hinduism has a variety of labels on what kind of religion it is (i.e. polytheism, monotheism, atheism, non-theism...). But for the most part, more than one being is labeled as a god.
Vrinda was married to King Jalandhar. And because she was so devoted to Vishnu, Jalandhar became invincible to the point not even Shiva ...
4
The thing is a little complicated, but it was the only possible way Lord Vishnu had.
Jalandhar was a demon king and his wife Vrindha was a great devotee of Lorn Vishnu.
Once upon a time, Jalandhar got a boon from Lord Shiva that he will be invincible and undefeatable till his wife is faithful to him.
The demon king after receiving the boon started ...
4
The legend behind the severed head of Chhinnamasta is described in the Pranatoshini Tantra text. The story goes as follows:
Goddess Parvati was bathing in Mandikini river where she gets sexually excited and as a result, her complexion turns dark. Her two attendants, Dakini and Varnini, ask her for food at the exact same time. The Goddess tries to convince ...
4
Where has ancient technology knowledge gone? How did those technology ideas vanish?
The ancient technologies you mentioned like Shudarshan Chakra, Brhmastra, Pushpak Viman (Pushpak flying chariot) were divine technologies as stated in Hinduism epics and mythology. They were having their respected purpose and owners to whom these technologies were to be ...
3
Maruti is the name of Hanuman and not of his mother.
In the line
Hey dukh bhanjan Maruti nandan Sunlo meri pukar..
Maruti nandan means child Maruti (like you would call someone child 'Name', young 'Name', adult 'Name' or old 'Name' replacing Name with anyone's name in this case Maruti) and not child of Maruti.
3
This answer has very little to do with mythology, but I found this question in the "Unanswered" list and thought I should pitch in. The answer is right there at the link in your question:
My Game is an excerpt from a novel in progress. The novel is yet another interpretation of the Mahabharatha. It deals with the events and personalities depicted in the ...
3
If anything early Christianity was well influenced by ancient Jewish culture of the day, including both Jewish laws, traditions, scriptures and mythology. For the most part both the New and Old Testament are rich sources from which Christians draw their doctrine of hell as a place of punishment and the place of demons. This was also influenced a number of ...
3
As Hinduism is a living culture, its mythology is not just in texts but in the minds of the people, and there are various folk stories, family traditions, and even half-remembered distortions in memory, none of which I wish to discount. Perhaps "during the prelude to war", as Wikipedia claims citing some random book, seems the "logical" place to some, and no ...
3
This is a very complex question. I am not an expert, but here is my initial research:
The earliest text of the Ramayana seems to be ~11th century CE, but it has been proposed that it predates the Mahabharata ~8th/9th century BCE, with the oldest surviving text fragments ~400 BCE.
Looking at the roots of Hindi I found Shauraseni and Apabhranśa...
...
3
In Aarti, a part of the Puja ritual, the burning of incense is said to be cleaning the air, and thus making it easier for the devas or other divine beings to manifest themselves in the place of incantation. This ritual is not limited to worship, but is also used to welcome a guest to your house (making it easier for him/her to reside in your house by ...
3
I'm afraid the source you mentioned is on a TV show called Lost Girl.
The best source for finding relevant info on the Vetala is the Kathasaritsagara especially book 12
And especially the story (better known as Vikram and the Vampire) of Baital Pachisi or Twenty-five (tales of a) Baital (In Sanskrit, Vetala-pancha-Vinshati. "Baital" is the modern form of ...
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