The Ashvamedha, or the horse-sacrifice is one of the most important royal rituals of Vedic religion (1st millennium BC, the last recorded performance dates to the 4th century AD), described in detail in the Yajurveda (books 22–25) and the pertaining commentaries. Ashvamedha - The Vedic Sacrifice. The Ashvamedha could only be conducted by a king. Its object was the acquisition of power and glory, the sovereignty over neighbouring provinces, and general prosperity of the kingdom. The horse to ...

Including:

• Ashvamedha - The Vedic Sacrifice
• Ashvamedha - Vedanta and modern Hinduism

Read more here: » Ashvamedha: Encyclopedia - Ashvamedha

ashvamedha

The elaborate Vedic horse sacrifice.

(See also: ashvamedha, Bhakti, Bhakti Yoga, Bhakti Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

The Ashvamedha could only be conducted by a king. Its object was the acquisition of power and glory, the sovereignty over neighbouring provinces, and general prosperity of the kingdom. The horse to be sacrificed must be a stallion, more than 24, but less than 100 years old. The horse is sprinkled with water, and the Adhvaryu and the sacrificer whisper formulas into its ear. Anyone who should stop the horse is ritually cursed, and a dog is killed symbolic of the punishment for the sinners. The horse is then set loose towards the North- ...

See also:

Ashvamedha, Ashvamedha - The Vedic Sacrifice, Ashvamedha - Vedanta and modern Hinduism

Read more here: » Ashvamedha: Encyclopedia II - Ashvamedha - The Vedic Sacrifice

After having won the Mahabharata war, King Yuddhishthira, the eldest of the Pandavas, performed the Ashvamedha Yagna in which he gave away his riches to the deserving.

Just then a half-golden mongoose sneaked in and began rolling all over the ground. It then looked at its fur and seemed disappointed. The mongoose said sadly, "Ah! This is no sacrifice."

(See also: Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

In Hinduism, Yajna or Yagya यज्ञ(Sanskrit yajñá "worship, prayer, praise; offering, oblation, sacrifice") is a Vedic ritual of sacrifice performed to please the Devas, or sometimes to the Supreme Spirit Brahman. It involves pouring oblations into the divine Agni (the sacrificial fire). Everything that is offered in the divine Agni is believed to reach the Devas. A yajna is typically performed by a hotar, with a number of additional priests playing a supporting role, chanting Vedic verses. Often there will be a ...

Read more here: » Yajna: Encyclopedia - Yajna

Kurgan (кургáн) is the Russian word (of Turkic origin) for tumulus, a type of burial mound or barrow, heaped over a burial chamber, often of wood. In 1956 Marija Gimbutas introduced her Kurgan hypothesis combining kurgan archaeology with linguistics to locate the origins of the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) speaking peoples. She tentatively named the culture "Kurgan" after their distinctive burial mounds and traced its diffusion into Europe. This hypothesis has had a significant impact on Indo-European research. ...

Including:

• Kurgan - Archaeology
• Kurgan - Some excavated kurgans
• Kurgan - Literature

Read more here: » Kurgan: Encyclopedia - Kurgan

Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning 'to make sacred', from Old French, from Latin sacrificium : sacer, sacred; sacred + facere, to make) is commonly known as the practice of offering food, or the lives of animals or people to the gods, as an act of propitiation or worship. The term is also used metaphorically to describe selfless good deeds for others. Sacrifice - Theologies of sacrifice. The theology of sacrifice remains an issue, not only for religions that continue to practice ritua ...

Including:

• Sacrifice - Theologies of sacrifice
• Sacrifice - Sacrifice in Judaism
• Sacrifice - Sacrifice in Islam
• Sacrifice - Sacrifice in Hinduism
• Sacrifice - Animal sacrifice
• Sacrifice - Human sacrifice
• Sacrifice - Sacrifice in Christianity
• Sacrifice - Sacrifice in games

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The Vedic civilization is the Indo-Aryan culture associated with the Vedas, the earliest known records of Indian history. Mainstream scholarship places the Vedic civilization into the 2nd and 1st millennia BC, many Hindu scholars date its beginnings as early as the 7th millennium BC based on astronomical information in the Vedas, genetics, horse bones findings in Harappan places that suggest a Vedic way of living before 2000 BC,and the reference to a big Saraswati river in Rig Veda which proves Vedic people were there before it decrea ...

Including:

• Vedic civilization - Overview
• Vedic civilization - Rigvedic period
• Vedic civilization - Political organization
• Vedic civilization - Society and economy
• Vedic civilization - Vedic Religion
• Vedic civilization - The later Vedic period
• Vedic civilization - Kingdoms
• Vedic civilization - Society

Read more here: » Vedic civilization: Encyclopedia - Vedic civilization

The Horse (Equus caballus) is a sizeable ungulate mammal, one of the ten modern species of the genus Equus. It has long played an important role in transport, whether ridden or used for pulling vehicles. They are also used for food. Though horses may have been domesticated in one isolated locale in 4500 BC, the unequivocal date of (1) domestication and (2) use as a means of transport dates to no earlier than circa 2000 BC, evidenced by the Sintashta chariot buri ...

Including:

• Horse - Domestication of the horse and surviving wild species
• Horse - Wild vs. feral horses
• Horse - Other equids
• Horse - Evolution
• Horse - Natural History of the horse
• Horse - Specialized vocabulary
• Horse - Words for gaits
• Horse - Words relating to horses
• Horse - Words relating to horse anatomy
• Horse - Horse coat colors and markings
• Horse - The origin of modern horse breeds
• Horse - Breeds studbooks purebreds and landraces
• Horse - Hotbloods warmbloods and coldbloods
• Horse - Horses in sport today
• Horse - Racing in all its forms
• Horse - Show Sports
• Horse - Other horse sports
• Horse - Criticism of horses in sport
• Horse - Miscellaneous
• Horse - Weight
• Horse - Saddling and mounting
• Horse - Zodiac
• Horse - Horse meat

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Agnihotra (अग्निहोत्र) is a spiritual ritual originally from India, performed at dawn and dusk. Practitioners will purify themselves with water, stir a sacred fire, chant sacred verses, and recite a prayer to Agni. In english Agni means Fire and Hotra means healing, so Agnihotra means healing-fire. The Rig-Veda (1.1 ) states, "Agni earned the prayers of the ancient sages, and of those of the present, too; he will bring the gods here." The Ani-Brahmana (1.1-19 ) states, "...he who does not offer the agnihotra does not come into life, a ...

Including:

• Agnihotra - External Sources

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The religion of the Vedic civilization is the predecessor of classical Hinduism, usually included in the term. Its liturgy is reflected in the text of the Vedas. The religion centered on a clergy (the Brahmins) administering sacrificial rites. Texts considered to date to the Vedic period, composed in Vedic Sanskrit, are mainly the four Vedas, but the Brahmanas, and some of the older Upanishads are also considered Vedic. The Vedas record the liturgy connected with t ...

Including:

• Vedic religion - Post-Vedic religions

Read more here: » Vedic religion: Encyclopedia - Vedic religion

Zoophilia (from the Greek Zoon, "animal", and Philia, "friendship" or "love") is a paraphilia, defined as an affinity or sexual attraction by a human to animals. Such individuals are called zoophiles. The more recent terms zoosexual and zoosexuality also describe the full spectrum of human/animal attraction. A separate term, bestiality (more common in mainstream usage), refers to human/animal sexual activity. To avoid confusion about the meaning of zoophilia — whi ...

Including:

• Zoophilia - Terminology
• Zoophilia - Extent of occurrence
• Zoophilia - Legal status
• Zoophilia - Zoophiles
• Zoophilia - Zoophilia as a lifestyle
• Zoophilia - Non-sexual zoophilia
• Zoophilia - Zoophiles and other groups
• Zoophilia - Perspectives on zoophilia
• Zoophilia - Psychological and research perspectives
• Zoophilia - Religious perspectives
• Zoophilia - Animal studies perspectives
• Zoophilia - Animal rights and welfare concerns
• Zoophilia - Historical and cultural perspectives
• Zoophilia - Health and safety
• Zoophilia - Arguments about zoophilia or zoosexuality
• Zoophilia - Mythology and fantasy literature
• Zoophilia - Media discussion
• Zoophilia - Pornography
• Zoophilia - Social community
• Zoophilia - Zoo Code
• Zoophilia - Other popular references
• Zoophilia - Books articles and documentaries
• Zoophilia - Academic and professional
• Zoophilia - Other books
• Zoophilia - Print and online media
• Zoophilia - Television and radio

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Hinduism (हिन्दू धर्म; also known as Sanātana Dharma - सनातन धर्म, and Vaidika-Dharma - वैदिक धर्म) is a worldwide religious tradition that is based on the Vedas and is the direct descendant of the Vedic religion. It encompasses many religious traditions that widely vary in practice, as well as many diverse sects and philosophies. An array of deities, all manifestations of the one supreme monistic Ishvara, are venerated. Beliefs, codes and principles vary fr ...

Including:

• Hinduism - Core Concepts
• Hinduism - The Eternal Way
• Hinduism - Basic beliefs
• Hinduism - Practice Yoga Dharma
• Hinduism - The four objectives Of Life
• Hinduism - The four stages of Life
• Hinduism - The four classes of the society
• Hinduism - Nature of God
• Hinduism - Denominations
• Hinduism - Hindu sacred texts
• Hinduism - Shruti
• Hinduism - Bhagavad Gītā
• Hinduism - Smriti
• Hinduism - Origins and society
• Hinduism - Origins of Hinduism
• Hinduism - Etymology
• Hinduism - Vedic religion
• Hinduism - Hindu nationalism
• Hinduism - Temples
• Hinduism - Current geographic distribution
• Hinduism - Hindu philosophy: the six Vedic schools of thought
• Hinduism - Pūrva Mīmāmsā
• Hinduism - Yoga
• Hinduism - Uttara Mimāmsā: Vedānta and its three main schools
• Hinduism - Alternative cultures of worship
• Hinduism - The Bhakti schools
• Hinduism - Tantra
• Hinduism - Important symbolism and themes in Hinduism
• Hinduism - Tilaka symbol on forehead or between eyebrows
• Hinduism - Ahimsa non-violence vegetarian diet and the cow
• Hinduism - Hindu symbolism
• Hinduism - Murtis icons
• Hinduism - Sanskrit
• Hinduism - Mantra
• Hinduism - Criticism
• Hinduism - Hinduism
• Hinduism - Related systems and religions

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In vedantic interpretations, the Ashvamedha is understood as a ritual to get connected to the "inner Sun". In this tradition, it is claimed that the ashva of the Ashvamedha originally referred to the Sun, and that sacrifices of actual horses represented a degeneration of the spiritual ritual. The Ashvamedha is referred to in the Shatapatha Brahmana as well as in the epics Ramayana (1.10–15) and Mahabharata. When the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata were televised, the description of the nature of the sacrifice was significantly toned down to make it appropriate for television. In Modern Hinduism, there ...

See also:

Ashvamedha, Ashvamedha - The Vedic Sacrifice, Ashvamedha - Vedanta and modern Hinduism

Read more here: » Ashvamedha: Encyclopedia II - Ashvamedha - Vedanta and modern Hinduism

aswamedha yaga:

aswamedha yaga (Ashvamedha yaga). Horse sacrifice to absolve a king of all sins. A horse is marked with a victory card and allowed to roam about freely. If anyone stops the horse, the king should go and defeat him in battle and bring back the horse.

(See also: aswamedha yaga, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

Kurgan type barrows were characteristic of Bronze Age nomadic peoples of the steppes, from the Altai to the Caucasus and Romania. Sometimes, burial mounds are quite complex structures with internal chambers. Within the burial chamber at the heart of the kurgan, members of the elite were buried with grave goods and sacrificial offerings, sometimes including horses and chariots. K ...

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Kurgan, Kurgan - Archaeology, Kurgan - Some excavated kurgans, Kurgan - Literature

Read more here: » Kurgan: Encyclopedia II - Kurgan - Archaeology

Philological reconstructions of some PIE theonyms: *Dyeus Ph2ter is believed to have been the original name of god of the daylit sky and the chief god of the Indo-European pantheon. He survives in Greek Zeus (also Dias), Latin Jupiter (Deus Pater), Sanskrit Dyaus Pita, Baltic Dievas, Slavic Div, Germanic Tyr (also Tiwaz), and Armenian Astwatz (c.f. also deus pater in the Vulgate, e. g. Jude 1:1) *Plth2vih2 Mh2ter (Dg'hōm ...

See also:

Proto-Indo-European religion, Proto-Indo-European religion - Priests, Proto-Indo-European religion - Pantheon, Proto-Indo-European religion - Mythology, Proto-Indo-European religion - Development, Proto-Indo-European religion - Notes

Read more here: » Proto-Indo-European religion: Encyclopedia II - Proto-Indo-European religion - Pantheon

The main functionaries of the hypothetical Proto-Indo-European religion would have been maintained by a class of priests or shamans. There is evidence for sacral kingship, suggesting the tribal king at the same time assumed the role of high priest. This function would have survived as late as 11th century Scandinavia, when kings could still be dethroned for refusing to serve as priests (see Germanic king). Many Indo-European societies know a threefold division of a clerical class, a warrior class and a class of peasants or husbandmen. Such a division was suggested ...

See also:

Proto-Indo-European religion, Proto-Indo-European religion - Priests, Proto-Indo-European religion - Pantheon, Proto-Indo-European religion - Mythology, Proto-Indo-European religion - Development, Proto-Indo-European religion - Notes

Read more here: » Proto-Indo-European religion: Encyclopedia II - Proto-Indo-European religion - Priests

There seems to have been a belief in a World tree, which in Germanic mythology was an ash tree (Norse Yggdrasil; Irminsul), in Hinduism a banyan tree, in Lithuanian mythology Jievaras and an oak tree in Slavic mythology. Although this concept is absent from Greek mythology, there is also a later folk tradition about the World Tree, which is being sawed by the Kallikantzaroi (Greek goblins), perhaps a reborrowing from other peoples. One common myth which can be found among almost all Indo-European mythologies is a battle ending with th ...

See also:

Proto-Indo-European religion, Proto-Indo-European religion - Priests, Proto-Indo-European religion - Pantheon, Proto-Indo-European religion - Mythology, Proto-Indo-European religion - Development, Proto-Indo-European religion - Notes

Read more here: » Proto-Indo-European religion: Encyclopedia II - Proto-Indo-European religion - Mythology

The "Kurgan hypothesis" of Proto-Indo-European (PIE) origins assumes gradual expansion of the "Kurgan culture" until it encompasses the entire Pontic steppe, Kurgan IV being identified with the Yamna culture of around 3000 BC. Subsequent expansion beyond the steppes leads to hybrid cultures, such as the Globular Amphora culture to the west, the immigration of proto-Greeks to the Balkans and the nomadic Indo-Iranian cultures to the east around 2500 BC. The domestication of the horse, and later the use of early chariots is assumed to have incr ...

See also:

Kurgan hypothesis, Kurgan hypothesis - Overview, Kurgan hypothesis - Stages of expansion, Kurgan hypothesis - Timeline, Kurgan hypothesis - Secondary Urheimat, Kurgan hypothesis - Differences of interpretation, Kurgan hypothesis - Genetics, Kurgan hypothesis - Literature

Read more here: » Kurgan hypothesis: Encyclopedia II - Kurgan hypothesis - Overview