Surdas (1483 - 1573) was a Hindu poet, sant and musician of India. He is said to have been blind from birth. Surdas - Prolific composition through Inner Vision. Surdas was a very prolific composer. He is known for his "Sur Sagar" (Ocean of Melody). This magnum opus is said to originally contain 100,000 poems or songs; however, today only 8,000 have survived. These songs on the life and adventures of Krishna were dictated by him to an assistant, who had to write faster than the poet could dictate! End ...

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• Surdas - Prolific composition through Inner Vision
• Surdas - Status of Brij Bhasha raised
• Surdas - Impact on Bhakti movement
• Surdas - Foremost of the Ashta-chaap
• Surdas - Shuddhadvaita

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Keshava and Keshav (केशव) are alternate names for the Hindu Lord Krishna. Keshava is the Sanskrit form of the name, Keshav the Hindi pronounciation. Keshava appears as the 23rd and 648th names in the Vishnu sahasranama. Kesava (Sanskrit) is the first of the 24 epithets of Lord Krishna. According to Adi Sankara' s commentary on the Vishnu sahasranama, Keshava has three meanings: one whose Kesa or locks are beautiful one who is Himself the three: kah Brahma; ah Vishnu and Isa Shiva one who destroyed the as ...

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• Keshava - External link

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In the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Nakula was the son of king Pandu and queen Madri. He and his twin brother Sahadeva are in the image of the Ashwini Gods. He was one of the five Pandavas whose story is told in the Mahabharata - the youngest two. According to the legend, the twins have ability to speak with animals. Nakula is described as extremely fair and attractive. ...

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A Tapasvin is a performer of Tapasya, a great human endeavor of discipline. The most famous tapasvins include Rama, Vishwamitra, Ravana, Vritra, Arjuna. The Lord Siva sits in a perennial tapasya atop Mt. Kailash. Categories: Meditation | Hindu philosophical concepts ...

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In the Hindu caste system, a Vaishya (Sanskrit वैश्य vaiśya) is a member of the third of the four major castes of the varna system of traditional Indian society, comprising of merchants, farmers, landowners and artisans. Etymologically, the word derives from the root vish meaning "to work". In Buddhist literature, they are termed as Grihapati. Surnames of Vaishyas include Agrawal, Oswal, Porwad, Maheshwari etc. According to the Manu-smriti, the Vaishyas are ...

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• Vaishya - External link

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Brāhmanahatya is Sanskrit for "the act of killing a Brahmin". Hindus consider this act to be a major sin, even more then ordinary murder. In a story involving Indra and Vritra, Brāhmanahatya is personified as a hideous goddess. ...

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Grihastha - Pronunciation. 'Gri' as the 'Gru' in 'Gruel' 'Has' as the 'Hus' in 'Husk' 'tha' as in 'thaw' Grihastha - Word Root. This is a Sanskrit word. The Sanskrit meaning of "Gruha" is house. And the word Grihasthya symbolises a person who runs a house. Grihastha - Usage. This word is generally used to denote a particular phase of life( next 40 years {20-60 years of human life span} after Brahmacharya ...

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• Grihastha - Pronunciation
• Grihastha - Word Root
• Grihastha - Usage

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Gopuram or gopura, a prominent feature of the Hindu temple architecture of South India, is the rising tower at the entrance of a temple. Gopuram is equisitely decorated with sculpture and carvings and painted with a variety of themes derived from the Hindu mythology, particularly those associated with the presiding deity of the temple to which a particular gopuram may form part of. Gopuram of Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Srirangam, Tamilnadu state is one of tallest Gopuram of South India. This Gopuram known as the Ra ...

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• Gopuram - External link
• Gopuram - Reference

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Please remove this notice after the article has been expanded. Details are on this talk page or at Wikipedia:Requests for expansion. The Harivamsa (Skt. हरिवंश) is an important work of Sanskrit literature. It is a kind of appendix to the Mahābhārata, that runs to 16,375 verses and focuses specifically on the life of Lord Krishna. Along with the Rāmāyaṇa and Yogavasishtha, the Harivamsa is considered to belong to the category of Hindu scripture known as itih� ...

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Rajarshi or Rajarishi (from Sanskrit rajan "king" + rishi) is in Hinduism and Hindu mythology, a royal saint and rishi. Rajarshi - Order. A Rajarshi is a king who turned into a royal sage, or rishi. A rajarshi may have left the kingship and became rishi for example Vishwamitra (who later advanced to becoming a Brahmarishi) or may still be ruling the kingdom but has reached a state of rishi and have attained self realization. They still belong to the kshatriya caste, and re ...

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• Rajarshi - Order
• Rajarshi - Examples
• Rajarshi - Modern Usage

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The Upanayana is a Hindu samskara for children of the three highest castes. It is the beginning of serious study with a guru and also means that the child is fully a part of the religious community. Young male members of the Brahmin and Kshatriya caste may perform a coming of age ceremony, the Upanayana commonly known as Janoy, or the thread ceremony. The Janoy is many strings rolled together to resemble an umblical cord to symbolise the New birth as a student and from this day on he belongs to the ...

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In Hinduism, Prajapati is Lord of Creatures, thought to be depicted on ancient Harappan seals, sitting in yogic posture, with an erection and what appear to be bison horns. Like the Biblical Adam, he is in close communication with Nature and Nature revolves around him. In the Vedas, Prajapati is the name of God as the sustainer of all beings. This would identify him with the later Hindu god Vishnu. Prajapati has also been associated with the non-Aryan Shiva. The presence of hundreds of what appear to be shivalinga discov ...

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Murtis (singular Murti, also spelled Murthi or Murthy) refers to deities or images used by Hindus and also by some Mahayana Buddhists during worship as points of devotional and meditational focus. They are sometimes abstract, but more often anthropomorphic representations of forms of God like Shiva or Ganesh, Rama or Krishna, Saraswati or Kali. Because the mind is in turbulence (vritti) and incapable of focussing on God as a formless, abstract concept, God is worshiped in a form. Murti is made according to prescriptions of shilpa shas ...

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Parikshita is in the Mahabharata epic the successor of Yudhisthira to the throne of Hastinapura. Alternate spellings of his name are Pariksita, and Parikshit. His name is a common Hindu name across India today. Parikshita - Birth. Parikshita is the son of Uttara, the Matsya princess and Abhimanyu, the Vrishni son of Arjuna. He is born only after the end of the war. Uttara is carrying their son in her womb when Abhimanyu is mercilessly and unfairly slain by the Kauravas. Later, As ...

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• Parikshita - Birth
• Parikshita - Prophecy of Life
• Parikshita - King of Hastinapura

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The Sarayu was a river in ancient India, flowing beside the ancient city of Ayodhya, located in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It merged into the larger River Ganga in the southern plains of U.P. and Bihar. Although the existence of the river may be purely mythical, it is entirely possible to theorize that like the Saraswati river, the river became extinct due to environmental changes. The Sarayu plays a vital role for the city and life of Ayodhya, and according to the great Hindu epic, the Ramayana, is ...

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The rituals prescribed in Dharmic religions after the death of a human being, for his or her peace and ascent to heaven are: Niravapanjali is a sacred ritual in Hinduism where after the cremation rites, the ashes are ceremonially immersed in holy water by the closest relatives, so that the soul may rise to heaven. In Hindu mythology, king Bhagiratha performed a tapasya to bring down the river Ganga upon earth, so that he could immerse the ashes of ...

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A Mandir is a Hindu temple. It is usually dedicated to a primary deity, called the presiding deity, and other deities associated with the main deity. (In the US though, most mandirs are dedicated to multiple deities.) Most practising Hindus maintain a mandir in their homes for daily worship and meditation. Mandir - Prana Pratishta. Prana Pratishta is the ceremony to invoke the divine spirit/energy into the statue made in God's form. Once this ceremony has been performed the murti (or 'icon' NOT 'idol ...

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• Mandir - Prana Pratishta
• Mandir - Elements of Worship
• Mandir - Mandir Construction
• Mandir - Basic norms to be followed in a mandir
• Mandir - Local village deities and temples
• Mandir - Management

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Shruti Vedas Rig Veda Sama Veda Yajur Veda Atharva Veda Brahmanas Aranyakas Upanishads Smriti Itihāsas Mahābhārata Bhagavad Gītā Ramayana Puranas (List) Tantras Sutras (List) Stotras Ashtavakra Gita Gita ...

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Virashaivism is a religious movement of Hinduism in India. The adherents are known as Veerashaivas, or more commonly Lingayats. This important sect of Hinduism represents a reform movement attributed to Basavanna in the 12th century. Basavanna lived and taught in what is now Karnataka State. Some believers believe that Basavanna is an incarnation of Nandi, Shiva's greatest devotee. Nandi serv ...

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In Hinduism and Buddhism, the Sanskrit term bīja (Jp. 種子 shushi), literally seed, is used as a metaphor for the origin or cause of things. The metaphor is considerably extended in the Consciousness-only teachings of the Yogacara school of Buddhism. According to this theory, all experiences and actions produce bija as impressions, stored in the alaya (storehouse) consciousness. The external world is produced when the seeds "perfume" this consciousness. This view of bija has been equated to memes, with the theory itself positing an extreme form of memetics (ie. real ...

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A Dakshina, also known as Gurudakshina is a Sanskrit word describing the Indian tradition of a student repaying his teacher, his guru after the completion of his education. This tradition is a mark of respect, and of thanks. The repayment is not money, but a special task a teacher wants his pupil to accomplish for him. In most cases, the teacher receives a valuable gift from the pupil and his family. Indian traditions equate one's teacher as equal in importance to one's parents, and to be given great respect throughout one's life. However, this tradition is no ...

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