Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend

Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning both thunderbolt and diamond and refers to a symbol important to both Hinduism and Buddhism. The equivalent word in Tibetan is dorje, which is also a common male name in Tibet and Bhutan. Dorje can also refer to a small sceptre held in the right hand by Tibetan lamas during religious ceremonies. In Hindu mythology the vajra is the thunderbolt weapon wielded by Indra, King of the Gods. It is storied to have been made from the bones of sage Dadhichi, an ascetic to kill ...

Including:

• Vajra - Symbolism
• Vajra - Reference

Read more here: » Vajra: Encyclopedia - Vajra

In Hinduism, the Asvins are the twin sons of Saranya, who is a goddess of the dawn and wife of either Surya or Vivasvat. Asvin - Reference. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna L. Dallapiccola ...

Including:

• Asvin - Reference

Read more here: » Asvin: Encyclopedia - Asvin

Kusha (also spelt Kush and Kusa) has more than one meaning:- Kusha and his twin brother Lava are the children of the Hindu God Rama and his wife Sita Devi, whose story is told in the Ramayana. It is another name for darbha grass. Kusha - Reference. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna Dhallapiccola ...

Including:

• Kusha - Reference

Read more here: » Kusha: Encyclopedia - Kusha

Vasuki is a naga, or one of the serpents of Hindu mythology. He agreed to allow the Devas and the Asuras use him as the churning rope when they churned the ocean of milk for the ambrosia of immortality. See also. Snake worship Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna L. Dallapiccola Vasuki - Reference. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna L. Dallapiccola
Including:

• Vasuki - Reference

Read more here: » Vasuki: Encyclopedia - Vasuki

Yadu is the name of one of the five Aryan clans mentioned in the Rig Veda. The epic Mahabharata and Purans refer to Yadu as the eldest son of mythological king Yayati. The regions where the Yadu clan settled is not certain, but certain scholars suggest that Yadu clan inherited the territories to the south-west of the Gangetic plains, between the Chambal River, Betwa and Ken, which correspond to the border areas of present Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. There the king Yadu founded the Yadava Dynasty, the first Chandravansha (or Lunar Dynasty) of the Indian history. Yadu was the ancie ...

Including:

• Yadu - Reference
• Yadu - External link

Read more here: » Yadu: Encyclopedia - Yadu

In Hindu philosophy the cycle of evolution of life is divided into four yugas (epochs or eras): Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga Treta Yuga Dwapara Yuga Kali Yuga Yuga - The spiritual states of civilization in each yuga. In Hindu tradition, the world goes through a continuous cycle of these epochs. Each ascending phase of the cycle from Kali Yuga to Satya Yuga is followed by a descending phase back to Kali Yuga, then another ascending phase and so on. Alt ...

Including:

• Yuga - The spiritual states of civilization in each yuga
• Yuga - References
• Yuga - Sri Yukteswar's teachings on the yugas
• Yuga - Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet's teachings on the yugas
• Yuga - Yugas in Ayyavazhi
• Yuga - References

Read more here: » Yuga: Encyclopedia - Yuga

Bhagiratha was a great king in Hindu mythology who brought the River Ganga to Earth. Bhagiratha - Early Life. Bhagiratha was the king of Kosala, a kingdom in ancient India. He was a descendent of the great king Sagara of the Suryavamsa, or Sun Dynasty. He was one of the forefathers of Lord Rama, of the Ramayana, the epic in which Bhagiratha's tale is primarily recounted. He lost his father when he was just a child, and was raised by his mother. Bhagiratha was very intelligent, virtuous ...

Including:

• Bhagiratha - Early Life
• Bhagiratha - Bringing the Ganga to Earth
• Bhagiratha - Kapila's curse
• Bhagiratha - Bhagiratha's tapasya
• Bhagiratha - Ganga's fall
• Bhagiratha - Establishment of the river
• Bhagiratha - Commemoration
• Bhagiratha - Reference

Read more here: » Bhagiratha: Encyclopedia - Bhagiratha

The Kaumodaki is the divine mace weapon of Vishnu, invincible and without parallel. Kaumodaki - Reference. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna L. Dallapiccola ...

Including:

• Kaumodaki - Reference

Read more here: » Kaumodaki: Encyclopedia - Kaumodaki

Lanka (Sanskrit/Hindi लंका lankā, means "island") is the name given in Hinduism to the island fortress capital of the evil king Ravana in the epic Ramayana. Lanka is also mentioned frequently in other Hindu scriptures, such as the Vedas and Hindi poems written by Tulsidas. In the present day, it is now referred to as Sri Lanka. Lanka - Reference. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna L. Dallapiccola ...

Including:

• Lanka - Reference

Read more here: » Lanka: Encyclopedia - Lanka

Bhairava (भैरव) is a name of the fearsome aspect of the god Shiva. As Kala Bhairava he is shown carrying a head, that belongs to Brahma. He had cut off Brahma's fifth head, making him guilty of Brahmanicide, and as a result, he was forced to carry around the head for years until he had been absolved of the sin. The origin of Bhairava is traced to the tale of Sati - wife of Shiva. Sati, the daughter of the king of Gods, Daksha, had chosen to marry Shiva, in spite of her father disapproving the alliance because of the per ...

Including:

• Bhairava - Reference

Read more here: » Bhairava: Encyclopedia - Bhairava

In Hindu culture, Kapalika means bearer of the skull-bowl.This depicts Lord Shiva's vov to take the kapala vow. In this Lord Shiva took the form of Supreme begger.Wandered wearing nothing but a garlant of skulls & ash from the pyre. This sect worship Lord Shiva in it's extreme form,Bhairava,the ferocious. Ujjain is known to be prominent centre of this sect. Kapalika - Reference. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna Dhallapiccola
Including:

• Kapalika - Reference

Read more here: » Kapalika: Encyclopedia - Kapalika

In Hinduism, Ganas are attendants of Shiva and live in Kailasa. The meaning of Gana in Sanskrit is "category." Gana - Myths containing Ganas. Andhaka Ganesha Jalandhara Gana - Reference. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna L. Dallapiccola ...

Including:

• Gana - Myths containing Ganas
• Gana - Reference

Read more here: » Gana: Encyclopedia - Gana

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 ...

Including:

• Gopuram - External link
• Gopuram - Reference

Read more here: » Gopuram: Encyclopedia - Gopuram

Gorakhnath (also called Goraksanatha) was an 11th Century Hindu yogi who founded the Kanphata yogis. The legend states that Guru Gorakhnath, the eternal sage and traditionally associated with Hatha Yoga (one of the branches of Yogic practices), has been around for thousands of years watching the welfare of humanity. Different legends ascribe different stories to his birth and the period of his worldly existence, and they vary greatly. The Nath Rahashya, which literally translates into the mystery of the masters, r ...

Including:

• Gorakhnath - Reference

Read more here: » Gorakhnath: Encyclopedia - Gorakhnath

Kalpavriksha or Kalpataru is a wish-fulfilling divine tree. It originated during the churning of milk ocean, and King of gods, Indra took it to heavens. Kalpavriksha - Reference. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna Dhallapiccola ...

Including:

• Kalpavriksha - Reference

Read more here: » Kalpavriksha: Encyclopedia - Kalpavriksha

Kalpa is one of the six disciplines of Vedanga, treating ritual. See also. Kalpa Sutras Kalpa Sutras Kalpa - Reference. Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend (ISBN 0500510881) by Anna Dhallapiccola ...

Including:

• Kalpa - Reference

Read more here: » Kalpa: Encyclopedia - Kalpa

Kaitabh, a figure of Hindu mythology, is associated with Hindu religious cosmology. He along with his companion, Madhu, originated from one of the ears of God Vishnu, while he was in deep sleep of Yoganidra. From his navel a lotus has sprouted out on which Brahma was sitting and contemplating to create the cosmos and the universe. Kaitabh and Madhu, considered as demons, designed to annihilate Brahma. However, Brahma spotted them, and invoked the goddess Mahamaya. At this point Vishnu awoke, and the two conspiring demons were k ...

Including:

• Kaitabh - Reference

Read more here: » Kaitabh: Encyclopedia - Kaitabh

Bhagiratha - Kapila's curse. When king Sagara chose to perform the Ashwamedha yagna, his royal agents lost track of the sacrificial horse. Sagara ordered his sixty thousand sons by Sumati to track down the horse. The proud and mercurial princes raged across Bharat, burning down forests and uprooting life and property to find the horse. They finally arrived at a quiet spot where the Sage Kapila was sitting in meditation. Besides him was tied the white horse. The enraged princes condemned Kapila as a thief and attacked him. Using his terrible mys ...

See also:

Bhagiratha, Bhagiratha - Early Life, Bhagiratha - Bringing the Ganga to Earth, Bhagiratha - Kapila's curse, Bhagiratha - Bhagiratha's tapasya, Bhagiratha - Ganga's fall, Bhagiratha - Establishment of the river, Bhagiratha - Commemoration, Bhagiratha - Reference

Read more here: » Bhagiratha: Encyclopedia II - Bhagiratha - Bringing the Ganga to Earth

In Hindu tradition, the world goes through a continuous cycle of these epochs. Each ascending phase of the cycle from Kali Yuga to Satya Yuga is followed by a descending phase back to Kali Yuga, then another ascending phase and so on. Alternatively, it is sometimes supposed that at the end of the descending Kali Yuga, the world will return to the Satya Yuga, and begin a new decline. The descent from Satya to Kali is associated with progressively deterioration of Dharma (righteousness) manifested as decrease in length of human life and quality of human moral standards. ...

See also:

Yuga, Yuga - The spiritual states of civilization in each yuga, Yuga - References, Yuga - Sri Yukteswar's teachings on the yugas, Yuga - Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet's teachings on the yugas, Yuga - Yugas in Ayyavazhi, Yuga - References

Read more here: » Yuga: Encyclopedia II - Yuga - The spiritual states of civilization in each yuga

The vajra is made up of several parts: In the center is a sphere which represents Sunyata, the primordial nature of the universe, the underlying unity of all things. Emerging from the sphere are two eight petalled lotus flowers. One represents the phenomenal world (or in Buddhist terms Samsara), the other represents the noumenal world (or Nirvana). This is one of the fundamental dichotomies which ...

See also:

Vajra, Vajra - Symbolism, Vajra - Reference

Read more here: » Vajra: Encyclopedia II - Vajra - Symbolism