Hinduism - What Is Svayambhu?

 

 

Images that have been "self-manifested".  Any depiction of a Hindu god that is thought to exist as a result of divine self-revelation rather than being created or produced by human hands.

These pictures are said to be particularly holy and powerful, with a stronger sensation of the deity's presence.

They are places where the deities are believed to be particularly present and "awake," and thus more receptive to requests for favors.

They mark instances where these deities have revealed themselves out of grace in order to become accessible to their devotees (bhakta), and they are places where the deities are believed to be particularly present and "awake," and thus more receptive to requests for favors.

For each of the three primary Hindu deities, there are Svayambhu representations.

Images of the Goddess are often natural rock formations, such as the goddess Kamakhya's image, which is a natural fissure in the rock, or stone images of several of the Shiwalik goddesses; but, they may also take other forms, such as the goddess Jwalamukhi's image, which is a natural gas vent.

The shalagram, a black stone holding the spiral-shaped fossil shell of an ancient marine creature thought to be a symbol of Vishnu's discus, is the god's most well-known self-manifested form (chakra).

The linga, the deity Shiva's pillar-shaped emblem, emerges in a vast range of self-manifested shapes.

Many of these self-manifested lingas may be found in natural rock formations, such as those at Kedarnath; Amarnath, where the linga appears as an ice pillar; and the bana linga, which is a naturally rounded stone that is generally small enough to be readily portable.

Furthermore, both Shiva and the Goddess are thought to be present inside one's own body among Hindu religious organizations that emphasize the subtle body.

Carved images are supposed to be self-manifest forms in certain instances for all of these deities; in their customary pattern, the location of the statue is disclosed to a chosen devotee in a dream.

A self-manifested picture is a significant claim for any site, bolstering its value as a heavenly entry point.

~Kiran Atma

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Hinduism - Who Is Goddess Mansa Devi In The Hindu Pantheon?

 

Mansa Devi  is a Hindu goddess. One of the nine Shiwalik goddesses and the presiding deity of Manimajara, a small town in the Shiwalik Hills near Chandigarh.

This is one of the Shakti Pithas, a network of Goddess-sanctuary places that stretches throughout the subcontinent, according to local legend.

Each Shakti Pitha commemorates the location where a piece of the goddess Sati's severed corpse fell to earth and took on the shape of a different goddess; Mansa Devi was Sati's head.

The term "mansa" means "wish," and it is said that Mansa Devi would fulfill any desire brought to her by a devotee (bhakta).

In the holy city of Haridwar, there is another temple of Mansa Devi on the hill above the bathing (snana) ghats; here, too, the officiants promise that the presiding goddess would grant all one's requests.

The Manimajara's founding story Mansa Devi depicts her power and compassion for her worshippers during the reign of the Moghul emperor Akbar.

Akbar assigns a Rajput ruler to oversee the Manimajara region.

The chieftain is unable to pay his taxes one year because the crops have been damaged by harsh weather.

The chieftain is imprisoned, but one of Mansa Devi's worshippers is moved by his predicament and asks her to intercede on his behalf.

The chieftain is liberated and the taxes are canceled; when he realizes how this occurred, he is so thankful that he builds a shrine in her honor.

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