Hinduism - What Is The Ancestral Vocation Of Doms Jati?

Traditional Indian society was built around a collection of endogamous groupings called jatis ("birth"). 

The group's hereditary occupation, over which each group has a monopoly, was used to organize (and determine their social status) these jatis. 

The Doms are a jati whose hereditary occupation was cremating corpses in traditional northern Indian society. 

They have a low social status due to their frequent contact with dead bodies, which are considered the most violently impure of all objects. 

Despite their low rank, some Doms are quite rich, notably those who oversee the cremation ghats in Benares, since a corpse cannot be burnt without their participation. Any flat region on a river's bank is referred to as a ghat. 

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Hinduism - What Is A Divya Prabandham?

("Divine Composition") is a phrase that means "divine composition." The Nalayira Divyaprabandham, the Alvars' hymn collection, is also known as the Nalayira Divyaprabandham. 

Between the seventh and tenth centuries, the Alvars were a group of twelve Vaishnava poet-saints (devotees of the deity Vishnu) who lived in southern India. 

The Alvars spearheaded the rehabilitation of Hindu religion in relation to Buddhists and Jains, in collaboration with their Shaiva (devotees of the deity Shiva) counterparts, the Nayanars. 

Both the Alvars and the Nayanars placed a strong emphasis on ardent devotion (bhakti) to a personal god—Vishnu for the Alvars, Shiva for the Nayanars—and expressed this love via Tamil hymns. 

The Alvars' collected hymns hold such a high status within the Shrivaishnava religious group in southern India that they are referred to as the "Tamil Veda"—religious scriptures in Tamil that have the authority of the Veda, the earliest Hindu religious books. 

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Hinduism - What Is Diwali Or The Hindu Festival Of Lights?

One of the most significant Hindu religious festivals, which occurs on the new moon in the Kartik lunar month (October–November). 

This festival honors Vishnu's wife, Lakshmi, who is a goddess of riches, prosperity, and good fortune. 

According to popular mythology, Lakshmi roams the world on the night of the new moon, seeking for homes where she would be welcomed and where she will bring prosperity. 

People spend the days leading up to Diwali cleaning, repairing, and whitewashing their houses in preparation for the goddess's arrival. 

People open all their doors and windows on Diwali evening to allow the goddess to enter, and arrange lights on their windowsills and balcony ledges as an invitation to the goddess. 

Clay lamps or candelabras were utilized in the past, but currently strings of electric lights are also popular. 

Diwali, a shortened version of Dipavali (dipa "light" + avali "series"), draws its name from these lights. 

The legend behind the lighting of these lights tells of a destitute old lady who obtained a royal blessing that all homes save hers would stay dark on Diwali night. 

Lakshmi went to the lone home that was illuminated to greet her while she toured the countryside. 

The elderly woman's problems were swiftly resolved as a result of Lakshmi's presence. 

Lakshmi's strong ties to money and good fortune are responsible for a number of other Diwali customs. 

Diwali marks the start of the fiscal year for many traditional mercantile families. 

All outstanding debts and responsibilities must be paid in advance, since fresh account books are opened on Diwali. 

On this day, the account ledgers are ceremonially revered and viewed as tangible manifestations of Lakshmi in certain situations. 

Gambling is another frequent habit, albeit it is usually done inside the family and for modest bets. 

Gambling is frowned throughout the rest of the year as a possible drain on one's riches, but doing so on Diwali underlines the link between money and Lakshmi's favor, who takes the form of Lady Luck. 

Diwali is also a time for feasting on sweets (the more the merrier) and ringing in the new year by setting off fireworks. 

Because of India's lax regulations on fireworks, revelers have access to huge rockets and crackers, and people in the bigger cities celebrate the festival with such fervor that it sounds like an artillery bombardment. 

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Hinduism - What Is The Attitude, Ritual Status, And Symbolism Attached To Dogs In A Hindu Soceity?

In general, the dog is seen as a filthy and disgusting creature. 

In India, keeping dogs as pets is becoming more popular. 

Indian dogs, on the other hand, used to prowl the streets as scavengers, devouring whatever they could find, even each other. 

Even apart from the vermin and illness that they often carry, notably rabies, their promiscuous feeding habits make them ritually unclean. 

Aside from its usefulness as scavengers, the dog is also the animal vehicle of Bhairava, Shiva's wrathful manifestation. 

Bhairava's symbolic association with an unclean animal demonstrates his pantheon's fringe status—he is strong, but also feared, since he is not governed by regular standards. 

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Hinduism - What Is The Significance Of Dohas In North Indian Literature?

 

Made consisting of two lines of twenty-four metric beats, split irregularly after the thirteenth beat in northern Indian bhakti (devotional) poetry. 

The first line's metric pattern is 6 + 4 + 3, whereas the second line's is 6 + 4 + 1. 

The metric beats are counted using a system that distinguishes between "heavy" and "light" syllables. 

Any syllable with a long vowel or a consonant cluster is considered heavy, and is counted at two metric beats; all other syllables are considered light, and are counted as one. 

Aside from the metric pattern, there are rules about how each half line should end—for example, the three metric beats ending the first line cannot be a heavy syllable (two beats) followed by a light one (one beat)—which means it must either be a light syllable followed by a heavy one, or three light ones—and the line's final syllable must be light. 

These norms provide a lot of room for creativity, and the doha is one of the most significant poetry forms for poets working in Braj Bhasha (Krishna devotional language) and Avadhi (a dialect of medieval Hindi). 

As in the epigrams of the poet-saint Kabir, which have become customary sayings in most of contemporary India, the doha may stand alone at times. 

In the Ramcharitmanas, the doha was frequently utilized in conjunction with verses in various meters. 

The doha normally follows after four lines in the chaupai (four-line) meter in this vernacular rendering of the epic Ramayana, composed by the poet-saint Tulsidas, and helps to summarize what has happened in the previous verses. 

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Hinduism - Are Directions Sacred?

 

Each of the principal and intermediate directions is connected with a certain god in Hindu religion, who is said to preside over it and be its protector. 

Guardians of the Directions are also described in the Vedas. 

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Hinduism - What Is The Divine Life Society?

Swami Shivananda created this religious institution in 1936. 

It is headquartered in the Divine Life Ashram, which is located just outside of Rishikesh, Uttar Pradesh, on the Ganges River. 

Despite the fact that Shivananda died in 1963, the society is still very active in spreading Hindu values: through yoga (self-discipline) training programs at the Divine Life Ashram; publishing religious texts, both traditional scriptures and Swami Shivananda's teachings; establishing religious centers around the world; and various social service projects. 

Swami Shivananda was a Dashanami Sanyasi (ascetic) of the Saraswati division, which is one of the few brahmin divisions (priests). 

The Swami's brahmin roots are evident in the organization's teachings, which emphasize vegetarianism, rigorous spiritual growth, a focus on study, and adherence to a stringent moral code. 

Despite having a large number of foreign practitioners, the organization is well valued in Indian culture for all of these reasons. 

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Hinduism - What Are Condidered Divine Abilities In The Hindu Pantheon?

When a single deity is seen as the greatest force in the universe, he or she is said to have five overarching divine powers: creation, order and maintenance of the cosmos, destruction, concealment, and grace (divine self-revelation). 

The first three powers are concerned with the deity's interaction with the physical universe, while the fourth and fifth are concerned with the deity's relationship with individual followers. 

The god is veiled in creation by employing the power of concealment, and therefore human people are kept in the dark. 

This power of concealment is also known as the deity's maya, or the power of illusion, which prevents humans from seeing the divine truth that lies underneath everything. 

The power of illusion is so tremendous that human people can only overcome it with the deity's favor, the ultimate strength. 

This grace is a divine act of self-disclosure in which the god rips the veil of illusion and shows himself or herself to humans.

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Hinduism - What Is The Attitude Towards Divorce In A Hindu Society?

Formal divorce did not exist in traditional Hindu culture until the nineteenth century. 

This omission was certainly due to the Hindu viewpoint on marriage. 

Marriage was seen as a lifelong bond between husband and wife (or, more specifically, assimilation of her identity into his), preventing the marriage from dissolving while both members were still alive. 

When a woman is unable to have children, the husband may marry a second wife, but the original marriage is preserved. 

Husbands and wives might easily desert their marriages for other relationships among the lower social strata, who were frequently less concerned with maintaining group status via appropriate conduct, but this was severely banned among “respectable” individuals. 

In contemporary India, divorce is legal, yet societal and cultural reasons continue to work against it. 

Many women in unhappy marriages are hesitant to file for divorce due to a variety of factors, including a lack of support from their natal families, who are often more interested in attempting to save the marriage; inability to earn a living on their own; and the near certainty that their husband's family will be awarded custody of their children, if they have any. 

Although attitudes are steadily improving, divorced women still find it difficult to remarry. 

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Hinduism - What Is A Dipa?

 

(“lamp”) The twelfth of sixteen traditional upacharas ("offerings") made to a god as part of devotion, following the paradigm of treating the deity as a respected guest. 

The god is offered a light offering by waving a lit lamp in front of it during this activity. 

This practice is also known as arati, a term that is typically used to refer to worship in general. 

The fundamental aim here, as with other upacharas, is to demonstrate one's devotion for the god by ministering to the deity's needs. 

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Hinduism - What Is Dikshanama?

("diksha name") is a Sanskrit word that means "name of After gaining initiation (diksha), a person's name is given as a manner of honoring and affirming the new identity produced by the act of initiation. 

In certain cases, such as ascetic initiation, the initiate's previous name is substituted with the dikshanama. 

The name will be kept concealed in other circumstances as a source of hidden power. 

A Southern Indian brahmin (priest) subcommunity. 

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Hinduism - What Is A Dindi?

Pilgrims in the Varkari Panth, a religious community based on the worship of the deity Vithoba at his temple in modern-day Pandharpur, Maharashtra. 

Participating in two yearly pilgrimages, in which all participants assemble in Pandharpur on the same day, is the principal Varkari religious activity. 

Pilgrims travel in groups called dindis during this trek. 

Dindis are mainly organized along caste lines and are made up of persons from the same neighborhood or location. 

Members of a dindi travel in a group throughout the pilgrimage, walking and singing religious songs together during the day and cooking and camping together at night. 

As a result, inside the broader pilgrim body, these dindis form smaller subcommunities. 

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Hinduism - Who Are The Dikshitars?

The Dikshitars are a very tiny group who live mostly in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, in the temple town of Chidambaram. 

They are Nataraja's hereditary slaves in the Nataraja temple, where the deity Shiva appears as the "Lord of the Dance." 

The Dikshitars were members of Nataraja's celestial host (gana) while he dwelt in heaven, according to their own legendary conception. 

They followed Nataraja to Earth, where they continue to serve him. 

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Hinduism - Who Is Dilip In Hindu Mythology?

In Hindu mythology, one of the characters in the founding tale depicting the Ganges' descent from heaven to earth. 

Dilip is King Sagar's great-grandson and the father of Bhagirath, the sage who eventually completes the assignment. 

The narrative starts with King Sagar, whose 60,000 brave sons insulted the sage Kapila and were subsequently consumed by the fire of Kapila's yogic abilities. 

The spirits of Sagar's deceased uncles would find rest only when the Ganges River (which is thought to be the tangible embodiment of the goddess Ganga) descends from heaven and touches their ashes, says Kapila to Sagar's grandson Anshuman. 

Following this, the family works tirelessly to achieve this aim; Anshuman and Dilip die before achieving it, but Bhagirath eventually succeeds by practicing penance until the gods agree to deliver the Ganges to earth. 

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Hinduism - What Is Diksha?

(“initiation”) The name is claimed to be derived from the verb dis, which means "to point out," and refers to a religious initiation including the receipt of hidden religious teachings. 

The teenage religious initiation known as upanayana, the ritualized "second birth" given on young males from the three "twice-born" groups—that is, brahmin (priestly), kshatriya (martial), or vaishya—has a distinct meaning than diksha (mercantile). 

Both are religious initiations that include the development of new abilities and rights. 

However, diksha is a religious initiation in which the novice receives hidden knowledge from a religious instructor (guru), generally in the form of spoken syllables known as mantras. 

Unlike upanayana, which occurs when a guy is adolescent, the timing of diksha is determined by a person's desire and preparation rather than their physical age. 

Diksha is a particularly significant idea in tantric ritual, as such customized initiations are the means of passing along the heritage from master to pupil. 

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Hinduism - Who Is A Deva?

Although the most prevalent (and often most fitting) translation is "god," the term deva actually means "shining one." This is an appellation for any superhuman figure, yet it may also be used metaphorically to refer to any high-ranking person, such as a king or a brahmin (priest). 

In Hinduism, the concept of "gods" must be understood in the context of reincarnation (samsara), which implies that a person may reincarnate in many distinct realms of reality. 

Some are punishment worlds, where individuals atone for the consequences of their poor karma, while others (the heavens) are pleasure realms, where people enjoy the fruits of their good karma. 

The devas are the occupants of these heavens, and hence "gods," since gods must dwell in heaven by definition. 

All of these gods, even Indra, the king of heaven, are still subject to the vicissitudes of rebirth. 

Birth in paradise is predicated on one's good karma, which is eventually reduced by enjoying the benefits of heaven's existence, just as a savings account is depleted by continual withdrawals. 

Even gods are liable to reincarnation in other worlds when their good karma is depleted. 

Even if these gods are superhuman, the rule of rebirth still applies to them. 

Thus, there is a distinction between these gods (the devas) and the so-called Great gods like Vishnu, Shiva, and the Goddess. 

These later deities are seen by their followers (bhakta) as completely apart from the realms of space, time, and the causes and consequences of karma, and so more closely resemble the Judeo-Christian concept of "God," as the ultimate authority in the cosmos.

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Hinduism - Who Is The Yakshi from Didarganj?

In 1919, a statue was discovered in Didarganj, a village near Patna in Bihar. 

The picture is thought to be from the third century B.C.E., making it a Maurya dynasty product. 

The statue depicts a voluptuous female figure wearing profuse jewelry and wielding a yak-tail whisk (chauri), which was a popular authority symbol at the time. 

It is said to be a yakshi statue, a kind of nature spirit associated with fertility and wealth. 

It is one of the oldest known stone sculptures, and it is thought to have been acquired via interaction with the Greeks. 

The figure is crafted from highly polished Chunar sandstone quarried in Benares, and the carefully detailed rendering of her attire and jewelry conveys the sensation of softness and expansion of the naked flesh. 

~Kiran Atma

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Hinduism - What Are The Populations From The Hindu Diaspora?

Although the great majority of Hindus reside in their traditional homeland of South Asia, mainly India and Nepal, Hindus have long settled in other countries. 

Hindu merchants had disseminated Indian influence across Southeast Asia by the fourth century C.E., as shown by the structures at the Angkor temple complex and the culture of Bali. 

Poverty and congestion in many regions of India (particularly Bihar) drove many of these merchants to work as agricultural contract workers in Fiji, South Africa, East Africa, the West Indies, Mauritius, and even Sri Lanka in the previous century. 

Despite the fact that their local status varies, all of these towns have significant Hindu populations. 

In some of these countries, Indians are treated equally to indigenous peoples, whereas in others, such as Fiji, they face legal challenges. 

Apart from agricultural work, serving in the British army or civil service in other regions of the British Empire, such as Singapore or Hong Kong, provided another opportunity for mobility and promotion. 

Finally, following the conclusion of World War II, immigration and nationalization regulations have been liberalized, resulting in the formation of a sizable Hindu community in North America, both in Canada and the United States.

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Hinduism - What Is Dhvani?

 ("echo") In poetics, the suggestion or connotation elicited by the poet's words, whether secular or holy. 

This idea drew a lot of attention from Indian literary theorists, since it enabled the poet to express considerably more emotion than the surface meanings of the words would suggest, and to cram a lot more pictures and connections into even a short line. 

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Hinduism - What Is Dhyana?

Dhyana is a Sanskrit word that means "meditation." Dhyana is the seventh of the eight aspects of yoga practice in the ashtanga yoga (eight-point discipline) initially organized by the philosopher Patanjali. 

Dhyana, together with dharana ("concentration") and samadhi ("trance"), is one of the three components of yogic training known as "inner discipline" (samyama). 

Dhyana is a continuation of dharana, in which the fixed focus on an object established in dharana is maintained and prolonged without interruption. 

In today's more colloquial use, the term dhyana may refer to any kind of concentrated meditation. 

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Hinduism - What Is A Dhyanashloka?

"Meditation Verse" A stanza or verses describing a deity's bodily qualities in order to provide a mental picture for the worshiper to focus on. 

Dhyanashlokas are very important in tantra, an esoteric ritual tradition whose goal is to replace all outward acts of devotion with mental activity. 

The dhyanashlokas give both a shape and a focus for one's inward devotion in this highly ritualized atmosphere. 

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Hinduism - What Is Dhupa?

Dhupa means "incense" in Sanskrit. 

The eleventh of sixteen typical upacharas ("offerings") made to a god as part of devotion, following the paradigm of treating a deity as a valued guest. 

The god is provided incense to appreciate the aroma of this offering. 

The fundamental aim here, as with other upacharas, is to demonstrate one's devotion for the god by ministering to the deity's needs. 

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Hinduism - Who Is Dhushmeshvar?

Ghrneshvar is another name for Shiva's Ghrneshvar form. 

This is one of the twelve jyotirlingas, a collection of sacred locations (tirthas) dedicated to Shiva and thought to be the only place on the planet where Shiva may be found. 

This location is in the state of Maharashtra. 

Ghrneshvar is another name for Ghrneshvar. 

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Hinduism - Who Is Dhrtarashtra In The Mahabharata?

The son of the philosopher Vyasa and queen Ambika in the Mahabharata, the later of the two major Hindu epics. 

After Shantanu's son Vichitravirya died without heirs, Dhrtarashtra and his stepbrother Pandu are the outcome of a desperate endeavor to maintain King Shantanu's royal dynasty. 

Satyavati, Vichitravirya's mother, instructs her eldest son, Vyasa, to sleep with Ambika and her sister, Ambalika, in the hopes of conceiving the ladies. 

Vyasa is said to be incredibly ugly, and when he comes in a woman's bed, she responds reflexively. 

Ambika closes her eyes, blinding her son Dhrtarashtra, while Ambalika becomes pale, giving her son Pandu an unusually pale skin. 

Dhrtarashtra succeeds to the kingdom despite his infirmity after Pandu's resignation; the latter renounces the world after being cursed by the sage Kindama. 

Dhrtarashtra and his wife Gandhari produce one hundred sons, collectively known as the Kauravas, while Pandu's two wives have five sons, known as the Pandavas. 

The Mahabharata's ultimate cause of strife is the rivalry between these two royal lineages, each of which has a legitimate claim to reign. 

Dhrtarashtra does nothing to avert the conflict. 

He is often represented as a nice guy, but he is also weak and unable to control his oldest son, Duryodhana's ambitions. 

Dhrtarashtra's blindness is not only real, but also symbolic, since he lacks the vision and clarity that would have enabled him to see and prevent the breach between these two families. 

His infirmity puts him on the periphery of everyday life, but it also shows that he is unable to change the course of events, no matter how strongly he feels about them. 

When he provides boons to Draupadi (daughter of King Drupada) after her humiliation by Duryodhana and his brother Duhshasana, she regains freedom for herself and her husbands, and this is one of the few instances he truly exhibits force. 

Dhrtarashtra does not participate in the Mahabharata battle because to his blindness, but he gets frequent reports from his poet Sanjaya, who has the capacity to view events from afar. 

After the Kauravas are destroyed, he joins Gandhari and a group of others in the forest to dwell in isolation. 

He gets murdered in a forest fire six years later. 

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Hinduism - Who Is Dhruva?

 (“fixed”) A youngster who represents the tireless pursuit of a goal in Hindu mythology. 

Dhruva is a king's son, but his father prefers Dhruva's half-brother over Dhruva for some unexplained reason. 

Disturbed by this insult, Dhruva vows to rise above all others and retreats to the wilderness to do austerities (tapas). 

The deity Vishnu comes to Dhruva after eons of body mortifications to offer him a boon. 

Vishnu tells Dhruva that after his death, he would be positioned as the Pole Star, the pivot around which all the other stars in the sky shall revolve. 

In India, this star is still recognized by such name. 

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Hinduism - What Is A Dhuni?

(from Sanskrit dhu, meaning "to light") Ascetics tend to a smoldering fire that they keep burning. 

In monastic life, this fire serves a variety of purposes: It's a way to remain warm in chilly locations, a way to practice physical asceticism by withstanding heat, especially in the summer, and it's also a sort of religious devotion when properly cared for. 

The dhuni is a natural meeting area that serves as the heart of ascetic life for many ascetics, offering warmth, a fire for cooking and brewing tea, and coals for lighting the chillum, a straight pipe used to smoke tobacco laced with hashish (charas). 

In material form, fire is regarded as the god Agni. 

Agni is a witness to the serious and spiritual conversation that takes place around the dhuni. 

Certain restrictions designed to maintain the dhuni's purity can be seen: one should not blow directly on the fire (lest saliva contaminate it), but rather through a tube designed for this purpose; one should keep the boundary around the dhuni (usually made of hardened clay) clean; and one should not touch this boundary with one's feet. 

A lengthy tradition of continual fire may be found in some ascetic places. 

One such place is the Himalayan holy town of Triyuginarayan, where a fire is said to have been blazing for three cosmic eras (yugas). 

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Hinduism - Who Is A Dhobi?

 A washerman who cleans garments by soaking them in water and then pounding them on a stone slab. 

This was a hereditary occupational group (jati), as were all other jobs in old India, albeit the names used to describe them varied from area to region. 

They were often regarded as low-status since they often handled clothing that had been contaminated by perspiration and other human fluids. 

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Hinduism - What Is A Dharna?

When all other methods have failed, this ritual is used to persuade another person to address one's grievances. 

The term dharna is derived from the Sanskrit (holy language) verb dharna, which meaning "to hold" or "to keep." The supplicant's constant public presence in close proximity to the individuals to whom he or she is appealing is one feature of the dharna ritual. 

In contemporary India, a dissatisfied civil worker may stage a dharna before the Parliament building in Delhi, and in some instances, individuals have slept there for months to raise awareness of their situation and organize public opinion. 

People may also perform a dharna at a deity's temple to seek direction or assistance; the most famous example of this is at the Tarakeshvar temple in West Bengal. 

Self-inflicted pain, which is commonly done via fasting (upavasa) or other types of monastic self-denial, is another prevalent feature of dharna. 

Pilgrims to Tarakeshvar abstain from eating or drinking until the deity Shiva delivers them a vision, however temple officials frequently restrict this to three days in practice. 

On a political level, Mohandas K. Gandhi developed the "fast unto death" as a means of achieving his goals. 

The ancient Hindu idea that by willingly enduring bodily agony (tapas), one might acquire spiritual and magical power is one of the cultural assumptions that contributes to make such self-inflicted misery compelling. 

The announcement at the start of the ritual is the other working premise that makes the dharna effective. 

Dharnas are frequently held to rectify very specific perceived injustices that are made public at the outset on a human level. 

It is widely believed that if the person holding the dharna dies, the person against whom the dharna was held would face karmic consequences for causing that person's death. 

Such dharnas are usually only done when there are no other options. 

They continue to be a significant resource because of this idea, even in modern times. 

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Hinduism - What Is Dhatuvada?

Dhatuvada is a Hindu branch of the Indian alchemy tradition that aims to modify, transmute, and perfect the body via the use of different chemicals, with the ultimate objective of immortalizing the body. 

Both Hindus and Buddhists have alchemical schools, just as both have taken the concept of yoga (act of discipline). 

The Dhatuvada school emphasized obtaining bodily perfection only via the use of medications and potions, especially those containing mercury and cinnabar. 

This differs with the Buddhist Rasayana school, which claims that such material techniques are merely used to extend life until the body may be transmuted via meditative, ceremonial, and yogic practices. 

The understanding of the universe as a succession of bipolar opposites, and the belief that reconciling these opposing forces leads to spiritual advancement and the end of reincarnation, are the intellectual foundations for Hindu alchemy (samsara). 

The merger of the sun and the moon is the ruling metaphor for this juxtaposition of opposites. 

Both the sun and the moon are linked to other opposing concepts via an extensive sequence of connections, in line with this bipolar symbolism. 

The sun is associated with warmth, drying power, fire, the goddess Shakti, and menstrual blood, while the moon is associated with cooling, healing power, water, the deity Shiva, and sperm. 

Mercury and sulfur are the two key chemical elements in alchemical praxis, with the former associated with Shiva's sperm and the latter with Shakti's uterine blood. 

The unclean body is cleansed and polished by appropriately combining and digesting these substances, finally making it eternal. 

Modern explanations of this technique almost all state that it should only be done with the permission of one's guru (spiritual teacher); otherwise, certain combinations may be hazardous. 

Mercury is a toxin in and of itself, thus this warning is not unexpected. 

More material may be found in Shashibhushan B. Dasgupta's Obscure Religious Cults, published in 1962, and David Gordon White's "Alchemy: Indian Alchemy," published in Mircea Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion, published in 1993. 

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Hinduism - Who Is Dhenuka?

A violent demon (supernatural creature) who comes in the appearance of a cow in Hindu mythology (dhenu). 

Dhenuka is only one of the demons destroyed by the deity Krishna during his boyhood in the hamlet of Brindavan, this time in collaboration with his brother Balarama. 

Krishna kills the most fearsome demons as if it were child's play in these scenes, which it is in some ways. 

Krishna's presence in the earth and interactions with his followers (bhakta) are seen as a lila ("play"), and the ease with which he deals with these demons attests to this playful reveal of his divine essence. 

See David R. Kinsley's 1975 book The Sword and the Flute for more on this subject.

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Hinduism - What Are The Dharma Sutras?

("dharma aphorisms") The first works particularly dedicated to dharma—moral responsibilities, rights, and obligations for distinct social groupings. 

These were produced between the seventh and second centuries B.C.E. as collections of aphorisms, some of which are so concise that they almost demand interpretation. 

The Dharma Sutras, according to hypothesis, were the third and last section of a Kalpa Sutra (complete manual of religious practice) that also included instructions for Vedic rituals (Shrauta Sutras) and household ceremonies (Grhya Sutras). 

Each Kalpa Sutra was theoretically linked to one of the four Vedas, the earliest Hindu sacred writings, and hence belonged to the brahmins (priests) associated with that Veda. 

A certain Dharma Sutra was identified with a specific set of brahmins and served largely as a behavior handbook for them. 

Since more than twenty collections of Dharma Sutras have been unearthed, the true picture is significantly more complicated, albeit the most important are attributed to sages and authors Apastamba, Gautama, Vasishtha, Baudhayana, and the divinity Vishnu. 

These Dharma Sutras attempted to offer an orderly way of life by defining each person's rights and responsibilities in relation to his or her social standing (varna) and life stage (ashrama). 

Later Dharma Shastras (treatises on religious obligation) were based on these works, which enlarged the sutras, placed them into poetry, and were meant to serve as a real rule of law for the community's members. 

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Hinduism - What Is The Dharmashastra?

A broad word for the study of dharma (religious duty), whether it refers to the actual scriptures (Dharma Shastras), treatises on religious obligation, or the enormous commentary-like literature on these texts in general. 

Despite the fact that the Dharma Shastras are thought to have been composed between the second century B.C.E. 

and the early centuries of the common period, this literature was written until current times. 

The literature included in-depth analysis of legal issues such as crime and punishment, civil law, contracts, and evidence standards. 

It also dealt with issues of social order. 

(“Dharma Treatises”) This term refers to a certain corpus of Sanskrit writings in their most specific meaning. 

These works were specifically intended to provide instructions for society's structure and proper human conduct within that civilization. 

The Dharma Shastras (aphorisms on religious duty) were composed shortly after the Dharma Sutras (aphorisms on religious duty) and are obviously fashioned after them, although with a few key differences. 

The Dharma Shastras are written in simple poetry, but the Dharma Sutras are written in prose. 

The Dharma Shastras were written in a language that is similar to ancient Sanskrit, and the authors attempted to make their books as plain and understandable as possible. 

The Dharma Shastras cover the same ground as the Dharma Sutras in terms of substance, but they lay a greater focus on figuring out the practical issues of social life, notably the king's obligations and powers. 

The last distinction is their relationship to older Vedic literature. 

Along with the Shrauta Sutras (prescriptions for Vedic ceremonies) and the Grhya Sutras, the Dharma Sutras were intended as the last piece of a Kalpa Sutra (full manual of religious practice) (prescriptions for domestic rites). 

Each Kalpa Sutra was linked to one of the Vedas (the earliest holy Hindu books) and hence became the "family property" of the brahmins (priests) who were connected to that Veda. 

As a result, each Dharma Sutra was connected with a certain set of brahmins and served largely as a guide for their conduct. 

The Dharma Shastras, on the other hand, professed to set out norms for all members of society. 

They are unconcerned with rituals and have no ties to any specific Vedic school, instead professing to set down universal truths. 

The surviving Dharma Shastras are all assigned to mythological sages—Manu, Yajnavalkya, and Narada—while the Dharma Sutras are given human authorship in line with this focus. 

Thus, the Dharma Shastras establish dharma (dharmashastra) as a discipline separate from older Vedic literature and applied to society as a whole. 

A five-volume compilation by Pandurang Vaman Kane (trans. ), A History of Dharmasastra, 1968, has the most comprehensive list of all these texts. 

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Hinduism - What Is The Hindu Concept Of Dharma?

The other three purusharthas, or life goals, are artha (money, power, and success), kama (desire), and moksha (liberation). 

The notion of dharma is so fundamental to Hindu society that no one English phrase can effectively convey it— potential translations include "religious law," "religious obligation," "duty," "religion," "law," or "social order." 

The term dharma is derived from a verb that means "to maintain" or "to uphold." 

• Dharma is therefore defined as that which sustains or maintains society, which explains why all of the above translations make sense in this context. 

• Dharma provides a general regulatory framework for living in the world, as well as a sense of ultimate purpose to keep one's life in check. 

Although Hindu culture encourages the pursuit of both power (artha) and pleasure (kama), it is thought that both will be regulated by an underlying commitment to dharma, which will keep one's life balanced and connected. 

The Dharma literature, particularly the Dharma Sutras (aphorisms on religious duty) and Dharma Shastras (treatises on religious duty), was principally concerned with putting down principles for an ordered and harmonious society, and these guidelines take many conceivable aspects into consideration. 

Despite the fact that these writings talked of an everlasting (sanatana) dharma and some universal obligations (sadharana dharma) that all humans must do, the most essential thing for every individual was his or her own dharma (svadharma). 

Based on one's social standing (varna), period of life (ashrama), and gender (the specific dharma for women was stridharma), one's svadharma offered a well-defined social status and duty. 

These books were almost certainly written by brahmin (priest) males

• They tell everything about how they felt things should be, but they are significantly less dependable when it comes to real social behaviors. 

• The men who wrote this literature imagined an unequal society in which one's karma (actions), whether good, bad, or mixed, determined one's birth into high or low status groups. 

Despite their unequal standing, all groups were required for society to operate peacefully, and ultimate virtue resided in scrupulously completing one's designated social duty. 

Doing so dutifully was not only a source of religious merit, but it was also defined as one of the three pathways towards soul liberation, the road of Action, provided one performed one's tasks dispassionately from a feeling of responsibility (karmamarga). 

See Pandurang Vaman Kane (trans. ), A History of Dharmasastra, 1968, and K. S. Mathur, “Hindu Values of Life: Karma and Dharma,” in T. N. Madan (ed. ), Religion in India, 1991, for further information. 

~ Kiran Atma

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Hinduism - Who Is Dharma, The Deity? What Are The Dharma Sutras?

A god who is seen as the embodiment of dharma, or religious responsibility. 

The five Pandava brothers, who are the epic's protagonists, all have heavenly fathers in the Mahabharata, the later of the two major Hindu epics, and the oldest brother Yudhishthira is the son of Dharma. 

Yudhishthira and his brothers are from a kingly (kshatriya) family, yet Yudhishthira cares much about truth, morality, and compassion. 

None of these are traditional kshatriya attributes, which emphasize bravery and martial valor, and Yudhishthira's qualities are generally explained by evoking his heavenly father's influence. 

In medieval Bengal, a new kind of Dharma cult evolved from the blending of Buddhist, Muslim, and Hindu concepts. 

Dharma was worshiped as a formless one ultimate Lord in this religion (perhaps reflecting Islamic influence), yet the worship of Dharma had many parallels to Bengali Hindu rites. 

Obscure Religious Cults, by Shashibhushan B. Dasgupta, was published in 1962. 

Dharma Literature is a term that refers to the study of the Buddha's teachings.

Many books address the issue of dharma, or religious responsibility, either openly or implicitly. 

The Vedas are the earliest Hindu holy books, and they are said to define the eternal (sanatana) dharma. 

The Dharma Sutras, composed in an aphoristic (sutra) style between the seventeenth and second centuries B.C.E., are the earliest important works specifically dedicated to dharma. 

The Dharma Sutras were all associated with certain Vedic schools, and were therefore mainly meant as a behavior handbook for members of that school alone, at least in principle. 

The Dharma Sutras were followed by the Dharma Shastras, which enlarged and placed into verse the information in the Dharma Sutras; these writings provided instructions for all members of society and were therefore meant to be "legal" in their significance. 

The Manava Dharma Shastra (Manu Smrti), written around the turn of the common period, was one of the first. 

Although the most notable works were written by the sixteenth century, the process of reconsidering and developing this legal heritage via commentary has persisted till now. 

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Hinduism - Who Is Dharmaputra?

("Dharma's son") Yudhishthira, the oldest of the five Pandava brothers, was given this appellation. 

In the Mahabharata, the second of the two major Hindu epics, the Pandavas are the protagonists. 

Yudhishthira and his companions are the sons of different deities who are miraculously conceived when their mothers utilize the power of a mantra, according to the epic (sacred sound). 

Dharma, the defender of righteousness, is Yudhishthira's father. 

Yudhishthira's paternity is used to explain his passion for truth and justice, which are distinguishing characteristics of his personality. 

These aren't often thought of as kingly (kshatriya) characteristics, which emphasize bravery and martial valor.

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Hinduism - Who Is Dharmaraja?

("Righteousness King") Yama, the god of death and the ruling deity of the underworld, is known by this nickname. 

Yama is in charge of judging and punishing the dead, and it is believed that the prospect of retribution deters humans from doing evil. 

Because his father is the deity Dharma, the keeper of justice, Yudhishthira, the oldest of the five Pandava brothers, has this name as one of his epithets. 

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Hinduism - What Are Dharamshalas?

("Dharma's home") A pilgrims' rest stop with no frills. 

Pious benefactors (as a religious deed) often erected Dharamshalas to offer pilgrims with not just a basic place to stay during their trip, but also a location with a healthy religious environment. 

A dharamshala's amenities are often quite modest, well below those of a hotel—in many instances, it's a completely barren room in which pilgrims cook, dine, and sleep, frequently on their own bedding. 

Pilgrims were not required to pay anything for their stay until far into the twentieth century, however they were expected to make a gift according to their means and desire when they left. 

Dharamshalas now have regulated fees for housing, although they are always less expensive than hotels since amenities are limited. 

Their overall ambience and clients are likewise very different. 

Most dharamshalas continue to endeavor to develop and preserve a healthy religious environment by including a temple in the structure, performing worship in the morning, evening, and on special occasions, and sponsoring scripture readings, lectures, and other religious events. 

These activities contribute to the formation of a religious community, and individuals seeking it on their trip will want to stay in such areas. 

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