70-838: In Hindu literature , Andhaka ( Sanskrit : अन्धक, IAST : Andhaka; lit. "He who darkens") refers to a malevolent asura , whose pride is vanquished by Shiva and Parvati . His story finds mention in various Hindu texts, including the Matsya Purāṇa , the Kūrma Purāṇa , the Liṅga Purāṇa , the Padma Purana , and the Shiva Purana . He is believed to have one thousand heads, and one thousand arms, and also having two thousand eyes. In another version, he has two thousand arms, and two thousand legs. In some versions of his story, Andhaka
140-458: A blind person, thus bearing the name. Over time, Andhaka became arrogant since he cannot be harmed by anyone. At one time, Andhaka went to the court of Indra, abducted all the Apsaras , and defeated all of the gods in battle. He also hindered the performance of yajñas by the gods. Being so tormented, the gods approached Nārada for assistance. Nārada visited Andhaka to counsel with him. Andhaka
210-524: A boon of his choice. Andhaka asked Brahma to repair his vision and also asked him to make him immortal. Brahmā replied that he could not make him immortal since all that take birth must die, although he could choose the condition of his death. Andhaka asked that he could only be killed if he lusted after a woman who was like a mother. Brahma agreed and granted all his boons. When Andhaka returned to his kingdom, his cousins became fearful of his new power and returned his kingdom as well as their own. After becoming
280-698: A class of minor deities who serve as divine musicians in Hindu mythology . The term gandharva is present in Vedic sources (including in the Rigveda ) as a singular deity. According to Oberlies, "In mandala I, IX and X the gandharva is presented as a celestial being (dwelling near the Sun / in the heavenly waters) which watches over the Soma (apparently) for the benefit of the gods and the sacrificers." The gandharva also "receives
350-666: A defined area. The earliest are dated to the latter half of the 1st millennium BCE. The Dharma-shastras (law books), derivatives of the Dharma-sutras . Other examples were bhautikashastra "physics", rasayanashastra "chemistry", jīvashastra "biology", vastushastra "architectural science", shilpashastra "science of sculpture", arthashastra "economics" and nītishastra "political science". It also includes Tantras and Agama literature. The Puranas, which mean "history" or "old", are Sanskrit texts which were composed between 3rd century BCE and 1000 CE. The Puranas are
420-460: A hundred forms and knocked him unconscious in battle. Andhaka fled back to Pātāla with the intention to recuperate and make another attempt at procuring Parvati. Prahlāda tried to dissuade him. He revealed to Andhaka his true origins about being born from the sweat of Shiva when Parvati covered his eyes. His explanation falls on deaf ears and he fails to persuade the Asura. Andhaka attacked Shiva and
490-515: A mere skeletal appearance. Andhaka begged for forgiveness and prostrated infront of Shiva as his father and Parvati as his mother. He is forgiven and made a Gaṇa chief. Shiva takes him to the Mandara mountain where Parvati also blesses the same boon to him and he later becomes famous by the name of Bhṛṅgi . In the Kūrma Purāṇa too, Andhaka is the natural son of Hiraṇyākṣa and becomes the king of
560-544: A severe penance to please Brahmā . Brahmā thus appeared to him and offered him a boon. Andhaka requested that Brahmā give and make divine vision and immortality. Brahmā granted Andhaka these wishes, but warned him that he could still be killed by Shiva . Andhaka went back to his kingdom and subdued all his opponents as well as the Devas . Andhaka asked his minister if there was anyone who could match him in strength, majesty and riches. The minister informed him that he did not have
630-677: A vast genre of Hindu texts that encyclopedically cover a wide range of topics, particularly legends and other traditional lore. Composed primarily in Sanskrit, but also in regional languages, several of these texts are named after major Hindu deities such as Vishnu , Shiva , and Devi . The Puranic literature is encyclopedic, and it includes diverse topics such as cosmogony , cosmology , genealogies of gods, goddesses, kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, folk tales, pilgrimages, temples, medicine, astronomy, grammar, mineralogy, humor, love stories, as well as theology and philosophy. The content
700-949: Is a vast corpus of diverse texts, and includes but is not limited to Vedāngas , the Hindu epics (such as the Mahabharat and Ramayan), the Sutras and Shastras , the texts of Hindu philosophies , the Puranas , the Kāvya or poetical literature, the Bhasyas , and numerous Nibandhas (digests) covering politics, ethics, culture, arts and society. Many ancient Hindu texts were composed in Sanskrit and other regional Indian languages. In modern times, most ancient texts have been translated into other Indian languages and some in non-Indian languages. Prior to
770-529: Is described as a son of Shiva and Parvati. In the Shiva Purana , when Shiva was meditating on Mount Mandara , Parvati was in a playful mood and covered Shiva's eyes. This caused the whole universe to become covered in darkness. The sweat that oozed out of Parvati's hands, due to touching Shiva's powerful third eye, fell to the ground and created a horrible looking and blind boy. Parvati was terrified on seeing him, but Shiva rebuked her, claiming that since he
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#1732773236460840-803: Is diverse across the Puranas, and each Purana has survived in numerous manuscripts which are themselves voluminous and comprehensive. The Hindu Puranas are anonymous texts and likely the work of many authors over the centuries; in contrast, most Jaina Puranas can be dated and their authors assigned. There are 18 Maha Puranas (Great Puranas): Agni Purana , Bhagavata Purana , Bhavishya Purana , Brahmanda Purana , Brahmavaivarta Purana , Garuda Purana , Kurma Purana , Linga Purana , Markandeya Purana , Naradiya Purana , Padma Purana , Shiva Purana , Skanda Purana , Vamana Purana , Varaha Purana , Vayu Purana , and Vishnu Purana and 18 Upa Puranas (Minor Puranas), with over 400,000 verses. The Puranas do not enjoy
910-542: Is given for the gandharvas. They are called the creatures of Prajapati , of Brahma , of Kashyapa and Pradha, of the Munis, of Arishta, or of Vāc . The Bhagavata Purana mentions that when Brahma , during creation, saw the activities of some sexually active asuras, he laughed. From his laughter were produced the gandharvas. A gandharva is one of the lowest-ranking Devas in Buddhist cosmology. They are classed among
980-421: Is heard, and Smriti ( Sanskrit : स्मृति, IAST : Smṛti ) – that which is remembered. The Shruti texts refer to the body of most authoritative and ancient religious texts , believed to be eternal knowledge authored neither by human nor divine agent but transmitted by sages ( rishis ). These comprise the central canon of Hinduism . It includes the four Vedas including its four types of embedded texts –
1050-508: Is here that the reader is informed that Andhaka's son is Āḍi . Another version of the tale states that Andhaka fought with the Gaṇas and Shiva's sons, but that the gods lost the battle. Shiva sends Vīrabhadra to battle it out with Andhaka, but every time Vīrabhadra kills Andhaka, another form arises from his blood that falls upon the earth. Parvati becomes furious and assumes the form of Kālī . She destroys each and every copy of Andhaka, except for
1120-523: Is later named a Gaṇa chief. Shiva also makes Andhaka a handsome man who then prostrates before Parvati in repentance. Parvati forgives him and accepts him as her son. In the Matsya Purāṇa , Andhaka, the son of Hiraṇyākṣa , tries to abduct Parvati from Shiva. A battle ensues in the Mahākāla forest and the blood that flows from Andhaka gives rise to a thousand more demons. Shiva creates numerous divine mothers,
1190-404: Is met with refusal. At one point, Mahiṣāsura and Tārakāsura are killed by the gods, a feat which Andhaka thought was impossible. After this incident, Andhaka came to desire a beautiful wife and was informed about Parvati, said to be the most beautiful woman in the world. Unaware that Parvati is his mother, Andhaka makes his way to Shiva's abode. There he tried to abduct Parvati, but she assumed
1260-431: Is not attributed to these texts. The origin language of these texts is Sanskrit. The Vedas are considered Shruti texts. The Vedas consist of four parts: Rig Veda , Sama Veda , Yajur Veda , and Atharva Veda . Each Veda is subcategorized into Samhitas , Brahmanas , Aranyakas , and Upanishads . The four Vedas ( Rig Veda , Sama Veda , Yajur Veda , and Atharva Veda ) are a large body of Hindu texts originating from
1330-538: Is the classification of literature which includes various scriptures and Itihasa s (epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata ), Harivamsa Puranas , Agamas and Darshanas . This genre of texts includes the Sutras and Shastras of the six schools of Hindu philosophy : Samkhya , Yoga, Nyaya , Vaisheshika, Mimamsa and Vedanta . The Sutras and Shastras texts were compilations of technical or specialized knowledge in
1400-458: Is thought to be synonymous with Janavasabha , a rebirth of King Bimbisāra of Magadha . Mātali is the charioteer of Śakra . Timbarū is a chieftain of the gandharvas. There is a romantic story told about the love between his daughter Bhaddā Suriyavacchasā ( Sanskrit : Bhadrā Sūryavarcasā ) and another gandharva, Pañcasikha ( Sanskrit : Pañcaśikha ). Pañcasikha fell in love with Suriyavacchasā when he saw her dancing before Śakra, but she
1470-476: The mukhya (main) or principal Upanishads . The ten mukhya Upanishads are: Isha , Kena , Katha , Prashna , Mundaka , Mandukya , Taittiriya , Aitareya , Chandogya , and Brihadaranyaka. The mukhya Upanishads are found mostly in the concluding part of the Brahmanas and Aranyakas and were, for centuries, memorized by each generation and passed down verbally . The early Upanishads all predate
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#17327732364601540-582: The Cāturmahārājakāyika Devas, and are subject to the Great King Dhṛtarāṣṭra , Guardian of the East. Beings are reborn among the gandharvas as a consequence of having practiced the most basic form of ethics (Janavasabha Sutta, DN.18). gandharvas can fly through the air, and are known for their skill as musicians. They are connected with trees and flowers, and are described as dwelling in
1610-505: The Mātṛkā , who drink the demon's blood every time it issues forth. After they become satiated, Vāsudeva creates the goddess Śuṣkarevatī who drinks the blood of all the demons and kills them. When Shiva is about to blow the final strike, Andhaka surrenders and begs for forgiveness by praying to him. Pleased by his devotion, Shiva makes him a Gaṇa. According to the Harivaṃśa Purāṇa , Andhaka
1680-569: The Natasutras to have been composed around 600 BCE, whose complete manuscript has not survived into the modern age. Manuscripts collections (incomplete) Online resources: Gandharva A gandharva ( Sanskrit : गन्धर्व , lit. 'musician') is a member of a class of celestial beings in Indian religions , such as Hinduism , Buddhism , and Jainism , whose males are divine performers such as musicians and singers, and
1750-868: The Samhitas , the Brahmanas , the Aranyakas and the Upanishads . Of the Shrutis , the Upanishads alone are widely influential among Hindus, considered scriptures par excellence of Hinduism, and their central ideas have continued to influence its thoughts and traditions. The Smriti texts are a specific body of Hindu texts attributed to an author, as a derivative work they are considered less authoritative than Shruti in Hinduism. The Smriti literature
1820-534: The Upanishads , and the Itihasa . Scholars hesitate in defining the term "Hindu scriptures" given the diverse nature of Hinduism , but many list the Agamas as Hindu scriptures, and Dominic Goodall includes Bhagavata Purana and Yajnavalkya Smriti in the list of Hindu scriptures as well. There are two historic classifications of Hindu texts: Shruti ( Sanskrit : श्रुति, IAST : Śruti ) – that which
1890-633: The Vedic period in northern India, the Rig Veda being composed c. 1200 BCE , and its Samhita and Brahmanas complete before about 800 BCE. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit hymns , the texts constitute the oldest layer of Sanskrit literature and the oldest scriptures of Hinduism . Hindus consider the Vedas to be timeless revelation, apauruṣeya , which means "not of a man, superhuman" and "impersonal, authorless". The knowledge in
1960-549: The "last chapters, parts of the Veda " or "the object, the highest purpose of the Veda". The concepts of Brahman (Ultimate Reality) and Ātman (Soul, Self) are central ideas in all the Upanishads , and "Know your Ātman" their thematic focus. The central ideas of the Upanishads have had a lasting influence on Hindu philosophy. More than 200 Upanishads are known, of which ten are the oldest and most important and are referred to as
2030-477: The Asuras after the death of Prahlāda . Like other variants, he lusts after Parvati and goes to Mount Mandara to abduct her when Shiva is away. Shiva had entrusted Nandi to guard his household and the gods including Vishnu, to attend to and protect Parvati. When Andhaka arrives, Nandi battles with him and pierces him with a trident. Upon spilling of his blood, a thousand more Asura like him spawn and defeat Nandi and
2100-467: The Bhagavad Gita teaches Arjuna about atma (soul), God, moksha , and dharma. The Ramayana, an ancient Sanskrit text with the earliest part believed to have been composed in the 5th century BCE, is attributed to the sage Valmiki and contains over 24,000 verses. The epic covers the life journey of Rama , an incarnation of Vishnu, along with his wife Sita , and brother Lakshmana . Central to
2170-654: The Common Era, some in all likelihood pre-Buddhist (6th century BCE), down to the Maurya period . Of the remainder, some 95 Upanishads are part of the Muktika canon, composed from about the start of common era through medieval Hinduism . New Upanishads, beyond the 108 in the Muktika canon, continued being composed through the early modern and modern era, though often dealing with subjects unconnected to Hinduism. Smriti
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2240-608: The Devas joined the battle against Andhaka and his army. Andhaka's general Vighasa swallowed all the gods, to which Shiva retaliated by charging with his bull and plowing into the demon. Śukra , the preceptor of Asura, brought the dead Asuras back to life by using his medicinal herb, the Mṛtasañjīvanī . Shiva ordered the Gaṇas to capture Śukra. When they brought him to Shiva, he swallowed the demon guru. Shiva attacked Andhaka with his trident , but every drop of Andhaka's blood that fell to
2310-412: The Devas. Nandi prays to Vishnu for aid. When Vishnu arrives he creates several Mātṛkā goddesses who vanquish the demons. When Shiva returns, Andhaka returns in another attempt to abduct Parvati. Shiva and Vishnu wage battle against Andhaka and his army. Shiva succeeds in impaling Andhaka on his trident and begins to dance. By his mere touch, Andhaka's sins are burned away and he begs for forgiveness. He
2380-464: The Gandharvaloka. Female gandharvas are called gandharvis. In Hindu law, a gandharva marriage is one contracted by mutual consent and without formal rituals. Gandharvas are mentioned extensively in the epic Mahabharata as associated with the devas (as dancers and singers) and with the yakshas , as formidable warriors. They are mentioned as spread across various territories . Some of
2450-562: The Rāmāyaṇa. Hindu texts Divisions Sama vedic Yajur vedic Atharva vedic Vaishnava puranas Shaiva puranas Shakta puranas Traditional Hindu texts or Hindu scriptures are manuscripts and voluminous historical literature which are related to any of the diverse traditions within Hinduism . Some of the major Hindu texts include the Vedas ,
2520-529: The Soma from the ‘Daughter of the Sun' to put it into the Soma plant (RV 9.113.3), i.e., to bring it to this world." The gandharva also brings other things from the beyond, including humans (RV 10.10.4) and the horse (RV 1.163.2). As such, the function of the gandharva is "to escort things from ‘outside' into this world thereby divesting them of their (potential) dangerous nature." Later, the figure also came to be associated with fertility and virility. The Atharvaveda mentions 6,333 gandharvas. They are generally
2590-410: The Vedas is believed in Hinduism to be eternal, uncreated, neither authored by human nor by divine source, but seen, heard and transmitted by sages. Vedas are also called shruti ("what is heard") literature, distinguishing them from other religious texts, which are called smṛti ("what is remembered"). The Vedas, for orthodox Indian theologians, are considered revelations, some way or other
2660-429: The ascetic to hand over the woman to their master, Shiva refused, stating that if their master wanted her, he should take her himself. When his generals informed Andhaka about this, he became furious and proceeded to fight Shiva. With his army of Asuras, Andhaka fought Nandi and Shiva's Gaṇas, but were defeated and forced to flee. Andhaka soon returned to battle, which lasted for seven hundred years. Vishnu, Brahmā and
2730-618: The authority of a scripture in Hinduism, but are considered a Smriti . These Hindu texts have been influential in the Hindu culture , inspiring major national and regional annual festivals of Hinduism. The Bhagavata Purana has been among the most celebrated and popular text in the Puranic genre. The Bhagavata Purana emphasizes bhakti (devotion) towards Krishna. The Bhagavata Purana is a key text in Krishna bhakti literature. The Mahābhārata , which translates to " The Great Indian Tale ",
2800-428: The beauty of the mountain, he decided to stay there and ordered his three generals Duryodhana, Vighasa and Hasti to search for a place suitable to stay. While searching, his generals found a cave where a hermit was meditating and saw a beautiful woman along with him. They told their master about this, who ordered them to bring the woman to him. The hermit happened to be Shiva and the woman his wife Parvati. When they told
2870-429: The company of a beautiful woman. The world's most beautiful woman, he explained, was Parvati , who belonged to a matted ascetic who lived on Mount Kailāśa . Andhaka was advised that if he wished to be truly matchless, he should possess her. Andhaka sent a messenger to Shiva with the demand to hand over his wife. Andhaka attacked Shiva with his greatest warriors, but they were defeated by Shiva's army. One day, when Shiva
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2940-433: The demon with his trident. However, whenever Andhaka's blood fell on the ground, a copy of him would spawn. Vishnu created several Mātṛkās to drink the blood of the demon every time he was hurt, preventing the spread of new demons. Finally, Shiva decapitated Andhaka. According to Shiva Purana, in a twist of events, since Andhaka had chanted Shiva's name in repentance after which he was told of his biological parentage and he
3010-635: The early documented history of arts and science forms in India such as music , dance , sculptures , architecture , astronomy , science , mathematics , medicine and wellness . Valmiki 's Ramayana (500 BCE to 100 BCE) mentions music and singing by Gandharvas , dance by Apsaras such as Urvashi , Rambha , Menaka , Tilottama Panchāpsaras , and by Ravana 's wives who excelling in nrityageeta or "singing and dancing" and nritavaditra or "playing musical instruments"). The evidence of earliest dance related texts are in Natasutras , which are mentioned in
3080-480: The entire Mandara mountain. In response, Shiva, with his mace, mounts his bull and charges Andhaka. When Shiva releases his spear, it strikes the demon in the chest and reduces him to ash. In the Liṅga Purāṇa , Andhaka's story is related as a variation of accounts of Harvamsa and Kurma Purana. Andhaka was the son of Hiraṇyākṣa and was given immunity to death by Brahmā after he performed a severe penance. He traversed
3150-410: The entire mountain and with the help of his Asura army. They manage to grind the mountain down, destroying all of its natural beauty. Once Shiva become informed of this, he blesses the mountain with a boon which restored it to its original splendor. The mountain summits began to kill the Asuras who had attempted to destroy them. Upon seeing this, Andhaka calls out the owner of the mountain, wishing to burn
3220-406: The females are divine dancers. In Hinduism, they are regarded to be the celestial demigods who serve as the musicians of the devas . It is also a term for skilled singers in Indian classical music . In Buddhism, this term also refers to a being in the intermediate state (between death and rebirth). In Hinduism , the gandharvas ( Sanskrit : गन्धर्व , romanized : gandharva ) are
3290-433: The ground from the wound gave rise to the eight forms of Bhairava . Shiva impaled Andhaka on his trident and lifted him upon it. The sweat that emanated from Shiva gave rise to a girl and a boy of the colour of charcoal, who proceed to consume Andhaka's blood before it falls onto the ground. Shiva names the girl Cārcikā and the boy Maṅgala. He holds Andhaka impaled on his trident for thousands of years, reducing his body to
3360-515: The ground spawned another demon like him. Shiva requested the goddess chandi to drink the blood while he took care of the rest of Andhaka's duplicates. After vanquishing the remaining Asura, Shiva impaled Andhaka with his trident and lifted him thereupon, where he remained for a very long time. Once he had realised that the woman who he was lusting for was his own mother and her husband was his own father, he felt deeply grieved and ashamed of his actions. He sincerely prayed to Shiva for forgiveness. Shiva,
3430-474: The husbands of apsaras . They are described as handsome beings who wear fragrant attire and are passionate about women. Some are part animal, usually a bird or horse. They have exceptional musical skills. They guard the sacred Soma drink, and play beautiful music for the devas in their palaces. Gandharvas usually live in Indraloka and serve at Indra's court, though they also have their own realm, called
3500-501: The lord of all Asuras, Andhaka fought with the Devas along with his army and conquered heaven. He then proceeded to conquer the Nāgas , Gandharvas , Rākṣasas , Yakṣas and the humans. He thus became the lord of the three worlds . He was a cruel ruler and disrespected the Vedas , the Brahmins and the Devas . Once while on a journey, Andhaka happened to visit Mount Mandara . Charmed by
3570-626: The most humble one, forgave him and made him the chief of the Gaṇas. In the Vāmana Purāṇa , the story of Andhaka's birth remains same. Andhaka was the son of Hiraṇyākṣa and cousin of Prahlāda . Andhaka and Prahlāda, along with their army defeated the Devas, making Prahlāda the king of the three worlds . Sometime later, Prahlāda battled Vishnu, but lost the battle due to a curse the sages have placed upon him. After his loss, he appointed Andhaka as king and successfully acquires Vishnu's forgiveness. Upon returning, Andhaka tries to make him king again, but
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#17327732364603640-515: The most prominent gandharvas include Tumburu , Visvavasu (who was the father of Pramadvara), Chitrangada (who killed Chitrangada, the son of Shantanu and Satyavati ), Chitrasena (with whom the Kauravas and Pandavas fought in the Ghosha-yatra ), Drumila (the biological father of Kamsa in some texts), and Candavega (king of gandharvas who invaded the city of Purañjana). Various parentage
3710-504: The other deities with his army, most of whom were obliterated. Andhaka then disguised himself as Shiva to fool Parvati, but she managed to recognised him and hid among her servants. Unable to find her, Andhaka returns to the battle. Kārttikeya and Gaṇeśa , accompanied by the Gaṇas , destroyed Andhaka's chariot. Shiva engaged him in battle and pierced his heart, but Andhaka was able to recover and strike Shiva with his mace. The blood that fell on
3780-563: The plot is the fourteen-year exile endured by Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana, during which Sita is abducted by Ravana of Lanka . Rama, accompanied by Lakshmana, Hanuman (a devotee of Rama), and an army, engages in a battle with Ravana, ultimately emerging victorious with Rama's slaying of Ravana. The epic concludes with Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana's return to Ayodhya , where Rama is crowned king and reigns over Ayodhya. Hindu texts for specific fields, in Sanskrit and other regional languages, have been reviewed as follows: The Hindu scriptures provide
3850-644: The real one, who is saved by Shiva and given a new life. In the Rāmāyaṇa , the story of Kālī killing Andhaka is briefly noted in Chapter 30 of the Araṇya Kāṇḍa , at the moment when Khara , the younger brother of Rāvaṇa is killed by Rāma . The scripture reads that Andhaka was killed by Shiva's third eye in the forest of the sage Śveta. In the Mahābhārata , Andhaka is killed by Kālī, though not by his third eye as in
3920-629: The scents of bark, sap, and blossoms. They are among the beings of the wilderness that might disturb a monk meditating alone. The terms gandharva and yakṣa sometimes refer to the same entity. Yakṣa in these cases is the more general term, including a variety of lower deities. In the Mahātaṇhāsankhaya Sutta of the Majjhima Nikāya , the Buddha explains to the bhikkhus that an embryo develops when three conditions are met:
3990-530: The start of the common era, the Hindu texts were composed orally, then memorized and transmitted orally, from one generation to the next, for more than a millennium before they were written down into manuscripts. This verbal tradition of preserving and transmitting Hindu texts, from one generation to next, continued into the modern era. The Shruti texts, defined as "that which is heard", are texts that are believed to be divine revelations of God and were heard by ancient rishis thousands of years ago. Thus, an author
4060-415: The text of Panini , the sage who wrote the classic on Sanskrit grammar , and who is dated to about 500 BCE. This performance arts related Sutra text is mentioned in other late Vedic texts, as are two scholars names Shilalin ( IAST : Śilālin) and Krishashva (Kṛśaśva), credited to be pioneers in the studies of ancient drama, singing, dance and Sanskrit compositions for these arts. Richmond et al. estimate
4130-424: The three worlds and conquered the heavens. The Devas retreated to Mount Mandara, where the demon followed them. Shiva, on the request of the Devas, challenges Andhaka, destroys his army and impales him on his trident. However, the divine sight of Shiva burns away all of Andhaka's sins, prompting the latter to eulogizing him. Shiva was pleased with his devotion and forgave him, making him the chief of all his Gaṇas. It
4200-644: The war between two groups of cousins (the Pandavas and the Kauravas ) and the aftermath of the Kurukshetra War . The Mahabharata also teaches about dharma (duty), the stories of many key figures in Hinduism, and includes the Bhagavad Gita . The Bhagavad Gita is made up of 700 shlokas and is the discussion between Krishna and Arjuna on the battlefield before the start of the war. Krishna in
4270-561: The woman must be in the correct point of her menstrual cycle, the woman and man must have sexual intercourse, and a gandhabba must be present. According to the commentary of this sutta, the use of the word gandhabba doesn't refer to a celestial Deva, but a being enabled to be born by its karma . It is the state of a sentient being between rebirths. Among the notable gandharvas mentioned (in DN.20 and DN.32) are Panāda , Opamañña , Nala , Cittasena , Mātali , and Janesabha . The last in this list
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#17327732364604340-687: The work of the Deity . In the Hindu Epic the Mahabharata , the creation of Vedas is credited to the deity responsible for creation, Brahma . Each of the four Vedas have been subclassified into four major text types: The Upanishads are a collection of Hindu texts which contain the central philosophical concepts of Hinduism. The Upanishads are the foundation of Hindu philosophical thought and its diverse traditions. The Upanishads are commonly referred to as Vedānta , interpreted to mean either
4410-437: Was a Daitya and the son of Diti and the sage Kaśyapa . After the defeat of Daityas by Vishnu, Diti pleaded with Kaśyapa to give her such a son who couldn't be defeated by the gods. Kaśyapa granted her boon and told her that only Shiva had the power to destroy her son, as no one could match his power. Kaśyapa then touched her belly and a child was born with a thousand eyes and limbs. Although he wasn't blind, Andhaka walked like
4480-527: Was able to get Suriyavacchasā, already pleased with Pañcasikha's display of skill and devotion, to agree to marry Pañcasikha. Pañcasikha also acts as a messenger for the Four Heavenly Kings , conveying news from them to Mātali, the latter representing Śakra and the Trāyastriṃśa Devas. In Jainism , gandharvas are classed among the eight Vyantara Devas. The Tiloyapaṇṇatti provides
4550-408: Was born due to their physical contact, he was their child. When the demon king Hiraṇyākṣa performed penance to please Shiva in order to beget a child, Shiva gifted the boy to him and named him Andhaka due to his blindness. After Hiraṇyākṣa's death by Vishnu , Andhaka became the new king, but was not regarded as an Asura since he was born of the Devas. Disowned by majority of his clan, he performed
4620-471: Was intrigued by the fragrant garland of Mandara flowers worn by Nārada and inquired as to the source of the flowers. Nārada tells him that the flowers come from the Mandara forest, protected by guards so that no one may enter without Shiva's permission. Andhaka conversed with Mount Mandara, informing the mountain of his invulnerability, and asked about the whereabouts of the forest. The mountain refuses to answer and disappears. Andhaka erupts in anger and uproots
4690-525: Was made a Gaṇa chief. There is another version in the Purāṇa in which Andhaka's birth story and disownment by his clan remains the same. His kingdom was taken over by his cousins, including Prahlāda , when he went to the forest to perform penance to Brahmā. During his penance he abstained from both water and food while severing his own limbs as an act of desperation to please Brahmā. His actions proved successful. A pleased Brahmā appeared before him and offered him
4760-511: Was performing meditation in forest, Andhaka thought of attacking Mandar mountain. Terrible war took place between gods and danavs. Andhaka's trusted general Bali single-handedly defeated all the gods and swallowed them. Shiva fired powerful weapons at Bali, which forced him to disgorge all the gods. In retaliation, Shiva swallowed Śukra , the guru of the Asuras . Andhaka then launched an attack on Indra. Shiva intervened to save Indra and assaulted
4830-465: Was probably compiled between the 3rd century BCE and the 3rd century CE, with the oldest preserved parts not much older than around 400 BCE. The text probably reached its final form by the early Gupta period ( c. 4th century CE ). The composition is traditionally attributed to Vedavyasa and is made up of over 100,000 shlokas . The plot of the Mahabharata covers the events of
4900-510: Was then in love with Mātali's son Sikhandī (or Sikhaddi). Pañcasikha went to Timbarū's home and played a melody on his flute of beluva-wood, with which he had great skill, and sang a love song in which he interwove themes about the Buddha and the Arhats . Śakra petitioned Pañcasikha to intercede with the Buddha so that he might have an audience with him. As a reward for Pañcasikha's services, Śakra
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