NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Kashmir Shaivism

Kashmir Shaivism is a school of spiritual teaching and practice that arose during the eighth century in Kashmir, India. After a period of obscurity, the tradition has experienced a renewal during the last 100 years amongst both academics and spiritual seekers. Kashmir Shaivism is a monistic tantric system of belief and practice. It says that the universe is a manifestation within the one Consciousness, and that all things are that Consciousness in essence. The fundamental statement of Kashmir Shaivism is expressed in its very first aphorism, which translates as both "The Self is Consciousness" and "The nature of reality is Consciousness" (Shiva Sutras I.I Chaitanyam Atma). Spirituality is, in a narrow sense, a concern with matters of the spirit. ... A spiritual practice, spiritual discipline or spiritual exercise (sadhana) includes any activity that one associates with cultivating spirituality. ... (7th century — 8th century — 9th century — other centuries) Events The Iberian peninsula is taken by Arab and Berber Muslims, thus ending the Visigothic rule, and starting almost 8 centuries of Muslim presence there. ... Shown in green is the region under Pakistani administration. ... Monism is the metaphysical position that all is of one essential essence, substance or energy. ... Tantric can refer to: Tantric yoga, also known as tantra The Louisville, KY hard rock band Tantric This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Wiktionary has related dictionary definitions, such as: belief Belief is usually defined as a conviction to the truth of a proposition. ... The deepest visible-light image of the cosmos, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. ... Medical Meaning The symptoms or observable conditions which are seen as a result of some disease. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... In philosophy, essence is the attribute (or set of attributes) that make an object or substance what it fundamentally is, and that it has necessary, in contrast with accident, properties that the object or substance has contingently and without which the substance could have existed. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Aphorism (From the Greek Î±Ï†Î¿ÏÎ¹Î¶ÎµÎ¹Î½, to define), literally a distinction or a definition (See the Online Etymology Dictionary entry), is a term used to describe a principle expressed tersely in a few telling words or any general truth conveyed in a short and pithy sentence, in such a way that when... Self might refer to various different things: Look up self on Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The deepest visible-light image of the universe, the Hubble Ultra Deep Field. ... Reality in everyday usage means everything that exists. The term reality, in its widest sense, includes everything that is, whether it is observable, accessible or understandable by science, philosophy, or any other system of analysis. ... The Shiva Sutras (also Maheshvara Sutras) are the 14 sutras that form the basis of the Aá¹£á¹ÄdhyÄyÄ«, the Sanskrit grammar by PÄá¹‡ini. ... Atma is a derivation of the sanskrit word atman and means individual soul. ...

Siva, the Great Initiator and Saviour

Kashmir Shaivites believe that Siva is that aspect of God that manifests as the Great Initiator or the Great Saviour of the beings enchained by ignorance and suffering. We can say that any aspiration and passionate prayer for spiritual growth and liberation is addressed to this aspect of the Divine. In India, this aspect is known as Siva ("The Good and The Kind"). According to Kashmir Shaivism, any manifestation of the Divine liberating Grace comes from Siva. In any process of spiritual breakthrough, whether we know it or not, it is actually the grace of Siva that manifests. This article is about the Hindu God. ... God denotes the deity believed by monotheists to be the sole creator and ruler of the universe. ... Savior refers to a person who helps people achieve Salvation. ... A being, in the most general sense, is anything that is alive. ... Ignorance is a lack of knowledge. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... See: Aspiration (phonetics) Aspiration (medicine) Aspiration (long-term hope) - see for example, Robert Goddards response to the ridicule by the New York Times, 1920: Every vision is a joke until the first man accomplishes it; once realized, it becomes commonplace. ... Maria Magdalene in prayer. ... Look up Liberation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The concept of the divine or of The Divine, meaning matters relating to a god, forms an important ingredient in many religious faiths (but compare Buddhism, for example, or Scientology). ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... Look up Grace in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ...

The Siva Sutra

The tradition of Kashmir Shaivism was transmitted during centuries from master to disciple only, from "mouth to ear". The first great initiate recorded in history of this spiritual path was Vasugupta (860–925 BC). Vasugupta formulated for the first time in writing the principles and main doctrines of this system. After Vasugupta, the esoteric literature of Kashmir Shaivism explosively blossomed and lasted for almost four centuries, during which it became very voluminous and it reached an exceptional philosophical depth. Vasugupta (860–925) was the author of the famous Shiva Sutras. ... Etymology Esoteric is an adjective originating during Hellenic Greece under the domain of the Roman Empire; it comes from the Greek esÃ´terikos, from esÃ´tero, the comparative form of esÃ´: within. It is a word meaning anything that is inner and occult, a latinate word meaning hidden (from which... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ... Philosopher in Meditation (detail), by Rembrandt. ...

The first fundamental work of Shaivism, traditionally attributed to Vasugupta, is the Siva Sutra, a collection of 77 elegant and precise aphorisms, completely unintelligible for the uninitiated. The Siva Sutra is considered to be a revelation coming directly from Siva. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Vasugupta (860–925) was the author of the famous Shiva Sutras. ... The Shiva Sutras (also Maheshvara Sutras) are the 14 sutras that form the basis of the (See: Aá¹£á¹ÄdhyÄyÄ«), the Sanskrit grammar by (See: PÄá¹‡ini). ... Aphorism (From the Greek Î±Ï†Î¿ÏÎ¹Î¶ÎµÎ¹Î½, to define), literally a distinction or a definition (See the Online Etymology Dictionary entry), is a term used to describe a principle expressed tersely in a few telling words or any general truth conveyed in a short and pithy sentence, in such a way that when... The Shiva Sutras (also Maheshvara Sutras) are the 14 sutras that form the basis of the (See: Aá¹£á¹ÄdhyÄyÄ«), the Sanskrit grammar by (See: PÄá¹‡ini). ... This article is about the Hindu God. ...

This work outlines a more direct and quick spiritual path in which the appeal to the Divine Grace has an essential role. According to myth, Vasugupta was told in a dream by Lord Shiva to go to a rock on Mahadev Mountain. He went there and when he touched the rock, it turned over where there were written these 77 revelations. That rock, called Shankarpal, is supposedly still there today. Others say Vasagupta received these statements in deep meditation. Kashmir Shaivites believe that the Shiva sutras are a direct transmission from a higher level of Consciousness. // The word mythology (Greek: Î¼Ï…Î¸Î¿Î»Î¿Î³Î¯Î±, from Î¼Ï…Î¸Î¿Ï‚ mythos, a story or legend, and Î»Î¿Î³Î¿Ï‚ logos, an account or speech) literally means the (oral) retelling of myths â€“ stories that a particular culture believes to be true and that use supernatural events or characters to explain the nature of the universe and humanity. ... Pierre-CÃ©cile Puvis de Chavannes: The Dream, 1883 A dream is the experience of envisioned images, voices, or other sensations during sleep. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... A large statue in Bangalore depicting Shiva meditating Meditation is the practice of focusing the mind, often formalized into a specific routine. ...

Classification of the written tradition

In general, the whole written tradition of Shaivism can be divided in three fundamental parts: Agama Sastra, Spanda Sastra and Pratyabhijna Sastra.

1. Agama Sastra are those writings that are considered as being a direct revelation from Siva. These writings were first communicated orally, from the master to the worthy disciple. They include essential works such as Malénivijaya Tantra, Svacchanda Tantra, Vijnana Bhairava Tantra, Ratnamala Tantra, Mrgendra Tantra, Rudrayamala Tantra, Siva Sutra and others. There are also numerous commentaries to these works, Siva Sutra having most of them. This article is about the Hindu God. ... The Shiva Sutras (also Maheshvara Sutras) are the 14 sutras that form the basis of the (See: Aá¹£á¹ÄdhyÄyÄ«), the Sanskrit grammar by (See: PÄá¹‡ini). ... The Shiva Sutras (also Maheshvara Sutras) are the 14 sutras that form the basis of the (See: Aá¹£á¹ÄdhyÄyÄ«), the Sanskrit grammar by (See: PÄá¹‡ini). ...

2. The main work of this category is Spanda Karika of Vasugupta, which has many commentaries. Out of these many commentaries, two are of major importance: Spanda Sandoha (this commentary talks only about the first verses of Spanda Karika), and Spanda Nirnaya (which is a commentary of the complete text). Vasugupta (860–925) was the author of the famous Shiva Sutras. ...

3. Pratyabhijna Sastra are those writings which have mainly a metaphysical content. Due to their extremely high spiritual and intellectual level, this part of the written tradition of Shaivism is the least accessible for the uninitiated. Nevertheless, this corpus of writings refer to the simplest and most direct modality of spiritual realization. Pratyabhijïä means "recognition" and refers to the spontaneous recognition of the divine nature hidden in each human being (atman). The most important works in this category are: Isvara Pratyabhijna, the fundamental work of Utpäladeva (who is a central figure of the Shaivism tradition – he combined in a harmonious way the impetuous and endless love for the Divine and the most refined rational knowledge and metaphysical discernment), and Pratyabhijna Vimarasini, a commentary to Isvara Pratyabhijna. Isvara Pratyabhijna means in fact the direct recognition of the Heart (i.e., essence), meaning the direct recognition of God-the-Father inside ourselves. Before Utpaladeva, his master Somananda wrote Siva Drsti (The Vision of Siva), a devotional poem written on multiple levels of meaning. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... According to Advaita Vedanta, a philosophical branch of Hinduism, Ätman is the all-pervading soul of the universe. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... Devotional songs are hymns that accompany religious rituals. ... Poetry (ancient Greek: poieo = create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ...

Abhinavagupta

All these three branches of the Shaivism tradition were put together by the great philosopher Abhinavagupta (c. 975-1025 AD). Among his important works, the most important is the Tantraloka ("The Divine Light of Tantra"), a work in verses which is a majestic synthesis of the whole tradition of Shaivism. Abhinavagupta succeeded in smoothing out all the apparent differences and disparities that existed among the different branches and schools of the Kashmir Shaivism of before him. Thus he offers a unitary, coherent and complete vision of this system. Abhinavagupta (c. ... Abhinavagupta (c. ...

Tantraloka was commented and expanded upon by Jayaratha, another important exponent of the Kashmir Shaivism who lived a few centuries after Abhinavagupta. Abhinavagupta (c. ...

Tantraloka has a major importance for the whole tradition of Shaivism. Abhinavagupta realized that this work is very difficult to understand for an ordinary disciple, and therefore he composed a summary of it in prose called Tantrasara ("The Essence of Tantra"). Abhinavagupta (c. ...

Trika is made up of several spiritual schools. Trika (a concept of Kashmir Shaivism) in Sanskrit means trinity. ...

1. The oldest (historically speaking) of these schools is called Krama. In Sanskrit, 'krama' means 'process', 'order' or 'succession'. The basic idea of this system is that the road to perfection has certain stages or steps. Each of these steps is governed by an aspect of the Divine. Therefore, God is actually present all the way, but each new step reveals a more profound face of Him. The Krama system is based upon the concept of Sakti as the Supreme Creative Energy of Siva, and even more specific, upon a certain aspect of Sakti which is related to succession and time. This aspect of Sakti is none other than the Great Cosmic Power of Time and Eternity – Kali. The Krama School presents a new facet of Kali: in this system, Kali is not only one of the Great Cosmic Powers out of ten, but Kali is seen as being The Supreme Divine Power (ParaSakti). (Remember that each Cosmic Power can lead the aspirant to the supreme state).

2. Another very important school of Shaivism is the Kaula School. In Sanskrit, 'kaula' means 'community', '(restricted) circle (of initiates)', 'family' or 'totality'. This is a tantric (left hand) school par excellence, and here Sakti plays a paramount role. The Kaula teachings make the skeleton of Tanträloka and Tantrasära. Among all his spiritual Masters, Abhinavagupta mentions more often and considers the most important Sambhunatha, a Kaula School Master. (Abhinavagupta had other Masters, for example Laksmanagupta). Abhinavagupta (c. ... Abhinavagupta (c. ...

3. The third fundamental system of Kashmir Shaivism is Spanda. This system is also centered around Sakti, here also called Spanda. Therefore, from the Initiation point of view, the central role is not played by Siva but by Sakti. This is not paradoxical because in the spiritual vision of Shaivism, Siva and Sakti are not two separate realities. Siva and Sakti are two-in-one, and they seem separate only for the ignorant and limited mind that is subjected to duality. In truth, Siva is Sakti and Sakti is Siva; when we have consciousness, there is also energy. When we have energy, there is consciousness who animates that energy. Therefore, for the aspirant to spiritual liberation, the instrument (path) is Sakti and not Siva. Siva is the transcendent aspect of the Divine, being beyond any mental representation. Anything we could imagine about Siva is not Siva, because Siva cannot be defined, cannot be thought, cannot be evoked. He is beyond anything we could imagine, desire or think. We cannot relate directly to Siva, but we can get to Him through Sakti, which represents the immanent aspect of the Divine. God is both transcendent and immanent. If God would be only transcendent, it results that Creation would be without God, in other words it would be governed by somebody else, which is absurd. God is also immanent (present in the world), in the Heart (i.e., center) of each particle, of each human being. For the ignorant, God is hidden, invisible, but a spiritually awakened being perceives God everywhere. This is why the esoteric tradition of Kashmir Shaivism is also called Mahaguhya, term that can be translated as 'The Supreme (maha) secret (guhya)’ but also 'The Supreme (maha) non-secret (aguhya)'. These two mysterious aspects of God (Transcendence and Immanence) are called Siva and Sakti respectively. We can get to Siva through Sakti, and for this we can start exactly from where we are, from our level of consciousness. And even if Siva is reflected inside each of us as atman, we aspire toward this Siva with our mind, desires, affection, etc., therefore with something that is not Siva per se. This is the great miracle of Sakti: Sakti is present both at the human level and at the cosmic level. Sakti is the link between man and God. Sakti is the magical thread that has one end in the transcendence of Siva and the other end in the manifested worlds. If Sakti would not exist, there would be nothing to connect us with God. This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ...

4. Besides these three main spiritual schools (Krama, Kaula, Spanda) of the Trika system, there is another one, more recent, called also "the easy and very short path", which is accessible only to the very few who have the appropriate level of inner preparation. This school is called Pratyabhijna – the direct recognition of the Divine neature. Therefore, Pratyabhijna is the fourth way of the Kashmir Shaivism tradition (do not mistake it with the Fourth Way of Gurdjieff !!). Pratyabhijna comprises not so much techniques as it defines and induces through direct transmission certain inner attitudes that are necessary for instantaneously awakening the Divine Consciousness in us. This system shows very clearly that we are in fact not looking for anything else that what we already are (the Divine Supreme Self). In other words, we are looking for ourselves. Then why go outside us? We must only become fully aware of ourselves and remember (at an experiential level) that we are always one with God. This is all that must be done. This fundamental remembrance (Pratyabhijna) of God is the crowning of any genuine spiritual path: once you are on the threshold of ecstatically merging into God, only there do you remember (recognize) your essential, divine nature. Trika (a concept of Kashmir Shaivism) in Sanskrit means trinity. ...

Possibilities of learning and practicing Kashmir Shaivism today

Teachers and Schools

Swami Lakshman Joo (1907-1991) was a famed mystic and scholar of Kashmir Shaivism. ... Swami Muktananda (à¤¸à¥â€à¤µà¤¾à¤®à¥€ à¤®à¥à¤•à¥à¤¤à¤¾à¤¨à¤¨à¥â€à¤¦) (1908-1982) is the monastic name of an Indian guru. ... Siddha Yoga is a spiritual group teaching traditional Hindu or yogic practices both in India and in the West. ... Gregorian Bivolaru Gregorian Grieg Bivolaru (born 12 March 1952) is a controversial founder of Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute, a so-called yoga organization. ...

Researchers

All Souls College (in full: The College of All Souls of the Faithful Departed, of Oxford) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. ... Oxford is a city and local government district in Oxfordshire, England, with a population of 134,248 (2001 census). ...

See also

In the Kashmir Shaivism, Kramamudra is a gesture (mudra) in two phases (krama) realised at the level of Consciousness. ... Trika (a concept of Kashmir Shaivism) in Sanskrit means trinity. ... Turya, a concept in Kashmir Shaivism, meaning the fourth state of consciousness. ...

External links

Categories: Shaivism | Esoteric schools of thought Hinduism (Sanskrit - SanÄtana (eternal) Dharma also known as Vaidika (Vedic) Dharma) is a religion or philosophy that originated from the Indian subcontinent and nearby surrounding areas. ... Åšruti (Sanskrit à¤¶à¥à¤°à¥à¤¤à¤¿, what is heard) is a canon of Hindu scriptures. ... The Vedas (Sanskrit à¤µà¥‡à¤¦) are an extremely large series of writings originating in Ancient India. ... The Upanishads (; Devanagari ) are part of the Hindu Shruti scriptures which primarily discuss meditation and philosophy and are seen as religious instructions by most forms of Hinduism. ... Åšrauta refers to the tradition of the Åšruti in Hinduism. ... Smriti (Sanskrit à¤¸à¥à¤®à¥„à¤¤à¤¿, that which is remembered) refers to a specific canon of Hindu religious scripture. ... Itihasa (Sanskrit: à¤‡à¤¤à¤¿à¤¹à¤¾à¤¸ - itihÄsa in IAST notation, literally meaning that which happened) is the word for History. ... The (Devanagari: ) is a Sanskrit epic attributed to the poet Valmiki and is an important part of the Hindu canon (smá¹›ti). ... Manuscript illustration of the Battle of Kurukshetra The (Devanagari: ), is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the . ... Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ... Purana (Sanskrit à¤ªà¥à¤°à¤¾à¤£, purÄá¹‡a, meaning ancient or old) is the name of a genre (or a group of related genres) of Indian written literature (as opposed to oral literature). ... Sutra (à¤¸à¥‚à¤¤à¥à¤°) in Sanskrit is derived from the verb siv-, meaning to sew (these words, including English to sew and Latinate suture, all derive from PIE *syÅ«-). It literally means a rope or thread, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms... Agama (Sanskrit, IAST Ä€gama) literally means that which has come down, i. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: weave), tantric yoga or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ... The text in this article may be found in the Internet Archive at address stated in the template, predating the creation of this article on January 24, 2005 [1]. Category: ... Vedanta (VedÄnta, à¤µà¥‡à¤¦à¤¾à¤¨à¥à¤¤, pronounced as ) means the anta or culmination or essence of the Vedas. ... Look up avatar in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... According to Advaita Vedanta, a philosophical branch of Hinduism, Ätman is the all-pervading soul of the universe. ... Brahm (à¤¬à¥à¤°à¤¹à¥à¤® in devanagari script) in the Vedantic (and subsequently Yogic) forms of Hinduism, is the signifying name given to the concept of the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality that is the Divine Ground of all being in this universe. ... Kosas are five cases or sheaths which cover the Atman in Hinduism. ... Dharma (Sanskrit à¤§à¤°à¥à¤®) or Dhamma (PÄli) means Natural Law or Reality, and with respect to its significance for spirituality and religion might be considered the Way of the Higher Truths. ... Karma is a concept in Hinduism, based on the Vedas and Upanishads, which explains causality through a system where beneficial events are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful events from past harmful actions, creating a system of actions and reactions throughout a persons reincarnated lives. ... Moksha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Maya (illusion). ... Ishta-Deva, or Ishta Devata is a term from Hinduism that means chosen Deity or revered aspect of God by a devotee and is a widely held concept in Smartism. ... The Nataraja is one of the most famous images of Lord Shiva 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. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ... Illustration depicting the transmigration of the soul. ... According to the Indian school of Samkhya philosophy, the Tattva are a way of directly experiencing the 5 alchemical elements. ... In Hinduism, the Trimurti (also called the Hindu trinity) are three aspects of God, or Parabrahman, in Gods personae as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. ... In early Hindu philosophy, turiya (also called caturtha) is a state of pure consciousness, or the experience of ultimate reality and truth. ... The guru-shishya tradition (also guru-shishya parampara or lineage) is a spiritual relationship found within traditional Hinduism which is centered around the transmission of teachings from a guru (teacher, ) to a Å›iá¹£ya (disciple, ). The term shishya roughly equates to the western term disciple, and in some parts of... Hindu philosophy (one of the main divisions of Indian philosophy) is traditionally seen through the prism of six different systems (called darshanas in Sanskrit) that are listed here and make up the main belief systems of Hinduism. ... Hinduism encompasses many movements and schools fairly organized within Hindu sects. ... Early Hinduism is a term used to designate the religious development of India before the historical period. ... Samkhya, also Sankhya, (Sanskrit: à¤¸à¤¾à¤‚à¤–à¥à¤¯ - Enumeration) is one of the schools of Indian philosophy. ... Nyaya (pronounced as nyÎ±:yÉ™) is the name given to one of the six orthodox or astika schools of Hindu philosophy - specifically the school of logic. ... Vaisheshika, also Vaisesika, (Sanskrit: à¤µà¥ˆà¤¶à¥†à¤·à¤¿à¤•)is one of the six Hindu schools of philosophy (orthodox Vedic systems) of India. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The main objective of the Purva (earlier) Mimamsa school was to establish the authority of the Vedas. ... Vedanta (VedÄnta, à¤µà¥‡à¤¦à¤¾à¤¨à¥à¤¤, pronounced as ) means the anta or culmination or essence of the Vedas. ... Tantra (Sanskrit: weave), tantric yoga or tantrism is any of several esoteric traditions rooted in the religions of India. ... Bhakti yoga is the Hindu term for the spiritual practice of fostering of loving devotion to God, called bhakti. ... ... A ritual is a formalised, predetermined set of symbolic actions generally performed in a particular environment at a regular, recurring interval. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Aarti, Ã£rti, arathi, or Ã£rati is a Hindu ritual, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. ... A bhajan or kirtan is a Hindu or Sikh devotional song, often of ancient origin. ... Darshan is a Sanskrit and Hindu (also used to some extent in Urdu) term meaning sight (in the sense of an instance of seeing something or somebody), vision, apparition, or a glimpse. ... In Hinduism, diksha is the ritual of initiation into the worship of some deity by a guru (diksha guru) who bestows mantra(s) and takes the karma of the initiate - at least in case of Vaishnava diksha, as per Hari Bhakti Vilasa 1. ... In Tibet, many Buddhists carve mantras into rocks as a form of devotion. ... A small prayer setup This article is about Hinduism. ... The company of the highest knowledge and Truth; the company of a Guru; contact with a person or an assembly of persons who listen to, talk about, and assimilate the Truth. ... Stotras are Hindu prayers that praise aspects of God, such as Devi, Siva, or Vishnu. ... Hindu wedding (vivah à¤µà¤¿à¤µà¤¾à¤¹ or shÄdÄ« à¤¶à¤¾à¤¦à¥€ in Hindi, panigrahana à¤ªà¤¾à¤£à¤¿à¤—à¥à¤°à¤¹à¤£ in Sanskrit, other terms are also used) ceremonies are traditionally conducted in Sanskrit, the language in which most holy Hindu ceremonies are conducted. ... In Hinduism, YajÃ±a à¤¯à¤œà¥à¤ž (Sanskrit yajÃ±Ã¡ worship, prayer, praise; offering, oblation, sacrifice) is a Vedic ritual of sacrifice performed to please the Devas, or sometimes to the Supreme Spirit Brahman. ... Guru - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... A saint is a term to refer to someone who is a holy person. ... Adi Shankara with the Four Disciples Adi Shankara (Åšankara, Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya, Ä€di ÅšhankarÄcÄrya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of the Lord) (approximately 8th century, but see below) was the most famous advaita philosopher, who had a... Sri Ramanuja Acharya (traditionally dated 1017â€“1137 CE) was an Indian philosopher and is recognized as the most important saint of Sri Vaishnavism. ... Shri Madhvacharya,(1238-1317), was the chief propounder of the Dvaita or dualistic school of Hindu philosophy, one of the three influential Vedanta philosophies. ... Sri Thakur Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Bangla: à¦¶à§à¦°à§€à¦°à¦¾à¦®à¦•à§„à¦·à§à¦ž à¦ªà¦°à¦®à¦¹à¦‚à¦¸) (February 18, 1836 - August 16, 1886) was a Bengali saint. ... Swami Vivekananda, whose pre-monastic name was Narendranath Dutta (January 12, 1863 - July 4, 1902) is considered one of the most famous and influential spiritual leaders of the Vedanta philosophy. ... Narayana Guru It has been suggested that the section Sri Narayana Guru from the article Ezhava be merged into this article or section. ... Sri Aurobindo Sri Aurobindo (Bangla: à¦¶à§à¦°à§€ à¦…à¦°à¦¬à¦¿à¦¨à§à¦¦, Sri Ã”robindo Sanskrit: à¤¶à¥à¤°à¥€ à¤…à¤°à¤µà¤¿à¤¨à¥à¤¦ SrÄ« Aravinda) (August 15, 1872â€“December 5, 1950) was an Indian nationalist, scholar, poet, Hindu mystic, evolutionary philosopher, yogi and guru. ... For a place-name in Azerbaijan see Ramana (settlement). ... Swami Sivananda Saraswati (1887-1963), as he is known under his monastic name, was born Kuppuswamy in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu, India. ... Swami Chinmayananda (à¤¸à¥â€à¤µà¤¾à¤®à¥€ à¤šà¤¿à¤¨à¥â€à¤®à¤¯à¤¾à¤¨à¤¨à¥â€à¤¦) (1916 - August 3, 1993) was born Balakrishna Menon (Balan) in Ernakulam, Kerala in a very devout Hindu family. ... Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927 - 2001), affectionately known as Gurudeva, was born in Oakland, California on January 5th, 1927. ... Bhagwan Shree Swaminarayan Bhagwan Swaminarayan (April 2, 1781 - 1830) was born Ghanshyam Maharaj to a brahmin family in the village of Chhapaiya, Uttar Pradesh, India. ... A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (September 1, 1896â€“November 14, 1977) was born Abhay Charan De, in Kolkata, West Bengal. ... Baba Lokenath Brahmachari or simply Baba Lokenath was a semi-legendary Hindu saint and philosopher in Bengal. ... Hinduism encompasses many movements and schools fairly organized within Hindu denominations. ... Vaishnavism is one of the principal divisions of Hinduism. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Shaktism is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Shakti, or Devi -- the Hindu name for the Great Mother -- in all of her forms whilst not rejecting the importance of masculine and neuter divinity. ... Smartism, (or Smarta Sampradaya, Smarta Tradition), is a denomination of the Hindu religion. ... Hinduism is going through a phase of regeneration and reform through the vehicle of several contemporary movements. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This is a List of Hindu deities. ... Hindu mythology is a term used by modern scholarship for a large body of Indian literature that details the lives and times of legendary personalities, deities and divine incarnations on earth interspersed with often large sections of philosophical and ethical discourse. ... yugas (DevnÄgari: à¤¯à¥à¤—) In Hindu philosophy the cycle of evolution of life is divided into four yugs (epochs or eras): Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga Treta Yuga Dvapara Yuga Kali Yuga // The spiritual states of civilization in each yuga In Hindu tradition, the world goes through a continuous cycle of... The Satya Yuga, also called Sat Yuga, Krta Yuga and Krita Yuga in Hinduism, is the Yuga (Age or Era) of Truth, when humankind is governed by gods, and every manifestation or work is close to the purest ideal and mankind will allow intrinsic goodness to rule supreme. ... The Treta Yuga is the second Yuga in the four yugas. ... Dvapara Yuga is the third out of four yugas, or ages, in the religion of Hinduism. ... Kali Yuga is also the title of a book by Roland Charles Wagner. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... In South Asias caste system, a Dalit; often called an untouchable; is a person of shudra; the lowest of the four castes. ... This page deals with the Hindu varna. ... Kshatriya is the title of the princely military order within the Hindu varna system. ... In the Hindu caste system, a Vaishya (Sanskrit à¤µà¥ˆà¤¶à¥à¤¯ vaiÅ›ya) is a member of the third of the four major castes of the varna system of traditional Indian society. ... Shudra or Sudra is the fourth Varna in the traditional four-section division in historic Indian society. ...

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