Vrishnis in Ancient Literature and Art (original) (raw)
was the commander. 2 The names of five Vrishni heroes as identified by Lüders cannot be out rightly rejected as they show some glimpse of historicity in them. But, the identification of Banerjea seems to be more proper as the popularity of these characters as close family members of Vasudeva-Krishna indicates. The Pancha-Vira concept of Vaishnavism had near parallels in other sects,-the Pancha-Brahmas of Shaivism, the Pancha-Buddhas of Buddhism, the Pancha-Tirthankaras of Jainism and more importantly Pancha-Viras of Yaksism. But we know little of them to say how they are linked with the principles of several religious systems. 3 The important places from where evidence relating to Vrishni has been found are:
VṚṢṆIS IN ANCIENT ART AND LITERATURE: AN ADDENDUM
VESTIGIA INDICA: BSSS Journal of History & Archaeology (VIBJHS), 2023
This paper is an attempt to study Vṛṣṇi cult in a holistic manner. The author has already worked on the cult in his previously published article "Vṛṣṇis in Ancient Art and Literature". This article adds to the already published work with three new important findings. The most important finding is the rock painting from Naldah, District Bundi which the author has identified as Pañca-Vṛṣṇi Vīras, the other is important finding of this cult from Pasopa, District Bharatpur and the last is the newly found Vṛṣṇi triad from Berenike, Egypt which has been recently published online by Shailen Bhandare. This article also combines the information on Vṛṣṇi cult in south India which the author had published in a joint paper with Late Mrs. (Dr.) Haripriya Rangarajan.
Vaishnavism in South-Western Maharashtra: Vitthal-Rukmini Temple at Deur, Satara
Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology, 2018
The present paper highlights a temple which is not discussed in the realm of the Vaishnavite tradition of Early Medieval SouthWestern Maharashtra. If we delve further in the nature of Brahmanism during this period, Shaivism was in its fully developed form in that region as compared to rare occurrence of Viṣ ṇ u temples. The temple discussed here stands on high platform pertaining exterior and interior plain walls and decorative pillars with diverse iconography. This temple is perhaps a rare example where the iconographic combination of Hayagriva and Surya is depicted, hinting at the possibility of prevalence of joint worship of Hayagriva and Surya. The prominent nature of Vaishnavite iconography suggests that this temple is associated with Viṣ ṇ u. It is rare to find independent Viṣ ṇ u temple during this period, hence this temple is probably the only temple of Viṣ ṇ u in SouthWestern Maharashtra.
Depictions of the Vrātyas of Ancient India in Recent Scholarship
The vrātyas of the Vedic texts have been and continue to be a perplexing subject for scholars. They mainly figure in the Vrātyakhāṇḍa (book 15) of the Atharvaveda and also later in the early Brahmanical texts (the Brāhmaṇas). The texts mentioning the vrātyas are often obscure and, according to Samuel, the meaning of the term, vrātya, or at least his role has changed considerably over time (2008: 115).
Onranpakuti, the title of a section of the fifth-century CE Tamil Cilappatikaram, is challenging to translate as its literal meaning, 'single part', seems unrelated to the verse. This article explores paths to a better translation, examining internal evidence, title conventions, content, the Pinnai figure, and related sources. This approach leads to my proposal that Onranpakuti is a 'tamilized' reference to the guardian Vrshni goddess, Ekanamsha 'One without parts', and provides supporting evidence that (i) the cult of Ekanamsha should be recognised as part of the early history of South Indian Vaishnavism and (ii) that this section of the Cilappatikaram is actually devoted to this goddess, with the Mayavan-Krishna figure and his brother as attendant deities, who is depicted as clan protector, young kinswoman to Krishna, and his spouse.
The legacy of vratyas and ascetic sects
The paper discusses the tradition of Vratyas appearing in the Vedic texts in comparison with Indian ascetics, and what are the views of the greater tradition about such ascetic saints. Published in select papers from the panel on Vratya Culture in Vedic Sources, at 16th World Sanskrit Conference, Bangkok, Thailand.
Cracow Indological Studies
Peter C. Bisschop's recent publication is yet another valuable addition to the list of seminal works brought out by the Institut Francais d'Pondichéry and the École française d'Extrême Orient and comprising of critical editions of the hitherto unpublished, often even unknown Sanskrit source texts. On this occasion, Bisschop presents us with an edited text of the māhātmya genre related to the development of the Hindu holy sites in India. Māhātmyas, be they found in the purāṇas or circulating as independent, stand-alone texts, are now viewed as important sources for the later, well-known narratives but also the history of the sacred places, including shrines, many of which have developed into influential temples. The occurrence of this particular type of text is well attested to over centuries, with the māhātmya under study, according to the author, being one of the older. The author bases his work on the manuscript held in the Kaiser Library, Kathmandu (NGMPP C 6/3), which consists of a collection of māhātmyas focused on Vārāṇasī, among them, for example, one from the Skandapurāṇa, and another, as the author informs us, not extant in any other source. By publishing this particular māhātmya, related
Samāpti-Suprabhātam – Reflections on South Indian Bhakti Tradition in Literature and Art
New Delhi: Sharada Publishing House., 2017
The book is in two parts dealing with the sacred hymnss of the Āḻvārs and Nāyaṉmār; rooted in the Vedas, the Itihāsas, the Gīta and the sahasranāmas of Viṣṇu and Śiva. The first part presents the Roman transcription and English translation of the holiest of the hymns, the Tiruppāvai and Tiruvempāvai. The second part is on “Morphological Riddles and Mythological Setting” of the Āḻvārs hymns, and historical reflections on the ‘Divyadeśas” (Sacred Geography) of Viṣṇuism in the Kāviri delta. We have presented a transcription and transliteration in Roman script, word-to-word English version and a digest. This may help any not-Tamil knowing audience to have an understanding of the hymns. The aim is to bring alive the hymns at the lips of the readers. The book includes an historical introduction on the bhakti cult. Rooted in the ‘Bhāgavata’ or Vṛṣṇī-vīra worship, the bhakti adumbrated by the Āḻvārs and the Nāyaṉmār (6th-9th century CE) had a tremendous impact over the course liturgical literature, temple building and the temple arts, sculpture and painting through the ages in South and Southeast Asia. Chapter IV and V elaborately deal with the Tamil Veda, the ‘Nālāyiram’ in the context of the ideas aired in Chapters II and III. The annexure-s on Viṣṇusahasranāma and Śivasahasranāma pinpoint their art historical relevance.
Bhakti Movement in Northern India: The Case of Vaishnavism
Madhya Bharti, 2023
The thinking of any particular nation is the essence of its civilizational and cultural upward trend. Thinking is the symbolic depiction of the conceptual cultural facts and events of every era and the investigation presented to solve the truly experienced problems of eternal values etc. Thoughts arise from our memory, imagination and intellectual activity. In a huge country like India, Hindu religion is like an ocean from the point of view of thinking, in which four major sects of Vaishnav religion originated and became prevalent. The large number of followers of Vaishnav religion shows its popularity in the country and abroad. Under this sect, among the Trinity, Lord Vishnu, the sustainer of the universe, is considered worshipable. There are many opinions prevalent regarding the origin, development of Vaishnav religion and its practice in different parts of the country. Different concepts related to each name like Vishnu, Narayan, Vasudev and Krishna are prevalent among the common people. Verses related to Vishnu are also found in the Vedas, but mainly in the medieval period, when the country was in a state of cultural transition, during the Bhakti movement, the religious and philosophical aspects of Vaishnavism became very popular and developed among the people. Bhakti as a religious concept means devotional surrender to a Supreme God of personal design to achieve salvation. The origins of this doctrine lie in the Brahmanical and Buddhist traditions of ancient India and various scriptures such as the Bhagvat Gita. 1 But it was the first time in south India, between the 7 th and 10 th centuries that Bhakti moved from a simple religious doctrine to a mass movement based on religious equality and social participation widely. The movement led by famous saint-poets reached its peak in the 10th century, then began to decline. But it was revived as a philosophical and ideological movement by a series of wandering scholars or acharyas, starting with Ramanuja in the 12th century. 2 The establishment of the Delhi Sultanate in the early 13th century saw the great upsurge of many diverse and widespread socio-religious movements in many parts of the country, based on the concepts of Bhakti. 3 These movements are considered a continuation or revival of the ancient South Indian Bhakti movement. But each subsequent movement that developed during the Kingdom period had its own historical context and particularities. Furthermore, one of them, namely the non-conformist monotheistic movement associated with Kabir and other 'low caste' saints, has only superficial similarities with variants of the movement. Its social origins, its ideology, the social composition of its leaders and even its conception of Bhakti and God fundamentally distinguish it from the older Bhakti movement in South India as well as the rest of the later Bhakti movements. In this article the origin and development of Vaishnavism and Bhakti movement in North India has discussed with sociological perspective.