Chanchala is a Sanskrit adjective basically referring to the unsteady vacillating nature of human mind and actions which need to be stilled, neutralized or controlled for gaining right speech and vision.
Chanchala (Sanskrit: चञ्चल) means - 'inconsiderate', 'nimble', 'shaking', 'inconstant', 'moveable', 'flickering', 'moving', 'unsteady', 'fortune', 'wind', 'long pepper', [1]
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Hinduism |
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Chanchala is the good word for 'vacillation' in Sanskrit language; in Sanskrit poetry the girl with the dancing eyes is called chanchalakshi, which is considered to be rare attribute. [2] However, as part of the literary evidence of Kusana period, the word Chanchala, like Dhavani and Rodini, indicates the nature or action of Mother goddess. [3] In the sixth chapter on Dhyāna Yoga in the Bhagavad Gita (Sloka 6.26):
the word Chanchala used in the first line refers to the restless and the unsteady mind that wanders away. [4]
Chanchala, meaning, 'the fickle-fortune', is one of the many names of Lakshmi. [5] There is no mention of Lakshmi in the Rig Veda. Sri of the Rig Veda is deified as a personified being in the Yajurveda, and in the Atharvaveda (I.18) she is prayed to secure prosperity. Jatavedas Agni is repeatedly asked to make the goddess come to the votary; the epithet anapagamini reflects the chanchala i.e. fleet or fickle aspect of the goddess. [6] Lakshmi or Chanchala as the mobile one associates only with the rich and the dynamic, no matter what their caste, creed or colour. [7] Because Lakshmi is chanchala i.e. quick on her feet, to make her achala i.e. 'immobile', she needs to be worshipped quietly so that she does not get distracted. [8]
In Yoga, vritti indicates the contents of mental awareness that are disturbances in the medium of consciousness. [9] The vrittis of the gunas are ever-active and swift, the gunas serve as parts of buddhi , their habitual conduct is fickle, restless, tremulous (chanchala) activity, [10] which activity can be controlled through Abhyasa , Vairagya and Ishvarapranidhana . [11] Sri Narada Pancharatnam (Sloka VIII.15) tells us that Chanchala is the nadi which along with Medhya resides in the Visuddha Chakra on the throat. [12]
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Sikhism |
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Dasam Granth, which like the Guru Granth Sahib is an important book of Sikhism, it is not composed in ragas (its first composition dates 1684 A.D.) tells us that Chanchala is the name a chhand or metre of sixteen syllables having ragan, jagan, ragan, jagan and laghu consecutively in each quarter, this metre is also known as Chitra, Biraj and Brahmrupak, and has been used twice in Choubis Autar. [13]
Lakshmi also known as Shri, is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with Maya ("Illusion"). Along with Parvati and Saraswati, she forms the Tridevi of Hindu goddesses.
Avatar is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means 'descent'. It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes used to refer to any guru or revered human being.
Krishna Dvaipayana, better known as Vyasa or Veda Vyasa, is a revered rishi (sage) portrayed in most Hindu traditions. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the epic Mahābhārata.
Bhakti yoga, also called Bhakti marga, is a spiritual path or spiritual practice within Hinduism focused on loving devotion towards any personal deity. It is one of the three classical paths in Hinduism which lead to moksha, the other paths being jnana yoga and karma yoga.
The Vishnu Sahasranama, is a Sanskrit hymn containing a list of the 1,000 names of Vishnu, one of the main deities in Hinduism and the Supreme God in Vaishnavism. It is one of the most sacred and popular stotras in Hinduism. The most popular version of the Vishnu Sahasranama is featured in the Anushasana Parva of the epic Mahabharata. Other versions exist in the Padma Purana, the Skanda Purana, and the Garuda Purana. There is also a Sikh version of the Vishnu Sahasranama found in the work Sundar Gutka.
Hayagriva is a Hindu deity, the horse-headed avatar of Vishnu. The purpose of this incarnation was to slay a danava also named Hayagriva, who had the neck of a horse and the body of a human.
The Devi Mahatmya or Devi Mahatmyam is a Hindu philosophical text describing the Goddess, known as Mahadevi or Adishakti, as the supreme power and creator of the universe. It is part of the Markandeya Purana.
The following list consists of notable concepts that are derived from Hindu culture and associated cultures’ traditions, which are expressed as words in Sanskrit or other Indic languages and Dravidian languages. The main purpose of this list is to disambiguate multiple spellings, to make note of spellings no longer in use for these concepts, to define the concept in one or two lines, to make it easy for one to find and pin down specific concepts, and to provide a guide to unique concepts of Hinduism all in one place.
Padmavati also known as Alamelu Manga is a Hindu goddess and the consort of the deity Venkateshvara, a form of Vishnu. She is described as a daughter of a local king and an avatar of goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Vishnu.
Sri Vaishnavism is a denomination within the Vaishnavism tradition of Hinduism. The name refers to goddess Lakshmi, as well as a prefix that means "sacred, revered", and the god Vishnu, who are together revered in this tradition.
The Devi Bhagavata Purana, also known as the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam, Srimad Bhagavatam, Bhagavata Purana or simply Devi Bhagavatam, is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas of Hinduism. Composed in Sanskrit by Veda Vyasa, the text is considered a major purana for Devi worshippers (Shaktas). It promotes bhakti (devotion) towards Mahadevi, integrating themes from the Shaktadvaitavada tradition. While this is generally regarded as a Shakta Purana, some scholars such as Dowson have also interpreted this Purana as a Shaiva Purana.
Devī is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is deva. Devi and deva mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.
The Tridevi are a trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, joining a triad of eminent goddesses either as a feminine version of the Trimurti, or as consorts of a masculine Trimurti, depending on the denomination. This triad is typically personified by the Hindu goddesses Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati. In Shaktism, these triune goddesses are the manifestations of Mula-Prakriti or Adi Parashakti.
Mahadevi, also referred to as Adi Parashakti, Mahamaya and Devi, is the supreme goddess in various sects of Hinduism. According to the goddess-centric sect Shaktism, all Hindu gods and goddesses are considered to be manifestations of the goddess, who is comparable to the deities Shiva and Vishnu as Para Brahman. Mahadevi as the Mulaprakriti is described having five primary forms—Durga, Lakshmi, Sarasvati, Gayatri and Radha—collectively referred to as Panchaprakriti. All other goddesses are regarded as her Amshavatara or partial incarnations.
Chaubis Avtar is a composition in Dasam Granth containing history of 24 incarnations (avatars) of Vishnu.
Dhī is a Sanskrit word meaning 'understanding', 'reflection', 'religious thought', 'mind', 'design', 'intelligence', 'opinion', 'meditation', 'imagination', 'notion', and 'intellect'. This word is directly connected with the word Vāc, meaning Speech, derived from Vac meaning, 'to speak'. Dhi is the voiced Vāc or 'Speech', it is the thought-mind or intellect. Dhi also means 'to hold' or 'to place', and indicates the activity of the intellect.
Dhṛti or Dhriti or Dhruti, means to 'act with determination', 'patience', 'firmness', and refers to 'perseverance', 'wearing regularly'.
The Sita Upanishad is a medieval era Sanskrit text and a minor Upanishad of Hinduism. It is attached to the Atharva Veda, and is one of the Vaishnava upanishads. It is categorized as a late Upanishad, in which goddess Sita is extolled as the Ultimate Reality of the Universe (Brahman), the ground of Being (Spirituality), and material cause behind all manifestation. The Upanishad identifies Sita with primordial Prakriti (nature) and her three powers, asserts the text, are manifested in daily life as will (iccha), action (kriyā) and knowledge (jnana).
The Saubhagyalakshmi Upanishad, also called Saubhagyalakshmyupanishad (सौभाग्यलक्ष्म्युपनिषत्), Saubhagya meaning auspicious, Lakshmi a deity, Saubhagyalakshmi is a minor Upanishadic text of Hinduism. Written in Sanskrit, it is one of the 10 Upanishads attached to the Rigveda, and is classified as one of the 8 Shakta Upanishads.