Ishvara Gita

Last updated

The Ishvara Gita is an ancient Hindu philosophical text from Kurma Purana. It follows the oldest Shaiva doctrine of the Vedic mahapashupata school with its scripture Atharvashiras Upanishad and predates the reformed Lakulish pashupata that appeared around 3000 BCE according to the chronology in Vayu Purana.

Contents

Pashupata means "the way to Pashupati" whereas Pashupati is defined as "Lord of all creatures" in Yajurveda. It is one of the names of God Shiva.

The text deals with topics such as Shiva Advaita (Shaiva nondualism) metaphysics, relations Shiva-brahman-Linga, yoga, recitations of om and of the hymn Shatarudriya from Yajurveda, [1] and others [2]

Structure

The Ishvara Gita consists of 11 chapters with over 768 verses which deals with topics such as worship of the Siva Lingam, Shiva Advaita metaphysics, Omni-Potence of the Śiva-Liṅga, [3] Bhakti, Significance of OM, [4] Theophany of Śiva (śiva-prādurbhāva-ākhya), forms of Shiva (Aṣṭa Mūrtis) and others [2]

Contents

The Ishvara Gita contains many new themes that are not found in The Bhagavad Gita, such as worship of the Shiva Lingam and the idea of Śiva as the ultimate God. [3] It also equalizes Shiva with brahman (absolute) as well as brahman with the linga. Shiva is in the form of a Linga which means a "mark" of the presence of God. Its philosophy is rooted in the Vedic Puranic tradition and does not have tantric connotations.

The Īśvara Gītā teaches the highest 8-fold yoga of brahman which bears a resemblance to the later 8-fold (ashtanga) yoga of Patanjali, and by itself is a textbook of the pashupata school of Shaivism. Several commentaries on this text are available in manuscript form, including one by vijñānabhikṣu, a 16th-century Hindu polymath. [ citation needed ]

The Īśvara Gītā has been translated into English, French and Italian in stand-alone form, and into English as part of a complete translation of The Kurma Purana. [ citation needed ]

Primary sources: Sanskrit editions and translations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shiva</span> One of the principal deities of Hinduism

Shiva , also known as Mahadeva, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hinduism.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Hinduism:

Hindu deities are the gods and goddesses in Hinduism. The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva, Devi, Ishvara, Ishvari, Bhagavān and Bhagavati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shaivism</span> Hindu tradition that worships Shiva

Shaivism is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions ranging from devotional dualistic theism such as Shaiva Siddhanta to yoga-orientated monistic non-theism such as Kashmiri Shaivism. It considers both the Vedas and the Agama texts as important sources of theology.

Om Namah Shivaya is one of the most popular Hindu mantras and the most important mantra in Shaivism. Namah Shivaya means "O salutations to the auspicious one!", or “adoration to Lord Shiva". It is called Siva Panchakshara, or Shiva Panchakshara or simply Panchakshara meaning the "five-syllable" mantra and is dedicated to Shiva. This Mantra appears as 'Na' 'Ma' 'Śi' 'Vā' and 'Ya' in the Shri Rudram Chamakam which is a part of the Krishna Yajurveda and also in the Rudrashtadhyayi which is a part of the Shukla Yajurveda.

<i>Ishvara</i> Hindu epithet

Ishvara is a concept in Hinduism, with a wide range of meanings that depend on the era and the school of Hinduism. In ancient texts of Hindu philosophy, depending on the context, Ishvara can mean supreme Self, ruler, lord, king, queen or husband. In medieval era Hindu texts, depending on the school of Hinduism, Ishvara means God, Supreme Being, personal God, or special Self.

Paramatman or Paramātmā is the Absolute Atman, or supreme Self, in various philosophies such as the Vedanta and Yoga schools in Hindu theology, as well as other Indian religions like Sikhism. Paramatman is the "Primordial Self" or the "Self Beyond" who is spiritually identical with the absolute and ultimate reality. Selflessness is the attribute of Paramatman, where all personality/individuality vanishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ishana</span> Hindu direction deity

Ishana, is a Hindu god and the dikapala of the northeast direction. He is often considered to be one of the forms of the god Shiva, and is also often counted among the eleven Rudras. He is venerated in Hinduism, some schools of Buddhism and Jainism. In the Vastu Shastra, the north-eastern corner of a plot of land is referred to as "Ishana". Ishana also shares qualities with Samhara Bhairava and is therefore a part of the Ashta Bhairava.

<i>Smarta</i> tradition Tradition in Hinduism linked to Advaita Vedanta

The Smartatradition, also called Smartism, is a movement in Hinduism that developed and expanded with the Puranas genre of literature. It reflects a synthesis of four philosophical strands, namely Mimamsa, Advaita, Yoga, and theism. The Smarta tradition rejects theistic sectarianism, and is notable for the domestic worship of five shrines with five deities, all treated as equal – Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu and Surya. The Smarta tradition contrasted with the older Shrauta tradition, which was based on elaborate rituals and rites. There has been a considerable overlap in the ideas and practices of the Smarta tradition with other significant historic movements within Hinduism, namely Shaivism, Brahmanism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism.

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.

<i>Kurma Purana</i> Medieval era Sanskrit text, one of eighteen major Puranas

The Kurma Purana is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, and a medieval era Vaishnavism text of Hinduism. The text is named after the tortoise avatar of Vishnu.

<i>Linga Purana</i> Historical Sanskrit text

The Linga Purana is one of the eighteen Mahapuranas, and a Shaivism text of Hinduism. The text's title Linga refers to the iconographical symbol for Shiva.

<i>Shiva Purana</i> Sanskrit scripture

The Shiva Purana is one of eighteen major texts of the Purana genre of Sanskrit texts in Hinduism, and part of the Shaivism literature corpus. It primarily revolves around the Hindu god Shiva and goddess Parvati, but references and reveres all gods.

The concept of God in Hinduism varies in its diverse traditions. Hinduism spans a wide range of beliefs such as henotheism, monotheism, polytheism, panentheism, pantheism, pandeism, monism, agnosticism, atheism, and nontheism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakulisha</span> Hindu deity

Lakulisha was a prominent Shaivite revivalist, reformist and preceptor of the doctrine of the Pashupatas, one of the oldest sects of Shaivism.

<i>Brahman</i> Metaphysical concept, unchanging Ultimate Reality in Hinduism

In Hinduism, Brahman connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality in the universe. In major schools of Hindu philosophy, it is the material, efficient, formal and final cause of all that exists. It is the pervasive, infinite, eternal truth, consciousness and bliss which does not change, yet is the cause of all changes. Brahman as a metaphysical concept refers to the single binding unity behind diversity in all that exists in the universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astamurti</span> Eight manifestations of Hindu deity Shiva

Ashtamurti refers to the iconographic representation of the eight attributes of the Hindu deity Shiva. These are Rudra, Śarva, Paśupati, Ugra, Aśani, Bhava, Mahādeva, and Īśāna.

<i>Shivarahasya Purana</i>

Shivarahasya Purana is one of the 'Shaiva Upapuranas' or ancillary Purana regarding Shiva and Shaivite worship and is also considered 'Indian epic poetry' (Itihāsa).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lingam</span> Aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva

A lingam, sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. It is typically the primary murti or devotional image in Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva, also found in smaller shrines, or as self-manifested natural objects. It is often represented within a disc-shaped platform, the yoni – its feminine counterpart, consisting of a flat element, horizontal compared to the vertical lingam, and designed to allow liquid offerings to drain away for collection. Together, they symbolize the merging of microcosmos and macrocosmos, the divine eternal process of creation and regeneration, and the union of the feminine and the masculine that recreates all of existence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Atharvashikha Upanishad</span> Hindu Shaiva text

The Atharvashikha Upanishad is a Sanskrit text that is one of the minor Upanishads of Hinduism. It is among the 31 Upanishads associated with the Atharvaveda. It is classified as a Shaiva Upanishad, focussing on the destroyer god, Shiva.

References

  1. K. V. Anantharaman (2010). "Shiva Gita". Wisdom Library.
  2. 1 2 K.V, Anantharaman. Siva Gita A Critical Study.
  3. 1 2 K.V, Anantharaman. "Chapter X - Omnipotence of Siva Linga". Siva Gita A Critical Study.
  4. K.V, Anantharaman. "Chapter VI - Esoteric significance of OM enunciated in Siva Gita.". Siva Gita A Critical Study.
English
Sanskrit