Roshen Dalal | |
---|---|
Born | 1952 |
Alma mater | University of Bombay (BA) Jawaharlal Nehru University (MA & PhD) |
Occupation(s) | Historian, Writer |
Known for | Ancient Indian History |
Roshen Dalal (born 1952) is an Indian historian and writer of books for adults and children on the history of India and its religions. She has a PhD in Indian Ancient History. [1] [2] [3] Roshen Dalal was born in Mussoorie and studied in various schools across the country. After a BA (Hons) in history from the University of Bombay, she completed an MA and PhD in Ancient Indian History from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. She has taught at both school and university, and has been involved in research in the fields of Indian history, religion and philosophy, and education.She lives in Dehradun. [4] [5]
Varuna is a Hindu god, associated with the sky, oceans, and water. In the Vedic scriptures, he is paired with the god Mitra and is the lord of Ṛta (justice) and Satya (truth). Varuna is also mentioned as an Aditya, the sons of the goddess Aditi.
Indra is the king of the devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war.
Brihaspati, is a Hindu god. In the ancient Vedic scriptures of Hinduism, Brihaspati is a deity associated with fire, and the word also refers to a god who counsels the devas and devis. In some later texts, the word refers to the largest planet of the solar system, Jupiter, and the deity is associated with the planet as a Navagraha.
Svaha, also referred to as Manyanti, is the Hindu goddess of sacrifices featured in the Vedas. She is the consort of Agni, and the daughter of either Daksha or Brihaspati, depending on the literary tradition. According to the Brahmavaivarta Purana, she is an aspect of Prakriti (nature), an element without which Agni cannot sustain.
The historical Vedic religion, also called Vedicism or Vedism, and sometimes ancient Hinduism or Vedic Hinduism, constituted the religious ideas and practices prevalent amongst some of the Indo-Aryan peoples of the northwest Indian subcontinent during the Vedic period. These ideas and practices are found in the Vedic texts, and some Vedic rituals are still practiced today. The Vedic religion is one of the major traditions which shaped modern Hinduism, though present-day Hinduism is significantly different from the historical Vedic religion.
Pashupati is a form of the Hindu deity Shiva, in his benign aspect as the five-faced herdsman of all creatures. Pashupati is traditionally considered to be the guardian deity of Nepal, described in texts such as the Nepala Mahatmya, found in regional versions of the Skanda Purana.
In Hinduism, Itihasa-Purana, also called the fifth Veda, refers to the traditional accounts of cosmogeny, myths, royal genealogies of the lunar dynasty and solar dynasty, and legendary past events, as narrated in the Itihasa and the Puranas. They are highly influential in Indian culture, and many classical Indian poets derive the plots of their poetry and drama from the Itihasa. The Epic-Puranic chronology derived from the Itihasa-Puranais an influential frame of reference in traditional Indian thought.
A Divya Desam or Vaishnava Divya Desam is one of the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that is mentioned in the works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnava tradition.
Svayambhu is a Sanskrit word that means "self-born", "self-manifested", "self-existing", or "that that is created by its own accord". Various deities and entities featured in Hindu literature and tradition are regarded to be svayambhu, such as Brahman in the Upanishads, and the Trimurti of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, and Manu in the Puranas.
In Hinduism, Rishabha is one of the twenty-four avatars of Vishnu in the Bhagavata Purana. Some scholars identify this avatar to be the same as the first tirthankara of Jainism, Rishabhanatha. Shaiva texts like the Linga Purana regard Rishabha to be among the 28 avatars of Shiva. Rishabha is also found in Vedic literature, where it means the "bull" and is an epithet for Rudra (Shiva).
Bhumi, also known as Bhudevi, Dharani, and Vasundhara, is a significant goddess in Hinduism, personifying the Earth. Her earliest form is reflected in the Vedic goddess Prithvi, though their roles and depictions are drastically different.
Indrani, also known as Shachi, is the queen of the devas in Hinduism. Described as tantalisingly beautiful, proud and kind, she is the daughter of the asura Puloman and the consort of the king of the devas, Indra.
Iccha-shakti is a Sanskrit term translating to free will, desire, creative urge. It functions as the impulse towards manifestation within the principle of shakti, the concept of divine feminine energy. Along with kriya-shakti and jnana-shakti, iccha-shakti is described to constitute the three aspects of shakti in Hinduism, regarded to be responsible for the evolution of the universe in Tantra. In Shaivism, iccha-shakti represents one of the five shaktis of Shiva, alongside adi-shakti, parama-shakti, kriya-shakti, and jnana-shakti.
Devdutt Pattanaik is a mythologist and writer from Mumbai, India. He writes on mythology, the study of cultural truths revealed through stories, symbols and rituals. He lectures on the relevance of both Indian and Western myths in modern life. His work focuses largely on the areas of religion, mythology, and management. He has authored and illustrated over 50 books, including ABC Of Hinduism, Bahubali : 63 insights into Jainism, and Yoga Mythology: 64 Asanas and Their Stories.
Budha is the Sanskrit word for the planet Mercury. Budha is also a god of Planet Mercury.
The practice of Hindu animal sacrifice is in recent times mostly associated with Shaktism, and in currents of folk Hinduism strongly rooted in local popular or tribal traditions. Animal sacrifices were part of the ancient Vedic Era in India, and are mentioned in scriptures such as the Puranas. The Hindu scripture Brahma Vaivarta Purana forbids the Asvamedha Horse sacrifice in this Kali Yuga. However, the perception that animal sacrifice was only practiced in ancient Non-Vedic Era is opposed by instances like Ashvamedha and other rituals that are rooted in Vedas. Both the Itihasas and the Puranas like the Devi Bhagavata Purana and the Kalika Purana as well as the Saiva and Sakta Agamas prescribe animal sacrifices.
Niladevi, also rendered as Neela Devi or Nappinnai, is a Hindu goddess, and a consort of the preserver deity Vishnu, along with Sridevi and Bhudevi. Niladevi is primarily revered in South India, particularly in Tamil culture, as one of Vishnu's consorts. In Sri Vaishnava tradition, all three consorts of Vishnu are regarded as aspects of Mahalakshmi.
Praśastapāda was an ancient Indian philosopher. He wrote the Padārtha-dharma-saṅgraha and a commentary, titled Praśastapāda Bhāṣya, on the Vaisheshika Sutras of Kanada ; both texts are comprehensive books in physics. In these texts Prashastapada discusses the properties of motion. Ganganath Jha had translated Praśastapāda Bhāṣya which was published in 1916. Prashasta or Praśasta means praised or praiseworthy, lauded or laudable, commended or commendable or eulogized.
The East and the West or Prachya o Paschatya is a book written by Swami Vivekananda. In this book Swami Vivekananda made a comparative study of eastern and Western cultures.
Nimbarkacharya, also known as Nimbarka, Nimbaditya or Niyamananda, was a Hindu philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the theology of Dvaitādvaita (dvaita–advaita) or dualistic–non-dualistic sometimes known as Svābhāvika bhedābheda. He played a major role in spreading the worship of the divine couple Radha and Krishna, and founded Nimbarka Sampradaya, one of four main traditions of Hindu sect Vaishnavism.