Vig (surname)

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Vig is an Indian (Punjab): Hindu Kshatriya and Sikh surname.

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Vig's and Sanskrit

Vig is derived from the Sanskrit word Vijñāna. Vijñāna (Sanskrit: विज्ञान) or viññāṇa (Pali: विञ्ञाण) [1] is translated as "consciousness", "life force", "mind" [2] , or "discernment" [3] .

The term vijñāna is mentioned in many early Upanishads, where it has been translated by terms such as understanding, knowledge, and intelligence [4] [5] .

In the Pāli Canon's Sutta Pitaka's first four nikāyas, Vijñāna is one of three overlapping Pali terms used to refer to the mind, the others being manas and citta [6] . [7] Each is used in the generic and non-technical sense of "mind" in general, but the three are sometimes used in sequence to refer to one's mental processes as a whole. [8] Their primary uses are, however, distinct [9] .

Vig's and Kashmir Shaivism

Vigs were descendants of the followers of the Vigyan Bhairav Tantra (Sometimes spelled Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra) tradition. [10] This is a Shiva Tantra, of the Kaula Trika tradition of Kashmir Shaivism. [11] Kashmir Shaivism, is a nondualist Hindu tradition of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra which originated in Kashmir sometime after 850 CE. [12] [13] Since this tradition originated in Kashmir, it is often called "Kashmiri Shaivism".

The institutional basis and support for the Kashmir Shaivism tradition mostly disappeared with Islamic conquests of the region leading to the slow decline and contraction of the tradition (thought it continued to be passed down and practiced well into the 18th century). [14]

Vig's and Sikhism

Although originating as Kashmiri Hindus that followed the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, during the time of Guru Nanak's Third Udasi: (1514-1518 AD), Guru Nanak visited the 5000 year old Shiva Amarnath temple in 1516/17 while on his way back from Mount Kailash to Punjab where he had discussions on spirituality and religion with the Hindu Kashmiri Pundits there. [15] Around this time period, many Vig Hindus sought the path of Sikhism through Guru Nanak's teachings. [16]

In May of 1675, a congregation of Kashmiri Pundits requested help against Aurangzeb's oppressive policies, and Guru Tegh Bahadur decided to protect their rights. According to Trilochan Singh in Guru Tegh Bahadur: Prophet and Martyr, the convoy of Kashmiri Pandits who tearfully pleaded with the Guru at Anandpur were 500 in number and were led by a certain Pandit Kirpa Ram, who recounted tales of religious oppression under the governorship of Iftikhar Khan. [17]

The Kashmiri Pandits decided to meet with the Guru after they first sought the assistance of Shiva at the Amarnath Temple, where one of them is said to have had a dream where Shiva instructed the Pandits to seek out the ninth Sikh guru for assistance in their plight and hence a group was formed for carrying out the task. [17] Guru Tegh Bahadur left from his base at Makhowal to confront the persecution of Kashmiri Pandits by Mughal officials but was arrested at Ropar and put to jail in Sirhind. [18] [19] Four months later, in November 1675, he was transferred to Delhi and asked to perform a miracle to prove his nearness to God or convert to Islam. [18] The Guru declined, and three of his colleagues, who had been arrested with him, were tortured to death in front of him: Bhai Mati Das was sawn into pieces, Bhai Dayal Das was thrown into a cauldron of boiling water, and Bhai Sati Das was burned alive. Thereafter on 11 November, Tegh Bahadur was publicly beheaded in Chandni Chowk, a market square close to the Red Fort. [20]

During this interaction with Guru Tegh Bahadur, many Kashmiri Hindus and followers of Kashmir Shaivism sough the path of Sikhism [21] .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guru Tegh Bahadur</span> Ninth Sikh guru from 1665 to 1675

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of ten gurus who founded the Sikh religion and was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in 1675. He was born in Amritsar, Punjab, India in 1621 and was the youngest son of Guru Hargobind, the sixth Sikh guru. Considered a principled and fearless warrior, he was a learned spiritual scholar and a poet whose 115 hymns are included in the Guru Granth Sahib, which is the main text of Sikhism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhairava</span> Hindu and Buddhist deity

Bhairava, or Kala Bhairava, is a Shaivite and Vajrayāna deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists. In Shaivism, he is a powerful manifestation, or avatar, of Shiva. In the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, Bhairava represents the Supreme Reality, synonymous to Para Brahman. Generally in Hinduism, Bhairava is also called Dandapani, as he holds a rod or danda to punish sinners, and Svaśva, meaning, "he whose vehicle is a dog". In Vajrayana Buddhism, he is considered a fierce emanation of boddhisatva Mañjuśrī, and also called Heruka, Vajrabhairava, Mahākāla and Yamantaka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lakshman Joo</span> Hindu saint (1907–1991)

Swami Lakshman Joo, born Lakshman Raina and also called Lal Sahib by his followers, was a mystic and scholar of Kashmir Shaivism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kashmir Shaivism</span> Nondualist Kashmiri Hindu tradition

The Kashmir Shaivism tradition, also called Trika Shaivism, is a non-dualist branch of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra Hinduism that originated in Kashmir after 850 CE. In its place of origin in Kashmir, this tradition is commonly referred to as "Kashmiri Shaivism." It later spread beyond Kashmir, with its great scholar Abhinavagupta calling it "Trika". It particularly flourished in the states of Odisha and Maharashtra. Defining features of the Trika tradition are its idealistic and monistic Pratyabhijna ("Recognition") philosophical system, propounded by Utpaladeva and Abhinavagupta, and the centrality of the three goddesses Parā, Parāparā, and Aparā.

Svātantrya is the Kashmiri Shaivite concept of divine sovereignty. Svātantrya is described as an energy that emanates from the Supreme (Paramaśiva), a wave of motion inside consciousness (spanda) that acts as the fundament of the world, or in another view, the original word. It does not use any external instrument as it itself is the first stage of creation.

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Mohyal Brahmins are an Indian sub-caste of Saraswat Brahmins from the Punjab region. A sub-group of the Punjabi Hindu community, Mohyal caste comprises seven clans named Bali, Bhimwal, Chhibber, Datt, Lau, Mohan and Vaid.

Hinduism and Sikhism are Indian religions. Hinduism has pre-historic origins, while Sikhism was founded in the 15th century by Guru Nanak. Both religions share many philosophical concepts such as karma, dharma, mukti, and maya although both religions have different interpretation of some of these concepts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhai Mati Das</span> Indian Sikh martyr (died 1675)

Bhai Mati Das, along with his younger brother Bhai Sati Das were martyrs of early Sikh history. Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Dayala, and Bhai Sati Das were executed at a kotwali (police-station) in the Chandni Chowk area of Delhi, under the express orders of Emperor Aurangzeb just before the martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur. Bhai Mati Das was executed by being bound between two pillars and cut in two.

Islam is an Abrahamic religion founded in the Arabian Peninsula, while Sikhism is an Indian religion founded in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent. Islam means 'submission to god'. The word Sikh is derived from a word meaning 'disciple', or one who learns.

Shiva Sutras are a collection of seventy seven aphorisms that form the foundation of the tradition of spiritual mysticism known as Kashmir Shaivism. They are attributed to the sage Vasugupta of the 9th century C.E.

<i>Kashmiriyat</i> Kashmiri tradition

Kashmiriyat is the centuries-old indigenous tradition of communal harmony and religious syncretism in the Kashmir Valley in Indian-administered Kashmir. Emerging around the 16th century, it is characterised by religious and cultural harmony, patriotism and pride for their mountainous homeland of Kashmir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gurbachan Singh Talib</span>

Sardar Gurbachan Singh was a Sikh scholar, professor, and author. He was born in Moonak, Sangrur district. He was a lecturer at the Sikh National College at Lahore. At the Banaras Hindu University he held the Guru Nanak Chair of Sikh Studies. He received the Padma Bhushan in 1985. He received in 1985 the National fellowship by the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sikhism in India</span> Overview of the presence and role of Sikhism in India

Indian Sikhs number approximately 21 million people and account for 1.7% of India's population as of 2011, forming the country's fourth-largest religious group. The majority of the nation's Sikhs live in the northern state of Punjab, which is the only Sikh-majority administrative division in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaula (Hinduism)</span> Religious tradition in Hinduism

Kaula, also known as Kula, and, is a Tantric tradition which is characterised by distinctive rituals and symbolism connected with the worship of Shakti and Shiva that is associated with cremation-ground or charnel ground sceticism, found in Shaktism and Shaivism.

Martyrdom is a fundamental institution of Sikhism. Sikh festivals are largely focused on the lives of the Sikh gurus and Sikh martyrs. Their martyrdoms are regarded as instructional ideals for Sikhs, and have greatly influenced Sikh culture and practices.

<i>Vijñāna Bhairava Tantra</i> Text in Kashmir Shaivism

The Vijñāna-bhairava-tantra is a Shiva Tantra, of the Kaula Trika tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, possibly authored by Guru Keyūravatī. Singh notes that it is difficult to establish an exact date for the text, and it could have been written at some time from the 7th to the 8th century CE. It is also called the Śiva-jñāna-upaniṣad by Abhinavagupta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iftikhar Khan (governor)</span> Mughal governor

Iftikhar Khan was the Mughal governor of the Subah of Kashmir from 1671 to 1675.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Writers of the Guru Granth Sahib</span>

The Guru Granth Sahib, is the central religious text of Sikhism, considered by Sikhs to be the final sovereign Guru of the religion. It contains 1430 Angs, containing 5,894 hymns of 36 saint mystics which includes Sikh gurus, Bhagats, Bhatts and Gursikhs. It is notable among foundational religious scriptures for including hymns from writers of other religions, namely Hindus and Muslims. It also contains teachings of the Sikh gurus themselves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brahmin Sikhs</span> Sikh subgroup

Brahmin Sikh is a Sikh religious group whose members belong to Brahmin community. They played a key role in the early years of Sikhism. Sometimes they are called Kashmiri Sikhs, for those who are of Kashmiri origin.

References

  1. ↑ "Pali: Language and Literature", Pali Buddhist Texts, Routledge, pp. 10–12, 2012-12-06, doi:10.4324/9780203061039-5, ISBN   978-0-203-06103-9 , retrieved 2024-02-21
  2. ↑ Rhys Davids & Stede (1921–1925). "entry for "Viññāṇa"". The University of Chicago's "Digital Dictionaries of South Asia": 618 – via University of Chicago.
  3. ↑ "Screenshot of Itunes Library - Archived Platform Itunes 2010". dx.doi.org. doi:10.3998/mpub.11435021.cmp.6 . Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  4. ↑ Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli, ed. (2003). The principal Upaniṣads (11. impr ed.). New Delhi: HarperCollins Publ. India. ISBN   978-81-7223-124-8.
  5. ↑ Bennet, Alex; Bennet, David (2008-04-11). "Moving from knowledge to wisdom, from ordinary consciousness to extraordinary consciousness". VINE. 38 (1): 7–15. doi:10.1108/03055720810870842. ISSN   0305-5728.
  6. ↑ "Sri Chinmoy Library". www.srichinmoylibrary.com. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  7. ↑ Liangkang, Ni (2010), "The Ultimate Consciousness and Alaya-vijnana: A Comparative Study on Deep-Structure of Consciousness between Yogacara Buddhism and Phenomenology", Phenomenology 2010. Volume 1, Selected Essays from Asia and Pacific, Zeta Books, pp. 81–112, doi:10.7761/9789731997643_4, ISBN   978-973-1997-63-6 , retrieved 2024-02-21
  8. ↑ Allon, Mark (October 1997). "South Asia - Sue Hamilton: Identity and experience: the constitution of the human being according to early Buddhism. xxxi, 218 pp. London: Luzac Oriental, 1996. £30". Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. 60 (3): 571–573. doi:10.1017/s0041977x00032833. ISSN   0041-977X. S2CID   162873646.
  9. ↑ Bodhi, Bhikkhu (2000). The connected discourses of the Buddha: a translation of the Samyutta Nikāya. The teachings of the Buddha. Boston (Mass.): Wisdom. ISBN   978-0-86171-331-8.
  10. ↑ Sun, H; Zhao, Y; Chen, M; Jin, W (2018-02-15). "Abstract P1-03-09: Not presented". Cancer Research. 78 (4_Supplement): P1–03-09-P1-03-09. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs17-p1-03-09. ISSN   0008-5472.
  11. ↑ "Shiva, The Masculine Principle In Tantra – SivaSakti" . Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  12. ↑ Lawrence, David Peter (2017-11-22), Bilimoria, Purushottama (ed.), "Tantra and Kashmiri Śaivism", History of Indian Philosophy, Routledge, pp. 408–417, doi:10.4324/9781315666792, hdl: 10536/DRO/DU:30113046 , ISBN   978-1-315-66679-2
  13. ↑ Goodall, Dominic (2023-01-26), "Śaiva Tantra", The Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197549889.013.45, ISBN   978-0-19-754988-9 , retrieved 2024-02-21
  14. ↑ Hayes, Glen A., "The Necklace of Immortality", Tantra in Practice, Princeton University Press, pp. 308–325, doi:10.2307/j.ctv3hh53v.26 , retrieved 2024-02-21
  15. ↑ "Third Udasi - SikhiWiki, free Sikh encyclopedia". www.sikhiwiki.org. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
  16. ↑ Singh, Komal J. B. (2020-11-28), "The 1947 Massacre and Its Impact on Sikhs in Kashmir", Society and Politics of Jammu and Kashmir, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 281–297, doi:10.1007/978-3-030-56481-0_14, ISBN   978-3-030-56480-3, S2CID   229411274 , retrieved 2024-02-21
  17. 1 2 Singh, Kashmir (2013-10-01). "Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee". Oxford Handbooks Online. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199699308.013.039.
  18. 1 2 Grewal, J. S. (2003). The Sikhs of the Punjab. The new Cambridge history of India / general ed. Gordon Johnson 2, Indian States and the transition to colonialism (Rev. ed., transferred to digital print ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press. ISBN   978-0-521-63764-0.
  19. ↑ Dhavan, Purnima (2011-11-02). When Sparrows Became Hawks: The Making of the Sikh Warrior Tradition, 1699-1799. Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-987717-1.
  20. ↑ Singh, Pashaura; Fenech, Louis E. (March 2014). The Oxford Handbook of Sikh Studies. OUP Oxford. ISBN   9780199699308.
  21. ↑ "The Supreme Sacrifice of Guru Tegh Bahadur - The Hindu Religion seeks Protection". www.sikhmissionarysociety.org. Retrieved 2024-02-21.
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