Search Results for: kumAra

In later northern Indian tradition a euphemistic transformation was imposed on kumAra – from a deity capable of erotic flourishes he was transmogrified into an eternal bachelor who shunned women. Behind this façade was a persistent tradition in parts of … Continue reading →

OM asya shrI kumAra trishatI mahAmantrasya mArkaNDeya R^iShiH | anuShTup ChandaH | kumAra-ShaNmukho devatA | kumAra iti bIjaM | shAkha iti shaktiH | vishAkha iti kIlakaM | nejameSha ityargalaM | kArttikeya iti kavachaM | ShaNmukha iti dhyAnaM | dhyAyet ShaNmukham … Continue reading →

We had earlier discussed vidyA-s of the various specialized mUrti-s of kArttikeya and their visualizations. Continuing with that discussion we shall now look at the mUrti-s of the god as described by the kaumArAgama known as the sanatkumAra prashna. The … Continue reading →

The great kaumAra tAntrika, rAmAnuja deshika collected several kaumAra vidyA-s into two compendiums the subrahmaNya kalpa (SK) and the kumAra-tantra sAra (KTS). These contains fragments of the older kaumAra mUla tantras that might be partly or entirely lost. These old … Continue reading →

Childhood rites in connection kumAra, ShaShThi and their gaNa-s are widespread in Hindu tradition. An early example of this offered by the vaikhAnasa tradition. In the ceremony of nAmakaraNa a series of blessings are bestowed on the child by the … Continue reading →

laghu kumAra stotrasya shatakratuH R^iShiH | anuShTup ChandaH | skando devata ||OM hrAM ~NaMdeva-devaM namasyAmi kumAraM varamachyutaM |kArttikeyaM durArAdhyaM vahni-tejaH samudbhavaM || 1 ||umA sha~NkarajaM bhImaM ga~NgAyA jaThare dhR^itaM |shakti-hastaM viShAlAkShaM ShaNmukhaM dIpta-tejasaM || 2 ||bhaktAnukaMpinaM dAtaM brahmaNyaM varadaM prabhuM … Continue reading →

Of the mUrti-s of kumAra [Note 1] that are worshiped by the educated kaumAra sAdhaka there are few having a special significance. The first of these is of great import for a dvija in devoted the yAj~nIkI perfection. It is … Continue reading →

The 3rd stride of viShNu as well as his snake is the enduring Hindus symbol of the axis that precesses with the passage of kAla or time. Right from the R^igveda this axial role of viShNu is at the fore … Continue reading →

The great rahasya of the 6-headed one goes thus: 1) First there is the praNava, which encompasses the akSharas from shrIkaNTha the father of the young god to the last of the pentads of brahman. 2) kAmarUpaM vahnyArUDhaM bindumAlinIbhuShitaM kAlabindumilitaM … Continue reading →

The early history of the imagery of rudra within the Indo-Aryan tradition (as an ortholog of the deities elsewhere in the Indo-European world, like Apollo and Odin) can be traced through a large body of texts. These include in approximate … Continue reading →

We had earlier discussed the root mantra of the kumAra shAsana as provided in the vaikhAnasa mantra-prashna. The complete formulation, which includes the mantra-s of kumAra and devyaH, represents an early form of the kula vidyA. Another early vaidika kula … Continue reading →

Having completed the second circle we mediated up on the might of the great archer invoking him with the mantra whose R^iShi is haryata the son pragAtha of the clan of the kANva-s and whose meter is the gAyatrI: antar … Continue reading →

In the ancient series of vidyA-s of the kaumAra-mata, one of the most celebrated, whose realization flashes like an immense wave of beauty and energy, is the expanded kula-vidyA. The yAga of the expanded kula-vidyA is the worship of ShaNmukha … Continue reading →

The kaumAra-shAsana holds that its mantra-s are of two types name shruti-prakR^iti and Agama-prakR^iti. The former mantra-s are those of vaidika origin. The rahasya trishati is said to specify mantra-s of both the classes. bhUtapatir gatAta~Nko nIla-chUDaka-vAhanaH || 34/287 The … Continue reading →

We had earlier mentioned how the mahAmAyUrI-vidyA-rAj~nI (MVR), an early kriyA tantra of the tAthAgata-s, is an important text to understand the evolutionary transition in the mantra-shAstra from the vaidika to the tAntrika state. Gathering texts that illustrate this transition … Continue reading →

Many a time memes expressing themselves in the philological medium and those that express themselves in the material medium of art and architecture share several common motifs. Yet these two sets of memes can show a striking disconnect in many … Continue reading →

Diversity and syncretism in the bhairava or dakShiNa srotas The bhairava-srotas of the shaiva mantramArga was clearly one of the most speciose branches of the shaiva-shAsana. From the ancestral bhairava-srotas base that itself most probably arose from the kApAlika-oriented streams … Continue reading →

Parts of the below material were inspired by extended collaborative discussions with shrI KR. The winter solstice/year beginning in the last part of shraviShTha (1300 BCE) The three great categories of gods in the veda and beyond Though absent in … Continue reading →

kumAra with the kula of glorious goddesses in the holy city of Mathura In the kaumAra lore an important chakra is the 14 fold chakra in the center of which guha is worshipped. There are 3 major AvaraNa-s: 1) the … Continue reading →

The nIlarudropaniShat has some additional mantra-s beyond those included in the nIlarudra sUktaM. These mantra-s are drawn from the raudra gaNa of the paippalAda saMhitA of the AV. The combination of the nIlarudra sUktaM along with the raudra gaNa (AV … Continue reading →

Some enquirers had asked about the classification of nAstika tantra-s of the bauddha variety. Hence, we shall briefly discuss this, while mentioning the caveat that there are many classifications, just as in the case of Astika systems. I must also … Continue reading →

R1’s father was not the kind like the prudish modern Hindu who was shy of laying out the realities of sAdhana and the subject matter of certain shAstra-s to me. Yet he was not exactly thrilled with the prospect of … Continue reading →

pathyA revatIr bahudhA virUpAH sarvAH sa~Ngatya varivas te akran | tAs tvA sarvAH saMvidAnA hvayantu dashamIm ugraH sumanA vasheha ||AV 6.4.7; AV-P 3.1.7 The revatI-s of the path of several diverse forms, have all assembled and made extensive wealth for … Continue reading →

The tantra-rAja is a key shrI-kula tantra that forms the basis for many of the practices of the kAdimata. The paTala 34 lists the key vidyA-s which are very important for the attainment of various puruShArtha-s of the kaula practitioners. … Continue reading →

In our earlier discussion we had argued based on structural homologies the marut-s of the vedic system are “para-skanda”. We speculated that kumAra himself descends from a para-vedic Indo-Iranian system, which contained an ancestral version of the deity, who in … Continue reading →

Over the years we have been collecting several observations on the kaumAra sect, its texts and evolution on this site. While all this would be worth synthesizing, that would need much greater effort. We identify 3 basic phases in the … Continue reading →

kaumAra dIkSha: The SS is one of the few surviving texts giving an account of the kaumAra dIkSha. In its general pattern it follows the dIkSha-s seen in the pA~ncharAtra and saiddhAntika systems. In a pure spot a maNTapa is … Continue reading →

Chapter 11 of the skanda-sadbhAva describes the making of images of skanda. 8 substances are recommended for making images: suvarNaM rajataM tAmraM maNayaH kaMsa eva cha | mR^ittikA dAru pAShaNa ity aShaTau yonaH smR^itAH || i.e.: gold, silver, copper, gemstone, … Continue reading →

Even though there are kumAra shrines ranking amongst the richest of the Indian temples, kaumAra worship can be generally characterized as being in the decline, especially in terms of the ancient forms. In South India the majority of priests at … Continue reading →

We observed a description of the the terrifying elephant graha of kArttikeya in the kAshyapa saMhita of the kaumAra tantra-s. The same graha and the underlying mythology are alluded to in the section 129 of the kAshyapa tantraM, the magico-medical … Continue reading →

The below may offend Hindus; Hence viewer discretion is advised. Both the bauddha and jaina nAstika-s saw shaiva-s of all hues as major competitors. It is interesting to note that despite the popularity of pA~ncharAtra tantra-s much of bauddha hate … Continue reading →

The existence of aindra grammar which apparently declined in due course due to pANini’s efforts has been discussed extensively in the past by Burnell in his monograph on the topic. While things might have changed in certain directions in our … Continue reading →

The great siddhAnta tantric aghorashiva deshika from the mid-1100s of the CE from the Tamil country composed an epitome of siddhAnta worship of the 5- headed sadAshiva and the AvaraNas of his maNDala. This is the pa~nchAvarNa stava, which resembles … Continue reading →