Tantra has had many meanings: a class of literature (the Tantras), practices that are non-Vedic (tantrika), one of the religious sects of Hinduism. There is no sin­gle word in Sanskrit for Tantrism as a religious perspective, even though its addi­tions to the Hindu tradition make it quite distinctive. Tantrism can be seen in the point of view of Hindu mythology. It is a practical path, with techniques for acquiring magical or supernatural powers (siddhis). It is the entire cosmos as unified; there is no absolute division between pure and impure. … Continue reading →

Tapas, a central term in Hindu mythology, literally means “heat.” It served as a metaphor for the heat generated in ascetic and esoteric practices. Austerities that generated tapas, often themselves called tapas, were not always ascetic in spirit. Most myths link tapas with powers (siddhis): one practiced tapas in order to gain siddhis. The demons (asuras) often quit any aspect of their practice that was ascetic (fasting, yoga, meditation, worship) as soon as they acquired the sid­dhi they sought (immortality, invincibility, and the like). Often Brahma, and sometimes Indra or … Continue reading →

Trita was a Vedic god whose name meant “the third.” His main importance comes from sharing the same achievements with Indra. Some scholars say that he was Indra’s double, but a more likely interpretation is that Trita was already fading from prominence by the time of the Vedic hymns. That is, Trita repre­sented an earlier mythology. He was known in the earliest Avestan (Persian) mythology. Indra was given Trita’s heroic deeds: the slaying of the monsters Vri- tra, Vala, and Visvarupa, son of Tvashthri. One story in the Rigveda told … Continue reading →

Tvashthri, literally the shaper, was the son of Kasiyapa and Aditi. Alain Danielou called him the personification of one of the six minor principles of Vedic culture: craftsmanship. The hymns in the Rigveda made him function something like later concepts such as sakti (divine energy) and life force (prana), except that Tvashthri was the very divine craftsman at work in the womb, forming the off­spring of all species, determining their beauty and strength. By the time of the Brahmanas Tvashthri had become the agent in crafting into being whatever was … Continue reading →

A yatra was a pilgrimage, or visit, to a river crossing, or ford (tirtha). Thus the term tirtha-yatra came into usage. Over the centuries it came to mean a visit to any holy place, a pilgrimage to a sacred region (such as the plain where the Mahabharata battle was fought), to a temple city (such as Melkote), or to a river (such as the Ganga or the Yamuna). Some have seen in the practice the influence of Dravidian or Indus Valley ritualistic bathing and a continuation of early purification practices. … Continue reading →

The meaning of upanishad is “to sit near attentively.” They usually consisted of a metaphysical discussion between the sage and a disciple. There are 108 Upan­ishads traditionally, although only a dozen, the so-called major Upanishads, are in every list. Minor Upanishads are still being written. In the early Vedic period, before the Upanishads were recognized as author­itative, there was a three-fold division of the Vedas: the Samhita (collection of hymns), Brahmanas (commentaries), and Aranyakas (forest texts). The Upan­ishads formed the last (anta) part of the Vedas, also called Vedanta (from … Continue reading →

The grandfather of this kalpa, Kasyapa-prajapati, founded the kingdom of ser­pents with his wife Kadru. Takshaka was one of her seven greatest children, the septa-nagas. Takshaka and her most righteous children were cursed to be reborn on earth and to be burned alive as their punishment for not obeying their mother. The story goes like this: Kadru had become involved in a wager with another wife of Kasiyapa, Vinata. They bet on the color of the tail of the divine horse Uccaishshravas, each wagering her own service to the other. … Continue reading →

Surya was a primary deity of the Aryans at the time of the earliest hymns of the Rigveda. The solar cult saw the sun as the most obvious symbol of life, con­sciousness, and divinity. For some time within each of the first three periods of Hindu mythology, Surya was acknowledged as the creator, the principle of life, the Supreme, or supreme ruler of all. Afterwards Surya underwent the process so familiar in Hindu mythology—appropriation of his powers and attributes by other deities, subordination to other deities, and finally attacks on … Continue reading →