J-Z

Amithba - The boddhisattva of 'infinite light'. Amithba represents the primordial, self-existent Buddha. This god was born from a lotus and ceaselessly stretches out aid to the weak and faltering. Amithba became a popular way of salvation for many Buddhists because he was the archetype of compassion, gentle and easygoing.

Amrita - Meaning: 'non-dead'. In Hindu mythology, Amrita is the water of life. Amrita is an echo of practices that antedate the Aryan invasion.

Myth: Amrita was recovered at the Churning of the Ocean when Rahu, the demon, succeeded in obtaining a sip, forcing Vishnu to cut off his head before he gained complete impregnability. The demon's head, a severed piece of immortality, was adopted as a talisman, a protector from evil influences, that served a function similar to gargoyles.

Ananta - The world serpent in Hindu mythology. During the night of Brahma, Vishnu sleeps on coils of prodigious snake, Sesha, also known as Ananta, 'the endless' whose thousand heads rise above the deity like a canopy. This scene and everything in it, the deities’ serpentine couch, the water on which the snake lies, are all manifestations of the primeval essence.

Asuras - The equivalent of the Persian Ahura Mazdah, Asura is a word that relates to 'supreme spirit or divine'. However, somewhere in the course of history the word became one to denote demons or anti-gods, making a complete U-turn. Gods and Asuras were always locked in conflict, no one side completely defeating the other, for, if this were to happen, the surviving side would become redundant.

Avalokitesvara - The Buddhist epitome of mercy and compassion. When Avalokitesvara attained to supreme consciousness, he chose not to pass into nirvana, but vowed to stay behind as the succor of the afflicted. He was filled with compassion, karuna, for the sufferings of the living, which he sought to bring to enlightenment. He was represented as a handsome young man holding a lotus flower in his hand who wore a picture of Amithaba in his hair. His female consort was Tara, also known as Pandaravasini, 'clad in white'.

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Brahma - Brahma is regarded as one of the Hindu triad, Vishnu, the creator, Shiva, the destroyer and Brahma. Brahma, however, has lost his powers to these two and to the Divine Mother. Brahma has four heads. He originally had five, but one head was destroyed by Siva's third eye as he spoke disrespectfully. In his four hands, Brahma holds a scepter, a rosary, a bow, an alms-bowl, and the manuscript of the Rig-Veda.

Buddha - Gautama Siddhartha, the North Indian prince who became Buddha, the enlightened one, required his followers to isolate themselves from the worldly life. The Saffron robes worn by the Buddhist priests is a symbol that they have withdrawn from society that they had elected to leave its toils. The color of the garment was the one that condemned men or those before execution wore. These priests sought the final escape from karmic bondage, Nirvana. To achieve nirvana one must eliminate the ego and destroy aversion and desire. Buddha received enlightenment underneath a fig tree.

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Devi - Mahadevi. Devi was the consort of Shiva and was worshipped in many forms corresponding to her two aspects, benevolence and fierceness. Some of her forms include:

Myth: The first appearance of Devi was as Durga, a beautiful warrior maid of yellow hue seated on a tiger. Mahisha, a tyrannous monster-demon, had through terrible austerities acquired invincible strength. Durga's arrival was miraculous, a sort of potency welling up from the wrath of the gods. Mahisha was a colossal water buffalo of which all gods were afraid, for neither Vishnu nor Shiva could prevail against it. Only the strength of all the gods combined seemed capable of conquering the bull. Therefore, it was that the eighteen-armed Durga went out to give battle. A titanic combat ensued and Durga over came both the bull and its weapon, not so easy a task. Thereafter, ascendancy to Devi had been granted, she became 'the All-comprehending one'.

-End Myth-

As Kali, the goddess is truly fearful.

Dharma - An ancient Hindu sage who married 13 of Daksha's daughters. Dharma, in Hindu society, is the doctrine of the duties and the rights of each caste in the ideal society, and as such the mirror of all moral action.

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Ganesa - The elephant-headed son of Shiva removes obstacles and vouchsafes wisdom. Ganesa is propitiated at the beginning of any important enterprise and is invoked at the commitment of books. He often appears on the covers of Indian students’ notebooks. Ganes is a short pot-bellied man with four hands and a one-tusked elephant head, sometimes riding on a rat or being attended to by one. In one hand Ganesa holds a shell, in another a discus, in the third a club, and in the fourth a water-lilly.

Myth: Parvathi once went into the bath and asked her son to guard the door. The son did so faithfully. Ganesa, however, also guarded the door against Shiva, who, in rage, decapitated the boy. So distressed was Parvathi when she learned of the decapitation that Shiva went out to find another head to fit on the boy. He first found an elephant head and fit on Ganesa's head.

Gommatesvara - Bahubali, also known as Gommatesvara was the son of Rishbha, the last Jain Savior. a 56 1/2-foot statue of him was erected at Sravana Belgola and was discovered in 983. Bahubali was the brother of Bharaba. Legend tells of a struggle between the brothers for the empire with results in Bahubali's disillusionment at the moment of victory. This resulted in him handing over his earthly kingdom to Bharatha and retiring to the forest to do penance.

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Hanuman - The monkey chief and son of Vayu is also known as Bajarangbali. He was an ally of Ram in his epic battle with Ravana. His divine nature permitted him the ability to change in shape and size and have the ability to fight. Because of the services Hanuman provided to him, Ram granted Hanuman the gift of perpetual life and youth.

Hayagriva - Meaning: ''horse-necked'. A demon who stole the scriptures from Brahma's mouth when he was asleep and was killed by Vishnu as matsya-avatara, the fish incarnation.

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Indra - King of the gods in the Rig Veda. Indra has authority over the firmament , he can dispense thunderbolts and rain at his will. Indra won over the position by slaying Virtra, of Ahi, the serpent of drought. His thunderbolt split the stomach of Ahi, releasing the waters, liberating the dawn, creating life. Indra's presence was signaled by a rainbow in the sky. Indra was defeated by Ravana, a sign of the decline of his power.

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