Guest guest Report post Posted October 7, 2009 Namaste, In the Vedas we often find that the word Asura is used as an adjective for the Devas, whereas during the Puranic times, Asura is clearly evil. How did the transition of the word come about? What does the Vedic word Asura really mean? -Regards Rajarshi The upsurge (of consciousness) is Bhairava - Shiva Sutra--- On Wed, 7/10/09, homamstudent <vedichoroscope wrote: homamstudent <vedichoroscope Re: Significance of SRI VAMANA AVATHARA Date: Wednesday, 7 October, 2009, 10:37 PM Excellent Article and may I add what a beautiful picture. Please sendus more !A couple of points:1. The 3 steps taken by Sri Vishnu after Bali allowed for them alsosignify how the lord will dissolve the maya and takes control of ourbodies and life. With the first step the lord took control over theBhuva Loka (association with body and material aspects) and with thesecond step he took control over the higher lokas (indriyas) and finallythe last step was left and only place left was Balis head (ahamkara)which was dissolved as well.If you allow God to be part of your life then he will work in mysticalways and take care of the illusion of your body, senses, and finallyyour ego2. The story cannot be complete without the role played by Shukracharyaor the guru of the Asuras. He knew that Sri Vamana was no other thanSri Vishnu and warned Bali but the latter out of pride and duty stillgave his word (there was still some goodness in Bali, maybe a smallpiece). To seal the deal water was to be put out of the kamandalu ofSri Vamana onto the hands of Bali. Shukracharya shrinks to a small sizeand tries to block the flow of water from the Kamandalu and Sri Vamanatakes a straw and clears the way and Shukracharya loses an eye. Theguru of the Asuras becomes half blind (opposed to Brihaspati).As the devata tries to enter the body of a devotee, the Rajas elementwill play all kinds of tricks and block the path. A straw(representing qualities of Surya or the scriptures) accompanied by anable Guru (Sri Vamana) can clear the path.RegardsVeenu, Prasanth Jalasutram<jvrsprasanth@ ...> wrote:>> [image: [vishnu_avatar_ QJ96_l.jpg] ]><http://2.bp. blogspot. com/_S49ZRy14b1M /Ssv69e578aI/ AAAAAAAAAXA/ pwpQ5i4KI\50/s1600-h/vishnu_ avatar_QJ96_ l.jpg>> *SRI VAMANA AVATHARA*> **> **>> *Significance> *>> *Sri Vamana Avathara was fifth in the line of Dasavatharas of Lord SriMaha> Vishnu. This avathara took place during Treta Yuga before SriParashurama> Avathara. Lord Maha Vishnu took this avathara in order to suppress the> arrogance, vanity and pride of Emperor Bali (Bali Chakravarthi) and to> restore the glory, power and authority of Lord Indra over the Heavenwho had> lost his power and kingdom (Swarga) to King Bali. Sri Vishnu SahasraNama> Sthothra describes in sloka # 17 and 56, the Lord asUpendro Vaamanahand> Trivikramah. *> *Lord in this avathara was known as Vamana because he was dwarf inform at> the beginning. He was known as Trivikrama because he is the one whohas> conquered the three worlds, Earth, Upper worlds and Nether worlds. Hegrew> to a gigantic size while suppressing the King Bali and conquered the> Universe with just three paces of his foot. He was also referred asUpendra> as he was known to be the younger brother of Indra. We find all thethree> names Trivikrama, Vamana and Upendra while reciting 24 Kesava Namas.An> exclusive Purana named after Lord Vamana called Sri Vamana Puranascripted> by Lord and Sage Veda Vyasa forms part of 18 great Puranas calledAshtadasa> Puranas.*>> *Lord Vamana was born as the son of Sage Kashyapa (KashyapaPrajapathi) and> his wife Aditi in accordance to the penance done by the couple andprayers> of Indra and other Deities. He was born on Bhadrapada Sukla Dwadasiday> under the star constellation of Sravana Nakshatra. This day every yearis> celebrated as Vamana Jayanthi the day on which Lord Sri Vamana wasborn. As> soon as he was born He took no time in attaining the boyhood becominga Vatu> (Brahmachari) . Lord Brahma himself initiated the Gayathri Manthra toSri> Vamana. His attire was that of a typical Brahmin Brahmachari, wearinga> Koupeena (Loin cloth), a sacred thread, holding a Chatthra (Umbrella)in one> hand and Dhanda/Kamandalu (stick and water jug) in the other, hisupper body> covered with Deer skin, wearing a ring of Dharbha (Kusa grass) to histhird> finger.*> **>> *Significance of Three Steps*> *Lord Vamana went to King Maha Bali and asks for three steps of land> measured by his foot as charity. Initially Bali hesitated to donatejust> three paces of land as it is a disgrace to his status and was guiltyto give> such charity. But later agreed, upon insisting by Lord Vamana andpromised> to give three paces of land as charity measured by Sri Vamana'sfoot. When> Maha Bali completed the ritual process of donating the land, LordVamana> assumed his cosmic form (Trivikrama) , measured the entire Earthincluding> the nether worlds by his first step.*> *> With his second step He measured the entire upper worlds. When hisfoot> reached the zenith it crossed the Sathya Loka where Lord Brahma stays.> Seeing the foot of Lord Maha Vishnu, Lord Brahma offered abhishekamand> washed the Lord's foot and the water that fell from His footsanctified the> entire Universe. We find in the verses of great composer and Saint Sri> Annamacharya referring to the foot washed by Lord Brahma (BrahmaKadigina> Padamu) in one of his verses on Lord Sri Venkateswara. *> *> When the entire Universe was conquered by just two paces of Lord SriMaha> Vishnu (Vamana) there was no space left in the Universe to keepVamana's> third pace. When Lord Vamana asked Maha Bali the space to keep histhird> pace, all the pride and vanity of Maha Bali had vanished and he had no> hesitation in surrendering before the Supreme Lord. Having realisedthe> Supreme Reality, Bali readily offered his own head to keep theLord's third> step. Lord Vamana immediately placed his third pace (his foot) on thehead> of Bali and sent him to the nether worlds. Thus the ahankara (egoism)of> Maha Bali was suppressed and Indra was restored with his kingdom.*> **>> *Uniqueness*>> *Sri Vamana Avathara is the first Avathara where Lord Sri Maha Vishnutook> complete human form though dwarf at the beginning. The uniqueness ofthis> Avathara is that the Lord did not use any weapon. The only weapon heused> was that of begging in front of King Bali in accordance to theBrahmanic> (Brahmachari) form he had attained. The Lord did not kill the KingBali even> though he was an Asura. He conquered him in a Vedic way with his> intelligence. Unlike other Avatharas, Vamana Avathara was a Sattvik> Avathara. Lord had to resort to this strategy due to the promise hehad made> to his beloved devotee Prahlada not to kill any of his descendants.> Astrologically Jupiter (Guru) is said to be the Paramatma Amsa ofVamana> Avathara.*> **> *Message from Vamana Avathara> *>> *Hidden behind every Avathara of Paramatma there is a message/moral> conveyed. In this Sri Vamana Avathara the message is total surrenderto the> God however mighty one may be. When once you shed your ego andsurrender> totally with devotion at the feet of the supreme Lord there is nothingone> can worry about and will get total protection. This is what exactlyhas> happened in case of Bali who had no other alternative but to surrenderto> the Lord Trivikrama who had conquered the three worlds.*> *When King Bali surrendered in front of Lord Vamana with totaldevotion, the> Lord was very much pleased and gave him boons voluntarily withoutbeing> asked by King Bali. He not only made him the ruler of the nether world> Suthala but also assured him that He would always protect his kingdom.He> also assured Bali that he would become the Indra in the nextManvanthara. By> the touch of Lord's foot on the head of King Bali all his sins gotcleaned> up, he became immortal (Chiranjeevi) . This is what one shouldunderstand> that we should never ask for alms to the Supreme Lord. If you ask youwill> get only what you had asked. It you don't ask you will geteverything that> you require.*> *> The story of Bali also bring out the reality that, there is nothing> permanent and nothing to be taken for granted in this world be itwealth,> beauty, power, status, position or family and nothing belongs toanyone.> Even the mighty have to fall on one day or the other. We have severalsuch> historical examples that we are also seeing in this modern world.*> **>> *Festivals related to Vamana Avathara:> *> *The day on which Lord Vamana was born is celebrated every year on> Bhadrapada Sukla Dwadasi Day as Vamana Jayanthi.*> **>> *Temples of Vamana Avathara: Some of the famous temples of Lord Vamanaare,> *> *Ulagalanda Perumal temple: It is a temple of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu in> Trivikrama roopa (Vamana Avathara). The statue is 35 ft. height and 24ft.> width. It is said that during Vamana Avathara Lord Vishnu appeared toKing> Bali at this place. It is also said that the Lord showed hisTrivikrama> roopa to Lord Aadisesha at this place. This temple is located in Shiva> Kanchi (Kaancheepuram) in Tamil Nadu state.> *>> *Thrikkara Temple: The only Vamana temple in Kerala near Cochin famousfor> Onam festival. This place is said to have been the capital of KingBali.*>> *Tirukoilur - Ulagalanda Perumal Temple: Situated in Tirukoilur inSouth> Arcot district of Tamil Nadu this temple is dedicated to LordTrivikrama> (Vamana).>> Vamana Temple in Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh> *>> --> Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya> Prasanth Jalasutram>> Love And Love Alone> From cricket scores to your friends. Try the India Homepage! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted October 7, 2009 Dear Rajarshi, Can you give examples of Vedic verses in which you believe the word asura was used as an adjective for the Devas? Best regards,NarasimhaDo a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/homamDo Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/tarpanaSpirituality: Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.netFree Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.orgJyotish writings: JyotishWritingsSri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org - rajarshi nandy Wednesday, October 07, 2009 2:13 PM The word Asura Namaste, In the Vedas we often find that the word Asura is used as an adjective for the Devas, whereas during the Puranic times, Asura is clearly evil. How did the transition of the word come about? What does the Vedic word Asura really mean? -Regards Rajarshi The upsurge (of consciousness) is Bhairava - Shiva Sutra--- On Wed, 7/10/09, homamstudent <vedichoroscope wrote: homamstudent <vedichoroscope Re: Significance of SRI VAMANA AVATHARA Date: Wednesday, 7 October, 2009, 10:37 PM Excellent Article and may I add what a beautiful picture. Please sendus more !A couple of points:1. The 3 steps taken by Sri Vishnu after Bali allowed for them alsosignify how the lord will dissolve the maya and takes control of ourbodies and life. With the first step the lord took control over theBhuva Loka (association with body and material aspects) and with thesecond step he took control over the higher lokas (indriyas) and finallythe last step was left and only place left was Balis head (ahamkara)which was dissolved as well.If you allow God to be part of your life then he will work in mysticalways and take care of the illusion of your body, senses, and finallyyour ego2. The story cannot be complete without the role played by Shukracharyaor the guru of the Asuras. He knew that Sri Vamana was no other thanSri Vishnu and warned Bali but the latter out of pride and duty stillgave his word (there was still some goodness in Bali, maybe a smallpiece). To seal the deal water was to be put out of the kamandalu ofSri Vamana onto the hands of Bali. Shukracharya shrinks to a small sizeand tries to block the flow of water from the Kamandalu and Sri Vamanatakes a straw and clears the way and Shukracharya loses an eye. Theguru of the Asuras becomes half blind (opposed to Brihaspati).As the devata tries to enter the body of a devotee, the Rajas elementwill play all kinds of tricks and block the path. A straw(representing qualities of Surya or the scriptures) accompanied by anable Guru (Sri Vamana) can clear the path.RegardsVeenu, Prasanth Jalasutram<jvrsprasanth@ ...> wrote:>> [image: [vishnu_avatar_ QJ96_l.jpg] ]><http://2.bp. blogspot. com/_S49ZRy14b1M /Ssv69e578aI/ AAAAAAAAAXA/ pwpQ5i4KI\50/s1600-h/vishnu_ avatar_QJ96_ l.jpg>> *SRI VAMANA AVATHARA*> **> **>> *Significance> *>> *Sri Vamana Avathara was fifth in the line of Dasavatharas of Lord SriMaha> Vishnu. This avathara took place during Treta Yuga before SriParashurama> Avathara. Lord Maha Vishnu took this avathara in order to suppress the> arrogance, vanity and pride of Emperor Bali (Bali Chakravarthi) and to> restore the glory, power and authority of Lord Indra over the Heavenwho had> lost his power and kingdom (Swarga) to King Bali. Sri Vishnu SahasraNama> Sthothra describes in sloka # 17 and 56, the Lord asUpendro Vaamanahand> Trivikramah. *> *Lord in this avathara was known as Vamana because he was dwarf inform at> the beginning. He was known as Trivikrama because he is the one whohas> conquered the three worlds, Earth, Upper worlds and Nether worlds. Hegrew> to a gigantic size while suppressing the King Bali and conquered the> Universe with just three paces of his foot. He was also referred asUpendra> as he was known to be the younger brother of Indra. We find all thethree> names Trivikrama, Vamana and Upendra while reciting 24 Kesava Namas.An> exclusive Purana named after Lord Vamana called Sri Vamana Puranascripted> by Lord and Sage Veda Vyasa forms part of 18 great Puranas calledAshtadasa> Puranas.*>> *Lord Vamana was born as the son of Sage Kashyapa (KashyapaPrajapathi) and> his wife Aditi in accordance to the penance done by the couple andprayers> of Indra and other Deities. He was born on Bhadrapada Sukla Dwadasiday> under the star constellation of Sravana Nakshatra. This day every yearis> celebrated as Vamana Jayanthi the day on which Lord Sri Vamana wasborn. As> soon as he was born He took no time in attaining the boyhood becominga Vatu> (Brahmachari) . Lord Brahma himself initiated the Gayathri Manthra toSri> Vamana. His attire was that of a typical Brahmin Brahmachari, wearinga> Koupeena (Loin cloth), a sacred thread, holding a Chatthra (Umbrella)in one> hand and Dhanda/Kamandalu (stick and water jug) in the other, hisupper body> covered with Deer skin, wearing a ring of Dharbha (Kusa grass) to histhird> finger.*> **>> *Significance of Three Steps*> *Lord Vamana went to King Maha Bali and asks for three steps of land> measured by his foot as charity. Initially Bali hesitated to donatejust> three paces of land as it is a disgrace to his status and was guiltyto give> such charity. But later agreed, upon insisting by Lord Vamana andpromised> to give three paces of land as charity measured by Sri Vamana'sfoot. When> Maha Bali completed the ritual process of donating the land, LordVamana> assumed his cosmic form (Trivikrama) , measured the entire Earthincluding> the nether worlds by his first step.*> *> With his second step He measured the entire upper worlds. When hisfoot> reached the zenith it crossed the Sathya Loka where Lord Brahma stays.> Seeing the foot of Lord Maha Vishnu, Lord Brahma offered abhishekamand> washed the Lord's foot and the water that fell from His footsanctified the> entire Universe. We find in the verses of great composer and Saint Sri> Annamacharya referring to the foot washed by Lord Brahma (BrahmaKadigina> Padamu) in one of his verses on Lord Sri Venkateswara. *> *> When the entire Universe was conquered by just two paces of Lord SriMaha> Vishnu (Vamana) there was no space left in the Universe to keepVamana's> third pace. When Lord Vamana asked Maha Bali the space to keep histhird> pace, all the pride and vanity of Maha Bali had vanished and he had no> hesitation in surrendering before the Supreme Lord. Having realisedthe> Supreme Reality, Bali readily offered his own head to keep theLord's third> step. Lord Vamana immediately placed his third pace (his foot) on thehead> of Bali and sent him to the nether worlds. Thus the ahankara (egoism)of> Maha Bali was suppressed and Indra was restored with his kingdom.*> **>> *Uniqueness*>> *Sri Vamana Avathara is the first Avathara where Lord Sri Maha Vishnutook> complete human form though dwarf at the beginning. The uniqueness ofthis> Avathara is that the Lord did not use any weapon. The only weapon heused> was that of begging in front of King Bali in accordance to theBrahmanic> (Brahmachari) form he had attained. The Lord did not kill the KingBali even> though he was an Asura. He conquered him in a Vedic way with his> intelligence. Unlike other Avatharas, Vamana Avathara was a Sattvik> Avathara. Lord had to resort to this strategy due to the promise hehad made> to his beloved devotee Prahlada not to kill any of his descendants.> Astrologically Jupiter (Guru) is said to be the Paramatma Amsa ofVamana> Avathara.*> **> *Message from Vamana Avathara> *>> *Hidden behind every Avathara of Paramatma there is a message/moral> conveyed. In this Sri Vamana Avathara the message is total surrenderto the> God however mighty one may be. When once you shed your ego andsurrender> totally with devotion at the feet of the supreme Lord there is nothingone> can worry about and will get total protection. This is what exactlyhas> happened in case of Bali who had no other alternative but to surrenderto> the Lord Trivikrama who had conquered the three worlds.*> *When King Bali surrendered in front of Lord Vamana with totaldevotion, the> Lord was very much pleased and gave him boons voluntarily withoutbeing> asked by King Bali. He not only made him the ruler of the nether world> Suthala but also assured him that He would always protect his kingdom.He> also assured Bali that he would become the Indra in the nextManvanthara. By> the touch of Lord's foot on the head of King Bali all his sins gotcleaned> up, he became immortal (Chiranjeevi) . This is what one shouldunderstand> that we should never ask for alms to the Supreme Lord. If you ask youwill> get only what you had asked. It you don't ask you will geteverything that> you require.*> *> The story of Bali also bring out the reality that, there is nothing> permanent and nothing to be taken for granted in this world be itwealth,> beauty, power, status, position or family and nothing belongs toanyone.> Even the mighty have to fall on one day or the other. We have severalsuch> historical examples that we are also seeing in this modern world.*> **>> *Festivals related to Vamana Avathara:> *> *The day on which Lord Vamana was born is celebrated every year on> Bhadrapada Sukla Dwadasi Day as Vamana Jayanthi.*> **>> *Temples of Vamana Avathara: Some of the famous temples of Lord Vamanaare,> *> *Ulagalanda Perumal temple: It is a temple of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu in> Trivikrama roopa (Vamana Avathara). The statue is 35 ft. height and 24ft.> width. It is said that during Vamana Avathara Lord Vishnu appeared toKing> Bali at this place. It is also said that the Lord showed hisTrivikrama> roopa to Lord Aadisesha at this place. This temple is located in Shiva> Kanchi (Kaancheepuram) in Tamil Nadu state.> *>> *Thrikkara Temple: The only Vamana temple in Kerala near Cochin famousfor> Onam festival. This place is said to have been the capital of KingBali.*>> *Tirukoilur - Ulagalanda Perumal Temple: Situated in Tirukoilur inSouth> Arcot district of Tamil Nadu this temple is dedicated to LordTrivikrama> (Vamana).>> Vamana Temple in Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh> *>> --> Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya> Prasanth Jalasutram>> Love And Love Alone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest guest Report post Posted October 8, 2009 Dear Narasimha, Right at the onset let me clarify that I have no knowledge of Sanskrit. However, since the time you had adviced me to follow Aurobindo's writings on the Vedas, I have been doing so for some months now. It is in his writings that I first came across this Asura paradox. He mentions in some of his writings, plus in some of the conversations which he had with his direct disciples which were recorded by Sri A.B. Puranic, that the word Asura in the Vedic sense ment "Mighty". Later on with time as the Puranas came along and classical Sanskrit developed - he considered Rig Vedic Sanskrit as pre-classical and mystical in nature like pre classical Greek - the word Asura become corrupted to mean "that which is not divine". Following are some parts from his "Secret of the Veda": "In the first place, the Angirases are not merely the deified human fathers, they are also brought before us as heavenly seers, sons of the gods, sons of heaven and heroes or powers of the Asura, the mighty Lord, divas putr¯aso asurasya v¯ır ¯ah. (III.53.7), an expression which, their number being seven, reminds us strongly, though perhaps only fortuitously, of the seven Angels of AhuraMazda in the kindred Iranian mythology." तवं नो अगà¥à¤¨à¥‡ अदà¥à¤à¥à¤¤ करतà¥à¤µà¤¾ दकà¥à¤·à¤¸à¥à¤¯ मंहना | तवे असà¥à¤°à¥à¤¯à¤® आरà¥à¤¹à¤¤ कराणा मितà¥à¤°à¥‹ न यजà¥à¤žà¤¿à¤¯à¤ƒ || (Rig Veda 5, Hymn 10, Line 2) *Aurobindo mentiones the words asuryam Äruhat as a single word, asuryamaruhat. Translation "O Flame, thou supreme and wonderful thing, it is thou who by force of will becomest in us the greatness of discerning power; in thee the all-harmonising Friend1 in the sacrifice accomplishes the work and climbs to divine mastery*. * Asuryam, the god-power, the mastering force of the Lord, the divine “Asura†in us." अनसà¥à¤µà¤¨à¥à¤¤à¤¾ सतà¥à¤ªà¤¤à¤¿à¤° मामहे मे गावा चेतिषà¥à¤ ो असà¥à¤°à¥‹ मघोनः | तरैवà¥à¤°à¥à¤·à¥à¤£à¥‹ अगà¥à¤¨à¥‡ दशà¤à¤¿à¤ƒ सहसà¥à¤°à¥ˆà¤° वैशà¥à¤µà¤¾à¤¨à¤° तरà¥à¤¯à¤°à¥à¤£à¤¶ चिकेत || (Rig Veda Book 5 Hymn 27, Line 1) Translation: 1. O Will, O Universal Power,1 the mighty One supreme in vision, master of his being, lord of his plenitudes has given me his two cows of the Light that draw his wain. He of the triple dawn, son of the triple Bull,2 has awakened to knowledge with the ten thousands3 of his plenitude. *The Triple Bull is Indra, lord of the three luminous realms of Swar, the Divine Mind; Tryaruna Trasadasyu is the half-god, man turned into the Indra type; therefore he is described by all the usual epithets of Indra, “Asuraâ€, “Satpatiâ€, “Maghavanâ€. The triple dawn is the dawn of these three realms on the human mentality. Further, while analysing a Hymn to Varuna-Mitra he says:- "Asura, a word used in the Veda as in the Avesta for the Deva (Ahuramazda), but also for the gods, His manifestations; it is only in a few hymns that it is used for the dark Titans, by another and fictitious derivation, a-sura, the not-luminous, the not-gods." Above are some of the example, not all of course, (there are quite a few more from hymns on Indra and Varuna) where Sri Aurobindo considers that the word Asura is used as an adjective indicating supreme might. The division of Asura meaning evil and Deva meaning divine has been used to further some theories about Aryan MIgration/Invasion. The Avesta too mentions the Daeva and Ahura (s becomes h) and their roles are reversed. The Avestan Ahura is truth, therefore Ahura Mazda was the greatest Truth for them while the word Daeva indicates falsehood and lies. Some people have opined that this could be because one stream of the Aryans had settled in Iran and another in India and these were at war, therefore one of them called Devas as divine and Asuras as evil while the other reversed the terms. Of course, bothr Iranian and Sanskrit are have similar roots. Your thoughts? -Regards Rajarshi The upsurge (of consciousness) is Bhairava - Shiva Sutra--- On Thu, 8/10/09, Narasimha P.V.R. Rao <pvr wrote: Narasimha P.V.R. Rao <pvr Re: The word Asura Date: Thursday, 8 October, 2009, 5:10 AM Dear Rajarshi, Can you give examples of Vedic verses in which you believe the word asura was used as an adjective for the Devas? Best regards,Narasimha------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- ---------Do a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ homamDo Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ tarpanaSpirituality: http://groups. / group/vedic- wisdomFree Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro. home.comcast. netFree Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAst rologer.orgJyotish writings: http://groups. / group/JyotishWri tingsSri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagan nath.org------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - rajarshi nandy Wednesday, October 07, 2009 2:13 PM The word Asura Namaste, In the Vedas we often find that the word Asura is used as an adjective for the Devas, whereas during the Puranic times, Asura is clearly evil. How did the transition of the word come about? What does the Vedic word Asura really mean? -Regards Rajarshi The upsurge (of consciousness) is Bhairava - Shiva Sutra--- On Wed, 7/10/09, homamstudent <vedichoroscope@ > wrote: homamstudent <vedichoroscope@ > Re: Significance of SRI VAMANA AVATHARAWednesday, 7 October, 2009, 10:37 PM Excellent Article and may I add what a beautiful picture. Please sendus more !A couple of points:1. The 3 steps taken by Sri Vishnu after Bali allowed for them alsosignify how the lord will dissolve the maya and takes control of ourbodies and life. With the first step the lord took control over theBhuva Loka (association with body and material aspects) and with thesecond step he took control over the higher lokas (indriyas) and finallythe last step was left and only place left was Balis head (ahamkara)which was dissolved as well.If you allow God to be part of your life then he will work in mysticalways and take care of the illusion of your body, senses, and finallyyour ego2. The story cannot be complete without the role played by Shukracharyaor the guru of the Asuras. He knew that Sri Vamana was no other thanSri Vishnu and warned Bali but the latter out of pride and duty stillgave his word (there was still some goodness in Bali, maybe a smallpiece). To seal the deal water was to be put out of the kamandalu ofSri Vamana onto the hands of Bali. Shukracharya shrinks to a small sizeand tries to block the flow of water from the Kamandalu and Sri Vamanatakes a straw and clears the way and Shukracharya loses an eye. Theguru of the Asuras becomes half blind (opposed to Brihaspati).As the devata tries to enter the body of a devotee, the Rajas elementwill play all kinds of tricks and block the path. A straw(representing qualities of Surya or the scriptures) accompanied by anable Guru (Sri Vamana) can clear the path.RegardsVeenu, Prasanth Jalasutram<jvrsprasanth@ ...> wrote:>> [image: [vishnu_avatar_ QJ96_l.jpg] ]><http://2.bp. blogspot. com/_S49ZRy14b1M /Ssv69e578aI/ AAAAAAAAAXA/ pwpQ5i4KI\50/s1600-h/vishnu_ avatar_QJ96_ l.jpg>> *SRI VAMANA AVATHARA*> **> **>> *Significance> *>> *Sri Vamana Avathara was fifth in the line of Dasavatharas of Lord SriMaha> Vishnu. This avathara took place during Treta Yuga before SriParashurama> Avathara. Lord Maha Vishnu took this avathara in order to suppress the> arrogance, vanity and pride of Emperor Bali (Bali Chakravarthi) and to> restore the glory, power and authority of Lord Indra over the Heavenwho had> lost his power and kingdom (Swarga) to King Bali. Sri Vishnu SahasraNama> Sthothra describes in sloka # 17 and 56, the Lord asUpendro Vaamanahand> Trivikramah. *> *Lord in this avathara was known as Vamana because he was dwarf inform at> the beginning. He was known as Trivikrama because he is the one whohas> conquered the three worlds, Earth, Upper worlds and Nether worlds. Hegrew> to a gigantic size while suppressing the King Bali and conquered the> Universe with just three paces of his foot. He was also referred asUpendra> as he was known to be the younger brother of Indra. We find all thethree> names Trivikrama, Vamana and Upendra while reciting 24 Kesava Namas.An> exclusive Purana named after Lord Vamana called Sri Vamana Puranascripted> by Lord and Sage Veda Vyasa forms part of 18 great Puranas calledAshtadasa> Puranas.*>> *Lord Vamana was born as the son of Sage Kashyapa (KashyapaPrajapathi) and> his wife Aditi in accordance to the penance done by the couple andprayers> of Indra and other Deities. He was born on Bhadrapada Sukla Dwadasiday> under the star constellation of Sravana Nakshatra. This day every yearis> celebrated as Vamana Jayanthi the day on which Lord Sri Vamana wasborn. As> soon as he was born He took no time in attaining the boyhood becominga Vatu> (Brahmachari) . Lord Brahma himself initiated the Gayathri Manthra toSri> Vamana. His attire was that of a typical Brahmin Brahmachari, wearinga> Koupeena (Loin cloth), a sacred thread, holding a Chatthra (Umbrella)in one> hand and Dhanda/Kamandalu (stick and water jug) in the other, hisupper body> covered with Deer skin, wearing a ring of Dharbha (Kusa grass) to histhird> finger.*> **>> *Significance of Three Steps*> *Lord Vamana went to King Maha Bali and asks for three steps of land> measured by his foot as charity. Initially Bali hesitated to donatejust> three paces of land as it is a disgrace to his status and was guiltyto give> such charity. But later agreed, upon insisting by Lord Vamana andpromised> to give three paces of land as charity measured by Sri Vamana'sfoot. When> Maha Bali completed the ritual process of donating the land, LordVamana> assumed his cosmic form (Trivikrama) , measured the entire Earthincluding> the nether worlds by his first step.*> *> With his second step He measured the entire upper worlds. When hisfoot> reached the zenith it crossed the Sathya Loka where Lord Brahma stays.> Seeing the foot of Lord Maha Vishnu, Lord Brahma offered abhishekamand> washed the Lord's foot and the water that fell from His footsanctified the> entire Universe. We find in the verses of great composer and Saint Sri> Annamacharya referring to the foot washed by Lord Brahma (BrahmaKadigina> Padamu) in one of his verses on Lord Sri Venkateswara. *> *> When the entire Universe was conquered by just two paces of Lord SriMaha> Vishnu (Vamana) there was no space left in the Universe to keepVamana's> third pace. When Lord Vamana asked Maha Bali the space to keep histhird> pace, all the pride and vanity of Maha Bali had vanished and he had no> hesitation in surrendering before the Supreme Lord. Having realisedthe> Supreme Reality, Bali readily offered his own head to keep theLord's third> step. Lord Vamana immediately placed his third pace (his foot) on thehead> of Bali and sent him to the nether worlds. Thus the ahankara (egoism)of> Maha Bali was suppressed and Indra was restored with his kingdom.*> **>> *Uniqueness*>> *Sri Vamana Avathara is the first Avathara where Lord Sri Maha Vishnutook> complete human form though dwarf at the beginning. The uniqueness ofthis> Avathara is that the Lord did not use any weapon. The only weapon heused> was that of begging in front of King Bali in accordance to theBrahmanic> (Brahmachari) form he had attained. The Lord did not kill the KingBali even> though he was an Asura. He conquered him in a Vedic way with his> intelligence. Unlike other Avatharas, Vamana Avathara was a Sattvik> Avathara. Lord had to resort to this strategy due to the promise hehad made> to his beloved devotee Prahlada not to kill any of his descendants.> Astrologically Jupiter (Guru) is said to be the Paramatma Amsa ofVamana> Avathara.*> **> *Message from Vamana Avathara> *>> *Hidden behind every Avathara of Paramatma there is a message/moral> conveyed. In this Sri Vamana Avathara the message is total surrenderto the> God however mighty one may be. When once you shed your ego andsurrender> totally with devotion at the feet of the supreme Lord there is nothingone> can worry about and will get total protection. This is what exactlyhas> happened in case of Bali who had no other alternative but to surrenderto> the Lord Trivikrama who had conquered the three worlds.*> *When King Bali surrendered in front of Lord Vamana with totaldevotion, the> Lord was very much pleased and gave him boons voluntarily withoutbeing> asked by King Bali. He not only made him the ruler of the nether world> Suthala but also assured him that He would always protect his kingdom.He> also assured Bali that he would become the Indra in the nextManvanthara. By> the touch of Lord's foot on the head of King Bali all his sins gotcleaned> up, he became immortal (Chiranjeevi) . This is what one shouldunderstand> that we should never ask for alms to the Supreme Lord. If you ask youwill> get only what you had asked. It you don't ask you will geteverything that> you require.*> *> The story of Bali also bring out the reality that, there is nothing> permanent and nothing to be taken for granted in this world be itwealth,> beauty, power, status, position or family and nothing belongs toanyone.> Even the mighty have to fall on one day or the other. We have severalsuch> historical examples that we are also seeing in this modern world.*> **>> *Festivals related to Vamana Avathara:> *> *The day on which Lord Vamana was born is celebrated every year on> Bhadrapada Sukla Dwadasi Day as Vamana Jayanthi.*> **>> *Temples of Vamana Avathara: Some of the famous temples of Lord Vamanaare,> *> *Ulagalanda Perumal temple: It is a temple of Lord Sri Maha Vishnu in> Trivikrama roopa (Vamana Avathara). The statue is 35 ft. height and 24ft.> width. It is said that during Vamana Avathara Lord Vishnu appeared toKing> Bali at this place. It is also said that the Lord showed hisTrivikrama> roopa to Lord Aadisesha at this place. This temple is located in Shiva> Kanchi (Kaancheepuram) in Tamil Nadu state.> *>> *Thrikkara Temple: The only Vamana temple in Kerala near Cochin famousfor> Onam festival. This place is said to have been the capital of KingBali.*>> *Tirukoilur - Ulagalanda Perumal Temple: Situated in Tirukoilur inSouth> Arcot district of Tamil Nadu this temple is dedicated to LordTrivikrama> (Vamana).>> Vamana Temple in Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh> *>> --> Om Namo Bhagavate Sri Ramanaya> Prasanth Jalasutram>> Love And Love Alone Add whatever you love to the India homepage. Try now! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
