Hinduism: Balarama

I've been just swamped trying to get my Bible Latin sayings book ready before school starts (I'm up to 2500 sayings now, which is good - but a long way still from 4000, which is the target!), but I did want to post at least something here this week, so I thought I would say something about Balarama, who is the Hinduism widget topic for the week.

Balarama (also called Baladeva) is the brother of Krishna, the avatar of the god Vishnu who is perhaps best known to Americans. Just as Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, another avatar of the god Vishnu, was himself considered to be an avatar of the great serpent and naga lord, Sesha, the same is true of Balarama. You can read more about Sesha (Shesha) at wikipedia.

The mother of Krishna and Balarama, Devaki, was being persecuted by her brother, Kamsa, who had vowed to kill all of Devaki's children because of a prophecy that her eighth child would bring about his own death. Kamsa put Devaki and her husband Vasudeva into prison and killed their children, one after another. He killed six children in this manner; Balarama was then the seventh child. Miraculously, Balarama was transferred before birth from the womb of his mother Devaki into the womb of Rohini, another wife of Vasudeva (or, in a less miraculous variation on the story, he was smuggled out of the prison and then raised by Rohini as her son). Other miracles, of course, attended the birth of Krishna, who also escaped Kamsa's wrath and went on to kill Kamsa, just as the prophecy foretold.

Although Balarama was Krishna's elder brother, he was Krishna's devoted follower. Like Krishna, Balarama participated in the events of the epic Mahabharata, training the Pandu and Kaurava princes in the martial arts that would culminated in the calamitous war between the cousins. Balarama's specialty was the use of the mace, and he trained both Duryodhana and Bhima in the use of that weapon - and in the final battle between the two of them, Bhima used his mace to kill Duryodhana.

Probably the most famous story about Balarama is the story of the river Yamuna and Balarama's plough. Balarama was notoriously fond of drinking and one night he became thoroughly drunk and then summoned the Yamuna river to approach him so that he could take a bath and romp with his lady friends in the water. The river did not move, of course. So Balarama took a plough and dragged it through the river, pulling the river this way and that until the river took on human form and begged Balarama to leave her alone! This story is told to explain why it is that the Yamuna river has so very many small branches: they are the scratches of Balarama's plough in days gone by.

When Balarama and Krishna are shown together, Balarama is traditionally depicted in a light color, while Krishan is a dark color, as you can see in this image, with the light Balarama and the dark Krishna, side by side:

Hinduism: Ravana

Over the past several weeks, I've posted about the major characters in the epic Ramayana: Vishnu's avatar, Rama, along with his wife, Sita, and his brother, Lakshmana. Today I want to say something about Rama's main antagonist in the story, the rakshasa-king Ravana.

The Sanskrit word "rakshasa" is usually translated as "demon" in English, but the word "demon" has a whole range of connotations that does not really suit the context in Hinduism. There are, for example, some good rakshasas in the story - Ravana's own brother, Vibhishana, for example, is a very positive character even though he, like Ravana, is a rakshasa.

As you can see in the image below, Ravana had a very striking appearance: he was a rakshasa with ten heads and twenty arms. This poses a great challenge for the artists who depict him, as you can imagine!

Ravana's ten heads are not simply a bizarre feature of his body. They are, in fact, linked to one of the most important stories about Ravana: the story of how Ravana gained incredible powers, allowing him to subdue even the gods! Here is how William Buck tells the story in his wonderful English adaptation of the Ramayana:

Not long after their birth, Ravana and Vibhishana saw the Treasure Lord come home on one of his visits. Ravana became sad that he had no such brilliance himself. Then Ravana made the colossal Kumbhakarna [his other brother] stay home and not wander over Earth eating saints, and in that wide mountain forest the three brothers sat contemplating the absolute immensity of Life. In contemplation they entered Eternity.

And at the end of every thousand years, Ravana cut off one of his heads and threw it into the fire as a sacrifice, until nine of his heads were gone and but one day remained before he would cut the last one. That day was passing. Ten thousand years and Ravana's life were about to end together.

Ravana held the knife to his throat, when Brahma appeared and said, "Stop! Ask me a boon at once!"

"I am glad that I please you," said Ravana.

"Please me!" said Brahma. "You will is dreadful, too strong to be neglected; like a bad disease I must treat it. Your pains make me hurt. Ask!"

"May I be unslayable and never defeated by the gods or any one from any heaven, by Hell's devils or Asuras or demon spirits, by underworld serpents or Yakshas or Rakshasas."

"Granted!" said Brahma quickly. He gave Ravana back his burnt heads better looking than before. They rose living from the ashes and settled on Ravana's necks. Ravana smiled and smoothed down his black moustaches.

Now, you might notice that Ravana gave a very long list of the kinds of creatures he wanted protection from... but human beings are not on that list. So, when Ravana wreaks havoc in the heavens and challenges the very gods themselves, they realize that only a human being has the power to defeat Ravana, whereupon the god Vishnu becomes incarnate as a human being, Rama, who will eventually kill Ravana in battle.

There are many wonderful images of Ravana in Indian art; here is an image that shows all ten heads - and the moustaches!

Hinduism: Lakshmana

Earlier, I wrote a post two weeks ago about the incarnation of the god Vishnu in the form of Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana. This week, I wanted to say something about Lakshmana, brother to Rama, and considered to be an incarnation of Shesha, the thousand-headed naga or snake-divinity. Shesha is a companion of Vishnu in his incarnations so when Vishnu was incarnated as Rama, Shesha became incarnated as Rama's brother, Lakshmana. Similarly, when Vishnu became incarnated as Krishna, Shesha was incarnated as Krishna's brother, Balarama.

Lakshmana is the constant companion of Rama in his adventures throughout the Ramayana. When the guru Vishvamitra takes the young Rama away to train him, Lakshmana goes along. When Rama is sent into exile, Lakshmana again goes with Rama, together with Rama's wife Sita (previous post about Sita).

A central event in the Ramayana is the kidnapping of Sita by the demon Ravana. Lakshmana's role in this event was critical. In order to get Sita alone, Ravana had to devise a way to get both Rama and Lakshmana away from their encampment in the forest. Ravana therefore compelled the demon Maricha, his uncle, to disguise himself as a beautiful jewel-encrusted deer. The deer then ran by the camp, where Sita could see him. Sita longed to have the deer for her own, and begged Rama to go capture it for her. Lakshmana was suspicious and urged Rama not to go, but at Sita's urging, Rama went to chase after the deer, leaving Sita under Lakshmana's protection.

Rama pursued the deer, and managed to shoot it, but with his dying breath the demon called out, counterfeiting Rama's voice, screaming for help. Sita was terrified at what she heard, and begged Lakshmana to go rescue Rama from danger. Again, Lakshmana was suspicious and did not want to leave Sita alone. Sita, however, absolutely insisted, so Lakshmana drew a circle around their hut, the so-called "Lakshmana Rekha" or "Lakshmana's Limit," that would grant Sita protection. As long as Sita did not cross the line, she would be safe, because no intruder would be able to penetrate the barrier Lakshmana had summoned. Sita, however, voluntarily crossed the line when she went outside to give alms to a poor brahmin - who was none other than Ravana in disguise! So, Ravana thus succeeded in his plan, and was able to kidnap Sita, despite Lakshmana's best efforts to protect her.

The "Lakshmana Rekha" is a phrase still in use in India today, meaning an absolute moral limit that should not be crossed. I even found a reference to a "Lakshmana Rekha" pesticide stick which is for sale - "If a line is drawn with that stick, no ants or insects can cross over" (source). The "Lakshmana Rekha" can also be interpreted negatively, as the limits that men put around women's freedom of movement, as you can read in this article about justice for women in contemporary India. You can find many more instances of modern uses of this term just by Googling "Lakshaman Rekha" and looking at the results you find there.

Many popular depictions of Rama show him together with Lakshmana and Sita, as you can see in this image which depicts them in their forest exile, wearing clothes made of leaves and bark. Rama is shown with blue skin, marking him as a holy incarnation of Vishnu, while you can see Lakshmana in the foreground, skinning an animal in preparation for their evening meal (from a painting done circa 1790):

Hinduism: Sita

Previously, I posted about Rama, the incarnation of the Hindu god, Vishnu. Sita, Rama's wife, is an incarnation of the goddess, Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity and good fortune.

Although Sita was an incarnation of the goddess of good fortune, she faced many trials and difficulties in her life. She was kidnapped by the demon Ravana, and held captive by him until Rama was able to raise an army and rescue her. You can read a detailed synopsis of the plot at this British Library site.

Yet even after she was rescued, Sita faced a great trial. When she was restored to her husband, Rama, things were not as they had been before. Given that Sita had lived in another house, she had become suspect. Sita, however, insisted fervently on her innocence, and offered to undergo a test by fire, declaring that the fire would burn her if she has done anything wrong, leaving her unharmed if she were innocent of any wrongdoing. They kindled a fire, and Sita walked into the flames. As she entered the flames, she prayed to Agni, the god of fire, asking the god to burn her to cinders if she were guilty, but that he should protect her if she had told the truth about her innocence. Sita emerged, unharmed. As a sign of divine favor, the flames themselves turned into flower petals.

I was impressed by the coincidence that this was the week I had chosen to write about the three boys in the fiery furnace from the Book of Daniel, another example of a test by fire.

What is striking about the difference between the two stories is that in the Hebrew story, the king is trying to punish the boys by casting them into the fire, although through the power of God, they emerge unharmed. In the story of Sita, it is Sita herself who demands the test by fire, invoking the fire god in order to prove her innocence of the charges against her.

A couple years ago I saw a remarkable, and controversial, Indian film, Fire. As you can guess from the title, it involves Sita's test by fire, adapted to contemporary Indian life. The film is controversial because it is about a love affair between two sisters-in-law who are named, provocatively, Sita and Radha (just as Sita was the consort of Vishnu's incarnation as Rama, Radha is the consort of his incarnation as Krishna). You can read a detailed review of the film here, and it's definitely a film worth seeing, especially if you are familiar with the story of the Ramayana, which is alluded to, directly and indirectly, throughout the film.

There is also a suggestive similarity between the story of Sita's test by fire and the Indian practice of sati, when a widowed woman would immolate herself on her husband's funeral pyre. You can read more about this topic at Kamat's Potpourri website, which is also the source for this image of Sita in the fire:

Hinduism: Rama

This week, I am going to write a few words about the incarnation of Vishnu as Rama, the great hero who defeated the demon Ravana.

The adventures of Rama are told in the epic Ramayana, which is one of the epics we read in my Epics of Ancient India class. We actually read two different English adaptations of the epic - one by an Indian author, R.K. Narayan, and the other by an American writer, William Buck. I can recommend both versions very highly!

Just as in the previous incarnations of Vishnu that I've reviewed here - Narasimha, the Man-Lion; Vamana, the dwarf; and Parasurama, "Rama with the Axe" - the hero Rama was born into a world facing a crisis. In this case, the crisis was provoked the demon Ravana, who had challenged even the gods with his aggression and violence.

Ravana, for his part, managed to kidnap Sita, Rama's wife, and held her captive. Rama, together with his brother Lakshmana, led an army not just of men, but also of monkeys and bears, in order to do battle with Ravana and rescue Sita. Among the monkeys, Rama's most devoted follower was the mighty Hanuman, the divine son of Vayu the Wind-God.

One of the most common depictions of Rama and his wife Sita shows them dwelling in the heart of Hanuman, their loyal follower. So here is a picture done by a folk artist in Bihar that shows the monkey-god Hanuman as he reveals what is in heart, Rama and Sita. Meanwhile, you can read much more about Rama in the detailed article at wikipedia.

Hinduism: Parashurama

Last week I wrote about the incarnation of Vishnu as Vamana, the dwarf. This week, I'll be writing about the incarnation of Vishnu as Parashurama (Parasurama), "Rama-with-an-axe."

Parashurama was born into the priestly (brahman) class, the youngest son of the great sage Jamadagni and Renuka. He was born into this world in order to restrain the class of kshatriyas, or warriors.

Parashurama was devoted to the god Shiva, and in reward for his devotions, Shiva bestowed on him the axe from which Parashurama takes his name. He famously used his axe to cut off the head of his mother, Renuka, when his father, Jamadagni, ordered him to do so. Jamadagni was enraged because Renuka had experienced a feeling of lust for a beautiful Gandarva (celestial musician) whom she had seen in the sky, so he ordered his sons, one after another in order of age, to kill their mother. Each of his sons refused to obey his command, so Jamadagni cursed them, one after the other, to become idiots. Parashurama was the only son who obeyed his father's command. Jamadagni was so impressed by his son's obedience that he granted him a boon. Parashurama accordingly asked that his mother be brought back to life and that his brothers be restored to their senses. He also acquired for himself invincibility in combat.

Parashurama later went on to wipe out the entire race of warriors from the earth. He did this in order to avenge the crime committed by the warrior Kartavirya, the thousand-armed king of the Haihayas. When Kartavirya was visiting Jamadagni, he stole a sacred cow, Surabhi. This made Parashurama angry, and he chased Kartavirya, and proceeded to cut off all one thousand of his arms. While Parashurama was chasing Kartavirya, the army returned to Jamadagni's home and killed him. When Parashurama found that his father had been killed, he vowed to kill every warrior on the planet.

There is a great legend about what happened when Parashurama came to Ayodhya, where Dasaratha was king. Dasaratha as yet had no sons, so his wives refused to let him face Parashurama in battle. Instead, they made him dress in women's clothing and hide in the women's quarters. Parashurama searched through the palace and when he finally found Dasaratha, he refused to fight him, scorning him because he had taken refuge among the women.

If you'd like to learn more about the fierce and even violent sages of the Indian tradition, including Parashurama, take a look at this great project one of my students did for the Indian Epics class this past semester: Indian Epics: When Gurus Attack!

Here is an image of Rama-with-the-axe:

Hinduism: Vamana

The featured Hindu god of the week this week is Vamana, the incarnation of Vishnu as a dwarf. The "dasavatar" stories, the stories of Vishnu's "ten incarnations (avatars)," are central to Hinduism. Vishnu is the god who preserves the universe, so when a crisis threatens the world, Vishnu takes an earthly form in order to save the earth from destruction. The incarnation of Vishnu that is probably best known to western audiences is his incarnation as Krishna.

The basic outlines of the story are very clear, although the versions told in the sacred Puranas add many details. The incarnation of Vishnu as Vamana, a dwarf, took place when the world was under the sway of Bali, a demon king (Bali was the grandson of Prahlada, the devoted worshipper of Vishnu made famous when Vishnu incarnated himself as the Narasimha, or Man-Lion).

The gods were feeling threated by Bali's power. Was Bali a bad ruler? The word "demon" has many negative connotations in English which do not necessarily apply here. In some versions of the story, Bali was actually a good ruler presiding over a "golden age," yet his arrogance in any case offended and threatened the gods of heaven.

In order to liberate the world from Bali, Vishnu, in the guise of a dwarf, went to Bali's court and humbly begged for some land. Bali generously offered to give grant Vamana's request, so the little Vamana asked for the amount of land that he could cover in three strides. Bali scoffed at the idea, and agreed. Then Vamana manifested himself in cosmic form, growing gigantically large. In his first step he covered all the space between heaven and earth, and with his second step he could all the space between earth and the lower world.

There was no room for him to even take a third step! Bali realized that he was in the presence of God, so he bowed down his head, and let Vishnu step on his head to complete the last step. That is what you see in the image below: if you look closely, you can see Bali piously praying as his head is stepped on by Vishnu, thus pushing Bali down into the underworld, the Patala Loka.

As often in Hindu stories, there is a sense of conversion when the demon king is defeated by the god. Because Bali piously kept his promise, accepted the power of the god and acknowledged his own defeat, Vishnu honored Bali by giving him the title "Mahabali," which means "Great Bali" (the Sanskrit maha- is etymologically related to the Greek mega-). To this day, Mahabali is celebrated at a religious festival in the Kerala region of India. You can read about the Onam festival at wikipedia.

You can read more about the story of Vamana and Mahabali at wikipedia. The image shown here depicts Vishnu "Trivikrama," "Three-Step," the third step being when he places his foot on Bali's head:

Widget: Hindu Gods and Goddesses

Using the genius Rotating Content Tool built by Randy Hoyt, I created two scripts today that allow me to display a Hindu God of the Week (53 gods and goddesses spread out over the year) or a Random Hindu God, complete with brief description, an image, and a link to the relevant Wikipedia article.

You can see them in action in the sidebar of this blog.

The great thing about these javascripts is you can put them anywhere! If you'd like to put the script on your webpage or your blog template or in your course management system, please feel free to do that - share and enjoy! Although it's very primitive right now, here's the website I put up very quickly today where I will be compiling these widget scripts: SchoolhouseWidgets.com.

Below you can see what the scripts look like as widgets in my Desire2Learn Indian Epics course. If there are any Blackboard users out there, let me know if it has a feature like the "widgets" in Desire2Learn that let you add dynamic javascripts to liven up the course website page. These widgets are so easy to make in Desire2Learn; you just cut-and-paste the javascript into the HTML box and you're good to go!

Narasimha Jayanti: April 30 2007

April 30 2007 will be the Hindu festival of Narasimha Jayanthi.

Narasimha, the man-lion (nara-simha), is one of the incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu. A demon named Hiranyakashipu, an avowed enemy of Vishnu, had acquired great powers, and could not be killed by human, deva or animal. His son, Prahlada, however, was deeply devoted to Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu was outraged and tried to kill his own son, but Prahlada was under Vishnu's protection. Defying his father, Prahlada was not afraid and maintained that Vishnu was everywhere.

Finally, Hiranyakashipu asked his son if Vishnu was in a pillar. When Prahlada affirmed that "He was, He is and He will be," Hiranyakashipu smashed the pillar, and Vishnu emerged from the pillar in the form of the Narasimha. As a divine man-lion, Vishnu was not simply god or human or animal, and hence Hiranyakashipu was not protected against him. In his ambiguous form, at the ambiguous time of twilight, in the ambiguous space of the threshold, Narasimha put the demon Hiranyakashipu on his lap (neither on the ground nor in the air), and killed him.

You can read about Vishnu's incarnation as Narasimha at wikipedia. You can also read the story at Encyclopedia Mythica.

You can read Prayers to Lord Narasimhadeva at Stephen Knapp's website. There are photos of Narasimha worship at Photo.net, and you can see a slideshow of a 2005 Narasimha Festival and a 2006 Narasimha Festival in Bangalore.

Here is a Yoga Narasimha statue at a temple in Vijayanagara, Hampi, India (wikipedia).



Here is a beautiful image from the British Library: "This page comes from an 18th-century folding cloth book of religious and mythological oil-colour paintings, copied from originals in the Brahmanical Pagoda of Chokalingam at Madhura in Karnataka."