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On the seventh night we celebrate Kalaratri Devi. This form of Durga has a complexion dark as night which symbolises infinity. Goddess Kalaratri is the Devi that accepts everything from the Devotee, not only the good, but all the negative qualities. She just absorbs them.
On this night we offered rose water and oil to the feet of the Divine Mother. Gurudev spoke about Kalaratri Devi as the destroyer of our egoistic qualities.
Royal Coronation Aurora is fully deboxed, and is posed standing, supported by a Kaiser stand. She can free stand, but is very unstable that way. Photographed in daylight.
Review of Royal Coronation Aurora Doll
Her face is pretty, but bland and generic. She only has a passing resemblance to the movie character, as portrayed by Elle Fanning. She doesn't have very realistic features, but looks like an ordinary doll painted to look like an animated character. She has a light complexion, small blue green eyes gazing straight ahead, brown eyebrows, small straight nose, light pink lips on a small mouth, large chin, and light rouge on her cheeks.
She has long golden blonde hair that reaches her hips. There is a solitary long curl hanging from her left side. The rest of her hair is slightly wavy, and is grouped in a single mass, which I left alone. It would look better if it were combed out, but I was afraid that it might get frizzy if I attempted to do so. The hair is shiny and soft, and doesn't appear to have any hair product.
The dress is golden brocaded satin, with a floral design. The underside is very light tan in color. There is also a painted floral overlay in pink and green, which is only in the front of the dress (the front of the skirt and bodice). There is golden lace trim at the hem, waist and collar and cuffs. Her collar and cuffs end in white organza. The skirt is pleated, and almost floor length. The bodice has a high waist, with a golden belt sewn around it. Her sleeves are full length. There is a over sized train sewn to the back of the dress, just below the waist. It made of the same material and has the same decoration as the front of the skirt. Its underside is fully lined with gold satin. The dress looks and feels luxurious, and fit for royalty.
She is wearing tan colored heels, with a simulated strap and an unpainted embossed floral design. She is wearing a gold colored plastic crown that is made to look like a floral wreath, that goes halfway around her head. It is secured only by two T-tab fasteners, so it is not meant to be removed or used on other dolls.
Her body is made of hard plastic throughout. She has seven points of articulation: her neck, shoulders, elbows and hips. Her hands are permanently tilted back to make the standard Princess pose. Her feet are fixed at an angle to wear high heels. Her head can turn 360 degrees around, and can tilt up about 20 degrees, and tilt down 10 degrees. Her arms can swivel about the shoulders 360 degrees, and can tilt about 20 degrees. Her forearms can swivel around her elbows almost 360 degrees, but cannot go completely around. They can tilt back about 20 degrees, and forward about 60 degrees. Her hips can swivel 90 degrees both back and forth, and can tilt out about 30 degrees. She has white painted on underwear, which looks like a strapless one piece bathing suit.
Packaging and Deboxing
It was easy to debox Coronation Aurora, compared to most Disney Store dolls. First step was to remove the clear plastic cover from the box, by cutting the tape around the edges, and lifting the tabs free from the cardboard. Aurora is standing on a small cardboard spacer. Behind her is a printed background from the movie, which is common to all the dolls in this series. There was only plastic T-tab fasteners securing her to the backing and the plastic spacer. It was possible to reach all the fasteners and snip them off, without having to remove the large plastic spacer. It turned out that the fastener that was supposed to go into the back of her head didn't make it past her hair, so she didn't have a post sticking out of her head when I snipped the fastener loose. The other end of the fastener was just laying loose in her hair. There was tissue paper around her legs, but only up to her knees, to make the skirt look fuller in the box.
Purchase Details
I just received the four available Jakks Pacific dolls from the Maleficent movie in single doll packages. I ordered them from Toys R Us on Friday night and got them Tuesday, with free shipping. I appreciated the quick shipping, compared to the Disney Store. The dolls are the following, with links to the TRU site. All the dolls are 11 1/2'' H. The Coronation dolls are $39.95 each, the other two are $19.95.
The man with the darker complexion is a zoo volunteer. I could not hear the conversation, but I thought both people were interesting.
CASTLETON, CLAUD CHARLES
Rank:……………………….....Sergeant
Service No:…………………1352
Date of Death:……………29/07/1916
Age:…………………………....23
Regiment/Service:……..Australian Machine Gun Corps
……………………………........5th Coy.
Awards:……………………...V C
Grave Reference:………IV. L. 43.
Cemetery:
POZIERES BRITISH CEMETERY, OVILLERS-LA BOISSELLE
Additional Information:
Son of Thomas Charles and Edith Lucy Castleton, of 18, Wilson Rd., Lowestoft, England.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/588626/CASTLETON,%20C...
His Australian Army Service record can be accessed online from here:-
recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/Details...
Claud Charles Castleton was born Kirkley, Lowestoft and at the time of his enlistment on the 15th March 1915 at Liverpool, New South Wales, his age was recorded as 21 years 11 months. A single man, he gave his occupation as a Prospector. He gave his next of kin as his father, Mr T(?) Castleton, of 18 Wilson Road, South Lowestoft. (Mr Castleton subsequently moved to 20 Rochester Road, South Lowestoft, Suffolk, circa 1924).
At his medical he was described at 5 feet 7 and a half inches tall, weighed 160lbs and had a fair complexion with blue eyes and light brown hair.
He was initially assigned to “D” Company, 18th Battalion. He sailed from Sydney aboard H.M.A.T. “Ceramic” on the 25th June 1915.
He was sent to the Gallipoli Peninsula on the 16th August 1915.
He was transferred from the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station at “Anzac” to the Hospital Ship “Nevaska” on the 15th September 1915, before being admitted to the 1st Australian Hospital at “Luna Park” (Egypt) on the 19th. He was diagnosed with Dysentery. After a couple of moves he was discharged to duty on the 22nd October 1915. Promoted to Corporal on the 7th December 1915, he was sent back to Gallipoli on the 8th. He was evacuated with his unit, returning to Alexandria via Mudros on the 9th January 1916.
He was admitted to hospital in Egypt again on the 27th January 1916, this time with Malaria, being discharged on the 15th February 1916 and rejoining his unit on the 17th. On the 20th he was promoted Temporary Sergeant. On the 8th March 1916 he was transferred from the 18th Battalion to the 5th Machine Gun Company, retaining his original service number. His promotion to Sergeant was confirmed on the 16th March 1916. On the 23rd March 1916 he landed at Marseilles.
He was recorded as Killed in Action on the 29th July 1916. He was buried between Pozieres + Bazentin-Le-Grand-Petit, 4 and three quarter miles N.E. of Albert.
There is a note that pension claims from Thomas and mother Edith Lucy Castleton were rejected in May 1917 as they had adequate means. However a pension of 5 shilling “p.f.” – (Per fortnight?) was awarded in January 1918.
There are papers from 1968 – an enquiry from his brother as the local council were planning a memorial.
12th April 1893 – Birth
(Source – newspaper clipping in his Army Service record – see “On the day” below>)
The birth of a Claud Charles Castleton was registered in the Mutford District in the April to June quarter, (Q2), of 1893.
(Mutford District covered Lowestoft and the nearby villages. As Lowestoft extended southwards in the late Victorian era, it joined up with the small town of Kirkley.)
1901 Census of England and Wales
The 7 year old “Claude” Castleton, born Kirkley, Suffolk, was recorded living at Rose Cottage, Wilson Road, Kirkley, Lowestoft. This was the household of his parents, Thomas, (aged 34, a Bricklayer, born Lowestoft) and Edith, (aged 32, born Bishops Stortford, Hertfordshire). As well as Claude the couple also have an older son living with them, Francis, (13, born Kirkley).
1911 Census of England and Wales
The Castleton family were still probably living in the same building, but now the address is given as 18 Wilson Road, South Lowestoft. Parents Thomas C, (44) and Edith L. (42), have been married 23 years and have had 2 children, both then still alive and living with them. Older son Francis W, (23), was a Law Clerk for a firm of Solicitors. His younger brother Claud C, (17), was a Student Teacher. Both are shown as born Lowestoft.
1912 – bound for Australia.
A 19 year old Claude Castleton boarded the “Orama” at London in 1912, bound for Melbourne, Australia.
His Wikipedia article adds
In 1912 he set off on a long adventure, stopping first at Melbourne, Australia. He worked in various parts of Australia before heading to New Guinea, intending to earn funds for the return journey to England via New Zealand, India and Africa. Matters changed with the outbreak of the First World War; he joined the Australian force formed in New Guinea for the defence of the area in the face of German warship activities.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claud_Castleton
On the day
POZIERES BRITISH CEMETERY, OVILLERS-LA BOISSELLE
Location Information
Pozieres is a village some 6 kilometres north-east of Albert, and the Cemetery, which is enclosed by the Pozieres Memorial, is a little south-west of the village on the north side of the main road (D929) from Albert to Pozieres.
Historical Information
The village of Pozieres was attacked on 23 July 1916 by the 1st Australian and 48th (South Midland) Divisions, and was taken on the following day. It was lost on 24-25 March 1918, during the great German advance, and recaptured by the 17th Division on the following 24 August.
Plot II of POZIERES BRITISH CEMETERY contains the original burials of 1916, 1917 and 1918, carried out by fighting units and field ambulances. The remaining plots were made after the Armistice when graves were brought in from the battlefields immediately surrounding the cemetery, the majority of them of soldiers who died in the Autumn of 1916, but a few represent the fighting in August 1918.
The following were among the more important burial grounds from which British graves were concentrated to Pozieres British Cemetery:-
CASUALTY CORNER CEMETERY, CONTALMAISON, on the road from Pozieres to Fricourt, used in the summer and autumn of 1916, which contained the graves of 21 Canadian soldiers, 21 Australian and 13 from the United Kingdom.
DANUBE POST CEMETERY, THIEPVAL (named from a trench and a Dressing Station), between the site of Thiepval village and Mouquet Farm. Here were buried, in the winter of 1916-17, 34 soldiers from the United Kingdom, mainly of the R.F.A.
NAB JUNCTION CEMETERY, OVILLERS-LA BOISSELLE, at the crossing of the Thiepval-Pozieres Road and "Nab Valley", in which 60 soldiers from the United Kingdom and one German prisoner were buried in the winter of 1916-17.
There are now 2,760 Commonwealth servicemen buried or commemorated in this cemetery. 1,382 of the burials are unidentified but there are special memorials to 23 casualties known or believed to be buried among them. There is also 1 German soldier buried here.
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/2000092/POZIERES%20...
As part of the commemoration of the outbreak of the Great War, the CWGC have added a number of original documents to their website. One of these on their webpage for Claud is a Concentration Report – details of his move to his current resting place. However other than adding the information he was in a grave with two markers, (a battalion one and a standard issue army one), its not very clear where he was originally interred.
Citation
An extract from "The London Gazette", No. 29765, dated, 26th Sept., 1916, records the following:-"For most conspicuous bravery. During an attack on the enemy''s trenches the infantry was temporarily driven back by the intense machine gun fire opened by the enemy. Many wounded were left in "No Man''s Land" lying in shell holes. Serjt. Castleton went out twice in face of this intense fire and each time brought in a wounded man on his back. He went out a third time and was bringing in another wounded man when he was himself hit in the back and killed instantly. He set a splendid example of courage and self-sacrifice"
CWGC: www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/588626/CASTLETON,%20C...
www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29765/supplement/9418/d...
There is an undated newspaper cutting in his service record, which gives this account. (The reverse side includes an article about the 1980 Australia Day Honours, so presumably it dates from that time.) It has a picture of Claud to accompany the text.
The same picture is also held at the Australian War Memorial archive.
www.awm.gov.au/collection/C1497?search
Events leading to the action began with an ill-fated night attack, which failed because of planning faults, the enemy’s alertness and the severity of enemy reaction.
The attack was to be delivered by the 17th, 18th, and 20th Battalions against a section of the enemy lines known as the “O.G. Trenches” on Pozieres Heights.
Makeshift “jumping-off” arrangements, without a covering barrage, led to the enemy detecting waves of troops as they moved across an open basin in front of the objective, in order to be within easy striking distance of the trenches after the conclusion of a one-minute intense barrage on O.G.1 shortly after midnight on July 28th, 1916.
The Germans, who regularly sent up flares over this part of the battlefield, quickly spotted the advance.
The enemy immediately opened fire. Flares began to rise thickly; other machine-guns came into action and soon afterwards a barrage of high explosive, phosgene gas and tear-gas shells began to fall.
All movement was completely stopped. Parties tried to advance by crawling from crater to crater, but by now the flares had turned the night into day.
Machine-gun fire was so fierce that zero-hour arrived and passed without the slightest hope of advancing.
For three hours the troops lay out in this withering fire, until their withdrawal an hour before dawn.
The 5th Brigade casualties amounted to six officers and 140 men, mostly in the 20th Battalion.
It was under these terrible conditions, while waiting for withdrawal, that Sgt Castleton, serving with 5th Machine Gun Company, AIF, sacrifice his life for wounded comrades.
Despite the intensity of enemy fire, he succeeded in bringing two comrades to safety without sustain injury to himself, but on his third foray, while carrying another soldier to allied lines, he was hit in the back and killed instantly”
It goes on to add that he was born South Lowestoft, England, on April 12,1893 and emigrated to Australia, in 1912, aged 19. At the time war broke out he was living in Port Moresby. He enlisted immediately and was placed in charge of native troops for coastal defence duties. It was after that that he enlisted for overseas service in March 1915.
(Cropped from the original newspaper article)
"Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimmed."
William Shakespeare, Sonnet 18, 1609
The core function of a dystopian vision is to serve as a critical and cautionary mirror held up to contemporary society. By imagining a future characterized by oppressive societal control, environmental decay, technological misuse, or the loss of fundamental freedoms, dystopian fiction exaggerates current trends and issues to their logical and often horrific extremes. This exaggeration is not just for dramatic effect; it provides a powerful platform for authors to offer sharp social and political commentary. Through this lens, readers are compelled to recognize and critically examine potential dangers in their own world, such as unchecked government power, corporate overreach, growing social inequalities, or the erosion of civil liberties, before they spiral into the fictional nightmare.
A key element of this function is to warn against complacency and authoritarianism. Dystopian narratives typically depict worlds that have gone terribly wrong, often starting with a misguided attempt to achieve a perfect society (a utopia) that ultimately sacrifices individual liberty for perceived collective order or stability. By showing the consequences of a society where independent thought is suppressed, history is rewritten, and surveillance is absolute - as famously seen in works like 1984 or Brave New World - the vision stresses the immense value of vigilance, resistance, and the protection of basic human rights. The struggle of the protagonist, often an ordinary individual who recognizes the flaws in their world, inspires readers to question the status quo and the pronouncements of authority in their own lives.
Ultimately, the dystopian vision acts as a catalyst for reflection and change, tapping into deep-seated anxieties about the future. It forces readers to engage with profound ethical and moral dilemmas regarding the balance between freedom and security, the impact of technology, and the nature of human happiness. While bleak, these stories paradoxically contain a sliver of hope: the existence of the vision itself suggests that the future is not yet fixed. By vividly illustrating the worst-case scenario that could arise from current political, social, or environmental trajectories, the dystopian vision offers an urgent call to action, guiding the audience to actively work toward a more just and sustainable future to prevent the fiction from becoming reality.
Vishnu (/ˈvɪʃnuː/; Sanskrit: Viṣṇu) is a popular Hindu deity, the Supreme God of Vaishnavism (one of the three principal denominations of Hinduism) and one of the three supreme deities (Trimurti) of Hinduism. He is also known as Lord Narayana and Lord Hari. As one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition, He is conceived as "the Preserver or the Protector" within the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the divinity.
In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as having dark complexion of water-filled clouds and as having four arms. He is depicted as a blue being, holding a padma (lotus flower) in the lower left hand, the Kaumodaki gada (mace) in the lower right hand, the Panchajanya shankha (conch) in the upper left hand and the discus weapon Sudarshana Chakra in the upper right hand.
Adherents of Hinduism believe Vishnu's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe is called Vaikuntha, which is also known as Paramdhama, the realm of eternal bliss and happiness and the final or highest place for liberated souls who have attained Moksha. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic. Vishnu's other abode within the material universe is Ksheera Sagara (the ocean of milk), where he reclines and rests on Ananta Shesha, (the king of the serpent deities, commonly shown with a thousand heads). In almost all Hindu denominations, Vishnu is either worshipped directly or in the form of his ten avatars, the most famous of whom are Rama and Krishna.
The Puranabharati, an ancient text, describes these as the dashavatara, or the ten avatars of Vishnu. Among the ten described, nine have occurred in the past and one will take place in the future as Lord Kalki, at the end of Kali Yuga, (the fourth and final stage in the cycle of yugas that the world goes through). These incarnations take place in all Yugas in cosmic scales; the avatars and their stories show that gods are indeed unimaginable, unthinkable and inconceivable. The Bhagavad Gita mentions their purpose as being to rejuvenate Dharma, to vanquish those negative forces of evil that threaten dharma, and also to display His divine nature in front of all souls.
The Trimurti (three forms) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer, preserver or protector and Shiva the destroyer or transformer." These three deities have also been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity", all having the same meaning of three in One. They are the different forms or manifestation of One person the Supreme Being or Narayana/Svayam Bhagavan.
Vishnu is also venerated as Mukunda, which means God who is the giver of mukti or moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirths) to his devotees or the worthy ones who deserve salvation from the material world.
ETYMOLOGY
The traditional explanation of the name Vishnu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle" (cognate with Latin vicus, English -wich "village," Slavic: vas -ves), or also (in the Rigveda) "to enter into, to pervade," glossing the name as "the All-Pervading One". Yaska, an early commentator on the Vedas, in his Nirukta, (etymological interpretation), defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, "one who enters everywhere". He also writes, atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣnurbhavati, "that which is free from fetters and bondages is Vishnu".
Adi Shankara in his commentary on the Sahasranama states derivation from viś, with a meaning "presence everywhere" ("As he pervades everything, vevesti, he is called Vishnu"). Adi Shankara states (regarding Vishnu Purana, 3.1.45): "The Power of the Supreme Being has entered within the universe. The root viś means 'enter into'." Swami Chinmayananda, in his translation of Vishnu Sahasranama further elaborates on that verse: "The root vis means to enter. The entire world of things and beings is pervaded by Him and the Upanishad emphatically insists in its mantra 'whatever that is there is the world of change.' Hence, it means that He is not limited by space, time or substance. Chinmayananda states that, that which pervades everything is Vishnu."
SACRET TEXTS - SHRUTI & SMRITI
Shruti is considered to be solely of divine origin. It is preserved as a whole, instead of verse by verse. It includes the four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda) the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads with commentaries on them.
Smṛti refers to all the knowledge derived and inculcated after Shruti had been received. Smrti is not 'divine' in origin, but was 'remembered' by later Rishis (sages by insight, who were the scribes) by transcendental means and passed down through their followers. It includes the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana which are Sattva Puranas. These both declare Vishnu as Para Brahman Supreme Lord who creates unlimited universes and enters each one of them as Lord of Universe.
SHRUTI
VAISHNAVA CANON
The Vaishnava canon presents Vishnu as the supreme being, rather than another name for the Sun God, who also bore the name Suryanarayana and is considered only as a form of Vishnu.
VEDAS
In the Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Aranyaka (10-13-1), Narayana suktam, Lord Narayana is mentioned as the supreme being. The first verse of Narayana Suktam mentions the words "paramam padam", which literally mean "highest post" and may be understood as the "supreme abode for all souls". This is also known as Param Dhama, Paramapadam, or Vaikuntha. Rig Veda 1:22:20a also mentions the same "paramam padam". This special status is not given to any deity in the Vedas apart from Lord Vishnu/Narayana.[citation needed] Narayana is one of the thousand names of Vishnu as mentioned in the Vishnu Sahasranama. It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervading essence of all beings, the master of - and beyond - the past, present and future, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe and originates and develops all elements within. This illustrates the omnipresent characteristic of Vishnu. Vishnu governs the aspect of preservation and sustenance of the universe, so he is called "Preserver of the universe".
Vishnu is the Supreme God who takes manifest forms or avatars across various ages or periods to save humanity from evil beings, demons or Asuras. According to the extant Hindu texts and traditions, Lord Vishnu is considered to be resident in the direction of the "Makara Rashi" (the "Shravana Nakshatra"), which is about coincident with the Capricorn constellation. In some of the extant Puranas, and Vaishnava traditions, Vishnu's eye is considered to be situated at the infinitely distant Southern Celestial Pole.
Following the defeat of Indra and his displacement as the Lord of Heaven or Swarga, Indra asks Lord Vishnu for help and thus Lord Vishnu takes his incarnations or avatars to Earth to save mankind, thus showing his position as Supreme God to all of creation.
In the Puranas, Indra frequently appears proud and haughty. These bad qualities are temporarily removed when Brahma and/or Shiva give boons to Asuras or Rakshasas such as Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu and Ravana, who are then able to defeat Indra in wars between Devas and Asuras. The received boons often made Asuras virtually indestructible.
Indra has no option but to seek help from Vishnu. Indra prays before Vishnu for protection and the Supreme Lord obliges him by taking avatars and generating himself on Earth in various forms, first as a water-dweller (Matsya, fish), then as an amphibious creature (Kurma avatar or Tortoise), then as a half-man-half-animal (Varaha the pig-faced, human-bodied Lord, and Narasimha the Lord with lion's face and claws and a human body). Later, Vishnu appears as human beings (Vamana the short-heighted person), Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and finally as Kalki for performing his task of protecting his devotees from demons and anti-religious entities.
Vishnu's supremacy is attested by his victories over those very powerful entities. It is further attested by the accepted iconography and sculptures of Vishnu in reclining position as producing Brahma emerging from his navel. Brahma the creator is thus created in turn by Vishnu out of his own person. Instead Vishnu takes various avatars to slay or defeat those demons. But it is to be noted that Vishnu also provided boons to Akupresura, a bear faced demon who was destroyed by Lord Shiva.
Vishnu's actions lowered Indra's ranking among Hindu deities and led to the ascendancy of Vishnu.
Few temples are dedicated to the Sun or Suryanarayana, nor indeed Indra, nor does Indra figure largely in the Hindu religion.
Indra is almost completely absent from the deities considered as the chief or most important deity.
RIGVEDA
In the Rigveda, Vishnu is mentioned 93 times. He is frequently invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra, whom he helps in killing Vritra and with whom he drinks Soma. His distinguishing characteristic in the Vedas is his association with light. Two Rigvedic hymns in Mandala 7 are dedicated to Vishnu. In 7.99, Vishnu is addressed as the god who separates heaven and earth, a characteristic he shares with Indra.
The Rig Veda describes Vishnu as younger brother to Indra as Vamana. In Vaishnava canon the 'Vishnu' who is younger brother to Indra is identified as Vamana, Avatar of Vishnu, hence referred to as Vishnu by Vaishnavites. Vishnu is the Supreme God who lives in the highest celestial region, contrasted against those who live in the atmospheric or terrestrial regions. Vishnu is content with mere prayer, unlike almost all of the other gods who receive sacrificial offerings such as Havis, which is given using clarified butter, or Soma. Later foreign translators have view that Vedas place Indra in a superior position to Vishnu's Avatar of Vamana but in fact Vamana helps Indra by restoring his Kingdom.
An alternate translation is provided by Wilson according to Sayana:
When Thy (younger brother) Viṣṇu (Vamana) by (his) strength stepped his three paces, then verily thy beloved horses bore thee. (Rigveda 8:12:27)
Wilson mentions Griffith's possible translation as a footnote. However the following verse from Rigveda renders the above translation by Wilson more probable.
Him whose three places that are filled with sweetness, imperishable, joy as it may list them, Who verily alone upholds the threefold, the earth, the heaven, and all living creatures. (Rig veda 1:154:4)
Wilson offers an alternate translation for Rigveda 10:113:2:
Viṣṇu offering the portion of Soma, glorifies by his own vigor that greatness of his. Indra, the lord of heaven, with the associated gods having slain Vritra, became deserving of honour. (Rigveda 10:113:2)
This verse sees Vishnu as one who is glorified by his own strength, while Indra became deserving of honor after having slain Vritra only in association with other gods.
However Vishnu's praise for other gods does not imply worship. Wilson translates:
Viṣṇu, the mighty giver of dwellings praises thee, and Mitra and Varuna; the company of Maruts imitates thee in exhilaration. (Rigveda 8:15:9) (page 280)
The following verses show categorically Vishnu as distinguished from other gods in Rigveda.
He who presents (offering) to Viṣṇu, the ancient, the creator, the recent, the self-born; he who celebrates the great birth of that mighty one; he verily possessed of abundance, attains (the station) that is to be sought (by all). (Rigveda 1:156:2) (page 98)
No being that is or that has been born, divine Viṣṇu, has attained the utmost limit of thy magnitude, by which thou hast upheld the vast and beautiful heaven, and sustained the eastern horizon of Earth.(Rigveda 7:99:2) (page 196)
The divine Viṣṇu, the best of the doers of good deeds, who came to the pious instituter of rite (Indra), to assist (at its celebration), knowing (the desires of the worshiper), and present at the three connected period (of worship), shows favor to the Arya, and admits the author of the ceremony to a share of the sacrifice. (Rigveda 1:156:5) (page 99)
Jan Gonda, the late Indologist, states that Vishnu, although remaining in the background of Indra's exploits, contributes by his presence, or is key to Indra's success. Vishnu is more than a mere companion, equal in rank or power to Indra, or sometime the one who made Indra's success possible.
Descriptions of Vishnu as younger to Indra are found in only the hymns to Indra, but in a kathenotheism religion like that of the Rigveda, each god, for a time, is supreme in the mind of the devotee.
In the Rig Vedic texts, the deity or god referred to as Vishnu is the Sun God, who also bears the name 'Suryanarayana'. By contrast, the 'Vishnu' referred to in 'Vishnu Purana', 'Vishnu Sahasranamam' and 'Purusha Sooktham' is Lord Narayana, the Consort of Lakshmi. Vaishnavites make a further distinction by extolling the qualities of Vishnu by highlighting his differences from other deities such as Shiva,[citation needed] Brahma or Surya.
THREE STEPS
Hymn 7.100 refers to the celebrated 'three steps' of Vishnu (as Trivikrama) by which he strode over the universe and in three places planted his step. The 'Vishnu Suktam' (RV 1.154) says that the first and second of Vishnu's strides (those encompassing the earth and air) are visible to men and the third is in the heights of heaven (sky). This last place is described as Vishnu's supreme abode in RV 1.22.20:
The princes evermore behold / that loftiest place where Vishnu is / Laid as it were an eye in heaven.(trans. Griffith)
Griffith's "princes" are the sūri, either "inciters" or lords of a sacrifice, or priests charged with pressing the Soma. The verse is quoted as expressing Vishnu's supremacy by Vaishnavites.
Though such solar aspects have been associated with Vishnu by tradition as well as modern-scholarship, he was not just the representation of the sun, as he moves both vertically and horizontally.
In hymns 1.22.17, 1.154.3, 1.154.4 he strides across the earth with three steps, in 6.49.13, 7.100.3 strides across the earth three times and in 1.154.1, 1.155.5,7.29.7 he strides vertically, with the final step in the heavens. The same Veda also says he strode wide and created space in the cosmos for Indra to fight Vritra. By his stride he made dwelling for men possible, the three forming a symbolic representation of the dwelling's all-encompassing nature. This nature and benevolence to men were Vishnu's enduring attributes. As the triple-strider he is known as Trivikrama and as Urukrama, for the strides were wide.
BRAHMANAS
The Brahmanas are commentaries on the Vedas and form part of the Shruti literature. They are concerned with the detail of the proper performance of rituals. In the Rigveda, Shakala Shakha: Aitareya Brahmana Verse 1 declares: agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus, tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā - Agni is the lowest or youngest god and Vishnu is the greatest and the highest God.
The Brahmanas assert the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, addressing him as "Gajapati", the one whom all sacrifices are meant to please. Lord Vishnu accepts all sacrifices to the demigods and allots the respective fruits to the performer In one incident, a demonic person performs a sacrifice by abducting the Rishis (sages), who meditate by constantly chanting God's name. The sacrifice is meant to destroy Indra. But the rishis, who worship Indra as a demigod, alter one pronunciation of the Veda Mantra, reversing the purpose of the sacrifice. When the fruit of the sacrifice is given and the demon is on the verge of dying, he calls to Vishnu, whom he addresses as Supreme Godhead and "the father of all living entities including himself".
Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 mentions Vishnu as the Supreme God. But in the Vaishnava canon, in different ages, with Vishnu in different avatars, his relationship with the asuras or demons, was always adversarial. The asuras always caused harm, while the sages and devas or celestial beings, did penance and called to Vishnu for protection. Vishnu always obliged by taking an avatar to vanquish the asuras. In the Vaishnava canon, Vishnu never gave or granted any boons to the asuras, distinguishing him from the gods Shiva and Brahma, who did. He is the only God called upon to save good beings by defeating or killing the asuras.
Sayana writes that in Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 the declaration agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus,tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā does not indicate any hierarchy among gods. Even in Rigveda Samhita, avama and parama are not applied to denote rank and dignity, but only to mark place and locality.
In Rigveda 1:108:9,: yadindrāghnī avamasyāṃ pṛthivyāṃ madhyamasyāṃ paramasyāmuta sthaḥ | i.e., in the lowest place, the middle (place), and the highest (place). Agni, the fire, has, among the gods, the lowest place; for he resides with man on the earth; while the other gods are either in the air, or in the sky. Vishnu occupies the highest place. The words avama and parama are understood as 'First' and 'Last' respectively. To support this claim, Sayana adduces the mantra (1,4. As'val. Sr. S. 4, 2), agnir mukham prathamo devathanam samathanam uttamo vishnur asit, i.e., Agni was the first of the deities assembled, (and) Vishnu the last.
In the Kausitaki Brahmana (7.1) Agni is called Aaradhya (instead of avama), and Visnu parardha(instead of parama),i.e., belonging to the lower and higher halves (or forming the lower and higher halves). The Vishnu Purana gives tremendous importance to the worship of Vishnu and mentions that sacrifices are to begin only with both the lighting of fire or 'Agni', pouring of sacrificial offerings to Vishnu in 'Agni' so that those offerings reach and are accepted by Vishnu. Worship of Vishnu through Yajnas (or Homams) and other rituals, will not achieve the desired result if Agni's role is neglected.
Muller says "Although the gods are sometimes distinctly invoked as the great and the small, the young and the old (Rig veda 1:27:13), this is only an attempt to find the most comprehensive expression for the divine powers, and nowhere is any of the gods represented as the subordinate to others. It would be easy to find, in the numerous hymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as supreme and absolute."
However this notion is not completely correct as per the following verses, which shows Rigveda describe one or more gods as subject to other god(s).
Him whose high law not Varuna nor Indra, not Mitra, Aryaman, nor Rudra breaketh, Nor evil-hearted fiends, here for my welfare him I invoke, God Savitar, with worship. (Rigveda 2.038.09)
I invite to this place, with reverential salutations, for my good, that divine Savita, whose functions neither Indra, nor Varun.a, nor Mitra nor Aryaman nor Rudra nor the enemies (of the gods), impede. (Rigveda 2.038.09)
SMRITI
VISHNU SMRITI
The Vishnu Smṛti, is one of the later books of the Dharmashastra tradition of Hinduism and the only one that focuses on the bhakti tradition and the required daily puja to Vishnu, rather than the means of knowing dharma. It is also known for its handling of the controversial subject of the practice of sati (self-immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre). The text was composed by an individual or group. The author(s) created a collection of the commonly known legal maxims that were attributed to Vishnu into one book, as Indian oral culture began to be recorded more formally.
BHAGAVATA PURANA
Vishnu is the only Bhagavan as declared in the Bhagavata 1:2:11 in the verse: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate, translated as "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance as Brahman, Paramātma and Bhagavan."
VISHNU PURANA
In the Vishnu Purana (6:5:79) the personality named Parashara Rishi defines six bhagas:
aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣannāḥ bhaga itīṇganā
Jiva Gosvami explains the verse in Gopala Champu (Pūrva 15:73) and Bhagavata Sandarbha 46:10:
jñāna-śakti-balaiśvarya-vīrya-tejām.sy aśeṣataḥ
bhagavac-chabda-vācyāni vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ
"The substantives of the word bhagavat (bhagavat-śabda-vācyāni) are unlimited (aśeṣataḥ) knowledge (jñāna), energies (śakti), strength (bala), opulence (aiśvarya), heroism (vīrya), splendor (tejas), without (vinā) objectionable (heyair) qualities (guṇādibhiḥ)."
SANGAM LITERATURE
Tamil Sangam literature (300BCE to 500CE) mentions mAyOn, or the dark one, as the supreme deity who creates, sustains and destroys the universe. Paripadal 3 describes the glory of Thirumal in the most superlative terms.
Paripadal by kaduvan iLaveyinanAr:
"thIyinuL theRal nI poovinuL naaRRa nI kallinuL maNiyu nI sollinuL vaaymai aRaththinuL anbu nI maRaththinuL mainthu nI vEthaththu maRai nI boothaththu madhalu nI vencudar oLiyu nI thingaLuL aLiyu nI anaiththu nI anaiththinut poruLu nI"
The last line states that Lord Vishnu is the supreme deity who is the inner controller (Antaryamin) of the entire universe. This is one of the Lord's glories, which is first mentioned in Vedas and later propounded by Alwars in Prabhandams and Sri Vaishnavaite Acharyas in various commentaries
The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Vishnu, Lakshmi is mentioned in Tamil works of literature of the Sangam era, including the epic Silapadikaram (book 11, lines 35–40):
āyiram viritteḻu talaiyuṭai aruntiṟaṟ
pāyaṟ paḷḷip palartoḻu tētta viritiraik kāviri viyaṉperu turuttit tiruvamar mārpaṉ kiṭanta vaṇṇamum
On a magnificent cot having a thousand heads spread out, worshipped and praised by many, in an islet surrounded by Kaveri with bellowing waves, is the lying posture of the one who has Lakshmi sitting in his chest.
THEOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES
The actual number of Vishnu's auspicious qualities is countless, although his six most-important "divine glories" are:
Jnana (Omniscience); defined as the power to know about all beings simultaneously;
Aishvarya (Sovereignty), derived from the word Ishvara which means unchallenged rule over all;
Shakti (Power or Energy), the capacity to make the impossible possible;
Bala (Strength), the capacity to support everything by will and without any fatigue;
Virya (Vigour), the power to retain immateriality as the Supreme Spirit or Being in spite of being the material cause of mutable creations;
Tejas (Splendor), which expresses self-sufficiency and the capacity to overpower everything by spiritual effulgence.
Other important qualities attributed to Vishnu are Gambhirya (inestimatable grandeur), Audarya (generosity), and Karunya (compassion). Natya Shastra lists Vishnu as the presiding deity of the Sṛngara rasa.
The Rigveda says: Vishnu can travel in three strides. The first stride is the Earth. The second stride is the visible sky. The third stride cannot be seen by men and is the heaven where the gods and the righteous dead live. (This feature of three strides also appears in the story of his avatar Vamana/Trivikrama.) The Sanskrit for "to stride" is the root kram; its reduplicated perfect is chakram (guņa grade) or chakra (zero-grade), and in the Rigveda he is called by epithets such as vi-chakra-māņas = "he who has made 3 strides". The Sanskrit word chakra also means "wheel". That may have suggested the idea of Vishnu carrying a chakra.
FIVE FORMS
In Shree Vaishnavism, another school dating from around the 10th century AD, Vishnu assumes five forms:
In the Para Form, Para is the highest form of Vishnu found only in Sri Vaikunta also called Moksha, along with his consort Lakshmi, (and Bhumi Devi and Nila devi, avatars of Lakshmi) and surrounded by liberated souls like Ananta, Garuda, and a host of Muktas (liberated souls).
In the Vyuha form, Vishnu assumes four forms, which exercise different cosmic functions and controls activities of living beings.
In the Vibhava form, Vishnu assumes various manifestations, called Vibhavas, more popularly known as Avataras from time to time, to protect the virtuous, punish evil-doers and re-establish righteousness.
In the Antaryami; "Dwelling within" or "Suksma Vasudeva" form, Vishnu exists within the souls of all living beings and in every substance.
In the Arcavatara or Image manifestation, Vishnu is visible and therefore easily approachable by devotees since Para, Vyuha, Vibhava and Antaryami forms can only be imagined or meditated upon because they are beyond our reach. Such images can be
Revealed by Vishnu, for example, a self-manifested (Swayambhu) icon (murti), e.g. The Mahavishnu Temple at Tirunelli, The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, The Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple, etc.; or
Installed by Devas or celestial beings such as such as Guruvayur Temple installed by Vayu; or
Installed by humans, and consecrated according to Vaishnava Agama shastras or scriptures such as Lord Jagannatha of Jagannath Temple (Puri) at Puri.
RELATIONS WITH OTHER DEITIES
SHIVA
The three gods of the Trimurti clan are inseparable and in harmony in view of their common vision and universal good. They are perfectly ideal in all respects.
Both Asuras and Devas played supportive roles in this story by keeping company with Vishnu in his incarnated forms. Hanuman is a vanara who is completely dedicated to Rama. He gives Vishnu company and obeys his command, while playing an important part in Rama's life. He is regarded in Vaishnava canon because it is through blessings that Hanuman is born. Thus, Hanuman, Vishnu's constant companion, with his idol appearing temples of Rama, Krishna and Narasimha, i.e. all of Vishnu's avatars, is considered by Vaishnavas.
Syncretic forces produced stories in which the two deities were shown in cooperative relationships and combined forms. Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara). This dual form, which is also called Harirudra, is mentioned in the Mahabharata.
LAKSHMI
Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth (also known as Maya). The Samvit (the primary intelligence/dark matter) of the universe is Vishnu, while the other five attributes emerge from this samvit and hence Maya or dark energy of the universe is Lakshmee is his ahamata, activity, or Vishnu's Power. This power of God, Maya or Shakti, is personified and has multiple names: Shree, Lakshmi, Maya, Vishnumaya or Mahamaya. She is said to manifest as Kriyashakti, (Creative Activity) and Bhutishakti (Creation). This world requires Vishnu's creativity. He therefore needs Lakshmi to always be with Him. Her various avatars as Lord Vishnu's consorts are Varahavatar (Bhoodevi) or Bhoomi, Ramavatar Seeta, Krishnavatar Rukmini)
SARASWATI & GANGA
According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Lord Vishnu had three wives Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganga. Due to their constant quarrelsome nature among them. Once Ganga tried to be close with Vishnu, this rebuked Saraswati but Lakshmi tried to pacify them but faced a curse rather. As per the curse, Lakshmi to appear as Tulasi. Sarawati cursed Ganga to run as a river in the world and Saraswati was cursed to run as a river in the netherworld. After this, Lord Vishnu transformed and became Brahma and Shiva to pacify Saraswati and Ganga.
GARUDA
Vishnu's mount (Vahana) is Garuda, the eagle. Vishnu is commonly depicted as riding on his shoulders.
ICONOGRAPHY
According to various Puranas, Vishnu is the ultimate omnipresent reality and is shapeless and omnipresent. However, a strict iconography governs his representation, whether in pictures, icons, or idols:
He has four arms and is male: The four arms indicate his all-powerful and all-pervasive nature. His physical existence is represented by the two arms in the front, while the two arms at the back represent his presence in the spiritual world. The Upanishad Gopal Uttartapani describes the four arms.
The Shreevatsa mark is on his chest, symbolizing his consort Lakshmi.
He wears the auspicious "Kaustubha" jewel around his neck and a garland of vaijayanti flowers (Vanamala). Lakshmi dwells in this jewel, on Vishnu's chest.
A crown adorns his head: The crown symbolizes his supreme authority. This crown sometimes includes a peacock feather, borrowing from his Krishna-avatar.
He wears two earrings: The earrings represent inherent opposites in creation — knowledge and ignorance; happiness and unhappiness; pleasure and pain.
He rests on Ananta, the immortal and infinite snake.
Vishnu is always to be depicted holding four attributes:
A conch shell or Shankha, named Panchajanya, is held by the upper left hand. It represents Vishnu's power to create and maintain the universe. Panchajanya represents the five elements or Panchabhoota – water, fire, air, earth and sky or space. It also represents the five airs or Pranas that are within the body and mind. The conch symbolizes that Vishnu is the primeval Divine sound of creation and continuity. It also represented as Om. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna avatara states that of sound vibrations, 'He is Om'.
The Chakra, a sharp, spinning, discus-like weapon, named "Sudarshana", is held by the upper right hand. It symbolizes the purified spiritualized mind. The name Sudarshana is derived from two words – Su, which means good, superior, and Darshana, which means vision or sight; together. The Chakra represents destruction of ego in the awakening and realization of the soul's original nature and god, burning away spiritual ignorance and illusion, and developing higher spiritual vision and insight to realize god.
A mace or Gada, named "Kaumodaki", is held by the lower right hand. It symbolizes that Vishnu's divine power is the source of all spiritual, mental and physical strength. It also signifies Vishnu's power to destroy materialistic or demonic tendencies (Anarthas) that prevent people from reaching god. Vishnu's mace is the power of the Divine within us to spiritually purify and uplift us from our materialistic bonds.
A lotus flower or Padma is held by the lower left hand. It represents spiritual liberation, Divine perfection, purity and the unfolding of Spiritual consciousness within the individual. The lotus opening its petals in the light of the Sun is indicative of the expansion and awakening of our long dormant, original spiritual consciousness in the light of god. The lotus symbolizes that god is the power and source from which the universe and the individual soul emerges. It also represents Divine Truth or Satya, the originator of the rules of conduct or Dharma, and Divine Vedic knowledge or Jnana. The lotus also symbolizes that Vishnu is the embodiment of spiritual perfection and purity and that He is the wellspring of these qualities and that the individual soul must seek to awaken these intrinsic Divine qualities from Vishnu by surrendering to and linking with Him.
To this may be added, conventionally, the vanamaala flower garland, Vishnu's bow (Shaarnga/Kodand) and his sword Nandaka. A verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama stotram states;vanamālī gadhī shārngī shanki chakri cha nandaki / shrīmān nārāyaņo vişņo vāsudevo abhirakşatu//; translation: Protect us Oh Lord Narayana who wears the forest garland,who has the mace, conch, sword and the wheel. And who is called Vishnu and the Vasudeva.
In general, Vishnu's body is depicted in one of the following three ways:
Standing on a lotus flower, often with Lakshmi, his consort, beside him on a similar pedestal.
Reclining on the coiled-up thousand-hooded Shesha Naga, with Lakshmi seated at his feet; the assemblage rests on the "Kshira Sagar" (ocean of milk). In this representation, Brahma is depicted as sitting on a lotus that grows out of Vishnu's navel.
Riding on the back of his eagle mount, known as Garuda. Another name for Garuda is "Veda atma"; Soul of the Vedas. The flapping of his wings symbolizes the power of the Divine Truth of Vedic wisdom. Also the eagle represents the soul. Garuda carrying Vishnu symbolizes the soul or jiva atma carrying the Super soul or Param atma within it.
AVATARS
Ten avatars (dashavatara) of Vishnu are the most prominent: Apart from the most prominent incarnations there are believed to more.
The most commonly believed incarnations of Vishnu are:
Matsya, the fish that kills Damanaka to save the vedas and also saves Manu from a great flood that submerges the entire Earth.
Kurma, the turtle that helps the Devas and Asuras churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality.
Varaha, the boar that rescues the Earth and kills Hiranyaksha.
Narasimha, the half-lion half human, who defeats the demon Hiranyakashipu.
Vamana, the dwarf that grows into a giant to save the world from King Bali.
Parashurama, "Rama of the battle axe", a sage who appeared in the Treta Yuga. He killed Kartavirya Arjuna's army and clan and then killed all the kshatriyas 21 times.
Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya who killed the Demon King Raavan.
Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, who takes part in the Mahabharata epic. Krishna is worshipped as the Supreme Avatar of Vishnu (Supreme Personality of Godhead) in Gaudiya-Vaishnava philosophy.
Buddha, the ninth avatar of Vishnu.
Kalki, the tenth Avatar of Vishnu and said to be the harbinger of the end Kali Yuga. This avatar of Vishnu is yet to come.
Some versions of the above list include Hayagreeva among the Dashavataras while some include Buddha as ninth avatar of Vishnu. Another 22 avatars are given in Chapter 3, Canto 1 of the Bhagavata Purana, although it states that "the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water".
BEYOND HINDUISM
SIKHISM
Guru Granth Sahib of Sikhism mentions Vishnu, one verse goes:
The true Vaishnaav, the devotee of Vishnu, is the one with whom God is thoroughly pleased. He dwells apart from Maya. Performing good deeds, he does not seek rewards. Spotlessly pure is the religion of such a Vaishnaav; he has no desire for the fruits of his labors. He is absorbed in devotional worship and the singing of Kirtan, the songs of the Lords Glory. Within his mind and body, he meditates in remembrance on the Lord of the Universe. He is kind to all creatures. He holds fast to the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. O Nanak, such a Vaishnaav obtains the supreme status.
BUDDHISM
While some Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu, Buddhists in Sri Lanka venerate Vishnu as the custodian deity of Sri Lanka and protector of Buddhism. Lord Vishnu is also known as upulvan, or uthpala varna, meaning "Blue Lotus coloured". Some postulates that Uthpala varna was a local deity who later merged with Vishnu while another belief is that Uthpala Varna was an early form of Vishnu before he became a supreme deity in Puranic Hinduism. According to Chronicles "Mahawamsa", "Chulawamsa" and folklore in Sri Lanka, Buddha himself handed over the custodianship to Vishnu. Others believe that Buddha entrusted this task to Sakra(Indra) and Sakra delegated this task of custodianship to god Vishnu. In contrary to vedic Hinduism, in assimilation of Hindu god Vishnu into Sinhalese Buddhism, Vishnu becomes a mortal being and a Bodhisattva aspiring Buddhahood. Additionally, Vishnu is considered as the god of home and hearth representing mercy, goodness, order and stability. Many Buddhist and Hindu shrines are dedicated to Vishnu in Sri Lanka. In addition to specific Vishnu "Kovils" or "devalayas", all Buddhist temples necessarily house shrine rooms (Devalayas) closer to the main Buddhist shrine dedicated to Vishnu. John Holt in his groundbreaking study examines the assimilation, transformation, and subordination of the Hindu deity Vishnu within the contexts of Sri Lankan history and Sinhala Buddhist religious culture. He then explores the role and rationale of medieval Sinhala kings in assimilating Visnu into Sinhala Buddhism. According to Holt the veneration of Vishnu in Sri Lanka is evidence of a remarkable ability, over many centuries, to reiterate and reinvent culture as other ethnicities have been absorbed into their own. Though the Vishnu cult in Ceylon was formally endorsed by Kandyan kings in early 1700s, Holt states that vishnu images and shrines are among conspicuous ruins in the medieval capital Polonnaruwa. In Buddhist mythology, when Vishnu failed to traverse the universe in three steps, he was given the title "Ardha Vishnu (Half-Vishnu)" and when Vishnu banished demons from the Vaishali (Vishala)in India, he became "Mulu Vishnu or Whole Vishnu". The extreme significance of god Vishnu in Sinhala society is reflected in recitals of the traditional "Offerings to dwarfs and crossing the door frame (bahirwayanta dola pideem saha uluwahu peneema)" that starts with Sri Vishnu invocation.In the recitals,mentioning of the aspiring Buddhahood of Vishnu which is of prime importance to Buddhists and wishes for him to live five thousand and more years highlight the central role of Vishnu in the psyche of Sri Lankan Buddhists.
OTHERS
James Freeman Clarke, Richard Leviton, James Cowles Prichard, and others have noted the similarities between Vishnu and Ancient Egyptian God Horus.
During an excavation in an abandoned village of Russia in the Volga region, archaeologist Alexander Kozhevin excavated an ancient idol of Vishnu. The idol dates from between the 7th and 10th centuries. In the interview Kozhevin, stated that, "We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research"
THOUSAND NAMES OF VISHNU
Vishnu's many names and followers are collected in the Vishnu Sahasranama, (Vishnu's thousand names) from within the larger work Mahabharata. The character Bheeshma recites the names before Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, praising him (Vishnu) as the supreme god. These Sahasranama are regarded as the essence of all Vedas by followers of Vaishnavism, who believe sincere chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama results in spiritual well-being and a greater awareness of God.
The names are generally derived from the Anantakalyanagunas (meaning: infinite auspicious attributes).
According to the Siddhartha-samhita there are twenty-four forms of Lord Vishnu. The twenty-four forms are
Vasudeva
Sankarshana
Pradyumna
Anirudha
Keshava
Narayana
Madhava
Govinda
Vishnu
Madhusudana
Trivikrama
Vamana
Sridhara
Hrishikesha
Padmanabha
Damodara
Purushottama
Achyuta
Narasimha
Janardana
Hari
Krishna
Adhokshaja
Upulvan, Uthpala Varna - In Sri Lanka, Vishnu is also referred to as Upulvan ( Blue Lotus Coloured)
WIKIPEDIA
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Light flurries fall down in front of Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art, a five-storey limestone and cast-aluminum structure. The main entrance uses both symmetry and transparency as themes for its large central glass walls that compose the majority of both the east and west façades of the building.
Olympus PEN Mini E-PM2 with M. Zuiko 17mm f/1.8
Internal detail of the mausoleum. A private cemetery of historical interest in St Margarets/ Isleworth. A full history and description is included in the set. This mausoleum which is now a grade II* listed building, was originally commissioned by the notorious eccentric of his day, the 2nd Earl of Kilmorey (also nicknamed as 'Black Jack’ Needham due to his dark complexion at times).
The monument was built in 1854 for his mistress, Priscilla Hoste, who had originally been his ward of court.
They suddenly eloped abroad and then eventually returned to Twickenham, where she had a son called Charles in 1844. Unfortunately, Priscilla then became seriously ill in 1851 with a terminal heart condition, with the Earl deciding to set about constructing a suitable memorial for her in 1853.
She eventually died in October 1854, and was interred in secret, with no-one knowing about it for years afterwards.
A noted Victorian architect of his time, Henry Edward Kendall was employed to design the mausoleum, which he did in the popular and fashionable Egyptian revival style. This Egyptian design is believed to have been derived from a plate in a French book ‘Description de I'Eqypte ’ published in 1809. The shape of the building relates to the shrines at the heart of Egyptian Temples - the place where a treasured image of a god was installed.
Inside the Mausoleum is a fine white marble carved relief of the death bed scene of Priscilla, with the young son Charles and the Earl in attendance. It was carved in Rome by portrait sculptor Lawrence Macdonald, using more than one artistic style.
It is thought that the pink and grey granite Egyptian style mausoleum cost around £30,000? (a very large sum of money in the 1850’s!) not including the subsequent moving costs.
The Mausoleum was originally erected on a plot that the Earl had secured at the Brompton Cemetery in London, then subsequently dismantled, moved and re-built twice.
First when the Earl moved to Woburn Park Chertsey in 1862, and being of unconventional nature and restless as well; six years later he was on the move again. The next time, it was moved to its present site at Twickenham in 1868, where he lived in Gordon House; eventually to be part of the Brunel University complex which has subsequently been re-developed.
In his day, Lord Kilmorey owned all the land between the mausoleum site and Gordon House. According to some rumours and fact, and being the true Victorian eccentric; some tunnels were built, the main one apparently having a tramway between Gordon House and the Mausoleum. This ensured his privacy could be maintained, and would not have to leave his own property when the time came for him to join Priscilla in the Mausoleum. It is said that ‘when in the mood’ he would summon his servants, and in secret, dress in ‘white garb’ and proceed through the tunnel to the mausoleum, where he would lie in his coffin. He lived to the grand age of 92, and in 1880 on his death, his final wishes were carried out.
Since then the mausoleum has had a chequered history, and the site passed eventually to Hounslow Borough Council on condition that access would be maintained, although it was not for some time that anyone entered this hidden burial site.
In an extremely neglected condition, responsibility for the site was passed to Richmond Council, and the maintenance of the grounds to The Environment Trust for Richmond upon Thames, where volunteers have worked exceptionally hard over several years, to get the gardens into the condition you see them today.
Vishnu (/ˈvɪʃnuː/; Sanskrit: Viṣṇu) is a popular Hindu deity, the Supreme God of Vaishnavism (one of the three principal denominations of Hinduism) and one of the three supreme deities (Trimurti) of Hinduism. He is also known as Lord Narayana and Lord Hari. As one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition, He is conceived as "the Preserver or the Protector" within the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the divinity.
In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as having dark complexion of water-filled clouds and as having four arms. He is depicted as a blue being, holding a padma (lotus flower) in the lower left hand, the Kaumodaki gada (mace) in the lower right hand, the Panchajanya shankha (conch) in the upper left hand and the discus weapon Sudarshana Chakra in the upper right hand.
Adherents of Hinduism believe Vishnu's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe is called Vaikuntha, which is also known as Paramdhama, the realm of eternal bliss and happiness and the final or highest place for liberated souls who have attained Moksha. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic. Vishnu's other abode within the material universe is Ksheera Sagara (the ocean of milk), where he reclines and rests on Ananta Shesha, (the king of the serpent deities, commonly shown with a thousand heads). In almost all Hindu denominations, Vishnu is either worshipped directly or in the form of his ten avatars, the most famous of whom are Rama and Krishna.
The Puranabharati, an ancient text, describes these as the dashavatara, or the ten avatars of Vishnu. Among the ten described, nine have occurred in the past and one will take place in the future as Lord Kalki, at the end of Kali Yuga, (the fourth and final stage in the cycle of yugas that the world goes through). These incarnations take place in all Yugas in cosmic scales; the avatars and their stories show that gods are indeed unimaginable, unthinkable and inconceivable. The Bhagavad Gita mentions their purpose as being to rejuvenate Dharma, to vanquish those negative forces of evil that threaten dharma, and also to display His divine nature in front of all souls.
The Trimurti (three forms) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer, preserver or protector and Shiva the destroyer or transformer." These three deities have also been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity", all having the same meaning of three in One. They are the different forms or manifestation of One person the Supreme Being or Narayana/Svayam Bhagavan.
Vishnu is also venerated as Mukunda, which means God who is the giver of mukti or moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirths) to his devotees or the worthy ones who deserve salvation from the material world.
ETYMOLOGY
The traditional explanation of the name Vishnu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle" (cognate with Latin vicus, English -wich "village," Slavic: vas -ves), or also (in the Rigveda) "to enter into, to pervade," glossing the name as "the All-Pervading One". Yaska, an early commentator on the Vedas, in his Nirukta, (etymological interpretation), defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, "one who enters everywhere". He also writes, atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣnurbhavati, "that which is free from fetters and bondages is Vishnu".
Adi Shankara in his commentary on the Sahasranama states derivation from viś, with a meaning "presence everywhere" ("As he pervades everything, vevesti, he is called Vishnu"). Adi Shankara states (regarding Vishnu Purana, 3.1.45): "The Power of the Supreme Being has entered within the universe. The root viś means 'enter into'." Swami Chinmayananda, in his translation of Vishnu Sahasranama further elaborates on that verse: "The root vis means to enter. The entire world of things and beings is pervaded by Him and the Upanishad emphatically insists in its mantra 'whatever that is there is the world of change.' Hence, it means that He is not limited by space, time or substance. Chinmayananda states that, that which pervades everything is Vishnu."
SACRET TEXTS - SHRUTI & SMRITI
Shruti is considered to be solely of divine origin. It is preserved as a whole, instead of verse by verse. It includes the four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda) the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads with commentaries on them.
Smṛti refers to all the knowledge derived and inculcated after Shruti had been received. Smrti is not 'divine' in origin, but was 'remembered' by later Rishis (sages by insight, who were the scribes) by transcendental means and passed down through their followers. It includes the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana which are Sattva Puranas. These both declare Vishnu as Para Brahman Supreme Lord who creates unlimited universes and enters each one of them as Lord of Universe.
SHRUTI
VAISHNAVA CANON
The Vaishnava canon presents Vishnu as the supreme being, rather than another name for the Sun God, who also bore the name Suryanarayana and is considered only as a form of Vishnu.
VEDAS
In the Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Aranyaka (10-13-1), Narayana suktam, Lord Narayana is mentioned as the supreme being. The first verse of Narayana Suktam mentions the words "paramam padam", which literally mean "highest post" and may be understood as the "supreme abode for all souls". This is also known as Param Dhama, Paramapadam, or Vaikuntha. Rig Veda 1:22:20a also mentions the same "paramam padam". This special status is not given to any deity in the Vedas apart from Lord Vishnu/Narayana.[citation needed] Narayana is one of the thousand names of Vishnu as mentioned in the Vishnu Sahasranama. It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervading essence of all beings, the master of - and beyond - the past, present and future, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe and originates and develops all elements within. This illustrates the omnipresent characteristic of Vishnu. Vishnu governs the aspect of preservation and sustenance of the universe, so he is called "Preserver of the universe".
Vishnu is the Supreme God who takes manifest forms or avatars across various ages or periods to save humanity from evil beings, demons or Asuras. According to the extant Hindu texts and traditions, Lord Vishnu is considered to be resident in the direction of the "Makara Rashi" (the "Shravana Nakshatra"), which is about coincident with the Capricorn constellation. In some of the extant Puranas, and Vaishnava traditions, Vishnu's eye is considered to be situated at the infinitely distant Southern Celestial Pole.
Following the defeat of Indra and his displacement as the Lord of Heaven or Swarga, Indra asks Lord Vishnu for help and thus Lord Vishnu takes his incarnations or avatars to Earth to save mankind, thus showing his position as Supreme God to all of creation.
In the Puranas, Indra frequently appears proud and haughty. These bad qualities are temporarily removed when Brahma and/or Shiva give boons to Asuras or Rakshasas such as Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu and Ravana, who are then able to defeat Indra in wars between Devas and Asuras. The received boons often made Asuras virtually indestructible.
Indra has no option but to seek help from Vishnu. Indra prays before Vishnu for protection and the Supreme Lord obliges him by taking avatars and generating himself on Earth in various forms, first as a water-dweller (Matsya, fish), then as an amphibious creature (Kurma avatar or Tortoise), then as a half-man-half-animal (Varaha the pig-faced, human-bodied Lord, and Narasimha the Lord with lion's face and claws and a human body). Later, Vishnu appears as human beings (Vamana the short-heighted person), Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and finally as Kalki for performing his task of protecting his devotees from demons and anti-religious entities.
Vishnu's supremacy is attested by his victories over those very powerful entities. It is further attested by the accepted iconography and sculptures of Vishnu in reclining position as producing Brahma emerging from his navel. Brahma the creator is thus created in turn by Vishnu out of his own person. Instead Vishnu takes various avatars to slay or defeat those demons. But it is to be noted that Vishnu also provided boons to Akupresura, a bear faced demon who was destroyed by Lord Shiva.
Vishnu's actions lowered Indra's ranking among Hindu deities and led to the ascendancy of Vishnu.
Few temples are dedicated to the Sun or Suryanarayana, nor indeed Indra, nor does Indra figure largely in the Hindu religion.
Indra is almost completely absent from the deities considered as the chief or most important deity.
RIGVEDA
In the Rigveda, Vishnu is mentioned 93 times. He is frequently invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra, whom he helps in killing Vritra and with whom he drinks Soma. His distinguishing characteristic in the Vedas is his association with light. Two Rigvedic hymns in Mandala 7 are dedicated to Vishnu. In 7.99, Vishnu is addressed as the god who separates heaven and earth, a characteristic he shares with Indra.
The Rig Veda describes Vishnu as younger brother to Indra as Vamana. In Vaishnava canon the 'Vishnu' who is younger brother to Indra is identified as Vamana, Avatar of Vishnu, hence referred to as Vishnu by Vaishnavites. Vishnu is the Supreme God who lives in the highest celestial region, contrasted against those who live in the atmospheric or terrestrial regions. Vishnu is content with mere prayer, unlike almost all of the other gods who receive sacrificial offerings such as Havis, which is given using clarified butter, or Soma. Later foreign translators have view that Vedas place Indra in a superior position to Vishnu's Avatar of Vamana but in fact Vamana helps Indra by restoring his Kingdom.
An alternate translation is provided by Wilson according to Sayana:
When Thy (younger brother) Viṣṇu (Vamana) by (his) strength stepped his three paces, then verily thy beloved horses bore thee. (Rigveda 8:12:27)
Wilson mentions Griffith's possible translation as a footnote. However the following verse from Rigveda renders the above translation by Wilson more probable.
Him whose three places that are filled with sweetness, imperishable, joy as it may list them, Who verily alone upholds the threefold, the earth, the heaven, and all living creatures. (Rig veda 1:154:4)
Wilson offers an alternate translation for Rigveda 10:113:2:
Viṣṇu offering the portion of Soma, glorifies by his own vigor that greatness of his. Indra, the lord of heaven, with the associated gods having slain Vritra, became deserving of honour. (Rigveda 10:113:2)
This verse sees Vishnu as one who is glorified by his own strength, while Indra became deserving of honor after having slain Vritra only in association with other gods.
However Vishnu's praise for other gods does not imply worship. Wilson translates:
Viṣṇu, the mighty giver of dwellings praises thee, and Mitra and Varuna; the company of Maruts imitates thee in exhilaration. (Rigveda 8:15:9) (page 280)
The following verses show categorically Vishnu as distinguished from other gods in Rigveda.
He who presents (offering) to Viṣṇu, the ancient, the creator, the recent, the self-born; he who celebrates the great birth of that mighty one; he verily possessed of abundance, attains (the station) that is to be sought (by all). (Rigveda 1:156:2) (page 98)
No being that is or that has been born, divine Viṣṇu, has attained the utmost limit of thy magnitude, by which thou hast upheld the vast and beautiful heaven, and sustained the eastern horizon of Earth.(Rigveda 7:99:2) (page 196)
The divine Viṣṇu, the best of the doers of good deeds, who came to the pious instituter of rite (Indra), to assist (at its celebration), knowing (the desires of the worshiper), and present at the three connected period (of worship), shows favor to the Arya, and admits the author of the ceremony to a share of the sacrifice. (Rigveda 1:156:5) (page 99)
Jan Gonda, the late Indologist, states that Vishnu, although remaining in the background of Indra's exploits, contributes by his presence, or is key to Indra's success. Vishnu is more than a mere companion, equal in rank or power to Indra, or sometime the one who made Indra's success possible.
Descriptions of Vishnu as younger to Indra are found in only the hymns to Indra, but in a kathenotheism religion like that of the Rigveda, each god, for a time, is supreme in the mind of the devotee.
In the Rig Vedic texts, the deity or god referred to as Vishnu is the Sun God, who also bears the name 'Suryanarayana'. By contrast, the 'Vishnu' referred to in 'Vishnu Purana', 'Vishnu Sahasranamam' and 'Purusha Sooktham' is Lord Narayana, the Consort of Lakshmi. Vaishnavites make a further distinction by extolling the qualities of Vishnu by highlighting his differences from other deities such as Shiva,[citation needed] Brahma or Surya.
THREE STEPS
Hymn 7.100 refers to the celebrated 'three steps' of Vishnu (as Trivikrama) by which he strode over the universe and in three places planted his step. The 'Vishnu Suktam' (RV 1.154) says that the first and second of Vishnu's strides (those encompassing the earth and air) are visible to men and the third is in the heights of heaven (sky). This last place is described as Vishnu's supreme abode in RV 1.22.20:
The princes evermore behold / that loftiest place where Vishnu is / Laid as it were an eye in heaven.(trans. Griffith)
Griffith's "princes" are the sūri, either "inciters" or lords of a sacrifice, or priests charged with pressing the Soma. The verse is quoted as expressing Vishnu's supremacy by Vaishnavites.
Though such solar aspects have been associated with Vishnu by tradition as well as modern-scholarship, he was not just the representation of the sun, as he moves both vertically and horizontally.
In hymns 1.22.17, 1.154.3, 1.154.4 he strides across the earth with three steps, in 6.49.13, 7.100.3 strides across the earth three times and in 1.154.1, 1.155.5,7.29.7 he strides vertically, with the final step in the heavens. The same Veda also says he strode wide and created space in the cosmos for Indra to fight Vritra. By his stride he made dwelling for men possible, the three forming a symbolic representation of the dwelling's all-encompassing nature. This nature and benevolence to men were Vishnu's enduring attributes. As the triple-strider he is known as Trivikrama and as Urukrama, for the strides were wide.
BRAHMANAS
The Brahmanas are commentaries on the Vedas and form part of the Shruti literature. They are concerned with the detail of the proper performance of rituals. In the Rigveda, Shakala Shakha: Aitareya Brahmana Verse 1 declares: agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus, tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā - Agni is the lowest or youngest god and Vishnu is the greatest and the highest God.
The Brahmanas assert the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, addressing him as "Gajapati", the one whom all sacrifices are meant to please. Lord Vishnu accepts all sacrifices to the demigods and allots the respective fruits to the performer In one incident, a demonic person performs a sacrifice by abducting the Rishis (sages), who meditate by constantly chanting God's name. The sacrifice is meant to destroy Indra. But the rishis, who worship Indra as a demigod, alter one pronunciation of the Veda Mantra, reversing the purpose of the sacrifice. When the fruit of the sacrifice is given and the demon is on the verge of dying, he calls to Vishnu, whom he addresses as Supreme Godhead and "the father of all living entities including himself".
Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 mentions Vishnu as the Supreme God. But in the Vaishnava canon, in different ages, with Vishnu in different avatars, his relationship with the asuras or demons, was always adversarial. The asuras always caused harm, while the sages and devas or celestial beings, did penance and called to Vishnu for protection. Vishnu always obliged by taking an avatar to vanquish the asuras. In the Vaishnava canon, Vishnu never gave or granted any boons to the asuras, distinguishing him from the gods Shiva and Brahma, who did. He is the only God called upon to save good beings by defeating or killing the asuras.
Sayana writes that in Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 the declaration agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus,tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā does not indicate any hierarchy among gods. Even in Rigveda Samhita, avama and parama are not applied to denote rank and dignity, but only to mark place and locality.
In Rigveda 1:108:9,: yadindrāghnī avamasyāṃ pṛthivyāṃ madhyamasyāṃ paramasyāmuta sthaḥ | i.e., in the lowest place, the middle (place), and the highest (place). Agni, the fire, has, among the gods, the lowest place; for he resides with man on the earth; while the other gods are either in the air, or in the sky. Vishnu occupies the highest place. The words avama and parama are understood as 'First' and 'Last' respectively. To support this claim, Sayana adduces the mantra (1,4. As'val. Sr. S. 4, 2), agnir mukham prathamo devathanam samathanam uttamo vishnur asit, i.e., Agni was the first of the deities assembled, (and) Vishnu the last.
In the Kausitaki Brahmana (7.1) Agni is called Aaradhya (instead of avama), and Visnu parardha(instead of parama),i.e., belonging to the lower and higher halves (or forming the lower and higher halves). The Vishnu Purana gives tremendous importance to the worship of Vishnu and mentions that sacrifices are to begin only with both the lighting of fire or 'Agni', pouring of sacrificial offerings to Vishnu in 'Agni' so that those offerings reach and are accepted by Vishnu. Worship of Vishnu through Yajnas (or Homams) and other rituals, will not achieve the desired result if Agni's role is neglected.
Muller says "Although the gods are sometimes distinctly invoked as the great and the small, the young and the old (Rig veda 1:27:13), this is only an attempt to find the most comprehensive expression for the divine powers, and nowhere is any of the gods represented as the subordinate to others. It would be easy to find, in the numerous hymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as supreme and absolute."
However this notion is not completely correct as per the following verses, which shows Rigveda describe one or more gods as subject to other god(s).
Him whose high law not Varuna nor Indra, not Mitra, Aryaman, nor Rudra breaketh, Nor evil-hearted fiends, here for my welfare him I invoke, God Savitar, with worship. (Rigveda 2.038.09)
I invite to this place, with reverential salutations, for my good, that divine Savita, whose functions neither Indra, nor Varun.a, nor Mitra nor Aryaman nor Rudra nor the enemies (of the gods), impede. (Rigveda 2.038.09)
SMRITI
VISHNU SMRITI
The Vishnu Smṛti, is one of the later books of the Dharmashastra tradition of Hinduism and the only one that focuses on the bhakti tradition and the required daily puja to Vishnu, rather than the means of knowing dharma. It is also known for its handling of the controversial subject of the practice of sati (self-immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre). The text was composed by an individual or group. The author(s) created a collection of the commonly known legal maxims that were attributed to Vishnu into one book, as Indian oral culture began to be recorded more formally.
BHAGAVATA PURANA
Vishnu is the only Bhagavan as declared in the Bhagavata 1:2:11 in the verse: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate, translated as "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance as Brahman, Paramātma and Bhagavan."
VISHNU PURANA
In the Vishnu Purana (6:5:79) the personality named Parashara Rishi defines six bhagas:
aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣannāḥ bhaga itīṇganā
Jiva Gosvami explains the verse in Gopala Champu (Pūrva 15:73) and Bhagavata Sandarbha 46:10:
jñāna-śakti-balaiśvarya-vīrya-tejām.sy aśeṣataḥ
bhagavac-chabda-vācyāni vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ
"The substantives of the word bhagavat (bhagavat-śabda-vācyāni) are unlimited (aśeṣataḥ) knowledge (jñāna), energies (śakti), strength (bala), opulence (aiśvarya), heroism (vīrya), splendor (tejas), without (vinā) objectionable (heyair) qualities (guṇādibhiḥ)."
SANGAM LITERATURE
Tamil Sangam literature (300BCE to 500CE) mentions mAyOn, or the dark one, as the supreme deity who creates, sustains and destroys the universe. Paripadal 3 describes the glory of Thirumal in the most superlative terms.
Paripadal by kaduvan iLaveyinanAr:
"thIyinuL theRal nI poovinuL naaRRa nI kallinuL maNiyu nI sollinuL vaaymai aRaththinuL anbu nI maRaththinuL mainthu nI vEthaththu maRai nI boothaththu madhalu nI vencudar oLiyu nI thingaLuL aLiyu nI anaiththu nI anaiththinut poruLu nI"
The last line states that Lord Vishnu is the supreme deity who is the inner controller (Antaryamin) of the entire universe. This is one of the Lord's glories, which is first mentioned in Vedas and later propounded by Alwars in Prabhandams and Sri Vaishnavaite Acharyas in various commentaries
The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Vishnu, Lakshmi is mentioned in Tamil works of literature of the Sangam era, including the epic Silapadikaram (book 11, lines 35–40):
āyiram viritteḻu talaiyuṭai aruntiṟaṟ
pāyaṟ paḷḷip palartoḻu tētta viritiraik kāviri viyaṉperu turuttit tiruvamar mārpaṉ kiṭanta vaṇṇamum
On a magnificent cot having a thousand heads spread out, worshipped and praised by many, in an islet surrounded by Kaveri with bellowing waves, is the lying posture of the one who has Lakshmi sitting in his chest.
THEOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES
The actual number of Vishnu's auspicious qualities is countless, although his six most-important "divine glories" are:
Jnana (Omniscience); defined as the power to know about all beings simultaneously;
Aishvarya (Sovereignty), derived from the word Ishvara which means unchallenged rule over all;
Shakti (Power or Energy), the capacity to make the impossible possible;
Bala (Strength), the capacity to support everything by will and without any fatigue;
Virya (Vigour), the power to retain immateriality as the Supreme Spirit or Being in spite of being the material cause of mutable creations;
Tejas (Splendor), which expresses self-sufficiency and the capacity to overpower everything by spiritual effulgence.
Other important qualities attributed to Vishnu are Gambhirya (inestimatable grandeur), Audarya (generosity), and Karunya (compassion). Natya Shastra lists Vishnu as the presiding deity of the Sṛngara rasa.
The Rigveda says: Vishnu can travel in three strides. The first stride is the Earth. The second stride is the visible sky. The third stride cannot be seen by men and is the heaven where the gods and the righteous dead live. (This feature of three strides also appears in the story of his avatar Vamana/Trivikrama.) The Sanskrit for "to stride" is the root kram; its reduplicated perfect is chakram (guņa grade) or chakra (zero-grade), and in the Rigveda he is called by epithets such as vi-chakra-māņas = "he who has made 3 strides". The Sanskrit word chakra also means "wheel". That may have suggested the idea of Vishnu carrying a chakra.
FIVE FORMS
In Shree Vaishnavism, another school dating from around the 10th century AD, Vishnu assumes five forms:
In the Para Form, Para is the highest form of Vishnu found only in Sri Vaikunta also called Moksha, along with his consort Lakshmi, (and Bhumi Devi and Nila devi, avatars of Lakshmi) and surrounded by liberated souls like Ananta, Garuda, and a host of Muktas (liberated souls).
In the Vyuha form, Vishnu assumes four forms, which exercise different cosmic functions and controls activities of living beings.
In the Vibhava form, Vishnu assumes various manifestations, called Vibhavas, more popularly known as Avataras from time to time, to protect the virtuous, punish evil-doers and re-establish righteousness.
In the Antaryami; "Dwelling within" or "Suksma Vasudeva" form, Vishnu exists within the souls of all living beings and in every substance.
In the Arcavatara or Image manifestation, Vishnu is visible and therefore easily approachable by devotees since Para, Vyuha, Vibhava and Antaryami forms can only be imagined or meditated upon because they are beyond our reach. Such images can be
Revealed by Vishnu, for example, a self-manifested (Swayambhu) icon (murti), e.g. The Mahavishnu Temple at Tirunelli, The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, The Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple, etc.; or
Installed by Devas or celestial beings such as such as Guruvayur Temple installed by Vayu; or
Installed by humans, and consecrated according to Vaishnava Agama shastras or scriptures such as Lord Jagannatha of Jagannath Temple (Puri) at Puri.
RELATIONS WITH OTHER DEITIES
SHIVA
The three gods of the Trimurti clan are inseparable and in harmony in view of their common vision and universal good. They are perfectly ideal in all respects.
Both Asuras and Devas played supportive roles in this story by keeping company with Vishnu in his incarnated forms. Hanuman is a vanara who is completely dedicated to Rama. He gives Vishnu company and obeys his command, while playing an important part in Rama's life. He is regarded in Vaishnava canon because it is through blessings that Hanuman is born. Thus, Hanuman, Vishnu's constant companion, with his idol appearing temples of Rama, Krishna and Narasimha, i.e. all of Vishnu's avatars, is considered by Vaishnavas.
Syncretic forces produced stories in which the two deities were shown in cooperative relationships and combined forms. Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara). This dual form, which is also called Harirudra, is mentioned in the Mahabharata.
LAKSHMI
Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth (also known as Maya). The Samvit (the primary intelligence/dark matter) of the universe is Vishnu, while the other five attributes emerge from this samvit and hence Maya or dark energy of the universe is Lakshmee is his ahamata, activity, or Vishnu's Power. This power of God, Maya or Shakti, is personified and has multiple names: Shree, Lakshmi, Maya, Vishnumaya or Mahamaya. She is said to manifest as Kriyashakti, (Creative Activity) and Bhutishakti (Creation). This world requires Vishnu's creativity. He therefore needs Lakshmi to always be with Him. Her various avatars as Lord Vishnu's consorts are Varahavatar (Bhoodevi) or Bhoomi, Ramavatar Seeta, Krishnavatar Rukmini)
SARASWATI & GANGA
According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Lord Vishnu had three wives Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganga. Due to their constant quarrelsome nature among them. Once Ganga tried to be close with Vishnu, this rebuked Saraswati but Lakshmi tried to pacify them but faced a curse rather. As per the curse, Lakshmi to appear as Tulasi. Sarawati cursed Ganga to run as a river in the world and Saraswati was cursed to run as a river in the netherworld. After this, Lord Vishnu transformed and became Brahma and Shiva to pacify Saraswati and Ganga.
GARUDA
Vishnu's mount (Vahana) is Garuda, the eagle. Vishnu is commonly depicted as riding on his shoulders.
ICONOGRAPHY
According to various Puranas, Vishnu is the ultimate omnipresent reality and is shapeless and omnipresent. However, a strict iconography governs his representation, whether in pictures, icons, or idols:
He has four arms and is male: The four arms indicate his all-powerful and all-pervasive nature. His physical existence is represented by the two arms in the front, while the two arms at the back represent his presence in the spiritual world. The Upanishad Gopal Uttartapani describes the four arms.
The Shreevatsa mark is on his chest, symbolizing his consort Lakshmi.
He wears the auspicious "Kaustubha" jewel around his neck and a garland of vaijayanti flowers (Vanamala). Lakshmi dwells in this jewel, on Vishnu's chest.
A crown adorns his head: The crown symbolizes his supreme authority. This crown sometimes includes a peacock feather, borrowing from his Krishna-avatar.
He wears two earrings: The earrings represent inherent opposites in creation — knowledge and ignorance; happiness and unhappiness; pleasure and pain.
He rests on Ananta, the immortal and infinite snake.
Vishnu is always to be depicted holding four attributes:
A conch shell or Shankha, named Panchajanya, is held by the upper left hand. It represents Vishnu's power to create and maintain the universe. Panchajanya represents the five elements or Panchabhoota – water, fire, air, earth and sky or space. It also represents the five airs or Pranas that are within the body and mind. The conch symbolizes that Vishnu is the primeval Divine sound of creation and continuity. It also represented as Om. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna avatara states that of sound vibrations, 'He is Om'.
The Chakra, a sharp, spinning, discus-like weapon, named "Sudarshana", is held by the upper right hand. It symbolizes the purified spiritualized mind. The name Sudarshana is derived from two words – Su, which means good, superior, and Darshana, which means vision or sight; together. The Chakra represents destruction of ego in the awakening and realization of the soul's original nature and god, burning away spiritual ignorance and illusion, and developing higher spiritual vision and insight to realize god.
A mace or Gada, named "Kaumodaki", is held by the lower right hand. It symbolizes that Vishnu's divine power is the source of all spiritual, mental and physical strength. It also signifies Vishnu's power to destroy materialistic or demonic tendencies (Anarthas) that prevent people from reaching god. Vishnu's mace is the power of the Divine within us to spiritually purify and uplift us from our materialistic bonds.
A lotus flower or Padma is held by the lower left hand. It represents spiritual liberation, Divine perfection, purity and the unfolding of Spiritual consciousness within the individual. The lotus opening its petals in the light of the Sun is indicative of the expansion and awakening of our long dormant, original spiritual consciousness in the light of god. The lotus symbolizes that god is the power and source from which the universe and the individual soul emerges. It also represents Divine Truth or Satya, the originator of the rules of conduct or Dharma, and Divine Vedic knowledge or Jnana. The lotus also symbolizes that Vishnu is the embodiment of spiritual perfection and purity and that He is the wellspring of these qualities and that the individual soul must seek to awaken these intrinsic Divine qualities from Vishnu by surrendering to and linking with Him.
To this may be added, conventionally, the vanamaala flower garland, Vishnu's bow (Shaarnga/Kodand) and his sword Nandaka. A verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama stotram states;vanamālī gadhī shārngī shanki chakri cha nandaki / shrīmān nārāyaņo vişņo vāsudevo abhirakşatu//; translation: Protect us Oh Lord Narayana who wears the forest garland,who has the mace, conch, sword and the wheel. And who is called Vishnu and the Vasudeva.
In general, Vishnu's body is depicted in one of the following three ways:
Standing on a lotus flower, often with Lakshmi, his consort, beside him on a similar pedestal.
Reclining on the coiled-up thousand-hooded Shesha Naga, with Lakshmi seated at his feet; the assemblage rests on the "Kshira Sagar" (ocean of milk). In this representation, Brahma is depicted as sitting on a lotus that grows out of Vishnu's navel.
Riding on the back of his eagle mount, known as Garuda. Another name for Garuda is "Veda atma"; Soul of the Vedas. The flapping of his wings symbolizes the power of the Divine Truth of Vedic wisdom. Also the eagle represents the soul. Garuda carrying Vishnu symbolizes the soul or jiva atma carrying the Super soul or Param atma within it.
AVATARS
Ten avatars (dashavatara) of Vishnu are the most prominent: Apart from the most prominent incarnations there are believed to more.
The most commonly believed incarnations of Vishnu are:
Matsya, the fish that kills Damanaka to save the vedas and also saves Manu from a great flood that submerges the entire Earth.
Kurma, the turtle that helps the Devas and Asuras churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality.
Varaha, the boar that rescues the Earth and kills Hiranyaksha.
Narasimha, the half-lion half human, who defeats the demon Hiranyakashipu.
Vamana, the dwarf that grows into a giant to save the world from King Bali.
Parashurama, "Rama of the battle axe", a sage who appeared in the Treta Yuga. He killed Kartavirya Arjuna's army and clan and then killed all the kshatriyas 21 times.
Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya who killed the Demon King Raavan.
Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, who takes part in the Mahabharata epic. Krishna is worshipped as the Supreme Avatar of Vishnu (Supreme Personality of Godhead) in Gaudiya-Vaishnava philosophy.
Buddha, the ninth avatar of Vishnu.
Kalki, the tenth Avatar of Vishnu and said to be the harbinger of the end Kali Yuga. This avatar of Vishnu is yet to come.
Some versions of the above list include Hayagreeva among the Dashavataras while some include Buddha as ninth avatar of Vishnu. Another 22 avatars are given in Chapter 3, Canto 1 of the Bhagavata Purana, although it states that "the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water".
BEYOND HINDUISM
SIKHISM
Guru Granth Sahib of Sikhism mentions Vishnu, one verse goes:
The true Vaishnaav, the devotee of Vishnu, is the one with whom God is thoroughly pleased. He dwells apart from Maya. Performing good deeds, he does not seek rewards. Spotlessly pure is the religion of such a Vaishnaav; he has no desire for the fruits of his labors. He is absorbed in devotional worship and the singing of Kirtan, the songs of the Lords Glory. Within his mind and body, he meditates in remembrance on the Lord of the Universe. He is kind to all creatures. He holds fast to the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. O Nanak, such a Vaishnaav obtains the supreme status.
BUDDHISM
While some Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu, Buddhists in Sri Lanka venerate Vishnu as the custodian deity of Sri Lanka and protector of Buddhism. Lord Vishnu is also known as upulvan, or uthpala varna, meaning "Blue Lotus coloured". Some postulates that Uthpala varna was a local deity who later merged with Vishnu while another belief is that Uthpala Varna was an early form of Vishnu before he became a supreme deity in Puranic Hinduism. According to Chronicles "Mahawamsa", "Chulawamsa" and folklore in Sri Lanka, Buddha himself handed over the custodianship to Vishnu. Others believe that Buddha entrusted this task to Sakra(Indra) and Sakra delegated this task of custodianship to god Vishnu. In contrary to vedic Hinduism, in assimilation of Hindu god Vishnu into Sinhalese Buddhism, Vishnu becomes a mortal being and a Bodhisattva aspiring Buddhahood. Additionally, Vishnu is considered as the god of home and hearth representing mercy, goodness, order and stability. Many Buddhist and Hindu shrines are dedicated to Vishnu in Sri Lanka. In addition to specific Vishnu "Kovils" or "devalayas", all Buddhist temples necessarily house shrine rooms (Devalayas) closer to the main Buddhist shrine dedicated to Vishnu. John Holt in his groundbreaking study examines the assimilation, transformation, and subordination of the Hindu deity Vishnu within the contexts of Sri Lankan history and Sinhala Buddhist religious culture. He then explores the role and rationale of medieval Sinhala kings in assimilating Visnu into Sinhala Buddhism. According to Holt the veneration of Vishnu in Sri Lanka is evidence of a remarkable ability, over many centuries, to reiterate and reinvent culture as other ethnicities have been absorbed into their own. Though the Vishnu cult in Ceylon was formally endorsed by Kandyan kings in early 1700s, Holt states that vishnu images and shrines are among conspicuous ruins in the medieval capital Polonnaruwa. In Buddhist mythology, when Vishnu failed to traverse the universe in three steps, he was given the title "Ardha Vishnu (Half-Vishnu)" and when Vishnu banished demons from the Vaishali (Vishala)in India, he became "Mulu Vishnu or Whole Vishnu". The extreme significance of god Vishnu in Sinhala society is reflected in recitals of the traditional "Offerings to dwarfs and crossing the door frame (bahirwayanta dola pideem saha uluwahu peneema)" that starts with Sri Vishnu invocation.In the recitals,mentioning of the aspiring Buddhahood of Vishnu which is of prime importance to Buddhists and wishes for him to live five thousand and more years highlight the central role of Vishnu in the psyche of Sri Lankan Buddhists.
OTHERS
James Freeman Clarke, Richard Leviton, James Cowles Prichard, and others have noted the similarities between Vishnu and Ancient Egyptian God Horus.
During an excavation in an abandoned village of Russia in the Volga region, archaeologist Alexander Kozhevin excavated an ancient idol of Vishnu. The idol dates from between the 7th and 10th centuries. In the interview Kozhevin, stated that, "We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research"
THOUSAND NAMES OF VISHNU
Vishnu's many names and followers are collected in the Vishnu Sahasranama, (Vishnu's thousand names) from within the larger work Mahabharata. The character Bheeshma recites the names before Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, praising him (Vishnu) as the supreme god. These Sahasranama are regarded as the essence of all Vedas by followers of Vaishnavism, who believe sincere chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama results in spiritual well-being and a greater awareness of God.
The names are generally derived from the Anantakalyanagunas (meaning: infinite auspicious attributes).
According to the Siddhartha-samhita there are twenty-four forms of Lord Vishnu. The twenty-four forms are
Vasudeva
Sankarshana
Pradyumna
Anirudha
Keshava
Narayana
Madhava
Govinda
Vishnu
Madhusudana
Trivikrama
Vamana
Sridhara
Hrishikesha
Padmanabha
Damodara
Purushottama
Achyuta
Narasimha
Janardana
Hari
Krishna
Adhokshaja
Upulvan, Uthpala Varna - In Sri Lanka, Vishnu is also referred to as Upulvan ( Blue Lotus Coloured)
WIKIPEDIA
Vishnu (/ˈvɪʃnuː/; Sanskrit: Viṣṇu) is a popular Hindu deity, the Supreme God of Vaishnavism (one of the three principal denominations of Hinduism) and one of the three supreme deities (Trimurti) of Hinduism. He is also known as Lord Narayana and Lord Hari. As one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition, He is conceived as "the Preserver or the Protector" within the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the divinity.
In Hindu sacred texts, Vishnu is usually described as having dark complexion of water-filled clouds and as having four arms. He is depicted as a blue being, holding a padma (lotus flower) in the lower left hand, the Kaumodaki gada (mace) in the lower right hand, the Panchajanya shankha (conch) in the upper left hand and the discus weapon Sudarshana Chakra in the upper right hand.
Adherents of Hinduism believe Vishnu's eternal and supreme abode beyond the material universe is called Vaikuntha, which is also known as Paramdhama, the realm of eternal bliss and happiness and the final or highest place for liberated souls who have attained Moksha. Vaikuntha is situated beyond the material universe and hence, cannot be perceived or measured by material science or logic. Vishnu's other abode within the material universe is Ksheera Sagara (the ocean of milk), where he reclines and rests on Ananta Shesha, (the king of the serpent deities, commonly shown with a thousand heads). In almost all Hindu denominations, Vishnu is either worshipped directly or in the form of his ten avatars, the most famous of whom are Rama and Krishna.
The Puranabharati, an ancient text, describes these as the dashavatara, or the ten avatars of Vishnu. Among the ten described, nine have occurred in the past and one will take place in the future as Lord Kalki, at the end of Kali Yuga, (the fourth and final stage in the cycle of yugas that the world goes through). These incarnations take place in all Yugas in cosmic scales; the avatars and their stories show that gods are indeed unimaginable, unthinkable and inconceivable. The Bhagavad Gita mentions their purpose as being to rejuvenate Dharma, to vanquish those negative forces of evil that threaten dharma, and also to display His divine nature in front of all souls.
The Trimurti (three forms) is a concept in Hinduism "in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified by the forms of Brahma the creator, Vishnu the maintainer, preserver or protector and Shiva the destroyer or transformer." These three deities have also been called "the Hindu triad" or the "Great Trinity", all having the same meaning of three in One. They are the different forms or manifestation of One person the Supreme Being or Narayana/Svayam Bhagavan.
Vishnu is also venerated as Mukunda, which means God who is the giver of mukti or moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirths) to his devotees or the worthy ones who deserve salvation from the material world.
ETYMOLOGY
The traditional explanation of the name Vishnu involves the root viś, meaning "to settle" (cognate with Latin vicus, English -wich "village," Slavic: vas -ves), or also (in the Rigveda) "to enter into, to pervade," glossing the name as "the All-Pervading One". Yaska, an early commentator on the Vedas, in his Nirukta, (etymological interpretation), defines Vishnu as viṣṇur viṣvater vā vyaśnoter vā, "one who enters everywhere". He also writes, atha yad viṣito bhavati tad viṣnurbhavati, "that which is free from fetters and bondages is Vishnu".
Adi Shankara in his commentary on the Sahasranama states derivation from viś, with a meaning "presence everywhere" ("As he pervades everything, vevesti, he is called Vishnu"). Adi Shankara states (regarding Vishnu Purana, 3.1.45): "The Power of the Supreme Being has entered within the universe. The root viś means 'enter into'." Swami Chinmayananda, in his translation of Vishnu Sahasranama further elaborates on that verse: "The root vis means to enter. The entire world of things and beings is pervaded by Him and the Upanishad emphatically insists in its mantra 'whatever that is there is the world of change.' Hence, it means that He is not limited by space, time or substance. Chinmayananda states that, that which pervades everything is Vishnu."
SACRET TEXTS - SHRUTI & SMRITI
Shruti is considered to be solely of divine origin. It is preserved as a whole, instead of verse by verse. It includes the four Vedas (Rigveda, Yajurveda, Samaveda and Atharvaveda) the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas and the Upanishads with commentaries on them.
Smṛti refers to all the knowledge derived and inculcated after Shruti had been received. Smrti is not 'divine' in origin, but was 'remembered' by later Rishis (sages by insight, who were the scribes) by transcendental means and passed down through their followers. It includes the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana which are Sattva Puranas. These both declare Vishnu as Para Brahman Supreme Lord who creates unlimited universes and enters each one of them as Lord of Universe.
SHRUTI
VAISHNAVA CANON
The Vaishnava canon presents Vishnu as the supreme being, rather than another name for the Sun God, who also bore the name Suryanarayana and is considered only as a form of Vishnu.
VEDAS
In the Yajur Veda, Taittiriya Aranyaka (10-13-1), Narayana suktam, Lord Narayana is mentioned as the supreme being. The first verse of Narayana Suktam mentions the words "paramam padam", which literally mean "highest post" and may be understood as the "supreme abode for all souls". This is also known as Param Dhama, Paramapadam, or Vaikuntha. Rig Veda 1:22:20a also mentions the same "paramam padam". This special status is not given to any deity in the Vedas apart from Lord Vishnu/Narayana.[citation needed] Narayana is one of the thousand names of Vishnu as mentioned in the Vishnu Sahasranama. It describes Vishnu as the All-Pervading essence of all beings, the master of - and beyond - the past, present and future, one who supports, sustains and governs the Universe and originates and develops all elements within. This illustrates the omnipresent characteristic of Vishnu. Vishnu governs the aspect of preservation and sustenance of the universe, so he is called "Preserver of the universe".
Vishnu is the Supreme God who takes manifest forms or avatars across various ages or periods to save humanity from evil beings, demons or Asuras. According to the extant Hindu texts and traditions, Lord Vishnu is considered to be resident in the direction of the "Makara Rashi" (the "Shravana Nakshatra"), which is about coincident with the Capricorn constellation. In some of the extant Puranas, and Vaishnava traditions, Vishnu's eye is considered to be situated at the infinitely distant Southern Celestial Pole.
Following the defeat of Indra and his displacement as the Lord of Heaven or Swarga, Indra asks Lord Vishnu for help and thus Lord Vishnu takes his incarnations or avatars to Earth to save mankind, thus showing his position as Supreme God to all of creation.
In the Puranas, Indra frequently appears proud and haughty. These bad qualities are temporarily removed when Brahma and/or Shiva give boons to Asuras or Rakshasas such as Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu and Ravana, who are then able to defeat Indra in wars between Devas and Asuras. The received boons often made Asuras virtually indestructible.
Indra has no option but to seek help from Vishnu. Indra prays before Vishnu for protection and the Supreme Lord obliges him by taking avatars and generating himself on Earth in various forms, first as a water-dweller (Matsya, fish), then as an amphibious creature (Kurma avatar or Tortoise), then as a half-man-half-animal (Varaha the pig-faced, human-bodied Lord, and Narasimha the Lord with lion's face and claws and a human body). Later, Vishnu appears as human beings (Vamana the short-heighted person), Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and finally as Kalki for performing his task of protecting his devotees from demons and anti-religious entities.
Vishnu's supremacy is attested by his victories over those very powerful entities. It is further attested by the accepted iconography and sculptures of Vishnu in reclining position as producing Brahma emerging from his navel. Brahma the creator is thus created in turn by Vishnu out of his own person. Instead Vishnu takes various avatars to slay or defeat those demons. But it is to be noted that Vishnu also provided boons to Akupresura, a bear faced demon who was destroyed by Lord Shiva.
Vishnu's actions lowered Indra's ranking among Hindu deities and led to the ascendancy of Vishnu.
Few temples are dedicated to the Sun or Suryanarayana, nor indeed Indra, nor does Indra figure largely in the Hindu religion.
Indra is almost completely absent from the deities considered as the chief or most important deity.
RIGVEDA
In the Rigveda, Vishnu is mentioned 93 times. He is frequently invoked alongside other deities, especially Indra, whom he helps in killing Vritra and with whom he drinks Soma. His distinguishing characteristic in the Vedas is his association with light. Two Rigvedic hymns in Mandala 7 are dedicated to Vishnu. In 7.99, Vishnu is addressed as the god who separates heaven and earth, a characteristic he shares with Indra.
The Rig Veda describes Vishnu as younger brother to Indra as Vamana. In Vaishnava canon the 'Vishnu' who is younger brother to Indra is identified as Vamana, Avatar of Vishnu, hence referred to as Vishnu by Vaishnavites. Vishnu is the Supreme God who lives in the highest celestial region, contrasted against those who live in the atmospheric or terrestrial regions. Vishnu is content with mere prayer, unlike almost all of the other gods who receive sacrificial offerings such as Havis, which is given using clarified butter, or Soma. Later foreign translators have view that Vedas place Indra in a superior position to Vishnu's Avatar of Vamana but in fact Vamana helps Indra by restoring his Kingdom.
An alternate translation is provided by Wilson according to Sayana:
When Thy (younger brother) Viṣṇu (Vamana) by (his) strength stepped his three paces, then verily thy beloved horses bore thee. (Rigveda 8:12:27)
Wilson mentions Griffith's possible translation as a footnote. However the following verse from Rigveda renders the above translation by Wilson more probable.
Him whose three places that are filled with sweetness, imperishable, joy as it may list them, Who verily alone upholds the threefold, the earth, the heaven, and all living creatures. (Rig veda 1:154:4)
Wilson offers an alternate translation for Rigveda 10:113:2:
Viṣṇu offering the portion of Soma, glorifies by his own vigor that greatness of his. Indra, the lord of heaven, with the associated gods having slain Vritra, became deserving of honour. (Rigveda 10:113:2)
This verse sees Vishnu as one who is glorified by his own strength, while Indra became deserving of honor after having slain Vritra only in association with other gods.
However Vishnu's praise for other gods does not imply worship. Wilson translates:
Viṣṇu, the mighty giver of dwellings praises thee, and Mitra and Varuna; the company of Maruts imitates thee in exhilaration. (Rigveda 8:15:9) (page 280)
The following verses show categorically Vishnu as distinguished from other gods in Rigveda.
He who presents (offering) to Viṣṇu, the ancient, the creator, the recent, the self-born; he who celebrates the great birth of that mighty one; he verily possessed of abundance, attains (the station) that is to be sought (by all). (Rigveda 1:156:2) (page 98)
No being that is or that has been born, divine Viṣṇu, has attained the utmost limit of thy magnitude, by which thou hast upheld the vast and beautiful heaven, and sustained the eastern horizon of Earth.(Rigveda 7:99:2) (page 196)
The divine Viṣṇu, the best of the doers of good deeds, who came to the pious instituter of rite (Indra), to assist (at its celebration), knowing (the desires of the worshiper), and present at the three connected period (of worship), shows favor to the Arya, and admits the author of the ceremony to a share of the sacrifice. (Rigveda 1:156:5) (page 99)
Jan Gonda, the late Indologist, states that Vishnu, although remaining in the background of Indra's exploits, contributes by his presence, or is key to Indra's success. Vishnu is more than a mere companion, equal in rank or power to Indra, or sometime the one who made Indra's success possible.
Descriptions of Vishnu as younger to Indra are found in only the hymns to Indra, but in a kathenotheism religion like that of the Rigveda, each god, for a time, is supreme in the mind of the devotee.
In the Rig Vedic texts, the deity or god referred to as Vishnu is the Sun God, who also bears the name 'Suryanarayana'. By contrast, the 'Vishnu' referred to in 'Vishnu Purana', 'Vishnu Sahasranamam' and 'Purusha Sooktham' is Lord Narayana, the Consort of Lakshmi. Vaishnavites make a further distinction by extolling the qualities of Vishnu by highlighting his differences from other deities such as Shiva,[citation needed] Brahma or Surya.
THREE STEPS
Hymn 7.100 refers to the celebrated 'three steps' of Vishnu (as Trivikrama) by which he strode over the universe and in three places planted his step. The 'Vishnu Suktam' (RV 1.154) says that the first and second of Vishnu's strides (those encompassing the earth and air) are visible to men and the third is in the heights of heaven (sky). This last place is described as Vishnu's supreme abode in RV 1.22.20:
The princes evermore behold / that loftiest place where Vishnu is / Laid as it were an eye in heaven.(trans. Griffith)
Griffith's "princes" are the sūri, either "inciters" or lords of a sacrifice, or priests charged with pressing the Soma. The verse is quoted as expressing Vishnu's supremacy by Vaishnavites.
Though such solar aspects have been associated with Vishnu by tradition as well as modern-scholarship, he was not just the representation of the sun, as he moves both vertically and horizontally.
In hymns 1.22.17, 1.154.3, 1.154.4 he strides across the earth with three steps, in 6.49.13, 7.100.3 strides across the earth three times and in 1.154.1, 1.155.5,7.29.7 he strides vertically, with the final step in the heavens. The same Veda also says he strode wide and created space in the cosmos for Indra to fight Vritra. By his stride he made dwelling for men possible, the three forming a symbolic representation of the dwelling's all-encompassing nature. This nature and benevolence to men were Vishnu's enduring attributes. As the triple-strider he is known as Trivikrama and as Urukrama, for the strides were wide.
BRAHMANAS
The Brahmanas are commentaries on the Vedas and form part of the Shruti literature. They are concerned with the detail of the proper performance of rituals. In the Rigveda, Shakala Shakha: Aitareya Brahmana Verse 1 declares: agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus, tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā - Agni is the lowest or youngest god and Vishnu is the greatest and the highest God.
The Brahmanas assert the supremacy of Lord Vishnu, addressing him as "Gajapati", the one whom all sacrifices are meant to please. Lord Vishnu accepts all sacrifices to the demigods and allots the respective fruits to the performer In one incident, a demonic person performs a sacrifice by abducting the Rishis (sages), who meditate by constantly chanting God's name. The sacrifice is meant to destroy Indra. But the rishis, who worship Indra as a demigod, alter one pronunciation of the Veda Mantra, reversing the purpose of the sacrifice. When the fruit of the sacrifice is given and the demon is on the verge of dying, he calls to Vishnu, whom he addresses as Supreme Godhead and "the father of all living entities including himself".
Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 mentions Vishnu as the Supreme God. But in the Vaishnava canon, in different ages, with Vishnu in different avatars, his relationship with the asuras or demons, was always adversarial. The asuras always caused harm, while the sages and devas or celestial beings, did penance and called to Vishnu for protection. Vishnu always obliged by taking an avatar to vanquish the asuras. In the Vaishnava canon, Vishnu never gave or granted any boons to the asuras, distinguishing him from the gods Shiva and Brahma, who did. He is the only God called upon to save good beings by defeating or killing the asuras.
Sayana writes that in Aitareya Brahmana 1:1:1 the declaration agnir vai devānām ava mo viṣṇuḥ paramus,tadantareṇa sarvā anyā devatā does not indicate any hierarchy among gods. Even in Rigveda Samhita, avama and parama are not applied to denote rank and dignity, but only to mark place and locality.
In Rigveda 1:108:9,: yadindrāghnī avamasyāṃ pṛthivyāṃ madhyamasyāṃ paramasyāmuta sthaḥ | i.e., in the lowest place, the middle (place), and the highest (place). Agni, the fire, has, among the gods, the lowest place; for he resides with man on the earth; while the other gods are either in the air, or in the sky. Vishnu occupies the highest place. The words avama and parama are understood as 'First' and 'Last' respectively. To support this claim, Sayana adduces the mantra (1,4. As'val. Sr. S. 4, 2), agnir mukham prathamo devathanam samathanam uttamo vishnur asit, i.e., Agni was the first of the deities assembled, (and) Vishnu the last.
In the Kausitaki Brahmana (7.1) Agni is called Aaradhya (instead of avama), and Visnu parardha(instead of parama),i.e., belonging to the lower and higher halves (or forming the lower and higher halves). The Vishnu Purana gives tremendous importance to the worship of Vishnu and mentions that sacrifices are to begin only with both the lighting of fire or 'Agni', pouring of sacrificial offerings to Vishnu in 'Agni' so that those offerings reach and are accepted by Vishnu. Worship of Vishnu through Yajnas (or Homams) and other rituals, will not achieve the desired result if Agni's role is neglected.
Muller says "Although the gods are sometimes distinctly invoked as the great and the small, the young and the old (Rig veda 1:27:13), this is only an attempt to find the most comprehensive expression for the divine powers, and nowhere is any of the gods represented as the subordinate to others. It would be easy to find, in the numerous hymns of the Veda, passages in which almost every single god is represented as supreme and absolute."
However this notion is not completely correct as per the following verses, which shows Rigveda describe one or more gods as subject to other god(s).
Him whose high law not Varuna nor Indra, not Mitra, Aryaman, nor Rudra breaketh, Nor evil-hearted fiends, here for my welfare him I invoke, God Savitar, with worship. (Rigveda 2.038.09)
I invite to this place, with reverential salutations, for my good, that divine Savita, whose functions neither Indra, nor Varun.a, nor Mitra nor Aryaman nor Rudra nor the enemies (of the gods), impede. (Rigveda 2.038.09)
SMRITI
VISHNU SMRITI
The Vishnu Smṛti, is one of the later books of the Dharmashastra tradition of Hinduism and the only one that focuses on the bhakti tradition and the required daily puja to Vishnu, rather than the means of knowing dharma. It is also known for its handling of the controversial subject of the practice of sati (self-immolation of a widow on her husband's funeral pyre). The text was composed by an individual or group. The author(s) created a collection of the commonly known legal maxims that were attributed to Vishnu into one book, as Indian oral culture began to be recorded more formally.
BHAGAVATA PURANA
Vishnu is the only Bhagavan as declared in the Bhagavata 1:2:11 in the verse: vadanti tat tattva-vidas tattvam yaj jnanam advayam brahmeti paramatmeti bhagavan iti sabdyate, translated as "Learned transcendentalists who know the Absolute Truth call this non-dual substance as Brahman, Paramātma and Bhagavan."
VISHNU PURANA
In the Vishnu Purana (6:5:79) the personality named Parashara Rishi defines six bhagas:
aiśvaryasya samagrasya vīryasya yaśasaḥ śriyaḥ
jñāna-vairāgyayoś caiva ṣannāḥ bhaga itīṇganā
Jiva Gosvami explains the verse in Gopala Champu (Pūrva 15:73) and Bhagavata Sandarbha 46:10:
jñāna-śakti-balaiśvarya-vīrya-tejām.sy aśeṣataḥ
bhagavac-chabda-vācyāni vinā heyair guṇādibhiḥ
"The substantives of the word bhagavat (bhagavat-śabda-vācyāni) are unlimited (aśeṣataḥ) knowledge (jñāna), energies (śakti), strength (bala), opulence (aiśvarya), heroism (vīrya), splendor (tejas), without (vinā) objectionable (heyair) qualities (guṇādibhiḥ)."
SANGAM LITERATURE
Tamil Sangam literature (300BCE to 500CE) mentions mAyOn, or the dark one, as the supreme deity who creates, sustains and destroys the universe. Paripadal 3 describes the glory of Thirumal in the most superlative terms.
Paripadal by kaduvan iLaveyinanAr:
"thIyinuL theRal nI poovinuL naaRRa nI kallinuL maNiyu nI sollinuL vaaymai aRaththinuL anbu nI maRaththinuL mainthu nI vEthaththu maRai nI boothaththu madhalu nI vencudar oLiyu nI thingaLuL aLiyu nI anaiththu nI anaiththinut poruLu nI"
The last line states that Lord Vishnu is the supreme deity who is the inner controller (Antaryamin) of the entire universe. This is one of the Lord's glories, which is first mentioned in Vedas and later propounded by Alwars in Prabhandams and Sri Vaishnavaite Acharyas in various commentaries
The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Vishnu, Lakshmi is mentioned in Tamil works of literature of the Sangam era, including the epic Silapadikaram (book 11, lines 35–40):
āyiram viritteḻu talaiyuṭai aruntiṟaṟ
pāyaṟ paḷḷip palartoḻu tētta viritiraik kāviri viyaṉperu turuttit tiruvamar mārpaṉ kiṭanta vaṇṇamum
On a magnificent cot having a thousand heads spread out, worshipped and praised by many, in an islet surrounded by Kaveri with bellowing waves, is the lying posture of the one who has Lakshmi sitting in his chest.
THEOLOGICAL ATTRIBUTES
The actual number of Vishnu's auspicious qualities is countless, although his six most-important "divine glories" are:
Jnana (Omniscience); defined as the power to know about all beings simultaneously;
Aishvarya (Sovereignty), derived from the word Ishvara which means unchallenged rule over all;
Shakti (Power or Energy), the capacity to make the impossible possible;
Bala (Strength), the capacity to support everything by will and without any fatigue;
Virya (Vigour), the power to retain immateriality as the Supreme Spirit or Being in spite of being the material cause of mutable creations;
Tejas (Splendor), which expresses self-sufficiency and the capacity to overpower everything by spiritual effulgence.
Other important qualities attributed to Vishnu are Gambhirya (inestimatable grandeur), Audarya (generosity), and Karunya (compassion). Natya Shastra lists Vishnu as the presiding deity of the Sṛngara rasa.
The Rigveda says: Vishnu can travel in three strides. The first stride is the Earth. The second stride is the visible sky. The third stride cannot be seen by men and is the heaven where the gods and the righteous dead live. (This feature of three strides also appears in the story of his avatar Vamana/Trivikrama.) The Sanskrit for "to stride" is the root kram; its reduplicated perfect is chakram (guņa grade) or chakra (zero-grade), and in the Rigveda he is called by epithets such as vi-chakra-māņas = "he who has made 3 strides". The Sanskrit word chakra also means "wheel". That may have suggested the idea of Vishnu carrying a chakra.
FIVE FORMS
In Shree Vaishnavism, another school dating from around the 10th century AD, Vishnu assumes five forms:
In the Para Form, Para is the highest form of Vishnu found only in Sri Vaikunta also called Moksha, along with his consort Lakshmi, (and Bhumi Devi and Nila devi, avatars of Lakshmi) and surrounded by liberated souls like Ananta, Garuda, and a host of Muktas (liberated souls).
In the Vyuha form, Vishnu assumes four forms, which exercise different cosmic functions and controls activities of living beings.
In the Vibhava form, Vishnu assumes various manifestations, called Vibhavas, more popularly known as Avataras from time to time, to protect the virtuous, punish evil-doers and re-establish righteousness.
In the Antaryami; "Dwelling within" or "Suksma Vasudeva" form, Vishnu exists within the souls of all living beings and in every substance.
In the Arcavatara or Image manifestation, Vishnu is visible and therefore easily approachable by devotees since Para, Vyuha, Vibhava and Antaryami forms can only be imagined or meditated upon because they are beyond our reach. Such images can be
Revealed by Vishnu, for example, a self-manifested (Swayambhu) icon (murti), e.g. The Mahavishnu Temple at Tirunelli, The Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple at Srirangam, The Tirumala Venkateshwara Temple, etc.; or
Installed by Devas or celestial beings such as such as Guruvayur Temple installed by Vayu; or
Installed by humans, and consecrated according to Vaishnava Agama shastras or scriptures such as Lord Jagannatha of Jagannath Temple (Puri) at Puri.
RELATIONS WITH OTHER DEITIES
SHIVA
The three gods of the Trimurti clan are inseparable and in harmony in view of their common vision and universal good. They are perfectly ideal in all respects.
Both Asuras and Devas played supportive roles in this story by keeping company with Vishnu in his incarnated forms. Hanuman is a vanara who is completely dedicated to Rama. He gives Vishnu company and obeys his command, while playing an important part in Rama's life. He is regarded in Vaishnava canon because it is through blessings that Hanuman is born. Thus, Hanuman, Vishnu's constant companion, with his idol appearing temples of Rama, Krishna and Narasimha, i.e. all of Vishnu's avatars, is considered by Vaishnavas.
Syncretic forces produced stories in which the two deities were shown in cooperative relationships and combined forms. Harihara is the name of a combined deity form of both Vishnu (Hari) and Shiva (Hara). This dual form, which is also called Harirudra, is mentioned in the Mahabharata.
LAKSHMI
Vishnu's consort is Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth (also known as Maya). The Samvit (the primary intelligence/dark matter) of the universe is Vishnu, while the other five attributes emerge from this samvit and hence Maya or dark energy of the universe is Lakshmee is his ahamata, activity, or Vishnu's Power. This power of God, Maya or Shakti, is personified and has multiple names: Shree, Lakshmi, Maya, Vishnumaya or Mahamaya. She is said to manifest as Kriyashakti, (Creative Activity) and Bhutishakti (Creation). This world requires Vishnu's creativity. He therefore needs Lakshmi to always be with Him. Her various avatars as Lord Vishnu's consorts are Varahavatar (Bhoodevi) or Bhoomi, Ramavatar Seeta, Krishnavatar Rukmini)
SARASWATI & GANGA
According to Brahma Vaivarta Purana, Lord Vishnu had three wives Lakshmi, Saraswati and Ganga. Due to their constant quarrelsome nature among them. Once Ganga tried to be close with Vishnu, this rebuked Saraswati but Lakshmi tried to pacify them but faced a curse rather. As per the curse, Lakshmi to appear as Tulasi. Sarawati cursed Ganga to run as a river in the world and Saraswati was cursed to run as a river in the netherworld. After this, Lord Vishnu transformed and became Brahma and Shiva to pacify Saraswati and Ganga.
GARUDA
Vishnu's mount (Vahana) is Garuda, the eagle. Vishnu is commonly depicted as riding on his shoulders.
ICONOGRAPHY
According to various Puranas, Vishnu is the ultimate omnipresent reality and is shapeless and omnipresent. However, a strict iconography governs his representation, whether in pictures, icons, or idols:
He has four arms and is male: The four arms indicate his all-powerful and all-pervasive nature. His physical existence is represented by the two arms in the front, while the two arms at the back represent his presence in the spiritual world. The Upanishad Gopal Uttartapani describes the four arms.
The Shreevatsa mark is on his chest, symbolizing his consort Lakshmi.
He wears the auspicious "Kaustubha" jewel around his neck and a garland of vaijayanti flowers (Vanamala). Lakshmi dwells in this jewel, on Vishnu's chest.
A crown adorns his head: The crown symbolizes his supreme authority. This crown sometimes includes a peacock feather, borrowing from his Krishna-avatar.
He wears two earrings: The earrings represent inherent opposites in creation — knowledge and ignorance; happiness and unhappiness; pleasure and pain.
He rests on Ananta, the immortal and infinite snake.
Vishnu is always to be depicted holding four attributes:
A conch shell or Shankha, named Panchajanya, is held by the upper left hand. It represents Vishnu's power to create and maintain the universe. Panchajanya represents the five elements or Panchabhoota – water, fire, air, earth and sky or space. It also represents the five airs or Pranas that are within the body and mind. The conch symbolizes that Vishnu is the primeval Divine sound of creation and continuity. It also represented as Om. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna avatara states that of sound vibrations, 'He is Om'.
The Chakra, a sharp, spinning, discus-like weapon, named "Sudarshana", is held by the upper right hand. It symbolizes the purified spiritualized mind. The name Sudarshana is derived from two words – Su, which means good, superior, and Darshana, which means vision or sight; together. The Chakra represents destruction of ego in the awakening and realization of the soul's original nature and god, burning away spiritual ignorance and illusion, and developing higher spiritual vision and insight to realize god.
A mace or Gada, named "Kaumodaki", is held by the lower right hand. It symbolizes that Vishnu's divine power is the source of all spiritual, mental and physical strength. It also signifies Vishnu's power to destroy materialistic or demonic tendencies (Anarthas) that prevent people from reaching god. Vishnu's mace is the power of the Divine within us to spiritually purify and uplift us from our materialistic bonds.
A lotus flower or Padma is held by the lower left hand. It represents spiritual liberation, Divine perfection, purity and the unfolding of Spiritual consciousness within the individual. The lotus opening its petals in the light of the Sun is indicative of the expansion and awakening of our long dormant, original spiritual consciousness in the light of god. The lotus symbolizes that god is the power and source from which the universe and the individual soul emerges. It also represents Divine Truth or Satya, the originator of the rules of conduct or Dharma, and Divine Vedic knowledge or Jnana. The lotus also symbolizes that Vishnu is the embodiment of spiritual perfection and purity and that He is the wellspring of these qualities and that the individual soul must seek to awaken these intrinsic Divine qualities from Vishnu by surrendering to and linking with Him.
To this may be added, conventionally, the vanamaala flower garland, Vishnu's bow (Shaarnga/Kodand) and his sword Nandaka. A verse of the Vishnu Sahasranama stotram states;vanamālī gadhī shārngī shanki chakri cha nandaki / shrīmān nārāyaņo vişņo vāsudevo abhirakşatu//; translation: Protect us Oh Lord Narayana who wears the forest garland,who has the mace, conch, sword and the wheel. And who is called Vishnu and the Vasudeva.
In general, Vishnu's body is depicted in one of the following three ways:
Standing on a lotus flower, often with Lakshmi, his consort, beside him on a similar pedestal.
Reclining on the coiled-up thousand-hooded Shesha Naga, with Lakshmi seated at his feet; the assemblage rests on the "Kshira Sagar" (ocean of milk). In this representation, Brahma is depicted as sitting on a lotus that grows out of Vishnu's navel.
Riding on the back of his eagle mount, known as Garuda. Another name for Garuda is "Veda atma"; Soul of the Vedas. The flapping of his wings symbolizes the power of the Divine Truth of Vedic wisdom. Also the eagle represents the soul. Garuda carrying Vishnu symbolizes the soul or jiva atma carrying the Super soul or Param atma within it.
AVATARS
Ten avatars (dashavatara) of Vishnu are the most prominent: Apart from the most prominent incarnations there are believed to more.
The most commonly believed incarnations of Vishnu are:
Matsya, the fish that kills Damanaka to save the vedas and also saves Manu from a great flood that submerges the entire Earth.
Kurma, the turtle that helps the Devas and Asuras churn the ocean for the nectar of immortality.
Varaha, the boar that rescues the Earth and kills Hiranyaksha.
Narasimha, the half-lion half human, who defeats the demon Hiranyakashipu.
Vamana, the dwarf that grows into a giant to save the world from King Bali.
Parashurama, "Rama of the battle axe", a sage who appeared in the Treta Yuga. He killed Kartavirya Arjuna's army and clan and then killed all the kshatriyas 21 times.
Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya who killed the Demon King Raavan.
Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu, who takes part in the Mahabharata epic. Krishna is worshipped as the Supreme Avatar of Vishnu (Supreme Personality of Godhead) in Gaudiya-Vaishnava philosophy.
Buddha, the ninth avatar of Vishnu.
Kalki, the tenth Avatar of Vishnu and said to be the harbinger of the end Kali Yuga. This avatar of Vishnu is yet to come.
Some versions of the above list include Hayagreeva among the Dashavataras while some include Buddha as ninth avatar of Vishnu. Another 22 avatars are given in Chapter 3, Canto 1 of the Bhagavata Purana, although it states that "the incarnations of the Lord are innumerable, like rivulets flowing from inexhaustible sources of water".
BEYOND HINDUISM
SIKHISM
Guru Granth Sahib of Sikhism mentions Vishnu, one verse goes:
The true Vaishnaav, the devotee of Vishnu, is the one with whom God is thoroughly pleased. He dwells apart from Maya. Performing good deeds, he does not seek rewards. Spotlessly pure is the religion of such a Vaishnaav; he has no desire for the fruits of his labors. He is absorbed in devotional worship and the singing of Kirtan, the songs of the Lords Glory. Within his mind and body, he meditates in remembrance on the Lord of the Universe. He is kind to all creatures. He holds fast to the Naam, and inspires others to chant it. O Nanak, such a Vaishnaav obtains the supreme status.
BUDDHISM
While some Hindus consider Buddha as an incarnation of Vishnu, Buddhists in Sri Lanka venerate Vishnu as the custodian deity of Sri Lanka and protector of Buddhism. Lord Vishnu is also known as upulvan, or uthpala varna, meaning "Blue Lotus coloured". Some postulates that Uthpala varna was a local deity who later merged with Vishnu while another belief is that Uthpala Varna was an early form of Vishnu before he became a supreme deity in Puranic Hinduism. According to Chronicles "Mahawamsa", "Chulawamsa" and folklore in Sri Lanka, Buddha himself handed over the custodianship to Vishnu. Others believe that Buddha entrusted this task to Sakra(Indra) and Sakra delegated this task of custodianship to god Vishnu. In contrary to vedic Hinduism, in assimilation of Hindu god Vishnu into Sinhalese Buddhism, Vishnu becomes a mortal being and a Bodhisattva aspiring Buddhahood. Additionally, Vishnu is considered as the god of home and hearth representing mercy, goodness, order and stability. Many Buddhist and Hindu shrines are dedicated to Vishnu in Sri Lanka. In addition to specific Vishnu "Kovils" or "devalayas", all Buddhist temples necessarily house shrine rooms (Devalayas) closer to the main Buddhist shrine dedicated to Vishnu. John Holt in his groundbreaking study examines the assimilation, transformation, and subordination of the Hindu deity Vishnu within the contexts of Sri Lankan history and Sinhala Buddhist religious culture. He then explores the role and rationale of medieval Sinhala kings in assimilating Visnu into Sinhala Buddhism. According to Holt the veneration of Vishnu in Sri Lanka is evidence of a remarkable ability, over many centuries, to reiterate and reinvent culture as other ethnicities have been absorbed into their own. Though the Vishnu cult in Ceylon was formally endorsed by Kandyan kings in early 1700s, Holt states that vishnu images and shrines are among conspicuous ruins in the medieval capital Polonnaruwa. In Buddhist mythology, when Vishnu failed to traverse the universe in three steps, he was given the title "Ardha Vishnu (Half-Vishnu)" and when Vishnu banished demons from the Vaishali (Vishala)in India, he became "Mulu Vishnu or Whole Vishnu". The extreme significance of god Vishnu in Sinhala society is reflected in recitals of the traditional "Offerings to dwarfs and crossing the door frame (bahirwayanta dola pideem saha uluwahu peneema)" that starts with Sri Vishnu invocation.In the recitals,mentioning of the aspiring Buddhahood of Vishnu which is of prime importance to Buddhists and wishes for him to live five thousand and more years highlight the central role of Vishnu in the psyche of Sri Lankan Buddhists.
OTHERS
James Freeman Clarke, Richard Leviton, James Cowles Prichard, and others have noted the similarities between Vishnu and Ancient Egyptian God Horus.
During an excavation in an abandoned village of Russia in the Volga region, archaeologist Alexander Kozhevin excavated an ancient idol of Vishnu. The idol dates from between the 7th and 10th centuries. In the interview Kozhevin, stated that, "We may consider it incredible, but we have ground to assert that Middle-Volga region was the original land of Ancient Rus. This is a hypothesis, but a hypothesis, which requires thorough research"
THOUSAND NAMES OF VISHNU
Vishnu's many names and followers are collected in the Vishnu Sahasranama, (Vishnu's thousand names) from within the larger work Mahabharata. The character Bheeshma recites the names before Krishna on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, praising him (Vishnu) as the supreme god. These Sahasranama are regarded as the essence of all Vedas by followers of Vaishnavism, who believe sincere chanting of Vishnu Sahasranama results in spiritual well-being and a greater awareness of God.
The names are generally derived from the Anantakalyanagunas (meaning: infinite auspicious attributes).
According to the Siddhartha-samhita there are twenty-four forms of Lord Vishnu. The twenty-four forms are
Vasudeva
Sankarshana
Pradyumna
Anirudha
Keshava
Narayana
Madhava
Govinda
Vishnu
Madhusudana
Trivikrama
Vamana
Sridhara
Hrishikesha
Padmanabha
Damodara
Purushottama
Achyuta
Narasimha
Janardana
Hari
Krishna
Adhokshaja
Upulvan, Uthpala Varna - In Sri Lanka, Vishnu is also referred to as Upulvan ( Blue Lotus Coloured)
WIKIPEDIA
Royal Coronation Aurora is fully deboxed, and is posed standing, supported by a Kaiser stand. She can free stand, but is very unstable that way. Photographed in daylight.
Review of Royal Coronation Aurora Doll
Her face is pretty, but bland and generic. She only has a passing resemblance to the movie character, as portrayed by Elle Fanning. She doesn't have very realistic features, but looks like an ordinary doll painted to look like an animated character. She has a light complexion, small blue green eyes gazing straight ahead, brown eyebrows, small straight nose, light pink lips on a small mouth, large chin, and light rouge on her cheeks.
She has long golden blonde hair that reaches her hips. There is a solitary long curl hanging from her left side. The rest of her hair is slightly wavy, and is grouped in a single mass, which I left alone. It would look better if it were combed out, but I was afraid that it might get frizzy if I attempted to do so. The hair is shiny and soft, and doesn't appear to have any hair product.
The dress is golden brocaded satin, with a floral design. The underside is very light tan in color. There is also a painted floral overlay in pink and green, which is only in the front of the dress (the front of the skirt and bodice). There is golden lace trim at the hem, waist and collar and cuffs. Her collar and cuffs end in white organza. The skirt is pleated, and almost floor length. The bodice has a high waist, with a golden belt sewn around it. Her sleeves are full length. There is a over sized train sewn to the back of the dress, just below the waist. It made of the same material and has the same decoration as the front of the skirt. Its underside is fully lined with gold satin. The dress looks and feels luxurious, and fit for royalty.
She is wearing tan colored heels, with a simulated strap and an unpainted embossed floral design. She is wearing a gold colored plastic crown that is made to look like a floral wreath, that goes halfway around her head. It is secured only by two T-tab fasteners, so it is not meant to be removed or used on other dolls.
Her body is made of hard plastic throughout. She has seven points of articulation: her neck, shoulders, elbows and hips. Her hands are permanently tilted back to make the standard Princess pose. Her feet are fixed at an angle to wear high heels. Her head can turn 360 degrees around, and can tilt up about 20 degrees, and tilt down 10 degrees. Her arms can swivel about the shoulders 360 degrees, and can tilt about 20 degrees. Her forearms can swivel around her elbows almost 360 degrees, but cannot go completely around. They can tilt back about 20 degrees, and forward about 60 degrees. Her hips can swivel 90 degrees both back and forth, and can tilt out about 30 degrees. She has white painted on underwear, which looks like a strapless one piece bathing suit.
Packaging and Deboxing
It was easy to debox Coronation Aurora, compared to most Disney Store dolls. First step was to remove the clear plastic cover from the box, by cutting the tape around the edges, and lifting the tabs free from the cardboard. Aurora is standing on a small cardboard spacer. Behind her is a printed background from the movie, which is common to all the dolls in this series. There was only plastic T-tab fasteners securing her to the backing and the plastic spacer. It was possible to reach all the fasteners and snip them off, without having to remove the large plastic spacer. It turned out that the fastener that was supposed to go into the back of her head didn't make it past her hair, so she didn't have a post sticking out of her head when I snipped the fastener loose. The other end of the fastener was just laying loose in her hair. There was tissue paper around her legs, but only up to her knees, to make the skirt look fuller in the box.
Purchase Details
I just received the four available Jakks Pacific dolls from the Maleficent movie in single doll packages. I ordered them from Toys R Us on Friday night and got them Tuesday, with free shipping. I appreciated the quick shipping, compared to the Disney Store. The dolls are the following, with links to the TRU site. All the dolls are 11 1/2'' H. The Coronation dolls are $39.95 each, the other two are $19.95.
ROQUE DALTON Y LA CIA: LA HISTORIA JAMÁS CONTADA
Por Charles Lane
WASHINGTON- Harold F. Swenson, “Hal”, de 1.80 metros de estatura y complexión atlética, veterano de operaciones encubiertas durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial, era el epítome del cuerpo de oficiales de caso de la Agencia Central de Inteligencia en el momento álgido de la Guerra Fría. Hal combatía a los comunistas con la misma determinación y astucia que alguna vez usara contra alemanes y japoneses.
La noche del 23 de septiembre de 1964, el deber llevó a Swenson a una prisión local de Cojutepeque, un pueblo de mala muerte en Centroamérica, en El Salvador, donde un prisionero macilento se hallaba sentado a solas en una celda húmeda, sin ventanas. El prisionero era Roque Dalton García.
Hoy, Dalton es un héroe literario nacional y su rostro adorna los timbres postales de El Salvador. Pero en 1964, con veintinueve años de edad, era un enemigo del Estado envuelto en la ola política de izquierdas que había barrido la región a partir de la Revolución cubana de 1959.
En pocas palabras, Dalton era el tipo de persona con la que Hal Swenson lidiaba para ganarse el pan. Al tiempo que abría un grueso informe sobre las actividades subversivas de Dalton, Swenson fijó sus ojos avellanados sobre el poeta y le dijo que tenía solo dos opciones: colaborar con la CIA o “enfrentar las consecuencias sin posibilidad alguna de escapar”.
***
Así comenzó uno de los encuentros clandestinos más intrigantes de la historia contemporánea de América Latina. Dalton sobreviviría y llegaría a producir una impresionante obra escrita, incluida una novela autobiográfica en la que el poeta se retrata valeroso y desafiante de cara a las presiones de la CIA.
No obstante, en los años por venir, sus enemigos murmurarían que Dalton era en realidad un traidor: si había salido libre de Cojutepeque, decían, había sido a cambio de su colaboración con la agencia estadounidense. El 10 de mayo de 1975, esos rumores le costarían a Dalton la vida. Sus camaradas marxistas de guerrilla lo asesinaron tras un “juicio” secreto en el que lo acusaron de ser un agente de la CIA. Fue aquel un acto de brutalidad fanática que hasta el día de hoy resuena en la política latinoamericana, pues la familia de Dalton ha defendido su causa contra los dos exguerrilleros a los que culpa del asesinato: Jorge Meléndez, hoy un alto funcionario salvadoreño, y Joaquín Villalobos, consejero de seguridad nacional del presidente de México.
Quizá nunca sepamos toda la verdad acerca del asesinato de Dalton, o de su relación con la CIA. Pero se pueden encontrar muchas respuestas en los Archivos Nacionales de Estados Unidos, en documentos desclasificados que incluyen numerosos informes sobre los esfuerzos de Hal Swenson por reclutar al poeta salvadoreño. El retrato de Dalton que de ahí surge no es ni traicionero ni heroico.
Dalton no cedió al chantaje de la CIA, pero su comportamiento durante el interrogatorio no fue tan audaz como él mismo sugeriría más tarde. Además, al parecer, Dalton manipuló la verdad tiempo después para ocultar el hecho de que en verdad era un agente de inteligencia... de Cuba.
***
El 21 de abril de 1964, un vuelo de Cubana de Aviación que se dirigía a Praga se detuvo a reabastecer combustible en Halifax, Nueva Escocia. Mientras el avión permanecía en la pista, Vladimir Rodríguez Lahera salió disparado de entre los demás pasajeros y pidió asilo a un oficial canadiense. No se trataba de una deserción cualquiera. Rodríguez era el encargado de Centroamérica para la Dirección General de Inteligencia (DGI), la principal agencia cubana de espionaje.
Rodríguez terminaría entregando una maleta llena de documentos a Hal Swenson, jefe de contrainteligencia de la unidad de “Asuntos Especiales” de la CIA, que implementaba las operaciones encubiertas contra el régimen de Fidel Castro. Para el mes de junio, Swenson había logrado que Rodríguez le diera todo el parte y había ideado un plan para “reclutar, desertar o anular” a los numerosos elementos cubanos en Centroamérica a los que Rodríguez identificara, tal como diría más tarde un memorándum de la CIA. Entre los blancos potenciales en la lista de Rodríguez, Swenson consideró a Roque Dalton como un caso especialmente interesante.
Hijo de padre estadounidense y madre salvadoreña, Dalton se había unido al Partido Comunista Salvadoreño (PCS) en 1957 y había viajado a Cuba en septiembre de 1962, junto con otros veintitrés jóvenes del Partido, para recibir entrenamiento guerrillero. Su entrenamiento duró hasta marzo de 1963 y, según los documentos de la CIA, incluyó un mes en Rostock, Alemania del Este, en octubre de 1962.
El curso en Cuba comprendía lecciones de “liderazgo” con un veterano de la Guerra Civil española que había adquirido la ciudadanía soviética y se había convertido en general. Dalton debió de impresionar a sus instructores, ya que lo seleccionaron junto con otros cuatro salvadoreños para seguir entrenándose como agente de la DGI... sin informar al PCS.
Los cubanos le dieron a Dalton un alias: “Juan Montenegro”, y le enseñaron escritura en clave, vigilancia y comunicaciones de onda corta. Cuando se preparaba para regresar a El Salvador, a finales de octubre de 1963, la DGI le proporcionó al poeta seiscientos dólares para comprar un transmisor, y una cinta de microfilm que contenía radiofrecuencias fue escondida en la suela hueca de su zapato.
Swenson veía a Dalton como un “candidato destacado” para el reclutamiento, pues era un comunista salvadoreño de primer orden y también un agente secreto cubano.
En tanto tal, “se podría esperar que proporcionara bastante información tanto sobre el PCS en El Salvador como sobre sus actividades para la DGI”, escribió Swenson el 19 de junio de 1964. Rodríguez le dijo a Swenson que Dalton se mostraría receptivo a una oferta de la CIA porque era “muy inteligente, pero nunca demostró un verdadero deseo por aprender” en Cuba, y porque tenía “una debilidad por las mujeres y la vida fácil”. Aun así, a Swenson le preocupaba que las “características personales” de Dalton pudieran ocasionarle a la CIA “problemas de manejo” en el futuro, tal como le había sucedido a los cubanos. Rodríguez, que había sido el oficial de caso de Dalton, explicó que este había malversado los seiscientos dólares y no se había reportado con sus superiores antes del 27 de enero de 1964, cuando las autoridades salvadoreñas lo arrestaron y deportaron. El jefe de la estación de la CIA en San Salvador también externó sus reservas. La agencia ya tenía un espía en el PCS, señaló en un cable del 12 de agosto de 1964, así que, ¿para qué incorporar a Dalton?
Puesto que anteriormente Dalton no había hecho nada para la DGI, los cubanos, siempre sospechosos, “vincularían su reactivación a la deserción de Rodríguez Lahera”, argumentaba el jefe de la estación de la CIA. En lugar de hacer el intento por reclutar a Dalton, la CIA debía “anularlo” haciendo públicos sus lazos con Cuba y dejando que el gobierno salvadoreño se encargara del resto. Pero después de la crisis de los misiles y de Bahía de Cochinos, la CIA estaba desesperada por penetrar la red que rodeaba a Fidel Castro. Swenson quería darle una oportunidad a Dalton. Así que envió un cable al jefe de la CIA en San Salvador agradeciéndole sus comentarios, y siguió adelante con sus planes de reclutar al poeta.
***
El 3 de septiembre, Swenson se reunió en San Salvador con el presidente de El Salvador, el coronel Julio Rivera, y le presentó el plan de la CIA para captar a los guerrilleros y espías entrenados por Cuba en su país. Rivera se mostró encantado y le dijo a su jefe de inteligencia, José Alberto “Chele” Medrano, que hiciera todo lo que la CIA quisiera.
Dalton había regresado a El Salvador en junio. Con la esperanza de evitar que su arresto y expulsión de enero se repitieran, permaneció en casa mientras los abogados de la Universidad Nacional, donde Dalton estaba inscrito como estudiante de Derecho, solicitaban a las cortes poner fin a la constante vigilancia policiaca fuera de su domicilio. Pero Dalton no pudo reprimir su necesidad de beber y socializar. El 4 de septiembre –un día después de que Swenson se entrevistara con Rivera– se aventuró en un bar donde policías vestidos de civil lo arrestaron. Cinco días más tarde fue transferido en secreto a la cárcel de Cojutepeque, a fin de frustrar los esfuerzos de la familia del poeta por lograr que un juez ordenara su liberación.
Si bien la policía no golpeó ni torturó físicamente a Dalton, fue mantenido en solitario, privado de duchas y comida decente, y obligado a dormir en el frío suelo de la celda. El resultado fue un semblante lastimoso al momento que Swenson llegó, ya caída la oscuridad, el 23 de septiembre.
Las condiciones de la cárcel no dejaron contento a Swenson, en particular el hecho de que el único espacio disponible para un interrogatorio fuera una gran sala de juntas, con guardias presentes y un oficial de alto rango de la policía salvadoreña que deambulaba dentro y fuera. Pese a las circunstancias poco satisfactorias, Swenson prosiguió con su “oferta” a Dalton. Hal le dijo al poeta que “fuentes internas” habían revelado que no solo era un comunista salvadoreño de primer orden, sino también un agente de inteligencia cubano. Dalton negó todo, y comenzó a sermonear a Swenson sobre sus derechos legales.
Pero cuando este último le mostró el archivo de la DGI que había obtenido de Rodríguez, el poeta “se encogió de miedo”, tal como informó más adelante el hombre de la CIA. La situación de Dalton “no tenía remedio”, dijo Swenson... a menos que cooperara, en cuyo caso, Estados Unidos se encargaría de darle a él y a su familia una buena vida. Dalton pasó de la provocación al regateo. Los dirigentes militares de El Salvador “me cortarán la cabeza”, suplicó. “Lamento haberme involucrado alguna vez en todo esto.” El poeta juró abandonar la política y El Salvador si el hombre de la CIA ponía fin al interrogatorio y lo dejaba ir. Pese a todo, Dalton no admitió trabajar para Cuba ni pertenecer al Partido Comunista. Y tampoco accedió a espiar para la CIA.
Frustrado, Swenson envió a Dalton de vuelta a su celda, y se quedó cavilando sobre las formas de quebrar su resistencia. Swenson decidió que un bon vivant como Dalton respondería mejor en un ambiente más cómodo. Así que dio instrucciones a Chele Medrano de trasladar a Dalton a un lugar más tranquilo, donde pudieran hablar a solas.
La noche del 25 de septiembre, Swenson se reunió con Dalton en la lujosa casa de un coronel salvadoreño, en las frescas colinas de Planes de Renderos, al sureste de San Salvador. Dalton se había duchado y había conseguido una cama adecuada y comida decente. Swenson informó que, sin guardias, “hubo una mejor compenetración y Dalton habló con mayor holgura”. Charlaron sobre la historia personal del poeta, sobre sus primeros días como miembro del Partido Comunista y sobre sus viajes por México y Cuba. Pero Dalton insistía en que había renunciado al Partido Comunista debido a sus métodos “cuestionables”. Sus visitas a Cuba, decía, respondían a actividades estrictamente culturales y literarias.
Swenson hojeó de nuevo el archivo de la DGI. Dalton insistía en que los papeles eran falsos. El poeta “suplicó misericordia con elocuencia, por [su] esposa y sus hijos”, informó Swenson, y “rogó” una vez más que se le enviara al exilio. El hombre de la CIA dijo que quizás podría organizar una nueva vida para Dalton en México, pero solo si cooperaba plenamente. Al ver que el poeta no se doblegaba, Swenson recogió sus papeles y se marchó, advirtiéndole a Dalton que se le estaba acabando la paciencia.
Dalton parecía “agitado, pero terco”, y “probablemente no se rendiría sino después de repetidas y largas sesiones de interrogatorios”, informó Swenson. Antes de recurrir a eso, Swenson quería probar una última táctica: confrontar a Dalton con Vladimir Rodríguez Lahera, quien había acompañado a Swenson a San Salvador. Seguramente Dalton no podría negar sus vínculos con los cubanos en presencia de su antiguo oficial de caso de la DGI.
La mañana del 30 de septiembre, Rodríguez apareció en Planes de Renderos. De apenas 1.60 metros de estatura y con un acento cubano inconfundible, Rodríguez debió de resultar instantáneamente reconocible para Dalton, en especial cuando habló sobre el entrenamiento del poeta en Cuba y se dirigió a él por sus pseudónimos ante la DGI.
Sin embargo, Dalton se las arregló de alguna manera para negar que conociera al cubano. El poeta se atuvo a esa historia incluso después de que Swenson entrara y se uniera al desertor. Una vez más, Dalton rogó que se le liberara y se le enviara al extranjero.
“Obtener la verdad de Dalton llevará mucho tiempo”, informó un Swenson exasperado. Dalton estaba “plenamente consciente [de las] pruebas en su contra”, pero quizás esperaba que la presión política y legal de sus camaradas finalmente obligara al gobierno a liberarlo. Por otra parte, añadía Swenson, Dalton “probablemente teme que admitir su complicidad no sea de ayuda”.
Estaba en manos del gobierno salvadoreño “convencerlo de que de una u otra forma [se] equivoca”, escribió Swenson, lo que quería decir que el gobierno debía retener a Dalton en aquella oscura celda de la cárcel de Cojutepeque hasta que el poeta cambiara de opinión. Y el 1 de octubre fue exactamente ahí adonde Dalton fue a parar, mientras Swenson regresaba a Washington.
***
La desaparición de Dalton en verdad se había vuelto una cause célèbre para los comunistas salvadoreños y otros opositores al gobierno militar. El mismo día en que la policía transfirió en secreto al poeta de vuelta a Cojutepeque, un grupo de escritores y artistas publicó una carta en protesta por su arresto. Dos semanas más tarde, el 15 de octubre, el Diario Latino de San Salvador publicó una carta abierta al presidente Rivera firmada por la esposa de Dalton, Aída Cañas de Dalton. A continuación, las asociaciones de abogados llamaron al gobierno a respetar los derechos del poeta.
El 29 de octubre, al tiempo que la campaña a favor de Dalton alcanzaba un crescendo, un cable de la CIA le dio a Hal Swenson una noticia asombrosa: se decía que Dalton había escapado.
Tal como lo explicarían los cables posteriores de la CIA, de alguna manera el poeta había llegado de la cárcel de Cojutepeque a un escondite en la Universidad Nacional, en San Salvador.
Los oficiales de la CIA estaban alarmados por el titular del 30 de octubre de El Diario de Hoy, de San Salvador: “Dalton García confirma la fuga”. El periódico contenía una carta de Dalton en la que él mismo describía su arresto, cautiverio y las extrañas reuniones con dos interrogadores extranjeros.
Un “estadounidense vestido de civil” lo había acusado de participar en una conspiración encabezada por cubanos contra el gobierno salvadoreño, escribió Dalton. El gringo le había enseñado “una serie de documentos, obviamente inventados y fabricados ad hoc”, y amenazó con “eliminarlo” a menos que admitiera los cargos.
En la villa de Planes de Renderos, el estadounidense “continuó con sus amenazas y ofertas”, escribió Dalton, e incluso le presentó a un cubano desconocido, quien “afirmó ser el que había conspirado en Cuba conmigo”. El cubano lo amenazó con mandarlo asesinar a menos que confesara, afirmaba Dalton.
Tras ser enviado de vuelta a la cárcel de Cojutepeque, escribió el poeta, permaneció incomunicado hasta la noche del 25 de octubre, “cuando, aprovechando una debilidad en la pared de mi celda ocasionada por temblores y trabajos de construcción en las cercanías, pude escapar y llegar por mi cuenta a San Salvador”.
Los oficiales de la CIA trataron de contener los estragos. El jefe de la agencia en San Salvador dio instrucciones al encargado de negocios de Estados Unidos, Edward G. Curtis, de decir a la prensa que las acusaciones de Dalton eran “demasiado ridículas para comentarlas” o que Dalton estaba “usando ‘licencias poéticas’”.
Mientras tanto, la CIA trató de despistar a Cuba. Un oficial de caso le dijo a un agente conocido de la DGI que un funcionario estadounidense se había reunido con Dalton, pero solo a petición de Chele Medrano, quien pensaba que Dalton podría hablar más libremente con un compatriota de su padre. El oficial le aseguró al agente cubano que Dalton no había traicionado ninguna confianza, y que no tenía “nada que temer desde el punto de vista de la seguridad”.
El 3 de noviembre, el jefe de la CIA en San Salvador envió un cable a las oficinas centrales informando que las repercusiones políticas eran “sorprendentemente leves” y que el gobierno salvadoreño “podría capear el temporal sin tener que admitir nada”.
Sin embargo, un destinatario del mensaje no quedó satisfecho. “Este cable no tiene sentido”, escribió el 4 de noviembre un alto cargo de la CIA. “Nuestro objetivo es obviamente reclutar, desertar o anular a Dalton. Su fuga de la prisión no altera de ninguna forma lo que queremos hacer.” De hecho, se argumentaba en el memorándum, la fuga y las declaraciones de Dalton en la prensa salvadoreña podrían aumentar su valor como agente doble, pues constituían una pantalla perfecta.
La negativa de Dalton a aceptar el reclutamiento hasta ese momento “no significa que debamos rendirnos, más bien significa que deberíamos intensificar nuestros esfuerzos o estar dispuestos a tomar medidas más drásticas de ser necesarias”, agregaba el memorándum. Después de todo, el caso Dalton debía ser considerado a la luz “del asesinato de agentes de la CIA en Cuba”.
“No estamos involucrados en partidas de ajedrez o en juegos olímpicos, sino en operaciones serias que, ya se trate de una guerra caliente o fría, se calculan bajo la definición clásica de destruir la voluntad del enemigo para resistir o, más realistamente, destruir la capacidad del enemigo”, concluía el documento.
Y, con esa nota ominosa, termina el informe desclasificado del intento de Hal Swenson por reclutar a Roque Dalton.
***
¿Podría haber orquestado la CIA una vendetta contra Dalton, o haberlo reclutado durante el tiempo transcurrido entre su fuga en 1964 y su asesinato en 1975? Es posible, pero probablemente no fue así.
La CIA continuó rastreando a Dalton desde febrero de 1965, cuando este se reubicó en Praga, hasta al menos el verano de 1971, cuando el poeta asistió a un congreso de las juventudes comunistas en Pyongyang, Corea del Norte.
No existe evidencia en los archivos desclasificados de que la CIA tuviera siquiera noticia del regreso de Dalton a El Salvador en 1973, o de la existencia del grupo al que se unió, el Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP).
Además, para ese momento, “Asuntos Especiales”, al igual que la mayor parte del aparato anti Castro de la CIA, se había disuelto. Hal Swenson y otros oficiales involucrados en el caso Dalton habían sido reasignados, se habían retirado, o habían muerto. La prioridad de la CIA en América Latina era el Chile de Salvador Allende, y no Centroamérica. Para 1975, la agencia quizás estaba demasiado ocupada combatiendo los escándalos por sus intentos de asesinato previos como para emprender uno contra alguien como Dalton.
Mientras tanto, la relación de Dalton con la inteligencia cubana se mantuvo. Aunque no está claro cómo salió de El Salvador a principios de noviembre de 1964, el poeta no pudo haber llegado a Praga sin ayuda cubana. Cuando tiempo después regresó a La Habana, Dalton gozó de un estatus privilegiado, con fácil acceso a funcionarios como Manuel Piñeiro, que encabezaba las operaciones secretas del régimen de Castro en América Latina.
En retrospectiva, el comportamiento de Dalton durante el interrogatorio con Swenson y Rodríguez, así como la historia que contó en la prensa salvadoreña –y, mucho más tarde, en las páginas de su novela Pobrecito poeta que era yo– parecen calculados no solo para protegerse a sí mismo, sino también a la DGI.
Sí: durante sus encuentros con el hombre de la CIA y con el desertor cubano estaba asustado, más asustado de lo que su recuento en Pobrecito poeta que era yo podría revelar. Debió de quedar impactado al enterarse de que Rodríguez lo había traicionado. Pero sus ruegos y sus súplicas probablemente fueron en parte una actuación, una puesta en escena destinada a darles tiempo a sus camaradas para hacer campaña a favor de su liberación, tal como lo sospechó Swenson. Incluso pudo haber aprendido esta táctica de la DGI.
Un cable del jefe de la CIA en San Salvador, fechado el 28 de septiembre de 1964 y consistente con esta hipótesis, describe una reunión secreta sobre el caso Dalton con un informante del PCS, quien reportó que la política del partido en el caso Dalton era “ejercer presión [sobre el gobierno] a través de los diputados” en la asamblea nacional, y “aceptar la expulsión [de Dalton] del país antes que dejarlo podrirse en alguna cárcel local”.
La dramática carta de Dalton a El Diario de Hoy resulta digna de atención tanto por lo que dice como por lo que no dice.
En Pobrecito poeta que era yo, escrito después de su salida de El Salvador, Dalton llamaba al interrogador estadounidense “oficial de la CIA”. Pero en la carta a El Diario de Hoy, escrita mientras aún se ocultaba en el país y esperaba irse, se refería al gringo con más cuidado, como “uno de los asesores extranjeros de la policía nacional y otras instituciones militares”. En cuanto a Rodríguez, Dalton decía que había descubierto que el cubano sin nombre era “un instructor de la policía nacional”.
En pocas palabras, Dalton solo reveló lo suficiente de la verdad como para alertar a sus superiores cubanos de que sus operaciones habían sido expuestas, pero no tanto como para orillar a la CIA a tomar “medidas drásticas”.
***
La narración de Dalton sobre su fuga en El Diario de Hoy, aunque vaga y breve, es consistente con su elaborado relato en la novela, donde habla de la excavación de un túnel a través de una porosa pared de adobe, de carreras a través de bosques, y de autobuses a los que subió, lleno de ansiedad, camino a San Salvador.
Siempre ha parecido una historia improbable. Un viejo camarada que entrenó en Cuba con Dalton, Ricardo Castrorrivas, le dijo al biógrafo del poeta, Luis Alvarenga, que según había escuchado, Dalton logró salir en realidad gracias a Pedro Geoffroy Rivas, un eminente y adinerado poeta de izquierda que utilizó sus influencias a favor de Dalton. Resultaría irónico, pues Dalton y Rivas eran rivales en aquel tiempo; es de notar, empero, que Pobrecito poeta que era yo es una línea de un poema de Rivas.
No obstante, el hijo de Dalton, Juan José Dalton, ha escrito sobre la lejana noche en que su padre apareció en la casa de un pariente, con barba y cubierto de arañazos, y le enseñó a su hijo un pedacito de acero que había utilizado para atravesar los ladrillos.
La única versión de la fuga de Dalton que claramente no es verdad es la que difundieron sus enemigos: que la CIA la orquestó para encubrir su reclutamiento. El narrador más agresivo de este relato fue Cayetano Carpio, el comunista veterano que abandonó el partido salvadoreño en 1970 para fundar las Fuerzas Populares de Liberación (FPL). Carpio afirmaba que los miembros del Partido habían visto a Dalton reunirse con un oficial de la CIA en un hotel de San Salvador después de que saliera de la cárcel de Cojutepeque.
Si tal reunión tuvo lugar, no existe registro de ella en los documentos desclasificados de la CIA. Por el contrario, los cables secretos de la agencia, cuyo propósito nunca fue hacerlos públicos, reflejan sorpresa y enojo genuinos frente a la noticia de la fuga de Dalton. Los oficiales de la CIA en San Salvador ni siquiera averiguaron que Dalton había llegado a la Universidad Nacional sino hasta diez días después de su huida de Cojutepeque. Chele Medrano también parece haber permanecido en la ignorancia; según un cable de la CIA, “arremetió contra la dejadez de la Policía Nacional”.
El apoyo de Cuba a Dalton después de que abandonara El Salvador en 1964 contradice la acusación de Carpio; resulta extraño, sin embargo, que el régimen de Castro tolerara las murmuraciones de Carpio contra el poeta cuando ambos hombres se encontraban en La Habana a principios de la década de 1970.
Después de que Carpio rechazara la oferta del poeta de unirse a las FPL, la inteligencia Cubana instó a Alejandro Rivas Mina, el primer jefe del ERP, a aceptar a Dalton como “asesor político” dentro de El Salvador, según un artículo de David Hernández, escritor e investigador salvadoreño del caso Dalton, en La Prensa Gráfica de mayo de 2011.
Dado el potencial de conflicto entre Rivas Mina y el más viejo y más logrado –pero notablemente indisciplinado– Dalton, era como si los cubanos estuvieran enfrentándolos deliberadamente.
Según las memorias del exguerrillero salvadoreño Eduardo Sancho, Crónicas entre los espejos, en una reunión en San Salvador, en 1973, poco después de la llegada de Dalton, Carpio le reiteró a Rivas Mina el rumor sobre los vínculos de Dalton con la CIA.
Para sus admiradores, Dalton fue un brillante intelectual revolucionario. Los servicios secretos de Cuba, empero, lo conocieron como un bohemio sarcástico que le había robado seiscientos dólares a la DGI, que no podía resistirse a la bebida y que metió la pata en una peligrosa trampa de la CIA.
La inteligencia cubana había tolerado sus defectos durante años debido a sus dotes literarias. Sin embargo, para principios de la década de 1970, Dalton sabía más sobre el funcionamiento interno del Estado cubano que una década atrás, y su afición por la bebida y las mujeres había empeorado mucho.
De una u otra forma, por el riesgo que representaba, Roque Dalton estaba destinado a ser anulado. Y, el 10 de mayo de 1975, lo fue.
Traducción de Marianela Santoveña
Tomado de revista Letras Libres, edición octubre 2012.
Título original: “Reclutar, desertar o anular. La historia jamás contada de Roque Dalton, la inteligencia cubana y la CIA”
Foto DIGITAL:Alexseander R. Antonio.
Articulo propiedad de :http://www.contracultura.com.sv/la-historia-jamas-contada-de-roque-dalton-la-inteligencia-cubana-y-la-cia
The first Chinese-American movie star, Anna May Wong, a highly regarded and talented actress, had a series of major roles in successful films through the 1920s and 1930s. Unfortunately, these parts slowly dwindled during the 1940s due to racism and the "Yellow Peril" Americans felt during the war with Japan. She stars here in the lead role, as Lan Ying Lin, in this suspenseful crime drama directed by Robert Florey. Lin is hunting down her father's killers and aiding FBI agent Kim Lee (Philip Ahn) in an investigation into human traffickers played by J. Carrol Naish and Larry "Buster" Crabbe.
FIRST ASIAN AMERICAN STAR!
Written by PHILIP LEIBFRIED
Her complexion was described as "a rose blushing through old ivory;" she was beautiful, tall (5'7"), slender, and Chinese-American. The last fact kept her from attaining the highest echelon among Hollywood's pantheon of stars, but it did not affect her popularity, nor keep her from becoming a household name. She was Anna May Wong, nee Wong Liu Tsong, a name which translates to "Frosted Yellow Willows," and she was born, appropriately enough, on Flower Street in Los Angeles' Chinatown on 3 January 1905, above her father's laundry. Anna May Wong's contribution to show business is a unique one; she was the first Asian female to become a star, achieving that stardom at a time when bias against her race was crushing. With determination and talent allied to her exotic beauty, she remained the only Asian female star throughout her forty-year career, never fully overcoming all prejudices in maintaining that position. Perhaps the rediscovery of her art will elevate her star to the pantheon of great performers and serve as a guiding light to Asian performers who still struggle to find their rightful place. Anna May Wong's life and career is something that is important for all who value greatly the Asian / Asian Pacific American communities' many artists and what we can all contribute!
Excerpt from : That Old Feeling: Anna May Wong
Part II of Richard Corliss' tribute to the pioneer Chinese-American star.
Daughter of the Dragon. Paramount 1931.
Based on a Fu Manchu novel by Sax Rohmer.
Daughter of the Dragon extended the curse sworn by Dr. Fu on the Petrie family to the next generation. Fu Manchu (Warner Oland), long ago injured and exiled in an attempt on Petrie Sr., returns to London and confronts the father: "In the 20 years I have fought to live," he says in his florid maleficence, "the thought of killing you and your son has been my dearest nurse." He kills the father, is mortally wounded himself and, on his deathbed, reveals his identity to his daughter Ling Moy (Wong) and elicits her vow that she will "cancel the debt" to the Fu family honor and murder the son, Ronald (Bramwell Fletcher)... who, dash it all, is madly infatuated with Ling Moy. Ronald has seen "Princess Ling Moy Celebrated Oriental Dancer" perform, and the vision has made him woozy. "I wish I could find a word to describe her," this calf-man effuses. "Exotic that's the word! And she's intriguing, if you know what I mean." In a near-clinch, Ling Moy wonders if a Chinese woman can appeal to a British toff. When he begs her to "chuck everything and stay," she asks him, "If I stayed, would my hair ever become golden curls, and my skin ivory, like Ronald's?" But the lure of the exotic is hard to shake. "Strange," he says, "I prefer yours. I shall never forget your hair and your eyes." They almost kiss ... when an off-camera scream shakes him out of his dream. It is from his girlfriend Joan (Frances Dade), and the societal message is as clear and shrill: white woman alerting white man to treachery of yellow woman. Ling Moy, a nice girl, previously unaware of her lineage, might be expected to struggle, at least briefly, with the shock of her identity and the dreadful deed her father obliges her to perform. But Wong makes an instant transformation, hissing, "The blood is mine. The hatred is mine. The vengeance shall be mine." Just before his death, Fu mourns that he has no son to kill Ronald. But, in a good full-throated reading, Wong vows: "Father, father, I will be your son. I will be your son!" The audience then has the fun of watching her stoke Ronald's ardor while plotting his death. When she is with him, pleading and salesmanship radiate from her bigeyes. But when an ally asks her why she keeps encouraging the lad, she sneers and says, "I am giving him a beautiful illusion. Which I shall crush." As a villainess, she is just getting started. Revealing her mission to Ronald, she tells him she plans to kill Joan "Because you must have a thousand bitter tastes of death before you die." (The ripe dialogue is by Hollywood neophyte Sidney Buchman, whose distinguished list of credits would include Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Here Comes Mr Jordan and The Talk of the Town.) She soon ascends on a geyser of madness as she decides on a new torture: "My vengeance is inspired tonight. You will first have the torture of seeing her beauty eaten slowly away by this hungry acid." An aide holds a hose gadget over Joan's soon-to-be-corroded face, and Ronald cries for Ling Moy to stop. Very well she says. "Ling Moy is merciful." She barks at Ronald: "Kill her!" He must decide if his favorite white girl is to be etched with acid or stabbed to death. Great stuff! Melodrama is the art of knowing how precisely too far to goThe film is a triangle: not so much of Ling Moy, Ronald and Joan as of Ling Moy, Ronald and a Chinese detective, Ah Kee, played by Sessue Hayakawa, the Japanese actor who in the teens was Hollywood's first Asian male star. He's not plausibly Chinese here, and he is in a constant, losing battle with spoken English. But he is a part of movie history, in the only studio film of the Golden Age to star two ethnically Asian actors. And he gives his emotive all to such lines as "It is the triumph of irony that the only woman I have ever deeply loved should be born of the blood that I loathe." And in the inevitable double-death finale neither the villainess nor the noble detective can survive the machinations of Hollywood justice he gently caresses the long hair of the lady he would love to have loved. "Flower Ling Moy," he says, a moment before expiring. "A flower need not love, but only be loved. As Ah Kee loved you."
The Personal Anna May Wong
This 5'7 beauty loved to study and could speak in an English accent, as well as being fluent in German and French with more than a passing knowledge of other tongues including Italian and Yiddish. For exercise she rode horses, played golf, and tennis. She liked to cook and regaled her guests with succulent Chinese dishes at frequent dinner parties. She preferred casual clothes, wearing slacks and sweaters at home, but cultivated an oriental motif in her very smart formal wardrobe. She studied singing with Welsh tenor Parry Jones before she participated in the film Limehouse Blues as George Raft's mistress. Anna loved to dance to contemporary music. Anna was quoted as saying, "I think I got my first chance because they thought I was peculiar. But, now I like to believe that the public are fond of me because they think I'm nice."
The story of Anna May Wong’s life traced the arc of triumph and tragedy that marked so many of her films. Wong's youthful ambition and screen appeal got her farther than anyone else of her race. But her race, or rather Hollywood's and America's fear of giving Chinese and other non-whites the same chance as European Americans, kept her from reaching the Golden Mountaintop. We can be startled and impressed by the success she, alone, attained. And still weask: Who knows what Anna May Wong could have been allowed to achieve if she
had been Anna May White?
Anna May Wong passed away on Feb. 3rd 1961 she was 56 years old.
Filmography:
The Red Lantern. Metro 1919. The First Born. Robertson Cole 1921.
Shame. Fox 1921. Bits of Life. Assoc. First National 1921.
The First Born. Robertson Cole 1921. Thundering Dawn. Universal 1923
The Toll of the Sea. Metro 1922 Drifting. Universal 1923 Fifth Avenue. PRC 1926.
Lillies of the Field. Assoc. First National 1924. The Thief of Bagdad. United Artists 1924
The Fortieth Door. Pathé serial 1924. The Alaskan. Paramount 1924.
Peter Pan. Paramount 1924. Forty Winks. Paramount 1925.
The Silk Bouquet/The Dragon Horse. Hi Mark Prod. 1926 The Desert's Toll. MGM 1926.
A Trip to Chinatown. Fox 1926. The Chinese Parrot. Universal. 1927.
Driven from Home. Chadwick 1927. Mr. Wu. MGM 1927.
Old San Francisco. Warner Bros. 1927. Why Girls Love Sailors. Pathé short 1927.
The Devil Dancer. United Artists 1927. Streets of Shanghai. Tiffany 1927.
Across to Singapore. MGM 1928. Pavement Butterfly (aka City Butterfly).
The City Butterfly. German 1929. Across to Singapore. MGM 1928.
The Crimson City. Warner Bros. 1928. Song. German 1928
Chinatown Charlie. First National 1928. Piccadilly, British International 1929.
Elstree Calling. British International 1930. The Flame of Love. British International 1930.
Hay Tang. German 1930. L'Amour Maitre Des Choses. French 1930.
Daughter of the Dragon. Paramount 1931. Shanghai Express. Paramount 1932.
A Study in Scarlet. World Wide 1933. Tiger Bay. Associated British 1933.
Chu Chin Chow. Gaumont 1934. Java Head. Associated British 1934.
Limehouse Blues. Paramount 1934. Daughter of Shanghai. Paramount 1937.
Hollywood Party. MGM short subject 1937. Dangerous to Know. Paramount 1938.
The Toll of the Sea. Metro 1922. The Thief of Bagdad 1924
Shanghai Express 1932
This is a photo of my g-g-grandfather during The Civil War. He fought for the Indiana 74th Regiment. I was able to get a scan of the original photo from a distant cousin I met on the internet. I have a bunch of original letters he wrote to his parents while he was in the war.
Full Bio-
Individual Narrative of John Zimmerman
John Zimmerman was born on 9 September 1843 at Porter, Cass County,
Michigan. He was the second son born to John and Sarah (Rheinhold) Zimmerman.
On 7 August 1862, at the age of 18, he enlisted for military service
during the Civil War and was described as follows: 5 feet 8 inches tall,
fair complexion, blue eyes, brown hair, and a farmer by occupation. The
following is an excerpt from Certificate of Record No. 62365, dated 18
February 1907, of the the Soldiers and Sailors Historical and Benevolent
Society:
(over)
“This certifies that John Zimmerman enlisted from Elkhart County, Indiana,
to serve three years during the war, and was mustered into the United
States service at Indianapolis, Ind., on the 7th day of August, 1862, as a
Private of Captain Philip F. Davis’ Company “G”, 74th Regiment Indiana
Volunteer Infantry, Colonel Charles W. Chapman, later Colonel Myron Baker,
commanding. This regiment was partially organized at Fort Wayne, and
proceeded to Indianapolis, where eight companies were mustered into the
U.S. service, August 21, 1862, and at once moved to Louisville, Ky., under
command of Colonel Charles W. Chapman. It was sent to Bowling Green, Ky.,
where it remained until September 5, then returned to Louisville. October
1, it marched with the 2nd Brigade, 1st Division, Army of the Ohio, in
pursuit of Bragg, and participated in that campaign and in the battle of
Perryville or Chaplin Hills, Ky. Companies C and K joined the regiment at
Castillian Springs, Tenn., December 4, 1862, making the organization
complete. December 7, it aided in driving Morgan’s rebel force across the
Cumberland River at Hartsville, and on the 25th marched northward,
overtaking the enemy December 30, and driving them across the Rolling Fork
of Salt River. It was assigned to the 2nd Brigade, 3rd Division, 14th
Corps, Army of the Cumberland, and participated in the following
engagements, viz., Stone River or Murfreesboro and Hoover’s Gap, Tenn.; Dug
Gap, Chickamauga, Ga. Chattanooga, Lookout Mountain and Mission Ridge,
Tenn.; Buzzard Roost or Tunnel Hill, Resaca, Rome, Dallas or New Hope
Church, Kenesaw Mountain, Lost Mountain, Chattahoochie River, Peach Tree
Creek, Siege of Atlanta, Jonesboro, Lovejoy Station, March to the Sea and
Savannah, Ga.; Averasboro and Bentonville, N.C. and a number of minor
engagements. April 30, 1865, the regiment started for Washington, D. C.,
encamping near Richmond, Va. on May 7, and arriving at Washington, D.C.,
May 19, where it participated in the Grand Review on the 24th; remaining
there until June 9, when it was mustered out of service. They said John
Zimmerman was wounded at Chickamauga, Ga., September 19, 1863, by gunshot
in forehead, and was confined in Hospital No. 3, Nashville, Tenn., and
rejoined his regiment at Chattanooga, Tenn., in time for the battle of
Missionary Ridge, Nov. 5, 1863. He was wounded during the Siege of
Atlanta, Ga., by gunshot in his chest, and was confined in Field Hospital
for two days, then rejoined his regiment. He was sick of Typhoid fever at
Laverne, Tenn., while the regiment was in winter quarters at that place.
He was constantly with his command during its service as outlined above,
except while in hospital at Nashville, Tenn., bore a gallant part in all
its engagements, and rendered faithful and meritorious service to his Country.”
John Zimmerman and Mary Ann Frizzel were married on 7 October 1866 by a
(over)
Justice of the Peace at Porter, Cass County, Michigan. They had three
children, two of whom lived to adulthood: Clara May was born at Bristol,
Elkhart County, Indiana on 16 May 1867; Raymond S. was born at Bristol,
Elkhart County, Indiana on 8 August 1868; S. Elizabeth was born at
Elkhart, Elkhart County, Indiana on 14 November 1872, and died on 28
November 1872.
In July 1870 they were living in Washington township in Elkhart County,
Indiana, and they were still residing in Elkhart County on 12 December
1872 when probate documents were filed for the estate of John’s father. It
is believed that the family moved to Kansas in the spring of 1873 (probably
with Mary Ann’s brother James G. Frizzell and his family, who homesteaded
on an adjoining quarter). John applied for land under the Homestead Act on
9 June 1873 at the Land Office at Salina, Kansas, for the NW 1/4 of Section
18, Township 20, Range 5 West, consisting of 155 04/100 acres. This land
was on the west side of McPherson County, Kansas. They initially lived in a
sod house, and in the fall of 1875 a 17x23 feet stone house with a
cellar was built. John’s final homestead proof indicated improvements to
the homestead included a stone lined well, frame granary, corn crib and sod
stable. He had planted forest and fruit trees, and had broken and
cultivated 106 acres on which wheat, oats, corn, and vegetables had been
raised. He received the final homestead certificate on 6 September 1878 at
the Receiver’s Office at Salina, Kansas.
John’s occupation was usually listed as farmer, although in the 1880 U.S.
Census his occupation was listed as a stone mason. The local newspaper
dated July 28, 1886 indicated John was chairman of the Broom-Corn Growers
Association of Windom. He apparently also bought and sold horses,
according to the following note in the local newspaper in 1886: “Rube
Yoder, John Zimmerman and Geo. Strouse started on Wednesday for Missouri
where they will purchase a number of horses which will be shipped to this
place for sale.”
He was elected sheriff of McPherson County, Kansas on 7
November 1893. He ran on the Republican ticket, and received 1882 votes
compared to 1651 votes received by J.W. Freeborn, the incumbent. In
preparation for his four year term as sheriff, he moved to South Walnut
Street in McPherson, Kansas, on 22 December 1893. Around October 1894 he
moved to the new jail, which was built during the same time period as the
present McPherson County Courthouse. The local newspaper reported: “Sheriff
Zimmerman has already moved into his new home,
(over)
in the rear end of the jail building.”
By 1900, he and Mary Ann were again residing on the farm in Hayes
Township, and the U.S. census shows Agnes Farnes, servant, and George
Ferge, laborer, were also living with them. In April of 1910, John and
Mary Ann were living at 515 North Main in McPherson, Kansas. John’s
occupation was listed as “own income”, probably indicating that he had
retired from farming.
Mary Ann died in March of 1921, and by 1925 John was living at the
McPherson, Kansas residence of his daughter and son-in-law, Clara May and
George R. Strouse. In December of 1928, he was living in Dover, Oklahoma,
presumably with his son Ray. He died on 24 June 1931 at the National
Military Home Kansas, Leavenworth County, Ks, at age 87. He was buried at
McPherson City Cemetery, McPherson, McPherson County, Kansas.
The End
File name: 10_03_002090b
Binder label: Perfume/Hair Products
Title: For the hands, face, skin and complexion [back]
Copyright date: 1891
Physical description: 1 print : chromolithograph ; 9 x 14 cm.
Genre: Advertising cards
Subject: Children; Cosmetics
Notes: Title from item.
Statement of responsibility: A. S. Hinds
Collection: 19th Century American Trade Cards
Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department
Rights: No known restrictions.
Royal Coronation Aurora is fully deboxed, and is posed standing, supported by a Kaiser stand. She can free stand, but is very unstable that way. Photographed in daylight.
Review of Royal Coronation Aurora Doll
Her face is pretty, but bland and generic. She only has a passing resemblance to the movie character, as portrayed by Elle Fanning. She doesn't have very realistic features, but looks like an ordinary doll painted to look like an animated character. She has a light complexion, small blue green eyes gazing straight ahead, brown eyebrows, small straight nose, light pink lips on a small mouth, large chin, and light rouge on her cheeks.
She has long golden blonde hair that reaches her hips. There is a solitary long curl hanging from her left side. The rest of her hair is slightly wavy, and is grouped in a single mass, which I left alone. It would look better if it were combed out, but I was afraid that it might get frizzy if I attempted to do so. The hair is shiny and soft, and doesn't appear to have any hair product.
The dress is golden brocaded satin, with a floral design. The underside is very light tan in color. There is also a painted floral overlay in pink and green, which is only in the front of the dress (the front of the skirt and bodice). There is golden lace trim at the hem, waist and collar and cuffs. Her collar and cuffs end in white organza. The skirt is pleated, and almost floor length. The bodice has a high waist, with a golden belt sewn around it. Her sleeves are full length. There is a over sized train sewn to the back of the dress, just below the waist. It made of the same material and has the same decoration as the front of the skirt. Its underside is fully lined with gold satin. The dress looks and feels luxurious, and fit for royalty.
She is wearing tan colored heels, with a simulated strap and an unpainted embossed floral design. She is wearing a gold colored plastic crown that is made to look like a floral wreath, that goes halfway around her head. It is secured only by two T-tab fasteners, so it is not meant to be removed or used on other dolls.
Her body is made of hard plastic throughout. She has seven points of articulation: her neck, shoulders, elbows and hips. Her hands are permanently tilted back to make the standard Princess pose. Her feet are fixed at an angle to wear high heels. Her head can turn 360 degrees around, and can tilt up about 20 degrees, and tilt down 10 degrees. Her arms can swivel about the shoulders 360 degrees, and can tilt about 20 degrees. Her forearms can swivel around her elbows almost 360 degrees, but cannot go completely around. They can tilt back about 20 degrees, and forward about 60 degrees. Her hips can swivel 90 degrees both back and forth, and can tilt out about 30 degrees. She has white painted on underwear, which looks like a strapless one piece bathing suit.
Packaging and Deboxing
It was easy to debox Coronation Aurora, compared to most Disney Store dolls. First step was to remove the clear plastic cover from the box, by cutting the tape around the edges, and lifting the tabs free from the cardboard. Aurora is standing on a small cardboard spacer. Behind her is a printed background from the movie, which is common to all the dolls in this series. There was only plastic T-tab fasteners securing her to the backing and the plastic spacer. It was possible to reach all the fasteners and snip them off, without having to remove the large plastic spacer. It turned out that the fastener that was supposed to go into the back of her head didn't make it past her hair, so she didn't have a post sticking out of her head when I snipped the fastener loose. The other end of the fastener was just laying loose in her hair. There was tissue paper around her legs, but only up to her knees, to make the skirt look fuller in the box.
Purchase Details
I just received the four available Jakks Pacific dolls from the Maleficent movie in single doll packages. I ordered them from Toys R Us on Friday night and got them Tuesday, with free shipping. I appreciated the quick shipping, compared to the Disney Store. The dolls are the following, with links to the TRU site. All the dolls are 11 1/2'' H. The Coronation dolls are $39.95 each, the other two are $19.95.
It's supposed to be good for the complexion.
The Dead Sea is a salt lake 67 km long and 18 km wide at its widest point, bordering Jordan to the east, and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are 422 metres below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface on dry land. It is one of the world's saltiest bodies of water, with 33.7% salinity, 8.6 times more salty than the ocean. This salinity makes for a harsh environment where animals cannot flourish, hence its name. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley, and its main tributary is the Jordan River.
The sea has a density of 1.24kg/L, making swimming difficult.
~ Basics ~
Name: Adinlaunimgos Teken'ervs
Age: 230
Gender: Male
Class: Druid
Race: Drow
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Kingdom Citizenship: None
~ Appearance ~
Height: 4ft 8
Weight: 75lbs
Eyes: red
Hair Color: Originally, silver but is now brown and black with grime.
Hair Style: long, clumped with blood, dirt and sweat, bits of bone and sinew to keep it out of his eyes
Complexion: ebony
Build: thin, wiry and scrawny
Scars: Pincer bites on his stomach and back, jagged slashes on his torso, clean cuts across his left cheek.
Distinguishing Features:
~ Personal ~
Weapons: Bare hands and teeth
Clothing His general lack of clothing or usually found with the furs or skins draped around him.
Important Items: None
Dialects Spoken: Drow, Under-common, Drow sign
~ Self ~
Fear: Being caught on the end of a hook horror claws and eaten alive
Dislike: luminous mushrooms
Like: fire beetles
Flaws: Feral, speechless, animalistic
Personality: Although highly intelligent, a century and a half of surviving the terrors of the Underdark has strengthened and reinforced the ?lizard brain? (the fights and flight instinct). There are only extremes in his mind. No middle ground. You are prey or predator.
Character History:
Born over two hundred years ago, Adinlaunimgos Teken'ervs was the second son but sixth child in a borderline major house within his city of Ssapithra. From the age he was old enough to walk, he was beaten by his sisters which is customary and expected from future Matrons. Accepting each lash of the whip, the young male would continually rise up onto his feet to accept another beating. Back than, he was proud to be the whipping boy so that his sisters could practice and improve their skills with the dreaded snake-headed whips of Loth?s clerics.
Reaching the proper age for formal training, his Matron Mother discovered that his levels concentration was above normal. Probably due to being able to separate his mind from the pain of his body when it came time for whip training, with that in mind he was sent to the wizard academy with hopes that he might be able to rise up through the wizarding ranks to become top in his class or at the very least be killed in training. The loss of a son meant little to his mother.
Anyways, in the university he did excel in the brewing of potions and poisons but when it came to tapping into raw arcane, Adinlaunimgos failed abysmally. Try as he might, any spell he attempted to cast fizzled out and his instructors were baffled by this. The drow?s concentration was flawless, so to were his pronunciation and semantic components. For whatever reason, the magic did not flow through his veins, which was confusing since he could expertly call upon the innate powers of his heritage. Giving up on him, he was sent to the swordmaster training academy. There he once again excelled at certain skills such as sneaking, hiding, awareness and battleground first aid but was completely inept when it came to actual swordplay. Much to the annoyance of his teachers, he would often throw down his weapons and fling himself upon his opponent in hopes of catching them off guard. Once latched on, he would claw, bite, and gouge whatever he could until he was pulled off. Proud of his enthusiasm but dismayed by the lack of control, they kept him but only trained him in the arts of stealth, if anything he could be a scout. That was all he could hope to achieve.
Making it to graduation, he was sent out on more than a hundred patrols through the Underdark with the other warriors he was assigned to. They made it a sport to beat on and torment him because of his lack of grace and style when it came to fighting. He was much like the monsters they hunted and slaughtered within the tunnels. Yet none of that bothered him. For the hours he spent alone in the dark, feeling the chill of the stone and exhilaration. There was just something about wandering the infinitely complex tunnel systems that called out to him.
Answering that call, his feet were almost possessed as they took him deeper and deeper into the bowls of the earth. Miles away from his patrol and hopelessly lost, Adinlaunimgos roamed for weeks, feeding off the carcasses of fire beetles and wild Rothe that he had come across. As those weeks turned to months, turned to years, turned to decades and finally over a century, he became completely attuned with the Underdark. He could feel the movement of creatures in the very stone around him. Losing much of his social skills, he gained a more in-depth and intimate knowledge of the stony world.
For over a 130 years, he had traveled and survived in the dark. Over those long years, his connection with the stone had yielded him amazing powers and he had always followed the call of the stone for it never led him stray. Then one day, he answered the call and came across something unusual. It was stone but not like the raw earth carved stone of the Underdark, it was smooth and deliberately placed. Hearing voices, he hides within the shadows, then coming into view were beings he had never seen before Dwarves.
Hunger drove him to kill that first time and never again will he view such hairy animals as food. Unfortunately, that murder brought the furry of the dwarves upon him. They hunted their tunnels looking for whatever it was that killed their kin. Feeling towards the upper tunnels, he erupts forth from the darkness into a world of sneering unimaginable brightness. Screaming out in pain, he blindly stumbles and falls down the embankment. Twisting and being jostled, he finally comes to rest face down in a brook. Scrambling naked from the water, he hides his face from the sun and cries openly. Hours later, the sun finally dipped down behind the mountains. Waking, his eyes more accustomed to the night, peered in wonder at the world around him.
Now free of the confines of the earth, he wanders be night, oblivious to the hate his kin has earned and to ways of the upper world. Pure instincts guide him to continue on, provided he could still hear the song of stone, he feels confident in his abilities.
A report of the visit by Major C H B Readman, 2-4 July 1946, further to a previous inspection on 2-4 January 1946 (appendices omitted):
“...Special Objects of Visit:- Re-education progress report. Select candidates for B[eacons]field*.
Strength... Off[icers]: 2. O[ther] R[anks]: 2578. Total: 2580, of which:
746 at HQ; 454 in Kirkby hostel...; 129 in Garswood I Hostel...; 131 in Garswood II Hostel...; 125 in Golborne I Hostel...; 117 in Golborne [II] Hostel...; 404 in Penketh Hostel...; 102 in Wheathill Hostel...; 76 in Bickerstaffe Hostel...; 61 in Aughton Green Hostel...; 235 in billets.
Screening (by PID, March 1946) figures: A+ 1. A 17. A- 1. B+ 26. B 315. B- 31. C 66. unscreened 2123. Present complexion: grey/black. Candidates for B'field: 13.
Personnel: Acting O.C: Major Benett-Dampier. Interpreter: S/Sgt Bloch.
HQ Camp Leader: O/Fw. Dlugosch (B-). German MO: St.Arzt Koech (C ). Hostel Leaders: Kirkby – St. Fw. Kaesler (B), Garswood I – Wm. Wirtz (B), Garswood II – O/Fw. Ender (B), Golborne I – Fw. Ehmke (B+), Golborne II – Fw Ullbrich (A). [Ex-290 Camp -at former Heavy Anti-Aircraft Battery, South Lane Farm, Barrow's Green- Hostels:] Penketh – St. Fw. Bergwardt (B), Wheathill – O/Fw. Juch (B-), Bickerstaffe – O/Maat. Schulz (?), Aughton Green – Fw. Kotscha (?).
RECEPTION Very good. The present OC is most co-operative and interested in re-education. His predecessor, Lt Col Ireland, was demobilised a fortnight ago. Major Dampier was previously 2nd i/c the camp, has been there a year and knows the PW very well. The key man in re-education is the interpreter, S/Sgt Bloch, a German Jewish refugee. He is quite one of the best and most efficient interpreters I have yet encountered and takes a most active part in the re-education of the PW.
HISTORY OF THE CAMP. Since the last TA visit six months ago, the number of PW has increased from 416 to 2580 and the camp has been entirely germanised. There are now 9 hostels, including 4 just taken over from the recently disbanded 290 camp.
The intakes almost all of whom were from the USA were from the following camps: 550 from 176 Camp [Glen Mill, Oldham] in February; 270 from 126 [Melland Camp, Morton, Manchester] and 189 Camp [Dunham Park, Altringham] in March; 202 from 189 Camp in May; 600 from 180 Camp [Marbury Hall, Northwhich] in May; 726 from 290 Camp [Penketh] (disbanded) in June.
Within the last fortnight some 270 PW have been transferred to other camps in the south of England. The main camp and hostel leaders were appointed by the late Commandant on the basis of seniority. With the exception of Fw. Ullbrich (A), hostel leader at Golborne II, whose name I am putting forward for Wilton Park*, none of the other camp/hostel leaders take much interest in re-education, although they are not obstructive.
All the PW are living in huts with electric light, with the exception of the hostel at Wheathill, where they are living in a country house. This is the blackest of the hostels with 85 SS men out of a strength of 102 PW. On my recommendation, these men will be transferred to the main camp in the near future and the hostel probably closed down.
Owing to shortage of transport, I was unable to visit the hostels at Kirkby, Bickerstaffe and Aughton Green. The majority of PW are working on farms and the 235 billetees are distributed over 83 farms. They work well and there have been no complaints from the farmers up to date.
Two PW have just returned from Beaconsfield*, Soldat Caemmerer (A+) and Gefr Radermaker. They were both enthusiastic about their experience there and anxious to pass on their knowledge. Two more are going to the next course, O/Maat Behrens and O'Gefr Junker. I have taken the names of a further 13 suitable candidates.
MORALE This is only fair, despite good treatment and little evidence of barbed wire. As almost all the new intakes come from USA their disappointment at not being repatriated had a depressing effect on the others. Morale has improved somewhat recently owing to the fact that most PW are now going out to work. Post is still very bad from the American and French [occupied] zones [in Germany]. The anti-Nazi PW hope they will be granted more privileges on the lines of the Italian co-operators.
POLITICAL PROGRESS Apart from the official PID screening figures on page 1, of the 2123 PW unscreened, the following have been ballot-screened in other camps: A 122; B 766; C 57, leaving 1178 whose gradings are unknown. The S/Sgt and a reliable white PW estimate that, with the exception of the 4 hostels just taken over from 290 camp [Penketh], there are between 10%-15% Nazis with the balance represented by 70% of varying shades of grey and the rest white. A promising feature is the fact that many of the keenest PW on re-education are those under 25. Of the very few communists among the men, none of them are active. I estimate the political colour of the whole camp is grey/black but recommend that it be screened as soon as possible.
YOUTH In the main camp the figures are as follows:- under 20: 80; 20-25: 310; over 25: 336. A special youth political class is run by Artur Daniel (A), which is well-attended.
RE-EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES Most of the PW are peasants and working class men. Accommodation is adequate. The Welfare fund has only about £30, but this should improve now that PW are working. PW in charge of re-education for the whole camp is Dr Heinz Mohrhoff (A), age 39, a former bank official and economist. He is a most suitable man and is also on the staff of the camp newspaper. Each hostel has or will have its own re-educational leader and in each there is or will be a small democratic study group. The leaders are:- Garswood I – Hans Behrens (BC/ Beaconsfield candidate), Garswood II – Alfred Junker (BC), Golborne I – Walter Schmidt (BC), Golborne II – Wilhelm Heuter, Kirkby – Josef Ringelmann, Penketh – Heinz Helbig (probably). \ In the other 3 hostels ex-290 camp they have not yet been arranged, but S'Sgt Bloch has the matter in hand. It is also proposed to bring the re-educational leaders from the hostels into the main camp for 2/3 weeks' training.
WOCHENPOST & AUSBLICK**: 600 of the former, 40 of the latter. See Appendix B.
NEWSPAPERS: 14 daily papers are purchased out of welfare for the whole camp and in addition they get papers from the Officers' and Sgts' Messes. Steps are being taken to see that all the hostels get at least one daily paper. Some German papers are received from PID, but more are wanted. Blick in Die Welt is very popular.
LIBRARY: there are 672 books in the camp library of various types. A very good selection of some 80 books was recently received from PID, the only criticism being that there were too few of them. In a camp of this size with 9 hostels and 235 billetees, more are urgently required. I understand the camp has recently written to PID about this.
LECTURES (PID): These are now a regular feature of camp life, once every 3 weeks, PW from the two Garswood hostels come to the main camp. The following have been given:- March: “Call to German Youth”, Miss Buller; April: “Church and State in England”, Rev D Thomas; “The English View about the Rise of Nazism”, Mr Chandler; May: “Switzerland as a model for the Reconstruction of Germany”, Dr Gottschalk; “What is Democracy?”, Dr Ulrich; June: “Government by the German People or ...?”, Mr Bullough; “German Trade Unions”, Mr Berger. These are very popular and the dining hall holding 350 in the main camp, where they are given, is always packed, and it has been necessary to give two lectures. Intellectual level – moderate. Future lecturers should be prepared to visit the hostels as well, especially Kirkby and Penketh.
DISCUSSION GROUPS: There is an active democratic study group of abt. 15 PW which meets twice a week under Mohrhoff. I pointed out to him that its activities should be increased to embrace all those interested in democracy in the camp. On my recommendation, a question box and brains trust will shortly be started. I left a set of Oxford pamphlets in German. The reports on the Nuremberg trial are posted up in the Information Room and followed with interest. The following lectures have been given in the main camp and hostels:- March: “Nuremberg. Yes or No?”, Dr Mohrhoff; April: “What is Democracy?”,Dr Mohrhoff; “World Food Crisis and Population Problem”; “What is the meaning of Being German?: The Jewish Question”, S/Sgt Bloch (Camp interpreter); May: “Germany between two wars”; “Germany, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”, S/Sgt Bloch; June: “German Trade Unions”, H Haehnert; “Socialism and Capitalism”, Walter Kresse; “The Jewish Question – seen by a Jew”, S/Sgt Bloch.
FILMS: The camp is on a YMCA circuit and gets a show every 3 weeks. It appears that the operator, Doufel (?) from 189 camp, is an undesirable type. A separate report on him is being submitted.
RADIO: There are 5 sets in the main camp and at least one in every hostel. Foreign stations are difficult to get, so almost all listening is confined to the BBC German programme...
PRESS REVIEW: in the main camp twice a week by Drinnhausen, also in most hostels. Steps are being taken to ensure it is given in all hostels.
ENGLISH INSTRUCTION: at the main camp and in most hostels. See appendix A for details. An English inspector (Miller) recently paid the camp a very brief visit.
ENGLISH FOR ALL: 250 copies received. It is well liked.
Other Camp Activities
RELIGION: The evangelical padre is O/Fkmeister Dantz, an unattractive personality. He is not popular in camp and takes no part in re-educational activity. He takes the view that politics and religion should not be mixed. He visits most of the hostels. There is a church hut in the main camp. Schornstein, a monk, holds prayers for the RCs who also get an occasional visit from a British priest***. In the hostels, PW either go to the local church or are visited by the local priest.
EDUCATION: There are no organised classes apart from English. It is hoped to start some when the PW return earlier from work.
THEATRE: There is a theatre group under Broehl and their first play, “Der Hochstapler” (“The Swindler”), written by a PW is in rehearsal. Up till now only variety turns and sketches have been given. The theatre holds 150.
ORCHESTRA: There is a small orchestra of 5 men under Wernter. They are short of a pianist at present, but have an accordion and player. Light music and jazz are played.
CONCLUSIONS. Re-education is making satisfactory progress. The key man is undoubtedly the interpreter, S/Sgt Bloch. If and when he is released, possibly in two months' time, re-education will have a setback. The present commandant is most co-operative and in full sympathy with the aims of PID, more so than his predecessor. The PW re-educational staff under Dr Mohrhoff is satisfactory. Accommodation is adequate.
RECOMMENDATIONS. (a) that the camp be screened as soon as possible. (b) that more copies of Ausblick** be sent – 40 is too few. (c) that more German papers be sent by PID. (d) that more books be sent. The recent consignment from PID of some 80 books was excellent. (e) that lecturers should also visit, as far as possible, the hostels. Intellectual level – moderate.”
[From National Archives ref. FO 939/132 “Prisoner of War Camps: 50 Working Camp, Garswood Park, Ashton in Makerfield, Lancashire”]
*Camp 300 “Wilton Park”, north-east of Beaconsfield in Buckinghamshire, had at first been used to detain and interrogate high-ranking German military personnel. From January 1946 it took on a new role as PID Training Centre. Two distinct programmes were offered. One focussed on preparing Grade A/White POWs with specialist skills or expertise for early repatriation and employment with the Allied Control Commission in Germany. The other was a 6-8 week course for up to 60 students -described by Director of Re-education Cyrus Brooks as “missionary teams”- who would then return to their own camps, suitably equipped and inspired to co-ordinate local de-Nazification and re-education efforts.
**“Wochenpost” and “Ausblick” were PID-produced publications for German-speaking POWs in the UK. “Wochenpost”, a weekly newspaper, sought not only to inform its readers but also to further the process of “re-educating” them. Consequently, some POWs dismissed it as British government propaganda. The monthly “Ausblick” was more popular. As “Neue Auslese”, the latter was also sold in Germany.
***The “British priest” was almost certainly Fr Michael Casey, curate at St Oswald's RC Church, Ashton-in-Makerfield. According to Mary Whittle's “He Walked Tall: The Story of Canon Michael Casey” (self-published, 2002): “Fr Michael also cared for a contingent of German POWs who were confined at a nearby camp for about a year. Again he coached and formed them into football teams – one centre-half being the famous Bert Trautmann... Again, he formed life-long friendships with them, calling to see their families years later when he was stationed in their country...”.
It had been quite a few hours since Krishna jumped into the river and all villagers were worried about Krishna…
It happened long, long ago. There was a small village by the name of Vrindavan, in India. There was a dark-complexioned, beautiful little boy named Krishna, who lived in this village, with his parents. His father, Nandbaba, was the village head while his mother, Jashoda, looked after the family.
There was a river named Yamuna, near their village, on the banks of which, the kids played all kinds of game; all day. But, these days, the villagers advised their kids not to go near this river after Kalia Naag devoured some of the village kids.
Kalia Naag was a huge snake with five heads and it was so poisonous that the waters of the river, Yamuna, turned green due to the intensity of the poison of this snake. Kalia Naag used to devour kids of the village when they disturbed him from his sleep, even if by mistake. Villagers were frightened to face this snake and so, kept away from this river.
One day, Krishna asked his mother for a ball. “Mother, please give me the ball so that me and my friends can go and play with it. Its holiday time and we are all getting bored, sitting inside the house.” His mother tried to ignore his pleas, but after sometime, she gave up and gave Krishna the ball, but, at the same time, she strictly instructed him not to go near the river and play.
Having got the ball, Krishna was just too excited to pay any heed to his mother’s warning and he nodded his head absent-mindedly and off he ran over to his friends.
His friends were eagerly waiting for him to get the ball. They decided to play the catch and throw game they had played innumerable times. It was one of their favorite games. No one knows if a short time passed by or long, but someone threw the ball and it landed straight on top of the tree on the riverbank and got entangled in its dense branches. No one had the courage to climb on top of the tree to fetch the ball, as the tree was right above the river, where Kalia Naag, the five-headed serpent was believed to live. They had heard of the stories of kids disappearing while playing on the river bank and they did not want to risk their lives. But, Krishna was not to be frightened by these stories. He told his friends, “Friends, do not worry. I have heard the stories too about Kalia Naag devouring some of our village kids while they played on the river banks. But, I don’t believe in all this. This is just to scare us and keep us away from the riverbank and save us from drowning. And, even if it were true, that Kalia Naag has to be taught a lesson so that never again would any such snake or demon try and harm our villagers. Dear friends, do not be afraid of anything. I will climb the tree and fetch the ball for us to continue playing.” His friends pleaded with him, “Please Krishna, don’t do this. The snake may harm you. We would not be able to show our faces to your parents. We all love you so much; we wouldn’t want any harm to occur to you. We don’t want the ball. We will pool in money and we will buy ourselves a new ball. Krishna, listen to us, please don’t go near the riverbank.” But, unfazed by the pleading and fear of his friends, Krishna made a decision to go and fetch the ball. He climbed up the tree, slowly and carefully treading on the coarse surface of the tree trunk and soon, he reached the branch where the ball was. He shouted happily to his friends, “Look I got it!” and showed off the ball to his friends. In his excitement, he lost his balance and fell into the river. There was complete silence. All his friends were too shocked to do anything. They watched as the turbulent waters of Yamuna engulfed Krishna. There was nothing they could do to save him. They ran to his parents and informed them of the accident and soon, the whole village had gathered near the riverbank and frantically waited for any signs of the kid. They were all too scared to venture near the river. Jashoda had gone completely hysterical worrying about her son. They had to hold her back to stop her from jumping in the river herself to save her son, who was nowhere in sight.
It had been quite a few hours since Krishna jumped into the river and all villagers were worried about Krishna…
There, as Krishna fell into the river and went deep into the waters, he stepped by mistake on one of Kalia’s heads and awakened Kalia. Furious, Kalia screamed, “Who is this, who has dared to step on my head? I will not forgive him. I will eat him up in one straight gulp and ensure that he is fittingly punished for his deed. How dare he disturb me in my slumber?”
He was about to tilt his head and topple Krishna, when Krishna overpowered him by catching hold of his tail and neck. During the process, the snake hit Krishna hard on his foot with his tail and hurt him but still, Krishna did not give up. He held his tail high in one hand and danced on the serpent’s head. However hard Kalia Naag tried, he couldn’t overpower Krishna. He realized that Krishna was no ordinary human being. He begged of Krishna not to kill him. “Oh young lad, please do not kill me. I understand that you are no ordinary human being. Please tell me who you are.” Krishna smiled and showed him his real form. Krishna was none other than the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Kalia Naag bowed before him and requested him to pardon his life. Krishna smiled, “Kalia Naag, I spare you your life but in return, I want you to never again harm any creature.” To this, Kalia Naag agreed and apologized for his wrong deeds. Lord Vishnu then came back to his human form and dancing on top of Kalia’s head, he rose above the waters of Yamuna. Seeing him alive and dancing on Kalia’s head, all villagers cheered him while his parents had tears of joy in their eyes. They were all amazed to see this young lad come back alive victoriously winning over the dreaded Kalia Naag. They thanked God for the miracle. They were all also relieved that their village and every other creature was now safe and did not have to fear going near the river bank. Kalia Naag would never again harm them, all thanks to Krishna, the brave and chivalrous son of Nandbaba and Jashoda.
Moral: Good always wins over the evil. Even God doesn’t support the evil.
~ Basics ~
Name: Dillion Asho
Apparent Age: 21
True Age: 21
Gender: Male
Virtue: Faith
Vice: Envy
Tribe: Fire-touch
Pack:
Lodge: None
Profession: Street preacher
~ Appearance ~
Height: 5’ 9
Weight: 135
Eyes: green
Hair Color: died a sickly green
Hair Style: long and scraggly
Complexion: pale yellow
Build: malnourished
Scars: None
Distinguishing Features: On his left ear there is a red plastic tag with ID numbers as if he was a wild animal.
~ Attributes ~
Strength *
Dexterity**
Stamina ***
Charisma ****
Manipulation ***
Appearance *
Perception **
Intelligence **
Wits ***
~ Skills ~
Mental
Academics:*
Computer:
Crafts:
Investigation:****
Medicine:**
Occult:
Politics:
Science:
Physical
Athletics:*
Brawl:
Drive:
Firearms:
Larceny:
Stealth:
Survival: *
Weaponry: ***
Social
Animal Ken:
Empathy:*
Expression:**** ( impassioned speeches)
Intimidation:*
Persuasion:*** (conversion)
Socialize:** (fast-talking)
Streetwise:
Subterfuge:
~ Advantages ~
Essence: [][][][][][][]
>Gifts/rites: Insight-
>>The Right Words + 2 to all social rolls, reflexive
>>Camaraderie- Suspicions are set aside and teamwork becomes more beneficial
Manipulation+ Persuasion+ Wisdom, reflexive
>Fervor Gifts
>>Eyes of Gurim Int+Investigation+Purity
The Fire-Touched can judge the state of another werewolf’s soul. Izidakh use this Gift to judge whether an Uratha would be a good candidate for conversion. When used successfully, the Eyes of Gurim can give the Fire- Touched some information about the target’s weaknesses, which he can then exploit when attempting to convert her. This Gift works on any werewolf that the charac- ter can see directly (i.e., it does not work through video cameras or on photographs). The character can recognize members of his own tribe on sight.
Merits: Fetish ***
Klaive: Gurim’s Lash: This weapon is a long, barbed whip made of specially treated leather (or, just as often, human skin). The barbs are the end are made of iron or bone, and must be sharpened and tempered in fire once a month. A spirit of disease is bound into the whip. It inflicts two points of lethal damage normally, and can be used to blind opponents with a called shot (see p. 165 of the World of Darkness Rulebook). Also, when activated, Gurim’s Lash inflicts a gibbering madness upon the victim. Anyone damaged by the lash must succeed on a Stamina + Resolve roll (Natural Immunity benefits apply) with a negative modifier equal to the number of Health points suffered from the lash that scene. If this roll fails, the victim suffers fever, sweats and disorienta- tion (in game terms, a –1 on all Physical and Mental rolls) for the rest of the scene. If the roll is a dramatic failure, this penalty persists for a full day.
Flaws: Can’t lie, Nightmares
Personality quirks:
~ Possessions ~
Weapons:
Health:
Armor type:
Defense rating:
Equipment:
Havens:
Vehicles:
~ Self ~
Harmony: [][][][][][][]
Primal Urge:*
Renown:
Wisdom**
Purity*
Personality: Passionate and outspoken
History:
~ Additional Information ~
Size: 5
Speed: 8
Initiative: 4
~ Basics ~
Name: Stoop-gallant Asho
Apparent Age: 21
True Age: 21
Gender: male
Virtue: Justice
Vice: Wrath
Tribe: Fire-touched
Pack:None
Lodge:None
Profession: speaker of tongues
~ Appearance ~
Height: 5’ 9
Weight: 135
Eyes: green
Hair Color: died a sickly green
Hair Style: long and scraggly
Complexion: pale yellow
Build: malnourished
Scars: None
Distinguishing Features: On his left ear there is a red plastic tag with ID numbers as if he was a wild animal.
~ Attributes ~
Strength ****
Dexterity*
Stamina ***
Charisma *
Manipulation *
Presence: ****
Perception ***
Intelligence *
Wits ***
~ Skills ~
Mental
Academics:
Computer:
Crafts:
Investigation:
Medicine:****
Occult:
Politics:
Science:
Physical
Athletics: ***
Brawl:****
Drive:
Firearms:
Larceny:
Stealth:
Survival:****
Weaponry:
Social
Animal Ken: *
Empathy: *
Expression:****
Intimidation:*
Persuasion:
Socialize:
Streetwise:
Subterfuge:
~ Advantages ~
Essence:[][][][][][][]
Gifts/rites: Disease
Fever Dreams:Presence+Medicine+Wisdom vs resolve+primal urge, 1 essence
The character passes along a spiritual infection to a target. Although this disease runs its course quickly, and rarely does any serious damage to the target, while he is infected he suffers cold sweats, headaches, fever and even mild hallucinations. Needless to say, fighting or even focusing his mind is extremely difficult while the disease holds him.
Virulent Rage: Presence+Expression+Purity vsReseolve+primal urge, 1 willpower
The Fire-Touched infects another being with a portion of her Rage. When used on a werewolf, this Gift usually triggers Kuruth. When used a human being, the Gift causes a terrible fit of violent anger. Worse, this anger is contagious, meaning that if the Fire-Touched uses this Gift in a crowd, it will quickly spiral into a brutal, rioting mob.
Glorious Agony: Strength+Survival+Glory, 1 essence
By activating this Gift, the werewolf taints his own Essence with a spiritual malady. This illness actually makes the werewolf stronger and deadlier, lending the pain of disease and contagion to his claws and fangs. The Fire-Touched must sacrifice his own regenerative powers to allow the disease to run its course, however, and many an Izidakh has perished under the effects. Once activated, Glorious Agony remains in effect for the remainder of the scene and cannot be terminated early.
Merits: Danger Sense **, Quick Healer ****, Natural Immunity *
Flaws: Speaking in tongues, can’t lie, Nightmares, Driving goal (purify the Forsaken),
Personality quirks:
~ Possessions ~
Weapons: Fangs and claws
Health:[][][][][][][]
Armor type:
Defense rating:
Equipment:
Havens:
Vehicles:
~ Self ~
Harmony: 7
Primal Urge: 1
Renown:
Personality:
History:
~ Additional Information ~
Size: 5
Speed:6
Initiative:
Twins’ History: It isn’t surprising that since birth that this set of twins were incredibly close. They would share some kind of unseen bond or extreme empathic link that let them share emotions and thoughts without need of spoken word. They had a normal childhood growing up in the suburbs. They were part of the boy scouts, their parents were teachers as the local elementary and middle school, and they played in youth soccer league. However, their peaceful and average life would come to a violent end on afternoon.
The two boys had come down with a burning fever, their faces were flushed, sweat poured form them endlessly and both were delirious. Strange words were passing their lips, on occasion it would become only gibberish that made no sense. However, the illness burned its way through the twins for almost a week as their parents didn’t want to risk moving them. They were already on death’s door; fear of their only children passing them on was eating them away. The human parents couldn’t possibly know about the Pure blood coursing through the veins of the twins. How could they?
One day, when the sun rose to it’s highest point, the temperature outside soared into the hundreds, it happened. The fire coursing through their veins erupted. Both boys, clawed at their flesh, tears heaping chunks off their frames and casting the bloodied scraps aside. Their agonized screams alerted their parents that something was wrong. By the time, their parents entered the bedroom it was too late. They had fully changed, both were standing tall while wearing sickly green fur that was matted down with blood.
In the agony of the change, the twins saw the truth behind the world. Saw how the life they before was nothing but a lie, they had never been human. Humans were something beneath them and vile. Their old way of life was full of false truths, disgusting assumptions and utter lies. The truth hit them and drove them both mad. They descended upon their parents, rending them asunder and leaving the house and their life behind.
In their flight, they instinctively reverted back to the animal mindset, becoming wolves of sickly and rotting green fur, blood shot eyes and bleeding gums. They prowled the suburbs destroying human buildings and eating whenever they could get a bite. Word spread of the feral animals and soon animal control was called in to handle them. The twins were sedated and tagged. Thinking them nothing but simple wolves gone rabid, animal control caged them and was taking them back to be humanely destroyed.
However, the humans weren’t the only ones to hear about the twins. Word of the wolves daylight assaults on humans and rumors of their noon time change drew the attention of the Pure. The Animal Control van was ambushed, its human members murdered and the twins pulled out of their cages. The Pure Immediately recognized these two for what they were and welcomed them. Over the next few years, they were raised properly by the Pure. They found fellowship within the ranks of the Fire-touched. Dillion emerged as a passionate speaker, able to ignite the fires of faith within the hearts of those who listened to him. His brother earned a new name for his condition. The old phrase meaning illness and disease came to represent the other brother, Stoop-gallant. His mind had been broken by the impurities and lies of the world, like the progenitor of the Fire-Touched, Stoop-gallant’s mind was too pure. He would become the new age Gurim-Ur. He was mad and diseased, his affliction would infect the Forsaken.
Royal Coronation Aurora is fully deboxed, and is posed standing, supported by a Kaiser stand. She can free stand, but is very unstable that way. Photographed in daylight.
Review of Royal Coronation Aurora Doll
Her face is pretty, but bland and generic. She only has a passing resemblance to the movie character, as portrayed by Elle Fanning. She doesn't have very realistic features, but looks like an ordinary doll painted to look like an animated character. She has a light complexion, small blue green eyes gazing straight ahead, brown eyebrows, small straight nose, light pink lips on a small mouth, large chin, and light rouge on her cheeks.
She has long golden blonde hair that reaches her hips. There is a solitary long curl hanging from her left side. The rest of her hair is slightly wavy, and is grouped in a single mass, which I left alone. It would look better if it were combed out, but I was afraid that it might get frizzy if I attempted to do so. The hair is shiny and soft, and doesn't appear to have any hair product.
The dress is golden brocaded satin, with a floral design. The underside is very light tan in color. There is also a painted floral overlay in pink and green, which is only in the front of the dress (the front of the skirt and bodice). There is golden lace trim at the hem, waist and collar and cuffs. Her collar and cuffs end in white organza. The skirt is pleated, and almost floor length. The bodice has a high waist, with a golden belt sewn around it. Her sleeves are full length. There is a over sized train sewn to the back of the dress, just below the waist. It made of the same material and has the same decoration as the front of the skirt. Its underside is fully lined with gold satin. The dress looks and feels luxurious, and fit for royalty.
She is wearing tan colored heels, with a simulated strap and an unpainted embossed floral design. She is wearing a gold colored plastic crown that is made to look like a floral wreath, that goes halfway around her head. It is secured only by two T-tab fasteners, so it is not meant to be removed or used on other dolls.
Her body is made of hard plastic throughout. She has seven points of articulation: her neck, shoulders, elbows and hips. Her hands are permanently tilted back to make the standard Princess pose. Her feet are fixed at an angle to wear high heels. Her head can turn 360 degrees around, and can tilt up about 20 degrees, and tilt down 10 degrees. Her arms can swivel about the shoulders 360 degrees, and can tilt about 20 degrees. Her forearms can swivel around her elbows almost 360 degrees, but cannot go completely around. They can tilt back about 20 degrees, and forward about 60 degrees. Her hips can swivel 90 degrees both back and forth, and can tilt out about 30 degrees. She has white painted on underwear, which looks like a strapless one piece bathing suit.
Packaging and Deboxing
It was easy to debox Coronation Aurora, compared to most Disney Store dolls. First step was to remove the clear plastic cover from the box, by cutting the tape around the edges, and lifting the tabs free from the cardboard. Aurora is standing on a small cardboard spacer. Behind her is a printed background from the movie, which is common to all the dolls in this series. There was only plastic T-tab fasteners securing her to the backing and the plastic spacer. It was possible to reach all the fasteners and snip them off, without having to remove the large plastic spacer. It turned out that the fastener that was supposed to go into the back of her head didn't make it past her hair, so she didn't have a post sticking out of her head when I snipped the fastener loose. The other end of the fastener was just laying loose in her hair. There was tissue paper around her legs, but only up to her knees, to make the skirt look fuller in the box.
Purchase Details
I just received the four available Jakks Pacific dolls from the Maleficent movie in single doll packages. I ordered them from Toys R Us on Friday night and got them Tuesday, with free shipping. I appreciated the quick shipping, compared to the Disney Store. The dolls are the following, with links to the TRU site. All the dolls are 11 1/2'' H. The Coronation dolls are $39.95 each, the other two are $19.95.
File name: 10_03_001265b
Binder label: Medical
Title: Carter's Iron Pills for the blood, nerves and complexion. Donât rise - I know how you feel - weak back, trembling, palpitation, headache. - I've had all - but thanks to Carter's Iron Pills I am fully restored and can guarantee they'll do as much for you. (back)
Date issued: 1870-1900 (approximate)
Physical description: 1 print : lithograph ; 11 x 8 cm.
Subject: Women; Patent medicines
Notes: Title from item.
Statement of responsibility: Carter Medicine Co.
Collection: 19th Century American Trade Cards
Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department
Rights: No known restrictions.
Because of their distinction with the other Sudanese social groups, the Rashayda maintained a kind of pride on their particularities. Their thin features, light complexion, men with swords ("it's our tradition and we keep it by fear... to defend our selves" said Ahmed), women with their facial tattoos and black dresses enlivened with colourful beadwork.
Because of their marginal nomadic lifestyle, most of the Rashayda remains illiterate but developed a strong oral tradition. Their stories relates the news they collected from their incursions. The Rashayda tribe challenges the borders: they got involved in Eritrea or keep "family" relations in Arabia. During the war in Eritrea, they smuggled everything and guns ("this tribe is more efficient than any Antonov!" told me a friend). They also took advantage of the Baja decay and the war tensions to extend their pasturages in the increasing no man's land.
No man's land as a tribal territory, is there a paradox? No man's land becoming the territory of marginals is quite common. But the no man's gained by marginal groups to take an important social position, it is quite original. Moreover, when those marginal enter the guerrilla, it becomes more worrying. The Rashayda rebel group, the Free Lions sized a real regional power. No man's land as a territory of the lords of war?
~ Basics ~
Name: Robert Thompson
Virtue: Faith
Vice: Lust
Concept: Psychic
~ Appearance ~
Age: 28
Gender: Male
Height: 6’0
Weight: 180
Eyes: One brown and one milky white
Hair Color: Black
Hair Style: Short, neatly combed
Complexion: a little on the fair side, it’s hard to get a tan in Anchorage
Build: slim and trim
Scars: small one on his left cheeks
Distinguishing Features: his milky right eye
Flaws:
>Soul-Scarred
Lingering injury to soul due to contact with some outer creature. Attracts Acamoth, malevolent ghosts and spirits of negative emotions.
>Touch triggered powers: He doesn’t possess any real control over his powers. When his bare skin touches an object, if there has been a significant event in the item’s past, his powers trigger and he’ll gain a vision of it. To off set this, he tends to keep himself bundled up, wears gloves and turtle necks to limit his skin’s exposure to a potential triggering event.
Derangements:
>Narcissism
Mild
>Vocalization
Mild
~ Possessions ~
Weapons: .9mm, pocket knife
Armor: None
Equipment: Cigarettes, lighter, leather gloves, suit.
Havens: Small office in the Diamond Center, paranormal investigations
Vehicles:
~ Self ~
Personality: Bland, monotonous, is lacking all emotion. incapable feeling emotion, any and all emotion, except when he is using his powers to sense the past. The predominant emotion within his vision will color how he reacts and thinks for the next couple of minutes to hours depending on the strength of the vision. So a murder scene may make him more violent or passionate
History: Since birth, Horace hasn’t been right. There was something off about him from the moment he was born. When he was born, Horace didn’t cry or wail as one would expect. He was silent, alive but eerily silent. That didn’t change as he got older. He never cried because he needed changing, was hungry or scared. When his parents played games with him, he wouldn’t laugh either. He attended to them mimicked their actions but didn’t laugh.
His parents were worried about him but they thought it was a phase. When he was old enough to walk and talk and act like a normal child, emotions started showing up…but at inappropriate times at first. He’d laughed when he got hurt, screamed bloody murder when tickled and smiled during horrors scenes. But slowly things seemed to correct themselves. After a couple more years, he was expressing emotions like everyone else.
That’s what he wanted everyone to think and for a time they believed his act. That was until his parents caught him vivisecting the neighbor’s cat. They were horrified and frightened of their son. They took him to a psychiatrist immediately to figure out what was wrong with their boy of 8. After a battery of exams, the doctor declared him to be a sociopath, he could mimic the emotions people expected but he didn’t feel things like happiness, sadness, or even guilt or shame. Truth was, he never was able to feel them and the past few years, he had been experimenting which emotion fit which stimulus. He dubbed them.
They put him on med in hopes of jump starting true emotions. His parents also began strict education on right and wrong. They pounded a black and white morality code into him, leaving no room for grey because they knew he’d find loopholes if possible and get around it. The drugs however didn’t seem to be working. He was given strong medicine and in higher doses. They resulted in him getting massive headaches and hving his sense of touch almost seem to blurr into his sense of sight like he was seeing what it meant to touch something.
Yet he continued his sociopathic tendancies. They were well hidden for another year or two but soon his his teachers brought up that he hadn’t returned the class hamster yet. The parents alarmed rushed to the bedroom and once again, he had been torturing animals. This time, the doctors proposed an extreme treatment. Electroshock. Nearly overdosing him on the psychotropic drugs, the doctors strapped him down to the bed where it was to take place.
Suddenly the boy cried out in sheer agony, his body writhing and convulsing muscles nearly tearing himselves free of their bone anchors. The boy was being electrocuted without the electricity. This went on for minutes until he slumped exhausted. It turned out, the drugs and the intense emotions in the room rewired his brain, giving him postcognitive and pysochmretric abilities.
Now 2 decades later, he had a grasp of his abilities and curse. He learned that any contact with his bare skin could trigger his powers. He doesn’t have the ability to turn them off. To help keep himself from being driven insane, he covers himself up from neck to toe, wearing turtle necks and gloves to minimize the risk of an accidental vision. However, he’d become addicted to the visions. Having never felt anything before they came, the visions have been his only sources of feeling any real emotions. They’re like a drug to him. In order to sate his addictions, he opened up a paranormal investigation and consulting business…let suckers and police pay him to get his next fix.
This is a complexion comparison between 1959 Debut Barbie and Fuchsia 'N Fur Francie. Their complexions differ. Compare FnF Francie's shoulder with Barbie's chest area. FnF has a reddish-brown complexion while 1959 Barbie Repro has more gray undertones to her dark carmel complexion.
The Kalingas are the indigenous peoples of Kalinga, Philippines. They are generally known to be tall, dark-complexioned, and lissome with high bridsed noses. Physically they are very sturdy and well-built so that their war-like characteristics make them more like soldiers. They are believed to be descendants of the second group of Malays who came to the islands, as presented in Philippine history books.
The name Kalinga is believed to have come from Ibanas Kalinga and Gaddang Kalinga which both mean "headhunters." The Kalingas must have acquired their name because of their tradition of headhuntins during tribal wars.
The Kalingas settle on levelled or terraced areas on the slopes of steep mountains near rivers and streams with free, clear running water through the Chico, Pasil, Tanudan rivers with wide plateaus and floodplains and a large portion of open grass lands.
Many villages or in Kalinga are located in strategic areas where the villagers can be forewarned of intruders, or where the surrounding terrain is rugged and form a natural defense because of "tribal wars". Tribal wars occur when a bodong peace pact system was broken or violated.
The bodong is the most admirable and efficient Kalinga institution. It is a peace pact or treaty between two tribes, wherein the Pagta or laws on inter-tribal relations are made. The bodong is also the Magna Carta of the Kalingas.
The main source of livelihood among the Kalingas is the payew(ricefields) and the uma (swidden farm). Aside from food production, cattle are pastured there, and poultry is raised in the backyard. Small fish (gadiw), shell, and marine life are taken from the rivers. Men hunt for wild pigs, deer, and wild fowl in the forest using spears, indigenous traps or rifles. Fruit trees, coconut, coffee, and bananas are grown while sugarcane is planted and made into basi(wine). Other economic activities among Kalingas are cloth and basket-weaving, blacksmith, and pottery.
The Kalinga household consists of a nuclear family and sometimes, an aged grandparent. In general, the Kalingas show great respect for elders and they are clannish.
The Kalinga society may be stratified into lawa or kapus(poor) and the baknang(wealthy). Among the signs of prestige and wealth are possessions of several ricefields, working animals, heirlooms like china plates and jars, agate head/necklaces, and brass gongs.
The identification of self with the kinship circle could be such that whatever an individual does is the responsibility of the group, and whatever threatens the security of the group must be opposed by the individual.
The monument has a distinctive plan of a square surrounded by an octagonal wall.
External detail of the mausoleum. A private cemetery of historical interest in St Margarets/ Isleworth. A full history and description is included in the set. This mausoleum which is now a grade II* listed building, was originally commissioned by the notorious eccentric of his day, the 2nd Earl of Kilmorey (also nicknamed as 'Black Jack’ Needham due to his dark complexion at times),
The monument was built in 1854 for his mistress, Priscilla Hoste, who had originally been his ward of court.
They suddenly eloped abroad and then eventually returned to Twickenham, where she had a son called Charles in 1844. Unfortunately, Priscilla then became seriously ill in 1851 with a terminal heart condition, with the Earl deciding to set about constructing a suitable memorial for her in 1853.
She eventually died in October 1854, and was interred in secret, with no-one knowing about it for years afterwards.
A noted Victorian architect of his time, Henry Edward Kendall was employed to design the mausoleum, which he did in the popular and fashionable Egyptian revival style. This Egyptian design is believed to have been derived from a plate in a French book ‘Description de I'Eqypte ’ published in 1809. The shape of the building relates to the shrines at the heart of Egyptian Temples - the place where a treasured image of a god was installed.
Inside the Mausoleum is a fine white marble carved relief of the death bed scene of Priscilla, with the young son Charles and the Earl in attendance. It was carved in Rome by portrait sculptor Lawrence Macdonald, using more than one artistic style.
It is thought that the pink and grey granite Egyptian style mausoleum cost around £30,000? (a very large sum of money in the 1850’s!) not including the subsequent moving costs.
The Mausoleum was originally erected on a plot that the Earl had secured at the Brompton Cemetery in London, then subsequently dismantled, moved and re-built twice.
First when the Earl moved to Woburn Park Chertsey in 1862, and being of unconventional nature and restless as well; six years later he was on the move again. The next time, it was moved to its present site at Twickenham in 1868, where he lived in Gordon House; eventually to be part of the Brunel University complex which has subsequently been re-developed.
In his day, Lord Kilmorey owned all the land between the mausoleum site and Gordon House. According to some rumours and fact, and being the true Victorian eccentric; some tunnels were built, the main one apparently having a tramway between Gordon House and the Mausoleum. This ensured his privacy could be maintained, and would not have to leave his own property when the time came for him to join Priscilla in the Mausoleum. It is said that ‘when in the mood’ he would summon his servants, and in secret, dress in ‘white garb’ and proceed through the tunnel to the mausoleum, where he would lie in his coffin. He lived to the grand age of 92, and in 1880 on his death, his final wishes were carried out.
Since then the mausoleum has had a chequered history, and the site passed eventually to Hounslow Borough Council on condition that access would be maintained, although it was not for some time that anyone entered this hidden burial site.
In an extremely neglected condition, responsibility for the site was passed to Richmond Council, and the maintenance of the grounds to The Environment Trust for Richmond upon Thames, where volunteers have worked exceptionally hard over several years, to get the gardens into the condition you see them today.
This Edwardian vitreous enamel advertising sign extols the virtues of Vinolia cream which apparently not only keeps the hands white and the skin soft, it also beautifies the complexion. Must have been good stuff!
This sign is one of Beamish Museum's extensive collection of vitreous enamel advertising signs, many of which are on display around the museum.
Copyright © 2016 Terry Pinnegar Photography. All Rights Reserved. THIS IMAGE IS NOT TO BE USED WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION!
"Gypsy Madonna"
Despite the closed triangle of the group of figures, the "Gypsy Madonna" (probably so called due to her dark complexion) gives the impression of relaxed naturalness. Unlike his teacher Giovanni Bellini, Titian moulds the body not by means of wrapped robes and veils but rather by use of sparing white highlights and subdued shadows. The painter therey shows himself to be of a younger generation for whom the world has become more sensual und tangible. This devotional picture is one of the oldest works of the painter still preserved.
Trotz der geschlossenen Dreiecksform der Figurengruppe gibt die (wohl nach ihrem dunklen Teint benannte) "Zigeunermadonna" den Eindruck entspannter Natürlichkeit. Anders als sein Lehrer Givanni Bellini modelliert Tizian die Körper nicht durch rundgeführte Gewänder und Schleier sondern durch sparsame Weisshöhungen und dezente Schattenpartien. Darin erweist er sich als Maler einer jüngeren Generation, deren Welt sinnlicher, konkreter geworden ist. Das Andachtsbild gehört zu den ältesten erhaltenen Werken des Malers.
Austria Kunsthistorisches Museum
Federal Museum
Logo KHM
Regulatory authority (ies)/organs to the Federal Ministry for Education, Science and Culture
Founded 17 October 1891
Headquartered Castle Ring (Burgring), Vienna 1, Austria
Management Sabine Haag
www.khm.at website
Main building of the Kunsthistorisches Museum at Maria-Theresa-Square
The Kunsthistorisches Museum (KHM abbreviated) is an art museum in Vienna. It is one of the largest and most important museums in the world. It was opened in 1891 and 2012 visited of 1.351.940 million people.
The museum
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is with its opposite sister building, the Natural History Museum (Naturhistorisches Museum), the most important historicist large buildings of the Ringstrasse time. Together they stand around the Maria Theresa square, on which also the Maria Theresa monument stands. This course spans the former glacis between today's ring road and 2-line, and is forming a historical landmark that also belongs to World Heritage Site Historic Centre of Vienna.
History
Archduke Leopold Wilhelm in his Gallery
The Museum came from the collections of the Habsburgs, especially from the portrait and armor collections of Ferdinand of Tyrol, the collection of Emperor Rudolf II (most of which, however scattered) and the art collection of Archduke Leopold Wilhelm into existence. Already In 1833 asked Joseph Arneth, curator (and later director) of the Imperial Coins and Antiquities Cabinet, bringing together all the imperial collections in a single building .
Architectural History
The contract to build the museum in the city had been given in 1858 by Emperor Franz Joseph. Subsequently, many designs were submitted for the ring road zone. Plans by August Sicard von Sicardsburg and Eduard van der Null planned to build two museum buildings in the immediate aftermath of the Imperial Palace on the left and right of the Heroes' Square (Heldenplatz). The architect Ludwig Förster planned museum buildings between the Schwarzenberg Square and the City Park, Martin Ritter von Kink favored buildings at the corner Währingerstraße/ Scots ring (Schottenring), Peter Joseph, the area Bellariastraße, Moritz von Loehr the south side of the opera ring, and Ludwig Zettl the southeast side of the grain market (Getreidemarkt).
From 1867, a competition was announced for the museums, and thereby set their current position - at the request of the Emperor, the museum should not be too close to the Imperial Palace, but arise beyond the ring road. The architect Carl von Hasenauer participated in this competition and was able the at that time in Zürich operating Gottfried Semper to encourage to work together. The two museum buildings should be built here in the sense of the style of the Italian Renaissance. The plans got the benevolence of the imperial family. In April 1869, there was an audience with of Joseph Semper at the Emperor Franz Joseph and an oral contract was concluded, in July 1870 was issued the written order to Semper and Hasenauer.
Crucial for the success of Semper and Hasenauer against the projects of other architects were among others Semper's vision of a large building complex called "Imperial Forum", in which the museums would have been a part of. Not least by the death of Semper in 1879 came the Imperial Forum not as planned for execution, the two museums were built, however.
Construction of the two museums began without ceremony on 27 November 1871 instead. Semper moved to Vienna in the sequence. From the beginning, there were considerable personal differences between him and Hasenauer, who finally in 1877 took over sole construction management. 1874, the scaffolds were placed up to the attic and the first floor completed, built in 1878, the first windows installed in 1879, the Attica and the balustrade from 1880 to 1881 and built the dome and the Tabernacle. The dome is topped with a bronze statue of Pallas Athena by Johannes Benk.
The lighting and air conditioning concept with double glazing of the ceilings made the renunciation of artificial light (especially at that time, as gas light) possible, but this resulted due to seasonal variations depending on daylight to different opening times .
Kuppelhalle
Entrance (by clicking the link at the end of the side you can see all the pictures here indicated!)
Grand staircase
Hall
Empire
The Kunsthistorisches Museum was on 17 October 1891 officially opened by Emperor Franz Joseph I. Since 22 October 1891 , the museum is accessible to the public. Two years earlier, on 3 November 1889, the collection of arms, Arms and Armour today, had their doors open. On 1 January 1890 the library service resumed its operations. The merger and listing of other collections of the Highest Imperial Family from the Upper and Lower Belvedere, the Hofburg Palace and Ambras in Tyrol will need another two years.
189, the farm museum was organized in seven collections with three directorates:
Directorate of coins, medals and antiquities collection
The Egyptian Collection
The Antique Collection
The coins and medals collection
Management of the collection of weapons, art and industrial objects
Weapons collection
Collection of industrial art objects
Directorate of Art Gallery and Restaurieranstalt (Restoration Office)
Collection of watercolors, drawings, sketches, etc.
Restoration Office
Library
Very soon the room the Court Museum (Hofmuseum) for the imperial collections was offering became too narrow. To provide temporary help, an exhibition of ancient artifacts from Ephesus in the Theseus Temple was designed. However, additional space had to be rented in the Lower Belvedere.
1914, after the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne, his " Estonian Forensic Collection " passed to the administration of the Court Museum. This collection, which emerged from the art collection of the house of d' Este and world travel collection of Franz Ferdinand, was placed in the New Imperial Palace since 1908. For these stocks, the present collection of old musical instruments and the Museum of Ethnology emerged.
The First World War went by, apart from the oppressive economic situation without loss. The farm museum remained during the five years of war regularly open to the public.
Until 1919 the K.K. Art Historical Court Museum was under the authority of the Oberstkämmereramt (head chamberlain office) and belonged to the House of Habsburg-Lorraine. The officials and employees were part of the royal household.
First Republic
The transition from monarchy to republic, in the museum took place in complete tranquility. On 19 November 1918 the two imperial museums on Maria Theresa Square were placed under the state protection of the young Republic of German Austria. Threatening to the stocks of the museum were the claims raised in the following weeks and months of the "successor states" of the monarchy as well as Italy and Belgium on Austrian art collection. In fact, it came on 12th February 1919 to the violent removal of 62 paintings by armed Italian units. This "art theft" left a long time trauma among curators and art historians.
It was not until the Treaty of Saint-Germain of 10 September 1919, providing in Article 195 and 196 the settlement of rights in the cultural field by negotiations. The claims of Belgium, Czechoslovakia, and Italy again could mostly being averted in this way. Only Hungary, which presented the greatest demands by far, was met by more than ten years of negotiation in 147 cases.
On 3 April 1919 was the expropriation of the House of Habsburg-Lorraine by law and the acquisition of its property, including the "Collections of the Imperial House" , by the Republic. Of 18 June 1920 the then provisional administration of the former imperial museums and collections of Este and the secular and clergy treasury passed to the State Office of Internal Affairs and Education, since 10 November 1920, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and Education. A few days later it was renamed the Art History Court Museum in the "Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna State", 1921 "Kunsthistorisches Museum" . Of 1st January 1921 the employees of the museum staff passed to the state of the Republic.
Through the acquisition of the former imperial collections owned by the state, the museum found itself in a complete new situation. In order to meet the changed circumstances in the museum area, designed Hans Tietze in 1919 the "Vienna Museum program". It provided a close cooperation between the individual museums to focus at different houses on main collections. So dominated exchange, sales and equalizing the acquisition policy in the interwar period. Thus resulting until today still valid collection trends. Also pointing the way was the relocation of the weapons collection from 1934 in its present premises in the New Castle, where since 1916 the collection of ancient musical instruments was placed.
With the change of the imperial collections in the ownership of the Republic the reorganization of the internal organization went hand in hand, too. Thus the museum was divided in 1919 into the
Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection (with the Oriental coins)
Collection of Classical Antiquities
Collection of ancient coins
Collection of modern coins and medals
Weapons collection
Collection of sculptures and crafts with the Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments
Picture Gallery
The Museum 1938-1945
Count Philipp Ludwig Wenzel Sinzendorf according to Rigaud. Clarisse 1948 by Baroness de Rothschildt "dedicated" to the memory of Baron Alphonse de Rothschildt; restituted to the Rothschilds in 1999, and in 1999 donated by Bettina Looram Rothschild, the last Austrian heiress.
With the "Anschluss" of Austria to the German Reich all Jewish art collections such as the Rothschilds were forcibly "Aryanised". Collections were either "paid" or simply distributed by the Gestapo at the museums. This resulted in a significant increase in stocks. But the KHM was not the only museum that benefited from the linearization. Systematically looted Jewish property was sold to museums, collections or in pawnshops throughout the empire.
After the war, the museum struggled to reimburse the "Aryanised" art to the owners or their heirs. They forced the Rothschild family to leave the most important part of their own collection to the museum and called this "dedications", or "donations". As a reason, was the export law stated, which does not allow owners to perform certain works of art out of the country. Similar methods were used with other former owners. Only on the basis of international diplomatic and media pressure, to a large extent from the United States, the Austrian government decided to make a change in the law (Art Restitution Act of 1998, the so-called Lex Rothschild). The art objects were the Rothschild family refunded only in the 1990s.
The Kunsthistorisches Museum operates on the basis of the federal law on the restitution of art objects from the 4th December 1998 (Federal Law Gazette I, 181 /1998) extensive provenance research. Even before this decree was carried out in-house provenance research at the initiative of the then archive director Herbert Haupt. This was submitted in 1998 by him in collaboration with Lydia Grobl a comprehensive presentation of the facts about the changes in the inventory levels of the Kunsthistorisches Museum during the Nazi era and in the years leading up to the State Treaty of 1955, an important basis for further research provenance.
The two historians Susanne Hehenberger and Monika Löscher are since 1st April 2009 as provenance researchers at the Kunsthistorisches Museum on behalf of the Commission for Provenance Research operating and they deal with the investigation period from 1933 to the recent past.
The museum today
Today the museum is as a federal museum, with 1st January 1999 released to the full legal capacity - it was thus the first of the state museums of Austria, implementing the far-reaching self-financing. It is by far the most visited museum in Austria with 1.3 million visitors (2007).
The Kunsthistorisches Museum is under the name Kunsthistorisches Museum and Museum of Ethnology and the Austrian Theatre Museum with company number 182081t since 11 June 1999 as a research institution under public law of the Federal virtue of the Federal Museums Act, Federal Law Gazette I/115/1998 and the Museum of Procedure of the Kunsthistorisches Museum and Museum of Ethnology and the Austrian Theatre Museum, 3 January 2001, BGBl II 2/ 2001, in force since 1 January 2001, registered.
In fiscal 2008, the turnover was 37.185 million EUR and total assets amounted to EUR 22.204 million. In 2008 an average of 410 workers were employed.
Management
1919-1923: Gustav Glück as the first chairman of the College of science officials
1924-1933: Hermann Julius Hermann 1924-1925 as the first chairman of the College of the scientific officers in 1925 as first director
1933: Arpad Weixlgärtner first director
1934-1938: Alfred Stix first director
1938-1945: Fritz Dworschak 1938 as acting head, from 1938 as a chief in 1941 as first director
1945-1949: August von Loehr 1945-1948 as executive director of the State Art Collections in 1949 as general director of the historical collections of the Federation
1945-1949: Alfred Stix 1945-1948 as executive director of the State Art Collections in 1949 as general director of art historical collections of the Federation
1949-1950: Hans Demel as administrative director
1950: Karl Wisoko-Meytsky as general director of art and historical collections of the Federation
1951-1952: Fritz Eichler as administrative director
1953-1954: Ernst H. Buschbeck as administrative director
1955-1966: Vincent Oberhammer 1955-1959 as administrative director, from 1959 as first director
1967: Edward Holzmair as managing director
1968-1972: Erwin Auer first director
1973-1981: Friderike Klauner first director
1982-1990: Hermann Fillitz first director
1990: George Kugler as interim first director
1990-2008: Wilfried Seipel as general director
Since 2009: Sabine Haag as general director
Collections
To the Kunsthistorisches Museum are also belonging the collections of the New Castle, the Austrian Theatre Museum in Palais Lobkowitz, the Museum of Ethnology and the Wagenburg (wagon fortress) in an outbuilding of Schönbrunn Palace. A branch office is also Ambras in Innsbruck.
Kunsthistorisches Museum (main building)
Picture Gallery
Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection
Collection of Classical Antiquities
Vienna Chamber of Art
Numismatic Collection
Library
New Castle
Ephesus Museum
Collection of Ancient Musical Instruments
Arms and Armour
Archive
Hofburg
The imperial crown in the Treasury
Imperial Treasury of Vienna
Insignia of the Austrian Hereditary Homage
Insignia of imperial Austria
Insignia of the Holy Roman Empire
Burgundian Inheritance and the Order of the Golden Fleece
Habsburg-Lorraine Household Treasure
Ecclesiastical Treasury
Schönbrunn Palace
Imperial Carriage Museum Vienna
Armory in Ambras Castle
Ambras Castle
Collections of Ambras Castle
Major exhibits
Among the most important exhibits of the Art Gallery rank inter alia:
Jan van Eyck: Cardinal Niccolò Albergati, 1438
Martin Schongauer: Holy Family, 1475-80
Albrecht Dürer : Trinity Altar, 1509-16
Portrait Johann Kleeberger, 1526
Parmigianino: Self Portrait in Convex Mirror, 1523/24
Giuseppe Arcimboldo: Summer 1563
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio: Madonna of the Rosary 1606/ 07
Caravaggio: Madonna of the Rosary (1606-1607)
Titian: Nymph and Shepherd to 1570-75
Portrait of Jacopo de Strada, 1567/68
Raffaello Santi: Madonna of the Meadow, 1505 /06
Lorenzo Lotto: Portrait of a young man against white curtain, 1508
Peter Paul Rubens: The altar of St. Ildefonso, 1630-32
The Little Fur, about 1638
Jan Vermeer: The Art of Painting, 1665/66
Pieter Bruegel the Elder: Fight between Carnival and Lent, 1559
Kids, 1560
Tower of Babel, 1563
Christ Carrying the Cross, 1564
Gloomy Day (Early Spring), 1565
Return of the Herd (Autumn), 1565
Hunters in the Snow (Winter) 1565
Bauer and bird thief, 1568
Peasant Wedding, 1568/69
Peasant Dance, 1568/69
Paul's conversion (Conversion of St Paul), 1567
Cabinet of Curiosities:
Saliera from Benvenuto Cellini 1539-1543
Egyptian-Oriental Collection:
Mastaba of Ka Ni Nisut
Collection of Classical Antiquities:
Gemma Augustea
Treasure of Nagyszentmiklós
Gallery: Major exhibits