Indian Marriage & Wedding Ceremonies. (ONLY ur BEST)
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In the Aga Khan Park, experience Javid a.k.a JAH’s The Mingling of the (two) Oceans inside the Reflecting Pools. The 10-piece installation features paintings on re-purposed corrugated steel, and explores Vedic and Sufi sacred geometries (e.g. chakras and muqarnas).
The Aga Khan Museum offers visitors a window into the artistic, intellectual, and scientific heritage of Muslim civilizations across the centuries from the Iberian Peninsula to China.
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In the Aga Khan Park, experience Javid a.k.a JAH’s The Mingling of the (two) Oceans inside the Reflecting Pools. The 10-piece installation features paintings on re-purposed corrugated steel, and explores Vedic and Sufi sacred geometries (e.g. chakras and muqarnas).
The Aga Khan Museum offers visitors a window into the artistic, intellectual, and scientific heritage of Muslim civilizations across the centuries from the Iberian Peninsula to China.
Its mission is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage. Through education, research, and collaboration, the Museum will foster dialogue and promote cross-cultural understanding.
As a vibrant educational institution, the Museum encourages the full spectrum of public engagement with its diverse Permanent Collection of more than 1,000 objects and its changing roster of exhibitions and innovative programs — including music and dance performances, theatre, lectures, workshops, and film screenings.
The Aga Khan Museum has an international mandate. It enjoys strong ties with such institutions as the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha while remaining deeply committed to forging relationships with Canadian institutions and communities. Together, these global and local connections generate exciting opportunities to enhance scholarship, inspire temporary exhibitions, and produce public programs honouring the spirit of collaboration upon which the Museum is built.
Vedic Astrology refers to Indian or Hindu astrology, a system that originated in ancient India and which was documented by sages in the Vedic scriptures. Also known as "Jyotish"—the science of light—Vedic astrology deals with astral light patterns that are thought to determine our destiny.
The term “Vedic” is often used to express the idea that this astrology is a sacred science, which was revealed by the Rishis, the founders of Vedic wisdom, more than 5000 years ago and was handed down from generation to generation without any changes until the present day.
The difference between vedic & western lies in the fact that while Vedic astrology is based on the fixed zodiac concept, Western astrology uses the moving zodiac concept. ... Astronomical Differences between Western and Vedic Astrology. The basic difference between the two systems is that the Vedic zodiac is Sidereal and the Western is Tropical.
Yearly predictions based on Vedic astrology are more accurate and reliable than those based on Western astrology. Sage / Maharishi Bhrigu is the father of Jyotish (Vedic astrology).
According to Vedic spirituality practice, the four months of raining season is also known Caturmasya. In these months, generally it is believed that the people in India fast and perform austerity. They fast from certain food on different months that is usually between July and October (varies according to the Vedic calendar).
In the last month of Caturmasya, it is known as Karthik. There is a pastime in this month that Mother Yashoda binds her son, Damodara's (Krishna) waist and tied Him against the mortar between two trees. The picture depicts the apprehension of Damodara as Mother Yashoda managed to catch Him after a long long time of chasing around the courtyard for breaking the butter pots and feeding the butter to the monkeys.
Also in this month of Karthik, devotees of Krishna will offer lit up candles and offer to Damodara throughout the entire month.
Thank you for viewing. If you like please fav and leave a nice comment. Hope to see you here again. Have a wonderful day 😊
ISKCON London 🇬🇧
29th October, 2019
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLsiWN5b-hQ
Translation:
Oh Divine Force, Spirit of All Creation, Highest Personality,
Divine Presence, manifest in every living being.
Supreme Soul manifested as the Divine Mother and as the Divine.
This mantra is basically a prayer which states the names of God in Sanskrit, asking for protection and freedom from all sorrow and suffering.
It is a Vedic prayer that adores the great creator and liberator, who out of love and compassion manifests, to protect us, in an earthly form.
Chanting this mantra benefits include the revitalization of all cells with divine energy and blessings for a happy life.
For those who have chanted or even listened to it, the Moola Mantra has given great peace and joy to people all around the world. It has the power to transport one’s mind to the state of Causeless Love and Limitless Joy. The calmness that this mantra can give is to be experienced, not spoken about.
All auspiciousness and serenity is yours simply by chanting or listening to this magnificent Mantra. Even without knowing the meaning of it, this chant carries divine power. But when you know the meaning and chant with feeling in your heart, the energy will flow a million times more powerfully. Also, reciting or just hearing this mantra can expand our level of consciousness.
That's a rather old one 😊, new to macro photography I was really going for it at the time, pretty industrious. This was in autumn, in a cold shadowy trench, couldn't see shit through the viewfinder, just super dark (reversed lens = no aperture coupling, plus a bunch of extension tubes), and my DIY paper flash diffusor got soggy and limp really fast as well, tumbling all over the place (now, my latest versions have a proper rotating mount and a thin wire frame to prevent that, and also for shaping), but it looks like I made that up with motivation and patience, resulting in lots of photos (to weed through) and so the occasional nice frame happend. 📷
(Ad title: A simile used in Hindu / Buddhist philosophy to (amongst other concepts) illustrate co-dependant arising of phenomena; it's an infinitely large net of droplets, pearls or jewels, each recursively mirroring everything else, owned by the Vedic deva Indra.)
I see Flickr placed more 'ads', that also derange the overall site layout, like the side bar does. Niice.., still trying to harass people into getting Pro it seems.
Huh, is it possible that they got rid of the iStock block? (Not gonna pretend I actually look at this stuff.) To just not care or place value on the site appears to be the best strategy, ..unfortunately. When the wind blows, the trees bend.
Nikon D90 (APS-C crop sensor / DX)
Minolta MD ROKKOR 28mm f/2.8 prime
Tridax 49mm reverse mount for Nikon F
ISO200, reversed 28mm, f/8, 1/160sec
reproduction ratio: ~ 1 : 1, single shot
extension tubes, pop-up flash with DIY
medium size paper diffusor, handheld
In the Aga Khan Park, experience Javid a.k.a JAH’s The Mingling of the (two) Oceans inside the Reflecting Pools. The 10-piece installation features paintings on re-purposed corrugated steel, and explores Vedic and Sufi sacred geometries (e.g. chakras and muqarnas).
The Aga Khan Museum offers visitors a window into the artistic, intellectual, and scientific heritage of Muslim civilizations across the centuries from the Iberian Peninsula to China.
Its mission is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage. Through education, research, and collaboration, the Museum will foster dialogue and promote cross-cultural understanding.
As a vibrant educational institution, the Museum encourages the full spectrum of public engagement with its diverse Permanent Collection of more than 1,000 objects and its changing roster of exhibitions and innovative programs — including music and dance performances, theatre, lectures, workshops, and film screenings.
The Aga Khan Museum has an international mandate. It enjoys strong ties with such institutions as the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha while remaining deeply committed to forging relationships with Canadian institutions and communities. Together, these global and local connections generate exciting opportunities to enhance scholarship, inspire temporary exhibitions, and produce public programs honouring the spirit of collaboration upon which the Museum is built. 1
Over 20-years old painting The time goes by Thanks for comment and fav,much appreciated! Have a lovely day!😊
In the Aga Khan Park, experience Javid a.k.a JAH’s The Mingling of the (two) Oceans inside the Reflecting Pools. The 10-piece installation features paintings on re-purposed corrugated steel, and explores Vedic and Sufi sacred geometries (e.g. chakras and muqarnas).
The Aga Khan Museum offers visitors a window into the artistic, intellectual, and scientific heritage of Muslim civilizations across the centuries from the Iberian Peninsula to China.
I brahmani dell'epoca vedica seguirono l'esempio di Prajapati, che aveva duellato a lungo con Morte., rivaleggiando con lei nei sacrifici - e stava per abbandonare la partita, sfibrato, inadeguato, quando gli balenò la SAMPAD, l'equivalenza numerica, geometria impressa sulla luce, e allora vide che la vasta dispersione di ciò che viveva, ma soprattutto moriva, poteva articolarsi in rapporti che non si deterioravano. Ciò che la mente vede, quando coglie un nesso, lo vede per sempre. La mente può rovinare, insieme con il corpo che la sostiene, ma il rapporto sussiste, indelebile. Creando un edificio fatto di connessioni credettero, come già il loro avo Prajapati, di avere sconfitto Morte. Si convinsero che il male è inesattezza. Così morirono più tranquilli.
(R.Calasso, da "KA")
In the Aga Khan Park, experience Javid a.k.a JAH’s The Mingling of the (two) Oceans inside the Reflecting Pools. The 10-piece installation features paintings on re-purposed corrugated steel, and explores Vedic and Sufi sacred geometries (e.g. chakras and muqarnas).
The Aga Khan Museum offers visitors a window into the artistic, intellectual, and scientific heritage of Muslim civilizations across the centuries from the Iberian Peninsula to China.
Its mission is to foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the contribution that Muslim civilizations have made to world heritage. Through education, research, and collaboration, the Museum will foster dialogue and promote cross-cultural understanding.
As a vibrant educational institution, the Museum encourages the full spectrum of public engagement with its diverse Permanent Collection of more than 1,000 objects and its changing roster of exhibitions and innovative programs — including music and dance performances, theatre, lectures, workshops, and film screenings.
The Aga Khan Museum has an international mandate. It enjoys strong ties with such institutions as the Musée du Louvre in Paris, the State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, and the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha while remaining deeply committed to forging relationships with Canadian institutions and communities. Together, these global and local connections generate exciting opportunities to enhance scholarship, inspire temporary exhibitions, and produce public programs honouring the spirit of collaboration upon which the Museum is built. 4
Within the Great Tree
That is my Life
Sing two birds of note:
One flits around from branch to branch
Sometimes joyously intoxicated
Sometimes devastatingly morose
It seems to stretch with every sound
Towards that other Bird
Waiting there in the higher branches
The illuminated- immovable One
That lives in a dimension beyond
The world of the five senses
Singing with such sweetness
Such profoundness
Bringing forth the essence
Of all that is possible
In the Universe of Music
This mysterious Songbird
Enraptures the aching one
Exudes an invitation
To experience more than the tree
As if every note
Contained the essence of Eternity
The immortal seed of Creation
The ecstasy of abundant Peace
The fixed point of Meditation
The wellspring of all Songs
The sacred Source
Reverberating Asupiciously
from Absolute Silence
©Ganga Fondan, 2016
The Ancients of the Vedic culture used to describe the soul and the Great Soul as two birds singing within each of us. Every soul is enmeshed with earthly life and experiences a restlessness and is ever in contact with another bird which represents the Great Oness within which sings its Divine inspirations straight from Source and sings the Music which shows the soul its true Home. More and more I feel this to be true within my Heart and whenever I forget, the soul gets agitated and needs to listen and look up to its Divine Essence again.
Diyas and Agarbattis (Incense sticks) on the ghat during Chhath Puja celebrations, an ancient Hindu Vedic festival celebrated 6 days after Diwali.
Students of Gurukul vedic school of varanasi performing early morning prayers near river ganges in one of the ghats of Varanasi.
Varanasi | Uttarpradesh | Feb '17
It Exists !
नाणेघाट सुमारे सव्वादोन हजार वर्षापूर्वी खोदला गेला. प्रतिष्ठान ही सातवाहनांची राजधानी. सातवाहन काळात कल्याण ते प्रतिष्ठान (जुन्नर) या राजमार्गावर नाणेघाटात डोंगर फोडून ह्या मार्गाची निर्मिती केली गेली. सातवाहन कुल हे महाराष्ट्रातील प्राचीन असे कुल आहे आणि त्यांचे राज्य इ.स पूर्व अडीचशे वर्ष तर ते इ.स नंतर अडीचशे वर्षेअसे जवळजवळ पाचशे वर्ष होते. प्राचीन काळी कल्याण बंदरामध्ये परकीय लोक विशेषतः रोमन व्यापारी आपला माल घोडे अथवा बैलावर वाहून नेत असत. हा माल प्रामुख्याने सातवाहन काळातील राजधानी असलेल्या प्रतिष्ठान नगरीत व्यापारासाठी नेला जाई. या व्यापार्यांकडून जकात जमा केली जाई. त्या जकातीचा दगडी रांजण आजही येथे पहावयास मिळतो. नाणेघाटाची संरक्षक फळी ही शिवनेरी, हडसर, चावंड आणि जीवधन या चार किल्ल्यांनी बनलेली आहे. साठ मीटर लांब आणि जागोजागी दोन ते पाच मीटर रूंद अशी ही नाणेघाटाची नळी आहे. या नळीच्या मुखाशी एक दगडी रांजण आहे. अदमासे चार फूट व्यासाचा आणि पाच फूट उंचीचा हा रांजण पूर्वी जकातीसाठी वापरला जात असे. जकातकर रुपाने यात तत्कालीन 'कर्षापण' नावाची नाणी टाकली जात असत. नाणेघाट चढून गेल्यावर प्रथम दर्शनी दृष्टिक्षेपात पडणारी कातळात कोरलेली ऐसपैस आणि सुंदर गुहा हेच येथील महत्वपूर्ण वैशिष्ट होय. या गुहेत साधारणतः ४०-४५ जण राहू शकतात. सध्या वापरण्यात येणा-या गुहेत तिन्ही भिंतीवर लेख आहेत. हा लेख एकूण २० ओळींचा असून मध्य भागातील भिंतीवर १० तर उजवीकडील भागावर दहा ओळी आहेत. हा लेख ब्राम्ही लिपीतला असून या लेखामध्ये अनेक अंकनिर्दिष्ठ संख्या आहेत.
Naneghat (Marathi: नाणेघाट) is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats range near Junnar in Pune district of Maharashtra, India. During the reign of the Satavahana (200 BCE–190 CE), the pass was extensively used as a trade route between Kalyan and Junnar.[1] Literally, the name nane means "coin" and ghat means "pass". The name is given because this path was used as a tollbooth to collect toll from traders crossing the hills.
The inscriptions in the caves indicate that they are the work of Satavahana rulers who came into prominence after the fall of the Mauryan empire. It is believed that a powerful woman ruler Naganika, the wife of Satakarni (180–170 BCE) of the Satavahana family commissioned the cave, the statues and the inscriptions. Inscriptions in the cave mention her and her family members. Though the statues adorning the sides of the rectangular cave are now gone, the inscriptions still record some of the achievements of the dynasty. The Naneghat records have proved very important in establishing the history of the region. Vedic Gods like Yama (Hinduism) Indra, Chandra and Surya are mentioned here. The mention of Samkarsana and Vasudeva indicate the prevalence of Bhagavata form of Hinduism in the Satavahana dynasty.
Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple is a Vedic temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu located in Thiruvananthapuram, India, in the state of Kerala. The shrine is run by a trust headed by the royal family of Travancore.
The Temple has references in Epics and Puranas. Srimad Bhagavatha says that Balarama visited this Temple, bathed in Padmatheertham and made several offerings. Nammalwar, 9th century poet and one among the 12 Vaishnavite saints of the Alvar tradition, has composed ten hymns in praise of Lord Padmanabha. Some well known scholars, writers and historians, like the late Dr. L.A.Ravi Varma of Travancore, have expressed the view that this Temple was established on the first day of Kali Yuga (which is over 5000 years ago). The legends of the Temple are handed down through the centuries. One such legend which finds a place in the old palm leaf records of the Temple, as also in the famous grantha entitled “Ananthasayana Mahatmya”, mentions that it was consecrated by a Tulu Brahmin hermit named Divakara Muni. On the 950th year of Kali Yuga a reinstallation of the idol was done. In the 960th Kali year King Kotha Marthandan built the Abhisravana Mandapam.
The story as narrated in the Ananthasayana Mahatmya goes as follows:
Divakara Muni was a great Vishnu Bhaktha. While at ‘Aanarthadesa’, he performed deep tapas. One day Maha Vishnu appeared before the sage as a lovely child. The charming child attracted the attention of the sage. He requested the God-child to stay with him. The child made his stay conditional. Accordingly, the Sanyasi should treat him with respect. On failing to do so, he would vanish at once. This was accepted and the child stayed with him. The hermit gave him great care and tolerated the childish pranks. One day, when the sanyasi was in deep meditation at his prayers, the child took the ‘salagram’ which the sanyasi was using for worship and put it into his mouth and made such a nuisance of himself that Divakara Mini was greatly angered and could tolerate it no further. He thereupon chastised the child. In accordance with the earlier agreement, immediately the child ran away and disappeared from the spot. While going he said, “If you wish to see me again, you will find me again in Ananthankaadu”. It was only then that Divakara Muni realized who his erstwhile child guest had been. The hermit was stricken with inconsolable grief and for many days followed what, he believed was the route taken by the child foregoing food, rest and sleep in the process.
Finally he reached a wooded area near the sea coast, caught a glimpse of the child disappearing into a huge ‘Ilappa’ tree. Immediately the tree fell into the ground and it assumed the form of Sree Maha Vishnu. The divine form had its head at ‘Thiruvallam’(a place about 3 miles from East Fort at where the Temple of Sree Padmanabha Swamy is located) and its feet at ‘Trippapur’ (5 miles away towards the north). Overawed by the majesty and the size of the divine form, which manifested before him, the Sanyasi prayed to the Lord to condense Himself in size so that he could behold Him. There upon the image of the Lord shrank to a size, three times the length of the Sanyasy’s Yoga Dand. His prayers had been granted. He immediately offered a raw mango in a coconut shell(still this offering continues). The Lord ordained that, poojas to Him should be conducted by Tulu Brahmins. To this day half the number of poojaris(priests) in this Temple represent Tulu region.
Source:http://www.sreepadmanabhaswamytemple.org
A shot taken during a photo walk in Tanjore. This place was made up of complete swamp and dumped buildings. Here's one such.
This would have been more effective if i had taken it in fisheye. but none the less, the color and mood of this picture , i guess, compensates that.
There is a photographer called Ajay Menon from india (kerla) one of the best i know when it comes to mood and color of the pictures (www.flickr.com/photos/ajaymenon/) Inspired the color from him !.
Vedic Enlightenment !
Situated on the banks of Ganges Varanashi is the spiritual capital of India particularly for the Hindus. At Dashaswamedh Ghats (banks with stairs that leads to the river) many devotees and saints assemble during Aarti (evening prayer). The saint id the picture clad typical Vedic dresses and accessories.
This lighted lamp signifies the Vedic chant "Thamaso ma jyothirgamaya" that means "Lead me from darkness to light". Let us usher the new year 2014 to remove all elements of darkness like hatred from the human mind and fill them with light...the light of love
The genesis of modern understanding of Greek mythology is regarded by some scholars as a double reaction at the end of the 18th century against "the traditional attitude of Christian animosity mixed with disdain, which had prevailed for centuries", in which the Christian reinterpretation of myth as a "lie" or fable had been retained.[1] In Germany, by about 1795, there was a growing interest in Homer and Greek mythology. In Göttingen Johann Matthias Gesner began to revive Greek studies and a new humanistic spirit. His successor, Christian Gottlob Heyne, worked with Johann Joachim Winckelmann, and laid the foundations for mythological research both in Germany and elsewhere. Heyne approached the myth as a philologist and shaped the educated Germans' conception of antiquity for nearly half a century, during which ancient Greece exerted an intense influence on intellectual life in Germany.The development of comparative philology in the 19th century, together with ethnological discoveries in the 20th century, established the science of myth. Since the Romantics, all study of myth has been comparative. Wilhelm Mannhardt, Sir James Frazer, and Stith Thompson employed the comparative approach to collect and classify the themes of folklore and mythology.In 1871 Edward Burnett Tylor published his Primitive Culture, in which he applied the comparative method and tried to explain the origin and evolution of religion.] Tylor's procedure of drawing together material culture, ritual and myth of widely separated cultures influenced both Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell. According to Robert Segal, however, Campbell’s "romantic view of myth is the opposite of a rationalist view, one epitomized by the Victorian anthropologists Edward Tylor and James Frazer".J.F. del Giorgio has added a new turn to the comparative approach, insisting in The Oldest Europeans about present Greek myths being generated by the clash between a Paleolithic European population and the incoming Indo-European tribes.Max Müller applied the new science of comparative mythology to the study of myth, in which he detected the distorted remains of Aryan nature worship. Bronisław Malinowski emphasized the ways myth fulfills common social functions. Claude Lévi-Strauss and other structuralists have compared the formal relations and patterns in myths throughout the world.Evans himself, while studying the Minoan world, drew regularly on Egyptian and Near Eastern evidence for comparison, and the discovery of the Hittite and Ugaritic civilizations has uncovered texts as well as monuments which offer comparative material for ritual and mythology.Sigmund Freud put forward the idea that symbolic communication does not depend on cultural history alone but also on the workings of the psyche. Thus Freud introduced a transhistorical and biological conception of man and a view of myth as an expression of repressed ideas. Dream interpretation is the basis of Freudian myth interpretation and Freud's concept of dreamwork recognizes the importance of contextual relationships for the interpretation of any individual element in a dream. This suggestion would find an important point of rapprochment between the structuralist and psychoanalytic approaches to myth in Freud's thought.Carl Jung extended the transhistorical, psychological approach with his theory of the "collective unconscious" and the archetypes (inherited "archaic" patterns), often encoded in myth, that arise out of it.According to Jung, "myth-forming structural elements must be present in the unconscious psyche".[10] Comparing Jung's methodology with Campbell's theory, Segal concludes that "to interpret a myth Campbell simply identifies the archetypes in it. An interpretation of the Odyssey, for example, would show how Odysseus’s life conforms to a heroic pattern. Jung, by contrast, considers the identification of archetypes merely the first step in the interpretation of a myth".[5] For Jung, myth is no more about gods than about the physical world; it is about the human mind and must be read symbolically. Karl Kerenyi, one of the founders of modern studies in Greek mythology, gave up his early views of myth, in order to apply Jung's theories of archetypes to Greek myth.The origins of Greek mythology are an open question. In antiquity, historians such as Herodotus theorized that the Greek gods had been stolen directly from the Egyptians. Later on, Christian writers tried to explain Hellenic paganism through degeneration of Biblical religion. According to the Scriptural theory, all mythological legends (including Greek mythology) are derived from the narratives of the Scriptures, though the real facts have been disguised and altered. Thus Deucalion is another name for Noah, Hercules for Samson, Arion for Jonah etc.] According to the Historical Theory all the persons mentioned in mythology were once real human beings, and the legends relating to them are merely the additions of later times. Thus the story of Aeolus is supposed to have risen from the fact that Aeolus was the ruler of some islands in the Tyrrhenian Sea.The Allegorical theory supposes that all the ancient myths were allegorical and symbolical. According to the Physical theory the elements of air, fire, and water were originally the objects of religious adoration, and the principal deities were personifications of the powers of nature.The sciences of archaeology and linguistics have been applied to the origins of Greek mythology with some interesting results. Historical linguistics indicates that particular aspects of the Greek pantheon were inherited from Indo-European society (or perhaps both cultures borrowed from another earlier source), as were the roots of the Greek language. Prominent Sanskritist Max Müller attempted to understand an Indo-European religious form by tracing it back to its Aryan, Vedic, "original" manifestation. In 1891, he claimed that "the most important discovery which has been made during the nineteenth century with respect to the ancient history of mankind [...] was this sample equation: Sanskrit Dyaus-pitar = Greek Zeus = Latin Jupiter = Old Norse Tyr".[16] Philologist Georges Dumezil draws a comparison between the Greek Uranus and the Sanskrit Varuna, although there is no hint that he believes them to be originally connected.In other cases, close parallels in character and function suggest a common heritage, yet lack of linguistic evidence makes it difficult to prove, as in the case of the Greek Moirai and the Norns of Norse mythology.Archaeology and mythography, on the other hand, has revealed that the Greeks were inspired by some of the civilizations of Asia Minor and the Near East. Adonis seems to be the Greek counterpart — more clearly in cult than in myth — of a Near Eastern dying god. His name is related to the Semitic invocation "adon" (Lord) and appears in other cultures as Dumuzi, Tammuz or Attis. Cybele is rooted in Anatolian culture, and much of Aphrodite's iconography springs from the Semitic goddesses Inanna, Ishtar and Astarte. The theogonic myths current in the Near East in the second millennium BC, such as the myth of Anu, Kumarbi, and Teshub, contain significant stories of generational conflict. Meyer Reinhold argues that "such Near Eastern theogonic concepts, involving divine succession through violence and generational conflicts for power, found their way — the route is not certain — into Greek mythology. Our prime source is the great theogonic poem of Hesiod".Parallels between the earliest divine generations (Chaos and its children) and Tiamat in the Enuma Elish are also possible.In addition to Indo-European and Near Eastern origins, some scholars have speculated on the debts of Greek mythology to the still poorly understood pre-Hellenic societies of Greece, such as the Minoans and so-called Pelasgians. This is especially true in the case of chthonic deities and mother goddesses. Historians of religion were fascinated by a number of apparently ancient configurations of myth connencted with Crete: the god as bull — Zeus and Europa; Pasiphaë who yields to the bull and gives birth to the Minotaur; agrarian mysteries with a sacred marriage (Demeter's union with Iasion) etc. Crete, Mycenae, Pylos, Thebes and Orchomenus figure so large in later Greek mythology.For some, the three main generations of gods in Hesiod's Theogony (Uranus, Gaia, etc.; the Titans and then the Olympians) suggest a distant echo of a struggle between social groups, mirroring the three major high cultures of Greek civilization: Minoan, Mycenaean and Hellenic. Martin P. Nilsson, Professor of Classical Archaeology, worked on the structure, origins and relationships of the Indo-European languages, and concluded that all great classical Greek myths were tied to Mycenaen centres and were anchored in prehistoric times.Nevertheless, according to Walter Burkert, the iconography of the Cretan Palace Period has provided almost no confirmation of all these theories; nothing points to a bull, sexual symbols are absent and a single seal impression from Knossos showing a boy beneath a sheep is regarded as a scant evidence for the myth of Zeus' childhood.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_understanding_of_Greek_mytho...
The ancient tribes of Kalash, having roots in the Vedic culture and similarities to Aryans, still living in the three valleys of Kalash of Hindukush, Chitral.
Chhath is an ancient Hindu Vedic festival historically native to the Indian subcontinent, more specifically, the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh and the Madhesh region of Nepal. The Chhath Puja is dedicated to the Solar deity (Surya) in order to thank him for bestowing the bounties of life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes.
Lakhs of devotees took a holy dip in the river Ganga here on the occasion of Chhath Puja.
Devotees offered prayers to the Sun God at Dashaswamedh, Rajendra Prasad, Sheetala, Kedar and Assi ghats.
Chhat is the only Vedic Festival dedicated to the Hindu Sun God, Surya and Chhati Maiya (Goddess Usha).The Chhat Puja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes.
The Sun, considered as the god of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chhath festival to promote well-being, prosperity and progress. The rituals of the festival are rigorous and are observed over a period of four days. They include holy bathing, fasting and abstaining from drinking water (Vratta), standing in water for long periods of time, and offering prashad (prayer offerings) and arghya to the setting and rising sun.
Although the festival is observed most elaborately in Bihar, Jharkhand, Eastern UP and the Terai regions of Nepal in modern times,
The gurukul ancient Vedic school in Puri.
A gurukul is a traditional Indian educational system in which students (shishyas) live with their teacher (guru) and receive instruction. The system originated in Vedic times and emphasizes holistic development, imparting values, practical skills, and spiritual knowledge alongside academic subjects.
In ancient Vedic literature, Māyā literally implies extraordinary power and wisdom, in later Vedic texts and modern literature dedicated to Indian traditions, Māyā connotes a "magic show, an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem". Māyā is also a spiritual concept connoting "that which exists, but is constantly changing and thus is spiritually unreal", and the "power or the principle that conceals the true character of spiritual reality".
In Hinduism, Maya is also an epithet for goddess and the name of a manifestation of Lakshmi, the goddess of "wealth, prosperity and love".
[source: Wikipedia]
Model: The incomparable Rassamee
“Tamso ma Jyotirgamaya
Asato ma Sadgamaya
Mrityor ma Amritangamaya”
(a vedic prayer)
O Almighty,
Lead me from darkness (of ignorance)….towards light (of knowledge)
Lead me from falsehood (of duality)…..towards truth (of unity of all)
Lead me from death (cycle of rebirth)…towards eternity (Nirvana)
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I WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY AND WONDERFUL NEW YEAR 2006
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Photograph taken at an altitude of Sixty four metres at 09:57am on a cold winter morning on Saturday 13th February 2021 off Woolwich Road A206 and New Road in the grounds of Lesnes Abbey Woods in the London Borough of Bexley, England.
AN IN DEPTH LOOK AT CORVUS CORONE
LEGEND AND MYTHOLOGY
By Paul Williams
Crows appear in the Bible where Noah uses one to search for dry land and to check on the recession of the flood. Crows supposedly saved the prophet, Elijah, from famine and are an Inuit deity. Legend has it that England and its monarchy will end when there are no more crows in the Tower of London. And some believe that the crows went to the Tower attracted by the regular corpses following executions with written accounts of their presence at the executions of Anne Boleyn and Jane Gray.
In Welsh mythology, unfortunately Crows are seen as symbolic of evilness and black magic thanks to many references to witches transforming into crows or ravens and escaping. Indian legend tells of Kakabhusandi, a crow who sits on the branches of a wish-fulfilling tree called Kalpataru and a crow in Ramayana where Lord Rama blessed the crow with the power to foresee future events and communicate with the souls.
In Native American first nation legend the crow is sometimes considered to be something of a trickster, though they are also viewed positively by some tribes as messengers between this world and the next where they carry messages from the living to those deceased, and even carry healing medicines between both worlds. There is a belief that crows can foresee the future. The Klamath tribe in Oregon believe that when we die, we fly up to heaven as a crow. The Crow can also signify wisdom to some tribes who believe crows had the power to talk and were therefore considered to be one of the wisest of birds. Tribes with Crow Clans include the Chippewa (whose Crow Clan and its totem are called Aandeg), the Hopi (whose Crow Clan is called Angwusngyam or Ungwish-wungwa), the Menominee, the Caddo, the Tlingit, and the Pueblo tribes of New Mexico.
The crow features in the Nanissáanah (Ghost dance), popularized by Jerome Crow Dog, a Brulé Lakota sub-chief and warrior born at Horse Stealing Creek in Montana Territory in 1833, the crow symbolizing wisdom and the past, when the crow had became a guide and acted as a pathfinder during hunting. The Ghost dance movement was originally created in 1870 by Wodziwob, or Gray Hair, a prophet and medicine man of the Paiute tribe in an area that became known as Nevada. Ghost dancers wore crow and eagle feathers in their clothes and hair, and the fact that the Crow could talk placed it as one of the sages of the animal kingdom. The five day dances seeking trance,prophecy and exhortations would eventually play a major part in the pathway towards the white man's broken treaties, the infamous battle at Wounded knee and the surrender of Matȟó Wanáȟtaka (Kicking Bear), after officials began to fear the ghost dancers and rituals which seemed to occur prior to battle.
Historically the Vikings are the group who made so many references to the crow, and Ragnarr Loðbrók and his sons used this species in his banner as well as appearances in many flags and coats of arms. Also, it had some kind of association with Odin, one of their main deities. Norse legend tells us that Odin is accompanied by two crows. Hugin, who symbolizes thought, and Munin, who represents a memory. These two crows were sent out each dawn to fly the entire world, returning at breakfast where they informed the Lord of the Nordic gods of everything that went on in their kingdoms. Odin was also referred to as Rafnagud (raven-god). The raven appears in almost every skaldic poem describing warfare.Coins dating back to 940's minted by Olaf Cuaran depict the Viking war standard, the Raven and Viking war banners (Gonfalon) depicted the bird also.
In Scandinavian legends, crows are a representative of the Goddess of Death, known as Valkyrie (from old Norse 'Valkyrja'), one of the group of maidens who served the Norse deity Odin, visiting battlefields and sending him the souls of the slain worthy of a place in Valhalla. Odin ( also called Wodan, Woden, or Wotan), preferred that heroes be killed in battle and that the most valiant of souls be taken to Valhöll, the hall of slain warriors. It is the crow that provides the Valkyries with important information on who should go. In Hindu ceremonies that are associated to ancestors, the crow has an important place in Vedic rituals. They are seen as messengers of death in Indian culture too.
In Germanic legend, Crows are seen as psychonomes, meaning the act of guiding spirits to their final destination, and that the feathers of a crow could cure a victim who had been cursed. And yet, a lone black crow could symbolize impending death, whilst a group symbolizes a lucky omen! Vikings also saw good omens in the crow and would leave offerings of meat as a token.
The crow also has sacred and prophetic meaning within the Celtic civilization, where it stood for flesh ripped off due to combat and Morrighan, the warrior goddess, often appears in Celtic mythology as a raven or crow, or else is found to be in the company of the birds. Crow is sacred to Lugdnum, the Celtic god of creation who gave his name to the city of Lug
In Greek mythology according to Appolodorus, Apollo is supposedly responsible for the black feathers of the crow, turning them forever black from their pristine white original plumage as a punishment after they brought news that Κορωνις (Coronis) a princess of the Thessalian kingdom of Phlegyantis, Apollo's pregnant lover had left him to marry a mortal, Ischys. In one legend, Apollo burned the crows feathers and then burned Coronis to death, in another Coronis herself was turned into a black crow, and another that she was slain by the arrows of Αρτεμις (Artemis - twin to Apollo). Koronis was later set amongst the stars as the constellation Corvus ("the Crow"). Her name means "Curved One" from the Greek word korônis or "Crow" from the word korônê.A similar Muslim legend allegedly tells of Muhammad, founder of Islam and the last prophet sent by God to Earth, who's secret location was given away by a white crow to his seekers, as he hid in caves. The crow shouted 'Ghar Ghar' (Cave, cave) and thus as punishment, Muhammad turned the crow black and cursed it for eternity to utter only one phrase, 'Ghar, ghar). Native Indian legend where the once rainbow coloured crows became forever black after shedding their colourful plumage over the other animals of the world.
In China the Crow is represented in art as a three legged bird on a solar disk, being a creature that helps the sun in its journey. In Japan there are myths of Crow Tengu who were priests who became vain, and turned into this spirit to serve as messengers until they learn the lesson of humility as well as a great Crow who takes part in Shinto creation stories.
In animal spirit guides there are general perceptions of what sightings of numbers of crows actually mean:
1 Crow Meaning: To carry a message from your near one who died recently.
2 Crows Meaning: Two crows sitting near your home signifies some good news is on your way.
3 Crows Meaning: An upcoming wedding in your family.
4 Crows Meaning: Symbolizes wealth and prosperity.
5 Crows Meaning: Diseases or pain.
6 Crows Meaning: A theft in your house!
7 Crows Meaning: Denotes travel or moving from your house.
8 Crows Meaning: Sorrowful events
Crows are generally seen as the symbolism when alive for doom bringing, misfortune and bad omens, and yet a dead crow symbolises potentially bringing good news and positive change to those who see it. This wonderful bird certainly gets a mixed bag of contradictory mythology and legend over the centuries and in modern days is often seen as a bit of a nuisance, attacking and killing the babies of other birds such as Starlings, Pigeons and House Sparrows as well as plucking the eyes out of lambs in the field, being loud and noisy and violently attacking poor victims in a 'crow court'....
There is even a classic horror film called 'THE CROW' released in 1994 by Miramax Films, directed by Alex Proyas and starring Brandon Lee in his final film appearance as Eric Draven, who is revived by a Crow tapping on his gravestone a year after he and his fiancée are murdered in Detroit by a street gang. The crow becomes his guide as he sets out to avenge the murders. The only son of martial arts expert Bruce Lee, Brandon lee suffered fatal injuries on the set of the film when the crew failed to remove the primer from a cartridge that hit Lee in the abdomen with the same force as a normal bullet. Lee died that day, March 31st 1993 aged 28.
The symbolism of the Crow resurrecting the dead star and accompanying him on his quest for revenge was powerful, and in some part based on the history of the carrion crow itself and the original film grossed more than $94 Million dollars with three subsequent sequels following.
TAKING A CLOSER LOOK
So let's move away from legend, mythology and stories passed down from our parents and grandparents and look at these amazing birds in isolation.
Carrion crow are passerines in the family Corvidae a group of Oscine passerine birds including Crows, Ravens, Rooks, Jackdaws, Jays, Magpies, Treepies, Choughs and Nutcrackers. Technically they are classed as Corvids, and the largest of passerine birds. Carrion crows are medium to large in size with rictal bristles and a single moult per year (most passerines moult twice). Carrion crow was one of the many species originally described by Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (Carl Von Linne after his ennoblement) in his 1758 and 1759 editions of 'SYSTEMA NATURAE', and it still bears its original name of Corvus corone, derived from the Latin of Corvus, meaning Raven and the Greek κορώνη (korōnē), meaning crow.
Carrion crow are of the Animalia kingdom Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Corvidae Genus: Corvus and Species: Corvus corone
Corvus corone can reach 45-47cm in length with a 93-104cm wingspan and weigh between 370-650g. They are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in the United Kingdom with a Green UK conservation status which means they are of least concern with more than 1,000,000 territories. Breeding occurs in April with fledging of the chicks taking around twenty nine days following an incubation period of around twenty days with 3 to 4 eggs being the average norm. They are abundant in the UK apart from Northwest Scotland and Ireland where the Hooded crow (Corvus cornix) was considered the same species until 2002. They have a lifespan of around four years, whilst Crow species can live to the age of Twenty years old, and the oldest known American crow in the wild was almost Thirty years old. The oldest documented captive crow died at age Fifty nine. They are smaller and have a shorter lifespan than the Raven, which again is used as a symbol in history to live life to the full and not waste a moment!
They are often mistaken for the Rook (Corvus frugilegus), a similar bird, though in the UK, the Rook is actually technically smaller than the Carrion crow averaging 44-46cm in length, 81-99cm wingspan and weighing up to 340g. Rooks have white beaks compared to the black beaks of Carrion crow, a more steeply raked ratio from head to beak, and longer straighter beaks as well as a different plumage pattern. There are documented cases in the UK of singular and grouped Rooks attacking and killing Carrion crows in their territory. Rooks nest in colonies unlike Carrion crows. Carrion crows have only a few natural enemies including powerful raptors such as the northern goshawk, the peregrine falcon, the Eurasian eagle-owl and the golden eagle which will all readily hunt them.
Regarded as one of the most intelligent birds, indeed creatures on the planet, studies suggest that Corvids cognitive abilities can rival that of primates such as chimpanzees and gorillas and even provide clues to understanding human intelligence. Crows have relatively large brains for their body size, compared to other animals. Their encephalization quotient (EQ) a ratio of brain to body size, adjusted for size because there isn’t a linear relationship is 4.1. That is remarkably close to chimps at 4.2 whilst humans are 8.1. Corvids also have a very high neuronal density, the number of neurons per gram of brain, factoring in the number of cortical neurons, neuron packing density, interneuronal distance and axonal conduction velocity shows that Corvids score high on this measure as well, with humans scoring the highest.
A corvid's pallium is packed with more neurons than a great ape's. Corvids have demonstrated the ability to use a combination of mental tools such as imagination, and anticipation of future events. They can craft tools from twigs and branches to hook grubs from deep recesses, they can solve puzzles and intricate methods of gaining access to food set by humans., and have even bent pieces of wire into hooks to obtain food. They have been proven to have a higher cognitive ability level than seven year old humans. Communications wise, their repertoire of wraw-wraw's is not fully understood, but the intensity, rhythm, and duration of caws seems to form the basis of a possible language. They also remember the faces of humans who have hindered or hurt them and pass that information on to their offspring.
Aesop's fable of 'The Crow and the Pitcher, tells of a thirsty crow which drops stones into a water pitcher to raise the water level and enable it to take a drink. Scientists have conducted tests to see whether crows really are this intelligent. They placed floating treats in a deep tube and observed the crows indeed dropping dense objects carefully selected into the water until the treat floated within reach. They had the intelligence to pick up, weigh and discount objects that would float in the water, they also did not select ones that were too large for the container.
Pet crows develop a unique call for their owners, in effect actually naming them. They also know to sunbathe for a dose of vitamin D, regularly settling on wooden garden fences, opening their mouths and wings and raising their heads to the sun. In groups they warn of danger and communicate vocally. They store a cache of food for later if in abundance and are clever enough to move it if they feel it has been discovered. They leave markers for their cache. They have even learned to place walnuts and similar hard food items under car tyres at traffic lights as a means of cracking them!
Crows regularly gather around a dead fellow corvid, almost like a funeral, and it is thought they somehow learn from each death. They can even remember human faces for decades.Crows group together to attack larger predators and even steal their food, and they have different dialects in different areas, with the ability to mimic the dialect of the alpha males when they enter their territory!
They have a twenty year life span, the oldest on record reaching the age of Fifty nine. Crows can leave gifts for those who feed them such as buttons or bright shiny objects as a thank you, and they even kiss and make up after an argument, having mated for life.
In mythology they are associated with good and bad luck, being the bringers of omens and even witchcraft and are generally reviled for their attacks on baby birds and small mammals. They have an attack method of to stunning smaller birds before consuming them, tearing violently at smaller, less aggressive birds, which is simply down to the fact that they are so highly intelligent, and also the top of the food chain. Their diet includes over a thousand different items: Dead animals (as their name suggests), invertebrates, grain, as well as stealing eggs and chicks from other birds' nests, worms, insects, fruit, seeds, kitchen scraps. They are highly adaptable when food sources grow scarce. I absolutely love them, they are magnificent, bold, beautiful and incredibly interesting to watch and though at times it is hard to witness attacks made by them, I cannot help but adore them for so many other and more important reasons.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE PAIR IN MY GARDEN
Crows have been in the area for a while, but rarely had strayed into my garden, leaving the Magpies to own the territory. Things changed towards the end of May when a beautiful female Carrion crow appeared and began to take some of the food that I put down for the other birds. Within a few days she began to appear regularly, on occasions stocking up on food, whilst other times placing pieces in the birdbath to soften them. She would stand on the birdbath and eat and drink and come back over the course of the day to eat the softened food.
Shortly afterwards she brought along her mate, a tall and handsome fella, much larger than her who was also very vocal if he felt she was getting a little too close to me. By now I had moved from a seated position from the patio as an observer, to laying on a mat just five feet from the birdbath with my Nikon so that I could photograph the pair as they landed, scavenged and fed. She was now confident enough to let me be very close, and she even tolerated and recognized the clicking of the camera. At first I used silent mode to reduce the noise but this only allowed two shooting frame rates of single frame or continuous low frame which meant I was missing shots. I reverted back to normal continuous high frames and she soon got used to the whirring of the mechanisms as the mirror slapped back and forth.
The big fella would bark orders at her from the safety of the fence or the rear of the garden, whilst she rarely made a sound. That was until one day when in the sweltering heat she kept opening her beak and sunning on the grass, panting slightly in the heat. I placed the circular water sprayer nearby and had it rotating so that the birdbath and grass was bathed in gentle water droplets and she soon came back, landed and seemed to really like the cooling effect on offer. She then climbed onto the birdbath and opened her wings slightly and made some gentle purring, cooing noises....
I swear she was expressing happiness, joy....
On another blisteringly hot day when the sprayer was on, she came down, walked towards it and opened her wings up running into the water spray. Not once, but many times.
A further revelation into the unseen sides to these beautiful birds came with the male and female on the rear garden fence. They sat together, locked beaks like a kiss and then the male took his time gently preening her head feathers and the back of her neck as she made tiny happy sounds. They stayed together like that for several minutes, showing a gentle, softer side to their nature and demonstrating the deep bond between them. Into July and the pair started to bring their three youngsters to my garden, the nippers learning to use the birdbath for bathing and dipping food, the parents attentive as ever. Two of the youngsters headed off once large enough and strong enough.
I was privileged to be in close attendance as the last juvenile was brought down by the pair, taught to take food and then on a night in July, to soar and fly with it's mother in the evening sky as the light faded. She would swoop and twirl, and at regular intervals just touch the juvenile in flight with her wing tip feathers, as if to reassure it that she was close in attendance. What an amazing experience to view. A few days later, the juvenile, though now gaining independence and more than capable of tackling food scraps in the garden, was still on occasions demand feeding from it's mother who was now teaching him to take chicken breast, hotdogs or digestive biscuits and bury them in the garden beds for later delectation. The juvenile also liked to gather up peanuts and bury them in the grass. On one occasion I witnessed a pair of rambunctious Pica Pica (Magpies), chasing the young crow on rooftops, leaping at him no matter how hard he tried to get away. He defended himself well and survived the attacks, much to my relief.
Into August and the last youngster remained with the adults, though now was very independent even though he still spent time with his parents on rooftops, and shared food gathering duties with his mum.Hotdog sausages were their favourite choice, followed by fish fingers and digestive biscuits which the adult male would gather up three at a time. In October, the three Crows were still kings of the area, but my time observing them was pretty much over as I will only put food out now for the birds in the winter months.
Corvus Corone.... magnificently misunderstood by some!
Paul Williams June 4th 2021
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Nikon D850 Hand held with Sigma OS Optical Stabilization enabled on normal setting. Focal length 600mm Shutter speed: 1/800s (Electronic front-curtain) Aperture f/6.3 ISO320 Image area FX (36 x 24) NEF RAW L (8256 x 5504). NEF RAW L (14 bit uncompressed) Focus mode AF-C focus. AF-C Priority Selection: Release. Nikon Back button focusing enabled. 3D Tracking watch area: Normal 55 Tracking points.AF-Area mode single point & 73 point switchable. Exposure mode: Manual mode. Matrix metering. White balance on: Auto1 (5300K). Colour space: RGB. Vignette control: Normal. Picture control: Auto (Sharpening A +1/Clarity A+1)
Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3DG OS HSM SPORTS. Lee SW150 MKI filter holder with MK2 light shield and custom made velcro fitting for the Sigma lens. Lee SW150 circular polariser glass filter.Lee SW150 Filters field pouch.Nikon GP-1 GPS module. Hoodman HEYENRG round eyepiece oversized eyecup.Mcoplus professional MB-D850 multi function battery grip 6960.Two Nikon EN-EL15a batteries (Priority to battery in Battery grip). Black Rapid Curve Breathe strap. My Memory 128GB Class 10 SDXC 80MB/s card. Lowepro Flipside 400 AW camera bag.
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In the recent times, one of those frames of mine that I absolutely love. :)
Was shooting a 'vedic' event today, as part of an assignment, and this frame was available for just a jiffy. Hope you all like it. :)
The Mandir is the focal point of the complex. Designed according to the Stapatya-Shastra, a Vedic text that develops Hindu architecture to metaphorically represent the different attributes of God, it is constructed almost entirely from Indian marble, Italian marble and Bulgarian limestone. The stone was shipped to India where it was hand-carved by over 1,500 craftsmen. Each individually numbered piece was then shipped back to London and the building was assembled like a giant three-dimensional jigsaw. The Mandir facility contains no iron or steel, a unique feature for a modern building in the UK. A feature the temple is noted for is its profusely carved cantilevered dome, believed to be the only one in Britain that does not use steel or lead. The Mandir was inaugurated on 20 August 1995 by Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the spiritual leader of BAPS - the organisation behind the temple.
The Mandir serves as the centre of worship. Directly beneath each of the seven pinnacles seen from the outside is a shrine. Each of these seven shrines houses murtis (images) within golden altars. Each murti is treated like the incarnation of Godhead and therefore each deity is bathed, clothed, fed, and attended to each day by the sadhus (monks) who live in the temple.
Beneath the Mandir, is the permanent exhibition 'Understanding Hinduism'. Spread over 3000 square feet, the exhibition deals with the origin, beliefs, glory and contribution of Hindu seers and scholars in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, medicine, education, and religion. The messages and information are presented through visual effects, paintings, tableaux, traditional craftwork, and miniature 3-D dioramas.