#lord vishnu sleeping

[bhagavanbhakthi]

Sri Ranganatha Swamy (Rarest Darshan) (Vishnu) - Don't Miss it!

[h0bg0blin-meat]

What hindu gods/deities are lgbt (I'm sorry if this is rude or ignorant I just wish to learn as I've heard some are)

Dw it's neither rude nor ignorant. Now before I start I do wanna say that almost all the queerness we see in Hindu mythology is highly subtextual most of the time, which is like pretty obvious cuz these were the ancient times. So this might lead to a varied number of interpretations, and I can only offer the same. But most of them are pretty convincingly queer, so let's get into it cuz why tf not. (This is gonna be a loooooong post so buckle up)

Vishnu

This fella is probably the most pan-coded deity in the entire pantheon. Extremely comfortable with both his masculine and feminine side, Vishnu can sometimes be considered one of the peak genderfluid icons out there. His avatar, Krishna, despite being referred to as the Parampurush (in other words the manliest man in the entire universe), his physical appearance (which is what is considered to be a very feminine body for a man today, i.e., slender and soft) breaks the stereotype of what masculine man should look like. There are paintings of him and Radha where I've stared for like a hot minute trying to figure out which one is Radha (mostly in grayscale cuz otherwise their complexions are a dead giveaway) and yet, he slays it like a badass.

Then we also have Mohini, the goddess of beauty probably the best seductress out there, and the only female avatar of Vishnu. Through her having a union (yk what they mean by that) with Shiva (AHEM subtext amirit), Vishnu gave birth to Ayyappa, and wouldja look at dat he has two dads, which was actually prophesized. Mohini in one of the versions of Mahabharata (not the original one) ALSO slept with Iravan (Arjun's son) the night before he was gonna offer himself as a sacrifice for the Kurukshetra war. Reason was that Iravan had a wish to get married and spend the night with his wife before dying, and wishing his wife would mourn for him after his death. So Krishna felt bad for him, turned himself into Mohini and married him. The next day she held her husband's body and mourned for him like any wife would. We can also go back to the time where he sported (make of that word what you will) with Arjuni (female version of Arjun) as well as the female version of Narad (for a year in the latter's case).

In short, we can see how chill Krishna is with his fluidity with sexuality and gender, so much so that it's hard to put a label on him sometimes, which is fine. But yes interpreting him as queer wouldn't necessarily be a preposterous claim after all.

Shiva

Tbh Shiva is also pretty queer-coded, given his union with Mohini (and yes he specifically ASKED Vishnu to turn into her and hence he KNEW it was his best friend after all), and him turning into a woman to join Krishna's leela that one time, which also denotes that he's pretty confident in his gender fluidity as well, to some extent. He also has a sort of female avatar, who's actually very underrated. I think it's called Shivani. Also no one can deny the tension between Shiva and Vishnu let's be real here. They even have a ship name- Harihar, PLUS that "Vishnu is in the heart of Shiva and Shiva is in the heart of Vishnu" line. Btw this was a joke, but now you know why they're one of the popular ships of Hindu mythology. I personally have very neutral stance to the kind of bond they share, whether you call it platonic or something else.

(Note that I personally do not consider Ardhanarishwar and Vaikunthakamalaja as any genderfluid thingy because I just see them as literal fusions of the two couples, but yes many consider these two fused versions of Parvati-Shiva and Lakshmi-Narayan respectively to be gender-nonconforming, or non-binary of some sort.)

Lakshmi

Why did I add her here? Because I have a feeling she might be bi, given the fact that her husband is also technically her wife, considering we take Mohini into account, who I'm pretty sure she loves just as much as she loves Vishnu. But again, that's just my take on it.

Agni

Now he's one of the more popular queer-coded Hindu gods, specifically known for his implied poly-esque relationship with his wife Svaha and Soma (the wind god). Now many sites on Google have claimed Soma to be his husband, but I am yet to find a scriptural evidence for that claim, so I suggest you to take their words with a grain of salt. But what IS true is that these two guys do share a pretty profound bond. There was also this one instance where Soma went to a mountain and Agni followed him. Then both of them at the top of that mountain, 'became one' (what does that mean? not sure but it sure as hell sounded romantic. anyways). Also Soma is considered the "seed" and Agni the "progenitor" hence releasing the "seed". Now again what does that mean? Idk but that's sus as hell for sure.

Plus, Agni is also very well-known to be the (oral) receptor of Shiva's (and sometimes Soma's but not sure about the second one) semen, which he then flung into Ganga cuz it was too hot to bear for him, and that's how Kartikeya/Murugan/Skanda (Shiva and Parvati's son and a God of war) was born. So yeah.

Mitra-Varuna

These two.... are another pair of popular queer-coded Hindu deities. They're almost always summoned and worshipped together, and you can say they have canonically.... well had a union, and good news is none of them became a woman for the deed. Their union is recorded in the Shatapatha Brahmana 2.4.4.19, where Mitra is said to have "implanted his seed in Varuna" (hmmm nothing homosexual going on here) during the waning moon. Many people consider this a metaphor for the cyclic nature of celestial phenomena so it's upto you to interpret it however you want.

Now they also give off that sunshine x grumpy vibe, with Mitra being the god of friendship, sun, daylight, dawn and stuff while Varuna is the god of the waters, moon, nighttime, dusk etc. Plus, the latter has anger issues but he has a bubbly Mitra (pun intended) to calm him down for dat :D.

They are also known for siring two sages, Agastya and Vasistha after they accidentally released and mixed their semen into a pot as a result of getting enchanted by Urvashi (one of the apsaras or celestial nymphs).

Budh and Ila

Budh is technically an AMAB non-binary (or intersex) deity (and technically the planet Mercury) born to Chandra (who's also synonymous to Soma most of the time) and Tara, to put it simply, and got cursed to be neither male nor female because Chandra had an affair with someone else's wife -_- (Tara was the wife of Brihaspati, or Jupiter, who was also the guru of the gods).

Ila is another genderfluid deity. Some versions of the myth says they were born a woman, some say they were born a man called Sudyumna, while some say they were born a woman, but since their parents wanted a son, Mitra-Varuna (who they preyed to) changed their gender and Sudyumna was born (but then there was some issue with the rituals, which led to the duo to turn him back to a woman, which is when they took the name of Ila. Ik, too much gendershifting going on, bear with me). Anyhoo they got this genderfluidity from Shiva's spell and every month they'd change sex from Sudyumna to Ila and back to Sudyumna and so on. Budh got enchanted by Ila and married her, and bore the Pururavas with her.

Later on, some versions say Ila permanently turned into a man with Parvati's boon. But personally interpreting, Budh was technically still married to Sudyumna so..... idk what happened to them afterwards tho. I hope they were still spouses...

[talonabraxas]

Tantra Asanas

Tantra is a path to Self Realization or Self Actualization.

In the tantric texts, kundalini is conceived of as the primal power or energy. In terms of modern psychology, it can be called the unconscious in man. As we have just discussed, in Hindu mythology, kundalini corresponds with the concept of Kali. In the philosophy of Shaivism, the concept of kundalini is represented by the shivalingam, the oval-shaped stone or pillar with a snake coiled around it.

However, most commonly, kundalini is illustrated as a sleeping serpent coiled three and a half times. Of course there is no serpent residing in mooladhara, sahasrara or any other chakra, but the serpent has always been a symbol for efficient consciousness. In all the oldest mystic cults of the world you find the serpent, and if you have seen any pictures or images of Lord Shiva, you will have noticed serpents girdling his waist, neck and arms. Kali is also adorned with serpents and Lord Vishnu eternally reposes on a large coiled serpent. This serpent power symbolizes the unconscious in man.

In Scandinavian, European, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries and many different civilizations of the world, the concept of the serpent power is represented in monuments and ancient artifacts. This means kundalini was known to people from all parts of the world in the past. However, we can conceive kundalini in any manner we like because actually, prana has no form or dimension, it is infinite. --Swami Satyananda Saraswati

[mahayanapilgrim]

Tantra Asanas

Tantra is a path to Self Realization or Self Actualization.

In the tantric texts, kundalini is conceived of as the primal power or energy. In terms of modern psychology, it can be called the unconscious in man.

As we have just discussed, in Hindu mythology, kundalini corresponds with the concept of Kali. In the philosophy of Shaivism, the concept of kundalini is represented by the shivalingam, the oval-shaped stone or pillar with a snake coiled around it.

However, most commonly, kundalini is illustrated as a sleeping serpent coiled three and a half times. Of course there is no serpent residing in mooladhara, sahasrara or any other chakra, but the serpent has always been a symbol for efficient consciousness. In all the oldest mystic cults of the world you find the serpent, and if you have seen any pictures or images of Lord Shiva, you will have noticed serpents girdling his waist, neck and arms. Kali is also adorned with serpents and Lord Vishnu eternally reposes on a large colled serpent. This serpent power symbolizes the unconscious in man.

In Scandinavian, European, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries and many different civilizations of the world, the concept of the serpent power is represented in monuments and ancient artifacts. This means kundalini was known to people from all parts of the world in the past. However, we can conceive kundalini in any manner we like because actually, prana has no form or dimension, it is infinite.

-Swami Satyananda

[badamlyanhua]

At night, I couldn't sleep,

at day I couldn't stay awake.

My mind was constantly racing,

looking at myself, I only found flaws.

Overanalyzing my personality,

I always felt improvement.

I couldn't stop comparing myself

to those I would like to be like.

Why do they have it easier?

Why are they more open?

Why are they not anxious like me?

Why are their smiles and laughs genuine?

How come they can eat a meal and keep it down?

How could they meet with friends and not break down?

How can they speak openly about what is bothering them?

Where do they find the words to describe their emotions?

If I try, I choke up,

if I attempt to speak, I tear up.

It was easier to stay silent,

except that some people are meant to be happy,

others are meant to pretend.

I thought that I must've done something to suffer the way I do,

I am never meant to be happy, I am never meant to feel peaceful.

I haven't done anything to be loved,

so what is my purpose?

Should I leave or should I stay?

Or weigh out my options?

If I left, I would be at peace,

if I stayed, they would be at peace.

I do not care about myself,

I do not care about the others,

so which path should I go?

If I leave, the cries of a mother,

something that should never be heard,

would haunt me forever.

If I stayed, my own existence,

is what I was tired of experiencing.

"How are you really?"

I have no answer to that.

How could I, if I look at myself,

see and feel nothing?

If I look at outside of myself, I see and feel nothing,

so tell me, how would I know how I am doing?

"I am fine" is a lie.

"I am unwell" is a lie.

"I don't know how I'm doing" is a lie.

I do not know, I can't put it in words.

So I gave up explaining myself,

I gave up explaining my actions,

I gave up pretending,

I gave up trying,

I gave up.

I prayed to Buddha for peace,

I prayed to Guan Yin for mercy,

I prayed to Ji Gong for help,

I prayed to Chenrezig for compassion,

I prayed to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva to stand with me.

All those times, I could not shake the feeling of selfishness.

"I don't have it as bad, they have it worse."

What am I complaining about?

What am I doing here?

Am I ungrateful?

Like everything else, I do not know.

I seeked refuge in them,

because I cannot help myself.

I do not know how to help myself,

and even if I knew, I am too weak.

So what should I do?

Staying is unbearable, leaving is unbearable.

How come there is no solution for both sides?

— P

[santoschristos]

“The world rests as the lotus in the palm of my hand, the cosmos revolves around my finger like a discus. I blow the music of life through my conch and wield my mace to protect all creatures.” – Krishna Upanishad This material world is the dream of Maha-Vishnu. When one imitates Krishna, they enter the dream of material creation. --Srimad Bhagavatam 4.29.83.

Vishnu’s Dream: The Creation of the Cosmos

I. Introduction

In Hindu mythology, Lord Vishnu is one of the principal deities, revered as the preserver and protector of the universe. He embodies the principle of preservation and is essential in the cosmic cycle of creation, preservation, and destruction. The concept of creation holds immense significance in Hinduism, as it illustrates the cyclical nature of existence and the continuous renewal of life.

One of the most fascinating narratives within this context is Vishnu’s dream, which serves as a creative force leading to the birth of the cosmos. This article delves into the various aspects of Vishnu’s dream, exploring the symbolism and implications of this profound mythological theme.

II. The Cosmic Ocean (Kshira Sagara)

The Kshira Sagara, or the Cosmic Ocean, is often described as the primordial ocean from which all creation emerges. This ocean is not merely a body of water; it symbolizes the vast, unmanifest potential from which the universe is born. In Hindu cosmology, the ocean is a representation of the infinite, the formless void, and the source of all existence.

Vishnu’s association with the Kshira Sagara is significant. He is often depicted resting on the serpent Ananta Shesha in this ocean, symbolizing his eternal nature and the tranquillity that precedes creation. The ocean serves as a reminder of the need for balance between chaos and order, a theme prevalent in Hindu philosophy.

III. Vishnu’s Divine Sleep (Yoganidra)

Yoganidra, or divine sleep, is a crucial aspect of Vishnu’s role in creation. During this state, Vishnu enters a deep, transcendental sleep, which is not merely rest but a profound state of cosmic consciousness. This divine sleep represents the potentiality of creation, where all forms and phenomena exist in a latent state.

The implications of Yoganidra in the creation process are significant. It is during this sleep that the universe is conceived in Vishnu’s consciousness, setting the stage for its eventual manifestation. This connection between sleep and the subconscious creation highlights the idea that all creation begins in the mind, emphasizing the power of thought and intention.

Vishnu’s Dream --Mahaboka

[seii-fantasy]

My little Thunder

Indra x Goddess ! reader

Who knew that the White Platinum man could fall in love with someone.

You were the sister of Rudra , you were mostly Shiva and Rudra's little diamond . When your brother wanted to reach the peak of Svarga , you wanted to go with them if they needed help who will help.

To know that , you , Rudra and Shiva weren't known at the time , so if they needed help from the people they wont get it

And somehow everyfight they got into , they won , from the lower gods such as the Asura siblings to the most powerful gods such as Agni , Varuna

Until you , your brother and Shiva met Indra "My oh my , what do we've got here" Indra smirked while looking at you , " Hey! Dont you even try to take our little jewel or you will atrociously regret it" Shiva snarled at the White Platinium man .

And Rudra who started to have an headache from the drama who started to begun , went for a fight against Indra

Indra quickly became one of the Followers of the Duo (Shiva x Rudra) , until your brother achived his dream . While you were preparing some food for you and the duo , you heard someone punches echoing throught the whole Pantheon , your heart started to hammering in your chest .

As you tried to run , Vishnu was blocking your way , trying to hide something from you "Lord Vishnu , what is happening ? Where is Rudra ? Where is Shiva" you started to panick and Vishnu answered "Vishnu will be great , first of all , your brother is at the peak of Svarga with his friend too , and now i can't let you go because they"re fighting " with a stoic expression , you started to panick more , tears falling slowly and Vishnu came for a hug .

Brahma came and asked what was happening until Vishnu looked at him in a very meaningful way , more like "Well dude , it is not the right moment to ask what the hell is going on"

"They litteraly fighting at the Peak , not giving a single care about their little jewel's who worried here" a deep voice was heard following by a thunder and the smell of smoke , it was Indra .

He approached you , while you were crying , and Vishnu stopped hugging you , took a few stepped back . He hugged you "Shh , Darling everything's alright " and after a couple of minutes crying , you felt asleep in the arms of the Hindu God of the Thunder

"Oh ! Someon's already asleep" Varuna appeared followed by Agni . Indra took you to his castle and put you on his bed . And went to deal with Shiva and Rudra.

With the boys

"Please don"t get up ! Rudra ! " Shiva thought and Rudra stood up again , face full of cut and blood "I-i-it's not over , the fun has just begun!" He yelled while he tried to punch Shiva again , but as expected Shiva dodged it and punched his best friend in the stromach.

A loud thunderstorm was heard following by Indra appearing between your brother and Shiva , yelling "Stop!" Which it was also heard in the Pantheon . Shiva was finally happy that someone stopped their fight so he would stop punching his friend.

"Can you two STOP FIGHTING FOR Y/N SAKE GOD DAMN IT ! She has cried non-stop , she's so freakin worried about you two and the only thing you can do is fighting "! He yelled , Rudra who was laying on the floor called your name "Y-y-y/n where is she?" He asked Indra , which Indra answered that she was in his castle sleeping.

And Indra dealed with the chaotic duo , and they litteraly apologized when you woke up saying that they wont worry you again.

After that drama , you went searching for the Hindu God of the Thunder , wanted to thank him for dealing with the duo . You found him , sleeping under a tree , you approachred him , slowly wanted to see if he was awake or not .

Somehow he found your feet , and he yanked you , head on his chest , hips to hips , you blushed madly .

"Hehe , i know that you were coming darling" he whispered "I-me'-i wanted to thank you , Lord Indra for d-d-dealing with my brother and his friend" you said while your face was still red from the sudden position you are right nod

"Hmm , it's alright ! As long as those two wont worry you again" He sighed and he started to pat your head . Indra said "Mujhe tumase pyaar hai" and you answered that you love him too .

A small blush was on his cheeks before he said that you should stay here , he really appreciate your presence , as you kissed him on the forehead.

Bonus:

Shiva : Rudra , i need to tell ya something

Rudra: What is it

Shiva : Promise you won't get mad

Rudra : If it is about Y/n , it depends

Shiva: Y/n have a boyfriend

Rudra with a creepy smile : Who is it

Shiva : He's tall , White-

Rudra : INDRRAAAAA , GET BACK HEREEE!

[steliosagapitos]

~ " - Tantra Asanas - Tantra is a path to Self Realization or Self Actualization. In the tantric texts, kundalini is conceived of as the primal power or energy. In terms of modern psychology, it can be called the unconscious in man. As we have just discussed, in Hindu mythology, kundalini corresponds with the concept of Kali. In the philosophy of Shaivism, the concept of kundalini is represented by the shivalingam, the oval-shaped stone or pillar with a snake coiled around it. However, most commonly, kundalini is illustrated as a sleeping serpent coiled three and a half times. Of course there is no serpent residing in mooladhara, sahasrara or any other chakra, but the serpent has always been a symbol for efficient consciousness. In all the oldest mystic cults of the world you find the serpent, and if you have seen any pictures or images of Lord Shiva, you will have noticed serpents girdling his waist, neck and arms. Kali is also adorned with serpents and Lord Vishnu eternally reposes on a large coiled serpent. This serpent power symbolizes the unconscious in man. In Scandinavian, European, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries and many different civilizations of the world, the concept of the serpent power is represented in monuments and ancient artifacts. This means kundalini was known to people from all parts of the world in the past. However, we can conceive kundalini in any manner we like because actually, prana has no form or dimension, it is infinite." ~

[kinjiraretaasobi]

Eiam from Twitter has done a Colour Lyrics Video (they explained to me yesterday what this was - it comes from the K-pop vocal band tradition, where different colours indicate which member of a large group is singing lead.)

Seeing the lyrics visually helps me to understand them more clearly. (I have all kinds of auditory processing disorders and struggle to hear words even in my native language.)

It's interesting to me that so much of the discussion that I've seen has focused on the Raijin / Fujin aspect of the title. Maybe because the gods are so familiar in Japanese culture. And yet not on the RESONANCE part of the title. And I'm going to dig into the concept of RESONANCE with some hermeneutics here:

Seeing the lyrics drove the resonance theme home:

共振共鳴 kyoushin kyoumei

Repeating the word for emphasis. Resonate, oscillate - the video even has an oscilloscope in int (wow, I love oscilloscopes!) And @an-insignificant-flower pointed out the specific denotations of those words - they both mean "resonance" but "the former refers to physical vibrations, while the latter refers to sonority (sound)."

And at that point, it clicked. In Physics, there is no difference. Sound is vibration. That's why there is no sound in a vacuum. (In space, no one can hear you scream.)

Apart from the experimental radio station in London, Resonance speaks mostly to me of String Theory. The great atomic discoveries of the early 20th Century - Oppenheimer, atomic power, The Bomb - gave way to increasing weirdness as the scale of reality probed smaller. The fizzing probabilities of the quantum world - really, the only way to understand them was to conceive of them, mathematically and visually, as small pieces of string, vibrating very quickly.

At the subatomic level, there is no physical Matter as we know it. There is only Vibration. Resonance. Shimmering oscillating wibbling energy fields in ten-dimensional hyperspace.

In the cosmic hippie space age period of my extreme youth, this concept made its way into popular culture as "vibes". I think this way of speaking has recently made its way back into youth culture - "we vibe" or "we don't vibe" is a very good way of describing the mysterious chemistry of why one gets on with someone - or not.

Imai Hisashi is really into his physics. To me, one of the most interesting revelations of Imai being forced to do lots of interviews, is that 夢遊猫 SLEEP WALK (Sleepwalking Cat) is actually about Schrödinger's Cat.

One of the fundamental principles of contemporary physics is that due to these subatomic vibrations, the Universe itself resonates. The Universe has a sound. The Universe hums.

The Universe also hums, quite literally. If you tune an old-fashioned radio set to a dead space between stations, you can hear the background microwave radiation that is the residual afterglow of the Big Bang. Existence came into being with a BANG! A wave. A sound. And this idea echoes across many different religions:

The Christianity in which I was raised has a word spoken aloud creating the world: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Hinduism has Shiva, the Lord of the Dance, the beat of his drum and the rhythm of his footsteps forging the first sounds of creation - and destruction, because there is no creation without destruction. Life and Death, creation and destruction are so intimately intertwined you can never have one without the other.

Buck-Tick have played with Hindu Creation concepts before - most notably on Yume Miru Uchuu (Dreaming Universe). Taking the starting point of the great cosmic god Vishnu who dreams the Universe into being and flipping it so that it is the Cosmos itself that is dreaming...

But here, I think we see the starting point of where Imai's philosophy starts to diverge from Sakurai Atsushi's. To Sakurai, life is Dream. To Imai, life is Dance. Life, love, death, dance, all are tangled up and inseparable in Imai's cosmos.

Boys and girls, baby don’t cry, you know it's all okay Life is love and death, and so are we

DANCE　DANCE　HA! HA!　REMEMBER TO DIE

Isn't this what's going on with Boys don't cry / Girls fall in love?

In Sakurai's worldview, life was a dream. His metaphor for his own life, again and again, was a stage, wherein he played the clown. I don't know if this philosophy came to him via Osamu Dazai (No Longer Human) or Shakespeare (All the world's a stage / And all the men and women merely players) but in Sakurai's worldview, to survive is to escape into a performance, a dream in the dark.

Imai seems to be setting out his own worldview, which is slightly different from Sakurai's - life is a dance. The world is a dancefloor on which you beat out your own rhythm. Being a Brit of the Rave Generation, whose life was worked out on dirty dancefloors from the backrooms of Camden pubs to warehouses in NYC, from converted churches to space-age hamburger joints. this is a message that resonates with me intensely. Life is a dance.

You dream by yourself. And you can dance by yourself - but usually, you dance with your lover, you dance with your friends, you dance in the midst of a crowd, that special unique feeling that only a dancefloor can bring of being simultaneously alone and doing your own thing, while also moving in a great oscillating wave of humanity with all the other people on the same floor losing their minds to the same amazing music in a pulsing back-and-forth of bodies and beats. Dancing is social. Music is an organism created as a dance between performer and listener. Living is a dance.

This, to me, is Imai's message: to survive in this world, to survive being beaten by the rain (and I write this sitting in the teeth of Storm Bert battering the UK) - resonate! vibrate! oscillate! spin! Join in the great cosmic hum of the Universe and dance!

[that-mad-indian-woman]

I haath been sent from beyond to enquire as to what you actually do on Mahalaya...

(Definitely not a bangali wanting you to infodump)

So before I go into what I MYSELF do in mahalaya, I will pretext it by giving some context into what mahalaya actually is.

So. What is mahalaya?

Mahalaya is typically known as the beginning of devipaksha. These "pakshas" Are usually demarcated by the movements of the moon. One fortnight from one full moon to the next is one "paksha". This one is particularly known as " Devipaksha " Because the Mythological story goes as follows(which we grew up listening to from our grandpas)

So when the earth was created, it was believed to be a huge great sea and Vishnu laid at its depths, deep in sleep. Then from his earlobe emerged two demons, madhu and kaitav who wreaked havoc on earth. Lord brahma emerged from vishnu's navel and pleaded the Lord to wake and destroy the evils. After months of meditation, vishnu woke finally. What followed was a war over 5000 years and at the end, when vishnu was exhausted and the demons still remained, he pleaded to Goddess Adishakti who emerged and charmed the demons with her beauty. Vishnu took the chance and killed the demons. Mahalaya is believed to be the day The devi helped in this destruction of evil, so the following fourteen days are said to be "Devi" Paksha.

Now, there's another side of this story. To us bengalis, mahalaya is also believed to be the time devi parvati comes back to her father's house with all her children. Parvati is considered as "barir meye" (Daughter of the house) by almost all bengalis, so pujo is technically a celebration of parvati's homecoming.

To the general kolkata-citizens however; mahalaya implies pujos are close, so celebrations and planning have to be started soon;)

SO, WHAT DO PEOPLE DO IN MAHALAYA?

If one fine day in october, you see your bengali friend wake up at 4am and go up to the terrace; check the dates. Cause it might be mahalaya.

To be completely honest here, not much happens on mahalaya. But it's the time when the clouds are clear, the sun is red in the horizon and Our own daughter is coming back home. Which is why the traditional way of celebrating mahalaya iss waking up when there are still twinkling stars in the sky and watch sunrise. this is usually followed by listening to agomoni songs (agomon=arrival in bengali) and mahalaya recited by one legendary man. We have all listened to the exact same version of mahalaya over the years. My grandpa listened to it as a kid, my father listened to it as a kid, and i myself listen to it every year now. It's mahalaya recited by birendra kishore bhodro. There's a certain spirituality in listening to the fables of destruction of evil by a supreme power while watching the red sun lick the skies and the morning light come to being. for any of you interested, here's the link:

Anyway, there are also TV shows during mahalaya, that show the stories behind the various forms of durga that is worshipped all over bengal in sort of a theatrical manner. As far as i remember, there are 108 forms, all of the same goddess, banishing different evils.

To sum it up, mahalaya for us(or atleast me) is a day to get slightly in contact with the spiritual side of the pujos that follow. Because in the hocus-pocus of all the fun and plans that usually signify pujo, it's usually extremely easy to lose track of what it is actually all about-the victory of good over evil, and ceelbrating women-power through femininity.

@vellibandi @pinkpdf @dhuup

[ballisticallytestedwensleydale]

Since apparently @deanwax DOES want to hear about my pantheon, here we go.

I shamelessly stole most of the gods/divine beings from other cultures so I apologise in advance for when you inevitably see one of yours somewhere. If you do want me to do something to make it more true to the original depiction of it or to just change the name to either the correct one (because there is no way I got the correct spelling/English transcription of all of them) just shoot me a DM and I'll be happy to help.

For some of them I did just straight up steal the name and make a whole new thing with the name, but I tried to base them off of the original. Again, same policy goes - if something is wrong or offensive, pop me a message and I'll do what I can to change it

Anyway here goes

The Pantheon of the Atlian Continent (the place where my story/campaign is based) consists of three main groups - the Lords of Heaven (LOHev for short) , the Lords of Hell (LOHel) , and the Lords of Materium (LOM). These groups each consist of 9 Deities, for a total of 27 all in all. Each of these gods has their exclusive domain, which they have total control over - the LOHev tend to embody positive virtues or ideas, the LOHel tend to embody more negative ideas, and the LOM tend to be neutral, unavoidable facts of existence. The most powerful of each of the groups is listed as number one, and their domain is the essence of the group i.e the domains of Heaven, Hell and Chaos, but with a couple of exceptions which I will specify, the rest are listed in random order, as I thought of which pantheon to poach from/what name to give a god of which domain.

Pantheon

Lords of Hell

1. Satan (Hell)

2. Beelzebub (Corruption)

3. Osiris (Depression)

4. Yama (Rage)

5. Hades (Greed)

6. Hel (Pain)

7. Arawn (Fear)

8. Ho-Musubi (Fire)

9. Shiva (Destruction)

Lords of Heaven

1. Amaterasu (Heaven)

2. Nut (Sky)

3. Aethra (Light)

4. Nomos (Truth)

5. Gabriel (Righteousness)

6. Odin (Wisdom)

7. Terpsichore (Dance)

8. Ayyappan (Growth)

9. Brahma (Creation)

Lords of Materium

1. Azathoth (Chaos)

2. Arcteolis (Cold)

3. Hypnos (Sleep)

4. Borrum (Wind)

5. Francis (Nature)

6. Vitalos (Life)

7. Thanatos (Death)

8. Vishnu (Balance)

9. Ma'at (Order)

Ma'at specifically is the weakest of the LOM, because it being subdued by Satan's worshippers is what caused the world to start breaking down and the armies of Hell to invade and take all of South Atlia, and what triggered the protagonist/party to go defeat them since then they can steal the cracks and repair their world.

If you have any way in which I can improve this please let me know, and also if you'd like to see more of my world lore that might motivate me to write more of it. I do have more - about 3k words in total - but nowhere near complete enough for me to be satisfied.

[h0bg0blin-meat]

Vishnu: Caffeine no longer keeps me awake while I work, so instead I have Shiva periodically send me texts saying ‘we need to talk.’ Vishnu: It gives me the right amount of adrenaline and fear I need to keep going.

[talonabraxas]

Vishnu and Lakshmi Talon Abraxas

Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi - Story of Vishnu and Lakshmi's Marriage

Vishnu is the Hindu God for preserving and protecting creation. He is the example of goodness and mercy, self-existent and the powerful power that maintains the cosmic order. Vishnu’s main form is represented as a resting coiled serpent Shesha. Vishnu is the deity of Shanti (peaceful mood), he never sleeps, and he cannot stand ego.

Lakshmi is the goddess of light, beauty, good fortune and wealth. Lakshmi means good luck. People tend to pray to Lakshmi to achieve success, but she does not reside with anyone who is lazy and only desires her wealth.

We all know that Shri Lakshmi is the consort and dynamic energy of Lord Vishnu, that is, Goddess Lakshmi married Lord Vishnu.

The story of their marriage starts with Indra – the Lord of the Devas.

Indra was a very powerful God. He was the king of the Heaven and the ruler of the other Gods. However, all this got into his head which led him to become arrogant and disrespectful towards others.

Indra had a four tusked, beautiful white elephant called Airavatha. Whenever Indra felt like going out of the kingdom, he would occasionally travel on Airavatha.

One such time when Indra was traveling on Airavatha, he met Sage Durvasa coming from the other side.

Sage Durvasa was a powerful sage. As he was immersed in meditation most of the times, he had enormous yogic powers within him However he had one drawback. Sage Durvasa got angry exceptionally fast and also cursed people often.

Sage Durvasa while traveling the world had found a fragrant garland. The flowers of the garland never faded and remained fresh always. He was carrying the garland with him when he met Indra coming on Airavatha.

Sage Durvasa felt that Indra being the King of Gods should be given the garland.

On seeing Sage Durvasa, Indra curtly greeted the Sage without saluting him. In those days, it was customary to salute the wise and learned sages, giving them due respect.

Sage Durvasa however did not get angry at this. He handed over the garland to Indra. “Take the garland Indra. It befits you well.”

Indra carelessly took the garland and placed it on Airavatha’s head. The aroma from the garland was so strong that Airavatha took the garland from his head and flung it down.

Looking at the careless manner in which Indra had treated the garland, Sage Durvasa got enraged, “Have you forgotten how to greet people and how to behave when you receive a gift. You insolent…”

Indra had the fright of his life. He suddenly remembered the long list of people whom Sage Durvasa had cursed and reduced them to nothing. He swallowed…Lord of the Gods or not, Sage Durvasa was not someone to be taken lightly.

He hastily got down from Airavatha and rushed forward fell on the sage’s feet to prevent the sage from saying anything further. Before the sage could complete his words, Indra cried, “Forgive me Sage. I behaved badly. I should have respected you and…”

[nancypullen]

Hit 'Em Where They Ain't, Boys

Over the years I've expressed my love for the sport of baseball. Love it. I've always had a favorite team to watch...the Fairbanks Goldpanners, the Nashville Sounds, and always, always the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are on my television right now battling with Chicago. They're up by one run in the second inning and I'm cheering them on. Apologies to my favorite diehard Cubs fan, Dina. All of that explains why I couldn't be more excited to share that we have tickets to see the Braves play the Nationals in D.C. on June 9th! An afternoon game in June, what's better than that? Nuttin'! We'll cross the bridge and catch the Metro which will drop us right at the stadium. No fighting traffic or looking for parking, hooray! I can't wait! As I've also mentioned a few hundred times I love the 1988 movie, Bull Durham. Baseball, steamy romance, big laughs, great music - what else do you need?

Kevin Costner. Need I say more?

I could relate to Annie Savoy. I mean, not because she's leggy and gorgeous, I'm neither, but her love of the game and commitment to the season. I used to have her opening (PG) monologue memorized.

I believe in the Church of Baseball. I've tried all the major religions and most of the minor ones. I've worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance. (sigh) But it just didn't work out between us. The Lord laid too much guilt on me. I prefer metaphysics to theology.

You see, there's no guilt in baseball, and it's never borin' - which makes it like sex. There's never been a ballplayer slept with me who didn't have the best year of his career. Makin' love is like hittin' a baseball. You just gotta relax and concentrate. Besides, I'd never sleep with a player hittin' under .250, unless he had a lot of RBIs or was a great glove man up the middle.

You see, there's a certain amount of life wisdom I give these boys. I can expand their minds. Sometimes when I've got a ballplayer alone, I'll just read Emily Dickinson or Walt Whitman to him. And the guys are so sweet, they always stay and listen. Of course, a guy'll listen to anything if he thinks it's foreplay. I make them feel confident, and they make me feel safe - and pretty. Of course, what I give them lasts a lifetime. What they give me lasts 142 games. Sometimes it seems like a bad trade, but bad trades are part of baseball. I mean, who can forget Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas, for God's sake? It's a long season and you gotta trust it. I've tried 'em all, I really have. And the only church that truly feeds the soul - day in, day out, is the Church of Baseball.

I agree, Annie. Which is why I made this shirt to wear to the game.

I need to look good while I yell at the ump and call balls and strikes. I know they appreciate my help. Trying to decide which earrings to wear, of course the big earrings appeal to me.

I'll probably just wear the beaded hoops on the far left. Ponytail, hoops in Braves colors, and a Church of Baseball tee. If that doesn't spell crazy fan I don't know what does. Whoohoo, let's go, Braves! I don't want to hear a word about my craziness. It's fun to have something to look forward to - and if there's a rainout I may cry.

Alright, that's enough silliness from me for one night. I don't expect you to share my passion for baseball or my love of Bull Durham. I do hope that you can share a bit of my excitement for something fun on the horizon. When we don't have things to look forward to, life becomes drudgery. It doesn't have to be anything big - for me it can be a trip to a garden center or a shopping trip with my sister. Life needs to be sprinkled with occasional treats. So send good juju out to the universe for fair weather on June 9th, then tune in to the Braves game. I'll be the wackadoodle in the red shirt (that should narrow it down). Sending out heaps of love tonight, take what you need and pass it on. Stay safe, stay well. XOXO, Nancy P.S. Go watch Bull Durham. You're welcome.

[blessed1neha]

Why Lord Vishnu sleeps for 4 months?

Lord Vishnu sleeps for four months on Devshayani Ekadashi of Ashadh month. During which no auspicious work is done in Hinduism. Like marriage, birth ceremony, sacred thread ceremony, house warming and shaving etc. The month in which Lord Vishnu is in deep sleep is called Chaturmas.

From this day all the work of running the universe is removed from the shoulders of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva takes over his work. In simple words, Lord Vishnu goes to Patal Lok for these four months. And the entire work of creation goes into the hands of Lord Shiva.

According to Scriptures, once a king named Bali had captured all the three worlds. Then Indradev approached Lord Vishnu for help. On which Lord Vishnu took an incarnation named Vamana. And after taking the Vamana avatar, Lord Vishnu came in the guise of a Brahmin to King Bali to beg for alms.

And asked for three steps in charity. During this, Vishnu ji measured the earth and the sky in just two steps. After this Vishnu ji asked King Bali where he should take his third step. On which King Bali asked him to put the third step on King Bali's head.

After which all the pride of King Bali was shattered and due to the kindness and charitable nature of King Bali, Lord Vishnu asked King Bali to ask for a boon. After this, King Bali asked Lord Vishnu to return to Patal Lok.

During this, Lord Vishnu told King Bali that he would stay in Patal Lok from Devshayani Ekadashi of Shukla month of Ashadha to Devuthani Ekadashi of Shukla month of Kartik. Since then, every year in the month of Ashadh, Lord Vishnu goes to Chirnidra from Devshayani Ekadashi and no religious work is done during this time.

[santoschristos]

Tantra Asanas Tantra is a path to Self Realization or Self Actualization.

In the tantric texts, kundalini is conceived of as the primal power or energy. In terms of modern psychology, it can be called the unconscious in man. As we have just discussed, in Hindu mythology, kundalini corresponds with the concept of Kali. In the philosophy of Shaivism, the concept of kundalini is represented by the shivalingam, the oval-shaped stone or pillar with a snake coiled around it.

However, most commonly, kundalini is illustrated as a sleeping serpent coiled three and a half times. Of course there is no serpent residing in mooladhara, sahasrara or any other chakra, but the serpent has always been a symbol for efficient consciousness. In all the oldest mystic cults of the world you find the serpent, and if you have seen any pictures or images of Lord Shiva, you will have noticed serpents girdling his waist, neck and arms. Kali is also adorned with serpents and Lord Vishnu eternally reposes on a large coiled serpent. This serpent power symbolizes the unconscious in man.

In Scandinavian, European, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries and many different civilizations of the world, the concept of the serpent power is represented in monuments and ancient artifacts. This means kundalini was known to people from all parts of the world in the past. However, we can conceive kundalini in any manner we like because actually, prana has no form or dimension, it is infinite. --Swami Satyananda Saraswati