Sanatana Dharma and Indic Knowledge

Most people have heard of Dasa Avatara – the ten incarnations of Maha Vishnu, but did you know that the Lord has several Avataras in addition to these ten? Srimad Bhagavatam describes twenty-two Avataras: 1. The Kumaras (Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara). They are child-sages who are Manasa Putras (mind-born sons) of Brahma. 2. Varaha or the divine boar who lifted the earth when it had sunk to the depth of the ocean. 3. Narada the celestial  sage 4. In His fourth Avatara, the Lord appeared in the dual form of the two sages Nara and Narayana, who practiced severe Tapas (austerities). It is believed that the same Nara and Narayana in their next birth were born as Arjuna and Sri Krishna respectively. 5. Sage Kapila, who taught the Sankhya system of philosophy. 6. Dattatraya, the son of Anasuya (sage Atri’s wife). Dattatraya was a joint Avatara of the Trimurtis Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. 7. Yagna, the son of Prajapati Ruchi and his wife Akuti. He held the positio...

      Long ago, there lived a king named Uttanapada. He had two wives – Suniti and Suruchi. Suruchi, the younger queen, was more beloved to the king. Suniti had a son named Dhruva. Suruchi also had a son, named Uttama. When the boys were very small, one day, the king was fondling Uttama, who was seated on his lap. Seeing this, little Dhruva too wanted to climb on his father’s lap. Suruchi – Dhruva’s step-mother – who was nearby, pushed the child away, saying spitefully, “You are fit neither to sit on the royal throne, nor on the king’s lap, because you were not born to me. If you wish to sit on the king’s throne, pray to God that you may be born from my womb.” The child, hurt by the cruel words of his step-mother, ran crying to his own mother. The good Suniti tried her best to console her son. She was helpless because it was Suruchi who enjoyed the king’s favour. Suniti told Dhruva, “Have no evil thoughts about others, even if they hurt you. Pray to the lotus-feet of...

Vedic Literature is the oldest layer of Sanskrit language. The word Veda has come from the Sanskrit verb विद् meaning 'to know'. Vedas are also known as Shruti (श्रु-to hear). Vedic Literature has been nurtured by sages and has been passed on to the future generations through oral tradition. Vedas are also called Samhita Sage Vyasa is known as the compiler of the Samhitas. The four Vedas are Rigveda,Yajurveda,Samaveda and Atharvaveda. These texts consist of benedictions and mantras, and also describe about various rituals, ceremonies, sacrifices, etc. The Vedic texts are said to have no creator except Brahma. Hence this is called अपौरुषेय (not created by anyone). Vedas were not created by one person at a particular time. It was a continuous process. Vedas were found in a written form once the compilation of the Vedas was done. There are many opinions regarding the exact dates of the Vedas, however some roughly state the date to be around 1700-1100 BC. Many philosophers such as ...