Indian
Culture and Traditions
Animals In Indian
Culture Create An 'Inclusive Universe'
By Vimla Patil
Every civilization looks at animals, birds and sea creatures in its
own special way. In India,
generations over the millenniums have seen all species as their friends
and partners with whom they share the earth. They have been presented in
beautiful forms in paintings and sculptures as companions of deities, as
symbols of power and beauty or simply as decorative embellishments…
“The
Romans saw animals as fierce creatures which had to be killed or
controlled for human survival. The Greeks saw them as symbols of power
living in a separate world of their own. But ancient Indians saw them as
they should be seen – friendly, loyal and graceful.” says Dr. Kumud
Kanitkar, who has conducted an exhaustive study of animal sculptures and
motifs in Indian culture, “Animals have not undergone any major changes
in their shapes or bahaviour, but their perception by human beings has
changed from age to age. The depictions of animals, birds and sea
creatures in sculptures, paintings and arts like dance and fabric
printing as well as architecture are expressions of human imagination and
are often used as religious symbols of power, grace, beauty, dignity,
opulence and wisdom.”
One
of India’s
fundamental fables of creation concerns the churning of the cosmic ocean by
the gods on one side and demons on the other. The many sculptures or
paintings of this event show that they used a gigantic snake named Anant
– the cosmic serpent that entwines the whole world, to hold it together.
This motif has fascinated the entire orient and is seen in huge
sculptures in Thailand and Cambodia.
In addition, the cosmic ocean yielded a divine elephant (Airawat), horse
(Uchaisravas) and cow (Kapila) during the churning. All these attained
the stature of being divine companions of the gods and thus were
considered an integral part of the human as well as the spiritual world.
Later
in the Puranic period, each deity represented one or more aspects of
divinity and was thus accompanied by one or more animals to ‘complete’
the bonding of gods, humans and animals. Over a period of time, the Vahanas
or vehicles of gods and goddesses came to represent their qualities or a
means of instantly recognizing the deity which could be presented in
different poses, forms or aspects. For instance, any goddess accompanied
by a tiger or lion is instantly recognized as Durga. Archeologists have
depended on animal sculptures to research sculptures of divinities as
well as the historical period during which they were created. Animals and
birds also became symbols of the duties and powers of gods and above all,
they were the artistic expressions of the human perception of the animal
world.
Most
important, they proved that animals, birds and sea creatures were
considered an integral part of the human universe as equal partners who
shared the earth. Each animal, stylized according to the form of the
deity with which it was teamed, became an instantly recognizable motif
and was sometimes separately worshipped through dance, music, paintings
and sculptures. Animals or birds also were considered protectors of
shrines and human society.
Many Western writers like E M Forster have expressed wonder at the powerful presence of animals in Indian culture. His novel ‘Passage to India’ portrays animals as inspiring growth, promoting unity and love between animals and human beings and shown as exotic symbols of Indian culture. The use of these symbols proves the incomparable diversity of India’s forest landscapes and wealth. Hinduism worships many animal-related deities. The most popular among these are Ganesha with an elephant head and Hanuman, with a monkey body. Ganesha is the auspicious remover of obstacles, the god of wisdom and auspiciousness while Hanuman stands for strength, single-minded devotion and power.
Many Western writers like E M Forster have expressed wonder at the powerful presence of animals in Indian culture. His novel ‘Passage to India’ portrays animals as inspiring growth, promoting unity and love between animals and human beings and shown as exotic symbols of Indian culture. The use of these symbols proves the incomparable diversity of India’s forest landscapes and wealth. Hinduism worships many animal-related deities. The most popular among these are Ganesha with an elephant head and Hanuman, with a monkey body. Ganesha is the auspicious remover of obstacles, the god of wisdom and auspiciousness while Hanuman stands for strength, single-minded devotion and power.
Important
western thinkers have wondered at the role elephants play in Indian
culture. Apart from being a part of Ganesha’s personality, the elephant
is invariably seen as the companion of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and
opulence. Buddhists venerate the elephant as a symbol of the Buddha and
thus this concept spreads across many oriental countries where Buddhism
is practised. The elephant plays a cultural role beyond religion too.
Researcher Heinrich Simmer says that elephants are so omnipresent in
Indian art that they have come to symbolize India as a nation. Indeed, India has highest population of the
Asiatic elephants – over 33,000 – or 60 per cent of all elephants in the
world and the ‘elephant corridor’ from Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra to Orissa, Assam
and then to Burma
is a famous concept among wild life lovers. Indians rarely kill an
elephant even if destroys crops because of their belief in its divine
qualities.
Even
today, in this age of hi-technology, owning an elephant is considered a
symbol of wealth and opulence. Reportedly, the King of Thailand owns the largest number of ‘white
elephants’ which are rare and considered lucky in India. Sculptures in Ajanta, Ellora and various schools of paintings
including the Maithili, the Kantha, the Mughal miniature and even folk style
Warli paintings feature elephants. Priceless textiles use the motif to
celebrate good fortune.
Similarly,
other animals and birds symbolize ideas and concepts. Some important
symbols:
1. The lion or tiger, the companion of Durga, the goddess of power. They help her in destroying the demons of darkness and ensure the victory of good over evil every year during Navaratri.
2. Saraswati, the beautiful river goddess of knowledge and arts, is accompanied by swans or peacocks – both symbolizing grace and beauty.
3. Shiva, the lord of the Himalayas, rides the powerful Nandi or bull who symbolizes power and strength.
4. Krishna, the eternal lover, is a cowherd and attracts cows with his divine flute music. 5. Karthikeya, the son of Shiva-Parvati, has a peacock with him.
1. The lion or tiger, the companion of Durga, the goddess of power. They help her in destroying the demons of darkness and ensure the victory of good over evil every year during Navaratri.
2. Saraswati, the beautiful river goddess of knowledge and arts, is accompanied by swans or peacocks – both symbolizing grace and beauty.
3. Shiva, the lord of the Himalayas, rides the powerful Nandi or bull who symbolizes power and strength.
4. Krishna, the eternal lover, is a cowherd and attracts cows with his divine flute music. 5. Karthikeya, the son of Shiva-Parvati, has a peacock with him.
Apart
from these major religious animal and bird symbols, Indians believe
several birds and animals to be messengers of good luck. When a koel
begins her song, romantic poetry is written to welcome the flowering of springtime.
Her passionate cry heralds the much-awaited fragrant mango season.
Parrots are used in literature as messengers of romance between lovers.
Snakes are worshipped as holders of the earth’s treasures and symbols of
fertility. The graceful swan represents the soul and its spiritual
freedom.
Birds
and animals in Indian culture are also harbingers of seasons – they
foretell coming events and changing climate. They are also messengers
between lovers. Just the koel sings for springtime, cranes and other
birds flying among black clouds symbolize rain. The romantic Krishna himself is portrayed as the dark clouds
which rain and bring plentitude on a parched, thirsty land. The swan is a
messenger in the immortal love story of King Nala and the beautiful
princess Damayanti. Parrots carry love messages between separated lovers.
In all miniature paintings of India, birds and animals are presented as
an integral part of the human world – as graceful, loving, loyal
companions of human beings.
No
wonder then that India
has a huge treasure of wild life. The country is home to a huge number of
monkeys of many species. The famous heritage Elephanta
Island off the coast of Mumbai alone has more than 10,000 monkeys that live
on the generosity of locals and visitors. India possibly has the
highest number of wild life sanctuaries in the world – a total of 551 –
spread over the sub-continent. Of these many are tiger habitats. Though
declining due to poaching, the number of tigers in India is presently over 1400.
The Asiatic lions in Gir, Gujarat are
also a huge international attraction.
Indophile
E.M.Forster says, "Indians believe that birds, animals and human
beings – as indeed everything else – are an integral part of divinity.
This is the central belief of all Indian religious and cultural thought
and thus, all forms of life must be respected equally. Thus human
beings and elephants, horses, cattle and birds like the mynah, the
peacock, the parrot and the koel are woven into many fables and religious
treatises. Water creatures like the crocodile, the turtle and fish are
considered sacred and are associated with sacred rivers like the Ganga and Yamuna. India’s belief that animals,
birds and sea creatures are sacred is a dominant and beautiful aspect of
Indian culture for millenniums. They are earthly and spiritual companions
of human beings and thus equal sharers of the world and its resources.”
According
to Western thinkers, very few cultures are so deeply associated with
animals, birds and sea creatures as well as trees like the Indian culture
– which is a confluence of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Sikh thought. All
these traditions recognize the right of all living beings to co-exist
peacefully and to be loved and cherished for the welfare of the world.
This is perhaps why animals are shown as companions of gods and
goddesses. Famous kings and emperors of Indian history chose different
animals in their emblems. Several festivals of India are observed to pamper
animals. Possibly, to engender love for animals among all, animals have
been made heroes in mythology and folk literature. Powerful rulers also
encouraged artists at their courts to promote animal motifs in their art
and architecture.
Unfortunately, today
we have forgotten both India’s
compassionate attitude and the alarm bells rung by present-day scientific
research about animals. We continue to ignore the desperate need to
conserve their habitats and their depleting populations. No wonder there
is a sense of panic all over the world!
Why Is 'Akshaya Tritiya' A Day For GOLD
By Ram Lingam
India is probably the only country where a religious day
is linked to a practice of gold buying. It is the ‘gold’en day of
‘Akshaya Tritiya’ and we are talking tons of gold here. According
to estimates, Indian consumers bought about 20 tonnes of the gold on this
festive day in 2010. However this was much lower than the buy in 2009 due
to soaring prices when India,
the world's largest consumer of the yellow metal, bought some 45 tonnes
of Gold in 2009. So what makes Akshaya Tritiya a day for GOLD?
According
to gold industry pundits, in 2011 GOLD is all set to offer fourth best
returns to investors in last 10 years as it has so far gained 18 per cent
in price since the festival day last year. For Indians buying gold is a
popular activity on Akshaya Tritiya day, as it is the ultimate symbol of
wealth and prosperity. According to the Hindu calendar, this most
auspicious Akshaya Tritiya day falls on Friday next week. This year the
date of Akshaya Trithiya is Friday May 6.This day is important to both
Hindus and Jains. According to the traditional panchāng Akshaya Tritiya
falls on the third day (Tritiya) of the new moon of Vaishākh month
(April-May) every year.
Akshaya
in Sanskrit means one that ‘never diminishes’ (a—kshaya) and the day is
believed to bring good luck and success. Hindus who imbibe what is
originally called ‘Sanātana Dharma’ believe they can get lasting
prosperity by buying precious metals on the day. Akshaya Tritiya is
traditionally earmarked for beginning new ventures, for investing and
purchasing valuables especially gold, jewellery and diamond. It is no
surprise Indians buy gold on Akshaya Tritiya as it is considered very
auspicious and a safe investment. It is also believed that any meaningful
activity started on this day would be fruitful.
Economically
this day is quite productive for marketers as they cash in on the festivity
to boost their sales. Marketers indulge in high voltage advertisement
campaigns especially the jewellery stores. In fact people in India
and overseas book jewellery in advance and take delivery on Akshaya
Tritiya day. It’s a day of frenzy buying for all precious metals
especially gold. Sales on Akshaya Tritiya day usually increases four to
five times compared to normal days. Traditionally the preference for
customers is to buy light-weight jewellery, diamond jewellery but today’s
economic superpower India
sees several buyers preferring diamond jewellery purchases.
According
to ‘Jyotisa’- the ancient Indian system of astronomy and astrology, the
entire Akshaya Tritiya day is auspicious. So there is no need to look for
an auspicious time i.e. no ‘muhurat’ required on this day. This is the
only day in any year when the Sun which is the lord of the planets and
Moon which is the lord of creativity are in exaltation meaning at their
peak of radiance. During the month of vaishaakha, the sun is in the Mesha
(Aries), the first sign of the zodiac, where it is in an exalted or most
powerful position to give benefits. The moon is also in a powerful
position. This combination of the planetary energies is believed to
create abundance whereby any auspicious activity commenced on this day
leads to continued growth of beneficial results throughout the year.
Astrologically this is extremely auspicious. That also makes this
day one of the most popular dates in Hindu calendar for marriages and
partnerships.
It
is also believed that people born during this time shine bright in life
due to the exaltation of Sun and Moon in the native’s horoscope. Many
greats were born during this period like Basaveshwara, Ramanujācharya,
Ādi Shankarācharya, Swāmi Chinmayānanda and Lord Buddha.
Glance
through the annals of ancient Indian heritage and one finds that on this
tritiya day of Vaishaka month many significant things of great spiritual
importance happened. According to Jain tradition this day is auspicious
as people from Ayodhya bought gold and jewellery to offer to their
Tirthankara Rshabhdev who was the King of Ayodhya centuries ago. Even today
Jains observe long term fast to commemorate their first Tirthankara
Rshabhdev and break their fast on Akshaya Tritiya day with sugar cane
juice just as Rshabhdeva broke his fast with that juice after one year.
According
to the ancient Hindu religious texts like the Puranas, this day marked the
beginning of the "SatyaYug" or the Golden Age - the first of
the four Yugas. It is believe that on this day Lord Krishna gave Draupadi
a bowl - akshaya pātara (where food came in abundance) when the Pāndavas
were in exile. Traditionally this third day in the bright fortnight of
Vaishākh is also the day of the sixth incarnation of Lord Vishnu,
Parshurama, and the ‘preserving’ manifestation of God in the Hindu
Trinity. Parshurama is considered to be the personification of valour and
of devotion.
On
this day of Akshaya Tritiya, Maharishi Veda Vyās along with Lord Ganesha
started writing the great epic Mahabharata. It is also the day the most
sacred river of the Hindus, Ganga
descended to earth. On this day Sudāma visited his childhood buddy Lord
Krishna with a hearty gift of a handful of beaten rice (pohā). The good
returns (prasād) he got in return for his devotion to the Lord is a
classical story told in Hindu households. On such a day associated with
Lord Krishna the story of Sudāma’s offering is mentioned along with Lord
Krishna’s affirmation in his Holy Gita ~ “Whoever offers a leaf, a
flower, a fruit or even water with devotion, that I accept, offered as it
is with a loving heart “.
Thus,
many are the reasons for Akshaya Tritiya to be considered a wish
fulfilling day. Any worship performed or daan (donation) given on this
day is considered extremely good karma. Good karma is considered
meritorious and is supposed to bestow beneficial results. So what are the
some recommended things to do on Akshaya Tritiya day? During this day it
is considered auspicious to:
•Start or initiate any beneficial activity for family and community
•Visit temples, worship Lord Krishna or Lakshmi Narayan to invoke abundance in oneself
•Participate in spiritual activities like satsang
•Make offerings to and seek blessings of elders and spiritual teachers
•Donate food, clothing to the needy
•Buy safe and secure investments
•Start or initiate any beneficial activity for family and community
•Visit temples, worship Lord Krishna or Lakshmi Narayan to invoke abundance in oneself
•Participate in spiritual activities like satsang
•Make offerings to and seek blessings of elders and spiritual teachers
•Donate food, clothing to the needy
•Buy safe and secure investments
Happy Akshaya Tritiya
day to ALL.
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My
humble salutations to Ms.Vimla Patil ji, Sri Ramalingam ji, and hindu samskrit dot com for the collection)
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