• Five
  • Six
  • Seven
  • Eight
  • Fourteen Worlds
  • Sixteen - shODaSOpacAra
  • Type of Puranas

  • Five Arrows of Cupid
    cupid has flower arrows five fragrant flowers - Lotus, Jonesia aSOka, mango blossom, Arabian jasmine and blue lotus.
    “.....Mohana, Stambhana, Unmadana, Soshana and Tapana—fascination, stupefaction, intoxication, emaciation and burning. One arrow causes fascination in young men when they see a beautiful form. Another arrests their attention. The third intoxicates them. The fourth arrow causes intense attraction towards the form. The fifth arrow inflames and burns their heart. It pierces their cardiac chambers deeply. No one on this earth, nay, in all the three worlds, has the power to resist the potential influence of these arrows. These arrows pierced even the heart of Lord Siva and many Rishis of yore....” Source - Kusuma Sara
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    shaD-rasa - (tamizh arusuvai) - Six Tastes of Food
    sweet (madhura - inippu), sour (amla - puLippu), salt (lavaNa - uvarppu), bitter (kaTu - kasappu), pungent (tIkshNa - kAraM), astringent (kashAya - tuvarppu); kaTu also means pungent.
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    Six vEdAngAs
    Six vEdAMgAs (six limbs of vEda puruSa) – sikshA – phonetics – nose; vyAkaraNa – grammar – mouth; chandas – vEdic metre – feet; nirukta – etymology – ears; jyOtisha – astrology/astronomy – eyes; kalpa – vEdic Action – Arms. Six Vedangas
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    shaT-Sastra - Six Sastras
    sAMkhya, yOga, vEdAnta, mImAmsa, nyAya, vaiSEshika.
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    shaDguNa sampat - Six Virtues
    Sama - control upon his own mind; dama - control upon his physical body; titiksha - forbearence for the odds and evens of the nature; samAdhAna - equanimity of all beings and having a sympathetic mind; uparati - indifference with a sAkshi type of mind; Sraddha - sincere adherence to the words of guru and SAstrAs, by word and deed. Source - shaDguNa sampat - Six Virtues
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    sapta Rshi - seven Rshis
    atri, AngIrasa, gautama, jamadagni, bharadvAja, vaSishTa, viSvAmitra; or agastya, AngIrasa, gautama, kASyapa, pulastya, mArkaNDEya, vaSishTa.
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    seven body elements
    flesh, blood, phlegm or rasa (chyle), urine or bone, bile or marrow and semen
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    Eight-fold Siddhis
    aNiman – become minute as atom;
    laghiman – extreme lightness;
    prApti – reach anything (moon with the tip of finger);
    prAkAmya – irresistible will;
    mahiman – illimitable bulk;
    ISitA – supreme dominion;
    vaSitA – subjugating by magic;
    kAmAvaSAyitA – suppressing all desires
    (Source – Monier’s Sanskrit Dictionary.)

    (aNiman, laghiman, prApti, prakAmya, mahiman, ISitA and vaSitA and garimA – making oneself heavy at will – Source tamizh pingala nigaNDu.)
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    Eight aiSvarya (ashThaiSvarya)
    Eight prosperity or wealth. There seems to be no uniform definition as to what these eight are. Top
    In Tamil (Internet) Dictionary, these are given as – dominion, off-spring, relations, gold, gems, grains, conveyance and attendants. Wives, cows and long-life are mentioned in lieu of some of these.
    In Monier’s Sanskrit Dictionary, the state of being mighty Lord which includes sovereignty, supremacy, power, sway, dominion, super-human powers etc are mentioned. Also, such powers as vision, audition, cogitation, discrimination, and omniscience; and of active powers such as swiftness of thought, power of assuming forms at will, and faculty of expatiation.
    Eight kinds of Siddhis – aNimA etc are also consered as ashThaiSvarya.
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    Eight Cardinal Points
    Lords and Elephants -
    East – indra – airAvada;
    South-East – agni – puNDarIka;
    South – yama – vAmana;
    South-West – nirRti or sUrya – kumuda;
    West – varuNa – anjana;
    North-West – vAyu or pAvana – pushpadanta;
    North – kubEra – sArvabhauma;
    North-East – ISAnana or sOma or candara or pRthvi – supradIpa.
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    Eight Vasus
    Fire, earth, air, sky, sun, heaven, moon and stars
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    Eight Limbed prostration
    sASTAMga – prostrating by lying with the eight limbs of the body – hands (2), breast, forehead, knees (2) , feet (2) touching the ground to show utmost reverence.
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    Eight-Fold (ashTAnga) yOga
    yama, niyama, Asana, prANAyAma, pratyAhAra, dhAraNa, dhyAnaM, samAdhi

    iyama niyamamE eNNilA Adanam
    nayamuRu pirANAyAmam pirattiyAgAran-
    cayamigu dAraNai diyAnancamAdi
    ayamuRum aTTAnga mAvadumAmE - tirumandiram - 552

    இயம நியமமே எண்ணிலா ஆதனம்
    நயமுறு பிராணாயாமம் பிரத்தியாகாரஞ்
    சயமிகு தாரணை தியானஞ் சமாதி
    அயமுறும் அட்டாங்க மாவதுமாமே - திருமந்திரம் - 552
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    Fourteen Worlds - Seven Upper and Seven Lower Worlds
    Seven Upper worlds in the ascending order (As per Sanskrit-English Dictionary referenced) -
    bhUr-lOka – the earth inhabited by humans; bhuvar-lOka – space between earth and Sun inhabited by munis and siddhAs etc; svar-lOka – the abode of indra – heaven – above Sun and below Pole Star; mahar-lOka - region above Pole Star inhabited by bhRgu and other saints who survive the destruction of three lower Worlds; janar-lOka – inhabited by son of brahmA – sanatkumAra; tapo-lOka – inhabited by deified vairAgis; satya-lOka or brahma-lOka – abode of brahmA.
    (The seven worlds are also described as earth, sky, heaven, middle region, place of re-births, mansion of the blest, and the abode of truth.)
    Seven Nether Worlds – atala, vitala, sutala, tarAtala, rasAtala, mahAtala, pAtAla.
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    shODaSOpacAra - 16 aspects of pUjA
    (1) asana (seat of the image) ; (2) svagata (welcome); (3) padya (water for washing the feet); (4) arghya (offering of unboiled rice, flowers, sandal paste, durva grass, etc., to the Devata in the kushi) (vessel); (5 and 6) achamana (water for sipping, which is offered twice); (7) madhuparka (honey, ghee, milk, and curd offered in a silver or brass vessel); (8) snana (water for bathing); (9) vasana (cloth); (10) abharana (jewels); (11) gandha (scent and sandal paste is given); (12) pushpa (flowers); (13) dhupa (incense stick); (14) dipa (light); (15) naivedya (food); (16) vandana or namas-kara (prayer). shODaSOpacAra - 16 items of service (see Puja)
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    Puranas - Type of
    The chief Puranas are 18, grouped in 3 divisions:
  • Rajasa exalting Brahma (Brahma, Brahmanda, Brahmavaivarta, Markandeya, Bhavishya, Vamana);
  • Sattvika exalting Vishnu (Vishnu, Bhagavata, Naradiya, Garuda, Padma, Varaha);
  • Tamasa exalting Siva (Siva , Linga , Skanda , Agni or in place of it the Vayu , Matsya , Kurma);
  • Source - Monier's Sanskrit Dictionary
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