iseries
i ask Ran Levi, israel
mike eliseou, uk
Om My God! Is Buddha an avatar of Vishnu? WHILE Buddha and his teachings have been considered to be a part of a separate religion, he is also regarded as a prophet and god in other religions. In Hinduism, he is thought of as the ninth of the 10 avatars of Vishnu called the Dashavatars. Some versions say that his purpose was to lead demons away from the Vedic religion so as to destroy them; others say that he was to reveal the true meaning of the vedas – though agreeing with much of what the Vedas said he condemned the authority that they held. Why is Krishna blue in colour? Lord Krishna is often depicted as being blue or dark blue-skinned. The word Krishna in Sanskrit literally translates to black or dark blue and it is believed that artists have used this interpretation of his name to portray his identity. The black represents the sky, the universe, and the blue represents the sea symbolising the continuous and eternal infinity that is Lord Krishna. Why does Brahma have four heads? Brahma is the lord of creation and is one of the three gods that form the
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Trimurti or the Hindu Trinity. It is said that he was born with only one head but created the others in the three other directions and one skywards as he could not keep his eyes off Saraswati, whom he had fallen deeply in love with. But in vengeance, Shiva opened his third eye burning one face when Brahma failed to heed his call as he was lost in Saraswati’s beauty. Each of his four heads dictates one of the four vedas (Rig Sama, Yajur and Atharva) and the Vedas themselves represent his four faces, heads and arms. Why does Shiva bear a crescent moon on his head? One belief is that when Lord Shiva drank the Halahal Vish (poison) in order to save humanity, his body was left hot. He then placed the moon on his head to cool himself down. Other beliefs state that the waxing and waning of the moon symbolised the continuity of time. Lord Shiva wore the moon only as an ornament as he himself was the eternal reality and was thus beyond time. The wearing of the crescent moon on his head also means that he has perfect control over his mind.