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40-479: The construction date of the shrine is not clear, it is assumed however that is appeared around 1000. The shrine underwent a number of reconstructions and renovations, the last one being in 1998. There is a pond with turtles that surround the shrine. Since Buddhism and Shinto were closely intertwined, the shrine was also dedicated to Benzaiten . Therefore, it is better known as the "Benten of Kawana" rather than "Kawahara Shrine". The nearest Nagoya Municipal Bus stop

80-433: A country where the sutra is chanted). During the medieval period onwards, Benzaiten came to be associated or even conflated with a number of Buddhist and local deities, including the goddess Kisshōten whose role as goddess of fortune eventually became ascribed to Benzaiten in popular belief). As such, she was eventually also worshiped as a bestower of monetary fortune and became part of the set of popular deities known as

120-514: Is su (सु, traditionally read in Japanese as so ), written in Siddhaṃ script . In Japanese esoteric Buddhism ( mikkyo ), Benzaiten's main mantra is as follows: In Japan , the places of worship dedicated to Benzaiten are often called "辯天堂" ( benten-dō ) or benten-sha ( 弁天社 ) . Shinto shrines dedicated to her are also called by this name. Entire Shinto shrines can be dedicated to her, as in

160-519: Is "Bentenmae" on the No. 18. This article relating to Shinto is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Benzaiten Benzaiten ( shinjitai : 弁才天 or 弁財天 ; kyūjitai : 辯才天, 辨才天, or 辨財天, lit. " goddess of eloquence", Benten , Chinese : 辯才天, Biancaitian ) is an East Asian Buddhist goddess (technically a Dharmapala , "Dharma protector") Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during

200-513: Is a sacred river in Hinduism and the main tributary of the Ganges River. The river is also worshipped as a Hindu goddess called Yamuna. Yamuna is known as Yami in early texts, while in later literature, she is called Kalindi . In Hindu scriptures, she is the daughter of Surya , the sun god, and Sanjna , the cloud goddess. She is also the twin sister of Yama , god of death. She is associated with

240-492: Is mentioned many times in the epic as backdrop for events like yajnas (sacrifices), austerities and even a suicide by a defeated minister Hamsa of Jarasandha. Various Puranas narrate the greatness of bathing in the Yamuna. The Padma Purana narrates the story of two brothers, who lived a life of indulgence and lust and gave up the virtuous ways. They finally plunged in poverty and resorted to robbery and were killed by beasts in

280-480: Is one of three kami believed to be daughters of the sun goddess Amaterasu , the ancestress of the imperial family . She is also believed by Tendai Buddhists to be the essence of the kami Ugajin , whose effigy she sometimes carries on her head together with a torii (see photo below). As a consequence, she is sometimes also known as Uga ( 宇賀 ) Benzaiten or Uga Benten. The bīja or seed syllable used to represent Benzaiten in Japanese esoteric Buddhism

320-687: The Shatapatha Brahmana , a mother of twins is sacrificed to Yami, while twins are offered in the Taittiriya Brahmana . In the dialogue hymn between Yama and Yamī (RV 10.10), as the first two humans, Yamī tries to convince her twin brother Yama to have sex with her. Yamī makes a variety of arguments, including continuing the mortal line, that Tvashtar created them as a couple in the womb, and that Dyaush and Prithvi are famous for their incest. Yama argues that their ancestors, "the Gandharva in

360-449: The Buddha 's assembly and vows to protect all those who put their faith in the sutra, recite it, or copy it. In addition, she promises to increase the intelligence of those who recite the sutra so that they will be able to understand and remember various dharanis . She then teaches the assembly various mantras with which one can heal all illnesses and escape all manner of misfortune. One of

400-848: The Enoshima Island in Sagami Bay , the Chikubu Island in Lake Biwa and the Itsukushima Island in Seto Inland Sea (Japan's Three Great Benzaiten Shrines); and she and a five-headed dragon are the central figures of the Enoshima Engi , a history of the shrines on Enoshima written by the Japanese Buddhist monk Kōkei (皇慶) in 1047. According to Kōkei, Benzaiten is the third daughter of

440-522: The Golden Light Sutra ) meanwhile is believed to derive from Durga's iconography. As Uga Benzaiten, she may also be shown with Ugajin (a human-headed white snake) above her head. Lastly, she is also portrayed (albeit rarely) with the head of a snake or a dragon. Benzaiten's worship also spread to Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period, and she is still venerated in certain locations in Taiwan, such as

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480-534: The Seven Lucky Gods ( shichifukujin ). Benzaiten is depicted a number of ways in Japanese art. She is often depicted holding a biwa (a traditional Japanese lute) similar to how Saraswati is depicted with a veena in Indian art, though she may also be portrayed wielding a sword and a wish-granting jewel ( cintāmaṇi ). An iconographic formula showing Benzaiten with eight arms holding a variety of weapons (based on

520-583: The Xian Dong Yan temple in Keelung City . Due to her status as a water deity, Benzaiten was also linked with nāgas , dragons , and snakes . Over time, Benzaiten became identified with the Japanese snake kami Ugajin . She also became identified with the kami Ichikishima-hime . Benzaiten was also adopted as a female kami in Shinto , with the name Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto ( 市杵島姫命 ) . This kami

560-543: The Buddha's disciples, the brahmin Kaundinya , then praises Saraswati, comparing her to Vishnu's consort Narayani ( Lakshmi ) and declaring that she can manifest herself not only as a benevolent deity, but also as Yami , the sister of Yama . He then describes her eight-armed form with all its attributes — bow, arrow, sword, spear, axe, vajra , iron wheel , and noose . The poem describes Saraswati as one who "has sovereignty in

600-544: The Chinese 辯才天 (Bencaitian) or "great eloquence deity" (大辯天). This became the Japanese 弁財天 (Benzaiten). In East Asian Buddhism, she is one of the Twenty-Four Protective Deities ( Chinese : 二十四諸天; pinyin : Èrshísì Zhūtiān ). She remained associated with wealth, music, and eloquence and also took on aspects of a fierce protector of the state (due to the influence of the Golden Light Sutra which promises to protect

640-617: The after-life. The Brahmana text Taittiriya Samhita says that Yama is Agni (fire) and Yami is the earth. Yami is thus further described as an association with the earth, relating her to the goddess of graveyards and sorrow, Nirriti , another partner of Yama in the Vedas. In the Brahmanas; however retains the central role of being Yama's twin sister in the Samhita texts. In the Purushamedha rite in

680-455: The banks of the Yamuna. The eldest Pandava Yudhishthira requests Krishna to stay with them for a couple of days. One day, Krishna and the middle Pandava Arjuna go for hunting in the forest. During their hunting, Arjuna was tired. He and Krishna went to the Yamuna and bathed and drank the clear water. There, a lovely girl was strolling along the river bank. Krishna who saw her and asked Arjuna to meet her to know who she was. When Arjuna inquired,

720-459: The case of Kamakura's Zeniarai Benzaiten Ugafuku Shrine or Nagoya's Kawahara Shrine . Benzaiten temples or shrines places are commonly located near bodies of water like rivers, ponds, or springs due to her association with water. Benzaiten's worship became integrated with native Japanese beliefs, including serpent and dragon symbolism, as she was originally a river goddess. Benzaiten is enshrined on numerous locations throughout Japan; for example,

760-523: The chariot and met Yudhishthira. After a stay of few days there, Krishna and Kalindi returned to his capital Dvaraka with their entourage and duly married each other. According to the Bhagavata Purana she had ten sons: Shruta, Kavi, Vrsa, Vira, Subahu, Bhadra, Santi, Darsa, Purnamasa, and the youngest, Somaka. The Vishnu Purana mentions that she had many sons headed by Shruta. The Bhagavata Purana also narrates: Krishna's elder brother Balarama

800-412: The death of Yama, the first mortal to die. As there was continuously daytime at the start of creation, Yami was unable to understand the lapse of time since Yama's death. The gods created night separating two days so that Yami understood that time was passing and slowly recovered from her sorrow. The concept of the pair of twins with the festival of Bhau-beej , celebrated by a brother and a sister, honors

840-664: The deity Krishna as one of his eight principal consorts, called the Ashtabharya . Yamuna plays an important role in Krishna's early life as a river. According to Hindu scriptures, bathing in or drinking Yamuna's waters removes sin. Yamuna's iconographic depiction is seen on temple doorjambs, paired with that of Ganga (the goddess of the Ganges), since the Gupta era . The Agni Purana describes Yamuna as black in complexion, standing on her mount,

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880-478: The divine siblings. A prayer recited by the sister to her brother requests him to enjoy her offerings of food and eat them to please Yama and Yamuna. In Krishna's birth-story, Krishna's father Vasudeva was carrying the new-born Krishna to safety was crossing the Yamuna river. He asked Yamuna to make a way for him to cross the river, which she did by creating a passage. This was the first time that she saw Krishna whom she marries in later life. Yamuna wanted to touch

920-625: The dragon-king of Munetsuchi (無熱池; literally "lake without heat"), known in Sanskrit as Anavatapta , the lake lying at the center of the world according to an ancient Buddhist cosmological view. Ryōhō-ji , also known as the "Moe Temple", enshrines Benzaiten. It is famous for anime style depictions of Buddhist deities. Benzaiten is also enshrined as Ichikishima Hime-no-Mikoto at the Munakata Taisha shrine. Yamuna in Hinduism Yamuna

960-553: The feet of the baby which she did at deeper depths of the river and as a result the river became very calm. Krishna also spent most of youth in Vrindavan on the banks of Yamuna, playing the flute and playing with his consort Radha and the gopis on the banks. The Bhagavata Purana narrates: Once, an adult Krishna visited his cousins – the five Pandava brothers with their common wife Draupadi and their mother Kunti in their capital Indraprastha (modern-day Delhi ), located on

1000-433: The forest. Both of them reached Yama's court for judgement. While the elder brother was sentenced to Naraka (hell), the younger was granted Svarga (heaven). Astonished, the younger brother asked the reason for it, as both had lived similar lives. Yama explained that the younger brother had lived in the ashram of a sage on Yamuna's banks and bathed in the sacred river for two months. The first month absolved him of sins and

1040-437: The girl told him that she was Kalindi, the daughter of Surya, and that she was living in a house constructed by her father in the river where she has been was performing austerities with intent to have Vishnu as her husband and would remain there, until she finds him. Arjuna conveys Kalindi's message to Krishna, the avatar of Vishnu, who readily agreed to marry the beautiful damsel. Then they traveled to Indraprastha with Kalindi in

1080-567: The god of death. Her other brothers include Vaivasvata Manu , the first man, the twin Ashvins , or divine physicians, and the planet Saturn ( Shani ). She is described as Surya's favourite child. As the daughter of Surya, she is also called as Suryatanaya, Suryaja, and Ravinandini. A tale explains her name Yamuna: Sanjna was unable to bear her husband, the sun's heat, and its light and closed her eyes in his presence. Surya felt insulted and said that their son will be known as Yama ("restraint"), due to

1120-569: The holiest river in Hinduism. Her confluence with the Ganges and the mythical Sarasvati River is called Triveni Sangam , which is a very holy pilgrimage spot. Other pilgrimage sites along the river banks include Yamuna's source Yamunotri , Mathura and Bateshvar. The Mahabharata mentions Yamuna being one of the seven tributaries of the Ganges. Drinking its waters is described to absolve sin. The river

1160-580: The name Kalindi from her "earthly" source, the mountain Kalinda. Some legends also explain Yamuna's darkness and thus her name Kalindi . The Vamana Purana narrates the tale how the originally clear waters turned black. Distraught by the death of his wife Sati , Shiva wandered the whole universe. Ever thinking of Sati, Shiva jumped into Yamuna to overcome the sorrow and memories of Sati, turning her waters into black by his sorrow and unfulfilled desire. Another legend describes that Krishna defeated and banished

1200-551: The people, and I have penetrated Earth and Heaven." Saraswati, like many other Hindu deities, was eventually adopted into Buddhism, figuring mainly in Mahayana texts. In the 15th chapter of Yijing 's translation of the Sutra of Golden Light ( Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra ) into Classical Chinese ( Taishō Tripitaka 885), Saraswati (大辯才天女, pinyin : Dàbiàncáitiānnǚ ; Japanese: Daibenzaitennyo , lit. "great goddess of eloquence") appears before

1240-642: The protection of the state. Saraswati (Sanskrit: Sarasvatī ; Pali : Sarassatī ) was originally in the Rigveda a river goddess, the deification of the Sarasvati River . She was identified with Vach (Skt. Vāc ), the Vedic goddess of speech, and from there became considered to be the patron of music and the arts, knowledge, and learning. In addition to their association with eloquence and speech, both Saraswati and Vach also show warrior traits: Saraswati for instance

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1280-466: The restraint she showed. Thereafter, Sanjna tried her best to keep her eyes open, however she flickered them angering Surya again who proclaimed that her daughter would be Yamuna. Since Sanjna had tried to keep the eyes open, Yamuna was blessed that she would worshipped as a goddess and remembered throughout time. The name Kalindi may be derived from her association with Yama, the god of death and darkness as Kala. Another source suggests that she derives

1320-409: The river by his weapon – the plough and changed its course, hurting the river goddess. Terrified, the river assumed her form as a goddess and bowed to Balarama and asked his forgiveness. A pacified Balarama ordered the river to flood the forest so he could bathe and play in her waters, and the river complied. Yamuna is one of the holiest rivers in Hinduism. Yamuna is only second to the Ganges (Ganga),

1360-642: The serpent Kaliya in the Yamuna. While the dark serpent entered the waters, the river became dark. According to O'Flaherty, Yami is considered to be the twin sister of Yama in Vedic beliefs. Yama and Yami are a divine pair of creator deities. While Yama is depicted as the Lord of Death, Yami is said to be the Lady of Life. Yami also addresses a hymn to Yama in the Rig Veda , describing various drinks offered to dying sacrificers in

1400-499: The sixth through eighth centuries, mainly via Classical Chinese translations of the Golden Light Sutra ( Sanskrit : Suvarṇaprabhāsa Sūtra ), which has a section devoted to her. Benzaiten was also adopted into Shinto religion , and there are several Shinto shrines dedicated to her. As such, Benzaiten is now also associated with dragons, snakes, local Japanese deities, wealth, fortune, protection from disease and danger, and

1440-450: The tortoise, and holding a water pot in her hand. In an ancient painting she is shown as a beautiful maiden standing on the banks of the river. In the Puranic literature, Yamuna is described as the daughter of the sun god Surya (though some say that she was the daughter of Brahma) and his wife Saranyu (Sanjna in later literature), the goddess of the clouds, and the twin sister of Yama ,

1480-420: The waters and the watery maiden," as a reason not to commit incest, that Mitra - Varuna are strict in their ordinances, and that they have spies everywhere. By the end of the hymn, Yamī becomes frustrated but Yama remains firm in his stance. However, by RV 10.13.4, Yama is stated to have chosen to leave offspring, but Yamī is not mentioned. The Brahmana text Maitrayani Samhita narrates: Yami grieved instantly

1520-500: The world", as one who is "good fortune, success, and peace of mind". It also states that she fights in battlefields and is always victorious. One key concern of the Golden Light Sutra is the protection of the state, and as such, Saraswati here also takes on some form of a warrior goddess, similar to Durga . Bernard Faure also notes that the Vach already had martial attributes, which may have been retained in some form. Saraswati became

1560-589: Was called the " Vritra -slayer" ( Vṛtraghnī ) in the Rigveda (6.61.7) and was associated with the Maruts . She was also associated with the Ashvins , with whom she collaborates to bolster Indra 's strength by telling him how to kill the asura Namuchi . In a hymn in Book 10 of the Rigveda (10.125.6), Vach declares: "I bend the bow for Rudra that his arrow may strike and slay the hater of devotion. I rouse and order battle for

1600-466: Was staying in Ambadi on Yamuna's banks for a few months. Once, he was frolicking with the gopis on the river banks and desired to play in the waters. Experiencing the heat of the sun, Balarama felt a need to take a bath in the river. However, he refused to walk to the waters and called upon the river to come near him, but the chaste Yamuna refused despite repeated orders from Balarama. An angry Balarama dragged

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