Sacred waters are sacred natural sites characterized by tangible topographical land formations such as rivers , lakes , springs , reservoirs , and oceans , as opposed to holy water which is water elevated with the sacramental blessing of a cleric . These organic bodies of water have attained religious significance not from the modern alteration or blessing, but were sanctified through mythological or historical figures. Sacred waters have been exploited for cleansing, healing, initiations , and death rites .
74-507: Pyhäjoki ( Finnish pronunciation: [ˈpyhæˌjoki] ; literally the " Holy River ") is a municipality of Finland . It is located in the defunct province of Oulu , which was split in two regions; Pyhäjoki is part of the Northern Ostrobothnia region . It is located 102 kilometres (63 mi) southwest of the city of Oulu . The municipality is located on the Gulf of Bothnia at
148-463: A Murti is an image in Hinduism but not the real thing, but in both cases, the image reminds of something of emotional and real value to the viewer. When a person worships a Murti , it is assumed to be a manifestation of the essence or spirit of the deity, the worshipper's spiritual ideas and needs are meditated through it, yet the idea of ultimate reality or Brahman is not confined in it. A Murti of
222-484: A murti may be elaborate in large temples, or be a simple song or mantra muttered in home, or offering made to sunrise or river or symbolic an icon of a deity. Archaeological evidence of deity worship in Hindu temples trace Puja rituals to Gupta Empire era (c. 4th century CE). In Hindu temples, various pujas may be performed daily at various times of the day; in other temples, it may be occasional. The Puja practice
296-773: A Hindu deity is typically made by carving stone, woodworking, metal casting, or through pottery. Medieval era texts describing their proper proportions, positions and gestures include the Puranas , Agamas and Samhitas particularly the Shilpa Shastras . The expressions in a Murti vary in diverse Hindu traditions, ranging from Ugra symbolism to express destruction, fear and violence ( Durga , Parvati , Kali ), as well as Saumya symbolism to express joy, knowledge, and harmony (Parvati, Saraswati, Lakshmi). Saumya images are most common in Hindu temples . Other Murti forms found in Hinduism include
370-571: A Trinity, and in other times represented as equal, a unity and manifestations of one Brahman. In the Puranas, for example, this idea of threefold "hypostatization" is expressed as follows, They [Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva] exist through each other, and uphold each other; they are parts of one another; they subsist through one another; they are not for a moment separated; they never abandon one another. The triad appears in Maitrayaniya Upanishad , for
444-586: A central element in the creations accounts of almost every culture with mythological, cosmological , and theological myths. In this way, many groups characterize water as "living water", or the "water of life". This means that it gives life and is the fundamental element from which life arises. Each religious or cultural group that feature waters as sacred substances tends to favor certain categorizations of some waters more than others, usually those that are most accessible to them and that best integrate into their rituals. While all rivers in Hinduism are sacred,
518-428: A creator God that is distinct from Jiva (individual Selfs in living beings). In this school, God creates individual Self (Atman), but the individual Self never was and never will become one with God; the best it can do is to experience bliss by getting infinitely close to God. Yāska , the earliest known language scholar of India (c. 500 BCE), notes Wilkins, mentions that there are three deities ( Devas ) according to
592-492: A deceased person is cleansed by the Ganges, it will help liberate their soul , or expedite the number of lives they need to achieve this. In the traditional funerary ceremony, a dead person is placed upon a funeral pyre until the body becomes cremated , then the ashes are sent upon the river. Many Hindus go to great lengths to purify themselves one last time before death. When this is not possible, family members will actually mail
666-534: A deity concept unnecessary for a consistent philosophy and moksha (soteriology). In the Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy, Isvara is neither a creator-God nor a savior-God. This is called one of the several major atheistic schools of Hinduism by some scholars. Others, such as Jacobsen , state that Samkhya is more accurately described as non-theistic. Deity is considered an irrelevant concept, neither defined nor denied, in Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy. In
740-484: A direct connection to the watery underworld and underground water obtained through a cave as an even better connection to spirits and deities. Cenotes are very important to the Mayas. The famous Sacred Cenote at Chichen Itza proves to be important with the many findings of artifacts and skeletal remains. Sacrifices were common at this site among the ancient Maya. Different people were sacrificed and findings show that most of
814-662: A matter not of essence but of orientation, revolution, or transformation. In this case, the Titan is potentially an Angel, the Angel still by nature a Titan; the Darkness in actu is Light, the Light in potentia Darkness; whence the designations Asura and Deva may be applied to one and the same Person according to the mode of operation, as in Rigveda 1.163.3, "Trita art thou (Agni) by interior operation". In
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#1733086198255888-522: A very illustrative account of his personal visit to the Ganges in which he described seeing both animal and human corpses floating down the river or sometimes embedded in heaps of garbage. People continued to bathe, and children to play in very murky waters; the color in some parts completely changed from toxic sewage and runoff . As the Ganges River remains interwoven into daily existence, Hindus are vulnerable to urban contamination. Lake Titicaca
962-468: Is Deva-like or Asura-like. Another Hindu term that is sometimes translated as the deity is Ishvara , or various deities are described, state Sorajjakool et al., as "the personifications of various aspects of the same Ishvara". The term Ishvara has a wide range of meanings that depend on the era and the school of Hinduism. In ancient texts of Indian philosophy, Ishvara means supreme Self, Brahman (Highest Reality), ruler, king or husband depending on
1036-535: Is described as a temple, and deities are described to be parts residing within it, while the Brahman (Absolute Reality, God) is described to be the same, or of similar nature, as the Atman (Self), which Hindus believe is eternal and within every living being. Deities in Hinduism are referred to as Deva (masculine) and Devi (feminine). The root of these terms means "heavenly, divine, anything of excellence". In
1110-508: Is essentially one thing" and there is a connected oneness where the same God resides within every human being as Atman , the eternal Self. A Hindu prayer before cutting a tree for a Murti Oh, Tree! you have been selected for the worship of a deity, Salutations to you! I worship you per rules, kindly accept it. May all who live in this tree, find residence elsewhere, May they forgive us now, we bow to them. Hinduism has an ancient and extensive iconography tradition, particularly in
1184-505: Is no dualistic existence of a deity (or deities). There is no otherness nor distinction between Jiva and Ishvara . God (Ishvara, Brahman) is identical with the Atman (Self) within each human being in Advaita Vedanta school, and there is a monistic Universal Absolute Oneness that connects everyone and everything. In Dvaita sub-school of Vedanta Hinduism, Ishvara is defined as
1258-494: Is said to purify the soul of negative karma , corporeal sins , and even impurities from previous lives . At sunrise along the Ganges, pilgrims descend the ghat steps to drink of the waters, bathe themselves in the waters and perform ablutions where they submerge their entire bodies. These practitioners desire to imbibe and surround themselves with the Ganges’s waters so that they can be purified. Hindu conceptualizations of
1332-427: Is structured as an act of welcoming, hosting, and honoring the deity of one's choice as one's honored guest, and remembering the spiritual and emotional significance the deity represents to the devotee. Jan Gonda , as well as Diana L. Eck , states that a typical Puja involves one or more of 16 steps ( Shodasha Upachara ) traceable to ancient times: the deity is invited as a guest, the devotee hosts and takes care of
1406-499: Is the choice of a Hindu, it may be a routine daily affair for some Hindus, periodic ritual or infrequent for some. Worship practices in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic, pantheistic, monotheistic, monistic, agnostic, atheistic, or humanist. Devotees engage with deities in more personalized relationships. Ramanuja differentiates between three types of devotees: power-seekers, liberation-seekers, and those seeking love and communion with
1480-557: Is widely known as being a sacred place for the Inca people. The Inca Empire origins lie in Lake Titicaca. Ancient Incan myths describe the Incas as being blessed by the sun because the sun first emerged from Lake Titicaca. Since then, the sun organizes social order and the movement of the sun organizes rituals and gatherings. The first emergence of people in the time of the sun emergence is said to be
1554-541: The Rigveda . Sri, also called Lakshmi, appears in late Vedic texts dated to be pre-Buddhist, but verses dedicated to her do not suggest that her characteristics were fully developed in the Vedic era. All gods and goddesses are distinguished in the Vedic times, but in the post-Vedic texts (c. 500 BCE to 200 CE), and particularly in the early medieval era literature, they are ultimately seen as aspects or manifestations of one Brahman ,
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#17330861982551628-460: The Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj rejected deities and adopted monotheistic concepts similar to Abrahamic religions . Hindu deities have been adopted in other religions such as Jainism , and in regions outside India, such as predominantly Buddhist Thailand and Japan , where they continue to be revered in regional temples or arts. In ancient and medieval era texts of Hinduism, the human body
1702-739: The Brahmanas layer of Vedic texts. The Rigveda states in hymn 1.139.11, ये देवा सो दिव्येकादश स्थ पृथिव्यामध्येकादश स्थ । अप्सुक्षितो महिनैकादश स्थ ते देवासो यज्ञमिमं जुषध्वम् ॥११॥ O ye eleven gods whose home is heaven, O ye eleven who make earth your dwelling, Ye who with might, eleven, live in waters, accept this sacrifice, O gods, with pleasure. – Translated by Ralph T. H. Griffith Gods who are eleven in heaven; who are eleven on earth; and who are eleven dwelling with glory in mid-air; may ye be pleased with this our sacrifice. – Translated by HH Wilson Thirty-three koti (33 supreme) divinities are mentioned in other ancient texts, such as
1776-611: The Ganges River (Ganga) is particularly revered. In the Vedic myths , the goddess Ganga descended upon the earth to purify and prepare the dead. The Ganges in India is seen as the physical embodiment of this goddess. Since the river waters are as both inherently pure themselves and having major purificatory qualities, people come to bathe in them, drink from them, leave offerings for them, and give their physical remains to them. The Ganges
1850-580: The Linga . A Murti is an embodiment of the divine, the Ultimate Reality or Brahman to some Hindus. In the religious context, they are found in Hindu temples or homes, where they may be treated as a beloved guest and serve as a participant of Puja rituals in Hinduism. A murti is installed by priests, in Hindu temples, through the Prana Pratishtha ceremony, whereby state Harold Coward and David Goa,
1924-713: The Puranas and the Itihasas with the embedded Bhagavad Gita, the Devas represent the good, and the Asuras the bad. According to the Bhagavad Gita (16.6–16.7), all beings in the universe have both the divine qualities ( daivi sampad ) and the demonic qualities ( asuri sampad ) within them. The sixteenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita states that pure god-like saints are rare, as are pure demon-like evil individuals among human beings. Instead,
1998-452: The Puranas , developed extensive and richly varying mythologies associated with Hindu deities, including their genealogies. Several of the Purana texts are named after major Hindu deities such as Vishnu, Shiva and Devi. Other texts and commentators such as Adi Shankara explain that Hindu deities live or rule over the cosmic body as well as in the temple of the human body. They remark that
2072-725: The Rigveda are Indra , Agni (fire) and Soma , with "fire deity" called the friend of all humanity. Indra and Soma are two celebrated in a yajna fire ritual that marks major Hindu ceremonies. Savitr , Vishnu , Rudra (later given the exclusive epithet of Shiva ), and Prajapati (later Brahma ) are gods and hence Devas. The Vedas describes a number of significant Devis such as Ushas (dawn), Prithvi (earth), Aditi (cosmic moral order), Saraswati (river, knowledge), Vāc (sound), Nirṛti (destruction), Ratri (night), Aranyani (forest), and bounty goddesses such as Dinsana, Raka, Puramdhi, Parendi, Bharati, Mahi, among others, mentioned in
2146-564: The Samudra Manthana , in the form of Mohini , to resolve a conflict between the devas and the asuras . His male avatars include Matsya , Kurma , Varaha , Narasimha , Vamana , Parashurama , Rama , Krishna , Buddha , and Kalki . In some lists, Balarama replaces the Buddha. Various texts, particularly the Bhagavad Gita , discuss the idea of an avatar of Vishnu appearing to restore
2220-797: The Vedic era (2nd millennium BCE) through the medieval era (1st millennium CE), regionally within Nepal , Pakistan , India and in Southeast Asia , and across Hinduism's diverse traditions. The Hindu deity concept varies from a personal god as in Yoga school of Hindu philosophy , to thirty-three major deities in the Vedas , to hundreds of deities mentioned in the Puranas of Hinduism. Illustrations of major deities include Vishnu , Lakshmi , Shiva , Parvati , Brahma and Saraswati . These deities have distinct and complex personalities, yet are often viewed as aspects of
2294-567: The Vimose comb . These depositions are typically interpreted as gifts to gods , aiming to either give thanks for, or receive, positive outcomes such as good harvests, success in water or safe passage across the body of water. Bog bodies found in Germanic areas, such as the Grauballe Man , have often been interpreted as sacrifices, however alternative, but not mutually exclusive, proposals include that
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2368-460: The Yajurveda . Most by far, are goddesses state Foulston and Abbott, suggesting "how important and popular goddesses are" in Hindu culture. Scholars state all deities are typically viewed in Hinduism as "emanations or manifestation of genderless principle called Brahman , representing the many facets of Ultimate Reality". In Hinduism, the concept is that "God, the universe, human beings and all else
2442-454: The elite in their caste system. The origin of the elite was and continues to be contested among the people on the Island of Lake Titicaca. Thus, creating competition to become part of the elite rank. In recent times, the pollution of Lake Titicaca has built up and caused an increase of green algae . The people of Lake Titicaca Special Projects continuously are creating ways to bring awareness to
2516-473: The "divine vital energy of the cosmos is infused into the sculpture" and then the divine is welcomed as one would welcome a friend. In other occasions, it serves as the center of attention in annual festive processions and these are called Utsava Murti . In Hinduism, deities and their icons may be hosted in a Hindu temple, within a home, or as an amulet. The worship performed by Hindus is known by several regional names, such as Puja . This practice in front of
2590-405: The 1st millennium BCE, neither required nor relied on a creator deity. Later Vaisheshika school adopted the concept of Ishvara , states Klaus Klostermaier , but as an eternal God who co-exists in the universe with eternal substances and atoms, but He "winds up the clock, and lets it run its course". Ancient Mimamsa scholars of Hinduism questioned what is Ishvara (deity, God)? They considered
2664-487: The Asuras. Hindu deities are part of Hindu mythology , both Devas and Devis feature in one of many cosmological theories in Hinduism. In Vedic literature, Devas and Devis represent the forces of nature and some represent moral values (such as the Adityas , Varuna , and Mitra ), each symbolizing the epitome of specialized knowledge, creative energy, exalted and magical powers ( Siddhis ). The most referred to Devas in
2738-564: The Black Mesa to transport their mining minerals. In May 2002 the Navajo and Hopi people from northeastern Arizona joined their people in St. Louis Missouri to fight against Peabody Energy and its shareholders. In January 2002 Peabody proposed and was granted the right to use thirty-two percent more Navajo Aquifer (Naquifer) water than they had already been using. The significant increase in water pumped out of
2812-471: The Hindu ethos and way of life. The concept of Triad (or Trimurti , Trinity ) makes a relatively late appearance in Hindu literature, or in the second half of 1st millennium BCE. The idea of triad, playing three roles in the cosmic affairs, is typically associated with Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva (also called Mahesh ); however, this is not the only triad in Hindu literature. Other triads include Tridevi , of three goddesses – Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati in
2886-592: The Interior confirmed the use of the coat of arms on September 22 of the same year. Fennovoima , a Finnish nuclear power company, plans to build a nuclear power plant at Hanhikivi in the municipality. The power plant would be operational in 2029. [REDACTED] Media related to Pyhäjoki at Wikimedia Commons This Oulu Province location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Holy river Ubiquitous and perpetual fixations with water occur across religious traditions. It tends to be
2960-456: The Naquifer, dramatically affected the drinkability of the water from the springs and wells connected to the Naquifer. Before the significant increase of pumping, the water was clean enough to drink without any kind of purification. Another result of the pumping is the noticeable drop in the water levels of the springs and wells. The drop in water levels was almost immediately recognized after Peabody
3034-421: The Navajo and Hopi people. In respect for the water, these people carryout religious and ceremonial tributes to the water of the Black Mesa. These waters have organized their people around the Black Mesa and resulted in the reliance of the waters for all aspects of their lives. With the emergence of Peabody Energy came threats to the preservation of their sacred water. Peabody Energy pumps water out from underneath
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3108-612: The Sun deity is the eyes, the Vāyu the nose, the Prajapati the sexual organs, the Lokapalas the ears, Chandra the mind, Mitra the inward breath, Varuna the outward breath, Indra the arms, Bṛhaspati the speech, Vishnu, whose stride is great, is the feet, and Māyā is the smile. Edelmann states that gods and anti-gods of Hinduism are symbolism for spiritual concepts. For example, god Indra (a Deva) and
3182-501: The Supreme power. Ananda Coomaraswamy states that Devas and Asuras in the Vedic lore are similar to Angels-Theoi-Gods and Titans of Greek mythology, both are powerful but have different orientations and inclinations, the Devas representing the powers of Light and the Asuras representing the powers of Darkness in Hindu mythology. According to Coomaraswamy's interpretation of Devas and Asuras, both these natures exist in each human being,
3256-476: The Vedas, " Agni (fire), whose place is on the earth; Vayu (wind), whose place is the air; and Surya (sun), whose place is in the sky". This principle of three worlds (or zones), and its multiples is found thereafter in many ancient texts. The Samhitas , which are the oldest layer of text in Vedas enumerate 33 devas, either 11 each for the three worlds, or as 12 Adityas , 11 Rudras , 8 Vasus and 2 Ashvins in
3330-587: The Yoga school of Hinduism, it is any "personal deity" (Ishta Deva or Ishta Devata) or "spiritual inspiration", but not a creator God. Whicher explains that while Patanjali's terse verses in the Yogasutras can be interpreted both as theistic or non-theistic, Patanjali's concept of Isvara in Yoga philosophy functions as a "transformative catalyst or guide for aiding the yogin on the path to spiritual emancipation". The Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism asserted that there
3404-704: The antigod Virocana (an Asura) question a sage for insights into the knowledge of the self. Virocana leaves with the first given answer, believing now he can use the knowledge as a weapon. In contrast, Indra keeps pressing the sage, churning the ideas, and learning about means to inner happiness and power. Edelmann suggests that the Deva-Asura dichotomies in Hindu mythology may be seen as "narrative depictions of tendencies within our selves". Hindu deities in Vedic era, states Mahoney, are those artists with "powerfully inward transformative, effective and creative mental powers". In Hindu mythology, everyone starts as an Asura, born of
3478-418: The ashes to a priest so that he can perform the ceremony of entering the waters. Manu , the mythic law giver, gave directives and prohibitions regarding the river: “impure objects like urine, feces, spit; or anything which has these elements, blood, or poison should not be cast into the water”. Few or none of his directives hold forth along most places down the Ganges today. Journalist Joshua Hammer wrote
3552-467: The concept of the avatar ( avatāra ), which represents the descent of a deity on earth. This concept is commonly translated as " incarnation ", and is an "appearance" or "manifestation". The concept of the avatar is most developed in Vaishnavism tradition, and associated with Vishnu , particularly with Rama and Krishna . Vishnu takes numerous avatars in Hindu mythology. He becomes female, during
3626-442: The context. In medieval era texts, Ishvara means God, Supreme Being, personal god, or special Self depending on the school of Hinduism. Among the six systems of Hindu philosophy , Samkhya and Mimamsa do not consider the concept of Ishvara , i.e., a supreme being, relevant. Yoga , Vaisheshika , Vedanta , and Nyaya schools of Hinduism discuss Ishvara but assign different meanings. Early Nyaya school scholars considered
3700-477: The contradictory forces that motivate each individual and people, and thus Deva-Asura dichotomy is a spiritual concept rather than mere genealogical category or species of being. In the Bhāgavata Purana, saints and gods are born in families of Asuras, such as Mahabali and Prahlada , conveying the symbolism that motivations, beliefs and actions rather than one's birth and family circumstances define whether one
3774-617: The cosmic balance whenever the power of evil becomes excessive and causes persistent oppression in the world. In Shaktism traditions, the concept appears in its legends as the various manifestations of Devi , the divine-mother principle in Hinduism. The avatars of Devi or Parvati include Durga and Kali , who are particularly revered in the eastern states of India , as well as Tantra traditions. Twenty-one avatars of Shiva are also described in Shaivism texts, but unlike Vaishnava traditions, Shaiva traditions focus directly on Shiva rather than
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#17330861982553848-480: The deity as an honored guest, praise (hymns) with Dhupa or Aarti along with food ( Naivedhya ) is offered to the deity, after an expression of love and respect the host takes leave, and with affection expresses goodbye to the deity. The worship practice may also involve reflecting on spiritual questions, with image serving as support for such meditation. Deity worship ( Bhakti ), visiting temples, and Puja rites are not mandatory and are optional in Hinduism; it
3922-540: The deity. While all three are considered dharmic, they are not equally significant in terms of liberation. Power-seekers pursue goals for overall benefit, while liberation-seekers seek unity with the divine. The highest form of devotion is characterized by selfless love for the divine. Major deities have inspired a vast genre of literature such as the Puranas and Agama texts as well their own Hindu traditions, but with shared mythology , ritual grammar, theosophy , axiology and polycentrism. Vishnu and his avatars are at
3996-475: The earliest Vedic literature, all supernatural beings are called Asuras . By the late Vedic period (c. 500 BCE), benevolent supernatural beings are referred to as Deva-Asuras . In post-Vedic texts, such as the Puranas and the Itihasas of Hinduism, the Devas represent the good, and the Asuras the bad. In some medieval Indian literature, Devas are also referred to as Suras and contrasted with their equally powerful, but malevolent counterparts referred to as
4070-470: The first time in recognized roles known ever since, where they are deployed to present the concept of three Guṇa – the innate nature, tendencies and inner forces found within every being and everything, whose balance transform and keeps changing the individual and the world. It is in the medieval Puranic texts, Trimurti concepts appears in various context, from rituals to spiritual concepts. The Bhagavad Gita, in verses 9.18, 10.21-23 and 11.15, asserts that
4144-403: The form of Murti ( Sanskrit : मूर्ति, IAST: Mūrti), or Vigraha or Pratima . A Murti is itself not the god in Hinduism, but it is an image of god and represents emotional and religious value. A literal translation of Murti as an idol is incorrect, states Jeaneane Fowler when the idol is understood as superstitious end in itself. Just like the photograph of a person is not the real person,
4218-576: The foundation of Vaishnavism , Shiva for Shaivism , Devi for Shaktism , and some Hindu traditions such as Smarta traditions who revere multiple major deities (five) as henotheistic manifestations of Brahman (absolute metaphysical Reality). While there are diverse deities in Hinduism, states Lawrence, "Exclusivism – which maintains that only one's own deity is real" is rare in Hinduism. Julius Lipner , and other scholars, state that pluralism and "polycentrism" – where other deities are recognized and revered by members of different "denominations", has been
4292-486: The gods and goddesses in Hinduism . Deities in Hinduism are as diverse as its traditions, and a Hindu can choose to be polytheistic , pantheistic , monotheistic , monistic , even agnostic , atheistic , or humanist . The terms and epithets for deities within the diverse traditions of Hinduism vary, and include Deva , Devi , Ishvara , Ishvari , Bhagavān and Bhagavati . The deities of Hinduism have evolved from
4366-462: The hypothesis of a deity as a creator God with the power to grant blessings, boons, and fruits; but these early Nyaya scholars then rejected this hypothesis, and were non-theistic or atheists. Later scholars of Nyaya school reconsidered this question and offered counter arguments for what is Ishvara and various arguments to prove the existence of an omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent deity (God). Vaisheshika school of Hinduism, as founded by Kanada in
4440-473: The importance of a clean lake for their society. The ancient Maya people valued social order and their society flourished because of the structure of their order. The ancient Maya strived and focused their actions on pleasing their many gods. Essentially, the Maya believed that the world consisted of three layers: the watery underworld , the middle earthly realm, and the sky realm. The Maya viewed bodies of water as
4514-644: The large boulder of Hanhikivi (" Goose Rock") near the mouth of the Pyhäjoki river, which was considered by the Russians at the end of the 15th century as the landmark of the Treaty of Nöteborg from 1323; a crown and cross pattern is carved into the stone as a landmark. The coat of arms was designed by Olof Eriksson and approved by the Pyhäjoki Municipal Council at its meeting on June 18, 1965. The Ministry of
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#17330861982554588-566: The majority of humanity is multi-charactered with a few or many faults. According to Jeaneane Fowler, the Gita states that desires, aversions, greed, needs, emotions in various forms "are facets of ordinary lives". It is only when they turn to lust, hate, cravings, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, hypocrisy, violence, cruelty and such negativity- and destruction-inclined tendencies that natural human inclinations metamorphose into something demonic (Asura). The Epics and medieval era texts, particularly
4662-595: The mid 1st millennium CE, have included multiple major deities as henotheistic manifestations of Saguna Brahman, and as a means to realizing Nirguna Brahman. In Samkhya philosophy, Devata or deities are considered as "natural sources of energy" who have Sattva as the dominant Guna . Hindu deities are represented with various icons and anicons in sculptures and paintings, called Murtis and Pratimas . Some Hindu traditions, such as ancient Charvakas , rejected all deities and concept of god or goddess, while 19th-century British colonial era movements such as
4736-401: The mouth of the river Pyhäjoki . It has a population of 2,964 (31 October 2024) and covers an area of 1,365.09 square kilometres (527.06 sq mi) of which 823.25 km (317.86 sq mi) is water. The population density is 5.46 inhabitants per square kilometre (14.1/sq mi). The municipality is unilingually Finnish . The subject of the coat of arms of Pyhäjoki refers to
4810-524: The people were men and children. Like any archeological site, looting is a problem in preserving and studying the cenote at Chichen Itza. The Navajo and Hopi people have long embraced the water underneath and around the Black Mesa area as sacred to their people. The people have long lived around and became dependent on springs and wells of the Black Mesa. These waters are the only source of drinking water, water for livestock, and water for agriculture for
4884-585: The person was executed as a punishment, that it was a form of normal burial or that they were placed there after death to stop them from coming back as a harmful being such as a draug . It is also important to note that human depositions are notably rare in comparison to other finds. Many lakes and rivers have names that are linked to beings such as gods, including Tyesmere ( Tīw 's mere) in England and Tissø ( Týr 's or god 's lake) in Denmark . The latter body of water
4958-506: The sacred are fluid and renewable. Purity and pollution exist upon a continuum where most entities, including people, can become sacred and then become stagnated and full of sin once again. Performing these rituals is also an act to become closer to the Hindu deities , and ultimately the Divine . The Ganges is one of the most highly favored sites for funerary rituals in India. It is presumed that if
5032-610: The same Ultimate Reality called Brahman . From ancient times, the idea of equivalence has been cherished for all Hindus, in its texts and in early 1st-millennium sculpture with concepts such as Harihara (Half Vishnu, Half Shiva) and Ardhanārīshvara (half Shiva, half Parvati), with myths and temples that feature them together, declaring they are the same. Major deities have inspired their own Hindu traditions, such as Vaishnavism , Shaivism and Shaktism , but with shared mythology , ritual grammar, theosophy, axiology and polycentrism. Some Hindu traditions, such as Smartism from
5106-505: The same father. "Asuras who remain Asura" share the character of powerful beings craving for more power, more wealth, ego, anger, unprincipled nature, force and violence. The "Asuras who become Devas" in contrast are driven by an inner voice, seek understanding and meaning, prefer moderation, principled behavior, aligned with Ṛta and Dharma , knowledge and harmony. The god (Deva) and antigod (Asura), states Edelmann, are also symbolically
5180-507: The text Devi Mahatmya , in the Shakta tradition, which further assert that Devi is the Brahman (Ultimate Reality) and it is her energy that empowers Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The other triads, formulated as deities in ancient Indian literature, include Sun (creator), Air (sustainer) and Fire (destroyer); Prana (creator), Food (sustainer) and Time (destroyer). These triads, states Jan Gonda , are in some mythologies grouped together without forming
5254-443: The triad or trinity is manifestation of one Brahman, which Krishna affirms himself to be. However, suggests Bailey, the mythology of triad is "not the influence nor the most important one" in Hindu traditions, rather the ideologies and spiritual concepts develop on their own foundations. The triad, with Brahma creating, Vishnu preserving and Shiva destroying, balances the functioning of the whole universe. Hindu mythology has nurtured
5328-427: The tyrant and the angel is within each being, the best and the worst within each person struggles before choices and one's nature, and the Hindu formulation of Devas and Asuras is an eternal dance between these within each person. The Devas and Asuras, Angels and Titans, powers of Light and powers of Darkness in Rigveda, although distinct and opposite in operation, are in essence consubstantial, their distinction being
5402-617: Was granted permission to pump out more water. This had caused disruption in the ceremonial and cultural lives of the Navajo and Hopi people as well as disruption to their farming. Watery places have been considered holy in Germanic cultures since the Nordic Bronze Age and used for diverse religious purposes, such as depositions of items such as the Dejbjerg wagon , the Gundestrup cauldron and
5476-474: Was the site of a religious centre during the Viking Age . After the establishment of Christianity, many religious practices involving wetlands were made illegal but some others were incorporated and adapted into the new religion, such as the use of holy wells and the conception of water as a liminal place where supernatural beings could be encountered. Hindu deities Traditional Hindu deities are
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