brag
04-13-2009, 01:15 PM
In the link below is an interesting article by Stephen Knapp about the nature and structural order of some of the deities of God as gods and godesses in Hinduism. It can be seen as an attempt to clarify some of the lingering confusions and misunderstandings of the nature, role and powers of the deities of God as devas and devis or gods and goddesses as presented in Hinduism, especially in relation to Lord Krishna as Supreme Personality of Godhead.
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/shiva_and_durga.ht
"The different Vedic gods have particular roles or functions, and represent or control different forces of nature. Thus, they are not all the same. They all have different meanings and potencies to do particular things in the arrangement and management of the universal creation. In this way, most of them have specific positions and purposes to help facilitate the cause for the creation, maintenance, and even the destruction of the universe.
Since our analysis of the Vedic texts indicated that the Bhagavatam was the most ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge, as well as being the commentary of all Vedanta by Srila Vyasadeva Himself, we will include the conclusive descriptions as found in the Bhagavatam to reach our definitive understanding.
The most prominent of all the Vedic gods consists of the Trinity of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Brahma assists in creating the world, Vishnu maintains it, and Shiva helps in its annihilation. (I have dealt with this aspect much more extensively in my book, How the Universe Was Created, so I’ll not include that here.) Those that follow the Vedic path, can generally be divided into three main categories; namely those who worship Shiva and are Shaivites, those who worship Shakti or the Goddess and are Shaktas, and those who worship Vishnu, the Vaishnavas. So let’s take a look at who is Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga.
One of the most significant of all the Vedic gods is Shiva. And one of the most noted of all the goddesses is Shiva’s wife, Durga. They also go by many other names. For example, Durga is also called Parvati and Sati, which means chastity. The name Shiva means auspicious. Shiva is known by many different names according to his function. When, for example, he expresses himself through space and time, he is known as Eshwara. He is called Sadashiva when he functions through air, which incorporates the principles of both sound and touch. Shiva is known as Rudra when he operates through fire, which incorporates the principles of sound, touch and form.
Shiva is the embodiment and controller of tama-guna, the mode of darkness, inertia, and the tendency towards annihilation. This is how he assists in the destruction of the cosmic creation in the end times, as well as in the exhibition of continuous forms of death and destruction that we see every day. However, this demise and dissolution can also be viewed as a renewal, which is also considered to be a part of Shiva..."
http://www.stephen-knapp.com/shiva_and_durga.ht
"The different Vedic gods have particular roles or functions, and represent or control different forces of nature. Thus, they are not all the same. They all have different meanings and potencies to do particular things in the arrangement and management of the universal creation. In this way, most of them have specific positions and purposes to help facilitate the cause for the creation, maintenance, and even the destruction of the universe.
Since our analysis of the Vedic texts indicated that the Bhagavatam was the most ripened fruit of Vedic knowledge, as well as being the commentary of all Vedanta by Srila Vyasadeva Himself, we will include the conclusive descriptions as found in the Bhagavatam to reach our definitive understanding.
The most prominent of all the Vedic gods consists of the Trinity of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Brahma assists in creating the world, Vishnu maintains it, and Shiva helps in its annihilation. (I have dealt with this aspect much more extensively in my book, How the Universe Was Created, so I’ll not include that here.) Those that follow the Vedic path, can generally be divided into three main categories; namely those who worship Shiva and are Shaivites, those who worship Shakti or the Goddess and are Shaktas, and those who worship Vishnu, the Vaishnavas. So let’s take a look at who is Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga.
One of the most significant of all the Vedic gods is Shiva. And one of the most noted of all the goddesses is Shiva’s wife, Durga. They also go by many other names. For example, Durga is also called Parvati and Sati, which means chastity. The name Shiva means auspicious. Shiva is known by many different names according to his function. When, for example, he expresses himself through space and time, he is known as Eshwara. He is called Sadashiva when he functions through air, which incorporates the principles of both sound and touch. Shiva is known as Rudra when he operates through fire, which incorporates the principles of sound, touch and form.
Shiva is the embodiment and controller of tama-guna, the mode of darkness, inertia, and the tendency towards annihilation. This is how he assists in the destruction of the cosmic creation in the end times, as well as in the exhibition of continuous forms of death and destruction that we see every day. However, this demise and dissolution can also be viewed as a renewal, which is also considered to be a part of Shiva..."