Indica Today- Shastraas & Indic Knowledge

  Namaste narasiṁhāya, prahlādahlāda-dāyine, hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ, śilā-ṭaṅka nakhālaye Translation:  I salute to Lord Narasiṁha, who gives joy to Prahlada and whose nails are like chisels on the stone like chest of the demon Hiraṇyakaśipu One of the unique elements of Hinduism aka Sanatana Dharma is the concept of Avatara (incarnation). Hindus believe that God, which is called as Brahman, is not only transcendental in nature, it is also immanent.  More importantly, Brahman assumes various forms and takes Avatara for the sake of devotees and Dharma. This taking of Avatara from time to time, makes it possible for people to establish a direct connection, an intimate relationship with the Lord. Among all the innumerable incarnations that Brahman assumes, the Avatara of Narasimha is unique not only because the deity has a unique form- half lion, half man, but also because the entire account of the incarnation imparts many important lessons about Vedanta, Bhakti, and Dharma....

  The metaphysical and theological ideas in the Upanishads The Upanishads are the end portion of the Vedas and it is difficult to separate the metaphysical ideas in the Vedas from those of the Upanishads. However, the Upanishads are the place where the metaphysical inquiry really begins and ends in a fully grown Hindu philosophy (Max Muller, 1892) [1] . Aurobindo (1998:5) [2]  notes, ‘the Upanishads……. [could be] conceived as a revolt of the philosophical and speculative minds against the ritualistic materialism of the Vedas’. Different names of the same Brahman The Upanishads addressed metaphysical questions such as what is the Reality?  What is that by knowing which everything can be known?  What is Brahman? What is Atman? The Upanishads , however, use the words Brahman, Atman, Being or Supreme Being alternately to mean the same Absolute or Pure consciousness or the Principle.  An important development from metaphysical perspective is the focus of the Upanish...