--> Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from February 1, 2016


Lord Shiva as Sharabha – The Sharaba Incarnation of Shiva

According to some Puranas, Lord Shiva took the form of Sharabha to pacify and control the Narasimha Avatar of Lord Vishnu. If Lord Vishnu as Narasimha was half-man half-lion; Lord Shiva as Sharaba was part human, part animal and part bird with numerous claws and legs – some writers equate the form to a dragon. Sharabha manifestation of Lord Shiva is not very popular and there is popular notion that this incarnation of Shiva was created to position Shiva as greater than Vishnu by some Shaivites. Lord Narasimha's terrifying rage could not be dissipated even after He had slain the Demon King Hiranyakashipu. A more ferocious form of Sharabha was able to pacify Narasimha Vishnu. Soon Vishnu appeared in the pleasant form before his devotees. Shiva Purana describes the Sharabha for like this: He had a thousand hands and wore matted locks. His head was adorned by the crested moon. He appeared like a bird with wings and beak. His body was fierce and fully developed.

Beej Mantras – What is a Beej Mantra?

Beej Mantra is a basic mantra dedicated to a deity in Hinduism. The mantra is of a single word or syllable. The Beej mantras are chanted alone or along with a combination of words. The Beej mantra for Lord Shiva is Hom The Beej mantra for Goddess Durga is Dum The Beej mantra for Goddess Kali is Kreem The Beej mantra for Goddess Lakshmi is Shreem The Beej mantra for Goddess Saraswati is Aim The Beej mantra for Lord Ganesha is Gam