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Reading Notes: Vitthai's Secret Part H

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- In Bhagavad Gita, Krishna is portrayed as a masculine warrior charioteer but in Dyaneshwari, Krishna is portrayed as mother Vitthal - Dyaneshwar saw Krishna as female terms. Krishna was a loving cow who provided comfort - The idea of mother Krishna was carried onto other poems - Idea of love and wisdom was greater than the gender of Krishna - There are many poems dedicated to the male devas compared to the female devas - Male devas lives in the heavens while female devas stays in earth and are associated with nature. - To Brahmans gender did not matter, but normal people took way more importance in the gender of the deities - New Hinduism put a lot of focus on desires - Male gods owed their divinity to their counterpart goddesses - Worship of gods without goddess is often frowned upon - Ardhanareshwara represent the equality of god since she is seen as the half woman form of Shiva - Islam gained foothold in India starting in 7th century which was seen as the gradual reject
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Reading Notes: Saraswati's Secret Part G

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- Experts saying that Sarasvati dried up. People don't know if its referring to the actual river or symbolic language - Saraswati is considered to be the first creation of Brahma - Brahma falls in love with his daughter - This symbolically represents creators obsessions with his creation - Shatarupa becomes Saraswati's teacher after Brahma reflects his inner self - Absence of Brahma temple shows that people left their old ways, which was focused on materialism - Brahma is often linked with Saraswati to complete the triad of male and females - Saraswati is often portrayed alone and remains calm unlike other goddesss - Sharada becomes another way to represent Saraswati - Saraswati was based on Tara, Buddhist goddess - In Buddhism, women was seen as negative image - Saraswati is closely connected with music and literature - Lakshmi became a goddess who entraps with pleasure and Saraswati became who liberates with wisdom - Saraswati never stays with Lakshmi - Saraswat
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Reading Notes: Lakshmi's Secret Part F

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- Living seeks food and the death doesn't. Food is the fundamental need in the life - Lakshmi is the embodiment of food - Everyone comes for food. Food does not come to you - Elephant is associated with water - Lakshimi is the daughter of asura - Her connection with asura comes from the fear of materialism - Devas action favors humanity. Opposite of asura - Shukra is the presentation of creativity and bring back dead asuras - Vasant navratri is the goddess worship of spring and sharad navratri is the goddess worship of autumn - It says Lakshmi is the wife of Indra, but in the comments it says she is the wife of Vishnu. I don't know who is right - Rich is never feeling secured about their possessions. They constantly fear people around them - Lakshmi favors man of action - She is kidnapped by Ravana. Guessing that make her the wife of Vishnu since Rama is the reincarnation of Vishnu and his wife is the reincarnation of Vishnu's wife - Ganesha's from evokes L
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Reading Notes: Durga's Secret Part E

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- Offerings were made to invoke gods who were normally dormant - People offered different offering to invoke god that is more Gauri and less Kali - Durga is wild but domesticated at the same time and presents restrained violence - Durga is Shiva's wife - Gods try to intervene in Kanya Kumaris wedding with Shiva since her powers are very strong - Devas fools Shiva by turning into rooster. Kanya Kumari is disappointed and watch over the sea by fighting the demons - Durga stands between the nature and nurture. - Over time, god became part of the family instead of something scary or to overwhelming. - Durga defeats Mahish asura. This represents Durga destroying the ego. - When human regresses to animal senses, this represents the asura. - Devas represents something that is over this world. - Nose ring is the representation of domestication. - Bhairava is the guardian of Vaishno devi. He tried to force himself on her before she beheaded him. He apologized and protected her f
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Week 13 story : The tricky asura and the monkey-god of India

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Once upon a time, Hanuman was relaxing in the forest with his fellow tribe of monkeys. Hanuman's followers respected him and considered Hanuman as their god since he was the son of Vayu, the wind god. A tricky asura wondered into the forest one day and noticed the tribe of monkeys. He was hungry but he couldn't out right attack the monkeys, since Hanuman was around them all the time. Asura decided to use his head instead of his strength this time to fool the monkeys. The demon disguised himself as a wounded deer near the camp of the monkeys. Hanuman noticed the wounded deer and approached the deer with the other monkeys. "Are you okay?" asked Hanuman. Deer told Hanuman that he will be fine as long as he can rest here for couple of days.  Hanuman felt bad for the deer, so Hanuman came where the deer was resting often to provide the deer with water and food. Other monkeys also followed Hanuman to care for the wounded deer. Every time the monkeys headed back to their hom
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Reading Notes: Gauri's Secret Part D

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- Kali is nature, Gauri is culture - Prakriti came first then Brahma then brahmanda then sanskriti - Male form is mind and female form is the object around it - Only water exists when the world was born - Vishnu was sleeping in the serpant - Twin Asura emerged from Vishnu's earwax and caused trouble - Brahma saw that the twin asuras were killed by a goddess Yoga Nidra - Negative thought is considered to be Asuras - Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva creates, destroys, and sustains the nature - Brahmins are the record keepers of the brahmanas. - Shiva and Vishnu kills Brahmins. - Shiva kills Brahma when he tries to go after his own daighter - Vishnu kills Brahma when he kills Ravana - Brahma's ritual of yagna was abandoned over the ritual of puja - Gauri is wife of Shiva - Kali turns into Gauri after she is domesticated by Shiva. - Shiva is hermit thus not fit into civilized society - When asura attacked devas, Indra invited Shiva to command them - Parviti moves Shiva h
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Reading Notes: Kali's Secret Part C

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- Kali is often portrayed with vulgar imagery - Kali's tongue was a weapon than it was a symbol for a wisdom and finally turned in to a symbol of shame. - Women's clay statue represented tamed nature - Nirriti was seen as a goddess of death and despair. Considered to be a predecessor of Kali - Dirgha Jihvi was killed by Sumitra that was sent by Indra. Dirgha Jihvi is also considered to be proto Kali because of the use of the vulgar tongue. - The Devi Mahatmya is the most famous story relating to Kali's tongue - In nature, violence is the nourishment - Shiva competes with Kali in a dance competition. Shiva tames Kali since women was controlled by men - Shiva and Shakti makes love and in one version she covers her head with lotus flower. - The version that Shakti is not shy, she sticks her tongue out, which shows that the nature is soverign - She became forbidden force after relating with Tantra - Ravana tries to offer sacrifice to Kali - Westerners saw Kali as a
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