Soma is the moon god as per Vedic scriptures. His mentions are dominant in the first Ved, which should not come as a surprise because initially people focused on worshipping the natural elements. In the Rig-Ved, Soma has 3 types of praises. The aadhyatmik praise says that Soma gives immortality. In terms of aadhidaivik, Soma is mentioned as the king of all herbs and indicated as ‘Amrit’, which again refers to immortality. From aadhibhoutik perspective, Soma is an herb with many qualities. Now, there is an herb called Soma for real. It has been heavily popular in the Vedas. Somaras (nectar of Soma) is referred to as a divine elixir which if consumed, would give sensation. Consider this as the god-level of coffee that gives spiritual ecstasy. This plant of Soma would only mature its nectar in the presence of moonlight. Now, there are also theories that there is no such herb and the Vedic hymns simply praise Soma as the creative bliss of life.
Spiritual Vedic meaning of the Moon is that the Moon in nature is implementing the processes of both puling and pushing (using the simple words). Moon is pulling the roots of plants deeply into the soil during the night and cold time to get the power and warmness (life) from the inside of the earth to / for the body of plants, closer to the surface of existence. At the same time, the Moon is pushing the underground parts of plants to reach the outer existence on earth to grow into the open space. By other words, Soma settles the life from the inside out.
The parallel with a human being is that, Soma is settling the human spirituality from the inside out. As the Soma is the life supporter, life giver, so also Soma is human spirituality supporter, spirituality giver. Soma is related with 1) water (life fluids – sup, lymph, blood, milk), 2) fire and warmness – inner earth and human fire and warmness (life energy and spirituality power), and 3) movement – physical movement into the existence, and 4) light – Sun which gives life from the top, pull from outside to life. In nature, Soma works on homeostasis on earth, in humans also but furthermore, in humans it works as a vehicle for spiritual experiential growing in to the spiritual maturity. Naturally then that Soma is treated also like medicine. “Miraculous” medicine; both cosmic and spiritual medicine. The darkness and coldness of the night time is like to be without life but contrary to that the Soma / Moon is doing its hidden miraculous life supporting work – invisible for us, under surface of the earth. In case of human spirituality, a human being is working on his/her spiritual growing towards the life experiential maturity. At the beginning it is a hidden, invisible but real hard work until the first experiences – offshoots / offsets / sprouts of spiritual life come to life.
As per the Rig-Ved, there are three main gods (at least used to be) – Agni, Soma, Indra. Agni is said to be equivalent of consumption. Soma is equivalent to consumable. And Indra is the relationship between these two. These are like the Trinity before Brahma-Vishnu-Maheshwar came in late Vedic period. In all yagnas, Soma receives an offering just like Agni and Indra. It is also possible that the offering itself is Soma as it is a consumable. Soma is also one of the Nabagrahas (9 planets) as per astrology.
The Moon/Chandra/Soma indicates our emotions. It signifies our intuition, imagination, feminine side, curiosity, rejuvenation etc. Though Soma is mentioned as a fluid in the Ved, it is also mentioned that materialistic humans can’t get their hands on them. And it is true, we haven’t been able to identify which herb it is biologically. We have to understand that the Vedic scriptures are often written as riddles. I mentioned before that Soma is the creative bliss in our life that offers spiritual ecstasy. It means, when you create something, that gives you a certain divine pleasure- that is how you experience the Somaraas. Personally, I may say that this is a dopamine rush-type thing!! Those who create something, be it a product, an artwork, a business or even another human- they experience this bliss because they usually don’t create thinking of materialistic gain. Creation is often a spiritual process.
I have kept Soma as ‘The Moon’ because any creativity is about taking some level of risk. All creators face some dilemma while creating. Thus, there is fear and anxiety related to it. A creator often experiences an illusion that his creation is the best or his creation will never succeed (polar opposite feelings). But also, there is this urge to overcome all these aspects for the pure sake of attaining the bliss.
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Moon card is often associated with mystery, illusion, and the unconscious mind. When the card is upright, it generally signifies negative traits such as confusion, anxiety, and a sense of being lost. The upright Moon may represent a person who is struggling with confusion or anxiety, or it can indicate a need to confront and explore the unconscious mind.
Reverse meaning
On the other hand, when the Moon card is reversed, it may indicate positive traits such as clarity, intuition, or a breakthrough in understanding. The reversed Moon may represent a person who is gaining clarity and insight into their situation, or who is tapping into their intuition to find answers. It could also suggest a need to confront and overcome fears and illusions in order to move forward.
Brahma is one of the Trimurti gods in Sanatan dharma. While Vishnu nurtures and Shiva destroys, Brahma’s task is to create. Initially Brahma had 5 heads but one of those heads was exhibiting arrogance, so that was cut off- I have told this in one of the previous chapters.
Similar to Indra, we hardly see Brahma being worshipped in our culture. This has multiple lores. Once Bhrigu rishi visited Brahma’s abode but did not receive suitable welcoming. Brahma was busy with Saraswati enjoying music. Out of anger, rishi cursed Brahma that he will not be worshipped on earth. Then Brahma asked for forgiveness and the sage blessed him that only minimally, he can receive puja. In Rajasthan’s Pushkar and Tiruchirapally’s Srirangam, there are only two Brahma temple present in India. However, in countries like Thailand, Bali and Indonesia, Brahma remains in every temple where Vishnu and Shiv exist. There are many shrines dedicated to Brahma in these countries.
Another legend says that Brahma had two wives- Bharati and Saraswati. Bharati represented the intention to speak. Saraswati represented the speech itself. One day, they got into an argument about who is greater. Brahma verdicted that Bharati is greater. This enraged Saraswati and she cursed Brahma that no one will be worshipping Brahma through speech, people can only praise him through mental worshipping. In reality, Brahma is also worshipped through yagnas. In every yagna, one offering is given to Brahma. So, similar to Indra and Agni, Brahma also still is present in our culture.
Brahma’s four head represents 4 directions or 4 Vedas- Rig, Saam, Yajur, Atharba. As per Puran. Brahma was manifested from Vishnu’s navel. Thus, Brahma is Vishnu’s son in a sense.
There are some controversies regarding the relationship between Brahma and Saraswati. It is said that Brahma created Saraswati but then again, he married Saraswati out of lust- which refers to an incest relationship, considered forbidden in society. People from other religions often cite this matter and try to throw mud at Sanatani culture saying he forced himself upon his own daughter. Here, I will explain the matter. Brahma is one of the 100 Rujus in Sanatan dharma. Some of the other Rujus are Vayu Dev etc. One of the main criteria to become a Ruju is to not perform any mistake in 100 lifetimes. In fact, one person has to live 100 mistake-free lives to become an Indra and then one Indra has to perform 100 mistake-free lives to become Brahma. So, it is evident that if Brahma performed any act like incest or lust over her own daughter, he would not be a Ruju. The biggest mistake we do is, we think gods are like us and the way we act and the gods act- are same. Actually, it’s not- our love is not like Radha-Krishna’s love and our sex is not like Brahma’s sex. This is simply because the gods don’t possess a body made off of blood and flesh like humans. Brahma has a divine body and he has the power to create entities from any part of his divine body. As mentioned earlier, a god can, cannot and can differently. This is how he has created Narad from his mind and Daksha from his thumb. He can also create with his breath, touch etc. Brahma knew the learning of the Vedas and wished to propagate it among his children and humans. This is why he created Saraswati, who is the goddess pf speech (Baak-Devi/Baagdevi). Before this, knowledge had to be propagated through intuition and perception, so now it became easier with the invention of speech (Swar). However, for any creation, meeting (Milan) is required. It can be a sexual intercourse with purushanga and yoni; or even a mating of planning and execution. Divine bodies don’t have to have humanly coitus to create, especially in case of Brahma who has the ability to create through any part of his divine body. Now, for creation of knowledge through speeches, Brahma and Saraswati married one another. Lord Vishnu wished for this to happen because there was no one who can offer the Ved-gyan to the goddess. There is no sexual attraction between them, but they created knowledge, sages, the consorts of the sages, demigods and many other elements with their power of creativity and developed earth.
While talking about Brahma, I would also like to talk about the concept of time as per Sanatan. Satya yuga remained for 1.728 million years, Treta for 1.296 million years, Dwapar for 0.864 million years and Kali will stay for 0.432 million years. Total 4 yugas comprise of 4.32 million years or a mahayug. 1000 mahayugs comprise of one day of Brahma, means he performs the task of creation in these 4.32 billion years or a Kalpa. After this, in the next 4.32 billion years, the universe will get demolished. Again, in the next 4.32 billion years, a new universe will emerge from Brahma’s creation- this cycle will continue. Brahma’s age is 100 brahm-years and each year has 360 days and nights, so total- 100*360*2*4.32 billion years = 311.04 trillion years. This is called mahakalpa. As per Puran, the supreme god is Mahavishnu who is eternal and his lifespan is infinite. Each breath of Vishnu has a time span of 311 trillion years or a mahakalpa. Vishnu exhales, one Brahma is born and he creates 3.6 crore universes in his lifetime. Then, when Vishnu inhales, that brahma ceases existing and all these universes gets destroyed by Shiva, who also has infinite lifespan. In the next exhalation of Vishnu, one new Brahma is born and the cycle repeats. One day of Brahma is 4.32 billion years or a Kalpa. It has 14 manwantars and each manwantar has 71 mahayugs. Total is 14*71*4.32 million years = 994 X 4.32 million years. The rest 6*4.32 million years is buffering time between two manwantars. One thing to remind is that, here being born and dying, might not mean humanly birth and death because all these entities are divine powers. Death might simply mean being inactive.
I have kept Brahma as ‘The Star’ because he creates and renews. Thus, Brahma has the ability to provide hope and healing in a generous manner. In reality, stars turn into black holes after losing their energy, and then again it explodes and return the energy to the cosmos.
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Star card is often associated with hope, inspiration, and renewal. When the card is upright, it generally signifies positive traits such as hope, inspiration, and a sense of renewal. The upright Star may represent a person who is full of hope and inspiration, or it can indicate a need to focus on healing and renewal.
Reverse Meaning
On the other hand, when the Star card is reversed, it may indicate negative traits such as despair, lack of inspiration, or a feeling of hopelessness. The reversed Star may represent a person who is struggling with depression or lack of inspiration, or who is feeling hopeless about the future. It could also suggest a need to find hope and inspiration in difficult times, and to focus on self-care and healing.
Lord Kaalbhairav is a fearful manifestation of Shiv. But similar to Beerbhadra, he is not an avatar of Shiv. As per the Puran, once Brahma became very arrogant and egoistic as he considered himself the greatest due to his power to create. He started to avoid Vedic lifestyle and insulted Vishnu and Shiva. At that time, Brahma had 5 heads. In order to teach Brahma a lesson, Shiva created Kaalbhairav. Kaalbhairav cut one head of Brahma to make him realise his false ego. Thus, Kaalbhairav is the destroyer of ego and ignorance; and by doing this, he takes one to the right path. Also, ‘Kaal’ means time; Lord Kaalbhairav helps us to pass the times of materialistic pleasures faster so that we can achieve higher goals.
Lord Kaalbhairav is mainly worshipped by aghoris and sadhaks. The nature of the lord is of tamasic type and this is why, the tantric rituals are followed while worshipping him. Pancha-makar upachaar is devoted to the lord. Kaalbhairav’s companion is a black dog.
Kaalbhairav is like a son to Shiv and Kali. Kali is considered the main deity in any tantric practices. She has a divine fierce form. When she roams around with her burning Trishul, everything around her gets destroyed. So, to aware everyone in front of her, Hanumanji walks before her. One can either come under Kali’s lotus feet and get redeemed or can get destroyed to get redeemed. Kaalbhairav’s manifestations are 8 Bhairavs. These 8 Bhairavs have 8 consorts – Astha Matrikas, who are the parts of Shakti. These Bhairavs and Bhairavis have created 64 yoginis who accompany Kali Ma. Those entities who are destroyed by Kali Ma, the yoginis consume their bodies. Kaalbhairav comes behind these yoginis and cleans up the rest of the destroyed entities.
I have kept Lord Kaalbhairav as ‘the Tower’ because he causes fast and sudden changes. He guides us through loss or tragedy so that we can get one step closer to the ultimate realisation.
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Tower card is often associated with upheaval, chaos, and sudden change. When the card is upright, it generally signifies negative traits such as upheaval, chaos, and sudden change. The upright Tower may represent a person or situation that is experiencing a sudden and unexpected change, or a realization that causes upheaval and chaos.
Reverse meaning
On the other hand, when the Tower card is reversed, it may indicate positive traits such as avoiding a crisis, rebuilding, or adapting to change. The reversed Tower may represent a person or situation that is avoiding a crisis or rebuilding after a period of upheaval, or a person who is adapting to change and finding a way to move forward. It could also suggest a need to be prepared for change and to have a plan in place to manage any potential upheaval.
Indra has been mentioned as one of the prominent gods as per Rig Ved. Actually, Indra is not a single god, rather it is a post – like a king or a head of clan. The king of the devatas is called Indra. As per the Purans, in the lifetime of earth, there will be 14 manwantar (a measure of time). Each manwantar has 306720000 years. Basically, at the end of each manwantar, the earth gets destroyed and then again gets rebuilt. This is the 7th manwantar out of 14. And in each Manwantar the post of Indra is taken by different individuals. Indra is the god of lightning and rain. His weapon is Bajra, we usually refer to lightening as bajrapaat. During the Samudra manthan incident, he took the Airavat (a divine white elephant with 7 trunks and 4 tusks) and this is his vehicle. Those who become Indra, they possess a huge number of qualities and they are the best fighters. Indra defeated demon Britra. Though, Indra used to be a respected god during ancient time (Satya yug); but through his ill actions, he gradually lost respect.
Some of the nuisance caused by Indra are taking disguises to have sex with other people’s wives, making sages break their pledges by luring them, and also disturbing normal human lives by not pouring regular rainfalls. Indra represents the desires and impulsive natures like the shat-ripu. He also represents self-entitlement because after earning the throne, he got engaged in ungodly practices like drinking too much alcohol, spending time to apsaras (dancers in heaven), gambling etc. On the other hands, other gods like Shiva, Vishnu were helping humans more and gaining their trust. This made Indra insecure because people were becoming less fond of him and worshipping other gods. This is one reason, he used to disturb saints passively so that they would worship Indra more.
Indra’s wife is Indrani and they have 3 children- Jayanta, Jayanti and Devsena. One thing is to understand that at the start of humanity, humans started to worship natural forces like fire, water, lightning etc. These forces were referred to as devatas. But as times passed by, we started to value qualities more and more. This is why we started to value Atma, Brahm etc. The gods we worship now- Shiva, Vishnu, Durga, Kali, they possess different qualities. They have often proved their worth of being worshipped with their actions- sometimes they made us understood the value of meditation, sometimes they saved us from demons, sometimes they simply listened to our prayers. This is how they have become closer to our hearts through their emotional intelligence. While the Vedic culture was about praising and fearing external forces, the Puranic culture focused on praising karma and qualities. This is a great example saying hard work and consistency beat talent. Also, it shows that humans make gods.
In this chapter, I will mention two major incidents, because of why Indra lost respect. The first one happened during Treta yug, before Ramayan happened. Sage Gautam lived with his wife Ahalya in an ashram. One day, when Gautam was away, Indra took his disguise and visited Ahalya. He wished to have sex with her. Even though Ahalya identified the disguise, out of curiosity and flattered by the king of devatas himself, she agreed to Indra’s wish. After they committed this adultery, Ahalya told Indra to leave the place before Gautam returns. However, both were caught by the sage. Sage Gautam was furious in this situation and cursed both of them. He cursed Indra that as he performed a sin with a Brahman’s wife, he will lose his testicles. Also, he cursed him that as he is so fond of sex, his whole body will be covered in 1000 vaginas. A troubled Indra came across Narad rishi. Narad advised him to worship goddess Shakti. Shakti manifested in form of Indrakshi and returned Indra’s manhood by giving him an animal’s testicles. She turned his vaginas into eyes. She did this to maintain the sage’s curse so that Indra remains unattractive to women. On the other hand, Gautam rishi also cursed Ahalya as she committed adultery. Ahalya was turned into stone. Now, this ‘stone’ is not in the sense rock, rather she was cursed to live like a stone- maintaining complete discipline in her life. Gautam told her that lord Raam will visit her after 1000 years and redeem her. Later Raam and Lakshman visited with sage Vasishta. Vasishta, who was their teacher, told them about the whole incident and told Raam to redeem her by touching her. Vashishta did not say bad things about Ahalya, rather he respected her because of her 1000-year penance. Raam touched her feet and redeemed her from her stone-like lifestyle. This incident shows that karma is for everyone including devatas and gods.
The other incident happened during Dwapar yug when Krishna was living in Gokul. In Gokuldham, for a long period, the citizens did not worship Indra and they were busy embracing Krishna. This made Indra angry and he started to curse the citizens with heavy storm and rainfall, demanding puja. Krishna, the incarnation of Vishnu knew how to handle the situation. He simply lifted Gobardhan Mountain with his little finger and asked all Gokul citizens to stay under it. Krishna told them to worship the mountain instead of Indra. Indra’s pride was broken by Krishna’s valour. Indra ceased the storms and rains and the weather became pleasant again. Indra asked Krishna’s forgiveness at the end and Krishna blessed him. With this incident, people realized that worshipping Krishna will solve all their problems, even Krishna told in the Geeta that whoever takes his Sharan, will be redeemed. Krishna thus got the name Govardhangiridhari. And even today, the Govardhan Mountain is worshipped in Uttar Pradesh during Annakut festival (during Deepabali). In this festival, 56 dishe[AP1] s (rice, curries, fruits, sweets etc) are prepared in form of a mountain of food and devoted to the god.
Indra, thus lost most of his respect among earth-dwellers. However, in some places, people still have the culture to worship Indra. Indra is worshipped as Pottu Samy during Pongal in Tamil Nadu, especially in Kongu Nadu (west Tamil Nadu). The Devata is praised for his blessing of rain. On the other hand, Indra is actually a prominent figure in yagna. During most of the yagnas, we still give offering to Indra through Vedic mantras. So, Indra is far from being abandoned from our culture. We just don’t worship him as we worship Shiv, Durga or Ganesh. Indra is also well-known in Buddhist culture and he is known as Sakka/Shakra. He is depicted as a form of Maar, which is basically associated with lack of true knowledge, and later Buddha offers him true knowledge and asks him to protect his followers. The Buddhist Agam Tantra is heavily influenced by Vedic texts. Also, in Jainism, Indra appears as Shakrendra and he assists the Thirthankars.
In Nepal and Sikkim, a festival named Indra Yatra (Yenya) is celebrated every year, where the devata is worshipped for invoking good harvest. According to the legend, Dagini (Indra’s mother) had sent Indra to the Kathmandu Valley to get a flower which she wanted to use for a ritual. Indra was caught picking the flowers and was accused of stealing. Dagini came down to Earth and revealed Indra to be her son. Following his release, Dagini thanked the people and said that their crops will have dew every morning and people who had died in the previous year will be sent to heaven. As per the traditions of this festival, two young girls around the age of 3 years are selected as living embodiments of goddesses. They are carried around without touching their feet with ground. They cease to be considered as goddesses when they hit puberty. The young girls during the celebration are accompanied by two young boys who play the role of Lord Ganesha and Lord Bhairab. A huge procession is taken out which stops in front of 12 feet long Bhairab statue.
I have kept Indra as ‘the Devil’ because he often falls prey to temptation and insecurity.
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Devil card is often associated with temptation, materialism, and fear. When the card is upright, it generally signifies negative traits such as temptation, addiction, and materialism. The upright Devil may represent a person who is focused on material possessions or who is caught in a cycle of addiction or temptation.
Reverse meaning
On the other hand, when the Devil card is reversed, it may indicate positive traits such as freedom, release, or overcoming fear. The reversed Devil may represent a person who is breaking free from addiction or temptation, or who is overcoming fear and moving towards a more positive and fulfilling path. It could also suggest a need to let go of negative attachments or beliefs in order to embrace a more positive future.
Vishnu is one of the three main gods in Sanatan culture. While Brahma creates and Shiv destroys, Vishnu performs the task of balancing and maintaining. He leaves in Golokdham or Baikunthadham with Lakshmi as his wife. In his abode, Vishnu remains in a meditative state while at the same time, operating the universal balance. Vishnu is known by many names all over India, like Narayan, Hari, Venkateshwara, Perumal, Balaji etc. Actually, he has 108 names based on his activities. The followers of Vishnu are called Vaishnab and they consider Vishnu to be the supreme Parambrahma. Vishnu’s 4 hands hold a conch (Shankha), a lotus flower, a club (Gada) and Sudarshan Chakra. Vishnu’s 4 hands symbolize 4 phases of life- Brahmacharya, Garhastya, Baanprastha, Sanyas. His two ear-rings symbolizes two polarities- true and untrue or happiness and sorrow. The symbol of Srivatsa on his chest signifies his love for goddess Lakshmi. He rests on Seshnaag, which tells that he is controller of hard situations.
Vishnu, as an operator, has taken birth on earth multiple times. There are 10 such incarnations (as per some beliefs 25 incarnations) where lord Vishnu has directly helped the humanity to survive and learn how to sustain. The first incarnation is Matsya (fish) Avatar where he saved life on earth by helping them to survive a great flood. The description of this incident can be found in Matsya Puran where, Manu, a pious king was guided by Matsya Avatar to save living beings from a devastating flood. In the foreign scriptures, we get similar stories of Moses and a huge flood.
The second incarnation is Kurma (tortoise) avatar. This is the time when gods and asuras were having major conflicts. They were told that whoever gets Amrit, will become immortal and powerful. Amrit is a divine elixir that was deep under Kshirod Sagar. Gods and Demons agreed to churn the ocean and later share the elixir. To perform this task of churning an ocean, they needed a huge churner or a bilona. Kurma avatar took Mainak mountain on its back and Vasuki Naag winded them- thus a churner was prepared. Devatas and Asuras grabbed each end of Vasuki Naag and churned the ocean. Gradually many things came out- the Halahal poison, Kaamdhenu, Ucchaishraba horse, Airabat elephant, Kaustav and Padmaraag jewels, many Apsaras, many weapons, Dhanwantari and Lakshmi Devi with a container of Amrit. However, the gods did not want to share Amrit with demons, so Vishnu manifested himself as a beautiful goddess named Mohini. Mohini took the container of Amrit and told gods and demons to sit in two rows, she would start with the gods. Everyone agreed and the gods started to consume Amrit one by one. On the other hand, the demons were pretty awe-struck by Mohini’s beauty and kept waiting for their turn. However, two demons- Rahu and Ketu realized that gods are trying to betray them and by the time Mohini finishes giving Amrit to the gods, nothing would be left for the demons. So, they disguised as gods and sat in the row of the Devatas. Mohini unknowingly gave them Amrit and they started to consume it. However, Surya Dev and Chandra Dev identified their disguise and exposed them. Vishnu then changed back into his real form and within a moment of time, he beheaded Rahu and Ketu with Sudarshan Chakra. Their body fell on ground, because they could not complete consuming the elixir. However, their heads and throats became immortal. They were angry at Surya and Chandra for exposing them and swallowed them. But as they have nothing below their throat, Surya and Chandra came out after some time. In terms of science, we call these Solar and Lunar eclipses that happen a few times in a year. Anyway, thus, Vishnu, as Kurma avatar helped the devatas to become immortal.
The third avatar of Bishnu is Baraha (Boar) Avatar. But before that, I want to tell the story about why Vishnu incarnates and why he destroys demons in each incarnation. Both are caused by a couple of curses. Once, Narad wanted to get married and to impress princesses, he asked for a boon of getting same face as Hari. Vishnu (who is also known as Hari), wanted to teach Narad that it is immoral to commit such act so he gave him a face of Monkey (that is also known as Hari). Narad, unknowingly approached princesses and became a matter of laughter. When Narad came to know about his real condition, Narad cursed Vishnu that he will also experience the feelings of separation from Lakshmi and for that he will be reincarnated multiple times as human.
On the other hand, Vishnu had two gatekeepers outside Baikuntha- Jaya and Vijaya. Once, Brahma’s four sons- the Balyakhilya sages visited Vishnu’s abode to meet him. Though the sages were really wise and old, they had appearances like children. So, Jaya and Vijaya ignored them and humiliated them. Being angry, the sages cursed them to separate from Vishnu and live as humans. Jaya and Vijaya were upset and after sometime, Vishnu appeared in the scene. He came to know about the whole scenario and gave Jaya and Vijaya two options. They could either live 7 lives as Vishnu devotees OR they could live 3 lives as demons and be killed by Vishnu’s incarnations. At the end of completing each option, they would again come back to Baikuntha and live with Vishnu forever. Jaya-Vijaya chose the second option because the thought of staying 7 lives being separated from their master seemed too much for them.
Now, let’s come back to the tales of Varaha Avatar. Vijaya incarnated as demon Hiranyakashya. He started to torture humans on earth and captured Bhudevi (mother Earth) and submerged her under ocean. Varaha Avatar fought with the demon for 1000 years and killed him. Thus, he saved Bhudevi and restored life on earth. In Tirumala (Andhra Pradesh), Varaha Swami temple is famous where this incarnation is celebrated with grandeur. Recently, a famous movie named Kantara, was published in 2022. Here, a ritual related to worshipping Varaha Avatar is shown. The ritual is related to Kolachar (Bhut Kola and Panjurli), the purest form of devotion where the devotee gets into a complete state of Sannibesh with the deity. Needless to say, this is also a tantric way of worshiping the gods.
The fourth avatar of Vishnu is lord Narasingha. This time, Jaya was incarnated as a torturous king Hiranyakashyap. He was actually related to Hiranyakashya like a brother so, after Hiranyakashya’s death, Hiranyakashyap wanted to seek revenge by killing Vaishnavs. His own son, Prahlad was a great Vishnu devotee and this was intolerable for Hiranyakashyap. He tried to kill Prahlad multiple times but Vishnu would perform miracles and save Prahlad every time. Hiranyakashyap got a boon from Brahma that he can’t be killed by anyone created by Brahma including any god or demon or naga, he can’t be killed inside or outside home, he can’t be killed during day or night, he can’t be killed on the ground or in the sky, he can’t be killed with any weapons or hand. After getting this boon, Hiranyakashyap declared himself as supreme lord and demanded everyone to worship only him. Those who did not accept that, would be slaughtered. Nonetheless, Prahlad ignored his father and kept being devoted to Vishnu. Prahlad told his father that Vishnu is omnipresent unlike Hiranyakashyap, thus Vishnu is supreme god. Furious Hiranyakashyap indicated towards a stone pillar and mocked Prahlad by saying Vishnu is inside the pillar. Hiranyakashyap hit the pillar to break it down and surprisingly, Lord Narasingha emerged from inside. A shocked Hiranyakashyap tried to escape but failed, Lord Narasingha placed him on thighs and stood on the border of the palace door and while it was dusk, Narasingha ripped apart Hiranyakashyap with his sharp nails. Thus, he killed the supposedly invincible demon with intellect without breaking any of the boons. However, Narasingha Dev’s anger did not stop even after Hiranyakashyap’s death. Shiva incarnated as Sharava Avatar and calmed him down. Afterwards, Prahlad sought blessings from Narasingha Dev and restored peace on earth.
The fifth Avatar of Vishnu is Vaaman/Baaman (dwarf). This was the time when demon king Mahabali was reigning the earth. In spite of being a demon, Mahabali was a pious entity and a devotee of lord Vishnu. He defeated the gods and claimed both heaven and earth. Afterwards, he started to perform Ashwamedh Yagna. The performer of 100 Ashwamedh yagnas can become Lord Indra. Mahabali was performing the last and final one. To restrict Mahabali, Indra approached Lord Vishnu to save his throne. Lord Vishnu disguised himself as a dwarf and a poor Brahmin (Vamana avatar) to visit the kingdom of Mahabali. Mahabali was a dharmic king and never sent away anyone from his palace without giving something. When asked about his wishes, Vamana asked the king to grant him land covered by his three feet. Mahabali agreed to fulfil Vamana’s desire without a second thought. But Vamana started to grow in size and his first foot covered the earth and with the second he covered the sky (heaven). Mahabali understood the true nature of Vishnu. With no place left uncovered, Mahabali requested Vamana to place the third foot on his head, thus, burying himself into Pataal. Vishnu then gave back heaven to Indra and other gods. Pleased Lord Vamana blessed selfless Mahabali to remain at his doorstep. Mahabali was also granted with a boon that he be allowed to visit his people and his kingdom once in a year, which is celebrated as ONAM[AP1] in Kerala.
The sixth incarnation is Parshuraam Avatar. Parshuraam was the son of a brahmin sage named Jamadagni. Once Jamadagni was angry with his wife and ordered his sons to kill her. Everyone except Parshuraam refused to follow that order. After Parshuraam killed his mother, Jamadagni was pleased at his pitri-bhakti. Jamadagni asked Parshuraam to ask for a boon, to which Parshuraam asked him to revive him mother. Pleased Jamadagni granted his wish and brought his wife back to life. Jamadagni had a Kamdhenu, a cow that grants wishes. Once, a kshatriya king named Kartabiryarjun visited Jamadagni’s place. To welcome the king, the sage asked Kamdhenu to give food and other things, which surprised Kartabiryarjun. The king wanted to buy the cow but the sage refused. Being angry, Kartabiryarjun forcefully took the cow from Jamadagni. When Parshuraam came to know about this incident, he went to Kartabiryarjun’s palace and fought with him and killed him to take back Kamdhenu. This enraged the sons of the king and they attacked Jamadagni’s aashram. After stabbing him 21 times, they beheaded the sage and took the head with them. To avenge his father, Parshuraam started his journey, in which he killed the sons of Kartabiryarjun and brought back his father’s sliced head to perform the last rites. Afterwards, Parshuraam pledged to end tyranny of kshatriya kings from earth, and for the next 21 generations of Kshartiyas, he killed the corrupted and torturous kings. He did not take any unethical way to win over the kings and challenged them into dharma-yudh. He only fought against those who accepted the challenge. Parshuraam possessed a lot of knowledge and in his old days, he started living a sage’s life and started giving lessons of weaponry to only brahmins. Bhishma was his disciple and later Karna also requested him to teach weaponry (both are characters from Mahabharat).
The seventh avatar of Vishnu is Lord Raam (approx. 8000-10000 years ago). In a previous chapter, I have already talked about him. A couple things to add to that story is- in this life of Raam, Jaya was born as Raavan and Vijaya was born as Kumbhakarna. Kumbhakarna was Raavan’s brother. He was born with a huge body and an unending hunger and started to eat living beings ruthlessly. To stop him, Brahma cursed him to sleep for 6 months and after every 6 months, he would wake up for 1 day to consume food. Raam killed both of them.
The eighth avatar of Vishnu is Sri Krishna during the time of Mahabharat (approx. 5000 years ago). I have talked a few things about Krishna in one of the previous chapters. Something to add to him is that, this time, Jaya and Vijaya were born as Shishupaal and Dantabakra. Shishupaal was a torturous king and he was cursed that Krishna would kills him, However, Krishna said that he will forgive 100 sins of Shishupaal. After that quota was completed, Krishna slayed Shishupaal’s head with Sudarshan chakra. Dantabakra, who was a cousin of Shishupaal attacked Krishna to avenge Shishupaal’s death and Krishna also killed him. Thus, Jaya and Vijaya’s 3 human lives were completed and they returned back to Golokdhaam to lord Vishnu. During the Kurukshetra war, Krishna told Arjuna about how to be dutiful and happy- these teachings are compiled and known as the Srimad Bhagabad Geeta, the sacred and most important Hindu scripture. Some of the main teachings of the Geeta is to protect Dharma without being afraid, one is entitled towards action but not results, incarnation, not to be attached, transformation of energies from one form into another, wrong thinking is the only problem and right knowledge is the best solution, hesitation is the worst crime etc. After Krishna directed the war of Mahabharat in Kurukshetra, he came back to Dwarka. After sometime, his clan members started to fight with each other and the end of Jadav clan became inevitable (36 years after the Mahabharat war). This happened as per curse of Gandhari, mother of Kouravs.
The death of lord Krishna has a long, interesting background. Krishna had many sons; Shamba is one of them. Once, Shamba was playing with his mates and they saw a group of sages. The boys wanted to prank the sages so, Shamba disguised as a pregnant lady and all the boys took him to the sages and asked them to predict whether this ‘lady’ will give birth to a son or a daughter. But the sages knew the truth and being humiliated, they said that the person will give birth to a big piece of metal. Though the boys were shocked, they mocked and left the place. After a few days, Shamba started to feel pain in stomach and there was a big mace-like lump formed there. Being afraid of the curse, the boys took Shamba to Krishna and narrated the whole story. Krishna knew that things are falling into places as per the curses. Each event was creating a butterfly effect. Anyway, Shamba went under a surgery and after extracting the element from his stomach, which turned out to be a lump of metal, people churned it to dust. However, a long piece of the metal was too hard to be churned. The people then threw the dust and the piece of metal into Jamuna River. After some time, a fish gulped that big piece of metal and eventually a hunter caught the fish and got the metal from inside. He used it to create an arrow. Meanwhile, the Yadavs forgot their pious lifestyle and one day, after having too much drinks, they fought with each other. There were long grasses beside the river, which were rich with the iron dust thrown in the river. The grasses were so sharp and hard, the Yadavs ended up killing each other. Krishna’s sons Satyaki, Pradyumna, Shamba etc were all dead. Meantime, Krishna appeared at that place and in front of him were all his sons and clan members, lying dead. Krishna knew the end is near and he asked one of his chariot drivers to go to Arjun in Hastinapur and ask him to take care of the rest of the people in Dwaraka. Krishna kept searching for his brother Balaraam and found him meditating inside deep forest. Krishna called him but received no reply. After some time, a snake came out of Balaraam’s mouth indicating the completion of Balaraam’s human lifecycle. Krishna started meditating and thinking of how to complete his human life. Without his knowledge, a hunter appeared nearby. This was the same hunter who made that arrow with the broken metal. From far away, he mistook Krishna’s lotus-like feet as a deer’s feet and shot that arrow. And that arrow struck Lord Krishna’s feet. The hunter came to the spot and was shocked, he asked for forgiveness and Krishna smilingly blessed him and this was the end of Krishna’s human life and start of Kali Yug. Dwarka went under water soon after the incident due to a flood.
The ninth avatar of Vishnu is a bit unclear because there are different views whether it is Lord Jagannath or Gautam Buddha. I will tell a few things about both of them.
There was a king named Indradumnya who had a dream where Krishna, in a form of Neel Madhab (blue stone Krishna) asking him to make a temple of Krishna. Indradumnya started his journey to find the resources and reached Orissa in the Indian Ocean beach. Before that, the hunter whose arrow killed Krishna, became full of remorse and chose a path of Vaishnav. While roaming in the forest, he one day found Krishna’s statue in form of Neel Madhab and started to worship it daily. This puja was being done generations after generation in his family and clan. One of the descendants was Vishwabasu and his daughter was Lalita. Latita was married to a brahmin named Vidyapati. Vidyapati, when he saw Neel Madhav’s statie after visiting his in-laws’ place, he was amazed. He stole the stone and flew away. However, Vidyapati could not tolerate the energy of the stone and decided to give it to Indradumnya. Indradumnya had to build a temple for installing Neel Madhav. Once again, he had a dream that at a specific place in the beach, a log will arrive on a certain day. The king arrived that place at that time and to his surprise, a log was lying in ocean at some distance. The king’s men tried hard to bring the log to the shore but they failed to move it even an inch. Then, Vidyapati advised the king to call the hunter tribes (Shabar), who were actually the clan of Vishwabasu. Vishwabasu had been sad since his Neel Madhav stone was stolen; when he heard about Indradumnya’s mission, he quickly came to the beach and touched the log. The log immediately started to float effortlessly and Vishwabasu along with his men brought the log to the shore. Indradumnya was thankful to the Shabar people and appointed them as the official pujaris. However, a new issue arrived, which was to find a carpenter to carve the statue of Neel Madhav from the log. After a lot of searching, the king could not find out any suitable artist for the job. Then, suddenly an old man came to the king and claimed to be the suitable candidate. This old man was none other than Vishwakarma. He asked the king to leave him alone inside the temple for 21 days; no one should enter the place before that. The king agreed, though he was skeptical. However, king’s wife- Gundicha could not suppress her curiosity. She used to come near the temple gate everyday but could not hear any sound from inside. Out of curiosity and tension, she opened the gate after 14 days. To her shock, the old man was no longer there and three half-finished idols were standing there- Krishna, Subhadra and Balaraam. When the king came to know about this, he decided to worship the idols in that form. The idols were installed inside the temple, which we know as the famous Jagannath temple in Puri, Orissa. The worshippers, who are called Dayitapatis, are descendants of the Shabars (Lalita’s side) who also have Brahmin blood (Vidyapati’s side). After each Yug (12 years normally), an event called Naba Kalebar is organised where the idols of the lords are remade. The worshippers still receive dreams about where to find the wood to carve out the idols. There are strict guidelines about the characteristics of the wood. It is usually a Neem tree. Lord Jagannath is dark in color. So, the neem tree from which his deities is to be carved out should be dark; whereas the trees which would be used for the deities of his brother and sister are lighter in color; as his siblings are fair! The Neem tree for Lord Jagannath must have four principal branches – symbolizing four arms of Vishnu. There must be a water body near the tree – like a river or a large pond and a cremation ground nearby. An ant-hill should be close to the tree and at the roots of the tree there must be a snake-pit of a cobra. No bird must have made nests in the tree; and no branches would have broken or cut. The tree has to be located near a three-way or would be surrounded by three mountains. No creepers must have grown on the tree and there have to be Varuna, Sahada and Vilva trees (these three trees are not very common) close by. There have to be a hermitage and a temple of Lord Shiva in the vicinity. The most amazing requirement is, on the tree trunk there must be natural impressions of conch-shell and chakra.
After receiving the tree, it is cut to form log and brought to Koili Vaikuntha temple ground. The carpenters complete building the 3 idols under strict supervision and within a deadline of 14 days. During the whole period, a lot of pujas and sacred rituals are performed by the dayitapatis. At the end of completion of the idols, they are transferred to the garbha-griha of the Puri temple where pran-pratistha happens. This ritual of pran-prathistha is very sacred and done in utmost secrecy. It takes 3 dayitapatis to complete this task and during the time, they all remain blindfolded and alone inside the garbha-griha. As per one dayitapati who had the fortune to be part of this ritual, there is a secret chamber inside the idols. One dayitapati opens the chamber of the old idol and brings out something mysterious, it feels like beating in a constant rhythm and soft like a rabbit. The object is then handed over to the second dayitapati who transfers it to the third dayitapati, who then installs the object inside the new idol. It is said that after Krishna died, his heart was intact even after cremation; and this mysterious object is the heart of Sri Krishna. It is also referred to as the Brahma-Padartha. After this is done, the new idols come to life and the old idols are buried at specific place inside the temple ground. Jagannath’s Rath Yatra (chariot festival) is celebrated hugely in Orissa and also in West Bengal. Though Jagannath is not a human incarnation of Vishnu, there have been many instances or at least there are many stories where people have seen him, felt him and received his blessings. Jai Jagannath!!
The other opinion says that, the 9th Avatar of Vishnu is Gautam Buddha.
His early name was Siddhartha and he was born in 563 BC to queen Maya Devi and king Shuddhodan in Lumbini (Nepal). After his birth, an astrologer predicted that he will leave home to help distressed people and become a holy person. This made the king anxious as he did not want to lose his son. So, Siddhartha was always kept in a happy environment, away from poverty, sadness, problems and death. Shuddhodan did his best to keep him tied to materialism and the sangsaarik maya. At the age of 16, Siddhartha was married to princess Yashodhara and soon was blessed with a son named Rahul. Though Siddhartha was kept away from troubles and sadness of the world, the materialistic happiness was boring for him. Around the age of 25 or 29, one day, he was out in the city, roaming on his chariot. Usually, when he went out, the citizens would have been told beforehand to welcome him with smile and the roads would be decorated. Old, sick persons or corpses would be kept out of his sight as per Shuddhodan’s order. However, on that particular day, Siddhartha roamed a bit far and came across four sights. He saw a sick person suffering, an old man, a dead body waiting to be cremated and a roaming sadhu with no possession. These four sights shook him because he never saw any sickness, sorrow, death or abstinence. The impact of these sights was strong enough to make him think about the purpose of life, why do people suffer and how to overcome or cure these sufferings like sorrow or death. When he discussed about these things with the finest scholars in the country, no one could give him satisfying answer. So, Siddhartha decided to find the answers himself. However, he knew that his family would not support him if he declares his wish to leave the palace and follow a sage’s path. So, at one night, he woke up, looked at his wife and new-born son sleeping beside. He resisted the urge to hug his son, Rahul for one last time and left the palace amidst darkness. He told himself that he will return after finding the answers to his questions. Six years passed by as he kept meeting sages, kept torturing his body by fasting and suffering from pain- as he thought abstinence from happiness is the way to find the truth about life. But, at a point of time, he realised this is not the right way and a balance is needed between abstinence and lust. Eventually he appeared in a village named Senani (near Bihar) and started meditating under a banyan tree. In this village, there lived a lady named Sujata, who took care of him while his stay. Today, Sujata Stupa is a tourist spot that celebrates this historical event. However, Siddhartha again started roaming, in search for the ultimate truth, and reached Gaya. In Gaya, he started to meditate under a banyan tree and pledged to stay in that position until he got the answers to the questions. Through meditation, he realised the circle of life, incarnations and at last, the root of all sufferings. He realised that killing, stealing, committing sexual misconduct, lying and using intoxicants are the roots of al sufferings. He also realised that pain and pleasures are parts of life and cannot be avoided; attachments cause pain. This enlightenment transformed Siddhartha into Tathagata Buddha. Buddha found out that if one can see life as it is, if one possesses emotional intelligence, truthfulness, mindfulness and compassion, if one can live without exploiting and harming others, if one can utilise energy in positive impacts, and if one can meditate with united focus- then suffering can be reduced. Through these understandings, Siddhartha attained enlightenment and became Buddha (it means ‘the one who knows’). The banyan tree under which he attained enlightenment, is called Bodhi Tree and is still present in Bodhgaya (Bihar). Afterwards, Buddha started to render his knowledge to other sages and normal citizens. Buddha returned home after seven long years. For all these years, Yashodhara led a simple life; even though she was astonished at his sudden departure, she supported his wish to attain enlightenment. Buddha knew about all these and he wished to meet her. Yashodhara’s suppressed emotions of sadness and abhimaan rolled down as tears as they met. Buddha made her understand that he left as an ignorant person but came back as a new person. Rahul was 7 years by now and this was the first time he saw his father. Buddha taught his learnings to his family members, relatives and citizens. Many people may say that Buddha did wrong to his family by leaving, but overall, he balanced his family life and goal to contribute to the world. From this viewpoint, he was a great leader for his son, who could be proud of his father. Buddha, as a father, taught his son to follow own passion and be an exception. Rahul became the youngest monk at 7 years age. After that, Buddha lived up to 80 years of age, giving lessons and teachings to thousands and thousands of people. His teachings don’t include traditional rituals of Sanatan as Buddhism does not ask the believers to worship a deity. However, the philosophy of Buddhism is just another school of Sanatan dharma because it focuses entirely on dutiful living. Also, Buddha, himself did not propagate his teachings with the motto of creating a new religion, his followers did that. Buddhism has two paths- Hinayaan and Mahayaan; while the first one strictly focuses on meditation and disciplined living as per Buddha’s path, the latter one welcomes the divinity of Buddha and allows idol (of Buddha) worshipping. As per Buddha, the goal of life is to be free from the fear of death (Mahaparinirvaan). The most fascinating thing about Buddha is that, even if you don’t consider him as a god, he is a pretty perfect human being. Rahul passed away at a young age and Yashodhara passed away before 2 years of Buddha’s Mahaparinirbaan but Buddha did not mourn as he knew about the truth of life. On the last day of Buddha’s life, he was in Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh). Surrounded by his disciples, Buddha reminded them his lessons for one last time. For the past few days, he did tell them that his time of samadhi has come. His last words were- “vayadhammâ samkhârâ, appamâdena sampâdetha”. It means, nothing is permanent, perform duties mindfully. Is this not the main teaching of the Geeta told by Shri Krishna to Arjun at the Kurukshetra battlefield 2500 years before Buddha!! After this event, a homage was paid to the mortal body of Buddha with flowers, perfumes and music for the next 6 days by the disciples in form[AP2] of respect. On the 7th day, the body was cremated. The remains of the ashes and tooth were divided into 8 equal parts and given to the kings who took the lessons of Buddha. 8 Buddhist Stupas have been constructed over these relics- Rajagaha, Vaishali, Kapilavastu, Allakappa, Ramagama, Vethadipa, Pava, Kushinara and Pipphalivana. Buddhist people says “Buddham Sharanam Gachchhami”, which means ‘I follow Buddha’s path of living’ to attain Nirbaan or true happiness[AP3] .
The tenth avatar of Lord Vishnu is Kalki, who is yet to arrive on earth. Before talking about Kalki, I want to talk a few things about one theory- many people believe that the incarnations of Vishnu indicate the evolution of humans. Fishes were the first Vertibrates that appeared 500 million years ago. Then came the amphibians and gradually the animals. From animals (ape), humans came. At first, humans were short in size. Then they learned to use weapons and used stone, bronze, iron etc items. Gradually they started civilisation and set of rules were imposed to protect family and society. Afterwards, humans started to get corrupt and engage into fight due to increased lust and politics. But gradually, humans realised that war only brings destruction and in today’s era, peace and compassion are the most desired. This explanation of theory is pretty convincing, apart from the fact that in evolutionary history, we don’t have any evidence of half-human and half-animal. However, if we keep modern science aside, we can’t neglect this theory.
Let’s get back to Kalki. Sri Krishna has told that whenever dharma was in danger, he has appeared to save the righteous people and punish the sinners. As per our scriptures, after the death of Krishna (5000 years ago), Kali Yug has started which is a time span of 432000 years. So, about 427000 years are left. Currently, we are living in the golden era of Kali Yug where people are still doing mostly good work, they believe in god and karma. As the time will pass by, the situation will get worse and people will engage into more sins. At the end, when the existence of humanity comes under stake, Kalki will appear to eradicate everything with his sword Nandaka and bring back Satya Yug on earth. As per Nostradamus prophecies, one day a glorious man will arrive on earth w[AP4] ho will rule on land and sea and he will solve all problems on earth.
I believe that the 10 avatars of Vishnu teach us about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. At the starting point, Vishnu focused on helping humans to survive on earth. Matsya Avatar, Kurma Avatar, Varaha Avatar focused on helping us to survive from huge natural disasters and attack from Asuras, which is a physiological need. Then, Narasingha and Parshuraam Avatar focused on giving security and Vaaman Avatar focused on teaching us about resources and properties – these are safety needs. Raam taught us about social and family relationships – emotional needs. Then Krishna focused on teaching us how to maintain self-esteem and how to earn respect and freedom- esteem needs. Lastly, Buddha has focused on self-actualisation. Kali avatar will also help us to attain self-actualisation by the act of purging.
I have kept Vishnu as ‘Temperance’ because he has always balanced. He is the master of problem solving that needs knowledge and patience. He is so patient that, he has earned Lakshmi as wife. Goddess Lakshmi is known as ‘Chanchala’ [impatient] as she does not stay at one place for long. Even she does not want to leave Vishnu, such is his personality and abilities. Jai Shri Krishna, Jai Narayan!!
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Temperance card is often associated with balance, harmony, and moderation. When the card is upright, it generally signifies positive traits such as balance, harmony, and the ability to find a middle ground. The upright Temperance may represent a person who is able to find balance in their life or who is able to moderate their behaviour in order to achieve harmony.
Reverse meaning
On the other hand, when the Temperance card is reversed, it may indicate negative traits such as imbalance, excess, or a lack of self-control. The reversed Temperance may represent a person who is struggling to find balance in their life or who is engaging in excessive behaviors that are causing problems. It could also suggest a need to practice self-control and moderation in order to achieve harmony.
[AP3]There are many Buddha idols available which gives different types of effects. Sleeping Buddha facing west gives peace at home. ‘Bhumisparsha’ Buddha in the east helps humans to receive eternal knowledge. A meditating Buddha in garden can give relaxation. A fat laughing Buddha offers happiness in life. A laughing Buddha playing with children brings fertility and gives the joy of parenthood. A laughing Buddha with a sack brings wealth.
Yama is the god of death. I know about an Egyptian god named Anubis, who is God of death as per Egyptian mythology. Both Yama and Anubis are responsible for judging humans after death. Though, Yama is the god of death, he actually rules the hells (there are 7 hells as per Hinduism). Previously I mentioned that Shani Dev and Yama are brothers. While Shani Dev looks after our Karma while we are alive, his brother Yama is responsible for purging our souls in afterlife to make sure that no bad deed gets unpunished. This is why Yama is also called ‘Dharma-Raaj’.
As per Hindu scriptures, when a human dies, the soul goes through some stages of purging. Then they should reach the assembly of Yama, where the god performs his duties. Yama’s personal secretary is Chitragupta, who constantly keeps a balance sheet of our good and bad deeds. After the soul appears in front of Yama Raaj, Chitragupta narrates the karmic life of the soul so that Yama can take a decision whether the soul is holy or not. If the soul is holy, it can go to paradise namely the abode of Shiva or Vishnu etc and enjoy. Otherwise, it will be sent to one of the 7 hells based on the severity of its bad karma during human-life. After completion of punishment, he sends the soul once again on earth to live life in a better way.
Yama has a sister named Yami. Once they had a big argument and Yami cursed Yama to go to hell. Yama was the first living entity to step into hell, and this is how he became the ruler of hell. However, Yami became sad when Yama was absent and cried a river- which is Yamuna in today’s India. Anyway, Yama came to know about his sister’s situation and came to Yami. Yami knew that now it is not possible for Yama to permanently come back to human realm. She tied a red string on Yama’s wrist so that Yama always remembers him. Yama also promised to protect her from negative forces. This was the first Raakhi or Raksha-Bandhan, a festival that celebrates the sacred relationship between sisters and brothers. While a sister wishes for good health and prosperity of a brother, the brother pledges to protect the sister. Another significance of the Rakhi is that Yama, after receiving the Rakhi, declared that any brother who would claim to protect his sister after wearing a rakhi, would get long life. So, this festival is also celebrated to keep death away from family.
Beautiful stories related to Rakhi are present in our history. Once Krishna’s hand/finger got cut and Draupadi tore a piece of her cloth and tied onto that to stop bleeding. Krishna remembered that instance and protected her while bastra-haran. While, Parvati was performing penance to get Shiva as husband, she offered a Rakhi to Vishnu and asked him to remove any obstacle from her path. Moreover, in modern times, before the Hidaspes war, Alenxander’s wife Roxana [AP1] sent a Rakhi to Porus, requesting him to not harm her husband, and Porus accepted her wish [the foreign narrative of Porus losing to Alexander is false]. A unique celebration of Rakhi-Bandhan happened in 1905, where Rabindranath Tagore protested Banga-Bhanga (partition of Bengal into West Bengal and Bangladesh). In this celebration, Hindu and Muslim people tied Rakhi to each other, wishing the strengthening of Indian brotherhood.
In India, Yami and Yama are also relevant in a festival called Bhai-Phota/Bhatri-Twitiya (in West Bengal) or Bhai Bij (in Maharashtra), Bhai Tika (in Nepal), Bhai-Duj (In other places). The Bengali poem related to Bhai Phota goes like this-
Translation: ‘I am giving a dot (of Sandalwood/ Sweet Curd) on my brother’s forehead; Yama’s path is thus becoming full of obstacles. Yamuna/Yami gives a dot to Yama, I also give a dot to my brother. Upon receiving the dot from Yami/Yamuna, Yama became immortal. May my brother also be immortal after receiving dot from me’.
Sisters usually chants this mantra thrice while touching the ring finger of left hand onto brothers’ forehead, giving the sandalwood dot. The festival usually comes right after Kali Puja festival; Kali Puja happens in New Moon night. Bhatri-Dwitiya is celebrated 2 days after Kali Puja. It is interesting, how, we humans have found out ways to celebrate even the god of death in a positive way!!
Yama’s worshipping is not done because he is the ruler of the dead. To avoid sudden death, Shiva’s Mrityunjay yagna or chants can be performed. While people perform Kailash parikrama (revolving the Kailash Mountain), they visit a place called Jam Dwar. It is said that, here, in a temple, Yama’s puja should be done because purging of soul is necessary before going near God.
I have kept Yama as ‘Death’ because he signifies transition of our human life-cycle. Also, he signifies resolutions and promises as good karma.
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Death card is often associated with transformation, change, and endings. When the card is upright, it generally signifies positive traits such as transformation, change, and the end of a cycle. The upright Death may represent a person who is experiencing a significant transformation or who is letting go of something in order to make room for something new.
Reverse meaning
On the other hand, when the Death card is reversed, it may indicate negative traits such as resistance to change, stagnation, or a fear of endings. The reversed Death may represent a person who is struggling to let go of something or who is resisting change, or who is trapped in a stagnant situation. It could also suggest a need to face fears and embrace change in order to move forward.
Agni is one of the oldest gods in Sanatan culture. The oldest scriptures of Rig Veda contain many hymns praising Agni. The literal meaning of Agni is fire; Agni is the god of fire, which is one of the necessary forces of life. Fire is also one of the 5 basic elements (Pancha-tatwa). It is very significant in Sanatan culture because without fire, yagna, marriage, puja or any auspicious task is incomplete.
While chanting mantra, we often pronounce the word ‘Swaha’. This has a significant relation with Agni. Swaha is actually the wife of Agni Dev. She desired to become Agni’s wife and after a long period of her devotion towards him, Agni accepted her as his wife. While we perform yagna, we take some grains or ghee or material and chant the mantra. In front, there remains a yagna-kunda with sacrificial fire. As the mantra ends with ‘Swaha’, we put the items in the sacrificial fire of the yagna-kunda. This is to signify that through his wife, Swaha, we are feeding Agni dev to please him and other gods that we worship. Without pronunciation of ‘Swaha’, gods refuse to take the sacrifices.
Agni always tells the truth and this character of Agni is like a double-edged sword, because it consumes everything without thinking. It can burn an innocent child, and also burn a palace of a torturing king with same wrath. This character of Agni is actually because of a curse. In Sanatan culture, while a groom and a bride get married, they have to revolve 7 times around a yagna-kunda. Actually, they have to keep Agni as a witness of their marriage. This is how Indian marriages get socially accepted, so that in future one party tries to nullify the marriage, the other party can prove them wrong. This is the reason why prenuptial agreements are illegal in India or for any Hindus. Once, we get socially married, keeping Agni as a witness, that marriage is considered for life-time (or 7 life-times!!). Our culture is originally an anti-divorce culture. Our original culture does not validate marriages based on materialism.
Anyway, let’s come back to the story of the curse. Once, there lived a sage couple named Bhrgu and Puloma. There was also a demon called Puloman. When Puloma was an infant, Puloman made a pact with her father that after she gets older, Puloman will marry her. Anyway, Bhrigu and Puloma were married and after a few days, Puloma became pregnant. One day, Puloman came in disguise to see Puloma while Bhrgu was absent, and fell in love with her. He claimed that Puloma’s father promised to give her to Puloman, rather than anyone else. At that time, Agni was present inside a yagna-kund nearby. Puloman asked Agni if Puloma should be his. Agni fell in dharma-sankaat and ultimately, he said that the promise given by Puloma’s father was just words, whereas the marriage of Bhrigu and Puloma is validated by action; so, Puloman has no right over Puloma. However, angry Puloman tried to abduct Puloma. Meanwhile, Puloma gave birth to a child. The child was so glorious that the demon burned down to ashes from the glory. Afterwards, the child vanished and Puloma sat there and kept crying. Meanwhile, Bhrigu came back and came to know about the whole scenario. He was angry at Agni for everything and cursed him that from that point of time, he would consume everything without thinking good or bad. This made Agni upset and he stopped functioning on earth. This created havoc in the world because, without fire, existence of life was at stake. When Brahma came to know about all these, he requested Agni to save the earth by giving fire and light. Brahma could not negate Bhrigu’s curse but instead he blessed Agni that from that point onward, anything that would come in touch with Agni, would get purified. This is why, we have seen instances like Sita’s agni-pariksha in history where she proved her purity with fire. In Sanatani culture, cremation is done for the same reason of purifying souls.
I have kept Agni as ‘the Hanged Man’ because in one hand, he is kind of stuck with his curse and on the other hand, he purifies with his blessing. We also have fire inside us, where we can let go our negative sides. On there other hand, if the fire comes from too much anger- it will burn us instead. So, Agni teaches us to make a decision after proper thinking.
Upright meaning
An Upright Hanged Man suggests that you need to see things from a different perspective. Perhaps the world is swirling around you and it seems that you are swimming upstream. Take a step back, figure out the direction of the stream, and follow it. Embrace the world as it is, not as you perceive it. In tarot, the Hanged Man card is often associated with surrender, letting go, and a new perspective. When the card is upright, it generally signifies positive traits such as surrender, letting go, and a willingness to see things from a new perspective. The upright Hanged Man may represent a person who is going through a period of transition or who is willing to sacrifice in order to gain a new perspective or insight.
Reverse meaning
A Reverse Hanged Man suggests that you are refusing to see things from a different perspective. Things are getting blocked up and you are refusing to acknowledge it. A Reverse Hanged Man warns of our stubborn ego misrepresenting a situation. Take a step back and remove your subjectivity in order to see a fuller picture. Course correct and follow the stream of objective reality. On the other hand, when the Hanged Man card is reversed, it may indicate negative traits such as resistance to change, a lack of sacrifice, or a refusal to see things from a new perspective. The reversed Hanged Man may represent a person who is stuck in old patterns or who is unwilling to let go of their old ways of thinking. It could also suggest a need to surrender and let go in order to move forward.
Raam’s leela in endless, so Raamkatha is also endless. Raam is possibly the most misunderstood character in the history. The left-wing and foreign ‘scholars’ often try to throw mud at Raam’s character and make it dirty. However, they forget that a lotus always remains pure and beautiful irrespective of its dirty surroundings.
Around the world, there are more than 300 versions of the Ramayana. However, some parts of these versions are doubted to be the original narratives. The oldest and the original Ramayan was authored by Rishi Balmiki. However, the most famous version of the epic is authored by Tulsidas and its name is Ramcharitmanas. This Ramcharitmanas is famous because it is easier than other versions and it also talks about the lord’s glory from a devotee’s viewpoint and that devotee is Hanuman himself. So, we as Raam’s devotees feel more connected to this version.
Some people might not believe in the concept of ‘avatar’. For them, Raam is just a human rather than being an incarnation of God. Even if we consider Raam to be a human, that actually enhances his glory. Because then, even after being a human he has done things that can be only thought by us. The task of building a 50 km bridge over an ocean some 10000 year ago to save his beloved wife – this task itself makes him a god among humans. The archaeological, geographical & literary evidences cannot negate the existence of this bridge between Indian and Sri Lanka. Rather than the Tajmahal, Raam Setu seems like an actual monument of love!!
Honestly, in every family, even today, there can be a Raam. But this does not happen because the external elements for becoming that ‘Raam’ are not available.
Can one be a father like Dasharatha who died after seeing his son go to forest?
Can one be a mother like Kaushalya who had to see her son lose the throne and she still performed the motherly duties to her family members without any complaints?
Can one be someone like Kaikayee, who took a bad decision after being influenced and had to face the disgust of a whole nation including her own son?
Can one be a mother like Sumitra who was never envious about the fact that his son can never be a king?
Can one be a brother like Bharath, who left everything even after receiving everything?
Can one be a brother like Shatrughna, who never tried to get in the limelight, even after being a prince?
Can one be a wife like Mandavi (wife of Bharath), who accepted not being a queen based on her husband’s decision?
Can one be a wife like Urmila (Lakshman’s wife), who, without any expectation, supported her husband to dedicate his life for his elder brother?
Can one be a friend like Hanuman, who devoted his life for his friend and master?
Can one be a brother like Lakshman, who left his newly married wife and decided to go with his brother to protect him?
Can one be a wife like Sita, who could leave the comfort of being a queen just in a moment’s notice and go to forest?
Most importantly, can one be an enemy like Raavan who gives his enemy all the opportunities, purposes and motivation to achieve his goal?
If you can become any one from these above- you can create your own Ramayan. These external factors are as important as internal personality of Raam. Most of these are not possible in today’s society because humans are slaves of shat-ripu. It is not possible because you are surrounded by Manthara, Shurpanakha and Shakuni in your life.
Sita-Raam and Radha-Krishna are incarnations of the divine feminine-masculine forces. However, Raam and Krishna are very different in nature. Raam always did what’s moral. Krishna did what’s logically right. Morality and righteousness might not overlap when there is dharma-sankaat. As an example, suppose, a beggar’s children haven’t eaten for 3 days and on the fourth day, the beggar collected some food. He is a bit relieved as he could feed his children and starts to return home fast. On the road, a dying old woman begs him for food. This is a dharma-sankaat situation where, the moral thing is to give food to the old woman but the right thing is to go home and feed the children. In many times in our life, we stand in front of such crossroads where both roads give a lose-lose situation. Our sense of morality and righteousness helps us to make the ultimate decision. Raam could become the epitome of morality because of the social situations at that time. Not only Raam, but also everyone around him had a high level of morality and duty. The humans were not corrupt. In today’s society, a Raam-like personality is near-impossible because there is hardly anyone who can celebrate such personality. Krishna is more relevant in today’s scenario because he has taught us to rise and revolt.
Ramayan teaches us the true Indian family values where everyone sacrifices for the other family members. Today, Indians have been looted off their wealth, our education system is a scam, we have forgotten our ancient science. Only the family values, culture and dharma are still remaining to some extent. The west often tries to put its claws on our sanskaar through there propaganda like nuclear family, women empowerment and toxic masculinity. The toolkits of such propaganda are their talk shows, tv shows, social media posts, blogs even movies and tv shows. The west does not mean the geographical west, it is those who adore western culture. The reason why people are crazy about Ramayan TV serial is because it reminds us about our roots. Just think for one moment, the usual soap operas that are shown on TV, have you seen similar things in real life?? Normal tv serials and reality shows adores fictional scenarios and western culture. Everyone subconsciously knows this but falls into the trap because lack of rectification and analytical thinking.
Sita-Raam’s love story teaches us that materials don’t justify love. Love is beyond materialism. Today’s couples should understand this. Whenever, there is too much materialistic expectations- unhappiness will appear. Many women consider sex as a reward- if she gets something, the husband will be ‘rewarded’. Here, there is a sense of self-entitlement and no actual love. People will be happy if they love each other for the sake of loving each other. It is true that marriage and relationships have become trade-off today because of expectations; and expectations increase when people take things for granted. This is another reason why there is so much unhappiness. Only sanskaar can fix this issue and it’s the responsibility of the parents, society & media to teach that.
Lord Raam is often misunderstood based on some parts of the epic Ramayana. One of these parts is where he asks Sita to prove her purity while she was pregnant and sends her to exile. Another part is where he punishes a shudra (lower caste) for reading the Ved. Let’s clarify these few things- both these parts are not included in the actual Ramayan written by Maharshi Valmiki. Valmiki Ramayan ends by saying Raam-Sita returns to Ayodhya and lives happily ever after. The Uttar-Kaanda of the epic was written by someone else after Vaalmiki’s death. It is also possible that this was written to throw mud on Raam’s character and weaken the belief system of normal humans. Raam, who has suffered so much to get back his wife, he will send his wife to jungle after listening to some whispers- this is seemingly impossible. Even if we consider that he did send Sita to exile, even that has some moral reasons. Raam & Sita were not like any normal couple, they were the royals and normal citizens saw them as gods. So, Sita-Raam had to prove themselves every time to be worthy of their trust. Here, the morality of Raam is proven once again. He could have neglected the citizens, but he knew that the raj-dharma is superior to pati-dharma. On the other hand, Sita always supported her husband because she knew the situations. She performed all her duties be it the dharma of a patni (wife), mother, queen and stayed beyond suspicion. While Sita deserves our compassion, Raam also deserves to be understood. Both Sita and Raam had to prove that they are worthy of people’s respect and trust. They also had to prove themselves to each other. Sita had to perform agni-pariksha to prove her purity, on the other hand, Raam also had to cross an ocean and fight an equally powerful enemy to get his wife back. They did this to each other based on their morality so that they could earn people’s trust and respect. This teaches us that success comes from sacrifice and only successful people earn true respect.
Another thing is to clarify the lies related to Raam punishing shudras. This is a false accusation because at the time of Ramayan, the caste-system, itself was not like today’s system. There was normal Barnashram system and one could become brahmin or baishya based on karma and lifestyle. Labours were not looked down upon and people had equal rights to get education. So, in this situation, the theory of Raam being racist is totally false. Especially when we have seen him eating fruits from Shabari, a tribal woman. Moreover, he was friends with tribal Nishad king during his stay in the jungle.
Ramayan is not a mythological epic, it’s our history and the only reason to study history is to learn how to behave, how to fight and how to not commit past mistakes. The epic teaches us that too much lust and ego results in downfall, no matter how powerful one is. Ramayan gives us lessons of how to become dutiful and prioritise among different duties while a dharma-sankaat appears. As an example, a mother’s duty is superior to the duties of a 9-5 worker. It is such because a mother is irreplaceable unlike an employee. Ramayan also teaches us that people in important positions must do the necessary for physical and mental wellbeing of the subordinates – this is raaj-dharma. Even though it might create lose-lose situation, for social peace, it is necessary to sacrifice personal happiness. It is clear that very few leaders actually perform such raaj-dharma or raaj-neeti. On the other hand, those who do- receive genuine respect and trust. Some examples can be Lal Bahadur Shastri, PV Narsimha Rao, Atal Vihari Bajpayee and even Modiji.
Whenever dharma-sankaat comes in your life, follow this:
Between your family and one person, choose your family (given your family is being fair).
Between your society and your family, choose society (given your society is being fair).
Between your nation and society, choose nation (given nation is being fair).
Between own conscience and the world, choose conscience (given you are being fair).
Between God/truth and everything else, choose God/truth (because he is the saviour).
Here, being fair means, someone is not acting under the influence of shat-ripu (kaam, krodh, lobh, moha, maad, matsarya) and not being unreasonable or illogical.
I have kept Raam as ‘Justice’ because he has always worked with morality and fairness. He has an integral personality where he has never taken any decision based on anger or lust. Whenever he was in a dharma-sankaat, he had to analyse the causes and consequences of different scenarios before making decisions. Through his actions, he has taught us many life lessons that are valid even today to live a satisfying life. He teaches us that karma is more important than luck. Bad times will come in everyone’s life- you can either feel like a victim or see it as a challenge to find new solutions. You cannot put your situation on your fate before you have done everything possible to change your situation. You can control your environment, attitude, processes, equipment to get lucky.
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Justice card is often associated with fairness, balance, and truth. When the card is upright, it generally signifies positive traits such as fairness, balance, and the need to make a just decision. The upright Justice may represent a person who is fair, impartial, and able to make wise decisions based on facts, or it can indicate a need to seek justice or balance in a situation.
Reverse meaning
On the other hand, when the Justice card is reversed, it may indicate negative traits such as bias, injustice, or a lack of balance. The reversed Justice may represent a person who is unfair, biased or prejudiced, or who is making decisions based on personal interests rather than fairness and impartiality. It could also suggest a need to address any imbalances in one’s life or relationships.
Shani Devata is the younger son of Sun God (Surya Dev). The elder brother of Shani is Yama Devata. Shani is called Bada Thakur in Bengali regions due to his appearance like an old man. Shani is associated with the planet Saturn and has major importance in astrology. Saturn is one of the slowest planets that revolves around and it supposedly brings bad luck. However, this is not fully true. Shani Dev is the god who makes people lose their ego and become humble. Astrologically Shani’s transit stays for 7.5 years and this period is called ‘Sade Saati’. The first 2.5 years is the time when people lose their clear-thinking ability and chooses bad things. In the next 2.5 years, people suffer from health issues, especially stomach problems. In the last 2.5 years, people lose their decision-making ability. However, Shani dev teaches us life lessons throughout this period and makes us stronger from inside.
Shani dev’s idols are often placed beside Kali’s idols in temples. This is because these two deities influence our lives in opposite manner. Shani slows down our progress and Kali fastens the progress, and both of these happens for various different reasons based on situations. Shani dev is also a propagator of dharma. He values righteousness and punishes those who are dishonest. Therefore, Shani’s transit is considered a time for payback and turnaround. The best way to please Shani dev is to live a humble life and help those who need it. Donating to poor and helping the disabled people are recommended during Sade Saati. It is also said that if one becomes a Krishna devotee, Shani does not give him/her any troubles. Shani dev rides a crow, so it is advised that one can feed crows to please Bara Thakur. Many astrologers suggest gem stones to reduce the harsh effects of Shani, but it does not help much unless they follow a dharmic and humble life.
Shani is the disciple of Shiv and Shiv has titled him as the karmic judge. No one, even the gods could escape the judgement of Shani dev. However, one thing we have to realise is that, when Shani punishes us for our bad karma, it is a blessing because if goes unpunished, that judgement will happen in afterlife, in front of Yama dev and that time, the punishment will be much harsh.
I have kept Shani dev as ‘Wheel of Fortune’ because he has the power to alter human’s status. He can turn poor into rich and vice versa based on their karma.
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Wheel of Fortune card is often associated with change, cycles, and destiny. When the card is upright, it generally signifies positive traits such as change, cycles, and a sense of destiny. The upright Wheel of Fortune may represent a person who is experiencing a significant change or transition in their life, or it can indicate a need to embrace the cyclical nature of life and accept one’s destiny.
Reverse meaning
On the other hand, when the Wheel of Fortune card is reversed, it may indicate negative traits such as resistance to change, bad luck, or a feeling of being stuck. The reversed Wheel of Fortune may represent a person who is struggling to adapt to change or who is facing a run of bad luck, or who is feeling that they are trapped in a negative cycle. It could also suggest a need to take responsibility for one’s actions and to make changes in order to break free from negative patterns.
A Fool, 21 Devatas & Bharat
A guide to the ‘INDIAN TAROTS’ cards created by Cardzz Solution
Narad Muni is the lord of all hermits. A hermit is a person who lives in solitude and practises religious acts. Narad is a celibate and he travels throughout the universe awakening love for the Lord Vishnu. He was blessed by Krishna to travel across the universe and spread the Hare Krishna mahamantra. In different situations, Narad rishi has acted as a catalyst that led to major incidents. As an example, he is passively responsible for Sishupal badh. Rukmini was supposed to get married to Sishupal but once Narad visited Rukmini and told her about Krishna’s greatness. Rukmini fell in love with Krishna and did not want to marry Sishupal. Eventually Krishna beat Sishupal and married Rukmini.
Also, Narad advised Vyas about writing Srimadbhagabad. At first, Vyas was unsure about what to write that will be the essence of lord’s divinity. Narad guide him to write down Krishna’s forms, glory and passtimes. There is a Puran named, Narad Puran, where he describes how Narayan is the supreme god from his viewpoint. Narad, as a traveller, learns and propagate knowledge but also, he tells one person’s personal news to another person, thus causing quarrels between people or even gods.
Narad had three lives. In his first life, he used to perform bhajans of the supreme lord. But he was often attracted to women and neglected his spiritual duties. Once he did some mistakes during bhajan and got cursed to reborn as a poor and a shudra. However, this was actually a boon for him because in the second life, though he was born in a poor family, he got the opportunities to listen to Vishnu’s leela from the pilgrimages whom he used to serve. His interest in Krishna kept increasing and he started chanting Krishna’s name all day and night. Eventually he attained spiritual enlightenment and in the next life, Brahma manifested him as Brahma’s son. Thus, single-minded determination made Narada as the perfect guru, and many great sages have taken shelter at his feet. Narad has enlightened many sages including Vyas, Prahlada Maharaja, Dhruva Maharaja, the Prachetas, Chitraketu, and many other.
I have kept Narad muni as ‘Hermit’ because with his knowledge, he is the guru of the gurus. He teaches us to look inside us, where there is solitude, and find spiritual enlightenment or realise what is the most important.
Upright meaning
In tarot, the Hermit card is often associated with introspection, solitude, and inner wisdom. When the card is upright, it generally signifies positive traits such as wisdom, insight, and a need for introspection. The upright Hermit may represent a person who is wise, introspective, and reflective, or it can indicate a need for solitude and reflection to gain insight and wisdom.
Reverse meaning
On the other hand, when the Hermit card is reversed, it may indicate negative traits such as isolation, loneliness, or a lack of introspection. The reversed Hermit may represent a person who is struggling with isolation or who is feeling disconnected from others, or who is avoiding introspection and self-reflection. It could also suggest a need to seek out the guidance and wisdom of others.
A Fool, 21 Devatas & Bharat
A deck based on Sanatan Dharma & Bharatiya culture – the ‘INDIAN TAROTS’ cards created by Cardzz Solution
