One of the one thousand and eight names of Śiva-Mahādeva (Siva-Mahadeva). In Śivasahasranāmastotra (Sivasahasranamastotra; the hymn recounting one thousand names of Śiva) he has been hailed as Anila twice. Anila in Sanskrit means ‘air’. Upaniṣadas (Upanishadas) consider air as one of the manifestations of brahma, the Supreme Being. According to Śvetāśvatara Upaniṣada (Swetaswatara Upanishada), when a person engrossed in […]

One of the one hundred appellations of Viṣṇu (Vishnu). The term aṇu (anu) suggests molecule or molecular nature of a thing. Upaniṣadas (Upanishada), while describing the nature of brahma, has countless times referred to Him as aṇuparimāṇa (anuparimana) or ‘molecular in size’ and even ‘smaller than a molecule’ — aṇoraṇīyān mahatomahīyān.  Muṇḍakopaniṣada (Mundakopanishada) observes that […]

Apara is a name of Śiva-Mahādeva (Siva-Mahadeva). ‘Para’ means ‘other’, it also means the best or the greatest. In Upaniṣad (Upanishad), while describing the nature of Parameśvara (Parameswara; the Supreme Self), it is said that there is nothing better than Him, nothing greater than Him, or nothing more subtle than Him. The entire universe is pervaded […]

Aśvattha (Aswattha) is one of the trees that have been considered as ‘divine trees’. In Vibhūtiyoga (Vibhutiyoga) of Bhagavadgītā (Bhagavadgita), while describing his manifestation as the Supreme God, Śrī Kṛṣṇa (Sri Krishna) has identified all things greatest in this world, as manifestation of His own Self. In this context he says, I am Aśvattha among […]

God Viṣṇu(Vishnu)  is sometimes referred to as Īśa (Isa) — “yastaṁ nato’smi puruṣottamasādyamīśam” — However, here ‘Īśa’ perhaps denotes the Almighty, the Ruler of all the universe and spheres– it is in this sense that Supreme Divinity is attributed to God Viṣṇu, as it is said in Śvetāśvetara Upaniṣad (Swetaswetara Upanishad) and Bhagavadgītā (Bhagavadgita)– *vyākatāvyāktaṁ […]

The general meaning of Iśvara is ‘lord’, ‘controller’, ‘a powerful king’ or’ highly able. It is used in the sense of the ‘highest’ — as in ‘Kapīśvara’, ‘Sureśvara’, ‘Kośaleśvara’, ‘Munīśvara’, ‘Kamaleśvara’ and the like. This sense is however different from the general uses of the term ‘Iśvara’ . In Indian theology and philosophy , gods […]