Guest guest Posted December 8, 2003 Report Share Posted December 8, 2003 I search for information about the Goddess Jyoti, sister of Skanda and Ganesha. All the information I could collect so far comes from the site http://murugan.org. According to what is written there, Jyoti is the Vel or weapon given by Devi to her son Skanda for the fight against the daemon Surapadman. She was born of one spark of light from her mother's forehead and represents the female principle of light. Shiva as Nataraja carries Jyoti in his left hand as fire. I have also read that sage Agastya has written the devotional composition Shodasam about Jyoti. Now I try to find more details about Jyoti Devi, her Yantra, Nyasa, etc., and would be most grateful for some help and information. Alice New Photos - easier uploading and sharing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted December 8, 2003 Report Share Posted December 8, 2003 , d_ee_pika <d_ee_pika> wrote: > I search for information about the Goddess Jyoti, sister of Skanda and Ganesha. > All the information I could collect so far comes from the site http://murugan.org. > According to what is written there, Jyoti is the Vel or weapon given by Devi to her son Skanda for the fight against the daemon Surapadman. > She was born of one spark of light from her mother's forehead and represents the female principle of light. Shiva as Nataraja carries Jyoti in his left hand as fire. > I have also read that sage Agastya has written the devotional composition Shodasam about Jyoti. > Now I try to find more details about Jyoti Devi, her Yantra, Nyasa, etc., and would be most grateful for some help and information. > > Alice > Jyoti means 'light' and goddess Jyoti represents the power of the Ultimate Reality (Brahman) that illuminates our minds and gives shape and form to all created things and beings of the world. According to the Taittiriya Upanishad 2.1, the five great elements (pañchamahabhutas) -- earth, water, fire, air and space -- emanate from Brahman. These five elements, together with the omnipresent cosmic consciousness of Brahman, constitute all created things and beings in the universe. In Hindu mythology, this creative process is symbolized by the family of Lord Shiva. The members of this divine family are Lord Shiva, His spouse the Divine Mother, their two sons Ganesha and Skanda, and their daughter Jyoti. Lord Shiva represents the cosmic consciousness, the Divine Mother denotes the creative energy, Ganesha symbolizes the elements of earth and water, Skanda represents the element of fire, and Jyoti symbolizes the two elements of air and space. Since fire uses air and burns in space, in Hindu mythology Jyoti is always associated with Skanda and is known more as Skanda's sister than as Ganesha's sister. She is worshipped in her formless (arupa) aspect in all temples where Lord Skanda is worshipped. According to Tantra Yoga, Jyoti is the aroused kundalini shakti (latent energy) that resides in the ajna chakra (psychic center between the eyebrows in the forehead) and is experienced as light in deep meditation. In Her popular images, Jyoti is represented as a young girl dressed in bright clothes. The brightness of Her attire symbolizes the light of knowledge that dispels the darkness of ignorance. Whenever a lamp is lit, Jyoti shines. By worshipping Jyoti, a Hindu seeks God's blessings to acquire intelligence and wisdom (jñana), attain love for all God's creatures and secure divine guidance for spiritual progress leading to spiritual perfection. http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/dharapatra.jpg Another description of the origin of the lingam gives a more sensuous portrayal. According to this view, there once lived in a forest, a group of hermits with their wives. At some point of time, Shiva ventured their way, resplendent in his naked glory. The virtuous wives, the very epitomes of chastity, lost all their moral qualms, and went berserk with desire at the sight of his tempting body. In addition to their restraint, they also shed their inhibitions, ornaments, and clothes, and embraced this naked stranger in a wild, uncontrolled frenzy. In one version, the forest sages gave a similar curse to Shiva as Bhrigu above. A second source says that naturally angered by this unabashed display of passion by their better halves, they snatched out Shiva's phallus and threw it on the ground. In a sacred twist to the tale, it is believed that it broke into twelve pieces when it struck the earth, and at each of the spots a pilgrimage center sprung up. These twelve sacred sites are today known as the 'Twelve Jyotirlingas,' and are important destinations in the itinerary of a Shaivite pilgrim. The word jyotirlinga itself means a 'linga of light,' thus further cementing the association of Shiva's phallus with the cosmic pillar of light http://psy1.psych.arizona.edu/~jforster/ReceivingTheLight.htm http://www.jyotihealing.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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