Guest guest Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 On Mon, 4 Oct 2004 09:31:13 EDT swastik108 writes: > > Sophia/ Cathie asked: > > ..what is Tamas? Is Tamas the "worldly nature"? > > <snip> > In the Shiva Purana Brahma narrates: > > "Vishnu is of Sattva attribute, I (Brahma) am of Rajas and Rudra is > of Tamas > attribute. This is only in view of the activities in this world. But > in fact > and in name it is otherwise." > > 2.16.38 > > "Vishnu is of Tamas nature within but externally Sattva; Rudra is of > Sattva > nature within but of Tamas nature outside, I am of Rajas nature > throughout." > > 2.16.39 I once saw a (rather gory) poster of Lords Vishnu and Shiva fighting. Where Shiva's trident cut Lord Vishnu's dark blue skin, inside his body was dazzling light. And where Vishnu's discus cut Lord Shiva's pale ash-colored skin, inside he was all darkness. <snip> > As a trinity Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva are often referred to as > "preserver, > creator, and destroyer" this should give you a basic concept of the > Gunas. > Calling Shiva a destroyer sounds a little loaded to me and I prefer > to think of him > as a transformer. I agree! > I would also like to say that I believe the 3 Gunas are associated > with the 3 > colors Red, White and Black. My guess would be Sattva white, Rajas > Red and > Tamas Black, but I am not certain. Anyone know the answer to > this????? Yes, you are correct. Interestingly, the ancient Celts of Europe also used these three colors to symbolize the presence of Divinity; white for Life, black for Death, and red for all the worlds Between. Where white, red, and black were found together (like the feathers of the oyster-catcher bird), it was a sign of Divine presence. -- Len/ Kalipadma ______________ Get your name as your email address. Includes spam protection, 1GB storage, no ads and more Only $1.99/ month - visit http://www.mysite.com/name today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 Interesting indeed! Also if you look at old medieval alchemical illustrations you will find this same color scheme used in a similar manner! I naturally assumed black would equate with death/dissolution, white would be creation/life and red the exchange in between. Perhaps this is just again one of those universal symbols that any human could relate to. a message dated 10/5/2004 3:07:40 AM Eastern Daylight Time, kalipadma writes: Yes, you are correct. Interestingly, the ancient Celts of Europe also used these three colors to symbolize the presence of Divinity; white for Life, black for Death, and red for all the worlds Between. Where white, red, and black were found together (like the feathers of the oyster-catcher bird), it was a sign of Divine presence. -- Len/ Kalipadma Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 In a message dated 10/5/2004 7:19:43 AM Mountain Daylight Time, swastik108 writes: > assumed black would equate with death/dissolution, white would be > creation/life > and red the exchange in between. > wouldn't black be the fertile void? or the sterile void, depending on the context? and the rest the way you said it ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 5, 2004 Report Share Posted October 5, 2004 Yes you can look at black as the void from which all comes and to which all goes. The Shiva Purana, which I'm now reading explains it like this. Shiva itself is unmanifest. It manifests through its goddes form in the triplicity of Vishnu- Sattva Brahma- Rajas Rudra- Tamas Rudra is simply a form of Shiva in this case and the closest to the unmanifest because it returns all to the void and also allows creation by breaking down the old forms so new ones may emerge. In a message dated 10/5/2004 9:43:19 AM Eastern Daylight Time, SophiasHeaven writes: wouldn't black be the fertile void? or the sterile void, depending on the context? and the rest the way you said it ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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