Good question. A little background info first to put things in perspective. Brahman has no form. It is an experience. However, for upaasana certain forms are ascribed to it by Vedas which fully encapsulate the actual tatvam of Brahman. So when a certain form is chosen for upasana
several things are ascribed to that form - a recognition of its power, Sakti, which is a feminine quality and hence worshiped as a consort, parivaara devataas (ones who always serve that form and show others how it's done), and a vaahana. Here, Vaahana does not only mean
a vehicle. Vaahana is actually a conduit. It tells you what kind of devotion is required in order to be always in service of that diety and to be chosen by that form. Vaahana is also an insignia or a Dwajam that espouses the gunas of that diety.
Now, coming to the question. Hanuman is usually worshiped as Raamadaasa, Raamadhuta, etc. However, there are Hanumadh upaasakas who specifically worship Hanuman as Brahman complete with Avataras. There are many mantra sastras that support this. In fact, they say Ha nu ma
are subtle syllables within the A U Ma Omkara itself, which means one needs to probe deep in order to understand the actual Hanumad tatvam. Hanuman is really a Brahmachari no doubt but, like I said above, upasana vidhis require that He be worshiped with a consort and vaahana
That consort is Suvarchala Devi and vaahanam is the camel, which is called Ushtra in Sanskrit. Ushtrarudaaya veeraya mangalam Sri Hanumathe is a managalasasanam for Hanuman. Reason for choosing the ushtra is that it is said Hanuman wanders around the Pampa river (the place where
He met His Swamy, Raama) & circumabulates the Raama Setu daily as part of His nityaanushtana) on the camel. Pampa back then was a highly sandy place, which makes the camel a perfect vaahanam. You can find many temples doing pujas with Hanuman Suvarchala Devi and Ushtra vahanam🙏🏻
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This nonsense stems due to "reading" Vedas like any other book. There seems to be some confusion even among traditional aasthikas regarding this and I've seen even upanyasarks talking nonsense. However, one must know the proper way of understanding Vedam. Let's take an eg. +
When you use your limbs for doing work, do you say Mr. Hand has lifted an object or Mr. Legs have taken you to a place? No, right? You say my hands and my legs. How come they are "your" hands and legs when they are clearly independent entities? That means you associate your+
limbs with your being. The results of their work is enjoyed by your "Self" and not by the limbs themselves. Similarly, all Devatas are angaas or limbs of the Paramatma. Whatever duties they carry out are under His supervision and their adulation goes to Him ultimately.+
@ImPranav_M@GunduHuDuGa That's a good qsn, if not a bit nuanced. Avataras are of many varieties and frankly, most of the classification is only for our understanding and not really binding on Paramatma Himself. We can take several approaches to understanding this. If you go by a Vedantic approach,+
@ImPranav_M@GunduHuDuGa Avatara means that which descends from an exalted state (Taara). Going by Upanishadic observaton of Purnam adham purnam idham, every manifestation of Bhagavan is indeed wholesome. In fact, Avataras usually happen when Iswara is propitiated with certain qualities already+
@ImPranav_M@GunduHuDuGa described in the Vedas by other Devatas. So, in order to please them, He assumes the form that best envisages the said Vaidika tatvam. For example, Varaha and Nrusimha avatars, though they have sthoola prayojanas, also exemplify the Tejovanna tatvam propounded by Upanishads.+
This is 100% right. Deepam should always be lit by the Yajamani irrespective of the woman lighting it or not. In fact, deepam lighting has a lot of esoteric significance that reflects Vedanta rahasyas, which I'll attempt to explain briefly. +
Many people have doubts as to how many wicks a deepam should contain. The question may seem silly but there are is a tatva rahasya to it. In SD, there is no practice or count that goes without reason.
Usually, two wicks are lit on each side of the lamp i.e. 4 wicks per lamp +
Generally, another lamp with a similar 4-wick arrangement is kept adjacent to this making it a total of 8 wicks (4 deepams - each with 2 wicks intertwined).
Put simply, a deepam signifies light that dispels darkness (ignorance/agnaana). So, what is the significance of 8 here?