ॐ Hindu Of Universe ॐ
“God’s light is within you, It never leaves you.”
PRAJANYA
Prajanya is the Lord of rain. He is controller of lightning and thunder. He is feared by all life forms. He makes travelling through deserts possible by bringing down rain. He can make plants grow through rain. When he fills the sky with rain clouds, winds start and lightning flashes. He is also the upholder of law as he punishes those who sin and protects the people.
PARJANA — THE RAIN GOD
Parjanya is the Hindu God who gives rainfall thereby leading to abundant food and other crops for people to consume. Parjanya dominates thunderstorms and monsoons. There are several hymns in the Rig Veda that celebrates the valour of Parjanya. Parjanya is recognized with Indra, the “Bull” of the Rig Veda. He is also related with Lord Varuna as a deity of clouds and as punishing sinners. In the Atharva Veda it is mentioned that prayers are dedicated to Parjanya, to invoke the blessings of rains. He is also responsible for vegetation and is also associated with cattle.
Parjanya was also one of the Sapta rishi in the fifth Manvantara. According to the Vishnu Purana he is one of the twelve Adityas – the guardian of the month of Kartik. He is also a Gandharva and a Rishi in the Harivamsa. In each month of the year, it is a different manifestation of Surya who shines. Similarly Parjanya shines in the month of Shravana and Parjanya has seventy two rays.
Parjanya is compared with the Lithuanian god Perkunas, the god of thunder. Parjanya is a god who controls over the lightning, the thunder, the rain, and the procreation of plants and living creatures. But it is by no means clear whether he is originally a god of the rain or a god of the thunder.
Parjanya is also symbolized as the brother of Aditi, and husband of Prithvi, the Earth. He is also described as the father of Soma, and the protector of the Soma plant.
Parjanya is also the name of a Lokapala, the regent of the north and king of clouds. Maruts that consists of several Gods is also associated with Parjanya. Thunderbolts created by Parjanya are powerful as they cause entire mountain ranges to disappear or appear immediately. He is also coined as `divine father`.
AGNI, THE FIRE GOD
Agni is one of the most important of the Vedic gods. He is the god of fire, the messenger of the gods, the acceptor of sacrifice. Agni is in everyone’s hearth; he is the vital spark of life, and so a part of him is in all living things; he is the fire which consumes food in peoples’ stomachs, as well as the fire which consumes the offerings to the gods. He is the fire of the sun, in the lightning bolt, and in the smoke column which holds up the heavens. The stars are sparks from his flame. He was so important to the ancient Indians that 200 hymns in the Rig Veda are addressed to him, and eight of its ten books begin with praises dedicated to him.
Agni is closely associated with Indra, and is sometimes said to be his twin brother. Thus Dyaus Pita and Prthivi are named as two of his parents. But he has many more. Sometimes Kasyapa and Aditi are his parents; another time he is the son of a queen who keeps his birth secret from her king. He was born, like Indra, in full power and vigor. Agni is also said to be the son of ten mothers who are all sisters; these are the ten fingers of man. Another story tells that he consumed his parents when he was born, as they could not provide for him; this is symbolic of the fire born when two sticks are rubbed together which quickly are burned up by it. Dawn and Night are his sisters, his wife is Svaha, and he is the father of Karttikeya.
When Agni is described in anthropomorphic form, he sometimes has two faces which are smeared with butter. He has seven fiery tongues and sharpened, golden teeth. He is red in color, with black eyes and wild, black hair. He has seven arms and three legs, and seven rays of light emanate from his body. He either rides on a ram, or on a chariot, pulled by goats or sometimes parrots.
Agni loves all his worshipers equally, and so is loved in turn by all of them. He visits everyone’s hearth, no matter if they are rich or poor. He is the mediator between the gods and mankind. He is a great consumer of Soma. When people use fire, they must face it toward the proper direction for different uses. When facing East, the fire should be used for sacrifices to the gods; when facing South, the fire should be used for sacrifices to the Manes or spirits of the dead; a cooking fire should always face toward the West. The proper offering to Agni, and hence all the gods, is ghee, which is clarified butter. Agni also had the power to impart immortality on mortals, as well as remove all sins at the time of one’s death.
In later times, Agni’s worship fell off dramatically. He became an incarnation of either Shiva or Brahma. Eventually he has come only to be called on by lovers, and by men who wish to increase their virility.
Lord Agni is one of the supreme Gods in Rig Veda. Agni is associated with Vedic sacrifice and takes offerings to the other world in the fire. He is the chief of religious ceremonies and duties and acts as a messenger between human and gods. Agnicayana and Agnihotra are the Vedic rituals concerned with Lord Agni. Agni stands second to Lord Indra. Lord Agni is two faced and they suggest his destructive and beneficial qualities.
Agni is one of the guardians who represent southeast direction. The light Lord Agni emits is the light of knowledge so he is also called the illuminator of knowledge who lights up the path that leads to truth. According to Rig Veda Agni have two parents. As the divine personification of the fire of sacrifice, Agni is the mouth of the gods, the carrier of the oblation and the messenger between the human and the divine orders.
Agni has been worshipped by the Hindus since the Vedic period. Agni is one of the three supreme deities of the Rig Veda, i.e. Agni, Vayu and Surya. These three Gods preside over earth, air and sky respectively. In Rig Veda, largest numbers of hymns are addressed to Agni.
Parjanya In Hinduism
In Hinduism, Parjanya is a term with various meanings and it is also used to address the Vedic rain god. The term parjanya is derived from the root prs, “to sprinkle, to give, to become wet.” In Hinduism it is used in the sense of a raincloud, thunder could, a cloud in general, the muttering or roaring of clouds, rain, and the God rain, Indra, or Surya, giver of all desires, etc.
In the lexicons, all these senses are recorded.
Yaska has given the etymology of the term parjanya in Nirukta (X.10) from which the basic concept of the term is expressed: parjanya (cloud) is derived from the verb tripti ‘to be stasified by reversing the first and the last letter (metathesis)”, one who gives satisfaction and is favorable to men or he is so called because he is the conqueror or he is the best progenitor or he is the bestower of juices.
In Vedic literature, Parjanya is praised by the seers as a God, though it is actually a natural phenomenon like a rain cloud or rain.
In Rig Veda, several hymns and mantras are recorded for Parjanya, where the shedding of rain is taken as his most prominent characteristic ( yat parjanya prthivim retasa avati – V83.4).
As thunder, Parjanya strikes down trees, demons and wrong-doers; the entire world is terrified at his mighty weapon. As divine, father, he comes to shed rainwater.
By raining, Parjanya activates the entire creation as the producer and nourisher of vegetation. In his activity, plants of every form spring up. He is fructified and helps plants to bear good fruits. Parjanya places the germ not only in plants but also in cows, mares and women and is invoked to bestow fertility. He is the bull (vrisha parjanya – Taittiriya Samhita II.4.9.4) that impregnates everything and all the atmas of dynamic and static creatures are empowered by him.
He is referred to as father due to his generative activity, especially by producing the seeds of plants.
In Rig Veda, the term parjanya is an appellative of the thundering rain cloud and the Rain God.
Parjanya is associated with the five primordial elements – earth, water, fire, wind and ether. In agriculture he plays a very important role. Hence in Yajur Veda (XXII.22) a prayer very clearly expresses the necessity of timely rains: nikamenikame na parjanyo varsatu.
In Brahmanas, the term parjanya is mentioned several times as a natural concept (parjanyah samvatsarasya vasordhara…Taittiriya Brahmana III.11.10.3; parjanyasya vidyut…Taittiriya Aranyaka III.9.2 etc). Though Vedic literature treats Parjanya as the God of rain and thunder, overshadowed by Rudra and Indra, there is an epithet that suggests that he may have held a high position – devaraja, the king of gods.
But as a concept, Parjanya is a nourisher and bestower of prosperity, happiness and peace. In the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, this message is recorded in several places. There is a cycle of creation in nature where Parjanya acts as a spoke – through the rays of the sun or sacrifice, parjanya (rain) pours down, through parjanya the plants and trees grow, out of them arises food and through the food, the life-breath comes into atma . (Gita III.14)
A prayer to Parjanya – the Rain God
Just as a farmer or cattle-herd turns his gaze skywards in northern India, anxiously looking for signs of rain, so did his ancestors several thousands of years ago. With every passing dry day, anxiety turns to desperation and finally to prayer.
The renowned Rish Atri Bhauma, composed a prayer that the ancients would have offered to invoke Parjanya – their rain god. This prayer appears as hymn 83 in the Atri family book – Mandala V.
The hymn begins with an invocation to the mighty god – “Sing with these songs thy welcome to the Mighty, with adoration praise and call Parjanya”. The importance of this god is not lost on Atri Bhauma or the people of that time. This rain causing god lays the seed for germination in the plants, indeed the very germ of life,
RV 5.083.01
Sing with these songs thy welcome to the Mighty, with adoration praise and call Parjanya.
The Bull, loud roaring, swift to send his lays in the plants the seed for germination.
RV 5.083.07
Thunder and roar: the germ of life deposit. Fly round us on thy chariot waterladen.
Thine opened water-skin draw with thee downward, and let the hollows and the heights be level.
By the grace of Parjanya, plants shoot up and food springs abundant for all living creatures. At his behest, the plants assume all colours.
RV 5.083.04
Forth burst the winds, down come the lightning-flashes: the plants shoot up, the realm of light is streaming.
Food springs abundant for all living creatures, what time Parjanya quickens earth with moisture.
RV 5.083.05
Thou at whose bidding earth bows low before thee, at whose command hoofed cattle fly in terror,
At whose behest the plants assume all colours, even thou Parjanya, yield us great protection.
By his beneficence, desert lands become habitable and life saving herbs grow.
RV 5.083.10
Thou hast poured down the rain-flood now withhold it. Thou hast made desert places fit for travel.
Thou hast made herbs to grow for our enjoyment: yea, thou hast won thee praise from living creatures.
In verse 8 of this hymn, Atri Bhauma, pleads with the god to lift up the mighty vessel and pour down water so the liberated streams can rush forward, that both earth and heaven be saturated with fatness.
RV 5.083.08
Lift up the mighty vessel, pour down water, and let the liberated streams rush forward.
Saturate both the earth and heaven with fatness, and for the cows let there be drink abundant.
And when Parjanya delivers, the universe exults in unison.
RV 5.083.09
When thou, with thunder and with roar, Parjanya, smitest sinners down,
This universe exults thereat, yea, all that is upon the earth.
This sweltering summer, as I think of the ravaged farmers across this great land of mine, my mind will keep going back in time when my ancestors, just as helpless, turned to Parjanya for deliverance.
Parjanya is the Hindu God who gives rainfall thereby leading to abundant food and other crops for people to consume. Parjanya dominates thunderstorms and monsoons. There are several hymns in the Rig Veda that celebrates the valour of Parjanya. Parjanya is recognized with Indra, the “Bull” of the Rig Veda. He is also related with Lord Varuna as a deity of clouds and as punishing sinners. In the Atharva Veda it is mentioned that prayers are dedicated to Parjanya, to invoke the blessings of rains. He is also responsible for vegetation and is also associated with cattle.
Parjanya was also one of the Sapta rishi in the fifth Manvantara. According to the Vishnu Purana he is one of the twelve Adityas the guardian of the month of Kartik. He is also a Gandharva and a Rishi in the Harivamsa. In each month of the year, it is a different manifestation of Surya who shines. Similarly Parjanya shines in the month of Shravana and Parjanya has seventy two rays.
Parjanya is compared with the Lithuanian god Perkunas, the god of thunder. Parjanya is a god who controls over the lightning, the thunder, the rain, and the procreation of plants and living creatures. But it is by no means clear whether he is originally a god of the rain or a god of the thunder.
Parjanya is also symbolized as the brother of Aditi, and husband of Prithvi, the Earth. He is also described as the father of Soma, and the protector of the Soma plant.
Parjanya is also the name of a Lokapala, the regent of the north and king of clouds. Maruts that consists of several Gods is also associated with Parjanya. Thunderbolts created by Parjanya are powerful as they cause entire mountain ranges to disappear or appear immediately. He is also coined as ‘divine father’