ORIGIN Hindu (Epic and Puranic) [India]. Goddess of emotional love.
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP circa 1000 BC and earlier until present day.
SYNONYMS BHUMIDEVI [southern India].
CENTER(S) OF CULT none.
ART REFERENCES virtually none.
LITERARY SOURCES later Puranic literature—the works of Vidyapati (1352-1448), including the Brahma-vaivarta-purana.
Continue reading “RADHA (prosperity)”Commiphora mukkul
The mukkul myrrh tree is a medium-sized, thorny tree found throughout India. Guggul and gum guggulu are the names of the yellowish resin exuding from its trunk. This resin is the source of the modern extracts of guggul.
Guggul has been used to lower serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and to treat arthritis and obesity. It is used in ayurvedic medicine to increase circulation, stimulating healthy circulation to the skin and through the veins.
Scrophularia nodosa
In both eastern and western traditions, figwort (S. nodosa) is a very cleansing herb. In the past, figwort was known as the scrofula plant (hence the botanical name), and used to treat abscesses, purulent wounds, and the “King’s Evil” or scrofula (tuberculosis of the lymph glands in the neck). Culpeper calls the herb throatwort because of its use in treating this disease. The Chinese use xuan shen, the root of a related species, S. ningpoensis, as a prime remedy for “fire poisons,” the kind of purulent conditions associated with the herb in the West.
Rheum palmatum
Originating from northwest China and Tibet, rhubarb has been used in medicine for more than 2,000 years. Its use gradually spread through India, reaching Europe during the Renaissance overland via Asia Minor – hence the common name, Turkey rhubarb. Rhubarb was a favorite remedy with early Persian and Arabian physicians. The rhubarb grown for cooking and eating is usually R. rhabarbarum, an 18th-century cultivar.
Bacopa monniera
The semi-aquatic plant called the brahmi is found growing in India, as well as in the tropical marshes and wetlands along Florida, brahmi is also found in parts of Central America and other tropical regions of the world. The plant is an aquatic creeping perennial herb, marked off by crinkled leaves and distinctive white flowers; it is related to the plant family containing plants like the spinach and the snapdragon. The herb is found floating in the waters of marshes and wetlands in tropical regions of the world. Herbalist make used of the tops of the plant to prepare herbal remedies of many kinds for the treatment of all types of problems and disorders.
God. Buddhist (Mahayana). One of the most popular deities in the pantheon, though probably owing much to the influence of the Hindu god SˇIVA. Originally an epithet for another Hindu god, GANESA, but in Buddhism seen as an emanation of AKSOBHYA. His SAKTI is NAIRAMATA and the product of their liaison is nirvana (eternal bliss). Typically he stands upon a corpse. In northeastern India, Heruka is worshiped as a compassionate god. Attributes: club, flayed human skin, image of Aksobhya, jewel, knife, fifty skulls, sword, staff and teeth.
Generic term for a local tutelary deity. India. Such deities are identified as “not being served by Brahman priests.” Most are goddesses e.g. CAMUNDA, DURGA and KALI. Generally they are invoked in small villages where they guard boundaries and fields and are represented by a painted stone, but they are also to be found in larger towns and cities.
Local god. Hindu-Dravidian (Tamil) [southern India]. Worshiped particularly by the Bhils. To expiate sins, the penitent thrusts a hook into his back and is suspended from it on the day when the sun enters Aries.
Witch's Well 