Jaya-Vijaya
Encyclopedia
Jaya and Vijaya are the two demigod gatekeepers (Dvarapala
) of the abode of Vishnu
, known as Vaikuntha (meaning place of eternal bliss).
, the Four Kumaras
, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana
, and Sanatkumara
who are the manasaputras of Brahma
(sons born from the mind or thought power of Brahma), visit Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu
, to see him.
Due to the strength of their tapas, the four Kumaras appear to be mere children, though they are of great age. Jaya and Vijaya, the gate keepers of the Vaikuntha interrupt the Kumaras at the gate, thinking them to be children. They also tell the Kumaras that Sri Vishnu is resting and that they cannot see him now. The enraged Kumaras replied Jaya and Vijaya that Vishnu is available for his devotees any time, and cursed both the keepers Jaya and Vijaya, that they would have to give up their divinity, be born as mortals on Earth (bhuloka, or physical plane
), and live like normal human beings. Vishnu appeared before them, and the gatekeepers requested Vishnu to lift the curse of the Kumaras. Vishnu says curse of Kumaras cannot be reverted. Instead, he gives Jaya and Vijaya two options. The first option is to take seven births on Earth as a devotee of Vishnu, while the second is to take three births as his enemy. After serving either of these sentences, they can re-attain their stature at Vaikuntha and be with him permanently. Jaya and Vijaya cannot bear the thought of staying away from Vishnu for seven lives. As a result, they choose to be born three times on Earth even though it would have to be as enemies of Vishnu. (This story is also used as a metaphor about the cost of committing transgressions in "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna".)
In the first life they were born as Hiranyakashipu
and Hiranyaksha
in the Krita Yuga, to Diti
(daughter of Daksha Prajapathi) and sage Kashyapa. It is said that asura
s ( incorrect information they were not Asuras but Daityas (sons of Diti) Please bear in mind that Asurs, Daityas, Danavas (children of Danu with kashyapa) and Rakshasa are different people with different origins)
In their second life they were born as Ravana
and Kumbhakarna
in the Treta Yuga
, and in their third life as Dantavakra
and Shishupala
in the Dwapara Yuga.
It has been noted by many that the strengths of Jaya and Vijaya gradually declined with each subsequent birth.Vishnu needed one avatara each to kill Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu.Born as Rama he was able to vanquish both Ravana and Kumbhakarna.In his Krishna avatara the killing of Shishupala and Danthavakra is not the main focus but more to reduce the 'Bhoobhara"(The burden on mother earth by too many sinners)
as the Kali Yuga
, Jaya and Vijaya are free from their curse, and they can be seen as gatekeepers in Vishnu temples and temples affiliated with Vaishnavism
. Statues of Jaya-Vijaya stand in the temple of Venkateswara in Tirumala, the temple of Jagannath
in Puri, and the temple of Ranganatha
in Srirangam
.
families, but they adopted the professions of thieves and rogues, and thus became implicated in all kinds of undesirable activities, especially woman-hunting, intoxication, and gambling. Later, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
and Nityananda
initiated them, and they got the chance to chant the Hare Krishna mahā-mantra. As a result of chanting, both brothers became exalted devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The descendants of Mādhāi still exist, and they are respectable Brahmins. The tombs of these two brothers, Jagāi and Mādhāi, are in a place known as Ghoṣahāṭa, or Mādhāitalā-grāma, which is situated about one mile south of Katwa
. It is said that Śrī Gopīcaraṇa dāsa Bābājī established a temple of Nitāi-Gaura at this place about two hundred fifty years ago.
Dvarapala
Dvarapala is a door or gate guardian often portrayed as warrior or fearsome asura giant, usually armed with a weapon, the most common is gadha mace...
) of the abode of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, known as Vaikuntha (meaning place of eternal bliss).
Curse of the four Kumaras
According to a story from Bhagavata PuranaBhagavata purana
The Bhāgavata Purāṇa is one of the "Maha" Puranic texts of Hindu literature, with its primary focus on bhakti to the incarnations of Vishnu, particularly Krishna...
, the Four Kumaras
Four Kumaras
The Four Kumāras or Catursana are the four sons of Brahma from the Puranic texts of Hinduism named Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara....
, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana
Sanatana
Sanatana was one of the Four Kumaras or Catursana, the manasputras of Brahma from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, like the Bhagavata Purana others being Sanaka, Sanandana and Sanatkumara....
, and Sanatkumara
Sanatkumara
Sage Sanatkumara was one of the Four Kumaras, the four Manasputras or spiritual sons of Brahma according to Puranic texts of Hinduism, including the Bhagavata Purana, whose other sons were Sanaka, Sanatana, and Sanandana . Sanatkumara in Sanskrit means "eternal youth"....
who are the manasaputras of Brahma
Brahma
Brahma is the Hindu god of creation and one of the Trimurti, the others being Vishnu and Shiva. According to the Brahma Purana, he is the father of Mānu, and from Mānu all human beings are descended. In the Ramayana and the...
(sons born from the mind or thought power of Brahma), visit Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
, to see him.
Due to the strength of their tapas, the four Kumaras appear to be mere children, though they are of great age. Jaya and Vijaya, the gate keepers of the Vaikuntha interrupt the Kumaras at the gate, thinking them to be children. They also tell the Kumaras that Sri Vishnu is resting and that they cannot see him now. The enraged Kumaras replied Jaya and Vijaya that Vishnu is available for his devotees any time, and cursed both the keepers Jaya and Vijaya, that they would have to give up their divinity, be born as mortals on Earth (bhuloka, or physical plane
Physical plane
The physical plane , physical world, or physical universe, in emanationist metaphysics such as are found in Neoplatonism, Hermeticism, Hinduism and Theosophy, refers to the visible reality of space and time, energy and matter: the physical universe in Occultism and esoteric cosmology is the lowest...
), and live like normal human beings. Vishnu appeared before them, and the gatekeepers requested Vishnu to lift the curse of the Kumaras. Vishnu says curse of Kumaras cannot be reverted. Instead, he gives Jaya and Vijaya two options. The first option is to take seven births on Earth as a devotee of Vishnu, while the second is to take three births as his enemy. After serving either of these sentences, they can re-attain their stature at Vaikuntha and be with him permanently. Jaya and Vijaya cannot bear the thought of staying away from Vishnu for seven lives. As a result, they choose to be born three times on Earth even though it would have to be as enemies of Vishnu. (This story is also used as a metaphor about the cost of committing transgressions in "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna".)
In the first life they were born as Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu
Hiranyakashipu [golden-haired] is an Asura from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism. The Puranas describe Hiranyakashipu as an Asura. His younger brother, Hiranyaksha was slain by Varaha, one of the Avatars of Vishnu and angered by this, Hiranyakashipu decided to gain magical powers by performing...
and Hiranyaksha
Hiranyaksha
In Hinduism, Hiranyaksha [golden-eyed] was an Asura of pre-ancient India and the son of Diti and Kashyapa. He was slain by the god Vishnu after he took the Earth to the bottom of what has been described as the "Cosmic Ocean". His name in Sanskrit literally means "Goldeneye"...
in the Krita Yuga, to Diti
Diti
In Hinduism, Diti is an earth goddess and mother of the Maruts with Rudra. She is also the mother of the Daityas with the sage Kashyapa. She wanted to have a son who would be more powerful than Indra and so she practiced magic and kept herself pregnant for one year. Indra used a thunderbolt to...
(daughter of Daksha Prajapathi) and sage Kashyapa. It is said that asura
Asura
-In Hinduism:In Hinduism, the Asuras constitute a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes considered sinful and materialistic. The Daityas and Danavas were combinedly known as Asuras. The Asura were opposed to the Devas. Both groups are children of Kasyapa...
s ( incorrect information they were not Asuras but Daityas (sons of Diti) Please bear in mind that Asurs, Daityas, Danavas (children of Danu with kashyapa) and Rakshasa are different people with different origins)
In their second life they were born as Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
and Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna
Kumbhakarna , is a rakshasa and brother of Ravana in the Indian Ramayana epic...
in the Treta Yuga
Treta Yuga
Treta Yuga is the second out of four yugas, or ages of mankind, in the religion of Hinduism, and follows the Satya Yuga of perfect morality and precedes the Dvapara Yuga. The most famous events in this yuga were Lord Vishnu's fifth, sixth and seventh incarnations as Vamana, Parashurama and...
, and in their third life as Dantavakra
Dantavakra
Dantavakra , was the king of Karusha according to the Mahabharata and the Puranas. According to the Padma Purana , he was of Chaidya lineage. According to the Vishnu Purana , he was son of Vriddhasharman and Shrutadeva. He was an ally of Jarasandha, a friend of Shishupala and an enemy of Vasudeva...
and Shishupala
Shishupala
Shishupala or Sisupala was son of Damaghosha, king of Chedi, by Srutadeva, sister of Vasudeva. Therefore he was not only cousin of Krishna, but also Krishna's implacable foe, because Krishna had carried off Rukmini, his intended wife...
in the Dwapara Yuga.
It has been noted by many that the strengths of Jaya and Vijaya gradually declined with each subsequent birth.Vishnu needed one avatara each to kill Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu.Born as Rama he was able to vanquish both Ravana and Kumbhakarna.In his Krishna avatara the killing of Shishupala and Danthavakra is not the main focus but more to reduce the 'Bhoobhara"(The burden on mother earth by too many sinners)
Door-keepers of Vishnu temples
In the modern era, known in SanskritSanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
as the Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga
Kali Yuga is the last of the four stages that the world goes through as part of the cycle of yugas described in the Indian scriptures. The other ages are Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga...
, Jaya and Vijaya are free from their curse, and they can be seen as gatekeepers in Vishnu temples and temples affiliated with Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....
. Statues of Jaya-Vijaya stand in the temple of Venkateswara in Tirumala, the temple of Jagannath
Jagannath
Jagannath is a transcendental non-anthropotheistic Hindu god worshiped primarily by the people of Indian state of Orissa, and, to a great extent, West Bengal...
in Puri, and the temple of Ranganatha
Ranganatha
Ranganātha , also known as Sri Ranganatha, Ranganathar, or Ranga, is a Hindu deity, more well known in South India. The deity is a resting form of Lord Vishnu, one of the foremost of Hindu Gods. His consort is Goddess Lakshmi, also known as Ranganayaki, Thayar...
in Srirangam
Srirangam
Srirangam , Old name is Vellithirumutha gramam and Tamil name is Thiruvarangam , is an island and a part of the city of Tiruchirapalli , in South India....
.
Caitanya Caritamrta
In the Gaura-gaṇoddeśa-dīpikā (115), it is said that the two brothers Jagāi and Mādhāi were formerly the doorkeepers named Jaya and Vijaya. Jagāi and Mādhāi were born in respectable BrahminBrahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
families, but they adopted the professions of thieves and rogues, and thus became implicated in all kinds of undesirable activities, especially woman-hunting, intoxication, and gambling. Later, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was a Vaishnava saint and social reformer in eastern India in the 16th century, believed by followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism to be the full incarnation of Lord Krishna...
and Nityananda
Nityananda
Image:Panca-tattva Altar.jpg|thumb|This is interactive image-map. Click! on lotus feet. Sri Krishna Chaitanya , Sri Nityananda Prabhu , Sri Advaita Acharya , Sri Gadadhara Pandit , Sri Srivas Pandit...
initiated them, and they got the chance to chant the Hare Krishna mahā-mantra. As a result of chanting, both brothers became exalted devotees of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The descendants of Mādhāi still exist, and they are respectable Brahmins. The tombs of these two brothers, Jagāi and Mādhāi, are in a place known as Ghoṣahāṭa, or Mādhāitalā-grāma, which is situated about one mile south of Katwa
Katwa
Katwa is the head quarters of Katwa subdivision in the district of Bardhaman, West Bengal. The area has a rural charm and natural beauty, but many trading and other business activities has made it clumsy and congested. It is mostly a middle class residential area.-History:The small town has a five...
. It is said that Śrī Gopīcaraṇa dāsa Bābājī established a temple of Nitāi-Gaura at this place about two hundred fifty years ago.