Vamadeva
Encyclopedia
In Hinduism
, Vamadeva is the name of the preserving aspect of the God Siva
, one of five aspects of the universe he embodies. On a panchamukha (five-faced) Sivalingam, Vamadeva appears on the right hand side. This face/aspect of Śiva is considered the peaceful, graceful and poetic one — the lord of the female aspect of it is associated with water.
Vamadeva is also the name of a rishi
, credited with most of Mandala 4
of the Rigveda
.
The Brahman splits into male (Parashiva) and female (Parasakti) and manifests as the universe. The parashiva has five aspects:
As a God's name it is a karmadharaya and means "beautiful God".
As a man's name it is probably a bahuvrihi
and means "he whose God is beautiful".
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
, Vamadeva is the name of the preserving aspect of the God Siva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, one of five aspects of the universe he embodies. On a panchamukha (five-faced) Sivalingam, Vamadeva appears on the right hand side. This face/aspect of Śiva is considered the peaceful, graceful and poetic one — the lord of the female aspect of it is associated with water.
Vamadeva is also the name of a rishi
Rishi
Rishi denotes the composers of Vedic hymns. However, according to post-Vedic tradition, the rishi is a "seer" to whom the Vedas were "originally revealed" through states of higher consciousness. The rishis were prominent when Vedic Hinduism took shape, as far back as some three thousand years...
, credited with most of Mandala 4
Mandala 4
The fourth Mandala of the Rigveda has 58 hymns, mainly to Agni and Indra. It is one of the "family books" , the oldest core of the Rigveda....
of the Rigveda
Rigveda
The Rigveda is an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns...
.
The Brahman splits into male (Parashiva) and female (Parasakti) and manifests as the universe. The parashiva has five aspects:
- Sadyojata — west-aspect that propagates manifest brahman; associated with brahma; represents earth.
- Vamadeva — north-aspect that sustains manifest Brahman; associated with Vishnu; represents water
- Aghora — south-aspect that rejuvenates manifest Brahman; associated with Rudra; represents fire
- Tatpurusha — east-aspect that reveals; associated with Rishi, Muni, Jnani, yogi; represents air
- Isana — internal-aspect that conceals; associated with all that exist; represents ether.
Etymology
The name comes from Sanskrit vāma = "left", which is the seat of the Śakti and normally associated with beauty and the female, and deva = "God".As a God's name it is a karmadharaya and means "beautiful God".
As a man's name it is probably a bahuvrihi
Bahuvrihi
A bahuvrihi compound is a type of compound that denotes a referent by specifying a certain characteristic or quality the referent possesses. A bahuvrihi is exocentric, so that the compound is not a hyponym of its head...
and means "he whose God is beautiful".