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Amrita

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, seeAmrita (disambiguation).
For the Japanese novel by Banana Yoshimoto, seeAmrita (Yoshimoto novel).For the Gujarati language novel by Raghuveer Chaudhari, seeAmrita (Gujarati novel).

A stone carving of a standing woman with a pot in her left hand and lotus in right
Mohini,the female form ofVishnu,holding the pot of amrita, which she distributes amongst all thedevas,leaving theasuraswithout it.Darasuram,Tamil Nadu,India

Amrita(Sanskrit:अमृत,IAST:amṛta),AmritorAmatainPali,(also calledSudha,Amiy,Ami) is a Sanskrit word that means "immortality". It is a central concept withinIndian religionsand is often referred to in ancientIndiantexts as anelixir.[1]Its first occurrence is in theRigveda,where it is considered one of several synonyms forsoma,the drink of thedevas.[2]Amrita plays a significant role in theSamudra Manthana,and is the cause of the conflict between devas andasurascompeting for amrita to obtain immortality.[3]

Amrita has varying significance in differentIndian religions.The wordAmritis also a common first name for Sikhs andHindus,while its feminine form isAmritā.[4]Amrita is cognate to and shares many similarities withambrosia;both originated from a commonProto-Indo-European source.[5][6]

Etymology

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Amrita is composed of the negative prefix, अafrom Sanskrit meaning 'not', andmṛtyumeaning 'death' in Sanskrit, thus meaning 'not death' or 'immortal/deathless'.

The concept of an immortality drink is attested in at least two ancientIndo-European languages:Ancient GreekandSanskrit.The Greek ἀμβροσία (ambrosia,from ἀ- “not” + βροτός “mortal” ) is semantically linked to the Sanskritअमृत(amṛta) as both words denote a drink or food that gods use to achieve immortality. The two words appear to be derived from the same Indo-European form *ṇ-mṛ-tós,"un-dying"[7](n-:negative prefix from which the prefixa-in both Greek and Sanskrit are derived;mṛ:zero gradeof *mer-,"to die"; and-to-:adjectival suffix). A semantically similar etymology exists for Greeknectar,the beverage of the gods (Greek: νέκταρnéktar) presumed to be a compound of thePIEroots*nek-,"death", and-*tar,"overcoming".

Hinduism

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Vishnutook the form of the beautyMohiniand distributed the amrita todevas.WhenSvarabhānutried to steal the amrita, his head was cut off.

Amrita is repeatedly referred to as the drink of thedevas,which grants them immortality. Despite this, the nectar does not actually offer true immortality. Instead, by partaking it, the devas were able to attain a higher level of knowledge and power, which they had lost due to the curse of the sageDurvasa,as described in theSamudra Manthanalegend. It tells how the devas, after the curse, begin to lose their immortality. Assisted by their rivals, theasuras,the devas begin to churn the ocean, releasing, among other extraordinary objects and beings, a pitcher of amrita, held by the deityDhanvantari.[8]

Brahmaenlightens the devas regarding the existence of this substance:[9]

O Devas, in the northern division and on the northern bank of the ocean of milk there is a most excellent place called Amrita (nectar): so the wise say. Go there and being self-controlled practise hard austerities. There you will hear most sacred, purified words relating to Brahman grave like the muttering of clouds surcharged with water in the rainy season. That celestial speech is destructive of all sins and was spoken by the god of gods of pure soul. So long as your vow will not terminate you will hear that great universal speech. O gods, you have come to me and I am ready to grant you boons. Tell me what boon you do want.

— Harivamsa Purana,Chapter 43

When the asuras claim the nectar for themselves,Vishnuassumes the form of the enchantressMohini,and her beauty persuades the asuras to crudely offer her the task of its distribution:[10]

Seeing that beautiful form, they were fascinated and were overwhelmed with the passion of love. Giving up their mutual struggle, they approached and spoke:

“O blessed lady! Take this pitcher of Nectar and distribute it amongst us. We are the sons of Kaśyapa; O lady with beautiful buttocks, make us all drink it (Nectar).”

Requesting her thus, they handed it over to the lady who was reluctant. She spoke, “No faith should be entertained in me, as I am a self-willed (i.e. wanton) woman. You have done an improper act. I shall, however, distribute it as per my will.” Though she told them so, those stupid ones said, “Do as you please”.

— Skanda Purana,Chapter 13

When thedanavaRahudisguised himself as a deva and sat in the clan's row to partake in consuming the nectar,SuryaandChandraalerted Mohini of his presence. Mohini sliced his head off with herSudarshana Chakra,and continued to distribute the nectar to every single one of the devas, after which she assumed her true form ofNarayanaand defeated the asuras in a battle.[11]

Sikhism

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Old Sikh fresco art from theAkal Takht,AmritsarofGuru Gobind SinghpreparingAmrit

InSikhism,amrit (Punjabi:ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ) is the name of the holy water used inAmrit Sanchar,a ceremony which resemblesbaptism.This ceremony is observed to initiate the Sikhs into theKhalsaand requires drinking amrit.[12]This is created by mixing a number of soluble ingredients, including sugar, and is then rolled with akhandawith the accompaniment of scriptural recitation of five sacred verses.

Metaphorically, God's name is also referred to as a nectar:

ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਸਬਦੁ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਹਰਿ ਬਾਣੀ ॥
Amrit sabad amrit hari bāṇī.
TheShabdais Amrit; the Lord'sbaniis Amrit.

ਸਤਿਗੁਰਿ ਸੇਵਿਐ ਰਿਦੈ ਸਮਾਣੀ ॥
Satiguri sēviai ridai samāṇī.
Serving the True Guru, it permeates the heart.

ਨਾਨਕ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ ਨਾਮੁ ਸਦਾ ਸੁਖਦਾਤਾ ਪੀ ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤੁ ਸਭ ਭੁਖ ਲਹਿ ਜਾਵਣਿਆ ॥
Nānak amrit nāmu sadā sukhdātā pī amritu sabha bhukh lahi jāvaṇiā.
O Nanak, the Ambrosial Naam is forever the Giver of peace; drinking in this Amrit, all hunger is satisfied.[13]

Buddhism

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Buddha is called as "Amata Santam "in Pali Literature.

Theravada Buddhism

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According toThanissaro Bhikkhu,"the deathless" refers to the deathless dimension of the mind which is dwelled in permanently afternibbana.[14]

In the Amata Sutta,the Buddhaadvises monks to stay with the fourSatipatthana:"Monks, remain with your minds well-established in these four establishings of mindfulness. Don't let the deathless be lost to you."[15]

In thequestions for Nagasena,King Milinda asks for evidence that the Buddha once lived, wherein Nagasena describes evidence of the Dhamma in a simile:

"Revered Nagasena, what is the nectar shop of the Buddha, the Blessed One?"

"Nectar, sire, has been pointed out by the Blessed One. With this nectar the Blessed One sprinkles the world with thedevas;when the devas and the humans have been sprinkled with this nectar, they are set free from birth, aging, disease, death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair. What is this nectar? It ismindfulness occupied with the body.And this too, sire, was said by the Blessed One: 'Monks, they partake of nectar (the deathless) who partake of mindfulness that is occupied with the body.' This, sire, is called the Blessed One's nectar shop. "

— Miln 335[16]

Chinese Buddhism

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Chinese Buddhism describes Amrita (Chinese:Cam lộ;pinyin:gānlù) as blessed water, food, or other consumable objects often produced through merits of chanting mantras.

Vajrayana Buddhism

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See also:Pre-sectarian Buddhism § Ideas and practices

Amrita (Tibetan:བདུད་རྩི་,Wylie:bdud rtsi,THL:dütsi) also plays a significant role inVajrayana Buddhismas a sacramental drink which is consumed at the beginning of all important rituals such as theabhisheka,ganachakra,andhoma.In the Tibetan tradition,dütsiis made duringdrubchens– lengthy ceremonies involving many highlamas.It usually takes the form of small, dark-brown grains that are taken with water, or dissolved in very weak solutions of alcohol and is said to improve physical and spiritual well-being.[17]

The foundational text oftraditional Tibetan medicine,the Four Tantras, is also known by the nameThe Heart of Amrita(Wylie:snying po bsdus pa).

The Immaculate Crystal Garland(Wylie:dri med zhal phreng) describes the origin of amrita in a version of thesamudra manthanalegend retold in Buddhist terms. In this Vajrayana version, the monsterRahusteals the amrita and is blasted byVajrapani's thunderbolt. As Rahu has already drunk the amrita he cannot die, but his blood, dripping onto the surface of this earth, causes all kinds of medicinal plants to grow. At the behest of all the Buddhas, Vajrapani reassembles Rahu who eventually becomes a protector of Buddhism according to theNyingmaschool ofTibetan Buddhism.

Inner Offering(Wylie:Nang chod,Chinese:Nội cung) is the most symbolic amrita offering assembly, and theInner Offering Nectar Pill(Wylie:Nang chod bdud rtsi rilbu,Chinese:Nội cung cam lộ hoàn) is a precious and secret medicine of Tibetan Buddhism, which are only used internally for higher-ranking monks in Nyingma school. Its ingredients including Five Amrita and Five Meat, which represents five buddhas, and five elements respectively. According toTantrasofChakravarti,andTantras ofVajravārāhī,a ceremony needs to be held for melting and blessing the Inner-Offering Nectar. Five Nectar needs to be arranged in four directions: yellow excrement in the east, green bone marrow in the north, white semen in the west and red blood in the south; blue urine is placed in the center. Four Nectar should come fromwise monksand the ova should be collected from the first menstruation of a blessed woman. The Five Meats are arranged similarly, meat of black bull in the southeast, the meat of the blue dog in the southwest, the meat of the white elephant in the northwest, the meat of the green horse in the northeast, and the meat of a red human corpse in the center. After the ceremony, these ingredients will transform into aone taste(ekarasa) elixir, which bestows bliss, vitality, immortality and wisdom. Actual modern practitioners will take a 'synthesized essence' of the Nectar Pill and combine it with energy drinks and alcohol, but mostly the "Nectar Pill" are derived from plants.[18]

See also

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Look upamritain Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

References

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  1. ^"amrita | Hindu mythology | Britannica".www.britannica.com.Retrieved2021-11-13.
  2. ^"Soma: The Nectar of the Gods".History of Ayurveda.20 April 2018.Retrieved2021-11-13.
  3. ^Pattanaik, Devdutt (February 27, 2016)."Good deva-bad asura divide misleading".The Times of India.Retrieved2021-11-13.
  4. ^"BBC - Religions - Sikhism: Amrit ceremony".www.bbc.co.uk.Retrieved2021-11-13.
  5. ^Walter W. Skeat,Etymological English Dictionary
  6. ^"Ambrosia" inChambers's Encyclopædia.London:George Newnes,1961, Vol. 1, p. 315.
  7. ^Mallory, J. P. (1997). "Sacred drink". In Mallory, J. P.; Adams, Douglas Q. (eds.).Encyclopedia of Indo-European Culture.Taylor & Francis. p. 538.Mallory also connects to this root an Avestan word, and notes that the root is "dialectally restricted to the IE southeast".
  8. ^Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.).India through the ages.Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 66.
  9. ^www.wisdomlib.org (2020-11-14)."Brahma Instructs the Devas to Go to Vishnu [Chapter 43]".www.wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2022-08-03.
  10. ^www.wisdomlib.org (2020-03-05)."Gods Drink the Nectar [Chapter 13]".www.wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2022-08-03.
  11. ^www.wisdomlib.org (2020-03-05)."Gods Drink the Nectar [Chapter 13]".www.wisdomlib.org.Retrieved2022-08-03.
  12. ^"Taking Amrit: Initiation".pluralism.org.Retrieved2021-11-13.
  13. ^Guru Granth Sahib,page 119
  14. ^"All About Change".www.accesstoinsight.org.Retrieved2024-04-09.
  15. ^"Amata Sutta: Deathless".www.accesstoinsight.org.Retrieved2024-04-09.
  16. ^"The Blessed One's City of Dhamma: From the Milindapañha", based on the translation by I.B. Horner. Access to Insight (Legacy Edition), 30 November 2013,http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/horner/bl130.html
  17. ^Dutsi,A Brief Description of the Benefits of the Sacred Ambrosial Medicine, The Unsurpassable, Supreme Samaya Substance that Liberates Through Taste.
  18. ^The handbook of Tibetan Buddhist symbols, Robert Beer.ISBN1590301005,Boston, MA.:Shambhala, 2003.

Sources

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[edit]
Look upAmritain Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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