Amrita

Amrita

Amrita or Amrit ( _sa. अमृत; _pa. ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ; _kn. ಅಮೃತ; _te. అమృతము) is a Sanskrit word that literally means "without death", and is often referred to in texts as nectar. Corresponding to ambrosia, it has differing significance in different Indian religions.

Hinduism

Amrit is repeatedly referred to as the drink of the gods, which grants them immortality. "Amrit" features in the "Samudra manthan", where the gods, because of a curse from the sage Durvasa, begin to lose their immortality. With the help of the "asuras" (demons), they churned the sea in order to find the nectar of immortality, "amrit". After drinking it, the gods regained their immortality and defeated the demons.

In yogic philosophy (see yoga, Hindu philosophy) amrita is a fluid that can flow from the pituitary gland down the throat in deep states of meditation. It is considered quite a boon: some yogic texts say that one drop is enough to conquer death and achieve immortality.

"Amrit" is also a common Hindu first name for men; the feminine is "Amritā".

Sikhism

Amrit is the name of the holy water used in the baptism ceremony (known as "Amrit Sanskar" or "Amrit Chhakhna" by the Sikhs). This ceremony is observed to initiate the Sikhs into the Khalsa brotherhood. The ceremony requires the drinking of the Amrit. This water is created by mixing a number of soluble ingredients, including sugar, and is then rolled with a [Khanda] (a type of knife) with the accompaniment of scriptural recitation of five sacred "Banis" (chants).

Buddhism

Amrita, under its Tibetan name of dutsi, also features in Tibetan Buddhist mythology, where it is linked to the killing of the monster Rahu by Vajrapani, whose blood dripped onto the surface of this earth, causing all kinds of medicinal plants to grow.

Dutsi also refers to a herbal medicine made during ceremonies involving many high lamas in Tibetan Buddhism, known as drubchens. 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.Fact|date=February 2007

See also

* Ambrosia
* Amritanandamayi
* Panchamruta
* Soma
*lookfrom|Amrit, for other pages using the name "Amrit" or "Amrita"

References

*Dallapiccola, Anna L. "Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend". ISBN 0-500-51088-1

External links

* [http://www.mapi.com/en/newsletters/ayurvedic_rasayana.html Ayurvedic Rasayana - Amrit]
* [http://www.baisakhi1999.org/amrit2.htm Immortal Boons of Amrit and Five Kakars]
* [http://angkorblog.com/_wsn/page8.html Depictions in stone at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (Cambodia) of how the gods dredged amrita from the bottom of the ocean]


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  • Amrita — (Sanskrit, n., अमृत, amṛta, Unsterblichkeit, Ambrosia; von mṛ = sterben) ist in den ältesten hinduistischen Texten ein lebensverlängernder Trank, ein Lebenselixier, dessen Götter und Menschen in gleicher Weise bedürfen. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Amrita — o amrit es una palabra en sánscrito que significa literalmente ‘sin muerte’ (siendo a: partícula negativa, y mritiu: ‘muerte’). En letra devánagari se escribe अमृत; en inglés amrtā; en pali ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ; en canarés: ಅಮೃತ. Suele aparecer en los textos… …   Wikipedia Español

  • amrita —    Amrita is the term used in the VEDAS for SOMA, comparable to the ambrosia of the Greeks. It is considered a nectar of immortality of sorts and is taken during certain rites to achieve transcendent insight. Perhaps because the Moon is sometimes …   Encyclopedia of Hinduism

  • Amrita — Am*ri ta, n. [Skr. amrita.] (Hind. Myth.) Immortality; also, the nectar conferring immortality. a. Ambrosial; immortal. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Amrĭta — (ind. Rel.), der Unsterblichkeitstrank, von welchem die indischen Götter auf Meru sich nährten (vgl. Ambrosia). Riesen u. Götter trugen gemeinschaftlich den Berg Mandar in das Milchmeer u. drehten, die Schlange Ananden wie ein Seil darum windend …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • amrita — amrìta (àmrta) ž DEFINICIJA mit. 1. hrana koju pripremaju hinduski bogovi; daje besmrtnost 2. tako dobivena besmrtnost ETIMOLOGIJA skr. amrtā : besmrtnost …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • amrita — [äm rēt′ə, umrēt′ə] n. [< Sans amṛta, deathless, hence drink that makes immortal < IE base * mer : see AMBROSIA] Hindu Myth. the ambrosial drink or food granting immortality …   English World dictionary

  • Amrita TV — Infobox Network network name = Amrita Television network branding = Amrita TV headquarters = ThiruvananthapuramKerala,India country = India network type = Cable television network slogan = available = Indian sub continent, Sri Lanka, Middle East… …   Wikipedia

  • Amrita — L Amrita ou Amrit (sanskrit : अमृत; panjâbî : ਅੰਮ੍ਰਿਤ; tibétain : བདུད་རྩི་, Wylie : bdud rtsi.) est, selon les religions dharmiques, un nectar immortel ou une ambroisie. Elle est la boisson des devas, qui leur donne l… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Amrita —    In Vedic myth the ambrosia of the gods. This nectar, which is referred to in the Churning of the Ocean, is probably another version of Soma. The Amrita was stolen by Garuda from Vishnu and returned only after a great struggle …   Who’s Who in non-classical mythology

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