350 Sentences With "austerities" | Random Sentence Generator

As a result of these austerities — and of its continued, improbable popularity — "Perfect Crime" makes money, Ms. Russell said.

This is the Howe difference: she brings to the austerities of avant-garde poetics the pressing emotional stakes of memoir.

Devotees are expected to observe 41 days of ritual austerities beforehand, trimming neither hair nor nails, and forgoing meat, alcohol and sex.

But P&D, as it was called, a reaction to the austerities of Minimalism and the limits of high art, never really went away.

Guo A is a counterrevolutionary—a conservative whose work rejects not just the austerities of Maoism but also the youthquake of the nineteen-sixties.

The new geography of Islam was also a Protestant one, with Rome's decadence mirrored in Istanbul and forsaken for Geneva's austerities as found in Arabia's holy cities.

Over the next decades he grew angrier at the direction of the world, disgusted by everything from apartheid in South Africa to the austerities of the Reagan administration.

Whether it's reacting against patriarchy, pixelation, or the oppressive austerities of midcentury Minimalism, the use of crafty patterns in contemporary visual art has always had a political charge.

To compensate for these austerities, students and their families have taken on more debt, and public institutions have had to entice more out-of-state and international students able to pay full fare.

Politics touches the lives of most Americans most clearly as pain—determining the cruelties that some people have to suffer and others do not, setting the variously occluded or intentionally dammed channels of recourse that are, but mostly are not, available as a result of various voluntary austerities and institutional cynicisms.

" Postmodernism was especially visible in the field of architecture, where it manifested itself as a "populist" revolt "against the elite (and Utopian) austerities of the great architectural modernisms: It is generally affirmed, in other words, that these newer buildings are popular works, on the one hand, and that they respect the vernacular of the American city fabric, on the other; that is to say, they no longer attempt, as did the masterworks and monuments of high modernism, to insert a different, a distinct, an elevated, a new Utopian language into the tawdry and commercial sign system of the surrounding city, but rather they seek to speak that very language, using its lexicon and syntax as that has been emblematically 'learned from Las Vegas.

When the entourage reaches Hastinapur, all other widows retire to the forest for austerities (Tapas).

Buddha initially practiced severe austerities, fasting himself nearly to death of starvation. However, he later considered extreme austerities and self-mortification as unnecessary and recommended a "Middle Way" between the extremes of hedonism and self-mortification.Laumakis, Stephen. An Introduction to Buddhist philosophy. 2008. p.

All Forest Monks will observe at least one of the dhutanga austerities. The dhutanga austerities are meant to deepen the practice of meditation and assist in living the Holy Life. Their aim is to help the practitioner to develop detachment with material things including the body.

Outer austerities include complete fasting, eating limited amounts, eating restricted items, abstaining from tasty foods, mortifying the flesh, and guarding the flesh (avoiding anything that is a source of temptation). Inner austerities include expiation, confession, respecting and assisting mendicants, studying, meditation, and ignoring bodily wants in order to abandon the body. Lists of internal and external austerities vary with the text and tradition. Asceticism is viewed as a means to control desires, and to purify the jiva (soul).

Jain texts such as Tattvartha Sutra and Uttaradhyayana Sutra discuss ascetic austerities to great lengths and formulations. Six outer and six inner practices are most common, and oft repeated in later Jain texts. According to John Cort, outer austerities include complete fasting, eating limited amounts, eating restricted items, abstaining from tasty foods, mortifying the flesh and guarding the flesh (avoiding anything that is a source of temptation). Inner austerities include expiation, confession, respecting and assisting mendicants, studying, meditation and ignoring bodily wants in order to abandon the body.

Although he had mastered many yogic paths and practised intense austerities, Kashinath believed that he had failed to attain his ultimate goal of self-realization. In 1921, while practising stringent austerities in a cave on Mount Abu in Rajasthan, Kashinath met his Satguru. Shri Yogiraj Parameshwardas, a master of Kundalini yoga. Shri Parameshwardas bestowed Shaktipat initiation on Kashinath.

Some sects of Brahmins belonging to Hinduism remained naked, lived in forest, practice austerities, shaved heads, ate only fruits and milk, meditated.

The etymology of his name is explained in the epic. Jara means "consumption" and Karu is "monstrous"; the sage had a huge body, which he reduced (consumed) by austerities. Thus, he was called Jaratkaru. In the first, shorter telling, Jaratkaru is described as being as powerful as a Prajapati, having performed severe tapas (austerities) and practised the vow of celibacy (Brahmacharya).

However, Indian mythologies also describe numerous ascetic gods or demons who pursued harsh austerities for decades or centuries that helped each gain special powers.

Roseline obtained leave to resign her office before her death. Many visions together with extraordinary austerities and great power over demons are ascribed to her.

After this, Subhadra died. Another version says that Trijata performed severe austerities to be reborn as a human. Due to her penance she was reborn as Subhadra.

For example, Vishwamitra, meat-eating Kshatriya, took to austerities as he aspired to become a Brahmarshi, whereas Parasurama, a brahmana, remained actively engaged in his war against the Kshatriyas.

There the learned sage Shaikhavatya consoled Amba and promised to guide her in her austerities. Other sages discussed amongst themselves Amba's situation and contemplated her alternatives and advised her to return to her father as there are only two true protectors of a woman: a father and a husband. However, Amba declined, deciding to practice austerities. On the next day, the sage Hotravahana (of the Srinjaya race), a former king and Amba's maternal grandfather, passed by the place.

Sundararajan maintained the austerities of a sage throughout his life in thought, discipline, simplicity and truth. He was well-versed and fluent in scriptures of Vedanta Desika as he was in Law.

Lord Rishabhdev took his first meal after one year of austerities and penance. Raja Shreyans, the king of Hastinapur, had the good fortune of being the first person to offer him a meal in the form of Sugarcane Juice on the 3rd day of the bright fortnight of the month of Vaishakha. This occasion is celebrated even today as "Akshaya Triteeyaa". Keval Jnan Kalyanak (Omniscience): thumb After 1000 years of austerities and penance, Lord Rishabhdev attained Keval Jnan (Omniscience) at Mount Kailash.

Buddha also criticises the Jain ascetic practice of various austerities, claiming that he, Buddha, is happier when not practising the austerities.In the 8th century Jain text Aṣṭakaprakaraṇam (11.1–8), Haribhadra refutes the Buddhist view that austerities and penances results in suffering and pain. According to him suffering is on account of past karmas and not due to penances. Even if penances result in some suffering and efforts, they should be undertaken as it is the only means of getting rid of the karma.

White- clothed Acharya Kalaka Other austerities include meditation in seated or standing posture near river banks in the cold wind, or meditation atop hills and mountains, especially at noon when the sun is at its fiercest. Such austerities are undertaken according to the physical and mental limits of the individual ascetic. Jain ascetics are (almost) completely without possessions. Some Jains (Shvetambara monks and nuns) own only unstitched white robes (an upper and lower garment) and a bowl used for eating and collecting alms.

However unlike Daksha, Sati loved Shiva as she had the revelation that Shiva was the Supreme God. Sati won Shiva as her husband by undergoing severe austerities (tapas). Despite Daksha's disappointment, Sati married Shiva.

When she cannot prevent the breaking of her own head and cannot identify her own injurer, what good can you expect from her and (why) do you worship her as divine?” The rajahs remained tongue-tied. Now most of the people of that land are disciples of the Guru.” The dietary laws of the Hindus, as well as their “austerities and worship” were also said to disregarded. “Among the Sikhs there is nothing of the austerities and worship according to the religious laws of the Hindus.

It was as a śramaṇa that the Buddha left his father's palace and practised austerities. Gautama Buddha, after fasting nearly to death by starvation, regarded extreme austerities and self- mortification as useless or unnecessary in attaining enlightenment, recommending instead a "Middle Way" between the extremes of hedonism and self- mortification.Randall Collins (2000), The sociology of philosophies: a global theory of intellectual change, Harvard University Press, , p. 204 Devadatta, a cousin of Gautama, caused a split in the Buddhist sangha by demanding more rigorous practices.

Like Sati, Parvati took severe austerities and gave away all her royal privileges and went to the forest. Shiva tested her affection and devotion in disguise. He eventually realized Parvati is Sati herself. Shiva, later on, married Parvati.

Kushanabha had 100 daughters but no male successor to his thrown. So he started worshipping lord Indra and performed austerities wishing to have a son like Indra. At last Indra consented and became his son, by incarnation, being born as Gaadhi.

When his son, Ānanda was born, he left the palace. Ten million men followed him to become ascetics. He practised austerities for eight months. After the eight months, he began to practise alone and become enlightened under the Pterocarpus tree.

Kingsley Amis had several motives for writing the Dossier. He had recently retired from teaching and wanted to 'put behind him the more rigid austerities of university life'.Jacobs, Eric Kingsley Amis: A Biography. St. Martin's Press, 1995, p. 267.

Savithiri goes to live with her husband in the forest. She takes to a life of austerities. On the day Sathyavan is to die, she accompanies him into the forest to cut firewood. While he was cutting a tree, Sathyavan collapses.

In a final effort she approached Drupada but even he declined; in frustration she cast the garland off on a pillar outside Drupada's palace and went for austerities in the forest again. While Amba kills herself, no one dares to touch the garland.

Singh, Kirpal. (1999). Naam or Word. Blaine, WA: Ruhani Satsang Books. Singh writes that practitioners of Shabd yoga position the path as not requiring the physical torture of penance and austerities that marked many of the yogas and spiritual paths throughout the ages.

He meditated and undertook tapa (austerities). He again completed the Parikrama in 1930. His residence Dattakutir was constructed and a trust was formed in 1931. In 1936, when his younger brother died, his mother moved to Nareshwar and lived there til her death in 1967.

Berthild was appointed first abbess of Chelles Abbey in 646. Berthild was known for her devotion to self-denial. She "was ambitious of martyrdom, but as no persecutors were forthcoming, she martyred herself with austerities." Saint Berthild's reputation drew several foreign princesses to the abbey.

According to Manu (iii, 90, 121), offerings should be made daily to the Visvedevas. These privileges were bestowed on them by Brahma and the Pitri as a reward for severe austerities they had performed on the Himalaya.Monier Monier-Williams. A Sanskrit-English Dictionary, p.

Parvati is consoled by Rati, who asserts that she will revive Kama and starts severe austerities to achieve her goal. Once, the divine sage Narada asks her "whose she was". Agitated, Rati insults Narada. The spiteful Narada provokes the demon Sambara to kidnap Rati.

The earliest version of the narrative of Chyavana's practice of austerities and subsequent restoration of youth is found in the Brahmanas. A later version of this narrative is found in the Mahabharata. More later versions are found in the Bhagavata Purana and the Padma Purana.

However, the mission of each person is not specific, it is only to train the soul while living like a human being. “Training the soul” refers only to harmonizing one's own consciousness, harmonizing with others nearby, doing work that is suitable to harmonization, and based on this, stabilizing one's own economy, to create a peaceful environment. In such a way, it is not that Takahashi glorified particular religious austerities, but rather, he harshly criticized disharmonious austerities that would oppress everyday life, such as compulsive praying. In particular, he believed that no one should sell their soul to religious leaders who claim to be the only doorway to salvation.

St. Thomas calls it a "means to an end", to be used with discretion. St. Bonaventure says that bodily austerities "prepare, foster and preserve perfection" ("Apolog. pauperum", V, c. viii). As proof he shows that to put an absolute value on bodily asceticism would lead to Manichæism.

Regarding it the celestial Rishi Narada hath recited an ancient sloka. By performing austerities on the sacred hill of Ujjayanta in Surashtra, that abounds in birds and animals, a person becometh regarded in heaven. There also is Dwaravati, producing great merit, where dwelleth the illustrious Vasudeva Krishna.

The antaranga tapa, internal austerities which follow are: # Prayaschita - Atonement/penance for sinful acts # Vinaya - Practice politeness and humility # Vaiyavritya - Service to others, especially monks, nuns, elders and the weaker souls without any expectations in return # Swadhyaya - Self-study, scriptural study, questioning and expanding the spiritual knowledge # Vyutsarga - Abandonment of passions - especially anger, ego, deceit and greed, distinction between body and soul # Dhyana - Meditation and contemplation All the first five internal austerities and all six external austerities are preparatory steps for the practice of dhyana, which is the primary cause of moksha. For layman the journey begins with practicing the Triple gems of Jainism, Ratnatraya, namely Right View or perception (Samyak Darshana), Right knowledge (Samyak Gyana) and Right conduct (Samyak Charitra), which constitute the path to liberation. The monks in Jainism, who have dedicated their lives to achieve, moksha and acquiring the Kevala Jnana, absolute knowledge, however go on to take the five Mahavrata, literally Great Vows, of self-control: # Non-violence (Ahimsa) # Truth (Satya) # Non-stealing (Asteya) # Chastity (Brahmacharya) # Non- possession/Non-attachment (Aparigraha) .Singh, p.

In South India, Tumburu is often portrayed horse-faced. He holds the instrument veena that he plays as he sings. In another hand, he holds wooden cymbals, that he beats to maintain the rhythm. A South Indian legend records that Tumburu performed severe austerities and pleased God Shiva.

21 July 2012 She was noted for the care for her sisters, her all-night vigils, and her self-imposed austerities. Except on Sundays and on Christmas Day she never took any nourishment but one moderate refection at three o’clock in the afternoon, and on fast-days after sunset.

Arjuna begins his intense austerities, the severity of which causes disturbance among the gods. VI. Meanwhile, a celestial army of maidens (apsaras) sets out from heaven, in order to eventually distract Arjuna. VII. Description of their passage through the heavens. VIII. The nymphs enjoy themselves on the mountain.

Valentinis later attended a sermon that Fra Angelo da San Severino gave at the Augustinian church of Santa Lucia and decided then and there to join the order. She became a professed third order member of the Order of Saint Augustine (the first for the third order in Udine) sometime in 1441 where she soon became known for her several austerities and her life of dedication to her fellow man and woman. One of her austerities was to take a vow of silence though she spoke on Christmas night alone. She continued to live at home though later moved in with her sister in 1446 who also was a third order Augustinian and resided there until her death.

Rather than Arjuna, the figure performing austerities is said to be Bhagiratha. Bhagiratha is said to have performed austerities so that Ganga might descend to earth and wash over the ashes of his relatives, releasing them from their sins. To break Ganga's fall from heaven to earth, she falls onto Shiva's hair, and is divided into many streams by his tresses; this miraculous event is shown in the form of sculptures on the boulders being watched by the animals and human beings. Another interpretation for the yogi doing penance on one leg is that it is a depiction of Bhagiratha doing severe penance to bring down the Ganges to earth to usher prosperity and happiness to the people.

But one vain older sister tried and failed to teach her to dress in rich clothing and indulge in pleasures that her sister refused to do. In 1266 she began to wear a hair net and a rope girdle as signs of austerities she began to undertake but as she grew the girdle began to cut into her and had to be removed. The girdle could not be removed because it was far too embedded for it to be untied but after turning to God the rope fell to her feet. In her adolescence she became a professed member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic and lived her entire life at home to continue practicing her austerities.

The Jain karmic theory attaches great responsibility to individual actions, and eliminates reliance on supposed existence of divine grace or retribution. The Jain doctrine also holds that it is possible for us to both modify our karma, and to obtain release from it, through the austerities and purity of conduct.

In February 1916 he accompanied Swami Visuddhananda to Jayrambati to meet Sri Sarada Devi. His health was shattered by severe austerities despite the instructions of Swami Brahmananda to the contrary. In November 1938 Swami Achalananda became the vice president of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. However he maintained the same austere lifestyle.

According to Jainism, karmic consequences are unerringly certain and inescapable. No divine grace can save a person from experiencing them. Only the practice of austerities and self-control can modify or alleviate the consequences of karma. Even then, in some cases, there is no option but to accept karma with equanimity.

Her bloodlust gets out of control, only calming when Shiva intervenes. The Vamana Purana has a different version of Kali's relationship with Parvati. When Shiva addresses Parvati as Kali, "the dark blue one," she is greatly offended. Parvati performs austerities to lose her dark complexion and becomes Gauri, the golden one.

He died in the Jesuit College of Rio de Janeiro, having reached the age of eighty-two years, despite his austerities and the privations of his missionary career. The news of his approaching end filled the city with anxiety and concern. "The saint is dying" was heard on all sides.

Rua served as a noted spiritual director and leader for the Salesians known for his austerities and rigid adherence to the rule. It was for this reason that he was nicknamed, 'the living rule'. The process of Rua's beatification opened after his death and culminated as Pope Paul VI beatified Rua in 1972.

The Mahabharata tells the story of Manasa's marriage. Sage Jagatkāru practised severe austerities and had decided to abstain from marriage. Once he came across a group of men hanging from a tree upside down. These men were his ancestors, who were doomed to misery as their children had not performed their last rites.

Michelet, Origines du Droit, p.11. After warning the child of the austerities of the monastic life, he read to him the rule of St. Benedict and the parents pledged for him. His hair was shaved and he put on the monks' cucula. He was no longer entitled to the paternal inheritance.

Asceticism in one of its most intense forms can be found in one of the oldest religions, Jainism. Ascetic life may include nakedness symbolizing non-possession of even clothes, fasting, body mortification, penance and other austerities, in order to burn away past karma and stop producing new karma, both of which are believed in Jainism to be essential for reaching siddha and moksha (liberation from rebirths, salvation). In Jainism, the ultimate goal of life is to achieve the liberation of soul from endless cycle of rebirths (moksha from samsara), which requires ethical living and asceticism. Most of the austerities and ascetic practices can be traced back to Vardhaman Mahavira, the twenty-fourth "fordmaker" or Tirthankara who practiced 12 years of asceticism before reaching enlightenment.

Only the thousand-headed Purusha is capable of slaying him and none else'. The gods and Aditi then approach Kasyapa, who agreeing with their desire to restore Indra's throne, takes them to the celestial abode of Brahmaloka to speak with Brahma. Brahma advises them to seek Vishnu, and they do so 'at the northern bank of the ocean of milk... Reaching that place called Amrita the Suras along with Kashyapa began to practice hard austerities for many years with a view to propitiate the thousand-eyed intelligent Yogin Narayana' (XLII). Vishnu, pleased with the austerities of the Gods, agrees to Kashyapa's request to be born as Indra's 'younger brother, ever enhancing the joy of thy kinsmen and as the son of myself and Aditi'.

Its source was ascribed to her sorrow and austerities. As a remedy, her stepmother recommended two soft cheeses be applied to her breasts, telling her own son, Bana, that Juthwara was pregnant. Bana felt her underclothes and found them moist, whereupon he immediately struck off her head. A spring of water appeared at the spot.

After 20 years of spiritual practice (sadhana), he met his preceptor swami, Bhagirathananda Saraswati, in 1679 from the Punjab. Bhagirathananda initiated Shivaram into monastic vows (sannyasa) and named him Swami Ganapati Saraswati in 1685. Ganapati reportedly led a life of severe austerities and went on a pilgrimage, reaching Prayag in 1733, before finally settling in Varanasi in 1737.

The latter tries to escape the monster, and finally reaches King Janaka's court. There, the sage Gautama teaches Kalmashapada divine knowledge and directs him to the Shiva temple of Gokarna to free him of his sins. At Gokarna, Kalmashapada performs intense austerities and is liberated from Brahmahatya. The Mahabharata also records an encounter between the sage Uttanka and Kalmashapada.

Therefore, it is generally accepted due to the pillar that stupa is associated with the nirvana of Kakusandha Buddha. Kakusandha lived for four thousand years in the household in three palaces: Ruci, Suruci and Vaddhana (or Rativaddhana). At the age of four thousand, he renounced the worldly life while riding on a chariot. He practised austerities for eight months.Vipassana.

Pleased with his austerities, the Goddess emerged before Sudyumma, who was in his female form Ilā. Sudyumma praised the Goddess, who merged the king's soul with herself and thus, Ilā gained salvation. The Bhagavata Purana, the Devi-Bhagavata Purana and the Linga Purana declare that Ila ascended to heaven with both male and female anatomy.Pattanaik p.

He then renounced all worldly pursuits and became a monk. According to Jain beliefs, he spent 11 months performing karma-destroying austerities and then attained the all-embracing knowledge – Omniscience (kevala jñāna) under a Champaka tree. He is said to have 18 ganadharas headed by Malli. Puspavati or Puspadatta is believed to be the head-nun of his order.

According to Vamana Purana, Chapter 6 - Bhandarkar p.46 They live at Badrika performing severe austerities and meditation for the welfare of the world. These two inseparable sages took avatars on earth for the welfare of mankind. Legend has it that once Shiva tried to bring the fame of Nara and Narayana before the entire world.

Thomas Walsh, Archbishop of Cashel, was consecrated at the same time. The consecrating prelate was Cardinal Gabriel de Trejo, a great friend of the Irish. Mac Cathmhaoil's health had been much weakened by his duties and the austerities he practised. In making the visitations of the provinces of the Order, he had always travelled on foot.

In later texts, such as the Bhagavatapurana, he is described as an avatar of Vishnu, a great sage, known for his learning and austerities. Rishabhanatha is also mentioned in Buddhist literature. It speaks of several tirthankara and includes Rishabhanatha along with: Padmaprabha, Chandraprabha, Pushpadanta, Vimalanatha, Dharmanatha, and Neminatha. A Buddhist scripture named Dharmottarapradipa mentions Rishabhanatha as an Apta (Tirthankara).

The fish carries the boat with Manu to the high grounds of the northern mountains (interpreted as Himalayas). The lone survivor Manu then re- establishes life by performing austerities and yajna (sacrifices). The goddess Ida appears from the sacrifice and both together initiate the race of Manu, the humans. According to Bonnefoy, the Vedic story is symbolic.

In May 1898 Ramana Maharshi moved to a mango orchard next to Gurumurtam. Osborne wrote that during this time Ramana Maharshi completely neglected his body. He also ignored the ants which bit him incessantly. Gradually, despite Ramana Maharshi's desire for privacy, he attracted attention from visitors who admired his silence and austerities, bringing offerings and singing praises.

Jayanti's husband Shukra The Matsya Purana narrates that the asuras were almost decimated in battle with the devas. Their guru, Shukra, goes to Kailasa to please the lord Shiva and acquire new powers to revive the asuras from doom. Shukra performs severe tapas (austerities). The devas try to destroy the remaining asuras and their refuge by Shukra's mother, Kavyamata.

Bhagat Beni makes a severe denunciation of the Hindu rituals and austerities of Hath Yoga' so that common man learns of the real motive of true religion i.e. cultivation of the Divine Name. He has three hymns on this subject included in the Guru Granth Sahib under Siri Raag (P.93), Ramkali (974) and Prabhati (1351) musical measures.

Violent deeds, killing of creatures having five sense organs, eating fish, and so on, lead to rebirth in hell. Deception, fraud and falsehood lead to rebirth in the animal and vegetable world. Kindness, compassion and humble character result in human birth; while austerities and the making and keeping of vows lead to rebirth in heaven.Krishan, Yuvraj (1997) p.

IAST: "" () is a name of Vishnu composed of hṛṣīka meaning 'senses' and īśa meaning 'lord', thus 'Lord of the Senses'. The name commemorates an apparition of Vishnu to Raibhya Rishi,Glossary of terms in Hinduism#R as a result of his tapasya (austerities), as Lord Hrishikesha. In Skanda Purana, this area is known as Kubjāmraka () as Lord Vishnu appeared under a mango tree.

Meanwhile, Parvati, the reincarnation of Sati, was born to Himavan, the god of the Himalayas and his wife the apsara Mena. She underwent severe austerities to compel Shiva to marry her. The gods, desperate to hasten the birth of Shiva's son, sent Kamadeva, the god of love, to disturb Shiva's meditation. Though Shiva was awakened, Kamadeva was burnt up by Shiva's fury.

Endued with great energy, he hath been wronged by Duryodhana. If he were not high-minded, they would in wrath burn the Dhritarashtras. I do not so much dread Arjuna or Bhima or Krishna or the twin brothers as I dread the wrath of the king, O Suta, when his wrath is excited. His austerities are great; he is devoted to Brahmacharya practices.

He used to wear in Sakya style, which was not typical of Saivism. He used to worship Shiva at this place and even did puja for a stone he crossed. In his devotion, he used to forget that he was adorning the image of Shiva with stones instead of flowers. One day he forgot to do his austerities and started consuming food.

Kindness, compassion and humble character result in human birth; while austerities and the making and keeping of vows leads to rebirth in heaven. There are five types of bodies in the Jain thought: earthly (e.g. most humans, animals and plants), metamorphic (e.g. gods, hell beings, fine matter, some animals and a few humans who can morph because of their perfections), transference type (e.g.

He also wrote Jesuits in Conflict, a work describing the sufferings of some of the English Jesuit confessors of the Faith. As a religious, Brother Foley was a model of every virtue. His bodily austerities were remarkable, while his spirit of prayer led him at all free moments to the chapel. He died at Manresa House, Roehampton, on 19 November 1891.

Baba, for many years, asked his followers to undertake austerities on 10 July, the anniversary of the day his silence began, such as keeping silence, fasting and praying. In his final Silence Day request to his followers in 1968, he asked only that they keep silent.Glimpses of the God-Man, Meher Baba, vol. 6, by Bal Natu, Sheriar Foundation, 1994, p.

Having understood the divine purpose behind the prank, Sundarar leaped with joy and glorified the Lord in ten songs. This episode is celebrated as an important festival called "Vedupari". The great sages such as Agasthya, Markendeya and Dhurvasa took to severe austerities and worshiped the Lord enshrined here. It is said that Durvasa brought the "Madhavi tree" from heaven and placed it here.

Therefore, grant me the benediction > that I too may have no rival. Give me sole lordship over all the living > entities and presiding deities, and give me all the glories obtained by that > position. Furthermore, give me all the mystic powers attained by long > austerities and the practice of yoga, for these cannot be lost at any > time.Bhag-P, Canto 7 7.3.

Every man reaps the consequences of his own acts. > Anger, my son, is the destruction of all that man obtains by arduous > exertions, of fame, and of devout austerities; and prevents the attainment > of heaven or of emancipation. The chief sages always shun wrath: be not > subject to its influence, my child. Let no more of these unoffending spirits > of darkness be consumed.

Siddhas have traveled to then Malaya and performed austerities and eventually went into Jeeva Samadhi. Jeganatha Swamigal, a disciple of Ramalinga Adigal, is foremost among a handful of saints who ventured to the then Malaya. Jeganatha Swamigal's Samadhi is located at Tapah, Perak. Presently, the Jeganatha Swamigal's Samadhi and the land adjacent to its temple is managed by Malaysia Hindu Sangam.

His wife was Rudidevi and his son Vijitasena. He left home and performed austerities for ten months until he was given milk rice by Yasodhara, daughter of the merchant Saundana. He was given grass for his seat by Ajivaka Sundana. His Tree of Enlightenment was a Salakalyani tree, and his first sermon was to ten choirs of monks in the Devavana near Amaravati.

At that time he should remind Vishnu (as Krishna) of the incident. When Vishnu came to earth as Krishna and was reminded, he sent Narada to various experts until his command of music was almost perfected. Then Krishna himself taught him the best forms of devotional music and song. Sarga 8: Ravana performed great tapas (austerities) to please Brahma, the creator.

Jain monks stop walking during chaturmas and reside at one place where they lecture on various religious subjects during paryushana. This festival is believed to remove accumulated karma of the previous year and develop control over new accumulating new karma, by following Jain austerities and other rituals. There are regular rituals at the Jain temples. Discourses of Kalpa Sutra are given by monks.

The chapter 9 of Tattvartha Sutra by Umaswati describe how karmic particles can be stopped from attaching to the soul and how these can be shed. He asserts that gupti (curbing activity), dharma (virtues such as forbearance, modesty, purity, truthfulness, self-restraint, austerity, renunciation), contemplation, endurance in hardship (he lists twenty two hardships including hunger, thirst, cold, heat, nakedness, injury, lack of gain, illness, praise, disrespect), and with good character towards others (he lists five – equanimity, reinitiation, non-injury (ahimsa), slight passion and fair conduct), a soul stops karmic accumulations. External austerities such as fasting, reduced diet and isolated habitation, while internal austerities such as expiation, reverence, service, renunciation and meditation, according to Umaswati, along with respectful service to teachers and ailing ascetics help shed karma. The state of liberation is presented in Chapter 10 by Umaswati.

The chapter 9 of Tattvartha Sutra states how karmic particles can be stopped from attaching to the soul and how these can be shed. Umaswati asserts that gupti (curbing activity), dharma (virtues such as forbearance, modesty, purity, truthfulness, self-restraint, austerity, renunciation), contemplation, endurance in hardship (he lists twenty two hardships including hunger, thirst, cold, heat, nakedness, injury, lack of gain, illness, praise, disrespect), and with good character towards others (he lists five – equanimity, reinitiation, non-injury (Ahimsa), slight passion and fair conduct), a soul stops karmic accumulations. External austerities such as fasting, reduced diet and isolated habitation, along with internal austerities such as expiation, reverence, service, renunciation and meditation, according to Umaswati, along with respectful service to teachers and ailing ascetics help shed karma. The state of liberation is presented in Chapter 10 by Umaswati.

The end of each week saw him eat a few boiled vegetables which had been soaked in water with the terrible smelling weed known as wormwood. He often ate scraps from the kitchen. Other austerities included wearing a coat with steel spikes or a patched habit including one tunic lined with rough pig hair designed to cause discomfort. Sometimes he slept out in the cold.

Ramayana, I.51-56 When engaged in austerities, Visvamitra is befriended by Trisanku. He then champions Trisanku's cause, performs his royal consecration and on his death elevates him in his living body to heaven.Ramayana, I.57-60 The rivalry of Visvamitra and Vasistha continues even during the reign of Hariscandra, Trisanku's son. Hariscandra had a son Rohita, whom he had vowed to sacrifice to Varuna.

King Mahabali was generous, and engaged in severe austerities and penance and won the praise of the world. With the praise from his courtiers and others, he regarded himself as the all powerful in the world. Vamana, in the guise of a short Brahmin carrying a wooden umbrella, went to the king to request three paces of land. Mahabali consented, against the warning of his guru, Sukracharya.

375 Other pilgrimage sites along the river banks include Yamuna's source Yamunotri, Mathura and Bateshvar. The Mahabharata mentions Yamuna being one of the 7 tributaries of the Ganges. Drinking its waters is described to absolve sin. The river is mentioned many times in the epic as backdrop for events like yajnas (sacrifices), austerities and even a suicide by a defeated minister Hamsa of Jarasandha.

Amba gave up food and sleep, and practised asceticism standing still for six months in the Yamuna river valley, surviving only on air. She became emaciated and developed matted locks. After that, she stood in the waters of the Yamuna, without food and practised austerities. After that, she spent time standing on her tip toes, having eaten only one fallen leaf of a tree.

Rishabhdev, believed to have lived over a million years ago, is considered the founder of Jain philosophy in the present Avasarpini. In Jainism, it commemorates the first Tirthankara's (Rishabhdev) ending his one-year asceticism by consuming sugarcane juice poured into his cupped hands.Some Jains refer to the festival as Varshi Tapa. Fasting and ascetic austerities are marked by Jains, particularly at pilgrimage sites such as Palitana (Gujarat).

The eventful life of Swami Vivekananda, his teachings, thoughts, contribution towards society and his relation with his teacher Ramakrishna Paramahamsa are shown in this film. The film has captured different events from his life starting from his childhood days to his college days, meeting with his master Ramakrishna at Dakshineswar, relationship with Ramakrishna, austerities undertaken by him and other monastic disciples of Ramakrishna, etc.

1406 CE), great grandson (fifth generation) of Sheikh Shihabuddin Suhrawardi. (Founder of Suharwardiya Khaanwad). He was seventh lineage disciple to Bayazid Bustami and was honored with Khilafat (Spiritual Deputyhood) from all of the 14 Sufi Tayfuriya orders (Khanwaads or Gharaanaas). Shattar was deputized and given the honorific "Shattar" by his teacher Sheikh Muhammad Taifur in recognition of the austerities he faced in achieving this station (maqam).

Narendra decided to convert a dilapidated house at Baranagar into a new math (monastery) for the remaining disciples. Rent for the Baranagar Math was low, raised by "holy begging" (mādhukarī). The math became the first building of the Ramakrishna Math: the monastery of the monastic order of Ramakrishna. Narendra and other disciples used to spend many hours in practicing meditation and religious austerities every day.

The idea that a certain power could be transferred from one to another was known before the arising of Buddhism. In religious texts such as the Mahābhārata, it is described that devas can transfer certain powers ('). A similar belief existed with regard to the energy gained by performing austerities ('). Apart from these transfers of power, a second origin is found in Brahamanical ancestor worship.

When the holy mother Sri Sarada Devi visited the Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service, Achalananda showed her the hospital.Ramakrishna Mission Varanasi On 24 August 1910, Achalananda was elected as one of the trustees of Ramakrishna Order.p291. He retired from active life in 1914. The rest of his life was spent in spreading the ideals of Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda and in pursuing spiritual austerities.

New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 27 October 2017 Under Germain's influence, Childebert is said to have led a reformed life. In his new role, the bishop continued to practice the virtues and austerities of his monastic life, working to diminish the suffering caused by the incessant wars. He attended the Third and Fourth Councils of Paris (557, 573) and also the Second Council of Tours (566).

The Vana Parva book of the Mahabharata narrates that an asura (demon) named Dhundhu lived under the sands of the desert of Ujjalaka, in Marudhanva. Dhundu terrorized the whole world. Upset by Dhundu's action, Uttanka – whose ashram was in Ujjalaka – performed tapas (austerities) dedicated to Vishnu. Pleased, Vishnu told Uttanka that the Ikshvaku king Kulavalashva, possessing part of his power, would slay the demon.

The main character and his relatives appear in a number of the author's other books. These include The New Austerities (1994), which depicts Lee in his middle age working for an insurance company, Opportunities in Alabama Agriculture (1994), which is about his grandfather, The Sweet-Scented Manuscript (2004), about Lee's college days, and Fields of Asphodel (2007), which is about Lee in the afterlife.

Kirtimukha above a Hindu temple entrance in Kathmandu, Nepal The word mukha in Sanskrit refers to the face while kīrti means "fame, glory". The story of Kirtimukha begins when a great king Jalandhara, who "by virtue of extraordinary austerities ... accumulated to himself irresistible powers."Heinrich Zimmer, Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilisation, edited by Joseph Campbell. New York: Harper Torchbooks, 1946, p.

Later, in 1236, she was sent to commence the new foundation at Nazareth, a hamlet near Lier, Belgium. She practised very severe austerities, wearing a girdle of thorns and compressing her body with cords. In her visions, Jesus is said to have appeared to her and to have pierced her heart with a fiery dart. Her devotion to the Eucharist resulted in bleeding and physical collapse.

He had only completed the Universe when Brihaspati ordered him to stop. Trisanku, however, did not fully transcend through Trisanku Svarga created for him. He remained fixed and upside-down in the sky and was transformed into a constellation, which is now known as Crux. In the process of forming a new universe, Vishvamitra used up all the tapas he had gained from his austerities.

They were lay devotees of Parshvanatha. Mahavira abandoned all worldly possessions at the age of about 30 and left home in pursuit of spiritual awakening, becoming an ascetic. Mahavira practiced intense meditation and severe austerities for 12 and half years, after which he attained Kevala Gyan (omniscience). He preached for 30 years and attained Moksha (salvation) in the 6th century BC, although the year varies by sect.

He died in Pondicherry on 30 October 1811. It was worn out with mortification and was exhausted. He insisted on continuing his austerities; He continued to fast even when the Roman Pontiff granted him special dispensation. His official biography at MEP archives end as follows: "His administration was wise, prudent, and with very limited resources, he managed to deal with the most pressing needs".

The idea that a certain power can be transferred from one person to another was known before Buddhism. In Hindu texts such as the Mahābhārata, it is described that devas can transfer certain powers (tejas). A similar belief existed with regard to the energy gained by performing austerities (tapas). In the Upanishads, certain ceremonies can be found in which a person's deeds are mystically transferred to another.

Dattatreya was the son of the sage Atri and his wife Anasuya. Anasuya, an archetypal chaste and virtuous wife, did severe Tapas (austerities) to beget a son equal in merits as Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Hindu male trinity (Trimurti). Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati, the goddess trinity (Tridevi) and consorts of the male trinity, became jealous. They deputed their husbands to test her virtuousness.

It subsequently describes the greatness of Purusottama Kshetra, Viraja Kshetra, Maiterya Vana, and Ekamra Tirtha. Sage Kapila is the main narrator of this Purana. He describes to king Shalyajit regarding the glorified virtue of Utkala Kingdom, which he reports as a conversation between sage Bharadvaja and the sages performing tapas (austerities) in Pushkarakshetra. It describes the Shiva, Durga, Vishnu and Surya shrines in and around Orissa.

He also visited the Ramakrishna Mission Sevashrama Kankhal and stayed with his brother disciple Swami Kalyanananda. During his canvassing tour he received the news of his master's demise and returned to Mayavati. He immersed himself in spiritual pursuits like meditation and austerities and his health broke down. At this stage he received instructions on spiritual practices from the Sarada Devi in Jayrambati and returned to Belur Math.

Valmiki describes in the Ramayana that there once was no rain in Chitrakuta for ten years. There was a severe famine and nothing was left for animals and birds to eat or drink. Sati Anusuya performed intensive austerities and got the river Mandakini down on earth. This led to the growth of greenery and forests, and eliminated the suffering of all sages and animals.

Joined by his 16,000 vassals and princes, and with the parrot as his guide, he reaches Singhal after crossing the seven seas. There, he tries to win Padmavati by performing austerities in a temple. Informed by the parrot, Padmavati visits the temple and returns without meeting Ratansen, although she begins to long for him. Meanwhile, at the temple, Ratansen decides to commit suicide for having missed her.

Franca then persuaded her parents to build a Cistercian house in Montelana where she and Carentia both entered. Franca became abbess and maintained the strict austerities on herself, even when her health was failing, and spent most nights praying for several hours in chapel. She later moved the Cistercian community to Pittoli, where she died in 1218. Saint Franca was canonised by Pope Gregory X.

Adbhuta Ramayana mentions that Tumburu was the best of all singers and was rewarded by God Vishnu. Narada, a devotee of Vishnu, became jealous of Tumburu. Vishnu tells Narada that Tumburu was dearer to him as he loved songs of praise, rather than austerities that were performed by Narada and sent Narada to an owl named Ganabandhu, to learn music. After learning from the owl, Narada sets to conquer Tumburu.

Humiliated, Amba undertook great austerities, and the gods granted her wish to be the cause of Bhishma's death. Amba was then reborn as Shikhandini. A divine voice told Drupada to raise Shikhandini as a son; so Drupada raised her like a man, trained her in warfare and arranged for her to marry a female. On the wedding night, Shikhandini's wife discovered that her "husband" was female, and insulted her.

Inés de Benigánim (9 February 1625 - 21 January 1696) - born as Josefa María Albiñana Gomar - was a Spanish Roman Catholic professed religious of the Discalced Augustinian Nuns with the religious name of "Josefa María of Saint Agnes". She became known for her profound spiritual and theological insight as well as for her severe austerities she practiced during her life. Her beatification was celebrated in 1888 in Saint Peter's Basilica.

Bhishma (left) refuses to fight Shakhandi (right). Drupada had no children so he did austerities in the forest seeking the blessings of Shiva for begetting a son. Shiva granted him the boon that a girl would be born to him, but will transform into a boy later. As prophesied, Amba was reborn as Shikhandini, whose true gender was not disclosed and she was brought up as a boy.

Sometimes, in mythology, certain humans develop the ability to live indefinitely, avoiding death, and becoming divine xiān. Such humans generally also are said to develop special powers. Generally, these abilities are said to develop through such practices of Chinese alchemy, obtaining an Elixir of life, and/or various austerities of diet or sexuality. Symbolic associations with immortality include a spotted deer, cranes, the Lingzhi mushroom, and a gourd and bat.

On the third day of her stay, she disappeared into a crowd of pilgrims, disguising herself as a sadhvi to evade recognition. She began travelling by train and by foot to holy sites and monasteries throughout India. During her years of pilgrimage Gauri Ma practised severe austerities such as fasting, observing silence, and long hours of meditation. She also spent a great deal of time studying the Hindu scriptures.

Sujata, a daughter of wealthy family, prayed to a Banyan Tree for a baby boy to be her family's heir. After her prayer was granted, she gave thanks by returning to the tree with an offering of madhupayasa. Lord Buddha, then in his ascetic period, was meditating under the tree and fainting from starvation. She gave him the food and he recovered, beginning to focus on moderation rather than extreme austerities.

Illustrative means to repent for intentional and unintentional misdeeds include admitting one's misdeeds, austerities, fasting, pilgrimage and bathing in sacred waters, ascetic lifestyle, yajna (fire sacrifice, homa), praying, yoga, giving gifts to the poor and needy, and others. Those texts that discuss Prāyaścitta, states Robert Lingat, debate the intent and thought behind the improper act, and consider penance appropriate when the "effect" had to be balanced, but "cause" was unclear.

His ashram was near Bhind town of Madhya Pradesh state, where he undertook great penance and austerities for ultimate realization of God. According to a story of Vanparv of the Hindu Epic Mahabharat, there was an Ashram of Vibhandak Rishi in the area of Kaushiki Devnadi river. Kaushiki Devnadi river is identified as Kunwari or Kwari river. The name of Bhind town is named after this great saint.

He was also surnamed "Nanpash", or the bread-giver. After the party arrived at Roza, Moizu-d din and five others left for Gangapurbarri, the present Gangapur. A gosain was practising austerities in a "mat", from which he retired before the newcomers; and the Nanpash and his party dismantled the building and erected a mosque on the site. Gangapurbarri was then infested with freebooting Mangs, the Mangs offered human sacrifices.

Jainism and Buddhism are continuation of the Sramana school of thought. The Sramanas cultivated a pessimistic worldview of the samsara as full of suffering and advocated renunciation and austerities. They laid stress on philosophical concepts like Ahimsa, Karma, Jnana, Samsara and Moksa. Cārvāka (Sanskrit: चार्वाक) (atheist) philosophy, also known as Lokāyata, it is a system of Hindu philosophy that assumes various forms of philosophical skepticism and religious indifference.

The Matsya Purana evolves the legend further, by identifying the fish-savior (Matsya) with Vishnu instead of Brahma. The Purana derives its name from Matsya and begins with the tale of Manu. King Manu renounces the world. Pleased with his austerities on Malaya mountains (interpretated as Kerala in Southern India), Brahma grants his wish to rescue the world at the time of the pralaya (dissolution at end of a kalpa).

19th Century mural paintings depicting monks on dhutanga at Wat Somanat in Bangkok, Thailand. Dhutanga (Pali dhutaṅga "renunciation",The 13 ascetic practices dhammadana.org known in Thai as "Thudong"; ) is a group of thirteen austerities or ascetic practices most commonly observed by the practitioners of the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism. While the Buddha did not require these practices, they were recommended for those wanting to practice greater asceticism.

Ranganatha painting (not from the temple, nothing like the one in the temple). The temple and its artwork are a subject of numerous different Tamil legends covered in regional Puranic texts. Sriranga Mahathmiyam, for example, is one of the compilation of the temple mythology about its origins. According to it, Brahma was performing austerities during the samudra manthan (churning of cosmic ocean), and Srirangam Vimanam emerged as a result.

Various yogic groups had become prominent in Punjab in the 15th and 16th century, when Sikhism was in its nascent stage. Compositions of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, describe many dialogues he had with Jogis, a Hindu community which practiced yoga. Guru Nanak rejected the austerities, rites and rituals connected with Hatha Yoga. He propounded the path of Sahaja yoga or Nama yoga (meditation on the name) instead.

Bhikshtana, Kailashanatha temple, Kanchipuram. The young, nude Bhikshatana (right) holding a staff and with unwound hair is worshipped by women, who are seduced by him. An agitated sage (top left) raises his hand to hit Bhikshatana. As told in the Kurma Purana, Bhikshatana-Shiva wanted to reveal the ignorance of the sages, who were engrossed in Dharma (righteousness) and extreme austerities but had forgotten the Samkhya (Supreme Knowledge).

Benvenuta Bojani (4 May 1254 - 30 October 1292) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed member of the Third Order of Saint Dominic. Bojani dedicated her life to strict austerities as an act of repentance and devotion to God and was known to have visions of angels and demons. The confirmation of the late Bojani's local 'cultus' (or popular devotion) allowed for Pope Clement XIV to approve her beatification in 1763.

Before taking monastic vows Shuddhananda had spent many days in Almora practising spiritual disciplines under Swami Niranjanānanda Puri, a direct monastic disciple of Ramakrishna. In September 1898 they came to Varanasi and stayed in the garden house of Banshi Dutta. However the austerities took a toll on the health of Shuddhananda. At this point Charuchandra, later Shubhananda, and Kedarnath, later Achalananda served and nursed him back to health.

In 1895, he went to Benaras and Vrindavan for performing spiritual austerities and stayed with direct monastic disciples of Ramakrishna like Brahmananda, Baburam Maharaj, Advaitananda and Yogananda. He also stayed in the house of Hariprasanna Chatterjee, later Vijnanananda to recoup his health. However all this time he was greatly inspired by Vivekananda and his exploits in the West and was awaiting his return. In 1897 he reached Calcutta and met Vivekananda.

A mountain-dwelling version of Buddhism called Shugendō emerged in Japan as a syncretism between Vajrayana, Shinto and Taoism in the 7th century, which stressed ascetic practices.Ken Jeremiah (2010), Living Buddhas: The Self-mummified Monks of Yamagata, Japan. McFarland, pages 10–11 This tradition continued through the Edo period. One of its ascetic practice was Sokushinbutsu (or Sokushin jobutsu), connoting mountain austerities in order to attain Buddha-nature in one's body.

Saint Franca Visalta (1170–1218), also known as Franca of Piacenza, was a Cistercian abbess. Born in Piacenza, Italy, she became a Benedictine nun in St Syrus Convent at the age of seven and became abbess at a young age. However, she was removed and isolated because of the severe austerities she imposed. Only one nun, Carentia, agreed with Franca's discipline and she moved to a Cistercian convent in Rapallo.

Kassapa gave up his worldly life traveling in his palace. He practiced austerities for only seven days. Just before attaining enlightenment, he accepted a meal of milk- rice from his wife and grass for his seat from a yavapālaka named Soma. His Bodhi tree (the tree under which he attained enlightenment) was a banyan, and he preached his first sermon at Isipatana to an assembly of monks who had renounced the world in his company.

The women of the house where the ritual takes place performs the serpent dance (Sarpam Thullal. Austerities start seven or nine days before the day of the dance. They avoid eating food items that are considered to be impure. The canopy (pandal) where the serpent dance takes place is adorned with palm leaves, geranium flowers, jasmine flowers, chrysanthemum indicum, champaka, lotus, banyan leaf, betel leaf, ripe areca nut and branches of coconut flowers.

The adjoining portion of the complex is called Peer Mandap, the Trusty's place of fasting during the annual festival. A mosque is located next to the Peer Mandap, where daily prayers are offered. Shifa Gunta is a holy tank with stepped sides, located within the precincts of the dargah. As per a local legend, Shahul Hamid is believed to have brought an iron chain with him to Nagore to bind himself during severe austerities.

Avipaka - Active Method - Also known as Sakam or intentional Nirjara, it involves individual exertion of ascetic practices, by practicing internal and external austerities, like penances or tapas, literally meaning heat, so as to accelerate the ripening process as well as reducing the effects produced. This is recommended approach as it prepares and conditions the soul and reminds it to be vigilant. Tapas is of two kinds, bahya or external, and antaranga or internal.

Realizing that his bones were the only way by which the devas could defeat the asuras, he willingly gave his life in a pit of mystical flames that he summoned with the power of his austerities. Brahma is then said to have fashioned a large number of weapons from Dadhichi's bones, including the Vajrayudha, which was fashioned from his spine. The devas are then said to have defeated the asuras using the weapons thus created.

Baba Gangainath Ji is a contemporary 'Ayi-panthi' Nath yogi. He took 'Sannyas' at a young age in search of divinity. He reached Kajalwas, a holy land of Nath Yogis, situated in the lap of Aravalli Range about four kilometers east of Siriyari, Rajasthan, India where his Guru Bhaunath Ji gave him Shaktipat deeksha. He later moved to Jamsar where after establishing a 'dhuni', he performed severe austerities (tapasya) for a long time.

He was known to practice austerities such as abstaining from meat and wearing a hair shirt. He was also known for his deep devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and for his conversion of sinners. He oversaw the construction of the new archdiocesan cathedral that his predecessor had authorized and in which he himself would be buried. It had been claimed that he performed eighteen miracles in life and a further eighteen in death.

He was also ascetic and humble. When he learned that the people of Alexandria and the bishops wanted to make him the Patriarch of Alexandria, he took flight by night to Pelusium and became a monk in a monastery there. He soon became known for his exactitude in the observance of the rule and for his austerities. A passage in his voluminous correspondence affords reason to believe that he held the office of abbot.

Madurai S. Sankaranarayanan. (December 2014, P.07,08,09,10) Sringeryil Sankarar - Varalaru, Amman Darisanam, Tamil Periodical Sachchidananda Bharathi-I is considered by his devotees to have saved Sringeri through his penance and austerities during a period when Sringeri was attacked by a neighboring King Bhairava of Kalasapuram thrice.Madurai S. Sankaranarayanan. (December 2014, P.07-11) Sringeryil Sankarar - Varalaru, Amman Darisanam, Tamil Periodical The King of Ikkeri, Virabhadra Nayaka (See Nayakas of Keladi)C. Hayavadana Rao.

History of Mysore (1399-1799 A.D.) (1948.), Government PressAnnual Report of Mysore Archeological Department. (1934, No. 33) came in support of the Sringeri Mutt and the surrounding territory. He was defeated by King Bhairava twice and thus Bhairava was emboldened to attack Sringeri the third time.Madurai S. Sankaranarayanan. (January 2014, P.06-09) Sringeryil Sankarar - Varalaru, Amman Darisanam, Tamil Periodical Sri Sachidananda Bharathi-I prayed for divine help through his penance and austerities.

Here he erected a little oratory on a gentle eminence among the Dysert Hills, now represented by a ruined and deserted Protestant church. He is also claimed to have founded Dísert Óengusa near to Croom, c. AD 780. His earliest biographer in the ninth century relates the wonderful austerities practised by St. Óengus in his "desert", and though he sought to be far from the haunts of men, his fame attracted a stream of visitors.

The three chief classes of Rishi are the Brah- marshi, born of the mind of Brahma, the Devarshi of lower rank, and Rajarshi or Kings who became Rishis through their knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are makers of Shastras, as Sushruta. The Kandarshi are of the Karmakanda, such as Jaimini. Ghora of the Angiras family is identified by some scholars as Neminatha, the twenty-second tirthankara in Jainism.

It calls asceticism qua asceticism wrong, and then immediately calls asceticism right, necessary and praises asceticism for the inner perfection and Self-knowledge it helps bring. The fourth prapathaka does not resolve the inherent conflict it acknowledges. In paragraph 4.4, the Upanishad asserts that meditation, austerities, perseverance and knowledge leads to Brahman state, of bliss that is imperishable, infinite and unchangeable. It is this union of Brahman that frees the true Self unto bliss.

The troupes crisscross Mewar performing more than 600 day-long village ceremonies in all. In total, Gavari troupes in total can play to over a quarter of a million people annually. During the 40-day Gavari season, all players practice strict austerities to maintain reverent contact with the living earth and the immanent spirit. They avoid not only sex, alcohol and meat, but also shoes, beds, bathing, and eating greens (which might harm insect life).

The Palitana temples of Hinduism and Jainism are located on Shatrunjaya hill by the city of Palitana in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat, India. The city of the same name, known previously as Padliptapur, has been dubbed "City of Temples". Shatrunjaya means a "place of victory against inner enemies" or "which conquers inner enemies". Some devotees believe that Lord Krishna frequented the mountains quite often and performed a number of austerities in one of the caves here.

Yatiswarananda was born as Suresh Chandra Bhattacharya in erstwhile Bengal. He joined Ramakrishna Order in Belur Math and got initiation from Swami Brahmananda, the first president of the Ramakrishna Order. During his early days as an itinerant monk he performed austerities on the banks of the rivers Kaveri and Tamraparni and on the seashore at Tiruchendur in Tamil Nadu. Yatiswarananda He went to preach Vedanta in Europe and stayed in Wiesbaden in Germany.

250px Bhagavata Purana describes that Vishnu descended as the Vamana avatar to restore the authority of Indra over the heavens, as it had been taken by Mahabali, a benevolent Asura King. Bali was the grandson of Prahlada. King Mahabali was generous, and engaged in severe austerities and penance and won the praise of the world. With the praise from his courtiers and others, he regarded himself as the all powerful in the world.

Betjeman's poem How to Get On in Society concluded the collection. The issue of U and non-U could have been taken lightheartedly, but at the time many took it very seriously. This was a reflection of the anxieties of the middle class in Britain of the 1950s, recently emerged from post-war austerities. In particular the media used it as a launch pad for many stories, making much more out of it than was first intended.

She reveals to him the true purpose of their marriage, the birth of their son - saviour of the serpents - and asks him to wait until that purpose is fulfilled. The sage assures her that his seed is in her and that she will deliver a learned son. Jaratkaru leaves to perform his austerities again, never to return again to his family. The Brahma Vaivarta Purana narrates that Jaratkaru oversleeps and misses the time of his morning rituals.

Vyasa taught the Rigveda so revealed to Paila, the Yajurveda to Vaishampayana, the Samaveda to Jaimini, Atharvaveda to Samantu, and Itihasa and Purana to Suta. The three chief classes of rishi are the Brahmarshi, born of the mind of Brahma, the Devarshi of lower rank, and Rajarshi or Kings who became rishi through their knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are makers of Shastras, as Sushruta. The Kandarshi are of the Karmakanda, such as Jaimini.

Budha told Ila that his retinue had been killed in a rain of stones and convinced Ila to stay with him for a year. During each month she spent as a woman, Ilā had good time with Budha. During each month as a man, Ila turned to pious ways and performed austerities under the guidance of Budha. In the ninth month, Ilā gave birth to Pururavas, who grew to become the first king of the Lunar dynasty.

At that time, the colour of the Supreme cosmic soul that was situated in the heart of one and all and the saviour of all the sages was white (light). All the people that are Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras were embellished with all the good qualities. People would practice austerities and penance to attain Brahman. All would be inclined towards the supreme knowledge and all actions performed would be in the intention of attaining celestial bliss.

Of the major Indian religions, Jainism has had the strongest ascetic tradition. Ascetic life may include nakedness, symbolizing non- possession even of clothes, fasting, body mortification, and penance, to burn away past karma and stop producing new karma, both of which are believed essential for reaching siddha and moksha ("liberation from rebirths" and "salvation"). Jain texts like Tattvartha Sūtra and Uttaradhyayana Sūtra discuss austerities in detail. Six outer and six inner practices are oft- repeated in later Jain texts.

The Soissons archdeacon Pierre - his maternal uncle - oversaw his education. He became a canon in Soissons and later in Paris. It was sometime later that he resolved to abandon the world and enter into the Order of Grandmont. He was content with this decision and lived amongst them for a period of time while practicing great austerities but in 1167 once he saw the dissensions occurring amongst members of the order, decided to enter the Cistercians.

The news quite overwhelmed him with grief but a stern command from his order's general could move him to accept that honor. Even Pope Innocent III prompted him to accept the appointment. He continued his austerities in his episcopal career to the point where he abstained from meat and wore a hair shirt. The bishop proved to be instrumental in the ongoing construction of the Gothic Cathedral of Saint Stephen which his predecessor had commenced earlier in 1195.

The story of Kaushiki's birth is mentioned in the Matsya Purana and Markandeya Purana, with both the texts different. As in the Matsya Purana, Parvati once performed austerities and meditation to become fair (Gouri). It is said that from the skin she sloughed off from her body emerged the beautiful and dark- complexioned goddess Kaushiki. After that, Kaushiki went to Vindhyas and slayed Shumbha and Nishumbha, two demons who had gained the boon of immortality from Brahma.

Tarakasura repeatedly defeated the gods until heaven was on the verge of collapse. Yet he had a clever boon that he could be defeated only by the son of Shiva, who was a complete yogi, given to severe austerities, far from any thoughts of marriage. However, Parvati who was re- incarnation of Sati, Shiva's first wife and also incarnation of Aadi Shakti who was once a part of Shiva, in their Ardhanarishvara form. Eventually their son Kartikeya was born.

The image of Shiva in the vimana As per Hindu legend, Bali was the grandson of Prahlada. King Mahabali, though an asura king, was generous, and engaged in severe austerities and penance and won the praise of the world. With the praise from his courtiers and others, he regarded himself as the all powerful in the world. Vamana, in the guise of a short Brahmin carrying a wooden umbrella, went to the king to request three paces of land.

To the Ṛṣis the Vedas were revealed. Vyasa taught the Rigveda so revealed to Paila, the Yajurveda to Vaishampayana, the Samaveda to Jaimini, Atharvaveda to Samantu, and Itihasa and Purana to Suta. The three chief classes of Ṛṣis are the Brahmarshi, born of the mind of Brahma, the Devarshi of lower rank, and Rajarshi or Kings who became Ṛṣis through their knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are makers of Shastras, as Suśruta.

The story has only three characters—a brahmin sannyasi, a housewife and a vyadha (butcher). The story begins with a young sannyasi going to a forest, where he meditates and practices spiritual austerities for a long time. After years of practice, one day while sitting under a tree, dry leaves fall on his head because of a fight between a crow and a crane. The angry sannyasi had developed yogic powers and burnt the birds with his mere look.

Unable to bear Surya's intense heat, Sanjna after giving birth to three children - retires to the forest to practice harsh austerities in form of a mare, leaving her shadow-image Chhaya, her handmaid to take her place and tend for her husband and progeny. Surya mistakes Chhaya for Sanjna and fathers three children on her. Chhaya gives birth to Shani, Savarni Manu and Tapti. However, Chhaya became partial to her own children and ignored those of Sanjna.

When in a short time Amator died, Germain was unanimously chosen to fill the vacant see, being consecrated 7 July, 418. His education now served him in good stead in the government of the diocese, which he administered with great sagacity. He distributed his goods among the poor, practised great austerities, and built a large monastery dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian on the banks of the Yonne, whither he was wont to retire in his spare moments.

Ribhus (Sanskrit: ऋभु, ṛbhu, also Arbhu, Rbhus, Ribhuksan) is an ancient Indian word whose meaning evolved over time. In early layers of the Vedic literature, it referred to a sun deity. It evolved to being a wind deity, thereafter referred to three male artisans whose abilities and austerities make them into divinities in later Vedic texts. Their individual names were Ribhu (or Rhibhu), Vaja and Vibhvan (also called Vibhu), but they were collectively called Rhibhus or Ribhus (, pl.

To the Rishi the Vedas were revealed. Vyasa taught the Rigveda so revealed to Paila, the Yajurveda to Vaishampayana, the Samaveda to Jaimini, Atharvaveda to Samantu, and Itihasa and Purana to Suta. The three chief classes of Rishi are the Brahmarshi, born of the mind of Brahma, the Devarshi of lower rank, and Rajarshi or Kings who became Rishis through their knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are makers of Shastras, as Sushruta.

Let us hold fast to Thy feet, Treading the waves of the world to safety. Oh, drunk with love, God-drunken Lover, In Thee all paths of all yogas meet. Lord of the worlds, Thou art ours, Who wert born a child of our time; Easy of access to us. O Merciful, if we take any hold Upon God in our prayer, It is by Thy grace alone, Since all Thine austerities Were practiced for our sake.

But after the murdered Kavyamata is resurrected, Indra, the king of the devas, becomes worried that with Shukra's success the asuras will regroup and attack again. He sends his daughter Jayanti to serve Shukra and to do anything possible to the advantage of Indra. In the Devi Bhagavata Purana, Indra orders Jayanti to entice the sage to disturb his austerities. Jayanti is displeased with her father's methods, but still goes to Kailash to honour his orders.

Regarding the body as the work of the evil deity, the Cerdonians formed a moral system of great severity, prohibiting marriage, wine and the eating of flesh, and advocating fasting and other austerities. Most of what the Church Fathers narrate of Cerdo's tenets has probably been transferred to him from his famous pupil Marcion, like whom he is said to have rejected the Old Testament and the New, except part of Luke's Gospel and of Paul's epistles.

The Bhagavata Purana describes that Vishnu descended as the Vamana avataram to restore the authority of Indra over the heavens, as it had been taken by Bali, a benevolent Asura King. Bali was the grandson of Prahlada, the son of Virochana. King Bali was generous, and engaged in severe austerities and penance and won the praise of the world. With the praise from his courtiers and others, he regarded himself as the all powerful in the world.

Talbot was on his way to Mass on Trinity Sunday, 7 June 1925, when he collapsed and died of heart failure on Granby Lane in Dublin. Nobody at the scene was able to identify him. His body was taken to Jervis Street Hospital, where he was undressed, revealing the extent of his austerities. A chain had been wound around his waist, with more chains around an arm and a leg, and cords around the other arm and leg.

The Chidambaram temple legend is contained in the 12th-century text Chidambara-mahatmya. The central episode states that Shiva visits sages in the mythical Pine Forest in the form of a beggar accompanied by Mohini, none other than Vishnu in the avatar of a beautiful woman. Mohini triggers lustful interest of the sages, while Shiva performs Tandava dance that triggers the carnal interest of the wives of these sages. The sages ultimately realise how superficial their austerities have been.

Vajrāṅka, Vajranaka, also referred to as Vajranaga, was a powerful Asura in Hindu mythology. According to the Puranas, he was born from the Earth goddess Diti and was fathered by the sage Kashyapa. Diti, being the mother of the Asuras sought revenge for the deaths of her children by the hands of the Devas. Diti is said to have underwent severe austerities for ten thousand years in exchange for a boon which granted her a child who would slay the Devas.

The ascetics of Vatsa dissuaded her to refrain from the austerities, but Amba maintained her resolve and told them her desire was to be born a man and slay Bhishma to avenge her misery. The god Shiva appeared to her and blessed her that she would become a man in her next birth and destroy Bhishma. Amba would be born to the king Drupada of Panchala and become a great warrior. Amba would remember her previous birth and hatred of Bhishma.

Another variant narrates that Amba performed austerities and pleased Kartikeya, the god of war and Shiva's son. He granted her a garland of ever-fresh lotuses and declared that whoever wore it will destroy Bhishma. With this garland, Amba made one more attempt to seek help of many kings and princes to support her in her just cause. However, there was no response from anyone of them to help her as they did not want to be on the wrong side of Bhishma.

Elena Valentinis (1396 - 23 April 1458) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious from the tertiaries of the Order of Saint Augustine. Valentinis was born to nobles and married a knight during her adolescence while mothering six children before she was widowed in 1441. She soon became a professed religious and dedicated herself to austerities and a life of complete penance. Her beatification was ratified on 27 September 1848 after Pope Pius IX approved her local 'cultus' - or popular veneration.

At the age of 39 he attempted to make up this deficiency by following the course at the College of Barcelona, but without success. His austerities had also undermined his health. After considerable delay he was finally admitted into the Society of Jesus as a lay brother on January 31, 1571, at the age of 40. The provincial is supposed to have said that if Alphonsus was not qualified to become a brother or a priest, he could enter to become a saint.

Sati Anasuya performed hard and intensive austerities and got the river Mandakini down on earth. This led to the greenery and forests to grow which removed the sufferings of all sages and the animals.Ayodhya kanda – sarga 117 shloka 9, 10 Sati Anasuya ashrama at present is a very peaceful place where various streams from the hills converge and form the Mandakini River. It is said that Rama along with Sita had visited this place to meet Maharishi Atri and Sati Anasuya.

Seeking out Vishnu, Bhrigu was bold enough to place his foot on the god's chest. Instead of resenting, the kindly god asked the seer's pardon for the hardness of his breast. Bhrigu returned and praised Vishnu as the noblest of the gods. To wipe out the sin of insulting the gods, Bhrigu came to Brahma Kshetra, bathed in the Hiranyaksh, made his hermitage the seat of a Shiva, and performed such rigid austerities, that Shiva was pleased and freed him from his sin.

Singh's most significant work is his controversial autobiography, Keu Bale Dakat, Keu Bale Biplabi (Some Call Me a Robber, Some Call Me a Revolutionary). His other significant works include: Chattagram Yubabidroha (Youth Revolution in Chittagong) (in two volumes), Agnigarbha Chattagram (Chittagong on Fire), Masterda on Surya Sen, Surya Sener Svapna O Sadhana (Dream and Austerities of Surya Sen) and Ami Sei Meye (I am that Girl). Between 1960 and 1966, he even produced three Bengali films including the hit Jamalaye Jibanta Manush.

Mūlasarvāstivādin and later Chinese texts such as the Abhiniṣkramaṇa Sūtra give two types of explanation for the long gestation period: the result of karma in Yaśodharā and Rahula's past lives, and the more naturalistic explanation that Yaśodharā's practice of religious austerities stunted the foetus' growth. Buddhist studies scholar John S. Strong notes that these alternative accounts draw a parallel between the quest for enlightenment and Yaśodharā's path to being a mother, and eventually, they both are accomplished at the same time.

The other four major vows – truthfulness, non-stealing, non-possession and celibacy – are in fact extension of the first vow of complete nonviolence. "Ahimsa is the heart of all stages of life, the core of all sacred texts, and the sum () and substance () of all vows and virtues." The ascetic practices of total renunciation of worldly affairs and possessions, refusal to stay in a single place for a long time, continuous practice of austerities like fasting etc. are geared towards observance of .

He said he was meditating on "the supporter of the entire universe" - Ganesha, and initiated Parvati with the Ganesha Mantra "Gam". Desiring to have a son, Parvati underwent austerities meditating on Ganesha, for twelve years at Lenyadri. Pleased by her penance, Ganesha blessed her with the boon that he will be born as her son. Accordingly, on the fourth lunar day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month Bhadrapada (Ganesh chaturthi day), Parvati worshipped a clay image of Ganesha, which came alive.

Confident that the two male gods cannot have a son together, Mahishi wreaks turmoil in Heaven, drowning the gods in gloom once again. Meanwhile, Bhasmasura, an ambitious demon performs austerities to please Lord Shiva, and is given a boon, according to his own wishes, to reduce whoever he touches to dust. Skeptic of the boon, he wishes to test the boon on Shiva himself. Shiva, who foresaw that Vishnu would help him, feigns panic and allows Bhasmasura to chase him.

For six thousand years he lived in the household in three palaces: Ruci, Suruci and Vaddhana (Rativaddhana); his wife was Sucittā, and their son Suppabuddha. He left home in a golden palanquin, practiced austerities for six months, was given rice milk by Sirivaddhanā of Sucittanigama, and grass for his seat by the Nāga king Narinda, and attained Enlightenment under a sāla tree. He preached his first sermon at Anurārāma to his brothers, Sona and Uttara, who became his chief disciples.

For the next several years, Creatore was booked solidly, with concerts priced at $5,000 per performance. Austerities of World War I and an increase in competition from other bands influenced the number of concert engagements. In 1917, Creatore formed an opera company that continued for 5 years, playing popular selections from Rigoletto, Aida, Carmen, Barber of Seville, among several others. He recorded extensively, most notably for the Victor Talking Machine Company, but also for Edison Records, Paramount Records, and Columbia Records.

Vyasa taught the Rigveda so revealed to Paila, the Yajurveda to Vaishampayana, the Samaveda to Jaimini, Atharvaveda to Samantu, and Itihasa and Purana to Suta. The three chief classes of Rishi are the Brah-marshi, born of the mind of Brahma, the Devarshi of lower rank, and Rajarshi or Kings who became Rishis through their knowledge and austerities, such as Janaka, Ritaparna, etc. Thc Shrutarshi are makers of Shastras, as Sushruta. The Kandarshi are of the Karmakanda, such as Jaimini.

She became known among the sisters for her conspicuous devotion and austerities. She frequently kept vigils, fasted often, and employed corporal mortification.ibid. St. Eustochia was a great lover of the poverty that marked the Poor Clares and felt that Basicò did not adhere strictly enough to the rule in this regard. After discussions with the sisters and the abbess, and with the approval of Pope Callixtus III, in 1464 she decided to found a new convent which became known as Montevergine ("Mountain of the Virgin").ibid.

Some in the Digambara Jain tradition believe him to be the chief disciple of Acharya Kundakunda. However, this is disputed by some Western scholars. Umaswati, was an Acharya (head of the monastic order, teacher) and therefore one of the Pañca-Parameṣṭhi (five supreme beings) in Jaina tradition. The theory mooted by Umaswati is that rebirth and suffering is on account of one's karma (deeds) and a life lived in accordance to vows of virtuous living with austerities cleanses this karma, ultimately leading to liberation.

The fame of the holy life and the austerities practised by Pietro Morone in his solitude on the Mountain of Majella, near Sulmona, attracted many visitors, several of whom were moved to remain and share his mode of life. They built a small convent on the spot inhabited by the holy hermit, which became too small for the accommodation of those who came to share their life of privations.Loughlin, James. "Pope St. Celestine V." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 3. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908.

It provided detailed information about six kinds of reals or substances, all kinds of living creatures, the things which were to exist for eternal time, those which were to come into existence for a transient time and their time of extinction, five kinds of knowledge, truth, soul, karma, mantra, benefits of austerities, the lifestyle of ascetics and householders, birth, death and a detailed description of the whole universe. It also contained various knowledge on attainment of exceptional abilities including attainment of various magical powers.

Monks such as Dom Sans de Sainte-Catherine and Dom Eustache de Saint-Paul became notable as great spiritual directors during what Brémond has called l'invasion mystique ("the mystical invasion"). In 1595 Pope Clement VIII exempted the reform from all jurisdiction on the part of Cistercian abbots, and allowed the Feuillants to draw up new constitutions, containing some relaxations of the initial austerities. These were approved the same year. In 1598 the Feuillants took possession of a second monastery in Rome, San Bernardo alle Terme.

"Augustine's Rule", Villanova University Augustine followed the monastic or religious life as it was known to his contemporaries, drafting rules for the monks and nuns of Roman Africa. Like St. Basil, Augustine's view diverged from that of the earlier eremitical approach of strict physical austerities. In The Ways of the Catholic Church, Augustine observed contemporary criticisms of the methods of the Eastern hermits in the Egyptian desert. It was said that their extreme isolation and excessive asceticism "were no longer productive" for the church or society.

The outer walls around the sanctum have a series of wooden frames housing an array of lamps, which are lit during festive occasions. River bank where austerities are performed for forefathers The idol of Navamukunda is portrayed only from above the knee, the rest of the idol being concealed within the ground. There is believed to be a bottomless unexplored pit behind the idol in the sanctum. The idol of the Navamukunda is tall, and is made of stone and covered with pancha loha.

Upon his return to India in 1924, he went to Rishikesh where he met his guru, Vishvananda Saraswati, who initiated him into the Sannyasa order, and gave him his monastic name; the full ceremony was conducted by Vishnudevananda, the mahant (abbot) of Sri Kailas Ashram. Sivananda settled in Rishikesh, and immersed himself in intense spiritual practices. Sivānanda performed austerities for many years but continued to nurse the sick. In 1927, with some money from an insurance policy, he ran a charitable dispensary at Lakshman Jhula.

Tonpa Shenrab embraced the life of a renunciate and commenced austerities, spreading the doctrine of Bon; at length, he arrived in the land of Zhangzhung near what is widely held to be Mount Kailash. Accounts of Tonpa Shenrab's life are to be found in three principal sources, the Dodü (), Zermik (), and Ziji (). The first and second of the accounts are held to be terma discovered by tertön in the 10th or 11th century; the third is part of the oral lineage () transmitted from teacher to disciple.

The Bhagavata Purana tells the story of the birth of Urvashi from the sages Nara-Narayana.The Goddess in India: The Five Faces of the Eternal Feminine By Devdutt Pattanaik, Published 2000, Inner Traditions / Bear & Company, 176 pages, p.66 Once, sages Nara-Narayana were meditating in the holy shrine of Badrinath situated in the Himalayas. Their penances and austerities alarmed the gods, so Indra, the King of Devas, sent Kamadeva, Vasanta (spring) and apsaras (nymphs) to inspire them with passion and disturb their devotions.

Shree Bhramari Ganga Devi by AZIMVTH Ashram In the city of the demons, there lived a powerful demon named Arunasura. He was a furious God-hater and a hypocrite, who wanted above all else to conquer the Gods. He went to the banks of the Ganges in the Himalayas and practiced a very strict penance to Brahma, who believed him to be the protector of the demons. He held in his body the five vāyus of Prana and began meditating, repeating the Gayatri Mantra and practicing austerities.

The Jain theory seeks to explain the karmic process by specifying the various causes of karmic influx (āsrava) and bondage (bandha), placing equal emphasis on deeds themselves, and the intentions behind those deeds. The Jain karmic theory attaches great responsibility to individual actions, and eliminates any reliance on some supposed existence of divine grace or retribution. The Jain doctrine also holds that it is possible for us to both modify our karma, and to obtain release from it, through the austerities and purity of conduct.

16th-century icon of Simeon Stylites. At the base of the pillar is his mother's body. (Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland) In order to get away from the ever-increasing number of people who came to him for prayers and advice, leaving him little if any time for his private austerities, Simeon discovered a pillar which had survived among ruins in nearby Telanissa (modern-day Taladah in Syria), and formed a small platform at the top. He determined to live out his life on this platform.

Arjuna fights with the Kirata-Shiva The Kirātārjunīya predominantly features the Vīra rasa, or the mood of valour. It expands upon a minor episode in the Vana Parva ("Book of the Forest") of the Mahabharata: While the Pandavas are exiled in the forest, Draupadi and Bhima incite Yudhishthira to declare war with the Kauravas, while he does not relent. Finally, Arjuna, at the instruction of Indra, propitiates god Shiva with penance (tapasya) in the forest. Pleased by his austerities, Shiva decides to reward him.

Arjuna stands his ground, explaining his situation and pointing out that conciliation with evil people would lead one into doing wrong actions oneself. He gives a further long speech that forms the heart of the epic, on right conduct, self-respect, resoluteness, dignity, and wisdom. Pleased, Indra reveals himself to his son, and asks him to worship Shiva. XII. Arjuna begins severe austerities, and, on being implored by the other ascetics, Shiva takes the form of a Kirāta and arrives to meet Arjuna. XIII.

The Abrahamic religions trace their origin to Judaism, around 1800 BC. The ancient Indian philosophy is a fusion of two ancient traditions: Sramana tradition and Vedic tradition. Indian philosophy begins with the Vedas where questions related to laws of nature, the origin of the universe and the place of man in it are asked. Jainism and Buddhism are continuation of the Sramana school of thought. The Sramanas cultivated a pessimistic world view of the samsara as full of suffering and advocated renunciation and austerities.

As she grew to womanhood, the idea of marrying anyone else, as intended by her father, became unfair to her. To win the regard of the ascetic Shiva, the daughter of King Daksha forsook the luxuries of her father's palace and retired to a forest to devote herself to austerities of a hermitic life and the worship of Shiva. So rigorous were her penances, she gradually renounced food itself. At one point, she subsisted on one leaf a day and then gave up even that nourishment.

The Jesuits frequently urged him to set some bounds to his austerities. From Kuntsevych's zealous study of the Church Slavonic Byzantine Rite liturgical books he drew many proofs of Catholic doctrine and wrote several original works. Throughout his adult life, he was distinguished by his extraordinary zeal in performing the Church services and by extraordinary devotion during the Divine Liturgy. Not only in the church did he preach and hear confessions, but likewise in the fields, hospitals, prisons, and even on his personal journeys.

In South India, especially Karnataka, a memorial stone or footprint is erected to commemorate the death of person who observed Sallekhana. This is known as Nishidhi, Nishidige or Nishadiga. The term is derived from the Sanskrit root Sid or Sad which means "to attain" or "waste away". These Nishidhis detail the names, dates, the duration of the vow, and other austerities performed by the person who observed the vow. The earliest Nishidhis (6th to 8th century) mostly have an inscription on the rock without any symbols.

Travel throughout India for professional and religious reasons coupled with religious austerities had weakened Sundararajan over the years. Although he had delegated his professional work to his junior and nephew T.K. Ananda Padmanabhan he was occasionally traveling despite ailing health. Rigorous fasting and being on a meager diet slowly lead him to his death. He suffered from fever for over a couple of days followed by a heart attack in the early hours of 17 July 2011 when he breathed his last amidst his family members.

He surrenders to God and implores him to be his saviour and rescue him from the sinful life. In another abhanga, he sings how fortunate he is to have received the grace of the Lord, who with compassion pardoned his sins. Sena detested practising austerities like inhaling smoke or meditating amidst fire, in a forest or on a mountain. He warned that someone can be a victim of deception in the forest, citing how the sage Vibhandaka was deluded by a maiden in the forest.

This practice was perfected over a period of time, particularly in the Three Mountains of Dewa region of Japan, that is the Haguro, Gassan and Yudono mountains. These mountains remain sacred in the Shugendō tradition to this day, and ascetic austerities continue to be performed in the valleys and mountain range in this area. In medieval Japan, this tradition developed a process for Sokushinbutsu, which a monk completed over about 3,000 days to ten years. It involved a strict diet called mokujikigyo (literally, "eating a tree").

Paschal Baylón (16 May 1540 – 17 May 1592) was a Spanish Roman Catholic lay professed religious of the Order of Friars Minor. He served as a shepherd alongside his father in his childhood and adolescence, but desired to enter the religious life. He was refused once but later was admitted as a Franciscan lay brother and became noted for his strict austerities, as well as his love for and compassion towards the sick. He was sent to counter the arguments of the Calvinists in France but was chased out and nearly killed by a mob.

Chaturmas, inauspicious for weddings and other celebrations, is a suitable time for householders to have an annual renewal of faith by listening to discourses on dharma, and by meditation and vrata (self-control). Penance, austerities, religious observances, recital of mantras, bathing in holy rivers, performing sacrifices, and charity are prescribed. Fasts and purity during this period help maintain health, for which there is likely a scientific rationale, disease spreading more readily with the onset of monsoon. A number of Hindus, particularly those following the Vaishnav tradition, refrain from eating onions and garlic during this period.

Visiting king Chitravahana, the ruler of Manipura, he beheld his beautiful daughter Chitrangada and fell in love with her. When he approached the king to seek her hand in marriage, the king told him the story of his ancestor Prabhanjana who was childless and undertook severe austerities to obtain offspring. Finally, Mahadeva appeared to Prabhanjana, granting him the boon that each successive descendant of his race should have one child. As Chitravahana, unlike his ancestors, had not a son, but a daughter, he made her a “Putrika” according to the customs of his people.

He and Krishna went to the Yamuna and bathed and drank the clear water. There, a lovely girl was strolling along the river bank. Krishna who saw her and asked Arjuna to meet her to know who she was. When Arjuna inquired, the girl told him that she was Kalindi, the daughter of Surya, and that she was living in a house constructed by her father in the river where she has been was performing austerities with intent to have Vishnu as her husband and would remain there, until she finds him.

The sage Narada and the gods stop Bhishma's battle with Parashurama. Amba reflected on her condition and considered all the people responsible for it, including herself (as she did not escape Bhishma's chariot when Bhishma was fighting Salva), Bhishma (who abducted her), Salva (who rejected her) and her father (who arranged her swayamvara). She finally arrived at the conclusion that Bhishma was the main culprit and swore to destroy him by austerities or battle. She sought shelter with a group of ascetics that night and narrated her tale to them.

Such austerities are undertaken according to the physical and mental limits of the individual ascetic. When death is imminent from an advanced age or terminal disease, many Jain ascetics take a final vow of Santhara or Sallekhana, a fast to peaceful and detached death, by first reducing intake of and then ultimately abandoning all medicines, food, and water. Scholars state that this ascetic practice is not a suicide, but a form of natural death, done without passion or turmoil or suddenness, and because it is done without active violence to the body.

Asceticism is found in both non-theistic and theistic traditions within Indian religions. The origins of the practice are ancient and a heritage shared by major Indian religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Jainism. These probably developed from a syncretism of Vedic and Sramanic influences. Asceticism in Indian religions includes a spectrum of diverse practices, ranging from the mild self-discipline, self-imposed poverty and simple living typical of Buddhism and Hinduism, to more severe austerities and self-mortification practices of monks in Jainism and now extinct Ajivikas in the pursuit of salvation.

The experience of Kundalini awakening can happen when one is either prepared or unprepared. According to Hindu tradition, in order to be able to integrate this spiritual energy, a period of careful purification and strengthening of the body and nervous system is usually required beforehand. Yoga and Tantra propose that Kundalini can be awakened by a guru (teacher), but body and spirit must be prepared by yogic austerities, such as pranayama, or breath control, physical exercises, visualization, and chanting. The student is advised to follow the path in an open-hearted manner.

Recent events lead to dissatisfaction with the monastic tradition and its related emphasis on austerities saw the arising of two new sects within Jainism in the 20th century. These were essentially led by the laity rather than ascetics and soon became a major force to be reckoned with. The non-sectarian cult of Shrimad Rajchandra, who was one of the major influences on Mahatma Gandhi, is now one of the most popular movements. Another cult founded by Kanjisvami, laying stress on theological determinism and "knowledge of self", has gained a large following as well.

The tirthankaras such as the Mahāvīra (Vardhamana) set an example by performing severe austerities for twelve years. Monastic organization, sangh, has a four-fold order consisting of sadhu (male ascetics, muni), sadhvi (female ascetics, aryika), śrāvaka (laymen), and śrāvikā (laywomen). The latter two support the ascetics and their monastic organizations called gacch or samuday, in autonomous regional Jain congregations. Jain monastic rules have encouraged the use of mouth cover, as well as the Dandasan – a long stick with woolen threads – to gently remove ants and insects that may come in their path.

Returning to her native village, Molla entrusted her Ramayana, which was already dedicated to Sri Kantha Malleswara, to the temple authorities. As her life's mission was over, she took leave of the deity as also of the village folk and left for Srisailam to spend the rest of her life performing great austerities. During her last days she also spent a great deal of time preaching to those seekers of God who came to her for inspiration and enlightenment. Molla went into Mahasamadhi about A.D. 1530 at the ripe age of ninety years.

Doing Tapas (austerities), becoming a Rishi (sage), and having a vision of the Lord became ideals which he cherished. His uncle, Krishna Rao, shielded him against the influences of the materialistic world around him, and sowed in him the seeds of the nivritti life (life of renunciation) which he joyously nurtured until, as later events proved, it blossomed into sainthood. His elementary education began at Mangalore. In 1932, he joined the Sir M.Ct. Muthiah Chettiar Higher Secondary School in Madras, where he distinguished himself as a brilliant student.

Here, during the days of yore, the pious rishi, Mandavaya, performed long and severe penance and practised austerities on his body, on the bank of the river Beas, near the present Mandi town. The story indicates the antiquity of this temple town, surrounded by hills, clad in pines. There is a large plain which has grain fields and orchards, between Mandi and Sundernagar. Known for its temples, Mandi is the home to a number of carved stone edifices each with an elaborate shikhara, or spire, among them Bhutnath, Trilokinath, Panchvaktra and Shyamakoli at Tarna hill.

Under the abbot chosen to fill his place he left La Trappe and began a wandering life from monastery to monastery, exercising his talent as a writer. The history of the Reform of Cîteaux caused his final disgrace. He was obliged to interrupt its publication, and was banished by order of the king to the monastery of the Reclus, in the Diocese of Troyes, where he died. Until the end of his life he remained faithful to the austerities of the life of La Trappe, observing in all its rigour the rule he had embraced.

He began to practice works of mercy and to perform his religious obligations with fidelity. After Luchesius had put on the gray tunic or religious habit of a penitent, he rapidly advanced in holiness. He practiced ascetic austerities: often fasting on bread and water and sleeping on the hard floor; at his work he bore God constantly in his heart. With his wife joining him in following a life inspired by their faith, Modestini and Segni then had the option of separating and each entering a religious order.

Mukasura or Mukāsura (मुकासुर) was an asura in the Indian epic Mahabharata. He was a friend of the Kauravas and the son of Upasunda, who was sent to disturb the austerities that Arjuna was performing at Indra keeladri, geographically now in Andhra pradesh. Mukasura went to the forest where Arjuna was practicing his vows of prayer, vigil, and fast and attacked Arjuna in the form of a boar. Arjuna was actually conducting his penance to please Siva and obtain the great weapon called pasupatha-astra (the missile of pasupatha, the lord of the animate world).

Astonishingly, the child began to not just speak but started the speech by singing a composition at that young five years of age on Lord Muruga, called Kandhar Kalivenpaa. The austerities of all the previous births made him into a prodigy! Early Wanderings At a very young age Kumaraguruparar left his house in search of a guru who could kindle his spirit in the pursuit of God. In Tiruchendhur he heard a divine voice that his guru would be the one in whose presence he would be unable to speak well.

He compares it to the efforts and pains undertaken by a businessman to earn profit, which makes him happy. In the same way the austerities and penances are blissful to an ascetic who desires emancipation. See Haribhadrasūri, Sinha, Ashok Kumar, & Jain, Sagarmal (2000) p. 47 While admitting the complexity and sophistication of the Jain doctrine, Padmanabh Jaini compares it with that of Hindu doctrine of rebirth and points out that the Jain seers are silent on the exact moment and mode of rebirth, that is, the re-entry of soul in womb after the death.

Shinnyo-en was established in 1936 by Shinjō Itō and his wife Tomoji in the Tokyo suburb of Tachikawa. In December 1935, Shinjō Itō and Tomoji Itō had enshrined an image of Acala believed to have been sculpted by the renowned Buddhist sculptor Unkei and they began a 30-day period of winter austerities in early 1936. Tomoji cultivated her on February 4, inheriting it from her aunt. In May 1936, Shinjō Itō was ordained by Daisōjō and Chief Abbot Egen Saeki at Sanbō-in, a temple of the Daigo school of Shingon Buddhism.

Kalyanananda, a direct monastic disciple of Vivekananda In 1899 when Vivekananda left for West a second time, Kalyanananda went for pilgrimage and for practicing austerities. In Benares he met Kedarnath Moulik who would later become famous as Achalananda, another monastic disciple of Vivekananda and the founder of Ramakrishna Mission Home of Service Benares. Together they were involved in serving the poor and needy in Benares and Kalyanananda developed initial exposure to Vivekananda's vision of practical Vedanta through this. From Benares he went to Allahabad and got engaged in service activities.

They no longer wished to be forced to be economically successful, and had grown tired of the Vedic sacrificial tradition. As almost as a form of protest against this religious tradition, they adopted a set of values and customs completely opposite of those preached by the Brahmin priests. They became celibate and nomadic, with some forming groups around great thinkers, while many others wandered alone. “Many also practised severe austerities, subjecting themselves to extremes of temperature, hunger and thirst, painful bodily distortions, and various other kinds of self-denial.”Hamilton, Sue.

However, Dadhichi, realising that his bones were the only way by which the deva could defeat the asura willingly gave his life in a pit of mystical flames he summoned with the power of his austerities. Brahma is then said to have fashioned a large number of weapons from Dadhichi's bones, including the vajrayudha, which was fashioned from his spine. The deva are then said to have defeated the asura using the weapons thus created. There have also been instances where the war god Skanda (Kartikeya) is described as holding a vajra.

The order was established to welcome those not able to practice austerities required in other orders.The Monastery of the Visitation of Holy Mary, Rockville, Virginia Instead of chanting the canonical office in the middle of the night the sisters recited the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin at half-past eight in the evening. There was no perpetual abstinence nor prolonged fast. The Order of the Visitation of Mary was canonically erected in 1618 by Paul V who granted it all the privileges enjoyed by the other orders.

In interpreting Chinese and Japanese paintings of Shussan Shaka, a key question for scholars is whether the Śākyamuni depicted is the already enlightened Buddha or simply a man disillusioned with austerities but yet to become the "enlightened one." Among scholars, two opposing schools of thought persist on this issue. However, Zen adherents tend to favor the former view: that Śākyamuni attained enlightenment during his time in the mountains. This would suggest that Śākyamuni is portrayed as a bodhisattva, forestalling nirvana and descending from the mountain to assist others on the path to enlightenment.

Another oral legend about the temple states that sage Vashishtha practised austerities to Tara, but was unsuccessful, so on the advice of a divine voice, he went to meet the Buddha – an avatar of Vishnu according to some schools of Hinduism – in Tibet. The Buddha instructed Vasishtha to worship Tara through the practices of vamachara. During this time, Buddha had a vision of Tarapith as an ideal location for enshrining the image of Tara in a temple there. Buddha advised Vasishtha to go to Tarapith, the abode of Tara.

Sukanya praying to Aswini to reveal her husband's identity According to the narrative found in the Vana Parva (Ch.122-5) of the Mahabharata, Chyavana was so absorbed in practising austerities on the side of a lake that termites built up their mound all over his body and only his eyes were left. Once, Sharyati along with his army and the harem came to visit the place. Sukanya, daughter of king Sharyati, seeing only two bright eyes in what seemed to be an anthill, poked them with a stick.

The tale of Revanta's birth is narrated in scriptures like Vishnu Purana and Markandeya Purana. Once, Sanjna, the daughter of celestial architect Vishvakarma and wife of Surya, unable to take the fervour of the Sun-god, repaired to the forests to engage in devout austerities in the form of a mare. She placed her shadow Chhaya, who looked just like Sanjna in her position as Surya's wife. When Surya realised that Chhaya was not the real Sanjna, he searched for Sanjna and finally found her in the forests of Uttar Kuru.

After one hundred days of austerities, Fujiwara became, "enlightened into the mysteries of combat, and from that time forward, it became easy for him to defeat the strongest men throughout Japan." The text continues, however, that, "he became lost in folly, and ceasing to love the art for itself, came only to care about winning. He acquired a filthy name." This of course refers to the hubris which can result from power coupled with an absence of the ethical center upon which power should be built, which was requisite in all bujutsu ryuha.

Jain yoga has been a central practice in Jainism. Jain spirituality is based on a strict code of nonviolence or ahimsa (which includes vegetarianism), almsgiving (dana), right faith in the three jewels, the practice of austerities (tapas) such as fasting, and yogic practices. Jain yoga aims at the liberation and purification of the self (atma) or soul (jiva) from the forces of karma, which keep all souls bound to the cycle of transmigration. Like Yoga and Sankhya, Jainism believes in a multiplicity of individual souls which bound by their individual karma.

After the death of Ramakrishna in 1886, Subodh left his home and joined the monastery in Baranagar, started by Narendranath Dutta, who later became known as Vivekananda. Subodh's monastic name was Swami Subodhananda, but he was more popularly called "Khoka" or the child, being the youngest among the brother disciples. Towards the end of 1889, along with Brahmananda, Subodhananda went to Benaras where he practised austerities. In 1890 they together went for a pilgrimage to the Western and Central India including Omkar, Girnar, Bombay, Dwarka and to Vrindaban where they stayed for sometime.

Venerable Phra Ajahn Sao Kantasilo Mahathera (1861–1942) was a monk in the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravada Buddhism. He was a member of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya. Ajahn Mun Bhuridatta Mahathera was one of his most well- known students. The two were known to often travel together, wandering throughout the forests of Thailand in the “tudong” tradition of monks who leave behind the more sedentary monastery life and take up many (if not all) of the thirteen dhutanga austerities or ascetic practices allowed by the Buddha in the Pali canon.

Her father-in-law tells her she has taken on too harsh a regimen, but Savitri replies that she has taken an oath to perform these austerities, to which Dyumatsena offers his support. The morning of Satyavan’s predicted death, Savitri asks for her father-in-law’s permission to accompany her husband into the forest. Since she has never asked for anything during the entire year she has spent at the hermitage, Dyumatsena grants her wish. They go and while Satyavan is splitting wood, he suddenly becomes weak and lays his head in Savitri’s lap.

Sculpted panels are seen on the terraced basement, with carved figurines of river goddesses Ganga and Yamuna flanking the doorway to the sanctum sanctorum. In addition, on the side walls, three large carved panels of Vaishnava mythology related to Gajendra Moksha, the Nara Narayana Tapasya (austerities), and the Sheshashayi Vishnu (reclining on the serpent), are portrayed. A protective wall made of undressed stone was built around the temple after it was first discovered. However, the idol of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple is missing, believed to have been relocated elsewhere.

He returned to Canada a year later, was again appointed Commissary for the friars in Quebec, and filled this office until the capture of Quebec by the English in 1629, when he and his colleagues were sent back to France by the conquerors. He arrived back in France on October 29, 1629. Le Caron was a saintly man, given to the practice of austerities, but gentle towards others. He died of the plague in the friary of Sainte-Marguerite near Gisors, in Upper Normandy, where he served as guardian.

He also begged from door to door in Nainital for Swami Kalyanananda to enable him to serve the old and sick monks and poor people in Haridwar and Rishikesh. In 1902 he went to Allahabad for giving lectures on Vedanta and inspired the local people to start a permanent centre there. In 1905 when the Dharmashala region was hit by a severe earthquake, Swarupananda collected funds for the relief work and directed the work. He was regular in his spiritual practices and austerities, apart from the various secular activities that kept him engaged.

The story of his life there and up to an extreme old age has been compared by some to an ancient Fathers of the Desert. Whatever time could be spared from his active duties was given up to contemplation, to fastings, watchings, disciplines, and other austerities. The sufferings he inflicted on his body seem to have had no effect upon his health, although he continued them almost to the day of his death. Hair shirts, iron chains, and metal plates with sharp points almost covered his entire body.

Chaturmas (, Cāturmāsa) is a holy period of four months (July to October), beginning on Shayani Ekadashi—the eleventh day of the bright half, Shukla paksha, of Ashadh (fourth month of the Hindu lunar calendar)—until Prabodhini Ekadashi, the eleventh day of the bright half of Kartik (eighth month of the Hindu lunar calendar) in Hinduism. Chaturmas is reserved for penance, austerities, fasting, bathing in holy rivers and religious observances for all. Devotees resolve to observe some form of vow, be it of silence or abstaining from a favourite food item, or having only a single meal in a day.

During her journey, she observed difficult vows and performed ablutions in the holy waters. The goddess Ganga appeared before Amba and listened to Amba's tale that her austerities were aimed to destroy Bhishma, Ganga's son. The angry goddess Ganga replied that since Amba's mind was crooked, she would be become a crooked and tortuous river, which will remain dry for eight months and flow in the four months of the rainy season. Ganga declared that the bathing places along the river's course would be in difficult terrain, and it will be infested with crocodiles and other fierce creatures.

The importance of the temple is attributed to a legend, occurring at the end of the Dvapara Yuga (the third Hindu epoch or era) before the onset of Kali Yuga (the present epoch or era). Every one feared the advent of Kali Yuga, as the god Krishna was about to leave earth for his divine abode at the end of Dvapara Yuga. Sages started performing austerities and prayers seeking Krishna's help to overcome all impediments of Kali Yuga. Sages led by Valakhilya started rituals in Kunjavana, a forest area on the banks of the Sharavati River in Karnataka which joins the Arabian Sea.

The > penitent was prescribed to dwell in a forest hut, at a desolate crossroads, > in a charnel ground, or under a tree; to live by begging; to practice > austerities; and to wear a loin-cloth of hemp, dog, or donkey-skin. They > also had to carry the emblems of a human skull as an alms-bowl, and the > skull of the Brahmin they had slain mounted upon a wooden staff as a > banner.These Hindu kapalika ascetics soon evolved into an extreme outcaste > sect of the 'left-hand' tantric path (Skt. vamamarg) of shakti or goddess > worship.

He did penance for six months in various postures; once holding a skull and a rod, then standing on one leg only in the next month and surviving on water only, during the third month he did penance standing on his toes and living on air only. Pleased with the austerities, Shiva finally appeared before Krishna as Samba, Samba, Ardhanarishvara the half-female-half- male form of the god, asked him to ask a boon. Krishna then sought a son from Jambavati, which was granted. A son was born soon thereafter who was named as Samba, the form Shiva had appeared before Krishna.

Roger North noted that "The frolic went all over England", and the addresses of the Abhorrers from around the country formed a counterblast to those of the Petitioners. Shaftesbury's party sought to establish a mass movement to keep alive the fears raised by the Popish Plot, organising huge processions in London in which the Pope was burnt in effigy. The King's supporters mustered their own propaganda in the form of memoirs of the Commonwealth government of Oliver Cromwell and its austerities. The King labelled the Whigs as subversives and nonconformists, and by early 1681 Shaftesbury's mass movement had died down.

He worked a miracle in favor of one of the warriors, who became converted, embraced the religious life, and was known personally to Saint Gregory of Tours. It was from him that St Gregory, to whom we are indebted for the meagre details of the saint's life, learned of the austerities and numerous miracles of the recluse. St Hospitius foretold his death and was buried by his friend, Austadius, Bishop of Cimiez. Saint Hospitius died at Cap Ferrat (sometimes called Cap Saint-Sospis or Cap Saint- Hospice), near Villefranche-sur-Mer, in the department of Alpes-Maritimes.

During the same period of his life, U.G. reportedly practised all kinds of austerities and apparently sought moksha or spiritual enlightenment. To that end, between the ages of 14 and 21, he undertook all kinds of spiritual exercise, determined to find out whether moksha was possible. Wanting to achieve that state, he had also resolved to prove that if there were people who have thus "realized" themselves, they could not be hypocritical.U.G. carried on at some length – in practically every published work – about what he perceived as the hypocrisy of religious/spiritual people, his grandfather and other prominent Theosophists included.

To poverty, bodily > infirmity, the rigours of the seasons, the lack of affection from those in > her own home, she added voluntary mortifications and austerities, making > bread and water her daily food. Her love for Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament > and for His Virgin Mother presaged the saint. She assisted daily at the Holy > Sacrifice; when the bell rang, she fixed her sheep-hook or distaff in the > ground, and left her flocks to the care of Providence while she heard Mass. > Although the pasture was on the border of a forest infested with wolves, no > harm ever came to her flocks.

The Lord also blessed his devotees and declared that people who worshipped Him in this form would be free from the fear of death and diseases. Also, they would be granted worldly treasures and be under the protection of the Lord himself. Bharthari was the elder son of King Gandharva-Sena, and received the kingdom of Ujjain from the celestial god Indra and the King of Dhara. When Bharthari was king of 'Ujjayani' (modern-day Ujjain) in his state there lived a Brahman who after years of austerities was given the fruit of immortality from the celestial tree of Kalpavriksha.

Rishabhanatha's moving over lotus after attaining omniscience Rishabhanatha is said to have spent a thousand years performing austerities before attaining kevala jnana (omniscience) under a banyan tree on the 11th day of falgun-krishna (a month in Hindu calendar). The Devas (heavenly beings) are suggested to have created divine preaching halls known as samavasaranas for him after that. He is believed to have given the five major vows for monks and 12 minor vows for laity. He is believed to have established the sangha (four-fold religious order) consisting of male and female mendicants and disciples.

It is often maintained that the impression of karma as the accumulation of a mountain of bad deeds looming over our heads without any recourse leads to fatalism. However, as Paul Dundas puts it, the Jain theory of karma does not imply lack of free will or operation of total deterministic control over destinies. Furthermore, the doctrine of karma does not promote fatalism amongst its believers on account of belief in personal responsibility of actions and that austerities could expatiate the evil karmas and it was possible to attain salvation by emulating the life of the Jinas.

It was also from his house that the six brethren who established the Congregation of Windesheim went forth in 1386, and among them John, the elder brother of Thomas à Kempis. Thomas himself was under the immediate care and guidance of Radewyns from his thirteenth to his twenty-first year. He wrote a loving and edifying sketch of his master, wherein he describes Florens as a man learned in the Scriptures and all sacred science, exceedingly devout, humble, simple, zealous, charitable and excessively mortified. His austerities enfeebled his health, possibly hastened his end; he died at Deventer on 24 March 1400.

When she was 15, her family forced her to marry, despite her objections, the wealthy nobleman Havel of Markvartice, who owned Lembeck Castle, a fortified castle in a frontier area that was occasionally attacked by Mongol invaders. Zdislava and Havel had four children. Zdislava's husband was "a man of violent temper" and treated her brutally, but "by her patience and gentleness she secured in the end considerable freedom of action in her practices of devotion, her austerities and her many works of charity". She devoted herself to the poor, opening the castle doors to those dispossessed by the invasions.

1 "Lord Brahma was very much satisfied by Hiranyakasipu's austerities, which were difficult to perform" Brahma appears before Hiranyakashipu and offers him a boon of his choice. But when Hiranyakashipu asks for immortality, Brahma refuses. Hiranyakashipu then makes the following request: > O my lord, O best of the givers of benediction, if you will kindly grant me > the benediction I desire, please let me not meet death from any of the > living entities created by you. Grant me that I not die within any residence > or outside any residence, during the daytime or at night, nor on the ground > or in the sky.

In this form Bhringi could not stand erect, so the compassionate ones who witnessed the scene blessed the sage with a third leg for support. As her attempt to humiliate the sage had failed, Parvati punished herself with austerities that pleased Shiva and led him to grant her the boon of uniting with him, thereby compelling Bhringi to worship her as well as himself in the form of Ardhanarishvara. However, the sage assumed the form of a beetle and circumambulating only the male half, drilling a hole in the deity. Amazed by his devotion, Parvati reconciled with the sage and blessed him.

Umaswati in full lotus posture In this era, the Jain canon was recorded and Jain philosophy systematized. It is clear that Jain meditation and samadhi continued to evolve and to be practiced after the death of Mahavira by figures such as Acharya Bhadrabahu and Chandragupta Maurya, the founder of Maurya Empire who became a Jain monk in old age and a student of Bhadrabahu. It describes Mahavira as practicing intense austerities, fasts (most commonly three days long, as extreme as six months of fasting) and meditations. In one instance he practiced standing meditation for sixteen days and nights.

In Japanese Buddhism, Pure Land teachings developed into independent institutional sects, as can be seen in the Jōdo-shū, Jōdo Shinshū, Yūzū-nembutsu-shū, and Ji-shū.Guide on Buddhism for America The majority of the important schools of Japanese Buddhism developed in the middle ages, between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries. However they were mostly influenced by the Tendai school (Chinese: Tientai in the sixth century) as their founding monks were all trained originally in the school. Its teachings were based on the Lotus Sūtra and Mahāyāna Nirvāṇa Sūtra, encompassing a wide range of teachings and eclectic practices of austerities.

Margaret had visions of Christ and of the Virgin Mary and felt angels holding her up when her austerities left her too weak to stand. Many miracles were attributed to Margaret, such as making whole some smashed eggs so the family would have something to eat, and saving her sister who was on the point of death during childbirth. Her austere lifestyle took a toll on her health and she was eventually bedridden, experiencing great pain, fevers and convulsions, all of which tribulations she bore with grace. After lingering for a year, she died at age of 21.

' The vow, however, contained so large an element of ordinary prayer that in the Greek language one and the same word () expressed both. The characteristic mark of the vow, as the Suda and the Greek Church Fathers remark, was that it was a promise either of things to be offered to God in the future and at once consecrated to Him in view of their being so offered, or of austerities to be undergone. For offering and austerity, sacrifice and suffering, are equally calculated to appease an offended deity's wrath or win his goodwill. The Bible affords many examples of vows.

Dominic died at the age of fifty-one, according to Guiraud "exhausted with the austerities and labours of his career". He had reached the convent of St Nicholas at Bologna, Italy, "weary and sick with a fever". Guiraud states that Dominic "made the monks lay him on some sacking stretched upon the ground" and that "the brief time that remained to him was spent in exhorting his followers to have charity, to guard their humility, and to make their treasure out of poverty". He died at noon on 6 August 1221. His body was moved to a simple sarcophagus in 1233.

In 1460 Father John Patrick, Minister Provincial, accompanied by over one hundred fathers, left Scotland for the Netherlands, where they were hospitably recognized and incorporated in the provinces of Holland and Belgium. In 1462 Father Cornelius, worn out by his labours and austerities, left Scotland for his own province of Cologne, where he died in the convent at Antwerp on February 21, 1462. It is said that many miracles took place at his tomb. The writings of Father Cornelius, which consist of Conciones ad populum Scotiae, Sermones ad Fratres, and Epistolas plures, have never been published.

They fashioned fishing nets from a type of native hemp. Apart from reptiles, their diet, subject to the austerities of a harsh climate often subject to drought, was based on a staple of damper, from flour leached out of the sporocarps of nardoo and grass seeds, cooked into a damper over ashes. It was said by recently arrived settlers that the dry spell was so severe in 1876-1878 that they ate all of their children, for want of food. Marriage was monogamous, males being denied any other wife than the one they had, and the couple married in mid-adolescence.

In Hinduism confession is part of Prāyaścitta, a dharma-related term and refers to voluntarily accepting one's errors and misdeeds, confession, repentance, means of penance and expiation to undo or reduce the karmic consequences. It includes atonement for intentional and unintentional misdeeds. The ancient Hindu literature on repentance, expiation and atonement is extensive, with earliest mentions found in the Vedic literature. Illustrative means to repent for intentional and unintentional misdeeds include admitting one's misdeeds, austerities, fasting, pilgrimage and bathing in sacred waters, ascetic lifestyle, yajna (fire sacrifice, homa), praying, yoga, giving gifts to the poor and needy, and others.

Ugolino da Gualdo Cattaneo (1200 - 1 January 1260) was an Italian Roman Catholic professed religious and friar of the Order of Saint Augustine. Ugolino is best known for founding an Augustinian convent in Gualdo Cattaneo in 1258 where he served as its prior until his death. He practiced a rigorous spiritual life with austerities including frequent bouts of strict silence and fasting. The confirmation of the late friar's longstanding 'cultus' (or popular devotion) on 12 March 1919 allowed for Pope Benedict XV to approve his beatification; Ugolino is the patron of Gualdo Cattaneo where he lived and served.

In the Adi Parva (Book 1) of the epic Mahabharata, the divine sage Narada tells the Pandava brothers the story of destruction of demon brothers Sunda and Upsunda due to the apsara Tilottama, and warns the Pandavas that their common wife Draupadi could be a reason of quarrel between them. The tale states Sunda and Upasunda were sons of the asura (demon) Nikumbha. They are described as inseparable siblings who shared everything: the kingdom, the bed, food, house, seat. Once, the brothers practiced severe austerities on the Vindhya mountains, compelling the creator-god Brahma to grant them a boon.

During the absence of the Bishop of Langres, Bernard was blessed as abbot by William of Champeaux, Bishop of Châlons-sur-Marne. From that moment a strong friendship sprang up between the abbot and the bishop, who was professor of theology at Notre Dame of Paris, and the founder of the Abbey of St. Victor, Paris. The beginnings of Clairvaux Abbey were trying and painful. The regimen was so austere that Bernard became ill, and only the influence of his friend William of Champeaux and the authority of the general chapter could make him mitigate the austerities.

The asura princess Mahishi was burning up with anger at the trick the gods had pulled on her brother, the asura king Mahishasura. As Mahishasura was blessed with invulnerability to all men, the gods had sent goddess Durga, to fight and kill him. Thus, Mahishi began performing a fearsome set of austerities, and pleased the creator god Brahma. She asked for the boon of invulnerability, but Brahma said it was not possible so Mahishi planned and asked invulnerability to all men except by the son of Shiva and Vishnu (Both are male & no possibility to give birth to any one).

Over time, this idea shifted from meditating about the ritual, to internalization and meditation of the ideas and concepts associated. This may have marked a key evolution in Vedic era, one from ritual sacrifices to one contemplating spiritual ideas.Edward F Crangle (1994), The Origin and Development of Early Indian Contemplative Practices, Otto Harrassowitz Verlag, , pages 59-63 In the Vedas, some Upasanas are prescribed method of worship for pleasing and winning the attention of the deity or it can be a deity-less practice of austerities involving meditating upon some aspect of nature as told in specific Vedic Upasanas. Puranas are another source for upasana procedures.

Then Krishna went to the hermitage of the sage Upamanyu in the Himalayas and as advised by the sage, he started to pray to the god Shiva. He did penance for six months in various postures; once holding a skull and a rod, then standing on one leg only in the next month and surviving on water only, during the third month he did penance standing on his toes and living on air only. Pleased with the austerities, Shiva finally appeared before Krishna as Samba, (Ardhanarishvara) the half-female, half-male form of the god, asked him to ask a boon. Krishna then sought a son from Jambavati, which was granted.

Brahma ordered them to aid in creation, but as manifestations of Sattva (purity), and uninterested in worldly life, they refused and instead devoted themselves to God and celibacy, against the wishes of their father. The Bhagavata Purana narrates further that their refusal made Brahma angry and his wrath manifested into the god Rudra, also known as Lord Shiva. As per a variant, Brahma practised austerities (tapas) and pleased the Supreme God Vishnu, so he appeared in the form of the four infant Kumaras as Brahma's sons. Some texts like the Devi Bhagavata Purana and the Bhavishya Purana narrates the four Kumaras appeared even before the Brahma of the present age.

When we read the Purana, we are amazed at how all incidents in the past come together and lead towards a chosen destiny. The flower was presented to Indra by Sage Durvasa but not utilized by the King of Gods. The elephant temporarily benefited from the powers of the Parijata flower, but it was Lord Ganesha who was destined to be the foremost among Gods and men and known as the remover of obstacles. Thus destiny worked in a way that the attributes of the flower accumulated by the austerities of Sage Durvasa came to Lord Ganesha and that is the reason he has an elephant head.

Five kinds of observances in regard to faith, knowledge, conduct, austerities, and power. These are: #Darśanācāra- Believing that the pure Self is the only object belonging to the self and all other objects, including the karmic matter (dravya karma and no- karma) are alien; further, believing in the six substances (dravyas), seven Realities (tattvas) and veneration of Jina, Teachers, and the Scripture, is the observance in regard to faith (darśanā). #Jñānācāra- Reckoning that the pure Self has no delusion, is distinct from attachment and aversion, knowledge itself, and sticking to this notion always is the observance in regard to knowledge (jñānā). #Cāritrācāra- Being free from attachment etc.

Shvetambara monks and nuns wear only unstitched white robes (an upper and lower garment), and own one bowl they use for eating and collecting alms. Male Digambara sect monks do not wear any clothes, carry nothing with them except a soft broom made of shed peacock feathers (pinchi) to gently remove any insect or living creature in their way or bowl, and they eat with their hands. They sleep on the floor without blankets, and sit on wooden platforms. Other austerities include meditation in seated or standing posture near river banks in the cold wind, or meditation atop hills and mountains, especially at noon when the sun is at its fiercest.

In the Mahayana tradition, asceticism with esoteric and mystical meanings became an accepted practice, such as in the Tendai and Shingon schools of Japanese Buddhism. These Japanese practices included penance, austerities, ablutions under a waterfall, and rituals to purify oneself. Japanese records from the 12th century record stories of monks undertaking severe asceticism, while records suggest that 19th century Nichiren Buddhist monks woke up at midnight or 2:00 AM daily, and performed ascetic water purification rituals under cold waterfalls. Other practices include the extreme ascetic practices of eating only pine needles, resins, seeds and ultimately self-mummification, while alive, or Sokushinbutsu (miira) in Japan.

In the course of this period, however, he several times moved to a new pillar, and on the occasion of the first of these exchanges the Patriarch of Antioch and the Bishop of Seleucia ordained him deacon during the short space of time he spent upon the ground. For eight years until John died, Simeon remained near his master's column, so near that they could easily converse. During this period his austerities were kept in some sort of check by the older hermit. After John's death Simeon gave full rein to his ascetical practices and Evagrius declares that he lived only upon the branches of a shrub that grew near Theopolis.

Original emblem of the Society of the Sacred Heart Madeleine Sophie Barat founded the Society of the Sacred Heart in the wake of the French Revolution to provide educational opportunities for girls. The manner of life was to be simple without the prescribed austerities of the older orders, which would be incompatible with the work of education. In some houses the religious conducted just one school, but in several places, especially in the larger houses in cities there were at least two schools, a boarding school and a school for poor children.Gimber RSCJ, Frances. "Keepers of the Flame", 2011 The first convent was opened at Amiens in 1801.

Ghazar Parpetsi, History of Armenia, 5th to 6th century Koryun, his pupil and biographer, tells us that Mashtots (in his work he does not mention the name Mesrop) received a good education, and was versed in the Greek and Persian languages. On account of his piety and learning Mesrop was appointed secretary to King Khosrov IV. His duty was to write in Greek and Persian characters the decrees and edicts of the sovereign. Leaving the court for the service of God, he took holy orders, and withdrew to a monastery with a few chosen companions. There, says Koryun, he practiced great austerities, enduring hunger and thirst, cold and poverty.

Kevala Jñāna thus means infinite knowledge of self and non-self, attained by a soul after annihilation of the all ghātiyā karmas. The soul which has reached this stage achieves moksa or liberation at the end of its life span. Mahavira, 24th thirthankara of Jainism, is said to have practised rigorous austerities for 12 years before he attained enlightenment, Kevala Jñāna is one of the five major events in the life of a Tirthankara and is known as Keval Jñāna Kalyanaka and celebrated of all gods. Lord Mahavira's Kaivalya was said to have been celebrated by the demi-gods, who constructed the Samosarana or a grand preaching assembly for him.

Gosala was so impressed by the reanimation of the plant that he became convinced that all living things were capable of such reanimation. The terms used in the story of the Bhagavati Sutra for reanimation mimic a technical term for reanimation of the dead that is also found elsewhere in Ajivika doctrine. Mahavira disagreed with this thesis, and this seems to have been the cause of the separation of the two ascetics. Mahavira is, however, later depicted as having rescued Gosala from an attack by an enraged renunciant using magical powers acquired through the practice of austerities; this is claimed to motivate Gosala's pursuit of the same sort of magical powers.

Llong wanted to go on a pilgrimage but she had a vision that revealed that she should create a women's convent called "Santa Maria in Gerasalamme" and she wanted to re-establish the original concepts of being simple and humble in addition to poorness of spirit and adherence to the austerities of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Clare of Assisi. This re- establishment followed the lead that Matteo da Bascio had set when he founded the order of the Capuchin monks. Llong's new order was organised with the aid of the Capuchins. Her new order took the habit of the monks and became known as the Capuchin Poor Clares.

Chidananda convinced Richard of the need to practice japa meditation – chanting mantras on rosary. In his 1980s interview to Larry D. Shinn, Radhanath Swami recounted that he found a secluded spot on the banks of the Ganges and chanted "Hare Krishna" and other mantras for eight to ten hours a day. There he met a sadhu, at whose request he threw all his western clothes in the waters of the Ganges, and received in return a simple garment of a Hindu ascetic. Richard began to practice severe austerities: Every day for a month, from sunrise to sunset, he meditated sitting on a rock in the middle of the Ganges.

Only the perfect language of the Vedas, as in contrast to ordinary speech, can reveal these truths, which were preserved by committing them to memory. According to Mookerji, while these truths are imparted to the student by the memorized texts, "the realization of Truth" and the knowledge of paramatman as revealed to the rishis is the real aim of Vedic learning, and not the mere recitation of texts. The supreme knowledge of the Absolute, para Brahman- jnana, the knowledge of rta and satya, can be obtained by taking vows of silence and obedience sense-restraint, dhyana, the practice of tapas (austerities), and discussing the Vedanta.

Bhandasura was a demon created from the ashes of Kamdeva by Chitrakarma. This character makes his appearance in, and is the main antagonist of the Lalitopakyanam, part of Brahmanda Purana. Bhandasura was created from the ashes of Kamadeva and performed severe austerities to please Lord Shiva, for which he was rewarded with the boons that whomsoever dares to fight Bhandasura would forfeit half of his strength and masculinity to him. Bhanda was also given the city of the demons, Shunyaka (in the Mahendra Hills) to live in and was promised emperor hood of the multiverse for sixty-thousand years without any obstructions in his path.

However, Dakshayani just cannot forget Lord Shiva nor can she live without him. To win the regard of the ascetic Shiva, Dakshayani forsook the luxuries of her father's palace and retired to a forest, there to devote herself to austerities and the worship of Shiva. So rigorous were her penances that she gradually renounced food itself, at one stage subsisting on one bilva leaf a day, and then giving up even that nourishment; this particular abstinence earned her the sobriquet Aparnā. Her prayers finally bore fruit when, after testing her resolve, Shiva finally acceded to her wishes and consented to make her his bride.

Self-knowledge is a major topic in the ancient wisdom tradition Vedanta, and is acquired after the student makes certain preparations, such as the practice of austerities, cultivating calm, freeing oneself from cravings and aversion, and then performs the ātma-vicāra, or self-enquiry.Adi Shankara, Atma Bodha (Self Inquiry), first sloka This knowledge is that all things are one. The consciousness of the individual soul and the soul of God are the same. This knowledge, while normally acquired under the direction of a guru or teacher, is not taught in the traditional sense, but is experienced directly by the prepared student, by the process of insight alone, who performs the vicāra.

During the reign of Emperor Nintoku (313 – 399), according to temple legend, Ragyō Shōnin, a monk from India, came here following the river in search of a suitable place in which to practice his austerities and found Nachi waterfall. After practicing shugyō, Kannon appeared to him at the base of the waterfall and so he built a hermitage dedicated to Kannon in this place. During the reign of Empress Suiko (592 – 628), Shōbutsu Shōnin came here from Yamato in order to undergo austerity practices. At that time he carved a 4 meter high image of Nyoirin Kannon from a single piece of camellia tree.

South Indian villages have the streets built around temples in concentric rectangles to enable the temple chariot movement around the temple. There type of temple chariot being made of gold or silver or wood decided the closest path the chariots would traverse in the order. The Raja gifted the village to the temple and formed four streets around the temple in rectangular fashion as with other south Indian villages to enable the temple car to pass easily. He also allocated a middle street bisecting the rectangle, for the temple priests, which had altars where the priests used to perform austerities during normal worship hours and festivals.

He later used the name Trantung Gyelpo () "King of the Blood-drinkers", "blood drinker" being the Tibetan name for the deity Heruka. These eccentric ways were influenced by an Indian sect of yogis called Kapalikas or "skull-bearers", who practiced austerities as well as dressing in loincloths and human ashes and carrying symbols of the dakinis such as bone ornaments and skulls. Many monks questioned his behavior and way of dress but Tsangnyön was known to strongly defend his unconventional practice through rigorous argument and accurate quotations from scriptures. He became a famous teacher and gathered numerous followers, he was also a composer of religious songs.

When Vishnu had taken on the Kurma Avatar, he also had to manifest himself as Mohini, the enchantress, to save the nectar of immortality (ambrosia or amrit) from the demons who were not willing to share it with the gods. If he became Mohini again, then the female Mohini and the male Shiva could have the divine child who would combine their powers and beat Mahishi. Some versions give a slightly more detailed version of the union of Shiva with Vishnu. One version tells that the asura Bhasmasura had so pleased Lord Shiva with his austerities that Shiva gave him a boon of anything he wished.

The so-called "Rule of St. Stephen" was compiled at the request of the fourth prior, Étienne de Liciac, by Hugh of Lacerta, and embodies the customs of Grandmont some twenty or thirty years after St. Stephen's death in 1124. The founder himself left no authentic writings. His maxim was "There is no rule save the Gospel of Christ"; as this was the basis of all rules, to practise its morality was to fulfil all the duties of a good religious. The life was eremitical and very severe in regard to silence, diet and bodily austerities; it was modelled after the rule of the Camaldolese, but various regulations were adopted from the Augustinian canons.

Those who undertook this lifestyle were called Sannyasi, Sadhu, Yati,yatin Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany Bhiksu, Pravrajita/Pravrajitā,pravrajitA Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Koeln University, Germany and Parivrajaka in Hindu texts.Patrick Olivelle (1981), "Contributions to the Semantic History of Saṃnyāsa," Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 101, No. 3, pages 265–274 The term with a meaning closer to asceticism in Hindu texts is Tapas, but it too spans a spectrum of meanings ranging from inner heat, to self-mortification and penance with austerities, to meditation and self-discipline.Kaelber, W. O. (1976). "Tapas", Birth, and Spiritual Rebirth in the Veda, History of Religions, 15(4), 343-386; Lowitz, L., & Datta, R. (2004).

The late tenth-century collection of biographies of those who had attained rebirth in the Pure Land, the Nihon ōjō gokuraki ki, attributes to Kūya the devotion of all Japan to the nembutsu. He is also known as founder of Rokuharamitsu-ji where he later died. Details of Kuya's life are very scant prior to 938, but in the existing biographies it is said that Kuya, possibly of Imperial lineage, took tonsure at a temple in Owari Province in his youth and traveled to various holy sites and performing good works in the community. Later, Kuya traveled to Awa and Tosa provinces before undertaking austerities at a place called Yushima (湯島) before a statue of Kannon.

According to ancient tradition, a (asura) named Dandhasur who was the predecessor of Dhumrlochan, another asura who was defeated and killed by goddess Jagadambe, Dandhasur wanted to take the revenge of the death of his ancestor, so he performed austerities in praise of the god (Shiva). Lord Shiva was praised by Dhandasur's practice and granted the boon of Vardan, so he asked that the goddess who killed his ancestor, Dhumralochan, should come in front of him. Lord Shiva promised him that goddess who killed Dhumralochan will come in front of him in form of a small girl. After getting the Vardan, Dandhasur won all the battles on earth as well as Pataal and Mrutyulok.

When Cosimo III de' Medici handed over the monastery del Monte (on San Miniato near Florence, also called Monte alle Croci) to the members of the Riformella, St Leonard was sent hither under the auspices and by desire of Cosimo III, and began shortly to hold missions among the people of Tuscany. His colleagues and he practiced austerities and penances during these missions. In 1710 he founded the monastery of Icontro, on a peak in the mountains about four and a quarter miles from Florence, whither he and his assistants could retire from time to time after missions, and devote themselves to spiritual renewal. Alphonsus Liguori called Leonard "the great missionary of the 18th century".

The Church Fathers recount a number of traditions about Thecla. Gregory of Nyssa writes in the 4th century (Homily 14 in Cant) that she undertook the sacrifice of herself, by giving death to the flesh [Gal 5:24], practicing great austerities, extinguishing in herself all earthly affections, so that nothing seemed to remain living in her but reason and spirit: the whole world seemed dead to her as she was to the world [Gal 6:14]. Macarius Magnes shortly after AD 300 wrote how the message of Christianity was "the Sword, [Matt 10:34] which cuts relations from each other [Matt:10:35], as it cut Thecla from Theocleia." [Apocriticus ii.7].

Nara Narayana as per Mahabharata According to Bhandarkar, the gods Nara-Narayana must have been very popular at the time of the composition of the Mahabharata, since in the opening stanzas of various parvas (constituent books) of the epic, obeisance is made to these two gods. In Vanaparvan (12. 46, 47), Krishna says to Arjuna,"O invincible one, you are Nara and I am Hari Narayana, and we, the sages Nara-Narayana, have come to this world at the proper time.." In the same Parva, chapter 40 (verse 1); Shiva says to Arjuna — "In former birth you were Nara and with Narayana as your companion, performed austerities for thousands of years at Badari".

Even Buddhism's most famous patron, Emperor Ashoka, did not ban killing of animals and birds in entirety. Rather, Ashoka's animal welfare policies only restricted the species of animals that can be killed for food in addition to banning ritual sacrifices of animals on the premise that it is wasteful. Vegetarianism never was a principle to be strictly adhered to in Buddhism and no social stigma was attached to Buddhists who ate meat even in India, the land of its origin. This is reasonably clear from the fact that the austerities of Jainism which includes the strictest form of vegetarianism long pre-dated Buddha's birth and did not apparently influence Buddha's eating habits after his enlightenment.

He was devoted to the sacrament of penance and ministering to the ill, which both became trademarks for his life. He also imposed austerities on himself and penances such as consuming only bread and water and self-flagellation. Errico made annual retreats to the Redemptorist house in Pagani in Salerno. In 1818 during one such retreat he had a vision in which Saint Alfonso Maria de' Liguori came to him and told him that God wanted him to build a new church and to found a new religious congregation. Errico set himself on doing this, and had strong support from the people after having announced it at Pentecost in 1826 (he purchased the land back in 1822).

Ugrā conceived due to the power of a solar mantra, but was unable to bear the extreme heat radiating from the foetus, so she abandoned it in the ocean. Soon, a son was born from this abandoned foetus and the ocean returned him to his grieving father, who named him Sindhu – the ocean. The caves of Lenyadri, where the Mayuresvara form of Ganesha is believed to have been born Parvati underwent austerities meditating on Ganesha – "the supporter of the entire universe" – for twelve years at Lenyadri (another Ashtavinayak site, where Ganesha is worshiped as the son of Parvati). Pleased by her penance, Ganesha blessed her by the boon that he would be born as her son.

The Buddha's Middle Path refers to avoiding extremes of indulgence on the one hand and self-mortification on the other. According to the Early Buddhist Texts, prior to attaining nirvana, Shakyamuni practiced a regime of strict austerity and fasting which was common among the sramana religions of the day (limited to just a few drops of bean soup a day). These austerities with five other ascetics did not lead to spiritual progress but did cause him to become so emaciated that he could barely stand. It was only after he gave up the practice of harsh asceticism, including extreme fasting, and instead focused on the practice of meditation and jhana, that he attained awakening.

Tsurumaki-Onsen Station was opened on April 1, 1927, on the Odakyu Odawara Line of the Odakyu Electric Railway with normal and 6-car limited express services as . It was given its present name on March 15, 1937, but reverted to its original name in 1944 as wartime authorities felt that the onsen in the name appeared frivolous in light of wartime austerities. The current name was restored only in 1987.Japanese Wikipedia entry A Hadano-city-owned public onsen called Kobo-no-Sato-yuSee Kobo-no-Sato-yu in "External links" above is only two minutes from the north exit (across the road, turn left, then right at the next corner).

In a gender-bending role that entails inter alia 11 days of asceticism, a man is chosen from the Acharya Pujari sect of the Tigala community, for it requires the physical strength of a male to carry the Karaga. Karaga priest performs austerities since six months and he wears his wife's mangala sutra (Holy knot), who gets it back by a marriage ceremony on the 10th day. She will not be seeing her husband from the time of Vijayadashami who will reside in the temple till the Karaga is over. So when the Karaga procession stops in front of her house, she, unlike the other devotees cannot come out to be blessed.

He received sannyasa, full ordination, in 1956, from Swami Shankarananda. At the Madras Math he served first as pujari, and as editor of the Vedanta Kesari from August 1956 to April 1962. In 1961 he went on pilgrimage in the Himalayas, and stayed at Uttarkashi to practice spiritual austerities for some months. In 1962 he was made the head of the Ramakrishna Mission center in New Delhi, an important centre of the Ramakrishna Order. He came to the United States on 5 August 1968, to be the Assistant Minister of the San Francisco Vedanta Society, where he served for two years; later he was appointed head of the Vedanta Society of Berkeley, California, where he stayed for six years.

Origin of holy river Ganga Tapovan (Sanskrit) comes from the two root words tapas - meaning penance and by extension religious mortification and austerity, and more generally spiritual practice, and vana, meaning forest or thicket. Tapovan then translates as forest of austerities or spiritual practice. Traditionally in India, any place where someone has engaged in serious spiritual retreat may become known as a tapovan, even if there is no forest. As well as particular caves and other hermitages where sages and sadhus have dwelt, there are some places, such as the western bank of the northern Ganges river around Rishikesh, that have been so used by hermits that the whole area has become known as a tapovan.

The falls are mentioned as the in the Shin-Sagamikuni Fudoki of 1841, but have been known since at least the late Heian period. During the early Kamakura period, the famed monk Mongaku is said to have spent one hundred days in meditation and austerities at this waterfall, and the temple of Saishō-ji has an image of Fudo Myoo called the "Waterfall Fudō", which it attributes to Mongaku. The Shasui Falls is listed as one of "Japan’s Top 100 Waterfalls", in a list published by the Japanese Ministry of the Environment in 1990. It is also one of the “50 Scenic Spots of Kanagawa Prefecture” in a 1979 listing published by the Kanagawa Prefecture Tourism Association.

Holly Solomon (1934–2002) was an American collector of contemporary art and founder of the Holly Solomon Gallery in New York City in 1975. Her SoHo, Manhattan gallery was initially known for nurturing the artistic movement known as Pattern and Decoration, which was a reaction to the austerities of Minimal art. She was the subject of an early portrait by Andy Warhol that made her a Pop Art icon, of sorts, as well as the subject of portraits by Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg. Holly and Horace Solomon made a lasting contribution to the work of Gordon Matta-Clark when they provided the site for Matta-Clark's project Splitting, a suburban home in Englewood, New Jersey.

Holly Solomon Gallery opened in New York City in 1975 at 392 West Broadway in Soho, Manhattan. Started by Holly Solomon - aspiring actress, style-icon, and collector - and her husband Horace Solomon, the gallery was initially known for launching major art careers and nurturing the artistic movement known as Pattern and Decoration, which was a reaction to the austerities of Minimal art. In 1969, Solomon opened the 98 Greene St. Loft. The south of Houston noncommercial exhibition space, rented for $158 per month, hosted poetry readings, performances, musical events and exhibitions by artists and writers such as Ted Barrigan, Laurie Anderson, Gordon Matta-Clark, Donna Dennis, Robert Kushner, George Schneeman, and others.

Bhagiratha (Sanskrit: भगीरथ, Bhagīratha) was a legendary king of the Ikshvaku dynasty who brought the River Ganges, personified as the river goddess Ganga, to Earth from the heavens. When he became prince of Sagara Dynasty, learning the awful end of his forefathers, who were unable to attain region of gods, with a sorrowful heart made over his kingly duties to his minister and went for practicing austerities to Himalayas. He did penance for a thousand years (according to god timeline) on the advice of his guru Trithala, to please Ganga, to gain the release his 60,000 great-uncles from the curse of saint Kapila. Ganga told him if she will descend from the sky to the earth, the force of her fall will be difficult to sustain.

In the second volume of the Chaitanya charitamrita a presentation is given,Madhya 9.113-114: "Just to associate with Kṛṣṇa, Lakṣmī abandoned all transcendental happiness in Vaikuṇṭha and for a long time accepted vows and regulative principles and performed unlimited austerities." with a reference to the particular verse of the tenth canto of Bhagavata Purana as to the reason why Lakshmi also known as Sri (thus the name of Sri Sampradaya) is burning with desire and still not capable of entering to the realm of Vrindavana.SB 10.16.36 Prabodhananda Sarasvati, previously a Sri Sampradaya sannyasi, was converted to supreme position of Radha-Krishna being Svayam bhagavan instead of Lakshmi-Narayana. He as well apparently came to appreciate the supremacy of Radha worship from Chaitanya.

St. Francis: he asked pardon from his Brother Ass (the way he referred to his body), for his severe penances. Later, Saint Francis of Assisi, who is said to have received the stigmata, painful wounds like those of Jesus Christ, is said to have asked pardon to his body, whom he called Brother Ass, for the severe self-afflicted penances he has done: vigils, fasts, frequent flagellations and the use of a hairshirt. A Doctor of the Church, St. Catherine of Siena (died 1380), was a tertiary Dominican who lived at home rather than in a convent, and who practiced austerities which a prioress would probably not have permitted. She is notable for fasting and subsisting for long periods of time on nothing but the Blessed Sacrament.

While still a novice he had ecstasies which lasted two or three hours, and later on they lasted sometimes seven hours and more. During his ecstasies many things were revealed to him which he made known only when it could profit others, and the same may be said of what he learnt from the souls in purgatory, who appeared to him very frequently. In physical austerities, he was assisted by a strong constitution, for he was a man of athletic build and had, as he said, "an iron head and a brazen stomach". Portrait of Denis the Carthusian by Adriaen Millaert During the last two years of his life he suffered intensely and with heroic patience from paralysis, the stone, and other infirmities.

The educational establishment resented his innovative methods. Nevertheless, La Salle and his small group of free teachers set up the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools which is, according to the La Salle Web site, entirely dedicated to the Christian education of the "children of artisans and the poor", in a life close to that of the Catholic religious. In 1685, La Salle founded what is generally considered the first normal school -- that is, a school whose purpose is to train teachers -- in Rheims, France.. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Worn out by austerities and exhausting labors, La Salle died at Saint Yon, near Rouen, early in 1719 on Good Friday, only three weeks before his 68th birthday.

This prompted Camozzi to realize that her life had spun out of control and caused her to experience a religious conversion circa 1450; she henceforth decided to enter the religious life and became a member of the Order of Saint Augustine where she assumed the religious name of "Cristina". She moved to Verona around this time. Her time in the order became noted for the severe austerities that she imposed upon herself as penance for her earlier life and she lived in a number of convents where she became known as a miracle worker until settling in Spoleto. She clothed herself in a habit that was made from sown-together rags and meditated deep on the passion of Jesus Christ.

Her austerities as a sign of penance and her begging door to door concerned her husband and parents who had to stop her from continuing them. She also was given to religious ecstasies at the celebration of Mass but became the object of slander and ridicule - her detractors however realized in due course that she was a living saint. De' Botti died in 1361 wearing the habit of the Dominicans and on her deathbed she asked that the Passion be read out to her; she died when the words "He bowed His head and have up the Ghost" were read out. Her remains were taken to Santa Maria Novella but the priests were unable to inter her for a month due to the constant crowd of mourners.

Pierre de Luxembourg (20 July 1369 – 2 July 1387) was a French Roman Catholic prelate who served the Bishop of Metz and pseudocardinal from 1384 until his death. Pierre was descended from nobles who secured his entrance into the priesthood when he started to serve in several places as a canon before he was named as the Bishop of Metz and a pseudocardinal under an antipope. He was noted for his austerities and successes in diocesan reform as well as for his dedication to the faithful but he tried to end the Western Schism that pitted pope against antipope and rulers against rulers. His efforts were in vain and he was soon driven from Metz but moved to southern France where he died from anorexia as a result of his harsh self-imposed penances.

Marxism postulates the development of a New Man and New Woman in a communist society following the values of a non-essential nature of the state and the importance of freely associated work for the affirmation of a person's humanity. This is in contrast to an innate personality opposing view which is counter-productive to selfless collectivism that elevates austerities, discipline to true materialism in all its pejoratives and for an adherent to the self-regulating dynamic worker. Marxism does not see the New Man/Woman as a goal or prerequisite for achieving full communism, but rather as a product of the social conditions of pure communism. Che Guevara's essay "Socialism and man in Cuba" and Oscar Wilde's The Soul of Man under Socialism are two examples of the 'new man' archetype in socialist literature.

Venkata and his two brothers, Gopala's uncles Trimalla and Prabodhananda Sarasvati "were converted from their Sri Vaishnava faith in Lakshmi-Narayana as supreme to one in Radha Krishna" as Svayam Bhagavan. The dialog of this conversion is recorded in 16 c. Caitanya Caritamrita biography by Krishna dasa Kaviraja. In the Madhya lila of the Chaitanya charitamrita a presentation is given,Madhya 9.113-114: "Just to associate with , abandoned all transcendental happiness in and for a long time accepted vows and regulative principles and performed unlimited austerities." with a reference to the particular verse of the tenth canto of Bhagavata Purana as to the reason why Lakshmi also known as Sri (thus the name of Sri Sampradaya) is burning with desire and still not capable of entering to the realm of Vrindavana.

Vincenzo Strambi (1 January 1745 - 1 January 1824) - in religious Vincenzo Maria di San Paolo - was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who was a professed member from the Passionists and served as the Bishop of Macerata-Tolentino from 1801 until his resignation in 1823. Strambi became a Passionist despite its founder Saint Paul of the Cross refusing him several times due to Strambi's frail constitution. But he practiced Passionist austerities which continued after his appointment as a bishop that saw him favor his religious habit rather than the usual episcopal garb. He was known for his charitable projects that included the care of the poor and the reduction of diocesan expenditures in order to provide for them; he took special interests in the education and ongoing formation of priests.

In 1972, Giriraj was appointed by Prabhupada to be president of ISKCON Bombay and trustee of the Bhaktivedanta Book Trust. Since then, he has made many significant contributions to Srila Prabhupada's mission, most notably overseeing all aspects of the development of Hare Krishna Land in Juhu, Bombay. He was instrumental in the acquisition and development of Bhaktivedanta Ashram in Govardhan and led the development of the Kirtan Ashram for women,Kirtan Ashram Kirtan Ashram Background the Bhaktivedanta Hospice, and the Vrindavan Institute of Palliative Care, all in Vrindavan. Through his efforts, Giriraj Swami has become renowned for the austerities he has accepted, his loyalty and dedication to Srila Prabhupada's mission, his ability to raise funds and cultivate important members of society, and his care for devotees around the world.

She often spent her mornings in Eucharistic Adoration while her afternoons saw her administering to both the ill and the poor; she became noted for her austerities which included wearing a rough woolen shirt and for her long fasts. When her brother kept getting into trouble (and his conduct exceeded all patience) she would fall to her knees before a Crucifix and would beg for God to intervene and help her brother. Through her efforts the order was inspired to undertake a more strict observance which led to Sebastian Maggi - from Milan - coming in 1490 to inaugurate this at her request. On one occasion a rich councilor from Milan - who harbored great hatred towards the faith - was excommunicated and he hit her across the face in public and called her names.

Saint Albert of Trapani (born Albert degli Abati; 1240 – 7 August 1307) was an Italian Roman Catholic priest and a professed member from the Carmelites. He practiced great austerities upon himself to make himself poor in the spirit of Jesus Christ and went out preaching and evangelizing; he was known for working and maintaining a positive relationship with Jews as well as for his powers of healing. The saint was likewise attributed for the 1301 lifting of the siege in Messina that could have seen hundreds die from starvation had it not been for his intervention. His beatification received approval in 1454 from Pope Nicholas V and he was canonized sometime later in mid-1476; some sources suggest that Pope Callixtus III canonized the saint on 15 October 1457.

Reed herself died of tuberculosis shortly after the publication of her book; her disease was widely believed to have been caused by the austerities to which she had been subjected at the convent. Reed’s book became a bestseller, and Monk or her handlers might have hoped to cash in on the evident market for anti-Catholic horror fiction. Monk’s claims might have been modeled on the gothic novels that were popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries, a literary genre that had already been used to stoke anti-Catholic sentiments in such works as Denis Diderot's La Religieuse. Monk’s story epitomizes the genre-defining elements of a young, innocent woman being trapped in a remote, old, gloomily picturesque estate, where she learns dark secrets and escapes after harrowing adventures.

It was during his time of recuperation that he underwent a profound spiritual crisis that challenged him to the core and resulted in his determination to make a radical change to his own life - one of penance for his earlier misdeeds. He returned to Bologna sometime in 1470 in order to start a life of penitence with austerities he would undertake as a particular penance. He separated from his wife and put on a plain shirt - hence being confused for a Carmelite - and then put on a white one with a cross on his chest that he wore all the time. He preached penance and self-mortification to the people that he encountered and he would often go with those condemned to the scaffold for merciful comfort and solace.

In Jainism this practice is collectively known as Varshayog and is prescribed for Jain monasticism. Wandering monks such as mendicants and ascetics in Jainism, believe that during the rainy season, countless bugs, insects and tiny creatures that cannot be seen in the naked eye take birth massively. Therefore, these monks reduce the amount of harm they do to other creatures so they opt to stay in a single place for the four months to incur minimal harm to other lives. These monks, who generally do not stay in one place for long(59 nights for females, 29 nights for males), observe their annual 'Rains Retreat' during this period, by living in one place during the entire period amidst lay people, observing a vow of silence (mauna), meditation, fasting and other austerities, and also giving religious discourses to the local public.

The first issue of Ye Giglampz, a satirical weekly published in 1874 by Hearn and Henry Farny In 1861, Hearn's aunt, aware that Hearn was turning away from Catholicism, and at the urging of Henry Hearn Molyneux, a relative of her late husband and a distant cousin of Hearn, enrolled him at the Institution Ecclésiastique, a Catholic church school in Yvetot, France. Hearn's experiences at the school confirmed his lifelong conviction that Catholic education consisted of "conventional dreariness and ugliness and dirty austerities and long faces and Jesuitry and infamous distortion of children's brains." Hearn became fluent in French and would later translate into English the works of Guy de Maupassant and Gustave Flaubert. In 1863, again at the suggestion of Molyneux, Hearn was enrolled at St. Cuthbert's College, Ushaw, a Catholic seminary at what is now the University of Durham.

An important characteristic of Li Bai's poetry "is the fantasy and note of childlike wonder and playfulness that pervade so much of it". Burton Watson attributes this to a fascination with the Taoist priest, Taoist recluses who practiced alchemy and austerities in the mountains, in the aim of becoming xian, or immortal beings. There is a strong element of Taoism in his works, both in the sentiments they express and in their spontaneous tone, and "many of his poems deal with mountains, often descriptions of ascents that midway modulate into journeys of the imagination, passing from actual mountain scenery to visions of nature deities, immortals, and 'jade maidens' of Taoist lore". Watson sees this as another affirmation of Li Bai's affinity with the past, and a continuity with the traditions of the Chuci and the early fu.

Art Critic James Burr: "It is rare today to find a young painter whose visual language has grown out of the formal austerities and induced linear precision of the 15th century; this is a decade where painting is ferociously impulsive and dominated by abstraction so that the calm objectivity and direct reaction to the visual world of Reginald Gray comes as a relief from a rapid indulgence in manipulating material". The English film actor Patrick Waddington bought a number of Gray's works and arranged an exhibition for Gray and Aubrey Williams, the painter from Guyana at The Caravan Gallery, New York. Another exhibition for Gray at Abbott and Holder was programmed for the following year which had a further good reception. Alan Simpson, the Pike Theatre director, came to this exhibition and suggested that Gray should paint a portrait of Samuel Beckett.

Bhadrabahu is usually seen as the last leader of united Jain sangh. Detailed codification of types of karma and their effects were attested by Umasvati who is regarded by both Digambara and Svetambara as one of theirs. Jain and Buddhist scholar Padmanabh Jaini observes: With regards to the influence of the theory of karma on development of various religious and social practices in ancient India, Dr. Padmanabh Jaini states:Padmanabh Jaini, Collected papers on Jaina Studies, Chapter 7, Pg 137 The Jain socio-religious practices like regular fasting, practicing severe austerities and penances, the ritual death of Sallekhana and rejection of God as the creator and operator of the universe can all be linked to the Jain theory of karma. Jaini notes that the disagreement over the karmic theory of transmigration resulted in the social distinction between the Jains and their Hindu neighbours.

According to the Pāli Canon, he taught his sangha to adopt five tapas (literally, austerities) throughout their lives: #that monks should dwell all their lives in the forest, #that they should accept no invitations to meals, but live entirely on alms obtained by begging, #that they should wear only robes made of discarded rags and accept no robes from the laity, #that they should dwell at the foot of a tree and not under a roof, #that they should abstain completely from fish and flesh. The Buddha's reply was that those who felt so inclined could follow these rules – except that of sleeping under a tree during the rainy season – but he refused to make the rules obligatory. They are among the 13 ascetic practices (dhutanga). His followers (including bhikkhus and bhikkhunis) were new monks from the Vajjī clan.

In exchange, Gabrielle Chanel closed her Swiss parfumerie enterprise, and sold to Parfums Chanel the full rights to the name "Coco Chanel".Mazzeo, Tilar J. The Secret of Chanel No. 5, pp. 176–77. ;Resurgence – 1950s–1970s A classic Chanel suit, 1965 In 1953, upon returning to France from Switzerland, Coco Chanel found the fashion business enamoured of the "New Look" (1947), by Christian Dior; the signature shape featured a below-mid- calf-length, full-skirt, a narrow waist, and a large bust (stylistically absent since 1912). As a post–War fashion that used some 20 yards of fabric, the House of Dior couture renounced wartime rationing of fabric for clothes. In 1947 – after the six-year austerities of the Second World War (1939–45) – the New Look was welcomed by the fashion business of Western Europe because sales of the pretty clothes would revive business and the economy.

In the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism, the term "Middle Way" was used in the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, which the Buddhist tradition regards to be the first teaching that the Buddha delivered after his awakening. In this sutta, the Buddha describes the Noble Eightfold Path as the middle way of moderation, between the extremes of sensual indulgence and self-mortification: According to the scriptural account, when the Buddha delivered the Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, he was addressing five ascetics with whom he had previously practiced severe austerities. Thus, it is this personal context as well as the broader context of Indian shramanic practices that gives particular relevancy to the caveat against the extreme (Pali: antā) of self- mortification (Pali attakilamatha). Later Pali literature has also used the phrase Middle Way to refer to the Buddha's teaching of dependent origination as a view between the extremes of eternalism and annihilationism.

The confluence of the Bhagirathi, which flows in rapids with strong currents meets a much calmer river in the Alaknanda and this has been vividly described by the British captain Raper as: > The contrast between the two rivers joining here is striking. The > Bhaghirathi runs down a steep declivity with rapid force, roaring and > foaming flowing over large fragments placed in its bed, while the placid, > Alakananda, flowing, with a smooth, unruffled surface, gently winds round > the point till, meeting with her turbulent consort, she is forcibly hurried > down, and unites her clamours with the blustering current. The confluence got the name tag 'Dev' from a poor Brahmin called Deva Sharma who performed "rigorous religious austerities" here and was blessed by Rama, Vishnu's incarnation and hero of the epic Ramayana. There are two Kunds or ponds on the banks of the rivers which join here, these are: the Vasistha Kund on the Bhagirathi and the Brahma Kund on the bank of the Alakananda.

In many of the stories related in the Mahabharata, apsaras appear in important supporting roles. The epic contains several lists of the principal Apsaras, which lists are not always identical. Here is one such list, together with a description of how the celestial dancers appeared to the residents and guests at the court of the gods: > Ghritachi and Menaka and Rambha and Purvachitti and Swayamprabha and Urvashi > and Misrakeshi and Dandagauri and Varuthini and Gopali and Sahajanya and > Kumbhayoni and Prajagara and Chitrasena and Chitralekha and Saha and > Madhuraswana, these and others by thousands, possessed of eyes like lotus > leaves, who were employed in enticing the hearts of persons practising rigid > austerities, danced there. And possessing slim waists and fair large hips, > they began to perform various evolutions, shaking their deep bosoms, and > casting their glances around, and exhibiting other attractive attitudes > capable of stealing the hearts and resolutions and minds of the > spectators.

The other area of Baodingshan is Little Buddha Bend [Xiaofowan 小佛弯／小佛彎], a smaller area situated above and behind the temple where some scholars have argued initiation rituals were carried out. It is within Little Buddha Bend that one finds the Founder’s Pagoda, a carved work on which is seen images of the Tang dynasty local layman Master Liu – famous for his ten austerities that are depicted at Baodingshan as well as at other sites in Sichuan – as well as an image of Zhao Zhifeng, the monk credited with Baodingshan’s creation. Equally important is the inclusion of a carved Buddhist scriptural catalogue on the lower levels of the pagoda, with some scholars noting that the catalogue’s presence points to perhaps a different function for the text seen at the site as a whole. Other areas of Baodingshan include the Vimalakirti Hall, situated at the pinnacle of the summit, and the Longevity Pavilion located just above the Oxherding sequence of texts and images in Great Buddha Bend.

In Hindu Tradition, Sagar (Sanskrit: ; IAST: ) is a prominent king of the Suryavansha dynasty in Vidarbha, and the other from royal lineage of Sivi,Ikshaku tribe The Mahabharata translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli. One day King Sagara asked his guru what he did to receive this comfort life of a king? His guru replied that in his previous birth, Sagara was a poor Brahmin, but he had a daughter and he arranged a marriage for his daughter, hence performing kanyadan (Donation or Gift of a Maiden), which is considered to be one of the highest virtues of life. Hearing this Sagara was surprised that he only gave his daughter’s hand in marriage and he gets to enjoy a royal comfort life, hence he decided to do tapa (austerities) to beget 60000 daughters. While doing the tapa, Lord Indra (King of Devas) feared that by performing marriage of 60000 daughters would make Sagara attain Indra’s throne, so he requested Goddess Saraswati, goddess of wisdom, to sit on Sagara’s tongue and when he asks for the boon, change the “putri” (daughter) word into “putra” (son).

Considerable dissent exists among various Swaminarayan groups regarding Gunatitanand Swami's status as Akshar, with BAPS being one of the foremost, though not only, groups propagating this principle as a foundation of their Akshar Purushottam philosophy, or Upasana. The Akshar Purushottam Upasana is the central theological tenet upon which the BAPS denomination of Swaminarayan Hinduism is based. Proponents of this philosophy believe that of the five eternal entities (Jiva, Ishwar, Maya, Brahman and Parabrahman), Akshar (Brahman) and Purushottam (Parabrahman) eternally transcend the illusion of maya. While both BAPS and certain sections of the dioceses of Ahmedabad and Vadtal accept Purushottam as God and the cause of all the avatars, the concept of Akshar has led to much debate and is one of the primary causes of the schism between the denominations. Yājñavalkya Smṛti was authorized as a sacred text by Swaminarayan and it contains the following proof-text of Akshar, explaining that, "If one does not know Akshar, then one’s oblations, sacrifices and austerities for many thousands of years in this world will come to an end; and when one departs from this world without knowing Akshar, one is miserable".