The Vajra is a weapon named in all the ancient writings of the Gods. It is also the most important ritual implement of Vajrayana Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the word vajra is defined as hard or strong, as in a diamond. It symbolizes an impenetrable, immovable and indestructible state of knowledge and enlightenment.
Our knowledge of the vajra goes back to the profound antiquity. The texts indicate that the vajra was not always a symbol of peace and tranquility, but something very different. It appears for the first time in ancient India, where it was the main weapon of the celestial god Vedic Indra, the king of the Devas.
According to the Hindu Puranas, the evil Asuras, Namuchi and Vritra removed all light and moisture from the earth. They made the land inhospitable for living beings. Indra fought against the demon gods, without success, and as a last resort, exhorted his supreme god Vishnu for help.
Vishnu informed him that only a weapon that was neither solid nor liquid could kill Namuchi and Vritra. So he had the divine carpenter, Tvashta, design Indra a wonderful weapon that he could use to defeat the terrible Asuras. This new weapon, the vajra, emitted rays. With him, Indra annihilated Namuchi and Vritra and returned the necessary amount of light and moisture back to the earth. The Rig Veda describes this conflict.
"Now I describe the glorious deeds of Indra, who holds the Vajra." "He killed the serpent and made the waters flow. It broke the heart of the mountains. He killed the serpent, which was taking refuge in the mountain. Tvashta did the Vajra for him. Just as cows make sounds, the flowing waters reached the sea. The powerful Indra chose the Soma, and drank from three containers. "" The generous Indra held the Vajra in his hand, and killed the firstborn among the serpents. "
The vajra, when used, was thrown to opponents. Nitin Kumar, in his article Ritual Implements in Tibetan Buddhism, tells us "Like a thrown weapon, the indestructible ray burned like a meteoric fireball across the heavens, in a maelstrom of thunder, fire and lightning."
The traditional images of the vajra represent it as a metal shaft with three, five or nine points that emanate from lotus flowers at each end. Originally, according to the ancient Hindu text Rigveda, when Indra used his vajra, it had open ends. The Buddhist legend suggests that Shakyamuni, the Buddha himself, took Indra's vajra and forced its teeth to close, transforming it from a destructive weapon to a peaceful scepter.
Can the Weapons of The Gods, like the Vajra, be found all over the world?
Scholars argue that there is no relationship between Indian, Greek, Australian, Nordic cosmology and the cosmology of the Americas. They believe that each civilization conceived its gods independently, and that there is no deeper, more ancient universal tradition. If this were the case, then the foundation of these societies, their myths, traditions, beliefs and iconography should be unique to them, their location and their history. The tales of war, intrigue and conquest that come out of American history are very different from those of England, France, India and China. So are the customs, traditions and symbols that represent the nation. However, when we look at a wide range of ancient and indigenous groups, there is a pattern of coincidence. Myths and symbols found in India appear easily in the oral and written descriptions of other cultures. They also appear in their artistic images. These representations seem to transcend time and location.
The symbol of thunder or lightning as a tool of destruction, for example, emerges in many ancient civilizations. Mythology inevitably associates the ray with a god of the sky, the god of thunder, who uses it as a weapon.
In the western world, it is more easily associated with Greek celestial god, Zeus. With him he defeated the Titans and took control of the Greek pantheon. The myth tells us that Zeus freed the Cyclopes, the master builders, who were imprisoned in the depths of the underworld - Tartarus.
In gratitude for his release, they gave him a wonderful weapon, lightning. In another story, Zeus used his formidable weapon to fight against the greatest and most fearsome creatures of all Greek mythology, the serpent with a hundred heads, Typhoon. The first images of Zeus represent him holding a lightning rod while others show this deadly weapon with its ends extended on three points.
A weapon similar to the vajra also appears in Sumerian cosmology. Its use is recorded in the Babylonian Epic of Creation, the Enuma Elish. A battle between the celestial god Marduk (Bel) and the snake Tiamat is detailed in the fourth tablet of this ancient document.
The evil and powerful Tiamat, according to Enuma Elish, devised treacherous plans against Ea and the other reigning gods. The gods were afraid to invoke their evil wrath and seek a solution. Ea tries to face Tiamat, but instead of fighting he retreats. Marduk, his son, comes forward and volunteers to fight the enraged snake, with one condition ... If he succeeds, he will have dominion over the entire universe.
The gods agree and provide powerful weapons to Marduk, including an arc, a mace and a net to use in his battle against Tiamat. Images of this epic scene show Marduk holding a three-pointed scepter in his hand. Later images clearly show this same deadly three-pronged weapon. They gave him the unparalleled weapon, the destroyer of the enemy [saying]: "Go, cut Tiamat's life. Let the wind carry its blood to the depth [on earth]. "
The weapon that produces thunder, the vajra, is just one example of the huge number of common elements that are found in myth, legend, culture and iconography throughout the world. There are similarities in Greek, Sumerian, Nordic, Aztec cosmology and the cosmology of Australia and the United States. These parallels include the gods, their lives and their incredible weapons.
They also include the laws and customs that govern our lives - the very fabric of society. The universality of the symbolism found throughout the world implies something else. Weapons, like the vajra, were not born from the imagination of man. They did not come into existence as part of an evolution of cultures. These were real. They were tangible.
Someone somewhere in our remote past saw and documented. It is only through a real encounter with a wonderful weapon that it emits thunder that a clear and specific representation has been made.
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