Symbolism in Sanathana Dharma
The book of Dan Brown on symbolism in Christianity with specific reference to Michael Angelo's paintings has induced lots of interest in people to study and find out any such symbolism in other relgions. This piece is an attempt to give just a glimpse into the work of finding such symbolism in the age old Sanathana Dharma popularly called Hinduism. This being a religion that was there much before, Christianity, Islam and even Judaism, it is pertinent to refer to this as Sanathana Dharma. Let us look at a few of the symbolic references found in the puranas. The birth of Lord Karthikeya son of Lord Shiva. In the puranas, it is mentioned that Sanathkumara, one of the four sons of Brahma gave a boon to Shiva that he would be born as a son to him, overlooking Shiva's consort Parvati alongside. When questioned by Parvati, he reportedly said that only Shiva sought a boon and that he had given and since she is also seeking a boon, she would hold the son in her hand...