Logiatrix
Thanx for the link, sirona.
Now, mebbe people will know what we're talkin' about here...
Now, mebbe people will know what we're talkin' about here...
The Gita Deck
zorya
Re: !!!!!!!!
). the bhagavad gita is just a part of it.
thanks for the link sirona!
the mahabarata is one of the greatest epics in the world. very exciting! war, romance (just imagine having 5 husbands at one timeTauni said:OOOOOOHHHHH NOOOOOOO!!!
There's MORE???
). the bhagavad gita is just a part of it. thanks for the link sirona!
sirona86
ah, the gita is a part of the mahabarata... but the ramayana isnt is it??
zorya
no, the ramayana is a separate epic, but it's a great read as well. in many ways it is more popular, partly because of the 'monkey god' hanuman. i prefer the mahabarata as it is more 'human'. the heroes and gods there have faults.
darwinia
Lovely Pictures
I haven't been keeping up with the thread but just checked those pictures out at eBay. Really nice, my husband spent some time in India and we both like Indian art so I was glad the pictures were good. I also like the way they've set the text up on the back of the cards.
I am mailing my cheque off for the deck tomorrow and hope to have it in two weeks. And Tauni, you traded your deck........fudge.....I'm in a big sulk now. Phooey. ;-0)
Well, I can thank you for starting the thread and piquing my interest, I think this is one I'm really going to enjoy. I just placed an order for the Parrott deck too, it should make a nice companion deck for my Thoth and Tarot of the Spirit decks. I had the store place an order for the Golden tarot also, although it won't be published until October.
So a nice infusion of art and poetry and learning for fall.
I haven't been keeping up with the thread but just checked those pictures out at eBay. Really nice, my husband spent some time in India and we both like Indian art so I was glad the pictures were good. I also like the way they've set the text up on the back of the cards.
I am mailing my cheque off for the deck tomorrow and hope to have it in two weeks. And Tauni, you traded your deck........fudge.....I'm in a big sulk now. Phooey. ;-0)
Well, I can thank you for starting the thread and piquing my interest, I think this is one I'm really going to enjoy. I just placed an order for the Parrott deck too, it should make a nice companion deck for my Thoth and Tarot of the Spirit decks. I had the store place an order for the Golden tarot also, although it won't be published until October.
So a nice infusion of art and poetry and learning for fall.
Logiatrix
freesiaskye------>very, very, VERY BUSY!!!
darwinia
Symbolism in Books
I am resurrecting this thread to add a bit of information.
When I first got the Gita deck I found the Hindu imagery puzzling, and although I found information on the Web, I finally buckled and bought two books this week. I knew I'd find them fascinating whether used with this deck or not.
1) The Book of Hindu Imagery :Gods and Their Symbols
by Eva Rudy Jansen
This is laid out in a by-subject format with chapters on positions, surrounding elements, hand gestures, headdress and hairstyles, garment, ornaments. Then we follow with symbols, emblems, objects and attributes, animals and a breakdown of the different gods themselves and their periods.
2) Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend
by Anna L. Dallapiccola
This is one of those fabulous Thames and Hudson publications on glossy paper with lots of black and white illustrations and photos. Being in dictionary form, you have to know the name of what you see, not always easy if you can't identify a god or object but an excellent book just for browsing.
As an example of how these books help in using and understanding/enjoying the imagery in the Gita deck, I picked a card at random that seemed fairly simple.
The Sage - Shows Ganesha the elephant god seated. He has six arms (not always the case, sometimes he has 2, 4 or even 10.) In one hand he holds prayer beads, a symbol of the eternal cycle of time. They are most probably made from the berries of a shrub which are used to make prayer beads by followers of Shiva. Sometimes Ganesha holds the berries themselves but here he has the beads. Ganesha is the chief of the attendants of Shiva so hence these particular beads. In another hand he has an axe which is the weapon that conquers the dark and ignorance and thus liberates man from the ties of worldly matters. It is a characteristic attribute of Ganesha and a few others.
He has a peacock feather in his headdress and holds another in his third hand, and the feather symbolizes immortality. In another hand there is a bowl which looks like it's filled with rice--or this could be a dish of sweetmeats that Ganesha likes to eat. Beside him is his mouse which is a vahana, or vehicle mount, and particularly associated with Ganesha as an emanation of his personality. Sometimes he is depicted riding the mouse, but here the mouse is just snuffling around, perhaps waiting for a sweetmeat or two. A sweetmeat is a candy or sweet cake, which I believe I had after dinner in an Indian restaurant once.
Now, there's a scroll or paper he's holding and there seems to be a pile of them in front of him. This is the Mahabharata, that the sage Vyasa dictated to Ganesha, and of which the Bhagavad-Gita is part. Ah, I see, the second peacock feather is actually a quill pen he is using to write with, and beside him is a stoppered brass inkwell.
He is plump denoting well-being and wealth, he is red, and his fan-like ears denote the power of discernment. There is also a very sun-like halo around his head. So that's it, although there are apparently 90-odd manifestations of Ganesha.
Oh, and another interesting thing : the Om symbol, whether written in Sanskrit or Tamil, has a curl to it which echoes the curl of Ganesha's trunk. The point being that Ganesha's manifestation is derived from this holy sound.
Kind of makes the card more interesting, doesn't it? I thought I'd pass this on in case others baffled by this beautiful deck wanted to buy the books to help them out. They are great books for anyone interested in general mythology too.
I am resurrecting this thread to add a bit of information.
When I first got the Gita deck I found the Hindu imagery puzzling, and although I found information on the Web, I finally buckled and bought two books this week. I knew I'd find them fascinating whether used with this deck or not.
1) The Book of Hindu Imagery :Gods and Their Symbols
by Eva Rudy Jansen
This is laid out in a by-subject format with chapters on positions, surrounding elements, hand gestures, headdress and hairstyles, garment, ornaments. Then we follow with symbols, emblems, objects and attributes, animals and a breakdown of the different gods themselves and their periods.
2) Dictionary of Hindu Lore and Legend
by Anna L. Dallapiccola
This is one of those fabulous Thames and Hudson publications on glossy paper with lots of black and white illustrations and photos. Being in dictionary form, you have to know the name of what you see, not always easy if you can't identify a god or object but an excellent book just for browsing.
As an example of how these books help in using and understanding/enjoying the imagery in the Gita deck, I picked a card at random that seemed fairly simple.
The Sage - Shows Ganesha the elephant god seated. He has six arms (not always the case, sometimes he has 2, 4 or even 10.) In one hand he holds prayer beads, a symbol of the eternal cycle of time. They are most probably made from the berries of a shrub which are used to make prayer beads by followers of Shiva. Sometimes Ganesha holds the berries themselves but here he has the beads. Ganesha is the chief of the attendants of Shiva so hence these particular beads. In another hand he has an axe which is the weapon that conquers the dark and ignorance and thus liberates man from the ties of worldly matters. It is a characteristic attribute of Ganesha and a few others.
He has a peacock feather in his headdress and holds another in his third hand, and the feather symbolizes immortality. In another hand there is a bowl which looks like it's filled with rice--or this could be a dish of sweetmeats that Ganesha likes to eat. Beside him is his mouse which is a vahana, or vehicle mount, and particularly associated with Ganesha as an emanation of his personality. Sometimes he is depicted riding the mouse, but here the mouse is just snuffling around, perhaps waiting for a sweetmeat or two. A sweetmeat is a candy or sweet cake, which I believe I had after dinner in an Indian restaurant once.
Now, there's a scroll or paper he's holding and there seems to be a pile of them in front of him. This is the Mahabharata, that the sage Vyasa dictated to Ganesha, and of which the Bhagavad-Gita is part. Ah, I see, the second peacock feather is actually a quill pen he is using to write with, and beside him is a stoppered brass inkwell.
He is plump denoting well-being and wealth, he is red, and his fan-like ears denote the power of discernment. There is also a very sun-like halo around his head. So that's it, although there are apparently 90-odd manifestations of Ganesha.
Oh, and another interesting thing : the Om symbol, whether written in Sanskrit or Tamil, has a curl to it which echoes the curl of Ganesha's trunk. The point being that Ganesha's manifestation is derived from this holy sound.
Kind of makes the card more interesting, doesn't it? I thought I'd pass this on in case others baffled by this beautiful deck wanted to buy the books to help them out. They are great books for anyone interested in general mythology too.
rimple
images of the gita deck
you will find the images of gita deck here:
http://www.yogalifestyle.com/DEMAGitaDeck.htm
wanted to know if anyone has this deck? is there any book with this deck?
you will find the images of gita deck here:
http://www.yogalifestyle.com/DEMAGitaDeck.htm
wanted to know if anyone has this deck? is there any book with this deck?
AJ
I had it for years, finally sold it with a group of decks this spring.
Large cards, gorgeous art, it's basis is totally outside my knowledge field so even with all the stuff going on in the images it never spoke to me at all in the oracular sense, even as just a meditation card a day. '
But totally beautiful cards...
Large cards, gorgeous art, it's basis is totally outside my knowledge field so even with all the stuff going on in the images it never spoke to me at all in the oracular sense, even as just a meditation card a day. '
But totally beautiful cards...
misfitknits
darn, that's a little disappointing!!! i was totally into this deck until i read that. bummer!
BUT- seeing as how you can get it on amazon for around $4, i'm sure i'll be buying it in a few weeks!! XD XD gotta love those cheap decks!!! even if it's just a 'pretty picture' deck, i really have a love for indian & asian art! and the books that have been mentioned in this thread are sounding really interesting, i want to know more. sadly, though i've had this love of indian art from a very early age, i know almost nothing of indian *culture*. however, i'm in my mid-twenties, so it's not *so* embarrassing!!!
ETA: ack, nevermind, i bought it NOW!!!
