Amsha (Sanskrit: अंश, romanizedAṃśa) is a solar deity in Hinduism. He is a member of the adityas,[1] a group of celestial deities who are the children of Kashyapa and Aditi. He is first mentioned in the Rigveda.[2]

Amsha
AffiliationAdityas
PlanetSun
ParentsKashyapa and Aditi

Other uses edit

In Vaishnavism, amsha refers to a being who is regarded to be a partial incarnation or a portion of the deity Vishnu. The term is also used to indicate the portion of a Vedic sacrifice that is offered to the gods.[3] Amsha is also the name of a sage.[4]

References edit

  1. ^ Long, Jeffery D. (9 September 2011). Historical Dictionary of Hinduism. Scarecrow Press. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-8108-7960-7.
  2. ^ Dalal, Roshen (18 April 2014). Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide. Penguin UK. p. 115. ISBN 978-81-8475-277-9.
  3. ^ Long, Jeffery D. (15 April 2020). Historical Dictionary of Hinduism. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-5381-2294-5.
  4. ^ Bhandarkar, R. G. (10 October 2014). Vaisnavism, Saivism and Minor Religious Systems (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. p. 15. ISBN 978-1-317-58932-7.