Answers: Thedal Quiz – 9

Thanks again for your active participation in our ninth quiz on ‘parts of the body’. We thank all readers and respondents for their active participation.

Here are the readers who got all the answers right:

Padma Gopal

There was also an anonymous entry which also had all the answers right, but I don’t know who that is unfortunately!

Many congratulations!

Here are the answers:

1. Name the God whose name means ‘disfigured jaw’.

Hanuman. ‘Hanu’ means jaw in Sanskrit. As per scriptures, when he was young he mistook the Sun for a fruit and attempted to reach for it. Lord Indra intercepted him and wounded him in the jaw. Hence the name, ‘Hanuman’.

2. What is Indra’s weapon Vajrayudha made of?

Bones of sage Dadhichi. Once upon a time, a demon king Vruthrasura defeated the Devas (Gods) and drove them away from heaven. The Devas needed a powerful weapon to aid their fight. Sage Dadhichi offered to sacrifice himself so that a weapon Vajrayudha can be made from his bones. Eventually, the Devas defeated the Asura and reclaimed heaven.

3. Which part of the body is associated with the Vedas?

Ears. Vedas are otherwise called as ‘Shruthi’ which means ‘that which is heard’. Since the sound is heard through ears (Shrotra), the name came into being. Up until recently, Vedas were never written down but passed on from generation to generation by chanting only.

4. From which part of Lord Vishnu did Lord Brahma originate?

Navel. According to several puranas, Lord Brahma emerged from a lotus, connected to the navel of Lord Vishnu.

5. If ‘haya’ is a horse, what does ‘griva’ mean?

Neck. Lord Hayagriva is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu who is the god of knowledge and wisdom. He has a human body and a horse’s head. Other uses of this word (‘griva’) in Puranas include ‘Dashagriva’ (Ravana) and ‘Sugriva’ (possessor of beautiful neck).

6. What does Lord Shiva and Lord Narasimha of Singaperumal Koil, Tamil Nadu have in common?

Both have a third eye in their forehead. Paatalaadri (Singaperumal Koil) houses Lord Narasimha in a rock cut cave. Here devotees can worship the third eye beneath the Naamam (markings) on the forehead of the Lord. Worshipping the third eye of the Lord can destroy all miseries of devotees.

7. Which God does not have a body and hence called ‘Ananga’?

Manmatha (Kamadeva). When Manmatha attempted to kindle love in the heart of Lord Shiva towards Parvathy, Lord Shiva got angry and burnt him down. Later due to the pleadings of Rathi, Manmatha’s wife, Lord Shiva brought him back to life albeit without a body. Hence Manmatha lives on without a body (an-anga – without a body).

8. Who was born out of Lord Shiva’s lock of hair when the latter got angry at the death of his wife Sati devi?

Veerabhadra and Bhadrakali.  Sati Devi, the wife of Lord Shiva who was also the daughter of Daksha Prajapathi once went to a sacrifice conducted by her father. Upon seeing that her husband Lord Shiva was not given his due respects, she felt humiliated and immolated herself in the fire. Knowing about this, Lord Shiva became furious and smashed his lock of hair on the ground. Veerabhadra and Bhadrakali emerged from it who then raided the sacrifice, destroying everyone associated with it.

9. Who had nails that were as big as a winnowing fan (‘muram’ in tamil) and was the cause of a major war and an epic?

Shurpanakha. Shurpa is sanskrit means ‘winnowing fan’ or Muram in Tamil. Being a demoness, she was huge and hence described as having nails (nakha) as big as shurpa. Thanks to her misdeeds, Ravana was eventually destroyed by Lord Rama and Ramayana was written.

10. What did the Vaishnavaite saint Thiruppaanazhwar first see upon entering the sanctum of Lorg Ranganatha?

Feet. The Azwar was carried into the sanctum by the sage Loka Saranga because the Azwar felt he was too lowly to walk the steps of the temple of Srirangam. He enjoyed the view of Lord Ranganatha starting with his Lotus feet to his clothing, waist, mouth, eyes and the whole body. His divine work Amalanadhipiran describes each part of the Lord in the order of his witnessing them.

11. According to Devi Maahaatmya, a demon who fought against Goddesses Parvati and Kali had the ability to multiply. How?

From the pigments in blood. Demon Rakthabija had the ability to multiply every time his blood was shed on the ground. He was supporting Mahishashura in the fight with Goddess Durga and Goddess Kaali. Struggling to stop the countless number of his versions every time he was wounded, Goddess Durga came up with an idea to kill him. As per her command, Goddess Kaali drank every drop of blood from the demon whenever he was injured. Thus no blood was spilt on the ground and he was unable to replicate and died finally.

12. A great Chola king once offered this to free up a dove. What did he offer?

His flesh from this body. Shibi Chakravarthy, as he was called is a descendant of the Sun dynasty and is also a Chola king. When Lord Agni disguised as a dove fell at his feet and sought protection from an eagle (Lord Indra), the king proposed to exchange his own flesh in lieu of the dove. The Gods were pleased with this righteousness and offered numerous blessings to him.  Cholas were sometimes given the title ‘Sembian’ on account of this.