Our name, "Saptavarna" is a word of Sanskrit origin meaning "Seven Colours" and is recognized and used in most Indian languages as is or with slight phonetic variations based on the regional preferences.
Seven is a numeric value which has a great historic significance and is considered important among people of various sections of the society.
Among many descriptions; the Seven Colours, that constitute the rainbow which has a prominent place in the legend owing to its beauty and is also preached in almost all religions as an important tool used by saviors of humanity and various mythological characters, to establish order and peace in the world.
Saptavarna - Seven Colours, make white and white is light. The guiding light in the path of truth to guide our conduct and assist us in realizing our vision.
Equipped with this mighty tool and the guiding light that we call "Saptavarna" to support our journey, we endeavor to reach the destination of our mission successfully.
Citations from various sources referring to these significances:
Importance of the numeric Seven:
Hinduism:
The Sanskrit word Sapta refers to number seven.
Islam:
New Testament:
Other sevens in Christian knowledge and practice include:
Judaism:
Others:
Rainbow:
Seven is a numeric value which has a great historic significance and is considered important among people of various sections of the society.
Among many descriptions; the Seven Colours, that constitute the rainbow which has a prominent place in the legend owing to its beauty and is also preached in almost all religions as an important tool used by saviors of humanity and various mythological characters, to establish order and peace in the world.
Saptavarna - Seven Colours, make white and white is light. The guiding light in the path of truth to guide our conduct and assist us in realizing our vision.
Equipped with this mighty tool and the guiding light that we call "Saptavarna" to support our journey, we endeavor to reach the destination of our mission successfully.
Citations from various sources referring to these significances:
Importance of the numeric Seven:
- Seven Colours in Rainbow
- Seven Days of the Week
- Seven Seas
- Seven Continents
- Seven Wonders of the ancient world
- Seven Notes of Music
- and many more...
Hinduism:
The Sanskrit word Sapta refers to number seven.
- Indian Music has "Sapta Swara," 7 octats (sa re ga ma pa dha ni) which are basics of music, using which numerous Ragas are composed.
- The origin of vedas which are the basis of Hinduism is attributed to the Saptarishis (7 Great Sages/Saints)
- Celestial group of seven stars are named as "Sapta Rishi Mandalam" based on the 7 great saints (Ursa Major/Big Dipper in modern world astronomy).
- 7 Promises and 7 Rounds of holy fire are an integral part of Hindu Weddings
- It is also mentioned that ideal couples are made for each other for 7 Reincarnation/Rebirths
- According to Hinduism, there are 7 worlds in the universe, 7 seas in the world guided by 7 Rishies.
- 7 hills at Tirumala also known as Édu Kondalu/Elu Malai and the deity as Elumalaiyan which means Lord of Seven Hills
- There are 7 Chakras in the basic model used in various eastern traditions and philosophies.
Islam:
- The number of ayat (verses) in sura Al-Fatiha, the first chapter of Holy Quran is 7
- The number of layers of the Earth in Islamic religion is 7
- The number of skies in Islamic religion is 7
- The number of circumambulations (Tawaf) that are made around the Kaaba is 7
- The number of walks between Al-Safa and Al-Marwah mountains, that is travelling back and forth 7 times during the ritual pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah
- The number of heavens in Islamic religion is 7, i.e. levels in heaven.
- The number of hells in hell is also 7 i.e. levels in hell.
- The number of doors to hell is 7 (for heaven the number of doors is eight).
- In Verse 12:46 (see Islamic view of Joseph) of the Quran, Yusef (Joseph) is asked to interpret the King's dream where 7 fat cows were dreamt to have been devoured by 7 skinny cows and 7 green spikes, and others shriveled.
- The number of the big sins or vices is 7 which are from a Hadith of the prophet Mohamed : "Avoid the 7 sins polytheism, witchcraft, the killing of the soul which Allah has forbidden except by right, consuming riba, consuming the wealth of the orphan, to escape from the battles and slandering chaste women"
New Testament:
- 7 loaves multiplied into seven basketfuls of surplus (Matthew 15:32–37)
- The 7 last words (or seven last sayings) of Jesus on the cross
- 7 men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom (Acts 6:3)
- In the Book of Revelation, 7 is a central figure of quantities: 7 Spirits of God, 7 Churches (to which the book is addressed);
- Seven of the following appear in Revelation: golden lamp-stands(1:12), stars(1:16), torches of fire(4:5) seals(5:1), angels and their trumpets(8:2), last plagues(15:1), golden bowls(15:7), thunders(10:3), horns and eyes(5:6), diadems(12:3) and kings(17:10).
- 7 Days of Creation of The Universe - 1765 book
- 7 days of the feast of Passover (Exodus 13:3–10)
- 7 day week and the pattern concerning distribution and use of manna (Exodus 16)
- The Menorah, is a 7-branched candelabrum lit by olive oil in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem (Exodus 25)
- 7 year cycle around the years of Jubilee (Leviticus 25)
- Jericho's walls fall on the 7th day after 7 priests with 7 trumpets march around the city 7 times (Joshua 6:8)
- 7 things that are detestable to the LORD (Proverbs 6:16–19)
- 7 Pillars of the House of Wisdom (Proverbs 9:1)
Other sevens in Christian knowledge and practice include:
- The 7 Corporal Acts of Mercy and 7 Spiritual Acts of Mercy of Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other traditions
- The 7 deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride
- 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
- The 7 Joys of the Virgin Mary, of Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other traditions
- The 7 Sacraments in the Catholic faith (though some traditions assign a different number)
- The 7 Sorrows of the Virgin Mary, of Roman Catholic, Anglican, and other traditions
- There are seven suicides mentioned in the Bible (OT and NT).
- The seven terraces of Mount Purgatory (one per deadly sin)
- The Seven Virtues: chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, kindness, patience, and humility
Judaism:
- Shiv`a (another pronunciation of the Hebrew word for 7—(Hebrew: שבעה ; "seven")), is the number of days of mourning. Hence, one sits Shiva. As in Shiva (Judaism)
- The weekly Torah portion is divided into 7 aliyahs, and 7 Jewish men (or boys over the age of 13 who are considered men; Bar Mitzvah) are called up for the reading of these aliyahs during Shabbat morning services.
- 7 blessings are recited under the chuppah during a Jewish wedding ceremony.
- A Jewish bride and groom are feted with 7 days of festive meals after their wedding, known as Sheva Berachot ("Seven Blessings").
- The number of Ushpizzin (also known as the "Seven Shepherds") who visit the sukkah during the holiday of Sukkot: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, and David.
- The number of nations God told the Israelites they would displace when they entered the land of Israel the Hittite, the Girgashite, the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
- In Breslov tradition, the seven orifices of the face (2 eyes, 2 nostrils, 2 ears, and the mouth) are called "The Seven Candles."
- The 7 Sephirot of primary conscious emotion that are attributes of the creator.
Others:
- The Seven Lucky Gods refer to the 7 gods of good fortune in Japanese mythology.
- The number of archangels according to some systems is 7.
- In Buddhism, Buddha walked 7 steps at his birth.
- In Khasi mythology, the 7 divine women who were left behind on earth became the ancestresses of all humankind.
- The number of sleeping men in the Christian myth of the "Seven Sleepers" is 7.
- The number of sages in Hindu mythology is 7; their wives are the holy mothers referred to as the "Seven Mothers."
- In Iran, German, Spanish, and other cultures that speak Romance Languages, cats are said to have 7 lives as opposed to English, where cats are said to have 9 lives.
- In Irish mythology, the epic hero Cúchulainn is associated with the number 7. He has 7 fingers on each hand, 7 toes on each foot, and 7 pupils in each eye. In the Irish epic Táin Bó Cúailnge, Cúchulainn is 7 years old when he receives his first weapons and defeats the armies of the Ulaidh and his son Connla is 7 years old when he is slain by Cúchulainn in "The Death of Aife's Only Son."
- In Galician folklore, a 7th son will be a werewolf. In an other folklore, after six daughters, the 7th child is to be a son and a werewolf. In other European folklore, the seventh son of a 7th son will be a child with special powers of healing and clairvoyant seeing, and in other cultures that 7th son of a 7th son would be a vampire.
- In Guaraní mythology, the number of prominent legendary monsters is 7.
- In the eponymous British folk tale, Thomas the Rhymer went to live in the faerie kingdom for 7 years.
- Mahatma Gandhi's list of the destructive 7 Blunders of the World that cause violence: Wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, religion without sacrifice and politics without principle.
Rainbow:
- In Greco-Roman mythology, the rainbow was considered to be a path made by a messenger (Iris) between Earth and Heaven.
- In Chinese mythology, the rainbow was a slit in the sky sealed by goddess Nüwa using stones of five different colours.
- In Hindu religion, the rainbow is called Indradhanush, meaning "the bow (Sanskrit: dhanush is bow) of Indra, the god of lightning, thunder and rain".
- In mythology of Arabian Peninsula, the rainbow, called Qaus Quzaħ in Arabic, is the war bow of the god Quzaħ.
- In Armenian mythology the rainbow is a belt of Tir, a Sun god.
- In Norse Mythology, a rainbow called the Bifröst Bridge connects the realms of Ásgard and Midgard, homes of the gods and humans, respectively
- The Irish leprechaun's secret hiding place for his pot of gold is usually said to be at the end of the rainbow.
- In the Epic of Gilgamesh, the rainbow is the "jeweled necklace of the Great Mother Ishtar" that she lifts into the sky as a promise that she "will never forget these days of the great flood" that destroyed her children.
- According to Genesis, after Noah's flood God put the rainbow in the sky as the sign of His promise that He would never again destroy the earth with flood.