Azvadeva Pujila

A depiction of Gruhastha.

The Azvadeva Pujila was written by the mortal Gruhastha and, so perfectly profound was the book, the mortal merged with it and ascended to divinity as the Keeper.

Background

Before writing the Azvadeva Pujila, Gruhastha was a mortal nephew of Irori.

Contents

Irori's religious symbol.

The Azvadeva Pujila's content recounts the mortal Irori's quest for enlightenment and ultimate ascension to divinity. Its wisdom is depicted as a mandala halo in depictions of Gruhastha. The work is relatively informal and humorous in tone for a holy book.

The minority of the book's contents are about religion itself, and most of that content consists of stories about the deities rather than edicts. The book's historical stories accessibly and clearly describe each deity's principles and acts, but with sufficient detail and accuracy to reward scholarly and theological examination.

Its fables, which compose a majority of its contents, each focus on individual moral lessons but are also layered with meaning and contain subtextual messages that can reward multiple lifetimes of study.

Raumya is a male Vudran god who appears as the foul enemy in the Azvadeva Pujila and other tales.

The book recounts the tale of how garudas are descended from the goddess Janasini, the mother of birds, and her unfortunate bet with her sister Ravithra, and thus why garudas are the mortal enemies of nagas.

According to the Azvadeva Pujila, the entire Matra River in Vudra was once filled with treacherous rapids until the demigoddess Matravash was so enchanted by the beauty of lotus blossoms in sheltered eddies, she calmed herself to accommodate them. In doing so, she found the visitors now able to travel the calmed waters welcome, and since then both Matravash and the lotuses have earned a reputation of being calm, peaceful, and contemplative.

Aphorisms

Several phrases were popularized by the Azvadeva Pujila:

• "Any bird can make a quill": Any person can teach another, just as any feather can be fashioned into a writing quill. Likewise, every unique perspective contributes to the whole, just as every feather is uniquely shaped and each quill creates a unique script.
• "Every teacher is a student, and every student a teacher": Relationships between instructors and students should be an exchange between both, rather than a hierarchy that potentially leads to pride and becomes an obstacle to enlightenment.
• "Each warrior can aim only a single spear, but a teacher can aim ten thousand": Followers of Gruhastha share tactics with others who have common foes, even in the heat of battle.

Legacy

Gruhasthans consider all books to be holy, but none surpasses the Azvadeva Pujila, which is both an incarnation of Gruhastha himself and his greatest work of literature.

The Azvadeva Pujila, due to its content matter, is also important among the followers of Irori, and beyond to the Vudrani people as a whole. Indeed, the Azvadeva Pujila is the most important text for understanding the complex Vudrani faith, along with the Mizravrtta Brahmodya, a world history as told by the sage Balazastrin, an avatar of the goddess Likha, the Teller. Additionally, the Vigrahin Patitraka is a collection of questions and answers designed to direct the reader to make life choices that lead him or her toward Nirvana. Most Vudrani know the content of Azvadeva Pujila well and Vudran scholars can quote large passages from it.

Scholastic research

The Book of Servants and Scholars is both a tome of insightful interpretations of the Azvadeva Pujila and a codex archon that serves as Gruhastha's herald. The deity's faithful consider being included in the Book to be one of the highest possible honors.

The scholar Prandeep Vash has written Commentaries on the Azvadeva Pujila, including an analysis of the legend about garudas and nagas.

Azvadeva Dejal

Azvadeva Dejal is a holiday often celebrated annually on 3 Desnus when worshippers mark the revelation of the Azvadeva Pujila by gifting books, celebrating knowledge, blessing animals, and enjoying a vegetarian feast.

Gruhastha is quite comfortable with local variances to Azvadeva Dejal respecting local customs but the essence of the celebration stays the same. For instance, in Niswan, Azvadeva Dejal is celebrated during Neth and features scholarly contests of esoteric knowledge and exhibitions of research, invention, and storytelling. Clergy of Gruhastha also use the event to promote free resources of learning and knowledge.

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.