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Showing posts from May 18, 2010


Mrityunjaya Homam – Maha Mrityunjaya Homa

Mrityunjaya Homam is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is performed to remove and lessen life threatening accidents and illness. The popular belief is that the Homam is performed to get victory over death by offering puja and prayers to Lord Shiva. Some people also perform the Maha Mrityunjaya Homa to ward off troubles caused by enemies. The puja items that are used in Maha Mrityunjaya Homa vary from community to community and from region to region. Some of the usual puja items are durva grass, amrita herb, twigs of banyan tree, sesame, Karuka leaves, cow’s milk, a sweet, chamatha twigs and cooked rice. The main mantra chanted is the Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra OM Trayambakam Yajamahe Sugandhim Pushtivardhanam Urvarukamiva Bandhanam Mrityor Mukshiya Mamritat The homam is performed with the help of a learned priest or it is performed in the form of archana or as a ritual in Shiva temples. You may also like to read Ashtadravya – the eight puja items used in

Book: Hindu Narratives on Human Rights

The book titled ‘Hindu Narratives on Human Rights’ by Arvind Sharma explores the Hindu tradition of the right to own property, the rights of children, women's rights, and animal rights. The book also explores the world of Hindu ethics and also the rights and ethics mentioned in the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The author studies and tries to find answers to the questions raised by Draupadi on rights and ethics in the court of Hastinapura to which she was forcibly brought by the Kauravas. The dispute between the Pandavas and Kauravas also is seen by the author as a dispute on the right to own property. Arvind Sharma analysis some of the famous Hindu scriptures and secular texts to prove the freedom of rights provided by Sanatana Dharma to both men and women. By depicting the examples of several women mentioned in the scriptures, the author proves that women in Hindu society enjoyed right to education, to study scriptures, right to property and the right to marry the person of