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Showing posts from January 3, 2013


Ravivar Vrat Katha – Story Read on Sunday Fasting Dedicated to Surya

Ravivar Vrat in Hindu Religion is dedicated to Surya, the Sun God in Hinduism. The popular belief is that observing Sunday fasting will help in early cure of skin diseases. Long ago there lived a pious old lady who performed Ravivar Vrat without fail. She used to get up early on Sunday morning, plaster her house with cow dung and then offer food to Surya. The old lady led a very happy life with the blessing of Sun God. The old lady did not own a cow so she used to collect cow dung from her neighbor’s cowshed. The neighbor lady was jealous of the happy life of the old lady. So to stop the Ravivar fasting of the old lady, she started tying the cow inside her house. The next Ravivar, the old lady could not offer her prayers as there was no cow dung to plaster the place. So she did not cook any food and went hungry the whole day. The sun god appeared in her dream in the night and blessed her with a beautiful cow and a calf. In morning, the old lady found the same cow and calf

Rudra Gita in English in pdf

Rudra Gita contains verses dedicated to Srihari Vishnu – it extols the glory of Vishnu. Rudra Gita is found in Srimad Bhagavad Purana (shlokas 16 – 79 of chapter 24 of 4 th canto) and also in Varaha Purana (Chapters 70 to 72). This particular Rudra Gita is in English in pdf format. The holy text mainly narrates the importance of Vishnu worship – a path to moksha. It also talks about core teachings in Hinduism. Link – Rudra Gita in pdf

Quotes from Hindu Scriptures on Tirtha

A Tirtha is a place where "whatever is sacrificed, chanted, given in charity, or suffered in penance, even in the smallest amount, yields endless fruit because of the power of that place... Whatever fruit is said to accrue from many thousands of lifetimes of asceticism, even more than that is obtainable from but three nights of fasting in this place...  (Narayana Bhatta's Tristhalisetu) The punyas earned in a tirtha destroy all sins - physical, mental and those committed through speech. At the same time evil actions done in a tirtha yield evil results of which one is not easily absolved. (Shiva Purana) Just as certain parts of the body are called pure, so are certain parts of the earth and certain waters called holy. (Mahabharata) He who is without anger, truthful in conduct and firm in his vows and who regards all beings as his own self, obtains the fruits of the Tirthas. (Mahabharata)