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Showing posts from January 28, 2016


Krishna and Kaliya Naag – Story of Sri Krishna and Kaliya Mardan

Story of Krishna and Kaliya naag is one of the most popular incidents during Sri Krishna’s childhood. Kaliya was a five-headed snake who made Yamuna River his abode and poisoned its waters killing animals and other living beings. The story of Krishna defeating the serpent is known as Kaliya Mardan. Kaliya and his attendants took refuge in a deep pool in Yamuna to escape from Garuda, who is the sworn enemy of Snakes. Kaliya poisoned everything in the surrounding of Yamuna River. Vapours and bubbles in the river killed even birds that flew over the region. Seeing the terrible situation, Sri Krishna dived into the toxic waters. He moved fast towards the deep pool and a battle ensued between serpent attendants of Kaliya. Sri Krishna easily overpowered them and then the real battle began between Krishna and five-headed Kaliya. Krishna overpowered the powerful Kaliya and emerged from the river dancing atop the middle head of Kaliya. The dancing left the mark of Krishna’s fee

What is Paksha in a Hindu Calendar?

A paksha is the moon’s fortnight – lunar fortnight. Two pakshas make a month – Shukla Paksha and Krishna Paksha. The fortnight during which the moon is waxing is called Shukla or Shuddha or the bright phase of moon. This begins with the end of Amavasya (No moon day) and lasts up to the end of Pournami (Purnima or full moon day). The fortnight during which the moon is waning is called Krishna or Bahula. This lasts from the end of Poornima (full moon) to end of Amavasi (No moon). Each chandramana maas or lunar month consists of both the pakshas (halves), Shukla paksha (Bright half) and Krishna Paksha (Dark half). A month in the calendars followed in North India begins with the Krishna Paksha – after the full moon or Purnima. A month in traditional calendars followed in Gujarat, Maharashtra , Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka begins with the Shukla Paksha – after Amavasi or no moon.

Book – Hinduism: Beyond Rituals, Customs and Traditions

Book titled ‘Hinduism: beyond rituals, customs and traditions’ is written by Promod Puri. As the title indicates, the book explores the world of Hindu rituals, customs and traditions. From the Press Release of the book   Why are there so many gods and goddesses in Hinduism? Why worship an idol? Is going to temple mandatory in the faith? What impact does the caste system have on Hindu society? Why do some rituals make perfect sense while others are so vague? What are the secular and diverse characters in Hinduism? What physics principles constitute the sound of Om? What is karma and its role in our day to day lives?  These and more subjects are eloquently dealt with in the just released book titled "Hinduism: beyond rituals, customs and traditions" by Vancouver-based writer Promod Puri.  The 130-page book on Hinduism written in a concise and clear manner is an easy reading of all aspects of Hinduism for every level of reader. Also, it is for those whose knowledge