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Showing posts from June 2, 2017


Story Of Masoor Dal And Kamdhenu

Masoor Dal is a popular lentil used in India to cook dals. The dal is also one of the important offering to Goddess Kali. Some Hindus do not consume masoor dal and is associated with Kamdhenu’s blood and is therefore a tamasic food. There is also a story that connects Masoor Dal with Kamdhenu, the wish fulfilling cow. Legend has it that Sahastrabahu Arjuna tried to steal Kamdhenu, the divine cow that could confer all desires, from Sage Jamadagni's ashram. He could not take the cow away easily and therefore he attacked the divine cow with arrows. It is said that a masoor dal plant appeared wherever Kamadhenu’s blood fell on earth. Therefore some Hindus do not eat Masoor dal. Please note that dishes prepared from Masoor dal is today consumed by majority of Hindus although scriptures have categorized it as Tamasic food, which causes lethargy and arouses passion and temptations. 

Sal Tree in Hinduism

Sal Tree known as Salva, Sakhu, Sal, Khandar and Sakva, is associated with local gods and goddesses. Abodes of Gods are found under Sal tree in many places in India. In Hinduism, the tree is associated with Vishnu. Lord Buddha was born under a sal tree and he attained salvation under the tree. Sal wood tree is used to build temples – pillars and roofs. Murtis and sculptures in temples are carved from the wood. Salabhbhanjika, or sal tree maiden, is a decorative sculptural element in many Hindu temples. A maiden is depicted as grasping the branch of the flowering sal tree. Sal tree resin (Sambrani) is used to make incense which is used in Hindu ceremonies. In the hills of North India, Sal tree is never cut as it is held sacred to a local goddess. Tribes in India have Sal groves, which are dedicated to the forest god or goddesses. Farhul in Chota Nagpur Plateau and Baha in Orissa are two festivals associated with the tree. It is observed by the tribes of the