Tithi in Panchang – Hindu Calendar on Tuesday, 26 November 2019 – Amavasya Tithi or the no moon day inHindu calendar and Panchang in most regions. It is Amavasya Tithi or the no moon day till 8:57 PM on November 26. Then onward it is Shukla Paksha Pratipada tithi or the first day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 7:50 PM on November 27. (Time applicable in all north, south and eastern parts of India.)All time based on India Standard Time.

Good – Auspicious time on November 26, 2019 as per Hindu Calendar – There is no good and auspicious time on the entire day.
Nakshatra – Vishakha or Vishakam Nakshatra till 10:05 AM on November 26. Then onward it is Anuradha or Anusham or Anizham Nakshatra till 9:28 AM on November 27. (Time applicable in north, south and eastern parts of India.)
In western parts of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, north Karnataka and south Rajasthan), Vishakha or Vishakam Nakshatra till 9:23 AM on November 26. Then onward it is Anuradha or Anusham or Anizh…

A collection of quotes and teachings on Desire by Swami Vivekananda.

When we seek enjoyment, we become objects of enjoyment for others. Desire thus enfolds both the subject and the object in its ambit, uses and wears both down.
We came here to sip the honey, and we find our hands and feet sticking to it.
We are caught, though we came to catch.
We came to enjoy; we are being enjoyed.
We came to rule; we are being ruled. We came to work; we are being worked. All the time, we find that. And this comes into every detail of our life.
We are being worked upon by other minds, and we are always struggling to work on other minds.
We want to enjoy the pleasures of life; and they eat into our vitals.
We want to get everything from nature, but we find in the long run that nature takes everything from us—depletes us, and casts us aside.
When we seek enjoyment, we become objects of enjoyment for others. Desire thus enfolds both the subject and the object in its ambit, uses and wears both dow…

A verse, attributed to a scholar from the North, describes thus the glory and greatness of Sri Appaya Dikshita, and the great merit of his patron king Chinna Bomma (A.D. 1549– 1578): ‘When there are number of kings who are waiting for an opportunity to pay obeisance to Sri Appayya Dikshitar and become purified by it, can we, by any chance, count the greatness of (Chinna) Bomma, who is in the fortunate position of hearing every day from the master himself, the great verses full of the greatness of Lord Shiva.’
This verse reveals the great respect that Appaya Dikshita commanded as a scholar among the learned circles of the royal courts of the country, his immense contribution to the promotion of Shaivism, and the patronage extended to him by Chinna Bomma, the Nayak ruler of Vellore. Khandadeva, the great authority on ‘Mimamsa’ and author of Bhatta kaustubha, Bhatta-dipika and Bhatta-rahasya, refers to Appaya Dikshita as ‘Mimamsaka Murdhanya.’
In the religious history of South India, th…

Srikovil or the sanctum sanctorum at Sannidanam - SabarimalaAyyappaTemple is plated using gold. The life story of Ayyappa from His birth on earth to His disappearance at Sabarimala is written on copper sheets and is superimposed on the Sreekovil.
The punar pratishta or murti reinstallation was performed in 1951.
The gold plating of the sreekovil was completed in 1997 – around 32 kilograms of gold and 1904 kilograms of copper were used for the purpose.
The murti of Ayyappa worshipped at SabarimalaAyyappaTemple is that of Brahmachari. He is also referred as Shasta.
There is a belief that the murti was created by Parashurama and Ayyappa merged in it.

Tithi in Panchang – Hindu Calendar on Monday, 25 November 2019 – Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi tithi or the fourteenth day during the waning or dark phase of moon inHindu calendar and Panchang in most regions. It is Krishna Paksha Trayodashi Tithi or the thirteenth day during the waning or dark phase of moon till 12:18 AM on November 25. Then onward it is Krishna Paksha Chaturdashi Tithi or the fourteenth day during the waning or dark phase of moon till 10:27 PM on November 25. Then onward it is Krishna Paksha Amavasya Tithi or the no moon day till 8:57 PM on November 26. (Time applicable in all north, south and eastern parts of India.)All time based on India Standard Time.
Good – Auspicious time on November 25, 2019 as per Hindu Calendar – There is no good and auspicious time on the entire day.
Nakshatra – Swati or Chothi Nakshatra till 11:09 AM on November 25. Then onward it is Vishakha or Vishakam Nakshatra till 10:05 AM on November 26. (Time applicable in north, south and eastern part…

A collection of quotes and teachings from Vakya Vritti of Adi Shankaracharya 

I bow down to that Pure Consciousness Divine – a shoreless ocean of happiness, which is All-pervading (Vishnu), the Beloved of Shri, the all-knowing Lord of the Universe, assuming endless forms and yet ever-free, having an inscrutable power to become (apparently) the Cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe.
Who else can be the individual Self (Jiva) other than yourself, that asks me this question, “Who am I ?”. There is no doubt about it. You alone are the Brahman.
Just as the perceiver of a pot is ever distinctly different from the pot and can never be the pot – so too, you, the perceiver of your body, are distinct from your body and can never be the body – this you firmly ascertain in yourself.
Similarly be sure that you are not the complex of the gross and the subtle-bodies, and intelligently determine, by inference, that you, the ‘seer’, are entirely distinct from the ‘seen’.
 ‘I …

Duswapna Nivarana Suktam is the hymn or sukta in the tenth mandala of Rig Veda Samhita. This is a very powerful Rig Vedic hymn for getting rid of bad dreams. The main theme of the hymn is the nashanam (destruction) of unpleasant and horrifying dreams, i.e. duswapna.
Duswapna Nivarana Suktam consists of five verses or mantras; apart from this, there is only one other verse on bad dreams.
Pracetas Angirasa is mentioned as the seer, i.e. rishi of the sukta.
In Vedas, Varuna Deva is often invoked by the name Pracetas. It is noteworthy that in this sukta he is also referred to as a deity.
This concise and interesting hymn from Rig Veda is of particular importance, as it highlights the hidden powers and manifold nature of the human mind.
It concerns the psychological aspects of bad dreams that result from sinful acts and thoughts. It clearly states that bad or unpleasant dreams are the result of man’s own evil deeds and sinful acts done during the time he is awake.
Agni is invoked by the …

Dakshina in Hinduism is a gift or money offered to the conductor at the completion of a Hindu religious ritual. In Rig Veda, it is noted that one who gives dakshina earns the highest merit. In a metaphorical extension, it goes on to say that one who gives a horse will move with the sun, one who gives gold shall never be in want, one who gives clothes shall live long. This is also mentioned in the Satapatha Brahmana.

In Aitareya Brahmana, it is said that if dakshina is not given, the yajna will not produce any fruit for the performer.
When dakshina is understood to mean direction, it represents the right or southern direction.
There is a story in Hindu scriptures associated with Dakshina.
Once demigods and celestial beings performed a sacrifice but it proved fruitless. They went to Brahma, who meditated on Narayana. With the help of Lakshmi, Narayana created a woman, Dakshina, and gave her as daughter to Prajapati, who in turn gave her to Yajnapurusha in marriage.
Dakshina and Yajna…

Tithi in Panchang – Hindu Calendar on Sunday, 24 November 2019 – Krishna Paksha Trayodashi tithi or the thirteenth day during the waning or dark phase of moon inHindu calendar and Panchang in most regions. It is Krishna Paksha Dwadashi Tithi or the twelfth day during the waning or dark phase of moon till 2:24 AM on November 24. Then onward it is Krishna Paksha Trayodashi Tithi or the thirteenth day during the waning or dark phase of moon till 12:18 AM on November 25. (Time applicable in all north, south and eastern parts of India.)All time based on India Standard Time.

Good – Auspicious time on November 24, 2019 as per Hindu Calendar – There is no good and auspicious time on the entire day.
Nakshatra – Chitra or Chithirai or Chithira Nakshatra till 12:26 PM on November 24. Then onward it is Swathi or Chothi Nakshatra till 11:09 AM on November 25. (Time applicable in north, south and eastern parts of India.)
In western parts of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, north Karnataka and south…

Swami Vivekananda explains the meaning of the word Atman in Hinduism.

I will not translate this word to you in English because the idea does not exist in Europe; it is untranslatable. The modern attempt of German philosophers is to translate the word Atman by the word ‘Self’, and until that word is universally accepted, it is impossible to use it. So, call it as Self or anything, it is our Atman. This Atman is the real man behind. It is the Atman that uses the material mind as its instrument, its Antahkarana as is the psychological term for the mind.
Vedanta Kesari Magazine published by Ramakrishna Mission, Chennai, Explains more about the term and what Swami Vivekananda meant
Etymologically the term Atman means that which is eternal (from the Sanskrit root word  att, ‘that which exists always’).
So, eternal soul means Atman. Is there also non-eternal soul? In a way, yes, and that is called Jiva which is Atman plus body and mind (so it becomes jivatman).
While Atman is never born or …