Nirjala Ekadasi is one of the most popular and toughest Ekadashi Fasting days. Nirjala Ekadashi 2021 date is June 21. Nirjala Ekadashi is also known as Pandav Bhim Ekadasi fast. The difference from other Ekadasis and Nirjala is that devotees do not drink water on the day. Ekadasi fasting is dedicated to Lord Vishnu and is observed on the 11th day of a fortnight in a traditional Hindu calendar. Importance Of Nirjala Ekadasi Fasting The greatness of this Ekadasi was explained to Bhima, the second Pandava brother, by sage Vyasa. Hence the Ekadasi is also referred as Pandav Ekadasi or Bhim Ekadashi. The significance of Nirjala Ekadasi is mentioned in the Mahabharata and Padma Purana. Draupadi and the Pandavas, except for Bhima, used to observe all the Ekadasis. Bhima, who was a voracious eater, could not bear hunger and used to skip the fasting. Now, Bhima wanted to observe fast and also eat!! So he enquired to Sage Vyasa to find a way out. But since eating and fasting was imp

Shatagni, or Shataghni, is a powerful and destructive weapon mentioned in scriptures in Hindu religion. It is mentioned in the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. As per Dhanurveda (an upaVeda part of the Vedas), ancient Hindu treatise on weapons, it was something like a catapult – may be a missile. It is believed that Shatagni was a weapon that could kill 100 to 1000 enemies with a single stroke. The weapon is mentioned in the Bala Kanda chapter 1 (5). It is said that the city of Ayodhya had tall walls with standards, surmounted by hundreds of Shatagnis. This means that the weapon was something like a missile to protect the city from invaders. It is not stone set round with iron spikes as claimed by western interpreters. It is clearly stated in many places that the weapon had the power to kill more than 100 people in a single stroke. So it must be some kind of weapon similar to a missile that had to do with fire or some other kind of energy.

Arrival of guest is considered highly auspicious in Hinduism. All Hindu scriptures contain information on how to welcome a guest. A classic example of how a guest is to be welcomed is mentioned in the Bala Kanda chapter 1 (2). Here, Sage Valmiki welcomes Brahma, the creator, to his ashram. Upon the arrival of the guest one should stand up and join hands in salutation (Namaste). Then the guest should be offered water to wash feet. Then water to wash face and mouth. Then water to drink and finally a seat to sit. The Sanskrit terms are padya (washing feet), achamaniya (water to wash mouth), arghya (water to drink) and asana (seat to sit). Please note that as per some texts, arghya is a gift. But generally it is taken as water to drink.

After the tortoise had won the race against the hare, the other animals began to consult him about improving their running speeds. They had not seen what had happened during the race: half of them had been at the start, and the other half at the finishing tape. The first group had seen the hare dashing off into the distance, and the other group had seen the tortoise crawl across the finishing line, and the hare running up second. No one had actually seen the tortoise moving fast, but they came to believe, as the only explanation, that he must have gone into some sort of overdrive during the main part of the race, slowing down when he had passed the hare and was leading by a huge margin. As the animals had no watches, none of them knew just how long the race had taken. No one listened to the hare's story — a loser always has an excuse. The tortoise, at first, used to deny that he had any special powers, but they said so often, 'Oh, that is your modesty', that in the end

Tithi in Panchang – Hindu Calendar on Saturday, 19 June 2021 – It is Shukla Paksha Navami tithi or the ninth day during the waxing or light phase of moon in Hindu calendar and Panchang in most regions. It is Shukla Paksha Navami tithi or the ninth day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 2:08 PM on June 19. Then onward it is Shukla Paksha Dashami tithi or the tenth day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 12:01 PM on June 20. (Time applicable in all north, south and eastern parts of India. All time based on India Standard Time.  Good – Auspicious time on June 19, 2021 as per Hindu Calendar – Good and auspicious time on the entire day.  Nakshatra  – Hasta or Atham or Hastam Nakshatra till 4:49 PM on June 19. Then onward it is Chitra or Chithirai or Chithira Nakshatra till 3:27 PM on June 20. (Time applicable in north, south and eastern parts of India).  In western parts of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, north Karnataka and south Rajasthan), Hasta or

Yakshini are spouse of Yakshas as per Hindu Puranas and they are goddesses worshipped in Hinduism. These goddesses are blessed with Ashtaaishwarayas and they bless devotees. They are peaceful and good supernatural beings that help people in distress. Please note that this article is about Yakshi as peaceful goddess and not the yakshi who is ghost or evil spirits (which is popular today). As per Ashtavakra Gita, Yakshini represent Trishna. It is believed that Shiva blessed Yakshinis with power to perform miracles, predict future and take various forms. This is mentioned in the Halasya Mahatmyam. Yakshini are worshipped widely in Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bengal and parts of Maharashtra and Telangana. Please note that Yakshini is known as Yakshi in many of these places. There are family Yakshini who are family deities – Paradevatha of a family. They are given a special spot in the house usually it is a corner spot in which grains are filled. This place is considered holy and

Dhumavati Jayanti is believed to be the day when Goddess Dhumavati, a fearsome aspect of Goddess Shakti appeared on Earth. Dhumavati Jayanti 2021 date is June 18. It is observed on the eighth day of the Shukla Paksha or waxing phase of moon in the month of Jyestha. Dhumavati is the seventh Mahavidya among the 10 Mahavidyas. Dhumavati Jayanti Mantra ॐ धूं धूं धूमावती देव्यै स्वाहा:॥ Om Dhum Dhum Dhumavati Devayai Swaha Dhumavati is associated with all things that are inauspicious. She is believed to appear during cosmic dissolution. Some scholars are of the view that she is the void that is there before creation and after destruction. As per Padma Purana, Dhumavati is the elder sister of Alakshmi, the Goddess of misfortune and unluck. It is believed that she appeared during the Samudra Manthan or churning of ocean but her behavior is opposite of Lakshmi Maa who also appeared during the churning of ocean. She resides on the Peepal tree. Dhumavati is depicted a

Dasya Bhakti in Hinduism is one of the nine ways of seeking God. These ways include constantly engaging with sermons about God, singing hymns about greatness of God, remembering God, serving God through service to fellowmen (who are embodiments of God), worshiping God in holy images, paying obeisance to God, adopting the attitude of a servant towards God, cultivating loving intimacy with God, and surrendering one’s body, mind and soul to God. In Dasya Bhakti, the seeker acts as a faithful servant of his ishta devata (chosen god). Dedication of everything to the ishta devata leads to a spirit of renunciation. As a result, the ‘I’ and ‘mine’ consciousness is transcended to a higher state of spiritual evolution which manifests itself in the ‘Thou’ and ‘Thine’ consciousness. Dasya Bhakti is the means of transcending one’s ego. It helps in the spiritual evolution of a person. There are illustrations of this in Bhakti literature. The best illustration of Dasya Bhakti is the relationshi

Meaning and symbolism of ‘sashtanga namaskara’ as explained by Sri Ramana Maharshi. Sashtanga namaskara means that eight limbs of the body, namely, two hands two legs, two arms, chest and forehead, touch the ground while saluting. The idea behind this type of obeisance is that the person doing it says, 'the body which touches the earth, will resolve itself into that earth ultimately, and the ‘I' in me will continue to be “I” alone'. That idea must be known to oneself by enquiry. Without knowing it, there is no use in doing these namaskaras. With meaningless namaskaras people want to secure all the benefits: 'Swami must give them whatever they desire, be it a bag of clothes or money'. Whenever they do namaskara, I feel afraid I must be beholden to them. I must act according to their wishes. I must fulfill all their desires. I must conduct myself carefully after knowing their minds. Not only that. Just by bowing to me, they get a sort of right over me. When people

Tithi in Panchang – Hindu Calendar on Friday, 18 June 2021 – It is Shukla Paksha Ashtami tithi or the eighth day during the waxing or light phase of moon in Hindu calendar and Panchang in most regions. It is Shukla Paksha Ashtami tithi or the eighth day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 4:00 PM on June 18. Then onward it is Shukla Paksha Navami tithi or the ninth day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 2:08 PM on June 19. (Time applicable in all north, south and eastern parts of India. All time based on India Standard Time.  Good – Auspicious time on June 18, 2021 as per Hindu Calendar – There is no good and auspicious time on the entire day.  Nakshatra  – Uttara Phalguni or Uthiram Nakshatra till 5:55 PM on June 18. Then onward it is Hasta or Atham or Hastam Nakshatra till 4:49 PM on June 19. (Time applicable in north, south and eastern parts of India).  In western parts of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, north Karnataka and south Rajasthan), Ut