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Showing posts from August 20, 2012


Story Of Origin Of Brihat Katha – Kathasaritsagara

Brihad Katha is a very large collection of stories believed to have been told to Goddess Parvati by Shiva. Kathasaritsagara is a small portion of the Brihat Katha and is the most popular part of the book. The stories in the Brihat Katha are believed to be the first stories in the world. It is said that the stories in the Brihat Katha were told by Shiva to entertain Goddess Parvati who was bored in the snow falling Himalayas . The stories were narrated to Goddess Parvati in one of the caves in the Kailash. Human beings would not have got to hear the stories were it not for a small bird that survived in the cave. The bird heard the stories that were narrated to Goddess Parvati. This bird then told the stories to a fish. The fish shared it with a Gandharva. The Gandharva narrated it to a Yaksha. Finally it reached the ears of first human. 

Nakshatra Vana – Medicinal Plant Garden of Sringeri Sharada Peeta

Nakshatra Vana, located at Menase on the outskirts of Sringeri in Karnataka, is a medicinal plant garden and nursery of Sringeri Sharada Peeta. Here you will find a collection of medicinal plants, trees, flowers, fruit bearing trees mentioned in various Hindu scriptures. Nakshatra Vana also contains plants related to the birth stars of a person. There is also a Navgraha Vana which contains plants related to the Navgrahas. Jagadguru Shankaracharya established four centers in the four corners of India for the safeguard and propogation of the four Vedas and appointed each of his prime ascetic disciples as the heads of each centre respectively. Sringeri Sharada Peeta is one of the four centers. Deccan Herald reports  Nakshatra vana has plants related to stars. It is believed that worshipping the plants of one’s star is good for the welbeing. Ashwini nakshatra— Strychnos nux vomica (Poison nut), Bharani nakshatra— Embilica officionalis (Amla), Krithika nakshatra— Ficus racemosa (