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Showing posts from October 20, 2015


Story of the Lion of Goddess Durga

The story of lion that is the Vahana or Vehicle of Goddess Durga is found in a story associated with one of the forms of Shiva worshipped in Ujjain – 84 Mahadevs in Ujjain. Legend has it that once Goddess Parvati performed meditation and intense austerities. This happened after Shiva referred to her as Kali or black. There was intense heat in the three worlds because of this intense austerity. All the living beings were suffering due to this. Brahma then appeared before Goddess Parvati and asked her why she was performing the meditation. Goddess Parvati told him the reason. Brahman told her that she would become Gauri or the fair one in due course of time. Goddess Parvati was not satisfied and she became angry and a lion appeared from her body. The lion was hungry and it jumped to eat the Goddess. However, he soon realized it was impossible even to go near her. The lion walked away. Goddess Parvati had motherly feeling for the lion and she went near him. The l

Why Yamuna River is also known as Kalindi?

Yamuna River is also known as Kalindi. It is stated in the Vishnu Purana that Yamuna cascaded down to earth from the heavens in response to the severe austerities performed by Saptarishis – the seven great sages. She flowed down from heaven to the summit of a mountain called Kalinda. However, the Mountain Kalinda was too cold and inaccessible for people. Therefore, Yamuna prayed to her father Surya to make the place more pleasant so that people can visit her. To help his daughter, Surya despatched a single ray that struck the massive rock at the base of the mountain to create a hot spring. Yamuna then appeared from here to satisfy her devotees. Yamuna River is addressed as Kalindi River as she initially originated in the Mountain Kalinda.

Wife of Chanakya

Chanakya needs no introduction as his lifework speaks for itself. But there is no clarity regarding his personal life. Many readers wonder as to who is the wife of Chanakya. Was he married? Did he have any children. Important biographies of Chanakya are silent on this aspect. As per some source, Chanakya was married before he came into limelight. Name of wife of Chanakya as per such source is Yasodhara. There is no reference of him having any children.

Name of Wife of Hanuman

The question ‘name of wife of Hanuman’ itself can be considered as sacrilegious. Hanuman is a Brahmachari and he had no wife as per Hindu scriptures. However, the story of Ramayana has been interpreted in numerous ways. In one such version, Hanuman is married. Name of wife of Hanuman in Jain Ramayana of Vimalasuri is Anangakusama, daughter of Ravana’s sister. Later he marries niece of Ravana and several relatives of Sugriva. Please note that majority of Hindus do not accept Jain Ramayana of Vimalasuri as it deviates totally from the Valmiki Ramayana.

Book - Adi Sankara - Finite to the Infinite

The book titled “Adi Sankara - Finite to the Infinite” is based on the life and teachings of Jagadguru Adi Shankaracharya. The book is written by Prema Nandakumar and is published by Chinmaya International Foundation. Vedanta Kesari May 2015 -  writes about the book The author of this book has deftly avoided getting into the waters of controversy regarding dates and times found in the other biographies. She has based her work on Madhava Vidyaranya’s Shankara Digvijaya and has presented to us a fascinatingly cogent story of this great phenomenon. It is an authentic account of Shankara’s life and works and will be counted among the finest monographs on the subject. The author does not just dryly narrate the course of events; she richly stuffs the events with concepts and ideas that keep evoking the reader’s choicest feelings. The  Upanishads, the  Brahma Sutras,  Bhagavad Gita, Shankara’s mesmerizing compositions, his treatises, his stotras, the gods and goddesses of