--> Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from December 24, 2015


Story of Sage Vishwamitra Cursing Saraswati River

The story of Sage Vishwamitra cursing the Saraswati River is found in the Shalya Parva of the Mahabharata. Sage Vasishta and Sage Vishwamitra had an ongoing feud, which was legendary. Once, Saraswati River rescued Vasishta from the wiles of Vishwamitra by changing her course. Sage Vishwamitra is famous for this uncontrollable temper. For interfering in his matters, Saraswati River was cursed by him that for one year her waters would flow with blood. Demons were happy to see blood in the river. They drank it. Sages who saw this rescued her. But when Saraswati River was purified by the sages, the demons who drank water from the river were afflicted by hunger. Out of compassion, Saraswati River assumed a new form called Aruna, the reddish one. The demons who bathed in this river attained moksha or liberation.

Cherai Gowreeswara Temple Festival - Facts - Other Information

Cherai Gowreeswara Temple is located in Cherai Village in Ernakulam District of Kerala. The annual temple festival is observed in Makaram month. Cherai Gowreeswara Temple is located at Cherai and is around 8 km from North Paravoor. The ten-day annual festival ends on Pooram Nakshatra day in Makaram month.  Cherai Gowreeswara temple was built in 1912 and is dedicated to Murugan. The murti in the temple was consecrated by Sree Narayana Guru on Kollavarsham 1087 Makarm 9 Avittam nakshatra. Sri Narayana Guru first consecrated the murti of Subramania. Then he did the prathishta of Ganpati in south, Sri Parvati in north and Sri Parameshwara in west.   The festival is famous for display of 30 caparisoned elephants and panchavadyam. The festival is also noted for the display of fireworks. Thalapokka Malsaram of elephants is a main attraction of the festival. Kathakali, ottanthullal and other traditional art forms are performed during the festival. The annual festival is noted for various r

Purification Of The Mind Through Work - Bhagavad Gita

A proper attitude to work and to one’s profession can convert work into a potent tool for effecting the purification of the mind. Sri Krishna emphasizes this in a series of graded disciplines for spiritual life: ‘Fix your mind on Me,may your intellect dwell on Me. Undoubtedly, you will live in Me on giving up the body. In case you are not able to fix your mind on Me, desire to attain Me through abhyasa yoga (the yoga of steadfast practice). If you are unable to do this either, be intent on working for My sake. Working for Me, you will attain perfection. If you cannot thus work for My sake resorting to yoga, renounce the fruits of all your actions, being self-controlled.’ So, performing one’s action with a view to pleasing God is a basic discipline every seeker is taught to practise. How is one to surrender the fruits of one’s actions to God? By taking refuge in the primeval Purusa (God) from whom have originated activities from time immemorial! Sri Krishna emphasizes the