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Showing posts from September 19, 2017


First Day Navratri Bhog – Food Offering on the First Day of Navratri

Bhog, prasad, or naivedya is the food offering to Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism. The first day Navratri bhog is offered to Goddess Shailputri. The food that is offered on day one of Navratri should be prepared using ghee and white in color. A devotee can also offer simple cow ghee or food prepared using ghee which is white in color . If the food is prepared using cow ghee then the person offering the bhog will get relief from illness with the blessing of Maa Shailputri. White colored food like kheer, chaval should be mixed with Ghee and offered to Goddess Shailputri.

Navratri at Mata Vaishno Devi Mandir

Navratri at Mata Vaishno Devi Mandir is huge. Thousands of devotees arrive during nine days and nights to the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple to have darshan of the powerful Mother Goddess. The temple and the premises are decorated with fresh flowers, which are brought from various states of India and from foreign countries. The pindi of the Mother Goddess, the entrance of the old cave, and pathway leading the cave are aesthetically decorated. Shath Chandi Mahayajna is performed during the period. Nine forms of Mother Goddess are worshipped during the period. The first day is dedicated to Maa Shialaputri. Special haven, pujas and rituals are held on Saptami, Ashtami and Navami – the seventh, eighth and ninth day of Navratri. On an average more than 50,000 devotees have darshan of Mata Vaishno Devi on the Trikuta Mountain. The number increases on Ashtami and Navami. During the 9-day Navratri period, more than 500,000 devotees have darshan of Mother Goddess here. Related

Symbolism In Arjuna’s Name Gudakesha

Gudakesha means ‘the conqueror of sleep’. All beings fall victim to sleep when it overtakes them. Such is the power of this factor in life. But this ‘bull among men’ (Arjuna) has disciplined himself in such a way that sleep would come to him only when he made a decision to sleep. When, where are and how long to sleep were all at his will. In addition to the self-mastery of this type, he is always a terror to the foes; he is the subduer of baseness within and without. A man of his caliber is not likely to beat a retreat. The name was used by Sanjay to describe Arjuna in Chapter II verse 9. After addressing the Lord of the senses (Hrishikesha – Bhagavan Sri Krishna) thus, Gudakesha, the terror of the foes, submitted to Govinda, ‘I shall not fight; and held silence. Source - The Bhagavad Gita by Swami Chidbhavananda