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Showing posts from January 22, 2018


Shasti Fasting: How to observe Muruga Shasthi Vratam?

Shasti Vratam or Upvaas is an important fast dedicated to Lord Muruga or Kartikeya. There are two Shastis in a Hindu lunar month. One Shasthi after Amavasya and another after Purnima (Pournami). The Shasti coming after Amavasya (new moon night) is the one meant for fasting. In simple terms, the Shasti coming during the increasing or growing phase of the moon. Lord Muruga is also known as Subramanian or Skanda or Kanda. How to observe Shasti Vratam? The Shasti fasting begins with sunrise. The fast is broken on the next day morning after praying to Lord Surya (Sun God). Most people observing the fast make it a point to visit Murugan Temple on this day. It is a complete fast in many places. But this might not be quite possible for many people due to job, health and other reasons. So many people take some sort of vegetarian food on this day – this is usually a single meal in the afternoon or night. Many people also opt for a fruit diet on the day. So

Arista and Aparantajnana – Indication of the end of life

Arista is the indication of the end of life. Some yogis have knowledge of the time of their death this is known as Aparantajnana. Arista and Aparantajnana were mentioned by Sage Patanjali in the Yogasutra. These powers are attained by concentrating the mind. There are three types of Arista – spiritual, material and supernatural. In spiritual arista, a person who is about to die in a short time does not hear the inner sound when the ears are closed, and does not see the inner flame when the eyes are closed. In material arista, a person sees dreams of dreadful figures or one’s dead forefathers. In super natural arista, a person sees gods, holy persons or sages in dreams. A common man overlooks these happenings. But a yogi becomes aware of Arista.

Anand Bhairav Temple at Haridwar in Uttarakhand

Anand Bhairav is a calm and benign form of Lord Shiva. This form of Shiva is also known as Batuk Bhairav. An ancient Anand Bhairav Temple in India is located at Haridwar in Uttarakhand. The shrine is near the famous Maya Devi Temple in Haridwar . The murti of Anand Bhairav in the shrine is unique and it is in the form of a Shivling – with a prominent moustache, nose and eyes carved on the holy Shivling. There is also a red color pindi near the main Anand Bhairav murti in the sanctum sanctorum. The ancient temple, which is a small structure, was renovated during the 20 th century. The subsidiary deities worshipped in the temple are Dattatreya in sitting posture, Shiva, Parvati, Ganesha, Kartik and Goddess Kali. The temple has a small but unique navgraha temple. Navgrahas, or nine planets, are worshipped here along with their vehicle or vahana. There is also anther Ganesh murti near the Navgraha shrine.