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Showing posts from March 6, 2018


About the Author of the Song Vaishnav Jan to Tene Kahiye and its English Translation

Vaishnav Jan to Tene Kahiye is the starting line of the famous and highly inspiring devotional hymn written by 15 th century Gujarati poet and Saint Narasinha Mehta. The song was popularized by Mahatma Gandhi and it was his favorite hymn. Gandhiji felt that the lyrics of this devotional hymn – sung at dawn and dusk in the houses in Gujarat in his days – carried the essence of Hindu philosophy. It communicated the gist of Sanatana Dharma in a language which could be easily understood by common man. This devotional hymn was translated into English by noted Indian author and columnist Mr. Khushwant Singh in a column written in the Hindustan Times. Vaishnav Jan to tene kahiye Jay peerh paraaye janneyray Par dukkhey upkar karey, teeyey man abhiman na anney ray A godlike man is one, Who feels another’s pain Who shares another’s sorrow, And pride does disdain. Sakal lokma Sahuney bandhey, Ninda Na karye kainee ray Baach kaachh, Man nischal Raakhey, dhan-dh

Gajalakshmi – About Hindu Goddess Gaja Lakshmi

Gajalakshmi, or Gaja Lakshmi, is a manifestation of Goddess Lakshmi . She symbolically represents power, strength, grace and authority. She is also referred as Gaj Laxmi – the Goddess of elephants – symbol of fertility. Two white elephants pouring water (abhisheka) upon the Lakshmi with their upturned trunk is the most popular image of Gaja-Lakshmi. Gajalakshmi is also counted among the Ashta-Lakshmi (eight forms of MahaLakshmi). The two elephants are also believed to have welcomed Goddess Lakshmi when she rose out of the milk of ocean – during Samudra Manthan – by performing the jal abhisheka. A popular belief in Hinduism is that there are eight pairs of elephants standing on eight corners of cosmos holding up the sky. These eight elephants are known as ‘dig gaja.’ The elephants that performed jal abhisheka on Goddess Lakshmi are one of the eight pairs of ‘dig gaja.’ The elephants worshipped her because they realized her power to enrich and nourish the world. And Human b

Vasupanchaka Dosha – Vasu Panchaka Nakshatras

Vasupanchaka Dosha is associated with Hindu astrology and is believed by some communities especially in South India . As per this dosha, if a person dies on a certain Nakshatra or birth stars in a family, there is a belief that there will be five more deaths immediately in the family. The five stars are Dhanishta (Avittam), Chathayam (Shatbhisha), Pururuthathi (Poorvabhadra), Uthrattathi (Uttarabhadra) and Revati. These five stars are also known as Vasu Panchaka stars. The Vasu Panchaka Nakshatras are the last 5 Nakshatras among the 27 nakshatras as per traditional Hindu astrology. In some regions only the last half of the Dhanishta Nakshatra is included in the Vasupanchaka Dosha list. Please note that most astrologers are of the view that a person dying on the above said Nakshatras will not lead to Vasu Panchaka dosha. Instead the dosha only happens when the nakshtara falls on a certain day, tithi and rashi. For example – if a person died on Dhanishta Nakshat

Simha Rashi Lucky Number

What is the lucky number of Simha Rashi born people? The benefits of lucky number include progress and change in luck. Simha rashi lucky number is nine. The people born in the rashi should buy car, bike or scooter having number nine in it or when added the total should be nine. Buying shop number 9 is good for the Simha Rashi people. Similarly, buying flat or plot having number nine is good. Having mobile number with number 9 is good for the people. Lighting nine-wick lamp on birthday is good for Simha Rashi. Offer a garland made of nine peepal leaves to Hanuman to overcome all forms of troubles in life. Offer nine bananas to Vishnu and offer prayers. Later give the bananas to a cow.

Story of Sage Vashishta and Vishwamitra

Story of Sage Vashishta and Vishwamitra is associated with the divine cow Kamadhenu and about Vishwamitra realizing that spiritual power is more powerful than the powers of a king and his weapons. During a hunting expedition, King Vishwamitra visited the ashram of Sage Vasishta. The king was impressed with the serene and peaceful environment. Sage Vasishta invited the king and his retinue to have food in the ashram. The king doubted whether the Sage had the capacity to feed his large retinue. So he politely requested the Sage to avoid the hardship. But the Sage insisted and the King relented. Sage Vasishta then invited Kamadhenu, the divine cow, which lived in the ashram of Sage Vasishta. The Sage then requested Kamadhenu to provide food fit for a great king. In the blink of an eye, food fit for the royal entourage was created from thin air by the divine cow. Vishwamitra and his army ate to their heart’s content. They had never tasted such tasty food and delica

Kamakoti

Kamakoti is one of the seven sacred cities in Hinduism that can confer liberation. Kamakoti is the term used to refer to the area in and around Kamakshi Temple in Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu. The area is between River Kampa (now in the form of a temple tank in the Ekamreshvara Temple and River Vegavati. Kamakshi Temple is the only temple dedicated to Mother Goddess Shakti in Kanchipuram. Story of Kamakoti Legend has it that Kamadeva, the Hindu god of love, was burnt to ashes by Shiva when he attempted to disturb His penance after the death of Sati. Wife of Kamadeva, Rati, worshipped Mother Goddess to regain her husband. It is believed that Mother Goddess appeared before her here and gave her the boon that Kamadeva will regain his body. There are many temple of Shiva and Vishnu in Kamakoti. It is the tradition for the utsava murti of all temples to be taken around the four main streets of the Kamakshi Temple.

Why It Is Necessary To Train The Senses?

Just like a camera consumes energy even if it is just switched on, similarly our sense organs consume energy even if they just stay put on a particular object. The best way to conserve the energy of the sense organs is to restrain from taking in any sensory input that one does not need. Then, the eyes would see only what has to be seen, the ears would hear only what has to be heard, the tongue would taste only what is to be tasted, the skin would touch only what has to be touched, and the nose would smell only what has to be smelled.   Trained in such a fashion, not only would the distraction caused by the senses be reduced to a bare minimum, the sensory experience of such trained senses would be accentuated and superfine with a remarkable intensity. We constantly blame the mind for distractions and for losing focus. Our complaint is that the mind is wandering all the time. Imagine a person who is served several plates of mouth-watering dishes at the same time, all dishes