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Showing posts from September 23, 2018


How to do or observe Somvar Vrat? – Monday Fasting Procedure Dedicated to Shiva

Somvar Vrat, or Monday Fasting, is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Somvar takes its name from Soma or Chandra – the Hindu moon god. Fasting on the day is done by many to appease Lord Shiva and get prayers and wishes fulfilled. It is believed that observing Somvar Vrat will help in getting good husbands. It is also believed to help in attaining prosperity and peaceful family life. Somvar Vrat begins from sunrise on Monday. Usually those devotees observing the Vrat visit a Lord Shiva temple in the morning and in the evening. If this is not possible prayers are offered at home. White color dress is worn by those observing the fast. White flowers are also offered to the Shivling. A single meal is taken on the day after midday. Those observing partial fast take fruits or Sabudana Khichadi. In the evening a story related to Somvar Vrat is listened to or read by those observing the fast. Apart from white flowers, people also offer Bilva leaves or Bil patra whil

Meru Mountain in Hindu Tradition - Mahameru in Hinduism

Meru, or Mahameru, is a divine mountain mentioned in the Puranas and epics and is witness to several incidents in Hindu tradition. When a cycle of creation ends, all living beings followed Dharma get shelter on the Meru. As per Puranas, heaven is located on the peaks of the meru, netherworld is at the base and earth is located in the middle portion. Hindu Puranas mention that the height and breadth of Meru is 84,000 yojanas. One yojana is equal to 8 miles. It is also believed that the Mountain holds the Earth – this is because 16000 yojana of the mountain is beneath the earth. The peaks of meru are covered with gold and Kailash, on which Shiva is seated, is one of the peaks. All gods and goddesses reside on the Mahameru. Sun and moon goes round the mountain and the Saptarishi Nakshatras rise and set on it. The base of the mountain is filled with life saving herbs. The mountain is guarded by Nagas and therefore sinners cannot enter the mountain. Meru is filled with sweet son

Why Is Curd Offered In Hindu Pujas? - Why Is Curd Holy in Hinduism?

Curd is considered holy in Hinduism. The main reason why curd is offered to Hindu Gods during pujas is that it is derived from milk. Anything that is received from cow is holy in Hinduism. Cow is believed to be pratysha Brahman or visible God. There is concept in Hindu religion that all gods reside in the cow. This makes curd holy and worthy of offering it to various deities. Another reason why milk products are considered holy because Sri Krishna used to consume them lavishly. Anything associated with Krishna is holy. Curd is especially consumed by those people who are offering prayers to Chandra or moon god. Fasting dedicated to Chandra is broken by consuming white colored food. Those observing Friday fasting, or Shukravar Vrat, offer curd to Shukra or Venus. The fast is broken by eating curd or other white colored food. Curd is consumed before any auspicious beginning as it helps a person to stay focused and it also give positive results. There are also many

Why Pandavas Could not Save Abhimanyu in the Mahabharata War?

Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna and Subhadra, was killed on the 13th day of the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata. Subhadra repeatedly asks Krishna and Pandavas - “How can Abhimanyu be killed when Pandavas and Krishna are present in the same battlefield?” Why Pandavas could not save Abhimanyu? On the 13th day of the battle, Drona, the commander of Kauravas, constructed Chakra Vyuha – a circular type of battle combination. Only Krishna , Arjuna and Abhimanyu knew how to break the Vyuha. Kauravas had made a detailed plan. They knew that Chakra Vyuha would be easily broken by Arjuna. So they asked Samshaptakas to keep Arjuna busy. Samshaptakas (Trigartas) are warriors who had taken an oath to die or kill Arjuna. Arjuna and Krishna was busy fighting them the whole day and was on another part of the Kurukshetra. Now only Abhimanyu knew how to break the Chakra Vyuha. Yudhishitra asked Abhimanyu to penetrate the Vyuha so that other warriors in the Pandava side can follow h

Why Do We Draw Kolam? – The Story in Hindu Puranas

The story which explains why do we draw kolam is found in the Hindu Puranas. The story is associated with the churning of the ocean (samudra manthan) by Devas and Asuras. Numerous items appeared during the churning of the ocean. When Goddess Lakshmi appeared from the churning, she requested Bhagvan Vishnu for a house to reside. Vishnu suggested her to reside in a house in which the entrance is sprinkled with cow dung (entrance is pasted with cow dung) and decorated with kolams. From that day onwards people began to draw kolams to invite Goddess Lakshmi into their homes. Some Puranas also state that Moodevi or goddess of misfortune appeared during the churning of ocean and she also demanded a house. Bhagvan Vishnu asked her to reside in those houses that are dirty and where they do not draw kolam in front of the entrances. Drawing of rice kolams in front of house are a means of sharing food with all small creatures on earth like ants. They play a crucial part in the eco

Kalash Pot Symbolism in Hinduism

The Kalash pot is an important item in most Hindu pujas and rituals. It is also placed permanently in home and shops. There is deep symbolism associated with the Kalash pot in Hinduism. The pot is a symbol of growth, fertility and abundance. At home and in business place it is symbol of fullness, plenty and prosperity. Vedas describe Kalash pot as a golden pitcher overflowing with honey. The space within the Kalash is considered to be the womb and thus it represents growth and fertility. The water in the pot is a symbol of the sacred rivers. As per some scriptures, the mouth of the kalash represents Vishnu, the neck represents Shiva and the middle part represents Brahma. 

Story of Lopamudra - Wife of Sage Agastya

Lopamudra was the wife of Sage Agastya and her story is mentioned in the Mahabharata and the Rig Veda. She was the daughter of King of Vidarbha. Legend has it that the king of Vidarbha did not have children. He was once doing penance for a child and Sage Agastya reached the spot. Sage Agastya using his powers created a girl of great beauty. The girl was given to King of Vidarbha and she was named Lopamudra. Sage Agastya had never thought about marriage but once he happened to see his deceased ancestors suffering as they could not enter heaven. The ancestors of Sage Agastya were denied heaven as he was not married and he did not have any children. Shradh and Tarpan performed by those living on earth helps in the dead ancestors achieve liberation. Sage Agastya was short in stature and lived in the forest. So no girl was ready to marry him. This is when the sage happened to hear about the penance of King of Vidarbha. When Lopamudra became a maiden, Sage Agastya approac

Vibhishana – Story of Vibhishana in Ramayana and Why He Helped Bhagwan Sri Ram

Vibhishana was the brother of Ravana and Kumbhakarna in the Ramayana. He was the third son of Sage Vishravas and Malini. The story of Vibhishana is interesting – even though born to same parents he was diametrically opposite to Ravana. He helped Bhagavan Sri Ram in the war against Ravan because he had imbibed the good qualities of his parents – Sage Vishravas and Malini. Valmiki Ramayana Sundara Kanda (V.37) clearly shows the farsightedness and Dharma of Vibhishana. He pleads with Ravana to set Mata Sita free as soon as he finds out that She has been abducted. He already realized the greatness of Sri Ram and considered it Adharma to forcibly carry away women. It was Vibhishana who directed Hanuman to Ashoka Vatika during Bajrang Bali’s search of Mata Sita in Lanka. Again when Ravana wanted to kill Hanuman, Vibhishana reminded him about the diplomatic laws – an emissary should never be harmed. When the war in Ramayana was to start, Vibhishana asked Ravana to retu

Read Vedas Online in Hindi with Text, Meaning and Commentary

The official website of Aryasamaj Jamnagar is providing the opportunity to read the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda online in Hindi with text, meaning and commentary. The online version of the Vedas is the Hindi translation of the four Vedas from Sanskrit. Pages from the Hindi translation book have been scanned to create this online version. You can read the Vedas Online in Hindi here at the official website of Aryasamaj Jamnagar . Vedas There are four Vedas - Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. From the four Vedas are braches or appendices called Brahmanas, which relate to rituals and ceremonies. From these are derived the Aranyakas. The Upanishads are the appendices of the Aranyakas. When we say Veda we not only refer to the four Vedas, but also to the Brahmanas, Aranyakas and Upanishads, or all the texts that are considered Shruti.

Thoughts of Hindu Blog – A Collection of Thoughts Based on Studying Hinduism for 25 Years

Thoughts of Hindu Blog is a collection of thoughts based on studying Hinduism for more than 25 years On Wealth Wealth created through shortcuts and cheating will only open Pandora’s Box. Success and lasting wealth can be created only through honesty and hard work. Today we have accepted money as the benchmark to assess success of people but are these rich people really happy? He who knows what true wealth is a successful person. Never acquire money, power, and position to satisfy our ego. Do not acquire them to show off and belittle others. Money, power and position should be used wisely for transforming our inner life. On Success Balance and awareness in success and defeat is what makes a person extraordinary. More than luck, what we need is the right attitude for success. Always choose the right path for things to move in the right direction. Shortcuts will never lead to lasting success. You should work as if everything depends on you. Then there will be no room