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Showing posts from November 12, 2018


Janamejaya Story In The Mahabharata

Janamejaya is the great grandson of Pandavas in the Mahabharata and he performed the famous yajna or sacrifice to destroy all the snakes on the earth. Janamejaya was the son of King Parikshit, who was killed by serpent, Takshaka. King Parikshit was the son of Abhimanyu and Uttara; and grandson of Arjuna. He ruled the kingdom for 60 years but due to a curse was bitten and killed by serpent Takshaka. Janamejaya decided to take revenge and performed Sarpa Satra – serpent sacrifice. Thousands of snakes were drawn out by the spells chanted during the yajna. They immolated themselves in the yajna fire. But Takshaka did not come to the yajna as he was protected by Indra. Janamejaya, who realized that his main enemy was protected by the king of Devas, ordered priests to chant more potent mantras. The mantras forced Indra out of his abode with Takshaka hanging on to him. On seeing the sacrificial fire, Indra released Takshaka and fled the scene. Takshaka was soon heading

Names of sixty years of the cycle followed in Hindu Calendar in Maharashtra – Andhra Pradesh – Karnataka – Telangana and Tamil Nadu

Sixty years form a cycle in the Hindu calendars followed in Maharashtra , Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Tamil Nadu. The names of the sixty years are given below: A year in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana is from Ugadi to the day before next Ugadi. In Maharashtra, it is from Gudi Padwa to the day before next Gudi Padwa. In Tamil Nadu, it is from Chithira 1 to the last day of Panguni. Prabhava Vibhava Shukla Pramoduta Prajopati Angirasa Srimukha Bhava Yuva Dhatu Ishvara Bhudhanya Pramadi Vikrama Vishu Chirabhanu Svabhanu Tarana Pardhiva Vyaya Sarvajitu Sarvadhari Virodhi Vikruti Khara Nandana Vijaya Jaya  Manmadha Durmukhi Hevilambi Vilambi (March 18 to April 5, 2019) Vikari (April 6, 2019 to March 24, 2020) Sarvari (March 25, 2020 to April 12, 2021) Plava Shubha Krutu Shobha Krutu Krodhi Vishvasu Parabhava Plavanga Kilaka Saumya Sadharana Virodhi Krutu Paridhavi Pramadicha Anunda Rakshasa Nala Pingala Kalayuk

Story of Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur – Story of Panduranga Vittala

Lord Vitthal, or Panduranga Vittala, is an incarnation of Lord Vishnu and is worshipped in the world famous Pandharpur Rukmini Vitthal Temple at Pandharpur in Maharashtra . There is an interesting story that explains about the incarnation of Lord Vitthal at Pandharpur. Once a devotee named Pundalik was traveling to Kashi and reached the Ashram of Saint Kukkut. He asked the sage the way to Kashi. Kukkut Rishi said that he did not know the way to Kashi and he had never been there. Pundalik made fun of Kukkut Rishi for not knowing the way to Kashi and said that a holy man like him should have already visited Kashi. Kukkut Rishi kept quiet and did not bother to answer Pundalik. During the course of the night Pundalik heard the voice of women in the ashram.  He came to out to look what was happening and saw that three women were sprinkling water on the Ashram and cleaning it. On enquiry, Pundalik found out that the three women were Ganga , Yamuna and S

Prachetas in Hinduism

Prachetas is a name occurring in numerous Hindu scriptures. Prachetasa is a name given to several individuals in Hinduism. Valmiki, the author of Ramayana, called himself a Prachetasa (Valmiki Ramayana, Uttara Kanda. 93.16-18; 94.25). Under this name he performed penance for a very long period at the Aghamarshana Tirtha (Bhagavad Purana 6.4.21) As per Vayu Purana (65.53-54) and Mahabharata Sabha Parva (11.14), one Prachetas is one of the prajapatis (progenitors of human race in Hindu religion). They are the mind born son or manasaputras of Brahma. The ten sons of Prachinabarhisa and Savarna, the daughter of Samudra, were also known by the collective name of Prachetas. The ten sons were expert archers and they performed intense penance for 10,000 years. They had hundreds son who were known as Prachetas.  These one hundred sons went to the north and became kings of the Mlecchas. Their son by Marisa was Daksha, who was also known as Prachetasa or Daksha Praja

Symbolism of two wives – Maitreyi and Katyayani – of Yajnavalkya

Yajnavalkya had two wives Maitreyi and Katyayani. Stories and teachings associated with them are found in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Here is a look at the symbolism of the two wives of Yajnavalkya. Maitreyi is the symbol of real student and Katyayani is grounded in reality of this world.  The great sages of ancient world who composed the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad purposefully gave the Acharya Yajnavalkya two wives. The two wives simply represent two parts present in a person - the part that seeks knowledge (Maitreyi), and the part that is grounded in reality of this world (Katyayni). The talks of renunciation, non-attachment, love-yourself, etc are great and help us learn a lot, but we should not forget that we do all this contemplation while being present in this world. This is what Kaatyayni is reminding us. Everything that Katyayni asked and said in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad needs to be given as much importance in our quest for understanding as the remarks and q

Sadhu Vaswani Quotes and Thoughts

Sadhu Vaswani (1879 – 1966), an educationist and philosopher, was a sage of modern India. This is a collection of teachings and quotes of Sadhu Vaswani. I know not much. I only know that the longing within me grows, day by day, to be consumed, more and more, in the Flame of Sacrifice to Him, whose Beauty blooms in all the worlds and whose Love I see shining, shining everywhere. The categories of the mind will not take us beyond a mechanical order. The organic order, that of life, is revealed by the Atman, the Spirit. Every passion is a distraction. Gather knowledge for service: gather knowledge and be ready for that true life, which is one of offering – the life of yagna. Always remain a student. A teacher is a radiant man. He transmits light: he is a man of character. Education should be related to life and not be an academic study. We must aim at an integral education in which humanism is blended with the spiritual ideal. Education must teach stude