Ettumanoor  Mahadeva Temple is one of the most famous Lord Shiva Temples in Kerala. The ten-day annual festival held in the Malayalam Kumbham month is famous for the display of the ezharaponnana (seven and a half gold elephants) - this is on February 18, 2024. In 2024, Ettumanoor Mahadeva Temple Festival is from February 11. The Arattu will be held on February 20. Ezharaponnana - Information - History The ezharaponnana (seven and a half gold elephants) display takes place on the eighth day of the  Ettumanoor   Temple  festival. These elephants were gifted to the  Shiva   Temple  in 1759 AD by the then ruler Karthika Thirunal Maharaja of the erstwhile  Travancore   Kingdom . Actually there are eight elephants but it is known as seven and a half gold elephants because seven elephants are two feet high and the last one is one foot high. ഏറ്റുമാനൂർ മഹാദേവ ക്ഷേത്രത്തിലെ അമൂല്യവും അപൂര്വവുമായ കാഴ്ചയയാണ് ഏഴരപ്പെന്നാന ദർശനം വിലയിരുത്തപ്പെടുന്നത്. കൊടിയേറി എട്ടാം ഉത്സവ ദിനമായ കുംഭത്തി

Amrita Siddhi Yoga is a highly auspicious time as per Hindu astrology. The time period of 6 to 12 hours occur a couple of times in a Hindu month. When Amrita Siddhi Yoga is present it nullifies all the inauspicious yogas and time like Vishti or Bhadra, Vaidhriti etc. A person can make all kinds of auspicious beginnings during the period. The time is ideal for travel,   job interview, exams, opening of shops, buying vehicles, land or selling. How Is Amrita Siddhi Yoga Calculated? For Amrita Siddhi Yoga to be present the following conditions should be met: A particular nakshatra in the list of 27 nakshatras or birth star in Hindu astrology should be present on the day. For example if Pushya Nakshatra is present on Thursday or Guruvar then there is a Amrita Siddhi Yoga. The yoga begins with sunrise on Thursday and ends when Pushya nakshatra ends or Thursday ends. The time is calculated from sunrise to before sunrise on next day. Days When Amrita Siddhi Yoga Occurs Monday

Kemadruma Yoga is a planetary configuration in Hindu astrology considered to be unfavorable. It is a yoga caused by the absence of planets in either the twelfth or the second house calculated from the moon in an individual’s horoscope. Mahatma Gandhi had kemadruma yoga.  Hindu astrology describes many yogas indicating the effects of planets or grahas in different houses of the horoscope of a person. Kemadruma Yoga is not considered favorable for the prosperity of an individual as per Hindu astrology. Other grahas do not support the functions of the moon. Effects Of Kemadruma Yoga In The Life Of A Person The person with this yoga will feel lonely and lead a rather difficult life. He or she will be grief-stricken, poor, doing wrong deeds. He is dependent on others, arrogant, and fraudulent. Normally an individual with this yoga will be with unclean habits, dirty, poor and will be devoid of wealth. How Is Kemadruma Yoga Calculated? Of the moon is in Mars sign and if

Atman is individual self and Brahman is the universal self. When we have deep understanding of Hinduism we will realize that there is only Brahman and Atman is unreal. So for a truly self-realized person there is no difference between the two. They are just names in the state of ignorance. Realization of Atman and Brahman is the spiritual goal in Sanatana Dharma. Only this can lead to bliss. Scholarly approach and mere study of scriptures will not take us to our goal. This has to be realized. We have to realize that by individual effort. The goal of one’s life should be to come face to face with the source of all speech, the source of all Thought — the Brahman. That requires one to annihilate the mind by going to its root, ignorance. (Prabuddha Bharata) It is through individual self that we realize the universal self. Who am I? Am I the body or the seed. I cannot be the body. Then I must be the seed. But from where did the seed come from. What is the energy source behind

Silver Coins with image of Goddess Lakshmi and Ganesha embossed on it is kept by many Hindus in their home. The significance behind this ritual is to attract the blessing of Ganesha, Lakshmi and Navagraha Shukra. It is believed that a person who has the blessing of the three deities will never suffer financial problems. The coins are brought from a reputed dealer. Some coins have Goddess Lakshmi engraved on one side and Ganesha on another side. There are also coins engraved with the picture of the same deity on both sides. How to keep Silver Coins of Goddess Lakshmi and Ganesha at Home? The coin is brought home only on Friday. It should be washed properly in running water. It is then placed in the puja room or worship place before the picture of Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi. After evening arati the coin is removed and in its place seven small remuneration coins like that of 25 paise or 50 paise or 1 rupee is kept. The silver coins are placed in a safe place in the nort

Baba Balak Nath is famous Yogi who is believed to have had direct darshan of Lord Shiva. It is widely believed that listening to the songs or bhajan of Baba Balak Nath ji and worshipping god Shiva will help in desire fulfillments. He is believed to have lived in the present day Himachal Pradesh in India. The followers of Baba Balak Nath narrate the following story about Him. Story of Baba Balak Nath Inspired by Dattatreya, Baba Balak Nathji set out on a pilgrimage of Chardham – the four holy places – and other tirthas. He reached Shah Talai in Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh. By his divine vision, he realized that Mata Dharmo, who had helped him have vision of Lord Shiva in his previous birth, had taken rebirth as Mai Ratno at Shah Talai. He wished to serve Mai Ratno so that he could clear the great debt of previous birth. Mai Ratno, who was a childless widow, adopted Baba Balak Nath as her son. He was given the job of grazing the cows. Twelve years passed and one da

Vasus are the eight attendant deities of Indra, the king of Devas. There is a story in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata in which the Vasus are cursed by Vashisht Rishi (Sage Vasishta). The curse and story has the reason for the long life of Bhishma on earth. One day the Vasus were roaming on the earth along with their wives. They visited many places and finally arrived at the forest in which the ashram of Vashisht Rishi was located. One of the Vasus was Prabhasa. His wife happened to see sage Vashishta's cow grazing. She was struck by the beauty of the cow and asked her husband to get it. Prabhasa was not ready to steal the cow of the sage but when his wife kept pushing the matter, he relented. He along with his brothers stole the cow. On discovering the theft, the enraged sage cursed the eight immortal Vasus to be born as mortals. The eight Vasus were born as the sons of Ganga and King Shantanu. Seven got relief from the curse when they were drowned by Ganga in th

There is an interesting story of Bhagavan Sri Krishna capturing a demon and imprisoning him in his Dhoti. The story, which is laced with symbolism, also involves Balarama, the elder brother of Bhagavan Krishna. Once, Krishna and Balarama was traveling through a forest. When it became night, it was impossible for them to travel. Therefore, they decided to take rest in the forest. Balarama was worried that if they slept they will be attacked by animals or demons. So, Sri Krishna came up with a plan. Balarama will stay awake when Sri Krishna slept and Krishna will keep vigil afterwards when Balarama slept. Soon Sri Krishna went into deep sleep and Balarama stood guard. Soon a demon like creature appeared in the distance and made a war cry. Balarama got sacred and took a step back. An interesting development happened during this incident. When Balarama got a scared and took a step back, his size was reduced. Now he was of the size of Sri Krishna. The size of the d

Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga is an auspicious time period as per Hindu calendar and panchang. If the yoga is present at the beginning of an auspicious event like buying, opening, meeting, interview etc, it destroys any bad time or yoga present at that time. Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga ensures success. The Yoga is looked by people believe in astrology, especially when they you have to travel or make a new beginning and there is no auspicious time. How Is Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga Calculated? The day is Sunday and if the following nakshatras are present Hasta (Atham), Pushya (Poosam or Pooyam), Ashlesha (Ayilyam), Uttara Phalguni (uthram), Uttara shada (Uthradam) and Uttara Bhadra (Uthrattathi). For Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga to be present the following conditions should be met: A particular nakshatra in the list of 27 nakshatras in Hindu astrology should be present on the day. For example if Rohini Nakshatra is present on Monday or Somvar then there is a Sarvartha Siddhi Yoga. The yoga be

The first two verses of Amritabindu Upanishad contains the teachings on mind. The two verses are pregnant with meaning and contains numerous symbolism. The two verses are also explained by Swami Chidananda of Chinmaya Trust in this blog post. The desire ridden mind is impure. Other impurities like anger or jealousy are its side products. When obstructed desire becomes anger, when someone else enjoys what one desires, it turns into jealousy. When one gets what one wanted, greed or pride arises. “Mind is considered as two-fold: pure and impure. It is impure with the resolve of personal desire. It is pure when devoid of all selfish desires” – Amritabindu Upanishad Mantra 1. Mind binds, mind liberates! Thoughts are the medium through which the ego, the limited Self, appears and paves the way for all our likes and dislikes, pleasure and pain. Innocence of a child is free from attachment or hatred. As we reach deep within ourselves – we see this childlike nature of pure – u

Kathasaritasagara means the ocean of rivers of stories and it is a collection of stories of ancient Hindu world. It was written by Somadeva in the 11th century AD who hailed from Kashmir. It is a collection of poetry and literature which has Sanskrit narrative poetry and also miscellaneous folklorist works. It also give insights into important aspects of Hindu religion of the period. Kathasaritasagara is a storehouse of popular ideas and folklore which developed in oral tradition over the centuries in ancient India. Kathasaritasagara has nearly 350 tales in 21,000 shlokas reflect the problems of common people of society and their problems. Kathasaritasagara Inspired By Brihatkatha Of Gunadhya Somadeva was only a redactor of an earlier collection of stories from folk sources, known as Brihatkatha, which is attributed to the little-known author Gunadhya. This collection, composed in Prakrit, is known as Paisachi and survives partly in Somadeva’s collection. Legendary

Hanuman Sitting on Bharata’s Arrow to Reach Lanka in the Ramayana should not be seen as a figment of imagination. There is deep symbolism attached to it. Hanuman who was carrying the mountain with medicinal herbs was misunderstood by the residents of Ayodhya as a flying monster. They informed Bharata, their king, who shot an arrow and forced Hanuman to descend to the ground. When Bharata realized his mistake, he wanted to help Bhagavan Sri Ram. Hanuman told Bharata that he could of great help, if he could make him reach his destination fast, so that he can save the life of Lakshmana. Bharata then meditated on Rama and mounted an arrow on his bow. He asked Hanuman to sit on the arrowhead. He then shot the arrow, which soon attained the speed of sound, and Hanuman reached his destination – feet of Bhagavan Sri Ram. Symbolically, this incident narrates the greatness of Bhakti. Bharata was the greatest Bhakta of Bhagavan Sri Ram. His Bhakti was unfathomable. There is no

Call it superstition but these beliefs are strong among Hindu communities and it cannot be changed overnight. There is a popular belief among certain Hindu communities that doing or buying certain things on Tuesday will usher in bad luck and it will cause problems in life and home. Do Not Buy These Things On Tuesday Cosmetics are not to be brought on Tuesday. This is because Tuesday is governed by Mangal grah and this fiery planet does not like it. Products made of thickened milk like rabdi or rabri, barfi, kalakand, chena etc should be brought or made in the home. Those food items that are donated should not be eaten by the person donating them. One should not buy black color dress on Tuesday and one should not wear black color dress. Materials made using iron should not be brought on Tuesday. Nail cutter, knife, scissors and sharp objects should not be brought on Mangalwar or Tuesday. Steel should not be brought on the day. Havan should not be performed

There is a story especially in eastern parts of India, which indicates that Ganesha got the head of Airavata, the divine white elephant of Indra, the king of Devas. As per this story, Shiva’s attendant Nandi went in search of a head to fix on Ganesha who was beheaded by Shiva. Nandi roamed around the universe. He went to all the worlds that had the presence of living beings. However, he was not able to get a suitable head for Maa Parvati’s son. Finally, Nandi happened to see Indra's elephant, Airavata, lying down with his head towards north. Nandi attempted to behead Airavata. A fight ensued between the two and soon Indra came to the rescue of his Vahana or mount. Nandi defeated Indra. He then overpowered Airavata and chopped off the head of the white elephant. The head was fixed on Maa Parvati’s son and he became Ganesha. As Ganesha is associated with Airavata, he is also associated with rain, fertility, and prosperity. As Airavata was white in color, Ganesha i

Satyavati was the wife of King Shantanu and the Queen of Hastinapura. She was the great matriarch of a great dynasty. The death of Queen Satyavati is mentioned in the Adi Parva of the Mahabharata. She wanted her children to be the rulers of Hastinapura. So she got Bhishma to relinquish his rightful claim to the throne of Hastinapura. She also made him promise that he will be a celibate. However, she gave birth to two sons who could not take over the kingdom. Chitrangada died in a duel and Vichitravirya was a weakling. He even could not find a wife. Bhishma had to abduct the three princesses of Kashi – Amba, Ambika, and Ambalika – for him to get married. However, he died before fathering her children. With no heir, the kingdom of Hastinapur was on the verge of disintegrating. Bhishma was not ready to break his vow of celibacy. She then took the help of her firstborn son, Sage Vyasa, who fathered Dhritarashtra in Ambika and Pandu in Ambalika. Again, her ambition of having a

Swami Chinmayananda talks about the secret of success based on the Bhagavad Gita. A verse from the Bhagavad Gita discloses the secret by which success can be assured for spiritual seekers. ‘To those who worship ME alone, thinking of me alone, thinking of no other, ever self-controlled, I secure that which is not already possessed (yoga) by them, preserve for them what they already possess (kshema)’ (IX:22). If we consider this as a tip for the people who are sweating and toiling in the world, the verse yields a code of instructions by which they can assure for themselves complete success in their life. If a person is capable of maintaining self-willed thought (sankalpa) consistently and with singleness of purpose, he is sure to succeed in any undertaking. But unfortunately, the ordinary person is not capable of channelizing his thoughts. Therefore, his goal seems to be ever receding. Since his goal seems to be ever changing, his determination to achieve a parti

Goddess Parvati is one of the most popular Goddesses in Hindu pantheon and she is the wife of Lord Shiva and mother of Ganesha. For Hindus, Goddess Parvati is mother who bestows affection. She is also famous for her beauty. The meaning of the term Goddess Parvati is ‘she who dwells in the mountains.” Forms of Goddess Parvati - Creations of a Limited Human Mind Goddess Parvati is Ambika, Kali, Girija, Sarvamangala and Durga. As many devotees, so is the number of forms of Goddess Parvati. She appears in the form that her devotee wishes for. The forms of Maa Parvati are unimaginable. The forms that we see, hear, read and imagine are minuscule. Ignorant minds project ignorant forms, but she is mother so she appears in that form to please her children. She is Sarvamangala for many as she ushers in positivity and auspiciousness. She is Ambika because she is the mother of all creation. She is Girija because in the form of Goddess Parvati she is the daughter of Himavan, the king

Bhrumadhya Drishti is fixing the eyes on an object and is an important practice with numerous benefits in yoga. Bhru in Sanskrit means eyebrows and Bhrumadhya means the space between eyebrows, particularly the middle point between them. Dhrishit means sight. In Yogic practices, Bhrumadhya Drishti indicates gaze or fixing the eyes on an object. The object may be located inside the body too. The two forms of Drashti are inner gaze and outer gaze. Example – Chakras or the energy centers situated along the spine, or it may be an external object like the tip of the nose or the midpoint between the eyebrows. In Yogic texts like (Hatha Yoga Pradipika: IV. 36-40) and Advayatarak Upanishad (1-8), words like lakshya, taraka yoga or simply taraka re used in place of Drishti. The inner gaze is called antar lakshya or antardrishti while the outer gaze is called bahir lakshya. In Hatha Yoga Pradipika (I.44), the nasal gaze (nasikagra drishti) is said to be associated with padma

Batuk Bhairav is the child form of Bhairav – Shiva. In Batuk form, Bhairavnath is childlike and is innocent witness to happenings in the world. Batuk form is used to visualize and symbolically represent the one pure atman. Batuk Bhairav is also known as Gora Bhairava – he is white in complexion – gentle. This child form of Shiva is sometimes shown as holding a head. This head symbolizes the ego or aham. It is also the fifth head of Brahma that Shiva as Bhairava removed. The head also represents Adharma or those that desire to dominate living beings and the world. Batuk Bhairav is represented as a child with four arms. One arms holds the head of Brahma. Another holds the damaru. The third hand holds a small mace and the fourth is in blessing posture. A dog follows him constantly. Batuk Bhairav in Scriptures In Sri Tantraloka (1/6), Batuk Bhairav is adorned with the title of Devisut (son of the Goddess) He is the embodiment of faultless bodily attributes. He is know

Swami Chinmayananda (1916 - 1993) shares his thoughts on Love. He says that we need to stop the feeling nobody loves me. Very often we hear some people complaining that "nobody loves me." The world is full of love. But generally our hearts are not open for the love to gush into us. And the door of your heart ever remains closed. Nobody other than you can ever throw it open; for the door of your heart cannot be locked from outside and it can be open only from within. You alone are in your heart. You unconsciously got locked in and you cry out to others to open up and release you. Nobody can. Stop crying. Open up and receive all love. Love is the heart of religions, the theme of all classical works of art and literature and the song of all devotees. Scientists know only what love does... not what love is. Love can indeed empty our asylums, perhaps all our prisons, may be all our hospitals. People suffer in life due to lack of love. Love is to human hearts what

Mole or beauty spot or til on ear is considered as bad in Hinduism. But in some communities it is considered good. The position of beauty spot, locally known as til, has specific meaning to certain communities. It is also only given importance in certain regions. The person with til on ear will not have a long life is the common belief in many communities. Some communities are of the view that person with beauty spot on ear will make lot of friends and will have a prosperous life. It must be remembered that the use of beauty spot to determine future etc is not followed by majority of Hindus. It is limited to certain communities and regions. There are also no references in Hindu scriptures which talk about the importance of beauty spot. It would be good if you do not follow such things and concentrate on your studies and career and put that energy in studying scriptures like the Bhagavad Gita. Also there is no consistency regarding these beliefs. What is good for on

This is a collection of ancient Hindu wisdom from folklores, scriptures and stories. The Hindu Quotes are primarily gathered from old books. You should be capable of making use of even the dust, while at the same time you should also be ready to reject the entire cosmos as mere dust! (Sri Ramana Maharshi) ...... He who is overcautious accomplishes little. One king word warms three winter months. Be charitable according to your means. A word is a medicine enough for the wise. Offering without faith is a waste of flowers. From labor comes fruit. Humility and courtesy are acts of piety. Anger destroy every virtuous principle. Heaven lies at the feet of mothers. Pleasant words are sweet to the soul, and health to the bones. Without goals we cannot grow. Good company leads to non-attachment. Strife is a loss, friendship a gain. One gets to meet experts in the fields of policy, astrology, scriptures and Vedas. Even the knowers of Brahman can be fou

In Hatha Yoga, basti is one of the six cleansing acts. As described in Hatha Yoga Pradipika (II. 26), Yoga experts practiced basti in a river with water reaching upto the navel. It is a highly effective enema for colon cleansing. Bansi Enema Process A tube such as a lotus stalk would be inside the rectum, while standing in the waist pose (Utkatasana), bending the knees slightly, keeping the hands pressed on the knees. After a deep expiration the student performed nauli madhyama by pulling the abdominal wall back and isolating the abdominal recti with a slight push below the navel, keeping the wall of the abdomen relaxed. This created a vacuum inside the abdominal cavity, due to which water was sucked inside the rectum through the tube. Thus basti is a sort of yogic enema in which water rushes up to the caecum from where the colon begins. After two or three repetitions, nearly half a liter of water can be sucked in. Then the tube may be taken out, and after rolling t

Bandha in Hinduism is derived from the Sanskrit root word ‘bandh’ meaning bond, fetter or tie. The meaning of Bandha is bondage and is used to describe the existential state of being who is in the grip of subject-object relation and thereby undergoes the continuous cycle of births and deaths, i.e. samsara. Bandha in Hindu religion refers to the individual self who always thinks in terms of subject and object, and thereby is subjected to birth and rebirth. It is in this sense that the world bandha is translated as knot, bondage or slavery, etc. The ultimate aim of the human being, therefore, is to liberate itself from the bandha of duality and realize its inherent unity which is moksha. In Yoga Darshana of Sage Patanjali, Bandha is the self’s identification with the mental fluctuations caused by avidya (ignorance), asmita (egoism) and abhinivesha (attachment to oneself resulting in clinging to bodily enjoyments and the fear that one might be cut off from all of them by dea

Brahma Sutras are aphorisms or sayings which systematize the teaching of the Upanishads. Badrayana is believed to be the author of the Brahma Sutras and it is also known as Shariraka Sutra and Vedanta Sutras. Brahma Sutras 544 (according to Sri Ramanuja) in number occupies the foremost position of authority in the system of Vedanta. Badarayana - Veda Vyasa Author of Brahma Sutras Brahma Sutras attempt to formulate, elaborate and defend the philosophy of the Upanishads. There is also a widespread belief that the author of Brahma Sutras Badarayana is but Veda Vyasa. Numerous Commentaries on Brahma Sutras It is believed that there were several commentaries on the Brahma Sutras even before Adi Shankaracharya. The earliest commentary available now is that of Adi Shankara but Shankaracharya himself mentions about several other ancient sages and learned men talking about the Brahma Sutras. Some of the ancient commentaries of Brahma Sutras include that of Adi Shankaracharya

Balaki, also known as Gargya Balaki, is a name occurring in the Vedas. He was the son of Balaka of the Gargya family of rishis. Famous incident in Hindu scriptures narrate how Gargya Balaki was humbled by King Ajatashatru in debate. This debate is found in the chapter II of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Name of Balaki occurs in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad Chapter II, Jaiminiya Brahmana (I.337), Sankhayana Aranyaka (VI.1, 3-10, 18, 19) and Kausitaki Upanishad (II.1). Balaki Gargya traveled through many places like Usinara, Matsya, Kurupanchala, Kashi and Videha. He conducted debates in all these places. He considered himself to be knower of Supreme Truth. During his travel Balaki reached the palace of Ajatashatru, the king of Kashi. The Great Dialogue on Brahman Between Gargya Balaki and Ajatashatru One day Balaki approached Ajatashatru and said, “I shall teach you all about Brahman.” The king was highly pleased and happy that he got an opportunity to know more about Brah