Story of Rama and demon Khara is the direct result of Lakshman nipping the nose of Rakshasi Surpanakha at Panchvati Ashram in Dandaka forest in the Ramayana. Khara was one of the brothers of Surpanakha as per Aranya Kanda. He ruled the Janasthana region – majority of the Rakshasas lived here. To avenge the bodily harm and insult meted out to Surpanakha, Khara orders 14 of his fiercest warriors to bring the dead body of Rama and Lakshman. The 14 warriors were vanquished in less than 14 minutes by Sri Ram. Rama who knew that more trouble was in store asked Lakshman to take Mata Sita to a safe cave and stand guard. Then Khara himself appears at Panchavati with his commander in chief Dushana and 14,000 rakshasa army. Devas and Rishis gathered up in the skies to witness the battle. Rama stood before an army of 14,002 demons. On sighting Rama, the demons started hurling their weapons at him. Bhagvan replied an arrow for an arrow. Each arrow of Rama killed a demon.

Skanda Mantra is dedicated to Kartik, son of Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The mantra is chanted on the sixth day of the waxing phase of moon (Shukla Paksha Sashti) – this day is known as Skanda sashti. The benefits of chanting Skanda mantra including overcoming all kinds of fears in life. Skanda Mantra ॐ स्कन्दाय खड्गधराय नमः॥ ॐ शारवाना - भावाया नम : ज्ञानशक्तिधरा स्कंदा वल्लीईकल्याणा सुंदरा देवसेना मन : कांता कार्तिकेया नामोस्तुते सुब्रहमणयाया नम How to Chant Skanda Mantra? The mantra should be chanted early morning after taking bath. Sit facing east. Light lamp using cow ghee. Put some whole coriander in the ghee. The dhoop or agarbatti should be of Tagar flowers Offer yellow color flowers Offer Sindhoor Offer seasonal fruits. Then the mantra should be chanted 108 times Visiting Kartik temple is considered auspicious. If there is no Skanda temple then one can visit a Shiva temple. Benefits of Skanda Mantra Courage Fearlessness Those having

Goddess Brahmi is one of the Ashta Matrikas. Description about Goddess Brahmi is found in the Svacchanda Tantra X. She is the mother of speech and mother of supernatural powers. Goddess Brahmi is a manifestation of Goddess Parvati. Among the Ashta Matrikas, Her location is South-Eastern corner. Her complexion is like the color of lotus. She wears beautiful ornaments, not seen by human beings. Durga Saptasati states that in the battle against demon Raktabija, she goes to the battle field mounted on a swan. Goddess Brahmi is part of Ashta Matrikas (eight mothers). In some regions, the number is reduced by one and the deities are known as Sapta Matrikas. Goddess Brahmi is popularly known as Goddess Brahmani and she is worshipped during the Navratri. The world famous Adi Shankaracharya Janmabhoomi Temple at Kaladi in Kerala has a murti of Goddess Brahmi - She is worshipped in the sankalpa of Sharadamba. At Kamalashile, around 35 km from Kundapur in Udupi, Karnataka, the

Aarti kije Hanuman lala ki dusht dalan raghunath kala ki ( आरती किजे हनुमान लला की। दुष्ट दलन रघुनाथ कला की ) is a powerful prayer dedicated to Lord Hanuman. Below are the lyrics and benefits of chanting this Hanuman prayer daily. How To Chant Aarti Kije Hanuman Lala Ki Dusht? The prayer should be chanted on Tuesday and Saturday. The person chanting the prayer should first take bath and offer prayers to Ganesha. The devotee should wear red or saffron color dress. Sit facing East and offer prayers to Bhagavan Sri Ram. Light lamp with pure cow ghee. Offer flowers, banana, sandalwood paste and sindoor. Chant the prayer. Visit a Hanuman temple and offer prayers. Feed banana to cow or other animals. Plant a tree and take care of it. The prayer can be chanted by male and females. Aarti Kije Hanuman Lala Ki Dusht Dalan Raghunath Lyrics ।। हनुमान जी की वंदना ।। मनोजवं मारुत तुल्यवेगं , जितेन्द्रियं , बुद्धिमतां वरिष्ठम्।। वातात्मजं वानरयुथ मुख्यं ,

Nupura is the anklet in Hinduism. The literal meaning of nupura is that which gives a pleasing sound. As an ornament, it is used in dance to evoke the sentiment of love (sringara rasa). In Rig Veda, the word khadi is frequently mentioned to denote either anklets or armlets. However in the Ramayana of Valmiki the word nupura is used. Sanskrit poets of the classical age lavishly use the nupura and its jingling sound to suggest a situation of joy and exaltation. They give such names as padabharana, padangada, tula koti and hamsaka. Purandaradasa, the saint poet of Karnataka, has described the divine beauty of Lord Krishna adorned with ornaments including nupura. Depiction of nupura, apart from literature can be found in the devotional songs, painting and sculpture. The best visual representation of the anklet can be found in the sculptures belonging to all styles and all periods, beginning from the 3 rd century BC. The anklet, in its earlier form, was just like a me

Shiva as Gaja Samhara Moorthy is worshipped in certain temples in South India , especially in Tamil Nadu. Gaja means elephant. As Gaja Samhara Moorthy, Shiva kills the mad elephant. Symbolically the mad elephant represents, anger, ignorance and pride. Legend has it that the Sages who resided in Tharuvana ( forest) became arrogant of their knowledge and thought that the power of Shiva was the result of the Yajna performed by them. To remove the ignorance of the Saints, Shiva appeared in the forest as a young bare-bodied sage. The women of the sages were attracted to the young man and they started making numerous mistakes in their daily duties. This affected the yajna and prayers of the Sages. Bhagavan Vishnu then appeared as a beautiful damsel in the forest and the sages were enamored by her beauty and started following her. Soon the Sages lost their interest in yajna and got immersed in worldly matters. They were taught the lesson that they are still slaves of their senses

Sri Ganesha is known by several names. Devotees use many names to address Ganesha out off love, piety and respect. Here are the meanings of some of the popular names of Ganesh. Ganesha – Leader of Ganas – Lord of the multitudes Ganapati – Leader of Ganas – Lord of the multitudes Vinayaka – Remover of obstacles Vakratunda – One with the twisted trunk Ekadanta – One with Single tusk Gajanana – Lord with Elephant head Lambodara – Pot-bellied one Heramba – Protector of the meek Vighneshwara – Lord of obstacles Krsnapingaksa – One with the dark brown eyes Dhumravarna – Smoke-colored or gray one Vikata – Odd appearance

Excerpts from an article published by Prajapita BrahmaKumaris Ishwariya Vishwa Vidyalaya (Brahma Kumaris). Brahma Kumaris tips on managing thoughts to achieve success and happiness in Life. Have you ever thought about the fact that there is never a moment when you are not thinking and that whatever you are not thinking and that whatever happens in this world begins with a thought? Here are some simple steps to help you manage your thoughts and achieve success and happiness in life. Start watching your thoughts, without identifying them. At the outset thoughts are like the waves of the ocean, which do not stop even for a moment like the watch ticking. Do not be discouraged by the fact that you are becoming a part of your thoughts. Just watch your thoughts as an observer. You may even get carried away by your thoughts. Never mind. What you need to do whenever you detect this, is to take yourself out of your thoughts immediately and get back as a detached observer. Just