--> Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August 17, 2019


Story Of Kaikeyi’s Mother In The Ramayana

Kaikeyi was the second queen of King Dasharatha of Ayodhya and she was responsible for sending Sri Ram to 14 year exile in the forest. Queen Kaikeyi did not grow up with her mother. The story of Kaikeyi’s mother is narrated by Sumitra, the third wife of Dasharatha, to Urmila (wife of Lakshman) and Shrutakirti (wife of Shatrughna). Kaikeyi was the daughter of King Ashwapati, who was the ruler of Kekaya. King Aswapati had the power to understand the language of birds. But he would die the moment if he shared what he heard from the birds. One day the king was sitting with Kaikeyi’s mother on the banks of a lake. The king then listened to the conversation of two swans and started laughing. The queen wanted to know what the king had overheard. The king told the queen that he could not share it as it would lead to his death. But the queen persisted. She told that if the king loved her then he should disclose what he heard. The king felt the queen did not value his l

Words of Wisdom – Anger only causes damage – Goda Venkateswara Sastrigal

Anger only causes damage – Goda Venkateswara Sastrigal Anger comes from desire and has many unpleasant consequences. When what we ardently desire remains out of reach, we are angry with those around us. We are sometimes angry with ourselves, or even with God. We take it out on anyone who is unfortunate to come into contact with us at the time. Our words and gestures indicate how angry we are, and our anger is evident even in our eyes and the way in which our lips twitch. Thus we reveal our agitated frame of mind. Once the anger has passed, we may forget the words we used to abuse others, but the recipient of the abuse remembers and remains hurt. The consequences of anger are long lasting. It takes us just a second to throw a stone into a bucket of water, but the ripples that this sets off, take a while to settle. In the same way, it is easy to lose one’s temper in a second, but the consequences last for a long time. How do we control anger? This takes pra

Alakh Niranjan Meaning In Hinduism

In Hinduism, Alakh Niranjan is the term used by sadhus, babas and tantrics of the Nath Sampradaya sect to greet each other. The Nath Sampradaya was founded by Gorakhnath and is dedicated to the worship of Shiva. Alakh as per the Nath tradition means – absolute freedom from all types of bondage; Niranjan is one among the numerous names of Shiva and it means pure. Nath Sampradaya sect believes that Shiva as Adinath taught the secret of the Supreme Being to Matsyendranath and He taught it to Gorakhnath. Gorakhnath is the most important teacher of the Nath Sampradaya tradition. Some scholars are of the view that the term Alakh Niranjan was coined by Gorakhnath. Alakh Niranjan is thus primarily invoking Shiva who resides in all living and nonliving – he is ever pure and beyond all imaginations and thoughts of human beings. Lucky are those who realize this and escape from all types of Karmic bondage. Note - Alakh Niranjan is also used as a greeting term in Sikhism

Manikyamba Devi – Hindu Goddess Manikyamba

Manikyamba Devi is an incarnation of Goddess Shakti. The popular belief is that the spot where left cheek of Goddess Sati fell after her death is the spot where Goddess Manikyamba Devi appeared. This spot is believed to be the Draksharamam Temple ( Sri Bhimeswara Swamy Temple ) in Andhra Pradesh. Legend has it that after Sati’s death, Shiva started the dance of destruction with Sati’s body. It was destined to create havoc in the universe and in order to avoid the annihilation of the universe, Vishnu cut the body of Sati using his Sudarshan Chakra. As per the legend in South India , the body fell in 18 spots known as Ashtadasa Peethas. The spot where the left cheek of Goddess Sati fell is spot associated with Goddess Manikyamba Devi. Out of the eighteen places Sri Manikyamba of Draksharama is the twelfth place. This story is mentioned in the Skanda Purana. Draksharamam is located about 28 Km from Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.

Madhabdev Tithi 2024 Date - Information

Madhabdev Tithi is dedicated to one of the most popular Vaishnava Saints in Assam , who is known as Mahapurush. Saint-poet and author Madhav Deva composed Namghosa and Bhakti Ratnavali – two of the important spiritual works in Assam . Madhabdev Tithi 2024 date is August 24.  Note - Please note that the Janmotsav of Sri Sri Madhabdev is observed on June 23, 2024 (Ashar Krishna Paksha 1). One of the most important philosophical teachings of Madhabdev was that prevention is better than cure – avoid getting entangled in fleeting pleasure. Aim for the Supreme Truth. He was the disciple of Sankardev. Madhabdev meeting with Sankaradeva is termed as a mystic event and a turning point in the spiritual and religious history of Assam . Mahapurush Madhabdev is credited with propagating and improving on the basic ideas and Vaishnavite principles propounded by Sankardev. Madhabdev religiously carried forward his guru’ s legacy, establishing several satras (monasteries) that have served a

Why are puja items dropped in a river after Hindu pujas? – Why it should no longer be followed?

Dropping of puja items in a river is a very old tradition when all the puja items used in a Hindu puja were made of natural materials. Rituals and pujas are performed by a devotee to fulfill certain wishes. As per Hindu Holy Scriptures, water is one of the manifest forms of the Supreme Being (God). It is also said in the Rig Veda that in the beginning there was only Water. So when the devotee offers the puja items to water the devotee feels that it is directly offered to the Supreme Truth. Dropping of puja items in rivers should not be practiced anymore as majority of puja items are not natural products. Most of the Hindu puja items today contain plastic and numerous other non-degradable materials. Rivers in olden days were free flowing and therefore what was offered was immediately carried away and there was no stagnation. It must be noted that several rituals and practices in Hinduism were started more than 5000 years ago. In ancient days, only natural materials were offe

Donkey in Hinduism - Donkey as Vahana - Vehicle of Goddess in Hindu Religion

Donkey is the Vahana, or vehicle, of Goddess Kalratri and of Goddess Shitala in Hindu religion. The vahana, or vehicle, concept is unique to Hinduism and often has hidden symbolism. As per some scholars in ancient India, the donkey was regarded as evil and lascivious. Its bray a portent of scanty harvest. It was also associated with adultery. Goddess Kalratri is one among the nine goddesses worshipped during Navratri. She is believed to ride on a donkey at night. She is also associated with the angry form of Goddess Shakti. Kalaratri Atop Donkey Worshiped During Navratri Goddess Shitala Mata, the goddess of fever and smallpox, is also believed to ride on a donkey. She is believed to ride on a donkey carrying various grams in a basket. She scatters them creating various skin diseases. Donkey Atop Ravana Certain medieval painters used to paint a male donkey above the ten heads of Ravana. This symbolically indicates Ravana’s stubbornness of not parting with Mata Sita