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Showing posts from October 12, 2019


Kojagari Lakshmi Puja Katha – Story of Kojagari Laxmi Purnima Puja

Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is an important puja and worship of Goddess Lakshmi on the full moon day in the month of Ashwin in Bengal and eastern parts of India . The day is observed as Kojagiri Purnima in other regions. A popular Kojagari Lakshmi Puja Katha is listened to on the day. The story explains the importance and greatness of Kojagari Laxmi Vrat. Legend has it that once there lived a generous and honest king who for the welfare of artisans in his kingdom made it a point that all unsold goods during the weekly market day would be bought by the king. Once the king bought an iron statue of Alakshmi, Goddess of poverty, which was unsold during the weekly market. The king placed the statue in the puja room in the palace. That night the king heard a woman crying. The sound of crying was coming from the puja room. King found that a beautiful woman was sitting and crying inside the puja room. On enquiry the king came to know that the woman was Goddess Lakshmi and s

Sharad Purnima Vrat Katha – Story of Sharad Poornima Fasting

Sharad Purnima is the full moon day in the month of Ashwin and some people keep fast on the day. People prepare Kheer (rice boiled in milk) under moonlight and it is consumed during midnight. A popular Kahani or story associated with Sharad Purnima is listened to on the day. The Sharad Purnima Vrat Katha narrates about the importance of fasting on the day and the benefits received from it. One there lived two sisters. The elder sister was very pious and religious. She used to observe the Sharad Purnima Vrat with dedication. The younger sister was never interested in observing the vrat but used do some rituals for namesake and would end her fast by noon. The elder sister had healthy and obedient children. But all the children of younger sister died on birth. The younger sister was very worried and once she approached a saint and narrated her problem. The saint soon realized the problem – the younger sister has been observing vrats disinterestedly. The saint sa

Why No Cities or Temples Came Up on the Banks of Chambal River?

For many Chambal region in India is associated with dacoits. The isolation of the area is associated with a curse of Draupadi. The curse is also the reason why there are no major cities or town or temples on the banks of Chambal River . During the Mahabharata period the river was known as Charmanvati or Charmanyavati. It was the most important river in Shakuni’s kingdom. Shakuni, Duryodhana and other Kauravas cheated Pandavas in the dice game and usurped their kingdom. They then attempted to disrobe Draupadi in front of the assembly. For her humiliation, she cursed that all who would drink from the Charmanyavati that flowed through Shakuni’s kingdom would suffer eternal punishment in hell. The kingdom was soon abandoned by its occupants. There is also another reason for people avoiding the river and this is associated with its origin. Rantideva, a Vedic king, is believed to have performed sacrifice of 2000 cattle in the region. The river originated from the mountain of d

Panchkroshi Yatra in Ujjain – Panchkoshi Parikrama

Panchkroshi Yatra, also known as Panchkoshi Parikrama, is annually held for five days in Vaishakh month (April – May). Panchkroshi Yatra in Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh attracts thousands of devotees. The greatness of the Parikrama is mentioned in the Skanda Purana. The journey is essentially a visit to temples and sacred places associated with Hindu God Shiva in Ujjain . Skanda Purana states that the five day Panchkroshi yatra bestows greater merit than the yatra of Varanasi . The yatra lasts for five days. It covers a distance of 122 km. Passes through the four sacred corners in Ujjain . First day of Panchkroshi Yatra in Ujjain The Panchkroshi parikrama starts from Nagchandreshwar Temple at Mahakaleshwar after a holy bath in the Kshipra River . The journey proceeds towards Pingleshwar Temple . The first day journey ends here and it is also the night halt. A total distance of 12 km is covered on the day. Second day of Panchkroshi Yatra in Ujjain The second d

Hasta Nakshatra dates and time 2020 – Hastam or Atham Birth Star Date in 2020

Hasta Nakshatra 2020 dates based on traditional Hindu calendar, Astrology and Panchangam. Also known as Hastam or Atham in South India, it is the 13th Birth Star among the 27 Nakshatras. Below are Hast Nakshatra dates in 2020. The astrological prediction of the birth star Hasta Nakshatra as per Moon Sign is that of Kanya Rashi (Virgo Zodiac). Budha or Mercury is the Lord of Kanya Rashi. The color of Hasta Nakshatra is Deep Green. Hasta  Nakshatra 2020 Date and Time - North - East - South of India This time is applicable in Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Pondicherry, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Tripura, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram and Andaman and Nicobar. January 16, 2020, Thursday Time is from 7:42 AM on January 16 to 6:03 AM on January 17, 2020 February 13, 2020, T

Sri Aurobindo Thoughts on Buddha as an Avatar of Lord Vishnu

There is an ongoing controversy among scholars and a section of devotees as to whether Buddha is an avatar of Lord Vishnu. Sri Aurobindo Ghosh shares his thoughts on Buddha as an avatar of Vishnu. As to whether one accepts Buddha as an Avatar or prefers to put others in his place (in some lists Balaram replaces Buddha), is a matter of individual feeling. The Buddhist Jatakas are legends about the past incarnations of the Buddha, often with a teaching implied in them, and are not a part of the Hindu system. To the Buddhists Buddha was not an Avatar at all, he was the soul climbing up the ladder of spiritual evolution till it reached the final stage of emancipation – although Hindu influence did make Buddhism develop the idea of an eternal Buddha above, that was not a universal or fundamental Buddhistic idea. Whether the Divine in manifesting his Avatarhood could choose to follow the line of evolution from the lowest scale, manifesting on each scale as a Vibhuti is a

Freedom Or Bondage – It Is All In The mind

According to the Ashtavakra Samhita, it is the mind that is responsible for one’s sense of freedom or bondage: ‘He who considers himself free is free indeed, and he who considers himself bound remains bound.’ The popular saying “As one thinks, so one becomes” is true indeed.’ (Ashtavakra Samhita 1.11) We have an explanation in Sri Ramakrishna’s words: The mind is everything. A man has his wife on one side and his daughter on the other. He shows his affection to them in different ways. But his mind is one and the same. Bondage is of the mind, and freedom is also of the mind. A man is free if he constantly thinks, ‘I am a free soul. How can I be bound, whether I live in the world or in the forest? I am a child of God, the King of Kings. Who can bind me?’ … by repeating with grit and determination, ‘I am not bound, I am free’, one really becomes so – one really becomes free. Swami Vivekananda says You must always remember that each word, thought, and deed, lays up a