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Showing posts from October 25, 2019


Symbolism of Goddess Lakshmi Worship

Purification of the Mind is obtained through worship of Lakshmi Devi. Contrary to popular belief, Mother Laxmi is worshipped not for material wealth, but for good and noble values (spiritual wealth). More important than material wealth is the inner wealth of spiritual values such as love, kindness, sincerity, self-control, self-discipline, etc. By the practice of such spiritual values in our daily lives, our minds become purified. The lotus on which the Goddess is seated symbolizes the Supreme Goal of Self -Realization. Source: Excerpt from an article published in the magazine October 2000 edition of Chinmayam a magazine of Chinmaya Mission. Goddess Lakshmi is associated with cleanliness. We often limit the cleanliness to external. Symbolically, cleanliness should be internal. When internal stains are removed automatically external cleanliness happens. Goddess Lakshmi resides in our heart and we need to keep our heart clean by removing all kinds of ego, evi

Khajana Ritual at Annapurna Temple in Varanasi during Dhanteras – Distribution of Coin at Kashi Annapurna Temple

Annapurna Temple in Varanasi attracts more than 100,000 devotees on the Dhanteras day observed before Diwali. Such large number of devotees arrive in the temple to collect coins distributed as Prasad from the treasury of the Kashi Annapurna Temple . It is considered highly meritorious to collect the coin distributed from the temple. Annapurna Temple  has a unique murti of Goddess Annapurna and one can get darshan of it only for three days in a year. One is on the Dhanteras day. The main sanctum sanctorum of the temple contains a gold murti of Goddess Annapurna. The popular belief is that Goddess Parvati resides as Annapurna at Kashi and provides food all living beings on earth.

Kula Parvatha In Hinduism

Kula Parvatha in Hinduism is an important chain of mountains. They are distinguished from the varsaparvatas, which separate divisions of the world. There are seven Kula Parvathas in Bharata Varsha – Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Suktiman, Riksha, Vindhya and Pariyatra. The seven ranges form a ring, as it were, around the frontiers and the center tableland. Kula Parvatha Their Modern Names Mahendra – Eastern Ghats Malaya – Malaya Ranges Sahya – Sahyadri – Western Ghats Suktiman – region north of Sahyadri Riksha – Satpura Ranges Vindya – Vindhya Ranges Pariyatra - Aravali Accordingly, Mahendra forms the eastern ranges starting from Kalinga (Odisha). Hence it is still known by the name in the Ganjam region there. At present it is popularly known as the “Eastern Ghats.” It joins at the southern end of the hilly region known as Malaya.  After annihilating the Kshatriyas, Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu, made this mountain his abode and practiced

Why It Is Important To Clean Homes During Diwali?

Diwali means lighting up of the soul within. Diwali is the time of cleaning and it is also a time for newness. So why is it important to clean homes during Diwali? It is the time of lights and gifts. It is the time to savor sweets and forget the bitterness and anger of the past. Several days before Diwali, Hindus start the cleaning process. It is true that we should clean physically and mentally daily. It is also very important to keep our surrounding clean. The cleaning during Diwali is special and it is of a different level. Every nook and corner of the house or shop or other establishment is cleaned. This is a not a superficial cleaning. All the things that were dumped in cupboards, corners and under the bed are removed and given away. Only those that are essential for us are retained. This outward cleaning should be applied to our minds too. We need to remove all anger, frustration and hatred. We need to clean every nook and corner of the mind. It is widely kn

Deepavali Oil Bath Mantra for Men and Women – Mantra Chanted on Diwali Day for Oil Bath

Oil bath on the morning of Naraka Chaturdasi and Deepavali is a must for many Hindu communities. Oil for taking bath on Diwali morning is provided the elder-most female member in the family. Men chant the name of seven great male achievers mentioned in Hindu Puranas before applying oil. Women chant the name of five female achievers. This mantra is mainly chanted by certain South Indian Hindu communities. The elder most female member in the family dips a flower bud in the oil that is specifically meant for applying on the hair. The oil is dropped into the left palm of each person. Men chant the name of seven chiranjeevis – Ashwatthama, Bali , Vayasa, Hanuman, Vibhishana, Kripa and Parashurama. The mantra is: Ashwthamo, Balir, Vyaso, Hanumanshcha, Vibhishanaha, Krupaha Parashuramashcha,Saptaite Chirangivinaha Women chant the name of five great women in Hindu Puranas and epics – Ahalya, Draupati, Sita, Tara and Mandodari. The mantra is: Ahalya, Draupati, Sitaa, Tar

Kumbhaka – Holding The Breath In Hatha Yoga

In hatha yoga, the word kumbhaka is often used as a synonym for pranayama (breath control. Kumbha means a pitcher. Just as a pitcher completely filed with water holds the water and does not allow any further quantity of water, in yoga, breath is held in practice of breath control. In Kumbhaka yoga, breath can be held either in the lungs after deep inhaling or outside the lungs after deep exhaling. These two main varieties of breath restraint are called abhyantara (internal) and bahya (external), respectively. When practiced together they are called extra kumbhaka. Kumbhaka practice is also separated into the two classifications of sahita and kevala kumbhakas. Hatha yoga describes eight forms of breath control which are all varieties of sahita kumbhaka. Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutra:1.34, has recommended the practice of external retention of breath as a means of making the mind serene and steady. The difference between sahita and kevala kumbhaka is that the former is per

Lakshmi Puja Time in 2024 – Good Time or Muhurat for Laxmi Puja on Diwali 2024

On Diwali day the most important puja performed is the Lakshmi Puja. Lakshmi Puja 2024 is on October 31. Only in Maharashtra it is marked on November 1, 2024. Laxmi Puja is performed during the Shubh Time - below is mentioned the best time for pooja as mentioned in North Indian, Gujarati and Marathi calendars and Panchang. The best Muhurat, or Good time, to perform puja is during evening. But in some regions the puja is also performed during a specific period in the morning and afternoon. Diwali Tithi is from 3:12 PM on October 31 to 5:14 PM on November 1, 2024. Majority of the calendars and Panchangs in India have given the best time to perform Lakshmi Puja is 7:01 PM to 8:34 PM on October 31 (shresht muhurat) from sunset on October 31 to midnight in  North Indian, East and South India Calendars . 6:04 PM evening to 8:35 PM on November 1 9:12 PM to 10:47 PM 12:22 AM on November 2 to 3:32 AM on November 2 in Calendars in western parts of India (Maharashtra, North Karna

Uttarabhadra Nakshatra Dates And Time 2020 – Uthrittathi - Uttara Bhadrapada Birth Star Date And Timing In 2020

Uttarabhadra Nakshatra, also known as Uttara Bhadrapada or Uthrittathi in South India, is the 26th Nakshatra among the 27 Nakshatras. Below are Uttara Bhadrapada Nakshatra dates and time in 2020. The astrological prediction of the birth star Uttarabhadra as per Moon Sign is that of Meena Rasi or Pisces Zodiac. Guru or Jupiter is the Lord of Pisces. The color of Uttara Bhadrapada is purple. Uttara Bhadrapada - Uthrattathi Nakshatra 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 2, 2020, Thursday Time is from 3:08 AM on January 2 to 5:45 AM on January 3, 2020 January 30, 2020, Thursday Time is from 10:14 A

The Word Hinduism And Its Origin – Dr Karan Singh

Dr Karan Singh explains the word Hinduism and its origin. The religion that has come to be known as Hinduism is certainly the oldest and most varied of all the great religions of the world. The word ‘Hinduism’ itself is a geographical term based upon the Sanskrit name of the great river that runs across the northern boundaries of India , known as the Sindhu. For those living on the other side of the this river, the entire region to the south-east of the Sindhu, which the Greeks called the Indus, came to known as the land of the Hindus, and the vast spectrum of faiths that flourished here acquired the generic name Hinduism. In fact, Hinduism calls itself the Sanatana Dharma, the eternal faith, because it is based not upon the teachings of single preceptor but on the collective wisdom and inspiration of great seers and sages from the very dawn of Indian civilization. The Sanskrit word for philosophy is Darshana or seeing, which implies that Hinduism is not based merely on inte

Perennial Joy Or Passing Pleasures – Collection Of Wisdom

A collection of wisdom from Hindu Scriptures and Gurus. For those who live magnanimously the entire world constitutes but a family. Who sees all being in his own self, and his own self in all beings, loses all fear. Everything reflects the light of the Lord. May we realize him in our consciousness. The ego gropes in darkness, while the Self lives in light. Perennial joy or passing pleasures? This is the choice one is to make always. Sadhana is a wholesome approach of human nature. At every stage we are a whole. We are not a partiality of nature at any stage of our life. Man’s sufferings and worries spring only from his persistent thought that he is the doer. To learn to handle thoughts and emotions open the perfect guide Bhagavad Gita. Our minds are not dispassionate. They are full of prejudices, and therefore, we cannot make a very dispassionate or impersonal judgement of our own self. Self-deception is the greatest form of deception. It is said in the Bhagavata that th