The story of the birth of Sage Astika is found in the Mahabharata and several Puranas. It was Sage Astika who stopped the snake sacrifice conducted by King Janamejaya to avenge the death of King Parikshit. Legend has it that Kadru, mother of Nagas, once hatched a devious plan to entrap Vinita, the mother of Garuda, and make her a slave. Some of the nagas headed by Vasuki objected to the plan and did not participate in it. Kadru cursed all those nagas who disobeyed her to fall into yagna fire of Janamejaya. The cursed nagas took the help of Brahma. Brahma told the nagas that Vasuki has a sister named Jaratkaru and she should be given in marriage to a Sage of same name and a son born of the union will rescue the nagas. The nagas went to Sage Jaratkaru who agreed to marry Vasuki’s sister. The sage put a condition that if she disobeys him then he will abandon her. The couple led a happy life for several years. One afternoon, the sage felt very sleepy and dec...

Sopandev is a saint poet in the celebrated Jnaneshwar family of Maharashtra. He as the younger brother of Nivruttinath and Jnaneshwara, the saints poets of Maharashtra. Sopandev Life History He was elder to their little sister, Muktabai, and it was his responsibility to look after her when Nivruttinath and Jnaneshwar went out for alms. Muktabai herself has fondly referred to Sopandev’s affectionate role in her life. Sopandev was initiated into the Nath Sampradaya, along with Jnaneshwar, by their eldest brother, Nivruttinath. Literary Works of Sopandev Sopandev wrote Sopanadevi, a critique of the Bhagavad Gita. Two other manuscripts, Pancikaran and Prakritgita, are also attributed to him. Teachings Of Sopandev Sopandev himself had reached the highest stage of yoga marga, but he never thought that complete renunciation was an absolute necessity for grasping spiritual truth.  He believed in life and its responsibilities. It was not necessary, accordin...

Murtis with bell on the tail of Hanuman was installed by Sri Vyasatirtha, a Madhava scholar and poet, during the sixteenth century AD. As per some regional versions, the reason for bell on tail is based on an incident in the Ramayana. Such murtis are widely found in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In this Hanuman murti, the tail is raised above the head and has a bell tied at the end of the tail.  Reason For Bell On Tail Of Hanuman It is believed that Hanuman got the boon to live on earth forever from Bhagavan Sri Ram. After giving the boon, Sri Ram gave darshan to Hanuman in the form of Lord Vishnu. Srihari Vishnu the advised Hanuman to transfer all his spiritual powers to a bell and tie it on his tail. Those who want favors from Hanuman can ring the bell and seek it. It is said that the sound of the bell on the tail of Hanuman is similar to chanting the name of Sri Ram. It is said that after prayers when a devotee rings the bell, Hanuman opens his ey...

Four important steps to success in life begins with a gigantic will. Clarify and make a commitment to the purpose Convert your thoughts into action Remove all distraction Be relentless in the pursuit of your goal Clarify and make a commitment to the purpose Have you got the will to surmount mountain-high obstructions? If the whole world stands against you sword in hand, would you still dare to do what you think is right? (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda: III: 226) Convert your thoughts into action …saying, “I can”, won’t do. Show me through action what you can do, and then only I shall know that your coming to me is turned to some good account. Get up, and put your shoulders to the wheel... (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda: V: 383) Remove all distraction Practice hard; whether you live or die does not matter. You have to plunge in and work, without thinking of the result. (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda: I: 178) Be relentless in the pursuit of...

The original murti worshipped in Machavaram Hanuman Temple, popularly known as Sri Dasanjaneya Swamy Temple, was created in during the 16 th century by Sri Vyasatirtha during the reign of Vijayanagara rulers. The temple is located around 5 km from Vijayawada Railway Station in Andhra Pradesh. The small shrine is located at the side of a busy road. Hanumanthudu or Anjaneyulu, as he is lovingly called here, is a wish fulfilling deity.   The original murti was lost due to the actions of invaders. During the 18 th century the murti was rediscovered a road contractor and it was installed under a peepal tree. The murti still is found under the very same peepal tree. The murti of Dasanjaneya is about two feet tall and is ardha shila. He sits on his knees in front of Sri Rama. His both hands are seen folded with the palms offering pranamam to Sri Rama. Hanuman is depicted as the eternal Dasa of Sri Rama. The earring of Hanuman murti here is big in size. He wears o...

Kurukulla Devi is a goddess in Tantra. As per Hindu religion scholars and tantrics, she is a manifestation of Goddess Kali. Goddess Kurukulla Devi is also known as Kulla and Kulluka Kulakamada in Kali Sahasranama Stotra. Bhairava Tantra refers to her in the conversation between Bhairava and Bhairavi. In Sri Mahakali Yantra there are five low-faced triangles which represent the five Shakta adhisthanas of Mahakali. Each deity emanating from the great Goddess has a sharp weapon in her hand and is black in color, wearing a garland of human heads. In the first patala there are Kali, Kapalini, and Kulla; in the second, Kurukulla, Virodhini and Viprachitta; in the third, Ugra, Ugra Prabha and Dipta; in the fourth, Nila, Ghani and Balaka and in the fifth, Matra Mudra and Mita. Kali’s hidden power is thus sheltered in these five patalas (low-faced triangles). Kurukulla is, virtually, Kalika herself in the Nagayajnopaviti form. Kali is the first among the ten Mahavidyas. Persons not kn...

Sri Krishna is described as one of the 63 salakapurushas (great personalities) in Jaina texts. Jaina Puranas and other poetic works narrate the life and deeds of Sri Krishna. Of these some are known as Harivamsa Puranas, which are written by various authors, the most notable of who is Acharya Jinasena (783 AD) in Sanskrit. Later in the 15 th century, Sakalakirti also composed a Harivamsa Purana in Sanskrit. The Harivamsa Puranas in Apabhamsa were composed by Dhavala (11 th century) and Raidhu (15 th century). The Jaina account of Krishna differs at some places from that of the ancient traditional works like the Mahabharata. It is told that Krishna defeated Jarasandha 347 times before killing him, and that he was 1000 years old when he established his kingdom in Dwaraka with the help of his cousin, Neminatha, who later became a Jaina Tirthankara. As per Jain Literature: Sri Krishna had seven ratnas which are Chakra, Shakti, Gada, Shankha, Dhanusha, Dandha and Nan...

Excitement is a state of being emotionally aroused and worked up or something that agitates and arouses. Excitement is not happiness. It is nowhere near bliss. It is actually a negative state of mind. There is no peace. Quite often excitement leads to wrong decisions. There will be health problems. When an excitement does not end with the expected result, it can cause disappointment and depression. Too much excitement is not good for our physical and mental health. It can increase our blood pressure. It can emotionally blind us and make wrong decisions. It also causes physical accidents. A person should never drive or handle sharp and flammable objects while excited. True happiness comes when we do something out of love. There is giving in happiness. It is inclusive. Excitement is all about me. It is about possessing, success, power or fame. Excitement is like the firecracker. It provides momentary pleasure with a lot of risks. There is no peace before and after an excitem...

Purusha Mriga are part of South Indian temple tradition. Purusha Mirugam are half human and half animal. Images of men and women with the feet of a lion, tiger, or deer adorn the walls of many temples of Shiva and Vishnu in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana and Kerala. It is believed that Purushamriga were devotees of Shiva. They cannot be seen by normal human beings but only by true devotees of Shiva. Purushamriga serves as mounts, who carry the idols of gods and goddesses in grand procession during festivals. According to a Tamil folk story, Yudhisthira needed a purusha mriga to bless the Rajasuya ceremony. The ceremony would establish Indraprastha as a kingdom in its own right and ensure that the participating rulers accepted the sovereignty of Yudhishthira. He asked his brothers to go to neighboring kingdoms to find a purushamriga. Bhima is able to sight one in the garden of Kubera. Bhima is tested by the Purusha Mriga but he succeeds in it with the help of Hanuman ...

Bheemuni Kolanu derives its name to an episode from the Mahabharata. It is located on the ancient path to Srisailam Temple. Pandavas were on a pilgrimage when Draupadi felt extremely thirsty. Water could not be found nearby. Exasperated Bhima, the second of the Pandava brothers, pounded the sheet rock with his mace and water jetted out. Bhima’s blow split the hillock into two, through the gap of which water flowed in torrents, as can be seen even today. Elated by the flow of water and in remembrance of the successful event, Bhima installed a Shivling which finds mention in the Skanda Purana. Two temples datable between 8 th and 9 th centuries lie in ruins nearby.

Swami Ranganathananda (December 15, 1908 – April 25, 2005) of Ramakrishna Mission – 13th president of Ramakrishna Mission. This is a collection of thoughts on love by  Swami Ranganathananda. The modern world can really be redeemed if there is a little love in the heart of man. But it is very difficult to find that. How much we pray today for that integrating principle which can bring harmony in society. … this world is in a mess and the only way to clear the mess is to bring a little love into the heart of man. A little altruism, a little love. How to manufacture that love? That is a great theme with many of these writers today. And when you experience something you talk less about it. When you talk too much of a thing, that means you have little experience of it. Talk and experience are inverse in ratio. Today’s man talks so much of love, only because he does not know what it is. He has no experience of it. When you have experience you will not talk about it ...

There are numerous stories regarding the origin of onion in Hinduism and some of the give the reason why onion is considered as non-vegetarian by certain Hindu communities. This particular story is associated with Vedic Yajnas. During the Satya Yuga, Sages performed Gomedha Yajna (cow sacrifice) and Ashvamedha Yajna (horse sacrifice) for the welfare of the people. During the course of the yajna, a cow or horse was sacrificed. At the culmination of the Yajna, the same cow or horse was brought back to life by the Rishis through mantras but with a younger body. Once, a sage was performing Gomedha Yajna. The wife of the sage was pregnant and she desired to eat meat. She believed that if a pregnant woman had a desire to eat and did not eat then the child born will always have saliva coming out of the mouth. So when the cow was sacrificed, she took a small piece of meat and hid it. Soon the sacrifice ended and the Rishi chanted mantras and brought back the cow to life but h...

The story of Gaya Gandharva who creates fight between Arjuna and Krishna is not found in the Vyasa Mahabharata but features in many regional retelling of the Mahabharata. Arjuna protects the Gandharva as Subhadra had given the word that her husband will protect him. But Krishna wanted to kill the Gandharva for spitting on his head. As the regional retelling a Gandharva called Gaya was flying over Dwaraka one day when he spat on the ground. Gaya’s spit fell on Krishna’s head. Furious at his insolence, Krishna took an oath to bead the creature who showed him such disrespect. He then picked up his weapons, including the dreaded Sudarshana chakra, mounted his chariot, and set out in pursuit of Gaya. Terrified of Krishna, Gaya ran to Indraprastha and fell at the feet of Subhadra, Arjuna’s wife. ‘O noble lady! Save me from a mad warrior who is after my life and threatens to kill me for a crime accidentally committed,” the Gandharva cried. Feeling sorry for the poor creatu...

Sammakka Sarakka Jatara is observed in Magh month (February). This is a biannual festival and attracts millions of people and is the largest tribal festival in the world. Sammakka Saralamma Jatara 2026 dates are January 29 to February 1. The jatara is held at Medaram, which is around 90 km from Warangal in Telangana. Tribal priests will bring the idol of Sammakka from Chilkalguda hillocks, two km away from Medaram, and install it at the altar in Medaram on January 30, 2026. The next day, they bring the idol of Sarakka from Kannepally village to be installed. Two days later, the priest will take the Sammakka idol away. Next day, the idol of Sarakka is taken away. With this, the jatara comes to an end. The biannual Sammakka Saralamma Jatara is observed for four days before full moon day or purnima of the Magh month. The festival is basically dedicated to two tribal women - Sammakka and Saralamma. They were fierce warriors. Sammakka is the mother of S...

A collection of teachings from poems of Subramania Bharati On Krishna O mind, remember Kannan’s holy feet; It will give definitely An indestructible form. The Lord who sports A darkling form, Will give us riches, Gratification and fame. Like the worm in the fishing-rod, Like a flame in the wind, My heart did throb in anguish For an endless term. Like a caged parrot I sorrowed alone. Even the sweetest things Turned bitter to my taste. As I lived again in thought The magic touch, the softness, The body thrilled anew And a novel peace was mine. I wondered in my mind Who He might have been: Lo! The divine form of Krishna Stood before my eyes. …….. On Advaita Are those flame-bright eyes, Kannamma! The sun and the moon? Does the dark eye-ball, Kannamma! Reflect the inky skies? Are those woven diamonds gleaming On the raven-like silken robe The star-clusters above In the middle of the night? Having vanqui...

Straight trunk Ganesha were unknown in ancient times but today people have started finding benefits of keeping straight trunk Ganesha. There is no reference to straight trunk Ganesha in scriptures. There are some rare straight trunk Ganesh sculptures in certain temples. Straight Trunk Ganesha is mostly associated with vastu and its creators are more associated with vastu. Benefits Of Keep Straight Trunk Ganesha At Home It is worshipped for getting the blessings of Riddhi and Siddhi. It is used for awakening the Kundalini. Spiritual aspirants on the path of moksha or liberation use this type of Murti. The murti is also associated with Samadhi.

Arundhati vrat is a ritual performed by women to forestall widowhood. The vrat and is named after Arundhati, daughter of Kardama Prajapati and Devahuti, and the virtuous wife of great Sage Vasishta. This vrat is observed my married woman at the beginning of spring, usually during the month of April. Arundhati is the patron deity of newlywed brides. She was a woman of exemplary character, completely devoted to her husband. In some parts of India the bride and the bridegroom are customarily directed to look at the Arundhati star on   their wedding day as a prayer for marital bliss. How To Perform Arundhati Vrat? Arundhati vrat begins with a sankalpa (religious resolution) by performing achamana (sipping of water from the palm while chanting the names of Lord Vishnu) thrice, then invoking the Goddess Arundhati by offering flowers and praying. When the worship is over, the worshiper bows down to the Goddess and prays for a long and happy married life and prosperity. Later...

Shatakshi Devi is the form of Mother Goddess Durga in which she feeds all living beings. She is worshipped for ending poverty and for the never-ending supply of food items. Below is Shatakshi Devi puja vidhi or procedure along with mantra. This is a simple guide on how to perform Shatakshi Devi Puja and is ideal for performing it at home. Shatakshi Devi Mantra ॐ   शताक्षे   शंखिनीभ्यां   चक्षूरोगान्   शमय   तेजो   दर्शय   नमः॥ When to Perform Goddess Shatakshi Devi Puja? The ideal day to perform the puja: Purnima Tithi – full moon day. Legend has is that when Mother Goddess Durga appeared in this form, she had 1000 eyes. That is the reason why she is known as Shakakshi - the thousand-eyed Goddess. Benefits of Performing Devi Shatakshi Puja Cure from eye ailments. There will always be food in the house. Even the incurable disease will be cured. It is said that when she appeared on earth, she saw her children sufferi...

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 11 is of great importance because Krishna shows his cosmic form to Arjuna in this chapter. The blessed lord said, “Behold, O Partha! My forms, by hundreds and thousands, of different sorts, divine and of various colors and shapes. (11.5) An explanation to this verse by Swami Chinmayananda – if gold is the essential stuff in all the ornaments, every ornament in the world must be available in the total gold. To see the gold in the ornaments is relatively easy, it being a physical perception. But to detect the presence of all ornaments of different shapes and colors in the total gold is comparatively difficult, in as much as it is the vision of the intellect. Now behold, O Gudakesha! In this body, that the whole universe centered in one, including, the moving and the unmoving, and whatever else you desire to see. (11.7) Swami Chinmayananda says – he must necessarily see framed in Krishna all at once, the entire universe compressed and miniature with it...

Lalleshwari is a Shaivite ascetic and mystic poetess of Kashmir. Lalleshwari is variously known as Lalla Lalleshwari, Lalla Arifa, Lalla Matschi, Lalla Togini, Lalla Yogeshwari and Lala Ded.  Lalleshwari Life Little is known about her life except that she was born in a Saraswat Brahmin family of Kashmir sometime between 1300 and 1320 AD. Legend has it that she took six different rebirths and even bore a son before being born in the same family at Pandrenthan, six km southeast of Srinagar where she had died in the first instance. Reaching her twelfth year, Lalleshwari was married to Sona Pandita at Pampur through the family priest, Siddha Srikantha. At the marriage ceremony Lalleshwari is said to have whispered to Siddha Srikantha that the boy who she was marrying was the child born to her as a son in her first birth and about whose real relationship she had inquire of him then. Siddha Srikantha verified the statement and was overwhelmed by Lalleshwari’s knowledge ...

Kururamma (1570 AD to 1640 AD) was a devotee of Guruvayoorappan, the deity of the famous Sri Krishna temple at Guruvayur in Kerala. She had the divine vision of Lord Krishna due to her unwavering devotion. Among many others, Kurur Amma is a legendary devotee of Guruvayurappan, and she inspired hundreds of devotees in later times. Life of Kururamma  Kururamma belonged to a Namboodiri family of Thrissur District, famed for its cultural erudition. She was born in the year 1570 AD. Her maiden name was Thathri Kutty Thathri Kutty was married to the Kurur Namboothiri family which is in the village of Aadathu near Thrissur. Thathri kutty became a widow at the age of 16. She had no children and she became an ardent devotee of Guruvayoorappan. As she was the senior most member of the Kurur family she came to be known as Kururamma. She realized that she had no one in the world except Lord Krishna. Her nama japam of Krishna elevated her to the highest degree of bhakti (devotion)...

Have you ever defined what your success is? Or are you following the definition of success defined by society, parents, teachers or others? If you cannot define your success then you will end up regretting later in life. To be successful, happy and content in life you need to define your success not someone else. What you want to achieve with your life should not be decided by someone else. Neither should it be based on what the crowd wants. Do not blindly follow a trend set by someone. There was a time everyone used to go for Information Technology (IT) engineering without even knowing whether they had a genuine interest in it. Few who had genuine interest followed it and made it big. The rest all ended up wasting their life with no happiness and contentment in life. A person might be interested in simple and plain things in life. Another person might want to own a private jet. Both should be allowed to follow their dream. There are people who sacrifice their ...

We are in a hurry to achieve success, fame, money, and goal. The road to prosperity, wealth, accomplishment and fortune is long with sudden twists and turns, steep, low and stiff climbs. It is not a smooth terrain. Those who start to reach the destination in a hurry end up stopping the journey abruptly. Do not hurry, go slowly but make sure that you do not stop before you reach the destination. Slowness does not matter as long as you are moving towards the goal. Quite often, we are bothered about the destination and ignore the wonderful views that we get during the journey. The road to fame and success is filled with numerous thrills and adventures. Some of these thrills might be scary. Some of them might involve risk and danger. These thrills and adventures might make the destination look distant and impossible. But when we learn to enjoy each moment, the journey becomes fun, less tiring and hard. This is the specific reason why Krishna advises Arjuna not to both...

As per Hindu beliefs and scriptures performing puja on full moon day will help in achieving Akshaya Punya – merits that will never diminish. Here is a brief idea on how to perform puja on full moon day. Mantra is performed along with the purnima puja vidhi. Puja on Purnima is dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi, Ganesha, Chandra (moon god), Brihaspati (Navagraha Guru) and Lord Vishnu. The main rituals include performing holy dip in a sacred river or lake or pond, doing charity and keeping fast. Start the day by taking bath and offering puja to Lord Ganesha. Wear yellow color dress. The fast is from sunrise to sighting of moon. How to perform purnima puja? Keep a portrait of Goddess Lakshmi in the east or northeast corner of the house. Light a lamp in the morning and offer lotus or yellow color flowers. The main puja is to be performed in the evening. In the evening after taking bath light a lamp using pure cow ghee. Offer lotus or yellow color flowers. Offer rose fragra...

Dates of important upcoming festivals and fasting associated with Hinduism in February 2020 – based on major Hindu calendars and Panchang used in India. The festivals, Vrats and ritual days are based on Indian Standard Time (IST). February 1 – Ratha Saptami, Magha Saptami, Narmada Jayanti February 2 – Bhishma Ashtami – Monthly Durga Ashtami Feb 3 – Mahananda Navami Feb 3 – Madhva Navami Feb 3 - Thai Karthigai February 5 – Ekadasi Fasting – Jaya Ekadashi – Bhishma Ekadasi February 6 – Bhishma Dwadashi February 6 – Pradosh Vrat February 6 – Amalki Dwadashi, Varaha Dwadashi, Til Dwadashi February 7 – Vishwakarma Jayanti in Western parts of India, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh Feb 7 – Guru Gorakhnath Jayanti February 8 – Thaipusam dedicated to Muruga February 8 – Purnima Vrat February 9 – Purnima – Guru Ravidas Jayanti February 10 – Phalgun month begins in North India February 10 – Guru Pratipada February 12 – Sankashti Ganesh Chaturthi Vr...

There is an interesting story as to how Raghavendra Theertha came to be known as Sri Raghavendra Swamy. According to the records and notes on the life and times of Sri Raghavendra Theertha, the sage, during one of this regular tours, happened to stay at Bidarahalli, a village on the banks of the Tungabhadra River in Koppal District of Karnataka. There be had a chance meeting with a Sanskrit scholar called Srinivasachar, who was also a prolific writer having written many books on Dvaita philosophy. During his stay at Bidarahalli, Sri Raghavendra Theertha noticed that the special mashi (ink) used for writing got exhausted. He asked his attendants to look out for the same kind of special ink used by him. They found the same kind of ink was used by Srinivasachar and bought it to Sri Raghavendra Theertha. After inspecting the quality of the ink and testing it, the sage summoned Srinivasachar. The Sanskrit scholar who came rushing to meet the sage also brought some of his works...

Thank people always whenever you receive any kind of help. Do not look at the kind of favor, says thanks even for the smallest help and favor. Thank you and please should come from the heart, and then it will automatically enter the heart of the other person. These two simple words will make our life happy and the world a better place. When you need a help always use the word ‘please.’ Even when you are not required to use the word, use it as it does wonders. There is no one big or small here. This is what all the holy books attempt to explain. Thank you and please creates a warm relationship. The person receiving it will be happy and this happiness spreads. The person will be more enthusiastic and happy to help the next person. Courtesy, decency, humility and simplicity are best communicated through thank you and please. Noble-mindedness and humility are ornaments that make a person glow. Due to its simplicity, ant carries sugar but due to haughtiness, the e...