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Showing posts from February 6, 2020


Sri Gunaratna Kosam – A Prayer To Goddess Lakshmi

Sri Gunaratna Kosam is a prayer dedicated to Sri – Goddess Lakshmi. It is an elegant hymn in Sanskrit in 61 verses and was written by Parasara Bhatta. He describes that Sri has taken her abode in a beautiful archa figure as the consort of Lord Ranganatha at Srirangam. It is one of the finest devotional lyrics meant for daily recitation. It also contains philosophical and religious doctrines of the Visistadvaita system. In writing this hymn, Parasara Bhatta had been profoundly influenced by his illustrious predecessors – Yamunacharya, Ramanujacharya and Kuersha. Sri is an integral part of Vishnu enshrined in his right chest. She is with him at all times in all his five-fold forms. Attended by Bhudevi and Niladevi and other celestial nymphs known as sandhyas. She receives the obeisance of the Nityasuris in the company of her Lord. She is extolled as the universal mother of mercy, full of compassion and consideration for her devotee and ushers him into the presence of the

Sridhara – 10th Century AD Commentator On Vaisheshika philosophy

Sridhara or Sridharacharya was the son of Baladeva and Achoka, residents of Bhuri Srishti (Bengal). He wrote Nyaya Kandali, the commentary on Prasasti Pada Bhashya of Vaisheshika Sutra. Sridhara has refuted the Buddhist criticism of the Vaisheshika system. He was also an authority on Vedanta, Vyakarana, and the Nyaya Mimamsa. His other works include Advaya Siddhi, Tattva Prabodha, Tattva Samvadini and Sangraha Tika, which have been referred to in his Nyaya Kandali. Nyaya Kandali has been criticized by some other writers such as Rajashekhara. Another Sridhara (14 th Century AD) was known as Sridhara Swami, who wrote commentaries on Bhagavata Purana, Vishnu Purana (titled Atma Prakasha) and the Gita (Subodhini). He was a disciple of Paramananda.

How Long Can You Sit Quietly In A Room Alone? – How Long Can You Be In Solitude?

If you can sit quietly in a room alone for a long period, you are ready to explore the spiritual side of yours. We are happy to let our mind wander aimlessly but we are scared to befriend silence and go into our inner world. We are rarely honest with our emotions and physical needs. We cover them out of fear or shame – or through the evergreen excuse of ‘what other people will think’. In solitude, we come to face to face with the real us. This hurts and therefore we look for distractions. We are ready to run from our problems but not ready to face them. This is the reason why we cannot sit quietly for a long period alone. We today know everything about other people but nothing about ourselves. We are scared to connect with our true self. Through technological innovation, we are getting closer and closer to others but farther and farther away from ourselves. In crude nature human beings are weaklings, human beings are full of fear, so there is a natural tendenc