Kunjarugiri Parashurama Temple is located atop Parashurama Giri (Vimana Giri Hill) and is around 11 km from Udupi in Kurkal Village in Karnataka. The murti of Parashurama in the temple is carved out of black stone. He holds axe in his right hand and a bow in the left hand. Legend has it that Kanava Maharishi installed the murti of Parashurama temple. The temple and other structure is believed to have build during the Vijayanagara era. Another legend states that Parashurama installed the Durga Murti in the famous Durga Parameshwari Temple at Kunjagiri and mediated a cave in the base of the mountain. Four ponds were created here by Parashuram using his axe – Parashu Teertha, Gadha Teertha, Bana Teertha and Dhanusu Teertha. Whenever there is a dispute regarding land people come to the temple to find a solution. The temple is open from 6:00 AM to 8:00 PM. Temples dedicated to Parashurama, the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu, are very rare. Majority of the templ

Once a Yogini called Sulabha came to test King Janaka. Though old and weak she disguised herself as a beautiful and charming lady, with her yogic power. Janaka received her and treated her with great respect. But she tried to attract Janaka with her beauty. She behaved in amorous ways. Janaka enquired about her whereabouts and told her that he was the disciple of Rishi Panchasikha and has renounced all the materialistic pleasures, for him gold is equal to sand and added that knowledge is more important to attain moksha (salvation) but not lust and wealth. He further said that it was not right on her part to behave that way. On hearing his words, Sulabha told him that she belonged to a great lineage and received knowledge and wisdom from Mahatmas. She had come all the way in search of a husband and having heard about Janaka, that he had attained liberation, came to him to propose marriage but was disappointed. Janaka remained calm with a genuine smile on his face. Sul

Anjaneya Ramayana is a simple retelling of the Ramayana in Telugu by DSR Anjaneyulu. You can download the Anjaneya Ramayana English translation in pdf for free. The book in prose is easy to read and helps a devotee understand the dedication and devotion of Hanuman to Lord Rama in more enlightened way. The book is a very good summary of the epic. It is easy to read and each chapter has been summarized beautifully keeping in mind readability and the non-scholarly devotee. Link - Anjaneya Ramayana In English PDF

As pleasure and pain pass before his soul they have upon it different pictures, and the result of these combined impressions is what is called man’s ‘character’. If you take the character of any man, it really is but the aggregate of tendencies, the sum total of the bent of his mind; you will find that misery and happiness are equal factors in the formation of that character. Good and evil have an equal share in moulding character, and in some instances misery is a greater teacher than happiness. In studying the great characters the world has produced, I dare say, in the vast majority of cases, it would be found that it was misery that taught more than happiness, it was poverty that taught more than wealth, it was blows that brought out their inner fire more than praise. (CW, 1:27) Swami Vivekananda Thoughts on Meaning of Rishi The Rishi is defined as a Mantra-drashta, a seer of thought; not that the thought was his own. Whenever you hear that a certain passage of the Vedas c