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Showing posts from June 30, 2020


How Bhima Died In The Mahabharata?

At the end of their rule, Pandavas decided to retire. It was time for them to bid goodbye to civilization. Bhima died during the final journey of Pandavas and it is mentioned in the Mahaprasthanika Parva. Bhima followed his wife, Draupadi , and brothers to the great snow-clad mountains in the Himalayas. Draupadi slipped and fell as they started climbing the Himalayas. Sahadeva fell next and died. Third to fall was Nakula. Arjuna fell next. And it was Bhima who fell next. Bhima soon realized that he was about die. He asked to Yudhisthira as to why he had fallen as he had never performed any evil. Yudhisthira told Bhima that he had reaped the fruits of his actions. Gluttony was his sin. He always ate without thinking about others. He never served others before eating. Yudhisthira who had decided to give up all the ties climbed the mountain leaving Bhima behind. Bhima died soon.

Ganesha In Vedas – Ganpati As Mentioned in Vedas

The concept of Ganpati as a leader of the Ganas is found in the Vedic literature. Even today some of the Vedic hymns, such as ‘Gananam twa ganapatim havamahe’ of Rig Veda are included in ritual worship of Ganesha. Some scholars trace the origin of Ganesha to Vedic Brahmanaspati or Brihaspati , god of knowledge. In a collection of Vedic Mantras in Taittiriya Aranyaka there is a mystic prayer addressed to God Dantin. The mantra is - tatpurushaya vidmahe vakratundaya dhimahi tan no Dantih Prachodayat – x.1.5. (Alice Getty in her book Ganesha). Danta (he of the tusk) seems to refer to the elephant-faced god, the mantra comes in the suite of mantras addressed to two deities, Kartikeya and Nandi. N.P.Joshi in his Bhartiya Murti Shastra states that Ganesha as a god is very clearly mentioned in the Ganesha Gayatri in Maitrayani Samhita or in Ganpati Atharvashirsha. This means Ganapati was known to literature and scripture before the advent of modern calendar era. In

Hanuman and Butter – Story - Why Butter Is Offered to Hanuman?

Butter is an important offering to Hanuman. In some temples, the murti (idol) of Hanuman is completely covered in butter from top to bottom. So why is butter offered to Hanuman? Hanuman carried Sri Ram on his shoulders during the Ram Ravana war in the Ramayana. When Ravana was not able to defeat or injure Sri Ram, he directed his arrows and other weapons against Hanuman. Hanuman was injured because of the attack by Ravan. When the war was over for the day, Bhagavan Sri Ram used to nurse his beloved Bhakta Hanuman. Bhagavan used to apply butter on the body of Hanuman to cool and heal the wounds caused by weapons hurled by Ravana . This is the reason why we see murtis of Hanuman covered in butter. Related Why Hanuman murtis (idols) are painted red?

Why Many Hindu Temples Are On Mountains? – Symbolism

Mountains are an important part of Hinduism and many Hindu temples are atop mountains. There is deep symbolism in this. So if you ever wondered why many Hindu temples are on mountains blow is the answer. The reason why several Hindu temples are on mountaintops is because a devotee has to undertake penance and undergo the purification process before reaching God. Hindu temples are centers of self-realization. Shiva resides atop the Kailash Mountain. Goddess Durga resides on mountain. Vaishno Devi gives darshan atop a mountain. Some of the most important sacred places in Hinduism are in the Himalayas. Many of the temples in South India are on top of mountains including the world famous Tirupati Balaji temple. The temples of Ayyappa and Murugan in South India are on mountain tops. Climbing the mountain symbolically represents shedding all negativity and lower level of thoughts. Desires, ego, hatred, violence, lust… have to be dropped one by one before we reach the temple. As we