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Showing posts from August 3, 2020


Story – Shiva Burning Madana

Madana is the Hindu God of Love and in an important story in the Puranas, Madana was assigned with the mission to stop Lord Shiva’s penance that he started after the death of Sati Devi. Madana is also known as Kamdev. After the death of Sati, Lord Shiva entered into yogic penance in the Himalayas. Lord Shiva was no longer interested in the world. Taking advantage of the situation, a demon named Tarakasura, son of Vjranga and Varangi, did Tapas (penance and austerities) and pleased Lord Brahma and got two boons. As the first boon, he asked Brahma to make him the most powerful man in the world. As the second boon he sought that his death should only happen at the hands of a son born to Shiva – thinking that Shiva will never again marry. After getting the boons, Tarakasura showed his true color and started attacking the demigods, saints and humans. He defeated all the Kings and Devas and took control over earth and heaven. All the Devas and saints sought refuge at the feet of B

Pippaleshwar Temple near Hanuman Ghati, Jabalpur

Pippaleshwar Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located near Hanuman Ghati in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh. This unique shrine on the banks of Narmada River is associated with Sage Pippalada. The Shivling worshipped here is swayambhu or that which appeared on its own. It is believed that worshipping the Shivling at Pippaleshwar Temple will help in removal of all types of troubles. The temple attracts maximum crowd during Shivratri and Shravan month. Mondays in a week is the most auspicious day here.

Story of Raksha Bandhan

There are three popular stories associated with Raksha Bandhan . The most popular is the one associated with Vishnu’s Vaman Avatar and King Bali. Another story is mentioned in Bhavishya Purana and another in the Mahabharata. The most popular belief is that Raksha Bandhan ritual started after Goddess Lakshmi made King Bali her brother by tying Rakhi. Vishnu took Vamana Avatar to help Indra, the king of Devas, who was on the verge of being overthrown by King Bali. The Asura King Bali was going to complete 100 yajnas which would automatically grant him the powers of Indra. Vishnu promised to help Indra. Vishnu appeared as dwarf Vamana and requested for three portions of land that his feet can measure. King Bali immediately agreed. Vishnu then took giant form and in two steps measured earth and heaven. As there was no place to keep the third step, King Bali asked Vamana to keep the third feet on his head. King Bali was thus pushed to the netherworld. Vishnu was mov

Swami Chidananda on Inner Renunciation

Inner Renunciation as explained by Swami Chidananda. Merely shaving the head and putting on colored cloth does not make you a Sannyasin. A change of location does not make you a Sannyasin.  Coming away into seclusion or sitting on a mountain top or inside a cave in the forest does not constitute Sannyasa, if together with this outer giving-up or renunciation, you have not simultaneously also kept up a process of a constant and a continuous inner giving up, an inner renunciation of the false ideas that “I am this body, I am a human individual, I am a physical being, I am a psychological being, I am mind, I am emotion, I am sentiment, I am thought, I am desire, I am memory, I am longing, I am imagination. All these ideas constitute ignorance. All these falsehoods should be renounced. They should be rejected. Truth has to be affirmed again and again and yet again. The essence of renunciation, therefore, is renunciation of this identification with the human, individual pers