There is story in Karnataka which states that Ravana and all his brothers and family were destroyed due to a curse on their sister Surpanakha. The story happened during the Treta Yuga and is connected to Kharasura, a relative of Ravana, and his wife too. The wife of Kharasura was Kumbhamukhi. The couples were ardent devotees of Shiva. Surpanakha and Kumbhamukhi were friends. Once Surpanakha and Kumbhamukhi were traveling through the forests of South India. During the journey Shoorpanakha came across the widow of Ekamukhi Rishi named Athiprabha and their son. The son was handsome young man and Surpanakha was attracted to him. She asked the son to marry him but the proposal was rejected by the mother and son. In anger, Shoorpanakha killed the son and left the spot. Athiprabha was inconsolable.  Kumbh Mukhi who came to know about the incident went to console and ask for forgiveness from Athiprabha. But Athiprabha thought that Surpanakha was returning to torment her and without s

Prasenjit, son of Mahakosala, ruled over the kingdoms of Kashi and Kosala during the 6th century BC with Sravasti as his capital. The kingdom of Kosala was bounded by the Nepal Hills, Panchala, and the rivers Gandaki and Sai. After the annexation of Kashi, Kosala became a powerful kingdom with suzerainty over the Kalmas of Kesaputta and Sakyas of Kapilavastu. Prasenjit fought continuously with Ajatashatru, king of Magadha. Prasenjit hated Ajatashatru for murdering Prasenjit’s brother-in-law Bimbisara. His sister, Kosala Devi, had died of grief. Prasenjit revoked the bridal gift of a rich village named Kosaladevi in Kashi. This led to an outbreak of hostilities between Kosala and Magadha, which continued for a long time. At first Ajatashatru had the upper hand and even drove Prasenjit to Sravasti. In the end, Ajatashatru was entrapped and had to surrender his entire army. Peace was concluded and Prasenjit restored the army, liberty and the disputed village in Kashi to Ajat

Ammachiveedu Temple located at Kollam in Kerala is a unique temple and it has a story connecting it with Jinn (djinn or jinnu, genies or spirits or demons), supernatural creatures in Muslim and Arabic stories. Once there was a fight between two families in the region. It is said anger and hatred are gates to hell. One family attempted to kill a child of the other family with the help of a Muslim sorcerer. But Ammachiveedu Bhagavathy (Adi Parashakti) came to the rescue of the child. The Muslim sorcerer attempted to paralyze the Goddess. But the family invoked the Sudarshana Chakra of Goddess, which freed the Goddess. Ammachiveedu Bhagavathy then pushed the sorcerer into the Agnikund which the sorcerer was preparing. Agni or fire purified the sorcerer. He was transformed into a Jinn. The Jinn has a special place at front just outside the temple under the Ilanji Tree. Ammachiveedu Moorti Temple Facts The Adi Parashakti worshipped here is formless. The original temple belonged to

Talk about enemies and we try to remember people who hurt us. But are they our real enemies? No. Our real enemies are negative emotions. Some people perform prayers and pujas for protection from enemies and to defeat enemies. This is a waste of energy and money. You should be concentrating in defeating the enemies within like anger, hatred, ego and jealousy. War in Hindu scriptures is symbolic in nature. The demons are personifications of various vices. The divine and the demon both are within us. We are not able to realize it. Maturity in emotions, purity in thoughts, intentions, and actions are necessary to have a peaceful and prosperous life. Daily we should offer prayers to defeat negative energies like jealousy, resentment, anger, hate, and selfishness. Stop keeping enemies in your mind while offering prayers. It only fuels anger. It only leads to destruction. When negative emotions thrive in us, we become addicted to slander, lie, gossip, manipulation and a wh

Tithi in Panchang – Hindu Calendar on Monday, 21 December 2020 – Shukla Paksha Saptami Tithi or the seventh day during the waxing or light phase of moon in Hindu calendar and Panchang in most regions. It is Shukla Paksha Saptami Tithi or the seventh day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 6:33 PM on December 21. Then onward it is Shukla Paksha Ashtami Tithi or the eighth day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 7:56 PM on December 22. (Time applicable in all north, south and eastern parts of India. All time based on India Standard Time.  Good – Auspicious time on December 21, 2020 as per Hindu Calendar – There is no good and auspicious time on the entire day.  Nakshatra  –Purva Bhadrapada or Pooruruttathi Nakshatra on the entire day on December 21 and till 1:27 AM on December 22. (Time applicable in north, south and eastern parts of India.)  In western parts of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, north Karnataka and south Rajasthan), Purva Bhadrapada or