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Showing posts from August 9, 2021


Jagjivan Das – Exponent Of The Satnami Sect

Jagjivan Das, also known as Jagjivana Swami, was an exponent of the Satnami sect. He was born on Tuesday, the seventh day of the bright half of the month Magha (January – February) in 1670 CE in the village of Sarahada, Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh. He remained a householder and started preaching in the village of Kotwa in the same district where he was born. According to Satnami tradition, his guru was Maharaja Vishveshwara Puri. Teachings of Jagjivan Das were collected by his followers and compiled in three books, Jnana Prakasha, Maha Pralaya and Pradhana Grantha. The Aghavinasa, sacred book of the Satnamis, assert that there is only one God, having no form or color. He incarnates himself in order to protect his devotees. The goal of Satnami is to adore and realize God, live a simple life and recite his name. All saints, who follow the path of bhakti (devotion), deserve to be venerated. Jagjivan Das had four disciples, known as the four props of the sect – Dulanadasa, Go

Brihaspati In The Vedas

Brihaspati is a powerful deity in the Vedas and he is mentioned in the Rig Veda, Yajur Veda and Atharva Veda. In the Rig Veda he is also known as Brahmanaspati. In later times, he lost his powerful status and is now popular as one of the Navagrahas. In the Rig Veda, he is depicted as the Master of prayers and is equated with Brahmanaspati (2.23.1). He is acknowledged as a devata, a divine being. Ganapati, the deity from later Puranas, appears to have roots in the Brihaspati-Brahmanaspati connection. As per Rig Veda, Brihaspati was born from a light in the highest heaven. He drives away darkness with thunder. He is bright and pure and has seven mouths, 100 wings, seven rays and his skin tone is blue-black. He is a friend of Indra. His weapon is bow and the string is cosmic order. His chariot is driven by red colored horses. Some hymns in the Rig Veda equate him with Agni. He is associated with vedic rituals and is invoked as a priest in the Yajur Veda and Brahmanas. He is al

Jaggayyapeta – Ancient Center Of Buddhism

Jaggayyapeta is an ancient center of Buddhism in Andhra Pradesh. It was also known as Betavolu in ancient times. The name Jaggayyapeta was given by a zamindar (landlord) of Amaravati. The village is 75 kms from Vijayawada along the left bank of Paler, a tributary of the Krishna River. The principal Jaggayyapeta stupa consisted of a mahacaitya (a great stupa), the drum part of which measured 22 meters in diameter. The decorated drum slabs from the early phase of building have carvings dateable to around the 2 nd century BCE. The most famous sculptured slab, depicting Cakravarti Mandhata is an interesting sculpture in that the king is standing amid “seven jewels” – queen, prince, minster, wheel, elephant, and horse, which proclaim him as the king of kings. Another sculpture of the early period is a punyasala (two-storey shrine). Belonging to the later phase of the building are the standing Buddha images, one of which has an inscription on the lower part referring to one Candraprabha

Jagat Karana In Hinduism – Cause Of Universe

Jagat Karana in Hinduism explains the cause of the universe. Paramatma or Parabrahma is the immanent transcendental cause of the world. He is the generative and primary ground, being samavayi (inherent), nimitta (instrumental) and also asamavayi (non-instrumental) karana (cause) of this moving jagat. This is the first characteristic of God, established in the first chapter of Brahmasutra of Veda Vyasa and explained well in Sri Bhashya of Ramanuja. Parabrahma (Ishwara) is cidacid-visishta (different from the individual self / self and matter). It is established that he is the sole cause of the universe in the first pada (quarter) of the first chapter of Brahmasutra. It is also clearly brought out that neither cetanavastu (individual being) nor acetnavastu (any other matter) can become jagat karana in the second, third and fourth padas of the first chapter referred above. He is the indwelling ruler of the finite self and the goal of life. Jagat karana Brahma is expressed in five diff

Thrikkunnapuzha Sree Dharmasastha Temple – Information – History - Festival

Thrikkunnapuzha Sree Dharmasastha temple is located at Thrikkunnapuzha on the shores of Arabian Sea in Kerala. The temple is one among the 108 Ayyappan Kavukal in Kerala. In fact, the shrine is counted as the first among the 108 Sastha temples. The deity worshipped in Thrikkunnapuzha Sastha temple is the Sastha along with Prabha and Satyaka. The original murti had lost its left hand and therefore Panchaloha murti is etched into the original murti. The darshanam of Thrikkunnapuzha Sree Dharmasastha is towards east. Legend has it that the original murti was consecrated by Parashurama. The Upa Devatas worshipped in the temple are Subrahmanian, Shiva, Goddess Durga, Yakshi and Rakshas. The Subrahmanya murti is nearly 6 feet tall. The 10-day annual festival begins with kodiyettam (flag hoisting) on Karthika nakshatra and ends with arattu on Uthram nakshatra in Vrischikam month. The temple was submerged in sea many times. A Shilarekha (writing on stone) in the temple mentions that a

Pandavam Sree Dharma Sastha Temple Festival

Pandavam Sree Dharma Sastha temple is located at Aymanam village (Kottayam – Parippu road) in Kottayam district, Kerala. The 8-day annual Pandavam Sree Dharma Sastha temple festival ends on Uthram nakshatra in Dhanu month. Sastha is worshipped along with Purna and Pushkala in the same peedam in the sanctum sanctorum. This type of Vigraham is found only in this temple in Central Travancore. The sreekovil is square shape – sama chaturakriti – and the deity faces east. The Upa Devatas worshipped in the temple are Ganapathy, Shiva, Malikapurathamma, Yakshi, Mahavishnu, Nagaraja and Giri Devata. The belief is that the prathishta in the temple was done by Naranathu Bhranthan. The temple was built by a Thekkumkoor king who was an ardent devotee of Sabarimala Ayyappa. Pandavam Sree Dharma Sastha Temple Mural Paintings The walls of the sreekovil of the temple are famous for mural paintings. The very rare mural painting of Indra performing Aattakalasham can be seen in the temple.

Swami Adbhutananda on Experience and Elucidation

There is only one Truth, but there are so many ways of experiencing it. And there ought to be as many faiths as there are experiences of God. Authentic and important faiths are but statements of men’s realization of their own inherent godhood. Look how experiences and statements of them differ in such objective matters as the sun. An African’s feeling for the sun is quite different from that of a Laplander. The former believes that it shines twelve hours a day, while the latter holds that is shines for six months a year. Yet it is the same sun. Similarly is the experience of God. Though we all realize the one Beloved, ways of stating Him are quite different. Yet all of them verify and magnify his thousand-facedness. In the end we discover that all those faces that we have looked upon are but faces of our own immortal Self. Swami Adbhutananda

Thrikkalathoor Sree Rama Temple – Sastha Temple – History

Thrikkalathoor Sree Rama temple is located at Thrikkalathoor on Perumbavoor – Muvattupuzha road in Ernakulam district, Kerala. The main deity worshipped in the temple is Bhagavan Sri Rama. The darshanam of Thrikkalathoor Sree Rama is towards east. Sastha worshipped in the temple has equal importance. The Sastha worshipped in the temple is mentioned in Thottam Pattu, which narrates the names of 108 Ayyappan Kavukal in Kerala. The Sastha here is referred to as Mannoor Kavu. A chatur bahu vigraham (four-armed murti) is worshipped in a circular sanctum sanctorum (vatta sreekovil). The temple has a nalambalam and gopuram on the east and west side. As per popular belief the form of Sri Rama is that of annihilating Khara and then giving darshan to Khara in Shaiva Chaithanya form. As result the belief is that worshipping Sri Rama in the temple is equal to visiting a Shiva shrine. The Upa Devatas worshipped in the temple are Ganapathy, Dakshinamurti, Hanuman, Durga, Nagam, Yakshi and Raks

16 August 2021 Tithi – Panchang – Hindu Calendar – Good Time – Nakshatra – Rashi

Tithi in Panchang – Hindu Calendar on Monday, 16 August 2021 – It is Shukla Paksha Ashtami and Navami tithi or the eighth and ninth day during the waxing or light phase of moon in Hindu calendar and Panchang in most regions. It is Shukla Paksha Ashtami tithi or the eighth day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 6:59 AM on August 16. Then onward it is Shukla Paksha Navami tithi or the ninth day during the waxing or light phase of moon till 4:29 AM on August 17. (Time applicable in all north, south and eastern parts of India. All time based on India Standard Time.  Good – Auspicious time on August 16, 2021 as per Hindu Calendar – There is no good and auspicious time on the entire day.  Nakshatra  – Vishaka or Vishakam nakshatra till 4:48 AM on August 16. Then onward it is Anuradha or Anusham or Anizham nakshatra till 3:08 AM on August 17 . (Time applicable in north, south and eastern parts of India).  In western parts of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, north Ka