We worry more about physical health; we take medicine for even a slight fever, pain or a headache. But do we give half of that attention to our mental health? We need to accept the fact that many a time our emotional health needs attention and proper care. We all are suffering due to poor mental health. What constitutes mental health crisis? Sadness Lack of interest Unexplained mood swings and bad behavior Fatigue Feelings of negativity and doom Lack of purpose in life Irritation and anger Crying without no reason Always pessimistic Insecurity Fear of future Lack of trust Constant fear Feeling of guilt Living in the past Hopelessness Helplessness Am worthless Self harm Self abuse Lack of purpose Procrastination Untidy and lack of cleanliness Living in unhygienic conditions A combination of one or more of above condition is known as depression. It can be mild, moderate or severe. What are the direct causes of depression? High expectations f...

Indrajit, the son of Ravana, was a great warrior. Legend has it that he defeated Indra, the king of the Devas (Demigods). Indrajit means one who was victorious over Indra. Indrajit is also known by the names of Meghnad, Kanina, Ravani and Mayavi. Legend has it that once when Ravana attacked Swargaloka – the domain of devas – he pushed too much into the interiors without realizing that his demon army had fallen back. Ravana was surrounded by Devas and he was about to be captured. Indrajit who saw his father in trouble immediately unleashed powerful arrows and broke into the army of Devas. He vanquished the Devas and saved Ravana. In the process he also captured Indra and brought him to Lanka. Indra was later released but the incident got the son of Ravana the name Indrajit. It is said that Brahma gave Indrajit the name - Having lost their king, the other Devas then went to Brahma, who pleaded with Ravana for Indra's release, but the demon-king explained that his son, ...

Unmatta Bhairava is one of the Ashta Bhairavas and there is miraculous and powerful Unmatta Bhairava temple near the Amarnath Cave. In the south of Amarnath cave, at a distance of about half-a-kilometer, there is a sacred shrine of Unmatta Bhairava. It is said that Adi Shankaracharya himself established this shrine and the murti (vigraha or idol). Unmatta Bhairava blesses a devotee who reaches the place walking without any footwear. A besan ladoo mixed with honey and liquor is place on the protruding tongue of the Bhairav murti. As soon as the sweet is place on the tongue of Bhairava it moves back in the mouth and the offering is swallowed. Soon the tongue returns and comes out of the mouth of the image. The devotee finds a few drops of liquor on the tongue. The devotee collects them as the prasada of Unmatta Bhairava and is blessed by the deity. With the blessing of the deity, all the wishes of the devotee is fulfilled. Behind the Unmatta Bhairava shrine are hot water ...

Jhoola Mahotsav is a 13-day long festival observed from Shravan Shukla Paksha Tritiya to Purnima in Mathura, Vrindavan and the entire Braj Mandal. The festival is also of great importance at the famous Dwarkadheesh Temple in Mathura. During Jhoola Mahotsav the murtis of Radha and Krishna are swing on a palna made of gold and silver. The ritual is performed in temples, mutts and sacred places associated with Lord Krishna in the Brajmandal. Melodious songs are sung during the occasion. Various types of Prasad are made and distributed among devotees.

Hara is one among the numerous names of Shiva. Hara means the ravisher and He got the name after the unimaginable destruction caused by Shiva Ganas at Daksha Yajna. On hearing about Goddess Sati’s immolation at Daksha’s yajna, Shiva plucked a hair from his head, threw it down, and from it appeared Veerabhadra and Bhadrakali. Unimaginable anger overpowered Shiva and he produced fever and numerous other diseases. Virabhadra summoned ghosts, goblins, demons and they along with millions of Ganas of Shiva attacked the yajna of Daksha. Bhadrakali finally beheaded Daksha . Shiva arrived to witness the death and destruction at Daksha Yajna. Now He was Hara, the ravisher. However, this fury subsided soon and Shiva became Shankara , the benevolent one. As Hara, Shiva purifies all that is Adharma. All the impurities are burned and what remains pure.

If we are able to score victory over these six enemies then we can lead a peaceful and prosperous life on earth. When we have good control over these six enemies we will achieve success in life. The six enemies to be defeated for happiness on earth are: Lust Anger Greed Rejoicing at the unnecessary killing of animals or other living beings (himsa or violence) Feel of superiority and Pride. Lust  According to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the emotion or thought of lustfulness cannot be suppressed, repressed, or annihilated with the thought of hatred toward the opposite sex. We have to learn the art of transforming lustfulness into the love of God. He who is able to withstand even while alive the agitation caused by lust and anger — he is the self-controlled one and he is the happy man. (Bhagavad Gita, 5.23) He whose mind and heart are established in Supreme Peace is not touched by the blinding evils born of lust and hate. (Yoga Vasishta) True independence is a...

The concept of God in Hinduism is different from other religions as God is all pervasive and only that exists. Then a question arises why God is worshipped in numerous forms especially in Murti or idol forms. The answer to this question is found in the Vaikhanasa Agama an important Hindu holy scripture. Vaikhanasa Agama states that God is beyond measure and cannot be worshipped in God's infinity even by the celestial beings or devas. Even the most powerful sages find it difficult to fathom the infinite form of Supreme Truth. Hence the need for forms – murtis or idols. The infinite takes a finite form as per the desire of devotee.  Bhagavan does not need any form or name but devotees need form. Forms are mere symbols. Form is only a step towards self realization.  God in Hinduism referred as Brahman or Parabrahman or Supreme Truth cannot be defined. It is beyond imagination. God and devotee all are part of that Supreme Truth. But this concept is not digestibl...

Someshwar Jyotirlinga is said to have existed from time immemorial. It is very holy as Shiva is believed to have appeared in the form of a blazing column of fire (Jyotirlinga). It is believed that the Jyotirlinga establishes itself in each of the four Vedas at different times of the day. Shiva stated in the Puranas that the Shivling at Someshwar establishes itself in the Rig Veda in the morning, Yajur Veda at noon, Sama Veda in the afternoon and Atharva Veda in the evening. It is believed that during ancient times, Somnath existed at the mouth of Sarasvati River – the spot where Saraswati River entered the sea. Another holiness of Somnath is that the sacred place is divided into three parts – each part is dedicated to one of the Trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Thus those who live in Somnath achieve liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

The problem with all advisors – including elders, parents, friends, relatives, teachers, neighbors, acquaintances – is that they never consider the situation in which you are. They just give advice for the sake of giving advice and majority of the time they do not have the grasp of the problem and neither do they have a solution. They find a person in a problem and immediately they start giving advice. This same problem we see with many saints learned people and enlightened persons. They talk wise things but from their point of view. They are not aware that the person to whom they are talking to has not reached their level of understanding. They have to come down from the summit they have reached and they need to lead the people to the summit. Majority of them do not have the patience to do it. Therefore, they talk sitting on the summit about the advantage of the position they are in. They are actually teasing the poor souls who are down the hill and do not know the way to reac...

The story of evil tantric Yogi Bhairavnath and Vaishno Devi is very famous among Shakti devotees. Yogi Bhairavnath was a very powerful tantric ascetic belonging to the Guru Gorakh Nath sampradaya. He had three hundred and sixty disciples and he hated the worshippers of Vishnu and Devi. Wherever he came across the followers of Vishnu or Devi, he would make all efforts to put them into trouble. People used to tremble before him out of fear of his powers. His dictate ran in the region under his influence. He spread the cult of consuming liquor and meat as part of tantric rituals. When Goddess Devi, on the request of princess Chandrabhaga, came to stay on the banks of Chandrabhaga River (Jhelum) people in thousands started visiting her sacred abode. Her fame spread far and wide. When Bhairavnath came to know about it he decided to put her to test and find out about her powers. Along with his three hundred and sixty disciples he reached the residence of Goddess at Mantripur ...