Shiva and Parvati had two sons, Ganesh and Kartikeya. Both sons wanted to get married. Shiva and Parvati were finding it difficult to decide whom to marry first. They decided to take a test. They called Ganesh and Kartikeya to them and said, "We have made a competition. Both of you have to travel around the world and, come back here. The one who returns first, will get married first."
The Marriage of Lord Ganesh
Shiva and Parvati had two sons, Ganesh and Kartikeya. Both sons wanted to get married. Shiva and Parvati were finding it difficult to decide whom to marry first. They decided to take a test. They called Ganesh and Kartikeya to them and said, "We have made a competition. Both of you have to travel around the world and, come back here. The one who returns first, will get married first."
The Story of Brahmin Kaushik
The Meeting of Bhima and Hanuman
The Story of Savitri
King Ashvapti of Madra was a generous ruler who followed his dharma and gained a good name for his actions. But he didn’t have any children. So, the king worshipped Savitri (Gayatri mantra or the feminine form of the sun god). Pleased with his dedication, Savitri herself rose from the yagna fire and blessed Ashvapati that he would soon have a daughter. Soon, his wife gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with eyes like a lotus. Because she was born after praying to Savitri, the king gave his daughter the same name.
Years passed, and the baby grew into a lovely maiden of
marriageable age. She looked like a celestial maiden . The king was unhappy as
he couldn’t find a worthy husband for his daughter. One day, he told her she
should search for a husband since no one was coming forward to make an offer.
Assigning ministers to accompany her, the king watched his young daughter get
into a chariot to find a man who wanted to marry.
When Narada asked where she went, the king explained that he
sent her to search for her husband. When Savitri returned home, Ashvapati asked
to share the details of her travels and if she had found a man worthy of being
her spouse.
Savitri recounted everything and mentioned the king of Salva, named Dyumatsena. The king lost his eyesight when he was still young, and the neighboring king used this opportunity to attack Salva and conquer it. Dyumatsena, his wife, and his son were forced to relocate to a forest and have been living there ever since. His son, Satyavan, now a grown-up man, captured her attention. Savitri said she wanted to marry him. Narada told the king that Savitri committed a grave mistake by choosing Satyavan. There was no denying that the young man followed dharma and spoke only the truth. His parents were also pious. Narada said Satyavan had only one fault which was he had a short life span. He would die in a year. Ashvapati told Savitri to go and find another husband, as this was too much of a flaw to ignore.
However, Savitri was adamant. Narada told the king that there was no use convincing Savitri, and he should contact Satyavan’s parents to finalize the wedding. The king had no choice, so he ordered the arrangements to be made. On an auspicious day, Savitri and Satyavan were married quickly. Savitri left her riches in her father’s home and dressed like an ascetic to join her husband and in-laws in her new home. Very soon, her pleasant nature and devotion won their hearts. She took care of the blind king and his wife as if they were her parents, and they loved her just as much. Savitri and Satyavan also had a loving and warm marriage.
The year passed too soon. The day of Satyavan’s death was approaching. A worried Savitri planned in advance. Four days before the marked date, she fasted for three whole days and stood still in the same spot throughout. On the day Satyavan was to die, Savitri woke up early and finished her prayers. Then, she accompanied Satyavan into the forest as he went to chop firewood. Satyavan showed her many delightful sights on the way. They heard the birds and peacocks cry, saw the stream gushing nearby, and the trees in full blossom. When they reached a spot, Satyavan said he suddenly felt ill as if his head was spinning. Savitri sat down and urged him to rest with his head in her lap. Remembering Narada’s words, Savitri calculated the time of her husband’s demise and sat still.
Savitri replied that it was her dharma to follow her husband even if he was being taken somewhere by others, and as his wife, she must abide by the rules of dharma no matter what.Yama said he would give her a boon, anything except her husband’s life, and after that, she should go back. Savitri asked for her father-in-law’s eyesight to be returned and for him to become strong again. Yama granted her the boon. But Savitri kept following Yama. Yama told her to ask for another boon, insisting that she should ask for anything except her husband’s life. This time, Savitri asked her father-in-law should recover his lost kingdom and continue to follow the path of dharma. Yama granted her the boon and told her to go back once again.
He walked ahead, with Savitri still following behind. Yama told her to ask for another boon and repeated the same exception. Savitri said her father didn’t have any sons and requested that he have a hundred sons who would be her brothers and continue their lineage. Yama granted her the third boon as well. He asked her to return since she had already travelled too far. She said Yama was the king of dharma and making friends with such people is always a blessing. Yama yet again said he was pleased by her words and granted her a fourth boon with the same exception. This time, Savitri asked for a hundred sons for herself to be born through Satyavan, and that the sons be dutiful to their parents and extend their lineage. Yama didn’t think much about her request and granted the boon right away.
Yama said her selflessness delighted him much and that his respect for her had increased. He told her to ask for an unmatched boon. Now, Savitri took her chance and asked for Satyavan’s life. She reminded Yama that he had already granted her a hundred sons, and this would be possible only when Satyavan was alive. She asked him to make his words come true by releasing her husband’s soul back into his body. Yama was impressed by her determination and wit. He happily freed Satyavan’s soul and showed it to her, saying he was returning it to her husband’s body. He blessed her to have a hundred sons like her mother would, and that all the boons he gave her would happen one after another.
He finally made her return to the forest and went back to his abode. She rushed to where Satyavan’s body lay and raised his head to place it back in her lap. Satyavan slowly stirred and opened his eyes. He said he felt a lot better and had no pain in any part of his body. They slowly made their way back home. Meanwhile, old Dyumatsena regained his eyesight. Soon, Satyavan and Savitri returned to their home . Satyavan told his parents that he had slept a long time due to severe pain in the head which caused the delay. All were happy his father, Dyumatsena, had suddenly regained his eyesight.
A few men from the kingdom arrived to inform Dyumatsena that the current king had been killed by his own advisors and that he should once again be their ruler. An auspicious day was chosen to crown Dyumatsena as the king of Shalva with Satyavan as the heir apparent. Over the years, Savitri and her mother gave birth to a hundred sons each. With her determination, dedication, and love, Savitri not only saved her husband but also brought much happiness to her family.
This article in video format is as below:
The Story of Kanyakumari – The Virgin Goddess
Rishi Agastya and Lopamudra
Long ago, there was a demon king called Ilvala. He had a brother called Vatapi. Once he prayed to a holy Brahmin and asked to bless him with a son. But the Brahmin refused. Ilvala got angry and decided to destroy all brahmins. His brother Vatapi, had the power to assume any form while Ilvala could revive a dead person.
Narad Bhakti Sutra (Book)
- Definition of Bhakti.
- Importance of renunciation and self-surrender.
- Exemplars of Divine Love.
- Bhakti as the highest goal of human life.
- Suggestions on how to practice Divine Love.
- Importance of seeking holy company.
- Difference between preparatory and Supreme Devotion.
- Forms of Divine Love.
- Practice of ethical virtues and worship of God.
Ho-o-ponopono
Ho-o-ponopono is an ancient Hawaiian practice of forgiveness and reconciliation. Ho-o-ponopono is a Hawaiian word that means
- Correction
- Mental cleansing
- To put things in order or place
Benefits of Chanting The Gayatri Mantra
- Improves concentration and learning
- Removes toxins from the body
- Improves breathing and functioning of the nervous system
- Keeps your heart healthy and removes the negativity
- Calms the mind
- Reduces stress and anxiety
Ma Jivdani - The Divine Mother
Dr. Hansa Yogendra - Director of The Yoga Institute in Mumbai
- How to detox your intestine (colon) through natural home remedies?
- Simple home remedies to prevent hair loss
- Yoga to Cure Sinusitis Problems
- Yoga & You: How to stop negative thinking
- Mistakes to avoid while drinking water
- Pranayamas to relieve acidity
- Simple home remedies to prevent hair loss
- 5 Best Mudra's for Total Wellness
- The Right Position to Sleep Peacefully at Night
- Best Tips to Get Rid of Piles Permanently
Green Tara Mantra
- Have a bath and wear clean washed clothes
- Make an altar with a picture or statue of Green Tara
- Light an oil lamp and incense to the Mother. Offer Her some fresh flowers.
- Sit in front of the altar on a mat. Don't wear shoes.
- Silently say a small prayer to Green Tara for blessing you
- Start chanting the Green Tara Mantra. You can do soft chanting or do it mentally.
- Chant at least 108 times. You can choose to chant more if you wish. But do it in multiples of 108.
- Do the above process at least once a day. You can do it 3 times a day too ( morning, afternoon and evening).
- Ideally do the mantra chanting everyday at fixed time
- Chant with devotion in your heart. Mechanical chanting should be avoided
- Surrender yourself to Green Tara and seek refuge in Her
Indigo Children
- Help them stay grounded and encourage them to practice mindful breathing
- Enroll them for yoga and meditation class
- Teach them to practice emotional acceptance
- Gradually help them understand the spiritual awakening process
- Encourage their creative talent and let them express their visionary ideas.
- Make the child regularly spend time in nature to unwind and regain balance.
VYASA - The Magnificient Yoga Institution in India
Are You a Fringe Dweller ?
- Since childhood stage itself, you started feeling that you are different from others.
- You strongly empathize with the pain of others.
- You always know within that there is something more to this world and life.
- You find the normal routine of life boring and questionable.
- You always think creatively and out of the box.
- You love spending time alone with your own self.
- You repeatedly find lot of coincidences happening in your life.
- You have a strong appetite towards learning and knowing various spiritual teachings.
- You find it extremely difficult to fit into a normal job routine.
Tarot
A Beautiful Mind (2001 film)
How many of you have heard about Game theory ? I am sure very few know about it. Game theory has a wide range of applications, including psychology, evolutionary biology, war, politics, economics, and business. Despite its many advances, game theory is still a young and developing science. John Forbes Nash Jr. (June 13, 1928 – May 23, 2015) was an American mathematician who made fundamental contributions to game theory. John Nash is the only person to be awarded both the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and the Abel Prize.
So most of you will wonder how is this relevant to you ? Well, you may not realize this but your life is influenced heavily by the concepts of Game Theory. John Nash, has therefore made a significant contribution to your daily life. If you want to know about John Nash, then simply watch the movie made in the year 2001, A Beautiful Mind. This movie grossed over $313 million worldwide and won four Academy Awards.
In 1947, John Nash arrives at Princeton University for studying mathematics. He meets fellow math and science graduate students. Determined to publish his own original idea, Nash is inspired when he and his classmates discuss how to approach a group of women at a bar. Nash argues that a cooperative approach would lead to better chances of success, and develops a new concept of governing dynamics. He publishes an article on his theory, earning him an appointment at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology).
In 1953, Nash is invited to the Pentagon to crack encrypted enemy telecommunications, which he manages to decipher mentally. Bored with his regular duties at MIT, including teaching, he is recruited by the mysterious William Parcher of the United States Department of Defense with a classified assignment: to look for hidden patterns in magazines and newspapers to thwart a Soviet plot. Nash becomes increasingly obsessive in his search for these patterns, delivering his results to a secret mailbox, and comes to believe he is being followed.
One of his students, Alicia Larde, asks him to dinner, and they fall in love. On a return visit to Princeton, Nash runs into Charles and his niece, Marcee. With Charles' encouragement, he proposes to Alicia and they marry. Nash fears for his life after surviving a shootout between Parcher and Soviet agents, and learns Alicia is pregnant, but Parcher forces him to continue his assignment. While delivering a guest lecture at Harvard University, Nash tries to flee from people he thinks are Soviet agents, led by psychiatrist Dr. Rosen, but is forcibly sedated and committed to a psychiatric facility.
Dr. Rosen tells Alicia that Nash has schizophrenia and that Charles, Marcee, and Parcher exist only in his imagination. Alicia backs up the doctor, telling Nash that no "William Parcher" is in the Defense Department and takes out the unopened documents he delivered to the secret mailbox. Nash is given a course of insulin shock therapy and eventually released. Frustrated with the side effects of his antipsychotic medication, he secretly stops taking it and starts seeing Parcher and Charles again.
In 1956, Alicia discovers Nash has resumed his "assignment" in a shed near their home. Realizing he has relapsed, Alicia rushes to the house to find Nash had left their infant son in the running bathtub, believing "Charles" was watching the baby. Alicia calls Dr. Rosen, but Nash accidentally knocks her and the baby to the ground, believing he's fighting Parcher. As Alicia flees with the baby, Nash stops her car and tells her he realizes that "Marcee" isn't real because she doesn't age, finally accepting that Parcher and other figures are hallucinations. Against Dr. Rosen's advice, Nash chooses not to restart his medication, believing he can deal with his symptoms himself, and Alicia decides to stay and support him.
Nash returns to Princeton, approaching his old rival Hansen, now head of the mathematics department, who allows him to work out of the library and audit classes. Over the next two decades, Nash learns to ignore his hallucinations and, by the late 1970s, is allowed to teach again. In 1994, Nash wins the Nobel Prize for his revolutionary work on game theory, and is honored by his fellow professors. At the ceremony, he dedicates the prize to his wife.
The movie is a marvel to watch as it depicts the life of a great mathematician struggling with his mental health and still managing to sustain his genius talent. There are moments where you feel that John Nash must simply wind up and retire permanently to live a peaceful life with his family. His problems due to schizophrenia are so immense that you feel sorry for him and his family. His wife stands by him determinedly and ultimately John Nash comes out of his mental illness. With some support from his colleague, he slowly crawls back to normal life and sees super success. He is awarded the Nobel Prize in the end. It is almost unbelievable to see him come out as winner in spite of the severe mental illness. The movie gives us hope and reassurance that nothing is impossible to achieve if one is determined for it. The other dimension of the movie is that it shows you the world of research, academics in big universities and how professionals work in such areas. Focus and dedication is required to succeed in the field of research.
This movie is meant for family view and I encourage it to show it to your school and college going children.
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Who are the Theosophists ?
Theosophy is a spiritual concept that was formed in 1875 in New York, USA. It was founded by Helena Blavatsky who was a Russian and two Americans, Henry Olcott and William Quan Judge. It draws its teachings from Blavatsky's writings and incorporates concepts of Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism and Christianity. The term "theosophy" comes from the Greek word "theosophia", which which means Divine Wisdom. In Theosophy, there is a belief that there exists an ancient and secretive brotherhood of saints known as the Masters. These Masters have supernatural powers and they are behind the formation of the modern Theosophical movement. They are attempting to revive knowledge of an ancient religion once found across the world and which will again come to eclipse the existing world religions. The most prominent Masters to appear in Theosophical literature are Kuthumi and Morya, with whom Blavatsky claimed to be in contact. Theosophy preaches the existence of a single, divine Absolute. Theosophy teaches that the purpose of human life is spiritual emancipation. It claims that the human soul undergoes reincarnation after death as per Law of Karma. It promotes values of universal brotherhood and social improvement. Theosophy played a significant role in bringing knowledge of South Asian religions to Western countries, as well as in encouraging cultural pride in various South Asian nations.
The Theosophical Society was formed by Blavatsky and Olcott to give an organisational impetus to Theosophy. According to Blavatsky's teachings, many of the world's religions have their origins in a universal ancient religion, a "secret doctrine" that was known to Plato and early Hindu sages and which continues to underpin the center of every religion. Theosophy tended to emphasize the importance of ancient texts over the popular ritual and custom found within various religious traditions. Blavatsky taught that Lord Maitreya would come to Earth as a messianic figure. Her ideas on this were expanded upon by two famous Theosophists, Annie Besant and Leadbeater. They claimed that Maitreya had previously incarnated onto the Earth as Krishna, a figure from Hindu mythology. Besant and Leadbeater claimed that Maitreya would again come to Earth by manifesting through an Indian boy named Jiddu Krishnamurti. They did find this boy and trained him as per principles of Theosophy. But eventually, Jiddu Krishnamurti separated himself from The Theosophical Society and went on to become a famous spiritual philosopher.
In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Theosophical Society appealed above all to an elite, educated, middle and upper-middle-class people. In India, it played an important role in the Indian independence movement and in the Buddhist revival. The Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi developed much of his interest in Hindu culture after being given a copy of the Bhagavad Gita by two Theosophists. Annie Besant gave full support for Indian home rule. She also supported home rule for Scotland, Wales, and Ireland.
Prominent scientists who had belonged to the Theosophical Society included the inventor Thomas Edison, the biologist Alfred Russel Wallace, and the chemist William Crookes. Also many writers, artists, painters were drawn towards Theosophy. A considerable amount of literature has been produced on the subject of Theosophy and the Theosophical Society. While many people look upon Theosophy and its works with doubt and credibility, we cannot deny the immense contribution Theosophy has given in influencing great people towards developing a better and humane world. Those interested in knowing more about Theosophy should read following books:
- The Secret Doctrine by Helena Blavatsky
- The Key to Theosophy by Helena Blavatsky
- The Ocean of Theosophy by William Quan Judge
- To Light a Thousand Lamps by Grace F. Knoche
- Exploring Theosophy, Published by The Theosophical Society
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