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Showing posts from March, 2014

Srimad Bhagavadgeeta :

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Bhagavadgita is one of the most important scriptures of the mankind. It occupies a unique place among the followers of Hinduism. The Vedas, the Upanishads and the Brahmasutra form the foundations of the orthodox Hinduism or the Sanatana Hindu Dharma.  The Gita is also given a place among these sacred Scriptures honourably, on an equal footing. One can say that the Upanishads, the Brahmasutra, and the Gita are the very basis of the Hinduism. There are various sects and sub-sects within the folds of the Hinduism. There are followers of different doctrines (Sampradayas) among the Hindus. All the leaders of three different branches of Hinduism have to justify their special doctrines with references to the authority of the Upanishads, the Brahmasutra and the Gita, to show that such doctrines are in consonance with the orthodox Hindu religion. These bases of Hinduism (the Gita, the Upanishads and Brahmasutra) are called the triple canon (Prasthanatraya). Rishi (seer) Ved Vyas is cred

SURYA NAMASKARAM : (SALUTE TO THE SUN)

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        Surya Namaskar is included in the regular routine of prayer and worship. Means it must be practiced regularly. Its greater importance has been described in the scriptures. As per the scriptures, a single day worship of the sun has virtues equivalent to the bestowal presentation of one lakh milk cows. Like worship, Surya Namaskaras too has their own significance. Surya Namaskara means prayer (Vandana) of Lord Surya. Surya Vandana is short. Surya Namaskara is an ancient system of Indian exercise. Stand facing the east at dawn and peacefully chant the mantras to pray Lord Surya and offer red sandals, flowers, rice grains (Akshatas) with water of simply the water alone as ARGHE (libation) and perform Surya Namaskara. This whole process must be performed before the sunrise.  Take water in a metal pot and mix all the available veneration materials in it and hold the pot in your fingers alone keeping the thumbs aside and facing the east and chanting the following Mantra offe

SANATAN DHARMA

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SANATAN DHARMA :      The meaning of Sanatan is eternal. Vedic Dharma can aptly be defined as Sanatan Dharma. In English, Dharma is defined by the word 'religion'. But the term religion is incapable to describe the vast meaning of Dharma. In fact, the spirit of Dharma is so vast that it includes things related not only to our present incarnation but to the past and the future incarnations as well.  According to the definition given in the scriptures:  DHAARNAAT DHARMAH  Meaning- Dharma is something that should be borne all the time. Thus, it is the powerful means that saves us from catastrophe and leads to evolution. For example, Vedas are not only the means to attain comfort in metaphysical world but they also show the path to all round development and prosperity.  MEANINGS OF SANATAN DHARMA  SANAATANASYA DHARMA ITI SANAATAN DHARMAH|  Meaning- Sanatan Dharma, as the name suggests owes its inception to none other than the eternal supreme soul- Brahm. Unlike ot

Dharshan :

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SIX STREAMS OF INDIAN PHILOSOPHY   In the field of philosophy, India has an unmatched contribution. The streams of Indian philosophy are said to be an eternal message of India’s learned sages. Ancient Indian philosophers have expressed their essential thoughts in a special style bound in well-balanced symbolic stanzas. In all, there are six streams of Indian philosophy known as Shaddarshan. Principles and subject matters of each of these six streams have been discussed explicitly. The Sanskrit word ‘Darshan’ means to see, to reflect and to have faith as well. Because of natural curiosity, human being has given philosophy, a supreme importance in his life. In fact, human’s whole outlook for life has been nothing but philosophy. Every human being has a different philosophy for life. It is natural instinct of the human being to learn more and more about his ambience. A wave of curiosity constantly pricks his mind with questions like: What relation do I have with my surroundi

The Rise of the Itihasas (Epics) and Puranas :

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The Brahmam of the Upanishads, which stirred the awe and reverence of the sages, could be realised only by the cream of mankind, and those who are fit to pursue the path chalked out in the Upanishads are small in number. But religion has to extend beyond realisation and cater to the emotional needs of the lesser category of humanity. No historian of philosophy, to our knowledge, has been able to get over the prejudice that all religious thought subsequent to the Vedas and Upanishads, and apart from the later systematic Vedanta of the Darsana school, is a kind of trash, or, at best, a concession to the weakness of the popular mind. But it need not be emphasised that, if the religion of the Hindus had exhausted itself in the visions of the Vedas and Upanishads and the metaphysics of the intellectual Vedanta, Hinduism would have died out long ago and remained today as a memory, like the cultures of Babylon, Greece or Egypt. The almost universal sweep of the thought of the Hindu

The Origin of the Valmiki Ramayanam :

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Srimad Valmiki Ramayana, which is considered as the Adi Kavya, equivalent to Veda itself, is something whose exposition it is rare to obtain. Vedah prachetasadasit sakshat ramayanatmana is a famous verse which makes out that the whole of the Veda has been expounded in epic language by the Adi Kavi Valmiki in the Ramayana. The power, the force, the literary style, the mellifluous movement of the whole theme of presentation and a subtly permeating undercurrent of immortal power in the whole epic of the Ramayana make it an almost unparalleled scripture in the world. All Sanskrit literature originated in its form as sahitya from the time of Sage Valmiki himself. There was, as we are told, no versification or presentation of any subject in the form of a sloka before Valmiki for the first time uttered words which became a sloka [verse] though what he expressed to all is a shoka [sorrow]. Manishada pratishtatum samagah sashvatisamah yat krouncha mithunadekam sokam avadhim kama m