What is life ?

Your life is an expression of you. Your life is the mirror of who you are. Are you making the most of it. Be yourself. Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are.

Namaste Beautiful Souls. It's Transformation Thursday. Embrace that individual inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else. Be the person you know yourself to be. Always be true to you. Twenty years from now it won’t really matter how your hair looked, or what cloths you wear. What will matter is how you loved, what you learned and how you applied this knowledge. Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others temporarily think you are. A genuinely good character always shines and inspires in the long run. Focus on the positives always. Be happy with who you are now, and let your positivity inspire your journey into tomorrow. Everything that happens in life is neither good nor bad. It just depends on your perspective. And no matter how it turns out, it always ends up just the way it should. Either you succeed or you learn something. Just because you are struggling doesn't mean you are failing. Every great success requires some kind of struggle to get there. You cannot expect victory while planning for defeat. Even though you cannot control everything that happens, you can control your attitude toward what happens. Use your struggles and frustrations today to motivate you rather than annoy you. You are in control of the way you look at life. So stay positive, appreciate the pleasant outcomes, and learn from the rest. Your positivity will help encourage those around you! Love, Light & Peace .

Om Namah Shivaya ~ Jai Bholenath!

Jai Maa Kali Jai Maa Shakti

The name Kali first appears in the Atharva Veda, a collection of hymns and mantras. However she is not a goddess but rather a fierce black tongue, one of seven belonging to Agni, the god of fire. It is another 400 years before Kali is described as an individual in her own right, when she appears around 600 CE in the Devimahatmya as a battlefield goddess personifying the wrath of Durga. Her aspect at this time is terrible – a skeletal and frightening crone, coloured black (a literal interpretation of her name), wearing animal skins and carrying a khatvanga, the skull-topped staff associated with tribal shamans. Other texts of the period associate her beginnings with Shiva. 

The Linga Purana describes how Shiva asks his wife Parvati to defeat the demon Daruka, whom only a female can kill. Parvati merges with Shiva, reappears as Kali and does the deed, but at a terrible cost; her bloodlust becomes uncontrollable, only calming when Shiva intervenes. The Vamana Purana has a different version. When Shiva addresses Parvati as Kali, "the black one," she is offended and performs certain austerities to lose her dark complexion, ultimately generating Kali as a separate entity.

Kali is often associated with Shiva. Her very name is the feminine form of Kala, an epithet of Shiva, thus tying her inextricably to him. She is regarded as the Shakti (power) of Shiva, and he her consort. She is closely linked with him in many of the Puranas and when she appears besides Shiva, she plays an opposite role to that of Parvati. While Parvati soothes Shiva, neutralising his destructive tendencies, Kali actively provokes and encourages him. As scholar David Kinsley states, “it is never Kali who tames Siva, but Siva who must calm Kali”. 

Jai Maa Kali Jai Maa Shakti ✨

घर में पूजा करने के समय इन बातों का धयान रखे !

पूजा करने का सही तरीका

घर में पूजा करने के समय इन बातों का धयान रखे !

1. घर में सेवा पूजा करने वाले जन भगवान के एक से अधिक स्वरूप की सेवा पूजा कर सकते हैं ।

2. घर में दो शिवलिंग की पूजा ना करें तथा पूजा स्थान पर तीन गणेश जी नहीं रखें।

3. शालिग्राम जी की बटिया जितनी छोटी हो उतनी ज्यादा फलदायक है।

4. कुशा पवित्री के अभाव में स्वर्ण की अंगूठी धारण करके भी देव कार्य सम्पन्न किया जा सकता है।

5. मंगल कार्यो में कुमकुम का तिलक प्रशस्त माना जाता हैं।

6. पूजा में टूटे हुए अक्षत के टूकड़े नहीं चढ़ाना चाहिए।

7. पानी, दूध, दही, घी आदि में अंगुली नही डालना चाहिए। इन्हें लोटा, चम्मच आदि से लेना चाहिए क्योंकि नख स्पर्श से वस्तु अपवित्र हो जाती है अतः यह वस्तुएँ देव पूजा के योग्य नहीं रहती हैं।

8. तांबे के बरतन में दूध, दही या पंचामृत आदि नहीं डालना चाहिए क्योंकि वह मदिरा समान हो जाते हैं।

9. आचमन तीन बार करने का विधान हैं। इससे त्रिदेव ब्रह्मा-विष्णु-महेश प्रसन्न होते हैं।

10. दाहिने कान का स्पर्श करने पर भी आचमन के तुल्य माना जाता है।

11. कुशा के अग्रभाग से देवताओं पर जल नहीं छिड़के।

12. देवताओं को अंगूठे से नहीं मले।

13. चकले पर से चंदन कभी नहीं लगावें। उसे छोटी कटोरी या बांयी हथेली पर रखकर लगावें।

15. पुष्पों को बाल्टी, लोटा, जल में डालकर फिर निकालकर नहीं चढ़ाना चाहिए।

16. श्री भगवान के चरणों की चार बार, नाभि की दो बार, मुख की एक बार या तीन बार आरती उतारकर समस्त अंगों की सात बार आरती उतारें।

17. श्री भगवान की आरती समयानुसार जो घंटा, नगारा, झांझर, थाली, घड़ावल, शंख इत्यादि बजते हैं उनकी ध्वनि से आसपास के वायुमण्डल के कीटाणु नष्ट हो जाते हैं। नाद ब्रह्मा होता हैं। नाद के समय एक स्वर से जो प्रतिध्वनि होती हैं उसमे असीम शक्ति होती हैं।

18. लोहे के पात्र से श्री भगवान को नैवेद्य अपर्ण नहीं करें।

19. हवन में अग्नि प्रज्वलित होने पर ही आहुति दें।

20. समिधा अंगुठे से अधिक मोटी नहीं होनी चाहिए तथा दस अंगुल लम्बी होनी चाहिए।

21. छाल रहित या कीड़े लगी हुई समिधा यज्ञ-कार्य में वर्जित हैं।

22. पंखे आदि से कभी हवन की अग्नि प्रज्वलित नहीं करें।

23. मेरूहीन माला या मेरू का लंघन करके माला नहीं जपनी चाहिए।

24. माला, रूद्राक्ष, तुलसी एवं चंदन की उत्तम मानी गई हैं।

25. माला को अनामिका (तीसरी अंगुली) पर रखकर मध्यमा (दूसरी अंगुली) से चलाना चाहिए।

26.जप करते समय सिर पर हाथ या वस्त्र नहीं रखें।

27. तिलक कराते समय सिर पर हाथ या वस्त्र रखना चाहिए।

28. माला का पूजन करके ही जप करना चाहिए।

29. ब्राह्मण को या द्विजाती को स्नान करके तिलक अवश्य लगाना चाहिए।

30. जप करते हुए जल में स्थित व्यक्ति, दौड़ते हुए, शमशान से लौटते हुए व्यक्ति को नमस्कार करना वर्जित हैं।

31. बिना नमस्कार किए आशीर्वाद देना वर्जित हैं।

32. एक हाथ से प्रणाम नही करना चाहिए।

33. सोए हुए व्यक्ति का चरण स्पर्श नहीं करना चाहिए।

34. बड़ों को प्रणाम करते समय उनके दाहिने पैर पर दाहिने हाथ से और उनके बांये पैर को बांये हाथ से छूकर प्रणाम करें।

35. जप करते समय जीभ या होंठ को नहीं हिलाना चाहिए। इसे उपांशु जप कहते हैं। इसका फल सौगुणा फलदायक होता हैं।

36. जप करते समय दाहिने हाथ को कपड़े या गौमुखी से ढककर रखना चाहिए।

37. जप के बाद आसन के नीचे की भूमि को स्पर्श कर नेत्रों से लगाना चाहिए।

38. संक्रान्ति, द्वादशी, अमावस्या, पूर्णिमा, रविवार और सन्ध्या के समय तुलसी तोड़ना निषिद्ध हैं।

39. दीपक से दीपक को नही जलाना चाहिए।

40. यज्ञ, श्राद्ध आदि में काले तिल का प्रयोग करना चाहिए, सफेद तिल का नहीं।

41. शनिवार को पीपल पर जल चढ़ाना चाहिए। पीपल की सात परिक्रमा करनी चाहिए। परिक्रमा करना श्रेष्ठ है, किन्तु रविवार को परिक्रमा नहीं करनी चाहिए।

42. कूमड़ा-मतीरा-नारियल आदि को स्त्रियां नहीं तोड़े या चाकू आदि से नहीं काटें। यह उत्तम नही माना गया हैं।

43. भोजन प्रसाद को लाघंना नहीं चाहिए।

44. देव प्रतिमा देखकर अवश्य प्रणाम करें।

45. किसी को भी कोई वस्तु या दान-दक्षिणा दाहिने हाथ से देना चाहिए।

46. एकादशी, अमावस्या, कृृष्ण चतुर्दशी, पूर्णिमा व्रत तथा श्राद्ध के दिन क्षौर-कर्म (दाढ़ी) नहीं बनाना चाहिए ।

47. बिना यज्ञोपवित या शिखा बंधन के जो भी कार्य, कर्म किया जाता है, वह निष्फल हो जाता हैं।

48. यदि शिखा नहीं हो तो स्थान को स्पर्श कर लेना चाहिए।

49. शिवजी की जलहारी उत्तराभिमुख रखें ।

50. शंकर जी को बिल्वपत्र, विष्णु जी को तुलसी, गणेश जी को दूर्वा, लक्ष्मी जी को कमल प्रिय हैं।

51. शंकर जी को शिवरात्रि के सिवाय कुमकुम नहीं  चढ़ता ।

52. शिवजी को कुंद, विष्णु जी को धतूरा, देवी जी को आक तथा मदार और सूर्य भगवानको तगर के फूल नहीं चढ़ावे।

53 .अक्षत देवताओं को तीन बार तथा पितरों को एक बार धोकर चढ़ावे ।

54. नये बिल्व पत्र नहीं मिले तो चढ़ाये हुए बिल्व पत्र धोकर फिर चढ़ाए जा सकते हैं।

55. विष्णु भगवान को चांवल, गणेश जी को तुलसी, दुर्गा जी और सूर्य नारायण को बिल्व पत्र नहीं चढ़ावें।

56. पत्र-पुष्प-फल का मुख नीचे करके नहीं चढ़ावें, जैसे उत्पन्न होते हों वैसे ही चढ़ावें।

57. किंतु बिल्वपत्र उलटा करके डंडी तोड़कर शंकर पर चढ़ावें।

58. पान की डंडी का अग्रभाग तोड़कर चढ़ावें।

59. सड़ा हुआ पान या पुष्प नहीं चढ़ावे।

60. गणेश को तुलसी भाद्र शुक्ल चतुर्थी को चढ़ती हैं।

61. पांच रात्रि तक कमल का फूल बासी नहीं होता है।

62. दस रात्रि तक तुलसी पत्र बासी नहीं होते हैं।

63. सभी धार्मिक कार्यो में पत्नी को दाहिने भाग में बिठाकर धार्मिक क्रियाएं सम्पन्न करनी चाहिए।

64. पूजन करनेवाला ललाट पर तिलक लगाकर ही पूजा करें।

65. पूर्वाभिमुख बैठकर अपने बांयी ओर घंटा, धूप तथा दाहिनी ओर शंख, जलपात्र एवं पूजन सामग्री रखें।

66. घी का दीपक अपने बांयी ओर तथा देवता को दाहिने ओर रखें एवं चांवल पर दीपक रखकर प्रज्वलित करें। 

शिव सबके भाल करेंगे 

 ॐ नमः शिवाय

Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra, महा मृत्युंजय मंत्र

ॐ त्र्यम्बकं यजामहे

सुगन्धिं पुष्टिवर्धनम्

उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनान्

मृत्योर्मुक्षीय मामृतात् ॥

Om tryambakam yajāmahe,

 sugandhim puṣti-vardhanam ǀ

urvārukam-iva bandhanā,

 mṛtyormukṣīya māmṛtāat ǁ

अर्थात/ Means

हम तीन नेत्र वाले भगवान शंकर की पूजा करते हैं जो प्रत्येक श्वास में जीवन शक्ति का संचार करते हैं, जो सम्पूर्ण जगत का पालन-पोषण अपनी शक्ति से कर रहे हैं, उनसे हमारी प्रार्थना है कि जिस प्रकार एक ककड़ी अपनी बेल में पक जाने के उपरांत उस बेल-रूपी संसार के बंधन से मुक्त हो जाती है, उसी प्रकार हम भी इस संसार-रूपी बेल में पक जाने के उपरांत जन्म-मृत्यु के बंधनों से सदा के लिए मुक्त हो जाएं तथा आपके चरणों की अमृतधारा का पान करते हुए शरीर को त्यागकर आप ही में लीन हो जाएं और मोक्ष प्राप्त कर लें।

Meaning:

1: Om, We Worship the Three-Eyed One (Lord Shiva),

2: Who is Fragrant (Spiritual Essence) and Who Nourishes all beings.

3: May He severe our Bondage of Samsara (Worldly Life), like a Cucumber (severed from the bondage of its Creeper),

4: and thus Liberate us from the Fear of Death, by making us realize that we are never separated from our Immortal Nature

The Hindu God Ganesh

The Hindu God Ganesh - An Elephant Headed Deity 

Ganesh is one of the best known and loved deities in the Hindu pantheon of gods, and indeed is the most recognized of the Hindu gods outside of India. But who is this elephant headed fellow, and why is he so popular?

Ganesh (also spelled Ganesa or Ganesha and known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar) is the Lord of Good Fortune who provides prosperity, fortune and success. He is the Lord of Beginnings and the Remover of Obstacles of both material and spiritual kinds. Interestingly, he also places obstacles in the path of those who need to be checked.

Because of these attributes, Ganesh is widely revered by almost all castes and in all parts of India, regardless of any other spiritual affiliations. His image is found everywhere, in many different forms, and he is invoked before the undertaking of any task. Ganesh is also associated with the first Chakra, or energy wheel, which underpins all of the other Chakras and represents conservation, survival and material well-being. He is considered to be a patron of the arts and sciences and of letters. Devotees believe that if Ganesha is worshiped, he grants success, prosperity and protection against adversity. In a lesser known role, Ganesh is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride.

The attributes and characteristics of Ganesh have evolved over many centuries of Indian history. Several of the sacred Hindu texts relate myths and anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and help to explain his distinct iconography. He is popularly held to be the son of Shiva and Parvati, although the Puranas (ancient Hindu and Jain texts narrating the history of the Universe and describing Hindu cosmology, philosophy and geography) disagree about his birth, stating that he may have been created by Shiva, or by Parvati, or by Shiva and Parvati, or may simply have been discovered by Shiva and Parvati. It is a little known fact outside of India that Ganesh has a brother Skanda, who is worshiped particularly in southern India as the embodiment of grace, bravery and love of virtuous deeds.

Iconic representations of Ganesh show considerable variation, his form changing over time from that of a simple elephant in earliest depictions to the Ganesh we know today, typically having the head of an elephant and a large rotund belly. He is generally shown with four arms, although the number may vary from two to sixteen. When in the four-armed configuration he usually holds his own broken tusk in his lower-right hand and a laddoo sweet in his lower-left hand which he tastes with his trunk. An axe or goad is held in the right upper hand and a noose is held in the left upper hand. In a modern variation, the lower-right hand does not hold the broken tusk but is turned toward the viewer in a gesture of protection and fearlessness (the abhaya mudra). Each item carries it's own important spiritual significance and they (and the number of arms used to carry them) may vary to include a water lily, mace, discus, rosary, bowl of sweets, musical instrument, spear or staff, depending on the specific symbolic intended by the artist.

A clay image of Ganesh set into a wall

Ganesh may be portrayed as standing, seated, dancing, crawling as a child (with his favourite laddoo sweet in one hand), or even seated on his mother's knee. When seated, he may be crossed legged or with one leg tucked under him in the position known as "royal ease". His mount or vehicle is usually the humble mouse, often shown at his feet looking adoringly up at him and holding his laddoo sweet in his paws. The combination of elephant and mouse represents the removal of all obsticals of any size and the ability of Ganesh to control even the most unpredictable of creatures and situations.

There exist a large number of legends, myths and stories relating to Ganesh and his appearance, all reflecting the wealth of symbolism that attends him. The most famous is how he came to have an elephant's head. It is said that the goddess Parvati, wishing to bathe, created a boy and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When her husband Shiva returned from one his interminable battles, he was denied access by Ganesh and killed the boy in a fit of petulant rage, striking his head off with his sword. Parvati was understandably upset and so to soothe her, Shiva sent out his warriors to fetch the head of the first dead creature they found, which happened to be that of an elephant. The head was attached to the body of the boy and he was brought back to life. The elephant's head symbolizes unmatched wisdom and the gaining of knowledge through reflection and listening. And because of his role as his mother's doorkeeper, he is often placed facing doorways to keep out the unworthy.

Some of the stories surrounding Ganesh are conflicting in nature, for example how his tusk came to be broken. One popular story is that he broke it off himself in order to write down the Mahabharata, one of the world's longest epic poems, as it was dictated to him by the sage Vyasa. In the process of writing, Ganesh's pen failed and so he snapped off his tusk as a replacement in order that the transcription not be interrupted. The broken tusk therefore symbolizes sacrifice and reiterates Ganesh's role as patron of the arts and of letters. However, another version of the broken-tusk story emphasis's Ganesh's loyalty and devotion. In this account, his father Shiva decided to take a nap and asked Ganesh to guard him. A proud Brahmin warrior named Parashuram came to visit Shiva but was stopped from waking him by Ganesh. Parashuram was furious and fought with him, finally throwing his ax at his head. Ganesh stopped the ax with his tusk which broke, giving him the nickname Eka-danta, or "One Toothed."

Another common icon associated with Ganesh is that of the snake. According to one Purana, Ganesha simply wrapped the serpent king Vasuki around his neck. Ganesh may also be portrayed using the snake as a sacred thread, aloft in both hands, coiled at his ankles or as a throne. However the best known story of all concerns Ganesh wrapping the snake around his stomach as a belt. According to the legend, on one of his birthdays, Ganesh went from house to house accepting offerings of sweet puddings. Out on the road his mount the mouse stumbled, having seen a snake and become frightened, with the result that Ganesh tumbled off. His stomach burst open and all the sweet puddings fell out. Unwilling to leave them on the ground for all to see, Ganesh stuffed them back into his stomach and, catching hold of the snake, tied it around his belly. Seeing this, the moon in the sky had a hearty laugh at his expense. Annoyed, Ganesh pulled off one of his tusks and hurled it at the moon. Once again, the symbology behind the mouse, snake, Ganesh's belly and its relationship to the moon on his birthday is highly significant, his belly representing as it does the entire cosmos which is held together by the cosmic energy of the snake kundalini.

With the association of benevolence, intelligence and strength that comes with his elephant countenance and the delightful stories that surround his creation, it is easy to understand why Ganesh is revered so highly in his homeland. But why is he also loved throughout the world? From the 10th century onwards Ganesh became the principal deity of the traders and merchants who went out of India seeking commercial trade. In later centuries many Hindus migrated to other countries and took their culture, including Ganesh, with them. Buddhism has a particular affinity for Ganesh, representing as he does the kindest of principals associated with personal success. And since the 20th Century, Ganesh has become a favourite mascot of Western countries, partially because of the westerner's love of elephants but also because of the rewards Ganesh promises when present to oversee daily affairs. Ganesh has even made appearances on the iconic television show The Simpsons - on one particularly memorable occasion Homer tries to offer him a peanut and is admonished by Apu for his irreverence.

Ganesh is also often associated with the goddess of luck and prosperity, Lakshmi, and the two form a typical motif on many protective Indian amulets, providing a double whammy to the wearer in the form of success and wealth married together.