A Journey To Discover Life

Mahashivratri: The Night of Shiva. It's Story, Significance & Spiritual Meaning: Har Har Mahadev! This powerful chant means Mahadev resides in all of us. On Mahashivratri, this eternal truth is celebrated by millions across the world, as the cosmos itself feels the blessings of Shiva. The Sacred Night: Legend of Mahashivratri On the 14th night before the new moon of the Phalgun month, a transformative event occurred in the ancient lore of Hindu Dharma: Lord Shiva married the Daughter of the Mountain, Parvati. This night became known as Mahashivratri , the great night of Shiva. This was the night when the ascetic, the great yogi who cared for none, embraced the life of a householder for the second time, showing that both renunciation and worldly responsibilities are valid paths for spiritual growth. The celestial wedding of Shiva and Parvati brought together all beings of the universe. Devas, Asuras, Ganas, Yakshas, and Nagas , beings from all realms and walks of life, cel...

Navaratri , The Nine Days Dedicated to the Nine Forms of  Goddess Adi Shakti . In different parts of India, the traditions of the Navratri are quite different from one another. But the celebration is the same. The celebration of the  Mother Goddess, The Woman, The Protector, The Slayer of Evil. Durga Puja is celebrated for four days in Bengal during the same time. Day 1: The worship of Goddess Shailputri She, in this Avatar, is the Daughter Of The Mountains. Parvati, a reincarnation of Sati, was born to King Himalaya and his wife Meneka and was the sister of Goddess Ganga and Mount Mainak. In this avatar, she is unmarried and seen making a journey on Nandi, the Bull, Shiva's ride. This reflects the fact that she is making a journey from her Father to her Husband, thus from maidenhood to womanhood. Her white clothes are a symbol of the purity of her heart and soul. Nandi reflects the calm nature of this goddess; however, she also holds a trident as a mark of her power...

The Rajputs were a group of brave and disciplined men and women. While the other Hindu Rulers surrendered to the Mughal Emperors and were attacked by the Afghans, they fought to keep their land and forts independent of these rulers. Many wars left their marks on the walls of the Rajputana Forts, and many stories became household tales of bravery in India. The forts of Chittor, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer... The battles of Haldighat, the love of Prithviraj and Sanyukta, and the Bhakti of Meera Bai are all now part of the folklore of India. Amidst these fairytale-like stories of princes and Princesses, Love and Patriotism, there lie tales of horror. Families lost in wars, kings brutally murdered, jealous step-brothers joining the enemy forces, princesses forced into marriage for political alliances and above all, the horrible scenes of Jauhar.  The ancient tradition of committing Sati in the husband's pyre is very commonly known. Jauhar was a speciality in Rajputana. When the army of the fort...

This fascinating story of Tulabharam first originated in Vijayanagar during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya. It is believed that the story was written by his court poet using Krishna as a metaphor for their own king, who was a namesake, whose first wife thought he gave more importance to the second. Nowhere before that was this story originally found, and most interestingly, Tulabharam became quite a ritual in medieval India after this story, especially in the courts of the Mughals and Rajputs. Satyabhama  was the second wife of Lord Krishna. He married her after his marriage to Rukmini. Proud of her nature, Satyabhama was very confident; her husband's heart was hers, and she had full control over him, unlike his other wives. Every girl dreamt of his  Leela,  but she was the one who stole his heart by helping him kill the  rakshas . Her arrogance was such that she told his 16000 other wives that she was his chief consort.  Narad   Muni  seemed amused wa...

The great Rishi Saunak and his students had once gathered at the Naimisharanya at the beginning of the Kali Yuga to save themselves from the effects of this age. Here, Ugrasrava Sauti, the great Sage and son of Sage Lomharshana, came to meet them. He surprised them with stories of King Janamejaya's strange Swarpa Yagna and the strangest tales he heard from Maharshi Krishna Dwaipayana Vyas Dev there, at this strangest of events. The eager Rishis asked Sauti about the story of Bhrigu and Agni. Bhrigu was a powerful Rishi. His wife was Puloma, the Daughter of Daksha Prajapati and granddaughter of Brahma. One day, when his wife was pregnant, he left her in the darkness of the awaiting dawn to go for a dip in the holy Ganges far away. She was alone in the hut when a Rakshasa attacked her. Scared and alone, Puloma cried helplessly for aid. Her beauty had mesmerised the animals who wanted to marry her by force. The demon leader took her into the hut and shut the door. But inside the hut, ...