ध्यान देने योग्य  बिंदु 

1. घरों में दो शिव लिंग , तीन गणपति जी की   मूर्तियाँ ,  दो शंख व खंडित मूर्ति  की पूजा नहीं करें . 
2. दो शालिग्राम नहीं पूजें . 
3. शुभ इक्षा की कामना वाले गृहस्थी के मूर्ति को ही नहीं पूजें ,अनेक मूर्ति से युक्त सभी कामो को प्राप्त होतें हैं .
4. विष्णु  को अक्षत से ,गणेश को तुलसी से ,देवी को दूर्वा से ,सूर्य को विल्वपत्र से पूजा नहीं करें. 
5. शिव का अभिषेक गो श्रृंग से ,विष्णु का शंख से ,गणपति का ताम्र पात्र से ,जगदम्बिका का स्वर्ण पात्र से अभिषेक करें 
6. विष्णु की पूजा धतूरे के फूल से न करें .कृमि युक्त फल सड़े फल भगवान को न चढाये .
7. आक के पुष्पों व डंठल सहित बिल्वपत्र ,खंडित चावल शिव पूजा में वर्जित हैं. 
8. चंडी की ए़क ,सूर्य की सात, गणपति की तीन, विष्णु की चार, शिव की आधी परिक्रमा करनी चाहिए. 
9. स्नान किये बिना जो तुलसी पत्र तोड़ कर उससे विष्णु की पूजा  करता हैं ,वह निष्फल होती हैं, तथा वह अपराधी होता हैं.  

RENOUNCE END-LESS DESIRES

लोभ को त्याग कर ही सुखी जीवन की प्राप्ति होती है 

“ Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction ”

Do you respect a beggar equal to respect you give to a rich man? If it is so you do not need to read this further or else you must.

In today’s world, people are evaluated only on the basis of their possessions and status. A person’s worth in society is decided on the basis of how much he or she owns. Apart from his physical wealth, his power and influence become important. Success in life is related to ownership of assets and extent of influence.

In reality, nothing can be more damaging to a person’s real success in the world than possessions and status. The desire to possess rises from comparison and jealousy. If your neighbor buys a new refrigerator your house gets warmer. From early childhood we are conditioned to desire what others have.

When we are not able to possess something, we are unhappy and consider it a failure. We become happy when we do acquire what we want. This happiness, however, lasts for a brief period. It lasts till we find one more thing to acquire. Happiness seems to be in the acquisition, in the chase rather than through enjoyment of what we have.

Till you get something you want, it looks as big as a mountain. Once you get it, the same thing becomes the size of a mustard seed!


Stop wanting to acquire more and more. Enjoy what you have. Enjoy what you have; there is no need to renounce what you already possess. Renounce only what you do not have. Renounce your fantasies. That is the gateway to Bliss.

CONQUERING GREED

“ Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need , but not every man's greed .” –   Mahatma Gandhi

Spirituality is about liberation, whereas religion, as it is understood and practiced, is about control. At the lowest level religions tend to control through ignorance and blind belief. They do not wish to be questioned, because they have no answers. The Vedic culture is very clear on this. What they laid out as scriptures are the eternal immutable truth. They are not regulation. You can take these or leave them. They are meant to be guidelines for evolution, for the flowering of your consciousness.

When they laid down regulation for day to day living, they made it clear that these regulations  are changeable. These regulations need to evolve with time and space. There is no rigidity, there is no compulsion, and there is no pronouncement that these are God given and therefore cannot be questioned.

Vedic culture and religions which sprang from the Vedic culture stood for individual freedom; only such freedom can lead to awareness and liberation. Religions that tend to control through ignorance graduate into control through fear and greed.

Spirituality is about losing your fear and conquering greed. Drop aversion and attachment.
There is no heaven and hell. They exist only in our minds. You commit sins because you are in hell; you do not go to hell because you commit sins. Greed is the root cause of all sins.

Drop all notions of sin and merit, and of hell and heaven and live with awareness – Conquer greed for continued happiness.

IT IS TOO DIFFICULT TO BE A SARDAR

During 17th Century, when Hindustan was ruled by Mughals, all the Hindu people were humiliated. Mughals treated the Hindu women as their own property and were forcing all Hindus to accept Islam and even used to kill people if they were refusing to accept. That time, ninth Guru of Sikhs , Sri Guru Teg Bahadarji came forward, in response to a request by some Kashmiri Pandits to fight against all these cruel activities.

Guruji told the Mughal emperor that if he succeed in converting him to Islam, all the Hindus would accept the same. But, if he failed, he should stop all those activities. The Mughal emperor happily agreed to that but even after lots of torture to Guruji and his fellow members,  he failed to convert him to Islam and Guruji along with his other four fellow members, were tortured and sacrificed their lives in Chandni Chowk  (Old Delhi )...That's why the Gurudwara there is named "Sheesh  Ganj"....Sheesh means head.

Since the Mughals were unable to convert them to Islam they were assassinated. Thus Guruji sacrificed his life for the protection of Hindu religion. Can anybody lay down his life and that too for the protection of another religion? This is the reason he is still remembered as "Hind Ki Chaddar", shield of India. For the sake of whom he had sacrificed his life, none of them came forward to lift his body, fearing that they would also be assassinated. Seeing this incident our 10th Guruji, Sri Guru Gobind Singhji (Son of Guru Teg Bahadarji) founder of khalsa made a resolution that he would convert his followers to such human beings who would not be able to hide themselves and could be easily located in thousands.

At the start, the Sikhs were very few in numbers as they were fighting against the Mughal emperors. At that time, Nadir Shah raided Delhi in the year 1739 and looted Hindustan and was carrying lot of Hindustan treasures and nearly 2200 Hindu women along with him. The news spread like a fire and was heard by Sardar Jassa Singh who was the Commander of the Sikh army at that time. He decided to attack Nadir Shah's Kafila on the same midnight. He did so and rescued all the Hindu women and they were safely sent to their homes. It didn't happen only once but thereafter whenever any Abdaalis or Iranis  had attacked and looted Hindustan and were trying to carry the treasures and Hindu women along with them for selling them in Abdal markets, the Sikh army although fewer in numbers but were brave hearted and attacked them at midnight, 12 O'clock and rescued women. After that time whenever there occurred a similar incident, people started to contact the Sikh army for their help and Sikhs used to attack the raider's at Midnight, 12 O'clock.

It is unfortunate that it is  spread at 12 O'clock, the Sikhs go out of their senses.

It is important that we know about Sikh history & it is a humble appeal that no one should make fun of any RELIGION. Every religion is equally pure. "It is easy to joke on a Sardar, but It's too difficult to be a Sardar"

SEARCH OF HAPPINESS

अच्छी सोच अच्छा कर्म ही सुखी जीवन प्राप्ति का रास्ता है 

People in all walks of life are in search of happiness. They desperately try to avoid sorrow and misery in their lives.One needs to understand why one faces sorry and misery when what one desires happiness and many times    they take these as their destiny - which is a sign of ignorance or lack of understanding / knowledge.

People should first attempt to attain true knowledge - a knowledge that inspires wisdom. They must understand the true concept of God .God is source of all manifestations . God is infinite- Anantakoti Bramhanda Nayak ( Lord of infinite creations ). God is neither kind nor cruel , nor does he shower mercy or vent his anger on anyone.When people perform various rites and rituals to appease him or to avoid his wrath , they are simple labouring under illusion.

I believe  if people can understand and follow given below two basic , simple universal laws they can achieve peace and happiness in their lives :-

1. Action and Reaction are equal and opposite - People perform Good or Bad at three levels , namely , thought , speech and action. In turn they will get back good or bad depending on which of the three level they have performed that good or bad action.
2. As you think so you become - Polluted thought is much much more serious and detrimental than air or water pollution which is getting unprecedented attention.

If you get your actions right and thought right - happiness and peace is bound to follow....have faith in universal law of Cause and Effect.

MIRACLE - A CHAMATKAR

काजल में चमत्कार 
As per Hindu Tradition on the evening of Diwali  Diyas are lit all over the house   to welcome Ma Lakshmi , there is also a tradtion to make Kaajal ( काजल ) in house.For making Kaajal a clay pot ( Kajalota ) is used. Oil Lamp is lit and the flame is covered with a Kajalota. The fumes , smoke coming from the lamp make Kaajal in the clay pot and as per Hindu tradition this Kaajal is applied in the eyes of all family members on Diwali night and this is considered Subh.
This Diwali in our hometown Allahabad we were blessed by almighty , when whilst making Kaajal , first Trishul appeared in the clay pot and after some time it turned inot Lord Ganesh himself. Given above are the actual photos of Trishul , a symbol / weapon of Lord Shiva ,which appeared initially and after few hours it converted into image of Lord Ganesh. We believe we got live Darshan of Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesh in our house. We believe we must have done something good in our previous birth or some good karma of ours in this birth that we had such a miracle , chamatkar ( चमत्कार ) happening in our house and a unique way of Lord Shiva and Lord Ganesha giving us साक्षात् darshan and blessing us.   

ROUTE TO GOD

असहाय की सहायता ही प्रभु की सच्ची सेवा है 


This is for all those who believe in god and wish to reach almighty by their deeds. This is for those who have responsibility towards their organisation where they work or towards their family - taking care of children etc. This is an important aspect and should not be neglected.


Whilst one has to do regular  service to God by daily prayers but the most important thing and definite route to reaching god is to HELP THE HELPLESS in whatever way one can do. This thought should be built into our personality , attitude and actions in every day life.


If one is sincerely taking care of their responsibility as well as HELPING THE HELPLESS they are sure to touch the almighty.God always tests human beings by appearing in various forms and one never knows the help that we provide to helpless may directly be service to God.

AUNDHA NAGNATH DARUKAWAN- 8th JYOTIRLING

JAI SHRI NAGESHWAR
जय श्री नागेश्वर 

In village Aundha the 8^th Jyotirling called Nageshwar is situated. It is about 240 Kms from Aurangabad and one can easily go in the morning and return back to Aurangabad by evening. There are no decent places to stay in Aundha and hence one should not venture that. One can travel to Nanded and stay there alternatively. Nanded is just 65 kms from Aundha and it just takes about an hour to reach there.

An ancient name of Aundha Nagnath is Darukawan. There is an interesting story behind this place. There was a rakshasa (Devil) named Daruk, and there was a jungle (forest) where Naglokas were residing .Daruk used to eat the Naglokas so Nagloka prayed to lord Shiva. Lord Shiva came and killed that Daruka (man-eater). But at the end Daruk asked Lord Shiva one Var (wish) that the village would name after his name. Lord Shiva said tathastu and Daruk died .Lord Shiva had given fear free life to Naglokas that’s why Nagnath is called Nageshwar Darukwan jungle (forest) formed Jyotirlinga.

The Shiv Ling here is made of sand and hence is always covered with a silver cup and is opened only when Abhishek is performed.

The temple had been built by Pandvas.When Pandvas were in agyatwas they come to aundha nagnath.At that time there was a pond where now the big temple is situated. Many carvings are there on the temple. One specialty of this temple is that in 1212 A.D.the temple had moved round and main gate which was in East then after turning round it become in the West direction. As we know Mahadwar (main gate)of Shiv temple is always in the East direction but here it is in the West. This Jyotirlinga is called Harihar (Hari meaning Lord Vishnu & Har meaning Lord Shiv) Jyotirlinga.Lord Shiv and Lord Vishnu both are present here and is a must visit for all Shiv Bhakts.

ॐ नमः शिवाय 

HUZUR SAHIB TAKHAT - NANDED

   " SAT SRI AKAL "
   " WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA , WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH "

Takhat Sachkhand Sri Hazur Abchalnagar Sahib is the principal shrine at about half a Kilometer from the left bank of the river Godavari, Nanded, Maharashtra. It marks the site where the 10^th Guru of Sikhs Guru Gobind Singji had his camp in 1708 A.D. after the departure of the emperor Bahadur Shah. The tenth Guru held his court and congregation here. It is the place from where the tenth Guru rose to heaven along with his horse Dilbag.

In 1708 being prescient of the end of his earthly role, the Guru had despatched Banda Singh with five of his Sikhs to Punjab and Mata Sahib Devan under a separate escort to Delhi before the stabbing incident. He told the rest of his retinue to retire to their homes if they so wished, but he bade one Bhai Santokh Singh to stay on here and keep Guru ka langar going , many others also chose to remain. Together they built a room over the platform where he used to sit while holding his court and installed Guru Granth Sahib on it. They called it Takhat Sahib. Guru Gobind Singh, while conferring Guruship on the holy Book, had himself named Nanded as Abchalnagar (means steadfast city) after the first word of a hymn read at random on the occasion. Sachkhand (means region of Truth) had been used by Guru Nanak Dev to mean the abode of God.

The present building of the Takhat Sahib was got constructed by Maharaja Ranjit Singh with money, artisans and labour sent from Punjab during early 1830s. The complex of the Takhat Sahib is spread over several hectares.

Recently the tercentenary celebration of Gur-ta-Gaddi (Gur ta Gaddi) at the Takhat   Sachkhand Gurudwara at Nanded was done which was  of great relevance to the Sikh Community. This involved the remembrance of the 300th (Tri Shatabdi) year of the consecration of Guru Granth Sahib as the last guru of Sikh community by Guru Gobind Singhji. The event will also commemorated the 300th anniversary of the Parlok Gaman of Guru Gobind Singhji.

Some highlights of Sikhism –

1.      It is the youngest religion dating back to 1469

2.      Its founder Guru Nanak Devji was born in a village called Talwandi, now known as Nankana Sahib in Pakistan.

3.      The Sikhs have ten Gurus

4.       Guru Granth Sahib is the Holy Book of Sikhs and the final Guru of the Sikh Religion

5.       Follower of the Sikh religion could be identified using the Five “K” i.e. Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (a

The Five Takhts of Sikhism :

Sr.No.	Takht	Location
1	Akal Takht	Amritsar (Punjab)
2	Harimandir Saheb	Patna (Bihar)
3	Kesgarh Saheb	Anandpur (Punjab)
4	Huzur Sahib	Nanded (Maharashtra)
5	Damdama Sahib	Talwandi Sabo, Bhatinda (Punjab)

Guru Gobind Singh was a true son of India who through out his life span fought for the country and sacrificed everything for the country. This shrine is obviously a must visit for all Sikhs but it is my belief that all Indians must visit this shrine at least once in their life time.  

SHRI VAIJNATH JYOTIRLING

ॐ नमः शिवाय 

Parli Vaijnath is situated in Beed District. Swayambhu & Jagrit Sthan of Lord Sri Vaijnath, one of the twelve places of Jyotirling in India.


Parli Vaijnath temple is an imposing and majestic temple situated on a hill, facing towards east having doors in south and North direction. As one enters the premises of the temple spacious stone steps and lofty Mahadwar attracts one's attention.In the entrance one can see a huge pillerless hall, which is totally made out of Sagwan wood. This temple is more famous then Kashi among the pilgrims as God Shankar is residing with Goddess Parvati. The temple was in ruins when Ahilyabai Holkar renovated the temple. The Sabhamandap and the Garbhagriha are on the same level which is rarely found in any Shiva Temple. The famous tale of Satyawan and Sawitri is also believed to have  happened here.

There are twelve Jyotirlingas, which are the most significant places of pilgrimage for Hindus. Among them five happen to be in  Maharashtra namely Shri Ghrishneshwar ( 12^th Jyotirling ) in Ellora near Aurangabad , Shri Vaijnath ( 5^th Jyotirling ) in Parli , Shri Nagnath ( 8^th Jyotirling )  in Aundha , Shri Bhimashanker ( 6^th Jyotirling ) near Pune and Shri Trimbakeshwar ( 10^th Jyotirling )  in Nasik. . Shiva has been worshipped in these places for centuries. 


Parli Vaijnath is about 300 kilo-meters away from Pune, 35 km away from Ambejogai , 130-km From Nanded, and 230 Kms from Aurangabad.

BASARA TEMPLE – ABODE OF TRINITY

Located on the banks of river Godavari, the Gnana Saraswathi Temple at Basara situated in town of Adilabad district is about 100 kms from Nanded. The Saraswati temple at Basara is one of the two famous Saraswati temples in India, the other being in Jammu & Kashmir. Legend has it that Sage Vyasa during his stay here used to bring daily three handfuls of sand after a bath in Godavari and kept it at a place, which transformed as the images of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kali. How ever, according to Brahmandapuranam, Adikavi Valmiki installed Saraswati and wrote Ramayana here. There is a marble image of Valmiki and his samadhi near the temple. It is believed that this temple is one of the three temples constructed near the confluence of Manjira and Godavari rivers by Ashtrakutas. According to another school of thought ‘Bijialudu’ a Karnataka king, who ruled the province of Nandagiri with Nanded as his capital in the sixth century, constructed the temple at Basara. The image of Lakshmi stands besides Goddess Saraswati in the sanctum sanctorum. Due to the presence of Saraswati, Lakshmi and Kali, Basara is considered as the abode of the divine trinity.
There is rush of pilgrims coming to Basara to perform “Akshara abhyasam” for the children before commencing formal school education. Since Maharishi Vyasa spent considerable time in prayers, the place was then called “Vasara” and turned into Basara due to the influence of the Marathi language in the region.

It is a must visit for people from Maharashtra when they visit on pilgrimage to Parli Vaijnath , Aundha Nagnath or Nanded

TEMPLE TIMINGS- Temple is open from 4:00 Am to 8:30 PM and closes in between from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM

LONAR - A CRATER SITE

This is a pre-historic site of a meteor which crashed on earth some 50,000 years ago and formed a large crater of 100 meters in diameter and 150 meters in depth in the ground. Though there are other “impact craters’’ in the world but this one is the only in besalt rocks. The pH value of water in the lake which has formed in the crater is 10.7 which is alkaline in nature. There are no living organisms in the lake and even trees whose roots get into the lake water dies. There is also a temple of "Kamalja Devi" at the edge of lake. Around the lake there are 12 small temples of Lord Shiva built and local people believe that darshan of these 12 temples is like visiting the 12 Jyotirling’s of India.

Apart from lake one could visit "Daityasudan Surya Temple" , "Gaimukh" which is a perennial source of fresh water work done by Peshwas to channelize the water,

"Motha Maruti" Hanuman Temple which is a temple built around a magnetic rock supposedly formed from "meteor" effect and it is believed that as long as one stays in the temple premises the blood pressure of that individual remains perfect . Lonar is ~160 km (3 hrs) from Aurangabad and is a must visit for those who have scientific inclination as well as religious interests.

BHAIYA DOOJ

भाई बहिन का प्यार होता है भैया दूज का त्योहार 

Diwali, the festival of lights, is a five day long celebrations. The fifth or the last day of diwali is Bhaiya Dooj, popularly know as Bhai Dooj. The reason why this festival is known as bhai dooj is that it falls on the second day after the new moon, that is the Dooj day. And it is a day to pray for the long life of the brother, which is referred as “bhayya or bhai”. According to religious scriptures, Yamaraj, the God of death, went to visit his sister's house after a long period of separation. His sister, Yami was very happy to see him and welcomed him by putting an auspicious mark on his forehead for his welfare. Yami and Yamraj then shared a meal. He was so pleased with his sister's reception, he proclaimed that every year, on the dooj day, if a sister puts a tilak on her brother's forehead, then no one can harm her brother. Till date, this tradition is followed. Sisters perform puja for their brothers safety and well being, they put tilak on their forehead and feed sweets. Brothers in return give gifts to their sisters as a token of love.

Another version says that Lord Krishna, after killing Narakasur, the asura king, went to meet his sister Subhadra. Subhadra welcomed him in the traditional way by showing him a light and putting on his forehead a tilak of her sisterly protection.

The festival of Diwali is incomplete without bhai dooj. It is referred as  “Bhav-Bij” in the Maharashtra.

The essence of the Bhai dooj festival is that it is celebrated to strengthen the love between brothers and sisters. It is a day of food-sharing, gift-giving and reaching out to the inner most depths of the hearts. 

DIWALI – TRULY A NATIONAL FESTIVAL

दिवाली है दीपों का त्योहार , सभी धर्मों में लाती  है खुशियों की बहार 

Amongst all the festivals Diwali is one of the festivals which is most widely celebrated across India the main reasons of these being as follows :-

1) Goddess Lakshmi's Birthday: On this very Diwali day, the Goddess of wealth, Lakshmi is said to have been incarnated from the depth of the bottomless ocean.

2) The Killing of Narakasura: The Bhagavata Purana tells us about Narakasura, an evil demon king who had managed to acquire awesome powers. When Lord Vishnu was incarnated as Krishna in the Dwapara Yuga, he killed Narakasura on the day preceding Diwali and rescued 16,000 women whom the demon had imprisoned in his palace.

3) The Return of the Pandavas: The great Hindu epic `Mahabharata' reveals that it was `Kartik Amavashya' (the new moon day of the Kartik month) when the Pandavas appeared from their 12 years of banishment.

4) The Victory of Rama: The great Hindu epic `Ramayana' describes how Lord Ram (the incarnation of Lord Vishnu in the Treta Yug) conquered Lanka after vanquishing the evil King Ravana and after passing a period of of fourteen years in exile returned to his capital Ayodhya on a new moon day of Kartik with wife Sita and brother Lakshman. To celebrate the homecoming of their beloved king, the people of Ayodhya burst crackers, lit up their houses with earthen lamps (diyas), and decorated the entire city in the grandest manner.

5) It is said that Vikramaditya, the legendary Indian king famed for his wisdom, valour and magnanimity was coroneted on the Diwali day following his victory over the Sakas in 56 BC.

6) Diwali marks the auspicious occasion when on a new moon day of Kartik (Diwali day) Swami Dayananda Saraswati, one of the greatest reformers of Hinduism attained his nirvana (enlightenment) and became Maharshi Dayananda.

7) For Jains, Diwali commemorates the enlightenment of Vardhamana Mahavira(the twenty-fourth and last Tirthankaras of the Jains and the founder of modern Jainism) which is said to have occurred on Oct. 15, 527 B.C.

8) For Sikhs, Diwali holds a special significance for it was on a Diwali day that the third Sikh Guru Amar Das institutionalized the festival of lights as an occasion when all Sikhs would gather to receive the Gurus blessings. It was also on a Diwali day in 1619 that their sixth religious leader, Guru Hargobind Ji, who was held by the Mughal Emperor Jahengir in the Gwalior fort, was freed from imprisonment along with 52 Hindu Kings (political prisoners) whom he had arranged to be released as well. And it was also on the same auspicious occasion of Diwali when the foundation stone of the Golden Temple at Amritsar was laid in 1577.

9) Kali Puja in West Bengal

To conclude, there are several reasons behind Diwali celebrations and almost every region of India has its own reason to observe the occasion. Whatever the cause behind its celebration, Diwali is undoubtedly a national festival of India, and the aesthetic aspect of the festival is enjoyed by most Indians regardless of faith.

Padwa & Govardhan Puja

जय श्री कृष्ण 

Padwa

The day following the Amavasya is “ Kartik Shuddh Padwa ” and it is only on this day that the King Bali would come out of Pathal Loka and rule Bhulok as per the boon given by Lord Vishnu. This day also marks the coronation of King Vikramaditya and Vikaram-Samvat was started from this Padwa day.


Govardhan-Puja
Govardhan-Puja is also performed in the North on this day. Govardhan is a small hill in Braj, near Mathura and on this day of Diwali people build cowdung, hillocks, decorate them with flowers and then worship them. This festival is in commemoration of the lifting of Govardhan Mountain by Lord Krishna. As per Vishnu-Puran the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in honor of Lord Indra and worshiped him after the end of every monsoon season but one particular year the young Krishna stopped them from offering prayers to Lord Indra who in terrific anger sent a deluge to submerge Gokul.

People were afraid that the downpour was a result of their neglect of Lord Indra. But Lord Krishna assured them that no harm would befall them. He lifted Govardhan Mountain with his little finger and sheltered men and beasts from the rain. 

KARMA

कर्म ही आस्था है  

   

कर्म ही मानवता है 

कर्म ही  प्रधान है 

 Many times we hear people say that they are suffering although they have done no harm to anyone and have done their Karma with full sincerity. I believe this happens due to karma of previous birth. However , what is in control of human beings is the Karma of this birth and that is what they should concentrate on.So the question is if Karma of this birth gives good or bad effect in the next birth than why should one worry at all about this. Now one needs to understand this subject well. If you do lots of good or bad ( I am not writing here what is good or bad as that is something one understands very well ! ) in this birth you are bound to get  back a part of it in some form or the other in this birth. Extreme misuse of chair / powers that one has will surely give suffering in this birth. Moderate amount of bad Karma gives effect on one's children and family in this birth itself. I would strongly urge all to dedicate some amount of time to think about this to stop unnecessary suffering that their family or children are bound to get due to bad Karma of this birth. Dedicate some amount of wealth and time towards society , the down trodden and poor. Have belief in god and bow your head to the almighty but the true service to god is service to the poor. Pray to god but see god in living human being also. Today's materialistic world makes one commit bad Karma ( for money , position ,status etc )  and one must balance this out by doing good Karma - this is the Mantra , if one follows one will not suffer neither  will their family members.

SUMMARY - Balance out the Good and Bad Karma to avoid sufferings to self and family in this birth and sufferings to self in the next birth.

झूठी शान में नहीं है मान 

अपनी नज़रों में उठ कर बनो महान

HAPPY DIWALI TO ALL

LAKSHMI PUJA ON DIWALI

JAI MA LAKSHMI

The third day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day of Lakshmi-puja and is entirely devoted to Goddess Lakshmi. Despite the fact that this day falls on an amavasya day it is regarded as the most auspicious.

The day of Lakshmi-Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. The strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the temples as we invoke Goddess Laxmi . All of a sudden that impenetrable darkness is pierced by innumerable rays of light for just a moment and the next moment a blaze of light descends down to earth from heaven as golden-footed Deep-Lakshmi alights on earth in all her celestial glory amidst chantings of Vedic hymns.

A sublime light of knowledge dawns upon humanity and this self enlightenment is expressed through the twinkling lamps that illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the lowly abodes of the poor. It is believed that on this day Goddess Lakshmi showers her blessings on man for plenty and prosperity.

Lakshmi Pooja, or the worship of the goddess of wealth, is the main event on Diwali in North and West India. It is extremely important to keep the house clean and pure on Diwali. Goddess Lakshmi likes cleanliness, and she will visit the cleanest house first. This is also the reason why the broom is worshiped on this day with offerings of haldi and kumkum . Lamps are lit in the evening to welcome the goddess. They are believed to light up her path.

Lakshmi Puja consists of a combined puja of five deities: Lord Ganesha is worshiped at the beginning of every auspicious act as Vighnaharta; Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped in her three forms - Mahalakshmi (the goddess of wealth and money), Mahasaraswati (the goddess of books and learning), and Mahakali; Kuber (the treasurer of the gods) is also worshiped. Ma Saraswati is worshipped so that we are blessed with wisdom to spend the wealth in righteous manner.

On this day fire crackers are also burst , people wear new dresses and decorate their house with lamps.

NARAK CHATURDASI

The day before Diwali is celebrated as Chhoti Diwali / Narak Chaturdasi or 'small Diwali'. It is Diwali on a smaller scale, with fewer lights lit and fewer crackers burst. On this night Hanuman, the son of Anjana, the divine son of the god of air (Pavan) was born. So it is also observed as Hanuman Jayanti. This festival is observed since the day lord Krishna killed the demon Narkasur.

The morning after Choti Diwali, the women of the house make beautiful, colored rangoli in the doorway and courtyard. Tiny footprints made out of rice paste are a special feature of the rangolis made for Diwali. In Hindu homes, Chhoti Diwali celebrations involve a ritual puja to Goddess Lakshmi and also to Rama in the evening. Songs in honor of the god are sung and aarti is performed.

LEGENDS BEHIND CHHOTI DIWALI

The story goes that the demon king Narakasur ruler of Pragjyotishpur (a province to the South of Nepal) after defeating Lord Indra had snatched away the magnificent earrings of Aditi, the Mother Goddess (the ruler of Suraloka and a relative of Satyabhama, Lord Krishna's wife) and imprisoned sixteen thousand daughters of the gods and saints in his harem.

On coming to know about this, Satyabhama was enraged by Narakasura's malevolence towards women, and she appealed to Krishna to give her the golden chance to destroy Narakasura. The legend also says that Narakasura was given a curse that he would be killed by a woman. Krishna granted Satyabhama a boon to fight with Narakasura. With Krishna as the charioteer, Satyabhama entered the battle field. During the war, Krishna swooned for a while, a preordained divinely act adopted to empower Satyabhama to kill the demon. After Narakasura was beheaded, the imprisoned women were released, and Krishna accepted to marry them.

So on the day previous to Narakachaturdashi, Lord Krishna's divine intervention led to the killing of the demon, Narakasura and liberation of the imprisoned women as well as recovery of the precious earrings of Aditi. As a symbol of that victory Lord Krishna smeared his forehead with the demon king's blood. Krishna returned home in the very early morning of the Naraka chaturdashi day. The womenfolk massaged scented oil to his body and gave him a good bath to wash away the filth from his body. Since then the custom of taking bath before sunrise on this day has become a traditional practice specially in Maharashtra.


In South India that victory of the divine over the mundane is celebrated in a very peculiar way. People wake up before sunrise prepare a paste by mixing Kumkum in oil, symbolizing blood and after breaking a bitter fruit that represents the head of the demon King that was smashed by Krishna, apply that mixture on their foreheads. Then they have an oil bath using sandalwood paste.

There is also a legend that after victory from Lanka when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya , then he along with Ma Sita gave gifts to all the warriors. Ma Sita gave a pearl necklace to Shri Hanumanji. Shri Hanumanji being a bhakt of Lord Rama started searching Lord Ram’s name in the necklace. But he did not get it , so he requested Ma Sita to give a gift which has Lord Ram’s name in it.Ma Sita gave her sindoor to Hanumanji and said I put this with name of Lord Rama and he feels happy with this. On hearing this Lord Hanuman put that sindoor on his whole body.This day is also celebrated as day when Hanumanji received Sindoor from Ma Sita.

This festival is also the day of worship of Yama, the god of death. So after oil massage and bath in early morning (before sunrise), gratification should be shown to him. After that offer handful of water three times to Bhishma Pitamah of Mahabharata. According to Hindu scriptures, libation to the ancestors should be offered particularly by those whose fathers are alive. This is the only day in the whole year when a son with a living father can offer libations and water to the ancestors, which is very pleasing to them and the fear of death vanishes.

In the evening, burn four lights in reverence to Yama and then other lamps are lit. The lamps lit in name of Yama make year long good deeds in the household permanent, failing which there may be obstacles in life.

DHANTERAS धनतेरस

ॐ कमलायै नमः

Dhanteras is the first day of the five-day दिवाली Festival. Dhanteras as the word denotes is welcoming wealth 'Dhan' on the thirteenth day ('teras') of the month of Aashin (Ashwin). As such this day of the five-day diwali festival has a great importance for the rich business community of India. On Dhanteras, the "Owl" form of the Goddess Laxmi is worshiped to provide prosperity and well being. Houses and business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances are made colorful with lovely traditional rangolis to welcome the goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and vermilion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all through the nights. On this auspicious day women purchase some gold or silver or at least one or two new utensils. Pooja is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotional songs- are sung in praise of Goddess Lakshmi.
Events in the Hindu calendar that held special significance in the ancient days are celebrated with great gusto even today. Diwali which is the festival of lights was celebrated to welcome Lord Rama who returned to Ayodhyay after 14 years of exile in the forest. The return of the Divine after an extended period of unhappiness signifies lighting the lamps of truth and purity and driving away the darkness that lives within as well as surrounds us. To celebrate the re-establishment of God on earth and demise of the rule of asuras or Ravana, Diwali is celebrated.

Dhanteras is also known as Dhantrayodashi, and takes place two days before Diwali, in honour of Dhanavantri, the physician of the gods and an incarnation of Vishnu.

STORY AND SIGNIFICANCE
The legend of Samudramanthan is at the heart of these celebrations. Lord Indra was cursed by sage Durvasa that “The pride of wealth has entered his head and let Lakshmi leave him." On account of Durvasa's curse, Lakshmi left Indra and went away. As Lakshmi is the goddess of power, bravery, enthusiasm and radiance left, Devendra's life became miserable. The demons that were waiting for such an opportunity invaded heaven, defeated Indra. He lost his kingdom and hid out of the sight of the demons.
A number of years passed. Indra's teacher Brihaspati thought of finding a way out for Indra's troubles. He went with the gods to Brahma, who went to Vishnu, A way was found out of it. The sea of milk was to be churned. It was a very difficult job. Therefore the friendship of the demons to get their assistance was required. Mandara Mountain was a churning rod and Vasuki, the king of the serpents, as a rope.
When the sea will be churned अमृत will be produced. The gods must drink it and become immortal. It will then be possible for gods to defeat the demons. When the sea is churned, Lakshmi who has disappeared will appear again. Her grace will be bestowed.The clever Brihaspati managed to strike a friendship with the demons who agreed in the hope of getting अमृत and wealth. After initial difficulties posed by the sinking of mount Mandara into the milky sea which was set right by Lord Vishnu who took the form of a tortoise and hoisted it on his back, the churning started.
First, Kalakuta, a dreadful poison was produced which Lord Shiva drank much to the relief of the gods and demons. Due to Vishnu's continued encouragement, gods and demons continued churning the sea. Then a horse by name Uchaishravas, Kalpavriksha had the power to grant what is wished, and Kamdhenu and other celestial articles took shape. When the sea continued to be churned the Apsara were born.
After that in the midst of the waves of the sea of milk, a goddess with heavenly looks came into view. She was standing on a fully blossomed lotus. Wearing a lotus garland in the neck, she was holding a lotus in her hand. She was attractive and was radiantly smiling, she was Lakshmi.
The sages began reciting hymns in praise of her. Gandharvas sang. Apsaras danced. The elephants on either side sprinkled sacred holy Ganga water on the goddess and bathed her. Because the elephants sprinkled holy water on her, she acquired the name of Gajalakshmi. Because she was born in the sea of milk, she was called Samudratanya. The king of the sea appeared in his natural form and comforted Lakshmi as a daughter. He presented her with attractive clothes and jewels. He handed to her a garland of lotus flowers. While everybody was looking in surprise, Lakshmi put the garland around the neck of Vishnu. Then she looked at Indra kindly, he acquired an extraordinary radiance.
The gods and demons continued to churn the ocean for Amrit or nectar, Finally Dhanavantri emerged carrying a jar of the nectar. Both the asuras and the devas wanted the amrit, but finally Vishnu managed to give the immortal nectar to the gods and the asuras where defeated. Thus the churning of the ocean resulted in the immortality of the devas and was the reason for Lakshmi's emergence.
Another interesting story about this day is of the sixteen year old son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was doomed to die by a snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins in a big heap at the entrance of her husband’s boudoir and lighted innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on telling stories and singing songs. When Yam, the god of death arrived there in the guise of a serpent his eyes got blinded by that dazzle of those brilliant lights and he could not enter the prince’s chamber. So he climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat there whole night listening to the melodious songs. In the morning he quietly went away.
Thus the young wife saved her husband from the clutches of death. Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the day of "YAMADEEPDAAN" and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverential adoration to Yam, the god of death.
TRADITIONS
On Dhanteras Hindus consider it auspicious to purchase gold or silver articles or at least one or two new utensils. It is believed that new “Dhan” or some form of precious metal is a sign of good luck. "Laxmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny दिया of clay are lit to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. "Bhajans"-devotional songs- in praise of Goddess Laxmi are also sung.
CELEBRATIONS
Dhanteras is celebrated with gusto and enthusiasm. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny diyas of clay are lit to drive away the shadows of evil spirits. Bhajans - devotional songs - in praise of Goddess Laxmi are sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess. There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly pound dry coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.
In villages , cattle are adorned and worshiped by farmers as they form the main source of their income. In south India, cows are offered great respect because they are thought of as incarnations of the Goddess Lakshmi.

GANGA MA – THE HOLY RIVER

गंगा स्नान का महत्व

BACKGROUND
The river Ganges known as Mother Ganga is the most important of the sacred rivers of India. Hindus regard the Ganges as the holiest of all rivers. It was named after the goddess Ganga, the daughter of the mountain god Himalaya The Puranas sacred texts declare that the sight, the name and the touch of Ganga, washes away all sins; and that bathing in Ganga bestows blessings of the highest order. Hindus choose Ganga for holy rituals. Gangajal, the water of Ganga, is held so sacred that with this in hand no Hindu would dare commit a sin

The river has its source in the Himalayas, at Gaumakh in the southern Himalayas on the Indian side of the Tibetan border ,flowing east through the Gangetic Plain of northern India into Bangladesh. The 2,510 km river rises in the western Himalayas in the Uttarakhand state of India, and drains into the Sunderbans delta in the Bay of Bengal. It is considered a holy river by Hindus and worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. The average depth of the river is 52 feet (16 m), and the maximum depth, 100 feet (30 m).
The tributaries to its left are Mahakali , Karnali , Koshi , Gandak , Ghagra and to its right are Yamuna , Son & Mahananda.
The Ganges, above all is the river of India, which has held India's heart captive and drawn uncounted millions to her banks since the dawn of history. The story of the Ganges, from her source to the sea, from old times to new, is the story of India's civilization and culture, of the rise and fall of empires, of great and proud cities, of adventures of man…
The river follows an 800 km curving course passing through the city of Kanpur before being joined from the southwest by the Yamuna at Allahabad. This point is known as the Sangam at Allahabad. Sangam is a sacred place in Hinduism. According to ancient Hindu texts, at one time a third river, the Saraswati, met the other two rivers at this point.

Religious Significance of Ganga
Situated on the banks of River Ganges, Varanasi is considered by some to be the most holy city in Hinduism. The Ganges is mentioned in the Rig-Veda, the earliest of the Hindu scriptures.
There are many stories as to how river Ganga came down from haven to earth. According to the Indian ancient books, King Sagar had sixty thousand sons who were burnt to ashes due to the anger of saint Kapil Muni. They blamed that the saint has stolen a horse of the ritual yagna of King Sagar. King Sagar took suggestion from various saints regarding the salvations of his sons. They all suggested that if the Holy Ganga is brought from the haven and the ashes of his sons were dipped in it, their souls will definitely achieve nirvana or moksha. King Sagar requested his son Bhagirath to worship Lord Brahma. The famous king Bhagiratha then did Tapasya for many years constantly to bring the river Ganga, then residing in the Heavens, down on the Earth to find salvation for his ancestors, who were cursed by a seer . When Brahmaji was pleased, he asked him to release Ganga from his Kamandal and let it flow on the earth. Brahma told that he would do as such but the earth will not be able to tolerate the extreme velocity of Ganga. That is the reason Lord Shiva received Ganga on his head. Lord Shiva did so but somehow Ganga got stuck in his hair. King again worshiped Shiva to release Ganga from his hair. Since than Ganga has been flowing on earth and is worshiped by billions. For Hindus in India, the Ganga is not just a river but a mother, a goddess, a tradition, a culture and much more.
Some Hindus also believe life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganges at least once in one's lifetime. Many Hindu families keep a vial of water from the Ganges in their house. This is done because it is prestigious to have water of the Holy Ganga in the house, and also so that if someone is dying, that person will be able to drink its water. Many Hindus believe that the water from the Ganga can cleanse a person's soul of all past sins, and that it can also cure the ill.
Some of the most important Hindu festivals and religious congregation (worship) happen here. Congregations are celebrated on the banks of the river Ganges, such as the Kumbh Mela every twelve years at Allahabad also known as Prayag.
Varanasi has hundreds of temples along the banks of the Ganges which often become flooded during the rains. This city, especially along the banks of the Ganges, is an important place of worship for Hindus as well as a cremation ground.
Ganga is regarded as the holy river of India. According to the Hindu beliefs a dip in the Ganga water can wash away all the sins. Thousand of people spend the last days of their life on the bank of the river. Ganga is regarded as the Goddess and is worshiped among the Hindus. Ganga Devi is one of the two daughters of Meru (the Himalayas), the other one is Uma (the consort of Shiva). Every day the arti (prayer) is done on the bank of the river to pay homage to the Goddess Ganga. Many people in India call Ganga as Ganga Ma.