Deepawali

Laxmi Pujan

Goddess Lakshmi, the Hindu deity worshiped on the Hindu's biggest festival Diwali, symbolizes wealth, fortune, power, luxury, beauty, fertility, and auspiciousness as per the Hindu mythology. The deity is the key to material fulfillment and contentment. Every year thousands of worshipers pay homage to the deity on this auspicious day.

Shri is the sacred name of the goddess which carries an underlying current. It evokes grace, affluence, authority, abundance, holiness & is used often before starting an auspicious work, such as written on top of documents, spoken before addressing a god, teacher holy man to name a few. She embodies the ethereal beauty of nature. Also known as Bhoodevi, the earth-goddess, Laxmi is the nurturer who bestows power, pleasure and prosperity on her devotees.

The goddess, like Durga, has eight forms, known as Ashta Lakshmi, commonly worshiped by Hindus, each bestowing one form of wealth to her devotees. These are namely : Aadi Lakshmi, Santhana Lakshmi, Gaja Lakshmi, Dhana Lakshmi, Dhaanya Lakshmi, Vijaya Lakshmi, Veera Lakshmi, Aiswarya Lakshmi. The swarna-hasta meaning golden-handed, is the better half of Lord Vishnu. She showers prosperity in every aspect, be it material or the moral and ethical values, the nobler aspects of life, the power of the mind and intellect.

Diwali is synonymous with “Laxmi Pujan”, since, she brings peace and prosperity to all. The Devi is worshiped on the night of diwali where traditional rituals are performed to honor the Goddess. After sunset, atleast five pieces of ghee diyas (lamps) are lit in front of the deities to usher in light. She is offered traditional sweets & it is followed by devotional songs in praise of the deity.

Chopda Pujan

Diwali is a festival of Hindus, but especially of the Businessmen, On this day they do puja of Account books and start writing their new accounts. This is called as "Chopda Pujan" or "Sharda Pujan" or "Muharat Pujan" meaning puja of account books. Chopda pujan is a day for everyone not only to reconcile one's financial books but also the spiritual books. People should pray to God to forgive us for all the mistakes this past year and to give the wisdom and strength to not make them the next year.

The Chopda Pujan/ Sharda Pujan/Muharat is a ceremony when ledgers and new account books are opened by the mercantile community following a special prayer and worship before the idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Lakshmi to earn their blessings. All the traditional Vedic rituals or Maha Puja is performed and all the devotees have a prosperous new year and there be peace throughout the world by performing Chopda Puja.

In Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharastra, Diwali represents the start of a new business year so all businesses close their accounts and present them to Lakshmi and Ganesh during the Chopda Pujan. Inside their account ledgers they write 'Subh' (auspiciousness) and 'Labh' (merit) to invoke the two deities. Thus,Diwali is the festival when the new business year begins it is said that Diwali is the "Time to shop or start new ventures".

Deva Divali

The full moon day in Kartik, the first month of the Indian calendar brings in the festival of Dev Diwali. For the Jains, it is the day of 'Nirvana' of Lord Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Tirthankara. To them it is the Deva Diwali when Lord Mahavira is worshiped, Agams (Jain holy books) are read and homes and temples are illuminated. Lamps are lit under the moonlight sky and a family feast celebrates this day.

Thousands of Jain pilgrims from all over India flock to the sacred Mount Girnar in Gujarat where special celebrations are held on this day. It is said that the first scriptural reference to Diwali is found in the Jain scripture Harivamsha Purana, by Acharya Jinasena. None of the principal Hindu scriptures mention the festival in particular. This has made some believe that , Diwali was originally a Jain festival and later adopted by Hindus as a festival of their own.

Lord Mahavira, the last of the Jain Thirthankaras, said to have attained Nirvana on this day at Pavapuri. Accoriding Jain legends the first disciple of Mahavira, Ganadhar Gautam Swami also attained complete knowledge on this very day, thus making Diwali a really special occasion for the Jains to celebrate.

The way Jains celebrate Diwali is different in many respect. There is a note of asceticism in what ever the Jains do and the celebration of Diwali is not an exception. The Jains celebrate Diwali during the month of Kartik for three days. During this period, devoted Jains observe fasting and chant the Uttaradhyayan Sutra which contain the final pravachans of Lord Mahavira and meditate upon him.

Sukhsuptika

Deepawali is one of the oldest rituals for Kashmiri Pundits. That can be find a mention of its celebrations in Nilmat Puran. It was then celebrated as Sukhsuptika which literally means sleep with happiness. The celebration would start from Ekadeshi and last on Amavasya. On Amavasya elders of family would keep a fast and worship goddess Laxmi after sunset. Earthen lamps were placed in temples, on the road crossings, cremation grounds, banks of rivers, streams and lakes hills houses, at the foot of trees, cow sheds, court yards and shops. People would wear new clothes and listen to music.

With the passage of time some of these things have become obsolete but the tradition is still there. Since we were not used to eating Sweets in Kashmir, we substituted sweets with sweet puris and offered the same to Lord Narayan (incarnation of Lord Vishnu). On the whole we do not celebrate Diwili with the same gusto as is done by our Hindu brethren outside Kashmir. This could be due to the fact that we are Lord Shiva worshipers. Diwali is primarily a worship of Lord Vishnu who is very popular in the plains of India.

On Kartika Amavasya all except the sick and the children keep fast in Kashmir. In the evening Laxmi, the Goddess of Wealth is worshiped. Lamps are placed in temples, on crossings of roads, cremation grounds, banks of rivers, streams and lakes, hills, houses, at the foot of trees, cow-sheds, courtyards and shops. Shops are decorated tastefully. Feast is arranged in the evening in which friends relatives, Brahmins and servants participate. On the next day people with new clothes on, gamble and listen to vocal and instrumental music.

Kaumudi Mahostavam

In the olden days of South India, Deepavali was once called as 'Kaumudi Mahostavam'. In those times the kings used to supervise the festivities of Diwali during the nights. The rituals and customs of those days are still followed such as black gram leaves are eaten even today. Lamps are distributed. Late in the night, women bring out their household weapons like dustpans, mops, etc, to drive away 'Jyesthadevi', the Goddess of penury.

It is believed that on Amavasya (no moon day), Goddess Lakshmi is present in sesame oil, and Gangadevi is present in all wells, lakes, and ponds. Sesame oil is used for taking bath. Plants like Uttarani, Anapa and Prapunnatamu are circled around the head before taking bath. Yama is worshiped facing South. It is believed that this helps in combating untimely death and in giving peace to the departed souls. In the evening, lamps are lightened almost everywhere in the town including the temples, hills, graveyards, etc.

Badhausar

For Gujaratis Diwali is known as Badhausar. It is their belief that on this day Goddess Lakshmi descends from the heaven to the earth to live in a clean and tidy house. This a general belief of having clean house. Flowers of different hues and colors decorate the households. Girls of the all household go around in groups to each and they are traditionally dressed in the full bright colors that they are known for. The girls offer Mera, a prayer in front of each household and invoke God to bless each member of the family.

Rangoli is a floral design and use of flower is custom on the day of Badhausar. On the next day all the girls of the village prepare the sweets and personally take the sweets from house to house and deliver it with good wishes. They also carry earthen lamps (diyas) through the village in the evening on the second day making the entire atmosphere picturesque devotional fun enduring.

Balindra Pooja

Balindra Pooja is observed in the morning of the thirteenth day of the dark half of Ashwija. First the puja is offered to water. Next morning at moon rise, a pooja offering oil to Krishna is performed. On the New Moon day, Pooja is offered to the image of Bali, which is artistically drawn on the ground in front of the gopuram. This is a popular puja done in the household of most of the South Indian states including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

On the next day puja is offered to the cows after they are washed, decorated and fed with special sweets etc. Then, the cows are taken in a procession. A Balindra is molded out of cow dung in a square shape. Shavanthi flowers are stuck on to it. This is worshiped as Balindra. A large number of wick lamps are lighted on this occasion.

In the evening there is an elaborate aarati of Varalakshmi, Mangal Gowri and Swarna Gowri. The objects needed for the aarati which are placed on a thaal (plate)are akshata, (rice grains) haldi, paan and chuna (lime paste) Alternatively, it can also be performed by lighting camphor on a silver plate or with a silver ghee lamp. The day marks the beginning of one month of lighting of the Kartika deepa at the door or threshold. The entire house is lit up and decorated with lamps of til oil and crackers are burst.

Karthigai Deepam

Kaarthigai Deepam is a festival of lights, celebrated in the Tamil month of Kaarthigai. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the Kaarthigai month which coincides with Krithikai star. It is also considered as the extension of the Deepavali festival. In some houses, they double the number of lamps every day from the day of Deepavali and this way, they end up with a number of lamps on the day of Kaarthigai Deepam.

It is celebrated in a special manner in Thiruvannamalai. Lord Shiva asks Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu to find out the exact location of his head and his feet. Since Lord Shiva takes a gigantic form, they are not able to find out anywhere. Then Lord Shiva takes the form of a jyothi (light of fire) on the hill of Thiruvannamali. Therefore, this festival is also known as Annamalai Deepam. Here, a special torch is lighted on the zenith of the hill and it is believed that Lord Shiva's jothi will be visible on this day.

Lord Muruga took the form of six babies in a lake called "Saravana Poigai". On this day, all his six forms were united by Parvathi(his mother) and this way, he had six faces. Special poojas are performed to Lord Muruga.

On this day, people clean the houses. In the evening, they draw kolams (rangoli) in the front of the house and also place some lamps on it. The lamps(Agal) are placed in the pooja and lighted. Then the Deeparathana is done in which the lamps are moved to different places in the house. The lamps glow all over the streets on this day. The lamps are arranged near the doors and windows and also in the balconies. In this way, people of Tamil Nadu celebrate Kaarthigai Deepam for three days.

Thalai Deepavali

Deepavali is especially special if it is "Thalai Deepavali"- the first one after the wedding. Newly weds are pampered by family members and showered with gifts. The newly-wed are invited for the first Deepavali and are provided 'Seer,' a part of the dowry, as per the custom. During the first year after marriage, the girls are also given 'Thalai Karthikai' as a gift. The celebrations include a visit to the temple, gifts of clothes and jewelery, gorging on sweets and receiving blessings of elders. The groom's parents, brothers and sisters come down to join in the celebrations.

Among the usual Diwali customs and rituals, is the extra special, once-in-a-life event: The first Diwali after marriage. In Tamil Nadu, it is celebrated as Thalai Deepavali. During Thalai Deepavali, the newly weds go to the bride's parental home for revelry. The day starts very early, around 3.30 - 4 in the morning, with the ritual of the early morning oil bath. The music of Nadaswaram and Mrudangam floats on the fresh morning air. After the bath the bride and groom accept their new clothes, kept at the feet of God and also the Lehiyam (a form of medicine). Taking blessings from the elders, they burst the first crackers of the day. Usually a vast range of crackers is bought, with costs running into thousands of rupees.

Sharda Pujan

Sharda pujan is performed on the third day of Diwali and it is also the last day of Hindu year. On this day devotees light diyas and decorate the house with brightly colored lights. To ensure success, traders worship their new account books; non-traders also do pujan of their saving books. The businessmen balanced their previous years accounts. This pujan is known as Sharda poojan and is generally performed by the eldest member of the family. Hindus, especially students offer pujan to books during Sharda pujan as Sharda is the other name of Ma Saraswati, the goddess of learning. Goddess Sharda is symbolic of conquest over one's self.

A Rangoli, an intricate artistic design using bright colored powders, is created at the entrance of homes. This is to welcome people who visit or come to home. Various sweets are offered to the Lord and served as Prashad. During Sharda Pujan, vedic rituals are also held to welcome the Hindu new year. Since it is the last day of the year people resolve all personal conflicts forgiving and forgetting misdeeds of the past year and start the New Year afresh. After Sharda pujan, firecrackers and fireworks are lit at night.

Bandi Chhor Diwas

Not only Hindus, but Sikhs also celebrate Diwali as Bandi Chhor Diwas, an important festival. More for historical reasons than religious, has acquired a very special significance in the Sikh tradition. It is said that the foundation stone for the Golden Temple was laid during the time of Diwali in 1577. The occasion of Bandi Chhor Diwas prompt the followers of Sikhism to celebrate the day with joy and happiness.

Diwali played an important role in the life of Sri Guru Hargobind Ji, the sixth Guru of the Sikhs. When Jehangir, the Mughal emperor, arrested Guru Hargobind and put him in a prison in Gwalior, gloom descended upon Sikhs. But later Jehangir relented and let the Guru go. Accompanied by his followers and to the joy of many Sikhs, the Guru returned to Amritsar and made an appearance before his followers. Thus, this day is very significant for people following Sikh religion. This festival can be best described in these words:

Hey Waheguru! "Raaj Na Chaahayu, Mukti Na Chaahyu Man Preet Charan Kamlaare"

Oh Wonderful Lord! I neither desire for empire and material realm nor liberation or mukti, my soul longs for the love of your lotus feet.

Celebrating Diwali and Lightening a Deeva in true sense is acquiring divine knowledge and being selfless, tolerant, humble, kind and sweet spoken. That leads one to become one with Waheguru (god).

Pray to God on this beautiful occasion of Diwali to give us light, to give us understanding, so that we may know what pleaseth thee, and may all (all whole mankind) prosper by the Grace.

Waheguru ji Ka Khalsa, (Hail God's Khalsa)

Waheguru ji ki Fateh. (Victory be to God)

Diyari

The Festival of Diwali among Sindhis is known as Diyari. While the most of the customs for the celebration of Diayri are similar to othwers, Sindhis have also developed over a period of time, some special functions such as they wash Gold/ Silver coins in unboiled milk and water. During Laksmi pooja, sweet in form of Chikki made of jaggery and peanuts is aoffered. After the Laksmmi aarti, Sindhis follow the custom of picking one coin from the lot and gently hitting the teeth with it. During this ritual, following phrase is spoken "Laksmi aayi, Danat vaai" meaing Goddess Laksmi has arrived and poverty has gone away. This also has a message that after all you cannot eat the wealth. They keep their house open throughout night to welcome Goddess Lakshmi.

On the day of Diyari, Sindhis do not indulge in cleansing exercise and the broomstick and vaccum cleaner are not used. To make up perhaps, decorations begin well in advance and the entire household is cleared, cleaned and washed. However on the festival day of Lakshmi pooja the broomstick is not put to use. Many Sindhi households also have three matkas in which sweets, dry fruits etc., are kept symbolizing the need to save. Sai Bhaji ( a delicious dish of spinach and Gram Dal ) with rice, sweet with jaggery is a must in the Sindhi household on Diyari.

Aadi Guru Shankaracharya

In this year 2010, the birthday of Shri Adi Shankaracharya came on 18th of May, but due to the server system failure I was quite unable to publish post about Him. On this day the birthday of Saint Soordas was also there. But I was quite unable to write about both and that is why, I am publishing something about HIM today. I'll try to write about Saint Soordas also. But now, this is only about Aadi Shankaracharya. He was the Great Hindu Saint and the Great Hindu Philosopher. He was the only person who is seemed to be avataar of Lord Shankar and that is why he was quite capable to rebuilt the Sanatan Hindu Dharma in India.

Shri Adi Shankaracharya or the first Shankara with his remarkable reinterpretations of Hindu scriptures, especially on Upanishads or Vedanta, had a profound influence on the growth of Hinduism at a time when chaos, superstition and bigotry was rampant. Shankara advocated the greatness of the Vedas and was the most famous Advaita philosopher who restored the Vedic Dharma and Advaita Vedanta to its pristine purity and glory.

Shri Adi Shankaracharya, known as Bhagavatpada Acharya (the guru at the feet of Lord), apart from refurbishing the scriptures, cleansed the Vedic religious practices of ritualistic excesses and ushered in the core teaching of Vedanta, which is Advaita or non-dualism for the mankind. Shankara restructured various forms of desultory religious practices into acceptable norms and stressed on the ways of worship as laid down in the Vedas.

Shankara’s Childhood

Shankara was born in a Brahmin family circa 788 AD in a village named Kaladi on the banks of the river Purna (now Periyar) in the Southern Indian coastal state Kerala. His parents, Sivaguru and Aryamba, had been childless for a long time and the birth of Shankara was a joyous and blessed occasion for the couple. Legend has it that Aryamba had a vision of Lord Shiva and promised her that he would incarnate in the form of her first-born child.

Shankara was a prodigious child and was hailed as ‘Eka-Sruti-Dara’, one who can retain anything that has been read just once. Shankara mastered all the Vedas and the six Vedangas from the local gurukul and recited extensively from the epics and Puranas. Shankara also studied the philosophies of diverse sects and was a storehouse of philosophical knowledge.

Philosophy of Adi Shankara

Shankara spread the tenets of Advaita Vedanta, the supreme philosophy of monism to the four corners of India with his ‘digvijaya’ (the conquest of the quarters). The quintessence of Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism) is to reiterate the truth of reality of one’s essential divine identity and to reject one’s thought of being a finite human being with a name and form subject to earthly changes.

According to the Advaita maxim, the True Self is Brahman (Divine Creator). Brahman is the ‘I’ of ‘Who Am I?’ The Advaita doctrine propagated by Shankara views that the bodies are manifold but the separate bodies have the one Divine in them.

The phenomenal world of beings and non-beings is not apart from the Brahman but ultimately become one with Brahman. The crux of Advaita is that Brahman alone is real, and the phenomenal world is unreal or an illusion. Through intense practice of the concept of Advaita, ego and ideas of duality can be removed from the mind of man.

The comprehensive philosophy of Shankara is inimitable for the fact that the doctrine of Advaita includes both worldly and transcendental experience.

Shankara while stressing the sole reality of Brahman, did not undermine the phenomenal world or the multiplicity of Gods in the scriptures.

Shankara’s philosophy is based on three levels of reality, viz., paramarthika satta (Brahman), vyavaharika satta (empirical world of beings and non-beings) and pratibhashika satta (reality).

Shankara’s theology maintains that seeing the self where there is no self causes spiritual ignorance or avidya. One should learn to distinguish knowledge (jnana) from avidya to realize the True Self or Brahman. He taught the rules of bhakti, yoga and karma to enlighten the intellect and purify the heart as Advaita is the awareness of the ‘Divine’.

Shankara developed his philosophy through commentaries on the various scriptures. It is believed that the revered saint completed these works before the age of sixteen. His major works fall into three distinct categories – commentaries on the Upanishads, the Brahmasutras and the Bhagavad Gita.

The most important of the works is the commentaries on the Brahmasutras – Brahmasutrabhashya – considered the core of Shankara’s philosophy of Advaita.

Shankaracharya’s Monastic Centers

Shri Shankaracharya established four ‘mutts’ or monastic centers in four corners of India and put his four main disciples to head them and serve the spiritual needs of the ascetic community within the Vedantic tradition. He classified the wandering mendicants into 10 main groups to consolidate their spiritual strength.

Each mutt was assigned one Veda. The mutts are Jyothir Mutt at Badrinath in northern India with Atharva Veda; Sarada Mutt at Sringeri in southern India with Yajur Veda; Govardhan Mutt at Jaganath Puri in eastern India with Rig Veda and Kalika Mutt at Dwarka in western India with Sama Veda.

It is believed that Shankara attained heavenly abode in Kedarnath and was only 32 years old when he died.

J. Krishnamurthy - The great Philosopher of India

This is about the great philosopher of India. He was the person, who gave the original definitions of nourishment and ill-nourishment. He defined both of these facts on critical basis and scattered the light in a new way. I regard him from the inner portion of my heart. If time would help me, I will write about him a lot. This is on his birthday as a tribute.

Jiddu Krishnamurthy was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in the psyche of every human being and emphasized that such revolution cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious, political, or social.

Jiddu Krishnamurti was born in a family of Telugu-speaking Brahmins on May 12, 1895. He was a sensitive and sickly child and regarded as dull-witted in his childhood. In April 1909 a Theosophical member by name C.W. Leadbeater recognised his potential to become a great world teacher. He was taken into Theosophical society and made the head of the 'Order of the Star in the East' which subscribed to the doctrine of the coming of the World Teacher, which he dissolved in 1929 and proclaimed that the 'Truth is a pathless land'. Krishnamurti had denounced all organized belief, the notion of gurus and started teaching around the world from the profound wisdom he acquired until he died on February 17, 1986.

Krishnamurti constantly emphasized the right place of thought in daily life. But he also pointed out the dangers of thought when it becomes knowledge that acts as a calcified projection of the past. According to Krishnamurti, such action distorts our perception and full understanding of the world we live in, and more specifically, the relationships that define it.

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar - True Saint

Today is the birthday of Hon'ble Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and this is all about his biography. He is a true saint in my sight. But some of the people of this world who don't like any Hindi minded saint or don't like of spreading light of spiritualism, they always criticizes such kind of people. While I was searching about His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, such kind of one person found on internet who is treating Him as a Fraud Saint. Below is the link, where what has been written about him :

http://www.yunusnews.com/how_genuine_is_sri_sri_ravi_shankar

Not only this, when a number of e-mails had been received, then he decided to create a blog on this topic i.e. "How genuine is Sri Sri Ravi Shankar?" I felt a lot of sadness while reading that article. Anyhow, I am going to discuss about the biography of His holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, although I am neither his disciple nor his devotee, yet I am a true Hindu (The Hinduist) and hence, I regard him from the innermost urge of my heart. I only want to say only this about that person that God might give him a conscious mind.

His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar is a renowned spiritual leader and multi-faceted humanitarian whose mission of uniting the world into a violence-free family has inspired millions of people worldwide. The icon of non-violence and universal human values, Sri Sri seeks global peace through service and dialog.

Born in 1956 in southern India, Sri Sri's appeal transcends class, race, religion and nationality. Millions of people revere him as their spiritual leader, and look up to him for inner peace and promoting ecumenical values.

In 1981, Sri Sri started the Art of Living Foundation, an international nonprofit educational and humanitarian organization. The Foundation, now active in more than 140 countries, offers educational and self-development programs designed to eliminate stress and foster a sense of well-being. In Europe and the United States, the Foundation's programs are helping inner city youth turn away from gang violence, drugs and alcohol. Sri Sri's Prison Programs have helped transform the lives of an estimated 150,000 inmates around the world.

In 1997, Sri Sri founded the International Association for Human Values, a humanitarian nonprofit organization that advances human values in political, economic, industrial, and social spheres. In South Asia, South Africa, and Latin America, the Association's sustainable development programs have reached more than 30,000 rural communities.

While his self development programs have popularized traditionally exclusive ancient techniques, Sri Sri's social initiatives address an array of issues such as conflict resolution, disaster and trauma relief, prisoner rehabilitation, youth leadership, women's empowerment, female foeticide, child labor, and access to education. In Kashmir and Sri Lanka, Sri Sri is working to further dialogue between opposing parties to resolve the conflicts peacefully.

Sri Sri travels to more than 40 countries a year to share his message of social responsibility, and that all great spiritual traditions share common goals and values. His teachings of love, practical wisdom, and service promote harmony among people, and encourage individuals to follow their chosen spiritual path, while honoring other paths.