Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2022 i A TO Z INDIA

Sant Kabirdas (1440-1518 circa) was a famous poet, saint and social reformer of India. His writings have greatly influenced the Bhakti movement. Kabir Panth which is a religious community recognizes him as its founder and its members are known as Kabir Panthis, the followers of Saint Kabirdas. His writings include Bijak, Sakhi Granth, Kabir Granthawali and Anurag Sagar. The major part of Kabir’s work was collected by the fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev, and incorporated into the Sikh scripture Guru Granth Sahib. The hallmark of Kabir’s work consists of his two line couplets, known as Kabir Ke Dohe. The birth anniversary of Sant Kabir is observed on Jyeshtha Purnima as per Hindu lunar calendar. How do people celebrate Kabir Das Jayanti? The followers of Kabirdas across the country spend…

Sri Shankara was the Young, Intelligent and Strong unifying force of Bharat. On May 6, we celebrate the birth anniversary of Adi Shankaracharya, born around 500 B.C and known as the resuscitator of Sanatana Dharma. He brought the lost light of Vedic Dharma back from the darkness of ignorance. He is known as the exponent of Advaita Vedanta, the spiritual tradition and philosophical school of Non-dualism. He became the master of all shastras and began writing his own bhasyams/commentaries on Upanishads, Bhagavat Gita, Bramha Sutras etc by the age of 16. He was a young, energetic, strong and encouraging reformer of Hinduism, who later travelled to all four corners of Bharat on foot in his Digvijayam to spiritually integrate our motherland. He established four spiritual monasteries or maths in all…

Adi murthi or Para Vasudeva represents, in the Pancharatra ideology, the transcendental form (Para) of Vishnu, abiding in the highest realm. Parama-Pada (Vaikunta), as the divinely auspicious and charming image (Divya Mangala Vigraha). He has four arms and seated in a relaxed posture on the coils of the serpent Adishesha (Ananta) who represents the premordial principles of time (Anantotsange Smasinam). The five hoods of serpent are spread over the head of Vishnu as a parasol. He is associated with Lakshmi (Sri) and ever attended by Garuda, Vishvaksena and others. He is complete with all the six attributes in their entirety (Shadguna Paripurna); Wisdom (Jnana), Sovereignty (Aiswarya), Energy (Sakti), Strength (Bala), Valour (Virya) and Lustre (Tejas). At his instance (i.e by the power of his will, ichha sakti) Lakshmi differentiates herself…

A kindness act of Maharana Pratap: Abdul Rahim was born in Delhi, the son of Bairam Khan, Akbar’s trusted guardian and mentor, who was of Turkic ancestry. Rahim was a commander of Akbar’s army. He was sent by Akbar to capture Maharana, abduct womens and destroy temples. Before Rahim could reach his destination, Maharana’s eldest son Amar Singh found an opportunity and captured Rahim’s contingent and their women. MaharanaPratap seeing this became angry and ordered Amar Singh to set the women free and return them back to their camp with respect. When Rahim heard of this, his entire attitude towards his enemy changed. He had a genuine change of heart. He praised Maharana and Mewar. He also began exploring Hinduism and India. He began writing poems in praise of Krishna.…

Walter Reinhardt Sombre the European adventurer served as a mercenary commander to different native rulers, but he is known more for his association with Scindias and Jats of Bharatpur. He died in Agra is buried in Roman Catholic Cemetery in Agra. As Indians always have a knack for Indianising everything, Sombre came to be known as Sumuru Sahib in Native speakers much like Ochterlony who was known as Loony Akhtar Sahib and Sleeman who was known as Saleeman Sahib. Whatever fame he achieved in life it was still not as much as the fame his celebrated wife commanded. He married a famous nautch girl Named Farzana Zaib in Nisa, who after the marriage with Sombre was known as Begum Sumuru. After her husband’s death, she took control of his mercenary…

Silent Valley National Park Mannarkkad is a small town in Palakkad district of Kerala. Silent Valley, an ancient history of evolutionary and ecosystem, is 66 kilometres away from here. This is one of the largest taluks in Kerala. This place is 40 km from Palakkad District Headquarters. The valleys of the rivers Kunthipuzha and Bhavanipuzha are the core part of the Silent Valley National Park. One cannot visit this place like other tourist centres as it is a place of extreme ecological importance. We can enter the Silent Valley only after getting advanced permission from the Forest Department. Permission for this should be obtained from the Forest Department office in Mukkali, Palakkad. Eco tourist activities are going on here under the censorship of Forest Department. The forest department itself is…

Life History of Mahakavi Subramania Bharati: Bharati was born on 11th December 1882, in Ettayapuram, Madras Presidency. Indian writer of the nationalist period (1885-1920) whois regarded as the father of the modern Tamil style. Also known as‘MahakaviBharathiyar’. His strong sense of social justice drove him to fight for self-determination. Bharati’s involvement during Nationalist Period: After 1904, he joined the Tamil daily newspaper Swadesamitran. This exposure to political affairs led to his involvement in the extremist wing of the Indian National Congress (INC) party. In order to proclaim its revolutionary ardour, Bharathi had the weekly newspaper named ‘India’ printed in red paper. It was the first paper in Tamil Nadu to publish political cartoons. He also published and edited a few other journals like “Vijaya”. Attended the annual sessions of INC…

Om Kreem Kalikaye Namah!!! Troubles dissolve by constantly taking refuge at her feet. Surrender to Maa kali. Maa Kali is one of the most well known and worshipped Hindu Goddesses. The name Kali is derived from the Hindu word that means "time", and that also means "black". Kali in Hinduism, is a manifestation of the Divine Mother, which represents the female principle. Frequently, those not comprehending her many roles in life call Kali the goddess of destruction. She destroys only to recreate, and what she destroys is sin, ignorance and decay. She is equated with the eternal night, is the transcendent power of time, and is the consort of Lord Shiva. It is believed that its Shiva who destroys the world, and Kali is the power or energy with which…

There are innumerable stories about Lord Hanuman’s birth, his childhood pranks and most of all, his devotion to Lord Rama. Why Hanuman Ji is called ‘Pawan Putra’? Lord Hanuman’s mother, Anjana, was an apsara who was cursed to assume the form of a female monkey. The curse would only be lifted if she gave birth to an incarnation of Lord Shiva. She performed intense prayers to please Shiva to grant her the boon. Happy with her prayers, Lord Shiva sent an eagle to snatch a part of the ‘blessed kheer’ that King Dasharath (Lord Rama’s father) was distributing to his wives so that they may have children. Since the God of Wind, Pawan helped drop the kheer into Anjana’s hands, partaking of which, Hanuman Ji was born, the child was…

Positivity does not mean ignoring the negativity around you, it means overcoming the negativity within you. There is a big difference between the two. The peace, happiness, and effectiveness of your life greatly depends on the quality of your thoughts. On an average day, most of your stress comes from the way you respond, not the way life is. Adjust your response and all that extra stress is gone. Truly, inner calmness among chaos is a superpower that frees you to focus more effectively on what actually matters. The trick is to be present. Don’t wish away all your days waiting for better ones ahead. Just appreciate where you are today. You've come a long way, and you're still learning and growing. Be thankful for the lessons. Take them and…

The supreme personality of Godhead said: "One should neither praise nor criticize the conditioned nature and activities of other persons. Rather, one should see this world as simply the combination of material nature and the enjoying souls, all based on the one Absolute Truth. Whoever indulges in praising or criticizing the qualities and behavior of others will quickly become deviated from his own best interest by his entanglement in illusory dualities." - Srimad Bhagavatam Mahapurana 11.28.1-2…

This is a very special and most powerful Mala made of a selection of 1 to 14 Mukhies Rudraksha beads brought together in a single mala. The beads are strung most effectively for mantra Siddhi and power. Significance of Rudraksha Siddha Mala: This is an "Akshamalika" (garland of letters). All mantra (whose count is 7 crores) & all knowledge reside in this mala. For the successful achievers and ambitious people who want to reach the top level. According to Puranas, a person who wears different mukhi Rudraksha becomes Lord Shiva incarnate. This has rudraksha beads representing all planets and representing all Devi and Devatas. You may get everything what you can dream. This is a chakra mala for balancing all chakras. This is the most powerful healing mala. This mala…

My obeisance at the lotus feet of warrior princess of Mithila, an incarnation of Bhu Devi/Mother Earth and Lakshmi. Bhagvati Sita is the Shakti of Sri Rama, an embodiment of feminine power, love, austerity, valour, perseverance, faith, devotion and sacrifice. She has innumerable qualities, and must be an icon for everyone. It was the delusional leela of her, through which she became the cause of Ravana’s death. She is also the giver of Ashta Siddhis, as Lord Hanuman worshipped her and attained those celestial masteries.…

The Kaitabheshvara temple (also spelt Kaitabhesvara or Kaitabheshwara, known also as Kotisvara) is located in the town of Kubatur (also spelt Kubattur or Kuppattur, and called Kuntalanagara or Kotipura in ancient inscriptions), near Anavatti in the Shimoga district of Karnataka state, India. The temple was constructed during the reign of Hoysala King Vinayaditya around 1100 AD. The Hoysala ruling family was during this time a powerful feudatory of the imperial Western Chalukya Empire ruled by King Vikramaditya VI. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the architectural signature of the temple is mainly "Chalukyan". Art historian Adam Hardy classifies the style involved in the construction of the temple as "Later Chalukya, non mainstream, far end of spectrum". The building material used is soapstone. The temple is protected as a monument…

The iron pillar is situated at Qutub Minar complex, Mehrauli, New Delhi. Some people also say that it was made in the memory of the Gupta King Chandragupta 2. According to the ancient records, it was present in Madhya Pradesh before it moved to Delhi. It was shifted by King Anangpal in the 10th century CE from Udaygiri to its present location. Anangpal built a Vishnu Temple here and wanted this pillar to be a part of that temple. Archeologists confirm that this was created at least 1600 years ago, but it could be much older than that. In 2002, scientists studied the iron pillar and realized that it has a strange way of reacting to the atmosphere. Normally, Iron reacts with moisture in the atmosphere or rain and produces…

'Unnai Vidamal Iru': One day when I went up the hill with all the required foodstuff to serve a bhiksha, a swami told me, since it was a full moon day, it was an auspicious time to receive upadesa from great souls. I approached Bhagavan, bowed, stood up and said, “Bhagavan, kindly tell me something.” Bhagavan stared at me and asked, “About what am I to tell you?” I was both puzzled and nonplussed. A mixture of fear and devotion along with an eagerness to hear Bhagavan’s gracious words welled up within me, rendering me incapable of speech. I just stood mutely. Bhagavan understood my predicament. No one can hide anything from him. He can understand the state of mind of anyone who approaches him, merely by looking at him.…