Articles — mythology

Parvati once asked Shiva, Lord, tell me, why do you wear a crescent moon on your forehead?  What is the story behind this? Shiva told her the story. Earlier, Parvati had been born as Sati, the daughter of Daksha.  As Sati, she had been married to Shiva.  Since Daksha insulted her husband Shiva, Sati gave up her life.  When Sati died, Shiva no longer found pleasure in anything.  He began to live in the forest and started to perform tapasya.  Such was the power of the tapasya that any trees or mountains that were near the place where Shiva was...

  In the Hindu religion, Peepal tree has a lot of reverence and significance for people. People worship the tree and perform a puja. But, nobody really knows anything about its history & origin. Well, there are also some interesting legends associated with the Peepal tree. The tree is known for its heart shaped leaves that have long narrowing tips. The origin of peepal tree can be traced back to the times of Indus Valley Civilization (3000 BC - 1700 BC) in the Mohenjodaro city. Excavations are suggestive of the fact that even in those times; the Peepal tree was...

महाभारत विश्व का सबसे बड़ा महाकाव्य है। इसमें एक लाख से ज्यादा श्लोक हैं। महर्षि वेद व्यास के मुताबिक यह केवल राजा-रानियों की कहानी नहीं बल्कि धर्म, अर्थ, काम और मोक्ष की कथा है। इस ग्रंथ को लिखने के पीछे भी रोचक कथा है। कहा जाता है व लोकमान्यता है कि ब्रह्मा जी ने स्वप्न में ऋषि पराशार व सत्यवती के पुत्र महर्षि वेद्व्व्यास को महाभारत लिखने की प्रेरणा दी थी। महाभारत के रचनाकार आलोकिक शक्ति से सम्पन्न महर्षि वेद्व्व्यास त्रिकाल द्रष्टा थे । महर्षि व्यास ने यह काम स्वीकार कर लिया, लेकिन महर्षि वेद्व्व्यास के मस्तिष्क में जिस तीव्रता...

धार्मिक मान्यता है कि शनिदेव परम शिव भक्त हैं और शिव के आदेश के अनुसार ही शनि जगत के हर प्राणी को कर्मों के आधार पर दण्ड देते हैं। इसीलिए शनि या राहु आदि ग्रह पीड़ा शांति के लिए शिव की पूजा विशेषतया पर शनिवार,सोमवार को बहुत ही कारगर होती है। ज्योतिष शास्त्रों के मुताबिक क्रूर और तामसी स्वभाव के ग्रहों शनि और राहु के कुण्डली में बुरे योग गंभीर और मृत्यु के समान शारीरिक और मानसिक पीड़ाओं को देने वाले भी साबित हो सकते हैं। इन ग्रहों के योग से ही किसी व्यक्ति की कुण्डली में कालसर्प, पितृदोष बनते...

Garuda is one of principal animal deities in the Hindu Mythology. Kashyap, Garuda's father, had two wives: Kadru, the elder, and Vinata, Garuda's mother ..the younger. There was great rivalry between the two wives.. Once, they had an argument over the color of the horse Uchchaisravas, produced during the churning of the Milk Ocean just after the time of creation. Each chose a color and laid a wager on her own choice. The one who lost would become the other's slave. Kadru proved to be right and, as part of the agreement, imprisoned Vinata in the nether regions, Patala, where...

The lotus is India’s national flower and rightly so. Not long ago, the lakes and ponds of India were full of many hued lotuses. The lotus is the symbol of truth, auspiciousness and beauty (satyam, shivam, sundaram). The Lord is also that nature and therefore, His various aspects are compared to a lotus (i.e. lotus-eyes, lotus feet, lotus hands, the lotus of the heart etc.). Our scriptures and ancient literature extol the beauty of the lotus. Art and architecture also portray the lotus in various decorative motifs and paintings. Many people have names of or related to the lotus :...

Worshipped by devotees for the grant of divine protection, good health, wealth and prosperity, righteous living and spiritual liberationAKYAS CA IVA DESE CA SALAGRAMA SHALAM MAHATSANAM TAD BHAVAM YA TAT SALAGRAMA ITI SMRTAM What Are Shaligrams?Shaligrams are sacred 'shilas' or stones representing the abstract form of Lord Vishnu. His followers, the Hindu Vaishnavas, place these stones in their puja altars for daily worship. Just as the abstract form of Shiva is the stone ‘lingam’ which the Shaivites worship in their temples and homes, so is the ‘shila’ of Lord Vishnu.According to Hindu tradition, the Shaligram stone is the shelter for a...

A conch is a sea-dwelling mollusc. In Hindu religion, it is popularly called as "Shankha" and considered to be one of the most auspicious objects that emerged from the sea during the Ksheera Sagara Samudra Manthan. Religious Significance In Indian mythology, the Shankha is regarded sacred and very auspicious. To initiate religious ceremonies, a shankha (conch shell) is blown. It is a major Hindu article of prayer. God Vishnu, the God of Preservation, is shown with a shankha in one hand and a disc or a chakra in the other.Each hindu shankha has a specific name. Vishnu's shankha is called...

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita is a dialogue between Lord Krishna and Arjuna, narrated in the Bhishma Parva of the Mahabharata. It comprises eighteen discourses of a total of 700 Sanskrit verses. A considerable volume of material has been compressed within these verses. On the battlefield of Kurukshetra, Sri Krishna, during the course of His most instructive and interesting talk with Arjuna, revealed profound, sublime and soul-stirring spiritual truths, and expounded the rare secrets of Yoga, Vedanta, Bhakti and Karma. Bhagavad Gita was Composed between 500 BCE and 100 CE, the Mahabharata is an account of the wars of the house...

  In some images Goddess Pratyangira is shown with a dark complexion, ferocious in aspect, having a lion's face with reddened eyes and riding a lion, entirely nude or wearing black garments, she wears a garland of human skulls; her hair strands on end, and she holds a trident, a serpent in the form of a noose, a hand-drum and a skull in her four hands. She is also associated with Bhairava, and she has a variant form, namely Atharvana-Bhadra-Kali. She is also known by the name Narasimhi. Narasimha is an ugra or ferocious form of Narayana, or Vishnu. By drinking...