Introduction Food is considered as a part of God or Brahman in Hinduism. Ancient Vedic scriptures regard food with great reverence and look up to it as the only source of physical, mental and emotional nourishment for the body. Food defined in Ancient Scriptures Sasyam kshetragatam prahuhu satusham dhanyamuchyate Amam vitushamityuktam swinnamannamudahrutam (Translated as – Food is the processed version of edibles. For daily survival food is very necessary for human body. Food is the demand of human body after a regular interval.) Food and Human Anatomy The food which is consumed by the human body, works as its source…
Author: hinduscriptures
What is Deity? Deity represents human struggle as well as man’s effort to discover his identity against the limits of his known universe. Concept of deity expresses a human experience that says man is not alone in the universe and the sensible world is not all that seems to be the reality. Human beings have always experienced the relation between real life and divine powers. The concept of deity shows the limitations of man’s knowledge and that he is neither alone nor the ultimate master of his fate. Role of deities in our life In the primitive stages of life,…
Introduction Roughly 71% of the earth’s surface consists of water. It has been so since man was born on this planet. The average human being has around 55-60% water. This then is the significance of water in our lives. If we lose more than a couple of percentage in water we could die of dehydration. Ancient man must have learnt of this truth and in his hunter-gatherer days must have marked water bodies for drinking purposes to return to them. Once he settled down along the river for irrigation of course the water issue would have been pushed back in…
Introduction Rains must have seemed like magic to the ancient man. This mystical wonder attached to the rains is still true today. However, during the time of the Vedas, awe and reverence was also attached to every element of nature. This included not only the sun, moon and the stars but also the very earth, water in all its forms including the rain, as well as the wind and all kinds of plant and animal life. The munis and rishis stressed on treating nature and one’s environment with total reverence worthy of worship. There evolved hymns therefore in honor of…
Introduction One of the greatest strengths of the ancient Hindus has been their love and reverence for all things natural. According to A Tribute to Hinduism The Book (http://www.hinduwisdom.info/Nature_Worship.htm) “No religion, perhaps, lays as much emphasis on environmental ethics as Hinduism”. Nature has therefore never been considered as a foe to be conquered. As a matter of fact the ancient Hindus were forbidden from the exploitation of nature and its elements. Hindus were also advised to recognize the divinity that exists in all elements and these include plants and animals. The Rishis and Munis perceived “that all material manifestations are…
Introduction In the Indian context we get mixed signals. On the one hand people, especially women worship the tulsi plant while we can see the reverence with which Indians treat the vat and the banyan tree. On the other hand trees are mercilessly cut down to make roads, construct buildings and sometimes for no excuse whatsoever. We also see that there is an awakening all over the world towards saving the ecology that is now the panacea against an increasing carbon footprint. However, the worship of trees did have a religious bias in India. Whether environmental sentiments were actually behind…
Introduction There are several outstanding features among the lessons one can learn from the Vedas. One of the major features existing in the Vedas is the love for nature in all its glory. The Hindu does not view nature as something that is subservient meant for our use. On the contrary he views nature as a part of Divinity. There is therefore no conflict between Divinity and Nature. It is this view that makes the Vedic man treat nature and all its bounties as a part of the greater truth of which he is also an integral part. His love…
Vara Lakshmi Vratha also known as Vara Mahalakshmi Vratha is a festival where Goddess Lakshmi, the consort of Sri Vishnu is worshipped. The festival is celebrated chiefly in States such as Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and in some parts of Odisha. The festival is observed on the second Friday of Shravana Masa (July- August). The goddess is worshipped by married women for wealth, prosperity and well being of the family. Observing the Vara Mahalakshmi Vratha is equivalent to worshipping Ashta Lakshmi- the goddess of wealth, (Siri), Earth (Bhu), learning (Saraswathi) Love (Preet), Fame (Kirti), Peace (Shanti), Pleasure (Tushti)…
The first day of Chaitra is celebrated in large parts of the country as New Year known variously as
Revered as Ganga Nitya Vaahini or The Eternal River, the Ganga
Introduction Swarna Gauri Vratha is a festival when goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva and the mother of Lord Ganesha is worshipped. This festival is celebrated predominantly in South India on Bhadrapada Shukla Trithiya (3rd day of Bhadrapada Masa, Aug- Sep). The festival is celebrated as Hartalika Teej in States such as Bihar, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Maharashtra. It is believed that Goddess Gauri comes to her parents’ house just like any other married daughter would come to her parents’ house and Her son Lord Ganesha, comes on the next day to take Her back to Kailasa. Significance of…
Introduction After the sweltering heat of summer, the overheated plains of the country look forward to the welcome showers of the monsoon to bring in much needed relief. Thus from literature to religion the fifth month of the Hindu Calendar Shraavan is celebrated through poetry, song, dance and ritual. Kalidasa’s Meghdoot, songs on saawan, dances with the theme centred on the love of the eternal beloved Radha-Krishna and the various festivals during the month reinforce the importance this month has in our psyche. Why is Shraavan Maas Considered Holy? For the devout Hindu, this is the holiest month as it is…
This festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the bright half of the month of Magha (Jan/Feb). It is celebrated as Surya Jayanti as it marks the birth of the Sun God Surya. It follows the sun’s northerly movement of vernal equinox from Capricorn (Makara). In many temples, Lord Vishnu is propitiated in his form as Surya. Holy bathing, chanting of the important prayers offered to the Sun God like Gayatri Mantra, Aditya Hridaya Stotra, Suryashtakam and other prayers are done generally an hour after sunrise. Ceremonial processions are carried out in many places of the icon of Surya,…
Introduction Paryushana or Paryusan Parva is one of the two important festivals celebrated by Jains, the other festival being Diwali. The festival is known as Paryushana by Swetambaras sect, while the Digambaras celebrate the festival as Das Lakshana. The meaning of Paryushana is “abiding” or “coming together”. When is the festival celebrated? Paryushana is observed during the chaturya masa or a period of four months during monsoon when monks stay at one place due to rains. Paryushana festival is celebrated on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi (Aug- Sep). Lord Mahavira used to start Paryushana on Bhadrapada Shukla Panchami, however after 150 years; the celebration was changed to Bhadrapada…
Introduction Navpad Oli is one of the important Jain festivals. This festival is celebrated twice in a year, the first time from Ashwija Shukla Saptami to Poornima (Sep- Oct) and the second time from Chaitra Shukla Saptami to Poornima (March- April). During the period of festival, Jains observe a fast known as Ayambil Tap for nine days. Ayambil Tap is a kind of fast during which boiled grains without salt is partaken only once during the day. Ayambil Tap is observed to offer salutations to the nine Supreme posts in the Universe. The nine Supreme posts are: Arihant, Siddha, Acharya, Upadhyaya,…
About Held once in every 4 years, the KumbhMela is one of the biggest events for the Hindus. The exact origin of the KumbhMela is very hard to pinpoint. The fair is an ancient one and the reason it is held can be traced back to the ancient episode of ‘SagarManthan’.KumbhMela derives its name from the immortal – Pot of Nectar – described in ancient Vedic scriptures known as the Puranas. Kumbha in Sanskrit language means ‘pot or pitcher’. Melameans ‘festival’. Thus KumbhMela literally means festival of the pot. It is a religious bathing festival of enormous size where monks, pilgrims, and devotees will come from their…
Contents Introduction Hindu Sanskaras Vivaha in Smrutigrantha Marriage Rituals References Introduction Indian society strongly believes in the institution of marriage and lifetime commitment. Most Indian marriage forms are based on the ancient philosophies of Vedas and Upanishads. The symbolic union of two persons in holy matrimony has remained virtually unblemished and unchanged for almost 5,000 years. Thus, Indian marriage system follows the oldest and most authentic nuptial rituals in the world. An Indian marriage is celebrated as a sacrament when two individuals with their divine union begin their journey as husband and wife. The variety in Indian culture is also…
Contents Invitations Invitations The Gifts received by the married couple, on their marriage, are opened on or a few days after the Chowthari day. All the close members of the family are invited on this occasion and the gifts are opened and displayed in front of them. The gifts offered at the bride’s place are taken care of by a particular member of the family. During the viewing time also, the gifts are opened by another member of the family, so that the evil intentions or thoughts of anyone does not directly affect the couple. During this occasion, the mother-in-law…
Contents · The Ritual · The Mantra The Ritual Also known as Abhimantrana, the Hridaya Sparsa or Touching the Heart rite is performed by both the bride and the bridegroom. It is performed by the husband first, by placing his right hand on the right shoulder of the bride. This gesture symbolizes the touching of the heart by the husband, which is considered as the seat of emotions and affections. By touching the heart of the bride, feelings of love are aroused and the same emotion also touches the husband in turn, through the same medium. The bride also does…
Contents Dharma Sutras in Scriptures Dharma Sutras in Scriptures The Dharma Sutras and the Grihya Sutras are considered to be two very important sources of knowledge in Hinduism. While the Grihya Sutras describe the duties of the householder and the domestic rites, the Dharma Sutras describe the rules and regulation for the proper discharge of Dharma i.e. law, religion, duty, customs, traditions etc. There are a lot of overlapping ideas in the Dharma Sutras and the Grihya Sutras. The different duties and aspects of life elaborated in the Dharma Sutras are promised by the bridegroom, in front of the sacred…