https://thesouthasiantimes.info/oct-17-23-2020-vol-13-issue-25/
Author: hinduscriptures
Chatt (called Dala Chatt) is an ancient Hindu Vedic Festival dedicated to the Sun God Surya, also known as Surya Shashti. There is no vratta (fasting) as severe as Chatt. It is one of the most rewarding fasts. Lord Kartikeya or Skanda the first Son of Shiv and Parvati is prayed to on this occasion along with the Sun. The Chatt Pooja is performed in order to thank Surya for sustaining life on earth and to request the granting of certain wishes. The Sun, considered the God of energy and of the life-force, is worshiped during the Chatt festival…
The festival Diwali or Dipawali is the biggest and the brightest among all Hindu festivals. It is the festival of lights and brightness. It is celebrated with great enthusiasm not only in India but also all over the world. Name of the festival The title of the festival has two words, deep (light) and avali (a row) which means a row of lights. Mainly the festival is celebrated by lighting lamps everywhere, hence the festival is known as the Dipawali. Dipawali is referred to by various names in various literatures. Vastyayana Kamasutra gives word Yaksharatri; on the other hand Varaha Purana gives name…
On the occasion of KarvaChauth, Hindu wives observe fasting for the well being of their husbands. As per Indian traditions, the husband is considered as the custodian of his wife and he is committed to providing food, clothing, shelter, comfort and dignity to his wife. Hence, the festival is celebrated by Hindu wives who pray for a long life for their husbands. Festival time(time, tithi etc.) Usually celebrated in the months of October-November, KarvaChauth is especially popular in the northern parts of India. The festival is celebrated on Kartikki Chouth, which occurs nine days before Diwali. How is it celebrated…
The festival of Sharad Pournima is celebrated with great joy and excitement all over India in varied forms and names such as Kojagiri, KoumudiMahotsava, NavannaPournima, Rasa Pournima and Kumar Pournima. Traditionally, it is considered as the birthday of Goddess Lakshmi in all parts of India. Alternatively, the celebration of the end of rainy season, newly harvested crops, and the brightness of the full moon light are the main highlights of this festival. When is it celebrated? SharadPournima is celebrated on the full moon day of the Ashwin (Asvij) month. According to Gregorian calendar it comes in the month of September…
VIDYABHUSHANA INTRODUCTION Vidyabhushana was born in the year 1952, and he is a native of Karnataka. He is a famous divine singer, and sung lot of songs on Lord Krishna and other deities. He also sang many songs on Guru Raghavendra Swamigal. He is an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, and he has travelled throughout the world and contributed a lot in the divine field. His songs would melt the hearts of the listeners, and by listening to his songs, even the non-believers of god, would become great devotees. He sang songs mainly in Kannada and Tulu and he is travelling in the spiritual…
CHANAKYA NEETHI INTRODUCTION Chanakya was a highly knowledgeable person and he served as a minister to Chandragupta. He was also called as Kautilya, and he is well known for his cleverness and he is the one, who has written the popular political text the Arthashastra, during 3rd century BC. He is a great scholar and was an expert in all kinds of arts, and he lived in the present day Patna at Bihar. He contains very good qualities, and he was praised by the kings as the “UNIVERSAL GURU”, during his period. Through his valuable advices, the Maurya Empire flourished. Chanakya fondly served to Chandragupta…
VIDURA NEETHI INTRODUCTION Vidura is one of the main characters in Mahabharata. He is the prime minister of the Hastinapura Kingdom and the brother of the blind King Dhritarashtra. He is considered to an incarnation of Lord Yama Bhagavan, the death god, and lived his life in a righteousness manner. Vidura was the son of Sage Vyasa and Parishrami, a pious maid. He was highly respected by the Pandavas and Lord Krishna for his good manners. He also safeguarded the Pandavas from the attacks of Kauravas, and acted as a godfather to them. Vidura neethi was written by Vidura, and it is considered as the best teachings for the…
PUTTUR NARASIMHA NAYAK INTRODUCTION Sri Puttur Narasimha Nayak is a popular Kannada singer from Karnataka. He has sung lot of devotional songs, mainly songs related to saints like Purandara dasa and Kanaka Dasa, and he is a sincere devotee of Guru Raghavendra. His songs attract large number of people across the world. His Music albums are very popular among the Madhwa community people. Nayak was born in a Brahmin family, and at his young age itself he learned music from a good scholar. He has also sung some songs for Kannada films. He won the Karnataka Awards for his talent in music. He knows many languages, he …
UDDHAVA GITA INTRODUCTION Uddhava was mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatham, and he is one of the important characters of Bhagavatha. He is a cousin to Krishna, and acted as a friend and a disciple to Lord Krishna. He properly followed the instructions of Lord Krishna, and spread the “KRISHNA BHAKTI” among the Yadava people. Though the Yadavas were aware about the significance of Krishna, but through the messages conveyed by Uddhava, they came to know a lot about Krishna. He asked the people to sincerely worship Krishna in order to attain goodness in their life. He also clarified his doubts with Krishna.…
Hindus are seeking public holiday in Réunion island (French overseas territory in Indian Ocean in Africa) on Diwali, the most popular of their festivals; starting 2022. Distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that it was not fair with Réunion Hindu community as they had to be at work/school on their most popular festival while there were public holidays on other religious days. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, suggested that Réunion government needed to revisit its public holiday policies to seriously examine this issue of fairness, as the Réunion was…
KARMAMELA INTRODUCTION Saint Karmamela (14th century) was a great saint from Maharashtra. He was the son of Chokhamela and Soyarabai and belonged to Mahar caste, and they were considered as untouchables and treated badly by the upper class people during those days. He was against caste discrimination. He deeply expresses in his songs, about his birth in lower class family, and the sufferings which he faces in his daily life. Karmamela was deeply attached with Lord Vital and concentrated his attention only on him. His songs are so divine, and it was praised even by the upper class people. He will used to sing the glories of the…
DEVU MALI – AN ARDENT DEVOTEE OF LORD VITHOBA INTRODUCTION Devu Mali was an 11th-century saint, and a great devotee of Lord Vithoba. His son, Parasu and his grandson Savata Mali were ardent devotees of Lord Vithoba, a form of Lord Krishna. Devu Mali lived in Solapur, Maharashtra, and he was a farmer who owned agriculture lands. Once Devu Mali had a divine vision of Lord Vithoba, and from then onwards, he had become a staunch devotee of Vithoba. He used to visit temples of Lord Krishna and sung songs in praise of him. Even while doing farm work in his…
DEVADASI INTRODUCTION Devadasis are the great dance performers who used to live in the temples, by following lifelong celibacy, with dedication and devotion on the almighty. They are considered as the divine mothers, who used to sincerely worship the deities, and would pray for the wellness of the people. They are selfless women, who are considered as the special creations of the god. They also would heal the diseases, black magic problems and mental illness of the people by praying to the god. But some people are considering the noble devadasis in a different manner. The term DEVADASI, means “SERVANT TO…
BHANU – SON OF LORD KRISHNA INTRODUCTION Bhanu was the son of Lord Shri Krishna and Mata Satyabhama, and he closely resembles Lord Krishna in appearance. He was married with Suthanu, who was the daughter of Yudhishthira and Draupadi, and their son was Vajra. Banu moved closely with the Pandavas, and won their heart. He was the friend of Samba and Prathyumna, who were also the sons of Lord Krishna. Bhanu learned his education under his father Lord Krishna, and also he was trained very well in archery by Arjuna. He was very much liked by his uncle Balarama, and he was well trained by him…
VRISHAKETU – SON OF KARNA INTRODUCTION Vrishaketu is mentioned in Mahabharata. He is considered to be a good mannered person, and he was the son of the generous king Karna and his wife Supriya, and he is considered as one of the best warriors similar to Karna. He also learned archery under Arjuna, and after the demise of his father Karna, he became the king of Anga. Vrishaketu was survived in the Mahabharata war. Due to his good behaviour, he was liked by the Pandavas, and they treated him in a friendly manner. Through the help of the Pandavas, he learned all kinds of arts, and he…
Hindus are urging Malta Government to subsidize cremations abroad till proper crematorium was built and available for usage in Malta. Although a new law allowing cremation was passed in Malta Parliament in May 2019, but a functioning crematorium is nowhere in sight. According to some estimates; going through blueprints, approvals, construction, licensing, etc.; it might be 2023 when a working crematorium would be available to the public for cremation of their loved ones. Malta, not having mechanism for the cremation of deceased Hindus, was forcing the community to bury their loved ones in contradiction of their long-held beliefs that burial hindered…
RAM JANMABHOOMI INTRODUCTION Ram Janmabhoomi is the Holy place, which is believed to be the birth place of Lord Rama, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. As per the great epic Ramayana, Rama’s birthplace is located on the banks of the Holy Sarayu River in the city of Ayodhya. Few hundred years back, at the present place of Ram Janmabhoomi, a mosque, known as Babri Masjid, was constructed by a Muslim king. In order to establish Rama temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi, during the year 1992, Hindu activists demolished the mosque. Due to that, Hindu-Muslim clashes were took place, and after a long period…
Upset Hindus are urging for apology from The University of Sydney (USYD) for its student newspaper unnecessarily disparaging and trivializing Hinduism. It was highly inappropriate and insensitive for the newspaper of a public research university to blatantly belittle Hinduism, world’s oldest and third largest religion with about 1.2 billion adherents and a rich philosophical thought; distinguished Hindu statesman Rajan Zed said in Nevada (USA) today. Zed, who is President of Universal Society of Hinduism, urged Chancellor Belinda Hutchinson and Vice-Chancellor Michael Spence to offer a formal apology to the Hindu community; and USYD to delete this objectionable article from website/online-edition…