Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Hinduism - The Business, The Man-gods, The Devotees


[I would like to make clear that the following article is not meant to disrespect anyone. It is a mere portrayal of the current scenario in India and a means to have a healthy discussion about it, so as to bring more awareness.]

We live in an age where religion seems to be one of the most flourishing businesses. It is third in line after healthcare and education. Swamis, babas, ammas, etc. have been sprouting up by the dozen in various villages across India. The 'smart' ones even manage to setup bases abroad and lure in foreign followers.

People are widely faced with suffering and distress in daily life. In their desperate search for a source of relief, they are willing to make any compromises for some peace of mind. This frantic behaviour of the masses makes them easy prey.

The fact that God is the only remedy that can heal all problems is undisputable, and it is this tagline which is used by many of these aforementioned businessmen/women. Many such saints use some “miracles” as their ‘advertisement’ and then let word of mouth do the rest of the promotion. Once the word gets out, it starts to spread like wild fire and can seldom be stopped. What many innocent victims fail to realize is that many of these initial miracles and the people who supposedly got their problems solved due to them, are all part of the scam.

Most man-gods/goddesses start their venture from villages which comprise more illiterate and superstitious people. This facilitates faster acceptance and allows them to have an initial group of victims, who will then unknowingly lure others to the trap. As the appeal grows, the leader spreads his/her business into the cities and then eventually to other countries. This allows for a stable growth pattern and creates a blind group of die-hard devotees at the base. Simultaneously, the religious cult starts to creep into other fields of business such as healthcare and education. They start to have their own brands and establish themselves as the answer to everyone’s problems. Thus, it sets an unlimited flow of wealth into all of their enterprises. I wish to state that I am not including everyone in this group of frauds. However the shameful acts of even one such person ends up being a stubborn blotch over the whole Hindu community. I wholeheartedly agree that there definitely are many people who really wish and work for universal welfare. But, it is beyond doubt that such people are very rare. Even people who start out with good intentions get dragged into malice by the sight of immense wealth.

What is even more intolerable is the status of god inferred upon human beings. Some spiritual leaders like Sathya Sai Baba and Mata Amritandamayi are regarded as gods/goddesses. I have heard of speeches by the two mentioned spiritual leaders in which they themselves advice to chant the name of god. But, the followers eventually end up considering them as gods instead.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Kamadeva Mantra - For Dancers

Dancers need to have charm and grace that can greatly entertain their audience and gather appreciation. The following mantra is to appease Lord Kamadeva (the god of love). With his divine blessings, your charm, grace and beauty will improve.

Om kleem namah kamadevaya sundarangaya  viswavashyaya kleem namah

Chant the above mantra 108 times each in the morning(after sunrise) and evening (before sunset). It is advisable to start the chanting on a Sunday morning. Mantra siddhi is said to be attained after 21 days of chanting. This Kamadeva mantra can also be used by lovers, to keep their affection evergreen. It is important to maintain pious practices like having only vegetarian food, taking bath before chanting and having sincerity in prayers, so that you may gain full benefits from the mantra.




Saturday, November 5, 2011

Simple Lord Ayyapan Pooja At Home - Overcome Shani Dosha

Lord ayyapan is said to be the son of Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Lord Ayyappan is also known as lord shaneeswara and as the presiding deity over the planet shani, according to some beliefs. Hence, it is believed that appeasing lord ayyappa will ensure protection from all effects of shani dosha. It is often difficult for people to perform major poojas or visit temples in a regular basis. The following is a simple yet very effective ritual that can be performed by anyone to be blessed by lord ayyappan.

After bathing in the morning, light a lamp and sit in front of it facing the east direction.

Chant the following to show your respect to Lord Ganesha and the universal Guru respectively before you start the ritual    
                      Om gum ganapathaye namaha 
                      Om sri gurubhyo namah 


Now place a vessel of sesame seeds in front of you. Using your right hand thumb and ring finger, take a pinch of the sesame seeds. Now chant the following sloka

Om bhoothanatha sadhanandha 
sarvabhootha dayapara
raksha raksha mahabaho
shastre thubhyum namo namah

Then shower the base of the lamp with the sesame seeds (like you do with flowers).
Repeat the above showering of sesame seeds and the sloka 108 times.

After you finish the prayer, either mix the sesame seeds with ghee and rice and then give it to crows, or, mix it with jaggery and consume it yourself.

Repeat this ritual for 21 or 41 days. It will bring the full blessings of lord ayyappan to you and your family, hence ensuring the removal of miseries and distress. The mandalakala is said to be most auspicious for the pooja of lord Ayyapa. The mandalakala starts form November 17th in 2011 and lasts for 41 days (one mandala). Make use of this holy time to be closer to lord ayyapan and get his infinite blessings. On November 15th 2011 lord shani will change his horoscope position, and hence the practice of the above ritual will bring added benefits to your family and also safeguard you from shani dosha. Om

Friday, November 4, 2011

Rameswaram Theerthams

We saw the legend of the two shivalinga and how it lead to the Rameswaram temple in the previous post.Now lets see the names of some famous 'theertha' (holy water) wells at Rameswaram.

Mahalakshmi Thhertham
Savithri Theertham
Gayathri Theertham
Saraswathi Theertham
Sethu Madhava Theertham
Gandamadana Theertham
Kavacha Theertham
Gavaya Theertham
Nala Theertham
Sangu Theertham
Sakkara Theertham
Brahmahati Vimochana Theertham
Surya Theertham
Chandra Theertham
Ganga Theertham
Yamuna Theertham
Gaya Theertham
Siva Theertham
Sathyamirtha Theertham
Sarva Theertham
Kodi Theertham

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Rameswaram - The Legend Of Two Shivalinga

Rameswaram is a grand temple that is situated about 150km from the city of Madurai, Tamil Nadu.The presiding deity at Rameswaram is Lord Shiva. According to legends, it is believed that Lord Rama returned from Lanka to this spot after his grand victory over Raavana. Lord Rama was advised to appease Lord Shiva so that he may atone for his sins of killing a great Shiva bhaktha (it is also said that Raavana was a brahmin and Lord Rama did it to also get rid of 'brahma hathya paapa', or the sin of killing a brahmin). Lord Rama told Lord Hanuman to bring an appropriate Shiva linga from Kailash, so that he could establish it there and do pooja. As Lord Rama waited for Lord Hanuman to return, the holy muhoortha (auspicious time) was getting over. Hence, Sita devi build a shivalinga out of sand, which hardened due to Devi's divine touch. Meanwhile, Lord Hanuman returned from Kailash, and was disappointed to see the other shivalinga. (It is said that Lord Hanuman tied his tail around the other shivalinga and tried to uproot it, but failed to do so). Lord Rama then pacified Lord Hanuman and said that from that day onwards, the shivalinga which Lord Hanuman brought would have pooja performed before the one made by Sita devi. Then Lord Rama appeased Lord Shiva and washed himself from the sin of killing Raavana..The shivalinga brought by Lord Hanuman is called 'viswalingam' and the one made by Sita devi is called 'Ramalingam'.
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The above post has been submitted by one of our valuable readers, Anil Kumar. Thank you very much  Anil Kumar