Shivaratri - Simple Mantra & Ritual For Happiness & Moksha

Om Namah Shivaya...Shivaratri is a rare and greatly auspicious occasion where one can easily escape from the clutches of 'kali' (negativity/evil) in this kali yuga. No matter how severe your sins are, you can overcome them and attain moksha if you just repent for your mistakes and prostrate in front of Lord Shiva atleast once with sincere devotion on Shivaratri (Shivaratri falls on March 10th, Sunday in 2013). It is believed that on Shivaratri, even abstract paintings of Lord Shiva will be powerful enough to grant boons.The following is a very simple ritual which anybody can follow to wash their sins away and attain the blessings of Lord Shiva on this holy Shivaratri.

In the morning, after bathing, light a lamp in front of a photo of Lord Shiva. Then chant 'om ganapathaye namah , om lambodharaya namah, om ekadantaya namah' and pray to Lord Ganesha to remove any obstacles in your prayer. Then keep the tips of your fingers at the base of the lamp and close your eyes. Visualize that you are holding the feet of Lord Shiva. In your mind , sincerely apologize for the mistakes/sins which you may have knowingly or unknowingly performed. Then chant the following simple Shiva mantra

om shiva shiva hara hara mahadeva shiva shiva hara hara neelakanda shiva shiva hara hara gowrishankara namosthuthe

ॐ शिव शिव हर हर महादेव शिव शिव हर हर नीलकंडा शिव शिव हर हर गौरीशंकर नमोस्थुथे

Repeat the mantra loudly or in your mind as many times as possible, while showering the base of the lamp with flowers (if you can use 'bilva leaves' then it is greatly auspicious). Then take some water in your right hand and gently pour it at the base of the lamp while chanting 'om namah shivaya' 11 times. Then prostrate in front of Lord Shiva and ask for his blessings. Do not ask for the destruction of any enemies, only pray that you should have the infinite compassion and blessings of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati always. God knows what is best for you.

Throughout the day, chant 'Om namah shivaya' whenever you can. You can do it in your home, shop, office,etc. regardless of what you are doing. If possible, donate some food to a poor hungry person and to some animal. If performed with sincere devotion, the above mentioned simple shivaratri ritual will wash away all your sins and release you from all suffering. I would like to reiterate that 'sincere' devotion is the only requirement for moksha. May Lord Shiva bless everyone with peace,happiness and moksha. Om namah shivaya

Simple New Year Ritual- for happiness,health and prosperity

Om.With the advent of a new year, everyone’s mind is sure to be filled with hope for some positive change in life. This post is about a simple new year ritual which anybody can perform to cleanse their body and soul , so as to invite positive divine blessing for a better year ahead. On December 31^st or January 1st,  after you finish your morning bath, take a bowl of water and place it in front of a photo/idol of your favourite god/goddess (based on your convenience, you may also light a lamp on either side of the lamp). Then take a fistful of salt and place it on a plate beside you. Now take a pinch of salt with the thumb and ring finger of your right hand. Now chant the following well-known sloka :

Om asathoma sathgamaya thamosoma jyothirgamaya mrityorma amruthamgamaya

[The above sloka is a request to get God's blessings so that we are guided towards truth, brightness/prosperity and immortality/health]

Then chant the following mantra which is a general prostration to the God of the universe,village and family (though they are all the same supreme God we are just paying respect to the various forms )

Om namo parabrahmane hara shree gramadevatayai hari shree paradevatayai namosthuthe

Then put the salt into the bowl of water. Repeat this process until all the salt in the plate has been transferred into the bowl of water. Then keep the bowl of water closed for atleast 41mins. Then take this bowl of water and pour it over your whole body and then take a bath (it can be done in the evening also). This simple ritual is a great cleanser of negativity from the body and mind. 

Om.Please do share your resolutions,plans and wishes for 2013 in the comments below.

Glimpses of life after Death.

[This is a guest post by Mr. M.Prasad.You can also submit similar articles by visiting the YOUR CONTENT page. ]

I had the privilege of going through, and assimilating the knowledge from many many books in this regard.
Sorry I am not a guru, and I don’t want to preach.
After visiting this Web site, I just wanted to share my knowledge with you.
Since a long time, I was interested in what happens to the bodies after death. The physical bodies are either cremated or buried. So the physical aspect may be given a goodbye.
Hence the soul form only travels to the next part or faces the music, if you believe in the soul. Else no problem at all, ‘cause the life ended with the death. That’s all.
For believers then, the soul form travels to another loka, i.e., Pitruloka temporarily. There the soul is put to trial. All his/her actions that have earned a point, both positive and negative are played before the soul. One cannot say ‘No’ because, there was a witness that resided in your heart and ready to testify. You cannot bluff. Then, depending on your record and points earned, you are given a choice to enter into the human form.
The soul is given a choice. The soul will know the wombs available at that time, and what happens to this particular soul, while living as the child of these parents (future life!). 
It is the soul then that makes the decision which womb to enter. The soul may not fulfill all its desires in that particular birth. Because it has chosen to be born to that particular mother, the final plan in seed form is also carried by the individual soul. These are the Past life’s contacts, memories, desires etc. That’s how one gets a Dejavu feeling some times.
Every soul wants to be born in a rich family, wants to have beautiful wives/husbands and everything the best in life… But alas! One cannot get it. ‘Cause the points in your balance are limited. You have to earn more points, to deserve more! Earning those points is possible only on earth. Hence come back to earth, do good things, get more points, go back… and return. That is the cycle. 
Why don’t we remember our past lives? The physical brain that is the storehouse of all the memories is already destroyed. And the soul form carries only that which is necessary for the present life. Still traces may remain and that is Dejavu!
If you remember your past life, you cannot live fully in the present life. There would be conflict of interests. It may lead to chaos!! Only the Almighty is capable of remembering all his and our past lives. That’s his job. Else he cannot justify the options given to the soul to be born as such and such.
Hence if you are a believer in God, and believer in rebirths, then please do good things only, as to amass more points on earth, so that you can live a life of your choice later. Got it? It is so simple.

Kindly share your views on Death, in the comments below.

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