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What is the significance of celebrating Vishwakarma Puja?

9/15/2021

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Vishwakarma is considered to be the main architect for this Universe. Some ancient texts indicate he is the son of Lord Brahma, the creator of this Universe. Whereas other legends suggest that he is one of the Gods who came out from the churning of the cosmic ocean (Amrit Manthan). Irrespective of which legend one chooses to believe to determine his origin, Lord Vishwakarma is considered as the ‘God of Architecture’. He is the Divine Architect who has designed all the heavenly palaces, chariots, vehicles, and weaponry.

According to legend, he built the Holy City of Dwarika that was ruled by Lord Krishna. It is also said that he designed and built many powerful divine weapons, including the famous ‘Vajra- The Thunderbolt’ of Lord Indra. ​
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Vishwakarma is also called as the divine carpenter/artisan. He is believed to have created the Sthaptya Veda which is the science of mechanics and architecture. Because of this, Lord Vishwakarma is revered by artisans, mechanics, welders as well as engineers, architects, and other craftsmen. These folks pray to Lord Vishwakarma to receive his grace and blessings. They pay obeisance to him to enhance their knowledge and capabilities in their skill. They pay homage to Lord Vishwakarma to ensure continued success in their work and ventures.

Vishwakarma Puja, one of the most famous festivals in India and is dedicated to revere and extoll these many amazing powers and qualities of Lord Vishwakarma. This Puja is also known as Vishwakarma Jayanti or Vishwakarma Day. The Lord Vishwakarma is worshipped for the safety of the factories, machines and the overall betterment of the many people who work there.  

Vishwakarma Puja is celebrated on Kanya Sankranti day. It is another of the Vedic festival which follows the solar calendar as against of the typical lunar calendar! Another festival which does this is Makar Sankranti. Kanya Sankranti as the name suggests is the day Sun transits into the sign of Virgo, as per the sidereal calculation of Jyotish (Vedic Astrology).

Most of the factories and workshops remain closed on this day of Vishwakarma Puja.  On this day, businesses, and workers- pray to Lord Vishwakarma and worship their machines and tools. They pay reverence to those instruments which provide them their daily sustenance! 

Many designers and architects utilize this day to renew their resolution to their profession. They renew their self-commitment to come up with better and more innovative designs that will not only meet the needs of their clients but also help to better our society at large.

Vishwakarma Puja Day is a time when we all can remember the divine magnificence of this Universe and take a few minutes to remember that maker who designed and created this marvel!

Read further:

  • ​Understanding the concept of Tithi in The Vedic Calendar (Panchang)
  • ​Why we celebrate Makar Sankranti?
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Categories: 
Gods And Deities     and     Festival Celebrations

Keywords and Tags:
#Vishwakarma #DivineArchitect  #VishwakarmaPuja  #KanyaSankranti  #HinduFestival
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Revitalizing our body for the Autumn Fall season- Ayurvedic Ritucharya

9/12/2021

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​Ayurvedic Ritucharya- Planning for Fall & Winter: Food and Eating

As we see the changing foliage colors and falling leaves, it reminds us even more so, that we are towards the end of fall into the winter weather. It is important we plan well so we can continue with our healthy lifestyle habits right thru fall and  cold winter into the mild spring (when life seems to be flourishing again!).

Ayurveda provides clear ideas and guidelines on how to best plan and manage such change in seasons. It is called Ritucharya.  By following these Ritucharya principles, one can better align their body with the natural patterns to create better health and wellbeing.  Here we will look at some ideas on how we can maintain our health and vitality as we transition from summer into  the colder weather.
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Ayurveda advocates eating locally grown vegetables that are in season in each area. This can be particularly challenging in cold regions. 
  • As fall draws near access to fresh vegetables starts to dwindle. So, try to preserve vegetables with canning, dehydrating or freezing. 
  • Pickling has traditionally been a great way to preserve vegetables- slight fermentation also helps in making it gut-healthy.
  • If you have access to fresh fruits or grow your own- try making delicious preserves and juice concentrate that you can utilize for months to come.

Learn some recipe ideas that will allow you to enjoy fall seasonal vegetables like pumpkins and gourds. Also, come up with menu plans that will allow you to use more fall fruits and vegetables and less ingredients from far-off particularly warm tropical regions.

Read further:

  • Dincharya- Daily Health Routine as per Ayurveda (The ancient Science of Health & Wellbeing
  • Determining your Ayurvedic Body Type- part 1
  • ​​Use of Aroma Therapy in Ayurveda
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Categories:
Practical Ayurveda   and   Vedic Science 
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Keywords & Tags:
#RitucharyaForFall #ritucharya #fallritucharya #ayurveda #ayurvedicsciences #vedas #scienceoflife  #naturalhealing #charaka #sushruta #vagbhat #ashtangahridayam #ayurved    #ancientIndia #indianhealing
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Spiritual importance of celebrating Haritalika Teej

9/8/2021

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Haritalika Teej is celebrated during Shukla Paksha tritiya (3rd day) of the lunar Vedic calendar month of Bhadrapada. Hariyali Teej is celebrated one month after Hariyali Teej. It is usually celebrated one day prior to Ganesh Chaturthi, which many people mistake as the birthday of Lord Ganesh. Lord Ganesh’s birthday is in the lunar Vedic calendar month of Magha (on the Shukla Chaturthi, i.e. 4th day of the waxing moon cycle) and is typically celebrated as Maghi Ganapati or Ganesh Jayanti. ​
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Haritalika Teej is a time when women worship clay constructs of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

The name Haritalika is associated with the Hartalika Teej's legend. Hartalika is a combination of ‘harat’, which means abduction and ‘aalika’ which means a female friend.  So, Haritalika means the abduction of the female friend. This is in accordance with the legend which states that this was the day that Goddess Parvati’s friends abducted her and took her into a dense forest to avoid getting her married off to Lord Vishnu.

Goddess Parvati wanted to marry Lord Shiva and her father was trying to get her married off to Lord Vishnu. To avoid this issue, her female friends abducted her and avoided the marriage on this day! Finally Goddess Parvati was able to marry Lord Shiva, who she earnestly wanted to marry. She had done many prayers and much penance to entice Lord Shiva to accept her, as Lord Shiva being a ‘Vairaagi’, a renunciate, did not want to get entangled in marriage and worldly bonds and responsibilities of wife and children!

Because of this, Hartalika Teej vrat is observed during the festival of Haritalika. Devotees pray and seek blessings from Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati for marital bliss and a nice progeny. It is a typical practice to read and share the Haritalika legend as part of the Haritalika Teej prayers and vrat sadhana (prayer-practice).

Read further:

  • Significance of Hariyali Teej
  • Understanding the Shiva-Shakti family... Who is Lord Ganesh?
  • Wisdom of Ganesh (who is Ganesh?)
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Categories: 
Gods And Deities     and     Festival Celebrations

Keywords and Tags:
#haritalika #haritalikateej #shiva #parvati #shakti #vrat #fasting #prayer #kirtana #devotion #HinduFestival
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Understanding the concept of Tithi in The Vedic Calendar (Panchang)

9/6/2021

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Tithi in Vedic Astrology is one of the most important concepts. Tithi is one of five elements in the Vedic (or Hindu) Panchang (Five Parts of the Vedic Calendar). The rest are Nakshatra, Yoga, Vara and Karana. Each Tithi lasts between 21.5 and 26 hours. Tithi also defines almost all Hindu festivals.

Tithi refers to the first phase/portion among the 16 phases of the lunar cycle. It indicates a lunar day. The complete waxing cycle (Shukla Paksha, or the brighter phase) has 15 tithis. It begins at Amavasya, the last day in the dark half of a lunar moon month and ends at Purnima the full Moon. The other 15 tithis, are part of the waning phase of the moon (Krishna Paksha, or the darker phase), that begins at Amavasya and ends at Purnima. These tithis for the two phases are called the same, though their actual meaning and importance varies very greatly on if they fall within the waxing or the waning phase of the moon.
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Vedic astrology says that a person's birth Tithi can have a significant impact on their personality and life. Astrology also uses tithis to identify auspicious and unlucky muhurtas (special times) for significant occasions.
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​Colloquially we find that Vedic Astrologers associate the waxing phase tithis with auspiciousness and material goodness, whereas they associate the waning phase tithis with ill-effects of a ‘malignant’ moon. Also, we find many references where these astrologers would define auspiciousness based on whether a person was born during the day or the night. BUT one needs to keep in mind, that Lord Krishna, who was the very divine incarnation on earth and was ‘sarva guna sampann’- i.e., he had all the desirable qualities and attributes, was born during the Krishna Paksha and that too at night!!

So, it is very important to consider the details mentioned within the classical texts with a bigger picture in mind. Are you simply looking to learn about the tithis and utilize them for mundane gains in life? ‘or’ are you looking to learn about the tithis and then utilize their knowledge to better your life in a conscious a-karm manner? The a-karm way, which was taught by Lord Krishna allows us to tarry thru the worst situations in life and in a way, defy what mundane astrology predicts for a person. The power of Divine Grace and Blessings is absolutely unsurpassed, and we always need to keep that in mind…
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Now coming back to tithis, a tithi is defined according to the Sun-Moon correlation. After the new moon (or the full moon as the case may be) the first Tithi falls 12 degrees from the Sun. The next 12-degree from the Sun is the second Tithi and so on. One needs to note that these tithis are not defined at sunrise. They can change at any hour of the day or night. 
​The Fifteen Tithi-s are called with specific names and there are many famous festivals associated with each tithi. Details are as follows:
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  1. Pratipada- This is also called as Padva and the most famous first tithi day is the Bali Pratipada which falls during the festive time of Diwali.
  2. Dooja- The most famous festival celebrated on the dooja tithi is the Bhai Dooj, which is also celebrated during the festive Diwali time and marks the special bond shared between a brother and sister.
  3. Tritiya- The most famous festival celebrated on a Tritiya is the Akshaya Tritiya.
  4. Chaturthi- The most famous festival celebrated on a Chaturthi is Ganesh Chaturthi.
  5. Panchami- The most famous festival celebrated on a Panchami tithi is Nag Panchami.
  6. Shashti- The most famous festivals celebrated on a Shashti tithi are the Skanda Shashti as well as the Surya Shashti.
  7. Saptami- The most famous festival celebrated on a Saptami tithi is the Ratha Saptami.
  8. Ashtami- The most famous festival celebrated on a Ashtami tithi is the Gokulashtami.
  9. Navami- Ram Navami is the most famous festival that is celebrated on a navami tithi. It comes towards the end (9th day) of the Chaitra Navaratri… i.e., the special nine nights festival for the worship and celebration of Ma Durga at the start of Spring.
  10. Dashami- Vijaya Dashami, which comes at the end of the Sharada Navaratri… i.e., the special festive time of nine nights for the worship and celebration of Ma Durga in the autumn months.
  11. Ekadashi- The most famous festival celebrated on a Ekadashi tithi is the Devashayani Ekadashi which is also called as the Ashada Ekadashi as it falls in the Vedic month of Ashada.
  12. Dwadashi- The most famous festival that is celebrated on a Dwadashi tithi is the Govatsa Dwadashi, which is dedicated to the worship of cows and calves.
  13. Triyodashi- The most famous festival celebrated on a Triyodashi tithi is the Dhana Triyodashi, which is also celebrated during the festive days of Diwali.
  14. Chaturdashi- Kali Chaudas and Anant Chaturdashi are the most famous festivals celebrated on a Chaturdashi tithi. Kali Chaudas is celebrated during the start of Diwali, right after Dhana Triyodashi and Anant Chaturdashi is celebrated at the end of the ten days special celebration of Lord Ganesh, which starts with Ganesh Chaturthi and ends with Anant Chaturdashi.
  15. Purnima (or Amavasya)- There are many special festivals celebrated during the Purnima and Amavasya tithi of which, Guru Purnima and Hanuman Jayanti are the most famous festivals celebrated on a Purnima tithi and Laxmi Puja and Shani Jayanti are the most famous festivals celebrated on the Amavasya tithi.

Read further:

  • Is the Wisdom of Grahas- astrology or science?
  • How can we benefit from utilizing Muhurta (auspicious time) when doing important activities?
  • ​​Karma Yoga- The Yoga of Non-action​
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​Categories: 
Festival Celebrations, Help From Vedas and   Jyotish For Ascension

Keywords and Tags:
#tithi #panchang #muhurta #muhurtam #Hinducalander #Hindufestivals #Vediccalendar #jyotish   #scienceoflight   #ascension   #brahman #auspicioustime 
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Vinayaka Chaturthi Vrat- Understanding the importance of Vinayaka Chaturthi (greatest being Ganesh Chaturthi)

9/4/2021

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In the Hindu calendar, there are two chaturthi tithis, i.e., 4th day tithis in any lunar month. The one after purnima, or the full moon during Krishna paksha, is called Sankashti Chaturthi. The one after amavasya, or the new moon during Shukla paksha, is known by Vinayaka Chaturthi. 

In general, the Chaturthi tithi is very auspicious for the worship of Lord Ganesh. Vinayaka Chaturthi is also known as the Varada Vinayaka Chaturthi. Varad means to obtain blessings from God to fulfill one’s desires. It is believed that Lord Ganesh blesses those who keep this fast with wisdom and patience. Wisdom and patience are virtues that have been valued by mankind since the beginning of time. These virtues are essential for success in life.
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People typically fast and pray during the Sankashti Chaturthi to obtain relief and riddance from their problems whereas Vinayaka Chaturthi is celebrated more in reverence of Lord Ganesh. It is to express one’s joy and greetings towards Lord Ganesh.

Although Vinayaka Chaturthi fasting is done every month, but the most significant Vinayaka Chaturthi falls in month of Bhadrapada. Vinayaka Chaturthi during Bhadrapada month is known as Ganesh Chaturthi. It is believed that for ten days starting from the Bhadrapada Vinayaka Chaturthi day, Lord Ganesh is present on earth in a tangible form and because of this it is easier to connect with his energy and obtain his grace and blessings. 

People who do the fasting (vrat) on Vinayak Chaturthi tithi, should keep in mind that since the start and end times are dependent on the sunrise (and sunset) time, it would vary between different cities around the world. It is observed when the chaturthi tithi prevails during midday. Ganesh Puja on Vinayaka Chaturthi is done at midday. A person will need to confirm the accurate sunrise, sunset, and midday times for their region to ensure they are starting and ending the fast and conducting the prayers at the proper time.

The ritualistic rules of this fast are quite strict and usually only fruits and root-vegetables are allowed to be consumed. Tapioca (sabudana) khichdi (special style of preparation) with boiled potatoes and peanuts is the favorite food consumed during this fast. The fast goes on from sunrise during the Vinayaka tithi and then continues throughout the day and finally ends in the evening after sunset.

Read further:

  • The Ganesh Energy
  • Wisdom of Ganesh (who is Ganesh?)
  • The two important bija (seed) mantras of Lord Ganesh
  • Shri Ganesh Aarti in Hindi (devnagri script) and other details in English
  • Shri Ganesh Chalisa (in Devnagri- Hindi Script)
  • Sankashti Chaturthi Vrat- Understanding the importance of Sankashti Chaturthi
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Categories: 
Gods And Deities    and     Festival Celebrations​

Keywords and Tags:
#Ganesh #Vinayaka #GaneshChaturthi #Chaturthi #Vrat #Fasting #Prayers #Kirtana #Devotion #Ganesha #Chalisa #Aarti #HinduGod
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Sankashti Chaturthi Vrat- Understanding the importance of Sankashti Chaturthi

9/3/2021

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In the Hindu calendar, there are two chaturthi tithis, i.e. 4th day tithis in any lunar month. The one after purnima, or the full moon during Krishna paksha, is called Sankashti Chaturthi. The one after amavasya, or the new moon during Shukla paksha, is known by Vinayaka Chaturthi. In addition, it is known as Angaraki Chaturthi if Sankashti Chaturthi falls Tuesday and is considered extremely auspicious. The Chaturthi tithi is very auspicious for the worship of Lord Ganesh.
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Lord Ganesh is considered as the Lord of the masses and the deliverer from all troubles. He is considered as the remover of all obstacles and is often invoked before starting any important work. 
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Sankashti Chaturthi fasting (vrat) can be done in any lunar month throughout the year, but the most important Sankashti Chaturthi is believed to be within the lunar month of Magha according Purnimant school of thinking or in the lunar month of Pausha according Amavasyant School.

People who do the fasting (vrat) on Sankashti Chaturthi tithi, should keep in mind that since the start and end times are dependant on the moon-rise time, it would vary between different cities around the world. A person will need to confirm the accurate moon-rise times for their region to ensure they are starting and ending the fast at the proper time.

People who wish to obtain special grace and blessings from Lord Ganesh, often do Sankashti Chaturthi fasting (vrat).  The word Sankashti indicates deliverance from troubled times and people who are facing tremendous challenging times in their lives, do this special fast to obtain Lord Ganesh’s mercy and blessings. It is he, who can take away all their troubles and deliver them from their trials and tribulations. So, appeasing Lord Ganesh is the best way to tackle challenging life-situations!
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The ritualistic rules of this fast are quite strict and usually only fruits and root-vegetables are allowed to be consumed. Tapioca (sabudana) khichdi (special style of preparation) with boiled potatoes and peanuts is the favorite food consumed during this fast. The fast goes on from moonrise during the Sankashti tithi and then continues throughout the day and finally ends at night after the next moon-rise. 

Read further:

  • The Ganesh Energy
  • Wisdom of Ganesh (who is Ganesh?)
  • The two important bija (seed) mantras of Lord Ganesh
  • Shri Ganesh Aarti in Hindi (devnagri script) and other details in English
  • Shri Ganesh Chalisa (in Devnagri- Hindi Script)
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Categories: 
Gods And Deities  and    Festival Celebrations

Keywords and Tags:
#Ganesh #Sankashthi #Chaturthi #Vrat #Fasting #Prayers #Kirtana #Devotion #Ganesha #Chalisa #Aarti #HinduGod
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The Five M-s in Tantra, i.e. the concept of Panchamakara or Panchatattva in tantric practices

9/1/2021

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Panchamakara, or Panchatattva is Tantric terminology for five transgressive substances that are used in Tantric practices. These five substances are madya, mamsa, matsya and fish, as well as mudra (gesture) and maithuna ("sexual intercourse). These elements, which are considered to be taboo-breaking and can only be practiced by "left-hand" tantrics ("vamacarins), while "right-hand" tantrics ("daksinacarins), oppose them.
 
Spiritual leader, Prabhat Ranjan Sakar described the five M's as having dual meanings. One crude (left-handed Vamachara) and one subtle, Dakshinachara
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These five M-s of Tantra are:

  1. The first M is for Madya, which means Wine-Amrita. This divine nectar drips from the brain's glands onto the tip and can be captured using Khechari Mudra.
  2. The second M is for Mamsa means Meat-Control of speech. Symbolically, it is denoted by the Khechari Mudra, in which the tongue can be swallowed back to simulate eating meat.
  3. The third M is for Matsya, and it stands for Fish. The two key prana energy channels in the body, Ida and Pingala, can be controlled by pranayama. They can be visualized as two fish-like structures of figure-8 shape interwoven like two fish.
  4. The fourth M is for Mudra, which is a ‘hand gesture’ in Sanskrit. These gestures are made to activate the Kundalini, which then passes through the central energy channel, the Sushumna nadi (energy channel).
  5. ... and lastly the fifth M stands for Maithuna. It is a term that means sexual intercourse or female sexual discharge – which is indicative of raising the Kundalini to the Sahasrara (Crown) Chakra.

The spiritual leader Sarkar says that the Five M-s are intended to help people practice yoga sadhana (meditation) in "midst of crude pleasures" and gradually decrease their consumption of wine, meat, and fish.

It is important that one does not indulge in these five M-s and learns to resist the temptation of these activities, so that they can practice the subtle art and method of Tantra-meditation- which ultimately allows them to raise their energy-vibration, direct their prana-vayu (consciousness) thru the central Sushumna energy channel and raise their Kundalini energy to experience profound states of ascension and enlightenment!

Read further:

  • Why Tantra has a ‘bad’ reputation!!!
  • Understanding the basics of the Tantric Spiritual Pathway
  • The two main Tantric pathways of Transformation- Dakshinachara and Vamachara
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Categories:
Myths And Beliefs,   Tantra Mantra Yantra   and   Vedic Tradition​

Keywords and Tags:
#panchamakara #panchatattva #madya #mamsa #matsya #mudra #khecharimudra #maithuna #tantra #tantric #tantrik #dakshinachara #vamachara #righthandedtantra #lefthandedtantra #spiritualtransformation #ascension 
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    Juma Vera
    ​(aka   Maitreyi Gautam)​
    Mystic | Healer | Writer

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    Vedic Culture, which   is the culture of the original Himalayan Masters,    is one of the most advanced ancient civilizations.  It is a tradition which has given mankind several treasures such Yoga, Meditation, Conscious-Living and Vedic Sciences such as Ayurveda, Vedic Physics & Vedic Mathematics.

    It was always a scientific culture that understood the very mechanics and workings of this Universe. Their deities, their gods and goddesses were all a way of expressing and explaining these energies and their inter-working. Modern Quantum Mechanics is just starting to understand string theory, dark matter etc. which have all been fundamental to the Vedic understanding. Because of this, they developed ways and methods which allowed one to best tap into life-energy itself.

    Vedic Culture, as it was practiced by the Himalayan Masters, was always a "way of life" and not a religion.

    Their basic view was that, there is only ONE Supreme God-head (God as our creator) and each one of us can find our path to it- experience union with that divinity (Yoga) in their own way.

    Because of this, anyone with any religious affiliations and beliefs can still benefit from their knowledgeable ways of Vedic Wisdom.

    Our attempt here is to present this ancient wisdom in a modern light, so our readers can interpret the true, essential meaning more easily and then extrapolate it to their own specific scenarios and enhance the quality of their life and being-ness.
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