It is a common practice among Hindus to offer coconut during prayers. Many people, including Hindus wonder- why this is the case.

Since many of the Hindu practices come from the original Vedic culture, which was very logical and scientific in it's approach, this practice of offering coconut has a very beautiful and logical explanation.

​Watch on to know more...

Categories:
Myths And Beliefs,   Prayers And Sadhanas,   Vedic Symbolism   and   Vedic Tradition

Keywords and Tags:
#HinduPrayers  #pooja  #puja #aarti #OfferingCoconut  #VedicWisdom #Coconut #NaraliPurnima #Naral #OfferCoconut #Hindu #Vedic #narial   #Hinduofferings  

​Kali is the primordial energy of creation, the first feminine energy principle responsible for this entire manifested universe. That is why she is often addressed as Adi Shakti- the first energy principle.

For those who may not be familiar with the true Vedic philosophy and teachings, it is important to note that all Vedic and Hindu deities represent cosmic energies that are part of the Divine Universal Energy or the Supreme God-head.  

​Shiva represents the Male Cosmic energy principle of our form-created world and Parvati (who is another representation of Shakti), is the Female Cosmic energy principle.  

Both these primal Male and Female cosmic energy principles are responsible for creating this Universe. Thus Shiva and Shakti together create this form-world as we know.

Kali, who represents Time, is the first and foremost of all Shakti-s, i.e. energy forms. Since all of creation manifests and exits in and thru her, she is also a representation of space- where all things can come into being. 

In this way, Kali represents the Space-Time continuum which allows for this manifested material world to exist. 

#KaliMantras #ShaktiMantras   #KaliSadhana  #ChantsandMantras #MaKali #Navratri   #UnderstandingKali #WhoisKali   #LearningHinduism   #HinduDeities   #UnderstandingShakti   #HinduGoddessKali  #HinduGods  #VedicSymbolism 

The word Vishnu comes from the combination of two words- Vishwa (cosmos) and Anu (atom- the smallest representation of the whole). 

So, Vishnu is that energy which pervades everything in existence- the living and non-living! 

Nothing can be in existence without Vishnu. Neither the living nor the non-living can exist without Vishnu. It is the very divine essence within everything in existence, not just on earth, but in everything in this cosmos!  
​
This cosmic essence, this divinity within everything in existence the “Vishnu” within each one of us, is the very life essence, the soul or atman. 

It is the microcosm Vishnu which is there within each one of us. This microcosmic Vishnu is a fraction of the macrocosmic Vishnu and yet it is a complete representation of the whole. The individual manifestation (an individual, a Jeev-atma) is the atomic version of the bigger manifestation (Param-atma). 

As Lord Vishnu is the very essence within everything, it is his presence that allows any-person or thing to stay in existence. 

Because of this, Lord Vishnu is considered as the one who sustains- manages and maintains this universe. 

And to manage, maintain and sustain, we need nourishment, wealth, affluence, and this is provided by his consort- Goddess Laxmi. Ma Laxmi governs all eight forms of wealth and abundance.

If you are not familiar with the Ashta Laxmi, then you may want to watch:   Goddess Lakshmi (giver of wealth and affluence)- Symbolism and Meaning of Ma Laxmi (Lakshmi) and Eight Forms of Goddess Lakshmi (giver of wealth and affluence)- Who is Lakshmi and her eight forms?

If we are to ever see an image-representation of Lord Vishnu, then many a times Goddess Laxmi is shown at the feet of the Lord Vishnu, in humility and servitude.
​
This is because the energy of wealth and abundance, needs to be utilized for the wellbeing and sustenance of the cosmos and so the energy representation of Goddess Laxmi is shown to be in service to Lord Vishnu, who is the sustainer of this universe. 

​#LordVishnu #DashaAvatar #CosmicSustainer #VedicArchetype #VishwaRoop 

Lord Narasimha, which is the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, and has the form of a half lion, half man- it indicates the evolutionary process of physical life on earth. 

You can read How Lord Narasimha ridded the earth of Hiranyakashapu’s demonic terror!!

The story of Lord Narasimha clearly indicates that everything in the material creation ultimately has a limited time in existence. Even though one believes that one is clever and has ‘tricked’ the process of creation or the laws of nature- it is not so. Such trickery does not work!! 

The universal laws of Karma impacts everyone and the universal process proceeds and unfolds in its own rhythm.

Lord Narasimha’s fierceness and anger could only be subdued by the loving presence of Prahalad and his true devotion. It is then that Lord Narasimha blessed all the others in the court. 

This goes to show the power of true love and deep devotion- it has the power to counteract and transform even the most challenging of situations. 

If you would like to learn more about the many blessings that one can receive by worshipping to Lord Narasimha, then check out this video titled, Lord Narsimha and the amazing blessings we can receive from within the Hindu Deities: God & Goddesses playlist.

​#Narasimha #VishnuDashaAvatar #Narsimha #VishnuTenAvatars #HinduStory #VedicWisdom

Back in the days before electricity, lighting oil lamps was the main way people were able to light their homes after sunset. But even with electricity, we still use oil lamps during our pooja and prayers. Is there a special significance to lighting oil lamps?

Yes, there is… but not just any oil lamp. We are meant to light an earthen oil lamp during our prayers or performing any spiritual austerities, i.e. sadhana.

The earthen lamp signifies our body. We have heard the phrase- “we arise from dust and to dust we return”. Clay, mud, dirt has always been used to indicate that we have been created as part of this nature and also to signify our mortality, i.e. how after our death, our body (which is a mere vessel for our soul) will disintegrate, perish and return to nature.

The cotton wick indicates our ego. It burns because of the oil in the lamp. This oil is the accumulated soul-actions and soul-tendencies (i.e. karmas and samskaras), which compel us to perform more action. If this oil is pure and of high quality, then the wick will glow brightly. If there is impurity in the oil, then the flame will be dull… in the same way, if we have challenging or negative karmas then our life here will not be able to exhibit the full glory of our true divine nature. 
​
It is not surprising that in Jyotish (Vedic Astrology), Saturn is the karaka (indicator) for oil as he is also the one who maintains and administers our karmas!!

Sooo… the signification of lighting an earthen oil lamp (mitti ka diya) is that… when we light an oil lamp, we are hoping that as the oil helps to burn off the cotton wick, similarly as we conscious do the prayers, pooja, it will help to burn off our karmas.  Thru devotion, by doing our prayers, pooja and so on, our ego will burn off and it will generate light, which is our true essence (our soul).

So next time, you are lighting a diya (earthen oil lamp). Don’t do it mindlessly. Light the lamp with a conscious intension. Do your prayers with a conscious intension of burning off your karmas and by doing so, you are slowly becoming more and more light. I.e. you are slowly becoming ‘enlightened’.

​#diya #deepavali #earthenlamp #oillamp #lightingdiya #lightingoillamp #Hindutraditions #Hindurituals #Vedicrituals #whydoHindus #mittikadiya