Puja Rituals for Hindu God Ganesha
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Every devout Hindu begins his daily worship, all important events and religious festivals by invoking Ganesha, the remover of obstacles.
Everyday worship for Ganpati begins with the lighting of an oil lamp in front of Ganesh statue. Vinayaka is then given a ritual rosewater bath. Freshly bathed, a strip of cloth tied around his capacious [...]
Hinduism’s Favorite God Ganesha’s Family
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Elephant-headed Ganesha, Hinduism’s most popular deity, is a study in dichotomy. He is held in awe and reverence as a powerful force who removes obstacles in people’s lives. But Ganpati also evokes a very down-to-earth affection. Some of this warmth emanates from his close involvement in our everyday lives and from the mythological tales about [...]
Ganesha and His Brother Kartikeya
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Sibling rivalry is the same everywhere, whether the kids live in Minneapolis, Morocco or Mount Kailasa, the home of the gods. Shiva and Parvati had their hands full as peacemakers in the incessant quarrels between their two sons, Ganesha and Kartikeya.
Hindu mythology has several stories about Ganesha and his younger sibling, Karthikeya. Where Ganesha is [...]
Hiindu God Ganesha’s Broken Tusk
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That broken tusk on Ganesha… what’s it all about? There are three different possibilities. This article discusses those stories.
First Secretary
If laptops had existed way back when the great Hindu epic poem, Mahabharata was written, Ganesha might never had acquired a broken tusk. How so? Sage Vyasa, the author of the epic, needed an assistant who [...]
Understanding The Meaning Of Tantra
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There is a general lack of understanding among people concerning Tantra. What is Tantra? What benefits can Tantra have for me? There is no single solid definition for Tantra, as it can encompass several different subjective meanings and connotations. We can examine the common beliefs about Tantra, and explore its history and variety of definitions [...]
Offending Devotees - The Mad Elephant Offense
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The Yamuna is a major tributary of the Ganga in northern India. Actually it is the main tributary. It is around 1400 kilometers long and therefore it is the longest tributary of the Ganga. According to sacred scriptures, the Yamuna is said to be the sister of the Ganga and that both of them descended [...]
The Health Of Household Life
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We normally refer to the events of the Srimad Bhagavatam when it comes to instructing ourselves about householder life. There are examples like Kardama Muni and Devahuti, Kashyapa and Aditi, the Pandavas and Draupadi and many more exemplary householders. This is what we call culture. They were successful in their lives. We learn from the [...]
The River That Gives Liberation To The Soul
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The Ganges, or Ganga, is a major river flowing through India, Bangladesh and Nepal. The 2,510 kilometer river has its source in the Himalayas at a place called Gangotri. The streams are fed by melting snow and ice glaciers including those from peaks such as Nanda Devi and Kamet. Since time immemorial Indians have been [...]
The Spiritual Quest For Liberation
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Kumbh Mela is a spiritual event that occurs four times every twelve years in four diffferent locations: Allahabad (Prayag), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. After twelve years there is a Maha Kumbha Mela that takes plce in Prayag, which is attended by millions of people, making it the largest spiritual gathering in the world.
The story of [...]
Prayer Beads: Medium For Vibrating Transcendental Sound
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Prayer beads, known as japa mala by the Hindus and by yoga practitioners around the world, are used to keep count of the repetitions of prayers or mantras. The mala consists of a certain number of beads depending on the religion. The material with which it is made also varies. While chanting, one moves from [...]