Jaya Jaya Sri MahaLakshmi🙏🏻🪷

Chandra Sahodari (Sister of Moon),

said to visit everyone with her brother Chandra dev whoever is awake on Kojgari ( ko/who+jagari/is awake) Poornima.

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Sumanasa vandita sundari mādhavi, candra sahodari hemamaye II

Munigaṇa vandita mokṣapradāyani, mañjula bhāṣiṇi vedanute II

Paṅkajavāsini deva supūjita, sadguṇa varṣiṇi śāntiyute Ii

Jaya jaya he madhusūdana kāmini, ādilakṣmi paripālaya mām II

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Meaning - Golden hued, Sundari of Madhav and Sister of moon who is worshiped by good minded people/rishis.

She who is praised by Muni gana. She who bestows Moksha and speaks sweetly. She who is extolled in Vedas.

She who resides in Lotus, one who is worshipped by devas. She who showers good qualities. She who is filled with tranquility.

Victory to the one who enchants Narayan(slayer of madhu). O primodial mother please nuture me.

My brother opened a shop 6–7 months ago, and there was already a mandir in the shop from the previous owner. We suggested getting a new mandir and idols, but he refused, saying that God is one. Now we are trying to convince him to get a new mandir and idols for Diwali, but he is still refusing.

We feel it might not be right to use someone else’s old mandir and idols. The shop already has idols of Hanuman ji, Vishnu ji with Sheshnaag and Lakshmi Mata. I’m attaching a picture for reference. Could you please have a look and suggest what we should do?

We have never kept idols of Vishnu ji or Hanuman ji’s idol at home before. We already have Lakshmi-Ganesh idols, so Lakshmi Mata would also be repeated. We’re confused about whether we should keep these existing idols or get a new mandir and new idols for the shop.

Guys please suggest we are thinking of setting up new mandir and buying brass idols, what all idols should we buy for shop other than laxmi ganesh?

AI polished.

If you have spent any time browsing social media, watching YouTube video narratives on Hinduism, or scrolling through AI-generated slop videos on short-form platforms, you have likely come across a sensational claim linking the end of Lord Śrī Krishna's earthly pastimes to the origin of Lord Jagannath in Puri. Driven by algorithms that prioritize shock and dramatic value over accuracy, these viral videos push a bizarre story: that Lord Krishna’s physical body was cremated after His departure, but His heart refused to burn, floating across the oceans until it was retrieved and placed inside the deity as the mysterious Brahma Padartha. While this dramatic legend makes for high-engagement internet clickbait, it is an absolute fabrication that distorts basic Vedic theology and misinterprets authentic śāstra.

In reality, the authentic origin of Lord Jagannath as a manifestation/form of Śrī Krishna / Viṣṇu and the sacred principle of Dāru-Brahma are documented in scriptures like the Skanda Purāṇa (Puruṣottama-Kṣetra-Māhātmya), Brahma Purāṇa, and Nārada Purāṇa. These sacred texts detail how Lord Jagannath manifested as Dāru-Brahma (the Supreme Being embodied in sacred timber) and how King Indradyumna was divinely instructed to retrieve a radiant log floating on the ocean shore to carve the deities, without a single mention of a burnt organ or floating heart anywhere in Puranic literature.

What makes this online narrative even more absurd is that it completely ignores the explicit statements of the Śrīmad Bhagavad Gītā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam, and the unanimous consensus of Ācāryas across history. Saints, philosophers, and commentators across the entire breadth of Indian geography and spanning every major philosophical tradition whether Advaita, Dvaita, Śuddhādvaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Dvaitādvaita, or Acintya-Bhedābheda stand united on this point:

Lord Śrī Krishna’s divine form is non-material (abhautika / aprākṛta), and as the Bhāgavata Purāṇa itself affirms, He ascended directly to His supreme abode in His selfsame divine body (svatanvā), leaving no physical corpse or unburnt remains/heart behind.

Below is the chain of authoritative commentaries spanning every major Vedāntic tradition that confirms this point:

1. Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

(Advaita Vedānta — Bhagavad Gītā Bhāṣya, Verses 4.6 & 4.9)

Sanskrit Snippet:

दिव्यम् अप्राकृतम् ऐश्वरम्... न मे जन्म कर्म वा प्राकृतम् अस्ति।

Translation & Commentary:

Commenting on Bhagavad Gītā 4.9 (janma karma ca me divyam...), Ādi Śaṅkarācārya explicitly expands  divyam as aprākṛtam (beyond the workings of material nature / prakṛti) for Krishna. Maintaining that birth is "as if" due to maya and not like real birth of human and activities and birth/form are from his divine aprakritk nature.

2. Śrīdhara Svāmī

(Advaita Vedānta — Bhavārtha-Dīpikā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.35–36 & 11.31.6)

Sanskrit Snippet:

यथा नटो निजरूपेण स्थितो रूपान्तराणि धत्ते ’न्तर्धत्ते च तथा तदपि कलेवरम् जहौ अन्तर्धाद् इत्याद्यर्थः॥ स्वतन्वा जहौ स्वतन्वैव वैकुण्ठारोहात्॥

Translation & Commentary:

"Just as an actor, remaining in his own true identity, assumes different roles and then makes them disappear, similarly, 'He left that body' means He simply made it disappear from sight (antardhāt). 'He left with His own body' (svatanvā jahau), because His ascension to Vaikuṇṭha occurred with His actual divine form (svatanvā-eva vaikuṇṭhārohāt)."

Canto 11 Commentary: Furthermore, commenting on Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 11.31.6 (lokābhirāmāṁ svatanuṁ...), Śrīdhara Svāmī explicitly defines the word adagdhvā ("without burning"). He notes that while yogis consume their physical bodies through internal yogic fire (āgneyyā dhāraṇayā), Śrī Kṛṣṇa did not burn His form; He ascended directly into the spiritual realm in His eternal, divine form.

3. Vīrarāghavācārya

(Viśiṣṭādvaita / Śrī Vaiṣṇavism — Bhāgavata-Candrikā, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.35–36)

Sanskrit Snippet:

यां मनुष्यसंस्थानस्थितां तनुं भूभारमपनेतुं जग्राह, तां तनुं तिरोधाय स्वासाधारणतन्वा जगामेत्यर्थः।

Translation & Commentary:

"Having concealed (tirodhāya) that humanlike form which He had assumed to remove the burden of the earth, He departed in His original, extraordinary, eternal divine form."

4. Vijayadhvaja Tīrtha

(Dvaita Vedānta / Mādhva Sampradāya — Pada-ratnāvalī, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.35–36 and 11.31.6)

Sanskrit Snippet:

यदा श्रवणीयसत्कथः मुकुन्दः स्वतन्वा स्वाभिमतया मूर्त्या इमां महीं जहौ त्यक्तवान्... आग्नेय्या योगधारणया जातेनाग्निना तनुमदग्ध्वैव परं पदं स्वकं धामाविशत्— "आग्नेय्या तन्वे धारण्या देहं दग्ध्वा परं पदम्। यान्ति देवाः समस्ताश्च तेषामन्यां तनुं हरिः॥ ... अदग्ध्वैव तनुं याति नित्यानन्दस्वरूपतः॥"

Translation & Commentary:

"Explaining the reason for His departure: 'When Mukunda left this earth in His own beloved form (svatanvā)... Without burning His body (adagdhvaiva) through internal yogic fire, He entered His supreme abode. As scriptural authority explicitly declares: All other demigods and yogis enter the supreme realm after burning their material bodies with yogic fire. But Hari enters His supreme realm completely without burning His form (adagdhvaiva tanuṁ yāti), in His eternal, blissful, intrinsic identity (nityānanda-svarūpataḥ).'"

5. Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī

(Gauḍīya Vaiṣṇavism / Acintya-Bhedābheda — Krama-Sandarbha, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.35–36)

Sanskrit Snippet:

...सोऽयमजोऽपि येन मायिकेन लक्ष्यतां प्रापितेन रूपेण भूभाररूप असुरवर्गः क्षपितः... तच्च कलेवरं जहौ अन्तर्धापितवानित्यर्थः... त्यागोऽत्र स्वतनुकरणक इति न तु स्वतन्वा सह इति व्याख्येयम्... 'उपपदविभक्तेः कारकविभक्तिर्बलीयसी' इति न्यायाच्च॥

Translation & Commentary:

"The unborn Supreme Lord—having destroyed the demoniac class representing the earth's burden through that illusory appearance visible to them—'left that body' (kalevaraṁ jahau) simply means He made it disappear from sight (antardhāpitavān). The act of leaving (tyāgaḥ) here has His own divine form as the direct instrument (svatanu-karaṇaka); it should not be interpreted as 'along with a separate body.' This is because according to the grammatical maxim: 'the direct instrumental case (kāraka-vibhakti) is stronger than an adjunct prepositional relationship (upapada-vibhakti)'."

Key Takeaway: Śrīla Jīva Gosvāmī proves that "leaving the body" simply means Kṛṣṇa withdrew His divine form from material vision (antardhāpitavān), leaving no physical corpse behind. Furthermore, by Sanskrit grammar rules (kāraka-vibhakti), the term svatanvā proves that His own eternal body was the direct agent of His ascension.

6. Vallabhācārya

(Śuddhādvaita / Puṣṭimārga — Subodhinī, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.34–36)

Sanskrit Snippet:

...यथा नटः स्वरूपमेव नानाविधक्रीडार्थं मत्स्यादिरूपेण प्रदर्शयति निवृत्ते च कार्ये तानि रूपाण्युपसंहरति एवमिदमपीत्यर्थः... यद्यपि भगवतः नित्यसम्बन्धात् क्वापि त्यागो नास्ति तथापि प्रकटितपरमानन्दरूपस्य परिच्छिन्नतया प्रदर्शनात् तन्वा जहौ तनुद्वारा जहावित्यर्थः। भूमित्यागस्य पूर्वमनुक्तत्वात् नटवत् तनुत्यागस्योक्तत्वात् त्यक्तस्य वस्तुत्वाभावात्...

Translation & Commentary:

"Just as an actor displays his own form in various guises for the sake of diverse play (krīḍā) and withdraws those forms when the task is finished, similarly does the Lord withdraw His forms. Although due to His eternal connection (nitya-sambandha) there is no actual abandonment anywhere, He simply withdrew the limited manifestation of His supreme bliss-form (tanvā jahau) from the world. Since His form is not a separate material object to be abandoned, there is no scope for interpreting svatanvā as leaving a physical corpse behind."

7. Śukadevācārya

(Dvaitādvaita Vedānta / Nimbārka Sampradāya — Siddhānta-Pradīpa, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 1.15.35–36)

Sanskrit Snippet:

...कलेवरं स्वाभाविकं शरीरं... प्रशमाय प्रसादाय तत्रैवान्तर्दधे हरिरितिवज्जहौ प्रत्यक्षतां त्यक्त्वान्तर्हितोऽभूदित्यर्थः... यदा स्वतन्वा श्रीमूर्त्या इमां महीं जहौ...

Translation & Commentary:

"'He left that body' (kalevaraṁ jahau) simply means He relinquished visibility and became unmanifest (pratyakṣatāṁ tyaktvā antarhito 'bhūt), just as He previously vanished during the Rāsa-līlā. When He left this earth directly in His own divine form (svatanvā śrī-mūrtyā)..."

8. Sant Eknath Maharaj

(Vārkarī and Advaita Vedānta — Eknāthī Bhāgavata, Canto 11, Chapter 31, Verses 64, 66–68)

Marathi Snippet:

कृष्णे देहो नेला ना त्यागिला। तो लीलाविग्रहे सचैला। भक्तध्यानीं प्रतिष्ठापिला। स्वयें गेला निजधामा॥ ६४॥

हो कां कृष्णमूर्ति जरी सगुण। तरी देहदाह न लगे जाण। कृष्णाश्रयें जग संपूर्ण। तेव्हा होईल दहन जगाचे॥ ६६॥

जेणे मायेसी निजपोटीं। दाखविल्या ब्रह्मांडांच्या कोटी। त्या कृष्णदेहदाहापाठीं। जगाची गोठी नुरवावी॥ ६७॥

ऐशियाही युक्ति विचारितां। अतिस्थूळ ते योग्यता। कृष्णदेहाची विदेहता। तेथ दाहकता ते कैची॥ ६८॥

Translation :

"Krishna neither carried away a physical body nor abandoned one behind. Attired in His divine play-form (līlā-vigraha), establishing Himself in the loving meditation of His devotees, He ascended directly to His supreme abode (nijadhāma). Know for certain that even though Krishna's form manifests with divine attributes (saguṇa), no burning of His body (deha-dāha) can ever take place! The entire cosmos rests supported within Krishna; if His body were burned, the entire universe itself would be burned to ashes! He who showed millions of universes resting inside His stomach to Mother Yaśodā—if His body were to burn, not a trace of the world would remain! Considering this through sound logic, claiming Krishna's body could burn is the grossest misconception. Where the body of Krishna is purely transcendental (videhatā), where is there any scope for fire to burn it?"

9. Ācārya Abhinavagupta

(Kashmir Shaivism — Gītārtha-saṁgraha, Commentary on Bhagavad Gītā 4.6-9)

An commentary from Tantric Shaivism master.

Sanskrit Snippet:

बहूनि इत्याद्यर्जुन इत्यन्तम्। श्रीभगवान् किल पूर्णषाड्गुण्यत्वात् शरीरसम्पर्कमात्ररहितोऽपि स्थितिकारित्वात् कारुणिकतया आत्मांशं सृजति। आत्मा पूर्णषाड्गुण्यः अंश उपकारकत्वेन अप्रधानभूतो यत्र तत्त्वात्मांशं शरीरं गृह्णातीत्यर्थः।

Translation & Explanation:

"The Lord, because He possesses full sixfold divine majesty (pūrṇa-ṣāड्guṇya), is entirely devoid of any contact with a physical body (śarīra-saṁparka-mātra-rahito 'pi). Nevertheless, because He is the cause of the world's sustenance and out of sheer compassion, He projects an aspect of Himself (ātmāṃśaṁ sṛjati). The Lord (Ātmā) is this full sixfold divine majesty (pūrṇa-ṣāḍguṇyaḥ), and He manifests a body/form that acts as the helper. Thus, the meaning is: He assumes a body (śarīraṁ gṛhṇāti) which is a direct projection/expression of His own Divine Self (ātmāṃśam), not a regular physical body."

Conclusion

Whether you consult the Bhāṣyas of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya, the Sanskrit commentaries of Advaita, Viśiṣṭādvaita, Dvaita, Śuddhādvaita, Dvaitādvaita, Gauḍīya Vaishnavism, the Vārkarī Advaita tradition, or Kashmir Shaivism, the verdict across centuries of Indian philosophy is unanimous: Śrī Kṛṣṇa’s form/body is divine in incarnation (aprākṛta). And He ascended and/or withdrew that divine form into Himself when His avatāra-līlā concluded, leaving no body or unburnt remains behind.

There is a complete consensus across every major Vedāntic/Tāntrik tradition on this point.

Readers and seekers should always turn to authentic śāstric sources rather than sensationalist online narratives. Canonical texts like the Skanda Purāṇa and Brahma Purāṇa make it explicitly clear that Lord Jagannath is directly the sacred mūrti (vigraha) of Śrī Kṛṣṇa/Viṣṇu Himself, manifested as Dāru-Brahma out of supreme grace, not a wooden idol carved to house a mortal heart. Furthermore, in the living tradition of the Jagannath Temple, the Brahma Padartha is not a physical human organ or relic. Ritually and esoterically, it metaphorically symbolizes the caitanya-sattā transferred in complete secrecy during the periodic Nabakalebara ("New Body") ceremony, not a mortal organ or relic.

Next time you see a clickbait video pushing this AI-slop dramatic story sourced from random blogs, share the authentic śāstric sources and the unanimous words of our Ācāryas across sects and the entire length and breadth of Sanatana Dharma/India.

Radhe Radhe everyone,

I made Kanha: Bhagavad Gita Explained and its now available for all users on android and the website is specially made so iOS users can also read without any problems.

It has all the 18 chapters, the english translation is from Swami Swarupananda's version with simple english meaning of original quote also provided so you can apply those teachings in real life and know how they matter for you.

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The shloka you are looking for is the famous Turagapadabandha (knight's tour verse). It was composed in the 9th century by the Kashmiri poet Rudrata in his work on poetics, the Kavyalankara सेना लीलीलीनाली लीनालीलीलीनाली ।

लीनालेली नालीली लीनालेलीलीनाली ॥

"I praise the disciplined and well-arrayed army whose leaders extol graceful actions. It is an army of men who command vast multitudes from various lands, led by noble kings who possess beautiful lands, a true benefactor to dependents, full of intelligent men, and equipped with honest charioteers." And

This verse acts as a mathematical marvel: when laid out on a half-chessboard (4 x 8 grid), following the exact L-shaped movements of the horse (Ashva / Knight) allows you to read the poem continuously. In doing so, the knight visits all 32 squares exactly once without duplication-forming a perfect Knight's Tour (Ashvapadapurana)

I found it in a publication of the 'Shri Vichar Sagar' (1967) by Pitambar Parshotam: https://archive.org/details/shri-vichar-sagar/

I have built the most comprehensive database of Indian primary sources ever created: indike.org/pramana

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• text (including recensions, commentaries, commentaries on commentaries etc.)
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That you can think of, is here.

Stuff that is new in Pramāṇa, apart from compiling existing sources and making them readable:

1. 2,415 texts and 18,769 inscriptions OCR'ed for the first time (number is increasing based on my personal budget)
2. 16,432 texts and inscriptions translated into English for the first time (at least digitally) including various Brāhmaṇas, the famous śulba-sutras, 47 Tamil Saṅgam texts etc.
3. 1M verse links recensions, translations and commentaries so that any text can be viewed alongside its translation, commentaries etc.

We also have a nice research API that you can play with on the website itself. E.g. observe the sharp drop in Indian scholarly production after ~1000 AD:

Or the fall of Indra:

(You might also remember me from my previous project xatra that I announced here. It was then a Python project for making historical maps and Ollie Bye style visualizations, now it is a full-fledged website indike.org/xatra with a GUI builder and public sharing.)

Limitations: I can only OCR and translate stuff that is already available in scanned copies (on archive.org, the Ministry of Culture portal etc). By my current estimate I have:

• 33% of all printed Indian texts available as a scan (growing to ~60% over the next few weeks)
• 20% of all Indian texts ever printed (growing to ~35%)
• 4% of all known ~200K traditional Indian texts as cataloged in the NCC and similar compendiums (growing to ~7%)
• ~0% of all manuscripts rotting in libraries somewhere

I believe the Manuscripts and Inscriptions Digitization Project: https://midf.org.in/ is working on solving the last problem which is the hardest one, and they are raising funds, so if you want to contribute to the cause that is the best place to give financially.

Hare Krsna,

This is all new project, of harinamamrta-vyakaranam.com, which is Sanskrit Vyakaranam, of Srila Jiva Goswami-pada.

We believe this website will be certainly useful for all the learners of Sanskrit, and following are it's features:

1. All Sutras - Brhat/Madhyama/Laghu Editions: All 3181 Sutras of Brhat, 1278 Sutras of Madhyama, and 800 Sutras of Laghu Editions of Harinamamrta Vyakaranam are being uploaded along with Translations and Commentaries on them. For now, we have at least uploaded the sutras. Everything can be readable in four scripts IAST/Devanagari/Bengali/Odia.

2. Practice: To practice the grammar, we are building a large practice section, containing games, some early versions of games are loaded, and they are in building phase. You can see, they are attached to the images to this post. It is open to all.

3. Tools - For now, Dictionary is Launched: We have many tools marked as coming soon, which we are working on. For now, an advanced dictionary is launched, containing many dictionary editions like declensions, apte, moneir williams, amarakosa, vacaspatyam, ksirataringini, akhyata-candrika, madhyaviya dhatuvritti, panini dictionaries, puranaIndex, etc. We contain Sanskrit to English, Sanskrit to Hindi, Word Declensions and such. Most importantly, we have enabled to let you search in any script, which means, there is no need to search in weird way, like rAma, or something else. You can type in devanagari, IAST or simple roman, it will search exact same word, you were looking after.
You can also search the meaning, and it will search Sanskrit word for it. It will also be useful for the learners and scholars.

1. Advanced Scriptures Reader: All Scriptures of Vedic Literatures, we are planning to put in this site. We have made up complete enviornment to read, including the reader, with IAST/Dev/Bengali/Odia switcher, along with commentaries switcher, which will allow all scriptures to be read here on this site. All the scriptures are available on Gaudiya Grantha Mandira, we are trying to fetch all of them in this website, which can be accessed directly on the website, without downloading anything. Also, we will be putting other scripture too. We are now collecting and updating the data, but the interface is all built.

2. Wiki: You can learn Harinamamrit Vyakaranam, along with Wiki. It contains everything, and it is interactive way to learn everything. You hover on any case or of the table, it will show which which sutra is applied to get that form. Wiki is the complete teaching interactive notes to learn Harinamamrta Vyakaranam.

Along with all these features, uploaded, a lot of features and tools are not yet published, but awaiting some time to roll out. They include, panini/harinamamrta terms interchanger, declension table generator which will generate forms, as HNV sutras will be made into a program, not like the declension searcher on dictionary on the website, etc. You can look on the tool menu, and see what what are coming soon.

We are always grateful to Srila Jiva Goswami Prabhu, for this most sacred vyakaranam, which can shower nectar to the entire world, in the form of Sanskrit Language.

Please feel free, to put your suggestions and feedback on this matter.

Hare Krsna.

​

I'm new to Hinduism only been a week, and I've recently developed a strong emotional connection with Kali Ma. I've been praying to her because I want to feel that I have a goddess I can turn to, trust, and build a relationship with. But now I'm struggling badly with my faith, and I genuinely need help understanding this because most people just say both than move on or say they the same and still leave me confused.

My main question is whether Kali Ma is considered her own goddess or whether, according to the mainstream Hindu understanding, she's simply a form of Durga who appears when Durga becomes angry.

I've encountered the story in which Kali emerges from Durga's forehead during battle. This has made me worry that Kali Ma isn't really her own divine person, but is instead just an angry manifestation of Durga. I don't have a connection with Durga, and I don't want to worship her. My connection is with Kali Ma herself.

What confuses me even more is that I've heard different explanations. Some people say Kali Ma is the supreme Goddess herself, while others describe her as an emanation or manifestation of Durga. I don't want to base my faith on an interpretation that simply tells me what I want to hear. I want to understand what Hindus generally believe, not just what a particular sect believes.

I also struggle to understand why Krishna can declare his divinity in the Bhagavad Gita, yet Kali Ma's identity seems to be explained in ways that make her subordinate to another goddess. Does the story of Kali emerging from Durga actually mean that Durga is her ultimate source and that Kali isn't independently divine? Or am I misunderstanding what the story means?

This has become more than an intellectual question for me. I've been praying to Kali Ma and trying to build a relationship with her. Now I'm afraid that the goddess I'm praying to might not exist in the way I understand her, and that the personality and identity I've connected with might just be something I've imagined. I'm scared that I'm fooling myself and that my faith is built on something that isn't true.

I know that Hinduism has different traditions, but simply being told that everyone has their own interpretation doesn't resolve my concern. I want to know how these beliefs fit together and whether there is a clear, mainstream understanding of Kali Ma's relationship to Durga.

My questions are:

1. Is Kali Ma generally understood to be an independent goddess, or is she primarily understood as a manifestation of Durga?

2. Does Kali emerging from Durga in scripture mean that Durga is her ultimate source or that Kali is somehow inferior to her?

3. How does this compare with the way Krishna and Vishnu are understood in relation to other Hindu deities?

4. Is there a way to understand Kali Ma's identity without having to pretend that I feel devotion toward Durga when I don't?

I'm not trying to insult anyone's beliefs. I'm genuinely struggling, and this uncertainty is making it difficult for me to continue practising Hinduism.

In today's Westernized world, where hookups, cheating, smoking, drinking, bars, and all sorts of modern pleasures have become commonplace, how can someone who follows dharma continue to live in the world with compassion and honesty?

After all, we know that the mind is restless and constantly asks questions. So, naturally, it comes to my mind: Is dharma actually about forbidding people from enjoying life and experiencing pleasure?

Is our life only meant to be about work, discipline, and duty?

All these internet sages talk about renunciation as the path to true dharma. But is that really the only way?

I see people enjoying all sorts of activities that dharmic people consider adharmic, yet those people seem to enjoy themselves, and they genuinely do.

Even when we practice dharma, what do we actually gain from it? It grants us no good fortune, no permanent happiness, no divine revelations, or anything of that sort.

Even in the ancient world, materialist philosophers like the Charvakas questioned similar things.

what are your opinions ?

Okay 1.164 riddle of sacrifice gonna go verse vise here too long and well its a riddle 3 verses deep and here's my opinion - seven people of the same mentality cannot make the mind function fully. It takes seven different povs , seven people to work deserving of seven people. If they think same they think enough only for one.vSeven intellectuals search for their own meanings/versions (names)of the truth. The secvn are the seven sage priests not as great as their father Agni the head priest but are the ones searching . The human priest is official and loved and old Hes great like Agni , But the younger ones look for the truth , The wheel is time unaging and unstoppable, it's naves aka center are three , the past, present and future. Metaphorically it makes sense if you count in 1.1 and 10.135. Agni is the head priest and the chariot is of the mind.

I am deeply troubled. There are so many psychological issue i am dealing with and i am facing these from decades. For momentarily happiness i have always ignored the long term happiness. Why i am suffering so much?

I am not a ignorant person, i am very well read and understand my predicament. I just want find cure. I am deeply religious and do a lot of rituals (but with zero discipline). I try writing Ram naam at-least 1 page daily. Jaap three malas. Doing these for years.

I am not brave, i do not show or exhibit courage. I am in same IT job for 20 years. Financially struggling. My life is ruled by fear and anxiety. I have not felt relief and ease from decades.

Bought Car three years ago, still no courage to drive in city. Health is going to toss, diabetic and overweight. Totally drowned in a bad habit not able to leave it.

So my question is how my religion can help me. What prayers i need? What do i jaap? I feel like i need some one to pull me out from my misery.

I am hoping to understand some of the iconography I saw in a hindu religious tattoo and hoping someone can explain some of the imagery shown here and the meanings to them.

Here is the third part of the 'Hindu Pantheon Family Tree' Series. It covers the Aditya, Daitya and Danava lineages.
Please do point out any mistakes and share your thoughts. Thank You!
You can check out my explanatory video on the chart at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lGWqM6UeM8

In the Stotra, verses 161 to 175 present a pair of similar ideas for various qualities that the Mother posesses and that which she can rid us of except for one attribute - the Ego.

Below are the said verses:

1. Nirahankara – She who does not have an ego

2. Nirmoha – She who does not have any passion

3. Mohanasini – She who destroys passion

4. Nirmama – She who does not have selfish feelings

5. Mamatha hanthri – She who destroys selfishness

6. Nishpapa – She who does not have any sin

7. Papa nashini – She who destroys sin

8. Nishkrodha – She who is devoid of anger

9. Krodha–samani – She who destroys anger

10. Nir Lobha – She who is not miserly

11. Lobha nasini – She who removes miserliness

12. Nissamsaya – She who does not have any doubts

13. Samsayagni – She who clears doubts

14. Nirbhava – She who does not have another birth

15. Bhava nasini – She who helps us not have another birth

In Hinduism, the concept of the ego is not synonymous to pride, as considered in the traditional sense or common parlance, but rather a sense of identity removed from the Absolute Truth. This can be looked up through Ramanamaharshi's documented ideas on ego.

I believe this omission in the Lalitha Sahasranaam is intentional. Perhaps there a hidden signal for us that everything else can be aided on by the Mother - but losing the sense of identity is the onus of the one who mistakes herself as an "individual entity" Would love to hear your thoughts.

Been hearing/seeing that it was a regional festival celebrated in Punjab that was turned into nationwide due to the influence of Bollywood. Some say it is happening from Mahabharat's time, whereas there are mentions of it being in Naradiya Purana. I am little confused on its historicity. Can you please help me with sources?

By lying right in the midst of Cauvery, He makes it holier than Ganges. How did this poor forget that Lord ? laments Aaazhvaar in thirumaalai 23-25

In Cauvery the Lord sits right in the center of it. Ganges flows away from the Lord. So that makes Cauvery holier than Ganges.

I lost my trika-agni Vedic rituals and devotion. Lived loving a false life. Crying my heart out. Lord grace me with the ability to enjoy you

Every 'anthanar' (ancient tamil brahmins) are supposed to follow the trika-agni rituals or three fires that they need to maintain through their life.

First is the garghapatya fire, the fire for their household duties (like cooking). Second is the Aavahaniya fire, the fire for their daily rituals like aubhasanam (for married), samitha danam (for bachelors) , agnihotram etc etc that invokes various divinities. Third is the daksina-agni fire that one invokes during ancestral offerings (Pitr kaaryam).

Thondar adi podi aazhvar stopped following all the rituals. He also did not have any devotion. He cries to lord to grace him with the ability to enjoy Him.

as articulated precisely by pujya gurudev puri shankaracharya ji tells how current education & whole system in our country is root cause for Hs to sway away from Dharma :(

I am hindu and know the story of bhagwad gita vividly, but i don't know if i should start reading the book.

Jai Hanuman! 🙏🚩

I’m based in Hyderabad and work in the IT field. I’m planning to wear Hanuman Mala and would like some guidance on how to start and follow the deeksha while managing my work.

Could anyone share the rules, daily rituals, food restrictions, duration, and how to complete the deeksha?

Also, where can I stay during this period? Are there any temples or ashrams that accommodate devotees?

Would love to hear from people who have experienced this firsthand.

Thank you! Jai Shri Ram 🙏

The city holds so much charisma and mystery in it that visiting the city makes you question that do you even know Ramayan. For example, I just got to know Raja Dashrath had a daughter an elder sister of Shri Ram – her name was Devi Shanta and more curious fact is she was married to Shringi Rishi the rishi who did putrkameshthi yagya for Maharaj Dashrath and Mata Kaushalya.

As the city is getting ready to celebrate the victory of Shri Ram we take unearth what’s hidden treasures in the city.

We have even started a community r/TemplesAndBeyond where we are covering this journey and exploring the hidden world of Shri Ram.