Katha

"In case of cabin depressurization, an oxygen mask will fall from the ceiling.  Please put on your mask first before attempting to help others, including children."  The flight attendant always tell us before take off. I used to think that's selfish.  You must surely help others first.  But as I think of it, it appears as a metaphor for life.  If I am helpless, I cannot help anyone, and it's even selfish of me, because I will in turn need help from others.  I must put on my oxygen mask first, then I can help all around me..and that is not a bad thing.

Narasimha In the Hindu religion, Narasimha (Sanskrit: meaning "man-lion") is the fourth avatar of Vishnu, the preserver god in the Hindu Trimurti (trinity), who appeared in ancient times to save the world from an arrogant demon figure. According to Hindu mythology, Narasimha's half-lion, half-man appearance allowed him to circumvent the boon received by the demon king Hiranyakashipu that he could not be killed by any human or animal. Since Narasimha was neither fully animal nor fully human, he was able to slay the demon and save the world. Hinduism teaches that whenever humanity is threatened by extreme social disorder and wickedness, God will descend into the world as an avatar to restore righteousness, establish cosmic order, and redeem humanity from danger. The avatar doctrine presents a view of divinity that is compatible with evolutionary thinking since it suggests a gradual progression of avatars from amphipian through mammal to later human and godly forms. Most imp...

HOLIKA DAHAN   HISTORY OF HOLI                    Holika Dahan                                                                            Holika Story  Legends say it that it that there was a time when lived a brutal King named Hiranyakashyapa. This demon king Hiranyakashyapa was very cruel and thus forcefully suppressed all this subjects and make them his devotees. He tried to eliminate the existence of God from the earth and establish his own supremacy everywhere. All the citizens of his kingdom were forced to pray to Hiranyakashyapa and not to Vishnu. However his own son, Prahalad, the little never abided by his Kingdoms rule. He tried every way to stop Prahalad from worshipping Vishnu but the little devotee never stopped p...

The LORD FAVOURS THOSE WHO HELP THEMSELVES. A flood was threatening a small town and everyone was leaving for safety except one man who said, "God will save me. I have faith."  As the water level rose a jeep came to rescue him, the man refused, saying "God will save me. I have faith."  As the water level rose further, he went up to the second storey, and a boat came to help him. Again he refused to go, Belying, "God will save me. I have faith."  The water kept rising and the man climbed on to the roof.  A helicopter came to rescue him, but he said, "God will save me. I have faith."  Well, finally he drowned.  When he reached his Maker he angrily questioned,  "I had complete faith in you. Why did you ignore my prayers and let me drown?"  The Lord replied, "Who do you think sent you the jeep, the boat, and the helicopter?"   See the only way to overcome the fatalistic attitude is to accept responsibility and believe in the law o...

Dharma is not the same as religion. Dhrama provides the principles for the harmonious fulfillment of all aspects of life, namely, the acquisition of wealth and power (artha), fulfillment of desires (kama), and liberation (moksha). Religion, then, is only on subset of Dharma's scope. The word “dharma” has multiple meanings depending on the context in which it is used. Monier-Williams’ Sanskrit-English Dictionary lists several, including: conduct, duty, right, justice, virtue, morality, religion, religious merit, good work according to a right or rule, etc. Many other meanings have been suggested, such as law or “torah” (in the Judaic sense), “logos” (Greek), “way” (Christian) and even ‘tao” (Chinese). None of these is entirely accurate and none conveys the full force of the term in Sanskrit. Dharma has no equivalent in the Western lexicon.Dharma has the Sanskrit root dhri, which means “that which upholds” or “that without which nothing can stand” or “that which maintains the stabili...

By Pt Roop Sukhram “DID SHREE HANUMAANA REALLY SWALLOW THE SUN?” Hindus observe and celebrate Shree Hanumaana, but what do we really know about Shree Hanumaana? Shree Hanumaana is the personified aspect or feature of Bhagavan Shiva, and regarded by various Puraana as the eleventh Rudra Avataara of Lord Shiva. However, in this modern age of advanced technological mind set, will our children accept that the Hindu Dévataa named Hanumaana swallowed the sun? Hence, the inquiring young mind will ask: Did the son of Añjanee really swallow the Sun? The story told that a young Hanumaana was instructed by his mother to eat anything red. Thus, upon being attracted by the glare of the early morning red shade of the sun, he took hold of it and held it in his mouth. The lack of sunlight plunged the world into darkness and freezing cold temperature, which resulted into mass chaos. As the earth froze, life perished; plants, trees, vegetations, humans and animals alike ceased to survive. Despite many p...

The Solah Somvaar Vrat Katha :The Sixteenth Mondays Fast Once Lord Shiva visited the famous city of Amravati. Parvati also accompanied him. On their way, they saw a beautiful Shiva temple and decided to spend some time there. One day, Parvati found Lord Shiva in a playful mood. She said to him, Oh my Lord, let us have a dice game. Lord Shiva obliged her and the game started. Meanwhile, the priest of the temple had come there. Parvati turned towards him and said Please foretell who will win this game? The Brahman gave no serious thought to her question and abruptly said, Lord Shiva will win the game. Incidentally Parvati won the game. She was angry because the Brahman had told a lie. Lord Shiva tried to pacify her, but she cursed the Brahman that he be a leper. In due course, the Brahman became a leper and spent a miserable life. After some time a few fairies descended on the earth and pitied the fate of the priest. On asking him, the priest narrated the whole episode. One of the fairie...

Camphor Burning to Clear Negative Energy Camphor is widely used in Hindu religious ceremonies. As Hindus worship the holy flame by burning camphor. Burning of camphor symbolizes union with God — just as the camphor burns itself out without leaving any residue, so does burning one’s ego in the fire of true knowledge will lead them to complete union with God. According to the ancient Indian traditional systems of healing, camphor purifies the air and inhaling that air has numerous medicinal benefits. Camphor products are used to relieve pain and reduce itching. It has also been used to treat fungal infections and minor burns. .One of the biggest uses of camphor is to remove negativities. The following rituals can be performed using camphor if you feel an evil eye has impacted a person or a home. Burn camphor every morning and evening in the aroma oil dispenser or a camphor lamp so that the fragrance should reach all corners of the house or office. At times, there are huge deposits of soo...

Vivasvan - The Sun Demigod  By Mike Hunt   Who or what drives the Sun along its pre-determined orbital course in the Heavens, or what is the Sun anyway? Don't look to science for the answer. It doesn't have one. It says the Sun is a ball of gas almost a million miles in diameter and incredibly hot and around which our Earthly global sphere rotates . This is false.  The Vedas, on the other hand, which pre-date modern science and astronomy by thousands of years say the Sun is a living light driven and inhabited by a number of deities or demi-gods, chief of which is Vivasvan(current Sun god). He powers and drives the Sun on its course on a chariot with the help of his 7 faithful steeds, his loving mate, and loyal companions.  The Vedic model of our cosmos is rich and beautiful and astounding to behold. It is a chandelier of planes and gods and lights and sounds. It mirrors the human spine and chakra system and is a far cry from any of the current models of the cosmos to...

The king and his ministers with three bags of karma!  Once a king ordered his three ministers to take a bag and go to the forest and fill up the bag with fruits.  The first minister thought that since the king has ordered for collection of fruits, he must collect the best of the fruits in the bag.  The second minister thought that since the king is a very busy person, he may not look very thoroughly into the bag, what has been collected and hence he collected whatever he could lay his hands. Thus his bag was filled up with a mixture of good and rotten fruits.  The third minister thought that the king would see only externally how big the bag is and hence he just filled up the bag with all dried leaves and dust.  All the three ministers came back to the court with their respective bags, having executed the order of collecting the fruits. The King, without even seeing what their bags contained, just ordered that now the three ministers must be sent to separate jai...

BEST STORY THAT WILL MAKE YOU CRY One young man went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. He passed the initial interview, and now would meet the director for the final interview. The director discovered from his CV that the youth's academic achievements were excellent. He asked, "Did you obtain any scholarships in school?" the youth answered "no". " Was it your father who paid for your school fees?" "My father passed away when I was one year old, it was my mother who paid for my school fees.” he replied. " Where did your mother work?" "My mother worked as clothes cleaner.” The director requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect. " Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?" "Never, my mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Besides, my mother can wash clothes faster than me. The director said, "I have a request...

PHAGWAH/HOLI SEASON IS HERE! The word Phagwah was derived from the name of the Vedic/Hindu month Phalgun, in which Phagwah was celebrated by the Aryas, the first known civilized people who lived in a vast number of settlements in the Indus valley and had their inspirations rooted in Vedas. Holi originated from the word ‘Hola’ which means ‘to offer portions of newly harvested and roasted grains to God Almighty, and the community giving thanks for good harvest. Phagwah or Holi, predates the event of Prahalad and his father King Hiranyakashipu, Shree Krishna and the Gopees {milkmaids} as described in the Puranas. Rishi Dayananda refutes the story of the Gopees, stealing of the clothes of bathing women and the lover boy portrayal of Shree Krishna. The Rishi records that Shree Krishna was a Maha Yogeshwar, {one who has mastered the art of yoga}, a possessor of enormous wisdom which he revealed in the Gita, who lived during the period when India was at the zenith of glory, a time when peace,...