In the golden sands of Rajasthan, where the Thar Desert whispers tales of valor and faith, stands the Tanot Mata Temple, a beacon of divine protection and spiritual resilience. Nestled just 120 kilometers from Jaisalmer, near the Indo-Pak border, this ancient shrine dedicated to Goddess Aavad, an incarnation of Hinglaj Mata, is more than a temple—it is a testament to…
Let us embark on a celestial journey through the Shri Hari Stotram, a divine hymn that weaves the infinite glories of Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the cosmos, into eight resplendent verses, crowned with a phalashruti promising eternal liberation. Penned by the revered sage Sri Adi Shankaracharya, this stotram is a luminous tapestry of devotion, each verse a petal in…
In the eternal tapestry of Hinduism’s Pauranic history, there shines a chapter so luminous, so divine, that it stirs the deepest chords of the heart. This is the Sundar Kand, the radiant heart of every Ramayana, a sacred symphony that echoes across time, from Valmiki’s ancient verses to Tulsidas’ soulful Ramcharitmanas. It is the story of Hanumanji’s sacred search for…
The Somnath Temple in Gujarat, India, is a sacred place for Hindus. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva and has been a symbol of Hindu faith for centuries. But this holy temple faced brutal attacks by Muslim invaders who wanted to destroy it and loot its treasures. Despite the destruction, brave Hindu kings, queens, and warriors fought to protect the…
In the heart of ancient India, where rivers whispered sacred hymns and mountains stood as silent sages, a luminous soul was born to illuminate the path of truth. Adi Shankaracharya, the divine philosopher, saint, and poet, emerged as a beacon of wisdom, uniting the scattered threads of Hindu thought into a tapestry of eternal unity. His life, a celestial melody,…
Rabindranath Tagore has written some Buddhist-inspired works and he makes a very interesting point. Buddha’s Return (also known as Buddha’s Homecoming or Buddha’s Meeting with Yashodhara), a dramatic poetic piece by Rabindranath Tagore that captures the poignant moment when Gautama Buddha, after attaining enlightenment, returns to his palace and meets his wife, Yashodhara. And Yashodhara just asked him one question:“Was…
My early memories of Pasayadan goes back to school when I was in 4th or 5th grade. Around 8 or 10 years old. At that age of course I couldn’t read such big words of Marathi. This is not how I learnt Pasayadan. I learnt it thru oral recitation in my school. I am grateful to my music teacher ‘Mr.…
As a child, singing Vande Mataram was a feeling. It was so lyrical, and beautifully weaved. It’s first two verses are in Sanskrit. And Sanskrit itself has a musical touch to words. The Sanskrit verses are in “Dwitiya Vibhakti”, making it even more and more musical, lyrical, directly touching the heart. A song that was also a prayer in my…
In the sacred land of India, over a thousand years ago, a luminous soul named Adi Shankaracharya graced the earth. Born in the 8th century in Kerala, this sage, philosopher, and spiritual giant revived the timeless wisdom of Advaita Vedanta, the philosophy of non-duality. At a tender age, he mastered the Vedas and Upanishads, and by his teens, he was…
