Chiranjivis

Chiranjivis are mortals who have been blessed or cursed with an exceptionally long lifespan.They are born to accomplish extraordinary feats and will live in this world till the purpose of their birth is fulfilled.There are seven Chiranjivis mentioned in Hindu puranas and they are refered to as 'Saptha Chiranjivi' meaning 'The Seven Chiranjivis'.

HANUMAN

Hanuman is the son of Lord Vayu,the wind god.During his childhood,he once mistook the sun for a sweet fruit and reached for it.Indra,the Lord of Devas was terrified of the consequences and struck him with his Vajrayutham.This made Hanuman unconscious and he fell down.On seeing this,Lord Vayu  got very angry and he withdrew from all the creations .To please Vayu and bring back life to the Earth,all the Gods gave Hanuman multiple boons making him a Chiranjivi!

VIBISHANA

Vibishana is the righteous brother of Ravana,the demon king of Lanka.When Ravana abducted Sita,wife of Lord Rama,an avatar of Vishnu,Vibishana renounced his brother and joined Lord Rama in his battle against Ravana.Lord Rama praised Vibishana for his dharmic ways and blessed him to remain on Earth and protect Dharma by making him a Chiranjivi .

MAHABALI

Mahabali is a virtuous and powerful asura king who was tricked into giving away his kingdom by Lord Vishnu as the devas were fearful of his might.However,Lord Vishnu was deeply touched by the devotion and righteousness of King Mahabali that he granted him a boon.The king asked Vishnu to allow him to visit his people once in a year.This day is celebrated by his people as 'Onam ' in Kerala.Lord Vishnu also blessed him to live as a  Chiranjivi.

MARKENDAYA

Markendaya is a great sage and staunch devotee of Lord Shiva. His parents, Sage Mrikandu and Marudvati were childless for a long time and prayed to Lord Shiva for a child.Lord Shiva fulfilled their wish and asked them to choose between an exceptional son who would live for sixteen years or an ordinary son who would live much longer.They chose the former and thus,Markendaya was destined to die on his sixteenth birthday.

 On his sixteenth birthday,Markendaya saw his parents in deep sorrow and asked them for the reason behind their unhappiness.After much persuasion,they told him about the boon Lord Shiva had given them.Markendaya left the house and began worshipping a Shiva Linga.Lord Yama sent his messengers to take away Markendaya's life but they could not suceed as Markendaya was holding the Shiva Linga tightly.Seeing this,Lord Yama came and threw a rope around Markendaya which accidentally hit the Shiva Linga.Lord Shiva,who was deeply moved by Markendaya's devotion kicked Yama and blessed him that he will always remain sixteen,making him a Chiranjivi .

SAGE VYASA

Sage Vyasa is the son of Sage Parashara and Satyavathi .He is the foremost of Sages and is the compiler of the Holy Vedas. The great Indian Epic "Mahabaratha" was composed by Vyasa to enable us to understand the values which we have adhere to in life and is considered as the 'Fifth Veda'.He  also composed  the eighteen puranas,Brahmasutras and Bhagavatham,the story of Lord Krishna.Sage Vyasa is considered to be an avatar of Lord Vishnu and is living as a Chiranjivi.

SAGE PARASURAMA

Sage Parasurama is the son of Sage Jamadagni and Renuka.He is an avatar of Lord Vishnu,born to rid the world of unrighteous Kshatriyas.Parasurama also plays a very important role in the Mahabaratha as the Guru of Bhishma and Karna.He is a Chiranjivi and will be the martial arts Guru of Vishnu's final avatar,Kalki.

ASHWATHAMA

Aswathama is the son of son of Guru Dronacharya and Kripi.He fought alongside the Kauravas in the Kurukshetra war.Lord Krishna cursed Ashwathama to remain a Chiranjivi and suffer miserably for unleashing the Brahmastra on Uthara's womb to kill the unborn son of Abhimanyu.It is believed that he will be redeemed from this curse in the next yuga.

Sources:

http://www.hindufaqs.com/seven-immortals-chiranjivi-hindu-mythology-part-2/

https://www.quora.com/Who-are-the-seven-chiranjeevis-in-Hindu-mythology

http://www.hindudevotionalblog.com/2012/03/seven-chiranjeevis-in-hinduism.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibhishana

http://www.bhagavatam-katha.com/sage-story-sage-markandeya-winning-over-death/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhishma

Ganesha,Mooshika and Thoppukaranam

Thoppukaranam, traditionally a prayer ritual for pleasing Lord Ganesha has become very popular across the globe as “Super Brain Yoga”.It is proven that regular practice of Thoppukaranam enhances the functioning of our brain. But, how did this wonderful practice originate? There is a story behind all our rituals and there is no exception for this practice also.

Gajamukhasura, an asura king was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and did a lot of penance to please him. Pleased by his devotion, Lord Shiva appeared to grant him any wish that he desired. Gajamukhasura asked for a boon that he should not be killed by either deva, man or asura and any form of weapon.

This boon made Gajamukhasura very powerful and he captured all the devas from devalokha. He made them do thousands of “Thoppukaranams” everyday as a sign of subservience to him. The devas were miserable and Lord Shiva came to know of their plight. He sent Lord Ganesha to rescue the devas.

Ganesha defeated the asura army and Gajamukhasura decided to go to the battlefield and fight Lord Ganesha by himself. His wife,Priyamvatha begged him to reconsider his decision as Ganesha  was Lord Shiva's son. But, Gajamukhasura was confident that the boon given by Lord Shiva would save him and he left for the battlefield.

Priyamvatha,a devotee of Godess Durga surrendered to her and sought her help.Therefore,Durga went to the battlefield and protected Gajamukhasura.Ganesha wanted to know why his mother was protecting the evil asura. Durga explained that Priyamvatha was her devotee and hence, it was her duty to save her husband.

Lord Ganesha quickly thought of a way to both defeat and save Gajamukhasura.He broke his tusk and flung it at Gajamukhasura who took the form of a rat to escape the tusk as he knew it could kill him because it was not a weapon and Ganesa’s form was that of animal, human and deva combined.

On seeing the great asura king Gajamukhasura as a rat, Lord Ganesha became compassionate and sat on him to subdue his ego. Gajamukhasura felt humbled and surrendered to the Lord, who made him his vahana. Priyamvatha’s wish was also granted as Gajamukhasura became immortal in the form of Lord Ganesha’s vahana(Mooshika).

The devas were very happy and said that they would continue to do the thousand thoppukaranms, imposed on them by Gajamukhasura, in front of Lord Ganesha everyday to show their gratitude. But, Lord Ganesha told them that it was enough to do just three thoppukaranams in front on him to receive his blessing.Hence,the ritual of doing thoppukaranam in front Lord Ganesha began.

Sources:

http://www.maalaimalar.com/2014/08/27120421/thoppukaranam-to-vinayagar.html

Vishnu and Thulasi

Tulasi is considered to be very sacred in India and offering of Tulasi leaves in Vishnu temples plays an integral part in the worship of Lord Vishnu. Ever wondered why there is such a close relationship between Tulasi and Vishnu? There is a very interesting story behind the worship of Tulasi.

Tulasi is the reincarnation of an asura queen named Vrinda, who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu. She was married to Jalandhar, a very powerful king born from Lord Shiva’s third eye, which made him invincible.

Vrinda was the epitome of chastity and this made her husband more powerful. He became very arrogant and waged wars against the Devas, chasing them from their kingdom.

The Devas ran to Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu for help. They all realized that the power behind Jalandhar was his chaste wife Vrinda and decided that the only way to stop Jalandhar was by tricking Vrinda into losing her chastity.

Therefore, Lord Vishnu, disguised as Jalandar went to the abode of Vrinda. Vrinda failed to recognize Lord Vishnu’s disguise and hence lost her chastity. Jalandhar immediately lost all his powers and was defeated.

Vrinda was heartbroken when she realised that Lord Vishnu had deceived her though she was his ardent devotee. She cursed Lord Vishnu to turn into a stone for his heartless doing. He accepted the curse, turning into the Shaligram, a stone found only on the banks of River Gandaki in Nepal.

Vrinda then ended her own life. Lord Vishnu became very remorseful and gave Vrinda a boon that a holy plant named Tulasi will be born from her ashes and that  ‘Tulasi’ will be married to him.

Therefore, worship of Lord Vishnu is complete only with the offering of Tulasi leaves. It is believed that planting Tulasi plant in our homes and worshipping Tulasi will bring all auspiciousness to the household. 

GARBH SANSKAR

Grabh Sanskar is an ancient Indian practice of educating the child in the womb, found in Hindu Scriptures. It is now scientifically proven that this practice is very fruitful and is being followed by people across the globe. Here are some stories from our scriptures, which help us understand how an unborn child is influenced inside the mother's womb.

ABHIMANYU

Abhimanyu is the son of Arjuna, a Pandava prince and Subhadra, sister of Shri Krishna. In the Mahabaratha, there is a story where Arjuna explains the secret of breaking the chakrayugha, a military formation to his pregnant wife, Subhadra. The baby listens to this but she falls asleep when Arjuna explains how to come out of the chakrayugha. Therefore, Abhimanyu is born with the knowledge of entering the chakrayugha.

On the thirteenth day of battle at Kurukshetra, Anhimanyu entered the Chakrayugha and fought bravely. However, he was trapped inside as he did not have the knowledge of exiting the yugha and was unrighteously attacked and killed.

PARIKSHIT

Parikshit is the son of Abhimanyu and Uttara. When Uttara was pregnant, Ashwattama attacked her with the Bramastra to kill her unborn child. Shri Krishna protected the child in his divine form and hence, the baby had the vision of Shri Krishna inside his mother's womb. King Parikshit remembered Krishna's form even after birth and grew up to be his devotee.

PRAHALAD

Prahalad is the son of the Asura King Hiranyakashipu and his wife Kyadu. When Kyadu was pregnant with Prahalad, she stayed in Rishi Narada's ashram as her husband was away doing Tapas and the Devas had attacked their kingdom. Narada, being a great devotee of Lord Vishnu, sang his praises all the time and Prahalad listened to this from his mother's womb.This is how Prahalad became a devotee of Lord Vishnu.

ASHTAVAKRA

Ashtavakra is the son of Sage Kahoda and Sujatha, daughter of Sage Uddalaka. When Sujatha was pregnant, she used to attend the classes taught by her father and husband, as she wanted her son to extremely intelligent and master the Vedas.

Once, when Sage Kahoda was reciting the Vedas, he mispronounced a syllable and his unborn child corrected him by squirming in distress inside his mother's womb. This happened on eight occasions and Sage Kahoda perceived this as a sign of arrogance and superiority shown by his unborn son. He then cursed his son to be born with eight deformities.

Ashtavakra grew up to be very intelligent and even saved his father who was held in captivity for many years. His father was deeply moved by his son's devotion and knowledge that he absolved him from the curse.

  

"The teacher who teaches true knowledge is more important than ten instructors. The father is more important than ten such teachers of true knowledge and the mother is more important than ten such fathers. There is no greater guru than mother." (Mahabharata, Shantiparva, 30.9)

Sources:
http://www.babycenter.in/a1049729/mythology-behind-igarbha-sanskari

http://www.indiadivine.org/content/topic/1739506-reconsciousness-of-babies-and-garbh-sanskar/

http://www.garbhsanskarhome.com/faq.html

Ashoka Chakra

The Ashoka Chakra is one of the most important emblems of India.This chakra is made up of 24 spokes and is found on the national flag of India.The emblem was originally used by the great Mauryan King Ashoka and is part of the Lion Capital of Ashoka which was erected at different sites during his reign.

This chakra actually represents the fundamental principles of Dharma and is also known as “Dharma Chakra".Dharma is the fundamental virtue emphasized by all Indian religions which stresses on the importance of following the path of righteousness at all times. The chakra is also known as Bhavachakra and it also depicts the 24 hours of a day and the cyclic movement of time.

In Buddhism, the spokes of the wheels represent the fundamental ideologies taught by Buddha after he attained enlightenment. King Ashoka embraced Buddhism after the "Battle Of Kalinga" in which many lives were lost. He propagated Buddhism and  this chakra can be found in all the stupas erected by him.

According to the Hinduism, the 24 spokes represent the 24 great sages who alone can wield the entire power of Gayathri Mantra. These sages reside in the Himalayas and are represented through the 24 letters of the mantra. It can also be interpreted as the 24 values of the religion which are:

1. Love

2. Courage

3. Patience

4. Peacefulness

5. Magnanimity

6. Goodness

7. Faithfulness

8. Gentleness

9. Selflessness

10. Self-Control

11. Self Sacrifice

12. Truthfulness

13. Righteousness

14. Justice

15. Mercy

16. Gracefulness

17. Humility

18. Empathy

19. Sympathy

20.Spiritual Knowledge

21. Moral Values

22. Spiritual Wisdom

23. The Fear of God

24. Faith or Belief or Hope

Our National Flag should always be a reminder of the deep meaning behind the emblem on the flag.

"Dharma protects those who preotect Dharma" - Manusmriti

Sources:
http://www.teachindiaproject.org/The_national_emblem_and_Ashoka_Chakra.htm

http://www.ultimatetruthofself.com/higher-consciousness/how-ashoka-chakra-of-the-indian-flag-derived-from-the-dharmachakra-of-the-buddhism

https://in.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091101012315AAQ5lzM

http://www.boldsky.com/insync/pulse/2008/ashoka-chakra-india-national-emblem-050808.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashoka_Chakra

https://www.quora.com/Why-does-the-Ashoka-Chakra-in-the-Indian-flag-have-24-spokes

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion_Capital_of_Ashoka

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillars_of_Ashoka

http://www.yaymag.com/ashokachakra/

http://konguthendral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/blog-post.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dharma

Sri Varalakshmi

Varalakshmi Puja is a festive day observed by Hindu women who believe that praying to Goddess Varalakshmi on this auspicious day will fulfil all their wishes and bless them with a happy married life. There is an interesting story behind this puja and worship.

Once, Sage Narada visited Kailasha and saw Parvathi sitting in deep meditation amidst the icy cold mountains, with no material comforts or possessions. On realising that Sage Narada had come, Parvathi greeted him and welcomed him to her abode.

The sage asked Paravthi why she,the wife of Lord Shiva should live in such a cold place devoid of any beauty and wealth when Lakshmi and Saraswathi,the wives of Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma lived in luxury. This made Parvathi long for a real home and she asked Shiva for a beautiful abode.

Shiva told Parvathi that her wish will be fulfilled by praying to Goddess Varalakshmi.Parvathi performed the Varalakshmi Puja as elucidated by Shiva and Goddess Lakshmi appeared to fulfil Parvathi's wish. 

Paravathi asked Lakshmi for a beautiful place to live in,incomparable to any other creation ever. Lakshmi summoned Vishvakarman,the celestial architect to build a home befitting Goddess Parvathi. He created a beautiful island called Lanka and built a palace there for Parvati and Shiva, which surpassed all his other creations in grandeur and splendour.

Shiva and Parvathi were very happy and called on Ravana, an ardent devotee of Shiva to do the house-warming rituals for their new home. Ravana, impressed by the wealth and beauty of Lanka desired to make it his own. When Parvathi asked him what he wanted as dakshana for performing the rituals, he said "I want to be the King of Lanka".

Parvathi, the compassionate goddess who fulfils all the wishes of her devotees, gave Lanka to Ravana as dakshana and returned to Mount Kailasha with Shiva. Parvathi realised that there was no place which could compare to Kailasha and all which happened was Shiva's Leela to ensure that devotees could get the grace of Godess Varalaksmi by this puja which was first performed by Parvathi herself.

Shiva granted a boon to Lakshmi that the day she appeared before Parvati will be celebrated as Varalakshmi Vrat  and the wishes of all women who pray to her on that day will be fulfilled.


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vishvakarman

http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/questions/372/how-did-ravana-get-the-golden-city-of-lanka

https://kshetrapuranas.wordpress.com/2010/12/05/grandeur-lost-the-story-of-lankas-lone-shakthi-peetha-thirukkonamalai-sri-lanka/