Revered Hinduism

Guru Ashtakam: Mantra with Meaning Guru Ashtakam is an octet in the praise of spiritual Guru, composed by Adi Sankaracharya. Originally, Adi Shankara has written this in praise of his Guru Govinda Pada. He emphasizes that without deep devotion to the spiritual teacher, all our attainments are meaningless. In Hinduism, a Guru is a spiritual teacher who imparts the higher knowledge of the Vedas and the way of achieving liberation (enlightenment). But mere study of books cannot make one a Guru. One who has studied the Vedas, and who has direct knowledge of Atman (soul) through self-realization can only be enrolled as a Guru. A Guru is knowledgeable, self-realized, liberated, chaste, virtuous, austere, truthful, detached, free from lust and delusion, and dedicated and devoted to God. A Guru is the knower of Brahman. A Guru is God in human form. The words of a Guru are like the words of God. A popular Hindu prayer declares, "The Guru is Brahma, the Guru is Vishnu, the Guru is ...

Mahishasura Mardini Stotram: Mantra with Meaning Mahishasura Mardini Stotram is a very popular devotional stotra of Goddess Durga, an incarnation of Goddess Parvati (Consort of Lord Shiva), composed by Guru Adi Shankaracharya. This stotra is addressed to Goddess Mahishasura Mardini, the Goddess who killed buffalo-demon Mahishasura. Mahishasura Mardini is the fierce form of Goddess Durga, where the Goddess is depicted as a fearless woman having ten arms each carrying a weapon, and sitting on a lion or tiger. Durga, also known as Devi (Shakti), is a principal and popular form of Hindu Goddess. She is the warrior of goddess, whose mythology centers around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity and dharma of the good. She is the fierce form of the protective mother goddess, willing to unleash her anger against wrong, violence (for liberation) and destruction (to empower creation). The legend of Mahishasura: Rambha, the king of Asuras, was enticed by the...

Lingashtakam: Mantra with Meaning The Lingam (or Shivalinga) is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva. It is a sacred symbol of Hindus which is revered as the manifestation of the Universal Self in His awakened aspect in union with His dynamic energy Shakti. This union is the source of all the creation around us. Lingashtakam is a hymn in the praise of Lord Shiva in his aspect as Shivalingam. Composed By: Adi Shankaracharya Shiva Linga Play the music, and sing the stotra along with it ॥ लिङ्गाष्टकम् ॥ ब्रह्म-मुरारि-सुरार्चित-लिङ्गं निर्मल-भासित-शोभित-लिङ्गम् । जन्मज-दुःख-विनाशक-लिङ्गं तत् प्रणमामि सदा-शिव-लिङ्गम् ॥१॥ I salute that eternal Shiva Lingam Which is adored by Brahma, Vishnu and other Gods, Which is well-adorned by the praise with holy speeches and is radiant, and Which destroys the sorrows associated with birth (and human life). देव-मुनि-प्रवरार्चित-लिङ्गं काम-दहन करुणाकर-लिङ्गम् । रावण-दर्प-विनाशन-लिङ्...

Sri Narayana Kavacham: Mantra with Meaning The Narayana Kavacham occurs in chapter eight of the sixth Skanda of Bhagavata Purana. It is an armor (protective shield of Lord Hari) to protect ourselves from enemies, either seen or unseen. Raja Parikshit (the son of Abhimanyu) asks his teacher, Sage Shuka, for a means to protect himself from his enemies. Sage Shuka then teaches him the Narayana Kavacham, which was originally taught by Sage Vishvarupa (the son of Thwashtra), to Indra (King of Heaven). According to Hindu literature, chanting of Narayana Kavacha regularly is the most powerful way to please Lord Narayana and get his blessings. To achieve the best result, one should perform recitation of this hymn in the early morning (after taking bath) and in front of the idol or picture of Lord Narayana. One should first understand its meaning to maximize the effect. Regular recitation of Narayana Kavacha gives peace of mind and keeps away all the evils from our life and makes us h...

Personal Article 2: A day with the Guru (and my Parents) Since recent past days, I have had many questions wandering in my mind with no definite answers. I was longing to meet such person who could remove all my delusion. Finally, today I got a chance to meet my Guru and spend few hours with him, along with my parents. Here, I have tried to reproduce the valuable conversations we had in that short period. I have added my own understandings as well, and tried to beautify them (in the form of story/article), but without affecting the principal lessons. Conversation 1 I asked the Guru my first question. Right after listening to my words, he smiled a little and started telling me a story. The story goes like this: Once there was a wise sage. He was very religious. He used to live in a countryside. He had a small hut, and was single. One day, unfortunately his hut caught the fire, and everything he had was gone. So there arose a need for him to migrate to the...

Personal Article 1: Fate & Karma Our life is influenced by two factors. They are Fate and Karma. Both Fate and Karma are pre-written by God at the time of our birth. Fate is called "Bhagya" in Sanskrit. The word Baghya is derived from the word "Bhag" which means accumulated fruit (good results). And the term "Karma" means "Kriya", i.e. action. There are two Karmas: Past Karma and Present Karma. Past Karma are actions done in past lives whereas Present Karma means actions that have been done, or yet to be done, in this current life. Fate determines what fruits are to be enjoyed (suffered) in this current life according to the actions done in the past lives. Our current Fate is the result of our past Karma. And our present Karma will determine our future Fate. Virtuous Karma produces good Fate and sinful Karma produces bad Fate. Actions done in current life, after enjoying some of its portion, will be reserved as Fate for next life, in wh...

Gayatri Mantra, The Mother of the Vedas ॐ भूर्भुव: स्व: | तत्सवितुर्वरेण्यं | भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि | धियो यो न: प्रचोदयात् || Om, The Material World (mortal world, or Prithvi Loka), The Nether World (hellish world, or Patala Loka), The Celestial World (heavenly world, or Swarga Loka), The Supreme Being, The Source To Be Worshiped, The Divine Light, Its Sacred Truth, We Deeply Meditate, The Intellect, Which To Us, May Light Be Endowed. The Gayatri Mantra, also known as the Savitri mantra, is the Universal Prayer enshrined in the Vedas, the most ancient Scriptures of Man. This Mantra is considered to be the Essence of the teachings of the Vedas. In general term, it translates "Om. Let us meditate upon the glory of Lord, Who has created this Universe (the three worlds), Who is fit to be worshiped, and Who is the remover of all si...