As It Strikes Me

Many of us would be aware of the common practice in our homes wherein a handful of rice is placed in the backyard for the crows to take before we take a meal. It is believed that the crow represents our forefathers and by offering rice to the crow we are offering to them. Elders would often say
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Traditionally, Saivaites(those who worship Lord Shiva) wear vibhuti(sacred ash) on their forehead as a religious mark. Vibhuthi is nothing but ashes from burning cow dung. Why then is it given so much significance? One may think ” after all , its just ash.” There is a very deep meaning
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Sanskrit is a ‘Deva Bhasha’ (Divine Language of God). There are two beautiful words in this language which have almost identical pronunciations but with two different meanings. CharaNam – चरणम् (Meaning: Foot) SharaNam – शरणम् (Meaning: Surrender) The sea of compassion
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An able administrator thinks well, plans his course of action and executes it meticulously, irrespective of criticisms of the onlookers, be they positive or negative. Many a time, we see people around us chiding God for their misfortunes. “If God were merciful, such a thing would not
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Silence, not expression, is the highest state many would claim, while comparing the path of Vedanta and Bhakti. But, had a liberated one such as Ramana Maharshi chosen to remain in silence, would the world have known of the path of Atma Vichara? As the Maharshi had to expound the technique known
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It has been said that a person can attain Jnana through any of the following means: – by practicing ‘Atma Vichara’ (contemplating the Self) – by renouncing the world and taking to the jungle, acquiring determination and dispassion and meditating – by performing various rituals
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Though there are 63 ‘Nayanmars’ and innumerable great devotees of Lord Shiva, 4 of them namely, Appar, Sundarar, Sambandar and Manikavasagar are singled out and are accorded special status. What can be the reason for this? The work done by these four constitutes ‘complete seva to
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The throat of a snake is only as thick as a needle. So when it catches a prey, it takes a tremendously long time to ingest it. The snake does not use its tongue to kill its prey. This is because the venom present in its tongue could prove detrimental to itself. So it only crushes the prey and
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The Devas go to the Ocean of Milk (‘Ksheerabdi’) for relief from distress! Humans go to the salty ocean (the seashore) for relief from stress! It is the ocean which gives relief in both
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