Balaji Temple and the story of marriage of Gods

Balaji Temple at Tirumala hills

Balaji temple is one of the well known temples of India. Unlike some of the other temples, this inspires awe and grandeur and sometimes known as the richest temple of India. This temple is situated on Tirumala hills.

The main temple of Tirumala Tirupati lies on the seventh hill called Venkatadri, which is why this holy Tirumala Temple is also called “The Temple Of Seven Hills”. Lord Sri Venkateswara,also known as Balaji and Govinda,is the presiding deity of this holy temple.

Today,if we go by the available statistics,about thirty to forty million pilgrims, from all over the world,visit this holy temple every year making Lord Sri Venkateswara the most worshiped Hindu God in the world and Tirumala the most visited place of worship.

Legends behind Balaji Temple

There are numeros legends associated with the manifestation of the Lord in Tirumala. According to one legend, the temple has a murti (deity) of Lord Venkateswara, which it is believed shall remain here for the entire duration of the present Kali yuga. There is an interesting story related to Lord Venkateshwara and Balaji Temple.

Lord Balaji

Lord Balaji

 

Why married couple visit this temple

Tirupati, the Home of Lord Venkateswara has long been the destination of many a newly wed couple. The temple is believed to have a particular signification for newly weds as it is believed to be place where Lord Venkateswara married Padmavathy.

Goddess Laxmi leaves Lord Vishnu

An interesting tale forms the backdrop to the temple. Quarrels are not unknown between happily wed couples and the divine ones are no different. Following a spat with Lord Vishnu, Goddess Lakshmi left her heavenly abode and came down to the earth. Here she stayed in a hermitage on the banks of the Godavari.

Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva tried to help

Missing his beloved, Lord Vishnu went to search of her and this search brought him to earth. Ultimately his quest brought him to the Seshadri hills where he stopped to rest in an anthill. Upset by the separation between Vishnu and Lakshmi, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva decided to intervene. Taking the guise of a cow and a calf they went to live at the place of a Chola king.

The cowherd took them everyday to graze in the Seshadri hills where the cow would secretly visit the anthill where Vishnu was living without sustenance. Emptying her milk, the cow would then return to the palace.

The cowherd was angry as the cow never yielded any milk to him. He watched movements carefully and his explorations brought him to the anthill. In trying to ascertain what lay beneath the anthill, he struck it with an axe thus injuring Vishnu on the forehead.

Tirupati temple

Tirupati temple

Lord Vishnu is injured

In search of herbs to heal the wound, Lord Vishnu wandered far and wide. His wanderings brought him to the Shrine of Sri Varahaswamy – the third incarnation of Vishnu as a boar. Here, he sought permission to stay, but Varahaswamy wanted a rental to be paid; Vishnu pleaded that he was poor now and needed rent free accommodation. To reciprocate this gesture of goodwill, he said he would tell his devotees to worship Varahaswamy before they worshipped him. The contract sealed, Vishnu built a hermitage and lived there waited on by a devotee, Vakuladevi who looked after him like a mother. In a nearby kingdom ruled King Akasha Rajan.

Devi Padmavathy

Childless for many years, he had one day found a beautiful baby girl sleeping on a golden lotus in a golden box while ploughing the fields. He had named her Padmavathy. A beautiful and accomplished girl, Padmavathy had been granted a boon in her earlier birth that she would be married to Lord Vishnu. One day, Vishnu, who had been renamed Srinivasan by his devotee and foster mother Vakuladevi, went hunting in the forest. His wandering led him to a garden with a pond. Srinivasan was thirsty and tired. After drinking from the pond, he rested in the shade of a tree. Soon the soft singing of Padmavathy who was dancing in the garden with her companions roused him. He was stunned by her beauty and drawn to her. She too seemed to be drawn to him, but the angry attendants thinking him a mere hunter drove him away.

Depressed and unhappy he poured his troubles out to Vakuladevi. Now for the first time, he revealed to her who he really was and also told her the story of Padmavathy. In the meanwhile, Padmavathy was dreaming of Srinivasa. She had no idea who he really was and knew that her parents would never let her be married to a hunter.

Srinivasa urged Vakuladevi to approach Padmavathy’s father, Akasha Raja, with the marriage proposal. In the meanwhile he disguised himself as a soothsayer and went to the court of Akasha Raja. There, he assured Padmavathy that the hunter she had fallen in love with was no ordinary man but the Lord and told her that the worries would soon be over. Padmavathy too poured out her heart to her parents. At about the same time, Vakuladevi arrived with the marriage proposal. After consulting with the sages Akasha Raja accepted the proposal and invited Srinivasa to attend the wedding on Friday, the 10th day of Vaikasi.

Srinivasa now had arrangements to make. He sought a loan of one crore and 14 lakh coins of gold from Kubera and had Viswakarma, the divine architect create heavenly surroundings in the Seshadri hills.

The day of the wedding arrived, Lord Srinivasa was bathed in holy waters and dressed in jeweled ornaments befitting a royal bride groom. Then he set off in a procession for the court of Akasha Raja. There Padmavathy waited radiant in her beauty. Srinivasa was hailed with an arthi and led to the marriage hall. There the queen and King washed his feet while sage Vasishta chanted the Vedic mantras. Soon the wedding was over and it was time for Padmavathy to take leave of her parents.

Together, they lived for all eternity while Goddess Lakshmi, understanding the commitments of Lord Vishnu, chose to live in his heart forever.

Kalyan Utsav celebrated union of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi

Tirupati, today, stands as a special place, commemorating the marriage between the two. Everyday, a kalyana utsavam celebrates the divine union in a celebration that stretches to eternity. Even today, during the Brahmotsavam at the temple, turmeric, kumkum and a sari are sent from the temple to Tiruchanur, the abode of Padmavathy. In fact Tirupati is rarely visited without paying a visit to Tiruchanur.

In the light of this background, it has become the favored destination of many newly wed couples who pray for a happy wedding – a wedding like that of Srinivasa and Padmavathy.

21 incarnations of Lord Vishnu – Part 3

This is the final article of 21 incarnations of Lord Vishnu. Here, we see lot of incarnations from Dashavatara are mentioned here as well. Notable addition is Vyasa avatara, who is also known as Krishna Dwaipayana.

15. The dwarf Incarnation – Vaman Avtar

Vishnu incarnated as a dwarf brahman to restore the authority of Indra over the heaven, as it has been taken by MahaBali asura king. King Mahabali was a generous man He believed that he can help any one and can donate whatever they ask. The dwarf came to Bali and desired that it might be granted as much of land as could be encompassed in three of its steps. Mahabali consented against the warning of his Guru. Vamana then revealed his identity and enlarged to gigantic proportions to stride over the three worlds. He stepped from heaven to earth with the first step, from earth to the netherworld with the second. King Mahabali, unable to fulfil his promise, offered his head for the third. Vamana then placed his foot and gave the king immortality for his humility.

16. The Ram with axe incarnation – Parashuram Incarnation

When kshatriya kings became ruthless and started exploiting their subjects, Lord Vishnu took  sixteenth  incarnation as Parshuram. Parashurama destroyed all the kshatriyas in the world twenty-one times, so that good might once again prevail. He received an axe after undertaking terrible penance to please Lord Shiva, who in turn taught him the martial arts.

17. Vyasa Avtar

Lord Vishnu incarnated himself as a sage  Krishna Dvaipayana. He was the son of Parashara and Satyavati He recompiled the sacred texts of the Vedas so that they might become more easily understandable to men.  It was thus that there came to be four Vedas. He came to be known as Vedavyasa because he had divided the Vedas. He also wrote eighteen Mahapurans and Mahabharat.

Ved Vyasa and Lord Ganesha

Ved Vyasa and Lord Ganesha

18. The Ram Incarnation

Ram is considered as 18 incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Ram is considered as one of the most important incarnations. Rama is referred to within Hinduism as Maryada Purushottama  which literally means Perfect Man or Lord of Self-Control or Lord of Virtue. Rama’s life and journey is one of adherence to dharma despite harsh tests and obstacles and many pains of life and time. He is pictured as the ideal man and the perfect human.

Rama and Ravana - The Ramayana

Rama and Ravana – The Ramayana

19. Krishna and Balram Incarnation

Lord Vishnu incarnated as  yadavas named Balram and Krishna. Balram killed Pralambasura  and many more demons. Lord Krishna on other hand fought against the exploitation right from his childhood and killed many demons like Kalayavan, Kansa, Jarasandh etc. He gave the divine knowledge of Gita to Arjun during the battle of Kurukshetra.

20. The Buddha Incarnation

Buddha was twentieth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, He was the originator of Buddhism. In the Kaliyuga the demons were completely subjugated by the deities. Shukracharya the teacher of the demons instigated the demons to perform Yagya so that they could regain power and authority. Fearing this the deities prayed to Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu took incarnation as Buddha and dissuaded the demons from performing Yagya as it involves violence the demons stopped performing Yagyas.

21. The Kalki Incarnation

This Incarnation is still to take place. At the end of Kalyug, Kalki avtar of Lord Vishnu shall take place in the house of brahmin Vishnuyasha. He would re-establish the superiority of Virtuosity and religiousness.

भारत के 12 ज्योतिर्लिंग

भगवान शिव की भक्ति का महीना सावन होता है। शिवमहापुराण के अनुसार एकमात्र भगवान शिव ही ऐसे देवता हैं, जो निष्कल व सकल दोनों हैं। यही कारण है कि एकमात्र शिव का पूजन लिंग व मूर्ति दोनों रूपों में किया जाता है। भारत में 12 प्रमुख ज्योतिर्लिंग हैं। इन सभी का अपना महत्व व महिमा है।

ऐसी मान्यता भी है कि सावन के महीने में यदि भगवान शिव के ज्योतिर्लिंगों के दर्शन किए जाएं तो जन्म-जन्म के कष्ट दूर हो जाते हैं। यही कारण है कि सावन के महीने में भारत के प्रमुख 12 ज्योतिर्लिंगों के दर्शन करने के लिए श्रद्धालुओं का सैलाब उमड़ता है। आज हम आपको बता रहे हैं इन 12 ज्योतिर्लिंगों का महत्व व महिमा।

1- सोमनाथ

सोमनाथ ज्योतिर्लिंग भारत का ही नहीं अपितु इस पृथ्वी का पहला ज्योतिर्लिंग माना जाता है। यह मंदिर गुजरात राज्य के सौराष्ट्र क्षेत्र में स्थित है। इस मंदिर के बारे में मान्यता है, कि जब चंद्रमा को दक्ष प्रजापति ने श्राप दिया था, तब चंद्रमा ने इसी स्थान पर तप कर इस श्राप से मुक्ति पाई थी। ऐसा भी कहा जाता है कि इस शिवलिंग की स्थापना स्वयं चन्द्र देव ने की थी। विदेशी आक्रमणों के कारण यह 17 बार नष्ट हो चुका है। हर बार यह बिगड़ता और बनता रहा है।

2- मल्लिकार्जुन

यह ज्योतिर्लिंग आन्ध्र प्रदेश में कृष्णा नदी के तट पर श्रीशैल नाम के पर्वत पर स्थित है। इस मंदिर का महत्व भगवान शिव के कैलाश पर्वत के समान कहा गया है। अनेक धार्मिक शास्त्र इसके धार्मिक और पौराणिक महत्व की व्याख्या करते हैं। कहते हैं कि इस ज्योतिर्लिंग के दर्शन करने मात्र से ही व्यक्ति को उसके सभी पापों से मुक्ति मिलती है। एक पौराणिक कथा के अनुसार जहां पर यह ज्योतिर्लिंग है, उस पर्वत पर आकर शिव का पूजन करने से व्यक्ति को अश्वमेध यज्ञ के समान पुण्य फल प्राप्त होते हैं।

3- महाकालेश्वर 

यह ज्योतिर्लिंग मध्य प्रदेश की धार्मिक राजधानी कही जाने वाली उज्जैन नगरी में स्थित है। महाकालेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग की विशेषता है कि ये एकमात्र दक्षिणमुखी ज्योतिर्लिंग है। यहां प्रतिदिन सुबह की जाने वाली भस्मारती विश्व भर में प्रसिद्ध है। महाकालेश्वर की पूजा विशेष रूप से आयु वृद्धि और आयु पर आए हुए संकट को टालने के लिए की जाती है। उज्जैनवासी मानते हैं कि भगवान महाकालेश्वर ही उनके राजा हैं और वे ही उज्जैन की रक्षा कर रहे हैं।

4- ओंकारेश्वर

ओंकारेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग मध्य प्रदेश के प्रसिद्ध शहर इंदौर के समीप स्थित है। जिस स्थान पर यह ज्योतिर्लिंग स्थित है, उस स्थान पर नर्मदा नदी बहती है और पहाड़ी के चारों ओर नदी बहने से यहां ऊं का आकार बनता है। ऊं शब्द की उत्पति ब्रह्मा के मुख से हुई है। इसलिए किसी भी धार्मिक शास्त्र या वेदों का पाठ ऊं के साथ ही किया जाता है। यह ज्योतिर्लिंग औंकार अर्थात ऊं का आकार लिए हुए है, इस कारण इसे ओंकारेश्वर नाम से जाना जाता है।

5- केदारनाथ

केदारनाथ स्थित ज्योतिर्लिंग भी भगवान शिव के 12 प्रमुख ज्योतिर्लिंगों में आता है। यह उत्तराखंड में स्थित है। बाबा केदारनाथ का मंदिर बद्रीनाथ के मार्ग में स्थित है। केदारनाथ समुद्र तल से 3584 मीटर की ऊँचाई पर स्थित है। केदारनाथ का वर्णन स्कन्द पुराण एवं शिव पुराण में भी मिलता है। यह तीर्थ भगवान शिव को अत्यंत प्रिय है। जिस प्रकार कैलाश का महत्व है उसी प्रकार का महत्व शिव जी ने केदार क्षेत्र को भी दिया है।

6- भीमाशंकर

भीमाशंकर ज्योतिर्लिंग महाराष्ट्र के पूणे जिले में सह्याद्रि नामक पर्वत पर स्थित है। भीमाशंकर ज्योतिर्लिंग को मोटेश्वर महादेव के नाम से भी जाना जाता है। इस मंदिर के विषय में मान्यता है कि जो भक्त श्रद्धा से इस मंदिर का दर्शन प्रतिदिन सुबह सूर्य निकलने के बाद करता है, उसके सात जन्मों के पाप दूर हो जाते हैं तथा उसके लिए स्वर्ग के मार्ग खुल जाते हैं।

7- काशी विश्वनाथ

विश्वनाथ ज्योतिर्लिंग भारत के 12 ज्योतिर्लिंगों में से एक है। यह उत्तर प्रदेश के काशी नामक स्थान पर स्थित है। काशी सभी धर्म स्थलों में सबसे अधिक महत्व रखती है। इसलिए सभी धर्म स्थलों में काशी का अत्यधिक महत्व कहा गया है। इस स्थान की मान्यता है कि प्रलय आने पर भी यह स्थान बना रहेगा। इसकी रक्षा के लिए भगवान शिव इस स्थान को अपने त्रिशूल पर धारण कर लेंगे और प्रलय के टल जाने पर काशी को उसके स्थान पर पुन: रख देंगे।

8- त्र्यंबकेश्वर

यह ज्योतिर्लिंग गोदावरी नदी के करीब महाराष्ट्र राज्य के नासिक जिले में स्थित है। इस ज्योतिर्लिंग के सबसे अधिक निकट ब्रह्मागिरि नाम का पर्वत है। इसी पर्वत से गोदावरी नदी शुरू होती है। भगवान शिव का एक नाम त्र्यंबकेश्वर भी है। कहा जाता है कि भगवान शिव को गौतम ऋषि और गोदावरी नदी के आग्रह पर यहां ज्योतिर्लिंग रूप में रहना पड़ा।

9- वैद्यनाथ 

श्री वैद्यनाथ शिवलिंग का समस्त ज्योतिर्लिंगों की गणना में नौवां स्थान बताया गया है। भगवान श्री वैद्यनाथ ज्योतिर्लिंग का मन्दिर जिस स्थान पर अवस्थित है, उसे वैद्यनाथ धाम कहा जाता है। यह स्थान झारखंड राज्य (पूर्व में बिहार ) के देवघर जिला में पड़ता है।

10- नागेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग

यह ज्योतिर्लिंग गुजरात के बाहरी क्षेत्र में द्वारिका स्थान में स्थित है। धर्म शास्त्रों में भगवान शिव नागों के देवता है और नागेश्वर का पूर्ण अर्थ नागों का ईश्वर है। भगवान शिव का एक अन्य नाम नागेश्वर भी है। द्वारका पुरी से भी नागेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग की दूरी 17 मील की है। इस ज्योतिर्लिंग की महिमा में कहा गया है कि जो व्यक्ति पूर्ण श्रद्धा और विश्वास के साथ यहां दर्शन के लिए आता है उसकी सभी मनोकामनाएं पूरी हो जाती है।

11- रामेश्वरम ज्योतिर्लिंग

यह ज्योतिर्लिंग तमिलनाडु राज्य के रामनाथपुरं नामक स्थान में स्थित है। भगवान शिव के 12 ज्योतिर्लिंगों में से एक होने के साथ-साथ यह स्थान हिंदुओं के चार धामों में से एक भी है। इस ज्योतिर्लिंग के विषय में यह मान्यता है कि इसकी स्थापना स्वयं भगवान श्रीराम ने की थी। भगवान राम के द्वारा स्थापित होने के कारण ही इस ज्योतिर्लिंग को भगवान राम का नाम रामेश्वरम दिया गया है।

12- धृष्णेश्वर मन्दिर

घृष्णेश्वर महादेव का प्रसिद्ध मंदिर महाराष्ट्र के औरंगाबाद शहर के समीप दौलताबाद के पास स्थित है। इसे घृसणेश्वर या घुश्मेश्वर के नाम से भी जाना जाता है। दूर-दूर से लोग यहां दर्शन के लिए आते हैं और आत्मिक शांति प्राप्त करते हैं। भगवान शिव के 12 ज्योतिर्लिंगों में से यह अंतिम ज्योतिर्लिंग है। बौद्ध भिक्षुओं द्वारा निर्मित एलोरा की प्रसिद्ध गुफाएं इस मंदिर के समीप स्थित हैं।

Shri Hanuman Chalisa

श्री हनुमान चालीसा

श्रीगुरु चरन सरोज रज, निज मनु मुकुर सुधारी

बरनौ  रघुबर  बिमल जसु, जो दायकू फल चारि

बुध्दि हीन तनु जानिके सुमिरौ पवन कुमार |

बल बुध्दि विद्या देहु मोंही , हरहु कलेश विकार ||

चोपाई

जय हनुमान ज्ञान गुन सागर |

जय कपीस तिहुं लोक उजागर ||

राम दूत अतुलित बल धामा |

अंजनी पुत्र पवन सुत नामा ||

महाबीर बिक्रम बजरंगी|

कुमति निवार सुमति के संगी ||

कंचन बरन बिराज सुबेसा |

कानन कुण्डल कुंचित केसा ||

हाथ वज्र औ ध्वजा विराजे|

काँधे मूंज जनेऊ साजे||

संकर सुवन केसरी नंदन |

तेज प्रताप महा जग बंदन||

विद्यावान गुनी अति चातुर |

राम काज करिबे को आतुर ||

प्रभु चरित्र सुनिबे को रसिया |

राम लखन सीता मन बसिया ||

सुकसम रूप धरी सियहि दिखावा |

बिकट रूप धरी लंक जरावा ||

भीम रूप धरी असुर संहारे |

रामचंद्र के काज संवारे ||

लाय संजीवनी लखन जियाये |

श्रीरघुवीर हरषि उर लाये ||

रघुपति कीन्हीं बहुत बड़ाई |

तुम मम प्रिय भरतहि सम भाई ||

सहस बदन तुम्हरो जस गावे |

अस कही श्रीपति कंठ लगावे ||

सनकादिक ब्रह्मादी मुनीसा|

नारद सारद सहित अहीसा ||

जम कुबेर दिगपाल जहा ते|

कबि कोबिद कही सके कहा ते||

तुम उपकार सुग्रीवहीं कीन्हा |

राम मिलाय राज पद दीन्हा ||

तुम्हरो मंत्र विभिषण माना |

लंकेश्वर भए सब जग जाना ||

जुग सहस्र योजन पर भानू |

लील्यो ताहि मधुर फल जाणू ||

प्रभु मुद्रिका मेली मुख माहीं|

जलधि लांघी गए अचरज नाहीं||

दुर्गम काज जगत के जेते |

सुगम अनुग्रह तुम्हरे तेते ||

राम दुआरे तुम रखवारे |

होत न आग्यां बिनु पैसारे ||

सब सुख लहै तुम्हारी सरना |

तुम रक्षक काहू को डरना ||

आपन तेज सम्हारो आपे |

तीनों लोक हांक ते  काँपे ||

भुत पिशाच निकट नहिं आवे |

महावीर जब नाम सुनावे ||

नासै रोग हरे सब पीरा |

जपत निरंतर हनुमत बीरा ||

संकट से हनुमान छुडावे |

मन क्रम बचन ध्यान जो लावै||

सब पर राम तपस्वी राजा |

तिन के काज सकल तुम साजा ||

और मनोरथ जो कोई लावे |

सोई अमित जीवन फल पावे ||

चारों जुग प्रताप तुम्हारा |

है प्रसिद्ध जगत उजियारा ||

साधु संत के तुम रखवारे |

असुर निकंदन राम दुलारे ||

अष्ट सिद्धि नौनिधि के दाता |

अस बर दीन जानकी माता ||

राम रसायन तुम्हरे पासा |

सदा रहो रघुपति के दासा ||

तुम्हरे भजन राम को पावे |

जनम जनम के दुःख बिस्रावे ||

अंत काल रघुबर पुर जाई |

जहा जनम हरी भक्त कहाई ||

और देवता चित्त न धरई |

हनुमत सेई  सर्व सुख करई||

संकट कटे मिटे सब पीरा |

जो सुमिरै हनुमत बलबीरा ||

जय जय जय हनुमान गोसाई |

कृपा करहु गुरु देव के नाइ ||

जो सत बार पाठ कर कोई |

छूटही  बंदी महा सुख होई ||

जो यहे पढे हनुमान चालीसा |

होय सिद्धि साखी गौरीसा ||

तुलसीदास सदा हरी चेरा |

कीजै नाथ हृदये मह डेरा ||

दोहा

पवन तनय संकट हरन, मंगल मूर्ति रूप  |

राम  लखन  सीता  सहित , ह्रुदय बसहु सुर भूप ||

Hanuman-five-mukhi

Hanuman-five-mukhi

21 incarnations of Lord Vishnu- part 2

This article is second in the series of 21 incarnations of Lord Vishnu. We see that some of the famous avatars of him appear here also such as fish and Narsingh incarnations.

8. The Rishabha deva Incarnation

Rishabha deva is eighth avtar of Vishnu. Rishabh Dev was born to king Nabhi and Marudevi. His mother Marudevi was the daughter of Indra. His most important lesson he taught mankind was that material possessions cause envy and unhappiness.

He attained that state of Paramhansa (an ascetic of highest order who has controlled his anger) which is an uphill task. He was given the title of ‘Jin’ which means a ‘ a knower’. His followers are known as Jains.

jain

 9. The Incarnation of Raja Prithu

The ninth incarnation of Vishnu was as a king. Lord Vishnu took this incarnation on the request or (prarthana) of sages hence, he got the name Prithu. King Prithu was son of an evil king Vena. Vena was killed by the sages  leaving the kingdom without an heir and in famine due to the anarchy of Vena So, the sages churned Vena’s body, out of which first appeared a dark dwarf hunter, a symbol of Vena’s evil.  On further churning, Prithu emerged from right arm of the corpse.  To end the famine Prithu chased the earth (Prithvi) who fled from his wrath as a cow. Prithvi said if you will kill me it would mean an end to his subkects too. Thus,Prithu lowered his weapons and promised to be her guardian. Finally, Prithu milked her using Manu as a calf, and received all vegetation and grain as her milk, in his hands for the welfare of humanity. This is considered that as a very supreme incarnation, because the earth has remained full of vegetation’s after that. Earth was named Prithvi after King Prithu.

10. The Fish Incarnation

All the oceans had unified into a single ocean in the ‘Manvantara’ of ‘Chakshusha’. At this time, the whole world  was flooded with water.  The Manu who ruled over this manvantara was known as Vaivasvata Manu.  As a fish, Vishnu told Vaivasvata Manu to build a boat and save himself and the rest of humanity from the waters of the flood. Lord Vishnu in his 10th incarnation as a Matsya (Fish) rescued the earth from ‘Maya’ the demon.

11. The Tortoise Incarnation

At the time of churning of Ocean (samudra manthan) Vishnu incarnated as turtle. The gods (devas) and demons (asuras) churned the ocean with Mount Mandara as a churning rod. But this would not have been possible had there not been a base on which Mount Mandara could rest.  This base was provided by the back of the turtle.

12. The Dhanvantari Incarnation

As the churning continued  Dhanvantari came out with a pot of amrita ( a life-giving drink) in his hands, which he gave to the Gods. Dhanvantari was Vishnu’s twelfth incarnation. Dhanvantari was also the originator of all medical science.

Lord Dhanvantari

Lord Dhanvantari

13. The Mohini Incarnation

Lord Vishnu took his thirteenth incarnation as a most enchanting woman enchanted the demons by his beautiful appearance of a woman, and took away the pot filled up with ambrosia from them and gave it to the deities. The deities were thus protected from the demons.

Read the full story of Mohini avatar here

14. The man – lion incarnation (Narasimha Avtar)

Lord Vishnu took his fourteenth incarnation as half man and half lion. Vishnu incarnated as Narsimha, upper portion was that of a lion and the lower portion was that of a human. In this Incarnation Vishnu protected Prahlad from his father Hiranyakashipu a demon. . Lord Brahma has blessed Hiranyakashipu that a human being can not kill him. Vishnu incarnated this form and killed Hiranyakashipu by tearing his body apart  by his nails.

21 incarnations of Lord Vishnu – Part 1

Lord Vishnu’s 21 incarnations

Lord Vishnu’s ten incarnations or Dashavataras are famous, but few people know that actually there are twenty one incarnations.As per Hindu Mythology and Puranas, Lord Vishnu has 21 incarnations.

1. Samnak, Sanandan, Sanatan and Sanat- Kumar 

These four Kumaras are the eldest sons of the creator-god Brahma. They are said to be lord Vishnu’s first incarnation. All four brothers studied Vedas from their childhood. They always travelled together. They are said to wander throughout the materialistic and spiritualistic universe without any desire but with purpose to teach. The four Kumaras undertook lifelong vows of celibacy (brahamacharya) against the wishes of their father. They all learned Vedas at an early age of five. The Kumaras remained in form of children due to their spiritual virtues.

kumars

2. The Varaha or Boar Incarnation of Lord Vishnu

Vishnu incarnated as varaha or boar to retrieve the earth. When the demon Hiranyaksha stole the earth (Bhudevi) and hid her in the primordial waters, Vishnu appeared as Varaha to rescue her. Varaha killed  the demon and retrieved the Earth from the ocean, lifting it on his tusks, and restored Bhudevi to her place in the universe.

varah

3. The Narada Incarnation

In many Hindu scriptures, divine sage Narada is considered a saktyavesa-avatara or partial-manifestation (avtar) of God. He is  empowered to perform miraculous tasks on Vishnu’s behalf. In this avtar, Narad became great devotee of Lord Vishnu and is described to be always chanting the name of “Narayan” He also taught the Satvan- Mantra, in this incarnation.

narad

4. The Nara- Narayan incarnation

The hindu deity pair, Nara and Narayan are twin brother incarnation of Vishnu on earth. The twins were son of Dharma and his wife Murti. They came on Earth for the welfare of mankind. They performed great penances at the holy spot of Badrinath.

 

nara narayan

5. The Incarnation of Kapil – The Sage

Kapil, the vedic sage was considered as one of the founder of Samkhya school of philosophy. Hindu mythology regards Kapila as a descendant of Manu, the primal human being, and a grandson of the creator-god Brahma or as an avatar of the god Vishnu. An exemplar of Yogic stringency, Kapila is said to have produced an inner store of such intense heat (tapas) that he was capable of reducing to ashes the 60,000 sons of the Vedic king Sagara. After his father left home, Kapila instructed his mother, Devahuti in the philosophy of yoga and devotional worship of Lord Vishnu, enabling her to achieve liberation (moksha). He is known for teaching a process of liberation known as bhakti yoga.

kapila rishi

6. The Dattatretya Incarnation

Dattatreya had descended into the realm of world as progeny of Atri and Anusuya, a sage couple of the Vedic age.  Dattatretya, taight knowledge to various devotees. The three heads signified as Brahma: ‘Tejas’ personified, Vishnu: ‘Ojas‘ personified, Shiva: ‘Tapas’ personified. Under these heads, illumination of knowledge, vigorosity of action and stringency of penance were represented as three aspects or state of being of the same.

datatretya

7. The Suyash Incarnation

Suyash was born to Prajapati and Akuti. The main thrust of Suyash , teaching was based on the values of helpfulness and protecting each other during the time of crisis. He had rescued a ‘Devagana’ named Yama and also the Manvantar named as ‘Swayambhuva’.

330px-From_a_series_of_Vishnu_Avataras-_Yagya

Ramayana and Lord Hanumana facts

Featured

When it comes to Ramayana and Lord Rama, Lord Hanumana is always remembered. He was a great devotee of Rama, a great scholar and one who was capable of winning all three worlds. But, he set the example to the world and a great lesson in humbleness. These facts are about Ramayana, but Lord Hanumana is an integral part of these.

Lord Rama’ s departure from earth

This is an interesting story of how Lord Rama left earth while Hanuman was protecting him.

Ram wouldn’t leave earth as Hanuman wouldn’t allow Yama (God of Death) to enter Ayodhya to claim Ram. To divert Hanuman‘s attention Ram dropped his ring through a crack in the floor and asked Hanuman to fetch it back for him. Going down Hanuman reached the land of serpents and asked the King for Ram’s ring. The king showed Hanuman a vault filled with rings all of which were Ram’s. He told a shocked Hanuman that when in the cycle of time a Ram needs to depart,  he drops a ring down the crack so that a Hanuman can be diverted from his guard.

Why Laxman was younger to Rama but Balrama was elder to Shri Krishna

Lakshman complained that he always had to follow Ram’s instructions even though when he thought they were unjust as he the younger brother and thus duty  bound. Ram promised his that in the next life, he, Lakshman would be the elder brother, but also told him that he would still follow his instructions. They were reborn as Balrama and Krishna. And yet Balrama (elder & Shesha Naga) followed Krishna not because of seniority but because Krishna was always right.

Rama and Laxman
Rama and Laxman

Jambavanta wish to fight Lord Rama was fulfilled in next incarnation of Lord Rama

Pleased with his help during the battle with Ravana, Lord Rama granted Jambavanta a wish. Jambavantha then expressed his wish to fight Lord Rama in a duel. Lord Rama said he would definitely fight him but not as Rama. Later in Dwapara yuga, Krishna fought Jambavanta in a duel and defeated him. Jambavantha then realized that it was Lord Rama who in Krishna’s form defeated him.

Lord Krishna and Jambavant
Lord Krishna and Jambavant

How Devi Sita satisfied Lord Hanumana’s hunger

Lord Hanumana once visited Sita in sage Valmiki’s cottage and expressed his desire to eat the food cooked by Sita. Sita cooked many delicacies and started serving Hanumana. But Hanumana’s hunger was insatiable and the entire rations of the cottage were coming to an end. Sita then asked to Lord Rama who suggested her she serve a morsel with a Tulsi Leaf. Sita did the same and Hanumana’s hunger was finally satisfied.

Why Lord Hanumana’s body is covered with vermilion (Sindoor)

Once Lord Hanumana saw Sita applying sindoor (Vermilion) to her hair. He asked her what purpose it served to which Sita replied that it was for the well being and long life of Lord Rama. Then Hanuman smeared his entire body with sindoor for the long life of Lord Rama.

Lord Hanumana with sindoor
Lord Hanumana with sindoor

Why Lord Rama was separated from Sita – Due to Parvati’s curse

After Ravana and his brothers received boons from Lord Brahma, Ravana planned on invading the kingdom of Amaravati, the capital of the heavenly kingdom of Indra. Knowing Ravana’s strength and capability,  Indra consults Narada for help.

Narada tells Indra that Ravana is powerful because his family worships Lord Shiva and that the worship in turn gives them such tremendous power. Narada then suggests Indra that he disrupt Kaikesi’s (Ravan’s Mother) worship of a Linga which is made of sand. Indra disrupts the prayer by destroying the Linga. Knowing this Ravana then promises Kaikesi that he will perform penance and bring Lord Shiva’s Aatma Linga for her to worship.

Goddess Parvathi comes to know about Ravana’s penance and fears that Lord Shiva might leave Kailasa and go to earth forever. Narada then suggests Goddess Parvathi that she seek Lord Vishnu’s help in this matter. Lord Shiva impressed by Ravana’s penance grants him a wish. Lord Vishnu then uses his magic to trick Ravana into asking Goddess Parvathi’s hand from lord Shiva instead of the Aatma Linga. Shiva grants Ravana’s wish. Goddess Parvathi then curses Lord Vishnu that he will also be seperated from his spouse the next time he is born as a human.

This curse laid the path for Sita’s abduction and the Ramayana.

Nag Panchmi festival

The Story of Nag Panchmi festival

Nag Panchami

Nag Panchami

Nag Panchmi festival is celebrated on fifth day of Shravan month of Shukla Paksha. The interesting story behind this festival is related to Pandavas. It happened that Raja Parikshit was killed after a snake bite. His son Janmejaya, vowed to decimate the whole race of snakes by performing a yagya. This yagya was stopped by intervention of Astika, who was son of Jaratkaru. Since this yagya was stopped on fifth day of shukla paksha of Shravan, Nag Panchmi is celebrated on this day.

A temple opens on this day only in Mahakaleshwar shrine

Nagchandreshwar darshan happens in a year only on the fifth day of the Shukla Paksha of Shravan month.The temple opens its doors annually only on Nag Panchmi.The temple will open after proper worship and religious ceremonies to facilitate devotees to pay obeisance to the deity.

Mahakal Nagpanchmi

Mahakal Nagpanchmi

Astika saves Nagas

Astika was born to Sage Jaratkaru. He was a brilliant scholar, and was very learned in the Vedas and scriptures. When he was about sixteen, King Janamejaya performed the great snake-sacrifice with the aim of destroying all the snakes.

The sacrifice performed in the presence of Janamejaya was so powerful that it was causing all snakes to fall into the Yagna kunda (sacrificial fire pit). When the priests found that only Takshaka who had bitten and killed Parisksihit had escaped to the nether world of Indra seeking his protection, the sages increased the tempo of reciting the mantras (spells) to drag Takshaka and also Indra to the sacrificial fire. Takshaka had coiled himself around Indra’s cot but the force of the sacrificial yagna was so powerful that even Indra along with Takshaka were dragged towards the fire. This scared the gods who then appealed to Manasa devi to intervene and resolve the crisis. She then requested her son Astika to go to the site of the yagna and appeal to Janamejaya to stop the Sarpa Satra yagna.

At his mother’s request, Astika went to the sacrifice, and obtained a boon from Janamejaya that the snake-sacrifice should be abandoned mid way. Thus he fulfilled the purpose of his birth, saving his kinsmen, the snakes from utter destruction.

 

Other legends of Nag Panchmi

This festival has rich mythological overtones, starting from the tremendous victory of Lord Krishna over the huge Kaliya in the Yamuna River. We have a further reference to Seshnag, the king of serpents, who was tamed by Lord Vishnu, as pictured in Ananda Padmanabha temple in Trivandrum of Kerala. The deity in the temple is Lord Vishnu, sleeping on the body of Seshnag. No wonder, the Keralites deem Nag Punchami as a huge festival and adore snakes on the day with piety. It is also considered as paying homage to Manasa, the serpent Goddess sister of Vasuki, the Snake who was used as a rope by the Devas and Asuras to churn the Milky Ocean.

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple Mahavishnu Idol

Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple Mahavishnu Idol

Nag Puja is carried out in Assam, Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa in reverence of all snakes which have such a magnificent role in mythology. In Punjab, people celebrate Manasa Devi Ashtanag Puja (Guga Navami) by making a huge snake from flour and worshipping it. It is not only with Lord Vishnu, the greatness of snakes is associated; it is also with Lord Shiva- which is a very clear transparent concept, since it is the snake around the neck of Lord Shiva which inspires awe and piety on the very first look of the deity. Moreover in the Puranas, there is a reference to Brahma’s son’s wife as the mother of all nags.

There is also a mythological story about a goddess Sathyeshwari, whose brother Sathyeshwar died before the day of Nag Panchami. She grieved over the death of her brother without eating anything. She saw her brother in the form of a cobra and believed that it was her brother. So, Nagdev promised her that he would protect any woman who deems a cobra as her brother and worships it. Hence, it became the habit of Hindu women to worship snakes for the longevity and safety of their brothers on this day.

Story of serpent and farmer

In the context of Nag Panchami, many stories are famous. As per one of the story, a farmer used to live in a state with his two sons and one daughter. One day while ploughing the field, three children of snakes came under it and died. After the death of Naag(male snake), at first, Naagin(female snake) expressed sorrow by mourning, then, planed to take the revenge from the murderer of its sons.

In the darkness of night, Naagin, killed the farmer, his wife and his two sons by biting them. Next day morning, Naagin(she-serpent) came to bite the farmers daughter. The girl kept a bowl full of milk and joined hands for forgiveness,in front of Naagin. By this gesture of the girl, Naagin got happy and gave back the lives of farmer, his wife and two sons.

That day it was,Panchami Tithi of Shukla Paksha in Shravan Maas. From that day, to be safe of Serpent’s anger, they are worshiped on this day and Naag Panchami is celebrated.

The story of Nageshwar Jyotirlinga – Lord Shiva

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga – Lord Shiva

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga is an important temple of Lord Shiva near Dwarka. Here, Lord Krishna Himself used to worship and perform Rudrabhishekam. The Rudra Samhita sloka refers to Nageshwar with the phrase Daarukaavane Naagesham.  This shloka is also the source about the controversy of the location of this temple.

Nageshwar Temple

Nageshwar Temple

Controversy about the location

At present there is debate on the actual location of the legendary forest of Darukavana, so identifying the Jyotirlinga of Nageswaram remains difficult. Since there are no other important clues in the text as to the location of the Jyotirlinga , ‘Darukavana’ remains the vital, and only, clue.

The written name of Darukavana could be misread as ‘Dwarakavana’ which would lead us to the Nageswara temple at Dwarka. In fact there is no forest in this part of Dwarka that finds mention in any of the Indian epics. In the narratives of Shri Krishna, we find mention of Somanatha and adjoining Prabhasa tirtha, but never is there any mention of Nageshwara or Darukavana in Dwarka or thereabouts.

Dwarka – A unique distinctive city from mythological point of view

Nevertheless, Dwaraka has a great distinction in Indian mythology. It is one of the Sapta-puris or seven holy towns- Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kashi, Ujjain, Kanchipuram and Dwarka; and one of the four Dhamas or holy places Rameshvaram, Puri, Badrinath and Dwarka.

Story behind the Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

There is a popular legend, related to Nageshwar Jyotirlinga. According to the legend, there was a businessman with an immeasurable faith in god and karma . He was highly devoted to Lord Shiva.Despite being busy in his business and work, whatever spare time he used to get, he exhausted it in praying, adoring, and serving Lord Shiva. Seeing his devotion in Lord Shiva, a monster named Daruka got angry .Being a monster in nature, he was never in favour of Lord Shiva and infact hated him.

That demon, always looked for an opportunity, to disrupt merchant’s devotion . One day that merchant was going in a boat for some business purpose. The monster saw this, and with the found opportunity he attacked the merchant’s boat and took all the travellers to the capital and imprisoned them.

Even in the prison, the merchant use to pray Lord Shiva constantly. When the demon, got to know about about it, he got aggressive and visited the merchant in prison,in the spirit of anger.The merchant was meditating at that time .The monster, started to resent at the merchant in that state only. When the demon saw, that his resentment is not affecting the merchant at all, he instructed his slaves to kill the merchant. Even this instruction could not act as a barrier to his meditation. The merchant kept on praying for his and his fellow people’s liberation. Lord Shiva was pleased with this devotion, and appeared in the prison in the form of Jyotirlinga and gave Pashupata, a weapon to the merchant, to protect himself.. He killed Rakshas Darukk, and his disciples from the weapon given by Lord Shiva. Since then this Jyoitirlinga is established there, and was named Nageshwar.

Interesting story of why the temple faces south

Nageshwar Mahadev Shivalingam is facing South while the Gomugam is facing east. There is a story for this position. A devotee by name Naamdev was singing bhajans in front of the Lord. Other devotees asked him to stand aside and not hide the Lord.
To this Naamdev asked them to suggest one direction in which the Lord does not exist, so that he can stand there. The enraged devotees carried him and left him on the southside.
To their astonishment, they found that the Linga was now facing South with the Gomugam facing east.

Aurangzeb wanted to destroy this temple

Aurangzeb, the notorious Mughal emperor, wanted to destroy this Hindu temple. When he tried, thousands of bees came out of the temple and attacked Aurangzeb and his army. He left the demolition work midway and went away. The devotees rebuild the broken temple.

Speciality of this temple

Another specialty of this Shivalinga is that unlike the other Shivalingas, which are made of black stone and look like a neat pillar rounded off at the top, this one is made of a stone known popularly as Dwaraka Shila, which has small chakras on it. The shape of the linga is more or less like a oval 3 mukhi Rudraksha.

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

Nageshwar Jyotirlinga

Rameshwaram Jyotirlniga

Lord Shiva’s jyotirlinga at Rameshwaram

Rameshwaram  is one of the 12 jyotirlinga. The temple is situated on Rameshwaram island in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The temple has the longest corridor among all Hindu temples in India.

Rameshwaram Shivlinga

Rameshwaram Shivlinga

The Temple

The primary deity of the temple is Ramanathaswamy (Shiva) in the form of lingam. There are two lingams inside the sanctum, one built by Goddess Sita, from sand, residing as the main deity, Ramalingam. Second one brought by Lord Hanuman from Kailash called Vishwalingam. Rama instructed that Vishwalingam should be worshipped first since it was brought by Lord Hanuman – the tradition continues even today.

Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga temple of Lord Shiva

Rameshwaram Jyotirlinga temple of Lord Shiva

Rameswaram Temple is spread over an area of 15 acres. The temple has high compound wall  on all the four sides, measuring about 865 feet from east to west and 657 feet from north to south. It has with huge towers (Gopurams) at the east and west and finished gate towers on the north and south.The outer set of corridors is reputed to be the longest in the world. The total length of those corridors is thus 3850 feet. There are about 1212 pillars in the outer corridor.The main tower or rajagopuram is 53 m tall. Most pillars are carved with individual composition.

An ancient time image of the temple corridore

An ancient time image of the temple corridor

Modern time image of the temple corridor

Modern time image of the temple corridor

The temple also has several mandapams with mini shrines to other deities. There is a huge Nandi measuring 12 feet in length and 9 feet in height.

There are sixty-four Tīrthas (holy water bodies) in and around the island of Rameshwaram. According to Skānda Purāṇa, twenty-four of them are important. Bathing in these Tīrthas is a major aspect of the pilgrimage to Rameshwaram and is considered equivalent to penance.Twenty-two of the Tīrthas are within the Rāmanāthasvāmī Temple. The number 22 indicates the 22 arrows in Rama’s quiver. The first and major one is called Agni Theertham.

Legend behind the temple

According to Ramayana, Rama is believed to worshipped and prayed to Shiva here to absolve sin of killing a brahmana, committed during his war against the demon king Ravana.  Rama wanted to have the largest lingam to worship Shiva. He directed Hanuman.  to bring the lingam from Himalayas. Since it took longer to bring the lingam, Sita, built a small lingam out of the sand available in the sea shore, which is believed to be the lingam in the sanctum.

Another  Story

According to another popular legend, It is believed that the Ling was installed by Lord Rama, himself. On the way to attack Ravana, when Lord Rama reached this place he started drinking water at the sea shore. There was a celestial proclamation, that “You are drinking water without worshipping me”. Then Rama made a linga of sand and worshipped Lord Shiva, and asked Shiva to bless him to defeat Ravana. Lord Shiva blessed him accordingly. Rama also requested Shiva to reside there eternally for the benefit of mankind. Lord Shiva then manifested himself as the Lingam and got installed there for eternity.

Significance of the Rameshwaram Temple Jyotirlinga

Significance of the Rameshwaram Temple Jyotirlinga has been described through a shloka in Manas.

Je rameshwar darshan kari hahi |
Te tanu taji mam loka sidaari hahi ||

Meaning: Those who go to Rameshwar and seeks my blessings, shall always reside in Shivloka.It is said that there is greatness associated with the ceremonial bath given to the linga by water of the Ganga.