Right. The biggest festival of them all is upon us. Deepavali (as I like to call it) signifies much more than what most of us believe it to be. And surely more than “Festival of Lights”. It is also the festival of sounds by the way, which have fallen silent due to silly rules that …
There are rituals, and there are customs. Rituals are usually a set of rites, usually performed in an exact sequence, with rules governing them, and possible implications if performed wrongly. Satyanarayana Puja, or Durga Puja for instance. Customs or traditions are part of our culture that evolved internally, and passed down through the generations. Customs …
So the whole team took off to Ras Al Khaimah for the weekend – spouses, family et al. We had a small awards ceremony, and generally just chilled out – relaxed in the middle of Russia – or so it seemed given the overwhelming majority of that demographic at the resort. So much so that …
आदौ राम तपोवनादि गमनं हत्वा मृगं कांचनं । वैदेही हरणं जटायु मरणं सुग्रीव सम्भाषणं ॥ वाली निर्ग्रहणं समुद्र तरणं लंकापुरी दाहनं । पश्चात रावण कुम्बकर्ण हननं एतहि रामायणं ॥ aadau raama tapovaanadi gamanam , hathva mrugam kaanchanam vaidehi haraNam Jatayu maraNam sugreeva sambhaashaNam, vaali nirgrahaNam, samudra taraNam lanka puri daahanam pashchad raavaNa kumbakarNa hananam yetahi raamayaNam Once when Rama …
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We are having our annual team get together/retreat tomorrow. Part of the festivities – well, actually the only thing on the agenda besides chilling out is a small awards ceremony. Cannot divulge more (don’t want to spoil the surprise) but it’s about recognizing your team members. Heartfelt, true and honest recognition. Not like the ones …
Suratha said “Oh revered Rishi! we are grieving. I lost my kingdom, yet I feel attached to everything that is associated with it. My elephant, my people, my treasury…And this is Samādhi. He was disowned by his family, and yet he feels affectionate towards them. He still thinks about their welfare. And so, both him …
They fought in the skies, toe to toe, until the Devi lifted him, whirled him around and threw him to the ground. As he tried to get up, she grabbed her spear and pierced his chest with it, thus bringing him to his end. Śumba died, and the devas rejoiced. Their tormentor was no more, …
The Devi then struck Raktabīja with her spear, and the fierce Kālī drank up all his blood before it could spill to the ground. Raktabīja struck back, but failed to even touch the Devi. As she kept striking him with her spear, and her swords, Kālī kept drinking the blood that flowed from his wounds, …
Seeing Chanda and Munda vanquished, the remaining asura army panicked and fled in all directions. And Kāli, holding the heads of Chanda and Munda in her hands, approached Chandika and said, “In this sacrifice of battle, here I have brought you the heads of Chanda and Munda.” The mighty Śumba burned with rage. Chanda and …
The Devi smiled again. “Yes, it is true. They are very strong. But what can I do since I took that ill-considered vow, even though it was long ago? Go back and tell them what I said, and let them do what they think is proper in this situation.” Hearing the words of the Devi, …
