50 years. That’s how long my parents have been married to each other. We sometimes cannot wrap our heads around such numbers. You know, when you realize that some actors have been in the profession since six decades, or when you realize that Warren Buffet is 91 years old and still going strong – that …
Today is Ekādashi – the 11th day of a fortnight in a lunar month, as per the Hindu calendar. Since there are two fortnights, Ekādashi is celebrated twice a month. It is typically characterized by observance of a fast. And the fast can be of many types. From Nirjala Ekādashi – where one does not …
The Germans call it milchreis, the Spaniards call it arroz con leche, Malaysians pulut hitam and the Greeks call it rizogalo…any guesses? How about ‘eight treasures’? or Shola-e-zard ? Still no? Kheer, payesh, phirini, payasam? The first mentions of payasam were recorded in the epics of Mahabharata and Ramayana, as ksheer or kshirika in Sanskrit, which translated to a dish made …
Why do we pray? Today, on the occasion of Ram Navami, I booked a new temple for my house. I was running out of space to keep temple-related items, and Rohāmrta was having a field day reaching out for the agarbattis after they had been spent. These daily disruptions prompted me to lookout for options …
द्विः शरं नाभिसन्धत्ते द्विः स्थापयति नाश्रितान् ।द्विर्ददाति न चार्थिभ्यो, रामो द्विर्नाभिभाषते ॥ Rāma doesn’t aim twice, he doesn’t give refuge twice, Rāma does not give twice to a seeker, he doesn’t speak the same thing twice. He does it perfectly the very first time. लक्ष्मीश्चन्द्रादपेयाद्वा हिमवान्वा हिमं त्यजेत्।अतीयात्सागरो वेलां न प्रतिज्ञामहं पितुः॥ lakṣmīścandrādapeyādvā himavānvā himaṃ …
Today’s the weekend. Or what we have been calling (largely) Saturday and Sunday from the past 90-odd years. A gift from the factory-based economy. A 9-5 working day being the other. But have you wondered how it was before that? Did people have a weekend? Did they look forward to two days of rest (or …
So when is a good time to start? I spoke about Tithis in my past two posts. It is said that certain tithis are not conducive for study or beginning new efforts. In gurukulams (schools) and aadheenams (monasteries) these are times of retreat. As they occur in pairs four times per moon, they are roughly …
Yesterday I had written about how to read a Panchāngam, or Hindu calendar. Today, we look at a few more interesting concepts. While we normally follow the Gregorian calendar in our daily lives, the Panchāngam holds a special significance. The Gregorian is quite arbitrary, with months having 30 or 31 days with no apparent logic, …
Reading a Hindu calendar can be complex, especially for beginners. So here is a quick guide, just for you! Start with a Panchāngam – Drink Panchang is a good option. It has an app and a website – so take your pick. Let’s assume that you are using the app. Ensure that the location is …
A deviation today, from the usual Navratri talk. I have been watching various “village cooking” channels over the past few months. First, there was one from Tamil Nadu – a grandpa with his grandsons – an energetic take on cooking a monstrous amount of food and then distributing it to the needy. Entertaining, and I’ve …
