गायन्तं त्रायते यस्मात् गायत्री प्रोच्यते बुधै: That which protects the person who recites it with full consciousness… The Gāyatri mantra is one of the most well-known mantras. From yoga schools to evening bhajans, the Gāyatri has been heard in various forms and recitations. People say that this is the most powerful mantra, and if one …
श्रियं दिशतु वः शंभोः श्यामः कण्ठो मनोभुवा ।अङ्कस्थपार्वतीदृष्टिपाशैरिव विवेष्टितः ॥ १ ॥ śriyaṃ diśatu vaḥ śaṃbhoḥ śyāmaḥ kaṇṭho manobhuvā |aṅkasthapārvatīdṛṣṭipāśairiva viveṣṭitaḥ || 1 || May Śiva, Neelakantha, the one with the dark neck, whom Kamadeva has captivated through Pārvatī who lies in his embrace…may Śiva give you prosperity. संध्यानुत्तोत्सवे ताराः करेणोद्धूय विघ्नजित् ।सीत्कारसीकरैरन्याः कल्पयन्निव पातु वः ॥ …
The penultimate day. Yesterday’s Nirjala Vrata was easier than today’s fast. Once you have a fruit, the body realizes that it the option is still open:)) Jokes apart, this Navrātri has been easier…maybe because of experience and maybe because of the yog. I have found the sweet spot (I think) of how much to eat …
ॐ जयन्ती, मङ्गला, काली, भद्रकाली, कपालिनी। दुर्गा, शिवा, क्षमा, धात्री, स्वाहा, स्वधा नमोऽस्तु ते॥ एष सचन्दन गन्ध पुष्प बिल्व पत्राञ्जली ॐ ह्रीं दुर्गायै नमः॥ ওঁ জয়ন্তি, মঙ্গলা, কালি, ভদ্রকালি, কপালিনি। দূর্গা, শিবা, ক্ষমা, ধাত্রি, স্বাহা, স্বধা, নমোহস্তু তে॥ এষ সচন্দন গন্ধ পুস্প বিল্ব পত্রাঞ্জলিঃ, ওঁ হ্রীং দুর্গায়ৈ নমঃ॥ Om Jayanti, Mangala, Kali, Bhadrakali, Kapalini। Durga, Shiva, Kshama, Dhatri, Svaha, Svadha …
Six down, three to go. But these are the top three. There is the Mahā Ashtami – culminating in the Sandhi puja, then the Mahā Navami and finally Vijayadashami. Tomorrow is Nirjala Upavas – no food no water until the Sandhi Puja completes, which should be around 9 pm Dubai time. One wonders – why …
Someone asked me today – you follow Bengali rituals, Punjabi rituals, processes from the South of India…where are you from exactly? As predicted, today may have been the hardest. I didn’t find it too hard though. The lack of food has not been a problem, given my fasts on Ekādashi, and I surprisingly have not …
Tamas has been taken care of. Rajas is next. These four days, I haven’t had tea or coffee. Most of us find caffeine to be the most difficult to control. You absolutely need that early morning cup of tea or coffee and some more to get you through the day. Or so you think. We …
Have come one-third the way, two-thirds remain. Navrātri is also an important occasion because of the opportunity to socialize. People visit each other’s houses, exchange sweets and generally catch up on the happenings of the previous months. Today, I got a chance to visit the most happening Golu in south Dubai – the one at …
The second day is also easy. You still have the passion, the energy to go through the vrata. You will feel a slight change towards the worse starting tomorrow:) Today is the second day of destruction. The body starts to realize that you are fasting, and slowly starts to dig into it’s reserves (polite word …
The first day is also the easiest. Some people think otherwise, but in my experience, the first day is the easiest to get by. You are fresh, well-fed the previous day, and eager to get going. The middle part of any fast is the worst, relatively speaking. You are only halfway from where you started, …
