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 …
It finally happened, so now we can all go back to our daily lives. For 20-odd days, every news headline read the same. Now that the prodigal son has been granted bail, the nation heaved a collective sigh of relief. It is said that the GDP numbers have been drastically affected due to the lack …
That is why this great mantra dhīyo yo naḥ pracodayāt prays not for these ephemeral constituents of our imagined glory in this world. It asks for our understanding to be rightly directed. What is meant by rightly directed understanding? It is that understanding which can tune itself to the great light of the universe. It is the …
तत्स॑वि॒तुर्वरेण्यं भर्गो॑ दे॒वस्य॑धीमहि । धियो॒ यो नः प्रचो॒दया॑त् ॥ tatsaviturvareṇyaṃ bhargo devasyadhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt We all know the above as being the Gāyatri mantra. Actually we may know it in it’s varied form, the one that starts with ॐ भूर् भुवः सुवः । You may also have heard it in Anuradha Paudwal’s soothing …
A sound by any other tālā will not sound as sweet… Read More »
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 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, …
“In the Middle Ages people believed that the earth was flat, for which they had at least the evidence of their senses: we believe it to be round, not because as many as one per cent of us could give the physical reasons for so quaint a belief, but because modern science has convinced us …
Ok, the Alia ad has set a lot of tongues wagging. One side applauds, denouncing “regressive” practices and questioning why women are demeaned and equated to “dhan”. Why should a girl be given away, why not the boy as well? Another side questions the intent of the advertisement. Who are they to interfere with age-old …
गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहेकविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम् ।ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पतआ नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम् ॥ Gannaanaam Tvaa Ganna-Patim HavaamaheKavim Kaviinaam-Upama-Shravastamam |Jyessttha-Raajam Brahmannaam BrahmannaspataAa Nah Shrnnvan-Uutibhih Siida Saadanam || Among the Ganas (Group of Prayers), to you who is the Ganapati (Deva of Prayers), we offer this havan (ritual fire), You are the wisdom of the wise and the most glorious of all, You are the foremost in prayer, presiding as the Deva of the Prayers (Brahmanaspati), Please come to us by listening to our humble …
