2011Year5Month
8000-year-old Konkan culture discovered
An about 8000-year-old man-made structure has been discovered in Konkan, Maharashtra. The discovery has been done by Dr. Ashok Marathe after six years of research. There are about 12 stone walls uniformly built of about 24 Km in total in different areas from Shrivardhan to Malwan. The reason for building these walls is unknown. These walls are now underwater and hence need Scuba diving to see them. They are in the following areas: Shrivardhan, Kelashi, Kolthare, Dabhol, Enron Jeti, Velaneshwar, Jaigad, Ganapati Pule, Ratnagiri, Vijaydurga, Malwan, and Sindudurga. From this discovery, it is clear that the history of Hinduism dates…
Swami Swarupananda of Pawas
Shri Swami Swarupanand was a great Hindu saint born in Pawas, a small village near Ratnagiri, Maharashtra. His original name was Shri Ramchandra Vishnupant Godbole. His mother’s name was Rakhmabai Vishnupant Godbole. Shri Swami Swarupanand was born on December 15, 1903. In his childhood, he was known as “Appa.” He was very active, inquisitive, and intelligent. Since childhood, he was fond of devotional songs. His grandfather taught him different Hindu mantras. Thus, he was born and brought up in a well-cultured family. He completed his education up to 5th standard in Pawas and Ratnagiri. Then he went to Mumbai to…
Jainism
Jainism is an eastern religion, which advocates total nonviolence. Meaning of word Jainism: Jinas are human beings who have complete control over their body and mind. They have conquered their inner enemies like pride, greed, lust, anger, jealousy, etc. Jains are the people who follow the path preached by the Jinas. Hence, Jainism is the religion followed by Jains or the doctrines of Jinas. Who is the founder of Jainism? It is believed that Jainism was founded by Mahavir but the history of Jainism is much older than that of Mahavir. It is believed that Jainism was founded by Rishabha,…
Hinduism and Superstitions
Superstitions mean false beliefs or beliefs which do not have any scientific base. Superstitions are there since ancient times. They are found in every society, country, culture, and religion. Hinduism is no exception to it. As Hinduism is one of the oldest cultures on the earth and the literacy rate in India is low, there are quite many superstitions. What I have noticed is that not all superstitions are baseless. Some do have some point in them or are purposefully spread to keep people away from danger. These superstitions have been given the cover of religion so that ordinary people…
Shri Swami Samarth of Akkalkot
Shri Swami Samarth was a great miraculous Hindu godman who lived in Akkalkot village in Maharashtra, India, for about 22 years. Akkalkot became very famous after his stay there. Shri Swami Samarth is believed to be the third full incarnation (Purnaavatara) of Lord Dattatreya and had miraculous powers like healing the ill people, exorcising, knowing the future and the past, etc. There is no definite information available about the past of Shri Swami Samartha but his devotees were able to collect some information regarding him. The Story of Swami Samarth: Birth of Shri Swami Samarth: The ground broke into two…
Aghori
Aghori is a Hindu sect of Sadhus, which believes in the basic beliefs of Hinduism but believes in an abnormal way to achieve salvation. Aghoris believe that Lord Shiva is the Supreme Being and worship him. He is also lord of the cremation ground. Their place of meditation is the crematorium where Hindus burn dead bodies. This place is considered to be home to ghosts and evil spirits by Hindus but Aghori sadhus prefer to live and meditate there. In general, other Hindus prefer to stay away from Aghoris. Aghoris believe God exists in everything whether it is dung or…
Yayati
Yayati was a brave king depicted in Puranas who had to surrender his conscience and dignity to destiny. Though Yayati is a main character of the story, he is not a real hero; in fact, he becomes villain though forced by the situation. Kach is the real hero of this story, who is the son of Dev Guru, Brihaspati. The Story of Yayati: The story of Yayati revolves around four main characters: Yayati; his wives, Devyani and Sharmishtha; Kach, his friend and philosopher. Yayati was born as the youngest son of King Nahusha, king of Hastinapur, who had defeated Indra,…
Maharshi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who introduced the West to transcendental meditation, a guru to the Beatles and over 6 million followers, died on Tuesday, February 5, 2008, at his home in Holland, a town of Vlodrop. Some of his famous followers were the Beatles, Beach Boys, Singer Donovan, and actor Clint Eastwood. He was 91 years old. He died at about 7 p.m. when he was asleep. His original name was Mr. Mahesh Prasad Varma, and he was born reportedly on January 12, 1917, in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh (India). He graduated in Physics from Allahabad University. He became a disciple of…
Hinduism and animals
There are some Hindu temples in India where you would find monkeys, dogs, rats, and/or other animals inside the temple. The cow is the highest revered animal for Hindus. Aside from cows, dogs, monkeys, elephants, and other animals are an integral part of Hindu mythology and are associated with different Hindu deities. Most of the animals are given protection in Hinduism except for a few. An important fact about Hinduism is that it has given high importance to the animals including domestic as well as wild. Bhagavadgita says that the same soul exists in the animals as well as human…
Akshay Tritiya – One of The Sade Teen Muhurat
Akshay Tritiya is one of the three and a half muhurtas. It is considered as a half muhurta. The other three are Gudipadawa, Padawa in Diwali, and Vijaya Dashami. Akshaya Tritiya is a very important Hindu festival and is celebrated with great enthusiasm throughout India. Akshay means imperishable. Tritiya of Vaishakh months is celebrated as Akshay Tritiya. The donations made on this day are believed to be imperishable. That is why, on this day, Hindus donate food and water in the remembrance of their ancestors. This day is also considered as an auspicious day to start any new venture. This…