"The Bhagavad Gita is the most beautiful philosophical song existing in any known tongue." ~ Robert Oppenheimer
Friday, August 21, 2026
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Swami Vivekananda Quote
Ask nothing; want nothing in return. Give what you have to give; it will come back to you - but do not think of that now. ~ Swami Vivekananda
Rumi Quotes
Don't be satisfied with stories, how things have gone with others. Unfold your own myth. ~ Rumi
Manava Dharma Shastra (verse 12.94)
“The Veda is the eternal eyesight for ancestors, gods, and humans; for Vedic teaching is beyond the powers of logic or cognition.” - Manava Dharma Shastra [verse 12.94]
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Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Anandamayi Ma
“God is one’s very own Self, the breath of one’s breath, the life of one’s life, the Atma.” - Anandamayi Ma
Yajur Veda Samhita (12.32)
“You must not use your God-given body for killing God’s creatures whether they are human, animal or of any other kind.” - [Yajur Veda Samhita, 12.32]
Ramayana (Verse 7.9) [Kishkinda Kanda]
“Either in a riddle, or in financial loss, or at the end of life, or in a fearful situation, a courageous one does not sink down, but introspects in his own mind.” - Ramayana [Kishkinda Kanda, 7.9]
Ramayana (Verse 4.18.13)
“It is to be known by him, who treads the way of Dharma, that he has three fatherly personages, namely his own father, his elder brother, and the one who accords education (guru) to him." - [Ramayana, 4.18.13]
Osho
Peace of mind is a contradiction in terms.
When Mind is there, peace cannot be.
And if peace is there mind cannot be.
They cannot be both together.
Monday, August 17, 2026
Mundaka Upanishad (1.2.13)
“To a tranquil and self-controlled disciple who approaches reverently, the wise teacher gives that knowledge faithfully and without reservation, by which is known the truly existing and changeless atman.” - [Mundaka Upanishad, 1.2.13]
Mundaka Upanishad (1.1.9)
“God sees all, knows all; He is knowledge itself. Of Him are born cosmic intelligence, name, form, and the material cause of all created beings and things.” - [Mundaka Upanishad, 1.1.9]
Mundaka Upanishad (2.1.1)
“This is the truth: As, from a blazing fire, sparks essentially akin to it fly forth by the thousands, so also, my good friend, do various beings come forth from the imperishable Brahman and unto Him again return.” - [Mundaka Upanishad, 2.1.1]
Vishnu Samhita (51.68)
“He who, for his own pleasure, kills harmless animals should be regarded as dead in life; such a man shall know no happiness, here or hereafter.” - [Vishnu Samhita, 51.68]
Bhagavad Gita (7.23)
“Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet.” - [Bhagavad Gita, 7.23]
Bhagavad Gita (9.26)
“If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water, I will accept it.” - [Bhagavad Gita, 9.26]
Narada Jayanti - Special Days
Narada Muni is the Rishi of all rishis, and the most important guru and guide throughout the Vedic scriptures. He is the avesha avatara of Lord Narayana. Narada Jayanti brings the divine blessing of devotion, wisdom, and spiritual knowledge into our lives.
Lord Narada is the eternal traveler, communicator, and a deep devotee of Lord Narayana. He constantly chants "Narayana, Narayana". He is known as Devrishi(divine sage).
He has the ability to visit all three worlds- Swarga (heaven), Prithvi (earth) and Patal (netherworld).
The birthday of Narada is celebrated on the Pratipada Tithi of Krishna Paksha in the Hindu month of Jyestha.
Read about: Special days | Gods &Godesses | Lord Narada
Guru Gita (verse 8)
“Those who offer sacrificial rites, make vows, repeat mantras, or engage in penance, pilgrimages, or charity, still go adrift without knowing the nature of the Guru.” - [Sri Guru Gita, 8]
Guru Gita (verse 32)
“The Guru is like Brahma, the Guru is like Vishnu, the Guru is like Shiva. Indeed, the Guru is akin to the Supreme Absolute. To that Guru I offer my reverent salutations.” - [Sri Guru Gita, 32]
Guru Gita (verse 18)
“Always lovingly recollect the Guru’s divine form.
Constantly repeat the mantra the Guru has given.
Follow the Guru’s guidance with your mind absorbed on nothing other than the Guru.” - [Sri Guru Gita, 18]
Bhagavad Gita (2.58)
“One who is able to withdraw his senses from sense objects, as the tortoise draws his limbs within the shell, is to be understood as truly situated in knowledge.” [Bhagavad Gita, 2.58]
Swami Vivekananda on Idol worship
Vivekananda quote on Idol Worship:
"Just as a photograph can connect us with someone we love, a Murti gives the mind a form through which it can approach the Divine. The journey begins with seeing God in one form and eventually recognising the Divine everywhere.
Read about: Swami Vivekananda
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
He alone is a real person who has harmonized. Most people are single-minded. But I see all these as One - Shaktas,Vaishnavas,and Vedantists worship the same one Reality. he who is formless also has forms. All are only His different forms. - Shri Ramakrishna ParamahamsaRead about: Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
Swami Vivekananda
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Read about: Swami Vivekananda
Batuka Bhairava (Vaduka Bhairava)
Batuka Bhairava (Vaduka Bhairava) is the most peaceful and affectionate child form of Lord Shiva. While the usual Bhairava idols are fierce, Batuka Bhairava appears as a child with a sweet voice. Vaduka Bhairava is seen carrying a mace and a bowl in his hand, and with a dog as his vehicle. Since he is the confluence of the three qualities of the universe, Batuka Bhairava is also known as the Gunatrayaswarupa.
Three Aspects of Batuka Bhairava
According to Tantra Shastra, Batuka Bhairava has three aspects. The first is the Sattvic aspect: He gives peace and long life to the devotees. The Rajasic aspect gives material success, wealth and prosperity. The Tamasic aspect helps in destroying enemies and protecting against ghosts and demons.
Weapons, Ornaments & Vehicle
The weapons and ornaments of Batuka Bhairava are associated with the goddesses of the Dashamahavidyas. The Lord has the Poonul (a bowl of skull) given by Ugrathara, the Kapala (a bowl of skull) given by Chinnamasta, and the dominion over time given by Kalidevi. The Lord also holds a trident in his hand, which represents the powers of the goddesses Kali, Tara, and Chinnamasta. The dog, which is always seen with Bhairava, is the Lord's vehicle. However, in Tantric texts, it is said that dogs of nine different colors serve the Lord, which represent the nine types of divine chains and planets in the universe.
Batuka Bhairava is the five-year-old child form that Shiva took to kill the demon 'Apad', who had attained immortality through penance, when he was harassing the gods. Hence, he is also known as 'Apaduddharaka Bhairava'.
Another scenario for the Batuka Bhairava incarnation is as follows. According to the Linga Purana, Shiva adopted a trick to pacify Bhadrakali, who was determined to destroy the universe with unquenchable anger after the murder of Darika. On the way to Kali, the Lord lay down as a small child (Bala Bhairava) and cried loudly. Legend has it that the goddess, who was awakened by maternal affection on seeing the child, forgot her anger and took him and breastfed him. Through this breast milk, the child absorbed all of Kali's ferocity.
According to Tantra, the eight Bhairavas (Asitanga, Ruru, Chanda, Krodha, Unmatta, Kapala, Bhishana, and Samhara) are the guardians of the eight directions. However, the origin or original form of these eight is believed to be Batuka Bhairava.
Being the lord of time, the Lord helps one to achieve success in life without wasting time. It is believed that Batuka Bhairava Puja or Japa is the most effective way to remove the evils of Saturn and Rahu-Ketu in the horoscope. Batuka Bhairava is worshipped to remove obstacles, ward off evils of enemies, and get rid of fear. Pujas performed on Sundays during Rahu are very special.
The eighth day of Krishna Paksha in the month of Margashirsha (Vrischikam - Dhanu) is celebrated as Batuka Bhairava Jayanti. Worshipping the Lord on this day is good for removing all kinds of poverty and misery.
Read about: Hindu Gods & Goddesses
Legend of Goddess Manasa
According to Hindu scriptures, there are eighteen major Puranas, and the Padma Purana is one of them. One of the principal deities associated with this tradition is Goddess Manasa, the serpent goddess. Manasa is regarded as the daughter of Lord Shiva. It is believed that when Shiva consumed poison during the churning of the cosmic ocean, Goddess Manasa helped free him from its effects.
Since then, Manasa has also been known as Bishahari, the goddess who protects devotees from poison. The central theme of the Padma Purana is the story of Chand Saudagar, the wrath of Goddess Manasa, the death of Chand's son Lakhindar from a snakebite, and the extraordinary devotion and sacrifice of his wife, Behula.
As Manasa was a serpent goddess, she faced obstacles in gaining recognition as a goddess in heaven. Lord Shiva told her that if she wished to be accepted as a deity, she would have to be worshipped on earth by one of Shiva's devotees.
The Eternal Love Story of Behula and Lakhindar
Lakhindar, the son of Chand Saudagar, was married to Behula, the daughter of one of Chand's business associates, Saha. Chand Saudagar was a devoted worshipper of Lord Shiva.
He was believed to have been a wealthy and powerful merchant of the ancient city of Champaknagar. Goddess Manasa, on the other hand, was a serpent goddess who was not widely worshipped. She therefore approached Chand Saudagar and asked him to arrange a puja in her honour. But Chand, being a devoted follower of Shiva, firmly refused, declaring that he would worship no one except Shiva. Enraged, Manasa cursed him, declaring that she would destroy the lives of all his sons.
When Chand continued to refuse to worship her, Manasa caused all of his sons, except Lakhindar, to die one after another from snakebites. Heartbroken, Chand lost his enthusiasm for his trading expeditions. Yet, despite all his suffering, he eventually set out on another voyage. After a successful trading journey, Chand was returning home with fourteen large merchant vessels filled with wealth. Manasa sank all fourteen vessels, sparing only Chand himself.
Determined to protect his last surviving son, Lakhindar, Chand had an iron bridal chamber constructed for Lakhindar's wedding by a craftsman named Vishwakarma. However, under pressure from Goddess Manasa, Vishwakarma left a tiny opening in the iron walls. Despite all these precautions, Manasa succeeded in carrying out her plan. A snake sent by her entered the chamber and killed Lakhindar.
According to the traditional custom of the time, the bodies of those who died from snakebites were placed on banana-wood rafts and floated down the river rather than being cremated in the usual manner. There was also a popular belief that the dead person might somehow return to life through supernatural means. Ignoring everyone's objections, Behula climbed onto the raft with her dead husband. For six months, she travelled down the river, passing village after village.
During this long journey, Lakhindar's body began to decay, and the villagers came to believe that Behula had lost her mental balance. Yet Behula continued praying to Goddess Manasa. Eventually, the raft reached Netar Ghat, associated with one of Manasa's companions, Neta. Hearing Behula's prayers, Neta took her to Goddess Manasa. Manasa then told Behula that she could have Lakhindar restored to life if she could convince her father-in-law, Chand Saudagar, to worship her.
Behula returned and told her mother-in-law everything. With her mother-in-law's support, Behula persuaded Chand Saudagar to agree to worship Manasa. Chand could no longer refuse. However, he could never completely forgive Manasa for all the suffering she had caused him. Therefore, he worshipped her while turning his face away from the idol and offering the puja with his left hand. Yet Manasa was satisfied with this gesture. Through her divine powers, Manasa restored Lakhindar's decayed body.
He opened his eyes and looked at Behula with a smile. Through divine intervention, Behula and the revived Lakhindar were then taken to heaven. Manasa also restored Chand's six deceased sons to life and returned his fourteen sunken merchant vessels intact. Chand Saudagar and his family eventually began living peacefully and happily.
From then on, the worship of Goddess Manasa became increasingly widespread among the people, particularly among those seeking protection from snakebites and praying for children. For centuries, pala songs, puthi readings, panchali, and Manasa Mangal recitations have remained popular throughout the villages and rural areas of Bengal. According to scholars, the worship of Goddess Manasa began spreading in Bengal around the 10th–11th centuries CE.
Medieval Bengali poets such as Haridatta, Vijay Gupta, Ketakadas Kshemananda, and Bipradas Pipilai composed celebrated Manasamangal works. These literary works provide glimpses into the society, economy, customs, rituals and everyday life of medieval Bengal. In particular, during the month of Shravana, Manasa Puja is traditionally celebrated, and puthi recitations are an important part of the observance.
Near Bogura city, close to the ancient archaeological site of Mahasthangarh, there is a place known locally as Gokul Medh. It is popularly identified as Behula's bridal chamber or Lakhindar's Medh. The legendary devotion of Behula and her love for her husband have inspired numerous films, dramas and television serials over the generations. The story of their extraordinary and enduring love continues to live on in Bengali folklore and popular culture. Shubho Manasa Puja!
(Writer: Sridhar Dutta)
Read about: Hindu Gods & Goddesses
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Batuka Bhairava (Vaduka Bhairava) is the most peaceful and affectionate child form of Lord Shiva. While the usual Bhairava idols are fierce,... -
This is the new website which is made with an intention to conserve and save Hindu knowledge from all around the world so the people who wou...
-
According to Hindu scriptures, there are eighteen major Puranas, and the Padma Purana is one of them. One of the principal deities associate...