On this auspicious day of “ashtami“, recall one of the most well-known verses from the Bhagawad-Geet – in the melodious voice of the late Mahendra Kapoor…
यदा यदा ही धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत, अभ्युथानम् अधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् |
परित्राणाय साधुनाम विनाशाय च: दुष्कृताम, धर्मं संस्थापनार्थाय सम्भावामी युगे युगे ||
Approximate translation:
Whenever there is decline of Dharma (righteousness)..and rise of Adharma (unrighteousness);
To protect the virtuous..to destroy the wicked and to re-establish Dharma,
I manifest myself, through the ages.

|| Shubh Shri Krishna JanmAshtami ||
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Related Posts: Reading the Bhagavad Gita…
A Search for the Historical Krishna

|| श्री ||

.
असतो मा सद्गमय | तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ||
मृत्योर् मा अमृतं गमय | ॐ शांति शांति शांति ||
Asato maa Sat gamaya, Tamaso maa Jyotir gamaya
Mrityor maa Amritam gamaya, Om Shaanti Shaanti Shaanti.

…from falsehood to truth, from darkness to light, from mortality to immortality
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दीपावली के इस पावन पर्व पर आपके घर-आँगन में ज्ञान, सदबुद्धि, स्वास्थ्य व संपन्नता के द्वीप प्रज्वलित हों
.
May this Deepavali brings you and your loved ones lots of joy, good health, happiness and prosperity

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On this joyous and festive occassion, please try and do the following:

Read …

Some of you may have already seen these two videos that have been doing the rounds on the internet. They show a mini riot and violence that occured in Miraj (Distt. Sangli) in Maharashtra late last week.
About 2 minutes into the first video, you can clearly see a mob that has assembled (although not clear how and from where)…
First Video (7 mins long)

.
The second video (3 mins long) shows what happened…

The videos raised a lot of questions in my mind – broadly around two issues:
A] What should have been the …

Today is the first day of Chaitra and the beginning of the New Year for some of us. Chaitra is also the first month in the Indian National Calendar that follows the Shaka (Saka) era.
Read this post from 2008 for a more elaborate description of the meaning and significance of Gudi Padwa.
Happy Gudi Padwa and Happy Ugadi to all…Enjoy the day…

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Picture of Gudi Copyright and Courtesy CusineCuisine.com;      Picture of Ugadi lunch, Copyright and Courtesy The Indian Food Court.
See also: The Hindu Calendar System
Related Post: Happy New Year !!

I am going to miss the til-laddus and the kites
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Next year, I plan to do something about it

In the meantime, Happy Makar Sankranti, Pongal, Maghi and Bhogali Bihu to all my readers.
Enjoy the day…
Related Posts:
Happy Makar Sankranti
and other Hindu Festivals

Happy VijayaDashami, Durgotsab, Durga Pooja and Dussehra to all…
On this auspicious day, let us all pledge to do our best to get rid of the three major evils that plague India…Terrorism, Poverty and Illiteracy…and promise ourselves to work towards building a proud, strong and united India.
Jai Hind, Jai Bharat!
              
(Above) An effigy of the demon king Ravana go up in flames, marking the victory of good over evil, on the occasion of the Dussehara festival in New Delhi [ Original Link ]

A scene from the immersion the idol of Goddess Durga …

Today is ”Ganesh Chaturthi” – birthday of BhagwAn Shri Ganesh (celebrated on the 4th day of Bhadrapada – usually Aug/Sept in Julian calendar). Ganesh-ji is widely revered as the remover of obstacles (”VidhnhartA”) and is usually invoked when beginning something new (I usually begin my day with the “VakratunDa MahAkAya…” shloka).
Ganesh Chaturthi is (one of the) most popular (festivals) in Maharashtra and heralds 10days of celebrations that end with the “Visarjan” on Anant Chaturdashi (or Anant Chaudas).
As many of you would know, the public celebration of Ganesh Utsav (SArvajanik Ganeshotsav) is an …

Today is the first day of Chaitra and the beginning of the Hindu New Year for some Hindus*.� The day has a special significance for me (in my personal life) because of an event that happened many years ago – but that is a story for another day
It is widely celebrated as Gudi Padwa and Ugadi (Yugadhi)�in western and southern India. Gudi Padwa is celebrated in Maharashtra and coincides with the onset of spring.
From the Wikipedia entry on Gudi Padwa:
Gudi Padwa is especially dedicated to the worship of …

While I am personally not very fond of Holi (I am in good company), it is no doubt one of the most popular (and certainly most colourful) festivals in northern India.
“Holi” is a two-day (or strictly speaking a night, followed by day) festival.
On the first day, bonfires are lit at night to signify burning the demoness Holika, Hiranyakashipu’s sister.
On the second day, known as Dhulhendi, people spend the day throwing coloured powder and water at each other. The spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause viral …

Happy “Maha Shiv Ratri” to all of you.
As many of you no doubt know, Bhagwaan MahaDev has a special status in our Dharma and there are numerous sacred stories associated with this night…
For those amongst you who are curious to know more about this festival, here are a few links (in no particular order):
http://www.hindujagruti.org/hinduism/festivals/mahashivratri/
http://mahashivratri.info/�(predominantly in Hindi)
http://www.mahashivratri.org/
On a related note, one of my dreams is to visit all the twelve “Jyotirlinga”(s) associated with Lord Shiva and then write a travelogue around that (I have been to six but half still remain)…Someday …

Stumbled across this news today: “No love on Valentine’s Day, Sena on a rampage“
“… In Delhi, about a dozen Sena protesters briefly blocked a road early on Wednesday and burnt Valentine’s Day cards and gifts, chanting ‘Down with Valentine’.
In Lucknow, Sena activists sent out a diktat against Valentine’s Day celebration and threatened to beat up couples found celebrating their love.
“Our volunteers will check parks, hotels and restaurants and swoop upon young lovers found walking hand-in-hand,” Vijay Tiwari, a Shiv Sena activist in Lucknow, said. “We are deadly against Valentine’s Day,” …

I finally understood the symbolic significance of this first Hindu festival of the (modern) New Year, courtesy this site (excerpts):
Introduction of Makar Sankranti:
Makar Sankranti is one of the most auspicious day for the Hindus, and is celebrated in almost all parts of the country in myriad cultural forms, with great devotion, fervor & gaiety. Lakhs of people take a dip in places like Ganga Sagar & Prayag and pray to Lord Sun.
It is celebrated with pomp in southern parts of the country as Pongal, and in Punjab is celebrated …