Dandakaranya and the Legend of Its Origin
Long long ago, near about the beginning of Treta-yuga, there lived a good and brave king by the name Ikshvaku, the founder of the Solar
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Long long ago, near about the beginning of Treta-yuga, there lived a good and brave king by the name Ikshvaku, the founder of the Solar
The greatest of all Hindu fairs in India, Kumbh Mela witnesses the largest religious gathering in the history of the country. Held every third year
King Ambarish was a King in the Satya Yuga. He was a great king and was loved by his subjects. He was an ideal king
Ambarnath is part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). The name Ambarnath literally means Sky-Lord. Ambarnath is the site of a old Shiva temple. The Shiv
My friend, Mohamed Ashiq Naseeruddin from Birmingham, UK told me: “Your gods might be getting indigestion! Millions of people offer them food every day….” I
Pritha dd: “Every day the number of people interested in practicing yoga and meditation increases by the thousands. Unfortunately, a person looking for a suitable
On Friday, July 10, 2026, the rare Krishna Paksha Ekadashi of Nija Ashadha arrives. The Padma Purana tells the story of Hemamali — the Yaksha gardener of Bhagavan Kubera in Alaka, whose single morning of distraction with his wife Vishalakshi cost him his form, his wife, and his celestial city. Cursed to wander the earth of Bharata as a leper for a long time, he was at last shown the way back by Sage Markandeya — a single sincere keeping of Yogini Ekadashi.
On Saturday, June 20, 2026, Bengali households across Bharata will welcome their married daughters and sons-in-law home for the legendary jamai-aador feast and perform the Shashthi Vrata. But behind the warmth lies a story most Bengalis know by heart and most non-Bengalis have never heard — the wife who stole the hilsa, blamed the cat, lost six sons to Maa Shashthi’s wrath, and was finally forgiven. The Vrat Katha, the vidhi, the mantras, and the deeper teaching.
On Monday, June 29, 2026, women across Maharashtra, Gujarat, and southern Bharata will tie red thread around banyan trees and hear the story of Savitri — the wife who walked behind Yamaraja Himself when He came for her husband, and out-argued the Lord of Dharma into returning Satyavan’s life. The Mahabharata’s Pativrata Mahatmya Parva, the vrat vidhi, and why the banyan witnessed everything.
With Adhik Maas now closed on the Somvati Amavasya of June 15, the long-postponed festivals of Jyeshtha return — Vat Purnima (June 29, the Savitri-Yamaraja katha), Jamai Shashthi (June 20, the Bengali festival of Maa Shashthi), Sankashti Chaturthi (June 28), Yogini Ekadashi (July 10), and Devshayani Ekadashi (July 16, opening the four-month Chaturmas of Bhagavan Vishnu’s yoga-nidra). A guide to what the next four weeks hold and what the household that kept Purushottam Maas now carries forward.
On Monday, June 15, 2026 — a rare Somvati Amavasya — the intercalary month that bears Bhagavan Vishnu’s own name comes to its close. The Acharyas teach that a vrat is not measured by its duration but by its closing. Here are the Padma Purana’s instructions for sealing the month-long Purushottam Maas vrat: the morning snan, the closing puja with the Vishnu Sahasranama, the day of dana, the Somvati Amavasya gift, and the final sarva-arpana — the offering of all merit at the feet of the Lord.
Sanskriti comes from the Sanskrit root “kr” which means to do or to make prefix “sam” is applied before it to convey a sense of embellishment. It means actions done for the holistic refinement and perfection all the potentialities within a human being.
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