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“Dhan” is the Hindi word for wealth and the Dhanteras is advance welcoming for Laxmi, who is worshipped on Diwali. In many homes small footprints are painted with vermillion colored flour so as to direct the Goddess when she arrives at the doorstep.

Yes, the temple is abode of Lord Shiva. The Jyotiirlingas at Ujjain is considered swayambhu (Born of itself) and faces the south. This is a unique feature which is sanctified by Tantric tradition. The Jyotirlingus at Ujjain is one of the 12 holiest lingas in the world.

The Sanskrit term for “hoarding” is Parigraha, thus Aparigraha is to abstain from possessiveness, greed, selfishness, acquisitiveness. In modern consumer society, the concept of “enough” is hard to fathom. This yama calls to mind the sustainability slogan “Live simply so that others may simply...

Brahma is the name of any one of a number of deities mentioned in the Vedas, Hinduism and Buddhism. The Sanskrit word char means to walk, and ya means actively, most often the compound word charya is translated as practice. The word Brahmacharya has been translated as “brahmic conduct” or...

Contrary to the other religions of the present time, Hinduism doesn’t go back to one single religious founder, revelation or scripture. In fact, there are several personalities who helped shape Hinduism’s spiritual philosophy and practices, some historical such as Shankaracharya or Chaitanya...

The Upanishads are philosophical discussions that examine and propound the wisdom in the earlier part of the Vedas. Since they appear at the end of the Vedas they are also called Vedanta meaning the last part of the Vedas. All subsequent Hindu thought is derived from the discussions found in the...

Ancient artefact from the Indus Valley Civilization of Mohenjo-daro picturing a king seated in the Lotus position. The Indus Valley Civilzation has been declared to predate the Vedic. As the Vedic Civilizations invented yoga this artefact should have been an impossibility.

Discovery of ancient stone inscription in Devanagri dated from at least 3000BC. Devanagri is the script in which Vedic Sanskrit was written

"Ancient Aliens" reports on the enormous sculptures of birds, spiders, animals and long straight lines made of contrasting colored pebbles that can only be seen from the sky on the Nazca Plateau in South America.

The seventh chakra is connected to the pineal gland, which is a small cone-shaped projection out of the mid brain. In humans, this gland usually develops until the age of seven. It is roughly the size of a pea, but in some yogis, as reported by Swami Gitananda, the gland can grow to the size of...

Hatha yoga and Pranayama

Psychologically, the second chakra is the source of our adaptability and our ability to form relationships and associations outside ourselves. The traditional symbol of the second chakra is the crescent moon; as the moon reflects the light of the sun, people often reflect and share one another’s...

Psychologically, this is where we derive our sense of self and our sense of place and purpose in the world. Each chakra has an associated organ of perception (jnanendriya) and organ of action (karmendriya). For the root chakra, these are the nose (our sense of smell) and the feet respectively...

The synovial fluid of the joints does not get rejuvenated unless we physically move our joints. Simple wrist, ankle, and knee circles are as effective as doing Eagle Pose or Hero's Pose. Joint health is one of the many reasons vinyasa-style yoga is important to include in a balanced yoga...

In His early thirties, the New Testament says that Jesus began His ministry. Mormons believe the gospel accounts of Jesus being baptized by immersion in the Jordan River, calling and organizing 12 disciples to assist Him, performing miracles, and preaching about human salvation. Mormons believe...

New Testament accounts tell how Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born in Bethlehem to the virgin Mary. Many miraculous events accompanied His birth, both in Jerusalem and to Book of Mormon people in the Americas (Helaman 14: 3-6). From statements recorded in the Bible...

The Matsya Purana emphasizes the proper depiction of the deities. Vishnu should be depicted with either four or eight arms. In the four arm depiction the right arms should hold the mace and the lotus, whereas the left arms should hold the Sudarshana Chakra and the conch shell. His vahana, the...

Satyavrata, who later was known as Vaivasvata Manu, was a pious and righteous king. Once as he scooped water from a river a tiny fish came along with the water. He was about to return the fish to the river when it asked for protection from the larger fish in the river. Satyavrata put the fish...

The open blossom of the lotus stands for enlightenment, whereas the unopened bud is the potential for enlightenment. The stem of the lotus symbolises the practice of Buddhism that takes one out of the mud of every day toil into the potential of the full flowering of human consciousness.

The lotus symbolises the rise from instinctual responses to the height of spiritual attainment. The lotus flowers high above the murky waters, though its roots are down in the very mud it has risen from. There is not one without the other.