Venkat's Random Thoughts

 Rivika - My grand daughter and best friend On this very day 11th September ten years back two things happened, 1) The tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the twin towers in the US and  2) The birth of my Grand daughter Rivika, The second child of my son Anand and Mallika. Both the events are unforgettable in my life ,On the day of the 9/11 attack, I was in Bath UK on a visit to my son in UK and heard the news on the TV at a relation's house. On the day of Rivika's birth I was in Mumbai and on hearing the news , i booked my tickets to visit my son's in laws in Ghaziabad, U P to visit the latest arrival. I immediately posted on my Facebook page the following lines.   "Off to Ghaziabad to meet the latest addition in the family!!      My grand daughter" Needless to say I was very excited and was keen to see and hold this bundle of joy in my hands. We did travel and attended the naming ceremony in Ghaziabad. I next met her on her first birthday when I ...

Today I come to the last Of "The Hindu Rituals". Thus ends a rather long series of posts by me. I may have bored many of you,Got on many persons nerves, but I am sure there were a few of you who patiently waited for and looked forward to this posts of mine. Thank you one and all for suffering this. :) For the time being I am taking a break from blogging for some time now. If any of  you have any suggestions on what topics I should write blogs , your suggestions in the form of comments are welcome. You may also discuss amongst yourselves in the WhatsApp group and decide/vote on a topic of common interest. 22. Why do we do aarti? Towards the end of every ritualistic worship (pooja or bhajan) of the Lord or to welcome an honored guest or saint, we perform the aarti. This is always accompanied by the ringing of the bell and sometimes by singing, playing of musical instruments and clapping. It is one of the sixteen steps (shodasha upachaara) of the pooja...

Hindu Rituals 20 & 21 20. Why do we offer a coconut at the temples, functions etc.? A coconut is homologous to the individual. According to Hinduism an individual consists of 3 bodies (śarīras) sthūla śarīra  — gross physical body represented by the external husk of the coconut sūkṣma śarīra  — subtle or astral body consisting of the mind, emotions etc. represented by the white kernel kāraṇa śarīra  — causal body consisting of the seeds of subliminal latent impressions (saṁskāras) the cause of rebirth represented by the water inside. The three eyes on the top in the coconut represent the 2 physical eyes and the third eye of wisdom (jñāna cakṣuḥ). Coconuts are broken for two reasons:- The breaking of the coconut as an act of sacrifice - self-sacrifice for the welfare of all beings. We hope and pray that we may use this human birth to benefit others and for the service of all beings (sarva-bhūta-hita). As a sacrifice to the elementals...

  Hindu Rituals 18 & 19 18. Why do we blow the conch? It is blown, "to declare the victory of good over evil. In the...Mahabharata, Lord Krishna used to blow the conch shell to announce the beginning and closure of battle. ... As a natural trumpet that comes from watery regions, the conch is believed to have magical power over rain [and hail]. When the conch is blown, the primordial sound of Om emanates. Om is an auspicious sound that was chanted by the Lord before creating the world. It represents the world and the Truth behind it. As the story goes, the demon Shank haasura defeated devas, the Vedas and went to the bottom of the ocean. The devas appealed to Lord Vishnu for help. He incarnated as Matsya Avataara - the "fish incarnation" and killed Shankhaasura. The Lord blew the conch-shaped bone of his ear and head. The Om sound emanated, from which emerged the Vedas. All knowledge enshrined in the Vedas is an elaboration of Om. The conch th...

16. Why do we consider the lotus as special? Lotus is Special…Why? Some believe that the lotus is “cradle of creative might”, while the other believe that “lotus holds the secret of the Gods.” Many stories illustrate the significance of lotus. In this blog, we have brought together all those mythological fractions to tell you why we consider the Lotus to be so special… Did you know that it is also the talisman of the goddess the Padma, known as a creative force and can be seen on Hindu and Buddhist monuments? Another legend that states the holiness of the flower, is that when Buddha walked on the earth, he left lotuses in his trail and no footprints. All around the globe, it seems to have imbibe thoughts of divine goodness that has grown from seed and bloomed throughout ages and cultures. Lotus is Special…in the Scriptures Our scriptures and ancient literature praise the beauty of Lotus. Art and architecture also portray the lotus in various d...

Hindu Rituals 14 & 15 14. Why do we ring the bell in a temple? Is it to wake up the Lord? But the Lord never sleeps. Is it to let the Lord know we have come? He does not need to be told, as He is all knowing. Is it a form of seeking permission to enter His precinct? It is a homecoming and therefore entry needs no permission. The Lord welcomes us at all times. Then why do we ring the bell? Most of us would have thought why do we see bells in all the Hindu temples and what will be the significance nature of bell to keep in all the temples and ringing while doing Pooja also and here is a scientific reason behind Temple bell presence; Bell is not made up of just your ordinary metal. It is made of various metals including cadmium, lead, copper, zinc, nickel, chromium and manganese. The proportion at which each one of them mixed is real science behind a bell. Each of these bells is made to produce such a distinct sound that it can create unity of your left...