Mythological Stories In English

→ English Ganesha - God of New Beginnings, Success and Wisdom Lord Ganesha is one of the most popular Gods in our Hindu culture. He is known to be the destroyer of obstacles and devotees worship him at the onset of any important work. He is one of the most distinctive Gods with an elephant head and a human body. Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati and is the brother of Kartikeya and Ashok Sundari. He is also the God of prosperity and fortune. There are several stories in regards to his birth. In one of the stories he is born from Shiva and Parvati in a forest. Parvati was elated after her son's birth. She invited all the Gods to come and see the child's face but forgot to call Lord Shani. That is why Shani's evil eye fell on him and his head was burnt. This is when Lord Shiva replaces his head with an elephant head. In the second story Shiva and Pravati visit a forest and happen to see an elephant couple joyfully playing with each other. Lord Shiva and Parvati also take forms of elephant and decide to stay in the forest for a while. During their stay in the forest Lord Ganesh is born. This story is the most popular story about Ganesha's birth. Once Goddess Parvati and her friends Jaya and Vijaya were bathing in her apartment. Parvati had asked Nandi to stand outside the house and guard it. She told him not to allow anyone to enter until they finished bathing. However Shiva came unexpectedly at the door. Poor Nandi requested Shiva not to enter the house but Shiva did not listen. He entered the house. Parvati was furious after that. She wanted a personal guard now who will not let anyone enter the house without her permission not even Shiva. This is when she created Ganesha out of the dirt she rubbed off during her bath. She created a very handsome boy and gasped in joy looking at her son. Ganesha asked what shall he do for his mother. Parvati asked him to be a guard and stand at the entrance. She told him not to allow anyone. Shiva again turned up unexpectedly and wanted to enter the house. Lord Ganesha didn't let him. Shiva did not know then that he was created by Parvati and thought him to be some random person. Lord Ganesh also didn't know that Shiva was Parvati's husband. He did not allow Shiva to enter the house. Shiva turned angry and the fire from his third eye burnt Ganesha's head. When Parvati saw this she turned furious. Her rage and anger started burning the whole Universe. To calm her down and restore balance in the Universe Lord Shiva makes Ganesha alive again by replacing his head with an elephant's head. Lord Shiva was guilty and apologized for his anger. He then declared Ganesha as the chief of all Gods. He announced that all the worship and rituals should only begin by praying to Lord Ganesha first. Only after worshipping him the prayers would reach other Gods. Ganesha is also known as the God of intellect. Once Ganesha and Kartikeyan argued who will marry first. This is when their parents Shiva and Parvati decided to conduct a competition among them. They told both of them that whoever goes around the entire world and reaches Kailasha first will be the first one to marry. Lord Kartikeyan immediately left Kailasha with the aim of covering the Universe first. However Lord Ganesha just circled his parents 7 times and said he has won the race. When Parvati and Shiva asked he said that it was written in Shastras that circling your parents 7 times is as good as moving through the whole world. Lord Shiva was impressed with his intellect and he won the race. Hence he was married to two beautiful sisters Buddhi (embodiment of Wisdom and intellect) and Siddhi (Embodiment of spiritual growth and success). He later had two sons from them Kshema (prosperity) from Siddhi and Labha (Fortune) from Buddhi. Lord Ganesha is portrayed as a half Elephant and half-human god. He is shown to have a pot belly which indicates that he is fond of eating. Modak is his favorite sweet and is offered to him during his worship. He s shown riding his divine vehicle Rat which signifies swiftness. However Ganesha is shown having only one tusk. There are different stories on this as well. Let us discuss a few. In one of the stories Ganesha defeats a demon named Gajamukh and loses his tusk while fighting him. Gajamukh had become invincible after taking boon from Shiva. He started misusing his powers. That is when Shiva asked Ganesha to fight him. Ganesha won the battle however lost one of his tusks during the fight. Ganesha is also the one who wrote the famous Hindu epic Mahabharata. Rishi Ved Vyas approached Ganesha requesting him to write Mahabharata on his behalf while he recites it to him. Ganesha agreed however gave him one condition that he should not stop even for a second while reciting. Vyasa agreed however he also put a condition that Ganesha needs to understand first whatever he is writing and then move ahead to the next stanza. Ganesha also agreed. Vyasa started reciting and didn't stop even once. He was so fast that Ganesha's pen broke while penning down the story. Ganesha realized his mistake that he underestimated the sage's intellect. To apologise Ganesha broke one of his tusks, and started writing with that as a gesture of respect. Ganesha Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is one of the most celebrated festivals in India and is celebrated with full passion and vigor. It is celebrated as Ganesha's birthday. → Hindi गणेश - नई शुरुआत, सफलता और ज्ञान के देवता भगवान गणेश हमारी हिंदू संस्कृति में सबसे लोकप्रिय भगवानों में से एक हैं। उन्हें बाधाओं का नाश करने वाला माना जाता है और भक्त किसी भी महत्वपूर्ण कार्य की शुरुआत में उनकी पूजा करते हैं। वह हाथी के सिर और मानव शरीर के साथ सबसे विशिष्ट देवताओं में से एक है। गणेश शिव और पार्वती के पुत्र हैं और कार्तिकेय और अशोक सुंदरी के भाई हैं। वह समृद्धि और भाग्य के देवता भी हैं। उनके जन्म के संबंध में कई कहानियां हैं। एक कहानी में वह एक जंगल में शिव और पार्वती से पैदा हुए हैं। पार्वती को उनके पुत्र के जन्म के बाद समाप्त कर दिया गया था। उसने सभी देवताओं को आमंत्रित किया कि वे बच्चे का चेहरा देखें और भगवान शनि को बुलाना न भूलें। इसी कारण शनिदेव की बुरी नजर उन पर पड़ी और उनका सिर जल गया। यह तब है जब भगवान शिव अपने सिर को हाथी के सिर के साथ बदलते हैं। दूसरी कहानी में शिव और प्रावती एक जंगल में जाते हैं और एक हाथी जोड़े को खुशी-खुशी एक दूसरे के साथ खेलते हुए देखते हैं। भगवान शिव और पार्वती भी हाथी का रूप लेते हैं और थोड़ी देर के लिए जंगल में रहने का फैसला करते हैं। उनके वन में रहने के दौरान भगवान गणेश का जन्म हुआ है। यह कहानी गणेश के जन्म के बारे में सबसे लोकप्रिय कहानी है। एक बार देवी पार्वती और उनके दोस्त जया और विजया अपने अपार्टमेंट में स्नान कर रहे थे। पार्वती ने नंदी को घर के बाहर खड़े होकर पहरा देने को कहा था। उसने उससे कहा कि जब तक वे स्नान समाप्त नहीं कर लेते, तब तक किसी को भी प्रवेश नहीं करने दिया जाएगा। हालांकि शिव अप्रत्याशित रूप से दरवाजे पर आए। बेचारी नंदी ने शिव से घर में प्रवेश न करने का अनुरोध किया लेकिन शिव ने बात नहीं मानी। वह घर में घुस गया। इसके बाद पार्वती उग्र हो गईं। वह अब एक निजी रक्षक चाहती थी जो किसी को भी शिव की अनुमति के बिना घर में प्रवेश नहीं करने देगा। यह तब है जब उसने अपने स्नान के दौरान गंदगी से गणेश को बनाया था। उसने एक बहुत सुंदर लड़का बनाया और अपने बेटे को देखकर खुशी में झूम उठी। गणेश ने पूछा कि वह अपनी मां के लिए क्या करेंगे। पार्वती ने उन्हें एक गार्ड बनने और प्रवेश द्वार पर खड़े होने के लिए कहा। उसने उसे किसी को भी अनुमति नहीं देने के लिए कहा था। शिव फिर से अप्रत्याशित रूप से बदल गए और घर में प्रवेश करना चाहते थे। भगवान गणेश ने उन्हें जाने नहीं दिया। शिव को तब पता नहीं था कि वह पार्वती द्वारा बनाए गए थे और उन्हें कुछ यादृच्छिक व्यक्ति मानते थे। भगवान गणेश भी नहीं जानते थे कि शिव पार्वती के पति थे। उन्होंने शिव को घर में प्रवेश नहीं करने दिया। शिव क्रोधित हो गए और उनकी तीसरी आंख से आग ने गणेश के सिर को जला दिया। जब पार्वती ने देखा तो वह उग्र हो गईं। उसके गुस्से और गुस्से ने पूरे ब्रह्मांड को जलाना शुरू कर दिया। ब्रह्मांड को शांत करने और संतुलन बहाल करने के लिए भगवान शिव ने अपने सिर को हाथी के सिर से बदलकर गणेश को फिर से जीवित कर दिया। भगवान शिव दोषी थे और अपने गुस्से के लिए माफी मांगी। उन्होंने तब गणेश को सभी देवताओं के प्रमुख के रूप में घोषित किया। उन्होंने घोषणा की कि सभी पूजा और अनुष्ठान केवल भगवान गणेश से प्रार्थना करके शुरू होने चाहिए। उसकी पूजा करने के बाद ही प्रार्थना अन्य देवताओं तक पहुँचती थी। गणेश को बुद्धि के देवता के रूप में भी जाना जाता है। एक बार गणेश और कार्तिकेयन ने तर्क दिया कि कौन पहली शादी करेगा। यह तब है जब उनके माता-पिता शिव और पार्वती ने उनके बीच एक प्रतियोगिता आयोजित करने का फैसला किया। उन्होंने उन दोनों से कहा कि जो कोई भी पूरी दुनिया में घूमता है और कैलाशा पहुंचता है वह शादी करने वाला पहला व्यक्ति होगा। लॉर्ड कार्तिकेयन ने पहले यूनिवर्स को कवर करने के उद्देश्य से कैलाश को तुरंत छोड़ दिया। हालाँकि भगवान गणेश ने सिर्फ 7 बार अपने माता-पिता की परिक्रमा की और कहा कि उन्होंने दौड़ जीत ली है। जब पार्वती और शिव ने पूछा तो उन्होंने कहा कि शास्त्रों में लिखा है कि अपने माता-पिता का 7 बार परिक्रमा करना पूरी दुनिया में घूमने जितना ही अच्छा है। भगवान शिव उनकी बुद्धि से प्रभावित हुए और उन्होंने दौड़ जीत ली। इसलिए उन्होंने दो सुंदर बहनों बुद्धी (बुद्धि और बुद्धि का अवतार) और सिद्धि (आध्यात्मिक विकास और सफलता का अवतार) से शादी की थी। बाद में उनके पास सिद्धि और क्षा (समृद्धि) से दो बेटे हुए। भगवान गणेश को आधे हाथी और आधे मानव भगवान के रूप में चित्रित किया गया है। उसे एक पॉट पेट दिखाया गया है जो दर्शाता है कि वह खाने का शौकीन है। मोदक उनकी पसंदीदा मिठाई है और उनकी पूजा के दौरान उन्हें अर्पित किया जाता है। उन्होंने अपने दिव्य वाहन चूहे की सवारी करते हुए दिखाया जो तेज़ी को दर्शाता है। हालांकि गणेश को केवल एक ही भुजा वाला दिखाया गया है। इस पर भी अलग-अलग कहानियां हैं। आइए हम कुछ चर्चा करें। एक कहानी में गणेश गजमुख नाम के एक राक्षस को हराते हैं और उससे लड़ते हुए अपना टस्क खो देते हैं। शिव से वरदान लेने के बाद गजमुख अजेय हो गया था। उसने अपनी शक्तियों का दुरुपयोग करना शुरू कर दिया। तभी शिव ने गणेश जी से युद्ध करने के लिए कहा। गणेश ने लड़ाई जीत ली, लेकिन लड़ाई के दौरान अपना एक टस्क खो दिया। गणेश वही हैं जिन्होंने प्रसिद्ध हिंदू महाकाव्य महाभारत लिखा था। ऋषि वेद व्यास ने गणेश से संपर्क किया और उनसे महाभारत लिखने का अनुरोध किया, जबकि उन्होंने उसे सुनाया। गणेश ने सहमति व्यक्त की लेकिन उन्हें एक शर्त दी कि वह पाठ करते समय एक सेकंड के लिए भी नहीं रुकें। व्यास ने सहमति व्यक्त की लेकिन उन्होंने यह भी शर्त रखी कि गणेश को जो कुछ भी लिखना है उसे पहले समझना होगा और फिर अगले श्लोक के आगे बढ़ना होगा। गणेश भी सहमत हो गए। व्यास ने सुनाना शुरू किया और एक बार भी नहीं रुके। वह बहुत तेज था

Lord Krishna is considered to be the most important avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is the 8th incarnation of Vishnu who lived on Earth during the bronze age (Dwapar Yuga). Krishna is known to be the Supreme most being and the father of this Universe. He is the greatest among all the other Gods according to Vaishnava traditions. The mere utterance of his name brings divine joy and ecstasy to his devotees. He is not only worshipped in India but has a huge devotee base in the West as well. Lord Krishna is also known by several other names like Govinda, Krsna, Gopal, Muralidhar, Kanha, and many others.  Lord Krishna was born in the kingdom of Mathura. He was the son of princess Devaki and Vasudeva. Devaki's brother Kansa was the king of Mathura and he was an evil man. Kansa had been warned that his death was written in the hands of Devaki's 8th son. Kansa was a brutal and evil king and hence decided to slain Devaki's children. He killed all the 7 babies born before Krishna. He prisoned Devaki and Vasudeva as well so that they don't escape and all their children are killed in front of them  However when Krishna was born his father Vasudeva somehow managed to escape from the prison. He along with baby Krishna then visits Gokul. He then meets his friend Nanda. Nanda agrees to adopt Krishna. Nanda was the leader of cowherds and was married to Yashoda. Yashoda and Nanda became his foster parents and he grew up in the pastoral community. Subhadra and Balrama were his siblings. As a child, Krishna was very notorious. He would steal milk and butter and play pranks on everyone. Right from childhood, he was adored by everyone  especially womenfolk. Even at a tender age, he killed many demons. He killed the demoness Putana by sucking onto her breast. He also killed demon serpent Kalia. Krisha was known for miraculous activities right from his childhood. People knew that he was no ordinary human. Once Indra was angry at Krishna and the people of Vrindavan for not worshipping him. He decided to teach them a lesson by flooding the city of Vrindavan. The whole town was devastated by the flood. This is when Krishna came forward and lifted the hills of Gowardhan to provide shelter to the villagers. He held the mountain on his left hand as an umbrella and protected the villagers from the flood. At the age of 11, Krishna visited Mathura and killed his demon uncle Kansa. He then freed his real parents and handed over the kingdom of Mathura to its real king Ugrasen (Krishna's grandfather). During Krishna's adolescence, he was always surrounded by gopis who would sing and dance for him. Krishna was always shown playing his flute. During this time he met his eternal lover Radha. Radha and Krishna together mark the epitome of love. It is said that Radha was so dear to Krishna that he considered her to be his soul. Even today they are always worshipped together. Their relation defines the relation of a soul with the Supreme soul metamorphically. However, the relation did not end in marriage. Although there are many reasons associated with their separation their love story is the most sacred and divine association in Hindu philosophy. After killing hi uncle Kansa, Krishna met his real parents Devaki and Vasudeva. He and Balarama were welcomed in the royal family and they started their schooling as princes of the Yadu dynasty. Krishna was also a cousin brother to the Pandavas of Kuru dynasty as his father Vasudeva was the brother of queen Kunti. During this period Krishna became good friends with his cousin brothers the Pandavas and was especially close to Arjuna. After slaying Kansa, the kingdom of Mathura was in danger as Jarasandha (Kansa's father in law) along with Kalyavan (another powerful demon king) decided to ruin and destroy the entire city of Mathura. After several repeated attacks from them, Lord Krishna constructed the kingdom of Dwarka in the middle of the Arabian sea and decided to shift the inhabitants of Mathura there. He asked his brother Balaram to take care of the people of Dwarka. Meanwhile, he fought the demon kings and killed them. Krishna mainly had 8 wives According to Bhagavata Purana, names of the eight wives in order were Rukmini, Satyabhama, Jambavati, Kalindi, Mitravinda, Nagnajiti, Bhadra and Lakshmana. Apart from this he also married 16000 women whom he freed from the captivity of demon king Narkasura. After killing this demon the women had no other place to stay. Hence Lord Krishna married them to provide shelter. Lord Krishna plays a central character in the epic war of Mahabharata. He was a close friend and a counselor for the Pandavas. He was very close to queen Draupadi and shared a brother-sister relation with her. His sister Subhadra was also married to Arjuna (one of the Pandava brothers). After the end of exile for Pandavas, Krishna was the one to act as a mediator between Kauravas and Pandavas. However, when Kauravas refused to negotiate, it was Lord Krishna who called for war. Although he himself did not participate in war killing but offered himself as a counselor and charioteer to Arjuna. The most famous Hindu scripture Bhagwat Gita is nothing but the conversation that happens between Arjuna and Krishna in the middle of the war. Since Arjuna was fighting his own blood relatives there was a brief moment of reluctance and guilt which made him weak. He wanted to opt-out of the war and did not want to be a part of this massacre This is when Lord Krishna enlightens Arjuna and declares himself as the Supreme most being of the Universe. He mentions the necessity of this war as this would mark the victory of righteousness over evil. Lord Krishna also discloses the hidden secrets of this Universe to Arjuna hence making him aware of his real identity. Bhagwat Gita has been a torchbearer for this world since time immemorial. It has provided spiritual guidance to millions and continues to be the most popular Hindu literature for mankind. After the war and the victory of Pandavas, Lord Krishna went back to Dwarka and lived his life there. Lord Krishna lived on Earth for 165 years (approx) and then ascended back to his planet Goloka when hunter hit him on his ankle mistaking him as a deer. Lord Krishna is one of the most important deities in India and has thousands of temples dedicated to him. His birthday is one most important festivals in India and is celebrated as Janmasthami. The most popular Krishna Mantra "Hare Krishna " is known for its miraculous effects. One can attain liberation or Moksha by constant chanting of this beautiful mantra. Follow us www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii  Download Our iOS App  onelink.to/mysticadii Visit our site for more:  https://mysticadii.com

Vamana was the 1st human avatar of Lord Vishnu who incarnated himself as a brahmin boy to end the rule of the great demon Mahabali. Bali was the grandson of Prahalad,  who was one of the biggest Vishnu devotees. Lord Vishnu had saved Prahalad from his father Hirankashyap in his Narasimha avatar. Bali like his grandfather was a Vishnu devotee as well. However, the mighty ruler of Patal Lok , Bali had become greedy for more power and wanted to rule all the three worlds (Heaven, Earth, and the Underworld). He decided to meditate upon Lord Brahma. After pleasing Brahma with his penance he became invincible and grew stronger than Gods as well. He decided to attack the Planet of Heaven and conquer the kingdom of heaven from Indra.  Indra was defeated in the battle and hence the Gods lost their kingdom and became homeless. Indra was the son of sage Kashyap and Aditi. When Aditi heard of her son's defeat, she was devastated. After consulting with her husband she began meditating upon Lord Vishnu. Vishnu was pleased with her worship and decided to visit her. Aditi asked Vishnu to be born as her son. She wanted Vishnu to take back the kingdom of Heaven and Earth and return to the Gods. Vishnu granted her wish. Soon Vishnu was born to Aditi and Kashyap. After his birth, he changed his form into a small brahmin boy. The boy was very small in size like a dwarf. He then decided to visit Bali.  Bali, though being a demon was a very righteous king. The kingdoms prospered under his leadership. He was very kind to his subject and ensured no one returned empty-handed from his court. When Lord Vishnu as Vamana (Brahmin boy) was about to enter Bali's court, Bali was busy performing a powerful Yagya to gain more power. The rituals of this Yagya were taking place under the guidance of his teacher Shukracharya. As soon as Vamana entered the court, the whole place was illuminated with divine bright light. Bali knew that the Brahmin boy was special and not some ordinary Brahmin. He invited Vamana with due respect and made him seated on a special seat. He then asked Vamana to express his desire. He announced that whatever the Brahmin boy shall ask from him, shall be given to him. On hearing, this Vamana said that he didn't desire much and only wanted a strip of land long enough to hold his three steps. Bali agreed to this.  Now this was a strange request and sage Shukracharya realized that this boy was none other than the Supreme Vishnu. He warned Bali stating that Lord Vishnu himself was here as Vamana to take away his kingdom. Bali, on the other hand, was a demon of his words. He told Shukracharya that since he has already agreed to grant the wish, he cannot fall back.  In the next few moments, Vamana started to grow in size, and very soon he was limitless touching the endless sky. With his 1st step he covered the whole of Earth. With his 2nd step, he walked through the entire heaven. Now there was no place left for his 3rd step. He then asked Bali where should he place his third step as there was no place left. Bali bowed down before the Lord and asked him to place his third step on his head as that was the only place he owned now. Granting Bali's request   Lord Vishnu placed his foot on Bali's head hence pushing him down to Patal Lok (Underworld). After this the kingdom of Heaven and Earth was given back to the Gods. Lord Vishnu was still pleased with Bali as he was a good demon. He decided to bless Bali and asked him to wish for a boon. Bali being a worshipper of Vishnu like his grandfather asked Vishnu to stay with him in Patal Lok. Bali wanted to worship Vishnu every day. Lord Vishnu granted his wish and left Vaikunta to stay with him. While Lord Vishnu was away from Vaikunta, Goddess Lakshmi started missing her consort. She decided to disguise herself as an ordinary woman and visit Patal Lok. When Bali met her and asked what does she want, Lakshmi said that she wanted to stay in Patal Lok as she had no other place to go. Bali, the good king asked  Lakshmi to stay in his palace. He also said that like a brother he shall always protect her virtue. With Lakshmi's presence, Bali's kingdom became prosperous and filled with fortune. One day Bali found Lakshmi worshiping for his long life. He was so pleased with her that he asked what does she want in return. Lakshmi asked Bali to return her husband. Bali was confused and that is when Goddess Lakshmi came back to her original form and said that she wanted Vishnu back in Vaikunta. Bali realized his mistake and let Lord Vishnu and Lakshmi go back to their planet. It is believed that the festival of Raksha Bandhan started with Goddess Lakshmi tieing the sacred thread of protection on brother Bali's hand. Follow us www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii Visit our site for more: https://mysticadii.com

Goddess Durga is one of the most important deities in Hindu philosophy. She is the central deity in Shaktism and is considered to be the ultimate Brahman or reality. Durga means impossible to defeat. She is the fierce form of Adi Parashakti who is the slayer of demons. Though she personifies the divine feminine, she is endowed with all weapons of the male deities. She is the divine Shakti or force and the ultimate protector of this Universe. She is also known as the Goddess of war and has been invoked or worshiped upon before the onset of battles like Mahabharata and Ramayana. Goddess Durga is the most popular Goddess in eastern India and is worshipped extensively there. The 10 day festival of Durga Puja is the most important festival for East India. During this festival it is believed that Goddess Durga with her children Ganesh, Kartik, Lakshmi, and Saraswati descend on Earth. The nine forms known as Navadurga is worshipped during this 10-day festival. The 10th day known as Vijay Dashami is celebrated marking her victory over evil forces. Her consort Shiva is also worshipped during this festival. It is believed that Goddess Durga is the ferocious form of Goddess Parvati. Goddess Parvati had to take her form to kill powerful demons like Mahisasur. This demon was blessed with a boon that no man or male God could slay them. This made him invincible and he started misusing his powers. His atrocity against women increased as well. He was creating havoc in the Universe and that is when Gods approached Parvati for assistance. The Gods gave all their mighty weapons and power to her. This is how Goddess Durga emerged from Parvati and killed Mahisasur. In another tale Mahisasur tries to attack Kartikeya. Kartikeya himself is the God of war, but Mahisasur knew that no male god could kill him because of the boon given to him by Brahma. Goddess Parvati to protect her son takes the fiery form of Durga and kills Mahisasur. She is the epitome of motherly love who would go to any extent to protect her children. She is also known as Mahisasur Mardini because she killed Mahisasur. Her ten arms signify that she protects her devotees from all directions. She rides a lion or a tiger which signifies ultimate strength and power. The nine different forms known as Navadurga are Shailaputri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta, Kushmanda, Skandamata, Katyayini, Kaalratri, Mahagauri, and Siddhidatri. These forms are worshipped and meditated upon during the 10 day festival of Durga Puja. There are several other beautiful rituals associated with this grand festival. Few important ones. The idol is made using the soil in front of a brothel. The soil in front of the brothel is considered very pure as it is believed that before entering into a brothel a man leaves behind all his purity into the soil. Hence this soil is used for making the Idol. Kola Bou - She is a goddess who is married to Lord Ganesha during Durga Puja. She is known as the banana brie as she resides within a banana tree. On the 7th day (Saptami) a small banana tree representing her is bathed in sacred waters of Ganga and then decorated as a bride. The tree is then placed on the right-hand side of Lord Ganesha's idol. She is then worshiped as a new bride of Ganesha. Sandhi Puja - This is the most important ritual conducted during Durga Puja. During this puja, the Chamunda form of Durga is worshiped and meditated upon. It is believed that Goddess Durga in the form of Chamunda kill demons, Chanda and Munda, during the period when Sandhi Puja rituals take place. She is worshiped by igniting 108 lamps. This ritual takes place during the end of 8th Day (Ashtami tithi) and the beginning of the 9th day (Navami) Kumari Puja - This is another ritual where young girls are worshiped on the 8th or the 9th day of the festival. This puja is also known as Kanya Puja. The young girls are considered as the purest feminine form and hence worshiped as Goddess Shakti herself. Sindur Khela - This is another famous Bengali custom which happens on the last day. It marks a final farewell to the Goddess. The ritual is celebrated by married Bengali women by applying vermilion on each other and the Goddess as well. This is a playful ritual and in this way they bid their final goodbye to the Goddess. The festival of Durga Puja is indeed one of the biggest festivals celebrated in India. The entire country comes alive with a vibrant celebration. People all across forget their woes and come together to be a part of this auspicious ceremony. Words cannot describe the essence and beauty of this festival and one has to personally experience. www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii Visit our site for more: https://mysticadii.com

Bhimshankara Jyotirlinga is among the 12 powerful jyotirlingas where Lord Shiva manifested himself physically. This shrine is located in the state of Maharashtra and is one of the most popular and sacred places of Hindu devotees. There are 2 stories attached to the origin of this place. Let us hear both of them. Long ago there lived a demon named Bhima. He was the son of demon Kumbhakaran (Ravana's brother) and Karkati. They lived in the forests of Dakini. When Bhima was young he was unaware that his father was killed by Lord Rama. As he grew up and got to know about this he became vengeful. He sought revenge and burnt in anger. He decided to undergo strict penance and please Lord Brahma. After several years of hard penance, Lord Brahma was pleased and granted Bhima a boon. With the boon, Bhima became invincible and with so much power he started creating havoc in the three worlds. His greed made him fight wars and conquer different regions. During this quest, he happened to defeat king Kamrupeshwar and conquered his kingdom. Kamprupeshwar was a staunch Shiva devotee. Bhima asked him to stop worshiping Shiva. When Kamrupeshwar refused, Bhima put him behind the bars and prisoned him. However Kamrupeshwar's devotion to Shiva didn't flicker a bit. He made a linga inside the jail and started worshiping Shiva. This made Bhima extremely furious and he decided to kill Kamrupeshwar. When he was about to kill Kamrupeshwar, Lord Shiva appeared before them. Shiva then killed Bhima. Pleased with Kamrupeshwar's worship he decided to manifest himself in a jyotirlinga and stay in his kingdom forever.  In another tale, there was a demon named Tripurasura who became very powerful after getting a boon from Lord Shiva himself. However very soon he started misusing this power and created havoc in all the three worlds. This when Gods approached Lord Shiva for a solution. Lord Shiva then along with Goddess Parvati took the form of "Ardha Narishwara" (half male and half female). He then fought Tripurasura and killed him. The battle was an intense one and hence after the fight Lord Shiva rested for a while on the top of Sahyadri Mountains. While resting the sweat from his body formed a river and started flowing from there. The river that was formed is known as the Bhima river. Devotees prayed to the Shiva to stay there forever. This is when Shiva manifested himself as a Jyotirlinga and stayed there until eternity. Follow us www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App    onelink.to/mysticadii 

 Earth has been an abode for humans and several other thousand species inhabiting on this sacred planet. We all know that Earth is a moving entity revolving around the Sun. Not only in India but all across the world she is considered to be a massive super organism with an individuality of her own. If we compare the human anatomy and the Earth's structure, we will find a remarkable similarity. Even scientists from the past have not shied from stating Earth as a living entity. In Indian culture mother, Earth is known as Bhoomi. She is also known by several other names like Prithvi, Vasundhara, Bhudevi, etc. In most of the scriptures, she is known as the manifestation of goddess Mahalaxmi. She is the divine feminine who is the provider of all possible resources required to sustain life. She is represented sitting on 4 elephants which mark the 4 different directions of this world. She is the divine consort of Lord Vishnu. Vishnu in his Varaha avatar saved her from the clutches of demon Hiranyaksha. Hiranyaksha was an extremely powerful demon who had snatched Earth from the Gods and submerged her into the planet of hell. He kept her immersed in the cosmic ocean. This is when Vishnu came forward to rescue Bhoomi. he lifted her from the ocean and placed her back into her orbit. During this period Vishnu and Bhoomi also bore children. It is believed that Narkasur was born when Vishnu was lifting Bhoomi back to her original space. It is also believed that the planet of Mars (Mangala) was also born during this event.  Demon Narkasur had a boon that only his mother could kill him. When Narkasur started misusing his powers and torturing everyone, the Gods requested Bhoomi to intervene. This is when Bhoomi incarnated herself as Satyabhama and married Krishna. Both killed Narkasur after that. In Vishnu Purana, we encounter a different story in regards to Prithvi's birth. This occurred during the reign of King Prithu. A devastating famine had occurred all across the world. Earth had lost its fertility and there was almost no food left. This situation angered Prithu and he vowed that he shall cut Earth into several parts and dig out all her resources. This scared mother Earth and she disguised herself into a cow. Prithu chased the cow so that it could kill her. He kept chasing her until they reached the abode of Brahma. The cow then warned Prithu of the horrendous sin he was going to commit by killing a woman. Prithu then told her that killing one individual for the benefit of thousands of people would rather be a virtuous act than sin. The cow then agreed to help Prithu. She said that she will pour in her divine milk all across the world. This shall bring the fertility back. However, to achieve this  Prithu shall have to level up the land so that the divine milk can flow all across easily. Prithu agreed and started cutting the mountains to level the soil. This marked the beginning of agriculture and hence fertility was restored.  In the holy book of Ramayana Bhoomi has been shown as the mother of Sita who was adopted by the king of Janak. In the last book of Ramayana (Utara Kand) Rama asked Sita to stay in exile as the people of Ayodhya were not ready to accept her back as Queen. She stayed as a captive in Ravana's kingdom for long and this created suspicion among people regarding her chastity. Rama had to succumb to the public pressure and banish her. Sita stayed in Valmiki's ashram after this. Her two sons Luv and Kush were also born there. Later when Ram realized his mistake he requested Sita to come back as his queen. However, by now Sita had undergone immense suffering. She then asked her mother Bhoomi to accept her back and free her from this suffering. This is when the earth split apart and Sita merged into it.  In the Vedic texts, Bhoomi is depicted as the divine mother who is the wife of Dyaus Pita (Sky god). Together they created all the other gods and living beings. The greek goddess Gaia shares a lot of similarities with Bhoomi Devi. Gaia is the divine earth goddess who is married to the Sky god and together form the base of evolution in this world. Art Credit: Unknown   Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii

The word chakra in Sanskrit means wheel. Chakra is a well-known concept in the world of spirituality. They are the most important components of our energy bodies. The human body is made of the physical body, mental body, and subtle body.  The physical body is made of flesh and bones and the one we can see and feel. The mental body is the mind and deals with our thoughts and emotions which can felt but not seen. The third body is the subtle body or the energy body. The energy body deals with life force or prana and regulates the flow of energy in the body. The chakras form the core of this energy body. These are wheel-like energy centers located in different parts of our bodies. According to scriptures, there are a total of 114 chakras of which 112 are situated inside the body.   However, according to ancient Hindu texts, there are 7 main chakras or main energy centers, the rest of them are minor centers. These centers are associated with different colors and Bija mantras. They also correspond to different elements a human body is made of (earth, fire, water.ether, air), Out of these 7 chakras, 6 are located inside our bodies and the 7th one is located just above our head.  These centers are located along the spinal cord and start from the base of the spine to the top of our head. These centers handle various physical and psychological aspects of our lives. If a chakra is wide open and healthy and is aligned with the cosmos, it ensures a free flow of energy through that center hence resulting in the proper functioning of the aspects related to that chakra. However, if the chakra is not functioning well and is out of balance it will lead to physical and mental health disorders. In yogic culture different mudras, asanas and mantras are taught to ensure our chakras are aligned and balanced throughout. Now let us discuss each of these 7 centers specifically. Root Chakra (Muladhara) Element- Earth Color - Red  Bija Mantra - LAM The root chakra is the lowest and is located at the base of the spine. This center is associated with earth and hence provides us with the feeling of being grounded and secured. A well-balanced root chakra makes us feel grounded and secured in life. This center is also associated with our survival on this planet. The fear of survival is also associated with this chakra. An improper working root chakra will give one the feeling of being uprooted and insecure about life in general. A person might feel insecure and needy about finances, health love, and other aspects of his life. It is also mentioned that Kundalini Shakti resides in this chakra and when invoked rises from Muladhara towards the crown  (Sahasrara). The diseases related to this center are issues with colon prostate, bladder, etc. Sacral Chakra (Swadistana) Element - Water  Color - Orange Bija Mantra - VAM  This chakra is located in our pelvic region and corresponds with our sexual and reproductive organs. This chakra is associated with all the pleasures of one's life. It also controls the aspect of creativity and fertility. When this center is functioning properly one will have his creative juices flowing. His basic emotions shall also be stable. If this goes out of tune it can lead to depression. emotional instability and lack of creativity and fertility. Diseases associated with this center are related to issues with reproductive organs, kidney, bowel movements, etc. Solar Plexus (Manipura) Element - Fire  Color - Yellow Bija Mantra - RAM The solar plexus is located near the naval region. This center is associated with the feeling of power,confidence, and optimism, etc. A well balanced solar plexus will ensure you are full of vigor and passion and take up challenges with full confidence. It ensures you follow your goals and lead a powerful life. An imbalanced solar plexus can lead to laziness, confidence issues, and a lack of will to perform well in life. Diseases related to this center are mostly digestion related. Diseases like jaundice, hepatitis, gall bladder stone, kidney issue, diabetes, chronic tiredness, etc are associated with solar plexus. Heart Chakra (Anahata) Element - Air Color - Green  Bija Mantra - YAM This energy center is located near the heart and governs emotions like love, compassion, forgiveness etc. A well functioning Anahata will let a person  love freely and be compassionate towards everyone. He will have a forgiving heart and will not keep emotions of revenge and wrath within. A dysfunctional heart chakra will make one insecure about the feeling of love. He or she may enter toxic and abusive relationships. They may also not be able to forget and forgive and move on easily in life. This could cause mental illnesses like depression anxiety, panic attack, etc. On the physical front it may lead to cardiac, chest, lung-related issues like Heart failure, breast cancer, asthma, bronchitis, congestion, etc. Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) Element - Ether  Color - Blue Bija Mantra - HAM This energy center is located near the throat region and is the center of expression and communication. When this center is in tune with the body, the person speaks his truth without any hesitation. He can express freely and owns his truth. He becomes a very effective communicator and can bond with himself and others very easily. Not only he communicates well but also becomes an active and patient listener. If this chakra goes out of balance the person may find difficulties in expressing himself and his needs. He seems to be shy and isolated. At the physical level, all throat-related diseases can manifest if this center is out of tune. Third Eye (Ajna) Element - Light  Color - Indigo Bija Mantra - OM This energy center is located in between our eyebrows and is more metaphysical. The reason why Hindus apply a bindi or tika between their eyebrows is to activate this center. This center if opened and working is in accordance with the cosmos makes us aware of our real nature which is beyond this body.  The third eye is the seat of intuition and inner wisdom and guidance. People with the activated third eye are wiser and more intuitive in life. They are in tune with their surroundings and in full control of their emotions.  This center takes a step closure to our higher self. An improper working Ajna will have the opposite effects and the person would still be tangled in the Matrix or Maya. He will not be aware of his true identity and will confuse his body to be him. On the physical front diseases related to the head, eyes and brain can manifest if Ajna is not working properly. Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) Element - Cosmic Energy Color - Purple Bija Mantra - Sohum/OM This center unlike the rest of the centers does not exist inside our bodies. It is located just above our head. This is also called the Shiva center. This center connects us to the entire cosmos. The experience of Nirvana and divine ecstasy can be experienced if this center is active. This chakra helps us become one with the entire cosmos. Working to activate this center can help us become free from all worldly illusions.  Follow us www.instagram.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii

The three worlds of the Gods, Demons, and Humans are pervaded by Lord Shiva in the form of sacred lingams. However, the main Jyotirlingas on Earth are 12 where Shiva appeared by manifesting himself into a physical form and decided to stay there until eternity to bless the world. Ghusmeshwara Jyotirlinga in the state of Maharashtra is one of them. This Jyotirlinga is one of the most powerful and sacred places in our country and known to attract a lot of devotees throughout the year. Let us now hear the beautiful legend behind this place.  Long ago there was a  couple named Sutharam and Sudeha. They lived in the mountains of Devagiri. The couple longed for children but unfortunately, their wish could not come true. They waited patiently, worshipped all the Gods but in vain. Finally desperate to have a child at home, Sudeha decided to get her husband married again. Sudeha had a sister named Ghusma. Ghusma was a very pious lady and was a very big devotee of Lord Shiva. Sudeha decided to get her sister married to her husband. After a lot of resistance Sutharam finally agreed and married Ghusma.  Ghusma loved Lord Shiva the most and under no circumstances missed worshipping him. Every day as part of the worship ritual she would make 101 lingams and then discharge them off in the nearby lake. By the grace of Lord Shiva soon they were blessed with a beautiful baby boy. The family was complete and happy now. However after the birth of this child Sutharam would spend most of his time with Ghusma and the baby boy. This closeness started making Sudeha jealous of her sister. Although she was the one to get them married the emotion of jealousy and insecurity engulfed her and soon she started despising Ghusma and her son. Ghusma was unaware of her sister's hatred and continued to love her as a good sister. Soon Sudeha's anger and jealousy crossed all limits. She wanted to end all this and in the fit of rage, she decided to kill the boy. At midnight when everyone was sleeping she barged into the boy's room and stabbed him to death. After killing him she dragged his body and threw it in the nearby lake where Ghusma used to discharge the lingams.  The next morning everyone came to know of the tragedy that took place. Sutharam was inconsolable. He could never expect his wife could do such a wretched thing. The villagers wanted to punish Sudeha for this crime and hence tied her with a rope. Soon they started making arrangements for the boy's funeral. Ghusma although grief-stricken with her loss held on to her calmness. Despite the tragedy she decided to first finish off with her daily worship to Lord Shiva. She was confident that Lord Shiva was would help her sail through this hardship. Everyone was amazed looking at her dedication and devotion to the Lord. Lord Shiva pleased with her worship decided to appear in front of her. Lord Shiva immediately got the dead boy back to life. Shiva asked Ghusma how does she want to punish Sudeha for her crime. However, instead of punishing her Ghusma asked Lord to forgive her. She knew it was anger and jealousy that made Sudeha do this and hence asked Shiva to kill the emotions of anger and jealousy in her instead of punishing her. She requested Shiva to stay near her forever if he was happy with her devotion. Shiva agreed and manifested himself into a Jyotirlinga. This Jyotirlinga is known as Ghusmeshwara Jyotirlinga. Follow us www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App    onelink.to/mysticadii  Visit our site for more:    https://mysticadii.com 

Lord Shiva in Indian culture is worshipped in various forms. Just like Kaali is the fiercest form of Parvati, Kala Bhairava is the most fearful manifestation of Shiva. In certain subsects of Hinduism, he is equaled to the entire Universe and the most important deity in the Tantric sect. Kala Bhairava is considered to be the ultimate judge for souls and even Yama cannot interfere in his decisions. Kala Bhairava has a pitch-black complexion with protruding teeth. He is seen with a black dog who is considered to be his mount. He is also known as Khestrapala or the protector or guardian of the cosmos. Some scriptures mention him to be the son of Shiva. There are different legends regarding his origin. Let us hear a few of them. At the time of the creation once there was a heated argument between Brahma and Vishnu over supremacy. Very arrogantly Brahma declared himself to be the most powerful God. He also mentioned that he was at par with Shiva and could easily perform all his duties. Very soon he started inferencing in Shiva's work as well. This made Shiva angry and threw a nail from his finger at Brahma. This nail manifested into Kala Bhairava, the most fearful form of Shiva. Kala Bhairava chopped Brahma's 5th head to teach him a lesson. Brahma's ego head was completely shattered and he soon realized his mistake. However, the head got stuck in Kala Bhairava's hand. No matter how hard he tried he could not get rid of it. He had sinned of killing a brahmin and hence had to carry his karma. For a long time, Kala Bhairava kept moving across the Universe with Brahma's head in his hand. He used it to beg alms. He had to undergo this punishment to clear out the karma of killing. Finally, after some thousand years, Vishnu suggested him to visit Kashi. As soon as Kala Bhairava reached Kashi, the head finally drooped off and he was set free from the sin. He was so elated that he decided to stay there forever. This is why he is also called the Kotwal of Kashi. It is mentioned in our scripts that the land of Kashi or Benares is completely governed by Kala Bhairava. Anyone dying there will have to deal with Kala Bhairava directly and no matter how bad the person was, he is sure to achieve Moksha. Post-death the soul goes through the toughest penance which clears his Karma account and he achieves Nirvana. Not even Yama, the lord of Death can interfere here. In another version, there was a demon named Dahrusuran. He had a boon that he could only be killed by a female. Hence  Parvati took the form of Kaali to kill him. After killing him. Kaali's anger manifested into a small child. This is when Shiva decided to merge with Kaali and the little child. This is when Kala Bhairava was born. This is why Kala Bhairava is also known as the son of Shiva. In another version once there was a fight between Devas and Asuras. This is when Shiva created Kala Bhairava. Kala Bhairava then produced 8 Bhairavas known as Ashtanga Bhairavas. These 8  bhairavas are known to the protectors of the Universe. They are also associated with the 8 key elements i.e air, water, earth, fire, space, sun, moon, and soul. The Ashtanga Bhairavas went onto marry Ashta Matrika and produced 64 Bhairavas and 64 Yoginis. These Bhairavas are scattered all across the Universe and are known as Guardians. They also protect the different Shaktipeeths which were formed when Vishnu had cut Sati's dead body to get Shiva out of his grief. This is when Shiva had appointed Bhairavas to protect the different parts which fell on Earth. Kala Bhairava is married to Bhairavi. The best time to worship Kala Bhairava is midnight, especially on a Friday night. it is believed that Kala Bhairava protects his devotees from external as well as internal enemies like greed, lust.anger, etc. He is also worshipped by travellers before starting their journey. There are numerous temples dedicated to Kala Bhairava especially in Tamil Nadu. He is also worshipped in nearby countries like Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka. Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii

"Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devoo Maheshwara, Guru Sakshat Parambrahma, Tasmaye Shree Guruve Namah!!!" On the occasion of Guru Purnima, Mysticadii team wishes you all a very prosperous Guru Purnima. May this day help you with the awakening and realization of your true self. Guru in India refers to a guide or a teacher who guides a person through the darkness and provides us with knowledge and wisdom.  A Guru-disciple relation is one of the most important relations we serve in our lives. Blessed is the man who has his Guru by his side. The day of Guru Purnima is a special day dedicated to honoring the work of our spiritual and academic Gurus. The day has been celebrated in India for thousands of years now. The day is celebrated on the first full moon day in the month of June-July, marking the onset of the rainy season as well. Now there are few stories behind this auspicious day. Let us hear a few of them. As per Hindu tradition, Guru Purnima is also known Vyasa Purnima. It marks the birthday of the famous Hindu sage Ved Vyasa. Rishi Ved Vyasa is one the most important and celebrated contributors of Hindu scriptures and literature He is the author of several scripts like Mahabharata, Puranas, Brahma Sutras, etc. He is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Vishnu himself. He is also known as the divider of Vedas as he was the one to split Vedas into 4 different books (Sama, Yajur, Rig, Atharva). He was the one the greatest spiritual Gurus of India and thus day of Guru Purnima is also dedicated to him. This day is also dedicated to Lord Shiva. In Hindu tradition, Shiva is considered to be the Supreme God. In Yogic culture, Shiva is also known as Adi Yogi - The first Yogi to walk on Earth. The day of Guru Purnima marks the transition of Adi Yogi into Adi Guru - the first-ever Guru of mankind. Long long ago, some 15000 years back, there came a Yogi who sprang from nowhere. No one knew his background and hence were curious to meet him. When they saw him, everyone was amazed. Adi yogi sat quietly at one place not aware that others were observing him. He kept eyes closed and tears of ecstasy kept rolling down his cheeks. Everybody was terrified to encounter this as they had never seen anything like this before. Fearing him they all left, except the 7 sages who waited for him to open his eyes. After the long wait when Adi yogi finally opened his eyes, he saw the 7 sages looking at him. The sages requested Adi Yogi to guide them into this divine experience of feeling ecstatic just by closing one's eyes. Adi Yogi gave them some preparatory steps and asked them to follow the same. He then went back into his trance state again. The sages practiced these prescribed steps for 84 long years. When Shiva opened his eyes again, he saw the 7 sages meditating by his side. After all these years the sages had become extraordinary beings who could now be initiated into this Divine process. On the very next full moon day, Shiva decided to become their guide and Guru and hence became Adi Guru. This day is celebrated as Guru Purnima. The 7 sages came to be known as Saptarishis, who after being enlightened by Lord Shiva became the torchbearers for the rest of mankind. This day also holds a special significance among Buddhists as it is believed that on this day the chief 5 disciples of Gautama Buddha were initiated into enlightenment by their teacher Buddha himself. The day of Guru Purnima also marks the onset of the rainy season. It has been an age-old practice for the saints of this country to travel barefooted across the country and spread their wisdom across. However, during the season of rains, it becomes very difficult to walk barefooted especially trekking on the hills. Hence during these months , the monks reside in secluded locations and dedicate these months in the remembrance of their teachers. Hence on this day, we would like to thank all our teachers who have played a vital role in shaping and molding our existence. We would like to express our gratitude to everybody who has come into our lives and has taught us something or the other be it a small or big lesson to learn. Experience is the biggest teacher known to all an hence we would express our gratitude towards Life - Our inner guide. Follow us  www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App      onelink.to/mysticadii  Visit our site for more:      https://mysticadii.com 

Well not many of us know that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati also had a daughter by the name of Ashok Sundari. Most of us only know of their sons, Ganesh, and Kartikeya. Ashok Sundari was the 2nd child born after Kartikeya.  Kartikeya left Kailash and moved down south to fight demonic forces there. After his departure, Parvati started feeling very lonely and missed having her child around. One day she asked Shiva to take her to the most beautiful garden. Shiva took Parvati to Nandanvan. Parvati was mesmerized with the beauty of the garden. The garden also had a wish full filling tree called Kalpavriksha.  Parvati longed for a child and hence made a wish to the divine tree. The boon was granted and she was bestowed with a divine beautiful daughter. They named her Ashok Sundari. Ashok Sundari grew up in the hills of Kailash under the guidance of Shiva and Parvati. Parvati also told her that she was destined to marry Nahush (King of the Lunar dynasty). Being Shiva and Parvati's daughter she was deeply inclined towards the study of this cosmos. She underwent strict penance to achieve Nahush just as her mother Parvati did to marry Shiva. Once a demon named Hunda saw Ashok Sundari and fell for her beauty. He persuaded her but Ashok Sundari outright rejected his advances. Then he decided to kidnap her by disguising himself as a poor helpless widow. When Ashok Sundari came to know of his evil plan, she cursed him and said that he shall die in hands of her future husband Nahush. Nahush was the son of king Ayus and queen Prabha.  When Hunda got to know of his birth, he got scared as Nahush was going to kill him someday. He decided to kidnap the baby and kill him. However, Hunda's servant managed to save Nahush and left him under the guidance of sage Vashisht. After a few years, Nahush got to know about all. As grew up he went on to fight Hunda and killed him. After this, he got married to Ashok Sundari. Post marriage their son Yayati was born along with 100 other daughters. Ashok Sundari doesn't enjoy a lot of popularity and fame as Ganesh and Kartikeya do. Some say that this is because she got married and did not stay with Shiva and family for long, while some other stories say that she was cursed by Parvati. When Ganesh was beheaded by Shiva, Ashok Sundari was present at the scene. She got scared looking at her father's fiery nature and instead of saving Ganesh, she hid behind a huge lump of salt. When Parvati came out and saw her son lying dead she became furious. She then saw Ashok Sundari hiding behind the salt. She then cursed Ashok Sundari that she shall become a part of this salt as she was not courageous. This is why Ashok Sundari is also related to salt without which the food seems tasteless. Ashok Sundari is referred to as Bala Tripurasundari in South India and there a few temple. Follow us www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii  Download our app   onelink.to/mysticadii 

Kubera is the Indian god of wealth. He is known to be the richest god and is the possessor of all the money, gold, minerals of the world. In India, we consider Lakshmi to the goddess of wealth however Lakshmi is the goddess of overall fortune and prosperity in one's life. There are different stories on how Kubera achieved the status of God. Some scripts say he was a thief in his previous life and with the grace of Shiva he became the god of wealth while other scripts suggest he was the brother of Ravan. Let us hear of both the stories in detail. Long ago, during the period of Satyug there lived a priestly man by the name of Yajnadata. He lived with his wife and son. His son's name was Gunidhi. Gunidhi was  opposite to his father. Right from childhood days, he kept a bad company.  He started gambling at a young age. He also started stealing money and other precious stuff from his house for the sake of gambling. Despite knowing about all this, his mother kept silent as she was too scared to let her husband Yajnadata know. She knew that her husband would abandon both of them if he came to know of all this. She would always cover up for her son and hide everything from the father. Gunidhi grew up and got married as well, but as the saying goes old habits die hard, He continued his evil activities. Once he stole a diamond ring from his house. He lost the ring to another gambler. Yajnadata happened to meet that gambler somehow and saw the ring in his finger. When he questioned the gambler, he opened up and said that his son Gunidhi was one of the biggest gamblers in town.  Yajnadata was completely taken aback. He came home and asked the mother about all this and as usual, she tried to cover it for him. Yajnadata got furious and abandoned both of them.  Gunidhi fled away from the town as he was too scared to meet his father. He roamed like a homeless beggar stealing food from here and there. On the day of Shivaratri, he failed to steal anything and kept roaming. He found a Shiva temple and saw a huge crowd of devotees offering different food items to the Linga. Gunidhi stopped and waited for the devotees to leave so that he could steal all the offerings and satisfy his hunger. He also heard the different Shiva mantras being chanted inside the temple. Night set in and soon the devotees were off to sleep. Slowly Gunidhi entered the temple and stole the sweets and fruits offered to Shiva. However, on his way back outside he happened to fall on one of the devotees who was sleeping inside the temple. This woke everyone up and they saw what was happening. The crowd was furious as stealing from God was an incorrigible offence. They started hitting him and finally beat him to death. As soon as Gunidhi died the tribe of lord Yama got hold of him and took him to Yamlok. There he was about to be sent to hell for all the wrong things he did in his life. However, just before his sentence, the tribe of Shiva came to his rescue. Yamaraj was confused as he knew that Gunidhi was a corrupt man.The Shiva Ganas said that his sins were burnt down into ashes by the grace of Lord Shiva. Gunidhi had unknowingly kept a fast on Shivaratri. This act itself was big enough to remove all the sins from his account. In his next life, he was born into a royal family as Dama, son of the king Arindam of the Kalinga dynasty. Soon after he grew up he took over the kingdom. He was the biggest Shiva devotee known to mankind. He decided to meditate upon Shiva. After a few years of hard penance, Shiva along with Parvati appeared before him. The light around them was so bright that Dama could not even open his eyes. His eyes kept flickering. When Shiva asked what does he want, Dama simply said that he needs a clear vision to see Shiva properly. Shiva blessed him with divine vision. Dama saw both Shiva and Parvati together. He was amazed to see Parvati and was curious to know how did she manage to become so close to Shiva. He kept staring at her which made Parvati uncomfortable and angry. She got annoyed and burst one of his eyes. Shiva pacified her and told her that he had no bad intention for the Goddess. Parvati then blessed him to become the Lord of wealth on this planet. This is how Kubera with a distorted face and one eye became the God of Wealth. in another version, Kubera is known to be Ravan's half brother. He is the son of sage Vishrawa and Ilavida. He is the one who ruled the city of Lanka before Ravan snatched Lanka forcibly from him. He was also the possessor of Pushpak Viman and Ravan snatched that also from him. After this he was forced to leave Lanka. He decided to meditate upon Shiva. With Shiva's grace, he became the lord of wealth and then decided to reside in the city of Alaka near to Shiva's abode Kailasa. Kubera is shown as a plump god with distorted features. He is married to Bhadra and rides a wild boar as his mount.  Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii

We all have heard about the famous Cupid and how he makes two people fall in love with each other with his love-struck arrows. The Universe for the propagation of future generations has its way of bringing people from the opposite gender close to each other. Their love and attraction for each other results in the birth of their offsprings which in turn keeps different species of Earth alive. Hence this is one of the most important activities prevailing on Earth which keeps the world going forward without being extinct. In India, we have Gods assigned for every aspect of life. Kamadev is one such god who plays the role of Indian Cupid. He is the god of love and infatuation with a primary responsibility of making couples fall in love with each other. Kamadev has been depicted as a very handsome god with a sugarcane bow and arrows made of flowers. He is accompanied by his wife Rati who is the goddess of love and infatuation and shown riding on a parrot which is his mount. The season of spring is also associated with Kamadev and Rati. Now there are different stories concerning his birth. Some scriptures suggest that he was born from Brahma's mind while some suggest that he was the son of Manu and Shatrupa. Few other texts mention him as the son of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi.  Pradyuman who was the son of Lord Krishna is also known to be Kamadev's reincarnation. Rati who is  Prajapati Daksha's daughter was married to Kamadev. Together they invoke feelings of sensuality, love , attraction, and pleasure inside us. Now there is a very famous story of Shiva's encounter with Kamadev. Let us hear about it. There was a period in the Universe when the whole world was being controlled by demon Tarkasur. Tarkasur had a boon that only Shiva's son could kill him. However, Shiva was a hermit with no lady in his life. The Gods were tensed as their position had been diluted and Tarkasur had become immensely powerful. This is when Brahma suggested Goddess Parvati to meditate upon Shiva so that he could marry her. The Gods became impatient and wanted to rush this whole event. Indra the king of heaven was most insecure and decided to seek help from Kamadev. Upon  Indra's instruction Kamadev along with Rati reached mount Kailasa. Their entry to Kailasa also brought the season of spring and Kailasa started blooming with flowers. They saw Shiva with his eyes closed and in a deep state of trance. Kamadev shot his arrow of flowers on Shiva. Shiva's meditation was broken due to this and he opened his  third eye in a state of immense fury and wrath.  His anger was so intense that fire started oozing out of his third eye. This fire burnt Kamadev completely into ashes. Kamadev's wife Rati was also there witnessing the entire episode. In a moment she lost her husband and was inconsolable. The gods realised their mistake and now begged for forgiveness for showing such impatience. They requested Shiva to revive Kamadev as without him the whole process of creation shall suffer and come to an end.  Shiva accepted their apology and agreed to revive Kamadev. However, Shiva mentioned that Kamadev shall remain without a body in a disembodied state for now. He shall again get his body back when he is born to Krishna as his son Pradyuman. Kamadev is also known by many other names like Manmath,Kandarp,Mansija,Pushpavan,Gandharv etc.The book of Kamasutra and Kamashastra have a detailed description of Kamadev. Mandana Kamadev also known as Khajurao of Assam is one of the most famous temples dedicated to him. Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii 

Ancient India is a treasure box filled with beautiful tales of people from every age. It is indeed the richest contributor to literature for the whole world. These enchanting stories take us to a world unknown to all of us. The greatest books like Ramayana and Mahabharata is a compilation of several short stories. Today we are going to hear of one such beautiful tale from the book of Mahabharata. This is the story of Shakuntala and Dushyant who were the ancestors of Pandavas and Kauravas.  Long ago in the age of Sat Yuga there lived a sage named Vishwamitra. Vishwamitra was an extremely powerful and divine saint known for his spiritual powers. His power was such that it even made the Devas (Gods) insecure. One such God was Indra who very insecure and decided to break Vishwamitra's penance to subdue his powers. He sent the most beautiful apsara (nymph) from heaven to seduce Vishwamitra. This beautiful nymph was known as Menaka. She descended on Earth and as per the plan went to visit Vishwamitra. It didn't take much time for her to lure Vishwamitra into her divine beauty. Vishwamitra lost his control and made love to her.  A beautiful girl child was born due to this act of love. Menaka was now successful in her mission. She retreated to the heavens leaving Vishwamitra and their daughter on Earth. Vishwamitra realised that all this made him lose much of his spiritual powers. He abandoned the child in the forest and went back to continue with his penance. This child was Shakuntala. The baby girl was spotted by Rishi Kanva. He saw that baby was being guarded by birds. Sage Kanva decided to adopt the child and hence took her to his hermitage. He named her Shakuntala. Shakuntala grew up to be a beautiful maiden just like her mother.  One day a king named Dushyant happened to encounter her in the forest. He was simply struck by Shakuntala's beauty and fell in love with her instantly. He proposed to her for marriage and Shakuntala agreed. They married as per Gandharva tradition in the presence of sage Kanva. Dushyant was a king from the Lunar dynasty and Shakuntala was the daughter of an ascetic. Hence it was not an ideal match. Dushyant needed time to make arrangements in his kingdom so that Shakuntala is accepted as his Queen. He decided to go back and promised Shakuntala that he will return soon to take her along. He also gifted her a ring as a token of their love. After he left, Shakuntala gave birth to their child. He was named Bharat. Years passed but Dushyant did not return. He became very busy with his duties and kingship. Shakuntala waited for him but soon grew anxious and started losing her patience. She would be lost in his thoughts the whole day without talking much to anyone. One day sage Durvasa decided to visit Kanva's ashram. When he met Shakuntala she was lost in Dushyant's thoughts as usual and hence did not greet the sage respectfully. This enraged Durvasa and in the fit of his rage, he cursed her that whoever was in her mind shall forget her completely. Shakuntala begged for forgiveness and hence Durvasa gained his calm again. Realising that he overreacted he modified the curse and said that the person shall remember Shakuntala when she will show him any proof of their relation. After this Shakuntala decided that she won't wait for further but rather go and see him by herself. She and her foster father then began their voyage towards the kingdom. To reach the kingdom they had to cross a river and hence they boarded a boat. Accidentally while sitting in the boat Shakuntala lost her wedding ring gifted to her by Dushyant. The ring fell off in the river. When Shakuntala finally met king Dushyant she was disheartened to see that the king had completely forgotten about her. She tried hard to make him remember everything, but in vain. Insulted with this she returned to her hermitage. Meanwhile, the ring that fell in the river was consumed by a fish. A fisherman happened to catch this fish. When he cut the fish into pieces he found the ring inside. He realised that it was a royal ring and hence took to Dushyant's court. When the king saw this ring he instantly remembered everything. He realised that his wife Shakuntala was waiting for him. He then decided to find her and get her to his kingdom. Finally, he went back to Kanva's hermitage and the couple reunited again.  Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii 

In Hindu philosophy different Gods and Goddesses are assigned different universal responsibilities. The different elements of nature like wind, fire, earth, water, sky, etc. are governed by different deities. These deities held Supreme authority during the Vedic era. However later on most of them lost their importance to other Gods like Vishnu and Shiva and became minor gods. Varuna was one among such Vedic gods. He was the son of sage Kashyap and Aditi and was one among the 12 Adityas born from them. He was considered as the Supreme God of Cosmos who controlled various aspects of the Universe like the sky, water, oceans, rains, etc. He was also known to punish people for their misdeeds. He had an all-pervading eye that would watch over each activity in the Universe. Some ancient pictures depict him as a God with 1000 eyes. He is shown riding a crocodile. However he was also known to have a benevolent side where he is shown forgiving people for their misdeeds as well.  People who repented committing sins and were guilty of their acts were forgiven by Varuna. He was also known to be the king of gods who watched over us from his heavenly abode. However in the later Hindu scriptures he lost much of his importance to Indra and Indra took the central role. After the Vedic era most of the Vedic Gods became minor gods with Brahma Vishnu and Shiva becoming the main gods. Varun was then associated with oceans and was known to be the Lord of all water bodies only. He was still considered to be the protector of Truth and Righteousness. He was also closely associated With another Vedic god called Mitra. Mitra was the god of oath and treaties and helped to establish order in this world. They both have been invoked together in a lot of Vedic hymns. Varuna has also been mentioned in the epic tale of Ramayana. This was when Rama along with Lakshmana and the Vanar Sena was on the mission to rescue Sita from Lanka. They had to cross the Indian Ocean and reach the island of Lanka. However the ocean was immensely deep and the distance to cover was humongous. This is when Lord Rama decided to meditate upon Lord Varuna and seek a solution from him. He kept meditating for three days non- stop trying to connect With Lord Varuna. However Lord Varuna did not respond. This enraged Rama and he was now furious on Varuna for ignoring his plea. He told Lakshamana that even Gods listened to violence and ignored peaceful prayers. Rama decided to attack the ocean with his bow and arrow. This would have dried the entire ocean and they would be able to reach Lanka without any troubles. This is when Varuna appeared before Rama, seeking forgiveness. He said that he was unable to find a solution for their plight and that is why he was unable to appear. He then instructed them to build a bridge with stones. He promised that he would not let anyone in the army drown. Varuna was married to Goddess Varuni. Though there aren't many temples dedicated to Lord Varuna, there is a 1000-year-old Varuna temple located in Pakistan. Even today many sailors and fishermen worship him before starting their journey in the sea. Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii 

Time Travel – A myth or reality? We all have watched movies taking us to the future like the Time Machine. In movies like Interstellar we have seen concepts of time dilation and relativity. The movie shows how time is running differently in different planets. The theory of relativity by Einstein also proposes that Time is relative. However do we know that one of the oldest stories on Time relativity comes from our own Hindu epic Mahabharata. The story revolves around Princess Revati who was the daughter of King Kakudmi who ruled Kusasthali which was a kingdom under water. The King despite all his efforts was unable to find the perfect groom for his beautiful daughter. Saddened by the grief the daughter father duo decide to visit Lord Brahma in Brahmaloka. When they visit Brahma and explain him their grievances Lord Brahma laughs at their foolishness and tells them that his entire generation has been wiped out on earth and even his great grandsons are probably dead. 27 chatur yugas had passed on Earth during the time they waited in Brahmaloka as Time runs differently on different planes of existence.In the Puranas we find the following description of Time One human year ie 365 days is one day for the Divine..Uttarnarayana being the day (1st 6 months) and Dakshin narayana the night (the latter half). 365 human years make 1 Divine year. The Kali Yuga lasts for 1200 Divine Years (1200*365 = 4 lakh 38 thousand Human years). The Dwapar Yuga – The period of Mahabharata lasts for 2400 Divine Years (8 lakh 76 thousand Human Years). The Treta Yuga – The period of Ramayana lasts for 3600 Divine Years (13 lakh 14 thousand Human years) and the Sat Yuga (Period of King Harish Chandra lasts for 4800 Divine years (17 lakh 52 thousand Human years). Together all the four Yugas ie 12000 Divine years or 43 lakh 80 thousand Human years make 1 Chatur Yuga.12 million divine years mark one day of Lord Brahma

We all must have observed priests uttering the word Swaha at the end of each mantra. Whenever there is a Yagna performed, it is considered to be incomplete without saying Swaha in the end.  During a Yagna, various Gods are invoked by offering food and other items to the sacrificial fire.  The fire consumes it and sends it across to the respective Gods. In Hinduism Agni is known to be the God of Fire. He is one of the Vedic Gods who was considered among the Supreme Gods during that era. He was a twin brother of Indra and was married goddess Swaha. Now let us learn about this story in detail. During the early stages of creation, the Gods were facing a bit of trouble since there was no provision for them to consume food. This was making them weak. This is when Brahma did penance to please Goddess Adi Shakti. He asked her for a solution. The goddess declared that during the Yagnas conducted by humans, all that will be offered to the holy fire shall become food for the Gods. However Agni could not do this alone. This is when the Goddess in the form of Swaha decided to become his consort. With Swaha co-existing with Agni, he was able to consume the offerings and pass it on to the Gods. Swaha became his energy and it was made mandatory to call on Swaha during the end of the worship. Only when Swaha was invoked, Agni was able to consume all the offerings. Now let us learn more about their love story. Swaha was the daughter of Prajapati Daksha and Queen Prasuti. Once when she was roaming in the forests she happened to see Lord Agni. She was completely smitten by him and fell in love with him immediately. Agni on the other hand did not notice her. Agni during that time was attracted to wives of seven Saptarishis. These wives were the heavenly Kritikas who were known for their beauty. Despite knowing that they were married Agni could not stop thinking of them. When Swaha got to know of this, she decided to lure Agni by disguising herself as the 7 wives. She shared some intimate moments with Agni by changing her form. However she was not able to take the form of Arundhati (wife of sage Vashistha) as Arundhati was completely devoted to her husband. This is when Agni realized that it was Swaha with him and not the Saptarishi wives. He realized his fault of desiring married women. He then decided to marry Swaha. Swaha became immortal after marrying him.   Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our iOS App onelink.to/mysticadii 

The Supreme power and the God of yogis and also a passionate lover of his spouse. He is the ultimate Man and his consort Shakti is the ultimate Woman. Shiva is Shakti and Shakti is Shiva!! Their love story marks the origin of creation and is the 1st love story of the Cosmos!! Love is only possible when you drop the mind and if you drop the mind.. Not only love but God is also possible since Love is God!! You must have seen Lingam. It's is Shiva's symbolic representation as phallus. It is not only the lingam but also the yoni. It is both man and woman.man into woman, it is sun into moon. It is the male meeting the female. It is yin and yang in deep sexual embrace. This is the indication of how the inner man meets with the inner woman, because the inner has no face. Once you are in tune with your inner woman and man, suddenly you are in tune with others also. An inner conflict exists in you between sun and moon, then you will always be interested in the outer woman. If you are a man, you will be interested in the outer woman; you will be fascinated by the outer woman. If you are a woman, you will be fascinated by the outer man. Once the inner conflict is resolved and your sun energy is moving into the moon energy and there is no longer any rift, they are bridged; then you will not be fascinated by the outer woman or outer man. For the first time you will be sexually content.

Narayan Narayan!! Rishi Narad is a well-known sage in Hindu philosophy. Narad Muni is considered to be the chief leader of all sages and saints known to live on planet Earth. He is also known as 1st journalist to live on planet Earth. Rishi Narad is one of the 12 Chiranjeevi who shall remain immortal till the end of time. He is a cosmic traveler who keeps moving from one planet to another. He roams around in all the three worlds and is considered as a friend of everyone be it Gods, Humans, or Demons. Rishi Narad is also known as a gossipmonger who loves to gossip and instigate fights among others. However, he does this with no selfish desire of his but to help the Supreme Lord with his desired plan of action. Narad is a staunch Vishnu devotee and is always shown chanting Vishnu's name as Narayan. Rishi Narad is the possessor of infinite wisdom and knowledge. He is known as a living encyclopedia who knows the entire Cosmos. He is well versed in all subjects like science, art, music, philosophy, warfare, etc. The birth of Narad has been written differently in different scriptures. Let us hear a few of them. According to some scriptures, Rishi Narad is considered as the son of Lord Brahma and Goddess Saraswati. He is born from Brahma's mind and is a sibling to the Four Kumaras and Dakshya and other mind-born sons. He possessed a vast knowledge of the cosmos and hence it was decided that he shall descend on Earth to spread God's word. Along with him several other demigods and sons of Brahma like Daksha descended to create life on Earth. Daksha produced creatures on Earth but none of them were procreating by themselves. Hence Daksha decided to create creatures through the coition of males and females. Daksha married Akini and had 5000 sons through her. They were called Haryasvas. Before they could also procreate Rishi Narad appeared before them and told them that before creating they should know the Universe. He instructed them to go in different directions in this Universe to gain knowledge. The Haryasvas agreed to his advice and scattered all across the Universe. They never came back. Daksha procreated again and gave birth to another 1000 sons called Sablasvas. Rishi Narad did the same with Sablasvas and they also never came back. Furious with this Daksha cursed Narad that going forward he shall keep wandering from one planet to another just like sons. He also said that no one shall take his advice seriously and call him a gossipmonger. In another story Rishi Narad in one of his previous births was born to a maidservant. The maid used to serve the saints and Narad also grew up serving them. Pleased with their service the saints allowed Narad to feed on the Prasad that was served to Vishnu after worship. This made Narad spiritually inclined and he also wanted to know the reality of the Cosmos now. He went into a forest and started meditating upon Lord Vishnu to gain self-realization. During this meditative trance, Lord Vishnu appeared before Narad in his divine form. He told Narad that he shall get to know Vishnu in detail only after his death. However, Vishnu decided to visit Narad as he wanted Narad to grow more fond of him and desire to be with him after his death. Narad was elated after this. For the rest of his life, he simply meditated upon the Lord. Upon his death, he met Lord Vishnu who then changed him into his permanent spiritual form as Rishi Narad. Rishi Narad is said to know about Past Future and present. He is mentioned in different epics like Mahabharat, Ramayan, and Puranas. In Mahabharat, he is shown to be telling Yudhishtira the story of Prahlada. In Ramayan, he is mentioned warning Ravan of the consequences of his cruel deeds. Let us now discuss a few stories mentioning him. Narad and the Tridevis – Once there was a cold war among the Tridevis (Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati) over supremacy. Narad decided to visit the Goddesses separately. He purposely ignited the Go

→ English Nandi The path to God starts and ends with devotion. There is nothing more powerful in this world than being devoted to something. Devotion means you completely surrender yourself to that person or cause or community. Devotion to God or the Supreme Lord is the way to our liberation. With devotion one can conquer the biggest of mountains. Nandi is an example of devotion for Hindu folks. He is the biggest devotee of Lord Shiva and is the epitome of selfless love and devotion for him. Nothing in this world can take Nandi away from Shiva. Nandi had completely surrendered to Lord Shiva. Shiva was everything he had and he wanted. In Bhagwat Geeta our souls are known as Jiva or Jivatma. The Supreme soul is known as Paramatma. The goal or purpose of the Jivatma is to surrender itself completely to the Paramatma. Only with complete surrender and devotion, one will be able to reach the Lord. Nandi is the personification of that Jiva. He shows humankind that only with selfless devotion one can attain the Supreme soul which is Shiva. Nandi was the son of sage Shilada. Sage Shilada was childless and desired for a son to carry his lineage ahead. He did a strict penance to please Lord Shiva. After many years Shiva was pleased and he appeared before Shilada. Shilada as expected wished for a virtuous son. Shiva granted the boon the left. The next day Shilada found a beautiful baby in the nearby fields. He realized his wish was granted. This boy was Nandi. Shilada took good care and brought the child with utmost devotion. However he got to know that Nandi was not meant to live long from other sages. He was grief-stricken and didn't want to lose his son. Nandi was unhappy to see his father in such pain. This is when he decided to invoke Shiva by strict penance. He meditated on Shiva for many years. Finally Shiva appeared before him and asked him to open his eyes. Nandi opened his eyes and after that he simply couldn't stop staring at Shiva. He had not seen anyone more beautiful and divine than Shiva. He was lost in his grace and tears poured down. When Shiva asked what he does want, Nandi forgot everything. He said all he wanted was to be with Shiva forever. Shiva was amazed as no one had asked something like his. A lot of people did penance to gain something for themselves. For the first time someone only wanted to accompany Shiva and desired nothing else. Shiva granted his wish. He told him that he shall live in Kailasa from now and be the guardian gatekeeper for his abode. Shiva also said that Nandi shall be his mount or vehicle in the form of a bull when need be. Elated Nandi left Earth and moved to Kailasa to stay with his Lord. Shiva also made him the chief of his Ganas (tribe). Nandi selflessly served Shiva and Parvati all his life. He played multiple roles of being a  friend, a companion, a gatekeeper,  a servant, chief of Shiva's Gana, etc. He also received the knowledge of the Cosmos from Goddess Parvati and Shiva himself. There are several stories about him in the Puranas. Let us discuss a few of them' Nandi meets Ravana – Once Ravana happened to meet Nandi and made fun of him calling him a monkey. This is when Nandi cursed  Ravana and told him that his empire will be destroyed by one such monkey (alias Lord Hanuman) In another tale, Nandi is shown being cursed by Parvati. This is when Parvati defeats Shiva in a game of dice. However Nandi took Shiva's side stating that Shiva had won the game. Parvati gets furious and cursed him to fall sick with an irrecoverable disease. Nandi tried to pacify the Goddess and this is when she asks to him meditate on Ganesha. Nandi does strict penance and was relieved from his curse. In another tale Nandi incarnates as a whale – When Parvati was being taught by Shiva about the Vedas, she lost her focus for a while and her mind wandered. This resulted in her being born as a human to pay for this misconduct. She was born to a fisherman's family. The fisherman stayed near the banks of a river that was inhabited by a whale. He announced that whoever will kill that whale shall marry his daughter. This is when Nandi took the form of that whale and Shiva became another fisherman. Shiva killed that whale and hence reunited with his wife Parvati again. Nandi was married Suyasa, the daughter of Maruts.  The idol of Nandi is always shown looking at the Shiva Lingam. Nandi in his bull form sits there admiring his Lord. It is believed that if a Shiva devotee tells his or her desire to Nandi,  It is sure to reach Shiva.  That is why devotees first speak in the ears of Nandi before worshipping the Lingam. Nandi's love and devotion to Mahadeva is a symbol of purity and selfless love and devotion. He is also the chief guru of the eight disciples of Nandinatha Sampradaya. These eight were the ones who went in different directions to spread the knowledge of Shaivism. → Hindi नंदी भगवान का मार्ग भक्ति से शुरू और समाप्त होता है। इस दुनिया में कुछ भी समर्पित होने से ज्यादा शक्तिशाली कुछ भी नहीं है। भक्ति का अर्थ है कि आप अपने आप को उस व्यक्ति या कारण या समुदाय के सामने पूरी तरह से आत्मसमर्पण कर देते हैं। ईश्वर या सर्वोच्च प्रभु की भक्ति हमारी मुक्ति का मार्ग है। भक्ति के साथ कोई सबसे बड़ा पर्वत जीत सकता है। नंदी हिंदू लोगों के लिए भक्ति का एक उदाहरण है। वह भगवान शिव का सबसे बड़ा भक्त है और उसके लिए निस्वार्थ प्रेम और भक्ति का प्रतीक है। इस संसार में कुछ भी नंदी को शिव से दूर नहीं ले जा सकता। नंदी ने पूरी तरह से भगवान शिव के सामने आत्मसमर्पण कर दिया था। शिव वह सब कुछ थे जो उनके पास था और वे चाहते थे। भागवत गीता में हमारी आत्माओं को जीवा या जीवात्मा के रूप में जाना जाता है। सर्वोच्च आत्मा को परमात्मा के रूप में जाना जाता है। जीवात्मा का लक्ष्य या उद्देश्य स्वयं को पूरी तरह से परमात्मा को समर्पण करना है। केवल पूर्ण समर्पण और भक्ति के साथ, कोई भी प्रभु तक पहुंचने में सक्षम होगा। नंदी उस जीव का व्यक्तित्व है। वह मानव जाति को दिखाता है कि केवल निस्वार्थ भक्ति से ही वह सर्वोच्च आत्मा प्राप्त कर सकता है जो शिव है। नंदी ऋषि शिलाद के पुत्र थे। ऋषि शिलाद निःसंतान थे और अपने वंश को आगे बढ़ाने के लिए पुत्र की कामना करते थे। उन्होंने भगवान शिव को प्रसन्न करने के लिए कठोर तपस्या की। कई वर्षों के बाद शिव प्रसन्न हुए और वे शिलाद के सामने प्रकट हुए। शीलदा ने पुण्य पुत्र की कामना की। शिव ने वरदान छोड़ दिया। अगले दिन शिलादा को पास के खेतों में एक सुंदर बच्चा मिला। उसने महसूस किया कि उसकी इच्छा दी गई। यह लड़का नंदी था। शिलाद ने अच्छी देखभाल की और बच्चे को पूरी निष्ठा के साथ लाया। हालाँकि उन्हें पता चला कि नंदी का संबंध अन्य ऋषियों से लंबे समय तक रहने के लिए नहीं था। वह दुखी था और अपने बेटे को खोना नहीं चाहता था। नंदी अपने पिता को इस तरह के दर्द में देखकर दुखी थे। यह तब है जब उन्होंने शिव को कठोर तपस्या करने का निश्चय किया। उन्होंने कई वर्षों तक शिव का ध्यान किया। अंत में शिव उसके सामने प्रकट हुए और उसे अपनी आँखें खोलने के लिए कहा। नंदी ने अपनी आँखें खोलीं और उसके बाद वह शिव को घूरना बंद नहीं कर पाया। उन्होंने शिव से ज्यादा सुंदर और दिव्य किसी को नहीं देखा था। वह अपनी कृपा में खो गया और आंसू बह निकले। जब शिव ने पूछा कि वह क्या चाहता है, तो नंदी सब कुछ भूल गए। उन्होंने कहा कि वह चाहते थे कि वह हमेशा शिव के साथ रहे। शिव अचंभित थे क्योंकि किसी ने भी उनकी तरह कुछ नहीं पूछा था। बहुत से लोगों ने अपने लिए कुछ हासिल करने के लिए तपस्या की। पहली बार कोई केवल शिव का साथ चाहता था और कुछ नहीं चाहता था। शिव ने उनकी इच्छा को मान लिया। उसने उससे कहा कि वह अब से कैलासा में रहेगा और उसके निवास के लिए संरक्षक द्वारपाल होगा। शिव ने यह भी कहा कि जब जरूरत होगी नंदी बैल के रूप में उनका वाहन या वाहन होगा। एलिटेड नंदी ने पृथ्वी छोड़ दी और अपने भगवान के साथ रहने के लिए कैलास चले गए। शिव ने उन्हें अपने गणों (जनजाति) का प्रमुख भी बनाया। नंदी ने जीवन भर शिव और पार्वती की नि: स्वार्थ सेवा की। उन्होंने एक दोस्त, एक साथी, एक द्वारपाल, एक नौकर, शिव के गण के प्रमुख, आदि की कई भूमिकाएं निभाईं। उन्होंने स्वयं देवी पार्वती और शिव से कॉसमॉस का ज्ञान भी प्राप्त किया। पुराणों में उनके बारे में कई कथाएँ हैं। आइए उनमें से कुछ पर चर्चा करें ' नंदी रावण से मिलता है - एक बार रावण नंदी से मिलने गया और उसका मजाक उड़ाते हुए उसे बंदर कहा। यह तब है जब नंदी ने रावण को शाप दिया था और उसे बताया था कि उसका साम्राज्य ऐसे ही एक बंदर (उर्फ भगवान हनुमान) द्वारा नष्ट कर दिया जाएगा एक अन्य कहानी में, नंदी को पार्वती द्वारा शापित दिखाया गया है। यह तब है जब पार्वती ने शिव को पासा के खेल में हराया। हालाँकि नंदी ने शिव का पक्ष लेते हुए कहा कि शिव ने खेल जीत लिया है। पार्वती उग्र हो जाती हैं और उन्हें एक असाध्य बीमारी के साथ बीमार पड़ने का शाप देती हैं। नंदी ने देवी को शांत करने की कोशिश की और यह तब है जब वह उनसे गणेश का ध्यान करने के लिए कहते हैं। नंदी कठोर तपस्या करते हैं और अपने श्राप से मुक्त हो गए। एक अन्य कथा में नंदी एक व्हेल के रूप में अवतरित होते हैं - जब पार्वती को शिव द्वारा वेदों के बारे में पढ़ाया जा रहा था, तो उन्होंने कुछ समय के लिए अपना ध्यान खो दिया और उनका मन भटक गया। इसका परिणाम यह हुआ कि इस कदाचार के भुगतान के लिए उन्हें एक इंसान के रूप में जन्म लेना पड़ा। वह एक मछुआरे के परिवार में पैदा हुई थी। मछुआरा एक नदी के किनारे पर रुका था जो एक व्हेल द्वारा बसाई गई थी। उन्होंने घोषणा की कि जो कोई भी उस व्हेल को मार देगा, वह उसकी बेटी से शादी करेगा। यह तब है जब नंदी ने उस व्हेल का रूप ले लिया और शिव एक और मछुआरे बन गए। शिव ने उस व्हेल को मार डाला और इसलिए अपनी पत्नी पार्वती के साथ फिर से मिल गए। नंदी का विवाह सुआटा, मरुतों की बेटी के साथ हुआ था। नंदी की मूर्ति को हमेशा शिव लिंगम की ओर देखा जाता है। अपने बैल रूप में नंदी अपने भगवान की प्रशंसा करते हुए बैठते हैं। ऐसा माना जाता है कि अगर कोई शिव भक्त अपनी इच्छा नंदी को बताता है, तो शिव तक पहुंचना निश्चित है। इसीलिए भक्त पहले लिंगम की पूजा से पहले नंदी के कान में बोलते हैं। नंदी का प्रेम और महादेव के प्रति समर्पण पवित्रता और निस्वार्थ प्रेम और भक्ति का प्रतीक है। वह नंदिनाथ संप्रदाय के आठ शिष्यों के मुख्य गुरु भी हैं। ये आठ लोग थे जो शैव धर्म के ज्ञान का प्रसार करने के लिए विभिन्न दिशाओं में गए थे।

Mohini - the divine enchantress and the only female avatar of Lord Vishnu!!! As the legend goes Samudra Manthan is one of the most important stories narrated in Bhagvat Purana and Vishnu Purana. Lord Indra ( God of the Heaven) had been cursed by sage Durvasa upon showing disrespect to the gift of the garland given by him to Indra. Enraged rishi cursed Indra and all the Gods to be devoid of all the pleasures and fortune and also their immortality. Upon getting weakened due to this curse the Gods were defeated by the Demons and the Universe was in danger because of this. Fear stricken gods visit Lord Vishnu for assistance. Lord Vishnu asks them to churn the ocean of milk along with the help of demons since it was a very tough act and required a lot of strength and vigour.. Only upon the churning the Gods were to get all that they had lost. The most important was Amritha ( nectar of immortality). A sip of this divine nectar could restore immortality back among the Gods. The Demons also agreed to help the Gods as even they desired the nectar. However Lord Vishnu knew that if the demons got hold of the nectar there would chaos and destruction forever. After Amritha emerged out of the sea the Demons attacked the Gods and got hold of the nectar. This is when Lord Vishnu took an avatar as Mohini the enchantress and seduced the Demons to an extent that they agreed to give away the nectar to her. Mohini made all the Gods and Demons sit opposite to each other and started pouring them one by one. She conned the Demons and made them drink regular water and gave the entire Amritha to the Gods and restored balance in the Universe again.

Lord Vishnu is the part of the Hindu Trinity and is the responsible for smooth operation of the Universe. He is the preserver and responsible for maintaining cosmic balance. Whenever this balance is disturbed and negative or evil forces dominate the world putting goodness and righteousness at risk, Vishnu descends from his planet Vaikunta to Earth. He takes up an avatar and slays the prevailing demonic force. Our scriptures mention him as Dashavtara as he takes 10 different avatars in different eras, to protect Goodness against Evil. These Avatars come with a purpose to teach mankind the path of righteousness 1st Avatara – Matsya Avatar (Half Fish and Half Human) This is the 1st Avatar of Lord Vishnu. This is when the first Man on Earth Satyavarta or Manu existed and ruled the world. One day Manu went to bathe in a river. This is when he came across a tiny fish. The fish requested Manu to save it and protect it from bigger fishes. Manu was a good man and wanted to help. He put the fish in a jar. Very soon it outgrew the jar and needed a bigger space. He then put it in a pond. Very soon the pond was too small for the fish. He left it into the river but the fish outgrew the river. Finally the fish was put in the ocean. This is when fish changed into half human and half fish. He declared himself as Lord Vishnu. Manu prostrated before the Blue One and sought his blessings Vishnu warned Manu that within the 7 days there will be a massive flood that will wipe off the entire world. No life would be left. The world had turned evil, hence the destruction was necessary. Manu was instructed to board a boat and sail through this flood to start a new world again. He was instructed to keep trees and animals of different species in that boat. He also asked Manu to keep the seven divine saints or the famous Saptarishis in the boat He blessed the boat and said that it shall not drown. Once the flood stops Manu will have to establish order on Earth again right from scratch. Vishnu also mentioned to Manu that by the end of Kali-yuga, a massive fire will emerge from the bottom of the ocean. This fire will destroy everything in this Universe including the Gods.   The flood began and started to engulf the world. Meanwhile the boat sailed safely through the rough waters with the help of Vishnu in his Fish form. Vishnu used Vasuki (Serpent God on Shiva's neck) as a rope and tied the boat to his horn. They sailed through and finally reached the Himalayas. By this time the flood had stopped. Manu started re-establishing the world again. He did a great Yagya to invoke the Gods. The pleased Gods bestowed him with a beautiful woman named Ida. Manu and Ida got married and started the human race again.   The interesting aspect of this story is that it is very similar to the story of Noah mentioned in the Holy Bible. There is a mention of the great floods in the Hebrew Bible. Here Noah being a good man was asked by God to build an ark or ship and keep all different animal species in it. The world had turned evil and needed to be wiped off and started again. There also Noah built the boat and sailed successfully through the floods and started life again from scratch.

Goddess Kaali – Goddess of Destruction When nothing existed and only darkness prevailed she existed. She is beyond duality. Time and Tide waits for none. In Hinduism we worship the Divine Masculine (Shiva – Consciousness) and the Divine Feminine (Adi Shakti – Energy). They both exist inside every living creature and their ultimate union provides liberation to one. The Divine Feminine and the Divine Masculine are worshipped in several forms. However the most worshipped among them is the Hindu Trinity which comprises a Creator, a Preserver and a Destroyer. The Creator again is divided into its masculine (Brahma) and Feminine (Saraswati) form. The Preserver in its masculine form is Vishnu and in its feminine form is Lakshmi and the destroyer in its masculine form is Mahesh and feminine form is Kaali.

Indra - King of Heaven Indra is one of the most popular gods from the Vedic period. He has been greatly mentioned in the texts of Rig Veda and is known as the king of Gods who is the ruler of the planet of Heaven (Swargalok). Indra is mentioned as the God of rains, thunderstorms, and rivers. He is responsible for bringing rainfall and flowing of various rivers hence making the planet more fertile for life. He is shown to be the protector of human beings and other earthly creatures. . He fights with the demons who always intend to steal the clouds (heavenly cattle). Indra fights them using his weapon Thunderbolt. After the fight he milks the clouds (heavenly cattle) thus bringing rainfall on earth.

We all the know the great Lord Hanuman who played a very vital role in Ramayana. Here is a short story about him. Hanuman was the son of Vayu (the Lord of Wind) and Anjana ( a celestial nymph). Now you must be wondering how can a nymph bear a monkey child. Well Anjana had managed to enrage a sage who went ahead and cursed her that she would turn into a monkey. However when Anjana begged for forgiveness the sage calmed down and said that the she would regain her original form once she bears a child as the child would take her form and that is how we got our Lord Hanuman. Hanuman was born with extraordinary powers. One day when he was a child he saw the Sun and wanted to catch hold of it and play with it. So he jumped onto the sky to get hold of the fire ball. On seeing this Indra (the God of Thunder and Rain) tried to stop him and threw his Vajra (Indra's weapon) on him. Wounded because of this Hanuman fell onto the ground. Upon seeing this the enraged father Vayu went on a strike as he wanted Indra to be punished for his action. Now imagine our planet without air. The world started suffocating and the Gods knew that they had to placate Vayu. In order to please him the Gods showered Hanuman with divine boons. Brahma blessed him with immortality and Varuna (the God of ocean) blessed him with protection against water. Agni (the God of fire) blessed him with protection against fire and Surya (the Sun God) blessed with a power to change his size and form as per his wish. Finally Vishwakarma (the Divine architect) blessed Hanuman with a boon which would protect him against everything created in this Universe. This is how the greatest warrior was born who played a major role in Ramayana.

Rishi Durvasa is one of the famous sages from ancient India who was known for his anger and fiery nature. Durvasa means anyone who is difficult to live with. Durvasa was born from Lord Shiva's anger.  He was born to Rishi Atri and Anusuya. According to some scriptures once Brahma and Lord  Shiva got into a heated argument. This enraged Shiva to the extent that it became difficult for Parvati to calm him down. She complained that it was becoming difficult to stay with Shiva because of his fiery nature. This is when Lord Shiva decided to dispose of his anger which was later consumed by Asusuya (wife of Rishi Atri). This is when Durvasa was born who consumed  Shiva's anger from his mother's womb. Durvasa was feared by humans and Gods as well. No one liked him much as he had a habit of cursing people frequently. Not only humans he even cursed Gods whenever he felt disrespected. The famous Sagar Manthan was also a result of Durvasa's curse on Indra. Once Durvasa decided to visit Indra in Swargalok. Upon meeting him Durvasa gave Indra a gift of garland. Indra threw the garland away. This made Durvasa very angry. He then cursed Indra that he along with other Gods shall lose everything they have including their immortality. In another tale Durvasa plans to kill king Ambrish who was a great devotee of Vishnu. To please Vishnu, Ambrish was observing a fast for a very long time. During this period Durvasa met him. Durvasa wanted to be fed and instructed Ambrish that after his bath in the Yamuna river he shall consume food offered to him by Ambrish. He instructed Ambrish to wait. However Ambrish had to break his fast during that particular time itself. He was advised by his priests that he should break his fast otherwise the whole worship would go waste. Considering all this Ambrish decided to end the fast without waiting for Durvasa to return from his bath. When Durvasa returned and heard about this, he felt disrespected and left from there fuming with anger. He wanted to punish Ambrish for this. He created a demon who would chase Ambrish and kill him. However when he sent the demon to kill Ambrish, the demon was killed by Vishnu's Sudarshan chakra. The Sudarshan Chakra then started chasing Durvasa. Durvasa was scared to death. He decided to visit Vishnu to seek help. Lord Vishnu suggested him to seek forgiveness from Ambrish. Durvasa visited Ambrish again and apologized for his behavior. Ambrish forgave Durvasa and hence this saved his life.     Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our App onelink.to/mysticadii

Draupadi is the most important female character in the great Hindu epic Mahabharata. She is the main reason for the battle of Kurukshetra.  She was born to king Drupad who was the king of Panchal. Hence she is also known as Panchali. Let us know her story in detail. During the early years of king Drupad when he was a child, he became friends with Dronacharya who was the son of sage Bharadwaj. As friends they decided to divide everything they had when they grew up. Years passed and Drupad became the king of Panchal. Dronacharya on the other hand was not doing too well in life during that time. He was poverty-stricken and would beg alms for livelihood. Dronacharya decided to visit his friend Drupad. He reminded Drupad of their pledge of dividing everything they had. However king Drupad was a changed man now. He laughed at Dronacharya and asked him to get lost as he was now a poor beggar and didn't deserve to be a king's friend. Years passed after this incident. Meanwhile Dronacharya regained his power as he was appointed as the royal teacher for the princes of the Kuru dynasty. He taught the Pandavas and Kauravas the skill of warfare. After their education Dronacharya asked the Kuru princes to fetch Drupad in front of him. King Drupad was an old man now. The Kuru princes attacked the kingdom of Panchal and held Drupad as a captive. Dronacharya told Drupad that this was his revenge against him for his misconduct. He also captured half of Panchal, leaving half the kingdom for Drupad as they had pledged to divide their possessions equally. Drupad was furious and wanted to take revenge. However he was old now and lacked the power to fight alone. He performed a Yagya to please Gods so that they would bestow him with a powerful son to take revenge on his behalf. The Gods were pleased with his worship and granted his boon. Along with a powerful son they also bestowed Drupad with a daughter. Both the son and daughter sprang out from the ceremonial fire. The Gods mentioned that the daughter in particular was born to end the tyranny of the Kuru Dynasty. This daughter was Draupadi. Draupadi was born from the fire of revenge and passion. She was strikingly beautiful and was known for her fiery nature. She lived on her own terms and had a voice of her own in this male-dominated world. She was close to Lord Krishna and treated him like her brother. Draupadi never experienced childhood as she sprang out of the fire as a woman. In a lot of other scriptures she is considered to be an incarnation of Goddess Adishakti. To read more about this follow below links: Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii www.instagram.com/mysticadii Download Our App onelink.to/mysticadii

Goddess Aditi is an ancient Vedic Goddess. In the Vedic literature she is referred to as the Cosmic mother and is the female counterpart of Lord Brahma. She is known as the divine mother of all gods and a Guardian to the Cosmos. In some scriptures she also mentioned as the Goddess of sky and consciousness. She is all-pervading and beyond time and space. The most prominent aspect of her is her motherhood. She is prominently known as the mother of supreme gods like Sun, Indra, Varuna, and Mitra. The 12 Adityas (Demigods) are born from Aditi. Now let us understand her story in detail According to Hindu Purana at the beginning of creation, Lord Brahma had sent his son Daksha on Earth to propagate life. Daksha married Queen Prasuti (daughter of Manu) and together had 60 divine daughters. Goddess Aditi was one among them. She had many sisters like Sati, Khyati, Diti, Rohini, Vijaya, etc. Sage Kashyap (one of the Saptarishis) went on to marry 13 of these sisters. Aditi and Diti were also among them. Kashyap and Aditi together had 33 sons who were the 12 Adityas,11 Rudras,8 Vasus, and 2 Ashwin Kumara (Ashwin Kumara in some scriptures are replaced by Indra and Prajapati.) Lord Vishnu in his Vamana avatar was also born to Aditi and Kashyap. She is also referred to as the mother of Lord Krishna in the form of Devaki. Aditi's sister Diti is the source and mother of all Demons. Diti was insecure and jealous and wanted the Demons to be treated equally as the Gods. In some other scriptures Aditi has been mentioned as the source of everything that exists today. Before creation the Universe existed inside Aditi's womb. Aditi also refers to freedom and someone who is boundless and cannot be tied. Anyone seeking ultimate freedom worships Aditi as she can free the devotee from his or her misery. Like other Gods and Goddesses, Aditi also has her mount and she flies across the Universe on a Pheonix which symbolizes strength and power. She along with her son Varun are known to be the Guardian of Cosmic moral order and are upholders and righteousness and honesty. Follow us on www.facebook.com/mysticadii www.pinterest.com/mysticadii  www.instagram.com/mysticadii  Download Our iOS App  onelink.to/mysticadii