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11 episodes with hiranyakashipu
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4 episodes with hiranyakashipu
2 episodes with hiranyakashipu
2 episodes with hiranyakashipu
“Shri Hari, who is the Lord of the demigods, who is worshiped by the people of the world, for benefiting the moving and nonmoving beings of the world took that dreadful from through His own energy and tore apart Hiranyakashipu, who caused suffering to so many, with His nails.” (Narasimha Purana, 44.43)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“Others will also ridicule and scorn saying, ‘This child is an asura but prays to the gods. It is like a cat offering prayers to a mouse or a peacock to a snake.' This is indeed a bad omen, behavior resembling an enemy, as even after obtaining great wealth and power, an unintelligent person can fall down.” (Hiranyakashipu speaking to Prahlada, Narasimha Purana, 41.59-60)
“In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)
“In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)
“In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)
In this talk, we discuss something very edgy and maybe even quite dark: hating God as a legitimate mode of worship!This is lesser known bhāva is called vipaksha or shatru-bhāv, the "mode of the enemy" and applies to great devotees like Mahishāsura in the Candi, Hiranyāksha, Hiranyakashipu, Kamsha and Sishupāla in the Bhāgavatam and even Jacob in the Old Testament.Importantly, a discussion on how "hating God" can help one to realize God takes us into deep Tantrik waters regarding the use of all emotions, even darker ones like anger, pride, hatred, jealousy, greed and lust to make spiritual progress! I think tonight's conversation will reveal something very essential and profound about how spiritual practice works with regard to the centrality of intensity and consistency in sādhana.As we see in a few select Ramprasad poems and taking Sri Ramakrishna's idea of "tāmasic Bhakti" (dark devotion), we learn that this attitude of "frustrating" or "annoyance" with God actually only implies real intimacy, not distance.Naturally, this is a continuation of last week's excting 6 hour satsangh on madhura bhava, the romantic mode in Kali worship which you can watch here.Here are some of the references we made towards the end of the talk:In Bhāgavata Purāna, Jaya-Vijaya, Vishnu's doorkeepers were cursed by Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanatkumara (mind born sons of Brahma) to etiher be born 3 times as enemies or 7 times as devotees. They chose the former and became, in three respective ages:Satya Yuga: Hiranyakashipu, HiranyākshaTreta Yuga: Rāvana, Kumbhakarna Dvāpara Yuga: Sishupāla, Dantavakra Also Kamsha/Chānura, Duryodhana etc. In Skanda Purāna, we find Tarakāsura whose boon is to be slayed only by Shiva's unlikely son (this is where we get the Shiva burning Kāmadev story), in Brahmānda Purāna we get Bhandasura, born of the ash of Kamadev who is then slain by Lalitā Devī. In Shiva Purāna, we get Andhakasura who is born from Parvati's sweat after the world is darkened and then born to Hiranyāksha, who does penance and who then gets the boon to be killed only when he lusts after his own Mother. This is also a matrka origin story and resembles the motif from Raktabījā. Which brings us to the Candi demons:"Ebhirhatair jagadupaiti sukham tathaite kurvantu nāma narakāya cirāya pāpamsangrāma mrtyumadhigamya divam prayāntuMatveti nūnamahitān vinihamsi devi" (4.18)For more detailed instructions for how to perform Kālī pūjā, watch this playlist: https://www.patreon.com/collection/233799Lectures happen live every Monday at 7pm PST and Friday 10am PST and again Friday at 6pm PST.Use this link and I will see you there:https://www.zoom.us/j/7028380815For more videos, guided meditations and instruction and for access to our lecture library, visit me at:https://www.patreon.com/yogawithnishTo get in on the discussion and access various spiritual materials, join our Discord here: https://discord.gg/U8zKP8yMrMSupport the show
In this exciting episode of Stories of the Divine, learn how Lord Vishnu, as Narasimha, defeated the evil king Hiranyakashipu to protect his devoted son, Prahlada. A story reminding us that good always wins over evil. Perfect for kids and families—don't miss it!
“There are instances in history of many asuras – Ravana, Kamsa, Hiranyakashipu – to whom the Lord appeared in various incarnations just to kill. Therefore God's mercy is shown to the asuras if they are fortunate enough to be killed by Him.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita, 16.20 Purport)
“This boy Prahlada is the killer of my brother, for he has given up his family to engage in the devotional service of the enemy, Lord Vishnu, like a menial servant.” (Hiranyakashipu, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.5.35)
Unravel the story of #Narasimha, the fierce half-man, half-lion avatar of #Vishnu. Witness his dramatic rise to vanquish the demon king Hiranyakashipu and restore dharma. Explore the symbolism behind this powerful deity.
“As a snake captures a mouse or Garuda captures a very venomous snake, Lord Narasimhadeva captured Hiranyakashipu, who could not be pierced even by the thunderbolt of King Indra. As Hiranyakashipu moved his limbs here, there and all around, very much afflicted at being captured, Lord Narasimhadeva placed the demon on His lap, supporting him with His thighs, and in the doorway of the assembly hall the Lord very easily tore the demon to pieces with the nails of His hand.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.8.29)
When there seems no way out of suffering, Bhagavan always appears in the most mysterious of forms to bless his devotees. We see this in the events leading to Hiranyakashipu who determined to kill his son Prahlada, challenges the very existence of God and the 4th manifestation of Vishnu appears as Bhagavan Narasimha. And how! To read the podcast transcript - https://arshavidyananda.in/278-narasimha-s-justice-and-prahladas-devotion-a-story-of-divine-protection/ We had heard about Prahlada's wisdom teachings and devotion in Episode 271 - https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-river-of-wisdom/episodes/271-Wisdom-teachings-by-Prahlada--a-child-devotee-of-Narayana-Bhagavatam-e2hhuob Our latest newsletter - Aarsha Vidya Bharati - May 2024 - Jaya Jaya Shankara| Ādi Śaṅkarācārya Jayanti| Participating in the 6months Vedanta course Rishikesh| Śri Natarāja Stotram| Poem And more! - https://mailchi.mp/954e75cd6b48/aarsha-vidya-bharati-may2024 Our monthly newsletter will bring you more happiness, more wisdom and more freedom. To subscribe to Aarsha Vidya Bharati - https://mailchi.mp/cea95b9ad987/aarsha-vidya-bharati Vedanta - the river of wisdom is a weekly podcast by Swamini B (Brahmaprajnananda), a Vedanta teacher, writer and Hindu monk. Please follow, learn and enjoy Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/arshavidyananda Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/arshavidyananda Twitter - https://twitter.com/arshavidyananda To connect and learn Vedanta - www.arshavidyananda.in --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-river-of-wisdom/message
Prahlada was the son of an asura Hiranyakashipu and due to a set of unique circumstances found himself to be devoted deeply to Bhagavan Narayana. His bhakti, devotion was so steadfast that all attempts to dissuade him including attempts to kill him did not work. What wisdom did he share with his own father and his friends? We look into it, through a section of the Bhagavatam. Podcast transcript - https://discoveratma.com/271-wisdom-teachings-by-prahlada-a-child-devotee-of-narayana-bhagavatam/ Details of the upcoming Dhyaanam course - https://www.hua.edu/courses/dhyaanam-meditation-and-the-meditator Aarsha Vidya Bharati - Mar 2024 - 4 Essential Factors for Learning| Mahashivaratri| Sri Nataraja Stotram| Heritage Hub| Pashupatinath Yātra| And more! - https://mailchi.mp/3576ecea11a8/aarsha-vidya-bharati-mar2024 Our monthly newsletter will bring you more happiness, more wisdom and more freedom. To subscribe to Aarsha Vidya Bharati - https://mailchi.mp/cea95b9ad987/aarsha-vidya-bharati Vedanta - the river of wisdom is a weekly podcast by Swamini B (Brahmaprajnananda), a Vedanta teacher, writer and Hindu monk. Please follow, learn and enjoy Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@DiscoverAtma Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/discoveratma Twitter - https://twitter.com/discoveratma To connect and learn Vedanta - www.discoveratma.com --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-river-of-wisdom/message
“Prahlada Maharaja, a small child of only five years, became the object of envy for his great father, Hiranyakashipu, only because of his becoming a pure devotee of the Lord. The demon father employed all his weapons to kill the devotee son, Prahlada, but by the grace of the Lord he was saved from all sorts of dangerous actions by his father. He was thrown in a fire, in boiling oil, from the top of a hill, underneath the legs of an elephant, and he was administered poison.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.15.16 Purport)
Eat, sing and dance to create community / “Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before - it takes something from him.” - Louis L'Amour / anger leaves you dirty and depleted / The greater the ego the greater the rage / It's our behavior through the day that affects japa / Chat thread arguments drain integrity and harden hearts / Hiranyakashipu's rage against little Prahlad SB 7.5.33-57
Eat, sing and dance to create community / “Anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers, for each rage leaves him less than he had been before - it takes something from him.” - Louis L'Amour / anger leaves you dirty and depleted / The greater the ego the greater the rage / It's our behavior through the day that affects japa / Chat thread arguments drain integrity and harden hearts / Hiranyakashipu's rage against little Prahlad SB 7.5.33-57
“In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)
“In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)
Andrew C. Thornton II's unbridled greed - how much cocaine do you need to sell to be happy? / Dr Bruce Alexander and the Rat Park Experiments / “One should accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.” / All there is to satisfy the senses, can't satisfy one who's senses are uncontrolled / The demonic mentality is taking Vishnu out of the picture / the soul gives life to the body, not the other way around / Hiranyakashipu is no better than the Cocaine Bear SB 7.3.6-16
Andrew C. Thornton II's unbridled greed - how much cocaine do you need to sell to be happy? / Dr Bruce Alexander and the Rat Park Experiments / “One should accept only those things necessary for himself, which are set aside as his quota, and one should not accept other things, knowing well to whom they belong.” / All there is to satisfy the senses, can't satisfy one who's senses are uncontrolled / The demonic mentality is taking Vishnu out of the picture / the soul gives life to the body, not the other way around / Hiranyakashipu is no better than the Cocaine Bear SB 7.3.6-16
El programa de radio "La Venganza Será Terrible" es un clásico de la radiofonía argentina que se emite desde hace más de tres décadas. Conducido por el escritor y humorista Alejandro Dolina, el programa se ha convertido en una verdadera institución de la cultura popular.Durante sus emisiones, Dolina suele realizar reflexiones profundas y agudas sobre diversos temas que van desde la filosofía y la política hasta la vida cotidiana y las relaciones humanas. Con un estilo ameno y cercano, el conductor de "La Venganza Será Terrible" logra captar la atención de sus oyentes y llevarlos a reflexionar sobre cuestiones que suelen pasar desapercibidas en la vorágine del día a día.Pero lo que realmente distingue a "La Venganza Será Terrible" es su capacidad para combinar el humor y la ironía con la reflexión más profunda. Dolina es un maestro del lenguaje y su habilidad para jugar con las palabras y las ideas es única. En cada uno de sus programas, el conductor de "La Venganza Será Terrible" demuestra su capacidad para hacernos reír y pensar al mismo tiempo."La Venganza Será Terrible" es un programa de radio que no deja indiferente a nadie. Con su estilo particular y su capacidad para combinar el humor y la reflexión, Alejandro Dolina ha logrado crear una obra de arte radiofónica que ha conquistado el corazón de miles de oyentes en Argentina y en el mundo entero.En esta oportunidd, rescatamos un archivo desconocido y lo editamos digitalmente para limpiar el sonido. Se trata de una de las conocidas reflexiones de Alejandro Dolina, en este caso sobre el enfrentamiento entre los dioses y los gigantes en la mitología hindú. Ravana y los otros gigantes de la mitología hindú son figuras prominentes y poderosas que desempeñan roles importantes en las epopeyas y leyendas de la India. Ravana, en particular, es uno de los antagonistas más conocidos y complejos de la mitología hindú.Ravana es considerado un rey demonio de gran poder y sabiduría. Según los textos sagrados, era descendiente de Pulastya, uno de los siete sabios (Rishis) de la antigua India. Era el rey de Lanka y gobernaba sobre los rakshasas, una raza de demonios temibles.Ravana era conocido por su inmenso poderío físico y sus habilidades mágicas. Según la leyenda, poseía diez cabezas y veinte brazos, lo que lo hacía casi invencible en la batalla. Además, era un gran erudito y se dice que dominaba los cuatro Vedas y poseía un vasto conocimiento de las artes y las ciencias.Uno de los episodios más conocidos en los que Ravana desempeña un papel importante es el Ramayana, una epopeya hindú que narra la vida y las aventuras del príncipe Rama. Ravana secuestra a Sita, la esposa de Rama, y esto desencadena una serie de eventos que llevan a la confrontación final entre Rama y Ravana.La batalla entre Rama y Ravana es épica y simboliza la lucha entre el bien y el mal. Rama, con la ayuda de sus aliados, como el dios mono Hanuman, lucha valientemente contra Ravana y sus poderosos rakshasas. La batalla se desarrolla durante varios días y finalmente culmina con la derrota de Ravana a manos de Rama.A pesar de su carácter demoníaco, Ravana es un personaje complejo en la mitología hindú. Se le atribuyen cualidades contradictorias, como su poder y conocimiento, pero también su ego y su deseo de poder. Algunas interpretaciones sugieren que Ravana simboliza los obstáculos internos y las fuerzas negativas que uno debe superar en su camino hacia la iluminación espiritual.Además de Ravana, existen otros gigantes destacados en la mitología hindú. Por ejemplo, Hiranyakashipu es otro demonio poderoso que desafía a los dioses. Su historia está asociada con el avatar de Vishnu, Narasimha, quien lo derrota y lo mata.Kumbhakarna es otro gigante famoso que aparece en el Ramayana. Es el hermano de Ravana y es conocido por su voraz apetito y su capacidad para dormir durante largos periodos de tiempo. Aunque es leal a Ravana, finalmente es derrotado por Rama en la batalla.
“In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)
स इत्थं निर्जितककुबेकराड् विषयान् प्रियान् । यथोपजोषं भुञ्जानो नातृप्यदजितेन्द्रिय: ॥ “In spite of achieving the power to control in all directions and in spite of enjoying all types of dear sense gratification as much as possible, Hiranyakashipu was dissatisfied because instead of controlling his senses he remained their servant.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.4.19)
we're missing out on a map for dharma / Visvarupa is broad minded, Indra divides on party lines / all the yoga, rituals, austerities, etc. are meant to lead to pure love / pure devotees are happy to serve in heaven or hell / Indra's prayers remind us of Hiranyakashipu / there but for the grace of God go I / Gods mercy follows the devotees mercy
we're missing out on a map for dharma / Visvarupa is broad minded, Indra divides on party lines / all the yoga, rituals, austerities, etc. are meant to lead to pure love / pure devotees are happy to serve in heaven or hell / Indra's prayers remind us of Hiranyakashipu / there but for the grace of God go I / Gods mercy follows the devotees mercy
The 16th chapter does not just give a list of dos and don'ts. It makes us understand the subtle differences between the characteristics. For example, one of the Asuri traits that is described is Dambhah, big show of one's status. In relation to it, it describes Darpah as another Asuri trait. Someone who may be humble and calm, may assure himself of his superiority and feel that he does not need to display that. That is a kind of arrogance, which is included in the meaning of Darpah. When we deny the possibility of a positive trait in others, that trait in us becomes a negative trait.6th verse: “There were two types of beings at the beginning of creation. O' Arjuna, I have described the divine ones. Now let me describe the other.”From the 7th verse onwards, Lord Krishna describes the external manifestations of those endowed with Asuri Sampat.In the 7th verse he says: “They do not know what do and what not to do, they have no sense of purity or impurity, they do not have a sense of propriety or impropriety, and they do not have a sense of truth or untruth. They have a natural disposition towards doing the wrong things.”Samsara refers to the cycle of birth, death and rebirth – our actions leave a residual effect on our mental system, which then become strong attitudes that prompt us to do further actions (karma-vritti-samskara-chakra). We carry these mental tendencies with us from life to life.Every individual should evolve further by acquiring Daivi Sampat. Asuri Sampat brings one down in evolution. Daivi Sampat helps us get out of Samsara and eventually attain liberation.When we live in this world, we should be guided by dharma, a self-regulating mechanism and a sense of self-restraint. This self-restraint helps us enjoy the world without harming the mind with worries and anxieties. It also helps in our spiritual evolution.8th and 9th verse: Those endowed with Asuri Sampat say: “There is no such thing as Truth or morality. The idea of spirituality is without any meaning. All human beings are the result of biological union and the underlying basis is lust.” The 9th verse says that such misdirected people arise as enemies of the world and threaten its destruction.Charvaka was the school of Indian materialism. They taught: “Might is right. We should not believe what we cannot see with our own eyes. Don't think of yesterday or tomorrow. Don't think of anything other than giving pleasure to this body.” The 8th and 9th verses provide a picture of this crude materialism and the commentators discuss the dangers of following such a path.The Bārhaspatya sūtras (derived from the name of the author Brhaspati) is a text on the Charvaka school of materialist philosophy. It was written to help people avoid falling into the trap of materialism.The Charvakas used wonderful words on superficial ideas of comforts without deeper meaning of life. They were speaking what we want to hear not what we need to hear. According to them: “One should enjoy life as long as one lives. It is okay to even steal money as long one can avoid punishment. This is because life is only one chance and this body will not come back.”There is great danger in this philosophy. If society follows such a philosophy, there won't be any self-restraint. In such a society, people's body may be healthy but the mind will fall sick. In such a society, people have no interest in higher transcendental value.Shankaracharya says that it is okay to enjoy things in this world if the conduct is not opposed to dharma. It is also important to stay connected with a higher transcendental ideal. Without such as an ideal, one cannot say no to the wrong temptations.10th verse: “Filled with insatiable desires, hypocrisy, pride, arrogance and evil ideas – such people work with impure resolve to accomplish their evil ideas and goals.”Ambitions and goals are good. Our attempt to achieve these goals should not violate the universal principles of morality and ethics.All good qualities and hard work should be accompanied by Daivi Sampat. Otherwise, there is a risk that they can make human civilization more evil. Ramayana and Mahabharata have examples of mythological figures such as Ravana and Hiranyakashipu. They lived in forests and meditated to become more evil.In the last few verses, Gita gives us a list of problems that we face in modern life and warns us of the danger of falling into the trap of materialism. Vallabhacharya said: “If people think that they don't see anything good or permanent in this world, then their only destination is darkness.”Some chapters and verses of Gita are chanted with great spiritual significance. The 12th chapter and the 2nd chapter are some examples. The 24th verse of the 4th chapter is chanted before taking food. Some verses of the 2nd chapter that deal with the eternal nature of the Atman and the perishable nature of the body are chanted at the time of death.
Join me for Part 2 of my discussion with Sachin Sharma about the therapeutic use of Vedic Mythology and Vedic Avatars. In this episode we cover topics such as the Shadow Work of Mars - when Mars thrives on stealing innocence rather than protecting. We also dive deep into the archetypal themes of the "Rebel" and the "Fallen Hero". And we address the importance of finding an Astrologer with an empowering philosophy who will help you engineer the perfect action to defeat any Hiranyakashipu in your life.Sachin's childhood encounter with Jyotisha resurfaced in 2014, prompting him to study under renowned astrologers. Now focused on understanding the Self, his pursuits include Jyotisha, meditation, philosophy, and psychoanalysis, seeking integration across disciplines. Embracing diverse viewpoints, Sachin explores sacred texts and contrasting perspectives, driving his quest for comprehensive understanding. You can contact Sachin at https://www.searchinsachin.com/ and https://www.jungianastrology.com/Watch the episode at https://youtu.be/SX056zlwkXYJoin me at https://www.patreon.com/fionamarques to keep the conversation going - I can't wait to hear your take on the latest episode. Thanks for your support!Support the show
Celebrating Hinduism with Giridhar...Enriching lives with the timeless wisdom of Hinduism !
Welcome to "Celebrating Hinduism with Giridhar", where we enrich lives with the rich mythology, traditions, and teachings of Hinduism. In today's episode, we dive into the fascinating story of Narsimha Avatar, the fourth incarnation of Lord Vishnu. According to Hindu mythology, when the demon king Hiranyakashipu gained immense power and became arrogant, he demanded that everyone in his kingdom worship him instead of the gods. But his own son Prahlad remained devoted to Lord Vishnu, which enraged Hiranyakashipu. He tried to kill Prahlad many times, but each time Vishnu saved him. Finally, Hiranyakashipu challenged Vishnu to show himself, saying that if he existed, he should appear from a pillar in the palace. Vishnu then manifested as Narsimha Avatar, a ferocious form that was half-lion and half-man, and emerged from the pillar. In a fierce battle, Narsimha Avatar killed Hiranyakashipu and saved Prahlad. This story has many symbolic and spiritual meanings, such as the triumph of good over evil, the power of devotion, and the importance of balance between human and animal nature. Join us as we explore the nuances of this fascinating tale and its relevance to our lives today. Thank you for tuning in to "Celebrating Hinduism with Giridhar", where we enrich lives with the wisdom of Hinduism. Make sure to follow us on Twitter at @voiceofgiridhar for updates and more content.
In the 2nd part of our Holi episode, we talk about the colours, issues, the images and the misconceptions with our guest Neha who is the founder of Shaktitva.org.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingTranscriptRekha: Namaste! Welcome to the Hindu Parenting Podcast, Part 2 of the Holi Episode. Please join us as we continue the fascinating discussion about the Festival of Holi with some more stories from Neha ji, founder of Shaktitva and a Devi Upasaka.Neha: So, just to complete the story, eventually when all of these attempts to, you know, to kill Prahlad fail, and Hiranyakashipu decides to take the matters into his own hands and he finds this unarmed child. In a fit of rage, he tries to strike a sword with. So, he, you know, the child ducks and the sword hits a pillar. And from that pillar, Narsimha Avatar appears. And now Narsimha Avatar is the half-man, half-animal. So, it's not either, the boon was either animal or man. But this avatar is half-man, half-animal. And this is the most, you know, interesting element of the story.So, this Narsimha Avatar, Sri Vishnu takes him to the, at the, what we call dehleez , like the corner of the house. Yeah, the threshold of the house, exactly. He stands on the threshold of the house, takes this demon, puts him on his thigh, so that he's not on the ground or on the sky. He's on Sri Vishnu's thigh. And then he claws his heart out with his claws. So, it's not a known weapon. Yeah. And he does this at exactly a dusk when it is neither morning, day or night. Shalini: Sandhyakaal!Neha: Yeah, sandhyakaal, like the mixing when it's neither day nor night. So, he finds that exact combination that will defeat that very ingenious boon. And that's how, you know, Hiranyakashipu is defeated. Finally, Prahlad gets to witness his Ishta in the raw form, and he is blessed. And then Prahlad takes over the throne and continues the lineage of Sage Kashyap going forward. So, that Holika moment. Shalini: You said the story so beautifully.Neha: Awww! Thank you!Rekha: Nehaji, I love the part where the puzzle gets solved. I can see how kids can get absolutely fascinated by this, you know, if parents can just tell their kids, you give this puzzle; even if your kid doesn't know the story but tries to solve this puzzle.“Neither during the day nor night”. I mean, it's just too beautiful.Neha: It's ingenious. Yeah, absolutely. And see, the moral of the story is right, like you can, first of all, like I always wonder these people, they put hundreds of years of sadhana or many lifetimes of sadhana to get a boon from their Ishta, right? Like imagine, you're sitting in extreme penance, like Ravana's penance and then Hiranyakashipu's penance is not ordinary. This is like almost hundreds of years of extreme penance, even thousands of years by some accounts. They sit and you ask for such a stupid thing. I mean, your Ishta is standing in front of you deviate and you ask that you should not be killed. Why is that? I think that shows the nature of who we call demon is not by birth or lineage, you know, these are Kashyap rishi's sons, like these are the most exalted lineage you can find in all of Bharat Varsha. And that is evident because they have the capability to do this penance for eons. This is not ordinary feat in itself and the lineage is definitely blessed. So it's not by birth or by previous or whatever is the other ways of people understanding it. It's not about descent, it's not about race, it's not about caste, it's not about all of these things. It's about what you do with your abilities, right? What are your desires? Shalini:Yeah, absolutely. That is true.Neha: Yeah, as a Devi upasaka, when Ma comes to me and I ask something so stupid, I think like, you know, I should be banned from sadhana… do that if somebody does things like this. But you know, devatas are when they're happy, they're happy, they will give you what they want as long as it's within - as long as it doesn't defy the laws of nature. And so you can find several stories where Brahma is giving boons or Ma is giving boons or you know, Shiva is giving boons and these, depending on who is getting the boons, people do different things.Rekha: I'd like to bring up one point here. You live in the US. And I know that about three years ago, just pre-COVID, there was this thing in US universities about Holi against Hindutva, where Holika was painted as a Dalit woman. And you know, many people tried to spread this rumor in colleges that there's something very bad going on when Holika is burnt because she is an oppressed woman and she's a Dalit. And so I know that a lot of Indian children got swayed by this. I'd like you to weigh in on this because..Neha: yeah, absolutely. So actually, with the exact incident you're talking about, led me to write a two-part article on Holi on Shaktitva blog. The part where I explain what Holi is and the many colors of Holi is one article. And then there is a second article called “Let the Subaltern Speak”, in which I kind of explore exactly this point. So first of all, like logically speaking, you know, a lot of these claims are absurd to the point of ignorance. Like they, they rely on the fact that a lot of people don't know about these stories and the legends or all the meanings behind what we do as a culture. And that's part of colonialism, you know, just detaching us from our roots is definitely part of the colonial projects.So that now that, you know, the urban audience has already detached very few know the story of Holika or why we do this, you can twist the argument in your favor.So there are two main articles that led to this Equality Labs protest that were challenged by it. So basically this Equality Labs organization cited two main articles in their write up for Holi against Hindutva. One of them was from Pradnya Waghule, which said ‘Reading caste in Holi- the burning of Holika, a Bahujan woman'. And the second one is the Equality Labs, its own article, ‘why do we say no to Holi' In both of them, you know, I am not going to critique the whole blog, because it's ridiculous. But you can see a very clear indication that this is nothing but Hinduphobia. So Waghule herself says that she's only only ever lived in cities all her life. Right. So the what I'm trying the reason I'm trying to highlight that is because she has no in-first person knowledge of these traditions. Right. Whereas, you know, most of our families are just two generations ago, we were living in villages. So that's number one. Now this reading of Bahujan woman of Holika - Holika's existence comes from this story that I told you about. She is Hiranyakashipu's sister. Hiranya Kashyapu and Hiranyaksha are very clearly Kashyap Rishi's sons. So Kashyap Rishi is like, you know, one of the Saptarishis. So obviously he's the ultra ultra Brahmin, not even ordinary normal Shukla chukla or, you know, Pandya Brahmin is the ultra Brahmin, like he has an entire Gotra named after him.And he these are the first one, not first one, but he is like, yeah, these two are sons from Kashyap Rishi. So by caste, essentially, because it's a paternalistic tradition, it happens, they have become Brahmin. And so Holika is a sister. So that means she's a Brahmin woman, you know, by legend, which is where she's mentioned. Now, what the reality is, these people when they're mentioning these instances of Holika being worshipped in tribal areas, they are confusing Holika and Holi Mata. Now, Holi Mata is indeed worshipped in many parts of the country in many, many tribal traditions, including my hometown. Now, Holi Mata has nothing to do with Holika.What happens is many of us, many of our tribes are traditionally like the Kula Devi is a Devi, right? The Kula devatha is a Devi. And so usually anything auspicious, Devi has to be worshipped. So when you do that, and usually what the tradition goes that in specific instances, for example, if you're doing the Gauri Pooja, a specific form of Ma is being worshipped, that's why it's called Gauri Pooja. So in the same way, during Holi Mata, a specific form of Ma is being worshipped and a specific type of worship is being done, that ritual only happens around Holi. And that includes your offering, the same colors are offered, new clothes are offered, when the dahan is done, that bonfire is done, a part of that bonfire, ashes are brought to the Mata and so on. So like in the Prasad, this Naivedyam is first created. So that's why we make gujiya after the dahan, and then gujiya is first offered to the god. So if we were in the villages, we would offer it to the Kula Devi. And then eventually it will be distributed. So for that particular purpose, a Murti or a makeshift clay idol is created. And all of the village will gather around and offer the blessings over there, like they'll put the offerings in that on the clay idol.So that is that clay idol is called Holi Mata. So now confusing Holimata with Holika is silly because the same people also do the bonfire. So why would they do the bonfire if they were worshipping Holika later? Then why would you celebrate her death? Just two minutes before! They are not related. Now in other parts of India, you can actually see that Holimata, that makeshift idol, is also taken on a Yatra like Ganesh Chaturthi. So they also, the Visarjan happens and so on, like the same process, which is typical for us, like whenever we have a makeshift idol like in Ganesh Chaturthi or in Durga Puja, once the process is completed, it is done - Visarjan into some form of water body. So that also happens. So those processions will chant Holi Mata Ki Jai or something like that. And that's what these urbanites who actually want to speak for the subaltern without getting to know them, without getting to live their lives or understanding their tradition and faith systems, this is how they confuse people. So in this imagination, because she is the goddess of the tribal people, she becomes a tribal deity because they've already confused it and they're not familiar with these ideas of how Holi Mata is constructed, like on a makeshift thing and all of those nuances are not known. And so they will do this confusion and then they will suddenly Holika, the daughter of Kashyap rishi becomes the Dalit woman all of a sudden. And now nobody from the Bahujan parts of India is coming to read this English language article meant to be circulated in USA to correct it, right? Nobody's going to do that. And so and the rest of you are saying we hardly know anything about why things are happening. So we are not also correcting it. So that's how you get to circulate these, you know, false narratives. And it was actually very offensive, because targeting Holi like that. And here is the thing, you know, if you are, let's say, even if I were to imagine this concept of Brahminical Hinduism versus non-Brahminical, Brahminical tribal Hinduism, Holi is the least Brahminical of all, you know, celebrations of Hindus. Like, you know, if you see the typical hallmarks of what is what, how these people define Brahminism is - at least a Brahmin needs to be present, no? Usually all some festivals you require a priest to come and do some puja, but Holi requires the presence of no priest. Right. As I mentioned, in fact, it's a challenging of social norms and mores.Then the tradition inquires, like it requires no particular, like you usually offer it to your own gods, your own deities and a Kula Devi. But it does not require any elaborate temple visit or anything like that. Right. So how, why would, you know, if this were to be confused, check, if we were to put it in these two arbitrary criteria of Brahminical versus non-Brahminical, this is very fundamentally indigenous tribal and adivasi in origins. Right. So, so the entire basis of attacking an indigenous authentic tribal festival, which is like, in fact, one of the biggest festival for many tribes in India as a, you know, fascist thing and trying to disparage it this way and especially targeting American universities is insidious to say the least.Now, are we saying that Vedic traditions are not uninhibited? They are not, you know, connected to Mata or they are not connected to Kula Devi? No, it's a beautiful spectrum. Right.How, what happens now in a traditional, let's say, let's find a simple example in a traditional homa. Right. If you're doing Rudrabhishekam in your home and you are the Yajman and pundits have come and they're conducting it for you. What happens? Right. The starting is you'll do the cleaning of your hands. You'll remember Sri Vishnu for that. Right. Then you will start by remembering your Guru, your ancestors, your Kula Devi and Sri Ganesha. Right. Not, I messed up the order, but basically this is the, like, start with Sri Ganesha, then your Kula Devi, then your ancestors, your Guru. This is the beginning of every homa, every puja, everywhere.Right. Now, if you had, if you were in living in a place where you had access to your Kula Devi's murti, maybe you put it in your temple or maybe you are living in a place where your Kula Devi temple is nearby and that's where you're conducting it. When you are remembering them, it will involve an offering to them immediately. And this will be guided to you by the priest himself. Right. So he's not, there is no distinction between vedic gods and these gods, right.It's a beautiful spectrum. One cannot exist without the other. So the, now, whether you're reading it from the Shastras or the Puranas or you're telling folk stories, it does not matter. Right. That's just the ritual or how should I say levels of ritualism. If you were to do it at your home by yourself, you probably don't know all the Sanskrit verses. So you do it in your mind. Right. You remember the deity and you have, maybe you have a mantra or maybe you don't have a mantra. Maybe you have a Chalisa. For example, in North India, we have these avadhi verses, which serve as the mantras. So Chalisa is our collection of 40 verses or you have sometimes, you know, these, these arathis, for example, these songs that we have constructed for the singing the legends of our gods, Om Jai Jagdish hare being the most prominent one. So we have all of these different levels and ways of worship. Now, some people do it in a very elaborate way where sometimes you need a priest because it's actually too elaborate and it's not possible for some unless somebody is trained in that ritual for tens of years, which is what often priests do. It's hard for a normal householder to start doing it without training. And also it's not recommended to do it without training either. So depending on the level you're doing, for example, in Shivaratri that just passed, most people will do it in their homes. Right. If they have a lingam at home, they will do a simple Abhishekam at home. If they have, if they're going to a temple, then they'll, you know, put money for a Rudrabhishekam for the temple priests to conduct it. Or sometimes people will arrange for a priest to come and do a homa at their home. It's different levels of the same festival. All of them are valid. All of them are common.Rekha: So Neha Ji, you brought up this very, very important point of two traditions coexisting harmoniously. The universal story, the Pauranic story of Holika dahan, the Hiranyakashipu story, and also the Holi Mata Kuladevi local traditions, which are typically known as the Desi and the Margi traditions within Sanatana Dharma. So the interesting thing is that there is really no conflict. And this thing happens over and over again in our tradition, right, with the festivals, with customs, dance, music, and so many things. And I'd like to say here that I think this is not a bug, but a feature of Sanatana Dharma. Any thoughts on this?Neha: Thank you for that software engineering reference. And you're absolutely right. No, so exactly right. So I think, you know, sometimes I find myself browsing through an article that some colonial, you know, neo-colonial Indologist wrote, and they seem so confused, right? If you read the research papers that get published in Indology journals, they are just, you know, it's like it's impossible for them to parse the continuity of this tradition. So sometimes they will be looking at, you know, let's say they'll go to a rural Kuladevi Mandir, right? And they'll see, let's take for an extreme example, let's say they'll see a Bali ritual, right? And then a few, even in Tamil Nadu, let's just take the example of Tamil Nadu. If you go to the rural villages, there are still like some Kuladevi Kuladevata temples where Bali happens, you know, now with the colonial government banning it and then our modern government continuing colonial traditions, you know, officially it's banned, but still happens. Then you cross- Shalini: I think there is a temple in Kerala also, no? The Muthappan temple. Neha: Not just one, not just one temple. Shalini: Yeah, many, many temples.Neha: A lot of places where you have to secretly do this because, you know, our own government has turned against our traditions or, you know, some places where it's relatively open, but it happens. And then you cross a few kilometers and you come to the heart of, you know, say Chennai and you go to a Vaishnava temple or a Shaiva temple, like, you know, Iyengar temple or an Iyer temple and you're suddenly like, this is like very organized, you know, we have a lot of learned gurus who have given like volumes and volumes of very detailed documentary, like documented evidence of everything that they found. And, you know, somehow for these people who come from the West, it looks like these two traditions cannot coexist each other with each other. And the reason they think that is because they're bound with this Christian mentality, where paganism, which was a pre-Christian tradition of their lands, was considered or labeled as backward and, you know, not civilized by the Christians who came to dominate the space later on. So they see, you know, nature worship as uncouth, uncivilized or, you know, the thing that uneducated people do. And this has also been indoctrinated to us in our education, right? Because our education is also colonial. So every time like you have, I'm sure you have read somewhere that, you know, even in our own books that the people, ancient people worshiped Sun because they did not understand its power, right? And so the idea is that the only reason you worship something is because you don't understand it. And so it becomes a myth. And so therefore science becomes a way to dispelling that myth. And, you know, Christianity brought us to the light. And so the old gods lost the power. This is all very, very standard European Christian commentary. This is how they understand their own past. And their present, which is Christian and then eventually post-Christian. So now they use that same..Shalini: So they project that on our system.Neha: Exactly, exactly. So they project that on our system. Because for them, when they look at, say, Kanchi matham, right, it looks very organized. It looks a little bit centralized. The priests over there are learned. They talk in, you know, high philosophy. And so on, and they can, you know, hold themselves up to any debate. They are, you know, they're experts in science, math, whatever you want them to be. And so this is like, you know, high philosophy is revered, revered as, exalted culture, more civil. And so they see reflections of their Orthodox church in this. And then they look, few villages down, they look at the common villager, who is, you know, just showing pure Bhakti to the Devi. He is also following Tantra. Here is the thing, right, even these temples, the Kula Devi temples are also established as per Agama Tantra. So these, these are still very much rituals that have been told to us, passed down generations of generations through sadhakas, through practical, practical knowledge, right? But because in, in these, to these external observers, it does not appear connected, you know, because unless you are completely disconnected and you're doing some high-falutin philosophy, you're not like, you know, learned enough. So you have to talk in abstract. Suddenly, when you translate that to actual rituals, it becomes old and childish and, and, you know, superstitious and what not. So this dichotomy from their own society, they project on ours. And that's exactly what happens when they look at these traditions.So when they look at the grama traditions, and here is the thing, Dharma clearly says there are many, many acharams, right? There is Vedachar and there is Lokachar, right? And there is not, it is not like a hierarchy. It is not like Vedachar is better than Lokachar. Both are absolutely important. And it is the context that defines which, you know, acharam has to be used and in which circumstance. And so this is, you know, these, all of these interconnectedness is only understood, a lot of this, like even you and I, a lot of us understand this implicitly because we've grown up in this tradition. And, you know, one basic requirement of Indology is that if you've grown up in the tradition, then you're not qualified to speak on it. Because that's the, again, the colonial lens, right? Like, if you're a brown person, you can't possibly be objective in to look at your tradition correctly. Of course, white people can look at white, white culture correctly, but brown people, you know, we have some racial defect. And that's why we can never be objective about our culture unless we prove it to them by proving our atheism first.So all of this, you know, this is a very clever structure created so that their lens remains dominant. So even when a brown person enters these, you know, these academic institutions, you have to prove that your way of thinking has been whitened enough. And that is why they are completely unable to understand these traditions and the beauty of this, this continuity of this tradition, right? Like tantra, whether it's Agama Tantra or Dakshinacharya Tantra or whatever kind of Tantra is learned knowledge. It's practical learned knowledge, like some, you know, great upasaka did years and years and decades of sadhana, found like a point where equally in fact, it is said that there are many Tantric upasakas who have reached a stage where they can access their past lives upasana also. So all of the things that they learned in their past lives, they can collect, remember all of those memories, right? And then they have a bigger picture. And then they try to bring that bigger picture and they try to give you the rules of how to do that for yourself, right? Like they can't just disseminate the secret, you won't understand. So you have to kind of just, they can only show you a path that doing these things in this particular order through this method will lead you somewhere where you can see the truth for yourself.That's Tantra, right? So that's the marg, that's the path that has been given to you. Now it may or may not, Tantra basically distills all of this down to a process. Whereas the Vedanta and other Darshanas, they are more focused on the philosophical end goal. So there is a little bit more philosophy associated with these other paths and less with Tantra, but that does not make these local understanding that we have learned over and built up over generations and generations less valuable, right? And that is exactly how every Indigenous culture has it, right? There is a reason why North American Indigenous people and even Africans, they had so much importance to the elders, right? To the ancient ones, the wisdom of the elders.Why was it valued? It wasn't just a quality of age, that wisdom followed from generation to generation. It was imparted by the ancestors to their future generations when the people felt ready.Rekha: Now this dichotomy, maybe you can analyze the visuals of Holi using this dichotomy too, right? Because Holi being so colorful and so visually appealing, I do know that a lot of photographers converge on Vrindavan just to take photographs of this spectacle and then publish it across the world. But I think a lot of this dichotomy comes into play there also and it has been commercialized quite a bit is what I hear. Neha: Oh absolutely. So you know, the dominant image in the mind of the West is when you are civilized, when you are wise, you are not, you behave a certain way, right? Like, you know, how British were, you were all stuck up and then you know, you behave like you have to act proper and whatever. And so if you're not doing that, right? If you're literally just having fun, that's lack of civilization, right? Lack of civility. And we've learned that even in our minds, we have at some point integrated that.So if somebody is behaving like they're just very, you know, acting very demure and very, you know, quiet and not letting their emotions out, all of that is a mark of manners or civility. And every time you let your hair down and like if you're angry, you're yelling, if you're, you know, happy, you're laughing boldly, all of that is, is, you know, lack of, you know, decorum. So we've learned those behaviors. Rekha: Nehaji, we often see pictures from Mathura and Vrindavan for Holi. Yeah. So is this like the center where it all started and what kind of celebrations are usually done in these places? Neha: Oh, actually, I mean, I don't know if it started there, but it's definitely a very important focal point of the Holi traditions in North India. And the part of the reason is because all of when you, when you listen to Shri Krishna's Rasleela stories, Holi actually plays a very interesting part there. In fact, it comes, the reference comes from his Balakanda to the time he is doing the Rasleela. Yeah. So in fact, because Krishna's birthplace and place where he grew up, are so central to the areas around Mathura, so Mathura, Vrindavan and NandGaon and all of these, they are very, you know, they celebrate the Krishna connection also during those Holi celebrations. So, in fact, when Vrindavan Holi is so very, very famous, in fact, if you just Google it as a most, you know, the most of the Westerners are fascinated by this particular Holi celebration. And I even know of people who try to visit Mathura specifically just to witness the Holi. And so it's actually fairly elaborate. And one of the, this is actually worth mentioning, Vrindavan's Holi lasts for seven days. And just the color playing part. So like the playing part lasts seven days. Everywhere else, we have one day of Holika Dahan, which is the bonfire ritual, and the next day is the playing colors part. But Vrindavan, the thing goes on for a week. And the first Holi in that day is called Laatmaar Holi, right, and translates to being beaten by a stick Holi. And there is, there is actually a legend behind it. So what happened is, it's part of Rasleela stories of Sri Krishna. So Sri Krishna, who hailed it from Nandgaon, he was visiting Radha in Barsana, which is where she used to live. So he was visiting her. Radha and her friends in Barsana on Holi. And he teased Radha and the other gopis so much, right, that they got really annoyed and they started hitting him, him and his friends with a stick and they chased him out of the city. So it's part of the whole like the Rasleela, the play, and he used to be like a notorious prankster, right. So you would run away with the clothes and whatnot. So he was here teasing them and playing pranks on them a lot. And so they got very annoyed. And so they chased him out of the city. So in sync with that legend, now men from Nandgaon will visit Barsana every year, you know, being acting like their Krishna story. And then the Barsana women will basically beat them up with lathis.Shalini: It happens to this day? It happens to this day?Neha: Exactly. So in fact, now this tradition has spread outside Barsana also, in many places they do this. But that is the, that is the role play that's happening, right. So they are Krishna's friends, the men act like Krishna's friends visiting the gopis and the women act like the women of Barsana act like they are the gopis. And so they basically, you know, reenact that scene. And this especially happens outside the Radharani temple in Barsana, like that's the specific part. And this is one of the most famous temples dedicated to Radha Ma in India. And then obviously you sing and dance and you know, we are very happy people. We drink thandai and all sorts of sweets are eaten and nuts and all of that fun stuff happens. But then one of the other days is Phoolon wali Holi where you play with flowers. Then there is another day where the people play with mud. It's not pleasant but it happens. And then the actual colors Holi. And in fact, Shalini: That makes it for three more. Three, four, one is flowers, one is the mud. Neha: Yeah. And one is colors four and I think the three more. Yeah, I don't remember exactly.Shalini: But these are very interesting, very interesting. Rekha: But but at the same time, there is a lot of shock value or, you know, some kind of an intrinsic value in all these visuals, right? You do see international media using a lot of the Holi and then, you know, coming to something like the widows of Vrindavan. You see that every year the media puts these very nice colorful pictures which I believe are actually sold by the international media. INeha: In fact, it's big, it's big money. Like a right picture can the copyrights can be translated throughout the world and it can actually make like quite a decent sum. So photographers from around the world gather around and then the, you know, they will just take captionless photos. And then the caption is added by the whoever is looking at the picture. So actually, you brought the brought up widows of Vrindavan. I actually have a Twitter thread where I analyze this! Ever since I joined Twitter. This was 2009. I've been noticing these headlines, right? “Widows of Vrindavan break taboo, break tradition and celebrate Holi!”. Now I actually did an analysis. I just take this phrase “widows of Vrindavan play Holi” and I append a year to it, right? And you can see these stories coming back from all the way up to 2012. So it's been 10 years and every year apparently, those widows break tradition and celebrate Holi and, you know, they break taboo and celebrate Holi. Every year they will announce it as if it's a new thing. So that just makes you question, was that ever a taboo in the first place or is just a myth that media has created that they just like to break because it's a catchy headline? Well, so this is absolutely like it makes a lot of money and from you can find those articles from, you know, they get sent through those news agencies like ANI and then they republished internationally. It's big money. Some of those photos can actually fetch you a very pretty penny, especially like there's so many aerial shots of those of Vrindavan Holi too these days, a lot of them like so. In fact, if you go to during Holi time, if you go to Vrindavan, you'll see a flock of international photographers over there just trying to get those pictures. Rekha: No concerns of privacy? I mean, I'm just wondering for the western world is so big on privacy, but is there no compunction in you know, preying on somebody's personal space. Neha: I very much doubt that they get these contracts like the privacy waiver signed. Exactly.Rekha: You know, let's talk a little bit about the colors. So these colors, there are some typical colors that are used predominantly. I see most of the people using a kind of a magenta color. Neha: So yes, so that pink is very common. The most common probably is pink. And then yellow is very common. Then nowadays, so almost every color on the spectrum, you can find you can find like light blue, powder blues. And even these days, pastels have come into fad. Also organic colors are appearing nowadays. This is interesting.Rekha: This is an interesting variation. So initially, I think we didn't need an organic color because because obviously all color was organic. Flowers and herbs is what I hear. And that specific bright colors that were made from the powder of certain dried flowers. Is that right?Neha: Yes, exactly. So the yellow was actually a mix of turmeric and marigold. And I don't remember the pink came also from a flower. But these days, so they could become a much brighter pink, at least that's what my nani used to say. But yeah, the definitely some colors are more predominant. Although nowadays, again, most of it is made being manufactured in factories. So you get pretty much every color there is. Shalini: Yeah, there's so much of talk about these being chemical colors and not very good for the skin and all. How much truth is there in that?Neha: growing up, I did have at least some like at least for a couple of years, there definitely was some sort of adulterated color coming into the market that was harsh on the skin. But these days, people are like too aware and especially depending on, but here is the thing, you can't control what color gets put on you. You can buy good colors. But then if somebody else buys whatever colors, then you're at the mercy of that person. But again, I think like cheaper colors as usual, you'll find some adulteration there. But mostly nowadays, there are big companies, just like the fireworks for Diwali, there are big companies dedicated to doing this. So if you buy like those brands or if you make at home, sometimes I've seen people starting to make themselves by grinding flowers. So those options are also there. But you find like very easy to find safe colors, to be honest.Shalini: Okay, so now you play with these colors, what do you do to take them off?Neha: That is this mystery thing called Ubtan. Yeah, I'm glad that you asked about removing the colors. So that's a whole entire exercise in itself. So basically, we make this very gooey paste made of all organic elements found at home. So you take either besan, which is ground chickpea flour, or you take wheat flour, your regular aata, and you mix haldi in it. And you put like turmeric, and you put oil, and you put water. Now, it should be a little bit more on the watery side, because you want it to be sticky. But the oil is there so that it removes well also, like when it comes up, all of it should come off. But if you have less oil, then it won't stick long enough. So the point is that you stick, and it's also used during the wedding ceremonies, by the way, after Haldi. So when you do the Haldi ceremony, it's actually Haldi and oil ceremony. So one round is done with Haldi, one round is done with oil, and then Ubtan is applied. And so the Haldi is, etc., is taken off by the Ubtan. And the idea is that obviously, it's very good for your skin, because putting turmeric is very, very nourishing for the skin. But also that consistency of the Ubtan, it brings out all the impurities of the skin. So in this case, that being colors. So colors come off very nicely with Ubtan, for the most part, unless you're, I'm talking about those my naughty cousins who actually pour that nasty chemical thing on my head, those ones don't come out easily. But the powder ones come off very easily, like with Ubtan, you know, between Ubtan and shower are fully covered, like you won't even, people won't even realize that you played Holi. Shalini: Okay, so I was just going to ask about that, you know, does it go in one day or it takes a few days to get rid of these colors? Again, powder? I can work with remnants of the color, you know, at the next day, it's not all good. Rekha: I call it a post-Holi glow, you know, you can always pick that on people. Neha: 100% there is a post-Holi glow, because you're so tired and you're so happy and you're so well fed by the end of this all, that you know, there's a post-Holi glow. But, but jokes aside, honestly, if you're playing only with powder or even with like, you know, diluted colors mixed in water, all of it comes out in one day for the most part. Unless you've been pranked with the thing on your head, then it will take a while. But I actually remember one of my best friends in school, she had like, you know, normal brown hair, but it's a slightly lighter color than the complete black hair that we usually have. So her hair was slightly brownish. And one time she came back after playing Holi and I kid you not, when she stood in the sunlight, her hair looked pink. This when we were not allowed to color our hair, because we were young children back then. So I think you got like a free hair color when there's not a lot of costs involved. But just things like that happen. Again, it completely depends on like the kind of Holi you play and you know, the type of people that, you know, come to your place to play with you. But for the most part, like, powder color 100% comes off with Ubtan. And it's also very good for your skin. So any kind of this harsh chemical or whatever, right? Like if you do the Ubtan treatment afterwards, it also kind of takes care of that. Like, and as I said early on, you have to be careful and put oil before you go out. And that way it will stain on your skin less if you have oil on your skin. Yeah, so for the most part, it comes out. Rekha: This is insider information.Neha: Absolutely. Shalini: So what a rollicking time we've had, you know, but I think now, I think you should speak about your foundation, Nehaji. What prompted you to start the foundation? What do you do? What are your projects, please? Neha: Yeah, absolutely. You know, that's a Shaktitva Foundation is a labor of love. It started around 2018, had to slow it down a couple for the last couple of years because of COVID and, you know, bereavement and family. But essentially, the original idea behind it, it's a decolonial, indigenous, feminist organization. And what I mean by that and this decoloniality and indigeneity approach from a Hindu perspective. So what essentially that means is this actually started around the same time when Shalini Ji you and I met for the first time. This was like the aftermath of Sabarimala. And, you know, we, I'm sure like all three of us were part of it in some way or the other. But one thing that became very obvious in the aftermath or during the Sabarimala protest for all of us Hindu women was that somehow our voice was being erased, right? This entire war was being fought in our name, right? Suddenly it was a Hindus versus women, you know, and the Hindu women were the least heard of all people. If you remember, like we were not allowed on TV debate, we were not, our opinions were considered, you know, fringe by some exactly some miracle, like, you know, majority of women were suddenly fringe. Anybody who basically did not agree with the five feminists of Delhi was fringe, right? So that that erasure is what led to the frustration that eventually led to the inspiration from my calling this Shaktitva Foundation. So the idea was that, you know, our voices need to have a place and not just the voice of a Hindu woman in India, but also this, the immigrant Hindu woman in growing up in America, right, or living in America. And the same thing that you know, because what happens is if we don't speak up, somebody else takes the mic and starts speaking for us, right? Whether we are the subaltern and whether we are an unrepresented group, if people don't speak up for their own groups, their names are misused and, you know, activists kind of take up that mantle of speaking on behalf of us, even if that is not the majority opinion, or even they forget the majority opinion, even if it is not even a minority opinion, then this will happen. And so we wanted to kind of set up a space where we can bring forth the lived experiences of a Hindu woman from the point of view of what we just did, right? Like we were talking about Holi from the lived experience of a person who has participated in it. And not just that, it's not just isolated to my personal experience, but also I try to kind of dive into the, when we do the research. If you see, a lot of people actually write for us, the articles and the work that we do focuses on bringing forth the original, authentic, indigenous meaning behind the things. And the reason is India and by extension, the South Asian activism circles is full of people who almost are kind of like the people who have been left behind by the colonialists, right? It's almost that they wanted to be taken with them, you know, ‘why did you leave us behind' sort of frustration that you see in these activists. And so they look at every time they sort of create this, you know, unnecessary rift in the society, it's because they're looking at things from a colonial lens, whether it is they're getting angry at Sabarimala tradition or it's not a concern for women that led to the creation of that controversy, right? It was that, you know, it is a colonial view. We must so that the colonial white man saviourism has appointed these brown saviours. And so they're now going to save Hinduism from Hindus, essentially. That's what's happening. So they're taking up for that, that colonial mantle of reform, and they're imposing all of these ideas on us in order to get some name and fame and they become those these heroes of who saved the women from oppressive Hinduism and so on. So whether it's the Sabarimala question, whether it is the Jallikattu again, no concern for actual animals or anything like that, whether it's the elephant controversy or whether it's in North India, the Kavadia controversy. Now they'll say these are rowdy men. Kavadiya men in Kavadia is the same when they become rowdy. 10 minutes later when farm laws happened, the same men who were actually doing Kavadia minutes before these are the oppressed category of farmers.So there is no rhyme or reason to it. So exactly that the point was that, you know, we wanted to create a space where Hindu women could find their voice and essentially take up that narrative and clear it up from their side. So we do a whole host of things. There's one is very important aspect is research driven articles like this one on Holi. I've done another one on Rakshabandhan and there's many more that are coming, not just on festivals, we also do on general issues and so on. And there is the other aspect of on-the-ground activism where we sort of try to help groups. So for example, we did a workshop with Bhutanese Hindu refugees who are living in America, especially the kids. And we did a workshop there about Dharma and specifically with the girls, about menstruation because menstruation is - like the menstrual restrictions are very strictly followed in Nepali and Bhutanese communities. And that becomes a very important propaganda point for missionaries to try to convert these kids. So we wanted to present the honest truth of why these rituals exist, like why are these menstrual restrictions are at all present in the culture and what are the significance, not prescribing them or, you know, or denying them, just presenting the truth of it. After that, it's up to you. Like as is always the case in Dharma. And similarly, we also did a project for to focus on the domestic violence survivors, Indian origin domestic violence survivors in America.That so we're trying to sort of create a space where we can dispel the fake issues and focus on the real issues and essentially, you know, move forward with that mindset.Shalini: So is this an initiative only driven only by you or is are you a team of a few people?Neha: No, we are a team of we're a team of a few people. We have few directors and after that, there is an advisory board. So the details can be found that also volunteers that work at different levels. Some of them are, for example, interested in conducting those workshops that I spoke about in their areas for a specific group. So we sort of arm them with the content and we help them and train those volunteers for those spaces. There's also like several other projects that are in the works just COVID kind of, you know, through a wrench and all of them. But but we're trying to sort of bring it up again. Hopefully this year, you should see a lot more action.Shalini: Sure. This sounds very empowering and well, such a misused word, but for lack of a better word, empowering our own women, you know, Neha: So we'll actually, I'll actually end with the quote. somehow it dawned on me while I was sitting in Sadhana. You know, I said, Hindu women are embodiments of Shakti and you do not empower Shakti, you bow before it. So that's why the name is Shaktitva, which is the essence of being Shakti. Now, this is not to be construed with this modern new agey idea of, you know, I am princess, I am a goddess type, you know, the wrong notions. No, we are talking about like a very sacred channeling of the divine energy that can happen when you are you know, when you are really devoted to your gods and your faith and to your culture and the indigeneity of it all. Like it's not, these terms almost seem to have become like negative terms, honestly, in the western space. But for, you know, as an indigenous person, it's all the same. It's a spectrum. These words are not disconnected at all. Rekha: Nehaji, I'm looking at your website. And there is a scheme, there is something called the Gayatri grants. Is that still operational? Is that something that can be used to encourage young people to write for you?Neha: Oh, absolutely. Yes. So Gayatri grants are not just even for writing. Even if there was a proposal that like that somebody wants to take up like a more elaborate research project towards anything, you know, towards something that brings together that aligns with the mission of Shaktitva. We are more than happy to sort of sponsor that activity because research itself, you know, is expensive. And, you know, so we want to encourage through this grant system, we want to encourage people to apply for, you know, proposals and come up with ideas because, as I said, like it's very difficult for one person to or a few people to cover the breadth of this issue. So if there is even if there's something very simple as you notice that there is a tradition that is unexplored, and it aligns with our mission, and you want to research it, you know, please submit a grant to us, grant proposal to us, the template is provided on the website. So you just have to fill that template up and send us a proposal and we'll evaluate it. And hopefully, like we can come up with a collaboration.Rekha: Can you tell us the name of the website for all the listeners? We will also be providing links to the website on our transcript. But can you just mention the name please?Neha: Yeah, it's Shaktitva.org. S-H-A-K-T-I, Shakti. And then, Shaktitva.org.Shalini: Great. Yeah, so I think we've had a one hell of a ride with you, Nehaji. It's been absolutely exhilarating, I would say. And I think this episode will not stay at 35, 40 minutes, but that's okay. But I think even our listeners will find it extremely engaging and beautiful too. So I think I'm absolutely floored by your quote. I would like you to end once more with the quote that you just mentioned and then we'll call it wraps. Neha: Absolutely. So the way we mentioned it is that Hindu women are embodiments of Shakti. You do not empower Shakti, you bow before it.Shalini: And with that, I think we come to the end of this edition of our podcast, and we will connect with our listeners in a fortnight's time. Thank you. Thank you, Nehaji. Thank you very much for spending so much time with us and giving us one grand experience of Holi. Thank you so much and thank you, Rekha, and we will meet with our listeners soon. Namaste. Get full access to Hindu Parenting at hinduparenting.substack.com/subscribe
In this episode, we talk about the festival of Holi with our special guest Neha who is the founder of Shaktitva.org.In this episode, we participate and soak in the reminiscences of Neha ji as she recounts her memories of playing Holi in India, growing up.General InformationSubscribers are requested to look for The Hindu Parenting notification emails for new podcasts/posts in their email promotions/spam tab and personally move these into the main inbox. Thereafter all posts will be delivered to their main inbox. Thank you!For questions that you'd like us to address, please use the form below:Hindu Parenting QuestionsFor comments and suggestions, please use the comments tab or write to us at contact@hinduparenting.orgPlease note that questions will not be answered on email.Do subscribe to our substack and follow us on our social media handlesTwitter: hinduparentingInstagram: hinduparentingTelegram: t.me/hinduparentingFacebook: facebook.com/groups/hinduparentingTranscriptRekha: Namaste. Welcome to the Hindu Parenting Podcast. Today, we will speak about the festival of Holi. Holi is celebrated on the full moon Purnima in the month of Phalgun as per the Hindu calendar.To help us understand the traditions, the stories and the issues surrounding the festival, we have a special guest today, Neha Ji, who is the founder of Shaktitva Foundation, a Devi Upasaka and many things besides. She is also a software engineer. Namaste, Neha Ji.Neha: Namaste, everyone. Really glad that you chose me to be here. Holi is definitely one of the top two festivals that we celebrate in North India and I'm glad to share it with you all.Rekha: Oh, we are very happy to have you on our podcast too. So this being a special Holi episode, could you tell us a little bit about your childhood memories? Where did you grow up?Neha: Yeah, so I actually am born and raised in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. As you can imagine, that's like the heart of what they call the Hindi heartland. So, you know, we have a very, very elaborate celebration of Holi. Like the anticipation starts building up honestly from like right after Basant Panchami. Holi and Diwali are the two major festivals where everything comes together. For the Western audience, I often compare that to like we have, this is like our Christmas. It's that big. So yeah, I grew up in Lucknow and Holi was like when we were even like younger, like Holi and Diwali are the two times when you definitely get new clothes. That's a guarantee. You may or may not get on your birthday or any other occasion, but these two, you are definitely going to get new clothes. You know, the growing up we, you know, the fondest memories are that most of my cousins who are usually busy with their, you know, daily lives, they're working in different cities and so on. They'll all they choose the Holi vacations to come to the hometown. And we had like a joint family sort of a setup. So we would get relatives we hadn't seen in, you know, months, sometimes even years, who will come over to celebrate with us. Shalini: Nehaji, so is there a concept of Holi vacations in the north? I've not heard of that. Neha: Absolutely. Yeah, yeah. Absolutely. Yeah. So like for example, right now, my niece has her board exam starting on 27th here. That is Monday, but she will get five days off around Holi. Shalini: Wow, really? This is news to me. I didn't know that, you know, there are vacations for Holi also. Neha: And in fact, my other niece is in the engineering school right now and she is getting her 10 day off. Shalini: 10 days for Holi? That's so lovely. I thinkNeha: what they do is they integrate Holi with whatever their summer like semester break is. So that it happens at the same time. So they say the same as spring break, right? But in this scenario, spring break and Holi are done together. Yeah, so we have this, people would come like, as you said, as because you get these longer vacations to take time to go back to family, if you're not living with them, also the preparations in the household start honestly, even months before. So there is this, so when you're celebrating Holi in the middle of it, like, you know, you're drenched in colors and you get hungry. But you can't sit down to eat your regular food, right? What are you going to eat? Because you're only literally like dripping with colors. So we have to prepare, you have to prepare snacks, right? That are like, that are sort of, you know, homemade fried snacks. So the sweets are offerings, you can eat those.So what we call Gujiya. But other than that, you can, the ladies will start preparing chips and papad. So chips is mostly potato chips, but also other kinds of chips. And papads, so I am sure if you don't know the process of making chips requires you, you know, slice the potatoes in a certain thickness, you lay it all to be dried in the sun. And only then for many, many days, and only then it's ready. Same is the story with papad. So for papad, like, aloo papad is easier, like potato papad is easier. But if you're making papad from tapioca, sabudana, then that one, you have to make that paste, spread it really thin on a plastic, and then again, put it out in the sun to soak, to dry. And if it's not dry, it's not going to fry. Okay, so this is a very, very elaborate process that's taken up almost weeks before. Like, I am sure like back in India right now, the process has started in my home. Shalini: So this all this happens even now? Neha: Yeah. I mean, it's honestly, it kind of depends on the person. Like, you know, you can be as, you know, you can do as much of this as you want. And sometimes you obviously the replacements are available in the market. So if you don't have time to make papad and chips, you can always buy them. But you know, you're talking about memories. So this was definitely, you know, in the, every family and every sister in law, mother in law that I knew whether it was a working lady or not, they're coming back and even entire families involved. To be honest, like my brother used to boil potatoes. And we used to help them, help them spread. Because it's a lot of work, you know, like one person can't do it. So literally, you know, kids will get involved. And also, it's fun because like we're not now all hanging around it and maybe we get to take a bite of it uncooked and raw. And then your tummy will hurt. But you know, children will be children. Shalini: Sounds like a whole load of fun, really.Neha: Yeah, it's a very, very elaborate process. So this is this starts weeks before then you have to plan for the, you know, the actual Holi, so you have to buy colors in advance and so on. And then if sometimes, you know, daughters will visit their Maika, like their mother's home with their husband, if they're local, usually, if they're local. So during the playing time, them, them and their, so usually what happens, you play for a little bit in your home. And then sometimes you, if you have local relatives, you kind of do a tour, you know, like you go to those other houses and play.So sometimes daughters will visit and then, you know, mothers will get very anxious that oh, she's going to visit. So now we have to prepare all of the stuff that has to be given to her and all that fun. So it gets like, you know, the preparations take a while. Then the day before Holi is the Holika Dahan. We'll talk a little bit more in detail about it. But that is the sort of the, it's very similar to how the day before Diwali is. So the Naraka Chaturadashi, that and this one is very similar where you basically the idea is that you clean your house, get all the impurities out of the house. And in this time, we actually put those impurities and burn it in the bonfire. So it's kind of like an evil warding ritual, right. And there is a mythological reason behind it or like I don't want to call it mythological, it's a legendary reason behind it. Shalini: Yeah. Okay. So and then after the, after the, I think the next day is the playing with colours, no? And then what happens after, after all the masti is over? Neha: And then you have to clean up yourself. Shalini: Is that something people looked forward to? Neha: No, no, no, that's the worst part obviously. And depending on how, you know, how, how should I say, how naughty your cousins and friends are, that will increase the intensity of the cleanup. So usually like if you're playing with dry powder colours, which is like Gulal is what we call it in Hindi, those are relatively easier to clean up. Like you can just shower and shampoo and it's more or less it cleans up fast. But these days, sometimes you start getting those wet colours, right? So you mix those, it comes taken a very crystallised form powder and you mix it in the water and then it becomes coloured water. So you throw water at each other. Again, that, that can also relatively get cleaned up. But the naughty part is now at least my brothers used to do this and I am, if you've never met me, but I'm short. So what they'll do is they'll get that entire box of the crystals and put it on my head, dry, not with water. So when I'm shampooing, now this thing is dissolving. So that's when it starts to dissolve and I get freshly coated as I'm shampooing because I'm showering. So for like hours, the water has to run from my head so that the colour and will keep coming out and out and out. So sometimes I'm actually more colourful after the shower than before the shower. So it depends. Rekha: It's a diabolical plan. Neha: People get very creative on Holi. So you must have heard like, you know, neighborhood boy, little young boys will, you know, or boys and girls in fact both. They'll make those balloons filled with water and they'll, you know, throw those from roof tops. The two tease, tease people, we all get yelled at for it. But you know, kids being kids. And then there's also like, sometimes the, some of the friends will hide on the balcony and they will target the people who are coming to the house, right? Like, so if you're knocking and if the balcony faces the door, you're standing on the balcony, hoping to not be noticed. And as soon as the, as you come to knock, we all pour, you know, colour from on top of you. But the fun part, you know, another interesting thing is Holi is in fact, there is an entire genre of songs, traditional folk songs about Holi. And then you'll notice a theme in there. Right? Those are very, very naughty songs. And by naughty, I mean, like, usually there is a, you know, a decorum of how you talk to people or how you behave with certain relations, right? So for example, you know, the daughter's husband is like a sort of a celebrity, like a mini celebrity in the daughter's home. So like, there's like a certain decorum, like, you know, you want to offer the best food to him and you want to treat him special. And also same thing with, you know, elders and some in law relationships are also like that, like daughters in law will be very respectful to brothers in law and so on. Yeah. But on Holi, we call it like, you know, all sins are forgiven. So, so there is a, in fact, there's a slogan called bura na mano Holi hai. Don't mind. So I have permission that I have. I have an implicit permission to, you know, break those barriers. So what that means is if I am a younger sister, usually I'll be very respectful towards my older brother or older sister. But on Holi, I can actually play all these tricks on them and they're not allowed to get angry at me.And the same thing, it will even transcend those boundaries of marriages and custom, you know, so like daughters in law will sometimes play pranks on their, you know, in fact, their mother-in-law or like even their brother-in-law and so on. So that kind of license to, you know, be completely free and enjoy the festival in your, you know, in your natural form. And that like, that laughter and joy that, you know, uncontrolled or rather uninhibited joy is what actually brings the beauty of the festival.Rekha: An opportunity to let off some steam also, right? Neha: Exactly, exactly. So people look forward to it. You know, if you've been, sometimes, like, you know, if you've had some say, let's say you've had a fight with your sister-in-law, you know, you haven't been seeing eye to eye, Holi is the time where you get to be, you know, where you get to talk about it. Or maybe that is exactly because she's not allowed to get upset. So there are songs, entire songs dedicated on how, you know, bura na mano Holi hai theme, essentially. Okay. Rekha: This part is so cultural. I, anybody who's not part of this culture, who hasn't seen it growing up, will have some trouble relating to it. And a chance of misinterpreting this is very high, I feel. Neha: Oh, absolutely. In fact, in fact, this is known, right? For example, if somebody even from other parts of India has moved recently to some part of North India, and they see it for the first time, you know, it will, in fact, appear weirdly rowdy. Oh, my God, what are these, you know, people who appear. It's honestly, we're having so much fun that sometimes we look drunk, but we're not. But like, but if people like so, like, you know, uninhibited that you would feel that they may be like high on something.And you'll see groups of these extremely colored people, you know, wearing weirdo clothes, walking around with bags of color in their hands and throwing it at random strangers and yelling, bura na mano Holi hai, it sounds very uncultured, right? And in fact, it's very common for you, like, maybe you're not expecting to be colored, but you know, suddenly somebody throws color at you and something like that can happen. And it can sometimes be a little off-putting. But you have to understand this is a very, very, Holi is probably one of the most authentic indigenous festivals that has maintained its nature throughout the, you know, two waves of colonization and even this modern, you know, fad of westernization. We have sort of at least Holi preserves that original authentic character.So, you know, it started off in villages where everybody knew everybody. So, first of all, like that, there was this implied sense of relationship, even if it wasn't blood relations. And then so they first sort of this was like a community level function, right? And that uninhibition or lack of inhibition can be a little, you know, I would even say jarring, which is why, you know? Shalini: Disconcerting…Neha: Yeah, exactly. Disconcerting or even maybe jarring, which is why you start seeing these, you know, tweets of hyper-civilized, hyper-westernized or colonized people tweeting about, oh my God, this is so rowdy, this is so rowdy. You know, I've even, I've even heard toxic masculinity pop up, but like, you know, if you see my behavior, then it's also very toxic masculinity on that day. But no, but I think, you know, but of course, there is at the same time, whenever you have some festival like this, there'll always be elements that try to misuse it and, you know, pull that off. But that's not the nature of the festival. Like you can't change a festival because there are criminal elements in the society. Shalini: Oh yeah, that's true. Yeah, absolutely. Neha: But yeah, to your point, you know, it is, it can be, you know, a little bit shocking, but that's also why so many people are attracted to this festival. Like in fact, I live in New York and, you know, ever since I moved here, I know that there is a grand Holi celebration that happens in New York. And there is a, I've actually even participated in a couple of them. Obviously, we can't do it on the actual date because it's too cold. So then the holy celebration in New York is delayed and usually happens in like May. And we book an entire park and have a sport park is booked for celebration and the colors are sold in the stalls right there. There is Indian dancers performing and there's like snacks and everything like it. They try to recreate that experience to the extent possible because it's just so intoxicating in that sense. If you see it vicariously, you want to be a part of it.Shalini: It's, I think that freedom to let go of any inhibitions is something very tempting for everybody no. I mean, you're always living a very rule bound, boundaries, not to violate them, which is, of course, I think required too, but this one occasion to let go is something very attractive.Neha: It creates that balance. Otherwise, we are a fairly conservative society. We live by so many rules that are implied and that sometimes are not even written somewhere, but we have these social norms and the society is very strongly structured around those rules that we have followed for millennia. So this one day where you get to be yourself and have fun and tease and play and be naughty and all of that and play pranks on people that otherwise would get upset is an amazing experience. It just lets you be. It creates that balance that is, I think, very necessary for us to survive. Rekha: Nehaji, in many ways, I wish I had known this growing up because I grew up mostly in South India and had spent a couple of years in Bihar in Patna. And I must tell you that my first Holi there was very unsettling for me because I had no background of Holi, witnessing Holi at all. And you're right. I did see many people wandering around looking colorful. It's just this whole thing. It makes you quite unsettled. And I just wish I had known this to understand it in its proper spirit then. Shalini: Correct. Actually, yeah, even I remember while growing up, Holi was one festival where we would get afraid. It was a bit fear inducing because you don't know who will jump out from where to throw those colors. Even I grew up in the South. So there was a sense of fear associated with Holi. It's just that you're not used to somebody coming and rubbing so much color on you and you looking like a ghoul after that.Rekha: We have all these concepts now of personal space and things like that that we have grown up with because we have internalized them so much. Maybe the modern Western thinking that we all grew up with. So Holi is one occasion that doesn't leave you with this concept of personal space. And that's what I remember thinking back then. But then it's always the lens with which you view these things. And knowing what I know now, it just seems like I should have relaxed and participated.Neha: So I think there's one more thing though. There is an important, you bring up a very important point. I think what I have noticed personally and I may be biased and if your experience is different, I'd be happy to hear it out. But from what my experience says, if I am passing by, you're all in the mood. And if I notice somebody who's clearly telling with me with their body language that they don't want to participate, then most people will leave them alone actually.Unless there's somebody trying to create nuisance, people will generally leave them alone. But of course, if you are participating, like if you're fully colored and you have a bag in your hands, even then I've seen like usually, especially with women and women you don't know, if somebody wants to play with you, they'll come and ask first, is it okay, didi, if I put color on you, something like that. So that kind of respect is still there. We don't completely forget who we are. But again, like, as you said, like, you know, very correctly observed that it's all about the lens that you see it from. If you weren't scared, and if you were willing to participate, the experience may be actually very beautiful. Shalini: It is, because the figure I remember listening to you, it sounds like real, you know, letting your hair down completely, you know, so much. But we never got this perspective growing up, you know, so, Neha: yeah, because your family wasn't participating. Yeah, I think that's the difference, right? Like when you start, like from like in the morning on the color playing day, you're actually not supposed to start playing unless you've offered color to the gods and then to the elders. So I was the youngest and I was obviously the most excited also to play holy. So the first thing I'll do the moment I get up, I'll brush my teeth, and mom will try to put some breakfast out, but I'm not interested. And I will, you know, wear whatever clothes have your marks to be destroyed by Holi. I'll wear those. And then I will put like a plate of all the various colors. And I'll go to the puja room, put it on the gods, offer it to the gods and come back and wake up every family member and put a tika on them so that, you know, I can start playing. So as soon as possible, like even if you have not woken up, the tika will be there because I need to go. So I'll, you know, once I'm ready and all the other cousins from other family and we used to live in a sort of joint family setting. So then I'll go around the rest of the place, offering the same thing. And then, you know, of course, every single time I had to be reminded that I should put oil on my body first. So we'll take mustard oil and we'll put it earlier so that it stains less, like the color stains less if you put oil. So we'll drench ourselves with mustard oil, including the hair, and then you wear those clothes. And so you've already, the moment I enter, you know, I'm prepared for what's about to ensue.So it starts like that, like it starts simple and all the, you know, every single family I'll visit, they'll have snacks on the table ready somewhere, hopefully outside where you don't have to walk too much inside too late. Otherwise you'll just, you know, spill colors everywhere. So they'll, whatever is their visitor's area, they'll put out like a whole plate of snacks right there and they'll offer you, oh, and then as I said mentioned, like, you know, that special sweet has to be prepared, Gujiya. So that is also a night. So in some families, there's a culture that you have to prepare it the night before, after the holika has burned, like that holika dahan has happened, that bonfire has happened. And that's also a decently elaborate ritual.So mostly all of the family would be involved in that also. So it's made from, like from Maida, which is like, you know, filtered wheat flour, and you use Maida and you add, like, you know, flatten it into a small puri. And then you fill it with a sweet mixture of milk solids, like the mawa. And before that, you have to fry mawa to a golden brown color, and then you add dry fruits in it and powdered sugar or gold, like jaggery. And so that mixture is prepared, that is the filling of that Gujiya. And then you seal it up in a semi, like it's a semi circle, sort of shape. And then you then it is fried. So again, everyone wants you to try out their Gujiya and then you have to praise the Gujiya. Shalini: Actually, we had a similar sweet in the south, you know, it's called, yeah, what? Rekha: In Telugu, we call it kajjikai. Neha: Yes. Yes. What you call it, but there is something very similar. Yeah. Yeah, it is slightly different, you know. Shalini: Yeah, the filling is different. In the south, I think they put either channa dal mixed with gud or they put coconut, coconut in it. Neha: We also put coconut, but the base is mawa. Shalini: Yeah, that's what. I've not seen milk solids in the southern version of this.Neha: But you know, by the way, there is a very interesting linkage here. So one interesting thing that my friend Sahana Singh has found is that during the reign of King Harsha, several families, and I'm talking hundreds of families of Brahmins, learned Brahmins were invited to live in the Agrahaara he was setting up in Karnataka. And they were all invited from the Ahi Chhatra part of Uttar Pradesh, which is now Bareli. So actually Sahana Singh's own family traces her origins to Ahi Chhatra area. So it is and that is why it's my personal observation also that the some specific traditions, whether it's wedding rituals or even this these, you know, folk traditions have a lot of commonality between Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh.I don't know if this particular sweet is related or not, but I'm just saying like it's entirely possible that the, you know, the there is some cultural interchange that has caused this very similar sweet to have, you know, come into being. Shalini: Yeah, yeah, we should find a lot more of these linkages, you know, just to end this whole North-South divide, you know, completely. Neha: Oh, absolutely. The more you get to know each other, the more you find out it's so similar. You know, there's more common than there are more commonalities than differences.Rekha: Totally. The food, the customs, there's a lot in common. And this whole thing about, you know, UP and Bihar, I feel the culture is just so vibrant. And it's not really understood by a lot of people who have modernized. And the thing is that that area of India, I think holds on a lot still to respect for elders to tradition, and also has a very, you know, a playful way of bringing out these festivals. So it's a beautiful blend and it comes very close to, you know, I like to think of it as India that used to be. So I have a lot of admiration for that.Shalini: The Bharat that used to be perhaps, you know. Rekha: Bharat that used to be, I like that. Yes.Shalini: So Neha ji, we've had such a great time reminiscing about your Holi, you know, not our Holi, but your Holi and had a lot of fun. So I would just like to ask you what, you know, what is a primary story associated with the festival of Holi?Neha: Yeah, yeah. So there are actually several deity specific legends that exist around Holi. So Holi happens on a very specific time, like it's right before the wheat harvest, very close to the vernal equinox. Now, before I get into the legend of Holi, it's important to note that this is a very common time for most indigenous festivals, like, you know, most non-Abrahamic cultures around the world to celebrate equinoxes is a very common pattern to celebrate specific movements of the moon and the sun.So, you know, these kind of celebrations are very common. And so this one is also very similar. Also in other cultures, for example, Native American cultures and even Latin American cultures, pre-Christian ones, you can find similar bonfire rituals. Okay. So and also, I don't know if you know, but similar to Lohdi, like another bonfire ritual that we have, there is a very beautiful parallel in pre-Christian Ireland and Scotland even, where equinoxes and solstices are considered these very powerful times. So this one, Holi falls very close to the vernal equinox. And that is right before the time of the wheat harvest. So North India, you know, for several centuries now, wheat has become one of the most important crops. And so this is sort of a celebration and also an evil warding ritual, the bonfire serves as an evil warding ritual to ensure the health of the crops, to ensure the health of the people, and in general, well-being and prosperity. So that's the one important, like the indigenous commonality of it all. But speaking of our Shastras and Puranas, the first or the most important mention is found in Bhagavad Puran, which is also known as Srimad Bhagavatam. And there you find the story of the Narasimha avatar, which is related to Hiranyakakashipu , the demon and Bhakta Prahlad. So the story basically goes that, you know, Hiranyakashipu was one of the two sons of Sage Kashyap. And they, through both of them, through extreme penance, had gained several boons from Lord Brahma. And the hidden aspiration, sorry. Rekha: Who is it that has gained the boon from Lord Brahma? Neha: Hiranyakashipu, who is the son of Sage Kashyap, but he is him and his brother, both are demons. So Hiranyaksha is their brother and Hiranyakashipu is the other son. So there are two sons. So they've gained boons from Lord Brahma and he has the hidden aspirations, like pretty much all demon stories, to rule the entire universe. So his arch enemy in the story is Vishnu, because Brahma and Shiva both are sort of like, you know, distracted and don't really care about the running of the universe. So these demons always fixate on Vishnu for these purposes. So this fellow, he has now, so he gets a very interesting boon. So by the laws of nature, you can't actually ask for immortality. So when you do this extreme penance and you have to ask for a boon, these demons still want immortality or undefeatability. And so they get creative. So this guy gets really creative. Okay. And so he asks that I should not be able to be killed inside the home or outside the home. Okay. I should not be able to be killed during the day nor at night. I should not be able to be killed from any known weapon or any other thing. And then I should not be able to be killed by any human being or an animal. Or I should not be able to be killed either on the ground or in the sky. Yeah. Okay. So he thinks he's covered all the possibilities of how he can be killed. And so now because these, some of one of the criteria will be met. And so essentially he becomes invincible for the most intentional purposes. So now he is convinced that he is like the master of the universe. Nobody can defeat him, including Vishnu, because you know, all of these rules sort of apply to everybody. It doesn't matter who's killing him. So he is full of ego and greed and jealousy and, you know, confidence. And he establishes a rule in his kingdom that nobody except him can be worshipped. So he declares himself as the one true male jealous God. So he is now the only God that is allowed to be worshipped in his kingdom.Now, as you can imagine, the entire kingdom is full of people who've been practicing their dharma for years and years. And suddenly this diktat comes. So he reels out their terror on all of these people and anybody who tries to oppose this is instantly killed. So this goes on for in fact decades. And all of his subjects are, you know, reeling under this persecution, except for one person who is Hiranyakashupu's 10 year old son Prahlad. So he is fully defiant and he does not care whether he lives or dies. He is only going to worship Vishnu. So initially, you know, Hiranyakashupu is angered by his son's defiance. So he says he sends him to this pathasala where he already has convinced these acharyas to impart, you know, the teachings of Hiranyakashupu. So they are trying to convince Prahlad that he should forget about all other gods and he should only focus on Hiranyakashupu. Because Hiranyakashupu is undefeatable and that's not true for, so that makes him superior to Vishnu. But Prahlad, who's already well versed in the teachings of Sri Maha Vishnu, he defeats them in a philosophical debate. These, you know, sages are very upset and convinced in fact, but, you know, they will lose their heads if they start agreeing with him. So they are, you know, uncertain and they go back to Hiranyakashupu that I cannot convince this kid. So he is again angered. And this time he says, okay, I'm going to make an example out of you. So I'm going to punish you in such a, you know, tyrannical way that anybody else would think twice before disobeying me like this. And imagine this is a 10 year old son, his own son that he is waging this war against. Now, according to the Srimad Bhagavatam verse 7.5, he tries to crush him with an elephant. The Hiranyakashupu tries to crush his 10 year old son Prahlad by elephant, attack him with huge snakes, cast spell of dooms, throw him from heights, to conjure tricks, imprison him, administer poison and subject him to starvation, cold wind, fire and water. He threw rocks at him. But none of these means the demons succeeded in putting his son, the sinless one to death. With his prolonged efforts having no success, he got very nervous. So at this point, he enlists a list of long list of demons he had in his army, and he unleashes all of them on Prahlad. All of them fail. They are all, the Prahlad is saved from all of them because of the blessings of Sri Vishnu. So eventually, Hiranyakashupu finds his own sister Holika. Now Holika also has a boon. She has a boon that she has been granted a cloak, or like a cloth that protects the wearer from being burned in the fire. So she can, if she dons herself with this cloak and she sits in the fire, she will not be burned. So on Hiranyakashupu's command, this woman lowers her young nephew into sitting on a pyre. She puts the nephew on her lap, puts the cloth on her own self and sits on a pyre and the pyre is lighted. So as the fire starts raging, the wind blows again from the blessing of Sri Vishnu and covers Prahlad and uncovers Holika. So instead of Prahlad getting burned, Holika gets burned and the innocent child is saved. Now eventually, and this is the relevant, this is the moment that is celebrated as Holika Dahan. Shalini: I think we will stop at this point for today and we will discuss further in our next podcast which will be coming up very soon. We have so much to discuss with Nehaji and there is just so much more fun awaiting you all in a few days time. So we will take a break for this podcast and come back to the second part of this podcast in just a couple of days time. So please hang in there and wait for the continuation of this episode. Thank you and Namaste. 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After both her sons Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu were killed, devi Diti was overtaken by grief. In order to avenge the death of her sons, she tried to please her husband Kashyap rishi, in order to get a son who would kill Indra. Indra disguised himself and started living with devi Diti and served her. One day Indra shrunk in size and entered Diti's womb. He cut the baby growing inside her into 7 pieces. It didn't kill the baby, in fact there were now 7 babies who started crying. So Indra kept saying, “Ma Rud.. Ma Rud.” and cut them into 7 pieces each. Because of Narayana's blessings Diti gave birth to 49 babies. When she saw 49 babies and Indra with them she enquired Indra about this. Indra told her everything honestly and said, these 49 Maruds are gods, and are his brothers, and Gods and would live with him in heaven. Devi Diti forgave Indra and blessed him and her 49 sons. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Imagine you're demolishing you're renovating your house and, upon smashing through a pillar, you hear a great fearsome roar and from the pillar appears a 3-eyed, half-man, half-Lion ready to kick some serioius butt and restore order to the universe. I'm Tanner Campbell and this is the Dictionary of Mythology and Folklore's entry for Narasimha. -- Narasimha on Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narasimha Narasimha vs. Hiranyakashyap Story : https://youtu.be/mMk44mSqxaI Hiranyakashyap on Wikipedia : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiranyakashipu -- Review this Podcast on Apple Podcasts : https://swiy.co/apple-review Review this Podcast on Spotify Podcasts : https://swiy.co/spotify-review Review this Podcast on Podchaser.com : https://swiy.co/podchaser-review
“Lord Brahma said: O son of Kashyapa Muni, please get up, please get up. All good fortune unto you. You are now perfect in the performance of your austerities, and therefore I may give you a benediction. You may now ask from me whatever you desire, and I shall try to fulfill your wish.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.3.17)
Oh Muses! In this episode we tell the tale of Narasimha. We encounter overreactions of the deadly kind, a major religion, a father determined to kill his son, reincarnations, loose terminology, and trying to cheat death. — This episode was sponsored by Aru Shah and the Nectar of Immortality by Roshani Chockshi - check it out here: bit.ly/goaru — National Geographic Kids Greeking Out is a kid-friendly retelling of some of the best stories from Greek mythology. Check Out bit.ly/ZeusOut to meet Zeus the Hamster and his friends—Athena the cat, Ares the pug, Demeter the grasshopper, and many more—who also listen to the Greeking Out podcast. Watch a video, read an excerpt, or check out the truth behind the stories!
12th chapter: verse 1 is about Bhakti Yoga – the path of devotion. Gita classifies spiritual practices in three categories depending on the temperament of the person. Those who are intellectual in nature and have complete sense control can pursue Jnana Yoga. Those involved in action can pursue Karma Yoga by performing all actions with detachment and unselfishness. The third path is Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion.Narada Bhakti Sutra defines Bhakti as the “nature of supreme, unselfish love for God”. In Bhakti, we give a spiritual orientation to our natural emotions and feelings – we divert these emotions towards God. In Bhakti tradition, one can look upon God with various attitudes – as Mother, father, child or friend. When we divert our emotions towards God, we get a feeling of inner richness, joy, fulfillment, and contentment.Inner contentment is not the absence of dis-satisfaction. It is called Santosha in Sanskrit. Inner contentment is the first sign of a true devotee. A true devotee can never be bitter towards anyone.Bhagavata Purana is one of the Hindu classics on bhakti. It was written by Vyasa and has over 18,000 verses divided into twelve skandhas and 335 chapters. Vyasa wrote the Bhagavata Purana on the advice of Narada to help the common man get inner spiritual contentment.1st verse: Arjuna asks: “Some people worship God with name and form – they chant and pray. Others worship the imperishable, the unmanifest. Which is better?”Arjuna's question comes from a conflict he is facing. From earlier chapters, Arjuna knew that there are two ways of looking upon God. (1) God as the creator and protector, who listens to our prayers (2) God as the all-pervading divine spirit, that is Nirakara, transcending names and forms. Arjuna thought he could choose between God with form or God without form.It is not a matter of our intellectual choice. It is a matter of our own spiritual evolution. A ten-year-old boy has to attend primary school first – he cannot just choose to go to a University. Similarly, in the beginning of our spiritual journey, we worship God with rituals. As we evolve, our idea of God also evolves. Upon the highest realization, we see the presence of God within and outside the place of worship.If our mind is pure and we have total sense control, then we can feel the presence of the divine everywhere. Just believing that God is everywhere is not enough – it has to become our own spiritual experience. It is not philosophy – it is a matter of our own spiritual experience.A university professor does not have to learn alphabets – he naturally uses them. He does not reject alphabets but transcends the need to learn them. Similarly, at the highest spiritual level, one transcends rituals - he does not reject them.Shankaracharya is the greatest teacher of Advaita. He taught that the highest devotee is one who feels the presence of God everywhere and spiritualizes all his secular activities. The essence of his teachings is that we can transcend rituals. The same Shankaracharya wrote the most wonderful devotional poems in Sanskrit, praising God with form.Under Bhakti tradition, even hatred can be directed towards God – with the constant thought of a divine idea, divinity enters our hearts.In the Bhagavata Purana, Prahlada is one of the greatest devotees, and was born to a demon, Hiranyakashipu. He teaches Navadha Bhakti to his friends. Under Navadha Bhakti, one follows nine disciplines: Sravanam (Hearing about God ), Kirtanam (Chanting His Name and Glory), Vishnu smaranam (Remembering Him), Pada sevanam (Serving His Lotus Feet), Archanam (Worshipping Him), Vandanam (Prostrating before Him), Dasyam (Being His Servant), Sakhyam (Befriending Him), and Atma Nivedanam (Offering Oneself to Him).Our ego can also be given a spiritual orientation. We can be proud that we are devotees. If we do not direct our ego towards good channels, it will go towards negative ones. Whatever we do, do as an offering. Then spiritual qualities will come to us. Finally, we can transcend ego.
10th chapter: 20th verse, 41st verse, verses 25-34The summary of the 10th chapter is that everything is an expression of the divine. This divinity is immanent within us. We can manifest this divinity by seeing its presence in anything that is sublime supreme, beautiful and creative. Then, when we look around, we won't see anything other than the divine.The central thesis of the 10th chapter is in the 20th verse and 41st verse. It is important to properly understand both these verses to make sense of verse 21 onwards, where Lord Krishna describes his manifestations.In the 20th verse, Lord Krishna says: “O Arjuna, I am present in the heart of all beings as the indweller– residing there I regulate and function everything. I am the beginning; I am the middle; and I am the end of all beings.”In the 41st verse, Lord Krishna says: “Wherever you find some greatness, prosperity, power or excellence – know that to be a part of My splendor.” Wherever we find a unique manifestation that is sublime and beautiful, it is an expression of the divine reality.From the 25th to 34th verse, Lord Krishna describes his manifestations.In the 25th verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among the sounds, I am Omkara.” Omkara is the essence of all human sound and speech system. It represents the totality and oneness of existence. Omkara should be chanted with a lengthened vowel sound. It begins and ends in silence. Its chanting gives us inner tranquility and peace.In the 25th verse, Lord Krishna also says: “Among prayers, I am japa-yajñaḥ”. Japa-yajñaḥ is the most sublime form of spiritual practice - a state where the devotee is naturally and spontaneously merged in the continuous recital of the mantra.Mantra japa has four stages in descending order: Para (realize the essence), Pashyanti (focused on the meaning of the mantra), madhyama (verbal repetition, no sound) and Vaikhari (verbal repetition with sound). It is an evolution from the gross to the subtle, from outer to within, and from external practice to internalization.In the 26th verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among sacred trees, I am Ashvattha; among divine sages, I am Narada; among perfect souls, I am Kapila.” Narada is a sage in Hindu mythology who appeared before anyone needing spiritual guidance and helped them.In the 29th verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among the regulators, I am Yama.” Yama is the great equalizer – real equality is possible only in the palace of the Lord of death.In the 30th verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among demons, I am Prahlada.” Prahlada is one of the greatest devotees, and was born to a demon, Hiranyakashipu.In the 31st verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among warriors, I am Rama.” Rama was an embodiment of dharma. He was a warrior but an embodiment of ahimsa. Valmiki is the author of Valmiki Ramayana, and his own story of spiritual transformation is very inspiring.In the 33rd verse, Lord Krishna says: “Among compounds, I am Dvandva; I am the dispenser of fruits of all actions.” Dvandva is a linguistic compound in Sanskrit in which any number of nouns can be concatenated together with equal importance. There is a cause effect link in whatever we do – the result of our action may be invisible, but it is felt. These results are dispensed by the indweller within us.In the 34th verse, Lord Krishna says: “I am the all-consuming death. I take the form of the exquisite feminine qualities such as good name, prosperity, speech, memory, intelligence, and endurance.” Death is inescapable. However, it can be transcended when we realize our deathless dimension, as the Atman.Brihadaranyaka Upanishad has a profound dialogue between Yajnavalkya and Maitreyi where Maitreyi questions whether wealth can give eternal happiness and immortality.
“The demon father employed all his weapons to kill the devotee son, Prahlada, but by the grace of the Lord he was saved from all sorts of dangerous actions by his father. He was thrown in a fire, in boiling oil, from the top of a hill, underneath the legs of an elephant, and he was administered poison.” (Shrila Prabhupada, Shrimad Bhagavatam, 1.15.16 Purport)
Uma das formas mais deslumbrantes do Senhor Krishna é a de Sri Nrisimhadeva, Sua encarnação como meio homem meio leão. O Senhor Nrisimha aparece para proteger Seu devoto Sri Prahlada Maharaja do ateísta rei Hiranyakashipu, o próprio pai de Prahlada. Musica de MAHANTA DAS - PRAYER. Acesse - https://biolinky.co/harmonizesuavida
“Desiring to kill his son Prahlada, who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu, Hiranyakashipu tortured him in many ways.” (Shrimad Bhagavatam, 7.1.42)
-8th chapter: verses 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27-The lecture was given by Swami Tattwamayananda on May 21, 2021.-20th and 21st verse: “Beyond this Avyakta (unmanifested) and Vyakta (manifested), which belong to the realm of the relative, there is the one Absolute Reality which is different from the unmanifested state of the relative – it is Aksharam (imperishable) and it is Sanatana (eternal). Those who realize their spiritual identity with this Supreme Reality, they get liberation from this cyclic rotation”-22nd verse: “This Supreme Reality is the source of everything. It is our true nature and is attainable through pure devotion.”-One method of developing this devotion is to give a spiritual orientation to our natural human impulses, such as our love for friends and parents. Under Navadha Bhakti, one follows nine disciplines: Sravanam (Hearing about God ), Kirtanam (Chanting His Name and Glory), Vishnu smaranam (Remembering Him), Pada sevanam (Serving His Lotus Feet), Archanam (Worshipping Him), Vandanam (Prostrating before Him), Dasyam (Being His Servant), Sakhyam (Befriending Him), and Atma Nivedanam (Offering Oneself to Him).-Prapatti is the highest state of a devotee of God. Prapatti means complete surrender and is composed of the following characteristics. (1) Always having a positive outlook in life, full of sattvic qualities such as serenity, wisdom, compassion, and broad mindedness. (2) Rejecting all the opposing qualities such as skepticism and self-doubt. (3) Strong faith that God will protect me. (4) Total self-surrender.-23rd verse: “I am going to tell you about the two spiritual paths that Yogis take upon departing from this body, and attain non-return or return.”-24th verse: “Yogis of the highest type follow the bright path of Shuklagati or Devayana. It is the path of fire, flame, daytime, the bright fortnight, and the six months of the northern passage of the sun - departing by this path the knowers of Brahman attain Brahman.-The Yogis who follow the path of Shuklagati are devoted to a higher spiritual ideal. They lead a pure life and are free from selfish desires. To them every action is a spiritual offering. They have dedicated their life to the realization of Brahman, and they practice seeing the same divine principle everywhere. Taking this path, they gradually realize Brahman and do not come back again to Samsara.-The Yogis taking the path of Shuklagati are less evolved compared to the Jivan-muktas, who are liberated while living in this world.-Such a Yogi is able to leave the body with full awareness. His focus is between the eyebrows, from where a light comes and lights up the path that takes him through different stages, which are guarded by different deities and who take care of him. The whole journey is lighted up by the power of his spiritual sadhana until he merges with Brahman.-25th verse: “Yogis whose spiritual practices are driven by a motive, follow the dark path of Krishnagati or Pitrayana. It is the path of smoke, nighttime, dark fortnight, and the six months of the southern passage of the sun – departing by this path, the Yogi reaches a higher abode, but returns to Samsara.”-The message of the 24th and 25th verses is twofold. First, it inspires us to lead a good life. Second, it tells us that we are independent travelers. We came alone and will go back alone.-Chandogya Upanishad describes the scenario of a dying person. First, the function of speech becomes quiet and merges in the mind. Next, other sense faculties merge in the mind. Next, mind merges in mukhya prana. Next, mukhya prana merges in the jeeva. Then, the individual self merges into the five elements. Samskaras that are accumulated in the Antahkarana, constitute the subtle body - they are preserved and transmigrate, as the subtle body takes a long journey. When we are born again, we are born with these accumulated samskaras.-There is a third category of spiritual seekers who do not have a higher spiritual ideal and keep on doing wrong things. They take a descent and come down the ladder of evolution. They may be born in the animal or insect world.-26th verse: “These are two paths - one bright and the other dark. One takes the Yogi beyond the transmigratory cycle. The other keeps him confined to the transmigratory cycle.”-27th verse: “A Yogi who knows the secrets of these two paths, is not deluded. Therefore, we should always be steadfast in Yoga, staying linked to a higher spiritual ideal.”-Even if the Yogi is not in the path of Shuklagati, he does not feel lost. He feels secure. He knows that he will be reborn in a family where he can continue his spiritual journey.-One should not expect to reach the highest spiritual goal immediately. Even if noble deeds are done with desires, they produce results that are deposited as a spiritual bank balance. These results are Adhrishtam (not visible) and Apoorvam (did not exist before the activity). These results are never lost.-Spiritual qualities are not inseparably connected to family. One of the greatest devotees, Prahlada, was born to a demon, Hiranyakashipu.
Lord Vishnu took the Narasimha avatar to save his devotee, Prahlad, from his evil father, the demon, Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu tried to kill Prahlad many times as he was angry that his son worshipped Vishnu. Narasimha is a fierce form of Vishnu, half-man and half-lion. The Narasimha Gayatri Mantra protects one against enemies, criminals, and negative influences. It is a very beneficial mantra that children can chant, too. It also protects us from evil-eyes and jealousy. The best time to chant it is Ekadasi thithi and Saturdays. It should be recited 11, 108, or 1008 times. If you would like to find out more about your chart or have a question about astrology you would love the answer to, please do connect with us at www.astroved.com Follow AstroVed on IG, Twitter, and FB @AstroVed
Hiranyakashipu in ammamma stories --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/ammammastories/message
#Prahladpuri #Temple #Multan # Pakistan #PrahladpuriTemple is an ancient Hindu temple located in Multan city of Punjab province in Pakistan. It was named after Prahlada and dedicated to Bhagwaan Narasimha , one of the many incarnations of Lord Vishnu . The temple is presently in ruins, since its destruction in 1992 by a Muslim mob in retaliation for the destruction of the BabriMosque in Ayodhya, India by a Hindu mob earlier that year. The original temple of Prahladpuri is said to have been built by Prahlada, son of Hiranyakashipu, the king of Multan (Kashya-papura) in honor of NarsingAvatar, who emerged from the pillar to save bhakt Prahlada Courtsey - https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Prahladpuri_Temple,_Multan Foto Courtsey - Google Astrology and Vaastu consultant For Consultations 9958418018; nakshatrajyot@gmail.com Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/c/Nakshatrajyot Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Nakshatra-Jyot-106351534476833/ Insta - https://www.instagram.com/nakshatrajyot1/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/nakshatrajyot/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/nakshatrajyot/support
We heard the story of Varaha Avatara in the last episode and about the twin asuras who were cursed by birth. In this story, we go back a little in time. Vaikuntha, the celestial place of Lord Vishnu floated in the milky ocean separated by 7 golden sparkling doors. Only by passing through these 7 doors, one could get to the lord. The lord sleeps on his 1000 headed snake named Adishesha. One day when he was resting, there came the sons of Lord Bramha, Sanka Sanandana, Sanak Sujatha, and Sanat Kumara. They were peaceful sages and wanted to meet Lord Vishnu but the seven doors to Vaikuntha had their guards. Jaya and Vijaya were two proud guards of Vaikuntha. They stopped the Bramha sons from entering saying that the Lord was resting. The sons clarified that the Lord himself permitted them to visit whenever they wished to. But Jaya and Vijaya denied their entry without paying to the sages. The sages were furious and were cursed to be born as humans on Earth. When Lord Vishnu came out, the guards apologized and pleaded to be saved from the curse. The Lord gave them two options: either they could choose to be born on the earth 7 times or have only 3 births as his enemies. Jaya and Vijaya did not want to stay far from Vaikuntha and the Lord for so long so they considered the second option. The first birth was as Hiranyakashyap and Hiranyaksha, the second was Raavana and Kumbhakarna and the third one was Shishupala and Dantavakra. Every time they took birth as asuras, Lord Vishnu had to come down to end them and bring back peace everywhere. We know from the story of Varaha Avatara that Hiranakashyap was killed by Lord Varaha. But the twin brother Hiranyakashipu meditated and prayed for several years to Lord Bramha to get a boon from him to defeat Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu demanded the boon where he could never be killed by any human or animal neither on earth nor in the sky or the water. Neither at day nor a night and not by any weapon. He destroyed every temple of Lord Vishnu and ordered to worship him. He ransacked devlok and drove away Indra and other gods. He punished and killed people who denied to follow his orders. Hiranyakashipu's wife was about to give birth to their child but Indra wanted to kill the child to prevent the birth of another asura. But Narada stopped it and promised to take care of the child by himself. Narada made the child listen to several stories of Lord Vishnu and named him Prahlada. Prahlada grew up to be one of the biggest devotees of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu was unaware that his son was a follower of Lord Vishnu. When he asked Prahlada about his learnings from the school, Prahlada sang and danced in Lord Narayana's fondness. Hiranyakshap tried every way to devastate his own son's fate, even tried to kill him. Out of anger, Hiranyakashipu smashed a pillar and from it appeared a deity that was neither human nor animal. ‘Nara'- a human and ‘Simha'- a lion, Narasimha appeared in front with fierce eyes, sharp claws, and a roar. Lord Narasimha was the incarnation of Lord Vishnu to release Hiranyakashipu of his sinful life. www.chimesradio.com http://onelink.to/8uzr4g https://www.facebook.com/chimesradio/ https://www.instagram.com/vrchimesradio/ Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/chimesradio See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hope you'll also like , top 10 Warriors in Ramayana & Mahabharata. 1. Lord Narasimha Lord Narasimha was the strongest person ever described in Satya Yuga. He killed all protectors of Hiranyaksyapu single handedly and killed Hiranyaksyapu in front of all Asuras and everybody watched their king helplessly. O king! Hari went to Hiranyakashipu's assembly. […] The post Top 10 strongest people in the Satya Yuga? appeared first on Amaze View.
Here is a story of a father and son who were as different as chalk and cheese. The father was wrong and the son was right!
Here's a beautiful story that teaches us lessons about the greatness of God, the fundamental principles of life and the importance of leading a virtuous life. Prahlada was born to demonic King named Hiranyakashipu and his wife Kayadu. While he was in his mother's womb, he had heard about the greatness of Lord Vishnu through Saga Narada. Hiranyakashipu was a tyrant who had been granted a boon that made him invincible. According to the boon, he couldn't be killed either by a man or an animal; he couldn't be killed either during the day or at night; he couldn't be killed neither on land nor up in the air; he couldn't be killed neither indoors nor outdoors and by weapons made by man. He relished the fact that none could kill him. He detested other's spiritual inclination and hence forced his subjects to chant his name. On learning that his own son Prahlada was spiritually inclined towards Lord Vishnu, he made several attempts to dissuade him. He tried to poison his son, get him trampled by elephants and made various attempts to eliminate him.....
It is only our conviction in His existence that makes us actually feel Him. It is well corroborated by the story of Hiranyakashipu asking his son Prahlad “where is your Narayan?” The boy says that He is omnipresent. The father is not convinced and asks him specifically if Lord is there in a sizzling pillar standing in front of them. As the son replies yes he is asked to touch it. Prahald ji spontaneously embraces the hot pillar but nothing hurts him. This convinces Hiranyakashipu that Narayan is surely present in the pillar due to which Prahalad is unharmed. So he strikes on it with a motive to hit Narayan and then lord Narsimha indeed appears. Hence it can be said that Lord appeared out of his conviction.
Prahlada was a king, the son of Hiranyakashipu and Kayadhu, and the father of Virochana. He belonged to the Kashyapa gotra. ... A treatise is accredited to him in the Bhagavata Purana in which Prahlāda describes the process of loving worship to his God Vishnu.
makeover Monday / purifying the mind & senses / Vishvamitra muni loses control / artificial sense control vs spontaneous attraction / positive engagement for the senses / Hiranyakashipu's yoga vs Prahlad's / jnana yoga ends in surrendering to God in everything - bhakti-yoga begins there / a human goes beyond polished eating, sleeping, mating & defending
Hiranyakshipu wants to be powerful than Vishnu. Will he succeed ?
Messages delivered by Spiritual Master and Divine Personality Pujya Sri Ramchandraji Maharaj of Shahjahanpur, UP, India during 1970. For More information about Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's -Pranahuti Aided Meditation ( Modified Raja Yoga ), -Free Meditation Trainings - Details and Locations, -Audio Messages, -Books on Spirituality & Divinity -Researches on Meditation Contact: www.sriramchandra.in Episode Notes: Dinana Song Translation The song is taken from Soor-Sagar written by Saint SoorDas ji around 15th century. It is written in Brij Bhasha which is more prevalent in Mathura, Gokul, Vrindavan and certain other parts of eastern UP areas. Lord removes afflictions of dismals (poor, suffering beings) and is a benefactor (well-wisher) of saints. Ajamila (story attached), Geedh (Jatayu), Byadh (Jara, the hunter, who killed Lord Krishna), who was the saint (what saintliness they had) amongst them? What Vedas did this Bird (Jatayu) study and even a woman like Ganika (Teaching a parrot to speak the Lord's Name, Ganika, the prostitute, was liberated) swam across Bhava-Sagar. Note: Meditating on Him in remembrance and uttering His name, specially in the last moments of their lives, all aforesaid mentioned individuals were liberated by Lord. He (Lord) becomes very happy even to receive simple rice (from Sudama) and gets contended with an offering of mere potherbs (green vegetables) or some edible leaves (from a poor devotee). He (Lord) neither counts (take a note of) the already tasted (and then offered to Him) fruits (of Shabri) nor which ones are sweet or sour or tasteless. Lord crowned Druva a king and lifted Prahlad out (of the atrocities of Hiranyakashipu). Every one remembers Him (Lord) chanting Ram Ram whereas I remember Him as my true Be-Loved. Note: Rev. Master Sri Ramchandra Maharaj of Shajahanpur points out a Lover and Be-loved relationship to be more closer to Lord than a devotee and Lord relationship. The Story of Ajamila (Taken from Srimad-Bhagavatam Canto 6) Ajamila was raised according to the Vedic regulations. He was a perfectly trained brahmana and had a chaste and beautiful wife. But one day, while he was out in the fields collecting flowers for worshipping the Lord, he happened to see a drunken sudra and a prostitute engaged in sexual embrace. Ajamila became bewildered and attracted; his mind becoming more and more attached to the prostitute. In Bhagavad-gita it says that if one contemplates sense objects, he becomes attached to them. Although Ajamila was a strict Brahmana he became helplessly entangled by seeing a man and woman engaged in sexual activity. Consequently he took this prostitute into his home as a maidservant. Inevitably, he became so entangled that he abandoned his family, wife and children and went off with the prostitute. Due to his illicit connection with the prostitute, he lost all his good qualities. He became a thief, a liar, a drunkard, even a murderer. He completely forgot about his original training as a brahmana, and his whole life was ruined. Engaging in sinful activities, Ajamila fell down from his position, and he begot many children through the womb of the prostitute. Even towards the end of his life, around the age of eighty, he was still begetting children. It is explained that while he was dying, which is a very fearful time, he began to call out his pet child, whose name was Narayana. At that time, Yamadutas, the messengers of death, were coming. They were tying up the subtle body of Ajamila and preparing to take him to be punished by Yamaraja, the lord of death. At the same time, because he happened to be speaking the holy name of the Lord Narayana, the beautiful Visnudutas, the messengers of Vishnu, also arrived there. They checked the activities of the Yamadutas, refusing to allow them to take Ajamila for punishment. The Yamadutas were bewildered. “Why are those effulgent and beautiful personalities checking our action? It's our duty to take sinful men to Yamaraja for punishment; then they are awarded another material body for the next life so that they can the result of their sinful activity.” There was a discussion between the Yamadutas and the Visnudutas. The conclusion was that although Ajamila was sinful through out his life and gave up his religious life, his wife and children and begot children through a prostitute, he nevertheless was purified from all the sins because at the last moment he chanted the holy name of Vishnu, Narayana. Although Ajamila had committed so many sinful deeds, because he chanted the name of Narayana, he was relieved of all sinful activities.
Kimberly Cotton on vocals and guitar. Recorded at ISKCON of DC. This song honors Krishna's incarnation as Nrsimha, the half-man, half-lion that killed Hiranyakashipu to protect Hiranyakashipu's son, Prahlada Maharaja. It is in the Sanskrit language. The story of this incarnation and the relationship between Prahlada and his father is in the seventh canto of the Srimad Bhagavatam. * namas te narasiḿhāya prahlādāhlāda-dāyine hiraṇyakaśipor vakṣaḥ- śilā-ṭańka-nakhālaye I offer my obeisances to Lord Narasimha, who gives joy to Prahlada Maharaja and whose nails are like chisels on the stonelike chest of the demon Hiranyakasipu. * ito nṛsiḿhaḥ parato nṛsiḿho yato yato yāmi tato nṛsiḿhaḥ bahir nṛsiḿho hṛdaye nṛsiḿho nṛsiḿham ādiḿ śaraṇaḿ prapadye Lord Nrsimha is here and also there. Wherever I go Lord Nrsimha is there. He is in the heart and is outside as well. I surrender to Lord Nrsimha, the origin of all things and the supreme refuge. * The prayer is normally concluded with the fourth verse of Pralaya Payodhi Jale by Srila Jayadeva Goswami: tava kara-kamala-vare nakham adbhuta-śṛńgaḿ dalita-hiraṇyakaśipu-tanu-bhṛńgam keśava dhṛta-narahari-rūpa jaya jagadīśa hare O Kesava! O Lord of the universe! O Lord Hari, who have assumed the form of half-man, half-lionl All glories to You! lust as one can easily crush a wasp between one's fingernails, so in the same way the body of the wasp like demon Hiranyakasipu has been ripped apart by the wonderful pointed nails on Your beautiful lotus hands. Translation from http://kksongs.org
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