Jai Ganesh Deva : God Ganesh Puja 2011

Vakratunda Mahakaaya Suryakoti Samaprabha Nirvighnam Kuru Mey Deva Sarva Kaaryeshu    Sarvada 

Vakratunda - A person with curved mouth/ trunk, meant for Lord Ganeshji as he is with the face of an elephant.

Mahakaaya - Maha means giant or large. Kaaya - figure; a person with a large physique. Meant for Lord Ganesh.

SuryaKoti - Surya means the Sun God, Koti means Crore; so suryakoti means like million suns or bearing the light of millions of suns.

Samaprabha - Prabha means light. Sama means equal to

Nirbighnam - Bighnam means obstacles. Nirbighnam - Nih+Bighnam, means with no obstacles or removed obstacles. Kuru - Please do. Mey - to me. Deva- God/Lord. Sarva- all. Karyesu- in all the actions/works/deeds. Sarbada - Always.

Meaning: The God with the bent trunk and a huge body, who has the magnificence of a Million Suns, Oh Lord I pray to you, to eliminate always the obstacles from all the actions I do perform.

The birthday of Lord Ganesha is celebrated as the auspicious Ganesh Puja each year on the 4th day of the waxing moon period (Sukla pakshya) of the month of Bhadraba or Bhadrapada. Because it is observed on the 4th day, it is also called Ganesh Chaturthi. The date normally falls in either in August or in the month of September.

In 2011 the Ganesh Puja will be held on 1st of September. Worship of Lord Ganesh is commemorated all over India basically by the Hindus. However, in Maharastra it is the largest worship fun fare which continues for long 10 days. Besides India now Ganesh puja is also rejoiced throughout the world by the NRIs. Seldom participation of people from other religion has also been marked.

The Legend of Incarnation of Ganeshji

It is believed that long long ago in the Mytho era Goddess Parvati created Ganesha out of clay and breathed life into him. Letting him stand guard at the door, Goddess Parvati went to have her bath. When Lord Shiva, her husband, returned, the child Ganesha who had never seen him did not allow Shiva to enter. This led to emergence of war between the two and finally an enraged Shiva severed the head of the child. Goddess Parvati returned to find her son dead and was distressed and asked Shiva to revive him. Knowing the fact now, Shiva asked his followers to cut off and fetch the head of an elephant and fixed it on the body of Ganesha, giving birth to an elephant-headed Ganesha.

Meaning of Ganesh - Gana means devas or the Gods. Isha means chief, head. Ganesha =Gana+Isha. Means the chief or head of the Ganas/Devas/Gods. In worship of the Hindu Gods or Goddesses first Lord Ganesha is invited to be worshipped as he is the remover of obstacles.

Environmentalists affirm that the idols of Ganesha,  made of  Plaster of Paris takes much longer time to dissolve and in the process of dissolution releases toxic elements into the water body. The chemical paints used to decorate these plaster icons themselves contain heavy metals like mercury and cadmium leading to environmental pollution. Hence I would like to request all to worship idols made of clay.

“Ohm, Gang Ganapataye Namo Namah” - This is called the ‘bija’ mantra of Lord Ganesh. Hence devotees are requested to chant this pious mantra to get the divine blessings of the Lord. However one can sing the whole of these to make a melodious tune - Om Ganapataye Namo Namah, Shree Sidhhi Vinaayaka Namo Namah, Asta Vinaayaka Namo Namah, Ganapati Bappa Moreya. Please repeat this in 2 or 3 dhuns and if possible with orchestra in a group, you can feel that after a while a divine atmosphere has been created.

Om Bande Kharba Sthulatanum Gajendra Badanam, Lambodaram Sundaram l

Pasyandan Madagandha Lubdha madhupam Byalola Gandasthalam ll

Dantaaghaata vidaaritarirudhiram Sindura Sovakaram l

Bande Shailasutaasutam Ganapatim Sidhhipradam kaamadam ll

Maha Jalasayi at Lokanath Temple, Balangir, 2011

32 Names of Durga Maa - Durga Battish Naam or 'Durga Dvatrinsh Naammala’

Jai Mata Di. 32 names of Goddess Durga have been provided as Durga ‘Dvatrinsh Naammala’ in the blessed virtuous book “Durga Saptasati”. It is also popularly known as Durga Battish Naam in Hindi. This is a supreme chanting wherein all the 32 names of Mother Durga come along with its effect. The chant is immeasurably powerful and anybody who sings it regularly can obtain immense benefit throughout his life as this is an undeviating blessing of the God. My personal opinion is that whatever I have achieved in my life is the blessings of God wherein this Chanting has a great contribution. One needs to perform it with utmost devotion and belief. I am revealing here the secret of human life – Believe me; this is only true in life and nothing else. So, initiate today, rather I would like to insist, start now only. My request is that if anyway you are coming across Durga Battish Naam and you are not taking its benefit then no problem, but please don’t dishonor it and do me a favor to pass it to somebody else who is interested. Thanks.

1. Durga
2. Durgarti Shamani
3. Durgapadwi-niwarini
4. Durgam-chedini
5. Durgam – sadhini
6. Durga – nashini
7. Durgato – udharini
8. Durga – nihantri
9. Durga – mapaha
10. Durgam – gyanada
11. Durga - daitya - lokad – vanala
12. Durgama
13. Durgam-loka
14. Durgamatam – swarupini
15. Durga- marga- prada
16. Durgam – vidya
17. Durgama – srita
18. Durgam - gyan – sansthana
19. Durgam - dhayan – bhasini
20. Durgamoha
21. Durgamaga
22. Durgamartha- swarupini
23. Durgamasur - sang- hantri
24. Durgama – yudha- dharini
25. Durga – mangi
26. Durga – mata
27. Durgamya
28. Durga – meshwari
29. Durga – bhima
30. Durgabhama
31. Durga - bha

32. Durga - daarini

1.Durgā The Reliever of Difficulties 2. Durgātirśaminī Who puts difficulties at peace 3. Durgāpadvinivāriṇī Dispeller of difficult adversities 4. Durgamacchedinī, Who cuts down difficulty 5. Durgasādhinī The performer of Discipline to expel difficulties 6. Durganāśinī The Destroyer of Difficulty 7. Durgatoddhāriṇī Who holds the whip of difficulties 8. Durgenihantrī, Who sends difficulties to Ruin 9. Durgamāpahā Who measures difficulties 10. Durgamajñānadā Who makes difficulties unconscious 11. Durgadaityalokadavānalā Who destroys the world of difficult thoughts 12. Durgamā The mother of difficulties 13. Durgamālokā The perception of difficulties 14. Durgamātmasvarūpiṇī The Intrinsic Nature of the soul of difficulties 15. Durgamārgapradā Who searches through the difficulties 16. Durgamavidyā The knowledge of difficulties 17. Durgamāśritā The Extrication from difficulties 18. Durgamajñānasaḿsthānā The continued existence of difficulties 19. Durgamadhyānabhāsinī Whose meditation remains brilliant when in difficulties 20. Durgamohā Who deludes difficulties 21. Durgamagā Who resolves difficulties 22. Durgamārthasvarūpiṇī Who is the intrinsic nature of the object of difficulties 23. Durgamāsurasanhantrī The annihilator of the egotism of difficulties 24. Durgamāyudhadhāriṇī Bearer of the weapon against difficulties 25. Durgamāńgī The refinery of difficulties 26. Durgamatā Who is beyond difficulties 27. Durgamyā This present difficulty 28. Durgameśvarī The empress of difficulties 29. Durgabhīmā Who is terrible to difficulties 30. Durgabhāmā The lady to difficulties 31. Durgabhā The illuminator of difficulties 32. Durgadāriṇī Who cuts off difficulties

Mata Vaishno Devi Temple, Matkhai Hills, Balangir : A peaceful religious tourist point

If you are in Odisha and want to pay bob before Mata Vaishno Devi, then do not forget to visit Balangir to get a glimpse of the goddess.

Mata Vaishno Devi Temple, which has been developed as a tourist attraction, is located on the top of the 'Matkhai" hill at a distance of 7 kms from Balangir.

Akin to the shrine of Mata Vaishno in Jammu, here also you will get a prospect to walk to the top of the hill enjoying the natural picturesque beauty, chanting and singing the name of  God.

One need to walk only 200 meters or so to reach the top of the hill. So, it should not be a big hassle at all. People, who visit the Mata Vaishno Devi Temple on Matkhai Hills, love to chant 'Jai Mata Di' to get rid of the pain.

Shivji on Matkhai Hill

You also have a chance to get a bird's eye view of Balangir city from the temple, which is also a joyful experience indeed. Balangir is well linked through road and train routes. And, the temple is on the way to Titlagarh on the National Highway 201.

In a nutshell, if you are planning to go for a darshan to a spiritual place with an additional benefit of witnessing rich natural scenes, it is the right place. Go and get the blessing from Mata Vaishno Devi.

Suna Besha of Lord Jagannath Puri ( images ) 2011

Suna Besha of Lord Jagannath

Suna Besha ( Golden Outfit ) of Lord Jagannath

Suna Besha of Lord Jagannath on 12th July 2011

Suna Besha of Lord Jagannath, Balabhadra and Maa Subhadra at Puri, Odisha, India

Rathyatra: the Car/Chariot Festival of Lord Jagannath

Lord Jagannath, being the master of the Universe, comes out of the temple once in a year along with his elder brother Balabhadra and sister Subhadra to make him available to everybody irrespective of caste, creed and religion and to bless them all. This pious event is termed Rathyatra.

Although most of the city's process of devotional ritual is based around the worship of Jagannath with the ancient temple being the prime one of them, everybody celebrates this auspicious event according to their devotion and rituals. Like in Baripada the Chariot of Goddess Subhadra is pulled by only women.

Rath Yatra is the largest Hindu Festival which commemorates Lord Jagannath's annual visit to His aunt Gundicha Mata's Temple along with Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra in three mammoth chariots in Puri, in the state of Odisha.

This world famous event takes place on the 2nd day of the bright fortnight of the Hindu month of Ashadha. In this year 2011, this massive festival will be celebrated on 3rd of June.

Ratha Yatra is also known in the names of Rath Yatara, Car Festival, Ghosha Yatra and Gundicha Yatra.

During this magnificent Celebration lakhs of devotees from far and wide the world flock to Puri to witness the journey of the Gods on the Chariots. The 'darshan' of the deities during this period is considered as full of virtues and provides moskshya, the salvation.

'Rathe tu Vamanam drishtwa punarjanmam na vidyate'. It means a glimpse of the Vamana, an incarnation of Lord Jagannath in the physique of a dwarf Brahmin, is sure to ensure liberation to release human souls from the cycle of birth and death. 

Lord Jagannath is believed to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu and Krishna. At Puri Jagannath Temple, Sri Krishna is worshipped as ‘Jagannath’. Balabhadra is his elder brother who is known as Balaram during the time of incarnation of Krishna in the Dwapara Yuga and Subhadra is their younger sister. The idols of these three deities are worshipped together in the temple.

As per Hindu epics long after completion of the great war of Mahabharata Lord Krishna also wanted to finish his incarnation. However, to check the misuse of his name by his descendants he arranged to wash out all his relatives. Finally once he was sitting inside the dense bushes and one of his devotees in a wrong estimation fired an arrow which pierced to his feet. Later Arjuna came and he was asked to burn the body.

Arjuna burnt it for long 14 days and the ashes were merged in the sea. Also in spite of great effort a dazzling blue stone found in the heart of the Lord was safe. It was also flown to the water. It was swallowed by a fish which was later fished by Vishwabashu, the Sabar king. That is Nilamani which eventually brought to Puri and today also that Gems stone is very much present inside the wooden idol of Lord Jagannath. It means Lord Krishna is absolutely present today in the incarnation of Lord Jagannath. (The Legend)

Taladhwaja, Darpadalana and Nandighosha are the three chariots of Lord Balabhadra, Subhadra and Jagannath respectively. These huge chariots are the replicas of Bada Deula, the main temple. Nandighosha is 45 feet high, with 16 wheels, each of 7 feet diameters and festooned with a cover made of red and yellow clothes. The yellow color is to certify the name Pitambara of Lord Vishnu. Taladhwaja is 44 feet high, with 14 wheels of the same 7 feet diameter and covered with red and blue clothes. Darpadalana, which means crusher of pride, is 43 feet high with 12 wheels of the same 7 feet diameter and roofed with red and black clothes to represent its association with Shakti, the Mother Goddess. The statues of the parrots on the pinnacle of Nandighosha also bear immense spiritual value.

Each of the chariots is attached with four horses. White ones for Balarama, Black ones for Jagannatha and red ones for Subhadra. Each chariot has a charioteer called Sarathi. The three charioteers of Nandighosha, Taladhwaja and Darpadalana are Matali, Daruka and Arjuna respectively.

The splendidly decorated chariots are pulled with the help of ropes by human devotees along the grand road of Puri, called Badadanda to reach the Lords' aunt's house, Gundicha temple 2 kms away from Shree Mandir.

This is the only day when devotees who are not allowed in the temple premises on the normal days, such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can also get the glance of their esteemed deities.

Gajapati, the King of Puri, who is also assumed as the lively facsimile of the Lord (chalanti Vishnu), performs the pious work of sweeping the chariots with golden broomstick and fragrant virtuous water to offer his reverence to Lord Jagannath which is also a practice before pulling of the chariots.

An atmosphere of utmost devotional happening prevails on this day. Besides the main chariots, some devotees are also seen on the streets carrying minuscule versions of the chariots with little idols installed on them. Deva dasis (the Lord's servants) love to perform dances to offer their commitment during Rathyatra.

Saints and devotees in vibrant orange outfits also dance to the tune of Sankirtana chanting the names of the Gods during this pious festival. The huge processions accompanying the chariots play devotional songs with drums, bells, tambourines, trumpets etc. and create a spiritual environment.

Among the major devotees of Lord Jagannath the legend of Salabega is the famous one. He was a Muslim. However, he got cured by the blessings of Lord Jagannath. Hence in this way turned into a hard core devotee of the Lord. The best numbers in the ancient Jagannath’s devotional songs has been written by Salabega.

There is also a tale that once in a year during Rathyatra Salabega tried to come to have darshan of his acclaimed Lord Jagannath but could not reach on time as during that time communication was very poor and one need to come by walking. Now, to the astonishment of everybody, the Chariots did not move in spite of quite a lot of hard work. Finally when Salabega arrived, witnessed the God and prayed the chariots only moved. Jagannath is so kind towards his devotees in the midst of this Kali Yuga also.

Lord Jagannath and Alarnath Dev

 Devotees of Lord Jagannath should not be worried about not getting a chance to have a darshan of their Lord during this Anasara period, but they are herewith requested to visit Alarnath Dev, at Bramhagiri in Puri District of Odisha, to get the same blessings from the almighty.

Lord Alarnath is famous because he is considered as the manifestation of Lord Jagannath of Puri during the period of Anasara. This is the period, when people are not permitted to have a darshan of the deities in Shree Mandir. But they can still avail the same blessings by having a darshan of Alarnath Dev at Bramhagiri.

Anasara has started from 16th June and will last up to 30th June in this year 2011. After completion of Anasara, a Netrotsava will be held, which is also a ritual of worship of Lord Jagannath and then on dwitiya or 2^nd day of Ashada, the famous Car festival or Rath Yatra will take place.

It is a popular belief that the ritualistic pious bathing of Jagannath, Balabhadra and Subhadra on the eve of Snana Purnima (which was celebrated on 15th of June in 2011) makes them sick of fever for a fortnight and hence they take rest for the dark fortnight of the month of Ashada.

Alarnath Temple is in Bramhagiri at a distance of around 23 kms from Puri, which is also the nearest Railway Station. National Highway 203A passes through this place. The nearest airport to Bramhagiri is Biju Pattanaik Airport of Bhubaneswar 83 kms away.

Alarnath temple is although not a famous tourist destination but it is a prime religious place for the devotees especially during the period of Anasara.

The Legend - In 1610 A.D. Chitanya Mahaprabhu during his stay at Puri used to visit Lord Jagannath and his siblings regularly. However after the Maha Snana, the deities were taken to the secret chamber and public darshan was restricted. Not getting a glimpse of his beloved God, Chaitanya decided to end up his life. But the Lord was kind enough who told to find Him as Alarnath Dev in Bramhagiri.

It is further said that when Chaitanya visited for the first time, the stone below his feet was melted from His blissful touch. Today also one can witness the slab in front of the deity inside the temple, which bears the holy footprint of the saint.

Etymology - Myth says during Satya Yuga once Bramha started worshipping Vishnu on the top of a hill. Pleased by this, Vishnu asked him to make a four arm statue, holding conch shell, disk, club, and lotus in the four hands from a piece of black stone. Brahma created the idol accordingly and worshipped .The place was named Bramhagiri (the hill of Brahma) after his name.

The rulers of Alwar of Rajasthan constructed the temple approximately 11 hundred years back and so the deity was called Alwarnath which now transformed into the name Alarnath. Statues of Lord Krishna’s wife Rukmini and Satyabhama and the carrier of Vishnu Garuda, are also worshipped in this temple along with the main idol.

Among other offerings the delicious kheer or payasam is much hyped and in demand at Alarnath which is another attraction for the pilgrims. A famous tale is also heard about how the Lord literally eaten up the offered Kheer being pleased with the innocence of a little boy Madhu, the son of Sri Ketana.

There is also an interesting ritual of offering the first copy of any artistic work of creation to Alarnath Swami by writers, poets and musicians to make it popular and success.