Wisdom of the Seers

We are often awestruck by the sheer looks of the golden or silverwares that the royal/aristocratic people often used in the past for eating and drinking purposes. We wonder what was the purpose of using these costly utensils for eating and drinking when a cheaper metal could have been used for the same purpose. And we conclude that it was just a show-off and nothing else. But that conclusion of ours is wrong if we study the Ayurvedic texts that explain the useful properties of various types of utensils that we use while eating and drinking. Ayurveda says - Properties of Utensils used for eating food - * Eating in Golden utensils removes all insufficiencies in diet, is beneficial for the eyes and enhances the qualities of the food served in them. * Eating in Silver utensils is beneficial for the eyes, pacifies Pitta, increases Kapha and Vata (Vata, Pitta and Kapha are biological humors). * Eating in Kansa (Bronze) utensils enhances intellect, enhances the taste of the food and c...

नार्थार्थं नापि कामार्थमथ भूतदयां प्रति| वर्तते यश्चिकित्सायां स सर्वमतिवर्तते||५८|| [Charak Chikitsa 1.4.58] A person who pursues medical profession just out of compassion for the living being and not for Artha (wealth) or Kama (satisfaction of the worldly desires) excels all others. ଯେଉଁ ଚିକିତ୍ସକ ନା ଅର୍ଥ ନିମନ୍ତେ, ନା କୌଣସି ମନୋରଥର ପ୍ରାପ୍ତି ନିମନ୍ତେ, ବରଂ ସମସ୍ତ ପ୍ରାଣୀଙ୍କ ପ୍ରତି ଦୟା ଭାଵ ପ୍ରଦର୍ଶନ କରିବା ନିମିତ୍ତ ଏହି ବୃତ୍ତିକୁ ଆଦରି ନେଇ ଥାଆନ୍ତି, ସେ ଅନ୍ୟ ସମସ୍ତ ଚିକିତ୍ସକଙ୍କୁ ଅତିକ୍ରମ କରି ନିଜ ସମାଜରେ ଶ୍ରେଷ୍ଠ ସ୍ଥାନ ଗ୍ରହଣ କରିଥାନ୍ତି । कुर्वते ये तु वृत्त्यर्थं चिकित्सापण्यविक्रयम्| ते हित्वाकाञ्चनं राशिं पांशुराशिमुपासते||५९|| [Charak Chikitsa 1.4.59] A physician, who practices his profession as a commercial commodity for earning wealth, is (as a matter of fact) running after heap of ash instead of gold. ଯେଉଁ ଚିକିତ୍ସକ ଏହି ଆଦର୍ଶ ବୃତ୍ତିକୁ କେବଳ ମାତ୍ର ନିଜର ଜୀବିକା ନିର୍ବାହ ପାଇଁ ଗ୍ରହଣ କରି ଏହାକୁ ଏକ ପଣ୍ୟ ଦ୍ରବ୍ୟ ରୂପେ ବ୍ୟବହାର କରନ୍ତି, ସେ ସୁବର୍ଣ୍ଣ ରାଶି ପ୍ରତିବଦଳରେ କେବଳ ଧୂଳିକଣା ହିଁ ସଂଗ୍ରହ କରିଥାନ୍ତି । [English Text Sourc...

Answer:  My first advice - Never ever refer to the “Shiva Trilogy” series by Amish Tripathi. They are mere works of fiction and present distorted facts on Lord Shiva. Period! My second advice - Leelas or stories of Lord Shiva are endless. That’s why in the ‘Shiva Mahimna’ stotra, it is written that - ‘If the ocean is made the inkpot, the branch of the mythical Parijata tree made the pen and Goddess Saraswati (The Goddess of Knowledge) embarks to write the glory of Lord (Shiva), it still will be impossible to comprehend the greatness of the Lord fully’. Still the following books can be referred to know about Lord Shiva in detail. 1. Shiva Purana 2. Linga Purana 3. Skanda Purana 4. Shivank (in Hindi, Published by Gita Press) 5. Shiva Upasanank (in Hindi, Published by Gita Press) 6. Siva Number (Kalyan Kalpataru, October 1990, Published by Gita Press) 7. Lord Siva and His Worship (Swami Sivananda Saraswati) 8. Shiva Stotra Ratnakara (Hymns on Lord Shiva, Published by Gita Press) My la...

Of late many people especially the celebrities have raised their voice strongly against the age-old tradition of Kanyadaan ritual which is performed during a Hindu marriage ceremony. Even they have decided not to include it as a part of their marriage ceremonial procedures. The reason behind this is - Daan means gift or giving away; so when Kanyadaan ritual is performed, it literally means gifting or giving away a daughter which is objectionable as a daughter or a woman is not a commodity to be gifted or given away. Now let us analyse this issue from different angles. There are three main points to be discussed in this issue - 1) How marriage is viewed in Hinduism, what are the different forms of marriages under it and what is the role of Kanyadaan in them 2) Whether a daughter or a woman is treated like a commodity during the Kanyadaan ritual? 3) Whether to include or not, the Kanyadaan ritual as a part of a Hindu marriage ceremony? First let us discuss on the importance of marriage, ...

According to a text named "Shilpa Saarani", there should be sculptures on the walls of a temple to satisfy 14 different types of species so that no species should be deprived from getting material pleasure arising out of seeing these statues or sculptures. On the walls of a temple, 1. There should be Deva Murties (sculptures of Gods) for the pleasure of Devas. 2. There should be Vikata Murties (Vikata - horrific) for the pleasure of Asuras (Demons). 3. There should be Yaksha Murties (sculptures of Yakshas) for the pleasure of Yakshas. 4. There should be Nritya Murties (sculptures of different poses of dance) for the pleasure of Gandharvas. 5. There should be Kinnari Murties (sculptures of Kinnaris) for the pleasure of Kinnaras. 6. There should be Naga Bandha (sculptures of bonding of serpents) for the pleasure of the serpents. 7. There should be Pashu Bandha (sculptures of bonding of animals) for the pleasure of the animals. 8. There should be Pakshee Bandha (Sculptures of bo...

Lord Jagannath or the Lord of the Universe is regarded as the supreme deity amongst the Hindus. But the beauty lies in the fact that even Lord Jagannath has his Ishta Deva - Lord Ishaneshwar (Lord Shiva). In Shivashtakam it is written that - प्रभुं प्राणनाथं विभुं विश्वनाथं जगन्नाथ नाथं सदानन्द भाजाम् । भवद्भव्य भूतॆश्वरं भूतनाथं, शिवं शङ्करं शम्भु मीशानमीडॆ I pray to You, Shiva, Shankara, Shambhu, Who is the Lord, Who is the Lord of our lives, Who is Vibhu, Who is the Lord of the world, Who is the Lord of Jagannatha (Vishnu), Who is always dwelling in happiness, Who imparts light or shine to everything, Who is the Lord of living beings, Who is the Lord of ghosts, and Who is the Lord of everyone. It is futile to debate who is superior to whom, as the trinities in Hinduism - Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar (Shiva) are basically inseparable and appear as different depending upon their attributes and roles in this cosmic play. Once Lord Shiva was asked at the time of His marr...

Now a days it has become a trend to glorify certain traits of Ravana like he never violated the modesty of Sita though he abducted her and he was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. And this discussion comes up especially during the time of Dussehra when Ravana's efigy is burnt. Many people oppose this tradition by giving examples about the positive traits of Ravana as described earlier. Now I am not raising an argument about whether Ravana's efigy should be burnt or not, rather I would like to clear the misconceptions about the positive traits of Ravana which he never had. Myth #1: Ravana never violated the modesty of Sita. Fact: It is true that Ravana never violated the modesty of Sita, but it was not due to his greatness, rather it was due to a curse inflicted upon him for which he didn't dare to do so. Once Ravana came across Rambha, the celestial damsel. Charmed by her beauty, he got hold of her and expressed his desire to make love to her. But Rambha resisted ...

We have heard a very popular sloka that is as follows – Rathe tu Vaamanam drustva Punarjanmam na vidyate || It means if we see Vaamana or Lord Jagannath on the Chariot during the Rath Yatra or the Car festival, we will never have to take rebirth again. In other words, we will get salvation or moksha or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. But a question comes to our mind that why Lord Jagannath is described here as ‘ Vaamana ’? To know the answer we have to refer to the following sloka – मधुसूदनो वैशाखे ज्येष्ठे त्रविक्रमः पतिः। आषाढे वामानाधीशः श्रावणे श्रीधरः स्मृतः॥ भाद्रवे हृषिकेशश्च पद्मनाभोऽश्विनाधिपः। दामोदरश्च कार्त्तिके मार्गशीर्षे च केशवः॥ पौषे नारायणस्वामी माघाधिपश्च माधवः। फाल्गुने गोविन्दो ज्ञेयो विष्णुश्चैत्रेश्वरोऽपिच॥ It means the combination of Hindu months and their presiding deities are as follows - वेशाख - मधुसूदन , ज्येष्ठ - त्रिविक्रम , आषाढ़ - वामन , श्रावण - श्रीधर , भाद्रव - हृषीकेश , आश्विन - पद्मन...

As per Sanatana Dharma or Hinduism, there are four proper goals or aims which are to be achieved in human life. They are - Dharma (Righteousness), Artha (Wealth), Kama (Rightful Desire) and Moksha (Salvation or Liberation). Moksha is the ultimate goal of the human life which liberates a soul from the endless cycle of birth and death. How can one attain Moksha ? The ancient holy texts describe about various ways to attain  Moksha  or liberation from the cycle of birth and death. There are descriptions of holy cities which bestow  Moksha  upon the visitors . Like - Ayodhya Mathura Maya Kasi Kanchi Avantika | Puri Dvaravati chaiva saptaita moksadayikah || ~ Garuda Purana It means that the Sapta Puri or the seven holy cities [Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kasi, Kanchi, Avantika (Ujjain), and Dwarika Puri] bestow  Moksha  upon people who visit them. Again… Dole tu Dolagovindam Chape tu Madhusudanam Rathe tu Vamanam drustva Punarjanma...

Lord Hanuman is an important God as far as Hinduism is concerned. He is one of the Chiranjeevis or the immortals. Apart from his most popular name Hanuman, he is also known as Anjaneya (Son of Anjana), Maruti (Son of Marut, the Wind God), Bajrang Bali (the strong one who has limbs as hard as the Vajra) etc. We may wonder why he was named as Hanuman. There are two stories regarding this. The first story is from Bhavishya Purana. It says – When Hanuman was a child, he mistook the Sun as a fruit and flew towards it to devour it. When he devoured the Sun, darkness prevailed everywhere and all were worried. Seeing this, Ravana, the demon king tried to free the Sun by taking hold of the tail of Hanuman and hung in there. But still Hanuman did not release the Sun from his mouth. After that a fierce fist fighting took place in between Hanuman and Ravana for a whole year. At the end Ravana got tired and tried to escape. But Hanuman did not let him go. At this moment Rishi Vishrav...

Times change. Businesses and professions get outdated. But one profession that will never be out of service is the practice of medicine. We will always need the advice of a Physician or a Doctor during an illness. Because, a Physician is an expert in medicine who earns the title of a “Doctor” after years of medical study and internship. Then only can he add the title of “Doctor” before his name and treat patients. But since when this title of Doctor came into existence? Let us have a look. The most ancient books that exist today are believed to be the Vedas whose date of origin is 1500 – c. 500 BCE (it might be even much older than that). All the subjects of science and arts have their original source in the Vedas including the science of medicine. Vedic Gods like Rudra, Agni, Varuna, Indra, Maruta and various other Gods were designated as Divine Physicians. Rudra was described as the "first Divine Physician" and also the “best Physician of Physicians”. The most famous ...

Introduction Each day, we have to make the same choice umpteen times: whether to lie or tell the truth. And most often we lie oblivious of the fact that even the smallest lies can affect us in a harmful manner. That’s why the ancient Indian scriptures preach- “Nanruta bruyat” [One should not tell a lie.] What is a lie? A lie is a false statement deliberately presented as being true. In simple words as per Ayurveda, anything said that is opposite of Truth is a lie. But how many of us choose not to lie at all? A study conducted on this subject makes an interesting observation on the frequency of lies in our daily conversations. In a 2002 study by Robert Feldman of the University of Massachusetts, it was found that on an average, people told two to three lies in a ten-minute conversation. Needless to say, the report reflects more or less a global trend. Why do people lie? People lie because they are fearful of the consequences of telling the truth. Mostly they are a...

Often we come across devotees who take their Ishta Deva's or desired deity’s name either loudly or silently throughout their daily routine. For those who are not familiar with this act may ask what is the significance of this act of repetition of the Lord’s name? Or how this act will benefit the devotees in their spiritual path? The answer to the above questions would be – This continous chanting or repetition of Lord’s name while carrying out our daily routine is called “ Nama Japa ”. It calms and strengthens the mind; eradicates all kinds of evil thoughts; makes the mind introspective and forces the mind to move towards God and eventually helps to have a Darshan or glimpse of one’s Ishta Deva or God realisation. By taking Lord Rama’s name that too reversely, Ratnakara, a rogue became Valmiki – a great sage who authored Ramayana. Tukaram, a great saint had direct darshan or glimpse of Lord Krishna by repeating simply “Vitthal, Vitthal” (another name for Lord Krishna). Su...

The current age ( Kali Yuga ) can be called as the age of “Instant Noodles”, where Noodles is a metaphor for things people want instantly in their life like money, name, fame etc. But they know that, though they can cook the Noodles instantly, to get the “Real Noodles” (money, name, fame etc.)  in a short time, that too in a fair way and by following the path of Truth, is a difficult task. Because, this path may not give them instant results. So they tread the path of falsehood for getting them in the shortest possible time and invite troubles through bad karma. But little do they know, that with little patience, they can get whatever they desire by the power of Truth alone. That’s why the Upanishad says- " Satyameva Jayate " (सत्यमेव जयते) This verse from the “ Mundaka Upanishad ” is the National Motto of India. It tells us that – Truth alone triumphs; Not falsehood ( satyameva jayate nānṛtaṁ ). The Shiva Purana also emphasizes upon the path of Truth and tells that on...