Navgrah Vatika

In astrology it is believe that there are 9 planets which are controlling the destiny of person. To minimize the ill effect of nav grahas one of the easiest method is to plant the nav-grah vatika (garden) near the temple. Each planet is associated with a sacred plant which has to be plant in a 3 by 3 grid as follows.
Ark(for sun) in the centre
Palash(for moon) in the South east
Khair (for mars) in the South
Apamarga(for mercury) in NorthEast
peepal (for Jupiter) in North
Doomar(For venus) in East
shami(For Saturn) in West
Durvaa (for Rahu) in South West
kusha (for Ketu) in North West

Gotra- Ek Pehchaan

Gotra mean a name given to lineage . All Hindu ceremonies require a statement of the gotra. It is very important to pronounce the “Gotra” while performing sanskaars. A Gotra relates to the original seven Rishis called “Saptarishis” and Sage Agastya making the total 8. The sapta rishis were Gautama, Bhardwaja, Vishwamitra, Jamadagni, Vasistha, Kashyapa, Atri. In olden times, every gotra had a definite task to perform. Certain sacrifices require priests of a specific gotra only. All members of a particular gotra are believed to possess certain common characteristics by way of nature or profession. Currently there are 49 established Hindu gotras which evolves from eight sages. The members of a gotra however need not necessarily be blood relations. There is a difference between “gotra” and “Kula”. A kula is a group of people following similar rituals.One can change its Kula, based on his faith on ista devatha. In society it is prohibited to perform marriage between persons belonging to same gotra. The idea behind this concept to prevent transfer of genetic disorders to next generation. Also marriages between certain gotras are also not allowed.For Example marriages between persons of the Vasishtha and Vishvamitra gotras are not permitted. The reason is that these two sages were opponents and their descendants are traditional enemies . So the concept of gotra has the logic.

Tulsi-Ek Shakti

In the Hinduism, Tulsi(a plant,basil) is very dear to Lord Vishnu. It is believe that one who worship lord Vishnu with Tulsi leaves, is dear to lord Vishnu. That is why Tulsi is also known as “Vishnu priya”.The month of Kaartik is very important for tulsi pooja. On ekadashi tithi of kaartik shukal paksh devotees celebrates the marriage ceremony of Tulsi with lord Vishnu. This is called Tulsi vivah. Lord Vishnu granted boon to Tulsi that a place is considered to be the most sacred pilgrimage where exists the holy Tulsi plant. It is believed that the lord of death does not dare to enter a place, where exists a holy basil plant. If one take bath with water, in which basil leaves have been mixed, gives virtues similar to that of all the pilgrimage. The deities and all the places of pilgrimages have their dwelling places in whole of the basil-plant. Even the soil underneath the holy basil plant is of such great importance, that if it is applied on the forehead, all the sins of a man gets destroyed. Wearing a string of beads consisting of basil-seeds makes a man free from the fears of death. Medically it is proved that the Tulsi plant is helpful in curing many diseases. Some important consideration has to be kept in mind while doing Tulsi pooja.There are some days during which it is prohibited to pluck or water Tulsi leaves. They are Sundays,Amavasya,Dwadashi,Sakraanti(Transit of sun into new sign). The leaves should be collected before the prohibited time.

The Jap Maala

A mala is a garland of beads used for counting the mantras recited during prayer. Generally it consists of 108 beads. As per Hinduism the number of mantras recited during meditation is very important. The mala helps in keeping the track of counting. In the mala there is one extra bead which is bigger than the rest of beads. This special bead is called “ Sumeru”. This bead act as a indicator of starting point as well as ending point. The counting should begin from the next bead to this bead in a clockwise direction. For doing prayer for more than one mala , the direction of moving the mala changes in the second round. In any case the Sumeru bead is never crossed. Make sure that the index finger is not used while recitation. There are different kinds of mala used by followers of different faiths as well as for different purposes. For example
1) The rudraksha mala is used by the disciples of Lord Shiva
2) Tulsi mala is used by the followers of Lord Vishnu
3) Kamal-gatta(Lotus seed) mala for goddess lakshmi
4) kusha mala for purification of sins
5) Putra-jeeva mala for children
6) Sankh mala for tantric kriya
7) Haldi mala- for curing jaundice
8) Vyaghra-nakh mala for removing evil eye

The Super 14 knowledge

In our classics there is a mention of 14 kinds of vidya(knowledge) to be taught in Gurukul(the modern day school). During those days a student has to be master in all the fourteen subjects to complete his education. Thos fourteen

1) The Rig Veda
2) The Yajur Veda
3) The Saam Veda
4) The Atharva Veda
5) Nyay  Shaastra-rules related to justice are taught
6) Puraanas-stories and legends of Gods and goddesses
7) Mimaansa (vedants)
8) Dharam Shaastra-teachings of relegion.
9 )Shiksha- the science of phonetics.
10) Kalpa-deals with rituals.
11) Vyakran-study of grammar.
12) Nirukta-knowledge of languages
13) Chanda-study of sanskrit poetry
14) Jyotish- the science of astronomy.

Til- an easy remedy

As per classics “sesame” popularly known as “Til” in northern region of India was produced from the body of sage Kashyap. It is believe that if a person offer it to God,Pittras or Brahmin he would be free from the ill effect of malefic planets. Offerings can be made in the form of Snaan,Daan,Tarpan,Havan or Food. As per mythology Saturn belongs to Kashyap Gotram.So sesame is considered as the best remedy for pacification of Shani. One should light a lamp of sesame oil in the evening. This process is called “Deep daan”. During Makar sakranti in the month of January when the sun enters the Capricorn(the zodiac sign of Saturn who is a son of Sun god), it is very auspicious to offer sesame to fire god at night. People distributes jaggery(Gud) with sesame(til) on this day. It is a symbolic representation of Sun and Saturn respectively.

Marriage of Eldest Son in Jyestha Month

The eldest child in a family is called “Jyeshtha”.The word “Jyeshtha” is also use for one of the lunar month in Hindu calendar and for the nakshatra also. In astrology it is considered highly inauspicious the marriage of eldest child in a month of Jyeshtha.At the same time jyeshtha nakshatra add fuel to fire. The three Jyeshthas-the eldest child,the month and the nakshatra constitutes the “Tri Tara Dosha”. If we examine the above rule then one can find interesting correlation between the above cause and effect relation. The 5th house of a horoscope represent the eldest child. In kaal purush horoscope the 5th house is ruled by the planet Sun. During the period of Jyeshtha month, the sun transits through the “Ardra” nakshatra. This transit is very sensitive transit.Even all the weather forecasting is based upon this transit. Jyeshtha nakshatra falls in scorpio while Ardra nakshatra falls in Gemini. This is a 6/8 relation indicating death. Now counting from “Jyeshtha nakshatra” the Ardra nakshatra is 16 which is malefic(star of death).So, this malefic transit futher intensifies when all the three clubbed together. Even in case of emergency if marriage has to be performed, do make sure that other elements of muhurat should be strong enough.

Shubh Yaatra

In ancient times journey away from home was considered inauspicious as home was considered as the best asset the man has. In classics there are some methods which guides a person when to start for a journey in a particular direction to gain success.For this current position of moon is necessary to be known.Moon changes the zodiac sign in approximately in 2.5 days. Every sign is associated with a particular direction.

How to know Direction

When Moon is in

1)Aries,Leo, Saggitarius then it is said to be in East direction

2)Taurus,Virgo,Capricorn then it is said to be in South direction

3)Gemini,Libra,Aquarius then it is said to be in West direction

4)Cancer,Scorpio,Pisces then it is said to be in North direction

Rule

While traveling in a particular direction the moon in front or right side is auspicious and moon onback or left side is inauspicious

Result

If at the start of journey the moon is in a particular direction the following result will accrue

1) left-loss of money

2) back-troubles

3) front-success

4) right- gains

Shodash Upchaar Pooja

Hindus generally believe in “sakaar pooja” which means they need some form to pray god. For example, we all know that air is present everywhere, but still we need fan to feel it. To worship god , there are certain rules and procedure. It is believe that the 16 step pooja called “ Shodash-upchaar” pooja is the best form to worship the god. The word sodash in Sanskrit means “sixteen”. Following are the important steps in order to worship God-

Step 1 Avahan-welcome of gods
Step 2 Asana-offering of seat
Step 3 Padhya-offering water for washing feet(by sprinkling water)
Step 4 Argya-washing hand(by sprinkling water)
Step 5- Achamany-washing mouth
Step 6 Snan- water is offered for bath
Step 7- Vastram- Clothes are offered to god
Step 8- Yagyapaveet-sacred thread is offer
Step 9- Aabharnam- offer ornaments
Step 10- Gandh-offer sandalwood paste
Step 11- Pushpam-offer flowers
Step 12- Dhoopam- offer dhoop or aggarbati(incense stick)
Step 13- Deepam- lightening of lamp
Step 14- Naivadya-offering food
Step 15- Archana-reciting mantras and prayers
Step 16- Namaskaram- Salutation of god

Evil eye

The concept of “Buri Nazar” (evil eye) is very popular and creates ripples in the mind when any one heard about it. This is transfer of negative energy. When a person constantly think negative about another person or object the negative thoughts accumulated in the mind. This vibrating energy when transfer to another object, then it causes harm to it. For example when a person is affected by evil eye, then his thinking pattern may get disturbed badly. It might cause unexplainable diseases which are unexplain even by the world of medical science. Similarly when an object falls under the effects of evil-eye then it might be damaged. Intrestingly, it is the first gaze of the person which is important. Once it is neutralized , then there is no harm.
Even in china people put a octagonal mirror in front of their houses to prevent the evil effects entering the house. It is called “Shar” in china. On the same concept in India 7 chilies and a lemon is hang on top of the front door. Some of the effective methods of removing the evil eye are as follows
1) Wave salt over the head of the afflicted person and throw it in the running water.
2) Use red chilly and repeat the above step, but instead it is thrown in fire.
3) Hang 7 chilies and a lemon on top of the front door
4) Apply black spot on the forehead of children, if they are the sufferers
5) Black pot is hang on top of the house
6) Black thread is tied below the new vehichle.
7) Take a bowl of mustard oil and look your image in it. Then burn it outside the house.
8) Take seven red chilies, rock salt, mustered seeds, a piece of Fitkari and a lemon and put it in a small bag. And rotate the things three times clockwise and three times anticlockwise and ask the sufferers to spit for three times on the bag and throw all the articles at a distant place.
9) In an alum method , it is rotated 3 times around the affected person and then thrown in fire(But it is very dangerous method from spiritual point of view)
10) Use coconut and rotate it around the person in odd number and then break it at the cross road.
11) On the shadow of person place a lamp and put 7 chilles in it.
It is not only the human being responsible for the evil-eye, even animals also cast evil eye to human being. It is beleive that the wife of oil vendor,goldsmith and washerman possess more powers. So, there are many rituals to prevent from the aftermath of evil eye which varies from place to place and religion to religion.

Curse to Agni Dev

From the spiritual union of Lord Shiva and Parvati, a divine energy was produced which was necessary for the birth of their son. Even the gods were eagerly waiting for thier son to be born so that he could kill the demon. Tarkasur. But as the news of the birth of energy reached Tarkasur, he attacked the gods and wanted to destroy the energy to prevent the birth of son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Indra, the chief of gods,sends Agni dev to protect the energy. Agnidev stole that energy without the knowledge of Lord Shiva and Parvati and escaped so that it could be protected from the demons. Agnidev fails to bear the heat produced by the energy and runs towards the forest to save his life. When goddess Parvati came to know about the loss of energy , she became furious with gods as they had intruded in her matters of motherhood and she cursed the deities that their wives will not be able to conceive.She also  cursed Agnidev that he would be shunned by good things and he would become black   due to the impurities when he is offered food and  not only this she further increased the punishment by saying that whoever touches him will be burnt to ashes.Goddess Parvati  was deeply hurt and said that whoever had taken her son away from her will be destroyed.The curse soon started to show its effect.as the trees of forests started to get burnt due to Agni dev. He prayed Lord Shiva for the help. Lord Shiva appeared and said that even after activation of Parvati's curse he would remain pure and who ever gets burnt to ashes by him will also become pure.From that day due to purity of fire he get his new name "Pawak" from Lord Shiva.
  

Chappan Bhog

Just to save his followers from the fury of rain god, Indra, Lord Krishna lifted the Goardhan mountain on his little finger for seven days. He didnt't eat any thing during that period. Since lord Krishna used to have 8 meals a day so after 7 days all the devotees offered 56(7x8) kinds of food to Lord Krishna. Even today, day after diwali is celebrated as 'Goardhan Pooja' and Goardhan mountain is worshipped . During the worship 56 kinds of food is prepared and offered to Lord Krishna. This special food is called "Annakut".The Bhog also needs to be arranged in a definite sequence; Milk  products arranged the closest to Him.  .This is followed by Besan items and then the salty food. At the end illachi is offered.
7 types of cereals
7 types of fruits
7 types of dryfruits
7 vegetables
7 sweets
7 drinks
7 namkeen
7 sauces or pickles

in another variation one offer
16 kinds of namkeen'
20 kinds of sweets
20 kinds of dry fruit

Here  is the list of 56 items which are offered with some variations in north India
1) Saag( Spinach)
2) Dahi (curd)
3) kheer ( sweet rice and milk)
4) Chawal (rice)
5) Rasgulla
6) Rabri
7) Mathi
8) Daal
9) Chutney
10) Kadi
11) Malpuda
12) murabba
13) Shakkarpaara
14) Ghewar
15) Chila
16) Jalebi
17) Papad
18) Dalia
19) Laddoo
20) Ghee
21) honey
22) Mohanbhog
23) Mathha
24) Lassi
25) Butter
26) Malai
27) Moong Dal Ka Halwa
28) Khichadi
29) Pakode
30) Brinjal
31) Lauki
32) Coconut chutney
33) Poori
34) Kachori
35) Roti
36) Badam Milk
37) Coconut water
38) Mango
39) Banana
40) Shkanjvi
41) Grapes
42) Apple
43) Plum
44) Cashew nuts
45) Almonds
46) Raisins
47) Pistachios
48) Channa
49) Tikki
50) Sweet Rice
51) Bhujia
52) Pudina Chutney
53) Saunf
54) Paan
55) Supaari
56) Illaichi

24 Incarnations of Lord Vishnu

According to Puraans there are 24 Avtaar(incarnations) of Lord Vishnu  

1. Sanat kumars Avtaar

2.Vaarah Avtaar

3.Narad Avtaar

4.Nar Naaraayan avtaar

5.Kapil Avtaar

6.Dattatrey Avtaar

7.Yagya Avtaar

8.RishabhDev Avtaar

9.Prithu Avtaar

10.Matsy Avtaar

11 .Kurm Avtaar

12 .Dhanvantari Avtaar

13 .Mohini Avtaar

14. Narsingh Avtaar

15. Vaaman Avtaar

16. Parshuraam Avtaar

17. Vyaas Avtaar

18. Ram Avtaar

19 .Balram Avtaar

20. Krishna Avtaar

21. Buddha Avtaar

22. Hayegreev Avtaar

23. Hans Avtaar

24. Kalki Avtaar

Mahadev as Leeladhar

  Himavan, the father of Parvati hosted a grand feast at the time of marriage of his daughter with Lord Shiva(Mahadev). As per ritual only after feeding the bridegroom , the bride could eat. All the guest enjoyed the feast. But Lord Shiva still continued eating his food. Himavan ordered his cooks to arrange more food. But Lord Shiva did not stopped. Now the tension started to develop as the food stock was about to be over which could prove very insulting for Himavan. Nandi sensed the sensitivity of the situation and approached Parvati and informed her about the situation. Parvati came to Mahadev who was in divine look. Parvati looked him for the first time in human form.She herself fed him morsel from her hand. Mahadev ate it. After three morsels Lord Shiva said that he is no more hungry.. Every one was still worried because the whole stock of food was finished. Lord Shiva asked cooks to check their vessels again which were supposed to be empty. The cooks were shocked to see that all the vessels were full with food.Lord Shiva said  he had consumed only the last three morsel given by Paravti . After seeing this divine act of Lord Shiva, she gave him  a name "LeelaDhar" means the master of divine act

Lord Shiva as Chandrashekhar

At the time of marriage of Lord Shiva(Mahadev) with goddess Parvati, when mother of Goddess Parvati , Menavati,saw the Lord Shiva as the bridegroom of her daughter she was fainted as it was against her expectations. He was wearing   tiger skin with serpent around his neck and his body was covered with ashes.When Menavati gained consciousness ,she refused to let Parvati marry Shiva. Parvati took Menavati's permission and met Mahadev. She persuaded Mahadev to attain graceful form. Lord Vishnu appeared at this time. He himself promised to be a brother of goddess Parvati and took the responsibility to groom Mahadev. Lord Vishnu used his divine powers to make Lord Shiva to be appear as the most handsome person in entire universe. When the grooming processed completed, Lord Shiva appeared in divine form. Even Lord Vishnu who was amazed to see the divine form of Lord Shiva said  that this form of Lord Shiva will be known as "Chandrashekhar" and it will be the most beautiful form even among all His incarnation.

Shani dev and King Vikramaditya

Once nav greh(the nine planets) reached the court of King Vikramaditya to decide who is more superior among them. King  Vikramditya was famous for his wisdom. He prepared 9 thrones of different material and numbered them. He assigned number 1 to the throne made up of Gold and number 9 to the throne made of iron. Shani(saturn) knew that his throne is of iron so he felt humiliated on assigning low rank. He decided to take revenge from King Vikramaditya. He started controlling his destiny.One day Vikramaditya bought an unusual horse and went for riding and lost the way in the forest.he took shelter in the house of a businessman.he stayed there for many days. One  day  daughter of businessman lost her neckless.The merchant blamed Vikramaditya for stealing. His hands were amputated by the soldiers as punishment.To earn his livelihood he started working with Teli(oil seed crusher) . One day he was singing the song, when the princess of that kingdom heard it and got fascinated.Finally the marriage of Vikramditya and the princess was performed. One night Shani appeared in the dream of Vikramaditya and told him that all his suffering happened due to ill treatment by him. Vikramaditya asked for forgiveness. Shani dev accepted his apology. Next morning, all the limbs of Vikramditya were restored. The dreadful period of Shani called sade saati was over. He decided to  keep fast on Saturday as a mark of honor of  Shani dev.  He returned to his kingdom and live happily thereafter.

The Land of goddess Sita-Sitamari

50 km away from Allahabad on National Highway 2 there is a place called 'Sitamari' which is very sacred for hindus for many reasons.According to Indian mythology, Sitamarhi has got immense significance, because it was here at the ashram of sage Valmiki that goddess Sita gave birth to sons Luv and Kush and leter descended into the lap of Mother Earth . Even a 108 ft statue of Lord Hanuman is installed here which could be seen from the distance. It is one of the five ‘Teerths’ in Poorvanchal which are Prayagraj, Sitamarhi,Sarnath. Vindhyachal and  Kashi. Still it is believe that the unique grass found in this region is actually hairs of goddess Sita which glitters at night and on uprooting it on particular time , a blood like substance oozes. When goddess Sita was about to merged into the earth, Lord Rama did tried to hold her , but he managed to get few hairs of her. In the month of Shravan, females perform special pooja of these hairs like grass for the longevity of their husbands.

Exactly here goddess merged into the earth.

The carving on walls showing different episodes of Ramayana

The excellent glass work

108 ft Statue of Hanuman

The famous tree at the backdrop where sons of Lord Rama tied the horse of Ashwamegh Yagya

Kewat- a friend indeed

During the years of exile when Lord Rama reached at the banks of river Ganga, he needed a boat to cross it. He approached a boatman, Kewat for his services. But Kewat refused.He said, “I have heard that there is magic in the dust of your feet. By the touch of your feet, a stone can change into a woman.( he was referring to the previous incident in which Lord Rama removed the curse of Ahilya by touching his foot to a stone which turned into a woman)”. Kewat laid the condition that first he would wash Rama's feet to remove the dust and only then he would allow him to to sit on the boat. Lord Rama smiled  and allowed Kewat to wash His feet. Kevat by his simple manner, thus achieved what great sages could not achieve. It was kewat’s   devotion which made it possible for him to accomplish a feat that even the gods are envy of.

After washing the Lord’s feet, Kewat ferried them across the river Ganga. As soon as they alighted from the boat, goddess Sita immediately withdrew a ring from her finger and handed it over to Lord Rama, signaling to him to pass it on to the boatman.But Kewat refused to accept it. On asking the reason, kewat replied," Lord, ! how can i accept any money from You because   people of the same profession do not charge each other for their services. A barber never takes payment, when he gives a haircut to another barber. Even a washer-man never charges a fellow washer-man.". Lord Rama was surprised with the response and wanted clarification from Kewat that how could he be of the same profession . Kewat answered "Lord, both of us do the same work. I ferry people from this bank of the Ganges to the other. You ferry people across the ocean of Sansaara (Bhav-sagar), through the journey of life.How can I accept payment from you? Lord! . But please, as I have made you cross this river today, when my time comes, take me across sansaar saagar (the ocean of life). That would be your return to me."The Lord was so overwhelmed at this devotional request from Kewat, that he held out his arms and embraced the boatman and blessed him. Later, the Kewat was liberated from the cycle of birth and death just because of this little service done unto the Supreme Lord! After the completion of his exile when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya, he was crowned as King. But in coronation ceremony his eyes were looking for some special guest. When Sita asked Rama that is he waiting for some one. Lord Rama replied that he is missing Kewat too much today. Even on the day of extreme happiness Lord Rama did not forget the  good deed done by Kewat long time ago.
Jai Shri Ram!

The true devotion

One day Sage Narada visited Lord Vishnu and and said that he wanted to know who was his favorite devotee Actually Narada was staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu and this made Narada boastful and he was expecting praise from Lord Vishnu.. But Narada was shocked when he heard that Lord Vishnu referred a farmer on earth as his favourite devotee. Narada decided to test the devotion of the farmer. He visited farmer's house early morning and noticed that the farmer after feeding cows and short prayer went to field for work. In the evening the farmer returned and again after the short prayer and spending time with family went to sleep. Sage Narada was puzzled that how this farmer could be the devotee of Lord Vishnu who remember HIS name just twice a day.Narada returned to Lord Vishnu about HIS basis of judgement. Lord Vishnu said that before the answer there was one task which Narada had to do. He gave gave a bowl of oil and told him to walk around earth and returned without dropping single drop of oil.Narada followed and went ahead.But while walking he was too engrossed and careful that no drop of oil should be fall on earth. He returned. Now , Lord Vishnu asked Narada how many times did he remember his name while doing task. Narad replied that he was too concentrating on task and it was not possible for him to utter HIS name. Lord Vishnu answered that farmer was also loaded with responsibilities but still he managed to take some time for remembering HIM  . This was clear message to Narada who felt ashamed of himself.Lord Vishnu explained, “Those who remember me while doing their duties are dearer to me than those ignored all responsibilities and chant my name day and night.”

Ambaji

 Ambaji is a shaktipeeth located at the border of Rajasthan and Gujrat in the Banaskantha district.. According to legend , the heart of goddess Sati fell at this place. The goddess is worshipped at the new temple located about three km away.In the holy temple(new)  there is no image  of goddess. Only the holy "Shree Bisa Yantra" is worshiped as the main deity.This yantra is gold plated having sacred 51 letters are written in a mystical and spiritual way. This yantra is dressed in a special way to resemble the goddess.There are 9 kinds of decoration is done representing NavDurga, the 9 form of Devi .Even the vehicle of the deity is different each day. . No one can see the Yantra with naked eye. the photography of the Yantra is prohibited.The original temple is located at the Gabbar Hil which can be accessible through newly constructed ropeway or by climbing the stairs(just 900 steps :) ). Here the flame is lit continuously lit and one can witness the footprints of goddess at the front of the temple.This region is called as Arasur. As per another legend , Lord Rama and Laxman visited here to get the blessings of goddess and the goddess Ambaji blessed them a divine arrow called 'Ajay' which later proved important to kill his enemy Ravana. It is also believe that the mundan ceremony of Lord Krishna was performed here.
Important- during Bhadrapad mela and Navraatri days the place is totally packed with devotees. Before visiting, one must consider this factor into account. Make sure that even going via trolley to Gabbar hill, still it will consume at least 3 hrs minimum.

Location
20 Km from  Abu Road. Plenty of cabs are available at Abu Road station.

Not to be missed 
Apart from Gabbar Hill and new Ambaji temple, the following places should not to be miss
1) Kumbharia Jain Temples
2) Kamakshi temple
3) Koteshwar temple

Eating outlet
Apart from many options. US pizza outlet is safe bet for the travellers who are going along with children.

At the main gate of Ambaji

 The ropeway to Gabbar Hill

The Original place where the heart of goddess Sati fell

Adhik Maas- the month of spiritual importance

Hindu calender is based upon lunar movement which has 354 days where as Gregorian calender which is based upon movement of sun has 365 days(approx) . To accomodate this difference exactly after 32 months and 16 days (approx) an additional month is added in lunar calender which is called  Adhika  maas. The word 'adhik' means 'more' and 'maas' means 'month'. To put it another way,we know that the sun transit into next zodiac sign after 30 days (apprx). The lunar month in which no solar transit occur would be 'adhik maas'. It is considered very auspicious from the point of view of religious significance. This month is termed as "Purushottam Maas" or " Mal Maas". In hindu religion, every month has a ruling deity. The sages assigned the name "Mal Maas" to this extra month which means unclean month. Because of being an unclean month, naturally no festival would take place during this month.This was very disheartening for the 'Adhik Maas", so he reached Lord Vishnu.HE had pity on him and assigned Adhik Maas to Himself and it was named as Purushottam Maas. Lord Vishnu blessed him " Whosoever shall  worship me during the month of Purushottam, will be specially blessed " Adhik Maas got very happy to hear this and never got sad after that.
It is believed that the Adhik Maas Vrat is capable of excusing all the sins of the followers.Since then  fasting, recitation of mantra, readings of scriptures, Lakshmi-Narayan is worshipped with Sodashopachara puja and charity done in this month is considered as auspicious. Eating of other's food and taamsik food is forbidden. All the auspicious activities related to sanskaars as well as sale and purchase of new articles are suspended till the whole month is over. The first day of this month is more significantly important.

The Surya Namaskaar mantra

The method for salutaion to Lord Surya(Sun) involves 12 different postures,breathing pattern along with specific mantra associated with each posture. Following are the 12 mantra to be recited during salutations to Lord Surya. ‎


Om Mitraya namah (The friend of all)

Om Ravaye namah (Praised by all)

Om Suryaya namah (The guide of all)

Om Bhanave namah (The bestower of beauty)

Om Khagaya namah (Stimulator of the senses)

Om Pushne namah (The nourisher of all)

Om Hiranyagarbhaya namah (The creator)

Om Marichaye namah (Destroyer of disease)

Om Adityaya namah (The inspirer)

Om Savitre namah (The purifier)

Om Arkaya namah (The radiant)

Om Bhaskaraya namah (The illuminator)

Even recitation of above mantra at the time of sunrise brings good health

Power of Devi Anusuya

Anusuya was the wife of Sage Atri. She was famous in all the three world for his devotion and chastity. Sage Narad visited goddess Saraswati,Lakshmi ji and Parvati ji and praised Anusuya. The three goddess disliked it and decided to test Anusuya. They send their consorts to earth. Lord Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva in the guise of sage visited the hermitage of Anusuya when sage Atri was not present and asked for the alms on a condition that she had to give them alms without wearing clothes. This caused dilemma for Anusuya because if did not give the alms to sages then it would be a sin. She used her divine powers and sprinkled water on the three sages as a purification act and turned them into three infants. Now infants were crying as they were hungry. Anusuya came forward and gave breastfeed to three infants as a mother. On the other hand, Goddess Saraswati,Lakshmi and Parvati were worried about her husbands as they had not return to their abode. The three goddess visited Anusuya and she found the three infants were playing in the lap of mother Anusuya. They asked about their husband to Anusuya. She replied that they  are there in her lap as her children. the three goddess accepted their mistake and asked for forgiveness and to release their consorts. In the mean time Sage Atri returned to hermitage and witnessed the whole episode. Both Atri and Anusuya turned the three infants back to their original form. The three gods woke up  and asked Atri and Anusuya to demand any boon from them. Anusuya demanded that the trinity,Lord Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva , to be born as her son. Later Anusuya gave birth to Lord Dattatrey who was composite incarnation of Lord Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva.

Garuda Ganga

Enroute to Badrinath, there is a place where Garuda,the eagle(the vehicle of Lord Vishnu) prayed for many years to remove his sin. The river passes through this place is called Garuda Ganga. The placed is so sacred that  r the journey of  Badrinath commences only after worshipping of Garuda at this place. In other words its a gateway to Badrinath.Also every  rock  found in this river is considered sacred and used as worship. This is the only river that flows northward direction to merge with sacred river Alaknanda.As per legend once Lord Shiva visited Lord Vishnu. He saw that Garuda had caught his snake,Vasuki, who was wandering. To save his life the snake yelled for the help.Lord Vishnu intervened and commanded Garuda to let the snake go. But the Garuda answered with pride that if he would not allow him to eat the snake then Lord Vishnu would not be able to use him as his vehicle because he would be in the state of hunger. Lord Vishnu understood that Garuda is answering in his pride. He said that he could eat snake as a meal if  he able to bear the weight of his little finger on his back. This was the most easiest task for Garuda. When Lord Vishnu kept his little finger on the back of Garuda, he found it too heavy to move even for an inch.Garuda collapsed due to load. Garuda asked for the forgiveness for his sin. Lord Vishnu asked him to pray at the bank of river to get rid of his sin. So Garuda followed the command of his master. After the completion of prayer Lord Vishnu blessed him that every stone here at the bank of this river is blessed and the river would be known as " Garuda Ganga" .Also the this place would be the starting point of Badrinath region.

Sage Markandey

Sage Mrikandu and his wife were childless. They both prayed Lord Shiva to beget a son. Pleased with their penance , Lord Shiva appeared and blessed them to ask for boon. Sage expressed his desire to have a son. Lord Shiva gave them choice between a son with high intelligence with a short life span or a son of low intelligence with a long life span. The couple chose the first option. The couple blessed with a divine son. They named as Markandey. He possessed unusual intelligence and mastered all the vedas in a very short span. As the time progressed, parents were more worried because the time of death of their son was fast approaching. Finally they told Markandey about the truth that he would going to die at the age of sixteen. Markandey did not get afraid to hear this. Instead he started praying Lord Shiva with great devotion. At the age of sixteen, when the time of death came, Lord Yama came to take his soul to his abode, Yamlok. Markandey embraced the Shivalingam . Yama was in dilemma because he could not take the Shivlinga along with the soul of Markandey.When he tried to drag him forcefully, Lord Shiva appeared and stopped Yama to take his soul. He blessed Markandey to be immortal and also gave him "Mahamrityunjay Mantra" to conquer the untimely death. Since the Lord Shiva got it name "Kaalantak" means 'who kill the death". It is belive that this event happened at Thirukkadaiyur (TamilNadu). It was Sage Markandey who created the holy book named as "Markandey Puraan". From here the "Durga Saptashati" was derived.

Legend of Amarnath Cave

Once Goddess Parvati urged Lord Shiva to tell the secret of immortality. But he kept postponing the reply. But goddess was adamant to know. Finally , Lord Shiva selected the 'Amarnath cave' where the secret of immortality could not be head by anyone.Reaching cave was not easy. To maintain the secrecy He did not want any one to be part of the conversation , so He decided to leave all His belongings before entering the cave.During his journey , at the first point HE asked Nandi(His vehicle, the bull) to wait for him and he proceeded towards cave. That place is known as 'Pahalgaon' which derive its name from the word 'Bailgaon' which means 'the place where bull dwell'. At the second halt , He removed chandrama(the moon) from His head. This place got its name 'Chandanwari'. At the third halt He left His snakes and the place got its name 'Sheshnaag'. Even today the lake of Sheshnaag is unusual green in colour which is the abode of snakes and at night one could see the reflection of precious gem called 'Naagmani' on the surface of lake. At the next stop , He left his son,Ganesha, so the place got its name 'Mahagunus Parvat'. At the fifth halt,Panchtarni, He left the 'panchtatav' (the 5 elements of creation). Finally, they reached the cave. Lord Shiva started narrating the legend of immortality ,'Amar'Katha' to goddess Parvati. But before the completion of story she felt asleep. Incidently, the two birds were listening the story at that time. as a result they become immortal. Even today the two birds can be spotted around the holy cave. Here Lord Shiva is present in the form of shivling in the form of ice. This shivling form itself during the waxing moon and reduce during the waning moon

The Mystic Sheshnaag Lake  

 The Holy Cave where the secret of immortality was revealed by Lord Shiva

The Shivling at Amarnath Cave

Boon to Saraswati

It was the most awaited moment for the universe when the marriage between Lord Shiva and Goddess Sati was performed. It was the ritual that after the marriage couple had to perform   ‘Nadi Pooja’ in which pooja of river was to be done.  Lord Shiva and Goddess Sati went to the bank of river Saraswati  As per ritual the couple had to look into the river and the outcome of the marriage could be seen from the image form on the river water. The moment both looked into the river, violent waves started to come to the bank. Mother of Goddess Sati was very worried to see this supernatural phenomenon as it was ill omen as no image could be seen due to turbulent water. Lord Shiva guessed the anxiety of Goddess Sati too. HE put his foot in the river water. The moment the river water touched the foot of Lord Shiva, all the waves disappeared. River Goddess Saraswati   appeared and greeted Lord Shiva. Pleased with the devotion of river Saraswati, Lord Shiva blessed her that one day she would meet river Ganaga and that place would be called as “TeerthRaj”(the king of all Pilgrimage) and bathing at that place would free a persons from sins and it would be the gateway to heaven

Birth of Atharva Veda

The four sages Sanak,Sanandan,Sanatan,Sanat were learned brahmins. They were the sons of Lord Brahma. They were very proud of their father, Brahma because he was the creator of the holy books , Vedas. They were aware of three Vedas,- Rigved,Yajurved, and Samveda and considered that the whole knowledge is complete in three books.On the other hand Sage Atharva approached Lord Shiva to get approval of his knowledge which he gathered from the universe using his divine powers. Lord Shiva, impressed by his creation and blessed Sage Atharva that his book of knowledge would constitute the list of Vedas and will be called as ‘Atharvaveda’. When this news reached the sons of Lord Brahma, they protested as according to them the other three Vedas was a complete set of knowledge and there was no need of fourth Veda. They argued Lord Shiva and challenged his authority to certify fourth veda.  . Finally it was decided that whether to certify fourth Veda or not depends upon the result of debate. Goddess Saraswati was appointed as judge. The four Sages fired too much and too complicated questions to Lord Shiva and there were very confident of their victory as they underestimated Lord Shiva. But Shiva, who is the Lord of all the supreme knowledge, answered each and every question . The Sages accept their defeat gracefully and asked for forgiveness. Since then Artharva Ved was added to the list of Vedas , making the total four.  The Sages went to their brother Prajapati Daksha who was bitter rival of Lord Shiva. On listening about the defeat of his four brothers, he cursed them to be small child. After that the four sages turned into small children. Since the sages were very learned , so they thanked their brother for the curse because after becoming kids their urge for learning more would be greater.

Pride of Kuber

 Lord Shiva once saved the life of Kuber and impresses with his devotion grant him infinite wealth. He got the title of ‘Lord of Wealth’. As the time passed, the feeling of ego started to develop. He made his abode , Alkapuri, one of the best dwelling place in 3 lokas. To show his wealth , once he visited mount Kailash to invite Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati  to visit his abode. Lord judged his ego and instead he sent his son, Lord Ganesha to his house. At Alkapuri, huge preparations were made to impress Lord Ganesha. Uncountable food items were offered to Lord Ganesha. Kuber was sure that this was too much for Lord Ganesha to eat. But something miraculous happened. With every round of offerings, the apetite of Ganesha became more . At one stage every grain of his city was finished to satisfy Lord Ganesha , but still he was too hungry. This was the most embarrassing moment for Kuber. He went to mount Kailash and  begged for forgiveness as all his pride and ego was vanished.Lord Shiva gave him the handful of rice to be offered to Lord Ganesha. Kuber immediately rushed to Alkapuri and offered the same handful of rice. Lord Ganesha accept the divine offering sent by Lord Shiva and instantly his hunger was satisfied.

Nirjala Ekadashi

Every 11^th tithi of the lunar month is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.It comes twice in a month. Of the total 24, the Ekadashi that falls on Jyeshtha month Shukla Paksha is the most important one.Any one who keeps fast on this day will accrue benefit of all other Ekadashi at once. This fats is called ‘ Nirjal Ekadashi Vrat’. ‘Nirjala’ means without water and this fast is observed without water and any type of food. This  is the toughest among all fasts. Once  Sage Vyasa visited Pandavas. Amongst five Pandavas, Bhima, who had a uncontrolled hunger said   all his brothers, wife Draupadi and mother Kunti observed fast on 24 Ekadasis throughout the year and asked him to do the same. But he was unable to perform the ritual because he could not bear the hunger. Sage Vyasa suggested him to observe Nirjala Ekadasi Vrat, which will accrue him the merits of keeping yearlong Ekadasi fasts. Bhima abided by his words and performed Nirjala Ekadasi Vrat.  . This is why the occasion is also known as Pandava Ekadasi or Bhimseni ekadasi.. The duration of this fast is from one sunrise to other. Charity performed on this day has manifold positive effects. Those who have kept this fast of Nirjala ekadashi have sent their 100 gone generations and 100 upcoming generations to Vaikuntha

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Brihaspati Vaar Vrat

Sage Brihaspati is the Guru of gods and represented by planet Jupiter in our solar system and Thursday in weekdays.On this day wearing of yellow colour clothes is very important to harness the positive energies of the environment.As per Shiv Puraan, Sage Brihaspati is the son of Angira rishi. He performed tapasya at the Prabhaas Kshetra and Lord Shiva granted him prestigious place in the nav grah(9 plantes) as planet Jupiter.
Even in astrology, the aspect of planet Jupiter is considered too auspicious. he is the significator planet of Dharm,children and knowledge. Fasting is begins from the sunrise and ends at the next day(after sunrise).Worshipping of banana tree is observed and yellow colored offerings are made to banana tree. Eating of banana and salt is strictly prohibited on this day.


The legend associated with thursday fast is as follows-

Once there was a King who was very devotee but his wife was exactly opposite in nature. One day a sage visited his palace for alms. At that time the king was not present.  The Queen said that she had become fed up from giving charity and she wanted to get rid off the money so that she could live happily.Sage suggested that for this she had to follow certain things which included getting up late on Thursday,not cleaning the kitchen before preparing meals,washing her hairs and clothes and to tell her husband to shave on Thursday.

 The sadhu disappeared and the queen  followed his instructions. The king’s  family became poorer and poorer. They could hardly afford meals for one time. To earn the livelihood the king went to the neighbouring country. There he started earning money by selling the wood cut from the forest to the city. One day queen had nothing to eat so she send her maid to the village where her sister lived to beg for some food.As per command the maid went to her sister’s house where she was doing Brihaspati vaar pooja when she visited. Since she was busy in pooja so she did not answered the maid’s call.Maid returned to queen and complained about her sister. At the same time the queen’s sister followed and visited queen and said that it is prohibited to speak at the time of Brihaspati pooja so that was the reason she did not reply. She also said that today is Thursday and due to her vrat , Brihaspati would surly fulfill her wises. She suggested to check her house so that perhaps she might found some pot full of grains. Queen was shocked to see one pot of grain lying on one corner of the house. From that day she started keeping Thursday fast.Over the passage of time all the wealth was restored. On the other hand King in the neighbouring city forgot to keep Thursday fast one day. In a sudden development he was charged with stealing the necklace of the queen of that city.He was sentenced to jail. In his dream Brihaspati appeared and told the reason for this mishappening. Next Thursday he kept the fast in jail and the very next day he was released by the king’s order as it was confirmed he was not the culprit. The king returned to the village and amazed to see the dramatic turn around of the financial conditions of his queen. On asking she narrated the magic of Brihaspati vaar fasting.Since then they lived happily.

Hanuman and Betel leaves

When the war between Lord Rama and King Ravana was over, then it was time for them to return to Ayodhya along with Goddess Sita. But at the time of departure Hanuman was missing who played a key role in the victory of Lord Rama. Everyone searched for Hanuman. Eventually, Sita found Hanuma in a betel leaves garden .  When Hanuman saw Sita , he bowed his head down to seek the blessings.Sita was overwhelmed with his devotion. She plucked few betel leaves and showered on hanuman in order to bless him. Since then  this tradition of offering garland of betel leaves is follows

The previous birth of Draupadi

 In her previous birth,Draupadi  was born as the daughter of King Nala and Damayanti. Her name was Nalayani. She was a true devotee of Lord Shiva since childhood. Once Lord Shiva granted a wish. She said that she wanted to marry a man who possessed the desired 14 qualities. Though Lord Shiva asked to change her wish , but she was adamant. Lord Shiva blessed her that in the next birth she would married to 5 men with all the desired 14 qualities. In the next birth she was born from the fire as a daughter of King Drupad. Her father arranged swayamvar for her marriage in which Arjuna won her hand. After the marriage when Arjuna went to home along with his four brothers and Draupadi, they knocked the door and said to the  mother,kunti, that there was a  surprise for her. But mother Kunti without looking at Draupadi, thought that her sons must have brought some eatables from the forest for her, so she asked her sons to divide whatever they got among themselves. Finally, in order to obey mother’s order, all the five Pandavas accepted Draupadi as their wife. It is believe that she was a composite avatar of ‘Shakti’.

Shabri- The blessed devotee

 Shabri was born in a tribal family. Since childhood she was a great devotee of Lord Rama. When she reached marriageable age,she was surprised to see his father arranging animals to be serve in marriage feast.Se could not able to tolerate this act and she escaped and reached the ashram of Sage Matang. she served at  the ashram with great devotion. When the Sage Matang was about to leave his mortal form, he blessed Shabri that one day Lord Rama would visit this ashram to bless her.She was overwhelmed and from that day she spent every minute in the waiting of her god.Everyday she plucked the berry fruit from the forest and tasted it. If she found the fruit to be sweet then she stored them for Lord Rama and rest she discarded. Her devotion was pure. Many years passed. Shabri was now too old . One day her wait was over when Lord Rama visited her ashram. This was the ultimate moment for which she was waiting for.She was overjoyed and welcomed Lord Rama by washing his feet. She offered berry fruit to him. But before the offer again she tasted each fruit and she gave only sweet fruit to him.Even Lord Rama had tears in his eyes to see her devotion.On the other hand Lakshman was not happy as Shabri offered unworthy fruit after tasting. Lord Rama explained to Lakshman that the berries are offered with true devotion and nothing in this world could be as good as these berries. He blessed Shabri .She reached the ultimate height of spirituality which was difficult for even great sages.

The Legend of Shishupal

Shishupal was the cousin of lord Krishna. He was born with three eyes and four arms.
This was the major concern for the mother. She approached Lord Krishna for the help along with the Shishupal. When lord Krishna held the Shishupal  in his lap, all of a sudden the Shishupal become normal as his extra eye and pair of arm vanished. The mother was very happy but at the same time she remembered warning given by the sage that the person who will be responsible for the Shishupal’s normalcy will also be the cause of his death in future.Mother of Shishupal begged Lord Krishna for the mercy. Krishna promised to forgive Shishupal’s 100 sins only. The time progressed. Shishupal became young. His friend was Rukmi. He wanted to marry his sister Rukmini, who was incarnation of goddess Lakshmi. But Rukmini wanted to marry Lord Krishna. This was the major cause of Shishupal’s rivalry with Lord Krishna. Once Yagya was organized by Yudhishter in which he invited all the mighty kings. When Yudhishter was about to welcome Lord Krishna, Shishpal started insulting Lord Krishna. In a moment he became unstoppable. On the otherhand Lord Krishna was counting every sin Shishupal was making by abusing him. When the total reached 100, Lord Krishna invoked his Sudarshan Chakra and killed Shishupal.In his previous birth Shishupal was King Ravana of Lanka who was again killed by another incarnation of Lord Vishnu, Rama.

The Family of Anger

क्रोध मनुष्य के अन्दर छिपे ६ विकारों में से एक है.यह एक ऐसा अवगुण है जो क्षण भर में इंसान की कई गुणों   को  नष्ट   कर देता है. क्रोध ८ प्रकार की बुराइयों को अपने साथ ले कर प्रकट होता है  
1)अन्याय  (injustice)

2)अविवेक (rashness)

3)अत्याचार (cruelty)

4)इर्ष्या (jealousy)

5) लालसा  (greed)

6)हिंसा (violence)

7)अपशब्द (abuse)

8)उत्पीडन(prosecution)

'क्रोध' का अपना भरा पूरा परिवार है .क्रोध की पत्नी का नाम हिंसा है. यह  केवल  आवाज़ सुन कर बाहर आती है.  क्रोध  की दो पुत्रियाँ हैं - निंदा और चुगली . पहली मुह के पास तो दूसरी कान के पास रहती है. क्रोध का पुत्र -बैर है. इर्ष्या इस परिवार की बहु है . इन के पिता हैं भय और माता हैं उपेक्षा . .क्रोध के बड़े भाई हैं -अहंकार और छुटकी बहिन है जिद जो सदैव साथ ही रहती है.  इस परिवार से जितना दूर रहें उतना ही अच्छा है

 

Arjun and Hanuman

Once Arjun was on pilgrimage and reached Rameshwaram. When he saw the setu(bridge), he wondered that why Lord Rama needed the help of  vanar sena(troops of monkeys) though he himself was a great archer. This was the time when Arjun’s thought was governed by his ego and boast of him to be great archer. He found that one monkey was following him. The monkey tried to answer his doubt and said that it was not practical to built the bridge of arrows by Lord Rama  because it would not able to bear the weight of huge monkey army. On hearing this Arjun laughed and challenged monkey that the bridge made by him could have bear the weight easily and if it failed to do so then he would jumped into the fire. The monkey agreed the challenge and asked Arjun to build a bridge from his arrows.Arjun with his great skills built a very strong bridge. But the moment the monkey stepped on to the bridge , it collapsed.Arjuna accepted the defeat and made a fire ready jumped into.at the very moment one Brahman who was none other than Lord Krishna visited and enquired the matter. The Brahman offered his shoulder at the foundation of bridge and asked Arjun to repeat the task. Again the bridge was built by Arjun with his arrows and when monkey set his foot , the bridge did not collapsed. Arjun was stunned. The monkey appeared in his original form of Hanuman and greet the Brahman who was Lord Krishna(an incarnation of Lord Rama).

Lord Krishna said “ Dear Hanuman!! In previous yuga you have done so much for me and carried me on your shoulder.In this yuga I came to carry you on my shoulder. Also I wanted to teach Arjun a lesson who was living with a false ego”

Arjuna went into tears and asked for forgiveness as the Lord has to came to rescue him. Lord Krishna also honoured his disciple claim of building the bridge second time.God never let HIS children down.

Queen Tara- The Beauty with a brain

In Ramayana, one of the unsung character was Tara who was the daughter of physician Sushena(vanar). She was the wife of Bali .Tara was famous for her divine beauty and  great intelligence. She had an ability to understand the language of all the animals and birds. When she learnt that Lord Rama joined the band of Sugreev , she immediately adviced her husband to make treaty with Sugreev. But Bali ignored her warning and ultimately died in a battle with Lord Rama. After the death of her husband, she demanded promise from Sugreev to make her son Angad as a heir to throne. In another incident, when Lakshman tried to attack Sugreev for forgetting his promise to help Lord Rama, Tara immediately intervened and solved the crisis. This was the proof of her diplomacy.Actually she was a ‘beauty with a brain’

Panch Kanya

'Ahalya, Draupadi, Sita, Tara, Mandodari tatha,

Panchakanya smarn nityam maha pataka nasanam'

As per above shloka, remembering the 5 panch kanya(5 women), mentioned here in pooja can remove the sin

According to scriptures the following 5 women are called "Panch Kanyas" .

1)Ahilya- She was a wife of Sage Gautam. She suffered the curse of her husband for many years.She waited of Lord Rama for many years to liberate her from the curse

2) Draupadi- During the exile, she supported her husbands at every point.She took the death of her son,Abhimanyu with courage and strength

3)Sita- She was an incarnation of goddess lakshmi. She remained with Lord Rama in the most difficult conditions which she could had been avoided. The was totally dedicated to Lord Rama.

4)Tara- She was the wife of King Bali. She was famous for her diplomacy and even after the death of her husband she laid condition before her brother in law Sugriv to make her son successor of the throne.

5)Mandodri- She was the wife of King Ravana. She knew the nature of her husband and she handled him very well till the end and kept persuading him to drop the idea of Sita from his mind.

remembering them helps to destroy the greatest sins.

The literal meaning of 'kanya' means 'a young girl'. Though the above 5 women were married and their lives were full of miseries.They were much ahead of the time and tackled the most difficult situations of their lives with courage.

8 consorts of Lord Krishna

There were 8 principal consorts of Lord Krishna. They were
1)Rukmini-She was the chief Queen of Lord Krishna and was the princess of Vidarbha.
2) Satyabhama- In previous birth, she was the care taker of Lord Vishnu and was His great devotee.
3)Jambvanti- she was the daughter of beer king Jambvan.
4)Mitravinda- she was the princess of Avantipura. He defeated her brothers Vinda and Anuvinda in  a battle.
5)Kalindi-she was the sister of river Yamuna
6)Bhadra-one of the great devotee of Lord Krishna
7)Lakshana- Krishna defeated Arjun and Duryodhan in a competition to won her.
8)Nila- she Lord Krishna had to fight with 7 bulls to won the hand of Nila devi.

Holashtak-Time to be Careful

Eight day prior to the festival Holi are collectively known as "Holashtak". The word 'ashtak' means 'eight'. This period commence from the lunar month of Phalgun and on ashtami tithi and it ends on Phalgun Poornima. This period of eight days is considered as highly inauspicious , specially in north India.No auspicious work is commence during this period.This period is considered is very important for Taantriks as this is the most favourable period for fulfilling their goals through 'Saadhna'.They attain special powers during this time which can be used in a desired way.At the begining of Holashtak,on day 1, the place where Holika dahan has to be performed after 8 days is cleaned with Ganga Jal.Then pyre is created specifically with a wood which are collected from the broken branches of trees.All the 16 sanskaars of hindu are not performed during this period. In case of a death, the last rites are performed only after special prayer to ward off the evil effect of Holashtak.It is believe that on day one of Holashtak, Lord Shiva burned the Kaam dev with HIS fire of anger.

Legend of Sankata Chaturthi

Once   Indra was returning  from sage Bhrushundi’s ashram..While passing over the kingdom  of  king Shursen  Indra found that his vimaan(plane) had stopped working and it landed in Shursen’s kingdom. He found that this happened because one person(who has done many sins in his life) saw his vimaan  in the sky. With his sinful look the plane landed on the ground. This news spread like a fire in the city. All the efforts to restart the plane were failed. Indra told the secret to restart the plane to King .He said that yesterday was the Chaturthi tithi and if a any person who kept fast yesterday gave his virtue then the plane would start. King ordered his soldiers to search for such person who kept fast on chaturthi date. But there he found no one in the city. At the same time the soldiers of the king noticed that the attendant of Lord Ganesha was taking away the dead body of a woman who died on that day. With surprise soldiers asked the attendant of Lord Ganesha  that the lady was a sinner and why they are taking her to Ganesh Lok.  He replied that yesterday the woman remained hungry through out the (though unintentionally) and ate very late night. So accidently she kept the fast of Chaturthi tithi.But she died today. So she was going to Ganesh Lokam due to her virtues acquired on chaturthi tithi.

All of a sudden strong wind started to blew which reached from the dead body of the woman till  the vimaan of Indra and the vimaan had started. So the wind became virtuous even with the touch of that woman.

Such is an importanceof sankata chaturthi which is dedicated to Lord Ganesha who is the ruler deity of Chaturthi tithi.

Sankata Chaturthi

 In the month of Magh as per lunar calendar, the 4th tithi(date) of the dark half(Krishna paksha) is celebrated as “Sankata Chauth”. The ruler deity of the chaturthi(fourth) date is Lord Ganesha. So, Sankata Chauth festival is very auspicious to worship Lord Ganesha. This fast is for removal of obstacles in the life. Its importance was told by Lord Krishna to Yudhisthir.

Procedure

1)Wake up before sunrise and after bathing “sankalp” has to be done in front of Lord Ganesha’s idol.

2) Observe nirjala fast(without water) from the sunrise till the appearance of moon in the evening,  , If the health doesnot permit then fruits and milk can be consumed. But no cereals has to be taken.

3)  Pooja of Lord Ganesha has to be performed by offering 21 Durvas(a kind of grass).

4) As a prasadam, Laddu has to be offered.

5) Offer water to the moon(argya) 3 times.If moon is not visible then its image can be drawn on the outer wall.

On this day Lord Ganesha blessed planet Mars(mangal). So if the horoscope has some malefic influence of Mars called Mangal dosham, then this day is the best day in a year to get rid of that ill effect by worshiping Lord Ganesha