Finding Nemo

In my last post on Pitra Paksha and another post on the Pind Daan , we spoke about the rites and rituals involved in the offerings made during this time. The Pind Daan ritual is followed by the prayer offering to Lord Vishnu and Yama. While Yama is a god of death and is the caretaker of the souls in the nether world, Vishnu is the God who manages the functions of all the worlds and provides ultimate sanctuary to those who worship him. Lord Vishnu is worshipped in form of the darbha grass, a gold image or Shaligram stone. The drab grass is known as Desmostachya Bipinnata scientifically. The drabha grass has been considered a sacred grass and has been used in religious rituals since Vedic times.  Darbha is also called Kusha and it is considered perhaps the second most sacred herb in the Vedas after Soma.  Darbha has very unique spiritual properties and is used in all religious rituals in the Hindu tradition.  Darbha helps to protect from toxic radiation and negative ene...

I could hear the morning hymns, I could hear the chirping of birds, I could hear the music of the rivers, I could hear the air descending from the mountains.                           I couldn't hear the snake hissing,                           I could not hear someone creeping,                           I could see a vulture hovering,                           I could see an owl staring. Someone moved ahead with me behind, I followed with my eyes blind, A wolf howled, and a dog cried, The vulture winked eyes and dived.                           I felt like in a prison,                   ...

Just a week after the Ganesha Chaturthi, the Pitra paksha has started as per the hindi calendar. This period of 15 days is associated with our ancestors. This period is meant for us to remember them and all they have done for us. This is the period to pay our homage to them before starting the journey of a whole new year of festivals. A similar concept exists in people across USA, however it has lost its meaning and is today reduced to a scary fancy dress show - Halloween. I have often wondered the meaning and the reasoning behind the fortnight dedicated to our forefathers. The curiosity piqued as this period is considered inauspicious and starting something new is not advised. I often wondered why shouldn't my forefathers be happy for me if I try to do something new? Its only later I realized that everyone is busy in praying to their ancestors and trying to strengthen their bonds for this life and afterlife, that starting something new is pushed off until later. This fortnight ...

We just concluded with our Discover India 2015 celebration over the weekend. What an event it was? Awesome performances, amazing choreography and wonderful organization. Yes, I am bragging about my wife who pulled off a great event - much beyond anyone's expectations. I am sure she is setoff to a much bigger horizon. I wish her all the luck and promise all the support needed. One of the highlights in this year's celebration was the epic long drama - History of India. While working through the history, the performers depicted the story of how Chanakya architected the Mauryan empire. Chanakya is worth mentioning for his unparalleled contribution to politics and economics in his book "Arthshastra". He has at one point conveyed that in order to build a honest empire, the king must take care of his officials and keep them well paid and well fed. A well paid, well fed and cared for official is highly unlikely to go corrupt as his needs are completely met. Consider a lio...

Just the other day I was walking down the Wall Street in New York, when an amazing building piqued my interest – The Trinity Church. The Trinity church at the intersection of the Wall Street and Broadway has witnessed the history of New York like no one else.   First built in 1698, the church has withstood the changes of times and has also once enjoyed the title of the tallest building in New York. The church is beautiful and the calm inside the church is mesmerizing, contrasting the helm of affairs on the Wall Street. However, it was not the church itself but the name –“Trinity” – that remained in the thoughts. I believe the name refers to the well-established Christian doctrine of Trinity. The doctrine states that the God is present in the three persons – Father, Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.   The three persons are distinct yet are one substance, essence or nature. The trinity is a concept which is the very essence of the Hinduism as well. Almost a...

In my last post I talked about organizing the Peetha for the ritual. During the organization of the peetha, we invoke various gods and worship them in an order. The question thus arises, why do we worship them and why the order? Let’s see below the different actions performed in the worship ritual – Achmanam – Purifying with water. This is also offering the water to Vishnu inside one self Remembering Ganesha – Ganesha is personification of our consciousness. Remembering him makes your mind conscious. Being conscious helps avoid and overcome obstacles. Remember Ganesha is also known as “Vighnaharta”. Pranayam – Restraining the life force. A calm and relaxed mind can concentrate and focus better, compared to an agitated or tense mind. Breathing and mental state have a correlation. When mind is agitated, breathing is irregular and labored. When mind is calm, breathing is regular and smooth. Pranaayaama is a method of controlling the breathing and hence regularizing the life force...

Last week we attended a “Satyanarayana Vrata pooja” at a friend’s place. The host did an awesome job of arranging everything fabulously and had invited quite a few people to participate with them in the rituals. I have attended this pooja a few times in the past as well. Usually the ritual also involves reading the story of Lord Satyanarayana that is expected to absolve the listeners from all their sins and set them on the path of salvation. I listened to the entire story dutifully trying to understand a few questions – Who is Lord Satyanarayana? What is so important in the story that can lead to one’s absolvation? Who can perform this ritual, when and where? Unfortunately, the prevalent story and the ritual did not help me in my quest. Either I was too ignorant to have understood the deep rooted messages, or I was not eligible enough to listen to the voice of God hidden in the story. To help myself with the understanding and preparing myself for the “Satyanarayana Katha and ...