Indian Novella

From the Buddhist and Jain records, it is clear that Jainism is older than Buddhism and was firmly established at the time of the origin of Buddhism. In the Samannaphala Sutta of the Dighanikaya, there is a reference to the four vows (Chaturyama Dharma) of Parshvanatha. Lord Neminath (22nd Tirthankar) and Lord Rushabh Nath (1st Tirthankar) are mentioned in various Vedas and Hindu Puranas. This proves that Mahavir Swami was a reformer and reviver of already existing Shraman traditions.

Myth # 2 – Jainism is a reactionary sect founded as a revolt against the Vedas and Brahminism.

The Truth- Jainism was (and is) against violence (e.g. Vedic sacrifices) and casteism. There was no question of it being reactionary or revolt as Vedic and shraman cultures had co-existed since ages. In fact, Jain history suggests that Jainism was already an established religion when the Vedic practices came into being. Furthermore, other ekantvadi i.e. one-sided philosophies are easily accommodated under Jaina multi-faceted philosophy of "Anekantavada.”

Myth # 3 – Jains are basically Hindus who have adopted a Jain way of Worship.

The Truth – The Worship is just a small part of Jaina philosophy. It is much more than a way of worship, namely:-

   *      it has its own Gods worthy of worship - Tirthankars,    *      separate set of rituals different from Hindus for e.g. Jains don’t believe in ritual of shradh for ancestors,    *      it has a totally different Shastras and Agamas.

The philosophy of worship i.e. Bhakti is also different. Bhakti in Hinduism believes in surrender to some higher entity, while bhakti in Jainism is merely instrumental in self-realisation. Emphasis is more on securing samyaktva i.e. rationality rather than ritualistic worship.

Myth # 4 – Jainism can be accommodated under the umbrella of Hinduism because Hinduism is a general religion and Jainism is a specific religion. Sanatan Dharma is a way of life and synonymous with Indian culture.

The Truth – There is no such thing as a general or specific religion. The word "Hindu" belongs to the category of words like "Muslim", "Christian", "Buddhist" and "Jain" and not to the category of words like "American", "British", "Indian", "Chinese" or "Japanese". Surprisingly, when Hinduism is compared with Islam or Christianity, it becomes a religion; but when it is compared with Jainism, it becomes "A way of Life", "Culture" and "Synonymous with Indianness" etc. What is to be realized is that Hinduism is a religion based on the Vedic tradition, while Jainism and Buddhism are separate religions based on Sramanic tradition. Both of these traditions have co-existed side by side, influencing each other, and thus creating a great ancient Indian culture. Just as Hindus believe that theirs is a Sanatan Dharma, Jains believe that Jainism predates Lord Mahavira to Lord Rishabhdeva, the founder of not only Jainism but entire human civilization.

Myth # 5 – Because of the same culture, heritage, history, customs and land Jainism and Hinduism cannot be distinct from each other.

The Truth - Cultural similarity, linguistic similarity etc. does not discount the uniqueness and distinctness of a religion! Religion is philosophy based. Not based on ethnicity or a shared culture. Sure Jains have lots in common with Hindus. Jews, Christians, and Muslims have lots in common too. They have a common cultural heritage, common linguistic group, common mythology, common prophets and a historical acceptance of each other's holy books. These three are Kitabi religions. They believe that God sent down three books, i.e. the Old Testament (Jews), the New Testament (Christians) and the Quran (Muslims). But the Jews do not claim that Christians are Muslims are all Jews! If one were to think that Hindu and Indian mean one and same, then it is quite possible to say that Roman Catholic and Italian mean one and the same and Protestant and English mean one and the same.

Myth # 6 – Jainism has a better chance of survival within Hinduism rather than outside.

The Truth - As long as Jainism was clubbed with Hinduism, it got a raw deal having no separate recognition amongst the scholars. Also despite of general doctrinal tolerance in the Hindu tradition, history shows instances of persecution against Jains such as in Tamil Nadu in the 7th century, AD when Hindu Shaiva poets and teachers popularized the notion of Jains (or Samanars in Tamil) as villains opposed to the Shaiva creed. Hindu Saints like Adi Shankaracharya and Swami Dayanand Saraswati led vitriolic attacks against Jain philosophy. Many Jain temples were destroyed and Jains killed. Today, a concern of modern Jains in post-independence India has been the preservation of ancient pilgrimage sites and holy shrines which in recent decades have come under pressure from certain fundamentalist groups - in the case of Girnarji, Hindu devotees of the deity Dattatreya. Bhagavan Neminatha's charana were established at Girnarji for many thousands of years. Now, Hindus have taken over the 5th and the 3rd hill, thus wiping out extremely important Jain heritage from Gujarat

If Jainism is indeed a part of Hinduism, then....

  1.      Why is Jain Navkar Mantra not a part of the list of Hindu Prayers?   2.      Why is Mahavir Swami and other Jain Thirthankars not accepted as their Gods?   3.      Why is Parvyushan and Mahavir Jayanti not celebrated as festivals by Hindus?   4.      Why are Jain sacred books not given equal status as Gita? When you accept the various version of Ramayana, then why not accept the Jain version of Ramayana also?   5.      Why is the contribution of Jain saints from Gautam Swami to Hemchandra Acharya ignored by Hindus and not accepted as their saints?   6.      Why subvert the actual History in the textbooks - that Chandragupta Maurya was a Jain. The Major Kings of that time were Jains or gave patronage to Jainism. But this is never mentioned in our History books. The likes of Murli Manohar Joshi have been tampering with history since Independence.

Jainism and its contribution to India are routinely ignored by all. The simple fact is that those Hindus who are claiming that Jains are part of Hinduism have no respect for Jainism and its ideals. Unless Jainism maintains its separate identity it is likely to be wiped out after a few generations. Hence there is a great danger and threat to this religion as long as it is considered as a part of Hinduism.

Myth # 7 – Many Jains believe in Kuldevi’s, visit Hindu Temples, pray to Ganesha and celebrate Hindu festivals like Holi and Diwali. This proves that Jainism is a sect of Hinduism.

The Truth – Concept of Kuldevis and praying to Gods like Ganesha who are not vitraag is not in conformity of Jain Philosophy. According to Jainism, these deities have attachment and passions. Those Jains who worship them are doing it on their own accord and not according to instructions from Jain Scriptures or Jain Gurus. Now if a Hindu goes to Haji Ali Dargha for prayer or a Church, does it mean that Hinduism is a part of Islam or Christianity?

Jains celebrate Indian festivals along with Hindu neighbors on account of traditions and shared culture. Festivals like Diwali which is celebrated as Mahavira Nirvana day have a different significance for Jains. Broad mindedness of Jains should not be construed as a sign of weakness.

Myth # 8 – Jain Puranas mention stories of Rama and Krishna, who are Hindu Gods.

The Truth – Jain have their own version of Ramayana and Mahabharata based on Jain philosophy. According to Jain Puranas, Rama and Lakshmana were the 8th Baldev (or Balbhadra) and Vasudev(or Narayana) and Balarama and Krishna were 9th Baldev and Vasudev. Rama and Krishna are not Avatar’s of Vishnu as per Jainism. Just as Hindus believe their version, Jains believe this version to be true.

This similarity of characters can be seen in other religions like Judaism, Christianity, and Islam also. According to the Principal book the Jews, Tanakh God's name is Jahveh and the Name of Prophet Moses i.e Hazrat Musa. The Principal books of Christianity are the Old & the New Testaments where God's name is Jehovah and the prophet is Jesus i.e Hazrat Eisa. The Principal book Islam is the Qur'an where the God's name is Allah and the Prophet is Mohammed i.e Hazrat Mohammed. Islam considers both Hazrat Musa and Hazrat Eisa as prophets of God but considers Hazrat Mohammed to be the final prophet and the Qur'an to be the final word of God. Many of the characters occurring in their holy books are the same. So, why don't we consider these religions to be one?

Myth # 9 – The principles of truth, non-violence, moksha are the same for both Hindus and Jains.

The Truth – Other philosophies including Hinduism, believe their truth to be absolute. As per Anekantvad in Jainism, the truth is relative and multisided. Non-violence in Jainism is ultimate – it encompasses even the minutest life forms. On the other hand in Hinduism, it is restricted to vegetarianism (that too under some castes) and cow protection. The concept of God is also different. Unlike Hinduism, Jainism does not believe God to be Creator, Operator, and Destructor of Universe. Thus it can be seen that same terms connote different meanings in Hinduism and Jainism.

Myth # 10 – Marriage alliances between Hindus and Jains are common indicating that there is no difference between the two.

The Truth – In India, the caste and socio-economic factors play an important role in marriages. People prefer marrying their sons and daughters within same endogamous groups. It is quite possible that a particular endogamous group, which is dependent on the area and socio-economic class, may have the people from both the religions. Hence marriage between Hindus and Jains is quite possible.

Myth # 11 – It makes no difference whether one is called a Hindu or a Jain.

The Truth – It does make a lot of difference. If so are Hindus willing to be called Jains? I don't think so. They do not accept Mahavir as their God, not our Agamas even equal to Gita or Vedas. It is their prerogative.

It does matter to me as to what I am called or known as. Because it will also define our posterity. Just as Hindus proudly want to be called Hindus, We must take pride in our Jain identity.

Back to the original idea, Hinduism doesn’t have all super powerful god but instead have trinity that decides the fate of the whole universe.The gods of the trinity have their roles clearly deciphered and mentioned so that they don’t intervene in the working of the other in similar to case with our Democracy where we have three separate branches of the government namely Legislative, Executive and Judiciary and which are not supposed to encroach the turf of others.The holy trinity as they are pronounced have their duties in parallel to branches of government;

1. “Brahma”: creator of the world and legislate law to be followed by every body.He is the one who performs functions of the legislative in the trinity.In Indian Democracy Politicians performs legislative functions and as we all know Indian people don’t respect them and in turn doubt their intentions to do any good for general public except some politicians who can be counted on fingers.In the same way, Brahma is also not worshiped at many places neither you will found many temples where the presiding deity is Brahma except few locations around the world.

2. “Vishu“: Maintainer and Executive of the Universe.His duties include to look after the people and maintain law and order situation and ensures that every rule is followed properly as the case with the executive in our democracy which includes highly respected people like PM, IAS, IPS etc.Every people dream to attain this coveted post one day in his life either in democracy or in the trinity.

3. “Shiva”: Judge of the Universe.He is the final decision-making body in the matter of interpretation of the law and holds say over every living/nonliving matter in the universe.He is the one who dictates punishment and executes culprits exactly similar to our judiciary except for the execution part.In our system, as Judiciary is the last resort of every victim or the stressed people so is the case with gods where Shiva is the last resort of every problem and also people have tremendous respect for both judiciary as well as the “Shiva”.

And the primacy of the Indian festivals are celebrated during the day then why is the Shiva’s festival celebrated during the night? One might speculate that Shiva himself represent the one going against the normalcy and hegemony of certain sects, traditions in his own brotherhood of the gods. Shiva represents being self-taught and self-aware, disciplined, have his own dressing sense and command over senses and not booing doing to comments of other.You might remember the incident in our Vedas and Puranas when he was disallowed in the Yagna by the Daksha, Mind son of the lord Brahma just because he was not well dressed as per the customs of that time.He was also against the marriage of her daughter, Sati to Shiva despite Shiva being the intellectually superior, stronger and more profound than others. Shiva always represents rawness in us, strive for knowledge and excellence in anything that we do. Meditation, Yoga, and dance of which he was the master craftsman are all forms of art to attain higher spiritual state.He still is revered as Adiguru of all the craftsmanship.

According to Isha Foundation, Sadhguru The Mahashivratri of the Phalguna is when Northern Hemisphere of our planet is perfectly aligned with the Moon, thus there is a natural upsurge in our energy of the body, mind, and soul.Thus to gain and retain most energy, our ancestors proposed the night festival so that we are awake with our spine straight to obtain maximum possible of this spiritual energy.

If we look at our Yogic past, shiva is revered as the master of the Yoga, the tree from which Yoga drifted down towards the Humanity to make use of and learn. And in the yoga, as they say, you attain the mastery of it when you can be still, absolutely still perhaps like mountains and rocks, and some called This Mahashivratri is the auspicious occasion when the Lord shiva attained this divine state.

Shivaratri in all its glory is the darkest night of the month, thus it represents the hope and the faith that tomorrow shall be bright. After the woo hours of darknesses, the light will prevail over our mind, body, and soul. Thus the Shivaratri is celebrated during the night so all of us can feel the darkness, gloom and the light, faith and the hope that will enlighten us during the dawn.

There is another story revealing why Mahashivratri is celebrated? Mahashivratri is the day when the Shiva Tattva touches the earth. Our consciousness which is always above the material ground touches the earth element on the day of Mahashivratri. It is the wedding of the material with the spiritual, and that is the celebration as per the art of the Living Foundation. Resting in the Shiva Tattva is Shivratri. When the mind, intellect, and ego rests in the divine, that is the real rest, the deepest rest – complete peace. This is why it is very useful for people to meditate on this day. So, tonight is the celebration of Nature rejoicing the presence of benevolence, truth, and beauty.

The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot. The temple is considered sacred due to the various legends connected to it. Somnath means "Lord of the Soma", an epithet of Shiva.

2.Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga (Andhra Pradesh)

Mallikarjuna, also called Srisaila, is the name of the pillar located on a mountain on the river Krishna. Srisailam, near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda Lahiri here.

3.Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh)

Mahakal, Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbha Graha (where the Shiv Lingam sits).

4.Mamleshwar (Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh)

Mamleshwar Jyotirlinga temple is a protected Ancient Monument with good architectural stone work. Since the time of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar who expired in 1795, 22 Brahim paid by the Holker state, daily performed Lingarchan Puja. Each Brahmin was Provided with a wooden board having 1300 little holes. In each they put very small miniature clay lingam to represent Shiva Lingas and when nearly 14300 lingas were manufacture and worshipped, they used to be submerges in the Narmada. In the early part of the 20th century the number of Brahmins was reduced to 11 and at present the number is only 5. the wall of the temple contains the inscription of Mahims Stotra dated 1063 A.D

5.Kedarnath (Uttarakhand )

is a Hindu temple dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva. It is on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath,Uttarakhand in India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April (Akshaya Tritiya) to Kartik Purnima (the autumn full moon, usually November). During the winters, the vigrahas (deities) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months. Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the 'Lord of Kedar Khand', the historical name of the region

6.BhimaShankar (Maharashtra)

Bhimashankar, in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra, contains a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with Shiva destroying the demon Tripurasura. There is also a Bhimashankara temple at Kashipurnear Nainital, which was referred to as Daakini country in ancient days. It is believed that Bhima the Pandava prince was married to Hidamba, a Daakini here. Mahashivaratri is celebrated in great splendour here too. This temple also has shrines to Bhairavanath and Devi, and a temple tank by name Shivaganga.

7.Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. The main deity is known by the name Vishvanatha or Vishveshvara meaning Ruler of The Universe. The Temple has been referred to in Hindu Scriptures for a very long time and as a central part of worship in the Shaiva philosophy. It has been destroyed and reconstructed a number of times in the history. The last structure was demolished by Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque on its site.The current structure was built on an adjacent site by the Maratha monarch, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780.

8.Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra)

The Trimbakeshwar Temple, near Nasik in Maharashtra, is a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari River. The temple lies in the foothill of mountain Bramhagiri which is the origin of river Ganga (called here by name Godavari). The most attractive part of this temple is presence of 3 linga's each representing Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. All three resides in a hallow space within the Shiva lingam.

9.Vaidyanathdham (Deoghar, Jharkhand)

Vaidya Nath Jyotirlinga temple, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in Deoghar in the  Santhal Parganas  division of the in the state of Jharkhand. It is a temple complex consisting of the main temple of Baba vaidya Nath, where the Jyotirlinga is installed, and 21 other temples. 

According to Hindu beliefs, the demon king Ravana worshipped Shiva at the current site of the temple to get the boons that he later used to wreak havoc in the world. Ravana offered his ten heads one after another to Shiva as a sacrifice. Pleased with this, Shiva descended to cure Ravana who was injured. As he acted as a doctor, he is referred to as Vaidhya ("doctor"). From this aspect of Shiva, the temple derives its name.

10.Nageshwar (Gujarat)

Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana. Nageshvara is believed to be the first such shrine. A narrative in the Shiva Purana about the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga tells of a demon named Daaruka, who attacked a Shiva devotee named Supriya and imprisoned him along with many others in his city of Darukavana, a city under the sea inhabited by seasnakes and demons. At the urgent exhortations of Supriya, the prisoners started to chant the holy mantra of Shiva and immediately thereafter the Lord Shiva appeared and the demon was vanquished,later residing there in the form of a Jyotirlinga.

11.Rameshwaram (TamilNadu)

Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It enshrines the Rameśvara ("Lord of Rama") pillar.It is also one of the Padal Petra Stalam of Pandya Nadu mentioned in Thevaaram.

12.Ghrishneshwar (Maharashtra)

The word Ghrneshwar means "lord of compassion".The temple is an important pilgrimage site in Shaivism tradition of Hinduism, which considers it as the last or twelfth Jyotirlinga . This temple was destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate during the Hindu-Muslim wars of 13th and 14th-century. The temple went through several rounds of rebuilding followed by re-destruction during the Mughal-Maratha conflict. It was rebuilt in the current form in the 18th century under the sponsorship of a Hindu queen Rani Ahalyabai of Indore, after the fall of the Mughal Empire. It is presently an important and active pilgrimage site of the Hindus and attracts long lines of devotees daily. Anyone can enter the temple premises and its inner chambers, but to enter the sanctum sanctorum core (garbha-ghrya) of the temple, the local Hindu tradition demands that men must go bare chested.

1. Jagannatha Temple, Puri  (Odisha, East)

Puri located at the East, is located in the state of Odisha, India. Puri is one of the oldest cities in the eastern part of the India. It is situated on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The presiding deity is Shri Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu celebrated as Lord Jagannatha.The main temple  is about 1000 years old and constructed by Raja Choda Ganga Deva and Raja Tritiya Ananga Bhima Deva. Puri is the site of the Govardhana Matha, one of the four cardinal institutions or Mathas established by Adi Shankaracharya.

2. Dwarakadheesh Temple, Dwarka (Gujarat, West )

The Dwarkadhish temple, also known as the Jagat Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Krishna, who is worshipped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or 'King of Dwarka'. The main shrine of the 5-storied building, supported by 72 pillars .It is said to be around 2000-2200 years old.  According to tradition, the original temple was believed to have been built by Krishna's grandson, Vajranabha, over Lord Krishna's residential place. Dwarka located in the west is in the state of Gujarat, India. The city derives its name from the word "dwar" meaning door or gate in the Sanskrit language. It is located confluence to where the Gomti River merges into the Arabian Sea. However, this river Gomti is not the same Gomti River which is a tributary of Ganga River The city lies in the westernmost part of India.

3. Badrinath Temple, Badrinath (Uttarakhand, North)

Badrinath or Badrinarayan Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu which is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. It is open for six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), because of extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region. The temple is located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River at an elevation of 3,133 m (10,279 ft) above the mean sea level. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centres of India, having recorded 1,060,000 visits. The image of the presiding deity worshipped in the temple is a 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, black stone statue of Vishnu in the form of Badrinarayan. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight  self-manifested statues of Vishnu.

4. Rameswaram (TamilNadu, South)

According to Hindu mythology, this is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge Ram Setu to Lanka. The Ramanatha Swamy Temple devoted to Lord Shiva occupies a major area of Rameswaram. The temple is believed to have been blessed by Shri Rama Chandra. Rameswaram is important for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to visit Rameswaram in their lifetime. The main deity here is in the form of a Linga with the name Sri Ramanatha Swamy, it also is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Rama wanted a huge shiva lingam to worship Lord Shiva at this place. Hanuman was dispatched to Varanasi to bring the image of the lingam from the Kashi temple there. However he was delayed and the auspicious moment was about to pass. Therefore Sita built a lingam of sand and the prayers were conducted. This lingam is referred to as Ramalingam. When Hanuman returned with the lingam from Varanasi he was peeved to find that the prayers were completed. To placate him Sita also installed the Kashilingam and decreed that this lingam should be worshipped before the Ramalinga. Ramanathaswamy (Lord Shiva) is the primary deity of the Rameshwaram Temple. The inner sanctum has 2 lingams – the one brought by Hanuman from Himalayas (Kashilingam/Vishwalingam) and the one built by Sita (Ramalingam).

1. Not only Arjun but 3 more legends heard Bhagavad Gita from Krishna directly. Sanjay because of divine power gifted to him. Hanuman, as he was residing on Arjun's chariot. Barbarik, son of Ghatotkach who was watching it all from a hill top.

2. This is the research paper on scientific explanation of Field Theory mentioned in Chapter 13 of Bhagavad Gita: A Scientific Explanation of Chapter 13 of the Bhagavad Gita

3.Bhagavad Gita is actually a song because it is spoken in rhyming meter called “Anushtup” and it contains 32 syllables in each verse. The general theme is in four lines of eight syllables each. In particular verses, a “Trishtup” metre is used, which contains four lines of 11 syllables each.

4.The Bhagavad-gita is composed of 700 Sanskrit verses contained in the 18 chapters divided into three sections each consisting of the six chapters.

5.The first English edition of Bhagavad-gita by Charles Wilkins in year 1975 in London,England.This was 174 years after the translation of the Holy Bible.

6.Till now Bhagavad-gita has been translated into approx. 175 languages.

7. The Mahabharat confirms that Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjun at the Battle of Kurukshetra in 3137 B.C. According to specific astrological references in the Vedic scriptures, the year 3102 B.C. is the beginning of Kali Yuga which began 35 years after the battle.

1. Markandeya

Markendeya is a devotee of the Lord Shiva, and was granted immortality by him when Shiva and Yama (the God of death) fought to decide the Rishi’s destiny. A tale from the Bhagavata Purana states that once sage Narayana visited Markandeya and asked him for a boon. Markandeya prayed to sage Narayana to show him his illusory power or maya since sages Nara-Narayana are incarnation of Supereme Lord Narayana. To fulfill his wish, Vishnu appeared in the form of a child floating on a leaf, and declared to the sage that he was Time and Death. Sage Markandeya entered into his mouth and save himself from the surging water. Inside the boy's stomach Markandeya discovered all the worlds, the seven regions and the seven oceans. The mountains and the kingdoms were all there. So were all living beings. Markandeya did not know what to make of all this. He started to pray to Vishnu. The sage spent a thousand years with Vishnu. He composed the Bala mukundashtakam at this moment.

2. Bali Chakravarthi

the Asura King Mahabali, who had conquered all the three worlds, had to be subdued by Vishnu on the request of Indra, after having developed an unhealthy arrogance. Vishnu banished Bali to the underworld, but his pious deeds on Earth granted him the boon of being able to visit his subjects once a year- now celebrated as Onam in Kerala.

3. Lord Hanuman

Lord Hanuman really needs no introduction, he is devotion personified, and his strength, form and knowledge characterise him. It is said that whilst other characters from the Ramayan achieved their sought-after Moksha, Hanumanji shunned the heavens and requested to remain on Earth as long as Lord Ram is venerated by people, to reside wherever the name of Ram is taken- such was, and is his love for God. Whoever recites the glories of Lord Hanuman is supposedly certain to overcome life’s miseries and obstacles. It is also said that the person who arrives first, and leaves last from a Ram Katha is always Chiranjeevi Hanuman. There is one very interesting story about a pilgrimage in Mansarovar in the Himalayas in 1998. A pilgrim supposedly saw a light in the cave, of which he took a photo. He died shortly after and when his fellow travellers had the photo developed. It depicts a monkey-formed being, studying what looks like the Vedas.

4. Kripacharya

Kripa was the Kul Guru of the Kurus during the Mahabharat, and whilst his status as a Chiranjeevi is disputed, his impartiality towards all of his students is the most commonly documented reason for his immortality.

5. Parashurama

6th avatar of Vishnu, master of all astras, sastras and divine weapons. The Kalki Purana writes that he will re emerge at end time to the martial guru of Kalki. He will then instruct the final avatar to undertake penance to receive celestial weaponry, required to save mankind at end time.

6. Vibhishana

The brother of Ravan, Vibhishan, who fought on Ram’s side in the Ramayan. He was made a Chiranjeevi to maintain morality and righteousness in Lanka and to guide people over the world in Dharma.

7. Vyasa

A sage who narrated the Mahabharata. He represents erudition and wisdom.He was the son of Rishi Prashar and grandson of Rishi vashist. He was born in almost last of Tretayug, lived to see the whole Dwaparyug and also had seen the initial phase of Kalyug.

8. Ashwasthama

Ashwatthama was the son of guru Drona. He is one of the seven Chiranjivis. Dronacharya loved him very dearly. The rumours about his death in the Kurukshetra war led to the death of Drona at the hands of Prince Dhrishtadyumna. He is the grandson of the Brahmin sage Bharadwaja. Ashwatthama fought on the Kaurava side against the Pandavas in the Mahabharata war.

1.Ahalya

Ahalya, also known as Ahilya, is wife of sage Gautama Maharishi. Ahalya is often regarded as the leader of the panchkanya due to the "nobility of her character, her extraordinary beauty and the fact of her being chronologically the first kanya".Ahalya is often described to be created by the god Brahma as the most beautiful woman in the entire universe

2.Tara

Tara is Queen of Kishkindha and wife of monkey(vanara) King Vali. After being widowed, she becomes Queen of Sugriva, Vali's brother. Tara is described as daughter of monkey physician Sushena in the Ramayana and in later sources as an apsara(celestial nymph) who rises from the Samudra manthan.[1][9] She marries Vali and bears him a son named Angada.

3.Mandodari

Mandodari is queen consort of Ravana, the Rakshasa(demon) king of Lanka. The Hindu epics describe her as beautiful, pious and righteous. Mandodari is daughter of Mayasura, the King of Asuras(demons) and apsara(celestial nymph) Hema. Some tales narrate how an apsara called Madhura was cursed to become a frog and imprisoned in a well for 12 years, after which regains her beauty or a frog, blessed to a beautiful maiden;in both cases, she is adopted by Mayasura as his daughter Mandodari. Ravana comes to the house of Mayasura and falls in love with Mandodari and then marries her. Mandodari bears him three sons: Meghanada(Indrajit), Atikaya and Akshayakumara.

4.Sita

Sita is the heroine of Ramayana and the consort of the Hindu god Rama (avatar of Vishnu) and is an avatar of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and wife of Vishnu. She is esteemed as a standard-setter for wifely and womanly virtues for all Hindu women.Sita is adopted daughter of Janaka, king of Videha, found while he was furrowing the earth.The prince of Ayodhya, Rama wins Sita in her svayamvara. Later, when Rama is sentenced to a fourteen-year exile, Sita joins Rama and his brother Lakshmana in exile, despite Rama's wish for her to remain in Ayodhya.While in exile in Dandaka forest, she falls prey to Ravana's scheme and sends Rama away in quest of a golden deer, while she is kidnapped by Ravana. Sita is imprisoned in the Ashoka Vatika grove of Lanka, until she is rescued by Rama, who slays Ravana in war

5.Draupadi

Draupadi is the heroine of Mahabharata. She is common wife of the five Pandava brothers and queen of Hastinapur, in their reign. Born from a fire-sacrifice of king of Panchala - Drupada, Draupadi was prophesied to lead to the end of Drona and Kauravas.Though the middle Pandava Arjuna - disguised as a brahmin - wins her in her swayamvara, Draupadi is compelled to marry all the five brothers on command of her mother-in-law Kunti. Pandavas agree to the plan that Draupadi will always be the chief consort of all brothers and always the empress.

1. Dhananjaya ​ ​ This name is about the auspiciousness that Arjuna brought along with himself. Dhanañjaya means "one who can conquer over riches." .he conquered over many kings and lands and thus brought riches to the kingdom of his older brother. 

2. Savyasachi ​ ​ Arjuna was capable and  skillful in wielding Gandiva and other weapons using both arms, (ambidextrous), and therefore he was called Savyasachi, the one who can wield using both hands.

3. Vijaya ​ As clear from the name itself, it means the Victor and Arjuna was never defeated in a war. 

  4.Jishnu ​ ​ Jishnu is a literal name given to Arjuna and it means the conqueror of enemies. Without doubt, he remained true to his name! 

5. Kiriti ​ ​ Being the son of Indra, he wore the celestial diadem, Kiriti, presented by Indra, and therefore was called by this name.

6. Vibhatsu ​ ​ Arjuna was so called because he created scenes of bibhatsa (terror) during war with his enemies.

7. Falguni ​ ​ Because Arjuna was born under the star named Uttara Phalguni, he was called by this name.

8. Gudakesha

​Like Lord Krishna was called Rishikesha, Arjuna was called Gudakesha, which means having thick beautiful hair.

9. Krishna ​ It is a lesser known name of Arjuna--he was also called Krishna, the one who attracts.

10. Shvetavahana ​ As clear from the name itself, it should be about the chariot or vehicle. Because Arjuna had white horses mounted, he was called by this name. 

11. Kounteya 

As Arjuna was the son of Kunti ,he was referred as Kounteya literally meaning Son of Kunti

12.Partha 

 Kunthi was actually named by birth as Pritha by her father Shurasena. Then, Kunthibhoja, Shurasena's cousin adopted her as he was childless. He then named her Kunthi.Thus Son of Pritha came to be known as Partha (Son of Pritha). While there another meaning to his name, Partha  is a Sanskrit word which means 'one who never misses his target'. Since Arjun was the greatest archer of the time

2.Ganesh has two sons named “Subha ”( auspiciousness ) and  “Labha” (profit).We usually paste stickers named Subha and Labha on the eve of Diwali are actually the names of the sons of the lord Ganesha.

3.Ganesha is also called “EkDanta” because his lost his one tooth while fighting with ParshuRam, the  devotee of Lord Shiva.When ParshuRam strikes with the axe provided by lord shiva then to show respect towards his father and the weapon he took the blow of the weapon on his tooth and thus lost his tooth and became”EkDanta”.

4. Lord Ganesha was the one who wrote the great epic Mahabharata as sage Vyasa recited it to him. This was done on the condition that Vyasa would not stop while reciting the epic and Ganesha would not stop while writing, and also that Ganesha would not merely write it but would also understand every verse of it.

5.Ganesha used his broken tooth to write down the Epic ,Mahabharata

6.The axe we see that Ganesha holds in his hand was actually provided to him by ParshuRam when he fought with Ganesha and broke his tooth.So in order to repent as Ganesha was merely following the instruction of lord Ganesha to not allow anybody to disturb lord shiva during meditation.

7. In the rare incidents when we hear of Lord Ganesha being angry, he once cursed the moon as he laughed at his fat belly. Lord Ganesha cursed him saying whoever looks at the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi would be falsely blamed. This is still believed in most sections of the Hindu faith, as people avoid looking at the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi.

8. Lord Ganesha has around 108 names, including Vighna Harta (the remover of obstacles) and Buddhi Pradaayaka (the giver of wisdom and intellect).

Lord Ganesha was blessed by the Trinity for all these things.To understand the story lets look a little back to understand the story of the birth of the Ganesha.

Once Lord Parvati was  going to meet  Lord Shiva while he was meditating .The Nandi , the mount of lord Shiva obstructed the path of Parvati and make her aware of the fact that Shiva had instructed him not to allow anybody to meet him while he was meditating.Parvati has no choice but to return .

Once Parvati was taking a bath and need someone to guard the door while she was inside. She thought of calling Nandi or other Ganas of Lod Shiva but the friendParvatirvati reminded her that these people wouldn’t go beyond the command of Lord Shiva  and are not dutiful to Parvati instead only obey Shiva.If Shiva commands  them to move aside they would not have any choice but leave the path unprotected.So they need someone who only listens to Parvati and do as per the command of Parvati.Then Parvati created a human menaquinone from the dirt of her body  and then induced life form in it and named it “Vinayak”.She commanded him not to allow anybody to enter the premises  while she is inside and provided Ganesha with divine power and weapons.

Then After some time Lord shiva arrived there and wanted to meet Parvati and  Ganesha(Vinayaka) was standing firmly outside the gate of the premises and was not allowing Shiva to enter the premises.Shiva  got infuriated and had to return and in the meanwhile asked his followers to remove the Ganesha from the door and after that the would arrive.All the Ganas of the Shiva including Nandi   fought with Ganesha but cannot  stand a ground against the divine power provided by Parvati to Ganesha. Now Devas like Indra,Agni etc fought with Ganesha but  all were defeated and finally  Mahadeva himself had to arrive at the battle scene and he  cut the head of the Ganesha with his ultimate weapon Trishul. The cry from the Ganesha while his head being severed from Shiva’s Trishul forced Parvati to come outside.Seeing  the headless body of Ganesha  provoked her to  take the form of Kali ,”The Goddess of Destruction” and started began destroying the universe. Everyone pleaded before her to stop the destruction.She told them she would not stop until her son is not alive.Everyone started thinking of possible solution then Sri Hari suggested the Ganas and the other gods to move into the North direction and bring the head of the first living being in the sleeping state.Then Ganas went into that direction and brought the head of the elephant which was later fixed by the Brahma on the body of Ganesha and brought to live.

Parvati also asked for the boon to Ganesha that he would be first to be worshipped among the gods which was granted by none other than lord shiva who provided him with weapons and bestowed the privilege to worshipped first even before himself and pronounced Ganesha to be the leader of his Ganas .Thus Ganesh became “Ganapati” and every other god also bestowed some power to the Ganesha  who ultimately become the god of well-being and Growth of Humanity.

And since Ganesha was born on the Fourth day of Shukla Paksha that’s why Ganesh birthday is celebrated as Ganesh Chaturthi.Later  Ganesha wedded two wives namely “Ridhi” and “Sidhi”.Now more on Ganesha  on some later post and let’s celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi on this auspicious day.

Once, three great sages came to Lord Krishna’s palace in Dwaraka. Krishna was resting. When he was informed of their arrival, he said, “Please tell them that I shall be there in a short while. In the meantime, let them be welcomed with proper respect and devotion.” Unfortunately, over the years, Krishna’s relatives and others who were close to him had become very undivine. Because they were dear to Krishna, they used to get everything. As a result, they became corrupted by the pleasure life. They used to drink and quarrel and do all kinds of unthinkable things. A few members of Krishna’s immediate family did not have any respect for the sages and saints who came to pay homage to Krishna. These relatives felt that as long as they had Krishna, it was enough. To them, all other spiritual people were as worthless as straw. Krishna’s son, Samba, was famous for his pranks. Even though he was no longer a child, he and some other young men decided to play a practical joke on the sages. Samba’s friends tied an earthen pot on his stomach and dressed him in a nice sari. Then they brought him before the sages. The young men said to the sages, “This woman is with child. Please, before Krishna comes, can you tell us whether she will give birth to a boy or a girl?”  Since the sages had occult vision, they immediately saw that the young men were mocking them. They became furious. “You are Krishna’s relatives! You, Samba, is his own son! You dare to make fun of us! Yes, this ‘woman’ will give birth, but she will give birth to an iron lump. It will bring about the destruction of Krishna’s entire clan. You have no respect for spiritual people. We are great sages and you have mocked us.” 

At that moment, Krishna entered the hall. He was so sad to hear the curse of the sages. At the same time, he knew that his relatives deserved it. The sages also felt sorry that they had uttered such a dreadful curse, but they could not withdraw it. In spite of this unfortunate turn of events, Krishna stayed and had a long talk with the sages, and they received Krishna’s blessings. Krishna was beyond, beyond everything. He advised them and illumined them, and then the sages departed. In due course, the curse came true and Krishna’s son gave birth to a heavy iron chunk. Samba and his cousins realised that their destruction was imminent. Akroora immediately ordered, “Grind the mace to a fine powder and cast it into the seas.” The Yadavas nodded and retreated. Akroora cast his gaze at Krishna, his eyes full of questions. Krishna simply smiled back. “The wheels of time are turning Uncle”, he said, “and Samba has played his part perfectly.” He left without another word.“What did he mean by that?” asked Ugrasena. “I can tell you that, father.” Ugrasena turned around to the source of voice – Rukmini. “Thirty-six year ago, Krishna prayed to Shiva for a son like him…A son like the god of destruction! Krishna wanted Samba to aid in destruction…” And even more slowly, her voice down several levels, she uttered, “Gandhari’s curse. The time for her curse to act has arrived. A reward for her devotion in him.” Leaving Akroora agape, Rukmini left.

Outside the palace, the Yadavas had obeyed Akroora’s command to the dot. They had ground the mace finely. Everything was ground except a sharp triangular piece which appeared to be very hard indeed. And then they had thrown the fine powder and the lone piece into the sea. Happy that they had taken care of the matter so easily, they returned back to their general state of intoxication and bliss. Time rolled by. The triangular piece of the mace was swallowed by a fish. The fish was caught by a hunter, who upon finding the piece in the fish’s entrails immediately used it to craft a fine poisonous arrow. The fine powder, on the other hand, washed back ashore and deposited itself by the beautiful coast of Dwaraka. A certain grass grew in lush abundance in the area where the powder was deposited. Everything was set for the final showdown.The Yadavas soon forgot all about their curses. The consumption of alcohol was banned in the entire kingdom of Dwaraka. However, after 36 years of Mahabharat war, lots of omen used to appear in the Dwaraka city. The Sudarshana chakra, Panchajanya shankh, the chariot of lord Krishna and the plough weapon of Balarama disappeared from the earth. One day, the Yadavas gathered on the beach. 

The liquor that they drank made them lose their senses completely.They started teasing one another, bringing up the gory pasts and gruesome mistakes of each other. Satyaki and Krithavarma acted as the starting points of the doom of Dwaraka. Satyaki had fought on Pandava’s side in the battle of Kurukshetra and Krithavarma, on the Kaurava side. They taunted one another, bringing back memories of the horrific war. In a fit of rage, Satyaki, jumped on Krithaverma and cut his head off. The friends of Krithavarma pounced on Satyaki and a great brawl followed. As the Yadavas had come to the sea shore for a pleasure, they did not carry any weapons along with them. They saw the long grown grass in abundance along the sea shore. They picked up the grass stems and beat and killed each other. Those grass stems are nothing but blades made of the powder of the same lump of Iron born to Samba. Thus the curse of saints fructified.Each blade of grass became a mace, smashing into the Yadavas, killing them instantly. It was a matter of moments before the Yadavas lay dead, killed by their own clan members and in front of their very King. Except Krishna, all Yadavas were killed.

While the Krishna himself was killed Jara,the hunter who had received that triangular piece of metal from the fish belly and craved it into arrow.That arrow was finally shot by Jara On Krishna who assumed Krishna as some animal while he was meditating under the tree.

2.Krishna had eighty sons since each Patrani gave him 10 sons.Some of the Prominent sons of the Krishna were  Pradyumna, Samba , Charu Deshna Sudeshna and  Charudeha.

3.There is a quite popular story about Samba ,son of Krishna.Krishna always wanted a son like Shiva, the god of Destruction.So he penanced for Lord Shiva and got a boon from Shiva to have a son similar to Shiva.Later Jambavati gave birth to a son and was named Samba, another name of Lord Shiva.Samba later became the anchor who brought destruction to Yadav clan.

4.Eklavya was actually the Krishna Cousin.He was the son of DevSharava who got lost in the forest.Nishad HiranayaDhanau found him.Eklavya died protecting his father in Rukmini Swayamvar when Krishna was eloping with Rukmini.He was killed by Krishna and  for his great Sacrifice and he was blessed that he would be born as DhrishtDhumn and would kill Drona.

5.The narration of Bhagwad Gita was heard firsthand not only by Arjuna but Hanuman and Sanjaya who was blessed with divine power by Ved Vyasa in order to narrate the events of battle to king DhritRashtra.

6.Pradumnya ,son of Krishna was Kamadeva in the earlier life who was turned to ashes by Lord Shiva.

7.Pandavas was related to Krishna from his mother side as Kunti was the sister of VashuDeva , father of Lord Krishna.

8.Once Dhurvasa was eating Kheer(pudding) and eventually he asked Krishna to apply that kheer on his whole body.Krishna obliged and applied kheer to his whole body except his feet thinking of Kheer to be consecrated.Durvasa angered and told him that his whole body would be impenetrable except his feet and we all know whole the Jara killed Krishna by shooting an arrow on his feet by mistake.

9.Jara , the hunter who killed Krishna was actually Bali who killed by Rama,the avatar of Vishnu .

2.KURMA  --(SATYA YUGA)

Lord Vishnu took the Kurma Avatar to hold the Mount Mandara while churning of the ocean of Milk from which the nectar of immortality aroused.

3.VARAHA --(Satya Yuga)

In this Avatar lord saved the Mother Earth from the demon Hiranyaksha who had imprisoned mother Earth in the vast ocean.

4.NARASIMHA  --(Satya Yuga)

The famous incarnation of half lion-half man to rescue his disciple ‘Prahlad’ from the hands of his torturous father Hiranyakashipu who was indeed brother of Hiranyaksha who was slain by lord Vishnu in the Varaha Avatar.

5.VAMANA --(Treta Yuga)

The Lord measured the whole universe in two step while he was awarded Land worth three steps by the king Mahabali.Then to fulfill his promise of three step land Mahabali offered his head as a destination for the third step.We will talk about this story in another post.Till then let’s wait.

6.PARSHURAM  --(Treta Yuga).

We have talked about this in the great detail in our blog post ‘ Ram to ParshuRam’.please have a look on it.

7.RAMA  --(Treta Yuga)

Who doesn’t know the story of lord Rama inscribed in an Indian epic ‘Ramayana’ who had killed the much-feared demon named ‘Ravana’.

8.KRISHNA   --(Dwapara Yuga)

Krishna the master strategist who anchored the whole Mahabharata and who can forget all the plays performed by Krishna in his childhood and also slained the demon Kansa and freed his mother and father from his clutch.

9.BUDDHA  --(Dwapara Yuga)

Buddha is described as the ninth avatar of lord Vishnu and all Puranas and Vedas had referenced Buddha as the ninth avatar of Lord Vishnu.

10.KALKI --(KALI YUGA)

Kalki is the last avatar the lord will take during kali Yuga to bring justice to the world and kill all the evils and negatives.Kalki is assumed that he   will be atop a white horse with a drawn blazing sword. He is the harbinger of the end time in Hindu eschatology, after which he will usher in Satya Yuga.

Most of the readers might be bewildered after reading the title of the post which seems pretty confusing .How can Lord Shiva and Vishnu have a child as both of the deities are male. Now let me tell you a story about the birth of the son of lord Vishnu and shiva.

Ashuras (demons) and devas (gods) were the sons of sage kashyapa which fathered them with his wives Diti and Aditi respectively.Till that time Gods doesn’t have the power of immortality and were same as mere mortals.Devas fought with the gods and drove them out of their palaces in heaven.Then Devas approached Lord Vishnu to solve this problem and he suggested them to engage with devas in a diplomatic fashion.Devas engaged with Ashuras and decided to churn the nectar of immortality from the Sir-Sagar( Ocean of Milk) and distribute it among themselves and leave peacefully as they have an assurance from Lord Vishnu that only Devas would get the nectar of immortality .

Afer heavy penance from both sides; as the nectar of immortality emerged Lord Visnu took the form of Mohini and seduced all the Ashuras such that their mind went into abeyance and they couldn’t notice that Mohini was not feeding the nectar of immortality while the doing the opposite for the gods.

Lord Shiva when heard of these events, he also wanted to know what was the look of Mohini that made the minds of Ashuras go into Abeyance.He, Lord Shiva then requested the Lord Vishnu to show him the Mohini Avatar.The Lord Vishnu obliged him and showed him his immensely beautiful Avatar of Mohini.

Lord Shiva became so enchanted with the beauty of Mohini that he fused along with the Mohini (avatar of Lord Vishnu ) to form the HariHara (Hari-Vishnu  and Hara-Shiva) and from this union came the “AYYAPPA”, the son of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu.

He said to Hanuman that Lord Rama didn’t have to wait for that many days for the completion of the bridge if he would have been there.He would have done that with one arrow “.Hanuman replied  that “Leave alone the Vanara Army your bridge of arrows wouldn’t have enough strength to carry the weight of mine”.This irritated Arjuna and he betted that he would build a bridge of arrows and if it crumbles under the feet of Hanuman he would jump into the fire and if it withstand the weight of Hanuman, he must adorn the banner of Arjuna.

Then Arjuna chanted some hymns and unleashed his arrow which created a bridge of arrows and when Hanuman just stepped onto the bridge it crumbles under the weight of Hanumana.Arjuna now had to fulfill his promise and prayed Lord Krishna before he jumped into the bridge and then Lord Krishna appeared.

Once when Narada was singing praises about the mother Anasuya , the three supreme goddesses ,Saraswati and Lakshmi and Parvati heard the wordings and asked Narada why is he singing such praises about a human.Narada answered that “Mother Anasuya is free from all vices of the world.She is free from jealousy and envy. She is very pious, and always practiced austerities and devotion”.This created jealousy among the supreme goddesses.

Then three goddesses approached their husbands and asked them to test the divinity of the Anasuya.They initially disagreed but after continuous persuasion from their wives they agreed.They transformed themselves into sages(rishis) and then went to Anasuya hermitage and asked her to feed them.Mother welcomed them inside, offer them to sit and serve food.Then the real drama began, the three sages put a condition that they would eat only if Anasuya serves them naked without any piece of cloth or jewellery on her body.

Anasuya was in a dilemma as she couldn’t let the sages leave the place without feeding and didn’t want to remove her clothes.She prayed to her husband and then sprinkled holy water to all three sages and converted all of them into infants.Then she removed her clothes and fed them food, played with them and made them sleep .She was totally taking care of them as her own child.The  world started going out of balance as three gods Brahma,Vishnu and Shiva were infants and playing with Anasuya instead of caring out their responsibilities.Now the everyone was begging before three goddesses to go before Anasuya and plead to her to reconvert the Trinity into their original forms.