Navaratri: The 9 Divine Nights

"Nava-ratri" literally means "nine nights."

This festival is observed twice a year, once in the beginning of summer and again at the onset of winter.

What's the Significance of Navratri?
During Navaratri, we invoke the energy aspect of God in the form of the universal mother, commonly referred to as "Durga," which literally means the remover of miseries of life.

She is also referred to as "Devi" (goddess) or "Shakti" (energy or power).

It is this energy, which helps God to proceed with the work of creation, preservation and destruction. In other words, you can say that God is motionless, absolutely changeless, and the Divine Mother Durga, does everything.

Truly speaking, our worship of Shakti re-confirms the scientific theory
that energy is imperishable. It cannot be created or destroyed. It is always there.

Why Worship the Mother Goddess?
We think this energy is only a form of the Divine Mother, who is the mother of all, and all of us are her children.

"Why mother; why not father?", you may ask.

Let me just say that we believe that God's glory, his cosmic energy, his greatness and supremacy can best be depicted as the motherhood aspect of God.

Just as a child finds all these qualities in his or her mother, similarly, all of us look upon God as mother.

In fact, Hinduism is the only religion in the world, which gives so much importance to the mother aspect of God because we believe that mother is the creative aspect of the absolute.

Why Twice a Year?
Every year the beginning of summer and the beginning of winter are two very important junctures of climatic change and solar influence. These two junctions have been chosen as the sacred opportunities for the worship of the divine power because:

(1) We believe that it is the divine power that provides energy for the earth to move around the sun, causing the changes in the outer nature and that this divine power must be thanked for maintaining the correct balance of the universe.

(2) Due to the changes in the nature, the bodies and minds of people undergo a considerable change, and hence, we worship the divine power to bestow upon all of us enough potent powers to maintain our physical and mental balance.

Why Nine Nights & Days?
Navaratri is divided into sets of three days to adore different aspects of the supreme Goddess. On the first three days, the Mother is invoked as powerful force called Durga in order to destroy all our impurities, vices and defects.

The next three days, the Mother is adored as a giver of spiritual wealth, Lakshmi, who is considered to have the power of bestowing on her devotees the inexhaustible wealth.

The final set of three days is spent in worshipping the mother as the goddess of wisdom, Saraswati.

In order have all-round success in life, we need the blessings of all three aspects of the divine mother; hence, the worship for nine nights.

Why Do You Need the Power?
Thus, I suggest you join your parents in worshipping "Ma Durga" during the Navaratri. She will bestow on you wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge,
and other potent powers to cross every hurdle of life.

Remember, everyone in this world worships power, i.e., Durga, because there is no one who does not love and long for power in some form or the other.

VAIKUNTA EKADASHI

Vaikunta Ekadashi falls in the month of Margaseersha (December-January). This festival is observed with all solemnity in the temples of Lord Vishnu. It was on this day that during the "Sagara Mathana" (churning of the ocean), 'Amrit' (nectar) emerged out of the ocean and was distributed to the Gods. The Hindus consider this day very auspicious and it is believed that those who die on this day are freed from the rounds of birth and death; they directly reach Vaikunta, the abode of Lord Vishnu. It is for this reason that the Great King Bhishma waited long on his bed of arrows, to leave his last breath.

FastingFasting is prescribed on all Ekadashis, that is, the 11th day of the lunar fortnight, twice a month. In this Kali Yuga, even if just one 'Ekadashi' is observed with dispassion, faith and devotion, and if the mind is wholly fixed on Hari, one is freed from the rounds of birth and death. There is no doubt about this. The scriptures give us their assurance on this point.

Results of Fasting : All sins are destroyed and mind is purified.

Hindu God : Lord Vishnu

Religion : Hindu

In the month of : December - January


On Vaikunta Ekadashi day devotees fast the whole day, observe vigil the whole night and do 'Japa' (meditation) and 'Hari Kirtan' (devotional songs). Some do not take even a drop of water. Those who are unable to fast completely can take some light fruit and milk.

A BeliefNo rice should be taken on Ekadashi days and this is very important. It is said that the sweat that fell down from the head of Brahma assumed the form of a demon and he asked the Lord to provide him an abode to dwell. Brahma said to the demon to go and dwell in the rice particles eaten by men on Ekadashi day and become worms in their stomach. For this reason rice is prohibited on Ekadashi.

If one observes the Ekadashi fast regularly, Lord Hari is propitiated. All sins are destroyed and the mind is purified. Devotion gradually develops and love for God becomes intense. Orthodox people in South India observe complete fasting and vigil even on ordinary Ekadashi days. For the devotees of Lord Vishnu, every Ekadashi is a very sacred day.

LegendsOnce there was a demon, 'Mura', who oppressed the gods. The gods approached Lord Hari for protection. Hari sent Yoga Maya to kill the demon. Yoga Maya carried out the behests of the Lord successfully. The Lord said to Yoga Maya that those who will observe Ekadashi will be freed from all sins, and Yoga Maya will be caned by the name Ekadashi.

King Ambarisha was a great votary of Lord Hari. He practised the Ekadashi Vrata for a year. Ambarisha obtained His Grace. On one occasion he fasted for three consecutive days. He was about to break the fast when Rishi Durvasa appeared as his guest. The king received him with due respect and requested him to take his meals. The Rishi agreed and went to bathe in the river. The king waited patiently for a long time, but the Rishi did not return. Time was running out; if the king did not eat anything before the day ended his Vrata would not bear fruit and if he ate, he would be showing disregard to the Rishi. As a compromise the king took a little water to serve both the conditions.

When Durvasa returned from his bath, he knew exactly what had happened, and was angry. He tore a hair from his tuft and charged him to king Ambarisha. The king was unmoved. The discus of Lord Vishnu destroyed the power of the hair of Durvasa. It now followed the Rishi wherever he went and tried to destroy him.

Rishi Durvasa went to Brahma and Shiva for help, but to no avail. He went to Lord Hari who said that he is in the possession of his devotees. Lord said that the Rishi should go to Ambaisha abd beg for his forgiveness. Ambarisha there upon prayed to the charged hair to desist from its course, and saved the Rishi. Durvasa thanked him from the bottom of his heart.

Saraswathi Devi

Saraswati is a goddess worshipped in the Vedic religion. She is the goddess of learning and the arts (e.g., music). She is also worshipped as the goddess of thoughts of truth and forgiveness. She is mentioned in the Rig Veda as well as in Puranic texts. It is likely that She originated as a river Goddess because her name in Sanskrit means "she who has lakes or pools". She is also referred to as Shonapunya, a Sanskrit word meaning ‘one purified of blood’.

In Vedanta, she is considered to be the feminine energy and knowledge aspect--shakti--of Brahman. As in ancient times, she is the goddess of knowledge, speech, poetry and music. Vedantins believe that only through the acquisition of knowledge does one reach the final path to moksha, or liberation from reincarnation. Only by worshiping Saraswati and continuously seeking true knowledge with one's complete attention can one attain the enlightenment necessary for moksha.

Saraswati is a Hindu goddess of learning. She is the goddess of speech (Vac), the Flowing-One. She represents the union of power and intelligence from which organized creation arises. Saraswati posseses all the learnings of the the Vedas, scriptures, dancing, musical power and poetry. She revealed language and writing to man. Her origin is the lost Vedic river Saraswati. This is the source of her profound connection to fluidity in any aspect (water, speech, thought, etc.). She is wisdom, fortune, intelligence, nourishment, brilliance, contentment, splendour and devotion. This page is dedicated to this Beautiful Goddess of Intellect.

Names of Saraswati
Bharati - eloquence; Mahavidya - transcendent knowledge; Vac - speech; Mahavani - transcendent word; Arya - the noble one; Brahmi - power of the immense being; Kamadhenu - the wish cow; Bijagarbha - womb of the seed or womb of the elements of speech; Dhanesvari - divinity of wealth; Vacdevi - divinity of speech; Vinapani - the one that holds the vina; Sarada - giver of essence; Vageshvari - mistress of speech; Brahmi - wife of Brahma and Gayatri.

The Gayatri Mantra

Aum bhur bhuvah svah
Tat savitur varenyam
Bhargo devasya dhimahi
Dhiyo yo nah pracodayat

"We meditate on the transcendental glory of
the Deity Supreme,
who is inside the heart of the earth,
inside the life of the sky,
and inside the soul of the heaven.
May He stimulate and illumine our minds. "

One who chants the gayatri-mantras is gradually delivered from the material clutches. In other words, that which delivers us from material entanglement is called gayatri.

Bhakti: The Means and the Goal

Bhakti means love of God or, as Srila Prabhupada would often translate the word, pure devotional service to God. (The Sanskrit root of the word bhakti is bhaj, which means “loving service.”) Bhakti is the essence of the eternal relationship we souls have with Krishna. In material existence, our Bhakti is covered by our material consciousness and misdirected away from Krishna and toward the temporary things of this world. Therefore we are never fully satisfied. We can awaken our natural Bhakti by practicing Bhakti. In other words, we can awaken our love for Krishna by performing acts of love for Him. Since yoga means “connection, ” the process by which we connect with Krishna through acts of love is called Bhakti yoga.

There’s much more to loving God than just saying, “I love God. ” We attain pure love for Krishna through a gradual process that takes us through progressively higher realms of Bhakti. Fortunately, we can begin the process at any point in life or wherever we are in our spiritual journey.

The Bhakti process is systematic and is laid out in detail by the followers of Sri Chaitanya in books such as Bhakti-rasamrita-sindhu (presented by Srila Prabhupada as The Nectar of Devotion). These books provide not only instructions but also guideposts by which the student of Bhakti can evaluate his or her progress.

The awakening of Bhakti takes place in three progressive stages: (1) regulated practice, (2) attachment, and finally (3) pure love.

My Prayer

Eternal Father of my soul,
let my first thought today be of You,
let my first impulse be to worship You,
let my first speech be Your name,
let my first action be to kneel before You in prayer.

For Your perfect wisdom and perfect goodness:
For the love with which You love mankind:
For the love with which You love me:
For the great and mysterious opportunity of my life:
For the indwelling of your Spirit in my heart:
For the sevenfold gifts of your Spirit:

I praise and worship You, O Lord.

Yet let me not, when this morning prayer is said, think my worship ended and spend the day in forgetfulness of You. Rather from these moments of quietness let light go forth, and joy, and power, that will remain with me through all the hours of the day;

Keeping me chaste in thought:
Keeping me temperate and truthful in speech:
Keeping me faithful and diligent in my work:
Keeping me humble in my estimation of myself:
Keeping me honorable and generous in my dealings with others:
Keeping me loyal to every hallowed memory of the past:
Keeping me mindful of my eternal destiny as a child of Yours.

Through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

(Taken from Richard Foster’s Devotional Classics, pp. 126-127.)

The Goal of Life

The goal of human life is to re-awaken our original pure love for God, Krishna. We souls exist to have an intimate loving relationship with Him. We can never be happy by rejecting that relationship and denying our true nature.

The things we do in this world indicate our true, eternal nature. We have to love; it’s unavoidable. Having turned away from Krishna, we try to fulfill our need to love and be loved by searching for ideal relationships in this world. But exchanges of love here are never perfect and cannot last forever.

Awakening pure love for Krishna is perfection. Nothing else will satisfy us. Everything that exists in the material and spiritual worlds is meant to support our relationship with Krishna. Human life is a chance for us to reestablish that relationship. That endeavor should be the focus of our lives.

Because love includes service, pure love for God is called pure devotional service, or Bhakti. The ways to awaken Bhakti are the substance of the practice of Bhakti yoga.

Do not blame others

Our Indian culture is great. The rules it provides make everyone lead an ideal life. According to our shastras, it seems, a person who blames others (unnecessarily) gets half of the entire paapam of the person blamed and in addition gives away half of his entire punyam to the person blamed! So there a big loss for the person who blames and a big gain for the person blamed. The following is a small story showing how careful one needs to be while doing Dharma nirnayam and eventually blaming others.

Once a poor braahmana, with hunger, came to a person’s house and asked for bhiksha. The kind woman in the house took pity on him and immediately offered food. She asked the brahmana to sit under the shade of a huge tree in their house and she brought food for him. Before the braahmana cleaned himself, prayed to the God and started eating, a very unfortunate thing happened. There used to live a poisonous snake under the shelter of the tree and vidhi vashah it spilt its poison and it directly fell into the food the braahmana was going to eat. The braahmana unknowing that the food is poisoned, ate food and died.

Now, who needs to be blamed? Is it the woman who gave the food, or the snake or the owner or the braahmana himself. It seems that the person who decides and makes a decision that a particular individual is to be blamed will get the brahma-hatyaa-paatakam.

So did you notice how critical is a dharma-nirneta’s role. How many shastras should he have learnt before taking the seat of dharma-nirneta? How careful and unbiased should his thinking be? Imagine how great is Yamadharmaraaja to be able to do perfect justice for so many people for such huge amount of time. That is why He is called ‘Samavarti’. He has one of his legs in Shri-chandanam and the other in fire. Both are same for Him and thus very unbiased and impartial.

Morals in the story:
A lot of thinking needs to be done before putting blame on others.
A person should be highly knowledgeable and learned in order to be a dharma-nirneta. That is why it is customary in our Indian culture to always say “As far as i know, this is Dharma….” or “This is what I heard from my elders, hence …..”.

Message:
Atleast on hearing to this story, we hope all the govt. officials will be still more careful in performing their duties. The pathetic state of today’s nyaayasthaanas is well-known. The power given to a nyaayaadhikaari is immense. The story also shows how impartial, unbiased, honest and most importantly learned must the nyaayaadhikaris be… One may assume everything is going fine, but at sometime or the other one must experience the effects of his own karma.

Creation of the material world

In a corner of the spiritual sky of brahmajyoti a spiritual cloud sometimes appears, and the covered portion is called the mahat-tattva. The Lord then, by His plenary portion as Maha-Visnu, lies down within the water of the mahat-tattva, and the water is called the Causal Ocean (Karana-jala). While Maha-Visnu sleeps within the Causal Ocean, innumerable universes are generated along with His breathing. These universes are floating, and they are scattered all over the Causal Ocean. They stay only during the breathing period of Maha-Visnu. In each and every universal globe, the same Maha-Visnu enters again as Garbhodakasayi Visnu and lies there on the serpentlike Sesa incarnation. From His navel sprouts a lotus stem, and on the lotus, Brahma, the lord of the universe, is born. Brahma creates all forms of living beings of different shapes in terms of different desires within the universe. He also creates the sun, moon and other demigods.

Vedic Cosmology - Planetarium

This is a simplified way to understand the wanderings of a spirit soul within samsara, the cycle of birth and death. It shows the basic facts needed to understand this world and the life in it and helps to learn about the different ways of life leading to elevation or degradation. With this information you can be more in control of your life, in harmony with the universe and its laws:

"We cannot break the laws - we can only break ourselves against the laws."

I am jiva, spirit soul, part and parcel and eternal servant of the Lord. My svarupa, spiritual body, is similar in form to any of the material bodies in the material world but it is of the same quality as myself and the whole spiritual world (sac-cid-ananda). Although I could stay here eternally in Lord's loving company and participate in His lila (pastime), I decided to explore the material world thus beginning my journey...

The Lord does not interfere with my free will by preventing me from leaving Him but is unlimitedly happy when I return to Him again:

"Having attained me [Sarupa], a friend more dear than life, as if He had not seen me for a long time, taking my hand in His lotus hand, asking me wonderful questions, bringing happiness to all the people of Vraja, and walking as gracefully as an elephant, the handsome Lord entered the village of Vraja." (Brhad-bhagavatamrta 2.6.76, by Sanatana Goswami)

"After attaining Me, the great souls, who are yogis in devotion, never return to this temporary world, which is full of miseries, because they have attained the highest perfection." (BG 8.15)

Aandaal - Few Facts

Twelve saint (poet) devotees of the 1st millennium CE- the great Aalwaars lived their lives dedicated to expressing their devotion to MahaVishnu - considered to be the supreme manifestation of Divinity in the Vaishnava system of beliefs.. These saints composed verses in chaste tamil, and revitalized the religious spirit of the region, sparking off a renewal of devotional worship in what is generally referred to as the Bhakti movement. Perhaps the best known of the Alwars, is Aandaal.

Srivilliputtur in southern Tamilnadu, is home to Perialwar , and his foster daughter Aandaal; the works of Aandaal are very well known to the tamil world. The Tiruppaavai hymns written by Aandaal (a manifestation of the mother Goddess) are chanted in congregations throughout Tamilnadu during the cold month of Maargazhi, in the cool pre-dawn hours, in temples as well as in the streets that surround temples. The 30 hymns constituting Tiruppaavai have been recorded by several artists, and the national radio station All India Radio (used to) broadcast(s) a hymn each day throughout the month of Margazhi. Also composed by Andal is 'Vaaranam Aayiram' (Kanaakkanden Tozhi), describing Andal's dream of her marriage to Narayanan (Vishnu). This work is chanted during Sri Vaishnava weddings. A popular version of Vaaranam Aayiram sung by S. Janaki hit the charts in 1990.

Aandaal is also known by the phrase Soodikkodutta Sudarkkodiyaal - the lady who offered garlands to Vishnu, after trying them out herself. Indeed, this is the central theme of the legend of Aandaal, which culminates in the divine marriage between the Saint Poetess, and Maha Vishnu himself.

Legend has it that Periaalwar discovered a beautiful infant girl in in a lush grove in the vicinity of the Srivilliputtur temple, in the 9th century CE, in the Tamil month of Aadi (Cancer), in the Pooram asterism, in the fourth phase of the bright half of the month on a Tuesday. A delighted Periyaalwaar, brought up this infant, considered to be an incarnation of Mother Earth (in a manner similar to Sita's birth, in the Raamaayana), as his own daughter, naming her Kodai. A devout poet himself, Periaalwaar, brought up his foster daughter in his own footsteps.

The young damsel Kodai, spent her time assisting her father in serving the Srivilliputtur temple, and in meditating upon Vishnu, with the desire of being his bride. Assigned the task of making garlands for the presiding deity at Srivilliputtur, with flowers picked from the grove in which she was discovered, Kodai would try out the garland on herself, without the knowledge of her foster father, and only then have it sent to the temple. Upon discovering a strand of hair on a garland meant for the presiding deity, a distraught Periaalwaar suspended the offering of the garland to the temple. It is said that the presiding deity of Srivilliputtur appeared in the saint poet's dream, and revealed to him that he actually preferred garlands that had been pre-worn by Kodai. Realizing that Kodai's purpose in life was a special one, Periyaalwaar named her 'Aandaal' or Soodikkodutta Naachiyaar, and looked upon her as an incarnation of Divinity.

When Periyaalwaar, attempted to find a groom for the nubile Aandaal, she thwarted his efforts with the assertion that she was destined to be the bride of none other than Maha Vishnu. She urged him to describe to her the attributes of Vishnu enshrined in several of the shrines that he knew of. Upon hearing of Vishnu enshrined at Sri Rangam, Aandaal decided that she was to become the bride of Vishnu's manifestation of Ranga Mannaar at Sri Rangam.

Aandaal then spent her youth in purposeful pursuit of her aim to realize oneness with Maha Vishnu - Ranga Naathar (i.e. to become his bride). Her literary masterpieces Tiruppaavai and Naachiyaar Tirumozhi exhibit the passion expressed by a lover yearning for her beloved, and the rigorous penance of Paavai Nonbu, undertaken to achieve her surreal objective.

In Tiruppaavai, Aandaal visualizes Srivilliputtur as Brindavanam, the grand temple there as the home of Nandagopan, and the presiding deity of Srivilliputtur as Krishna.

Perhaps, one of the most romantic works of Aandaal is Kanaakkanden Tozhi, in which - she narrates in vivid detail, her dream of marrying Narayanan (Vishnu). This is a celebrated work - an essential part of the Sree Vaishnavite liturgy, chanted during wedding rituals even today, in a manner similar to the recitation of Vedic hymns.

Legend has it that Ranganathar appeared in Periyaalwaar's dream and directed him to bring his bride Aandaal to the temple at Srirangam, where he would marry her. Following the divine ordinance, Periyaalwaar led Aandaal in a bridal procession to the grand temple at Srirangam, where Aandaal walked in with a sense of purpose and disappeared into the sanctum of the temple.

The colorful story of Aandaal has its parallels, with the much more known legends associated with the more recent Saint Poetess Mirabai of North Western India. Both these poets are known for their inspiring poetry as well as their passion for Krishna. While Mirabai lived upto a ripe old age, singing praises of Krishna, visiting shrines associated with the life of Krishna, Aandaal of South India, is said to have merged with her consort at Srirangam, as a young bride. The only two Sree Vaishnavite shrines directly associated with Aandaal are Srivilliputtur and Srirangam, although she has referred to Mathura, Brindavanam (Aaippaadi), Tirukkannapuram, Azhagar Koyil, Tirupati, Dwarka in her Tamil hymns.

Aandaal is regarded as more than a saint or a poet, although she is considered to be one of the Aalwaars, by virtue of her contribution in Tamil verse - to Sree Vaishnavite liturgy. Aandaal is regarded as Bhu Devi - or Mother Earth, the consort of Vishnu, and a shrine to Aandaal adorns several of the Sree Vaishnavite shrines. She is also regarded as a symbol of the strength of womanhood, a person with a sense of sublime purpose, complemented with a strong determination to attain the purpose successfully. An acknowledgement of these virtues is reflected in the belief that prevails that reliving this determination, through the chanting of the Tiruppaavai hymns would aid one in attaining their objectives.

Thoughts...... !

As you start on this journey, there are some things you should know,it's all about life's mystery ...quite a magical show.Wild waves on the water ~ a mirage of the mind,plus words that have meaning, direction and rhyme.

You could surf through these pages, enjoying the art...or study its reason ~ give the poems some deep thought.What I want you to see and read in my words,is that the real world is not obvious ...but rather absurd!

You must see through the surface to understand what is there ~take time to reflect life, even if you don't really care.Someday you'll be older & wiser and see,or you'll still be a traveler on this path eternally.

Unlocking the secrets that are hidden inside,through doors of erception ...Yourself you could find.

You can run as fast as you want to,
you can stop for every pretty face.
The real surprise is no surprise,
the turtle won the biggest race.

Only One Mother

Hundreds of stars in the pretty sky,
Hundreds of shells on the shore together,

Hundreds of birds that go singing by,
Hundreds of lambs in the sunny weather.

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,
Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,
But only one mother the world wide over.

Mom you are THE BEST

I LOVE U !

Me N My Solitude

Come out of this MAYA you will realize the same…

The quest for all is often within me
To chase my dream and destiny
In a journey of life I still realize
That I have gained and lost nothing

To people darkness is a fear
But an evolution of beings
To people sun is a bright light
But it is twilight to the west

Life is a wonderful Experience
People act according to their incidents
For me there is no sin or blasphemy
For me there is no formula for success

But the zeal to know the ultimate truth
To discover the life’s origin and purpose
I shall go from where I have come from
I shall crave for happiness that lasts forever

Transformation and change are inevitable
Let us cease from abusing each other
Let us ignite the minute formless within
To liberate ourselves with no fear and qualm

-Dinnu

Hinduism - Few facts

Hinduism Few Facts

1) Why do we light a lamp?
A) Lamp gives light and drives away darkness, like that we are praying to God to drive away the darkness present in us and light the spiritual light in us i. e spiritual enlightens.

2) Why do we have a prayer room?
A) Keeping a separate room for prayer where we do only prayer so that to develop concentration and mental satisfaction with out distracting by the worldly matters.

3) Why do we do namaste?
A) None is inferior in this world. All are equal. In spiritual they say all are god, it means we must respect our fellow beings. so it is respecting our fellow beings so that a person won't develop ego.

4) Why do we prostrate before parents & elders?
A) What ever are how much we develop in life, to be in that position this body is given by our parents. because them where in this world. so treating them as God who created us and we prostrate before them. Eldersareborn before us, seeing in a view as they are knowledgeable person and experienced person than us we prostrate before them.

5 why do we marks(tilak,bottu) on the forehead?
A) They are 7 chakras in our body according to Indian medicine. 1 1/2 deep in to our forehead there is a 6th chakra called aaghnya. in olden days the tilak are made by different components, so by keeping those tilak mind and glands present in that region are maintained nicely and healthy, by that healthy mind one can become knowledgeable and also it controls all other chakras also.

6) Why do we not touch papers, books & people with the feet?
A) In scientific view reg. books and papers if we touch them with feet and after with hands it causes infection to us because feet is filthy area and also not to develop reckless towards anything or towards anyone. To get that shraddha towards everyone and everything it is looked as sacred and god because we believe that god has created all.

7) To touch another with the feet is considered an act of misdemeanor. Why is this so?
A) Not to develop egoism and to develop well manners we consider all are equal. so to implement it in practical we consider God is there everywhere and in everything It is respecting others.

8) Why do we apply holy ash?
A) Holy ash is made by different components. so it is good for healthy mind, so it is applied on forehead to we healthy mind. Because according to Indian medicine 11/2 deep in to forehead region there is 6th chakra which maintains mind and glands and controls all other chakras also.

9) why do we offer food to the lord before eating it?
A) we work hard and get the food feel that we are everything and great because we are independent, so not to get it in to head and develop egoism, we believe that God is the doer n we are instruments in his hands. he has given us everything so we are giving to him what he has given to us and praying him to bless us and get the food like this in future also.

10) Why do we fast?
A) Scientifically to purify our digestive system. Another view is that checking how self-control we on us. Spiritually fast in the name of god i. e we can sacrifice are not i. e detaching ourselves from this wordly tempthations by controlling our tongue from tasting different tastes. (by taking variety of food).

11) why do we do pradikshina?
A) theyaretwo. we do self pradikshina and another we do pradikshina around an idol. wedanta says we are aham brahmasmi, im god, we believe that each is divine,so we do pradikshina to our self. When we see god in an idol we worship it and do pradikshina around it.

12) why is pradikshina done only in a clock wise manner?
A) v prefer right hand to eat food and also right hand is used for doing sacred things. we use right hand mostly. so it is belief that it is good if turn from right to left so we do it in clockwise manner.

13) why do we regard trees & plants as sacred?
A) v water the plantsarenot it grows and every part of it is useful to us in many ways to us. so we do it anything to it are not it is selflessly useful to us. so we believe in everything god is there,so we consider them as sacred.
14) why do we ring the bell in a temple?
A) in hindu mythology it is believed them different gods lives in diff lokas. so they are wery far from earth. it is an indication to god thatyourdevotee came. it's just drawing god's attention towards us.

15) why do we worship kalasha?
A) According to Hinduism the world is maintained by three main gods. they called as sruchti,stithi,laya karulu. brahma creates the world, vishnu maintains it and shiva destroys it. so whatever pooja are sacred things we do, we do in the name of the three. kalasha=container. it shape is compared to our life cycle symbolically. it has base i. e birth(brahma),it becomes broadened in the middle that is life(vishnu) and becomes narrow at the tip i. e death(shiva). so we are praying the three in one idol i. e kalasha.

16) why do we consider the lotus as special?
A) lotus will be in mud water. mud will be there beneath the flo we are but the lotus will be clean and the mud won't be to it. so in spiritual view eventhough we live in this world, the worldly matters should not we any influence on us and we must be spiritually enlightened.

17) why do we worship tulasi?
A) our scientist called dhanvantari considered as God wrote about the medicine. in that tulasi is used for medicines to cure diseases. it is favorite of lord vishn you,he we are on his neck. because vishnu is the lord of maintaining life according to hinduism. tulasi is antiseptic, antiviral, anti-bacterial. it as many medicinal fallows so it is considered as gift given by god to save our lives. so it is considered as sacred and worshiped.

18) why do we blow the couch?
A) different customs has different meaning. one is by doing pooja and yagna all those sacred things that they not only give mental satisfaction but also good for health scientifically. by blowin couch it increases one's lung capacity.

19) why do we say shanti thrice?
A) as i said before according to Hinduism human life is maintained by three main gods. brahma(gives birth),vishnu(maintains life),shiva(death). so whatever pooja are sacred thing we do,v do in the name of god. so shanti mantra is said thrice in the name of three gods.

20) why do we offer a coconut?
A) coconut is hard at outside and has s we et water inside. like our spiritual is covered by our egoism. so how hard it may be one should break his egoism and enjoy the sweetness of humanity in them by spiritual enlightens.

21) Why do we chant om?
A) By praying one get mental satisfaction. Mind becomes calm negate calmness and enjoy the peacefulness within us. And scientifically the word om is pronounced in such a way that there is movement from umbilicus to the mouth. by this the impure air with in us is sent out and fresh air is taken in. it is good for health.

22) why do we do aarti?
A) after pooja is done aarti is given are simple aarti is given, it means by praying to you, what all knowledge we got is due to you, have enlightened our souls. That is dedicated to you. Hinduism is way of life to realize one self. Rituals are given by enlightened souls what are to be following we do to lead a discipline, proper life so that we get spiritual enlightens.

I answered out of my best knowledge if any wrong is there please ignore it and give the right one. I think I tried my best to make some thing clear. I think it helps. Thanks.