Indian Culture & Religion

How to perform Ganesh Puja?

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:44:00 +0000

How to do Ganesh Puja??

“Vakratunndd mahaakaay Suryakottisamaprabhaa. NirvighnaN kuru me dev sarvakaaryesshu sarvadaa.”

Meaning: O Lord Ganesha of large body, curved trunk, with the brilliance of a million suns, please make all my work free of obstacles always.

Ganpati Puja : Stepwise-wise directions

Puja must be commenced only after performing ablutions .
Begin by reciting “Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah” (1)

Follow this by repeating “Aum” thrice. Now take a sip of holy water and invoke the god to purify you by repeating Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah thrice and wash hands Now the puja can begin.

Sprinkle the ganesha idol with rice grains and flowers and chant Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Asanam Samarpayami

Next wash the feet of the idol with rice and sandal water and chant ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Padyam Samarpayami’

Next wash the hands of the idol with sandal water mixed with rice and flowers and chant ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Samarpayami’

Next offer the idol water to drink , thrice , while chanting ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Achmaneeyam Samarpayami ‘

Next the idol has to be bathed with milk, curd, ghee. Honey and sugar. Chant ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Panchamrita Snanam Samarpayami’ .

After this make holy water offering. All the five offerings are to be made separately chanting ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Payah Snanam Samarpayami ‘ when offering milk.

‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Dadhi Snanam Samarpayami‘ when offering curd.

‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Ghrut Snanam Samarpayami‘ when offering ghee.

‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Madhu Snanam Samarpayami’ when offering honey.

‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Sharkara Snanam Samarpayami’ when offering sugar.

Now offer holy water to the idol and then wipe it clean with a piece of cloth while chanting ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Uttaraposhnam Samarpayami’.

Now all the necessary ablutions have been completed.

The puja will proceed by making various offerings to lord ganesha Offer raiment to the idol in the form of two threads chanting ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Vastropvastram Samarpayami’.

When offering white thread repeat ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Yagyopveetam Samarpayami’.

Now red sandal powder paste is applied to the brow of the idol while chanting ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Gandham samarpayami’.

Offer rice and chant, ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Akshtam Samarpayami’.

Garland the idol, shower flowers and chant, ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Puspam Samarpayami’.

Offer Durva grass chanting, ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Durvan Kuran Samarpayami’.

Leaves offering chanting ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Bilvapatram Samarpayami’.

Burned perfume offering to be made while chanting ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Dhoopam Agrapyami’.

Perform the aarti of the idol with a ghee lamp chanting ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Deepam Darshyami’.

Give sweets to the lord, chanting ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Naivedyam Samaryami’.

Offer water to the idol ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Achmaneeyam Samarpayami’.

Offer fruit, ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Phalam Samarpayami’

Offer betel nut, betel leaf, clove and cardamom and chant ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Tamboolam Samarpayami’.

Offer perfume and chant ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Itram Samarpayami’

Offer coins and chant ‘Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Dakshinam Samarpayami’

Now offer sandal rice, flower, and durva all mixed in water and chant “Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Vishesh Argyam Samarpayami”

Now genuflect before the idol while chanting, Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah I bow before you.

Finally to bring the puja to a close circle the idol in a clockwise direction while chanting Aum Shri Ganeshya Namah Pradakshinam Samarpayami once.

Holidays In India

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:13:00 +0000

Holidays in India
Republic Day	The Republic Day of India is a national holiday of India to mark the adoption of the Constitution of India and the transition of India from a British Dominion to a republic on January 26, 1950. It is one of the three national holidays in India.
Maha Shivratri	Maha Shivratri, the night of the worship of Lord Shiva, occurs on the 14th night of the new moon during the dark half of the month of Phalguna. It falls on a moonless February night, when Hindus offer special prayer to the lord of destruction.
Holi	Holi, also known as Dhuli Vandana in Sanskrit,also Dhulheti, Dhulandi or Dhulendi, is celebrated by people throwing coloured powder and coloured water at each other.
Mahavir Jayanti	In Jainism, Mahavir Jayanti is the most important religious holiday. It celebrates the birth of Mahavira, the last Tirthankara. He was born on the 13th day of the rising moon of Chaitra, in either 599 BC or 615 BC (depending on religious tradition).
Good Friday	Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Black Friday, Great Friday, is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary.
May Day	'May Day' is commemorated in India as the 'Labour Day' which began with the United States Labour Movement on May 1, 1886.
Buddha Purnima	Buddha Jayanti or also known as Buddha Purnima is the most sacred festivals of Buddhist. Buddha Purnima (Buddha Birthday) is celebrated in remembrance Lord Buddha. Lord Buddha is the founder of Buddhism. This day is the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha.
Independence Day	India's Independence Day is celebrated on August 15 to commemorate its independence from British rule and its birth as a sovereign nation on that day in 1947. The day is a national holiday in India.
Krishna Janmastami	Krishna Janmashtami , also known as "Krishnashtami","Saatam Aatham" ,"Gokulashtami", "Ashtami Rohini", "Srikrishna Jayanti", "Sree Jayanthi" or sometimes merely as "Janmashtami", is a Hindu festival celebrating the birth of Lord Krishna, an avatar of the Hindu deity Vishnu.
Id-Ul-Fitr	Eid al-Fitr often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (sawm).The holiday symbolizes the breaking of the fasting period.
Ganesh Chaturthi	Ganesha Chaturthi , also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi, is the Hindu festival of Ganesha. It is the birthday of Lord Ganesha who is widely worshiped as the god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune.
Mahatma Gandhi Jayanthi	Gandhi Jayanti is a national holiday celebrated in India to mark the occasion of the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, the "Father of the Nation". It is celebrated on October 2, every year. It is one of the three official declared National Holidays of India and is observed in all its states and union territories.
Vijaya Dashami	Vijayadashami is a festival celebrated in varying forms across Nepal and India. It is celebrated on the tenth day of the bright fortnight (Shukla Paksha) of the Hindu autumn month of Ashvin or Ashwayuja, and is the grand culmination of the 10-day annual Navaratri festival. Vijayadashami is also known as Dasara, Dashahara, Navaratri, and Durgotsav. It is celebrated in the lunar month of Ashwin from the Shukla Paksha Pratipada to the Dashami, or the tenth day of Ashwin.
Diwali	Diwali (often written Deepavali) is a significant festival in Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and an official holiday in India. Adherents of these religions celebrate Diwali as the Festival of Lights. They light diyasâ€”cotton-like string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with coconut oilâ€”to signify victory of good over the evil within an individual.
Guru Nanak Jayanthi	Guru Nanak Jayanti is the birthday of the first Sikh Guru, Guru Nanak, and one of the most sacred festivals in Sikhism. Guru Nanak Dev Ji (the First Guru, the founder of Sikhism) was born on 14 April 1469 in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi in the present Shekhupura District of Pakistan, now Nankana Sahib.
Christmas	Christmas or Christmas Day is a holiday observed mostly on December 25 to commemorate the birth of Jesus, the central figure of Christianity.

Lord hanuman (भगवान हनुमान जी) Wallpapers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:27:00 +0000

Lord hanuman (भगवान हनुमान जी) Wallpapers

Lord Shiv-Parwati (भगवान शिव पारवती) Wallpapers

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:25:00 +0000

Lord Shiv-Parwati (भगवान शिव पारवती) Wallpapers

Vrat, Vrat Katha and Vrat food Recipes, व्रत, व्रत कथा और व्रत का खाना

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 15:10:00 +0000

व्रत, व्रत कथा और व्रत का खाना
The fasting aspect of Vrat makes the mind strong and increases its firmness. Vrats are an important part of modern Hindu life. Mostly it includes a change in diet--sometimes through fasting, and other times by eating or avoiding certain types of food. Most important part is worshipping the presiding deity . Part of this worship usually involves reading or hearing the Vrat Katha or stories of fast. Every fast is usually associated with one or more Vrat Kathas that Hindus listen to while performing prayers and then only brake their fast. These fast stories or vrat kathas are a form of pooja to the the presiding deity.

What is Vrat ?
Disciplines such as religious fasting etc. that entail merits are generally called Vrat. To accept some rules of discipline is in itself a Vrat. For any advancement in life we have to accept some restrictive disciplines. A river is bound by the banks, tree is bound to earth, the strings of Sitar (musical instrument) are also bound and thereby music is produced. The essence of Himadri-Vrat chapter describes Vrat as a special undertaking, keeping some goal in mind, and making a resolution about it. In the spiritual field, to apply control over the pleasures of our sense organs, a solemn vow to observe regulatory discipline.