Vedic Talks

The purpose of this blog is to share opinions, links and resources about the Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) with like minded souls elsewhere in the world. I would rather consider this as an online Satsangh i.e. company of good souls exchanging their views and sharing the nectar of devotion. It all started when I was wondering what all things I will teach my future progeny to educate them about the rich cultural heritage of India. I realized that I will feel myself guilty and quite unworthy if I fail to pass on the heritage that my forefathers have bestowed on me.  This blog is a tapestry of discussions, articles, links and resources on Hindu culture. It also helps to connect with people all over the world and exchange ideas. Please feel free to post your comments and to contact me.

Palani ( Pazhani / Thiru Avinankudi ) is a temple in a hilltop in the Dindigul district of the state of Tamil Nadu, India. The deity of Palani is known variously as Lord Murugan, Dandayudhapani Swami, Shanmukhan, Arumukhan, Saravanan, Swaminathan etc. Cheaman Perumal, a ruler of Kerala, built the main temple perhaps in the 7th Century AD. The legend behind the origin of the temple is as follows. Once sage Narada paid a visit to Kailasa to see Lord Siva and Parvathi and gifted a mango ( jnanappazham or fruit of knowledge). Lord Siva gave it to Parvathi who in turn wanted it for her children to eat it. As there was only one fruit and it should not be cut, they announced a contest and said that the winner would be given the fruit. Whoever makes a pradakshinam (circum ambulation) of the entire world first will be given the fruit.Lord Murugan mounted his vahana (peacock) to go around the world. Lord Ganesha was cunning and circumambulated around his parents, symbolising the world, and g...

Melputhoor Narayana Bhattathiri was born in 1560 was born in Thirunavaya near the northern banks of the river Bharathappuzha in Kerala. He had mastered from his guru Achyuta Pisharody, Rigveda, Sanskrit grammar and ancient Indian logic by age 16th. He was afflicted with chronic rheumatism and was advised by Ezhuthachan (father of Malayalam language) to dedicate a work to Lord Guruvaayoorappan. He had completed the work in 100 days by submitting one cantos (of 10 verses, called "Dasakam" in Sanskrit) before Guruvayoorappan on each day with each one of them ending with a prayer for a cure for his illness. On the 10th day, he became completely cured of his disease. His work describes Bhakti tradition of India and portrays the life of Sri Krishna. This beautiful work in Sanskrit is bought to the public via the medium of internet by A. Sanatkumar and Lalitha Sanatkumar. The website was inspired by the setting of the complete Narayaneeyam to music by his mother Shrimathi Seethal...

Not many deities are termed as kaliyuga varada since it is difficult to attain Moksha in this age of hypocrisy, violence and bad influences. It is believed that Lord Ayyappa will grant a devotee moksha if he observes 41 days of austerities and climb the 18 holy gold steps to arrive at the sannidhanam to get a glimpse of the Lord. He combines in himself the powers of Vishnu and Shiva and is referred to as Dharmasasta, Manikantan, Harihara sutan, Ayyanar, Bhootanathan etc. Lord Ayyappan's temple is situated in the Western Ghat mountain ranges, in the Sahya hilly regions in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India in the midst of 18 hills. Kerala has always been a religiously tolerant place where people of different faiths and beliefs work together for a common culture. People from different faiths go to a pilgrimage to Sabarimala with single minded devotion to Lord Ayyappa. ‘Vavaru nada’ is a place near the temple which is dedicated to a muslim disciple of Lord Ayyappa. The temple ...

In the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh state in S. India is the sacred shrine of Sri Venkateswara (Balaji). The varied names ascribed to the main deity are Balaji, Srinivasa, Venkateswara and Venkatachalapathy. The goddess Sri or Lakshmi (Vishnu's consort) resides on the chest of Venkateswara, and thus he is also known as Srinivasa (the one in whom Sri resides). This famous ancient shrine occupies the Venkatachalam hill that forms part of the seven hills of Tirumala, and hence the temple is also known as the Temple of Seven Hills. The temple is the most visited Hindu place of worship, and is the world's second richest in terms of the offerings made by pilgrims to the God and gifts given by visiting pilgrims. The temple is visited by about 60,000 pilgrims daily! On special occasions and festivals the number of pilgrims shoots up to 200,000, making it the second most visited holy place after the Vatican, annually. Not many people who visit the temple are aware of the other ...

Sri Tripura Rahasya is an ancient work in Sanskrit. It was considered by Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi as one of the greatest works that expounded advaita philosophy. Some scholars however call this system the Taantri or the Saakta, and point out some apparent differences between this and Advaita Vedanta. This system teaches that the Supreme Reality is no other than Abstract Intelligence. "Intelligence" signifies Self-luminosity and 'Abstraction' denotes its unlimited nature. Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi often often quoted from it and regretted that it was not available in English. As a consequence Sri Munagala Venkataramaiah (now Swami Ramanananda Saraswathi) took up the work of translation in 1936 as another labour of love, adding just one more English translation to his already extensive store. The origin of this work is as follows. Mahaadeva (Lord Siva) originally taught the Highest Truth to Vishnu who in turn taught Brahma in the Celestial regions. Later Vishnu in...

It is believed that the Guru (Spiritual Master) is to be honored as much as the Supreme Lord (God) because of his being the closest servitor of the Lord. This is acknowledged by the ancient scriptures and followed by most authorities. Therefore I offer my respectful obeisance unto the lotus feet of such a spiritual master. The Guru should be accepted as the God. Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born as Sathyanarayana Raju on November 23, 1926— or later than 1927 — with the family name of "Ratnakaram" and is a South Indian guru, religious leader, orator. In fact, devotees consider him as the incarnation of God. Bhagawan Sri Satya Sai Baba was born to Peddavenkama Raju and Eswaramma in a poor agrarian family in the remote village of Puttaparthi, located in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh. He was given the name Sathya Narayana Raju. On 20 October 1940 at the age of 14, Sai Baba announced, "My devotees are calling me. I have my work." From then on Sai Baba claimed to...

Srimad Bhagavatam is a sacred collection of stories especially for the Vaishnavites. The book, arranged in twelve so-called cantos, comprises 335 chapters with about 18000 verses. It is that collection of stories which stresses the prime importance of the maintaining aspect of God personified by the transcendental form of Lord Vishnu. The writer of this book is Krishna Dvaipâyana Vyâsadeva, also called Bâdarâyana. He compiled the Vedas, also known as s'ruti, containing the basic wisdom, the mantras for the rituals and the hymns. He as well wtote the Mahâbhârata. Vyâsa also wrote the rest of the eighteen purânas as well as the Brahma-sûtra, his masterpiece on the Absolute Truth. This book, and it's culture, was brought to the West by Swami A. C. Bhaktivedanta Prabhupâda. Together with his pupils. He realized a verse by verse commented series of books covering the entire Bhâgavatam. This site offers not all these commentaries but does offer the basic translation of the verses ...

I was searching for an online source for the daily recital of stotras and veda mantras since I could not get them from local bookstores. Study Sanskrit, read Sanskrit texts, listen to Vedic pundits chant, or read Sanksrit humor. http://sanskrit.safire.com/ contains a wide variety of Sanskrit texts and stotras in the pdf format, which you can view or print for your personal use. Most of the texts are in Devanagari script and some are with English translation. Bhagavad-Gita, Devi Mahatmyam, all of the sahasranama stotras, and several other texts are also encoded in transliteration. The site is maintained by Mr. Dale Steinhauser. If you would like to show your appreciation for all the work and dedication which has gone into the website, please consider donating. The site is dedicated to His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Hinduism is often referred to as Sanātana Dharma, a Sanskrit phrase meaning "the eternal law", by its practitioners. Hinduism is often stated to be the "oldest religious tradition" or "oldest living major tradition."Hindū is the Persian name for the Indus River, first encountered in the Old Persian word Hindu (həndu), corresponding to Vedic SanskritSindhu, the Indus River.Hinduism is a diverse system of thought with beliefs spanning monotheism, polytheism,panentheism, pantheism, monism, and atheism. It is sometimes referred to as henotheistic Most Hindu sects do not seek converts because they believe that the goals of spiritual life can be attained through any religion, as long as it is practiced sincerely. Concepts of conversion, evangelization, and proselyzation are absent from Hindu literature and in practice have never played a significant role, though acceptance of willing converts is becoming more common. Early in its history, in the absence of oth...

All opinions expressed here are those of their author and not of the employer. Information provided here is only a personal opinion or a random thought of the author at the time of writing the blog and not intended as and does not substitute for professional advice. Under no circumstances will the author be liable to you for any direct or indirect damages arising in connection with the use or misuse of information contained in or implied in this website. The appearance of external hyperlinks including advertisements to other websites does not constitute endorsement. The author does not verify, endorse, or take responsibility for the accuracy, currency, completeness or quality of the content contained in these sites. The author reserves the right to modify, edit or delete any comments posted on this blog. The author assumes no responsibility for monitoring the blog for inappropriate content or conduct. The author nonetheless assumes no responsibility for the content, no obligation to m...