You've Read Middlemarch? No One In My Friend Circle Has. And No One Would Given How Long It Is.

THE TEN MAHAVIDYAS AND THEIR MANTRAS

शीतला सप्तमी

My family celebrates Sheetla Saptami every year twice. Once in the month of Chaitra (चैत in Awadhi) and then in the month of Shravan (सावन in Awadhi)

My mother has to observe a fast on Saptami and do a pooja before dawn the next day

Hibiscus flowers, doob grass and paan leaves are offered to Mata

There are offerings made, which is completely satvic. There is a puri, a batasa(बतासा), a jaggery filled gujiya (गुजिया), few uncooked soaked chana, a small amount of dahi, a dallop of lapsi(लपसी prepared from flour and jaggery), and a clove(लौंग)

A diya is to be lit and kept on a rice filled earthen bowl called कोसा in Awadhi. Which is kept on a kalash filled with water and adorned with mango leaves

No. Chandra isn't a she/they. Hindus have never seen Chandra as a female.

Whoever translated this did a very bad job. I think I did point that out already in one of my previous reblogs.

So no one ever told me about Ram ji roasting the moon and listing it faults because it's just not as beautiful as Maa Sita after looking at her once in the gardens? No one?

And then he just returned to his Guru like nothing happened? As if he didn't just talk to the moon and insult it?

I generally prefer Valmiki Ramayan but the Balkand in Ramcharitmanas is pure gold.

Just imagine how our Hindu gods must feel when humans make fun of facial features.

Ganesh ji would feel bad when someone makes fun of someone's teeth.

Shiv ji and Mata Gauri must feel bad when someone makes fun of someone's eyes or their hair type.

Vishnu ji (and by extension Mata Lakshmi and Mata Gauri) must feel bad when someone makes fun of their skin colour or marks on their body.

Brahma ji would feel bad when someone is made fun because of wrinkles or early graying of hair or any signs of aging.

I have been thinking about this and realised that we don't actually have a deva or devi for beauty. People think it is Mata Lakshmi but it's not true. None of her Ashtalakshmi forms also have her represent beauty. Mata

The sibling pairs have different skin colours — Vishnu-Parvati are dark skinned, Shiv-Saraswati are fair skinned, Brahma-Lakshmi are golden skinned — and all of them are called beautiful.

So where does this concept of beauty even come from? That fair is beautiful and dark skinned is not? Does it come from the west? From goddesses like Aphrodite, Venus or Freya? Or were they also made to represent beauty in the modern world to suit white people's beauty standards?

Sri Rama Setu

Yes, so astronomically/astrologically(it's the same in our religion anyway), whenever the Sun passes through the same house as Rahu, there's a Solar eclipse, given the moon is positioned right opposite this conjunction, which means it is a new moon.

Similarly, a lunar eclipse is when Moon is in conjunction with Ketu, given that Sun is right opposite this conjunction. Which means it is a full moon.

And this year in March, we have both Solar and Lunar eclipse happening. Rahu is in Pisces, and Ketu is in Virgo. On March 13, it was a full moon, the Moon is in conjunction with Ketu. And so that's when a Lunar eclipse happened. On March 29, Sun is in conjunction with Rahu. So that's when the solar eclipse will happen.

Hope that helps.

So no one ever told me about Ram ji roasting the moon and listing it faults because it's just not as beautiful as Maa Sita after looking at her once in the gardens? No one?

And then he just returned to his Guru like nothing happened? As if he didn't just talk to the moon and insult it?

I generally prefer Valmiki Ramayan but the Balkand in Ramcharitmanas is pure gold.

I feel like this is heavily plagiarised

Vasantapuja

This puja is mentioned in the Ishanashivagurudeva Paddhati, and is a festival celebrating the spring season along with Damanakotsava , the associated festival of love, dedicated to Kama. In this puja, the season of spring is treated and worshipped as a goddess.

In case anyone is not aware, Vasanta, the god of spring and flowers, is the best friend of Kama (and Rati). He was mentioned to have been born from the sigh of Brahma in the Kalika and Shiva Puranas.

Vasantaradhana is one of the favorites of Shiva. The important part of worship in this festival held during the spring season (Vasantartu) is the Damanaka Puja, wherein Damanaka is an aromatic plant, and special to Kama since it was this plant that turned out to be the object of his Sapamoksha. Siva also blessed Kama, saying that whoever worships him with the Damanaka plant along with Vishnu, Brahma and other Devas will have all their wishes fulfilled. The author further states that those who do not strictly adhere to the Saivite modes of worship as stated above are, in effect, rejecting the basic tenets of Saivagama (traditionally communicated wisdom).

How The Puja Is Carried Out

For the details related to Vasantapuja and Damanakotsava, the author of the Paddhati has relied on 'Svacchandatantra' (official book of Kashmiri Shaivism) and 'SomaSambhupaddhathi' (another manual for Shaivite rituals).

Rites and rituals:

The venue for Vasantapuja has to be a garden that abounds in Damanaka creepers and Asokavrkshas (Ashoka trees). Puja is begun with the invocation and Aradhana of Ganesh in Nirti angle and Guru in Isana.

It is under the shade of an Asokavrksha that Puja takes place. Two pots of sanctified water are placed at the foot of the Asokavrksha. The one on the right side is meant for Vasanta and that on the left for Kama. The presence of their consorts, Kusumavati and Padmavati respectively, have also to be kept in mind. In the middle of the Pujavedi, the Asokavrksha is conceived as Vasanta in the guise of a vibrant youth, golden in complexion, and is to be invoked and offered Gandha-puspa-nivedyantapuja. The nine powers of Vasantartu are Ahladini, Gandhavati, Surabhi, Malini, Madira, Madayanti, Rama, Pushpavati and Vasanti.

Next is the worship of the Damanaka plant, during which the Bhairava form of Siva has to be conceived in mind. Kama has also to be conceived as remaining seated along with his consort Rati on his right thigh and holding Puspasara in his right hand. He is served on all sides by a group of beautiful and shapely maidens. The Saktidevatas of Kama may also be conceived and offered Gandhadhupa-nivedyantapujas. The Gayatrimantra of Kama is also given.

The important feature of the festival on the second day is the collection of the Damanaka plant (the whole plant including the roots) from the garden in a pot, offering of Puja, followed by the ceremonial procession carrying the three pots (Damanaka, Kama and Vasanta) on an elephant in Nagarapradaksina, to the accompaniment of Nrtta-vadyasangita-ghosas. On conclusion of the procession, the pots are placed beside the idol of Shiva after which Homavidhis, Sampatasparsa, Bali, prayer and Archana are performed. The other customary acts like Dakshina and gifts to the priests are also recommended. The Patala concludes with the following observation by the author. 

ittham vasantavihitam savasantayagam proktam tadantamiha damanakam hi parva| yadvad vasantatilakam sumanobhiramam tadvanmaunobhisitan phalatiha kaman |

Though this festival is no longer celebrated in Kerala, another festival called Vasanta Panchami, also known as Sri Panchami, is observed religiously, mainly as Saraswati Puja and also as worship of Kama, Rati, Indra, Varuna and Brahma, on a grand scale, especially in Bengal, Punjab and most of North India. The legend also bears close resemblance to that of 'Vasantotsava' described in Isanasivagurudeva-paddhati. Legend has it that on this day Shiva turned Kama into ashes.

I might be too late to comment on this.

So yes Operation Sindoor was a success. It was a feat.

But the moment some fools in India came to know Col. Sofiya Qureshi was amongst the 2 women who led this, all of them started reducing her to just her religious identity. I even heard someone say "it must be intentional because the terrorists attacked based on religion" what if it's not. What if she was chosen because she could lead it. Not because of some DEI points either.

Let's not promote the same thing we stand against.

Please keep adding to this list if you can think of any.

Like I just thought of one now.

Mata Saraswati would really feel bad when someone gets made fun of their voice or of their speech impairments.

I have been thinking about this and realised that we don't actually have a deva or devi for beauty. People think it is Mata Lakshmi but it's not true. None of her Ashtalakshmi forms also have her represent beauty. Mata

The sibling pairs have different skin colours — Vishnu-Parvati are dark skinned, Shiv-Saraswati are fair skinned, Brahma-Lakshmi are golden skinned — and all of them are called beautiful.

So where does this concept of beauty even come from? That fair is beautiful and dark skinned is not? Does it come from the west? From goddesses like Aphrodite, Venus or Freya? Or were they also made to represent beauty in the modern world to suit white people's beauty standards?