The KYE MONASTERY

Ki Monastery, also known as Kee, Kye or Key Monastery is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery located in the Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh.The spectacular monastery is located at an height of 4116m and 7 km from Kaza. It is the largest monastery in Spiti Valley.The gompa is an irregular heap of low rooms and narrow corridors on a monolithic conical hill. Established in the 11th century has ancient Buddhist scrolls and paintings. It also houses large number of Buddhist monks and nuns and a cafeteria.It is the biggest monastery of Spiti Valley and a religious training centre for Lamas.

Durga Maa – The power of the Supreme

Durga Maa (Mother) Durga symbolizes the power of the Supreme.Durga – the goddess of power and strength, is perhaps the most important goddess of the Hindus.Maa Durga Goddess Durga is considered the Mother of the Universe.

रक्षांसि यत्रोग्रविषाश्च नागा यत्रारयो दस्युबलानि यत्र |
दावानलो यत्र तथाब्धिमध्ये तत्र स्थिता त्वं परिपासि विश्वम् ||

Jai Shri Ram

The Ramayana is one the world’s most loved tales in India, according to Indian Mythology. Rama wasthe son of Dasharatha, who is the King of Ayodhya and has three wives and four sons, Rama, Lakshmana, Bharata and Shatrughana. Rama is the ideal and perfect son, and grows up with his brothers. When he comes of age, he marries Sita, the princess of a nearby kingdom. However, Bharata’s mother is Kaikeyi, who resents Rama being the crown prince. She calls up a debt that Dasharatha owes her and asks for Rama to be exiled for fourteen years and her son Bharata be made crown prince instead.

The YAGYA – means sacrifice, prayer

Yagya involves the application of specific prescribed sounds (Mantras), extracted from the Vedas, through recitation on a fine level of awareness by trained Vedic experts to achieve a specific effect: for example, to eliminate obstacles or defuse impending dangers, or to promote health, financial success—even world peace.

The Great Tower Temples of Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India

The Great Tower Temples of Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh, India are dedicated to “Shringa Rishi” who is the chief deity of Banjar valley, Kullu District, Himchal Pradesh. The temple of Shringa Rishi is situated at village Bagi.This tower temple of Chaini is the tallest standing structure of its kind in the entire Western Himalayas.This tower survived the devastating 1905 Kangra earthquake. It is believed that this temple was built around the 17th Century by a local King Dhadhu and that’s why this temple is locally known as Dhadhiya Kothi as well. The tower temple stands on a plinth, which is almost 15 meters deep, and is made of locally available stone and deodar wood.

The Viswanath Temple

The Viswanath Temple is the most important and ancient holy shrine in this region. Of the many temples in Uttarakhand, the temple of Lord Vishwanath is dedicated to Lors Shiva, the presiding deity of this temple, is worshipped all day here. Every evening, visitors are greeted by the sound of bells, and the chanting of mantras by pundits at the puja.Within the courtyard of the Vishwanath temple, and to the front of it, is the Shakti Temple, dedicated to the goddess of strength.

The vashisht temple

This village lies at a distance of 6 km from Manali, on the banks of the Ravi River. The natural Hot springs found in this village are believed to have medicinal properties capable of curing any skin ailment. According to the Hindu mythology, the hot sulphur springs in Vashisht were formed by the younger brother of the deity Rama, Lakshman.Pilgrimage sites dedicated to Kala Guru and the 7th incarnation of Hindu deity Vishnu, Rama, are also located in the Vashisht Village.

The Champavati Temple

The Champavati Temple, located in the heart of the city of Chamba, is a pilgrim destination for many Hindus. It is named after Champavati, the daughter of King Sahil Varman, the founder of the temple. The temple holds great historical and religious relevance for many Hindus. Champavati Temple enshrines an idol of Goddess Mahisasuramardini, the avatar of Goddess Durga. According to the legend, the daughter of King Sahil Varman Champavati was a religious person and used to visit temples and sadhu’s ashrams regularly.

The Renukaji temple

The Renuka Lake or Temple (672 m) is regarded as the embodiment of Renukaji, the wife of the sage Jamadagini and the mother of Parshurama – one of the ten `Avatars` of Lord Vishnu. Shaped like the profile of a woman, the lake has the circumference of 2.5 km and is the largest in Himachal.

The Samadhi

The world and ourselves are co-related and bound together, until we set ourselves free from all relativity in the world of unique reality – the eternal illimitable Samadhi

Followers of God – The Sadhu Life

sadhu and swami, sadhu also spelled sadhu, in India, a religious ascetic or holy person. The class of sadhus includes renunciation of many types and faiths.

Aghori – The Epic Souls

      
To be really aware you must be able to know simultaneously what is going on thousands of miles away today, what may have happened centuries ago, what will happen anywhere in the world decades from now, and what is occurring, has occurred, or will occur on other planes of existence. And you must still act as if you know nothing. You must just sit and talk with other people and play the part which Nature has assigned to you.

True love is selfless

True love is selfless. It is prepared to sacrifice “Sadhu Vaswani”

The search of Secret India

The true Self will not be discovered, but it will transform you utterly in that Self

The mind, devoid of its passions, becomes like a well-tamed animal, obedient, useful, more productive and more exact.

The Sanyasi

            
The renowned Vedic scholar, Rajbali Pandey, in his outstanding work, Socio-Religious Study of the Hindu Sacraments”, while discussing the funeral Samskaras of the ascetics, makes a significant remark, “But after the transition of Hinduism from Vedism or Brahmanism to Puranism and Tantraism, Sanyasa came to be regarded as Kalivarjya. Though Shankaracharya broke this prohibition by his example, Sanyasa never became popular in Hinduism again. The modern Sadhus belong to different sects, following Jnaanamaarga or Bhaktimaarga, and they cannot be properly called Sanyasins.”

Jyotish - the oldest system of astrology in the world

                                                             Jyotish is the oldest system of astrology in the world. It’s derived

from  the  Sanskrit  word  “jyoti”  which means light.  As the pure

light of  scientific knowledge, the word Jyotish implies studying a

person’s  character,  health,  habits  and  even the future on the

basis of his or her birth chart. Jyotish  is  practiced  by  a  skilled   astrologer  by  calculating   the positions  of the  planets and  other celestial bodies with regard to a person’s birth or  happening of an event.

ॐ अंग अंगारकाय नमः

           

ॐ अंग अंगारकाय नमः

In Vedic astrology Mangala is considered a malefic of the first order. He rules over the signs Mesha (Aries) and Vrishchika (Scorpio), is exalted in Makara (Capricorn) and has his fall in Karka (Cancer). The Sun, Moon and Jupiter are all considered friendly to him, while he is hostile to Mercury. Venus and Saturn are neutral. Mangala represents drive and physical energy, self-confidence and ego, strength, anger, impulsiveness, heroism and adventurous nature. Mangala rules over blood, muscles and bone marrow. He is associated with battle, war and soldiers.

Rinmochan Mangal Stotram: this stotra is very helpful for gaining repayment power for loan.  If you are under heavy debt and you are failing control the situation, you may start reciting Rinmochan Mangal Stotram, great relief and help will come.

MahaKumbh Mela – opportunity to purify our soul by bathing in holy river and serving saints.

For twelve days and twelve nights (equivalent to twelve human years) the gods and demons fought in the sky for possession of this pot of Amrita. From this nectar some drops spills at Allahabad, Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik while they were fighting for nectar . So on earth we celebrate this festival to get the pious credits and meet the purpose of life that is going to back to godhead  our eternal home where our father is waiting for us. This is opportunity we get after associating with saints or holy man who follow scriptures.

Kumbh mela provides us this great opportunity to purify our soul by bathing in holy river and serving saints.

The Bhoot – supernatural creature

        
A bhoot is a supernatural creature, usually the ghost of a deceased person, in the popular culture, literature and some ancient texts of the Indian subcontinent. Interpretations of how bhoots come into existence vary by region and community, but they are usually considered to be perturbed and restless due to some factor that prevents them from moving on to transmigration, non-being, nirvana, or heaven or hell, depending on tradition. This could be a violent death, unsettled matters in their lives, or simply the failure of their survivors to perform proper funerals.Bhoots are able to alter and assume forms of various animals at will, but are usually seen in human form. However, their feet often reveal them to be ghosts, as they are backwards facing. As the earth is regarded as sacred or semi-sacred in many traditions of the Indian subcontinent, bhoots go to lengths to avoid contact with it, often floating above it, either imperceptibly or up to a foot above. Bhoots cast no shadows, and speak with a nasal twang. 

Soul Practice – The Yoga or Yogi Life’s

In the Classical Sanskrit of the Puranas, the word yogi  originally referred specifically to a male practitioner of yoga. In the same literature yoginī is the term used for female practitioners as well as for divine goddesses and enlightened mothers, all revered as aspects of the Divine Mother Devi without whom there would be no yogis. The two terms are still used with those meanings today, but the word yogi is also used generically to refer to both male and female practitioners of yoga and related meditative practices in Buddhism, Jainism.

Pure Heart & Delight soul

The man who is pure of heart Is bound to fulfill himself In whatever way he is taught. A worldly man seeks all his life, But is still bewildered. Detached from the senses, You are free. Attached, you are bound. When this is understood, You may live as you please.

Astavakra Gita

Om chanting Aum

Om is the main sound, from which all other sounds are produced, even the sound of mother. There is a lot of significance of chanting Om, which you will get to realize within a few days of chanting. It will have a major impact on your day to day life. When you start reciting Om, you will feel its power. Well, in this article, we will provide you with information on the power of Aum, so read on.When you take a deep breath and chant Om, it causes a very calmful effect, which will totally relax your mind and body. It is the first stage of meditation, which aims at drawing your attention away from all other tensions that have occupied your mind. The sound of Om is very pleasant to hear. When accompanied by slow deep breathing, it gives a very gentle massage to your chest, spine, tummy and head. Om chanting improves the functioning of all organs of the body and thus, helps in curing various diseases. It helps to improve your concentration power, thereby enabling you to grasp more information. Om chanting is like an orientation to the spiritual practices. When your mind is away from all the worldly thoughts, it is the stage when you get truly connected to the almighty God. It infuses vitality in the body and one tends to feel stronger.

Sadhana – Spiritual Evolution

               

For those who want to seriously practice kriyas, it is time to formulate a specific sadhana. Sadhana means “endeavoring to obtain a particular result.” The result kriyabans seek is accelerated spiritual evolution. Sadhana becomes a powerful method to achieve this result. There are three important aspects of sadhana: choice, commitment and aspiration. The first stage of sadhana is to choose a practice. Even the most simple sadhana will be challenging to the newcomer. Consider the sadhana of lighting a candle every night, then immediately blowing it out. Nothing more or nothing less. Do this for ninety days. You will observe the mind coming up with every reason why you shouldn’t do it and every excuse why you missed a few (or many) nights. Yet by accepting it as a sadhana, you make a choice to do it and it becomes a spiritual practice.

Application of Tilak

There are different types of Tilak, each differing in its significance. Tilak is worn on the Ajna Chakra, the centre of forehead, on the space between the eyebrows. Tilak is applied on the point at which the third eye or the spiritual eye is believed to open. All the actions of humans are governed by this specific point. Application of tilak is customary and infact, most of the Hindu ceremonies begin with the application of tilak. Well, Tilak can be made by using sandal paste, turmeric, kumkum or ashes. Depending on the purpose for which Tilak is applied, the material is chosen for preparing the sacred forehead mark.

Indian scriptures

Hinduism has its origins in such remote past that it cannot be traced to any one individual. Some scholars believe that Hinduism must have existed even in circa 10000 B.C. and that the earliest of the Hindu scriptures – The Rig Veda – was composed well before 6500 B.C. The word “Hinduism” is not to be found anywhere in the scriptures, and the term “Hindu” was introduced by foreigners who referred to people living across the River Indus or Sindhu, in the north of India, around which the Vedic religion is believed to have originated.

River Ganga – India’s National River

The origin of river Ganges lies at the height of 13,800 feet in the mountain ranges of Himalayas, in Tehri Garhwal, near Gangotri. It begins high in the Himalayas as a pair of head streams. It begins in an ice cave in the mountains about 10,300 feet above sea level. Gangotri is known as the place of origin of the revered Ganges river, known as Ganga in India it is also consider one of the holy place in chota char dham . The holiest of the Indian rivers, is the longest river in India and the greatest waterway in India. The river has been declared as India’s National River. Ganges is the source of sustainment of life in the great Indian plains and it is at Gangotri that the journey of Ganga begins. River Ganges gets water from the melting snow of Nanda devi, Gurla, Mandhata, Dhaulagiri, Gesaisthan, Kanchenjunga and Mount Everest. Many small and big rivers merge with the Ganges in the Himalayan region. The Ganges river flows through Bangladesh, but the greater part of it flows through India. The river flows across the northern corner of India. The Ganges flows across India and Bangladesh until it empties out into the Bay of Bengal. The great river provides water to many places, and many places rely on it.


         

There are many versions of stories regarding the origin of Ganges. In another story the sage Valmiki of Ramayana, Ganges was the daughter of ‘Himalaya’ and ‘Maina’. The deities abducted her and took her to heaven and from then onwards, ‘Ganga’ started living inside the ‘Karmandala’ . According to Kritivas Ramayana the deities had taken ‘Ganga’ to Lord Shiva to get her married with him. When ‘Maina’ did not find her in the house, she cursed to attain the form of water.

Lohri – The Harvest Festival of North India

Lohri is an extremely popular Punjabi agricultural winter festival celebrated throughout Punjab and in Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Jammu.The harvest festival of Punjab and Haryana is also referred as the bonfire festival. Huge bonfires are lit to thanks the God for abundant crops.It is celebrated on 13th of January during the month of Paush or Magh, a day before Makar Sankranti. This festival marks the departure of the winter season and onset of spring.

Teej – The festival of swings

On the occasion of Teej, Goddess Parvati is worshiped by seekers for martial bliss and happiness. Teej is also referred as the festival of swings.Teej is held every year during the Hindu Month of Shravan (July or August) and marks the advent of monsoons. When the monsoon rains fall on parched land, the pleasing scent of wet soil rises into the air and spirits soar high in celebration. Song & dance mark the gaiety of the Teej festival. Women’s observe this festival by fasting and praying to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati for a happy married life.

The Radha-Krishna – love legend of all times

                 




The Radha-Krishna amour is a love legend of all times. It’s indeed hard to miss the many legends and paintings illustrating Krishna’s love affairs, of which the Radha-Krishna affair is the most memorable. Krishna’s relationship with Radha, his favorite among the ‘gopis’ (cow-herding maidens), has served as a model for male and female love in a variety of art forms, and since the sixteenth century appears prominently as a motif in North Indian paintings. The allegorical love of Radha has found expression in some great Bengali poetical works of Govinda Das, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, and Jayadeva the author of Geet Govinda.Radha, daughter of Vrishabhanu, was the mistress of Krishna during that period of his life when he lived among the cowherds of Vrindavan. Since childhood they were close to each other – they played, they danced, they fought, they grew up together and wanted to be together forever, but the world pulled them apart. He departed to safeguard the virtues of truth, and she waited for him. He vanquished his enemies, became the king, and came to be worshipped as a lord of the universe. She waited for him. He married Rukmini and Satyabhama, raised a family, fought the great war of Ayodhya, and she still waited. So great was Radha’s love for Krishna that even today her name is uttered whenever Krishna is refered to, and Krishna worship is though to be incomplete without the deification of Radha.

Universal law – Dharma

Dharma is an important term in Indian religions. In Hinduism it means ‘duty’, ‘virtue’, ‘morality’, even ‘religion’ and it refers to the power which upholds the universe and society. Hindus generally believe that dharma was revealed in the Vedas although a more common word there for ‘universal law’ or ‘righteousness’ is rita. Dharma is the power that maintains society, it makes the grass grow, the sun shine, and makes us moral people or rather gives humans the opportunity to act virtuously.

Classical Hinduism

An important idea that developed in classical Hinduism is that dharma refers especially to a person’s responsibility regarding class (varna) and stage of life (ashrama). This is called varnashrama-dharma. In Hindu history the highest class, the Brahmins, adhered to this doctrine. The class system is a model or ideal of social order that first occurs in the oldest Hindu text, the Rig Veda and the present-day caste (jati) system may be rooted in this.

Dharma shastras

Hinduism developed a doctrine that life has different goals according to a person’s stage of life and position. These goals became codified in the ‘goals of a person’ or ‘human goals’, the purusharthas, especially in sacred texts about dharma called ‘dharma shastras’ of which the ‘Laws of Manu’ is the most famous. In these texts three goals of life are expressed, namely virtuous living or dharma, profit or worldly success, and pleasure, especially sexual pleasure as a married householder and more broadly aesthetic pleasure. 

The Bhakti – an expression of love

Bhakti is an expression of love, devotion and faith centered upon the Supreme Person rather than the Supreme Abstraction. It became a popular folk movement which was very strongly opposed by the Brahmins as it disregarded traditional Vedic rituals, ignored caste differences and placed devotion over knowledge. The Bhagavad Gita is the first major expression of Bhakti which, over the centuries spread throughout the country through the wandering holy men and sadhus. It became the religion of the great masses of India for it enabled the individual to approach the Divine directly and become part of His all-encompassing love.

Sadhana – sacred gestures

    
Sadhana in Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism, spiritual exercise by which the practitioner evokes a divinity, identifying and absorbing it into himself-the primary form of meditation in the Tantric Buddhism of Tibet. Sadhana involves the body in mudras (sacred gestures), the voice in mantras (sacred utterances), and the mind in the vivid inner visualization of sacred designs and the figures of divinities. Detailed instructions on how the images are to be visualized and the appropriate mantra for each are contained in written sadhanas of most divinities. One such collection is the Sadhanamala (Sanskrit: “Garland of Realization”), composed perhaps between the 5th and the 11th century. This collection of some 300 sadhanas includes those designed for various practical results as well as those intended to further spiritual realization. The written sadhanas also serve to instruct sculptors and painters.

The Mantras,Shlokas & Stotras

“Mantras” derived from the Sanskrit ‘man’, meaning ‘to think’. Mantra literally means ‘instrument of thought’.  Mantras are hymns, which are believed to benefit that chants them. Vedic mantras are said to have been divinely ‘heard’ (shruti) by ancient sages. These hymns are mostly invocations to the gods for protection against evil, or for assistance in performing one’s duties or specific functions. The effectiveness of the mantras is said to depend on the mental discipline involved in its correct recitation, and the accompanying mode of breathing. According to the Agni Purana, if a mantra is recited quietly or in the mind, it is very effective. We here describe some of the most commonly used mantras & shlokas in our daily life.

The Shiva Linga

The legend of Shiva Linga or Lingodbhavamurthy is deeply related to Mahashivaratri. The legend narrates the story of vain search by Brahma and Vishnu to discover the Aadi (beginning) and the Antha (end) of Lord Shiva. The legend thus proves the supremacy of Lord Mahadeva over other Hindu Gods and explains why the lingam is believed to be one of the most potent emblems in Hindu ideals. The story is stated in the three of the puranas – the Kurma Purana, the Vayu Purana and Shiva Purana

According to Puranas, once the other two of the triads of Hindu Gods, Brahma and Vishnu were fighting over each other’s prowess. Horrified at the intensity of the battle, the other gods asked Shiva to intervene. To make them realize the futility of their fight, Lord Shiva assumed the form of a flaming Linga in between Brahma and Vishnu and challenged both of them by asking them to measure the gigantic Linga (phallic symbol of Lord Shiva). Awestruck by its magnitude, Brahma and Vishnu decided to find one end each to establish supremacy over the other. Lord Brahma took the form of a swan and went upwards while Lord Vishnu assumed the form of Varaha – a boar and went into the earth towards nether land. Both searched for thousands of miles but neither could find the end.

The Shiva Tandava -as the destroyer of the universe.

     
Lord Shiva is also known as Nataraj, the Dancing God. This divine art form is performed by Lord Shiva and his divine consort Goddess Parvati. The dance performed by Lord Shiva is known as Tandava. Shiva’s Tandava is a vigorous dance that is the source of the cycle of creation, preservation and dissolution. Tandava depicts his violent nature as the destroyer of the universe.