94) TRISHAKTI

Describing the reason behind the manifestation of ‘Trishakti’ (Three goddesses manifesting from the bodies of Brahma Vishnu and Shiva), Lord Varaha A told Prithvi— There lived a mighty demon named ‘Andhak’ who used to torment the deities. After being driven out of the heaven all the deities sought lord Brahma’s…

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93) SHALMALI DWEEPA

“It is double the area of Kraunch dweepa and covers the ‘clarified-butter’ ocean from all sides. There are seven prominent mountains as well as seven rivers in this island.” This way Lord Shiva disappeared after having finished the narration of all the prominent islands.

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92) KRAUNCHA DWEEPA

It is twice the area of Kusha dweepa. It has seven prominent mountain ranges–Kraunch, Pavan, Devavrit, Devishtha, Devanand, Govind and Pundareek. There are also six prominent rivers flowing in this island–Gauri, Kumudwati, Ratri, Manojava, Khyati and Pundarika. Kraunch dweepa is surrounded by an ocean of charified butter (ghee) on all…

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91) KUSHA DWEEPA

This island is twice the area of Shak dweepa. There are seven prominent mountain ranges in this island which are known as ‘Kula Parvatas’— Kumud, Unnat, Drona, Kank, Isha, Mahish and Mandar. There are seven prominent rivers flowing through the various parts of this island– Pratoya, Shiva, Chitra, Chandra, Vidyullta,…

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90) SHAK DWEEPA

Its area is approximately twice as compared to Jambudweepa. It is inhabited by virtuous people who are prosperous and who enjoy a long life. They are free from the tortures of old age. This island is covered by oceans on its two sides–Salt water ocean on one side and ‘Ksheer…

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89) JAMBUDWEEPA

Dwelling upon the prominent islands, Lord Shiva told the assembled sages—“Jambudweepa is spread in the area of one lakh yojan and it consists of numerous Janapadads. It is inhabited by ‘siddhas’ and ‘charanas’ and is blessed with incomparable natural beauty.” ‘A total number of nine ‘Varshas’ lie within the territory…

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89) BHUWAN-KOSH AND THE ISLANDS

All the sages listened with rapt attention to the description Lord Shiva made of the Almighty Narayan. But, they had few more queries in store, so they asked Lord Shiva– “O Lord of Uma! Please tell us about the expanse of the Earth- the situation of mountains and the prominent…

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88) PRAKRITI AND PURUSHA

Once, Lord Shiva while describing about the incident when he had a divine glimpse of Lord Narayan, told Sage Agastya —   ‘Purusha’ is none other than Lord Narayan himself and Prakriti is the medium through which he manifests his powers. I have been fortunate to have a divine glimpse…

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87) SAGE GAUTAM CURSES THE BRAHMINS

There were many sages present at the yagya organised by Agastya. Some of them asked Lord Shiva as to why he had created some scriptures which appeared so confusing to human beings. Lord Shiva revealed to them that he had done so to protect the brahmins from the curse of…

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86) LORD VISHNU–THE ALMIGHTY GOD

Once, Sage Agastya had organised a grand yagya in which he had invited all the deities and sages. Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva also went there. Agastya was puzzled as to who was the most superior among all three of them. He asked Lord Shiva in this regard….

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85) THE MEANS OF VISHNU REALIZATION

Once, Sage Agastya narrated the following tale to King Bhadrashva— One day, Narada went to Lord Vishnu and asked about the means by which a devotee could realize him. Lord Vishnu replied–Those who worship me by chanting the mantras of either ‘Purushasukta’ or ‘Vaidik Samhita’ can  certainly realize  me.  Those…

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84) MISCELLANEOUS STORIES – GOKARNESHWAR

The famous battle of ‘Tarakamaya’ had ended. The deities after having defeated the demons had once again regained the control of heaven. Lord Brahma being satisfied with the postive outcome of the war was engrossed in his meditation when Sanatkumar arrived and asked–“O Lord! I am anxious to know about…

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83) LIBERATION FROM SINS

Narada asked Yamaraj about the reason why joy was so elusive to human beings. He also wanted to know about the reasons for man’s sorrows. Yamaraj replied—Man’s destiny is defined by his own actions. He has to taste the fruits of his actions. He has to taste the fruits of…

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82) VIRTUES OF CHASTITY

First of all, the area is purified by coating it with cow-dung after which a black deer-skin is spread on it alongwith ‘kusha grass’. Two pots- one large and the other a small one are placed side by side. These pots are filled with sugarcane juice and symbolize ‘Rasa-Dhenu’ and…

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81) KARMA VIPAK

Karma Vipak means the fruits one reaps according to his or her Karma. While continuing with the description of various aspects of hell, Nachiketa told the assembled sages–At Yamapuri, Chitragupta goes through the record of all the deeds, committed by a man when he was alive and brings into the…

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80) DESCRIPTION OF HELL NACHIKETA’S EXPERIENCE

Once, Janmejay asked Sage Vaishampayan about Yamrajpuri and its location. He also wanted to know as to what should a man do so that he does not have to go there. Sage Vaishampayan narrated the tale of Nachiketa, one of the few blessed persons to have visited Yamarajpuri with his…

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79) PREPARATION OF ‘MADHUPARK’

While describing the method of preparing Madhupark, Lord Varaha told Prithvi–“Madhupark” manifested from the right half of my body at the time when the process of creation began. This is the reason why it is so pure. Anybody who makes offering of Madhupark in the course of my worship, attains…

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78) THE FLAWED SHRADHA AND ITS PREVENTION

Prithvi requested Lord Varaha to describe about the mistakes committed during shradha rituals and how they could be prevented– Lord Varaha replied—It is a grave sin to partake of a meal meant for the soul of the deceased person. Anybody who has committed this sin should atone for his sin…

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77) ASHAUCHA AND PINDA KALPA

‘Ashaucha’ means impurity, so it is the period during which the son of the deceased is considered to be impure. The period begins from the day on which the death has occurred and continues for the following ten days. Varaha ‘Pinda-dan’ means offering certain kind of food to the deceased…

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76) RITUALS PERTAINING TO LAST RITES PITRA YAGYA

Prithvi requested lord Varaha to define the meaning of ‘Pitra’ yagya (rituals pertaining to last rite) and its significance. Lord Varaha replied- “Sage Nimi was the first person to perform the the rituals of pitra-yagya after the death of his son Atreya. Sage Atreya is famous for his penance which…

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75) SILVER AND GOLD IDOLS

“The rituals for the installation of silver or gold idols are similar to that of copper or bronze idol. Prithvi requested lord Varaha to reveal the name of deities whom a devotee can worship at home. Lord Vishnu replied- “A devotee can worship any deity at home but worship of…

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74) BRONZE IDOL

“The most auspicious time for the installation  of bronze-idol is said to be during jyeshtha nakshatra. The idol should be installed facing north. At the time of installation the devotee must not forget to keep four small pots in front of the deity, each filled with articles like ‘panchgavya’ water,…

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73) EARTHEN AND COPPER IDOLS

  “A devotee should carefully make a beautiful earthen idol without any sign of crack. The most auspicious time for the installation of an earthen idol is said to be during ‘Shravana nakshatra’. An invocation is made to the deity to dwell within the idol after which ablution of the…

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72) STONE- IDOL

“A proficient sculptor should be chosen to carve out the deity’s shape from a pure and spotless stone. First of all the sculptor should clearly draw the outline of deity’s appearance on the stone with a marker and then carefully carve it out from the stone. The idol is then…

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71) INSTALLATION OF IDOLS IDOL MADE OF WOOD

Prithvi requested lord Varaha to describe the proper methods of installing various types of idols. Lord Varaha replied that a devotee desirous of making a wooden idol must select the wood of ‘Bassia latifolia’ for his purpose. The wood should be purified and then given shape as per the appearance…

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70) GOKARNA TIRTH

Lord Varaha told Prithvi about the greatness of Gokarna tirth- “Long long ago there lived a vaishya named Vasukarn at Mathura. Sushila, his wife was deeply religious but inspite of that she was issueless. One day, she had gone to take her bath in river Saraswati where she found many…

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69) GOVARDHAN TIRTH

Lord  Varaha, continuing with the description  of various  holy places  told Prithvi about the magnificence of Govardhan parvat- “Govardhan parvat is situated near Mathura. It will have great religious importance because it will witness a great feat of mine in Dwapar Yuga. I shall lift this mountain to protect people…

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68) KAPILA TIRTH

Describing the origin of ‘Kapila Varaha’ (an idol of lord Varaha made by sage Kapila) lord Varaha told Prithvi- “Sage Kapila was a great devotee of mine. He had made my idol and worshipped it regularly. Later on, Indra acquired it and started worshipping it. The demon king Ravana took…

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67) CHAKRA TIRTH

It is situated to the north of Mathura and lord Bhadreshwar has his dwelling place over there. A person who makes a pilgrimage to Chakra tirth and observes a fast for a day becomes absolved of heinous of sins.  

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66) MATHURA

Describing the majesty of Mathura, lord Varaha told Prithvi- “Mathura is very dear to me because this is the very place where I shall be taking incarnation as Krishna. Mathura is the most sacrosanct place and no other holy place can be compared to it. There are many other holy…

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65) LOHARGAL TIRTH

Lord Varaha told Prithvi- “There is a region inhabited by mlecchas, situated at the distance of some 30 yojans. This region is surrounded by Himalaya mountain in its central as well as southern parts. Lohargal tirth is situated near this region and is well protected by nature which makes it…

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64) SANANDOOR TIRTH

This holy place is situated between Malay mountain and the ocean. Nearby, there is another place called Sangaman where Sri Rama while on his way to Lanka had confronted the ocean. There are also many other sacred places in the vicinity like Shakrasar, Shurparak, etc. There are hermitages of Rama…

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63) DWARKA

Lord Varaha told Prithvi- “There is a holy place called ‘Panchsar’ in Dwarka. Anybody who stays there for six days and takes holy dips in ‘Panchasar’ enjoys all the pleasures of life. Dwarka is situated at the sea-shore and the crocodiles living there never trouble people taking their bath. These…

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62) STOOTSWAMI TIRTH

Lord Varaha then went on to describe the greatness of Stootswami tirth and told Prithvi- “I shall incarnate as Krishna at this place in the era of dwapar. I shall take birth in the house of Vasudeva and Devaki. There is a pond situated at about 5 kosas from Stootswami…

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61) GONISHKRAMAN TIRTH

Lord Shiva told Prithvi- “Gonishkraman tirth is situated in the Himalayas. Sage Aurva had his hermitage at this sacred place which was incidentally burnt to ashes by lord Shiva. Aurva cursed Shiva as the result of which Shiva started wandering throughout the world in a restless manner.” “Once, lord Shiva…

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60) RURU KSHETRA

Lord Varaha told Prithvi- “This holy place is named after Ruru, the daughter of Devadutt and an apsara named Pramalocha. Devadutt came from the lineage of sage Bhrigu. Once Devadutt did an austere penance to please lord Shiva. His penance continued for ten thousand years. Indra became worried and sent…

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59) SHALGRAM KSHETRA

Prithvi requested lord Varaha to shed light on the famous penance which sage Shalankayan had performed. Lord Varaha narrated the following tale- “Long long ago sage Shalankayan did an austere penance to please me (lord Vishnu). There was a ‘sal’ tree nearby and the sage was ignorant of the fact…

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58) SOMESHWAR LINGA

Chandra deva had once performed an austere penance to get absolved from the curse of his Daksha Prajapati his father-in-law. During the course of his penance Chandra deva made a Shivalinga and worshipped it. Finally lord Shiva appeared and agreed to dwell in that particular Shivalinga as per the request…

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57) MANDAR TIRTH

Mandar tirth is named after a celestial tree called Mandar. This sacred place of pilgrimage is situated at the foothills of Vindhya mountain. There is a large mandar tree over there which has some unique qualities. This tree is visible only on auspicious days of dwadashi and chaturdashi and becomes…

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56) BADRIKASHRAMA

Continuing with his tale, lord Varaha told Prithvi- “There is a sacred place in the Himalayas which is very inaccessible. It is famously known as Badrikashrama and holds an important place among all the holy places. One who makes a pilgrimage to that place gets all his wishes fulfilled. There…

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55) SACRED PLACES OF PILGRIMAGE KOKAMUKH TIRTH

Describing the holiness  of Kokamukh  tirth,  lord Varaha narrated a tale to  Prithvi-“Once a fisherman was trying to catch a large fish in a lake situated at Kokamukh. Suddenly a hawk which was flying in the sky, descended down and after picking the fish in its beak tried to fly…

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54) SHARKARA-DHENU DAN

In this ritual, idols of a cow and a calf are made from sugar. After being worshipped they should be donated to a brahmin. A devotee should live only on sugar for a day. Donating a Sharkara-Dhenu liberates a man from all his sins. Similarly, donating Madhu-Dhenu (made from honey),…

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53) GUD-DHENU DAN

As it is amply clear by the name, in this ritual some jaggery is taken and given the shape of a cow and a calf. The land is purified by coating it with cow-dung. After that, a black deer-skin is spread on that purified area. Some kusha grass are then…

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52) RASA DHENU DAN

  First of all, the area is purified by coating it with cow-dung after which a black deer-skin is spread on it alongwith ‘kusha grass’. Two pots- one large and the other a small one are placed side by side. These pots are filled with sugarcane juice and symbolize ‘Rasa-Dhenu’…

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51) JAL-DHENU DAN

The method of donating ‘Jal Dhenu’ is as follows-first of all small area of land is purified by coating it with cow dung and place two small pots are placed at the center. These pots are filled with different things like water, camphor, sandalwood, etc. The devotee should then imagine…

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50) THE SIGNIFICANCE OF DHENU DAN – TIL DHENU-DAN

As the name implies, an idol of a cow made from powdered sesame seeds is donated to a brahmin. The idol should weigh not less than sixteen ‘prasthas’ (one prastha=four kudav, ancient units of weight measurment) Similarly a calf’s idol made from powdered sesame seeds and weighing four ‘prasthas’ is…

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49) SHAURYA AND SARVA BHAUM VRATA

the nineth day of the bright half of the Hindu month-ashvin. The rituals commence by taking a ‘sankalpa’ as well as observing a fast on the preceding day (saptami). The fast is broken on the next day (ashtami) by having fruits. Cereals are excluded from the diet. One important aspect…

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48) PUTRA-PRAPTI VRATA

This austerity commences on the eighth day of the bright half of the Hindu month-bhadrapad. The rituals consist of taking a ‘sankalpa’ on the preceding day (saptami) and worshipping lord Sri Hari on the next day with appropriate rituals. Offerings are made to the sacrificial fire, which usually consist of…

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47) AROGYA-VRATA

This austerity is related with the worship of lord Surya Narayan who is also known by several other names like Aditya, Bhaskar, Ravi, Bhanu, Diwakar, Prabhakar, etc. A devotee should observe a fast on the seventh day of any month and worship lord Suryanarayan. The fast should be broken on…

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46) KAM-VRATA

This austerity is related with the worship of lord Kartikeya and is observed in the bright half of the Hindu month-pausha. On the sixth day of this month, a devotee is expected to live on nothing else but fruits. Lord Kartikeya is also known by several other names- Shadanan, Senani,…

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