1) SHIVA MAHAPURANA: INTRODUCTION

SHIVA MAHAPURANA: INTRODUCTION First of all, Sage Shaunak expressed his desire to Suta about knowing the means, which could help a man in this era of Kali to attainment lord Shiva, by cleansing all the impurities of his mind and rectifying his inherent demonic tendencies. Suta then described about Shiva…

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22) Giving Alms – AGNI PURANA

Giving alms is extremely important as means for achieving punya. Alms always have to be donated when one goes to visit a temple or a place of pilgrimage. The giver must always face the east and the receiver must always face the north when alms are being given. Such donations…

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9) AGNI PURANA – Hari Vamsa Puranam in English

Hari Vamsa Puranam in English As you have already been told, Brahma emerged from Vishnu’s navel. Brahma’s son was Atri, Atri’s son Soma, Soma’s son Pururava, Pururavas son Ayu, Ayu’s son Nahusha and Nahushja’s son Yayati. Yayati had two wives, Devayani and Sharmistha. Devayani had two sons, Yadu and Turvasu….

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58) THE DECLINE OF YADU DYNASTY

Parvati was listening to the divine tales of Sri Krishna with rapt attention. Lord Mahadeva told Parvati– ‘Paundrak was the king of Kashi. He did an austere penance for twelve years to please me. When I appeared before him, he requested me to make his appearance look like Sri Krishna….

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56) SRI KRISHNA’S QUEENS

Continuing with the divine tales of Sri Krishna, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–Sri Krishna had 16 thousand queens among whom Satyabhama, Kalindi, Mitravinda, etc. were prominent. King Sattajit had a priceless diamond named–Syamantak, which he had presented to his younger brother–Prasena. Sri Krishna was fascinated by that diamond and demanded it…

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26) SWARGA KHANDA – ‘DHARMA TIRTH’ AND YAMUNA-SNAN

Sage Narada continued with the description of various holy places and said— “A pilgrim must visit  Dharma  Tirth,  which  is  named  after  the  lord  of  death–Dharma.  Once  upon  a  time Dharmaraj had performed an austere penance at that place this is the reason why it became famous as Dharma Tirth….

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24) SWARGA KHANDA – SOME PROMINENT HOLY PLACES OF BHARATAVARSHA

Once, sages requested Suta to describe about the most prominent places of pilgrimage situated in Bharatavarsha. Suta commenced his narration by describing the origin of creation and then switched over to the geographical characteristics of Bharatavarsha. Suta said—‘There are seven prominent mountain ranges in Bharatavarsha–Mahendra, Malay, Sahya, Shaktiman, Rikshavan, Vindhya…

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11) SRI RAMA KILLS SHAMBUK

After killing the demons king Ravana, Sri Rama returned to Ayodhya. Many sages had arrived there to bless him on the occasion of his crowning ceremony. Sage Vashishtha was one of them.As Sri Rama was conversing with the sages a brahmin arrived there with the corpse of his son and…

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10) BASHKALI–THE DEMON KING

Bhisma requested Sage Pulastya to reveal Why Lord Vishnu had to take incarnation as Vamana. Sage Pulastya replied— Once, during Satya Yuga, the demons had defeated the deities and driven them out from their abode–heaven. The mighty demon, Bashkali was their leader. He had become immortal an account of a…

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The Temples of Tiruchanur – The Alagiyaperumal Shrine

This is the earliest  Of the three shrines found inside the compound at tiruchanur.The entrance of the compound, surmounted by a big gopura, faces this shrine and not the other two as is the case with the parthasarathi shrine and  the Govindaraja shrine situated in the same compound at tirupati…

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The Temples of Tirupati – The main shrine

As stated before, the two shrines of Krishna or Parthasarathi and Govindaraja are enclosed by four walls and appear like a single shrine. This enclosure contains, in the case of each shrine, a pillared varandah running on the south, west and north and a Mukhamantapa in the east. Within this…

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The Temples of Tirupati – The Kalyana Mantapa

This is a rectangular structure facing the east and consisting of a pillared hall, a pavilion of black granite stone and a shrine. It has a low Adhishtana consisting of upana, kampa, kampa, adhahpadma, kantha, tripatta, kampa, gala, kapota, alingapattika and antarita. The mantapa above contains three kinds of pillars-…

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IMAGES IN THE TIRUMALA TEMPLE – The image of Sri Rama

An inscription states that this god is seated before Sri Venka- tesvara(T.T.305) and heis still there. He has no separate shrine or Mula-beram or stone image. The presence of this deity in this temple may be explained in the light of a Puranic story. It is stated that Sri Venkatesvara…

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Discription of the temples of Tirumala -Varaha shrine

The Vamanapurana mentions a story according to which Brahma set up an image of this god on the bank of the Svamipushkarini. In course of time the temple was destroyed. Subsequently, a Nishada started cultivating the syamalca crop in the neighbourhood. He used to give part of it to a…

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AVATAR MEANING -A concept meaning incarnation

The term avatara is usually associated with divine incarnations, especially the ten incarnations of Vishnu. But there were lists with as many as twenty-six incar­nations. The ten avatars, dashavatara (dasha, “ten,” and avatara, “incarna­tions”), were Matsya the fish, Kurma the turtle, Varaha the boar, Narasimha the lion-man, Vamana the brahmacari…

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AGNI -A deva (god), god of fire, Agni puran

  At his earliest appearance in the Rigveda, Agni was a complex deity. He was the fire of the sacred sacrifices that were the heart of Vedic religion as well as the central rituals of a semi nomadic warrior culture. Agni was addressed as the deva who ruled earth, a…

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Shri kshetra kukke subramanya temple

Shri kshetra kukke subramanya temple

India is a holu place where there are follow-ers of different religions. Still there is unity amongthem. Our Culture is rich one. One can very wellunderstand the attitude of Indians through thesereligions. Even foreigners are also amazed to lookat this fantastic culture. Karnataka is 8th largest state in the nation….

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PADMA AND PIPPALAD

On the request of Himalayas, Sage Vashishtha who was one of the Saptarishis narrated the story of Padma the princess and sage Pippalad- “At the time of his marriage sage Pippalad was old and weak, but still Padma devotely performed the duties of a faithful wife. To test her faithfulness…

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SHRI KSHETRA GOKARNA MAHABALESHWAR – JOY & BEAUTY OF GOKARN

SHRI KSHETRA GOKARNA MAHABALESHWAR - JOY & BEAUTY OF GOKARN

Now a few words about the historic antiq­uity of Gokarn. As already refered to and quoted about, there are free and frequent mention of Gokarn Kshetra in the major epics and Puranas such as Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavata, Skanda Purana and many other theological scriptures. Kalidasa mentions the Lord of Gokarn…

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VEERBHARDA CUTS OFF DAKSHA’S HEAD

When Nandi informed Shiva about Sati’s death, he became very furious. He angrily pulled out a lock of hair and dashed it against the mountain, which got divided into two parts. From one part manifested the valiant Veerbharda and from the other part Mahakali. Veerbhadra and Mahakali were instructed by…

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GUNANIDHI – THE BRAHMINS’ SON

Narada asked lord Brahma, when did lord Shiva make Kailash as his abode and what was the reason of friendship between Shivaji and Kubera. Brahma narrated the following story- – There used to live a brahmin by the name Yagyadutt in Kampilyanagar, who was proficient in the performance of Somyagya….

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THE WORSHIP OF PARTHIVA LINGA

THE WORSHIP OF PARTHIVA LINGA Suta then explains the greatness of worshipping a Parthiva Linga-: “Parthiva Linga is the most supreme among all the Shivalingas. All the aspirtions of he deities as well as men are fulfilled by the worship of Parthiv linga. During  the era of Satya, jewel was…

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15) CHAPTER FIFTEEN DO’S AND DON’TS DURING OBLATION

Oblation with flesh of fish, rabbit, mongoose, hog, deer, gram flour and cereals cause extreme satisfaction for the ancestors. But in modern Kali Yuga, all types of flesh are forbidden in oblation rituals. Only cereals, milk, honey, etc. are allowed. Offering of oblation in Gaya (a place of pilgrimage in…

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THE SAGES CURSE YADUVANSHIS

Parashar said: “As the time passed, Yaduvanshis grew stronger and more influential. Now no longer did they like the welcoming and treating of the great sages by Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna knew  about  their  disliking,  but  secretly  He  was  pleased  by  this  change  in  Yaduvanshi’s behaviour, for He knew that…

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30) KALI YUGA

Describing about the decline in moral values during Kali Yuga, Indra told Shilad– In Kali Yuga, people will be under the total influence of the worldly illusions. Ignorance diseases, fear and hunger will be prevalent everywhere. Famine and drought would occur quite frequently as the fall out of inadequate rain….

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29) PART THREE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF FOUR ERAS

Shilad requested Indra to shed light on the special characteristics of each of the four eras. Indra replied—Lord Brahma created the four eras (yugas)–Satya, Treta, Dwapar and Kali. These eras keep on occuring in a cyclic order where the former is followed by the latter. Satva guna (Pure) prevails during…

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3) THE BEGINNING OF CREATION

The whole creation lasts for the total period equivalent to Brahma’s day. The almighty God created during daytime and annihilated during night. One day of Lord Brahma is equivalent to one Kalpa of this world. The cycle of four yugas occur periodically for 1000 times, during which period altogether fourteen…

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INCARNATION OF MAHAKALI

Once upon a time king Surath after loosing his kingdom to his enemy fled to the forest. After wandering for some time he reached the hermitage of sage Medha. He started living there, as he had no place to go. The dejected king used to pass his time wondering about…

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28) Shiva’s Incarnations

Most Puranas only mention Vishnu’s incarnations (avataras). The Kurma Purana is one of the great ones which mentions Shiva’s incarnations. In each Kali Yuga, Shiva has had an incarnation. The names of these incarnations are as follows. (1) Shveta. (2) Sutara. (3) Madana. (4) Suhotra. (5) Kankana. (6) Lokakshi.                          (7)…

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12) CHAPTER TWELVE LIFE SKETCH OF BHARATA

Maitreya says- “Lord! Now I wish to hear various tales from the life of King Bharata. He was born in a pious land and always contemplated  on God. Even then why he failed to attain salvation? What did he do in his next birth as a Brahmin?” Parashar says- King…

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3) CHAPTER THREE DIVISION OF BHARATA AND OTHER LANDMASSES

The landmass that is present between Himalayas and the ocean is known as Bharata. It has an expansion of 9,000 Yojans. It is populated by the descendants of Bharata. It has seven native mountains- Mahendra, Malay, Sahaya, Shuktiman, Riksha, Vindhya and Pariyatra. Bharatavarsha has nine divisions named Indradweep, Kaseru, Tamraparn,…

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GUNANIDHI – THE BRAHMINS’ SON

GUNANIDHI – THE BRAHMINS’ SON Narada asked lord Brahma, when did lord Shiva make Kailash as his abode and what was the reason of friendship between Shivaji and Kubera. Brahma narrated the following story- – There used to live a brahmin by the name Yagyadutt in  Kampilyanagar, who was proficient…

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23) The YUGAS (Eras)

You probably remember that there are four yugas or eras – Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga.   Lomaharshana next told the sages about the characteristics of these four eras.   Kali Yuga is the worst of the four eras. People are sinful and…

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21) Durjaya and Urvashi

There used to be a king named Durjaya. He was learned in the shastras and a good king. His wife was a beautiful and good woman. One day, King Durjaya went to the banks of the river Kalindi. There he met the apsara Urvashi and fell in love with her….

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12) Daksha’s Story

Daksha was Brahma’s son and had a daughter named Sati. Sati was married to Shiva. Daksha was thus Shiva’s father-in-law.   Once Daksha came to visit his son-in-law. But although Shiva worshipped him with all due respect, Daksha felt that he had been slighted. Subsequently, when Sati went to visit…

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10) Parvati’s Thousand Names

Shiva was married to Daksha’s daughter Sati. Sati died and was reborn as Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya and his wife Mena (alternatively, Menaka). Parvati was married to Shiva.   In fact, Himalaya and Mena prayed so that they might have the goddess as their daughter. Pleased with their prayers,…

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9) Rudra

Brahma returned to his seat on the lotus flower.   Suddenly, two demons named Madhu and Kaitabha appeared. They were exceedingly strong and threatened to destroy everything that Brahma would create. Brahma therefore requested Vishnu to kill these two demons. Vishnu created two beings from his own body and these…

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8) Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva

The gods and the sages told Vishnu, “We are getting a bit confused. You have told us that Brahma emerged from Vishnu’s body. And yet you have also told us how Brahma was born inside a golden egg. Which of these is the correct account? Then again, you have told…

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5) A Digression on Time

The smallest unit of time is a nimesha. Fifteen nimeshas make one kashtha, thirty kashthas are one kala and thirty kalas constitute one muhurta. There are thirty muhurtas in a span of day and night (ahoratra). Thirty such ahoratras make up a month. There are two pakshas (fortnight) in every…

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APPROPRIATE PLACE AND TIME FOR WORSHIPPING SHIVA

APPROPRIATE PLACE AND TIME FOR WORSHIPPING SHIVA In the Vidyeshwar Samhita of Shiva Purana, describing about the importance of place and time for worship of Shiva says- “Worshipping Shiva at a pure place in a house gives appropriate fruits, while worship done in a cowshed gives virtue, which are ten-times…

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14) BRAHMA PURANA – Konaraka

There is an ocean to the south of Bharataavarsha. One the shores of this great ocean there is a land named Ondra or Utkala (present Orissa). Utkala is populated by religious people and the brahmanas who live there are learned in the Vedas. They are very good priests, learned in…

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5) BRAHMA PURANA – Manvantaras

A manvantara is an era. There are four smaller eras (yugas) and their names are Satya or Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga. Each cycle  of  Satya Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dvapara Yuga and Kali Yuga is called a mahayuga. A mahayuga comprises of 12,000 years of the…

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KILLING OF RAKTABEEJ

Markandeya says- ‘When Shumbh got the news of Chand and Mund’ s death, he became very furious. He proceeded to fight Goddess Bhagvati accompanied by numerous mighty warriors like Udayudh, Kambu, Kotiveerya, Dhumravanashajat, Kalak, Kalkeya etc. When Goddess Chandika saw them coming, she made a loud sound by pulling the…

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KILLING OF CHAND AND MUND

Chand and Mund proceeded with a huge army. At that time, Goddess Bhagvati had positioned herself at the peak of Himachal Mountain. She was mounted on the back of Simha and was smiling sweetly. Chand and Mund tried to enslave her but suddenly, Goddess Kali appeared from her mouth and…

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YAMUNA – A river

See main entry under Kalindi. This is an alternative name for the river Kalindi of Puranic fame. The river goddess of Kalindi was also the wife of Sri Krishna.

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VRINDAVANA – Home of Krishna

      Vrindavana was both the mythical land of Krishna’s youth and an actual geo­graphic area between modern Delhi and Agra. Vrindavana’s meaning of “sacred basil grove” referred to the ancient forest that once graced that region. The mod­ern town lies on the western bank of the Yamuna River….

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VARUDHINI’S MODESTY BREACHED

Markandeya says- ‘Agni became pleased by the Brahmin’s devotion. Agni entered into his body. The Brahmin’s body illuminated due to Agni’s radiance. When Varudhini saw this, she was fascinated by the Brahmin’s appearance. The Brahmin proceeded towards his home. Feeling helpless, Varudhini cursed her fate.’ Varudhini had once insulted a…

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