What is the Aranyaka portion of the Vedas? They are sections of Sruti (the Vedas), some of which are the Samhitas, the Upavedas, the Vedangas, the Brahmanas, the Aranyakas, the Sutras, the Upangas, etc. The … Read More
The Yajna And the sacrifice began. Dasaratha and his queens were at the edge of the arena. They were anxious and worried about the eventual success, but the confidence in the famous ascetic who led the … Read More
There are six types of avatars: Purusa Avatara, Lila Avatara, Guna Avatara, Manvantara-avatara, Saktyavesa Avatara and Rudra Avatara. All of them, directly or indirectly, come from Narayana, as mentioned by Sri Jiva in section eight. … Read More
The story of Yudhisthira cursing women to be unable to keep secrets goes as follows: Kunti Devi had a relationship with Vivasvan before her marriage with Pandu, and as a result, Karna was born. So, … Read More
Rishyasringa “I would like to tell you the old story about how Sanat Kumara predicted that a great king would appear in your dynasty and that he would be your son. Sanat Kumara said: “Kasyapa will … Read More
Dasaratha’s Desire However, despite having all the opulences a man and a king could desire, Dasaratha was not happy. The reason: he couldn’t have children. He had three wives, Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi, three women of … Read More
Sugriva Challenges Ravana As soon as the sun rose, Rama carefully observed the city and was struck by its beauty. And there, at the top of the tallest tower, Rama saw Ravana’s ten heads. It was … Read More
Question Why should we refrain from singing the Maha Mantra after singing to Lord Nrsimha? Answer In some temples you hear that devotees mix songs that have nothing to do one with the others … Read More
There are people who feel that the search for truth is more fun than getting to the goal. When they find it they say no, it can’t be, and so they continue wandering in the meanders … Read More
Narada had only told him a summary of the story, and Valmiki felt the need to know all the details. So, he sat down in the yoga position and immersed himself in deep meditation. And … Read More
The glories of hearing the holy name from the mouth of a sadhu are described in Srimad Bhagavatam (4.20.24): na kamayate natha tad apy aham kvacin na yatra yusmac-caranambujasavah mahattamantar-hrdayan mukha-cyuto vidhatsva karnayutam esa me varah … Read More
Valmiki’s Mission One day, after finishing his religious rites and ablutions, the sage returned to the hermitage. And there, radiant with the light of a thousand suns, Brahma, the first being born, the one who designed … Read More
Sixth Theme: Entering Tattva Sandarbha Now, having paid homage to the mantra-gurus, the tutors who illustrate the meaning of the Bhagavata, I wish to write the treatise called Bhagavata-sandarbha. Seventh Theme: The Three Aspects of Absolute … Read More
Bad Warning Signs Malyavan was one of the oldest and wisest Raksasas and was highly respected in the court. Seeing worse warning signs, he advised Ravana to return Sita and make peace with Rama. Ravana roared … Read More
Man is imperfect The limitation of reaching veritable and conclusive truths is caused by human imperfection. On October 6, 1969, our Acarya (we use this Sanskrit word in the sense of “best source of explanation of … Read More
