Religion

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Birth of Sandhya and Kama

Once Lord Brahma was holding his court when all of a sudden a beauteous female popped out of his heart followed by a young man of incredible handsomeness who had a bow and flower-head arrows in his quiver. The young man asked for some specific duty. The creator, impressed by his beauty told him to romantically charge all the creatures with flower arrows. Lord Brahma proclaimed that none, not even a deity shall escape his arrows. Kama was the name young man got formally but was also called Manmadha , the enchanter, because he bewitched every mind anywhere.

Lord Brahma carried the grudge against Lord Shiva for rebuking him in his own court before others during the Kama episode. He thought - what did prosaic and ascetic like Lord Shiva know the power of passion and the force of romantic feelings? Lord Shiva must experience it and know, he muttered. So, Lord Brahma urged Kama to work his spell on Lord Shiva with the arrows having flower heads blessed by him, the creator. To help Kama he created Vasanta Sena , the spring season of love, romance pollinated air, humming bees, birds crooning mating calls, blooms etc. But they failed to arouse Lord Shiva.

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Back at Kailasha, in the new marital bliss Lord Shiva once confided to Sati the nine easy ways to propitiate him and gain his grace. Those nine ways of devotion were -

1. Hearing (Kathas related to him and his Puranic wisdom).

2. Singing (Prayers, odes and hymns in his praise).

3. **Remembering ** (His glory, deeds and names).

4. Serving (The noble causes of others taking them as his forms).

5. Servitude (Living with the spirit of humility of devotion surrendering all to his grace).

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Grudge of Daksha against Lord Shiva

Once in an ancient age many sages and spiritual seers converged at Prayaga and decided to perform a grand Yajna. It was attended by celestial lords, divine sages, gods, deities, prajapati etc., besides earth based holy men. Lord Shiva was also present. Sometime later, Daksha arrived. Everyone there rose up to pay respect to Prajapati Daksha. But Lord Shiva ignored his entry and kept sitting. Daksha took it deliberate affront of him. So, he declared that for the misconduct Lord Shiva shall not be offered any oblations in yajnas and his name won’t be invoked in religious ceremonies in future. Lord Shiva’s carrier Nandi pleaded that Prajapati’s action was improper since a Brahmin (Daksha) could not put a curse of Lord Shiva. It further angered Daksha and he debarred all Shiva Ganas (special guards) from attending functions conducted by divine sages and seers. The ganas were told to parade themselves as weirdos having ash smeared bodies and matted hair like their master.

The basic element of manifest and the un-manifest, Power Eternal started the creation in manifested Lord Brahma form. First, water came into existence. By the will of power eternal, Lord Shiva, a divinity got vested in the water and was called “Narayana” (Water borne). Then an egg appeared in the water and out of it came Lord Brahma who split the egg in two halves horizontally. The upper half became celestial world and the lower half the base. The space in between was turned into sky and fourteen domains by Lord Brahma.

The eternal force Mahamaya, an eternal part of Lord Shiva. Also known as Ma- Uma or Adi-Shakti, manifested in seven different avatars as Mahamaya, Yogmaya, Mahakali, Mahalaxmi, Gauri, Durga and Yaksharoopa, since the very beginning of creation.

Mahakali and Yogmaya Manifestations

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At the very beginning of the creation water came into existence by the will of force eternal Lord Shiva. In water, Lord Vishnu vested. A long penance tired him out and he went to deep sleep of yoganidra. From the ear wax of Lord Vishnu got two mighty demons created who were called Madhu and Kaitabha. For a long period they made penance and got the blessings of Power Eternal Mahamaya. Meanwhile, a lotus stalk had emerged from the navel of sleeping Lord Vishnu and Lord Brahma appeared atop the flower. The demons spotted him and began to harass him. The frightened Brahma tried to seek protection of Lord Vishnu but he found the latter withdrawn into yoganidra. In desperation, Lord Brahma prayed to Mahamaya. She answered his prayer by manifesting as Mahakali on the twelfth day of the first fortnight of Phaluguna. She woke up Lord Vishnu by exiting from his eyes as Yogmaya.

Gauri (Kaushiki) Tale

Once there existed two demon brothers called Shumbha and Nishumbha. They were mighty and very big trouble makers. All the three worlds and their populaces were living under the fear of those two demons. They had let loose a rule of tyranny. The gods and other celestial races had fled to the caves and forests to hide. That made the demon duo more arrogant and cruel.

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Shatakshi Durga Tale

A great trouble maker demon named Durgama was once the scourge of all the faithful’s, the gods, sages, nobles and peace loving people of the three worlds. Great was his physical power and master of Vedas he had become. He had made a long penance and had asked for Vedas as a boon from propitiated Brahma. He had studied them all and had become all knowing. Durgama found out that the gods got empowered by the religious acts of yajna, havana, penance, charity, fasts and worship regimes. As he became the ruler of all the worlds he banned all those religious acts to debilitate the gods. The gods were no more getting empowered and their divinity was diminishing.

The story of Navratra is the symbolic message of the fact that however glorious and powerful the evil become, at the end it is the goodness that wins over all of the evil. The story is associated with Maa Durga and Mahisasura, the buffalo headed demon.

The story begins from the life of two sons of Danu called Rambha and Karambha who performed austerities to gain extreme power and authority. When their prayers became deeper and austerities became exceptional, the King of the heaven God Indra got perturbed. Out of fear, he killed Karambha. Rambha, who came to know about his brother’s death, became more stubborn to win over the Gods. He increased the intensity of his austerities and finally got several boons from gods like great brilliance, beauty, invincibility in war. He also asked a special wish of not being killed by either humans or Gods or Asuras.

The armies of the Pandavas, and the Kauravas stood facing each other on the battlefield. Then suddenly, a chariot drew away from the Pandava side and came between the two armies. A banner displaying the image of a monkey fluttered above it. It was Arjuna.

Arjuna looked at the army before him. Then he looked at the army behind him. Brothers, uncles and nephews, ready to fight and kill one another - for what? A piece of land? “I cannot do this”, he said. “This cannot be dharma!”