Faith column from The Hindu, Religion, Hinduism, Sacred Texts - The Hindu

Profound and simple

Tirumoolar is so versatile that he has put across the esoteric and metaphysical concepts of Siddhanta and Vedanta in the most comprehensive manner. He

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Saivism’s basic tenets

The prized possession

The exclusive quality of the Divya Prabandha hymns is the forceful way in which we are shaken out of our ignorance over many issues pertaining to our own welfare. In a discourse, Koil Sri Devarajan Swami drew attention to Tirumangai Azhwar’s life and works that are symbolic of God’s all pervading grace which is extended to all, regardless of individual merit. It is very natural for us to be swayed by worldly attractions and wealth. These and our attainments tend to make us filled with pride and

Challenge of penance

Anyone who succumbs to anger, ahamkara, and desire is sure to regret the act at some point of time is the message taught through the purana stories. There is much to be learnt about each one’s progress in spiritual development from the various experiences that the rishis Nara and Narayana undergo in the course of their severe and long drawn penance, pointed out Sri K. Srinivasan in a discourse. The story of their penance is narrated in the Devi Bhagavata Purana by Vyasa. People engaged in

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Faith

Profound and simple

Faith

Saivism’s basic tenets

Faith

The prized possession

Faith

Challenge of penance

Faith

Ahamkara, virtue and vice

Faith

Adherence to Truth

Daily Quiz | One nation, many festivals

A quiz on the various festivals celebrated around this culturally diverse nation on January 13 and 14. Compiled by V.V. Ramanan

Resumption of good deeds

Sage Vashishtha praises Aditi, the presiding deity of the star Punarvasu. Aditi is Goddess Mahalakshmi, and Vashishtha says She is Savitri and

Delightful Krishna leelas

There is a verse not part of Srimad Bhagavatam or any of the Puranas, which talks of Yasoda’s reaction when she tried to frighten Krishna away from

Daily quiz | Swami Vivekananda

A quiz on Swami Vivekananda, the Hindu spiritual leader, and reformer. His 159th birth anniversary was celebrated on January 12, 2022. Complied by V.V. Ramanan

Dharma triumphs

Often it seems as if adharma is winning, but in the end it is dharma that triumphs, said Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse. Before we take up a cause

King among ascetics

Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam gave the name Ramanuja darshana to Visishtadvaita, in honour of Ramnujacharya, who was responsible for giving the

Visionary poet and saint

The Tirumandiram of Tirumoolar is placed as the Tenth Tirumurai among the Twelve Saiva Tirumurais. He is a visionary and a Siddhar who is aware of the

God and His bhaktas

The essential dharma or duty of the jiva is ‘Seshatva’ or ‘Dasatva’ to the Lord and hence unconditional service to the Lord is central to the

The jiva’s swaroopa

Sastras say that the relationship of the jiva with God is eternal and unbroken. Visishtadvaita philosophy explains the nature of the association

Hallmarks of bhakti

Bhakti is derived from the root ‘Bhaj,’ and primarily manifests as adoration, and loving, selfless service to God. What is the reason for bhakti?

Relief from sorrow

Human birth is far superior to others since man is gifted with the capacity to analyse the purpose of his existence. He can hence try to seek a way

Faith, belief and service

At a time when the prevalence of many faiths kept people confused, the advent of the Saivite Nayanmars inspired the spirit of service to Siva and the

The name Ramanuja

Ramanujacharya was an avatara of Adisesha. When the time came for him to be named, it was his maternal uncle Thirumalai Nambi who gave him the name

The butter thief

Among Krishna’s leelas, three get special attention from the Azhvars — the killing of Putana, the killing of Sakatasura and Krishna stealing butter.

Strengths of the opponent

Even assuming one is fighting for a just cause, one must first assess the strengths and weaknesses of the opponent. The Kauravas were not fighting for

For the benefit of devotees

Saiva Agamas given by Lord Siva are difficult to understand, and had He not explained them through chosen devotees, the Agamas would not have been

Aditi the giver

Goddess Mahalakshmi is also called Aditi, which is the deity for the star Punarvasu, said V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse. Aditi gives

The yogic tradition

Sir John George Woodroffe, a judge of the Calcutta High court, once found a yogi outside his court, and tested him to see if he indeed had

The message of the manger

The Nativity scene is a defining capsule in Jesus Christ’s earthly life. It is replete with symbols of humility. These symbols would persist through

Power of faith

There is much to learn from the lives of Tirunavukkarasar and his sister Tilakavathiyar. They have shown that faith in God paves the way for God to

Star lanterns made by Kollam-based Josarts usher in pan-India Christmas festivities

Established in 1945 by Mangalorean Joseph D’Souza, St. Joseph’s Art Industries in Kollam was perhaps the first to begin printing greeting cards in Kerala before moving on to paper lanterns

Making of a jnani

All beings are subject to the effects of past karma and in every birth this shapes our inherent tendencies and habitual notions. The Gita shows that

Bondage of karma

Sastras state that karma or action always binds one to the cycle of birth. The jiva takes birth to exhaust his past karma and the omniscient Lord

Nishkama karma and bhakti

In spiritual parlance, the commitment to work for work’s sake, that is, prioritising one’s duties over all else is known as Nishkama karma while

Aditi — deity of Punarvasu

Astrologically Punarvasu is the seventh star. But in the Vedas, it is in the fifth place, said V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse. The Vedas begin

Ambal as witness

When we find ourselves in difficult situations, our faith in God wavers, and we wonder if He will help us. But there are many cases where God has

Moksha for Putana

Putana came with the evil intention of killing Krishna. But instead of milk mixed with poison, it seemed as if Putana fed Krishna milk mixed with her

Secondary agamas

The 28 Saiva Agamas are classified into two categories — Siva bheda and Rudra bheda. Agamas in both categories have upa agamas or secondary agamas,

Dhritarashtra’s sorrow

The Kurukshetra war is over, and the Kauravas have been totally wiped out. An anguished Dhritarashtra expresses his sorrow to Sanjaya, said Kidambi

Ramanuja — Adisesha avatara

Many of Ramanuja’s sishyas had the suffix Nambi. They were: Thondanur nambi, Marudur Nambi, Mazhuvur Nambi, Sottai Nambi, Kuravi Nambi,

Value of self-discipline

All beings are bound by prakriti and the three gunas that constantly draw us towards the world of senses. It is important to win over the powerful

The word of God

In the Gita, Krishna clearly states that sastras ordain us to do only the right and avoid whatever is wrong, and hence they provide guidelines for the

Process of realisation

Realisation is first hand experience of the Absolute Truth. The goal is not impossible to reach but the journey is long and arduous even for the

Narasimha avatar

The uniqueness of Narasimha avatara has been glowingly depicted in the Bhagavata Purana. The exchanges between Prahlada and Hiranyakasipu just before

No partiality here

Is there not a sense of bias in the Lord's dealing with the asuras and the celestial beings, though He is held to be a 'suhruth' to all beings right

Hard-hearted Putana

Putana reduced her size to that of a normal woman and came neatly dressed to give poisoned milk to Krishna. As she entered Gokula she was seen talking

Delve deep into philosophy

The whole world is pervaded by Goddess Shakti, lovingly called Ambal by Her devotees, said M.A. Manickavelu in a discourse. Those who do not realise

Fourth edition of Vedic Wisdom Festival on Dec 11, 12

Vedanta, Swami Dayananda Saraswati once said, is something beyond that found in books. He described this school of thought as “your response to

Condensed version

Saiva Agamas from Vijaya to Vathula come under the Rudra Bheda classification, said R. Narayanan in a discourse. Some of the Rudra Bheda Agamas are

Pleasing, truthful words

Citizens of Ayodhya were delighted at Dasaratha’s decision to celebrate Rama’s coronation soon. The people expressed their approval of the decision by

The tree concept

The Mahabharata is likened to a tree, and the different parvas are like different parts of a tree, elaborated Kidambi Narayanan in a discourse. Thus

Keeping one’s word

There have been instances of those who kept their word, even under the most trying circumstances, said T.Rajarathinam in a discourse. One of the 63

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