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

Embodiment of dharma

Rama is praised as Dharmah in the Vishnu Sahasranama, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan in a discourse. Brahma praised Rama as the Supreme Dharma. Another

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Essence of Acharya bhakti

Custodians of the tradition

The term ‘Sanatana dharma’ refers to the moral and ethical way of life that governs the overall individual and social development of people through the ages. The credit should go to the acharyas in the spiritual tradition who have imbibed the sacred teaching of the scriptures and handed it down without distortion to posterity, pointed out Asuri Sri Madhavachariar in a discourse. The Mundaka Upanishad captures the essence of the acharya or teacher as one who is well versed in the scriptures and

Two kinds of light

When Bhooma Devi told Brahma that She could not bear the burden of the Earth, Brahma, accompanied by Siva and the celestials, asked Lord Narayana for help. They went to the Lord, who was reclining on the milky ocean. The Lord assured them of help, and told them about the Krishna avatara, which He was going to take. Parasara, Vyasa and Suka have all described this. The story then goes on that the Lord shed two hairs — one white, one black, and that Balarama came from the white hair and that

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Faith

Embodiment of dharma

Faith

Essence of Acharya bhakti

Faith

Custodians of the tradition

Faith

Vedanta jnana

Faith

Antima kala smarana

Faith

Facing life with fortitude

Deep seated bhakti

The concept of Ishta devata in worship is indicative of the Supreme Lord’s many ways to reach out to the jivatmas and enable them to worship Him

Two kinds of light

When Bhooma Devi told Brahma that She could not bear the burden of the Earth, Brahma, accompanied by Siva and the celestials, asked Lord Narayana for

Significance of mantras

Thirumoolar says that if one can understand the Vedas and also tell others about them, one will experience joy. He says Lord Siva has given him a

Repository of mercy

Kooratazhvan, in his Varadaraja Stavam refers to Lord Varadaraja of Kanchi as Srinidhim and also Dayanidhim. The description of the Lord as Srinidhim

Realising the supreme one

Kooratazhvan explained profound concepts in a simple manner, and we find this in his Varadaraja Stavam, a composition in praise of Lord Varadaraja of

Born to Devaki

If this world is thought of as a lotus, then the connection between Lord Krishna and the earth may be likened to that between the Sun and a lotus.

Desika’s pen picture

Bhooma Devi asked for Brahma’s help, because She was overburdened. Brahma, Siva and the celestials approached Lord Narayana, who was reclining on the

Hurdles to dharma

In the Bala Kanda, the arrival of Vishwamitra in Ayodhya heralds many auspicious happenings that are to lead the story in its long and arduous course.

Divine Power Shakti

The Saundarya Lahari is a grand work extolling the greatness of Ambal. In the first 41 verses, many secret and sacred truths such as the Sri Chakra,

Purpose of the avatar

The Ramayana is also known as ‘Sitaayaa’s Charitam Mahat’, the magnificent life story of Sita, and Paulastya Vadam, the killing of the son of

Divine will prevails

The Purana and the Itihasa stories reflect the truth that the events in the lives of individuals are governed by Divine Will and that destiny’s sway

Sharing ‘Nonbu Kanji’ during Ramzan: Gruel for the fasting soul

Slow-cooked in huge cauldrons, the rice-based nonbu kanji is an integral part of iftar meals, distributed to those in need during Ramzan

Draupadi’s surrender

Faith in the supremacy of the omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent God is of utmost significance in each one’s life. This is nowhere so explicitly

Subtle shades of dharma

Draupadi raised a legal point that had to be settled when she heard that Yudhishtira had lost her in the wager and that she was henceforth a slave to

Unborn One is born

The Supreme One is described in Purusha Suktam as ajAyamAna, that is One without birth. But the Purusha Suktam also describes Him as bahudhA vijAyate

Lord Siva’s will

Thirumoolar in his Thirumandiram pays obeisance to Uma Devi, whose penance was blessed in Thiruvavaduturai. Thirumoolar stayed in Thiruvavaduturai,

The One who controls

Lord Narayana’s abode, Paramapada, is a place beyond time, whereas the Earth is bound by time. And yet the Lord chose to come to this Earth on many

Greatness of Hastigiri

In his Varadaraja stavam, Kooratazhvan says the Vedas longed to be like Hastigiri, the hill on which Lord Varadaraja of Kanchipuram stands. The Vedas

Reducing Earth’s burden

Why did Lord Narayana choose to live among cowherds in His Krishna avatara? It was because He wanted to show that He was going to lessen the Earth’s

Yoga Maya’s forewarning

Krishna was taken to Gokula by Vasudeva in order to protect Him from Kamsa. In Gokula, a girl was born to Yasoda. She was taken away by Vasudeva, who

Meet the Chennai girl who is now a priest in a village in Wales

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Birth of the epic

Two great sages of high penance who are ‘kavis,’ that is, poets endowed with excellent poetic vision, are seen in conversation in the first chapter of

Songs of devotion

The Thevaram hymns are songs of devotion that are the outcome of divine inspiration and hence remain relevant to sincere devotees who wish to seek

A strange wish is sought

Periyapuranam is valued as much for the social, cultural and economic milieu it captures as for the way it transmits the depth of Siva devotion

Siva the Supreme Lord

Saivism holds that Siva is the Supreme Lord spoken of as Brahman in the Upanishads and one who confers liberation on those desirous of it. A jivatma

The Lord’s Vibhuti

The prime qualifying factor for the disciple keen to learn and imbibe spiritual truths is absolute faith in the teaching and in the preceptor, says

Uniqueness of Brahman

A sutra is a short statement in which is packed much profound thought. The second sutra in the Brahma Sutra takes up the issue of the jagat karanatvam

Yadu’s generosity

The Supreme One chose to incarnate in the Yadu vamsa to show the world the virtues of this family, said V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse. In

Filmmaker Farha Khatun’s documentary ‘Holy Rights’ discusses the topic of triple talaq and woman qazis

The film recently won the National award in the non-feature category for the best film on social issues.

Saiva Agamas equal to Vedas

Saint Thirumoolar’s verses known as Thirumandiram are part of the collection of verses known as Thirumurai. Saint Thirumoolar had many disciples,

Delightful Krishna

It is the Krishna avatara that has been the delight of Azhvars and of many poets, said M.A. Venkatakrishnan in a discourse. Krishna gave the world the

The three gunas

Uddhava wonders why a person behaves differently at different times. Lord Krishna explains that this is due to the three gunas — sattva, rajas and

Essence of sacred literature

Kooratazhvan’s Varadaraja stava is in praise of Lord Varadaraja of Kanchi. It is based on the Vedas and the Divya Prabandham, and therein lies its

Anand Patwardhan’s documentary ‘Reason’ exposes the culture of fear

Anand Patwardhan’s 2018 documentary film ‘Reason’ is showing with English subtitles for the first time in India.

The greatness of Yadu

Krishna’s leelas began even before the avatara began, said V.S. Karunakarachariar in a discourse. Parikshit refers to Yadu as the embodiment of

His boundless grace

The Brahma Sutra, also known as the Vedanta Sutra, explains the philosophy of the Upanishads while trying to consolidate the various strands of the

The cause of Srishti

Srutis and the sastras exist to aid the entire world and the beings in it. They teach us to attain the highest goal, that is, release from samsara.

Goodness of Good Friday

Good Friday, the remembrance day of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, is highly significant. For Christians, it is the day when the Son of God was nailed on

Siva Advaita system

Spiritual tradition venerates the acharyas who are deemed as incarnations to spread the import of the Vedas and the agamas. Posterity is indebted to

Nirguna and Saguna

Sastras face an inherent paradox when guiding those engaged in the quest for Eternal Truth. The fact is that none can claim to know fully the Infinite

The Buddhist nuns who learn Kung Fu and lend a strong helping hand

The Drukpa order of Buddhist nuns that performs Kung Fu has been shortlisted for the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize 2020

Gifts from Kailasa

From the details of Adi Sankara’s life culled from the Sankara Vijayam, it is clear that he is the greatest acharya in our tradition who achieved

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