More mythology of Ganga
March 31, 2008
It is a long unusual story, but ultimately Ganga is the mother of Subramanyam (also known as Skanda, Kartikeya, etc). She was impregnated by Agni with the “seed” of Shiva.
Chinnamasta
March 31, 2008
Chinnamasta, the Goddess who personifies sacrifice, because she cuts off her own head to feed her devotees. Chanting of Chinnamasta mantras and Mahisura Mardini stotram.
The mythology of Ganga
March 30, 2008
In the Puranas, Ganga is said to emanate from the toe of Vishnu and was brought to earth by the rishi Bhagiratha to purify the ashes of the 60,000 sons on King Sagara all of whom had been burned up by the rishi Kapila.
Interestingly, the descent of Ganga disturbed the sage Jahnu as he was performing yagya and he drank up all the water, but later relented and allowed the river to flow again.
Ganga is the eldest daughter of Himavat and Mena, and her sister was Uma, wife of Shiva. Later, Ganga was wife to King Santanu and bore a son Bhishma who was pretty much the central character in the Mahabharata.
Bhuvaneshwari
March 30, 2008
Bhuvaneshwari, The Goddess of Creation and 4th of the Mahavidhyas. She who creates the five elements; earth, air, fire, water, and space and using them ceates the universe. Chanting of Bhuvaneshwari mantras and Vanistavam for Saraswati.
More Ganga Yagya Photos
March 29, 2008
There are 11 different form of Rudra;
1. Mahadeva, 2. Shiva , 3. Maha Rudra, 4. Shankara, 5. Neelalohita, 6. Eshana Rudra,
7. Vijaya Rudra, 8. Bheema Rudra, 9. Devadeva,10. Bhavodbhava and 11. Adityatmaka Srirudra.
So there are 11 kalasa pots and 11 priests, and Rudram is recited 11 times and then the clay kalasa
pots are offered into the river where they slowly dissolve and the flowers float away.
Tripura Sundari
March 29, 2008
Tripura Sundari, The Goddess of Beauty and 3rd of the Mahavidhyas. Plus a new story about the origin of Ganesha and selections from Lalitha Sahasranam. Chanting of Bala mantras and Lalitha Trishati.
Ganga Yagya
March 28, 2008
In Kanchipuram, we had been performing the MahaRudra yagya for 11 days which, although a lot of fun, is also quite an intense experience. The final day…after the night of Shiva, we had arranged for a special yagya on the banks of the Ganga. Mythologically speaking, Ganga streams through Shiva’s hair and so there is a close connection between the two. It looks like such a great experience.
Tara
March 28, 2008
Tara, The Wisdom Goddess. The history and mantras of Tara who is the fierce form of Saraswati. the story of Vasistha Rishi and his search for Tara. Chanting of Tara and Saraswati Mantras.
I’m back!
March 27, 2008
After all the travel to India for Shivaratri, it was time for a break from the blog and the podcast. But now I am back and ready to go. I’ve posted new podcast on Gosha, one of the women seers of Rig Veda who cognized some wonderful hymns about the Ashvins; the sons of Surya (the Sun). They are the divine physicians and healers of the gods.
So let me start with an image of the fantastic Shivaratri celebration in Varanasi. They made a huge Shiva lingam from Ganges clay. Fantastic.
Kali
March 27, 2008
The 10 Forms of the Divine Feminine; Kali, The Universal Mother, the terrifying protectress. Chanting of Kali mantras and Kali Karpura Stotram and Durga Suktam.