The Hanuman Chalisa is one of the most widely recited devotional hymns among the Hindus. It transcends regional and linguistic barriers enjoying widespread popularity across India and beyond. Millions recite it daily…
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Trimurti and Tridevi
Hinduism holds Brahman as the divine source of all beings, the origin and foundation of all existence. Major schools of Hindu philosophy describe it as the non-physical, efficient, formal and final cause of…
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Ashtavakra, the pre-born genius
The story of Ashtavakra is from the great Indian epic, the Mahabharata. It is the story of a young boy who was born deformed but whose intellect and wisdom surpassed many learned…
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Satyakama Jabala: Truth at any cost
The Chhandogya Upanishad has a beautiful story.Let us begin with it. Satyakama asked his mother, Jabala, “Mother, I want to live the life of a student of supreme knowledge. What is my…
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The story of Dhruva
Dhruva is a devotee of Vishnu, a Hindu god, in the Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana. Dhruva’s story is often told to Hindu children as an example of perseverance, devotion, and fearlessness. Manu, the…
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Devotion to duty is the true virtue
This story from the Mahabharata highlights that our spiritual achievements are useless if we neglect our duties, or dharma: Kaushika was his parents’ only son. “Mother,” he said one day, ”I want…
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A story from the Ramayana
I relate to the different stories and anecdotes, mainly from literary sources in Tamizh and Sanskrit, which are not likely to be that well-known. One of such anecdotes which I have found…
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The Bhishma way or the Jatayu way?
No two people react to the same situation in a similar way. Here are examples of two legendary personalities who were faced with very similar situations, but their responses were diagonally apart. It…
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Garden of delights
When the mystic came down from the mountain, he was accosted by the atheist who said, sarcastically, “What did you bring us from that garden of delights you were in?” The mystic…
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The inventor of fire
After many years of labour, an inventor discovered the art of making fire. He took his tools to the snow-clad northern regions and initiated a tribe into the art – and the…