Kubera and his pride

Sloga for the day:

"Ganga Cha Yamuna Chaiva Godavari Saraswati,Narmada Sindhu Kaveri jalesmin Sannidhim Kuru"

In this water, I invoke the presence of divine waters from the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri. These rivers are considered as goddesses and I pray to them for considering me for their blessings.

Story:

Kubera, god of wealth, had become arrogant. One day he decided to host an extravagant feast for the gods, such a feast as never had been hosted before. It would increase his prestige and show all men and gods the extent of his wealth and influence. Accordingly, he went to Mount Kailash to invite Lord Shiva. Shiva was his patron. Kubera owed all his wealth to Shiva who, pleased with his devotion had given him the boon that his wealth would never diminish, no matter how much he spent. Shiva declined to come but said he would send his son, Ganesha. Kubera was disappointed. Shiva's presence would have been a feather in his cap. But at least he was sending Ganesha. It would have been a terrible snub if no one from the family were to come. Kubera resolved to make the feast so grand that Shiva's absence would not be felt. The guests were many, thousands of them, both gods and men. They were accommodated in a huge hall built especially for the purpose. The chief guest, Ganesha, was the last to come. The moment he entered, he began to ask for food. He was shown to a seat of honour and tantalising dishes were set before him. He gulped them down and asked for more. He was given a second helping and then a third but his appetite remained undiminished. Kubera ordered his army of cooks to produce more food but they could not keep pace with Ganesha's eating frenzy. The elephant-god was eating food meant for thousands. When he had finished all the food set before him, he began to shout, "Give me more, give me more!" and then getting impatiently to his feet, rushed to the enormous kitchen and devoured all the food there. Kubera was aghast. All the food was gone and the guests had not been fed. Worse, Ganesha was still hungry."You call this a feast?" Ganesha admonished Kubera. "There's no food here. I'm going home."Kubera pleaded with him to stay, promising him more food in a little while but his young guest was in no mood to listen. He got on his mount and sped away. Kubera, fearing Shiva's wrath, followed in his own vehicle. When he arrived at Kailash, he found Ganesha complaining loudly to his father about the lack of food at his feast. "What's this I hear, Kubera?" asked Shiva, turning to the god. "No food at your feast?""I....I....," mumbled Kubera. "Go in and ask your mother for some food," said Shiva to his son. "I'm sure Kubera did his best.""I did, I did, my lord," said Kubera, feeling miserable. His feast had turned into a farce. Instead of adding to his prestige it had made him a laughing stock. But he was relieved to see that Shiva did not appear to be angry. He fell at his patron's feet and begged forgiveness for his pride.

Miser and the Sanyaasi

Sloga for the day:

"Balam Balavatam Caham KamaragavivarjitamDharmaviruddho

Bhutesu Kamo'smi Bharatarsabha"

The Sloka says that God is detached and passionless strength of the dominant and the virtuous craving in men.

Story:

Long time ago, there used to be a Sanyaasi. He was a great Gnyaani. Many used to respect him and many used to come and get Divya-Upadeshams from him. He was a well known Aadhyaatmavetta. He had many shishyas. He did uddharana of many. Even Kings and Mantris used to come to him, have his darshanam and get Gnyaanopadeshams from him.
The Sanyaasi became very old. Since he was a Gyaani, he came to know soon he has to leave his Bhoutika Shariiram. Hence he was doing Bhagavat-naama-smaranam and waiting for Mrutyudevata.Knowing this, many many from all parts of the country came there to get the last darshanam of the Sanyaasi. True Bhaktas came to have Darshanam of the Sanyaasi and get some Upadesham if possible. However some came expecting to get some shakti or some materialistic benefit from the Sanyaasi. One of them was a Sampanna (rich fellow). He was a Miser Kruuraatma, Muurkha. Hoping to get some more wealth he came to have the Darshanam of the Sanyaasi.
The Sanyaasi, who didnt want to meet anybody, seeing this Parama-lobhi, called him. As soon as the Sanyaasi called him, though many many were waiting, the miser got Garvam. He looked at others with an expression like “see how great I am. The Sanyaasi called me only”.
The miser wanted to ask the Sanyaasi why he chose him only to come in. Repeatedly he kept on asking this. Then Sanyaasi replied “I and these people waiting outside, some or the other time, have chance to meet again in some Uurdhva-lokas. Whereas a miser can never get sat-gati. So I can never meet you. Thus I wanted to do some Hitopadesham to you now only”.

Servant and the Mangoes

Sloga for the day:

"KaracharanaKrn Itam Vaakkaayajam Karmajam Vaa,

ShravananayanajamVaaMaanasam Vaaparaadham,

Vihitamavihitam Vaa Sarvametatkshamasva,

Jaya Jaya Karunaabdhe Shriimahaadeva Shambho"

"O God, kindly pardon my incorrect actions done consciously or unconsciously, either through my organs of action (hand, feet, and speech) or through my organs of perception (eyes, ears) or by my mind. I adore the God, who is the ocean of kindness".

Significance: By God's grace, we have completed one more day of our life. So, in order to thank god and to ask for his mercy, one can recite this Sloka. This bedtime Sloka is a prayer to God asking him to excuse our mistakes and maintain his mercy on us.

Story:

A man was expecting a visit from an acquaintance. He gave two ripe mangoes to his servant and asked him to slice them and serve the fruit when the man came.The servant gave in to temptation and ate a slice. It was so sweet he could not resist eating another one. Then the madness of gluttony seized him and he devoured all the remaining pieces.Suddenly he saw the man his master was expecting coming towards the house. He thought fast. He grabbed a rusty knife and rushing to his master told him he couldn't cut the mangoes as the knife was blunt."I'll sharpen it," said his master and going to a stone in the garden began to rub the cutting edge of the knife against it.Leaving him to the task the servant ran out to meet the man who was coming."Beware! Beware!" he said when he reached him. "Don't come to our house. My master has gone mad. He's planning to cut both your ears.""Cut my ears!" exclaimed the man, turning pale. "Why?!""There he is sharpening the knife," said the servant. The man saw that his host did indeed have a knife in his hands and was sharpening it with what looked to him like a maniacal fury. He did not wait to find out why his host wanted his ears. He turned around and started walking away as fast as he could.The servant rushed back to his master and told him that the man he had invited was running away with the mangoes."What!" said his master. "The greedy fellow! Has he taken both the mangoes?!""Yes," said the servant.The man ran after the acquaintance shouting:"Give me one! Give me one at least!"The other man thought he was asking for one of his ears and ran for his life!

Dharma - Is doing your duty

Sloga for the day:

"Cancalam Hi Manah, Krsna Pramathi ,Balavaddrdham

Tasyaham ,Nigraham Manye, Vayoriva Suduskaram."

This Sloka, states that the Individual self, is the traveler in the chariot of the material body, and the intelligence is the driver. Mind, is the driving instrument ,and the senses are the horses. Thus, the self is the enjoyer or sufferer, in the relationship of the mind and senses.

Story:

Kaushika was his parents' only son."Mother," he said one day, " I want to go off into the jungle and devote myself to spiritual studies. "His mother said with concern, "But son, your father and I are very old. Your father is so sick he can hardly move. If you go away, what will happen to us? Who will attend to our needs?"Kaushika did not listen. He was determined to study the Vedas. His mother cried in vain as she watched her son turn his back on her and leave for the jungle.Eventually Kaushika acquired great mystical powers.One afternoon, as he was meditating under a tree, a crane flew up, and perched herself on a branch above Kaushika. Some bird droppings fell on Kaushika's head. Kaushika furiously threw a fiery gaze at the crane.The crane immediately fell dead.The sage felt sorry for what he had done. "How could I have allowed my anger to take over me that way?" He mourned.Later in the day, he went to a village to beg for alms. The lady of the house asked him to wait and went to get some food. Right then her husband arrived. She immediately set aside the pot of food she was taking to the sage and went to attend her husband.After washing his feet, giving him food, and attending to his needs, she came back out to give the alms to the sage. The sage was very insulted. "You put your husband before a pious sage? Do you know the power of a Brahmin?"She calmly replied, "Yes, a true Brahmin is he who has mastered his anger. Please do not threaten me, I am not a crane that will die by your fiery gaze."The sage was amazed. "How does she know about the crane?" he wondered.The lady continued, "Oh holy one! You are a learned Brahmin but you have not understood the truth about virtue. If you want to be enlightened, go to Dharmavyadha who lives in Mathura. Any one will tell you where he lives."The sage thanked the lady and hurried to Mathura. "He must be a great and learned sage indeed," Kaushika thought to himself.But when he finally reached Dharmavyadaha's place, he found it to be a butcher shop!A very ordinary looking man came out and said, "Welcome holy one. I am Dharmavyadaha, the man you seek.""How can a butcher be spiritually enlightened?" Kaushika asked in amazement.Dharmavyadaha smiled and said with compassion, "I know the story of the crane and of the woman who sent you here. Come, let us go to my house. "The sage could not contain himself and blurted out, "But butchering animals is such a sinful profession! Are you not ashamed?""I am not," the butcher calmly said. "I am engaged in a family trade. I work hard and honestly at it. There is no reason for me to be ashamed of my work!""Holy one," continued the butcher. "If I do injury to other creatures, so do you as you did to the crane. ""As we walk on the soil, we are trampling on numerous creatures. Nor is the air devoid of creatures.""You see that farmer tilling the land? He is killing so many animals that thrive under the soil."They reached the butcher's house. The butcher's wife was doing her house hold chores and his two boys were playing.The butcher introduced the sage to his wife and boys.Then the butcher entered the house and touched his parents' feet."Here is a learned Brahmin who has come from a far-off place." the butcher told his old father."Welcome, holy one," the father said.Before leaving the room, the butcher remarked, "My parents are my Gods. My wife and my children attend to them with devotion and love. We consider caring for them to be our greatest duty." "In doing one's duty cheerfully, lies true virtue. This is what the dutiful wife sent you to learn.""Oh learned one!" the butcher continued, "You have run away from your responsibilities and deserted your aged father and mother. Spiritual achievement is useless if one has neglected one's Dharma, or duties."The sage remembered his mother crying, "Who will look after us when you are gone my son?"The sage apologized, "You have shown me the path of true virtue, the true meaning of Dharma, Oh pious one. I am deeply indebted to you."Kaushika immediately returned to his parents and served them lovingly till the end of their days.

Dad's Blessings

Sloga of the day:

"Yaa Devii Sarva Bhooteshu Vishnu Maayethi Sabdita

Namastasyai Namastasyai Namastasyai Namo Namaha"

I bow again and again to the Goddess,

who dwells in all creatures in the name of Maya of Vishnu.

Story:

A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Gita, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angry, he raised his voice to his father and said "With all your money, you give me a Gita?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the Gita.Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Gita, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Gita and began to turn the pages. And as he did, a car key dropped from the back of the Gita. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings and answers to our prayers because they do not arrive exactly as we have expected?

Tulsidas

Sloga of the day:
Aarthanaam aarthi hantharam,
Bheethanam bheethi nasanam,
Dwishatham kaladandam, tham
Ramachandram namamyaham
My pranams to that Ramachandra,
Who wipes of all sufferings from those who suffer,
Who takes away all fear from those who are afraid,
And who is the killer of all his enemies.

Story:

Many years ago, when the great Emperor Akbar ruled at Delhi, there lived a man named Tulsi Das who wrote the Ramayana. Valmiki wrote the Ramayana in Sanskrit, but Tulsi Das wrote it in Hindi, the spoken language of the people. That is why Tulsi Das’s Ramayana is more popular than that of Valmiki’s. It is enacted every year as Ramlila in every town and village in India.Tulsi Das had come to love the name of Rama from very childhood. But the turning point in his life came a few years after his marriage. Tulsi Das was very fond of his wife. He could not bear to be separated from her even for a short while. One day, shortly after the birth of their little son, he went out leaving his wife at home. When he returned he didn’t I find his wife there, she had gone to her father’s place with her brother who visited in the absence of Tulsi Das.This made Tusli Das very sad. Unable to bear the separation, he at once set out for his father-in-law’s house. On the way he had to cross a swollen river in the dark. But he jumped into the river and swam across it and reached the house of his wife’s father.His wife had hardly reached her father’s house when she was surprised to see Tulsi Das just coming after her. Instead of welcoming him, she rebuked him by saying, "If only you had as great love for Rama as you have for me, a bundle of mere flesh and bones, you would have become a great saint."These words pierced his heart. Suddenly he had a vision of a blissful life wholly given up to God. He said to himself: "what a fool I have been all these years! I loved my wife with all my heart. But why should I have done so? I should have set my heart on something higher. I should have devoted my life to Rama."The next morning at daybreak he left home for Varanasi, where he became a devotee of Rama. He went about the streets of Varanasi begging. "Ram! Ram!" he cried, as he went from street to street.It was not for himself that he begged, but for a temple in the name of Rama, which he wanted to build in the city. Rama had appeared to him and blessed him. Now he wanted to tell the people about Rama so that they could lead better lives.Little by little the money came in, till at last Tulsi Das had enough money to build the temple. The temple was built. Here Tulsi Das started teaching people, singing beautiful songs about Rama. So beautiful were his thoughts that people looked upon him as a saint. They loved and honored him and brought him presents in form of gold and silver vessels.Tulsi Das kept these presents in the temple. One night two thieves broke into the temple to steal the vessels of gold and silver in it. They took as many as they could carry. And when they tried to go out of the door they had come in from. Whom did they find there? The two men, armed with bows and arrows, standing outside the door. Then they went to another door. Here too, they found the same two men standing, guarding it. They then ran to the third door, but the same two men were standing outside this door too!Trembling with fear, the two thieves now took back the vessels to the place from where they had taken them, and tried to get out without them. But outside every door they went to, they found the same two men standing, guarding it with their bows and arrows. So they had to stay inside the temple that night.In the morning when Tulsi Das came to the temple, he saw the two thieves trying to hide from him. Tulsi Das wanted to know who they were. They fell at his feet and told him the whole story.As Tulsi Das listened to their story, he wondered who the two men could have been. But as he stood there, thinking, he knew all at once who they were. They were Rama and Lakshmana!The two thieves said : "O holy man! We are wicked men. We have done many sins. Let us serve you, so that we too may become good men.""You have been greatly blessed; your eyes have seen the two great ones. Live in peace here. You are the true devotees of Rama. Very few in this world are as blessed as you are."From that day the doors of the temple were never closed; they were kept open day and night. No one came to the temple to steal.The people came to see the temple from other cities and towns. When they heard Tulsi Das singing songs of Rama, they were filled with a strong desire to lead good lives. In this way, Tulsi Das taught people the love of God. He did great good to them by writing a wonderful book on the life of Rama, called Ramayana. There is hardly any boy or girl in India who does not know the beautiful story of Rama and Sita.Tulsi Das could count among his friends some of the famous men of his time. Todar mal, Akbar’s minister, Maharaja Man Sing and his brother, Jagat Singh of Amber, were among his best friends. Some one once asked him: "Why do such great men now come to see you who had been so humble and so unknown?"Tulsi Das replied: "Once did I beg and could not get even a cracked cowrie (Coin) in alms. Who wanted me then for any purpose? But Rama, the lover of the poor, made me of great price. I used to beg from door to door for alms; now kings are at my feet. Then it was without Rama; now Rama is my helper."

The Magic Bowl

Sloga for the day:

Asatho Maa Sath Gamaya,

Thamaso Maa Jyothir Gamaya,

Mrithyor Maa Amritham Gamaya,

Om Shanti, Shanti Shanti.

From darkness lead me to light,

ignorance lead me to knowledge,

From death lead me to immortality,

Let there be peace, peace and only peace.

Story:

Once, there was a poor old man, who lived with his wife, in a small hut in a village of Rajasthan. The old man, lost his job because of his age. He was too proud to , so he and his wife began to starve. Ultimately he decided to go to the Parvati temple two days before the Dashera. It took all day to get there and when he reached the temple the door was closing. Hungry and tired the old man sat down on the door steps of the temple and fell asleep. Goddess Parvati felt uncomfortable inside the temple and asked her attendants to get the old man.Very soon the old man was brought in and he was surprised to see the living Parvati. He thought he was dreaming. He fell down on Goddess Parvatiís feet and with tears in his eyes he narrated the miseries he was going through. Goddess Parvati took pity and gave him a magic bowl.The Goddess said, "Take this bowl with you. Whenever you are hungry ask the bowl to give you whatever food you want and as much as you want."The old man returned home happily with his bowl.The wife was very happy to know that their bad days are over by the grace of Goddess Parvati. The old man always wanted to share his food with the king and others. So he decided to invite them for a dinner on the day of Diwali. But when he approached the palace the guard stopped the old man. He explained that he wanted to invite the king to his hut for dinner. The guard approached the King and sought his permission. The courtiers laughed and were looking forward to the fun. The old man requested the king and the queen and the courtiers to have dinner with him on the evening of Diwali. The king and his ministers laughed in amusement. The chief minister cautioned, "If we come back hungry, you will be hanged for playing jokes with His Majesty." The old man agreed.As the day approached the king was impatient to know what was going on. So he sent his attendant to find out what the old man was up to. The attendant came back and informed him that no preparations were on hand. The old man was not the least worried about the royal visit except that he put up a tent big enough to hold the royal party. The king arrived with the queen and courtiers. At dinner time, the old man came with his magic bowl and asked the king to wish for any food he wants. The king thought that the old man was joking and ordered some of the most exotic foods in the world. Much to his disbelief, before he could finish, the food was served. Thus the old man, with the help of his magic bowl, served food to the queen and the courtiers. The wicked chief minister asked the king to take away such a valuable magic bowl for the treasury. The old man tried to explain that he would starve without the bowl but no one listened. He lost the bowl. Unfortunately, the bowl did not work for any one but the proud chief minister refused to return the bowl to the old man.Soon the couple were starving again. They some how managed to survive for a year until Dashera came again. The old man decided to go back to the temple seeking Parvatiís blessings. He reached the temple in the middle of the night and started his prayers. Once again Goddess Parvati called him in and inquired what happened. When the old man explained, the Goddess decided to teach the king a lesson. This time she gave the old man a stick and asked him to go home and use the stick the same way as the magic bowl to get his food. But she asked the old man to invite the king again for a dinner on the day of Diwali. Goddess Parvati further explained that the stick would beat everyone until the bowl was returned to him.The old man did as he was told. The king readily believed him this time and agreed to come with the queen and courtiers. The old man came with the stick. When the orders were placed, the stick began to beat the king, the queen and the ministers. No one could stop the stick so they begged the old man to rescue them. The old man explained, "The stick wants its partner, the magic bowl, until then it will keep on beating you." The minister ran to the treasury to fetch the bowl. The bowl was then placed in the hands of the old man and the stick stopped. Soon dinner was served and the king once again enjoyed the worldís best food. The king then built a special house for the old man where he lived happily with his wife.

Krishna and the Syamantaka Gem

Sloga for the day:

Aadhou devaki devi garbha jananam,

Gopi gruhe palanam,

Mayaa poothana jeevithaa apaharanam,

Govardhanodharanam,Kamsa chedana,

Kouravadi hananam, Kunthi sutha palanam,

Ethad bhagawatham purana kaditham sri Krishna leelamrutham

Born to queen Devaki, Brought up by Gopis,

Took out the life of Ogress Poothana,

Lifted the Govardhana mountain,Cut the head of his uncle Kamsa,

Helped in killing the Kouravas,And looked after the children of Kunthi,

This is in short the ancient story of Bhagawatha,

And this describes the nectar like play of Lord Krishna

Story:

Satrajit, a nobleman of Dwarka, was a devotee of Surya, the Sun God. Surya, being pleased with Satrajit’s devotion, appeared before him and gifted him the Syamantaka gem. The Syamantaka gem’s specialty was, that it could magically, produce eight measures, of gold a day.As time passed, Satrajit became a really wealthy man. One day, Krishna approached Satrajit, and told him, that he should give the gem, to King ,and share it with other people of Dwarkat. But Satrajit did not agree, saying, that the jewel belonged to him alone. A few days later, Satrajit's brother Prasena, wore the jewel as a necklace, and went out on a hunt. He climbed a tree, and was waiting for some game, when a lion came by. Just as Prasena was about to shoot it, a snake dropped on him from the branch above and startled him. He fell from the tree and as he was falling, the necklace with the Syamantaka gem got caught in a branch, and Prasena hung by the neck and got killed.
The lion below was attracted, to the glow of the gem, and picked it up. As the lion walked away with the gem, Jambavan, the king of bears, saw the glowing gem, and wanted it for himself. He attacked the lion and killed it, took the gem to his cave, and gifted it to his infant son.Meanwhile when Prasena did not return to Dwarka, Satrajit suspected that Krishna, might have killed Prasena to get the gem. To prove his innocence, Krishna gathered a search party and went into the forest to look for Prasena.A few hours later, they found Prasena's body. Krishna noticed lion tracks around the body, and assumed that a lion must have killed Prasena. On following the lion tracks, they came across the body of the dead lion.
Krishna noticed, that the lion had the marks of a bear’s claws and that there were bear tracks around the body. On following the bear tracks, Krishna reached Jambavan's cave. Sensing danger, Krishna ordered the rest of the party, to stay outside while he entered the cave alone. Krishna found Jambavan's son, playing with the Syamantaka gem. Frightened by a stranger, Jambavan's son ,let out a wail that alerted Jambavan. Jambavan thought ,someone was attacking his child and so he attacked Krishna. Krishna fought Jambavan for twenty-eight days after which, Jambavan recognised Krishna's divinity and surrendered to him. Jambavan not only gave the gem back to Krishna but he also offered Krishna his daughter Jambavati's hand in marriage to him. Krishna, readily accepted this offer.Krishna then returned to Dwarka with the Syamantaka gem and his new bride. He returned, the gem to its rightful owner Satrajit who by then was ashamed of accusing Krishna. In order to make up for his accusations and show his good will towards Krishna, Satrajit offered his daughter Satyabhama to Krishna.
But Satyabhama already had three suitors - Akrura, Kritavarma and Shatadhanwa. They were angered, by the fact that Satrajit, had offered his daughter to Krishna and not to one of them. Shatadhanwa, in his rage, killed Satrajit while he slept, and stole the Syamantaka gem from him. On realizing what he had done, Shatadhanwa left the gem, with Akrura and fled from Dwarka. Krishna and Balrama chased and killed Shatadhanwa for his crime. Not finding the gem on Shatadhanwa, Krishna ,that he must have left it with Akrura for safekeeping. Krishna approached Akrura and requested him, to tell the people of Dwarka that he possessed the gem otherwise the people of Dwarka, would think that Krishna, had killed his father in law in order to possess the gem. Akrura happily followed Krishna's orders and thus Krishna’s name was cleared.

A Brahmin's Dream

Sloga for the day:

Namosthesthu, Maha Maye,

Sree peede, sura poojithe,

Sanka , chakra, Gadha hasthe,

Maha Lakshmi, Namosthuthe.

My pranams, to Goddess Mahalakshmi,

Who, is the great magician,Who, lives wherever wealth, is there,

Who, is worshipped by all Gods,

And who has conch, wheel and mace(gadha) in her hands.

Story:

Once upon a time, there lived a poor Brahmin, by the name of Swabhavakripna, in a village. Swabhavakripna was all alone, and had no friends or relatives. He was known, for his miserliness and used to beg for his living. Whatever food, he got as alms, he kept in an earthen pot, and hung it ,beside his bed. Whenever, he felt hungry, he took out some food, from the pot and ate it.One day, the Brahmin got a quantity of rice gruel, so much that, even after eating to his full, a pot full was left. Brahmin was very happy, to get such quantity of food. As the night progressed, the Brahmin, lay on his bed, but he could not, take his eyes from the pot. Soon, he was fast asleep. He began to dream, that the pot is overflowing, with rice gruel. He dreamt that if a famine came to the land, then he could sell it for a hundred silver coins. With these silver coins, he would buy a pair of goats. They would have kids, in every six months and soon he would ,acquire a herd of goats. Then, he would trade the goats, for buffaloes and cows. Then, they would have their young ones. They would grow up, and give lots of milk. He would sell, the milk in the market and make, lots of butter and curd from it. Then, he would sell that butter and curd, in the market. Like this, he would, become richer than ever before. With this money, he would buy, a large house, with four buildings in a rectangle. A wealthy Brahmin, after seeing his affluence would marry his daughter to him. Soon, the wife would deliver a son and he would name him Soma Sharma. The Brahmin would scold Soma, when he would play, around all day making noise. But Soma, would not listen, and anxiously the Brahmin would pick a stick and run after him. Buried in his dream, Brahmin, picked up the stick lying near his bed. He started, hitting in the air with the stick. While doing so, he hit the earthen pot with the stick, the pot broke and all the contents spilled over him. The Brahmin, woke up to find, that he was dreaming the whole situation. All his dreams, got shattered at once.

Moral: One should not build castles in the air.

Kripacharya

Sloga for the day:

Dadhi Shankha tushaa-raabham Khseero Darnava Sambhavam Namaami Shashinam Somam Shambhor Mukuta Bhooshanam

My salutations to the moon,
Who is white like the curds and conch,
Who was born from the ocean of milk,
Who is adorned by a rabbot in him,
And who is the ornament of the head of Lord Shiva.

Story:

Kripacharya, also often called Kripa, was the chief priest at the court of Hastinapura, in the Mahabharata.
He was the son of Sharadvan and Janapadi. His twin sister Kripi married Drona, the weapons master to the court.
He fought in the great battle of Kurukshetra for the Kaurava side. Afterwards, he was appointed to be the teacher and preceptor of Parikshita, the grandson of Arjuna.
Maharishi Gautam had a son called Shardwan. Shardwan was born with arrows and was a born archer. He was from his early childhood, more interested in archery than in the study of the Vedas. He meditated and attained the art of all types of warfare. He was such a great archer that no one could defeat him. This created panic amongst the gods and specially Indra, the king of the gods felt the most threatened. He then sent a beautiful divine nymph from the heaven to distract the celibate saint. The nymph called Janpadi came to the saint and tried to seduce him in various ways. Shardwan was distracted and the sight of such a beautiful woman made him lose control. As he was a great saint he still managed to resist the temptation and controlled his desires. But his concentration was lost and he dropped his bow and arrows. His semen fell on some weeds by the wayside and divided the weeds into two from which a boy and a girl were born. The saint himself left the hermitage and his bow and arrow and went to the forest for penance. Coincidentally, King Shantanu, the great-grandfather of the Pandavas was crossing from there and saw the children by the wayside. One look at them and he realised that they were the children of a great archer Brahmin. He named them Kripa and Kripi and decided to take them back with him to his palace. When Shardwan came to know of this he came to the palace and revealed the identity of the children and performed the various rituals which are performed for the children of Brahmins. He also taught the children archery, Vedas and other shashtras and the secrets of the Universe. The children grew up to become experts in the art of warfare and this boy Kripa came to be known as Kripacharya who was now assigned the task of teaching the young princes all about warfare.

Vritra

Sloga for the day:

Shubham karothi kalyanam,

aarogyam, dhana sampadam,

Budhi vruddhi Shatru vinasaya,

deepa jyothi namo nama.

Salutations to the holy flame of the lamp,

As this bestows on me all that is good,

Health as well as wealth,

Increase my intelligence

And destroy all my enemies.

Story:

INDRA, the Lord of the three regions, was once so drunk with pride that he quite forgot the courteous manners and forms that the gods had hitherto observed.
When Brihaspati, preceptor of the gods, foremost in all branches of learning, and venerated alike by the gods and the asuras, came to his court, Indra did not rise from his seat to receive the acharya or ask him to be seated and failed to do the customary honors.
In his great conceit, Indra persuaded himself to believe that the sastras allowed him as a king in court the prerogative of receiving guests seated. Brihaspati was hurt by Indra's discourtesy and, attributing it to the arrogance of prosperity, silently left the assembly.
Without the high priest of the gods, the court lost in splendor and dignity and became an unimpressive gathering.
Indra soon realized the foolishness of his conduct and, sensing trouble for himself from the acharya's displeasure, he thought to make up with him by falling at his feet and asking for forgiveness.
But this he could not do, because Brihaspati had, in his anger, made himself invisible. This preyed on Indra's mind.
With Brihaspati gone, Indra's strength began to decline, while that of the asuras increased, which encouraged the latter to attack the gods. Then Brahma, taking pity on the beleaguered gods, advised them to take unto themselves a new acharya.
Said he to them: "You have, through Indra's folly, lost Brihaspati. Go now to Twashta's son Visvarupa and request that noble spirit to be your preceptor and all will be well with you."
Heartened by these words, the gods sought the youthful anchorite Visvarupa and made their request to him saying: "Though young in years, you are well versed in the Vedas. Do us the honor of being our teacher."
Visvarupa agreed, to the great advantage of the gods for, as a result of his guidance and teaching, they were saved from the tormenting asuras.
Visvarupa's, mother was of the asura clan of daityas, which caused Indra to regard Visvarupa with suspicion. He feared that because of his birth, Visvarupa might not be quite loyal and his suspicion gradually deepened.
Apprehending danger to himself from this descendent of the enemies of the gods, Indra sought to entice him into error with the temptresses of his court and so weaken him spiritually. But Visvarupa did not succumb.
The artful and seductive blandishments of Indra's glamour girls had no effect on the young ascetic. He held fast to his vow of celibacy. When Indra found that his plan of seduction failed, he gave way to murderous thoughts and one day killed Visvarupa with the Vajrayudha.
The story goes that the world suffers vicariously for this great sin of Indra. And, as a result of it, parts of the earth turned alkaline and became unsuitable for cultivation and women came to be afflicted with the physical troubles and uncleanness peculiar to them. The frothing of water is also attributed to this.
Twashta in his great rage and grief at Indra's cruel killing of his son and, desirous of avenging his death, performed a great sacrifice. And out of the sacrificial flames sprang Indra's mortal enemy Vritra.
Twashta sent him against the chief of the gods, saying: "Enemy of Indra, may you be strong and may you kill Indra." A great battle raged between the two in which Vritra was gaining the upper hand.
When the battle was going against Indra, the rishis and the gods sought refuge in great Vishnu who offered them protection and said to them: "Be not afraid. I shall enter Indra's Vajrayudha and he will win the battle in the end." And they returned in good heart.
They went to Vritra and said to him: "Please make friends with Indra. You are both equal in strength and valor."
Vritra respectfully answered: "O blameless ones, how can Indra, and I become friends? Forgive me. There cannot be friendship between rivals for supremacy. Two great powers cannot coexist as you know."
The rishis said in reply: "Do not entertain such doubts. Two good souls can be friends and their friendship is often after hostility."
Vritra yielded saying: "Well, then, I shall cease fighting. But I have no faith in Indra. He might take me unawares. So I seek this boon of you, namely, that neither by day nor by night, neither with dry weapons nor with wet ones, neither with stone nor with wood, nor with metals, nor with arrows shall Indra be able to take my life."
"So be it," said the rishis and the gods.
Hostilities ceased. But soon Vritra's fears were confirmed. Indra only feigned friendship for Vritra but was, all the time, waiting for a suitable opportunity to slay him.
One evening, he met Vritra on the beach and began to attack him in the twilight. The battle had raged for a long while when Vritra praising the Lord Vishnu, said to Indra: "Meanest of the mean, why do you not use the unfailing Vajrayudha? Hallowed by Hari, use it against me and I shall attain blessedness through Hari."
Indra maimed Vritra by chopping off his right arm but, undaunted, the latter hurled with his left band, his iron mace at his assailant who thereupon cut down his other arm also. When Indra disappeared into the mouth of Vritra, great was the consternation of the gods.
But Indra was not dead. He ripped Vritra's belly open and issuing forth went to the nearby beach. And directing his thunderbolt at the water hurled it so that the surf flew and hit Vritra. Vishnu having entered the foam, it became a deadly weapon and the mighty Vritra lay dead. The long battle thus ended and the afflicted world heaved a sigh of relief. But to Indra himself, the end of the war brought only ignominy because his victory was secured through sin and deceit and is went into hiding for sheer shame.
Indra's disappearance caused the gods and the rishis great distress. For a people without a king or a council of state to govern them cannot prosper. So they went to the good and mighty king Nahusha and offered him the crown.
"Forgive me, I cannot be your king. Who am I to aspire to the seat of Indra? How can I protect you? It is impossible," he humbly objected. But they insisted, saying: "Do not hesitate. Be anointed our king. All the merit and potency of our penance will be yours and be an addition to your strength. The power and the energy of everyone you set your eyes on shall be transferred to you and you will be invincible." Thus over-powered, he agreed. Revolution is no new thing. This story shows that, even in the world of the gods, there was a revolution leading to Indra's dethronement and Nahusha's installation as king in his stead. The story of Nahusha's fall is also instructive.

Sage and the Mouse

Sloga for the day:

Manojavam marutha thulya vegam,

Jithendriyam budhimatham varishtam,

Vathathmajam vanara Dhootha mukyam,

Sree rama dhootham sirasa namami

Bow my head before,

The servant of Lord Sri Rama,

Who is faster than mind,Who is as fast as the wind,

Who has won over his wishes,Who is wisest among the learned,

Who is son of God of wind,

And who is the chief emissary among monkeys.

Story:

Once upon a time, there lived a Sage on the banks of a river. The sage and his wife didn’t bear any children. They were unhappy about this fact of their life. One day, when the sage was engaged in penance, a kite dropped a she-mouse and it happened to fall in the lap of the Sage. The Sage thought that the God might have sent this mouse to him. He thought that if he would take the mouse to his home, people would laugh at him. So he decided to change the mouse into a girl. The Sage brought the girl to his home. On seeing the Girl, the Sage’s wife asked, “Who is she? From where did you bring this girl?” The Sage narrated to her the whole story and said, “I would bring her back to her original form”. The Sage’s wife stopped him instantly and said, “I beg of you. Please don’t change her into a mouse. You have given her life so you have become her father. Since you are her father, I am her mother. God must have sent her to us because we don’t bear any children”.The Sage accepted the request of his wife. They started bringing up the Girl child as their own daughter. Soon the Girl grew into a beautiful maiden. By the age of sixteen, the Sage’s wife decided to get her daughter married. She asked her husband to find a suitable match for their daughter. The Sage liked the idea and suggested that the Sun God would make the best match for their daughter. The wife agreed upon this and the Sage prayed to the Sun God to appear. When the Sun God appeared, the Sage asked him to marry his daughter. But the Girl refused the idea and said, “Sorry! I can’t marry the Sun God as he is burning hot. I will be reduced to ashes in his warmth and light”. The Sage got disappointed to hear this from the Girl. He asked the Sun God if he could suggest a groom for his daughter. The Sun God said, “The Lord of Clouds could make a good match for her, as he is the only one, who can easily stop the rays of the Sun”. The Sage then prayed to the Lord of Clouds to appear and asked him to marry his daughter. But the Girl once again rejected the proposal and said, “I don’t want to marry a dark person like him. Besides this, I am terrified of the thunder he generates”. The Sage was disheartened once again and asked the Lord of Clouds if he could suggest a possible groom. The Lord of Clouds said, “Wind God can make a possible match for her as he can easily blow me away”.The Sage then prayed to the Wind God to appear and asked him to marry his daughter. The Daughter declined the idea and said, “I can’t marry a frail person like the Wind God who is always stirring”. Once again the sage got sad and asked the Wind God to give some suggestion. The Wind God replied, “Lord of Mountain is solid and can stop the hard blows of wind easily. He can make a suitable match for your daughter”. As per the kind suggestion made by the Wind God, the Sage went to the Lord of Mountain and asked him to marry his daughter. But the Girl once again declined the proposal and said, “I can’t marry the Lord of Mountain because he is too cold-hearted”. She asked the Sage to find a softer groom for her. The Sage sought Mountain Lord’s suggestion for the same. The Mountain Lord replied,”A mouse will make a perfect match for her as he is soft and can easily make holes in the mountain”.The daughter approved the idea of marrying a he-mouse. Moreover, she was pleased at this proposal. The Sage said, “This is destiny. You came as a mouse and you were fated to marry a mouse”. Saying this, the Sage converted the Girl back to a female mouse. The female mouse got married to a male mouse and lived happily thereafter.

Moral: Destiny cannot be changed.

Yama Kumar

Sloga for the day:

Vasu deva sutham devam

Kamsa Chanura mardhanam,

Devaki pramanandam

Krishnam vande jagat gurum

My salutations to Lord Krishna,

Who is the teacher of the entire world,

Who is the son of Vasu deva,

Who killed Kamsa and Chanura,

And who is the darling of Devaki

Story:

Once upon a time Yama, the god of death, fell in love with a mortal woman. He disguised himself as a mortal man and won her hand. As she was mortal, he lived with her on earth rather than taking her to his underworld kingdom, Yamapuri. But it was not long before he discovered that the wife he had chosen was shrewish and quarrelsome.She became even worse after she bore him a son. The son was named Yama Kumar. Yama frequently disagreed with his mortal wife over Yama Kumar’s upbringing, but she argued so violently with him that in the end Yama agreed to whatever she saidFinally, Yama couldn't bear her bad temper any more and returned to his kingdom. From there he kept an eye on his son whom he loved very much. Unfortunately, his wife was unable to raise the boy properly and he grew up without learning anything to make a living for himself.One night Yama appeared before his son and promised him the gift of healing if Yama Kumar work very hard and learn about medicinal herbs and plants. The young man gratefully accepted his father’s gift. After some time, the young man became a qualified doctor."I am proud of you, my son," Yama said, "Now any time you approach a patient, if you see me sitting at the patient’s head, that means the patient will die. Then you should refuse to treat that patient."The boy followed his father’s instructions and soon became widely known for his excellent diagnosis and treatment.Some years later, the princess became very ill. Royal physicians came from far and near to cure her but they were all unsuccessful. The princess grew weaker and weaker. The king’s courtiers then told the king about Yama Kumar. The king decided to let Yama Kumar try to cure the princess.Yama Kumar was thrilled at the opportunity to compete with the royal physicians. But as he approached the princess’ bed he was dismayed to see his father sitting there. "Oh father!" Yama pleaded, "Please spare her life! She is so young and beautiful. Must you take her life away now?" Yama loved his son very much and wanted to let the princess live, but he was also duty bound to take her. Finally he agreed to let her live for just three more days.Thanking his father, Yama turned to the king and queen who could not see or hear the conversation between father and son."Your majesties, your daughter is very ill" Yama Kumar told them. "I think she may have only three days of life left. However, if she outlives these, she will live to a ripe old age." Saying this he sat down beside her and thought hard of a plan to save her life. Yama Kumar never left the princess’ bedsideFinally, on the third day, he saw his father approaching from a distance. Before Yama could reach the princess, Yama Kumar slyly called out, "Oh mother! How nice of you to come to see father!"Upon hearing his son’s words, Yama immediately fled before he could even reach the princess’ bedside. Yama’s sense of duty could not overcome his fear of his shrewish wife! Yama Kumar’s trick had worked!As soon as Yama left, the color began to return miraculously to the princess’ cheeks. After a week had passed, Yama Kumar announced to the king that his daughter was cured.So happy were the king and the queen that they married the young man to their daughter and the couple lived happily to a ripe old age.

Maharshi Dadhichi

Sloga for the day:

gurubra.rhmaa gururvishhNuH gururdevo maheshvaraH

guruH saakshaatparabrahma tasmai shrii guravenamaH

I bow to that Shri Guru, who embodies the presence of Brahma,

Vishnu the supreme, and Shiva. ( The Guru is the 'Master' or the Lord )

Story for the day:

One of the great virtues of mankind is helping the needy people. Many persons are considered brave for their virtue of giving away their wealth, knowledge and tried with all their might to uphold this virtue.Indian mythology gives many extraordinary instances many persons which preferred giving away their body parts and wealth in order to give more preference to "DAAN" and "Tyaag" as it is referred in Hindu Mythology tales. But Dadhichi rishi has risen high above them all for his own "Tyaag" and "Selflessness".
Following is the story of maharshi dadhichi and what he did because of wich he is considered and the most generous of all in the Ancient Hindu Mythology.
During a war between "Devata"(GODS) and the "Rakshas"(Demons).Demons had clearly dominated in the warfield and robbed the Devatas of their arms and weapons using some new black magic powers which were far behind the comprehension of the gods. The DEVATAS knew for sure that if they lose the rest of their weapons, no one could save their life. So in order to make sure that their weapons are safe , they went to the Sage Maharishi dadhichi who agreed to keep the weapons in his protection even neglecting the danger to his own life.
The "Rakshasas"(DEMONS) used all their might to rob those weapons and hurt Maharshi dachichi but in Vain. A long time passed and the gods didnt come to take away their weapons. Maharshi Dadhichi couldn't think of any way by which he could always have an eye on the weapons at all time. Finally, one day, with his divine powers, he put all the weapons in his sacred water pot and mixed them in the water and drank it. He was now free and could continue his regular penance undisturbed.
A short while after this, the Devatas returned and asked Dadhichi for their weapons.Dhadhichi Rishi replied,"I waited a long time for you to come and collect your weapons. i thought you wouldn't return back . So i drank them away".Devatas went on pleading "Maharshi, we are now in a position to fight with Rakshasas. If we do not have our weapons, we will not be in a position to fight with them and to save Dharma and the universe". Dadhichi thought about it calmly and was convinced that Devatas deserved help.
Their weapons were now more powerful than before. He said to Devatas "Alright, take your weapons back by killing me . They are presently in the form of my bones". Devatas refused to do so and said "We certainly do not want to commit the sin of killing a great Rishi like you. We can not afford to do this cruel thing"Now the weapons were inside the hermits body in form of flesh and bones and it was difficult to get them out. so he created a huge fire, entered into it and reduced his own body into flames. Devatas were in the state of bewilderment as they couldn't comprehend what was happening.Lord Brahma suddenly appeared and converted each of the bones into various powerful weapons and gave them to the Devatas. Dadhichi's back bone was made "THE VAJRA " and was given to Lord Indra with which he brought an end to the most powerful Rakshasas like Vritrasur.The power of the divine virtue and powerful soul made the weapons more Lethal than ever.This great sacrifice made his name flash in golden words whenever examples are given of sacifice and selfless attitude.

Banasura

Sloga for the day:

Govindethi sada snanam ,

Govindethi sada japam,

Govindethi sada dhyanam ,

sada Govinda keerthanam

Think of Govinda while taking bath,

Think about Govinda in your prayers,

Think about Govinda always,

And always sing the name of Govinda.

Story:

Banasura, a mighty demon once ruled over a large kingdom. So strong and fierce was his influence that all the kings and even some of the gods shuddered in front of his might. An ardent devotee of lord Shiva, Banasura once worshipped Shiva with great devotion. The god was so pleased with him that he promised to grant Banasura a boon. Banasura, in turn asked Shiva to come and guard the gates of his city.
Shiva was furious but he had to give in to Banasura's wish, as he had already given his word to him. Bana was not only pleased with his achievement, but with Shiva at his service, he became all the more arrogant. One day Banasura told Lord Shiva that he wanted to fight with somebody who was as strong and as mighty as him. "Yes, yes," replied Shiva. "You will certainly get the chance to fight. Whenever you see your flag-staff broken and the flag fallen down then you will know that the chance for a fight is coming." But Shiva also warned him, that he would be a great warrior who will curb Banasura's pride.
Banasura had a beautiful daughter named Usha, who had received many proposals for marriage but Bana had refused to get him married to anyone of them. Usha had a very clever and talented friend, Chitralekha, who was the daughter of Bana's minister. One night Usha dreamt of a handsome prince. She fell in love with him instantly. But on not finding the prince on waking up, she started crying for him and said that she would die without him. Chitralekha thought deeply over the matter. She knew that her friend had only been dreaming, but decided to help her on seeing Usha's pathetic condition.
She wrote down the names of all the gods, kings and princes whom Usha might have seen in her dream and started drawing portraits of each one of them. She drew Indira, Brahma and many other devas. But Usha refused them all. It was only when she drew the picture of Krishna's grandson Anirudha that Usha smiled and said that he was the prince who had come in her dreams.
At midnight, Chitralekha, then set out on her mission to search for the prince. With her magical powers she carried the sleeping Anirudha, out of Krishna's palace and brought him to Bana's city. The next morning, when Anirudha woke up in Usha's palace, he was surprised but at the same time enamored by the princess' beauty and expressed the desire to marry her. Usha immediately agreed to it, but when they went for Bana's consent, he not only refused but also put Anirudha in the prison.
Narada, meanwhile went and told Krishna about the whole event. When Krishna came to know about it, he knew that the only way to free his grandson was by waging a war against Banasura. So, Krishna gathered a large army and declared war on him by breaking his flagstaff.
Seeing the flagstaff broken Bana was overjoyed, as he knew the time for a fight had come. A terrible fight then ensued between the two till they met in a one to one battle. Krishna proved to be much more powerful and as he was about to kill Bana, Shiva came forward and requested Krishna to spare his live. Krishna accepted the request only on the condition that Bana would mend his ways and apologise to Shiva for his wrong doings. Bana realising his mistake apologized to both Shiva and Krishna. Krishna then graciously accepted Usha as his grand daughter-in-law and married Anirudha to her.

Key to Heaven

Sloga of the day:in Praise of the sun

Japaa Kusumasankasham Kasyapeyam Maha Dhyuthim
Tamognam Sarvapaapghnam Pranatosmi Divakaram

My salutations to the Sun,
Who is like the flower of meditation,
Who belongs to the clan of Kashyapa,
Who is of greatest brilliance,
Who is the destroyer of darkness,
And who is the destroyer of all sins.

Story of the day:

The villagers were delighted. A sadhu who performed miracles, had come to their village. Every morning and evening they would gather at the temple with specially prepared delicacies as offerings to the sadhu.When Tenali Raman heard of this, he smelt a rat. He went to the temple and sat near the holy man. The sadhu began reciting shlokas. To Raman’s surprise, he went on repeating the same shloka over and over again.Raman realised that he was a fraud. Suddenly, he leaned forward and plucked a strand of hair from the sadhu’s beard.“I have the key to Heaven!” he shouted triumphantly. The villagers looked startled.“This sadhu is so great that if I keep the hair from his beard with me, I will be blessed forever!” said Raman.Immediately there was a scramble as the villagers rushed to get hold of a hair from the sadhu’s beard. The frightened sadhu ran for his life and was never heard of again.

Sage Agasthiyar

Sloga for the day:This prayer is said before going to bed

Achyutham, Kesavam,

Vishnum,Somam,

Janardhanam,Hamsam

Krishnam,Narayanam, Jayethu

Duswapna nasaye

Victory to Achyutha, Kesava,

Vishnu,Soma,

Janardhana, HamsaKrishna and Narayana

Please do not show me any bad dreams

Story:

Sage Agasthiyar was born about 4573 years prior to the commencement of Kali Yuga at a place in Gujarat. His father Bhargava (Savithru – one of the 14 Adithyas) was well learned while his mother Indumathi was from Punjab on the banks of the Indus River. They were both devotees of the Pasupatha order of the sage Rishabha Muni.

Sage Agasthya was supposed to be one of the very learned sages of his time. Nothing much is known as to who were his Guru etc. In many Puranas, he is being taught by Sage Hayagreeva, who was one of the incarnations of Vishnu. In fact the great Lalitha Sahasranama Stotram and Lalitha Trishathi were taught to him by Sage Hayagreeva at the express orders of Goddess Lalitha Tripura Sundari to Sage Hayagreeva. Sage Drona who was a teacher of Pandavas learned the art of war from his Guru Agni Vesa, who himself is supposed to have learnt it from Sage Agasthya. Sage Agasthya was the one who is credited to have written the first book of grammar of the Tamil language. He also has been credited to have found and popularized the Sidha system of medicine in Tamil Nadu. He is also supposed to be the founder of the Nadi astrology of Tamil Nadu. The Keralites claim, that he was the one who was responsible for teaching them the martial art of Kalari Payittu.
MarriageOne day Sage Agasthya was traveling through the forest and his Pithru devathas (Manes) were found hanging upside down on forest trees. When he asked them, why this fate came to them, they replied, that since Agasthya did not have a son, they were forced to undergo this type of suffering. Agasthya promised them that he would get married. He collected all that is good from every being on earth and created a baby girl. At that time the king of Vidharbha was doing great penance to get a child .Agasthya presented the king with the baby he had created. She was named as Lopa Mudhra and brought up under great luxurious circumstances. When she reached marriageable age, Agasthya requested her hand in marriage from the king of Vidharbha. Though the king was terribly afraid of the sage, he indicated to him, that he is not willing to give his daughter in marriage to him. But Lopa Mudhra, told her father that she wanted to marry Agasthya. Since he used to walk on forests and mountains, wanting not to trouble his wife, Agasthya used to give her a micro form and carry her in his pitcher. Due to the wish of Lord Shiva, Agasthya traveled south and settled down there. Due to the very odorous journey that he had to undertake, Lord Shiva gave a boon to Agasthya that his pitcher would be full of water always. At that time, the South India was extremely dry with small streams which were seasonal. Once when Agasthya had gone to take bath and Lord Ganesa took the form of a crow and overturned Agasthya’s pitcher. Lopa Mudhra along with the perennial water from the pitcher turned in to the mighty river Kaveri, which is perennial. She was called Kaveri because she was spread by a crow [Kaa (crow) Viri (spread)].

The greatest mountain in India always was Maha Meru , which literally touches the sky. The Sun and Moon were supposed to go round that mountain. The Vindhya ranges which are in the middle of India got very jealous of this state of affairs and started growing taller and taller. A stage came when the Sun and the moon were not able to travel to the South. So Indra requested Agasthya to do some thing about it. It was at this time that Lord Shiva decided to marry Goddess Parvathi. People all over the world started traveling to Himalayas to attend Lord Shiva’s marriage. Due to this earth started tilting north wards. God Shiva had to stop this so he requested Sage Agasthya (whom he thought as equal to all people on earth) to travel towards the south, so that the great penance he did will balance the earth. Unwillingly Sage Agasthya traveled to south. On his way he was forced to cross the Vindhya mountain which was extremely tall. Sage Agasthya requested the Vindhya Mountain to become tiny so that he can easily cross it. The Vindhyas acceded to the request of sage Agasthya. Sage Agasthya requested the mountain to be tiny till he came back to North. The mountain agreed to this also. But sage Agasthya settled in south of India and never went back.

The Story of Ashtavakra

The sloga for the day:
Shivam shivakaram, shantham,
shivathmanam, Shivothamam,
Shivamarga pranetharam,
pranamai sada shivam.



Salutations to the God who is peaceful,
Who lives in peace, Who creates peace,
Who is peace itself,Who is the soul of peace,
Who is greatest peace,
And who shows the path of Peace.
Story:

Long ago, there was a learned Rishi of the name of Uddalaka, who was famous for his knowledge of the Vedas and scriptures. Many students learned under him. One of this disciples was Kahoda, who pleased his Guru exceedingly with his devotion. So much impressed was Uddalaka, that upon Kahoda finishing his studies, he gave him is only daugter Sujata in marriage. Even after the marriage, the couple continued to reside in the hermitage of of Uddalaka, where Kahoda assisted his father-in-law in teaching.
In due course of time, Sujata became pregnant. She was in the habbit of sitting near her father and husband while they were teaching. Her unborn child attained mastery over the Vedas by listening to his grandfather expound them. Kahoda was not equally skilled as his Guru, however, and made a number of mistakes while reciting the scriptures. Unable to bear these errors, the child started correcting them from his mother's womb! Humiliated before his disciples, Kahoda cursed his son, saying, "As you insulted your father, may you be born with eight bends in your body!". Accordingly, the child was born with his body crooked in eight places, and was named Ashtavakra (one with eight deformations). Around the time Ashtavakra was born, his father was invited to argue with the great philosopher, Bandi. In those days, philosophical arguments were commonplace and the best were invited to argue in the presence of the monarch Janaka. Bandi was supposedly the son of Varuna - the Lord of all water bodies - and was sent incognito to land to get rishes, or sages, to conduct a ritual that his father wanted to perform. Bandi was well known as a philosopher and easily defeated Kahoda. As per the rules of the contest, Bandi's victims had to 'drown' themselves in the river nearby (Ganges?). Nobody knew of Bandi's real identity or his intention in demanding that his victims should submerge in the river. Kahoda, too, lost the argument and had to submerge himself in the river. Ashtavakra was therefore raised by Uddalaka and his disciples and within a short time mastered everything that was expected of a 'Brahmin'. Uddalaka and his disciples took pains to see that Ashtavakra was always kept in the dark about the fate of his father. However, Ashtavakra came to know the truth when his young uncle, Shwetaketu advertently, blurted out that the person who Ashtavakra thought was his father, was, in fact, not his father. Ashtavakra then demanded the truth from his mother and decided to confront Bandi and defeat him in an argument.
Ashtavakra then made his way to the King's palace and presented himself as a challenger. The kind-hearted King could not bear the thought of someone so young losing to Bandi and meeting the same fate as countless other Brahmins and tried to dissuade the young boy. Ashtavakra, was, however adamant, and after an initial test, Janaka decided to let him face Bandi. Ashtavakra won the argument and demanded that Bandi restore to life all the sages and Brahmins he had forced to be drowned. One of the conditions of the contest was that if Bandi loses he would grant any wish of his vanquisher. By this time, Varuna's ritual was also complete and he had rewarded all the sages and Brahmins and so when Bandi was defeated, he revealed his true identity and the reason behind the 'drowning' of his victims. At Bandi's request, Varuna bade the sages and Brahmins farewell and brought them to surface. Kahoda was extremely pleased with his son's intelligence and knowledge.
Later Ashtavakra grew into a spiritually advanced rishi and realised Atman. He went to Mithila and instructed King Janaka about the concept of Atman. These teachings form the content of the Ashtavakra Gita or Ashtavakra Samhita as it is sometimes called.

The Story of Barbarika

Sloga for the day:
The prayer to the sun god :

Japaa Kusumasankasham Kasyapeyam Maha Dhyuthim
Tamognam Sarvapaapghnam Pranatosmi Divakaram

My salutations to the Sun,
Who is like the flower of meditation,
Who belongs to the clan of Kashyapa,
Who is of greatest brilliance,
Who is the destroyer of darkness,
And who is the destroyer of all sins.


Story:

In the Mahabharata, Barbarika was the son of Ghatotkacha and Maurvi, daughter of Muru, a Yadava king. That makes him the grandson of Bhima.
Barbarika was originally a yaksha, and was reborn as a man.
He wanted to fight on the Pandava side, but he was forced to stick to his principle of always fighting on behalf of the losing side.
He learnt the art of warfare from his mother. Shiva, pleased with him, gave him the three infallible arrows. Hence, Barbarika came to be known by the appellation Teen Baandhaari, the 'Bearer of Three Arrows.' Later, Agni (the God of Fire) gave him the Bow that would make him victorious in the three worlds.
The omnipresent Krishna, disguised as a Brahmin, stopped Barbarika to examine his strength. He baited Barbarika by mocking him for going to the great battle with only three arrows. On this, Barbarika replied that a single arrow was enough to destroy all his opponents in the war, and it would then return to his quiver. If all the three were used, it would create havoc in the three worlds. Krishna challenged him to tie all the leaves of the peepal tree under which he was standing, with one arrow. Barbarika accepted the challenge, removed one arrow from his quiver and released it from his bow. The arrow tied all the leaves together within moments. However, Krishna had held one leaf under his foot, and the arrow started revolving around it. Krishna then asked the boy whom he would favour in the war. Barbarika revealed that he intended to fight for whichever side appeared set to lose. Krishna knew that the defeat of the Kauravas was inevitable. He judged that if this brave boy joins their side, the result would then tilt in their favour.
The Brahmin (Krishna) then sought charity from the warrior. Barbarika promised him anything he wished. Krishna asked him to give his head in charity. Barbarika was shocked. Perceiving that all was not as it appeared, he requested the Brahmin to disclose his real identity. Krishna showed Barbarika a vision of His Divine Form and Barbarika was thus graced. Krishna then explained to him that before a battle, the head of the bravest Kshatriya needs to be sacrificed, in order to worship/sanctify the battlefield. Krishna said that he considered Barbarika to be the bravest among Kshatriyas, and was hence asking for his head in charity. In fulfilment of his promise, and in compliance with the Lord's command, Barbarika gave his head to Krishna in charity. This happened on the 12th day of the Shukla Paksha (bright half) of the month of Phalguna.
Krishna, pleased with Barbarika's great sacrifice, granted him the boon that when Kaliyuga descends, he would be worshipped by the name of Shyam in his form. His devotees would be blessed just by pronouncing his name from the bottom of their hearts.
Before decapitating himself, Barbarika told Krishna of his great desire to view the forthcoming battle, and requested him to facilitate it. Krishna agreed, and placed the head atop a hill overlooking the battlefield. From the hill, the head of Barbarika watched the whole battle.
At the end of the battle, the victorious Pandava brothers argued amongst themselves as to who was responsible for the victory. Krishna suggested that Barbarika's head, which had watched the whole battle, should be allowed to judge. Barbarika's head suggested that it was Krishna alone who was responsible for the victory: his advice, his presence, his gameplan had been crucial. Barbarika's head said that he had seen the Sudarshana Chakra revolving around the battlefield, hacking the Kaurava army to pieces; and Draupadi, assuming the fearful form of Mahakali Durga, drinking bowl after bowl of blood without allowing even one drop of blood to fall on the earth.

The Story of Aruni and sage Dhoumya

The sloga for the day:
Adhi Lakshmi namosthesthu,
Para brahma swaroopini,
Yaso dehi, danam dehi,
Sarva Kamamscha dehi mey.

I salute Adhi Lakshmi,
Who is personification of eternal truth.
Please give me fame, give me wealth,
And also fulfill all my desires.

Story:

This story is taken from Mahabharata that illustrates the special relationship that ought to exist between the teacher (guru) and disciple (shishya). In this story, the faith of the student in his teacher is matched by the teacher's perception of his pupil's abilities.
Aruni of Panchala was a dedicated student of the ancient sage Dhoumya. In the days of yore, a student had to stay with the teacher and help in the teacher’s daily chores in order to receive the knowledge he sought.
It was a day of cold winter. Aruni was carrying the firewood he had collected for the sage's household. As he was passing by a field, which belonged to the sage, he noticed a breach in the embankment that was holding water in his teacher's field. He realized that the water would seep away and the field’s crops would die with no water.
"What should I do? If I stop to build the embankment I will be delayed and there is no firewood at the hermitage to keep the place warm. I better rush to the hermitage with the firewood and then come back to take care of the breach."
Meanwhile the sage and his disciples had assembled for the day's lesson. Aruni was missing.
Soon Aruni rushed in, dropped the firewood in the courtyard, and informed the teacher about the breach of the embankment. Then he quickly rushed out.
Sage Dhoumya felt proud of his disciple, "It is hard to get such a responsible disciple."
Aruni ran all the way back to the troubled spot and tried to stop the leakage of water by putting some logs and mud. However, this did not stop the leak. The heavy pressure of water washed away the dam Aruni made. He felt helpless. It seemed impossible for him to stop the leakage without help. He thought for a while and then made a plan.
It was getting dark and the teacher became worried. He called his disciples and set out looking for Aruni. As he called out for Aruni, he heard a faint voice, "Here I am master!"
The teacher and his disciples rushed to the spot and saw Aruni lying on the breach, in order to hold the water in the field. The disciples quickly pulled Aruni out from the freezing water. He was repeatedly muttering, "The water is flowing out, the crops will die ---."
"Don't worry Aruni! We will take care of the breach," said the disciples.
"Never mind my son! You are more precious than the crop," said the teacher.
Aruni was covered in a blanket and brought home. Sage Dhoumya himself tended to Aruni. The sage then blessed his disciple with pride, "You shall, forever, be renowned for your unmatched devotion and obedience to your guru.

Story of Shikhandi

Sloga for the day:

Karagre vasathu Lakshmi,

Karamadhye Saraswathi,

Karamoole sthitha Gowri,

Prabhate Kara Darshanam.

Lakshmi lives in the tip of my palm,

Saraswathi lives in its middle,

And Gowri lives at its base,

So I see my palm in the early morning

Story:

Amba was the eldest daughter of King of Kashi in the Hindu epic of the Mahabharata.
Along with her sisters Ambika and Ambalika, she was taken by force by Bhishma from their Swayamvara. (Bhishma challenged the assembled Kings and Princes and defeated them.) He presented them to Satyavati for marriage to Vichitravirya, the king of Hastinapura.
Vichitravirya married only her sisters and rejected Amba since she had already given her heart to another. When Amba went to see her beloved, he rejected her as well in shame of losing the combat against Bhishma at the Swayamvara. Amba then returned to Bhishma and demanded that he marry her. He declined since he had already taken a vow of bachelorhood. Enraged that she was going to be an unmarriageable women, she swore to kill him, at least in her next life, and died.
She was re-born as Shikhandi the son of Drupada. In the battle of Kurukshetra, Shikhandi was instrumental in Bhishma's death.

Vasus and their curse

Today's sloga:
Adithya hrudayam punyam, sarva sathru vinasanam,
Jayavaham japen nithyam akshayyam paramam shubham.
This is the prayer called “the heart of the sun”.
Which is holy , destroys all enemies,
Which leads to victory,
And by reciting which daily,
Leads you to perennial state of good.
Sarva mangala mangalyam, sarva papa pranasanam,
Chinthasoka prasamanam, ayur vardhanamuthamam.
This prayer great gives all that is good,
Destroys all sins committed,
Acts as an antidote for sorrow and thought,
And also leads to very long life.

Story:

Vasishta, the son of Varuna was a great sage. (This account is different from the one that makes him the wish-born son of Lord Brahma). He had his hermitage on Mount Meru, and this spot was very beautiful and secluded. He possessed a cow called Nandini, which was the daughter of Surabhi, by the sage Kashyapa. (Here, Surabhi is probably Kamadhenu). This cow, like her mother, was capable of yielding great riches to its possessor. It was in the habit of roaming the woods near the hermitage of the Rishi.
One day, the celestial Vasus came to this spot, accompanied by their wives. They were eight brothers, who normally lived in the heaven. When one of the ladies beheld Nandini, the cow of plenty, she became desirous of possessing it. She said to her husband Dyu, "My Lord, I wish to obtain this cow for my friend. My friend Jitavati, the daughter of the sage Usinara, is mortal. By drinking the milk from this cow regularly, she will be free from disease and decrepitude. Get this cow for me."
Now the Vasu knew that the cow belonged to the Rishi. So he tried to persuade his wife to forget about the cow, for the Rishi would not part with it under any circumstances. However, unable to bear the nagging of his wife, he ultimately decided to carry the cow away by force. Assisted by his brothers, he took the cow away to his home.
Rishi Vasishta had been away from his hermitage at this time. When he got back, he was surprised to see that his cow had not returned, long past its usual time. He searched the nearby woods and saw no sign of the cow. He then used his Yogic power and divined all that had taken place. He then cursed the Vasus, saying, "Since in their arrogance the Vasus have committed the sin of stealing a Brahmana's property, may they be born on earth and suffer a mortal's fate!".
When the Vasu's came to know of the Rishi's curse, they became penitent, and begged the Rishi to save them from his curse. At last, the sage relented. He said, "My curse cannot be completely stayed. The seven of you who have merely obeyed your brother's orders, shall not have to suffer the mortal fate for long. However, Dyu, who is really the author of this mischief, will have to suffer his curse for a long time. However, he shall be an illustrious warrior, and will not have any children."
Later, when King Mahabhishak was cursed by Lord Brahma to be born as King Shantanu, and it became known that the Goddess Ganga will be his wife, the Vasu's begged her to be their mother in their mortal incarnation. They were the seven children drowned by Ganga when she was the wife of King Shantanu. The eighth child was the incarnation of Dyu, and he came to be known as Bhishma. After a long life, full of sorrows towards its end, he returned to heaven after his death at the battlefield of Kurukshetra.

Snake Sacrifice

This great mantra is taken from Taithreeya Aranyakam of Yajur
Veda.It explains the importance of water in this universe.
Yopam puspam veda
Puspavan prajavan pasuvan bhavati
Candramava Apam puspam
Puspavan, Prajavan pasuman bhavati
Ya Evam Veda
Yopa mayatanam Veda
Ayatanam bhavati.
He who understands the flowers of water,
He becomes the possessor of flowers, children and cattle.
Moon is the flower of the water,
He who understands this fact,
He becomes the possessor of flowers, children and cattle.
He who knows the source of water,
Becomes established in himself.

Story from the great epic:

King Janamejaya the son of King Parikshit was the king of the Kurus, ruling from Hastinapura. One day, a Brahmana named Utanka (whose story is narrated here), came to his court. The king received him graciously, and asked him if there was something he could do for him.
Utanka said, "You amaze me King Janamejaya. When the murderer of your father is roaming around free, you sit at ease in your court and enjoy the the comforts of a King. You have acquired fame as a just King, but I see no evidence of it. You have not even addressed this great injustice to your father!" not addressed this great injustice done to you."
Janamejaya was surprised. He turned to his counsellors and sad, "What is this about my father's murder. I was but a child when he passed away, I know not of the circumstances behind his death. I would like to know if he was killed unjustly, and if so, who the culprit is."
The courtiers said, "Your father Parikshit ruled the kingdom after the Pandavas and ruled for a long time truthfully. He was popular among his subjects and was a terror to his enemies. He was killed by Takshaka, the king of the serpents, pursuant to a curse by the son of a Rishi(sage). (You can read that story here.) What Utanka has said is true, Takshaka, the murderer of your father still roams free.
When Janamejaya heard these words, he was rendered speechless for a while due to anger. Once he regained control over himself he said to Utanka, "O Brahmana, I thank you. You have brought this great injustice to my attention. I must revenge myself on this arrogant Takshaka at once. Tell me, what is the means by which I might accomplish this task?"
Utanka replied, "Takshaka is the friend of Indra. Under Indra's protection, he feels safe from retribution, so his conceit has grown boundless. However, there is a great sacrifice mentioned in the Puranas. It is the snake-sacrifice. When this sacrifice is conducted, the snakes that are named by the Mantras (incantations) will be rendered powerless and be impelled to fall into the sacrificial fire. Make arrangements to conduct this sacrifice. I shall assist you, for Takshaka has caused trouble for me also. He once stole the ear-rings that I was taking for my Guru Veda's wife. I had to face many difficulties in recovering them. So both our wishes may be accomplished by this sacrifice."
King Janamejaya then made arrangements for this sacrifice. He invited the greatest sages and priests to conduct this sacrifice. This was a truly great undertaking, for the rituals for this sacrifice were arduous, and had to be exactly followed, if the sacrifice was to bear foot. A suitable spot was chosen and the great sacrificial hall was constructed. A platform was raised in its midst and was decked with valuable articles. This was were the Brahmanas were to sit. The Ritwika (officiating priest) sat in its middle. The king also underwent the rituals that will purify him to participate in the sacrifice.
While these preparations were on, a Shudra named Lohitaksha, who was well versed in the art of sacrificial construction, examined the measurements of the hall, the type of soil on which its foundation had been laid, and said, "O King, I perceive from these signs that your sacrifice will not be completed. The omens portend that this sacrifice shall be stopped due to the intervention of a Brahmana."
This made King Janamejaya recall an incident where his brothers had beaten a small dog for fun in times gone by. The mother of that puppy, a divine bitch named Sarama, came to Janamejaya and asked him, "What was the crime committed by my son that you had him beaten? Did he lick the sacrificial offerings? Did he try to steal the sacrificial butter? Why did your brothers beat him?". The King knew that his brothers had done it merely for sport, so he hung his head in shame. Then the dog Sarama had cursed him saying, "Since your brothers have tortured my faultless pup, may the greatest undertaking that you begin, remain incomplete!".
The King recalled this curse and became very worried when he was told by the expert builder that this sacrifice would be incomplete. He then gave orders to his guards that no one was let into the sacrificial hall without his permission.
The great sacrifice began. The officiating priests were clad in black, for this was a Yagna directed towards destruction. As they chanted the appropriate Mantras and poured the clarified butter into the fire, snakes, impelled by the power of these incantations, started converging from all over the world. There were snakes of all shapes and sizes, some of them were as large as buildings, some as small as insects. As the priests called each snake by name and uttered the fatal words, "may so and so fall into fire", that snake would meet its fiery end into the sacrificial fire.
Many great Brahmanas were involved in the conduct of this sacrifice. A great Rishi named Chandabhargava, who was a descendant of Chyavana was the Hotri (I believe it is the Hotri who pours out the sacrificial oblations into the fire). A learned old Brahmana named Kautsa was the Udgatri (chanter of vedic hymns). A sage named Jaimini acted as the Brahmana (I believe this is the master of the sacrifice) and Sarngarva and Pingala were the Adhvaryus (no idea what this means). Vyasa was present with many of his disciples, and was generally supervising the conduct of the sacrifice. His students were chanting the name of the Lord. Many other great Brahmanas were present to observe the conduct of this magnificent sacrifice.
The sacrifice continued for days. Snakes were perishing in the flames in thousands. At this point, a Brahmana named Astika came to visit the sacrifice. The sacrifice was nearing completion. The King welcomed his guest and said, "O Brahmana, despite your relative youth, your very being is radiating with knowledge. I have sworn to grant whatever a Brahmana desires. Ask what you will."
At this time, the chief priest intervened and said, "O King, the sacrifice is not yet complete. Takshaka, whose destruction you desired, is still alive. Wait till he is falling to the fire, before you begin giving gifts to Brahmanas."
Janamejaya said, "Why is it that Takshaka is still alive? Invoke the Mantra with his name and make him fall into the fire."
The priests uttered the appropriate incantations, but nothing happened. They then looked at the omens in the air, and used their spiritual power to divine the cause. Finally, the head priest said, "O King, Takshaka has sought asylum from Indra. The Lord of the Devas is protecting him in his palace, that is why our Mantras have not worked."
The king said, "Then utter the Mantra in such a way that Takshaka may be impelled to fall into this fire, even though Indra has given him sanctuary."
The chief priest then invoked a powerful Mantra and said, "May Takshaka fall into this fire, accompanied by Indra."
Such was the potency of the invocation, that both Indra and Takshaka started falling into the sacrificial fire, bound to each other. When Indra saw that his friend's fate was inevitable, he let go of Takshaka and decided to save himself. Takshaka then started falling alone into the fire.
At this moment, Astika said, "STAY! Takshaka may your fall be arrested!". He then turned to the King and said, "This is the boon that I seek of you. May you stop the sacrifice at this time. You have already killed millions of snakes in revenge for your father's death. I am a Brahmana, but my mother Jaratkaru, is the sister of Vasuki, the foremost of the serpents. She sent me here to stop your sacrifice and to save her kinsmen. Even Lord Brahma desires that you should remain content with slaying so many evil snakes. The snakes that are left still (excluding of course, this vain Takshaka), are virtuous and not deserving to be destroyed. Your glory will only increase if spare their lives."
King Janamejaya demurred. At this point Vyasa spoke to him, and advised him to grant Astika's request. Thus advised by the sage for whom he had so much respect, the King gave orders for the sacrifice to end.
The King then bestowed great riches upon Astika and all the priests who had conducted the sacrifice. He gave special honor and a great amount of wealth to Lohitaksha, the master builder who had foretold that the sacrifice would be stopped by a Brahmana.
This is the story of the great snake sacrifice conducted by King Janamejaya. The tradition is that whoever hears this story will have nothing to fear from snakes.