God Shiva

Mahashivaratri Festival or the ‘The Night of Shiva’ is celebrated with devotion and religious fervor in honor of Lord Shiva, one of the deities of Hindu Trinity. Shivaratri falls on the moonless 14th night of the new moon in the Hindu month of Phalgun, which corresponds to the month of February - March in English Calendar. Celebrating the festival of Shivaratri devotees observe day and night fast and perform ritual worship of Shiva Lingam to appease Lord Shiva.

Legends of Mahashivratri
There are various interesting legends related to the festival of Maha Shivaratri. According to one of the most popular legends, Shivaratri marks the wedding day of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Some believe that it was on the auspicious night of Shivaratri that Lord Shiva performed the‘Tandava’, the dance of the primal creation, preservation and destruction. Another popular Shivratri legend stated in Linga Purana states that it was on Shivaratri that Lord Shiva manifested himself in the form of a Linga. Hence the day is considered to be extremely auspicious by Shiva devotees and they celebrate it asMahashivaratri - the grand night of Shiva.

Traditions and Customs of Shivaratri
Various traditions and customs related to Shivaratri Festival are dutifully followed by the worshippers of Lord Shiva. Devotees observe strict fast in honor of Shiva, though many go on a diet of fruits and milk some do not consume even a drop of water. Devotees strongly believe that sincere worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri, absolves a person of sins and liberates him from the cycle of birth and death. Shivaratri is considered especially auspicious for women. While married women pray for the well being of their husbands unmarried women pray for a husband like Lord Shiva, who is regarded as the ideal husband.

To mark the Shivratri festival, devotees wake up early and take a ritual bath, preferably in river Ganga. After wearing fresh new clothes devotees visit the nearest Shiva temple to give ritual bath to the Shiva Lingum with milk, honey, water etc.

On Shivaratri, worship of Lord Shiva continues all through the day and night. Every three hours priests perform ritual pooja of Shivalingam by bathing it with milk, yoghurt, honey, ghee, sugar and water amidst the chanting of “Om Namah Shivaya’ and ringing of temple bells. Nightlong vigil or jaagran is also observed in Shiva temples where large number of devotees spend the night singing hymns and devotional songs in praise of Lord Shiva. It is only on the following morning that devotee break their fast by partaking prasad .

Goddess Saraswati

Yaa Kundendu tushaara haaradhavalaa, Yaa shubhravastraavritha|

Yaa veenavara dandamanditakara, Yaa shwetha padmaasana||

Yaa brahmaachyutha shankara prabhritibhir Devaisadaa Vanditha|

Saa Maam Paatu Saraswatee Bhagavatee Nihshesha jaadyaapahaa||

English Translation:

"May Goddess Saraswati,

who is fair like the jasmine-colored moon,

and whose pure white garland is like frosty dew drops;

who is adorned in radiant white attire,

on whose beautiful arm rests the veena,

and whose throne is a white lotus;

who is surrounded and respected by the Gods, protect me.

May you fully remove my lethargy, sluggishness, and ignorance."

Saraswati is the daughter of Lord Shiva and Goddess Durga.

Vasant Panchami (Devnagari:बसन्त पञ्चमी), sometimes referred to as Basant Panchami or Shree Panchami (Devnagari:श्रीपञ्चमी), is a Hindu festival celebrating Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge,music and art. It is celebrated every year on the fifth day of the Indian month Magh (January-February), the first day of spring. Traditionally during this festival children are taught to write their first words; brahmins are fed; ancestor worship (Pitr-tarpan) is performed; the god of love Kamadeva is worshipped; and most educational institutions organise special prayer for Saraswati. The color yellow also plays an important role in this festival, in that people usually wear yellow garments, Saraswati is worshipped dressed in yellow, and yellow sweets are consumed within the families.

Also known as Saraswati Puja (Bengali: সরস্বতী পূজা shoroshshôti puja), this festival is celebrated in Nepal, India and Bangladesh to invoke wisdom and consciousness in human beings. Apart from wisdom,Saraswati is also the deity for fine and performing arts. The day is also called Basant Panchami which falls in Falgun (Phalgun in Hindi) month of Bangla calendar; that is February of the Gregorian calendar. In West Bengal saraswati puja is celebrated in Hindu households and also in schools and colleges. Bengali men are usually dressed in traditional paijama and punjabi. Women are dressed in yellow (basanti) coloured sari. With Her grace, the mute, it is believed, have been able to speak and people have been blessed with the ability to write or compose poems. Musicians sing here and many even choose to perform here first. Instrumentalists have puja performed for their instruments here. Apart from art and culture, Goddess Saraswati also showers Her blessings for the education of children.

Notebooks, pencils and pens are kept at the Devi's feet for blessings and then used by the students. A noticeboard asks the students to write their names, address and the roll number on a piece of paper and put it in the hundi after praying for success! It is believed the Goddess blesses them for good and positive results.

Her expression is so serene and calm even as She is majestic. She is seated on a white lotus in Padmasana, adorned by a pure white silk sari, has a book in Her lower left hand, Her lower right hand showing the chinmudra, Aksharamala in Her right upper hand, and Amrithakalasam in Her left upper hand. Both eyes are full of compassion. The vehicle assigned to each of the three goddesses also symbolically represent their special powers. Goddess Saraswathi is the consort of Lord Brahma (Lord of Creation) and is the Goddess of wisdom and learning. Saraswati is the one who gives the essence (sara) of our own self (swa). She is considered as the personification of all knowledge - arts, sciences, crafts and other skills. She has a beautiful and elegant presence, is pure white in colour, clad in a white sari, seated on a white lotus, representing purity and brilliance. She has four hands representing four aspects of human personality in learning; mind, intellect, alertness and ego. She has the sacred scriptures in one hand and a lotus (a symbol of true knowledge) in the second. With her other two hands she plays the music of love and life on the veena.

She is dressed in white (sign of purity) and rides on a white goose (swan). The swan is known for its pecliar characteristic of being capable of separating water from milk, indicating that we should possess discrimination in separating the bad from the good. The seat being a lotus or peacock implies that the teacher is well-established in the subjective experience of truth. When sitting on a peacock she reminds us that wisdom suppresses ego.

Like Brahma, she is not worshipped much in temples. However, every year Saraswathi Pooja (Navarathiri ) is celebrated by people all over India, be it students, workers, craftsmen, businessmen offering their prayers for a successful and fruitful year. However, Saraswathi does have a temple in Koothanur in Tanjavur district (Tamil Nadu).There is an important Saraswati Temple in Basar at a distance of 40 km from Nizamabad in Adilabad District, Andhra Pradesh on the banks of Godavari River.

Live with passion!

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A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.

Before you put on a frown, make absolutely sure there are no smiles available.

--Jim Beggs

Happiness is a journey, not a destination; happiness is to be found along the way not at the end of the road, for then the journey is over and it's too late. The time for happiness is today not tomorrow.

--Paul H. Dunn

Stress is not what happens to us. It's our response to what happens. And response is something we can choose.

--Maureen Kiloran

A warm smile is the universal language of kindness.

--William Arthur Ward

I challenge you to make your life a masterpiece. I challenge you to join the ranks of those people who live what they teach, who walk their talk.

--Tony Robbins

Expressions are forceful.. You cannot hold them...

A white rose with its elegant presence, delicate petals and a pleasing colour reminds you .....
..... that the world around is still so wonderful,
..... that the people are so divine,

and you realise the importance of all the relationships you have in this beautiful world !!!
A yellow rose presenting a sweet image and holding in itself an eye absorbing color imbibes in you .....

..... a sense of belonging,
..... a spirit of joy and security,

that you wish you could take along the whole world with you !!!

A pink rose which is as fascinating in itself forces you to loose hold of yourself to believe .......

..... that you have a fortune,
..... that a fragrant ambience is everlasting,

and you imagine how kind the nature is to you !!!


A red rose with its distinct look and a whole lot of red smily petals do not stop you from realising .........

..... the completeness in yourself,
..... the sense of bliss with mother nature,

and you start to crave for similar kinds of relationships .....


Relationships which are as cute and demanding ;
Relationships which are as caring and understanding ;
Relationships which are as worthy as to crave for ....!!

I've learnt...

I've learnt...

that regardless of how hot and steamy a relationship is at first,the passion fades and there had better besomething else to take its place.

I've learnt...

that heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.


I've learnt...

that learning to forgive takes practice.


I've learnt...

that there are people who love you dearly,
but just don't know how to show it.


I've learnt...

that money is a lousy way of keeping score.


I've learnt...

that my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time.


I've learnt...

that sometimes the people you expect
to kick you when you're down
will be the ones to help you get back up.

I've learnt...

that sometimes when I'm angry

I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me
the right to be cruel.


I've learnt...

that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I've learnt...

that just because someone doesn't love you
the way you want them to doesn't mean
they don't love you with all they have.


I've learnt...

that maturity has more to do with
what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them
and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.


I've learnt...

that you should never tell a child
their dreams are unlikely or outlandish.
Few things are more humiliating, and
what a tragedy it would if they believed it.


I've learnt...

that your family won't always
be there for you. It may seem funny,
but people you aren't related to
can take care of you and love you
and teach you to trust people again.
Families aren't biological.


I've learnt...

that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you
every once in a while
and you must forgive them for that.


I've learnt...

that it isn't always enough
to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes you have to learn
to forgive yourself.


I've learnt...

that no matter how bad
your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.


I've learnt...

that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.


I've learnt...

that sometimes when my friends fight,
I'm forced to choose sides
even when I don't want to.


I've learnt...

that just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't love each other
And just because they don't argue,
it doesn't mean they do.


I've learnt...

that sometimes you have to put
the individual ahead of their actions.


I've learnt...

that we don't have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.


I've learnt...

that you shouldn't be so
eager to find out a secret.
It could change your life forever.


I've learnt...

that two people can look
at the exact same thing
and see something totally different.


I've learnt...

that no matter how you try to protect
your children, they will eventually get hurt
and you will hurt in the process.


I've learnt...

that there are many ways of falling
and staying in love.


I've learnt...

that no matter the consequences,
those who are honest with themselves
get farther in life.


I've learnt...

that no matter how many friends you have,
if you are their pillar you will feel lonely
and lost at the times you need them most.


I've learnt...

that your life can be changed
in a matter of hours
by people who don't even know you.


I've learnt...

that even when you think
you have no more to give,
when a friend cries out to you,
you will find the strength to help.


I've learnt...

that writing, as well as talking,
can ease emotional pains.


I've learnt...

that the paradigm we live in
is not all that is offered to us.


I've learnt...

that credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.


I've learnt...

that the people you care most about in life
are taken from you too soon.


I've learnt...

that although the word "love"
can have many different meanings,
it loses value when overly used.


I've learnt...

that it's hard to determine
where to draw the line
between being nice and
not hurting people's feelings
and standing up for what you believe.

I've learnt...

that no matter how thin you slice it,

there are always two sides.


I've learnt...
that it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.


I've learnt...
that it's a lot easier
to react than it is to think.


I've learnt...
that you should always leave
loved ones with loving words.
It may be the last time you see them.

I've learnt...
that you can keep going
long after you think you can't.

I've learnt...
that we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.

I've learnt...
that either you control your attitude
or it controls you.