Holi
The celebration of the festival of Holi is very old in its origin and is described already in the ancient writings sutras. In its essence, that festival is the celebration of the final victory of good over evil. Literally, Holi…
Swami Vivek Puri
Maha Shivaratri
Maha Shivaratri means the Great Night of Shiva, a festival dedicated to Lord Shiva and celebrated according to the Lunar Calendar on the 14th day of the waning phase of the moon Falgun (February-March). The ceremony and the celebration takes…
Vasant Panchami
Vasant Panchami is one of the more important festivals of India. It marks the beginning of spring and it is a festival dedicated to Sarasvati, the protector of learning, knowledge and wisdom. It is believed that it is also her…
Makar Sankranti
Makar Sakranti is the only festival celebrated according to the solar calendar and falls on January 14th. Literally Sakranti means to move from one place to another – to change direction. It is the time when the sun changes its…
Kumbha Mela
The meeting all of our senses, mind, consciousness, Atma and Jiva: that is Kumbha Mela. TheVessel (Kumbh) is our body. There is a constant battle inside of us between the Devas (divine qualities) and asuras (demonic qualities): what will prevail…
Altar
The altar is a place where God “lives”. The altar and the objects on it are the place where we can physically express our worship, prayers and devotion to the Almighty, the universal truth. It is also the central place…
Sannyasa
Sannyasa The word Sannyasa in Sanskrit means renunciation. A Sannyasi – a Swami, is one who received Sannyas Diksha and became part of the Holy Order of Sannyasis. Sannyasis carry the title of Swami, or, in the case of women,…
Ashram and Satsang
Ashram According to the Vedic tradition and the teachings of the Vedas, one definition of the word ‘ashram’ (a – welcome, shram – to work) is a place where you are welcome to do something for others and for yourself.…
Symbols
Om is the original sound from which everything was created, the essence of the whole Universe, the Absolute. It is comprised of three sounds: A-U-M, representing the past, the present and the future, and the three divine principles – Brahma,…
The six major systems of Hindu philosophy
Nyaya shastra Nyaya-Sastra was founded by Gautama Rishi. He wrote 521 Sutras. These Sutras are divided into 5 parts with 10 chapters and 80 sub-chapters. Many authors wrote commentaries on his teachings, interperated his ideas and added new ones. Nyaya…