Once the great sage Jaimini Rishi said to his spiritual master Srila Vyasadeva, "Oh Gurudeva! Previously, by your mercy, you described to me the history of the glories of the Ganga river, the benefits of worshipping Vishnu, the giving of grains in charity, the giving of water in charity, and the magnanimity of drinking the water that has washed the feet of the brahmanas. O best of the sages, Sri Gurudeva, now, with great enthusiasm, I desire to hear the benefits of fasting on Ekadasi and the appearance of Ekadasi."

Plants are also having life, so killing plants should also be a sin. In what way is vegetarian food better than non-vegetarian food in terms of killing or committing "sin"? This and other questions are nicely answered by Sri  Sugunendra Theertha Swamiji of Udupi Putige Matha.

The Rishis headed by Kasyapa began to perform a sacrifice (yaga) on the banks of the Ganges. Sage Narada visited them at that time and asked them to tell him why they were performing the sacrifice and who would be pleased by it.

Millions of devotees throng the Tirumala Hills practically round the clock throughout the year. As they move towards the sanctum sanctorum of Lord Venkateswara, how many will remember that there was a time, just a thousand years back, when the Hills were deserted with not much of human habitation in sight?

The following list explains some of the vows undertaken by devotees while visiting the Tirupati Balaji Venkateswara temple located on the Tirumalai hill.

This article was originally published in "Gnanamani"- a Tamil monthly spiritual magazine, May 2001. Translated into English by Prof. V.K. Balasubramanian of Tiruppattur. Sri Siddharajan Swamiji of the Pambatti Siddhar Samadhi Peetam at Sankarankoil, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu, South India is the blessed disciple and for many decades a close associate of Brahmasri Shiva Prabhakara Siddhayogi Paramahamsar. Present in this article are certain invaluable details obtained from Sri Siddharajan Swamiji.

Every one of us has the potential to realize God. We also have the potential to receive and transmit vital knowledge. We can attain the powers of seers. We can synthesize amirtam (elixir) in our body. All of us can hear the divine resonance Om and more, and see the divine in the form of brilliant light and see the vast luminescence space within us and in it everything.

The Ganapati Cult occupies a significant position in the Brahmanical religion of Orissa. The discovery of Ganesh images from different parts of Orissa highlights the popularity of Ganesh, the remover of all obstacles and bestower of success. His elephant head suggests a cool brain and his mount rat suggests perseverance.

Since the early Rigvedic stage, brahmans, undoubtedly, had already fixed ritual status: they were the priests, who had a wide circle of duties during soma sacrifices. They were also considered as the assistants of the demigods at creation of the world, as the duty of “delivery” of the living entity to the gods had been assigned to them.

All roads in Orissa lead to Srikshetra or Puri, the land of the Lord, one of the famous four dhamas of India. Like Ramnath of Rameswaram or Dwarakanath of Dwaraka or Badrinath of the Himalayan regions, Sri Jagannath is the presiding Deity of Puri. Together, they constitute the four pillars of dharma on which India stands.

Indian civilization has surprised academicians time and again with simple age old techniques for solving complex problems. Vedic Mathematics, derived from the Ganita Sutra in the Vedas is one such technique.Vedic Mathematics is the name given to the ancient system of Mathematics which was rediscovered from the Vedas between 1911 and 1918 by Sri Bharati Krsna Tirthaji (1884 - 1960).

In the philosophy of Vairagya, Gyana and Bhakti, the works of Adi Sankar particularly, Bhaja Govindam, Bhatruhari's Vairgaya Satakam, Vyasa's Srimad Bhagabatam, Mahabharat and Srimad Bhagabat Gita and Tulsi Das's Sri Ramacharita Manas have played an effective and tremendous role among the learned scholars, pundits and devotees.

It is a scene which has repeated itself every day for more than three thousand years in this holiest of India's cities - a place as ancient as Babylon or Thebes - which Hindus consider to be the beating heart of their religion. While modern India rushes headlong to embrace many of the material aspects of Western capitalism - even Varanasi has an outlet of McDonald's - standing on the 'ghats' of Varanasi at dawn, it seems as if time is standing still.

The origin and antiquity of Lord Jagannath is shrouded in mystery. It is difficult for historians to say exactly how and when the Deity has come to be worshipped and has become the most prominent Deity of in the state of Orissa. It is widely believed that Lord Jagannath was a tribal Deity and Hinduised/Sanskritised later on due to tribal/non-tribal interactions.

Under the Hindu kings, palm leaf manuscripts upon which sastra are recorded were recopied every 100 years or so to preserve them. Since British times this process has ceased and existing manuscripts, even in the best-preserved collections, are deteriorating, some already to the point of uselessness.

In the movement of the Bhakti cult in Utkal khand, many divine souls have glorified the Vaisnava religion and spread its tenets to different places by their deep devotion and supreme attachment to Lord Jagannatha. By displaying their unselfish divine love, they had never craved in their altruistic mission anything in life except His exalted grace.

The Padma Vesha of Lord Jagannatha is done on any Saturday or Wednesday between the new moon day of Magha and Basanta Panchami. Prior to the month of Magha, we have the winter season when the lotus disappears from the tanks and reservoirs. But from the month of Magha onwards, these flowers reappear. The lotus signifies 'health and wealth' at the same time.

Lord Jagannath of Puri occupies a significant position in the socio-cultural and religious history of not only Orissa, but also India. The early history of Lord Jagannath is very difficult to know because of non-availability of facts and recorded history. Therefore it is difficult to bring out the real picture of Sri Jagannath during the ancient period.

We have all heard how the Taj Mahal, which is considered one of the great seven wonders of the world was built as the preeminent expression of a man’s love for a wife. That it was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in commemoration of his wife Mumtaz.

The Ganga King ruled over Kalinga from the 6th Century to 11th Century A.D. At that time Kalinga was restricted by the river Rusikulya in the north and the Simhachal hills in the south. At the centre of Kalinga was the Mahendragiri range of hills. The Mathar Kings who ruled over Kalinga before the Gangas had Singhapur as their Capital.