Makar Sankranti

Makar Sankranti marks the transition of the Sun into Makara rashi (Capricorn) on its celestial path, and the six-month Uttarayana period(movement of the sun towards the north direction).

Sankranti means transmigration of the Sun from one Rāshi (constellation of the zodiac in Indian astronomy) to the next. Hence, there are 12 Sankrantis in a year.

There are twelve Sankrantis in a year, out of which Makar Sankraanti has been considered most important because from here begins the Uttarayana punya kaal (Uttarayana auspicious period), and Uttarayana is regarded as the period of Divinity. Although the entire year is considered auspicious, this period is considered slightly more auspicious. All festivals begin following this.

Ganpati Bappa Morya!

Devotees chant Ganapati Bappa Morya all the time to sing the praises of Lord Ganesh. But how many of them know the meaning of the word Morya? Let us look at the three words and their meaning:

Ganpati 

Ganapati (Sanskrit: गणपति; gaṇapati), a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of gaṇa, meaning "group", and pati, meaning "ruler" or "lord".

(Check this: Significance of Ganesha and the hidden meanings behind symbols and depictions)

Janmashtami - Birth of Lord Krishna

The beauty in our ancient stories is that they were never made location-specific or time-specific. Ramayana or Mahabharata are not just events that happened a long time ago, they are happening everyday in our lives. The essence of these stories is eternal.

There is a deeper meaning to the story of Krishna’s birth too. Devaki symbolizes the body and Vasudev symbolizes the life force (prana). When prana rises in the body, joy (Krishna) is born. But the ego (Kamsa) tries to eliminate joy. Kamsa is Devaki’s brother which indicates that ego is born along with the body.

Ashadhi Ekadashi

Today is Ashadhi Ekadashi. People from all walks of life from many parts of Maharashtra and other parts of India too, converge in Pandharpur today for a night full of prayers and songs devoted to Lord Vishnu. 

One of the most popular forms of Vishnu worshipped in Maharashtra is that of Vithoba or Vitthala. The most famous temple for Vithoba is in Pandharpur. Pandharpur has thus been one of the main religious sites of Maharashtra since ancient times.

Significance of Yagyas

Q: Gurudev, what is the importance of yagna? I heard that if we do yagna, then even the rain comes. Why don’t we do a big yagna, and finish all the bad things in the world?

Sri Sri: Have you heard about the butterfly effect? A butterfly, fluttering its wings in Amazons, can affect the clouds in China. It means, every little thing, affects every other little thing in the universe, in the cosmos. So, yagnas are those ancient rituals or practices that have an effect on the environment, on the collective consciousness, and on the individual mind.

The Art of Rain Making

The twigs of Punarnava are offered in the Ahavaniya Fire and the resulting smoke is consecrated with the mantra, Hiranya Kesho Rajaso...

Agricultural Heritage

In ancient Indian literature, sutra denotes a distinct type of literary composition, based on short aphoristic statements, generally using various technical terms.

This literary form was designed for concision, as the texts were intended to be memorized by students in some of the formal methods of scriptural and scientific study. So, the ancient people were certainly technology focused. Technology is nothing but the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.

Following sutras give us a glimpse of the rich knowledge and science discovered and practiced by our ancestors contained in the available texts as of today.