21 Jun
Let the world know India, Spiritual

Mysteries of 8 Indian Temples

It is in the temple that we remember who we really are and see with clarity who we really can become- Jean A. Stevens.

Temples allow us to experience the serene environment and bring us closer to God as being in temple aids us in concentrating on God leaving all the other things outside the walls of the temple. Atheists find it difficult to acknowledge the existence of God and find the answer in science. But do you know there are many temples in India whose mystery has not been unraveled by Science? It can be said that they are the miracles that would leave even the Atheists in awe:

  • Jwala Devi Temple: Jwala Devi temple is located in Kanpur. This temple does not have any statue or idol but has  ever burning jyotis or flames throughout the temple. These jyotis are constantly burning without any source or help.  Many people, geologists and scientists have tried to locate the source of the jyotis to no avail. The Mughal Emperor tried to distinguish the flame by putting iron disc over it and also by throwing water continuously on the flames but his efforts went in vain. He then acknowledged the miracle and presented a golden parasol to the Goddess.

  • Manikaran Shiva Temple: This temple of Lord Shiva is situated in Manikaran, Himachal Pradesh. The visitors get to see the wonder of nature here as on one side there is very cold water of Parvati River and on the other side there is a spring which has boiling hot water. Bathing in this holy water is said to cure many ailments of the devotees. Moreover the water does not contain any sulfur and devotees cook rice and food in this hot water which is considered to be very sacred. Even scientists are unable to find the reason behind the hot water of this spring.

  • Nidhivan Temple: Nidhivan Temple, Vrindavan is one of the most mysterious temples of India. The major part of the temple is covered by forest. The mysterious thing about these trees is that these holy basil tress are completely hollow and no one waters them anytime yet they remain green forever. Moreover no insects or bird nests are found on these trees. It is said that these trees convert into ‘’Gopis’’ at night and Lord Krishna comes here to perform raas leela every night. No one goes to the forest after 7 pm as it is believed that the person who tries to see anything in the forest at night becomes blind, deaf or dumb or dies in some cases. However, to check the claim many people have tied the basil trees with cloth but no piece of cloth is found on trees next morning. Moreover many holes are found on the ground which suggests that the trees shift their position. Some people may not believe in this legend but it is still hard to explain the evergreen trees entwined with each other.

  • Jagannath Temple, Odisha : Jagannath temple is dedicated to Lord Jagannath, the avatar of Lord Vishnu and is one of the Chaar Dhams of Hindus. It’s grand annual Rath Yatra Festival is very popular among the devotees. This temple not only amazes the people with its beauty but also baffles them with its various mysteries. The temple does not cast any shadow from any angle at any time of the day. Miraculously the flag on the top of the temple floats in the opposite side of the wind and needs to be changed daily. Moreover the Sudarshana Chakra in this temple can be seen from every nook and corner of the Puri city and always seems to be facing you even if it’s seen from various angles. The prasaad in the temple is cooked in 7 earthen pots on firewood that are stacked on one another. The peculiar thing about this is that the food in the top most pot is cooked first instead of the bottom one and the food is always in appropriate quantity for the devotees neither less nor more. Moreover no bird or airplane flies over this temple.Amazing Right?

  • Musical Temples: Music itself is the wonder of the world and when the source of this music is the nature, then it would definitely be the greatest wonder. The stairs of Airavatesvara Temple, abode of Lord Shiva in Tamil Nadu, produces the sounds of Seven Swaras when tapped at different locations.

Similarly the 56 pillars or Ranga Mantapa of Sri Vijaya Vittala temple dedicated to Lord Vithala and located in Karnataka, emits  the musical notes in form of western do ri me sa when tapped. This music produced by nature is soothing to the core and amazes  the devotees.

  • Lord Jagannath temple, Kanpur: This temple of Lord Jagannath predicts the pattern of Monsoon. If the water droplets collected on the roof top are big then the rainfall will be good and if the droplets are small then there will be the drought. The monsoon prediction is always accurate and prediction is done at least 15 days before and the farmers plan the crop accordingly. This is an unexplained phenomenon which astonishes the Scientists.

  • Nachiyar Kovil Temple: This is the temple of Goddess Nachiyar and God Srinivasa. This temple has the stone statue of Eagle revered as Kal Garuda. This statue is taken out during the procession. The amazing thing regarding this is that the weight of this statue keeps on increasing as the statue is taken away from its shrine. Initially only 4 men carry out the statue and then later approx. 32 men are required to carry the same.

  • Hasanamba Temple : This temple of Goddess Shakti is located in Karnataka. It is opened only once in a year, exactly on the first Thursday after the full moon in the Ashwayuja month (according to Hindu Calendar) and remains open for 10 days during the Deepawali festival. During the Deepawali the Goddess Shakti is worshipped by lighting lamps, offering flowers and prasaad. The thing that awes the people is that when the doors are opened after 1 year all the flowers, lamps, prasaad etc. used for worshipping last year remains intact. There is also a mystical stone which inches towards the feet of the Goddess every year. It is believed that the Kali Yug will end once the stone reaches the feet of the Goddess.

 

The mysteries of these beautiful temples force even the non-believers to bow to the wonder of the Lord or Nature. Did you find these intriguing and would you like to see the wonders yourself , let me know in the comments.

 

Apoorva Yadav Kamboj.

 

(Sources: the mysteriousindia.net,  rgyan.com, onmanorma.com, indianpanorma.in )

 

 

 

 

 

 

16 Jun
Motivational, Poetry

Don’t Quit – Edgar A. Guest

 

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

 

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow.

You may succeed with another blow.

 

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out,

The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit.

It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

– By : Edgar A. Guest.

16 Jun
Laughter Dose, Parenting and Child Care

Parenting is Fun – Part I

Being parents is a blessing and the most wonderful experience when could ever get. It is also the biggest responsibility which can sometimes overwhelm you especially in this pandemic times. But remember parenting is  fun too. Still not sure how? Read On to enjoy the hilarious experiences of fellow parents :

Thank God !!: 

My great-nephew is five years old and loves sports, yet he was amazed when he visited his friend’s house and realized they were hunters. There he saw antlers, mounted deer heads, and shotguns. He came home all excited. “Mom, for Christmas I want a bow and arrow or a gun!” he said. “I’m sorry, buddy,” his mom replied, “but we’re just not hunting people.” “Oh, I don’t want to hunt people, Mom,” he said. “I want to hunt animals.” —William Livers

 

I didn’t know lying to kids could be so dangerous.

From Reddit user u/D*ckyBurd:

My sister baked some cookies to share at work, and when her 3 year old daughter seen them on the plate on the counter she asked for one. Instead of explaining she wasn’t allowed to have one, my sister lied and said they were “yucky,” implying it was a bad batch.

My sister, confident that her lie was successful turned her back to finish cleaning up. She heard the plate being removed from the counter and turned around just in time to see all the cookies slide off the plate into the garbage.

Her daughter smiled and just said “yucky.”

Priorities : 

After moving to the country, my three-year-old daughter and I were often alone in our house. Because we lived in a rural area with no close neighbors, I wanted to make sure my daughter would be able to call 911 in the event that something happened to me. After instructing her, I decided to test her: “OK, what would you do if you found me on the floor and you couldn’t wake me up?” I could see her little brain working. To my surprise she finally said, “I would go into the kitchen and eat anything I want.” —Laura Albrecht

The best Secret Keeper : 

After having a brand-new car for one day, I came home from Black Friday shopping with a fender bender. I told my three-year-old granddaughter, Landree, not to tell Papa or he’d be upset. Pretty soon, here comes Papa and he looked in the garage. Not saying anything, he went back downstairs to his man cave. I asked Landree if she had told Papa. She emphatically said, “No, I didn’t Gigi!” I said, “Well, what did you tell him?” She said, “I told him three times, ‘whatever you do, do NOT look in the garage!’” —Dianne Kreick

I too love puppies :

After I had our second child, I was anxious to get home from the hospital to show my five-year-old daughter her new sister. When I got out of our car, I asked my daughter what she thought of her new sister. She looked a little disgusted and replied, “I told you that I wanted a puppy!” —Pam Vogel

Queen and ” Servant”  a fairy tail:

When one of our grandsons was about eight years old, he announced at a family gathering that I treat my wife like a queen. Hmm. I puffed myself up and asked him a question, expecting that the answer would give me similar stature. “Since I treat her like a queen, what does that make me?” His immediate response? “A servant.” So much for my ego. —Jim

Hence Proved:

I was showing my daughter this old “pull my thumb off and put it together again” trick.

— Daddy, how do you do it?

— Just look closely! Now I’m pulling it right off…Ta-dah! It’s back!

— But it’s just impossible to pull off your thumb like that!

— Is it? Take a look! I’m pulling it off…

— Stop! Now, give it to me!

Valid Point: 

The other day when we were in the car, my 5 year old says to me “mom you know how you tell me I can’t say dum, I said yes, he told me “there is dum in my name, Adam”  – u/MayaAdam

Clap Clap Clap: 

I was in the store with my recently potty-trained 2-year-old when she told me she needed to go potty, so we ran to the bathroom.She started doing her business as someone took the stall beside us. She asked if that lady was going potty too, and I told her she was. When the lady finished up, my daughter started clapping and shouted, ‘You went potty all by yourself! Good job, lady!'” —d49f75e598

And Sorted to Gryffindor :
My 4 year old daughter has been fascinated by bridges lately. We were walking across one and just to see what she would say, I asked “are you going to be a civil engineer?” She replied “NO! I’m gonna be a witch!”. -u/ Mirandacake

I hope you you had fun. You can share your experiences and we can write them in next articles.

Sources: Reddit, Buzzfeed, Brightside, Working Mom etc.

 

Apoorva Yadav Kamboj.

12 Jun
Sharing Sorrows

Confused about relationship

Hi. I have been struggling with myself for too long and delaying my divorce because of my confused mindset. I have seen some counselors but even they can’t seem to help because of my confused state. I had my first relationship at the age of 18. It was not really romantic but more like him supporting me through my difficult time. I was not really attracted to him but I liked him a lot and even trusted him blindly. I was going through some serious family issues because of broken family and he was there to provide me support even though he himself was too young at that time. (only 20). I came from a conservative environment so keeping a boyfriend was a big deal for me but I was extremely loyal to him. His family had some infidelity history but I trusted him too much to think that he might follow their footsteps. Even though we were in a relationship we had a plan to get married in late 20s or early 30s but due to my family problem we had to get married too early. (I was 22 and he was 24). We both were too childish and our physical chemistry was horrible. Both of us felt shy in front of each other and I also started having inferiority complex thinking that he is not interested in me sexually. As we both were students at that time, we had to depend on his father for our expenses for which he used to dominate us a lot. The whole situation was too depressing and it affected us a lot but all this time my trust in him got deeper and even though I was not attracted to him I felt deep love for him. I don’t know if we should call it love but I can’t think of any other word for the feelings that I have for him. He started ignoring me and his ignorance made me more sexually uncomfortable in front of him. I tried to improve things my way but in hindsight I can see those efforts were not clear and enough at all. After some years, I started noticing that he chats with other girls. Initially when I confronted him he said sorry but then started doing that again. At one point, he became so careless about me that when I confronted him he just shrugged me off and told me that I can do the same. I was very upset and depressed for many years and started to have body image issues. I was new in this country and I had no close family here so I was too lonely and even scared to create a scene.. I think that added to the whole problem. At one point I also started talking to a guy and started a relationship with him. We made out but never did more than that and I was not even in love with him. I just felt feminine and desirable with him which made him attractive to me. But I was not at peace with myself so I threw hints at my husband that I was doing something. He thought that I was only doing time pass but one day i clarified that I was having a relationship and that made him really upset. He asked me some questions and I answered all of them honestly. I wanted to make things right so I thought honesty was the best policy but apparently it was not. I told him that I was attracted to other guys but not because of any physical feature but the way they treat me. Still he was deeply hurt by this. Since then he seemed upset and for some time I felt that he was giving me attention also. Let me clarify one thing our relationship as friends was quite good. We were too comfortable with each other and had similar sense of humor but when we were in a social gathering then I used to feel very bad because of his ignorance to me. He gave priority to everyone but me. That was another issue and he never liked to take my responsibility. Anyway just 2months after our conversation he was supposed to go abroad and he did. I was actually planning to make things right that is why I stopped talking to that guy even though my husband didn’t ask me to do that. 3months after he went abroad he started ignoring my calls and after a few days I accidentally checked his old laptop and found his msgs which made me realise that he was having an affair there. Previously I think he never had physical relationship (not sure) but this time it was physical. In fact he was actually in doubt about his sexual ability just few month before that relationship as I found some links in his search history regarding issues with physical ability. I felt sad and more than that I felt responsible for not handling him properly. I kept blaming myself to the point that even when the girl got pregnant I could feel anger towards him. I still can ‘t. people tell me I should but I feel responsible. Just few days before the pregnancy news he had contacted me (5months after he went abroad) and told me that he misses me so he wants to break up with that girl. He came to know that I knew about the relationship 3months before that. I accepted that we will try again but just after a few days the girl got pregnant. He had the girl have an abortion but he was too upset with the whole situation and stopped talking to me again. This hurt me more and I started talking to a guy who had been trying to stay in touch with me for some months and had proposed me to get married to him. He seemed a very nice guy. His personality is a bit different from me but he cares about me a lot. I know that before marraige everyone shows more concern but after marriage things change but over all he seems like a very responsible guy. He even takes care of his family also. His only priorities are family and career. He tried to hard to win my heart and finally we started a relationship but just after 2months into relationship  my husband tried to reach out to me again and asked for another chance. Since after that I started having mood swings and started behaving rudely with the other guy. After 4months I even broke up with him and started talking to my husband again. My husband was supposed to call me abroad but due to corona even it got delayed. I again realised that he doesn’t really care much for me. After some thought just last month I told him that I don’t want our marriage to continue and started talking with that guy again. He was mad at me initially but after some days he forgave me when I gave him assurance that I won’t leave him again. After some days I started having thoughts about my husband again. This guy seems very nice and it seems that he really loves me. I don’t want to hurt him again or cheat him so I don’t talk to my husband but it feels too painful to think about divorce. Just 4days back my husband returned to our country and tried to contact me but I didn’t respond. He contacted my sister also and asked about me and she told him that my decision is same. The problem is that I feel that I also made many mistakes in our marriage and it makes me feel worse. I also know that who made mistake is not relevant at this stage. Things have got out of hand now and even I can’t make myself to trust him again and live with him peacefully. This guy that I am now with seems very nice but who know how he would be after marriage. the problem is if I don’t give him a chance then I would always have his best version in my mind and even if I continue with my husband I’ll keep thinking about him which I don’t want. I want to be fully committed to just one person and not even think about any other person. I was not that confused previously when I was married. Despite my husband’s faults, I made myself that he is the best that I could get. I never compared him with others. but now I can’t stop comparing. I feel like I can never be happy with anyone. The problem now is whenever I think of finalizing divorce I feel miserable. Today I had some work at the bank concerning his father’s account and I saw him there today afetr 2yrs. I didn’t talk to him but since then I am feeling depressed and having episodes of crying. I am not crazy to be with him but whenever I think about divorce, I feel deep pain. I can’t make myself apply for divorce with all these mixed feelings and I also don’t want to keep the other guy hanging. I don’t know what to do. Plz help

N.B.:The post is too long. Sorry about it

12 Jun
Parenting and Child Care, Relationships

7 Things Every Mother should teach their daughter about life after marriage

The journey of transforming from ‘’Papa and Mama’s’’ princess to ‘’bahu’’ is not an easy one.  From becoming the apple of the eye at their own home and then suddenly going to a new home and taking care of everyone is a task which no education or degree could prepare anyone for. One may be a very capable Manager at their firm and responsible for handling an entire team with people of different caliber and nature and thinking that managing the house will be a similar experience, but you are in for a huge surprise.

The only help which will be useful would be of our Mother or motherly figures in our lives. We would need their advice from time to time during this entire journey. Mothers also try their best to teach us everything they have learnt from their own experience. But there are certain things which all mothers must teach their daughter to help them lead a happy life. And I am not talking about household chores which is a life necessity which both the genders should definitely learn.

 

  1. Being Financially Independent: Your daughter may be marrying someone very rich but it is still very important to be financially independent. Financial independence helps a person realize their self-worth and it gives them freedom to take decisions and support their own lifestyle. It helps them build a confidence to handle various situations and teach them very valuable life lessons. Your daughter may want to buy a latest handbag, donate something to charity or help you financially in some urgent situation she will be able to do so freely without any feeling of guilt of spending husband’s hard earned money.

 

  1. Compromise is the Key not Sacrifice: The first thing we teach our daughters is that compromise is the key to healthy relationships which is true. But we often confuse the term compromise and sacrifice. Compromise is reaching a middle ground which is acceptable to both the parties and sacrifice is just curbing your own ideals, desires or happiness in order to please someone. We must teach them to remember that compromising is very important but entirely sacrificing yourselves constantly for someone is not healthy for them neither physically nor mentally. You should only compromise what your ideals, believes and heart allows you to do so. Do not sacrifice yourselves while compromising to please others.

 

  1. Nothing is above Self- Respect: This is the most important lesson every girl or should I say every person should learn. Nothing and I repeat ‘’ nothing’’ is greater than self-respect. Any relationship which threatens your self-respect is not worth saving. As much as it is important to give respect to every person be it an elder, someone younger or your life partner, it is equally important to maintain your self-respect and to not let anyone trample all over it.

 

  1. Keep an Open Mind: It is very important to start the relationships with an open mind. Teach your daughters to avoid judging people and learn to accept them the way they are. Just as it is difficult for them to change their way of living according to others it is also difficult for others to make the change. Also ask them to not fret about others opinions of them. They may not be good looking enough or ‘’sanskaari’’ enough for someone even if they try their level best but as long as they are trying and doing the necessary things they are right and should be at peace with themselves.

 

  1. Communicate Effectively: It is very essential to teach your daughters to voice their concerns and opinions. Sometimes it is very easy to get what they want, they just need to talk to people about their concern in a polite and understanding manner. Even if they do not agree with something or any arrangement made it is essential for them to say so openly instead of bottling their feelings and doing things without being happy about them. This will lead to unhappiness and feeling of unfairness and lead to bitter relationships in the future.

 

  1. You always have their back: It is very important to let them know that even when they are married and are going to another place which will now be their ‘’home’’, they still are your precious princess and their ‘’mayka’’ would also always be their home. Do not encourage ‘’ ‘’beti to paraya dhan hai ‘’ or ‘’ ab sasural hi tumhara ghar hai ‘’ ideology as they would find it reassuring that you will always have their back.

 

  1. Encourage them to love self: We have seen our mothers toiling hard to please everyone and do every little things themselves to help us. We have seen us putting us above themselves. It seems the purpose in their lives is to make our lives easier and we love and appreciate them for it. There is nothing wrong in doing things for our loved ones but it is also essential to take care of oneself both physically and mentally. Do not teach your daughters things like ‘’ pati ke sukh me hi patni ka sukh hai or ‘’ bachchon ki khushi me hi maa ki khushi hai’’, ‘’ sabki seva karna hi aaurat ka farz hai’’. Instead teach them to be happy and when they are happy themselves they can keep their family happy. It is true that it gives us immense pleasure to serve our family and see them smiling but it should not come at the cost of our own health. So teach your daughters to love, respect and serve everyone including themselves. There is nothing wrong in delegating the smaller and easier chores to other family members. It will not only be beneficial for the daughter but it will also teach others to be self-sufficient, give more time to them to spend with the family and strengthen the bonds.

 

Every mother knows what’s best for their daughters. We may have faced a lot in our lives to the old thinking of the society to restrict their daughter and telling them that they have to adjust at all costs and live in their new house till the end of their lives bearing all the things that affect them physically and mentally. Now these things are not so common and people have started treating their daughters and daughter in-laws better. Still I hope that you do not forget to teach the above things to your beloved daughters.

 

Apoorva Yadav Kamboj