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Devaki - sister of evil king Kansa- and Vasudevar are parents to lord Krishna. As per Narada’s prediction, the eighth child of Devaki will be putting an end to Kansa’s rule. When Kansa comes to know about this, he imprisons both and murders 7 kids. However Vasudevar succeeds in rescuing Krishna and takes him to Vrindavan, the place where his companion lives. Lord Krishna grows up in Vrindavan with all the cowherds like a normal kid, under the caring of Yashoda.

Childhood Stories

To kill Krishna in his childhood itself, Kansa sends several evil forces. But all of them failed. A serpent in the Yamuna was defeated by Little Krishna, which was going to poison Yamuna and kill cows and people of Vrindavan. It was from the branch of Kadamba tree that Krishna jumps and performs dance on the head of Kaaliya, the serpent.

He is also known to tease milkmaids residing in Vrindavan and steals butter from their homes. He would untie the cows when it is time to milk them and would also conceals clothes of Gopis who are bathing. He thought to make his devotees aware of the larger meanings hidden behind these naughty practices. He was hinting that devotees must detach themselves from worldly pleasures and concentrate only on him, the supreme god.

Krishna and Radha

Radha was his friend in Vrindavan and she also belonged to the cowherds. The relation between them is selfless and is an example of true love. Their love is the symbol of unity of mind, which is more important than the unity of body. Radha is completely devoted to Krishna and thinks that he is her own. She even gets envious of Krishna’s flute, saying the flute is lucky to be very close to Krishna and feel Krishna’s prana on it.

Krishna and Kuchela

Sudhama and Krishna were close friends while studying at Gurukula. Their close association surpassed all social divisions and Lord Krishna accepted Sudhama wholeheartedly.

Sudhama had a poor family and one day he decided to see Krishna and heads to Dwaraka. He carries a small pack of rice for Krishna, which is liked by him. When he reaches Dwaraka, he is awe struck seeing the big palace and army of his friend. Krishna calls back Sudhama to his palace when he was about to leave. Krishna treats his companion with love and affection.

As he was shy, Kuchela didn’t ask for support and goes back to his residence. But the god understands his friend’s needs and helps him. The worth of friendship was realized by Sudhama when he arrives at his residence and sees his family clad in new clothes and having food.

To know more about Hindu gods and Hindu pilgrimage sites in India, visit Prabhubhakti.

Many research works have been done to find out the origin of Hinduism. The followers of Hinduism believe that Hindu religion has no beginning or end and has been always around.

Still, the specialists in history are of the belief that Hindu religion is as new as 5000 years. The theory says that the initial followers of that religion were living on shores of the River Indus. In those times, the river was known as Sindhu. After the migration of Persians to the river banks, they started calling it Hindu and that is the origin of the name of the religion. The practitioners of the religion were called Hindus and the religion became well known as Hinduism. This theory is popularly called as the Aryan Theory.

Another theory about the beginning of Hinduism proposes that the religion started around 2000 BC. The inventors of the religion were the Aryans who controlled the areas around Indus River and the Indus Valley. But the evidence shows that this theory is erroneous and is regarded as completely hypothetical in nature.

The growth of Hindu religion can be studied under three stages - the present stage started in 1800 AD and is ongoing, the medieval age began in 1000 AD and ended in 1800 AD and finally the earliest stage began from 6500 BC and ended in 1000 AD.

Curiously, the origin of Hindu religion is not mentioned in any of the sacred scriptures. In practice, majority of the lessons discuss the way of living in today without bothering about the past. The religion concentrates on the proper way of living a life and does not allege to have any starting or ending to it.

Even though the present world strives to find the history of Hinduism, those who practice this religion do not feel the desire to understand how it began. They only desire to live a moral life and faithfully follow the principles of Hindu religion to lead the right life which takes them to the God.

To find more about Brahma, the creator among Hindu gods, log on to Prabhubhakti.

It is believed by many scholars that Gita is important to the spirit of Hinduism. The holy scripture is indeed worthy of this distinction as the teachings that it contains guides all human beings on path of living life the ‘ideal’ way. Rich with examples, the Gita is deep yet easy enough for the common man to comprehend. The life related philosophy contained in the Gita guides every human being towards attaining Moksha by faithfully sticking to their moral obligations.

The Gita is contained in the classical story of Mahabharata that forms the best background for this priceless scripture. People believe that Shri Krishna, a Hindu God had divulged this wisdom regarding the obligatory duties of all humans for the benefit of Arjun, his dedicated companion. The entire kingdom ruled by Arjun and his brothers had been seized by their evil cousins by cheating and Krishna had given the sacred message contained in Gita to Arjun to give him courage for fighting against his own relatives.

The godly revelations in Gita are ageless and apply to every part of life and talk about Karma that directs human beings in their search for salvation. It preaches that a man is needed to carry out his duty whole heartedly. Concurrently, the person is required to stop pondering about the consequences of his actions. This alone will help him succeed in staying calm in face of adversity and keep him unaffected in times of overabundance. The strict adherence to his obligations will guide him on the road leading to almighty.

The Gita is a practical manual on how one must live for being content and at peace with life. Any person who becomes a follower of the path shown by this pious book would go through all ups and downs of life peacefully and unaffected. The Gita acts as a lifesaver for several people across the globe and in the same way as it helped Arjun when faced with the task of taking arms against his blood relations; it guides them in dealing with depression, misery, fury and envy.

Understand the essence of Durga chalisa and Lakshmi chalisa,from Prabhubhakti.

Ancient, rich and wide spectrum of culture of the Indian citizens has been the basis of the evolution of the great religion of Hinduism and its various practices. Prolonged interaction among the diverse groups led to the advent of “Vedism” which introduced the worship of gods of rain, fire and the sun. In course of time, a wide variety of religious beliefs and customs, ranging from the simple animistic worship of nature spirits in the rock, tree and river to highly codified rituals, carved their niches in the liberal platform of Hinduism.

This interesting co-existence of two approaches has left its impact on Hindu pilgrimages. Primitive philosophy of animism can be observed in the Hindu pilgrimage sites by the presence of lakes, mountains, caves, forests and rivers. A visit to Hindu Pilgrimages can also make one acquainted with the religious rites, which are another important aspect of Hinduism.

The modern Hindu philosophy focuses on a trinity of Gods namely, Shiva, Vishnu and Shakti. All the Hindu places of religious worship are associated with the devotion to either one of these three major religious sects. Rameswaram and Tirupati in the South, Puri in the East, Badrinath, Vrindaban, Haridwar and Kumbh Mela in the North are associated with the power and glory of Lord Vishnu or His incarnations. Kedarnath and Amarnath derived their sanctity from their holy connection with the supreme Hindu God Lord Shiva. The Vaishno Devi cave has gained its holiness from Goddess Vaishno also known as Maa Shakti. Another popular Hindu God, Hanuman, whose praise is sung through the poem known as Hanuman Chalisa, is also associated with several pilgrimages including Balaji in Rahasthan.

Two other famous Hindu Pilgrimage sites are the places of origin of holy river Yamuna and Ganga , known as Gangotri & Yamunatri. Other popular pilgrimage destinations in India include Varanasi, the cultural capital of Hindus; Pancha Bhutha Linga temples; the Shakti Pitha temples; the Nava Graha Sthalas; the four Maths of Sri Adi Shankaracharyak and the seven holy rivers - the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Saraswati, the Godavari, the Narmada, the Kaveri and the Sarayu.

Did you know that Lakshmi and Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva are forms of Shakti? Log on to Prabhubhakti to understand your religion more.

According to Hindu beliefs, the world that we see around us is not real but it’s an illusion or Maya. Maya, the Sanskrit word is the combination of Ma – not, and Ya – that. So the word Maya means, not that. According to concept of Maya, nothing can be identified as absolute truth except Brahman.

Hindu beliefs say Ahamkara and Karma are the forces behind Maya. Maya tends to overshadow the knowledge of Brahman and reflects things as dual, which is unreal. Maya is invisible and can not be seen.

In Advaita Vedanta, Maya is referred to as mental and physical reality and is very confusing. It is believed that the Supreme Consciousness saw himself as the self and from that came I, the basis of difference. When the Supreme Self started thinking, it gave birth to human beings and after bliss for a long time, he slept and dreams came.

Maya is very difficult to understand and only through knowledge and learning can one free oneself from the trap of Maya. One should keep the self detached from all the worldly matters and things, which are called reality.

Do you know that Krishna and Rama are avatars of Lord Vishnu? Do you know rest of Lord Vishnu’s avatars? To increase the knowledge about Hindu gods and goddesses, log on to Prabhubhakti.

Animals are very important in Hindu religion and they are considered to be very sacred. Hindu mythology gives a lot of importance to Nandi, the bull, who is the gate keeper of Kailasa, where Lord Shiva and Parvati reside. Believers of Lord Shiva also revere Nandi. Almost all Shiva temples have a statue of Nandi placed outside it, to show the respect to the gate keeper. Nandi is also considered to be Lord Shiva’s vehicle and the leader of Shiva’s army or followers, the Gana.

Nandi is believed to be the sole witness of creation of the universe, which is why it is believed that worshipping him will bring spiritual enlightenment and blessings from God. This divine bull is pictured as white, which represents justice and purity. In Sanskrit, the word Nandi means Vrisha, meaning righteousness (Dharma). Nandi is also the epitome of instinct and intuition. Nandi is believed to have cursed the evil king Ravana that his kingdom will be set on fire by a monkey. The curse became true when Lord Hanuman set Lanka on fire while he went to save Goddess Sita.

We can see that many temples in India have the statues of Nandi. Among them Chamundi Hills, Bull Temple, Lepakshi, Vadakkunnathan Temple and Rameswaram are famous.

Adi Shankara is one of the most important philosophers of Hinduism, who consolidated Advaita Vedanta, another school of thought. He believed that soul and Brahman are not separate but they both are same. He is believed to have been born in 788 CE in Kalady, a place in Kerala. He travelled to different parts of India and South Asia and conducted debates and discourses on the topic. He has studied all the Hindu scriptures and is considered to be an authority in explaining Bhagavat Gita.

He also gave importance to Atmabodha or self knowledge. He believed that self knowledge will make you detached from worldly worries and acquisitions. He said the world will have all the illusions and will act as a dream, which separate the real from you. In order to distinguish the real from the unreal, one needs to have the wisdom and knowledge. Adi Shankara said the self is pure and immutable, where as body and mind are mutable and mortal. To free oneself from worries, one needs to understand that the truth is only one and that is Brahman. Self-knowledge is important in attaining Moksha. One shouldn’t be limited by anything but be free in all ways.

Log on to Prabhubhakti to read about Hanuman chalisa and understand Hanuman chalisa text.

Satsang has a very special space in Hinduism because it gives emphasis to joining together with people, who are in the same path as we are - the path of spiritual enlightenment. Here Sat means good or divine and Sang means to come together in the friendship of or join together. When you are with a group of people, who emanate positive energy and talks about how to free ourselves from worries of this material world, it inspires us also. This initiates a positive thinking in us. We come to know about the universe, its creation and our purpose in life. This makes us understand in which path are we and what are we supposed to do in this life.

The highest truth about life is hidden in our scriptures itself. During Satsang, by listening to the holy Hindu scriptures, we can understand truths about life and enrich ourselves. Satsang is a means to clear one’s doubt about life and karma and dharma in it. It is a way of understanding God, by understanding each other. As Hindu scriptures say all human beings are part of God, all human beings are equal.

Aartis are also considered to be a way to connect with the supreme power. Want to know how, read Prabhubhakti. You can also read Laxmi chalisa on the site.

Animals are mentioned with great respect in various Hindu scriptures. Among them cow is considered to be equal to a mother as she provides food (milk) for human beings. Hindu believers consider Kamadhenu as the mother of all cows and she is represented in white with a female face and breasts. Also known as Surabhi, she is also pictured with all the deities in her body.

Kamadhenu is being referred in many scriptures as the wife of Kashyapa, daughter of Daksha and to be residing in Goloka (the world above Earth, Heaven and Hell - Paataala) and Paataala. There are many tales associated with Kamadhenu in epics like Mahabharata and Ramayana and scriptures like Rig Veda and Atharva Veda. Bhagavat Gita also refers to Kamadhenu as Kamadhuk.

Hindu mythology also tells many tales of Kamadhenu giving birth to warriors to protect the house of the Brahmin priests (where she lived), from cruel kings. Priests looked at her with respect as she gave milk, ghee and other things, which were essential for homa. In India, cows are treated with respect because they are considered to be embodiments of Kamadhenu. Some state governments have even banned the killing of cows because of this.

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Hindu philosophy explains four different yugas or epochs, through which beings in the universe are supposed to go through. There are four yugas, Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga, Dwapara Yuga and Kali Yuga. The creation of the world happens in one day of Brahma. One day and night of Brahma is supposed to be 4.1 to 8.2 billion years long. The concept of yugas says that virtue or dharma declines with each Yuga.

Krita Yuga is also known as Satya Yuga, which saw the supremacy of virtue. This period is supposed to be divine with only truth prevailing in the entire epoch. The average lifetime of beings (in this period Gods) was 400 years. The second Yuga, Treta Yuga, saw virtue prevailing in three-quarter of the period and sin in one-quarter. The average life span of beings in this epoch was only 300 years.

Dwapara Yuga, which started with the birth of Lord Krishna, was equally ruled by virtue and sin. Life span came down to 200 years and this Yuga ended with the death of Krishna. Kali Yuga is supposed to be the most dangerous period for human race. This epoch is supposed to be full of sinful activities and human beings are believed to have a life span of only 100 years. According to Hindu beliefs, the current Yuga is Kali Yuga and Lord Vishnu will take the avtar of Kalki to preserve the world.

Hindu pilgrimage is a good way to cleanse one’s soul.