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The believers of the Hindu religion consider Rudraksha beads to be very important. Most of the devotees have a Rudraksha mala around their neck and revere it. Hindu mythology says the name Rudraksha is derived from Lord Shiva. He is mentioned in Rigveda as Rudra.

The story associated with the Rudraksha plant goes like this. Lord Shiva was meditating for a long period of time and after he attained deep fulfilment, he shed a tear when he opened his eyes. This tear grew as the plant Rudraksha on the Earth and bore the seeds of Rudraksha. The term ‘Rudr’ menas Shiva and ‘Aksha’ means eye, Rudraksha means Shiva’s eye or coming from Shiva’s eye.

Rudraksha has many faces or mukhee. It varies from 1 to 21. The commonly found Rudrakshas have four, five and six faces and one with a single face is considered to be very rare. Two Rudrakshas with a single face are kept in Pashupatinath Temple in Nepal, which are shown to devotees on auspicious days. Rudrakshas also have great medicinal value and have been used in Ayurveda for many years.

Hindus consider wearing Rudraksha mala around their neck and wrists to be good and helping to enhance mental powers.

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Hindus always chant mantras and prayers 108 times with their Japamaala. The number 108 is considered to be very important and there are many reasons behind it.

It is believed that Lord Krishna, one of the favourite Hindu gods, had 108 gopis or milkmaids who were devoted to him in Vrindavan. According to the Vedas, in order to attain enlightenment and worldly wisdom, you have to be connected to the ultimate truth. The simple calculation according to vedic astrology involve the five elements, three attributes of life and stars in the sky. Earth, air, water, fire and space are the five elements and birth, life and death are the basis of existence. All these are important parts in defining the concept called Time. The result is the number 108, which holds the idea about universe and faith. The intention behind chanting the mantra for 108 times is just to connect with the absolute truth or god. The Sanskrit language also has 108 alphabets!

Read more about Kumbh mela from Prabhubhakti.

Hindu religion is one of the oldest religions in the world. One can find many Gods and Goddesses in Hinduism. Apauruseya - one which is not originated because of individuals is what Hinduism is referred to as. Gods in Hinduism are referred to like this. There are several deities in Hindu religion but are different forms of the same ultimate truth. Brahman is the supreme power in this universe.

Qualities of God Described in Holy Texts

Holy scriptures of Hinduism contain the characteristics of a god in them. As he is the ultimate power in the universe, everything that happens must be known to him. He is the image of love, beauty and justice. He is the creator of this universe, so he is always ready to bless the living and non-living beings and shower his grace on them. It is mentioned in Rig Veda that eleven Rudras, 12 Adityas, 8 Vasus, Indra and Prajapathi are rulers of all the beings on Earth, the Space and the Heaven. The religious Scripture also says, even though there are many deities in Hinduism, the ultimate power is only one i.e. there is only one truth.

Adhikaara and Ishta Devaa, 2 philosophies in Hinduism, give the choice to devotees to follow any god suiting their belief system and to find answers to their spiritual questions. An individual can believe in any god in order to fulfill his spiritual quest.

Important Gods and Goddesses

As Hinduism has many Goddesses and Gods, it is difficult to classify them in any manner. But, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are the most important gods in Hindu religion, who are responsible for creation, preservation or protection and destruction of the universe, respectively. Female deities who are different avtars of Shakti also highly revered in Hinduism in addition to Gods. Lakshmi, Saraswati and Parvati are 3 important goddesses of Hindu religion. Durga and Kali are also considered to be forms of Shakti.

There are other deities (forms of these gods and goddesses), who are being revered by thousands of devotees. There are thousands of followers for Rama, Krishna, Hanuman and Ganesha, worldwide. Devis and Devas are another name for Goddesses and Gods.

Important Avtars

As per Hindu religion, the most important avtars are the ten avtars of the protector, Vishnu. Hindus believe that Lord Vishnu, in order to protect the world from evil spirits, takes birth in different avtars in each Yuga. There are 10 avtars of Vishnu. They are Balarama, Vamana, Matsya, Koorma, Varaha, Narasimha, Rama, Parashurama, Krishna and Khalki. According to Hinduism, we currently live in Kaliyuga and Vishnu take the form of Khalki, the tenth incarnation.

Hindus also worship sun, air, water, fire and earth. These are also known as five elements. They respect flora and fauna and regard them as gifts from god.

Famed as the granary of South India, Thanjavur or Tanjore is a place in Tamil Nadu renowned for music, art and wealth, but best known for its temple architecture. The place hosts some of the world renowned architectural wonders. The ancient Tanjore was a strong hold of the Chola dynasty, after whom the Marathas and Nayaks came in.

Tanjore became prosperous under the rule of Chola king Rajaraja Cholan I, who built the world famous Brihadeeswara temple. The temple turned 1000 last year and was built in 1010AD. The temple is completely built in granite and has been listed as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Brihadeeswara temple, also known as big temple, has one of the tallest temple towers or Vimanas in the world and the tallest in Southern part of India, which measures 216 ft in length. The big Kalash on the top is believed to be carved out from a single stone. This Shiva temple has a single-stone statue of Nandi, Lord Shiva’s vehicle outside the temple, which is16 ft long and 13 ft high. The shadow of the temple gopuram never falls on ground, a popular belief which makes the temple attract many visitors and devotees of Lord Shiva.

Tirupati and Amarnath are two of the most popular pilgrimage sites in India. Log on to Prabhubhakti to know more about them. 

India is home to many of the most beautiful architectural structures. Ellora caves, situated in the state of Maharashtra, are famous for their cave temples and sculptures. The many temples in this area are excavated from rocks and represent three different faiths viz Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. Ellora caves, built around 350 AD, are the most perfect example of cave architecture in India.

You can find 34 temples laid from north to south, in total in the area, among which 17 in the centre are dedicated to Hinduism, 12 caves to the south side are to Buddhism and 5 to the north side are dedicated to Jainism. The Buddhist caves, of which the main one is the Vishwakarma cave, were built in 7^th and 8^th centuries where as the caves built for Hindu deities (important ones are that of Kailasanatha, Dasavathara, Rameshwara, Dhumar Lena and Nikantha) were built from 7^th century to 9^th. The Jain caves were built in the 9^th century.

Very close to the city of Aurangabad, these cave temples were built by the rulers of Rashtrakuda dynasty. Ellora caves are listed as a heritage site by the UNESCO.

To read the childhood stories of Krishna in Vrindaban, log on to Prabhubhakti.

There are many symbols in Hinduism that reveal a lot about creation, universe and are different ways to connect with god, the supreme power. One of those important symbols is Yantra, meaning a machine or an instrument. This symbol has sets of geometrical shapes, which represent divinity. These geometrical shapes are usually circles, triangles, squares and dot.

Yantras have a dot, known as Bindu, at the centre, from where creation, space, time and energy emanate. The different geometrical patterns represent the unfolding of creation.

The Sri Yantra is considered to be symbol of Goddess of Shakti and emanate great power from them. Sages and people who are in search of spiritual enlightenment use this symbol for meditation. Numerical Yantras are used as talismans which have the power to mitigate illnesses, repel negative forces, attract happiness and wealth. Some Yantras have a bija mantra or seed mantra at the centre instead of the bindu, representing a particular deity.

The Yantra is a focal point where you concentrate all your energies, the relentless chatter of mind ends and calms down. Gradually the mind becomes free of all thoughts and silent. Sages with higher consciousness use Yantras to connect with the absolute power.

Know more about Brahma and Shivafrom Prabhubhakti.

As you all know Hanuman is the devotee, friend and a close associate of Lord Rama, the King of Ayodhya. There are many stories of Hanuman helping Lord Rama during his fourteen years of exile from Ayodhya. Never can the incident of saving Lord Lakshmana by bringing Mrita Sanjeevani and searching for Devi Sita in Lanka, be forgotten by any Hanuman devotee.

Hanuman’s affection towards Lord Rama is popular with all his worshippers. You might have noticed Lord Hanuman with Sindoor covered body in almost all the temples. The reason behind this act reveals his love for Lord Rama.

The story goes like this – One day Devi Sita was applying Sindoor on her forehead and Hanuman saw this. Out of curiosity he asked the reason for this act. She replied with a smile that, applying Sindoor will bring all the good luck to Lord Rama and he will lead a prosperous and happy life. Hearing this, he disappeared and came back with his body fully smeared with Sindoor. He said he wanted to see Rama happier and leading a longer life. Lord Rama heard this and gave a boon to his devotees saying whoever worships Hanuman by applying Sindoor to his body will be able to lead a happy life.

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.