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The ever-powerful goddess’s presence can be traced across the globe in numerous religions, myths and texts. As per modern historians and geologists, the world as we know today was one big landmass called the ‘Pangea’ many thousand years ago. If one reads the creation story in various cultures, they talk about a flood and a saviour. So then, does it mean that all of us—geographies and cultures irrespective—have common roots, a common origin, and are governed by the same energy? As per Vedic philosophy, there are three aspects of Creation: creation, preservation and transformation, and to run these functions the Divine energy assumes the triple form of Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, with the propelling forces Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga respectively. Interestingly, these pieces of evidence are not limited to the Indian subcontinent but can be found all across the globe. In this article, we will trace the presence of Durga or Adi Shakti cross the world map. Another name f...

यह लेख  देशप्यार में प्रकाशित हुआ था।

योगी अश्विनी   अष्टाँग योग के पाँच नियमों में से एक नियम है ‘तप’ जिसका अर्थ है अपने शरीर को किसी भी रूप में कष्ट देकर तपाना। तप, एक शुद्धिकरण की प्रक्रिया है, जो कि नकारात्मक कर्मों को निष्फल करने में और आत्मिक उत्थान में सहायक होती है। उपवास भी स्वयं को तपाने का एक माध्यम है। यही कारण है कि शरीर और आत्मा की शुद्धि के लिए, नवरात्रों में उपवास किए जाते हैं। देवी माँ के दस ‘शक्ति’- रूप- शैलपुत्री, ब्रह्मचारिणी, चंद्रकान्ता, कुशमंदा, स्कंदमाता, कात्यायनी, कालरात्रि, महागौरी, सिद्धिदात्री तथा अपराजिता, इन नौ रातों और दस दिनों में समाये हुए हैं। इस प्रकार, नवरात्रों में, प्रत्येक रात की एक विशेष शक्ति है और उस शक्ति का एक विशेष उद्देश्य। इस अवधि के दौरान मौसम परिवर्तन होता है, अर्थात सृष्टि की विभिन्न शक्तियाँ एक असंतुलन से संतुलन की ओर बढ़ती हैं। चूँकि, हम इस सृष्टि के पूर्ण अंश हैं, तो इस समय में हमारी प्राण शक्ति भी सृष्टि की अन्य शक्तियों की तरह एक संतुलन, एक पुनः निर्माण की प्रक्रिया से होकर गुजरती है। इस समय शरीर को अल्प और सुपाच्य आहार के माध्यम से हल्का रखा जाता है तथा ...

Navratras come twice a year and mark transition in seasons, winter-summer and summer-winter. According to ayurveda, during this time, one should consume nourishing foods and in minimal quantities to rid the body of the toxins collected during the rains. The nine nights and ten days of navratras hold within them the energy of ten forms of shakti– shailaputri, brahmcharini, chandrakanta, kushmanda, skandmata, katyayani, kaalratri, mahagauri, siddhidatri and aparajitha thus each navratra has a specific purpose. In the navratras weather changes, ie, various energies of this creation move from imbalance towards a new normalcy, including our body. In these nine days, the prana shakti inside our body undergoes a process of re-alignment, ie from imbalance to new balance for new season. For this re- aligning the body has to be kept light. Therefore our ancients prescribed fasting or upvaas in these nine days.Upavaas has a much greater connotation than what it is generally misunderstood as -...

The 9 nights and ten days of Navratras hold within them the energy of ten forms of shakti namely– shailaputri, brahmcharini , chandrakanta , kushmanda, skandmata, katyayani , kaalratri, mahagauri, siddhidatri and aparajitha thus each navratra has a specific purpose. Nine days should be divided into 3 parts of 3 days, each for the three parts of the body. During navratras, weather changes and various energies move from imbalance to stability, including our body. During these nine days, the prana shakti inside our body undergoes a process of re-alignment. Navratras come twice a year and mark a transition in seasons, winter-summer and summer-winter. According to ayurveda, during this time, one should consume nourishing foods and in minimal quantities to rid the body of the toxins collected during the rains. In the navratras weather changes, i.e., various energies of this creation move from imbalance towards a new nnormalcy, including our body.  For this re- alig...

Navratras come twice a year, marking the transition of seasons. In Ayurveda, during this time, consume nourishing foods in minimal quantities to rid the body from toxins collected during the rains. The nine nights and ten days of Navratras hold the energy of ten forms of Shakti–Shailaputri, Brahmcharini, Chandrakanta, Kushmanda, Skandmata, Katyayani, Kaalratri, Mahagauri, Siddhidatri and Aparajitha. The weather changes, and various energies of creation move from imbalance towards a new normalcy, including in our body. Our body’s prana shakti undergoes realignment, from imbalance to a new balance for the new season. For this realignment, the body has to be kept light. Therefore, the ancients prescribed fasting or upvaas during these nine days. Upavaas has a  greater connotation than merely holding back from certain foods. At Dhyan Ashram, sadhaks observe upavaas in its authentic sense—giving up all pleasures to observe austerities during sadhna, through celibacy, consumi...

On one of my expeditions to Himalayas, I met a  tapasvi . He had a mystical calmness about himself. We had a long conversation after which I  thought  of leaving something for his expenses. I slipped my hand beneath the  asan  on which he was sitting to leave some money behind. As I did so, something pricked me. I lifted the cloth to find iron nails below… One of the 5  niyams  in  ashthang yog  is  ‘tapa’ , that is, to heat the  body  by giving it pain. It is a very basic purification, a means to cancel out your negative  karmas , a tool to aid progress and evolution. Fasting/  Upavaas  is one way of putting yourself through pain.  Upavaas  has a much greater connotation than what it is generally misunderstood as - mere holding back from eating certain foods. At Dhyan Ashram,  sadhaks  observe  Upavaas  in its aunthentic sense, that is, giving up pleasure to observe austerities...

Navratri is time when one sees long queues of people outside temples waiting for their turn to make their request before God. Whenever we pray, we ask for pleasure, how many of us ask for pain? Pleasure and pain go hand in hand. Every pleasure comes with a pain and pain comes with pleasure. Usually we only indulge in pleasure, because of which pain is forced upon us in the form of disease and financial and relationship troubles. Earlier generations understood this dynamic and therefore used to inflict pain upon themselves to compensate for the pleasures they had indulged in. This pain usually comes in the form of service, charity and tapa. So, what is tapa? It is one of the five niyamas prescribed in Ashthang Yoga , where you heat the body by giving it pain. A basic purification, it is a means to throw out your negative karmas and expedite evolution. Fasting or upavaas done during the nine days of Navratri is a form of tapa. Do remember bhoga is a never-ending process; there is...