The 24 akshara devathaas of Gayathri

There are 24 aksharams or samskritham letters in the great Gayathri Mantra:

Om Bhur Bhuvah Suvah Thath Savithurvaraenyam Bhargodevasya Dheemahee Dhiyo Yonaha Prachodayaath

Each of these 24 letters has a presiding female deity or a Devatha. They are:

1. Aadishakthi
2. Braahmi
3. Vaishnavi
4. Shaambhavi
5. Vedamaatha
6. Devamaatha
7. Vishwamaatha
8. Mathambhara
9. Mandaakini
10. Ajapa
11. Riddhi
12. Siddhi
13. Saavithri
14. Saraswathi
15. Lakshmi
16. Durga
17. Kundalini
18. Prajaani
19. Bhavaani
20. Bhuvaneswari
21. Annapoorna
22. Mahamaaya
23. Payaswini
24. Thripura

All these 24 devathas are the forms of the Mother Goddess.

- From Durgaasapthashathi (Devimaahaathmyam)

The meaning of Guru

In Samskritham, the word Guru originally means the following:

Gu = Darkness

Ru = to break; to dispel

Guru = someone who dispels darkness

Darkness is symbolically associated with ignorance. So one who destroys ignorance, which obviously should be with knowledge is a Guru.

Panchaloham - The alloy of five metals

Panchaloham - athe alloy of five metals used in moulding temple idols has the following constitution:

6 parts of copper

18 parts of white lead

5 parts of gold

7 parts of silver

&

3 parts of iron

Best days to worship Ganesha

Tuesday and Saturdays are the auspicious weekdays to worship Lord Ganesha.

The sign of your becoming religious

“The first sign of your becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful”
- Swami Vivekananda

Why do we strike the bell in the temple?

The bell is called Khandaa in Samskritham.

Its 'naadam'or sound is 'Pranavam' or the Aum.

This signifies striking of the bell in the temple. The sound produces the Aum that purifies and drives away the evil.

Fourteen Universal Witnesses

There are fourteen witnesses for whatever that happens in this Universe:

1. Agni (Fire)
2. Aakaasham (Sky)
3. Kaala (Time)
4. Chandra (Moon)
5. Jalam (Water)
6. Dharmam (Duty;righteousness)
7. Ahassu (Day)
8. Praathassandhyaa (Morning twilight)
9. Bhoomi (Earth)
10. Raathri (Night)
11. Vaayu (Air)
12. Saayam sandhya (Evening Twilight)
13. Surya (Sun)
14. Hridayam/Manahssaakshi (Heart/Conscience)

Santhaana Ganapathi at Raameswaram

In the southern corner of the first praakaram of the great Raameswaram temple, there is an idol for Santhaana Ganapathi. Devotees believe that he blesses with salsanthathi to childless couples.

In the northern corner of the same praakaram, there is an idol of Sowbhaagya Ganapathi who is worshipped for prosperity and good luck.

The meaning of 'Namasthae'

When we meet someone for the first time, we say 'Namasthae.'

We say this to salute the other person. Head is bowed and palms are joined like the bud of a fresh lotus flower at the height of our chest as we say 'Namasthae.'

In Samskritam,

NA+MA+THAE = Namasthae

Na = Not

Ma = Mine

Thae = Yours

So, 'Namasthae' means: Everything I have, including my Self is not mine. It is yours.

This is a great salutation to God. Since, we see the Lord in everyone around us, we use this to salute others. It expresses our utmost humility.

Panchaakshari manthra in the Yajurveda

Yajurveda says:

Namashivaaya cha shivatharaaya cha

Salutations to the auspicious one, and to the more auspicious (or the Paramaathman or the absolute).

Thaithireeya Samhitha 4.5.8.11