Nalanda - The Giver of Knowledge



 

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Vayuputra Hanuman

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  Vayuputra Bajrangbali, Hanuman, Anjaneya – we call him by many names. But all it denotes supreme power and complete devotion to Lord Rama and humility towards all others. We celebrate him as the Ashta siddi Navanidhi ke dhata (the possessor of eight powers and nine types of wealth). How did he get all these powers – just by his parentage? His devotion to Rama or was there more to it. Let us see an interesting story of Hanuman as a child. Anjana devi was busy with her chores. Her naughty Anjaneya, who she was fond of calling Sundara, was playing outside. The birds were chirping and the sun was just rising on the horizon. It was early spring. The sun was a bright orange in the distance. Baby Hanuman was as ever curious. He was also hungry. He wanted to eat that right, red fruit. With one jump he tried to catch the sun not realising that Lord Surya was a ball of fire. That day happened to be the day of eclipse. Rahu with his snake like form was trying to eclipse the sun. Han...
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Satyakama - The Seeker of Truth

  Satyakama: The Seeker of Truth Chandogya Upanishad, 4.4 – 4.8 In Sanatana Dharma, knowledge seeking, debate and discussions is part of the fabric. We do not get angry when questioned about our practices. The other defining feature of the religion is the acceptance of knowledge from any and all sources. This is not now. A nice story from Chandogya Upanishad depicts this beautifully.   A young boy once came to Sage Haridrumata Gautama. He said “Guruji, I want to study under you. I would like to accept me as your student.” Gautama asked him for his family details and gotra. The boy was not aware of these details. He asked his mother but unfortunately, she also did not know. She was a poor woman and was only aware of her name that was Jabala. She had named her son Satyakama. Saying all this, Satyakama said, “Sir, I reveal myself to you as Satyakama Jabala. Is my name.”   In those days it was considered a requirement of every Guru to accept students who came for ...
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Story of a bhakta - Sakkubai - Part 1

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The story of a bhakta – Sakkubai Once upon a time, in a small village near Pandarpur there lived an old couple. They were humble, pious and hard working. They did not have any children of their own and prayed to the Lord of Pandarpur to bless their home with a child. The Lord of Pandarpur blessed them with a beautiful girl chid. The happy couple named their daughter Sakkubai. Sakkubai, was very devoted to her parents and imbibed their sense of bhakti and love for Vittala of Pandarpur at a very early age. She used to assist her mother in the chores in the house. She used to gather flowers for the puja, clean the puja mantapa and participate in the daily rituals with her parents. When Sakkubai reached marriageable age, her parents looked for a suitable bridge groom for their daughter. During that period there was a beautiful town on the banks of the Krishna river called Karaveerapuram. Karaveerapuram had lush fields, beautiful water bodies and flowers and fruit orchards. The town...
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