BharatiyaStories

  #Know your dharma Why do Indian women wear bangles? Women love jewellery. Eastern civilizations also have a variety of colourful jewellery made out of beads, glass, ivory and semi-precious gems in addition to precious metals. One of the quintessential ornaments that most women possess are the bangles. One of the everyday jewellery items that Indian women love to wear is bangle. They are either lose around their wrists or made like bracelets depending on the trends and fashions. Bangles assume particular significance during wedding and auspicious occasions and are symbolic too. So what are the cultural reasons behind Indian women wearing bangles? The tradition of wearing of bangles in India is very ancient. The jewellery worn by Sita during her marriage includes bangles and wrist ornaments. A sculpture excavated in MohenjaDaro shows a  woman with her hand on her hip wearing bangles.  Bangles are considered auspicious in most parts of India. Depending on the region and the cu

Story of Pushpadanta     We have seen earlier the story of Sukeshi who went to the ashram of the sages in the Magadh forest and learnt many dharmic concepts. ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/02/pious-asuras-and-worried-gods ). Amongst the many things he learnt from the sages, he also got the knowledge of the ten basic principles of Dharma that is common to all people irrespective of their occupation (varnas). We had already covered two of these Dharmas through relevant stories. Please see the link below. Dasha Dharma 1.         Dhṛti – Patience ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/02/dashdharma-patience-shabari.html ; https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/02/dash-dharma-patience.html ) 2.         Kṣhamā – Forgiveness ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/03/dashadharma-story-of-kaakasura-from.htmll ) 3.         Damo - Calmness 4.         Asteyaṃ - Not coveting/ stealing 5.         Sauca

  Gunanidhi becomes Kubera #Shiva Puranam We read the tale of Gunanidhi from Shivapuranam.  ( https://bharatiyastories.blogspot.com/2024/04/gunanidhi-power-of-shiva-worship.html ) .  We ended the tale with the ShivaGanas taking Gunanidhi’s soul to Shivalok with a prediction that after spending some time there he will be reborn as the king of Kalinga. So let us see what happened to him. Did he carry the vasanas (traits) of his life as a gambler and cheater or did he become a better person after spending some time in the Shivalok? Let us see. Gunanidhi is reborn as Dama, son of Arindama, the king of Kalinga. From his childhood, he was a pious person and was very devoted to Shiva. He carried the memory of how an accidental lighting of the lamp helped him reach Shivalok despite a sinful life as Gunannidhi. As Dama, he started ensuring that all Shiva temples in Kalinga were always lit. Hence Kalinga became a glorious kingdom. The care and the regular pujas in the temple ensured that t