12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva

12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva

As we all know  Lord Shiva is worshipped in the form of Linga all over India.However, there are 12 jyotirlingas of lord shiva which are most revered and worshipped far and wide .Here we are going to list those 12 jyotirlingas and their significance.

1.Somnath (Gujarat)

The Somnath temple located in Prabhas Patan near Veraval in Saurashtra on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the first among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Shiva.It is an important pilgrimage and tourist spot. The temple is considered sacred due to the various legends connected to it. Somnath means “Lord of the Soma”, an epithet of Shiva. 

2.Mallikarjuna Jyotirlinga (Andhra Pradesh)

Mallikarjuna, also called Srisaila, is the name of the pillar located on a mountain on the river Krishna. Srisailam, near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh enshrines Mallikarjuna in an ancient temple that is architecturally and sculpturally rich. Adi Shankara composed his Sivananda Lahiri here.

3.Mahakaleshwar (Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh)

Mahakal, Ujjain (or Avanti) in Madhya Pradesh is home to the Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple. The Lingam at Mahakal is believed to be Swayambhu, the only one of the 12 Jyotirlingams to be so. It is also the only one facing south and also the temple to have a Shree Yantra perched upside down at the ceiling of the Garbha Graha (where the Shiv Lingam sits).

4.Mamleshwar (Omkareshwar, Madhya Pradesh)

Mamleshwar Jyotirlinga temple is a protected Ancient Monument with good architectural stone work. Since the time of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar who expired in 1795, 22 Brahim paid by the Holker state, daily performed Lingarchan Puja. Each Brahmin was Provided with a wooden board having 1300 little holes. In each they put very small miniature clay lingam to represent Shiva Lingas and when nearly 14300 lingas were manufacture and worshipped, they used to be submerges in the Narmada. In the early part of the 20th century the number of Brahmins was reduced to 11 and at present the number is only 5. the wall of the temple contains the inscription of Mahims Stotra dated 1063 A.D 

5.Kedarnath (Uttarakhand )

is a Hindu temple dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva. It is on the Garhwal Himalayan range near the Mandakini river in Kedarnath,Uttarakhand in India. Due to extreme weather conditions, the temple is open only between the end of April (Akshaya Tritiya) to Kartik Purnima (the autumn full moon, usually November). During the winters, the vigrahas (deities) from Kedarnath temple are brought to Ukhimath and worshipped there for six months. Lord Shiva is worshipped as Kedarnath, the ‘Lord of Kedar Khand’, the historical name of the region 

6.BhimaShankar (Maharashtra)

Bhimashankar, in the Sahyadri range of Maharashtra, contains a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with Shiva destroying the demon Tripurasura. There is also a Bhimashankara temple at Kashipurnear Nainital, which was referred to as Daakini country in ancient days. It is believed that Bhima the Pandava prince was married to Hidamba, a Daakini here. Mahashivaratri is celebrated in great splendour here too. This temple also has shrines to Bhairavanath and Devi, and a temple tank by name Shivaganga.

7.Kashi Vishwanath (Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh)

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu temples and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy riverGanga, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. The main deity is known by the name Vishvanatha or Vishveshvara meaning Ruler of The Universe. The Temple has been referred to in Hindu Scriptures for a very long time and as a central part of worship in the Shaiva philosophy. It has been destroyed and reconstructed a number of times in the history. The last structure was demolished by Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque on its site.The current structure was built on an adjacent site by the Maratha monarch, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780.

8.Trimbakeshwar (Maharashtra)

The Trimbakeshwar Temple, near Nasik in Maharashtra, is a Jyotirlinga shrine associated with the origin of the Godavari River. The temple lies in the foothill of mountain Bramhagiri which is the origin of river Ganga (called here by name Godavari).

The most attractive part of this temple is presence of 3 linga’s each representing Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. All three resides in a hallow space within the Shiva lingam. 

9.Vaidyanathdham (Deoghar, Jharkhand)

Vaidya Nath Jyotirlinga temple, is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the most sacred abodes of Shiva. It is located in Deoghar in the  Santhal Parganas  division of the in the state of Jharkhand. It is a temple complex consisting of the main temple of Baba vaidya Nath, where the Jyotirlinga is installed, and 21 other temples. 

According to Hindu beliefs, the demon king Ravana worshipped Shiva at the current site of the temple to get the boons that he later used to wreak havoc in the world. Ravana offered his ten heads one after another to Shiva as a sacrifice. Pleased with this, Shiva descended to cure Ravana who was injured. As he acted as a doctor, he is referred to as Vaidhya (“doctor”). From this aspect of Shiva, the temple derives its name.

10.Nageshwar (Gujarat)

Nageshvara Jyotirlinga is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga shrines mentioned in the Shiva Purana. Nageshvara is believed to be the first such shrine. A narrative in the Shiva Purana about the Nageshvara Jyotirlinga tells of a demon named Daaruka, who attacked a Shiva devotee named Supriya and imprisoned him along with many others in his city of Darukavana, a city under the sea inhabited by seasnakes and demons. At the urgent exhortations of Supriya, the prisoners started to chant the holy mantra of Shiva and immediately thereafter the Lord Shiva appeared and the demon was vanquished,later residing there in the form of a Jyotirlinga. 

11.Rameshwaram (TamilNadu)

Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu is home to the vast Ramalingeswarar Jyotirlinga temple and is revered as the southernmost of the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of India. It enshrines the Rameśvara (“Lord of Rama”) pillar.It is also one of the Padal Petra Stalam of Pandya Nadu mentioned in Thevaaram. 

12.Ghrishneshwar (Maharashtra)

The word Ghrneshwar means “lord of compassion”.The temple is an important pilgrimage site in Shaivism tradition of Hinduism, which considers it as the last or twelfth Jyotirlinga . This temple was destroyed by the Delhi Sultanate during the Hindu-Muslim wars of 13th and 14th-century. The temple went through several rounds of rebuilding followed by re-destruction during the Mughal-Maratha conflict. It was rebuilt in the current form in the 18th century under the sponsorship of a Hindu queen Rani Ahalyabai of Indore, after the fall of the Mughal Empire. It is presently an important and active pilgrimage site of the Hindus and attracts long lines of devotees daily. Anyone can enter the temple premises and its inner chambers, but to enter the sanctum sanctorum core (garbha-ghrya) of the temple, the local Hindu tradition demands that men must go bare chested.

source: jyotirlinga and Wikipedia

The Four Famous Pilgrimage Sites for Hindus

The Four Famous Pilgrimage Sites for Hindus

These famous four pilgrimages sites also popularly known as char-Dham was first defined by Adi-Sankaracharya .These four temples are revered sites for  Vaishnavite people.Vaishnavite people are those who believe that Vishnu is the supreme god and Lord Vishnu is the presiding deity of these famous four pilgrimages sites . It comprises Badrinath, Dwarka,Jagannath Puri and Rameswaram. It is considered highly sacred by Hindus to visit Char Dham during one’s lifetime. These pilgrimages sites are located in four different directions and regions of India namely East West North South.

1. Jagannatha Temple, Puri  (Odisha, East)

Puri located at the East, is located in the state of Odisha, India. Puri is one of the oldest cities in the eastern part of the India. It is situated on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The presiding deity is Shri Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu celebrated as Lord Jagannatha.The main temple  is about 1000 years old and constructed by Raja Choda Ganga Deva and Raja Tritiya Ananga Bhima Deva. Puri is the site of the Govardhana Matha, one of the four cardinal institutions or Mathas established by Adi Shankaracharya. 

2. Dwarakadheesh Temple, Dwarka (Gujarat, West )

The Dwarkadhish temple, also known as the Jagat Mandir is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Krishna, who is worshipped here by the name Dwarkadhish, or ‘King of Dwarka’. The main shrine of the 5-storied building, supported by 72 pillars .It is said to be around 2000-2200 years old.  According to tradition, the original temple was believed to have been built by Krishna’s grandson, Vajranabha, over Lord Krishna’s residential place. Dwarka located in the west is in the state of Gujarat, India. The city derives its name from the word “dwar” meaning door or gate in the Sanskrit language. It is located confluence to where the Gomti River merges into the Arabian Sea. However, this river Gomti is not the same Gomti River which is a tributary of Ganga River The city lies in the westernmost part of India. 

3. Badrinath Temple, Badrinath (Uttarakhand, North)

Badrinath or Badrinarayan Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu which is situated in the town of Badrinath in Uttarakhand, India. It is open for six months every year (between the end of April and the beginning of November), because of extreme weather conditions in the Himalayan region. The temple is located in Garhwal hill tracks in Chamoli district along the banks of Alaknanda River at an elevation of 3,133 m (10,279 ft) above the mean sea level. It is one of the most visited pilgrimage centres of India, having recorded 1,060,000 visits. The image of the presiding deity worshipped in the temple is a 1 m (3.3 ft) tall, black stone statue of Vishnu in the form of Badrinarayan. The statue is considered by many Hindus to be one of eight  self-manifested statues of Vishnu.

4. Rameswaram (TamilNadu, South)

According to Hindu mythology, this is the place from where Lord Rama, built a bridge Ram Setu to Lanka. The Ramanatha Swamy Temple devoted to Lord Shiva occupies a major area of Rameswaram. The temple is believed to have been blessed by Shri Rama Chandra. Rameswaram is important for the Hindus as a pilgrimage to visit Rameswaram in their lifetime. The main deity here is in the form of a Linga with the name Sri Ramanatha Swamy, it also is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas. Rama wanted a huge shiva lingam to worship Lord Shiva at this place. Hanuman was dispatched to Varanasi to bring the image of the lingam from the Kashi temple there. However he was delayed and the auspicious moment was about to pass. Therefore Sita built a lingam of sand and the prayers were conducted. This lingam is referred to as Ramalingam. When Hanuman returned with the lingam from Varanasi he was peeved to find that the prayers were completed. To placate him Sita also installed the Kashilingam and decreed that this lingam should be worshipped before the Ramalinga. Ramanathaswamy (Lord Shiva) is the primary deity of the Rameshwaram Temple. The inner sanctum has 2 lingams – the one brought by Hanuman from Himalayas (Kashilingam/Vishwalingam) and the one built by Sita (Ramalingam). 

In Hindu Puranas Hari (Vishnu) and Har (Shiv) are referred as eternal friends. It is said wherever there resides Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva also resides nearby. Char Dhams are also not exception of this. So the Kedarnath is considered as the pair of Badrinath, Ranganath Swami is considered the pair of Rameshwaram. Somnath is considered as the pair of Dwarka. However one thing is also to be noted here that according to some traditions the Char Dham are Badrinath, Ranganath-Swami, Dwarka and Jagannath-Puri all the four of which are Vaishnav sites and their associated places are Kedarnath, Rameshwaram, Somnath andLingaraja Temple, Bhubaneswar (or may be Gupteshwar) respectively. 

8 Facts About Bhagavad Gita

8 Facts About Bhagavad Gita

1. Not only Arjun but 3 more legends heard Bhagavad Gita from Krishna directly.
Sanjay because of divine power gifted to him.
Hanuman, as he was residing on Arjun’s chariot.
Barbarik, son of Ghatotkach who was watching it all from a hill top.

2. This is the research paper on scientific explanation of Field Theory mentioned in Chapter 13 of Bhagavad Gita: A Scientific Explanation of Chapter 13 of the Bhagavad Gita

3.Bhagavad Gita is actually a song because it is spoken in rhyming meter called “Anushtup” and it contains 32 syllables in each verse. The general theme is in four lines of eight syllables each. In particular verses, a “Trishtup” metre is used, which contains four lines of 11 syllables each.

4.The Bhagavad-gita is composed of 700 Sanskrit verses contained in the 18 chapters divided into three sections each consisting of the six chapters.

5.The first English edition of Bhagavad-gita by Charles Wilkins in year 1975 in London,England.This was 174 years after the translation of the Holy Bible.

6.Till now Bhagavad-gita has been translated into approx. 175 languages.

7. The Mahabharat confirms that Lord Krishna spoke the Bhagavad Gita to Arjun at the Battle of Kurukshetra in 3137 B.C. According to specific astrological references in the Vedic scriptures, the year3102 B.C. is the beginning of Kali Yuga which began 35 years after the battle.

8. It is to be observed that the number eighteen is constantly recurring in the Mahabharata. The  word 18 in Sanskrit means Jaya and also implies Sacrifice. Another name  of Mahabharata is Jaya Itivrata (Itihaas). There are 18 Parvas, 18  chapters in Geeta, Akshauhinis are 18. There are 18 people required for the  sacrifice, Sabha construction to Rajasuya is 18 years, Jarasandh attacks  18 times. It is said that the size of Pandavas‘ army in the Kurukshetra war was 7 Akshauhini , and those of Kauravas 11 akshauhinis., totaling 18. The word 18 dominates the Epic.

An Akshauhini,  was an ancient battle formation that consisted of 21,870 chariots ;  21,870 elephants; 65,610 cavalry and 109,350 infantry. The ratio is 1  chariot : 1 elephant : 3 cavalry : 5  infantry soldiers. In each of these large number groups (65,610, etc.),  the digits add up to 18.

Eight Chiranjeevis of the Hindu Mythology

In Hindu mythology, there are said to be a group of Ashta-Chiranjeevis (Eight ‘Immortals’, Chiran- Long, and Jeevi- Lived). These eight immortals are said to still live on the Earth in flesh and blood today, for various different reasons. Specifically, Chiranjeevis are those born human, but blessed or cursed with extremely long life (perhaps not immortality as we know it, but I’ll use the word immortal for simplicity anyway).

1. Markandeya

Markendeya is a devotee of the Lord Shiva, and was granted immortality by him when Shiva and Yama (the God of death) fought to decide the Rishi’s destiny. A tale from the Bhagavata Purana states that once sage Narayana visited Markandeya and asked him for a boon. Markandeya prayed to sage Narayana to show him his illusory power or maya since sages Nara-Narayana are incarnation of Supereme Lord Narayana. To fulfill his wish, Vishnu appeared in the form of a child floating on a leaf, and declared to the sage that he was Time and Death. Sage Markandeya entered into his mouth and save himself from the surging water. Inside the boy’s stomach Markandeya discovered all the worlds, the seven regions and the seven oceans. The mountains and the kingdoms were all there. So were all living beings. Markandeya did not know what to make of all this. He started to pray to Vishnu. The sage spent a thousand years with Vishnu. He composed the Bala mukundashtakam at this moment.

2. Bali Chakravarthi

the Asura King Mahabali, who had conquered all the three worlds, had to be subdued by Vishnu on the request of Indra, after having developed an unhealthy arrogance. Vishnu banished Bali to the underworld, but his pious deeds on Earth granted him the boon of being able to visit his subjects once a year- now celebrated as Onam in Kerala.

3. Lord Hanuman

Lord Hanuman really needs no introduction, he is devotion personified, and his strength, form and knowledge characterise him. It is said that whilst other characters from the Ramayan achieved their sought-after Moksha, Hanumanji shunned the heavens and requested to remain on Earth as long as Lord Ram is venerated by people, to reside wherever the name of Ram is taken- such was, and is his love for God. Whoever recites the glories of Lord Hanuman is supposedly certain to overcome life’s miseries and obstacles. It is also said that the person who arrives first, and leaves last from a Ram Katha is always Chiranjeevi Hanuman. There is one very interesting story about a pilgrimage in Mansarovar in the Himalayas in 1998. A pilgrim supposedly saw a light in the cave, of which he took a photo. He died shortly after and when his fellow travellers had the photo developed. It depicts a monkey-formed being, studying what looks like the Vedas.

4. Kripacharya

Kripa was the Kul Guru of the Kurus during the Mahabharat, and whilst his status as a Chiranjeevi is disputed, his impartiality towards all of his students is the most commonly documented reason for his immortality.

5. Parashurama

6th avatar of Vishnu, master of all astras, sastras and divine weapons. The Kalki Purana writes that he will re emerge at end time to the martial guru of Kalki. He will then instruct the final avatar to undertake penance to receive celestial weaponry, required to save mankind at end time.

6. Vibhishana

The brother of Ravan, Vibhishan, who fought on Ram’s side in the Ramayan. He was made a Chiranjeevi to maintain morality and righteousness in Lanka and to guide people over the world in Dharma.

7. Vyasa

A sage who narrated the Mahabharata. He represents erudition and wisdom.He was the son of Rishi Prashar and grandson of Rishi vashist. He was born in almost last of Tretayug, lived to see the whole Dwaparyug and also had seen the initial phase of Kalyug.

8. Ashwasthama

Ashwatthama was the son of guru Drona. He is one of the seven Chiranjivis. Dronacharya loved him very dearly. The rumours about his death in the Kurukshetra war led to the death of Drona at the hands of Prince Dhrishtadyumna. He is the grandson of the Brahmin sage Bharadwaja. Ashwatthama fought on the Kaurava side against the Pandavas in the Mahabharata war.

source :quora 

5 Sati Women In Hindu Mythology

AhlyaAccording to our scriptures and Puranas, there are 5 Sati women in the Hindu Mythology.The Four women of five are always present in the every scripture while there is some what dilemma about the fifth.

The  Sanskrit Shlok answer our question :

“ahalyā draupadī sītā tārā mandodarī tathā । pañcakanyāḥ smarennityaṃ mahāpātakanāśinīḥ ॥”

English translation of the Sanskrit Shlok:
“Ahalya, Draupadi, Sita, Tara and Mandodari. One should forever remember the panchakanya who are the destroyers of great sins.”

A variant replaces Sita with Kunti. 

1.Ahalya

Ahalya, also known as Ahilya, is wife of sage Gautama Maharishi. Ahalya is often regarded as the leader of the panchkanya due to the “nobility of her character, her extraordinary beauty and the fact of her being chronologically the first kanya”.Ahalya is often described to be created by the god Brahma as the most beautiful woman in the entire universe 

2.Tara

Tara is Queen of Kishkindha and wife of monkey(vanara) King Vali. After being widowed, she becomes Queen of Sugriva, Vali’s brother. Tara is described as daughter of monkey physician Sushena in theRamayana and in later sources as an apsara(celestial nymph) who rises from the Samudra manthan.^[1][9] She marries Vali and bears him a son named Angada. 

3.Mandodari

Mandodari is queen consort of Ravana, the Rakshasa(demon) king of Lanka. The Hindu epics describe her as beautiful, pious and righteous. Mandodari is daughter of Mayasura, the King of Asuras(demons) and apsara(celestial nymph) Hema. Some tales narrate how an apsara called Madhura was cursed to become a frog and imprisoned in a well for 12 years, after which regains her beauty or a frog, blessed to a beautiful maiden;in both cases, she is adopted by Mayasura as his daughter Mandodari. Ravana comes to the house of Mayasura and falls in love with Mandodari and then marries her. Mandodari bears him three sons: Meghanada(Indrajit), Atikaya and Akshayakumara. 

4.Sita

Sita is the heroine of Ramayana and the consort of the Hindu god Rama (avatar of Vishnu) and is an avatar of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and wife of Vishnu. She is esteemed as a standard-setter for wifely and womanly virtues for all Hindu women.Sita is adopted daughter of Janaka, king of Videha, found while he was furrowing the earth.The prince of Ayodhya, Rama wins Sita in her svayamvara. Later, when Rama is sentenced to a fourteen-year exile, Sita joins Rama and his brother Lakshmana in exile, despite Rama’s wish for her to remain in Ayodhya.While in exile in Dandaka forest, she falls prey to Ravana’s scheme and sends Rama away in quest of a golden deer, while she is kidnapped by Ravana. Sita is imprisoned in the Ashoka Vatika grove of Lanka, until she is rescued by Rama, who slays Ravana in war 

5.Draupadi

Draupadi is the heroine of Mahabharata. She is common wife of the five Pandava brothers and queen of Hastinapur, in their reign. Born from a fire-sacrifice of king of Panchala - Drupada, Draupadi was prophesied to lead to the end of Drona and Kauravas.Though the middle Pandava Arjuna - disguised as a brahmin - wins her in her swayamvara, Draupadi is compelled to marry all the five brothers on command of her mother-in-law Kunti. Pandavas agree to the plan that Draupadi will always be the chief consort of all brothers and always the empress. 

12 Names of Arjuna

Other Names of Arjuna, the greatest archer of the world came to known by:-

1. Dhananjaya
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This name is about the auspiciousness that Arjuna brought along with himself. Dhanañjaya means “one who can conquer over riches.” .he conquered over many kings and lands and thus brought riches to the kingdom of his older brother. 

2. Savyasachi
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Arjuna was capable and  skillful in wielding Gandiva and other weapons using both arms, (ambidextrous), and therefore he was called Savyasachi, the one who can wield using both hands.

3. Vijaya
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As clear from the name itself, it means the Victor and Arjuna was never defeated in a war. 

4.Jishnu
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Jishnu is a literal name given to Arjuna and it means the conqueror of enemies. Without doubt, he remained true to his name! 

5. Kiriti
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Being the son of Indra, he wore the celestial diadem, Kiriti, presented by Indra, and therefore was called by this name.

6. Vibhatsu
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Arjuna was so called because he created scenes of bibhatsa (terror) during war with his enemies.

7. Falguni
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Because Arjuna was born under the star named Uttara Phalguni, he was called by this name.

8. Gudakesha

Like Lord Krishna was called Rishikesha, Arjuna was called Gudakesha, which means having thick beautiful hair.

9. Krishna
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It is a lesser known name of Arjuna–he was also called Krishna, the one who attracts.

10. Shvetavahana
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As clear from the name itself, it should be about the chariot or vehicle. Because Arjuna had white horses mounted, he was called by this name. 

11. Kounteya 

As Arjuna was the son of Kunti ,he was referred as Kounteya literally meaning Son of Kunti

12.Partha 

 Kunthi was actually named by birth as Pritha by her father Shurasena. Then, Kunthibhoja, Shurasena’s cousin adopted her as he was childless. He then named her Kunthi.Thus Son of Pritha came to be known as Partha (Son of Pritha). While there another meaning to his name, Partha  is a Sanskrit word which means ‘one who never misses his target’. Since Arjun was the greatest archer of the time