The Symbolism of Goddess Saraswati, Goddess of Science , Video
Saraswati is considered to be the divine consort of Lord Brahma, the Creator of the universe which means that the learning power is fundamental in all beings. Saraswati literally means the flowing one. Maa Saraswati is depicted either sitting on a white lotus or riding a white swan. In North India, she is shown with a peacock. The white lotus symbolizes supreme pure knowledge while the swan symbolizes grace and the power of discrimination. The peacock is the secret of Om. Goddess Saraswati has four arms which represent the four aspects of human personality in learning: i.e. mind, intellect, alertness and ego .. This Divine Hymn written by Sage Agastya about the Goddess of learning is considered to be powerful and beneficial to those who recite or listen. It bestows the power to understand and progress in studies and development of artistic talents. It helps the mind to blossom with the great qualities of concentration, creativity, discrimination and attention. It will inspire one to initiate service projects that serve humanity, and become spiritually mature with humility, sincerity, gentleness, and truthfulness. On Navratri 2011, Goddess Saraswati descends on this Earth plane in her ferocious form to destroy the demon of ignorance.Saraswati Puja restructures your thoughts to give you divine intelligence. Maa Saraswati or Goddess Saraswati who represents unpolluted consciousness, destroys the demons of negativity and ignorance that causes suffering in this whole world.
Maa Saraswati or Goddess Saraswati
Goddess Saraswati or Maa Saraswati is most widely known as the Goddess of Education. She is the Goddess of Science and the Goddess of Innovation and Design. She will bring in new understandings and technologies beyond our present thinking that will uplift all of Humanity on Navaratri 2011. This will deepen our faculties and open us on spiritual level. In Sanskrit, ‘Sara’ means essence and ‘Va’ means the self therefore meaning knowledge of the true self which is all knowing and all powerful. Maa Saraswati is also called the ‘Shwetambari’, since Shweta means ‘white’ and Ambari means ‘one who clad or wears’, because of her fondness of wearing white dresses
The Symbolism of Goddess Saraswati
In one hand Ma Saraswati holds the Vedas which represent the universal, divine, eternal, and true knowledge as well as her perfection of the sciences and the scriptures. In another hand she holds a crystal rosary or mala, representing the power of meditation and spirituality. In the third and fourth hands she holds a musical instrument called the veena, representing her perfection of all arts and sciences.
দুর্গা পূজা 2011 ক্যালেন্ডার, টেক্সট মেসেজ, Durga Puja 2011 calendar , Text messages, Video
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Text messages
Let's celebrate Durga Puja by sending text messages to our friends and relatives.
A few samples are given below:
May this Durga Puja bring joy, health and wealth to you. May the festival of lights brighten up you and your near and dear ones' lives.
May the divine blessings of the Goddess Durga be with you on this Durga Puja.
May Maa Durga empower you and your family with her 9 swaroopa of name, fame, health, wealth, happiness, humanity, education, bhakti and shakti.Happy Durga Puja.
Hope this festival brings your way bright sparkles of contentment that stay with you through the days ahead. Best wishes for Durga Puja.
May this festival light the lamp of happiness, prosperity and knowledge. Happy Durga Puja.
Navratri Festival
Navratri dates in the year 2011 are coming closer. Navratri, one of the most colorful festival of India celebrated with much enthusiasm and devotion.
This year in 2011 A.D. The start date of Navratri festival is 28th September 2011, Wednesday and this Hindu festival dedicated to the Mother divine continues for 9 nights, the last date is 6th October 2011.
See Navratri Songs for collection of songs, mp3, videos and lyrics related to this festival of India. Navratri Festival
Every year during the lunar month of Ashwin or Kartik (September-October), Hindus observe ten days of ceremonies, rituals, fasts and feasts in honor of the supreme mother goddess. It begins with the fast of “Navaratri”, and ends with the festivities of “Dusshera” and “Vijayadashami.”
Goddess Durga
This festival is devoted solely to the Mother Goddess — known variously as Durga, Bhavani, Amba, Chandika, Gauri, Parvati, Mahishasuramardini — and her other manifestations. The name “Durga” means “inaccessible”, and she is the personification of the active side of the divine “shakti” energy of Lord Shiva. In fact, she represents the furious powers of all the male gods, and is the ferocious protector of the righteous, and destroyer of the evil. Durga is usually portrayed as riding a lion, and carrying weapons in her many arms.
A Universal Festival
All Hindus celebrate this festival at the same time in different ways in different parts of India as well as around the world.
In the northern part of the country, the first nine days of this festival, called Navaratri, is commonly observed as a time for rigorous fast, followed by celebrations on the tenth day. In western India, throughout the nine days, both men and women participate in a special kind of dance around an object of worship. In the south, Dusshera or the tenth day is celebrated with a lot of fanfare. In the east, people go crazy over Durga Puja, from the seventh till the tenth day of this annual festival.
Although, the universal nature of the festival is often found to transcend regional influences and local culture, the Garba Dance of Gujarat, Ramlila of Varanasi, Dusshera of Mysore, and Durga Puja of Bengal need special mention.
Durga Puja
In eastern India, especially in Bengal, the Durga Puja is the principal festival during Navaratri. It is celebrated with gaiety and devotion through public ceremonies of “Sarbojanin Puja” or community worship. Huge decorative temporary structures called “pandals” are constructed to house these grand prayer services, followed by mass feeding, and cultural functions. The earthen icons of Goddess Durga, accompanied by those of Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha
and Kartikya, are taken out on the tenth day in a triumphal procession to the nearby river, where they are ceremonially immersed. Bengali ladies give an emotion-charged send-off to Durga amidst ululations and drumbeats. This marks the end of the goddess’ brief visit to the earth. As Durga leaves for Mount Kailash, the abode of her husband Shiva, it’s time for “Bijoya” or Vijayadashami, when people visit each other’s homes, hug each other and exchange sweets.
The Garba & Dandia Dance
People in western India, especially in Gujarat, spend the nine nights of Navaratri (nava = nine;ratri = night) in song, dance and merriment. Garba is a graceful form of dance, wherein women dressed in exquisitely embroidered choli, ghagraand bandhani dupattas, dance gracefully in circles around a pot containing a lamp. The word “Garba” or “Garbha” means “womb”, and in this context the lamp in the pot, symbolically represent life within a womb. Besides the Garba is the “Dandia” dance, in which men and women participate in pairs with small, decorated bamboo sticks called dandias in their hands. At the end of these dandias are tied tiny bells called ghungroos that make a jingling sound when the sticks hit one another. The dance has a complex rhythm. The dancers begin with a slow tempo, and go into frenzied movements, in such a manner that each person in a circle not only performs a solo dance with his own sticks, but also strikes his partner’s dandias in style!
Dusshera & Ramlila
Dusshera, as the name suggests occurs on the “tenth” day following the Navratri. It is a festival to celebrate the triumph of good over evil, and marks the defeat and death of the demon king Ravana in the epic Ramayana. Huge effigies of Ravana are burnt amidst the bangs and booms of firecrackers.
In northern India, especially in Varanasi, Dusshera overlaps with “Ramlila” or “Rama Drama” – traditional plays in which scenes from the epic saga of the mythical Rama-Ravana strife are enacted by professional troupes.
The Dusshera celebration of Mysore in southern India is a veritable extravaganza! Chamundi, a form of Durga, is the family deity of the Maharaja of Mysore. It’s a wonderful scene to watch the grand procession of elephants, horses and courtiers wending a circuitous way to the hilltop temple of Goddess Chamundi! First Day - The first day is dedicated to the Goddess Durga is called Shailputri, the daughter of the Himalayas. She is a form of Shakti, the companion of Lord Shiva. Second Day - The second day is dedicated to the Goddess Durga is known as 'Brahmacharini'. The name is derivative of the word 'Brahma', which means 'Tapa' or penace. She is also a form of Mata Shakti. Third Day - The third day is dedicated to the goddess Chandraghanta, the symbolic representation of beauty and bravery. Fourth Day - The fourth day is dedicated to the goddess Kushmandas, the creator of the entire Universe. Fifth Day - The fifth day is dedicated to the Goddess Skand Mata, the mother of the chief warrior of the Gods army the Skanda. Sixth Day - The sixth day is dedicated to the goddess Katyayani with three eyes and four hands. Seventh Day - The seventh day is dedicated to the Goddess 'Kalratri', meant to make the devotees fearless. Eighth Day - The eight day is dedicated to the Mata Rani or 'Maha Gauri', represents calmness and exhibits wisdom. Ninth Day - The ninth day is dedicated to Durga also referred as Siddhidatri. It is believed that she has all the eight siddhis and is worshipped by all the Rishis and Yogis.
It is believed that on this day Lord Rama, defeated the ten-headed King Ravana. Thus, Dussehra is also known as ‘Vijaya Dashmi’ signifying the triumph of ‘good over evil’.
People celebrate this festival all over India in their own way. Some engage in public processions while others organize Ram Dhavan in the city. In some parts of India, the whole ‘Ramayan’ is also enacted, known as Ram Lila, 10 days before the main festival. Furthermore, the effigies of Ravana, Meghnand and Kumbhkarana are burnt which symbolizes that the power of goodness and humanity is above all kind of powers. Bursting crackers, feasting and exchanging gifts also play a significant role on this festival.
Celebrate and be a part of this grand occasion through your gifts. You may not be able to present their physically, but from the core of your heart you wish to be in India. Let your gifts to India convey those thousands priceless emotions, probably, in the most beautiful way.
As the dollar falls, gold rises and savvy investors are profiting.
Gold prices are expected to rise next week, according to participants in Kitco News’ Gold Survey.
Survey participants who see higher prices said gold was caught up in the mass move to sell all assets and that the cheaper prices will be a lure to bargain hunters. The break in price from last week’s futures settlement of $1,814.70 was too heavy. “The sell off is overdone. I expect back and forth for the next few weeks, but a bounce is in order now. The market had gone too far too fast, and was disappointed by Uncle Ben’s new ‘twist’ program, but the fundamentals of destruction of fiat currencies remain,” said Adrian Day, chairman and chief executive officer of Adrian Day Asset Management.
In fact, today’s gold price is a culmination of the dollar’s decline for several reasons including the U.S. housing market’s collapse.
Dussehra 2011 Dussehra can be celebrated by exchanging a variety of gifts. The “Dussehra Gifts” section in the site lists a wide variety of gifts. Among a wide plethora of gifts available in the site, gift hampers are most recommendable. As they comes in a collection of gifts like flowers with chocolates or dry fruits or teddies, they seek to satisfy the recipient whole-heatedly. The Gift Hampers showcased in the site comes in a variety of ranges. For example, if you want to amaze your little ones in India, you may send a hamper comprising of a cute teddy, a box of sumptuous cookies and chocolates along with a gift voucher. However, for your female counterparts, hamper comprising of gift vouchers, aromatic flower bouquet or perfumes seems perfect. To exhilarate male members, hampers including apparels, accessories, gift vouchers or perfumes are best.
Sweets are also considered exciting gifts to India. A wide plethora of mouth-watering sweets like gulab jamun, rosgullas, kaju suraj etc. are available in the site. This Dussehra make your dear ones in India share a sweet and warm relationship with everyone. Multifarious types of sweets like Indian sweets, sweets hamper, sweets thali or tinned sweets are displayed in the site. The fresh delectable taste of the sweets be it syrupy, dry-fruits or kheer variety are sure to bewilder your recipients.
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi: India’s greatest ever captain.
कप्तान. Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who passed away on September 22 aged 70, was one of India’s most charismatic cricketers of all time.
Leading India barely at the age of 21, he remains India’s youngest ever as well as one of the greatest ever to captain India. He led India in 40 Tests out of 46 he played for the country. Though under him India were able to register only 9 wins, he was India’s first captain who instilled a feeling of self-belief .
He was also instrumental in leading India to a famous victory in New Zealand in 1967, which remained a jinx for Indian until Dhoni’s broke it two years back.
It was incidentally India’s first ever Test series victory outside India.
A car accident permanently damaged vision in his right eye when he was only 20. This, however, did not affect his widely acclaimed playing skills and few month later he made his international debut.
He made his debut against England in 1961 and scored his maiden ton, a classy 103, in his third Test against England to set-up a 128-run win in Chennai. The innings earned him a berth for the Caribbean tour.
A nasty injury to Nari Contractor, who had to undergo a brain operation after being hit by a Charlie Griffith bouncer, changed Pataudi’s fortunes, who had to miss the first two Tests against the West Indies.
Pataudi, on March 23, 1962, at the age of 21 years and 79 days, became the youngest cricketer to captain any country in a Test match.
Listen Online Mahalaya at 4 o'clock on 27th September (Tuesday)
The traditional six day countdown to Mahasaptami starts from Mahalaya. Goddess Durga visits the earth for only four days but seven days prior to the Pujas, starts the Mahalaya. The enchanting voice of Birendra Krishna Bhadra fill up the predawn hours of the day thus marking the beginning of " devipaksha " and the beginning of the count-down of Durga Puja.
Sarat in its bloom,mingled with the festive spirit of Durga Puja reaches its pitch on the day of Mahalaya. From this day starts 'Devipaksha' and marks the end of 'Pitri-paksha'. It is the day when many throng to the banks of river Ganga, clad in dhotis to offer prayers to their dead relatives and forefathers.People in the pre-dawn hours pray for their demised relatives and take holy dips in the Ganges. This ritual is known as 'Torpon'. This day bears immense significance for the Bengalis. It is according to the myths that Sree Rama hastily performed Durga Puja
Navaratri Text Messages, SMS, Popular Navratri Quotes, Popular Navratri Poems Poetry, Navaratri Puja Vidhi
Lakshmi ka hath ho
Saraswati ka sath ho
Ganesh ka niwas ho
Aur maa durga ke aashirwad se
Aapke jeevan mai prakash hi prakash ho!
‘Happy Navratri’
Pyar ka tarana uphar ho
Khushiyo ka nazrana beshumar ho
Na rahe koi gam ka ehsas
Aisa navratra utsav is saal ho!
Happy Navratra!
Jai Maa Durge!
Jai Maa Ambe!
Jai Maa Jagdambe!
Jai Maa Bhawani!
Jai Maa Sheetla!
Jai Maa Vaishno!
Jai Maa Chandi!
Mata Rani meri aur apki manokamna puri karey
Jai Mata di!
This Navratri, may you be blessed with good fortune as long as Ganeshji’s trunk, wealth and prosperity as big as his stomach, happiness as sweet as his ladoos and may your trouble be as small as his mouse.
Happy Navratri
Fortunate is the one who has learned to admire, but not to envy.
Good Wishes for a joyous Navratri, with plenty of Peace and Prosperity!
Maa ki jyoti se prem milta hai
Sabke dilo ko marm milta hai
Jo bhi jata hai maa ke dwar
Kuch na kuch jarur milta hai.
Shubh Navratri
May this Navratri be as bright as ever.
May this Navratri bring joy, health and wealth to you.
May the festival of lights brighten up you and your near and dear ones lives.
May the festival of lights be the harbinger of joy and prosperity. As the holy occasion of Navratri is here and the atmosphere is filled with the spirit of mirth and love, here’s hoping this festival
Aapi shako to aapni dosti magu chu,
dil thi dil no sahkar magu chu,
fikar na karo dosti per jaan lutavi dais,
rokdo vyavhar che kya, udhar mangu chu…
Happy navratri!
Maa durga se vinti hai ki apke jeevan main sukh,samradhe, dhan,yas ,Pardhan kare. Happy Navratra
May your life be filled with happiness on this pious festival of Navratri,
Happy Navratri!
Ramji ki mahima
Sita maa ka dhairya
Lakshmana ji ka tej aur
Bharat ji ka tyaag
hum sabko jeevan ki seekh deta rahey.
Happy Chaitra Navratri.
Maa durga humein sarvshreshtha banne ka
Saahas-ichha-dhairya pradan kare.
Unki aseem kripa hum par bani rahe!
Apko aur apke parivar ko
Navratri ki shubhkamnaye
May maa durga empower you and your family
With her nine swaroopa of name, fame,
Health, wealth, happiness, humanity,
Education, bhakti & shakti.
Happy Navratri!
Popular Navratri Quotes
During Navaratri, Goddess Durga is invoked first to remove impurities from the mind. The Goddess Lakshmi is invoked to cultivate the values and qualities. Finally, Saraswati is invoked for gaining the highest knowledge of the Self. This is the significance of the three sets of three nights when all these three are gained subjectively, and then there will be Vijayadasami, the day of true victory. – Swami Tejomayananda of Chinmaya Mission
Navaratri is celebrated in various parts of India in different styles. But the one basic aim of this celebration is to propitiate Shakti, the Goddess in Her aspect as Power, to bestow upon man all wealth, auspiciousness, prosperity, knowledge (both sacred and secular), and all other potent powers. Whatever be the particular or special request that everyone may put before the Goddess, whatever boon may be asked of Her, the one thing behind all these is propitiation, worship and linking oneself with Her. There is no other aim. This is being effected consciously or unconsciously. Everyone is blessed with Her loving mercy and is protected by Her. – Swami Sivananda
Man, the imperfect, the bound, the sorrowful, has a thousand enemies within. He is riddled with negative thoughts fears, yearnings. These are selfishness, jealousy, meanness, prejudice and hatred – just to mention but a few. The Sadhak must get rid of these lawless villains within. With Mother Durga’s kripa, these destructive masters are to be annihilated. Invoke the Mother Terrible to help us annihilate within ourselves all negative forces; all weaknesses, - all littleness. – Swami Chinmayananda
Popular Navratri Poems Poetry
The temple priest has rung his bell.
A cloud of smoke from candles and lamps
Haloes the Goddess, glowing bright
This beat of drums both maddens and dulls.
The incense burns: so heady the musk,
Our senses flounder in the flood.
This endless chant of sacred words
Soon drugs our lips and stuns our minds.
The Goddess, always staring down:
Her painted pupils cut through smoke
And read the secret thoughts we think.
We somehow feel this within our hearts.
To Mother, we know, we bow and pray –
Her form not just this image of clay. Navratri
Nine nights for goddess Durga
Full of dance and songs
People worship her image
With flowers and prayers long.
May the Goddess bless us
With precious gifts to mankind
People praise her image
Full of beauty divine! Navaratri Puja Vidhi
Certain items are required to perform the Navratri pooja. These may include the idol or picture of Goddess Durga, Durga Sapthashati book, water in Kalash (pitcher), fresh washed mango leaves, one coconut, roli (red color for tilak), moli (red sacred thread), chawal (rice), paan (betel leaves), supari (beetle nuts), cloves, cardamom, kumkum (vermilion) and gulal. You will also need few incense sticks, a deep and matchstick. The flowers used for Navratri puja may include rose, lotus and red hibiscus. Stalks of Bilwa (bael) leaves are also used for the puja. You may offer fresh pomegranate and sweets such as laddoo and peda, as prasad. You will require a Panchpatra containing spoon and water, bael leaves. Take a mat as well, to sit.
In order to perform the puja, take bath in the morning and wear laundered clothes. Then, fill the kalash with water and place mango leaves on its mouth. Place a coconut inside the kalash. Now, tie moli on the neck of the pitcher. Place the idol or picture of Ma Durga at your puja room and then worship the deity with roli, rice, flowers, balepatra, kumkum and gulal. Thereafter, you may add burning coal to a clay pot and pour ghee (clarified butter) over it. Offer a small piece of the sweetmeat to the fire. Keep adding ghee to the fire at regular intervals. Make sure that you maintain the light throughout your puja. Once the puja is over, fold your hands and encircle the flame for three times. Light the incense sticks and deep and perform the aarti. You may sing arti song while doing the aarti. You may chant Durga Saptashati or Devi Kavach or ask a pundit to do it, to conclude the
