Faith column from The Hindu, Religion, Hinduism, Sacred Texts - The Hindu

Nathamuni and Alavandar

Vaishnava Acharya Alavandar wrote a work called Stotra Ratna. What is a stotra? People might define it as attributing to someone, qualities which they

Who is dear to Him?

He is omnipresent

Sat, that is the Paramatma, decided to become many, and created Tejas (fire). When fire decided to become many, water (Ap) was born. When water became many, Anna (Prithvi) was the result, for the earth yields of its abundance when there is copious rain. Tejas and water are non-sentient. So, the Sat, that is the Supreme Brahman, entered into them, and made possible their division into many other things. And thus creation continued, said Veliyanallur T.S.R. Narayanachariar in a discourse. The

A unique honour

Hanuman fits into the description of the jnani who is also a great devotee that Krishna extols in the Gita as one very dear to Him, pointed out Asuri Sri Madhavachariar in a discourse. Hanuman successfully completes the mission entrusted to him. He sees Sita and allays her fears. He even gains audience with Ravana and advises him. He returns to Rama to give Him the good news about Sita’s whereabouts. Rama is overwhelmed to hear about Sita and at Hanuman’s achievements. Feeling indebted to

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Faith

Nathamuni and Alavandar

Faith

Who is dear to Him?

Faith

He is omnipresent

Faith

A unique honour

Faith

Communion with devotees

Faith

He is the source of all

Cosmic process explained

Sastras explain the mystery of relativity of the cosmic process of creation and dissolution against the backdrop of Time. In the eighth chapter of the

Power of Maya

The section of the story of Dhruva's vision of the Lord and his return to the kingdom is presented as a conversation between Vidhura and Maitreya in

Boundless generosity

Azhwars have been blessed to have the mystic vision of the transcendent Lord and their hymns are replete with their spontaneous and joyous experience

Interpreting Vedic mantras

During weddings, a yoke is placed on the bride’s head. The mantra recited is a reference to the story of Apala, who had a skin disease. She prayed to

Vinayaka ensures success

Abirami Bhattar begins his Abirami Andadi with a verse in praise of Lord Vinayaka, said M.A. Manickavelu in a discourse. In the Thirukkadaiyur temple,

Controlling the mind

Mahabali took the kingdom of the celestials, and Aditi, mother of the devas, was very unhappy. She asked her husband sage Kashyapa what could be done

A group of devotees participating in Attukal Pongala will be cooking with ‘valiyachennellu’ from Wayanad this year

The famed Pongala, which falls on February 27 in connection with the annual festival at Attukal Bhagavathy Temple in the Kerala capital, will be held in the homes of devotees in keeping with COVID-19 regulations and some of them will be offering the goddess bran-rich valiyachennellu, a native organic rice

Ramanujacharya’s glory

Vedanta Desika wrote Adhikarana Saravali to expand on the points made by Ramanujacharya in his Sri Bhashyam, which is a commentary on sage Vyasa’s

How to worship Him

Uddhava asks Lord Krishna where He should be worshipped. Where can Krishna be found? What are the places He is in, asks Uddhava. Lord Krishna gives a

The seven steps

The most significant marriage ritual is panigrahana, said V.S. Karunakarachariar, in a discourse. The groom and the bride take seven steps around the

Discover Reality

To discover 'Reality' is to identify what is eternal and true, that is, what exists always. This is the most meaningful quest for every human being

Inexplicable bhava

The Nayanmars have shown that it is possible to establish direct connection with God through bhakti, service and love to Siva. In a discourse, Sri R.

The way of tradition

The Vaishnava tradition upholds the pristine truths enshrined in the Vedas and the Upanishads through the hymns of the azhwars and the lineage of

Bhakti Anubhuti

Generally, both joy and sorrow are strong emotional states and can cause tears to flow. It is a physical manifestation of one’s inner reaction. The

Sacred story of Dhruva

The Bhagavata Purana contains many instances of how Divine Grace is sought through prayer, worship, practice of meditation and dhyana, performance of

Daksha resumes sacrifice

During the grand sacrifice performed by Daksha, his feud with Rudra reaches a peak when he deliberately insults Rudra by denying him the sacrificial

Steeped in devotion

In the 18th century, Amritalinga Iyer of Thirukkadaiyur was blessed with a child who was named Subramaniam. Right from childhood, Subramaniam was a

Qualities of bhaktas

Uddhava has many questions for Lord Krishna, all of which the Lord answers patiently. In the Srimad Bhagavatam, we find Uddhava’s question on how a

Vow of a bhakta

Those with bhakti towards Lord Krishna have immense love for Him, and this love is reciprocated by the Lord. We see many instances of this, said V.S.

Adheres to His duties

Each avatara of Vishnu has a special significance. As Rama, He demonstrated the importance of adherence to dharma. As Krishna, He taught us about

Neglecting the good

Having a good memory is an advantage in life. While not all of us are blessed with excellent memory power, we all can remember our duties. But we

He controls our actions

With the Lord’s blessing in Adhikarana Saravali, Vedanta Desika explains briefly the concepts found in Ramanujacharya’s Sri Bhashyam, which in turn is

The law of rebirth

The law of rebirth governs all existence in creation. The Bhagavad Gita teaches the important truth that every human being has a choice to get freed

Victimised by desires

Throughout the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna talks of how people are caught in the cycle of birth owing to inherent human weaknesses such as desire, anger,

Bhaktisara of Tirumazhisai

The Vedas, the sastras and the puranas teach in one voice that Narayana is the Supreme Truth and the highest Purushartha for all jivas. The sages and

Power of yoga

The Bhagavad Gita brings the realisation of the highest truth within the grasp of each and every individual who is keen to seek it. At every stage of

Meditation, the highest sadana

One's faith in the sastras forms the basis of spiritual sadana. Sadana is primarily a disciplined practice. It can be seen as tapas, or penance, that

Path to salvation

Salvation is the ultimate goal of human existence. While there is no physical or tangible path in sight for anyone to reach this goal, the Charama

Siva’s marvellous deeds

There are eight temples in Tamil Nadu, each of which is associated with a marvellous deed of Lord Siva, said M.A. Manickavelu in a discourse.

Qualities of a sadhu

Uddhava asks Lord Krishna many questions, and these questions and answers find a place in Srimad Bhagavatam, elaborated P.T. Seshadri in a discourse.

Bhakti explained

What is bhakti? How can it be defined? Sankara Bhagavadpada gives an example to explain bhakti. Suppose there is a newly wed couple. When the husband

Pleasing speech

Human beings have the unique faculty of speech. But is all speech good? Don’t we hurt others with our words, or use words to indulge in gossip? Tamil

Narrator and listener

Something that is narrated has value, depending upon who the narrator is. The Bhagavad Gita is studied by many, because it was told by Lord Krishna.

Explaining Visishtadvaita

Vedanta Desika authored many works on Visishtadvaita. Even his stotras are full of Visishtadvaitic tenets, said Veliyanallur T.S.R. Narayanachariar,

Mukti experience

Based on the sastras, the Visishtadvaita philosophy teaches the truths pertaining to the jiva, the Ishwara and to the world of creation, with the aim

The chosen friend of Siva

The Periyapuranam throws light on the intense state of devotion of the Nayanmars against the backdrop of the life and times in which they lived. Much

Bhava of surrender

Vishwamitra draws attention to the ancient lore associated with the various rivers, hills, hermitages, etc, when he leads Rama and Lakshmana through

A devotee is enslaved

Sundaramurthy Nayanar is the central focus and lead in the Periyapuranam. Sekkizhar brings out through subtle strokes the ways in which Sundarar’s

Wealth of spiritual vision

The Upanishads speak highly of those who intuitively perceive the truth of the Supreme Brahman within themselves. Such people know that all external

Faith | Path of dharma

The story of Naabaga is related by Suka to Parikshit in the Bhagavata Purana. In a discourse, Sri B. Sundarkumar drew attention to many interesting

Exceptional mothers

The name Vasupradah in the Vishnu Sahasranama occurs twice, in succession, in the same verse. Parasara Bhatta, in his commentary, gives two different

Essence of pranava

The significance of the pranava mantra is such that a sanyasi should keep repeating it constantly. Pranava also means ‘yes,’ in Sanskrit. Those who

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