Incarnation of Lord Ayyappa Swamy

The Kaliyug Hindu god Ayyappa Swamy is worshipped through India the incarnation of Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu has several names such as Harihara sudhan because he is the son of lord Vishnu (Hari) the Saviour and lord Shiva (Haran) the destroyer. Lord Ayyappa Swamy also worshipped in the name of Manikanta since Lord Vishnu gifted the new-born deity with a little bejeweled bell necklace, so this god is called Manikanta Swamy. Other names of Lord Ayyappa Swamy are Dharmasasta, Manikandan, Sathanar, Sastan, Ayyanar, Natrayan, Nattarasan, Bhutanathan, Pandala Raja, Kumararaja ,Shastha, Ariyan and Pamba Vaasan.

Lord Ayyappa Swamy is the deity of this era who is called the ‘Kaliyuga Varadan’ ( Lord of Kali Yuga or modern times) who incarnated in this modern world to save the mankind from total devastation by inflaming  spirituality in every human being. Lord Swamy Ayyappa, has the power to control the whole universe against evil.

With the name of Dharma Sastha, lord Ayyappa is considered to be born out of the union between Mohini (an Avatar of Vishnu), and lord Shiva while saving the gods against powerful evil demon Bhasmasura.
So he is the son of Shiva and Vishnu in Mohini form.

The most famous Ayyappa Swamy temple shrine in India on the hills of Sabarimala at Kerala state in thick forest area. This forest abode of Lord Ayyappa is in the Western Ghats of India. Muslims in Kerala also honour him through the legend of Vavar. Millions of devotees visit Shabarimala every year making it the second largest pilgrimage in the world. Lord Ayyappa seated on a tiger atop the hill on a hill known as Sabarigiri later noted as Sabarimala.

History behind incarnation of Lord Ayyappa:

One legend related to the incarnation of lord Ayyappa Swamy is demon Basmasura who worshipped Lord Shiva with difficult penance and obtained boons from him as whomsoever he touches on the head will become ashes. So when the demon granted with such boon he started vanishing everyone and also wanted to test the effect of the boon on Lord Shiva whether it works on gods or not and then he started chasing him.

Lord Shiva requested Lord Vishnu for help. Then Lord Vishnu incarnated himself as Mohini and diverted demon Bhasmasura from Lord Shiva to his side with her appearance and dance and made Basuasura to touch his own head which put him to death. Thus  passion of Lord Shiva towards Mohini resulted the birth of Hariraputra Ayyappa.

With this the asura king Mahishasura brother of Bhasmasura burnt up with anger at the trick of gods had pulled on him. Demon king Mahishasura was blessed with invulnerability to all men, the gods had sent goddess Durga, to fight and kill him. Thus, Mahishi the princess sister of Bhasmasura began performing a fearsome set of austerities, and pleased the creator god Brahma. Then lord Vishnu granted her the boon of ruling the universe and being invulnerable except to a being that had the combined strength of both Shiva and Vishnu.

Since then such a person did not exist, so Mahishi thought she was safe and conquer and plunder the world. This made gods get into trouble and implored lord Shiva and lord Vishnu to save them from this disaster. Then lord Vishnu could found a solution to the problem. When lord Vishnu had taken on the Kurma Avatar, he also had to manifest himself as Mohini, the enchantress, to save the nectar of immortality from the demons who were not willing to share it with the gods.

So he decided to became Mohini again, then the female Mohini and the male Shiva could have the divine child who would combine their powers and beat Mahishi. Thus Mahishi was demolished.

It is believed that worshipping Swamy Ayyappa at critical crises will ward away.

General Knowledge Information on Hinduism

The word “God” appears in every book except Esther and Song of Solomon.

Hinduism is  the dominant religion of India, Hinduism has a broad variety of forms, ranging from simple folk practices to abstruse metaphysical systems.

Hindus regard the sacred texts known as the Vedas (composed around 1500 B.C.) as central to their tradition.

Shaivism One of the three primary traditions of Hinduism, Shaivism focuses on the god Shiva, the lord of transformative power in the universe.

Shaktism focuses on worship of Shakti, the Divine Mother embodying the power of universal manifestation, sometimes known under her names Devi or Kali.

Vaishnavism focuses on Vishnu, the Supreme Lord, and his incarnations Krishna and Rama. Vaishnavism is divided into various sampradayas (sects), each of which has been founded by a particular acharaya (guru).

The Vedas Meaning “knowledge” in Sanskrit, the Vedas is the oldest and most authoritative texts of Hinduism. Composed around 1500 B.C.E., they are among the world’s oldest surviving.

Vedas consist of four parts. The Rig Veda contains verses of praise to the gods; the Yajur Veda discusses the requirements of ritual offerings; the Sama Veda, verses and chants for ritual offerings, and Atharva Veda, magical verses.

The Upanishads Among the principal texts of the Hindu tradition, the Upanishads are metaphysical treatises that are concerned with the origin and destiny of humanity and the universe.

Hyderabad Ganesh Idols

Ganesh festival is celebrated as the birth anniversary of ganesh; ganesh is the god of wisdom and prosperity. Many ganesh idols are placed in every nukkads or street corners and in homes and poojas are performed to these idols. Ganesh idols are immersed by drum- beats, devotional songs and dancing. Ganesh idols are beautifully decorated with flowers, pearls, coins, dry fruits etc.

In Hyderabad, the artists who make the idols of Ganesh compete with each other to make bigger and more magnificent and elegant idols. Every year, the largest Ganesh idol is installed at Khairatabad in Hyderabad, which is more than 30 ft tall. In Hyderabad most of the ganesh idols are immersed in Hussain Sagar, Husain sagar is the famous lake which connects Hyderabad and secunderabad.

Jyotirlinga :The Story of  Light

There is a holy place called “Jwala Mukhi” in the valleys of the Himalayas. A fire, emerging from the very core of earth, burns constantly, lighting up the entire area. The Lord Parameshwara Himself, Shubhankar Shankar, has taken an incarnation of the Eternal Light. The place is always bustling with large numbers of devotees wanting to get a Darshan or glimpse of this Light or Jyoti.

This miraculous light can be seen in the following places. At all these places, fairs or Melas are held for devotees. These are:

“Saurashtre Somanathamcha Srisaile Malliarjunam ||
Ujjayinyam Mahakalam Omkaramamaleswaram ||
Prajwalyam Vaidyanathancha Dakinyam Bheema Shankaram ||
Setu Bandhethu Ramesam, Nagesam Darukavane ||
Varanasyantu Vishwesam Tryambakam Gautameethate ||
Himalayetu Kedarm, Ghrishnesamcha vishalake ||”

Mahadev means, the Lord who incorporates in Himself, the aura and the holiness of all the twelve JyotirLingas. The grandeur of these places is unique. Devotees line up in great numbers to take a look and get a Darshan of all the JyotirLingas. It is possible that once all the twelve JyotirLingas might have been like the “Jwalamukhi” or the Fire-face but now wonderful Siva temples have bean constructed at these places.

Two on the sea shore, three on river banks, four in the heights of the mountains and three in villages located in meadows; the twelve JyotirLingas are spread out like this. Every place has been described in glorious words by many detailing the surroundings etc.

Those of us who go to these temples of Shubhankar Shankar-JyotiSivasthan, receive the holy blessings of the Lord, and come back happy, peaceful and blessed. This in indeed depends on one’s devotion and experience too.

There are innumerable Lingas with a great aura and presence. But the main ones are just twelve: Somnath in Sourashtra, Mallikarjuna in Srirailam, Mahakal in Ujjain, Omkareshwar in Vindhaypradesh, Kedar in the mountain range of Himalayas, Bhimashamar in Dakini, Visweswar in Varanasi, Tryambakamm on the banks of Gomti, Vaidyanath in Chintabhoomi, Nagesh in Darukavan in Ayodhya, Rameshwar in Setubandh Rameshwaram, and Ghrishneswar in Devsarovar. Those who chant the Dwadasa JyotirLinga Stotram or prayer will attain salvation and enlightenment and be released from this cycle of human existence with all its travails. By worshipping the Lingas, people of all castes, creeds and colour would be freed from all difficulties. By eating the holy offering made to these Lingas (Naive yam) one would be rid of all the sins instantly.

As a matter of fact, we do the Darshan of the JyotirLingas as a part of our daily life. Sun, Fire and Light etc, are indeed a part of that great Light. We experience the great joy of reading these everyday.

“Om tatsarviturvarenye” these magical words of the Gayatri mantra or chant invoke Lord Surya or Sun, who awakens the human intellect. By chanting this powerful Mantra, humans can obtain divine Power to their life-light or Atmajyothi.

The aura of the Sunrays and the various benefits that can be derived there from is indeed a difficult task to describe. This gorgeous life-light is the only thing that is responsible for the activity in the universe. We salute this life force. We hereby worship Sun God. We offer holy water. Oh, Sun Light is the only reality. It is the only constant thing. Everything else is a myth.
“Agni” or fire is a great light. For all the activities on the earth, “Fire” is the pivot. We bow our heads in respect. We pray to thee always. Here is a small description of Sun or Surya and Fire or Agni: “Saa ajmen varti samyuktam, Vamihinayojitam-maya. Deepam grishna devesha, tri-lokya timirapaha” we salute this great light.

Deepajyoti or light and its greatness, is known to all of us, and we offer our prayers. Let us celebrate the glory of light. Light is offered a place of pride at welcome celebrations and on all auspicious occasions.

“Shubham karoti kalyanam Arogyam Dhanasampada |
Shatru buddhi vinashaya Deepa Jyoti namostute ||

”This light removes the darkness from the lives of one and all. Darkness means ignorance and it is destroyed by this light. The natured light of sun God makes all our wishes come true, when we take a Darshan of it.

Thus, by taking a Darshan of the twelve JyotirLingas, the auspicious air surrounding it and the holy pilgrimage, will bring happiness, peace and satisfaction to all.

Ten Avatars of Vishnu

The Ten Avatars of Vishnu

The most famous of the divine incarnations are Rama, whose life is depicted in the Ramayana, and Krishna, whose life is depicted in the Mahabharata and the Srimad Bhagavatam. The Bhagavad-Gita Gita, which contains the spiritual teachings of Krishna, is one of the most widely-read scriptures in Hinduism.

Matsya Avataram – The fish appeared in the Satya Yuga. Which Represents beginning of life.

Kurma Avataram – The tortoise appeared in the Satya Yuga. Represents a human embryo just growing tiny legs, with a huge belly.

Varaha Avataram – The boar appeared in the Satya Yuga. Represents a human embryo which is almost ready. Its features are visible.

Narasimha Avataram – The Man-Lion (Nara = man, Simha = lion), appeared in the Satya Yuga. Represents a new born baby, hairy and cranky, bawling and full of blood.

Vamana Avataram – The Dwarf appeared in the Treta Yuga. Represents a young child.

Parashurama Avataram – Rama with the axe appeared in the Treta Yuga. Represents both an angry young man and a grumpy old man simultaneously.

Rama- Lord Sri Ramachandra, the prince and king of Ayodhya, appeared in the Treta Yuga. Represents a married man with children in a very ideological society

Krishna Avataram – It appeared in the Dwapara Yuga. Represents a person in more practical society, where there is one good or bad. Good or bad depends on society you live in.

Gautama Buddha Avataram – It is considered an avatar that returned pure dharma to the world.

Kalki Avataram – The Destroyer of foulness ( Time)  who is expected to appear at the end of Kali Yuga, the time period in which we currently exist, which will end in the year 428899 CE.

Balarama (Brother of Krishna) – Is also considered as one of the avatara of Lord Vishnu.