Life Light Legacy

                                                    Image source: Google search Lord Ram wanted to cross the ocean with his army to reach Lanka. Vibhishana advised him to pray to the sea god Varuna to give a solution. Lord Ram accepted the advice and prayed to the sea god for 3 consecutive days and nights without food and sleep. There was no sign of any response from Varuna. Lord Ram understood that praying is not working. He asked Lakshmana to get his bow and arrow so that he could dry the ocean up with his power and make way for his army to march forward. As Ram mounted an arrow on his bow ready to fire it - Varuna appeared in front of him with folded hands seeking forgiveness and offering a solution to the problem at hand. Ram accepted the apology and the solution and a tragedy was averted. (What Ram di...

Few weeks back I saw an article in the "Speaking Tree" column of ET in which the author articulates that ritualistic worship (puja) is experiential in nature and has a beneficial and pleasant impact on the human system like a spa. It is not uncommon in India to come across movies and social media posts where ancient Hindu rituals are mocked and demeaned. Such incidents only show a superficial understanding of the subject. It is heartening to see a sincere and deeper treatment of the subject in the column and I feel inspired to share more. I was initiated into puja by my grandfather at a very young age and I have been practicing it for more than 3 decades now. I can talk about the subject from direct personal experience. What is puja? Poornat jayate iti puja - That which arises from fullness is puja. The first thing to know is that puja is an expression of fullness and abundance. It's a way to express gratitude to the divine from which everything is received...