The Aranyakas

 In temples or at homes, the conch is blown once or several times before ritualistic worship(pooja). It is sonetimes blown whilst doing aarati or to mark an auspicious occasion. It is blown before a battle starts or to announce the victory of an army. It is also placed in the altar and worshipped. When the conch is blown, the primordial sound of om emanates. Om is an auspicious sound that was chanted by the Lord before creating the world. It represents the world and the truth behind it. As the story goes, the demon Shankaasura defeated the devas, stole the vedas and went to the bottom of the ocean. The devas appealed to Lord vishnu for help. He incarnated as Matsya Avataara- the "fish incarnation" and killed shankaasura. The Lord blew the conch-shaped bone of his ear and head. The om sound emanated, from which emerged the vedas. All knowledge enshrined in the vedas is an elaboration of om. The conch therefore is known as Shanka after Shankhaasura. The conch blown by the L...

  In most of the temples there are one or more bells hung from the top, near the entrance. The devotee rings the bell as soon as he enters, thereafter proceeding for darshan of the lord and prayers. Children love jumping up or being carried high in order to reach the bell.  Why do we ring the bell? Is it to wake up the lord ? But the lordnever sleeps. Is it to let the lord know we have come?  He is all-knowing. Is it a form of seeking permission to enter his precinct? It is a homecoming and therefore entry needs no permission .  The lord welcomes us at all times. Then what would be the reason for this? The ringing of the bell produces what is regarded as an auspicious sound. It produces the sound of om, the universal name of the lord. There should be auspiciousness within and without, to gain the vision of the lord who is all-auspiciousness. Even while doing the ritualistic aarati, we ring the bell. It is sometimes accompanied by the auspicious sounds of t...

Most of the Indians fast regularly or on special occasions. On such day they do not eat at all, eat once or make do with fruits or a special diet of simple food. Some undertake strict fasts that is they do not even drink water the whole day! Fasting is done for many reasons - to please the lord, to discipline oneself and even to protest. Gandhiji fasted to protest against the British rule. Fasting in sanskrit is called upavaasa. Upa means"near" vaasa means"to say". Upavaasa therefore means staying to lord. Then what has upavaasa to do with food? A lot of our time and energy is spent in procuring food items , cooking, eating and digesting food. Certain food types make our minds dull and agitated. Every system needs a break and an overhaul to work at its best. Rest and a change of diet during fasting is very good for the digestive system and the entire body. Fasting helps us to cultivate control over our senses, modify our desires and guide our minds to be at peac...