SAMPATI

                                       SAMPATI

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In Hindu theology, Sampati (Sanskrit: सम्पाति Sampāti, Indonesian: Sempati, Thai: Sampathi, Tamil: Campati, Malay: Dasampani) was one of the two sons of Aruṇa (the charioteer of Surya) and was the brother of Jatayu. Sampati lost his wings when he was a child.

Sampati Loses his wings 

Sampathi and Jatayu, when young, used to compete as to who could fly higher. On one such instance Jatayu flew so high that he was about to get seared by the sun's flames. Sampati saved his brother by spreading his own wings and thus shielding Jatayu from the hot flames. In the process, Sampati himself got injured and lost his wings. As a result, Sampati lived wingless for the rest of his life.

Sampati in Ramayana 

Sampati proved instrumental in Sita's search later on in the Ramayana. His role comes when the search party sent to the south, Led by Angada with Hanuman and Jambuvana, exhausted, thirsty and depressed, reach to the southern end of the land. They have the endless sea before them, and still no clue of Sita. Disappointed, everybody just collapses on the sand, unable as well as unwilling to move or act any further. Suddenly, they all hear a voice which says - "I will feast today. I shall be ever grateful to God for having such delicious meal walk to my doorsteps all by itself". Everyone looks in the direction of the voice, and see a huge vulture progressing towards them slowly, saying these words. At that moment, Jambavan says - "Life is so ironical. One is this vulture, who is planning to eat this disappointed lot, too exhausted to defend themselves - and defeated in this search for Seeta Mata; too guilty even to wish to live any further. And one was that Vulture Jatayu, who gave his life trying to save Sita Mata from the clutches of Ravana."

The vulture froze as soon as he heard the word "Jatayu". " Jatayu? Did you say Jatayu? What happened to him? Please tell me." Jambuvana told the story of Jatayu and his bravery. The vulture's eyes were moist at the end of the story. His throat choked; he said - "My name is Sampati. Jatayu was my brother. It has been ages since I have heard of any news from him. I hear a news now - news that he is no more!" Then, collecting himself, he says - "I am grateful to you, Sir! You have brought me the news of my brother. I shall return this favour. This lady Sita you are searching so fervently for; I know where she is."

Sampati tells about Lanka

Everybody jumped as soon as he said this. They listened with utmost concentration, as Sampati continued. " 100 Yojan from here is Lanka, the kingdom of Ravana. Some days ago, I had seen him flying in his Pushpak, landing at Lanka with a beautiful lady with him, forcibly being taken into Lanka and banished in one of the Vatika. I now know after listening to your story, She was Sita."

"Good you gentlemen came. Now she will be remedied of her agony. Everyday, I used to watch her, sitting beneath that tree in that vatika - distraught, waiting for someone. Her wait will end now."

Jambuvana asked - " It seems from your words that you .. You can see her !!" "Why, Of course I can!" Sampati said. "We - descendants of Garuda, are blessed with very superior vision. I am old now, but still, 100 Yojans in not much for me."

Griddhraj Parvat, situated in Satna district in Madhya Pradesh, is believed to be the birthplace of Sampati.
Sampati and Jatayu’s Competition

When both the brothers Sampati and Jatayu were young they had great powers. Once they decided to go and touch the sun. They flew up and up in the sky and due to sun’s hot flames Jatayu the younger brother asked his brother that he can no longer go and want to return to the earth and Sampati saved his brother by spreading his own wings and thus shielding Jatayu from the hot flames. Jatayu returned but Sampati did not return and lost his wings in sun’s hot flames. Sampati lived wingless for the rest of his life.

source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampati

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THE IMPORTANCE OF ANY ACTIVITY DONE FOR A GOOD CAUSE

             The importance of any activity 
                     done for a good cause

Ramana Maharshi

Ramana Maharshi & others

         Ramana Maharshi was a great Saint who lived in Southern India. Devotees from around the world would travel to his ashram to receive his blessings.

         One day, Ramana Maharshi was pinning some leaves together to make dinner plates for the ashram. A young devotee, who was standing nearby and watching, asked, "Gurudev (a respectful way of addressing a Guru or spiritual teacher), is it not a waste of your precious time to do such small tasks? Anyone else could have done this." The Saint smiled and said, "My son, no work is a waste of time, if it serves a good purpose and if done in the right way. Making these plates is as important as any other task, because these plates will be used to serve food in the ashram. Besides you can always learn something useful from everything you do."

Moral: Ramana Maharshi teaches us that no task is small as long as we approach it with the correct attitude and do it for a good purpose. The main purpose of our lives is to serve God. Hence, we should take every opportunity to serve God, by gratefully participating in any available satseva, (service unto God). Satseva can be one of cleaning, cooking, or conducting a lecture or a satsang (spiritual meeting) or some other spiritual activity.

Source : http://balsanskar.com/english/lekh/115.html

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A GREAT LESSON FROM RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHANSA

                    A great lesson from
                Ramkrishna Paramhansa

RAMAKRISHNA PARAMAHANSA

 “Gurudev, my son wants to eat sweets every day"

         Saints teach us only what they themselves have practiced. That is why their advice has the  power to do us good.

         The great Guru Ramkrishna Paramhansa had a poor woman among His disciples. One day, she came to Him with her son and said, “Gurudev, my son wants to eat sweets every day. This habit is spoiling his teeth, and I also cannot afford to buy them for him everyday. My advice, warning and even beating have all been in vain. Please give him some advice and also bless him so that he stops the bad habit.”

         Ramkrishna looked at the boy, but instead of talking to him, asked the woman to bring him back after two weeks.

         The woman brought the boy to Him again after two weeks. As both sat down, Shri Ramkrishna kindly looked at the boy and said, “My dear son, is it true that you trouble your mother for sweets every day?” The boy hung his head and said, “Yes, Sir,” and became silent. “You are an intelligent boy. You know that those sweets are spoiling your teeth. Your mother, too, is worried about you. If she spends money on sweets everyday, how can she buy new books and good clothes for you? Don’t you think you are making a mistake?”

         Ramkrishna’s words touched the boy’s heart. He looked at Ramkrishna and said, “Yes, Sir” and became silent again. “Then, will you stop asking for sweets from today?” asked Ramkrishna in an appealing tone. The boy smiled this time and said, “Yes, Sir, I will stop troubling my mother for sweets from today and stop eating them everyday.”

         Ramkrishna, pleased with the boy’s reply, lovingly drew him close and said: “My son, you are a nice boy. You understand what is good and what is bad for you. You will surely grow up to be a happy man.” As the boy bowed down in Namaskar, Ramkrishna blessed him and turned to the other devotees.

         After the boy went out into the garden, his grateful mother asked Ramkrishna, “Gurudev, why did you make us wait for two weeks to give these few words of advice?” Ramkrishna smiled and said, “You see, when you came two weeks ago, I, too, was in the habit of eating sweets brought by devotees. How could I ask your son not to do something which I myself was doing almost everyday? So, from that day I stopped eating sweets. That gave me enough strength and power to advise your son to do what I myself have done. Only when we preach what we practice, are our words full of sincerity and appeal to the listener.”

         All the devotees in the room felt that they, too, had learnt a great lesson from Ramkrishna.

Moral: As this story shows, the most effective way to tell others about how to be a good Hindu, or do spiritual practice, is by practicing it ourselves. Otherwise, we may find that others do not take such advice seriously.

Source : http://balsanskar.com/english/lekh/133.html

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SAINT TULASIDAS AND THE THIEVES

                         Saint Tulsidas and the thieves

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By Bal Sanskar

         Once upon a time, many centuries ago, there lived a Saint called Tulsidas in the city of Varanasi, India. Saint Tulsidas was an ardent devotee of Lord Rama and had translated the Epic, Ramayana, into Hindi. Pleased with His devotion, Lord Rama had appeared in front of Saint Tulsidas and blessed him. After receiving the blessing, Saint Tulsidas erected a temple dedicated to Lord Rama, just by collecting donations. He would sit in front of the statue of Lord Rama, singing holy songs (bhajans) about how to achieve the blessings of The Lord. The people of Varanasi loved and honored Him. They showering him with rich offerings of gold and silver. Tulsidas would keep all the offerings in the temple.

         One night, two thieves from the neighboring city, broke into the temple. They packed up as much of the silver and gold as they could and started to leave. As they turned around, they saw two men, armed with bows and arrows, standing outside the door. Seeing them, the thieves rushed to another door. To their amazement, they found the same two men standing there. Instantly, they turned and ran to yet another door, but the same two men were standing there too! Trembling with fear, the two thieves took the stolen goods and put them back where they belonged. After doing so, they tried to run away again. But alas, outside every door they found the very same guards, with their bows and arrows. Scared and helpless, the thieves decided to spend the night in the temple.

         In the morning when Saint Tulsidas arrived and opened the temple doors, He saw the two thieves there. As soon as the thieves saw Tuslidas, they fell at His feet and told Him the whole story. As Tulsidas listened to their story, He knew at once that the two men guarding the doors were none other than Lord Rama and His brother, Lakshman!

         The two thieves cried: "O holy man! We are wicked. We have committed many sins. Let us serve You, so that we too, may become good men." Saint Tulsidas replied, "You are truly blessed, for you have seen The Lord and His brother!  Live in peace here."

         From that day on, the doors of the temple were kept open day and night, as no one would come to steal from the temple protected by Lord Rama Himself.

Moral: When one has devotion, like Saint Tulsidas did, The Lord's protection is assured. To build such intense devotion, chanting (repeating) The Lord's Name as per one's religion, is the simplest and fastest way.

Source : http://balsanskar.com/english/lekh/113.html

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SAINT's COMPANY

                      Saint’s Company


         During one of his travels, Gondavalekar Maharaj was passing through the forest of Abu (a place in Gujarat, India). It was late in the evening and He was travelling alone. Suddenly, He was confronted by some gangsters. Since he was alone at such an odd hour, they thought that he too, was a thief like them and took Him to their place for the night.

         Maharaj went along without saying a word. Some of the robbers teased Him, beat Him up and verbally abused Him. But he did not react to any of it.

         One of the older robbers was surprised at Maharaj’s behaviour. He told the others, “This person must be having some supernatural powers (siddhis), due to which he does not seem to be affected by all the suffering we put him through. Let’s test him further to see if this is true.” The others agreed.

         Soon they all sat down for supper. The older robber asked a younger robber to give Maharaj some milk. The young robber thought of teasing Maharaj and brought to Him a barren cow that never yielded any milk. He gave Maharaj a pot and asked Him to milk the cow and drink as much milk as he wanted.

         Maharaj went to the cow and patting her with love, He said, “O Mother, I am hungry. Please give me some milk.” The cow responded by licking Maharaj and yielded willingly as Maharaj milked her. Much to everyone’s surprise, the ‘barren’ cow gave several pots full of milk!

         Seeing this, the robbers were surprised and frightened at the same time. Fearing that they had abused a great Saint, they fell to Maharaj’s feet and pleaded for forgiveness. Maharaj forgave them and said, “Why do you hurt and rob others? Instead, try to chant the Name of the Lord and He will definitely give you whatever you want and much more than you can ever get through theft.”

         Transformed by the great Saint’s company and blessings, the robbers gave up their bad ways and started sincerely on the spiritual path.

Moral: The satsang(company) of a Saint can transform even seasoned gangsters! How much then would one benefit by following Their teachings of chanting and regular spiritual practice!

Source :http://balsanskar.com/english/lekh/136.html

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Gondavalekar Maharaj

 

Birth and childhood

Shri Brahmachaitanya Gondavalekar Maharaj was born on Wednesday, 19^th February 1845 (Magh Shudh Dwadashi i.e. 12^th day of the lunar month of Magh, according to the Hindu lunar almanac) at 9.30 am. He was born in the village of Gondavale budruk, Taluka Maan, District Satara, Maharasthtra. His family members were devotees of Shri Vitthal and used to regularly undertake the Vari of Pandharpur (yearly pilgrimage to the Holy place of Pandharpur attended by thousands of devotees). His ancestors were wealthy and pious. He was named 'Ganpati' at the time of birth. He was a devotee of Shriram and used to call himself Bramhachaitanya Ramdasi.

Acquiring the Guru's grace

At the age of 9 years he left home in search of a Guru; but he was brought back from Kolhapur by his father. However, after a few years, he left home again and commenced his journey in search of a Guru. He met several Saints and evolved persons. Finally, he met Shri Tukamai living in the village of Yehel near Nanded situated in the Marathwada region of Maharashtra. Shri Tukamai accepted him as his disciple. During his stay with the Guru, he faced many harsh struggles, but he served his Guru with utmost devotion and obedience. He was only 14 years of age at that time. Shri Tukamai gave him the name "Brahmachaitanya". Thereafter, on the instructions of Tukamai he undertook many pilgrimages at various Holy places across the country.

Later life

9 years after leaving home, Shri Brahmachaitanya returned back to his village. Here, he devoted the rest of his life for the spread of Shriram's Name and building temples of Shriram at various places. As per the instructions of his Guru, he lived the life of a householder and gave guidance to society about attaining the Supreme God while doing one's duty as a householder. He taught people that one's mind must always be occupied with thoughts of Shriram, no matter what the circumstances and the joys and sorrows of worldly life must be faced as per Shriram's wish. Protection and donation of cows, donation of food to the needy and the various pilgrimages undertaken by him are the highlighting features of Gondavalekar Maharaj's life. He had many exclusive virtues, such as equal treatment of the good as well as the evil, selflessness, always thinking about the well-being of others, compassion for the poor and orphans, tolerant attitude, intelligence, love for the society and a pleasing speech. He used to provide guidance to people in a simple language which could be understood by one and all. He used to converse about worldly matters in a simple language with ordinary people. But, with the spiritually knowledgeable people he used to converse about the importance of chanting God's Name along with performing of Vedic rituals.

         His immense faith in Shriram and oneness with Shriram could be easily noticed by his speech. By various methods and by giving appropriate examples, he taught about the significance of the spiritual practice of chanting God's Name in this present era. He used various means such as bhajans (devotional songs), kirtans (spiritual discourses), lectures, discussions etc. to explain the importance of the mantra "Shriram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram". Every seeker who came in contact with Gondavalekar Maharaj at some point of time, experienced the truth told by him, that nothing in this world occurs without the will of Shriram and continuous chanting of Shriram's Name gives us Bliss and satisfaction.

Source : http://balsanskar.com/english/lekh/501.html

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SIGNIFICANCE OF MONDAY FAST IN HINDUISM

·         Significance of Monday Fast In Hinduism

Lord Shiva Linga worship

Many Hindu followers fast on Mondays. It is one of the most auspicious days of the week as it is in honour of Lord Shiva, the ascetic God who lives in the mountains of Kailash. There are many rituals and myths associated with this Somvar Vrat as the fast is called in Hindi. But first let us take a look at the right way to fast on Monday.

The Tenets of the Somvar Vrat

Fasting for Lord Shiva is relatively simple. He is not a God who is too enshrined in rituals. The fast must be observed from sunrise to sunset according to Hindu traditions. You are allowed to have fruits, foods made with sabudana and sattu (gram flour).

Rituals of the Monday Fast

The puja on Monday is for both Shiva and his eternal consort Devi Parvati. The couple is seen as the perfect couple by Hindus and are worshiped for marital bliss. On this day, you are supposed to pour a mixture of milk, curd, ghee, honey and gangajal (water from the holy Ganges) on the head of a Shiva Linga. Then bathe the Shiva Linga with water and offer some fruits. After this, the katha or story of Shiva and Parvati is read out.

16 Somvar Vrat Legend

Some Hindu women fast for 16 Mondays in a row to please Shiva. There are many myths and legends about why this fast is observed. According to some communities, this is the fast that Devi Parvati had kept in order to have Shiva as her husband. That is the reason young girls observe this fast so that they can have a husband like Lord Shiva. In Indian culture, Shiva is seen as the ideal husband because he is very easy to please.

Another story goes that Lord Shiva and Parvati were on their way to the divine city of Amaravati and stopped at a temple to rest. To pass time they started playing a game of dice. Devi Parvati asked the priest of the temple to predict who will be the winner of the game. The priest being a devotee of Lord Shiva named him without a second thought. But in the end, Devi Parvati won and annoyed by the priests impertinence, cursed him to become a leper.

The priest lived a cursed existence until some fairies from heaven told him about the 16 Monday fasts. As Monday is the day of Shiva, the priest did as he was told. After 16 Mondays of fasting, the priest was restored to good health. The story spread far and wide and many people started fasting on Mondays. That is why, this fast is supposed to have very potent results.

source : http://www.indiadivine.org/content.php/1047-Significance-of-Monday-Fast-In-Hinduism

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STORY ON KEDARNATH JYOTIRLINGA

Story on Kedarnath

KEDARNATH TEMPLE

KEDARNATH JYOTIRLINGA 

After winning the war, the Pandavas went on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash. They wanted Shiva tocleansethem of the sin of killing so many people. When Shiva saw them he hid. When they couldn't find him, Yudhisthira said, "I know you have hidden because we have sinned, but we will not leave without seeing you." As they moved ahead, a bull attacked them. Bhima started fighting it.The bull hid his head within acrackin a rock. Bhima tried to pull him out by his tail, but the body of the bull got separated from his head. The body turned into a Shivalinga from which Shiva appeared and forgave them their sins.

The linga is stillpresentin the Himalayas and is called Kedarnath.

Source : http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fairytales/indian_mythology_stories/kedarnath.

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MYTHOLOGICAL STORY ON BHIMA AND HIDIMBA

MYTHOLOGICAL   STORY   ON   BHIMA   AND   HIDIMBA

After the palace incident, the Pandavas went to a forest. After walking for a long time, they came to the part of the forest where a demon named Hidimb and his sister Hidimba lived.

Kunti and four of the Pandavas were tired and fell asleep; Bhima was awake and kept a watch.Hidimb sensed the smell of human beings and asked Hidimba to go after them. As soon as Hidimba saw the handsome Bhima, she fell in love with him. She took the form of a beautiful woman and went to him. She said "I am Hidimba, my brother is a demon, he will eat all of you." Bhima smiled and replied, "Don't worry,I amstrong enough to defeat your brother."

Fight between Bhima and Hidimbasura

Hidimbasura killed by Bhima

When Hidimba did not return for a long time, Hidimb went looking for her and saw her talking to Bhima. "I sent you to kill the human and you are talking to him. I will kill him myself." Saying so, he attacked Bhima. A fierce fight followed and ended with Bhima killing Hidimb. The thunderous roars of the two fighters woke the four Pandavas and Kunti. Hidimba told them that she was a demoness and wished to marry Bhima.  With Kunti's permission the marriage took place. After some time Hidimba gave birth to a son who was named Ghatotkacha.

After a few years, Kunti and the Pandavas decided to leave of Hidimba and Ghatotkacha, who had grown up to be a strong boy. He promised the Pandavas that he would come to them, whenever they needed him.

Source : http://www.kidsgen.com/fables_and_fairytales/indian_mythology_stories/bhima_and_hidimba.htm

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KARTIKEYA KILLS TARAKASURA

Birth of Tarakasura, Shiva’s wedding with Parvati and Kartikeya kills Tarakasura

Sage Kashyap blessed his wife Diti to give birth to a great warrior ‘Vajranga’ who like a diamond was unbreakable and indestructible. Diti desired to avenge the killing of several Asuras in the past by Indra and asked Vajranga to defeat and bring down Indra imprisoned in person; on doing so, Diti put Indra to shame and released him saying that his subduing was worse than his death.

Meanwhile, Vajranga did severe Tapasya to Brahma and the latter created Varangi as the wife of Vajranga. Brahma gave a boon to the pair that a Maha Shaktivaan called Tarakasura would be born after being retained for thousand years in confinement. There were harsh earthquakes and sea-uprisings when the Asura was born and the parents were filled with wild joy and excitement. As the boy attained youth, he turned out to be a frightening demon and developed friendship with other Asuras like Kujambha and Mahisha. Eventually, he reached a Pariyatra Mountain to perform Tapasya without food for hundred years, for another hundred years by consuming only dried leaves and for additional years by drinking water only. Brahma was pleased and gave a boon of invincibility except for a child of seven days of age, to be born of Shiva. After securing the boon from Brahma, Tarakasura raised a huge army of ten crore well-versed and trained soldiers along with the armies of renowned Asuras like Mahisha, Kunjara, Megha, Kaalanemi, Nimi, Manthana, Jambhaka and Sumbha. As Tarakaura declared war with Indra and Devas, Indra commissioned Vayu Deva as an emissary as per the advice of Deva Guru Brishaspati, but the mission failed and so did the proverbial Four ways of ‘Rajaniti’ or the Art of Politics viz. Sama (War-Counselling), Daana (luring by gifts), Bheda or by using the dividing politics of the opponents and Associates and finlally ‘danda’ or actual war. Yamaraja was the Senapati, the Commander sitting over his Vahana Buffalo; Indra sat on his Durjayta ratha (chariot) with Malini as his driver; and all other Devas like Agni, Vayu, Varuna, Kubera, Chandra and Aditya, besides Ashvini Kumars, Marudganas, Sandhyaganas, Yakshas, Gandharvas etc. But Tarakasura was too powerful to Devas whose soldiers were badly bruised and ran without direction. Indra and Devas approached Brahma and he replied that none excepting a seven day son of Shiva and Devi Parvati, called ‘Kartikeya’ could kill Tarakasura and none else in the world.

At this juncture, Indra prayed to Sage Narada to advise further plan in the context of the birth of Kartikerya. The Sage designed a route-map of action, first to approach Himavanta and his wife Mena as also Parvati to prepare them to wed Mahadeva; to secure access to Mahadeva for his consent to let Parvati assist the former in his daily Pujas and approach Kama Deva and Rati Devi to stealthly despatch ‘Pushpa Baanas’ or Amorous Arrows of Love in favour of Parvati while she was in service to Mahadeva. But the Plan did not quite succeed as Mahadeva’s eyes searched for Kama Deva and burnt him off with his third eye. As Devi Rati prayed to Maha Deva, the latter assured that Kama Deva would soon be created again as ‘Ananga’ or devoid of Physique. As Devi Parvati was shaken by the news of Kama Deva’s turning into ashes, she decided to take to Tapasya; her father Himavan addressed the daughter to say: ‘U’ ‘Ma’ meaning ‘Don’t do so’! But still she left to such a Place to perform rigorous Tapasya where even Devas did not desire to visit and was so inaccessible at the heights of Himalayas. As the Plan as scripted by Narada Muni was not yet in place, Indra prayed to ‘Sapta Rishis’ to intervene. The Rishis tested her unambiguous decision to perform the severe Tapasya by arguing with her that she was bent on marrying Maha Deva and none else; in fact she became angry with the Rishis that she reacted sharply against them and even condemned them to suggest any other name as her spouse excepting Shiva Deva. Sapta Rishis approached Maha Deva, underlined Parvati’s strong mental make up to wed only Maha Deva and emphasised the angle of ‘Loka Kalyan’ or the Universal Cause of destroying Tarakasura which could be accomplished only through the wedding with Parvati.Taking the consent of Maha Deva, Saptarishis negotiated the transaction of the holy wedding of Shiva and Parvati successfully and smoothly. At the appointed Muhurtha, the Greatest, the Most Auspicious and Most Unique Wedding of Shiva Parvati was celebrated in which Vishnu and Brahma along with Lakshmi and Vani took active part and so did Indra, Devas, Dikpalakas, the Planets along with their spouses; Yakshas, Danavas, Kimpurushas, Pramathaganas and Piscachas were all thrilled; Gandharvas sang tuneful songs, Apsaras danced away to their glories and Maharshis and Muniganas chanted Vedas and Hymns.  Such an event was neither commemorated in the Yugas that preceded nor followed.

As Devi Parvati and Shiva were enjoying their post-wedding life in beautiful gardens and Sarovars, one fine morning Parvati desired to take her bath and sought to clean up her body dirt after applying scented oils and made an idol of a handsome boy whose head resembled that of an elephant. Shiva played with that idol of a boy for a while and threw it in Ganga who was Parvati’s companion. Ganga brought the idol back from the flow and interestingly the boy became real with life and Devas called him as Gajanana and worshipped him; Brahma gave Gajanana the authority to head Ganas and was called as Ganapati or Ganadhyaksha eversince.Equally fascinating was the incident of Devi Parvati having planted an Ashoka Tree out of sport with Shiva. In a light moment, Indra, Brihaspati, Devas and Maharshis asked Parvati as to what kind of fruit would emerge from the tree and Parvati was extremely delighted with the query. She replied that if any thoughtful human being where there was inadequate water supply at a Place would dig up a Well, then that person would attain Swarga for as many years as the drops of that Well! She further said that if ten such wells were dug up, the ‘Punya’ would be ten times more; if ten bigger water bodies were dug up the ‘Punya’ would be tenfolded more; if ten Sarovars were dug up the resultant fruits would be tenfold more; ten Sarovars would equal the donation of a Kanya (virgin) and such ten donations would equalise one Vriksha (Tree)! Brihaspati, Devas and Rishis were stunned with the reply that Parvati gave and returned to their respective places thinking deep about what Devi Parvati stated!

For a number of years, Shiva and Parvati were in a joyful mood after their marriage and there was little news for Indras and Devas about the possible arrival of Kartikeya who alone could terminate Tatakasura. Agni Deva took the form of a parrot and entered the Palace of Shiva and Parvati who found that Parvati was enjoying a bath in a Sarovar playing with lotus flowers and Lord Shiva was resting in his bed. She found six Krittikas in the Sarovar and told them that she was desirous of seeing the water drops inside the lotus bulbs; the Kritthikas replied in fun that they would show the water drops provided they allow them also to share the joy of a child in her ‘garbha’! The Krittikas further said that they should allow them too to own the child as their own as much as that of Devi Parvati and she agreed to the mutual deal; Krittikas showed the water drops inside the lotus bulb and drank them. As soon as she drank the water drops, there emerged a handsome and healthy boy from Devi Parvati’s right abdomen with Sun-like luster and a powerful Physique wearing a ‘Shula’ and ‘Ankush’ in both of his hands. He was called ‘Kumar’ as many entities claimed parentage maily of course by Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati but also the Krittikas and even Agni. The boy had six brilliant faces and was popularly called by several names viz.Vishakha, Shanmukha, Skanda, Shadaanana and Kartikeya. Brahma, Vishnu, Indra and various Devas gifted the Child several valuable souvenirs like Chandan, Malas, Dhup, Toys, Umbrellas, and Bhushans and instantly appointed him as the Senapati or the Commander-in-Chief of Devas. Lord Vishnu presented several ‘Ayudhas’ or Arms; Kubera provided ten lakh of Yaksha Sena; Agni gave his Tej (Radiance) and Vayu provided speed as his ‘Vahan’ (Chariot). Kumar desired to ascertain as to what he could do for them and in one voice they wanted the demon Tarakasura to be killed and Kumar assured saying: So be it! Inspired by what Skanda Deva guaranteed, Indra sent an emissary to Tarakasura saying that soon Indra and Devas would arrive to destroy the demon and his followers. Danavas wondered that an additional Shakti must have joined the Deva Sena as otherwise they would not dare send a messenger alerting them to come prapared for a battle! Tarakasura remembered Brahma’s boon to him with the qualification of the risk of his death in the hands of a boy! Even Kalanemi and other Daityas had creepy feelings about the might of the stranger who joined the Deva Sena. As Tarakasura saw finally saw the so-called additional Shakti, he laughed away and made fun of the baby boy; he said that Devas did great injustice in projecting him ahead of them so that they could conveniently run away if need be! Kumar replied that there was no need to make fun of us since in a battle of ‘Shastras’, there was the brain power that was important but not the brute force; moreso, one did not require a huge serpent to kill an opponent but even a tiny snake could finish off the enemy by a small bite of poison! Bala Surya was always difficult to look at and never under-estimate a boy! Even as Kumar’s reply was over, the Asura threw a musala but the reply by way of a mighty Chakra from Kumar was instantaneous. The Daitya threw a metallic Bhindipal which Kumar stopped merely by one of his hands. Kartikeya targetted a ferocious mace which made ear-blowing sound and the demon was hardly able to escape its impact. The demon then realised that this boy was not an ordinary kid and one had to be tough with him; he used a very powerful Shastra which was undone by Kartikeya instantly. Then Kartikeya came into his form and massacred thousands of demons and the so-called mighty demons like Kalanemi could hardly defend themselves and ran away to save their skins. As a last resort, Tarakasura hit Kumar’s vahana of Peacock and going wild with this act, Kumara finally used the ‘Nirmal Shakti’ in his hands and threw it with force and speed and the Shakti dazzled the demon’s vision; he tried his best but  could not evade it since it flew behind wherever he went and ultimately pierced into his heart as the mountain-like Tarakasura fell making a thud, like a cloud-burst and the handful soldiers of the huge army of Davanas left behind alive ran for their lives. Devas went into a state of ecstacy with loud shouts and battle-cries of relief showering fragrant flowers all around, Gandharvas sang earsplitting songs of victory, Apsaras danced with gay abandon and the whole Universe wore a memorable look of unprecedented carnival.Vishnu and Brahma were highly satisfied that finally Dharma an Nyaya were vindicated by Kumara. Maha Deva and Devi Parvati seated on Nandi with Ganesha and Kartikeya flew across to Kailasa Mountain witnessing festivities all along the route!

Devas affirmed that whosoever read, or heard or analysed the Story of Kartikeya would be blessed; his life-span would increase, would become healthy, popular, and contented in life without unfufilled desires and at the end of Life would qualify for Salvation.

Source : http://www.kamakoti.org/kamakoti/details/padmapurana13.html

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SAGE JAIMINI AND THE FOUR BIRDS

SAGE JAIMINI AND THE FOUR BIRDS

A story about Jaimini appears in Maarkandeya Puraan. Jaimini was the disciple of Maharshi Ved Vyaas Jee. He heard The Mahaabhaarat from his teacher. Although he heard it very attentively and paid special attention to its meaning but still he was confused about certain points in the story. Since Ved Vyaas was not available to remove those confusions so Jaimini approached another learned Rishi, Rishi Maarkandeya Jee. Unfortunately Rishi Maarkandeya was also leaving for a pilgrimage, so was unable to help Jaimini. So he guided Jaimini to go to the Vindhya Mountains where four birds used to live. Their names were Pingaaksh, Vivodh, Suputra and Sumukh.

Now these four birds were very well versed in the scriptures and would clarify Jaimini's all doubts. Jaimini was astounded to see that the birds that could not only speak the human language were learned in religious scriptures. Before Jaimini's leaving for Vindhya Mountains, Maarkandeya told Jaimini the story of those birds.

There were two birds named Kank and Kandhaar. They were the descendants of Garud bird. They were brothers and loved each other very much. One day Kank had a fight with a demon named Vidyut and unfortunately was killed by him. Kandhaar vowed to take revenge, fought with the demon and killed him. He then married the demon's widow, Madanikaa. Madanikaa permanently changed her form to a bird and soon gave birth to a beautiful baby bird named Taarkshee.

Taarkshee was an extraordinary bird. In fact Madanikaa was Vapu, an Apsaraa. Once all the Apsaraa asked Devarshi Naarad, to decide who was best among them. At that time Naarad Jee said to them, "Whoever could distract the Sage Durvaasaa from his Tap, she should be the best." Now as everybody knows, Durvaasaa is known for his anger and ill-temper, so none of the Apsaraa was willing to take up this challenge of Naarad, but Vapu took up this challenge and set off to distract Durvaasaa Muni. While Durvaasaa was meditating, Vapu started singing like a Koyal (cuckoo) from a far distance. Durvaasaa got up to find out who the singer was and was surprised to see Vapu singing. As it was clear, he immediately gave Shaap to her that she would be born as a bird.

In due course Taarkshee got married and became pregnant. One day she was wandering in the Kurukshetra field when the Mahaabhaarat was going on. On that day Arjun and Bhagdatt were fighting together. Arjun was shooting arrows at Bhagdatt. By chance, Arjun's one arrow pierced her stomach and she died. Durvaasaa's Shaap was over and she again became Vapu Apsaraa and went to her Lok. But as Arjun's arrow hit Taarkshee's stomach, four eggs dropped to the ground. At the same time, another arrow of Arjun cut the rope from which the bell of Bhagdatta's elephant was attached to. Fortunately the bell fell over the eggs covering them and thus they were protected during the rest of the war.

After the war, a sage named Shameek came to Kurukshetra to pay his respects to those who had died there. He heard the chirping sound coming from somewhere. He found that the sound was coming from under the bell. As he lifted the bell, he discovered four new-born chicks of a bird. He took them to his Aashram and took care of them. Every day those birds used to hear the recitation of the scriptures, the discourses of the sages and the discussions between the disciples. Soon they memorized the Ved and the other scriptures which they heard there.

One day they went to Shameek Muni and said, "You have saved our lives for which we are very grateful to you. We have also learnt a lot of knowledge in your Aashram, now we pray you, tell us how we can use this knowledge." Shameek Muni was surprised to hear the birds speaking in the human tongue. There were many birds in his Aashram but he never heard any other bird talking like this. He wondered why only these four were able to learn the scriptures. He understood that they were not an ordinary birds, but then what was their specialty, so he asked them as who were they.

Then the birds told him their story - "We are the sons of Sukrishaa. One day a huge bird came to our father and asked some human meat to satisfy its hunger. Our father ordered us to offer ourselves as food for the bird, but we refused, so our father gave us Shaap that we would be born as birds. He then requested that huge bird to eat him. At this that huge bird assumed the form of Indra. Indra told him that he was just testing Sukrishaa. But the Shaap our father gave to us was unavoidable." The sons explained to their father that the reason they had refused was that they were attached to their bodies. They did not have the true Gyaan, that is why they requested him to obtain that Gyaan when they are born as birds. Their father granted them this request.

When Shameek Muni heard this story, he asked those birds to go to the Vindhya Mountains. There they preach to those who come to them from time to time to seek the knowledge. So Jaimini went to Vindhya Mountains, met those four birds and clarified his all doubts. The wisdom he obtained from them he wrote in the Maarkandeya Puraan.

 source : http://sushmajee.com/biographies/bio-I-J/jaimini-story.htm

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