Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah!
Om Saravabhavaya Namah!
Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!

Namaste!

Thaipusam
by Swami Sivananda

Thaipusam which falls in the month of Thai (January – February) is celebrated with intense devotion by a very large section of the Tamil people throughout the world. It is celebrated on the full moon when the constellation Pusam is on the ascend. Lord Skanda is the spiritual son of Lord Siva. On this day the Lance (Vel) was given to him by His mother.

The origin of Lord Skanda, the purpose of His avatara and its significance are of much importance to all seekers after Truth. During the battle between the Asuras and the Devas, the latter were defeated several times by the former. The Devas were unable to resist the onslaught of the Asuric forces. In despair, they approached Lord Siva and entreated to give them an able leader under whose heroic leadership they might obtain victory over the Asuras. They surrendered themselves completely and prayed to Lord Siva sincerely. The gracious Lord granted their request by creating mighty divine warrior, Lord Skanda, out of his own power or Achintya Sakti. This great son of Lord Siva at once assumed leadership of the celestial forces, originated them, inspired them and attacked the asuric forces. The asuras were routed and a glorious victory was gained by the Devas.

Make a whole hearted surrender at the feet of the Divine even as the Devas surrendered to Lord Siva. And like them, pray earnestly with Bhava and sincerity. The Divine help will surely come, and in your heart will spring up the routing torrent of Divine Sakti. The Lord’s grace will become manifest to you in the form of inner soul force. This is the Divine power of Jnana symbolised by the Vel which vanquishes all undivine forces that attack you on the spiritual path and emerge triumphant and victorious.

Read complete article

1st February is Thaipusam.

The following article was recently posted at Sri Swami Krishnanandaji's site:

• The Mantra Soham

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

BOOK SYNOPSIS

Hindu Gods and Goddesses
by Swami Sivananda

GOD is one, but His aspects are many. The different aspects of God constitute the Hindu Pantheon.

The naturally pious Hindu delights in his Deities. He delights in singing the Lord’s glories, in chanting His Mantras, in visiting His temples, in worshipping His Murtis. These devotional practices expand his heart, enlarge his vision, aid him powerfully in his Sadhana, and ultimately lead him to the highest goal of his spiritual endeavour, viz., God-realisation.

The conception of the names and forms of various Deities in Hindu mythology is grand, sublime, unique. Every detail connected with every Hindu god and goddess has its inner meaning, its esoteric significance.

Swami Sivananda writes for the readers. His style is simple. His approach is direct. He writes with intense devotion and Prem.

We have great pleasure in releasing this beautiful book for the benefit of all those who want to understand Hinduism better. May God illumine the hearts of all and bring peace on earth.

For more information, please see: Hindu Gods and Goddesses

SPECIAL CONCESSION

The discount on publications is as follows:

20% on Orders Above Rs. 300/-
30% on Orders Above Rs. 3,000/-
40% on Orders Above Rs. 25,000/-

Please visit our online bookstore for further details:
https://www.dlshq.org/presta/

GOD IS KIND: At the Satsang the Master distributed melons to the people sitting near him. The weather was hot. He remarked, “God is kind. He knows the difficulty of people in summer. The Lord, who created summer, also created the melon for the sake of people.”

“God has no object outside Himself. He does not see anything outside Him as we are seeing outside us. He is the whole universe, and you are included in the universe. You are not standing outside the universe. When He is the whole universe Himself, He is yourself also. You cannot stand outside Him. As you are not outside the universe, you are not outside God also.” – Swami Krishnananda

Subscribe to Sivananda Day-to-day mailing list.

Other Sivananda related lists:

Various Selections from Sivananda's Works