Lalita (sometimes written Lalitha) is another name for Devi and means elegant or beautiful. The thousand names of Devi is recited in the Lalita sahasranama. Lalita - Related Links. http://www.geocities.com/srigant/shaktham.html http://www.sreelalitha.org/index.asp ...

Including:

• Lalita - Related Links

Read more here: » Lalita: Encyclopedia - Lalita

Lalita: an epithet of Parvathi, wife of Lord Shiva.

(See also: Lalita, Hinduism, Yoga, Body Mind and Soul)

lalita:

goddess of bliss

(See also: lalita, Hinduism, Hinduism Dictionary, Sanskrit Dictionary, Body Mind and Soul)

The Lalitasahasranama enumerates the one thousand names of Devi as Lalita-parameshwari . When Manmata , the god of love, was reduced to ashes by Shiva’s opening his third eye, the ashes were collected by Chitrakarman, one of Shiva’s attendants, who used it for drawing the figure of a man.

When Shiva glanced at the figure, it leaped into life at once. The artist advised the person so created to pray to Shiva, by reciting the Sata-Rudriya. Pleased at his devotion, Shiva blessed him with the overlordship of the world for 60,000 years. On hearing this, Brahma cried in dismay, '' Bhand, Bhand ’’ and so the person came to have the name Bhanda.

(See also: Devi Lalita, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The chanting of the Divine Name or nama japa has an important place in bhakti tradition. Nama japa can be in the form of japa or stotra. Japa is silent repetition of a mantra while stotra is uttered out loud.

The sahasranama stotra is perhaps the most popular of all stotras. There are sahasranamas of most of the deities of the Hindu pantheon of which two have attained great popularity. These are the Lalita Sahasranama in praise of the Divine Mother and Vishnu Sahasranama in praise of the Lord conceived as Vishnu.

(See also: Sahasranama, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The essence of Sadhana.

From "Easy Steps to Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Sadhana: Essence of Sadhana

Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions by H.H. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj.

From "Easy Steps to Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions

Chakras are in the Linga Sarira (astral body). Linga Sarira is of 17 Tattvas, viz., 5 Jnanendriyas (ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose); 5 Karmendriyas (speech, hands, legs, genitals, anus); 5 Pranas (Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana, Samana); Manas (mind); and Buddhi (intellect). These have corresponding centres in the spinal cord and the nerve-plexuses in the gross body. Each Chakra has control and function over a particular centre in gross body.

Read more here: » Chakras: Padmas Or Chakras

MOTHER SARASWATHI

Mother Saraswathi, is divine knowledge personified, the embodiment of knowledge of the Absolute. The sound of Her celestial veena awakens the notes of the sublime utterances of the Upanishads which reveal the Truth, and the sacred monosyllable, Om. She bestows the knowledge of the supreme, mystic sound and then gives full knowledge of the Self as represented by Her pure, dazzling snow-white apparel. Therefore, to propitiate Saraswathi, the giver of knowledge, is the third stage.

From " Hindu Fasts & Festivals " by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Saraswathi: The Hindu Godess Mother Saraswathi

Durga Puja or Navaratri:

This festival is observed twice a year, once in the month of Chaitra and then in Aswayuja. It lasts for nine days in honour of the nine manifestations of Durga. During Navaratri (the word literally means "nine nights") devotees of Durga observe a fast. Brahmins are fed and prayers are offered for the protection of health and property.

From Hindu Fasts & Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Durga Puja or Navaratri: Hindu Festivals - Durga Puja or Navaratri

An introduction to Yoga Sadhana.

From "Easy Steps to Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda.

Read more here: » Yoga Sadhana: Introduction to Yoga Sadhana

Lalita sahasranama is a hymn that describes the 1000 names of Devi or Lalita and praises God as the Divine Mother or God's Shakti or Power. A sahasranama is a litany of one thousand names of God or Goddess. sahasra is one thousand and nama is name. There is at least one such sahasranama for each deity in Hinduism. Lalita Sahasranama is a hymn described in the Brahmanda Purana and is one of the most sacred stotras in Hinduism. It was recited as a result of conversation between Hayagri ...

Including:

• Lalita sahasranama - Related Links

Read more here: » Lalita sahasranama: Encyclopedia - Lalita sahasranama

Saiva Agamas: (Sanskrit) The sectarian revealed scriptures of the Saivas. Strongly theistic, they identify Siva as the Supreme Lord, immanent and transcendent. They are in two main divisions: the 64 Kashmir Saiva Agamas and the 28 Saiva Siddhanta Agamas. The latter group are the fundamental sectarian scriptures of Saiva Siddhanta. Of these, ten are of the Sivabheda division and are considered dualistic: 1) Kamika, 2) Yogaja, 3) Chintya, 4) Karana, 5) Ajita, 6) Dipta, 7) Sukshma, 8) Sahasraka, 9) Amshumat and 10) Suprabheda.

There are 18 in the Rudrabheda group, classed as dual-nondual: 11) Vijaya, 12) Nihshvasa, 13) Svayambhuva, 14) Anala, 15) Vira (Bhadra), 16) Raurava, 17) Makuta, 18) Vimala, 19) Chandrajnana (or Chandrahasa), 20) Mukhabimba (or Bimba), 21) Prodgita (or Udgita), 22) Lalita, 23) Siddha, 24) Santana, 25) Sarvokta (Narasimha), 26) Parameshvara, 27) Kirana and 28) Vatula (or Parahita).

Rishi Tirumular, in his Tirumantiram, refers to 28 Agamas and mentions nine by name. Eight of these - Karana, Kamika, Vira, Chintya, Vatula, Vimala, Suprabheda and Makuta - are in the above list of 28 furnished by the French Institute of Indology, Pondicherry. The ninth, Kalottara, is presently regarded as an Upagama, or secondary text, of Vatula. The Kamika is the Agama most widely followed in Tamil Saiva temples, because of the availability of Aghorasiva's manual-commentary (paddhati) on it. Vira Saivites especially refer to the Vatula and Vira Agamas.

The Saiva Agama scriptures, above all else, are the connecting strand through all the schools of Saivism. The Agamas themselves express that they are entirely consistent with the teachings of the Veda, that they contain the essence of the Veda, and must be studied with the same high degree of devotion.

See: Agamas, Vedas.

(See also: Saiva Agamas, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Shakti: (Sanskrit) "Power, energy," from the root shak, "to be able."

The active power or manifest energy of Siva that pervades all of existence. Its most refined aspect is Parashakti, or Satchidananda, the pure consciousness and primal substratum of all form.

This pristine, divine energy unfolds as ic�ha shakti (the power of desire, will, love), kriya shakti (the power of action) and jnana shakti (the power of wisdom, knowing), represented as the three prongs of Siva's trishula, or trident. From these arise the five powers of revealment, concealment, dissolution, preservation and creation.

In Saiva Siddhanta, Siva is All, and His divine energy, Shakti, is inseparable from Him. This unity is symbolized in the image of Ardhanarishvara, "half-female God." In popular, village Hinduism, the unity of Siva and Shakti is replaced with the concept of Siva and Shakti as separate entities. Shakti is represented as female, and Siva as male. In Hindu temples, art and mythology, they are everywhere seen as the divine couple. This depiction has its source in the folk-narrative sections of the Puranas, where it is given elaborate expression. Shakti is personified in many forms as the consorts of the Gods. For example, the Goddesses Parvati, Lakshmi and Sarasvati are the respective mythological consorts of Siva, Vishnu and Brahma. Philosophically, however, the caution is always made that God and God's energy are One, and the metaphor of the inseparable divine couple serves only to illustrate this Oneness.

Within the Shakta religion, the worship of the Goddess is paramount, in Her many fierce and benign forms. Shakti is the Divine Mother of manifest creation, visualized as a female form, and Siva is specifically the Unmanifest Absolute. The fierce or black (asita) forms of the Goddess include Kali, Durga, Chandi, Chamundi, Bhadrakali and Bhairavi. The benign or white (sita) forms include Uma, Gauri, Ambika, Parvati, Maheshvari, Lalita and Annapurna. As Rajarajeshvari ("divine queen of kings"). She is the presiding Deity of the Sri Chakra yantra. She is also worshiped as the ten Mahavidyas, manifestations of the highest knowledge - Kali, Tara, Shodashi, Bhuvaneshvari, Chinnamasta, Bhairavi, Dhumavati, Bagata, Matangi and Kamala. While some Shaktas view these as individual beings, most revere them as manifestations of the singular Devi. There are also numerous minor Goddess forms, in the category of gramadevata ("village Deity"). These include Pitari, "snake-catcher" (usually represented by a simple stone), and Mariyamman, "smallpox Goddess."

In the yoga mysticism of all traditions, divine energy, shakti, is experienced within the human body in three aspects:

1)    the feminine force, ida shakti,

2)    the masculine force, pingala shakti, and

3)    the pure androgynous force, kundalini shakti, that flows through the sushumna nadi.

Shakti is most easily experienced by devotees as the sublime, bliss-inspiring energy that emanates from a holy person or sanctified Hindu temple.

See: Amman, Ardhanarishvara, Goddess, Parashakti, Shaktism.

(See also: Shakti, Hinduism, Body Mind and Soul)

Parvati (Sanskrit/Hindi पार्वती Pārvatī), sometimes spelled as Parvathi and Parvathy, is a goddess in Hinduism She is also the benevolent aspect, or representation of Shakti or Durga. Her other names include Uma, Dakshayani, Gauri and many hundreds of others; the Lalita sahasranama contains an authoritative listing. She is known as 'the daughter of the mountain'. Parvata is Sanskrit for "mountain". Parvati is the second consort of Shiva, the Hindu God of destructi ...

Read more here: » Parvati: Encyclopedia - Parvati

Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakur (September 2, 1838 - June 23, 1914), a prominent figure among the Gaudiya Vaishnavas of Bengal, was born Kedarnath Datta in the town of Birnagar, Bengal, India. He was the son of Raja Krsnananda Datta. Bhaktivinoda married and had several children, including Bimal Prasad (later Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Thakura), the founder of the Gaudiya Math and the guru of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada. Bhaktivinoda was also the father, as well as the initiating guru, of Lalita Prasad Thakur. The two brothes had sub ...

Read more here: » Bhaktivinoda Thakur: Encyclopedia - Bhaktivinoda Thakur

Jane Austen's novel Pride and Prejudice (1813) has been the subject of numerous television and film adaptations. This 2004 Bollywood version, Bride and Prejudice, filmed in English, Hindi, and Punjabi, was directed by Gurinder Chadha. The screenplay was written by Chadha and Paul Mayeda Berges. Bride and Prejudice - Plot. Tagline: Bollywood meets Hollywood...And it's a perfect match. When Lalita Bakshi (Aishwarya Rai) meets Californian blue blood Will Darcy (Martin H ...

Including:

• Bride and Prejudice - Plot
• Bride and Prejudice - Locations
• Bride and Prejudice - Selected cast

Read more here: » Bride and Prejudice: Encyclopedia - Bride and Prejudice

In Hinduism a gopi (somtimes gopika) is one of the several cow herding girls who had pure devotion (bhakti) to Krishna. The two top-most gopis are known as Srimati Radharani and Candravali. Candravali is Srimati Radharani's rival for Krishna's attention. Because Radharani possesses all charm and sweetness, she is the better of the two and is supremely famous. Each of them has millions of doe-eyed gopi followers. The gopis may be divided into three groups: 1. Gopi friends of the same age as Krishna, 2. maidservants ...

Including:

• Gopi - Contemporary gopi friends samaja
• Gopi - Varistha the most exalted
• Gopi - Vara exalted
• Gopi - Maidservants mandala
• Gopi - Gopi messengers gana
• Gopi - Asta-manjaris

Read more here: » Gopi: Encyclopedia - Gopi

The Gaudiya Vaishnava poet and saint Srila Rupa Goswami (1489-1564 CE) is considered to be one of the principal followers of Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486-1533 CE). He is also one of the famous Six Goswamis of Vrindavana. Rupa Goswami - Srila Rupa Goswami's Geneology. His lineage can be traced back to Karnataka, South India where his Saraswata brahmana descendants held influential positions. Srila Rupa Gosvami's nephew, Jiva Goswami has explained in his Laghu Tosani that Rupa's descendants were of ...

Including:

• Rupa Goswami - Srila Rupa Goswami's Geneology
• Rupa Goswami - Rupa Goswami's Early Life
• Rupa Goswami - Rupa's Meeting with Chaitanya
• Rupa Goswami - Rupa's Second Meeting with Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
• Rupa Goswami - Rupa Goswami In Puri
• Rupa Goswami - Rupa Goswami in Vrindavana
• Rupa Goswami - Rupa Goswami's Literary Contributions
• Rupa Goswami - Bibliography

Read more here: » Rupa Goswami: Encyclopedia - Rupa Goswami

Dattatreya (Sanskrit: दत्तात्रेय) is a Hindu God who is an incarnation of the Divine Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. The word Datta means "Given", Datta is called so because the divine trinity have "given" themselves in the form of a son to the sage couple Atri and Anasuya. He is the son of Atri, hence the name "Atreya". In the Natha tradition, Dattatreya is recognized as an Avatar or incarnation of the Lord Shiva and as the Adi-Guru (First Teacher) of the Adi-Nath sampradaya of the Nathas. Although ...

Including:

• Dattatreya - Dattatreya as an Historical Figure
• Dattatreya - Dattatreya as a Devotional Deity

Read more here: » Dattatreya: Encyclopedia - Dattatreya