Tag: Guru (Page 1 of 2)

Annaprashana and Vidyarambha

May 2, 2026 / Govinda Bhat K / 0 Comments

According to the Indian tradition of the Sanatana Dharma, the human life system is not God-centric, but it is human-culture-centric. A Sanatana Dharma follower or any family member may believe in any particular God or not (being optional), but has to observe four principles.

Truth is the first principle, and an article on this principle has already been published on this website. After six months, a child should be given solid foods, and it is called Annaprashana karma, or the baby feeding ceremony. Some Sanskrit verses are used during the baby feeding ritual. In case a father or a mother is unable to accomplish it, then somebody in that society would be doing it. Hunger and food are unavoidable parts of the truth.

Later, kindness is the second principle. Kindness is natural for elders towards children. After three years, a child should be taught about cleanliness and how to speak. Then the child would be very particular about neatness, washing with water and taking a bath. Daily bathing is practised by the Indians from early childhood.

Similarly, living in neat and clean premises is also taught to the child. The importance of Suchitva, or cleanliness, is the third principle in the Sanatana Dharma. When the child starts to speak, then it is administered into letter writing and this ritual is called Vidyarambha karma. During the evening, around the time of sunset, the child would be doing short duration of prayers with actions in their house. Evening or morning, name chanting, called as Japa, is taught by parents, followed by the bath daily.

An AI-generated image of a traditional Indian Annaprashana and Vidyarambha ceremony showing parents feeding a baby and a Guru guiding a child to write Om on a plate of rice in a cultural home setting. — Annaprashana and Vidyarambha mark a child’s first steps into life and learning, where nourishment and knowledge begin under the guidance of family and tradition (AI-generated image)

Donation is the fourth principle of Sanatana Dharma. Donation should be decided by the donor. The doubts of the child are cleared in the bedtime stories after night food, before sleeping. In a peaceful society, these four principles later lead the child to be a good and responsible citizen serving their own nation or the global system of the world. So the basic human culture starts with Annaprashana and proceeds through Vidyarambha.

Shri Madhvacharya: Exploring The Legacy And Teachings

November 2, 2023 / Govinda Bhat K / 1 Comment

Who is the Udupi Shankaracharya?

Madhvacharya is the Udupi Shankaracharya. His Holiness Shree Shree Madhvacharya had presented his incarnation from Vayu on the Vijayadashami day in 1238 AD, at Pajaka in Udupi district of Karnataka in India as the first son to Smt. Vedavati and Sri Narayana Bhatta. Since the house of Narayana Batta was in the middle of a colony, he was also famous by his house name, in local Tulu dialect, as Naddanthillaya, which makes a sense of owner of the house in the middle of the colony. His holy life was amalgamated with the lotus feet of Maha Vishnu on 1317 CE.

13th century portrait of the pontiff, Shri Madhvacharya — 13th century portrait of Shri Madhvacharya

The initial name of Madhvacharya, prior to bestowing him as the Holy Swamiji of Udupi, was generally referred by the assigned name of Purnaprajna being officially granted by his Guru. During the Purvashrama, his name was Vasudeva but later he was delighted as a holy pontiff of Udupi. The disciples of His Holiness assigned him the honorable name of Madhvacharya. Usually, his family followed Vaishnavite theologies and was following practical and social performances of the school of Shankara philosophy.

The common Indian word for the cultural rituals or the lively routine activities is called the Dharmic Achara or simply as Achara. Acharya means a person like a priest who performs and preaches, along with highlighting ancient and ever-lasting theologies or acharas of Sanathana Dharma, the naturally evolved, scientific social customs.

What was the specialty of Madhvacharya ?

Until Madhvacharya became a pontiff, his previous traditional teachers were following what the great Indian seer Shankaracharya had renovated. But gradually, Madhvacharya developed many social outlooks of Sanathana Dharma within the lessons of his own experiences. He felt that, in the later periods, debates would become more prominent and hence rituals should be based on scientific proofs and such plain protective approach that was originally faced by Jagadguru Shankaracharya also.

Mahabharat: Jatugriha Parva

December 14, 2020 / Govinda Bhat K / 0 Comments

In Mahbharat, Jatugrihaparva is the eighth upa parva, under the first mahaparva namely the Adi parva. The original name of the Mahabharat book was Jaya, as Veda Vyasa Rishi, the original author, had desired and named it. His disciple Vaishampayana had continued to narrate the story to Janamejaya:

Burning lacquer palace — Pandavas and Kunti escaping the burning lacquer palace

Mahabharat: Pauloma Chyavana

November 22, 2020 / Govinda Bhat K / 1 Comment

In Mahbharat, Pauloma parva is the fourth upa parva, under the first maha parva, named as the Adi parva. Maha parva means parts of the epic, the main book of Mahabharat, and upa parva means sub divided volumes. Mahabharat was authored by Veda Vyasa Rishi and he told the entire epic to his son Shuka Muni in eighteen parts with an appendix or in total say, one hundred sub divisions. Suta Puranika had heard the narrations, when he had attended the serpents’ yajna performed by Janamejaya, where the epic was retold by Shuka muni to the audience assembled there.

After completion of the yajna, Suta Puranik, while returning, had visited the hermit of Ugrashrava , son of Lomaharshana, at Naimisharanya. Ugrashrava had requested Suta Puranik to narrate the same epic. Thus three upa parva was completed. He started to narrate the fourth upa parva, the pauloma parva. After accepting the provisions of due hospitality, the story teller, Suta Puranik upheld the lesson of this upa parva being the highest virtue as non- violence, as adorable for any human being and to be longed for that root principle of Dharma.

Mahabharat: Paushyaparva

November 21, 2020 / Govinda Bhat K / 3 Comments

In Mahbharat, Paushyaparva is the third upa parva, under the first parva namely the Adi parva. The original name of the Mahabharat book was Jaya, as Vyasa, the original author had desired. Then, Suta Puranikas, the story tellers called the same book with other names, and it is also known as Panchama Veda. Now, the Sanskrit name of this upa parva is Paushya and it would be better to study regarding the word Paushya. It is recommended to read the article Uttanka in Ramayana and Mahabharat before preceding the following elaborations on Paushya. In the Ramayana epic, one of the stars in the sky, Tishya had been referred. The same Tishya had been renamed by Suta Puranikas as Pushya in Mahabharat. After the star Pushya, the next star is Ashlesha, or Ayilyam as named in south Indian languages.

Mahabharat: Introduction

November 1, 2020 / Govinda Bhat K / 1 Comment

Mahabharat is an epic, written in Sanskrit, centuries ago in India. Ramayana had been seen as the oldest and holiest epic. Hence, it was already read with reverence during the month of Karkataka, as per solar calendar. After paddy cultivation, in Kerala, during the month of Karkataka, people could be seen reading Ramayana daily. Even after that one month, some energetic and young farmers of our country felt the necessity of another epic with a different taste. In the next month, as the paddy plants show growth slowly, and farmers have to simply watch their growth, feeding the natural monsoon water to the plants. This month is the Leo or Chingam under solar calculation system. Thus, people used to read the epic Mahabharat.

Mahabharat war — Kurukshetra or Dharmakshetra from Mahabharat

Benefits Of Apprenticeship And Internship

September 11, 2020 / Govinda Bhat K / 2 Comments

Apprenticeship and internship are very old systems that could be seen in Ramayana. The style and words would differ, being in Sanskrit language.

The period of learning the work was called as the apprenticeship. Prior to the actual work, the teacher used to orally tell the verses and the disciple had to by heart them. When the disciple performed the works, the teacher would correct him in case mistakes had been committed. The case of Shunashepa and Vishwamitra could be stated as one of the examples for the apprenticeship in Ramayana.

Gurukula education system — Gurukula system

Uttanka In Ramayana And Mahabharata

August 10, 2020 / Govinda Bhat K / 3 Comments

Lakshmana was wearing two ear rings, one on each ear, by which he could evade hunger and thirst while wearing them, which were provided by his Guru, Viswamitra Rishi to him, during the days of his education under him. This was the top secret power of Lakshmana. When he found his life span was about to be completed, he started towards Sarayu River for performing Yoga Samadhi and on his way, he found the king Saudasa coming towards Ayodhya to meet with God Rama. Lakshmana told him the Emperor God Rama was then very busy, had scheduled meeting with Durvasa Rishi and he may meet him on another day. After convincing him, he loosened his two ear rings and entrusted them to king Saudasa in order to hand over them to Ahalya as the gift of sympathy and honor.

Serpent yaga or worship — Uttanka Rishi performing serpent yaga

Gauthama Rishi In Ramayana

August 9, 2020 / Govinda Bhat K / 0 Comments

After Ramayana, during Satya yuga, there were seven Rishis and they were:

Angirasa
Atri
Pulastya
Pulaha
Marichi
Kratu
Vasishta.

Later, when the manvanthara changed, some of the Saptarshis also changed. Even though they were meeting together, say as in the north sky as seven stars, there was no unity within them but there was concurrency among them. They started their lineages and later they continued with their disciples as gothras. Regarding Vishwamithra and Vasishta,the articles have been already presented and about Gauthama Rishi, would be narrated here.

Gauthama Rishi pleasing Lord Shiva — Gauthama Rishi praying to God Shiva

Atri, Anusuya And Ahalya In Ramayana

August 3, 2020 / Govinda Bhat K / 4 Comments

Atri and Anusuya

॥ ॐ इत्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म । घृनणमिति द्वे ॥

After shuffling a very small part of this universe, there remained only one thing and it was called as Brahma and denoted by a single letter OM(ॐ). It has converted itself as two and was called as sun. It has a meaning as surplus also. Then Brahma desired to have ten Manasa putras, so the ten sons were born first in this universe. They are:

Atri
Angiras
Prachetas
Brighu
Pulaha
Narada
Marichi
Vasishta
Pulastya
Daksha (or Prajapati)

Then, Sun alone was with earth and later Mars, Mercuty, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn have been created. Later, after churning the milky ocean, Rahu and Ketu were also added to the planets group. Then, Shiva had half consumed the venom of the serpent and required a cooling facility over his head. Brahma agreed to provide it at the earliest. Then Brahma entrusted that work to Atri Muni.