The Musings of a Millennial

  This is celebrated on a full moon day which falls in the month of Kartika. On this day, people celebrate the victory of Good over Evil by lighting rows of Diyas. ▪️Ideally, Diya should be lit daily. If not daily, atleast, it is to be lit in this entire month of Kartika. ▪️If even that's not possible, we have seen people lighting as many Diyas as possible on this day as it is equivalent to lighting a Diya, the entire year. The LEGEND ▪️ Lord Karthikeya , son of Shiva and Parvathi killed the demon Tarakasura . To avenge his death, the demon's three sons did a hard penance for many years. Pleased with their devotion, Lord Brahma promised to fulfill any of their wish except immortality (because as per Laws of Nature, Death is inevitable for anyone who is born.) ▪️The three sons wished for three flying cities with forts made of Gold , Silver & Iron respectively. These three cities were in different planes ( Heaven - Sky - Terrestrial plane) and would align only for a short...

Today is Ksheerabdi Dwadasi or Yogeeshwara Dwadasi . This falls on the 12th day of month of Kartika . Lord Vishnu goes into yogic sleep on Ashada Ekadasi for a period of 4 months. It is said that during this period, there will be flooding of the entire world ( Annual pralaya ) following which the world renews itself. Lord Vishnu wakes up on Prabodhini Ekadasi which falls on the 11th day of month of Kartika (i.e. 23rd Nov.2023.) It is said that Goddess Lakshmi came out of Samudra Manthan which was accepted by Lord Vishnu . Tears of happiness came from Lord Vishnu's eyes which fell on the earth giving rise to Tulsi . Thus, Lord Vishnu ends his 4 month sleep, marries Goddess Lakshmi ,kick starting the marriage season in our country. People celebrate this festival by observing a fast on Prabodhini Ekadasi which ends on the morning of the next day. On the evening of Ksheerabdi Dwadasi, Tulsi and Amla are worshipped as form of Goddess Lakshmi & Lord Vishnu respectively. An...

  " All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players." - William Shakespeare I remembered these words as the ICC 2023 World Cup final concluded. The loss is indeed disheartening for all cricket fans including me. Why did we lose ? People have many theories and reasons to justify it, but this article isn't about that. What can we infer from this tournament? How's it similar to Life? Let's discuss that . 1. Team India was undefeated in the league matches and was the first team which qualified for the finals. We had a strong team which was good in all 3 departments. The whole country expected that such a team would win. Yet we lost. ▪️In life too, everyone goes through a phase where all things are going well. We feel it's too good to be true and eventually our doubts are proven right when we face an unexpected outcome. ▪️To put in simple words, Life's not always smooth and it hits you hard when you are least expecting it. 2. Individually...

    ▪️ It's the second last month of the year i.e. November. It is known for many things like Thanksgiving , No Shave November , No Nut November etc which are viral over internet. Most of us are only aware of trends but not the reason or thought behind it. ▪️Few such things which need to be revisited again are No Shave November or Movember campaign. We all know for a fact that men abstain from shaving or grooming their facial hair and grow moustache and beard the entire month.  ▪️Tracing back to their origins , Movember was initially started by two men in 2003 on a whim to bring back the moustache fashion. It was later converted into a campaign raising the awareness and conversation about cancers ( Prostate & Testicular cancer) and Mental health in Men.  Similarly , No Shave November was started in 2009 to raise awareness for the same reasons started above. ▪️Men are challenged to grow their facial hair in a wild and free way wit h minimal to no trimming....

  Nagula Chavithi falls on the 4th day (Chavithi) of Karthika maasam following Amavasya of Diwali. On this day, Snakes are worshipped. As per scriptures, Snake God (Naga Devatha) is worshipped on different occasions - Nagula Chavithi & Naga Panchami . Sanatana  Dharma teaches us the concept of not only worshipping people (e.g: Sages, Kings etc), but also things (Nature), Plants & Animals (Cow, Snakes etc) which aid in sustenance of our daily lives. We are supposed to be grateful to things or people who help us in some way in our lives. Spiritually, Snake is a symbol of the Kundalini Chakra where latent energy is present in a coiled state which rises up on activation, just like a snake opens its hood. As per Hindu tradition , it is seen as a symbol for fertility, immortality etc. Even in other religions, snakes are worshipped for many reasons.  Keeping aside the spiritual or religious reasons for which snakes are worshipped, there are many other benefits of ...

  It's Children's Day today. While it may not mean anything to millennials in 2023, back when we were in school, it was a big deal. Most of the schools didn't give a holiday for it, but some of them did give us some gifts. We used to get a packet or box with sweets and mixture.  Most of the millennials would agree to the fact that our childhood was simple . We didn't have a clue what was happening all over the world and were content with what little we had. There was no responsibility or strings attached to us. We believed that life was a joyful ride and parents had our back.  Cut to now, most of us are having a tough time dealing with responsibilities, finances and work stress. We have fallen into a mechanical loop and hardly have moments of bliss.  "On this Children's day, Let's rediscover the lost Joy of Childhood once again ."    - Written by Dr.Manikanth Vivek

Most of the traditional practices have a scientific and spiritual explanation. One such practice is lighting a Diya . The Body of the Diya is made of Clay and has a Cotton Wick and Oil .