Foods to avoid during Navratri Fasting

Navratri is celebrated for 9 days. Devotees fast during during tose nine days to seek the Goddess blessing's. Here are some foods to avoid during their fasting.

 

1. Rice, Rice flour, Besan, Wheat flour should avoid.

2. Onion and garlic should not consume in any form.

3. Grain, Pulses, Table salt are not allowed

4. Spices like coriander powder, garam masala and turmeric are not allowed

5. Avoid consumption of Alcohol during this period

6. Do not eat bitter food.

7. Avoid using mustard oil in any food

8. Avoid drinking aerated drings during fasting

Read more for tips on navratri fasting.

6 Tips to becoming a Happiest Person

Looking for easy ways to become happier? Read this article to learn 6 simple ways on how to be happy and give them a try today.

1. Enjoy what you do:-

Doing things that you enjoy allows you to reconnect to who you are and have something positive to look forward to every single day.

2. Schedule earlier:-

It’s important to schedule at least an hour a day – and more if you can – of you time into your calendar to take care of yourself.

3. Exercise everyday:-

Exercise to boost energy. Exercise is one of the most dependable mood-boosters. Even a 10-minute walk can brighten my outlook.

4. Get clarity:-

To become happier, try to gain clarity on your emotions, find out what you're feeling and what caused those feelings.

5. Practice Meditation:-

Meditation helps you to gain more clarity of the mind and regulates the mood. Meditation also improves your focus, attention, and ability to work under stress. Mindfulness meditation training is useful in decreasing feelings of loneliness.

6. Find your purpose:-

Explore exactly what gives you a sense of purpose and how you want to pursue this purpose to give your life a greater sense of meaning.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar Quotes

Quotes on Happiness by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

For more quotes check here 

Read more for How to be happy

Why Shiva did not recognize his own son Ganesha ?

The stories in the Puranas contain many incredible and hard-to-believe occurences. But they should not be interpreted as a nursery rhyme. Their language is Shakespearean and laden with great depth and meaning. We need to interpret these stories with a very refined state of mind.

The story goes that Parvati created a boy out of dirt from her body and appointed him to guard the doorstep. The first question that comes is how could Parvati, the Goddess Herself, have so much dirt? Parvati symbolizes the triguna - sattva, rajas and tamas. The entire creation is made up of trigunas. The dosha or imperfections that originate out of the triguna is an obstruction for the functioning of Prakriti. That was the boy that Parvati created to stand guard at the door. 

Shiva is Shuddha Chaitanya, pure consciousness. Like the sun does not recognize darkness and cuts through it, Shiva does not recognize dosha and slays the impurity. But Prakriti cannot stay without impurity. So Shiva replaces the dosha with the head of an elephant, which symbolizes knowledge. Through knowledge, all the doshas or obstructions of Prakriti can be taken care of. This is the spiritual and metaphysical meaning of Ganpati being slain. So worshipping Ganpati as the remover of obstacles and the giver of gyana, knowledge is the most amazing depiction of the nature of consciousness. 

Going a step further, even this difference between Prakriti and Purusha is done away with. That is why, the Ganpati Upanishad says,

ajam nirvikalpam niraakaaram-ekam

niraanandam aanandam advaita poornam

param nirgunam nirvishesham nireeham

para brahma roopam ganesham bhajema

Ganesha is the only One unborn unmanifest Reality. He is nirvikalpa and advaita - the formless, undivided One. This is the play and display of consciousness within itself. 

While Ganpati is certainly the nirakara Parabrahman, he is invoked and worshipped in the mud idol for a period of time for the joy of the devotees. Then the Ganpati is asked to merge back into our heart and the idol is immersed in water. This ritual is observed for the sake of devotees, not for the sake of Ganpati. He who is without form is invoked in a form and then his spirit is invoked back into one's heart as the idol is immersed.

Shivaratri Special Bhajan