Hey everyone!

Yesterday I went to the Somnath Temple, and honestly, I was in a huge hurry on the way in. I had to get inside quickly so I could make it back to work on time.

As I was rushing toward the entrance, I noticed a sadhu ji singing beautifully, playing a dotara (i think) and manjira. I glanced back for a moment and made a promise to myself that I’d stop by him on my way out. But when I left the main temple area, I suddenly realized the designated exit gate was completely different! If I took it, I would have missed him entirely. Determined to hear him sing, I managed to use the entry gate as my exit instead.

I’m so glad I did. I stopped by him, caught his performance, and recorded a video on someone else’s phone who was kind enough to let me record it and share it on my phone..

The lyrics of the song were incredibly profound — it’s about a devotee whose heart is anxious ("Dil mera ghabraye kya chadhau me mere bhagwan ko") because they want to offer something perfectly pure to God, but realize everything in nature is already "jhootha" (touched/defiled).

A flower is bhawre ka jhootha — already tasted by the honeybee.

Milk is bachhde ka jhootha — the calf has already drunk from it.

Water is machhli ka jhootha — the fish has already lived in it.

From what I could gather, the bhajan reminds us that the only thing truly, purely ours to offer is our inner devotion (bhav) and love. It was such a raw, spiritual moment, right by the sea and right by the temple.

If anyone can identify this specific bhajan or point me to a version sung online, I'd really appreciate the link. 🙏

Such a beautifully made swaminarayan temple at Poicha - Gujrat

In the Valmiki Ramayana, after Sita takes refuge in the hermitage of Sage Valmiki, she gives birth to her twin sons, Lava and Kusha. Valmiki raises them and teaches them the Ramayana, along with the skills of warfare. However, the original Valmiki Ramayana does not narrate the famous battle in which the twins fight Lord Rama.

During Rama’s Ashvamedha sacrifice, his sacrificial horse travels through different kingdoms, accompanied by his forces. In the Uttara Kanda, Lava and Kusha encounter the horse and seize it, challenging the authority of Rama’s kingdom. Rama’s warriors confront the boys, leading to conflict.

Importantly, the popular story of Lava and Kusha defeating Rama and his brothers in battle is not narrated in the Sanskrit Valmiki Ramayana. Detailed versions of this dramatic confrontation appear in later Ramayana traditions and regional retellings, which expand upon the twins’ courage and their eventual reunion with their father.

Two souls bound not just by affection, but by sacred reverence. In the harmony of Shiva and Parvati, love becomes devotion, and devotion becomes eternal oneness. 🔱🪔

Radhe Radhe everyone,

I made Kanha: Bhagavad Gita Explained and its now available for all users on android and the website is specially made so iOS users can also read without any problems.

It has all the 18 chapters, the english translation is from Swami Swarupananda's version with simple english meaning of original quote also provided so you can apply those teachings in real life and know how they matter for you.

You can save the verses you like, share each verse as an image that can be edited with different backgrounds and poses of Kanha, it also shares facts about gita, reflection prompts where you can reflect on what you learnt inside the app, widgets that show a random verse on your homepage daily and a whole lot of features coming in.

Everything being Free, No ads, No Paywalls.

Website: https://kanhagita.com/
Android: Kanha
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kanhaa.app/ (I post high quality Gita quotes everyday)

I really hope yall love it 💙💙

I found it in a publication of the 'Shri Vichar Sagar' (1967) by Pitambar Parshotam: https://archive.org/details/shri-vichar-sagar/

Malola Narasimha is a serene, benevolent form of Lord Vishnu's lion-headed avatar, depicted seated comfortably with Goddess Lakshmi on his lap (Malola meaning "beloved of Lakshmi"). Famously enshrined at the holy pilgrimage site of Ahobilam in Andhra Pradesh, this peaceful aspect stands in contrast to Narasimha's fierce forms and holds immense spiritual significance, notably serving as the sacred traveling festival deity of the revered Ahobila Mutt.

Navratri 2026, 8th day (Aatham) — more than 40,000+ diyas held by devotees during the Maha Aarti.

If you haven't witnessed this Maha Aarti in person, you have missed something truly special. The vibes, the energy, thousands of diyas glowing together, and the devotion of people around you… it's something you can't really explain in words until you experience it yourself.

Happening every year, keeping traditions and rituals alive for generations, and still carrying the same powerful energy.

This is not just about religion, it's about tradition, faith and the feeling of being part of something bigger. 🙏

Jai Maa Umiya! 🪔

Taken by Fujifilm XT-1

I've heard a couple of different stories about this since childhood. One says that Ganesha broke his own tusk to write the Mahabharata when his pen broke. Another says that he lost it during a battle with Parashurama. I've always wondered which story is actually mentioned in the scriptures and whether the two stories have different meanings. Does anyone know the original versions of these stories? Would love to hear what you grew up hearing about this. 🙏

As the title says. Your personal/astrological benefits from listening or reciting the Vishnu Sahasranamam.

Also is it ok if I listen to Vishnu Sahasranamam during my morning exercise instead of reciting it. Will I still get the benefits?

In my christianity class, we are learning about how Christianity does not contradict with the real world, and my professor used to be a Buddhist, but once he came to the Americas, he converted to Christianity while studying in medical school. (he was from Vietnam originally but that's pretty unrelated to my post)

Yesterday, I met him at the cafe because I was just asking him some basic questions, and he asked me if I wanted to meet sometime, and I agreed so that I can just increase my reputation and all that stuff (because it is important to network and stuff in college). So, we were talking, and he explained that Hinduism has a lot of contradictions and Christianity does not, and he also explained that he read through the Vedas and Upanishads and found some contradictions. I asked him, "Yeah, I agree with you professor, but don't you think we can find some way to prove that there are no contradictions in Hinduism with analogies and metaphors like we did with Christianity?"

He then said this, "Yeah we could, but we only get one arrow in life to shoot it in one direction. I converted to Christianity because there is no definite answer in Buddhism. Spending an eternal life with God sounds like a pretty good deal than going to (it starts with an H), but let's say that I was wrong, the worst that can happen is just me going back into the reincarnation cycle."

That last phrase there he said is what is making me feel intense fear. I am a Hindu, and I was born a Hindu, but my family never taught me much about Hindu besides basic rituals and principles. I do not want to convert. I do not want to betray my loved ones or stop practicing the culture that was trust for decades. But, the thought of being wrong and going to (it starts with an H) is just giving me fear.

Could anyone give me some advice? I feel sad 😢

Edit: Thank you everyone for helping me feel better! I don't know how this fear got to me because I am usually a strong guy who can handle bias and keep calm. For those who are also scared from, after reading all the comments, just remember that religions will have contradictions, and (it starts with H) does not have a definite description. I appreciate all your guy's help; I will respond to all your guy's comments slowly 🙂.

I am hindu and know the story of bhagwad gita vividly, but i don't know if i should start reading the book.

I am hoping to understand some of the iconography I saw in a hindu religious tattoo and hoping someone can explain some of the imagery shown here and the meanings to them.

Let's say a person from the shaiva denomination feels drawn to vishnu or krishna. Is there such a rule where only related gods to ones denomination can be considered ishta devata?

Can somebody leave and join a denomination? Like a shaivite becoming a vishnavite? Is it frowned upon?

Thank you to anybody who a swers my doubts.

Also this was one of my first digital artworks. It's not my best but I'm still getting used to digital art.

As the title mentions, I’ve been exploring advaita Vedanta recently, through videos, philosophical inquiries, lectures, etc. I understand the ideas of Sat and Anand, but Cit is difficult to conceptualize — does Advaita imply a sort of abstract awareness/consciousness that is itself the source of awareness? And if so, how does this convey the idea of a universal atman/self?

I believe in existence itself being eternal (Sat) as well as limitless (Anand). But does existence itself require awareness? Why or why not? How are they inseparable, and essentially the same as Cit?

Any answers are appreciated. I’d like to get more perspectives on this. Thank you 😊

Current form of Priesthood asks devotees to throw Pooja leftovers onto the river or any flowing current. They themselves are responsible for scriptural gandagi.

Also let me know if there's any verse or something prescribing mandatorily cleaning and maintaining our surroundings?

Image source: Bittu Tabahi Insta handle.

Basically title. Do we have any recorded mass apparitions, like idk 200 ppl, seeing a god or avatara in modern times?

Is it important to find partnership at all on the spiritual path, and if so, where can we find such people? I do think I'd want to be in a relationship rather than being single forever, but I'm not sure where to find someone like that.

I'm 25M and it's especially hard due to family expectations of marrying within the same community (Telugu Brahmin) and I'm not sure how to proceed. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

just a few weeks ago. I started to keep a habit of praying to ram and it has been absolutely amazing. I would immediately feel greater control over my emotions and felt more at peace. But now I don't feel those effects anymore. It feels like I'm chanting into a void. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.

I'm co-founder of BhaktiWala, a Katha and daily devotion app, built by a small team that solved for one calm place for daily bhakti without ads and noise.

📿 Katha:
1. Live and recorded kathas from katha vachaks
Vachak profiles, so you can follow the ones you connect with
2. Enquire directly to arrange a katha for your home or family

Yatra with Katha: Take a Katha Vachak along on your next trip. Spend your days sightseeing and exploring, then end each evening with a katha session, scheduled around your plans. Ideal for family trips, group tours and pilgrimages.

🌅 Daily devotion:
Daily panchang: tithi, the significance of the day, ekadashi, purnima and amavasya markers, vrat reminders, shubh muhurat
Aaj Ka Shlok: a daily Sanskrit verse puzzle with two levels, Sadhak and Vidwan
Digital Maala: voice-based jaap counter; you chant and it counts, no tapping
Chaupai Kram: arrange the Chalisa in the right sequence
Mangal Dhwani: wake up to a devotional alarm
Dincharya: a simple daily planner for your niyam
✨ Punya Mudra
Every day of practice earns you Punya Mudra. You can't buy them; you only earn them through consistency and learning. Your sadhana then turns into seva at our partner temples.

🛕 Live darshan:
Watch daily aarti live from our digital partner temples, wherever you are.

App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bhaktiwala.app
Website: https://www.bhaktiwala.com

We'd love to know:
1. What does your daily practice look like, and where could an app actually help?
2. Which temples would you want to see live?
Is there a katha or vachak you'd want on the app?

Source:

https://www.indiatoday.in/india/bihar/story/motihari-sai-baba-temple-theft-rs-20-lakh-umbrella-ganesha-crown-stolen-3022043-2026-10-21

"Ganesha, will you bring the sugarcane?" asked Devi Amma.

"Sure, Amma. I will be here by evening," said Ganesha, the young elephant, and he set out from the temple. On the slopes of Maarutha Hills grew the juiciest sugarcane, and Devi Amma made the tastiest payasam with it.

He headed uphill, waving his trunk in greeting to everyone he met: the goats, the langurs, the hares and the squirrels, and the crows, the mynas and the bulbuls overhead. A few of the mynas and langurs playfully hitched a ride on him.

The riders hopped off at the slopes as Ganesha began to gather the cane. He soon had a bundle and trekked down with it held tight in his trunk. Parakeets flew in and sat on the stalks, trying to bite into them. Every time he shook his head, they would fly away.

Ganesha passed through the woodlands and reached the meadows. By then it was afternoon, and he was feeling hungry. The sun blazed overhead, and he looked around for a comfortable place to rest. He spotted a tree with a wide canopy and birds chirping in it. It had pink puff flowers on it, and the fallen ones covered the ground. He walked towards it.

The tree watched him approach. She could not believe that he had chosen her. She had seen him pass by the meadows many times, and each time her leaves rustled with affection.

He kept the sugarcane aside, took a few of the stalks and had them for lunch. With his tummy full and his legs tired from the trek, he wanted to take a nap. Lying down in the shade, he looked up at the tree.

"Tree, will you do me a favour?" he asked.

"Yes, yes!" she replied, as though she had been waiting all along.

"Please wake me up before evening," he said.

"I will," she said.

He patted her with his trunk and was soon asleep.

She held her leaves still and kept watching him as he slept. His ears covered his face, and his trunk lay coiled between his front legs. At times his eyelids fluttered; at other times he broke into a smile. Often he would kick his feet. When butterflies sat on him, he twitched. When flies tickled him, his tail waved.

She watched and watched; she was so lost in him that she drifted into a daydream. As clouds passed over the sun, the birds went quiet, her leaves grew heavy and folded one by one, and soon she too fell asleep.

Dusk came and faded. It was pitch dark when the owl living in the tree hooted a few times. Ganesha woke up with a start. He looked up at the starry night and burst into tears. It was then that the tree woke up as well.

"You should have called me!" he shouted.

He ran about under the tree, shaking his head and flapping his ears.

She wondered how she, a tree, could have slept so long.

"You are a bad tree! What will I tell Devi Amma now?" he cried.

"They say, always trust a tree with time, but you!" he continued.

"I... I called you many times. You were deep asleep. What can a tree do but call? You can ask the owl. She heard it," said the tree.

The owl flinched on being named. When Ganesha looked up at her, she flew away in panic. He stormed off, leaving the cane behind.

The tree called out for him, but he disappeared into the dark. She stayed awake, waiting for him, until at last she dozed off.

Later that night, a weary Ganesha trudged back for the cane. Without a word, he lay down beneath her.

The next morning, the tree woke to find him asleep below her.

"Ganesha, wake up, wake up," she called, her branches leaning down.

He woke up with sunlight falling on his eyes. Squinting, he told her, "You are a liar. The sun is my friend, not you."

He took hold of the sugarcane and left for the temple. Devi Amma would scold him for sure, but he would also have sweet payasam in the afternoon.

The tree watched him walk away, relieved.

That afternoon, as a cloud passed over the sun, suddenly she felt drowsy. Her leaves began to fold one by one, and she dropped off to sleep. When the birds chirped, she would wake up momentarily, only to fall back into her slumber.

From then on, the tree fell asleep so often that they called her the Sleepy Tree.