INTRODUCTION Kantimathi (11th century AD) was the holy mother of Sri Ramanuja, and at her teenage, she got married to Sri Kesava Somayaji, a pious Brahmin scholar, and lived in Srperumbudur, and had one noble son, who was the great Vaishnative saint Sri Ramanuja and his birth name was Ilaya Perumal.Read More →
INTRODUCTION Markandeya was the son of Rishi Mrikandu, and was born with very good features. Similar to his father, he used to worship Lord Shiva at the Ashram and perform pujas and abhishekhams to the Shiva Lingam. According to legend, when he was nearing to lose his life by LordRead More →
INTRODUCTION The relationship between a bhakta and the bhagavan is that of a mother and a child. In this picture itself, we can see that Lord Narasimha is gently holding Bhakt prahalad in his hands. God expects only a true devotion from his devotees, and he didn’t expect any richRead More →
INTRODUCTION Pisharadi (1550-1621) was born in Trikkandiyur, Kerala, and he was a great writer, reader, astrologer and an ardent devotee of Lord Guruvayurappan. He also helped his student Sri Narayana Bhattathiri towards composing the devotional poem Sri Narayaneeyam. WORKS Pravesaka Karanottama Uparagakriyakrama Sphutanirnaya Chayastaka Uparagavimsati Rasigolasphutaniti Venvarohavyakhya Horasaroccaya Pisharadi played a vital role in bringing upRead More →
INTRODUCTION Markandeya was the son of Rishi Mrikandu, and was born with very good features. Similar to his father, he used to worship Lord Shiva at the Ashram and perform pujas and abhishekhams to the Shiva Lingam. According to legend, when he was nearing to lose his life by LordRead More →
INTRODUCTION Venkatamba(16th century AD) was the affectionate sister of Venkatanatha, who was known as Guru Raghavendra after becoming a saint, and she and her husband Sri Lakshminarasimhacharya played a vital role towards upbringing Venkatanatha in a proper manner at his younger age. After the death of her father Sri TimmanacharyaRead More →
INTRODUCTION Vedavati was the holy mother of the great Madhwacharya, whose birth name was Vasudeva, and her consort name was Naddantillaya. The couples were lived at a village in Karnataka. She was a noble woman and got great attachment on her son Vasudeva. The parents were performed Upanayana to VasudevaRead More →
INTRODUCTION Tatya Kote Patil plays an important role in the life of Sai Baba. Tatya maintained good relationship with Baba and was being protected by baba from his childhood. He was a favourite child of Sai. Tatya Kote Patil was born in a farmer’s family. His mother was Bayajabai, andRead More →
INTRODUCTION Subhadra is an important character in Mahabharata and she is considered as an incarnation of Mata Parvati. She is the sister of Krishna and Balarama, wife of Arjuna, mother of Abhimanyu, and she is the daughter of Vasudeva and Devaki. Subhadra is well-known for her kindness, holiness, chastity and purity. Once, Arjuna travelled to Dwarka and met Krishna, and expressed his wishRead More →
INTRODUCTION Shivalingavva Akka (20th century) was a great saint and a holy lady. Shivalingavva Akka was born and brought up in the Jat village, New Delhi. Due to her great thirst in spirituality, she has become a saint, and she was the disciple of Sri.Bhausaheb Maharaj. Due to her goodRead More →
INTRODUCTION Kumara Swamy Desikar (1711–1810), was a Shaivite saint and a spiritual writer and contains great bhakti on Lord Shiva. He was born into a pious Desikar family in Kanchipuram. He wrote books based on the importance of Lord Shiva and used to compose and sing beautiful songs on Lord Shiva in theRead More →
VERKADALAI SWAMIGAL INTRODUCTION Verkadalai Swamigal (20th century) was a great devotee of Lord Shiva, and he was born and brought up in Chennai. It is believed that he has worked in the High Court as an assistant, and after office hours, he used to give discourses on Shiva Puran andRead More →
INTRODUCTION Chellappa Swamigal (19th century) was born in Jaffna into a pious Hindu family. His father was a farmer, and he had one sister and one brother. Chellappa studied well in the school and later worked under British Officials. Though he was good at work, he was very much interestedRead More →
INTRODUCTION Azhagammal (1864 – 1922) was the holy mother of Sri Ramana Maharishi. And she lived in Tiruchuli, and had four children, and one among them was Sri Ramana, who is considered to be a divine incarnation of Lord Shiva. After Ramana left his home at his younger age forRead More →
INTRODUCTION Sarada Devi (1853–1920) was the wife and the consort of Sri Ramakrishna. Sarada Devi is affectionately called by her devotees and disciples as the Holy Mother. Sri Sarada Devi is one of great woman saints who cultivated the bhakti among the people, and her noble life was an example for others. SheRead More →
INTRODUCTION Alukku Samiyar(19th century) was born in Pudur near Pollachi, in a pious Hindu family. From his childhood itself, he was an ardent devotee of Lord Shiva and used to worship him in the temples. He was not interested in playing with his friends at his younger age, but performed pujaRead More →
Benefits of Self Surrender Self surrender is the highest form of bhakti. Self surrender is also known as Atma Nivedana. Eg: Mira, Gopis of Vrindavan. In Kathopanishad it is said, “The Lord chooses that man who has surrendered himself, reveals Himself unto him and bestows the highest wisdom on him.”Read More →
Prayer Prayer or Prarthana in Sanskrit means pleading fervently. It is a form of communication with a deity or an object of worship or a spiritual embodiment. It is praise of God. Prayer could be through use of words or songs. Prayer is a religious practice of reaching out toRead More →
Introduction to Essence of Bhakti The nature of Bhakti is inexpressible. Bhakti can be partially explained but its totality is inconceivable and inexpressible. Just as it is difficult to explain the sweetness of sugar to a person who has not tasted it, so also the nature of Bhakti cannot beRead More →
How to cultivate/ develop Bhakti? Bhakti is training one’s mind and will towards God. It is a discipline through which a bhakta eliminates his ego and develops an intense attachment towards god. The bhakta attains a stage of self realisation where the ego and the Self are the same. HeRead More →