Why do people clap while singing Bhajans and Dhun?

Clapping while singing bhajans or dhun is a feature unique to snatan dharma. In other world religions, there is greater emphasis on silence during prayer in public gatherings.

There are several important reasons for clapping. The most important is that by clapping, a person has to participate actively. Such active physical involvement breaks him out of sloth and lethargy. This then helps the wandering mind to focus on the bhakti ritual. The doleful mind has a notorious tendency to revel in mayic thoughts. When the palms claps, the mind snaps out of such reverie.

Clapping also induces a strong physical response in a person. Acupressure points in the palms are stimulated, which in turn activate all other organs of the body. Its most important physical effect is to increase circulation and rate of respiration. These collectively prime the mind to attain a heightened consciousness than one at the resting level. Additionally, this will also activate the emotional level. This induces the devotee to appreciate the bhakti ritual and attach his mind to it.

Vedic Tradition advocates clapping very enthusiastically and with a raised voice to chant bhagwan’s name when overwhelmed by bad thoughts. He prescribed this powerful ritual as being therapeutic to jolt a person out of apathy, depression or moodlessness. In philosophical terms, this overcomes rajastic and tamasic thoughts. 

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Why should we wash our hands after removing shoes outside a mandir, home shrine or touching our feet?

Before entering or any holy shrine, Hindus remove their footwear outside. In India’s warm climate, people usually wear slippers or sandals which can be slipped off without using hands. However for those who wear shoes and footwear with strings, buckles, straps or Velcro, one has to use one’s fingers. One’s feet and footwear are regarded as impure. To perform any holy ritual one has to rinse one’s hands with water. No need for soap. Water is regarded as Varuna deva, whose touch purifies.

Our hands need to be ritually pure inside the mandir because: we may touch a holy text, a book of bhajans or stotras, perhaps kindle a divo or an incense stick, place some flowers or fruit before the deity, perhaps take Prasad given by the pujari and if an opportunity arises, touch the feet of sadhus or mahant. For all these holy rituals, it would be our religious duty and respect if we rinsed our hands after touching footwear, touching one’s mouth after having Prasad or any other food, and ideally, even after repeatedly cleaning one’s nose with a handkerchief or tissue if one has a runny nose. In the west people worry about not shaking hands with somebody who has a cold, for fear of catching an infection. Similarly, we should also think about the ritual purity of our hands before we enter a place of worship. That is why many mandirs and shrines in northern India, have washbasins nearby. If it is just not practically possible to rinse one’s hands with water after removing footwear, then one should try to avoid touching holy objects inside the mandir.

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Why is Tulsi Sacred

In her previous birth. Tulsi as Vrunda was married to a demon named Jalandhar. To vanquish him. Vishnu tricked Vrunda and destroyed Jalandhar. She cursed Vishnu that he would turn into stone (Shaligram). In turn, Vishnu accepted the curse and blessed her that she would forever be near him, and would be offered worship along with him. Therefore Vishnu accepts only that offering on which a tulsi leaf is placed. Since then tulsi plants also grow on the bank of the river Kali Gandaki, where shaligram stones occur naturally.

·         Shri Hari adorns wreaths of tulsi leaves and also greatly adores its fragrance. Seeing this, flowers such as mandir, parijat, jasmine, champak, karavir, punnaga, nagkesar, bakul, lotus, though themselves fragrant, highly regard tulsi; that she performed greater penance (in her previous birth) than any of them’

·         A sanskrit shlok describes tulsi’s sanctity:

Yanmule sarvatirthani yannagre sarvadevataha,

Yanmadhye sarvavedacha tulasi tam namayaham

-  I bow to the tulsi, at whose base reside all tirths, at whose top reside all deities and in whose middle are all the Vedas.

·                                The Brahmavaivart Purana lauds tulsi’s glory:

Sudhaghatasahasrena sa tushtirna bhavedwarehe,

Ya cha tushtirbhanevenrunam tulasipatra danatah

-  He (Bhagwan) is not so pleased after bathing with a thousand pots of amrut, as he is when he is offered even a single tulsi leaf.

·         In vaishnavism, it is obligatory to place a tulsi leaf when offering bhog (food) and donation.

·         A special utsav – the Tulsi Vivah, is also observed in all Vaishnava mandirs, when Tulsi is married to Vishnu, with pomp and bhakti.

·         It is also ritual to place a tulsi leaf in the mouth of a person, as the first antyeshti rite at the time of death. This ensures his transmigration to Vishnu’s abode.

·         In Ayurveda, tulsi is considered a divya aushadhi divine herb. As such it is used to treat many ailments.

What is the importance of a Shankh (counch shell) ?

Shankh is the shell of the mollusk. In Sanskrit, shankh signifies elimination of all misfortune – shamyati

ashubham asmad iti. Hence the shankh is considered auspicious in Sanatan Dharma. There are two

types: right sided (dakshinarvata) and left sided (vamavarta). The former is rare, considered more

scared and occurs in the river Tamraparni. It is believed that Lakshmiji resides in right sided shankhs.

Since both sprung, forth from the ocean during Samudra Manthan, they are considered as brother and

sister.

• One of the four sacred objects (ayudha) held by Shri Vishnu is the shankh, known as Panchjanya.

The other three are chakra (disc), gada (mace) and Padma (lotus). Hence it is specially revered

by Vaishnavs.

• Varuna, the diety of water is said to reside in the mind-section of the shankh; Prajapati, the

progenitor of all beings resides in its tail end and the twin river devis Ganga and Saraswati reside

in its front portion.

• It is also believed that all tirths reside in the shankh. It embodies the attributes of purity, power,

beauty and moksha.

• During puja rituals, a special worship rite is performed known as shankh sthapan. It is usually

placed on a special three-legged brass stand, and nerve on the floor. It is offered pujan before

and after puja of the murti.

Uses

• Water filled in a shankh is considered auspicious. Hence it is used during puja rituals and after

arti, representating vayu – one of the Panch Mahabhuts.

• It is used during arti, by blowing through it. Its melodious sound viberations are considered

sacred and drive away devil. This also destroys pollutions in the air.

• Milk, especially that with saffron (kesar) in a shankh is used after grand artis, as well as for

bathing (abhishek) of murtis during prana pratishta and patotsav.

• It is used for worship rituals for all deities except Shiva and Surya.

• It was used as a blow horn to announce the starting and ending the battle, as well as during

rajyabhishek (coronation of a king), to announce victory, during havan and to welcome an

eminent personage or sadhu.

• In the Gita (1/19), the deafening roar of the Pandava shankhs terrified the Kauravs.

• Shankhs are prescribed for bathing (abhishek) shaligrams with water (shankhodak) or milk. Tulsi

leaves are then placed on the shaligram and the shankh.

• The shankh must be located on the right of the kalash and to the left of the worshiper.

• Shankh eligible for worship are obtained from the sea coast of Chennai, Jagannath Puri,

Rameshwaram, and Sri Lanka.

• There also occurs an extremely rare, third type, known as Ganesh-shankh (Salagrama-Kosha

1996). Its shape resembles Ganeshji’s and it is vermilion-hued on the outer surface as well as the

inner, and has a very short tail-end, unlike the usual shankhs.

Rahu in 7th House and its effect on marital status

Various classic books of astrology have mentioned different results of Rahu’s placement in the 7^th house of a birth chart. All these are in fact general significations about the placement of Rahu in the 7^th house as per the classics books of astrology.These significations can not be taken as the final results as ‘eyes shut postulates’,as per their face value,as Rahu and Ketu are shadowy planets and do not have orbits.

They are simply the intersection points of the path of Earth and The moon .Thus they are magnetic points, always sticking to the qualities of the houses and the planets they are conjugate with or the planets related to them.

The significations mentioned in the classics are to be taken liberally and not literally.The hoax and phobia created by the quacks in the field of astrology that with the placement of Rahu in the 7^th house the marital or the marriage itself gets reduced to a disaster is all false and wrong . These are myths and mysteries created by these quacks for earning money while suggesting  illusory and baseless remedial measures to various people who fall in their trap in the behalf. It is verified fact established through various researches conducted in the behalf that Rahu in the 7^th house of a birth chart is at all not disastrous and should not be taken very seriously . However it is observed ,perceived and visualized after study of various birth charts where Rahu is placed in 7^th house,that such a Rahu will behave astrologically as per the conditions of its dispositor which eventfully will be the 7^th lord also and that will be the deciding factors in this behalf.

It may give in some cases un-orthodox marriages,yet ,it further dependents upon other planetry combinations and conditions of horoscope as a whole. The age gap between the two marrying partners may be at times be much more than normal age gap.

The conditions are :-

1.       The Rashi in which Rahu is placed in the 7thhouse.

2.       The nature of lord of the that 7^th house.

3.       The relationship of the dispositor of Rahu with the other planets in a birth chart.

4.       The benefic and malefic influences upon Rahu placed in the 7^th house.

5.       The Nakshatra in which Rahu is placed in the Birth chart.

6.       The  Navamsha in which Rahu is placed.

7.       The mutual relationship between Rahu and other planets in a horoscope.

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Researched Methods for Accurately predicting the Timing of Marriage

Dear readers,
As this is my first blog / article on this site ,i want to only give short note but accurate technique of predicting the Timing of marriage .
I am mentioning some tips and tricks of related article,As we move furthur i will share my other researched articles on astrology and occult science.

Our approach of timing of marriage is in 3 steps:-

1st step:-
We first analyse the horoscope to classify into which of the following categories it falls:-
(A) Normal Age of Marriage.
(B) Case of delayed Marriage.
(C)Case of badly delayed Marriage.
(D)Delay almost partaking the nature of denial.


2nd Step:-
Use of Vimshottari Dasha shows the following:
(A) The Mahadasha of Marriage.
(B)The Antardasha of Marriage.
(C)The Pratyantara of Marriage.

Note:- After analyzing 1st step then we have to 1st ,2nd,5th,7th and 12th house and its lords .Then we have to co-relate with 2nd step .

3rd Step:-
Use of Saptamsha Chart
Use the same 2nd step with saptamsha chart also.

4th Step:-
MD/AD/PD applicable to Navamsha Charts.

5th Step:-
(A) Transit of Saturn and Jupiter on First or Seventh house and its Lords.
(B)Transit of Mars.
(C) Transit of the 7th lord etc.
and then we use transit of 5th step.When these 5 steps fullfill in horoscope then we can say promise of Marriage in horoscope.


Note from author:-
This is only keynote steps article. From now onwards we will publish more article with more detailed description .