Stepping out to serve in a temple community kitchen today. It was a different experience!
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Short story – advice
Once a middle-aged lady went to a temple. The spiritual teacher of the temple had a way to advise devotees and she explains her health challenges to Him, seeking a solution!
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Interesting opportunity to meet two spiritual teachers this week.
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Coconut poli is a delicacy in South India.
Continue reading “Coconut Poli (sweet dish)”Sankarabharanam raagam
Sankarabharanam is 29th of the 72 raagas in Carnatic music. Some songs have a soothing and healing effect, and some others touch our soul.
Continue reading “Sankarabharanam raagam”Two stories about elephants
Two different stories about elephants bringing out two different perspectives and different ways to solve our problems!
Continue reading “Two stories about elephants”Guru Ashtakam – Paying obeisance to Guru (teacher)
There are four teachers in life – Mother, Father, Guru (teacher) and God who step into our lives in sequence and teach us what we need to learn and grasp in life. Had the opportunity to listen to Guru ashtakam by Shri Adi Shankaracharya! Was mesmerized by the meaning!
Continue reading “Guru Ashtakam – Paying obeisance to Guru (teacher)”Learning languages
How many languages do you know? Can you read, write and/or speak them? How comfortable are you using languages as a way to communicate your thoughts?
Continue reading “Learning languages”Kabanda from Ramayanam
When we face challenges in life, how do we get to know how to solve them? How do we know where to look for help and who can help us? A small story from Ramayanam gives a clue!
Continue reading “Kabanda from Ramayanam”Mangoes – which ones are your favorite?
As children we used to look forward to summer as it would be mango season again! Mostly 3-4 varieties of mangoes that spread across summer timeline indicated whether summer was at its peak or getting over! Now, interesting to see more than 50 varieties of mangoes around the world!
Continue reading “Mangoes – which ones are your favorite?”Precious life lessons from my mother in law
My mother and mother-in-law have two very different parenting styles and I have had the opportunity to learn from both 🙂 Sharing the tips & learnings from my mother in law in this post!
Continue reading “Precious life lessons from my mother in law”Pagoda prayer wheel of Buddhism
Heard about this from one of my friends (Jyothi) and felt like writing about the Buddhist Pagoda prayer wheel.
Continue reading “Pagoda prayer wheel of Buddhism”Architecture of shrines around the world
Shrines (religious place of worship) are known to be a place where we get to feel comfort in connecting with God! Mesmerized by the architecture of some of the shrines from around the world!
Continue reading “Architecture of shrines around the world”Thirukkural – Verses on parenting
The Thirukkuṟaḷ is a classic Tamil language text consisting of short couplets of seven words each, each of them being called a kural, focusing on virtues of life. Sharing some of the verses on parenting!
Continue reading “Thirukkural – Verses on parenting”Short story on retaining focus
There was once a devotee who loved visiting the temple and performing religious rituals. She yearned to be serving at the temple, doing small things that gave her immense pleasure that she was serving God!
Continue reading “Short story on retaining focus”Quiz 42 – Names of New year
New year celebrations are tied to spring in India. People speaking different languages seem to call the turn of new year by different names. How many can you name correctly?
Continue reading “Quiz 42 – Names of New year”Murals from around the world
Murals are street art, wall paintings prevalently known as a way to express feelings prevalent in the community. While they are huge in size, some of them are so creative that cities conduct art competitions to tap into the creativity of artists to make the city come alive!
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This week I got a request to share some adjectives. So, here we go – ten adjectives in Sanskrit.
Continue reading “Learning Sanskrit – Week #9”Holi – Festival of colors
Holi is an Indian festival of colors, filled with festivities and rituals. One of the best Holi celebrations that remains close to heart!
Continue reading “Holi – Festival of colors”States of matter
While studying in school (few decades back), I learned about the states of matter – Solid, liquid and gas. Our understanding of simple facts like these also seems to have evolved over years!
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Reminded of a short story from Mahabharatha, where Krishna makes Yudhistra realize the essence of charity and how Karna was greater than Yudhistra!
Continue reading “Short story – charity and greatness”Learning Sanskrit – Week #7
This week we will learn the Sanskrit names of ten animals!
Continue reading “Learning Sanskrit – Week #7”Mothers and their cooking journeys!
Interesting conversations with extended family and friends circles triggered this weekend post 🙂
Continue reading “Mothers and their cooking journeys!”Shivaratri – stories
Shivaratri is celebrated by many across the world and for someone who has grown up in India, the festival brings a feeling of nostalgia!
Continue reading “Shivaratri – stories”Heat changing cups
This was a new concept few years back, and was interesting to see how the gift shops took to customizing this for friends and families. A recent variation of the same seemed to capture my interest!
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All parts of a Neem tree offers a lot of health benefits. It was interesting to understand how the stem, leaves and especially flowers help in Ayurvedic medicine.
Continue reading “Learning about Neem and its benefits”Knowing someone through the verbs they use
Observing the verbs used by an individual can give insights into the astrological houses that influences them!
Continue reading “Knowing someone through the verbs they use”Bonding over music
Each of us have a specific genre of music that we love, and we find solace in listening to it when we feel low! Took to extending this further with my family today!
Continue reading “Bonding over music”Tongue as an indicator of health
During a health checkup, Doctors ask us to show our tongue! Was interesting to see that our tongue is a good indicator of our personal health!
Continue reading “Tongue as an indicator of health”Learning Sanskrit – Week #5
This week we will focus on learning numbers. Try and test yourself! If you do not know, try the quiz again, and learn!
Continue reading “Learning Sanskrit – Week #5”Unique Architecture
Skyscrapers inspire me. Am amazed by the complexity of the design and architecture that goes into building them. Got to see a few buildings that were designed to be crumbling in nature.
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This week we will focus on learning the names of the body parts.
Continue reading “Learning Sanskrit – Week 3”Nimit – Observe the clues around you
Some call it superstition and some call it clues lying all around you. I wanted to see if this actually can occur and how much of it makes sense and is relevant. So, undertook a small research for a year to observe and learn!
Continue reading “Nimit – Observe the clues around you”Quiz 38 – Sanskrit words
For those who have embarked on learning a new language, 10 Sanskrit words would be a good start. Take the test a second time and you would have had the opportunity to learn 10 new words from a different language!
Continue reading “Quiz 38 – Sanskrit words”Satyanarayana Puja
Ekadashi (11th day of lunar cycle) and Pournami (Full moon day) are supposedly very auspicious to perform Satyanarayana puja.
Continue reading “Satyanarayana Puja”Exam time foods
Every place we live has their own versions of foods that they give their children while preparing for exams. Sharing some interesting observations across cultures!
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This is a popular offering at temples and a very tasty dish! Sharing the basic version and variations of Panchamrut (a.k.a Panchamrutam)!
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In India harvest festival is celebrated in the middle of January (13, 14, 15, 16) with each of the days being celebrated for different reasons. It is interesting to see how small acts from a cultural standpoint have a huge impact on the community and our lifestyles!
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Dasavadhani is a word in Indian literature that signifies someone who can multi-task 10 different things at varying degrees of high complexity at the same time. Usually during the harvest festival in India (typically this week), Avadhanis will be invited to showcase their skills on various TV channels.
Continue reading “Dasavadhani”Houses and charts in astrology
While we would have heard of astrology and birth charts, every birth chart can be divided into sub-charts that can help analyze the depths of certain aspects of life!
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