'Treasure Gods' - Sangha Nidhi' and 'Padma Nidhi', Tirumala, Tirupati.

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These are the two guards guarding the Wealth and Treasure of Lord Sri Venkateswara.

They are representatives of two treasures of Kubera, the God of Wealth.

Sri Alarmelmangai Thayar sametha Sri Prasanna Venkatesa Perumal, at Thirumalai Vaiyavur, Chengalpat, near Chennai.

ancient hill temple of (more than 500 years old), Lord Prasanna Venkateswara in the sanctum sanctorum looks majestically holding the scepter-Sengole.

Two Thayar idols, Mahalakshmi and Bhu Devi, are on His broad chest on both sides.

Divine serpent Adi Sesha has his place in the Tiruvasi frame around the Lord in upside down 'U' letter shape with all craftsmanship.

Lord is wearing 'Ashalakshmi-Sahasranama' malas and 'Dasavatara Odyanam', the belt around the waist.

Tiruvonam star days in the months of Aavani (August-September) and Purattasi (September-October) are celebrated grandly in the temple.

In Purattasi Tiruvonam, rice nivedhanam is arranged in the shape of Seven Hills with seven dheeps, seven varieties of other preparations and vegetables.

Om Namo Venkatesaya!

Sri Varaha Charama Shlokam

sthithE manasi susvasthE sarIrE sathi yO nara:
dhAthusAmyE sthithE smarthA visvarUpam cha maamajam (1)

tathastham mriyamANam thu kAshtA paashaNa sannibham
aham smarAmi madh bhaktham nayAmi paramAm gathim (2)

Meaning:

Oh Bhumi Devi! The entire universe is my body (sarIram).
I do not have births or deaths .

When my bhakthAs with mahA visvAsam (utmost faith) surrender to me, while they are still in a state of tranquil mind and healthy body and reflect about Me as as SarvAdharan (root cause
of all),
NiyanthA (One who commands from within),
sarva sEshi (the ultimate),

aasrayaNeeyan (One who is fit to be worshipped),
Sarva VyApthan (all-pervasive) and
Nithya sannihithan (One who is always near),
THEN
I think of them at their last moments, when they are totally unconscious like a log or a stone
and lead them by archirAdhi

maargam to My parama padham and bless them to have nithya kaimkarya bhAgyam to Me there.

Rare Vintage Painting of Lord Sri Bhu Varaha (1790).

Varaha (in Sanskrit : वराह)
is the third Avatar of Lord Vishnu, in the form of a Boar.

He appeared in order to defeat Hiranyaksha, a demon who had taken the Earth and carried it to the bottom of what is described as the cosmic ocean in the story.

The battle between Varaha and Hiranyaksha is believed to have lasted for a thousand years, which the former finally won.

Varaha carried the Earth out of the ocean between His tusks and restored it to its place in the Universe.

Vishnu married Prithvi (Bhudevi) in this avatar.

Varaha is depicted in art as either purely animal or as being anthropomorphic, having a boar's head on a man's body.

In the latter form He has four arms, two of which hold the wheel and conch-shell while the other two hold a mace, sword or lotus or make a gesture (or "mudra") of blessing.

The Earth is held between the boar's tusks.

Why orange color is used?

#Thread

Colors have a significant part in Indian religion and culture, displaying a profound meaning that goes beyond just ornamental elements. Color is used by artists to represent the traits of deities and their garments.

Colors used correctly create an environment that should make a person happy. Red, yellow (turmeric), green from leaves, white from wheat flour, and other colors are commonly utilized in religious events. Saffron is the primary hue used in most Eastern religions and societies.

Hinduism:
Saffron — the color of Agni or fire – is the color that symbolizes all aspects of Hinduism. Fire represents knowledge-burning ignorance since it burns away the darkness and brings light.

Fire also represents the spirit of Yagna (Sacred Fire Ritual), which is necessary for Self-knowledge. As a result, the fire altar is considered a unique symbol of old Vedic customs.

How do Hindus choose the right murti for their puja room?

#Thread

There are no universal rules for choosing murtis followed by all Hindus, but there are many guidelines followed by various Hindu communities.

As for which Devata to choose a murti of, typically a Hindu will select their Ishta Devata or personal favorite, most beloved Deity. This murti will be centermost on the shrine, and the most elaborate.

In addition, many Hindus add extra murtis to represent more of the pantheon in their puja room. Usually at least Ganesha is given a place, even if he is not the Ishta Devata.

This ubiquity in most puja rooms makes Ganesha the most popular Hindu Devata, even though he is not the most common Ishta Devata (an honor that goes to his father Shiva, followed by Hanuman).

Did you know?
Ahilyabai Holkar was one of India's
greatest women rulers of all time.

Ahilyabai was Born on May 31,1725 in the village of Chondi,Jamkhed distt,Maharashtra to a man named Mankoji Shinde,who was the Patil(Chief) of a village and a member of proud Dhangar Community.

Despite the fact that girls' education was a farther dream in those days, Ahilyabai was homeschooled by her father.
Ahilya didn't belong to any royal family but in a twist of fate she is still remembered as one of the most revered Queen in the history.

While they were living their humdrum lives, one day Malhar Rao Holkar, commander of the Peshwa Bajirao & Lord of the Malwa stopped in Chondi on his way to Pune, where he couldn't help but notice a young 8yrs old Ahilyabai in the temple service feeding the poor & hungry.

He was so impressed by the sheer innocence&beauty with simplicity character of Ahilyabai dat he asked her hand in marriage for his son Khanderao Holkar.Just like that she got married to Khanderao in 1733 at a tender age of 8&became a bride of esteemed Maratha community of Holkars

But destiny had something else in store for her as her husband died in the Battle of Kumbher in 1754 leaving her widow at 29.Distressed Ahilyabai was to commit Sati when her father-in-law Malhar Rao refused to let it happen.

Statue of Equality (Ramanuja) Muchintal, Hyderabad, Telangana

The Statue of Equality is a monument in India dedicated to the 11th-century Vaishnavaite Sage Bhagavad Ramanuja, commemorating 1000 years since his birth. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji in 2019.

In 2014, Sri Chinna Jeeyar came up with the idea to commemorate the 1000th anniversary of Sri Ramanuja's teachings by building the Statue of Equality. The statue is constructed on an estimated 34 acres in Hyderabad, India.

It consists of a 216 foot tall statue of Ramanuja and is surrounded by 108 Divyadesams (model temples) and includes an educational gallery. The project budget is 1000 crore rupees.The foundation stone for the Statue of Equality was laid by Chinna Jeeyar.

The statue was built by Aerosun Corporation in China before being shipped to India. It is made of panchaloha, a combination of gold, silver, copper, brass and titanium. The statue relies on donations to fund its construction.

The temple is located on the 27,870 square metre second floor with a 120 kg statue of Ramanuja, representing the years he lived, meant for daily worship. The 1,365 square metre third floor including a Vedic digital library and research center.

Stories of Guruvayurappan
Shri Krishna Leela

This is a beautiful story of Guruvayurappan. Once there lived in Guruvayur a poor family. Kitta, his wife & kids were struggling for their daily needs. With only a coconut tree in house, he earned a living by selling coconuts.

Kitta was from a low caste family. He was a great devotee of Guruvayurappan. Everyday before going to work he always prayed infront of a picture of Guruvayurappan in his house. His only wish was to worship at Guruvayur & have annadanam in temple. But he was not allowed there

It was Utsavam time in Guruvayur. From far behind kitta and family worshipped Guruvayurappan. Annadanam was given daily and no one was left empty stomach. Only Kitta didn't receive. That night, it was only Kitta's family who was sleeping without food. After temple nada closed

Shri Krishna, dressed himself as a Brahmin went to temple Kitchen. He packed food and went directly to kitta's house. Reaching Kitta's house, Shri Krishna told he was sent by a cook of Guruvayur temple and gave them the food he packed. Kitta and family was very happy seeing food.

When Kitta finished his food, Brahmin asked it will be better if he get a tender coconut( karikku)to drink. Kitta climbed the tree and gave all coconuts to him. After having 1 tender coconut, the Brahmin asked to bring remaining coconuts to Guruvayur temple the next day.

In the last couple of days Russian propaganda has published a lot of content alleging that Poland staged provocations against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. The content in question has employed narratives in use by the Kremlin in its influence activities against Poland. 1/6

Pattern no. 1
Articles posted to Russian websites pick up false accusations against the Poles. These include bogus claims that Poland sabotaged the construction site of the Russia-to-Germany gas link and carried out a direct attack on the pipeline. 2/6

Pattern no. 2
Some of the articles warn that the Kremlin may take retaliatory actions against Poland. Based on false accusations thrown by Russia, the Kremlin’s propaganda amplifies the calls by some journalists and contributors to embark on aggressive activities against PL. 3/6

Pattern no. 3
The Russian media outlets publish a lot of materials that mock the Polish Navy. The narratives that denigrate this component of the Polish Armed Forces are based on opinions and quotes by single Polish Internet users. 4/6

These information warfare efforts aim to:

- solidify false accusations made against Poland

- threaten the Polish society with a potential response by Russia

- weaken the morale of the Polish soldiers and undermine the image of the army 5/6

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