Lord of Universe, Shiva is also believed to be the God of Spirituality. God has no desire or connection to a materialistic lifestyle. Lord who lived at the top of the Himalayas also believed to be the destroyer. But he was among the three deities who have been devoting to live and preach Moksha. According to the mythology, Lord Shiva led in achieving Moksha in humans, which is the ultimate goal that describes spirituality in Hinduism.

The connection between Religion and Spirituality

Spirituality has always been connected to religion. It was the only way to spread the versions developing positive vibes among people. Removing the negative vibes which increase goodness among people. All kinds of people from the lower class groups to the higher class groups know about their religion. It was the path to increase the awareness of spirituality. Basically, religion and spirituality are different and they should not be confused. Hindu mythology has been able to establish the relationship. It has helped in improving humanism on the earth. 

Lord Shiva has been able to detach himself from worldly things and lead the life of a yogi. He was able to destroy as well as create but mostly kept himself away from the desires and emotions that may affect his lifestyle. His wisdom to know and understand worldly things; enabled him to love his followers irrespective of status. No pride and hatred in him with the fulfilled quality of loving his relationships; respect is part that describes spirituality. 

Even today in modern times his followers are able to gain spirituality. The Yogi incarnation of Lord Shiva has given light to the followers of the path. The quality to increase positivity by the removal of detachments and expectations is described in Hindu mythology. Lord Shiva is known as Adi Yogi or Guru. He was the first God to introduce Yoga as a Yogi. No one can deny the connection between the Yog, Yogi, Yoga, and spirituality!

Yoga the root of positivity

Chants, mantras, and hymns with Yoga have deep roots in spirituality. The main aim of Yoga is to develop an inner consciousness and develop body strength with the toning of muscles. Chanting “Om” while practicing creates oneness of body and mind. When the body and mind have the strength of thinking better it will always reverberate positivity. 

Hindu mythological facts about God and their contribution that describe spirituality are not only in sacred books. But also depicted on the walls of the temples. It mentions Mahadev who is mastered in flawless meditation and spirituality. The energies of the body and mind can easily be controlled to acquire positive vibes in everyday life by Yoga and meditation. Mahadev was the creator of yogas such as Hatha Yoga to purify the body, Mantra yoga to purify the mind. 

Altogether in modern times about millions of people practice yoga to gain spirituality. Develop a positive livelihood, they are able to give up anxiety and depression. But it did not take place in one day. The initiative was taken from ages as Hindu mythology mentions and the present generation experiences the benefits. It is after practicing, learning about spirituality. 

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Mahabharata has always been living as a great influence on great people as the power of Dharma or religion. As it is not only an epic but a teacher to the modern era, few of major impact and inspiration to the modern era are:

Existence by fittest

When we look into the family of the King of Hastinapur, the Kaurava and Pandavas, both had massive differences in their nature, culture, and skills. While Kauravas being a total of 100 in numbers did not have the ability comparing to the Pandavas. Each brother of the five had the individual ability that made them the strongest opponent to fight and stand at the battlefield in Kurukshetra. So, inspired by the power of Dharma, in Mahabharat it is a point that impresses the modern era is to be skilled and prepared instead of looking for support from others. Self-sufficiency was one of the reasons that developed the power of the Pandavas.

Religion survives long and stands strong

Mahabharata has been the epic of Hinduism that consists of the parts of Gita, the sacred book of the Hindus. This ancient book inspires people to learn about the hardships that arise from jealousy and also the conspiracy that can arrive anytime from anyone. The development of a conscious mind is possible through the learning of the quotes in Gita used in Mahabharata that describe the truth of life. Enabling you to be learning from the religion about the different stages of hardships and the way a strong bond can pull you to be bold and divided to fall.

Respect womanhood

The lady of five men, Draupadi is still remembered in history, when her attire was pulled to open by the Kauravas after losing the bet with the Pandavas. This was the time she could only remember Lord Krishna to save her from humiliation. Lord Krishnas saved her from the shameful situation by providing Draupadi the drapes of the saree on her body.

Modern Era has been inspired by the story of Mahabharata that reveals about saving womanhood. They were weak and mostly dominated from the ancient times who need respect and care from their society.

Male infanticides

Hindu empire has always looked for a male ruler, or nothing different was seen in the story of Mahabharata. Both Pandavas and Kauravas finally ended up in the Kurukshetra war to occupy the throne of Hastinapura. When the requirement of marrying more than one woman tradition was increasing to find the most appropriate ruler for the empire. Similarly, the rivalry increased between the mothers to provide their son the thrones which led to the killing of male infanticides. Modern era-inspired had always looked for male children through the thoughts that have changed after women are provided with better education and opportunities.

Arjuna the fine archer”Guru Dakshina”

Politics and religion are both interwoven from the epics of the ancient times, the political mind to win as a fine archer Arjuna is all time a great example for all eras. So, when Eklavya being a Kshatriya was one of the best disciple and student of Drona. But finally, Drona asked for the Guru Dakshina from Eklavya, his right thumb. So, Arjuna became the best-trained archer as the student of Drona acharya.

Similarly, in the modern era, the story of Mahabharata is influential to establish power and success through the games of politics.

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As we talk about the popular sacred place of or in India, the foremost city is the burning ghat of Varanasi. In mythological stories and books mention the place, temples, and the river Ganges flowing beside the temple. Sacred are the temples and the burning Ghats or the cremation areas. All visitors explain they rejuvenate themselves, souls feel alive while listening to the chants and hymn that priests utter from the Vedic sacred lines or mantras for peace.
You can find a new life while you move around among the souls not bounded to the laid or burned bodies with emerging smokes of the burns. Peace lays around the burning ghat while people taking a sacred bath, performing rituals for peace of soul of their dead ones. Visualizing dead bodies burning with pure chants, people moving around widows, old grey hair who do not find any pleasure adapts to sannyasa gives unexplained console. Pilgrims from different parts spend months on the lap of mother Ganga. Few decide to spend the rest of their life in the oldest city of India to live in the serenity and eternal peace to death.

What makes this ancient city so wonderful?
Pilgrims and visitors from different parts of the world travel all along to India in order to feel the spirit of the sacred Hindu city. Manikarnika Ghat is known as the burning ghat, where deaths are cremated. It is the holiest place believed by the Hindu religion as it is the place when freedom from rebirth and death occurs to Moksha.
You cannot deny escaping from the fire lit all around the day till the evening, as evening prayers offered in the form of chants and hymns. It is the Ghat or bank of the river that is lightened up with the burning of wooden beds of dead bodies. Manikarnika Ghat is known as the ‘gateway to heaven’, that is filled with the sound of such chants continuously as chanted by the priests. Somewhere this is one of the reasons that visitors and tourists are intimated to this sacred place, the burning ghat of Varanasi.

Burning Ghat of Varanasi and its mythological importance

Manikarnika Ghat is a place when a person can watch the holy journey from the earth to heaven. According to Hindu mythology stating about the importance of this ghat known as Manikarna Ghats which means ear-rings. The ear-rings of Lord Shiva fell down on the earth, while he was performing ‘Tandava’. It is a dance form that we can see has been inspired by the dance of Shiva who was angry, supposed to destroy the Universe so performed ‘Tandava’. This is when the ear-ring felt on the earth and based on the incident the burning ghat of Varanasi is called Manikarnika Ghat.

Moksha, that one receives after death is the strongest belief that can be acquired at the holy banks of the burning Ghat. Here is the reason to see survival from the ancestors ‘Dom’ around the burning ghat of Varanasi, as somewhere an intense Hindu religious belief stays that cremation should be near the sacred river. Doms that work here owned profession from the ancestors, still work in traditionally due to the belief that one can attain Moksha if cremated near the holy river the Ganges.

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They say a Parsi is always born, you cannot create a Parsi.

Despite their dwindling number, the Parsi community manages to be one of the important elements for the country.

We have many gems from the community and they are undoubtedly amazing, like Dadabhai Navroji, Ratan Tata, Adi Godrej and the list goes on. In 7^th or 8^th century, when the Arabs invaded Iran there were number of people who escaped and reached the Gujarat border through Arabian Sea.

Ratan Tata – Adi Godrej

They were Parsis who pleaded the king Jadhav Rana to let them stay in the country and they assured him that they will mingle with the people and spread sweetness like sugar in the milk. There are certain typical traits of the Parsis who are known for their simplicity and at the same time for their eccentricity.

Here we have 9 reasons that make Parsis stand out from other communities.

Simplicity Is A Joy of Life For Parsis

When you enter a Parsi home you will observe that it is very simple and minimalistic. The Parsis are known for their simple life and down-to-earth nature. Even if you talk about known industrialists Adi Godrej and Ratan Tata, with the positions they hold, people close to them say that they are still grounded and lead a simple life.

Parsis And Honesty Go Hand In Hand!

Parsis are one of the most honest people you will find and at the same time they are also very open towards the modern thought process. Honesty is something that Parsis can just not let go so easily. They are a very loyal community.

Some Real Slogging-Off

Apart from being honest, Parsis are very hard-working and completely dedicated to their work or profession. It makes them more honourable and reliable. A huge part of industrialization in India was brought by the Tatas which dates back in the 18^th century. Therefore, Parsis have a very strong hand in nation building.

Entrepreneurship Is In Their Genes

The father of industrialization in India was undoubtedly Jamsetji Tata and from then took birth a series of skilled entrepreneurs that the Parsi community has raised. It is said that the Parsis are born entreprenures and are very good at their business in whatever they do. During the British rule, when people were supposed to have surnames, Parsis added their surnames after the name of their professions that they took up, like, Contractors, Merchants, and how can we forget Sodabottleopenerwala!!

Happy-go-lucky

The most important trait of Parsis is their sense of humour, which they cannot afford to lose any way. They are very happy-go-lucky people and so you just cannot get bored in their company in any way. They can even make death, which is one of the most serious aspects of life, sound funny.

Parsis Are Knit To Near Perfection

When the Parsis came to India for the first time they all came in a group and till date they are well united with their people. Also, since it is a small community that is also the reason they prefer living in large groups and believe in living with extended families. You will find one whole building with Parsi people living in them together happily.

All About Manners

The first and foremost motto of a Parsi community is ‘good words, good thoughts and good deeds’. Somewhere good mannerism seeps deep down in a Parsi. They are very well-mannered. The community takes efforts to inculcate good manners in their children as well. For instance, you will never find a Parsi spitting on the road or spreading dirtiness across. They are very responsible in their deeds.

Environment Sensitivity – That’s The Cardinal Rule

Apart from the above points, they are also believed to be very environment sensitive and this can be seen in their daily and cultural practices as well. Like, they believe in fire god and also their bodies are not cremated but left for the vultures to eat at the Tower of Silence. So in this manner, they are an ardent lover of nature and also very environment friendly.

Social Responsibility – Balanced Generosity

Last but not the least, Parsis understand their social responsibility very nicely and they even strive towards it. According to them, they believe in generating money with social responsibility which means they must know how to generate good amount of wealth but at the same time you should learn how to share it with the society. This is a major reason that you will find many Parsi entrepreneurs doing fair amount of philanthropic activities for the betterment of the society.

Hereby, with these above highlights, Parsis surely are one of the most sought-after communities and a strong pillar of the country. It’s because of these lovely traits that this community is so loved by other people and you can rely on them completely for anything and everything.

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Follow religion! Be spiritual! Believe in God! Know your soul!

These and many such advices are screaming through in our lives by thousands on a daily basis! Yet, hardly a few of them actually understand what is it being said to us and what needs to be done! We almost always get confused between religion and spirituality and think they are the same. Are they? Let’s clear it out for you!

Broadly speaking, religion is all about worshipping something or someone, following a set of rules and performing rituals to praise your God, in order to find God! Spirituality on the other hand is all about you, your salvation, and your journey without any compulsions of rules or rituals.

If we look at them closely, these are two different ideologies with different processes and different results.

Let’s show you how:

1) Religion Ties You Down, Spirituality Sets You Free

Religion asks you to follow a way of life and adhere to certain principles with consequences to face if not done properly, but spirituality asks you to follow your heart and listen to your inner voice about right or wrong.

2) Religion Scares You, Spirituality Offers Courage

Any religion on the planet asks you to do this or that unless you want to face the punishment. Spirituality on the other hand lets you know that love conquers all and how you should stand tall in the face of worst possible fears without worrying about the consequences. Religion cuts your wings, spirituality gives you new ones!

3) Religions Preach, Spirituality Believe In Self-Learning

Every religion teaches a way to God, the path to be followed. Spirituality tells you to know yourself and make your own path as we all are different individuals with different sensibilities and needs. Seeking higher truth is the way of spirituality, following a well-trodden path is religion’s forte!

4) Multiple Religions, One Spirituality

There are a variety of religions, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Jewish, etc., all claiming to be the best while spirituality talks about the oneness of all. We all might be different human beings in various parts of the world, but at the core we all are same and made of the same matter. Hence the higher truth for all of us is going to be the same!

5) Religion Gives You Crutches, Spirituality Takes Them Away

When you follow a religion, you get an impression that only this religion and this way of life is good for you without knowing if there can be something more to life. Spirituality just gives you the freedom to be independent and take your own decisions and follow your inner calling. Deciding your own rights and wrongs with conviction help you listen to the call of your soul without anyone else telling you what is right or wrong!

For mere mortals like us, the easiest path is of religion as we are conditioned for spoon-feeding. But if you want to really grow as a human being and be at peace from inside-outside, the path is bit difficult, but enriching and that is the spiritual path! Without fear of punishment, without anyone else asking you to follow certain things out of fear, you can listen to your heart and do what it feels is right.

Think about it!

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Kids are the most innocent soul ever found on earth, and we definitely need to learn from them.

This video by ‘Being Indian’ will make you realize how much we all need to learn from these kids and once we learnt from them, the world will definitely be the best place to live.

If you have seen this video, think where some of us are going wrong…

I wish everyone thought like these kids, then there would be no barrier of religion in this world.

Didn’t this video open your eyes? Didn’t it made you realize how much our thinking can change the world?

So what’s your religion after watching this?

Think and then only answer!

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Excited with this new proposal? Already making the list of people you think can feature in this record book?

Well, to be honest, if I were to make such a list, I would keep my name on the top! Followed by you all!

Shocked?

Let me tell you why!

I think I will count myself amongst one of the topmost chu%@#aas to be at the receiving end of all kinds of bullshit happening around me. The reason being that even after considering self a responsible citizen and an educated individual, I still let go of my duty to make the society a better place by the actions and decisions I make.

It’s me who CHOOSE BIGGEST INDIAN IDIOTS TO RULE ME AND DIM-WITTED TO ENTERTAIN ME!

And so are all of you!

The politicians aren’t at fault for taking us all for granted. It’s their right that, someone passing racist remarks, someone else napping inside the parliament; someone watching porn during proceedings of the house and someone instigating people on religious lines; someone is talking about colour of skin to someone defying science and logic for their own selfish gains. It’s their way! All these political leaders are not in power because they wanted to, but solely for the reason that we, as individual voters, voted them in power! And what have we got? Some of the most obnoxious politicians who seem to have had their brains kidnapped during birth!

Why only politicians? We are the ones who have given crazy ass people like Kamaal R Khan a platform to vomit shit whenever he wants to. Yes, he is a so called entertainer, but does he really entertains? Is he really contributing to the growth of creative soul of our country? Absolutely not!

Kamaal R Khan

What about his female counterpart, Rakhi Sawant?

The lady who is a walking-talking advertisement of Botox is always around to give her opinions on everything in the country for her petty benefit of getting some role in a movie or show which she most probably doesn’t even deserve. However, she gets it because there are so many people who want to listen to our crap and laugh at her, rather than with her. But are we so intelligence deprived that we have to resort to such low-level gimmicks for our entertainment?

Rakhi Sawant

These are just a couple of examples of people who are known to divide us, test our intelligence, play with our emotions and cheat us on every possible level. Whether it is our invaluable vote or precious time to be entertained, these people are hell bent on furthering their cause, at our cost!

Are we still up and about to do anything about this riotous ruling in India?

Are we taking a step ahead in the direction to bring meaningful entertainment to us?

Then who exactly should be put in the “Ch%@#as Hall of Fame”?

Well, it’s high time we stop such idiots from getting into power and if somehow they reach there, it becomes our duty to kick them out of that position by exercising our vote carefully! It is also a plea to those who do not get up to cast their vote!

It’s our responsibility to outcast the imprudent entertainers. SAY NO to crap!

Unless we do that, each one of us, the ordinary citizens will be in the Limca Book of Biggest Indian Chu%@#as and the real ones will laugh their way to the bank!

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Imagine you are born as a Hindu and one fine day you realize you belong to another religion say Islam. As an idealist we say that all religions are same and we might even celebrate every occasion.

But to think of it if a person is used to going to a temple would find it extremely shocking when he would be obliged to read Quran. A girl wearing a ‘burqa’ all her life suddenly discovers that she is a Hindu; would she be fine wearing a saree?

Such is the case with ‘Dharam Pal’ played by Paresh Rawal in the upcoming movie Dharam Sankat Mein

The trailer of the film talks about the identity crisis of Dharam Pal when he discovers that he was born to a Muslim but was raised as a Hindu.

In this movie Naseeruddin Shah is going to be playing the character of Neel Anand Baba.

Don’t be surprised if this film also has to face the ban. After ‘OMG – Oh My God’ and ‘PK’ this is another satirical take on the religion and philosophy in India.

More than anything it is the ideology that is in question.

Is it a big deal to get accustomed to a different religion? Actually even if you aren’t much of a religious fanatic this religion shift would still give you an equal amount of stress.

Our country gets very sensitive when it comes to religion. In the name of faith people, organizations, parties, etc. carry out various religious politics.

This film comes in the wake of the ‘ghar-wapasi’ news. The mass conversion of many communities to Hinduism, ban on beef-eating, etc. have been making headlines.

Every party in power is linked to favor a community. When the Congress was in power the Muslim community was considered to be their biggest vote bank. Now with the Modi Govt. the extreme right-wing thoughts of Hindutva had been doing the rounds.

In a country of diverse cultures we are struggling to keep the peace. This movie is sure to challenge that same thought process and how religion has divided the country.

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World Hijab Day 2015.

All women in hijab cannot be subjected to prejudice and amongst all the controversies marked in the history; February 1 is celebrated as the World Hijab Day all across the globe in recognition of all the Muslim women.

The Hijab for women has been always a controversial topic among the people, one who are against it and the one who support the idea. Hijab being one of the sensitive issues, there have been all kinds of opinions coming out from all types of people.

So, the World Hijab Day was first celebrated in 2013 by Nazma Khan. The main objective behind this was to support the religious and traditional aspect of hijab by different people and at the same time to make the non-hijabi women also experience it once. It is observed in almost 116 countries all over the world.

Just like the recent case of Charlie Hebdo in Paris, Hijab also became a topic of heated discussion among the people and it resulted in the ban of the Hijab in France in 2009, as according to them it reflected the traditional and stringent religious practices. On the contrary, it has been made a compulsory practise in the Middle-East Asia. Many countries like Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc. have made the hijab compulsory for women. Although in many countries it might be accepted but still they do not support it.

World Hijab Day 2015

Post 9/11 there has been a major debate on a woman wearing a hijab. Many people were actually being teased and abused on the basis of the Muslim religion. The biggest problem with a woman wearing the hijab is that she is immediately type casted as an orthodox Muslim woman and the topic just ends right there. There is a sudden block in our minds regarding them. They also are being judged as less skilled and dependent. However a hijab cannot be the deciding factor of a woman’s abilities.

World Hijab Day 2015

When we talk about different countries, in Morocco there is a certain prejudice seen with the women in hijab and at the same time in Afghanistan during the Taliban reign, a women being behind the veil was a compulsion and very cruel steps were taken to punish the lady who did not abide by the rule.

It is high time that we realize that a piece of cloth which some people consider as a religious pride or an obligation and on the other hand some find it as an orthodox and an imposing factor should be actually depending on people’s choice. While it cannot be even imposed on small children, it can be highly respected as a choice of someone’s life.

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