The Lord of Wisdom. The son of Ishwara and Parvati, Ganesha saved the gods when they were in trouble and helpless, by killing Talasura and outwitting Ravana. He is also worshipped as the God who grants success.

Maharshi Narada has praised Ganesha as follows:

Vidyarthee labhate vidyam Dhanarthee labhate dhanam Putrarthee labhate putram
Moksharthee labhate gatim

'A student acquires education, a man who desires money gains wealth, one who seeks a son gets a son and the aspires of salvation reaches his goal.'

'Oh, the curved-faced, gigantic Lord Ganesha, you are like a million suns in brilliance; always kindly free us from hurdles in all our endeavors.'

It is the custom to chant such hymns with devotion, and bow down to Lord Ganesha
before starting any important work.

Ganesha is the deity of suspiciousness. He is adorable not only to man but also to the gods. The word 'Ganesha' means the Lord of Ganas (the army of the gods), the leader of the army of Shiva. That is why he is also called Ganapati and Gananayaka. BACK TO TOP

Goddess of wealth. Wife of Sri Maha Vishnu. In different incarnations of Vishnu she married Sri Rama as Sita, Sri Krishna as Rukmini and Sri Venkateshwara as Padmavati. Devotees believe that Lakshmi resides in a place where virtue, righteous- ness, truth and compassion prevail.

Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth. She is also called 'Sri' ' Money, grain, cattle, land, gold, and silver are forms of wealth. Who does not need them? Everybody worships Lakshmidevi because one gets wealth if Lakshmi grants it.

Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are famous as Trimurtis ('The Trinity'). Of them, Brahma's wife is Saraswati, Vishnu's wife is Lakshmi, and Shiva's wife is Parvati. Saraswati is the goddess of education. Parvati is the goddess of might. Lakshmi, however, is the goddess of wealth. Man needs all three - education, might and wealth. BACK TO TOP

Son of Shiva and Parvati. Worshipped through various other names also such as
Kurnaraswami, Shanmukha,Subrahmanya.. He resurrected the path of virtue by killing
Tarakasura and Shurapadma who were harassing the world.

In Bharat, Ganesha is a very popular deity. The young and the old alike worship him.
Like Ganesha, the other beloved son of Parvati is Kartikeya. He is a hero who even as a very young boy, became the commander of the army of the angels and killed wicked Rakshasas (demons) like Taraka.

Kartikeya has several names. As he was breast-fed by six Karittika deities, he is called 'Kartikeya'. Since he has six faces, he is 'Shanmukha'. Because of his omniscience, he is 'Subrahmanya'. As he gathered a huge army to kill the demons, he is also called 'Mahasena'. Since he captained the army of the angels in the fight with the Rakshasas, he was given the title of 'Senani' or 'Commander'. Since he was born out of the life-source that slipped ('Skanna) from Shiva, he is named 'Skanda'. With the peacock as his mode of transport, he is 'Shikhivahana'. And he is always a young boy because of which he is 'Kumara'. This term also means that he is one who kills evil persons. And he is more handsome than Manmatha, the Gods of Love. He is worshipped as 'Guha' too,
since he protects his devotees from enemies. He thus has a large number of names. BACK TO TOP

Consort of Lord Shiva. By rigorous penance she won over Shiva, himself a great ascetic. Mother of Shanmukha and Ganesha. By becoming the wife of Shiva she paved the way for the spread of peace and felicity in the world.

Goddess Parvati is the wife of Lord Ishwara. She has several names, each with a special significance. Since Ishwara or Shiva is also called 'Bhava' his wife is known as 'Bhavani.' She is 'Parvati', being the daughter of the king of mountains, Parvataraja. With the same connotation she has two other names - 'Girija' and 'Shailaja'. As she I the source of all good things to all those who have faith and follow the path of virtue, she is 'Sarvamangala.'Since her childhood days she was a devotee of Lord Shiva. She would constantly engage herself in meditation and worship of Shiva, without even changing the posture. So her mother Mena would out of exasperation say "Parvati, don't do this tapas (meditation)." In Sanskrit ‘u’ is a word of address and 'ma' means 'don't' or 'not wanted’ Hence she got the name 'Uma'.

After she grew up, she perforrmed a severe penance in the forest with the purpose of securing Lord Shiva as her husband. Much moved by the hardship endured by her tender body, Mena frequently went near her fondly calling her "Uma", Uma." Who would not be thrilled by the story of the life of Parvati who, though born human, became, through hard penance the consort of Shiva and became Mahadevi, the great goddess? BACK TO TOP

The matchless hero who held the fate of the emperors in the palm of his hand but himself never desired a throne. The great hero who was born in a prison and died in solitude in a forest. He gave the world the Bhagavadgeetha. He is the architect of Dharma who lives forever in the hears of the people of India.

Sri Krishna Jayanthi-the birthday of lord Krishna-is a great festive occasion, a day of rejoicing and is celebrated in every home from the Himalayas to Kanyakumari.
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