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STO-703 A long, long time ago there lived in India a prince called Rama. His kingdom was Koshala and the capital city was called Ayodhya. Rama had three brothers. His favourite was called Lakshman. When he grew up, Rama married the most beautiful princess, named Sita. By trickery, Rama was sent into the forest. Sita […]
Download PDF: PCT-010 Rama, Sita & Hanuman King Rama lived a long, long time ago; so long ago its hard to count! Rama lived in India. His kingdom was called Koshala. The capital city was called Ayodhya. Rama had three step-brothers. His favourite was called Lakshman. Rama married the most beautiful princess. She was named […]
STO-504-sec To know the history of the Vaishno Devi temple we must go back to Treta Yuga when virtuous people were tormented by the Asuras (demons) Ravana, Kumbakarna, Khardushan and others. The demigods decided to create a divine personality, in the form of a girl, for their protection. To do this, they pooled the spiritual […]
STO-321-sec Author of the Ramayana Thousands of years ago there lived a hunter who lived by robbing and looting. He lived in a jungle with his wife and children and no traveller who passed through the jungle was safe. If need be he never hesitated to kill innocent pilgrims to achieve his object. One day […]
STO-305-sec Millions of years ago, the head of the demons, King Bali, attacked the demigods. With hordes of elephants, cavalry, chariots and footmen, they fought for control of the universe. After being heavily defeated, Indra, the king of the demigods, consulted his spiritual teacher. “Even those who are evil may achieve temporary success,” said his […]
STO-307-sec Millions of years ago in the land of India there lived a king called Dasharath. His capital was Ayodhya and from there he ruled his kingdom with his three queens. At around the same time, all of these queens became pregnant. Two of them each delivered a male child, and the third gave birth […]
STO-319-sec Skanda’s Birth Shiva’s first wife was Sita, the daughter of Daksha. Once, when Shiva visited his wife’s home, Daksha insulted him before many of his guests. Sati could not bear this. Sitting down, she meditated on the element of fire and, igniting her own body, gave it up. Shiva was furious and he and […]
STO-202-sec Once upon a time, the great saint Narada Muni was on his way through a forest to bathe at the confluence of the three sacred rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati.. As he was walking, he came across a deer lying on the path. He saw that the animal was pierced by an arrow, […]
STO-204-sec Draupadi was the daughter of Maharaja Drupada. The king performed a great sacrifice under the superintendence of the sage Yaja. By his first offering, Dhrishtadyumna was born. At Kurukshetra, he killed Drona, his father’s arch enemy. By the second offering, Draupadi was born. An aero-message declared that she was born for the destruction of […]
STO-206-sec As an exalted devotee, King Rantideva saw every living being equally. He directly perceived the real self, the atman, who is eternal and directly related to the Supreme Lord. The king, therefore, completely engaged his mind, word, body, and his very self in the service of the Lord and his devotees. Rantideva never endeavoured […]
STO-212-sec This story is relevant to the notion of seeing God’s hand everywhere, and to ‘the problem of evil’. It could also be used to explore how we may not be able to determine the ultimate outcome of all situations, especially those that may appear to some to be negative. Once upon a time there […]
STO-503 Krishna lived in the village of Vrindavana. The men of the village were farmers and looked after cows and bulls. The ladies would milk the cows and make cream, cheese, yoghurt, butter and ghee. The bulls were used for ploughing and for pulling carts. One day, Krishna saw that the cowherd men were getting […]
STO-321 The Story of Valmiki (who wrote the story of Rama and Sita) Thousands of years ago there lived a hunter who made money by robbing other people. He lived in a jungle with his wife and children. No traveller who passed through the jungle was safe. The hunter didn’t hesitate to kill them and […]
STO-319 Skanda’s Birth Shiva’s first wife was Sita, the daughter of Daksha. Once, when Shiva visited his wife’s home, Daksha insulted him before many of his guests. Sati could not bear this. Sitting down, she meditated on the element of fire and, igniting her own body, gave it up. Shiva was furious and he and […]
STO-312 Vrikasura, a powerful demon, could never be satisfied. He wanted power over everyone, and would do anything to get it. In order to obtain the blessings of Lord Shiva he went to snowy Kedarnath high in the Himalayas Mountains. He lit a sacrificial fire. Calling on the name of Shiva, he began to cut […]
STO-307 Millions of years ago in the land of India there lived a king called Dasharath. His capital was Ayodhya and from there he ruled his kingdom with his three queens. At around the same time, all of these queens became pregnant. Two of them each delivered a male child, and the third gave birth […]
STO-305 Millions of years ago, the head of the demons, King Bali, attacked the demigods. With hordes of elephants, cavalry, chariots and footmen, they fought for control of the universe. After being heavily defeated, Indra, the king of the demigods, consulted his spiritual teacher. “Even those who are evil may achieve temporary success,” said his […]
STO-216 Rama, Sita and Lakshman were living happily in the forest. The three companions didn’t miss palace life, for they were happy to live close to nature and to have the company of the saints who lived there. However, a wicked king had already heard of Sita’s beauty. His name was Ravana and he was […]
STO-212 This story is relevant to the notion of seeing God’s hand everywhere, and to ‘the problem of evil’. It could also be used to explore how we may not be able to determine the ultimate outcome of all situations, especially those that may appear to some to be negative. Once upon a time there […]
STO-206 As an exalted devotee, King Rantideva saw every living being equally. He directly perceived the real self, the atman, who is eternal and directly related to the Supreme Lord. The king, therefore, completely engaged his mind, word, body, and his very self in the service of the Lord and his devotees. Rantideva never endeavoured […]
STO-202 Once upon a time, the great saint Narada Muni was on his way through a forest to bathe at the confluence of the three sacred rivers, the Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvati.. As he was walking, he came across a deer lying on the path. He saw that the animal was pierced by an arrow, […]
Download PDF: PCT-308 Lakshmi is the eternal consort of Lord Vishnu, and is often worshipped with him as Lakshmi-Narayana. She is worshipped in her own right, particularly during the festival of Diwali. Lakshmi is shown standing or sitting on the lotus, and she holds in two hands a lotus and a water pot. With another […]
Download PDF: PCT-307 Hanuman is often worshipped with Rama and Sita, but also alone. He is the patron deity of wrestlers, other sportsmen and soldiers. Hanuman embodies courage and physical strength, and simultaneously humility and devotion to duty. He can assume any form at will and can leap great distances. Hanuman is one of the […]
Download PDF: PCT-306 Rama appeared as the seventh of the ten incarnations of Vishnu, and one of the two most important (the other is Krishna) Rama represents the monarchical aspect of the Supreme. He is renowned for his devotion to dharma (duty) even in the face of great adversity. He is considered the perfect son, […]
Download PDF: PCT-302 Vishnu is one of the Trimurti. He presides over sattva-guna (the quality of goodness) and is the maintainer/sustainer. He is also one of the three main focuses of worship. Vishnu resides in the spiritual realm (Vaikunthaloka), where he is known as Narayana. In this world, he has three principal forms: (1) The […]
Download PDF: PCT-012 Lakshmi Hindus worship Goddess Lakshmi during the festival of Diwali. She is the goddess in charge of money and good luck. Lakshmi is very beautiful. She is shown standing on a lotus flower. She usually wears a deep pink sari. She wears a golden crown and lots of jewellery with rubies, diamonds, […]
Download PDF: PCT-007 The Temple Hindus worship in the temple. They also worship at home. One Indian word for temple is ‘mandir’. The mandir is the home of God. The centre of the mandir is the shrine, which contains the murtis. The murtis are sacred statues of God, or of different gods and goddesses. Some […]
Download PDF: PCT-006 Puja & Arti Hindus worship at home and in the temple (mandir). Most Hindus believe in one God. They also believe that he appears in many different ways. These forms of God are called ‘deities’. A deity is a form of God, or of a god or goddess. The most important deities […]
Download PDF: PCT-003 Hindu Arts & Culture Hindus use dance to tell religious stories, such as the stories of Krishna and the story of Rama and Sita. The dancer uses mudras (hand-signs or gestures) to tell the story. Drama is another way Hindus tell their ideas about God and the world. Music is very important […]
Download PDF: PCT-002 Diwali Diwali is an Indian word. It means ‘a row of lights’. Diva is the word for light, or lamp. Diwali is the biggest Hindu festival. For most Hindus, it is the New Year. Diwali celebrates the story of Rama and Sita. Rama is one of the forms of God (Vishnu) when […]