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STO-301-sec A long time ago a very good and religious king ruled the entire world. He was Emperor Satyavrata. One day, whilst the King was bathing in the Kritamala River, he scooped some clear water up into the palms of his hands. He saw there a tiny fish and immediately dropped it back into the […]
STO-301 A long time ago a very good and religious king ruled the entire world. He was Emperor Satyavrata. One day, whilst the King was bathing in the Kritamala River, he scooped some clear water up into the palms of his hands. He saw there a tiny fish and immediately dropped it back into the […]
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-013 Brahma and Vishnu Vishnu is blue and has four arms. He wears a helmet and a flower garland. Hindus say there are many universes. It is like when you blow lots of bubbles in the air. They are all round and empty inside. The universes come from Vishnu. When Vishnu breathes out, […]
4. VISHNU, THE SLEEPING CREATOR At the temple of Budhanilakanth, just north of Kathmandu, is an ancient deity of the creator Vishnu. Carved from black stone, half submerged in the waters of a small lake, he reclines on the body of the cosmic serpent Anantasesh, coiled under him like a floating bed. His serene thirty-foot […]
Prayers (primary version) (word document download) Hindu Prayers Keep in mind that many Hindu songs, poems and mantras are also a form of prayer, and you may consult the corresponding material on this CD-Rom. It is also important to note that some of these prayers will need to be adapted for use with or by […]
Scriptural Verses D (secondary version) Section D – Verses Spoken on the Audio CD The following is a transcript of the verses on the Audio CD (Tracks 4-10), along with the accompanying narrative. There may be slight differences from the spoken version. Track 4 All but one of the following verses are from the Bhagavad […]
Scriptural Verses B (word document download) Verses on Core Values and Virtues Please also refer to the section on proverbs for further relevant verses. In here, there are four main categories, namely: A. Godly / Spiritual Qualities (general) B. Demonic / Materialistic Qualities (general) C. Specific Virtues D. Miscellaneous A. Godly / Spiritual Qualities (general) […]
Scriptural Verses A (word doc for download) Section A – Key Concepts Further passages on Hindu concepts can be found in Section D. Thios section goes through the 12 Key Concepts, as they explained in the Teacher’ Book 1. The Atman (the Soul) SPC-001 The Self, pure awareness, shines as the light Within the heart, […]
Prayers (secondary version) (word document download) Keep in mind that many Hindu songs and poems are also a form of prayer, and you may consult the corresponding material on this CD-Rom. Prayer for liberation and enlightenment From the temporary lead me to the eternal! From darkness lead me to light! From death lead me to […]
STO-501-sec King Sagar, the ruler of Ayodhya was of the Surya dynasty, and an ancestor of Rama. He performed the Asvamedha sacrifice ninety-nine times and each time the horse he sent around the earth returned to his kingdom unchallenged. Indra, the King of the Devas (gods), was jealous and during the hundredth sacrifice, he kidnapped […]
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-302-sec Once, the saint Durvasa was walking down the road and he saw the king of the demigods, Indra, on the back of his white elephant. He smiled and taking a garland of marigolds from around his own neck, offered it to the king. Indra, however, was too proud of his wealth and power. He […]
STO-303-sec Hiranyaksha was a powerful demon. At the time of his birth unlucky omens appeared everywhere. Violent winds uprooted trees, volcanoes erupted and inky clouds rained endlessly as lightening slashed the sky. Owls screeched fiercely, wolves howled at the moon and trembling cows gave blood instead of milk. Hiranyaksha grew to be as large as […]
STO-304-sec When Hiranyakashipu heard of the death of his twin brother Hiranyaksha, he became enraged. Staring up into the sky with blazing eyes, he clenched his fists. “Fellow demons,” he cried out, “I will defeat the demigods and conquer the entire universe. I will destroy Vishnu by slicing His head from His body.” Afraid, though, […]
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-311-sec Lord Shiva is one of the many sons of Brahma. He was born from between his father’s eyebrows, when Brahma became angry with his four sons, the Kumaras, who refused his request to get married. Shiva can therefore be very angry, as exhibited in his form as Rudra, or when he destroys the creation. […]
STO-313-sec Story 1 (short version) In the ancient times, a demon called Mahishasura earned the favour of Lord Shiva after a long meditation. Shiva, pleased with the devotion of the demon, blessed him with a boon that no man or deity would be able to kill him. Empowered with the boon, Mahishasura began his reign […]
STO-314-sec The Birth of Krishna Once upon a time, Vasudeva, the son of King Surasena, just after marrying Devaki, was going home on his chariot with his newly wedded wife. The father of Devaki, known as Devaka, had contributed a sizeable dowry out of affection toward his daughter. He had given hundreds of chariots decorated […]
STO-316-sec A Story connected with Diwali According to astrological calculations, the sixteen-year-old son of King Hima was destined to die by snakebite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular night, his young wife did not allow him to sleep. She laid all the ornaments and heaps of gold and silver coins in […]
STO-318-sec How Ganesh received his head Ganesh is the first son of Parvati, Shiva’s consort. During one of Shiva’s long bouts of austerity on Mount Kailash, Parvati became lonely and one day, while taking her bath, she shaped a child out of the flakes of her own skin. She instructed him to stand as a […]
STO-201-sec The following is a version of the story told to children. Despite this, this lila (spiritual pastime) has significance for adults (see the prayers at the end of the story demonstrate). Long ago in India, there lived the most wonderful child. His name was Krishna, and he lived very happily with his mother and […]
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-210-sec This story is relevant to the quality of ‘determination’ and also to the “grace or personal endeavour?” controversy. As for determination, one should follow the example of the sparrow who lost her eggs in the waves of the ocean. A sparrow laid her eggs on the shore of the ocean, but the big ocean […]
STO-118-sec Vishnu, as soul of the entire cosmos, manifests innumerable universes from the pores of his skin and from his breathing. He then enters each universe, as the universal soul. From his navel springs a lotus flower, upon which is born Brahma. Brahma performs austerity and creates the world from sound beginning with the Gayatri […]
STO-111-sec This story is connected to the fourth avatar of Vishnu, Narasimha (the half-man, half-lion). Prahlada’s Birth Prahlada was the son of Hiranyakashipu, a great demon who conquered the demigods and took over the universe. Once while Hiranyakashipu was engaged in austerities, trying to become immortal, the demigods captured his wife, Kayadhu who was at […]
STO-104-sec There once lived a young brahmin called Ajamila in a city called Kanyakubja. Ajamila was compassionate and kind to all. He lived with his parents and young wife and always chanted his prayers and mantras, and offered respects to his parents and spiritual master. One day, when Ajamila went to the forest to collect […]
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-501 There was once a wise king called Sagara. He had 60,000 sons, who were all brave and strong. King Sagara was the greatest king on earth and the Emperor of the World. He started one-hundred great sacrifices to see if other kings accepted him as their emperor. The holy books said that anyone who […]
STO-401 There are number of stories or incidents connected with Raksha Bandhan, and we narrate five, as follows: The Bhavishya Purana cites a story that the Devas (demigods) once battled with the Asuras (demons) for twelve years. However, the Devas, headed by the mighty Indra, were losing the war. As they prepared to fight again, […]