What is the meaning of sacrifice? Sacrifice means an act of offering to a deity something precious. It also means something given up, like the sacrifice made by the parents for their children. Its moral is that it means achieving of transcendence, in which one sacrifices one’s self interest for the sake of higher values and commitments. A sacrifice is an offering which is made with joy in one’s heart. Self-sacrifice is used to justify the most brutal acts. Continue reading
What is the difference between Puja and Yagna? The word puja means prayer and it is 2500 years old. It was found in Griha Sutra, which talks about rituals. It describes the ceremonies (samskaras) that mark each stage of an individual’s life, from the moment of conception to the final death rites; the five daily sacrifices (mahayajna); seasonal ceremonies; and those observed on special occasions, such as house building or cattle breeding. The Griha sutra mentions the word pujaniya, worthy of reverence. It is assumed that the word puja comes from it or from south India. In Tamil, pujai means flowers or offering of flowers. Continue reading
What is our understanding of Yoga? Parmahamsa Satyananda Saraswati explains the misconceptions which many have. There are some points of view which are repetitive and are like a stuck record.
To be a practitioner of Yoga. Continue reading