Sankashti Chaturthi Dates for year 2013

Sankashti Chaturti (Which is dedicated to lord Ganesha) is an auspicious day falls on krishna paksha chaturthi in a Hindu lunar month. Below are the dates of Sankashti Chaturti in 2013. Ganesha devotees observe a fast (fasting – upvaas) on Sankashta Chaturthi Vrata days. Here are Listing Sankashti 2013 or Sankashti Chaturthi 2013 dates. 

01st January 2013 (Tuesday) Angarki Chaturthi

30th January 2013 (Wednesday) Sankashti Chaturthi

01st March 2013 (Friday) Sankashti Chaturthi

30th March 2013 (Saturday) Sankashti Chaturthi

28th April 2013 (Sunday) Sankashti Chaturthi

28th May 2013 (Tuesday) Angarki Chaturthi

26th June 2013 (Wednesday) Sankashti Chaturthi

25th July 2013 (Thursday) Sankashti Chaturthi

24th August 2013 (Saturday) Sankashti Chaturthi

22nd September 2013 (Sunday) Sankashti Chaturthi

22nd October 2013 (Tuesday) Angarki Chaturthi

21st November 2013 (Thursday) Sankashti Chaturthi

21st December 2013 (Saturday) Sankashti Chaturthi

Rangoli, Kolam and many more

Hi Readers,

I am attaching some of the easy to make rangoli's or Kolam made with dots.

Alpana Rangoli and many more

Hi Readers,

This year I tried a number of different variants in Rangoli during Margashira month. In this Marghira month as per Hindu calender the month following Karthik Purnima, is celebrated widely in Odisha to appease Goddess Lakhshmi in the form of MANA BASA GURUBAR. Here are some of my Rangoli's below. I will dedicate the next blog few more of such Rangoli's .

Why me???

Hi Readers,

I have been trying to convince one my dear one to deal with a difficult situation from past one month. I learnt many things in this process. Sometimes, I find it easy to console and convince someone to just look for the blessings that they have received. However, when its me who deals  with such situation, I still need someone especially my Mom to hear me and to console me as long as she can do. I do not know how best I can describe about it, she is my Mom and my best friend. She always says never to leave one alone, when they need you the most. In my family if someone is sad, then my Mom is always by his/her side. She goes on and  on explaining, convincing and consoling the person till he/she feels comfortable.

Now, as I am her daughter this attitude is also with me. I never leave my dear ones alone when they need me. They might find it stupid, silly or annoying that I go behind them, explaining and convincing stupid things to lift up their spirit. In this process, I try to read facts online, many self help tips to help others deal with difficult situation, how to pull them out of depression etc. Its really easy when you try to help others, but not yourself. I found many useful and handy quotes from famous personalities that help you and make you realize  what you have received so far. There are some things that we should not forget even if we are depressed.
I am trying to outline as many points as I could do.

1- Stop thinking "Its all my fault"- You need to ask yourself, is it really my fault? Was the situation within my control? Did I knew that I am about to make a mistake? If unknowingly you have made a mistake, then do not grudge yourself. If you feel the situation was within your control, then think I will do it differently next time. Life is not about making mistakes. Life is about how to recover from that mistake and that is what defines us.

2-Life is not perfect - Life is not perfect, nor we all are perfect. That is why there is erasers on pencil, for our mistakes. Do not try to be perfect, because that is impossible.

3- Forgive yourself - Instead of beating yourself up in mind, just tell yourself it is OK to make mistake, and everyone does.

4- Practice gratitude - When negative thoughts erupt in your mind, think of all the blessings that you have received. Stop thinking ,"Why me?" . We all think that all the problems are with us and others are simply enjoying life. Reality is everyone is suffering in one form or other. When we were born, we never selected our parents, we did not select the family we were born, the love and affection we got from our elders. We never question why we received that love, care and affection? But, when there is slightest of trouble , the first thought is "Why me?" Stop such thoughts by being grateful for all that you received.

5- Never loose your faith on Almighty - If you believe in God, then do not stop this belief when you are sad. Nobody forced you to belief, it was you who choose to believe in God, ask for his blessings. Then when its difficult time, why to stop it. In every religion, it is said that when we face difficulty, God walks holding us in his arm. So, think this way that he is carrying you in his arm so that you can feel least pain, however, he cannot stop the pain altogether. He will try his best to pull you out of this but it will certainly take some time. You need to wait patiently.

If you are atheist, then do not loose your confidence even if its too hard. You are a strong believer that there is no super natural power, but some situation are beyond your control. You have to accept the odd and move on with confidence.

6- Never be biased by others views - Sometimes, situations are really worse and others views add on to it. Stop hearing all those views. People always try to pull you down. When situation is not favoring you, it is best time for them to pull you further down. Except few of your dear ones, others especially those who are your competitors would try to take advantage of this situation. They would try to make things look larger than what it actually is. They would try giving you advise in such a way that it works against you. Keep your calm, and take any decision only on your firm belief. Never be biased by such people.

7- Be Positive - From your childhood, you would have achieved a lot. Think of all the difficult times, and think how you took those as challenge and how you came out stronger and outperforming. Those are your positive energy which molded you in right direction. Same way, your own self is going to guide you through this phase. You are going to be again outperforming, reaching new high.

8- Do things that you like - Keep my words, our mind is fool, always try to fool it by saying, "All is well". It really works. divert your attention. Think this way, I have 24hrs a day to be sad. Can I steal 1 hr to be happy? I can be sad anyway after this 1 hr. Now, decide what can make you feel happy. Day dreaming, painting, playing anything that you like.

9- Do not postpone small yet achievable goals for the bigger ones - When we are happy, we plan so many things, we plan in advance what we can achieve. Out of all those few things is under your control, if you wish you can get them done just now. Try doing them. Do not postpone these small yet achievable goals for the bigger ones.

10- Do not be envious of others - The worst part of bad times is it makes us envious of others. Stop thinking about all your friends, colleagues etc who achieved what you wanted. Stop comparing yourself with others. You are different and you are unique.

11- Always love yourself - Nobody can be like you. Nobody can walk better in your shoes. You are the best to deal with these odd situations and still you are fighting, you will not give up. So, you need to be loved,  its you who can love yourself first before others start loving you.

12- Let go  - Emotional pain is hardest to recover. But, you can let it go. Remember not to hurt anyone emotionally, it is too painful, is not it?Never give the pain to someone, which you are feeling at the moment, you know how hard it is to receive that pain. 

Celebrate Being Male!!!

Hi Readers,

I wish you all a very Happy International Men's Day. To be frank enough I came to know about International Men's Day today, when in Office we celebrated it for the first time. Most of the Men believe its only Women that have a dedicated day to celebrate a Day in their honor and rest 364 days are Men's Day. :-) Well its not that, 19th November is dedicated to Male and is celebrated as International Men's Day  by UNESCO to honor male. This initiative was first started by Trinidad & Tabago in year 1999.Currently, this is being followed by 60 countries. India is also a member of this from year 2007 with Save the family organization being a part of this. 

Yes, there is no hype in media because of which people are not aware of this Day. Though Alen Solly a Men's wear brand took initiative to spread awareness, it was not very successful in doing so. This Day came into existence to have gender equality. It is not Women only that have gender related problems and harassment. Men can have similar issues. This initiative is to aware Male that their problems are also heard. This year the objective is to improve health of men and boys. To spread awareness not to neglect Male child. The theme is "Helping Men, live longer, healthier and Happier life". To improve education for boys. To improve life expectancy for Men. To improve tackle violence. And promoting father and positive male role models.

Thanks

Navaratri ,Navadurga and Mahavidyas

Hi Readers,

Today is Mahaashtami, that is the eighth day of Navaratri. The Navaratri that is celebrated in month of September - October is also called Sarad Navaratri. Navaratri starts with new moon. 

Nava means nine and it also means new.The nine nights that create a newness within you is called Navaratri. Creation happens in darkness, under the soil or inside the Mother's womb. Night provides rejuvenation and rest. People come home from work, celebrate, rejoice and pray. The nine nights of Navaratri are precious and are enriched with subtle energy.

Our ancestors had honored women with three precious portfolio's of wealth, wisdom and power. In form of Durga they honored power, in form of Lakshmi they honored wealth and in form of Saraswati they honored wisdom. In Navaratri we celebrate the three form of Shakti. These are the major forms of Shakti. With the broader distinction, the Navaratri also celebrates the Nine forms of Goddess Durga. This is also called as Navadurga's.

1- Shailaputri - The daughter of Himavan the mountain King. She is worshiped on the first night of Navaratri. 

2- Bhramacharini - This is the form of Maa when she had not got married. She had done great austerity to get Shiva. She had form of Devi Yogini or Devi Tapaswini. She is the means to get enlightenment. 

3- Chandraghanta - This is the form of Maa who wears a half moon or semi circular moon on her head in the form of bell. She is worshiped to get peace, tranquility and prosperity in life. She is the apostle of bravery.

4- Kushumanda - She derives her name from Ku - meaning little , ushum - meaning warmth and anda - meaning cosmic egg. She is the creator of universe.

5- Skanda Mata - The mother of Skanda or Kartikeya. She was chosen by gods as the commander on chief against demons. She holds Skanda in one hand and rides a lion.

6- Katayini - She is the daughter of Kata one sage who performed great austerity to have Durga Maa as his daughter.

7- Kaalratri - She is dark complexion and is ferocious. Her gesture to protection assures us freedom from all evils. She is also called Subhankari or one who does good.

8- Maha Gauri - She is worshiped on eighth day. As a result of her worship, one gets liberated from sins of past, present and future. Devotees get purified in all aspects of life. Maha Gauri is intelligent, peaceful and calm. Because of great austerities in deep forests of Himalaya, she had developed a dark complexion. When Lord Shiva washed her, she regained her own beauty. She is very fair and wears white clothes.She rides a bull and is 16 yr old unmarried Parvati.

9- Siddhihartri - She is worshiped on the ninth day of Navaratri, she has supernatural power of healing.She blesses all her devotees, gods, tantrics etc. She was worshiped by Lord Shiva to attain the form of Lord Ardhanariswara.

During Navaratri Goddess Durga is also worshipped in the Mahavidya forms. The 10 Mahavidya's are the various wisdom goddess forms of Goddess Kali. The temples in eastern India, decorate Mother Goddess in these forms during Navaratri. These Mahavidya forms of Maa are listed below,

1- Kali - The ultimate form of Bhramha, The devoured of time. 

2- Tara - She is the protector and offers ultimate knowledge.

3- Lalita - Tripurasundari - The Goddess who is the most beautiful in all three worlds. She is the tantric Parvati.

4- Bhuvaneswari - The Mother whose body is the cosmos.

5- Bhairavi - The fierce goddess. 

6 - Chinnamasta - The self-decapitated goddess.

7- Dhumavati - The widow goddess or the goddess of death.

8- Bagalamukhi - The goddess who paralyzes the enemy.

9- Matangi - The goddess of wisdom or the tantric Saraswati.

10- Kamala - The lotus goddess of wealth, or the tantric Lakshmi.

The slaying of Mahishasura the buffalo demon by the Mother Divine, symbolizes the victory of Wisdom over the hard lethargic muddy dark tendencies of the consciousness. After the nine nights of Navaratri, the tenth day is called Vijayadashami - the day of victory. Victory of Light over Darkness, of Knowledge over ignorance.Laugh, Sing, Dance and Meditate through this very special time of the year. Do a bit of fasting and then a lot of feasting. Emerge out of the cocoon of the night like the radiant sun creating a bright new day, a brilliant new life.

In eastern part of India, the Goddess in form of Mahisasura Mardini is worshiped in Pandals and in Gujurat and Andhra Pradesh, she is worshiped in form of Maa Ambika. May Maa Durga bless you all with intelligence, health and prosperity.

  

Overcome the tendency to worry

Hi Readers,

After a long gap, I am again back with my views. Today, I feel little restless, like most of my usual days. Though, people who stay close to me or well connected with me, might not feel this,however, I myself feel restless most of the time. Something in my mind always creeps in tension. Most of the time, it is useless worry of future, of my life's progress, about my achievements if any.

In midst of all this I sometime feel I am aimless. Or as though I lack a perfect aim to run after. My mind plays games of deciding what could be the future like. What would be my priorities after a year or probably couple of year. Will I be able to fulfill all my duties satisfactorily? Hush.... so many to list out...

Are you also like me, do you think like me... Do you worry like me? I just read a post from a very popular spiritual writer Swami Kriyananda. The title of his article is " Overcome the tendency to worry". Flow with the life, let life decide for you. True, life can by itself decide for us, but in this competitive world, is it really valuable to just flow with life. Will it be a productive year if we let life decide upon us? I am still confused, though the article he wrote was beautifully explained. It was apt for people who worry in spite of achieving a lot.

However, I am still confused. I do not really understand why I am so much confused. When I think about the blessings, I have got many, unlike most of the poor and underprivileged people, I am born with much more, I am blessed to be a part of well cultured and loving family of mine. I got the privilege to study in good institutions and have so many loving and supportive friends. I have so much, still my mind is sometimes not in control of me. I sometimees worry for things that might never happen to me, or probably I could deal with such things more easily when it comes to me.

Worry is a state of mind, in Hinduism this is attributed to one form of Adishakti (Shakti cult). Adishakti has two forms, Vidya and Avidhya. Vidya gives us wisdom and helps us to control our mind. Where as Avidhya is ignorance which leads to attachment and there by making us more worried.

Is this my attachment to the people I love, to things I am attached that I worry so much of loosing them one day. Loosing loved ones, friends and family member is definitely a big lose which can never be recovered with any other material object. However, God has made time, which heals these painful things, not exactly heals but makes us strong enough day by day to bear that unbearable pain in heart.To lead a life without without these precious people without whom we can never think of our future.

I wonder why God created so many complex things, why human mind has aggregated to these complexities of life. Sometimes, less is really good, less worry, less needs and less tension...

Handmade birthday card

Hi Readers, 

I am sharing with you the card I made for my Mom on her birthday. I liked this card because of its simplicity.

I used two card stock one in grayish green and another with tiny flowers to make the base of card. I tried the circular pattern over it. I made it with brown and pastel color card stock to make a batch like image. I have given the edge of both the circles a spark of glitter. 

I have then made the three tier cake with three candles as the batch image. I added a puffy sticker from Disney series to decorate it. Additionally, I have added a tag technique to write "Happy Birthday Mom".

In the above and below image you can see the tiny Rhine stones that I have placed in a circular pattern.

In the above picture you can see the multi-color stones that I have added to give a different look.Below is the image of tag that I have made with brown and orange card stock. I have added a thread with a tiny tag to it. The word "Mom" is written with my handmade card stock that I painted with red and white colors.

In the below picture, I have used the same three tier cake with three candles to decorate the inside paper of card.

In another side of inside paper I have made a three tier gift with card stock papers.

I have also written the same line" Happy birthday Mom" in below image.

Thanks for stopping by my blog, please leave your feedback in the below comment section.

Thanks

My creativity with handmade cards

Hi Readers,

I am sharing a handmade card that I have recently made for my brother on his birthday. Now, the email and e-cards have replaced the cards that we used to share when young. However, the charm of getting a solid card over e-card is more. I thought and finally put my hands on to make a card for my brother. I used 4 different card stocks, ribbon, acrylic glitter colours, packaging material, Rhine stones, craft punch to make this card. Have a look at the front page below.

I divided the card into four major division. In one I made a three tier cake, in another I pasted a puffy sticker. In the third one I wrote Happy Birthday with acrylic glitter and in the fourth one I made a three tier gift box and wrote my brother's nick name.

Take a closer look at the first division, where I made a three tier cake with marker, acrylic glitter and small Rhine stones to decorate the cake. This gives a good birthday cake image to the card making it more birthday oriented.

The second quadrant is decorated with a puffy sticker and few tiny Rhine stones.

In the fourth quadrant, I made a gift box stock with packaging material and paper strap.

I have decorated the edges with acrylic glitter and Rhine stones at the base of my brother's name.

Now comes the inside page of card. Here I used a string with few flags saying CELEBRATION. Below is the bigger image of the three tier cake and down the right hand corner is same replica of three tier gift boxes. In the left hand corner there are few punch flowers and maple leaf.

Take a close look at the 3 tier cake with 3 candles in the below picture.

Take a closer look at the string with flags.

Below is the three gift boxes tied with ribbon.

Lastly, the punched flowers and leaf on display.