Ganesha - God of New Beginnings, Success and Wisdom Lord Ganesha is one of the most popular Gods in our Hindu culture. He is known to be the destroyer of obstacles and devotees worship him at the onset of any important work. He is one of the most distinctive Gods with an elephant head and a human body. Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati and is the brother of Kartikeya and Ashok Sundari. He is also the God of prosperity and fortune. There are several stories in regards to his birth. In...

Lord Krishna is considered to be the most important avatar of Lord Vishnu. He is the 8th incarnation of Vishnu who lived on Earth during the bronze age (Dwapar Yuga). Krishna is known to be the Supreme most being and the father of this Universe. He is the greatest among all the other Gods according to Vaishnava traditions. The mere utterance of his name brings divine joy and ecstasy to his devotees. He is not only worshipped in India but has a huge devotee base in the West as well. Lord...

Vamana was the 1st human avatar of Lord Vishnu who incarnated himself as a brahmin boy to end the rule of the great demon Mahabali. Bali was the grandson of Prahalad,  who was one of the biggest Vishnu devotees. Lord Vishnu had saved Prahalad from his father Hirankashyap in his Narasimha avatar. Bali like his grandfather was a Vishnu devotee as well. However, the mighty ruler of Patal Lok , Bali had become greedy for more power and wanted to rule all the three worlds (Heaven, Earth, and the...

Goddess Durga is one of the most important deities in Hindu philosophy. She is the central deity in Shaktism and is considered to be the ultimate Brahman or reality. Durga means impossible to defeat. She is the fierce form of Adi Parashakti who is the slayer of demons. Though she personifies the divine feminine, she is endowed with all weapons of the male deities. She is the divine Shakti or force and the ultimate protector of this Universe. She is also known as the Goddess of war and has...

Bhimshankara Jyotirlinga is among the 12 powerful jyotirlingas where Lord Shiva manifested himself physically. This shrine is located in the state of Maharashtra and is one of the most popular and sacred places of Hindu devotees. There are 2 stories attached to the origin of this place. Let us hear both of them. Long ago there lived a demon named Bhima. He was the son of demon Kumbhakaran (Ravana's brother) and Karkati. They lived in the forests of Dakini. When Bhima was young he was unaware...

 Earth has been an abode for humans and several other thousand species inhabiting on this sacred planet. We all know that Earth is a moving entity revolving around the Sun. Not only in India but all across the world she is considered to be a massive super organism with an individuality of her own. If we compare the human anatomy and the Earth's structure, we will find a remarkable similarity. Even scientists from the past have not shied from stating Earth as a living entity. In Indian...

The word chakra in Sanskrit means wheel. Chakra is a well-known concept in the world of spirituality. They are the most important components of our energy bodies. The human body is made of the physical body, mental body, and subtle body.  The physical body is made of flesh and bones and the one we can see and feel. The mental body is the mind and deals with our thoughts and emotions which can felt but not seen. The third body is the subtle body or the energy body. The energy body deals with...

The three worlds of the Gods, Demons, and Humans are pervaded by Lord Shiva in the form of sacred lingams. However, the main Jyotirlingas on Earth are 12 where Shiva appeared by manifesting himself into a physical form and decided to stay there until eternity to bless the world. Ghusmeshwara Jyotirlinga in the state of Maharashtra is one of them. This Jyotirlinga is one of the most powerful and sacred places in our country and known to attract a lot of devotees throughout the year. Let us...

Lord Shiva in Indian culture is worshipped in various forms. Just like Kaali is the fiercest form of Parvati, Kala Bhairava is the most fearful manifestation of Shiva. In certain subsects of Hinduism, he is equaled to the entire Universe and the most important deity in the Tantric sect. Kala Bhairava is considered to be the ultimate judge for souls and even Yama cannot interfere in his decisions. Kala Bhairava has a pitch-black complexion with protruding teeth. He is seen with a black dog who...

"Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devoo Maheshwara, Guru Sakshat Parambrahma, Tasmaye Shree Guruve Namah!!!" On the occasion of Guru Purnima, Mysticadii team wishes you all a very prosperous Guru Purnima. May this day help you with the awakening and realization of your true self. Guru in India refers to a guide or a teacher who guides a person through the darkness and provides us with knowledge and wisdom.  A Guru-disciple relation is one of the most important relations we serve in our...

Well not many of us know that Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati also had a daughter by the name of Ashok Sundari. Most of us only know of their sons, Ganesh, and Kartikeya. Ashok Sundari was the 2nd child born after Kartikeya.  Kartikeya left Kailash and moved down south to fight demonic forces there. After his departure, Parvati started feeling very lonely and missed having her child around. One day she asked Shiva to take her to the most beautiful garden. Shiva took Parvati to Nandanvan....

Kubera is the Indian god of wealth. He is known to be the richest god and is the possessor of all the money, gold, minerals of the world. In India, we consider Lakshmi to the goddess of wealth however Lakshmi is the goddess of overall fortune and prosperity in one's life. There are different stories on how Kubera achieved the status of God. Some scripts say he was a thief in his previous life and with the grace of Shiva he became the god of wealth while other scripts suggest he was the...

We all have heard about the famous Cupid and how he makes two people fall in love with each other with his love-struck arrows. The Universe for the propagation of future generations has its way of bringing people from the opposite gender close to each other. Their love and attraction for each other results in the birth of their offsprings which in turn keeps different species of Earth alive. Hence this is one of the most important activities prevailing on Earth which keeps the world going...

Ancient India is a treasure box filled with beautiful tales of people from every age. It is indeed the richest contributor to literature for the whole world. These enchanting stories take us to a world unknown to all of us. The greatest books like Ramayana and Mahabharata is a compilation of several short stories. Today we are going to hear of one such beautiful tale from the book of Mahabharata. This is the story of Shakuntala and Dushyant who were the ancestors of Pandavas and...

In Hindu philosophy different Gods and Goddesses are assigned different universal responsibilities. The different elements of nature like wind, fire, earth, water, sky, etc. are governed by different deities. These deities held Supreme authority during...

Time Travel – A myth or reality? We all have watched movies taking us to the future like the Time Machine. In movies like Interstellar we have seen concepts of time dilation and relativity. The movie shows how time is running differently in different...

We all must have observed priests uttering the word Swaha at the end of each mantra. Whenever there is a Yagna performed, it is considered to be incomplete without saying Swaha in the end.  During a Yagna, various Gods are invoked by offering food and...

The Supreme power and the God of yogis and also a passionate lover of his spouse. He is the ultimate Man and his consort Shakti is the ultimate Woman. Shiva is Shakti and Shakti is Shiva!! Their love story marks the origin of creation and is the 1st...

Narayan Narayan!!Rishi Narad is a well-known sage in Hindu philosophy. Narad Muni is considered to be the chief leader of all sages and saints known to live on planet Earth. He is also known as 1st journalist to live on planet Earth. Rishi Narad is one...

Nandi The path to God starts and ends with devotion. There is nothing more powerful in this world than being devoted to something. Devotion means you completely surrender yourself to that person or cause or community. Devotion to God or the Supreme Lord...

Mohini - the divine enchantress and the only female avatar of Lord Vishnu!!! As the legend goes Samudra Manthan is one of the most important stories narrated in Bhagvat Purana and Vishnu Purana. Lord Indra ( God of the Heaven) had been cursed by sage...