The Jai Jais Blog

Bhoomi Devi is our Sacred Goddess Mother Earth. She is the mother of every life that has ever taken birth from her and has lived upon her. Bhoomi Devi is a combination of two words namely 'bhoomi' and 'devi'. Bhoomi refers to earth and Devi refers to Goddess in, thus Bhoomi Devi is Earth Goddess. Bhoomi Devi is the consort of God Varaha, who is the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Devi Bhoomi is depicted as a beautiful shapely Goddess adorned with a lot of jewellery. She sits on a lotus, wearing a heavy crown and many jewellery around her neck, hands and feet. She sits there calmly with a smile on her face.

Conch shell is a significant instrument in Hinduism. The conch shell is known as the 'Shankha' in Sanskrit. It is a symbol of purity, brilliance and auspiciousness. In Hinduism, the sound from the conch is associated with the sacred syllable 'Om' which is believed to be the first sound of creation. The Shankha or conch marks the beginning of any good work. The sound of the conch is believed to the purest form of sound which ushers in freshness and new hope.

The word 'Shankha' literally means pacifying the inauspicious and impure. Therefore the conch shell is blown at the beginning of any religious ritual in Hinduism.

The most ancient sacred texts of the Hindu religion are written in Sanskrit and called the Vedas.

Hinduism does not just have one sacred book but several scriptures. The Vedas scriptures guide Hindus in their daily life. They also help to preserve the religious dimensions of family and society. Hindus have developed their system of worship and beliefs from the scriptures.

There are two main categories of the Hindu scriptures:

Shruti-"That which is heard", consists of the four Vedas and Upanishads scriptures.

Smriti-"That which is remembered", composed of traditional texts, including the Dharma Shastras (legal and ethical texts), the Puranas, and the folk/historical legends known as the Mahabharata and Ramayana. Let's find out more The Jai Jais way.