The Jai Jais Blog

The mystical moon, the circle of hope, light and power. The moon is a symbol, universally representing the rhythm of time as it embodies the cycle. The phases of the moon symbolise immortality and eternity, enlightenment. 

It is the harvest festival celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu lunar month of Ashvin. Sharad Purnima marks the end of monsoon. Devotees observe fast on Kojagiri Purnima and break the fast at the end of the day by eating Kheer, which is offered to the moon-god. According to the Puranas, Goddess Lakshmi takes the rounds of Earth to watch the actions of human beings. 

With Diwali round the corner I couldn’t help turning to the epic love story of ancient Hindu Legend, “The Ramayana”.  Again a beautiful love story of the fight of good over evil. The stories of Rama and Sita are famous throughout the world and their tales are told in the Ramayana. Rama and Sita are husband and wife. Sita is kidnapped by the demon king Ravan and Rama goes to rescue her. They have many adventures and troubles along the way. In the end, Rama and Sita are reunited.

So how did Rama meet Sita?... Here is an extract from the Jai Jais Legends Series “ The Ramayana”, Page 9-10.  Find out more in our blog.

On 24^th October 2020, Hindus will be celebrating its most popular festivals- Durga Ashtmi and Maha Navmi pooja. Usually, Maha Navami pooja is celebrated on the next day of Durga Ashtami. However, this year, the two festivals are occurring on the same day. “Ashtami” and “Navmi” mean the eighth and the ninth day of Navratri that is dedicated to Goddess Durga.

How Is It Celebrated?

‘Maha Navmi’ pooja is considered to hold so much value that the worship on this day is equivalent to all the nine days of  ‘Navratri’. Traditionally every state in India has different and unique ways to celebrate the festival but what remains common is the worship of the mighty Goddess Durga.

Arti, (Hindi “the ceremony of lights”) Sanskrit “Aratrika”, in Hindu rituals is the offering of lighted divas before an image of a god or goddesses. In performing the ritual the worshiper circles the diva in a clockwise direction while chanting a prayer or singing a hymn. Aarti is one of the most frequently observed parts of both temple and home pooja. The god or goddess is honoured by the lighted ghee (clarified butter) or camphor and is protected by the invocation of the deities of the directions of the compass. 

Believe it or not our little Tortoise also has roots and symbolism in Hinduism. Kurma (Sanskrit: कूर्म; Kūrma, 'turtle', 'tortoise'), also known as 'KurmaRaja' ('Tortoise King') is the second avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, the preserver god in the Hindu Trimurthi (trinity). He appeared in the Satya Yuga as a giant tortoise to save the earth from destruction. His enormous back was said to have provided a foundation for the mythical Mount Mandara, which was used by the gods (and demons) as a churning rod to stir the milk-ocean thereby obtaining the purported nectar of immortality.

We have been so lucky with ‘The Jai Jais’ that our paths have crossed with the wonderful Sagarbhai Shukla, Hindu priest, Wembley.

His understanding of Hinduism and scriptures make it so relatable to the modern generation. We have been so blessed to spend time with him, and understand how our generation, and our children can continue to maintain and grow our cultural and religious roots.

He explains so well the reason behind certain poojas, vrats and festivals and you will see his wisdom in our joint blogs. 🙏🏼