The Jai Jais Blog

We make so many offering to the gods, rice, flowers, food and adorn them with Kunku and Chandan. Chandan is the yellow powder we use in Puja… but why do we offer Chandan to our deities?

When ever I perform my Puja at home, we always offer flowers.  Recently my mum had told me to offer Lord Ganesh a red flower.  That got me thinking… we know there are certain things we do when we make offering to different gods and goddesses, for example putting Tulsi leaves in offerings for Lord Vishnu.  I wanted to find out a bit more about flowers, why do we offer flowers and are there certain flowers we offer certain deities.

One of the most significant parts of the nine days is the Aarti. Aarti, (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. 

The Avatars, basically, refers to the descending order from simple life form to more complex life forms. It can be seen as the reflection of the modern Darwinian theory of evolution, that is, the most sophisticated life as a human has been evolved through a long process of development of life. Avatars, to some extent, support the Darwinian theory of evolution. Our ancestors taught us about evolution, which The Jai Jais share in our Dashavatars in a form simple and easily understandable stories. They are symmetrical to Darwin’s theory of evolution. This shows that Indian Rishis and Sages, no less than modern day scientists, were aware of the theory of evolution of life, some people say much before Charles Darwin introduced it to the world.

According to Hindu traditions, the Namkaran ceremony is usually performed within a few weeks of the baby's birth. The eleventh or twelfth day after birth is considered the most favourable day for the ceremony. The first initial of the child’s name, which is considered to be auspicious is determine by reading the astrological signs at the time of birth. In the past, most names were either names of gods and goddesses or reflected important qualities, e.g. Shanti-meaning 'peace'. While many Hindus continue this tradition today, it is also becoming more popular in both the UK and urban India to invent a name or to use Western names.

The Sanskrit word for death, “dehanta,” means “the end of body” but not the end of life. One of the central points of Hindu philosophy is the distinction between a body and a soul. Hindus believe that the body is a temporary vessel for an immortal soul in the mortal realm. When we die, our physical body perishes but our soul lives on.

The soul continues its journey of birth, death and rebirth, until a final liberation. This is at the heart of the philosophy of detachment and learning to let go of desires.

Respect for family and ancestors is a pillar of Vedic culture the Hindu religion is filled with reverential worship and rituals to Gods Goddess and Ancestors; departed and loved ones. Most of these rituals are aimed to ease the journey of the person towards final salvation Moksha. The Hindu way of life covers concepts of life and the afterlife in one continuous and seamless process. Hinduism has unique and complex rituals related to last rites. Last rites rituals in Hinduism are almost same throughout the Indian sub-continent. It is called  Pind Daan, it is one of the most important Hindu rites. Pind Daan is considered as a way to salvation, performing Post death ceremony in Hindu family is considered a must to do obligation for every Hindu.

Throughout my journey with The Jai Jais, I seem to see the number 108 come up quite frequently, such as the mala beans having 108 beads, gods having 108 names, reciting mantras 108 times.  I wanted to find out more about the significance of this number…. The Jai Jais Way. The number 108 has always been a highly revered number for thousands of years, coveted by many spiritual traditions and given a special significance in meditation and prayer. Considered to be the most auspicious number of all…but why?

Most of us usually keep Ganesh murthis in our home without knowing exactly where and how to place it. To remove all obstacles from your life and attract wealth and good health, one should follow certain simple Vastu rules; especially, as Ganesh a Chaturthi 2021 is coming up on the 10^th September.

Ganesh Chaturthi is tomorrow, the much loved Hindu God.  I thought we would explore a few short stories about Ganesh…. The Jai Jais Way.

You might wonder why Ganesh is truly one of the most popular Hindu gods. Ganesh was actually given a boon (a wish) from another god. The boon granted him to be more revered and worshiped than even his father, and he would be the first god to be acknowledged when entering a temple.

Lord Ganesh, one of my favourite Gods.  We always pray to Ganesh when we embark on any new adventures.  The remover of obstacles.  Lord Ganesh's iconography is rich in symbolism, what he looks like what he holds each has a deeper meaning let's find out miore.

I always remember when I was a child starting my first day back at school on the table mum would have curds, ghee and sugar to wish us luck for the new term ahead. We would seek blessings from our parents touching their feet and do Jai Jai to Goddess Saraswati. Goddess Saraswati the goddess of learning, art, music, speech, wisdom and knowledge, but who is Goddess Saraswati? Let’s find out more… The Jai Jais Way.

Saraswati's name means 'elegant', 'flowing', and 'watery'. She is also known as Bharati-eloquence, Shatarupa-existence, Vedamata mother of the Vedas, Brahmi, Sarada, Vagisvari, and Putkari. As Vac, she is the goddess of speech. Saraswati first appears in the Rigveda and, in later religious texts.