Vidyarambham: The Labyrinth Within

Harishree Ganapataye Namaha! Vidyarambham begins! On this auspicious day of Vidyarambham, Malayalis honour this timeless tradition of invoking Goddess Saraswati's blessings. Worldwide, this day is honoured by Malayalis as a day of learning.

[Image: Pipop Kunachon on Pexels.com]

And so, Vidyarambham begins today!

[Watch on YouTube: All About Navaratri and Vidyarambham]

Let our young ones write and read as much as they can.

Support and encourage them in every way you can.

[Image: Yan Krukov on Pexels.com]

On Vidyaramabham, we celebrate the foundation of educational excellence and character formation.

As a mother, I used to sit down and make my toddler write 'Harishree Ganapataye Namah' in a plate of rice grains garnished with a hint of turmeric and kumkum. He used to wriggle out of my lap at times and sometimes, I would hold his tiny fingers in mine and still nudge him to write these words that didn't really mean anything to him at the time as he was still a toddler.

Over the years, I began to make him follow this tradition, with more consciousness every Vidyarambham - sometimes at home or at the temple nearby. As a mother, I believe that these timeless traditions invoke the blessings and kripa of Maa Saraswati. Her gaze and grace fills young minds as we teach our children to invoke the Divine Mother's blessings with sincerity.

As I revisit the imaginative, innocent teenage years through my son's poetry, I feel grateful to Maa Saraswati for blessing us with love for poetry and words. Truly, it is Her blessings and grace alone that my son writes the way he does.

Only parents with Bhakti in their hearts will understand what I am conveying here.

As my Guru often said, "Regard your heart as a radio receiver. Your concentration is the tuning device. You will experience the Divine when you tune your heart properly. This calls for firm, unwavering concentration."

[Let's Connect on Facebook]

Ever wondered what poems make you smile? And what poems make you cry?

Written by Jyotiraditya Sanand, 'The Labyrinth Within' is a poetic exploration of the teenage years.

Where friendships, betrayals and deep hurt collide with one another.

Having penned these poems as a teenager, the young poet (confession: yes, he is my son!) bares his heart and shares what it means to grapple with this phase.

Every poem is a window into a teenager's tumultous experience of real life and high school campus memories and more.

Every word dives into the emotional turbulence and the choices that define a teenager's journey ahead into adulthood.

{Image: Tushar Mahajan on Unsplash.com]

Revisit the teenage years—playful, vibrant and laden with bittersweet memories of a lifetime which remain evergreen in our hearts.

Dive into the gateway of teen emotions—bold, fearless and raw.

Buy your copy from Amazon now and leave a review

Buy your copy now from BlueRose Publishers

Get your copy now.

Comments

Most LOVED Posts

Best time to light diya

Want to know when is the best time to light diya or deepam at home? In most Hindu homes, 'deepam' or 'diya' is lit at least twice - once in the morning and then in the evening. For both times, brass is considered to be auspicious for lighting deepam or lamp at home. Clay diyas are also considered auspicious for lighting at home. When lighting diyas on Fridays, it is better to use ghee than oil, if possible. [ Connect with Svara on Facebook ] [Read: Vidyarambham - The Labyrinth Within] When Should I Start Lighting Diyas? The symbolic shift begins from darkess to light. Therefore, in the evenings, light diya before sunset to usher in divine blessings into your home. At what time should we light diya today? Every morning at sunrise and every evening before or at sunset. An ideal time would be to light the diya at least half an hour before sunset. Can we light diya after 12 PM? In Hindu homes, the diya is lit early morning at around sunrise and towards evening sunset. Can ...

The Ugly Truth about Caste in Kerala

Many years ago, when I wrote this post on Kerala's caste system, I had not considered that people would start sending in abusive comments about one caste over the other. It baffles me that this is how Indians, all of us, continue to judge each other on account of caste differences. [ READ: Guru Kripa: Powerful Lessons at the Lotus Feet ] My question is - why do you ABUSE any caste or community? I suggest that you read about the lives of great Masters and their stories - none of them judged anyone on the basis of caste. You can read the life stories of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagawadpada, Tulsidas, Jnaneshwar, Namadev, Sri Aurobindo, Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Paramahansa Yogananda, Shirdi Sai Baba, and many more Gurus in Sanathana Dharma. NONE of them endorse these caste hierarchies in Bhakti Marga. Assuming that Guru Sampradaya does not appeal to your sensibilities, do read this new book 'Ants among Elephants' written by Sujatha Gidla, who writes about herself as being bor...

Does something bad happen if the diya goes off?

Is it bad if a diya goes off? This is a frequently asked question among people who light the evening lamp or diya regularly in their puja room. [READ: How To Light Deepam at Home and Why Malayalis Light Nilavilaku ] [Image by Sachin Yadav @ Pixabay] Why Did My Lamp Suddenly Turn Off? Where there is faith, there should be no scope for fear - this is Bhagawan Krishna's message to Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. That represents strength of Bhakti. [READ: Bhakti: Meera's Greatest Wealth] Consider another example in the tradition of Bhakti. When Prahlada, a young lad, is targeted by his own father, he remains calm under every situation. When he is thrown into the sea, the wise lad is reminded that the sea is the abode of Shriman Narayana. [ READ: Amazing Stories of Lord Shiva ] H...

How do you light Deepam at home?

How do you light deepam at home? As a child, I loved watching the ritual of my grandmother lighting the deepam or the traditional lamp at home in the evenings. A sense of serenity accompanied her frail figure as she would carefully straighten every wick, dip it into the tiny puddle of oil and light the lamp. [ Let's Connect on Facebook ] As my grandmother would read out the scriptures and chant the prayers, the fragrance of incense sticks and flowers added depth to the experience. In many Hindu homes nowadays, the lighting of the lamp (or the nilavilakku, as Malayalis refer to the traditional lamp in their homes) is not a regular practice. A lot of people have many questions around how to light deepam at home and which oil to use and so on. An important point to keep in mind - Maintain physical cleanliness and hygiene while lighting the lamp. Wear clean clothes while lighting the lamp. The most essential factor is unwavering focus and concentration when you light the lamp every eve...

What is the story of Shivaji? The great son of a great mother called Jijabai

Chhatrapati Shivaji, the great Maratha warrior whose guerrilla warfare tactics are fleetingly mentioned in Indian history textbooks, is increasingly relevant today. A Hindi movie 'Tanhaji' starring Ajay Devgn and Kajol got many of us curious to know more about this warrior. Sadly, we don't seem to have much information in our history textbooks! [ READ: Significance of Surya Argya and How do you Light Deepam? ] Source: Anjali Natarajan on Twitter Shivaji Maharaj: The Great Son of a Great Mother Jijabai The more I read about Shivaji Maharaj, the more fascinated I am. I wondered why we have learned so little about this great warrior and his great mother Jijabai, and why public memory has been totally erased from most history books! As a mother, I have always been fascinated by how some of India's greatest and most revered men and women are individuals who were deeply influenced at an early age by their mothers. Bharat is a country that belongs to...

Petals!

Search This Blog