The Indie Writers (Team Entity)

The traditional or orthodox Hindu rite of worship is called Pooja and ideally it should be conducted at least twice a day i.e. once in the morning and once in evening (as per the instructions given by Lord Shiva). The first Pooja was conducted by Shakti when she worshiped Shiva and in so doing the Goddess paved the way for all Hindus to worship and venerate the Gods. The morning Pooja is the most important, followed by the evening Pooja. However, if work commitments or health limitations prevent a person from attending two Poojas per day then it is best to attend or be part of at least one Pooja on a daily basis. The word Pooja itself comprises of two syllables, Poo means Joy and Ja means attain and the therefore Poojas are a means for all Hindus to attain joy and liberation. Poojas are divided into two types - Aanmatha Pooja and Parartha Pooja. The former is conducted for the benefit of the self-i.e. to attain spiritual or material rewards and the latter is conducted for t

The Goddess Tara first appeared during a battle between the devas and the asuras. The opposing forces are in constant conflict and in one of the many battles that raged between them, the asuras wrested control of the oceans from the presiding deity Varuna and poisoned the waters of the world. The people cried out in anguish and the devas heard their pleas. Indra himself ventured forth from his kingdom of heaven astride his war elephant, Airavata, to champion the human race. Indra however was defeated in the battle that ensued and his defeat posed a direct threat to the devas who were then forced to call upon the Hindu Trinity for help. In response to their pleas Shiva, the third God in the Hindu trinity descended from Mt. Kailash to save the world. The God with the matted dreadlocks consumed all the poisoned water and churned the water in his belly, separating the poison from the rest of the water. He then spat the clean water out to replenish the oceans. As a result of dr

According to the Bon faith Tonpa Shenrab was born approximately 18000 years ago in a land called Olmo Lungring. Legend has it that Olmo Lungring occupies one-third of the known world. The kingdom is described as an eight petaled lotus that sits beneath a sky that resembles a dharma wheel. There is a tall mountain with snow clad peaks, located in the middle of the kingdom, and at the base of the mountain there are four springs that flow into four sacred rivers that run concurrently in four different directions. Each spring bursts forth from four different rocks, each shaped like a different animal. The river Nara flows from a lion shaped rock and continues towards the east. The river Pakshu flows from a horse shaped rock and continues towards the north. The river Kyim-shang flows from a peacock shaped rock and surges to the west and the river Sindhu flows from an elephant shaped rock and journeys to the south. Tonpa Shenrab was the son of King Thodkar and therefore a prince by bir

Copyright © 2019 by Dyarne Ward and Kathiresan Ramachanderam

With the advent of the Christian church and post the Renaissance Period of the 16th century the “spirit” edge of the older religions had been blunted by a cultural revolution dictated by modern philosophies and the codification of preexisting myths into a comprehensive form of literature leading to a general dismissal of the spirit world as nonexistent or the product of a society that has not yet reached the pinnacle of its evolution. Often however it is the rituals and practices of these “lesser evolved communities” that provides an answer when none other exists and it only stands to reason that when there is no other scientific or medical explanation available, the answer lies in the field of the occult. Occult practitioners and black magicians continue to earn a reasonable living preying on the calamities that befall others and isolated schools continue to exist for the astute pupil who is unable to afford the inflated cost of a college education. These schools provide a means t

Copyright © 2019 by Kathiresan Ramachanderam

Sikhandini is an intriguing character that appears in the Mahabharata. She was the reincarnation of Amba, one of the three daughters of the King of Kasi that were spirited away by Bhisma just after a Swayamvara (a test of strength held to find a suitable husband for a bride, usually a princess), and the route or the path that she took to gain her revenge is interesting, to say the least.   Bhisma by spiriting away Amba, had caused her to be spurned by the person that she had set her heart on, the Prince of Saubala, Salva, and a distraught Amba, pleaded with Bhisma to reunite her with the person that she loved most, and despite Bhisma’s attempts to do so, Salva wouldn’t have her back. She then asked Bhisma to marry her but he could not do so because he had taken the vow of celibacy. Her unrequited love eventually turned to anger, and an angry Amba sought her revenge by first looking for suitable warriors to take on Bhisma but no warrior was brave enough to test his mettle against th