Good Morning Happy Shivaratri
Have a nice day BSS Shivaratri Rituals Devotees of Lord Shiva observe the Shivaratri Festival by following the prescribed rituals with sincerity and devotion. All through the day, devotees abstain from eating food and break their fast only the next morning, after the nightlong worship. Ritual baths of Shivalinga in the numerous Shiva temples by Shiva worshipper, mainly women, is another significant feature of Shivratri customs and traditions. Devotees strongly believe that ritual worship of Lord Shiva on the auspicious day of Shivaratri absolves them of past sins and they are blessed with Moksha. Rituals Observed on a Shivaratri Morning As a tradition devotees wake up early in the morning of the Mahashivratri day and take a ritual sunrise bath, preferably in the holy waters of river Ganga. They also offer prayers to the Sun God, Vishnu and Shiva as a part of a purification rite observed on all-important Hindu festivals. After wearing fresh new clothes devotees visit the nearest Shiva Temple to give the customary bath to the Shivalinga. On a Shivratri day, Shiva temples are thronged by devotees, mainly women, who come to perform the traditional Shivalinga pooja and seek blessings from the god. At times there is so much rush in the temples that devotees have to wait for their turn to observe pooja. At their turn for worship, devotees circumambulate the Shivalinga, three or seven times, and then pour water over it. Some also pour milk. Sounds of bell and shouts of 'Shankarji ki Jai' or (Hail Shiva) reverberate in the temple premises. Ritual Bath of Shivalinga Following the rituals prescribed in the Shiva Purana, every three hours, Shivalingam is given a special bath with milk, yoghurt, honey, sandalwood paste and rose water. Puja, meditation and chanting of 'Om Namah Shivaya' accompany the ritual bath. Following the bath, vermilion paste is applied on the linga. Traditionally, leaves of a forest tree Aegle marmelos (bilwa, maredu, wood apple) are used for Shiva puja. Thereafter, Bilwa leaves, which have to be a stalk with three leaves, is kept on top of the Shivalinga. Ber or jujube fruit is a special offering to the god on this day. Beetle leaves are also offered by some. Some also offer bilwa leaves in the belief that the Goddess Lakshmi resides in them. Others believe it is offered for its cooling effects on the hot-tempered deity. Many devotees also decorate the linga with flowers and garlands and offer incense sticks and fruit. Significance of Puja Items * According to the Shiva Purana, there is a special significance of the six essential puja items used in the Shiva worship. * Bathing of Shivalinga with water, milk and honey and wood apple or bel leaves added to it, represents purification of the soul. * The vermilion paste applied on the linga after the ritual bath represents virtue. * Offering of fruits symbolizes longevity and gratification of desires. * Burning of incense sticks yields wealth. * The lighting of the lamp symbolizes attainment of knowledge. * Offering of betel leaves marks satisfaction with worldly pleasures. All-Night Shiva Worship Worship of Lord Shiva continues all through the night on Shivaratri Festival. Devotees stay awake all night and spend the night in Shiva temples in worship of Lord Shiva. Singing of hymns and verses in praise and devotion of Lord Shiva besides the intense chanting of Om Namah Shivay, the mantra that is said free people from all their sins, continue through the night on Shivaratri. Special worship of Shiva by priests continues through the nightlong prayer vigil. During this ritual worship, Lord Shiva is offered special food made from the fruits of the season, root vegetables and coconuts. Those observing the Shivaratri Fast <http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-fast.html> break their fast the next morning by consuming the prasad offered to Shiva. Shivaratri Recipes Check out this collection of traditional and delicious Shivaratri Recipes! Since many people observe fast on Mahashivratri, general recipes have been avoided in this section. In case you too have a special recipe for Shivratri do share it with us and help us enhance this site. List of Shivratri Recipes » Lauki ka halwa<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#laukihalwa> » Thandai <http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#thandai> » Cashew Nut Barfi (Kaju Katli)<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#cashew-nut-barfi> » Saboodana Kheer<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#saboodana-kheer> » Potato Pumpkin Pancakes<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#potato-pumpkin-pancakes> » Shivratri Raita<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#shivratri-raita> » Aloo Khichdi <http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#aloo-khichdi> » Aloo Tikki<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#aloo-tikki> » Green Gram Fry <http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#green-gram-fry> » Sweet Yam (Chakravelli)<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#sweet-yam> » Pachi Pulusu (Raw Rasam)<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#pachi-pulusu> » SagoSaboodana Khichdi<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#sagosaboodana> Thandai Ingredients(makes 8 glasses): 1 cup: Milk 1½ cups: Sugar 1/4 cup: Dried or fresh Rose petals (gulkand variety) 1½ litres: Water 1 tbsp: Almonds 1 tbsp: Kharbooj/Tarbooj seeds skinned (commercially available) (these are skinned dried seeds of watermelon and cantaloupes) 1 tsp: Peppercorns (whole) ½ tbsp: Khuskhus (poppy seeds) ½ tbsp: Saunf (aniseed) ½ tsp: Cardamom powder or 15 whole pods ½ tsp: Rose Water (optional) Method: 1. Soak sugar in ½ litre of the water used. Keep aside. 2. Wash clean all other dry ingredients, except cardamom if using powder. 3. Soak in 2 cups of remaining water. Keep aside. 4. Allow each soaked item to stand for at least 2 hours. 5. Grind all soaked ingredient (not sugar) to a very fine paste. 6. Use a stone grinder (manual or electric) if possible. 7. When the paste is very fine, mix remaining water. 8. Place a strong muslin strainer over a large deep vessel. Or tie a strong muslin cloth over rim of vessel and use to strain. 9. Press through muslin with back of palms, extracting the liquid into vessel. 10. Add remaining water, a little at a time to extract more. 11. Pour - back some of the extract and press, repress. 12. Repeat this process till the residue becomes dry and husk-like. 13. Add milk, sugar and rosewater to the extracted liquid. 14. If using cardamom powder mix it in with the milk. 15. Mix well. Chill for an hour or two before serving. Send Your Shivaratri Recipes <http://www.mahashivratri.org/send-shivaratri-recipes.html> Top<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#top> Cashew Nut Barfi (Kaju Katli) Ingredients: (makes 20 pieces) 200 ml: Milk 250 gms: Cashew nuts 250 gms: Sugar Silver foil for decoration (optional) Method: 1. Blend together cashews and milk very finely, in a blender. 2. Put the paste in a kadhai, add sugar and cook over low flame. Stir till the sugar dissolves and then bring to a boil. 3. Continue stirring over medium flame, till mixture collects together and becomes dough-like. 4. Remove from flame, cool enough a hit, roll on to a greased surface with a greased rolling pin to ¼ cm/1/8" thickness. 5. Cover with silver foil and cool. 6. Cut into diamond shaped pieces and transfer onto a serving dish. Tip: Those not allowed to eat fats may use singhara flour to dust pin, surface and dough while rolling. Saboodana Kheer Ingredients: 4 cups: Milk 1 tbsp: Sago granules 3/4 cup: Sugar 1/4 tsp: Cardamom powder 1 cup: Water Method: 1. Wash and drain sago, keep aside for 10 minutes. 2. When moisture is absorbed, loosen grains. 3. Heat water. Add sago, bring to a boil while stirring. 4. Reduce heat, simmer for 5-6 minutes, and add a tbsp. more water if required. 5. Add milk; bring back to a boil. 6. Simmer for 5 minutes. Add sugar, cardamom. 7. Stir occasionally, simmer till sago granule is cooked, but not mushy. 8. Check by pressing it between thumb and finger. It should flatten on pressing. 9. Serve hot, with nuts if desired. Top<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#top> Potato Pumpkin Pancakes Ingredients (makes 8-10 pancakes): 1 no: Large potato 1 big chunk Pumpkin 1 cup: Kootu flour 1/2 cup: Singhara flour 1/4 cup: Curd 2 no: Green chilies 1" piece: Ginger 1/2 cup: Coriander finely chopped Oil to shallow fry Salt to taste Method 1. Run ginger and chilies in a mixer to crush finely. 2. Grate potato and pumpkin into a bowl of cold salted water. 3. Take flours in a deep bowl. 4. Make a well in the centre. Put coriander. 5. Press out water from grated veggies completely. Add in centre, with chilli-ginger. 6. Add salt, mix everything into an even batter. 7. Add some water if required. 8. Batter must be thick enough to spread on nonstick pan. 9. Keep aside for 30 minutes. 10. Heat 1 tbsp. Oil. Add to batter and mix well. 11. Heat nonstick tava or flat pan. 12. Pour one ladle-full batter in centre. 13. Spread to form a pancake, thin as possible. 14. Allow cooking. Drizzle with some oil. 15. Roast further till crisp. 16. Serve hot with pumpkin chutney or coconut chutney. Variations: Pancakes can be varied widely, by adding toasted rajgiri, soaked granules of sago (sabudana), grated coconut etc. <http://www.mahashivratri.org/send-shivaratri-recipes.html> Top<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#top> Shivratri Raita Ingredients 1 cup: Fresh thick curd 1 no: Sweet potato, boiled, chopped 1 no: Potato, boiled, chopped 1 no: Cucumber, chopped 4-5 no: Waterchestnuts (singhara), boiled, peeled & chopped 1 tbsp: Coriander finely chopped 1 no: small Green Chili, finely chopped 1 tbsp: Roasted peanuts, whole 1/2 tsp: Cumin seed, powder 1/2 tsp: Cumin seeds, whole 1 tsp: Oil Sugar to taste Salt to taste Method: 1. Beat curd in a deep salad bowl. 2. Add cumin powder, salt, sugar, chili and mix well. 3. Add all prepared vegetables, peanuts and mix to blend well. 4. Chill well till required. Before Serving: 1. Heat oil in a small crucible, or tempering spoon. 2. Add cumin seeds; allow spluttering. 3. Pour sizzling tempering over raitha. 4. Garnish with chopped coriander. Note: To save time in chilling raitas, chilled prepared ingredients well ahead of time. Aloo Khichdi Ingredients: 1 cup: Samwat /Parsai ke chaawal (washed) 1 no: large Potato, diced small 1 tsp: Zeera 1 tiny piece: Cinnamon 2 no: Chhoti elaichi 2 no: Green Chilies, chopped finely 3 cups: Green coriander for garnishing 2 tbsp: Ghee/oil 2 tsp: Sendha namak (rock salt) 3 cups: Water Top<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#top> Method: 1. Heat ghee. Add zeera, elaichi and daalchini. 2. When slightly colored, add potato and rice. 3. Stir-fry till they look a bit fried. 4. Add chopped green chilies. 5. Add salt and water. Bring to a boil. 6. Lower the flame and simmer, covered, for about 15 minutes or till cooked through and the water is absorbed. 7. Serve hot garnished with hara dhania. Aloo Tikki Ingredients: (makes - 7 to 8 tikkis) 3 no: Large Potatoes, boiled, peeled, mashed coarsely 1/2 cup: Singhare ka atta (waterchestnut flour) 1 tbsp: Fresh coriander leaves, finely chopped 5 no: Green chilies, finely chopped 1/4 tsp: Black pepper powder 1/4 tsp: Kala namak (black salt) Oil to shallow fry Salt to taste Method: 1. Mix all ingredients (except oil) till smooth. 2. Knead into pliable dough. 3. Shape into 2" round thick flat patties (grease hands if it sticks). 4. Grease griddle with a little oil, heat. 5. Place patties; allow cooking on low flame till golden. 6. Flip and cook other side, drizzle more oil if required. 7. Serve hot with green chutney or peanut curd chutney. Tip: If you are on low cal diet, roast tikkis on nonstick tava, without using oil. Top<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#top> Green Gram Fry Ingredients (one cup): 1 cup: Green gram 3 cups: Water 1 chopped: Onion 5-6 tbsp: Oil 1 tbsp: Mustard seeds Red chilly: according to the requirement Salt: according to taste Top<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#top> Method: 1. Boil green gram till its properly cooked. 2. After boiling, keep it aside. 3. Take a pan. 4. Heat it and add oil. 5. When oil heats up, add mustard sees followed by onion and red chilly. 6. When its properly fried add the cooked gram. 7. Add salt for taste. Mix well with a little lime squeezed over it. Contributed by: Ramanibalu Sweet Yam (Chakravelli) Ingredients: 2: Sweet yam 1/4 cup: Jaggery 1/2 cup: Water 3-4: Elaichi/cardamom powder/seeds 2 tsp: Ghee Method: 1. Wash, peel and pressure cook sweet yam for 15 minutes or till it tenders. Then cut in cubes. 2. Take water in a kadai/pan and put jaggery in it. Keep stirring till jaggery melts down. 3. Now add yam in it and sprinkle the cardamom powder or the seeds. 4. Pour ghee and mix well. Remove from fire and after naivedya, eat and distribute. Contributed by: Indra Raj Pachi Pulusu (Raw Rasam) Ingredients: 50 gms: Tamarind 2 small: Onion 25 gms: Sesame seeds 5: Green chillies 1/2 bunch small: Coriander Salt: according to taste Top<http://www.mahashivratri.org/shivaratri-recipes.html#top> Method: 1. Soak tamarind in water for about an hour. 2. Roast sesame seeds on a plain frying pan until light brown (no oil). 3. Grind roasted sesame seeds into powder in a mixer (little water can be added if it doesn't get ground properly) 4. Chop onion and chillies finely and mix thoroughly in a bowl with powdered sesame and set it aside. 5. Extract juice from soaked tamarind. Throw away the tamarind pulp. 6. Mix extracted tamarind juice with the powder you have set aside in step 4. 7. Add chopped coriander. 8. Add salt according to taste. 9. Ready to serve with rice. Contributed by: Sanjay Anand SagoSaboodana Khichdi Ingredients: 2cup: Sago granules 1/2 cup: Groundnut roasted 6: Green chillies 1/4 cup: Oil Coriander finely chopped Turmeric powder Salt to taste Method: 1. Wash and drain sago/saboodana. Keep aside for one hour. 2. Grind roasted ground nuts, chillies with some salt. Donot add water and keep the powder aside. 3. Heat oil in a pan. 4. Mix groundnut and chilly powder with drained out sago. 5. Add this mixture in the heated pan. 6. Cook it at low fire for half an hour. Keep stirring. 7. Add chopped tomatoes and grated potatoes. 8. Add coriander leaves and serve hot with curd. Contributed by: Jaishree Lauki ka halwa Ingredients: 1/2 lit.-milk(fatty) 1/2 peeled -lauki 3/4cup-sugar 100 gms.-khoya 1 tsp.-elaichi powder 1 tbsp.-dry fruits(almonds,raisins,cahwes) Method: 1. Peel lauki & grate it with a grater. 2. Boil lauki in a pan in a very small quantity of water(1/2 cup), when it gets boiled drain whole water so that only soft boiled lauki is left. 3. Put milk in a large pan and boil for about 20 min.on medium flame, stir, then put the boiled lauki in the pan, mix well and let becomes semi solid(almost 20 min.), meanwhile grate khoya & mix in the pan. 4. Add sugar, mix till it dissolves. 5. Add dry fruits & elaichi powder. 6. It is ready to serve, it can be taken chilled as well as hot. The Gandhi Shoe<BLOCKED::http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/blogspot/inspirations/~3/526847386/gandhi-shoe.html> <BLOCKED::http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/I8dSzFlXdiRSOp4UGGnma_bolUE/a> Contributed by: kc.padmesh (Selfless compassion, generosity without strings) Mohandas [Mahatma] Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948), the great Indian statesman and spiritual leader is noted for his unusual humanity and selflessness, which this story epitomizes. Gandhi was boarding a train one day with a number of companions and followers, when his shoe fell from his foot and disappeared in the gap between the train and platform. Unable to retrieve it, he took off his other shoe and threw it down by the first. Responding to the puzzlement of his fellow travelers, Gandhi explained that a poor person who finds a single shoe is no better off - what's really helpful is finding a pair. DISCLAIMER: Notice : This e-mail and any attachments may contain information which is confidential to the addressee and may also be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient of this e-mail, you may not copy, forward, disclose or otherwise use it in any way whatsoever. 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