Steam Bath……

Steam Bath,,,,,,,,,,,,,
A lot of people know that steam rooms give a lot of benefits and advantages. The most common and obvious reason is to relieve tension buildup and various forms of stress.
Steam bath will definitely give people a soothing and relaxing effect most especially after a hard day’s work.
It does not only relax your muscles but most importantly it will keep your emotional mood more stable and happy.
Various ailments such as arthritis, muscle pains and the like can be relieved because of its warm effect to the body.
Old people will surely benefit from this since joint pains and other body pains can be relieved.
It can also help reduce weight for those who are fat and in need of losing fats.
Steam rooms due to its heat effect make you sweat a lot thus your body will eventually release toxins and other negative energies.
It will also regulate and stimulate the flow of your blood and make your metabolism works faster.
It also makes your skin looks fresh, young looking and truly healthy.
It can give you a lot of self-confidence due to the good effects it will cause to your personal appearance

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“8 SLICES OF PIZZA TAUGHT ME A LESSON”

“8 SLICES OF PIZZA TAUGHT ME A LESSON”

**MUST READ : 8 SLICES OF PIZZA**

Wife: Don’t put so many clothes for wash today.

Husband: Why ?

She said : Maid has said she won’t come for two days.

Husband :Why ?

Wife : She said she is going to meet her grand daughter during Ganpati festival.

Husband : OK, Will not put too many clothes.

Wife: And, Shall I give her Rs. 500 for Ganpati? Festival bonus?

Husband: Why? Diwali is approaching, we will give her at that time.

Wife: Oh no dear. She is poor. Going to meet her daughter and grand daughter, so she will also feel nice. Moreover, everything has become so expensive these days. How will she able to celebrate festival?

Husband : You ! I don’t know why you become emotional so easily.

Wife : Oh dear, don’t worry. I am going to cancel today’s program of ordering Pizza. Why unnecessarily blow away Rs. 500 on eight pieces of stale bread.

Husband : Wow. Great. Snatching Pizza from us and giving to the maid !

Maid returned after three days and got busy in mopping and dusting.

Husband asked her.. So, how was the vacation ?
Maid : Very nice sahib.. Didi had given Rs. 500 .. festival bonus.

Husband : So you went and met your daughter ? and also met your grand daughter ?

Maid: yes sahib. Enjoyed a lot and spent Rs 500 in two days time.

Husband : Really ? Ok so what did you do with Rs. 500?

Maid : Rs. 150 for dress for grand daughter, Rs 40 for a doll, bought sweets worth Rs 50 for daughter, Rs 50 as offering to Deity in temple, Rs 60 towards bus fare, Rs 25 for bangles for daughter, bought a nice belt worth Rs 50 for son-in-law, balance Rs 75 gave to daughter to buy copy and pencil for grand daughter. Maid gave a full account of the expenses incurred.

Husband : So much in Rs 500?

With surprise, he started thinking. The eight pieces of Pizza appeared in front of his eyes and each one of them acted as a hammer started pricking his consciousness. For the price of one Pizza, he started comparing the expenses his maid had incurred during her visit to her daughter.

The eight pieces of Pizza floated in front of his eyes.

First piece … dress for the child
Second piece … towards sweets..
Third piece … towards offering to the deity in the temple.
Fourth piece … towards bus fare.
Fifth piece … towards doll.
Sixth piece … towards bangles,
Seventh piece… towards belt for the son-in-law.
Eighth piece… towards copy and pencil.

So far he had observed pizza only from one angle. He turned it upside down and observe how it looks like from the other side but today his maid showed him the other side of the pizza. The eight pieces of pizza showed him the real meaning of life and the meaning of “Spending for life” or “Life for spending”.

Think about it.

“Spreading Happiness”

Ganesh Chaturthi Celebration At Home-How To Celebrate Vinayagar Chaturthi

I wanted to make a post on How to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi at home during last year itself.So I had clicked all the pictures of our pooja procedures/Vidhanam and kept in draft.This year 2015,let me start my Vinayagar Chaturthi celebration with this post.Ganesha Chaturthi also known as ‘Vinayak Chaturthi’ or ‘Vinayaka Chavithi’ is celebrated by Hindus all around the world as the birthday of Lord Ganesha.It is observed during the Hindu month of Bhadra in Hindi /Avani in Tamil (mid-August to mid-September).This year,it falls on September-17th,Thursday.Ganesha is the Lord who is first worshipped before any holy occasion or puja.He is revered as the preserver of all good things and prevents Vigna (meaning obstruction/bad omen). His motto is Shubh-Laabh (good prospect and good prosperity).Generally Ganesh Chaturthi preparations commence from almost a month before the festival. The celebrations last for around ten days (from Bhadrapad Shudh Chaturthi to Ananta Chaturdashi).On the 11th day, the idol is taken through the streets in a procession & immersed in a river or the sea symbolizing a ritual see-off of the Lord in his journey towards his abode in Kailash while taking away with him the misfortunes of all the people.
At home,Ganesha pooja starts from installing a clay idol of Lord Ganesha. Various dishes are cooked for offering/Neivedyam (bhog).Although there are a large number of sweets offered to Lord Ganesha during the pooja, Modak is known to be the lord`s favorite sweet and is therefore one of the main dishes made on this day. Other dishes include Karanji, laddu, barfi, peda,vada,sundal and appam. The idol is given a bath(Abhishekam) with scented water and then decorated with flowers. Jyoti is lit and then the aarti begins.People read Ganesh Chaturthi story after pooja. Various bhajans and mantras are chanted at this time. It is believed that chanting the mantras with complete devotion brings life to the idol. It is also believed that during this period, Ganesha visits the home of his devotees and bring prosperity and good fortune with him. He removes all the obstacles that you experience on the spiritual path.Along with Ganesha, Gouri idol is also placed in South Indian families and worshipped. Gouri Vrata is performed as “Mangala Gauri” by women for good life and prosperity.

Source: Hinduism.org & Yahoo.com

Ingredients list for pooja & neivedyam

For Abhishekam & Pooja

• Ganesh idol
• Flowers
• Milk
• Curd
• Honey
• Tender coconut water
• Water
• Rice flour
• Sesame oil
• Turmeric powder
• Shikakai powder
• Kumkum,Sandal paste
• Panchamirtham (Curd based delicacy consisting of Panch(5) items: Milk, Sugar, Ghee (clarified butter), Honey, Bananas)  Some items are not shown in pic.

For Decoration & pooja

• Vastram for Ganesha ( New blouse bit or dhoti cloth)
• ArugamPul (Bermuda grass (English). Arugampul (Tamil). Dhub (Hindi). Durva (Sanskrit). Karuka (Malayalam). Garikagoddi (Telugu). Garikoihallu (Kannada))
• Vellerukku Malai ( refer the above picture)
• Flowers
• Kumkum & Sandal powder
• Incense stick
• Camphor
• Sesame oil & ghee for lamp
• Fruits,coconut,betel leaves & betel nut for offering
• Banana leaf
• Turmeric powder for manjal pillayar

For Neivedyam recipes

• Coconut
• Jaggery
• Chana dal/Moong dal
• Sugar
• Besan
• Urad dal
• Green chillies,ginger,salt ( for pooran)
• Raw rice for payasam
• Urad dal for vada
• Wheat flour,banana & jaggery for appam
• Sesame seeds for ellu urundai

On the previous day morning, make pooran and laddu( if making).Store in a box.On that day night,wash all the lamps,put the thread,oil & keep it ready for pooja.Soak chana for sundal & urad dal for vada.Generally we do the neivedyam around 11-12 in the mid morning or during the auspicious time of chaturthi day.Usually it happens in the afternoon.So we do the lunch recipes,vada,kozhukattai & sundal on chaturthi morning.Start cooking around 8 am in the morning.You can finish everything by 11am.If you keep the pooran ready,u can make 21 kozhukattai in 30-45 minutes.In that 45 minutes,u can pressure cook dal for sambar.Inside the cooker,keep a tiffin box with the chopped vegetables for poriyal or kootu.Prepare the rice in another cooker.By this time,u can make kozhukattai and steam it.Make Dal, sambar, poriyal,pachadi and keep them ready for neivedyam.

Before starting abhishekam,draw the Rangoli using rice flour paste( Maakolam) in the entrance and the place where you are going to do the pooja.

 

Benefits of Abhishekam

PANCHAGAVYAM – Removes all sins of mankind

PANCHAMRUTHAM – Gives wealth

GHEE- Gives Moksha state

MILK – Gives long life

CURD – Gives Good Children

HONEY – Melodious voice

RICE POWDER – Frees from debts

SUGAR CANE JUICE – Gives good health and removes enmity

LIME JUICE – Removes fear of death

TENDER COCONUT JUICE – Gives enjoyment and full satisfaction in life

SANDAL PASTE – Gives Lakshmi’s Grace

SUGAR – Removes enmity

Abhishekam should be done by the elders of the family.
But in our house,my daughter sits with my husband and do the abhishekam :)Take all the abhishekham items in a plate as shown in the picture.Keep a bowl full of water.Keep some flowers in a plate.Keep an incense stick and a camphor ready.Take a wide plate ( thambaalam). Keep a wooden plank inside it and keep the Ganesh idol.Start the abhishekam by putting some flowers and few drops of water. Before doing abhishekam,keep this mind.Ganesh idol should not fall down during abhishekam.So do not pour more water and touch the idol carefully with support.First do the sesame oil abhishekam,then apply shikakai powder.Wash it well by adding water.Then apply turmeric powder.Light the incense stick and show the dhoop & dheep.Mix rice flour in water and do the abhishekam.Then comes milk, lemon juice, tender coconut water, curd, panchamirtham followed by honey.Collect the panchamirtham with honey in a plate.Pour some water and then continue with sandal paste,Kumkum and lastly viboodhi abhishekam.Finish the abhishekam with little milk.Show the dheepam.Pour water and start to decorate the Ganesh.Collect all the abhishekam water in the wide plate and pour in tulsi plant or under some trees. Put a poonool/Oru piri nool(single thread) from left to right keeping Ganesha facing towards you.Then wear a new cloth for the idol. Decorate with Vellerukku malai, arugampul malai and flowers.( If you are using homemade clay Ganesha,pour water and other abhishekam items only in spoons else Ganesha will dissolve in water).After abhishekam & decoration,start doing the pooja.

You can chant this Ganesha Gayathri mantram while doing Abhishekam.

“Om Tatpurushaya Vidmahe Vakratundaya dheemahi, Tanno Danti Prachodayat”

 

How to do pooja

Take the decorated Ganesh and place it over peeta/Wooden plank.Light the lamp on the sides of Ganesha.Keep a small turmeric Ganesha( made of turmeric powder mixed with little water) nearby the idol.Keep kumkum & flowers.Place a plate with 5 types of fruits,coconut,betel leaves & nuts in front of the God.

In another plate or banana leaf,spread the nevideyam recipes.Kozhukattai varieties comes to the left side of Ganesha.Rice and other items has to be kept in the usual order.Refer picture for the idea.Keep payasam and aval.pori kadalai/Puffed rice with peanuts in small bowls.Chant Ganesha ashtothram and do the archanai.Then show the dhoop & dheep.Finally do the mangala aarti.Finish the pooja.

On Chaturthi evening,make wheat flour appam and do the neivedyam.The next day morning,you can keep idli for neivedyam or simply fruits would do.On afternoon,keep dal & rice with ghee for neivedyam.Continue this neivedyam till Ganesha stays in your house.The next day or the third day,take the ganesha idol along with flowers & vastram,some puffed rice,jaggery and fried gram dal(Do not remove anything from idol) and put it in water.Let the Ganesh idol dissolve  in water and take away all the misfortunes of people.

Disclaimer : I have shared the procedures based on our tradition.Please take the as a reference,consult the elders of your family and do the pooja as per your practice.Beginners can follow this if you don’t have any specific procedure at home.

Hope you find this post useful.Wish you all a very happy Ganesh Chaturthi !

Thanks for visiting this page!!

By Chitra Ganapathy