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RARE PHOTOS: Lakshmi - The Real Truth

Why Is Lord Vishnu Not Worshipped With Lakshmi on Diwali?

Every Diwali, millions of homes welcome Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha into their prayers. But have you ever wondered why Lord Vishnu, Lakshmi's husband, is not usually placed beside her in the main Diwali puja? And why is Ganesha given such an important place? The answer is connected to traditional…

MyLifeXP · 4h ago

Why Village Goddesses Were Never Absorbed Into the Brahminic Pantheon

Every village in Tamil Nadu knows Mariamman before it knows Lakshmi. Every lane in rural Bengal has a stone smeared with sindoor that no priest installed. These presences, Mariamman, Yellamma, Sitala, Bonbibi, Meldi, Khodiyar, Pochamma, sit at the edge of settlements, under old trees, inside termite mounds, on the boundary…

Times Life · 8h ago

What the 5 Days of Diwali Teach Us About Life

Diwali is known for glowing diyas, sweets, new purchases, and the joyful return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya. But the festival carries stories that go far beyond one homecoming. From the appearance of Goddess Lakshmi in the Samudra Manthan tradition to Lord Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill, each day is connected…

MyLifeXP · Oct 27

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The Ten Mahavidyas and the Widow Goddess Hindu Tradition Made Space For

The Dasa Mahavidyas did not emerge from a single scripture or a single moment. They crystallised across the Shakta Tantras, texts like the Mahabhagavata Purana and the Shakta Pramoda, as a deliberate grouping of ten forms of Adi Shakti, the primordial feminine force, each representing a distinct mode of reality…

Times Life · Oct 27

If Lord Ram Returned to Ayodhya, Why Worship Lakshmi?

Every Diwali, millions of people light diyas to celebrate Lord Ram’s return to Ayodhya. Yet, when the evening puja begins, families also worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha. Why do these deities share the spotlight on a festival associated with Ram’s homecoming? The answer reveals a deeper message about prosperity,…

MyLifeXP · Oct 26

Why Goddess Lakshmi Stays With Those Who Think Like Vishnu

Why do some people seem calm in relationships, confident in difficult situations and capable of building a stable life, while others constantly chase money, approval and attention? Hindu tradition offers an interesting way to think about this through the relationship between Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. Vishnu represents the force…

MyLifeXP · Oct 26

Kojagari Lokkhi Pujo: Bengal's Quiet Full Moon After Durga Puja

The trucks have taken the idols away. The generators are gone. Kolkata's lanes, which a week ago ran so thick with people you moved in a current rather than a crowd, now carry only the smell of marigold stems rotting in the gutters and the distant sound of someone sweeping.…

Times Life · Oct 25

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Kojagari: The Night Lakshmi Walks and Asks Who Is Awake

The full moon of Ashwin is the brightest of the year, and the tradition attached to it is stranger than most festival customs admit. On Kojagari Purnima, the instruction is simply to stay awake. But the reason the texts give is not discipline or austerity, it is that Lakshmi is…

Times Life · Oct 25

Dhanteras 2026 date November 6 or 7? When is Dhantrayodashi? Check confirmed date, shopping timings and shubh muhurat

Dhanteras 2026 date and time: Dhanteras 2026 will be celebrated on Friday, November 6, ahead of Diwali. The Trayodashi tithi begins at 10:30 am on November 6 and ends at 10:47 am on November 7. According to Drik Panchang, the Dhanteras puja muhurat in New Delhi is from 6:02 pm…

The Economic Times · Oct 24

Why Is Sharad Purnima Kheer Left Under Moonlight?

Why do people stay awake on Sharad Purnima, prepare kheer and leave it under the moonlight? Behind these familiar rituals lie stories of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Krishna and a night believed to be filled with divine blessings. Celebrated on the full moon night of the Hindu month of Ashwin, Sharad…

MyLifeXP · Oct 24

Dhanteras Is About More Than Money: The Forgotten Story of Lord Dhanvantari

Long before the festival became strongly associated with buying gold, Dhanteras was connected with Lord Dhanvantari, the divine physician and a symbol of health and healing. His appearance is traditionally linked to one of Hindu mythology’s most famous stories, the Samudra Manthan, or churning of the cosmic ocean.So, why is…

MyLifeXP · Oct 23

Why Two Puranas Name Different Goddesses to Kill Mahishasura

Most people know the story of Goddess Durga defeating Mahishasura after a fierce battle. But there is another detail that makes this ancient legend even more intriguing. Some Puranic accounts describe the emergence of a powerful goddess from the combined energies of the gods, while a version associated with the…

MyLifeXP · Oct 23

Does Goddess Lakshmi Really Visit Your Home on Diwali?

Diwali, also known as Deepawali, is one of the most celebrated festivals in Hinduism. Known as the festival of lights, it symbolizes the victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and hope over despair. Every year, families clean their homes, decorate entrances with rangoli, light earthen diyas, and perform…

MyLifeXP · Oct 23

Sharad Purnima 2026 Date: October 25 or 26? Check correct date, tithi timings, know when to worship Goddess Lakshmi and place kheer under moonlight

Sharad Purnima, falling on October 25, 2026, is a festival celebrated under the full moon of the Ashwin month. The day is marked by devotees honoring Goddess Lakshmi, preparing rice kheer, which is to be placed under the moonlight. Rituals include fasting, house cleaning, and performing Lakshmi Puja, with the…

The Economic Times · Oct 22

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Times Life · Oct 22

Why Lakshmi Is Worshipped by a Culture That Also Calls Wealth a Spiritual Danger

The same tradition that places gold coins at the feet of Lakshmi also gives us the Bhagavad Gita's warning in Chapter 2, Verse 62: that desire leads to attachment, attachment to anger, and anger to the destruction of the self. These are not two Hinduisms arguing with each other. They…

MyLifeXP · Oct 21

4 Wealth Secrets From Goddess Lakshmi Nobody Talks About

What if earning more money is not the real secret to prosperity? Hindu mythology offers a fascinating way to look at wealth through the divine family associated with Goddess Lakshmi. Her connection with Alakshmi, Saraswati, Jalandhara and Lord Vishnu reveals a deeper message about money, learning, greed and financial stability.…

MyLifeXP · Oct 18

Why Did Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva Become Anusuya's Sons?

What if the greatest protection in the Ramayana came not from a weapon, but from the power of penance? When Lord Rama, Goddess Sita, and Lakshmana were living in exile, they visited the hermitage of Sage Atri and Sati Anusuya. There, Anusuya offered Sita divine gifts that carried a deeper…

MyLifeXP · Oct 16

Why Is This Artwork Essential to Traditional Durga Puja?

During Durga Puja, most people focus on Maa Durga’s beautiful face, her weapons and the moment she defeats Mahishasura. But look just behind the idol, and you may discover another piece of art filled with stories, symbolism and centuries of tradition. Known as Chalchitra (also spelled Chandrachitra in some references),…

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Times Life · Oct 16

Nabapatrika: The Nine Plants Bengal Has Long Called Ganesha's Wife

A Banana Tree in a SariBefore the sun clears the Ganga on Mahasaptami, women carry a banana plant to the riverbank, bathe it in the water, wrap it in a white sari with a red border, and bring it back to the pandal to stand beside Ganesha. The crowd calls…

Times Life · Oct 15

Kanya Pujan and What Those Girls Are Worth the Other 364 Days

The Goddess Arrives in a Seven-Year-Old's Body She is seated on a wooden paat or a folded cloth, her feet placed in a brass thali of warm water and rose petals. A woman who might otherwise dismiss her as too loud, too demanding, too much, now bends to touch those…

Evening Standard · Oct 14

How London is celebrating Diwali 2026 with free events and 200 dancers

Londoners will be able to celebrate in the heart of the capital this month as Trafalgar Square prepares to host its annual Festival of Lights celebration

Times Life · Oct 14

Why Navratri Lasts Nine Nights and What That Number Is Actually Counting

Nine Is a Number With a JobThe number nine appears in Vedic thought as the terminal digit, the last before the cycle resets to ten, which in positional notation returns to one. Multiply any integer by nine and the digits of the product always sum back to nine: 9 x…

MyLifeXP · Oct 3

Why Is Lakshmi Always at Vishnu’s Feet? The Hidden Truth

Have you ever looked at an image of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi but never wondered why Lakshmi is often shown near Vishnu’s feet? At first glance, it may look like a simple act of devotion or service. But traditional Hindu symbolism gives this image a much deeper meaning. Vishnu…

MyLifeXP · Oct 1

3 Miraculous Births Nobody Talks About in Hindu Mythology

What if three of Hindu tradition’s most revered divine women share a mysterious connection in the way their stories describe their arrival on Earth? Maa Parvati, Maa Sita and Radha Rani are associated with divine feminine power in different Hindu traditions, but their birth stories are far from ordinary. One…

MyLifeXP · Oct 1

Why Are These 5 Gods Called Panchdev? The Hidden Truth

Have you ever wondered why five particular deities hold such an important place in Sanatan tradition? Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Adi Shakti and Surya Dev are often remembered together as Panchdev. At first, they may seem to represent completely different powers. But there is a deeper idea connecting…

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