One of the most beautiful Hindu proverbs is about adversity. It goes like this: “There isn’t a tree in the world that the wind hasn’t shaken.” It’s such a beautiful metaphor that reminds you that no one can escape adversity. It’s completely unavoidable.

Bad times are like a wind that shakes the branches and tests their stability. What really stands out in this message is the fact that it doesn’t matter what kind of life you live, you’ll always be vulnerable to its attacks. But you shouldn’t see them as strange or unusual, because adversity is just part of life.

The topic of internal peace is one of the most common topics in Hindu proverbs. All its religions and philosophies talk a lot about this balanced state where you become calm, and come to a place of peace with yourself and the world.

That’s why there’s a Hindu proverb that goes: “A peaceful heart sees a celebration in any village.” What it means is that it all starts from within. If your spirit is peaceful, you’ll look at the outside world with a positive perspective. In the same way, internal wars will make you see everything much darker.

Here’s what one Hindu proverb says about reading: “It is always good for the ignorant to read books. It is even better when they retain what they have read. It is better still when they have understood it. But it is best when they do all those things, and put their hands  to work.”

This time the message is about giving an equal importance to learning and taking action based on your knowledge. It sets up a scale that starts with reading. Then it moves on to internalizing what you’ve read. And it finally ends with taking action based on what you now know.

Most of these philosophies line up in a similar place. They all talk about solidarity and brotherliness as the supreme values. These are the values that make us into one race dealing with the same hardships, with the same destiny.

That’s why there’s one Hindu proverbs that goes: “Trees refuse no one their shade, not even the woodcutter.” It’s a poetic way of saying that this task of helping people even includes the people who’ve hurt you.

There aren’t many easy pathways to happiness. But there’s no doubt that one path is to do noble things for other people. There’s a Hindu proverb that has this same message. It says: “True happiness consists of making other people happy.”

Other people’s happiness always play a part in personal happiness. It’s much easier to feel good about life and the world when the people around you are happy. No one who wants to harm other people can ever really achieve it, either.

Everything in life is linked together. Things happen because there’s something that leads them to happen. But most of us tend to see all these different parts of life as isolated incidents. There are so many times when we don’t notice that we’re just reaping what we’re sowing.

There’s also a Hindu proverb that makes a reference to this. “The good you did yesterday will bring you happiness when you wake.” This is about the idea that being good to other people will bring you personal happiness.

The personal and universal aren’t exclusive concepts. They’re always deeply linked. They have a mutual influence on each other, and you can’t pull them apart. That’s why there are always so many personal elements in universal things. Of course, personal things are also their own universe.

That’s exactly what one Hindu proverb says. “God too hides himself in the ocean within a drop of water.” You shouldn’t take the word “God” literally in this quote. What it’s really talking about is a “higher power,” not a specific god.

In the end, all these Hindu proverbs have two things in common: beauty and depth. Hindu culture also shows itself off in a ton of different ways, as you can see in these fascinating statements that can help magnify your spirit.

God has been conceived as either personal or impersonal. In theism, God is the creator and sustainer of the universe, while in deism, God is the creator, but not the sustainer, of the universe. In pantheism, God is the universe itself.

Brahma is the first god in the Hindu triumvirate, or trimurti. The triumvirate consists of three gods who are responsible for the creation, upkeep and destruction of the world.

“God made you a masterpiece – be blessed, secure, disciplined and equipped.” – Joel Osteen

Hinduism dies if untouchability lives, and untouchability has to die if Hinduism is to live.     - Mahatma Gandhi

“When the solution is simple, God is answering.” – Albert Einstein

The greatest contentment comes from devotion alone and not from it's rewards, therefore one who has this devotion seeks nothing else.      - Lord Krishna

“Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you.” – Saint Augustine

“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade the presence of God. The world is crowded with Him. He walks everywhere incognito.” – C.S. Lewis

“God has given us two hands, one to receive with and the other to give with.” – Billy Graham

The three essentials of Hinduism are belief in God, in the Vedas as revelation, in the doctrine of Karma and transmigration.      - Swami Vivekananda

The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results.  - Lord Krishna

You are what you believe in. You become that which you believe you can become. - Bhagavad Gita

 “God will never give you anything you can’t handle, so don’t stress.” – Kelly Clarkson

 “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God’s gift, that’s why we call it the present.” – Joan Rivers

The essence of Hinduism is the same essence of all true religions: Bhakti or pure love for God and genuine compassion for all beings.  - Radhanath Swami

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say ‘thank you?” – William Arthur Ward

Affirm divine calmness and peace, and send out only thoughts of love and goodwill if you want to live in peace and harmony. Never get angry, for anger poisons your system. -  Paramahansa Yogananda

The ultimate goal of human life is to transcend culture and personality to the unconditioned pure being. But the means to do this is through our culture and way of life.  - David Frawley

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” – Reinhold Niebuhr

“Every man’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.” – Hans Christian Andersen

“Being human means you will make mistakes. And you will make mistakes, because failure is God’s way of moving you in another direction.” – Oprah Winfrey

 “Krishna taught in the Bhadavad Gita: ‘karmanyeva-adhikaraste ma phalesu kadachana’, which means, ‘Be active, never be inactive, and don’t react to the outcome of the work.”  ― Anonymous, Buddhist Scriptures

“Every day is a gift from God. There’s no guarantee of tomorrow, so that tells me to see the good in this day to make the most of it.” – Joel Osteen

India is the meeting place of the religions and among these Hinduism alone is by itself a vast and complex thing, not so much a religion as a great diversified and yet subtly unified mass of spiritual thought, realization and aspiration.   - Sri Aurobindo

Hinduism at its best has spoken the only relevant truth about the way to self-realization in the full sense of the word.      - Count Hermann Keyserling

“Faith is about trusting God when you have unanswered questions.” – Joel Osteen

 “You are a spiritual being with a human experience.”   ― His Divine Holiness Sri Nithyananda Paramashivam

“I believe that whatever comes at a particular time is a blessing from God.” – A. R. Rahman

“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” – Corrie Ten Boom

“Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God.” – Martin Luther

Hinduism the perennial philosophy that is at the core of all religions.      - Aldous Huxley

Here an attempt is made to explain suffering: the outcaste of traditional Hinduism is held to deserve his fetched fate; it is a punishment for the wrongs he did in a previous life.      - Walter Kaufmann

He alone sees truly who sees the Lord the same in every creature seeing the same Lord everywhere, he does not harm himself or others.      - Lord Krishna

“The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays.” – Soren Kierkegaard

“Our prayers should be for blessings in general, for God knows best what is good for us.” – Socrates

 “Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realization and can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness is certainly a person eligible for liberation.”   ― A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, The Bhagavad-gita

“Through hard work, perseverance and a faith in God, you can live your dreams.” – Ben Carson

“I will thank God for the day and the moment I have.” – Jim Valvano

“Look for God, suggests my Guru. Look for God like a man with his head on fire looks for water.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

“Let us never forget to pray. God lives. He is near. He is real. He is not only aware of us but cares for us. He is our Father. He is accessible to all who will seek Him.” – Gordon B. Hinckley

“God sleeps in the minerals, awakens in plants, walks in animals, and thinks in man.” – Arthur Young

“God gives us relatives; thank God, we can choose our friends.” – Addison Mizner

Gradually the curious villagers started offering food to the man, but he never asked anything from them. Sometimes he shared his food with the animals. Soon the young fakir, as he was started to be addressed, started expressing his view points with few elderly villagers. His simple language of expression and his special power of solving the problems of poor needy and destitutes soon made this less known fakir, known as Shri Sai Baba. As the days passed, devotees started streaming into Shirdi in ever growing numbers. The village was fast becoming a centre of pilgrimage. As gifts and presentations flowed in, the pomp and ceremony of Sai worship were evolving. Everyday Sai Baba would be a pauper having distributed all among the needy and the poor. But Sai Baba's life of a Fakir remained calm, undisturbed, unaltered and therein is the saint's Spiritual glory.

People also realized that this "Baba" was no ordinary person but a person with extraordinary godly powers. Such powers are not known or present in normal human beings. Baba preached his principle of love and faith in humanity to all his disciples. He always felt anguished over the fact that all those who came to him were more for their own personal problems and not for attaining the ultimate goal of reaching God which he felt could be attained only by true servicing of humanity.

Sai baba strongly believed in uniformity of religion and he never distinguished anyone on the basis of caste, creed or religion. He always made it a point not to return empty handed those who had come to him in their hour of need and grief. He performed miracles to alleviate the suffering of poor people. On one occasion he restored the eyes of a blind elderly and in another occasion he lighted a lantern with water when there was no oil to burn it.

As all good things have to end ultimately "Baba" also left his body on his own will on 15th Oct. 1918, leaving his millions of believers and followers crying. His body was laid in the Samadhi Mandir called "Booty", which he had asked his disciple to built before his death.

Sai Baba was Unique, in that, he lived his message through the Essence of his Being. His life and relationship with the common man was his teaching. The lmmense Energy that was manifest in the body of Sai was moving and is still moving in a mysterious way, creating and recreating itself everywhere, beyond the comprehension of time and space.Yet, he lived with the common folk as a penniless fakir, wearing a torn kafni, sleeping over a mat while resting his head on a brick, begging for his food. He radiated a mysterious smile and a deep inward look, of a peace that passeth all understanding. He was always and ever aware of what transpired within the hearts and minds of everyone, whether they be, His devotees or not. This Omnipresent and Omniscient Sri Sai Baba who left his mortal body in 1918, is the living spiritual force that is drawing people from all walks of life, from all parts of the world, into his fold, today.Sri Sai Baba lived, acted and behaved as only a "God descended on Earth" can. He came to serve mankind, to free them from the clutches of fear.

His most concise message for one and all alike was "Why fear when I am here". To take refuge in Sai, is to enter into ajourney to reach the Divine Oasis of Love and drink deep from the Fountain of Life, the source of all Spiritual Energy.Wherever the devotee is, Baba makes him recognize within himself his highest aspirations and goal and at one stroke, his conduct and the attitude to fellow beings is touched with the awareness of love, understanding, patience and faith. This is the promise that Sri Sai Baba holds out to all who come to Him. Sri Sai Baba was beyond the limitations of Time and Space and thus caste, creed, position dogmas and doctrines were fundamentally unimportant to him. Nobody really knew his parentage, where he came from or which religion he practised. He claimed no possessions nor accepted any disciples or gave any specific teaching.

This anonymity lent a strange facet to his interaction with the people who came to him for guidance. To the Hindus he was an orthodox Brahmin, with a sacred fire, enjoining the worship of many gods and the devout study of various Hindu scriptures. He lived in a mosque but always referred to it as "Dwarkamay!" (Lord Krishna's birth place is Dwaraka). To the Moslems he was a fakir living in a mosque observing the disciplines of Islam, uttering "Allah Malik" (God is the master) guiding Muslim seekers along the lines c)f their own religion. To the Parsis he was the sacred rire worshipper. His life was a living manifestation c)f the Sermon of the Christ and of the Eight-fold path of the Buddha.

Sai Baba's attraction and appeal lie in this fact that he was a perfect model of the harmony of all religions, for whom this world - with all its sectarian and religious antagonism, had been waiting. Sai Baba lived to awaken and lead mankind to the varities of spiritual life. He set in motion a wave of spirituality, which is now spreading all over the globe. All his life's activities constituted the upliftment of mankind. By first conferring temporal benefits, he drew unto himself countless souls caught up in ignorance (darkness) and opened their eyes to the true meaning of life. The miracles which manifested through Sai Baba were just such as were needed to create faith in the people and to make his devotees ethically and spiritually better evolved. Baba did not purposefully perform miracles to show his powers. The very strength of his perfect realisation, in its interaction with nature, caused "the miracle" to take place. Thus he drew people from their deluded pursuits after earthly objects of a transitory nature and induced and inspired them to strive for self-realisation. He continued this glorious work until the last moment of his human embodiment in Shirdi.

Amazingly, there are a phenomenally large number of Instances in which Sai Baba has been literally physically appearing before his devotees, even decades after his passing out of the physical body.Sai Baba is constantly and simultaneously proving that he Is alive in spirit and responds to our sincere prayers. He Is the One Spirit of all existence. which is God in all the forms of God, in all the saints, in all the men and in all the creatures.All those who sincerely take to a life of inner development, Sai Baba lifts him to a higher level. Every one derives benefit according to the ripeness o f his soul and in accordance with his inner yearning.Baba assured his devotees by his saying "I am at Shirdi and everywhere. Whatever you do, wherever you may be, ever bear this in mind, that I am always aware of everything". Sai Baba does not belong to any single tradition but to all mankind on the path of goodness, love and understanding.

Vishnu is a Hindu god, the Supreme God of Vaishnavism (one of the three principal denominations of Hinduism) and one of the three supreme deities (Trimurti) of Hinduism. He is also known as Narayana and Hari. As one of the five primary forms of God in the Smarta tradition, he is conceived as “the Preserver or the Protector” within the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the divinity.

Vishnu is one of the most important gods in the Hindu pantheon and, along with Brahma and Shiva, is considered a member of the holy trinity (trimurti) of Hinduism. He is the most important god of Vaishnavism, the largest Hindu sect. Indeed, to illustrate Vishnu’s superior status, Brahma is, in some accounts, considered to have been born from a lotus flower which grew from Vishnu’s naval. A complex character, Vishnu is the Preserver and guardian of men (Narayana), he protects the order of things (dharma) and, when necessary, he appears on earth in various incarnations or avatars to fight demons and fierce creatures and so maintain cosmic harmony.

Vishnu represents Sattvaguna and is the centripetal force as it were, responsible for sustenance, protection and maintenance of the created universe.

Etymologically speaking, the word ‘Vishnu’ means ‘one who pervades, one who has entered into everything.’ So he is the transcendent as well the immanent reality of the universe. He is the inner cause and power by which things exist.

Matsya is said to be the avatar that rescued the first man, as well as other creatures of the earth, from a great flood. Matsya is sometimes depicted as a great fish or as a human torso connected to the tail of a fish. 

Matsya is said to have forewarned man about the coming flood and ordered him to preserve all the grains and living creatures in a boat. This story is similar to many deluge myths found in other cultures.

Kurma (or Koorma) is the tortoise incarnation that relates to the myth of churning the ocean to obtain treasures dissolved in the ocean of milk. In this myth, Vishnu took the form of a tortoise upon which to support the churning stick on his back.

 The Kurma avatar of Vishnu is usually seen in a mixed human-animal form.

Varaha is the boar that raised the earth from the bottom of the sea after the demon Hiranyaksha dragged it to the bottom of the sea. After a battle of 1,000 years, Varaha raised the earth out of the water with his tusks. 

Varaha is depicted as either a full boar form or as a boar head on a human body.

As the legend goes, the demon Hiranyakashipiu obtained a boon from Brahma that he could not be killed or harmed by any means. Now arrogant in his security, Hiranyakshipiu began to cause trouble both in heaven and on earth. 

However, his son Prahlada was devoted to Vishnu. One day, when the demon challenged Prahlada, Vishnu emerged in the form of a man-lion known as Narasimha to slay the demon.

In the Rig Veda, Vamana (the dwarf) appears when the demon king Bali ruled the universe and the gods lost their power. One day, Vamana visited the court of Bali and begged for as much land as he could cover in three steps. Laughing at the dwarf, Bali granted the wish. 

The dwarf then assumed the form of a giant. He took the whole earth with the first step and the entire middle world with the second step. With the third step, Vamana sent Bali down to rule the underworld.

In his form as Parasurama, Vishnu appears as a priest (Brahman) who comes to the world to kill bad kings and protect humanity from danger. He appears in the form of a man carrying an ax, sometimes referred to as Rama with an ax. 

In the original story, Parasurama appeared to restore Hindu social order which had become corrupted by the arrogant Kshatriya caste.

Lord Rama is the seventh avatar of Vishnu and a major deity of Hinduism. He is considered supreme in some traditions. He is the central figure of the ancient Hindu epic "Ramayana" and is known as King of Ayodhya, the city believed to be Rama's birthplace.

According to the Ramayana, Rama’s father was King Dasaratha and his mother was Queen Kausalya. Rama was born at the end of the Second Age, sent by the gods to do battle with the multi-headed demon Ravana.

Rama is often depicted with blue skin, standing with a bow and arrow.

Lord Krishna (the divine statesman) is the eighth avatar of Vishnu and is one of the most widely revered deities in Hinduism. He was a cowherd (sometimes depicted as a charioteer or statesman) who shrewdly changed rules.

According to legend, the famous poem, the Bhagavad Gita, is spoken by Krishna to Arjuna on the battlefield. 

Krishna is depicted in a variety of forms because there are so many stories surrounding him. The most common story describes Krishna as a divine lover who plays the flute; he is also described in his child form. In paintings, Krishna often has blue skin and wears a crown of peacock feathers with a yellow loincloth.

Balarama is said to be the elder brother of Krishna. It is believed that he engaged in many adventures alongside his brother. Balarama is rarely worshiped independently, but stories always focus on his prodigious strength.

In visual representations, he is usually shown with pale skin in contrast to Krishna's blue skin.

In a number of versions of the mythology, Lord Buddha is thought to be the ninth incarnation. However, this was an addition that came after the dasavatara was already established.

Kalki (meaning “eternity” or "mighty warrior") is the last incarnation of Vishnu. He is not expected to appear until the end of Kali Yuga, the current time period. Kalki will come, it is believed, to rid the world of oppression by unrighteous rulers. It is said that he will appear riding a white horse and carrying a fiery sword.

 Narmada Shivling  - नर्मदा शिवलिंग

It is a smooth ellipsoid stone. Banalinga is also called the Svayambhu Linga: (Sanskrit) "Self-existent mark or sign of God", as it is discovered in nature and not carved or crafted by human hands. 

 The Narmada Shivling are quite strong and the hardness is a 7 on the Mohs scale.

Narmada Stone are Swayambhu Shiva Lingas that have taken shape in the Sacred Narmada River. Sri Shiva Banalingams Blessings at your own home, healing place, meditation space, work place, Business Place, Corporate Houses. Narmada Lingam will bring and maintain peace and harmony. The Narmada Shivling is a most sacred symbol and divine energy tool, Enhanced Positive energy will be invoked in theplace where there is Banalingam of NarmadhaShiv Linga is holy symbol of Lord Shiva that is considered sacred by the devotees of Lord Shiva.'Lingum'in Sanskrit means, 'symbol'. Shiva Linga, therefore means symbol of Lord Shiva and is therefore considered most sacred.

Sati (Dakshayani) was the youngest daughter of Daksha, the chief of the gods. When Sati grew up she set her heart on Shiva, worshipping him in secret. In the Swayamvara of Sati, Daksha invited all gods and princes except Shiva. Sati cast her wreath into air, calling upon Shiva to receive the garland; and behold him stood in midst of the court with the wreath about his neck. Daksha had no choice but to marry Sati with Shiva. One day Daksha made arrangements for a great horse sacrifice, and invited all the gods omitting only Shiva. Sati, being greatly humiliated, went to the banquet and Sati released the inward consuming fire and fell dead at Daksha's feet. When Shiva heard this news, he burned with anger, and tore from his head a lock of hair, glowing with energy, and cast upon the earth. Vīrabhadra sprang from it, his tall body reached the high heavens, he was dark as the clouds, he had a thousand arms, three burning eyes, and fiery hair; he wore a garland of skulls and carried terrible weapons. Vīrabhadra bowed at Shiva's feet and asked his will. Shiva directed Vīrabhadra: "Lead my army against Daksha and destroy his sacrifice; fear not the Brahmanas, for thou art a portion of my very self". On this direction of Shiva, Vīrabhadra appeared with Shiva's ganas in the midst of Daksha's assembly like a storm wind and broke the sacrificial vessels, polluted the offerings, insulted the priests and finally cut off Daksha's head, trampled on Indra, broke the staff of Yama, scattered the gods on every side.Local folklore says, that in order to protect the souls, Shiva created Muneeswara. He possessed seven qualities, and based on them he was called as Shivamuni, Mahamuni, Thavamuni, Naathamuni, Jadamuni, Dharammamuni, Pandi Muni, Eswara Muni, Vazhamuni.

The Life of Hanuman, Peter Marchand, http://www.sanatansociety.org/indian_epics_and_stories/the_life_of_hanuman.htm

The Mystery of Hanuman - Inspiring Tales from Art and Mythology Nitin Kumar, 2004. http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/hanuman/

Hanuman. Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanuman

In fact, there are numerous contemporary sects including Christian sects that either worship or treat the serpent as an important positive symbol.

      In some mystical traditions, the rising serpent is symbolic of rising kundalini energy. Rising kundalini energy is a Spiritual awakening that can bring forth healing, empowerment, knowledge and wisdom. The rising serpent has nothing to do with a reptile or animal. Rather, it is symbolic because the rising energy would appear as a serpent wrapped around and ascending a staff. Activated kundalini energy and the power that accompanies it does not make a person more ethical or moral. Rather, choices are always there and it is the responsibility of the individual to use all of their power of all kinds wisely and compassionately.

      It seems obvious that ancient priests and wise men must have had access to knowledge about Spiritual awakening, kundalini energy, what it means and how it works. Those who didn't have access to the information or were incapable of understanding it, may have been tempted to worship the symbols rather than the substance of this ancient knowledge. Thus, a distortion was introduced and serpent worship and serpent cults came into existence.

      The Christian Bible contains several references to serpents, or to creatures often interpreted as serpents, using different Hebrew terms. The most common term is "nahash". It is found at least 30 times in the Old Testament, and means "to make a hissing sound," as well as a "venomous reptile with deadly fangs." Another term is "tannin", which can also be translated "monster", "dragon", "sea serpent", or "crocodile" and can mean any large sea creature or reptile. It is sometimes translated as "serpent" and sometimes as "sea-monster" and, at other times, it is apparently ignored. "Saraph" is another term that is translated to mean "fiery serpents". The point here is that translating from one language to another and from one cultural context to another, especially across thousands of years of time and without loosing the meaning and intent of the original authors is very challenging.