Dasa Mahavidyas or the 10 Goddesses of wisdom

Hindu Mythology: The 10 Mahavidyas or the goddesses of wisdom are believed to be aspects of Devi in Hinduism. These goddesses are believed to cover the entire range of feminine divinity, from beauty to ugliness. They are - Kali, Tara, Tripura Sundari, Bhuvaneshwari, Bhairavi, Chhinnamasta, Dhumavati, Bagalamukhi, Matangi and Kamalatmika. All the 10 forms of Mahavidya are worshipped as the one universal Mother.

According to Hindu legend, Shiva and Parvati once had a terrible fight. Shiva was so furious that no amount of pleading with him would work. So in order to win back his regard, Parvati multiplied herself into 10 different forms. No matter how hard Shiva tried to escape from her, he would find Parvati guarding his escape routes. Each of her manifested avatars proved to Shiva the eternal nature of their love. That is how the 10 Mahavidyas came into being.

Another legend tells of how Shiva and Sati (believed to be an earlier incarnation of Parvati) had an argument. When they were married, her father Daksha, who disapproved of the match, organised a sacrificial ritual to which he invited everyone in the kingdom except his own daughter and her husband. Sati was furious and insisted on attending. Shiva was adamant that she should not attend, but Sati would not listen. She transformed herself into the 10 Mahavidyas by which she managed to subdue her husband and attain his consent to attend the sacrifice.

The Mahavidyas are said to question matters such as worldly comfort, respect and honour, and worshipping them is believed to be a liberating experience.

This is because, according to popular belief, worshipping the Mahavidyas is the best way to attain spiritual peace away from the barriers of social norms and rules.

Goddess Gayatri: Mother of all Gods

Brush up your mythology: In Hindu mythology, the goddess Gayatri is known as the Veda Mata — the mother of all the Vedas. To some, she is also seen as the mother of all Gods, and the culmination of Lakshmi, Parvati and Saraswati.

She is also known to be the consort of Lord Brahma. In religious terms, Gayatri is said to be the essence of Brahman, combining all the features of Brahman, that is past, present and future. That is why Gayatri is worshiped as the Trimurti combined into one.

Gayatri is normally shown seated on a red lotus, which connotes wealth. She has five forms. For instance, one depiction may show her with five heads, with 10 eyes looking in eight directions and her arms holding all the weapons of Vishnu, while another might show her accompanied by a white swan and holding a book to depict knowledge in one hand, and a cure for illness in another.

Gayatri is also, in Sanskrit, a reference to a song or a hymn. In fact, the famous Gayatri Mantra, taken from the Rig Veda and attributed to Vishvamitra, is with reference to her. The Gayatri Mantra, simply speaking, consists of a formula taken from the Yajur Veda, and a verse from the Rig Veda. However, the Gayatri Mantra can be found in all four Vedas. By many Hindus, Gayatri is associated with Brahman and chanting the Gayatri Mantra is believed to be the easiest route to a divine awakening of the mind and soul. Only through chanting it can one achieve a union with Brahman and thus reach the highest peak of existence. Therefore, understanding the essence of the Mantra is believed to be one of the most powerful ways to reach God.

NTR family to hit roads for Naidu

The NTR family has warmed up to the Telugu Desam president, Mr N. Chandrababu Naidu, after he nominated Nandamuri Harikrishna to the Rajya Sabha, braving strong pressure from the backward classes lobby.

Mr Harikrishna, who has been associated with the TD ever since his father NTR floated it in early 1980s, is regarded as an ‘elder' by the family members.

Similarly, Mr Harikrishna will also field his son and actor, Junior NTR, and a host of film personalities to campaign for the TD, to help it avoid a defeat in the 2009 Assembly polls. Party workers got a foretaste of this when he invited a host of film directors, producers, actors and actresses to the NTR Bhavan before he left to file his nomination papers.

With his nomination to the RS, Mr Naidu has got cosy with the family again after a gap of more than a decade.

NTR's family had initially sided with Mr Naidu after the party witnessed a vertical split following the Lakshmi Parvati episode in 1995.

However, the family members, particularly Mr Harikrishna, distanced themselves from Mr Naidu within a couple of years.

Now, 12 years down the line, the TD supremo has been able to bring about a ‘political patch up' with the family in the hope that it would pay dividends during the polls.

It is to be seen if Mr. Naidu's gesture towards Mr. Harikrishna helps the TD, which is plagued by infighting and dissidence in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema and rattled by the separate Telangana demand.

TD sources claim that the entire NTR family barring the Daggubatis - Union minister Purandareswari and her husband MLA Venkateswara Rao who are in the Congress - has now pledged support to Mr Naidu.

Mr Harikrishna's younger brother and film actor Balakrishna has gone on record that he would campaign for the TD in the next Assembly elections.

Learn how to motivate yourself always

As you spiral into the veritable rat race that may or may not be your workplace, there will be days when you feel low. These are days when your motivation levels are at their lowest peak. What with people trying to pull you down to grab that plum position, sometimes just staying afloat may be difficult to do. So, in all this morass, how do you stay motivated ?

HERE ARE 13 WAYS THAT COULD HELP

• Self Belief: Believe in your dreams and don't be afraid to chase them.
• Stub out the negative: Cut out the negative vibes and jive with those who emit positive signals.
• Never say die: Don't give up or give in. Failure and rejection happen all the time and have happened to people.
• Use your friends: When you are down, use your friends to help you stay motivated.
• It's always darkest before the Dawn: There may be times when the picture of things around you looks dark and dismal. But remember, if you fight on regardless of the odds, success will be in your favour.
• Push forward: Push for ward relentlessly. In the end you have to fight for what you want.
  
• Love yourself: There is nothing like loving your self. By doing this you will be a happier and more motivated person.
• Play fair: Never cheat, steal or do anything under hand. Play fair always. This will allow you to be proud of what you do.
• Never Quit: Remember quitters never win and winners never quit.
• Practice: Practice makes perfect. The more you practice, the better you will become.
• Be aware of the opportunities: Never let an opportunity pass by you. Be ready to take advantage of things that come your way.
• Be in control: Take control of your life and feel the motivation surge into you.
• Have a burning desire: Every successful person has a burning desire to achieve his goals. If you have this desire, you too can be successful.

House buyers flock to Hyderabad

More and more people from other states are investing in real estate in Hyderabad, as property prices have skyrocketed in New Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai , Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai. Despite the realty boom, prices of flats and houses in Hyderabad are lower than in other metropolitan cities. Those who are unable to buy their dream homes in the cities they dwell in, are able to do so in Hyderabad.

A survey by Makaan.com, an online real estate portal, has revealed that many North Indians were acquiring properties in Hyderabad. "Most buyers feel that they can afford to buy flats in Hyderabad," said Mr Aditya Verma, vice president and business head of Makaan.com. "This is true since the cost is between Rs 2,500 to Rs 4,000 per square foot in most localities." In New Delhi, the cost ranges from Rs 4,500 to Rs 8,000 per square feet and in Mumbai, a person would have to spend Rs 65 lakh to purchase a two-bedroom flat since the square feet cost is between Rs 6,500 and Rs 10,500. Even in Bangalore and Chennai, the square feet rate ranges from Rs 4,000 to Rs 9,000. At the same time, a double bedroom flat can be purchased for Rs 30 lakh in Hyderabad.

Makaan.com recently conducted a property show in Hyderabad to cater to the increasing number of buyers. "Over 50 per cent of enquiries in our portal are related to real estate of the city," said Mr Verma. Most people whose children have got jobs in IT, BPO, infrastructure and pharma companies of Hyderabad are also opting to buy flats and houses. "I would like to lead my post retirement life in Hyderabad since I don't have to pay an astronomical sum to buy a flat," said Mr S.S. Agarwal, who works in a textile company of Mumbai. Mr Agarwal regularly attends property shows where you can get all the information about the new real estate ventures. Most people who come from outside the state also prefer to invest in AP Housing Board flats to have clear title deeds and to avoid problems in the future.

More than 400 out of 2,080 flats in the Singapore Township developed by APHB at Pocharam were sold to North Indians. "They will also get good returns even if they want to sell off the properties at a later date," said Mr T.S.V. Ratnam, general manager of Deccan Infrastructure and Land Holdings Limited, a subsidiary of APHB.

Producer weds Shriya Reddy

Several film and sports personalities turned up for the marriage and reception of actress Shriya Reddy, daughter of former cricketer Bharath Reddy, to producer Vikram Krishna, brother of actor Vishal and son of producer G. K. Reddy.

The bride looked beautiful in a pink saree with matching jewellery. Superstar Rajinikanth's family turned up in full attendance for the wedding held at Park Sheraton on Sunday. Aishwarya Dhanush was the bridesmaid.

Kamal Haasan was one of the early guests to arrive at the reception at Anna Arivalayam and after blessing the couple, he left immediately.

Priyadarshan, who rarely makes public appearances was also present at the reception along with his wife, Lizzy. M K Stalin's wife Durga, son Udayanithi and daughter-in-law Kritika were also present for the occasion.

Actress Priyamani looked stunning dressed in a brown salwaar kameez.

The invitees for the wedding included Vikram, Ramya Krishna, Khushboo, yesteryear actress Sheela, Arjun, Srikanth with wife Vandhana, K.S.Ravi Kumar, K.Balachandar, Sridevi, Sathyaraj, Sibiraj, Suhasini Maniratnam and cricketers L. Balaji and S. Badrinath.