The Vedas which are the foundations of Hinduism are very vast and are extremely difficult to explore. What is given here is a very preliminary idea about the Vedas.

Rama Ashtothara Shatha Namavali. This is 108 names of Lord Rama used during a puja.

Lakshmi Ashtothara Shatha Namavali. This is 108 names of Goddess Lakshmi used during a puja.

Hanuman Chalisa

The Hanuman Chalisa is a devotional hymn addressed to Lord Hanuman. It has been authored by 16th-century poet Tulsidas in the Awadhi Language and is his best known text apart from the Ramayana named as ‘Ramacharitamanas’. The word ‘chalisa’ is derived from the word ‘chalis’, which means the number forty in Hindi, as the Hanuman Chalisa has 40 verses.

Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Karavalamba Stotram

This stotram was composed by Sri Adi Sankara. There are variations in certain texts of this stotram. I am reciting a version comprising 17 verses. The stotram is in praise of Lord Lakshmi Narasimha. The Stotram is so called because each of these verses ends with the same phrase “Lakshmi Narasimha, Mama Dehi Karavalambam” which means “Oh Lord Narasimha, please lend me your helping hand”.

Generally we say that God is the creator of this world. Is God the creator?

Kolaru Thiruppadikam

This is a famous hymn in Tamil.

This powerful hymn pleads for Lord Shiva’s's protection against the ill effects of planets and also to overcome all obstacles and dangers.

The significance of this hymn is that those who chant it or those who listen to it will find that all the evils eventually turn to good. This is what is reiterated again and again in these verses. It is believed that if this prayer is sung with devotion, it would definitely save us from anything that causes evil.

Ganesha Ashtothara Shatanamavali

This contains 108 names of Lord Ganesha. Namaha means salutations. We tell each of these 108 names and offer salutations at the end of each name. This is done invariably during special pujas offering a flower after every salutation.

In continuation of the earlier Talk 2, a brief overview of Hinduism is continued here.

Shyaamala Dandakam

Kalidasa is one of the well-known and famous poets of Sanskrit Literature and this hymn is composed by him. A Dandakam is a form of poetry where there are more than twenty six syllables in a sentence and it resembles a prose form.

This hymn by Kalidasa is in praise of Goddess Parvathi.

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