Looking for that perfect summer read? Well, look no further. The Monkey recently spoke with graphic novelist, Jai Sen about his magical stories, The Malay Mysteries. Levitating Monkey: How have the stories depicted in the Malay Mysteries been shaped by your time living in Indonesia in your youth? Jai...
Vishnupati, a day honoring Lord Vishnu is this Friday, May 15, 2015. Vishnupati is an opportunity to make progress in both, the material and spiritual worlds. Vishnupati is a divine time when energies that support both, financial and material prosperity are said to be at their...
There is a special Moon that comes but once a year that is known for its ability to dissolve bad relationship karma and it’s finally here. Today, Friday, April 3, 2015 marks the Divine Marriage Day (Panguni Uthiram), according to Tamil Hindus. Numerous temples in...
Tomorrow, Monday, March 2, 2015 marks the Soma Pradosham. Soma Pradosham occurs when a 13th Moon falls on a Monday. According to Vedic Astrology, the day is considered powerful because of the presence of strong energies that makes it easy to dissolve and remove karmic sufferings...
Happy Maha Shivratri! Maha Shivratri is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honor of the god Shiva, one of the deities of the Hindu Trinity. It is the day Shiva was married to the goddess Parvati. On this auspicious day, devotees fast and offer fruits, flowers...
Vivaha Panchami, observed on the fifth day of the Shukla paksha or waxing phase of moon in the Margashirsha month (November– December) is a Hindu festival celebrating the marriage of Rama and Sita. The day is observed with wedding celebrations of Sita and Rama in temples...
I was lucky enough to catch a screening of the documentary, Awake: The Life of Yogananda recently. It’s nuts that it's playing for such a short window, but very inspiring, nonetheless! There are so many magical moments in the book that were not referenced in the movie, but...
Levitating Monkey: How did you first come to be interested in studying Sanskrit and South Asian religions? David Gordon White: The short answer is that the Beatles came back from India when I was in seventh grade with the beads and the Nehru collars. That was the beginning...
Happy Janmashtami! Today marks the annual celebration of the birth of the Hindu deity Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. [caption id="attachment_4134" align="aligncenter" width="212"] Baby Krishna[/caption] The festival is celebrated on the eighth day (Ashtami) of the Krishna Paksha (dark fortnight) of the month of Bhadpadra (August–September) in...