Tid-Bits 3-Do You Know?

Akshauhinee
One Akshauhinee army consists of 21, 870 chariots, 21870 elephants, 65,610 horses, 109,350 soldiers. Paandav had 7 Akshauhinee army, while Kaurav had 11 Akshauhinee army.

AUM
When Brahmaa Jee was meditating to create the world, a sound came out of His heart, and A, U and M (Aum) appeared from that sound. This Aum is the root of all Mantra, Upanishad and Ved. These three letters are three Gun - Sat, Raj and Tam; and are three names - Rig, Yaju, and Saam; and have three meanings - Bhoo, Bhuvah and Swah, and are three situations - conscious, subconscious and unconscious. 

After this Brahmaa Jee created the alphabet. And with the help of that alphabet He created Ved to tell people about their Dharm. Then He taught Ved to His sons Mareechi etc. When they became expert of them, they taught them to their sons. They found that in the end of Dwaapar Yug people's age, strength and wisdom was deteriorating, then they divided them. Maharshi Ved Vyaas Jee has contributed a lot in this.

Gaayatree
People know that there is a Gaayatree Mantra, but they do not know who wrote this Mantra. Vishwaamitra Jee wrote this Mantra. In fact Gaayatree is the name of the Chhand (a type of couplet in Sanskrit literature). There are six kinds of Chhand. Chhand's types depend on the number of their syllables and their settings in its meter, for example in Raamaayan, "Chaupaayee", or "Dohaa" etc are a type of Chhand. In the same way it is Gaayatree Chhand. It has 24 syllables in it, 8 syllables per meter.

Gopee
Many Gopee were Bhagvaan's Siddhi. But there were many Gopee who were Dev girls, Shruti, Tapaswee, Rishi and other devotees. Their stories can be found in various Puraan. Shruti Roop Gopee who always describe Paramaatmaa as "Neti, Neti" (not like that, not like that), but still could not get Him then they worshipped Bhagavaan and desired to get Him. Bhagavaan said to them - "You take the form of Gopee on Earth. When I will incarnate on the Earth you wil get me as your lovers. Among these Shruti, main Shruti are Udgeetaa, Sugeetaa, Kalgeetaa, Kalkanthikaa, Vipanchee etc Shruti. Besides Siddhi, Rishi who got attracted to Raam got the Var of being Gopee, so they were also born as Gopee in Brij in Krishn's times. Besides Gopee from Mithilaa and Koshal (Ayodhyaa); Pulind Gopee, Ramaa-vaikunth Gopee, Shwet Dweep Gopee and Jaalandharee Gopee were among several groups of Gopee, who did a very difficult Tapasyaa and then became a Gopee.

Gurukul
In olden days education was given in Gurukul in India. Here Guru used to live and educate his Shishya (disciples) outside the city. The disciples lived with them and obeyed them. In those days Guru was also used to be very respectable and an identifier of the quality of education. People used to take the name of their Guru with very pride. Children used to go there after their Yagyopaveet Sanskaar - between 5-11 years of age normally and stayed there only up to the time their education was finished. Then they gave Guru Dakshinaa to their Guru and came back to their parents and marry to enter Grihasth Aashram. This student period was called Brahmcharya Aashram.

Heart, Speech and Body
Manasaa, Vaachaa, Karmanaa - Manasaa means from your heart, Vaachaa means from your words, and Karmanaa means from your actions. Means whatever you think, say the same thing, and do the same thing, not that that you are thinking something else, saying something else and doing something else. In our religion most things should be done Manasaa, Vaachaa, Karmanaa, for example serving somebody, or not to do Hinsaa etc.

Mathuraa
According to Bhaagvat Puraan Mathuraa was inhabited by Shatrughn in Tretaa Yug. [9/10]  Mathuraa's previous name was Maduraa, because it was inhabited by a Raakshas named Maduraa. Later its name became Mathuraa. And before Maduraa, that place was called Madhuban. Naarad Jee sent Dhruv to Madhuban for Tapasyaa. Naabhaag's son Ambareesh also took bath in Yamunaa River and worshipped Bhagavaan in Madhuban during his Ekaadashee Vrat.

Ras    see also     Nine Ras
Ras means Juice. So its one meaning can be taken in that reference also, such as "Apple Juice", "Orange Juice" etc. Thus it has several meaning: 
(1) As Juice, it means everything, because when Ras has been taken out of something, nothing remains in the remaining thing. In this meaning it is like everything of something or soul of something. 
(2) In another meaning of Juice, as Juice is tastier and gives a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction, with that meaning Ras means the mental pleasure and satisfaction. People take pleasure (Ras) in listening concerts, watching dances etc. So in this meaning it is the feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.

Saashtaang Pranaam
Saashtaang means Sa+Asht+Ang, means With+eight+parts of body. And those parts of the body are hands, feet, knees, chest, head, eyes, heart and speech. This is done normally in the lying on stomach position, and by joining both palms together saying "I greet thee" with pure heart.

Takshak
Takshak is immortal, because it has taken Amrit. Brahmaa Jee himself ntold this to Raajaa Janamejaya who was doing Sarp Yagya to take revenge from Takshak because it bit his father Pareekshit Jee.

Vrat
Vrat means to take vow for something. This vow may be for anything, like "I will not take salt today in my food", or "I will be lifelong bachelor", or "I will not eat anything until I will complete my some work" etc etc.

Vritti
Vritti means things on which living beings live upon, or the means of living, for example "My Vritti is teaching". Its another meaning is Swabhaav (Nature), for example everybody behaves according to his own Vritti, such as scorpion's Vritti is stinging.

Why Brahmaa, Vishnu, Mahesh appeared as Atri Rishi's sons?
When Brahmaa Jee ordered Atri Rishi to create the world, he with his wife Anasooyaa went to Riksh Parvat to do Tapasyaa. There he prayed that whosoever is the Swamee of all the three Lok, "He may bestow me with the children like Himself". Pleased with their Tapasyaa, Brahmaa, Vishnu and Mahesh all three came there on their Vaahan (ride). Then Atri Muni said - "I bow you and respect you but I, with the desire of children, meditated only for one Shree Hari. Then how come that you three appeared before me?" Hearing this three Dev laughed and said - "You were meditating for whatever Dev, He is we three. Therefore you will have we three in our Ansh-Roop as your sons and we will expand your lineage." After saying this they went to their Lok. When the time came Brahma's Ansh appeared as Chandramaa, Vishnu's Ansh appeared as Dattatreya Jee, and Mahaadev's Ansh appeared as Durvaasaa Rishi in Rishi Atri's house.