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Showing posts from February 20, 2009


Brazil Sao Paulo Carnival Float based on Hindu Gods and India History

Lord Ganesh, Goddess Durga, Lord Surya, Goddess Ganga, Mahabharata, Ramayana, Buddha, Gandhiji, Shah Jahan, British Empire, Portuguese Rule in Goa etc are part of a carnival float that will be presented by the Escola de Samba Perola Negra of Sao Paulo at Carnival 2009 held in Sao Paulo in Brazil. The theme of the float is titled “Guided by Surya journeying through India in quest of the sacred pearl” and the quest takes the viewers through Hindu culture and Indian history. The float will be paraded on Saturday, February 21, 2009. The theme is about a person who in his dream arrives in a lotus garden in India . He meets Lord Ganesha in the lotus garden and Ganesh sends him to find out a sacred pearl. He takes help of Lord Surya and other Hindu Gods in locating the sacred pearl passes through various phases of Indian history and visits numerous places including Goa , Taj Mahal etc. You can find more images that are part of the float at the website of Escola de Samba Perola Negra o

Swami Vivekananda on Adi Shankaracharya - What did Swami Vivekananda Say about Adi Shankara?

What did Swami Vivekananda Say about Adi Shankara? The greatest teacher of the Vedanta philosophy was Sankaracharya. By solid reasoning he extracted from the Vedas the truths of Vedanta, and on them built up the wonderful system of Gyana that is taught in his commentaries. He unified all the conflicting descriptions of Brahman and showed that there is only one infinite Reality. He showed that as man can only travel slowly on the upward road, all the varied presentations are needed to suit his varying capacity. Shankara taught that three things were the great gifts of God : [1] human body [2] thirst after God and [3] a teacher who can show up the light. When these three great gifts are ours, we may know that our redemption is at hand. Only knowledge can free and save us but with knowledge must go virtue. Books cannot teach God, but they can destroy ignorance; their action is negative. To hold to the books and at the same time open the way to freedom is Shank