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Showing posts from March, 2008


An Example of How Non-Hindus Especially Westerners View Hinduism

I accidentally stumbled on a western education blog discussing Hinduism. Most of the people who were participating in the discussion were not scholars but common people and they were learning about Hinduism in this education blog. The discussion was initiated by Mrs. Caracappa in her blog by asking – Do you think that Hinduism would be an easy religion for you to follow? Give examples from your book why you would think it is easy or not easy to follow. No idea which book they were discussing. If it is any of those books written by Christian Missionaries – it is an easy guess what the nature of the content will be. We get to read a lot of crap regarding Hindus and Hinduism on the internet most of which are sponsored by Christian missionaries. The aim of such websites, blogs and newspaper articles is mudslinging and to spread misinformation. Such articles on internet should be dismissed in the same manner in which Hindus thwarted all attempts by Christian missiona

Ancient Hindu Temple Excavated in Jaljali Village in Assam

The people in Jaljali Village near Mangaldai Town in Assam always believed that the pond (Jaljali tank) in their village was holy. Villagers always equated the water in the pond to that of Ganga . And recently when the pond was cleaned, out came idols and sculptures of a Vishnu and Shiva temple. Villagers are elated at the discovery as it confirms their age-old belief regarding the sanctity of the Jaljali tank. They have started worshipping the idols. In fact, the village is already being frequented by thousands of people from nearby districts. Archeologists are of the view that the temples relics are dated to 10th or 11th century AD. It is being concluded that an earthquake might have destroyed the temple and buried it. The temple bears the stamp of the Indo Aryan style of architecture and was lying for centuries under water. Presently, there is a functional temple on the western banks of the Jaljali tank. The recently excavated idols and sculptures are placed he

Hanuman Heritage Festival at Dattatreya Yoga Center in Trinidad and Tobago

The famous Dattatreya Ashram at Orangefield Road , Carapichaima in Trinidad is organizing a Hanuman Heritage Festival from April 10th to 20th, 2008 . The Dattatreya Yoga Center in Trinidad and Tobago is noted for an inspiring temple and the world famous 85-foot statue of Lord Hanuman, which is one of the tallest Hanuman statues in the world. Hanuman Heritage Festival will be taking place under the guidance Sri Ganapathi Sachchidananda Swamiji. One of the main objectives of the festival is to explore and benefit from work, wisdom, devotion and exemplary life of Lord Hanuman for the attainment of a higher level of consciousness. There will be regular pujas during the festival days and includes Homams and Havans. The highlight of the festival is the lectures and discussions on Lord Hanuman by leading scholars from India , Trinidad and Tobago and other countries. The festival also provides the opportunity to experience Hindu culture through music, dance, art and cuis

Vishvavani – Online Sanskrit Magazine

Vishvavani, the Online Sanskrit Magazine, is the outcome of an online network of students, faculty and alumni of Indian origin from various Universities in United States . Into its third edition in March 2008, Vishvavani features a wide range of topics including a Sanskrit crossword puzzle. Currently, Vishvavani is the only active online Sanskrit magazine. Apoorvavani was the first online Sanskrit magazine but it is currently not active. Vishvavani is brought out by Campus Samskritam Network (CSN) which mainly consists of members from MIT, UMD, CMU, UPitt, PSU, UPenn, Caltech, Purdue and others. Sowmya Joisa and Avinash Varna are the editors of the magazine. The group is also promoting Sanskrit blogging and main aim of CSN is to promote Sanskrit, with emphasis on the US and US universities. Vishvavani is currently hosted on speaksanskrit.org and you can read the magazine for free in PDF format here - Vishvavani Home Page. (update the link was removed f

Sri Ashutosh Maharaj Quotes on Religion

The word religion is derived from the Latin word ‘re ligare’. Re means ‘back’ and ligare means ‘to the origin’. Together they mean ‘that which binds one back to the origin’. The origin of all jivas is paramatma. To get to the origin is the ultimate aim of human life. This necessitates realization of God within the human body. Religion is essentially the manifestation of divinity already in man. It is not anything gross which is to be stuffed into a man from outside. It is present in every human being. It is essentially the uncovering of what lies hidden in the inner realm. It is seeing and experiencing the inner world with a divine eye, just as the two eyes see the maya-ridden world outside. While the latter binds us to the elusive phenomenal physical world of objects, the former unites us with Supreme Brahman resulting in the manifestation of our true divine nature. There is no real difference between an ignorant materialist and the highest ecclesiastical giant who can rende

Are Hindu Calendars Faulty?

Based on Hindu calendars Makara Sankranti is celebrated in January 14 or 15 now. But the day the sun shines overhead on the Tropic of Capricorn (Makara) is on December 22 (the winter solstice). Biman Nath, an astronomer and writer, in an article in the Frontline titled ‘the story of India ’s faulty calendars’ asserts that the Indian regional calendars are faulty and they are actually 24 days ahead of the correct Indian National Calendar or Saka calendar. To be frank I am always confused with the regional calendars in India . Indian states in the north and the east use a solar calendar in which months are either 30 or 31 days long. Kerala and Tamil Nadu also use a solar calendar. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat use lunar calendars in which months are 29.5 days long. But I don’t know whether they are faulty simply because the explanations that we get on Indian calendars are confusing. It is hard for a common man to understand Indian regional calendars. The

Universal Society of Hinduism

Few days back several online newspapers carried a report about the formation of an organization named ‘Universal Society of Hinduism’ (USH). The President of the society is the Nevada-based Hindu priest Rajan Zed, who came into limelight by delivering open prayers in various state assemblies and the Senate . The executive director of the society is Journalist Dharam Loonaa. The newspaper reports said the organization aims to provide worldwide Hindu identity, enhance understanding of Hinduism, to foster inter-religious dialogue and to promote the ethics, spirit, culture and philosophy of Hindu heritage. But the formation of the organization was not reported by any prominent newspapers. Neither was I able to locate the website of the organization. I guess the organization is in its infancy. But yesterday some of the major newspapers and television channels did report that the Universal Society of Hinduism has expressed fear that the upcoming Hollywood movie ‘The Love Guru

Uttarakhand Vegetarian Dish and Snack – Urad Dal Ki Pakodi

Some of the vegetarian cuisines of Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal) are based on easily obtained seasonal ingredients. Recipes are simple and filling. Urad Ki Pakodi or Urad Daal Ki Pakodi is a dish specially made to mark celebratory and other occasions. Urad Ki Pakodi For 8 to 10 persons Pre-preparation: Soak 1 cup split Urad dal with skin overnight. You can also use Urad dal without skin or polished one. Ingredients 1 inch piece ginger, chopped coarse 1 green chilli 2-3 pieces of clove ½ tsp cumin powder ¼ tsp asafetida powder Salt to taste 1 bowl of water Oil for frying For Garnish 2tbsp sesame and cumin. Cooking Method Strain soaked urad daal well. If you are using urad with skin, the while washing rub it well to remove as many of the skins as possible and swirling them out. Place washed dal in a mixi or blender along with all the other ingredients – ginger, green chilli, clove, cumin, asafetida and salt. Make a grainy paste

Bhagavad Gita and Communism

In a thought provoking article written in the New Indian Express, Justice K P Radhakrishna Menon suggests that the admirable communist principle that there shall not be differentiation among human beings lies hidden in the Bhagavad Gita. After briefly explaining Communism – as a political doctrine based on Marxism and Leninism – and the failure of communist states, Justice Radhakrishna Menon explains how Bhagavad Gita tries to attain equality through the concept of Brahman. Some excerpts from the article: (Could not find the link to the original article on the newspaper’s website as it appeared in a city edition of the New Indian Express) Marx lost sight of the differences seen in human beings living at a sensory level, out of which emerges all the evils in society, namely crime, violence, evils of caste and racial attitude, evils produced by the unchecked desire for money and power and such similar evils when he established scientific communism ‘which has as it

Mathur – A Karnataka Village That Speaks in Sanskrit

Sanskrit, or Samskrita, is the primary tongue of the villagers in Mattur, or Mathur Village in Karnataka. The village, which is around 10 km from Shimoga, having been making sure that the ancient language flourishes in their village. Subha J Rao writes in the Magazine section of The Hindu about this interesting village and the effort the villagers are taking in keeping Sanskrit alive. Some excerpts from the article The seed for change was sown in 1982, when the organization, Samskruta Bharathi, got together a 10-day programme to teach the villagers spoken Sanskrit. And, people in this primarily agricultural society eagerly took part in the unique experiment. Now, Sanskrit has become the primary tongue for many of the residents. This village and the neighboring Hosahalli are mainly populated by Sanketis, who speak Sanskrit at home. And, it is not just them who speak the language. The village has a fair share of people from other communities, and all of them are expos

Hanuman Comic from Virgin Comics and Deepak Chopra

Comic Book based on Hanuman is the March 2008 edition in the India Authentic Series presented by Deepak Chopra and Virgin Comics . This is the 11 th book in the India Authentic Series based on Hindu Gods. The previous editions of India Authentic series from Virgin comics have been noted for its high quality illustrations. About comic based on Hanuman from the flyer from Virgin comics. A mere mention of his name is said to put fear in the hearts of the mightiest demons. It is said that the chant of his name protects one from the vilest of evil spirits. He is god unlike any other. Born with the body of an ape, but a heart as large as hundred suns, blessed with the strength to move mountains, leap across oceans and fly faster than the swiftest of birds. From the pages of the great Indian epic Ramayana, Virgin Comics and Deepak Chopra as part of the pathbreaking India Authentic series, bring to you the tale of a god who is both a scholar and warrior, one whose name is