News from Hindu Press International
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Posted on
2012/9/18 17:20:31 ( 796 reads )
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HYDERABAD, INDIA, September 19, 2012: The city sported a festive look on
the eve of Ganesh Chaturthi. Colourful flowers, torans and decorative items
flooded local markets that were chock-a-block all through Tuesday with
enthusiastic denizens pouring in large numbers. Organizers at the Ganesh
pandals were seen making last-minute preparations, paying special attention
to security arrangements this time around. An estimated 50,000 Ganesh
Deities are likely to dot various corners of Hyderabad this year.
Shoppers thronged the lanes of Monda Market and Begum Bazaar right from
morning, purchasing fruits, flowers, banana leaves and lotus leaves, all of
which are used in Ganesh puja, from numerous vendors lined on both sides of
the roads. K Rakesh, a flower vendor at Monda Market said, "People
purchase all kinds of flowers for this festival. Apart from the usual
marigold and jasmine, there is a demand for the flowers usually used in
bouquets which are called chandni. They are brought from Bangalore."
Rakesh added that he is likely to earn anything between Rs 5000 to Rs
10,000 in two days (Tuesday and Wednesday).
Sellers of decorative pieces like artificial flowers, torans and garlands
too reported a 40% rise in sales when compared to last year, with saffron
flags and the small decorative umbrellas, usually placed above the idol,
doing the most business. Sweet shops too saw sales go up significantly for
the festival. "Sales are likely to double this year and may even
triple if the crowd is good on Wednesday. Around 90% of the sweets sold are
the different kinds of laddus prepared especially for Ganesh Chaturthi.
Motichoor laddus and modaks are in great demand," said Rajesh Dadu,
proprietor of Dadu's Mithai Vatika.
Meanwhile, anticipating large crowds, organizers of most of the Ganesh
utsavs have beefed up their security measures. And apart from sprucing up
pandals, some have even spiced up the festivities with virtual puja
services for devotees. The Khairatabad committee, for instance, now has a
provision of sending puja requests through emails. While this facility has
been available on its website for sometime, this year the rush seems to be
much higher. Organizers said they have already received well over 1,000
email requests and expect the number to touch 10,000 over the next few
days. The Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi, which oversees all festival
proceedings in the city, too has created a website this year and also
uploaded a Facebook page to keep in touch with the organizers of various
pandals.
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Posted on
2012/9/18 17:20:26 ( 883 reads )
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NEW ZEALAND, August 21, 2012 (Rotorua Daily Post): For Maori with Indian
whakapapa (genealogy), an upcoming hui (Maori gathering) will provide an
opportunity to learn more about their Hindu heritage. There are about 2,600
Maori in New Zealand who also have Indian whakapapa. [The island nation has
seen a large number of India-Maori marriages.] aHui co-ordinator Guna Magesan
said Maori-Indians had yet to realize their potential and importance.
With an upcoming free trade agreement with India, Dr. Magesan said
Maori-Indians were in a unique situation where they could help. "The
most important reason for me to run this is New Zealand and India are going
to sign a free-trade agreement. "These Maori-Indians happen to be in
the right place at the right time, they have both whakapapa. "With
India growing economically, I think it's time Maori-Indians have some share
in that."
Dr. Magesan said from his own experience with those with Maori-Indian
heritage, many had been brought up by their Maori families and had lost
touch with their Indian side. "Many want to know about their Indian
side. They want to know why women put the bindi on their forehead, many
also have a sari but don't know how to tie it. At the hui, we will teach
them this, and how to cook vegetarian food and teach the importance of
organic farming."
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Posted on
2012/10/2 17:04:36 ( 1028 reads )
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TORONTO, ONTARIO, September 30, 2012 (Marketwire): The Board of Directors
at the Canadian Museum of Hindu Civilization were awarded the Canadian
Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service today for their role in creating
a monument for fallen soldiers.
The memorial, called Monument to the Fallen, was built by the Indo-Canadian
community to offer respect and gratitude to the Canadian Forces.
"The Board of Directors, committee, and donors of this monument embody
the kind of public support that means so much to the men and women serving
in our military," said Brigadier-General Omer Lavoie, who presented
the medal on behalf of the Chief of Defense Staff General Walt Natynczyk.
The medallion is awarded in recognition of outstanding service performed by
persons or organizations outside the active military community. It is the
highest honor bestowed upon civilians for service of a rare and
exceptionally high standard, which accrues great benefit to the Canadian
Forces as a whole.
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Posted on
2012/10/2 17:04:28 ( 1117 reads )
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GUJARAT, INDIA, September 30, 2012 (Daily Mail): Gujarat's Somnath Temple
is set to receive a grand gift, of a size more often associated with the
Tirumala Temple in Tirupati.
Two diamond merchants, who have chosen to remain anonymous, have pledged a
gold-plated Gauripeeth (the rounded elevated area around the Shivalingam) for
Lord Somnath.
P.K. Lahiri, secretary of the Somnath Trust, said they have been exploring
possibilities with the goldsmith who did a similar job in Badrinath, but no
decision has yet been made.
"Gifts have been coming to the trust and big ones at that,"
Lahiri said, noting that Maheshwari Samaj made a pledge of US $760,000 last
year, paying it in installments to build a guest house, and Kokilaben
Ambani recently gifted US $380,000 to the trust.
"People make pledges for certain reasons and we implement their wishes
with the money they donate," he said. He confirmed this one, if done,
would cost around US $1.33 million to US $1.425 million and would be the
biggest ever.
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Posted on
2012/10/2 17:04:22 ( 848 reads )
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Whenever I have read any part of the Vedas, I have felt that some unearthly
and unknown light illuminated me. In the great teaching of the Vedas, there
is no touch of sectarianism. It is of all ages, climes and nationalities
and is the royal road for the attainment of the Great Knowledge. When I am
at it, I feel that I am under the spangled heavens of a summer night."
-- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862), American philosopher and writer
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Posted on
2012/9/28 18:43:17 ( 1290 reads )
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UNITED KINGDOM, September 2012 (The Telegraph): A new report found the
divorce rate among couples who shared housework equally was around 50 per
cent higher than among those where the woman did most of the work.
"What we've seen is that sharing equal responsibility for work in the
home doesn't necessarily contribute to contentment," said Thomas
Hansen, co-author of the study entitled "Equality in the Home".
The lack of correlation between equality at home and quality of life was
surprising, the researcher said. "One would think that break-ups would
occur more often in families with less equality at home, but our statistics
show the opposite," he said. The figures clearly show that "the
more a man does in the home, the higher the divorce rate," he went on.
The reasons, Mr Hansen said, lay only partially with the chores themselves.
"Maybe it's sometimes seen as a good thing to have very clear roles
with lots of clarity ... where one person is not stepping on the other's
toes," he suggested. "There could be less quarrels, since you can
easily get into squabbles if both have the same roles and one has the
feeling that the other is not pulling his or her own weight."
But the deeper reasons for the higher divorce rate, he suggested, came from
the values of "modern" couples rather than the chores they
shared. "Modern couples are just that, both in the way they divide up
the chores and in their perception of marriage" as being less sacred,
Mr Hansen said. "In these modern couples, women also have a high level
of education and a well-paid job, which makes them less dependent on their
spouse financially. They can manage much easier if they divorce," he
said.
Norway has a long tradition of gender equality and childrearing is shared
equally between mothers and fathers in 70 per cent of cases. But when it
comes to housework, women in Norway still account for most of it in seven
out of 10 couples. The study emphasized women who did most of the chores
did so of their own volition and were found to be as "happy" as
those in "modern" couples.
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Posted on
2012/9/28 18:43:12 ( 930 reads )
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UNITED STATES, September 25, 2012 (scientificamerican.com): New research by
psychologists at Stanford and the University of Minnesota shows that the
experience of awe can increase the sense of well-being, by giving people
the perception that they have more time available--a real stress-buster in
today's hurry-hurry world.
A 2003 research paper concluded that awe is characterized by the perception
of vastness; it is an experience so expansive that one's mental schemas
must be adjusted in order to process it. The new studies, described at
"source," found that the experience of awe gives people the sense
that they have more time available, reduces irritability and increases
their willingness to give of their time.
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Posted on
2012/9/28 18:43:06 ( 1007 reads )
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The highest form of grace is silence.
-- Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1922), founder of the Chinmaya Mission
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Posted on
2012/9/27 17:29:37 ( 1002 reads )
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SOUTH ASIA, September 28, 2012 (Asia Times): River Ganga, or the Ganges --
the most sacred river for Hindus and India's national river -- remains
filthy despite whopping sums being pumped into the Ganga Action Plan (GAP)
for the last 26 years, a damning report has revealed. "Since 1986,
there is not even a 1% improvement in the river's condition despite
millions being spent under the GAP," concludes the study by Dr.
Sandeep Kumar Behera, associate director (river basins and biodiversity),
World Wildlife Fund (India).
According to the scholar, who is also a member of the Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh-led National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), the
problem has only worsened over the years. Over 50 drains today carry sewage
to the Ganga and Yamuna rivers at northern Allahabad compared to 13 before
1986, states the report. In addition, the 84 bathing ghats (banks)
sandwiched between two tributaries -- Assi and Varuna -- are now "huge
sewage drains."
GAP, an environmental initiative to clean up the Ganges fully sponsored by
the central government, is based on a comprehensive survey conducted by the
Central Pollution Control Board on the state of the river in 1979. It was
approved by the cabinet in April 1985 and launched by then prime minister
Rajiv Gandhi with a promise "to clean the river in five years."
The action plan included 261 schemes spread over 25 towns of Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar and West Bengal. GAP Phase I was completed in March 2000 at a cost of
about US$90 million.
GAP Phase II was initiated in 1993 and covered 59 towns located along the
river in the five states of Uttarakhand, UP, Jharkhand, Bihar and West
Bengal. Of the 319 schemes undertaken under the plan, 200 have been
completed. GAP Phase II was expanded into the National River Conservation
Plan (NRCP) in 2009 after the Ganga was declared the "national
river." Phase II, which was to be completed in 2001, was extended by
seven years to 2008 due to constant delays and inefficiency on the part of
Central, state Governments and contractors.
Over the years, the action plan has come in for flak from environmentalists
and dubbed "a colossal failure." Corruption, lack of technical
expertise and a lack of environmental planning amongst the myriad
government agencies handling the scheme are the primary reasons cited for
this. After an audit in 2006, exactly 20 years after GAP's adoption, it was
discovered that the project had met "only 39 per cent of its target of
sewage treatment." In short, the GAP remains all plan, no action.
Originating in the Himalayas, the Ganges travels across 2,250 kilometers
through India to the Bay of Bengal before merging with the Indian Ocean. It
is ranked among the top five most polluted rivers of the world with its
pollution threatening not only humans, but also more than 140 fish species,
90 amphibian species and the endangered Ganges River Dolphin. The magnitude
of the problem can be gauged from the fact that the Ganga Basin, amongst
the world's most densely populated regions, hosts over 400 million people.
Over 2 million people ritually swim and bathe in the river daily.
Read more at 'source'.
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Posted on
2012/9/27 17:29:31 ( 930 reads )
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UNITED KINGDOM, September 26, 2012 (BBC): A priest has banned yoga from a
church hall because the class was "not compatible" with the
Catholic faith. Instructor Cori Withell from Hampshire said her yoga and
Pilates classes at St. Edmund's Church building in Southampton were
cancelled with 10 days to go. Father John Chandler said that the hall had
to be used for Catholic activities, and he banned it because it was
advertised as "spiritual yoga."
Ms. Withell, from Eastleigh, said the church accepted the booking two
months ago. She was called later and told that yoga was "from another
religion," so she could not have the hall. A separate Pilates class
she had booked was also cancelled. Ms. Withell said she did not use
meditation in her classes, just exercises. She added: "As a nation we
have an obesity epidemic. I was trying to bring some exercise to the community
and coming across blocks like this is frustrating."
Fr. Chandler said the church was "misled" by Ms. Withell's
booking because he said at first the hall was booked for Pilates and then
he found out it was also for spiritual yoga. He said: "Yoga is a Hindu
spiritual exercise. Being a Catholic church we have to promote the gospel,
and that's what we use our premises for. "We did say that yoga could
not take place. It's the fact that it's a different religious practice
going on in a Catholic church. It's not compatible. We are not saying that
yoga is bad or wrong."
A spokesman for Portsmouth Catholic Diocese said: "It's not possible
for Catholic premises to be used for non-Christian activities, and there is
a dilemma with yoga as it can be seen as Hindu meditation or as relaxation.
"There is no national policy on this and the decision is for each
priest."
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Posted on
2012/9/27 17:29:25 ( 876 reads )
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Hinduism today is a religion of today and tomorrow. It is not just a
religion of history books and yesterday. Our religion gives us strength
today. It is a religion which worships one Supreme God, with vast
scriptures that prescribe the worship and illumine our minds with knowledge
about the one Supreme God. Never forget this. Never forsake your Vedic
Hindu Dharma, but fulfill it, and you will be rewarded, generation after
generation after generation.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism
Today
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Posted on
2012/9/26 17:01:37 ( 791 reads )
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KARNATAKA, INDIA, September 24, 2012 (the Hindu): An ancient mantapa,
situated on the way to Malyavanta temple in Hampi, the erstwhile seat of
the Vijayanagar empire, was vandalized late on Saturday night in what is
suspected to be a bid to find treasure. The four-pillared mantapa, a
brick-and-lime structure and popularly known as gaali gopura, was razed.
Crow bar and wooden poles were among the material found near the site.
The Malyavanta temple and the surrounding area are under the control of the
Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). A team of archaeologists are expected
to reach Hampi to study the reason for the mantapa's collapse, sources in
the ASI told The Hindu. With the round-the-clock patrolling of the area --
by teams comprising personnel from the police, ASI, State's archaeology
department and the Hampi World Heritage Area Management Authority --
discontinued, the culprits found it easy to go about the "treasure
hunt", said the sources. Superintendent of Police Chandragupta, along
with other officers, including those from ASI, visited the spot. He held a
meeting with officials of various departments to chalk out a plan to secure
monuments at Hampi.
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Posted on
2012/9/26 17:01:31 ( 878 reads )
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JAIPUR, INDIA, September 22, 2012 (India Times): At least 7,000 Hindu
migrants who came from Pakistan in the last seven years through pilgrimage
visa are awaiting Indian nationality. They are living mostly in western
Rajasthan in camps provided by Seemant Lok Sansthan, an NGO working to
safeguard the rights and interests of the Hindu exodus.
5,000 are staying in relief camps in Jodhpur. Though they have yet to start
a regular life through some employment and are at the mercy of the state
government and NGOs, they are not willing to return to Pakistan at any
cost. "We will not return to Pakistan even if the Indian government
may hang us," said Changi Ram who is staying with his 7-member family
at a camp situated on the Jodhpur-Jaisalmer highway. Like him most of these
families have lost everything in Pakistan but they want to stay back in
India.
At least 208 Hindu migrants from Pakistan, who recently arrived in Jodhpur,
are unsure of their future as their pilgrimage visa is expiring on October
5. After coming to Jodhpur by Thar Express in the past one fortnight, these
migrants now want Indian citizenship as they are not in a mood to return to
Pakistan. BJP MP from Bikaner Arjun Ram Meghwal assured them that he would
convey their plight to the Prime Minister.
Meghwal, who visited various camps of these migrants at Jodhpur, said he
was stunned to know the atrocities faced by them in Pakistan. He is a
member of six-member committee of the BJP which was constituted to look
into the matter of the Hindu migrants and prepare a report on their
problems.
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Posted on
2012/9/26 17:01:25 ( 845 reads )
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INDIA, September 24, 2012 (capitalfm.co.ke): While devout Hindus wait for
up to 90 hours to see their favorite Deity at Ganesh Chaturthi, one of
India's major festivals, others are opting to dodge the queues this year
and say a virtual prayer instead. The 11-day celebration of the birth of
elephant-headed Lord Ganesha draws millions to worship at decorated statues
of the God, but the statues are increasingly available to followers via
live Internet streams.
"Every year people were requesting it, so this year we decided to go
online," said Uday Salian, committee spokesman at the Andhericha Raja,
a popular Ganesha statue in Mumbai. The colorful figure can be watched for
free on their website during the twice daily "aarti" ritual, when
offerings of light are made to the Deity, meaning devotees can receive
their blessings through the net. The move was largely meant for overseas
followers, but religious domestic markets are also being tapped.
The Lalbaugcha Raja, Mumbai's favorite statue, gets about ten million
visitors during the festival. It also appears on YouTube and television,
and is being live streamed around the clock to mobile phones -- for a fee.
Vistaas Digital Media, which has acquired the live mobile rights to the
Lalbaugcha Raja, started the "Divine India" website three months
ago and so far has 50,000 paid subscribers, paying 200 rupees ($3.75) a
month.
The site offers live streaming from more than 60 holy sites of different
religions practiced across the country, along with footage from more than
1,500 shrines. The firm aims for half a million subscribers by the year's
end.
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Posted on
2012/9/26 17:01:19 ( 756 reads )
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The son's duty to his father is to make the world ask, "by what great
austerities did he merit such a son?"
-- Tirukkural
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Posted on
2012/10/9 17:37:51 ( 1018 reads )
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DHAKA, BANGLADESH, September 20, 2012 (Hindu Business Line):Bangladesh's
parliament has passed a landmark bill aimed at protecting the rights of the
Hindu community members, especially women from marriage-related cheating.
The new law -- the Hindu Marriage Registration Bill 2012 -- aims to provide
legal and social protection to members of the Hindu community.
State Minister for Law, Justice and parliamentary Affairs Qamrul Islam
moved the bill that was passed by voice vote, it was reported. The bill was
placed in parliament on July 3. He said the law was being formulated since
there was no such law in the country to register the marriages of Hindus.
The minister said the marriage of a Hindu couple is held under religious
customs and so has no documents.
The law would authorize the government and the local government authorities
to appoint a marriage registrar to be known as the Hindu Marriage Registrar
at every ward of the City Corporation and municipality. The bride would
have to be minimum 18 years old and the groom 21 years, the report said.
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Posted on
2012/10/9 17:37:45 ( 955 reads )
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MUMBAI, INDIA, September 28, 2012 (India Times): Away from the odiousness
and mercuriality of international politics, Jaikumar Trivedi last week
installed a Ganesh statue in the heart of Swaminarayan Mandir on Ganesh
Chaturthi. The next day, Ganpati Bappa was taken around the temple premises
in a rath yatra. Bhajans resonated, dandiya raas followed, and then a
bhandara. Finally, the elephant-headed God was taken in a simple procession
to a jetty in Karachi and immersed in the sea.
In India, Bal Gangadhar Tilak transformed the annual Ganeshotsav festival
into a large, well-organized public event. In Pakistan though, it survives
as a communal, domestic event. Its scale is small, the pandals missing from
roadsides, the modaks replaced with motichoor ladoos. But the fervor of the
devotees undeniably is as strong.
In Karachi alone, at least 1,000 people take part, says Maharaj Parshuram,
a priest. "The tradition of celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi has been
continuing here since pre-Independence." Indeed, as Pakistani film distributor
Satish Anand points out, the festival is second only to Holi in popularity.
It is observed wherever Hindus live in considerable numbers.
Trivedi, the priest at Swaminarayan Mandir, says at least 25 to 30 statues
are taken to homes and temples in and around Karachi. Most of the statue
makers live in Karachi. "We don't have a holiday here, so people work
around their schedules and come together to celebrate in the
evenings," says Trivedi. That does not imply the government does not
provide support.
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Posted on
2012/10/9 17:37:39 ( 821 reads )
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Time is more precious than money; it is the most valuable thing in the
world. Time is life. Use it profitably in spiritual pursuits.
-- Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life
Society
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Posted on
2012/10/6 18:34:59 ( 1160 reads )
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KARACHI, PAKISTAN, September 30, 2012 (The Express Tribune): Based on
Section 295-A, a blasphemy case has been registered against Muslim men for
damaging a Hindu temple during riots on Ishq-e-Rasool Day.Section 295-A is
the lesser known, non Islam-specific clause of the country's blasphemy law.
After Karachi's Shri Krishna Bhagwan Mandir was vandalized by a mob, the
Gulshan-e-Maymar police registered a case using 295-A ("deliberate and
malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by
insulting its religion or religious beliefs"), along with other
charges of looting, vandalism and theft, against the vandals, nine of which
have been accused. SHO Jaffa Baloch said, "For me, every believer is
the same. The desecration of a temple meant blasphemy to me, and that's why
we inserted that section."
Security has been beefed up in the Hindu locality. But six statues of Hindu
Gods (each worth more than US $2000) were destroyed and their gold
adornments stolen; holy books were stolen and damaged, and Hindus living
nearby were robbed and stoned--even though the attackers said their anger
was toward "the Americans."
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Posted on
2012/10/6 18:34:53 ( 1071 reads )
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PAKISTAN, October 6, 2012 (Pakistan Observer): [HPI Note: This is an
editorial]:
It was shocking to see that a group of Muslims ransacked a Hindu temple in
Karachi during protests in reaction to a blasphemous film in the United
States. The group broke religious statues, tore up a copy of the religious
book, took away the decorative ornaments and beat up the caretaker.
We strongly feel that those involved in the incident must be nabbed
immediately and awarded due punishment. Generally speaking, cordial
relations exist between the Muslim majority and the minorities in Pakistan
yet the condemnable act of some miscreants was certainly aimed at defaming
Pakistan. It is the responsibility of the government to protect the
religious places of the minorities and in view of the current tense
situation due to the sacrilegious film, it was essential that adequate
security should have been in place at the temple.
Our religion -- Islam-preaches tolerance and protection of people of other
faiths and we warn that such incidents would create a sense of insecurity
among the members of the minority community who are as patriotic Pakistanis
as any other person. However we think these attacks were in reaction to
acts of white extremists in the West who frequently come out with cartoons,
articles and films to hurt the sentiments of Muslims across the globe.
Pakistan is not the first country where one witnessed the chain reaction.
To prevent such incidents and in order to avoid clash of civilisation, the
international community must look into adopting an international
convention, sooner the better, against blasphemy to ensure sanctity of all
religions.
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Posted on
2012/10/6 18:34:47 ( 1199 reads )
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Kerala Samajam
of South Florida
FLORIDA, U.S., October 2012 (Press Release): On October 2nd, 2012, an
inspiring message of peace and harmony manifested and seemed to walk
alongside men and women. After a year of careful planning and advocating by
the Kerala Samajam of South Florida, the Mahatma Gandhi Square Inc. in
Davie, Florida finally saw completion on the anniversary of Gandhi's
birthday. Located in Falcon's Lea Park, the newly erected statue will serve
as a reminder of Gandhi's ideals of non-violence and tolerance for many
generations.
Dr. Thomas Panavelil, a member of the Kerela Samajam's advisory board, said
the event would have been impossible without the cooperation of the entire
community, over 43,000 Indian residents in South Florida. "Initially,
our organization began planning alone. But we reached out to the larger
Indian community, and everything came together." said Panavelil.
The six foot bronze statue was designed by Matt Glenn of Big Statues in
Provo, Utah. Glenn also donated $35,000 towards the cost of the statue's
creation. The statue and its surrounding structures evoke an atmosphere of
calm, harmony and reverence for the great man now represented in a shining,
metal form at the center of the square. The statue is at the center of the
memorial, which also includes many stepping stones, symbolic of the steps
Gandhi took toward helping India achieve independence in 1947, and circles
representing the origin of humanity.
Over 600 attendees braved the rain to pay their respects to Gandhi.
Dignitaries and politicians from all over the world were gathered on the
day of the dedication to acknowledge the historic event, including the 11th
president of India, His Excellency Dr. Abdul Kalam. Kalam.
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Posted on
2012/10/6 18:34:40 ( 1068 reads )
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VRINDAVAN, INDIA, October 3,2012 (Deccan Herald): Traditionally, Vedic
hymns are chanted and religious rites performed in honor of one's
ancestors. There is an elaborate feast that marks pitra-paksh. Family and
friends are invited, and pandits too are fed on the occasion. Many of those
who observe the rituals believe that observing pitra-paksh in honor of
one's forebears ensures peace and prosperity in the family, explains
Surendra Sharma of the Brahmin Maha Sabha.
Over the years, however, even finding a priest to feed for pitra-paksh has
become quite a task. The shortage of Karma-Kandi pandits, who perform the
ceremonies and are offered a meal, is acute in the Braj region of Uttar
Pradesh. Anurag Shukla, president of the Agra Panditya Maha Sabha, said:
"The new generation of Brahmins here is no longer interested in this
as it is not lucrative, and the social status accorded to a pandit is not
attractive either."
Rakesh Sharma, convener of the All India Brahmin Mahasabha said: "Agra
district has a brahmin population of around 500,000. In the absence of
proper guidance and directions, the younger generation is not being
attracted to traditional practices. It's not that there is no market for
the Karma-Kandi pandits, we receive enquiries even from abroad for trained
hands. But there is no proper mechanism for updating and training professionals."
Agra University started a specialized course for producing Karma-Kandi
pandits a few years ago, as there was reportedly great demand for them
abroad. There were not enough students interested in the course, leading to
the closure of the programme.
Disease is but a milestone; neither is good health our greater purpose in
life. We are wellness. We are consciousness. That is our natural state.
-- Swamini Mayatitananda, founder of the Wise Earth Monastery
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Posted on
2012/10/4 17:45:03 ( 1148 reads )
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DHAKA, BANGLADESH, October 4, 2012 (Associated Press): [HPI Note: This is
an update on the same attack which appeared in yesterday's HPI, raising the
number of temples torched to 10 from 2--other reports are as high as 24.]
Amnesty International has urged Bangladesh to take action against those who
attacked Buddhist temples and homes over a picture of a burned Qur'an
posted on Facebook. At least 10 temples and 40 homes were torched, looted
or vandalized last weekend in the southern coastal district of Cox's Bazar
as thousands of people angry over the picture took to the streets. The
government has already arrested around 300 people for their alleged role in
the violence, while authorities have pledged to provide security to
minority Buddhists in the predominantly Muslim country. Amnesty says it
wants Bangladesh take immediate steps. In a statement Wednesday, Abbas
Faiz, Amnesty's Bangladesh researcher, said the attacks "have shocked
Muslims and non-Muslims alike" in the country and Bangladeshi
authorities "must ensure this does not happen again."
read more here
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Posted on
2012/10/4 17:44:57 ( 998 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, October 3, 2012 (Hindustan Times): The Supreme Court on
Monday gave the Jammu and Kashmir government two weeks' time to decide what
measures it will adopt to make the annual Amarnath Yatra safe.
A bench of justice BS Chauhan and justice Swatanter Kumar asked the state
government to take a decision on the various recommendations made by a
high-powered committee appointed by the apex court. A further hearing will
be held on October 12.
On July 20, after noting many media reports on pilgrims' deaths allegedly
due to lack of proper facilities and medical care for them, the SC had set
up a committee to recommend measures to prevent the growing number of
casualties among Amarnath pilgrims, saying this had become a permanent
problem and a regular affair. The committee was instructed to visit the
shrine and give its report to J&K governor, who is also the chairman of
Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, responsible for holding the Amarnath
pilgrimage.
The committee comprises secretaries of various departments, including those
from the environment, home, health and child welfare ministries, besides
the Jammu and Kashmir chief secretary.
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Posted on
2012/10/4 17:44:51 ( 922 reads )
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Consistency is the key to the conquest of karma.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism
Today
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Posted on
2012/10/3 16:50:09 ( 1122 reads )
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CHITTAGONG, Bangladesh, September 30, 2012 (UPI): Mobs of Muslims in
Bangladesh attacked and damaged two Hindu and two Buddhist temples Saturday
night into Sunday, police said. Extra manpower was called in to break up
the mob of several hundred people in and around the city of Chittagong. The
rampage began Saturday when Muslims said they had found a Buddhist man's
Facebook page allegedly defaming the Muslim Koran holy book, Voice of
America reported. According to Bdnews.com, an ancient statue was smashed at
one Buddhist temple, and a sacred statue was set on fire at a Hindu
facility; earlier Saturday, Muslim mobs torched 30 Buddhist shops and
houses, while more than 100 other buildings were vandalized. There were no
immediate reports of injuries or arrests.
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Posted on
2012/10/3 16:50:03 ( 1083 reads )
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BHOPAL, INDIA, September 21, 2012 (InfoLanka): Under the historic
initiative to promote world peace and harmony of Madhya Pradesh government,
the foundation stone of a Buddhist and Indic Studies University was laid at
Sanchi today. The foundation laying ceremony of the first-ever university
for studies in Buddhism and Indian knowledge was held in the presence of
Sri Lankan President Shri Mahinda Rajapaksa, Bhutanese Prime Minister Shri
Jigme Y. Thinley, Governor Shri Ram Naresh Yadav, Chief Minister Shri
Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Shri Prakash Ambedkar, Swami Paramatmanand Saraswati
and Shri Ven Vangal Upatista Nayak Thero.
During the program, Sri Lankan President Shri Rajapaksa and Bhutanese Prime
Minister Shri Thinley planted saplings of Buddha trees brought by them at
the foundation venue. The guest laid the foundation with special bricks
brought from Sri Lanka. The bricks contain five metals, vegetables,
medicines and other auspicious things. The foundation was laid as per
Sanatan Dharma and Buddhist rites.
The Madhya Pradesh government has allotted 100 acres of land for the
university being established at World Heritage site Sanchi, which is famous
for its Buddha Stupa. About US$57 million will be spent on its
establishment in two phases. The university will impart teaching in
principles of Dharma, Buddhism education, contemporary philosophy and
traditions. It will also promote mutual ideological ties between Buddhist
culture and India ideologies.
The university will also work towards improvement in Indian education
system and impart teaching and training in Asian arts, sculpture and
skills. A library of Buddhist and Indian knowledge and culture will also be
established at university, which will make available material in both
physical and digital methods. The universities will have five faculties
including Buddhist Philosophy, Sanatan Dharma & Indian Knowledge,
International Buddhist Studies, Comparative Religions, Languages &
Literatures and Arts.
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Posted on
2012/10/3 16:49:57 ( 930 reads )
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NEW YORK, USA, October 2, 2012 (by Mark Bittman, food critic at the New
York Times): A widely publicized study recently done at Stanford
misleadingly suggested that there is no "strong evidence that organic
foods are significantly more nutritious than conventional foods."
In fact, the Stanford study -- actually a meta-study, an analysis of more
than 200 existing studies -- does say that "consumption of organic
foods may reduce exposure to pesticide residues and antibiotic-resistant
bacteria." But the study narrowly defines "nutritious" as
containing more vitamins. (By that standard, you can claim that, based on
nutrients, Frosted Flakes are a better choice than an apple.) Yet even
within its narrow framework, it appears the Stanford study was incorrect.
Last year Kirsten Brandt, a researcher from Newcastle University, published
a similar analysis of existing studies and wound up with the opposite
result, concluding that organic foods are actually more nutritious. In
examining the Stanford study she has found a critical error in properly
identifying a class of nutrients, a spelling error indicative of
biochemical incompetence (or at least an egregious oversight) that skewed
one important result, and also that the researchers curiously excluded
evaluating many nutrients that she found to be considerably higher in
organic foods.
It turns out that Cargill (the largest privately held company in the United
States, and a major manufacturer of nonorganic agricultural products)
provides major financing for Freeman Spogli (which supported the research)
and that's inspired a petition to retract the findings.
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Posted on
2012/10/16 16:35:12 ( 765 reads )
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To give love is true freedom; to demand love is pure slavery.
-- Swami Chinmayananda
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Posted on
2012/10/13 18:19:29 ( 1235 reads )
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MASSACHUCETTS, USA, October 12, 2012 (Harvard Business Review, article by
Peter Bregman): This morning, like every morning, I sat cross-legged on a
cushion on the floor, rested my hands on my knees, closed my eyes, and did
nothing but breathe for 20 minutes. People say the hardest part about
meditating is finding the time to meditate. This makes sense: who these
days has time to do nothing? It's hard to justify. Meditation brings many
benefits: It refreshes us, helps us settle into what's happening now, makes
us wiser and gentler, helps us cope in a world that overloads us with
information and communication, and more. But if you're still looking for a
business case to justify spending time meditating, try this one: Meditation
makes you more productive.
How? By increasing your capacity to resist distracting urges. Research
shows that an ability to resist urges will improve your relationships,
increase your dependability, and raise your performance. If you can resist
your urges, you can make better, more thoughtful decisions. You can be more
intentional about what you say and how you say it. You can think about the
outcome of your actions before following through on them. Our ability to
resist an impulse determines our success in learning a new behavior or
changing an old habit. It's probably the single most important skill for
our growth and development. As it turns out, that's one of the things
meditation teaches us. It's also one of the hardest to learn.
For the rest of this informative article, click "source" above.
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Posted on
2012/10/13 18:17:22 ( 1251 reads )
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COIMBATORE, INDIA, October 1, 2012 (India Times): It was a defining moment
for Coimbatore's dalits when several of them entered the 120-year-old
Mariamman temple at Kalapatti for the first time on Sunday with the support
of the Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF) and Communist
Party of India Marxist (CPM) activists.
Located three miles away from Coimbatore airport, the temple had been out
of bounds for dalits until now. Around 2,000 families from the
Arunthathiyar community live in this area. More than 1,500 dalits and an
equal number of CPM activists gathered at Kalapatti Bazaar at 11am and took
out a huge procession before entering the temple premises. Police provided
security to the dalits and party workers. There was no resistance from
upper caste Hindus and the temple priest also cooperated with the
protesters. He distributed sacred ash to all those gathered, breaking the
shackles on customs that were more than a century old.
Coimbatore MP P. R. Natarajan and TNUEF president P. Sambath, who led the
dalits' march to the sanctum sanctorum, said that discrimination against
any community would not be allowed in the temple any more. "The
Mariamman temple has been under the administrative control of the
department of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments (HR&CE) since
1971. The HR&CE Act empowers any community to enter and worship, but
untouchability prevailed despite the law." he said.
TNUEF had staged many demonstrations in the city seeking government
intervention in the issue. As the authorities failed to act, they decided
to resolve the issue themselves. "It is a matter of shame for the state
that untouchability existed at a temple situated in an urban area. It is
not unusual to find such discrimination in remote interiors," said
Sambath.
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Posted on
2012/10/13 18:17:10 ( 793 reads )
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Man arrives at immortality by breaking beyond the limitations not only of
his physical self, but of his mental and his ordinary psychic nature into
the highest plane and supreme ether of the Truth: for there is the
foundation of immortality and the native seat of the triple infinite.
-- Sri Aurobindo (1879-1950)
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Posted on
2012/10/12 18:02:20 ( 1193 reads )
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JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA, October 11, 2012 (The Star): Parents of several
pupils at Parkdene Primary School in Boksburg assert their children have
suffered racial discrimination and verbal abuse because they wore red
strings around their wrists, as part of their Hindu religion.
For years parents had been afraid to speak out, from fears of retaliation
against their children. One third-grade boy's parents overcame that fear
and objected to the principal, claiming his music teacher (the principal's
wife) had shouted racial and derogatory slurs at him because he was wearing
a red string around his wrist as part of his Hindu religion. They claim
their son was ordered to take off the string and called a
"coolie" several times in front of his classmates by his
teacher--a racism hell that this student has endured since Grade 1, when
that teacher first noticed the string and ordered him to remove it. But despite
several such complaints, nothing had been done. The parents were told their
son should wear a jersey to hide the red string.
Desperate to get help for their son, who has been refusing to go to school,
the couple took the matter to Gauteng Education MEC Barbara Creecy. The
department is now investigating the matter. Other parents have since come
forward, saying the problem has persisted for over two years, and other
children are being threatened and verbally abused by the same teacher--the
only teacher in the school that has a problem with the red string.
The principal apologized to the parents on Wednesday, saying the matter had
been sorted out and the pupil could wear his red string; he would not have
to cover it with a jersey. But this response, coming only after
intervention by authorities, does not satisfy the angry parents, who say he
is not fit to be a principal, nobody using abusive language and
name-calling should be allowed to teach, and no child should be made to
hide his cultural or traditional beliefs.
The principal has refused to comment, saying the department was dealing
with the matter.
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Posted on
2012/10/12 18:02:14 ( 907 reads )
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KATHMANDU, NEPAL, October 11, 2012 (Indo-Asian News Service): The Communist
Party of Nepal-Maoist (CPN-Maoist) has lifted its two-week-old ban on
Indian films in Nepali theatres, the group announced Thursday. The ban has
been lifted due to the upcoming Hindu festival Dashain, Xinhua quoted
CPN-Maoist as saying.
The Indian Embassy here had urged the breakaway group of UCPN-Maoist, which
is led by Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, to withdraw the ban. CPN-Maoist
spokeswoman Pumpha Bhusal, however, said the lifting of the ban is
temporary.
The ban on Indian movies drew mixed reactions here. Theatres that mostly
screen Indian films, suffered losses of 35 million Nepali rupees within two
weeks, said Ashok Sharma, ex-chairman of Nepal Film Producers Association.
The CPN-Maoist said Hindi movies promote vulgarity and cultural indecency.
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Posted on
2012/10/12 18:02:08 ( 897 reads )
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KOLKATA, INDIA, October 12, 2012 (ANI): A festive fever has gripped West
Bengal, with artisans decorating makeshift temples and giving final touches
to statues of the Hindu Goddess Durga ahead of the popular Durga Puja
festival.
Agradut Uday Sangha's Durga Puja pandal in Bhawanipur in Kolkata is
planning to make Swami Vivekananda's statutes with an aim to pay tribute to
the Swami on his 150th birth anniversary. The makeshift temple committee,
which is in its 66th year of puja celebrations this year, has decided to
decorate the temple with colourful buttons. "There is a saying by
Swami Vivekananda that those who believe in victory, believe in God. So,
based on this, we have showcased an act of rescue by showing Gautama Buddha
sitting, a man shooting a bird with an arrow, and then, Gautama Buddha
helping the injured bird. So, based upon this rescue work, we have made
various designs on the walls," said Burman.
Durga Puja is one of India's most famous festivals. Legend has it that
"Asuras" or demons from the underworld invaded the heavens after
a hundred year war with the gods. The Hindu trinity of Brahma, Shiva and
Vishnu created Goddess Durga, the most powerful of all gods and goddesses,
to vanquish the demons, hence the term 'Durga Puja' which means worshipping
the Goddess. It is believed that the Goddess makes Her annual visit to the
world and the festivities are meant to welcome Her. On this occasion, homes
are re-painted and decorated to 'receive' the Goddess. Small statues of the
Goddess are also installed to worship Her.
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Posted on
2012/10/12 18:02:02 ( 823 reads )
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Like a tortoise withdrawing five limbs into its shell, those who restrain
the five senses in one life will find safe shelter for seven.
-- Tirukkural 126
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Posted on
2012/10/11 17:47:42 ( 966 reads )
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SRINAGAR, JAMMU, October 11, 2012 (Economic Times): J&K is all set to
create another autonomous board to manage the lesser known Machail Yatra
(click http://www.paddar.com/machail_yatra.html for more on this Yatra)
that is conducted yearly in the Chenab Valley. Around 350 thousands Hindu
pilgrims trek a long distance to a high altitude Goddess temple set up not
more than forty years back.
Ruling National Conference had reservations over the issue but the Congress
lawmaker Naresh Kumar Gupta insisted the bill being of huge public interest
has to be a law. He managed its passage with the help of party's erstwhile
allies the PDP. The bill seeks improvement in the overall infrastructure
between Bhadrwah and the temple located deep into the Paddar valley which
lacks road connectivity.
If approved, J&K will have four boards to manage four Hindu
pilgrimages. Unlike Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine Board, one of the
wealthiest shrines in north India, which has to take care of the yatra
round the clock, all other boards have to mange smaller pilgrimages which
take place once in a year. While Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) has a
two month pilgrimage, the Shiv Khori Board manages a less-than-a-week
yatra.
The 'Machail Yatra' is a comparatively newer Hindu pilgrimage in the state.
It takes place in August and it starts from Bhadrwah's Chenote temple.
Pilgrims leave in long caravans and reach Kishtwar and then to remote
Paddar. From there, they leave on foot to Paddar where the temple of Mata
Chandi is located at 11000 ft above sea level, not far away from the world
famous sapphire mines. The entire yatra is a 175-kms trek and usually is
open for around three weeks. 27 days. This pilgrimage owes its existence to
a Bhaderwah cop, Thakur Kulbir Singh aka Mata, who started it during his
posting in Paddar.
Congressmen who pushed the bill said the Board will help create the
necessary infrastructure and organize the pilgrimage that otherwise taxes
the government. The bill suggests the trust that is conducting the
pilgrimage should have seventy percent reservation in its decision making
as the rest can be government nominees.
Currently it is pilgrim tourism that is making most of the tourist arrivals
to the state. Official data suggest that 9,519,170 pilgrims visited the
state in 2012 till September. Of them 8,309,395 are pilgrim tourists -
7,688,291 to Vaishno Devi and 621,104 to Amarnath.
The balance 1,210,315 are luxury tourists. Of them 1,070,027 have visited
Kashmir and 140,288 visited Ladakh. Though most of the tourists are
backpackers, the high-spending foreign component is only 54,460 of which
27,596 had come to Kashmir and 26,864 to Ladakh.
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Posted on
2012/10/11 17:47:36 ( 883 reads )
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THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, INDIA, October 7, 2012 (The Hindu): Head priests
(Melsanthi) of the Ayyappa temple and Malikappuram Devi temple, both in
Sabarimala, will be selected through draw of lots to be held on October 17,
the first day of the Malayalam month of Thulam.
For this, the Travancore Devaswom Board has drawn up a shortlist of nine
priests for the post of the Melsanthi for the Ayyappa temple and 10 for
that of the Malikappuram Devi temple. According to TDB sources, the
short-listing of eligible priests from among the applicants was made on the
basis of a personal interview.
The Special Commissioner appointed by the Kerala High Court will personally
supervise the entire proceedings to be held at the sanctum sanctorum at
Sabarimala temple and announce the results there itself. Both the newly
selected Melsanthis will assume charge on the eve of the 41-day Mandalam
pilgrimage season in the Malayalam month of Vrischikom. The TDB has been
selecting head priests for Sabarimala shrines through draw of lots since
1970, when large scale corruption was alleged in the conventional selection
process.
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Posted on
2012/10/11 17:47:29 ( 721 reads )
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The average man of the world goes about his daily life not knowing that
subconsciously he is seeking the Absolute Truth, the Beloved in the jiva.
The mind-body equipment of man contains this Beloved, yet he seeks for it
everywhere else but within. The musk deer attracted by its own scent
searches for it in the woods. Little does it know that in its body is the
source of this fragrance. Saint Kabir (1440-1518)
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Posted on
2012/10/10 18:10:53 ( 1208 reads )
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK, October 9, 2012 (The Telegraph UK): Dr. Eben Alexander,
a Harvard-educated neurosurgeon, fell into a coma for seven days in 2008
after contracting meningitis. During his illness Dr Alexander says that the
part of his brain which controls human thought and emotion "shut
down" and that he then experienced "something so profound that it
gave me a scientific reason to believe in consciousness after death."
In an essay for American magazine Newsweek, which he wrote to promote his
book Proof of Heaven, Dr Alexander says he was met by a beautiful blue-eyed
woman in a "place of clouds, big fluffy pink-white ones" and
"shimmering beings".
He continues: "Birds? Angels? These words registered later, when I was
writing down my recollections. But neither of these words do justice to the
beings themselves, which were quite simply different from anything I have
known on this planet. They were more advanced. Higher forms." The
doctor adds that a "huge and booming like a glorious chant, came down
from above, and I wondered if the winged beings were producing it. the
sound was palpable and almost material, like a rain that you can feel on
your skin but doesn't get you wet."
Dr Alexander says he had heard stories from patients who spoke of outer
body experiences but had disregarded them as "wishful thinking"
but has reconsidered his opinion following his own experience.
He added: "I know full well how extraordinary, how frankly
unbelievable, all this sounds. Had someone even a doctor told me a story
like this in the old days, I would have been quite certain that they were
under the spell of some delusion. But what happened to me was, far from
being delusional, as real or more real than any event in my life. That
includes my wedding day and the birth of my two sons." He added:
"I've spent decades as a neurosurgeon at some of the most prestigious
medical institutions in our country. I know that many of my peers hold as I
myself did to the theory that the brain, and in particular the cortex,
generates consciousness and that we live in a universe devoid of any kind
of emotion, much less the unconditional love that I now know God and the
universe have toward us. "But that belief, that theory, now lies
broken at our feet. What happened to me destroyed it."
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Posted on
2012/10/10 18:10:47 ( 987 reads )
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UNITED KINGDOM, October 4, 2012 (Daily Mail): Cao Yan, a 36-year-old
teacher from China, came to India last year on a mission to decode ancient
Buddhist literature. Cao Yan picked up Sanskrit in the year-long training
he received under retired professor Pushpa Dikhshit, an eminent Sanskrit
scholar based in Chhattisgarh. Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan has 33,668
students enrolled in its centre for a non-formal certificate program.
Cao is not the only one interested in learning the "forgotten
language." Professionals are learning Sanskrit to read ancient texts
and use the knowledge in their current profession. 'I teach Buddhist
philosophy (in China). A lot of Buddhist scriptures were originally written
in Sanskrit. So it was necessary for me to learn Sanskrit to be able to
research and teach other students in this field,' Cao, who teaches at Wuhan
University in China, said.
Nearer home, Rashtriya Sanskrit Sansthan is witnessing a turnaround in its
fortunes. Established in 1972 by the ministry of human resource
development, it's a deemed university with 11 campuses across the country.
Nearly 750 students enrolled in its distance mode this year, which is up
from about 300 students in its debut year in 2010 "We have engineers,
teachers, businessmen and even farmers learning Sanskrit these days. They
have perhaps realized that matter related to their work and life is
available in Sanskrit books," Ratnamohan Jha, national coordinator of
non-formal Sanskrit education, said. Increased awareness about Vaastu
Shastra, Yoga and Ayurveda has also added to the relevance of Sanskrit.
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Posted on
2012/10/10 18:10:40 ( 1093 reads )
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COLORADO, U.S., September 26, 2012 (Air Force Academy Public Affairs): A
group of 10 cadets and 20 other guests attended a Hindu service in the
Cadet Chapel's multipurpose room Sept. 21 to honor one of the major Gods of
the Hindu pantheon, marking the first Hindu service in the Cadet Chapel in
recent memory. The Academy chaplain's office provided support for the
event, which was led by Hindu priests with the Sri Venkateswara Temple of
Colorado.
Cadet 3rd Class Anish Bachu of Cadet Squadron 09 called the event historic
and thanked the chaplains, particularly Chaplain (Col.) Robert Bruno and
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) James Brantingham, for their support. "My mother
approached Brantingham a few weeks ago regarding having a service for the
Hindu cadets, and he immediately agreed," Bachu said. "The
chaplains were very excited for the Hindu cadets, and my chain of command was
very open and encouraging as well."
The Ganesha Chaturthi service was held to observe the birthday of the Hindu
God Ganesha, the remover of obstacles, according to Hindu theology. Hindus
typically pray to Ganesha before starting projects, so the chance to
observe His birthday early in the academic year was special, Bachu said.
Bachu's mother, Mythili Bachu, is the chairperson of the Council of Hindu
Temples of North America and president of the United Hindu Jain Temples of
Washington, D.C. She worked with the Academy's chaplains to set up the
observance. "I felt very satisfied with the whole program and very
much grateful to the leadership for providing an opportunity for Hindu
cadets to pray to our gods," she said. "I am happy to see that we
can have an annual service for all the Hindu cadets at the Academy. This is
a great start for Hindus in the United States."
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Posted on 2012/10/10
18:10:34 ( 813 reads )
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Give up everything to Him, resign yourself to Him and there will no trouble
for you. Then you will come to know that every thing is done by His will.
-- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa (1836-1886)
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Posted on
2012/10/24 17:52:46 ( 688 reads )
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CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA, October 15, 2012 (sfgate.com): Organizers estimated
more than 10,000 people attended the tenth annual Diwali celebration
Saturday in Cupertino's Memorial Park. Diwali, the festival of lights, is
one of the most important Hindu celebrations in India and has become more
popular in the United States in recent years. Visitors came from around the
Bay Area to celebrate with friends and family.
Children dressed in elaborate saris performed traditional Indian dances to
kick off the event. City officials lit clay lamps, called diyas, to
symbolize the triumph of good over evil. The festivities, which include
singing and sharing food, signify joy, splendor and brightness.
"It's bringing the communities closer together," said Mahesh
Nihalani, Cupertino Chamber of Commerce board member. "This is a
festival for everybody in the larger community. It brings a lot of people
here who can share the culture and the food." Nihalani organized the
first Diwali event in 2002 and has watched the event grow from a small,
three-hour affair with a couple of booths to this year's eight-hour celebration
with 24 corporate sponsors.
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Posted on
2012/10/24 17:52:39 ( 777 reads )
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FLORIDA, U.S., October 15, 2012 (Huffington Post, by Vasudha Narayanan):
Formal, printed invitations in previous years, and now e-vites start coming
in September to announce the coming of the festival of Navratri (literally,
"nine nights"). The invitations, issued by those whose original
home is or was in parts of South India, are printed in women's names, and
announce gatherings at one's home -- in a manner of "open houses"
-- to celebrate Lakshmi, the Goddess of grace and good fortune; Durga, the
Goddess of valor and strength; and Saraswati, the patron Goddess of
learning and the performing arts. (Hindus, all over the world, tend to
associate Durga, more than any other deity, with the Fall festival of
Navratri.)
"We cordially invite you for Navratri-Kolu," say the e-vites.
Women and young girls from south Indian families -- and now, extended to
people from many parts of India in the diaspora -- visit friends' houses on
the appointed days to view and admire the display of dolls (kolu or
"sitting in state") set up on tiered platforms which are draped
with a white cloth or, sometimes, silk sarees. They are in the process of
what many wryly call "kolu hopping." They sing and hear classical
songs (most of them in honor of the goddesses), play musical instruments,
eat snacks, collect party favors and move on to the next house on the
e-vite list.
Since the Hindu calendar is lunar -- it is adjusted periodically to the
solar calendar -- Navratri (which is commonly spelled "Navaratri"
following the Sanskrit) generally begins with the new moon that comes
between mid-September and mid-October. In some years, such as this one,
Navratri begins one lunar cycle later.
While Hindus all over the world celebrate this festival, they do so in
different ways and, sometimes, for different reasons. People of many castes
celebrate the festival with regional differences being more important than
caste differences. The festival is celebrated for goddesses in south Indian
temples also, but it is largely and popularly connected with domestic and
public spaces rather than temples. An understanding of this festival gives
us an idea of the diversity and complexity of the many Hindu communities,
and at the same time, the connecting threads between these traditions. This
festival, as most others in India and other parts of the world, celebrates
the victory of good over the forces of evil, be they outside or within
oneself. This is a time for Devi, the Goddess, a reflection on and
valorizing of what is considered to be the "feminine" energy of
the divine-- and its presence is acknowledged in girls, women and the
Goddess.
For much more on the celebration of Navaratri see 'source' above.
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Posted on
2012/10/24 17:52:33 ( 744 reads )
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To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If
by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than
man. If by strength is meant moral power, then woman is immeasurably man's
superior. Has she not greater intuition, is she not more self-sacrificing,
has she not greater powers of endurance, has she not greater courage?
Without her, man could not be. If nonviolence is the law of our being, the
future is with woman. Who can make a more effective appeal to the heart
than woman?
-- Mahatma Gandhi in Young India, 10/4/1930
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Posted on
2012/10/20 15:45:49 ( 654 reads )
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KOLKATA, INDIA, October 18, 2012 (firstpost.com): As the city remains busy
doing last-minute shopping before the Durga Puja festivities kick off this
weekend, a group of young men rehearses shlokas and rituals at a crash
course to counter a priest shortage in Kolkata. Due to the mushrooming puja
committees in the city and its outskirts, a shortage of skilled priests has
been felt each year. To match the demand, the West Bengal Pandit and
Purohit Association is running a crash course at Maniktala temple for
priests ahead of the Durga Puja.
"The number of pujas is increasing, but the number of priests has
remained the same. As a result, those without having complete and proper
knowledge of the rules get engaged as priests. Many of them chant wrong or
miss steps while performing rituals," Netai Chakraborty, president of
the association, said. Applicants with a basic knowledge of rituals are
allowed to enroll in the week-long workshop. Under the guidance of veteran
priests, the students, mostly from the districts, are taught the rituals of
worship and how to carry out the deity's puja in accordance with Hindu
scriptures. Not only does the course encourage newcomers to take their
ancestral profession, but it also acts as a refresher course for those who
have been into the profession for a few years.
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Posted on
2012/10/20 15:45:21 ( 700 reads )
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SRINIGAR, INDIA, October 20, 2012: As part of continuous efforts to revive
the centuries-old harmony and brotherhood in the Kashmir Valley, a Shiva
temple at Rainawari in the city here was thrown open on Saturday to public
after a gap of 22 years. The dilapidated temple was recently renovated by
the Jammu and Kashmir Dharmarth Trust at a cost of US$33,400.
Opening the temple, Rajya Sabha member Dr. Karan Singh said in 1846,
Maharaja Gulab Singh, had set up Dharmarth Trust to look after the functioning
of the various new and old temples so that the devotees can perform their
religious activities. He said the trust looks after 100 temples in the
state including more than 20 temples of the Valley at Pahalgam, Gulmarg,
famous Kheer Bhawani, Sathoo Barbarshah in Srinagar.
The temples like Shri Amarnath Ji and Vaishnov Devi are being run by the
Trusts established by the government of Jammu and Kashmir through an Act
and maintained that ten million devotees visited Mata Vaishno Devi while
500,000 pilgrims paid obeisance at the holy cave of Amarnathji, Singh said.
He said Jammu and Kashmir has a unique identity of thousands of years of
composite culture and a number of holy shrines including Alamdar-i-Kashmir
Sheikh Noor-ud-Noorani at Charar-e-Sharief, which has been reconstructed
after it was gutted in a fire incident. Singh said it is very unfortunate
that one of the holiest shrines Peer Dastigheer Sahib was damaged in a fire
and on which all the sections of the people of the state expressed their
sorrow and grief.
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Posted on
2012/10/20 15:44:37 ( 1079 reads )
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BENGAL, INDIA, October 18, 2012 (BBC): An excellent slideshow on Durga Puja
in Bengal is available at source above.
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Posted on
2012/10/19 18:12:01 ( 754 reads )
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Saiva Agamas
Honored Upon Arrival in Toronto Press Release
TORONTO, CANADA, October, 2012 (Thiru Satkunendran): A computer disk drive
containing the large collection of Saiva Agamas from the archives of the
French Institute of Pondicherry Institute arrived today in Toronto. It is a
gift from Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, publisher of Hinduism Today.
This gem, containing over a million photos, including most of the Saiva
Agama scriptures, was brought for worship by Rishi Thondunathan during the
Sivayoga Swami poojas celebrated on October 13 at Thiruvadi Nilayam here in
Toronto. The next morning it was worshipped at Thooya Bakthar's Sangamam
hall and in the evening presented to Dr.Lambotharan in the presence of a
large congregation of youth and elders. A short talk was given by Dr. Shan
Shanmugavadivel (President of World Saiva Council, Canada) and Rishi Thondunathan.
Sri Kanthaswami Kurukkal and his assistant recited from the Agamas.
The importance and value of the Agamas were explained by the speakers
including a Kurukkal priest from Nallur Temple, Jaffna. Rishi spoke of the
hurdles faced in obtaining permission from the French government and then
of the digitization of the decaying and fragile ola leaves over a
two-and-a-half-year period by foour hard-working Indian youth.
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Posted on
2012/10/19 18:10:58 ( 635 reads )
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MADURAI, INDIA, October 20, 2012 (Press Trust of India): Madurai, Oct 20
(PTI): Swami Nithyananda was on Friday sacked by the senior pontiff as his
successor of a 1,500-year old Saivite mutt here, an appointment which had
attracted widespread condemnation from various quarters including Tamil
Nadu Government as Nithyananda is facing criminal charges in Karnataka.
Sri Arunagirinathar, the 292nd head of Madurai Adheenam, who had named
Nithyananda as his successor to the highly revered mutt in April last,
showed the door to him as pressure mounted from the state government and
other Hindu mutts and outfits besides devotees against the appointment.The
move came a day after the state Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment
department moved a local court seeking removal of Arunagirinathar himself
and opposed Nithyananda's appointment holding it violated rules and mutt
traditions.
Incidentally, during the day, the Madras High Court reserved orders on a
bunch of petitions seeking removal of Nithyananda. Asked why Nithyananda
was sacked, Arunagirinathar, who had earlier defended his action, said
"You know better. I have sought police help because I feel my life is
threatened due to the stay of the disciples of Nithyananda (in the mutt
here)."
The seer told police that he was facing a threat from the disciples of
Nithyananda after his sacking. Disciples of Nithyanandha who were staying
in the mutt also came out. Nithyananda's controversial appointment led to
strong protests from the mutt disciples who opposed him on the ground that he
was unfit as he faced serious criminal charges including sex scandal and
filed petitions in courts.
In its plea before the sub-court, HR and CE Commissioner has sought removal
of Arunagirinathan as the head of mutt charging that he had failed to
perform his duty and had formed a trust along with Nithyananda with the
ulterior motive of selling the mutt properties, worth several hundreds of
crores.This is the second time Arunagirinathar is sacking a junior Pontiff.
He had dismissed a young boy whom he had appointed as the Junior pontiff
two years ago.
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Posted on
2012/10/18 15:20:00 ( 709 reads )
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SHIMLA, INDIA, October 16,2012 (Indo-Asian News Service): Tens of thousands
of devotees assembled in different parts of Himachal Pradesh Tuesday and
offered prayers on the onset of the nine-day Navratra, considered by Hindus
to be an auspicious period. "We are expecting the arrival of 50,000
people daily at the Naina Devi temple during the festival," temple
office Sukhdev Thakur told IANS. He said security has been beefed up and
closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed to manage the
crowd. One of the busiest shrines in north India, the hilltop Naina Devi
temple in Bilaspur district sees a majority of pilgrims from Punjab and
Haryana.
Likewise, the popular shrines of Chintpurni in Una district and Jwalaji and
Brajeshwari Devi temples in Kangra district witnessed a huge rush. People
would be able to have live darshan of Brajeshwari and Jwalaji temples on www.divineindia.com and Naina Devi on www.srinainadevi.com "One can literally
have a parikrama (circumambulation) of the temple," a temple official
said. The ban on offering coconuts would continue in all the prominent
temples in the state as a precaution against a terrorist attack. Meanwhile,
during the Navratra festivities, the Election Commission (EC) has barred
all kinds of political activities in the poll-bound state. An election
official said that during the festival, political leaders cannot be invited
as chief guests and they cannot use it (the festival) as a platform for
campaigning. The polling in the hill state for the 68-member assembly will
be held Nov 4.
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Posted on
2012/10/18 15:18:01 ( 716 reads )
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GEORGE TOWN, MALAYSIA, October 16, 2012 (The Star): Thousands of devotees,
carrying candles and incense, thronged the Nine Emperor Gods (Kew Ong Yeah)
temples in Penang to seek blessings and in typical multi-religious style,
Hindu devotees marked their “Navarathri” (nine nights) vegetarian festival.
Over in Burma Road leading to Tao Bo Kong Temple, there was a
bumper-to-bumper crawl stretching a few kilometres as devotees gathered to
mark the first day of the Nine Emperor Gods festival. The annual nine-day
Taoist festival requires devotees to observe a strict vegetarian diet to
cleanse and purify their bodies. Yesterday also saw the first day of the
Navarathri festival where Hindu devotees embark on a strict vegetarian
diet. Penang Hindu Association deputy chairman P. Murugiah said that it was
not uncommon for Hindu students to fast during Navarathri. Navarathri is a
celebration to worship the supreme Goddess Shakti in her various forms.
Hindus also offer daily prayers, fruits, flowers and coconuts to the
Goddess.
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Posted on
2012/10/17 10:00:20 ( 914 reads )
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New Delhi/Faizabad/Ramgarh, Oct. 16 (Asian News International): Devout Hindus
queued up at various temples across India to mark the beginning of the
nine-day long festival of Navratri, which is held in honor of the Goddess
Durga which is observed twice a year, once in April and the second time in
October. A majority of Hindu devotees fast during these nine days and offer
fruits and flowers to Goddess Durga as an act of worship. In Jharkhand's
Ramgarh district, foreign tourists also are arriving to participate. A
priest, Girdhari Lal, said "Many priest and saints have also come, as
they know about the importance of the festive season. People from across
the country are also arriving."
The devotees believe their wishes are fulfilled if they pray to Goddess
Badi Devkali during the nine-day festival. The festival lasts for nine days
in honour of nine manifestations of Durga, goddess of power, and fall in
the months of April-May and September-October. It is believed that during
the Navratri, Goddess Durga descends on earth to rid it of the demons and
blesses her devotees with happiness and prosperity. On the tenth day people
celebrate Dussehra, which marks the triumph of good over evil. According to
Hindu mythology, on this day, Lord Rama beheaded the demon-king Ravana.
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Posted on
2012/10/17 10:00:14 ( 828 reads )
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KUMBAKONAM, INDIA, October 15, 2012 (India Times): The Union minister for
culture, Kumari Selja on Sunday visited famous temples around Kumbakonam
and said that the culture ministry has included five sites in Tamil Nadu,
including the famous Lord Sri Ranganathar temple in Srirangam, in the
tentative list for UNESCO world heritage status.
She was on a heritage tour to Thanjavur on Saturday and on Sunday she
visited some famous temples including the Lord Iravatheeswarar temple in
Kumbakonam. Later, addressing media persons in Swamymalai, Selja said that
Fort St. George in Chennai, Kazhugumalai in Tirunelveli district, Chettinad
in Sivaganga district and Pulicat Lake in Tiruvallur district are the other
four sites included in the list for world heritage status. Moreover, if the
state government and the local administration send the proposal, the Centre
would consider them for inclusion of the sites in the world heritage status
list, she added.
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Posted on
2012/10/17 10:00:07 ( 874 reads )
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The more we are conscious of God's presence in daily life, the more intense
is the fullness of the joy we experience. God means infinitely more to our
existence than the light of the sun means to the plants and trees.
-- Swami Omkarananda, (1930-2000), founder of Omkarananda Ashram,
Rishikesh
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Posted on
2012/10/16 16:35:24 ( 1014 reads )
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OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA, October 13, 2012 (Contra Costa Times): Five years
after a few pioneering families began trickling into East Oakland and
Alameda, a burgeoning Bhutanese exile community is happy to have left
refugee camps in Nepal but still struggling to adjust to Bay Area life,
according to the first report to survey their well-being. "The
community is still trying to survive," said Jiwan Subba, president of
the Alameda-based Bhutanese Community in California, a year-old organization
helping link the refugees with jobs, health services and fellowship.
Fellowship, at least, was in good supply Saturday afternoon during the
community's first public celebration of the Dasain festival, a 15-day
Nepali Hindu celebration of the triumph of good over evil. Still, Subba's
group used the occasion to reveal some of the economic and social problems
felt by the community of several hundred refugees, nearly all of whom have
arrived in the past five years.
In a survey of 91 Bhutanese immigrants in Oakland and Alameda, about 68
percent had incomes below the federal poverty line, more than half reported
stress-related ailments, 42 percent are unemployed and many say they
struggle with the English language, which makes it harder for them to find
good jobs.
It is a religiously diverse community, according to the survey: 47 percent
Hindu, 34 percent Buddhist and 15 percent Protestant Christian. The
youngest members were born in United Nations refugee camps in eastern
Nepal. The oldest fled their homeland, the Buddhist kingdom of Bhutan, to
escape ethnic tensions and persecution of Bhutanese people of Nepali
descent in the early 1990s, and lived in the camps for nearly two decades.
Bhutan refused to take them back.
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Posted on
2012/10/16 16:35:18 ( 941 reads )
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GAYA, BIHAR, INDIA, October 14, 2012 (ANI): Hindu devotees lit earthen
lamps over the weekend as an obligatory duty ahead of the annual ancestor
worshipping ritual of Pind Daan, which falls during the Pitr-Paksha period
(16-lunar day period as per Hindu calendar). Pitr-paksha generally falls in
the month of September or October every year.
Devotees were seen lighting earthen lamps and then placing them in a water
body as a mark of respect for their forefathers. Expressing their
happiness, devotees in Gaya said they hope to enlighten their lives by
paying homage to their ancestors through the ritual. "We all have
gathered here to celebrate the festival of lights Deepavali in the memory
of our ancestors after performing Pind Daan (ancestors' salvation ritual)
for them. By lighting lamps in their memories we hope that our lives are
also enlightened," said a Hindu devotee, Manish Agarwal.
According to traditional beliefs, the eldest son of a family performs Pind
Daan and pays homage to their ancestors (Pitrs), especially through food
offerings. People take holy dip in rivers and get their heads tonsured as a
part of the ritual for the departed souls. The food is usually cooked in
silver or copper vessels and placed on banana leaves. Devotees also
expressed gratitude to their forefathers for inculcating ethics and social
values in them.
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Posted on
2012/10/31 17:29:59 ( 1356 reads )
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UNITED STATES, October 28, 2012 (Huffington Post): Understanding where
consciousness comes from could solve mysteries such as what happens to the
"soul" during near-death experiences, or when a person dies. In a
video that recently aired on "Through the Wormhole" narrated by
Morgan Freeman on the TV channel Science, Dr. Hameroff claims, "I
believe that consciousness, or its immediate precursor proto-consciousness,
has been in the universe all along, perhaps from the Big Bang."
Dr. Hameroff goes on to share hypothetical scenarios derived from the
Orch-OR (orchestrated objective reduction) theory of consciousness that he
and Roger Penrose, mathematician and physicist, proposed in 1996. According
to the theory, consciousness is derived from microtubules within brain
cells (neurons) which are sites of quantum processing.
According to Dr. Hameroff, in a near-death experience, when the heart stops
beating, the blood stops flowing, and the microtubules lose their quantum
state, the quantum information in the microtubules isn't destroyed. It's
distributed to the universe at large, and if the patient is revived, the
quantum information can go back to the microtubules. In this event, the
patient says they had something like a near-death experience, i.e. they saw
white light or a tunnel or floated out of their body. In the event that the
patient is not revived, "it's possible that the quantum information
can can exist outside the body, perhaps indefinitely, as a soul," he
said.
The Orch-OR theory of consciousness remains--obviously--controversial in
the scientific community.
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Posted on
2012/10/31 17:29:53 ( 892 reads )
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It is said that children are a man's real wealth, and that this wealth is
determined by his deeds.
-- Tirukkural
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Posted on
2012/10/27 18:16:55 ( 924 reads )
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FAIZABAD, UTTAR PRADESH, INDIA, October 26, 2012 (BBC): Tension prevails in
Faizabad town in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh after two
people were killed in religious violence on Thursday. The town was put
under curfew for the entire day after rioters burnt several shops and
vehicles. Curfew was lifted on Friday morning, but few people are out on
the streets. Clashes between Hindus and Muslims began on Wednesday night
after rumors that a statue of the Hindu goddess Durga had been vandalized,
police said.
The violence on Wednesday night broke out when a group of Hindus were
taking a Durga Deity for immersion in a river at the end of the 10-day
Durga puja festival. Police used tear gas shells and fired in the air to
control the fighting, reports said. The state government has suspended
senior local police and administration officials accusing them of
"negligence" and ordered an inquiry into the incident. Religious
violence has been on an upswing in Uttar Pradesh state where at least 12
people have been killed in the last seven months.
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Posted on
2012/10/27 18:16:49 ( 826 reads )
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ENCINITAS, CALIFORNIA, October 23, 2012 (ABC News): Parents in a southern
California community are considering legal action over the
constitutionality of a form of yoga being taught to their children, which
they claim is introducing religion into public schools. Last month, half of
the students attending classes in the Encinitas Union School District K-6
elementary schools in San Diego North County began taking Ashtanga
(Sanskrit for "eight-limbed") yoga for 30 minutes twice per week.
In January, the other half will begin the lessons.
Concerned parents have now retained constitutional first amendment attorney
Dean Broyles, who says that Ashtanga yoga is a religious form of yoga, and
that religious aspects have been introduced into the schools. "The
poses and positions are acknowledged by Ashtanga and Hindi [sic--he meant
"Hindu"] yoga as forms of worship and prayers to Hindu
deities," he told ABC News. "They have a spiritual and religious
meaning behind them."
Broyles said that although he was at first skeptical that there were truly
religious belief and practices being taught to kids, the more he
investigated and spoke with parents, the more he realized it was a
constitutional issue. Broyles says that he brought up the matter at a Encinitas
Union School District (EUSD) trustees meeting, along with 60 concerned
parents, on October 9. Now the EUSD trustees will be reviewing whether the
grant money violates the religious freedom of students and parents.
The yoga, which is being taught in all nine of the schools in the district,
is being funded by a $533,000 grant from the Jois Foundation, a nonprofit
that promotes Ashtanga yoga across the world. All of the instructors
teaching the students are certified and trained by the Jois Foundation in
Ashtanga yoga. Broyles points to hedge-fund billionaire Paul Tudor Jones
and his wife Sonia Jones, who is a known dedicated disciple of Sri Pattabhi
Jois, the recently deceased master of Ashtanga yoga, as the money behind
the EUSD yoga program. The district's program will be studied by the
University of Virginia and University of San Diego to look at benefits of
Ashtanga yoga, as outlined in a letter sent to parents by EUSD
Superintendent Tim Baird.
"The study will look at the way that public school systems can impact
student learning, health, positive relationships, and overall wellness
through the implementation of a holistic approach to student
wellness," Baird said in the letter. "Yoga is a physical activity
that's completely mainstream," Baird told ABC News. "It's done in
universities and churches around the world. I understand it has a cultural
heritage coming from India, and there are people that use yoga in their
religious practices ... We are creating lesson plans in kid-friendly
language that is really redesigning the program. We are not using cultural
references. We are not using Sanskrit. We've changed the names to gorilla
pose, and mountain pose."
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Posted on
2012/10/27 18:16:43 ( 850 reads )
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Religion News
Service
UNITED STATES, October 2012 (RNS): With their "True Love Waits"
jewelry, conferences and T-shirts, Christians may be the face of the
abstinence movement, but Muslims and Hindus are more likely to abstain from
premarital sex. That's the conclusion of a new study in the American
Sociological Review, which also found that Muslims and Hindus -- at least
in the developing world -- are more likely than Christians and Jews to
refrain from extramarital sex.
"All major world religions discourage sex outside of marriage, but
they are not all equally effective in shaping behavior," said Amy Adamczyk
of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, who co-authored the study with
John Jay doctoral student Brittany E. Hayes. Drawing on the Demographic and
Health Surveys funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, the
study included data from 31 developing nations collected between 2000 and
2008. The authors focused on individuals' responses to questions on
religious affiliation, marital status, and sexual behavior outside of
marriage.
Adamczyk said the study evolved from another study she was doing that found
countries with large Muslim populations have very low rates of HIV and
AIDS. "I was trying to figure out why that would be," she said.
One reason she considered was lower rates of sex outside of marriage.
The authors hypothesized that the larger the proportion of Muslims and
Hindus in a country, the lower the rates of premarital and extramarital
sex. Adamczyk and Hayes found that 94 percent of Jews in the nations they
studied reported having premarital sex, compared to 79 percent of Christians,
65 percent of Buddhists, 43 percent of Muslims and 19 percent of Hindus. As
for extramarital sex, 4 percent of Jews reported having sex outside of
marriage, compared to 3 percent of Christians. Less than one percent each
of Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists reported having extramarital sex.
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Posted on
2012/10/27 18:16:36 ( 984 reads )
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Those from a religious background who believe that "There is only one
life and when it's over, it's over " generally cry and have a very
unhappy time over the departure of a loved one. This is very disturbing to
the loved one from where they are in the inner world wondering, "Why
the grief?" Because they are fine. They are happy, and they are free
of a lot of karmas, a lot of worries, a lot of conflict, ready to start a
new life. Those with a pure Asian religious background, who understand
reincarnation, dharma, karma and the existence of God everywhere, will
smile contentedly and say to themselves, "What a wonderful life the
departed had!" and be joyous in the new world that the departed loved one
is now experiencing.
-- Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001), founder of Hinduism
Today
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Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji,
Satguru Bodhianatha Velayanswami ji, Hinduism
Today dot com for the collection)
(The Blog is reverently for all the seekers of truth,
lovers of wisdom and to share the Hindu Dharma with others on the
spiritual path and also this is purely a non-commercial blog)
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