News from Hindu Press International
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Posted on 2014/2/4 17:30:00 ( 287 reads )
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INDIA, February 3, 2014 (The Hindu): Legend has it that Manickavasagar, one
of the four Saivite savants, constructed the temple at Avudaiyarkoil, known
as Thiruperunthurai, in Pudukottai district. Now the State Archaeology
department has stumbled upon inscriptions confirming that Manickavasagar,
the Minister of Pandiya King Arimarthana Pandian (862-885 ce), built the
sanctum sanctorum and the kanagasabha mandapam.
"His contribution has been recorded in the form of a poem. The
inscriptions, found in the Panchakshara mandapam of the temple built in the
16th century, also record that Thiruvachagam was inscribed on the
walls," said G. Muthusamy, registering officer of the department in
Tiruchi region.
Manickavasagar belonged to the 9th century and was said to have used the
money meant for buying horses for the cavalry to construct the temple at
Thiruperunthurai, one of the ports of the Pandiya Kingdom, after an
encounter with Lord Siva. Manickavasagar penned Thiruvachagam and
Thirupalliyezhuchi while camping in this temple and referred to it as
Thiruperunthurai.
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Posted on 2014/2/4 17:30:00 ( 269 reads )
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LONDON, UK, February 3, 2014 (nchtuk.org): The National Council of Hindu
Temples (UK) is currently carrying out a project on Hindu Healthcare
Chaplaincy work in the UK. NCHTUK is Planning to Organise a three-day Hindu
Healthcare Chaplaincy Training Course from April 18 to 20, 2014, at
Birmingham, West Midlands, funded by the National Health Service -NHS.
Application form is at "source" above, or contact Satish K.
Sharma, secretary@nchtuk.org.
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Posted on 2014/2/2 18:24:15 ( 353 reads )
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KATHMANDU, NEPAL, January 28, 2014 (Himalayan Times): Shreepanchami, also
known as Basanta Panchami or Saraswati Puja, a remarkable day for every
student, is just around the corner. On February 4, you will see throngs of
students visiting temples of Saraswati early in the morning. They won't
miss the chance to worship books, notebooks, pens and musical instruments.
They even write on the walls of temple to get the Goddess' blessings. While
many children start writing their first letters on this day, most of the
educational institutions, too, celebrate the day together with their
students. It is a day to pay homage to the Goddess of Learning.
Every festive celebration has its special significance. Saraswati Puja too
has its value in Nepali culture. Sharmila Dahal, a BBS graduate from Kavre
Multiple Campus, Banepa regards this day to remember and worship the
Goddess of Knowledge. "It is a special day where one can start his/her
learning process," she opines.
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Posted on 2014/2/2 18:24:09 ( 462 reads )
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UNITED STATES, January 27, 2014 (Science Daily): Researchers at The Ohio
State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have found a link between yoga
and lower rates of inflammation in breast cancer survivors. Scientists
followed nearly 200 breast cancer survivors for five years and found that
six months after taking up yoga, fatigue levels dropped 57 percent and
inflammation dropped as much as 20 percent.
Practicing yoga for as little as three months can reduce fatigue and lower
inflammation in breast cancer survivors, according to new research. The
more the women in the study practiced yoga, the better their results.
"We also think the results could easily generalize to other groups of
people who have issues with fatigue and inflammation," said
Kiecolt-Glaser, also an investigator in Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer
Center and the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research.
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Posted on 2014/2/2 18:24:02 ( 434 reads )
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Other religions have all been founded by individuals, but Hinduism is not
based on the teachings of any one single person. Before any prophet was
born, the Sanatana Dharma was there.
-- Swami Rama Thirtha (1873-1906)
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Posted on 2014/2/1 18:24:57 ( 366 reads )
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UNITED KINGDOM, January 30, 2014 (BBC): Conservationists in Pakistan have
asked UNESCO to stop part of a cultural event being held on a World
Heritage site. The group of scholars and archaeologists say the opening
ceremony of the Sindh cultural festival could damage the ruins of Mohenjo
Daro. It is the world's oldest surviving city and dates back to the Indus
Valley civilisation.
The festival is the brainchild of the young leader of the Pakistan People's
Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The BBC's Shahzeb Jillani in Karachi says
official arrangements for the opening ceremony are in full swing - but
leading conservationists are outraged. They are worried that the
construction work needed for the festival's opening ceremony could
irreparably damage the 5,000-year-old site and have written to the UN's
heritage body to ask it to intervene.
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Posted on 2014/2/1 18:24:51 ( 322 reads )
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NASHIK, INDIA, January 20, 2014 (Times Of India): The priests in major
temples in Nashik are cautious over reacting to the Supreme Court (SC)
dismissal of the plea challenging the provisions of the Pandharpur Temples
Act, 1973. On Wednesday, the SC dismissed the petition that challenged the
constitutional validity of certain provisions in the Act, which the petitioners
claimed had abolished all their hereditary rights and privileges in
connection with the temples of Vitthal and Rukmini at Pandharpur.
Devendra Pujari, the priest at Kalaram Mandir, pointed out that affairs of
most of the major temples in the district were being handled by trusts,
except for performing the pujas of the respective deities. These trusts
were headed by a district judge. "It will be difficult to find
similarity in the case between the Pandharpur Temple and the Kalaram
Temple. Nevertheless, the rights of the priests have to be maintained and
they are being honoured in Nashik," Pujari said.
Pandurang Bodke, trustee of the Kalaram Mandir, said that the public trust
registered with the charity commissioner had taken charge of the temple in
the 1960s and has been organising all events since. "The trust is
responsible for carrying out all activities including maintenance, repairs
and events from the public fund. The priests are given 48% of the share of
the funds that are collected in donation box," Bodke said.
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Posted on 2014/2/1 18:24:45 ( 333 reads )
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Before you start some work, always ask yourself three questions: Why am I
doing it? What might the results be? Can I be successful? Only when you
think deeply and find satisfactory answers to these questions, then
proceed.
-- Chanakya (350-275 bce), Indian politician, strategist and writer
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Posted on 2014/1/29 12:16:04 ( 488 reads )
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VELLORE, INDIA, January 23, 2014 (The Hindu): Residents of Ayyanur, about
three miles west of Ambur, thought of a novel but hi-tech idea of retaining
a small 300-year-old Amman temple when the National Highways Authority of
India (NHAI) decided to demolish it to facilitate the widening of the
four-lane Chennai-Bangalore National Highway into a six-lane highway.
R. Moorthy, president of the renovation committee of the temple said that
he got the idea of relocating the temple by seeing such structural
relocations of buildings done in the U.S. on National Geographic channel.
They hired a Haryana-based company which was professionally undertaking
structural relocations. They fixed a steel framework under the temple and
with the use of jacks, moved it at the rate of 8 feet a day to its new
location. As part of the process, they also rotated it to face east.
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Posted on 2014/1/29 12:15:58 ( 480 reads )
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TAMIL, NADU, INDIA, January 20, 2014 (The Hindu, by Dr. Subramanian Swamy,
is a former Union Minister and a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party): The
Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment on January 6, 2013, allowing my
Special Leave Petition that sought the quashing of the Tamil Nadu
Government's G.O. of 2006 which had mandated the government takeover of the
hallowed Sri Sabhanayagar Temple (popularly known as the Nataraja temple).
The Madras High Court Single Judge and Division Bench had in 2009 upheld
the constitutionality of the G.O. by a tortuous and convoluted logic that
new laws can overturn past court judgments that had attained finality
earlier. In 2014, in my SLP, the Supreme Court Bench of Justices B.S.
Chauhan and S.A. Bobde termed this re-opening of the matter as
"judicial indiscipline" and set aside the 2009 Madras High Court
judgment as null and void on the principle of Res Judicata.
In their lengthy judgment, the Bench has clearly set the constitutional
parameters on the scope of governmental intervention in the management of
religious institutions. In particular, the Court has opined that any G.O.
that legally mandates a takeover of a temple must be for a fixed limited
period, which I had suggested as three years.
The Supreme Court, in the 2014 Chidambaram case has held that the
government cannot arbitrarily take over temples, which is what has been
happening in Tamil Nadu under the Dravidian movement's influence.
In the case of Trusts and Societies, takeover of temples can happen, the
Supreme Court held, only on establishing a clear case of mal-administration
and that too the takeover can be for a limited period, and the management
of the temple will have to be handed back immediately after the 'evil has
been remedied'.
Much more at 'source'.
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Posted on 2014/1/29 12:15:52 ( 849 reads )
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NETHERLANDS, October 10, 2012 (SAND): This video is a lecture by physicist
Menas Kafatos given and the 2012 Science and Nonduality Conference held in
the Netherlands. It is quite a startling comparison of discoveries and
concepts in Quantum Physics with ancient Hindu views of the universe and
consciousness. Well worth watching.
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Posted on 2014/1/29 12:15:46 ( 360 reads )
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BHUBANESWAR, INDIA, January 23, 2014 (Narthaki, by Dr. Sunil Kothari,
photos at source): The Mukteswar Dance Festival was held in Bhubaneswar in
a specially constructed open air auditorium with the backdrop of the 10th
century Odishan architectural marvel of Mukteswar Temple. With the winter
chill, the mystic ambience and surrounding small temples created a visual
treat. It was Sankaranti and a rare combination of full moon night,
Purnima. Since the presiding deity at Mukteswara is Lord Shiva, the artists
invariably commence by paying homage to Lord Nataraja. The festival
featured talented dancers, such as Aruna Mohanty, and was organized by
Odisha Tourism in association with Odisha Tourism Development Corporation
Ltd and Odisha Sangeet Natak Akademi.
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Posted on 2014/1/29 12:15:39 ( 394 reads )
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I loved my motherland dearly before I went to America and England. After my
return, every particle of dust of this land seems sacred to me.
-- Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
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Posted on 2014/1/28 17:32:39 ( 705 reads )
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CHENNAI, INDIA, January 19, 2014 (The Hindu): Property worth US$4 million
in the heart of the city belonging to the Kapaleeswarar temple was
recovered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department on
Saturday.
Encroachments, including a mechanics shop, were removed from the property
on Bughs Road in R.A. Puram near Greenways Road. A compound wall is being
constructed to safeguard the retrieved piece of land. Steps are also being
initiated to remove encroachments from other parts of the 5.2 acre parcel,
the source explained.
The department has been taking steps to retrieve property belonging to the
temple. 1.5 acres of land that was used by a private school, 1 acre from
West Kesava Perumal Puram that was used as a parking lot and 1/2 acre
adjacent to that were retrieved over the past year.
Every year, the temple gets rent of around $800,000 from various properties
from 250 tenants.
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Posted on 2014/1/28 17:32:24 ( 496 reads )
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CHILE, January 17, 2014 (La Nacion): The new production that will debut on
the small screen is the story of a group of eight cows that are led by a
"cat guru" who teaches them the ancient Asian art . On Saturday,
January 18th during the "Tronia " preschool program which runs
between 8:00 and 9:00 am, the " Ooommm Mmmooo " series premieres
for the younger set (in Spanish).
It is a Chilean-Colombian 3D animated series, aimed at showing the benefits
of Yoga to children. The protagonists are eight cows of different breeds
that do different yoga positions that children can replicate at home. The
instructor of the yoga exercises is a cat guru, playful and curious,
flexible and spiritual like any good yogi. This cat instructor not only
explains how to do the different yoga positions but also their benefits for
both the body and the spirit.
The yoga poses are done in series by the animated characters and real
children on yoga mats. The animation is based on the book Ooomm-Mmmooo yoga
for children by Maria Villegas and Jennie Kent published by Villegas
Editores.
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Posted on 2014/2/11 18:30:00 ( 301 reads )
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Wealth and happiness are not related to each other as cause and effect. An
attempt to secure happiness by securing wealth is as futile as it is
absurd.
-- Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal(1912-1954),
34th pontiff of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham
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Posted on 2014/2/11 18:21:48 ( 402 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 12, 2014: US author Wendy Doniger's
controversial book "The Hindus: An Alternative History," which
had created a stir among various Hindu groups over allegedly "defaming
the Hindu religion and freedom fighters," will be pulled out of the Indian
market after its publishers decided to "withdraw and recall all the
copies from India."
The "amicable settlement" between the petitioner and the
publisher was reached following a two year long legal battle in a trial
court and a criminal complaint against the defendant.
In a settlement agreement with petitioner Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti, a
Delhi-based group, which had filed a civil suit against the book's author
Doniger and its publisher, Penguins Book India, seeking an injunction
restraining them from selling or circulating the book, Penguin India agreed
to "pulp the recalled/withdrawn/unsold copies" at its own cost.
Additional District Judge Balwant Rai Bansal was hearing the civil suit
filed in 2011 by Dinanath Batra, convener of Shiksha Bachao Andolan,
through his counsel Monika Arora. Along with him, there were five other
petitioners including ex-IFS officer O P Gupta, Sharvan Kumar, president,
Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission among others.
Talking to TOI, Batra said that he had also filed a complaint on April 29,
2010 in Hauz Khas police station seeking action against the defendants for
"gross misrepresentations and printing mistakes in the book-the most
offensive of which is to erase Kashmir from Indian Territory even between 600
and 1600 CE long before even the existence of Pakistan".
"The defendants later approached us for a settlement and we agreed. We
also informed the court about the settlement agreement," Batra added.
Penguin India refused to comment on the matter.
The 800-page book, published in 2009, claimed in its blurb that it is a
definitive narrative account of history and myth that offers a new way of
understanding one of the world's oldest major religions.
The petitioners, however, in their plea had claimed that the book was based
on "unreliable and unauthentic and one sided sources" and is full
of biases, generalizations and pre-conceived notions. "That it has not
only used and misused but abused Indian history and religion in an
undignified manner. It is a mis-interpretation of Hindu dharma and its
glorious past. That the defendant along with the author have selected
scattered events of their choice and given them their own
interpretation," the petition had stated.
For the text of the original complaint to the court:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/full-text- ...
s-book/451419-40-100.html
For a profile of the main petitioner, Dinanath Batra:
http://www.livemint.com/Specials/ZL8M ...
omes-the-book-police.html
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Posted on 2014/2/11 18:21:40 ( 417 reads )
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PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, May 4, 2014 (Southern California Public Radio): When
Neil Bajpayee, a Pennsylvania-born Indian-American, made his vows in
Sanskrit to Stephanie Young, a Californian raised in a non-religious
family, he became the first member of his family to marry a non-Indian,
non-Hindu.
Shukavak Dasa, the Hindu priest marrying the couple, had seen it all
before. Weddings between Indian-American Hindus and non-Hindus are rare.
Pew Research reported as many as 94 percent of Hindus in the U.S. were
married to other Hindus in 2012. But even if interfaith Hindu weddings are
uncommon now, Dasa sees them as a growing trend.
"In general Indian parents don't like [interracial, interfaith
marriages]; they would like their children to marry nice Indian boys and
girls in their own community," Dasa said, but, he added, "We have
a lot of parents who are now saying, 'I don't really care, as long as my
children are happy.' "
And that is when Dasa comes in. His specialty is interfaith Hindu weddings.
Dasa, 60, is white. He took an interest in Eastern religions as a teenager,
then studied Sanskrit and Indian studies at the University of Toronto,
where he earned a Ph.D. in Eastern theology. Along the way, he also became
a devout practitioner of Hinduism. Then in the early '80s, he performed his
first Hindu wedding. Decades later, weddings have become Dasa's main
business. He is based in Riverside, where he is the head priest of Shri
Lakshmi Narayan Temple. He performs many Hindu-to-Hindu weddings. But word
of mouth has made him a go-to officiant for Hindu mixed-religious weddings.
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Posted on 2014/2/10 17:37:25 ( 288 reads )
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DHAKA, BANGLADESH, February 9, 2014 (First Post): A Bangladeshi court today
ordered the government to pay US$60,000 as compensation to Hindu families
who were attacked for an alleged blasphemous post on a popular social
networking site.
Unidentified persons vandalized 29 homes, 10 shops and seven temples at
Bonogram Bazar in Pabna district in November last year following allegations
that a boy from the Hindu minority made a blasphemous post about the
Prophet Mohammed on a Facebook page, said Deputy Attorney General Biswajit
Roy.
The government was asked by a High Court bench of Justices Quazi Reza-Ul
Hoque and A. B. M. Altaf Hossain to pay the compensation within three
weeks. The bench further directed police to arrest those responsible for
the attacks.
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Posted on 2014/2/10 17:37:19 ( 295 reads )
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STRASBOURG, FRANCE, January 17, 2014 (Alsace): For the second consecutive
year, the city of Strasbourg has published a calendar that identifies and
explains festivals of seven major religions. For the first time, Hinduism,
practiced by a community of 10,000 in the CUS (Urban Community of
Strasbourg), made?its debut on the calendar with its symbols and colorful
festivals.
The result of close collaboration between Orthodox and Protestant
Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim representatives,
this calendar presents the main events and festivals of each religion with
a little explanatory text. 5,000 copies have been printed. The photos were
taken by photographer Franois Nussbaumer. Each month is symbolized by a
picture of religious holiday.
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Posted on 2014/2/10 17:37:13 ( 270 reads )
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There is something beyond our mind which abides in silence within our mind.
It is the supreme mystery beyond thought. Let one's mind and one's subtle
body rest upon that and not rest on anything else.
-- Maitri Upanishad
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Posted on 2014/2/9 18:31:50 ( 352 reads )
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UNITED STATES, February 7, 2014 (National Geographic): The more we learn
about yoga, the more we realize the benefits aren't all in the minds of the
20 million or so devotees in the U.S. Yoga helps people to relax, making
the heart rate go down, which is great for those with high blood pressure.
The poses help increase flexibility and strength, bringing relief to back
pain sufferers.
Now, in the largest study of yoga that used biological measures to assess
results, it seems that those meditative sun salutations and downward dog
poses can reduce inflammation, the body's way of reacting to injury or
irritation. That's important because inflammation is associated with
chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis. It's
also one of the reasons that cancer survivors commonly feel fatigue for
months, even years, following treatment.
Researchers looked at 200 breast cancer survivors who had not practiced
yoga before. Half the group continued to ignore yoga, while the other half
received twice-weekly, 90-minute classes for 12 weeks, with take-home DVDs.
According to the study, which was led by Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, professor
of psychiatry and psychology at Ohio State University, and published in the
Journal of Clinical Oncology, the group that had practiced yoga reported
less fatigue and higher levels of vitality three months after treatment had
ended.
But the study didn't rely only on self-reports. Kiecolt-Glaser's husband
and research partner, Ronald Glaser of the university's department of
molecular virology, immunology, and medical genetics, went for stronger,
laboratory proof. He examined three cytokines, proteins in the blood that
are markers for inflammation. Blood tests before and after the trial showed
that, after three months of yoga practice, all three markers for
inflammation were lower by 10 to 15 percent. That part of the study offered
some rare biological evidence of the benefits of yoga in a large trial that
went beyond people's own reports of how they feel.
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Posted on 2014/2/9 18:31:44 ( 323 reads )
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(HPI adds: This article was written by Gary Gnidovic who is a Christian and
design director of Christianity Today magazine. It is a very
Christian-oriented report and view of India, and quite revealing in its own
way.)
INDIA, February 5, 2014 (Christianity Today): In 1971, as an Indian medical
student, M. A. Raju read Francis Schaeffer's The God Who Is There and
sensed his atheism foundering. He journeyed to L'Abri Switzerland, spent
three months in Calcutta with Mother Teresa, then worked alongside Muslims
and Jews in Israel trying to understand their religions. By 1976, "I
finally came to the conclusion that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the
Life," said the medical missionary based in Kachua, North India.
Now, Raju presides over a struggling hospital, Mujwa, founded by Christian
missionaries more than 100 years ago. Raju (who has requested anonymity due
to sustained violence against Christians in his area) spoke with Gary
Gnidovic on site in Kachua about how Christian missionaries of an earlier
era--like the ones in CT's Jan/Feb cover story--benefited India.
The missionaries came on the backs of the colonists. When the missionaries
arrived, they didn't find a unified India. They found nearly 70 major
kingdoms, warring against each other, says Raju. Missionaries mastered the
languages of India. In eastern India, William Carey and his associates
mastered Bengali and Sanskrit. German missionaries mastered Tamil. English
missionaries mastered Malayalam. American missionaries mastered Marathi.
The first dictionary, for example, in Tamil and Bengali was written by
missionaries. And they did it because they wanted to master the language in
order to translate the Bible into the language. But they were also
interested in teaching people to read and write.
Indian Christians have forgotten the impact their missionary forefathers
had, on language, education, Indian identity, health, and the treatment of
women, outcasts, the poor. Indian Christians are beleaguered. They've gone
into a sort of "give me" stage, saying, "We haven't got
this," "We haven't got that." One aspect of what I do is to
encourage Christians: "Look, you have a great heritage." Our
forbearers invested in the future of the country. We should stop
complaining and living in fear, and instead contribute like they did to
building the nation.
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Posted on 2014/2/9 18:31:38 ( 283 reads )
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In India I found a race of mortals living upon the Earth, but not adhering
to it. Inhabiting cities, but not being fixed to them, possessing
everything but possessed by nothing.
-- Appolonius of Tiana (2-97 ce), Greek philosopher and occultist.
His work deeply influenced Western mysticism.
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Posted on 2014/2/8 17:36:06 ( 623 reads )
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ITANAGAR, ARUNACHAL PRADESH, February 4, 2014 (New York Times): Though the
event they advertised had passed a month earlier, the neon-colored posters
remained, clinging to the state capital's walls, lampposts and storefronts.
On them were invitations to Indigenous Faith Day celebrations on Dec. 1,
with slogans like "Culture without faith is body without soul,"
and, more pointedly, "Imitation of alien faith is slavery."
Implicit in the slogans for the event, which began in 2011, is the idea
that this northeastern state, populated mostly by tribal people, is being
stripped of its distinctive religious identity as hundreds of thousands
have converted to Christianity.
The trend in this sparsely populated state has accelerated exponentially
over the past four decades. The 1971 census showed less than 1 percent of
Arunachal Pradesh's residents called themselves Christian, but in 2001, 19
percent of the state's total population and 26 percent of the tribal
population put themselves in that category. While religious data for the
2011 census hasn't been released yet, many observers say that it is likely
that Christians now form a majority of the approximately 1.4 million people
in the state, with some tribes almost fully converted.
In the 1980s and earlier, barely any convents or Christian institutions
existed in Arunachal as missionary work was, as it still is, outlawed under
the Freedom of Indigenous Faith Act of 1978. These days, in spite of the
law, Christian schools, hospitals and churches abound, particularly in
central Arunachal, where the state's most populous and powerful tribe, the
Nyishis, live.
Nani Bath, a professor of political science at Rajiv Gandhi University near
Itanagar, said many tribals converted out of a desire to be modern, since
Christianity was often seen in the same boat as modernity.
"See, at these churches, you'd have guys playing guitar and pretty
girls singing in English, and no one was allowed to drink, which was very
rampant both then and now in this state," he said.
For more of this informative article, click source above.
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Posted on 2014/2/8 17:36:00 ( 355 reads )
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LONDON, ENGLAND, February 5, 2014 (Hindustan Times): Officials in the east
Midlands city of Leicester have designated a quiet, leafy spot on the River
Soar where, instead of travelling to India, members of the city's large
community of Indian origin can scatter ashes of the deceased. The spot,
near the National Space Centre, has been identified by the Leicester City
Council and the Environment Agency following calls for such a facility
locally from the city's Hindu, Jain and Sikh communities.
Residents of Leicester say it is often difficult for people to go to
Hardwar or Varanasi to scatter the ashes, due to the cost and travel
problems faced by older family members. The spot behind the National Space
Centre has a sturdy platform in place, with good level access from a
well-made path and handrails leading to the water's edge, Leicester City
Council sources told HT. There will be no charge to use the facility.
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Posted on 2014/2/8 17:35:53 ( 339 reads )
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In the four eternal Vedas; in the study and reading of scripts; in sacred
ashes and in holy writs and muttering of prayers you will not find the
Lord! Melt with the heart inside and proclaim the Truth. Then you will join
the light life without servitude.
-- Sivavakkiyar, 10th-century Tamil devotional poet and mystic
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Posted on 2014/2/5 18:50:00 ( 374 reads )
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SANGAM, INDIA, February 4, 2014 (Times Of India): The Magh mela police, on
Monday, reviewed the security arrangements in and around the mela campus
ahead of the Basant Panchami snan scheduled on Tuesday. Around 5 million
pilgrims and devotees, especially from city areas, are expected to take
holy dip on Tuesday. The police further claimed that the majority of the
crowd of devotees who would be taking a holy dip on the auspicious day of
Basant Panchami would include Kalpwasis and devotees staying in tents as
well as seers and saints while the rest of the crowd comprises locals and
devotees from neighboring towns who have already flocked to Allahabad for
the holy dip. Astrologers say that Vasant Panchami is referred to as
Saraswati Puja/Shree Panchami, or the Basant Festival of Kites which falls
on the fifth day of Magha (in early February) month of Hindu calendar. The
festival also marks the start of spring and Holi season. On this day Hindus
worship Saraswati Devi, the Goddess of knowledge, music, art and culture.
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Posted on 2014/2/5 18:50:00 ( 401 reads )
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RAIPUR,CHATTISGARH, INDIA, Feb 2, 2014(News 24): Raipur - The wall of a
cave leading to a popular Hindu temple in central India collapsed on
Tuesday killing eight worshippers, including three young girls, police
said. State home minister Ram Sewak Pekra said the accident at Bildwar Cave
in Chhattisgarh may have been triggered by blasts in nearby coal
mines."Frequent blasts are carried out in the nearby coal mines and
that could be the reason for the cave-in. We have asked the rescue team to
do a thorough combing of the site to ensure no one else is trapped",
Pekra told AFP.
Senior police officer Manisha Thakur told AFP that eight bodies had been
recovered, three were girls aged between 10 and 13, and five
men."Three others are injured. They are in a serious condition",
said Thakur.
The temple is visited by devotees all year round. Pekra said that a
detailed investigation into the collapse would be carried out.
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Posted on 2014/2/5 18:50:00 ( 590 reads )
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SAN FRANCISCO, January 1, 2014 (Huffingtonpost): The much hyped Smithsonian
exhibit, Yoga: The Art of Transformation, is packing up to move from its
primary residence in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC to
spring at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and summer at the Cleveland
Museum of Art.
Bringing to Light Yoga's Hindu Roots (TBY) is a project the Hindu American
Foundation launched in 2010 after someone at Yoga Journal confirmed that
the editors intentionally avoided the term "Hindu" in describing
things that were, well, Hindu, because "Yah, you know, Hinduism has a
lot of baggage." The aim of the project is at getting the millions of
folks who say they "do yoga" to appreciate that 1) yoga is not
just asana; and 2) while yoga does not proselytize or require conversion to
reap its physical and psycho-spiritual benefits, it refers to spiritual
practices that are essential to the understanding and practice of Hinduism.
On the whole, we found that Yoga: The Art of Transformation aligned with
the two fold goal of the TBY.
During the small group session with a diverse set of advisors that included
yoga teachers, yoga practitioners, yoga researchers, and others, it was
indeed interesting to hear the various perspectives of what each sought
from the exhibit. Some were curious about the aesthetics and flow, others
were interested in the supplementary programming, while others wanted to
ensure that the science behind yoga was emphasized. For me, I wanted to
drive home three main points: 1) the importance of using the word
"Hindu," as opposed to favored industry codewords like
"Indian," "Indic," "Sanskrit," or
"Vedic" (none of which are inaccurate, by the way) as a
descriptor where appropriate; 2) when it came to describing the unknown --
be it origins, dates, or sources -- that a certain humility be present in
the descriptors, ie. "Some scholars believe..." or "The
origins are unknown, but..."; and 3) where aspects of yoga's history
were still contested or debated or differed from emic Hindu perspectives,
that the multiples views be honored and given space.
If you're in the San Francisco bay area this spring or Cleveland in the
summer, it's definitely worth experiencing.
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Posted on 2014/2/4 17:30:00 ( 476 reads )
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INDIA, February 3, 2014 (The Hindu): Legend has it that Manickavasagar, one
of the four Saivite savants, constructed the temple at Avudaiyarkoil, known
as Thiruperunthurai, in Pudukottai district. Now the State Archaeology
department has stumbled upon inscriptions confirming that Manickavasagar,
the Minister of Pandiya King Arimarthana Pandian (862-885 ce), built the
sanctum sanctorum and the kanagasabha mandapam.
"His contribution has been recorded in the form of a poem. The
inscriptions, found in the Panchakshara mandapam of the temple built in the
16th century, also record that Thiruvachagam was inscribed on the
walls," said G. Muthusamy, registering officer of the department in
Tiruchi region.
Manickavasagar belonged to the 9th century and was said to have used the
money meant for buying horses for the cavalry to construct the temple at
Thiruperunthurai, one of the ports of the Pandiya Kingdom, after an
encounter with Lord Siva. Manickavasagar penned Thiruvachagam and
Thirupalliyezhuchi while camping in this temple and referred to it as
Thiruperunthurai.
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Posted on 2014/2/4 17:30:00 ( 452 reads )
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LONDON, UK, February 3, 2014 (nchtuk.org): The National Council of Hindu
Temples (UK) is currently carrying out a project on Hindu Healthcare
Chaplaincy work in the UK. NCHTUK is Planning to Organise a three-day Hindu
Healthcare Chaplaincy Training Course from April 18 to 20, 2014, at
Birmingham, West Midlands, funded by the National Health Service -NHS.
Application form is at "source" above, or contact Satish K.
Sharma, secretary@nchtuk.org.
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Posted on 2014/2/2 18:24:15 ( 538 reads )
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KATHMANDU, NEPAL, January 28, 2014 (Himalayan Times): Shreepanchami, also
known as Basanta Panchami or Saraswati Puja, a remarkable day for every
student, is just around the corner. On February 4, you will see throngs of
students visiting temples of Saraswati early in the morning. They won't
miss the chance to worship books, notebooks, pens and musical instruments.
They even write on the walls of temple to get the Goddess' blessings. While
many children start writing their first letters on this day, most of the
educational institutions, too, celebrate the day together with their
students. It is a day to pay homage to the Goddess of Learning.
Every festive celebration has its special significance. Saraswati Puja too
has its value in Nepali culture. Sharmila Dahal, a BBS graduate from Kavre
Multiple Campus, Banepa regards this day to remember and worship the
Goddess of Knowledge. "It is a special day where one can start his/her
learning process," she opines.
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Posted on 2014/2/2 18:24:09 ( 636 reads )
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UNITED STATES, January 27, 2014 (Science Daily): Researchers at The Ohio
State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have found a link between yoga
and lower rates of inflammation in breast cancer survivors. Scientists
followed nearly 200 breast cancer survivors for five years and found that
six months after taking up yoga, fatigue levels dropped 57 percent and
inflammation dropped as much as 20 percent.
Practicing yoga for as little as three months can reduce fatigue and lower
inflammation in breast cancer survivors, according to new research. The
more the women in the study practiced yoga, the better their results.
"We also think the results could easily generalize to other groups of
people who have issues with fatigue and inflammation," said
Kiecolt-Glaser, also an investigator in Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer
Center and the Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research.
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Posted on 2014/2/21 18:09:11 ( 228 reads )
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INDIA, February 19th, 2014 (travPR.com): The Holy Amarnath Yatra
(pilgrimage) 2014 dates have been announced. The 44-day Yatra will commence
on June 28, an auspicious day as per Hindu Calendar and shall conclude on
Raksha Bandhan on 10 Aug, 2014. A very special puja will be conducted on
June 13, the day of Jyesth Purnima, to invoke the blessings of Lord Shiva
for the safe yatra. This year, 7,500 yatris (pilgrims) on a per day per
route basis will be allowed to register for the pilgrimage. This excludes
Yatris who travel by helicopters to Panjtarni. The registration process is
expected to commence on 1st March 2014.
In view of the complaints received from yatris last year, a new design of
Yatra Permit Registration Forms has been created, which will have a number
of high security features. This will ensure that the Yatra Permit Forms are
not duplicated by unlawful elements. The Yatra Permit Form will be
available at the designated 422 Bank Branches.
It is mandatory that the intending Yatris furnish the prescribed Compulsory
Health Certificate (CHC) issued only by the authorized Doctors/Medical
Institutes. No other certificate will be accepted. There is no change in
the format of CHC this year. CHC must be issued only after February 1,
2014. The intending yatris must be above 13 years and below 75 years of
age.
See:
http://www.hinduismtoday.com/modules/ ...
tion/item.php?itemid=5363
For Hinduism Today's feature story on the 2012 yatra.
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Posted on 2014/2/21 18:09:05 ( 193 reads )
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He cannot be seen by the eye, and words cannot reveal Him. He cannot be
reached by the senses, or by austerity or sacred actions. By the grace of
wisdom and purity of mind, He can be seen, indivisible, in the silence of
contemplation. This invisible Atman can be seen by the mind wherein the
five senses are resting.
-- Atharva Veda
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Posted on 2014/2/20 18:46:49 ( 276 reads )
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NADI, FIJI, February 19, 2014 (Fiji Times): The first-ever gathering of
Hindus to celebrate their contribution to the country will be held in Nadi
in April. The conference will be held on April 12 and 13 at the Tanoa
International Hotel.
Organisers of the event -- the Vishva Hindu Parishad Fiji or World Hindu
Council of Fiji -- emphasized that the first Fiji National Hindu Conference
was not a religious or philosophical meeting but rather, a community
conference.
The theme is "The contribution of the Hindu community in strengthening
and building Fiji" and it will cover economic, health, environmental,
social and cultural aspects. The conference will provide a platform for all
Hindu organisations, temples and like-minded groups to showcase their
contributions to Fijian society in general and Hindu society in particular.
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Posted on 2014/2/20 18:46:43 ( 304 reads )
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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, February 13, 2014 (HAF): In light of a multitude
of inquiries with regard to Penguin India's decision to withdraw
controversial scholar, Wendy Doniger's "The Hindus: An Alternative
History," the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) issues the following
statement.
HAF is against censorship or the banning of books in any country or fora.
In fact, we have consistently held that Doniger's many published works are
profoundly problematic based on their selective use of facts and
questionable methodology, but the preferred course of action is to
challenge and debate, provide rebuttals, and publish accounts of Hinduism
and its history that present the deep insight and emic perspectives so
obviously lacking in Doniger's work.
This particular case, however, is not one of banning, but the result of a
legal, out-of-court settlement, which Penguin books entered into willingly
with Delhi-based Shiksha Bachao Andolan ("The Save Education
Movement"). In response to a lawsuit brought only four years ago under
the Indian Penal Code, whose Section 295A forbids speech which
"deliberately and maliciously inflames religious sentiment,"
Penguin appears to have calculated that the liability for errors and
excessive editorial liberties taken by Doniger outweigh the potential harm
its reputation may sustain by surrendering rather than championing free
speech.
More at 'source'.
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Posted on 2014/2/20 18:46:37 ( 212 reads )
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Like the household fire, devotees seek the glory of the Lord even from afar
and enshrine it in their inner chamber for enlightenment. The glory of our
Lord is full of splendor, all-illuminative and worthy to be honored in
every heart.
-- Rig Veda 7.1.2
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Posted on 2014/2/18 18:54:51 ( 433 reads )
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PAKISTAN, February 17, 2014 (Saharasamay): A report from Karachi said on
Monday, Feb. 17, that leaders of the community say girls as young as six
years were being pressured to change their religion.
"Can you accept your daughters being forcibly married to Muslim
men?" said Raj Kumar, whose niece Rinkle Kumari was allegedly forced
to convert and marry a Muslim man in 2012. Kumar, whose niece's case made
headlines and was taken up by the Supreme Court, was speaking at a seminar
at the Karachi Press Club on Sunday, Feb. 16, on the theme "Hindus in
Pakistan--issues and solutions".
Marju and Soma, parents of six-year-old Jumna and 10-year-old Pooja,
residents of Mirpurkhas city in Sindh province, were present at the event.
When their girls went missing on February 4, they raised an alarm.
"After several reports in the media about our missing girls, it was
found that they had been staying with a man named Rajab Pathan. The police
of our area later produced them in court as Muslim children. Soma said the
court sent the girls to a Darul Aman or womens' home following suspicions
they may have been subjected to child abuse at home.
"Little Jumna has been given back to us now but Pooja is still at the
Darul Aman. She seems to have been brainwashed into saying strange things
about us. Her mind seems affected by the trauma," he said.
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Posted on 2014/2/18 18:54:45 ( 540 reads )
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UNITED STATES, February 14, 2014 (Huffington Post): Instead of going to
Disney World after winning gold in the women's snowboarding slopestyle
event, Jamie Anderson said she'll be headed to Wanderlust -- a yoga retreat
on the North Shore of Oahu -- to celebrate.
Anderson credits yoga practice with helping her stay physically and
mentally strong, and she's not the only one who feels that way in Sochi. In
fact, we discovered so many Olympians-cum-yogis that if the United States
Yoga Federation ever succeeds in making yoga asana, or posture yoga, an
official Olympic sport, we'll most likely see some cross-sport competitors.
Women athletes aren't the only ones benefiting from yoga. America's coed
luge team, for instance, is partnering with Indian rival Shiva Keshavan in
order to gain stretching tips. "Yoga is something we have had with the
team for a few years now," U.S. coach Mark Grimmette has said,
"but Shiva and his wife know yoga well so they have been facilitating
those sessions."
View images of yoga practicing Olympians at 'source'.
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Posted on 2014/2/18 18:54:31 ( 265 reads )
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The whole purpose of earning wealth and maintaining a home is to provide
hospitality to guests.
-- Tirukkural
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Posted on 2014/2/17 18:20:50 ( 367 reads )
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BANGLADESH, February 10, 2014 (The Daily Star by Abbas Faiz, Amnesty
International's Bangladesh Researcher): For anyone who has followed the
news from Bangladesh since the country's January 5 elections, the last few
weeks' headlines have made for grim reading. Dozens have been killed in the
street protests that raged across Bangladesh during the weeks around the
vote, and with the opposition boycotting the elections and questioning the
legitimacy of the new government, the political crisis shows no sign of
letting up
But behind the headlines, there are hidden victims that have not gotten the
attention they deserve -- Bangladesh's minority Hindu community. Comprising
around 10% of the population, Hindus have become hostage to the political
confrontation between governing and opposition party supporters. As these
parties have violently fought each other in the streets, Hindus have been
terrorized, their homes and shops set on fire, their belongings looted and
their temples vandalized. Many have left their homes, some have fled to
India.
If it is difficult to establish who exactly is attacking Hindus, the
reasons behind the violence are even more complex. Tension between the
Hindu and Muslim communities dates back to at least the 1947 separation of
Pakistan from India, then in East Pakistan and later Bangladesh (after its
independence in 1971).
Historically, attacks against Hindus have been aimed at forcing them to
abandon their land and livelihood. Such land has then been transferred to
their Muslim neighbors or powerful land owners under the Vested Property
Act of 1974, a law that in practice allows confiscation of Hindu land if
claimants can prove the land has been "abandoned." The law
itself, corruption and lack of justice, makes confiscation easy, and many
Hindus have lost their properties over the years.
More at source.
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Posted on 2014/2/17 18:20:44 ( 428 reads )
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CHENNAI, INDIA, February 17, 2014: We at HPI always read with interest the
monthly Vedanta Kesari magazine from the RK Mission in Chennai. The
February issue carried an impressive report of their activities for 2012-13,
a report which reminds us the RK Mission is one of the largest Hindu
institutions in the world. In just 2012-2013, they provided relief to half
a million; welfare to 3.6 million old, sick and destitute people; medical
services to 8 million through 15 hospitals, 125 dispensaries, 60 mobile
medical units and 953 medical camps; spent US$40 million on education for
329,000 students; and financed development projects benefitting 4.3 million
rural and tribal people. They also spent $8 millon on dozens of programs
celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda.
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Posted on 2014/2/17 18:20:37 ( 269 reads )
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Sattvic knowledge sees the one indestructible Being in all beings, the
unity underlying the multiplicity of creation. Rajasic knowledge sees all things
and creatures as separate and distinct. Tamasic knowledge, lacking any
sense of perspective, sees one small part and mistakes it for the whole.
-- Bhagavad Gita 18:20-22
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Posted on 2014/2/11 18:30:00 ( 601 reads )
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Wealth and happiness are not related to each other as cause and effect. An
attempt to secure happiness by securing wealth is as futile as it is
absurd.
-- Jagadguru Sri Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal(1912-1954),
34th pontiff of the Sringeri Sharada Peetham
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Posted on 2014/2/11 18:21:48 ( 661 reads )
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NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 12, 2014: US author Wendy Doniger's
controversial book "The Hindus: An Alternative History," which
had created a stir among various Hindu groups over allegedly "defaming
the Hindu religion and freedom fighters," will be pulled out of the
Indian market after its publishers decided to "withdraw and recall all
the copies from India."
The "amicable settlement" between the petitioner and the
publisher was reached following a two year long legal battle in a trial
court and a criminal complaint against the defendant.
In a settlement agreement with petitioner Shiksha Bachao Andolan Samiti, a
Delhi-based group, which had filed a civil suit against the book's author
Doniger and its publisher, Penguins Book India, seeking an injunction
restraining them from selling or circulating the book, Penguin India agreed
to "pulp the recalled/withdrawn/unsold copies" at its own cost.
Additional District Judge Balwant Rai Bansal was hearing the civil suit
filed in 2011 by Dinanath Batra, convener of Shiksha Bachao Andolan,
through his counsel Monika Arora. Along with him, there were five other
petitioners including ex-IFS officer O P Gupta, Sharvan Kumar, president,
Swami Vivekananda Medical Mission among others.
Talking to TOI, Batra said that he had also filed a complaint on April 29,
2010 in Hauz Khas police station seeking action against the defendants for
"gross misrepresentations and printing mistakes in the book-the most
offensive of which is to erase Kashmir from Indian Territory even between
600 and 1600 CE long before even the existence of Pakistan".
"The defendants later approached us for a settlement and we agreed. We
also informed the court about the settlement agreement," Batra added.
Penguin India refused to comment on the matter.
The 800-page book, published in 2009, claimed in its blurb that it is a
definitive narrative account of history and myth that offers a new way of
understanding one of the world's oldest major religions.
The petitioners, however, in their plea had claimed that the book was based
on "unreliable and unauthentic and one sided sources" and is full
of biases, generalizations and pre-conceived notions. "That it has not
only used and misused but abused Indian history and religion in an
undignified manner. It is a mis-interpretation of Hindu dharma and its
glorious past. That the defendant along with the author have selected
scattered events of their choice and given them their own
interpretation," the petition had stated.
For the text of the original complaint to the court:
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/full-text- ...
s-book/451419-40-100.html
For a profile of the main petitioner, Dinanath Batra:
http://www.livemint.com/Specials/ZL8M ...
omes-the-book-police.html
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Posted on 2014/2/11 18:21:40 ( 648 reads )
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PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, May 4, 2014 (Southern California Public Radio): When
Neil Bajpayee, a Pennsylvania-born Indian-American, made his vows in
Sanskrit to Stephanie Young, a Californian raised in a non-religious
family, he became the first member of his family to marry a non-Indian,
non-Hindu.
Shukavak Dasa, the Hindu priest marrying the couple, had seen it all
before. Weddings between Indian-American Hindus and non-Hindus are rare.
Pew Research reported as many as 94 percent of Hindus in the U.S. were
married to other Hindus in 2012. But even if interfaith Hindu weddings are
uncommon now, Dasa sees them as a growing trend.
"In general Indian parents don't like [interracial, interfaith
marriages]; they would like their children to marry nice Indian boys and
girls in their own community," Dasa said, but, he added, "We have
a lot of parents who are now saying, 'I don't really care, as long as my
children are happy.' "
And that is when Dasa comes in. His specialty is interfaith Hindu weddings.
Dasa, 60, is white. He took an interest in Eastern religions as a teenager,
then studied Sanskrit and Indian studies at the University of Toronto,
where he earned a Ph.D. in Eastern theology. Along the way, he also became
a devout practitioner of Hinduism. Then in the early '80s, he performed his
first Hindu wedding. Decades later, weddings have become Dasa's main business.
He is based in Riverside, where he is the head priest of Shri Lakshmi
Narayan Temple. He performs many Hindu-to-Hindu weddings. But word of mouth
has made him a go-to officiant for Hindu mixed-religious weddings.
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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)
