(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)
BALI, March 4, 2014 (The Jakarta Post): As Balinese Hindus will observe
Nyepi (the Day of Silence) on March 31, the highest Hindu council on the
island -- Parisada Hindu Dharma Indonesia (PHDI) -- has issued guidance
related to the celebration of the Caka New Year 1936. A series of rituals
would be adjusted to the tradition and situation in each desa pakraman
(customary village) on the island. The melasti purification ritual marks
the beginning of Nyepi. In this procession, Hindu adherents will bring
their pretima (sacred objects) to beaches, lakes or springs that are
believed to be sacred, to be cleansed.
After completing melasti, they perform Bhatara Nyejer in the Pura Desa or
Bale Agung, the village's temple, which is followed by Tawur Kesanga, or a
ritual of sacrifice on Sunday, one day before Nyepi. Tawur Kesanga is
carried out at several levels, starting from the highest at the island's
mother temple, Pura Besakih, down to the regencies, villages, hamlets and
households. This ritual is aimed at strengthening relations between humans,
humans and the environment, as well as humans and God.
On the following day, the whole island will turn into a quiet and peaceful
sanctuary as Balinese Hindus observe Nyepi and perform the four abstinences
known as Catur Brata Penyepian. They will abstain from lighting fire or
lights, abstain from work, abstain from traveling outside one's home and
abstain from enjoying leisure activities.
All access to Bali will be closed for the duration of Nyepi and only
hospitals and emergency services will be in operation. Hotels will also
provide suitable activities for their guests. Beaches will also be closed
and tourists are urged to stay inside their respective hotels' compound.
MUMBAI, INDIA, March 4, 2014 (Press Release): Chinmaya Mission, Sandeepany
Sadhanalaya, Mumbai opens their 16th Vedanta Course in English.
Applications are invited from University graduates, men and women. They
must be unmarried and free from family encumbrances, with a sincere
interest in the study of Vedanta, a zeal to share the message of the
Rishis, and between ages 20-30 years. The course duration is two years
starting on August 29, 2014. It is free of cost - all accommodation, food,
clothes books and medical care will be provided by Chinmaya Mission.
Application forms are available from http://sandeepany.chinmayamission.com.
The deadline for applications is April 30, 2014.
Like treasure hidden in the ground, like flavor in the fruit, like gold in
the rock, and oil in the seed, the Absolute is hidden in the heart.
-- Akka Mahadevi, twelfth-century Vira Saiva saint
SRI LANKA, March 1, 2014 (Economist): The end of their bitter war, nearly
five years ago, has done little to unite Sri Lanka's divided communities.
In their modest way, a photographer and an anthropologist are working
together to try bridging the distance that separates the country's two
largest ethnic groups--by showing them how they worship the same Goddess.
The majority, Sinhala-speaking Buddhists, call Her Pattini while the
minority Tamil Hindus name Her Kannaki. For the most part, neither of the
two communities knows that the other reveres Her under a different name.
But their beliefs are deeply syncretic, and point towards a shared history
and traditions.
Sharni Jayawardena, the photographer, and Malathi de Alwis, the anthropologist,
are using this shared background in an attempt to foster reconciliation.
For more than two years they traversed the country photographing the
worship of the Goddess; Her many temples, rituals and processions.
The result is a captivating collection of images that not only displays the
similarities between the religious practices of the Sinhalese and the
Tamils, but the many variations within their communities. Their work was
shown over two days in the cosmopolitan capital, Colombo. The exhibition is
still to be staged in Jaffna and in Batticaloa. The creators hope it goes
at least a small way towards breaking down the walls of estrangement that
were built up over decades of strife.
INDIA, March 3, 2014 (The Hindu): The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam alone
is entitled to use the brand name "Tirupati Laddu," the Madras
High Court has ruled while granting a decree in favor of the TTD on a civil
suit filed against a city-based sweet shop. The TTD had claimed that it had
the Geographical Indications (GI) tag for making Tirupati Laddus which were
being given to pilgrims as prasadam.
Small time vendors as well as well-known big sweet outlets had been selling
laddus using the name of Tirupati. This could mislead people into believing
that the original Tirupati laddus were being sold through these sources.
INDIA, March 13, 2014 (International Business Times): Holi, the Hindu
Festival of Colors, doesn't officially start until Monday, but people in
some areas, such as villages in Uttar Pradesh in the north, have already
begun throwing colored powder and dyed water into the air for Lathmar Holi.
Holi's origins can be traced to Hindu legends, including the tale of Radha
and Krishna, along with the coming of spring.
UNITED STATES, March 14, 2014 (Huffington Post, by Suhag Shukla): The
American Academy of Religions (AAR), the largest body of professionals
pursuing the academic study of religion, issued a statement this week in
response to Penguin Books India's decision to withdraw and destroy copies
of Wendy Doniger's "The Hindus: An Alternative History." In part,
the AAR Board states:
"...But to pursue excellence scholars must be free to ask any
question, to offer any interpretation, and to raise any issue. If
governments block the free exchange of ideas or restrict what can be said
about religion, all of us are impoverished. It is only free inquiry that
allows a robust understanding of the critical role that religions play in
our common life. For these reasons the AAR Board of Directors fully
supports Professor Doniger's right to pursue her scholarship freely and
without political interference."
As a Religious Studies major before law school, and now an advocate engaged
in promoting an accurate understanding of Hinduism and countering
misrepresentations on a near daily basis, four words in the AAR statement
-- "to offer any interpretation" -- leap out at me. To a lay
person who deeply respects my religious tradition, it is this unconditional
and self-proclaimed right "to offer any interpretation" which
lies at the root of what is wrong with religious studies today. The Penguin
decision is invoking all sorts of arguments supportive of free speech and
academic freedom, and even against Hindu nationalism (as Doniger claims in
the New York Times), but the principle that has not been raised by the AAR
-- but must be -- is that of academic integrity.
Since 2003, my colleagues at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and I been
attending the AAR's annual conference in our effort to follow the state of
Hindu studies. While there always have been and now are a growing number of
scholars who are committed to presenting emic understandings of Hinduism,
we find each year that the "in crowd" created by Doniger at the
AAR has yet to shift in terms of power and influence. Freudian analysis,
tenuous and selective translations, conjecture, Orientalism, and political
baggage from India reign supreme and are the basis of far too many sessions
about Hinduism which have little to do with the beliefs and practices of
every day Hindus.
KAUAI, HAWAII, March 15, 2014 (Hinduism Today): Contrary to our recent
announcement, the latest issue of Hinduism Today has not yet been posted on
our web site, but should be within a few days.
To associate with a sadhu is like sitting near a seller of perfumes. You
may not be able to own any of the wonders he holds, but what emanates from
them will envelop you.
-- Saint Kabir (1440-1518), Indian saint revered by Hindus and Muslims
KAUAI, HAWAII, March 15, 2014 (Hinduism Today): The April/May/June, 2014,
edition of Hinduism's foremost spiritual magazine, Hinduism Today, has just
been released in digital form and is now available for free at
"source" above on your desktop. You can read articles online or
download the PDF or ePub to enjoy on your iPad or other devices. And feel
free to share articles with family, friends and associates.
On the cover you will see the Cham Hindus of Vietnam, a 60,000-strong
community that has eluded world notice but now is known. They are
indigenous Vietnam peoples who trace their Hindu roots back to the 7th
century when Tamil rulers built a kingdom here, replete with South Indian
style temples and an exquisite culture. Learn how they live and the
challenges they face far from India.
Malaysia is the subject of our feature story, specifically the Waterfall Temple
in Penang. It's a Murugan temple with a 150-year-old history that will
fascinate you. For the past 12 years the temple has been under construction
and was opened in 2012. Its driving force is an energetic band of bhaktars.
Their example of seva is unmatched in this part of the world. These young
ones have a lot to say about the importance of God in their lives and the
central roll that service in the temple plays in their life.
Our publisher, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, addresses an issue faced by
college students in every nation, the omnipresent drone of secular
humanism/atheism/existentialism/materialism. He sets this modern philosophy
beside Hinduism and makes apt comparisons that will give any Hindu faced
with a non-believer's rant with fresh insights. He even draws it all
together in a two page chart that deftly unpacks the subtle differences
between the humanism of Hinduism and that found in modern universities.
It seems the official national museum of the United States has discovered
India (again). Our New York contributor, Lavina Melwani, takes us to the
Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery where crowds are being wowed by a major art
exhibit on yoga and its transformative powers. Just this week she is back
in DC for a Beyond Bollywood piece you will see in you next issue. Great
work, Lavina!
With YouTube dominating the digital instructional universe, it was just a
matter of time before a Hindu group produced a world-class series of films
on Hinduism. The Chinmaya Mission has completed a 54-episode series of TV
shows that give a systematic portrayal of key Hindu and Vedantic teachings,
all in an innovative retelling of ancient stories.
Most of us think that the great Sanskritic works were produced in India's
far past, but now comes a major new work worthy of Sankara himself. Guided
by Pramukh Swami Maharaj of the Swaminarayan Fellowship, Sadhu Bhadreshdas
has completed the five-volume Swaminarayan Bhashyam. What's amazing (and
important) about this project is that it is the first effort for hundreds
of years to create a rigorous bhashya on the Prasthantrayi: the Upanishads,
the Brahmasutras and the Gita. But the story doesn't end with the work, it
dives into the amazing challenges, including a flood that completely
destroyed the work midway
It is Divinity that shapes, not only your ends, but also your acts, your
words and thoughts. Your duty is to treat everybody, including yourself, as
a manifestation of the Lord.
-- Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh
MUMBAI, INDIA, March 13, 2014 (Mumbai Mirror): With eyes firmly on putting
Siddhivinayak temple on the tourist map, the temple's trust has brought on
board Parsi architect Jimmy Mistry, who designed the much-talked about
Della Tecnica tower in Dadar. Mistry made a presentation on Wednesday
showing how Siddhivinayak temple would look once it is illuminated. The
project will be completed in the next three months.
Mistry has agreed to take up the US$98,000 project and has waived off his
fee. "It is my contribution to Mumbai," said Mistry, adding that
the theme of the temple's lighting will change with the phases of moon.
"We are mostly using shades of yellow, orange and magenta, which will
depict the moods of Ganesha. The automated lights with dimmer panels will
change with full moon, new moon, and special days such as Ganesh Chaturti,
Diwali and other festivals," he added.
INDIA, March 14, 2014 (Washington Post): Holi is a spring festival also
known as the festival of colors. It is celebrated at the approach of the
vernal equinox, on the Phalguna Purnima (Full Moon). The festival date
varies every year, per the Hindu calendar, and typically comes in March.
The festival signifies the victory of good over evil, the arrival of spring
and for many a festive day to meet others, play and laugh.
MINNESOTA, U.S., March 14, 2014 (Farmington Independent): Clouds of colored
powder will serve as an early sign of spring this weekend, even if they're
likely to leave behind more than a few technicolor snowdrifts. The colors
will fly Sunday as part of Minnesota Hindu Milan Mandir's recognition of
Holi, a religious festival held each year to welcome spring.
"It's a growing festival not only in Minnesota, but in all the
states," said Satya Balroop, treasurer at Minnesota Hindu Milan
Mandir, which has been in Farmington for about two years. "We're
really looking forward for this event to share the love and joy with the
people of Minnesota so they can have a better understanding of what we're
all about."
The Holi celebration at Minnesota Hindu Milan Mandir will feature music and
dancing and food for sale, but the most recognizable part of Holi is the
colors. With colored powders and colored water, Holi typically leaves
participants looking like human Easter eggs, covered from head to toe in
pastel shades.
Joys and sorrows are time-born and cannot last. Therefore, do not be
perturbed by these. The greater the difficulties and obstructions, the more
intense will be your endeavor to cling to His feet and the more will your
prayer increase from within. And when the time is ripe, you will gain
mastery over this power.
-- Anandamayi Ma (1896-1982), God-intoxicated Bengali saint
INDIA, March 12, 2014 (Daily Mail): These amazing photographs give a whole
new meaning to the phrase "painting the town red." Hindu men and
women have welcomed the beginning of spring by hurling colored powder at
one another during the annual Holi festival in India. The festival is now
one of the biggest in the world. In recent years, it has spread among
non-Hindus in many parts of South-east Asia, as well as to parts of Europe,
North America and Australia. Holi is held every year before spring on the
last full moon day of the lunar month.
TIRUPATI, INDIA, March 13, 2014 (The Hindu): The temple city of Tirupati, a
cultural centre and a major pilgrimage destination in southern India, might
be succumbing to a phenomenon common to urban areas. There has been steady
rise in population and the usage of vehicles here, which in turn contribute
to increasing pollution levels of the city, a study by city-based
researchers has revealed.
The presence of eight hazardous air pollutants has been confirmed in the
city's atmosphere, says a research paper authored by Y.V. Rami Reddy,
Associate Professor at Sri Venkateswara University's Department of Chemistry
and P. Muni Nagendra, a scientist at Hyderabad's First Source Laboratory,
pointed out.
Increased construction activities, vehicular emissions, road dust, burning
of wood/biomass, emissions from diesel generators etc., were to blame for
the rising pollutions levels, Prof. Reddy said. "Though some elements
are found in low concentrations, they can exert considerable influence on a
range of health issues and environmental processes," he added.
DENPASAR, BALI, January 20, 2014 (Jakarta Post): Dozens of residents in
Kesiman village gathered at the Luhur Dalem Mutering Jagat Temple on Sunday
to preserve the site of worship. They planted at least 1,500 trees provided
by the government and helped conserve water sources in the 12.5 acre area,
carrying shovels, hoes and sickles. There were more than 10 types of
plants, including durian, jackfruit and coconut, and other trees, parts of
which are useful for ceremonial purposes.
"We plan to add 3.5 acres of wooded area through this program,"
said the temple's spiritual leader I Wayan Duana. In addition to greening
the temple area, he said the activity was a start to conserve several water
sources located at the northern side of the temple. To the local people,
the temple is more than just a place of worship, it is also somewhere that
must be protected.
It is Divinity that shapes, not only your ends, but also your acts, your
words and thoughts. Your duty is to treat everybody, including yourself, as
a manifestation of the Lord.
-- Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), founder of Divine Life Society, Rishikesh
GANDHINAGAR, GUJARAT, March 11, 2014 (by Prof. T. Harinarayana, Director,
GERMI Research Centre): Sri Venkateswara temple on Tirumala Hills, located
near Tirupati town, Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh in India is well
known to be the most sacred place for all Hindus . It has largest number of
visitors compared any other temple in India, perhaps in the world.
Although, there is no clear evidence on the history of its origin, there is
evidence that it has attracted the attention of great kings since the 9th
century ce. The Pallavas of Kanchipuram in 9th century, the Cholas of
Tanjore in 10th and Vijayanagara pradhans during 11 to 14th developed this
temple by adding various facilities for the visitors. For example, it was
not easy in earlier days to visit this temple as it is located in the
middle of a thick forest cover over a hill at an elevation of about 850
meters. Development of the temple included creation of approach paths in
the hilly terrain and addition of other facilities both inside and outside
the temple. Unlike many other Hindu temples, especially in north India,
which are grossly mismanaged with disorderly way, this temple is relatively
well organized.
Realizing the importance of the holy Hindu temple located on Tirumala hills
near Tirupati town of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh state in India,
and also keeping the safety and comfort of half-a-million people visiting
the temple daily an effective queue system is suggested in the present
study available at "source" above. The salient points of the new
queue system are - 1) to create separate entry and exit gates to the
temple, 2) maintenance of single person queue throughout and 3) introduction
of steps at the nearest location of the God where the persons will have
darshan of the Lord Venkateswara.
AUSTIN, TEXAS, March 7, 2014 (New York Times): California is experiencing
one of its worst droughts on record. Just two and a half years ago, Folsom
Lake, a major reservoir outside Sacramento, was at 83 percent capacity.
Today it's down to 36 percent. In January, there was no measurable rain in
downtown Los Angeles. Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency.
President Obama has pledged $183 million in emergency funding. The
situation, despite last week's deluge in Southern California, is dire.
With California producing nearly half of the fruit and vegetables grown in
the United States, attention has naturally focused on the water required to
grow popular foods such as walnuts, broccoli, lettuce, tomatoes,
strawberries, almonds and grapes. These crops are the ones that a recent
report in the magazine Mother Jones highlighted as being unexpectedly water
intensive. Who knew, for example, that it took 5.4 gallons to produce a
head of broccoli, or 3.3 gallons to grow a single tomato? This information
about the water footprint of food products -- that is, the amount of water
required to produce them -- is important to understand, especially for a
state that dedicates about 80 percent of its water to agriculture.
But for those truly interested in lowering their water footprint, those
numbers pale next to the water required to fatten livestock. A 2012 study
in the journal Ecosystems by Mesfin M. Mekonnen and Arjen Y. Hoekstra, both
at the University of Twente in the Netherlands, tells an important story.
Beef turns out to have an overall water footprint of roughly four million
gallons per ton produced (that's 2,000 gallons per pound!). By contrast,
the water footprint for "sugar crops" like sugar beets is about
52,000 gallons per ton; for vegetables it's 85,000 gallons per ton; and for
starchy roots it's about 102,200 gallons per ton.
That said, a single plant is leading California's water consumption.
Unfortunately, it's a plant that's not generally cultivated for humans:
alfalfa. Grown on over a million acres in California, alfalfa sucks up more
water than any other crop in the state. And it has one primary destination:
cattle. Increasingly popular grass-fed beef operations typically rely on
alfalfa as a supplement to pasture grass. Alfalfa hay is also an integral
feed source for factory-farmed cows, especially those involved in dairy
production.
If Californians were eating all the beef they produced, one might write off
alfalfa's water footprint as the cost of nurturing local food systems. But
that's not what's happening. Californians are sending their alfalfa, and
thus their water, to Asia. The reason is simple. It's more profitable to
ship alfalfa hay from California to China than from the Imperial Valley to
the Central Valley. Alfalfa growers are now exporting some 100 billion
gallons of water a year from this drought-ridden region to the other side
of the world in the form of alfalfa. All as more Asians are embracing the
American-style, meat-hungry diet.
It's understandable for concerned consumers to feel helpless in the face of
these complex industrial and global realities. But in the case of
agriculture and drought, there's a clear and accessible action most
citizens can take: reducing or, ideally, eliminating the consumption of
animal products. Changing one's diet to replace 50 percent of animal
products with edible plants like legumes, nuts and tubers results in a 30
percent reduction in an individual's food-related water footprint. Going
vegetarian, a better option in many respects, reduces that water footprint
by almost 60 percent.
It's seductive to think that we can continue along our carnivorous route,
even in this era of climate instability. The environmental impact of cattle
in California, however, reminds us how mistaken this idea is coming to
seem.
All this universe is in the glory of God, of Siva, the God of love. The
heads and faces of men are His own, and He is in the hearts of all.
-- Krishna Yajur Veda, Svetasvatara Upanishad 3.11
Truth is not only Eternal but also unlimited and infinite. Sanatana Dharma
is very simple and natural because it is based on the Laws of Nature.
-- Swami Rama Tirtha (1873-1906), one of the first sannyasins to bring
Hinduism to America
U.S., February 25, 2014 (Maria Wirth Blog): Is Hindutva really different
from Hindu Dharma and dangerous? Or have those, which coined the term, an
interest in making it look like that? No doubt, Hindutva has a bad name in
the eyes of many, in spite of the ruling of the Supreme Court in 1995:
"Hindutva is indicative more of the way of life of the Indian people.
...Considering Hindutva as hostile, inimical, or intolerant of other faiths,
or as communal proceeds from an improper appreciation of its true
meaning." I would like to explain from a personal angle, why I came to
the conclusion that it is indeed 'an improper appreciation of its true
meaning,' when Hindutva is branded as communal and dangerous.
NEW DELHI, March 11, 2014 (The Hindu): The Supreme Court has upheld a
notification issued by the Rishikesh Municipal Board banning the sale of
eggs within the town limits, holding that it was not an unreasonable
restriction. A Bench of Justice Shivaraj V. Patil and Justice D. M.
Dharmadhikari rejected an appeal by Om Prakash and other traders against a
judgment of the Allahabad High Court dismissing a writ petition filed by
them challenging the notification banning the sale of eggs.
The appellants had challenged the ban under an amended provision of the
Uttar Pradesh Municipalities Act, 1916 on the ground that it imposed
unreasonable restriction, affecting their rights under Article 19(1)(g) of
the Constitution. However, the Bench noted that by the amended provision,
the Municipal Board had added only "eggs" in the list of already
banned non-vegetarian food articles.
"There was already a prohibition in regard to any kind of meat or
fish. The High Court has noticed that under the amended provision, the ban
on sale of meat and fish, which was existing for a long time, was not
challenged." The Bench said the High Court was right in holding that
the prohibition on sale of eggs within the limits of Rishikesh -- a town of
Hindu temples -- was not an unreasonable restriction being in the larger
interest of welfare of the people, consistent with the provisions of the
Act.
Keeping in mind the religious sentiments attached to the three towns of
Haridwar, Rishikesh and Muni Ki Reti, the Bench said: "Geographical
situation and peculiar culture of the three towns justify complete
restriction on trade and public dealing in non-vegetarian food items,
including eggs, within the municipal limits of the towns."
SUVA, FIJI, March 23, 2014 (Fiji Times): Interest in participating in the
first ever Fiji National Hindu Conference is growing, said Ashika Chandra
of the World Hindu Council's Fiji chapter.
"People are making enquiries and registering their interest in taking
part in an event which will not only recognize the contribution of the
Indian people to Fiji but also address social, economic, health and
education issues as well," she said.
Ms Chandra said all major Hindu organisations such as the Sanatan Dharm,
Arya Samaj, TISI Sangam, Gujarati Samaj, Sri Ramakrishna Mission, Art of
Living and Brahma Kumaris would make presentations at the event.
"The conference program will have oral presentations and we also aim
to publish all the conference papers and the copies will be available to
government agencies and community workers, and also to all participants of
the conference."
The conference will be held on April 12 and 13 at the Tanoa International
Hotel in Nadi. It is organized by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad Fiji. For more
information, go to: https://www.facebook.com/vhp.fiji/posts/653127461412115.
MANCHESTER, NEW HAMPSHIRE, US, March 21, 2014 (The Smithsonian Magazine, by
S. Halpern and B. McKibben): If you want to understand how it feels to
leave your country behind and start anew, there are a million questions you
could ask a refugee: about jobs and housing and education. But if you ask
those questions over dinner, they're likely to be answered a little
differently. Because three times a day your deepest, oldest instincts kick
in. Because the mind likes to look ahead but the stomach tends to think
backward.
We were in the warm kitchen of a small second-floor walk-up in a gritty section
of the gritty town of Manchester, New Hampshire, and we were gobbling momo.
And every few minutes the door to the apartment would open and yet another
young person--a son, daughter, niece or nephew--would enter, usually
carrying a book bag. These were a few of the local representatives of the
Bhutanese diaspora, which began in the early 1990s when the largely
Buddhist kingdom forced 108,000 Bhutanese of Nepali descent, most of them
Hindu, out of the country and across borders into Nepal. They waited there
in refugee camps for almost two decades and then, beginning in 2007, were
resettled around the world--Australia, Canada and other countries took
some, but around 70,000 were admitted to the United States, one of the
largest influxes of refugees (from one of the smallest countries) in recent
times.
Suraj Budathoki, 30, says "There are two things we tell our young
people when they arrive. Get a job, whatever level. And go to school."
For him, the greatest sadness of those decades in the refugee camp was that
he had no chance to work--"there was no fruitful activity." Once
a nurse's aide, he now helps people sign up for health insurance under the
Affordable Care Act. Oh, and he's just finished a degree program to become
a surgical technician. So far he's saved up US$16,000 for a house of his
own. "USA stands for U Start Again," he says.
Much more of the informative magazine article at source.
HOUSTON, TEXAS, March 20, 2014 (Indo American News): Voice of Sanatan
Hinduism Radio program has now completed 20 years of broadcasting. Looking
back to the past 20 years, the Houston Hindu Community started to build the
foundations of many institutions and organizations to establish places of
worship and teach Hindu Dharma. It also ventured into the media of radio.
A radio program to showcase the tenets of Hinduism was created by
"Dheerga darshi" (Intuitive Instructor) Padmakant Khambhati. His
vision was to explain the doctrines of Hinduism by sharing Vedic knowledge
and share on public media the richness of Hinduism and its philosophies.
For the past twenty years the program has communicated through public media
not only the eminence of Hindu faith but also presented melodious bhajans,
music and chants of Vedic Hinduism.
NEW DELHI, INDIA, March 20, 2014 (Free Press Journal): The State should not
be seen as propagating any religion and the word secularism should be
construed in right context, the Delhi High Court today said while seeking
response from the Centre and the Reserve Bank of India on a PIL for
withdrawal of coins having religious symbols embossed on them. "The State
should not be propagating any religion, be it Hinduism, Islam, Christianity
etc," a bench headed by Acting Chief Justice B. D. Ahmed said.
The bench issued notices to the Finance Ministry and the Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) and asked them to file a status report within three weeks
detailing the policy under which the symbols of temples and deities are
being embossed on coins.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by Delhi residents, Nafis Qazi and Abu
Sayeed, through lawyer A Rasheed Qureshi. "These symbols undermine the
secular character, a basic feature of the Constitution.... The making,
marking, naming, drawing, embossing or displaying overtly any religious
figure or symbol is tantamount to espousing a religion by the State,"
the plea said.
The government, in 2010, brought into circulation a five rupee coin in
celebration of 1000 years of Brihadeeswara Temple, Thanjavur with its image
embossed on it. "Again in 2013 the Respondent No. 2 (RBI) brought out
another five Rupee coin with the figure of Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine
Board embossed on it," it said and termed the state action as
"anti-secular".
OMAN, March 18, 2014 (Times Of Oman): The world's first great civilizations
appear to have collapsed because of an ancient episode of climate change -
according to new research carried out jointly by scientists and
archaeologists of a British and an Indian university. Their investigation
demonstrates that the Bronze Age "megacities" of the Indus Valley
region of Pakistan and north-west India declined during the 21st and 20th
centuries BC and never recovered - because of a dramatic increase in
drought conditions.
The research, carried out by the University of Cambridge and India's
Banaras Hindu University, reveals that a series of droughts lasting some
200 years hit the Indus Valley zone -- and was probably responsible for the
rapid decline of the great Bronze Age urban civilization of that region.
"Our evidence suggests that it was the most intense period of drought
- probably due to frequent monsoon failure - in the 5,000 year-long period
we have examined," said University of Cambridge Palaeoclimate
scientist Professor David Hodell.
The scientists studying the collapse of the Indus Valley Civilisation obtained
their new evidence from a dried-up lake bed near India's capital city of
New Delhi which is just 40 miles east of the eastern edge of the Indus
Valley Civilization. They detected the climatic conditions by examining
isotopic evidence from the shells of snails that had lived between 6,500
years ago and 1,500 years ago.
The pweor of the hmuan mnid: Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde
Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the
olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit
porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by
istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig! Mybae the Hunidsim Tdoay sfatf
can sotp slpel ckchenig?
BANGALORE, INDIA, March 19, 2012 (Times Of India): Interest in India's
spiritual and religious market is now spawning a whole variety of startups
and online ventures. And many are taking advantage of the market's
fragmentation and low technology penetration.
Goonjan Mall, founder of Online Prasad, not only now brings you prasad from
different temples, but has also launched a first-of-its-kind private label
brand, Zevotion, of hand-picked Rudraksha beads and yantras, connecting
people to their faith. "Our research showed that about 80% of
religious products sold in the country is counterfeit. Zevotion offers
certified products assuring customers true value for their money,"
said Mall, who quit his job as a senior analyst in consulting firm Bain
& Co to launch Onlineprasad.com.
Serial entrepreneur K. Ganesh, who picked up 35% stake in Onlineprasad.com,
said that with 1.2 billion people and 330 million Gods and Goddesses in
India, faith was price inelastic. "Devotees don't take a decision to
make a pilgrimage or visit a temple based on price," he said.
Ganesh said the country's top 20 temples, including Tirupati Tirumala
Devasthanam and Vaishno Devi, collect US$816 million as donations annually,
while 500 mid-sized temples collect $3.3 billion in donations every year.
"There are another hundred thousand small temples and one million
roadside temples collecting between $8 billion and $16 billion as donations
each year," he said. That's a phenomenal market that startups can
disrupt with technology, and in some ways bring God closer to people.
INDONESIA, March 13, 2014 (Bali Daily): The debate is ongoing between
developing and developed nations to make an international legally binding
instrument to protect traditional knowledge and cultural expression. During
a two-day consultative meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC)
hosted by Indonesia, the two sides expressed divergent views on the best
ways forward to protect traditional knowledge and cultural expression, with
the major powers still reluctant to have a legally binding instrument.
The IGC is targeting an agreed text that would later be proposed in the
upcoming 27th session in Geneva at the end of this month for further
negotiation. The IGC will later push the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) to approve a diplomatic conference where the process
toward creating the legal instrument would be enhanced.
Because the existing international intellectual property system does not
fully protect traditional knowledge and cultural expressions, many
communities and governments have called for an international legal
instrument. Such an instrument would define what is meant by traditional
knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, who the rights holders
would be, how competing claims by communities would be resolved, and what
rights and exceptions ought to apply. This would make it possible, for
example, to protect traditional remedies and indigenous art forms against
misappropriation, and enable communities to control and benefit
collectively from their commercial exploitation.
The learned have prescribed penance for the murderer of a pious man, a
drunkard, a thief or for one who has violated a solemn vow. But there is no
pardon for the ungrateful.
-- The Panchatantra
INDIA, March 13, 2014 (International Business Times): Holi, the Hindu
Festival of Colors, doesn't officially start until Monday, but people in
some areas, such as villages in Uttar Pradesh in the north, have already
begun throwing colored powder and dyed water into the air for Lathmar Holi.
Holi's origins can be traced to Hindu legends, including the tale of Radha
and Krishna, along with the coming of spring.
UNITED STATES, March 14, 2014 (Huffington Post, by Suhag Shukla): The
American Academy of Religions (AAR), the largest body of professionals
pursuing the academic study of religion, issued a statement this week in
response to Penguin Books India's decision to withdraw and destroy copies
of Wendy Doniger's "The Hindus: An Alternative History." In part,
the AAR Board states:
"...But to pursue excellence scholars must be free to ask any
question, to offer any interpretation, and to raise any issue. If
governments block the free exchange of ideas or restrict what can be said
about religion, all of us are impoverished. It is only free inquiry that
allows a robust understanding of the critical role that religions play in
our common life. For these reasons the AAR Board of Directors fully
supports Professor Doniger's right to pursue her scholarship freely and
without political interference."
As a Religious Studies major before law school, and now an advocate engaged
in promoting an accurate understanding of Hinduism and countering
misrepresentations on a near daily basis, four words in the AAR statement
-- "to offer any interpretation" -- leap out at me. To a lay
person who deeply respects my religious tradition, it is this unconditional
and self-proclaimed right "to offer any interpretation" which
lies at the root of what is wrong with religious studies today. The Penguin
decision is invoking all sorts of arguments supportive of free speech and
academic freedom, and even against Hindu nationalism (as Doniger claims in
the New York Times), but the principle that has not been raised by the AAR
-- but must be -- is that of academic integrity.
Since 2003, my colleagues at the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) and I been
attending the AAR's annual conference in our effort to follow the state of
Hindu studies. While there always have been and now are a growing number of
scholars who are committed to presenting emic understandings of Hinduism,
we find each year that the "in crowd" created by Doniger at the
AAR has yet to shift in terms of power and influence. Freudian analysis,
tenuous and selective translations, conjecture, Orientalism, and political
baggage from India reign supreme and are the basis of far too many sessions
about Hinduism which have little to do with the beliefs and practices of
every day Hindus.
KAUAI, HAWAII, March 15, 2014 (Hinduism Today): Contrary to our recent
announcement, the latest issue of Hinduism Today has not yet been posted on
our web site, but should be within a few days.
DENPASAR, BALI, March 21, 2014 (The Bali Daily): The Jagatnatha Temple in
Denpasar said it had increased security measures by assigning special
guards to accompany the existing pemangku (priests) that had been guarding
the temple. The decision was in follow-up to the thefts of pretima --
small, sacred effigies usually made of precious woods and bedecked with
jewels -- from 34 temples since 2008. The Bali Police successfully resolved
several cases late last year and arrested some suspects, including a
priest.
The most high-profile case occurred in 2010 and involved an Italian art
collector, Roberto Gamba, who was believed to be the mastermind behind a
ring of thieves. The police and prosecutors, however, failed to prove that
accusation and Gamba was only charged with fencing stolen goods and
punished with a brief sentence of five months' imprisonment before being
deported to his home country.
Indonesian Parisadha Hindu Council (PHDI) and scores of Hindu organizations
demanded the police not release the confiscated items. The police caved in
and agreed to shift the custody of more than 400 confiscated pretima to
Bali Museum. Council deputy chairman Ketut Pasek said, "stolen pretima
are considered defiled, no longer sacred and no temple wants them,
explaining why no temple took the stolen pretima after they were recovered
by the police.
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN, March 25, 2014 (Tribune): Out of 428 Hindu places of
worship in the country, 408 have been converted into commercial use including
toy stores, restaurants, government offices and schools after 1990, a
survey has found. Another shocking figure disclosed in the survey conducted
by the All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement (PHRM) was that only 20 Hindu
temples out of the 428 places of worship are operational.
"The remaining places of worship have been leased for commercial and
residential purposes by the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), said PHRM
Chairman Haroon Sarab Diyal. The 135,000 acres of land owned by around four
million Hindus is now under ETPB's control.
Representatives of the Hindu community also wrote to all the chief
ministers of the four provinces but have not received a response yet, Diyal
added. He urged the government to hand over these religious places to the
Hindu community to mitigate their resentment and fear of being forced to
leave their homeland.
"Even if we have control of the temples, local residents dump oil
drums, utensils and animals around them," complained Diyal. However,
Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Yousaf assured that the Evacuee Trust has
already been directed to gather the data pertaining to all religious places
owned by minority communities. "At least, [all this] did not happen
during our government's tenure," he said when he was informed of the
survey's findings. "I'll take up this matter with minorities' leaders.
It's a serious matter." A committee will be constituted to address
these concerns, he routinely added.
CALIFORNIA, U.S., March 17, 2014 (Mercury News): In the beginning, there
was nothing. And then, in an explosive instant: Everything. That explains
not just Stanford physicist Andrei Linde's landmark theory, but also his
moment of epiphany, in Moscow 30 years ago, that transformed our
understanding of the beginnings of the universe. Astronomers announced new
findings last week that, if corroborated, validate his pioneering vision
that the universe was born in a fraction of a second, expanding
exponentially from a size smaller than a proton.
Last Monday, a team of scientists reported that a telescope at the South
Pole had detected gravitational waves that are the first tremors of the Big
Bang, when the universe was a trillionth of a trillionth of a trillionth of
a second old. The news, heralded as one of cosmology's biggest discoveries,
lends "smoking gun" evidence to Linde's once-radical Chaotic
Inflation theory about the universe's violent expansion.
"Even if one tries to interpret our results in religious terms, I
think that it would be such a waste of energy for 'God' not to use this way
of creating a universe -- to take a milligram of matter and then the
universe does the rest of the job by itself, producing infinite number of
universes," he said.
If there was a creator of the universe, was the work signed? Is there a
hidden message? The inflationary expansion could make it too huge to read,
he concedes. But perhaps the message is encoded in the laws of that
universe -- legible only to physicists. The thought brings him joy.
"Maybe God is a physicist hacker," Linde laughed. Then he turned
quiet. "I am not so sure this is just a joke."
As to a mountain that's enflamed, deer and birds do not resort--so, with
knowers of God, sins find no shelter.
-- Krishna Yajur Veda, Maitreya Upanishads 6.18
AUSTRALIA, March 26, 2014 (The Hindu): India's case for getting back the
stolen Nataraja statue strengthened further when Australian Minister for
Arts George Brandis criticized the national art museum of the country for
its slack practices in purchasing the 1,000-year-old sculpture, allegedly
stolen from Tamil Nadu.
Mr. Brandis, who is also the Attorney-General, told Four Corners, the
current affairs program of Australia Broadcasting Corporation, that the
National Gallery of Australia (NGA) did not "sufficiently comply"
with due diligence standards while purchasing the statue. "When there
was a sufficient level of doubt about the provenance of the object,"
the gallery's decision to recommend the purchase "was
incautious."
The NGA has been claiming that it followed proper procedures before
purchasing the statue from Subhash Kapoor, U.S.-based antiquities dealer
now lodged in a Chennai prison for his alleged role in the theft.
The ABC programme has unearthed evidence that dismantles the NGA's claims.
The ABC programme also accessed documents that show, Shane Simpson,
heritage lawyer with Simpsons Solicitors, Australia, in 2008, cautioning
the NGA against the proposed purchase of the Nataraja statue. In his
written note, he mentioned that "the available evidence is minimal and
inadequate investigations have been carried out." Mr. Simpson warned
that the NGA must be aware, "there is an inherent risk in the
purchase" and "there is no evidence that provides any clue as to
the origin of the object." He even mentioned a possibility that
"it was stolen from the original source [for example, a temple]."
Whatever you call what happened, it was an unfortunate introduction to the
community of 350 Indian "pandits" and their purpose here. Curious
about what could have provoked purveyors of peace to such disruptive
measures, I spent a couple of days last week in Fairfield and nearby Maharishi
Vedic City, the municipality where the pandits live -- in a large,
fenced-in compound out of view. I toured it, talked to leaders of the
program, members of the Fairfield community and local, state and federal
officials.
"Maharishi saw that America plays a leading part in the fate of people
around the world, so we should bring large groups of pandits to America to
make sure America stays on the track of world peace," said Bill
Goldstein, dean of Global Country and the legal counsel for the Fairfield
university. He launched the program with donated funds -- he didn't reveal
the budget -- hoping to bring in as many as 1,200 priests for 30-month
stays.
The priests get room and meals plus a mere $200 a month, $150 of which is
deposited in Indian bank accounts for their families. Administrators say
that was decided by program heads in India. The priests have placed
makeshift barriers from the cold or sun over their shadeless windows. They
have a recreation space, prayer centers and a courtyard where they play
cricket. They have no access to the Internet or cellphone communications
(they buy prepaid calling cards to phone home) and their TV viewing choices
are limited to Indian news programs via satellite in a common area.
[For more details from this investigative piece see 'source' above. The
Pandits are in the US on the Religious Worker Visa Progam.]
UNITED KINGDOM, March 24, 2014 (BBC): A stunning manuscript of the great
Hindu epic, the Ramayana, is brought together by the British Library for
the first time in 150 years. The 17th century manuscript was split between
Britain and India in the early 19th century and has been reunited in
digital form by the British Library and the CSMVS Museum in Mumbai. It is
considered one of the most beautiful versions of the Ramayana, produced in
the 17th century for the royal court in Rajastan.
MADURAI, INDIA, March 24, 2013 (The Hindu): Thousands of devotees witnessed
the kumbabishekam of Sri Thirumarainathar Temple in Tiruvathavur, performed
after a gap of 14 years, on Wednesday. The Sri Thirumarainathar Temple,
which is more than 1,600 years old, is one of the sub-temples of Sri
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple.
The temple was renovated ahead of the kumbabishekam at a cost of about
US$165,000, said P. Jayaraman, Joint Commissioner, Hindu Religious and
Charitable Endowments (HR and CE) Department and Executive Officer of Sri
Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple here.
About 120 sivachariyars performed special pujas at the grand yagasala,
specially constructed for the kumbabishekam, from Sunday evening to
Wednesday morning. "The special pujas at the yagasala concluded at
10.15 a.m. on Wednesday. Following this, pujas were performed on the
vimanas of the Deities - Lord Thirumarainathar, Goddess Vedanayaki Amman
and Manickavasagar," Mr.Jayaraman said. Abishekams to the deities and
deeparadhana followed the pujas.
The temple is located at the birthplace of Manickavasagar, who wrote
Thiruvasagam, a book of Shaiva hymns. The temple was adorned with floral
decorations for the occasion and after the kumbabishekam, blessed food was
provided to the devotees, Mr.Jayaraman added.
November 29, 2013 (Positive Bunch by K. S. Kumar): There are many reasons
why Hindus are so contented, but I'll point out some of the important
reasons I believe that Hindus are happier than most people of many other
religions. One important reason is that Hindus don't pursue love, which is
sometimes lust, but they follow dharma. That means taking care of the
family and society. But an even more important reason is that Hindus believe
in reincarnation (karma), which means every human being is at a different
level of consciousness so they have different needs in spirituality.
Hinduism provides this as it gives complete freedom of thoughts and
beliefs. There are some Hindus who are happy doing pujas and others are
happy doing yagnas, some are happy just doing meditation while others are
atheist. There are some who like to go on pilgrimages, while others are
happy not having to go to Temple. Some like to read spiritual books or
believe in no form for God. Some Hindus enjoy going to Temple or Satsang
while others like to follow and worship a Guru. People of different levels
of consciousness are all happy doing their thing.
Hindus are also happy because they respect and love people of all religions,
and believe in non-violence. Hindus believe God is one but names are many,
truth is one but religions are many.
One party says thought is caused by matter, and the other says matter is
caused by thought. Both statements are wrong; matter and thought are
coexistent. There is a third something of which both matter and thought are
products.
-- Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902)
UNITED KINGDOM, March 5, 2014 (BBC):People of Indian origin make up of
roughly two percent of Myanmar's 55-million population, but the experiences
of Tamil people - who comprise the largest group - have veered from one
extreme to the other in the past 200 years. After independence in 1948, the
introduction of land reforms, the imposition of the Burmese language and
the decision to give preferential treatment to the majority Burmese
community pushed Tamils down in the social hierarchy. They are now trying
to revive their language and culture by opening new schools.
Tamils from south India began migrating to Myanmar - also now known as
Burma - during the early 19th Century. But unlike indentured laborers who
went from India to countries such as Sri Lanka and South Africa, Tamils in
Burma were not taken on by the colonial administration. Instead they worked
as agricultural laborers for members of the traditional merchant caste
known as Nagarathars.
But their fortunes took a huge downturn during the World War Two and
subsequent political upheavals. After the Japanese invasion of Burma, many
thousands of Tamils who worked in urban areas for the British colonial
administration returned to India.
The imposition of the Burmese language as the medium of instruction -
combined with the forced closure of Tamil schools in the 1960s - triggered
another wave of reverse migration. But many Tamils have deep roots in the
country. They kept a low profile and slowly improved their fortunes by
mending their relationship with the majority community and staying away
from politics.
AUSTRALIA, March 24, 2014(by Michaela Boland, The Australian): The National
Gallery of Australia's $5.1 million Shiva is one step closer to going home.
The Indian government has made a formal request for the NGA to return the
900-year-old bronze figure of the Hindu deity, which has been on display in
its first floor gallery since 2008. Indian police claim the 1m-high statue
was looted in 2006 from a Sivan temple in Sripuranthan, Tamil Nadu.
The Attorney-General's Department received the letter on Friday, a day
after NGA director Ron Radford signalled he would leave the gallery in
September at the end of his contract.
The Attorney-General, George Brandis, has not responded to the request but
Mr. Radford said this month he would return the statue only if a court in
India or the US asked the gallery to do so. The Attorney-General's office
has supplied The Australian with a report prepared by the gallery on the
items it bought from Subhash Kapoor, the disgraced Indian art dealer on
trial in India and wanted in the US, where authorities have described him
as one of the biggest commodities smugglers in the world.
The report was prepared by the chairman of the NGA, Melbourne QC Allan
Myers, after Mr Radford set up an investigating panel of gallery insider.
The panel's members never met to discuss the growing crisis. The Myers
report reveals many problems with the due diligence undertaken by Mr.
Radford and his Asian Art curator Robyn Maxwell.
(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)
