April/May/June, 2004 US$5.

95

Affirming Sanatana Dharma and Recording the Modern History of a Billion-Strong Global Religion in Renaissance

HINDUISM
TODAY

dinodia
COVER: Lord Vishnu with the divine serpent Sesha blesses the world as the birds, representing misconceptions, are dispelled.
(above) Swami Pragyanand (center left) chants as he conducts the rare Virat Rajsuya fire ceremony.

april/may/june, 2004 • Hindu Year 5106

YEARS
Tarana, the Year of Safe Passage
1979–2004
www.gurudeva.org

IN T ER NAT IONA L Philosophy: The Puzzle of Fate and Free Will 56

Interfaith: Meet the Daring Men and Women History: America’s Transcendentalist Authors
Who Teach Hinduism to Non-Hindus 18 Were Deeply Influenced by Hindu Mysticism 58
Monastic Life: Guru Pramukh Swami Maharaj Education: In a Modern Delhi School, Ancient

Tackling 10 Initiates His 700th Sadhu, As Predicted 28 Teaching Methods Prevail 64

Monastic Training: We Visit a Model Training Profile: Varanasi Swami Continues Strong at 85 65
Center for Sadhus in Remote Gujarat State 30 Gods: He’s Collected more than 2,000 Statues,

Misconceptions Worship: Thousands Join Swami Pragyanand for

a Fire Ceremony Meant to Protect Mankind 32
Paintings and Cards of Lord Ganesha 66

About Hinduism Temples: Kerala’s Ettumar Temple Is Famed

for its Healing Powers 34
OPINION
In My Opinion: “How I Became a Hindu,” by
Mexican-Born John Campos 9
LIFEST YLE Publisher’s Desk: Using the Power of Affirmation to
Transition: Swami Madhavananda Puriji Maharaj Improve Your Life 10
Letters 12
Attains Mahasamadhi in India 36
Insight: At Last, Clear Responses to the Ten From the Vedas: The Sacred Cow 16
Most Common Misconceptions About Hinduism 37 Minister’s Message: Let Kids Be Kids 67
Religion: Yamas and Niyamas, the Hindu Ethical
Code of Human Conduct 49 DIGESTS
Education: Tara Guber’s Yoga Ed Is Bringing Diaspora 6 Digital Dharma 86
Savvy Life Skills to Inner-City Kids 53 Quotes & Quips 14

Letters to the editor, subscription and editorial inquiries may be sent to Hinduism Today, 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304 USA,
letters@hindu.org. HINDUISM TODAY (issn# 0896-0801), April/May/June, 2004, Volume 26, No. 2. Editorial: 1-808-822-7032 (ext. 227); subscrip-
tions, copy or bulk orders: (from USA or Canada:) 1-800-850-1008, 1-888-464-1008 or (from all countries:) 1-808-240-3108, subscribe@hindu.org;
advertising: (from USA or Canada:) 1-888-464-1008, ads@hindu.org. All-department fax: 1-808-822-4351. HINDUISM TODAY is published quarterly by
Himalayan Academy, a nonprofit educational institution; Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Founder; Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, Publisher;
Paramacharya Palaniswami, Editor-in-Chief. USA subscriptions: us$35/1 year, $65/2 years, $95/3 years, $155/5 years, $1,001/lifetime. Contact us for
manivel

international rates. Also distributed through major subscription agencies worldwide. For permission to publish a HINDUISM TODAY article, call 1-808-
822-7032 (ext. 227) or fax 1-808-822-4351. Printed in USA.
© 2004 himalayan academy, 107 kaholalele road, kapaa, hawaii 96746-9304 usa. all rights reserved.

Canada . . . . CAD 7.50 UK . . . . . GBP 3.75 Trinidad . . TTD 36.00

Malaysia. . . MYR 10.00 India . . . . . INR 85.00 www.hinduismtoday.com
Singapore. . . SGD 7.50 Brazil . . . BRL 10.55

pg 01-2 cover Apr04 g4§.indd 1 2/13/04 2:04:16 PM

 Hinduism
HinduismasasTaught
Taught(wrongly)
(wrongly)ininAmerican
AmericanSchools!
Schools! Presenting
PresentingOur
OurFaith
FaithRightly
Rightly
YouYou
think I’m I’m
think making
makingall this up? up?
all this Here are are
Here my my
sources. TheThe
sources. “Hindus
“Hindusworship rats”rats”
worship quote waswas
quote reported by Yvette
reported by Yvette C. Rosser’s
C. Rosser’s Misconceptions about Hinduism abound. The four depicted on this page were taken
son son
as made by His
as made World
by His History
World teacher
History at LBJ
teacher High
at LBJ School,
High Austin,
School, Texas.
Austin, “Karma:
Texas. If you
“Karma: did did
If you goodgood
deeds ...” is...”from
deeds is from
Listen up, up,
Listen students!
students! In the
In the
Vedic AgeAge
Vedic marriages
marriagestook took from modern-day classrooms. In this issue, on page 18, you’ll meet brave Hindu souls
NewNewYorkYork
State’s Liverpool
State’s High
Liverpool School
High Global
School History
Global andand
History Geography
Geography class. Marriage
class. Marriageby kidnapping is word-for-word
by kidnapping is word-for-word
place by kidnapping,
place by kidnapping,by pur-
by pur- on the front lines in the Western world—in schools, churches, Rotary Clubs and in-
fromfrom
World History:
World People
History: andand
People Nations, by Anatole
Nations, G. Mazour
by Anatole G. MazourandandJohnJohn
M. Peoples, published
M. Peoples, by Harcourt
published by Harcourt Brace Brace Jova-Jova-
novich in 1990,
novich andand
in 1990, in use at Austin
in use High
at Austin School.
High TheThe
School. last last
quote is from
quote PaulPaul
is from Courtright’s book,
Courtright’s Ganesha:
book, Ganesha:LordLordof Obstacles,
of Obstacles, chase or by
chase or mutual
by mutualconsent.
consent.A A terfaith meetings—trying to explain our faith as best they can to non-Hindus. Then,
Lord of Beginnings—about
Lord of Beginnings—about the the
onlyonly
printable material
printable fromfrom
material his chapter
his chapterof Freudian
of Freudianpsychoanalysis of our
psychoanalysis beloved
of our beloved LordLord woman
womanconsidered
consideredit aitgreat
a great on page 37, we present answers to the ten common questions about Hinduism, so you
Ganesha. He’sHe’s
Ganesha. a professor of religion
a professor at Emory
of religion University,
at Emory University, compliment
compliment to be
to stolen.
be stolen.To To will be better prepared next time someone asks you, “Why do you worship cows?”
which is affliated
which is owned with
by the United Methodist Church.
be bought and paid
be bought and paid
for for
waswas
more
moreflatter-
flatter-
Let’s
Let’sallall
learn about
learn karma:
about karma: ing ing
than
than to married
to be be married Both in his behavior and
iconographic form, Ganesa
Hindus
Hindusworship
If you diddid
good deeds and by consent. MenMencould
worship
If you good deeds and by consent. could
marry more than
marry more than oneone
acts,
acts,youyou
willwill
be bereborn
reborn high-
high- resembles, in some aspects,

RATS!!!
RATS!!!
woman
womanandand
ownedownedtheir
their
er.er.
If you were
If you bad,
were youyou
bad, might
might wives andand
wives children.
children. the figure of the eunuch. He
come
come back
backasasa plant or or
a plant bug.
bug. is like a eunuch guarding the
women of a harem.
cartoon by ripin kalra

cartoon by ripin kalra

Me, in
Me,Me,
ageage
88 Me,Me,
ageage
11 11 Me,Me,
ageage
15 15 college

pg 03-04 GATE BIG §.indd 1 2/13/04 2:06:30 PM pg 05 GATE BIG g2§.indd 5 2/13/04 2:10:18 PM
Welcome
to hinduism today’s digital edition!
am pleased to welcome you to the free digital edition of Hinduism
I Today magazine. It is the fulfillment of a vision held by my Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, founder of Hinduism Today, to bring the
magazine’s profound Hindu teachings to the widest possible audience.
The text of each issue has long been available on the Web, right back Click links below to soar over other areas of our vast
to 1979, but without the photographs and art. Now you have here the ocean of internet resources in your web browser
entire contents of the printed edition, with all photos and art. Plus, it
is interactive—every link is live; click and you go to a web page. You participate learn explore
can participate in the magazine in a number of ways, accessed through
buttons on the right. And you can help support this free edition in two
Make a Donation to Hinduism Today A Daily Chronicle of
ways: make an online contribution (even a small one); patronize our
Hinduism Today Home Page Kauai’s Hindu Monastery
specialized advertisers. Explore the resources here, enjoy our latest
edition and e-mail us if you are inspired.

Subscribe to the Print Hinduism Today Amazing Publications,

Edition of Hinduism Today Archives Online Viewable Online

Submit an Article to Read the Story of Shop at the Himalayan

Hinduism Today Hinduism Today Academy Online Store

Send Comments Subscribe to Hindu

An Audio Library
To the Editor Press International, a
Of Inspired Talks
(e-mail) Daily News Summary
 usa tor tells a Hindu girl to pray to
Newsweek Jesus? What if a devout patient
is encouraged to pray, but still
becomes terminally ill? Does
Highlights that mean God doesn’t care?
Meanwhile, the practice of
trinidad
Meditation meditation, which generally
Centenarian Swami on Tour transcends such concerns, is

Delivers a Strong Message N ewsweek’s november 10,

2003, article, “Faith and
Healing” examines the growing
trend of bringing spirituality
making a move. A photo caption
reads “Meditation especially
has captivated scientists who
are studying its effects....Doc-

S wami akshayanandaji maharaj, current president

of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Calcutta, toured Sangha
centers in London, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago in the fall
and religion into mainstream
medical practice. The issue of
medical doctors encouraging
tors are prescribing the practice
to patients to reduce stress...
improve health.Now the un-
of 2003. In Trinidad he visited Felicity’s Trinidad Sevashram patients to pray is fraught with likeliest Americans—including
Sangha and its many temples and leaders throughout the coun- controversy, says the article. professional tough guys—are
Sikhs and Hindus share one common temple in Kabul try. Swami was accompanied by three other swamis. Though What if a zealous Baptist doc- signing up to sooth their souls.”
Swami will be 100 years of age in July, 2004, he still has a clear
a f g h a n i s ta n voice, sharp mind and memory and needs very little help to
Kabul Hindus and Sikhs Face get around, reports Paras Ramoutar. Swami became the head of
the Sangha in 2000, the fifth in the lineage since it was founded
in 1917. The Bharat Sevashram Sangha now has ten million
Challenges to Cremation members worldwide. Swami says, “The Bharat Sevashram
Sangha is a spiritual brotherhood of monks and selfless workers
devoted to the service of humanity....The goal of life is univer- Aurobindo’s relics enshrined by Smt. Sushilaben Melvani

S ince the fall of the ta-

liban in Afghanistan, Ka-
bul Hindus and Sikhs who
remained or returned to their
homes are facing a challenge in
reclaiming their cremation sites.
After ten years of disuse, many
are now hedged in by newly
built residences. The Afghani-
stan religious affairs ministry
has granted Hindus usage rights
to Kabul’s 200-year-old Hindu
cremation grounds, but locals
are objecting. Abdul Wali Sahi,
sal emancipation and self-realization. Religion is self-sacrifice,
self-discipline, adherence to truth and continence, while real
death is forgetfulness of the Self.”
k e n ya
a local Muslim leader, says that
Hindus can build anything they
A Shrine to Sri
want, “but we can’t accept their
cremation ground,” which is
Aurobindo in Africa
only 200 meters from a family
residence. Hindus currently
cremate their dead in their
O n july 13th, 2003, an historic facility honoring sri
Aurobindo’s contributions and influence in Africa mani-
fested at the Sri Aurobino Society, Nairobi Centre. Five members
homes or take them outstation. of the Nairobi Centre had traveled to India earlier and returned
on the 12th, with Smt. Sushilaben Melvani of the Pondicherry
Sri Aurobindo Society, bringing relics of Sri Aurobindo to Nairobi.
canada The following morning, the day of the Guru Purnima festival,

Brij Sood “Firefighters of Chicago’s Engine 32 are learning to reduce stress.”

the relics were enshrined in the Relics House, and Sushilaben
cut the ribbon to the new Sri Aurobindo Bhavan Meditation Hall.
The Sri Aurobindo Bhavan was consecrated to the Divine Moth-
Honored central asia
er on her 125th birth anniversary, an event that locals described
as “a landmark in the history of the African continent and the

Dr. Brijendra K. Sood, Calgary
D r. brijendra k. sood
of Calgary, Alberta, was
honored by the Governor Gen-
eral of Canada, Adrienne Clark-
son, at a ceremony October 24,
2003, in Ottawa as a member
of the Order of Canada. The
Order “....recognizes people
who have made a difference....
our country’s highest honor
for lifetime achievement.” The
citation read, “A dedicated phy-
sician, Brijendra Sood has pro-
moted multicultural awareness
by recognizing and valuing the
strengths of Canada’ s rich cul-
tural mosaic. Since arriving in
Canada in 1964, he has worked
to develop and strengthen the
social and cultural fabric of Cal-
Swami Akshayanandaji Maharaj
gary’s East Indian community.
He has played leadership roles
in the city’s India-Canada As-
sociation, Multicultural Centre,
Hindu Society and Temple, and
Kazakhstan Convenes
Inter-religious Pow-Wow
K azakhstan, with signs
of human habitation going
back a million years, has long
been a multi-cultural milieu.
Kazakhstan’s president, Nursul-
tan Nazarbayev, believes it
can be a model for the world.
Amidst global religious tensions,
he took a proactive step with
his state-initiated Congress of
has received numerous honors World and Traditional National
for his ethno-cultural contribu- Religions in September, 2003.
tions, including Outstanding For two days in Astana, 120 re-
Physician of the Year 2000 from ligious leaders from 18 nations
the Calgary Medical Society.” joined in inter-religious dialog.
spiritual history of the Earth.” Sri Aurobindo (1872-1950), was a
prolific writer, freedom fighter and yoga mystic whose powerful
writings were a key contribution to last century’s Hindu revival.
Vaishnava leader Sugunendra
Theertha Swamiji, head of the
Madhwacharya Matha, Udipi,
India, led the Indian delegation
and delivered the Hindu teach-
ing of tolerance. This central
Asian Silk-Route arena of ancient
bloody battles, the world’s ninth
largest country in area, is rising
from Soviet obscurity, striving
for a new world order of inter-
national cooperation. See www.
dialog.inform.kz and www.kz for
a ray of hope in the struggle for
Swami Sugunendra Theertha brings Hindu dharma to Astana world peace.

agence france presse, rob elliott; newsweek; liladhar bharadia;

6 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 b h a r at s e va s h r a m s a n g h a ; d r . b r i j e n d r a k . s o o d s wa m i s u g u n e n d r a t h e e r t h a a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 20 04 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 7
 f e s t i va l s House, British House of Commons,
and Australia’s New South Wales
IN MY OPINION
Deepavali Parliament, to name a few. England

Goes Worldwide
P reviously ignored on so-
called multi-religious public cal-
endars and official agendas outside of
India where Hindus are a minority,
Deepavali 2003 moved up several
social notches into government halls.
Celebrations were held in the White
Interactive yoga with pets
Some simple, effective ways to purify drinking water
topped the lot with the presence of
Prime Minister Tony Blair. Australia
came in second with a large number
How I Became a Hindu
of MPs joining in the ceremonies.
And US Hindus were delighted
that their lobbying efforts elicited a A Mexican comes home to India
Deepavali statement from President
Bush and ceremonial observances in
the White House with a delegation of
BY JOHN CAMPOS
Hindus from around the country.
HINDU RENAISSANCE TEAM
HINDUISM TODAY was founded January 5, 1979, few years ago, an cho (saying) which goes like
by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. It is a Indian woman dressed in this: “Quien mucho abarca
nonprofit educational activity of Himalayan a sari approached me at poco aprieta.” This means,
Academy with the following purposes:1. To a gas station in Austin, “He who grasps much can
foster Hindu solidarity as a unity in diversity Texas. She asked if I knew direc- hold on to little.” Certainly

c o u r t e s y v e d i c f o u n d at i o n
among all sects and lineages; 2. To inform and tions to a local Hindu temple. it is true that if life is lived
h e a lt h inspire Hindus worldwide and people inter- It so happens I did, because I for material benefits only, it
ested in Hinduism; 3. To dispel myths, illu-
Ninety Percent of Earth’s sions and misinformation about Hinduism; 4.
To protect, preserve and promote the sacred
regularly attend services at that
very temple. At the conclusion of
is nearly impossible to hold
on to God’s love. This love
our conversation, the lady asked of God makes it possible to
Water Is Now Polluted Vedas and the Hindu religion; 5. To nurture
and monitor the ongoing spiritual Hindu re- what part of India I was from. I
replied that I was from Mexico,
dwell in the contentment of
the soul.
naissance; 6. To publish a resource for Hindu
T rekker’s and travelers face a common dil-
emma: unboiled water can make you ill. But what if
you can’t boil? This online excerpt from The Backpackers
leaders and educators who promote Sanatana
Dharma. Join this seva by sending letters, clip-
pings, reports on events and encouraging others.
not India. She looked at me with
astonishment. “That’s amazing,”
she exclaimed. “A Mexican Hin-
When I’m asked
why I chose to practice
Hinduism, my answer is
Field Manual by Rick Curtism, www.princeton.edu/~oa/ du! I’ve never heard of such a thing!” founded on my practical experience of
manual/water.shtml, is a clear guide to water purification. Founder: Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami That wasn’t the first time this has hap- the spiritual happiness that it has brought
Whether you are going to Yellowstone Park, Calcutta, Publisher: Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami pened to me. I have often been asked if I me. My past religious studies were fruit-
Mexico City or Africa, the tools are simple. A good water Editor-in-Chief: Paramacharya Palaniswami was born in India. The question amuses less, because they did not inspire spiritual
filter or purifier and correct usage of iodine or chlorine— Publisher’s Aide: Paramacharya Ceyonswami me, because I could respond both “yes” and desire in me. By contrast, I found that the
with knowledge of the time they take—can keep you well. House of Commons: Britain’s Prime Minister Tony Blair celebrating Deepavali Deputy Editor: Acharya Kumarswami “no.” Since this would just confuse people, I wisdom of Hindu scriptures was a deep
Managing Editor: Sannyasin Arumugaswami usually just say, “No.” At times, however, I well from which I could easily replenish
Graphics Director: Sannyasin Natarajnathaswami want to respond differently. Undoubtedly, my spiritual needs. This discovery was
of his one-year probation. The PUNE’S BHANDARKAR ORIENTAL Production Manager: Sannyasin Sivakatirswami I was born an Indian from a spiritual point profound. I was searching for personal
sentence garnered national Research Institute was ran- Contributing Editor: Yogi Japendranatha of view. I formally adopted the Hindu faith meaning in life and found it in Hinduism.
attention. The judge said he sacked in an incident regretta- Advertising and Subscriptions: Sadhaka Jothinatha several years ago. There is such great solace in this ancient
thought the yoga classes would ble for its violence and irrevers- Correspondents: Choodamani Sivaram, Bangalore; Although my background makes my in- religion’s lucid philosophy and teachings
LIVERMORE HINDU TEMPLE IN THE MYSTERIOUS DECLINE OF help the man control his anger. ible damage to historical items. Rajiv Malik, Prabha Prabhakar Bhardwaj, Madhu terest in Hinduism an intriguing story, it is of love for a personal God.
California has begun a program the Asian vulture, a critical The Hindus were protesting the Kishwar, Delhi; Mangala Prasad Mohanty, Orissa; V. S. not uncommon for non-Indians to become In the past I have also read the works of
to provide food, shelter, medi- part of the Indian ecosystem, FIJI’S HINDU TEMPLES book Shivaji—Hindu King in Gopalakrishnan, Kerala; Basudeb Dhar, Bangladesh; practicing Hindus. Many, like me, have rec- some Western philosophers. It seemed to
cal and educational assistance has been attributed to the birds continue to be the targets of Islamic India by James Laine. Archana Dongre, Los Angeles; Lavina Melwani, New ognized the spiritual wealth of Hinduism me that what they said was just dry, intel-
to needy area residents. The eating the carcasses of cattle robbers. Most recently pillag- They took exception to a pas- York; Dr. Hari Bansh Jha, Nepal; Anil Mahabir, Paras and benefited from its treasures. Its prac- lectual speculation. By contrast, the deep
commendable program will treated with the common vet- ers struck the country’s largest sage raising questions about Ramoutar, Trinidad; V. G. Julie Rajan, Philadelphia; tice of bhakti (devotion), its Sanskrit scrip- love for and devotion to God that mani-
give away US$15,000 this year. erinarian drug diclofenac, also shrine, the Shri Shiva Subrah- Shivaji’s parentage. Consider- Rajesh Jantilal, South Africa; Iraja Sivadas, Califor- tures, its philosophy of living and its yoga fested in the lives of the great saints of the
used in humans to relieve pain. manya Swami temple in Nadi. able damage was done to the nia; Tara Katir, Hawaii. HPI Staff: Lalita Easwaran, practices for the well-being of body and Hindu tradition were far more appealing
THE MALAYSIA HINDU SANGAM The research, published in Na- Though some desecration has institute, which is a repository Janaka Param, Toshadeva Guhan, Vijay Pillai, Easan mind are but a few of its priceless spiritual to me. Their promise that, through lov-
cracked down on abuses of ture magazine, did not offer a occurred during the robberies, of ancient manuscripts. Laine Katir, Adi Alahan, Chandra Sankara, Shama Vinayaga, jewels. Non-Indians who adopt Hinduism ing devotion, it is possible to see, know
the age-old penance of kavadi plan to end use of the drug. the motive in recent years ap- himself was later booked by Lavanya Saravan, Rajkumar Manickam, Arjana Das- become spiritually enriched. and merge in divine communion with a
during the Thai Pusam festival pears to be money. local police under the Indian wani. Sanskritist: Dr. P. Jayaraman, New York. Artists: However, a troubling phenomenon is personal form of God inspired my faith.
at Batu Caves. The practice THE SRI LANKA GOVERNMENT Penal Code section 153 which A. Manivelu, S. Rajam. Cartoonists: M. Arumugam, emerging, and it is growing. Indians who I learned from Hinduism that by one’s
involves carrying a highly deco- is taking a proactive approach JANUARY 24 WAS HONORED AS prohibits, in part, “doing acts Bob Thaves, Ripin Karla. Photo Contributors: Thom- are Hindus by birth are discarding their sincere effort and God’s grace, God’s love
rated arch to the temple and to peace in the country by “Gurudeva Day” on Kauai, home prejudicial to the maintenance as L. Kelly, Stephen P. Huyler, Dinodia, Amit Kumar, religion. I believe that, in the process, they will fructify in the heart. I also learned
piercing the body with small training hundreds of clergy of of Hinduism Today. The day of harmony.” Dev Raj Agarwal, Gilles Flament, Vel Kadressen, Mu are becoming spiritually bankrupt. that it did not matter what my race, gen-
spears. However, in recent all faiths in mediation and con- was designated by the mayor Devarayan, Gordon Wiltsie, Indivar Sivanathan. Web Many Indians coming to the United der or belief was. This is how a Mexican
years, it had degenerated into a flict resolution. The program and is arranged each year by SOUTH AFRICAN HINDUS ARE Masters: Nitya Nadesan, Sadhunathan Nadesan. Dis- States share common stories. Educated and came to be spiritually born an Indian.
spectacle of many nontradition- started for Hindu clergy on local residents who revered our creating their own replica of tribution: USA: Ingram Periodicals, New Leaf, EBSCO ambitious, they are lured here by the prom-
al and objectionable elements. January 17 in Trincomalee. late publisher, Satguru Sivaya one of India’s most popular and Subscription Services, OneSource, Ubiquity. Europe: ise of material acquisition. But along the John Campos has been a devotee at Bar-
Now, only those following the Subramuniyaswami, as a warm richest temples, Tirupati in SWETS Subscription Service. Malaysia and Singapore: way to this material wealth, many forget sana Dham in Austin, Texas, since 1991. He
tradition will be allowed en- A TEXAS JUDGE CREATED A BIT friend and gentle guide. This is Andra Pradesh. The foundation Sanathana Dharma Publications. India: Central News their birthright, their great spiritual ances- was born in San Antonio, and is a qualified
trance to the temple grounds of a sensation when he sen- their way of giving thanks for stone was laid for the temple, Agency Limited, Delhi. Mauritius: CODIP. Trinidad: try of Hinduism. CPA, working as a hospital auditor for the
where more than a million cel- tenced a man who slapped his his many contributions to the which is being built in Lenasia, Pandit Narendra & Ashwinee Ragoonanan. Printer: This forsaking of their heritage for the Department of Veterans Affairs. He has
ebrated in February. wife to take yoga classes as part island community. south of Johannesburg. Banta Publications Group, Kansas City, MO sake of wealth brings to mind a Spanish di- been to India three times.

krt, bob fila;

8 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 epa photos, kirsty wigglesworth j a n ua r y / f e b r ua r y / m a r c h , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 9
PUBLISHER’S DESK Affirmation at work: A seeker is seated upon a
fabled one-wheeled chariot, which represents
the movement of his mind. The power to go in

Using the Power of Affirmation any direction—toward gloom and failure or

upliftment and success—lies in his words and
thoughts, symbolized by the swirling threads.

I am able to accomplish what I plan” while

We mold our lives constantly by what we think and say. With positive
affirmation, you can harness this creative force to improve your life.
B Y S A T G U R U B O D H I N A T H A V E Y L A N S WA M I
he idea behind affirmations is that
through the repetition of positive statements,
we can improve our self-concept, make greater
progress on the spiritual path and in general
increase our magnetism to success. To progress
spiritually, a positive self-concept is essential. For
this, the use of affirmations can be quite helpful.
What exactly is a positive self-concept? It is think-
ing of ourself as a worthy individual deserving of
a wonderful life and fully capable of achieving it.
Unfortunately, many of us reach adulthood with a
negative self-concept, feeling that others are better
than we are, and life has little to offer. A negative
self-concept occurs when, while growing up, we are criticized con-
stantly or cruelly by our parents and teachers. Having a positive
concept about our outer self allows us to identify with our spiritual
nature so that we truly feel we are a divine being.
Let’s look for a moment at changing our self-concept from a neg-
ative one to a positive one. If our physical body becomes weak due
to a serious illness, after the illness is gone everyone knows that
we can overcome the resultant physical weakness and, through
consistent exercise, regain our normal strength again. If, however,
because of difficult experiences our outlook on life has become
negative, and we feel that we just can’t be successful, many people
A Daily Affirmation for Families
utilizing the three keys of thinking, visualiz-
ing and feeling. During this exercise, you may
find yourself feeling “I can’t. I won’t. I am not
able.” If that is the case, it shows that there is a
strong negative self-concept in the subconscious
mind. Therefore, great benefits to your spiritual
and material life will occur if this exercise is
assume this is something that cannot be changed. continued for a long period of time, because
However, just as we can strengthen the body’s muscles it will result in the negative self-concept being
through exercise and become fit again, we can also replaced by a positive one.
remold the subconscious mind and change its compo- If you like, a longer affirmation can be used
sition through the power of affirmation. in your daily exercise, such as the following one.
What exactly is an affirmation? As our Gurudeva, When done in the early morning, this affirma-
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, explains, an affir- tion sets a positive mood for the day. “I am now
mation is a series of positive words repeated time and open to a flow of spiritual energy in which I
time again in line with a visual concept. Such a state- perceive the most worthy course of action for
ment can be repeated mentally, or preferably verbally, this day. My service, being selfless, opens new
many times a day. The idea is if one feels “I can’t,” he doors of supply, making available all of the tools
cannot. If he is always criticizing himself and lament- required so that my work will be beautiful,
ing over what he cannot do, then he can reverse this energetic and influential to the highest degree.”
pattern and change the flow of magnetic mental force, enliven its Here is another affirmation that is more of
intensity by saying orally and feeling through all the pores of his a purely divine nature that strengthens our
body “I can. I will. I am able to accomplish what I plan.” Gurudeva identity as a spiritual being. It is most effec-
calls this remolding the subconscious and gives useful insights tive when repeated several times before sleep
to seekers on how to accomplish this: “My devotees succeed by and upon awakening. “I am not my body, mind
remolding subconscious magnetic forces. They purge the dross or emotions. They are but shells of the infinite
through writing and burning past transgressions and current prob- energy that flows through them all. I am this
lems and then use positive affirmations.” energy. I am its source.”
There is a very important key to being successful in affirmations: However, as in the saying “Be careful what
when repeating the affirmation, simultaneously think, visual- you wish for,” the power of affirmation needs
ize and feel what the affirmation is manifesting. Think means to to be used with wisdom. Affirmations remold
the subconscious mind and thereby change our
future. Therefore, we need to be careful that
the future we are creating is one in which the
We take time for training, and
we value mistakes as opportu-
responsibilities and challenges are within our
abilities to successfully handle. It is wiser to
choose a future that is a natural step up in life

W e, the Patel (substitute
name) family, beseech
the grace of Lord Ganesha to
manifest His blessings of peace
and harmony within our home
and to joyfully fulfi ll the spiri-
tual, social, economic, cultural
and educational goals of family
life as outlined in Hindu scrip-
ture. We dedicate ourselves, in-
dividually and together, to our
daily worship, spiritual disci-
plines and study. Knowing that
bonding is essential, we hold
daily family meetings and week-
ly gatherings to cooperatively
solve problems and create a
loving, uplifting atmosphere in
which each member develops
discipline, responsibility and
the spirit of divine service. We
remain close-knit and cultivate
unity by talking together about
the experiences of our day and
extend our affection and har-
mony to other families as well.
nities to learn. To us, the guest
is truly God, welcomed and
honored with heartfelt hospi-
tality. Through our thoughtful-
ness, care and compassion, we
allow an abundance of gold to
accumulate within our home.
We give generously of our in-
come and our time to further
our religion. We are fi lled and
thrilled with God’s Cosmic
Energy, creatively alive and in
tune with the universe.
consciously be aware of what the affirmation means. Not thinking
would be to repeat the affirmation out of habit while thinking
about something else. Visualize means to create a mental picture
depicting the affirmation. For example, see yourself making a plan
to earn extra money to remodel your home. See yourself earn-
ing the money and doing the remodeling. Feel means to have the
same feeling you will have when this is consistently happening in
your life. In the case of the above affirmation, it is the feeling of
confidence and success that goes along with being able to accom-
plish what you plan. You need to feel now how you will feel in the
future when you are successful and confident. Until you awaken
this feeling, you should not expect the affirmation to work.
Why don’t you try this practice for five minutes a day in the
morning, at noon and in the evening and see the positive results
it produces? Simply repeat out loud the affirmation “I can. I will.
a. manivel
from where we are than one that is many, many
steps away from us. For example, it is a natural
next step for someone who is renting an apart-
ment to purchase a modest house, while pur-
chasing a mansion would probably be too big a
step up to successfully handle.
For many years, as part of our pre-dawn worship, the monastery
has repeated an affirmation. We recite it aloud together. It has
been effective in reminding all the monastics of the overview of
what we are doing and the importance of integrating the blessings
of the Deities into our everyday affairs. A few years ago we devel-
oped a similar affirmation for families to repeat together every
morning. We have included it in the sidebar, and suggest that all
members of your family recite it together each day.
In conclusion, through repeating positive statements you can
improve your self-concept, make greater progress on the spiritual
path and in general increase your magnetism to success. Remem-
ber, success depends upon utilizing the three-fold key—to think
about the meaning, create a visualization for this meaning and feel
how you will feel when this is consistently happening in your life.

10 h i n d u i s m t o day a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 11

Accommodative Hinduism
good work calls for a good word.
For the good work that you are doing in
Hinduism Today, my hearty thanks, and
the thanks of India, too. Hindus are awake
today. The spell of a thousand years of sub-
jugation has been broken. We have discov-
ered our past. Nothing will now stop us from
resuming our ancient quest for jnana, wis-
dom. It was the mystery of the universe that
set us on our quest. The Rig Veda wonders,
“Ah, what are words, and what are mortal
thoughts? Who is there who truly knows
and who can say whence this unfathomed
world, and from what cause?” The rishis of
old set out to find the answers. Their quest
led to freedom of enquiry. Freedom led to
diversity of thoughts. Diversity led to toler-
ance of views, and tolerance led to the rich-
ness of our civilization. It has no parallel in
the world. The Hindu civilization is basically
accommodative and assimilative. It should
remain so. We celebrate inclusivity. Others
celebrate exclusivity. We learned to live in
peace with each other and with Buddhism,
Jainism, Sikhism and hundreds of different
sects. “All ways lead to me,” says the Lord in
the Gita. But others still live by the sword.
M. S. N. Menon
Delhi, India
Why Untouchability
unemotionally, the basis of untouch-
ability is poverty and lack of education. The
Hindu temples must do their part, but it is
the government’s utmost duty to educate
all to age 16 years, as is being done in my
country, Trinidad. In ten years, India has
reduced poverty from 35% to 26%. By
2010, it should be reduced again, to 15%.
Yogi Hary Pasarma
Chagauanas, Trinidad
Greatness of Kumbha Mela
compliments on an excellent report
of the Kumbha Mela held recently in India
at Nashik (Jan/Mar, 2004). Your pictures are
unique, and every attempt is made to depict
the actual participation in this Mela. I was
fortunate to participate, and without being
at such a great Mela, nobody can understand
the real philosophy of Hinduism. We found
great enthusiasm amongst the people.
S. S. Bhatt
Hoffman Estate, Illinois
Virasaivism Separate
your magazine in a recent article in-
cluded Virasaivism as one of the sub-sects
(Oct/Dec, 2003). This is a commonly held
misconception, but Virasaivism is a distinct
religion. Basavanna, the founding father
of modern Virasaivism, not only preached
equality of all human being, including wom-
12 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
LETTERS
en, and rejected the caste system, he also
did not accept the Vedas.
Sathish Vr, USA
∫ sathish_vr2000@yahoo.com
Skewed Toward Saivism
after being a long-time subscriber
to Hinduism Today, I reluctantly decided
a few months back to discontinue my sub-
scription. I have regarded and still regard
as extremely important, the service you are
rendering Hinduism. Not only that, over
the years you have made it a publication
of very high quality. My objection is that it
has become Saivism Today. The coverage
of news and events are so biased that one
would think that Saivism is the only flavor
of Hinduism!! You are not “reporting” news
and events, you are “categorizing” and “in-
terpreting” everything from the Saivism
perspective.
Cadambi Rangarajan
∫ rangadasan@yahoo.com
✔ We understand your point. We do pres-
ent a view of Hinduism skewed toward
Saivism. It’s natural, one could say, for the
magazine is created at a Saivite monastery
and the staff are committed Saiva sannya-
sins, facts we publish openly in each issue.
What is not obvious is this: we have tried
for years to fill the gaps in our experience
and knowledge by calling upon Vaishnavite,
Shakta and Smarta followers, journalists,
artists and academics to contribute more,
but the response is not there. The truth is
we would love to have more authentic art
and articles from other traditions. But our
wanting it to happen has not made it hap-
pen. It disappoints us as much as it annoys
you. Our recent articles on the four sects,
New Vrindaban, South Africa’s Lord Ha-
numan conference, Jagannath Temple and
interviews with many Vaishnava swamis at
the Kumbha Mela are part of our small ef-
forts to broaden our coverage.
Rehabilitate the Swastika
i am jewish by birth, but personally
favor the swastika’s use and comeback to
erase the fact that the Nazis ever used it.
Why should this symbol be forever tainted
by their evilness? Let’s erase not the Holo-
caust, or its lessons, but the Nazi’s hijacking
of this holy symbol.
Eileen Weintraub
Seattle, Washington, USA
Promote Pancha Ganapati
i was delighted to read that satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami created the mod-
ern-day festival of Pancha Ganapati to coin-
cide with Christmas celebrations for Hindus
living in the west. The five-day celebration
as drawn out by Gurudeva is just marvelous
for all Hindu diaspora adults and children, as
well as for Hindus in the homeland. Please re-
mind us each year of the festival’s approach.
Jamuna Vittal, New Jersey, USA
∫ vittalj@aol.com
✔ Thank you. The Pancha Ganapati fes-
tival is described at www.hinduism-today.
com/archives/1995/11/1995-11-14.shtml.
Charity Begins at Home
i was very much impressed after read-
ing “Indian Restaurant Serves Free Food Dur-
ing Major US Blackout” in your Jan/Mar, 2004,
issue. I appreciate the owner’s good gesture.
It builds a spiritual bridge. Also, I’ve never
missed to view the unique pictures which
greatly enhance the last pages and never fail
to read the poems by Dr. Arjunan Subrama-
niam.
Rajalakshmi Rajikrishnan
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
∫ neshabdam@hotmail.com
Right Giving for India
the nri community has contributed
generously, I believe, to charities in India
that are actually working against Hindus. As
well, there is substantial funding for Chris-
tian evangelical work from various sources.
There are many fund-starved Hindu institu-
tions of knowledge, arts, sciences and tradi-
tional knowledge systems in India. Money is
needed for the upliftment of our community,
society and country. As Hindus the world
over acquire more wealth and prominence
on the world stage, they need to be sure their
efforts are not misguided and wasted—or
worse, fire back at them. IDRF, Ekal Vidya-
laya and other venues such as your esteemed
Hindu Heritage Endowment need to be pub-
licized more for the benefit of the Hindu NRI
community’s charitable needs. These are not
merely alternatives, but truly humanitarian
charities, because human rights and humani-
tarianism are built into the Hindu tradition.
You should cover the importance and chan-
nels of daan dakshina, charity, for the Hin-
dus outside of India in the near future.
Sucheta Maheshwari, USA
∫ suchetausa@msn.com
A Question of Karma
i read with interest arvind sharma’s
article, “Karma and Gravity,” (Jan/Mar, 2004).
It is a bit confusing when he states, “In order
to reach a karma-free state, we must give up
not only bad karma, but good karma as well.
We must perform only that karma which is
appropriate for the attainment of zero kar-
ma.” This raises more questions than answers.
First, if we give up both bad karma as well as
good karma, what is there left to do? Second,
what is a karma-free state? Third, what is
zero karma? And fourth, how does one attain
Hinduism was excellent and timely. I con-
fess that I never knew about Shaktism and
homeland, we cannot help to be glad that my
ancestors escaped these customs. I, like many
a karma-free state or zero karma? Smartism. It reflects how far I’m lagging Indo-Trinidadian men, value immensely the
Pradeep Srivastava, Detroit, USA behind in my attempt to sail the ocean of day that our wives agreed to marry us. This
∫ pradeepscool@hotmail.com Sanatana Dharma. However, I’m ever ready dowry system of India reduces the value of
to spread my wings into deeper knowledge the woman to a mere object to be bought and
✔ Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ad- about Hinduism, thus my humble request is sold. How can a society with such a great
dressed this same issue in his book Merging that you should unleash an issue entirely on past, a society which has elevated the female
with Siva. He wrote, “One does not have the the basics and understanding of Hinduism. to the Divine, such as Sita, Lakshmi and all
experience of realizing the Self until all of Common questions like why there are many other forms of the Devi, in the same breath
his karma is in a state of resolve. This means Gods in Hinduism should be answered with treat the human female form with such dis-
that the action-and-reaction patterns were adequate facts. Such questions keep buzzing taste?
balanced out, one against the other, through through my mental corridors like a recalci- Devant Parsuram Maharaj
his ability to be steadfast in his yoga, brah- trant mosquito. Hinduism provides us with Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Trinidad
macharya and previous superconscious in- a great sense of pride and belonging, but we ∫ devant@tstt.net.tt
sights which have revealed the true nature cannot safeguard our beloved faith with ig-
of himself. When this begins to occur in him, norant Hindus. Corrections
he actually sees that man is not man, man is S. Vijai Ananth, Sitiawan, Malaysia
the Self, God, for his karma and the forces ∫ vijai_arr@hotmail.com ✔ The article “When Dowry Went Wrong
of his dharma have begun to become trans- in the Jan/Mar 04 issue mistakenly gives the
parent to him. Through the power of his ✔ Well, Vijai, this issue is for you! It was wife of King George V as Queen Elizabeth.
realization, the karma is created and simul- planned long before your letter arrived, but His wife was her grandmother, Queen Mary.
taneously dissolved. This occurs for the one check out the list of questions and answers
who lives in the timeless state of conscious- that form our Insight section. ✔ The address of Dr. Naram’s clinic (Jan/
ness. If one were to realize the Self each day, Mar, 04) is CTS 563 (1 and 2), Bhadran Na-
he would live his life like writing his karma Dowry Deaths gar Cross Road #2, Op. Milap Theater, Off
on the surface of water. The intensity of the in a recent bbc program broadcast S.V. Rd., Milad (W), Mumbai. The phone is
Self is so strong that action and reaction here, the issue of dowry deaths was explored 022 2806 5757.
dissolve, just as the water’s surface clears in horrific detail. The figure of 25,000 dowry
immediately when you remove your finger deaths per year was given. The causes were Letters with writer’s name, address and daytime
phone number, should be sent to:
from having written upon it.” listed as the Indian man’s view of women, old Letters, Hinduism Today
laws, corrupt police, uncaring societal at- 107 Kaholalele Road
Let’s Educate Ourselves titude, lack of political will and poor social Kapaa, Hawaii, 96746-9304 USA
first and foremost, a big round of ap- support services. Do Indian men and fami- or faxed to: (808) 822-4351
plause for the Hinduism Today team. Your lies really view this system of dowry as some- or e-mailed to: letters@hindu.org
issues keep me abreast of the latest develop- thing to be admired? Letters may be edited for space and clarity and may
ments and pull me out of ignorance. Your When persons of Indian origin, such as appear in electronic versions of HINDUISM TODAY.
article on the four major denominations in myself, view such depictions of our ancestral ∫ INDICATES LETTERS RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL
Celebrating Our 25th
How You Can Empower Hinduism Worldwide!
hrough 25 years of continuous publishing (a
minor miracle, these days!) Hinduism Today not only
survived, but evolved from humble beginnings in 1979 to
a worldclass international magazine respected today as one
of Hinduism’s most influential voices. And sweetest of all, we
often hear our readers say we have helped uplift them, or done Looking ahead to another 25 years of powerful publishing:
some significant good for Hinduism or the world. This is our Hinduism Today publisher and editorial staff
greatest reason to celebrate a quarter century.
We have come a long way, but there is still much farther to go. Heritage Endowment, have been established. As these endow-
Hindus are dispersed into all corners of the world. We’d like to ment funds grow, so does Hinduism Today’s future. If you are
reach them all, do even more to reveal Hinduism’s endless trea- inspired to help, you may contribute to these funds by donating
sures and provide inspiration and tools for teaching the young. outright or by becoming a Lifetime Subscriber or a Benefactor.
We’d like to insure Hinduism Today’s continuing publication One way to become a Benefactor is by making the Hinduism
into the coming decades, and beyond. We’d like to have the Today Production Fund a beneficiary in your estate plan of a
financial means to hire more writers, researchers, photographers gift of $5,000 or more. For details, please contact us on the web
and artists to give you and your children an even more potent at www.hheonline.org/funds/htdf_htpf.html or www.hheonline.
magazine. To that end, a Hinduism Today Production Fund org/planned_giving.html. E-mail us at hhe@hindu.org or call
and a Hinduism Today Distribution Fund, both part of Hindu 808-822-3012, ext 244.
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 13
“By birth man does not become an outcast, nor does he become
a high caste man. He becomes high or low according to his deeds.”
Swami Chinmayananda (1916-1993), founder of Chinmaya Mission

A sannyasin of great spiritual attainment
came to the outskirts of a village in India.
He was camped under a tree for the night
when suddenly a villager came running
to him, screaming, “The stone! The stone!
Give me the precious stone!” “Which
stone?” asked the sannyasin. “Last night,
Lord Siva appeared before me in a dream,”
Abstaining from
Eating Meat
Tirukural 256: If the world did
not purchase and consume meat,
no one would slaughter and offer
meat for sale.
Tirukural 257: When a man real-
izes that meat is the butchered
flesh of another creature, he will
abstain from eating it.
Tirukural 258: Insightful souls who
have abandoned the passion to
hurt others will not feed on flesh
that life has abandoned.
said the villager, “and told me that if I went
to the outskirts of the village at nightfall, I
would find a sannyasin who would give me
a stone which would make me rich for the
rest of my life.” The sannyasin rummaged
through his knapsack and took out a stone.
“Probably he talked about this,” he said,
extending the stone to the villager. “I found
it lying on the path in the forest a few days
ago. Take it, I give it to you,” offered the
sannyasin with all simplicity. The villager
looked at the stone in amazement—it was
an enormous diamond. He took the dia-
mond and went away quickly. All that night
he tossed in his bed and could not sleep.
The next day at dawn he woke up the san-
nyasin, returned the gem and asked, “Give
me the inner wealth which has made it
possible for you to part with this diamond
so easily.”
What extracts from the Vedas I have read
fall on me like the light of a higher and
purer luminary, which describes a loftier
Look at the man who walks on a tight
rope. He is performing various tricks,
but his mind is only on the rope. So also,
we may be doing various things, but
our minds must be on God.” Sri Sri Sri
Sivaratnapuri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal,
founder of Kailasa Ashram, Bangalore
If you don’t learn from your mistakes,
there’s no sense making them. Anonymous
The root of all bliss is God. And to forget
God is the root of all problems. His Divine
Holiness, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, spiri-
tual head of Bochasanwasi Shree Akshar
Puroshottam Swaminarayan Sanstha
When we engage every moment without
the cares and fears of the beyond, we
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?
The writers of the Indian philosophies will
survive when the British dominion in India
shall long have ceased to exist, and when
the sources which it yielded of wealth and
power are lost to remembrances. Lord War-
ren Hastings (1754-1826), the first gover-
DID YOU KNOW?
nor general of British India
It is the unique and all-encompassing na-
ture of Hinduism that one devotee may be
worshiping Ganesha while his friend wor-
ships Subramaniam or Vishnu, and yet both
honor the other’s choice and feel no sense
of conflict. The profound understanding
and universal acceptance that are unique
in Hinduism are reflected in this faculty
for accommodating different approaches
to the Divine, allowing for different names
and forms of God to be worshiped side
by side within the temple walls. Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001),
founder of Hinduism Today

Tirukural 259: Greater than a

course through purer stratum. It rises
on me like the full moon after the stars
are able to harness the spirit of sadhana,
and every moment is filled with Divin-
Denim Came from India
a. manivelu

thousand ghee offerings consumed
in sacrificial fires is to not sacrifice
and consume any living creature.
Frank and Ernest
have come out, wading through some far
stratum in the sky. Henry David Thoreau
(1817-1862), American author, poet and
philosopher
© 2003 THAVES. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION.
ity. Swamini Mayatitananda Saraswati,
spiritual head of Wise Earth Monastery
and Mother Om Mission, Candler, North
Carolina
Q: How many Vedantins does it take
to change a light bulb? A: Three—one
to change it, one to not change it and
one to both change and not change it.
ne of bharat’s little known but long-
lasting contributions to the Western world was
the export of a thick cotton cloth known as dun-
garee, which was sold at a market near the Dongarii
Fort in Mumbai in the sixteenth century. Portuguese
and Genoan sailors used this durable, blue, broad cloth,
dyed with indigo, for their bellbottom sailing pants,
and it soon became popular with farmers and others.
Dungaree made its way through Europe and moved
across the Atlantic to America in the late eighteenth

Devotion must not be like the flood of
the rainy season in which all get washed
away. Devotion should be like the river
that retains water even in the hottest
season. Saint Kabir (1440-1518)
The phaomnneil pweor of the hmuan
mnid: Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn’t mttaer in
t o r u ya m a na k a / a f p
century, where it wove its way into popular varieties of
work clothes such as overalls. In 1873, a German im-
migrant in San Francisco by the name of Levi Strauss,
along with Jacob Davis, a Nevada tailor, patented “waist
overalls.” These denim pants which have pockets and
button flies reinforced with metal rivets are the most Fashion: A model shows off
popular clothing product in the world today—blue jeans. a shirt, long skirt and hat by
with yvette rosser a Tokyo designer, all denim

14 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 15

FROM THE VEDAS
Sacred Cow, Divine Mother
Cow protection: a scriptural edict, a lynch-pin for dharma
he protection of the bovine
species is prescribed by Hindu scripture.
Orthodox Hindus are adamant that the
nurture of cows lies at the core of Hindu
dharma, representing symbolically and
in real, earthly terms the Hindu rever-
ence for the Divine in all life. Read more about why the
cow is sacred in this issue’s article on Ten Questions. At
a time when the human species is wreaking havoc on na-
ture and the environment, cow protection takes on new
meaning as a dramatic headline issue. We present here
key scriptural verses from the Rig Veda and the cogent
thoughts of Mahatma Gandhi on the subject of goseva,
caring for the cow, “the mother of Cosmic Forces.”
Rig Veda: She is like the mother of the cosmic Forces,
the daughter of the cosmic Matter, the sister of cosmic
Energy, the centre of the ambrosia. I address to men of
wisdom—kill not her, the sinless inviolate cow.
The divine cow, herself is skilled in eloquence, gives
speech to others, who comes surrounded by every kind
of utterance, who helps me for my worship of the divine
forces, it is only the fool that abandons her.
May cows come and bring us good fortune; let them
stay in our cowsheds and be content in our company.
May many colored cows bring here prolific milk for of-
ferings to the resplendent Lord at many dawns.
The resplendent Lord bestows affluence on the devo-
tee who offers worship and oblations. He takes not what
belongs to the worshiper and gives him more; thereby
increasing his wealth more and ever-more, he places the
devotee in fortified positions, free from danger.
Let not the cows run away from us, let no thief carry
them away; let no hostile weapon fall upon them. May
the master of the cattle be long possessed of them, with
the milk products of which he makes offerings and with
which he serves the godly men.
Let not the cows fall a victim to the arrogant, dust-
spurning war-horse. Let them not fall into the hands of a
butcher or his shop. Let the cattle of the man, the house-
holder, move about freely and graze without fear.
May the cows be our affluence; may the resplendent
Lord grant us cattle; may the cows yield food (milk and
butter) of the first libation. These cows, O men, are sa-
cred as the Lord resplendent Himself—the Lord whose
blessings we crave for, with head and heart.
O cows, you strengthen even the worn-out and fa-
tigued and make the unlovely beautiful to look on. Your
s. rajam
lowing is auspicious, and makes my dwelling prosperous.
Great is the abundance that is attributed to you in our
religious ceremony.
16 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
May you, O cows, have many calves grazing upon good
pastures and drinking pure water at accessible ponds. May
no thief be your master. May no beast of prey assail you
and may the dart of vital Lord never fall on you.
O resplendent Lord, a showerer of virility as you are,
may we have by your blessings the sturdy bulls for insemi-
nation and let us have plenty of nourishment for the cows.
RIG VEDA VIII , 102, 15-16; VI , 28, 1-8
TRANSLATION BY SWAMI SATYA PRAKASH SARASVATI
AND SATYAKAM VIDYALANKA
Cow protection to me is not mere
protection of the cow. It means
protection of all that lives and is
helpless and weak in the world.
—Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi: “The central fact of Hinduism is cow
protection. Cow protection to me is one of the most won-
derful phenomena in human evolution. It takes the human
being beyond this species. The cow means the entire sub-
human world. Man through the cow is enjoined to realize
his identity with all that lives. Why the cow was selected
for apotheosis is obvious to me. The cow was in India the
best companion. She was the giver of plenty. Not only did
she give milk, but she also made agriculture possible
“Cow protection is the gift of Hinduism to the world.
And Hinduism will live so long as there are Hindus to pro-
tect the cow. Hindus will be judged not by their tilaks, not
by the correct chanting of mantras, not by their pilgrim-
ages, not by their most punctilious observances of caste
rules, but their ability to protect the cow.
“I would not kill a human being to protect a cow, as I
will not kill a cow to save a human life, be it ever so pre-
cious. My religion teaches me that I should by personal
conduct instill into the minds of those who might hold
different views the conviction that cow-killing is a sin
and that, therefore, it ought to be abandoned. My ambi-
tion is no less than to see the principle of cow protection
established throughout the world. But that requires that I
should set my own house thoroughly in order first.
“Cow protection to me is not mere protection of the cow.
It means protection of all that lives and is helpless and
weak in the world.
“The cow is a poem of pity. One reads pity in the gentle
animal. She is the mother to millions of Indian mankind.
Protection of the cow means protection of the whole
dumb creation of God. The ancient seer, whoever he was,
began with the cow. The appeal of the lower order of cre-
ation is all the more forcible because it is speechless. The
cow is the purest type of sub-human life. She pleads on
behalf of the whole of the sub-human species for justice
to it at the hands of man, the first among all that lives. She
seems to speak to us through her eyes: ‘You are not ap-
pointed over us to kill us and eat our flesh or otherwise
ill-treat us, but to be our friend and guardian.’ I worship it
and I shall defend its worship against the whole world.
“Mother cow is in many ways better than the mother
who gave us birth. Our mother gives us milk for a couple
of years and then expects us to serve her when we grow
up. Mother cow expects from us nothing but grass and
grain. Our mother often falls ill and expects service from
us. Mother cow rarely falls ill.
“The reader will observe that behind the foregoing re-
quirements lies one thing, and that is ahimsa (noninjury),
otherwise known as universal compassion. If that supreme
thing is realized, everything else becomes easy. Where
there is ahimsa, there is infinite patience, inner calm, dis-
crimination, self-sacrifice and true knowledge.”
EXCERPTS FROM
THE MIND OF MAHATMA GANDHI,
COMPILED BY R. K. PRABHU & U. R. RAO
HTTP://WWW.MKGANDHI.ORG/MOMGBOOK/
The Vedas are the divinely revealed and most revered scriptures,
sruti, of Hinduism, likened to the Torah (1,200 bce), Bible New
Testament (100 ce), Koran (630 ce) or Zend Avesta (600 bce). Four
in number, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, the Vedas include over
100,000 verses. Oldest portions may date back as far as 6,000 BCE.
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 17
 E DEUDCUAC
TAIO
TNION

Oh,
Oh,For
ForaaFair
FairView
Viewof
ofHinduism…
Hinduism…
Meet a few of the brave souls who dispel
myths and teach Hinduism at schools,
colleges and interfaith meetings
B Y L AVINA M ELWANI , N EW Y ORK
hose attending the speeches
of Swami Vivekananda at the Parlia-
ment of the World’s Religions in 1893
had never heard Hinduism presented
in such an enlightened manner. One was
heard to remark, “That man a heathen?
And we send missionaries to his people?
It would be more fitting that they should
send missionaries to us.” Well, that day has
come, and there are Hindu missionaries by
with our children, who are grow-
ing up here.”
Chaudhary has pinpointed a
major issue among Hindus of the
diaspora in many countries, not
just America. I was assigned by
Hinduism Today to investigate
just who had come forward in
everywhere, in hospitals, universities. They our community to represent and
are doctors, lawyers, accountants. Ameri- explain Hinduism to the non-Hin-
cans say they know a lot of Indian people, dus. An appeal in our e-mail news
but ask them if they know any Hindus, and service, Hindu Press Internation-
they say ‘no.’ This is because we don’t iden- al, brought a hundred responses
tify ourselves as Hindus—we only identify from those engaged to a greater
ourselves as Indians.” or lesser extent in doing just that.
“The result,” he continued, “is that many They are on the front lines, talking
interfaith dialogues have Muslim, Buddhist at schools, churches, Rotary Clubs
and Sikh participation, but no Hindu rep- and interfaith meetings, or bring-
resentation. We have to be assertive and
ing people to their local temple, trying their
best to put forward our great religion in an
understandable fashion. Impressive espe-
cially are the efforts of Shri Swaminarayan
Mandir in Neasden, London, who have in-
troduced their temple and Hinduism to a
quarter-million non-Hindu students over
the past eight years.
There are many traveling swamis and holy
men and women of Hinduism also interact-
ing with the non-Hindu public. But this ar-
ticle is an account of those brave modern
missionaries who are lay Hindus, ordinary
men and women. They are benign souls
who denigrate no other faith, nor seek for
converts. Rather they provide their friends
and neighbors a glimpse into Hindu spiri-
tual life.
Some when questioned on certain issues

the millions across the Western world—po-
tential missionaries, at least. “The problem,”
according to Ved Chaudhary, “is that our
religion is like a closet religion. Indians are
courtesy baps
take time and interest. Otherwise, we can Encountering Hinduism: UK could become shy and defensive—quali-
complain, but we’ll be ignored, and we’ll not youths learn about the world’s ties conspicuously absent from Swami Vi-
become part of the community as Hindu- most ancient faith at the Swami- vekananda’s presentations! The best of our
Americans. And the same thing will be true narayan Temple in Neasden missionaries are religious men and women,

ONE STUDENT’S ORDEALS anywhere. And, who could have guessed, the author hadn’t even become queasy. Now we come to the sacred cow. They say entire
been to India! No kidding. Six entire chapters in our textbook were streets are blocked because Hindus don’t want to run over our

The Abuse Hinduism Receives devoted to Christianity, whereas one page is given to the history
of India and the teachings of Hinduism. A second page is entirely
about Lord Siva, accompanied by a rather unbecoming picture of
beloved cow. C’mon, even in America, people aren’t going to just
run over a local cow; they’ll find a way to move it or get around it.
On an ending note, stated in the book, Indians are technologically

In US Schools Is Intolerable an ancient dancing Siva statue. Buddhism gets one paragraph.
This doesn’t make sense, as most of the school already knows so
much about Christianity, but hardly any even knew Buddhism or
Hinduism existed. Now that they did, we would be ridiculed pub-
behind. They fail to mention that we have a space program, nucle-
ar capabilities, and many Indians, believe it or not, have heard of a
computer.
Every day, young Hindu children and teenagers are unreason-
B Y T RISHA P ASRICHA , AGE 15, H OUSTON myself any more embarrassment. licly. Thank you, Board of Education. ably tormented because of our perceived background. The school
t’s 8:00 am, and students slowly trickle into mr. I wanted to get out of there. Fast. At last, high school starts. I almost die of shock when I see the textbooks are half the cause. The average American knows pre-
h i n d u i s m t o d ay

West’s sixth-grade history class. The majority of the people,
including the teacher, are white. One African-American, two
Orientals and myself, a second generation Indian girl, make
up the rest of the class. On the blackboard is written “World
Religions.” As the rest of the class prepares for a boring two hours,
I can already feel my stomach sink—what did I do to deserve this?
We are handed a fill-in-the-blank chart of major world religions
and are instructed to look in our books for the answers. Finishing
quickly, I hand in my chart to Mr. West at his desk, and turn to
leave. “Now wait a minute, you put ‘monotheistic’ down for Hin-
dooism [as he pronounces it],” he remarks. “I know,” I reply, feeling
my face burn as the class looks up. “Hindoos are polytheistic.” “No,
they’re not.” “Are you a Hindoo?” “Yeah.” “Oh.”
Scattered murmurs break out among my peers, whispering
about how freaky Hindus worship elephants and monkeys. Great.
“Well,” Mr. West says standing up and going to the chalkboard,
“from what I understand, Hindoos are all about their caste system.”
And he begins a long, irrelevant and incorrect explanation, which
he memorized from our textbook. What does that have to do with
being monotheistic? I don’t even bother correcting him, to save
Seventh grade starts, and it’s
culture day in history. “Both of
my parents are Indian...” I begin
when it’s my turn. “Do you mean
Native American Indian, or Mid-
dle Eastern Indian?” my teacher
asks. Sounds like it’s going to be another fun year in social studies.
India and Hinduism are summed up in a few short sentences
by the teacher. India is described as filled with pollution, cows
and poverty-stricken people. Hindus love to bathe in rivers where
they throw the ashes of their parents and yes, they do worship
elephants and monkeys.
“Do you speak Indian?” I’m asked at least two times a week. “I
heard there were two thousand Gods, and every full moon you
had to give a sacrifice to them. Do you do that?” No. I try to ex-
plain that all the Gods are really aspects of one Almighty Being.
I’ve never sacrificed anything except my dignity, which slowly
dwindles with each question. The release of popular award-win-
ning books such as Homeless Bird, which portrays the typical Indi-
an girl who is forced to get married at thirteen, didn’t help Indians
ninth-grade textbook has devoted an entire three sentences to
Sikhism and Jainism. It claims Sikhism “combines the Muslim
belief of one God with the Hindu belief of reincarnation.” Christi-
anity in India and the ever-popular “Western influence” get pages
and pages of text. One of the main pictures which help represent
“typical life in India” is one my fellow students describe as some
sort of drag-queen in make-up doing an obscure peacock dance.
Out of all the dazzling pictures of Indian culture, that is the one
they have to stick in? They chose that one over a picture of, say,
the classic Taj Mahal?
But the fun just gets funnier—the next picture of a sari earns a
whole two sentences. Oh, but it’s not an exquisite silk or glittering
embroidered sari. Nope, it’s a dirty yellow (perhaps once white)
cotton sari worn by an old woman bathing in the Ganges River.
In spite of its pollution, “Hindus readily drink and bathe in the
Ganges’ water. People even come to die in the river.” To further
prove their point, they stick in a picture of a filth- and trash-laden
section of Ganges, not a clean part, which much of it is. I kid you
not, upon reading this and looking at the picture, a boy in my class
had to be excused to the nurse’s office because his stomach had
cious little about India, and with the help of poorly researched
textbooks, they learn nonsense. The sheer embarrassment of the
situation is enough to make Hindu students everywhere wish we
could have been “normal” by American standards.
It is not fun for any young Hindu to explain to her (or his) peers
that she doesn’t worship a thousand Gods like the Greeks; that
her grandmother doesn’t force her to bathe in dead people’s ashes
every full moon; and that even though she knows how to bhangra,
kuchipudi, or whatever it may be, she’s never danced with a drag-
queen. But why do we put up with it? Jewish, African-American,
and Orientals all have organizations against defamation and they
are represented correctly in the textbooks. Why aren’t we?
If Christians can effectively lobby to remove the theory of evolu-
tion from school science textbooks, then certainly we should be
able to at least correct the blatant misinterpretation of our culture.
Read what your (or your child’s) Social Studies textbook says on In-
dia and Hinduism and write a simple letter or e-mail to the editor
and your local board of education. It can make a world of differ-
ence for not only you but for thousands of others who face ridicule
because of what is taught about Hinduism in our American schools.

18 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 19
 Presenting Hinduism’s
Four Goals of Life
elliot baha’i archives, maine

Personal, human values are interesting to everyone

A century with non-Hindus: (left) Swami Vivekananda with students at Green Acres, Maine, after the 1893 Parliament of the World Re-
ligions in Chicago; (right) Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami gives blessings of holy ash following his talk at the 1993 Parliament
confident and content with their own be-
liefs and possessing a broad knowledge of
Hinduism and other religions.
Meet the missionaries
Let’s begin with Ved Chaudhary, (photo be-
low) who hails from the district of Itawa, 150
miles southeast of Delhi, India. He came to
the US in 1965 as a graduate student at Rut-
gers University. He worked as an engineer
with Bell Labs and its subsidiaries, until he
retired last year. He received his training in
Hinduism from his father, a teacher, who
made sure his son knew all about the faith.
He laughs, “My name is Ved [“knowledge”],
after all!”
He has participated in
interfaith activities in
churches, schools and
colleges. As part of his
effort to educate non-
Hindus, he started the
Hindu International
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
still contains wrong information about
Hinduism. “If there are ten pages about
Hinduism, several pages may be devoted to
the caste system, as if that is the defining
characteristic of Hinduism. It is very hard
to fight this situation; in New Jersey alone
there are 600 school districts—I would have
to go to each one to convince them to use or
not use certain books.”
American school texts are indeed a major
source of misinformation—the text situation
is slightly better in the UK. Those ventur-
ing to present Hinduism in local schools
should first become familiar with what is in
the textbooks. They likely will be shocked
by the contents (our opening gatefold car-
toon quotes four real-life, very wrong state-
ments on Hinduism made in US schools). It
is possible to impact the problem by going
directly to the publishers, and Hinduism
Today has successfully done so. In fact, one
major publisher sent us a pre-publication
manuscript of their chapter on Hinduism
Yvette (photo left) has
done about twenty class-
room presentations in
her local area, to 10th
grade World History and
6th grade World Civili-
zations classes which are
mandated by the Texas
curriculum. The classes
are just 50 minutes, so she tries to keep it
simple. She gets the students’ names from
the teacher in advance, and makes out a
card with their name spelled phonetically in
Sanskrit. She brings props like conch shells
for the children to blow and essential oils
of sandalwood, jasmine, etc., “to get a whiff
of India,” she says. Incense is out because it
sets off the smoke alarms. “I do a little ste-
reotype lesson and challenge the students’
preconceived notions, as well as address is-
sues raised in my Temple of Doom article,
such as cows, bindi, etc.” She also works
with Beth Kulkarni’s program in Houston
B Y S AT G U R U B O D H I N AT H A V E Y L A N S W A M I
DHARMA
have found that presenting the governs the way we pursue them. Are we hon-
purushartha, the four Hindu goals of life, is est or dishonest in the way we acquire wealth?
an effective way of introducing Hinduism If we are honest, then that is fulfilling the goal
to non-Hindus in a classroom environment. of dharma. Are we loyal to our spouse or do we
This is due to the fact that the students have have extramarital affairs? If we are loyal, that
almost always learned about Hinduism from is again fulfilling dharma. In addition to the
a religion or history textbook that focuses on idea of following virtue, dharma outlines our
India and events in the past, plus the fact that natural human duties in life. We have obliga-
none or few of them have tions to our immediate
ever met a Hindu. Unfor- family members, guests in
tunately, this leaves the our home, our parents, our
impression that Hindus are community, our state and
quite different from them, our nation. Dharma tells us
their family, friends and that we should help others,
neighbors. and perform our part in
Thus the goal of this the service and upliftment
A RT H A presentation is to have of society. Dharma also
the students realize that includes the concept of
Hindus are pretty much regularly worshipping God.
the same as everyone else. There is a verse from the
The presentation begins by Hindu scripture Tirukural
writing on the blackboard which nicely summarizes
the word purushartha and these duties, “The foremost
its translation as “goals of duty of family life is to
life” and underneath writ- serve duly these five: God,
ing each of the four goals guests, kindred, ancestors
in Sanskrit and English: and oneself.” Dharma can

Council Against Defa-
mation, on the lines of
the Jewish Anti-Defamation League, to take
action against any misinformation or defa-
mation of Hindu Gods and rituals. HICAD
(www.hicad.org) keeps a vigilant eye on
how Hinduism is portrayed in the main-
stream and takes offending organizations
to task. Last year, after the Global Dharma
Conference in New Jersey, Chaudhary, along
with other participants, helped initiate an
organization which would be able to correct
inaccuracies—the Educators’ Society for
the Heritage of India (ESHI)—where vari-
ous professors can get together and network
about an accurate presentation of Hinduism
to the mainstream. Their website, www.eshi.
org, is still under construction, but contains
a short statement of purpose.
There is a lot of misinformation out there
about Hinduism, Chaudhary says, and it
starts right in school. Sixth graders have
a course called World Cultures, which
for review. We returned a highly edited ver-
sion which they accepted almost in entirety.
Still, some concepts, like that of the Aryan
Invasion (which many modern scholars
question), are virtually impossible to extract
at this time, as is the emphasis on caste.
One missionary who has focused on the
texts is Yvette C. Rosser (Ram Rani). Now
52, she’s spent many years in India, is a
devotee of Neem Karoli Baba and identi-
fies herself as Hindu. She’s made presenta-
tions in classrooms and to teachers for the
last twelve years in the Austin, Texas, area.
Her paper, “The Clandestine Curriculum:
Temple of Doom in the Classroom” (www.
infinityfoundation.com/mandala/s_es/s_es_
rosse_EAA.htm) discusses the factual errors
about Hinduism and India in four texts used
in American schools, and forms the basis for
her presentations to students and teachers.
It’s a useful document to study, because you
will very probably find some errors in the
books used at your local middle school.
(see sidebar, page 23).
On the other side of the Atlantic, the
Swaminarayan temple in Neasden has set an
excellent standard. They’ve brought 260,500
students from 5,820 schools through the
temple. The school children are given a
short lecture on basic Hinduism, then go
to the main temple to see the Deities and
elaborate carvings, and view a short video
on the temple’s creation. The last part of the
experience, the temple spokesman said, “is
a visit to the Exhibition on ‘Understand-
ing Hinduism’ which portrays the origins,
growth and glory of Hindu Dharma and
outlines what Hindu values can contribute
to the individual, society and the world
at large.” As well, children are allowed to
undertake school projects on parts of the
temple, such as the Deities, the architecture
or the temple’s activities. The BAPS organi-
zation, which owns the temple, has an out-
standing record for training well-informed
guides for its exhibitions.
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
dharma, “virtuous living;”
artha, “wealth;” kama,
“love;” and moksha, “libera-
tion.” Then the explanation
KAMA begins.
In Hinduism the goals
of life are called purushartha, and there are four
of them: dharma, virtuous living; artha, wealth;
kama, love; and moksha, liberation. Let’s look
first at love and wealth. Love and wealth are in-
deed the goals of all of mankind. Most everyone,
monks excluded of course, is living life in a way
that pursues these goals. They want to fall in
love, get married, have children and live a happy
family life. They want to learn a profession so
that they can earn a good living and provide
for their family a home and all the necessary
possessions. In this regard, Hindus are the same
as everyone else, not at all different in fulfilling
these natural human pursuits.
MOKSHA Next we have dharma. Dharma is not really
a separate goal from artha and kama but rather
also be translated as reli-
gion, and we can clearly
see that Hindus pursuing
dharma act the same as
anyone else who is follow-
ing a religious tradition.
Finally, we have the goal of moksha, or libera-
tion. All religions have a final goal. Some call it
salvation; others call it enlightenment. Hinduism
calls it liberation, which refers to being liberated
from the cycle of reincarnation on Earth. Mok-
sha comes through the fulfillment of dharma,
artha and kama in the current or past lives, so
that you are no longer attached to worldly joys or
sorrows. We can see that this concept is differ-
ent from that held in religions such as Christian-
ity, Judaism and Islam but similar to that held
in other Eastern religions such as Buddhism,
Sikhism and Jainism. Therefore, in their pursuit
of moksha, Hindus are the same as others in the
Eastern religions but do differ in this one regard
from those in the Western faiths.

20 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 21
 to this presentation becomes a
lover of Hinduism forever. How
can anyone fault this religion that
gives highest dignity to mankind?”
Dr. Karan Singh in his interview
on page 26 expresses a similar
perception, that the high-minded
concepts of Hinduism are won-
derfully received when correctly
explained.
Lakhani said that since the vast
majority of religious education
teachers in the UK are women,
the Hindu idea of God as female is
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
the most exciting thing they have
heard in religious education. He
laughs, “Hinduism has stolen their
hearts forever! On a serious note,
this pluralism of Hindus removes
the misconception of Hinduism
being polytheistic and at the same
time gives resolution to the thorny
question the world faces of inter-
religious harmony.”
Lakhani is often faced with
the C-word, and works hard to
demolish the idea of caste-based
discrimination as being part of
Hinduism. He says, “I term this
an ‘atrocity in the name of reli-
gion’ and not religion. This is a
very important distinction that
sometimes gets overlooked in the
way Hinduism is presented in the
c o u r t e s y j ay l a k h a n i
West. This does serious damage to
the more important and vibrant
aspect of Hinduism as promoting
the divinity of man.”
Enthusiasm for Hindu con-
cepts can lead to inquiries about
conversion, and many of our mis-
Teaching Hinduism: (top) Students from Island School during their visit to Kauai Aadheenam, sionaries seemed unsure in this
home of Hinduism Today; (bottom) Jay Lakhani, center, with students of Hatch End High area. Hinduism, like Judaism, ac-
School in Harrow, England, following a presentation to 600 students of all faiths at an assembly cepts those who freely wish to join
the faith, but makes no attempt
Also active in London speaking with young people from all faiths to pull a person out of another religion. A
is physicist Jay Lakhani and no faith. Besides doing a yearly series good response to someone who inquires
(photo left, vivekananda of talks at the Christian Ministerial Col- about conversion is to refer them to How
@btinternet.com), one lege, he is a regular Hindu presenter on the to Become a Hindu, by Satguru Sivaya
of our few full-time interfaith scene and the main speaker on Subramuniyaswami. It is available in full
Hindu missionaries. His Hinduism on BBC World Service, with 20 on the Internet at www.himalayanacademy.
family is originally from million listeners worldwide. com/books/hbh/.
Gujarat, and he was He has fielded many questions from
born and raised in Ke- non-Hindus, but he finds that they are Addressing common issues
nya. Lakhani came to the UK for further most attracted by the idea of the divinity The most frequent questions encountered
studies at the age of 15. Now 55, he says, “I of man: “When talking to youngsters of the by our missionaries are: caste, dowry, sati,
took early retirement to focus on what I love Abrahamic faiths, this idea of the essential cows, Gods, yoga, methods of worship, con-
best—studying and promoting Hinduism.” nature of everyone as ‘divine’—equating it version, definition of who is a Hindu, holy
Although he received no formal education to God—grabs them and makes them run books and a Hindu’s obligation to a temple.
in Hinduism, Lakhani has been inspired by after me, asking me excitedly again and One can take a reactive or a proactive ap-
the life and teachings of Sri Ramakrishna again: ‘Is this really Hinduism?’ This single proach to explaining Hinduism. The reac-
and Swami Vivekananda. He has become a concept from Swami Vivekananda works tive approach is to make defensive expla-
popular speaker in the London school sys- like a bombshell. The religious education nations and assume a certain degree of
tem, having interacted with over 100 institu- teachers, the students and the school staff hostility on the part of the questioner. The
tions, from elite public schools like Harrow become transformed. They are now in love proactive approach is to assume questions
to the inner-city schools in deprived areas, with Hinduism! Any non-Hindu exposed are being asked honestly and without the
22 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
intent to embarrass the Hindu. With this ap-
proach, questions are answered clearly and
simply, but one doesn’t get bogged down in
the cow/caste/karma arena to the exclusion
of a well-rounded presentation of the Hindu
Getting to Know
view of life and religion. Still, it is easy to get
put on the defensive because of the presen-
tation of Hinduism in the school textbooks,
Your Hindu Neighbors
the negative portrayal of Hinduism by the
Indian media and even the anti-Hindu fund- Kulkarni is a part of
raising propaganda of the fundamentalist the Indian-American
Christian missionaries touting their India community and has
programs to save Hindu “heathens.” Beth tells Houston raised her two children
It can be necessary to “set the record teachers about Hindu in it. She therefore
straight” with some issues. Yes, untouch- Dharma at an ICAT finds it even more im-
ability is a major social evil in India. But seminar perative to change the
why does the blame for it get laid at the perceptions people may
feet of Hinduism, when Christianity is not have of Hinduism. She
blamed for racism in other countries? Anti- says, “So many Ameri-
Semitism, which is still a major problem in cans know very little
Christian countries, is a result of the belief about Hindu traditions.
by Christians that the Jews were responsible I tell them, ‘It’s not
for the death of Jesus. Racial hatred of black like 40 or 50 years ago
people also has its basis in religion, for the when Hinduism was
black Africans are regarded as the offspring the religion of people
of the cursed Ham, son of Noah, a story re- on the other side of the
counted in the Old Testament of the Chris- globe. Today they are
tian Bible. The story of the curse was freely your doctors, they are
used by Christian ministers and priests to the motel owners down
justify slavery right up to the 19th century, the street, they are
and is still used today by America’s white your neighbors.’ ” She
courtesy beth kulkarni
supremacists. finds that children are
Why, then, is untouchability, which isn’t very open to new ideas,
even supported by our scriptures in the way as are senior citizens,
it exists today, a “fault” of Hinduism, while maybe because they
racism and anti-Semitism are not the “fault” have seen enough of
of Christianity? Hate crimes are such a life to realize that no
problem in the West that hate-crime legisla- one tradition has all the
tion has had to be implemented in the last answers.
several decades in several countries, includ- Beth has been
ing the US and UK, to deal with it by adding eth kulkarni came into instrumental in the organizing of In-
additional penalties to any crime commit- Hinduism through marriage to a dic Culture and Traditions Seminars
ted with racial hatred as a factor. Hindu from India and is an evoca- (ICATS@pobox.com). These are training
tive interpreter of the faith for non- sessions for non-Hindu teachers who
Proceeding with confidence Hindus. She has spoken at school, univer- present India and Hinduism in their
Das Menon, 63, an industrial design con- sity and church religious classes. She also classes on World History and World
sultant, has been in the US since the 80s takes non-Hindus on tours of Houston’s Sri Cultures. Beth explains the main con-
(mmenon9018@aol.com). During his college Meenakshi Temple, where she is an Ad- cepts—including karma, moksha, dharma
years, he studied all the works of Swami Vi- visory Council member. Beth, 62, is a re- and the Hindu concept of God—simply
vekananda. He observes, “India, Hinduism tired technical trainer for a multinational and clearly. Cows and caste are put in
and Sanatana Dharma are my passions. I corporation (Kulkarni@hal-pc.org). perspective. Said one high school teacher
think it is time to spread the word about “One of the most frequent misconcep- after a seminar, “I am really surprised at
human divinity and the universality of the tions is that Hindus are polytheistic. I re- the lack of knowledge we had.” Another
spiritual path. It is much needed in a world ply that we believe in an ‘Ultimate Reality’ said, “The books were always stuck on
that is torn between constrained views of that is simultaneously both with form and the caste system, population and the
God and humanity.” without form, and that this Ultimate Real- worship of cows. I didn’t want to keep
Menon, who has spoken to various church ity is both transcendent and immanent, teaching badly. Even I thought Hindus
groups, local college study groups and at both personal and nonpersonal. I give the were polytheistic.”
schools, has encountered the standard mis- example that I, Beth, am a wife, mother, Beth concludes, “Hindus are part of the
conceptions about Hinduism, including that grandmother, friend and community community, and we have to know about
Hindus confuse many Gods with one God, worker, with different functions and re- the traditions of each other. It’s extremely
are primitive in their belief system, are su- lationships due to these various roles, but satisfying when I explain reincarnation or
perstitious and worship animals. am still the same ‘Beth.’ How, I ask, could karma, and non-Hindus realize that they
Menon, who is working on a book about God, therefore, not have different roles, are not such strange notions after all—be-
Hinduism, explains ‘Why so many Gods?’ functions and relationships?” cause they do make sense.”
to non-Hindus as one impersonal Spiritual-
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 23
 sponses are almost always well received.”
Viewing Divinity: Schoolchildren ask ques- Prabhu (photo left), who
tions during their tour of the Swamina- has been teaching to var-
rayan temple in Neasden as they sit be- ied audiences in church-
fore the Deities in the main shrine. Here es, interfaith groups and
one sees the wonderfully ornate marble youth study groups in
pillars (with plexiglass protection) of this Jacksonville, Florida, for
stunning temple. over 20 years, had no for-
mal training, but was, as
he likes to say, “trained
on the job.” A physician specializing in aller-
gies and asthma, he has served as the chair
of the board of the local Hindu temple and
on the boards of organizations such as the
Red Cross and American Lung Association.
He confided, “Since I make frequent pre-
sentations in my field, I have taken some
public speaking courses, studied the ways of
effective communicators and applied these

courtesy frank stella

to my presentations. This background has
helped me relate to the Western mind and au-
diences with ease.” Prabhu recommends that
more Hindus volunteer and conduct classes
but suggests they also study the history of
monotheistic religions and their concepts.
“Naturally, I tend to get what I call ‘the
three Ks’ on a regular basis: Kaste, Kows
and Karma,” says Fred Stella, 49, an ac- Classroom presentation: Here Fred Stella of Michigan addresses a class on the basics of
tor and yoga instructor who lives in Grand Hinduism. It was only in the 1980s that the US Supreme Court allowed the teaching of
Rapids, Michigan (stelthom@juno.com). He religion in American classrooms, and only in the context of world history.
is president of the Interfaith Dialogue As-
sociation and has received training in the they will meet that Hindu with less preju- all Hindus held them. For example, several
Self Realization Fellowship and the local dice than if they did not attend my talk.” speakers explain temple worship only from
Vedanta Society ashram. Of course, there are many more people the perspective of the Smarta Vedanta in-
Stella started attending a Hindu temple doing good work for Hinduism. One notable terpretation of the Gods as “symbols” of
when he was 15, when he was still being program is that of the Hindu University in transcendent reality and not from that of
educated in the Catholic school system, and Florida, which conducted a four-hour semi- the rich devotional, bhakti traditions, which
so “developed the ability to speak about nar led by K. C. Gupta (gupta@hindu-uni- hold the Gods to be very real. Denial is an-
Hinduism to those with a Christian mind set.” versity.edu) last year for 35 hospital chap- other faulty response to aspects of Hinduism
He points out that the only exposure many lains and others to explain how to relate that seem bazaar to non-Hindus. The fact is,
church groups have to Hinduism is through to Hindu patients. They gave a list, for ex- for instance, some Hindus do walk on fire,
baps

Reality that manifests in infinite personal
names and forms in the spiritual and mate-
rial realms: “For Hindus, there is no separa-
tion between the Creator and that which ap-
pears to be created. There is nothing that is
outside God. There is no second entity.” He
has a useful set of questions and answers
about Hinduism at hometown.aol.com/mme-
non9018/myhomepage/faith.html.
In a small town in rural Pennsylvania, yet
another Hindu is sorting out the myths for
non-Hindus—Dr. Jeffrey D. Long, 34, Assis-
tant Professor of Religious Studies in Eliza-
bethtown College (longjd@etown.edu). He
did his PhD in comparative religious stud-
ies at the University of Chicago, focusing
on Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Long
has been involved with informal study of
Hinduism since his childhood and ultimately
embraced it.
Non-Hindus are curious about caste, espe-
cially untouchability, he says. “I always try to
problematize caste, explaining that the origi-
nal Vedic ideal was not of birth-caste, but
that birth-caste became the norm at a later
period, and that the notion of birth-caste
has been contested throughout the history
of Hinduism. In the classroom, I generally
treat this in historical fashion, citing vari-
ous reform movements that have occurred
throughout the centuries—from the Buddha
to Mahatma Gandhi.”
He adds, “If I am speaking as a Hindu, to a
more informal gathering, I share my own phi-
losophy, which is that of Swami Vivekananda,
that our oneness in God ought to supersede
all other factors in our treatment of other be-
ings!” The most prevalent misconceptions he
encounters regard cows and Gods: “There is
a commonly held view that if people in India
ate their cows, their hunger problem would
vanish. This is, of course, absurd.”
He explains the symbolic importance of
the cow in Hinduism, as well as the fact that
respect for the cow is really emblematic of
respect for all life. Countering the perception
that Hindus are idol-worshipers, Long ex-
plains the symbolism involved in murti puja
and the respects in which the many Gods are
simultaneously One God.
“Since my audience is usually Christian, I
typically make an analogy with the Chris-
tian ideal of the Trinity, saying something
like, ‘Imagine the Trinity extended to an in-
finity, and you get the basic concept of God
in Hinduism,’” he says. “I also distinguish
between the high Gods—Vishnu/Siva/Shakti
conceived as supreme manifestations of Sa-
guna Brahman—and the many other devatas,
who are liberated or advanced souls, which
I compare to angels and saints when I speak
with Christian groups.”
When facing questions on idol worship,
cow/monkey/rat worship, bride burning or
female infanticide, Dr. Sudhir Prabhu, 53,
(slprabhu1@yahoo.com) has two secret weap-
ons: “Although my answers are anchored in
the scriptures, I always use logic and humor
to convey the points to the audience. The re-
missionary films which show images of des-
titute villages in India and say “Well, this
is what you get when you practice bad re-
ligion.”
Misconceptions he faces? “That Hindus
don’t acknowledge one absolute source of
the universe or God and that karma is fatal-
ism. Critics assume that the cruel tradition
of caste bigotry is blessed by our scriptures,
and that we are somehow related to Islam.
They even confuse tamasic (the philosophic
category of dullness) with turmeric (the
spice)!”
In the schools where Stella teaches, 99
percent of the children are from conserva-
tive Christian homes, many of whom may
never have encountered a real, live Hindu.
“Knowing all the misinformation these peo-
ple are going to come across in their lives, I
feel content that I may be the one source
who will put it in a different perspective for
them,” Stella grins. “So perhaps when these
people meet their next Hindu—whether it’s
at work, or someone who moves on to their
block or joins the same social organization—
ample, entitled “Hug, Kiss or Fold Hands?” sleep on beds of nails or pierce their bodies
which covered some of the basics, like shak- with small spears, not just “even today” or
ing hands or not, proper vegetarian diet and “still today,” but as an active, even growing,
Hindu attitudes and customs upon the death form of religious penance.
of a loved one.
We learned, too, as responses came in to In conclusion
our request for input for this article, that The work of teaching Hinduism is a vital
presenting Hinduism to non-Hindus is a endeavor. Jay Lakhani spoke for many when
developing craft. There is no “Office of he observed, “It is only when the West rec-
Interreligious Affairs” for our decentral- ognizes the true value of Hinduism, incor-
ized Hindu religion, nor a one theological porating ideas of the divinity of man and
seminary where the necessary skills might the role of religious pluralism, that Hindus
be taught. Each instructor heard from had themselves will come to their senses about
a different approach and different answers what valuable treasures they possess. De-
(some not really correct) to the most com- ciphering Hinduism for non-Hindus is of
mon questions about Hinduism. (We offer paramount importance.”
answers to ten such common questions in Unquestionably, the movement among
our Educational Insight in this issue, begin- Hindus to clarify their faith is rapidly grow-
ning on page 37). Complex issues such as ing, as more and more see the need—and
caste were often dismissed with oversimpli- gain the courage—to reach out to non-Hin-
fied responses, such as “The brahmins creat- du friends and neighbors with clear, friend-
ed caste to dominate the other Hindus”—an ly presentations. The experiences recounted
assertion that doesn’t match the historical here and the information in our Insight sec-
facts of the matter. Another common pit- tion this issue just might prepare and inspire
fall is to present one’s personal beliefs as if you to join their ranks! ∏π

24 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 25
 from there I go on to this concept of the multiplicity of the paths
High-level Hinduism: Dr. Karan Singh to the divine—Ekam sat anekah panthah [Truth is one, paths are
during an interview at the 2000 meet- many]. Then from there I discuss concepts like Vasudhaiva ku-
ing of world spiritual and religious tumbakam [the world is a family]. Then I speak about the concept
leaders at the United Nations of Bahujan hitaya, bahujan sukhaya, the welfare of the many and
the happiness of the many. If you present Hinduism in these uni-
versalist terms, then I find the acceptance level is very high. But
not if I start talking in denominational terms and say that you have is not the approach of Hinduism.
to worship in this particular way or you have to chant the mantras
in this particular manner, which is very important for Hindus, but
obviously not that important for non-Hindus.
HT: What is the impression of Hinduism at the interfaith level?
KS: It is good, but it is a very small elite, as it were. No one has
ever asked me about the issues you mention, such as cow worship,
World gathering: Dr. Karan Singh (above) bindis or caste. In this regard, I
gives a keynote speech during the Millennium would like to point out, there
World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiri- are two kinds of customs. One
tual Leaders at the UN in October, 2000 kind of custom is benign. For
example, wearing a bindi, do-
ing puja and so on. Some of the
customs are malign, as it were,
such as untouchability or animal
sacrifice. They are also a part
at one stage, my own devotion was to Lord Krishna. But for some
mysterious reasons He disappeared behind the veil and Lord Siva
came to the front. So, according to one’s developing needs you can
change your methodologies. That flexibility is something unique.
There are many religions where you cannot change. This is what
you must do. This is your prayer. This is your path. And any devia-
tion from that path is apostasy, which is to be totally rejected. That
HT: How have recent events impacted the image of Hinduism?
KS: The destruction of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya and then
these terrible riots in Gujarat have given a very bad impression of
Hinduism. It is a well-known fact that Muslim rulers and invaders
of India destroyed vast numbers of temples and did all that. But
Hindus had the proud privilege of saying that, “Look, we have nev-
er done that.” Now unfortunately
after these incidents, questions
are being raised. These attacks
and riots are very wrong. They
are anti-Hindu acts, un-Hindu
acts, shall we say. Jihadis have
totally discredited Islam, though
maybe they represent a tiny frac-
tion of Muslims. Now Islam itself

b e l i e f n e t. c o m / ly n h u g h e s
of Hinduism, let us remember has become some kind of a men-
that. But then that has to be kept ace and threatening force around
aside. We have to tell them that the world. I wrote an article in
such wrong practices may have which a key sentence was that it
been a part of Hinduism at some would be a tragedy if we do to
stage, in some communities, but Hinduism what the jihadis have
they are not an essential part of done to Islam, which is becom-
Hinduism. The whole history of ing a word coterminous with
Hinduism is a history of constant terror and fear. If that happens
reform and rearticulation. to Hinduism, that would be a
AT GLOBAL FORUMS For example, Swami Vivek- disaster.
ananda came and he thundered HT: What else do you bring up?

Present the Deepest Concepts against the so-called “kitchen KS: I talk about Hinduism

courtesy karan singh

Dr. Karan Singh has found the profound mystical principles of
Hinduism are much appreciated in the international interfaith world
Dr. Karan Singh, member of the Rajya Sabha of India’s parlia-
ment and son of the last maharaja of Kashmir, is one of Hinduism’s
most popular and erudite representatives at the international level.
Hinduism Today correspondent Rajiv Malik interviewed him in
Delhi on his experience in presenting Hinduism to non-Hindus at
meetings of global, interfaith leaders.
Hinduism Today: How is Hinduism received by interfaith leaders?
Karan Singh: At the interfaith level we are already dealing with
people who are open to other religions, by definition. Otherwise
they would not be in an interfaith gathering. They may be con-
vinced that their religion is the best, but they are at least open to
learning about the other religions. So I find that if Hinduism is
presented in a manner which is more universal than denomina-
tional, there is a very broad acceptance among the people. In a
way, Hinduism itself is a one-religion interfaith movement. Right
from the very beginning, when none of the other religions were
born, you could worship a saakar Brahma [a divine with at-
tributes] or nirakaar Brahma [divine without attributes]. In the
saakar you could worship a male or a female deity. You could
worship Siva, you could worship Vishnu, Rama, Krishna, Hanu-
man, Ganesha, etc. There is a whole array of paths to the divine.
So, I think the basic, key concept of the interfaith movement is
the acceptance of multiple paths to the divine. Ekam sat viprah
bahuda vadanti. That is the Vedic edict which means, “The truth
is one, the wise call it by many names.” I find that if Hinduism is
presented in this universal manner, there is a good appreciation.
HT: How do you present Hinduism?
KS: I concentrate on the Upanishads and on Vedanta. And I
take certain universal concepts such as, Ishavasya idam sarvam
yatkinch jagatyam jagat. This means that the entire universe or
cosmos is permeated by the Divine. This is a concept which can
be very well understood, because there are billions upon billions
of galaxies, and Hinduism is not confined to this tiny speck of dust
that we call planet Earth; it is universal. Then I talk of the atman,
Iswar sarvabhutanam rideshe tishthati. This means that the Di-
vine resides in the hearts of all beings. Then I point out that the
joining of the Brahman and the atman is what is known as yoga.
The word yoga in English comes from the same root as the word
yoke. Then I talk about the four paths of yoga. The way of wisdom,
jnana yoga, the way of devotion, bhakti yoga, the way of work,
karma yoga and the way of spiritual practices, raja yoga. Then
religion.” He said that if your re- and the inner path. For example,
ligion is so fragile that if you eat when somebody comes to me
with someone [of another caste] I ask him, “Are you on an inner
and it collapses, then it does not path? Maybe outwardly you are
deserve to be a religion. All the
great Hindu social reformers
a software manufacturer, char-
tered accountant, businessman,
have tried to educate the public
that the core beliefs of Hinduism Royal representation: Karan Singh at a 2003 interfaith meet-
politician or whatever. What is
your inner life ? Are you moving
are the beliefs of the Vedanta, ing in Delhi, India which included many dignitaries of other towards something inwardly? Do
the Upanishads. But there are faiths, including the Dalai Lama (at right) you have an inner focus in your
some undesirable elements life?” That is the question which
which need to be purged. I ask, one-on-one particularly, or even in groups. I say, “Look, life
There are misconceptions abounding about Hinduism abroad. It is fleeting. How long does one last–70, 80 or 90 years? Have you
is like somebody saying that because the Christians believe that used this life to move towards some kind of inner integration? Or
the sacrament, the bread and the wine, is the body and blood have you just wasted it skimming the surface of consciousness?”
of the Christ, therefore Christianity is a cannibalistic religion. If Non-Hindus understand the inner-life concept, not perhaps in the
somebody says this, it is prima facie ridiculous. But it can be put same manner as the Hindus would understand it, but they do un-
in that way. That is the sort of distortion that people do about derstand it. If you explain to them that your inner life is important,
Hinduism, which is entirely wrong. It is symbolic. Symbolism is of- then they can focus on their inner life. Inner life is also a focus in
ten mistaken for the reality. The communion given by the Roman Christianity, but not always visible. Even in Islam, which is looked
Catholic Church is a symbolism of the divine prasad [food offered upon as severe, there is the Sufi movement, which is a much softer,
to the Deity and then given to the devotee] as it were, which they much more spiritual side. You must see these Sufi dervishes go
give, as far as I understand. So you can distort these things if they whirl round and round in great devotion. Even to watch them is a
are not properly explained. One should not approach an interfaith spiritual experience.
gathering as if it is a debate over the superiority of one religion HT: How have your talks been received by non-Hindus?
over another. KS: You seem to suggest that I must have faced a barrage of hos-
HT: What is the key to a better understanding of Hinduism? tile questions from these people. No such thing has ever happened
KS: The big thing in Hinduism is that we are not bound down to to me. In fact, people come to me after my speech and confide,
one particular path. Each of us can choose the path, and we can “This is the first time we have begun to understand some of the ba-
change it in the course of our lifetime. In my own life, for example, sic concepts of Hinduism.” ∏π

26 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 27
 all photos courtesy baps
Guru lineage: A young Sri Pramukh Swami consults with Sri Yogiji Maharaj

Sri Yogiji Maharaj

He skillfully took the movement into the modern era
Initiation Rites: Nine new swamis and 23 sadhaks don the sacred thread as they are initiated May 27, 2003, in Gondal, India ducated young men joined the to reestablish the great order of Lord
BAPS monastic order during the Swaminarayan.
MONASTIC LIFE time of Yogiji Maharaj between Yogiji Maharaj said of himself, “I do not

The 700th Sadhu

Lord Swaminarayan: Sadhus join with
Pramukh Swami Maharaj in the worship of
their movement’s founder
lifetime vows and white robes. The initiated
include one from the UK and USA, two from
Pramukh Swami Maharaj fulfills prediction during his guru’s birthday Africa and two from the tribal areas of India.
Fourteen hold university degrees, including
an MBA. This order as a whole boasts many
n november 27, 1968, brahma- Maharaj added another 100 by the time of and duty, spiritual knowledge, detachment highly educated monks. Strictly speaking,
swarup Yogi Maharaj prophesied, his Mahasamadhi in 1971. Among them, he and devotion coupled with knowledge the ceremony brought in the 703rd sadhu,
“Pramukh Swami will initiate 700 had singled out one as his successor, declar- of God’s greatness. “May you understand surpassing the prediction.
sadhus.” The newly designated ing, “Pramukh Swami is my all.” the glory of all,” Pramukh Swami went on, Under the guidance of Pramukh Swamiji,
successor’s reaction to this massive On May 27, 2003, Pramukh Swami ful- “and never see faults in others. We must the BAPS movement today has one million
assignment isn’t known. But to put the task filled his guru’s prophecy at a ceremony at- preserve Yogiji Maharaj’s tradition of katha, followers and 3,000 centers worldwide. In
of finding, training and ordaining 700 young tended by tens of thousands of devotees in kirtan, bhajan, niyam, chesta and darshan addition to its extensive religious work, it is
men into Hindu monastic life in perspective, Gondal, India. After worshiping a life-size, (religious oratory, singing, group songs, one of the foremost relief organizations in
consider the life of Yogiji’s guru, Brahmas- and literally moving, image of his guru on discipline and vows, kirtans of Lord Swami- India, and recently concluded impressive
warup Shastriji Maharaj. He founded the stage, Swamishri said, “Due to the divine narayan and the sight of saints and God). reconstruction efforts following the 2001
Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam wish of Yogiji Maharaj, the figure of 700 The ceremony took place at 10:15 am in Gujarat earthquake. The order’s sadhus live
Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) in 1906. It is sadhus will be accomplished today. May the a huge hall filled with devotees. Nine pra- extremely strict lives (see following page), yet
a reform movement promulgating the teach- 700 sadhus consolidate ekantik dharma and shads, those who had completed a three-year work closely with family devotees to plan and
ings of Lord Swaminarayan, who lived in the attain the saintly qualities in their lives.” training program were given orange robes. accomplish huge projects, such as their mas-
mid-18th century. By 1951, Shastriji Maharaj Ekantik dharma is the collective term for Twenty-three sadhaks, who had completed sive temple in Naesdan, England, and similar
had 50 sadhus in his order of monks. Yogiji the four endeavors: religious disciplines a year-and-a-half training, were given five temples in the USA and other countries.∏π
1951 and 1971. He would send them like people celebrating my birth, or hon-
out into the fields to pick stones, or have oring me. Rather, I am eager to tolerate
them clean the toilets—tasks at which rebuke. I am eager to serve and perform
they had no demonstrable skill and possi- the lowest service. From the beginning,
bly even less inclination. Still, they stayed my life has been of a sevak (servant of
close to the saintly sage, who had himself God). I have never liked to be a guru. For
renounced worldly life at just 18, in 1910, 40 years, I have been flogged by hardships.
and was initiated as a sadhu and named I have endured a great many insults, and
Jnanjivandasji the following year. He so tolerance has become a part of me. I
worked very hard as a young monk, even do not have the faintest desire to be wor-
on the seven days a month he performed shiped, nor possess one seed of pride. I say
a waterless fast. Eventually he was known this with a sincerely honest heart. In my
as just “Yogi,” for his ardent religiousness. fifty years in satsang (religious meetings),
In 1951, at age 59, he became the BAPS not once have I seen a fault or thought ill
guru, setting out on missions to Africa, of a satsangi, be he the lowest of the low,
and England, countries to which many be he a simpleton with little sense, who
Gujaratis had emigrated, in addition to knows nothing at all—never have I had an
traveling extensively in India. ill thought for anyone, even if he be my
Lord Swaminarayan had, at one point, enemy. I have cared for everyone. I have
3,000 sadhus, out of which he initiated served everyone. I have never affronted
500 paramhansas who traveled through- anyone nor hated anyone.”
out the region preaching to the people. One devotee said of meeting him, “I
The movement had lost momentum at was in Yogiji Maharaj’s divine presence
the turn of the century. Yogiji’s guru, just once and such was his laughter that
Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj, had I always remember it. I have traveled the
just five sadhus in 1906. It has been the whole of India, but I have not seen such
century-long mission of this line of gurus innocent laughter anywhere.”

28 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 29

Kindred spirits: Ashramites listen in rapt attention in 1995 as Gurudeva advises, “Obey your guru. Obey your guru. Obey your guru.”
MONASTIC LIFE
Sarangpur Sadhu School
A rare glimpse inside a remote center that does one thing: train Hindu monks
n 1995, satguru sivaya subramuni-
yaswami (Gurudeva), founder of Hin-
duism Today, spent three months tra-
veling in India with two of his swamis.
They met Pramukh Swami Maharaj at
his 75th birthday celebration in Mumbai in
a scene that could have been right out of
Vedic times, with dozens of orange-robed
sadhus gathered around to catch a glimpse
of the two gurus as they sat in mostly silent
communion. The two had much in common,
though they represented two distinct lin-
eages of Hinduism, one part of the northern
Vaishnava tradition and the other of the
southern Saivite lineage. Both taught a path
that encompassed devotion and meditation,
that insists on the strict and traditional rules
of monastic life and that holds the guru es-
sential to spiritual advancement.
Pramukh Swami invited Gurudeva to
Akshardam in Gandhinagar, north of Mum-
bai, and to his nearby Sarangpur monastic
training center, established in 1981. Though
Gurudeva very much wanted to see these
places, his India tour was at that point com-
pletely booked. But several weeks later, an
unexpected break came in the program in
Bangalore, and Gurudeva flew to Gujarat.
He and his swamis first stayed at the
Gandhinagar administrative center, then
30 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
under construction. It was an impressive
display of dedicated religious work, with
the hundred-plus sadhus in residence
supported by thousands of local devotees
running both the construction project and
a complex local ministry. The next day,
Gurudeva was taken to Akshardham temple,
the huge facility that is a temple to Lord
Swaminarayan and a series of spacious dis-
play halls dedicated to his teachings and life
through exhibits, dioramas and historical
items in every manner of presentation.
But it was the Sarangpur center that
Gurudeva and his swamis were most inter-
ested in, for however much the dedication
and devotion of the family community, an or-
ganization like BAPS remained based upon
the solid foundation of renunciate monks,
dedicated, trained and ceaseless in their ef-
forts to please their guru and worship God.
Gurudeva wanted to see how the monks
were trained in the BAPS system, answer
questions they might have for him, and most
importantly, inspire and encourage them in
their chosen path, which he so admired.
Gurudeva was whisked to Sarangpur, sev-
eral hours along the modern Gujarat road
system. The village itself, and it is definitely
a village, sits upon the flat plains amidst
farm country. The center is a modern com-
a l l p h o t o s h i n d u i s m t o d ay
Training: (clockwise from top left) Classes
with a senior sadhu may cover scripture,
English, Hindi, Sanskrit, music, art and
other subjects; Gurudeva being shown the
computer facility; robes hang to dry aloft
and food bowls hang below in the dining
many of which, during the day, are filled opportunity. While there are three million hall; bed rolls neatly packed in rack; each
with clotheslines for drying robes. Bedrolls Hindu monastics today, most are loosely or- gets one shelf to hold personal belongings.
are neatly stacked on shelving, while each ganized. It is rare to find such a large order
monk has a small cabinet in which to keep of well-trained monks living and serving
his few personal belongings. together.
plex of two-story buildings that, at the time The monks do all the work connected One of the BAPS monks asked Gurudeva,
of the visit, housed more than a hundred with the facility, cleaning, cooking and “People call us fanatics. How should we re-
monks in training. managing the temple. They rotate services spond?” Gurudeva said, “Take it as a compli-
Young men at least 21 years of age wish- every 15 days. Their day begins at 4:00 ment. They are only saying so because they
ing to enter monastic life first spend 12 to 18 am with bathing and personal puja, then are envious of your dedication and enthu-
months at the center as sadhaks (novices). temple services, morning chores, breakfast, siasm.” In his talks to them, Gurudeva said,
During this time, they do ashram chores, classes, lunch, personal study, meditation, “There is only one duty of the disciple. Obey
study the movement’s teachings, memorize more classes and, at 7:30 pm the sandhya your guru! Obey your guru! Obey your
religious songs and are prepared for a life of arti is performed. Then, in a charming tra- guru!” Several years later, one of their senior
service and austerity, following all the rules dition, each monk touches the feet of all the monks was sent into the 2001 Gujarat earth-
of a sadhu except that they are allowed others and bid “Jai Swaminarayan.” After quake disaster that killed 50,000 people.
to see their parents. If they prove quali- dinner, there are further activities, with Pramukh Swami instructed him to direct
fied and have the written consent of their each spending an hour in personal study the relief work for the people. “It seemed an
parents, Pramukh Swami Maharaj initiates before bedtime at 11:30 pm. impossible task,” he told Hinduism Today’s
them into the parshad order. Their head The four-and-a-half hours of sleep a night reporter, “like the story in the Upanishads
is shaven, except for a small tuft, and they is only part of the austerities practiced here. of the disciple being sent to the forest with
wear white robes. After a further 12 to 18 Each monk undertakes a waterless, 24-hour 400 sick cows and told to return only when
months, they may receive bhagwati diksha fast five to seven times a month, not counting the herd had reached 1,000. But I recalled
and the saffron robes of a full renunciate any other fasts he might impose on himself. Gurudeva’s words, ‘Obey your guru. Obey
sannyasin. Their training then continues For meals, each monk mixes the prepared your guru. Obey your guru.’ and proceeded
at Sarangpur for a total of five years. A sig- dishes together in his bowl and partakes of with confidence.”
nificant number of the monks have earned the resulting slurry as a discipline to curb After the meeting, each of the monks
university degrees before joining the order. the desire for food. They travel about only came forward to receive a handful of flow-
One got an immediate sense of how these in pairs (a practice followed by Gurudeva’s ers from Gurudeva. Love and devotion radi-
monks regarded their own guru by the monks as well). They will not touch money, ated from them, just one parcel of their love
loving reception they accorded Gurudeva. speak to or even look at a woman, and never and devotion for their own guru. It was a
They had all seen and admired Hinduism again return home after receiving the orange memorable visit, and uplifting for both mo-
Today, which is in their library. robes. It is not possible to draw these men nastic orders. Gurudeva later commented, “I
There are no separate rooms for individ- into a worldly conversation, as each returns have never seen such a training center for
ual monks. They sleep in large, open halls, the subject to religious matters at the first Hindu monks anywhere in the world.” ∏π
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 31

MADHYA PRADESH
VEDIC FIRE
Seeking peace through ancient ritual
ccording to legend, the first
Virat Rajsuya Yagna was conducted by
Lord Krishna some 5,000 years ago at
the end of a vast span of time called
the Dwapara Yuga. The purpose of that great
fire ceremony was to protect mankind from
the impending calamities of the coming Kali
Yuga, the “age of darkness” in which we now
live. It has been said that the Rajsuya Yagna
was continually practiced into the Kali Yuga.
However, Sri Swami Pragyanand, President,
Delhi Sant Mahal Mandal, Pragya Mission
International, New Delhi, is the only one do-
ing it today. And he is doing it in a very big
way. His massive, multifaceted, seven-day
extravaganzas take place in the village of Ka-
tangi near Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, a
two-day train ride southeast of New Delhi.
32 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
They have been performed annually now
for six years consecutively, and are a marvel
to behold. During these yagnas, a notable
variety of enjoyments are provided to coun-
terbalance the inherent austerity of long
fire ceremonies, solemn prayers and serious
proclamations. These include plenty of food,
entertainment, games and ferris wheel rides
for the kids. Swami also distributes blankets,
wheel chairs and hearing aids to the disabled
and needy.
During the most recent yagna, which oc-
curred from November 4 through 10, 2003,
and was attended by thousands, Swami in-
augurated an eye hospital for the poor and
a school for local tribal girls. One hundred
sadhus from all over India attended the
event as featured guests. Among these, two
The making of the magic: (Clockwise from upper left) Swami Pragyananda officiates at one
of five main kunds (fire pits) during the yagna. Devotees simultaneously offer nine kinds of
grain into each of 103 other smaller, secondary kunds. Hundreds of happy pilgrims gather
to hear Swami Pragyananda extol the merits of purity and service.
all photos: dinodia
distinguished holy men were honored: Kan-
nuaj Peethadhishwar Swami Ananda Teer-
tha, 96, and Swami Lakshman Sharan Sakhi
Baba, 92. Famous bhajana singers Tripti
Shakya and Shri Jagdish Dewan provided
high-quality musical entertainment.
“The world faces problems of air and water
pollution,” Swami Pragyananda exclaimed
during his keynote address. “But what about
pollution of the mind? This is the main chal-
lenge we face, and no one seems to have a
solution. This is why I have decided to per-
form these mahayagnas. They will purify
the minds of people worldwide. Purity of
mind brings up the inclination to serve. A lot
of energy has been generated through this
yagna. This energy can be used to help the
poor and serve mankind.” ∏π
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 33

The Healing Temple
Ettumanur in Kerala is an oasis of relief for sufferers from all faiths
By Vrindavanam S. Gopalakrishnan,
Ernakulam, Kerala, India
hen one hears the name
of Ettumanur, a small town in
southeastern Kerala, the beloved
Ettumanar Mahadevar and His
ancient temple always come to
mind. Now under government administra-
tion, this traditional Kerala-style temple,
situated 61 km southeast of the port city of
Cochin, is believed to be one of the oldest
temples in the state, with legends connect-
ing it with the Vedic era of 5,000 years ago.
Even with today’s relentless onslaught of
materialism and the resultant atheism, the
greatness and glory of this temple has not
dwindled in the slightest. The fact that
thousands of devotees rush to the temple
every day to fulfill their numberless desires
and to get cured of so many incurable dis-
eases proves that the power of this sacred
place has not faded, but has only increased
with the passage of time, says Mr. V.K. So-
masekharan Nair, a retired college professor.
“The number of devotees who have been
blessed by the Aghoramurti (the temple’s
main icon, a Sivalinga representing God
Siva’s fiery, life-transforming aspect) is leg-
34 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
endary. Owing to the all-pervading power
of the Aghoramurti, the temple stands first
among places of worship and pilgrimage in
the South. That is why it attracts devotees
not only from India but from abroad,” he
adds. Devotees hold that any incurable dis-
ease will be cured and any desire will be
fulfilled by pilgrimaging to this temple.
Hinduism Today spoke with some of
the beneficiaries of Ettumanur Mahadevar’s
renowned power, who have been cured of
such serious ailments as epilepsy and pep-
tic ulcers. When asked about the mercy
of the Lord, tears of joy rolled down the
cheeks of 53-year-old Sukumariamma of
Ernakulam. She was suffering from pain
in the stomach and had been on medica-
tion for a long time, but the medications
provided no permanent solution to her
agony. Eventually, an old woman suggested
that she take a vow to offer thulabharam,
her weight in rice, before the God. Suku-
mariamma took the suggestion, and also
began reciting the mantra “Aum Namah
Sivaya” while taking her medications. To
her astonishment, after about a fortnight
she started to feel relief. She said, “I offered
the thulabharam, and ever since I have
made a point to visit the Mahadevar temple
at least once a month to offer my prayers.”
Mr. S. Mani of Thiruvalla, a town 50 km
south of Ettumanur, narrated his experi-
ence. He started having epileptic seizures
when he was 26 years old. He was given
sedatives and other medications, but they
didn’t help. On the advice of a friend, he
went to Ettumanur Mahadevar and surren-
dered before the Lord, remaining there for
several days while chanting “Aum Namah
Sivaya.” The head priest gave him blessed,
medicated ghee to take in the early morn-
ing for 41 days while observing a penance.
Thereafter, his seizures ceased. Mani ex-
claimed, “Ettumanur Mahadevar is a very
powerful Lord!” The devotees of this temple
have numberless miraculous experiences to
relate, including the curing of skin diseases
and chronic asthma.
Believers of other faiths come and offer
prayers here, too. During the annual festival
in February/March, several thousand peo-
ple congregate, but there are never any un-
toward incidents. Once a person enters the
walls of the compound, he is self-disciplined
and controlled, said a senior police official.
According to Mr. Mathur V.P. Panicker,
Procession: Solid gold el-
ephants stand before their
elaborately caparisoned living
counterparts while ceremo-
nial torches are lit and held
before each one for the annual
festival’s main parade.
a retired executive engineer
from the State Public Works
Department and currently
the head of the temple man-
agement committee, many
notable names from the scrip-
tures are associated with this
great temple. It is believed that
the Pandavas and Sage Vyasa
(both ca 3100 bce) worshiped
here. The great philosopher-
monk and Hindu reformer Sri
Adi Shankaracharya (788-820)
showed his devotion to God
Siva here, and composed his
poem “Saundarya Lahari”
during his visit to the temple.
The Ettumanur Mahadevar
temple shines in the annals of
ancient India, Panicker says.
The great saint Khara Praka-
sha worshiped God Siva here
to alleviate his sins and prayed
for blessings to consecrate a
Sivalinga for the benefit of all Gilded in gold: (clockwise from left) The impressively tall, golden flagstaff stands outside the temple
humanity. God Siva appeared entrance; a priest fills offering cups full of sesame oil for the large lamp; the solid gold baby elephant
and presented his own icon to
the saint, who then installed the Sivalinga in landmark in the history of traditional Kerala bronze ox filled with chennullu, a variety
the sanctum sanctorum facing the unusual temple painting. of paddy grain—in gratitude for the Lord’s
direction of West. This two-foot-high Sival- The unusual, circular sanctum sanctorum curing the king of his stomach ailments. It is
inga is the primary object of worship in the of the presiding Deity is constructed on an believed by many that eating a few blessed
temple today. elevated sloping deck of black granite. Ad- rice grains taken from the belly of the giant
Several more legends link the temple’s ori- mission into the sanctum is strictly reserved bronze ox will provide immediate relief for
gins to the Vedic era. One belief is that the for the chief priest and his assistants. As any stomach disease. The presence of so
Maniman Tirtham mentioned in the Vama- the space directly facing the sanctum is much gold and the power of the temple to
na Purana and the Padma Purana is Ettu- limited, only a handful of devotees can have cure so many devotees explains why this is
manur. Another story, in which Saint Khara darshan of the Deity at a time. Also within one of the wealthiest temples in the state, at-
Maharshi disguised himself as a deer and the sanctum, facing South, is enshrined an tracting an income of US$200,000 annually.
persuaded Siva to carry him around, gives image of Siva as Dakshinamurti, the silent, One of the most impressive features of
Ettumanur its name, which in Malayalam primordial guru. Nearby is an icon of Lord Ettumanur is the valia vilakku, a giant oil
means “the place where the deer was carried.” Ganesha, and opposite the main Deity, in a lamp at the entrance to the temple. “The
The Pandyan King Chanda Bhaskara large hall, is a pillar dedicated to Goddess soot that accumulates on the underside of
was exorcised of demonic spirits with the Bhagavati. A small shrine in the north wing the shade of the lamp has been found to
blessings of the Lord at Ettumanur and of the temple is dedicated to Lord Dharma cure many eye diseases,” says Mr. Panicker.
constructed the present temple in gratitude Sastha, more popularly known as Ayyappan. The focus of offerings is typically in the
in 1540. The gifted architects of that time Several offerings made by kings and other direction of this legendary lamp. Devotees
exhibited great skill in their art here. Both devotees of yore are unique to Ettumanur pour sesame oil into the lamp by the jug,
the functional, architectural wood carvings Mahadevar Temple. King Marthanda Varma and over 4,000 liters of overflowing oil is
and those of a purely decorative nature are of the erstwhile Travancore state offered collected each month. “The oil is collected
distinguished as some of the most expertly seven large, solid gold elephants, each weigh- in a tank underground and is pumped into a
executed examples of Kerala’s long-standing ing 210 lb, as well as an eighth gold baby tank in the temple store,” said Mr. Jagmohan
and famous wood-carving tradition. The elephant and a pile of gold areca nuts. These Das, an administrative officer of the temple.
paintings on the walls are the oldest (early were offered in 1753 as atonement for the Some of the surplus oil is distributed to
16th century) and most celebrated example destruction of temple property caused in his other temples, and the balance is auctioned.
of Keralan murals. In one painting, God campaign to annex neighboring territories. Panicker says, “This lamp has remained lit
Siva as Pradosha Nataraja is depicted in a Chempakassery King Devanarayanan of for over 450 years, giving spiritual light to
blissfully radiant, gloriously energetic dance. the mid-17th century visited the temple the millions of devotees who grope about in
This particular painting is considered a to offer prayers and gifted a huge, 500-lb the dark seeking divine illumination.” ∏π
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 35

courtesy sri deep ashram
Krishna’s devotee: Swami Madhavananda Puri touched the lives of hundreds of thousands
across India and the world through his inspired teaching and singing
TRANSITION
Paramhans Madhavananda
Sri Deep Ashram founder attains Mahasamadhi
at age 81; succeeded by Swami Maheshwarananda
is holiness, hindu dharm samrat
Paramhans Sri Swami Madhavanan-
da Puriji Maharaj entered into Maha-
samadhi, making his transition from
this world in Jodhpur on October 31, 2003.
Thousands of devotees, including his desig-
nated successor, His Holiness Vishwa Guru
Mahamandaleshwar Paramhans Swami Ma-
heshwaranandaji, attended the internment
ceremony on November 2 at Om Ashram
in Rajasthan State, India. Bhajana, religious
singing, continued nonstop until the 14th
when Swami Maheshwarananda was for-
mally installed as Mahashishya, or succes-
sor. A report from the ashram describes the
rites, “Thousands of sadhus and sannyasins
from various sects and ashrams and tens of
thousands of devotees came to witness and
celebrate the declaration. Special guests of
honor were the Mahamandaleshwars from
Maha Nirvani Akhara (leaders of one of
36 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
Hinduism’s largest monastic orders) and the
Ambassador of Croatia, personally asked to
attend by Croatian President Stjepan Me-
sic. With mighty sounds of drums, horns
and conch, Swamiji was invited to take the
seat of the Holy Guruji. As he did so, he
received the official chadar, shawl, designat-
ing him as successor of this great lineage.”
Sri Madhavanandji himself had succeeded
Bhagwan Sri Deep Narayan Mahaprabhuji,
who passed on in 1963 at age 135.
Sri Madhavanandaji was born on Septem-
ber 11, 1923, as Tekchanda Garg in the vil-
lage of Nipal, Rajasthan. His father was a
pandit and learned astrologer, and a humble
devotee of Lord Siva and Lord Rama. His
mother was deeply devoted to Lord Krishna.
In Lila Amrit–the Divine Self of Sri Maha-
prabhuji, the story of his guru’s life, Swami
Madhavanandaji wrote of their first meet-
ing. “From early childhood, I felt strongly at-
Ten Questions
tracted to God Krishna. I even used to weep
in my relentless longing to see him. I was TI O
CA
sent to school but had quite a difficult time U
N
there because I could not concentrate on the
ED
AL
lessons; my thoughts were always on Lord
Krishna. Eventually I returned to Nipal and
people ask
IN T
began to read and study the Bhagavad Gita S IG H
every day. I prayed to Surya, the Sun God,
About Hinduism
and to Durga Mata, the Holy Mother. I used
to go on nine-day fasts for Her, but most of
all I prayed to Lord Krishna to be merciful
and appear to me in my meditations.
“How bitter were the tears I shed, loving
Him so much and not being able to see Him!
In those moments I frequently had the feel-
ing of a voice within me saying, ‘Be calm.
…and ten terrific answers!
The Lord will come to you.’ One day I was
again praying to Lord Krishna from the
depths of my soul, ‘O Krishna, my Beloved
God. I have heard Your holy promise deep
within me. How long must I wait? When
will I see You?’ In that moment a glorious
vision of the Lord appeared before my in-
ner eye. ‘Three and one-half months from
today, at ten o’clock in the evening, you will
see me with open eyes,’ he said. ‘Remember
this.’ He disappeared, leaving me with an
unworldly sense of security.
“The Lord of Gods Himself, I knew, was
going to take care of me. Fortunately, not too
long after that Mahaprabhuji was invited by
the Maharaja of Jodhpur to that city and so
he blessed the people there with his glorious
satsangs. Since Jodhpur was at a manage-
able distance, I decided to take this oppor-
tunity to visit him for the first time. I arrived
at Jodhpur by train at nine o’clock in the
evening and directly went to Mahaprabhuji’s
satsang. To my utter bewilderment, when I
stood before him at ten o’clock, I saw none
other than the Lord Krishna to whom I daily
prayed in my meditation.
My eyes filled with tears and I fell to my
knees. I had only one wish and that was to
all art by a. manivel
surrender myself completely. Merciful Ma-
haprabhuji placed his holy hand on my fore-
head. ‘My son, I have saved you forever. Re-
member the words I spoke to you three and
one-half months ago in your meditation.’ As
they must, the words of the Lord had come
true. From that moment on I dedicated my
life to him and promised to stay with him
forever. At the age of seventeen I knew I had
found the everlasting Light of my life and PLUS…
decided to spend the rest of my life under
his merciful shelter. I took initiation as a
swami in 1942, at the age of 19.” Hinduism’s Code Lord Vishnu stands with the vast
ocean of truth behind Him. In the
Of Conduct: the
For more than 20 years Paramhans Swami
Madhavanandaji lived with Sri Mahaprabhuji sky above, ten birds—symbolizing
and during that time faithfully recorded persistent misconceptions about
Yamas & Niyamas
Mahaprabhuji’s religious songs and discours- Hinduism—take flight as we tackle ten
es. After his guru’s passing, he traveled to common questions about our faith.
Europe and North America and preached
throughout India. Today his work is carried
on globally by His Holiness, Paramhas Swa- © 2004 by Himalayan Academy, 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, Hawaii 96746
mi Maheshwaranandaji. ∏π To order additional copies of this Educational Insight, e-mail: pamphlets@hindu.org
Similar resources on the web include “Four Facts of Hinduism,” “Nine Beliefs of Hinduism” and “How to
Win an Argument with a Meat-Eater.” You can access these at www.himalayanacademy.com/basics.
 1
PART 1: TEN QUESTIONS
Why does Hinduism have so many Gods?
Humanity’s most profound faith is now a global phenomenon. Students, teachers,
neighbors and friends are full of questions. Misconceptions run rampant. Hindus all believe in one Supreme God who created the
Here are ten thoughtful answers you can use to set the record straight. universe. He is all-pervasive. He created many Gods,
highly advanced spiritual beings, to be His helpers.
ave you ever been put on the spot with a provocative may not know that one out of every six people in the world is
question about Hinduism, even one that really shouldn’t a Hindu.” 2) “Many people have asked me about my tradition. I
be so hard to answer? If so, you are not alone. It takes don’t know everything, but I will try to answer your question.”
some good preparation and a little attitude adjustment 3) “First, you should know that in Hinduism, it is not only be-
to confidently field queries on your faith—be they from lief and intellectual understanding that is important. Hindus ontrary to prevailing pantheism, which is the belief
friendly co-workers, students, passersby or especially from Chris- place the greatest value on experiencing each of these truths misconceptions, Hindus all that God is the natural universe
tian evangelists. Back in the spring of 1990, a group of teens personally.” 4) The fourth type of prologue is to repeat the ques- worship a one Supreme Being, and nothing more. It is also dif-
from the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago, Lemont, sent a re- tion to see if the person has actually stated what he wants to though by different names. ferent from strict theism which
quest to HINDUISM TODAY for “official answers” to nine questions know. Repeat the question in your own words and ask if you This is because the peoples of In- says God is only above the world,
they were commonly asked by their peers. These questions had have understood his query correctly. If it’s a complicated question, dia with different languages and apart and transcendent. Panen-
perplexed the Hindu youth themselves; and their parents had you might begin by saying, “Philosophers have spent lifetimes cultures have understood the one theism is an all-encompassing
no convincing answers. Satguru Sivaya Sub- discussing and pondering questions such God in their own distinct way. concept. It says that God is both
ramuniyaswami took up the challenge and as this, but I will do my best to explain.” Through history there arose four in the world and beyond it, both
provided the following answers to the nine Have courage. Speak from your inner principal Hindu denominations— immanent and transcendent.
questions. Perusing the list for this edition of mind. Sanatana Dharma is an experiential Saivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism That is the highest Hindu view.
the magazine, we thought it crucial to add a path, not a dogma, so your experience in and Smartism. For Saivites, God Hindus also believe in many
tenth dialog on caste, since that is the most answering questions will help your own is Siva. For Shaktas, Goddess Gods who perform various func-
relentless criticism Hinduism faces today. spiritual unfoldment. You will learn from Shakti is supreme. For Vaish- tions, like executives in a large
Let’s begin with advice on the attitudes your answers if you listen to your inner navites, Lord Vishnu is God. For corporation. These should not be
to hold when responding. First, ask yourself, mind speak. This can actually be a lot of Smartas—who see all Deities as confused with the Supreme God.
“Who is asking the question?” Millions of peo- fun. The attentive teacher always learns reflections of the One God—the These Divinities are highly ad-
ple are sincerely interested in Hinduism and more than the student. choice of Deity is left to the devo- vanced beings who have specific
the many Asian religions. So, when asked After the prologue, address the question tee. This liberal Smarta perspec- duties and powers—not unlike
about Hinduism, don’t be defensive, even if without hesitation. If the person is sincere, tive is well known, but it is not the heavenly spirits, overlords
the questioner seems confrontational. Instead, you can ask, “Do you have any other ques- the prevailing Hindu view. Due or archangels revered in other
assume that the person really wants to learn. tions?” If he wants to know more, then to this diversity, Hindus are pro- faiths. Each denomination wor-
Of course, some only want to harass, badger elaborate as best you can. Use easy, ev- foundly tolerant of other religions, ships the Supreme God and its
and turn you to their view. If you sense this eryday examples. Share what enlightened respecting the fact that each has own pantheon of divine beings.
is the case, feel free to smile and courteous- souls and scriptures of Hinduism have said its own pathway to the one God. What is sometimes confusing
ly dismiss yourself without any attempt to on the subject. Remember, we must not as- One of the unique understand- to non-Hindus is that Hindus of
dinodia

answer, lest you simply add fuel to his fires. sume that everyone who asks about Hindu- ings in Hinduism is that God is various sects may call the one
With all this in mind, it is still best never ism is insincere or is challenging our faith. not far away, living in a remote God by many different names,
to answer a question about religion too boldly A visitor to India questions an elder Many are just being friendly or making con- heaven, but is inside each and according to their denomina-
or too immediately. That might lead to con- about temple ceremonies and customs versation to get to know you. So don’t be every soul, in the heart and con- tion or regional tradition. Truth
frontation. Offer a prologue first, then come on the defensive or take it all too seriously. sciousness, waiting to be discov- for the Hindu has many names,
to the question, guiding the inquirer toward understanding. Your Smile when you give your response. Be open. If the second or ered. This knowing that God is Hindus all worship the One Supreme God, called by various but that does not make for many
poise and deliberateness gives assurance that you know what third question is on something you know nothing about, you can always with us gives us hope and names, depending on their denomination, and they revere a truths. Hinduism gives us the
you are talking about. It also gives you a moment to think and say, “I don’t know. But if you are really interested, I will find out, courage. Knowing the One Great multitude of angelic beings, which they call Gods. Above, the freedom to approach God in our
draw on your intuitive knowing. Before going deeply into an an- mail you some literature or lend you one of my books.” Smile and God in this intimate and experi- central figure is Lord Siva, worshiped as the Supreme Being own way, encouraging a mul-
swer, always ask the questioner what his religion is. Knowing that, have confidence as you give these answers. Don’t be shy. There ential way is the goal of Hindu by Saivites and many other Hindus. Cradled in His hands are tiplicity of paths, not asking for
you can address his particular frame of mind and make your is no question that can be put to you in your birth karmas that spirituality. other great beings, known as Gods, including Lord Ganesha. conformity to just one.
answer most relevant. Another key: have confidence in yourself you cannot rise up to with a fine answer to fully satisfy the seeker. Elaboration: Hinduism is both There is much confusion about
and your ability to give a meaningful and polite response. Even You may make lifelong friends in this way. monotheistic and henotheistic. Hindus were never polytheistic, in this subject, even among Hindus. Learn the right terms and the
to say “I am sorry. I still have much to learn about my religion Each of the ten answers is organized with a short response that the sense that there are many equal Gods. Henotheism (literally subtle differences in them, and you can explain the profound
and I don’t yet know the answer to that” is a meaningful answer. can be committed to memory, a longer answer, and a detailed ex- “one God”) better defines the Hindu view. It means the worship of ways Hindus look at Divinity. Others will be delighted with the
Honesty is always appreciated. Never be afraid to admit what planation. Many questioners will be content with the short, simple one God without denying the existence of other Gods. We Hin- richness of the Indian concepts of God. You may wish to mention
you don’t know, for this lends credibility to what you do know. answer, so start with that first. Use the explanation as background dus believe in the one all-pervasive God who energizes the entire that some Hindus believe only in the formless Absolute Reality
Here are four prologues that can be used, according to the information for yourself, or as a contingency response in case you universe. We can see Him in the life shining out of the eyes of as God; others believe in God as personal Lord and Creator. This
situation, before you begin to actually answer a question. 1) “I end up in a deeper philosophical discussion. Additional resources humans and all creatures. This view of God as existing in and freedom makes the understanding of God in Hinduism, the old-
am really pleased that you are interested in my religion. You can be found at: www.himalayanacademy.com/basics/. giving life to all things is called panentheism. It is different from est living religion, the richest in all of Earth’s existing faiths.

II h i n d u i s m t o day a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay III
2 3
Do Hindus believe in reincarnation? What is karma?
Yes, we believe the soul is immortal and takes birth Karma is the universal principle of cause and effect. Our
time and time again. Through this process, we have actions, both good and bad, come back to us in the future, help-
experiences, learn lessons and evolve spiritually. ing us to learn from life’s lessons and become better people.
Finally we graduate from physical birth.

arnate means “of flesh,” it in the twelfth century. It is, in arma is one of the nat- Because we Hindus understand
and reincarnate means to fact, one of the widest held ar- ural laws of the mind, karma, we do not hate or resent
“reenter the flesh.” Yes, Hin- ticles of faith on planet Earth. just as gravity is a law of people who do us harm. We un-
dus believe in reincarnation. Elaboration: At death the soul matter. Just as God cre- derstand they are giving back
To us, it explains the natural way leaves the physical body. But the ated gravity to bring order to the the effects of the causes we set
the soul evolves from immaturity soul does not die. It lives on in physical world, He created karma in motion at an earlier time. The
to spiritual illumination. Life and a subtle body called the astral as a divine system of justice that law of karma puts man at the
death are realities for all of us. body. The astral body exists is self-governing and infinitely center of responsibility for ev-
Hinduism believes that the soul is in the nonphysical dimension fair. It automatically creates the erything he does and everything
immortal, that it never dies, but called the astral plane, which is appropriate future experience in that is done to him.
inhabits one body after another also the world we are in during response to the current action. Karma is a word we hear quite
on the Earth during its evolution- our dreams at night when we Karma simply means “action” or often on television. “This is my
ary journey. Like the caterpillar’s sleep. Here we continue to have “cause and effect.” When some- karma,” or “It must have been
transformation into a butterfly, experiences until we are reborn thing happens to us that is appar- something I did in a past life to
physical death is a most natural again in another physical body ently unfortunate or unjust, it is bring such good karma to me.”
transition for the soul, which sur- as a baby. Each reincarnating not God punishing us. It is the re- We hear karma simply defined
vives and, guided by karma, con- soul chooses a home and a family sult of our own past actions. The as “What goes around, comes
tinues its long pilgrimage until it which can best fulfill its next step Vedas, Hinduism’s revealed scrip- around.” In some schools of Hin-
is one with God. of learning and maturation. ture, tell us if we sow goodness, duism, karma is looked upon
I myself have had many lives After many lifetimes of fol- we will reap goodness; if we sow as something bad—perhaps be-
before this one and expect to lowing dharma, the soul is fully evil, we will reap evil. Thus we cause we are most aware of this
have more. Finally, when I have matured in love, wisdom and create our own destiny through law when we are facing difficult
it all worked out and all the les- knowledge of God. There is no thought and action. And the di- karma, and not so aware of it
sons have been learned, I will at- longer a need for physical birth, vine law is: whatever karma we when life is going smoothly. Even
tain enlightenment and moksha, for all lessons have been learned, are experiencing in our life is just some Hindus equate karma with
liberation. This means I will still all karmas fulfilled. That soul is what we need at the moment, and sin, and this is what evangelical
exist, but will no longer be pulled then liberated, freed from the nothing can happen but that we Christians preach that it means.
back to be born in a physical body. cycle of birth, death and rebirth. have the strength to meet it. Even Many people believe that karma
Even modern science is discov- Evolution then continues in the harsh karma, when faced in wis- means “fate,” a preordained des-
ering reincarnation. There have more refined spiritual worlds. dom, can be the greatest catalyst tiny over which one has no con-
been many cases of individuals’ Similarly, after we graduate for spiritual growth. Understand- trol, which is also untrue.
remembering their past lives. Each soul evolves by experiencing many varied lives through from elementary school we never ing the way karma works, we One of the best examples of karma is that you can’t give any- The process of action and reac-
These have been researched by reincarnation, called punarjanma in Sanskrit, the process have to go back to the fifth grade. seek to live a good and virtuous thing away but that generosity will return to you, with interest. tion on all levels—physical, men-
scientists, psychiatrists and para- wherein the soul repeatedly takes on a physical body through We have gone beyond that level life through right thought, right Here, in the upper scene, a lady happily gives clothing to a tal and spiritual—is karma. Here
psychologists during the past de- being born on Earth. Here, a soul, represented by the ray of in understanding. Thus, life’s speech and right action. This is youth. Below, she receives an unexpected gift from a neighbor is an example. I say kind words
cades and documented in good light, is shown in seven successive lives. Reincarnation is a ultimate goal is not money, not called dharma. as the karma of her good deed brings its natural reward. By to you, and you feel peaceful and
purposeful maturing process governed by the law of karma.
books and videos. Young children clothes, not sex, not power, not Elaboration: Karma is basi- wisely heeding karma’s ways, we tread the path of dharma. happy. I say harsh words to you,
speak of vivid past-life memories, food or any other of the instinc- cally energy. I throw energy out and you become ruffled and up-
which fade as they grow older, as the veils of individuality shroud tive needs. These are natural pursuits, but our real purpose on through thoughts, words and deeds, and it comes back to me, in set. The kindness and the harshness will return to me, through
the soul’s intuitive understanding. Great mystics speak of their this Earth is to know, to love and to serve God and the Gods. time, through other people. Karma is our best teacher, for we others, at a later time. This is karma. An architect thinks creative,
past lives as well. So do our ancient scriptures, the Vedas, reveal That leads to the rare and priceless objects of life: enlightenment must always face the consequences of our actions and thus im- productive thoughts while drawing plans for a new building. But
the reality of reincarnation. and liberation. This Hindu view of the soul’s evolution answers prove and refine our behavior, or suffer if we do not. We Hindus were he to think destructive, unproductive thoughts, he would
Reincarnation is believed in by the Jains and the Sikhs, by the many otherwise bewildering questions, removing the fear of look at time as a circle, as things cycle around again. Professor soon not be able to accomplish any kind of positive task even if
Indians of the Americas, and by the Buddhists, certain Jewish death while giving assurance that each soul is evolving toward Einstein came to the same conclusion. He saw time as a curve, he desired to do so. This is karma, a natural law of the mind. We
sects, the Pagans and the many indigenous faiths. Even Chris- the same spiritual destiny, for the Hindu believes that karma and and space as well. This would eventually make a circle. Karma must also be very careful about our thoughts, because thought
tianity originally taught reincarnation, but formally renounced reincarnation are leading every single soul to God Realization. is a very just law which, like gravity, treats everyone the same. creates, and thoughts make karmas—good, bad and mixed.

IV h i n d u i s m t o day a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay V
4 5
Why Do Hindus worship the cow? Are Hindus idol worshipers?
Hindus don’t worship cows. We respect, honor and Hindus do not worship a stone or metal “idol” as God. We
adore the cow. By honoring this gentle animal, who worship God through the image. We invoke the presence of
gives more than she takes, we honor all creatures. God from the higher, unseen worlds, into the image so that
we can commune with Him and receive His blessings.

indus regard all living- way it treats its animals. Cow he stone or metal deity more aware of the transcendent,
creatures as sacred—mam- protection to me is not mere images in Hindu temples timeless, formless, causeless
mals, fishes, birds and protection of the cow. It means and shrines are not mere Truth. Nor is there any religion
more. We acknowledge protection of all that lives and is symbols of the Gods. They which uses more symbols to rep-
this reverence for life in our spe- helpless and weak in the world. are the form through which their resent Truth in preparation for
cial affection for the cow. At fes- The cow means the entire subhu- love, power and blessings flood that realization.
tivals we decorate and honor her, man world.” forth into this world. We may Humorously speaking, Hindus
but we do not worship her in the In the Hindu tradition, the cow liken this mystery to our abil- are not idle worshipers. I have
sense that we worship the Deity. is honored, garlanded and given ity to communicate with others never seen a Hindu worship in
To the Hindu, the cow sym- special feedings at festivals all through the telephone. We do not a lazy or idle way. They wor-
bolizes all other creatures. The over India, most importantly talk to the telephone; rather we ship with great vigor and devo-
cow is a symbol of the Earth, the the annual Gopashtama festival. use it as a means of communica- tion, with unstinting regularity
nourisher, the ever-giving, unde- Demonstrating how dearly Hin- tion with another person. With- and constancy. There’s nothing
manding provider. The cow rep- dus love their cows, colorful cow out the telephone, we could not idle about our ways of worship!
resents life and the sustenance jewelry and clothing is sold at converse across long distances; (A little humor never hurts.)
of life. The cow is so generous, fairs all over the Indian country- and without the sanctified icon But, of course, the question is
taking nothing but water, grass side. From a young age, Hindu in the temple, we cannot easily about “graven images.” All re-
and grain. It gives and gives and children are taught to decorate commune with the Deity. Divin- ligions have their symbols of
gives of its milk, as does the lib- the cow with garlands, paint and ity can also be invoked and felt in holiness through which the sa-
erated soul give of his spiritual ornaments. Her nature is epito- a sacred fire, or in a tree, or in the cred flows into the mundane. To
knowledge. The cow is so vital to mized in Kamadhenu, the divine, enlightened person of a satguru. name a few: the Christian cross,
life, the virtual sustainer of life, wish-fulfilling cow. The cow and In our temples, God is invoked or statues of Mother Mary and
for many humans. The cow is a her sacred gifts—milk and ghee in the sanctum by highly trained Saint Theresa, the holy Kaaba
symbol of grace and abundance. in particular—are essential ele- priests. Through the practice of in Mecca, the Sikh Adi Granth
Veneration of the cow instills in ments in Hindu worship, penance yoga, or meditation, we invoke enshrined in the Golden Temple
Hindus the virtues of gentleness, and rites of passage. In India, God inside ourself. Yoga means to in Amritsar, the Arc and Torah
receptivity and connectedness more than 3,000 institutions yoke oneself to God within. The of the Jews, the image of a medi-
with nature. called Gaushalas, maintained by image or icon of worship is a fo- tating Buddha, the totems of in-
Elaboration: Who is the great- charitable trusts, care for old and cus for our prayers and devotions. digenous and Pagan faiths, and
est giver on planet Earth today? infirm cows. And while many Another way to explain icon the artifacts of the holy men
Who do we see on every table Hindus are not vegetarians, most worship is to acknowledge that and women of all religions. Such
in every country of the world— Hindus never worship cows, but they do revere them as the respect the still widely held code Hindus believe God is every- A devotee looks within and beyond the bronze dancing Siva icons, or graven images, are held
breakfast, lunch and dinner? It is perfect example of Divinity in all forms of life. Here a girl gar- of abstaining from eating beef. where, in all things, whether stone, to behold God in His spiritual body of light. Dressed in tradi- in awe by the followers of the re-
the cow. McDonald’s cow-vend- lands a cow whose horns are painted and adorned with brass By her docile, tolerant na- wood, creatures or people. So, it is tional Hindu garb, the man is performing his daily puja in his spective faiths. The question is,
ing golden arches and their ri- tips and tassels. Her sister offers fresh grass. In India, the ture, the cow exemplifies the not surprising that they feel com- home shrine—chanting Sanskrit mantras, offering fruit, water, does this make all such religion-
vals have made fortunes on the cow is honored, adored and protected as a symbol of wealth, cardinal virtue of Hinduism, fortable worshiping the Divine in flowers, incense and light—worshiping devoutly, beseeching ists idol worshipers? The answer
humble cow. The generous cow strength, abundance, selfless giving and a full Earthly life. noninjury, known as ahim- His material manifestation. The God to send blessings through the enshrined image. is, yes and no. From our perspec-
gives milk and cream, yogurt and sa. The cow also symbolizes Hindu can see God in stone and tive, idol worship is an intelligent,
cheese, butter and ice cream, ghee and buttermilk. It gives en- dignity, strength, endurance, maternity and selfless service. water, fire, air and ether, and inside his own soul. Indeed, there mystical practice shared by all of the world’s great faiths.
tirely of itself through sirloin, ribs, rump, porterhouse and beef In the Vedas, cows represent wealth and joyous Earthly life. are Hindu temples which have in the sanctum sanctorum no im- The human mind releases itself from suffering through the use
stew. Its bones are the base for soup broths and glues. It gives From the Rig Veda (4.28.1;6) we read. “The cows have come and age at all but a yantra, a symbolic or mystic diagram. However, of forms and symbols that awaken reverence, evoke sanctity and
the world leather belts, leather seats, leather coats and shoes, have brought us good fortune. In our stalls, contented, may they the sight of the image enhances the devotee’s worship. spiritual wisdom. Even a fundamentalist Christian who rejects
beef jerky, cowboy hats—you name it. The only cow-question stay! May they bring forth calves for us, many-colored, giving Elaboration: In Hinduism one of the ultimate attainments is all forms of idol worship, including those of the Catholic and
for Hindus is, “Why don’t more people respect and protect this milk for Indra each day. You make, O cows, the thin man sleek; when the seeker transcends the need of all form and symbol. Episcopal churches, would resent someone who showed disre-
remarkable creature?” Mahatma Gandhi once said, “One can to the unlovely you bring beauty. Rejoice our homestead with This is the yogi’s goal. In this way Hinduism is the least idol-ori- spect for his Bible. This is because he considers it sacred. His
measure the greatness of a nation and its moral progress by the pleasant lowing. In our assemblies we laud your vigor.” ented of all the religions of the world. There is no religion that is book and the Hindu’s icon are much alike in this way.

VI h i n d u i s m t o day a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay VII
5 6
Are Hindus idol worshipers? Are Hindus forbidden to eat meat?
Hindus do not worship a stone or metal “idol” as God. We Hindus teach vegetarianism as a way to live
worship God through the image. We invoke the presence of with a minimum of hurt to other beings. But in
God from the higher, unseen worlds, into the image so that today’s world not all Hindus are vegetarians.
we can commune with Him and receive His blessings.

he stone or metal deity more aware of the transcendent, ur religion does not like. Many Hindu swamis advise
images in Hindu temples timeless, formless, causeless lay down rigid “do’s and followers to be well-established
and shrines are not mere Truth. Nor is there any religion don’ts.” There are no com- vegetarians prior to initiation
symbols of the Gods. They which uses more symbols to rep- mandments. Hinduism into mantra, and to remain veg-
are the form through which their resent Truth in preparation for gives us the wisdom to make up etarian thereafter. But most do
love, power and blessings flood that realization. our own mind on what we put in not insist upon vegetarianism for
forth into this world. We may Humorously speaking, Hindus our body, for it is the only one we those not seeking initiation. Swa-
liken this mystery to our abil- are not idle worshipers. I have have—in this life, at least. Vege- mis have learned that families
ity to communicate with others never seen a Hindu worship in tarians are more numerous in the who are vegetarian have fewer
through the telephone. We do not a lazy or idle way. They wor- South of India than in the North. problems than those who are not.
talk to the telephone; rather we ship with great vigor and devo- This is because of the North’s Poignant scriptural citations
use it as a means of communica- tion, with unstinting regularity cooler climactic conditions and counsel against eating meat. The
tion with another person. With- and constancy. There’s nothing past Islamic influence. Priests Yajur Veda (36.18) calls for kind-
out the telephone, we could not idle about our ways of worship! and religious leaders are definite- liness toward all creatures living
converse across long distances; (A little humor never hurts.) ly vegetarian, so as to maintain on the Earth, in the air and in
and without the sanctified icon But, of course, the question is a high level of purity and spiri- the water. The Tirukural, a 2,200-
in the temple, we cannot easily about “graven images.” All re- tual consciousness to fulfill their year-old masterpiece of ethics,
commune with the Deity. Divin- ligions have their symbols of responsibilities, and to awaken states, “When a man realizes that
ity can also be invoked and felt in holiness through which the sa- the refined areas of their nature. meat is the butchered flesh of
a sacred fire, or in a tree, or in the cred flows into the mundane. To Soldiers and law-enforcement of- another creature, he will abstain
enlightened person of a satguru. name a few: the Christian cross, ficers are generally not vegetar- from eating it” (257). The Manu
In our temples, God is invoked or statues of Mother Mary and ians, because they have to keep Dharma Shastras state, “Hav-
in the sanctum by highly trained Saint Theresa, the holy Kaaba alive their aggressive forces in ing well considered the origin of
priests. Through the practice of in Mecca, the Sikh Adi Granth order to perform their work. To flesh and the cruelty of fettering
yoga, or meditation, we invoke enshrined in the Golden Temple practice yoga and be successful and slaying corporeal beings, let
God inside ourself. Yoga means to in Amritsar, the Arc and Torah in meditation, it is mandatory one entirely abstain from eating
yoke oneself to God within. The of the Jews, the image of a medi- to be vegetarian. It is a matter flesh,” and “When the diet is pure,
image or icon of worship is a fo- tating Buddha, the totems of in- of wisdom—the application of the mind and heart are pure.” For
cus for our prayers and devotions. digenous and Pagan faiths, and knowledge at any given moment. guidance in this and all matters,
Another way to explain icon the artifacts of the holy men Today, about twenty percent of Hindus also rely on their own
worship is to acknowledge that and women of all religions. Such all Hindus are vegetarians. guru, community elders, their
Hindus believe God is every- A devotee looks within and beyond the bronze dancing Siva icons, or graven images, are held Elaboration: This can be a Vendors at a market are selling fruits, vegetables, grains, spices own conscience and their knowl-
where, in all things, whether stone, to behold God in His spiritual body of light. Dressed in tradi- in awe by the followers of the re- touchy subject. There are several and sweets—a potpourri of foods that great cooks creatively edge of the benefits of abstaining
wood, creatures or people. So, it is tional Hindu garb, the man is performing his daily puja in his spective faiths. The question is, ways to respond, depending on combine in one of the world’s most sumptuous cuisines. Hin- from meat and enjoying a whole-
not surprising that they feel com- home shrine—chanting Sanskrit mantras, offering fruit, water, does this make all such religion- who is asking and the background dus understand the sound reasons against eating meat, and some vegetarian diet. Of course,
fortable worshiping the Divine in flowers, incense and light—worshiping devoutly, beseeching ists idol worshipers? The answer in which he was raised. But the many abstain entirely. With such a savory and healthy diet, there are good Hindus who eat
His material manifestation. The God to send blessings through the enshrined image. is, yes and no. From our perspec- overlying principle that defines there is no need to consume flesh. meat, and there are not-so-good
Hindu can see God in stone and tive, idol worship is an intelligent, the Hindu answer to this query Hindus who are vegetarians.
water, fire, air and ether, and inside his own soul. Indeed, there mystical practice shared by all of the world’s great faiths. is ahimsa—refraining from injuring, physically, mentally or emo- Today in America and Europe millions of people are vegetar-
are Hindu temples which have in the sanctum sanctorum no im- The human mind releases itself from suffering through the use tionally, anyone or any living creature. The Hindu who wishes to ians because they want to live a long time and be healthy. Many
age at all but a yantra, a symbolic or mystic diagram. However, of forms and symbols that awaken reverence, evoke sanctity and strictly follow the path of noninjury naturally adopts a vegetar- feel a moral obligation to shun the mentality of violence to which
the sight of the image enhances the devotee’s worship. spiritual wisdom. Even a fundamentalist Christian who rejects ian diet. It’s a matter of conscience more than anything else. meat-eating gives rise. There are good books on vegetarianism,
Elaboration: In Hinduism one of the ultimate attainments is all forms of idol worship, including those of the Catholic and When we eat meat, fish, fowl and eggs, we absorb the vibration such as Diet for a New America. There is also a fine magazine
when the seeker transcends the need of all form and symbol. Episcopal churches, would resent someone who showed disre- of the instinctive creatures into our nerve system. This chemical- called Vegetarian Times. The booklet “How to Win an Argument
This is the yogi’s goal. In this way Hinduism is the least idol-ori- spect for his Bible. This is because he considers it sacred. His ly alters our consciousness and amplifies our lower nature, which with a Meat-Eater” is online at: www.himalayanacademy.com/
ented of all the religions of the world. There is no religion that is book and the Hindu’s icon are much alike in this way. is prone to fear, anger, jealousy, confusion, resentment and the books/pamphlets/WinMeatEaterArgument.html.

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay XI VIII h i n d u i s m t o day a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
 7 8
Do Hindus have a Bible? Why do many Hindus wear a dot
Our “Bible” is called the Veda. The Veda, which means near the middle of their forehead?
“wisdom,” is comprised of four ancient and holy scriptures The dot worn on the forehead is a religious symbol.
which all Hindus revere as the revealed word of God. It represents divine sight and shows that one is
a Hindu. For women, it is also a beauty mark.

ike the taoist tao te ching, prescribe ritual worship, mantra he dot worn between the evil eye. As an exotic fashion
the Buddhist Dhammapada, and devotional hymns to estab- the eyes or in the middle statement, the dot’s color comple-
the Sikh Adi Granth, the lish communication with the of the forehead is a sign that ments the color of a lady’s sari.
Jewish Torah, the Christian spiritual worlds. The hymns are one is a Hindu. It is called Ornate bindis are even worn by
Bible and the Muslim Koran—the invocations to the One Divine the bindi in the Hindi language, actresses in popular American
Veda is the Hindu holy book. The and to the Divinities of nature, bindu in Sanskrit and pottu in TV shows.
four books of the Vedas—Rig, such as the Sun, the Rain, the Tamil. In olden days, all Hindu Elaboration: Men and women
Yajur, Sama and Atharva—in- Wind, the Fire and the Dawn— men and women wore these of a particular religion wishing
clude over 100,000 verses. The as well as prayers for matrimony, marks, and they both also wore to identify themselves to one an-
knowledge imparted by the Ve- progeny, prosperity, concord, pro- earrings. Today it is the women other often do so by wearing dis-
das ranges from earthy devotion tection, domestic rites and more. who are most faithful in wearing tinctive religious symbols. Often
to high philosophy. Their words The Aranyakas and Upanishads the bindi. these are blessed in their temples,
and wisdom permeate Hindu outline the soul’s evolutionary The dot has a mystical meaning. churches or synagogues. Chris-
thought, ritual and meditation. journey, provide yogic philo- It represents the third eye of spir- tians wear a cross on a necklace.
The Vedas are the ultimate scrip- sophical training and propound itual sight, which sees things the Jewish boys wear small leather
tural authority for Hindus. Their realization of man’s oneness with physical eyes cannot see. Hindus cases that hold scriptural pas-
oldest portions are said by some God as the destiny of all souls. seek to awaken their inner sight sages, and the round cap called
to date back as far as 6,000 bce, Today, the Vedas are published through yoga. The forehead dot yarmulka. Sikh men wear their
orally transmitted for most of in Sanskrit, English, French, is a reminder to use and cultivate hair in a turban. In many coun-
history and written down in San- German and other languages. this spiritual vision to perceive tries, Muslim women cover their
skrit in the last few millennia, But it is the popular, metaphysi- and better understand life’s inner head with a scarf, called hajib.
making them the world’s longest cal Upanishads that have been workings—to see things not just Do not be ashamed to wear
and most ancient scripture. The most amply and ably translated. physically, but with the “mind’s the bindi on your forehead in the
Vedas open a rare window into The Vedas advise: “Let there eye” as well. The bindi is made United States, Canada, Europe or
ancient Indian society, proclaim- be no neglect of Truth. Let there of red powder (called sindur, tra- any country of the world. Wear
ing life’s sacredness and the way be no neglect of dharma. Let ditionally made from powdered it proudly. The forehead dot will
to oneness with God. there be no neglect of welfare. turmeric and fresh lime juice), distinguish you from all other
Elaboration: For untold centu- Let there be no neglect of pros- sandalpaste or cosmetics. people as a very special person, a
ries unto today, the Vedas have perity. Let there be no neglect In addition to the simple dot, Hindu, a knower of eternal truths.
remained the sustaining force of study and teaching. Let there there are many types of fore- You will never be mistaken as be-
and authoritative doctrine, guid- be no neglect of the duties to the head marks, known as tilaka in longing to another nationality or
ing followers in ways of worship, The Vedas are revealed scripture, meaning they were issued Gods and the ancestors” (Tait- Sanskrit. Each mark represents a Decorating the face and body with colorful paints is a univer- religion. The sacred forehead dot
duty and enlightenment. The forth by God through enlightened sages, or rishis. This divine tiriya Upanishad 1.11.1). “United particular sect or denomination sal human practice, often a cultural rite expressing one’s tribe, is an easy way of distinguishing
Vedas are the meditative and transmission is depicted here as Lord Siva bestows the four your resolve, united your hearts, of our vast religion. We have four beliefs and identity. The forehead dot shows that one is proud Hindus from Muslims. And don’t
philosophical focus for millions of books of the Veda to four rishis. The sacred knowledge, passed may your spirits be one, that major sects: Saivism, Vaishnavism, to be a Hindu and bespeaks mystical seeing beyond the five be intimidated when people ask
monks and a billion seekers. Their orally for most of history, was finally scribed in Sanskrit on you may long together dwell in Shaktism and Smartism. Vaishna- senses. Here, in a simple, daily act, a woman obligingly applies you what the dot means. Now you
stanzas are chanted from memory palm leaves to share and preserve it. unity and concord!” (Rig Veda va Hindus, for example, wear a v- a red bindi to her sister’s forehead. have lots of information to give a
by priests and laymen daily as lit- 10.191.4). “There, where there is shaped tilaka made of white clay. good answer, which will probably
urgy in temple worship and domestic ritual. All Hindus whole- no darkness, nor night, nor day, nor being, nor nonbeing, there is Elaborate tilakas are worn by Hindus mainly at religious events, lead to more questions about your venerable religion.
heartedly accept the Vedas, yet each draws selectively, interprets the Auspicious One, alone, absolute and eternal. There is the glo- though many wear the simple bindi, indicating they are Hindu, For both boys and girls, men and women, the dot can be small
freely and amplifies abundantly. Over time, this tolerant alle- rious splendor of that Light from whom in the beginning sprang even in the general public. By these marks we know what a or large depending on the circumstance, but should always be
giance has woven the varied tapestry of Indian Hindu Dharma. ancient wisdom” (Shvetashvatara Upanishad 4.18). “Taking as a person believes, and therefore know how to begin conversations. there when appropriate. Naturally, we don’t want to flaunt our
Each of the four Vedas has four sections: Samhitas (hymn col- bow the great weapon of the Upanishad, one should put upon it For Hindu women, the forehead dot is also a beauty mark, not religion in the face of others. We observe that many Christian
lections), Brahmanas (priestly manuals), Aranyakas (forest treatis- an arrow sharpened by meditation. Stretching it with a thought unlike the black mark European and American women once men and women take off or conceal their crosses in the corpo-
es) and Upanishads (enlightened discourses). The Samhitas and directed to the essence of That, penetrate that Imperishable as wore on the cheek. The red bindi is generally a sign of mar- rate business world. Some communities and institutions disallow
Brahmanas affirm that God is immanent and transcendent and the mark, my friend” (Mundaka Upanishad 2.2.3). riage. A black bindi is often worn before marriage to ward off wearing religious symbols entirely.

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay IX X h i n d u i s m t o day a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
9 10
Are the Gods of Hinduism really married? What about caste and untouchability?
It is true that God is often depicted with a spouse in our Caste is the hereditary division of Indian society based on
traditional stories. However, on a deeper philosophical occupation. The lowest class, deemed untouchables, suffer from
level, the Supreme Being and the Gods are neither male discrimination and mistreatment. It is illegal in India to dis-
nor female and are therefore not married. criminate against, abuse or insult anyone on the basis of caste.

n popular, village hindu- currents, ida and pingala, into aste, from the portu- societies. It has sustained a con-
ism God is represented as the spiritual current, sushumna, guese casta, meaning “clan” tinuity of culture and religion for
male, and God’s energy, or in the center of the spine within or “lineage,” refers to two thousands of years. Europe, on
Shakti, is personified as His each individual. systems within Hindu soci- the other hand, has seen millen-
spouse—for example, Vishnu and Hindus know that the Gods ety. The first is varna, the division niums of upheaval. Still, one only
Lakshmi. In Hindu temples, art do not marry, that they are com- of society into four groups: work- has to go back to before the 17th-
and mythology, God is every- plete within themselves. This ers, business people, lawmakers/ century industrial revolution to
where seen as the beloved, divine unity is depicted in the tradi- law enforcers and priests. The find a social system that is simi-
couple. Philosophically, however, tional icon of Ardhanarishvara, second is jati, the thousands of lar to caste. European society
the caution is always made that Siva as half man and half wom- occupational guilds whose mem- then comprised the landed elite
God and God’s energy are One, an, and in the teaching that Siva bers follow a single profession. Jati (including royalty, a hereditary
and the metaphor of the insepa- and Shakti are one, that Shakti members usually marry within caste maintained to this day),
rable divine couple serves only to is Siva’s energy. Siva is dearly their own jati and follow tradi- merchants, artisans and peas-
illustrate this Oneness. loved as our Father-Mother God. tions associated with their jati. In ants. The artisans formed guilds,
Hinduism is taught on many Yet, sexual gender and matrimo- urban areas they often enter oth- occupation-based organizations
levels to many different people, nial relations are of the physical er occupations, but still usually that served both as closed unions
and to uneducated people who and emotional realms, whereas arrange marriages within the jati. and marketing monopolies. The
are not able to understand high the Gods exist in a stratum that Wealth, especially in urban guild legacy remains in Western
philosophy, Hinduism is taught in far supersedes these levels of life. areas, often trumps caste. Indus- surnames such as Smith, a metal
story form. Because the temple is For that matter, the soul itself is trialization and education have worker. There was no public edu-
the center of every Hindu com- neither male nor female. greatly altered India’s jati system cation system, and each genera-
munity, and everyone is focused Some modern swamis now by eliminating or changing the tion learned at home the family
on the temple and the Gods urge devotees not to pay any at- professions upon which it was occupation. There was little tech-
within it, the Gods are the major tention to Puranic stories about originally based, and opening nological change, so jobs were
players in these stories. Hindus the Gods, saying that they have new employment options. The static. Industrialization and pub-
who understand the higher phi- no relationship with the world jatis are evolving to function to- lic education altered (but did not
losophy seek to find God on the today—that they are misleading day less like guilds and more like destroy) this class system in the
inside while also worshiping God and confusing and should no lon- large clans of related families. West, just as they are changing
in the temples. Simple folk strive ger be taught to the children. In- At the bottom are the so-called caste and jati in India today.
to be like a God, or like a God- stead, they encourage followers untouchables, who perform the Second issue: racial/class dis-
dess. These tales, called Puranas, to deepen themselves with the dirtiest jobs and have suffered crimination. Most Indians are
have long been the basis of dance, Through history Hindus have depicted God as Ardhanarish- higher philosophies of the Vedic much like the black people of Representatives of the four castes, or varnas, are shown here unfamiliar with the extent of dis-
plays and storytelling around the vara, which literally means “half-female Lord”—Siva as male Upanishads and the realizations America, who were freed from surrounding Lord Ganesha. They are: worker, businessman, crimination in the West today. In
fire in the homes to children as on the right and female on the left. This vision of the Divine as of Hindu seers. slavery just 138 years ago. Strong general and priest. These are natural divisions which appear America, for example, hundreds
they are growing up. The stories our Mother-Father God supersedes the popular, mythological Other faiths sometimes criti- laws have been passed in India in all nations and societies as shown by the universal existence, of thousands live destitute and
illustrate how a family should notion of marriage of a God and Goddess, declaring that God cize the Hindu religion as a sort to end caste-based discrimination. in some form, of labor unions, businessmen’s associations, homeless on city streets, as true
live, how they should raise their and His energy are one. of comic-book religion, and we Modern Hindus rightly deplore armies and police forces, and religious ministers. “untouchables.” US cities are more
children, and much more. Before should not be part of perpetuat- caste abuse and are working to racially segregated than before
the printing press, there were few books, and Hinduism was ing that image by passing on such misconceptions as the mar- set matters right. Just as in the US, it is a difficult task that will the 1950s Civil Rights Movement because of “white flight” to the
conveyed orally through stories and parables. While these often riage of the Gods. Other religions move and adjust with the times. take decades, especially in the villages. suburbs. Black Americans receive harsher sentences than white
violent children’s tales should not be perpetuated, there remains Hinduism must also do so. It must offer answers to the questions Elaboration: Caste is, no doubt, the biggest stick that Hindus get Americans for the same crime. Many Native American Indians
much of value in the extensive writings of the Puranas. about God, soul and world—answers that are reasonable, that beaten with. It is taught as the defining attribute, or fatal flaw, of live at the bottom of society, destitute and alcoholic, on barren
Elaboration: Those who learn the higher Hindu philosophies can be understood and accepted even by a child, that are coher- Hinduism in Western schools. Untouchability as a formal system Indian reservations. This kind of response—we can call it the
know that Gods are neither male nor female. In fact, attaining ent, sensible and strictly in accord with scripture and tradition. shocks Westerners. One response we can make is to separate so- “You’re one, too” defense—doesn’t mean Hindus should not work
to that Godly level of being is one of the mystical goals of yoga. This is necessary in the technological age, necessary in order cial stratification from the issue of racial/class discrimination. much harder to end caste discrimination. But it reminds others
This is accomplished by blending the feminine and masculine that Hinduism will be a religion of the future, not of the past. First issue: social stratification. India is one of the world’s oldest that no country in the world is yet free from racial discrimination.

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay XI XII h i n d u i s m t o day a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
 PART 2 Yama 3 Yama 4
Ç—™‰æ Uphold the virtue of nonsteal-
∏˘“˜òæ@ Practice divine conduct,

Hinduism’s Code of Conduct

ing, neither thieving, covet- controlling lust by remain-
ing nor failing to repay debt. ing celibate when single and
Control your desires and faithful in marriage. Before
live within your means. Do marriage, use vital energies in
Twenty keys for spiritual living in contemporary times not use borrowed resources
for unintended purposes
study, and after marriage in
creating family success. Don’t
or keep them past due. waste the sacred force by
Do not gamble or defraud promiscuity in thought, word
others. Do not renege on or deed. Be restrained with
ow often do you see a professional team of people ed aims of everyone in society, and assumed to be fully intact for promises. Do not use others’ the opposite sex. Seek holy
misbehave on the job? You’re on a flight from San Fran- anyone seeking life’s highest aim in the pursuit called yoga. Sage names, words, resources or company. Dress and speak
cisco to Singapore. Do the flight attendants bicker in the Patanjali (ca 200 bce), raja yoga’s foremost propounder, told us, rights without permission modestly. Shun pornography,
aisle? Of course not. People at this level of business have “These yamas are not limited by class, country, time (past, present and acknowledgement. sexual humor and violence.
control of their minds and emotions. If they or future) or situation. Hence they are called the
didn’t, they would soon be replaced. When they are universal great vows.” Yogic scholar Swami Brahm- Nonstealing, Asteya Divine Conduct, Brahmacharya
on the job, at least, they follow a code of conduct ananda Saraswati revealed the inner science of
spelled out in detail by the corporation. It’s not un- yama and niyama. They are the means, he said,
like the moral code of any religion, outlining sound to control the vitarkas, the cruel mental waves or
ethics for respect and harmony among humans. thoughts, that when acted upon result in injury to
Yama 5 Yama 6
Those seeking to be successful in life strive to ful-
fill a moral code whether “on the job” or off. Does
others, untruthfulness, hoarding, discontent, indo-
lence or selfishness. He stated, “For each vitarka
’ºŸ Exercise patience, restrain- ∞‡⁄™ Foster steadfastness, over-
Hinduism and its scriptures on yoga have such a you have, you can create its opposite through yama ing intolerance with people coming nonperseverance,
code? Yes: twenty ethical guidelines called yamas and niyama, and make your life successful.” and impatience with cir- fear, indecision and change-
and niyamas, “restraints and observances.” These The following paragraphs, with accompanying cumstances. Be agreeable. ableness. Achieve your goals
“do’s” and “don’ts” are found in the 6,000 to 8,000- illustrations by A. Manivel of Chennai, elucidate Let others behave accord- with a prayer, purpose, plan,
year-old Vedas, mankind’s oldest body of scripture, the yamas and niyamas. Presented first are the ten ing to their nature, without persistence and push. Be
and in other holy texts expounding the path of yoga. yamas, the do not’s, which harness the instinctive adjusting to you. Don’t argue, firm in your decisions. Avoid
The yamas and niyamas are a common-sense nature, with its governing impulses of fear, anger, dominate conversations or sloth and procrastination.
code recorded in the final section of the Vedas, called Upani- jealousy, selfishness, greed and lust. Second are illustrated the interrupt others. Don’t be in Develop willpower, cour-
shads, namely the Shandilya and the Varuha. They are also ten niyamas, the do’s, the religious observances that cultivate a hurry. Be patient with chil- age and industriousness.
found in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika by Gorakshanatha, the Tiru- and bring forth the refined soul qualities, lifting awareness into dren and the elderly. Mini- Overcome obstacles. Never
mantiram of Tirumular and in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. The the consciousness of the higher chakras of love, compassion, self- mize stress by keeping wor- carp or complain. Do not let
yamas and niyamas have been preserved through the centuries lessness, intelligence and bliss. Together the yamas and niyamas ries at bay. Remain poised opposition or fear of failure
as the foundation, the first and second stage, of the eight-staged provide the foundation to support our yoga practice so that at- in good times and bad. result in changing strategies.
practice of yoga. Yet, they are fundamental to all beings, expect- tainments in higher consciousness can be sustained.
Patience, Kshama Steadfastness, Dhriti
THE 10 VEDIC RESTRAINTS, YAMA æº
Yama 7 Yama 8
Ç⁄“Ä–Ÿ Yama 1
–´æ Yama 2 ÆæŸ Practice compassion, con-
ÇŸú@∆ Maintain honesty, renounc-
Practice noninjury, not harm- Adhere to truthfulness,
quering callous, cruel and ing deception and wrongdo-
ing others by thought, word refraining from lying and
insensitive feelings toward all ing. Act honorably even in
or deed, even in your dreams. betraying promises. Speak
beings. See God everywhere. hard times. Obey the laws
Live a kindly life, revering only that which is true, kind,
Be kind to people, animals, of your nation and locale.
all beings as expressions of helpful and necessary. Know-
plants and the Earth itself. Pay your taxes. Be straight-
the One Divine energy. Let ing that deception creates
Forgive those who apolo- forward in business. Do an
go of fear and insecurity, the distance, don’t keep secrets
gize and show true remorse. honest day’s work. Do not
sources of abuse. Knowing from family or loved ones.
Foster sympathy for others’ bribe or accept bribes. Do
that harm caused to others Be fair, accurate and frank
needs and suffering. Honor not cheat, deceive or circum-
unfailingly returns to oneself, in discussions, a stranger to
and assist those who are vent to achieve an end. Be
live peacefully with God’s deceit. Admit your failings. Do
weak, impoverished, aged frank with yourself. Face
creation. Never be a source not engage in slander, gossip
or in pain. Oppose family and accept your faults with-
of dread, pain or injury. or backbiting. Do not bear
abuse and other cruelties. out blaming them on others.
Follow a vegetarian diet. false witness against another.
Compassion, Daya Honesty, Arjava
Noninjury, Ahimsa Truthfulness, Satya

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay XIII XIV h i n d u i s m t o day a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4

 Yama 9 Yama 10 Ñ@Õ∆¿¥›ú≤ Niyama 5 ⁄–ØÛŸ≥™Ã˘∆® Niyama 6
⁄º™Ÿ“Ÿ¿ Be moderate in appetite,
–Êò Uphold the ethic of purity, Cultivate devotion through Eagerly hear the scriptures,
neither eating too much avoiding impurity in mind, daily worship and medita- study the teachings and
nor consuming meat, fish, body and speech. Maintain tion. Set aside one room of listen to the wise of your
shellfish, fowl or eggs. Enjoy a clean, healthy body. Keep your home as God’s shrine. lineage. Choose a guru, fol-
fresh, wholesome vegetarian a pure, uncluttered home Offer fruit, flowers or food low his path and don’t waste
foods that vitalize the body. and workplace. Act virtu- daily. Learn a simple puja time exploring other ways.
Avoid junk food. Drink in ously. Keep good company, and the chants. Meditate after Read, study and, above all,
moderation. Eat at regular never mixing with adulter- each puja. Visit your shrine listen to readings and dis-
times, only when hungry, ers, thieves or other impure before and after leaving the sertations by which wisdom
at a moderate pace, never people. Keep away from house. Worship in heartfelt flows from knower to seeker.
between meals, in a dis- pornography and violence. devotion, clearing the inner Avoid secondary texts that
turbed atmosphere or when Never use harsh, angered or channels to God, Gods and preach violence. Revere and
upset. Follow a simple diet, indecent language. Worship guru so their grace flows study the revealed scriptures,
avoiding rich or fancy fare. devoutly. Meditate daily. toward you and loved ones. the Vedas and Agamas.

Moderate Appetite, Mitahara Purity, Saucha Worship, Ishvara-Pujana Scriptural Listening, Siddhanta Shravana

THE 10 VED IC PRACTICES, NIYAMA ⁄≤æº Niyama 7 Niyama 8

º⁄™ Develop a spiritual will and
∆˘™ Embrace religious vows, rules
intellect with your satguru’s and observances and never
Niyama 1 Niyama 2
⁄„ Allow yourself the expres- –≥™ËŒ Nurture contentment,
guidance. Strive for knowl-
edge of God, to awaken the
waver in fulfilling them.
Honor vows as spiritual con-
sion of remorse, being mod- seeking joy and serenity light within. Discover the tracts with your soul, your
est and showing shame for in life. Be happy, smile hidden lesson in each experi- community, with God, Gods
misdeeds. Recognize your and uplift others. Live ence to develop a profound and guru. Take vows to har-
errors, confess and make in constant gratitude for understanding of life and ness the instinctive nature.
amends. Sincerely apologize your health, your friends yourself. Through medita- Fast periodically. Pilgrimage
to those hurt by your words and your belongings, Don’t tion, cultivate intuition by yearly. Uphold your vows
or deeds. Resolve all conten- complain about what you listening to the still, small strictly, be they marriage,
tion before sleep. Seek out don’t possess. Identify with voice within, by understand- monasticism, nonaddiction,
and correct your faults and the eternal You, rather than ing the subtle sciences, inner tithing, loyalty to a lineage,
bad habits. Welcome cor- mind, body or emotions. worlds and mystical texts. vegetarianism or nonsmoking.
rection as a means to better- Keep the mountaintop view
ing yourself. Do not boast. that life is an opportunity Cognition, Mati Sacred Vows, Vrata
Shun pride and pretension. for spiritual progress.

Remorse, Hri Contentment, Santosha

Niyama 9 Niyama 10
ú¥ Chant your holy mantra daily,
™¥–Î Practice austerity, serious
Niyama 3 Niyama 4
ÆŸ≤ Be generous to a fault, giving
ÇŸ⁄—™èæ Cultivate an unshakable
reciting the sacred sound,
word or phrase given by
disciplines, penance and sac-
rifice. Be ardent in worship,
liberally without thought of faith. Believe firmly in God, your guru. Bathe first, quiet meditation and pilgrimage.
reward. Tithe, offering one- Gods, guru and your path the mind and concentrate Atone for misdeeds through
tenth of your gross income to enlightenment. Trust in fully to let japa harmonize, penance (prayashchitta),
(dashamamsha), as God’s the words of the masters, purify and uplift you. Heed such as 108 prostrations or
money, to temples, ashrams the scriptures and tradi- your instructions and chant fasting. Perform self-denial,
and spiritual organizations. tions. Practice devotion the prescribed repetitions giving up cherished posses-
Approach the temple with and sadhana to inspire without fail. Live free of sions, money or time. Fulfill
offerings. Visit gurus with gifts experiences that build anger so that japa strength- severe austerities at special
in hand. Donate religious lit- advanced faith. Be loyal to ens your higher nature. Let times, under a satguru’s
erature. Feed and give to those your lineage, one with your japa quell emotions and guidance, to ignite the inner
in need. Bestow your time satguru. Shun those who quiet the rivers of thought. fires of self-transformation.
and talents without seeking try to break your faith by
praise. Treat guests as God. argument and accusation. Recitation, Japa Austerity, Tapas

Giving, Dana Faith, Astikya

For the full elucidation of the yamas and niyamas, see Yoga’s
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay XV XVI h i n d u i s m t o day a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
Forgotten Foundation, available at www.himalayanacademy.com/books.
 E D U C AT I O N
One noble soul takes
on the public school
system and wins a
Vedic victory
f you think the art of yoga is
only for trendy health enthusiasts or
reclusive sages—and no one in be-
tween—Tara Guber would like to have a
word with you about Yoga Ed., her program
for training schoolteachers to bring yoga to
toddlers and teens in US public schools.
Before Tara married Peter Guber, one of
America’s most successful movie producers,
she taught grammar school in New York City.
As a teacher, she was struck by the commu-
nication gap that existed between teachers
and students. It bothered her. “Wouldn’t
it be nice,” she mulled, “if the education
system could be improved?” Little did she
know then that yoga would eventually pres-
ent her with a way to do just that.
Tara first attended yoga classes back in
the 1970s with her husband, who had been
advised that hatha yoga might help him
with a back problem. It did. At first, Tara
was just tagging along for moral support.
Soon, however, she became infatuated with
the ancient Hindu practice and embraced it
fully. In fact, she was so inspired by it, she
decided to revisit the domain of child edu-
cation with some new ideas about teaching.
The rest is history.
In addition to founding Yoga Ed., Tara has
established Yoga House, a teaching center
that regularly features some of the country’s
finest yoga instructors. She also participated
in setting up The Accelerated School (TAS)
in South Central Los Angeles where Yoga
Ed. is a featured system of training. She
now serves on the board of directors at TAS
and has co-founded a nonprofit organization
called Education First. For years she has
been highly praised and profiled in a num-
ber of publications including The Los Ange-
les Times, The New York Times, Time maga-
courtesy tara guber
zine and Yoga Journal. When she visited
the offices of Hinduism Today at Kauai’s
Hindu Monastery in Hawaii in September
Tara Guber: of 2003, she shared a little of her dynamism
Founder of Yoga Ed and inspiration with our editorial staff.
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay
courtesy tara guber
On the job: Tara works with a flexible young student at The Accelerated School in LA
You are so dynamic in your work with Yoga
Ed. What drives you? First of all, I really love
this work. I feel it is in line with my destiny.
The great thing about being in line with
destiny is that passion fuels the fire. There
is great inspiration. I feel that, in the big-
ger picture, what I really came here to do
is to help solve the nation’s education crisis.
How can this be accomplished through
teaching yoga? Yoga is a big part of my life,
personally. I’ve learned from my own ex-
perience what a powerful tool it is. I have
learned from yoga that we can go within,
shift consciousness and alter beliefs. If we
can get even a little of this kind of teach-
ing into the minds of our young people, all
kinds of other problems will be also solved
53 54 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
in the process. It’s all about consciousness,
which is fundamental to everything. I am
very familiar with the weaknesses of public
education. Believe me, yoga is just the thing
that is needed.
When did you catch the idea that yoga could
be such a panacea? When I started teach-
ing in Brooklyn, I was a much different sort
of person. New York was different then, too.
There was a different consciousness. Back
then I would tell the students, “Listen! You
sit down and be quiet.” Now I have more
compassion. I realize that there could be so
many problems that are not readily appar-
ent—like Attention Deficit Disorder. Usually,
kids don’t want to do and say the things they
do. They just can’t help it. They can’t con-
centrate, they can’t focus and they can’t sit
still. Compassion is needed. The first lesson
I learned from yoga was about compassion.
Through compassion, we can see that each
child is unique and has to be treated dif-
ferently. Back then, when I was teaching, I
did not see this. Now I do. The difference
between then and now is yoga.
So far you have talked about teaching the
students. What about teaching the teachers?
The teachers have to be taught first, before
the students. So my first commitment is to
teaching the teachers the principles and ide-
als of yoga for the eventual benefit of the
students. I got inspired about this because
of what yoga did for me. That’s how this
commitment to putting yoga into the school
system got established in the back of mind
years ago—because of my own experience.
We teach our teachers to practice yoga so
that they can find a place inside themselves
from which they can convey the full impact
of yoga through experience.
Give us some examples of the “tools” the
teachers learn to use in class. Color is a
great tool. We have a song we sing about col-
or. The lyrics go from red to orange to yellow
to green, singing the meanings of the colors
along the way. “Blue. I tell the truth. Indigo-
intelligent. Violet. I understand.” And on it
goes like that.
Also during class, when negative situa-
tions occasionally come up, we take the
opportunity to teach yoga in action. For
example, one kid will come to school in a
bad mood and say or do something nega-
tive. We will ask him, “What’s happening,
Eric?” He won’t say anything, but we will
ask him again. Finally he says, “Well, there
was so much going on in my house last night
I could not sleep.” So the whole class learns
that Eric didn’t come to school to cause
trouble just for the fun of it. He was just
exhausted and did not feel good. The class
learns that there is always a “bigger picture.”
Isn’t wisdom a wonderful thing?
We also have something called “time in.”
If a child is disruptive, we allow him to prac-
tice “time in.” During this practice, he goes
into a separate room and sits in silence. He
can return to class and join the group when
he feels he is ready. We make it his choice,
not ours. He decides to create a problem,
and he decides to solve it.
What were some of the more rewarding mo-
ments during the implementation of this
program? As we developed Yoga Ed. and
used it more and more, we noticed how the
kids were changing and how their relation-
ships were greatly improving. They were be-
coming more aware of what they said and
how they said it. They began to speak dif-
ferently with each other. They were start-
 ing to understand consciousness. Also, they would begin, I would mention Yoga Ed. and What would be an example of a problem you PHILOSOPHY
were starting to use yoga and meditation explain the concept of using yoga in teach- faced as you worked to get Yoga Ed. into the
techniques in practical ways to prepare for ing kids. One evening, this woman jumps up, schools? I have a ranch in Aspen. So I am

Master Your Destiny!

making speeches or taking tests, or to be-
come calm when they were nervous. They
were learning that they had control over
their lives and that yoga could bring secu-
rity. This was all wonderful to see.
When you were faced with obstacles in get-
ting yoga into the school system, did you ever
feel like just giving up? There were difficul-
ties, especially in the beginning. My friends
kept telling me, “Boy, you are really sticking
with this.” It’s true. I was. I may have felt
like giving up, but I never did. However, I
must say that anything worthwhile—es-
pecially something like this that’s out on
courtesy tara guber
runs over to me says, “I’m on the Board of
Education, I’m going to help you put yoga
connected to that community. They asked
me to put Yoga Ed. into the Aspen school
system and I was so pleased. Yet before I
knew it, I was face to face with fundamental-
ist Baptists and the Aspen Board of Educa-
tion. I was just appalled. Basically, they told
me they didn’t want anybody else teaching
their children anything pertaining to reli-
Shri Chandrashekara Bharati explores the riddle you must now exercise your free
will with redoubled vigor and
gion or meditation. They wanted to be the
only ones to teach their children anything
of fate and free will, exhorting us to be proactive persistence to achieve your object.
Tell yourself that, inasmuch as
of this sort. They had already nit-picked our the seeming obstacle is of your
curriculum and produced a book about it His Holiness Sri Chandrashekara Bharati D: But the exercise of free will, however own making, it is certainly within
which was two inches thick. Mahaswami, 1892-1954, was the Sanka- well directed, very often fails to secure the your competence to overcome it.
They wanted us to take out every single racharya of Sringeri Peetha for 42 years. desired result, as fate steps in and nullifies If you do not succeed even after
word that was even vaguely religious or spir- He was a learned and articulate expositor the action of free will. this renewed effort, there can

the edge—takes time to accomplish, espe-
cially when it has to go through the school
system. When The Accelerated School
became Time magazine’s School of the
Year, we knew we were on the right track.
How did you sell such an innovative, yoga-
based, teaching program to the notoriously
conservative public school system. A lot of
people have tried to do this and failed. I got
into the Los Angeles Unified School Dis-
trict through friends. This is the real truth.
Here is an example of how it would work. At
Yoga House we feature famous people like
Krishna Das and Sharon Salzburg. Dur-
ing their evening presentations before they
Try this at home: Limber young students
excell in Yoga Ed. hatha yoga classes
and meditation into the Public Schools of
L.A.” Later, another man from the Board
comes forward. He is the son of someone
who worked with my husband. These two
people are helping me tremendously, even
now. And there are others. This is the way
that it goes.
What’s the Program?
itual. But we didn’t take out the word yoga.
They wanted us to name it “stretching and
bending and pulling” or something like that.
That was the last of it for me. I said, “No,
the word yoga holds thousands of years of
teachings.” I told them I would be happy to
take out any other word, but not yoga. So
in three days, we did indeed take out every
word but yoga. Samadhi was replaced with
“oneness.” Meditation was replaced with
“time in.” On it went like that. It was on the
front page of the local newspapers. But you
know, when we actually started implement-
ing our program, we found that many people
were desperate to find somebody who would
teach their kids yoga. ∏π
of the Advaita Vedanta philosophy of the
Smarta denomination of Hinduism. We
share with you some of his trenchant in-
sights into the mysteries of free will and
fate, excerpted from dialogs with a disciple.
Devotee (D): One doubt repeatedly
comes up during my Vedanta studies, and
that is the problem of the eternal conflict
between fate and free will.
His Holiness (HH): A conflict arises only
if there are two things. As a follower of our
Sanatana Dharma, you must know that fate
is nothing extraneous to yourself, but only
the sum total of the results of your past
actions. As God is but the dispenser of the
fruits of actions, fate, those fruits are not
his creation, only yours. Free will is what
you exercise when you act now. Fate is past
HH: You are again ignoring our definition
of fate. It is not an extraneous new thing
which steps in to nullify your free will. On
the other hand, it is already in yourself.
D: It may be so, but its existence is felt
only when it comes into conflict with free
will. How can we possibly wipe out the
past record when we do not know or have
the means of knowing what it is?
HH: Except to a few highly advanced
souls, the past remains unknown. But our
ignorance of it is advantageous. If we knew
all the accumulated results of this and our
past lives, we would be so shocked as to
give up in despair any attempt to overcome
or mitigate them. Forgetfulness is a boon
bestowed by the merciful God. Similarly,
the divine spark in us is ever bright with
hope and makes it possible for us to confi-
be absolutely no justification for
despair, for fate being but a crea-
ture of your free will can never
be stronger than your free will.
Your failure only means that your
present exercise of free will is not
sufficient to counteract the result
of the past exercise of it. There is
no question of a relative propor-
tion between fate and free will as
distinct factors in life. The rela-
tive proportion is only between
the intensity of our past action
and the intensity of our present
action.
D: But even so, the relative
intensity can be realized only at
the end of our present effort in a
particular direction.

karma; free will is present karma. Both are
really one, that is, karma, though they may
oga ed. is a 36-week, yoga study course created for the us public school differ in the matter of time. There can be
system. Easily accessible to children from ages five through seventeen, it combines no conflict when they are really one.
fundamental yoga techniques such as breath control, hatha yoga (physical postures) D: But the difference in time is a vital dif-
and meditation into simple 15-minute classroom-friendly sequences that just about ference which we cannot overlook.
anyone can do. The aim of the program is to help kids be better students in class. However, HH: I do not want you to overlook it, but
before students can learn these yoga practices, their teachers must be taught. For this, Tara only to study it more deeply. The present
has developed Yoga Ed. Tools for Teachers. is before you and, by the exercise of free
Tools for Teachers is a division of Yoga Ed. in which participating teachers are taught to will, you can attempt to shape it. The past
follow a teacher’s manual, developed by Tara and Leah Kalish, that provides all necessary is past and is therefore beyond your vision
instructions and information for creatively teaching yoga to children in a classroom environ- and is rightly called adrishta, the unseen.
ment. These teachers are also required to attend classes at local yoga studios (where they How do you expect to find a solution to
are offered special teacher’s discounts). In developing this program, it was Tara’s ambitious the problem of fate and free will when the
hope that by learning the actual practice of yoga, and not just the theory of it, teachers former by its very nature is unseen! It is
would undergo some degree of personal transformation that would enable them to convey, profitless to embark on the enquiry as to
primarily through example, the deeper and more meaningful experience of yoga to their the relative strength of fate and free will.
students in class. So far, her plan seems to be working. At The Accelerated School (TAS) D: Does your Holiness then mean to say
where Yoga Ed. was first implemented, test scores have improved, aggression among stu- that we must resign ourselves to fate?
dents has greatly reduced, and kids are even meditating and practicing yoga on their own. HH: Certainly not. On the other hand,
Time magazine named TAS the 2001 Elementary School of the Year and said it was one of you must devote yourself to free will. By
the nation’s “most accomplished K-12 institutions”… for having “found the most promising exercising your free will in the past, you
courtesy tara guber
dently exercise our free will.
D: All the same, it cannot be denied that
fate very often does present a formidable
obstacle in the way of such exercise.
HH: It is not quite correct to say that fate
places obstacles in the way of free will. By
seeming to oppose our efforts, it tells us
the extent that free will is necessary now
to bear fruit. Ordinarily, to secure a single
benefit, a particular activity is prescribed;
but we do not know how intensively or
how repeatedly to pursue or persist in that
activity. If we do not at first succeed, we
can deduce that in the past we exercised
our free will in the opposite direction, that
the result of that past activity must first be
eliminated and that our present effort must
be proportionate to that past activity. The
obstacle which fate seems to offer is just
our gauge to guide our present activities.
At the start, do not be obsessed at all
with the idea that there will be any ob-
c o u r t e s y o f tat t va l o k a m a g a z i n e
HH: It is always so in the case of
anything which is adrishta or un-
seen. For example, the length of
a nail embedded in a varnished
pillar and the composition of the
wood are unseen, or adrishta, so
far as you are concerned. The
number and intensity of the pulls
needed to take out the nail de-
pend upon the number and inten-
sity of the strokes which drove it
in. Do we stop from pulling out
the nail simply because we are
ignorant of its length or of the
number and intensity of the strokes which
drove it in? Or, do we persist in pulling it
out by increasing our effort?
D: Certainly, as practical men we adopt
the latter course.
HH: Adopt the same course in every ef-
fort of yours. Exert yourself as much as you
can. Your will must succeed in the end.

Time In: A student takes a moment to chill
approaches to the most pressing challenges in education.” brought on the resultant fate. By exercising stacles. Start with boundless hope and with D: But there certainly are many things
Yoga Ed. and Tools for Teachers has been successfully implemented into the public school your free will in the present, I want you to the presumption that there is nothing in which are impossible to attain even after
system primarily because it is uncomplicated and does not cost a lot of money. Those who wipe out your past record if it hurts you, or the way of your exercising the free will. If the utmost exertion.
have completed the Tools for Teachers program are certified yoga instructors who are quali- to add to it if you find it enjoyable. In any you do not succeed, tell yourself that there HH: There you are mistaken. There is
fied to establish yoga classes in public schools wherever they are in the country. For more case, whether to acquire more happiness or has been in the past a counterinfluence nothing which is really unattainable. A
information on Yoga Ed. and The Accelerated School go to http://www.accelerated.org/ or to reduce misery, you have to exercise your brought on by yourself by exercising your thing, however, may be unattainable to us
http://www.yogaed.com/. free will in the present. free will in the other direction. Therefore, at the particular stage at which we are, or

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 55 56 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e 2 0 0 4

His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Chandrashekara Bharati Mahaswami, mystic, poet and seer
with the qualifications that we possess. Its
attainability is not absolute but is relative
and proportionate to our capacity.
D: The success or failure of an effort can
be known definitely only at the end. How
are we then to know beforehand whether
with our present capacity we may or may
not exert ourselves to attain a particular
object, and whether it is the right kind of
exertion for the attainment of that object?
HH: Your question is certainly a perti-
nent one. The whole aim of our Dharma
Shastras is to give a detailed answer to
your question. Religion leaves man quite
free to act, but tells him at the same time
what is good for him and what is not. He
cannot escape responsibility by blaming
fate, for fate is of his own making, nor by
blaming God, for He is but the dispenser
of fruits in accordance with the merits of
actions. You are the master of your own
destiny. It is for you to make it, to better it
or to mar it. This is your privilege. This is
your responsibility.
D: But often it so happens that I am
not really master of myself. I know, for
instance, quite well that a particular act
is wrong; at the same time, I feel impelled
to do it. Similarly, I know that another act
is right; at the same time, however, I feel
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
powerless to do it. It seems that there is
some power which is able to control or defy
my free will. So long as that power is po-
tent, how can I be called the master of my
own destiny? What is that power but fate?
HH: Fate is a thing quite different from
the other one which you call a power. At
first a man steals with great effort and
fear; the next time both his effort and fear
are less. As opportunities increase, stealing
becomes habitual, requiring no effort at all,
done even when there is no necessity. This
tendency goes by the name vasana. The
power which makes you act as if against
your will is only the vasana of your own
making. This is not fate. The punishment
or reward, in the shape of pain or pleasure,
which is the inevitable consequence of an
act, good or bad, is alone the province of
fate or destiny.
The vasana which the doing of an act
leaves behind in the mind in the shape of
a taste, a greater facility or a greater ten-
dency for doing the same act once again,
is quite a different thing. The punishment
or the reward of a past act is, in ordinary
circumstances, unavoidable, if there is no
counter-effort; but the vasana can be easily
handled if only we exercise our free will
correctly.
D: But the number of vasanas or tenden-
cies that rule our hearts is endless. How
can we possibly control them?
HH: A vasana seeks expression in out-
ward acts. This essential characteristic is
common to all vasanas, good and bad. The
stream of vasanas, the vasana sarit, as it
is called, has two currents, the good and
the bad. If you try to dam up the entire
stream, there may be danger. The shastras,
therefore, do not ask you to attempt that.
They ask you to be led by the good vasana
current and to resist being led away by the
bad vasana current. When you know that a
particular vasana is rising up in your mind,
you cannot possibly say that you are at its
mercy. The responsibility to encourage it or
not is entirely yours.
The Shastras enunciate what vasanas are
good and have to be encouraged and what
vasanas have to be overcome. When, by
dint of practice, you have made all your
vasanas good and practically eliminated
the charge of any bad vasanas leading you
astray, the shastras teach you how to free
your free will even from the need of being
led by good vasanas. You will gradually be
led on to a stage when your free will be en-
tirely free from any sort of coloring due to
any vasanas. At that stage, your mind will
be pure as crystal and all motive for partic-
ular action will cease to be. Freedom from
the results of particular actions is an inevi-
table consequence. Both fate and vasana
disappear. There is freedom for ever more
and that freedom is called moksha. ∏π
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
H I S TORY
Ralph Waldo Emerson and the
America’s earliest mysticism was strongly influenced by Hindu thought
rime and punishment grow out
of the one stem,” wrote Ralph Waldo
Emerson in his essay, Compensa-
tion. “Punishment is a fruit that un-
suspected ripens within the flower of the
pleasure which concealed it. Cause and
effect, means and ends, seed and
fruit, cannot be severed, for the
effect already blooms in the cause,
the end pre-exists in the means, the
fruit in the seed.”
Compensation was Emerson’s
inter pretation of the Hindu law
of karma. Long before his fellow
countrymen even knew Hinduism
existed, he was studying and ab-
sorbing the wisdom of the Vedas
and Upanishads, The Laws of
Manu, The Mahabharata and
Ramayana. Today Emerson is
honored as one of America’s most
influential and original thinkers.
Yet few realize how extensively his
work was suffused with Oriental
philosophy—especially Hinduism.
Long before Swami Vivekananda’s
famed sojourn to North America,
Emerson was subtly weaving
Hindu thought into the fabric of his
scholarly writing as if it were his
own. In the minds of the Western
intelligentsia, he ploughed fertile
fields of inspiration fifty years be-
fore Indian swamis traveled West
to seed them.
Transcendentalism was a liter-
ary movement founded in 1836 by
Emerson and a handful of other
adventuresome American thinkers.
It featured at least three authors of world
stature: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Da-
vid Thoreau and Walt Whitman.
Combining Romanticism with reform,
Transcendentalism celebrated the spiritual
potential of man by encouraging nonconfor-
mity so that, through a sense of individual-
ity, man might be released from mass con-
ditioning enough to intuitively experience
57 58 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
God’s all-pervading oneness by personal A Disparate Team
efforts of unbiased and open-minded intro- An irrefutable mystical bent coupled with
spection. Transcendentalism emphasized an interest in Oriental literature may have
the individual rather than the masses, intu- been the only qualities the early American
ition rather than reason, the forces of nature Transcendentalists had in common. History
rather than the powers of man. This was paints a vivid picture of disparity and dis-
similarity between Emerson, Thor-
eau and Whitman. Yet, this very
dissonance was fuel in the fire
of the cause for which they had
“Ineffable is the union of man formed in the first place. Emerson
remained the ring leader—staid and
and God in every act of the soul. serene. He entered into disputes
only with intellectuals on intellec-
The simplest person, who in his tual issues. He was a far more com-
prehensive thinker than his com-
integrity worships God, becomes rades, yet less given to “putting the
concepts into practice,” which was
God; yet for ever and ever the in- the forte of Thoreau and Whitman.
Emerson’s infatuation with the
flux of this better and universal East enticed him away from an ear-
ly career in the Christian ministry
self is new and unsearchable. It into a mystic search that his creative
writing only partially appeased,
inspires awe and astonishment. even though it decidedly altered
the course of Western thought for
How dear, how soothing to man, more than a hundred years to come.
In an essay entitled Emerson as
arises the idea of God, effacing Seen from India, written shortly
after his death, Pratap Hunder Mo-
the scars of our mistakes and zoomdar, a leader of the Brahmo
Samaj declared: “Brahmanism is
disappointments!” an acquirement, a state of being
rather than a creed. In whomso-
—Ralph Waldo Emerson ever the eternal Brahma breathed
his unquenchable fire, he was the
Brahman. And in that sense Emer-
son was the best of Brahmans. He
shines upon India serene as the
radical thinking in those evening star. He seems to some of us
days and it did not bring them immediate to have been a geographical mistake.”
popularity. Yet such outspoken abandon of Another author and scholar, Heram-
accepted norms freed the authors to study bachandra Maitra, suggests that the Mas-
the literature, religion, philosophy and cul- sachusetts mystic gave Hindus assurance
ture of then exotic lands far beyond their and faith: “Emerson appeals to the Oriental
shores. Perhaps as a result of Emerson’s mind. He translates into the language of
influence, they all eventually became fasci- modern culture what was uttered by the
nated by the ancient texts of Hinduism. sages of ancient India in the loftiest strains.
 He breathes a new life into our old faith, character development and moral living. to study them in depth. Yet, Emerson was
and he assures its stability and progress According to one critic, he continues to be able to gain much from “Hindu missionar-
by incorporating with it [other] truths re- “the least limited, the most permanently sug- ies” like Ram Mohan Roy who traveled to
vealed or brought into prominence by the gestive” of American literary artists. America in the early 1800’s, specifically in-
wider intellectual and ethical outlook of the Many Hindu religious leaders came spired to elucidate Hinduism in the West.
modern spirit.” to respect the work of Emerson. Swami “When Confucius and the Indian scrip-
Not only is Emerson acknowledged by Paramananda of the Ramakrishna Order, tures were made known, no claim to mo-
modern-day scholars East and West as one for instance, frequently quoted Emerson in nopoly of ethical wisdom could be thought
of the world’s greatest writers, he is also his lectures and even wrote a book entitled of,” Emerson joyfully proclaimed. “It is
considered to be a primary influence in the Emerson and Vedanta. only within this century (the 1800’s) that
development of North America’s current England and America discovered that their
open-mindedness toward religious toler- Bringing Old Laws to Life nursery tales were old German and Scan-
ance, psychic interests and ethical concerns. Today it’s easy to find translations of Orien- dinavian stories; and now it appears that
Emerson is the most quoted American in tal writings. When Emerson was alive, how- they came from India, and are therefore the
the 20th-century press, and his works have ever, things were different. Such translations property of all the nations.”
been translated into dozens of languages were few and imperfect. Additionally, inter- Emerson often presented Hindu prin-
abroad. Even those who never heard of him national communication and travel were ciples in their original purity. Sometimes
venerate the American ideals he helped poor. In that day it was rare to even hear he would quote the scriptures directly.
to forge, including personal achievement, of Hindu writings and rarer still to be able Through all of the elegance of his refined
The Philosopher
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was born in Boston, Mas-
sachusetts, but he spent most of his life in Concord. His father
was a Unitarian minister with a keen interest in fine literature
who was instrumental in founding several important literary
societies and publications of the time. When his father died,
Emerson was given into the care of his aunt, who took a strong
interest in his education. His literary gifts were recognized,
encouraged and developed early. In 1817 he entered Harvard
College where he met “Hindu missionaries,” including Raja
Ram Mohan Roy. Emerson eventually became licensed to
preach in the Unitarian community in 1826. His early sermons
contained the themes of his later famous essays. His early work
from the pulpit also laid the foundation for the distinguished
skill he later displayed as a lecturer.
The grief of the death of his first wife drove him to question
his beliefs and his profession in the Christian ministry, turn-
ing him to other religions (including Hinduism) for evidence
of vital truth. At this point he resigned from the Unitarian
ministry and traveled abroad. Infatuated by the possibility of
spiritual correspondence between man and nature, he began
lecturing and writing. As with many writers, personal expe-
rience played heavily into Emerson’s assimilation of creative
ideas. His disenchantment with Christianity finds its way into
Compensation, one of his early essays.
“Ever since I was a boy,” he writes, “I have wished to write
a discourse on compensation; for it seemed to me when very
young that on this subject life was ahead of theology and the
people knew more than the preachers taught. It seemed to me
also that in it might be shown a ray of divinity, the present ac-
tion of the soul of this world, clean from all vestige of tradition;
and so the heart of man might be bathed by an inundation of
eternal love, conversing with that which he knows was always
kiran ajit shinde
and always must be, because it really is now. It appeared,
moreover, that if this doctrine could be stated in terms with
archhive photos
any resemblance to those bright instructions in which this
truth is sometimes revealed to us, it would be a star in many
dark hours and crooked passages in our journey, that would
not suffer us to lose our way.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay
prose, there ever remained in his work an
unpretentious commitment to the wisdom
of the words rather than the crafting of
them, as if the core of his motivation was
more about leaving behind diaries of per-
sonal practice and discovery than legacies
of literary greatness. Even his finished
works read like ongoing revelations “to be
continued.”
“Always pay!” he exclaimed, heralding the
truths of karma and dharma. “First or last
you must pay your entire debt. Persons and
events may stand for a time between you
and justice, but it is only a postponement.
You must pay at last your own debt.”
“Thou canst not gather what thou dost not
sow; as thou dost plant the trees, so will it
grow. Whatever the act a man commits, of
that the recompense must be received in
corresponding body.”
Emerson more than echoed ancient wis-
dom. It was his pleasure and a good portion
of his genius to be able to expand upon or
archhive photos
Henry David Thoreau
59 60 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
penetrate these timeless truths. In this sense and Whitman, that period also featured the
his works were shared meditations. masterful work of other literary greats like
“Every act rewards itself, or in other words, Emerson’s very dear friends: Herman Mel-
integrates itself, in a twofold manner,” Em- ville, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Emily Dick-
erson asserts. “First, in the thing, or in real inson. Together these notable artists had a
nature, and secondly in the circumstance, profound effect upon the religious, aesthetic,
or in apparent nature. Men call the circum- philosophical and ethical thinking of the
stance the retribution. The causal retribu- day, and Emerson was at the center of it all.
tion is in the thing and is seen by the soul. His transcendentalism left the literary
The retribution in the circumstance is seen world with a general sense that there were
by the understanding. It is inseparable from mystic realities over, above and greater than
the thing, but it often spreads over a long the trials and tribulations of common, ev-
time and so does not become distinct until eryday life. Yet, ironically, his writings were
after many years. The specific stripes may never without a touch of realistic pragma-
follow late after the offense, but they follow tism. He combined ancient classical human-
because they accompany it.” ism with Oriental metaphysics to ratify his
own down-to-earth brand of philosophical
A man of considerable influence monism.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a poet, an essay- “There is one mind common to all individ-
ist and a lecturer. He is considered one of ual men. Every man is an inlet to the same.
the most significant leaders of the American He that is once admitted to the right of
Renaissance, which flourished at the middle reason is made a free man in the whole es-
of the nineteenth century. Besides Thoreau tate. What Plato has thought, he may think;
The Recluse
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) made a few important ideas
famous—but not during his lifetime. He said that man must follow
his conscience regardless of cost, that life should be lived with
awareness and appreciation and that the world of nature was su-
perior to the world of man. Although these are not original ideas,
his lucid, provocative writing made them convincing.
On first impression, Thoreau’s life was one of poverty and
failure. He was a rebel. With prickly independence, he referred
to his most famous work, Walden, as his “cockcrow to the world.”
Toward the end of his life the fiery disdain of his youth died to
warm embers. Because of his outspoken ways, he received few
accolades for his literary accomplishments. Even his close friend,
Emerson, predicted no literary greatness for him. Such evaluation
humbled the talented writer as he got older.
An intensely practical man, Thoreau rarely idealized. Yet, of
Hinduism he wrote in his journal: “What extracts from the Vedas
I have read fall on me like light of a higher and purer luminary,
which describes a loftier course through a purer stratum, free
from particulars, simple, universal.”
Thoreau was austere and remained an ascetic throughout his
life. This attitude was inspired by his encounter with the yoga of
Hinduism.
“Depend upon it that, rude and careless as I am, I would fain
practice the yoga faithfully,” he writes. “The yogi, absorbed in
contemplation, contributes in his degree to creation. To some ex-
tent, and at rare intervals, even I am a yogi.”
Mahatma Gandhi, another nonconformist, was deeply inspired
by Thoreau: “My first introduction to Thoreau’s writings was when
I was in the thick of the passive resistance struggle. A friend sent
me his essay, Civil Disobedience. It left a deep impression upon
me. The essay seemed to be so convincing and truthful that I
felt the need of knowing more of Thoreau, and I came across his
Walden and other essays, all of which I read with great pleasure
and equal profit.”

what a saint has felt, he may feel; what at
any time has befallen any man, he can un-
derstand. Who hath access to this universal
mind is a party to all that is or can be done.
How easily these old worships of Moses, of
Zoroaster, of Manu, of Socrates, domesticate
themselves in the mind. I cannot find any
antiquity in them: they are mine as much
truly indigenous sages.
Although he searched the world over for
glimmerings of truth and in the process
delved deep within himself, Emerson dis-
covered in the inherent limitations of hu-
man comprehension what was perhaps his
greatest find: humility.
“The philosophy of six thousand years
Transcendent Moments
sponsible for founding a movement referred
to as “Transcendentalism.”As Emerson and
the Transcendentalists became enamored
with Hinduism, they took up the crusade
of literary eclecticism, showing a breadth
of vision that went beyond their European
heritage of American literature and thought.
It was their dream to integrate Judeo-Chris-

as theirs.”
The Legacy
According to historical accounts, Emerson
was a quiet, humble and unassuming gentle-
man. Nevertheless, history also shows that
he had a commanding and wide-ranging in-
fluence upon the humanity of his day. Thus,
like many men of legendary greatness, he
became more than the sum of his various
identities as speaker, poet, writer and phi-
losopher. Because the common denominator
(Hinduism) has not searched the chambers
and magazines of the soul,” he lamented. “In
its experiments there has always remained,
in the last analysis, a residuum it could not
resolve. Man is a stream whose source is
hidden. I am constrained every moment to
acknowledge a higher origin for events than
the will I call mine.”
When the Earth’s most comprehensive
philosophical system yielded what he con-
sidered to be, at best, a spiritual dilemma,
Emerson was forced to seek his answers—as
“Brahma”
tian and Americo-European transcendental
thought with Hindu ideas. The result of
that endeavor forms a good portion of the
extensive appeal their writings still have
today all over the world.
“In the morning I bathe my intellect in the “If the red slayer think he slays,
stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of
the Bhagvat-Gita, since whose composition
Or if the slain think he is slain,
years of the Gods have elapsed, and in com- They know not well the subtle ways
parison with which our modern world and
its literature seem puny and trivial,” writes I keep, and pass, and turn again.
Thoreau. “And I doubt if that philosophy is

in and through all of his work was medita-
tive introspection, he is recognized, loved
and admired today as one of America’s first
archhive photos
all mystics must—in personal transcenden- not to be referred to a previous state of ex-
tal experience. It should come as no great
surprise that he would be fundamentally re-
istence, so remote is its sublimity from our
conceptions.” ∏π
“Far or forgot to me is near,
Shadow and sunlight are the same,
The vanished gods to me appear,
The Mystic
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was born in Long Island, New
And one to me are shame and fame.
From “Walden”
York. Having left school at the age of eleven, he was mostly “They reckon ill who leave me out; “ lived like the Puri Indians, of whom it is
“I
self-educated. He worked as a typesetter, journeyman printer,
school teacher, editor, stationer, journalist, essayist—and finally When me they fly, I am the wings; said that for yesterday, today and tomorrow
a poet. I am the doubter and the doubt,
Whitman lived in New York for 36 years. Around age 30, he they have only one word—pointing backward
experienced a spontaneous mystical illumination which was And I the hymn the Brahmin sings. for yesterday, forward for tomorrow and over-
strongly reflected in his poetry. In Song of Myself, he writes,
“All truths wait in all things. They neither hasten their own head for the passing day. This was sheer idle-
delivery nor resist it. The insignificant is as big to me as any.”
In 1855 he wrote Leaves of Grass, his most famous work, “The strong gods pine for my abode, ness to my fellow townsmen, no doubt; but
which he revised and published nine times throughout the re- And pine in vain the sacred Seven;
mainder of his lifetime. Although the radical form and content if the birds and flowers had tried me by their
of this poetry eventually marked him as a revolutionary epito- But thou, meek lover of the good! standard, I should not have been found
me of American literature, he was, during his life, known more
for his influence as a prophet of democracy and “an enthusiast Find me, and turn thy back on heaven.” wanting.”
of the common man.” The Transcendentalists loved him from
the start and gave his work credence, for he exemplified their
coveted denial of conformity in pursuit of individual mystical
experience.
Ralph Waldo Emerson “One may discover the root of the Hindu reli-
Whitman’s work was applauded first by great Eastern minds. gion in one’s own private history, when, in
Sri Aurobindo had respect for him and extolled him in his es-
say, Future Poetry. Tagore admired him and even translated the silent intervals of the day or the night, he
one of his poems. Swami Vivekananda paid tribute to him
as a “spiritual genius.” In the late 1860s Whitman received does sometimes inflict on himself like austeri-
overdue recognition in America as the early reactions to his
radical style began to fade. In 1870 Whitman wrote Passage to ties with a stern satisfaction.”
India. This poem moved beyond America, beyond humanity,
to death and “the hereafter.”
Henry David Thoreau

archhive photos
archhive photos

In January, 1873, Whitman had his first stroke, which

left him partially paralyzed. Shortly thereafter, he moved to
Camden, New Jersey, where he spent the last years of his life.
Facing his final days, he wrote Proudly the Flood Comes In, a
wondrous contemplation of death. He died March 26, 1892.
Walt Whitman

a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 61 62 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4

From “Song of Myself”
“I celebrate myself, and sing myself,
And what I assume you shall assume,
For every atom belonging to me
As good belongs to you.
“Do you see O my brothers and sisters?
It is not chaos or death.
It is form, union, plan.
It is eternal life. It is Happiness.
“The past and present wilt.
I have fill’d them, emptied them.
And proceed to fill my next fold
Of the future.
“Listener up there!
What have you to confide to me?
Look in my face while I snuff
The sidle of evening.
“The spotted hawk swoops by
And accuses me.
He complains of my gab
And my loitering.
“I too am not a bit tamed,
I too am untranslatable,
I sound my barbaric yawp
Over the roofs of the world.
“The last scud of day holds back for me,
It flings my likeness after the rest and
True as any on the shadow’d wilds,
It coaxes me to the vapor and the dusk.
This nominal fee includes food, clothes,
housing, books, medicine and instruction.
Admission to the Mahavidyalaya is formal-
ized with an ancient ceremony called the
upanayan, during which the tying of a sa-
cred white thread across the left shoulder of
the young student formally marks the begin-
“I depart as air, I shake my white locks ning of his Vedic education. This ceremony
also equalizes the status of the students, ir-
At the runaway sun, respective of their background. At this time
their heads are also shaven.
I effuse my flesh in eddies, The ashram raises its own cows. Meals
And drift it in lacy jags. consist of milk, dal, chapatis, vegetables
and rice. Spices like ginger and cloves re-
place onion and garlic, which are believed
to stimulate the instinctive nature. Fruit and
“I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow yogurt, being costly, are included once or
twice a week. Delicacies like puri and halva
From the grass I love,
kumud mohan
are served two or three times a month, usu-
If you want me again look for me ally when contributed by donors.
Each day begins and ends with hatha
Under your boot soles. yoga, meditation and worship at the havan,
Class time: Disciplined students sit poised and ready for Sanskrit class at Mahavidyalaya or fire ceremony. The other daylight hours
are tightly packed with work, service and
E D U C AT I O N classes. First priority is given to instruction
“You will hardly know who I am in the performance of temple ceremony, but
Or what I mean,
But I shall be good health to you
Preserving Ancient Ways all resident students also learn mathematics,
science and three languages: Sanskrit, Hindi
and English.
Teachers and students share the same
Nevertheless, and filter and Discipline and intense learning still define meals, wash their own clothes, sleep on the
Fibre your blood. the Vedic gurukulam system of education
floor and follow the same demanding sched-
ule. On the seventh day, Sunday, the only
concession made is that formal education is
replaced by sports and carefully monitored
“Failing to fetch me at first By Kumud Mohan, New Delhi years, it began to suffer for lack of sufficient television.
uring vedic times, most children patronage after India’s Independence in Unnecessary contact with outsiders, con-
Keep encouraged, were taught at home by their par- 1947 and finally closed in 1961. It was, how- sidered a distraction to study, is not allowed.
Missing me one place, search another. ents. Sons apprenticed with dads,
and daughters learned from moms.
ever, reopened in 1979 by
Acharya Haridev, and has
Students may occasionally
communicate by letter or
I stop somewhere waiting for you.” As these kids became adults, they helped to
mold a personalized family tradition. How-
been successfully function-
ing as a non-profit school
telephone according to
individual requirements,
ever, for a few young people showing poten- ever since. although such communica-
tial in fields requiring special instruction The one-acre campus of tion is discouraged. There
Walt Whitman such as music, dance, art, medicine or the the Mahavidyalaya provides are no holidays, except an
priestly crafts, gurukulams were established.
A gurukulam (literally, “teacher’s family”) is
boarding and education for
about 250 resident male stu-
annual one-month summer
vacation. Spartan simplic-
a place where students live and learn in resi- dents. To qualify for admit- ity defines the schedule,
dence with a highly accomplished teacher tance, teenage boys must but most students adjust
in a specialized field. Although gurukulams have at least a fifth-grade to it over time. Those who
can theoretically exist for the education of education, but no one is can’t or won’t usually drop
boys or girls in any skill, they are most tra- denied admittance due to out within the first two or
ditionally established to instruct young men
of the brahmin caste in the performance of
caste, race or religion. Stu-
dents come from all parts of
three months.
There is no physical pun-
Vedic priestly rites and the practice of reli- India, including Assam, Ben- ishment of a violent nature
archhive photos
gious discipline. To keep up with the needs gal, Maharashtra, Orissa, UP, in the gurukulam. “We
s au r a b h m o h a n
of modern times, most of today’s gurukulams Bihar and Karnataka. Over discourage and disallow
add a more secular teaching curriculum, in- 60 percent of them are very physical punishment of any
cluding even computer classes. poor. Some are tribals or “un- type in the Vidyalaya,” ex-
The Shrimad Dayanand Vedarsh Maha-
vidyalaya of Gautam Nagar in South Delhi
touchables.”
Poverty-stricken parents
plains Pradhanacharya Ha-
is one of approximately three hundred guru- pay about $10 a month for Winning example: Ramesh Kumar Yadav, 21,
kulams still in existence today in India. It their boys to live and learn graduated from the Vedarsh Mahavidyalaya and now
was first established some 70 years ago by a at Mahavidyalaya—less than teaches there. During the time he was a student, he won
Hindu holy man named Swami Sacchinanda they would spend on them if twelve gold, seven silver and eight bronze medals in na-
Yogi. Although it flourished for a number of they were staying at home. tional and international hatha yoga competitions.
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 63 64 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
ridev, the principal, “We believe in ahimsa,
or nonviolence. Physical punishment would
just lead to resentment and reinforcement of
the fault rather than to the reform of it. So,
normally, we point out the consequences of
a child’s actions to him and encourage him
to do some self-searching.”
Approximately 20 shastris and acharyas
graduate from the Vedarsh Mahavidyalaya
every year. Some become lecturers, writ-
ers and researchers. Others become puro-
hits, conducting religious ceremonies, such
as weddings. A few set up Vedic schools in
India and abroad. Many continue to perfect
themselves in the art of mantroccharana,
the oral recitation of the Vedas.
Although it may be said that for now the
ancient gurukulam system is alive and well,
its future is undeniably fragile. Modern
times militate against its austerity, money is
always in short supply and mastering the an-
cient Sanskrit language is certainly not the
prestigious aspiration it once was. Still, well-
wishers of this ancient heritage hope for the
best and pray that at least a few good, young
men might be allowed the opportunity to
spend their impressionable early years wise-
ly—strengthening body, mind and character
through discipline, study and restraint, ac-
cording to the Vedic ways of old. ∏π
for more information please e-mail
kumudmohan@hotmail.com or write: kumud mohan,
28 anand lok, new delhi-110049
tirtho banerjee
PROFILE
Living for Inner Search
One man’s one-minded commitment to yoga
yields a life of enlightened service
By Tirtho Banerjee, Uttar Pradesh
wami shitlaprasad, 85, has lived
his life in reverence for God and service
to people. Born in a small village called
Malke in Rae Bareli, Uttar Pradesh, he
was sent by his father to live in an ashram at
an early age. There, he learned Sanskrit, Ve-
dic astrology, ayurveda and yoga. Although
he loved the ashram life, he was consumed
with a desire to wander freely in search of
God. Sometime before the age of 20, he
was initiated into sannyas by an old sadhu
named Pandit Devi Sahaya Shukla. In 1940,
at age 22, he left home to make his way on
foot throughout North India and into the Hi-
malayas on his quest for the ultimate Truth.
During his travels, he visited great places
of learning, including the famous Samved
Vidyalaya in Varanasi, and sat at the holy
feet of many wise men. The turning point in
his inner search came in 1946 when he ar-
rived in Kanpur on the banks of the Ganga
in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The British
had occupied the strategically located
city since 1803 and Muslims had looted
and plundered its many Siva temples.
The city’s famous Sati Chaura Ghat
(steps down to the river) was also
nearly demolished. All the local
inhabitants were distraught.
Swami was deeply saddened
by what he saw.
During his first night in
Kanpur, Goddess Saras-
wati appeared to him
in a dream. She told
him to excavate a
yantra (a mystic
diagram com-
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
posed of geometric and alphabetic figures)
called Sriyantra from beneath the entrance to
an abandoned Siva temple on the Sati Chaura
ghat. Following his devonic instructions, the
swami did indeed find the Sriyantra. It was
six feet tall, two feet wide and carved in
white stone. Immediately, he had it installed
in the dilapidated Siva temple and began the
renovation of both the temple and the ghat.
Through relentless efforts, he was able to
mobilize like-minded people of the city to
raise funds for the reconstruction project.
Many contemporary luminaries of the 1950s,
including Pandit Balkrishna Naveen, Pan-
dit Sudarshan Bajpai, Pannalal Tripathi and
Badri Prasad Dubey, participated in the ef-
fort. The temple was soon completely rebuilt.
It became famous overnight.
In 1947, Swami Shitlaprasad organized
the temple’s first mayayagna (great fire
ceremony). Today, it is an annual ritual. In
1948, he established a monastery called Sri
Nanarao Surja Reshwar Shakti Yoga Ash-
ram Sri Vidyapeeth within the temple com-
pound. This ashram includes a satsang hall
(gathering place for religious discussion), a
library and a yoga training center, as well
as accommodations for extensive ayurvedic
research and practice. For more than half a
century, the swami has tirelessly organized
important religious seminars. In 1968, he ar-
ranged a spiritual meeting featuring India’s
four primary Shankaracharyas. In 1997, he
established the Sri Vidya Raj Rajeshwari
Lalitamba Trust to insure the well being of
the temple/monastery complex even after
his passing. In 1998, he celebrated the 50th
anniversary of his ashram.
Swami is currently writing a book on
yoga and, even in his old age, is unremit-
ting in the practice of daily meditation. He
often meets with devotees who come to his
temple. In his conversations with them, he
stresses the importance of religious disci-
pline, especially the practice of silent japa.
His very presence kindles in visitors that
same flame of spiritual aspiration that made
him the uncommon man that he is. ∏π
for more information write to tirtho banerjee,
131 rabindra palli, faizabad road, lucknow, 226016,
uttar pradesh, india.
Making a difference: Swami Shitlaprasad
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 65
GODS
One Man’s Divine Diversion
Delhi’s Sanjay Sawhney has collected over 2,000 images of Ganesha
By Rajiv Malik, New Delhi, India of Lord Ganesha. from where the Ganeshas come and how I
anjay started collecting imag- Sanjay considers it a big achievement that buy them, I just don’t know. I feel that all of
es of Lord Ganesha about five years over 200 million people in New Delhi and this is happening, but I am not really doing
ago. “I used to collect matchboxes,” neighboring states have read about him and it.” At exhibitions, around town and while
he says, “but my wife told me that I his Ganesha collection in newspapers. “This on vacation with his family, Sawhney is al-
should collect something which has could not have happened without the bless- ways on the lookout for a different form of
some value in life.” In fact, it was his wife ings of Lord Ganesha himself,” Sanjay offers. the benevolent, large-bellied Lord. He adds,
who initially inspired him to collect Gane- “A lot of people are aware of my collection “Some Ganeshas suddenly appear before me
shas, and she has been his primary source of and recognize me. My friends and relatives in the most unexpected places, and I quick-
encouragement along the way. also appreciate my interest and keep en- ly pick them up.”
“It started in Rishikesh,” con- According to Sawhney, money
tinues Sanjay. “At my wife’s sug- is usually not a big hindrance
gestion, I purchased a wooden when it comes to buying Gane-
image of Lord Ganesha, which shas. However, there have been
we put in our home shrine.” a few occasions when he couldn’t
Nice, he mused, but only a be- acquire a Ganesha because it
ginning. Sanjay began to collect was too expensive. He explains,
wedding cards with pictures of “Sometimes I have to drop some-
Hinduism’s beloved elephant- thing I personally desire and opt
faced Deity on them. Normally for spending the money on add-
such cards are thrown away af- ing one more Ganesha to my col-
ter the rites, but Sanjay wasn’t ection. Even when I give a gift, I
comfortable watching people try to give a Ganesha.”
indiscriminately consign images Sanjay recalls that his parents
of the Gods to garbage cans. “I gave him reverence for the Hindu
always tell people that either the Gods and Goddesses by their pi-
cards with Ganesha’s picture on ous example. He is trying to pass
them should not be produced, that devotion on to his two small
or if they are, then we must children whom, he says, are in-
preserve them.” He picks up old, spired by the Ganesha collection
discarded wedding cards with to do good work. Becoming a veg-
images of the Gods on them, etarian is another way his special
even from the roadside. “I keep connection with Ganesha has
the cards with Ganesha on them made him a better Hindu.
that I want for my collection, Sanjay’s biggest ambition in life
and those with other Gods I rev- is to construct a Ganesha temple,
erentially offer to a holy river.” which he would name Ganesha
Sanjay Sawhney’s collection Dham. He’s not sure how he’ll
is such an important part of his manage to gather the resources
life now that he is searching for for such a large project, but hopes
amit kumar
a new home in which he plans to that it would be a place where his
dedicate an entire room for his Ganesha collection could some-
Ganeshas. He relates, “I would how be used to benefit the poor.
like to manage it more system- Before I leave, Sawhney touch-
atically than I’ve done so far. I Many divine forms: Sanjay Sawhney in his Delhi home replete es on more philosophical matters:
had about 2,000 Ganeshas in my with Ganeshas of every kind “Ganesha is one of our most beau-
collection a year ago, and now tiful forms of God. He is known
many more have been added.” His collection couraging me. Whenever an article is pub- for fulfilling people’s desires and removing
includes cuttings of paintings from wedding lished on my collection—over half a dozen obstacles from their paths, which is prob-
and greeting cards, as well as carved murtis have been published so far—my friends and ably the reason why He is the first God to
in gold, silver, copper, brass, wood, glass and relatives call me up on the phone and tell be worshiped whenever any puja is done.
other materials. He has laminated posters, me that they saw it.” Though sometimes He may take time to
original paintings, key rings, lamp shades About adding to his collection, Sanjay says, fulfill one’s desires, ultimately He does. The
and wax images, to name a few of the many “I am not investing a very large amount of forms of Ganesha are endless, and as long as
media through which the Remover of Ob- money in purchasing Ganeshas, but whatev- I am alive I will keep on adding more and
stacles gives darshan these days. He and his er I do spend I know is graciously provided more Ganeshas to my collection.” ∏π
wife have even fashioned their own images by Lord Ganesha Himself. The truth is that
66 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
MINISTER’S MESSAGE
Let Kids Be Kids
Parents need to relax and allow their children
to meet the many challenges of growing up
B Y S W A M I T E J O M AY A N A N D A
The following is an edited excerpt from an interview of Swami
which appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of Chinmaya Kasi.
arenting is a difficult task. it is interesting
that parents want me to speak on the subject. When I
give them certain advice they say, “Swamiji, that is al-
right for you to say, but only if you had children of your
own would you understand our situation!” Even though I
don’t have children of my own, I was also born and brought up
in a family. So, I, too, have seen what family life is like.
How to care for children, especially those in their teens, who
can be very rebellious, revolting and resistant? This question
cannot be answered in a general manner. Every individual is
unique, and no set of rules can really be effective all the time. A
man said, “Before marriage, I had six theories about raising chil-
dren. Now, after marriage, I have six children and no theories.”
The first thing that is required when you face any problem in
life is that you have to keep cool. Calm down and relax. There is
no use getting agitated or over-anxious. The second thing to know
is that the problem you are facing is a common problem. For ex-
ample, when a doctor sees a patient, he doesn’t get upset, because
he has seen many such cases. Every patient thinks his or her case
is unique and the most serious and that the doctor should imme-
diately attend to it. The doctor, on the other hand, remains very
calm and collected.
Whenever you feel that your children are misbehaving, please
think of your own teenage years. I don’t think that there is any
person who was not rebellious while growing up. Some people may
have rebelled at the mental level—some form of resistance must
have manifested at one time or another.
Your worries are not because all children in general are misbe-
having, but because your children are misbehaving. Let’s go to a
subtler level. First, it appears that the worry is for children in gen-
eral. Then you realize that the worry is for your child. Still subtler
is the fact that the action of your child has direct repercussions on
you and your image.
The mother and father are only the suppliers of the physical
body for the jiva (soul) to live in. They don’t give birth to the jiva.
The one who takes care of the child in the womb will also take
care of the troubles later on. We seem to have an unnecessary
sense of doership. Kahlil Gibran in his book The Prophet states
that children come through you, they don’t belong to you, like the
arrow which travels through the bow but does not belong to it; it
just follows its own course.
Parents must play the role of an instrument. Gurudev, Swami
Chinmayananda, said that your role is like that of a gardener. You
do not create the seed or the soil. The potential power is already
in the seed. The role of the gardener is to prepare the soil properly,
to sow the seeds at the right time and to give them the required
amount of water, shade and sunlight—to provide a conducive en-
vironment for the seeds to grow. If the seeds have something in
them, they will sprout. But if the seeds are
roasted, or if the soil is not right, or there
is too much rain or too little, then what
can the gardener do?
Children say that you are hypocrites,
that you have double standards, one for
yourselves and another for your children.
If we want them to be cultured, we, too,
have to follow the same rules. We must
start with ourselves first. The child starts
its learning process while he or she is in
the mother’s womb. Imparting culture to
our children is the most important thing,
but we must begin with ourselves. That is
why Pujya Gurudev used to say, “Culture
cannot be taught; it can only be caught.”
Do not impose your ideas on your chil-
dren. If you have failed to achieve some-
thing in your life, you feel that you want to
experience and enjoy that achievement in-
directly through your children. We should
allow the children to grow on their own.
Nobody likes taking orders, commands or
advice from others. We should not make
the children feel that we are teaching or
advising them. Instead, the ideas should
seem to come from within themselves.
As a parent, you should be sensitive to
your children’s reactions and determine if his behavior has sudden-
ly changed or if he is simply following the growing pattern. When
children go through various stages of childhood, teenage and
young adulthood, certain mental and physical changes take place.
Sometimes we give undue importance to these changes and worry
too much. We must remember that it is only a passing phase.
In a home I once visited, the host had two sons. The parents told
their children, “Now Swamiji is here. Ask him whatever you want
to know.” The children immediately replied, “We don’t have any
questions.” I told the parents to leave them alone. After breakfast,
I went to the boys and asked them, “What is your hobby?” “We
like to play baseball,” was the reply. I said, “Please teach me about
baseball.” Immediately they became enthusiastic about educating
me on baseball. They showed me some pictures and videos. Slowly
they began asking me all about religion and culture. This shows
that if you take an interest in their interests, slowly a rapport will
build with the child.
Children say, “Swamiji, there is no limit to what our parents
expect from us! They want us to become first-class sportsmen,
first-class musicians, first-class artists, first-class dancers, first-class
students and first-class professionals!” Don’t you think you are ask-
ing too much of them?
There is a Sanskrit verse that deals with parenting: “Play with
your children up to the age of five. The next ten years, be strict
with them, discipline them and educate them. When they turn six-
teen years old, treat them like your friends.” Once the right vision
and values are given, they will follow them to a large extent.
The Lord is the Inner Controller. Pray to Him to change your
child’s mind and inspire him. If you pray and remain calm, things
will change—and for the better. I wish all your children a very
bright future.
swami tejomayananda, 54, is the spiritual head of Chinmaya
Missions worldwide. Based in Mumbai, he frequently tours the globe
teaching and inspiring people to understand the Vedantic texts.
a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 67 68
 Nataraj Books—15,000 Titles

Sanskrit Academy Promoting Sanskrit Language and Culture

For the
diverse needs
of the affluent.
The Major Distributor of
books from India.

A sampling from our catalog:

Nataraj
Books
• Brahma Sutras
Sekhar Vemparala Vemparala & Associates Swami Sivananda. US$20.00
CFP , ChFC, CLU, MBA American Express Financial Advisors Inc. • Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
Senior Financial Advisor IDS Life Insurance Company Swami Venkatesananda.
First Floor, 1256 Route 202/206
●
● Sanskrit classes for all ages Bridgewater, NJ 08807
$14.95
• India Unveiled.
1-800-437-8526
Robert Arnett. $45.00
individuals or groups sekhar.c.vemparala@aexp.com
• Hindu Encounter with
Mondernity. Shukavak N.
by correspondence with Dasa. $24.95
• Ganapathi Exists or Not?
continuous guidance Reveals through Rudraaksha. Shubhakaran. $12.95
• Rudraaksha the Mystic Seed: Reveals the Myth of Siva
elementary, intermediate and Linga Puraanas. Shubhakaran. $35.00
or advanced levels • Lahiri’s India Ephemeris of Planets’ Positions
for 2000 AD. $5.00

●
● Translation Service Nataraj Books
7073 Brookfield Plaza
Springfield, VA 22150-2915 USA
Contact: Dr. Sarasvati Mohan, Director Sanskrit Academy Tel: 1-703-455-4996 • Fax: 1-703-912-9052
sanskrit_academy@yahoo.com Visit our website also: www.natarajbooks.com
www.samskrtam.org E-mail: nataraj@erols.com
Please ask for our free catalog • Visa/MC accepted

Live Music
Nathaswara, Thavil

For Weddings
Temple Celebrations
Cultural Programs
and All Your Special Functions
Anywhere in the World

Music of USA, Inc.

Contact: Mr. A. Murugathas
USA:1-281-997-1430 • Canada:1-416-286-3121
Cellular: 1-416-420-1309
www.nathaswarathavil.com • psa@nathaswarathavil.com

69 70
 Quality Ayurvedic Products
Direct from Kerala, India
TRI-HEALTH offers the finest Ayurvedic Herbs,
Food Supplements, Medicinal Oils, Aristhams,
Leyhams and other Rasayanas (Rejuvenators)
prepared in strict accordance with the sacred
classical texts.
And... when on Kauai (Hawaii) be sure to experience
our luxurious South Indian Massage Treatments.
Free Catalogue and new product updates:
TRI-HEALTH, PO Box 340, Anahola HI 96703-0518 USA
tel: 800-455-0770 or 808-828-0252
oilbath@aloha.net www.oilbath.com

U.S. Immigration for Hi-Tech Clients

Hawaii
Initial telephone or e-mail consultation is complimentary!

Areas handled: • US Immigration matters, with emphasis on

employment based and business related visas. • Matters con-
cerning Indo-US joint ventures, government liaison work in
India, international law & trade.

LAW OFFICES OF CHETAN P. TANNA, INC.

Your Family’s
16466 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite 230
San Diego, California 92128-2533 USA
Perfect Pilgrimage Destination
Tel: 858-674-7470 • Fax: 858-674-7471
greencard@usa.net • chetanp@pacbell.net Come to the ultimate Hindu pilgrimage destination. Here you will find
Kadavul Hindu Temple with the mystical Nataraja deity, established in 1973
by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. Kadavul Hindu Temple, with its daily
9am Siva puja, and the many sacred areas of San Marga, such as Muruga
Hari Om Hill, the twelve-foot Dhaksinamurthy, the Narmada Sivalingam—where you
can conduct your own abhishekam, the sacred Wailua River and more are all
Vedic Astrology available to Hindus for worship, meditation, japa and quiet reflection. Plan
& Ancient your pilgrimage to Iraivan now—an icon of Hinduism’s beauty and strength!

Commander Selvam PhD

Indian Healings
Siddhar Selvam, or Dr. Commander Selvam, is the only Atharva
Veda scholar in North America for Indian Astrology, Indian
Vaasthu, ancient Indian Holy Massage and alternative medicine.
Atharva Veda is the only Veda that deals with application of Yantra,
Tantra, and Mantra Saastra. He has written 27 books on the Vedas and
has a weekly column in leading US newspapers. He was initiated
by his Guruji Akasthiya Maamani Sri Chinnappa “Siddhar” at 5
years of age and is now Guru Parampara, the 126th Mattathipathi
of Sri Akasthiyar Siddhar Peedam, India.
Siddhar Selvam has helped countless families to relieve stress and
live balanced lives, following dharma, growing in meditation, de-
votion and more. Yagya/havan/homam is performed in his Ashram
for people worldwide who will receive prasadam including video
and audio of the event on a CD.
Please contact him for more information and for his upcoming
itinerary and schedules in USA, Canada, Fiji and Singapore.
Commander Selvam
3801 E Pacific Coast Hwy., Suite 130 • Long Beach, CA 90804
1-800-5-SIDHAR (1-800-574-3427) • 408-829-7780 • 562-986-4747
www.yogacraft.com • vishalparu@aol.com
71
Kauai’s Hindu Monastery
107 Kaholalele Road • Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304 • USA
iraivan@hindu.org • www.hindu.org/iraivan/
Tel: 808-822-3012, Ext. 237 • Fax: 808-822-4351
For Hawaii travel planner, see:
• www.bestplaceshawaii.com/ • www.gohawaii.com
Bottom left photo shows Shanmugam Stapathi, chief architect, standing in front of the com-
pleted towering sanctum. Atop the sanctum, work is progressing nicely on the temple tower,
called the vimanam, which means a creation so accurate in dimension, so perfect in rhythm,
so beautiful in form and so charged in spirit that it bridges man with God and the whole cos-
mos. The crowning jewel of Iraivan Temple is a giant cupola carved out of a single stone that
weighs seven tons. Its final resting place will be on top of the vimanam. The fully hand-carved
granite Iraivan Temple will be the first temple in hundreds of years to have such a crown. As
Iraivan Temple heads towards completion, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness an
ancient tradition at work continues to fade away. Now is the time to pilgrimage to Siva’s island
paradise and witness the making of a temple built to last the next millennium and beyond.
 A traditional Hindu ashram American Institute of Vedic Studies A Glimpse of Divinity
By Mukund M. Hanumante, PhD

Gitananda Ashram Expand your horizons in

Vedic and Hindu Dharma. “ Contains a clear exposition of
japa-yoga, chanting a mantra or
Practical teachings of g r oup of spir it uall y char ged
● Weekly and Summer seminars Vamadeva Shastri (Dr. words to quiet and concentrate
● Certification courses David Frawley). Authentic the mind on its Godward path.”
● Samnyas training centre Vedic knowledge in a clear —Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

● Siddha Siddhanta Yoga modern idiom. Books,
● Sri Vidya traditions courses, conferences and
● Y o g a ● Yoga therapy ● Ayurveda
research information from
● Indian dance and music
the ancient Rig Veda to
India in the Planetary Age.
● Special puja
Dr. Frawley’s latest books:
• Hinduism and the Clash
of Civilizations
• Vedantic Meditation:
Lighting the Flame of Awareness
• The Rig Veda and the History of India
• How I Became a Hindu: My Discovery of Vedic Dharma
Courses from the Institute:
• Ayurvedic Healing Correspondence Course for Health
Care professionals • Astrology of the Seers Vedic Astrology
Located in an ideal setting immersed in Correspondence Course.
nature’s peace and silence where you can
American Institute of Vedic Studies
enjoy the bliss of ancient Oriental culture.
PO Box 8357, Santa Fe, NM 87504-8357 USA
tel: 505-983-9385 • fax: 505-982-5807 • vedanet@aol.com
PO Box 51, 17043 Carcare (Sv) Italy ● tel: 0039-1-584692
• www.vedanet.com (Note our Vedanet resource guide
fax: 584838 ● dharmin@tnt.it ● www.hinduism.it
and on-line books and information.)
“ A channel for blessings from Sri Swami...
For seekers of knowledge and wisdom...
A vision of life that transforms...
We felt the horizon of Joy ever widening
in our hearts...” [reader responses]
US
Hard cover • 180 p. • color • $25 (incl. s&h in USA)
74
AKKALKOT SWAMI SAMARTH FOUNDATION
http://home.att.net/~swamisamarth • mukund@juno.com • 504-443-5633
Custom Tours to India
Kali Travel is uniquely qualified to
organize custom-made tours to satis-
fy the needs of any type of group,
organization or individual and to
structure an itinerary appropriate
to their specific needs and interests.
For more information, contact:
Kali Travel, 169-12 Hillside Ave
Jamaica, NY 11432-4498 USA
1-718-291-9292
www.kalitravel.com

Clearly defines the profound

truths of the cosmos.
— Maya Tiwari, Wise Earth Monastery, North Carolina, USA

Authentic teachings.
—Dr. Mahesh Mehta, University of Win dsor, Canada

Lucid! —Swami Gokulananda, RK Mission, New Delhi

Every spiritually-inclined human being will be enriched by the path
revealed in this extraordinary book. India’s tolerant and diverse
vision of the Divine is all here: meditative, devotional, philosophical,
scriptural and yogic. In Dancing with Siva—Hinduism’s Contemporary
Catechism Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, in question-and-answer
style, guides the aspirant deep into the Hindu heart. Lavishly illustrated
with 165 original, full-color paintings from India. Resources include a
massive timeline, comparisons of all world religions, a children’s primer
and more • Sixth edition, 1,008 pages, 7’’ x 10”—Kivar hardcover, printed
in full color • US$59.95 (+ $9 s&h in USA) • ISBN: 0-945497-96-2
A 3” by 4” pocketbook version (containing the main section) is also available.
Soft cover, 380 pages, black and white. US$4.95 (+ $6 s&h in USA) • ISBN: 0-945497-89-9

HIMALAYAN ACADEMY PUBLICATIONS ● 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa HI 96746-9304 USA

1-800-890-1008 ● fax: 1-808-822-3152 ● books@hindu.org ● www.himalayanacademy.com/books
73 74
Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training
Two 4-week intensives
in the Sierra foothills of
California. May 9-June 6 F U N D S F O R A D E I T Y, B R A I L L E B O O K S A N D A RT
& Oct 10-Nov 7, 2004.
Asanas • Pranayama
Meditation • Mantras TAOS HANUMAN FUND
Raja Yoga • Vedanta
Bhagavad Gita & more.
This endowment (#51) was created by Rev. Kathleen A. Knight to help care for and maintain the Taos
For Free Brochure: Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm
14651 Ballantree Ln., Grass Valley, CA 95949 • Tel 800- Hanuman Temple Deity in Taos, New Mexico. The first priority of the fund is to see that the paint does
469-9642/415-681-2731 • www.sivananda.org • yogafarm@ not fade, for example, and to sponsor one traditional Hindu puja each day
sivananda.org • founded by Swami Vishnudevananda, pictured on a regular basis. If necessary, the grants can be used to bring an artisan
in from India to do maintenance work on the Deity. As the fund grows,
a second priority is to maintain a small shrine for Neem Karoli Baba and
to see that a minimal, once daily Hindu puja is performed. Currently, the
fund is at $5,573.49, and the yearly grants are compounding back into the
principal until it reaches $12,500. At that time, the Taos Hanuman Temple
would receive approximately $500 per year.

Saivite Hindu Scriptural Fund

f o r t h e Vi s u a l l y I m p a i r e d
Damara Shanmugan first became interested in helping the blind in 1993-1994 while visiting Sri Sri Sri
Balagangadharanatha Swamiji’s school for the blind in Karnataka, South India. After her second pilgrim-
age to India in 1995-1996, she worked as a volunteer in this school for two weeks. Now acutely aware of
the needs of these dear children, she returned to the United States determined to
learn braille and do whatever necessary to provide them with much-needed ma-
terials, texts and encouragement. Entirely self-taught, using the special braille
program, EDIT-PC, her personal home computer, and a Romeo RB-25 por-
table embosser, she has, since 1996, created and operated The SHIVA Braille
Foundation, the beneficiary of this endow-
ment (#43). Damara is the only braille transcriber in the world who
exclusively transcribes Saivite Hindu practices and philosophy into
braille. Using the award winning books and magazines of her late
guru, Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, she carefully transcribes
the essence of the mystical Saivite Hindu tradition and sends braille
books free of charge around the globe. In June, 2000, the SHIVA
Braille Foundation opened the Satguru Subramuniyaswami Braille
Learning Center in Whitefield, Karnataka. As the second beneficiary of this fund, the center teaches
braille in three languages to blind adults and has graduated 118 students.

KAUAI AADHEENAM ART AND ARTIFACTS FUND

In acknowledgement of the profound lifetime of love and commitment to art exhibited by William E.
Daniels, a special Hindu Heritage Endowment multi-donor fund was established by his son, Rajadeva
Alahan. Grants from this fund (#38) are to promote the spiritual arts of the Hindu tradition, especially
the South Indian, Saivite traditions, and include rajput-style paintings, batiks, silk paintings, illustrations
as well as sculptures and religious artifacts. This fund was initiated with a $5,000 contribution and, as is
common with small endowments, has been accumulating its grants for several years. The annual grant
now totals $786, and the fund’s current project is to help fund the wrought iron portion of the 16-foot-tall
white granite entrance gate for Kauai Aadheenam, shown below.

75
 OCTOBER TO DECEMBER ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTIONS R.U. VED™ If you are suffering
from burn out, want to
Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment Rohit & Bisram Deocharan 99.00 Hindu Orphanage Endowment Fund Udayan Care Endowment Fund
AYURVEDIC NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS build muscles, boost
William & Barbara Bachmann $1,000.00 Banu Devi Deva 509.00 Ram Iyer Chandra 125.00 Christian Langers 150.00 immunity, increase
Rajendra Giri 30.00 Chellappa Deva 433.00 Jane Claassen 50.00 Natraj Narayanswami 25.00
Arul Karttikeya
Sadhaka Nilakantha
866.00
105.00
Ravindra Doorgiat
Rajul & Heidi Gandhi
16.63
111.99
Lila Shakti Devi
Rajendra Giri
100.00
30.00
Richard Stocker
Total
21.00
196.00
BY AYURVEDIC PHYSICIANS strength and stamina,
R.U. Vedic Energy for
Other Donations 4,391.00 Puvana Kandasamy 78.43 Christian Langers 150.00
men & women is a
Himalayan Academy
Total
1,500.00
7,892.00
Amravadee Kownden
T. Iswarah Kumar
Rushikesh H. Mehta
34.91
106.50
99.00
Mani & Surya Nallasivan
Natraj Narayanswami
Rajalakshmi Ramalingam
500.00
45.00
50.00
Saivite Hindu Scriptural Fund
for the Visually Impaired
Mani & Surya Nallasivan 500.00
BALANCE YOUR DOSHAS blend of herbs that
Iraivan Temple Endowment Thila Nadason 866.00 Alex Ruberto 30.00 Jutikadevi Sivaraja 108.00
helps to improve
Anonymous
Jane Claassen
Mani & Surya Nallasivan
159.00
50.00
500.00
Gassa Patten
Gunalan Ponniah
Charles & Jan Roberts
107.64
130.71
40.00
Jutikadevi Sivaraja
Rodney & Ilene Standen
Shun K. Sunder
108.00
30.00
1,008.00
Total 608.00

Sri Chandra Madhab Debnath Endowment

FOR HEALTH AND LONGEVITY™ physical and mental
Sivadas Sivarajah 20.00 Vatsala Sastry 252.00 Usha Varma 50.00 Shyamal Chandra Debnath 50.00 performance.
Devananda Tandavan 1,345,716.67 Linda Seeley 75.00 Matthew Wieczork 225.00 Total 50.00
Niraj Thaker 54.00 Jiva Shanmuga 102.00 Total 2,501.00
Other Donations
Total
29,217.00
1,375,716.67
Usha Kiran Shastri
Chandra Shekharan
800.00
195.00 Loving Ganesha Distribution Fund
Manitha Neyam Trust Fund
Bala Sivaceyon 41.84
● EASYLAX™ - Natural Intestinal Cleanser
Yatrikadevi Shivam 306.00 Christian Langers 150.00 Total 41.84 A unique blend of
Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund
Kanda Alahan 149.00
Devaladevi Sivaceyon
Nutanaya Sivaceyon
5.22
5.22
Manoharan Navaratnarajah
Gassa Patten
75.00
1,404.05 Taos Hanuman Fund
•
● GUGGAL EXTRA STRENGTH™ - Nutritional Ayurvedic herbs to help
Ravindra Doorgiat
Isanah Kameni
58.43
39.45
Potriyan Sivanathan
Girish Skanda
2.61
21.00
Total 1,629.05 Mani & Surya Nallasivan
Total
500.00
500.00 Support for proper Cholesterol levels nutritionally support
Amouda Koothan 1.50 Womana Skanda 30.00 Swami Agnivesh Endowment Fund optimum physical,
Egilen Koothan
Saravan Koothan
30.03
1.50
Robert Sorrells
Rajesh Wadhwa
324.00
800.00
Anonymous
Total
1,001.00
1,001.00
Kapaleeshwara Temple Orphanage
Vasudevan Jayanthi 300.00
•● LIVTONE™ - Ayurvedic Liver Supplement mental, and spiritual
Souda Koothan
Thavamalar Lingam
1.50
38.90
Total 7,796.54
Saiva Agamas Trust
Mani & Surya Nallasivan 1,000.00
Ganesan & Rajalakshmi Ramalingam 50.00 •● PAINGON™ - Nutritional Support for Inflamed health & balance.
Saroja Devi Manickam 2.50 Hindu Businessmen’s Association Trust Ram Iyer Chandra 125.00 Total 1,350.00 Kamatone™ is a total
Bhaveshan Moorghen
Shanda Kumaran Moorghen
1.85
1.85
Vel Alahan
Paramaseeven Canagasaby
411.00
19.76
Matthew Wieczork
Total
20.00
145.00 Pazhassi Balamandiram Orphanage Fund
Tissues system tonic and
Udeyadeva Moorghen 1.85 Vel Mahalingum 10.95 Aaron Mathias 30.00
Adi Sankara Perumal 34.11 Manogaran Mardemootoo 36.52 Alaveddy Pasupatheeswarar Temple Fund Total 30.00 •● TRIPHLA™ - Ayurvedic Digestive Supplement rejuvenating formula
Anjeeni Devi Perumal 18.95 Vishwanaden Moorooven 7.01 Anonymous 50.00 for men.
Kirtideva Peruman
Niroshnee Peruman
13.42
20.14
Total 485.24 Total 50.00 Pooled Income Fund Trust (PIF)
Gowri Nadason 20.00
•● PROVATA™ - For Vata Imbalance
Gunalan Ponniah 130.71 Boys School for Iraivan Priesthood Hindu Heritage Endowment Satya Palani 50.00
Akileiswaran Samuthiran
Jayasutha Samuthiran
2.80
2.80
Bala Sivaceyon
Total
38.69
38.69
Administrative Fund
Ram Iyer Chandra 125.00
Total 70.00 •● PROPITA™ - For Pita Imbalance R.U. VED INC.
2115 - 112th AVE. NE
Sathialingeswari
Devaladevi Sivaceyon
63.53
5.23 Kauai Aadheenam Matavasi Medical Fund
Sandeep Kakaria
Total
50.00
175.00 •● PROKAPHA™ - For Kapha Imbalance BELLEVUE, WA 98004-2946 USA
Nutanaya Sivaceyon 5.23 Kailash Sivam Dhaksinamurthi 101.00 Total Contributions $1,406,980.81
Patudeva Sivaceyon
Hemavalli Sivalingam
10.45
2.37
Gowri Nadason
Sadhaka Nilakantha
60.06
610.00
Thank You Gurudeva Fund
Mohan Ekambaram 501.00 Funds at Market Value, Dec 31, 2003
•● PAINGON CREAM™ - Ayurvedic Anti-inflamma- IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE
CALL US AT
Kantha Ruben Sivalingam 2.37 Niraj Thaker 54.00 Anonymous 126.00 Total Endowment Funds $5,228,398.51
Rohini Sivalingam 2.37 Vayudeva Varadan 18.00 Kanda Alahan 1,108.00 Total Pooled Income Funds $195,622.92 tory Cream 1-800-925-1371 / 425-637-1400
Dasa Sivam 72.00 Total 843.06 Amarnath Devarmanai 324.00 OR SEND A FAX AT 1-425-451-2670
Potriyan Sivanathan
Guha Skanda
6.27
126.00 Tirunavukkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam
Shama Kumaran
Dasan Mahadevan
21.00
1,008.00
Grand Total $5,424,021.43 •● AMLA KALP™ - Ayurvedic Anti-oxidant formula WE ACCEPT MASTERCARD, VISA, DISCOVER &
Javanya Skanda 6.00 Aran Sendan 51.00 Singapore Mission 54.61 AMERICAN EXPRESS CREDIT CARDS
Subasene Skanda 18.00 Total 51.00 Nitya Nadesan 108.00
Samynaden Veerapen 38.00 Manoharan Navaratnarajah 150.00
Siven Veerasamy 53.00 Sri Subramuniya Kottam Fund Shanta Devi Periasamy 345.00
Total 962.11 Andrew Schoenbaum 10.00 Alex Ruberto 30.00
Total 10.00 Chamundi Sabanathan 108.00
Hinduism Today Distribution Fund Hitesvara Saravan 108.00
Anonymous 30.00 Kumbhalavalai Ganesha Temple Sivadas Sivarajah 150.00
Kanda Alahan 851.00 Endowment Vayudeva Varadan 21.00
Appamal Athimulam 262.58 Anonymous 50.00 Total 4,162.61
Cecelia Autar 252.00 Manoharan Navaratnarajah 75.00
Anil Ananda Badhwar 95.10 Total 125.00 Mathavasi Travel Fund
Surinder M. Bhardwaj 150.00 Kailash Sivam Dhaksinamurthi 501.00
Ram Iyer Chandra 125.00 Hinduism Today Production Fund Total 501.00
Jane Claassen 50.00 Usha Varma 50.00
Stephanie Devi Corgatelli 430.00 Total 50.00

MISSION STATEMENT: Hindu Heritage Endowment is a publicly supported, charitable organization

recognized as tax exempt by the IRS on April 22, 1994. Employer ID 99-0308924. Founded by Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, its philanthropic mission is to provide secure, professionally managed
financial support for institutions and religious leaders of all lineages of Sanatana Dharma.
PROFESSIONAL ADVISORS: Halbert, Hargrove/Russell, Investment Counsel; Alvin G. Buchignani,
Esq., Legal Counsel; and Hirose, Kato and Co., CPA. HHE is a member of the Council on Founda-
tions, an association of 1,931 foundations which interprets relevant law and management and invest-
ment principles.
I WANT TO PARTICIPATE. WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY DONATION? You can send your gift to an
existing fund, create a new endowment or request information through the address below. Dona-
tions may be made online at www.hheonline.org or use the HHE tear-out card in this magazine to
join our family of benefactors who are Strengthening Hinduism Worldwide. Thank you.

HINDU HERITAGE ENDOWMENT

KAUAI’S HINDU MONASTERY
107 Kaholalele Road
Kapaa, Hawaii, 96746-9304 USA
Tel: 808-822-3012 Ext 244 • Fax: 808-822-3152
hhe@hindu.org • www.hheonline.org 78
 CLASSIFIED
Classified ads are US$35 for 20 words, $1 for
each additional word. “Box ads” are $55 and
$108 • 10% to 35% discount for repeat ads
Tel: 888-464-1008, 808-240-3108
Fax: 808-822-3152 • ads@hindu.org
, www.HinduismToday.com (click “advertise”)
Ayurvedic/Health
Low-cost blood test by mail. E.g. PSA, $10,
HIV screen, $10 • www.LowCostBloodTest.org
Call Dr. Siva, tel: 1-866-505-1556 (USA).
Devotional Supplies
12 Mantras Eternal
Arun Amin CD. Om, Gayatri,
Shivaya,Vasudevaya, Mrit-
yunjaya, and more. US$10
free s/h • Aurovision,Inc.
Tel.972-235-1515 • www.yogabharati.com
Top quality Rudraksha beadsand malas
Jai Hanuman Ltd.• sales@rudraksha.com
Tel: toll-free 800-379-6439 • 515-472-2448
www.rudraksha.com
www.indiahandicraft.net
700 web pgs: exclusive bronze, stone,
wood statues, temple statues, Tanjore
paintings, home altars. Wholsl., retail,
custom • Bangalore, India. • artha@
indiahandicraft.net • 91-80-3717118
, A Site to See at www.shankar-gallery.com
500 Deity Statues...
...incl. handmade Ganges
clayfired murtis. Free catalog:
800-290-6203, POB 163-
HT03A, Crozet, VA 22932
www.SacredSource.com
Education
Free home-study course in the Vedanta. Con-
tact Parashakti Vidya Gurukul, PO Box 250,
Spring Valley, NY 10977 • devapada@aol.com
Books by Jyotish Vachaspathi Krishnan
Vedic Astrology—Ashtaka Varga Made
Simple for the Western Astrologer, 120 pg.,
$10 including s&h. Vedic Astrology—
US
Stock Market Analysis, 144 pg., $16
including s&h. Order from the author:
, www.geocities.com/wallstreet/brokerage/5562
The Yoga of the Bhagavad Gita
Swami Sri Atmananda’s course on the Bha-
gavad Gita. Inner meaning, commentary,
glossary, chanting tape. Brochure: Satyache-
tana—USA, POB 20903, Reno, NV 89515-
0903 USA • satyachetana@iname.com
79 80
Free Products and Services
Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj Meditation
Blessings. Peace, Bliss and Self-Realization
guaranteed through Meditation. Receive
Shivabalayogi’s photo, holy ash and
meditation instructions. Free. Germaine,
PO Box 8023, Roanoke, VA 24014-1423 USA.
germaineamma@hotmail.com
www..meditate-shivabala.orga
Jewelry
Learn your true Vedic birthstone for
Ayurveda and Jyotish. Free brochure:
King Enterprises, 1305 N. H St. PMB 289-T,
Lompoc, CA 93436 • 805-736-0449 USA
aldawn@earthlink.net
FREE emailed 15-page Vedic Horoscope
and nine gem planetary recomendation
analysis. Please submit the form at
www.astrogems.com • Help Strengthen your
health and spiritual goals
Music and Art
www.mahakali.com
Devotional Hindu Deity
paintings from India. Ganesha,
Shiva, Kali, Durga, Lakshmi,
Saraswati, Krishna, Rama,
Karttik, Hanuman, & more.
Art for the Soul at www.shankar-gallery.com
Products/Stores
OM Auto Emblems, US$995
Gold, silver, or chrome.
Check/money order to:
Om Planet • PO Box 629
Palm Springs, CA 92263
Or use credit card at www.omplanet.com
Fine Quality Neem Products
Living neem trees, fresh
branches, twigs or leaves.
Complete line of neem
products including cold-
pressed oil, soaps, cream,
shampoo, salve and certi-
fied-organic extract and
capsules, all at fresh-
from-the-farm prices • 813-661-8873
www.neemtreefarms.com
601 Southwood Cove
Brandon, FL 33511 USA
Purity Farms organic traditional ghee
100% pure, from cows raised completely
free of hormones, chemicals or pesticides.
A delight to cook with! Wholesale or retail.
A Guide to the Royal Oil—Ghee, 89 pages
on the art of preparing spiritualizing food •
US$7.95 + $2.50 s&h • 303-647-2368, USA.
Professional Services
Freight Forwarder
Ship >45 kg or more
Anywhere from US
Fx: 1-800-396-6659
Sales2@air7seas.us
www.air7seas.com
Publications
Raising Children in the USA
Guide to Indo-Ameri-
can Parenting covers all
aspects of child-rearing
and important cultural
traditions.” (S. Parikh,
MD). Author Kris D.
Bhat, MD, noted
pediatrician, raised 3
children in America. Lucid, concise,
practical. 363 pg • US$26.95 +$2.55 shipg.
Orders/information: 409-835-5382
www.indo-american.com
Babaji's Kriya Yoga & Publications. See our
e-commerce at www.babaji.ca Books, videos
& seminars. In India: babajiindia@lycos.com
Outside of India: Tel.1-888-252-9642 or
1-450-297-0258 • babaji@generation.net
The Path of the Mother
Divine guidance from
Ammachi. A feast for the
soul by Savitri L. Bess, 407p.
Excerpts & more: www.
pathofthemother.com
Sri Aurobindo books. Ayurveda. Reiki. Classi-
cal spiritual texts. Homeopathy. Aroma-
therapy. Alternative health. Also over 10,000
health products including ayurveda, homeo-
pathic remedies, herbal remedies, incense, es-
sential oils, massage oils, etc. Wholesale-retail-
mail order. Free catalog. Lotus Press HT, Box
1008, Silver Lake, WI 53170-1008 USA
www.lotuspress.com
Travel / Vacation / Pilgrimage
Group Tours to Temples
Visit Kedarnath, Badrinath,
Kailash, Rishikesh & Harid-
war. INDIA INTERNATIONAL
VOYAGES. voyages@india.com
www.indiavoyages.com • 1-713-668-2948
 Temples / Temple Services
Sri Rajarajeshwari Peetham, Rochester, NY.
Three pujas each weekday: 9:30, 12:30, 7 pm.
Weekends: pancha sukta abhishekam, 10 am
Saturdays, pujas at noon and 6 pm. Further
details: www.srividya.org
Video
Acclaimed Spiritual Videos. “SADHANA—
India’s Holy men and Kumbha Mela.” US$30.
(postpaid to US). Check/credit card. Catalog
VHS and Pal available. Penny Price Media,
Deities Gilded in 24 K. Gold
Ganapati sitting (or dancing), Ram
Darbar, Lakshmi, Shiva-Parvati,
Durga, Shirdi Sai Baba, Hanuman,
Santoshi Ma, Tirupati Balaji, Vishnu,
Shiva Nataraj, Krishna with Cow.
3”-5” (7-12 cm) high. US$19.95 to
$39.95. $3.50 shipping. Catalog.
Discounts for retailers and temples.
Nirvana Collection
94 Route 416, Campbell Hall, NY
10916 USA • Tel: 800-374-2304 or
845-294-1498 • Fax 845-294-3870
406 Mountain View Rd., Rhinebeck, NY tem, prevent and heal chronic cold, allergy,
12572 USA • Tel: 845-876-0239 asthma, and boost your spiritual health with Ask for this Booklet—it’s Free!
Fax: 845-876-0260 • Pricemedia@aol.com) Vasanthi Bhat’s video "Pranayama,” level I &
level II—$19.95 each. Shipping $5.00 for both. By Roy Eugene Davis, a
disciple of Paramahansa
Yoga Free audio cassette with the order.
1196 Lynbrook Way, San Jose, CA 95129. Yogananda. 48 pages,
Yoga in Daily Life. Yoga, meditation, satsang. 408-257-8418 • vasanthib@aol.com pocket size.
Books, CD’s, incense and yoga props available
online. 2402 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria, • Meditate easily and
VA 22301-1330 USA. Tel: 703-299-8946 Yoga Props,… naturally for personal
alexandria@yogaindailylife.com …sticky mats and more… benefits and satisfying
www.yogaindailylife.com Tools for Yoga, PO Box 99, spiritual growth.
Chatham, NJ 07928 • tel:
www.vasanthayoga.com • Learn yogic • A clear explanation with
973-966-5311, fax: 966-1477
breathing to improve stamina, immune sys- www.yogapropshop.com
techniques and routines.
• For anyone just starting
to practice and for the
experienced meditator.
Life Insurance and Estate Planning CSA Press, Publishers
PO Box 7
In an increasingly complex field of Lakemont, Georgia 30552-0001 USA
laws and available financial strate- Tel: 706-782-4723 • Fax: 706-782-4560
gies, it is wise to rely on professional E-mail csainc@csa-davis.org • Website www.csa-davis.org
counsel for retirement and estate
planning. For information, contact Roy Eugene Davis’ Books in India:
one of the most highly trained Life Surrendered in God (yoga-sutras),
financial advisors in the USA: Hardcover, Rs. 295 • Softcover, Rs. 195
Niraj P. Baxi, MSI, CLU, ChFC A Master Guide to Meditation, Rs. 85
19925 Steven’s Creek Blvd Motilal Banarsidass, 41 U.A., Bungalow Road,
Cupertino, CA 95014 Jawahar Nagar, Delhi 110 007
Tel: 800-686-8436/408-725-7117 An Easy Guide to Ayurveda, Rs. 45, B. Jain Publishers
nbaxi@insuranceplanning.com Post Box 5775, New Delhi 110 055
Celestial Assistance in Daily Life
Vydic Yagnya Centre is dedicated to helping bring peace, contentment, inspiration and
general happiness into the lives of sincere devotees by the intercession of Gods and
Devas through the traditional Vedic yagnya, or holy fire ceremony.
aastu rectification yagnyas are available for houses that are non-sthapatya-vedic. If there are inaccuracy
V issues with your house, business site or office, we will perform a traditional vydic Vaastu-rectification Yagnya
on site, including installation of a copper-plate yantra. This first part of the year is one of the most auspicious
times to do Vaastu Yagnyas.
Special Lakshmi Yagnyas for prosperity and success in business—traditional, powerful and highly focussed—have
remarkable impact, often measurable in improved sales and profits.
Our Yagnyas have also proved highly effective in resolving personal, health, family or professional issues. If you have
concerns in any area of life, please feel free to consult with our highly trained priests in utmost confidence. They will con-
sult astrology, perhaps suggest certain sadhanas or mantras, and tailor a ceremony to your needs, or your group’s needs.
All consultations are free of cost.
Contact us about other yagnyas and spiritual services we provide to make your life happy and abundant.
info@yagnya.com ● 1-888-835-7788 ● www.yagnya.com ● www.vydic.org
81 82
 Working Together Chakrapani Ullal, Vedic Astrology
World-renowned teacher
and advisor, Chakrapani Ullal,
consults internationally with
people from all walks
of life. As the founding hon-
orary chairman of the ACVA
(American Council of Vedic
To Uplift People and Communities Astrology), he has played
an active role in bringing to-
gether the Eastern Indian

www.kindlelife.org Vedic astrologers and

Western astrologers. Consid-
Daily Lessons for
ered a teacher of teachers, he
Links to charitable and worthy institutions worldwide.

1. Make donations to the institutions of your choice

via Kindle Life (in accord with US regulations).
2. Apply for inclusion of your favorite charities.
3. Contact us to learn about other possibilites in
giving—or to help us to develop them.
4. Visit site to access Hindu scriptures.
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service of others.
—Mahatma Gandhi
travels widely as an author,
lecturer and consultant.
Self-transformation!
Born into a traditional Hindu lineage of astrologers in
South India, Chakrapani began his training at an early age
and enjoyed associations with many of India’s most revered
and celebrated saints and sages. With over 45 years of experi-
ence, his depth of knowledge and unique understanding
of how astrological principles apply to different cultures
are sought out by people from all over the world. For more
information and a schedule of his upcoming itinerary,
please contact:

Tel: 1-510-653-6927 Chakrapani Ullal • 12044 Kearsarge Street

Non-profit Organization Los Angeles, CA 90049-4113 USA
Federal ID# 94-330847, CA state ID# 2072724 Tel: 310-476-9942 • Fax: 310-471-3205
info@vedicastrology.com • www.chakrapani.com

The Finest Collection

of Antiques & Art from
INDIA India, Tibet and Nepal

• Statues of Hindu & Bud-

dhist Gods & Goddesses
• Rare furniture pieces
• Folk art textiles
• Prayer & Tibetan rugs
• Silver ethnic jewelry
• Pichwaiis & batik
paintings
• Buddhist Thangkas
batiks
• Books & henna body art
• Musical instruments:
sitars and tablas Become a student of Gurudeva’s definitive
This magnificent 12.5-ft. black
• Healing mantra
music CDs
trilogy on contemporary Hinduism. Why wait?
granite Dhakshinamurthy
is now available. Orders taken for
monasteries & temples for Sign up now at www.gurudeva.org/mc/
marble & bronze statues.
www.hindugods.net ...or write to :
2339 University Blvd.
Houston, TX 77005 USA
HIMALAYAN ACADEMY, KAUAI’S HINDU MONASTERY
1-713-668-2948 ● concept@wt.net
107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, Hawaii, USA 96746-9304
We offer group tours to visit temples in Phone: 808-822-3012, ext. 245
INDIA. Various packages. Call or email for more E-mail: mastercourse@hindu.org
info. Also visit www.indiavoyages.com 83

Infinite Shiva
Part II—Shiva as Shakti, the One Mother.
Like the still waters of a lake
Become cascading waters in a waterfall,
Father, show me Thy kinetic form—
The Cosmic Mother, Paruvathi.
Like a child who has never
Known his mother’s face
I sorrow for Thee:
Like the Earth orbits the Sun
My atma orbits Thee.
As the Oceans surround the lands
Thy Love surrounds me.
In remembrance of the Supreme Consciousness, by Dr. Arjunan Subramaniam, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 5th September 2002
Part III, “The Worship of Shiva—Lord Ganesha Speaks to Gurudeva,” will appear in the July-August-September 2004 issue.
I gasp for the breath of words
To express my adoration for Thee:
’tis a long time since I said,
“Mother, I love Thee.”
In the altar of my soul
Burns the flame of love.
Fueled by the fire of ambition to see Thee,
Fanned by the winds of devotion,
That flame has become
A flame on flames
Leaping and soaring to Thee.
Photo courtesy of NASA.
w w w. ta m i l . n e t / p r o j e c t m a d u r a i /
Project Madurai brings the Tamil literary heritage to digital realms
H E R I TAG E
Survival Thru
Cyberspace
P ublication of ancient
Tamil literary works in elec-
tronic format has been the goal
of Project Madurai, http://www.
tamil.net/projectmadurai/, since
the early days of the worldwide
d h r i s h i c r e at i o n s
M U LT I - M E DI A
Digital Shrine
D oes your job or hectic
lifestyle prevent you from
attending temple or praying in
And but a glimpse of Thy face
Would put out my flames and
Bring my pilgrimage on earth
To a close.
I wait, Thy child awaits,
For that day, for the joy
of that moment…
Visit www.hindu.org
PA R E N T I N G T O O L S
Peace for Kids
“G uided meditation for
Children, Journey into the
Elements,” an audio CD, teach-
es children ages four to twelve
new age kids inc.
to look within for ways to focus,
solve problems and relieve
stress through meditation. Five
serenity-inducing meditations
take children on an inward
journey into the elements of
This CD by Chitra Sukhu (left,
with her children) proves a use-
ful tool for peaceful parenting
web. Spearheaded by various earth, air, water, fire and ether.
Tamil enthusiasts, there are
now over 200 texts, from the
Enchanting natural music and a
life enhancing message accom-
Tirumantiram to contemporary
short stories from Sri Lanka
pany each meditation. This CD
was produced by Chitra Sukhu,
new age kids inc.
in this e-library. The Tamil entrepreneur and mother of
language contains the second
largest body (after Sanskrit) of
ancient Hindu teachings, mak-
two. She’s the daughter of Yogi
Hari and has practiced of yoga
and meditation since the age
ing this effort toward preserva- of three, Order online: http://
tion and accessibility a boon for www.newagekids.om; US$15.99.
future generations of Hindus.
your home shrine? Don’t worry!
Lord Ganesha can now be as
close as your laptop computer.
Ganesha Prarthana, an interac-
tive CD ROM, is specifically
designed to let you perform vir-
tual puja, archana and meditate A wealth of lessons awaits you at www.bnaiyer.com/vidya/
on the forms of Lord Ganesha
E D U C AT I O N
while you are on the go. Create ers to get a broad overview
your own puja, learn how to do of Hinduism’s traditions and
an archana or sing along with
the bhajans. All of this and
Cyberschool perennial philosophy. The
well-organized course format
much more is contained on this
delightful CD from Dhrishti “N amaste, vanakkam
Namaskaram!” The
has concise, accurate infor-
mation on beliefs, philosophy,
Creations in Bangalore. brightly colored home page
of Vidya-Bharati bids wel-
the yogic paths and devo-
tional practices common
Order online:
dhrishticreations.com
US$12 plus shipping, Win. only.
come to seekers. It is an ideal
website for youth and begin-
across a broad spectrum of
Hindu denominations.