THOUGHT OF THE DAY --MARCH/APRIL 2021

 

THOUGHT OF THE DAY --MARCH/APRIL 2021

 

 

Arbor Day 2021 Prayers for Herbal Plant Deities

 

Arbor Day occurs this year on Friday, April 30. Dedicate a tree to someone who is special to you, and check out these facts about Arbor Day and the man who founded it. Arbor Day, much like World Earth Day, is a holiday that celebrates nature. Its purpose is to encourage people to plant trees, and many communities traditionally take the opportunity to organize tree-planting and litter-collecting events on or around the holiday.  

 

Arbor Day sprouted from the mind of a zealous tree lover named Julius Sterling Morton, who had a passion for planting all kinds of trees.  The first Arbor Day occurred on April 10, 1872, in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It’s estimated that nearly one million trees were planted on this day.  

 

By 1885, Arbor Day had become a legal holiday in Nebraska. (The date was changed to April 22 to honor Morton’s birthday, which was also the 22nd of April, World Earth Day. On that day, thousands of Nebraska City citizens turned out for one big party, including 1,000 school-children who formed a parade. Within 20 years of its creation, the holiday was celebrated in every American state except Delaware, which eventually joined in. Particularly pleasing to Morton was the fact that schools across the country began celebrating Arbor Day by dedicating the trees they planted to special people. A popular Arbor Day tradition is to plant a tree in honor or memory of a loved one.   

 

Without knowing anything about Arbor Day, three top executives that included me as number 2, planned to plant trees around the factory we designed and built for TATAS in Dewas in Madhya Pradesh, in India. We also planted a number of water greedy Eucalyptus trees with the help of our labor force, around the effluent treated Waste Water Disposal Tanks, with a view to quickly suck and disposed waste waters and bad odor by naturopathy besides chemical treatment and aeration, an idea promoted by me.  We also came with the novel idea then to honor any dignitary visitor to the plant, by requesting them to plant a tree in his/her name.  I believe there is a tree in my name there still, that the labor planted in 1973 and named after me! We had earlier destroyed many trees in the area to build the trees and so I suggested we must fill the surroundings with trees to keep the factory cool and atone for the sin we were forced to commit. When possible, we transplanted huge trees! 

 

National Arbor Day is always celebrated on the last Friday in April, but many states observe Arbor Day on different dates. We can therefore pray for better dates, pruning, cleaning our backyards and planting flower and vegetable plants as well as additional trees if required.  

 

 “Vrikshanam asvatthoham--among trees, I am the sturdiest Asvattha tree’’ says Krishna, thereby telling us that we are part and parcel of trees and must develop physical and mental strength to the level of Asvattha whose roots are in heaven!  In his mortal life Krishna loved Kadamba Tree which is also popular in Western world as May Tree about which I recently spoke.  On Gokulashtami we pay our obeisance to Lord Krishna under the canopy of Phalvatsara thus invoking him as Purusha and Prakriti-the Supreme and the Nature. We also include a branch of tree for worship. 

 

Hindus do worship Aswattha Tree as Mahavishnu. But why did Krishna say "Among trees I am Aswattha". He perhaps had in mind Thiruppullani near the seashore of Dhanushkoti where Rama worshiped Adi Jagannatha. Even earlier, 72 Chatur Yugas ago,    three sages Pullavar, Kannavar and Kalavar came to this temple region, then covered densely with sacred Darbha grass and merged themselves in deep penance. Pleased with their penance, Lord Vishnu appeared before them in the form of Aswattha Tree.  Though happy they were, the Sages sought the grace of the Lord in His original form, and Good Lord obliged in the form of Lord Adi Jagannatha. That is the place now called Tirupullani; that is why these trees are worshiped as Maha Vishnu (Vatapatra saayee) 

Sacred Herbal Hills, deities and Herbal Plants--Herbs are used in many religious worships.  In Hinduism a form of basil called Tulsi is worshipped as a goddess for its medicinal value since the Vedic times. Many Hindus have a Tulsi plant in front of their houses. We have discussed about it in detail as well as Bilva leaves. Not only these medicinal plants but both a fraction of Gandhamadana Hill   that housed Sanjeevini that Hanuman left near seashores on whose top stands a giant Hanuman in Ramanathapuram district and Maruthamalai that abodes Vaithyalinga near Coimbatore are venerated. Thus Hanuman who is also believed to be an incarnation of Siva and Lord Siva as Bheshajam-bhishak are worshiped by all Hindus along with Dhanvantari who incarnated with the pot of Amrita at the time of creation along with Aswini Kumars, champion deities of Medical Sciences for Human Relief from all kinds of diseases. 

 

 Gandhamadana Hill, a left out piece from the giant returned mountain by Hanuman is the tallest peak on Pamban Island which lies in the Palk Strait between mainland India and Sri Lanka. It is believed by Tamils that Lord Hanuman resides there. Gandhamadana Hillock is located 3 kilometers from Rameswaram, almost midway between the western edge of the island and the ghost-town of Dhanushkodi at the corner of the eastern promontory. Gandhamadana is believed to be the hillock from whose summit,   Hanuman, commenced his flight to Ravana's Lanka. Kalidasa [Kumarasambhava, VI] refers to returned Gandhamadana, in the vicinity of the mythical city of Osadhiprastha in Himalaya Mountain, having Santanaka trees. Nath tradition holds that Parashurama, after enacting his vengeance, sought out Dattatreya atop this hillock Gandhamadana, healing mountain for spiritual guidance, being mentally disturbed.  Their conversations gave rise to Tripura Rahasya, a treatise on Advaita Vedanta. It was here the deity instructed the warrior-sage on knowledge of scripture, renunciation of worldly activities, and non-duality, thus freeing Parashurama from mental agitation and the cycle of death and rebirth. 

 

Here is a brief description of herbs venerated by various religions: 

 

1. Lotus Flower--Jahnavi Harrison explains how the lotus is a plant that, for those educated in an eastern spiritual context, evokes layers of meaning and narrative. For Hindus, the beautiful and arresting lotus flower represents life, fertility and (as with Buddhists) purity – standing aloof above the mud and murk from which it grows. Though its roots are in the mud, the flower sits atop the water, clean and white. 

The story goes that the lotus arose from the navel of God Vishnu, with Brahma sitting at the center of the flower. Some believe that God’s hands and feet are lotus-like and his eyes shaped like lotus petals; his glance and touch are said to be as soft as lotus buds. Hinduism also teaches that within each person is the spirit of the sacred lotus. Flower power! 

  

2. Mistletoe--We now associate mistletoe with the magic of Christmas, but its symbolism dates back to the days of the ancient Celtic Druids. They believed that mistletoe represented the essence of the sun god Taranis and that any tree with mistletoe growing amongst its branches was therefore sacred. 

 

The winter solstice was the time when the Chief Druid, dressed in a white cloak, would cut the sacred mistletoe from the oak tree with a golden sickle. The special plant and its berries would then be used for rituals or medicine. It was believed to hold miraculous properties: a potion made from mistletoe would cure illness, serve as an antidote against any poison, ensure fertility in humans and animals and protect against witchcraft. In actual fact, this was extremely ill-advised – mistletoe is toxic when ingested! 

  

3. Holy Basil (Ocimum Sanctum)--In Hinduism, the Goddess Vrinda is said to serve Lord Krishna and his devotee’s by acting as guardian of the sacred land of Vindravan, a town of pilgrimage and worship. Although she is a goddess with a human form, ancient texts tell that Krishna himself blessed her to take the form of the holy basil plant within the worldly realm and that wherever she would grow would automatically become akin to the sacred ground of Vrindavan. This holy Basil plant, known as tulsi, grows profusely all over the area. 

 

Millions of Hindus of different denominations, all over the world, worship the ulsi plant as a daily practice, in temples and in their homes. 

  

4. Peyote--Peyote is a small, spineless cactus that grows naturally in the desert in southwestern Texas and Mexico and has been used by indigenous people for spiritual purposes for millennia. The Huichol Indians of Mexico and members of many Native American tribes in North America believe peyote to be a sacred plant that helps them converse with God. Used in prayer ceremonies, it can trigger hallucinations that are thought to be visions of an alternate reality or the spirit world. 

 

It isn’t just the indigenous people who have eulogized the spiritual powers of peyote. The cactus’s psychedelic properties garnered it an almost religious following in artists, musicians and writers from around the 1950s. Ken Kesey claimed to have scribed the opening passage of ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest’ while he was high on peyote! 

  

5. Yew Tree--The yew tree, an evergreen conifer, has long been associated with rebirth and everlasting life. This is because, incredibly, its drooping branches can take root in the ground and form new trunks. A yew can also grow a new trunk from within the hollow husk of an old tree. It is no wonder that it came to symbolize resurrection! 

 The yew is a symbolic tree in the Christian faith: there was a custom of placing yew shoots within the coffins of the deceased, and many a church has a yew tree standing next to it. However, although some yew trees have been planted beside churches, in many cases a yew was already growing on a site before the first church was built there. Considered sacred by the Druids in pre-Christian times, these ancient yew trees were in fact originally planted on pagan worship sites, or the site chosen because of the yew, to then be adopted by the church.  

 

6. Marijuana--Marijuana holds great religious significance for the Rastafarian religion. The religion believes that the Tree of Life referred to in the Bible is the marijuana plant and that its use is sacred, based on numerous passages in the bible. For example, Revelation 22:2 states, ‘the herb is the healing of the nations.’ 

 

The use of cannabis is an integral part of what Rastafari call ‘reasoning sessions’, which are communal meetings where members discuss life according to the Rasta perspective. Although the substance is known by various names (marijuana, cannabis, and ganja), Rastas also describe it as the ‘holy herb’ or the ‘wisdom weed’ as they believe smoking it provides great wisdom and insight. They see the use of the herb as bringing them closer to God, the universe and their inner spiritual self. The smoking of the ‘wisdom weed’ is a highly ritualized act: it is rolled into a cigarette or placed into a chillum pipe, passed around and inhaled – and before it is smoked a prayer is uttered. 

 7. Basil (Ocimum Basilicum)----‘Ocimum basilicum’ is the herb most of us know from tearing it on to the top of our spag bol, but within the regional denominations of Orthodox Christianity, especially in the Greek Church, it’s a sacred herb. The name basil in fact comes from the Greek word for ‘kingly’ or ‘royal’. 

 

Orthodox Christians believe the herb sprung up where Jesus's blood fell near his tomb and, ever since, basil has been associated with the worship of the cross, particularly during Great Lent. The priest uses basil to establish and purify the holy water and a bunch of its leaves to sprinkle the water on to the congregation. The cross, decorated with fragrant bouquets of the herb, is taken in procession around the church and small bunches are handed out. Many people will place their bunch in water until it develops roots, so they can replant the basil as a blessing in their own home.   

8. Bael Fruit Tree: Aegle marmelos (L.) Corrêa (Rutaceae), popularly known as bael fruit or stone apple tree, and the basis of marmalade, is a deciduous tree with extensive medicinal, pharmacological, ethnomedicinal and conventional properties and uses. Aegle marmelos shows wide eco-physiological plasticity, including resistance to high temperature stress, while salt-resistant cultivars also exist.  

 

In India, Bael leaf is used in the worship of Shiva as its three-pronged leaf is believed to symbolize Shiva’s trident.   Considered one of the most useful plants of India in classical Ayurveda, all parts of the Bael plant are used in tonics and medicines. Bael is “tridoshic,” meaning that it is beneficial for all the doshas — vata, pitta and kapha. It is also considered a cooling herb with laxative properties. 

  

India is going through a deadly time, right now. Perhaps they thought that the moment of danger was past, and let their guard down. The new coronavirus variants seem to be seeping into communities, and getting past the defenses of social distancing, masks and vaccines. While we can say that we will get over this crisis too, the immediate future remains highly uncertain. For most of us, the situation we are in is unprecedented. There is no comparable event in our lifetimes that we can look to for solutions. At such times, the only source of guidance and strength is our relationship with the divine. Many of you personally may be dealing with loss, or illness yourself. Or you may know people who are dealing with it. We share our heartfelt prayers and wishes to everyone fighting this virus, including our supporters, friends and family, and the entire medical fraternity which is overwhelmed by this situation. When we have a strong spiritual connection with the divine that gives us mental and emotional strength as well. And we can then be more empathetic, supportive and naturally caring towards others who may be suffering.  

There is a lot of uncertainty in the air. Although we don’t know what the coming weeks look like, it’s still important to take time to pause, relax, and continue to celebrate the good things. Trees are proven to reduce stress and improve well-being. If ever there was a time for trees, now is that time.  

 

“Other holidays repose upon the past; Arbor Day proposes for the future.”–J. Sterling Morton 

  

Have a happy and healthy Arbor Day! vanaspatayah santih! oshadhayah santih 

  

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2016/10/trees-symbolize-life-inspire-spiritual.html

--April 30, 2021

Comments:

Thank you mama this information is so useful

--Aparna Arcot

 

Seeking Fame and Fortune? Let It Come To You!

 

 We are currently observing Mandala Puja of 40 days chanting Hanuman Chalisa to obtain "buddhi balam yasodhairyam' Hanumat smaranat bhavet". If you can't fast and observe austerity listen to series of lectures on Bhagavat Gita by Jaya Row to seek Fame and Fortune over a long period seeking blessings from Lord Krishna; please go through the gist of Chapter 6. Yet there is another short cut--Sri rama rameti rame rame manorame taking advice from Sankara. He is now busy as Vaithyeswara preoccupied with COVID 19. You need more than Rama and Krishna Avatars but need more than combined avatar of Rama-Krishna.  That is why we have several Spiritual Gurus coming with their Vedanta Ramana Vedanta, Ramakrishna Vedanta etc., booming through Zooming enriched by HUA lectures. So, you need not bother much about by e-mails that confuse you more than convince you but listen to these great minds with the Power of Intellect Prajnya that Swami Chidananda of Fowai Forum taught us. Bhagavad Gita also says; nahi jnanena sadrisam. How can alpabuddhi of mine help you? Join Hanuman Chalisa Chanting at Sri Ganesha Temple on May 2, but before that try to understand this magic and mysterious short-cut 40 instead of usual 108 or 1008 recommended by 

Homa therapy fumes helped us too!

Let fame and fortune come to you at the weekly webinars on Bhagavad Gita Chapter VI, by Jaya Row:

 

Gist of Chapter 6 

1. Renunciation is not giving up action. It is renouncing the obstacles that stand in the way of perfect action. 

2. The path of action is meant for the active people and path of renunciation for the contemplative. 

3. Redeem yourself by yourself. Nobody else can help you. 

4. Moderation and regulation of life’s activities are a must for material or spiritual progress. 

5. When the mind is in a scattered state there is no power. A gathered mind has power, is calm and effective. 

6. The intellect has high penetrating power when developed. It enables effortless excellence and takes you to Self-realization. 

7. Yoga is the separation of union with sorrow. Disconnect this union with sorrow. Then you fill find happiness within yourself. 

8. All desires are born of imagination. 

9. The test of spiritual development is the ability to see yourself in others and all beings in yourself. 

10. The doer of good never suffers. Selfish people will be destroyed. 

 

Entitled “The Yoga of Meditation”, chapter 6 of the Bhagavad Gita elucidates meditation as the final gateway to Self-Realization. Meditation is more than just shutting one’s eyes and repeating a mantra or word symbol. It is the highest spiritual technique that needs to be practiced diligently and devotedly by qualified practitioners. The essential prerequisite for meditation is a calm mind. A mind burdened with desires and attachments is unable to take off into subtler realms of concentration and meditation. 

Krishna begins with the definition of a sanyasi, a renounced person. Renunciation is associated with giving up, abandoning one’s duties and escaping to a safe sanctuary. It is this misunderstanding that has turned away genuine seekers and prevented them from accessing the benefits of renunciation. Krishna describes a sanyasi as one who does what one ought to do, fulfils one’s duties and responsibilities fully, without depending on the fruit of action. A sanyasi is not one without a higher ideal, nor is he an inactive person. Krishna then gives a masterful description of the three stages of spiritual evolution. From an active yogi to a meditative sannyasi and, finally, to the exalted state of a jnani, the enlightened One. He describes the three stages in terms of mental states rather than external appearances. Thus, one does not have to don ochre robes or perform rituals or deny oneself worldly enjoyments to be spiritual. All that is needed is a change in mindset. 

 

Step by step, Krishna takes us through the preparatory disciplines as well as disqualifications for meditation. This is followed by the test of Enlightenment. A realized Soul is one who feels one with everyone. He sees his Self as the Self in all beings. In the end he worships God not in a temple, church or mosque, but in every living being. Thereafter he lives in Atman, whatever his lifestyle. It is pointless to declare love for God when you cannot connect with His images everywhere. 

Arjuna, like us, is afraid of leaving the safe confines of his present existence to discover the unknown realm of the Infinite. He asks Krishna what the fate is of those who commit themselves to a spiritual life but die before Realization. Krishna gives a fitting reply to reveal one of the most insightful laws of life. He says, “One who is righteous will never come to grief. Either now or in the future”. Your efforts will not go in vain. You will carry forward the credits to your future life. A spiritually evolved person who falls short of Realisation will either be born in the home of the happy and wealthy or in the family of a wise yogi. There, endowed with the wisdom acquired in previous lives, he will strive even more to attain Enlightenment. 

Thus, the Lord assures Arjuna, and all of us, that the way to lasting happiness is a life of Truth. 

 

--April 29, 2021

 

 

 

 

Hindu Reflections on Supernatural Powers of Hanuma & his mentor Sri Sita-Rama

On the eve of Hanuman Jayanthi, who is celebrated for his “buddhibalam yasodhairyam”,   H. H. Swami Chidananda drew our attention to the following couplet of Vidura Neeti: yena tvetāni sarvāṇi saṅgṛhītāni bhārata | yad balānāṁ  balaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ tatprajñābalamucyate ||    

 

There are five different kinds of powers needed for kings described in this couplet. But, think of the Powers of Hanuman and his mentor Rama that we can possess by meditating on “Sitaa Lakshmana Bharatasatrugnha Hanumat sameta Ramachndra

 

It looks as though the Full Moon Fortnight of Chaitra is the Fortnight of All Kinds of Power, beginning with celebration of Parasakti Vasanta Navaratri, Kodandapani Rama Navami culminating in Buddirbalam Yasodhairyam Hanuman Jayanti inspired by the dawn of Plava (ploughing) Samvatsara, dedicated to Sitadevi, anxiously waiting for her birthday in the next  Suklapaksha Navami in Vaisakha!

(Eight divine powers) and Nav-Nidhi (9 Treasures)--“Ashta siddhi nav nidhi ke daataa” in Hanuman Chalisa. Siddha has no equivalent in English language, and it can be understood as combination of perfection and establishment (when both are used simultaneously i.e. Perfection+Established or perfectly established. 

Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapurana mentions: 

The masters of yoga speak of eighteen mystical perfections (siddhis) eight of them primary and ten of them secondary that lead to Siddhi on meditation,    originating from the quality of Satvaguna or nature of all goodness. 

 

Nidhi --In Sanskrit Nidhi means treasure there are 9 (primary)types of treasures or valuable possessions. 

The nine Nidhis are 1) mahapadma "great lotus flower"; 2) padma "lotus flower"; 3) shankha "conch"; 4) makara "crocodile"; 5) kachchhapa "tortoise"; 6)  kumud "a particular precious stone"; 7) kunda "jasmine"; 8) nila "sapphire; and 9) kharva "dwarf" (these are also names of numbers in Hinduism)  

 

Siddhi can be acquired by anybody in this universe who has enough Sadhana Balam or Tapobalam (certain spiritual height/depth of realization of practitioner).   There were many siddhas in the past who possessed such abilities; it is believed that they still exist and they are innumerable. Nidhi's are primarily possessed by Kubera because he is prime minister of Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of wealth). Please go through my detailed discourse on Siddhas and also detailed description of Ashta siddhis and other supernatural power of Siddhas :

  

Ashta Siddhis – Supernatural Powers of Hindu Dharma   

By Ramesh, Vedic Feed 

 

In Hindu dharma, any yogi can achieve one or more of the eight siddhis. They might sound out of proportion for some. But these, in fact, show some of the superpowers that modern fictional superheroes show in some way. 

Hindu dharma talks about these superpowers. These are the Ashta siddhis: 

1. Anima 

Anima is the ability to reduce the body size, so much so that, one can even reduce one’s size to the atom. Krishna in Srimad Bhagavatam describes this trait as “becoming smaller than the smallest”. In Ramayana, Hanuman has been shown to use this trait while he went to search for Sita in Lanka. The modern-day Ant-Man in the Marvel world also possesses the same siddhi power. 

 

2. Mahima 

Mahima is the ability to assume a gigantic form. Krishna in Srimad Bhagavatam describes the property as becoming larger than the largest. When Hanuman burned Lanka in Ramayana and when Lord Vishnu in his Vamana avatar enlarged himself that it only took him three steps to cover all three worlds are some instances of Mahima. 

Many modern fiction characters such as Elastic-Girl possess this power. 

 

3. Garima 

Garima is the ability to be heavy in weight by will. In Hindu epics, there is an instance when Hanuman increased the strength of his tail such that even Bhima couldn’t lift it. While Bhima climbed the Gandhamadana Mountains to get some flowers for Draupadi, he was stopped by a monkey’s tail on the way. He asks the monkey to remove the tail off the road, but the monkey replies by stating that he is old and Bhima should remove it himself. However, even being the strongest person on earth, Bhima couldn’t lift it. 

 

4. Laghima 

 

Laghima is derived from the word laghu, which translates from Sanskrit as small or light. This means the ability to make one’s body light. Flying and levitation are the other powers obtained from Laghima. 

 

5. Prapti 

Prapti is the ability to obtain, which indicates the ability to get anything anywhere. We’ve seen Gods creating things out of thin air on various shows based on Hindu epics. This shows the prapti siddhi. 

 

6. Prakamya 

It is the ability to realize dreams and get what’s desired. 

 

7. Isitva 

Isa in Sanskrit means Lord, so isitva means lordship. It is the power over creation. 

 

8. Vasitva 

It is the power to get everything under control, especially in terms of physical manifestations. 

 

Other superpowers in Bhagavata Purana 

1. Tri-kāla-jñatvam: Knowledge of past present and future 
2. Advandvam (non-duality): not being subject to dualities of heat/ cold, pain/ pleasure, sweat/ bitter, good/ bad 
3. Para citta ādi abhijñatā: Knowing of others’ minds 
4. Agni arka ambu viṣa ādīnām pratiṣṭambhaḥ: having fire, sun, water, poison in control and stopping their effect 
5. Aparājayah: becoming unconquerable 
6. Anūrmi-mattvam: Being undisturbed by hunger, thirst, and other body generated cravings 
7. Dūra-śravaṇa: Hearing things/ events happening very far 
8. Dūra-darśanam: Seeing 
9. things/ events happening very far 
10. Manaḥ-javah (manojvitva): Moving physical body wherever one wants 
11. kāma-rūpam: Attaining/ assuming the desired form 
12. Para-kāya praveśanam (vikranabhav): Entering another person body (spirits are believed to enter a person’s physical body whose astral body is weak, but the power mentioned here is different and superior) 
13. Sva-chanda mṛtyuh: To die only on one’s wish (like that of Bhishma from Mahabharat, like that of many sages who left their bodies by their own wish) 
14. Devānām Saha krīḍā anudarśanam: Witnessing the pastimes of demi-gods (or Witnessing the events of 3 worlds as pastimes like God does) 
15. Yathā sańkalpa saḿsiddhiḥ: Achieving as one determines 
16. ājñā apratihatā gatiḥ: One’s commands unstopped 
17.  

How can one attain siddhi? 

Maharishi Patanjali talks about attaining superpower in section IV of Yoga Sutras. The verse provides five ways of attaining the supernatural powers: 

• By birth: This is part of the hereditary transfer where the spiritually advanced parents transfer their superpowers to their offspring. It could also be that one can achieve a superpower because of the things they had achieved in their previous lives. 
• Medicine: Superpower can be achieved with certain drugs that have miraculous power. In Ramayana, Sanjeevini herb brought Lakshmana back to life 
• Mantra: Chanting mantra is said to grant powers to the prayers who chant special mantras in Vedas. It is because of the power of those words and the self-discipline that chanting of the mantras can bring. 
• Penance: Penance can clarify the mind that one can simply control the five elements by a wish. 
• Samadhi: This is achieved when one achieves unity with the consciousness that extraordinary powers can be obtained. 

--April 25, 2021

Hindu Reflections on Hanuman Jayanti 2021 --Combined Power of Intellect & Strength

In various parts of the country, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on different days. In some places (especially in Maharashtra) it is observed on Chaitra Purnima. In Tamilnadu and Kerala, it is celebrated in the month of Margazhi (December – January). As per the Odiya calendar it is celebrated on the first day of Vaishaka month. In Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh it is celebrated on Vaishaka Krishna Dashami, the 10th day of the waning moon in the month of Vaishaka. Our astrologers have their own explanation to convince us about these different Jayanti Days!  

BECOME HANUMAN, THE POWER OF RAMA WORKING WITHIN US 

Hanuman endows us with the Atma-Shakti or self-power to realize our highest potential and accomplish what is magical. 

Hanuman is the great hero of the Ramayana, the wonderful story’s most fascinating character. Though having the form of a monkey, he is said to be the greatest sage, yogi and devotee. What is the inner meaning of this magical figure and his relevance for everyone? 

Hanuman is portrayed as the son of Vayu, the wind God. This explains his speed of movement, his power to become as small or large as he likes, and his incredible strength. But there are many other yogic secrets hidden behind his symbolism. 

Hanuman and cosmic energy 

Today our world prides itself in a new information technology, with a rapid speed of data, calculation and communication. Modern science has learned to tap the latent powers of nature to transform our outer lives. Yet at a cosmic level, there is a deeper energy that runs everything in the universe, pulsating everywhere, which is ultimately much more significant. 

This universal energy is called “Vayu”, which is not just a force of the wind or air element, but the Kriya Shakti or power of action that governs all inanimate and animate forces. It is the source of all cosmic powers, not just wind as a force in the atmosphere. Vayu is inherent in space or Akasha as its force of movement and expression. 

Vayu manifests as lightning, electrical or propulsive force (vidyut) in all of its forms. This is not just the lightning that arises from clouds but the kinetic energy that permeates all space and time. Vayu is the energy operative from a subatomic level to the very Big Bang behind the universe as a whole. Tapping into that supreme cosmic power is what the methodology of Yoga is all about. 

Vayu at an individual level becomes Prana, which is not just the breath but the life force that holds all our motivations and sustains our inner strength and will power. It is not just our physical Prana but the Prana of mind and ultimately the Prana of consciousness itself, the universal life that manifests through the cosmic vibration OM. 

Hanuman as the son of Vayu represents the cosmic Vayu manifesting through our individual Prana. This occurs when we dedicate our lives to the Divine Self or Rama within us, letting go of our attachment to the external world of appearances and connecting to the unlimited potentials we have. 

Hanuman endows us with the Atma-shakti or Self-power through which we can realize our highest potential and accomplish what is magical and transformational. He grants us fearlessness, self-confidence, daring and boldness to attempt the impossible and succeed. 

The cosmic Vayu is inherently a force of intelligence, linking us to the cosmic intelligence that aligns all minds together in an interconnected network of thought. That is why Hanuman is the most wise and observant, holding the power of buddhi, the discriminating inner intelligence that reveals the highest truth. 

Hanuman and the power of Yoga 

This cosmic Vayu is the true power of Yoga. It gives flexibility of body, boundless vitality, indomitable will power, and dynamic concentration of mind. Our highest Prana is to reach out and merge into the immortal prana, which is to dedicate ourselves as Hanuman to Rama, to offer our mortality or temporal existence to the immortal and infinite. 

Hanuman grants all yoga siddhis of movement, energy, will power and wisdom, extending to the highest Self-realization, allowing us to master all cosmic energies. 

Hanuman is the conduit of the power of Rama as the universal Self. Rama represents the Self who guides all nature – through which the wind blows, out of which the Sun and Moon move, which holds the Earth in place through gravity. 

The real yogi works through that cosmic Vayu and universal Prana, in attunement and harmony with the whole of life. 

The true bhakta or devotee surrenders to the Divine will which is the motivating force of Vayu, the power of Rama behind it. 

Vayu’s vibration is OM or Pranava, the primal sound behind all creation and the source of all mantras. 

The Upanishads teach us that Vayu is the directly perceivable form of Brahman, the Cosmic Reality. 

Becoming Hanuman 

To become Hanuman we must awaken to our inner nature as a portion of cosmic consciousness, a servant of the Universal Self that is Sri Rama. Each one of us has the power of the entire universe within us, but only when we surrender to Lord Rama within. 

We can only recognize this when we become aware of our inner Self, what the Upanishads call the antaryami or inner controller. Hanuman is the force of Rama working within us, the strength of our innermost self that is the ruler of al and the master of the universe. 

It is Hanuman alone who can discover Sita Devi. Sita represents the deeper Self-knowledge or Atma Vidya, through which Rama or the self can be fully realized. 

Sita is the feminine principle of space and receptivity that the cosmic Vayu depends upon and must protect. Without Hanuman, we cannot find Sita, and Rama cannot fulfill his destiny of the highest dharma. 

Let us not forget our own deeper cosmic energy in our fascination with the latest information technology that is but its shadow. Hanuman reveals to us the way of transcendence, so that we can work with all the energies of the universe, the cosmic mind and the transcendent Self. With the power of Hanuman we can master our new information technology and bring a true Ram Rajya into the world, which is about aligning our human society with the universal Dharma and supreme Self of Sri Rama! --David Frawley

Yatra yatra raghunatha kirtanam Tatra tatra kritha masthakanjalim; Bhaspavaari paripurna lochanam Maarutim namata raakshasanthakam ||

"We bow to Maruti, Sri Hanuman, who stands with his palms folded above his forehead, with a torrent of tears flowing down his eyes wherever the Names of Lord Rama are sung".

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/03/hanumaan.html

--April 25, 2021

 

 

 

THREE-STRIPED RAMAREKHA SQUIRREL AND RAMA KINGS OF THAILAND

LITTLE SQUIRREL AT THE SERVICE OF RAMA

The Indian palm squirrel or three-striped palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum) is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae found naturally in India (south of the Vindhyas) and Sri Lanka. In the late 19th century, the palm squirrel was introduced to Madagascar, Réunion, Mayotte, Comoro Islands, Mauritius, Seychelles and Australia, where it has since become a minor pest. The closely related five-striped palm squirrel, F. pennantii, is found in Northern India, and its range partly overlaps with this species.

The palm squirrel is about the size of a large chipmunk, with a bushy tail slightly shorter than its body. The back is a grizzled, grey-brown color with three conspicuous white stripes which run from head to tail. The two outer stripes run from the forelegs to the hind legs only. It has a creamy-white belly and a tail covered with interspersed, long, black and white hair. The ears are small and triangular. Juvenile squirrels have significantly lighter coloration, which gets progressively darker as they age. Albinism is rare, but exists in this species.

The gestation period is 34 days; breeding takes place in grass nests during the autumn. Litters of two or three are common, and average 2.75. The young are weaned after about 10 weeks and are sexually mature at 9 months. Adult weight is 100 g. Very little is known about their longevity, but one specimen lived 5.5 years in captivity.

These squirrels eat mainly nuts and fruits. They are fairly vocal, with a cry that sounds like "chip chip chip" when danger is present. They are opportunists in urban areas, and can be easily tamed and trained to accept food from humans. Naturally active, their activity reaches levels of frenzy during the mating season. They tend to be very protective of their food sources, often guarding and defending them from birds and other squirrels.

Unlike some other species of squirrel, the Indian palm squirrel does not hibernate.

Today we bow to Maruti, Sri Hanuman, who stands with his palms folded above his forehead, with a torrent of tears flowing down his eyes wherever the Names of Lord Rama are sung and honor the monkey dynasty but not the little squirrel with three stripes that has left behind its dynasty whose dynasty   has also migrated to neighboring countries. Rama is on the lips of everybody in many countries and his footprints everywhere. California makes us think   it was once Kapilaranya where ancestor of  Rama Sagara seemingly ruled and consequently nearby islands were named  Horse Island  and Ash Island. Whatever be the name of the king of Thailand at the time of his birth, he is always crowned as Rama. The present king is Rama X, Dasavatara of  Rama.

Importance in Hinduism

Squirrels are considered sacred by Hindus and are not to be harmed like monkeys.  They are even fed by many Hindu families, mainly because of their association with Lord Rama.

A legend explains the stripes on the back of most of the squirrels. During the construction of the Rama Setu (bridge) at Rameswaram by Lord Rama and the Vanara Sena or monkey army, a little squirrel also contributed in its own little way. It rolled in the beach sand and then ran to the end of the bridge to shake off the sand from its back. Lord Rama, pleased by the creature's dedication, caressed the squirrel's back and ever since, the Indian squirrel carried white stripes on its back, which are believed to be the mark of Lord Rama's fingers. Lord Rama and the squirrel are mentioned in one of the hymns of the Alvars. “maralu seve  anila  bhakti”  -(devotional service of the squirrel offering sand   is a popular phrase used for any self-less service however small it may be.

Another version reads:

Lord Rama needed to build a bridge across the sea to Lanka to rescue his wife Sita. Lord Rama being Maryada Purushottam (the most noble man), and revered by one and all, and Sita being the daughter of Bhumi Devi, all creatures wanted to help in this huge task. Lord Hanuman and all the others in Rama's vanara (monkey) army carried the largest boulders and rocks. All the smaller creatures helped too, even squirrels.

One squirrel was carrying pebbles when a monkey asked what he was doing there, and shouted at him to get out of the way. The squirrel said he was carrying pebbles to build Lord Rama's bridge. The monkey laughed at the squirrel as if to say, "What can you do, you tiny squirrel?" But it was the pebbles that filled in the gaps between the boulders that made the bridge strong. Lord Rama lifted up the little squirrel, thanked him for all his hard work, and blessed him by stroking his back.  And even today squirrels in South India have dark stripes on their backs reminding us of Rama sethu-bandhana.

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: “If one offers Me with love and devotion a leaf, a flower, fruit or water, I will accept it.”

There are 10 types of squirrels including three flying types in US, but astonishingly none of them carry any stripes at their back. Also they all hibernate.

The thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus), also known as the striped gopher, leopard ground squirrel, squinney, (formerly known as the leopard-spermophile in the age of Audubon), is a ground squirrel that is widely distributed over grasslands and prairies of North America.

 

RAMA’S NAME THAT PERVADES THAI BUDDHIST KINGS

In a tradition dating to the 18th century, the Chakri Kings of Thailand have held the formal title Rama, after an avatar of Hindu god Vishnu in the ancient Indian epic the Ramayana.

Rama IX - US born  Buddhist King Bhumibol Adulyadej (1927-2016)

Bhumibol succeeded his brother in 1946 and reigned for 70 years, the world’s longest reigning monarch when he died. The American-born king became the face of Thailand, blending tradition with modernity and traveling the world with Queen Sirikit. During his reign the country had 30 prime ministers, 10 successful military coups and 17 constitutions. His intervention in several political crises helped to end bloodshed. He was awarded the United Nations’ first Human Development Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 3,000 royal development projects.

The abdication of the heirless King Rama VII in 1935 saw Bhumibol’s older brother, 9-year old Ananda Mahidol inherit the throne and become Rama VIII. The young king remained in Switzerland, and the family moved back to Thailand once WWII had finished. However, his reign didn’t last long, as he was found dead from a gunshot wound in 1946. Bhumibol became the new king of Thailand, Rama IX, a country he’d barely spent any time in, and became the first monarch to be born in the USA in the process. Whilst the President of the United States must be a natural born citizen of the country, there is no such law in Thailand; however, the king must be Buddhist. Despite King Rama IX having spent the majority of his life until this time in Switzerland, surrounded by Christianity and churches rather than Buddhism and temples, he still maintained his Buddhist roots, going as far as entering the monkhood for a period — a practice that’s popular and expected amongst all Thai Buddhist males. The matter of his religion and eligibility was never in question.

 

Today, King Bhumibol is fondly remembered by virtually all Thais for everything he achieved throughout his time as king. He visited all corners of his kingdom, as well as numerous countries around the world — not to mention the country of his birth. Thailand is often cited as the USA’s oldest Asian ally, and their relationship remained strong whilst Rama IX sat on the throne. His patronage of the arts inspired the country, whilst his tireless work to improve the lives of its people put most other monarchs to shame. His reign of 70 years is the longest reign of a monarch, and he is fondly remembered by the Thai people.

 

King Maha Vajiralongkorn, officially known as King Rama X, was crowned in May 2019, almost three years after the death of the previous king, his father Bhumibol Adulyadej. Thanks to restrictions to the Thai press, relatively little is known about Maha Vajiralongkorn.

--April 24, 2021

*************
Saudi Arabia's new curriculum to include Ramayana, Mahabharata

As part of the Vision 2030 of the Saudi Prince, other significant elements of Indian culture like Yoga and Ayurveda apart from the Ramayana and Mahabharata will also be included in the school curriculum, according to media reports.

 

A tweet about Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s new vision for the education sector in Saudi Arabia, Vision 2030, involving the history and culture of different countries in the country’s curriculum, has gone viral.

 

The tweet by Nouf Almarwaai included screenshots of son’s social studies exam with questions about Hinduism, Buddhism and Hindu epics the Ramayana and Mahabharata. “Saudi Arabia’s new #vision2030 & curriculum will help to create a coexistent, moderate & tolerant generation. Screenshots of my son's school exam today in Social Studies included concepts & history of Hinduism, Buddhism, Ramayana, Karma, Mahabharata Dharma. I enjoyed helping him study,” the tweet, with the screenshots of the question paper, read.

 

As part of the Vision 2030 of the Saudi Prince, other significant elements of Indian culture like yoga and Ayurveda apart from the Ramayana and Mahabharata will also be included in the school curriculum, according to media reports. The English language has also been made mandatory under the new vision, the reports claimed.

 

Nouf, who is also a Padma Shri awardee for being the first certified yoga instructor in Saudi Arabia, tweeted about the new curriculum on April 15. Since then, the tweet has been doing rounds on social media platforms for the diversity in curriculum adopted by the Islamic state. The tweet was also appreciated and retweeted by Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe. Nouf, who was born with an autoimmune disease, has been known to play a crucial role in legalizing yoga in Saudi Arabia.

 -- Deepali Sharma, Hindustan Times, New Delhi

 

[Twitter user Nouf-al-Marwai tried to clear the confusion for subjects of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He wrote, “Saudi Arabia’s new vision-2030 and syllabus will help build a future that is inclusive, liberal, and tolerant“ 

 

The Twitter user also shared a screenshot of his son’s syllabus, which contained a wide array of cultures. 

 

“The screenshot of my son’s school exam today in the book of social studies includes concepts and history of Hinduism, Buddhism, Ramayana, Karma, Mahabharata, and Dharma. I enjoyed helping her study,” he said in his tweet. 

Along with the people of Saudi Arabia, a number of Indian users have welcomed the development, saying that they are happy the knowledge of their culture is reaching millions of students in Saudi Arabia through the new syllabus. 

 

For many years, Saudi Arabia had faced criticism over its educational curriculum being focused on Arab and Islamic culture while failing to address other cultures and religions of the world, which is why this latest change has generated positive feedback worldwide.]

Namaste

Comments:

Didn’t know this! This is a very new approach in Saudi!  Glad Prince MBS is moderate and open to these big changes. Thank you for sharing!

~ Santosh 

Thanks for such positive news

--A. N. Saptaagiriesan

 

 

Webinar-198 IN PRAISE OF INTELLIGENCE

By Pujya Swāmi Chidānandaji

 

Physical ‘Power of Intellect’ and Spiritual ‘Power of Intellect’ 

 

I was wondering what inspired Swami Chidanandji to come up with his discussions on Different Kinds of Knowledge in the wake of Ramanavami celebrations. Soon we will be celebrating Hanuman (Bajrang Bali--diamond body strength) Jayanti on Tuesday 27 April 27, with the message: Become Hanuman, the Power of Rama working within us” Hanuman who is a Prjnaani with Ashta Siddhis (we will talk about it soon) endows us with the Atma-Shakti or Self-power to realize our highest potential and accomplish what is magical. Recently he enlightened us on Ramana and his philosophy “Who am I?” That may be up in his mind.  

 

He is presently preoccupied with Viduraneethi that is dramatically inserted in Mahabharatha by Vedavyasa for Universal benefit though delivered to Dhritarashtra, firmly wedded to his Power of Kingdom, and so fell like the rain on a rocky soil. Even Krishna failed to convert him to Power of Intelligence! Please also recall the lyric that I explained: “Atmasakti ongavendum ulagile shanti nilavavendum”. I have also explained the Veda Mantra from MNU: Vijnaanena Atmaanam vedayati- One can know the Self with Vijnaana. 

 

In his present discourse he draws our attention to the following Viduraneethi: yena tvetāni sarvāṇi saṅgṛhītāni bhārata | yad balānāṁ balaṁ śreṣṭhaṁ tatprajñābalamucyate ||   

There are five different kinds of power O King, of this physical strength is regarded as the most inferior kind. The acquisition of good counsellors is regarded as the second kind of power. The power of wealth is the third. The power of privilege acquired by birth is regarded as the fourth. That, however, by which all these are achieved, and which is the foremost of all kinds of power, is called the Power of the Intellect.   

Of course, Vidura in his Neethi was talking to a Kshatriya king and hence talks about kshatriya strength, see What Ramayana says about this muscle power of a King! Dhik balam kshatriya balam,  brahmatejo balam balam ', meaning, 'The force of arms is nothing in comparison to the power of a Brahmana! Viswamitra realizing this concludes that mere strength of muscles and missiles are of no use and thus embarks on a sublime access for Brahma-hood--Valmiki Ramayana 

 

Upanishads elaborate on jnana, vijnana and prajnana that play a great role for the seekers in understanding the physical world, the ultimate reality who is beyond name and form, who is beyond space-time continuum and who is an Omni-objective reality. A seeker should get rid of his nescience (avidya) and ignorance (ajnanam) for experiencing the bliss of Brahman which is only experiential phenomena and not   theoretical phenomena. 

 

Vidura says, even the so-called Physical Intellect is not easy to get. You can then very well imagine what efforts are needed to become a Vijnaani  like our saints with their  “Suddhasatva” and “Sanyasa Yoga”  and ultimately a Prajnaani like Guru Hanuman with Ashta Siddhis to turn divine--gurur Brahma gurur Vishnu gurur devo Mahesvarah. Probably only Chiranjeevis can go to that stage! 

 

Let us be content to achieve at least the Power of Intellect to Live in Peace but not Pieces towards which Swamiji will lead us with his inimitable ease of delivery for quick consumption.  

 

In the study of the human mind, intellect refers to and identifies the ability of the mind to reach correct conclusions about what is true and what is false, and about how to solve problems. The study of Vedanta enables one to build and strengthen the intellect. Additionally, it provides an explanation of the higher values of life. A developed intellect fortified with these values is prepared to face the challenges of the world and create a life of productivity and peace. 

 

May I draw your attention as to what Krishna talks about Intellect (Jnana) to Arjuna.    At their level of intellectuals’ discussion, it is only Vijnana! 

yathaidhānsi siddho ’gnir bhasma-sāt kurute ’rjuna jnaanagnih sarvakarmaani bhasmasaatkurute tatha || 

 

As a kindled fire reduces wood to ashes, O Arjun, so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all reactions from material activities. 

 

Even a spark of fire has the potential to become a major conflagration and burn down a huge heap of combustible material. In 1666, the Great Fire of London began as only a little flame in a small bakery, but as it grew it consigned to flames 13,200 houses, 87 churches, and most of the city offices. 

We too have a heap of karmas attached to each of us, consisting of the reactions of the sinful and righteous deeds performed by us over infinite lifetimes. If we endeavor to exhaust these karmas by reaping their results, it will take many more lifetimes, and in the meantime further karmas will accumulate in an endless process. But Shree Krishna assures Arjuna that knowledge has the power to burn our heap of karmas in this lifetime itself. That is because knowledge of the soul and its relationship with God leads us to surrender to him. When we surrender to God, he burns our stockpile of endless lifetimes of karmas and releases us from material bondage. 

 

Na hi jnanena sadrisham pavitramiha vidyate| tatsvayam yogasansiddhah kalenatmani vindati   

In this world, there is nothing as purifying as divine knowledge. One who has attained purity of mind through prolonged practice of Yoga, receives such knowledge within the heart, in due course of time. 

 

Knowledge has the power to purify, elevate, liberate, and unite a person with God. It is thus supremely sublime and pure. But a distinction needs to be made between two kinds of knowledge—theoretical information and practical realization. 

 

There is one kind of knowledge that is acquired by reading the scriptures and hearing from the Guru. This theoretical information is insufficient by itself. It is just as if someone has memorized a cookbook but has never entered the kitchen. Such theoretical knowledge of cooking does not help in satiating one’s hunger. Similarly, one may acquire theoretical knowledge on the topics of the soul, God, Maya, karm, jñāna, and bhakti from the Guru, but that by itself does not make a person God-realized. When one practices sādhanā in accordance with the theory, it results in purification of the mind. Then, from within one gets realization of the nature of the self and its relationship with God. The Sage Patañjali states: śhrutānumāna-prajñābhyām anya-viṣhayā viśheṣhārthatvāt (Yoga Darśhan 1.4) 

 

“The knowledge attained by realization from within through the practice of Yoga is far superior to theoretical knowledge of the scriptures.” Such realized knowledge is being extolled by Shree Krishna as the purest sublime thing. 

 

Gist of the Presentation of Webinar 198 by Swami Chidananda of FOWAI Forum;

Vidura, the very wise counsellor to King Dhritarāshtra, covers a wide range of topics related to ‘Effective and Mature Living’ in his long advice to the erring monarch. We will see five kinds of strength in this webinar, of which ‘intelligence’ is regarded as the best of all. Physical strength ranks the lowest and other forms of strength like having able advisors or access to awesome financial resources are considered less valuable. Intelligence, in fact, is something through which all other kinds of strength can virtually be harvested, asserts the extraordinary cousin of Dhritarāshtra.

--April 24, 2021

Expressing my Gratitude to Swamijy

I pay my gratitude and  humble pranams to Swamiji who complimented me in his YouTube presentation mentioning  my name and  hailing from Nashville TN for my squirrel-contribution to this Webinar 198--Maralu seve Anila Bhakti

 

--NRS

 

 

Let us all Celebrate Mahavira Jayanti Day on April 24, 2021 in the Spirit of Sanghacchadvam

 

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Indian Americans are an enlightened group of immigrants who are drawn from top ten percent of the society with their philosophy Unity in Diversity, coming to a land of their preference where Swami Vivekananda presented   such a view to the World Forum of Religions. It is unfortunate of late some from this group have started “Al-Qaida Philosophy” of hatred and dis-integration as communicated by Sant Guptaji of HMEC forwarding a circular from HAF HAF “With time, these anti-Dharmic forces have been getting bolder because they are rarely challenged and the inaction on the part of our community members has sent a signal to them that they can continue to inflict harm on our society with no consequences”  I strongly believe that if  we as Hindu Americans  can bring all dharmic forces together no amount of negative propaganda can affect our society, as we are a different group from  India, highly educated and cream of the society. In this context, it is worth knowing how many Hindu American Temples are celebrating Vardhaman Jayanti and Buddha Jayanti with the same focus as Ramanavami or Gokulashtami. Let us therefore give wide publicity to all such Unity in Diversity activity marching towards Spiritualty. With growing awareness of Universal Oneness and Vedanta Religion these adharmic activities will be nipped in the bud. Let us not give too much publicity to these negative forces that may attract real growing activists like SBNR, Awesome without Allah, Atheism Religion etc. On the other hand we should attract them to Vedanta Religion focused on Hindu Dharma that leads to tranquility, happiness and equanimity.

Mahavir Jayanti is one of the most significant festivals among the Jain community and is celebrated with splendor in India and across the world. The festival commemorates the birth of Lord Mahavira. As per Jain mythology, Lord Mahavira is the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. In 2021, Mahavir Jayanti will be celebrated on the 25th of April in India and on April 24 In USA. In the spirit of Unity  of unifying all Dharma based religions that sprang from Vedic Religious Tradition  and Sanatana Dharna many Hindu American Temples have installed sanctums for Mahavir Vardhamana in their Multi Traditional Temples, to mention some,  Albany and Huntsville. Jain philanthropists like Birla have built many Hindu Temples in India. American Jains are not lagging behind. Thus Jains are the closest to Hindus and often join Hindus in worship in the spirit of sanghacchadvam samvadadvam samaanamaakootih, in USA. Similarly, Neo-Buddhists immigrants from India have joined the mainstream of Hindu Americans in USA.

 As per Jain texts and religious scripts, Lord Mahavira took birth on the 13th day of waxing moon on the Chaitra month (Hindu calendar) in Kundalagrama (now Kundalpur) in Bihar, a few kilometres from Patna. That time, Vaishali was considered to be the capital of the state. However, the year of Mahavira’s birth is disputed. As per Swetambar Jains, Mahavira was born in 599 BC while the Digambar Jains consider 615 BC as his birth year. He was named as Vardhaman by his parents – King Siddhartha and Queen Trisala.

As per Swetambar community’s beliefs, Mahavira’s mother had 14 dreams, which were later interpreted by astrologers all of whom said that Mahavira would either go on to become an emperor or a sage (Tirthankara). When Mahavira reached 30, he left his throne and family in search of truth. He lived in exile for 12 years as an ascetic. During this time, he preached non-violence treated all everyone with reverence. He got his name “Mahavira” after showing exceptional skills in controlling the senses. It is widely belied that when Mahavira was 72, he attained enlightenment (Nirvana).

The Jain community takes part in several festivities, which permit them to pledge with families and friends. Lord Mahavir is respected and worshipped by this community. The demonstration of an idol of Lord Mahavir is the most important festivity of the festival. The effigy of Mahavir is washed by the people with fragranced oil and this will denote the purity of the Lord.

Devotees across India and the globe will visit Jain temples in the country. Antique ancient spots, which are connected to the community of Jainism, are visited by people. One of the renowned destinations to visit during the festival is Gomateshwara in Sravanabelgola in Karnataka.  It is quite interesting to notice that many Jains bestow money or food to temples. The festivities will remain the same.

In India, Mahavir Jayanti is a gazette holiday. State, local and national level government workplaces will remain closed. The shops and commercial outlets owned by the community of Jains will also remain closed. If not, they may have shortened functioning hours.

The festival is celebrated to champion the cause of peace and harmony, and also spread the teachings of Lord Mahavira. A procession is carried out in the form of “rath yatra” with Lord Mahavira’s idol neatly placed on the top. Jain temples are decorated with flags while the Jains offer food and clothes to the needy. Jainism vehemently opposes animal slaughter and hence donations are made to stop animal killings.

Other than charitable acts, prayers are offered in temples dedicated to Lord Mahavira. Some other devotes often engage in meditation—a practice championed by Mahavira. Old and famous Jain temples witness a huge surge in devotees on this day. Teachings of Mahavira and Jainism are recited by monks and nuns.

The best way to observe such an auspicious occasion is to all dharma oriented people to come together, strive for peace and strengthen the bonds of brotherhood in the Vedic spirit of sanghacchadvam samvadadvam, vasudhaiva kutumbakam, sarvejanah sukhino bhavntu! Happy Mahavir Jayanti!

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2020/09/need-for-eternal-dharma-based-hinduism.html

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2019/02/interfaith-fusion-of-faiths-to-live-in.html

---April 23, 2021

 

 

 

HR Reaches the Landmark of 800,000 on This Rama Navami Day 

 

I am very happy to tell you that Hindu Reflections has reached the land mark of 800,000 pages being read by global readers with its blog membership going up, that include non-Hindus on this auspicious day of Rama Navami Blessed by Sri Rama and the Gurus Born on this day Samartha Ramdas and Swaminarayan. I consider myself divine blessed for this, like I often get divine inspired on intricate subjects! At this rate, I hope to see the rare and unique landmark of a million before I take leave of this world, now running 91+. I am grateful to all of you for the encouragement, support and feedback that keep my candle burning, all day long extending to midnight. Retirement and old age have not weakened my soul I am guided by Gita’s saying yudhyasva vigatajvarah.  I have appended some rare and unique comments that I  have received in the past in my classified list that have been constantly inspiring me  and makes me believe that I have not burnt my candles in vain. Of late, I have   been adding few new discourses but sending rather long and exhaustive E-mails on hot subjects of the day and feed-backs from Spiritual thinkers and Gurus, mostly towards week ends. If in any way I can make them more interesting and serve better, please do not hesitate to write to me!

 

 Hindu Reflections (HR) is devoted to spread the message of Hindu Dharma, Hindu ancient culture, Hindu Gods and Goddesses, Hindu Festivals and Rituals,   Hindu Temples and Temple worship, Hindu Sacraments (samskaras), Vedic knowledge and wisdom based on Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita, Hinduism’s Influence on other Religions and Faiths and its teachings aimed at Outreach and Universal Oneness to promote peace, prosperity and Happiness and Interfaith Dialogues all available at one source. Please visit Hindu Reflections <nrsrini.blogspot.com> and download the “Classified list of Discourses” published in August 2019 for your guidance and use.    

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/03/classified-discourses-posted-on-blog.html   

   

POLICY OF HINDU REFLECTIONS:   

These discourses are compilations from the references indicated in each discourse as well as other sources as prepared lectures for delivering at Vedanta Class of Sri Ganesha Temple, Nashville. TN, USA.   Anybody is free to download partly or fully any discourse from the blog Hindu Reflections <nrsrini.blogspot.com> modify and redistribute or republish for spreading the wisdom of Vedas and scriptures further WITH SIMPLE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. Their popularity and quality can be well appreciated going through the various comments received from eminent personalities and spiritual Gurus in my article on Classified List. You are free to unsubscribe if you are otherwise busy by simply writing to me. You may however register with the   blog and go through my postings under the heading “Thought of the Day” that contains most of the e-Mails sent during two-months of posting months mentioned in the title. 

Be the curator of your life. Slowly cut things out until you’re left only with what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy.” --American blogger Leo Babauta 

--April 2, 2021

Comments:

My Hearty Greetings and Congratulations on this Milestone Event! I want you to know that I enjoy reading Hindu Reflections blog every day! May Bhagawan give you good health and energy to keep it going for many more years! With warm regards!

--V.S.Raghavan

 

 

 

 

Rama-Krishna Avatar & Rama-Krishna Mantra 

 We need more than Combined Rama Krishna Avatar Today to Save Dharma and Save from the Disaster. I woke up this morning on Rama Navami day chill and shivering unlike in other years where Rama means the arrival of one who delights! In our own Kaliyuga, it is doubtful even if Rama and KrishNa were to come together armed with both precept and practice, we would ever mend our ways. Such is our addiction to sin and depravity that it appears that even “God cannot save our souls”. Let us visualize what would happen in similar circumstances in this Kaliyuga the Avatar of Ram?   First, Kaliyuga Rama would have refused to go to forest and Kaliyuga Dasartaha would have been shown his place! Such was the Yuga Dharmam then and such it is today. 

 

That is probably why the Lord deputed Azhwaars and Aacharyas like Sankara, Ramanuja, Madhva,   Ramana, Ramakrishna, and others who represent his “alter ego” while at the same time appearing as human as we are, (like in “operation kedda” in which trained elephants are used to catch elephants in the wild), in order to strike an empathetic chord in our hearts by pandering to our human frailties – all, in an effort to salvage going down the drain! 

 

It is intriguing why the Lord should so patiently wait and strain every nerve to do this! May be this is also, a part of his “leela” or divine play! 

 

1. A coin has two sides. Can you imagine a coin with just one side only? If yes, it cannot be a coin! The whole universe revolves around a binary scheme of things. Day - Night, Heat - Cold, Male – Female and many more. It is this that gives life a holistic and wholesome meaning. The one cannot exist without the other. 

 

 So also, Rama and KrishNa represent the dual facets of the same “Paramaatma”. The two roles are complementary and not contradictory as it might appear superficially. The two roles are meant to supplement and not supplant each other.  Let us see how. 

 

2. Even at the outset, Swami Desika in his Dasavataara Stotra makes it clear that just like actors donning several roles and act on the stage, Perumal and Piraati (Divine and his consort) take ten different roles and enact this spectacular drama with ten successive scenes. 

 

“DEvO na: subham aatanOthu dasadhaa nirvartayan bhoomikaam RangE dhaamani labda nirbhara rasai: adyakshitO bhaavukai:” 

 

(Even today, we see actors in double, triple and even multiple roles within the same drama or movie). 

 

They do this for their own pleasure and the pleasure of the Rasikas. This is part of Lord’s “leela” or sport as indicated by Bhagavan Ramanuja in his invocatory slOka of Sri Bhashyam “akhila bhuvana sthEmapankhaadi leelE” 

 

3. We saw that Rama set an example of rectitude and right conduct more by practice than by precept while KrishNa preached (as in Bhagavad Gita) more than “setting examples”. Why was this so? The gaping time divide between Treta Yuga in which Rama lived and Dvapara Yuga in which KrishNa appeared seems to give a clue. 

 

“Setting an example” was good enough in Treta Yuga. People were sensible  

enough to observe and learn (ingitam) and follow. The words “Abhayam Sarva bhootEbhyO: dadaami” were enough to put them on the right track. 

 

In Dvapara Yuga, people had to be told several times to mend their ways. It was out of sheer exasperation with the stupidity of mortals that the Lord (through Arjuna) had to offer his pre-oration to the hapless and helpless souls incapable of adopting any yoga, not to worry. As a last resort, he asks them to resort to him. He prescribes a short cut, a panacea –“Having given up all Dharmas, Surrender unto me and me only (Maam ekam SaraNam vraja). - He promises in so many words that he would take the entire burden off their shoulders (aham tvAaa Sarva PaapEbhyO mOkshayishyaami). - Still not satisfied, he buttresses it with a solemn assurance not to grieve (Maa sucha). 

 

It is easier to guide the intelligent; it is very difficult, if not impossible, to drive home his message to the stupid and he takes pains to do this like a painstaking school teacher! 

 

This perhaps is the Sankalpam of the Lord who designed the Yuga Dharmas in this fashion from the golden age of Satya Yuga (that is virtuous beyond words) to the dark age of Kali Yuga in which we live (about which the less said the better)! In fact, Dharma is characterized as a cow standing on all its four legs in Satya Yuga, three in Treta Yuga, two in Dvapara Yuga and on a single one in   Kali Yuga. 

 

We can notice this steady deterioration in the value systems even between Treta Yuga and Dvapara Yuga. The Rama - RaavaNa Yuddha was fought on Dharmic lines (e.g.) Rama asking the disarmed RavaNa to go home and come replenished the next day. As we see in Mahaabhaaratha, all canons of Dhaarmic conduct were progressively thrown to the winds as the war progressed and KrishNa himself had to devise and design strategies and stratagems to suit the demands of   each occasion! 

 

4. True to his declaration “Aatmaanam Maanusham ManyE”, Rama depicted how one “would’ and how one “should” react to circumstances. Finding the incapacity of poor mortals to adopt the “should” and their propensity to assiduously cling on to the “would” part of it, with a craving for the “easy go lucky” attitude, as KrishNa, the Lord literally ‘played to the gallery’ by ‘hunting with the hound and running with the hare’ - so as to be acceptable to their ridiculous perceptions. At the same time, he made sure that people did not take him too lightly, exhibited his “Paratvam”, whenever the occasion demanded like lifting the Govardhana Mountain, KaaLinga Narthanam, Draupadi maana SamrakshaNam etc. 

 

5. In Dasavataara Stotra, Swami Desika alludes to the Paratvam of Rama in
first 2 lines: “Paaraavaara payO visEshaNa kalaa paareeNa kaala anala jwaala jwaala vihaara visikha vyaapaara karma:” And, immediately switches over to show how in spite of his “Paratvam”, the Lord promised protection to anyone who deemed oneself as belonging to Rama (Tavaasmi iti yaachatE). In the case of KrishNa, he gives the reason why he calls KrishNa as “Naathayaiva nama: bhavatu” and draws attention to the countless superhuman feats the Lord as KrishNa. “Sarva avastha sakrut Prapanna janathaa Samraksha Naika vratee DharmO vigrahavaan Dharma: tanveeta Dhanvee na:” 

 

This once again underlines how due to deterioration in perception from Treta Yuga to Dvapara Yuga (like dancing on the hoods of KaaLinga), when people tend to believe and respect only when someone performs a miracle! 

 

“KaaLindee Rasikaaya KaaLiya PaNi spaara spaTaa vaaTikaa
RangOtsanga visanka sankrama duraa paryaaya charyaa yatE”

6. Further, it is said “LokO bhinna ruchi”. People have different interests, different tastes, different levels of mental and spiritual evolution based on their individual karmas. Some are serious and sober with lofty ideals; others, mediocre and yet others irredeemably indulgent and depraved faculties. To appeal to these different segments, the Lord had to present himself in a manner to satisfy the needs of each. Naturally, he acts differently in different Avataras – but with the single objective to emancipate the fallen souls. 

 

It is worth noting that Swami Desika wrote prodigiously different works so that people with different acumen could grasp the truths “each according to his capacity”! 

 

7. Rama as a prince had to maintain   high standard of demeanor befitting his majesty while KrishNa had no such inhibitions and as a cowherd boy had the license, as it were, to move with ordinary folk more freely. But, even so, we find Rama also making friends with the Guhan, the hunter (Ayodhya KhaaNdam, Guha PaDalam 674), Sugriva the monkey king
(Kishkindaa KhaaNDam NatpukOt PaDalam 104) and VibheeshaNa, the Raakshasa 

 

“guhanoDum aivar aanOm munbu, pinn kunru soozh
maganOdum aruvar aanOm Yemmugai anbin vanda
agan amar kaarEl Aiya! NinnoDum ezhuvar aanOm
pugal arum kaanam thandu pudalvaraal polindaan nundai”
(Yuddha KhaaNDam VeeDaNan aDaikkalap PaDalam 446)

“Oh! Aiya! When we made friends with Guhan, we four brothers became five in number; Later with Sugriva, we became six. Today, with your friendship we have become seven brothers. We are seven now. Because of sending me to the forest, Dasaratha has become the blessed father of seven sons” 

 

This is what prompted Azhwar to exclaim his astonishment in the Paasuram
“YEzhai, YEtalan, Keezh magan ennaadu irangi matru avarkkaa in“Oh! Lord! Did you not bestow mercy on Guhan without minding his lack of learning, his ignorance, and his lack of contact with the great men of the times, without any thought of his low birth? (Tirumangai Azhwar’s Periya Tirumozhi 5.8.1) 

 

8. We find Ramayana is like a long but well-connected novel while the life history of KrishNa is like a string of short stories. The two together have provided the needs of both the avid novel lover and the skit “reader in a hurry”. Despite its 24,000 Slokas, Ramayana holds the interest of readers in a firm grip by the sheer felicity of the composition. 

 

The Dhyaana Sloka describes how syntax and prosody, the word formations and the sweetness and depth of meanings vied with each other to find a place in the work of the primordial poet (Aadhikavi) 

 

“Tad upaagata samaasa Sandi yOgam sama madhurOpanatha artha vaakhya bhaddam Raghuvara charitam muni praNeetam…” 

 

The quality and content of the Aadikavi, has ignited the imagination of a galaxy of innumerable poets and writers, throughout the world and over the ages and in a variety of languages. We are told that there are at least 50 versions of Ramayana. 

 There is a song in Tamil detailing the various names of Rama that asks “Raaman ethanai RaamanaDi?” We may perhaps ask similarly “RaamaayaNam ethanai RaamaayaNam aDi?”--How many names of Ram?; How many names of Ramayana? 

  

9. If KrishNa had a long list of Bhaktas, Rama had and has an equally long list of Bhaktas like (including Samartha Ramdas and Swami Narayan born on this Navami that I described) 

 

10. In an earlier posting, we saw how the “HarE KrishNa” movement had caught up the imagination of the present generation. Though the main emphasis of the movement is on KrishNa, they have not left out Rama. In fact, their mantram is: 

 

”HarE Rama! HarE Rama! Rama! Rama HarE! HarE!
HarE KrishNa! HarE KrishNa! KrishNa KrishNa HarE! HarE!”

11. If Rama was subjected to tests to prove his mettle, KrishNa was not free from them
- He was tied to the mortar by his own mother;  -He was a butter-thief as a boy; He was suspected to have stolen the Syamantaka maNi;  He was suspected to have stolen Paarijaatha etc. If Rama had to send an arrow through seven Saala trees, KrishNa had to control seven unruly bulls to gain the hand of Nappinnai. 

 

12. Since Rama’s emissary, AnjanEya succeeded in his mission, the Lord was tempted to himself go as an emissary to the court of DuryOdhana. But, what happened? He miserably failed to deliver the goods and returned empty handed. But, this was deliberate and it was his own making. He had to destroy the “axis of evil” and discharge his role as “World teacher” -
(Jagadguru and Gitaachaaryan). If he had averted the war, he would not have succeeded in his Avatara Rahasyam. 

 

13. Rama obeyed his father even when he was a Brahmachaari. Both when Dasaratha declined and when he agreed to send him with Sage Viswamitra, he never demurred; similarly when Dasaratha offered to crown him as Yuvaraja and when he was banished (by order), he never demurred.

In fact, when Bharata argued with him to return to AyOdhya, Rama could not refute any of his arguments. But, finally, he flung a bombshell saying, “How could I transgress our father’s wish?” Bharata was flabbergasted at this and reconciled himself to taking Rama’s Paduka and go back. 

 

14. We mentioned in the previous posting that KrishNa Avatara seemed to be “more complete” than Rama Avatara. Rama Avatara was equally “PoorNa Avatara” in the sense that the Lord needed different complementary roles for different purposes and so he cast himself in different characters 

Rama - Bhagavaan; LakshmaNa -Bhagavad Seshatvam;Bharata - Bhaagavata and Satrugna - Bhaagavata Seshatvam. Taken together, Rama  Avatara was equally “PoorNa Avatara”. 

 

15. If Azhwars and Acharyas went into rapturous moods in KrishNa anubhavam, they were equally carried away by Rama anubhavam. - Kulasekara Azhwaar, who wrote the “Lament of DEvaki” also wrote an equally moving piece depicting the “Lament of Dasaratha” on his separation from Rama. Similarly, other Azhwars have enjoyed “Rama anubhavam” as much as they enjoyed “KrishNa anubhavam  - Periyaazhwar wrote a whole poem in which he fondly and graphically describes the growth of Rama from his babyhood.- His “Mannu Pugazh Kousalai thun” is the lullaby that rings in every home today when the mothers lull their children to sleep. It is the same Nammaazhwaar hailed as “KrishNa thrishNaa Tattvam” who asked “Raama-piraanai allathu matrum karparO? Meaning “Will anyone learn anything other than Rama’s example?” signifying that Rama by his character was equally a world teacher like KrishNa. 

 

16. “Why did he say this?” is the next question. Azhwar himself answers: 

 

“ pul paa mudalaap pul erumbu aadi onru inriyE narpaal AyOdhiyil vaazhum chara acharam mutravum nar paalukku Uithanan naanmuganaar petra naaTTulE” (Tiruvoimozhi 7th Pathu 5) 

 

When he left for his eternal abode, he took all the sentient beings and insentient beings, things (the human, the fauna and the flora) to the abode of Brahma en route to Sri Vaikuntam all merely because of the fact that they were the inhabitants of AyOdhya.  

 

What did KrishNa do?  

He left his Yaadava Kula heroes to die fighting among themselves. (May be this was also part of his hidden agenda!) 

 

16. If KrishNa’s name is incorporated in many mantras, Rama’s name itself is  “Taaraka Mantram” What is a “Taaraka Mantram?” It means that it is a mantram that carries one from this world (Prakrita lOkam) straightaway to SrivaikunTam (Apraakrita lOkam). It is therefore, equal to AshTaksharam or Moola Mantram which is known as “Taaraka Mantram”. 

 

The Charama SlOkam of Bhagavad Gita is considered to be the “Poshakam” and the Dvaya Mantram to be the “BhOghyam”. Thus, its preeminence surpasses the other two! (Sarvadharman parityjya mamekam saranam vraja 

 

 --Excerpts from Ramamrutam Krishnamrtam  of Anbil Ramaswamy 

Om Dasharathaye Vidmahe Sitavallabhaya Dhimahi, Tanno Rama Prachodayat ||

Apadam apahartaram Dataram Sarva Sampadam | Lokabhiramam Sriramam Bhuyo Bhuyo Namamyaham || 

 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2013/04/hare-raama-harekrishna-mantras-for.html

 

--April 21, 2021

 **************

Hindu Reflections on Earth Day 2021 

 

The Equinoctial Earth Day is celebrated on the March equinox (around March 20) to mark the precise moment of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and of astronomical autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. An equinox in astronomy is that point in time (not a whole day) when the Sun is directly above the Earth's equator, occurring around March 20 and September 23 each year. 

 

Earth Day was founded 51 years ago when thousands of people came together in the United States to speak up and demand cleaner air and water. In 1990, Earth Day became global when 200 million people in 141 countries spoke up together about global environmental issues. 

 

Earth Day 2021 is an event observed annually on April 22. It is a day held to demonstrate and promote environmental awareness and calls for the protection of our planet. Today, Earth Day, 2021 is celebrated in more than 193 countries each year. This Year’s Earth Day theme is: “Restore the Earth to its Pristine Beauty” 

 

Today, not only is Earth Day is a day meant to increase awareness of environmental problems, but also it is also becoming a popular time for many communities to gather together to clean up litter, plant trees, or simply reflect on the beauty of nature.  Please go through my detailed discourse on the subject for further information. 

 

Our individual voices are powerful. One ballad can send chills down our spines. One speech can ignite a global movement. And it’s during these times when our voices come together, that we have the power to make progress, to make history. 

 

This Earth Day, we’re celebrating the people speaking up for nature and making positive change for our environment.  Let us commend all those voices that came before, and all the voices speaking up for nature today. 

As we go about celebrating Earth Month and Earth Day, it’s worth reflecting on how far we’ve come since last year’s Earth Day.  It looked as though the pandemic was too big to solve and that it might never end. Last year has been a dark year, but on this Earth Day, the future looks brighter. Vaccines were developed faster than most experts would have previously imagined, and more than 107 million Americans have been vaccinated. Experts caution that we still need to be careful, but there is hope that we might safely gather in small groups for the Fourth of July, Labor Day,  Thanksgiving, and Diwali while gathering in small groups with caution keeping safe distance on week-end religious events.  We should not forget that the Eco balance, the climate change and the present pandemic have a lot in common.  

The biggest takeaway from the pandemic response is how quickly international cooperation and well-funded research solves problems when it is not fettered by partisan politics and profiteering companies. The knowledge and ideas that will mitigate and solve the problems of our time, both public health and environmental, are just sitting in scientists’ heads. The success of the rapid vaccine trials shows what happens when these scientists receive the funding that they ask for from the government, plus actual public interest and support. The pandemic has provided all of us with a reference for what an unmitigated global crisis looks and feels like.  

The pandemic has in some ways brought out the best in humanity.  Billions of people have taken measures to stop the spread of the virus, and that the pandemic has allowed many of us time to re-evaluate our daily activities that can be harmful to the planet. Like COVID-19, climate change is affecting us all. COVID 19 is already devastating communities, impacting public health, and taking a toll on economies. And it is exacerbating disparities, with poor and vulnerable populations being affected the most that as a community should extend our helping hand, caring and sharing.    

Jeffrey Shaman,   pointed out that countries that fared better than others were the ones that had planned ahead for infectious disease threats and managed a unified and evidence-based response to the pandemic — countries such as South Korea, Taiwan, New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand, and Australia. The main lessons we can extract for dealing with climate change, according to Shaman: “We need governments and the people to recognize the threat of climate change, even if they personally don’t have first-hand experience with its adverse effects. And we need to develop the procedures, laws and international accords needed to combat it now, not when we’re under” says he.   

 It is astonishing to watch that some of our urban monks that have not retired to the forest and are concerned with our society and our well- being. Eco-Balance and Save Mother Earth has become their pet subjects. Please go through the following message from Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev who is also active on Arbor’s Day (April 30) in planting trees with a group of his active disciples.  

The State of the PLANET 

"If humanity has to live for a long time, you have to think like the earth, act like the earth and be the earth, because that is what you are.” 

How audacious that we can even think that we will allot a day for the earth! Both day and night happen only because of the revolutions of the earth. Our very body is an extract from this planet. Everything that we are is earth. For the human beings who have forgotten that they have just temporarily come out of the womb of this earth and that they will one day be sucked back into this earth, for them, this day is a reminder that you are a part of this earth. If humanity has to live for a long time, you have to think like the earth, act like the earth and be the earth, because that is what you are.... 

 

I am always being asked by people, “Why is a spiritual leader, a yogi, planting trees?” Unfortunately, in human minds, we have compartmentalized our life in such a way that we are breaking up one and hoping that the other will live. Trees are our closest relatives. What they exhale, we inhale; what we exhale, they inhale and keep our lives going. It is just like the outer part of our lung. You cannot ignore your body if you want to live. The planet is in no way different from that. What you call as “my body” is just a piece of this planet. 

The United Nations is projecting that by 2050, we will be 9.6 billion people on this planet. In India particularly, right now, fifty-two percent of our land is ploughed just to feed 1.2 billion people. It is a fabulous fact that our farmers, with rudimentary, ramshackle infrastructure, are producing food for over one billion people. But still, the man who produces the food is not eating proper food. That is not something to be proud of. The people who produce food for all of us, their own children don’t eat a full stomach. This is not a commendable fact. This is essentially because we have not taken the responsibility of deciding, “For this much land, how much population can we support?” It definitely cannot support endless growth of human population. Either we control our populations consciously or nature will do it in a very cruel and painful manner. This is all the choice we have. 

 

Without controlling human populations, talking about ecology, and land and water conservation is just not going to happen because the kind of impetus that is there in the form of science and technology is making every human being hyperactive. You cannot cap human activity because that will amount to capping human aspirations. And today, our aspiration is that everybody should get educated, and have large dreams and ambitions. That cannot be accommodated with the current levels of population, unless we strive for a more conscious way of determining where we want to stop. 

 

So, are we going to adjust our population to the resource that we have? That is all we can do and that is the easiest thing to do. That is something that every human being can do, if the necessary education and awareness is brought into their lives. If that investment is made, we don’t have to plant trees. If we stay away from the land, trees will grow; you cannot stop it. People are going about projecting that the planet is in danger. The planet is not in any kind of danger. It is only human life which is in danger. I hope we wake up to this fact and do what is needed. 

 

 --SadhGURU 💕 — supporting Preserve Planet. 

 

Our ancestors kept the earth beautiful for us and it is our turn to keep it beautiful for our children. Happy International Earth Day!

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/05/which-deity-should-hindus-worship-on.html

--April 18, 2021

 

 

Admire Seven Amazing Earth Chakras & Turn Inwards to Seven Human Chakras   

For most human beings, the experience of happiness and joy is circumstantially conditioned. We are happy occasionally, and sad frequently - and perpetually in search of those perfect set of circumstances i.e. job, relationships, family, career, esteem etc., which we hope will produce abiding happiness. In Hindu thought, the access to abiding happiness does not lie in the outer world, but rather in the exploration of one's inner world. It is therefore necessary to explore the pathway that will create that access. Therefore, HUA has introduced a course called "Antaranga Yoga" (referred as Sanyasa Yoga in Upanishads that I descried) which will go much deeper into these ideas. This necessarily draws our attention to turn inwards and study the working of Kundalinee power of seven microcosm human chakras and at the same not to forget that these thoughts have been inspired by the seven Powerful Chakras of the Earth, led by Kailasa, the Crown Chakra. 

 

King Solomon has requested that Spiritual seekers embrace their Divine nature. When this happens, there will be a tipping point on the planet that will make the transition from Spiritual to Divine.  To make the transition from Spiritual to Divine requires you to integrate your chakras with the Earth's chakras. 

Our seven Human chakras and Jeeva Nadis are so intertwined with seven Earth Chakras that it reminds us of our relationship  between the  Microcosm (human body)  with the Macrocosm, the Universe.  Vasishtha says Mother Earth is the Mother of all mothers. Therefore, her care and love for us by Mother Earth is manifold compared to that our own birth-given mother gives. Vedas mandate our reverence and worship begins with mother, Matru devo bhava. 

 

International Mother Earth Day provides an opportunity to raise global public awareness of the challenges to the well-being of the planet and all the life it supports. The Day also recognizes a collective responsibility, as called for in the 1992 Rio Declaration, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth, to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of the present and future generations of humanity. The UN General Assembly designated 22 April as International Mother Earth Day through resolution A/RES/63/278, adopted in 2009. 

 

“Both day and night happen only because of the revolutions of the earth. Our very body is an extract from this planet. Everything that we are is earth. For the human beings who have forgotten that they have just temporarily come out of the womb of this earth and that they will one day be sucked back into this earth, for them, this day is a reminder that you are a part of this earth.” says Sadguru. 

 

On this important International Earth Day, during this pandemic year that has affected our physical and mental health, Corinne Summers enriches our knowledge further with her discourse on “Exploring the Earth Chakras, Sacred Sites and Ancient Wisdom” posted on her blog.

Ancient Wisdom-Energy Healing-Nature 

Exploring Earth Chakras & Vortices, the Ancient Power Grid, Megalithic Sites, Ley Lines and Sacred Ancestral Wisdom. We can use the lessons and knowledge hidden in the concepts of the yogic chakra system and global earth chakra megalithic sites to cultivate optimal health, shift our minds and bodies to align with higher, finer frequencies and develop elevated states of awareness --By Corinne Summers 

 

 After a decade of working in wealth management Corinne Summers founded Artisan Farmacy in 2016 to pass along these life-changing techniques and to help her clients achieve their ultimate visions for the future in health, career, family & personal passions through cultivating powerful habits to cope with stress, reduce tension and optimize sleep; leading to increased energy, focus, creativity and success. Her global work is of vital importance not only for spirituality promoters but also to modern psychiatrists engaged in EQ and SQ Management.

 

For thousands of years people around the world have reported feeling called or pulled to visit specific sacred sites (pilgrimage centers) and locations for unknown reasons, by unknown forces. “I don’t know exactly why, but I know I am supposed to be here” is a common sort of phrase heard from those visiting, relocating to or establishing businesses in the surrounding communities. 

 

Many people believe that a grid of earth energies circles the globe, connecting important and sacred sites such as Mount Kailash, Stonehenge and the Egyptian Pyramids. Many of these monuments were designed using sacred geometry and constructed on physical locations meant for higher purposes. These sites are often recognized for their connections to ancient civilizations and hidden wisdom, common reports of UFO sightings, supernatural activity, spiritual significance, concentrations of religious groups, mysticism, unique geological make-up, prevalence of energetic vortices and generally strange or mysterious events taking place in the area. 

 

When these historical monuments and megalithic sites are charted on a map, curious patterns are revealed (see images below) similar to the flower of life and other sacred geometric shapes, increasing their allure and possibly alluding to deeper meaning behind their creation and plotted locations. Were these monuments constructed by our ancestors and ancient cultures with wisdom of how to harness the earth’s own “power grid” of subtle energies and magnetic frequencies? 

 

 What are the ley lines? 

When mapped-out, the invisible lines that connect these sacred sites and many major cities around the world are commonly called “Ley Lines” by the Western scientists, archaeologists, quantum physicists and mystics who have studied them. In China they are referred to as “Dragon Lines” and in South America “Spirit Lines”. The two main lines are also sometimes called the “Serpent Ley Lines” which represent divine feminine and masculine energies and intertwine to form an infinity symbol. These veins of subtle energy create the grid system that transmits frequencies throughout the entire planet — very similar to the energetic network and inner workings of our own human electromagnetic field, meridians and circulatory system. 

'Ley lines are hypothetical alignments of a number of places of geographical interest, such as ancient monuments and megaliths.’ 

 

These geometric alignments are believed to also expand and connect to the planets, constellations and other notable galactic coordinates; creating a unified field of energetic layers that comprise the larger planetary body and universal consciousness like a massive interconnected web. This complex energy matrix encompasses the entire time-space continuum of multiple dimensions in addition to individual consciousness. Ancient civilizations were highly aware of this connective grid and had mastered the use of finer frequencies and subtle energy vibrations to super-charge their temples, their palaces and their own mind-body systems to achieve ultimate health, elevated states of being and higher levels of consciousness; we can too. 

 

We have much to learn from this time-tested knowledge: we are all connected & we are all ONE! 

 

The 7 Chakras 

 

To fully understand the deeper meaning and energetic power behind the earth chakra sites, it is also important to understand the sacred knowledge around the principle chakra points in our human bodies as discussed in yogic philosophy. In this course we will take a deep dive into how the concepts of the chakras apply to the various layers of our physical, mental, emotional and energetic health, as well as those of the planet and all living beings. 

 

There are 7 main chakras — also called meridians, energy centers and nadis — corresponding to locations of large nerve bundles and organs on the body from the base of your spine to the crown of your head. Each chakra or energy wheel is associated with a different bundle of nerves, glands or organs, and other qualities of our physical, mental and emotional health. 

 

Learning about these energy centers of the body can help us gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and our overall health and wellbeing. Our bodies mirror the universe and are little worlds of their own, making up the person you see, feel, hear and touch. Our internal processes and systems are innately designed to keep us healthy and happy however, throughout our lives, we will regularly encounter trauma and toxins that will interrupt those processes and cause blockages. When one of these energy centers is blocked or out of balance our emotional, physical, spiritual and energetic lives may feel disconnected or cause suffering. By learning how to bring yourself and your chakras back into balance you will lead a more fulfilling, peaceful, joyful and connected existence at all levels of being. 

 

 Earth Chakra Locations 

The meridians in our physical, emotional, spiritual and energetic bodies are mirrors of the meridians and ley lines that span across the planet earth, the greater universe and cosmic atmosphere. 

 

Each of the 7 key chakra points are represented by a different physical location on the planet. They are: 

 

Root Chakra — Mount Shasta, California USA. Associated with our foundational strength, stability and safety as well as the stress response. 

This chakra represents strength, stability, safety, the root of the earths energy and, together with this spectacular mountain, has many valuable lessons to teach us about how to build a steady foundation for ourselves while learning to let-go into complete trust that all is working in harmony. 

 

Sacral Chakra — Lake Titicaca, on the Border of Bolivia & Peru. Associated with sexuality, emotional balance, self-respect and creativity. 

This chakra is associated with sexuality, emotional balance, self-respect and creativity. Lake Titicaca is said to be the womb of the planet and manifests both masculine and feminine energies, as it falls directly on the crossing of the male and female serpent/great dragon ley lines. This makes it perfectly representative of the sacral chakra and our own dynamic sexual and creative energies. We can use this knowledge to balance the sacred feminine and sacred masculine to discover true inner unity. 

 

Solar Plexus Chakra — Uluru (Ayers Rock) & the Olgas, Australia. Associated with energy, purpose, confidence and a sense of inner power. 

This chakra is associated with self-definition, purpose, personal power, as well as global health and vitality. Some believe these rock formations are physical evidence left behind when the Pleiadians seeded the planet however, the local Anangu believe the artifacts are confirmation of the existence of ancestral beings and the original creation. Through this chakra we can learn to re-energize the body and support the manifestation and creation powers of your consciousness. Become empowered as you co-create well-being and connect to your highest self in coherence with the laws of nature and of the universe. 

 

Heart Chakra — Glastonbury (Stonehenge) & Shaftesbury, England. Associated with love, compassion, giving and forgiving. 

The heart meridian is associated with the qualities of love, compassion, giving and forgiving. This is where all of our healing takes place. Healing and empowering the heart allows us to shift into an upward trajectory of the finer frequencies and elevated states of consciousness associated with the higher chakras. See more below at the “Third Eye” chakra. 

 

Throat Chakra — Great Pyramid, Sphinx & Mount of Olives, Egypt. Associated with communication, self-expression, seeking and speaking the truth. 

These sacred sites and the throat chakra center are all about harnessing the courage and power to seek and speak your truth. It is connected to our overall communication, self-expression and authenticity. Some consider the unrest in the middle-east to represent the earth crying out for help. The myriad lessons hidden in this rich history and culture can teach us that the path to consciousness is through the balance of body, mind, emotions and spirit. 

 

Third Eye Chakra — No fixed location — Currently at Glastonbury - Shaftesbury, England. Associated with intuition, intelligence and deep spiritual connection. 

This chakra is associated with intuition, intelligence and deep spiritual connection. It’s interesting that it is currently located with the heart chakra and center of love, during a time of global chaos as well as collective healing. A shift from unmanaged power, ego and unbalanced masculine energy to the age of the heart, flowing with ease and grace and rise of the divine feminine to bring us back to global balance and harmony. A celestial reminder that we must first see and become aware in order to shift into the frequency of love and pure vibrations of the heart so we may heal and awaken the collective masses. 

 

Crown Chakra — Mount Kailas, Tibet. Associated with the highest levels of wisdom, understanding, divine guidance and cosmic consciousness. 

Deeply embedded in Asia’s mythical culture and soaring 6,638 meters high, this sacred “stairway to heaven” is one of the most revered peaks across the planet. This legendary mountain has a rich history woven with stories passed down through generations, mystical tales and lessons of interconnectedness and enlightenment. 

 

Fittingly, this chakra is associated with knowledge, understanding and cosmic/universal consciousness. Ultimate oneness and connection to all that is. Even before the dawn of Hinduism, Jainism or Buddhism people have been making pilgrimages to this sacred site to release the grip of ego, ignorance, attachment and other pieces of their shadow selves to achieve ultimate liberation and rise into elevates states of consciousness. 

 

Consciousness & Immunity

 

Strong immunity is the basis for physical and mental health. It has ramifications outwardly relative to our social order and natural environment, and inwardly for our own deeper awareness. This includes karmic factors at individual and collective levels. 

 

Our first foundational level of immunity is ecological. This consists of the integrity of our biosphere and the quality of our food, herbs, water and air, from our soils to the atmosphere. Immunity is not just an individual affair but an ability to adapt to the forces of life. 

 

This ecological foundation of well-being affects all creatures on Earth, which we cannot separate ourselves from. We live in an era Corona Pandemic in which our ecological immunity is stressed by the disruption of our natural environment and its diverse ecosystems, and by our artificial urban and technological lifestyles, in which electrical and mechanical forces dominate our energy, so much so that nature can become an alien force for us. Restoring our natural ecosystems is the basis of immunity in nature. 

Yet this requires not just an outer protection of our ecosystems but an inner awareness of our own internal ecosystems. Only when we embrace ecology within ourselves can we harmonize ourselves with the planetary energy. Our bodies and minds are our own ecosystems and need to be cultivated like our gardens. We must recognize their patterns of harmony and disharmony, as indicated by the elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air, and Ether), doshas (Vata, Pitta, Kapha) and gunas (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) operative within them, and the particular factors of our karma. We must understand how our prana works and what we are holding not only in the tissues of the body but in the memory banks of our minds. 

 

For further   details and breath-taking magnificent photographs of seven spiritually inspiring global spots, go through the attached text of the author Corinne Summers and David Frawley.

 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/05/which-deity-should-hindus-worship-on.html  (international Earth Day) 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/08/religion-and-science-need-to-conflate.html 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2019/12/v-behaviorurldefaultvmlo.html 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/05/kundalinee-power-powerful-enigmatic.html 

 

From April 20-22, join the world’s leaders for Earth Day 2021to Celebrate, with inspiring Earth Day quotes about the Natural World from conservationists and naturalists like John Muir and John James Audubon—and unexpected voices like Albert Einstein. They’re all worth remembering on this day set aside to honor Mother Nature. Together, we can prevent the coming disasters of climate change and environmental destruction. Together, we can Restore Our Earth: 

“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” —John Muir 

“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in a while, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” --John James Audubon 

 “Look deep into Nature, and then you will understand everything better.” —Albert Einstein 

--April 18, 2021

 

 

 

Hindu Reflections on Rama Navami of 2021

 

The Hindu New Year 2021 Plava, referred to as 'Ugadi'   marks the beginning of the Vasanta (spring) Navaratris on April 12 while 'Sri Rama Navami' on April 21 marks the climax. It is not a mere coincidence that Sri Rama Navami marks the climax of the Spring Navaratris. Among the incarnations of Vishnu, Parasara identifies Sri Rama with the Sun.  This time the festival of  

This year, Ramadan month started on April 13, in conjunction with Vasanta Navarathri that is climaxed with Rama Navami on April 21. Last year Muslims could not congregate for prayer during Ramadan due to pandemic but this year it has turned to be Rama-daan, restoring almost normalcy in USA, graced by Rama in recognition of their bowing down to Ayodhya Verdict, while some have even contributed to building Rama Mandir. At the same time, Hindus in India have been punished due to their undisciplined participation in Kumbha Mela indulging in revelry without focus on spirituality!  

 

Across South-East Asia wherever you go, Lord Rama is revered as a Hero.  Ramayana is glorified throughout the region as a model of ethical behavior, devotion to duty, respect for parents, gurus etc. Most of the countries have their own versions of Ramayana, a story that is embedded in their daily lives and culture. It is unofficially the national epic of many countries. Even in Islamic states like Indonesia, “Rama Kakavin” or “Rama Kavya” is known to many (played in Indonesian ballet).   The Deccan Herald, on 15th December 1972, on its front page gave the news in which it stated that a story relating to Ramayana was published in Elista, capital city of Kalmyk, in Russia. In Leningrad, a great number of books dealing with stories of Ramayana are still available and preserved even today in Russian and Mongolian languages. That makes to think that Bharata’s maternal home was somewhere in Russia.  

 

Seven interesting points about the Thai Ramakien 

 Asian and Thai ancient literature lovers certainly know about the Thai Ramakien, which is a famous National Epic of Thailand, based on the Indian epic Ramayana. 

 

In short, the Ramakien is about Rama who spends 14 years in exile after being banished by his stepmother. There he lives with his consort Sita and his brother Lakshman. When Sita is abducted by the Demon King Ravana (Tosakanth) and taken to Lanka, Rama and his brother rescue her with the help of monkey warriors. There are also some entertaining facts about the ‘Story of Rama’ which I would like share with you here: 

1. The Ramayana was written by the Hindu sage Valmiki and it implies that the epic possesses magic properties? Merely reading one verse of the Ramayana is supposed to guarantee a son to everyone previously lacking a male heir and it also implies that poor readers of the epic will become rich and that errant readers are purified. 

2. In the Rama Jataka, the Buddha is quoted as claiming he had been Rama in a previous life. The Rama Jataka is popular in Laos and some northeastern parts of Thailand where it is recited during ceremonies for the dead and cremations. 

3. In the oldest version of Rama’s story, which is probably the Dasaratha Jataka, Sita is featured as Rama’s sister. 

4. According to an ancient Thai belief, the Ramakien has magic properties. Thus, anyone who is able to read the Story of Rama over seven days and seven nights could command from the heavens three days and three nights of rainfall. 

5. The 16th century Chinese classic Hsi-yu-chi (Monkey) incorporated together with other material, Hanuman’s travels in pursuit of Sita. What is more, as early as 251 ADS, a Jataka form of the Ramayana was rendered into Chinese. 

6. The Reamker, which is the Cambodian version of the Ramayana, takes about 50 hours to recite. 

7. The Ramakien can be called an esoteric allegory of man’s spiritual quest (Rama) for Nirvana (Sita). In this way, it is also a purification of physical and intellectual faculties in which Tosakanth (Ravana) and his brothers are coarse passions and imperfections while the monkey warriors stand for virtues. Personally, I find points one and four intriguing and entertaining. Perhaps we should try to recite the Story of Rama and see what kind of magic we can work.   

 --Sirinya Pukditawan 

“Jihve Srirama taraka mantram japa japa satatam jamasaphalya mantram” 

 

Hindus are equally focused on Ramabhaktas who are also Gurus--Gurur Brahma gurur Vishnu Gurur devo Mahesvarah. By divine will, samartha Ramadas was also born on Rama Navami day. Hence, he is worshiped with equal status with Rama, on Ramanavami day.  

 

RAMA NAVAMI & RAMADAS JAYANTI, 2021 

 

Rama Navami falls on Wednesday April 21, 2021. Rama Navami Madhyana Muhurta 11:20 AM to 2:00 PM in USA. All timings are represented in 12-hour notation in local time of Nashville, United States with DST adjustment (if applicable). Hours which are past midnight are suffixed with next day date. In Panchang day starts and ends with sunrise. Of late Rama Navami has become historic and Ayodhaya, Unconquerable City, his birth place, a Reality! 

 

2021 Rama Navami 

Lord Rama was born on Navami Tithi during Shukla Paksha of Chaitra month. Each year this day is celebrated as birthday of Lord Rama. Lord Rama was born during Madhyahna period which is middle of Hindu day. Madhyahna which prevails for six Ghatis (approximately 2 hours and 24 minutes) is the most auspicious time to perform Rama Navami Puja rituals. The mid-point of Madhyahna marks the moment when Shri Rama was born and temples symbolize this moment as birth moment of Lord Rama. The chanting of Shri Rama and celebration reaches its peak during this time. 

 

Due to widespread use of western clock and Gregorian calendar people assume 12 p.m. as Madhyahna moment. This could have been correct if sunrise and sunset occur exactly at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. respectively but at most places sunrise and sunset timings are different from six O'clock. Hence the exact time to celebrate birthday of Lord Rama falls between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. for most Indian cities. DrikPanchang.com list Hindu midday moment for all cities and this moment should be used to mark the birth of Shri Rama. 

Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Rama and Rama Navami celebrations in Ayodhya are remarkable. Devotees come to Ayodhya from far-flung places. After taking holy dip into river Sarayu Devotees visit Rama temple to participate in birthday celebrations. 

 

Sita Navami is celebrated as birth anniversary of Goddess Sita. This day is also known as Sita Jayanti. Married women keep fast on Sita Navami day and pray to seek long lives of their husbands. Sita Jayanti falls on Navami Tithi during Shukla Paksha of Vaishakha month, after one month of Rama Navami. May be Navami is designated for celebration as Jayanti and not Sita Navami!

Mata Sita is also known as Janaki as she was the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. Hence this day is also known as Janaki Navami. According to Hindu mythology, when King Janaka was ploughing the land to conduct a Yajna he found a baby girl in the Golden casket. The Golden casket was found inside the field while ploughing the land. A ploughed land is called Sita hence King Janaka named the baby girl as Sita. 

 

Sri Ramdas, popularly known as Samarth Ramdas, was a Marathi saint and poet in the 17th century. His birth anniversary is observed in Chaitra month on Ram Navami. Samartha Ramdas Swami Jayanti 2021 date is April 21. Sri Ramdas was an ardent devotee of Lord Ram and Lord Hanuman and he turned to spirituality at a very young age. Sri Ramdas was a gifted poet and his short poems contain universal truth and are pregnant with meaning. He is believed to have greatly influenced Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj like swami Vidyaranya who is associated with Vijaya Nagara Empire. 

 

“All the Rishis do not belong to the past; the Avatars still come; Revelation still   continues”--Aurobindo. Jayanthi is not one day celebration, necessarily associated with the birth of a celebrity. It is celebrated over the Seasons of the year, full of love, emotion, color, gratitude and reverence like Holi and Easter! 

 

Please go through the brief life story of Saint Samarth Ramdas, attached herewith. and also, a rare hymn on Lord Rama by Lord Hanuman taken from Srimad Devi Bhagavata Mahapuranam, Skandha 8 and Chapter 20, sent by courtesy by K. Muralidharan Iyengar from Singapore. 

 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2013/10/revelation-of-ramaavatar-as-full.html

--April 17, 2021

 

 

 

1004^th RAMANUJA JAYANTI APRIL 18, 2021

Sri Ramanuja Acharya was born in 1017 CE at Shriperumbudur village in Tamil Nadu. He was a great theologian philosopher and thinker of devotional Hinduism. He is the most respected Acharya in the philosophy of Sri Vaishnavism. Ramanuja is also known as Ramanujacharya. Sri Ramanuja was named Lakshmana at the time of his birth. He was also referred to as Ilaya Perumal which means the radiant one. He disappeared at the age of 120 in Srirangam, Tamil Nadu in 1137 CE. 

Sri Ramanuja Jayanthi 2021 

Sri Ramanuja’s 1004th Jayanthi is celebrated tomorrow.   The date of Sri Ramanuja Jayanthi is decided on the basis of the Tamil Solar Calendar. Ramanuja Jayanthi is observed during Chithirai month on Thiruvathirai Nakshatra day. This year Sri Ramanuja Jayanthi will be observed on Sunday, April 18. 

 My friend, philosopher and guide on religious matters has made my task easy   by his timely dispatch the following material on  Ramanuja that should interest you all.  In this context, I would like to draw your attention to my detailed discourse on Vishishtadvaita Philosophy of Ramanuja as well as my series of post commemorative lectures on his Shatabdi issued in January 2018.  

 http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/04/vishishtaadvaita-philosophy-of-ramanuja.html 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2018/01/teachings-of-ramanuja.html 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2018/01/ramanuja-rediscovered-vedic-spiritual.html 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-parting-message-of-ramnujacharya.html 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2018/01/birth-of-sri-ramanujacharya-and-cause.html 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2018/01/life-of-sri-ramanujachrya.html 

 

 

 1.Sri Ramanujacharya.docx

 2.Statue of equality.docx

 3.Srirangagdya.mp3

 4.Bhajayatirajam.m4a

 5.Engaliramanujanadi.m4a

 6.Laali.m4a

 

--April 17, 2021

 

 

 

AMERICAN HINDU NEW YEAR UGADI/PUTHANDU BRINGS THRILLING NEWS 

Souramana (Soura: Solar) is based on the Sun's transit of the Vernal equinox (spring time) The Sun's ingress into Mesha (Aries) marks this. In certain states of India (like Tamil Nadu) this is followed as the New Year for religious/cultural purposes. Tamils call it Puthandu, Malayalee Vishu and Bengalis  Baisakhi. This falls today APRIL 14. Astrology is a part and parcel of every ay life in India even to this day whether people realize it or not.  In Hindu mundane astrology, though Moon is given prime importance, Sun has never been undermined or left out. Tamil Panchangam is Solar-Luni Calendar. 

“U.S. this year will see the strongest economic growth in four decades. In a letter to shareholders, JPMorgan Chase’s chief executive, Jamie Dimon, wrote that, thanks to factors including government stimulus, increased savings, “a new potential infrastructure bill, a successful vaccine and euphoria around the end of the pandemic, the U.S. economy will likely boom.” 

 

This is wonderful news coming on the first day of Plava (Flooding) Samvatsara. Plava means flooding. Plava Nama Samvatsara” unveils open boundaries which requires Buddhi and adaptability to swim in the flood waters of Soma born wisdom. “As happened a century ago after the last world-transforming pandemic, we could be in for a period not just of prosperity, but delirium.” wrote Michelle Goldberg,an Opinion Columnist, in  NY Times surprising Hindu Americans,  on Ugadi Day,  that heralded Plava Samvatsara.. 

 

Dharma is the sacred concept in Vedic culture, the eternal law that governs our personal lives and the entire cosmos. Awakening our ‘Svadharma’ in our flood of thoughts invokes a deeper search and responsibility of our individuality through thoughts and actions that colors our personal svabhava or disposition. This is a time for manifesting our Saṃyama and Saṅkalpa, sacred intent and dharmic resolve to envision the larger picture the Universe is unfolding before us. 

 

The festival of Ugadi heralds the beginning of a new astronomical cycle or New Year. Ugadi comes from two words, 'Yuga' meaning 'era', and 'aadi' means 'the beginning’. Plava means Flooding.  

 

No wonder Varha Mihira came with a new concept of beginning his New Year cycle with PLAVA (Flooding Day) and ending with SARVARI (dark night) instead the customary starting from Prabhava.  Even in his previous consideration of 5 -year groups of 12 years (2x5=60) Plava is 5^th year being the 35^th year that he dedicates to Lord Siva, Adiyogi. Thus 2021 Plava   draws our attention most.  

 

In the beginning it was all water and lord Narayana was relaxing on the bed of Shesha relaxed and peaceful (santakaram bjujagasayanam) while brahma emerged and was setting on the lotus, whose stem emerged from the belly button of Narayana. Brahma was mandated to create and the creation started with kalpa, that is Yugadi. That was day of Brahma. At the end of the Kalpa everything got dissolved and there was darkness and only Adiyogi existed in the dark Night that was the night of Brahman.When Siva after meditation opened his eyes Plava came out in the next cycle with all its activity. That is why varahamihira associated Plava with Siva and also the first year in 60 year cycle as dawn and Sarvari the last year in the cycle as darkness. The surprise statement made yesterday on Ugadi Day surprised the world but not Hindu American who believe the following news is part of Panchanga Sravana and a messge sent by the Lord as Samvatsaradhipati--

“A new potential infrastructure bill, a successful vaccine and euphoria around the end of the pandemic, the U.S. economy will likely boom”--all that makes America joyous. 

 

In the South New Year is celebrated with a delicacy known as 'Ugadi Pacchadi', a preparation comprising of six tastes (shadruchi sammelan), each representing a special characteristic. The ingredients of this preparation, though of differing tastes when mixed in definite proportions result in a delicious dish.  

 

 The underlying idea conveys that the six characteristics of life should be handled by every individual in a balanced way making one’s life a harmonious existence: 

 

Neem Buds: Indicate distress and sorrow of life, as they are bitter in taste. 

Salt: Indicates the salty or testing moments of life.  

Jaggery: Indicates auspicious and happy moments of life.  

Chilli or pepper: Indicates temperamental and aggressive moments of life. 

Unripened Mango: Indicates the tanginess of challenges in life.  

Tamarind extract: Indicates the sourness of strife in life. 

The native who is born in the ‘Samvatsara’ of ‘Plava’ is extremely voluptuous (has excessive sexual desire), wealthy, gets respect due to his being serviceable, defeated by his wife, contented, keeps his thoughts secret, and is of restless nature.

 

According with Jataka Parijata, the person born in the year Plava (2021-2022 AD) will be tranquil, generous,compassionate, brave and devoted to his own duties. Anyhow, whenever you are born, 

Living with New Year 2021 Lyrics 

 

Plava has opened its gates today 

And I don't feel any different 

While the COVIDasura comes again 

Killing thousands off in the distance   

 

This is the New Year of floods, say the wise 

But I know not what that flood means 

Let me resort to my self-assigned penance 

For problems with no easy solutions 

 

So everybody put your best prayer 

Let's hope to believe that we will be wealthy soon 

As Biden-Kamala efforts likely to  bloom 

Let all our prayers blend into one 

 

I wish the world was flat like the old days 

Then I could travel just by folding a map in my car
No more airplanes, or speed trains, or freeways
If no more social distancing or melancholy persists! 

GOD willing!

 

NRS

 

 

 

 

 

Putthandil Pongi Vazhga-- Live Over-joyous in the New Year!

--April 14, 2021

 

Comments:

 

Namaskarams and Thank you Mama! Puthandu Vaazthukkal! I always wondered why and you answered it: "Souramana (Soura: Solar) is based   Astrology is a part and parcel of every day life in India even to this day whether people realize it or not.  In Hindu mundane astrology, though Moon is given prime importance, Sun has never been undermined or left out. The Tamil Panchangam is based on the  Solar-Luni Calendar. "

--Santhosh Venkatraman

Thank you mama, Namaskaram. Puthandu nal vazhthukkal to you all as well.

 

--Aparna Arcot

 

 

FLOURISH IN YOUR OWN CULTURE WITHOUT BEING ERODED IN CULTURAL MELTING POT

 

Plava Nama Samvatsara” unveils open boundaries which requires Buddhi and adaptability to swim in the waters of soma born wisdom. Dharma is the sacred concept in Vedic culture, the eternal law that governs our personal lives and the entire cosmos. Awakening our ‘Svadharma’ invokes a deeper search and responsibility of our individuality through thoughts and actions that colors our personal svabhava or disposition. This is a time for manifesting our Saṃyama and Saṅkalpa, sacred intent and dharmic resolve to envision the larger picture the Universe is unfolding before us.” Sadhvi Sambhavi 

 

Here is a touching true life experience of an American Korean that every Indian American should go through to understand their living amidst mixed cultures and avoid their often-fatal attractions and divorces in life so popular in White American culture. 

 

Svadharme nidhanam sreyah paradharmo bhayaavahah--Bhagavad Gita. Better to live in one’s own culture than in another culture for to get and attached to another culture is dangerous. Take pride in your own glorious culture that parades all over the world despite all machinations without being lost cultural melting point of America and bland as dominating macho culture.  Other cultures are getting eroded and turning to SBNR, Awesome Without Allah, FFRF (Freedom from religion foundation) etc. In fact, they are envious of you, and even thinking of you in joining you than turning to being lost in the melting pot of cultures, though Hinduism as practiced today needs lot of rethinking and getting back to its root! That is where our Bal Vihar schools should focus to guide the young,  agitated and revolting mind. Hindus have the advantage of being shaped from the Universal Vedic culture of saghacchadvam samvadadvam samaanmaakootih sarvejanaah sukhino bhavantu!

  

“I Hated Myself for Not Being White for Most of My Life. Here’s How I Stopped --by American Korean Sharon Kwon 

 

“I distanced myself from other Asians, thinking I had found the solution to all of my problems by aligning myself with white people.” 

 

I used to hate being Korean. I grew up envying the blond-haired, blue-eyed, skinny white girls on TV and the movies. It was hard not to hate my small eyes and flat features when all I ever saw in the media were portrayals of white beauty. Even my parents wanted me to get a nose job and shave down my cheekbones because that’s what they thought was beautiful ― not our faces, but theirs. 

 

I was ashamed of how we looked to everyone else: uncivilized, loud, smelly with garlic breathe and dumb with our broken English and awkward accents. I hated how enmeshed and closed off my family was and how it seemed like nothing outside of us was allowed in and we weren’t allowed out.  

I used to hate being around other Asians ― in part because like most Korean Americans, I grew up in the church and thought that all Koreans were judgmental Christians, but also because I refused to accept that I was anything like them.  

 

I hated how Asians traveled together in flocks and how abrasive their languages seemed compared to the calm consistency of English. I used to make fun of other Asians, believing I was nothing like them, and trying to convince myself that I was more American ― or more white ― than them.  

Cathy Park Hong, author of “Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning,” writes, “Racial self-hatred is seeing yourself the way the whites see you, which turns you into your own worst enemy.” I became my own worst enemy from the moment I arrived at LAX at only 3 years old, beginning what now feels like a lifetime of assimilating to whiteness and desperately trying to be seen and accepted. 

 

For a large part of my youth and young adulthood, I spent my time in America fawning out of survival. Fawning is one of the trauma responses, similar to flight, fight or freeze. Fawning is when you people-please to diffuse conflict in order to reestablish a sense of safety. 

 

I fawned by aiming to please white people and viewing myself the way they saw me. I fawned by laughing off racist jokes, micro-aggressions, fetishizations, and the repeated belittling of my cultural background and how I look.  

 

I learned early on that this is what I would have to do to make it through alive. I laughed off countless “open your eyes” jokes and I begged my parents to buy me Lunchables so I wouldn’t have to bring smelly kimchi to school for lunch. A friend once told me I smelled weird, so I became accustomed to spraying myself from head to toe in perfume to mask the smell of Korea whenever I left my house.  

 

I distanced myself from other Asians, thinking I had found the solution to all of my problems by aligning myself with white people, clinging to my proximity to whiteness. Instead of just quietly minimizing myself and my racial trauma, I simultaneously perpetuated and mocked Asian stereotypes and rejected the parts of myself that didn’t fit the white mold. As the saying goes, if you can’t beat them, might as well join them.  

 

I fawned into the model minority myth, designed to pit people of color against each other to uphold white supremacy. I fawned and tried to survive the only way I knew how, by blending in ― only that was never actually possible.  

It wasn’t until I got older and I was able to explore my culture outside of my family of origin that I could appreciate these parts of myself that I desperately tried to keep hidden.  

 

A few years after college, I felt called back to the motherland. My parents are both from large families, so I had tons of aunts, uncles, cousins and my grandmothers to welcome me with open arms. I was the black sheep in my family of origin and forever bothered in America, but in Korea, I was home. For the first time, I saw myself as a Korean would.  

 

Life in Seoul was like heaven to me because I was surrounded by faces that looked like mine. The language that sounded so harsh in America, in Korea felt like an old song I knew all the words to. I felt connected and a sense of belonging that I had never felt in the States. I didn’t have to hate myself anymore. 

 

In Korea, I learned about our painful history and just how much colonialism is rooted in racism. I learned about how long we’ve been carrying and passing down this trauma from generation to generation, until it reached me and my family ― the first to make it to the land of opportunity and freedom and have a go at the American  dream. 

 

But the thing about the American dream is that it’s actually only for white people. I learned that during the housing crash of 2008 when banks targeted immigrant families, offering them a chance at this elusive dream only to take it all away. My parents lost everything and had to start their lives over again.  

In 1992, during the LA riots, police were deployed in affluent, white neighborhoods while Black and Korean neighborhoods were left to burn. Many Korean business owners watched their livelihoods disappear right before their eyes. Now, in 2021, I see video after video of Asian Americans, mostly seniors and women, getting attacked on the street on a daily basis. More than ever, I hear it loudly and clearly: We are not seen as equals. No matter how hard we strive, we will never be white enough. 

 

When I came back to the States, I felt like I hit the reset button on life. I got to immigrate again with a fresh set of eyes and an actual connection to my culture that felt authentic, instead of what I knew from church and the 2-mile radius that is Korea-Town. This time, instead of complete assimilation, my goal became acculturate without compromising my sense of self.  

 

The first thing I did was get myself a Korean American therapist who understood what it was like growing up bi-culturally in America in order to process my racial trauma and identity issues. 

 

That’s when I realized that I wasn’t alone and that there were words to describe those of us who consist of more than one part and grew up exposed to the special trauma of acculturating without any guidance or support. Thanks to therapy, I understood that it was possible to exist as both Korean and American.  

 

Growing up, I learned in school that America is a “cultural melting pot.” But what happens in a melting pot is that all these cultures mix together and erode the characteristics that make each unique in order to become a bland pot of the dominant culture. Now I see America as more of a fusion of flavors, where immigrants and people of color can preserve our customs while also adapting to life in America.  

 

These days I’m proud of my bilingual skills. I love flexing my Korean in Korea-Town and being able to provide psychotherapy in my native tongue. I love making kimchi and every year I make jars of it that I give to non-Asian friends whose palates can now handle the heat. 

 

I’m no longer ashamed of myself and where I come from. Although I may not be able to change other people and situations, I can nurture myself and how I see myself and the world around me.  

 

Now when people ask me what was once a very dreaded question ― “Where are you from?” which really means, “What are you?” ― I proudly respond that I’m Korean American because I want to normalize the fact that this country is made up of humans of all colors, shapes, sizes and ethnicities. I view myself from my own lens instead of filtering myself to appeal to white people because I want to show the world that this is what America truly looks like.  

The raw mangoes, neem, and jaggery represent the sour, bitter and sweet flavors of life. May the flavors of Ugadi  give us the strength to face ups and downs in life! 

--April 13, 2021

 

 

UGADI & PUTHANDU/VISHU MESSAGE OF 2021 

 

Christmas tree became a symbol of Christ — being triangular in shape it represents the trinity — and from there came the idea that the tree should be a symbol of Christ and new life. That's one of the main origins of the Christmas tree and bringing it into the house” Dr. Wilson said.   

Dating back to the fourth century, many Christians have marked the end of the Christmas season on the Twelfth Night (or 12 nights after Christmas) — an evening also known as the Eve of the Epiphany. The Epiphany marks the day the Three Kings (or Wise Men) visited baby Jesus, and is either celebrated on January 5 or January 6 (depending on whether you count Day One as Christmas or not). Although Christian groups reportedly disagree over which date is the correct one, tradition dictates that the Twelfth Night is the best time to take down your festive decorations — including your tree. It's believed that waiting too long after the Twelfth Night will bring bad luck. 

The Christmas tree represents the original Tree of Paradise, the burning bush which spoke to Moses, the branch of Jesse from which Jesus was born, the life-giving tree of the cross of Christ, and the tree which St. John the Apostle saw in the Book of Revelations whose leaves have medicine for the people and which yields fruit each month for the healing of the nations. Because it is green year-round, the evergreen tree represents hope. Its needles and its narrow crest point upward, turning our thoughts to heaven. Because the tree is cut down and then erected again, it is a symbol of Christ’s resurrection. 

If Christmas see is symbolism of Winter Solstice, Kadamba is symbolic of Vernal Equinox. Winter solstice leads to Gregorian New Year in January while Vernal Equinox leads to Chandramana and Sauramana Yugadi in March/April 

It is on the Ghats of Mathura – the birthplace of Krishna where Holi was   celebrated in the wildest, yet colorful and sane revelry during Holi enjoying the dawn of spring season on March 28 and 29, this year. Lord Rudra after Kamadahana had been domesticated by the spring flowers (may be Kadamba flowers  shot at him by Lord Kama) and joined Parvati to bless us as universal parents. Thus Ugadi is the season for seeking blessings of Lord Siva and Lord Krishna during Kadamba flowering season that pleases both.   

 

 

VEDIC ASTRONOMICAL NEW YEAR STARTS TODAY 

 

 “In Vedic astrology, we regard the day of the New Moon in Pisces (Chaitra Shukla Pratipat), which occurs in March or April depending upon yearly transits, as marking the astronomical and astrological New Year for the planet, as timed for the capital cities of every nation. Major mundane or political (Muhurta) Vedic astrology predictions are from this date.    Current outer difficulties are likely to continue for the next few months, so patience is required. A new formation of the Kalasarpa (Serpent of Time) Yoga now from Ketu in Scorpio to Rahu in Taurus, shows continued political intrigue and social disruption. But we can expect a slow improvement, though not equal in all parts of the globe. There is no need for despair but it will be a challenging year and decade ahead, for which we need both physical and psychological resilience. The pandemic is hastening major civilizational changes in the high tech era that in any case were bound to occur. 

Yoga, Vedanta, Ayurveda and Jyotish can guide humanity to an era of greater consciousness and compassion.  Let us have the energy and motivation to set this new civilizational transformation in motion, though it may take some decades to accomplish. Humanity remains an immature species that still requires much inner development to create a peaceful and enlightened society. Let us be a force of light for now and for the future!” says David Frawley in his Ugadi message. He thus asks us to invoke Lord Siva on this day who is Adiyogi and presiding deity of Ayurveda as Vaidyanatha worshiped as Vaidyalingam.  

Siddhanta Jyotisha, Astronomical text have counted 60 year cycle to begin from Vijaya and going down to Nandana. Varahamihira’ in ‘Brihat Samhita’ has regarded the beginning of the Samvatsara cycle of 60 years, not from the ‘Vijaya’, but from the 35th Samvatsara of ‘Prabhava’ that is Plava, the current year.  Since Varahamihira’s times it is this sequence which has been accepted and so 2021 has a special significance. Also, in five Year grouping classify- cation 35^th year Plava is fifth Idvatsara presided by Siva. Hence the call for focus on Siva.  

 

“Chanting Krishna Mantra removes all confusions and fears and enhances confidence and courage. It helps cure all kinds of diseases and promotes overall well-being, a state of tranquility and prosperity in the household. It dispels all kinds of negativity and fills household with positive vibrations” says Swami Prabhupada while commenting on various hymns of Bhagavad Gita. 

Current Corona Virus pandemonium has threatened humanity with lot of insecurity and anxiety.  “The ideal that Geetā places before us is “to remain without agitation” in adversity.  The phrase “being equal towards joy and sorrow” appears frequently in the scripture.  Carrying on without losing heart, practicing patience and fortitude, staying firm in our undertakings and resolves, and exerting without dependence on success are among the many pointers that Shri Krishna’s Masterpiece Bhagavd Gita gives us, which inspire us to stay objective in times of crisis. Negative influences from outside then cannot cloud our judgment” says Swami Chidananda. I have talked   about all these at length repeatedly and also drew your attention to the dhyana sloka with meaning: 

Vyamoha-prasam aushadham muni-mano-vritti-pravritty-aushadham |
Daityendrarti-karaushadham tri-bhuvane sanjivanaikaushadham |
Bhaktatyanta-hitaushadham bhava-bhaya-pradhvamsanaikaushadham |
Sreyah-prapti-karaushadham piba manah sri-krishna-divyaushadham || 

 

The Hindu New Year referred to as 'Ugadi'   marks the beginning of the Vasanta (spring) Navaratris and 'Sri Rama Navami' marks the climax. It is not a mere coincidence that Sri Rama Navami marks the climax of the Spring Navaratris. Among the incarnations of Vishnu, Parasara identifies Sri Rama with Sun. 

The sacred eternal living Kadama Tree, with gorgeous spring flowers assumes greater importance pleasing Lords Siva, Krishnan and Murugan.  

 

Kadamba Tree or Neolamarckia cadamba 

 Did you know that the Kadamba Tree or Neolamarckia cadamba, popular as the "Krishna Tree" as Lord Krishna during Dwapara Yuga (eon), in his youthful years in Gokul indulged in romantic dalliances under this tree , and historically the first dynasty of Karnataka "Kadamba dynasty" was founded under the tree in 4th century AD? 

Neolamarckia cadamba, called Kadamba is an evergreen tropical tree like medicinal and sacred Christmas tree, native to South and Southeast Asia.  The genus name neolamarckia honors French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. It has scented orange flowers in dense globe-shaped clusters. The flowers are used in perfumes. The tree is grown as an ornamental plant and for timber and paper-making. Kadamba features in Indian religions and mythologies. 

Kadamaba Tree, also spelled Cadamba Tree, or Neolamarckia cadamba, of the Rubiaceae family is an evergreen, fast growing tropical tree, an ornamental plant, native to South and Southeast Asia, particularly linked to mythology and history in Indian subcontinent. It is an ornamental and medicinal tree that can grow up to 45 meters once it takes deep roots. The tree has glossy, opposite green leaves, with scented orange flowers in dense globe-shaped clusters blooming when the tree is 4–5 years old, and during rainy season.  

 

Kadamba flowers are used in perfumes called 'attar' in North India. The tree is grown for timber and paper-making. An extract of the leaves serves as a mouth gargle. The bulbous fruit (bearing flowers) is edible and is consumed raw in Northern India. It is fragrant, sweet and little tangy in taste and is widely enjoyed as relish. The tree has many medicinal uses in Indian Ayurvedic medicine. The bark is used for curing fever (made into a decoction with Tulsi leaves), alleviate body pain, fruit used to treat stomach disorders, leaves and flowers used to treat ulcers in the mouth, seeds used in diabetes control, and leaves also used for treating skin diseases. Kadamba Tree features in Indian religions, mythologies, and history. 

 

Kadamba tree's scientific or taxonomic name as Neolamarckia cadamba has been a subject of a long taxonomic debate in the 20th century, though, in 1785, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck described a specimen under the name Cephalanthus chinensis, stating that it came from Madagascar. 

 

In religious tradition of India, particularly during the Dwapara Yuga Lord Krishna, the 8th avatar or incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who was born on the banks of the Yamuna river in North India, as described in the Bhagavata Purana, had very colorful and romantic dalliances in his young age with the Gopis' (cowherd maids who were devoted Bhakths of Krishna) of Gokul and Brindavan, particularly under the Kadamba tree. This tree which thus came to be known as the “Krishna tree;" is referred in two narratives while identifying it as Krishna's favorite tree, since Krishna climbed into a Kadamba tree on two important occasions in his youth days of wild abandon. In the first occasion, Krishna ascended a Kadamba tree after stealing the clothes of a group of young cowherd women (gopis) headed by Radha who were engaged in an austere winter ritual bath, in the Yamuna River aimed to gain Krishna, their beloved. When the Gopis pleaded with Krishna to return their clothes, Krishna demanded of them to come out naked before him to retrieve their clothing. This prank of Krishna is interpreted as a way of teaching them a lesson as Varuna, the sea-god, had prohibited nude bathing in rivers, ponds and other public places, but Gopis often resorted to it. In another occasion, Krishna played melodious tunes on his flute sitting under a high Kadamba tree during the autumn full moon days sending melodious calls to his Gopi women to meet him for a rendezvous and dance with him. This dalliance of Krishna with Gopis under the Kadamba tree is interpreted in religious literature as Krishna's divine 'Rasa Leela'.Shatabhisha, also known as Chathayam or Sadayam, or Shatabhishak or Shatataraka is the 24th nakshatra in Hindu astronomy. It corresponds to the star γ Aquarii. Varuna is the deity of this nakshatra. The ruling planet of this nakshatra is Rahu. 

 

Historically, Kadmaba tree has given its name to the Kadamba Dynasty, the first dynasty of Karnataka that ruled from Banavasi, in what is now the state of Karnataka, from 345 CE to 525 AD; this dynasty worshipped this tree as a holy tree as it is said that the first ruler Jayanta of this dynasty was born under the Kadamba Tree. This dynasty's rule is celebrated every year as Kadambotsava ("The festival of Kadamba") by the Government of Karnataka at Banavasi.  

 

Kadamba Tree was also the emblem of Athmallik State, one of the princely states of India during the period of the British Raj.  

 

In the Sangam period of Tamil Nadu, Murugan, a son of Parvati and Shiva, Hindu god of war deified on the Tirupparankundram Hill of Madurai was referred to as a center of nature worship. Lord Murugan is depicted in the form of a spear under a Kadamba tree. 

 

The Kadamba tree, associated with a tree deity called Kadambariyamman ( a form of goddess Parvati), is considered the sthalavruksham ("tree of the place") of the Madurai city in Tamil Nadu that is otherwise has been known as Kadambavanam (kadamba forest) and is present at the entrance of Meenakshi Amman Temple. Hence, the tree is also called the "Parvati Tree". A withered and dry relic of the Kadamba is also preserved in this temple.  

 

In Theravada Buddhism, it is said that the Kadamba tree was where Sumedha Buddha achieved enlightenment. 

 

In Indian astrology, the 27 nakshatras (Stars), constituting 12 Houses (Rasis) and nine planets, in the Zodiac, are specifically represented precisely by 27 trees —one for each star. The Kadamba tree is said to represent Shatabhisha, roughly corresponding to Aquarius.  

 

Kadamba tree is the most frequently planted tree in the tropics, which is widely grown along avenues, roadsides and villages for shade. Kadamba are suitable for reforestation programs. It sheds large amounts of leaf and non-leaf litter which on decomposition improves some physical and chemical properties of soil under its canopy. 

 

In a recent scientific study in the 20th century, the leaf extract of Kadmaba tree has been used to produce silver nanoparticles for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. 

 

Karam-Kadamba is a popular harvest festival, among the Tulu people of Karnataka. It is celebrated on the eleventh lunar day of the month Bhadra (August-September) when a twig of the tree is worshipped in the courtyard of the house; Onam (Kerala) and Huttari (Kodagu) are regional variants of this festival. Twig of Kadamba tree (pinna maram), is also worshiped for three days heralding the descent of Krishna avatar  along with Phalavatsra, canopy of fruits and delicacies in many parts of Karnataka.  

May is the month when the Kadamba tree yields fruit so the tree is also called May tree. The Kadamba tree is also known as burflower tree, laran, Leichhardt pine, kadam, Chinese anthocephalus, White jabon, wild cinchona and Wild cinchona tree. 

 

The Kadambas (345–525 CE) were an ancient royal family of Karnataka, India, that ruled northern Karnataka and the Konkan from Banavasi in present-day Uttara Kannada district.  The Kadambas were the first indigenous dynasty to use Kannada, the language of the soil at an administrative level. The second Prakara of Kadambeswarar Temple is an open space. There are no idols or shrines located here except for Sthalavriksha Kadamba. Lord Murugan graces from a shrine in another Prakara with his consort Valli and Devayani with his six faces in that punyakshetra called Dakshina Kasi also known for Kamba, Vaneswara and Kambavasini. It is therefore logical to conclude Parvati being white is Vanavasini (named after white Kadamba) and therefore Banvasi in Karnataka is named after Parvati or Vanavasi. Parvati is the daughter of Himavan of Himalayas and therefore calling her Vanavasi is no exaggeration! Murugan here is worshiped with Kadamba flowers.  We can therefore conclude since kadamba flower is used in offerings and worship to Murugan, he is called Kadamban.  

Be the curator of your life. Slowly cut things out until you’re left only with what you love, with what’s necessary, with what makes you happy.”

--april 12, 2021

Comments:

Many thanks for your kind New Year greetings! May God Bless you with excellent Health and Happiness all the time!

--A.P Koil N Saptagireesan

 

 

 

NEED FOR LUNISOLAR AMERICAN HINDU PANCHAGAM FOCUSED ON VISWA HINDUS

 

The earth doesn’t pass a marker post on its journey round the sun, so there’s no absolutely unarguably best and most logical time to start the year. Nevertheless, in this age of precise science, the Winter Solstice, when the days start to lengthen as if the year has been reborn, is a pretty good time to start the year.   Many prehistoric societies like Greek did in fact start the year at the Winter Solstice.

 

Another good thing is the time when nature itself comes back to life after the death of winter. In fact (though most people find this very difficult to accept, as they’re so used to the year being said to start in January) right through the Middle Ages, and even into the Early Modern period, spring was the most widely accepted including Christianity, New Year in March/ April based on Lunar and Solar Calendars of Hindus, early thinkers of areligious almanac.

 

The precession of the vernal equinox from the Sun’s entry into Aries to some point in Pisces, with similar consequences for the summer solstice, autumnal equinox, and winter solstice, has led to two different methods of calculating the saṃkrānti (entry) of the Sun into a sign. The precession (ayana) is not accounted for in the nirayana system (without ayana), which thus dates the actual saṃkrānti correctly but identifies it wrongly with the equinox or solstice, and the sāyana system (with ayana), which thus dates the equinox and solstice correctly but identifies it wrongly with the saṃkrānti.

 

While the solar system has extreme importance for astrology, which, it is claimed, governs a person’s life as an individual or part of a social system, the sacred time continues to be reckoned by the lunar nakṣatra system.

 

Our celebration of New Year’s Day on January 1 is a human-made creation, not precisely fixed by any natural or seasonal marker. It’s a civil event, not one defined by nature. Yet, for us in the Northern Hemisphere – where daylight has ebbed to almost its lowest point and the days are starting to get longer again – there’s a feeling of rebirth in the air. That’s probably why New Year’s resolutions are so popular. The same thought occupied the politician Karunanidhi of DMK who shifted Tamil New Year’s Day to Makara Sankranti or Tamil Month of Thai for some time that got reversed by Jayalalita, also a politician.

But unfortunately, the old methods used by astrologers have not been updated since centuries and star positions calculated by these methods are erroneous. The difference between calculated and observatory positions might vary up to 12 hours. Hence the positions of star calculated by old algorithms like Vakya Siddhanta or Surya Siddhanta are not precise. Followers of these old schools are well aware of these discrepancies but still use erroneous methods. However, they don't mind stealing eclipse information from Drik Panchangam or Thiru-Ganita Panchangam. They also continue to project Makara Sankranti as the start of Winter Solstice or Uttarayana misleading us, to observe the dawn of Punyakala as per sastras.

Hindu Americans drawn from top intellectuals from Global Hindus that includes leading Astronomers and scientists with the mastery of Planetarium software should be able to set things right instead being misled by false astrologers.  Orthodox astrologers should sit with scientists and set things right. They should learn a lesson from modern urban monks who appreciate the powerful tools of Webinar, Zoom etc. to spread spirituality and Universal Oneness bringing back our thoughts to Vedic Culture, without going to seclusion in Asrams or retiring to forests. In turn, they will open th minds of Hindus in India, who flatly refused recommendations of National Calendar Commission of Jawahalal Nehru that lies in archives.

 

The other group of Panchangam makers, like DrikPanchang.com, uses modern algorithms to get position of stars or use NASA ephemeris. In computer era number crunching calculations are not a problem. Drik Ganita Panchangam makers use modern algorithms to get precise position of stars and use those positions in Panchangam. The Government of India has also supported modern ephemeris for National Panchang or Rashtriya Panchang and Positional Astronomy Centre (PCA) in Calcutta publishes modern Indian Ephemeris since 1957. Most Tamil calendars, if not Panchangams take help from these and are more accurate coming from   very religious minded Tamils and Malayalees.

 

North American Panchangam has taken a great step to bring out a Panchangam that could be easily followed by all American Hindus, but it also goes to please the major religious traditions instead of presenting a uniform Solar-Luni Panchangam looking at the some of the problems stated above. If Jayanthis are not actual birthday why not a fix a date in the year for all American Hindus to follow, keeping an eye on unification of all Viswa Hindus. They should also guide us how to observe American religious holidays with Hindu focus like Valentine day, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day,  Christmas (which is not the actual birth day of Jesus)  etc. Hindu American families are often filled with multi-culture and cross culture focused children involved in mixed race and inter-caste marriages whose faith should be kept in Hindu-fold, instead turning atheists (FFRF). This Year due to the mystic Adhikamasa, Chandramna Yugadi and Sauramana Yugadi are closest (April 12 and April 13 in USA. Strangely all agree on Rama Navam if not Hanuman Jayanti). Hope this wisdom prevails and reflects in North American Panchagam which will bring all Hindus together with Vedic spirit sangacchadvam samvadadvam. I do not think Vedic astrology had all these problems though Luni-Solar minded! They never had the concept of Vara or day!

 

Please look at the Veda mantra:

sarve nimeṣā jajñire vidyutaḥ puruṣādadhikalā muhūrtāḥ kāṣṭhāścāhorātrāśca sarvaśaḥ | ardhamāsā māsā ṛtavaḥ saṁvatsaraśca kalpantām |  

 

All nimeṣas, kalās, mūhurtas, Kāṣṭhās, day and night, half-months, months, and seasons, were born from the self-luminous Person. The year also was born from Him.  

[This mantra does not talk about week (saptah) and week days that was later introduced to Hinduism by Westerners influenced by Roman/Greek culture. The days were named after Tithi only and not on Graha.  Navagraha are later concept and religious and puranic introduction even adding Navagraha sukta like Ganesha Atharvaseershopanishad]

---April 10, 2021

 

Comments:

I read and re-read your note on luni-solar calendar. It is indeed thought provoking and comprehensive. I was only wondering whether the reference to the two Indian politicians is necessary since they have not been of any consequence in the scheme of things. Thank you for referring this subject to me.

-- BRG Iyengar

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Unique Message of Spring Season 2021--Unity in Diversity 

 

UGADI 

The Telugu New Year, 'Ugadi' is celebrated to commemorate the beginning of spring in South India. It is a popular festival across the states of South India. The word Ugadi is said to denote Yuga which means era or epoch. A significant ritual of the New Year celebration is oil bath. Consuming Ugadi Pachhadi, or a mixture of six tastes, is an important part of the celebration. The six items of Ugadi Pachhadi are said to signify sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. This dish has various flavors, signifying the different experiences one goes through life-- Jaggery (sweet), symbol for happiness; Tamarind(sour), symbol for challenges; Neem flowers(bitter), symbolizing the difficulties of life; Raw mango (tangy), symbolizing surprises and new challenges that crop up in life; chilies (spicy), symbolizes anger; salt(salty)symbolizes interesting things in life. People then gather for 'Panchanga Sravanam' to hear the general predictions for the year. We at aurora celebrate this Telugu New Year day with Ugadipachadi and Panchanga Sravanam. 

 

Puthandu also known as Puthuvarudam or Tamil New Year, is the first day of year on the Tamil calendar and traditionally celebrated as a festival. The festival date is set with the solar cycle of the lunisolar Hindu calendar, as the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai. It therefore falls on or about 14 April every year on the Gregorian calendar. The same day is observed by Hindus elsewhere as the traditional New Year, but is known by other names such as Vishu in Kerala, and Vaisakhi or Baisakhi in Central and Northern India. This year it falls on April 14. 

 

RAMADAN 

The famous Muslim festival that is celebrated in India is Ramzan or Ramadan. The last day of Ramadan (a month of fasting and prayers) is celebrated as ‘Eid-ul-fitr’. This festival is celebrated with tremendous enthusiasm and affection. During the month of Ramadan in our college we give special permission to Muslim students to offer prayers in our college premises or in nearby Mosque. 

The observation of Ramadan marks the anniversary of the Quran being revealed to Prophet Mohammed. The fasting process starts from sunrise and lasts until sunset. It is assumed that devotees are closer to God during Ramadan. Eid is a day of celebration, worship, meeting loved ones, giving Edi to children, and having delicious food. Some of the basic but most important rituals on Eid are: Giving zakat (charity), attending Eid prayers, and helping the poor and needy. It involves faith, worship, donation and pilgrimage to Mecca. Ramadan, offers to any true seeker a self-reflective course that has the power to bring a revolution of the heart and help restore justice, peace and harmony in the world. Many mosques in the U.S.A, extend an open invitation to non-Muslims to join their Muslim neighbors in breaking fasts in the mosque, thereby exposing them to the warmth of Muslim hospitality and to Islam’s rich cultural diversity. Unfortunately, al Qaida brought ignominy and shame to Islam (meaning Submission to the Supreme) by its wrong interpretation of Quran! Easter is also known for its long fasting and austerity. Holy Month of Prayers for followers of Islam begins on April 12 and ends on May 12. They wrongly projected to the world Sarvajna Allah, All Power of Knowledge as Sarvasastra Allah, All Powerful WMD, misunderstanding Durga with no focus on Gita that says vinasaya cha dushkritam, destroying all evil-acting, and in the process, brought their own destruction.

Chaitra Navratri, also known as Vasant Navratri, begins on April 13, 2021. This festival of nine nights in Hinduism is dedicated to Goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Chanting of mantra, pujas, fasting and various rituals are part of this nine days dedicated to Mother Goddess Shakti. It is also known as Chaitra Navratri or Spring Navratri or Vasant Navratri. As this Navratri coincides with Ram Navami, it also referred as Ram Navratri. The dates are from April 13 to April 21, 2021. In continuum, Hanuman Jayanti is celebrated on Vasanta Purnima Night on April 27, 2021, with Bhajan singing of Hanuman Chalisa, in glorification of Asthasiddhi Hanuman after worshiping Srirama on April 21, 2021, not necessarily Hanuman’s birthday, 40 times, a mystic holy figure of 40 in many religions. 

 

The Spring of Year 2021 has surprised us with a powerful message of people of all religions to come together and pray together, the Devo Ekah (Universal GOD) as our Rishis did in Vedic times, when the World had neither the concept of religion nor the thought of building sectarian walls.   World was then guided by the Vedic wisdom “sanghacchadvam samvadadvam” and the present times motto “Vasudhaiva kutumbakam”. Last month we saw Holi and Easter week celebrated on March 28. This month on April Muslims celebrate Ramadan and Hindus Yugadi on the same day focused on GOD (G=Generator; O=Operator; D=Dissolver) reminding us the lyric “Iswara Allah tero naam”, a favorite lyric of Mahatma Gandhi, an Apostle of Peace.   

 

Hindus revere Holy Ash by smearing it all over the body fasting, keeping vigil and praying all night on Mahasivaratri Night (March 11 in 2021). Ash Wednesday also reveres Holy Ash and designate a Wednesday calling it Ash Wednesday that starts “Fasting for 40 Days’ Lent Ritual” that ends with Easter Sunday. Ash Wednesday is a time when persons are invited to face their mortality; to remember the limited time we have on this earth and reflect on who we want to be, and the path we want to travel; and who or what we live for.  This year is no exception.  In our time of great personal suffering and loss, terrible division, misplaced priorities, and systemic racial injustice, Ash Wednesday sets aside a time to ensure that we reset values and walk as best as we can in the path that God sets before us.  Soon followed the announcement of mass vaccination for COVID 19 in March. In 2021, the first full Moon of spring is the March 28th Worm Moon, and is thus also designated as the “Paschal Moon.” The first Sunday after the Paschal Moon is Easter Sunday. March 28th is Palm Sunday, so the following Sunday (April 4th) will be Easter Sunday. In 2021 Holi is celebrated on Spring Full Moon, March 28. 

 

This month Ramadan imparts a special meaning as Rama+daan benevolences of Rama who descends on Earth on April 21 as Ram-Rahim, who is also celebrated by Hindus as Sitaram.  Sita gets her name from Mother Earth as she was found while ploughing the land. Surprisingly this year Global Earth (Mother of Sita) Day falls on April 22. This Amazing Season thus calls for our focus on Universal Oneness and Vedanta as the Religion of the Future that Swami Vivekananda presented to the World Forum of Religions more than a century ago! Spring of 2021 brings a powerful massage of Unity in Diversity, a favorite slogan of India and USA. 

 

Unity in diversity 

 

Unity in diversity is a concept of "unity without uniformity and diversity without fragmentation" that shifts focus from unity based on a mere tolerance of physical, cultural, linguistic, social, religious, political, ideological and/or psychological differences towards a more complex unity based on an understanding that difference enriches human interactions. It has applications in many fields, including ecology, cosmology, philosophy, religion and politics. The idea and related phrase are very old and dates back to ancient times in both Western and Eastern Old-World cultures. The concept of unity in diversity was used by both the indigenous peoples of North America and Taoist societies in 400–500 B.C., inspired by Vedic culture.  In premodern Western culture, it has existed in an implicit form in certain organic conceptions of the universe that developed in the civilizations of Vedic culture, ancient Greece and Rome. "Unity in diversity" is used as a popular slogan or motto by a variety of religious and political groups as an expression of harmony and unity between dissimilar individuals or groups. The phrase is a deliberate oxymoron, the rhetorical combination of two antonyms, unitas "unity, oneness" and varietas "variety, variousness". When used in a political context, it is often used to advocate federalism and multiculturalism. 

 

Many beautiful flowers create a wonderful bouquet; a lot of vegetables make a delicious salad. There is beauty, grace and elegance in diversity, in differentness of all components that leads to stronger and better creation when brought together.  America and India are strong because of the awesome unity in diversity of various people with their distinct cultures, races, colors, ethnicities, thoughts and beliefs. Life is wonderful mainly because of such unity in diversity.  If not for diversity, it would be dull and depressing. It's so remarkable that we all are different, and yet we all are very equal, being united with a common goal and strong love for America, GOD Bless America and Satyameva jayate of India-Truth alone Triumphs;   Vedanta Message--E pluribus Unum, Out of Many One--A Hindu American Thought. 

Spring is the Season for Spread of Spiritual-knowledge (tattvajnaana), Satsangha, Sangacchadvam, Samaanamaakutih (equanimity) and Sarvae shantih, all round happiness.

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/04/souramaana-solar-new-year-day.html 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/03/chandramana-yugadi-and-almanac_14.html 

It is time to put the past behind you and look ahead with optimism in the New Year.   Happy Ugadi, Baisakhi, Vishu and Puthandu. E Pluribus Unum:  Out of Many One!

--April 10, 2021

Comments:

We cannot club Yugadi and Puthandu on the same day.  

Yugadi is Chandramana - Lunar year

Puthandu is Souramana - Solar year

Criteria in Chandramana for the month and year beginning is "shukla prathama day" and the thithi should prevail during / around the sun rising time.  Hence it is April 12th Monday. Criteria in Souramana for the month beginning is, "while Sun enters the respective rashi" and occurrence / observation of the day if it happens before the sun set time, if not the next day.  On Tuesday April 13th the sun enters Mesha Rashi at 5.09 pm before sunset time. 

With regard to the observation of Sri Rama Navami or Vasantha Navaratri, based on the prevalent of prathama through Navami thithi.  At times it may shrink to 8 days or expand to 10 days.  This year it is spanning to 10 days i.e. from April 12 thru 21st. Time calculations on all the above cases are based on EST.

M R Ravi Vaidyanaat Šivãchãriar

 

 

 

Webinar-197 --The Wisdom of Liberation in Taittiriya Upanishad By Pujya Swāmi Chidānandaji

 

Yato Vacho nivartate  | apraapya manasa saha| anandam brahmano vidwan na bibheti kutaschanoti || Taitt. Upanishad 

 

He who knows the Bliss of Brahman from which all words return without reaching it, together with the mind, is no more afraid of anything.   

 

Neither the speech can define, nor the mind feel, nor the intellect completely comprehend the transcendental nature Self (annamaya praanamaya manomaya vijnaanamaya anandamayamidam atma) that is Eternal. The Bliss of Brahman is visible to the pure mind and so it is knowable -manasaa tu visuddhena. Masters of pure mind like Ramakrishna, Ramana always live in unison with the Infinite Consciousness; thereafter, neither their external actions, nor their feelings nor their thoughts, can ever go false in their beat. No false step is possible in a dancer, so long as the accomplishments are   rhythmic and true. On experiencing the goal indicated in the Upanishads to be our Real Nature that we discussed at length in Ulladu Narpadu of Ramana Vedanta, we can forever get so fully redeemed from all our identifications with our finite body-mind-intellect that we come to end forever the sorrows of life and death to us.  

 

He who has come to realize the Atman within himself, thereafter feels no fear at any time or circumstances. The state of fearlessness is here synonymous with Perfection, that they, after attaining Perfection, lived a life of fearlessness and daring adventure. They alone had the courage to break the wrong and dangerous flow of thoughts of the times and direct them towards better fields in person’s life which we call Moksha (Moha+Kshaya), devoid of all passions and desires.   

 

MNU SAYS: manasaa santih, santya chittam, chittena smritih, smrityaa smaarah, smaarena vijnaanam, vijnaanena atmaanam vedayati --here santi means Exclusion of all thoughts from the mind other than what is the focus of attention, or firmly fixing the mind on the object of concentration. Conclusive experience of Truth follows calmness (santi). By mental power sense-control is made possible. By sense-control reflection is engendered. From reflection calmness of mind results. Conclusive experience of Truth follows Calmness. By conclusive experience of Truth remembrance is engendered. Remembrance produces continuous remembrance, from continuous remembrance results unbroken direct realization. By such realization one knows the Atman. 

 

But please go through Swamiji’s discourse of inimitable easy delivery for quick consumption to improve your lifestyle and progress towards Liberation, if not in this life but with hope in the future lives.   

 

Gist of Presentation by Webinar 197

 Of the three chapters of the Taittiriya Upanishad, it is the second one, called Brahmānanda valli, that dwells on the science of liberation – moksha shāstra – in great detail. It is here that we learn of a progressive discovery of an inner self (antarah ātmā), which culminates in the insight into the Supreme Self. The negation of ‘five levels of the self’ reveals the ultimate truth, which is not really a further step in the progression but a unique leap into something that was never unknown! The webinar will attempt a summary of the salient aspects of the journey of Self-realization.

 

One who knows the bliss of the supreme truth does not fear anything anymore.

\ ānandam brahmano vidvān, na bibheti kutaschana iti \

Taittiriya Upanishad 2.9

 --April 9, 2021

 

Chaitra Navratri   April 2021 - Mantra - Importance of Chaitra Vasant Navratri

 

Chaitra Navratri, also known as Vasant Navratri, begins on April 13, 2021. This festival of nine nights in Hinduism is dedicated to Goddess Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati. Chanting of mantra, pujas, fasting and various rituals are part of this nine days dedicated to Mother Goddess Shakti. It is also known as Chaitra Navratri or Spring Navratri or Vasant Navratri. As this Navratri coincides with Ram Navami, it also referred as Ram Navratri. The dates are from April 13 to April 21, 2021.

Chaitra Navratri is observed in the Hindu month of Chaitra (March – April). It is believed that Goddess Durga was originally worshipped (Durga Puja) in the Chaitra month and was also referred as Basanti Puja. It was Lord Ram who changed the period of Durga Puja.

Chaitra Navratri 2021 dates

·         Ghatasthapana – Navratri Day 1 – April 13

·         Sindhara Dooj, Dwitiya – April 14

·         Gaur Teej, Saubhagya Teej, Tritiya -  April 15

·         Varad Vinayak Chaturthi -  April 16

·         Sri Laxmi Panchami Vrat, Naag Vrat Pujan -  April 17

·         Skanda Shashti, Yamuna Jayanti -  April 18

·         Maha Saptami Vrat, Chaiti Chhath, Vijaya Saptami - April 19

·         Sri Durga Maha Ashtami, Annapurna Ashtami - April 20, 2021

·         Vasant Navratri ends – Ram Navratri Day 9 – April 21, 2021

Story of Chaitra Navratri

Lord Ram wanted to get the blessings of Goddess Durga before beginning the war with Ravana in the Ramayana. Therefore he invoked Goddess Durga during Ashwin (October – November). This is why the Durga Puja during October is also known as Akal Bodhon or untimely invocation.

 

Chaitra Navratri is the original period of Navratri festival. It was changed by Lord. The story of Chaitra Navratri is the same as Sharad Navratri of Goddess Durga annihilating Mahishasura.

Chaitra Navratri is also known as Basanti Puja

Originally Navratri puja was held in Chaitra Month. Lord Ram invoked Goddess Durga during Sharad (Ashwin month) for victory over Ravana. The Durga Puja in Ashwin month (October – November) is also known as Akal Bodhon, or untimely invocation, as Lord Ram had invoked her during the Ashwin month. Read more about Basanti Puja

Chaitra Navratri Mantra

Siddh Mantra

ॐ हींग हींग डुंग दुर्गायै नम:
ॐ ऐंग हींग चामुण्डायै विच्चे।
सर्वमङ्गलमाङ्गल्ये शिवे सर्वार्थसाधिके
शरण्ये त्र्यम्बके गौरि नारायणि नमोऽस्तु ते।।

Mantra To Get Money - Wealth - Overcome Financial Problems

प नि मनोरमां देहि मनोवृत्तानुसारिणीम्।
तारिणीं दुर्गसंसारसागरस्य

Mantra To Get Good Life Partner

हे गौरी शंकरधंगी, यथा तवं शंकरप्रिया
तथा मां कुरु कल्याणी कान्तकान्तम् सुदुर्लभं।।

For Early Marriage

'ॐ कात्यायनी महामाये महायोगिन्य धीश्वरी,
नन्द गोप सुतं देवी पतिं मे कुरु ते नमः।'

For success in Career - Interview - Exam

'ॐ ऐं ह्रीं क्लीं महासरस्वती देव्यै नमः'

The above said mantra should be chanted 108 times daily in the morning for nine days for desire fulfillment.

Ghatasthapana 

Chaitra Navratri puja begins with Ghatasthapana or Kalash Sthapana Puja. The puja involves invoking the mother Goddess in a Pot or Kalash and sowing of seeds (barely etc.). The pot is sprinkled with water on all the nine days. Pujas and other rituals are performed. At the end of the ninth day, the barley shoots will reach a height of 2 to 3 inches and its then pulled out and distributed.

Chaitra Navratri Ashtami 

Goddess Shakti temples in North India see huge rush on this day. Tarashtami, Mahashtami, Mahanisha Puja and Annapurna Parikrama are observed on the day. In eastern parts of India, Chaitra Ashtami is observed as Ashokastami. Annapurna Puja is also observed on the day.

Vasant Navratri Popular in North India

The Vasant or Spring Navratri is widely observed in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand (Uttaranchal), Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Most Hindu devotees in this part of India undertake Navratri Vrat or fasting. The festival occurs during the beginning of summer season. And it is said that the fasting helps in adapting the body to the changing climate.

 

Almost all the rituals observed during Navratri (held in October-November) are also observed during Vasant Navratri.

Worship of Young Girls during Chaitra Navratri

One of the important events in Haryana and Punjab is the worshipping of little girls. These little girls symbolically represent Goddess Durga and are known as ‘kanjaks.’ It is performed on the eight day or the Ashtami day. The rituals i also known as Kumari Puja. Read more about Chaitra Navratri Kanjak Ashtami Puja.

Chaitra Navratri Mela at Manasa Devi Temple

Goddess Mansa Devi is an important incarnation of Goddess Shakti and in this form she is very popular in the Himalayas. Millions of devotees arrive at the Mansa Devi Temple worship Mansa Devi during Chaitra Navratri. The most important dates are Chaitra Saptami, Ashtami and Navami.

 --Abhilash Rajendran, Hindu

 http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/03/spring-festivals-of-vasanta-navaraatri.html

 

 --April 9, 2021

 

 

 

Comments:

 

We are continuing to enjoy the excellent articles--inspiring, informative, intensive and extensive articles sent by you. We wonder whether there is any subject not covered by you. God bless you. Wish you a Happy Yugadi and Healthy and happy Plava samvatsara.

 

--BRG Iyengar

 

 

*********

 

HAU EXPLORES HINDU CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD  

 

Please recall the recent E-mail of our community leader and social worker Mr. Nagarajan who sent the information on Sanskrit Education on-line from HUA. I wonder why this sudden spurt all around while HUA had been in active service for the past 25 years? Why this sudden spurt? have they become more public now?

 

Hindu University of America (HUA) was established in 1989 and was authorized in 1993 to provide students with a unique academic environment to explore the knowledge systems rooted in and emerging from Vedic thought i.e. the philosophies, traditions, culture, and civilization that has come to be called Hinduism in the popular imagination.

 

HUA Mission & Vision

Hindu University of America seeks to nurture in its students a life-long love for learning and a quest to live a life in harmony with the world, that aligns their pursuit of critical thought and academic excellence with spiritual insight and inner development. It is the University’s aspiration that regardless of their culture of origin, students are empowered to think critically, inquire into who they are, search for an expanded sense of purpose and meaning in their lives, and explore the possibilities for constructive social engagement, making a difference and being of service to humanity.

 

HUA Values

The word “Hindu” in the name of this university is used with the broadest possible connotation, signifying Vedic knowledge systems, traditions, culture, and civilization that originated from Bhārat i.e. India. At the same time, Hindu University of America addresses itself to all people of the world, who may be interested in personal growth, holistic lifestyles, spiritual transformation, and living in harmony with nature and all peoples on our planet. The university is non-sectarian and non-denominational, and does not promote any one Hindu perspective, tradition or sampradāya, and offers a place for the authentic presentation of all that is broadly available for study under the broad terms such as Hindu, Vedic, and Sanātana Dharma.

 

HUA Ethos & Culture

Hindu University of America welcomes all qualified students seeking to pursue knowledge and understanding, personal and societal transformation, as well as research and publication, in many diverse areas of study. Those who already have exposure to Hinduism through their own heritage will find the university to be an excellent source to acquire an enhanced understanding of their identity, culture and its unique world-view, while newcomers to Hindu thought will find a thorough and accessible introduction to a seemingly esoteric way of life that is simultaneously both ancient and contemporary. The university strives to explore the knowledge systems of Vedic origin encompassed by the term Hinduism in conversation, with contemporary challenges and opportunities facing humanity, in realms such as religion and theology, natural, human social sciences, economics and politics, education, the fine arts and literature, and more.

 

Hindu University of America

5200 Vineland Rd #125 Orlando, FL 32811

Email: info@hua.edu

Student Inquiry Number: 407-205-2118

Technical Query Number: 407-275-0013

 

Here is an exciting paid educational on-line paid program for young scholars from Hindu University of America. If you had been closely following HR you would not have missed much on these though not like these coming from experts in the field. Nevertheless,  I have opened your mind and awakened you to these subjects, struggling hard over two decades with the spirit of struggling, caring and sharing. Some have fallen on fertile soil and some got wasted too! HR Free Services has also not attracted organization like HCCT, IAN, VHP,  HMEC, HTS,HUA etc.  I had no thoughts on such recognitions being focused on Sevadharma. Please go through my list of classified discourses, pick up appropriate topics for a preliminary study and to prepare your kids for the study if you are ready for a paid service. My service had always been free.-Paropakartaarthamidam sareeram!

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2019/08/classified-discourses-posted-on-blog.html

 

HAU EXPLORES HINDU CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD IN THE REALM OF MIND 

This course explores the contributions of the Hindus to the world in the realm of Mind, which has shaped the Self-understanding of humanity. It constitutes one part of two mutually independent, but naturally supplementing courses. The other course explores the Hindu contributions to the world in the realm of matter, which have influenced Human progress in the material world, and the sciences. 

Description 

Course Description: 

In contemporary times, following the European Colonization of India, it has become ‘received knowledge’ that the Hindus were and continue to be ritualistic, superstitious, poverty-ridden, timid, bare, and barely noticeable as a ‘static’ people, whose history is nothing more than the history of successive waves of invaders and colonizers who made India their home for a time. 

This course looks beyond this myth set in motion by a 200-yearlong colonial encounter, and examines the evidence for the development of thought, philosophy, spirituality, yoga, meditation, mathematics, lifestyles, consciousness and mind, that made India such a desirable civilization across times.  It addresses the question, why did everyone, seemingly the world over, seek out the Hindu civilization, and for what? 

 

This course can be taken as a continuing course in the series titled “Exploring Hinduism”, or as a stand-alone course. Both the “Hindu Contributions to The World ‘courses can be taken sequentially in any order or as a stand-alone course too. It can be enjoyed by teenagers in the age group 12-18, on their own or together with their parents and grandparents as well. 

 

Course Content: 

“Exploring Hinduism” is a series of courses that facilitates a structured exploration of various facets of one of the world’s most ancient families of traditions and civilization.  This course moves past the modern myth that the Hindus, were backward and primitive, throughout time, and might have remained so, but for a western intervention. 

It explores Hindu thought at its finest, and its contributions to the realm of consciousness, spirituality, mind sciences and the relation between the spiritual world and the material world. 

It uncovers the way Hindu thought traveled and diffused into other world civilizations and cultures, throughout history as it continues to do so today. 

It highlights the source of the sustained prosperity and wealth of the Hindus across vast stretches of time. 

It investigates the question – are Hindu ideas obsolete? Or do they have contemporary relevance? 

Over 20 sessions, spanning a quarter, this course will cover a variety of areas of innovation, inventions, development of ideas and thought, that characterized the Hindu civilization for millennia. 

These areas will include Health and Wellness, Ayurveda, Vaccines, ideas such as Yoga, Dharma, Karma, Dhyana, Ahimsa, Mathematics, Music, Epics, Fables and Stories, Arts, Education, Sports, Vegetarianism, Astronomy, Meridians, Time zones, Philosophy and Spirituality. The Course will explore how Hindu thought impacted the world, and how it morphed and adapted to different cultures and environments. 

During this course, students will acquire a newfound confidence from the dawning of a recognition that the Hindu Civilization has been quite different from what our received knowledge has led us to believe. It will renew their trust in the Hindu worldview and way of life that has been so sustainable and successful for so long. 

Course Learning Objectives: 

In this course students will 

1. Discover the cohesiveness with which mind and matter have been integrated in Hindu thought. 
2. Learn about how Hindu thought has diffused gently and quietly throughout time, to impact the world’s cultures and civilizations. 
3. Discover the Hindu paradigm of emphasizing both, the world of consciousness and the material world equally, for a healthy, holistic, and successful life, that led to affluence. 
4. Develop the confidence to think laterally with regard to the challenges and problems facing humanity and propose paradigm-shifting approaches towards the future 

 

COURSE ON RAMAYANA

When Valmiki wrote the Ramayana, he was speaking across time, to people of different ages and value systems.

Ramayana was not merely history, but an Itihaasa - a kind of archetypal history, that transcends the western categories of history and mythology.

In this course, we will take a look at what lessons the Ramayana holds for us today, in our own lives - How can we attune ourselves to its timeless call.

How do we set about searching for meaning and teachings for our own life in our times, from this ancient epic?

Registering now for spring 2021 - the course begins April 10, 2021.

--April 4, 2021

Comments:

Thank you for reaching out and sharing the information! I am glad that your blog has had 800,000 page views just this year?! I have copied Jyoti Ji who is HUA's Blog Editor/Curator to see if there may be opportunity for collaboration.

 --Ankur Patel of HUA

 

Certainty of Uncertainty Easter Sunday Message

 

What set Easter apart from even Christmas was the focus on redemption of the soul and the hope that comes with spring? Sacrificial love can overcome even death. It is this powerful message that has sustained the celebration of Easter for more than two thousand years.  Things have changed during this era. In a sense we have lost our purpose of what life is all about. Many of us are now jaded, cynical, and mistrusting, and actually, for good reason. So much hate, so much violence, so much fear. It is all around us, and it is scary.  

 

Yet, right there before us we still have the teachings of great spiritual leaders. For Hindus it is Rishis of Upanishads and Urban Monks with their easy delivery for quick consumption, Christians it is Jesus, for Jews, Abraham and the Great Prophets, and yes, even Muslims that share the God of Christians and Jews. Let us, too, not forget the inner peace, love, and compassion taught by Dharma based religions.  We still have the means to extricate ourselves from the "empty tombs" of despair. It seems so easy; yet, why are we so resistant to find inner peace and security? Yes. Easter is more than just a welcoming of spring, as glorious as that is, but also a participation in,   something that "breaks out and unsettles the world."  Dismissing the Easter story as myth and superstition is missing the point entirely. Although the resurrection stories are held within the Christian tradition they can be seen as a gift to the world, a deeply human story that bursts the bounds of not just our seasonal cycles, but the cycles of death and oppression humanity perpetuates. The fact that it was women who first glimpsed this, and the ongoing problem with women's stories not being believed, is a hint at the revolutionary nature of what we all share at Easter.  

 

The Easter narratives in the four gospels differ in a number of significant details. But among all the details provided in these narratives, the one that is perhaps the most enigmatic is this passage from Matthew’s gospel. After the women report the tomb to be empty, they and the disciples return to Galilee where they have been told they will see Jesus. We read: 

 

Then the eleven disciples went to the Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them, and when they saw him, they fell down in worship—but some of them doubted. (Matt. 28:16-17) 

 

Let’s recap: the disciples hear a fantastic story from the women. They go back to Galilee to the mountain they were told to go to. There they encounter the Resurrected Christ and fall down before him, but some… doubted? 

 

People doubt all kinds of things. That’s not strange or unusual. But here the disciples encounter Jesus raised from the dead and they still aren’t sure? This is even more striking than the story of Thomas from John’s gospel, because while Thomas doubts what he has not seen, the disciples here doubt what they have. It seems that even with those who were present with Jesus, there was doubt. Perhaps doubt and uncertainty are inescapable after all. 

 

This idea stands in contrast to a tract I have in my office entitled “How to know for Sure You’re Going to Heaven”. In it, the author states, 

 

However, one of the characteristics of the first followers of Jesus was their certainty. They didn’t guess . . . or hope . . . or wish. They knew for certain. They were even willing to die for that certainty  

 

This is a curious statement given the clear meaning of the text from Matthew. But more to the point, the tract is emphasizing the wrong aspect of the disciples’ subsequent action.  For it was not certainty that the disciples displayed—they displayed faith. The biblical record makes it clear that even after Jesus’ resurrection some doubted. It was not their absolute certainty that propelled them from one end of the Mediterranean world to the other, it was their faith—their trust in God—in spite of their doubts. 

 

What makes the disciples’ witness extraordinary is not that they were mindless zealots, locked into a fixed orthodoxy of certainty but that they were faithful, they trusted that God was at work in the world and that this called them to go out into all the world to proclaim this message of hope and transformation. 

If indeed the disciples were certain about all things then we have a hard time explaining why they would get into subsequent disagreements about questions like observance of the Jewish law, the admission of Gentiles into the fledgling Christian communities, or whether it was proper to eat food sacrificed to idols. They were not all in lock-step certainty: they had doubts, they wrestled with important questions, they professed that some things were their opinions not divine decree. In short: they took a bold leap forward in light of their experience of Easter, despite their doubts. That they were willing to risk their lives for their faith is a much more powerful statement than risking their lives out of their certainty. 

 

And herein lies our hope: we need not have it all worked out to be faithful. You needn’t banish all doubt in order to be a faithful Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Bahá’í, or Zoroastrian. In fact, in order to truly have faith, a little doubt may be necessary. 

And so, this Easter, we are reminded of the victory of hope over despair, of love over hate, of life over death. And we are called to go out into the world to share this hopeful message—doubts and all. 

 

“If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present.” 

Finding Hope in Uncertain Times: 

 

Hope is overwhelming confidence in the God who can do anything with anyone at any time in any place. In Greek thought, hope was essential for man’s well-being. The Greeks had a myth that Zeus gave humankind all good things for life and put them in a jar. Curiosity lifted the lid, and all the food things in the jar escaped back to the gods. The lid was slammed shut, and hope was trapped. The gods knew that hope was essential for the well-being of humankind. That’s a nice fable, but they got one thing very right. Hope is essential for the well-being of humankind! “Where there’s life there’s hope,” the saying goes. The converse is also true. Where there’s hope there’s life. 

 

Hope is something that belongs to humanity.  

The New Testament talks about a “living hope” (1 Peter 1:3, NIV). Psychologist Sigmund Freud said we needed to look to the past for hope. So everyone began to dig up their past. Then came the people who said, “No, hope is to be found not in the past but in the present.” Then existentialism ruled the day. Now with people’s hearts failing them for fear because of international situations, many are looking towards the future, trying to find hope in these uncertain days.  

 

This is where we look for divine assurance of “yadaa yaddaa hi glanir bhavati dharmasya sambavami yuge yuge” in Gita. When we are in trouble He is always there. Our Adharma with Nature brought the Pandemic. Our lives depend on Purusha (GOD) and Prakriti (Nature his Power). In spite of our abuse of Prakriti, He is merciful and provided vaccine in the shortest time. 

 

Christians actually enjoys the best of all worlds because of its domination. Hindus dismiss Faith-belief though flock temples! We can look back on the past and know we are forgiven; we can cope with the problems of the present because we have hope for the future. This hope enabled us to keep an eye on what’s ahead while being a blessing to people in our here and now. This living hope enables us to cope with all eventualities and sets us free to love people to faith along the way. Please go through an interesting article that appeared in New York Times today.

--Adapted from Christian Easter Thoughts

 

--April 4, 2021

Happy Holi, Easter and Spring Time 

 

Comments:

 

Thank you for your article. Reflecting on my own life I have come to the conclusion that to be a believer you must have doubt. We need to have faith in order to have hope. Without hope, life and living are meaningless. If faith was so certain, we would not need hope.

 

God is so much more than any of us can understand. Religion doesn’t know His fullness and being. We all tell our own stories through the faith of our religion. I just happened to choose to be a Catholic. I believe my faith would be as strong as a Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist or whatever. I just know I need to have faith. God will take care of the rest.

 

--Terry Kucel

 

 

 

FOWAI Forum on VIDURA NEETHI Leading to Self-Knowledge & Liberation

 

5000 years ago, the sage Vidura counseled King Dhritarashtra on leadership and the characteristics of wise people. Vidura seeks to prevent war by urging evil king Dhritarashtra to reconsider his behavior and actions against the Pandava cousins. 

In Chapters 33 through 40 of Udyoga Parva, in the Mahabharata also called Prajagara sub-parva, sage Vidura outlines things wise people and leaders should do, and things they should not. These are known as Vidura Neethi. Some examples of his recommendations for leaders: 

He should wish for the prosperity of all, and should never set heart on inflicting misery on any group. 

He should pay attention to those who have fallen in distress and adversity. He should not ignore persistent sufferings of those that depend on him, even if the suffering is small. 

He should show compassion to all creatures, do what is good for all creatures rather than a select few. 

He should never impede the development and growth of agriculture and economic activity by anyone. 

He should be always be prepared to protect those that depend on him for their safety and security. 

He should be fair and accessible to his people. By means of virtue should he attain success, by means of virtue should he sustain it. 

He should consider the welfare of his people as his personal responsibility. 

He should encourage learning and transmission of knowledge. 

He should encourage profit and virtue. Prosperity depends on good deeds. Good deeds depend on prosperity. 

He should avoid friendship with the sinful. 

He should never misuse wealth, use harsh speech nor inflict extreme or cruel punishments. 

He should only appoint those as ministers (senior positions in his staff) whom he has examined well for their history of virtue, dispositions, activity and whether they give others their due. 

 

Personal development and Characteristics of a Wise Person--Free from   anger, exultation, pride, shame, stupefaction and vanity: 

He has reverence and faith, and he is unhampered in his endeavors by either adversity or prosperity. 

He believes virtue and profit can go together, exerts and acts to the best of his ability, disregards nothing. 

He understands quickly, listens carefully, and acts with purpose. He does not grieve for what is lost, and does not lose his sense during crisis. 

He is constantly learning, and be he seeks enlightenment from everything he experiences. 

He acts after deciding, and decides after thinking. 

He neither behaves with arrogance, nor with excessive humility. 

He never speaks ill of others, nor praises himself. 

He does not exult in honors to himself, nor grieves at insults; he is not agitated by what others do to him just like a calm lake near river Ganges. 

The importance Vidura Niti cannot be over emphasized! Please recall my discourse o modern urban monks who have neither retired forests nor confined to their Ashrams but remain in the society guiding us day-to-day with their wisdom thoughts, among whom HH Swami occupies an important position and guides us with his LPS (Life Positioning System) through Upanishads, Gita and Nitisastras. 

 

The center of Hinduism is the home and the householder is held up as the ideal. Since the rise of the monastic movements in India the focus has shifted from the house to the ashram. The elevated status of the householder has been usurped by the monks, and most Hindu teaching nowadays centers on the Upanishads and Vedanta. The trivarga purushārthas: Dharma (ethics), Artha (material success) and Kāma (pleasure and enjoyment) have become totally neglected and only the fourth (apavarga) — Mokṣa is discoursed on. Thus, we find in all teaching sessions only retirees are present. The sanyasi teaching has little relevance for the householders. Brahmarishi Sri Devraha baba famously said - "there is no greater Sanyāsa than being in Grihastha-āśrama."  

 

The alternative way forward is the teaching of the Nīti Śāstras to the youth and to householders. Being one of the leading Urban Monks, HH. Swami Chidannada is not calling us to his ashram but bringing the message to our doors through his weekly discourses employing modern Webinar and Zoom techniques that I understand very little to employ in my discourses to make them appealing and attractive, about which many approach me. Hindu scriptures are abundant with Niti sastras.  Of the Nīti literature, Vidura Nīti is a great place to start. The voluminous text deals with very many subjects.  The topics in the original do not flow together and jump around considerably. So, Swamiji has taken great trouble in picking appropriate verses according to our vital interest and presenting it to us, so that we are not lost in the Ocean of Vidura Niti like Dhritarashtra.   I also believe Vidura Niti was directed to a very stubborn king Dhritatatrashtra wedded to his Kingdom (ghorkalla maylay male suridante sarvajana-rain on rocky soil) who refused even to listen to Bhagawan Krishna, who later advised Arjuna also, just before starting the unavoidable war with WMD, but needed for restoring Dharma. Vidura was also convinced that it was impossible to save the situation and bring the self-centered, evil-minded, ever disturbed, perturbed and angered, hateful and firmly attached to his kingdom--Dhritarashtra.  He tried with his voluminous moral teachings, for the pursuit of happiness to live in Peace but not Pieces that made him confused but not convinced; however, that helped masses to pick moral teachings appropriate to them in their pursuit of life.  They say “where you cannot Convince, Confuse”. I had kept the following moral teachings handy earlier, for my LPS, not knowing the present plans of Swamiji.  Please do not miss his weekly exposition to these difficult texts. I wish I had the age and time to go by his wisdom thoughts like most of you: 

Dharma 

eko dharmaḥ paraṁ śreyaḥ kṣamaikā śāntir uttamā | vidyaikā paramā dṛṣṭir ahiṁsaikā sukhāvahā    

Righteousness (Dharma) is the single highest good; and forgiveness is the one supreme contributor to peace; knowledge is giver of supreme contentment; and only non-violence produces great happiness.  

Happiness  

ṣaṇṇāmātmani nityānām aiśvaryaṁ yo’dhigacchati | na sa pāpaiḥ kuto’narthair yujyate vijitendriyaḥ    

One who succeeds in gaining control over the six that are always present in the mind attains self-mastery and never commits iniquity and therefore never suffers calamity.  

arthāgamo nityam arogitā ca priyā ca bhāryā priya-vādinī ca | vaśyaśca putro'rthakārī ca vidyā ṣaṭ jīva-lokasya sukhāni rājan    

These six comprise worldly human happiness: Acquisition of wealth, uninterrupted health, a loving and sweet-talking spouse, an obedient child and knowledge that is beneficial.  

svadhītasya suyuddhasya sukṛtasya ca karmaṇaḥ | tapasaśca sutaptasya tasyānte sukhambedhate   || 

The happiness that may be derived from a judicious course of study, from a battle fought virtuously, and from ascetic austerities performed rigidly, always increases at the end.  

arogyaṁ anṛṇyaṁ avipravāsaḥ sadbhir manuṣyaiḥ saha saṁprayogaḥ | sva pratyayā vṛttir abhīta-vāsaḥ ṣaṭ jīvalokasya sukhāni rājan ||   

Health, freedom from debt, living in one's own home, companionship with good people, regular employment, and living without fear, these six, comprise human happiness. 

sapta doṣāḥ sadā rājñā hātavyā vyasanodayāḥ | aṣṭāvimāni harṣasya navanītāni bhārata | vartamānāni dṛśyante tānyeva susukhānyapi  || 

samāgamaśca sakhibhir mahāṁścaiva dhanāgamaḥ | putreṇa ca pariṣvaṅgaḥ saṁnipātaśca maithune  || 

samaye ca priyālāpaḥ svayūtheṣu ca saṁnatiḥ | abhipretasya lābhaśca pūjā ca janasaṁsadi ||   

These eight, are the very cream of happiness, and these are available only here, viz., meeting with friends, acquiring of immense wealth, embracing one's offspring, sexual dalliance, conversation with friends in proper times, assisting in the advancement of persons belong to one's own party, the acquisition of what had been anticipated, and respect in society.  

anarthakaṁ vipra-vāsaṁ gṛhebhyaḥ pāpaiḥ sandhiṁ paradārābhimarśam | dambhaṁ stainyaṁ paiśunaṁ madyapānaṁ na sevate yaḥ sa sukhī sadaiva One who does not live away from home without cause, who does not make friends with nefarious people, who never attempts to seduce married women, who never displays arrogance, and who never commits a theft or shows ingratitude or indulges in drunkenness, is always happy!  

 

Psalm of Life’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a thoughtful poem about life’s struggles. The poet addresses the best way to confront these difficulties on an everyday basis. 

 

The poem begins with the speaker contradicting a listener who wants to explain life to him as a matter of number and figures. The rest of the poem is dedicated to the speaker trying to prove this unknown person wrong. He describes the way in which he believes that no matter what death brings, the soul will never be destroyed. Because of this, it is important to do all one can in life to make one’s situation, and that of others, better.  

 

The speaker comes to the conclusion that he, and the listener, must be prepared at any time for death, strife, or any trouble thrown at them. They must face life, and make the best of every day. (Jatasya maranam dhruvam)

 

FOWAI Forum presents ARANI SERIES, Spark 58 on Friday, April 2, 2021

 

GEMS OF THOUGHT FROM VIDURA-NEETI

*Work hard and finish your work by daytime so you may sleep peacefully at night. Work hard for eight months of the year so that you may take it easy during the four months of the rainy season. Work hard during your younger days so that you may spend your old age in contentment. Lead your life in such a way that you can be happy even in your afterlife!

 

The eight chapters (33 thru 40) of Udyoga Parva (5^th canto) of Mahābhārata constitute the advice given by the minister Vidura to the king Dhritarāshtra. These go into 592 verses and cover such a wide range of topics that several hundreds of such messages as this one (Spark 58) can be collected from this ancient text. All these are highly relevant today also and help us in living more conscientiously and effectively.

 

Geetā and Upanishads, no doubt, throw a lot of light on human values but a text like Vidura-Neeti provides such valuable elaboration on aspects of right living that we can more easily recognize our errors and come upon the wise ways of judging and acting.

 

In the example given above, there is an appeal to us to shake off our bad habits of procrastination or doing things at the eleventh hour. The beauty of doing things well in time and celebrating the leisure we get after the successful completion of our duties is described so well here. The last line extends the logic to the period ‘post death’ too!

 

 “Life is real, life is earnest, and the grave is not its goal,” sang^** Longfellow. Wise men of India had said it in epics like Rāmāyana and Mahābhārata in their own elegant language. Their words, found here in Vidura-neeti too, awaken in us a greater sense of good thoughts, noble speech and virtuous actions. When we are aware of far better choices than before, we will surely spend our days in more meaningful ways (to attain dharma). All this paves the way to spiritual awakening, leading to Self-knowledge and liberation (moksha).

 Notes:

* The original verses:

 divasenaiva tat kuryāt, yena rātrau sukham vaset

 astha-māsena tat kuryāt, yena varshāh sukham vaset

  poorve vayasi tat kuryāt, yena vriddhah sukham vaset

 yāvad-jeevena tat kuryāt, yena pretya sukham vaset

-Neeti¹, chapter 3, verses 67, 68)

 

**Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in his classic poem, “A Psalm of Life”.

--Swāmi Chidānanda

-       

--April 3, 2021

Comments:

 

THIRUVALLUVAR SAYS:  Uranguvadu polum saakkadu, Saakkadu urangi, vizhippathu pirappu-- We die in the night, and we get life in the morning.

--Prof G. Nagarajan

 

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HOW HOLY EASTER THURSDAY FALLS ON APRIL 1, IN 2021  

 

April 1 in 2021 is Easter Thursday, the day of Feast of Passover and the Day of Betrayal, April 2 is Good Friday, the Day of Crucifixion and April 4 is Easter Sunday, The Day of Resurrection that has arrived early this year.  April Fools’ Day this year is the fifth day of Holy week, a Christian observance day also known as Holy Thursday Easter and the many church holidays related to it—such as Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, Good Friday—are called “moveable feasts,” because they do not fall on a fixed date on the Gregorian calendar, which follows the cycle of the Sun and the seasons like that of Hindus.  Probably Judaism and Christianity got influenced by ancient Vedic Tradition. Easter Religious days follow lunisolar calendar similar to Jewish holiday or Tamil festiva/ritual days.  The date of Easter is set for the first Sunday following the Paschal Full Moon, which is the first full Moon of Spring,   occurring on or shortly after the vernal equinox, or spring equinox.   

 

ANCIENT UNISOLAR CALENDA 

The lunisolar calendar, in which months are lunar but years are solar—that is, are brought into line with the course of the Sun—was used in the early civilizations of the whole Middle East, except Egypt, and in Greece. The formula was probably invented in Mesopotamia in the 3rd millennium BCE. Study of cuneiform tablets found in this region facilitates  tracing the development of time reckoning back to the 27th century BCE, near the invention of writing while Vedic tradition prevailed all over the world.  Evidence shows that the calendar is a contrivance for dividing the flow of time into units that suit society’s current needs. Though calendar makers put to use time signs offered by nature—the Moon’s phases, for example—they rearranged reality to make it fit society’s constructions. 

 

While the Republic of India has adopted the Gregorian calendar for its secular life, its Hindu religious life based on Vedic culture continues to be governed by the traditional Hindu calendar. This calendar, based primarily on the lunar revolutions, is adapted to solar reckoning. 

 

Hindu calendar and Panchangam are  Lunisolar based calendar and need positions of the Sun and the Moon to calculate Hindu dates and various combinations of the Sun and the Moon in the day for  example,  Tithi, Nakshatra, Yoga, Karana and weekday. The day or some part of it might be considered auspicious or inauspicious depending on these combinations. 

 

Panchangam and almanac makers, also known as Panchangam Karta, in India use two different methods to get stars' positions. In Vedic Astrology both the Moon and the Sun are considered as stars. 

 

One group of Panchangam makers uses old methods which were quite handy to give correct positions of stars without doing lengthy calculations. Old calculations were written in form of statements or Vakya for easy memorization and understanding. Those shortcuts used to get updated time to time to remove any inaccuracies which creeps in such methods with time. The calculated positions of stars by Vakyam and Surya Siddhantic methods were exact enough to match with observatory positions of the stars without much effort. 

 

But unfortunately, these old methods have not been updated since centuries and star positions calculated by these methods are erroneous. The difference between calculated and observatory positions might vary up to 12 hours. Hence the positions of star calculated by old algorithms like Vakya Siddhanta or Surya Siddhanta are not precise. Followers of these old schools are well aware of these discrepancies but still use erroneous methods. However they don't mind stealing eclipse information from Drik Panchangam or Thiru-Ganita Panchangam. They also continue to project Makara Sankranti as the start of Winter Solstice or Uttarayana. 

 

The other group of Panchangam makers, like DrikPanchang.com, uses modern algorithms to get position of stars or use NASA ephemeris. In computer era number crunching calculations are not a problem. Drik Ganita Panchangam makers use modern algorithms to get precise position of stars and use those positions in Panchangam. The Government of India has also supported modern ephemeris for National Panchang or Rashtriya Panchang and Positional Astronomy Centre in Calcutta publishes modern Indian Ephemeris since 1957. 

 

In other words, difference between Drik Ganita and Surya Siddhanta is not very deep. Both schools use exactly same rules to calculate Hindu dates and festivals. The difference is due to the used method to do arithmetic calculations to position various stars and planets in the sky. 

 

In Tamil Nadu many local calendars follow Vakyam Panchangam and to match Tamil dates with local calendars Tamils also support Vakya Panchangam including Thiru Ganita Panchangam. 

 

By default Tamil Panchangam use modern algorithms but one can switch to old Surya Siddhantic algorithms by clicking Switch to Vakyam button on Tamil Panchangam page. For Vakya Panchangam all links to other pages are disabled as most other pages conform to Thiru Ganita. By switching to Thiru Ganitha one can access links to other pages on the site.  

 

Thiru Ganita Panchangam is also known as Tiru Kanita Panchangam. The traditional Tamil calendar is an inevitable part of Tamil culture and is still popular in Tamil Nadu and among people of Tamil origin around the world. This calendar is dedicated to all such people that follow the Thirukanitha system and not Vakya Panchnagam. 

The calendar followed by Tamils is a combination of Solar and Lunar calendars. You may call it as Luni-Solar calendar or Soli-Lunar calendar. The solar calendar is the basis for computing Deva years (calendar of Gods) and the lunar calendar is the basis for identifying auspicious time for prayers to the Gods. In addition,  Tamils take into consideration the stars, (nakshtra mana / sidereal day) and savanna mana (terrestrial day which begins with sun rise every day). Even in the lunar calendar followed in the rest of India the star and terrestrial reckoning are part of deciding the important times. So, a day of importance, say, a day of festival or vratam (austerity) are decided on solar, lunar, nakshatra and savanna considerations. 

 

In deciding auspicious timings (Muhurtas), both solar and lunar systems play a useful role. In other words, they are fused and used in unison in Soli-Lunar calendar. This has more practical benefits. For instance, the adhik masa of Lunar system is not suitable for auspicious events. But this kind of an issue is absent in Solar calendar. In effect we find that auspicious timings occurring in the solar month that corresponds to the adhik masa. According to muhurta astrology, one can conduct a function in adhik masa or in an inauspicious lunar month if the solar month running at that time is auspicious. So astrologically speaking, the combined Luni-solar is useful and is accepted. 

 

Jesus made this wonderfully profound statement that changed the world, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John 11:25). 

 

Good Friday is a day of hope. It is a day where we look forward to a brighter tomorrow. Many things have happened to change the course of our lives, but it has not shaken our faith. Holi and Easter both herald Spring. It is a season full of love, emotion and blooming colors of spring flowers; it is the season in which both Vishnu and Jesus resurrected to bring light to the   tunnel of darkness of our lives; so, He did in 2021 bringing COVID 19 vaccine to   burn the Covidasura! Wish you all Happy Spring Season! 

 

--April 2, 2021

COMMENTS:

Nice to see you bring Vishnu and Jesus together!

--Vedavyas

 

 

 

 

 

SCRIPTURES AND GURUS ON BONDAGE AND LIBERATION ---GSP (GUIDING SPIEITUAL PATH) FOR LIBERATION

 

Though the question, how the ever-free Atman became the Jiva, has not been explained by the Upanishads, they have given several modes of Sadhana or spiritual exercises by which the Jiva can recover its original state. 

 

A Sadhaka or a spiritual aspirant should first cultivate moral and ethical virtues as the first step. Through discrimination he should understand that the Vedic rituals can never lead him to eternal Truth and hence renounce them. He must be ever ready to reject the Preyas (the pleasant) and choose the Sreyas (the good).  By eschewing evil conduct and by practicing self-control, he should turn back his mind from outside, into himself, the region of the heart, the seat of Atman, and meditate on it. He should show compassion to all the living beings. He should try to give them what they need and should never be greedy. He must be vigilant forever and should always speak the truth and act according to dharma or righteousness, by following the scriptural injunctions. Study of the Upanishads, performing austerities and observing celibacy are also invaluable aids in his sadhana. 

 

He should approach competent Guru or Spiritual teacher in all humility and learn the truth about the Atman from him, through proper questioning and service (seva) to him.  

 

The Upanishads make it incumbent on the Guru to teach spiritual wisdom to a worthy disciple, after testing him if necessary. The disciple should then practice manana (reflection) and nididhyasana (meditation) on the Atman which will result in anubhuti or realization.  

 

What is the nature of the spiritual experience that an aspirant gets when he realizes the Atman? He sees all beings in himself and himself in all. Hence he feels neither special attraction nor repulsion for others. Behind every thought of his, he is able to feel the power of Atman, the pure bonds of his heart which had him tied down to this mundane existence, have broken down. He experiences great joy and bliss within himself. When he directs his attention outside, there too he sees the same spirit, the Atman, the Brahman.  

 

The bliss he experiences is incomparably superior to any other happiness one can get in this world. And he will never have any type of regret for anything in life. He may even roam about the world in a joyous state, declaring his experiences for the benefit of others. 

 

When such a one, the Jivanmukta (one who has is liberated even while living on earth in the physical body), gives up his body, what happens to him? 

 

According to one view, his physical body and the subtle body disintegrate at death and get absorbed into the five elements. And, he gets merged in Brahman, like a river entering into the ocean. Losing his separate identity, he attains complete and perfect unity with Brahman. 

 

However, a large body of Upanishadic lore propounds the theory of the liberated soul travelling by the Archiradimarga or the Bright Path (also called Devayana or Uttarayana) to the Brahmaloka (also known as Sathyaloka) and reside there permanently in infinite peace and bliss. The various stations on the path, are fire, day, bright fortnight, the six months of Northern solstice, the year, the sun, the moon and the lightning. All these actually represent   the guardian deities of these stations. From the last station, the vidyut or lightning, an “amanava purusaha”, a non-human (divine) being, leads the liberated soul to the Brhamaloka. 

 

Is the Brahmaloka a state of inner experience or an actual world to which the liberated soul repatriates? Most of the Upanishads contain practically no or very scanty details. The Chhandogya (8.5.3) describes it as a world, third from this earth, wherein there are two huge lakes called Ara and Nya. There is also a smaller reservoir or food-juice known as Airammadhya.  Somasavana, a Peepul tree and a city called Aparaajita, containing a golden hall are also there. The Kaushitaki Brahmopanishad (1.3, 4 and 5) gives a more picturesque description which adds a river Viraja, two door-keepers (Indra and Prajapati), a throne called Vichakshana and a couch by name Amitaujas.  Five hundred celestial nymphs greet the liberated soul a 

d adorn him. The fragrance and flavor of Brahma enters him the appropriate state of his entrance. Anyone reaching Brahmaloka will not return to mundane existence.  

--Swami Harshananda 

 

Krishna offers three options to humanity in Chapter VIII – the path of return, non-return and direct liberation. If you perform desire-driven noble actions, you go to heaven after death to enjoy the fruits. Once this punya (merit) is exhausted, you return to the mortal world. This is the path of return. If you aspire for Realization but stray into actions motivated by good desires while performing the spiritual practices, you get liberation in phases. You go to heaven, enjoy the heavenly pleasures that accrue to you and then proceed to the fourth plane of Consciousness.   

  

 “It is the power of Brahman that makes the mind think…. Therefore, use this power to meditate on Brahman” (IV. 5 & 6). “This truth is all the seeker need to discover”, concludes Kena Upanishad.    

 

Moksha or Nirvana is the ultimate liberation from all sorts of desires and aspirations or in other words, being free from the cycles of birth and death. And devotion has been considered as the primary way to attain Mukti, with a lot of respected adhyatmic (spiritual) gurus, emphasizing that “Mukti is a concomitant effect of Bhakti or devotion--says sage Vidyaranya follower of Madhvacharya 

 

“A free soul, while living in the body, may experience disease, old age, or decay; may feel hunger, thirst, grief or fear; may be a victim of blindness, deafness, or other conditions. But having realized that these are no more than characteristics of the body, the mind, or the senses, he does not take them seriously and so is not overwhelmed by them. A person who sees a play on the stage does not consider it to be real, yet he enjoys it to his heart's content; likewise, a free soul living in the midst of the joys and sorrows of the world experiences them as the unfolding of a divine play”--The Gospel of Ramakrishna. 

  

In April 1885 Sri Ramakrishna felt a soreness in his throat. Prolonged conversation or absorption in God-consciousness would aggravate the pain. As simple treatment brought him no relief, a specialist was called for, and the illness was diagnosed as cancer. Though the doctor cautioned him, he could neither control his ecstasy nor turn away any sincere spiritual seeker. In spite of his excruciating pain and emaciated physical condition, Sri Ramakrishna continued to minister to the spiritual needs of his disciples and devotees.  

Please go through the detailed discourse on the subject; 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2021/04/practice-dharma-focus-on-brahman-and.html

 

 

 

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BRING NEW LIFE TO THE WORLD FOCUSED ON ECO-BALANCE TO LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY WITH NATURE--April 1

 

Today is April 1 that people all over the world enjoy as April Fools’ Day! But I am neither joking nor fooling you, being spiritually focused!  Pope Gregory the 8th created a new method for keeping track of days, which was the start of the calendar we all know and love – the Gregorian calendar. When he moved the date of New Year’s Eve it obviously took some time for everyone to catch on to it. Those who were a bit behind the times still celebrated on April 1, and were considered fools for doing so. Hindus perhaps were the pioneers in celebrating New Year in Chaitra that comes in mid-April. It is also the month that brings full light to our lives with the birth of Sri Rama of Solar dynasty who descended after Siva’s descent on Mahasivaratri  Night, destroying darkness bringing warmth to our lives burning all evil desires that gradually turned to beneficial light and Vasanta Ritu! 

 

Historians have also linked April Fools’ Day to festivals such as Hilaria (Latin for joyful), which was celebrated in ancient Rome at the end of March by followers of the cult of Cybele. It involved people dressing up in disguises and mocking fellow citizens and even magistrates and was said to be inspired by the Egyptian legend of Isis, Osiris and Seth. 

Whether we have Gregory the 8th or Geoffrey Chaucer to thank for April Fools’ Day or not, it has existed for centuries and will continue to cause a flurry of creativity and excitement in the first few weeks of spring. 

 

Springtime sees the return of many animals, birds and insects. The renewed ecosystem involving things eating and being eaten provides nourishment for new plants in the form of fecal matter and decaying organic compounds. The presence of insects also helps to pollinate the plants, which in turn allows them to reproduce. Recall the saying April Showers bring Mayflowers. 

 

In 1557 a gentleman by the name of Thomas Tusser compiled a collection of writings he called A Hundred Good Points of Husbandry. In the April Husbandry section, he wrote: “Sweet April showers do spring May flowers”.  As you can see, the rhyme was originally a short poem. There is meaning behind the words, as well--even the most unpleasant of things, in this case the heavy rains of April, can bring about very enjoyable things indeed – in this case, an abundance of flowers in May. “April showers bring May flowers” is a lesson in patience, and one that remains valid to this day.  We have a lot to learn from Nature, particularly from Spring Serviceberry Wild flowers and its tenacity. 

 

Sri Dattatreya, who Lord Krishna quotes in The Uddhava Gita, has been evoked as a guru for environmental education. Sri Dattatreya gained enlightenment by observing the world, which provided Him with 24 instructors of Nature that I explained to you before. We all experience the benefits of contemplation and forbearance and progress towards the path of spiritual self-realization of the Supreme in spring awakening from the sluggishness and dullness of winter! 

 

Before Pilgrim Fathers arrived in USA, the land enjoyed its own flora and fauna and the Natives lived in peace and harmony with Nature. We disturbed their lives as well as harmony in Nature. In those days, the Serviceberry’s simple five-petal blossoms heralded springtime. I still have a serviceberry small tree native to Tennessee in my backyard.  While this tree survives my attempt to grow other trees of Asian or European origin by its side failed.  I love the tenacity of such leafless wild flower trees that bloom in spring earliest heralding spring.  In spite of the devastating downpour of rain in March last month this tree stood blooming and smiling reminding me of the lyrics on Napoleon Bonaparte “serene alike in peace and danger”. That as well as the present pandemonium crisis led me to believe that we are not living in harmony with nature, we are not focused on Eco-balance in our gardening plans and we are not learning our lessons from Nature. This thought should prevail in all our activities.  The present miserable pandemic that has yet to see the light at the end of the tunnel is due to the utter negligence of nature.  We have a lot to study from Bats and Llamas that have stubborn antibodies against COVID 19! Sakura have deeply influenced Japanese culture for centuries and regularly been used in poetry and literature with their fragility seen as a symbol of life, death and rebirth. 

 

 “We’re a nation of immigrants, and that cultural multiplicity is our greatest strength. Why shouldn’t we enjoy the loveliest flowers we can coax into growing, no matter where they originated? If what signals springtime to us is a spray of forsythia instead of the blooming branches of a serviceberry tree, what harm can there possibly be?  

 

Plants aren’t people. Ambulatory and omnivorous, human beings are a migratory species. That’s not true for the vast majority of plants, which evolved to thrive as part of the unique web of life that makes up an ecosystem. 

 

Native flowers feed native insects, which in turn feed native birds, bears, bats, lizards and frogs. Native plants bear seeds that feed native rodents, which in turn feed native foxes, hawks, owls and snakes. Native trees provide nesting places for native birds and squirrels. 

 

Wild creatures need wild plants to survive, but drive down any lane in any suburban neighborhood — and what you are apt to see is a gorgeous, blooming wasteland where the flowers feed nobody at all. 

 

Worse, such plants often go hand-in-garden-glove with an entire ethos of yard maintenance that relies on poison. Between the herbicides designed to kill weeds (including early-blooming wildflowers) and the insecticides designed to kill anything that crawls (including native pollinators), the typical suburban yard is actually worse than a wasteland. It’s a death trap. 

 

And not just for native plants and animals. Many of these chemicals are endocrine disrupters that some researchers say can have a devastating effect on human health, and may be linked to A.D.H.D., Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, infertility, cancers, just for starters. 

 

As if that’s not enough, some of the exotic plants we’ve introduced into our formerly functioning ecosystems actually do more than thrive in our built landscapes. Some of them are so well adapted to their unnatural homes that they crowd out the plants that belong. In the American South, where our climate is so perfectly suited to plants from Asia, there is an easy way to know whether many plants are native or exotic: Drive past a forest or wooded city park in the very earliest days of springtime. Any tree or shrub that is greening up or blooming then almost certainly doesn’t belong. In March, the woods here are filled with blooming — and highly invasive — Bradford pear trees, while the buds on the serviceberries are still tightly furled” writes Margaret Renkl, opinion writer from Nashville in NY Times. 

 

Our yard is a great place to grow our green principles, and they are our teacher too, to study nature! Left to its own devices, any area becomes a complex ecosystem, which is basically a group of plants and animals in the same area that rely on each other to prosper.  Plants attract insects, which in turn attract birds and animals. Everything lives off something else in the ecosystem, and everything we do in our yard has a bearing on how that ecosystem evolves. The more we nurture our outdoor space without the use of chemicals and greenhouse-gas-emitting tools, the greener our garden becomes. 

 

Maintaining a balanced ecosystem in our yard or garden calls for promoting a flourishing environment for living things to encourage a healthy and diverse ecosystem. We must grow plants that suit local conditions and benefit the whole ecosystem, attracting beneficial insects, birds, and other wildlife. 

 

When we take active steps to balance the ecosystem in our yards, each species that calls it home eventually establishes a natural balance, too. For example: Snails reduce algae in the water; Birds reduce the insect population and   some good insects like ladybugs devour bad insects like aphids (also known as greenflies). 

 

Appalachian tradition holds that the tree got its name because it bloomed just as snow melted on winding roads, just as mountain passes cleared. Serviceberry flowers meant that circuit-riding preachers would be along soon to perform the weddings and funeral services winter had long delayed. (Thai pirandal vazhi pirakkuma--Way to lead happy life begins with the Tamil Month of Thai) 

 

It is also Lent (Easter) Season, that is a season of reflection and sacrifice—and, in the wake of this devastating pandemic, families need to sacrifice more than ever before!

 

The local county extension service or a native-plant nursery can help us to find the trees and shrubs that work best for the soil and light conditions where we live. Even easier: Enter your ZIP code in the native plant databases at Audubon or the National Wildlife Federation. 

 

“What if each American landowner made it a goal to convert half of his or her lawn to productive native plant communities?” asks Douglas W. Tallamy in “Nature’s Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your Yard.” His answer might astound you: “Even moderate success could collectively restore some semblance of ecosystem function to more than twenty million acres of what is now ecological wasteland.” 

 

Think of it: 20 million acres of ecosystem that is healthier for other creatures, healthier for human beings, healthier for the planet. With only the smallest effort and expense, we could restore to springtime its most urgent purpose: to bring new life into the world. 

 

Just as nature renews itself with the awakening of spring, so are we.  Renewal is a quality of consciousness that permeates body, mind, and spirit. This is seen every act of ours that includes gardening. Looking at the backyard and   we can easily tell how concerned we are with nature. If one’s backyard is matched with serviceberry trees with others, located in Tennessee, we judge that person is concerned with Eco-balance and Nature looking at the blooming leafless serviceberry trees!   Vasanthakale samprampthe kakaah kakah pikah pikah-- When Spring arrives one can easily distinguish a crow from nightingale revealing their true colors! We are thus exposed! 

 

It is no wonder why our scriptures stressed so much importance on our living in harmony with nature focused on Eco-balance in all our acts and this mantra an important concluding prayer in our daily worship: 

 

Dyauh Saantih antariksham saantih prithvee saantih aapah saantih oshadhyah saantih vanaspatayah saantih viswedevaah saantih brhma  saantih sarvam saantih saantireva saantih saa maa   saantiredhi || (Veda) 

 

There is peace in the heavenly region; there is peace in the atmosphere; peace reigns on the earth; there is coolness in the water; the medicinal herbs are healing;  the plants give tranquility; there is harmony in the celestial objects and perfection in eternal knowledge; everything in the universe is peaceful; peace pervades everywhere; May that peace come to me! 

[Thus, good Lord established the Universe with all round peace. In turn it is our Dharma to preserve that peace all around] 

 

--April 1, 2021

Comments:

We don't kill any plant termed as "weed". Dandelion tea and common violet tea is enjoyed by everyone in the family- the health benefits are manifold. Curly Dock that grows almost throughout the year is an edible green I use in the kitchen often. I like the concept of permaculture and the no dig method of growing food.

--Aparna Arcot

 

Namaskarams and Thank you Srinivasan Mama for sharing this. And a Big Thanks to Ms. Aparna Arcot for sharing that Word document on No Dig Gardening. Always wanted to do this the right way. Soil health is crucial for our long term well -being ... because of carbon capture, reduced pollution, healthier habitats, and a good crop yield too, etc. I think Biden's Green Plan also includes Soil Restoration. It was a great summary in the attached Word document! Thanks to both of you - for making me more conscious of that good method. 

 

--Santosh Venkatraman

 

CHARITY FOCUSED “THE COLOR RUN PROGRAM”, FOUNDED AFTER HINDU HOLI FESTIVAL OF COLORS

The Color Run, the World’s first COLOR 5km Event, was founded in March 2011, celebrating dawn of spring, around Holy Celebrations of Hindu Americans, as an event to promote healthiness and happiness by bringing the community together to participate in the “Happiest 5k on the Planet”. The Color Run, also known as the Happiest 5K on the Planet, is a unique event that celebrates healthiness, happiness, and individuality. Now the largest running series in the world, The Color Run has been experienced by over 8 million runners worldwide in 50+ countries.

After Color Runners complete the race, the fun continues with an unforgettable Finish Festival. This larger than life party is equipped with music, dancing and massive color throws, which create millions of vivid color combinations with florescence.

The Color Run is an event series and five kilometer paint race, inspired by the Hindu festival of Holi that is owned and operated by The Color Run LLC, a for-profit company.  The untimed event has no winners or prizes, but runners are showered with colored powder, made of food-grade corn starch, at stations along the run.

In 2014, it was held 300 times in over 50 countries worldwide. "The Color Run Night" was first introduced in April, 2014. It was extended to  Charity partners that include Australian Red Cross, Beyond Blue, Vision Australia, Cancer Council, Starlight Children’s Foundation Australia, RSPCA, Heart-patient kids and Fight Dementia.  The sponsor, Swisse, were planning to generate over AUD$1 million in charitable contributions through all 13 Color Runs in Australia in 2014.

Global Poverty Project was The Color Run's global charity partner in 2013. According to a Huffington Post article, "Color Runners around the country will have the opportunity to not only run in the happiest race ever, but also get involved in the movement to end extreme poverty through Global Citizen.org, where they can learn about issues, take actions, and raise funds for non-profits. For 2016 along with local charities for each city, The Color Run partnered with the Huntsman Cancer Foundation and the Sigma Chi International Fraternity to be the fund-raisers to end cancer. The Color Run has since returned to China where IMG hosted 5 events in 2016.

The organizers of The Color Run have disclosed that the colored powders they use are "a combination of corn-starch, baking soda, and FD & C dyes". They have said they are committed to staging safe and secure events, asserting that they have "not had any fire-related incidents in over 500 events around the world involving more than 4 million participants. They have also stated that "as a professional events company with highly vetted policies and processes, we conduct thorough testing to ensure the safety of our materials and their application, and we are confident in the safety of our events". I do hope Hindu Americans have also taken such safety measures during Holi! 

A number of Color Run/ Walking races are planned in 2021 all over USA from April   onwards in 2021. The health and safety of employees and runners are on the top of mind of organizers amid concerns about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). They are monitoring expert recommendations, including guidance from the CDC, and advice of the federal, state, and local officials. Extra precautions to ensure the safety of the runners are:

·        Hand sanitizer being  provided at the packet pickup, start, finish, and aid stations

• Masks to be worn by volunteers and staff
• Masks required in the start/finish area.
• Runners should start in a controlled runner chute.
• Organizers strongly encourage thin groups if needed and to space out the best they can.

The safety of participants is a priority and so the organizers encourage participants to stay informed and up to date on COVID-19. Participants are to be mindful and stay home if they are symptomatic (having fever, cough, or shortness of breath) or have recently traveled to a high-risk country. Organizers value the runner’s training and time. They also understand the gravity of this health situation and   thank the participants for their continued support and co-operation during these difficult times.

 

 

 

 

OUTSTANDING WOMEN OF INDIAN ORIGIN 

 

 

Most Influential Women of Indian Origin in Leadership for 2021 

 

These women of Indian origin among 16 influential women in leadership in 2021, bring something unique to their leadership in politics, business, science, activism   and they are inspiring generations of women to come. In the words of the indomitable Beyoncé, “Who run the world? Girls!”  While   these women in leadership have not claimed the word ‘feminist’ as their calling card,   they fight for gender equality by simply, and powerfully, excelling in their chosen field. In a year when gains for women have stalled or, alarmingly, started to slide backwards, these women have fought harder, reached higher and made space in ‘the room’ for more girls and women to follow. 

 

Kamala Harris is often defined by being the first. When she was inaugurated as Vice President of the United States in January, she became the first woman and the first person of color to hold the second-highest office in, arguably, the most powerful country in the world. In 2016 she was the first South Asian American ever elected to the Senate, and the second Black woman, and in 2010 she was the first woman, and first Black person, elected as Attorney General of California. 

 

Harris’ continual shattering of glass ceilings has not been without controversy – her record of being ‘tough on crime’ during her tenure as district attorney and then AG has often been criticized for supporting a corrupt and unequal justice system – but there is no denying her ambition, intelligence and tenacity has helped her forge a momentous path. 

 

Harris told CNN that her mother from India, Dr. Shyamala Gopalan used to say, “Kamala, you may be the first to do many things, but make sure you’re not the last,” and with four years until the next presidential election, Harris may still have one more ‘first’ up her sleeve. 

 

Most notable achievement: In 2011, when AG of California, Harris won a US$25 billion settlement for California homeowners hit by the foreclosure crisis, when she famously walked away from negotiations with the big banks until her conditions were met. 

 

Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw 

Chair and Managing Director of Biocon Ltd. (1978 –) 

 

India’s richest self-made woman and first female brewmaster, Dr. Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has a lot to thank the humble ale for – her study of brewing beer and the fermentation sciences (on the advice of her brew-master father) has led to some of her biotechnology company’s greatest discoveries. 

 

Mazumdar-Shaw’s driving force is what she describes as ‘affordable innovation’ – she believes in universal access to all life-saving medicines. Biocon – the company she founded in 1978 – is Asia’s largest insulin producer and has supplied more than two billion affordable doses of biosimilar insulins to patients globally. Despite often putting patients before profits, Biocon revenues were US$800 million for FY19. Not that Mazumdar-Shaw plans to keep very much of her own income – in 2016 she signed The Giving Pledge, committing 75 per cent of her wealth to philanthropy. In 2020, the trailblazer was awarded EY’s World Entrepreneur of the Year title, and was named on Forbes‘100 Most Powerful Women 2020 list. 

 

Most notable achievement: In 2014, Biocon was India’s first biotech company to go public and only the second Indian company to pass the US$1 billion mark on its first day of listing. 

INSPIRING INDIAN WOMEN OF RECENT TIMES 

 

The theme for International Women's Day 2021 is 'Choose to Challenge'.  Let us look at Indian women who challenged the status quo and inspired the world! Here are 10 Indian women that will inspire you and change your outlook: 

1. Kalpana Chawla: A national hero, Kalpana Chawla was the first woman of Indian origin to go to space.   

2. Mary Kom: It’s time we stop stereotyping women as physically weak. Magnificent Mary or Mary Kom, an extraordinary Indian boxer, is a shining example of women’s strength.   

3. Neerja Bhanot: Neerja was an Indian head purser who died saving passengers on a flight that had been hijacked by terrorists.   

4. Savitribai Phule: She believed in giving emancipation to women through education. Hailing from Maharashtra, Savitribai Phule is regarded as the first female teacher of India.   

5. Shakuntala Devi: Whoever said that women are bad at math and science hasn’t heard of math prodigy Shakuntala Devi! She was an Indian mathematician, popularly known as the 'Human-Computer' due to her extraordinary ability to mentally calculate difficult equations.   

6. Iron Chanu Sharmila: A political and civil rights activist, Sharmila is famously known as the “Iron Lady of Manipur” and she got that name for a reason.   

7. Kiran Bedi: She became the first woman to join the Indian Police Service (IPS).   

8. Sania Mirza: World-famous tennis player Sania Mirza has brought global recognition to India women’s tennis.   

9. Laxmi Agarwal: An activist for the rights of acid attack victims, Laxmi Agarwal has inspired many with her courage.   In 2014, she received the International Women of Courage award at the hands of First Lady Michelle Obama.   

10. Arunima Sinha:  She is the world's first female amputee to scale Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro among other peaks.   

 

--March 28, 2021

 

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WHY IT IS PEREMPTORY TO PRAY FOR OUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS AND WOMEN IN MARCH ON NATIONAL DOCTORS’ DAY 

 

One of the largest doctor’s organizations of its kind, the AAPI represents more than 80,000 Indian-American doctors, who constitute the largest ethnic group of physicians in the US. AAPI members, as a group, are over-represented in all the hotspot areas, as well as caring for underserved populations. 

Indian American community leaders say that quite a number of Indian American doctors have been infected during this once-in-a-century public health crisis. The number could be in several dozens and several of the Indian-American physicians have succumbed to coronavirus. A majority of them are said to be from New York and New Jersey. 

 

Dr. Madvi Aya who moved with her husband in 1994, is among the several Indian-American doctors who are in the frontline in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic. Lying on a hospital bed in New York, Dr.  Madhvi Aya could only exchange text messages with her husband and daughter. She was not able to meet them one last time. Community leaders are praying for Dr. Ajay Lodha, a former AAPI president, who has tested positive for COVID-19, has been hospitalized and now is in ICU in a New York hospital. 

 

Dr. Rajat Gupta (name changed) was attending a coronavirus patient in the emergency room of a hospital in New Jersey early this month. A few moments later, the patient threw up. It hit his face with a force. Dr. Gupta fell ill and he tested positive for coronavirus. Despite best efforts, doctors could not save his life, adding to the growing list of Indian-Americans who have died due to COVID-19. 

American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI), told PTI. “There are at least 10 (Indian American doctors) who are critically ill”.Think of the other Health-care staff! 

 

Early this week, Indian American nephrologist Priya Khanna, 43, died in a New Jersey hospital. Her father Satyendra Khanna (78), a general surgeon, has tested positive and is said to be in a critical condition in the intensive care unit in the same hospital. Gastroenterologist Dr. Anjana Samadder from Ohio, wife of former AAPI president Dr.  Gautam Sammader is also reported to be battling for her life. Another prominent Indian American physician Dr.  Sunil Mehra is said to be in serious condition.  

 

“They are bravely leading the enormous challenge of fighting COVID 19 pandemic at their own personal risk without a second thought, which speaks volumes for their compassion, commitment and sense of duty,” Kolli said. 

 

Aya’s text messages and her family’s account of her final days reveal a woman who spent much of her life devoted to medicine before succumbing to the cruel and familiar arc of a patient with COVID-19,” reported local Sun-Sentinel. 

 

Indian American Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi expressed his gratitude to the physicians and other healthcare professionals for their dedication to the nation, for helping all to cope with the situation, guaranteeing the well-being of all. 

 

Let us impress on our temple authorities to make National Doctors’ Day an SRE Day in Hindu American Temples to raise our voices to Lord Dhanvantari, Hindu God of Hope, Healing and Well-being--Vaidyo Narayano Harih:  

“We pray for all doctors, nurses and emergency workers. May they rejoice in the skills YOU have given them which enable them to bring hope, healing and wholeness to those in their care. May they also know guidance and support in times of pain and frustration when their skills are not enough to prevent permanent injury, disability or death!  Bless each one of them, that they may be a blessing to others.”  

--March 27, 2021

 

 

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World Women’s History Month Celebrations in March 2021 

Women’s History Month is a dedicated month to reflect on the often-overlooked contributions of women to United States history that stretches back to the founding of the United States. 

 

The actual celebration of Women’s History Month grew out of a weeklong celebration of women’s contributions to culture, history and society organized by the school district of Sonoma, California, in 1978. Presentations were given at dozens of schools, hundreds of students participated in a “Real Woman” essay contest and a parade was held in downtown Santa Rosa. 

 

A few years later, the idea had caught on within communities, school districts and organizations across the country. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8 as National Women’s History Week. The U.S. Congress followed suit the next year, passing a resolution establishing a national celebration. Six years later, the National Women’s History Project successfully petitioned Congress to expand the event to the entire month of March. 

 

International Women’s Day 

International Women’s Day, a global celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women, took place for the first time on March 8, 1911. Many countries around the world celebrate the holiday with demonstrations, educational initiatives and customs such as presenting women with gifts and flowers.  

 

The United Nations has sponsored International Women’s Day since 1975. When adopting its resolution on the observance of International Women’s Day, the United Nations General Assembly cited the following reasons: “To recognize the fact that securing peace and social progress and the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms require the active participation, equality and development of women; and to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and security.” 

 

Every March 19th, National Certified Nurses Day celebrates the certified nurses who impact lives every day.  Certified Nurses dedicate their entire careers to helping others and often work long, hard hours. The day honors and recognizes them and their significant achievements. Their advanced skills require continuing education, re-certification, and continued knowledge of ever-changing technology. Certified Nurses balance clinical needs and patient care. Helping patients meet their healthcare goals in complex and challenging times makes a Certified Nurse’s commitment even more valuable. 

 

Certified Nurses Day is March 19, the birthday of Margretta ‘Gretta' Madden Styles, the renowned expert of nurse credentialing. Styles designed the first comprehensive study of nurse credentialing and was an accomplished advocate for nursing standards and certification. Styles spent more than two decades advancing nursing practice and regulation. Certified Nurses Day is a national day to honor and recognize the important achievements of Certified Nurses.  

 

Nurses are the foremost providers of care throughout the health care system. . . . Nurses certified in their clinical specialties serve as agents of change and advocates of best practice for the patients they serve. --Robin L. Bissinger, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN, NCC Chief Executive Officer. 

 

Women's History Month Theme of 2021 

The National Women’s History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2021 theme is a continuation of 2020's: "Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced." This theme recognizes the battle for women's suffrage, which was gained with the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920. For almost 100 years, women had been fighting for the right to vote: They made speeches, signed petitions, staged demonstrations and argued over and over again that women, like men, deserved all of the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. 

 

History-Making Women in USA 

 Rosa Parks 

Parks helped initiate the civil rights movement in the United States when she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus in 1955. 

Shirley Chisholm 

In 1972, Chisholm became the first African-American from a major political party to run for president and the first Democratic woman of any race to do so. 

Jane Roe 

In the landmark 1973, 7-2 Roe v. Wade decision, the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the Constitution protects a woman’s legal right to an abortion. 

Sandra Day O’Connor 

In 1981, O'Connor was sworn in by President Ronald Reagan as the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court.  

Ruth Bader Ginsburg 

In 1993, Ginsburg was named to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993 by President Bill Clinton. 

Hillary Clinton 

In 2016, Clinton became the first woman to receive a presidential nomination from a major political party. 

Kamala Harris 

In 2021, Harris was sworn in as the first woman and first woman of color vice president of the United States. 

 Deb Haaland 

Deb Haaland becomes First Native American Cabinet Secretary to lead the Interior Department in 2021.

 

100 Influential Women of The World in 2020 

The BBC has revealed this year its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2020.  “This year 100 Women” is highlighting those who are leading change and making a difference during these turbulent times.  The list includes Sanna Marin, who leads Finland's all-female coalition government, Michelle Yeoh, star of the new Avatar and Marvel films and Sarah Gilbert, who heads the Oxford University research into a coronavirus vaccine, as well as Jane Fonda Hollywood Star, a climate activist.  

 

Women Power Award of India 

India has the long tradition of recognizing the role of woman in the society and rewards them annually at National Level since 1999 focused  on its long standing history. Setting a new record and women empowerment, singer Savani Ravindra got awarded by Narishakti Puraskar 2021, making her fans proud. 

 

Nari Shakti Puraskar (lit. "Woman Power Award") is an annual award given by the Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Government of India to individual women or to institutions that work towards the cause of women empowerment. The awards are presented by the President of India on International Women's Day (8 March), at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. The awards were instituted in 1999 under the title of Stree Shakti Puraskar and were renamed and reorganized in 2015. These are given in six institutional and two individual categories, which carry a cash prize of rupees two-lakh and one-lakh, respectively. 

The Nari Shakti Puraskar is given in six institutional categories and two categories for individual women.  The six institutional categories are named after an eminent woman in Indian history. They are:  

Kannagi Devi Award for best state which has appreciably improved Child Sex Ratio (CSR). Named after Kannagi, the central character of the Tamil epic Silappathikaram. 

Rani Rudramma Devi Awards given to two District Panchayats and two Gram Panchayats for work in the area of women welfare especially related to the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Yojana. Named after Rudrama Devi, a 13th-century ruler of Deccan Plateau. 

Mata Jijabai Award for best urban local body for providing services and facilities to women. Named after Mata Jijabai, mother of Shivaji, who founded the Maratha Empire in the 17th century. 

Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Award for best private sector organization or public sector undertaking in promoting the well-being and welfare of women. Named after Ahilyabai Holkar, an 18th-century ruler of the Malwa kingdom. 

Rani Lakshmi Bai Award given to the best institution for research and development in the field of women empowerment. Named after Lakshmibai, one of the leading figures of the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and a queen of Jhansi. 

Rani Gaidinliu Zeliang Award given to a Civil Society Organization (CSO) doing outstanding work for the welfare and well-being of women. Named after Rani Gaidinliu, a 20th-century Naga spiritual and political leader. 

Women Rise for All Leadership Dialogue in March 2021 Deputy Secretary-General's Video Message to the ‘Women Rise for All’ event hosted by the UN Global Compact 

It is a pleasure to welcome you to this Women Rise for All leadership dialogue on “Financing a Future for Women”. 

I thank UN Global Compact for convening leaders across sectors today. And I thank the International Trade Center for their continuous strategic support. Together we are illustrating opportunities for advancing gender equality. 

While women are at the frontline of the COVID-19 response—keeping people and communities alive—women are also disproportionately affected by the crisis. Women are more likely than men to own vulnerable micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises and to work in the informal sector.  Women shoulder the burden of unpaid work and often lack access to financial assets and services. For these reasons and more, the United Nations Roadmap for Social and Economic Recovery advocates for a just and inclusive recovery, emphasizing the need for increased fiscal space and greater social protections for women.  

Advancing gender equality in response to the COVID-19 crisis could add $13 trillion to global Gross Domestic Product by 2030. With targeted support, women-led businesses can play a major role in job creation and economic recovery, keeping households and businesses afloat. 

Given this immense potential, I am inspired to see women leaders unite to identify, support and finance women-led businesses and to protect vulnerable workers. Women Rise for All recognizes women as drivers of economic resilience beyond the pandemic and into the Decade of Action. 

I especially want to thank Arancha González, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain—a true champion of women’s entrepreneurship. 

Let’s remember together we are stronger, when women rise for all! 

 --AMINA J MOHAMED 

\[Deputy Secretary-General's remarks at the opening ceremony of the Fourth Meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean for Sustainable Development--March 16 , 2021]  

Here is an announcement from Radha-Krishna Temple, Wisconsin, USA 

Join us today at 10 am CST/8:30 pm IST for the JKYog Global International Women's Day Conclave 2021 

On the occasion of the 110th International Women’s Day, JKYog celebrates the success and achievements of women from diverse backgrounds with fervor. Awards for emerging women youth, lifetime achievement awards, and women in leadership will be awarded under the following categories:
Social Leadership, Business Leadership and Environmentalist 

Don't miss the keynote by Swami Mukundananda and the special address by US Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi. There will be speeches by distinguished guests as well. Join by

clicking www.radhakrishnatemple.net/IWDAportal 

 

JKYog was created by world non-secular chief, thoughts administration authority and best-selling creator Swami Mukundananda to unfold the information of yoga in keeping with the Vedic scriptures for the bodily, psychological and non-secular uplift of mankind.  

  

The famed honorary women recipients this year are “Mom of Orphans”, Sindhutai Sapkal, Indian social employee and social activist; and Dr. Swati Mohan, chargeable for steerage controls and operations for NASA’s Mars 2020 mission (Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Calif.), which efficiently landed Perseverance, the final Mars Rover. 

 

Many temples in USA have not focused their thought neither on Women’s Celebration Month March nor National Doctors’ Day bon March 30. They can combine both the events and celebrate on March 30 or 31. Women’s role as Healthcare doctors and nurses   during the present crisis has been very significant globally as I communicated to you earlier. 

 

---March 27, 2021

 

 

 

 

********************

Urban Monks on Spirituality, Secularism and Life

Most significant journeys in a human life begin at a certain point at which the person recognizes the need to undertake the journey, assesses his or her available resources and accounts for the possible difficulties as well as the potential rewards. The journey into the spiritual life can sometimes begin in mysterious ways. A profound thought may suddenly appear in the mind, one may read a great book, a stunning sight in nature may strike one dumb with awe, an insightful comment from a friend may touch a part in the person that had never been previously reached, meeting with a great saint or a word of wisdom from them may occur, a meaningful glance, a bit of inspiring music-any number of apparently random things can get a person thinking about the ultimate meaning of life. 

 

In this context I would like to draw your attention to an event in my life while serving Tata’s in India when Kanchi Sankarachaya visited Indore and delivered  a spiritual talk to local populace on the subject: ”What is the purpose and goal of life?”,  in which I actively participated as a host. Sankaracharya then advised me, for what reasons I do not know, that I should focus some part of my life on Spirituality (adhyatma vidya) and also spread the message to others if not then at least after retirement. This thought often bothered me, having migrated to USA soon and living in the district of Albany. After retirement, I settled in Nashville. Inspired by the philanthropist temple fathers of Sri Ganesha temple and their enthusiasm in spreading Hindu Culture and Spirituality even after retirement, I too got motivated and started self-study of Upanishads and Gita, while recouping after surgery resting on bed. That was the beginning of my contribution to HR Forum with which you are all well acquainted for more than a decade! 

The true spiritual path is an attempt to seek out and find definitive and non-relative ideals. The sections that follow are meant to serve as a possible catalyst that can spur a person to begin the spiritual journey. Spiritual Gurus explain to us "What is the Spiritual Life?" and introduces a beginner to the psychological, social and personal circumstances that help lead a person to search for meaning. Then they guide us on "Spiritual Practices," and various practical approaches to the spiritual life.  They also suggest to us reading material from Spiritual Gurus like Swami Vivekananda, Swami Aurobindo Swami Sivananda, Swami Chinmayananda, Swami Chidananda etc., who chose not retire to forest in seclusion but work with society, sharing their griefs and leading them to better,  brighter, and meaningful life.  

 

Spirituality is a broad concept with room for many perspectives. In general, it includes a sense of connection to something bigger than ourselves, and it typically involves a search for meaning in life. As such, it is a universal human experience—something that touches us all. People may describe a spiritual experience as sacred or transcendent or simply a deep sense of aliveness and interconnectedness. 

 

Some may find that their spiritual life is intricately linked to their association with a church, temple, mosque, or synagogue. Others may pray or find comfort in a personal relationship with God or a higher power. Still others seek meaning through their connections to nature or art. Like your sense of purpose, your personal definition of spirituality may change throughout your life, adapting to your own experiences and relationships. 

 

Christina Puchalski, MD, Director of the George Washington Institute for Spirituality and Health, contends that "spirituality is the aspect of humanity that refers to the way individuals seek and express meaning and purpose and the way they experience their connectedness to the moment, to self, to others, to nature, and to the significant or sacred." 

 

Besides dwelling on the thoughts of great minds this compilation includes;1) Spirituality in Life by Swami Krishnananda; 2) Keeping a Spiritual Diary by Swami Sivananda; and 3) Spirituality and Secularism by Jagadguru Jaggi Vasudev. Please go through the detailed compilation as indicated below: 

 

Sri Aurobindo writes that the mission for modern India is, “The recovery of the old spiritual knowledge and experience in all its splendor, depth and fullness is its first, most essential work; the flowing of this spirituality into new forms of philosophy, literature, art, science and critical knowledge is the second; an original dealing with modern problems in the light of the Indian spirit and the endeavor to formulate a greater synthesis of a spiritualized society is the third and most difficult. Its success on these three lines will be the measure of its help to the future of humanity.” 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2021/03/urban-monks-on-spirituality-its-impact.html

 

March 27, 2021

This is a nice piece of work. Thank you.

--Dr. Vedavyas

 

 

 

Webinar-196 LIVING IN ERROR 

Vedavyasa counseled King Dhritarashtra on leadership and characteristics of wise people. Vidura seeks to prevent war by urging evil king Dhritarashtra to consider his foolish behavior and actions against the Pandava cousins. In Chapters 33 through 40 of Udyoga Parva, in the Mahabharata also called Prajagara sub-parva, sage Vidura outlines things wise people and leaders should do, and things they should not. These are known as Vidura Neethi. The word Vidura means intelligent, skilled and wise. Vidura sums up a wise person as follows: 

निश्चित्वा यः प्रक्रमते नान्तर्वसति कर्मणः। अवन्ध्यकालो वश्यात्मा स वै पण्डित उच्यते।। 

Whose endeavors are preceded by a firm commitment, who does not take long rests before the task is accomplished, who does not waste time, and who has control over his/her mind is regarded wise.

There a number of hymns that describe a wise person called Pundita who can help a foolish person from destruction. For that we should first understand what leads one to foolishness. So, Vsidura starts with a number of hymns describing a foolish person as detailed below: 

The Fool  

aśrutaśca samunnaddho daridraśca mahāmanāḥ | arthāṁścākarmaṇā prepsur mūḍha ityucyate budhaiḥ || 33 ||  

On the other hand, one who is ignorant of scripture yet vain, poor yet proud, and who resorts to unfair means for the acquisition of personal objectives, is a fool.  

svam-arthaṁ yaḥ parityajya parārtham anutiṣṭhati | mithyā carati mitrārthe yaśca mūḍhaḥ sa ucyate || 34 ||  

One who, disregarding his own matters, concerns himself with the matters of others, and who deals deceitful with his friends, is called a fool.  

akāmān kāmayati yaḥ kāmayānānpari dviṣan | balavantaṁ ca yo dveṣṭi tam āhur mūḍha cetasam || 35 ||  

One who desires those things that should not be desired, and abandons those that may legitimately be desired, and who bears malice to those that are powerful, is regarded as a foolish person.  

amitraṁ kurute mitraṁ mitraṁ dveṣṭi hinasti ca | karma cārabhate duṣṭaṁ tam āhur mūḍha cetasam || 36 || 

One who regards foes as friends, and who creates malice and disharmony with (real) friends, and who commits deplorable acts, is regarded as a foolish person.  

saṁsārayati kṛtyāni sarvatra vicikitsate | ciraṁ karoti kṣiprārthe sa mūḍho bharatarṣabha || 37 ||  

O king, one who divulges his projects to others, who is suspicious of everything, and spends a long time engaging in activities which require a brief time, is a fool.  

anāhūtaḥ praviśati apṛṣṭo bahu bhāṣate | viśvasaty-apramatteṣu mūḍhacetā narādhamaḥ || 38 ||  

One who enters a venue uninvited, and talks much without being asked, and reposes trust on unscrupulous brutes is the lowest of humans and an idiot.  

paraṁ kṣipati doṣeṇa vartamānaḥ svayaṁ tathā | yaśca krudhyaty-anīśaḥ sansa ca mūḍhatamo naraḥ || 39 ||  

The guilty person who tries to cast the blame on others, and a powerless person who gives vent to anger, are the greatest of fools.  

ātmano balam ajñāya dharmārtha parivarjitam | alabhyam icchan naiṣkarmyān mūḍha buddhir ihocyate || 40 ||  

That person, who, without knowing his own strength and dissociated from both virtue (dharma) and profit (artha), who has unattainable goals, who doesn't adopt adequate means, is said to be destitute of intelligence. 

aśiṣyaṁ śāsti yo rājanyaśca śūnyam upāsate | kadaryaṁ bhajate yaśca tam āhur mūḍha cetasam || 41 ||  

O king, one who instructs those undeserving of instruction, who meditates upon the void, and places trust in misers, is said to be of little intelligence.  

ākrośa parivādābhyāṁ vihiṁsanty abudhā budhān | vaktā pāpam upādatte kṣamamāṇo vimucyate || 42 |  

This can also be translated as one who serves incompetent (i.e. empty) people.  

Fools seek to harm the good by false accusations and vicious propaganda. The consequence is that by this they take upon themselves the sins of the good, while the latter are forgiven any indiscretions.  

saptadaśemānrājendra manuḥ svāyambhuvo’bravīt | vaicitravīrya puruṣānākāśaṁ muṣṭibhir ghnataḥ || 43 || 

tānevendrasya hi dhanur anāmyaṁ namato’bravīt | atho marīcinaḥ pādānanāmyān namatas tathā || 44 | 

Manu, the son of the Self-created, has mentioned the following seven and ten kinds of people, as those that strike empty space with their fists, or seek to bend the rainbow, or desire to catch the intangible rays of the sun. yaścāśiṣyaṁ śāsati yaśca kupyate yaścātivelaṁ bhajate dviṣantam | striyaśca yo’rakṣati bhadram astu te yaścāyācyaṁ yācati yaśca katthate || 45

yaścābhijātaḥ prakaroty akāryaṁ yaścābalo balinā nitya vairī | aśraddadhānāya ca yo bravīti yaścākāmyaṁ kāmayate narendra || 46 ||  

vadhvā hāsaṁ śvaśuro yaśca manyate vadhvā vasannuta yo mānakāmaḥ | parakṣetre nirvapati yaśca bījaṁ striyaṁ ca yaḥ parivadate’tivelam || 47 ||  

yaścaiva labdhvā na smarāmītyuvāca dattvā ca yaḥ katthati yācyamānaḥ | yaścāsataḥ sāntvam upāsatīha ete’nuyāntyanilaṁ pāśahastāḥ || 48 ||  

These seven and ten kinds of fools are as follow:- one who seeks to control [or guide] a person that is incapable of being controlled; one who is content with small gains; one who submissively pays tribute to enemies; one who seeks to impose himself upon women who are independent; one who importunes the wrong type of people; one who boasts, having done anything; one who, being born in a noble family, perpetrates an censurable deed; one who being weak antagonizes the powerful; one who tries to teach a person lacking in conviction; one who strives for the unattainable; he who being a father-in-law, habitually jokes with his daughter-in-law; or expects his standing in the community to be secure when he spends time with her alone. He who has unprotected intercourse with married women. He who speaks ill of his own wife to others; he who having received anything from another, says that he does not remember it; one who gives when asked but boasts of it openly, and he who strives to prove the truth of what is false. 

HH. Chidanandaji will be elaborating on these with his illuminating simplicity and clarity for our easy consumption and follow up. 

 

Gist of Presentation  

All of our great scriptures not only throw light on right living but also show our erroneous zones. Shri Krishna’s Geetā, for example, talks of asura-sampat (demoniac estate) along with daivi-sampat (divine estate). The Mahābhārata, the ancient and huge work running into 100,000 verses, has a lot of advice to humanity in this regard. Vidura-Neeti, appearing in Udyoga Parva (Canto 5) of this ‘itihāsa’ has ten valuable verses in the very first chapter, grouped under the caption ‘characteristics of fools’ (moorkha-lakshana). This webinar will attempt to show how these words of the wise minister of King Dhritarāshtra have relevance to our modern times too.

He is stupid who unnecessarily expands the scope of his activity, who doubts everyone’s intentions and who delays what can be completed in a short while.

samsārayati krityāni, sarvatra vichikitsate, chiram karoti kshiprārthe, sa moodho bharatarshabha!

Vidura-Neeti 1.39 (33.39 in Udyoga Parva)

 --March 26, 2021

 

 

SIGNIFICANCE OF PANGUNI UTTIRAM

 

 NORTH AMERICAN PANCHANGA SHOULD HELP HINDUAMERICANS IN UNIFORM FESTIVAL CELEBRATIONS 

 

Lord Siva being   alone after the demise of Sati undertook rigorous penance and retired to the Himalayas. Sati took a re-birth as Parvati in the family of God Himalaya. She performed penance to break Shiva’s meditation and win his attention. It is said that Parvati, who found it hard to break Shiva’s meditation sought help of Kamadeva - the God of Love and Passion. Kaamadeva asked Parvati to dance in front of Shiva. When Parvati danced, Kaamadeva shot his arrow of passion at Shiva breaking his penance. Shiva became extremely infuriated and opening his third eye that reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. It was only after Kamadeva’s wife Rati’s pleading that Lord Shiva agreed to revive Kaamadeva. I do not know why North American Panchanga is silent on Kamadahana, so popular in the South as well as Lakshmi Jayanti as well as Aiyappan Jayanti? 

 

Later, Parvati undertook severe penance to win over Shiva. Through her devotion and persuasion by sages devas, Parvati, also known as Uma, was finally able to lure Shiva into marriage and away from asceticism. Their marriage was solemnized a day before Amavasya in the month of Phalgun. This day of union of God Shiva and Parvati is celebrated as Mahashivratri every year by North Indians.   

 

According to another version of the legend, Goddess Parvati performed tapas and prayers on the auspicious moonless night of Shivaratri to ward off any evil that may befall her husband. Since then, womenfolk began the custom of praying for the well-being of their husbands and sons on Shivaratri day. Unmarried women pray for a husband like Shiva, who is considered to be the ideal husband.  

 

South Indians however strongly believe that this wedding took place on the most auspicious All Divines Wedding Day of Panguni on which day horoscope is not consulted for Wedding Muhurta.  The greatness of this day is described by Valmiki in Ramayan, who is also a Vedic Astrologer. Further we hear about of the Rudravatara as Column of Fire and Light on Mahasivaratri night and it naturally needs sometime for the love story to develop.   

 

"Panguni Uthiram is a much talked about festival of many temples throughout South India. Devotees flock to temples nearby and some of the famous temples which assumes a lot of importance during this festival is Perur-near Coimbatore, Palani, Kapaleeswarar-Mylapore, Vadapalani Murugan temple, to name a few. The festival falls during March-April. Panguni is special because of the coming together of the star Uthiram and Pournami.  

 

Celestial weddings  

Says Historian Chithra Madhavan: It is believed that the wedding of Rama and Sita was celebrated on Panguni Uthiram. So divine marriages are celebrated on this day. As an annual event all temples take their utsava murthis to the kalyana mandapam of the temple and perform the marriage of the presiding God and Goddess there. For instance, the Thirukalyanam of Siva-Parvati, Lord Subramanya--Valli and Devayanai,Vishnu-Lakshmi and Rama-Sita is celebrated in a grand manner in all temples.  

 

Quoting from the book ‘Sri Varadarajaswami Temple-Kanchi' by Prof. K.V. Raman, she says, “In the Arulala Perumal (Varadarajaswami Temple) in Kanchipuram, the Panguni Pallava Utsavam lasts for seven days when the sacred text Hastigiri Mahatmyam (the sthala-Purana of this temple) is read in the 100 pillared mandapa in front of the deity.  

The Panguni Utsavam is a unique festival in this temple which lasts for seven days and culminates on the Uthiram day with the marriage of Goddess Malayala Nachiyar or Serakula Nachiyar to the Lord. People throng in thousands to witness this divine marriage.  

An epigraph of 1582 A.D. of the reign of the Vijayanagara monarch Sriranga Raya mentions an endowment for offerings to be made during this festival which is specially called Serakula-Nachiyar Panguni Uthiram Sathumurai. The images of Serakula Nachiyar and Senai Mudaliyar (Vishvaksena) are taken in procession to a garden named Dalavaya Toppu where offerings were made.  

“In the Ahananuru, a Tamil work of the Sangam period (III C B.C. – III C A.D.), there is a mention about a festival in Panguni which is equated to Uthira Vizha.  

Referring to an article ‘Festivals in Kanchi' by Bhani Chari in the book ‘Kanchi- A heritage of art and religion' (edited by Nanditha Krishna), Chithra Madhavan says that “Shakti Uma Devi performed puja for the Lord in the form of Devi Kamakshi. At the end, the wedding of Siva and Shakti took place here as prayed for by the celestials. An inscription on a gopuram of the Kamakshi Amman temple in Kanchipuram mentions a gift of two villages for Puja on the occasion of the Panguni Utsavam.”  

The festival is also associated with various rituals. For instance, devotees carry a kavadi (semicircular canopy supported by a wooden rod that is carried on shoulders), milk pots or pull a chariot in fulfilment of vows. A special feature is the alagu, where devotees pierce the body with spears and hooks as an offering to the Lord for having helped them to avert a calamity.  

Arupathumoovar  

The festival is exceptionally celebrated at Sri Kapaleeswarar Temple. “No other temple has this big a procession of the 63 Nayanmars during the eighth day of the Panguni festival,” says historian, V. Sriram. He explains that the unique aspect of the procession is that as the palanquin of Lord Kapaleeswarar moves forward, those of the Nayanmars will move backwards, facing the deity. Also, the deities in the procession will be brought in groups — (Karaikal Ammaiyar; Mangaiyarkarasi; Isaignani) the women's group; Appar, Sundarar, Manickavasagar; Gnanasambandar and Poompaavai; to name a few. Another unique aspect of the procession is that deities from other temples such as Kolavizhi, Vairamudi Swami, Mundakakanni Amman, Thiruvalluvar Vasuki and others take part. It is thus a community event of the deities.  

The festival can be dated back to the 7th Century, he says. “Thanneer pandals have always been an integral part of the festival. Even now, we have some of them who have been doing this service at the fest for more than 150 years such as the Thandavarayan thanneer pandal. Even two decades ago the Mada streets had a number of houses which used to keep their doors open for the devotees during the fest. Anyone could climb on the top of the houses to witness the Arupathumoovar or the car festival. Pouring water, to keep away the summer heat, over those who pull the car has been a regular practice,” says Mr. Sriram."--The Hindu. 

 

Panguni Utthiram falls on Sunday, March 28, 2021. This day is also known as Mahalakshmi Jayanti as on this day Goddess Mahalakshmi incarnated on the Earth during legendry churning of the Milky Ocean. Churning of Milky Ocean is also known as Ksheera Sagara Manthan. This day is also celebrated as Lord Ayyappan Jayanti. Lord Ayyappan was born due to union of Lord Shiva and Mohini, the female form of Lord Vishnu. 

 

In 2020 Mahasivratri (2/21), Holi/Kamadahana (Mar 8), Yugadi (Mar 24). Panguni Uttiram (Apr6) and Putthandu (Apr 130 were celebrated. This year 2021, Mahasivaratri (Mar 11),Holi/Kamadahana (Mar 28), Panguni Uttiram (March 28), Yugadi (April 12) and  Putthandu (April 14) are being celebrated in that order. This strange disorder this year is due to cyclic adhika masa in Lunar calendar.  Contrary to the belief Pambu Panchagam is not purely Solar calendar but Luni-Solar calendar. Please go through the attached text.  

 

Our temple celebration of festivals is based on Puranas. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that Rudra appeared as a fire column on Maha Sivaratri, reduced Kamadeva on Holi, calmed and cooled down as Siva after Kamadahana  smearing his body with reduced ashes that devotees too follow,  and later pleased by the tapas of Parvati married her on Panguni Uttiram Day and settled down as family man. It is therefore strange to celebrate Mahasivaratri as his wedding day!  Subhramanya alsao chose this day for his marriage as this is divine weddings day when no horoscope consulting is called for! Probably Ganesha also married Siddhi and Buddhi on this day! 

 

It is believed that Goddess Lakshmi was born on Phalguna Purnima during the great churning of milky ocean which is popularly known as Samudra Manthan. It is significant to note that day of Phalguna Purnima mostly coincides with Uttara Phalguni Nakshatra. Hence the day of Uttara Phalguni is also associated with Lakshmi Jayanti. Lakshmi Jayanti is observed mainly in South India and it is less known in North Indian states.  Lakshmi-Vishnu Vivaha is untenable on Paguni Uttiram Day!  

 

Hindu Americans are globally drawn as Visva Hindus and therefore they should be guided by sanghacchadvam samvadadvam as our sages did coming together and praying together. We look forward to North American Panchanga to help us in this regard unlike Hindus in India caught between sectarian religious pundits and false astrologers who refuse to look into century corrections! They also refused to accept the recommendations of National Calendar Commission Recommendations, during Jawahalal’s regime that bis lying in National Archives! Also NA Panchnga should explain all these in the Forward of the Panchanga instead of year after year repetition of same introduction, particularly during Adhikamasa year and puranic background support. Better would be to draw uniform Luni-solar Calendar based on calendar reform commission’s recommendations.  

  

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/01/aiyappan.html

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/03/panguni-uttiram_26.html

--March 25, 2021

World Water Day 2021 

 

World Water Day is observed on March 22 every year to educate the importance of water to the whole world. The day also highlights the necessary improvement for access to water, hygiene facilities, and sanitation in all the countries.  

 

The idea of International Water Day started in 1992, the year in which the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro took place. That same year, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution by which 22 March of each year was declared World Day for Water, to be observed starting in 1993.

World Water Day 2021: Air, water, and food are the three essential things human needs to survive on Earth. Water is one of the prime necessities. Without an adequate and continuous source of water, life could not exist on earth. Hence, we can say that" Water is Life". 

 

However, as per the increase in population, the pressure to tap more and more resources also increased which led to the over-use and exploitation of all-Natural resources. As a result, today, communities across the world are facing acute water shortages. 

Hence, to raise public awareness about the benefits of water, one of the essential elements of our ecosystem, and take some concrete action in terms of preservation and conservation of water resources every year World Water Day is celebrated. 

"Every human should have the idea of taking care of the environment, of nature, of water. So,  using too much or wasting water should have some kind of feeling or sense of concern. Some sort of responsibility and with that, a sense of discipline." -Dalai Lama 

 

"Pure water is the World's first and foremost medicine." -Slovakian Proverb 

 

"Thousands have lived without love, not one without water." -W. H. Auden 

 

"When the well is dry, we learn the worth of water." -Benjamin Franklin 

 

"No Water. No Life. No Blue. No Green." - Sylvia Earle 

  

How we value water determines how water is managed and shared. The value of water is about much more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment. How we value water determines how water is managed and shared.  . 

 Here are some tips to save water at home: 

• For unusually high use, monitor your water bill 
• Avoid flushing the toilet too many times 
• Use water-friendly types of equipment 
• Fix broken toilets and leaky faucets 
• Using wastewater wisely at home 
• Turn off the taps after use 
• Get a low flush toilet 
• Water plants wisely 
• Reuse rainwater 

Today, on 22 March, 2021, World Water Day is being celebrated in an online event. The United Nations World Water Development Report will be also launched including recommendations of policy direction to decision makers. 

UN Secretary-General's Message on World Water Day 

This year’s World Water Day, with the theme “Valuing water”, asks: What does water mean to me? 

The value of water is profound and complex.  There is no aspect of sustainable development that does not fundamentally rely upon it. 

For me, water means protection.  A well-managed water cycle – encompassing drinking water, sanitation, hygiene, wastewater, transboundary governance, the environment and more – means a defense against ill-health and indignity and a response to challenges from a changing climate and increasing global demand. 

This World Water Day, we want to record and understand as many views as possible, so decision-makers are better informed and equipped to safeguard this human right for every person and every purpose. 

Today, we are not on track to ensure everyone has access to water and sanitation by 2030, as set out in Sustainable Development Goal 6.  While advances being made, current progress needs to quadruple to achieve universal access. 

Chronic under-investment in water and sanitation disadvantages and harms vast numbers of people.  This is unacceptable. 

I am encouraged by the joint statement signed by some 160 countries during the UN High-Level meeting on water on 18 March.  This shows a strong commitment to advancing all water-related aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

On this World Water Day, let us commit to intensifying efforts to truly valuing water so all may have equitable access to this most precious resource. 

--Secretary-General's message on World Water Day.  

 

WATER DEITY EXTOLLED IN VEDAS

Vedas Glorify water. Please recall   Veda mantra we employ on cere­monious regeneration of oneself by prokṣana or holy asper­sion and in Sandhyavanadana:

āpo hi ṣṭhā mayobhuvastā na ūrje dadhātana . mahe raṇāya cakṣase . yo vaḥ śivatamo rasastasya bhājayate'ha naḥ . uśatīriva mātaraḥ . tasmā araṁ gamāma vo yasya kṣayāyajinvatha . āpo janayathā ca naḥ || 

O waters, verily you are bliss-conferring! Being such, grant us food, and great and beautiful insight (of the Supreme Truth)! Further, make us in this very life participators of that joy of yours which is most auspicious, just like fond mothers (who nurse their darlings with nourishment)! May we attain to that satisfactory abode of yours which you are pleased to grant us! Generate for us also the waters of life and pleasures on earth (during our sojourn here)! 

 

These three Rig verses, reproduced here from Taittirīya Saṁhitā IV 1-5, rank among the important prayers addressed to the Divine Being in connection with the twilight devotions and other acts of worship. 

 

The deity extolled in these passages is water which is not merely the essential liquid element that sustains life but the Supreme Reality. No doubt, the liquid element is supremely important as the giver of food, happiness and the sustenance, which is necessary for higher insight and achievement. The qualifying words used here, however, serve also as signs to infer the Supreme Truth or Brahman. 

 

The word mayaḥ in the Vedic means bliss, and unlimited bliss is Brahman only. The immediate intuition of Brahman alone deserves to be called the great and beautiful vision. 

The term rasa in the Upaniṣad is expressive of the bliss of Brahman, and here it is described as most auspicious. The homely analogy of the fond mother nourishing her children applies to Divine Providence ever solicitous for the welfare of created beings. Ordinary water required for the sustenance of life has its home or source in Brahman and so here the cause and the effect are described as identical. 

 

In substance, there­fore, this is a prayer addressed to the Supreme Being by the needy man who has been awakened to the necessity of worship, entreating for food and sustenance for body, mind and spirit, and for imperishable bliss. 

 

To the pious Hindu the universal liquid element is not merely an essential of life but also the visible and tangible divinity available at hand for worship and self-purification. 

 

Therefore the tendency to think of water solely as a chemical substance, to defile it wantonly and to waste it when living beings are in need of it deserves to be treated as sin against God Himself. 

 

Regarding this the Taittirīya Āraṇyaka I 26-7 states: 

—Let not a person neither spit, urinate, or defecate in water, nor bathe unclad. Let him not eat any part of the tortoise or fish. Then no aquatic creature will hurt him and water will be auspicious towards him. 

 

Please go through my detailed discourse on the subject: 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2014/01/aapo-vaa-idam-sarvam-verily-all-this-is.html 

 

--March 22, 2021

Comments:

Excellent article

--A.S. Narayana

 

 

 

ECUMENICAL WEEK OF PRAYER OF ONE YEAR INTO COVID-19 

 

[Six facets of the week of prayer: lament, hurting   and suffering communities, leaders, healing, protection, and hope.] 

 

With a year soon past since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of COVID-19 a global pandemic, Mennonite World Conference, World Evangelical Alliance, Salvation Army, Lutheran World Federation, World Vision and World Council of Churches (WCC) are united together in a week of prayer from 22-27 March.  

 

The week will invite a time of prayer and reflection on both the lament and the hope expressed and experienced across the world during what has been a year of unprecedented suffering, but also one when churches have worked together in ever new ways to adapt, respond and accompany communities through mental, physical, economical, spiritual, and environmental crises.   

“This is an opportunity to come together with Christians from around the world as an expression of being together in Christ,” says MWC general secretary César García. 

 

“During the week, we will gather to offer intercessions especially for the most vulnerable and for those who are on the frontline caring for them often under harsh circumstances; and recommit ourselves to active compassion across what separates us, in obedience to the one who had compassion for the crowds and ministered for their healing,” says Rev. Prof. Dr. Ioan Sauca, WCC acting general secretary. 

 

The week of prayer is convened with ecumenical partners (MWC, WCC, World Vision International and others), and will share prayers and spiritual resources produced in response to the pandemic. 

No doubt this Ecumenical war-foot congregation   pray in lament, pray for communities, and pray of healthcare-providers   for protection and healing inspired the Biblical quotes:   

 

 “Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise.”-- Jeremiah 17:14 

 

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea …—Psalm 46:1-2   

 

Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me!—Psalm 23:4 

 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.—Philippines 

 

The World Council of Churches (WCC) has convened a global online prayer service on March 26 at 9 a.m. (Eastern time, or 2 p.m. Central European Time) as part of “A Week of Prayer in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic.” The week of prayer begins Monday, March 22, to commemorate a year since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the spread of COVID-19 a pandemic. This Voices of Lament, Hope and Courage Program caught the imagination of WCC on March 8, International Women’s’ Day. 

 

The global prayer service, drawing on voices from diverse regions and communities, will touch upon the six facets of the week of prayer: lament, hurting   and suffering communities, leaders, healing, protection, and hope. 

Pope Francis has called on the leaders of all the Christian churches, communities and confessions worldwide, as well Christians everywhere, to join together in praying the Our Father on March 25 to implore God to rid the world of the coronavirus pandemic that is wreaking havoc everywhere. 

He also said that he would lead a prayer service from the front of St. Peter’s Basilica on March 27 and afterwards would offer a blessing “Urbi et Orbi”—“to the city of Rome and the world”—with the Blessed Sacrament. 

While this Awakening by WCC and Pope Francis calls for unite approach by all fragmented Christian religious groups.  

 

Vedas always called for Universal approach and United Appeal to lead all humanity to tranquility, happiness and equanimity with the sarvejanah sukhini bhvantu!

Sangacchadhvam sam vadadhvam; Samaano mantrah samitih; Samaano vaa aakootih Mantras: 

[These mantras say that a person not only should take care of himself but also look after the welfare of the society he lives in]. 

Sangacchadhvam sam vadadhvam sam vo manaamsi jaanataam/ devaa bhaagam yathaa purve sanjanaana upaasate // (X-191-20) 

Come together! Speak together! Let our minds be all of one accord like the divines that sat together in the past in harmony to worship. 

[All people should live with one mind without enmity and this can be achieved only by the divine grace says the mantra] 

  

Samaano mantra: samiti: samaani samaanam mana: saha chittamesam / 

samaanam mantramabhi mantraye va: samaanena vo havisha juhomi  //(X-191-3) 

 

Let our speech be one; united be our voices! May our minds be in union with the thoughts of the wise people!  Sharing a common purpose; we worship as one. 

[Vedanta Religion is universal. It did not promote walled religions.  Bhagavad Gita later said these religion need bridges to connect to the Supreme. All rivers seek refuge in the vast Ocean. All religions seek universal Lord Brahman only who is ever expanding and indescribable to accommodate all] 

Samaani vaa aakootih samaana hridayaani vah / Samaanam astu vo mano yathaa vah susahaasati // (X-191-4) 

United be your purpose, harmonious be your feelings,  collected   be your mind, in the same way as all the various aspects of the universe exist in togetherness, wholeness. 

[We should act in a manner with no ill-will towards others, causing no harm and causing no pain. Let us learn from the nature as to how to live in peace and exist together in harmony that pleases the Lord says the mantra] 

Hindu Americans were the earliest to conduct Corona Vishajvara Nivarana Yajna and Homa rituals immediately after WHO announced Coronavirus Global Pandemic on March 22, 2020, in Temples for all humans’ well-being and happiness. Medical sciences have established by research studies,  the healing therapy of Veda mantras and thermal aroma therapy and immunity of Fire Sacrifices with 21 herbal fagots. 

 

The Christian World has lately risen to the occasion to raise their voices to Supreme in this significant Month of March 2021. 

Hindu Americans missed the opportunity to celebrate in temples SRE Days on International Women’s day on March 8 honoring women who have played their role very well during Coronavirus that I brought to your limelight. We did not focus on Vaidyalinga on Mahasivaratri on March 11, and National RN Day on March 19. Now there is this call from United Front of Christians to celebrate COVID 19 Week on which we are not focused.  

 

We have a unique opportunity to celebrate National Doctors’ Day on 30 appropriately in this context about which I informed you long time back.  While most people look upon Lord Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, as the deity of Ayurveda and ideal doctor, in the oldest Rigveda it is Rudra/Soma, Lord Shiva himself who is the supreme doctor (bhishaktamam tva bhishajam shrinomi). In the Yajurveda, #Rudra is the very personification of the healing ritual (Yajna) that grants well-being and longevity (Ayu). All healing Prana and healing mantras come through his power and his Yoga Shakti. 

 

Doctors are considered as next to GOD with whom we feel completely safe.  Let us pay our tribute to them from the deepest of our hearts for the wonderful medical services, for being so humble and generous whose dynasty Lord Rudra leads and presented Lord Ganesa to us with wisdom elephant head transplantation on headless human body! Let us raise our voices to Lord Rudra, Dhanvantari, Aswini Twins and above all Vaidya Naryana Hari with the prayer:

 

“We pray for all doctors, nurses and emergency workers. May they rejoice in the skills YOU have given them which enable them to bring hope, healing and wholeness to those in their care. May they also know guidance and support in times of pain and frustration when their skills are not enough to prevent permanent injury, disability or death!  Bless each one of them, that they may be a blessing to others.”     

 

Hindu Scriptures and Vedas are loaded with hymns and Mantras   for prayers on such special occasions that I compiled for your convenience some time back.  WHO calls the coronavirus as COVID 19 where CO=Corona, VI=virus and D=Disease and 19=2019 (the year in which Wuhan traced the virus in wet-market)  Coronavirus Pandemic War is often compared to Mahabharata War seeking solace from Bhagavad Gita for EQ and SQ Management. Mahabharata ended after 18 days. But COVID 19 War has extended beyond 18.  Hence 19 seems to be no exaggeration for COVID War showing the magnitude of fight that is needed globally!  

 

Please refer to: HYMNS FOR RECITATION & MANTRAS FOR MEDITATION OF HEALTHCARE DEITIES

 http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2020/08/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html  

 

--March 21, 2021

 

 

 

Spring equinox 2021: Hope on the horizon

 

For people in the Northern Hemisphere who huddled against a sometimes brutal winter, hope is here. Spring equinox 2021 arrives today on Saturday, March 20, bringing its nearly perfect balance of day-time and night-time all around the world.

Last year, the equinox made an earlier-than-usual arrival. Because of the peculiarities of the calendar, it was the earliest arrival of a spring equinox in 124 years. But decades from now, that equinox will best be remembered as the time when much of world had just started hunkering down against the Covid-19 pandemic.

It was a disconcerting time. The call of the spring equinox is ancient and primal. For millennia, humankind has tracked the sun and the seasons and celebrated the promise of renewal and rebirth by joining together outdoors. In 2020, we were compelled to do the opposite, retreating indoors and into isolation to slow the march of the coronavirus.

But 2021 offers signs of a return to normalcy. The spring equinox is going back to its more usual date of March 20. And with more Covid-19 vaccinations being distributed by the day, the hopes that spring traditionally represent -- rebirth and renewal -- seem within our grasp.

If you ever hear anyone say "vernal equinox," it means the same thing as Spring Equinox. The term equinox comes from the Latin word "equinoxium," meaning "equality between day and night." And vernal also comes from Latin and means spring.

While folks in the Northern Hemisphere are looking forward to longer days, warmer weather, flowers and a burst of greenery, people living south of the equator are heading into fall. So for Argentinians, South Africans and Australians, among others, this is a time to look forward to cooler weather and the joys of autumn.  For people who reside near the equator (in places such as Quito, Ecuador, or Singapore), none of this is a big deal. They get roughly 12 hours of daylight and night-time year round.

Cultures around the world mark the occasion.

All over the world, the spring equinox heralds in the idea of new beginnings and fresh starts.

Japanese people bring in this day, Shunbun no Hi, by paying homage to their deceased ancestors at their graves with flowers. Families also reunite on this day to spend time cleaning and making their houses as good as new.

Countries in the Middle East also have rich traditions related to the first day of spring. The festival of Isis in Egypt celebrates the goddess and the concept of rebirth. On the same day, Iran, Turkey, and Kosovo celebrate a festival called “No Ruz”, which means New Day.

In preparation, people in the Middle East clean their homes, repair old and broken items, repaint parts of their house, and decorate their rooms with fresh flowers.

Italy holds a similar celebration of rebirth related to Roman goddess Cybele who is worshipped for leading a fertility cult.

South America, particularly Mexico, also has an ancient tradition related to this day. Thousands gather at the Kulkulkan pyramid to see a rare sight—the sun casting a shadow on the monument that looks like a slithering snake with a feathered head touching the ground.

This phenomenon is called the Snake of Sunlight and is exclusively seen at Chichen Itza.

Even parts of Europe come together around this time for various holidays.

Although not on the spring equinox, Ireland and countries all over the world, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on March 17, which is usually when the equinox occurs.

Hundreds of believers of pagan and Wiccan rituals in the UK take tours of Stonehenge at sunrise to commemorate the day. Russians observe Maslenitsa, an event hailing the return of warmth and light—much like Holi in India.

The Spring Equinox is one day where different parts of the world come together for different festivals that share the same core values—a celebration of life and rebirth, while taking stock of everything we are grateful for.

Nowruz is the Persian New Year. Also known as Nauryz, Navruz or Nowrouz, it means "new day." The New Year will ring in on Saturday, March 20.

It's no coincidence it falls on the first day of spring. The Iranian calendar is a solar calendar, meaning time is determined, through astronomical observations, by Earth's movement around the sun. So, the first day of the year always kicks off with the Vernal Equinox. It's a celebration of new beginnings: wishing prosperity and welcoming the future while shedding away the past. That's why families use this time to deep clean their homes and closets and buy fresh clothing. More than 300 million people will celebrate Nowruz and  why not we?

In China, trying to stand an egg upright is a popular game during the spring equinox.  The custom is thought to go back thousands of years, and it's believed that if people can get an egg to stand, they will have good luck. And

Lovely cherry blossoms could be found in Ueno Park in Tokyo just a few days after spring equinox. Daffodils, an early arrival in the flower world, bloom in the Arboretum in Nottingham, England.  People across China enjoy eating   local spring vegetables.

While some of the big draws are closed off due to Coronavirus pandemic,  localities  have plenty of safe ways to mark the coming of spring. For example, Pike Place Market in Seattle will be celebrating its 24th annual Daffodil Day. When shoppers visit the market, they will get a free bundle of daffodils.

 

For the next 24 hours, most places on earth will get exactly 12 hours of sunlight and 12 hours of darkness.  Earth will also witness a Super-moon, which is a moon that appears larger than usual because it is closer to the planet. Other planets in the solar system, like Mercury and Uranus, also experience the spring equinox as they too have tilted axis like Earth’s, that result in seasons.

 

India celebrates Spring Equinox as Holi and Kamadahana

One of the India’s major and most eagerly awaited festivals is celebrated on the spring equinox—Holi. This day in the Indian calendar is well-known across the world because, it is the one day the entire country bursts into song, dance and, most importantly, color.

The festival is celebrated with rituals and bonfires that light effigies of Holika. During the day, people all over the country throw powdered color and colored water in balloons as well as hand-held spray guns in play and fun.

The festival finds representation in Indian pop culture as well, particularly in Bollywood films. For example, one of the songs in Mohabbatein, “Soni Soni”, takes place during Holi.

While the North Celebrates Spring Equinox as Holi, South celebrates it as Kamadhana. Holi (Holika) festival is symbolically celebrated for burning the rubbish along with chanting of evil expletives representing the destruction of evil in us. This tradition of lighting a bonfire carries a message to mark the burning of our Arishadvargas (negative passions). Holi symbolizes the victory of good over the evil.  Kamadahana is celebrated as a day to reduce all our desires to ashes and Holi to burn of all evils within us with the Bliss of GOD. The ash of Kama’s body settled over the body of the Lord Siva. Rudra gave up his fiery burning form and turned to Siva delighting the world with his cool and calm queen Moon. He also got attracted to Parvati. The Kamadhana Murti   dhyana sloka   addresses Siva as “bhasma uddhalita Vigraham”. So, devotees put the ash powder on themselves and others remembering this victory over the lust. To this day, devotees offer sandalwood paste to Kamadeva to relieve him from stinging burns and mango blossoms that he loved on Holi.  oliholHol

 

Vasanta Panchami in honor of Goddess Sarasvati is a festival that marks the preparation for the arrival of Indian spring called Vasanta Ritu. Vasanta Ritu   started on February 18   in 2021 and ends On April 19, 2021. Spring (Vernal) Equinox occurs today on March 20, 2021 at the middle of Vasanta Ritu. Mahasivaratri in 2021 was celebrated on March 11. Rama Navami will be celebrated immediately after Vasnta Ritu on April 21, 2021. This sequence prompts me to learn Aparvidya on Vasanta Panchami Day, burn of all vasanas on Mahasivaratri day, develop Equanimity on Equinox Day and enjoy the Bliss on Rama Navami Day with Rama’s grace.

Spring Equinox is the time when the Sun enters the first sign of the zodiac, Aries. This event marks a change of seasons as well as the start of the Astrological New Year. In fact in many cultures The Spring Equinox is celebrated as the start of a New Year. Spring is the time of year when the cycle of life, death, and rebirth is complete. As plants bloom and new life returns, the theme of resurrection is ever present.

Aries (the first sign of the zodiac) definitely has the power to lead the way and is a powerful manifesto. That’s why Aries season is the best time for new beginnings, for expressing oneself and making bold moves. Don’t throw away your resolutions that you just after the Winter Solstice on another important astrological date. If the Winter Solstice (the period just after Christmas and beginning of January) is the best time to conceptualize things and aim high (like a Capricorn would do), the Spring Equinox and the start of a New Sun Cycle is the best time to make these goals tangible and put them into action. So if you haven’t done much about your New Year’s resolutions until now, the Spring Equinox is the time to bring them to the next level!

Ancient Celtic and Mediterranean people celebrated the Spring Equinox as a sacred marriage between God and Goddess, yin and yang, day and night.

It would appear that Spiritually and Astrologically the Spring Equinox brings forward a sense of faith. One is motivating us to see beyond our mistakes, into a place where we relish in our accomplishments. This is the time to take action, now is the best time to make that move, and see that positive change in your life.

In Hindu astrology, Vernal Equinox is called Vasant Vishuva or Vasant Sampat. Due to precession Hindus celebrate vernal equinox on Mesha Sankranti, according to Drikpanchanga. Let us go through the Vedic Astrology views on Spring Equinox of 2021.

PEOPLE OF NORTHERN HEMISPHERE MOVE INTO THE SEASON OF NEW LIFE, HOPE AND FREEDOM IN 2021 ON SPRING SOLSTICE 2021

The vernal and autumnal equinoxes universally represent a time when the earth energies as well as our own bio-energetic systems are dramatically shifting gears, as the life sap is awakening and moving upward in the northern hemisphere, and is slowly starting to release itself and flow downward in the southern. Because of these deep movements in all of nature (ourselves included), our emotional and physical health can be quite sensitive, and we need to take care to protect our life force, stay steady, and tune into nature’s wisdom.

During the day before, day of, and day after the equinox (March 19-21/Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), the Sun is in a highly transitional stage and so this is not considered an opportune time for Muhurta (elective astrology), meaning it is not a good time to launch new ventures or projects. It is however a good time for setting new intentions, and for creative, spiritual, and healing practices and rituals. It’s also very important to be out in nature around the equinoxes when possible, and also to make sure you take enough rest.

We have had a Kala Sarpa Yoga (Dosha) in place every other two-week period since the second week of January, but it will start to break as the Moon moves beyond the nodal axis on March 19, and finally as Mars passes beyond it on March 26.  The good news is that in in the equinox chart, which sets the stage for the next three months up until the June 20 solstice, the Moon has broken past Ketu, and so the Kala Sarpa is out of play as we move forward into the second quarter of this year.

The Kala Sarpa has triggered a heightened sense of entrapment within the extreme polarization, vicissitudes, alienation, anger, fear, and stress unleashed through the negative power during the past year. This is recently further exacerbated by the fiery, aggressive, and potentially violent Angaraka Doshaand it will slowly start to dissipate. And all this leads the way for some grace to descend on us as Jupiter will move into sidereal Aquarius April 5. 

Jupiter in Aquarius in general, and when well-aspect and well-placed in the horoscope, is considered to be self-determining, knowledge-based, technological, humanistic, and futuristic. During this transit, the wisdom of the Water Bearer may start to flow more abundantly into the world. This is thought to be a very spiritual combination in some cases, and according to mundane astrology, it is often associated with populist political movements.

Some well-known individuals with Jupiter in Aquarius include: Swami Sri Yukteswar, Ramana Maharshi, Alan Watts, John C. Lilly, Elizabeth Clare Prophet, Bernadette of Lourdes, Dannion Brinkley; J.R.R. Tolkien, Isaac Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, Albert Einstein; Germaine Greer, Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, and Rush Limbaugh.

Jupiter transits into Aquarius about every twelve years. Looking back in history, there have been some interesting and some difficult world events that occurred during this transit too, including WWI, WWII, the Great Mississippi Flood (1927), the Cold War/Cuban Missile Crisis (1962), the Chernobyl disaster (1986), and the Temuco Earthquake in Chile (2010); and The Euro was founded when Jupiter transited in Aquarius (1999), and the politically and economically controversial ACA “Obamacare” law was enacted the last time Jupiter transited in Aquarius in 2010.

The challenges of previous Jupiter in Aquarius transits are largely related to the other progressed planetary events occurring at the time, but also to the fact that when Jupiter is in Aquarius, there is some tension as there is a natural opposition between Saturn, the traditional ruler of Aquarius, and Jupiter: Jupiter is abundant, expansive, optimistic, and all-embracing, whereas Saturn can be sparse, contracting, pessimistic, and limiting.

Jupiter is much more beneficial in Aquarius than in Capricorn, where it’s been transiting for much of the past year.     

May all beings everywhere, whether near or far, whether known to me or unknown, be happy. May they be well! May they be peaceful! May they be free!

I wish those in the Northern Hemisphere all the best as we move into the season of new life, hope, and freedom! And for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, may your autumn season of harvest and healing be delicious in every way!

--March 20, 2021

 

 

Multiple lines mysterious ancient humans interbred with us,   that is strongly found in Indians 

 

Numerous female politicians wore purple to Joe Biden's inauguration.     Kamala Harris, Hillary Clinton, and Elizabeth Warren all incorporated the color into their fashion. Purple is often seen as a color that unites the blue and red shades of Democrats and Republicans. Vice President Kamala Harris wore a purple jacket for her big day, Hillary Clinton chose a suit of a similar shade, and Elizabeth Warren attended in a purple-hued scarf and mask. Besides blue for peace and prosperity and white with dove and pearl dominated in the attires! It's unclear if the outfits were coordinated or a coincidence, but all three likely share similar inspirations--Unity, Equality, and All humans are Created Equal. Latest DNA studies inspires such unifying instincts in humans based on our origin and growth.

Kamala Harris has continually described her racial identity as Black, South Asian, Indian-American, African-American, and Jamaican-American. E Pluribus Unum is Latin for "out of many, one." Sometimes it is translated more loosely as "one from many." E Pluribus Unum was once the motto of the United States of America as references to the fact that the cohesive single nation was formed as the result of the thirteen smaller colonies joining together. To a Hindu American this means Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam--as Americans we belong to one family. 

 

Please refer to my earlier discourse: “We all have the same mixture of genetic material, then why not spiritually progress too with equanimity”. Here is a relevant extract from my discourse in the context of fresh information on the subject:  

“Studies using ancient DNA have been rewriting prehistory all over the world in the last few years and in India, there has been one fascinating discovery after another.  But the latest genome research at Princeton University reveals humans on different continents have Neanderthal ancestry similar to each otherusing advanced techniques. Probably even the spear-wielding fishermen of the Andaman Islands might also carry the Neanderthal ancient ancestry by this study contradicting unmixed DNA findings of Indian studies!” 

 

Modern DNA suggests that the Denisovans were surprisingly diverse—and may have been the last humans other than Homo sapiens on Earth. 

 

Multiple lines mysterious ancient humans interbred with us 

By Maya Wei-Haas, April 11, 2019 

 

Nearly a decade ago, a snippet of pinky bone found in Siberia introduced the world to a baffling new kind of ancient human. Called Denisovans, after the name of the cave in the Altai Mountains where the bone was found, these ancient relatives of the Neanderthals inhabited Asia for tens of thousands of years—yet no fossil trace of them has been found save that finger bone, a few teeth, and a scrap of skull, all from Denisova cave. 

 

A study published today in Cell adds a surprising new twist to their mystery: DNA from a large sampling of living Southeast Asians suggests that the ghostly Denisovans may be not one, but three distinct kinds of human, one of which is almost as different from other Denisovans as they are from Neanderthals. 

 

What's more, while the Denisovans lived alongside humans for millennia, one group may have outlasted even the Neanderthals, who disappeared some 40,000 years ago. According to the study, these Denisovans co-existed and mixed with modern humans in New Guinea until at least 30,000 years ago—but perhaps as recently as 15,000 years ago—a date that, if confirmed, means Denisovans were the last known humans save ourselves to walk the Earth. 

Members of the Asmat people of West Papua participate in the Jipae resurrection feast. Researchers suggest that the genomes of modern Papuans bear traces of two distinct groups. 

 

The provocative find joins a number of recent discoveries that continue to point to a stunning diversity of hominins in ancient Asia, including the announcement just yesterday of a new species, Homo luzonensis, in the Philippines. 

 

“Suddenly it’s kind of crystalized that the center of diversity for archaic populations is in Islands Southeast Asia,” says study co-author Murray Cox of Massey University, New Zealand, referring to the Philippines, Malaysia, and the other archipelagos that make up the vast maritime region of the Asian subcontinent. 

 

Sharon Browning of the University of Washington expresses both excitement and caution about the results and what they might mean. In 2018, Browning and her colleagues identified two waves of Denisovan interbreeding with modern humans, which the new study expands upon. 

“It’s just one little piece of the story,” she says of the new work. “But every little piece we find helps us really fill it out.” 

 

Denisovan predecessors likely split from their Neanderthal relatives at least 400,000 years ago. And while the Neanderthals fanned out across Europe and the Middle East, Denisovans spread through Asia, eventually breeding with ancestors of modern humans of Asian descent. By doing so, Denisovans left their genetic fingerprints in Homo sapiens for generations to come—providing additional clues to learn about their kind. 

Multiple mysterious ancestors are from Denisova cave, Altai Denisovans, and Asia Himalaya 

New research shows that there were three genetically distinct Denisovan groups. This massive mountain range may have blocked the mixing of northern groups with those in the south. The deep water boundary may have prevented frequent mixing between hominins straddling the divide.

 

Modern Papuans from New Guinea have DNA from two Denisovan groups distinct from the Altai Denisovan DNA of modern East Asians, suggesting two earlier interbreeding events. 

 

According to the new study, the double spikes are indeed cool: They likely represent two distinct groups of Denisovans in New Guinea that are genetically quite different from the Denisovans from the Altai mountain cave. 

One group, which interbred with modern humans who now live across Southeast Asia and India, split from the Altai Denisovans some 363,000 years ago—fewer than 50,000 years after the Neanderthals line likely split from their common ancestor. 

 

Cox, Sudoyo and their colleagues are currently working to understand how the bits of Denisovan DNA influence modern human health. While a lot more work is needed, they already have a few promising hints that some of the genes play central roles in the immune system and the metabolism of fat. And Cox is excited about what the future holds for Indonesian research. 

What does a world map of human ancestry tell us about India? 

   

Nikita Mehta,  Los Angeles, California 

People living today in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and in South Asia, carry more Denisovan DNA than existing genomic models had suggested. 

 

New Delhi: Computer scientists in the US used machine learning and a database of genomes to map the distribution of Neanderthal and Denisovian DNA across global populations.  

 

Most non-Africans have traces of Neanderthal DNA, but new findings published in Current Biology on Tuesday showed that people living today in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet and other parts of South Asia, carry more Denisovan DNA than existing genomic models had suggested. 

 

Denisovans are a population of ancient hominids or human-like species that lived around the same time as the Neanderthals and humans until tens of thousands of years ago. They were first described in 2010 after analysing DNA from a tooth and a finger bone fragment found in a Siberian cave in 2008. The Harvard Medical School and University of California, Los Angeles research team that created the map used comparative genomics to make predictions about where Denisovan and Neanderthal genes may be impacting modern human biology. According to the authors, interbreeding with archaic humans and Neanderthals has been a common theme of human evolution. 

 

“Interbreeding with Denisovans has had a major effect on human biology. There were some genes that modern human populations inherited from Denisovans that enabled them to adapt to new environments," first author Sriram Sankararaman told Mint. “On the other hand, Denisovan DNA was deleterious in several places in the genome and there has been selection to remove these segments," he added. 

 

The researchers collected their data by comparing known Neanderthal and Denisovan gene sequences across more than 250 genomes from 120 non-African populations publicly available through the Simons Genome Diversity Project.  

 

The results showed that people from Oceania have the highest percentage of archaic ancestry and south Asians have more Denisovan ancestry than was known until now. However, Western Eurasians are least likely to have Neanderthal or Denisovan genes.  

 

“Regarding Indian populations, we see traces of Denisovan DNA in some south Asian populations. This is a surprise based on current models of the history of Indian populations but still only represents the genetic ancestry of a tiny fraction of the genome (a few parts in a thousand)," Sankararaman explained.  

 

As the study relies only on the current library of ancient genomes available, the researchers have warned against making conclusions about our extinct human ancestors based on the genetics and possible traits that they left behind.  

 

“The interactions between modern humans and archaic humans are complex and perhaps involved multiple events," says senior author David Reich, a geneticist at Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute. There may yet be many questions waiting to be answered. 

According to a paper published today (March 20) in the journal Nature, the site, known as Chiquihuite Cave, in Mexico may contain evidence of human occupation that places people in North America around 30,000 years ago—roughly twice as early as most current estimates for when the first humans arrived on the continent.

--March 20, 2021

 

 

ZOOM WITH THE THOUGHTS OF THE DAY----JANUARY & FEBRUARY 2021 

 

The year 2020, a year of pandemic anxiety, political confusion and revolt ended and the New Year 2021 began with Hope, Optimism and Faith. This hope had a temporary shock treatment by the storming of the Washington Capital on January 6. Both the President and Vice President elected claimed themselves as Persons of Indian Origin and that brought confidence in Hindu Americans and Hindus in India that Dharma will prevail in USA   during next 4 years and focus will be on “All lives Matter”. The Inaguration day was particully noticeble by the dominating lotus purple color robes during the celebrations. Purple is a combination of red and blue, may be symbolizing   Republicans and Democrats!   Hindu Reflections continued to focus on Margazhi /Thai Festivals that bring All Traditions & Religions Together that included Makara   Sankranti symbolically celebrated as Winter Solstice Day, taking our thoughts on Solar Religion celebrated by all in the world united by this Universal Religion, once upon a time.  With the divine blessings, COVID 19 Vaccines arriving on the scene people all over the world had a sigh of relief. Both swami Chidananda of Fowai Forum and Jaya Row of Vedanta Vision engaged themselves with a Series of Webinar Zoom lectures on Bhagavad Gita and projecting them as Panacea for COVID 19 for our EQ and SQ Management that HR Reflections brought to your healing. It also brought to you various slokas on Health Deities particularly Dhanvantari, Annapurna and Sakhambari, drawing our focus on the need of food charity during the crisis for the needy. We also discussed atlength Yoga and Music as psycotherpy for the Pandemic focusing our thoughts on Thyagaraja Aradhana in Thiruvaiyaru though we missed to celebrate it in Hindu American Temples.  On Sunday (Jan. 10), the three planets appeared close together in a rare triple conjunction event. According to Live Science's sister site Space.com, the three bodies formed a "small, neat triangle" low in the west-southwest sky, appearing about 30 to 45 minutes after sunset that evening.  That took our thoughts to Brahma of Trinity, the creator who has been denied worship in Hindu Temples except in Pushkara.  COVID 19 Pandemic also took our thoughts to Enigma of Death, discussed in Kathopanisahad.

 

All these E-mails in January/February 2021 were very interesting but lengthy too, that missed many of your attention to go through them as you had not yet recovered from the pandemic and were focused on Govinda during COVIDA 19,  bogged down by raga-bhaya-bheeti-krodha. But fight them without anxiety focused on Gita that even very active physicians like Dr. AnandaKulakarni of UK found time to focus on for its psychotherapy messages--yudhyasva vigatajvarah. If Swami Chidananda, Jaya Row and Dr. Anand Kulakarni could find time to focus on Gita, why can’t you.  

 

I do hope, you will appreciate my efforts to collect all these important E-mails during the past two months and bring it to you to refresh yourselves and spiritually revitalize yourselves at one finger click at Internet that leads to your Inner-net. 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2021/03/thoughts-of-day-januaryfebruary-2021.html 

 

--March  20, 2021

 

 

 

 WORLD FAMOUS SUFI MUSIC FESTIVAL OF INDA ON FEBRUARY 14 & 15

Presented by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, the Sacred Spirit Festival brings together talent from different parts of the world and showcases the spiritual significance of music that transcends communities, cultures, and creeds. The aim of the festival is to highlight soulful music that inspires and awakens the divine in us. During the festival, the magnificent Mehrangarh Fort reverberates with the musical strains filled with ecstasy, joy and euphoria.

In India, music, especially Sufi music and the very concept of Sufism is considered as a way of connecting with one’s inner-self and finding the divine within. Yes, the musical retreat which is present in the mystical land of India since ancient times is simply beyond words. It is an incredible mélange of poetry, soothing rhythm, and emotions - all blended into one. 

 

And this is what precisely the World Sufi Festival, which takes place in the colorful state of Rajasthan, is all about - a way of transcending personal identities via the soul of music. The major highlight of this festival is that it is known for bringing together artists from all over the country to showcase their talent to the audience. 

 

Presented by the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, the World Sufi Festival is an incredible concoction of great talent from all over the globe. Various artists take part in this festival to showcase their caliber under the starlit sky of the royal Rajasthan.

Earlier artists like Madan Gopal Singh, Irfan Tuqfail, Rura from Scotland, The Kurdish Sufi Qaderi have performed here. The very aim of this festival of Rajasthan is to particularly highlight the soulful music which has been a part of our culture since ancient times. During the whole time frame, the fort of Mehrangarh reverberates with cultural ecstasy, coming across as a memorable experience.  The festival has artists coming from Iran, Egypt, China, Mongolia, Pakistan, India, and many more places. This spiritual festival takes us off to a journey of soulful music and brings us to the crossroads, where Indian heritage meets those of the world across. The program encompasses Sufi concerts, Mehfils, Sufi lectures, yoga, qawalis, children musicians’ workshop, and lot more

 

The Self is one, though it appears to be many. “We have always heard it preached, Love one another“. What for? That doctrine was preached, but the explanation is here. Why should I love every one? Because they and I are one. Why should I love my brother? Because he and I are one. There is this oneness; this solidarity of the whole universe. From the lowest worm that crawls under our feet to the highest beings that ever lived – all have various bodies, but are the one Soul“(Practical Vedanta Philosophy, Swami Vivekananda)

 

World Famous Sufi Music Festival is the perfect invitation to contemplate the mystery of the soul. The sun and its rays—one and different at the same time. Vedanta and Sufism are the most sophisticated spiritual systems of humanity, in my opinion. I can only recommend everyone to study these teachings. In Vedanta there are three points of view concerning the relationship of the soul and GOD (G==Generator; O=Operator; D=Dissolver)

1.   Total identity of the human soul and the Absolute (Nonduality, Advaita Vedanta)

2. Unity, but no identity of the human soul and the Absolute (Visishta Advaita).  The living soul is intrinsically linked with the Supreme Lord, and yet at the same time different (the theological tenet of achintya-bheda-abheda tattva)

     3. The Absolute as God, separated from man (Dvaita Vedanta)

Sufism's contribution to poetry in India is huge. Its impact on the development of Indian music is profound. None had a greater impact than the Sufi poet-musician Amir Khusrau. Eight centuries later, his poetry and musical innovation continue to be part of the soul of Hindustani music. No one had spoken of Indian music with such passion as he had.

Who else could have expressed love for India so beautifully as he did:
"But India, from head to toe, is a picture of heaven!
Adam came from the palace of paradise!
He could only be sent to an orchard of fruits that is India.
If India is not paradise, how could it be made the abode of the peacock, the bird of paradise?"

It is this spirit of Sufism, the love for their country and the pride in their nation that define the Muslims in India. They reflect the timeless culture of peace, diversity and equality of faith of India; they are steeped in the democratic tradition of India.  Indeed, when terrorism and extremism have become the most destructive force of our times, the message of Sufi Global Music has  relevance as the Universal Binding Force of Music Melody!

Press release from PM Narendra Modi at the World Islamic Sufi Conference in New Delhi in 2016

In the centers of conflict in West Asia to calm cities in distant countries, in the remote villages of Africa to the towns in our own region, terrorism is a daily threat.

Each day brings us terrible news and horrifying images:

• of schools turned into graveyards of innocence; 
• of prayer gatherings turned into funeral processions, 
• of call to prayer or Azaan drowned by the sound of explosion; 
• of blood on the beach, massacres in malls and smoldering cars on streets; 
• of thriving cities ruined and priceless heritage destroyed; 
• And, of parents bearing coffins, entire communities dislocated, millions displaced, and refugees caught between fire and stormy seas.

The fight against terrorism is not a confrontation against any religion. It cannot be. It is a struggle between the values of humanism and the forces of inhumanity. It is not a conflict to be fought only through military, intelligence or diplomatic means. It is also a battle that must be won through the strength of our values and the real message of religions. As I have said before, we must reject any link between terrorism and religion. Those who spread terror in the name of religion are anti-religious.

And, we must advance the message of Sufism that stands for the principles of Islam and the highest human values. This is a task that states, societies, sages, scholars and families must pursue. However, to me, the message of Sufism is not just confined to combating terrorism. The values of harmony, welfare, compassion and love for human beings are the foundation of a just society. And, this is the message of Sufism, one of the greatest contributions of Islam to this world. From its origins in Egypt and West Asia, Sufism travelled to distant lands, holding aloft the banner of faith and the flag of human values, learning from spiritual thoughts of other civilizations, and attracting people with the life and message of its saints. In the different settings of Saharan Africa or in Southeast Asia, in Turkey or in Central Asia, in Iran or India, Sufism reflected the universal human desire to go beyond the practice and precepts of religion for a deeper unity with the Almighty. And, in that spiritual and mystical enquiry, Sufis experienced the universal message of Almighty: That perfection in human life is reflected in the qualities that are dear to God. That all are creations of God; and, that if we love God, we must also love all his creations.

As Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya said, "Almighty holds dear those who love Him for the sake of human beings, and those who love human beings for the sake of Almighty." This is the message of oneness of humanity, of all of Almighty's creations. For the Sufis, therefore, service to God meant service to humanity. In the words of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, of all the worships, the worship that pleases the Almighty God the most is the grant of relief to the humble and the oppressed. In a beautiful imagery of human values, he said, human beings must have the affection of the Sun, the generosity of the river and the hospitality of the earth, because they benefit us all, without discrimination and distinction among people.

Sufism is a civilization that reached great heights by the 15th century in science, medicine, literature, art, architecture and commerce. It drew on the immense talents of its people and also Islam's engagement with diverse civilizations - ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia and Africa; the Persian, Central Asian and Caucasian lands; the region of East Asia; and, with Buddhism and Indian philosophy and science. As it enriched itself, it also enriched the world. It set, once again, an enduring lesson of human history: it is through openness and enquiry, engagement and accommodation, and respect for diversity that humanity advances, nation’s progress and the world prospers. And, its humanism also upheld the place and status of women in society.

Above all, Sufism is a celebration of diversity and pluralism, expressed in the words of Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, that every people has its own path of truth, beliefs and focus of reverence. These words reflect the divine message to the Holy Prophet that there is no compulsion in religion; And also that to every people we have appointed ways of worship which they observe. And, it is in harmony with the soul of the Bhakti saint's saying in the Hindu tradition, "Into the bosom of the one great sea, Flow streams that come from hills on every side." And in the wisdom of Bullen Shah, "Lord is mixed in every heart." These values are the need of our times.

This is the reality of Nature. We learn this wisdom in the perfect balance and harmony that exists in the vast diversity of a forest. Its message is beyond the confines of schools and sects. It's a spiritual quest that traces its origin from the Holy Prophet and the fundamental values of Islam, which literally means peace. And, it reminds us that when we think of the 99 names of Allah, none stand for force and violence, and that the first two names denote compassionate and merciful. Allah is Rahman and Raheem.

Sufism is the voice of peace, co-existence, compassion and equality; a call to universal brotherhood. And, just as India became a principal center of Islamic civilization, our nation also emerged as one of the most vibrant hubs of Sufism. Sufism became the face of Islam in India, even as it remained deeply rooted in the Holy Quran, and Hadis. Sufism blossomed in India's openness and pluralism. It engaged with her spiritual tradition, and evolved its own Indian ethos. And, it helped shape a distinct Islamic heritage of India. We see this heritage in the fields of art, architecture and culture that is part of the fabric of our nation and our collective daily lives. We see it in the spiritual and intellectual tradition of India. It helped strengthen the inclusive culture that is our great nation's immense contribution to the cultural tapestry of this world.

In Baba Farid's poetry or Guru Granth Sahib, we feel the same spiritual connection. We see compassion in the langars of Sufi shrines and the village tombs of local Pirs that attracted the poor and hungry; the words of Hindavi were spoken in the Sufi Khanqahs. And, above all, they are shaped by the values of the Islamic heritage of India. It upholds the highest ideals of Islam and has always rejected the forces of terrorism and extremism. Now, as they travel to different parts of the world, they are the ambassadors of the values and traditions of our nation.

 Like the strings of sitar that each produces a note, but come together to create a beautiful melody. This is the spirit of India. This is the strength of our nation. All our people, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, Buddhists, the micro-minority of Parsis, believers, non-believers, are an integral part of India. Just as it once came to India, today Sufism from India has spread across the world. But, this tradition that evolved in India belongs to the whole of South Asia. That is why I urge others in the region to nurture and revive this glorious heritage of ours. When the spiritual love of Sufism, not the violent force of terrorism, flows across the border, this region will be the paradise on earth that Amir Khusrau spoke about.

Let me paraphrase what I have said before: Terrorism divides and destroys us. That is the principle behind my creed of "Sab Ka Saath, Sab Ka Vikaas". And, these values are important to preserve and nurture diversity in our societies. Diversity is a basic reality of Nature and source of richness of a society; and, it should not be a cause of discord. We need just not constitutional provisions or legal safeguards, but also social values to build an inclusive and peaceful society, in which everyone belongs, secure about his rights and confident of her future. This is also a time of great flux and transition in the world. The middle of the last century was an important turning point in history. A new world order emerged. Many new nations were born. At the beginning of a new century, we are at yet another point of transformation on a scale rarely seen in human history. In many parts of the world, there is uncertainty about the future, and how to deal with it as nations and societies. These are precisely the times that the world is most vulnerable to violence and conflicts.

The global community must be more vigilant than ever before and counter the forces of darkness with the radiant light of human values. So, let us remember the teaching of Holy Quran that if anyone slew one innocent person, it would be as if he slew a whole people; if anyone saved one life, it would be as if he saved a whole people.

Let us be inspired by the message of Hazrat Moinuddin Chishti, “With your spiritual light, dissolve the clouds of discord and war and spread goodwill, peace, and harmony among the people.” Let us remember the infinite humanism in Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi's words, "Contain all human faces in your own, without any judgment of them."   Let us also live the sermon of Bible that calls us to do good, seek peace and pursue it. And, oneness in Kabir's observation that a river and its waves are one. And, Guru Nanak Devji's prayer that Lord, may everyone in the world prosper and be in peace. Let us be inspired by Swami Vivekananda's appeal against divisions and for people of all religions to hold the banner of harmony, not of dispute. Let us also reaffirm the enduring message of Ahimsa of Lord Buddha and Mahavira. And, from this forum, in this land of Gandhi, and, of timeless prayers that always end with invocation of Om Shanti; Shanti; Shanti: Peace, Peace, Peace; Peace within and in the world.

Let us, therefore, send a message to the world:

• A melody of harmony and humanity
• The embrace of diversity, the spirit of oneness 
• Of service with compassion and generosity
• A resolve against terrorism, a rejection of extremism
• And, a determination to advance peace

Let us challenge the forces of violence with the kindness of our love and universal human values and Lastly, Let us restore the light of hope and turn this world into a garden of peace.

--March 17, 2021

 

 

Baha’is Faith Echoes Wisdom of Vedas--Peace, Happiness and Equanimity

There are some religions   which are imbued with the idea that all sects should be allowed to live, that every sect has a meaning, a great idea, imbedded within itself, and, therefore it is necessary for the good of the world and ought to be helped. Baha’is Faith is one such!

In thousands upon thousands of locations around the world, the teachings of the Bahá’í Faith inspire individuals and communities as they work to improve their own lives and contribute to the advancement of civilization. Bahá’í beliefs address such essential themes as the oneness of God and religion, the oneness of humanity and freedom from prejudice, the inherent nobility of the human being, the progressive revelation of religious truth, the development of spiritual qualities, the integration of worship and service, the fundamental equality of the sexes, the harmony between religion and science, the centrality of justice to all human endeavors, the importance of education, and the dynamics of the relationships that are to bind together individuals, communities, and institutions as humanity advances towards its collective maturity--( compare with: Devo Ekah; Vasudhaiva  kutumbakam; sanghacchadvam smavadadvam samaanmaakootih;krinvanto visvamaaryam)

 ”O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men…Whatsoever is raised on this foundation, the changes and chances of the world can never impair its strength, nor will the revolution of countless centuries undermine its structure.”

In the early years of the 20th century, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá—the eldest Son of Bahá’u’lláh—was the Bahá’í Faith’s leader, leading the faith and spreading the Message of Baha’u u’llah: “He Who is your Lord, the All-Merciful, cherisheth in His heart the desire of beholding the entire human race as one soul and one body.”— Bahá’u’lláh

Lotus temple, New Delhi, India

Lotus Temple, Bahāʾī Faith house of worship, or mashriq al-adhkār (Arabic: “a place where the uttering of the name of God arises at dawn”), in New Delhi. In the early 21st century it was one of only nine mashriqs in the world.

The Lotus Temple derives its name from its design. Like every other Bahāʾī mashriq, it is characterized by a nine-sided construction, in keeping with the Bahāʾī belief in the mystical properties of the number nine. (world is ruled by Saguna Brahman and eight Dikpalakas). Set on an elevated plinth in a 26-acre (10.5-hectare) expanse of landscaped gardens and surrounded by nine pools bordered by red sandstone walkways, the white marble edifice rises to a height of more than 130 feet (40 meters). The temple complex comprises 27 independent marble “petals,” which are clustered into groups of three to form nine sides (through which open nine entrances into a central space) and into groups of nine to form three concentric rings. Petals in the first ring face outward, forming canopies over the nine entrances. The second ring covers the outer hall. In the innermost ring, the petals curve inward to partially enclose the central prayer hall, which accommodates about 2,500 people. The top of the structure appears open but actually contains a glass-and-steel roof that admits natural daylight. The overall effect is that of a floating Lotus Flower on the verge of blooming and surrounded by its leaves. Sprouting as a symbol of beauty and togetherness, the Baha’is Lotus Temple welcomes all religions and peoples to worship.  It is not so even today in many temples of India! The pristine white petals of the temple are meant to symbolize folding man and nature into a wholesome oneness.

Since its completion in 1986, the Lotus Temple in New Delhi has seen 70 million visitors, and is said to be more frequented than the Eiffel Tower and Taj Mahal. Its elegant design has made it the toast of the architectural world, and the peaceful and accepting principles behind its creation have made it a 21st century monument to interfaith cooperation.

Followers of all religions are welcome to gather here to pray, worship, and read their scriptures. There are no altars or pulpits inside the Lotus Temple, which is a common feature of all Baha’i Houses of Worship. The interiors are devoid of any statues, pictures, or image as well. An eye-catching feature of the temple is the nine pools of water located around the petals. They give the impression of a half-bloomed lotus in a water body and the whole structure looks spectacular when illuminated in the night.       

 It is in line with the teachings of the Baha’i faith believing in the Oneness of God, the Oneness of Religions, and the Oneness of Mankind. As such, people of all religions and races are welcome in the temple as it is a place to worship the creator of the universe and not one particular deity. There is no idol to be worshipped and people of any faith, case, and creed are welcome inside. Even though everyone is welcome, no ritualistic ceremonies can be performed inside the Lotus Temple nor can anyone deliver sermons. However, you can chant or read scriptures of Baha’i and other faiths too, in any language.

Review the above in the context of:

Hinduism is not bound up with a creed or a book, a prophet or a founder, but is persistent search for truth on the basis of a continuously renewed experience. Hinduism is human thought about God in continuous evolution.

- Sarvepalli  Radhakrishnan

What is a Sufi and what does he believe?

The movement which became known as "Sufism" grew up originally within Islam. The people attracted to it were attracted to the idea of reaching the Divine Essence personally. The sincere amongst Sufis truly wanted to experience the Presence of God themselves. Teachers introduced repetitive practices which were calculated to assist people to have this personal experience. Some examples of these practices, which are still in use today, are dancing in circles or repeating certain prayers over and over again while bowing up and down. From time to time drugs were used, but this was considered by the sincere as decadent practice. Songs, prayers, dancing and other repetitive practices were more often used to induce ecstasy, presumed to be a direct experience of the Presence of God. Stories, especially about the mythical Sufi teacher, Mulla Nasrudin, were also used to illustrate spiritual truths.

Sufism is not a religion, but rather that mystical experience which is at the heart of every religion. Religion, with its rituals, organization and laws, was the outer shell of an experience with the divine. Among themselves Sufis would say, "Sufi is a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist. A Sufi is a carpenter, a housewife, a banker." Sufism had (has) to do with the full development of the person by way of recognizing his True Self, i.e. God, within himself. Anyone, therefore, who is in touch with the reality of his religion, the reality of this world, is, they would say, a Sufi.

However Sufism, like religions (Hinduism is no exception), experienced time when its forms were used and the contents forgotten.   One of the beliefs that had crept in was that it was possible to experience God (the Divine Essence) yourself without a Mediator. This was a corruption of Sufi wisdom because the learning was always given from person to person. A modern Sufi said that reading a book about Sufism was like eating canned pineapple. You have to get the wisdom from a person. However, this was still not as far as Bahá'u'lláh's claim that you needed a Divine Mediator, a Person of another station than human, and a "Manifestation".

Rumi, a most loved Sufi, believed that all lives were sacred: ‘Taa’shif nifaak b’astz sang (Even a seemingly lifeless stone has a degree of consciousness; respect it).’ Rumi was a staunch vegetarian and shunned even milk and milk products (‘Sheer mun-haraam nuzt: To me, even milk is forbidden’). He even refrained from sacrificing animals as an Islamic ritual on Eid-Al-Adah (Bakrid). The JAINA of USA with its Vegan policy will love it though tons of milk are poured on Gomateswara in India!

Prime minister Narendra Modi at the World Sufi Festival- Sufism is the voice of peace, co-existence, compassion and equality; a call to universal brotherhood. Sufism’s contribution to poetry in India is huge. Its impact on the development of Indian music is profound. Sufism blossomed in India’s openness & pluralism. It engaged with her spiritual tradition and evolved its own Indian ethos. For the Sufis, service to God meant service to humanity.

Baháʼís regard Baha’u’llah as a Manifestation of God, like Sankara in Hinduism,  fulfilling the eschatological expectations of Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and other major religions. Bahá'u'lláh quoted Rumi copiously while speaking to Sufis though was not attracted to Sufiism!  Bahá'u'lláh's message to the Sufis (and mankind) was that although a seeker of the Divine Essence can develop his consciousness considerably in this world, true contact with the Essence is impossible. Full development can only come through recognition of the Messenger and obedience to His Laws. Do you feel the Upanishadic wisdom here?”

The opponents of Sufism see the shrines and these living saints as idols,” Mr. Knysh explained. “Their existence and their worship violates the main principle of Islam, which is the uniqueness of God and the uniqueness of the object of worship.   Islam means Submission and that should be exclusive to Allah alone and those who do not are non-believers and need to be exterminated!

Generally speaking, Sufis were not interested in converting Hindus.  Most Sufi orders propounded four stages of mystical evolution – shari`at (law), tariqat (spiritual path), mu`arafat (true knowledge), and haqiqat (true reality) – and focused on guiding their disciples beyond the initial stage of simply being Muslim, that is, adhering to Islamic law (shari`at).  Their primary goal was to help people who were already Muslim to attain the higher states of the spiritual quest.

There are contradictory views of Sufism within the Hindu community. Unbiased, David Frawley, in “How I Became a Hindu“, writes: “While one can sympathize with the Sufis and can more easily dialogue with them than the orthodox [Muslims], to think that Sufis don’t represent the vested interests of Islam is quite naive.”  He also points out that some Sufis historically have supported or even been involved in suppression and killing of Hindus, and with the destruction of Hindu temples. I believe this has made him a Hindu convert who strongly believes whatever good we find in the divergent groups that have moved away from main militants and fanatics are strongly influenced by Sanatana Dharma that prevailed all over the world before the concept of religion influenced the world to build  strong sectarian walls. All these sporadic thoughts of Universality do not have sloid foundations in Quran like Vedas, Upanishads and Gita whose doctrine is beyond religious and national boundaries.

On the other hand there are certainly Sufis who have had a positive non-exclusionist attitude, like Rumi  and Dara Shikoh  another historical Sufi who sought commonality between Islam and Hinduism. There are many more examples, and it is clear that not all Sufis had a negative attitude to Hinduism. Looking around the web, we can see that today there are some Sufis who do show genuine spiritual tolerance, and some that don’t.

So, it is clear   that though David Frawley is certainly correct in saying that it is naive to believe that Sufis have vested interest of Islam at heart, there certainly are, and have been Sufis who show genuine spiritual interest and enlightenment. These Sufis also show respect and tolerance towards others.      Based on this, the message for Hindus is, that Sufis should be taken individually. We should assume good faith, but be prepared for intolerance. In many cases we will be rewarded by closer understanding.

We should still be prepared to find limitations in this group’s tolerance, understanding and the value that they give to other religions. We should not assume that we will find these limits, however. This group have shown us   hope for peaceful coexistence in migrant countries like Britain, under the banner Sufi Muslim Council (SMC). Why have they not taken such a lead in India to quell the militant Muslim??? About a quarter of adults who were raised Muslim (23%) no longer identify as members of the faith, roughly on par with the share of Americans who were raised Christian and no longer identify with Christianity (22%), according to a new analysis of the 2014. Had they followed Baha’ism this sad state of affairs would not have happened! Better would have been to follow Vedanta religion like David Frawley and others!indus

 

 Bahá’u’lláh confirmed the existence of a separate, rational soul for every human. He taught that life and death are parts of an eternal process of a soul’s growth and evolution. Baha’i teachings state that the soul does not die; it endures everlastingly. When the human body dies, the soul is freed from ties with the physical body and the surrounding physical world and begins its progress through the spiritual world. Bahá’ís understand the spiritual world to be a timeless and placeless extension of our own universe—and not some physically remote or removed place.

Baha’is do not believe in reincarnation or that the soul is reborn in a different body. Baha’u’llah stated that death is reunion with God.

Entry into the next life has the potential to bring great joy. Bahá’u’lláh likened death to the process of birth. He explains: “The world beyond is as different from this world as this world is different from that of the child while still in the womb of its mother.”

The analogy to the womb in many ways summarizes the Bahá’í view of earthly existence. Just as the womb constitutes an important place for a person’s initial physical development, the physical world provides the context for the development of the individual soul. Accordingly, Bahá’ís view life as a sort of workshop, where one can develop and perfect those qualities that will be needed in the next life.

“Know thou of a truth that the soul, after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter.”— Bahá’u’lláh

--March 15, 2021

 

Racial Wars in the Veda?  

Much has been written and spoken about Aryan invasion of India by nomadic pastoral Aryans who moved into India after the era of Harappa civilization, starting 1700 BCE according to various authors. Although recent evidences from numerous studies do not support any sort of large-scale influx of foreign population into India during this period, many authors still cling on to this theory. 

Even worse, there are people who stick to the old racial theory about Aryan invasion, where the Aryans are said to be fair complexioned, light haired and eyed ‘white’ invaders from eastern Europe and the Steppes who subjugated the native dark complexioned aboriginal non-Aryan population of India and enslaved or massacred them after destroying their civilization and made them flee to south. 

The aborigines are said to be the Dāsas or Dásyus in Vedic literature as per the proponents of this view. This view is still shared by many European supremacists as well as certain people in India who like to the play victim card or aspire to divide the Hindus. 

Most of these people cite random verses from Vedic literature, especially the earliest Rig Veda, to support their racial fantasies. In this post, briefly look into these verses from Vedic literature to determine what is actually said about the Aryans and Dāsa-Dásyus in ancient Vedic literature. 

The colonial-era interpretation of sacred Vedic hymns by European authors gave rise to the early form of Aryan invasion theory, the theory which states that the native dark-complexioned racial population of India were subjugated by the invading fair-complexioned Europid Aryans and these Aryans established themselves as the upper caste and placed the non-Aryan population as low castes within the caste system which they designed. 

Throughout history, the European colonizers committed genocide of the native population of Africa, Australia, and the Americas and enslaved them in the most horrific manner. The European interpreters of the Vedic texts would’ve imagined such genocide and destruction of native culture happened in India millennia ago. 

Such thinking also led to the rise of Nazism, which held the concept of pure-blooded ‘Nordic’ Aryan race who subjugated other inferior races. Sadly, many people even today are obsessed with ‘Aryan looks’ and then try to claim their origins from the ancient ‘Nordic’ Aryans. 

Despite the wild Eurocentric imaginations and misinterpretations of the sacred texts of Hindus by early European authors with racial prejudices in their minds, it can be assured that the Vedic texts do not contain any mention of racial wars which is prevalent in the history of Europeans in the colonial period. 

It is clear that the term Arya in Vedic context referred to those who followed the path of ritualism based on Agni established by Father Manu, and their rite-less foes were conquered with rites by Vedic Aryans as they spread all over from their homeland in northern India. The term Arya has nothing to do with any race. 

Studies using ancient DNA have been rewriting prehistory all over the world in the last few years and in India, there has been one fascinating discovery after another.  But the latest genome research at Princeton University reveals humans on different continents have Neanderthal ancestry similar to each other using advanced techniques. We will talk about I detail in our next E-mail. 

Please go through the  write up “How Misinterpretations of Vedic Hymns Led to the Myth of the Aryan Race” by Akshay Shankar, in  Indic Today, that explains Vedic verses to determine what is actually said about the Aryans and Dāsa-Dásyus in ancient Vedic literature. 

--March 14, 2021

 

 

Let Us Celebrate March 2021 as Healthcare Providers’ Month   for Bringing Hope, Optimism   &   Faith

Thanks to the  dedicated service of our Healthcare Assistants about 68.9 million people have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, including about 36.9 million people who have been fully vaccinated, with an average of 2.54 million shots administered daily. Hurdles remain — getting shots into arms, improving access to communities of color and addressing global disparities — but there is finally a Light at the end of this Darkness.

“Just as we were emerging from a dark winter into a hopeful spring and summer (Mahasivarathri is celebrated with that good tidings) it is not the time to not stick with the rules,” President Biden said Thursday. “This is not the time to let up. Keep wearing a mask,” he said, because “beating this virus and getting back to normal depends on national unity.” President Biden, incidentally, claims to be a Person of Indian Origin (PIO)

Here is a great opportunity to express our gratitude for all the Healthcare Providers and to pray at the altar of the Healthcare deities for their long and healthy life devoid of greed and anxiety to continue their service without   worry of their own lives and their families. It will be not too far-fetched if we consider to dedicate the entire month of March 2021 as Magnificent Month of March that brought good tidings of Hope, Optimism & Faith in the near future to restore normalcy and live in Peace with Nature and all  fellow beings.

It is a pleasant surprise that the Merciful Lord SIVA chose to appear on March 11, instead of usual February as  dazzling bright White  light on the pitch Black Dark Night of Mahasivarathri.

The obscure regions of space called BH have, at least theoretically, a counterpart mathematical description, which would imply an opposite behavior; a region of space where nothing — not even light — could ever enter. For this reason, they are referred to as white holes (WH). Just as BH, WH started as a hypothetical mathematical situation with no equivalence in the physical realm, and just as BH, maybe WH do exist after all. “Where there is Black there is White” that we hear for the first time, is no speculation in Hinduism, but a  divine presence felt with yoga Practice with Hope, optimism and Faith on  every Mahasivarathri Night from ancient times.

While most people look upon Lord Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, as the deity of Ayurveda and ideal doctor, in the oldest Rigveda it is Rudra/Soma, Lord Shiva himself who is the supreme doctor (bhishaktamam tva bhishajam shrinomi). In the Yajurveda, #Rudra is the very personification of the healing ritual (Yajna) that grants well-being and longevity (Ayu). All healing Prana and healing mantras come through his power and his Yoga Shakti.

 

Shiva's Rudra form connected to Agni purifies body and mind and removes toxins. Shiva's #Soma form relates to the healing plants, fruit, fragrances Rasayana and rejuvenation. The entire universe is #Agni and Soma, which is Shiva as Fire and the Moon.

 

Among health care workers stand the Registered Nurses (RN),  known for their exemplary service  with a smile (Sevadharma), a  tradition that was started by Florence Nightingale. Florence Nightingale, OM, RRC, DStJ was an English social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during the Crimean War, in which she organized care for wounded soldiers at Constantnople.

 Marked annually on March 8th, International Women's Day (IWD) is perhaps one of the most important days of the year to be earmarked as SRE Day   in Temples worshiping Devi and honoring Motherhood! 

Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma, stereotypes and violence; a future that’s sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all. To get us there, the world needs women at every table where decisions are being made. 

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day (8 March), “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world,” celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the gaps that remain. 

This year 100 Women is highlighting those who are leading change and making a difference during these turbulent times. The list includes Sanna Marin, who leads Finland's all-female coalition government, Michelle Yeoh, star of the new Avatar and Marvel films and Sarah Gilbert, who heads the Oxford University research into a Coronavirus vaccine, as well as Jane Fonda, a climate activist and actress. And in an extraordinary year - when countless women around the world have made sacrifices to help others - one name on the 100 Women list has been left blank as a tribute. The list includes five women from India.

 

NCC Celebrates Certified Nurses Everywhere! Happy Certified Nurses Day - March 19, 2021

When the World Health Organization designated 2020 as the “International Year of the Nurse and Nurse Midwife” in honor of the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale, no one could have predicted the special impact nurses would make that year.  Nurses and other health care professionals have been the true heroes in battling the COVID pandemic, so much so that the designation of “Year of the Nurse” has been extended to 2021. 

Florence Nightingale once said, “Let us consider that we are never done as nurses…we must be learning all of our lives.”  Ms. Nightingale would have celebrated certified nurses, who keep learning and demonstrate their knowledge through the certification process. She was a leader who demonstrated a passion for nursing with a commitment to speak out, educate and change health care. Certified Nurses share this same passion. 

NCC honors all nurses and health care providers who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to take care of their patients in very difficult circumstances.  We are pleased to recognize all of those who have demonstrated their expertise in their field by becoming certified nurses.
Happy Certified Nurses Day!!

 

Certified Nurses and Certified Advanced Practice Nurses. . .

·         meet and exceed nationally recognized standards of proficiency and professionalism

·         are clinical experts - dedicated to providing quality, evidence-based clinical care

·         have gone beyond licensure to validate their expertise and specialty knowledge through a rigorous national examination

·         are committed to continuing competency, patient advocacy, and professional practice

·         maintain their specialty knowledge through specialized continuing education and continuing competency initiatives

NCC recognizes the commitment and demonstrated expertise of these professionals and has awarded more than 187,000 certifications in the obstetric, neonatal, and women's health care specialties. 

What is Certified Nurses’ Day?

Certified Nurses Day is March 19, the birthday of Margretta ‘Gretta' Madden Styles, the renowned expert of nurse credentialing. Styles designed the first comprehensive study of nurse credentialing and was an accomplished advocate for nursing standards and certification. Styles spent more than two decades advancing nursing practice and regulation. Certified Nurses Day is a national day to honor and recognize the important achievements of Certified Nurses. 

Nurses are the foremost providers of care throughout the health care system. . . . Nurses certified in their clinical specialties serve as agents of change and advocates of best practice for the patients they serve. --Robin L. Bissinger, PhD, APRN, NNP-BC, FAAN, NCC Chief Executive Officer.

 

March 30 has been designated as National Doctors Day in the U.S. since 1933, to give people an opportunity to show their appreciation for physicians who save lives every day. National Doctor’s Day is celebrated on March 30th. It is a day to honor physicians for the work they do for their patients, the communities they work in and for society as a whole.

Doctor’s Day can be traced back to March 30th, 1933, when it was first observed in Winder, Georgia. Originally started by Eudora Brown Almond, the wife of a prominent Georgian doctor, who wanted to create a day just for recognizing and honoring doctors; she decided the best way to do that was to mail greeting cards to all of the doctors she knew of and to place flowers on the graves of deceased physicians. The flowers that she placed on the graves of these doctors were red carnations – a flower that is still used to this day for National Doctor’s Day celebrations.

Mrs. Almond chose March 30 as the date for Doctor’s Day as that day is when Dr. Crawford W. Long first used an ether anesthetic during surgery in 1842. It took until 1991 before Doctor’s Day a National holiday when Congress passed Proclamation 6253.

On March 30, hospitals, health-care centers   and communities throughout the country will observe National Doctors’ Day. Doctors are the ones that help keep us healthy, so this day is a good opportunity for people to thank them for their service. This is especially true nowadays when the healthcare landscape is so complex and doctors have a huge job of diagnosing and treating patients to keep them in the best of health.

You can help your Primary Care Center to celebrate and make this day even more meaningful for a doctor who is special to you. Honor the physician whose exceptional care made a difference in your life by writing a personal note of thanks with a tribute card and  token gift  to physician you honor. Pay your gratitude and celebrate it as SRE Day at the altar of Health Deities.    Another way that you can celebrate this holiday is by taking the opportunity to schedule that check-up that you might have been putting off, personally meet and thank him.  And it’s also a good day to take a few moments and think about the choices that you might have been making about your personal health. It’s a good day to start a new exercise routine, cut unhealthy foods from your diet, or add fruits and vegetables to your diet.

--March 14, 2021

 

 

Comments

 

Thank you for your many messages full of beautiful knowledge about Lord Siva. 

 

--Marianne 

 

I celebrated women's day as a day to honor women doctors, nurses and staff who took grave risks to take care of COVID patients and composed a poem singing their glory!

--A.S. Narayana

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEBINAR-195: Dharma Shāstra in the Kenopanishad

 

FOWAI FORUM invites you to join the WEBINAR-195 on Dharma Shāstra in the Kenopanishad to be Presented by Pujya Swāmi Chidānandaji on Sunday, March 14, 2021

 

Gist of the Presentation:

 

Moksha is the fundamental frequency of the teachings of all the Upanishads, and Kenopanishad is not an exception. Dharma is the second harmonic of the Vedāntas. Through a story (yaksha upākhyāna, different from the more well-known piece of the Mahābhārata) and through two or three mantras that explicitly mention human values, the Kenopanishad makes a case for “dharma” as the ground of preparation for the highest wisdom. This webinar examines the ways in which the Upanishad of the Sāmaveda highlights the need for our minds to be made ready for receiving the liberating insight.

 

Introduction by indu ReflectionsH Hindu Reflections:

 

Why strive for Liberation in the Hindu Sense & How to Achieve It? 

 Mukti (Liberation) is the ultimate spiritual goal of Hinduism. How does one attain Mukti? The goal is to reach a point where you detach yourself from the feelings and perceptions that tie you to the world, leading to the realization of the ultimate unity of things—the soul (atman) connected with the universal (Brahman)--Seeing the light at the end of the dark tunnel!

Lord Krishna advises us (Geeta 2.61) that “A disciplined person, enjoying sense objects with senses that are under control and free from attachment and aversion, attains tranquility.”  This then is the secret. We must withdraw with our entire will the outgoing mind, but thereafter the mind should be earnestly engaged in the inspiring contemplation upon something creative and higher. Turn your mind to your goal – it does not matter if it is spiritual or material. Give the mind a fresh field of ennobling ideals to function and exhaust its energies. 

 

The manifest world is fleeting, and therefore is the source of suffering. Brahman (Atman) is that unchanging essential truth of being that can provide an eternal peace.  

 

It is not by effort and discrimination alone the sense-faculties are controlled; contemplation on the Supreme Spirit will greatly help this endeavor. It is like overcoming the numerous enemies on the strength of a mighty king; the Supreme Spirit as the inner controller must be sought out. 

 

 “When you want to become free, toying with the idea of freedom is no good, what is binding you that is what you need to break.”--says our Urban Monk Sadguru. He emphasizes upon a simple but a powerful idea: “To attain Mukti, work on your compulsions. If you break them one at a time, someday you will break them all.” This seems to be practical and easy for realization. “Bondage Cannot Be Infinite, Freedom Can be Infinite.”- says the Urban Monk Sadguru.   

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT FROM KENOPANISHAD

 

Blessed is the man who while he yet lives realizes Brahman. The man who realizes him not suffers his greatest loss. When they depart this life, the wise,   who have realized Brahman as the Self in All beings, become immortal.

 

The power behind every activity of nature and of man is the Power of Brahman. To realize this truth is to be immortal.    

 

“It is the power of Brahman that makes the mind think…. Therefore,  use this power to meditate on Brahman” (IV. 5 & 6). “This truth is all the seeker need to discover”, concludes  Kena Upanishad    

  

Seeking Allah day in day out for years, a Sufi finally threw himself down “How long I have been calling you and you do not answer?” He then heard a heavenly voice: “Who do you think has been making you call me?”

 

“The nature of Brahman known as qualified by the unique characteristics of Truth, Knowledge and All-pervasive causes the attainment of immortality. That person gains the strength required for meditation from Brahman and through Paravidya   (knowledge of the Supreme) attains immortality.

If one has realized Brahman in this birth alone the he becomes worthy of being an existing one. If he has no realized, there will be great destruction. Having realized Brahman in all entities as distinct from everything else, the wise ones having departed from the world attain immortality.

 

The means of attainment of this secret knowledge are: Austerities, conquest over the senses and Vedic rites like Agnihotra are causes of its firmness. Vedas along with their accessories and truth are its abode” are the Brahmavidya taught in Kenopanishad.

 

Kenopanishad expounds nature of Paramatman through a series of questions and answers. It is taught that the function of all indryas (senses) and all entities in this universe are prompted by the Supreme Being. He is the illuminator of the eye and others where his illumination does not depend upon these. Brahman is distinct from what is very well known and again it is distinct from what is totally unknown--It is the dazzling light at the end of the dark tunnel for the seeker who struggles through life’s journey through the dark tunnel: Bright WH emerging of Dark BH!

 

Brahman is not totally unknowable! Brahma is ordained to the known by   the Wisdom of Vedas. Brahman is Infinite and has infinite attributes. So, it is possible to know Brahman as “only this much”. There is nether complete comprehension nor complete non-comprehension of Brahman, as little of its known (tripadhoorva udait purusha--Purusha  Sukta).

 

Kenopanishad describes a parable where Brahman shows itself to the gods for favoring them through the wise teachings of Uma (Power of Brahman)

This Upanishad concludes by describing how Brahman is to be meditated upon as “Tadvanam”--the cardinal virtues such as conquest over the senses, the performance of the “nitya-naimittika”  Karmas (daily and ordained duties), and others are described to be the means of attainment by this classified knowledge.

 

Please listen to Swamiji for an in-depth study of the subject and for practical approach--easy consumption and quick realization!

--March 13, 2021

**************

 

Have you always wanted to learn Sanskrit but didn't know where to begin?

At HUA, we believe that proficiency in Sanskrit is integral to not only mastering other languages, scriptures but also gaining expertise in Hinduism. Therefore, we are committed to creating many pathways for learning Sanskrit, while being sensitive to the different levels of proficiency that prospective students may have in the language.'

 

In this webinar, you will listen to conversations in the Sanskrit language, with appropriate English translations, and learn about the different ways that you can get started on your journey towards Sanskrit Proficiency."--HUA

 

Here is a unique opportunity to learn Sanskrit by Webinar/Zoom lecture by the good offices of Hindu University of America.  I started Sanskrit classes in Nashville Sri Ganesha temple a decade back that has now advanced to Sanskrit Philosophy Class Keeping the spirit if not the depth of knowledge needed to explore our scriptures!

 

Foreigners felt that to run business and administration, knowledge about native language and literature was very essential. For this reason and to satisfy the eagerness of many about Oriental language and literature, a new era started in the field of Sanskrit studies. In this area the contribution made by some European administrators, scholars and linguists is very significant.

At present the study of Sanskrit is mostly confined to India. In Bangladesh, Sanskrit has been studied from the ancient period, though at present its study is limited to a few areas. In many schools and colleges under the Board of Dhaka, Chittagong, Barisal, Jessore Sanskrit language and literature are studied.

In a major development this year,   President Joko Widodo of Indonesia issued a presidential regulation to establish the Hindu Dharma State Institute (IHDN) in Bali's Denpasar as the South-East Asian nation's first Hindu state university, reports The Jakarta Post.  Sanskrit will be seriously studied in this proposed University in the world’s largest Muslim country.  

 

"Sanskrit is not just a manmade devised historical language. It holds all the potentials of cosmic sound. It links the human brain and mind to the vibratory field of Cosmic Intelligence that guides the universe as a whole. Sanskrit is a human emulation of cosmic sound that links the human mind to the Cosmic Mind. Just as we can link with the internet and download information via information technology, we can use Sanskrit in the meditative mind to link with Cosmic Intelligence and access its deeper knowledge and wisdom. Sanskrit is the language closest to the Divine Word, the original Cosmic Sound and Light vibration behind the entire universe! This Divine speech begins with OM and primal sound, the vibratory pattern that creates the time/space continuum. Modern physics begins with the Big Bang, the original singularity from which the entire universe expands. Sanskrit similarly begins with OM (OM Tad Brahma)as the original singularity behind the cosmos, which all other mantras create as the vibratory energies from the Big Bang". writes David Frawley

it will be no exaggeration if I say that The Holy Bible was inspired by the Universal Sound OM and started with the opening statement:

"In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God"--(Om ityekakharam Brahma)

 

More than a decade ago, I started teaching 3R’s of Sanskrit to few interested adults with the hope they will awaken to propagate Sanskrit learning interest in their children for cohesion, unity and spread of Hindu Dharma. I left it in the local talented hands of Sanskrit Scholars, knowing my own weakness and limitation of age. But the mission failed due to lack of interest from parents of Bal Vihar classes. As usual they got narrow minded and wanted to teach their own mother tongues. A lone temple father, who attended my class for two years is still fighting the battle alone.  Now, Mr. Nagarajan, a spiritual enthusiast and a keen promoter of Hindu Culture has risen to the occasion calling us   to seize the opportunity provided by the Educational Organization HUA, well equipped for the task. So, please Arise, Awake, and Move Forward--Uttishthata, Jagrata, Charaiveti Charaiveti

Please also go through my discourse:

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2014/09/sanskrit-language-is-divine-is-tamil-too.html

--March 12, 2021

 

Comments:
Here is a wonderful free seminar on Sanskrit introduction offered by Hindu University of America.  It would be very good to know what we can learn about Sanskrit. Kindly share it with the forum participants. 

 

 Thank you very much for passing on the email to the forum participants.  I like the detailed, informative pre-note that you wrote on Sanskrit.  Thanks again. Hope people participate in tomorrow’s web session. 

--Nashville Nagarajan

 

 

 

Finding Light in the Darkness

 

 

Finding light in the darkness”: In his speech, President Biden offered a hopeful path out of the pandemic, but warned Americans must do their part, probably knowing very well that today is Mahasivaratri Night! As you know he claims that he is a Person of Indian Origin. 

 

Biden offered a renewed sense of optimism as he recognized the one-year anniversary since the World Health Organization declared the spread of the virus a global pandemic, which plunged the nation and the world into health and economic crises. With continued vigilance, he said, families and friends may be able to gather to celebrate the nation’s independence. “If we do our part, if we do this together, by July the 4th there’s a good chance you, your families and friends will be able to get together in your backyard or in your neighborhood and have a cookout and a barbecue and celebrate Independence Day,” the president said 

 

What is a white hole? 

 By Robert Matthews  

A white hole is a bizarre cosmic object which is intensely bright, and from which matter gushes rather than disappears. In other words, it’s the exact opposite of a black hole. But unlike black holes, there’s no consensus about whether white holes exist, or how they’d be formed. 

 

They are predicted by Einstein’s theory of gravity, and are most often mentioned in the context of ‘wormholes’, in which a black hole acts as the entry point to a tunnel through space and time, ending in a white hole somewhere else in the Universe. But this is deeply controversial, because Einstein’s theory predicts the existence of a so-called singularity at the center of black holes – a state of infinite gravity which would prevent anything from passing through to the white hole on the other side. 

However, some theorists think that a combination of Einstein’s theory and quantum theory points to a new way of thinking about white holes. Instead of being the ‘exit’ from a wormhole, they may be a slow-motion replay of the formation of the original black hole. 

  

“See the Light at the End of the Tunnel” 

The origin of this expression is unclear. Some sources say the idiom is first attested in the early 1900s. Others put it in the 1800s. Regardless, the idiom should call to mind a dark and dangerous tunnel. When one can see the light at the end of the tunnel, one knows how to get out, and that the end of the ordeal is almost there. The light symbolizes hope. 

 

It is possible that the U.S. President John F. Kennedy helped to popularize this expression when he used it in a speech about the Vietnam War that President Biden also thought.

 

We can use the expression the Light to see at the End of the Tunnel in our struggle for Liberation through Spiritual Sadhanas. 

 

 “There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but the way out is through.” — David Allen.  There is light at the end of the tunnel, but first we must inhabit the darkness with complete faith knowing respite awaits ahead. The tunnel represents our life’s journey that’s filled with darkness. In such moments it’s natural to look for a way out, yet we should trust that a turning point awaits us further down the road. The darkness can be terrifying when we are stuck, unable to navigate our way ahead. It signifies the inner struggle where in moments of despair we feel helpless. However, these are inaccurate thoughts that can pull us deeper into this darkened state. 

 

Being trapped in a grim shadow of darkness can be unrelenting, given the cycle of suffering offers no respite. Yet, this is an illusion since we lose our place to the upheaval that surrounds us. However unwelcoming our circumstances, we needn’t suffer alone. To have others accompany us reaffirms our faith in someone to lean on when it matters. This simple act of renewal strengthens our resolve because two souls walking into battle are soldiers in arms. There’s a passage in the song Let It Be by the Beatles that reaffirms why we must allow circumstances to be as they are. 

 

When I find myself in times of trouble, Lord Siva comes to me to relieve my misery. When night is cloudy, there is still a light that shines on me, shine on until tomorrow, let it be. The light that shines on us is the contrast of light and dark, merged in the sea of duality. For instance, the cycle of darkness in the evening gives rise to the light at dawn. Within this order, life reassures us nothing is permanent; every experience endures its own rebirth. --Thoughts on Mahasivaratri Night

 

--March 11, 2021

Comments:

Thank you. Enjoyed reading this.

--Bala from Atlanta

 

 

 

 

KINDLE EDITION OF GITA, A PANACEA fOR COVID 19 FILLED WITH RAMAKRISHNa VEDANTA

 

This is a large heavy book with everything you could need for studying the Bhagavad Gita. For Sanskrit students, this book is popular since it includes Devanagri text, transliterated Sanskrit, comprehensive breakdown of compound words, word-by-word meanings, English translation, and commentary from Sri Ramakrishna's teachings.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Kindle version of Swami Chidbhavananda's Bhagavad Gita on the auspicious day of Mahasivarathri,   Thursday, today. Thursday itself is a day dedicated to all Gurus and is called Brihaspativaram  in Sanskit. It is a happy coincidence that this auspicious day is also the Birthday of Sawmi Chidbhavananda. Let us pay our obeisance to this great scholar of our times, tonight.

Speaking at the event  the prime minister said 1.3 billion people of India have decided their course of action of making India Atmanirbhar, or self-reliant. Asserting that a self-reliant India is good for the world, PM Modi said that at the core of Atmanirbhar Bharat is to create wealth and values "not only for ourselves but for the larger humanity." "In the long term, only a self-reliant India is in everyone's interest. At the core of Atmanirbhar Bharat is to create wealth and values not only for ourselves but for the larger humanity. We believe that an Atmanirbhar Bharat is good for the world," he said.

In the recent past, when the world needed medicines, India did whatever it could to provide them, he said. "Our scientists worked in a quick time to come out with vaccines. Now, India is humbled that vaccines made in India are going around the world. We want to heal as well as help humanity. This is exactly what the Bhagavad Gita teaches us," the prime minister stressed.

He said when the Bhagavad Gita was born there was conflict and many feel that humanity is passing through similar conflict and challenges now, the Prime Minister said. We have talked about it at length.   Bhagavad Gita of 18 chapters adds one more chapter 19 today as “Govinda Gita, A Panacea for COVID 19”. It has boosted the morale of all Hindu Healthcare Providers wherever they are, to fight COVID War on a war footing like Mahabharata War. Bengal has even sent COVIDASURA   Mardhini with this kindle edition in her hand  filled with the Ramakrishna Vedanta. “engl has even sent The ealthacare of all HEalthcare workers To fight world is fighting a tough battle against this once-in-a-lifetime global pandemic. The economic and social impacts are also far reaching. In such a time, the path shown in Bhagavad Gita becomes ever relevant.  It could provide strength and direction to once again emerge victorious from the challenges humanity faces”  Modi   asserted.

"In India, we saw many instances of this. Our people-powered fight against COVID-19, the outstanding spirit of the people, the courage of citizens, and one can say that behind this is a glimpse of what the Gita highlights," he said. Noting that E-books are becoming very popular especially among the youth, the prime minister said that this effort will connect more youngsters with the noble thoughts of the Gita. The beauty of the Gita is in its depth, diversity, and flexibility, he said. Its doctrine is beyond Religions and National boundaries. Though bogged down by worst pandemic India has rise guided by Hindu Dharma ideals “vasudhaiva kutumbakam; krinvanto visvamaryam; veetaraga bhayar bheetih yudhyasva vigatajvarah”.

 With departure of Swami Chidbhavananda to Heavenly abodes, Pujyasri Omkarananda Mahaswamigal  has  now taken up the sacred mission of rejuvenating the spiritual values and the cultural traditions of India.   His eloquence and mastery, both in Tamil and Sanskrit, have earned accolades and words of praise, from learned Pundits across the country. He had the Sanyasa Diksha from Pujyasri Swami Chidbhavananda, the founder of the Sri Ramakrishna Tapovanam, Thirupparaithurai. Pujyasri Swamiji has established an Ashram in the name of Parama Pujyasri Swami Chidbhavananda. Through his spiritual discourses, he has been spreading the Vedantic teachings, in spiritual camps held across the globe.

Pujyasri Swamiji has established Vedanta Sasthra Prachara Trust, through which he trains his students and devotees, on the spiritual ways of life. And inside the Ashram, he has established through the Sri Dakshinamurti Seva Samiti, the Adiguru Sri Prajna Dakshinamurti Vidyapitham, for Chitta Shuddhi & Mana Shanti (mental peace). Pujyasri Swamiji interacts freely with the people from all the strata of the society, without any discrimination of – caste, creed, age, economic status or education – and attracts them through his compassionate words and friendly demeanor. It is no exaggeration to say that, all those who have been attracted by his teaching, are rooted in spirituality, lead a purposeful life of righteousness and love, and enjoy inner peace.

 

--March 11, 21021

 

 

 

RUDRA CONTROLLER OF DARK TAMAS ARRIVES AS WHITE LIGHT TONIGHT

 

SHIVA AYURVEDA - The Yogic Power of Healing and Transformation

We follow an ancient Himalayan tradition of Shiva Ayurveda connected to the Himalayan plants and waters of the domain of Shiva and the great Yogis. It is connected to many Himalayan Yoga traditions from Kashmir to Uttar Khand and Nepal.

 

While most people look upon Lord Dhanvantari, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, as the deity of Ayurveda and ideal doctor, in the oldest Rigveda it is Rudra/Soma, Lord Shiva himself who is the supreme doctor (bhishaktamam tva bhishajam shrinomi). In the Yajurveda, #Rudra is the very personification of the healing ritual (Yajna) that grants wellbeing and longevity (Ayu). All healing Prana and healing mantras come through his power and his Yoga Shakti.

 

Shiva's Rudra form connected to Agni purifies body and mind and removes toxins. Shiva's #Soma form relates to the healing plants, fruit, fragrances Rasayana and rejuvenation. The entire universe is #Agni and Soma, which is Shiva as Fire and the Moon.

 

Shiva as #Mrityunjaya, the one who takes us across death, also takes us across disease and sorrow. For Shiva Ratri let us remember Shiva Ayurveda, Shiva and immortality and the role of Shiva, which means peace and balance in all healing practices.

Om Haum Joom Sah Shiva Mrityunjayaya Namah!

Triyambakam Yajamahe sugandhim pushtivardhanam | urvarukmiva bandhanan mrityor mukhshiya mamritaat 

We worship the three eyed Lord Shiva who is fragrant and who increasingly nourishes the devotees. Worshiping him may we be liberated from death for the sake of immortality just as the cucumber, easily separated itself from the binding stalk.”

Maha Mrityunjaya mantra or Rudra mantra is a very powerful mantra chanted to please the three-eyed Lord Shiva. The mantra is usually chanted on an empty or half empty stomach. The mantra is highly beneficial for those who are suffering from some severe disease or has a fear of death. One who chants the mantra 108 times daily with a pure conscious and complete devotion may attain moksha (liberation from continuous re-birth. One who chants the mantra can feel a strange energy making heavy movements in the body thereby purifying one’s heart, soul and mind. It is somewhat opposite to Gayatri mantra. Gayatri mantra leaves a soothing impact on the mind whereas Maha Mritunjaya mantra energizes a person both mentally as well as physically.  It is an elixir that removes all the dirt from one’s mind; if chanted with devotion, one cannot think badly even if one wishes to.

Lord with the healing touch

A lesser-known shrine in Srivilliputtur, the Vaidyanatha Svami temple has stories of God Shiva in the form of inscriptions and paintings

The temple-town of Srivilliputtur is best known for its twin temples dedicated to Vatapatrashayee (Vishnu) and Andal (one of the twelve Azhvars or preeminent Vishnu devotees). However, there is another ancient temple for Siva called the Vaidyanatha Svami temple in this town which is not oft visited. This place is known as Madavar Vilagam. According to this temple’s tradition, Siva helped a lady who was to deliver a child by appearing in the form of her mother. As she was thirsty, the deity drew a line on the earth with his toe-nail and a spring emerged to quench her thirst. It is also said that the Nayak king Thirumalai Nayak was once suffering from a stomach-ache and prayed to the deity in this temple. As a mark of gratitude for being cured of his disease, he gifted the ivory palanquin in which he had travelled, to this temple and returned to his palace by foot--New Indian Express

Rudra is the first healer/doctor for all ailments and sins.

Following the words of His Holiness Shri Chandrashekharendra Saraswathi MahaSwamigal, the great Sage of Kanchi, on WORLD PEACE & UNITY, the Kanchi Kamakoti Seva Foundation (KKSF) Midwest Chapter, organized a grand MahaRudram event at Shri Sai Baba Mandir, Aurora, IL in 2017.

Significance of MahaRudram

The Vedas are equivalent to the Supreme Lord Parameswara and the Supreme God is equivalent to the Vedas. The Vedas are considered apaurusheyam – not created by humans, having emanated from the breath of Lord Parameswara. The 11 sections of the Shri Rudram arising from the middle of Krishna Yajur Veda are considered highly sacred. Even Sanyasis like our Acharyas, chant Shri Rudram. Smruthis say that when Vedic pundits chant the Shri Rudram, Lord Parameswara being an Ashuthoshi, becomes extremely pleased and in His benevolence, is ready to fulfill the desires and wishes of devotees.

Chanting of the Shri Rudram has been extolled as one of the most efficient means of destroying the endless and innumerable bundles of papas (sins) that we have undoubtedly accumulated from the beginning of time and continue to do so in this birth as well – either through acts of commission or omission.

Three important aspects are stressed during Vedic chanting: faith, concentration and knowledge. Perhaps, the most important of these is to know the meaning and significance of the mantras during the performance of poojas, chanting the vedas/shlokas, doing Yajnas and  adhyayana, without knowing the meaning thereof, is like preserving the body without the soul. Veda mantras uttered with a knowledge of their meaning will lead to papa-parihara (expiation of sins), arishtashanti (liquidation of evil), and pave the way to brahmasaakshaathkaara (God realization)”. Further, the Vedas that are rightfully learned through a Guru, are to be uttered with correct pronunciation and the right swaras (keynote of sound) – avakṣaram anāyuṣyam visvaram vyādhipīḍitam). Not adhering to these rules causes one to have a shorter lifespan (anāyuṣyam) or suffer ill health (vyādhipīḍitam).

Prathamo deivyo bhishak from Shri Rudram indicates that He is the first healer/doctor for all ailments and sins. Vibrations obtained by group chanting of Shri Rudram and Chamakam work miracles to cure mental and physical distress and to cast away all sins from our previous births. The Kaivalya Upanishad recommends thus: he who studies the Shatarudriya is purified by the fires, from the sins of drinking, killing a Brahmana, deeds done knowingly or unawares. Through this he has his refuge in Shiva, the Supreme Self. The Rudram has enshrined in it the famous panchakshari mantra – Om Namah Shivaya – which has tremendous potency as a nullifier of accumulated papa-karma. Shri Gurubhyo Namah: Jaya Jaya Shankara Hara Hara Shankara!

Lord Parameswara manifests in two forms: Rudra, the Ghora or fearful form, and Shiva, the auspicious form. Rudra is considered as a deity who teaches the supreme knowledge to all and whose energy flows in everything. Shiva is His benevolent manifestation and signifies everything that is good. By repeated chanting of Sri Rudram, we invoke His blessings, for He will usher in goodness, ward off all evil, and ring in peace and harmony. However, He has an angry and destructive side to Him – that of Rudra. Sometimes it becomes necessary to destroy to renew. Rudra destroys so that there may be a renewal. If we see sin all around us we call upon Rudra to destroy and rid mankind of it, so that there is a new beginning. Shiva is the holder and nurturer of the universe till the time of the next cycle of creation, which is necessarily preceded by destruction brought about by Rudra. Thus, Shiva and Rudra, underscore the basic philosophy of Hinduism – duality. For e.g., good follows evil; after darkness is light; and life leads to death which in turn leads to life.

The purpose of chanting this magnificent hymn is just not to worship in religious fervor but to instill in the minds of the people that He is immanent in every particle, in every speck of space, in every unit of time, in every particle of creation (AnOraneeyan, from the Taittiriya Upanishad) and at the same time, He is larger than the largest (MahathOmaheeyan, from Taittiriya Upanishad). An intriguing aspect of this wondrous hymn is that God exists in both the aspects: the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly, the right and the wrong, the positive and the negative, the high and the low, the conceivable and the inconceivable, mortality and immortality, existence and non-existence.

Tamizh scriptures also talk about Rudra during pralaya kaala performing His oozhikoothu (the Rudra Thandavam). Shivanadiyaar Appar in his Tamizh padigam:

“ Perungkadal moodi praLayamum kondu piramanum pOi irunGkadal moodi irakkum; irandhAn kalEbaramum karunGkadal vaNnan kalEbaramum kondu gangAlarAi varunGkadal mILa ninru emmirai nalveenai vAsikkumE”

This narrates, that when pralaya happens, everything in this universe, including Brahma, is taken in by Rudra. At that time, what remains indestructible are the One with the third eye, namely, Rudra Himself   and the One who emanated from the divine sparks from His third eye, Lord Karthikeya.

By chanting or listening to the Rudra Prashnam, we pray to, prostrate before, and identify Rudra with everything in the Namakam. Chamakam is usually recited immediately after, in which the devotee asks Lord Shiva to give him everything, 347 things to be precise, coupled with the article ca (which means ‘and’ in Sanskrit) and the verb me kalpatam (be granted unto me). Chamaka Prashnam furnishes completely the idea of human happiness and defines in the highest degree the desires to be asked or to be granted – from material needs all the way to divine fulfillment.

MahaRudra Yajna is one of the highest forms of community worship, performed with the involvement of 121 ritwiks chanting the Shri Rudram 11 times, totaling 1,331 times followed by one tenth, dhasAmsam (133) recitations along with offerings (ahuti) to Parameswara in the yajna (homam).

Performing the MahaRudram as per the Sastras, blesses mankind and all living organisms with desirable weather conditions, protection from natural calamities (like present Pandemonium),  bountiful produce, peace, and prosperity.

श्रेयो भूयात्सकलजनानाम्|| śreyo bhuyāt sakalajanānām May all be blessed with abundance of prosperity! Om Shanti, Shanti, Shantihi.

 “On the pitch Black Dark Night of Mahasivarathri Siva emerges as dazzling Bright  White Light!”

Where there is Black, There is the Hope for White?

This could be the first time you have heard about a white hole (WH). Meanwhile, we have been hearing for quite some time about “black holes” (BH) as regions in outer space where nothing — not even light — could escape. Such cosmological entities, roughly represented by a singularity or point of infinite energy/mass/information density and an event horizon defining the “size” of the BH, are increasingly subjects of study. In addition, the possibility of detecting gravitational signatures as the ones detected two years ago, coming allegedly from the collision and merging of two black holes, have increased their interest even more. So, what about WH?

The obscure regions of space called BH have, at least theoretically, a counterpart mathematical description, which would imply an opposite behavior; a region of space where nothing — not even light — could ever enter. For this reason, they are referred to as white holes (WH). Just as BH, WH started as a hypothetical mathematical situation with no equivalence in the physical realm, and just as BH, maybe WH do exist after all.

This is the theory Nassim Haramein has alluded to for decades. The same idea is being explored by different research teams, among them, Carlo Rovelli, a theoretical physicist at Aix-Marseille University in France, and his colleagues, who suggested that BH and WH might be connected. A BH could quantum-tunnel into a WH; once a BH evaporates to a degree where it could not shrink any further (assuming a quantized space-time), the disappearing or “dying” BH would rebound, forming a WH. This translates to matter collapsing into a BH and then emerging from a WH. As the authors Haggard and Rovelli claim “this scenario alters radically the discussion on the black hole information puzzle.” But this is not all… WH could account for most of the mysterious dark matter in the universe, some of which may even predate the Big Bang!

--March 11, 2021

 

********************
INTUTION AND CREATIVITY DISCOURSES BY DR. PHIL GOLDBERG

[MIND AND INTELLECT & THEIR ROLE IN SELF-ENQUIRY AND SELF-REALIZATION]

In a series of lectures that I have individually and exclusively explained to you Swami Chidananda has been engaging our thoughts on all-inclusive, Mind-Intellect-Self-Enquiry-Self-Realization through Atma Samarpanam or Saranagathi to join our Individual Consciousness with the Universal Consciousness. I believe most of you also had no time to think about this all-inclusiveness source.   

Mother tells man is a transitional being on earth meaning that man does not belong merely to earth: in essence man is a universal being, but he has a forced manifestation on earth.  But by his own past and present actions which he neither remembers nor focuses on present actions,   faces repeated births and deaths and feels there is no escape from it! Our effort should be to join our source after exhausting all past and present karmas in this life or at least improve upon it to reduce the number of births and deaths. 

According to Vedic literature, spiritual particle, spirit-on (soul), called Atman enters the sperm cell which then fertilizes the ovum, the female gamete, to form a single cell called zygote.  But as it emerges out of the womb with all its past and accumulated karmas it has neither the remembrance of the past nor  is focused on the future and gets involved in material success   driven by sense organs. Our mind should be guided by atman in the state it entered to obtain Jnana which is precisely transcendental wisdom (vijnana) if we have to end our manifestation on Earth and join the source. 

 

Vedanta views the Mind called Manas as constituted of five basic components:  Manas, Ahamkara, Chitta, Bhuddhi and Atman. Usually Manas is translated as Mind (mind is a monkey!) and Buddhi as Intellect by Spiritual and Religious thinkers like me who are Western educated, in English.

This mental complex surrounds the innermost aspect of consciousness, which is called atman; it is of course the same as the Self or the amsa of Brahman. Atman is considered to be beyond a finite enumeration of categories. 

 “The Upanishads declare the Self (which is one with Brahman, the Absolute Reality) is simply beyond the reach of both speech and mind. Neither word nor thought can ever grasp it. Then what role does the Intellect as the big brother of Mind play in Self-enquiry or in contemplation on Brahman?” inquires Swami Chidananda in his Webinar presentation.

In the BG Bhagawan emphasizes that in order to be successful, both materially and spiritually, one must control the mind with the help of the intellect. BG 3.42 gives the hierarchy of different subtle and gross elements within a particular body: 

SOUL → INTELLIGENCE → MIND → SENSES → DULL MATTER 

Vedic model of the mind says:  

Manasà-Ahamkaraà-Chittaà>Budddhi-àAatman 

Vijnaanena atmananam vedayati- Physical Mind power leads to conclusive experience that opens our Intellect that leads to our Inner-net or Atman (Mahanarayana Upanishad). 

 medhayā manīṣā manīṣayā mano manasā śāntiḥ  śāntyā cittaṁ cittena smṛtiḥ smṛtyā smāraɱ smāreṇa vijñānaṁ vijñānenātmānaṁ vedayati …………  vijñānādānando brahma yoniḥ 

By mental power sense-control is made possible. By sense-control reflection is engendered. From reflection calmness of mind results. Calmness brings remembrance of It is engendered. Remembrance produces continuous remembrance. From continuous remembrance results unbroken direct realization of Truth. By such realization a person knows the Ātman. Bliss comes from unbroken direct realization of Truth.  Thus having attained bliss one becomes the Supreme which is the source of the universe. 

 Please go through my detailed discourse “Mind and Intellect & their Role on Self-inquiry and Self-realization’ for an in-depth study. 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2020/02/mind-and-intellect-their-role-in-self.html

Gist of Dr. Phil Goldberg’s Discourse:

Intuition and creativity are at the heart of every successful human endeavor, from ordinary choices to ground-breaking decisions, from mundane problem-solving to life-changing innovations, from everyday insights to monumental revelations, from useful ideas to breakthrough inventions to world-class art. And they are especially important in times of uncertainty and unpredictability. When we function from the deepest levels of awareness we’re guided by subtle GPS-like impulses; when we’re not so attuned we go astray. The course aims to help us gain, secure, and stabilize that access.

Intuition and creativity favor the quiet mind, and quiet mind is a chief aim of deep yogic practice, per Patanjali’s famous definition: Yogash chitta vritti nirodhah (Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind). This is not just aspirational; it’s practical and applicable. The course features yogic methods for securing the stillness from which intuition and creativity fluidly flow. It also includes methods for stimulating and directing intuition and creativity for specific purposes; overcoming obstacles to knowing and creating, and balancing intuition and creativity with rationality and discipline. In that context, we’ll learn to employ the yogic attribute of viveka to discern the difference between the deep mind’s authentic gifts and imposters fed by fear or wishful thinking.

--March 11, 2021

Comments:

Thank you very much for this information and for sharing my announcement of the course. Your support is greatly appreciated.

--Dr. Phil Goldberg

 

 

 

 

 

 NARI SHAKTI--THE RISING POWER OF WOMEN 

The BBC has revealed its list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2020.  

This year 100 Women is highlighting those who are leading change and making a difference during these turbulent times. 

The list includes Sanna Marin, who leads Finland's all-female coalition government, Michelle Yeoh, star of the new Avatar and Marvel films and Sarah Gilbert, who heads the Oxford University research into a coronavirus vaccine, as well as Jane Fonda, a climate activist and actress.  

And in an extraordinary year - when countless women around the world have made sacrifices to help others - one name on the 100 Women list has been left blank as a tribute. The list includes five women from India. 

Kiran Gandhi, who performs as Madame Gandhi, is a singer and musician, artist and activist whose mission is to elevate and celebrate gender liberation. She has been on tour, drumming with acts such as MIA and Thievery Corporation. She previously ran the London Marathon while "free bleeding", to tackle the stigma around menstruation. 

At 82, Bilkis was part of a group of women who peacefully protested against a controversial citizenship law.  She became the face of a long-running protest at the capital's Shaheen Bagh, the Muslim locality where the protests were held. Indian journalist and author Rana Ayyub described her as "the voice of the marginalized". 

Isaivani is a distinctive gaana singer in India. Gaana music emerged from the working class neighborhoods of North Chennai (formerly Madras) in Tamil Nadu. Isaivani has spent years singing and performing in this male-dominated space. To perform on the same stage as other popular male singers can be considered an achievement by itself. Isaivani has successfully broken an age-old tradition, which has led other young female gaana singers to come forward and express themselves. 

Manasi, an Indian para-athlete, is the current para-badminton world champion. In June 2020, the Badminton World Federation ranked her world number two in the SL3 singles. Manasi is also an engineer and a change-maker. She aspires to drive a shift in how disability and para-sports are perceived in India. She was recently listed as a "Next Generation Leader" by Time magazine and appeared on the cover of its Asia edition as an advocate for the rights of disabled people in India.  

Ridhima Pandey is a climate activist who, at the age of nine, filed a petition against the government of India in response to its inaction to mitigate climate change. In 2019, along with 15 other child petitioners, Ridhima filed a lawsuit against five countries at the UN. Ridhima is currently participating in international conferences and helping to empower other students, at all levels, to fight for their future and for the biodiversity of the world. Ridhima is working to save her future and that of coming generations. 

While Durgapuja loomed in 2020, Kolkata’s housing complexes turned COVID time bombs. In face COVIDt & dipping business, Kumartuli artisans in Kolkata were undeterred and made “Durga to Slay Coronasura in 2020” as the theme for their idols on pandemic, replacing Mahishasura with ‘Coronasura’ 

According to Sujit, the association has 210 members, who are known for their work in Kumartuli. Every year, the association gets over 100 orders for Durga idols from NRI associations outside India. However, this year, they got around 30.The arti9sans were devastated in 2020.  The association had taken several measures, including distribution of masks, sanitizers, necessary medicines and other stuff to the artisans. The idol-making areas are also getting sanitized routinely. But that did not deter the spirit of brave women in India. We could see the “Rising Power of Women in 2020” while facing boldly worst crisis encouraged by Coronasura Mardhini Durga Maa. 

Nari Shakti Puraskar on International Women’s Day 

 

The Nari Shakti Puraskar are conferred every year on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The Ministry of Women and Child Development of India confers the award, for recognizing the exceptional work done by individuals in the area of empowering women. The Nari Shakti Puruskar is awarded to individuals or groups or NGOs or institutions. The award encourages the women to participate in decision making roles, skill development in traditional and non-traditional sectors among the women. 

  

The award also facilitates the basic amenities for rural women and promote the women in non-traditional sectors of science and technology, sports, culture, art and for other significant work towards safety and security, education, life skills, health and wellness, respect and dignity of women. The award comprises of a citation and a cash reward of Rs. 2 Lakh. 

  

According to the Ministry's Guidelines, any individual of at least 25 years of age and institutions that have worked in the relevant field for at least 5 years are eligible to apply. The award is given to acknowledge the achievers who have not allowed age, geographical barriers or inaccessibility to resources, to hinder their dreams. Their spirit inspires society at large specially the young Indian minds. The award further encourages the society to stand up against gender inequality and discrimination. These awards also recognized the women as equal partners in the advancement of society. 

  

The UN theme for International Women’s Day for the year 2021 is 'Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID 19 world'. The theme highlights the impact that girls and women worldwide have contributed significantly amid the COVID 19 Pandemic as health care workers, caregivers, innovators and community organizers. 

 

*President Kovind presented the Nari Shakti Puraskar to Nilza Wangmo from Leh. Nilza is an entrepreneur who is running Alchi Kitchen restaurant.   

* 105-year-old Bhageerathi Amma and 98-year-old Karthyayini Amma from Kollam in Kerala became the oldest learners under the Kerala State Literacy Mission, having passed their Class IV literacy equivalent examinations earlier this year. 

* In Chandigarh, Mann Kaur started her career in athletics at the age of 93. Kaur, who is now aged 103, has won four golds (track and field) at the World Masters Athletic Championship in Poland. She became the world’s fastest centenarian at the American Masters Games, 2016, and won more than 20 medals in World Masters Games and America Masters Games, among other championships. 

On Sunday, all three women were among the recipients of the Nari Shakti Puraskar. While Mann Kaur was present at the ceremony held in Rashtrapati Bhavan, Bhageerathi Amma and Karthyayni Amma could not attend the ceremony in person due to their age. 

I wonder whether the most advanced country in the world has any such programs to honor woman on International Women’s Day in USA! With the swearing in of Kamala D. Harris, the voice of the second highest-ranking rings the sound of shifting power in USA. India has shown the way, how women could rise to help the country during crisis   than any other country like Rani of Jhansi in the historic past! 

Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in recognition of International Women’s Day and in support of the American Rescue Plan.  In her address she said: 

“But it is important to acknowledge on International Women's Day, the connection between the advancement of women, the recognition of the contributions of women and the needs that are met in the American Rescue Plan.  As the President – as President Biden said, ‘Help Is On The Way.’  That promise is kept in this legislation to all Americans.  I wanted to acknowledge specifically the women of America” 

-March -9, 2021

 

 

 

LET US CELEBRATE NATIONAL DOCTORS DAY WITH REVERENCE TO WARRIORS OF COVID 19   BATTLE 

 A Unique Thank You for Indian Doctor Treating COVID Patients in US.   

A viral video shows a 'drive of honor' for Dr. Uma Madhusudhan while Dr. Uma Madhusudhan stands outside her home as cars drive by to thank her. 

 As the world battles the coronavirus pandemic, many people are finding creative ways to show their gratitude to healthcare workers who are in the frontline of this fight. Mahabharata War lasted for 18 days, Corona virus extends beyond 18 and so called COVID 19… And in March, residents across cities in India stood on their balconies and clapped for health professionals who have been working day in and day out as everyone else stays indoors. Similar initiatives to cheer for medical professionals have also been seen in Italy, UK and other countries. One neighborhood in the US, however, found a unique way to thank a doctor treating COVID patients - by holding a car rally for her.  

A video that is being widely circulated online shows Dr. Uma Madhusudhan standing in front of her home as cars drive past honking and cheering for her. The drive of honor for the doctor included police cars and fire brigade trucks, along with neighbors holding "Thank you" placards while driving past.  

According to Star of Mysore, Dr Madhusudhan studied at the JSS Medical College in Mysuru and currently works at South Windsor Hospital in the US.

March 30 has been designated as National Doctors Day in the U.S. since 1933, to give people an opportunity to show their appreciation for physicians who save lives every day. National Doctor’s Day is celebrated on March 30th. It is a day to honor physicians for the work they do for their patients, the communities they work in and for society as a whole.  

Doctor’s Day can be traced back to March 30th, 1933, when it was first observed in Winder, Georgia. Originally started by Eudora Brown Almond, the wife of a prominent Georgian doctor, who wanted to create a day just for recognizing and honoring doctors; she decided the best way to do that was to mail greeting cards to all of the doctors she knew of and to place flowers on the graves of deceased physicians. The flowers that she placed on the graves of these doctors were red carnations – a flower that is still used to this day for National Doctor’s Day celebrations.  

Mrs. Almond chose March 30 as the date for Doctor’s Day as that day is when Dr. Crawford W. Long first used an ether anesthetic during surgery in 1842. It took until 1991 before Doctor’s Day a National holiday when Congress passed Proclamation 6253. 

On March 30, hospitals, health-care centers   and communities throughout the country will observe National Doctors’ Day. You can help your Primary Care Center to celebrate and make this day even more meaningful for a doctor who is special to you. Honor the physician whose exceptional care made a difference in your life by writing a personal note of thanks with a tribute card and  token contribution to physician you honor.  

Doctors are the ones that help keep us healthy, so this day is a good opportunity for people to thank them for their service. This is especially true nowadays when the healthcare landscape is so complex and doctors have a huge job of diagnosing and treating patients to keep them in the best of health. This holiday can be celebrated by taking the time to thank your primary care physician for the hard work that they do on your behalf as mentioned above.  Another way that you can celebrate this holiday is by taking the opportunity to schedule that check-up that you might have been putting off. And it’s also a good day to take a few moments and think about the choices that you might have been making about your personal health. It’s a good day to start a new exercise routine, cut unhealthy foods from your diet, or add fruits and vegetables to your diet. 

Other countries celebrate their doctors on a different day than we do, often to recognize an important physician from their country. Spain, Cuba, and Argentina celebrate on December 3 to commemorate Dr. Carlos Juan Finlay’s birthday, who famously identified mosquitos as the cause of yellow fever. India celebrates on July 1 to commemorate the birthday of Dr. B. C. Roy, who also sadly died on that date. 

Doctors are considered as next to god with whom we feel completely safe.  Let us thank them from the deepest of our heart for the wonderful medical services, for being so humble and generous.     

Hindus cannot think of any social event or even any significant event in their life for celebration without running to the temple and raising their voices to their choice deity. They even take their new vehicle to temple for a Vahanapuja! We have enough time to plan ahead to make National Doctors’ Day an SRE Day in Hindu American Temples to raise our voices to Lord Dhanvantari, Hindu God of Hope, Healing and Well-being--Vaidyo Narayano Harih: 

“We pray for all doctors, nurses and emergency workers. May they rejoice in the skills YOU have given them which enable them to bring hope, healing and wholeness to those in their care. May they also know guidance and support in times of pain and frustration when their skills are not enough to prevent permanent injury, disability or death!  Bless each one of them, that they may be a blessing to others.” 

 --March 8, 2021

 ************************

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2021

International Women's Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women's achievements or rally for women's equality.  

Marked annually on March 8th, International Women's Day (IWD) is perhaps one of the most important days of the year to be earmarked as SRE Day   in Temples worshiping Devi and honoring Motherhood! 

Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma, stereotypes and violence; a future that’s sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all. To get us there, the world needs women at every table where decisions are being made. 

This year, the theme for International Women’s Day (8 March), “Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world,” celebrates the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the gaps that remain. 

Women’s full and effective participation and leadership in of all areas of life drives progress for everyone. Yet, women are still underrepresented in public life and decision-making, as revealed in the UN Secretary-General’s recent report. Women are Heads of State or Government in 22 countries, and only 24.9 per cent of national parliamentarians are women. At the current rate of progress, gender equality among Heads of Government will take another 130 years. 

Women are also at the forefront of the battle against COVID-19, as front-line and health sector workers, as scientists, doctors and caregivers, yet they get paid 11 per cent less globally than their male counterparts. An analysis of COVID-19 task teams from 87 countries found only 3.5 per cent of them had gender parity. 

When women lead, we see positive results. Some of the most efficient and exemplary responses to the COVID-19 pandemic were led by women. And women, especially young women, are at the forefront of diverse and inclusive movements online and on the streets for social justice, climate change and equality in all parts of the world. Yet, women under 30 are less than 1 per cent of parliamentarians worldwide.  

This is why, this year’s International Women’s Day is a rallying cry for Generation Equality, to act for an equal future for all. The Generation Equality Forum, the most important convening for gender equality investment and actions, kicks off in Mexico City from 29 – 31 March, and culminates in Paris in June 2021. It will draw leaders, visionaries, and activists from around the world, safely on a virtual platform, to push for transformative and lasting change for generations to come. 

In his statement for International Women's Day, UN Secretary-General Antonio Gutiérrez highlighted the need to work together with vision and determination to make equality happen. 

In her statement for International Women's Day (8 March), UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said: "We need women’s representation that reflects all women and girls in all their diversity and abilities, and across all cultural, social, economic and political situations. This is the only way we will get real societal change that incorporates women in decision-making as equals and benefits us all." 

Today is a day of triumph for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Thanks to the efforts of the entire nation, she said, New Zealand had been largely successful in meeting its ambitious goal of eradicating, rather than just controlling, outbreaks of Covid-19. The lockdown she had put in place on March 25 could now end. Ms. Ardern’s success is the latest data point in a widely noticed trend: Countries led by women seem to be particularly successful in fighting the coronavirus. Germany, led by Angela Merkel, has had a far lower death rate than Britain, France, Italy or Spain. Finland, where Prime Minister Sanna Marin, 34, governs with a coalition of four female-led parties, has had fewer than 10 percent as many deaths as nearby Sweden. And Tsai Ingo-wen, the president of Taiwan, has presided over one of the most successful efforts in the world at containing the virus, using testing, contact tracing and isolation measures to control infections without a full national lockdown. 

We should resist drawing conclusions about women leaders from a few exceptional individuals acting in exceptional circumstances. But experts say that the women’s success may still offer valuable lessons about what can help countries weather not just this crisis, but others in the future. India has shown the way how women have risen to help the country during crisis in the past than any other country! 

Are we celebrating the Rising Power of Women in 2020 while fighting worst crisis? 

“Perhaps more than at any other time, 2020 unleashed the rising power of women.
Scientist and scholar Jennifer Doudna co-discovered a breakthrough genome editing method for which she won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in October.
Kezzmekia Corbett, lead scientist of the Vaccine Research Center’s coronavirus team at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, led development of the Moderna COVID vaccine. 

The strong, empathetic, and effective COVID response of New Zealand’s Jacinda   has been celebrated globally. 

Kamala Harris was elected vice president of the United States (and already has cast tie-breaking votes in an evenly divided Senate).   

From science to social justice, women have had an extraordinary year. Nat Geo began its own archive a few years ago to amplify women’s voices and chronicle experiences that have often been untold, neglected, or glossed over. Searching through 64 million photographs in our Image Collection, we found what pictures they painted of women’s lives during the past century. As the times changed and women were more frequently the storytellers, the stories changed. Just ahead of 2020, we created a special issue to provide a better sense of the way women see the world.  

“Wherever you look, women are reaching higher positions: in business, the sciences, the law,” Nat Geo’s Editor in Chief Susan Goldberg wrote. “And they’re being seen and heard on their own terms, as speed-of-light communications and social media allow them to make an end run around patriarchal systems that once stifled them.” 

We’ve discovered stories of amazing explorers who had rarely been recognized or for whom men too often were given the credit. Women have “mapped the ocean floor, conquered the highest peaks, unearthed ancient civilizations, set deep-sea diving records, and flew around the world. They talked their way onto wars’ front lines and traveled across continents,” Nina Strochlic wrote for Nat Geo. “When geographer Marie Tharp offered proof of the theory of tectonic plate shift in the early 1950s, a colleague dismissed it as “girl talk.” 

In October, the non-profit National Geographic Society honored Katherine Johnson   the trailblazing mathematician who helped send Apollo 11 to the moon, with its highest award—the same honor the astronauts received 51 years before. 

Journalist Rania Abouzeid chronicled the rising power of women’s political voices in such places as Malawi, Rwanda, and Bolivia. Nilanjana Bhowmick wrote about women in India creating safe spaces for women. Photographers Andrea Bruce, Lynn Johnson and Yagazie Emezie captured women living on their own terms and embracing their increased power even as some, including many of the women we talked to in Bolivia, live with the constant threat of violence.  

For today’s International Women’s Day, perhaps inspiration comes from an image taken by Lynsey Addario of U.S. Marine corporal carrying a male colleague around her shoulders in battle training. On her thigh, that Marine corporal, Gabrielle Green, has a tattoo that reads: “The fire inside me burns brighter than the fire around me”--National Geographic Magazine 

Happy Women's Day to all the incredible women! Shine on.... Not just today but every day! 

--March 8, 2021

 

South-East Asian Nation's First Hindu State University in Indonesia, Largest Muslim Country in the World

 

“In the beginning the Vedic religion (called Sanatana Dharma whose followers can be called Sanatani) was prevalent all over the world. Later, over the centuries it must have gone through the process of change and taken different forms. These forms came to be called the original religions of the various lands which in the subsequent period--during historical times-- came under Buddhism, Christianity or Islam as the case may be”  writes   Jagadguru Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi in his book DHARMA.  

This strong view expressed by Jagadguru can be visibly seen in Indonesia, world’s largest Muslim country in modern times when we hear constantly Hindu-Muslim conflicts from Hindu majority India.

Indonesia deeply connects with cultural Hinduism and how Indonesia glorifies its roots is the island country is the only country in the world which boasts of Bhagwan Ganesha on a currency note. Now hear of the establishment of the Hindu Dharma State University in Bali’s Denspar as the South-East Nations’ first Hindu State University 

South-East Asian Nation's First Hindu State University in Bali 

After constructing the biggest Vishnu statue, Indonesia builds the first Hindu University in the country.  

In a major development, President Joko Widodo of Indonesia issued a presidential regulation to establish the Hindu Dharma State Institute (IHDN) in Bali's Denpasar as the South-East Asian nation's first Hindu state university, reports The Jakarta Post.  

The regulation decreed that the new university renamed I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa State Hindu University (UHN) shall offer Hindu higher education programs along with other types of higher education programs.  

The regulation also decreed that all the incumbent students, assets and employees of the IHDN have been converted and transferred to the newly formed UHN.  

Meanwhile, it should be noted that IHDN itself had been established in Indonesia in 1993 as a state academy for Hindu religious teachers. It was later converted into the Hindu religion State College in 1999 and later to IHDN in 2014.  

The IHDN's director I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana has hailed the development as a historic moment for the Hindu faithful in Indonesia.  

In fact, what shows Indonesia’s deep connect with cultural Hinduism and how Indonesia glorifies its roots is the island country is the only country in the world which boasts of Bhagwan Ganesha on a currency note.  

Bhagwan Ganesha is inscribed on the 20,000 rupiah note of Indonesia.  

This move reaffirms that Indonesia, which despite having the highest Muslim population across all countries in the world, doesn’t live in an identity crisis by denying its past heritage and cultural Hindu roots.  

In fact, last year a Hindu temple was restored in Indonesia after more than 1000 years. For the first time in more than 1100 years, the sanctification ceremony or the Abhishekam was performed at the Prambanan Temple complex, which is located between Sleman, Yogyakarta, and Klaten, Central Java.  

The Prambanan Temple complex, constructed in the 9th Century AD, is one of the largest temples dedicated to Bhagwan Shiva around the world.  

In fact, the Indonesian President, Joko Widodo is himself a Bhagwan Krishna follower. When asked about who is his favorite superhero, he had answered “Krishna”, recognizing how the Chakra made Bhagwan Krishna very powerful and how the Hindu God also happens to be very wise. He had also iterated how Bhagwan Krishna is considered very powerful in Indonesia, the world’s largest Island country.  

Explaining this decision, Indonesia's ambassador to India, Sidharto R. Suryodipuro told India Today TV, "This University signifies the strength of pluralism in countries like India and Indonesia, where we believe that all can contribute to the development of the whole."

 

Coincidentally, the religious leader who breathed his last on November 22, 1973, was named after the famous character in Ramayana called Sugreev.

 

"We, the entire academic community of IHDN Denpasar, are grateful for the issuance of Presidential Regulation number 20-year 2020 concerning I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa Denpasar Hindu University, which was signed by President Jokowi last Friday," said IHDN Denpasar Rector, I Gusti Ngurah Sudiana, quoted from the broadcast press, Monday. 

While India and Indonesia share strong relations, this university could pave the way for exchange students going to Indonesia to study certain aspects of Hinduism taught there and students from State Hindu University (UHN) I Gusti Bagus Sugriwa could travel to India. 

 

 Please go through my discourse on the Bhagiratha Efforts of Hindus of Indonesia. The Hindu University may be yet another Bhagiratha Effort!

 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2020/05/bhaghiratha-efforts-of-indonesian.html

--March 8, 2021

 

 

 

MAHASIVARATRI ON MARCH 11, 2021

 

May I draw your attention to my e-mail sent last month for decoding Siva the destroyer who destroys our darkness and leads to Supreme Light as appealed by our Rishis in the mantra “Tamaso maa Jyotirgamaya”.  

“In the pitch darkness of Mahasivaratri, Shiva emerges as endless ash colored light with which color he is worshipped as vyakta form of Shiva. Otherwise, he is mostly represented as dark black vyaktaavyakta form of black Linga mostly. In rare temples he is also worshiped as Sphatika linga of colorless form but assumes all forms as desired by the devotee during Abhisheka.  We have discussed about these at length. All these symbolic representations of Shiva make an interesting study that you might have heard in the spiritual discourse by H.C. Guruprasad of FOWAi Webinar. It is reasonable to assume on Shivaratri night he emerges as ash colored light burning all evils that appear in the form of Kaalaraatri, and the devotees who burn off all their greedy desires and evils promoted by senses   would be able to see him on keeping the vigil. The English word GOD all in caps was also ingeniously coined where G=Generator; O=Operator and D=Dissolver (may be inspired by Upanishads)  

"Shiva" means literally, “that which is not.”   Shiva is described as a non-being, not as a being. Shiva is not described as light, but as darkness, Tamas. Shiva does not have any form as such. He just has a representative form   a mysterious vyakta avyakta form linga in which you seek his form by turning inwards searching him as antaryamin hidden inside, while we are hidden in darkness engulfed with Maya! This rare mantra sent by Shri. Muralidharan Krishnan may help in removing that dark veil of Maya that hid the light from our sight that can be removed on Mahasivaratri Night! 

  The Hindu genius has the peculiar virtue of reconciling the irreconcilables. Whenever Vaishnavites and Saivites fight, the story in the Bhagavata of Siva being enraptured by the voluptuous beauty of Mohini, an incarnation of Vishnu comes handy. By taking it to logical conclusion it produces the wonderful deity Hariharaputra or Saastaa, more commonly known as Aiyappan (a corrupt form of Aarya). Whatever it is, he is a compromise candidate, tolerated by both the groups, but Supreme God Himself, venerated by both the groups, that also calls for Vaishnavites to celebrate Mahasivaratri.  

Mandala Pooja celebrated on the 41^st day is the long austerity observed for 40 days by devotees of Lord Ayyappan. The fasting begins 41 days before Mandala Puja i.e. on the first day of Vrishchikam Masam according to Malayalam Calendar.  Mandala Puja and Makar Vilakku are the two most famous events at Sabarimala Ayyappan temple when the temple is kept open for devotees for most of the days. Mandala Pooja celebrates 40 days of austerities on 41^st day.    

Actually, Mandala is 40 that is a mystic figure considered as sacred ritualistic number in many traditions apart from Hindu religion about which we will talk later. Hanuman Chalisa is quite famous! The 40 days of austerity are culminated on 41^st day celebrating the successful culmination of the ritual.  

Maha Sivaratri is the most auspicious ritual. Why not then Mandala Vrata for Siva also like what is being followed for Lord Ayyappan? 41 Slokas in the rare mantra above hints for a Mandal Puja culminating in Maha Sivaratri!  Here also in 41s  sloka obeisance to Siva is expressed for all the attributes in 40 sloka where 40 becomes significant.

 “Mahashivratri is one of the largest and most significant among the sacred festivals of India. The festival celebrates the Grace of Shiva, who is considered the Adi Guru or the First Guru from whom the Yogic tradition originates. The planetary positions on this night, which is also the darkest night of the year, are such that there is a powerful natural upsurge of energy in the human system. It is enormously beneficial for one’s physical and spiritual wellbeing to stay awake and aware in a vertical posture throughout the night.” says Jaggi Vasudev 

 

 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/02/mahaa-sivaraatri.html

 

--March 7, 2021

 

Pope Francis Calls for Collaboration of Abrahamic Religions, why not then Dharma based religions come together?

The pope’s visit to Iraq has a highly symbolic value given the importance of Iraqi Christians in the history of the faith and their cultural and linguistic legacy dating back to the time of ancient Babylon, nearly 4,000 years ago. The systematic persecution of Iraqi Christians at the hands of al-Qaeda and then ISIL (ISIS) in more recent years has pushed tens of thousands to leave and is threatening the community’s survival.

 Pope Francis showed up at the modest residence of Iraq’s most reclusive, and powerful, Shiite religious cleric for a delicate and painstakingly negotiated summit. Hours later, he presided over a stage crowded with religious leaders on the windswept Plain of Ur, a vast and, now arid, expanse where the faithful believe God revealed himself to the Prophet Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish, Christian and Muslim faiths. The ancient archaeological site of Ur is traditionally believed to be the birthplace of Abraham. 

The two elders, Ayatollah Sistani, 90 and clad in black robes, and Francis, 84, in his white cassock, each the highest religious authority among their followers, sat across from one another in stockinged feet.  By meeting with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf, Francis threaded the political needle, seeking an alliance with an extraordinarily influential Shiite cleric who, unlike his Iranian counterparts, believes that religion should not govern the state. 

In 2014, the expansion of the Islamic State, or ISIS, led to more persecution and migration, and Christians today constitute little more than one percent of the population reducing from 10%

Francis argued that “the greatest blasphemy is to profane” God’s name “by hating our brothers and sisters.  Hostility, extremism and violence are not born of a religious heart: they are betrayals of religion. We believers cannot be silent when terrorism abuses religion; indeed, we are called unambiguously to dispel all misunderstandings.” He referred to himself and the others as “descendants of Abraham and the representatives of different religions,” and said that, like “the great Patriarch, we need to take concrete steps” toward peace.

In 2019 in Abu Dhabi, Francis signed a joint declaration on human fraternity with Sunni leaders from Al-Azhar University and Mosque in Cairo, one of the major centers of Sunni Islamic learning. His efforts this time to add Shiites to the equation by meeting with Ayatollah Sistani in Shia-majority Iraq upset some Sunni officials.

 A senior Iraqi official said the Pope agreed to a brief meeting Friday that had not been previously scheduled with Mohammed al-Halbousi, the speaker of Iraq’s Parliament and a Sunni Muslim Arab, to assuage the concerns of many in the sect that their concerns were being ignored. Vatican officials on Saturday evening confirmed the meeting took place.

But it was the Shiites who were Francis’ focus Saturday and the thrust of his trip, officially themed “You Are All Brothers. It is a way to find again a deep sense of unity that must exist between these three religions and of the collaboration that must be created between members of these religions,” Cardinal Parolin said.

 The Vatican, in its statement about the meeting, said the pope had thanked the cleric “for speaking up — together with the Shiite community — in defense of those most vulnerable and persecuted amid the violence and great hardships.” The visit signaled to Shiite Muslim leaders that Christians are to be respected.

Ayatollah Sistani’s 2014 religious edict urging able-bodied men to join the security forces to combat the Islamic State group resulted in a recruiting boom for Shiite militias, many closely tied to Iran. But unlike his rival, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ayatollah Sistani believes in a separation between politics and religion — as long as politics does not break Islamic tenets. He is in some ways an ideal interlocutor for Francis: holy, credible and powerful. His decisions carry weight.   A statement released by Ayatollah Sistani’s office said the cleric had stressed that Christian citizens deserve to “live like all Iraqis in security and peace and with full constitutional rights.”

 Later Saturday, Francis delivered a sermon at the Chaldean Catholic cathedral in Baghdad, invoking similar themes of common good. “Love is our strength,” he told the crowded congregation, and as he walked out of the cathedral people chanted, “Viva, viva Papa!”

In this context please go through my earlier discourse “Need for Eternal Dharma based Religions to Come Together”

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2020/09/need-for-eternal-dharma-based-hinduism.html

Her we have to understand that Hinduism that we follow today has been carved out  from Sanatana dharma in modern times  to align itself with Abrahamic faiths, in  India and abroad.

“Hinduism as a concept arose comparatively recently - in the late 1800s - during a time in which Indians (everyone resident in South Asia were known as Hindoo/Hindu/Indian to the colonial powers unless they actively lobbied for a different affiliation) were viewed to have one “heathen religion.” Religion presupposes an institutionalized system of belief.

This colonial misconception has continued to thrive both in “Hindu” sources as well as Colonial/Orientalist sources. Unfortunately, both are presently the dominant presumption in North America, as postcolonial methods have not been applied to the most popular source texts - with repercussions visible not only in the educational sphere,  but also in the judicial, political, social, and even economic spheres.” writes Preeta Banerjee of Tuft University and a member of NAHCA.

 

 “In the dim past what we call Hinduism today was prevalent all over the world. Archaeological studies reveal the existence of relics of our Vedic religion in many countries.  For instance, excavations have brought up the text of a treaty between Ramsey II   and Hittites dating back to the 14^th century B.C.; the Vedic gods Mitra and Varuna are mentioned as witnesses to the pact. There is a connection between the name of Rameses and Rama. About 75 % of the names of places in Madagascar have a Sanskrit origin” says Evidence can be found in many countries of their Vedic connection dating back to 5000 years and even back to 8000 years according to recent archeological findings. With the dawn of civilization   itself, aspects of Vedic Dharma existed in these lands. It was only subsequently that the inhabitants of these regions came to have a religion of their own carved out of it and called it the religion of the land”   says Jagadguru Chandrasekharendra Saraswati in his Book of Dharma.

 

As Hindu Americans, drawn globally, we started well  focused on Hindu Dharma by installing Mahavira, Buddha, Saibaba, Swami Narayan  etc., icons in Multi-traditional temples, uniting all dharma based religions that also attracted Arya Samajists,  shaved Sikhs and mixed -race couples,  drawing all dharma and spiritual oriented people to come together.  It is unfortunate that this unity is drifting away as JAINA and Gurudwaras are running to White House as exclusive religions. The fault lies also in our Concept of Hinduism copying it from India.

Wisdom lies in going by the wisdom of Vedas  and Gita that do not talk about Religion whose doctrines are beyond Religious and National boundaries!

Sangacchadhvam sam vadadhvam sam vo manaamsi jaanataam/ devaa bhaagam yathaa purve sanjanaana upaasate // (X-191-20)

Come together! Speak together! Let our minds be all of one accord like the Devas that sat together in the past in harmony to worship.

[All people should live with one mind without enmity and this can be achieved only by the divine grace says the mantra]

Samaano mantra: samiti: samaani samaanam mana: saha chittamesam /
samaanam mantramabhi mantraye va: samaanena vo havisha juhomi //(X-191-3)

Let our speech be one; united be our voices! May our minds be in union with the thoughts of the wise people! Sharing a common purpose; we worship as one.

 Samaani vaa aakootih samaana hridayaani vah / Samaanam astu vo mano yathaa vah susahaasati // (X-191-4)

United be your purpose, harmonious be your feelings and  collected be your mind, in the same way as all the various aspects of the universe exist in togetherness, wholeness.

[We should act in a manner with no ill-will towards others, causing no harm and causing no pain. Let us learn from the nature as to how to live in peace and exist together in harmony that pleases the Lord says the mantra]

 

It is by far easier for Dharma based religions to come together than Abrahamic Religions. Once Dharma based religions come together, it will largely influence SBNR and Awesome without Allah moments in USA a swell as majority to join the Universal Religion of Vedanta:

 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2016/05/vedanta-religion-everlasting-universal.html

March 7, 2021

 

 

THYAGARAJA DAY CELEBRATION IN NASHVILLE

Sri Ganesha Temple in Nashville, TN has planned to celebrate customary Thyagaraja Day on March 6, 2021 confined to a lecture by Dr. Sankaran Mahadevan titled “History of Thyagaraja Aradhana in Tirivaiyaru” while mandatory social restrictions continue.

We are happy to hear Nashville will not be bogged down by the present critical situation and will celebrate Thyagaraja Aaradhana as Tiruvaiyar did with certain restrictions and precautionary measures. Please recall my E-mail sent last month on the subject. Usually we wake up late  for this celebration  and do not celebrate on his Samadhi Day!

“Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Aradhana Music Festival in 2021   

 Thyagaraja Aradhana, dedicated to Saint Thyagaraja, the greatest saint composer of Carnatic music, is observed in Paush month. Thyagaraja Aradhana 2021 date is January 29 to February 2. The music festival is held during this period for five days. The festival is held at Thiruvaiyaru near Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu and is also therefore known as Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Aradhana. The festival is observed on the fifth day during the Krishna paksha or waning phase of moon in the Telugu month of Paush or Pushya. The 174th Aradhana Festival Pancharatna Keerthana is on February 2, 2021.  

On the Thyagaraja Aradhana festival day, hundreds of Carnatic musicians pay their homage to the Saint Thyagaraja by rendering his ‘pancharatna kritis’ in chorus at his samadhi at Thiruvaiyaru. Another highlight on the day is the Unchavruthi Bhajan.  

Sri Thyagaraja attained Samadhi on the Pushya Bahula Panchami day or the fifth day after full moon in Pushya masam.  

On this occasion, I received a detailed note on this great celebration, from a friend, philosopher and guide of mine Sri. BRG Iyengar from Bangalore, introduced to me by Kamala Raghunathan. Please enjoy. Though my knowledge of Carnatic Music and CQ is a big Zero, I blindly follow my household on such occasions.  

On Saturday some of you might have listened to a lecture by Ramnath Kaushik, on Ragam, Thalam and Pallavi on Zoom arranged by Nashville Sri Ganesha Temple this week-end. It will be followed by other local musicians.   

 

Carnatic Music, in particular based on spirituality, by saints like Thyagaraja is a great boon during the pandemonium for our EQ and SQ Management promoted by his ardent followers, though credit goes to much research that has been done by Western Music.    

 

Earlier, I have talked to you about how Music helps in plant growth and increase yield in grow more food programs. Some universities offer a Music Therapy Equivalency Program. These courses of study give students just the credits needed to obtain a music therapy degree they are missing from their previous coursework.  

 

If you already have a Bachelor of Arts in Music, or any other number of music degrees, an equivalency program is a great way to not necessarily take all the coursework required for a full Bachelor’s degree in music therapy. You will take mostly the requisite courses in psychology, education, and clinical practice to become a board-certified music therapist.  

 

What is Music Therapy? 

 

Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship by a credentialed professional who has completed an approved music therapy program.  

Music Therapy is an established health profession in which music is used within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. After assessing the strengths and needs of each client, the qualified music therapist provides the indicated treatment including creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music. Through musical involvement in the therapeutic context, clients' abilities are strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words. Research in music therapy supports its effectiveness in many areas such as: overall physical rehabilitation and facilitating movement, increasing people's motivation to become engaged in their treatment, providing emotional support for clients and their families, and providing an outlet for expression of feelings.  

Music therapy as a source of healing has been documented by Harvard psychologists as an effective method of changing feelings and behavior for a healthier life and outlook.  

There are five different classes of psychological modification which music therapy is known to help with:  

 

What Matters –   Music has the ability to grab our attention, and keep it there. Think of every time you’ve listened to a great solo and was hypnotized by its beauty.  

 

What You Feel – Music can make us feel certain emotions, and music therapists use music to unleash and explore emotions at the appropriate time during a session.  

 

What We Do – Music makes us move to the beat, tap our feet, and give up control of our bodies. Music therapy utilizes this for therapeutic purposes.  

 

How We Think – As an intervention tool, music can change our thinking about adverse situations and mindsets. This is especially true when we find a song that speaks to a specific experience in our lives causing depression, PTSD, and any other number of psychological sickness.  

 

How We Communicate – Much of what music says to us is without words. Many music therapists find non-verbal communication through musical improvisation helps us understand our emotions better, transforming how we tell people about them.” 

 

Researchers at the Greater Polish Cancer Center have found music therapy aids in physical healing, as is the case with cancer patients. As the scientific world learns more about the relationship between music, the body, and the mind, further applications are expected to manifest within the field in the coming years. Would we be hearing about its highlighted in the lecture by our renowned Philosopher /Psychiatrist Dr. Vedavyas Biliyar in the forthcoming lecture on Saturday on Psychiatric Therapy for COVID 19? I understand he is also a music lover. A talk by him on Music Therapy would be of interest and   healing tool for the occasion.  Hope organizers will include the topic!

 

The swan song is a metaphorical song for a final gesture, effort, or performance given just before death or retirement. 

Hamsadhwani is a pentatonic scale (audava raga) and the notes it houses include Sadja, Chatusruti Rishabha, Antara Gandhara, Pancama and Kakali Nishada. Hamsadhwani has its roots in the Carnatic form, and is said to have been created by Ramaswamy Dikshitar, father of Muthuswamy Dikshitar.  

It is no coincidence that two of the famous Carnatic music compositions on Lord Ganesha are set in Raga Hamsadhwani. ‘Vatapi Ganapatim Bhaje’, a Sanskrit kriti composed by Muthuswami Dikshitar, and the Tamil song ‘Mooladhara Moorthy’, composed by Papanasam Sivan, are set in Hamsadhwani raga; and every Carnatic music student practices them while taking the very first steps into learning. 

It is customary to start any music function with “Vatapi ganapatim  Bhaje”. Are they changing the Western concept of Swan’s sang by making it the invocation song? Ironically whole Thyagaraja Aradhanain on his Samadhi Day  seems to be Swan’s Song bemoaning the Samadhi of Tyagaraja! 

Saint Thyagaraja was born on 4 May 1767 and died on 6 January 1847.  The storming of the United States Capitol,    violent riot and violent attack against the 117th United States Congress at the U.S. Capitol on , January 6 will go down in history  as a bemoaning day and for Hindu Americans  making  it more significant than others being the Thyagaraja Samadhi day. It is also a day to remember Music Therapy Day for COVID 19 as music is a great healer. Even the departing souls are sent away with the lyrical music of “Ram nam Satya hai” or “Nainam Chindnati Sastrani…..” from Gita or Veenaa nada of Hamsadwhani as the body laid in a State  for final journey to cremation ground to pay last tribute. 

In the context of all this, it makes more meaningful to make January 6 as Thyagaraja Aradhana day for Hindu Americans missing which May 4 is the next best. I therefore do not understand the significance of this celebration on March 6, 2021. 

--March 6, 2021

 

VEDANTA VISION OF GITA’S MESSAGES REVISITED BY URBAN MONKS & PHILOSOPHERS 

In all my recent E-mails on Bhagavad Gita, I have been concentrating on the following message of Gita inspired by the practical-guide-to-life spiritual discourses of Swami Chidananda of FOWAI Forum: 

Do your duty to the best of your ability without worrying about the results. Perceive that GOD is present equally in all beings and treat all beings equally. The four goals of human life are: Doing one’s duty, earning wealth, material and sensual enjoyment (with senses under control) and attaining salvation. The aim of the Gita doctrine is to lead one to tranquility, happiness and equanimity. Gita prescribes no rituals and says that the world needs different religions, cults and deities to meet the vastly different needs of individuals.” “Don’t worry, be happy’ may well be the goal of our lives, but the secret of achieving this lies in Gita. The Gita Doctrine is beyond Religious and National boundaries.

 "If opulence is your preferred lifestyle the Bhagavad Gita says more is less. The more you have, the less you enjoy" Visit Jaya Row's vedanta vision of Bhagavad Gita to day of Webinar Zoom presentation at 6 p.m.

The test of a philosophical text should not be how neat and clean moral instructions it can provide, but rather how much it can unsettle the set beliefs and stretch them higher and deeper. Gita scores full marks on that test. You may agree or disagree with what it says but you cannot be indifferent to it; even if it does not provide answers to all your questions, it will certainly enhance the quality of your doubts. And that is maks Gita a worth reading text. 

Recently,  Kalpataru Research has condensed Gita into a tract of 300 topics (trisati) comprising of the most essential teachings of the great spiritual teaching avoiding repetitions and material that does not directly relate these teachings and establishing a continuity of slokas into a spiritual topic including commentaries from great philosophers. Strangely it has not included the more recent interpretations of Jnanesvari, Lokamanya Bala Gangadhara Tilk, Sri. Aurobindo, Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave and other Urban Monks in an attempt to recognize Bhagavad Gita as a Prasthana with the other two, Upanishads and Vedanta.  Of late,  Urban Monks like Chidananda and Jaya Row of Vedanta Vision are engaged in giving lectures on Bhagavad Gita focusing on Gita Doctrine to lead one to tranquility, happiness and equanimity seeking EQ and SQ balanced life. They even say how Gita helps in Modern Management of Organizations, besides individual management of Self thus making it Universal Management guide to all paths of life in the modern world.  

“Bhagavad Gita brings to us the pristine Upanishadic truths within reach of the common person struggling with the everyday challenges of life. Then we have the commentaries on the Gita today from the acharyas and saints that even need interpretations on which Urban monks, philosophers and spiritual thinkers are engaged says Jaya Row of Vedanta Vision who is busy with Webinar Zoom lectures on Vision of Gita presently to which a cross reference uis made in this compilation.  

“The need of the hour is peace of mind. A tranquil mind is the foundation on which the edifice of success, happiness and growth can be built. The Gita gives the ability to remain peaceful in the midst of noise and confusion around. It speaks of a dynamic peace where the mind is at rest, intellect sharp and actions brilliant. A peace that cannot be shattered by a changing, undependable world. A strong, resilient peace, not a fragile equilibrium. The world pays homage to one who is at peace.” says Jaya Row 

Aurobindo’s Essays on Bhagavad Gita is a masterly exposition of the pre-eminent Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad Gita appealing to spiritualists and Yoga practitioners. It was after reading these essays, in particular, that in the 1930s President Wilson’s daughter went to Sri Aurobindo and devoted her life - receiving the name Nishtha via his vision in the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. 

“The Bhagavad Gita does not promise a vague, post mortem happiness. Its benefits can be reaped here and now to gain material prosperity, happiness and spiritual Enlightenment. The accent is on consistency of purpose and depth of feeling. Pursue your goal constantly and devotedly and you will achieve it. Whatever action you perform, whatever you perceive, whatever you offer, give or strive for, do it as an offering to the he bondage of actions that yield good and bad results. Thus, every mundane action is converted to worship. You will be freed from the bondage of actions that yield good and bad results.” says Aurobindo. 

“The Song of Eternity — A dialogue between Lord Krishna, the divine in us, and Arjuna, the symbol of our deluded ego (Jeevabhava) — How our mental confusion, delusion, desires, passions, etc. destroy our inner peace and how to overcome them is indicated — Geeta is a consolation to the bereaved, disillusioned, disappointed, morally slipped and spiritually fallen — It is a guidance to a politician, businessman and teenagers. The grand vision of the universe and all pervasiveness of God indicated — The secret of action pointed out — How one can step up efficiency, inner peace, concentration, usefulness to others and joy to himself is indicated — Tips for effective meditation given — Nature of the perfect man pointed out — Science of spiritual growth, spiritual fall and impotent stagnation is indicated — The beauty of the spirit and the ways of reaching the divine goal are indicated and that is the glory of Geeta.’” opines  SWAMI Chinmyananana in his brilliant exposition of Gita. 

 

‘Geetā is undeniably a beautiful garden where many flowers are in bloom. We have, in abundant measure, the fragrance of the well-known spiritual disciplines of karma (action without self-interest), bhakti (love towards the Supreme Power), yoga (control of inner energies) and jnāna (liberating wisdom). This series examines karma, bhakti and jnāna.” says swami  chidanananda of FOWAI Forum currently engaged in a series of weekend lectures on Jnana Yoga, Karma Yoga and Bhakti Yoga from Bhagavad Gita Yogopanishad. 

Why are the Hindu American Doctors on the front-line during the pandemic? It is their Svadharma and Sevadharma within the framework of Hindu Dharma and their human services to serve people that the doctor’s profession calls for. Many of them use EQ and SQ techniques while attending to patients. Most of them are spiritually inclined. In USA they are known for their temple building charitable disposition. In this context it is surprising and amazing to go through a spiritual writing by a practicing doctor in UK Dr. Kulakarni quoting slokas from all the 18 chapters, relating them to his spiritual motivation in discharging his duty selflessly as a doctor with no strings attached.  His massage is an eye-opener to all that drives the message the need for spiritual focus while materially absorbed in struggle and success in life.  

Please go through the exciting messages from Gita conveyed by modern urban monks and philosophers with simplicity to lead a peaceful and fruitful life with harmony of the society we live in, posted on the blog of Hindu Reflections.

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2021/03/vedanta-vision-of-gita-messages.html

 

--March 6, 2021

 

 

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Coverage of India and Hindus in School Books in USA

Here is an appeal to Hindu Americans by Sant Guptaji of HMEC that I would like to forward for your appropriate action:

“Textbooks on Indian history have to be purged of Colonial biases that ignore historical evidence. Indian history needs to be revisited and rewritten to help future generations appreciate the True History of India.   The writing of the new narrative itself takes effort and we are not, I am afraid, putting up enough effort into this.   

 Open the .pdf document, read and understand, click on the link provided. To my knowledge, you do not need to be a resident of the Fairfax County or State of Virginia to submit your comments.

We need all the community help urgently to ensure that Hinduism and India are treated equally and portrayed accurately in Virginia textbook standards. At the January 28, 2021 Virginia Board of Education meeting, the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) was authorized to proceed with the History and Social Science Standards of Learning and Curriculum Framework review process. Currently, feedback is being solicited for their 2015 standards. Comments are due March 1, 2021.

It’s absolutely necessary that we all submit comments in large numbers to show the VDOE that the Hindu American community deserves to be treated with dignity and fairness. The attached document outlines the entire process, the problematic standards, and our proposed revisions. It is critical that all the comments submitted from the Hindu American community are consistent and ask for the same changes. <Revisions to VA Standards2.0 -    3_1_2021.pdf>”

My remarks while forwarding:

Children of Indian American Parents born in USA are usually acquainted with Indian History in Discover India Camps. In such camps History of India should be taught based on hard evidences without any personal opinion or political bias. Students need to be told about both the good and the bad based on established facts and leave facts to students to think critically and draw their own conclusions. They should know the past (true history) without any biased opinion. Fortunately, now lot of this information on hard facts are now available though they have not yet entered into American Curriculum taught in US School. Some of these are under critical study by American Medium like Hinduism Today of Hawaii. I have also regularly brought to your notice recent archeological evidences, scientific discoveries and DNA studies. Here is an opportunity to Arise, Awake and Act to the message sent by Sant Gupta of HMEC.

 

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-can-be-wrong-history-about-ancient.html  

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2015/11/why-i-am-called-hindu-and-my-following.html  

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2020/04/indians-once-pioneers-of-science.html  

http://nrsrini.blogspot.com/2019/03/normal-0-false-false-false-en-us-x-none.html  

 Comments:

Thanks a lot for sharing, I am forwarding the e-mail to a few people via bcc.-

-Sant Gupta

 

Issue is not what is being taught in the US schools.  There should be discussion about what is being taught in India.  Aryan migration is still there. Caste system is still there in textbooks Sati is still being covered.  Problem need to be fixed at its root. Changes in the US will be easier and faster when they get corrected in India first

-- Rakesh

--March 1, 2021