Documentos de Académico
Documentos de Profesional
Documentos de Cultura
95
Affirming Sanatana Dharma and Recording the Modern History of a Billion-Strong Global Religion in Renaissance
www.gurudeva.org
Letters to the editor, subscription and editorial inquiries may be sent to Hinduism Today, 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304
USA, letters@hindu.org. HINDUISM TODAY (issn# 0896-0801), October/November/December, 2003, Volume 25, No. 4. Editorial: 1-808-822-7032
(ext. 227); subscriptions, copy or bulk orders: (from USA or Canada:) 1-800-850-1008, 1-888-464-1008 or (from all countries:) 1-808-240-3108,
subscribe@hindu.org; advertising: (from USA or Canada:) 1-888-464-1008, ads@hindu.org. All-department fax: 1-808-822-4351. HINDUISM TODAY
is published quarterly by Himalayan Academy, a nonprofit educational institution; Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, Founder; Satguru Bodhinatha
Veylanswami, Publisher; Paramacharya Palaniswami, Editor-in-Chief. USA subscriptions: us$35/1 year, $65/2 years, $95/3 years, $155/5 years, $1,001/
dinodia
lifetime. Contact us for international rates. Also distributed through major subscription agencies worldwide. For permission to publish a HINDUISM
TODAY article, call 1-808-822-7032 (ext. 227) or fax 1-808-822-4351. Printed in USA.
© 2003 himalayan academy, 107 kaholalele road, kapaa, hawaii 96746-9304 usa. all rights reserved.
During one of Nepal’s most famous Hindu festivals, two uncommon vehicles sky-scrape and sway their way
almost recklessly through the streets of Patan, just a stone’s throw from Kathmandu. Lord Machhendranath,
the occupant of the first chariot, is the country’s patron saint, and this two-mile, four-week journey, which
occurs every year in the months of April and May, is called the Machhendranath Yatra. Machhendranath’s
seven-story chariot is followed by a slightly smaller one carrying his son, Min Nath.
Welcome
to hinduism today’s digital edition!
am pleased to welcome you to the free digital edition of Hinduism
I Today magazine. It is the fulfillment of a vision held by my Satguru
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, founder of Hinduism Today, to bring the
magazine’s profound Hindu teachings to the widest possible audience.
The text of each issue has long been available on the Web, right back Click links below to soar over other areas of our vast
to 1979, but without the photographs and art. Now you have here the ocean of internet resources in your web browser
entire contents of the printed edition, with all photos and art. Plus, it
is interactive—every link is live; click and you go to a web page. You participate learn explore
can participate in the magazine in a number of ways, accessed through
buttons on the right. And you can help support this free edition in two
Make a Donation to Hinduism Today A Daily Chronicle of
ways: make an online contribution (even a small one); patronize our
Hinduism Today Home Page Kauai’s Hindu Monastery
specialized advertisers. Explore the resources here, enjoy our latest
edition and e-mail us if you are inspired.
AFRICA
AHAD, coalition mounted an
effective protest, eliciting8,000
online signatures and a flood of
B esides the concept of zero and the
transcendent wisdom of theVedas, India’s
heritage includes numerous down-to-earth
Orient (surprise!) are at the bottom. In
Poland, the Popes’ homeland, only
36% said religion is very important.
Argentina39%
Poland36%
Ukraine35%
phone calls, faxes and e-mails practical gems. A recent fun example appeared Italy, Great Britain, Canada, Slovakia,
Zambia Reaches for India to AEO’s offices within 48
hours. AEO promptly apolo-
in the Lee Valley Fine Woodworking Tools Cat- Korea, Vietnam and Germany rated
alog. It shamelessly markets “an Asian lunch even lower, at20 to 33%. France, a
Uzbek.35%
G. Britain33%
Canada30%
Z ambia, located in the cool high plateaus of south
central Africa, is one of the world’s remaining centers of pris-
tine beauty and wildlife and home for25,000 Hindus. Zambia
gized and pulled the sandals
from the market. But the bag
remains on the shelves. These offense sandals have
box.... ideal for small parts storage....Perfect for Catholic homeland, ranked near the
organizing screws by type or size...made from bottom, along with Russia, Bulgaria,
22 guage polished stainless steel...four stacking Czechoslovakia and Japan, with86 to
Slovakia29%
Italy27%
Korea25%
achieved independence in1964. In the infancy of development, Prakash Ashwani, an engi- been pulled off shelves. containers 4-1/2” in diameter by 2-1/2” 89% of the populations who could Vietnam24%
leadership faces serious challenges, but holds on to a strong neer working in an Edison, NJ deep....Measures 12-5/8” tall. An excellent stor- hardly care less about religion. China Germany21%
democracy and forward vision. In April, President Mwanawasa firm, said it well in an inter- resources for marketing age system, and not a bad idea for a four- abstained from the poll by barring in- Russia14%
signed trade cooperation agreements with India. And, first Lady view with the India Tribune, research miss the mark, Hindus course lunch either.” Want a cool tiffin carrier? vestigators from asking the question. Bulgaria13%
Maureen Mwanawasa hosted Indian dancers in Lusaka’s Hindu “This act of sacrilege, though are left wondering why these Live in the US, far from India or Indian stores? Japan12%
Hall, saying, “If you love culture, then you need to support pro- companies don’t bring Order from www.leevalley.com,search “con- Pew Global Attitudes Project shows most France11%
grams like this which bring two different peoples together.” She religious and cultural tainer systems.” Just $9.95 a set! wealthy nations are abandoning religion Czech11%
thanked the Hindu Association of Zambia for its second,50-ton sensibilities to their de-
food donation for famine stricken districts. sign strategies.
INTERNATIONAL
spondent, Paras
Ramoutar, de-
It took two years to com-
plete the murthi and reno-
Armani, “Khadi Will Rule”
scribed it as an
exhilarating day,
with over 10,000
vate the Lord Dattatreya
Temple along Dravidian
architectural lines. Resi-
K hadi is haute and happening, reports the
the Hindustan Times, quoting the famed fashion
king, Giorgio Armani who praised India’s hand-woven
attending the dent Bala Swamiji said, cotton at the Singapore Fashion Week, “Thekhadi
function. Head of “We plan to have a prima- made in India is among the most skin-friendly fabrics
the Yoga Centre, ry and secondary school we know. The day isn’t far whenkhadi-based designs
Attorney-at-Law on site, a play park and will rule the world.” Used by Mahatma Gandhi to
Ramesh Persad garden with a beautiful make a strong statement of patriotism and self-re-
Renovated Dattatreya Yoga Centre, Trinidad Maharaj, noted landscape to bring peace liance, hand-spun, hand-wovenkhadi is suddenly the
TRINIDAD
that the murti to all who visit.” The toast of fashion houses in France and Italy. “It was a
represents the mandir complex, which is Herculean task repackagingkhadi for Indian and Eu-
85-Foot Hanuman hopes and aspira-
tions of the Hindu
expected to become a
tourist attraction as well,
ropean tastes. Designers abroad were completely un-
aware that a quintessentially Indian material could be
Community and has beendescribed as a used for making Western clothes. Today after two
clockwise from top: agence france press, tekee wanwar; clockwise from top left: lee valley tools catalog, pew glob-
6 hinduism todayoctober/november/december , 2003 agence france press; devant maharaj al attitudes project survey, mukherjee/agence france presse october/november/december, 2003hinduism today 7
Since 9/11, Sikhs have E D U C AT I O N laden vertebrates a year in US IN MY OPINION
been the subjects of
suspicion and attacks Deathless high schools alone—for biology
credits needed to meet career
by those who wrongly
see them as terroists.
The Boy With Long
Dissection goals. Some students now have
a life-respecting alternative.
for more information go to: http:
e Each ave a Choic
Hair is an example
of the Sikh religion’s
proactive initiatives in
M ay 5, 2003: the univer-
sity of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign
//www.dissectionchoice.org/
Three Ways to chieve has mastered the power to abide in grateful contentment.
Enduring Happiness mental habits of a person just by smiling, being nice and helping
out. He is who he is. All you can do is your duty. Do it to the best
of your ability. If he is uplifted and smiles because of it or remains
grumpy and depressed, don’t let that be the measure of your suc-
cess. The measure of success is doing your duty, doing it with love.
Become secure in your innate, inner joy through It is okay for you to be happy even if your parent isn’t happy, even
though you live in the same house. You should not let your father’s
meditation, devotion and service to others or mother’s negativity, depression and criticalness be contagious.
This same principle applies to everything we do for others in
life. Sometimes parents get discouraged because they do the best
B Y S A T G U R U B O D H I N A T H A V E Y L A N S WA M I they can with their children and the children don’t respond in a
way that seems reasonable. “Look, our daughter didn’t follow my
raise the energies even further good advice, despite all my love and attention. She is still doing
happiness is that if you attain what you than the basic studying in school. the same old, stupid things.” The parents feel sad. But why should
desire, you are happy; and if you don’t, In doing so, we raise our conscious- they? They have done their duty and earned good karma by doing
you are unhappy. Win the lottery, get a ness and learn to avoid the grosser the right things in a loving way.
great job, and you are happy. Miss the states of mind—doubt, depression, Being surrounded by family and friends is important. It is a nat-
lottery, don’t get a great job, and you are mis- discouragement—and circumvent ural and positive state to live in. It helps us live a fullling, dharmic
erable. Webster tells us that happiness is “the the base problem of desire’s lead- life. However, the problem comes if we rely on family and friends
emotion evoked by success or by the prospect ing ultimately to sorrow. to make us happy. This is a false concept. We want our happiness
of possessing what one desires.” A reective The goal is to claim the spiritual coming from ourselves. Then we can share that happiness with our
person knows that this kind of happiness is happiness that is inside of us. Hap- family and friends.
eeting. When we nally possess what we piness is already part of our inner We should never fall into thinking, “I am unhappy by myself.
have been desiring, somehow the happiness self, but we need to learn how to Somehow, if I get married, if I have children or if I have lots of
soon fades, and before we know it we are back experience that part of us that is friends, I will be happy.” It does not work that way. Any tempo-
to our dissatised self again, desiring some- always happy. Our religion gives rary happiness soon wears away in the old cycle of fulllment of
thing new to give us that elusive happiness. us inner ways and outer ways to desire. We get married. If we are an unhappy person, we may be
Desire-fulllment-pleasure-loss-pain-suffering—that is the cycle accomplish this. The monistic or medita- happy for a while. But eventually we will fall back into the state of
of seeking happiness in outer things, be they possessions or people. tive way is to turn within in meditation, unhappiness, because that is our mental habit, the mode our mind
What is the solution? Some say, “Give up desire!” Desire is what is go deep into the lotus of the heart and operates in. That habit does not go away just because we associate
causing the whole problem. It drives us to get what we want, and experience our inner self, our inner light, with new people. It also does not go away by our getting new pos-
when the happiness of that getting eventually wears off we start all our spiritual energy. That makes us truly sessions. The happiness derived from acquiring things lasts for an
over again with a new desire. So, if you can get rid of desire, you happy. That’s a wonderful way. even shorter time. New computer, new car, redecorate the home—
solve the whole problem. Right? There is also the theistic way. We can that is fullling for a few months, maybe a year for the home, but
Our Gurudeva, Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, looked at it differ- come to the temple and open ourself to eventually the charm wears off. The state of unhappiness only goes
ently. He said, “Desire is life, and the reason we desire things is the blessings of the Deities. We come in away permanently by our remolding our consciousness and the
because we are alive. Desire is energy expressing itself.” The only an unhappy state, receive the blessings way we look at life, by rening our character to the point where
way you could get rid of desire would be to get rid of life. Even and go away uplifted and happy. Why? we naturally live in a state of fullled contentment all of the time,
if the physical body has passed on, even if we don’t have a physi- Because we have connected with our regardless of external circumstances. We can summarize the above
cal body, we are still “alive,” still active, creative and motivated by inner self through external worship. We observations in seven practical principles:
a. manivel
what? Desire. So, trying to get rid of desire is not really a solution have connected with the same blissful
to the cycle of desire and fulllment. state that can be achieved through medi- Seven Tools for Conquering Unhappiness
Instead, Gurudeva suggested uplifting our consciousness and tation. These are two ways to internalize . Rene your consciousness and build self-control through educa-
changing what we desire. That is how we solve the problem, by our awareness, to move our awareness tion and cultured activities.
channeling or transmuting our energy, desiring things that are into our spiritual being. Recently a devotee wrote to me for advice. “The doctor has put . Clear the subconscious of negative memories, reactions and
more rened. Instead of desiring just to make ourselves happy, we Gurudeva gave us a third way: “If you want to attain happiness, Dad on an even stronger pain medication. He spends his days in grudges through afrmation, self-reection and sadhana.
desire to make our family and friends happy, too. That is a higher make others happy.” That is a wonderful statement. Quite often we bed. He is so very depressed. I pray daily that I can brighten his . Fill yourself with gratitude for life and for all that you have.
desire. Going to school is a way of channeling energy. As a child, are unhappy because we are self-centered. We are in a selsh state day in some small way. I offer to massage him. Sometimes he is . Know that happiness and unhappiness are states of mind. They
rst we memorize, bringing the energies up out of the chakras of mind, concerned only about our life, our problems, our chal- open; sometimes he just wants to be left alone. My husband and I are not the real you. You are the pure awareness that experi-
below the muladhara into the muladhara chakra. Then, in the lenges. “Life is not treating us fairly,” we think, so we are unhappy. try very hard to care for him in the best way we know how. Most ences a state of mind; you are not the state of mind itself.
svadishthana chakra, we reason. We learn how to think. Then we What’s the antidote? Do something for other people. Try to make times, I feel it is never good enough, because Dad is so closed . Learn to change your state of mind in meditation, turning
learn how to push things through and accomplish them, through them happy. down, so critical and angry. I continually look for ways to give and awareness within to your spiritual nature, the radiance within
the force of will in the manipura chakra. We are pulling the energy A woman suffering from severe depression was told by her psy- to serve each day. Please offer advice and encouragement.” you. Direct awareness through controlled breathing.
up into memory, reason and willpower in the normal process of chiatrist, “I have a remedy that is a sure cure for your depression Sound familiar? An aging parent is in a negative state of mind, . Tune into your innate happiness through religious devotion.
schooling. Schooling is important, for it trains us to lift our con- if you follow it. Go out and help other people. Make other people to one degree or another, and refuses to budge from that state of . Become fullled and uplifted by doing things for others.
sciousness, rene our character and harness the baser desires. happy.” Of course, she would not do that. We might say she actu- mind, no matter what the children do. Here was my advice. “In
Cultural practices such as singing, dancing and playing a musi- ally wanted to be depressed. Or we could say she was stuck in that caring for your father-in-law, it is enough to do the kindly act. By cultivating these tools you can experience true bliss, true hap-
cal instrument are also effective ways of rening desire. They help state of mind, unable to change. Whether it is appreciated or not does not matter from a karmic piness, a contentment that does not cycle or fade.
According to karma yoga, the action one it. Similarly, if I do a good action, there is If you would walk the way of love, never
has done cannot be destroyed until it has no power in the universe that can stop its feel hurt nor yield to anger, but accept pain
borne its fruit; no power in nature can bearing good results. The cause must have as a part of life. Dada J.P. Vaswani, spiritual
stop it from yielding its results. If I do an its effect; nothing can prevent or restrain head of Sadhu Vaswani Mission
evil action, I must suffer for it; there is no this. Swami Vivekananda (-)
power in this universe to stop it or stay Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.
H.G. Wells (-), British author
The angel turned expectantly to the leader Wealth and happiness are not related to man emotion, thought and action. Yet, you
DID YOU KNOW? He who has millions in money but no of religion C. With an expression of grave each other as cause and effect. An attempt no doubt meet or observe people occasion-
character will soon turn his cash into trash. humility, C’s leader said, “I wish nothing to secure happiness by securing wealth ally whose life and actions are repellent or
895 The World’s LARGEST His Divine Holiness, Pramukh Swami
Maharaj, spiritual head of Bochasanwasi
for myself. It will be enough if you merely
grant the prayers of my two colleagues!”
is as futile as it is absurd. Jagadguru Sri
Chandrasekhara Bharati Mahaswamigal
unacceptable to you. The absence of love
has created a vacuum of understanding.
.
off the face of the Earth!” The leader of re- Sojourns in tirthas, which are meritori- Those who live without renown
ligion B said, “Religion A is the cause of all ous and which constitute one of the high don’t live at all.
Sri Lanka USA Malaysia South Africa UK our troubles. You have to reduce them to mysteries of the rishis, are even superior to
ashes!” By now the angel was disappointed. sacrices. Mahabharata
gni
and mercy, inspiring devotion in such a way that Man ap- Agni extends the sacrifice to heaven: his forms are scat-
in number, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, the Vedas include over
100,000 verses. Oldest portions may date back as far as 6,000 BCE.
Hospitality
mother is a God. Be
INDU
one to whom the father
is a God. Be one to
whom the teacher is a
God. Be one to whom the guest
is a God.” So advises the Tait-
tiriya Upanishad of the Yajur
Veda, affirming the remarkable
Hindu reverence for a guest.
SOCIAL ISSUES
The Sanskrit word for guest
is athithi, “without time,” i.e.,
“one who has no fixed day for
coming.” It remains today the
accepted custom of Hindus to
visit friends, relatives and even
strangers without notice. Hosting
guests is one of the five central
religious duties or “sacrifices” of
the Hindu householder: paying
homage to seers, to Gods and
elementals, to ancestors, to liv-
ing beings and, manushya yajna,
“homage to men,” which includes
gracious hosting of guests. The
ancient Tamil scripture, Tiruku-
ral, says, “The whole purpose of
earning wealth and maintaining
a home is to provide hospitality
to guests.” In this article we ex-
plore the many facets of Hindu
hospitality, from how to receive
a guest to how to behave in the
home, to the impact of modern-
ization, urbanization and the ad-
dinodia
vent of the nuclear family upon
this most ancient and revered
obligation of our faith.
WELCOME! “ Be one to whom
Arriving guests are warmly
greeted at the entryway by the the guest is God.”
entire family. In a well-adjusted,
cohesive family, receiving —TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD
visitors is a joyous event.
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 19
Do you think you are the perfect Hindu delight and ate the grains with pleasure and and guests, each covered with a mosquito God as guest: The most common
Perfect Hosting
host? Well, here’s a story that will make you appreciation. To him, the true value of this net to ward off insects. Hindu form of worship,puja, is, in
reevaluate your hospitality skills, for the host meager gift lay in the affection with which it Another time, I was with my older broth- fact, an act of hosting. Rare is the
in this tale is none other than Lord Krishna. had been offered. Similar stories abound in er, who had to stop at an acquaintance’s Hindu home without a shrine for
When his boyhood friend, Sudama—hungry, our scriptures and histories. home in Old Delhi to pick up some paper- the Deities. From huge family
impoverished and in rags—arrived at the Although I did not grow up in a particu- work. The family knew we were coming and temples of marble in the homes of
palace, the guards refused to allow him in. larly religious household, the concept of hos- had prepared a feast. In this very Hindu the wealthy to modest shrines,
But Lord Krishna, overjoyed to see his old pitality was still very traditionally Hindu, home, we removed our shoes, washed our Hindus revere their Gods. Daily, osting is more an atti-
friend, received him with open arms and both in giving and receiving. I remember we hands and feet and sat on the immaculate images of the family Gods are tude than a set of prac-
joyfully led him to his throne. He personal- stopped at a friend’s home in Mathura after kitchen floor with the hosts while a brah- bathed, clothed and offered fruit, tices. The perfect host is
ly washed Sudama’s feet and fed him with a pilgrimage to Haridwar. The hosts re- min cook served us one of the most memo- flowers and incense, accompanied truly open to guests and
his own hands. Sudama had brought a hum- ceived us like VIPs, with open hearts and rable meals I have ever eaten. by chanting and the tinkle of the honestly delighted with their
ble gift, a handful of parched rice tied in the minds. We ate a wonderful vegetarian meal Indeed, you can never leave an Indian bell, all in the format of hosting a presence. That said, here are
corner of his shawl and was too ashamed to in the cool evening air in their garden, and household without gaining a few ounces, for guest. The full 16-step puja begins some specifics to keep your
give it to Lord Krishna in front of all the fine then, as the stars came out, the string beds you will certainly be plied with some with an invitation for God to come hosting up to par.
courtiers, but Lord Krishna opened it with were brought out into the open, for family snacks, some tea at the very least, or a glass to the home, continues through of-
of cold rose sherbet in the heat of fering of a seat, washing the feet Welcome: Greet the guest with
summer. In our home in New Del- with water, offerings of drink and namaskara, invite him cheer-
Guestly Perfection
hi, family and friends came to us food, garments and incense, flow- fully into the house. Make him
from everywhere, and they cer- ers, etc., until finally the God is sit comfortably. Speak pleasant-
tainly got more than a glass of wa- thanked and bid adieu. While the ly to him, inquiring about his
ter: delicious meals, a comfortable standard human guest would re- welfare.
bed, domestics hanging over their ceive less adulation, a holy man Refreshments: Always offer the
every need and, yes, even a guided visiting a family’s home may well guest something to eat and
guest may be anyone tour of Delhi, and, sometimes, be welcomed and worshiped in drink. Usually tea or juice is
from a close relative to a even Agra. this complete manner. served, along with snacks. At
total stranger, and rules Nor was the hospitality reserved Festivals bring a more intense least a glass of water is offered
naturally vary accord- just for visiting guests. Daily food program to host God. At Dipavali, (with a smile and apology).
dinodia
ingly. What is summarized here was never eaten without my moth- the Festival of Lights, when God- Hosting: Guests who are mem-
is for a visitor somewhere be- er’s consecrating a small portion to dess Lakshmi visits the homes of bers of the extended family
tween the two extremes. God, and a portion being given to a devotees, there is a frenzy of clean- will just fit in to the family rou- Welcome!: A pleasant welcome is the first gift from the host
passing needy person or a cow. ing, sweeping and painting as tine. When a bit more formality
Arrival: It is traditional that a Relatives came and were joyous- homes are beautified and decorat- is called for, the father, if present, will speak Punctuality: Eastern life is generally more re-
guest need not inform a host of ly received, especially on days of ed with hundreds of earthen lamps with the guest. If not present, the mother laxed than in the West. A good guideline is
his impending arrival. Howev- shraddha when the priest, uncles, to greet Her. and a son will fulfill this role, and if no son is do not be surprised or offended if your guest
er, in today’s busy world, more aunts and cousins would descend And guest as God: At the very present, the mother may act as hostess, but arrives late or early. But be punctual in your
and more often guests do give on the house to honor the memory heart of Hinduism is the belief that only with the accompaniment of someone own engagements, as this is appreciated.
advance notice. The host may of ancestors. The house would take the Almighty permeates every- close to the family. The children may go off Duration of Stay: It is quite impolite to ask a
insist that no advance notice is on an almost festive air, as scores of thing. Indeed, the Hindu belief in to play among themselves, stay with the guest how long he intends to stay, but it is
necessary, and close friends or children erupted out of the arriv- the presence of the Paramatma in adults or come and go. good protocol for guests to make their plans
relatives may even take ing cars. After prayers and feeding every living thing transforms each Wife Home Alone: If the lady of the house is and itinerary known from the outset.
advance notice as an affront, a the priest, the aroma of sizzling one of us into God. The ancient home alone and a male visitor comes to see Goodbyes: Always see your guest to his trans-
disturbing sign that all may not puris and pakodas wafted from the Hindu texts say the guest has to be her husband, it is not proper for her to invite port, and wave and watch until they are out
be well with the relationship. kitchen while elders embarked on shown honor by the host’s going him in, or for him to expect to enter. Rather, of sight.
Duration: It is very impolite a massive talkathon. out to meet him, offering him wa- he will leave a message and depart.
dinodia
of the host to ask how long the Sundari Katir of California told ter to wash his feet, by giving him
guest is staying. But, as a guest, Hinduism Today, “When I was a seat, lighting a lamp before him,
you should convey this infor- Arrival: Guests may arrive unannounced growing up in Sri Lanka, guests providing food and lodging and accompany- guests is one of the five obligatory sacrifices dama—a brahmin at that—outside the gates.
mation in an casual manner. In would always be visiting us from ing him some distance when he departs. or duties of the householder. Anusasana When Hinduism Today’sfounder, Satguru
a gesture of hospitality, the host will natural- chores, as well as care for their quarters, different parts of the country and Thousands of years have passed, but this states, “The host should give his eye, mind Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (Gurudeva), was
ly retort that you should really stay much even if the host insists it is not necessary. You India. The whole household would code of etiquette remains little changed and agreeable speech to the guest, he should in Sri Lanka as a young man, he experi-
longer. can also help with cooking, as well as invite jump into action. My mother from the ancient scriptures. personally attend on him and should accom- enced wonderful hospitality across the is-
Gifts: Gifts are always given to hosts by your hosts out for a meal. would assemble the meal, and we In the Manu Dharma Shastras, for exam- pany him when he (the guest) departs; this land from all the communities. Part of the
guests when staying overnight in a home. Graciousness: It is an insult to refuse any children would get our rooms all ple, the host is directed thus: “All the food sacrifice (yajna) demands these five fees.” time he stayed in the very traditional Tamil
The value of the gift varies greatly, of course, offered drink or food. Blend into the family’s ready, because we would give them shall be very hot, and the guests shall eat in The visit of a holy person is given extra village of Alaveddy at the home of Kandiah
depending on the guest’s circumstances and rhythms. Be a genuine friend, taking real up and sleep on mats on the floor. silence. Having addressed them with the special attention, and for good reason.Vrid- Chettiar, one of his teachers, receiving in-
resources. It is proper to give a separate gift interest in the family’s life and treating the It was such a natural thing to do, question: ‘Have you dined well?’ let him give dha Harita Dharma Shastra says that if a structions on, among other things, the host-
for the wife and the husband. The wife re- children lovingly, as you would your own. and we were always delighted to them water to sip, and bid farewell to them bramachari ascetic stays as a guest in a ing of guests. One day, Chettiar had given
ceives the nicest item. Small items should Conversely, one should not meddle in family have guests. Today my brother with the words: ‘Now rest.’” K.T. Achaya in householder’s home for a single night, the food to a rather suspicious-looking man at
also be given for the children. In Sri Lanka, affairs, nor later make unflattering observa- Ranjan is one of the few relatives Indian Food: A Historical Companion latter’s accumulated sins are destroyed, and the gate, rather than inviting him to the
giving goes the other way as well. It is com- tions to others about one’s hosts. left in Colombo, and he carries on points out that guests had an honored rank when such an ascetic takes food at a man’s porch of the house. When the young Gu-
mon for the host to give a gift to the guest, Thanks: After returning home, remember the tradition. He treats everyone as in Vedic society and, after being ceremoni- house, it is Vishnu Himself who is fed. rudeva asked why he didn’t invite the man
especially those poorer. to send a warm and sincere thank-you letter, God, with good food, comfortable ously received, were offered the ambrosial Common sense: It should be clearly stated in, Chettiar replied, with characteristic
Helping: In a home without servants, con- hand-written, mentioning some specific de- beds and heartfelt hospitality. I beverage, madhuparka, consisting of ghee, that Hindu hospitality does not extend to frankness, “Because he would steal every-
siderate guests can help with housework and tail of your visit that you most appreciated. have become a better hostess after curd, milk, honey and sugar. being careless with the safety of one’s fami- thing in the house.” The dharma shastras
observing him.” According to thedharma shastras, hosting ly and home. Even Krishna’s guards kept Su- discuss at some length the issue of unworthy
dinodia
blood relatives to several degrees removed, the so-called lower castes. It is really quite near ones come, one silently wishes that
but also all the in-laws by marriage—is basi- inconceivable that a loving religion, which they will stay in a hotel and, at best, they
cally treated just like a member of the im- proclaims that God is in every living thing, might come for a dinner or a breakfast,” he
possible that in the morning there is one set Little wonder, then, that in multicultural mediate family. It would not be uncommon, would denigrate a whole class of human be-
An enjoyable visit results when both of people, in the afternoon another and a to- India these varied streams of hospitality for example, for a student at the university ings as untouchables.
guest and host are experts in the art tally different group at night. The meals have coalesced to produce a generous and to stay with distant relatives throughout his The story of everyday village India is full Serving food is a host’s obligatory
of congenial conversation. served would be according to whatever time warm people. Visitors to India come away entire schooling. of the low castes being turned away from duty, and for the host to skip it, or
of day it is. Also, the bath area often has a with awed stories of the way they were em- Then there are friends, business acquain- village wells, being castigated for worship- for the guest to refuse what is offered,
separate access from outside the house.” braced and included in every family cele- tances, people from the same village or state ping at the temple or merely for passing by are both affronts.
or even dangerous guests, yet advising that In her grandfather’s day, Sheela noted, it bration—in fact, made part of a larger, ex- and so on, all of whom have some connection the home of a brahmin. While things are
no matter what the circumstances, the visi- was the practice for the head of the house- tended family. Often these relationships last
tor should at least receive food. hold to stand at his doorstep at mealtime over the years.
Village traditions: Sheela Venkatakrish- and ask loudly, not once but thrice, “Is there You cannot go to even the humblest home
nan of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, told Hindu- someone who needs to be fed?” Sometimes without being honored with food and Indian
ism Today,“You offer your guest the same a traveler or a poor man would come in for drink, as Janet Chawla found out some years
love and respect that you would offer to food. It was only after the guest had been back. Chawla, an American who married a
God. Simple! A striking example of hospital- fed that family would eat—one of the explic- Sikh and now lives in New Delhi, believes the
ity is when the whole town of Kumbakonam, it instructions in the dharma shastras. The charm of India is in the graciousness of its
where my father hails from, turns host dur- Apastamba says, “He who eats before his people, although it is getting less so in the big
ing the week of the Mahamaham.” Thou- guest eats destroys food, prosperity, progeny, cities. She feels there is a grace, a way of sit-
sands upon thousands of people come for cattle and the merit of his own house.” ting together, singing together at weddings.
the holy bath in the tank of the Kumbar- Hospitality permeates Indian culture, People in small villages, she says, really are
eswaran temple, and every home opens its both on a personal and institutional level. In very giving, sharing the little they have.
doors to accommodate and feed all who Tamil Nadu, many of the bigger and older “In America, if we were sitting and work-
reach its doorstep. No one is turned away. temples have the annadanam scheme—a ing together, and I had a sandwich—I would
Sheela explained, “Houses in the villages daily free feeding. Recently, with the active open it and eat it alone. An Indian would
and towns of Tamil Nadu usually have a fair- patronage of the government, many more never do that,” she says. “There is this kind
ly large platform just outside their front temples have revived this practice, where of culturally prescribed sharing which I find
door, called a thinnai. This serves two pur- they feed a minimum of 100 people each very gracious.” Janet didn’t mention it, but
poses. One is temporary storage of grain day at noon. Muslim darghas have adopted some Westerners visiting India can find the
during the harvest and also an airy place to this practice, while the Sikh gurudwaras level of hospitality discomfiting, especially
sleep during the hot and humid summers. have always followed it. Mention also has to the tradition of never leaving a guest alone.
It is not unusual for a traveller to use this as be made of the Hyderabadi brand of hospi- That impinges upon the Westerner’s desire
a resting place. You could open your front tality that has few parallels. Made famous by for privacy and “personal space”—concepts
door in the morning and find someone the Muslim nawabs of Lucknow, those on absent from the Indian milieu.
sleeping on your thinnai. This is where you the receiving end enjoyed courtesy, food, Hospitality at home: Hindu tradition lays
would find the strangersduring Mahama- drink and congeniality—all served with an great stress on the respect due to guests.
ham. Of course, family and friends would elegant world-class flourish. Every ethnic The greatest hurt for a guest is the thought
dinodia
be accommodated inside the house. But and religious subculture of India puts a pre- that the host or hostess does not enjoy one’s
everyone is fed, irrespective of caste. It is mium on hospitality. presence. Therefore, Hindus go out of their
dinodia
She didn’t know it, but this adage ap- fort to make their visitors’ stay a memorable is so pithy, so profound and so
manivel
peared in the1736 edition of Poor Richard’s one, where the kindnesses and warmth are sacred that it is sworn upon to-
Almanac by Benjamin Franklin, one of vast, even if the budget is tight. They should
goes on. “What to speak of caring for the grants struggle with the beliefs they grew America’s founding fathers. He said, precise- do all they can to entertain and help visitors day in South Indian courts.
parents or relatives when the wife and hus- up with and the pressures of their new en- ly, “Fish and houseguests stink after three in a new and bewildering place.
band have no time even to talk to one an- vironment. Most manage to keep the hospi- days.” The statement, and the attitude be- Guests should attempt to be considerate, The whole purpose of earningwealthand maintaining
other! Or when the one-year-old child, the tality intact for family and close friends. hind it, stand in stark contrast to the Hindu informing their hosts of their length of stay a homeis to provide hospitalityto guests.
only child, is put in a day-care center so that Some go to extraordinary lengths, sponsor- view of the guest as God. And it’s not just an in advance. They should pick up after them-
both the wife and husband can earn enough ing relatives and even opening up their American trait. Shakespeare wrote with a selves and not add to the harried hostess’
to satisfy their ideas of modern comforts, in- homes to them till they get settled. similar attitude in King Henry VI, Part I , tasks. Bringing small gifts for the family When a guestis in the home, it is improper to hoardone’s meal,
cluding that refrigerator or new TV The Gujarati community is particularly “Unbidden guests are often welcomest when members, entertaining the children or per- even if it happens to be the nectarof immortality.
“What to speak of hospitality for friends strong in this respect, and many continue to they are gone.” In all fairness, there are haps offering to take the family out to dinner
and unknowns,” says Chowdary, “when the live in large, extended families abroad. This many hospitable Americans and Britishers, are practical and appreciated gestures.
nuclear family of wife and husband are say- sense of caring is extended to the entire but offering hospitality is not the religious Hospitality is a virtue that has many ben- If a man cares daily for those who come to him,
ing that the old father must stay with one son community and, in fact, many Patels have obligation it is for Hindus. It is also relevant efits for the receiver and the giver, as these his life will never suffer the grievous ruinof poverty.
and the old mother with another son? They managed to do so well in the motel business that, in the Hindu village, true strangers small kindnesses smooth social connections
want to separate the old parents, considering because of their unity and financial support were served on the porch, or even at the and build relations. It also shows the next Wealth’s Goddessdwells in the hospitable home
them burdens to be shared by the sons.” of friends and relatives. No wonder the compound gate, in order to preserve the generation the way to continue the beliefs of
As Chowdary points out, with women Gujaratis command a whopping portion of sanctity and safety of the home. our ancestors. And of course, often the shoe of those who host guestswith a smilingface.
joining the work force in large numbers, and the motel industry. They are well-trained in While the pressures of life in the West are is on the other foot—and the host himself
time, effort and budgets stretched by mod- the ways of hospitality, for as one of the suc- there for the hosts, to some extent their atti- becomes a guest. So he should treat his If a man eats only after attending to guests’ needs,
ern life, the old-time hospitality is often cessful hoteliers, H.P. Rama, affirms, “We tudes have also changed. The rhythms of guests as he himself would like to be treated. what further sowingwill his fertile fields require?
compromised. Earlier, visitors could just Indians believe the guest is God.” the place where you live impact you. Lead- There are so many stories of God Vishnu
drop in, but now hosts get agitated to find Mitesh Patel, who lives in Edison, New ing frenetic lives in the West, people tend to himself donning beggar’s raiment and com-
unexpected guests on the doorstep—a far Jersey, came to the US when he was 15, so become more brusque, more cynical. Like ing to the door for alms. So, the next time The hostwho, caring for guests, watches hopefully for more,
cry from the hospitality of the village home’s he has seen life on both continents. Now24, Franklin, they begin to regard the guest as the doorbell rings, welcome your guests will himself be a welcomed guest of those whose home is Heaven.
thinnai. he believes that Hindu hospitality has less- an unwelcome nuisance. Standards of hospi- with an open heart. Look beyond the facial
Sheela Venkatakrishnan agrees: “In recent ened in the US, Canada and the UK, but not tality are indeed changing, and one wonders features, the clothing and the physical bod-
years, the trend has become, as Gurudeva in India: “I believe the reason is quite sim- how far we should embrace modernization ies into the eternal soul which glows within Charity’s merit cannot be measured by gifts given.
said, ‘The women going out of their homes ple. NRIs are busy making big bucks in at the expense of true hospitality? each of us like the purest of gold. This is the It is measured by measuringthe receiver’s merits.
to work.’ Living in nuclear families, who is these countries. Sometimes even family What to do? Gurudeva, Satguru Sivaya Self that scripture says is immortal, the one
there to take care of the home, leave alone a members don’t see each other for a few days Subramuniyaswami, once observed, “The that water cannot wet, sword cannot cut nor Those who never sacrificeto care for guestswill later lament:
guest? You tend to think twice about visiting because they are busy working, so they feel guest is God, not an intruder. All Hindus fire burn. And so, bending low, with folded
a friend or relative, not wanting to impose or that it’s hard to accommodate a guest.” have a heart to receive the guest as God. hands, welcome the divine Paramatma, the “We hoarded wealth, estranged ourselves, now none will care for us.”
inconvenience them in any way.” Indeed, living abroad, notions of hospital- This is very important for us to remember, God who is within each of us. ∏π
Still, she points out that they have many ity do undergo a change. Also, abroad, one because guests come and guests go. Often, Author Lavina Melwani , a popular free- The povertyof poverties is having plenty yet shunningguests.
relatives in joint families who welcome them would never dream of dropping in on ac- guests come and never come back, because lance correspondent, was born in Sindh, Such senselessnessis only found in senseless fools.
with open arms. She herself lives in a joint quaintances without calling ahead. This is a of subtle inflections in the voice, because it grew up in New Delhi and has lived in Hong
family in Chennai where someone is always culture where even children do not just play was forgotten to serve even a glass of water, Kong and Africa. She currently resides in
home: “The doors of our home and our but have organized “play dates” scheduled which is traditional in Hindu culture. The New York with her husband and two chil- The delicate anichamflowerwithers when merely smelled,
hearts are open to God and all whom He out weeks in advance. guest is God, not an intruder. When some- dren. T. H. Chowdary, Information Technolo- but an unwelcome lookis enough to withera guest’s heart.
chooses to send our way.” Indians living abroad do have to contend one steps up to you, drop your work. People gy Advisor: Government of Andhra Pradesh,
The diaspora adjusts: The picture, how- with housework, their jobs and the daily are more important than paper. People are contributed to this article. He may be con- Chapter 9, Verses 81 to 90
ever, is bleaker in the diaspora, where immi- commute, all without the support of extend- more important than giving oneself to the tacted at thc@satyam.com.
Chastity’s Strength,
Rama and Sita; (below) the Divine Life So- practiced, the physical body remains
ciety ashram, Durban, South Africa, was youthful and beautiful, the brain keen and
the venue for the huge conference attended alert and the whole physical expression
by 14,000 devotees becomes the likeness and the image of the
with the presentation of the two swamis, health, suicides, domestic conflicts, giving from sex and a life of self-con-
who focused on a central but often ignored vent to anger, hatred, jealousy, etc. trol were the hallmarks of our —SRI SWAMI SARADANANDA
aspect of Lord Hanuman, Hisbrahma- “When Dhanwantari had taught the de- students. This stage in life was
charya or celibacy, source of His enormous tails of ayurveda, Indian medicine, to his known as the brahmacharya ashrama. It is thoughts, yet his words charm. Every
physical and spiritual strength. The follow- disciples, they enquired about the essence a way of life or a convention which we as movement of his is powerful. That is the
ing are excerpts from their presentations. of the science of ayurveda. The sage re- Hindus seem to have forgotten. power of the ojas.’
marked: ‘I tell you thatbrahmacharya is “In some of the earliest sruti texts, such “Swami Vivekananda said, ‘By the obser-
Swami Sahajananda: “Besides being an truly a precious jewel. It is the one most as the Brihadaranyaka, Taittiriya, Chan- vance of strict brahmacharya, all learning
unparalleled votary of Ram-Nam (the effective medicine to destroy diseases, de- dogya and Mundaka Upanishads, we get a can be mastered in a very short time. One
name of Lord Rama), Sri Hanuman was cay and death. For attaining brightness, good glimpse of the vibrant student life has an unfailing memory of what one hears
also a great brahmachari (celibate). Today, peace, knowledge, memory, health and lived under the conditions of chastity. To- or knows but once. It is owing to this want
we pay homage to Him for this quality of God-vision, one should observebrahma- day our students seem to be jaded and of continence that everything is on the
His. Since this is a very auspicious occa- charya. It is the greatest and highest dhar- lacking in mental stamina in an environ- brink of ruin in our country.’
sion, it will be appropriate if all those at- ma. Saluting brahmacharya first, the cases ment of excessive sense pleasures. Draw- “Brahmacharya also gives one the power
tending this conference take the vow of beyond cure, I cure! Aye!Brahmacharya ing a vivid and sharp contrast between to grasp and remember the subtle truths
brahmacharya. Boys and girls should take can undo all signs that are not good.’ those students who observebrahmacharya imparted by the guru and the scriptures.
“Our most beloved Lord and those who indiscriminately waste their People forget spiritual teachings due to the
“Sri Swami Sivananda stated Rama Himself set the best ex- energies in passion, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan lack of brahmacharya. Deep meditation
ample for us in the practice of wrote in the introduction to hisPrincipal and higher spiritual states of consciousness
that not an iota of spiritual brahmacharya. Sri Ramakrish- Upanishads, ‘Brahmacharya is not sex- cannot be achieved and retained without
na, Sri Swami Sivananda and destruction. Ancient Indian thinkers were brahmacharya. It is through the power of
progress can be made Papa Swami Ramdas state that of the opinion that the seed within man ojas that a person attains God Realization.
divine life society
not an iota of spiritual progress and woman is intended for the purpose of “Those that practice brahmacharya see
without the observance of can be made without the creating a body by which another soul all females as Sita or the manifestation of
observance of brahmacharya.” may come into physical embodiment. the Divine Mother. Women will consider
brahmacharya.” When thus controlled,brahmacharya all men to be the images of Lord Rama.
Swami Saradananda: “The helps creative work of every description. The practice of this insight will have far-
—SRI SWAMI SAHAJANANDA subject of brahmacharya is as When the seed is wasted in sex excesses, reaching effects on our domestic, social
intrinsic to this conference as the body becomes weak and crippled, the and spiritual lives.” ∏π
By Anandhi Ramachandran, Chennai to launch a Tamil magazine entitled Kalki. was herself very much like Meera—a pious
ubbulakshmi sang beautifully To help produce the needed capital for this woman who prayed and worshiped fervent-
at my dance recital for graduation publishing venture, Subbulakshmi accepted ly. Because of her devotion, she had an al-
from Kalakshetra College of Fine an offer to perform the part of Sage Narada most mystical ability to stir listeners into the
Arts back in the forties. By this in a film called Savitri. Although she had al- revery she herself was experiencing. That
time she had become quite famous ready played the part of Shakuntala, a saint- was the magic of her soulful music.
and could have politely declined my ly heroine, portraying the male role of Sage Mahatma Gandhi, a few months before he
request to perform. No one would have been Narada would prove far more challenging. was assassinated, sent a message to Subbulak-
surprised. But she did not. Those who shmi lamenting how much he would like
knew her understood. Such was her to hear her sing his favorite bhajana,
way. She was and still is uncommonly “Hari Tuma Haro Janaki Bhir.” Subbu-
humble. Even when her name was a lakshmi humbly submitted that she did-
household word in South India, we n’t know the song. But Gandhi replied,
called her kunjakka, which means “lit- “I would rather hear‘Hari Thuma Haro’
tle sister.” spoken by Subbulakshmi than sung by
It is not easy to write about this great anyone else.” That same night Subbulak-
artist, who has become such a legend shmi set the words toDarbhari Kanada
within her own lifetime, even though Raga (A South Indian classical music
she is a friend of mine. It would also be scale), recorded it and had the tape
impossible in the space of this entire flown to New Delhi the next day, Octo-
magazine to summarize her many ac- ber 2, 1947 , just in time for Gandhi’s
complishments or give even a brief syn- birthday. When Mahatma was assassi-
opsis of her long life story. So I will just nated on January30, 1948, All India Ra-
tell you what inspires me. dio broadcasted that song repeatedly.
Some 50 years back, M.S. Subbulak- Touchingly, its lyrics were written to al-
shmi became known as the singer with leviate the burdens of mortal life.
the “golden voice.” Publically venerated All through the 1940s, Subbulakshmi
as one of the twentieth century’s finest gave benefit concerts for innumerable
South Indian classical musicians in the institutions, schools, colleges, hospitals,
was spellbound. From then on, Subbulakshmi was so inspired that she took it upon herself
sang that song at every one of her concerts. to personally introduce Subbulakshmi, a res-
t. sad
The lyrics begged people to give up war and ident of South India, to the music-loving
live in peace. public of North India. “I commend Subbu-
rtesy
Sadasivam’s mission in life was preserving lakshmi of the South to the people of the
s: cou
his wife’s musical gift. He would sit faithful- North,” she said in a now-famous statement.
ly through every one of her performances “Whosoever comes under the enchantment
photo
like a man enchanted. So deeply involved of this singer’s great gifts, will agree with me
was he in her music, he knew all of her that she is not an interpreter of Meera, but
songs by heart. He was the one that Meera herself. Take her into your hearts and
arranged the concert programs. He was the cherish her. You will be proud that India in
one that personally saw to it that Subbulak- this generation has produced such a
shmihad a quiet place and time to rest and supreme artist.” After this, Subbulakshmi
prepare in seclusion before each and every became a musician respected almost like a
performance. saint all over India.
Through her long career, Subbulakshmi In 1986, the Madras Music Academy con-
performed in every state of India. During ferred upon Subbulakshmi the title of
each one of these concerts, she would sing Sangeetha Kalanidhi. Not only was this one
one or two songs in the state language, of the greatest honors a South Indian classi-
which would thrill the audience. In prepara- cal musician can receive, it had also never
tion for these concerts, Sadasivam would be been given to a woman. When she was pre-
am
sure she learned, practiced and studied the sented with the title at that precedent-set-
adasiv
languages she would be singing so that her ting Music Academy conference, she said,
sy t. s
pronunciation was perfect. Each time she “My husband has been my friend, my guide
prepared to sing a song in a new language, and my philosopher. I lay all recognition I
urte
an appropriate linguistic scholar would be have received as a musician at his feet.”
os: co
invited by Sadasivam to their home as a Whether Subbulakshmi is singing a South
guest. She would sing for that scholar, and Indian classical composition, a popular Hin-
phot
he would check and recheck her pronuncia- di bhajana or a Sanskrit sloka set to music,
tion. her voice is so filled with devotion listeners
Sadasivam was very particular about the can’t help thinking she must be a saint. The Not yet done and more to come:
emotional content of each song. If there was words of Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, former Pres- (From top to bottom) The artist per-
even the slightest erotic content, he would ident of India, come to mind. “It is a great forming in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. When
not allow it to be included in her repertoire. joy to listen to Srimathi M.S. Subbulakshmi,” asked about the younger musicians com-
Today, Subbulakshmi is held in high esteem he said. “She brings us into great exaltation. ing up, Subbulakshmi replied, “Many of
by people throughout India and around the Her music is the gift of Gods.” ∏π them are so gifted and finely trained.
But I miss one thing in their music,
Accolades: (From top to bottom)Subbulakshmi with the Mountbattens, guests of Jawa- namely this (gesturing to her heart). If
harlal Nehru (second from left) at the opening of the Hindi version of Meera in New there is radiance in the heart, there will
Delhi; Smt. Sarojini Devi, renowned as the “the nightingale of India,” praised Subbu- be radiance in the music.” (Background)
lakshmi’s musical gifts; with Mrs. Indira Gandhi The artist in Savitri, her first film.
More Pilrims Than a emple own Can Handle canals and ponds has resulted
in depletion of ground water.
are incapable of handling the
additional burden of the oat- Staggering Numbers During Brahmotsavam
The water shortage pales ing population due to lack of
in signicance to a sewage resources and authority to
Main Festival in Tirumala-Tirupati (1998)
Study shows how pilgrimage sites can’t manage the present surge of visitors network which serves only act. On the other hand, most
• Pilgrim transport trips from Tirupati to Tirumala ,
percent of the total area in religious institutions, which
Vrindavan. In the remaining benet directly from offer- • Total passengers ,
’ : in , an average of nearly areas, septic tanks or open gut- ings made by pilgrims, as well • Heads tonsured ,
pilgrims to India’s holy , per day. ters are used, and a mere as local businesses, are not • Average occupancy at devasthanam (, rooms) .%
sites are creating a wholly These visitors naturally Environmental Issues in Pilgrim Towns public toilets exist in the city. contributing to improving the • Peak occupancy at devasthanam %
unpleasant mess. Several create a demand for support- The two sewage treatment environment. • Pilgrims fed with free meals ,
major pilgrimage destinations ing infrastructure, such as • Pilgrims in Tirumala-Tirupati offer about , plants are nonfunctional, and Shinde suggests that these • Pilgrims fed with free meals on peak day ,
in India, principally Vrindavan facilities for accommodation, coconuts per day to be carried away as waste. raw sewage goes directly into institutions have the moral re- • Pilgrims had darshan ,
and Tirumala-Tirupati, were which causes urban expansion • Visitors to Tirumala-Tirupati generate tons of waste the Yamuna River. sponsibility of propagating reli- • Pilgrims had darshan on peak day ,
the subjects of a study con- often at the expense of these per day, higher than the per capita in urban areas. Both these cities also face gious faith while incorporating • Pilgrims for sarvadarshan (free) ,
ducted by Kiran Ajit Shinde rural oases’ natural beauty. In- • Air pollution in Tirumala-Tirupati is double the maximum air and noise pollution prob- environmental concerns. He • Total collection ,,
at the Asian Institute of Tech- creased air pollution and insuf- permissible for religious places in Andhra Pradesh. lems. For example, the average argues that pilgrimage needs • Hundi collection (offerings in the temple) ,
nology’s School of Environ- cient solid waste disposal only • With , tons of waste accumulated in the Pamba River width of a street in Vrindavan to be acknowledged as an eco-
Source: Tirumala-Tirupati Devasthanams
ment, Resources and Devel- begin to speak of the strain is seven meters, originally nomic activity which provides
at Sabarimala, the presence of E. coli has reached near epi-
opment, Thailand, in which that large pilgrim populations meant for bullock carts. Thus, income for local residents but
environmental degradation place on small temple towns. demic proportions at times the permissible limit. automobile and pedestrian also produces output that adds
due to pressures exerted by When they were founded as trafc share the same con- to environmental pollution.
an increase of visitors was dis- remote spiritual sanctuaries, gested space, and air pollution For the long term, Shinde
cussed in detail. India’s population was less than caused by old diesel-burning recommends developing poli-
The number of pilgrims, also one percent of what it is today, vehicles is on the rise. cies to manage the impacts—
known as the oating popula- there was no rail system and It doesn’t stop with air and the effects—through cleanup
tion, often signicantly out- the average Indian never ven- water. Development in Tiru- programs such as those
numbers the local population, tured more than miles from mala has caused total denuda- spearheaded by Friends of
severely compounding issues his home. tion of the forests and soil, Vrindavan, as well as increasing
that plague nearly all of In- In Tirupati the stress and leading to near extinction of and improving carrying capac-
dia. Vrindavan is a small town, strain caused by this increase is the indigenous ora and fauna. ity and waste management. If
photos by deivarayan
The world’s finest Hindu Sun temple is also one of India’s most innovative
architectural masterpieces. Though weathered by time, it continues to shine.
By Mangala Prasad Mohanty, Orissa that ever shines, now as in ancient times. here gladly, shivering through a cold night,
ear the huge 700-year-old sun As I am standing here with my small son, immersed in benign devotion, waiting to
temple of Konarkon the Bay of Nirvan, on the banks of the Chandrabhaga, worship the Sun.
Bengal in Orissa, a small lake called I click to turn on the blue light of my digital Saptami Mela starts every year on the sev-
the Chandrabhaga gently flows to- wrist watch to check the time. It is 3:46 in enth day (saptami) after the full moon in
ward the sea some 50 meters away. the morning on February8, 2003. We have January/February. It is Konark’s most popu-
I can understand how tourists visit- been up all night, but we are not tired. We lar religious festival. Though themela is an
ing this place during non-festival times have lots of company. There are, I am told, annual event, the one in progress this year is
might consider it unspectacular. How could nearly a half-million people standing here unique for astrological reasons and occurs
they know that long ago it was a raging riv- with me. We are all crowded together, wait- only once every 34 years.
er where yogis became sages as they prayed, ing in the dark. A group to my right is quiet- Suddenly there is quite a bit of noise waft-
performed extreme penance and worshiped ly reciting Sanskrit slokas. To my left some ing from a distance. The crowd around me is
the rising Sun? young fellows are singing bhajanas (devo- beginning to shift back and forth. I grasp my
d e i va r aya n
Those holy men of yore left behind a por- tional songs). It’s pitch black and we can’t see son’s hand tightly. Occasionally, we are lifted
tion of the peace they earned. It can be felt a thing. Still, I snap a few blind shots with off our feet and moved some distance to the
strongly even today, lingering in the air like my camera, and the flash captures a glance left, than back to the right. It is a bit discon-
sweet perfume. Although the Konark temple upon the carefree and unselfconscious pil- certing, but panicking will not help. This I
now lies in ruins and the geography of the grims. Today begins a week of celebrations know. It is becoming apparent that the
holy sites surrounding it has changed drasti- called the Magha Saptami Mela. We are all events we have all long awaited will soon
cally with time, this magical place still pulls come to pass.
pilgrims from all over Orissa, India and A grand and colorful procession which
around the world—literally thousands of commenced at midnight some miles from
them every year—to rise up in rever- here has been slowly making its way
ent prayer for the Sun God through many small and large villages of
Orissa and is finally arriving here. Three
icons, representing Lord Siva as Triven-
iswar, Dakshineswar and Ayisaneswar, are
being carefully brought down from their
palanquins to be placed upon their re-
spective seats of honor. A special homa
(fire ceremony) and abhishekam (wa-
ter ceremony) will soon be performed
for them by priests from the Konark
temple.
When these oblations are conclud-
ed, we will all flood the lake or the
nearby ocean for our holy dip in the
sanctified waters. This could be dan-
gerous with so many people. The
possible peril, however, has not gone
unanticipated. Many special arrange-
ments have been made. The lake has
been dug larger to accommodate more
people. Special facilities have been con-
structed for women. Electricity was in-
sanjib mukherjee
stalled. Two watch towers have been erect-
ed for crowd observation, and hundreds of
police are on hand. Eight temporary med-
deivarayan
the heavens in a resplendent chariot drawn mammoth sculptures of elephants and hors- The Vedas, which are the world’s oldest
by seven horses, representing the seven days es were constructed as symbols of distin- scripture, extol the Sun God as Surya or Adi-
Suryanarayanaswamy of the week. Yet even with the popularity of guished royalty and honor. Of the 22 sub- ti, especially in theRig Veda (the first of the
Andhra Pradesh this particular image in painted art, the con- sidiary temples that once stood within the four Vedas). The Upanishads, a set of deeply
cept of building an entire temple in the compound, only the Vaishnava and Mayade- philosophical works comprising the final
shape and form of such an unsymmetrical vi shrines remain. An important part of the portion of the Veda, place great emphasis on
scene was breathtakingly original, especially temple is the nrityamandira (dance stage), Sun worship. TheChandogya Upanishad fo- The author and son: Mangala Prasad
during the 13th century when temple build- cuses on the worship of Surya exclusively. Mohanty relaxes with Nirvan near Konark
Suryanaar ing protocol was very strict. To this day it is The Mahabharata, an important Hindu lit-
Tamil Nadu not clearly understood why King Nara- erary epic and Indian historical account,gives the Sun God such sovereign status that
simhadeva was so inspired to build he was considered, at that time, more signif-
such an untraditional structure Lone rolling stone: Only one icant than many other Gods in the Hindu
with such extravagance. of the Konark temple pantheon. Certainly, the magnificence of
Construction of the chariot’s original 24 the Konark temple testifies to the great re-
Few and far between: Of the thousands of temples in India today, there are only seven huge edifice is said wheels is fully intact spect Surya once commanded.
dedicated to the worship of Surya, the Sun. Of those seven, Konark is the foremost. to have taken today Orissa is one place in India where Sun
twelve years. worship has been practiced continuously
ical camps have been set up on themela site, ceremoniously offering fruits and flowers Its main since Vedic times without a break in conti-
and a mobile ambulance is on patrol. Special while chanting the family’s names. These tower nuity. The solar symbols on ancient punch-
retail shops have been opened by the gov- pujas, intended to bring prosperity, usually was marked coins discovered in Orissa prove the
ernment to supply food at reasonable prices. last from 15 to 30 minutes. As the morning 227 prevalence of Sun worship in its remote past.
And good drinking water is being made stretches on, such activities will slowly come At both the Lingaraja temple of Bhuba-
available everywhere. Still, I’m a bit wor- to an end, and local fishermen with their neswar and the Jagannath temple of Puri,
ried. Ah, but it’s a festival. What can really catamarans will gradually reclaim posses- the worship of Surya is part of the daily rou-
go wrong? sion of the beach. tine. Even though Sun worship does not ex-
At dawn, my son and I will join a sea of For the next six days, the famous Chan- ist as a distinct sect in modern-day Hin-
wet and shivering devotees to gaze upon the drabhaga Fair, which takes place right next duism, honoring the Sun is very prevalent.
brightening horizon of the Bay of Bengal. to the Konark temple, will entertain thou- In the Smarta sect, Surya is worshiped as
Together, we will greet the rising Sun with sands. Although the fair will essentially a major Deity, along with Ganesha, Vish-
prayer. Such worship is considered highly be the joyful overflow of serious devo- nu, Siva, Sakti and Skanda. Certainly, it
meritorious and will officially constitute the tion, lively entertainment—provided by it could be argued that formal Surya
culmination of our night’s austerity. In truth, a throng of songsters, dancers and dra- worship is not readily apparent, since
however, the larger celebration of the Magha ma troupes performingjatra (folk the- of the thousands of Hindu temples in
Saptami Mela will have only just begun. The atre)—will make it a joyous, social af- India today, only seven are dedicated
Chandrabhaga Fair is yet to come. fair. The closest town to Konark is to Surya (see map). Yet, who could
After the dawn worship of the Sun, most Bhubaneswar, the capital of Orissa. deny that, at this very moment, the
of the pilgrims will casually move toward Because the fair both attracts fun- Sun God is as unquestionably pre-
the Konark temple, stopping along the way lovers from Bhubaneswar and reli- sent, essential and adored in our
to make offerings at local shrines on the gious pilgrims from Konark, it is— lives as he ever was? A day cannot
beach and at thethakurbari (home of the lo- especially this year—one of Orissa’s begin without Him, nor can it end.
cal head priest). Some small groups, usually most popular and colorful events. We could not exist at all but for the
families, will gather around waiting forpan- There are toys to charm children grace of this bright light of life in
das (village priests), to request them to per- and delicious foods of all sorts for our lives. May He continue to smile
form personal pujas (worship ceremonies). young and old alike. Makeshift shops upon us through the dawn of each
The pandas will accommodate these re- everywhere sell everything imagin- new morning, and may we never
quests by drawing outlines of temples in the able, including keepsakes, souvenirs take Him for granted. Praise Surya!
sand, placing earthen lamps upon them and and religious mementos. For tourists, Hail to the Sun God of Konark! ∏π
geta
us to progress on the spiritual path. If the spiritual path can be
T Teens
Teensand
anddiet
diet described as a huge mountain that you have to climb, eating meat
OU
Ve
is equivalent to carrying a heavy sack on your back as you climb
K ������������������
�� ��������������
EA the mountain. It is contrary to the path of spirituality.
a
�������������
�������������
SP �����������������������������������
����������������� ������������������ ������������
������� ���������
������ In general, vegetarians live longer and are known to have fewer
m
chronic illnesses. Health-care costs throughout the world have been
TH
������������������
�� �������������������
����� ������������������������
�������� ��������������
I ’
���������������
��������������� growing exponentially. Vegetarian diets can help offset medical costs
U
�������������������
�������������������
YO ���
��� by reducing the amount of medical attention we need.
y
in may we sent out a call ∫ simsosmooth@aol.com
h
������������������
���������������� ����
on our daily e-mail news service, Hindu
Press International, inviting Hindu youth to send ���
��� Palak Malik, 16, New Delhi: Vegetarianism
W
in a short essay covering the reasons why they personally existed as a custom in the days of yore
chose to remain a vegetarian if so raised (or why they became ���������
��������� among certain Hindu and Buddhist sects. It
one if not), how they have dealt with peer pressure to change, the value �����������
����������� is sattvic food advocated by the rishis and
of more people becoming vegetarians and any other aspect of vegetarianism munis of the ancient times, whereas nonveg-
they wanted to share with Hinduism Today readers. Here we include a select etarian food is a product of violence as the
representation of the very grown-up reasons they gave. animal is killed and cooked for eating pur-
poses. The animal at the time of death has
feelings of anger, or may fear death, which
Thuvaarahan Ravichandran, 7, Toronto: To many teenage girls, being a on consuming them as food are transferred
When I was small, I ate meat, and then vegetarian means that they can not only to the human body but the human mind and soul as well.
when I was four someone told me that I cut the greasy meat products �������
Our ancient scriptures say, “What you eat, so you become.” Just
������
���
was eating killed animals. I did not like that from their diet so that they can ������
��� ���� �
�������
������� by giving a thought to the quote one can realize what is going to
because I wanted animals to be alive and see lose weight. Also being a veg- ��������
���� ������ be the fate of the vast majority of people who are eating nonvege-
�������
������
���
the world. Also, I learned that real Hindus etarian enables people to clear ������
��� ������
��� tarian food just for taste when so many fresh fruits and vegetables
��������
����
are vegetarians, so that is why I became a their minds and become more ��
�� ���
��� are available in plenty.
KRT
�����
���
vegetarian. When people ask me to eat fish, I peaceful. I know it’s changed �������
�������
By eating nonvegetarian food, people are becoming more and
���������������������
���������������������
say that being a vegetarian is healthier than me, because the devotion of God more violent and aggressive, and they pose a serious threat to the
eating meat. I like to do pujas, and I think manifests in all of His creation, and within each individual and people that are strictly vegetarians, such as my parents. They have existence of a peaceful world. At the same time they are inviting
that people who eat meat are not supposed to do pujas. You can thing. So, why should we harm any of God’s creatures? Life is taught my sister, my brother and me that we should respect ani- diseases like high blood pressure, tension and other psychological
���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
still eat delicious food when you are vegetarian. composed of a cycle of rebirths, so whatever is done in this life will mals, because we, too, are animals. We would not want to be eaten
��������������������������������������
�������������������������������������� problems. ∫ rajivhtc@del3.vsnl.net.in
∫ abikandasamy@hotmail.com predict the outcome of the next life. ∫ donkeykong448@aol.com or killed by them, so we should not eat or kill them either. Because
of this belief in our household, we have never and will never find Tejal Shah, 19, New Brunswick, New Jersey:
Medha Raj, 10, La Palma, California: I have Abirami Ravichakaravarthy, 15, Toronto: beef, pork or anything like that in our refrigerator. Drugs and alcohol have already exhibited
often been told by others, “How can you live I realized that innocent animals were����� �����
being I have�������
�������friends that don’t practice the same �����������������
�����������������
religion as I do and extreme mental affects on individuals, lead-
without meat!” It’s not even a question, just slaughtered so that I could have a “good” �������������������
�������� ����������� are always asking me why I am a vegetarian
����������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������
��������������������
��������������������
and why I won’t ing some to depression, yet scientists have
a statement they make, which sounds very dinner, but how good could my dinner be
����������
����� ��������������������������
��������������������� convert to something else. I always end up explaining to them
����������������������������������������������
���������������������������������������������� not researched adequately the effects of
much like, “Oh, my God!” “Simple,” I say, “I if the food that I was eating had to endure ��������������
���������������������� that I���������
���������
have �����
����������
been ���������������
�raised
������������������������
�to
�����������������
���
be a vegetarian
������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������
and I just can’t let that diet on mental health. Hinduism here is
�����������
�������������� �������
������� �
just do.” If they really want to know, I ask pain? I also realized
�����������������������������
����������������������������� that as a Hindu, I would
�������
������� ������
go. They would think that it would
������������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������������ be hard to live in a society several steps ahead, as its philosophy stated
them questions. Why not live with nature not become closer to the Lord unless�������������
����������������������
���������������������� I
������������� �����������
����� ���������
��� where ������eating
�����
����� meat is a must. But for me it is not hard because in Hindu Rites and Rituals tells us, “Since
instead of destroying it? Why not start being became a vegetarian.
��������������
�������������� ������������
������� ���� � another belief in my family is that there is no food like homemade Vedic times the rishis meditated and com-
healthy as a kid? By eating meat, you are There are also many scientific and�������
�����������������������
����������������������� ethical
������� �������
������� food. We don’t go to restaurants as much because we love the way puted the effects of diet on man’s thoughts,
killing animals. Extra fat also goes into your reasons that associate with vegetarianism.
���������������
��������������� our mom cooks Indian food. But others can’t live without meat his higher consciousness and his spirit. They delved deep to
body. That’s size XXXXXL! If I keep on being a vegetarian, it will For example, the human body was naturally
����������������������������
����������������������������
structured to be her- because they have always been raised to eat meat, so I don’t bother fathom the mechanisms of his behavior with himself, with those
help keep me fit and healthy for a long time to come. So, why not bivorous; this can be identified mainly by our jaw structure and arguing with them about it. ∫ desigurls23@hotmail.com around him, with his environment and the divine. Gleaning the
��������������������������������������������������������������������������� �������������������������
������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ �������
�����������������������������������������������������
������������������������������������������������
start developing healthy tastes right now? I deal with other people teeth. They were prearranged to take in the same victuals as ani- empirical truths, they prescribed holistic injunctions of diet purity
by telling them that I am happy just the way I am, and how should mals like the elephant, deer and rabbit. We were basically made to Narasimhachar Prativadi, 22, Getzville, to edify his body, mind and spirit.”
I know what I’m missing out on because I’ve never tasted it and eat vegetables. New York: Vegetarianism gives us a deeper Hindu scripture places food into three categories: tamasic, raja-
never wanted to bother trying. Although the sciences of being a vegetarian are considerable, the appreciation for all life forms. It allows us to sic and sattvic, in accordance with the kinds of effects it has on an
For a long time, lunch recess was not something I looked forward ethical conflicts are the most upsetting. Not only are the animals see that every form of life has value. A meat individual’s body, mind and spirit. The tamasic category includes
to. I felt quite disgusted by the prospect of eating near others who killed for the sake of someone’s meal, but they must also endure eater’s diet calls for the slaughter of several meat and is attributed to a state of darkness, ignorance, lethargy
were chewing dead animals in their mouths. Then I figured that pain before death. It was just the other day when a teacher told animals per day. Since the slaughter is done and inactivity. The scripture elaborates, “A diet of animal flesh
I couldn’t starve myself. So I told them to chew with their mouth me that, when reading in the newspaper of the mad cow disease, so often, the meat eater no longer feels the stimulates the senses, inciting the baser instincts in man. He is
shut, and they did. Over time, they have begun to understand me she saw a picture of a cow on quarantine who was about to be value of the animal’s life. These types of more prone to bursts of anger, hate and violence. The calming,
and respect my feelings. ∫ medha_raj@hotmail.com slaughtered with a tear rolling down its cheek. If this is the emo- thoughts breed superiority of humans over sattvic temperament accruing from a vegetarian diet is reflected in
tion of a cow that must bear death because of a fatal disease, then other forms of life. It makes it okay for us animals. Herbivores are docile, whereas carnivores are aggressive
Kavita Nana, 15, Munster, Indiana: Personally, I consider eating we can only imagine the emotion of a cow that will be slaughtered to destroy life for our own comfort and lifestyle. A vegetarian diet and violent.” At the same time, a nonvegetarian diet teaches no
animals unethical, because why should we kill animals for food for the enjoyment of eating beef. makes us realize that Sri Rama (God) is in everything. Vegetar- pity and care for animals, leading to their ill treatment, sometimes
when we can get through life as healthy human beings without ∫ abikandasamy@hotmail.com ians eat plants because they lack central nervous systems. Eating even when they are not being eaten.
hurting one animal? Many of my classmates in high school can’t plants causes less harm than eating animals. We should live our ∫ tejalshah84@hotmail.com
understand how I never am tempted to eat meat. But when your Nikita Shah, 16, Wisconsin: Most people know that Hinduism is lives doing the least amount of harm to the planet and the beings
mom cooks highly nutritious vegetarian Indian meals every night, made up of many different beliefs, and sometimes these beliefs around us. this is the first in hinduism today’s new “youth speak out” series,
presenting young people’s responses to relevant questions and issues
I am the one left wondering who would actually want to eat meat may or may not be strictly followed. The belief in being a vegetar- Vegetarianism reduces the amount of negative karma we accu- faced by modern hindus living in today’s cosmopolitan world.
please e-mail letters@hindu.org with your suggestions
after a scrumptious Indian meal? ian is also not always strictly followed. But there are still some mulate during a lifetime. Every time we slaughter an animal for for other issues you would like to hear youths’ opinions on.
42 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2003 o c t o b e r / n o v e m b e r / d e c e m b e r , 20 03 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 43
or over years, Western scholars have
INSIGHT
struggled to understand Hinduism, a faith
whose followers seemed (to outsiders) to arbi-
Hinduism
trarily worship any one of a dozen Gods as the
Supreme, a religion vastly diverse in its beliefs,
practices and ways of worship. Some Indologists
labeled the Hinduism they encountered polytheistic;
others even coined new terms, like henotheism, to
describe this baffling array of spiritual traditions. Few,
however, have realized, and fewer still have written,
A Splendrous
that India’s Sanatana Dharma, or “eternal faith,” known
today as Hinduism and comprising nearly a billion
followers, is a family of religions with four principal
Smartism
Saivite Hindus worship the guru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami’s Dancing with Siva,
Shaktism
Supreme God as Siva, the we offer a synopsis of these four denominations, fol-
Compassionate One. Saivites lowed by a point-by-point comparison.
esteem self discipline and phi- Smartas worship the Supreme in
losophy and follow a satguru.
They worship in the temple
Shaktas worship the Supreme as
the Divine Mother, Shakti or Devi.
She has many forms. Some are
Vaishnavism one of six forms: Ganesha, Siva,
Sakti, Vishnu, Surya and Skanda.
Because they accept all the major Each of Hinduism’s philosophies, schools and lineages
and practice yoga, striving to
gentle, some are fierce. Shaktas use Vaishnavites
Vaishnavites worship
worship the
the Supreme
Supreme Hindu Gods, they are known as shares a common purpose: to further the soul’s unfoldment
be one with Siva within.
chants, real magic, holy diagrams, as
as Lord
LordVishnu
Vishnu and
and His
His incarnations,
incarnations, liberal or nonsectarian. They follow to its divine destiny. Nowhere is this process better repre-
yoga and rituals to call forth cos- especially
especially Krishna
Krishna and
and Rama.
Rama.Vaish-
Vaish- a philosophical, meditative path, sented than in the growth of the renowned lotus, which,
mic forces and awaken the great navites
navites are
are mainly
mainly dualistic.
dualistic.They
They areare emphasizing man’s oneness with seeking the sun, arises from the mud to become a magnifi-
kundalini power within the spine. deeply
deeply devotional.
devotional.Their
Their religion
religion isis rich
rich God through understanding. cent flower. Its blossom is a promise of purity and perfection.
in
in saints,
saints, temples
temples and
and scriptures.
scriptures.
october/november/december, 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 45
What Is the What Is the
Deeply Mystical Magic and Power
Saiva Sect? Of Shaktism?
Saivism is the world’s oldest reli- Shaktism reveres the Supreme as
gion. Worshiping God Siva, the the Divine Mother, Shakti or Devi,
compassionate One, it stresses in Her many forms, both gentle
potent disciplines, high philo- and fierce. Shaktas use mantra,
sophy, the guru’s centrality and tantra, yantra, yoga and puja to
bhakti-raja-siddha yoga leading invoke cosmic forces and awaken
to oneness with Siva within. Aum. the kundalini power. Aum.
art by s. rajam
Seated on Nandi, his bull mount, the perfect devotee, Shakti, depicted in Her green form, radiates beauty,
Lord Siva holds japa beads and the trident, symbol of energy, compassion and protection for followers. Wear-
love-wisdom-action, and offers blessings of protection ing the tilaka of the Shakta sect on Her forehead, She
and fearlessness. Mount Kailas, His sacred Himalayan blesses devotees, who shower rosewater, hold an
abode, represents the pinnacle of consciousness. umbrella and prostrate at Her feet.
AIVISM IS ANCIENT, TRULY AGELESS, FOR IT HAS NO a profound system of temple mysticism and siddha HILE WORSHIP OF THE DIVINE MOTHER EXTENDS Shakta yogis seek to awaken the sleeping Goddess
beginning. It is the precursor of the many- yoga. It provides knowledge of man’s evolution from beyond the pale of history, Shakta Hin- Kundalini and unite her with Siva in the sahasrara
faceted religion now termed Hinduism. God and back to God, of the soul’s unfoldment and duism arose as an organized sect in India chakra. Shakta universalists follow the reformed
Scholars trace the roots of Siva worship awakening guided by enlightened sages. Like all around the fifth century. Today it has four Vedantic tradition exemplified by Sri Ramakrishna.
back more than , years to the advanced In- the sects, its majority are devout families, headed expressions—devotional, folk-shamanic, yogic and “Left-hand” tantric rites transcend traditional ethi-
dus Valley civilization. But sacred writings tell us by hundreds of orders of swamis and sadhus who universalist—all invoking the fierce power of Kali or cal codes. Shaktism is chiefly advaitic, defining
there never was a time when Saivism did not exist. follow the fiery, world-renouncing path to moksha. Durga, or the benign grace of Parvati or Ambika. the soul’s destiny as complete identity with the
Modern history records six main schools: Saiva Sid- The Vedas state, “By knowing Siva, the Auspicious Shakta devotionalists use puja rites, especially to Unmanifest, Siva. Central scriptures are the Vedas,
dhanta, Pashupatism, Kashmir Saivism, Vira Saivism, One who is hidden in all things, exceedingly fine, the Shri Chakra yantra, to establish intimacy with Shakta Agamas and Puranas. The Devi Gita extols,
Siddha Siddhanta and Siva Advaita. Saivism’s grand- like film arising from clarified butter, the One the Goddess. Shamanic Shaktism employs magic, “We bow down to the universal soul of all. Above
eur and beauty are found in a practical culture, an embracer of the universe—by realizing God, one trance mediumship, firewalking and animal sac- and below and in all four directions, Mother of
enlightened view of man’s place in the universe and is released from all fetters.” Aum Namah Sivaya. rifice for healing, fertility, prophecy and power. the universe, we bow.” Aum Chandikayai Namah.
Vishnu is the infinite ocean from which the world Adi Sankara lived from to CE, a mere years, yet
emerges. He stands on waves, surrounded by the many- he gave Hinduism a new liberal denomination—Smart-
headed Seshanaga, who represents agelessness and is ism. Here, wearing sacred marks, he holds his writings and
regarded as an extension of divine energy and an incar- is flanked by the six Deities of the Smarta altar: Surya the
nation of Balarama, Lord Krishna’s brother. Sun, Siva, Shakti, Vishnu, Kumaran and Ganesha.
HE WORSHIP OF VISHNU, MEANING “PERVADER,” va’s pure dualism to Ramanuja’s qualified nondu- MARTA MEANS A FOLLOWER OF CLASSICAL SMRITI, may choose their “preferred Deity,” or Ishta Devata.
dates back to Vedic times. The Pancharatra alism to Vallabha’s nearly monistic vision. God and particularly the Dharma Shastras, Puranas and Each God is but a reflection of the one Saguna
and Bhagavata sects were popular prior to soul are everlastingly distinct. The soul’s destiny, Itihasas. Smartas revere the Vedas and honor Brahman. Shankara organized hundreds of mon-
bce. Today’s five Vaishnava schools emerged through God’s grace, is to eternally worship and the Agamas. Today this faith is synonymous asteries into a ten-order, dashanami system, which
in the middle ages, founded by Ramanuja, Madh- enjoy Him. While generally nonascetic, advocat- with the teachings of Adi Shankara, the monk- now has five pontifical centers. He wrote profuse
va, Nimbarka, Vallabha and Chaitanya. Vaishna- ing bhakti as the highest path, Vaishnavism has philosopher known as shanmata sthapanacharya, commentaries on the Upanishads, Brahma Sutras
vism stresses prapatti, single-pointed surrender a strong monastic community. Central scriptures “founder of the six-sect system.” He campaigned and Bhagavad Gita. Sankara proclaimed, “It is
to Vishnu, or His ten or more incarnations, called are the Vedas, Vaishnava Agamas, Itihasas and India-wide to consolidate the Hindu faiths of his the one Reality which appears to our ignorance
avataras. Japa is a key devotional sadhana, as is ec- Puranas. The Bhagavad Gita states, “On those who time under the banner of Advaita Vedanta. To unify as a manifold universe of names and forms and
static chanting and dancing, called kirtana. Temple meditate on Me and worship with undivided heart, the worship, he popularized the ancient Smarta changes. Like the gold of which many ornaments
worship and festivals are elaborately observed. I confer attainment of what they have not, and five-Deity altar—Ganapati, Surya, Vishnu, Siva and are made, it remains in itself unchanged. Such is
Philosophically, Vaishnavism ranges from Madh- preserve what they have.” Aum Namo Narayanaya. Shakti—and added Kumara. From these, devotees Brahman, and That art Thou.” Aum Namah Sivaya.
son of these four denominations. Artwork: The Divine is reflected in four pots, their
common source being the radiant Aum, the sacred
mystic syllable and symbol of Hinduism
50 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2 0 0 3 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 51
H E A LT H accommodations are far from luxurious, discipline, we start with demedication and even told me that he was considering sui-
a l l p h o t o s : p r a b h a p r a b h a k a r b h a r d wa j
Asked about the feasibility of applying in place, he exclaimed. Then the nonphysi- marvelous. Slowly I improved. I was off
long-term techniques without ongoing cal forces can have their best effect. painkillers in seven days. In a month, I was
professional assistance, Murthy said, “Af- While I was at the institute, I had the back at work.
ter diagnosis and some training, almost good fortune to interview a few people who “Before coming here, I contemplated tak-
all treatments can be carried on at home, were as enthusiastic about their treatment ing my own life. When doctors tell a doctor
some with help from family members. But as I was about mine. Their testimonies that a disease has no cure and nothing can
knowledge is a must. The treatment is a speak for themselves. be done, it is really scary. But the physicians
learning process. Sometimes an old patient at NIN gave me confidence that I could
is worth more than a young doctor.” Ram Dular Sharma (at left) is a retired recover. Now, I am a woman transformed. I
Dr. Murthy emphasized that Engineer. At age 70—just one year ago—he am strong, optimistic and leading a normal
the body is made of five ele- had a number of health prob- life. Normal? Actually, it’s a miracle.”∏π
ments—earth, air, fire, water lems. For years he had tried
and ether—and that the proper allopathic medicines. Nothing Prabha Prabhakar
balance of these elements in- worked. After experimenting Bhardwaj is a free-
dicates good health, while an with a variety of “alterna- lance journalist who
imbalance indicates the op- tive treatments,” he ordered a lives with her husband
posite. His parting words to “miracle cure” by mail. Instead outside New Delhi.
me were, “In today’s world, of bringing him relief, it made For more information
there is a medicine-bound his condition worse. One thing on NIN contact the
mania. Self-medication after another he tried. Finally, National Institute of
is the order, and the last desperation set in. Nothing was Naturopathy, “Bapu
resort is desperate prayer helping. His pain was excruciat- Bhawan,” Tadiwala Road, Pune 411 001,
to God Almighty. In our ing and he could not sleep. He Maharashtra, India.
hinduism today
enced the Mother beckoning. Word spread graduated from here have be- imposing dwelling that the swami greets
about the power of Goddess Rajarajeswari come renunciate monks, noted guests, who sit on the cool stone floor as he
and the ashram’s founder, Sri Jagadguru Sri for their training and dedication. gives darshan from a carved wooden chair,
Sivarathnapuri Mahaswamigal, popularly Some have stayed back to serve with pictures of many saints and sages on
known as Tiruchi Swami. HINDUISM TODAY In America: Sri Tiruchiswami with Satguru Sivaya Kailasa Ashrama, and some have the walls above. Behind Devi Hall, a large
is proud to honor him with the Hindu Re- Subramuniyaswami at Kauai Aadheenam, 1991, seat- joined other ashrams. Prominent cow shed, expansive food gardens and fruit-
naissance Award as Hindu of the Year 2003. ed beside the 700-pound crystal Siva Lingam among these are Jagadguru Sri Sri tree groves stretch back several acres. Deep
Swamiji has trained dozens of sannyasins, Sri Balagangadharanatha Swami of within these gardens, Sanskrit pundits meet
Hindu monks, who are now in charge of
ashrams of their own, and a large number “In the earlier days, one Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt in Belur, every day with youthful students in a dor-
Swami Sivananda Bharati, head mitory-style pathasala .
of priests who serve in temples all over the of Siddharudanatha Math, and Seated on a simple chair in his long-time
world. He is held in such respect in India person had to stand at the en- Kumaraswamy, head of the Thiru- living quarters known as “Kuteeram,” Sri
that highly-placed spiritual leaders come to chi Swami Math. Kailasa Ashrama, Swamiji is a man of few words. In this room,
him for advice in difficult situations. He is trance and shout three times, staffed by Swamiji’s monks and perhaps 15 by 35 feet, he has met people
a living embodiment of the Goddess’s grace, administrated by Sri Jayendra Puri from all walks of life. He dislikes indulging
with even casual devotees able to sense ‘There is no place for lazy Swami, has spawned a number of in worldly affairs and refuses to comment
Her blessings radiating from him. He has subsidiary spiritual centers in on matters of current developments. Yet
inspired devotees in many countries during people in Kailasa Ashrama.’” Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states. politicians, bureaucrats, professionals and
his tours of North America and Europe. Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal was layman alike have immense faith in him. He
Starting in 1990, Hinduism Today has —SRI TIRUCHI MAHASWAMIGAL destined to be a monk. While is the benign reliever of their troubles. Ev-
honored one eminent Hindu each year who traveling in Kanya Kumari in ery morning, if his health permits, Swamiji
has most impacted the faith and spread its and serenity to the mind. He infuses confi- South India, his parents were informed by tours the grounds, taking interest in the
values, compassion and profundity across dence. Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal is also an a stranger near the Devi temple, “By the minutest detail. Around the ashram has
the globe. Past renaissance winners are: accomplished scholar with exemplary mas- grace of the Divine Mother and Lord Sub- developed a 1,000-child school and a chari-
Swami Paramananda Bharati (’90), Swami tery over the Vedas, Upanishads and the ramanya, a glorious son will be born to you. table hospital.
Chidananda Saraswati, “Muniji” of Parmath Leader of leaders: Tiruchi Mahaswamigal scriptures. A complete portrayal is given in He will be a teacher and benefactor for all
Niketan (’91), Swami Chinmayananda (’92), is among the most respected monastic his biography, Life and Work of Sri Sivarat- mankind.” Born in 1929, young Palaniswa- In His Own Words
Mata Amritanandamayi Ma (’93), Swami leaders of India napuri Swamiji by S. V. Krishnaswamy. mi was drawn to religious life right from his Tiruchi Mahaswamigal patiently shared his
Satchidananda (’94), Pramukhswami Ma- Last year, rains failed in Karnataka. The childhood. While in his twenties, he trav- wisdom by answering a barrage of questions
haraj (’95), Sri Satya Sai Baba (’96), Sri state was under pressure to release reservoir eled to Nepal and was initiated as Jagadguru posed by HINDUISM TODAY:
Chinmoy (’97), Swami Bua (’98), Swami water to its neighbor and there was political Sri Sivarathnapuri Bhagawath. HT: How can one who is not a practicing
Chidananda Saraswati of Divine Life Soci- unrest. The chief minister, S. M. Krishna, Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal was ordained yogi achieve good concentration during
ety (’99), Ma Yoga Shakti (’00), priest Sri T. set out on a padayatra (pilgrimage on foot) by his guru, Shivapuri Baba, to return meditation?
S. Sambamurthy Sivachariar (’01) and Dada to propitiate the rain Gods. He started his to India, propagate dharma and build a Swamiji: Anusthana, worship, brings
kailasa ashrama
Vaswani (’02). journey after performing worship at the Ra- temple. Before returning, Swamiji went to ekagratha, or concentration, just as when
Currently, devotees daily throng the jarajeshwari temple and seeking the bless- Mount Kailash. There, he had a vision of a person has a bath, he becomes clean. So,
temple and Kailasa Ashrama, the abode of ings of Tiruchi Mahaswamigalji. The very Goddesses Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati, also, by worship one can develop concentra-
Sri Tiruchi Mahaswamigal. A huge town- next day heavy rains drenched the state. who told him, “Proceed south and establish tion and meditation, whether he is a yogi or
ship now surrounds the temple—it is even One ashram devotee, a jeweler, told me, an ashram there.” While traveling south, not. The simplest method is prayer.
do not provide the right atmosphere for HT: A current issue in medical eth-
Germany: 100,000 ������������ ������
��������������� France: 150,000 ��������������������������
Belgium: 6,000
Austria: 6,100
Spain: 12,500
worship. Vibrations are very strong in a ics is stem cell research. Scientists are
�������������� Portugal: 8,000 Japan: 6,000
��������� �������������
Bahrain: 24,000 ������������������ Bhutan: 300,000
Kauai Aadheenam: 30 �������������� Egypt: 6,000
���������� �������������������� Bangladesh: 12,100,000
temple because of the form, the place harvesting stem cells from fertilized
��������������� Ethiopia: 3,000 Myanmar: 294,000
Jamaica Pakistan �������������
Hawaii: 700 Trinidad: 320,000 1,200,000 India
25,000 Vietnam: 5,500
Guyana: 450,000 895,000,000
Thailand: 7,000
����������������� Afghanistan Sri Lanka Philippines:1,100
a temple, inspiration is more, and con- develop medical cures. What are the
Zambia: 25,000 Tanzania: 70,000 171,000 Fiji: 600,000
Argentina
4,000
see it in the ashram, everyone has to convinced that loka seva, service to hu-
work. In earlier days, one person had manity, is the greatest purpose of life.
to stand at the main entrance of the That is why I took sannyas. If I was a
ashram and shout three times, “There grihastha (married person), I may not On the move: (Center) Hinduism Today Publisher, Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami, with Managing Editor Sannyasin Arumugaswami,
is no place for lazy people in Kailash have been able to do this. When we are and children of a class on Hinduism at the Sri Sakthi Vinayagar temple in Penang during their ve-day journey through Malaysia
Ashram.” Total discipline and work for holding a pot of hot water and cannot
a living is most important in life. hold it any longer, we drop it without MALAYSIA
HT: We see a breakdown of the fam- worrying what happens to the pot. The
ily, especially both parents working. Is
Swami concerned about this trend?
fingers have to be protected. Similarly,
I left home without thinking about Young Hindus Must Prepare for Tomorrow
hinduism today
What do you tell couples who say they what would be my parents’ reaction.
cannot live on the husband’s salary A ripe fruit does not think of the tree
alone? when it drops down.
Swamiji: If we go on increasing our HT: More and more children are Faced with discrimination, peer pressure and a major lack of knowledge,
wants, money will be necessary. The Due honor: (above) Bronze plaque award; (below)
more money is necessary, the feel- Swamiji is honored upon his arrival at Kauai Aad-
unhesitatingly sending their parents to
old-age homes. What is your opinion? young Hindus of Malaysia need inspiration to keep faith
ing that another person will have to heenam with the traditional washing of feet and Swamiji: In olden days, when the son
work will come. If wants are reduced, waving of arati lamp came of age, the parents would hand
automatically the earning will be suf- over the responsibilities and go to the , Dato J. Jegathesan (left) is an economist
ficient. The mother aspect of the house can tioned anywhere. A person should be free to forest—vanaprastha ashrama. As recently of Hinduism is the future of its who serves the Hindu community as a
be saved. This will keep the balance in the choose his own path.” As far as Hinduism is as fifty years ago, too, people went away youth. Some say that future is leader, a speaker and a devotional singer.
family. The root of the problem is material- concerned, it is an ocean where one can get on pilgrimage, handing over responsibility bright. Others disagree. In January, Our more wealthy Hindus are more
ism. all the benefits of having a bath in all the to the son once he came of age. However, when Satguru Bodinatha Veylanswami, Westernized than the Westerners them-
HT: What is the most important thing in rivers of the world by having a bath in one today parents do neither. Even when the son publisher of H T, left his selves. Now their children are becoming
keeping a happy marriage? place—that is Hinduism. is old enough to shoulder responsibility, they GardenIsland home in Hawaii to attend lawyers, engineers and “information
Swamiji: Reducing wants. Collectively, HT: Please speak to the Hindu world about go on interfering, demand attention and the Hindu Renaissance Rally in Malaysia technology professionals.” The majority
when all the people in the family under- the importance of an order of monks in the make a nuisance of themselves. This is one as its guest of honor, H T of these kids from wealthy families do
stand the value of money and the value of perpetuation of dharma. aspect. More important is how we bring up New Delhi correspondent Rajiv Malik not go to the temples regularly and have
happiness, they will reduce their wants and Swamiji: An order of monks has to be ac- our children. Children with good upbring- traveled with him to capture a close-up no knowledge of Hinduism. The lower-
automatically create a cordial atmosphere in cording to the traditions and customs of the ing will never send their parents away in old glimpse of the lives of Malaysia’s young income group is far more religious, but
the family. community. The main intention in propa- age. There are so many youngsters taking Hindus and the modern-day challenges their religion is emotional, without much
HT: Can Swami say a few words about his gating dharma is to propagate virtuous liv- good care of their old parents. It’s all in the they face. During the ve days they were understanding. They perform the wor-
work abroad, outside of India? ing. We should consider the individual way way we inculcate the right values in our there, Rajiv conducted a number of inter- ship but do not know why. Hindus here
Swamiji: Whenever I go abroad, I tell peo- of life. One aspect of dharma to one person children. ∏π views on many issues affecting the youth. can be divided into two broad groups: the
ple, “Devotion is mentioned in all religions, may not be applicable to the other. It has to contact: h. h. sivaratnapuri swamigal, kailasa
ashrama mahasamsthanam, sri rajeswari nagara-ken-
Here we share some of those candid English-speaking elite class and the Tamil-
but forcible conversion has never been men- be coupled with the way of life. Disciples chanahalli, 560039 bangalore, karnataka, india encounters. speaking lower class.
youth that we cannot answer their questions. Also, some of the South Indian youth are
involved in gangsterism. They run around
to donate funds, as we just had no
resources to run the project. It was
problem with the youth is just Arvind Subramanian, a religious
Hindu, age , works at a well-
They must be answered in a way that makes openly with knives. The Malaysian In-
dian youth are notorious for this. Again, the
then that I met Gurudeva (the late
founder of H T) at a
bad parenting—bad parent- known chemical processing plant
near Petaling Jaya
sense. ” —DATO J. JEGATHESAN problem is a lack of proper knowledge and trafc stop light in Malaysia. When ing and Tamil movies. Some As far as I am concerned, the
guidance. And parents are not even both- I rst saw him, I was shocked. Was problem with the youth is just bad
ered about it. They don’t seem to care what it really Gurudeva, I thought? of these movies are extremely parenting. Bad parenting and Tamil
Today you go to any Hindu home and ask themselves. The boys here were telling me their children are doing. He rolled down the car window, movies. Some of these movies are
the youth who their heroes are, and they that one of these young men that was ask- I love India. My origin is there. I go to the acknowledged me and assured violent. They are having a more extremely violent. They are having
will name Bollywood or Hollywood stars.
Today’s youth do not know about our great
ing them to chant mantras and bhajanas
yesterday was standing on a street corner
temple, but most of the time I am not able
to understand what the pundit (teacher) is
that we would meet again. We did
indeed meet again—right away. I damaging effect on our youth a far more damaging effect on our
youth than we are willing to admit.
Hindu saints who were spiritual giants. The
parents know about them, but they don’t
smoking cigarettes today. All their talk won’t
make any difference if they set this kind of
saying, because he speaks in such difcult
Hindi and Sanskrit. This is still another
followed him to the hotel where he
was staying and received his bless-
than we are willing to admit.” Most Hindus in Malaysia speak
Tamil, even if they are Gujarati or
tell the children. Consequently, these young example. problem the Hindu youth must face. We ings there. He gave me a donation —ARVIND SUBRAMANIAN Telegu. Therefore, they all watch
people are not in awe of their religion. of twenty dollars to get the ashram these Tamil lms. Although cen-
In today’s scientic age, we cannot just construction going. We are still pre- sorship laws in Malaysia are very
tell the youth that we cannot answer their
questions. Their questions must be an-
“I love India. My origin is there. I go to the serving that twenty-dollar bill as a gift from
Gurudeva. We never spent it. After that
Hindu philosophy has not permeated the restrictive with regard to sexual content in
entire group. The Hindu youth can play an lms, there is no such limitation on violence.
swered, and they must be answered in a
way that makes sense.
temple, but most of the time I am not able to unforgettable day, lots of funds came in and
the ashram is now constructed. Now we are
important role in changing this situation. And these Tamil movies have some of the
There are a lot of slums here lled with most gruesome brutality I have ever seen
Also, Hindu young people want role understand what the pundit (teacher) is saying, even expanding. people who have migrated from the rural anywhere.
models. But these role models will never be areas which are slowly becoming indus- I have witnessed for myself how our
swamis. They have to be young, successful because he speaks in such difficult Hindi and Gangadara Vadivel (below left) is in trial. They are having difculty adapting to Hindu teenagers emulate what they see on
entrepreneurs. And besides being success- charge of the Sri Siddhi Vinayaga Temple, their new life and are consequently getting screen in action, dress and language. This
ful, they must be good Hindus. From this Sanskrit. This is a problem the Hindu youth must Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. The temple has re- involved in all kinds of unsavory activities, can be very dangerous. For instance, one
the youth will get the impression that being
a good Hindu is helpful in being successful face. We just cannot understand what the Hindu cently constructed a library for the primary
purpose of providing youth with Hindu
which get publicized in the press. Some movie explicitly showed an enraged fellow
of the Hindu youth are part of this group. chase a man with a machete and cut him to
in life. priests and religious leaders are telling us.” education.
We Hindus comprise eight percent of the
They need to have access to their religion. pieces—right on lm! A few weeks later, I
One method of approach here is to get read in the newspapers that something simi-
—KARUNA KUKREJA total population here in Malaysia. There are the youth to interact with each other, ex- lar happened in real life. Luckily, no one was
a lot of differences within our community, changing ideas and discussing religion. We actually murdered. But I have heard other
mainly due to economic status. Also the true have been able to achieve this successfully stories of people who have. ∏π
just cannot understand what the Hindu
priests and religious leaders are telling us.
I feel that the youth should go out and
seek the right knowledge of Hinduism for
themselves. If they don’t do this, they are
not going to get it at all.
:
I have young people in their teens and my parents. This is rare. Now I am trying to Shantha Devi Muniandy is an English
twenties coming to me saying they will apply what I have learned in my daily life. teacher in a Secondary School who assists
talk about Hinduism to the children in this The general Hindu youth of Malaysia are at the Manjung Hindu Sabaj Sanatana
orphanage. But this will not be convincing, not pursuing this path. There are very few Dharma Orphanage, located in Manjung
because these kids are not good examples Hindu children who are even interested in about miles north of Kuala Lumpur. The library: (Left) Sri Siddhi Vinayaga Temple manager, S. Gangdadara Vadivel, established a temple library that is popular with the youth
Hardy remarked that he had taken taxi peatedly, they have been reduced to in- directed by Barbara Oliver in its world pre- he blossomed on paper and in front of nujan for not taking proper care of himself.
a r a at k i n s o n - s k i n n e r
By 13, Ramanujan mastered Trigonometry, By Tara Katir, Kapaa, Hawaii Chachaji, an elderly great uncle, a little
B Y I R A J A S I VA DA S by S. L. Loney, an advanced text requiring ndian weddings often are grand boy named Neel comes to understand his
a background in calculus. Classmates ahead affairs, with celebrations stretching over family’s Indian heritage and value its tradi-
n the spring of 1994 i found myself in erode, of him brought him difficult problems, a number of days and the price tag oc- tions. In 1947, when Chachaji is young, his
Tamil Nadu, India, boarding a train with my wife for which he would solve immediately. At 15, casionally passing beyond $100,000. family has to leave their home with only
a trip to Madras. We had been staying in Bhavani, a he came across the book, A Synopsis of Ele- Sarbjit Gill’s A Comprehensive Indian what they can carry, as they are caught up
village nearby, for eight months during a year’s sabbati- mentary Results in Pure and Applied Math- Wedding Planner (300 pages, Bookmark in the Partition. Chachaji remembers people
cal from teaching mathematics to immerse ourselves ematics. It is mostly thousands of theorems Press, $28.95) is a “how to” guide cover- laughing at his mother who insists on carry-
in Hinduism. We shared our second-class sleeping cubicle listed without proofs. With no formal edu- ing everything you ever needed to know explains the basics of Hinduism and the ing a delicate teacup “instead of something
with a gentleman from Madurai, a mechanical engineer. cation in math, he set about proving them. about Indian weddings. The book covers all Hindu view of marriage, making the book useful.” Neel wonders what he would take if
When our new friend realized I was a student of math- At age 16, in 1904, he was awarded the K. regions of India, plus the basics of Sikh and useful for explaining the Hindu wedding to he had to leave home like that, but “it was
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
ematics, he told me that Srinivasa Ramanujan was born in Ranganatha Rao prize for mathematics. The Muslim weddings, but mostly it is focused non-Hindus. And she hasn’t forgotten that not unthinkable.” Soumya Sitaraman’s wonder-
Erode, just ten miles from where we were living. It seemed school headmaster, Krishnaswami Iyer, told on Hindu traditions. Gill, a professional US- everyone has an unlimited budget, providing fully expressive illustrations add grace to
an amazing coincidence, but as anyone who has spent time the audience that Ramanujan could not be based wedding planner, includes photos, at- possible cost-cutting measures at every step this sensitive story. A short explanation of
in India knows, coincidences do not exist. Nine years later, graded with an A+ or 100 percent, for he tire and pages of check lists for everything. while still designing a grand affair. Partition is included at the end of the story,
at the same time that Hinduism Today decided to include was truly off the scale. Ramanujan took no The wedding options range from completely a comprehensive indian wedding planner, sarbijit k.
gill, 304 pages, bookmark press, us$28.95bookmark
but better yet is a PDF file from the web-
a review of “Partition,” a play on Ramanujan (see preceding pages), interest in other subjects, and failed exam after exam. When he traditional to an eclectic mix of Eastern press, p.o. box 807,voorhees, nj 08043-0807 usa site with a complete lesson plan, aligned to
www.bookmarkpress@onebox.com
one of the best number theorists who ever lived, I had finished finally wrote to the eminent English mathematician G. H. Hardy and Western customs and celebrations. Gill California State education standards. Teach-
this article explaining why he was both unique and important in in 1913, he was working for the Port Trust Office in Madras. This ers can use this lesson plan to conduct an
the field of mathematics. historic event was described by the famed philosopher and math- informative and entertaining class.
I describe math as an art form, and not as a science, because my ematician Bertrand Russell, a colleague of Hardy, “I found Hardy
Dada’s Message
chachaji’s cup, uma krishnaswami, illustrated by
soumya sitaraman, children’s book press, 2211 mis-
students so often ask, “What is the practical value of it?” While and Littlewood [a fellow mathematician] in a state of wild excite- sion street, san francisco, california, usa. $16.95
www.childrensbookpress.org
there is a whole field of applied mathematics, which is eminently ment, because they believe they have discovered a second Newton,
practical, much of math is completely abstract, or at least at the a Hindu clerk in Madras living on twenty pounds a year.” or his dedicated service to hinduism and world
present time has no practical application, and these are just the Fortunately for us, the short-lived Ramanujan (he died at 33) kept peace, Dada J.P. Vaswani was the 2002 “Hindu of the
areas of math Ramanujan contributed to. Most mathematicians
develop a single area of expertise, so specialized it is often under-
copious notebooks which mathematicians continue to mine today.
His first notebook was on hypergeometric series, continued frac-
Year” and the 1998 recipient of the U Thant Peace
Award. Living his belief that the “world is one family,”
Aussie Temples
stood only by other mathematicians in the same area. Ramanujan, tions, singular moduli, and many branches of number theory. Often Dada uplifts spiritual seekers worldwide with his message of
in contrast, stated nearly four-thousand theorems in wide ranging he would state things without proof, preferring instead to record his compassion and love. Sandhya Nankani, one of those inspired by n an area roughly the size of the
areas of math. He was like a physician who simultaneously mas- every discovery. This is where his true genius was apparent. Dada, has written Moments with a Master, Meetings with Dada United States, but with just seven per-
tered cardiovascular surgery, obstetrics, oncology and neurology. For example, he worked on finding natural number solutions (1, J.P. Vaswani (212 pages, Sterling Publishers Private Ltd., $3.50), cent of the population, the land “down
Unlike most mathematicians, he was intensely religious. He often 2, 3, etc.) to a kind of equation involving squares and higher pow- a gentle and sweet personal reflection of Dada’s influence in under” has seen a remarkable building
united mathematics and spirituality together. He felt, for example, ers, one of which is x2 + 7 = 2n. The smallest solution is x = 1 and her life. Meeting Dada as a young girl, then again after a gap of boom of Hindu temples. Dr. A. Kandiah’s
that zero represented Absolute Reality, and that infinity repre- n = 3. That is, 12 + 7 = 23 or, 1 x 1 + 7 = 2 x 2 x 2, or 8 = 8. The many years, Nankani has the opportunity to interview Dada—ask- Hindu Temples in Australia (56 pages, Na-
sented the many manifestations of that Reality. Ramanujan felt that next solution is x = 3 and n = 4. Ramanujan stated that there are ing penetrating questions on the nature of life and death. One of the most poignant chapters tajalaya Publication), is a small labor of love
each mathematical discovery was a step closer to understanding five and only five solutions to this equation: x = 1, 3, 5, 11, 181 details the passing of Nankani’s father and Dada’s insightful letters to him. describing fourteen of Australia’s temples.
the spiritual universe. He once told a friend, “An equation for me when respectively n = 3, 4, 5, 7, 15. Just finding the solutions is moments with a master, meetings with dada j.p. vaswani, sandhya s. nankani, 212 pages, sterling publishers private
ltd., us$3.50.sterling publishers private limited, a-59 okhla industrial area, phase-ii
Prior to 1981 there were just 2,000 Hindus
has no meaning unless it expresses a thought of God.” an impressive feat, especially the last one. But how did he know new delhi 110020 india. www.sterlingpublishers.com living in Australia. By 1996 their population
While growing up, he lived the life of a traditional brahmin with there were only five solutions? He didn’t offer any proof, and it had grown to over 67,000, and
his forehead shaved and wearing a topknot. He often prayed to his wasn’t until many years later, in 1948, that Tyrgve Nagell proved with that growth came a temple
family Deity, the Goddess Namagiri of Namakkal, and followed
Her advice. He pilgrimaged all over Tamil Nadu. He quoted the
that this is true. So now we know that Ramanujan was correct, but
we haven’t a clue as to how he knew it. And this is just one very
Hindu Rituals building boom. Despite their
small numbers, the immigrant
Vedas, interpreted dreams and was regarded by his friends to be a simple example of his intuitive mentality. Hindus’ temple building has been
mystic. Throughout his life, Ramanujan worshiped at the Saranga- Ramanujan was totally self confident in his mathematical abilities. ochsanwasi shri akshar purushottam swaminarayan san- remarkably fervent and fertile.
pani Vishnu temple in Kumbakonam. He did not follow others, but explored fearlessly on his own, some- stha, BAPS, are renowned for their disciplined, dedicated swamis Kandiah’s chronicles cover the
Ramanujan’s genius appeared when he was just learning arith- times duplicating work done centuries before. His process of discov- and large, enthusiastic grihastha membership. Because the tradi- history of Ganesha, Muruga, Siva
metic. A teacher explaining division said, “If three bananas were ery confounds mathematicians, who still cannot follow his thought tional samskaras (rites of passage) and religious ceremonies are and Siva-Vishnu temples spread
given to three boys, each boy would get one banana. If 100 ba- processes. But Hindus understand that he was guided by Goddess important in their tradition, BAPS has detailed these in Hindu Rites & throughout the country from the
nanas were given to 100 boys, each boy would get one banana.” Namagiri whispering in his ear. Rituals (196 pages, Swaminarayan Aksharpith, Rs.30). The book covers in bustling capital of Sydney in the
Then the teacher said that this worked for all numbers. Ramanujan detail both the how and why of rituals. Though focused on the tradition of south, to Perth on the farthest
astutely asked, “Sir, if no banana is distributed to no student, will iraja sivadas, 53, has taught mathematics at the University of Ha- Lord Swaminarayan and his present successor, Sri Pramukh Swami Maha- western coast.
everyone still get a banana?” Put another way, the teacher had waii and Shasta College. He specializes in infinite series and combi- raj, it is a valuable resource for every Hindu. hindu temples in australia, dr. a. kandiah,
56 pages, natanalaya publication, (no price
explained that any number divided by itself is one. So, asks Ra- natorics. He and his wife, Nilani, converted to Hinduism in 1990. hindu rites & rituals, 196 pages, swaminarayan aksharpith, rs.30. swaminarayan aksharpith
shahibag, amdavad-4, india www.swaminarayan.org
given)natanalaya publication, 17 edward
street, strathfield south, nsw 2136 austra-
lia. www.kandiahjaya.com
p h o t o s c o u r t e s y u ta h g a n e s h a t e m p l e & m a r l e n e l a m b e r t
ceremony, the local Stake offered to help
with the landscaping. Headed up by their
expert horticulturist and grounds keeper,
Alex Morris, thirty to sixty LDS volunteers
Happy people, happy Gods: (above) Volunteers who assisted with the dedication ceremony showed up each Saturday for four weeks in a
pose with priests. (below) Goddess Durga is mortared into place beside the just-installed massive showing of community support.
Siva Lingam. Both have yantras, mystical diagrams on a metal plate, beneath them. A week before the May 4 ceremonies,
we moved Ganesha. We built a grand
chariot, held a slow, mile-and-a-half parade
USA from Neelamegghams to the new temple,
with many Hindus walking and singing,
nagaswaram temple music blaring from a
Mormons Welcome Ganesha CD player. As we neared, the entire Hindu
community was there to welcome Ganesha.
They ran forward with tears in their eyes,
Utah Hindu community gets a big joyous that this long-awaited day for Gane-
sha to enter His new home had arrived.
helping hand with their dream temple The temple is, admittedly, austere, con-
strained by our “pay as we go” policy. But
it has all the essentials, including a heated
concrete floor to keep the barefoot devotees
Ganesha’s new home: (clockwise from above) View of the just completed temple on comfortable in Utah’s cold winters, and a cov-
its four-acre lot with the newly established landscaping; first milk bath for Lord ered verandah encircling the main building.
Ganesha after installation; priest feeds homa fire as temple’s power is awakened The Maha Kumbhabhisheka to dedicate
through ritual worship the temple was performed from May 2 to
May 4 under the guidance of our permanent
with the smell of incense and oranges; Our odyssey to this point began in 1993 priest, Pundit Shashidhara Somayaji, with
horns were blowing, drums beating when I asked the one Hindu family I knew three assistant priests flown in from temples
and tambourines jangling while the in the area why there was no Hindu temple in California, Boston and Ohio.
crowd, dressed in vivid silks and saris, in Utah. My friend, Ram Natesh, could give Many said we were too small a commu-
chanted aloud and children laughed no reason. So on August 15 of the same year, nity—just 300 families and 100 students—to
and played patty-cake between I asked him to introduce me to other Hindu As it worked out, Gurudeva came to Salt change their mind.” build and support a temple. Despite our
prayers. After the final sacrifice and families during the India Independence Lake City a few weeks later, on September So, at 9:00 pm, just as Neel and Indra numbers and diverse backgrounds, we
before the feast, priests drew the red Day celebrations conducted by the India 5. His message was simple. “Begin the wor- were about to retire for the evening, we managed to overcome many obstacles, re-
B Y A DITYA V INADHARA , U TAH curtain back once again to Forum at International ship,” he said. “Meet once a month at the knocked on their door. We were welcomed main a harmonious working group (as Gu-
n may 5, 2003, the salt lake city reveal Ganesha, draped in Peace Garden’s Park. There same time and place, and do not worry in and offered food as if this was just a casu- rudeva often advised us) and got the temple
Tribune reported, “Ganesha’s devotees flowers and garlanded with I met Neel Neelameggham about any fundraising at this time.” He was al visit. “We have something for you,” I said. built—debt-free. Already our monthly in-
gave Him a housewarming, bathing leaves and jewels.” and told him I’d like to help inspired by the large turnout during his “We brought Ganesha.” Their eyes got big. come is sufficient to meet on-going expens-
the icon again in milk, honey, yogurt, This warm and friendly start a Hindu temple for the visit here and offered to donate the granite Alan, their nephew, got on the phone and es. We believe this temple will be a place
grain, and offering sacrifices, or homa, on news report captured the community. He, in turn, in- Ganesha statue for the temple—as he had invited eight of his strong friends over and, to pilgrimage to, as many have commented
fires in a tented space next to the temple. magic of a long-awaited troduced me to others at the done for dozens of temples worldwide. with great effort, we got the crate into the how special it already feels. Our plans now
A symbolic string ran from the fire to event in the Hindu commu- event who might take an in- A year-and-a-half later, I received a fax house and opened. In 1996, the Neelameg- include building the community center, el-
the icons, connecting all the Deities and nity for which hundreds had terest. Finally I stood up on stating a 750-pound crate awaited me in ghams moved to South Jordan, about 15 derly housing and day care and creating an
conducting the prayers and offerings to donated time and money. It a picnic table and addressed Oakland, California. My wife and I hopped miles south of Salt Lake City. They bought endowment for the future. Nothing can de-
them. Many friends and guests joined was also one manifestation the entire group. I said I had in our small truck and drove 700 miles to a larger house with a full basement where scribe the joy of seeing this project finished
the celebration, including the president of of the open welcome for the spoken with Satguru Sivaya pick up Lord Ganesha. On the way back we placed Ganesha. The basement was with so many to benefit. And yes, we expect
the local LDS (Latter-Day Saints) ward. Hindus here in Utah, where Subramuniyaswami (Guru- to Utah, I called Gurudeva, and he asked, always open to the public, and this was the it to last 1,000 years. ∏π
Far from the solemn rites used in most most of the local people are members of the deva), and asked if he would come and help “Do you have a home for Him?” I said, “The real beginning of the temple.
Christian religious rituals, the Hindu Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, us get a temple started as he had done in so Neelamegghams had offered their home a After years of searching, we found a contact: sri ganesha hindu temple of utah, 1142,
west off south jordan parkway [10400 south], south
consecration was a high-energy, joyous and also known as the Mormons, a conservative many other cities and countries. The group year ago, so we’ll take Him there. Should I beautiful, four-acre parcel with a breath- jordon, utah 84095 usa. phone: 801-253-3592.
e-mail sriganeshatempleof utah@yahoo.com.
sensuous celebration. The temple was filled Christian denomination. responded very favorably. call first?” “No,” said Gurudeva, “they may taking view of the Rocky Mountains to the web: www. sriganesh.faithweb.com
whose charitable and educational activi- ian groups making the appeal said, “The pose the distribution of funds to undeserv-
ties are closely linked to the concerns of $6,000,000 distribution subverts the spirit ing organizations.
these consumers [having dietary restric- and letter of the settlement agreement by Hindus might wonder what kind of
tions].” The Hindu Heritage Endowment, improperly directing funds to nonvegetarian atonement or penance could be done for
founded by Hinduism Today’s creator, groups, hostile to vegetarianism and groups inadvertantly eating beef-laced fries. The
Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, was in limited size and geographical reach.” question has come up before, in relation to
Here’s the beef: They look like pure potato, but sleuthing vegetarians were aghast to learn their “natural flavor” is a beef extract invited to submit a request. HHE proposed Complaints about who would get the mon- a beef burrito at a Taco Bell. We consulted
to put any settlement share in its Hinduism ey began as soon as the list was being for- Swami Paramananda Bharati of Bangalore,
FOOD Today Distribution Fund to increase the mulated. In January, 2003, T. Colin Camp- our 1990 “Hindu of the Year.” Swami, who
magazine’s free distribution in the US, on bell, said, “It will set back vegetarianism as is attached to Sringeri Mutt. He replied that
s a m s k r i ta b h a r at i
ing of fries. Previously, the fries were cooked Bharti sued McDonald’s in 2001, and that etable oil in the early 1990s for the purpose $100,000; Islamic Food and revival of Sanskrit language and
with beef tallow. Our on-line dictionary grew into a class-action law suit involving a of reducing cholesterol, mistakes were made Nutrition Council of Amer- culture (see July, 2003, issue).
appetizingly defines tallow as, “Hard fat number of lawyers and organizations. Ulti- in communicating to the public and custom- ica, $450,000; International/ Each day began at 5:45 am
obtained from parts of the bodies of cattle, mately, Hindus, Sikhs, Jews, Muslims, vege- ers about the ingredients in our french fries American Gita Society, $50,000; with meditation and yoga.
sheep or horses, and used in foodstuffs or tarians and vegans joined the fray—the Jews and hash browns. Those mistakes included Hinduism Today Endowment, Classes on Sanskrit speaking,
to make candles, leather dressing, soap and because the beef flavoring was not kosher instances in which french fries and hash $250,000; Supporting Excel- listening, literature and gram-
lubricants.” Yum. and the Muslims because it wasn’t halal. browns sold at U.S. restaurants were im- lence in Education, $900,000; mar were taught by volunteer Budding linguists: Sanskrit in the Berkshire Mountains
The problem for McDonald’s was that In March, 2002, the lawsuit was close to properly identified as ‘vegetarian.’ ” It is Council of Hindu Temples of
Transforming nger
for freedom of any country, strength and
energy is required. Anger is an energy. If
you express it at every little thing, you
are wasting it. Therefore, some thinking
is needed. If the postman brings you bad
Control your tongue and your actions; then news, you don’t get angry with him. He is
just the messenger. Use your strength to
eradicate the source.
learn to express your anger in a positive way Using force to suppress our anger is not
good. For example, if your boss says some-
thing insulting and you want to give him
BY S R I S WA M I N I K H I L A NA N DA one on the nose, you can’t. You want to
beat him black and blue, but you suppress
here is no escaping anger. everyone gets the feeling. Suppression is bad. Another
angry. Sometimes I get angry. Emotions are a fact problem is verbal expression of anger. This
of life, and you should not try to rationalize or form is also bad. It’s doing what animals do. If
philosophies justifying them. If I’m angry, I’m angry. a dog is angry, it barks and bites. Sublima-
But if I try to philosophize about my anger, I’ll end up tion is using your judgment to transform
suppressing it. This does not mean one should express anger, and channel the feeling into a higher cause.
either. Control is required. If I’m angry, I should have con- Many people don’t get angry for the
trol over my tongue. You should not hurt others, even though right reasons. That is bad. If a man is beat-
you may feel like doing so in a moment of anger. ing a child and you are not getting angry,
Anger begins with harsh words, especially if it involves it does not mean that you are a great per-
people who are near and dear to us. Words are the most son. It means you are equally bad. In this
powerful weapon we have, more than any weapon depen- case, you should get angry. When you di-
dent on our physical strength. The first thing to do is control rect this righteous anger to a higher cause,
your tongue. Don’t say things that you’ll later regret. it is called sublimation. Anger is expressed, but it is expressed for
Anger is caused because of expectations. I expect something for the welfare of yourself and the world. It requires wisdom to know
myself and from others, and when these are not fulfilled, it makes what is good or bad. If you have no wisdom and you get angry,
me angry. The closer the people are to me, the more expectations society will set you right. The direction of anger makes it good or
there are. If I have expectations from you, I’ll expect you to behave bad. If I’m angry against crime, poverty or injustice, it is good, for
and to talk in a particular way. But if you are a stranger and I have then I will use my power to improve things.
no expectations, I’ll be courteous. In our scriptures, the Gods always wield a weapon. Lord Rama
Generally, if we call a stranger at odd hours, we are very polite,
“I hope I’m not disturbing you….” If it’s family, we shout even if
we’re calling at two in the morning, “Why did you take so long to
answer the phone?” We take our people for granted and we want
them to behave or live in a way that makes us happy.
Thwarted desires also make us angry. They can be little desires,
is always with his bow, not to cause harm but to fight injustice
and adharma. When God holds a weapon, it is for the benefit of
the world. But when an asura holds a weapon, it is to harm others.
Even the anger of a wise person is beneficial for the world.
Anger under your control can be used to benefit the world. But
if anger controls you, you will get destroyed, as did Ravana and
Sanskrit Academy Promoting Sanskrit Language and Culture
such as wanting to sit at home to watch television. If a call inter- Duryodhana. Lakshmana also got angry, but not for his own ben-
rupts your plans, it irritates you. Or if someone visits you whom efit. Petty anger is bad and can destroy you.
you don’t want to meet, it makes you angry. It’s because your life If you become angry and are alone, hold a mirror to yourself ● Sanskrit classes for
●
is in a flow and someone obstructs the flow. If you cannot do any- and look at your anger objectively. Tell yourself, “I’m getting an-
thing about your anger, you get frustrated and depressed. If you gry. My voice is raised.” This will help you gain control. Anger is individuals or groups
are angry with someone who is powerful and whom you cannot like fire, and water helps to calm it down. Drinking cold water
hurt, it makes you angrier. or taking a cold shower when you’re angry will quell the fire rag- on location or by correspondence
Anger is a power. If it is sustained over a long time without ex- ing inside you. If you are with someone and he is shouting, you
pression or sublimation, it leads to hatred. Hatred is deep and can should speak calmly. It will cool down the other person. If some- with continuous guidance
burn you. It spoils your vision of life and makes you bitter. Even one is angry with you, try to sit closer. If you are within an arm’s
things that would normally make you happy start giving you sorrow. distance, then he cannot point a finger at you. It may sound funny, all ages
If I can understand anger and use its force in an intelligent way, but it works.
I can transform it and use it to my advantage. Mahatma Gandhi Anger, jealousy, greed, passion and desires by themselves are elementary, intermediate
was thrown out of the train in South Africa. Just imagine being not good or bad, as all can be utilized for a better purpose. Gener-
thrown out like that. It would make you feel insulted and angry. ally we know about their negative aspects and label them as that. or advanced levels
What might he have done? He could have been angry with the When people say we should not have anger, it is not a proper state-
person, beat him and thrown stones at him. If that didn’t work, ment. It creates misunderstanding. Selfish anger is bad, but anger
he could have thrown stones at the train. Or he could have gone for the benefit and the welfare of the world is not bad. It will not ● Translation Service
●
home and beat his wife. Once his frustration was expressed, he burn your heart, but it will burn the negative forces. If your anger
would feel relief. creates a force and power in you, it is positive. You should cherish
But Mahatma Gandhi did something wonderfully different. He the transformed power of anger.
got angry, no doubt, but not with the person. He directed his
anger at the system which made the man behave the way he did. swami nikhilananda is head of the Chinmaya Mission in Contact Dr. Sarasvati Mohan ● 408-370-2260
He directed the anger at apartheid and decided to work for free- Delhi, India samskrt@aol.com ● www.samskrtam.org
68 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2003 69
Hari Om Ayurvedic Rejuvenation
“...long life, heightened memory
Vedic Astrology and intelligence, freedom
from disease, youth, lustrous
complexion and voice, opti-
& Ancient mum strength of body and
senses... all obtained by the
Hawaii
Please contact him for more information and for his upcoming
itinerary and schedules in USA, Canada, Fiji and Singapore. LAW OFFICES OF CHETAN P. TANNA, INC.
Commander Selvam 16466 Bernardo Center Drive, Suite 230
301 Knob Hill Ave., Suite 30 • Redondo Beach, CA 90277 San Diego, California 92128-2533 USA
1-800-5-SIDHAR (1-800-574-3427) • 408-829-7780 • 310-543-5544 Tel: 858-674-7470 • Fax: 858-674-7471
www.yogacraft.com • vishalparu@aol.com greencard@usa.net • chetanp@pacbell.net
Your Family’s
Perfect Pilgrimage Destination
Come to the ultimate Hindu pilgrimage destination. Here you will find
Kadavul Hindu Temple with the mystical Nataraja deity, established
in 1973 by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, a twelve-foot Dakshinamurthy
and the lush tropical site where San Marga Iraivan Temple is being constructed.
It is already host to a constant flow of visitors and pilgrims. We invite you to
visit this magical place which Hawaiians call Pihanakalani, “Where Heaven
Touches the Earth.”
71
Working Together Chakrapani Ullal, Vedic Astrology A Glimpse of Divinity
A stunning book for all who desire perfect
For the World-renowned teacher
peace and bliss—a glimpse of Lord Dattatreya’s
diverse needs and advisor, Chakrapani Ullal,
dazzling incarnation, Shri Swami Samarth of
consults internationally with
of the affluent. Akkalkot • Interviews with current sages and
people from all walks
devotees of his lineage • Instruction in tapping
of life. As the founding hon-
the limitless power of divine-name meditation.
orary chairman of the ACVA
Sekhar Vemparala Vemparala & Associates By Mukund M. Hanumante, Ph.D.
(American Council of Vedic
CFP , ChFC, CLU, MBA American Express Financial Advisors Inc. To Uplift People and Communities Astrology), he has played Hard cover • 180 pages, glossy • 18 color
Senior Financial Advisor IDS Life Insurance Company photos • available in English or Marathi.
First Floor, 1256 Route 202/206 an active role in bringing to- US
$20 incl. s&h in USA.
Bridgewater, NJ 08807 gether the Eastern Indian
Vedic astrologers and
1-800-437-8526
sekhar.c.vemparala@aexp.com www.kindlelife.org Western astrologers. Consid-
AKKALKOT SWAMI SAMARTH FOUNDATION
http://home.att.net/~swamisamarth • mukund@juno.com • 504-443-5633
Links to charitable and worthy institutions worldwide. ered a teacher of teachers, he
travels widely as an author,
lecturer and consultant.
1. Make donations to the institutions of your choice
via Kindle Life (in accord with US regulations).
Born into a traditional Hindu lineage of astrologers in Custom Tours to India
2. Apply for inclusion of your favorite charities. South India, Chakrapani began his training at an early age
3. Contact us to learn about other possibilites in and enjoyed associations with many of India’s most revered Kali Travel is uniquely qualified to
giving—or to help us to develop them. and celebrated saints and sages. With over 45 years of experi- organize custom-made tours to satis-
ence, his depth of knowledge and unique understanding fy the needs of any type of group,
4. Visit site to access Hindu scriptures. of how astrological principles apply to different cultures organization or individual and to
are sought out by people from all over the world. For more structure an itinerary appropriate
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in service of others. information and a schedule of his upcoming itinerary, to their specific needs and interests.
—Mahatma Gandhi please contact:
For more information, contact:
Tel: 1-510-653-6927 Chakrapani Ullal • 12044 Kearsarge Street Kali Travel, 169-12 Hillside Ave
Non-profit Organization Los Angeles, CA 90049-4113 USA Jamaica, NY 11432-4498 USA
Federal ID# 94-330847, CA state ID# 2072724 Tel: 310-476-9942 • Fax: 310-471-3205 1-718-291-9292
info@vedicastrology.com • www.chakrapani.com www.kalitravel.com