HINDU Terminal...!

In these last decades,   the world has been changing. The phenomenon called “Hindu Awakening” has created a growing favorable interest towards Hinduism not only in India, but at global level. Simultaneously, we have seen that in Western countries there has been a considerable development of the neo-pagan movements and the resurgence of ancient native religions and cultures – all of which are fundamentally compatible with Hinduism, the last surviving bulwark of ancient pre-abrahamic cultures. The monolith of  the abrahamic ideologies is cracking, and so is the biased academic approach that was aimed at dismissing the ancient pagan cultures as primitive and ignorant superstitions or childish fables. People from  all walks of life and backgrounds are eager to get direct access to the ancient texts and original traditions, to find answers to their individual and collective questions, and better solutions to the serious problems we are all facing. A paradigm shift ...

Hinduism Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world .  It is also known as Sanatan Dharma – the “Eternal Law” . Hinduism is more than 7000 years old (even older than Jesus) ! Hindus believe there is only one God.  Being universal, God can be “felt” and “experienced” in many ways.   Different aspects and characteristics of God are expressed in different “forms” of God. Hindu philosophy is based on its sacred scriptures. S acred books – There are several sacred scriptures. 4 Vedas 1 8 Puranas 2 Itihases Vedas are the oldest form of sacred literature in human history. 1) Rig Veda – hymns 2) Yajur Veda – explains how to do the rituals 3) Sama Veda – explains how to sing the hymns 4) Atharava Veda – has hymns on extra rituals There are several “Upnishads” that for the append...

W e have all heard about the conical stone Lingam for Lord Shiva (well hopefully you have), but what about a stone for Shri Vishnu? Is there a stone that represents and symbolizes Narayana? Yes, yes there is!  The Shaligram Shila (Shaligram being one of the 108 names of Vishnu , and shila simply means stone ) is a dark rock that can be found lingering along the banks of the Gandaki river in Nepal. Its a holy fossil that has natural imprints of Vishnu's symbols, such as a conch shell or His loyal snake Anatana. Sometimes there are even forms of Narasimha and Varaha (the earlier Divine incarnations of Vishnu) on the shila. These divine black rocks are used to worship Vishnu but the best part is that they are natural and not handcrafted! And according to the puranas they are not only symbols of God, but rather manifestations of God Himself. The Lord resides in many places in which he may be worshipped, but of all the places Salagrama is the best - from the Garu...

The worship of Devi Durga in the month of Ashwin is called 'Akalbodhan'- an uncustomary time for commencement of the worship. It is so called since the period of this worship differs from the conventional period (during the spring - 'Basanta'). Ramayana says that when Rama was engaged in the fierce battle with Ravana, he wanted to secure the blessings of victory from Devi Durga. He held the puja to evoke the goddess during autumn to his dire plight, thereby worshiping Durga untimely (in Akal). Hence this puja is called Akalbodhon. It was customary to worship Durga with 100 neel kamals (blue lotuses). Rama could gather only 99 of them; he offered one of his eyes as a substitute of the 100th lotus. Pleased with his devotion Durga blessed him. The battle started on Shaptami and Ravana was killed at the Shandhikshan (in between) Ashtami and Navami; he was cremated on Dashami. Therefore the four days of the puja that we celebrate ends in the triumph of the good over ...

The Mangalsutra Necklace: Sacred Symbol of Love & Marriage In Hinduism, when a girl gets married she adorns certain jewelry and observes special customs to make obvious her marital status. Just as a many of you wear the wedding ring after marriage, the married Hindu girl, according to the tradition, has to wear the 'mangalsutra,' bangles, nose and toe rings and a red bindi or apply 'kumkum' or ver milion on her forehead symbolizing not only her rite of passage from a girl to a married woman but also her heightened position in society as an adult who is respected and is capable of running a household, which is, in a way, the microcosm of the society at large. What is Mangalsutra? The word 'mangalsutra' is derived from the two words, mangal meaning holy or auspicious and sutra meaning thread. It is a sacred necklace that the groom ties around the bride's neck on the day of the wedding in a ceremony called Mangalya dharanam (meaning - wearing the auspic...

Update :  HJS submitted letter to Censor board for cancelling Censor Certificat e of the movie. (June 28, 2013) Appeal to devout Hindus 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' (English: Run Milkha Run) is an upcoming Indian biopic on former athlete Milkha Singh, slated for release on July 12, 2013. The film is produced and directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and Viacom18 media. The lyricist is Prasoon Joshi. There is a highly objectionable song in the movie, containing the following lyrics  "Havan-kund Maston ka Jhund... Havan Karenge, Havan Karenge, Havan Karenge, Havan Karenge" . As seen in the video, the actors use explicitly suggestive moves while mouthing 'Havan karenge'. This extremely outrageous use of word 'Havan', a term defining a sacred form of worship for Hindus, is downright derogatory and objectionable ! This song is nothing but a serious insult and denigration of 'Havan culture' and Hindu Dharma. Now it is duty of all Hindus to protest la...

Is Eating Meat Wrong? In spiritualism we often come across this fundamental question. Why should any one eat only vegetarian food? There are arguments and counter arguments about what we should and should not eat. Some people argue that it does not matter what you eat as long as you are leading a pure life and do not have craving for a particular kind of food. They cite the lives of prophets like  Jesus and the Buddha who had no like or dislike for any food. Others argue that the prophets were above human and we should not compare ourselves with them. Even though the Buddha did seem to have no particular preference for any food, the Buddhist monastic discipline clearly specifies certain food as forbidden for the monks. Hindu religious law books also specify certain types of food as forbidden for consumption unless ones life is in danger because of starvation. Is meat eating really bad? Is it acceptable if one eats meat as long as one is not directly killing the animal? To answer...