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The ways of karma... Every object in the universe is endowed with four characteristics: dharma, karma, prema and gyana. Of these, karma is the most talked about; it is also the most misunderstood. The Gita says: “Gahna Karmanyo Gathi” -- Unfathomable are the ways of karma. There are three types of karma: praarabdha, sanchita and agami. The first is latent karma, an impression or seed of action. The second is karma as action, and the third is karma as result. praarabdha means  ‘begun’; the action that is already manifesting and that is yielding its effect right now. You cannot avoid it or change it, as it is already happening. Sanchita is accumulated karma. It is latent or manifested in the form of a tendency or impression in the mind. Sanchita karma can be burned off by spiritual practices before it manifests. Agami karma is the future karma of action; that which has not yet come and which will take effect in the future. If you commit a crime, you may not get caught today, b...

The concept of 33 koti devata in Hinduism: The Vedas refer to not 33 crore Devatas but 33 types (Koti in Sanskrit) of Devatas. They are explained in Shatpath Brahman and many other scriptures very clearly. "Yasya Trayastrinshad Devaa Ange Sarve Samaahitaa, Skamma Tam Bruhi Katamah Swideva Sah”. ~(Atharva Veda 10-7-13) Which means: with God’s influence, these thirty-three (supporting devta) sustain the world. In Brhadaranyaka Upanishad while discussing Brahman, Yajnavalkya is asked how many gods are there. He says that there are three hundred and three and three thousand and three gods. When the question is repeated? He says, thirty three. When the question is again repeated he says, six. Finally, after several repetitions he says ONE. (Chapter I, hymn 9, verse 1) The number 33 comes from the number of Vedic gods explained by Yajnavalkya in Brhadaranyaka Upanishad – the eight Vasus, the eleven Rudras, the twelve Adityas, Indra and Prajapati. (Chapter I, hymn 9, verse 2...

An Evening talk on Shivaji It was a beautiful moonlit  night and Swamiji was sitting in the verandah of the bungalow of the late Mr. Bhattacharjee on the South Beach of Madras (already referred to), conversing in Hindi with Mr. Munshi Jagamohanlal, the private secretary of the Maharajah of Khetri. This gentleman had been sent by the Maharajah to trace out the whereabouts of the Swamiji and to fetch him back to Khetri to bless the newly born son and heir to the State. When Swamiji  was at Khetri about a year previously, the Maharajah of Khetri had begged of him to confer the boon of a son and Swamiji while he was in one of his higher moods had actually blessed him saying that God had granted his prayer. So the Maharajah wanted Swamiji back in his palace at any cost and could not remain contented until he saw him. When I went over there after my office work I prostrated before Swamiji and took my seat; and suddenly Swamiji began to sing a Hindi song in praise of Shivaji ...

Why do we do Aarati? Towards the end of every ritualistic worship (pooja or bhajan) of God or to welcome an honored guest or saint, we perform the aarati. This is always accompanied by the ringing of the bell and sometimes by singing, playing of musical instruments and clapping. It is one of the sixteen steps (shodasha upachaara) of the pooja ritual. It is referred to as the auspicious light (mangla niraajanam). Holding the lighted lamp in the right hand, we wave in a clockwise circling movement to light the entire form of God.  Each part is revealed individually and also the entire form of God. As the light is waved we either do mental or loud chanting of prayers or simply behold the beautiful form of God, illumined by the lamp. At the end of the aarati we place our hands over the flame and then gently touch our eyes and the top of the head.  We have seen and participated in this ritual from our childhood. Let us find out why we do the aarati?  Having worshippe...

For several  years now I have identified myself as a believer in Sanatan Dharma. Sometimes I feel comfortable referring to myself as a Hindu, and yet other times I feel quite uncomfortable. I’ll explain why shortly. Embracing the Hindu philosophy has been quite simple for me really. The moment I began reading The Upanishads something awoke inside of me. I had this incredible moment, or moments I should say, of absolute clarity that what I was reading was truth, and it made complete sense. I was giddy with excitement about it for days. I read The Upanishads every night to my husband before bed. I’ll always cherish those first moments of discovery with him. As any  convert to a new religion knows, I was quite overwhelmed in the beginning. I read everything I could get my hands on regarding Hinduism. My mind was flooded with the immense history and rich culture that comprises the oldest religion in the world. There were many times when I thought to myself, ‘What are you doi...

Basic Teachings of Guru Nanak Dev... Ahimsa or non violence --------------------------- Do not speak evil of any one. This is the ahimsa of thought. Do not speak harshly to any one. This is the ahimsa of speech. Do not impede any one's work. This is the ahimsa of action. Forgive him who speaks ill of you. Practice physical, mental and spiritual forbearance. Help those who are suffering even at the cost of your life.  Asceticism ------------ Guru Nanak did not advocate ascet ic life as a way to salvation. He himself led a normal life, amidst society, in touch with people of his time, though he was completely God centered and detached from the world and its ways. He preached that asceticism was not the way and the way to salvation was not incompatible with good life, laughing, eating, playing and dressing well. Humility --------- Nanak was humility personified. He often described himself as servant of God or slave to God. He preached service to humanity as service to G...

In HIS 1905 book, “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism”, Max Weber credited the Protestant ethic with giving rise to capitalism. Now it sometimes seems as if it is the Buddhist ethic that is keeping capitalism going. The Protestants stressed rational calculation and self-restraint. The Buddhists stress the importance of “mindfulness”—taking time out from the hurly-burly of daily activities to relax and meditate. In today’s corporate world you are more likely to hear about mindfulness than self-restraint. Google offers an internal course called “search inside yourself” that has proved so popular that the company has created entry-level versions such as “neural self-hacking” and “managing your energy”. The search giant has also built a labyrinth for walking meditation. EBay has meditation rooms equipped with pillows and flowers. Twitter and Facebook are doing all they can to stay ahead in the mindfulness race. Evan Williams, one of Twitter’s founders, has introduced r...

Akbar said to Birbal, “We Muslim’s have only Allah, Christians have Christ, Buddhists have Buddha. But you Hindus worship so many Gods. Why is it so?  Birbal said : ”God is one but His names are many.” Akbar: “How is it possible? How can God assume so many forms and yet only be one?” Birbal summoned a servant who was wearing a turban. He pointed to it and said: “What is that?” Servant said: “A turban” Birbal : “Untie it, roll it and tie it to your waist” When he had done so, Birbal asked, “ What is that?” Servant answered : “A kamarbhand” Birbal, turning to Akbar. “You have seen how the same cloth acquires different names when performing different functions. So also water can be a cloud when in sky; it is rain when it falls to earth; it is river when it flows, ice when it freezes. Similarly God is one but is called by different names by different people Moral We name things according to our own perceptions. It is important to bear in mind that the name is not the thing named. Ju...

  Mr. Steve Jobs had revolutionized the world of computers and e based communications through his Apple computers. Here are some facts about Mr. Steve Jobs. • He used to “walk 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna Hindu Temple”. • He said in his Stanford University lecture “you have to trust in your gut, destiny, life and Karma. He was a staunch believer of karma yoga. • He visited many Ashrams in Risheekesh particularly Neem Karoli Baba ashram, a devotee of Hanuman. After visiting for the first time he returned from India to US with a shaved head and in traditional Indian robes. • He used to walk in his company bare footed like a Hindu sanyaasee.. • He used to do Yoga daily and he was a perfect vegetarian till his last breath. • He visits many ashrams in north India and used to do yoga in the holy places. • He started touring India from 1970 onwards and he is a great lover of animals. • He has not requested mon...

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 ...