HINDU Terminal...!

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 ...

Content History of Holi Rituals of Holi Subtle drawing of the Holi ritual by Sanatan Sanstha's seekers Tradition of Holi Significance of Holi Do's and Dont's during the Holi Festival Celebrate Holi in the traditional way ! But did you ever ponder over this ? Curbing Malpractices during Holi is our Religious Duty ! Dhoolivandan Rangapanchami HJS's appeal to Hindus ! History of Holi The Bhavishya purana narrates a story in the context of this festival which is as follows - A female demon invaded a village and she started harassing little children. Hence the people obscenely abused and cursed her, they lit a fire everywhere to frighten her and thus drove her away. Rituals of Holi In this festival the main emphasis is laid on the burning of Holika or lighting of the Holi bonfire. The origin of the traditional lighting of Holi is attributed by some to the burning of evil demons like Holika, Holaka and Putana who troubled li...

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...

By Bengal Bee Vivekananda was a renowned thinker in his own right. One of his most important contributions was to demonstrate how Advaitin thinking is not merely philosophically far-reaching, but how it also has social, even political, consequences. One important lesson he claimed to receive from Ramakrishna was that “Jiva is Shiva ” (each individual is divinity itself). This became his Mantra, and he coined the concept of daridra narayana seva – the service of God in and through (poor) human beings. If there truly is the unity of Brahman underlying all phenomena, then on what basis do we regard ourselves as better or worse, or even as better-off or worse-off, than others? – This was the question he posed to himself. Ultimately, he concluded that these distinctions fade into nothingness in the light of the oneness that the devotee experiences in Moksha. What arises then is compassion for those “individuals” who remain unaware of this oneness and a determination to h...

How does Quantum Physics work? You may ask. In this article we discuss a very brief simplified history of Quantum Mechanics and will quote what the founding fathers of this branch of science had to say about it. We are not interested in new age mumbo-jumbo. We are interested in understanding what is real and what is false. This is why we, along with all other great minds, consult the Vedic texts. Please read on… The famous Danish physicist and Nobel Prize Laureate Niels Bohr (1885-1962) (pictured above) was a follower of the Vedas. He said “I go into the Upanishads to ask questions.” Both Bohr and Schrödinger, the founders of quantum physics, were avid readers of the Vedic texts and observed that their experiments in quantum physics were consistent with what they had read in the Vedas. Niels Bohr got the ball rolling around 1900 by explaining why atoms emit and absorb electromagnetic radiation only at certain frequencies. Then, in the 1920′s Erwin Schrödin...

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...