------------------------------------------------------------------------ HINDUISM TODAY INTERNATIONAL December, 1997 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ NOTE: please allow time for the entire issue to load before using the index links below. This file is fairly large and if the links are used prematurely it will interrupt the loading process. You can, of course, use the scroll bar during loading. Hinduism Today is a worldclass magazine, rich in timeless art, graphics and photo essays. The textual content is rich, but it cannot compare to the full-color printed version. The advertisers represent a global marketplace for hard to find items which cannot be appended to this electronic version. Once savvy surfers see the hard copy, they will want to subscribe and save each issue as an educational reference and art resource for their library ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *Publisher's Desk: Ganesha Can Cure Your Kids' Christmastime Blues *Editorial: Xmas: Fact or Fairytale *Insight: Evaluating Adi Shankara's Virtuosity in Vedic Verse *Quotes & Quips: Remaining in the Eternal Now: It's too late! *My Turn: Saving the Hindu Priesthood *Diaspora: Royal Apology Demanded *Letters: Womanly Protocal Issues *Briefly: Five Years After Ayodhya *Cover Story: Eleven-day Rites Bring Vedic Priests to U.S. *Trinidad: Legal Equality for Hindus *Nepal: Girl Temple Servants Suffer *Tribute: Yogi and Peacemaker: Sri Chinmoy is Honored *Astology: Princess Diana's Chart *Child Rearing: How Spanking Makes Children Behave Even Worse *Healing: Helping Hyperactive Kids *Evolutions: Awards High and Low *Devotion: A CD for the Goddess *Interview: Painter Indra Sharma *Service: Krishna's Lifeguard *Minister's Message: You Must Control Your Egotistical Desire and Your Anger *Digital Dharma * *All About Hinduism Today ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright Himalayan Academy 1997. This service of Hinduism Today is intended for the private personal use of our readers. No part may be reprinted, reposted, broadcast or re-used in any way without written permission. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Return to the issues index Return to Hinduism Today Home Page ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PUBLISHER'S DESK Daddy, Do We Get Toys for Christmas, too? Yuletide is not a Hindu holiday, but we have our own December gift-giving festival called Pancha Ganapati By Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami Daddy, why don't we have Christmas? What do we do? Don't we get presents, too?" That question was heard in so many Hindu homes some 15 years ago that it inspired us to create a new holiday based on time-honored traditions. In cooperation with swamis, scholars and elders, an alternative for Christmas was conceived and put into action. Pancha Ganapati, a five-day festival celebrated from December 21 through 25, has since become a favorite in homes all over the world. The winter solstice has always been a festive time of year in all countries, religions and among Hindus especially, for it is a traditional season for the worship of Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed lord of culture and the arts. In the Sri Lankan tradition, for example, thirty days are dedicated to Ganesha worship during December-January in the festival called Markali Pillaiyar. In Vedic astrology this time of year marks the end of the sun's southward movement and the beginning of its movement north. Since most Hindus do not celebrate Christmas, they often find it difficult to relate in a meaningful way to those who do. Their children are often embarrassed when asked why they don't receive gifts like their friends. Adults feel the need to give gifts and mail greeting cards as well as accept them from relatives, neighbors, friends and business associates. The five days of Pancha Ganapati offer a Hindu expression of this natural season of worship, gift-giving and celebration. During each of the five days, a special sadhana, spiritual discipline, is focused upon by the entire family. Because of the festival's importance as a new beginning and mending of all past mistakes, a festive shrine is created in the main living room of the home. At the center is placed a large wooden or bronze five-faced statue of Lord Pancha Ganapati. If this is not available, any large picture or statue of Lord Ganesha will do. Each morning the children dress or decorate Ganesha anew in a different color: golden yellow on December 21, then royal blue, ruby red, emerald green and finally brilliant orange. These are the colors of His five powers, or shaktis. Each day a tray of sweets, fruits and incense is offered to Lord Ganapati, often prepared and presented by the children. Chants, songs and bhajans are sung in His praise. After puja, the abundant, diverse sweets are shared by one and all as prasada. Each day gifts are given to the children, who place them before Pancha Ganapati to open only on the fifth day. Gifts need not be extravagent or expensive; they should be within the means of each family. Handmade presents are by far the most precious. Ganesha does not want gift-giving to promote Western commercialism but to further the great Hindu culture. Clearly, killer games should never be given. Greeting cards, ideally made by the children, offer Hindu art and wisdom, such as verses from the Vedas. Now let me explain how the five-day celebration is observed. December 21, yellow: The family sadhana for the first day of Pancha Ganapati is to create a vibration of love and harmony among immediate family members. The day begins early, and the entire family works together to design and decorate the shrine with traditional symbols, rangoli, lamps and more. Then a grand puja is performed invoking the spirit of Pancha Ganapati in the home. The sadhana of the day now begins. The family sits together for the purpose of easing any strained relationships that have arisen during the year. They make amends one with another for misdeeds performed, insults given, mental pain and injuries caused and suffered. When forgiveness is offered to all by one and all, they speak of each other's good qualities and resolve that in the days ahead they will remember the futility of trying to change others and the practicality of changing one's self to be the silent example for all to witness. Gifts are then exchanged and placed unopened before Pancha Ganapati. As family harmony is important to all Hindus, this sadhana must be taken very, very seriously. December 22, blue: Day two is devoted to creating a vibration of love and harmony among neighbors, relatives and close friends and presenting them with heartfelt. The sadhana of the day is to offer apologies and clear up any misunderstandings that exist. Relatives and friends in far-off places are written to or called, forgiveness is sought, apologies made and tensions released. Gifts received are placed unopened before Pancha Ganapati. December 23, red: The sadhana for the third day is to create a vibration of love and harmony among business associates, the casual merchant and the public at large. This is the day for presenting gifts to fellow workers and customers and to honor employers and employees with gifts and appreciation. The sadhana today is the settling of all debts and disputes. Gifts received are placed unopened before the Deity. December 24, green: The sadhana of day four is to draw forth the vibration of joy and harmony that comes from music, art, drama and the dance. Family, relatives and friends gather for satsang to share and enjoy their artistic gifts. Then all sit together before Ganesha, Patron of Arts and Guardian of Culture, discussing Hindu Dharma and making plans to bring more cultural refinements into the home. More gifts are placed before Pancha Ganapati. December 25, orange: The family sadhana for the final day is to bring forth love and harmony within all three worlds. Because of sadhanas well performed during the first four days, the family is now more open and aware of Ganesha's grace, and their love for Him is now overflowing. On this day the entire family experiences an outpouring of love and tranquility from the great God Himself. His blessings fill the home and the hearts of everyone within it, inspiring them anew for the coming year. Quite honestly, however, many Hindus do celebrate Christmas and would ask, "What's wrong with that?" My answer is that it dilutes and weakens our noble tradition and leads children astray. Each religion educates its young in a sectarian way, for religionists believe that to learn one specific path is sufficient and necessary. Therefore, education should not be diluted by taking in all religions under one banner. Religions are one in their movement toward God, some offering knowledge, others service, others love, attainment and direct experience. At the same time, they are different in their practices and attainments, and most assuredly distinct in their beliefs, the foundation of the attitudes of their members. It is good to love and respect all religions; that is a necessary condition of individual spiritual unfoldment. Following the path given by our religion leads one onward through religious practices and sadhana into Divine Realization. The success of any person on the spiritual path is reliant upon the depth and strength of his religious roots. A great tree with roots well wrapped around boulders and sunk deep into the Earth can withstand any storm. High winds are nothing more to it than the cleansing of its branches. The individual on the path must be just as firm in his religious foundation in order to withstand raging emotions, depression and elation, confusion and despair. To him, such disturbances will be nothing more than a cleansing of false concepts as he dives deeper into his religion and philosophy. We can clearly see that religion and tradition are interlocked in the annals of time back many thousands of years, and how tradition moves forward from one generation to the next, setting the patterns for humanity. Every time-honored tradition loyally serves mankind, and by following it through the context of one of the great religions of the world, one cannot go astray. Jai Ganapati! May He lead us always along the right path. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EDITORIAL It's Christmastime in the Ashram Again 'Tis the season to remember that Hindus honor all religions - we don't practice all religions By the Editor Ho, ho, ho! the tree is bright with tinsel and flashing lights, a little wooden angel hovering at its top. The sweet fragrance of pine wafts through the room and around the children as they play amid the many brightly wrapped gifts nestled among soft, white cotton beneath the tree. You would think this is a Christian home, but wait. Aren't those ladies wearing saris, and what's that spicy scent of roasting turmeric and ginger wafting from the kitchen? Vina music fills the air, and someone answers the phone saying, "Namaste." It's Christmas in the ashram. While it may surprise those in other nations, Christmas is a widely-observed annual holiday in American yoga schools and Hindu cultural centers. Everyone in America has to cope with the indisputable reality of Christmas. It's the most touted, most advertised, most expensive, most celebratory, most exhausting holiday in the nation. Nothing even comes close. It's the quintessential family ritual, a dramatic social and cultural extravagance and a child's first idea of what heaven must be like and that being good pays off. So, it will perhaps surprise readers to hear that it may be time for those following Indian spiritual traditions to stop celebrating Christmas. It's high time we take some stands, not just pliantly fit into Western ways. I'd say Christian ways, but Christmas, it turns out, isn't a Christian tradition at all, at least not a very old one. It wasn't invented in Rome or Jerusalem, but in the good 'ol USA! That's right. Christmas is as American as apple pie. It was concocted in America, and it originally had nothing to do with baby Jesus in a manger. Now, before you reach for your keyboard to send a sizzling e-mail about how this can't be so, let me explain. The real myth is that Christmas began at the birth of Christ, and it was thereafter observed as a sacred family festivity until the greedy 'ol merchants of the 20th century turned the Yuletide into a hollow hallowing, a peddler's pageant. Those who believe this are living a fairytale, according to University of Massachusetts history professor Steven Nissenbaum's dense, fact-filled book, The Battle for Christmas (381 pages, Knopf, $30). In his analysis, jolly old Santa Claus is more of a central figure in Christmas that Christ. He writes: "There never was a time when Christmas existed as an unsullied domestic idyll, immune to the taint of commercialism." From its outset, he declares, Christmas has been "commercial at its very core." Throughout most of Christian history, there was no Christmas at all. When it did surface, it was met with Puritan disdain. Its very observation was declared a criminal offense by the Massachusetts General Court in 1659. Assailing Christmas as a pagan festival with a Christian veneer, New England Puritans were trying desperately to suppress the annual rowdiness that had evolved from ancient Germanic agricultural observances--days of excessive eating and drinking, mocking of authority, audacious begging on the streets and unrestrained invasions of the homes of the wealthy. Nissenbaum tells the tale of how this December "Mardi Gras" turned into gang violence and public riots in the early 19th century. He writes that "the Yule log, the candles, the holly, the mistletoe, even the Christmas tree [are] pagan traditions all." Enter a group of New York entrepreneurs and leaders. Seeking to get revelers off the streets, Nissenbaum chronicles, they led a movement to take all that wild energy and transmute it into a family-centered celebration, with special emphasis on children and presents. Charles Dickens joined the cabal, writing his classic tale A Christmas Carol, one of several fictions that fueled the movement and set the homey tone for the new holiday. Soon families started gathering at their secure hearths to share gifts, all as a counterbalance to the ruffians outside. By 1822 Santa Claus was invented, at first in a poem by Clement Clarke Moore, son of an Episcopal bishop. Saint Nick slowly morphed from a beardless sprite to become the jolly, plump patron saint of commercialism. Indeed, the immense income that stores and publishers enjoyed drove Christmas' popularity, then as now. So why are ashrams and Hindu cultural halls observing an American holiday that has at its core commercial success and civic restraint? Perhaps we're trying to fit in, trying to assure non-Hindus that "We're not so different. We are tolerant and all-embracing." Are we so unself-assured that we have to follow others' culture to prove who we are? I hope not. We should not be doing this. And the fact is we have better options. Hindus could take their example from other courageous and creative peoples who have had to confront the present-day reality. Jewish families in the West turn all that energy toward Chanukah, an 8-day festival about the same time of year. Most submit to the secular gift-giving part. Creative African-Americans have created their own holiday, called Kwanzaa. Like Christmas itself, Kwanzaa was invented in America, and is now the only nationally celebrated, non-heroic Black holiday in the US. It was begun in 1966 by M. Ron Karenga to distance Blacks from the holiday's alienation and crass commercialism. He established December 26 to January 1 to allow Black shoppers a chance to shop economically during after-Christmas sales. Millions today observe Kwanzaa and thus strengthen their culture. Hindus, too, have invented a holiday, called Pancha Ganapati, which we celebrate at our Hawaiian ashram. I propose that all ashrams, yoga schools, temples, dharma-centered societies and Hindu homes ditch the play-pretend Santa Claus and put the all-giving Lord Ganesha at the center of this seasonal holiday. Loved ones can still gather. Gifts can still be shared. Kids can still delight in the feasting and fun, and we can all still be proud Hindus when its all over. As the season draws near, remember: we honor all religions, we don't practice all religions. Let's stop observing other faiths and follow the rich, celebratory heritage of India. Parents and ashram managers will find day-to-day instructions on how to make this happen on the previous page. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INSIGHT Seeking What's Real A tribute to Adi Shankara, the precocious ninth-century Indian philosopher SRI ADI SHANKARA IS IRREFUTABLY ONE OF THE MOST significant historical figures of India. His life story, writings and sayings were diligently documented, and tales of miracles and fantastic feats fill his biographies. With devotion, a trenchant intellect and an unyielding will, he led and gave lasting direction to an India-wide Hindu renaissance that countered the prevailing Buddhist influences of the day. He reformed Hindu lineages that he deemed errant and unified splintered ones by revitalizing and reaffirming the message of the Vedas. He was an ardent Hindu missionary, an exemplary ascetic and a formidable opponent to all who challenged his thinking. He had accomplished more by age sixteen than most achieve in a lifetime, including his most significant works--lofty commentaries on major Hindu scriptures. These commentaries and his expository writings are so highly regarded that every philosopher since him has felt compelled to counterpoint their credo with his. Shankara's persistent logic and stunning insights were fortified by an overwhelming compassion for every human soul's plight. His words and deeds instantly reveal him as one who knew the pinnacle, source and cause of all circumstance. This Self-knowledge endowed him with the authority to lead and to effect changes. His reach was perhaps the greatest of any swami in Indian history, spanning the entire sub-continent and every strata of Hindu society. Tomes have been written about him. We offer, by way of introduction, Dr. S. Radhakrishnan's tribute from his book, Indian Philosophy. Hear now, how even today, Shankara changes lives and leads minds toward the Absolute. It is impossible to read Shankara's writings, packed as they are with serious and subtle thinking, without being conscious that one is in contact with a mind of a very fine penetration and profound spirituality. With his acute feeling of the immeasurable world, his stirring gaze into the abysmal mysteries of spirit, his unswerving resolve to say neither more nor less than what could be proved, Shankara stands out as a heroic figure of the first rank in the somewhat motley crowd of the religious thinkers of mediaeval India. His philosophy stands forth complete, needing neither a before nor an after. It has a self-justifying wholeness characteristic of works of art. It expounds its own presuppositions, is ruled by its own end and holds all its elements in a stable, reasoned equipoise. The list of qualifications which Shankara lays down for a student of philosophy brings out how, for him, philosophy is not an intellectual pursuit but a dedicated life. The first, "discrimination between things eternal and non-eternal," demands of the student the power of thought, which helps him to distinguish between the unchanging reality and the changing world. "Renunciation of the enjoyment of the reward here and in the other world" is the second requirement. The seeker after truth must refuse to abase himself before things as they are and develop an austere detachment characteristic of the superior mind. Moral preparation is insisted on as the third requisite and, lastly, longing for liberation is mentioned. Shankara finds the basis of truth in the immediate self certainty which is untouched by any of the doubts cast on other things. The Self is prior to the stream of consciousness, prior to truth and falsehood, prior to reality and illusion, good and evil. "All means of knowledge exists only as dependent on self-experience, and since such experience is its own proof, there is no necessity for proving the existence of Self...The very existence of understanding and its functions presupposes an intelligence known as the Self, which is different from them, which is self-established and which they subserve." Atman cannot be doubted, "for it is the essential nature of him who denies it." For Shankara, philosophy is an exposition of the eternal nature of reality, or the innermost essence of the world. He presents to us the true ideal of philosophy, which is not so much knowledge as wisdom, not so much logical learning as spiritual freedom. For Shankara, as for some of the greatest thinkers of the world, Plato and Plotinus, Spinoza and Hegel, philosophy is the austere vision of eternal truth, majestic in its freedom from the petty cares of man's paltry life. Through the massive and at the same time subtle dialectic of Shankara there shows forth a vivid, emotional temperament, without which philosophy tends to become a mere game of logic. A master of the strictest logic, he is also master of a noble and animated poetry which belongs to another order. The rays of his genius have illumined the dark places of thought and soothed the sorrows of the most forlorn heart. While his philosophy fortifies and consoles many, there are, of course, those to whom it seems to be an abyss of contradiction and darkness. But whether we agree or differ, the penetrating light of his mind never leaves us where we were. FROM INDIAN PHILOSOPHY, VOL. 2: 1991, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS, OXFORD. Thirty-Two Years IN 788 IN KALADI, KERALA, A BRAHMIN couple's prayers to Siva for a child were answered with the birth of Adi Shankara.1 His prodigious intellect shone early, and he entered a gurukula at the age of five. By eight, he excelled in Vedic knowledge, counseled scholars and even hosted Kerala's King Rajasekhara.2 Some of his most famous devotional hymns were composed in those early years, and his name and fame began to spread. But his deepest longing was to know the truth not found in books. With his mother's reluctant blessings,3 eight-year-old Shankara sought out his guru, Govindapada, disciple of Gaudapada, and renounced4 the world. After training the youth in Omkarnath for three years, Govindapada sent Shankara to Banaras to write commentaries on the scriptures. Miraculous tales trailed him as he traveled, such as his saving a village from a swollen river by catching the flood-waters in his water-pot.5 He composed Sanskrit hymns at every occasion. A chance encounter with a chandala (outcaste) on a Banaras street6 revealed his own residual caste bias and inspired the famous Manisha Panchaka, wherein he vowed to see the Self in everyone. By age 16 he had completed his world-famous commentaries on the Upanishads, the Brahma Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, and he began his travels throughout India. Shankara met with students, scholars and leaders of the prevailing philosophical and devotional sects. By debating and promulgating his pure monistic vision, he unified divergent factions. It was he who revived and empowered the Smarta Sampradaya, one of the four most prominent denominations of Hinduism. With his renunciate initiates, Padmapada, Totaka, Hastamalaka and Sureshwara, he established the lineage's cardinal monastaries at Sringeri (where he witnessed a cobra giving shade to a frog),7 Badri, Dwarka and Puri. At 32, his work done, the remarkable renunciate disappeared into the Himalayan hills at Kedarnath.8 His life ennobled Hinduism in deep and enduring ways. Insights and Invocations Selections from Sri Adi Shankara's noble teachings Over 300 literary works are ascribed to Shankara. Some are poetic hymns, others are instructive and the rest are scriptural analysis, all written in Sanskrit. Most renowned are his critical commentaries on the Brahma Sutras, the twelve Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita and the Sanat Sujatiyam. While his devotional outpourings are among the most oft-recited of Hindu chants, he is associated more with his austere philosophical theses. Here is offered a sparse sampling of both worlds. TO GANESHA Maha Ganesha Pancharatna Stotra, 1; 5 I bow to Vinayaka, who with glee holds a half-eaten modakam, who is the ever-present means of liberation, who has the moon as an ear ornament, who protects all the worlds, who is the single leader for those who have been left leaderless, who destroyed the elephant demon and who swiftly removes the blemishes of those who bow to Him TO LORD VISHNU Vishnu Bhujangam, 1 I salute the immaculate, auspicious, tranquil, without beginning or end, life of the universe, unbounded by time, space or objectivity, who is known through the Vedas, whose effulgence pales the light of millions of suns and moons risen together, who is invisible, who is neither heat nor cold, who is pure knowledge. TO LORD HANUMAN Sri Hanumat Bhujangam 14-15 Disease, decay and other troubles weigh me down and give me sorrow. You are of indomitable valor, O compassionate one, grant me devotion to thy feet and love towards you. I salute Him who is generous, who is ever devoted to Sri Rama, whose deeds are great, who appears with a mace to his enemies, who is ever serene in attitude, the destroyer of darkness whose body is mighty. TO GODDESS GANGA Sri Gangashtakam, 7 You have paths as many as the eyes can see; and when your waves come to sight, how can the waves of samsara remain? You are yellowish, having been to the dwelling place of Vishnu who wears yellow silk. O Mother Ganga, if my slender body falls on your lap, then even attainment of the status of Indra appears small in comparison. TO GODDESS ANNAPURNA Annapurnashtakam 11-12 Beloved Shakti of Siva, fullness everlasting and fully manifest as this food; O, Mother of the universe, nourish us with this gift of food so that we may attain knowledge, dispassion and spiritual perfection. Goddess Parvati is my mother. God Mahesvara is my father. All devotees of Siva are my family. All three worlds are my home. COUNSEL TO SEEKERS Sadhana Panchakam, 2; 5 Seek the company of the pious. Develop strong faith in God. Acquire with determination peace and divine qualities. Approach a pious one learned in the scriptures. Worship at his sandals daily. Concentrate upon the highest Brahman. Perceive everywhere the all-pervading Self. See this world as falsified by It. Identify the Self in you with Parabrahman and stay in the state of experience divine. TO THE SELF BEYOND Dasa Sloki,Siva Kevaloham 9 I am indivisible, one by nature, all-pervading like space. All this universe, being other than the Self, is unreal; for the Self alone is all-inclusive, constitutes the ultimate goal, is self-established and self-dependent. I am that One, auspicious and pure, that alone remains. Sankara's two primary philosophical dissertations are the Upadesasahasra and the Viveka Chudamani. The latter, the Crest-Jewel of Discrimination, is considered by many his magnum opus. In it Shankara elaborates the very nature of Reality as he dissects and reveals the subtle essence of the world, body, mind and soul. It is a profound and lengthy treatise. The excerpt below offers a glimpse of his teachings on the soul. THE ATMAN Crest Jewel Of Discrimination There is a self-existent Reality, which is the basis of our consciousness of ego. That Reality is the witness of the three states of our consciousness, and is distinct from the five bodily coverings. That Reality is the knower in all states of consciousness--waking, dreaming and dreamless sleep. It is aware of the presence or absence of the mind and its functions. It is the Atman. That Reality sees everything by its own light. No one sees it. It gives intelligence to the mind and the intellect, but no one gives it light. That Reality pervades the universe, but no one penetrates it. It alone shines. The universe shines with its reflected light. Because of its presence, the body, senses, mind and intellect apply themselves to their respective functions, as though obeying its command. Its nature is eternal consciousness. It knows all things, from the sense of ego to the body itself. It is the knower of pleasure and pain and of the sense objects. It knows everything objectively, just as a man knows the objective existence of a jar. This is the Atman, the Supreme Being, the ancient. It never ceases to experience the infinite joy. It is always the same. It is consciousness itself. The organs and vital energies function under its command. Here, within this body, in the pure mind, in the secret chamber of intelligence, in the infinite universe within the heart, the Atman shines in its captivating splendor like a noonday sun. By its light, the universe is revealed. It is the knower of the activities of the mind and of the individual man. It is the witness of all the actions of the body, the sense organs and the vital energy. It seems to be identified with all these, just as fire appears identified with an iron ball, but it neither acts nor is subject to the slightest change. The Atman is birthless and deathless. It neither grows nor decays. It is unchangeable, eternal. It does not dissolve when the body dissolves. Does the ether cease to exist when the jar that enclosed it is broken? The Atman is distinct from Maya, the primal cause, and from Her effect, the universe. The nature of the Atman is pure consciousness. The Atman reveals this entire universe of mind and matter. It cannot be defined. In and through the various states of consciousness--waking, dreaming and sleeping--it maintains our unbroken awareness of identity. It manifests itself as the witness of the intelligence. With a controlled mind and an intellect which is made pure and tranquil, you must realize the Atman directly, within yourself. Know the Atman as the real "I." Thus you cross the shoreless ocean of worldliness, whose waves are birth and death. Live always in the knowledge of identity with Brahman and be blessed. CHANTS ARE DRAWN FROM SHANKARA THE MISSIONARY: 1978, CENTRAL CHINMAYA MISSION TRUST, MUMBAI. THE ATMAN IS FROM VIVEKA CHUDAMANI: TRANSLATED BY SWAMI PRABHAVANANDA AND CHRISTOPHER ISHERWOOD, 1947, VEDANTA PRESS, HOLLYWOOD. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Quotes & Quips "Only one thing to learn in life: You must think of yourself the way God thinks of you--as another God." Sri Chinmoy-- renowned spiritual leader, author, poet, artist, musician and athlete, named "Ambassador of Peace" by world leaders" Remaining in the Eternal Now: It's too late. By the time you think, "Now I'm in the now," it's already then. Swami Beyondananda Renunciates can't count on liberation just for all their lamentation. The road to heaven isn't blocked by jokes. Thus cheerful are the wisest folks--without solemnity and all it brings, they laugh at the very state of things. Humorous insight found in an old Sanskrit text, Padataditaka, Verse 5 Sadhu Vaswani's brother, having been stung more than once by honeybees who had built a hive on one of the walls of their house, complained to the great saint Sadhu Vaswani: "How can men and honeybees live together?" He felt certain that Sadhu Vaswani would have the hive removed. He was shocked to get the saint's answer: "Then let the men go!" Wearing orange robes, carrying a walking stick or water pot, talking of Vedanta and arguing about it with everyone--these things do not make one a swami! Legendary siddha yogi Swami Nityananda (?-1961), satguru of Swami Muktananda. I am not enamoured of acquiring fame, knowledge, luxuries of life, power, or heaven or moksha, but my desire is to have a rebirth in Bharatha Bhumi [India], as a human being or as a animal or as a bird, or as an insect or at least as a stone! A Hindu's patriotic cry on the occasion of India's 50th anniversary. When a boy, one is attached to sport; when a youth, one is attached to a young woman; when old, one is attached to anxiety; to the supreme Brahman, no one, alas, is attached! Adi Sankara, Bhaja Govindam, verse 7 During my discourse in Banaras, an elephant became very uncontrollable and began running berserk among the passers by. I, along with my disciples, were passing by that street on our way to bathe in the Ganga. Seeing the elephant running amuck, we had to run for safety. One pandit who used to attend my discourses daily, referring to this incident, asked me the question: "O, great teacher. If as you say, the world is maya [illusion] and the soul is indestructible, why did you, a liberated soul, run for safety seeing the maya elephant running wildly?" I replied: "Well put, my learned brother. The elephant was maya, as you say, and so was my running!" Adi Sankara during his famous debate with Mandana Mishra. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MY TURN Rescuing Our Vedic Pundits Why we organized the largest Vedic ritual ceremony in American history By Dr. S. Yegnasubramanian Now that the Ati Rudra Maha Yajna at the Sringeri Sadhana Center in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, is accomplished, I revisit my initial motivation to undertake this sadhana. I have always felt proud of the affluence of the Hindu community abroad, specifically, the community's efforts and desire to encourage and honor our fine artists, musicians and sculptors by inviting them to various parts of the world. I wondered what the Hindu community could do to similarly acknowledge the merits of the Vedic pundits. Their dedication is the key component in the protection and propagation of our scriptures, which is the basis of Hindu tradition and dharma. But the self-esteem of these pundits is very disturbed at the moment, as is evident from the very poor enrollment in the pathasalas, the priest training schools. From the original classification of 1,131 recensions of all the four Vedas, only an incomplete ten seem to be available today. At this rate, this number will further dwindle to very alarming magnitudes. To prevent further deterioration, the encouragement of the Vedic pundits is a must. What event could raise the pundits' self-esteem and sensitize the community to this issue? What doable event in America would involve the participation of a number of these pundits and make an impact in our midst? The Hindu tradition has brought us the power of prayer and service for the welfare of all communities as the highest of ideals. Historically, such services (yajnas) were conducted by emperors for the welfare of their subjects. What yajna can be done here today to accomplish this objective? All these considerations resulted in conception of the Ati Rudra Maha Yajna which I personally consider as a divine sankalpam (conception, resolve)! Performing such a yajna here will help our younger generations to have the feel and appreciation for an authentic Vedic rite and will impress upon them that events of such magnitude are possible to conduct these days! It will also serve to rejuvenate the Hindu community with the reassurance that we are all together in performing such worship for the benefit of all. To conduct a yajna on this scale for the first time outside India was a monumental task! Meticulous planning of all legal, safety, food, transportation, housing, medical and other operational logistics, in addition to taking care of so many priests' from India (who are totally new to plane travel), stay abroad etc., for a duration of nearly three weeks, was a challenge! All these were accomplished within a span of just eight months, only because of the strength of the blessings of His Holiness, the Jagadguru of Sringeri Peetham. The support for this massive effort came from contributions from several philanthropists and the selfless dedication of many volunteers who devoted their time and labor for a very worthy community cause. I was very emotionally touched to see so many devotees attending an eleven-day vaidika ritual in the remote Pocono location. All the priests who participated went back with extremely emotional sentiments and very proud of their participation. Almost a once-in-a-lifetime event, this yajna undoubtedly brought all our communities together in a serene and peaceful setting. There is definite hope and support financially, spiritually and physically if the sankalpam has merit and the anugraha (grace) of the Acharya empowers that sankalpam of the devotee. Dr. S. Yegnasubramanian, 48, a materials scientist with Lucent Technologies, was general chairman of the Ati Rudra Maha Yajna. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Diaspora INTERNATIONAL Royal Apology Demanded India will never forget the massacre of 379 unarmed civilians at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar in 1919. That incident has remained one of the most notorious in the history of the British Empire, and provided powerful impetus to India's freedom movement. So when the itinerary for the Queen's trip to India honoring 50 years of independence was found to include Amritsar, many Indians demanded she apologize for the slaughter while there. Much political haggling has resulted, but there is considerable sympathy in England for a royal apology. Authoritative sources report one has been approved by the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair. Editorial opinion in the UK favors an apology. Present plans are for the Queen to lay a wreath at the site, but without making an apology then and there. MAURITIUS Diploma Yoga Moves Ackbar Ackbar yoga movement is the creation of Trilo and Shiksha Gujadhur, two yoga therapists who teach a diploma course in yoga--the first in Mauritius. They promote the Ackbar Yoga Movement as "the most ancient science to manage modern disease," in an effort to bring yoga to Mauritians of all races and faiths. They hope their students graduate into yoga's mental and spiritual frontiers. The new six-month Diploma in Yoga course started in November. In 1994, the Gujadhurs organized an International Yoga Therapy Camp held in Mauritius. Trilo and Shiksha hope one day to see yoga therapy at all the island's hotels. KINDNESS The Leather Alternative What's a tough guy vegan to do these days, anyway? Nobody wants to see someone wearing half a cow on his back in the form of the traditional black leather jacket. That's got the same stigma as fur coats on rich ladies--a sign you're a selfish person who cares nothing for animals or environment. Well, cry no more, big guy, just get a catalog from Aesop and buy yourself a "Classically-styled, English-made, leather-free Biker jacket" for a very reasonable us$150. The folks at Aesop want to bring you products that don't sacrifice the rights of animals, but do protect the environment. Anyone who has ever tried to find nonleather shoes will be impressed with the wide selection--their main product, actually--from comfy sandals to office wear to durable work boots and hiking shoes. Other items include nonleather bags, purses, backpacks, wallets and your choice of the biker jacket (for the really tough) or an English-style bomber jacket (for the high-flying very cool). AESOP, INC. P.O. BOX 315, NORTH CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS 02140 USA WEB: www.aesopinc.com TRENDS Free Scotland Citizens of Scotland approved a referendum on September 11 to form a parliament of their own with powers of taxation and control over most domestic affairs. According to a report in the Deccan Herald (Bangalore), "The devolution will be in tune with the international trend of recognizing diversity to ultimately lighten burdens on heavily encumbered national centers while at the same time encouraging the growth with responsibility of units on the political periphery." The paper editorializes, "As devolutionists rightly argue, measures which eventually lead to people's empowerment strengthen rather than weaken national USA Religion in the Workplace New Federal guidelines now allow employees of the US government considerable freedom of religious expression in their workplace. Under the rules announced August 14 by President Clinton, it is now permissible for a federal employee only--this does not apply to the private sector--to keep a Bible, Koran, Upanishads or other holy scripture on his desk. He may wear religious clothes, put up religious symbols in his work area and observe the holidays of his faith. It also allows proselytizing of fellow workers on the job, but only as long as the person being proselytized does not ask that it stop or demonstrate that it is unwelcome.bonds." The Scottish situation might serve as model for solving the so-far intractable situation in Sri Lanka between Tamils and Singhalese. ELEPHANTS Help on Way The Veterinarians and PhDs of the British Federation of Zoos thought they knew how to manage an elephant, but when Kamini, Chandrika and Raja arrived from north Bengal earlier this year, they had more than they could handle. The three pachyderms become accustomed to the day-and-night attentions of their mahout and grew distressed without it. The solution? The zoo imported ten mahouts, post haste, reports India Today, "to teach their more educated colleagues the wisdom of the ancients." Also in elephant news is a us$25-million bill introduced in the US Congress to protect the Asian elephant, particularly those in India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, from extinction. The number of elephants in the wild may be only 35,000, existing in small fragmented herds of less than a hundred. The money will go to current conservation programs. ENGLAND First Curry Anglo-Indian Edward Palmer deserves dhanavats (thank you's) from UK Indian restaurant lovers, for founding Veeraswamy's, the first such eatery of them all, in 1927. When the new owner sought to renovate the old place recently along the lines of Indian Vastu Shatra, she discovered that Palmer's original floorplan, long since altered, already followed the ancient Vedic science. THE VEDAS God's Word, Sages' Voices Earth is upheld by Truth. Heaven is upheld by the sun. The solar regions are supported by eternal laws, rita. The elixir of divine love is supreme in heaven. Rig Veda 10.85.1 Sunless and demonic, verily, are those worlds, and enveloped in blinding darkness, to which all those people who are enemies of their own souls go after death. Shukla Yajur Veda, Isa Upanishad 3 Truly, God is One; there can be no second. He alone governs these worlds with His powers. He stands facing beings. He, the herdsman, after bringing forth all worlds, reabsorbs them at the end of time. Krishna Yajur Veda, Svetasvatara Upanishad 3.2 With earnest effort hold the senses in check. Controlling the breath, regulate the vital activities. As a charioteer holds back his restive horses, so does a persevering aspirant restrain his mind. Krishna Yajur Veda, Svetasvatara Upanishad 2.9 O learned people, may we with our ears listen to what is beneficial, may we see with our eyes what is beneficial. May we, engaged in your praises, enjoy with firm limbs and sound bodies a full term of life dedicated to God. Rig Veda 1.89.8 After death, the soul goes to the next world bearing in mind the subtle impressions of its deeds, and after reaping their harvest returns again to this world of action. Thus, he who has desires continues subject to rebirth. Shukla Yajur Veda, Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.6 As oil in sesame seeds, as butter in cream, as water in river beds, as fire in friction sticks, so is the atman grasped in one's own self when one searches for Him with truthfulness and austerity. Krishna Yajur Veda, Svetasvatara Upanishad 1.1 Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Letters Hello! What About Hindus? IN THE YOUR OCTOBER '97 LETTERS, MR. Ryan Amptmeyer was upset at what he considers trivialization of a horrendous historical event of the holocaust of the European Jews. However, he does not grant the same courtesy to the Hindus who lived through a holocaust of much bigger proportion and cruelty at the hands of the invading marauders and ruling Islamic kings and despots. Mr. Amptmeyer very rightly wants to perpetuate the memory of the Jewish holocaust so that it never happens again. Hindus who want to do the same and also want some symbolic retribution of that, he terms as Muslim hate groups. I think he is being very unfair. The temples at Mathura, Kashi and Ayodhya, converted to mosques, are the three most holy places for the Hindus. These temples are a constant reminder of the acts of barbarism perpetrated by conquering armies. It is only just and right, for the sake of amity and goodwill, that these three temples be returned to Hindus. This demand is not an act of hate but a demand for dignity and self-respect. Yashpal Lakra, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA, YLakra@aol.com Womanly Protocol Issues IF THE ARTICLE "CUES AND CLUES," [insights, September, 1997] were a summation of antiquated traditions, I might begin to understand the necessity or the intent of the paragraph entitled "Womanly Protocol." However, if, as the author states, "Tradition is the best of the past that has been carried forward for the future," I beg to disagree, as an Indian woman, and on behalf of my female family, to this section. I find the suggestions to the Indian woman's exalted position at best hopeful. The majority of Indian women are very oppressed. If the opposite were true, there would be no need for a woman's movement. Indian woman are and have been encouraged to live under the rule of men, whether their rules are beneficial or not. How does it behoove a woman to eat after a man? Walk behind a man? Be shy, self-effacing and afraid to even walk outside on her own? What do these things teach a woman, but to devalue her own self in favor of any masculine presence? These rules do not contribute to a woman's drive to learn, invent, achieve or succeed. I hope I am wrong in interpreting your article. I pray that your publication will do anything it can to support the emancipation of Indian women. Amrita Raman THE TRADITIONAL HINDU EXPRESSIONS OF respect, including the husband and wife protocol, have protected the Indian couple and family from the difficulties that are so common in the West. However, I wonder if there are cases of Westerners who have adopted these rules, and how successful they have been in avoiding or solving marital issues. Such case stories would be most useful to those spiritual seekers who have to face the hardships of misunderstanding in their homes. Indian folks tempted to go the Western way would also be encouraged to cherish and preserve their traditional heritage in the area of family customs. J.S. Sahai, Guadeloupe, France, sharad@outremer.com I WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THE ARTICLE "Womanly Protocol," which requires the wife to walk a step or two behind her husband, always giving him the lead. This is in direct conflict with the claim made earlier that "women in Hindu society are held in the highest regard, far more respected and protected, in truth, than in the West." I don't see anything respectful and protective about compelling women to be subordinate to their husbands. Sanatana Dharma mandates us to treat everyone equally, including women, for there is a spark of divinity in every being and every object. Pradeep Srivastava, Detroit, Michigan, USA, srivasta@dwsd.org * The men-women protocols which we surveyed are in many places old-fashioned and ignored, if not totally disdained. I want to affirm, if you have not been reading our magazine for long, that we at Hinduism Today are 108% in support of Asian women's issues, and children's too. I agree with your assessment of today's terrible, inexcusable conditions, and our team worldwide is committed to be a voice of change in these matters. We will never abandon that vision or the work involved in seeing it come to pass. Still, the "Womanly Protocols" that we presented serve a purpose, reminding us of ways of life evolved over long eras, ways of life that still are followed in many refined, traditional homes. Quite the opposite, really. But, if men take it in egotistical or power games ways, yes, these are then bigoted rules, useless and belittling. Women, it is felt by many, are the bastions of our dharmic values, our refinements, our cultural heritage. Their example does much to soften the man's boorish ways, and to give style and purity to society. Humility, in our view, is not a lesser position in life, but the spiritual maturity of every soul, man or woman. To most Hindus, the protections (you may see them as limitations) offered women are based not on some notion that men are more deserving of freedoms, but that women are more capable of living the higher ideal. The Editor Thanks for the Honor I AM A STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF Texas at Austin. I am also the president of the Hindu Student's Council chapter here at University of Texas. I would like to thank you for profiling our organization in your beautiful publication ["Searching for Our Roots," youth, October '97]. It was an honor to see our organization graced in the pages of your exciting and informative magazine. Sidhanta Sharma, Austin, Texas, USA sid.sharma@mail.utexas.edu YOU HAVE GIVEN THE WORLD a gift that cannot be fully comprehended or measured. Lately, the publisher's desks have been speaking straight to me. You all are phenomenal. I cannot thank you enough. Spencer, Englewood, Colorado, USA plantluv@juno.com Exposing Dharma THANK YOU, HINDUISM TODAY, FOR YOUR assistance in helping us to provide our local newspaper, the Anchorage Daily News, with the Hindu calendar of festivals and events. Through your referral we were able to provide him with all the dates for 1997 for publishing in his newspaper. What a wonderful boon it is to see our Hindu festivals listed. We pray that this letter will inspire others to contact local newspapers in their communities and do the same in the name of Sanatana Dharma. Shyamadeva Dandapani, Anchorage, Alaska, usa, shyamadeva@corecom.net Corrections In November's Briefly we incorrectly attributed the photo of the Pundit from Trinidad to Anil Mahabir. The story and photo were submitted by Parasram Ramoutar. Our October article on the Hindu Student's Council gave an incorrect Web address. The HSC may be found at www.hindunet.org Letters, with writer's name, address and daytime phone number, should be sent to: Letters, Hinduism Today 107 Kaholalele Road Kapaa, HI 96746-9304 USA or faxed to: (808) 822-4351 or e-mailed to:letters@HinduismToday.kauai.hi.us Letters may be edited for space and clarity and may appear in electronic versions of Hinduism Today. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ LAW AND ORDER Legal Inequity Trinidad's PM wants archaic laws changed that protect Christianity but not other religions Anil Mahabir, Trinidad WITH A HINDU PRIME Minister and a Hindu majority cabinet and government, Trinidad & Tobago is experiencing a fresh breeze--some say a tornado--of psychological, cultural, social and legislative change. Hindu groups have never been more vocal in their demands for changes to the archaic colonial laws which foster unequal treatment of faiths. Basdeo Panday himself set the tone for the Hindu resurgence in 1986 as Trinidad's first Hindu cabinet minister. He caused a two-hour delay in his own swearing-in ceremony when he refused to take his oath of office on a Christian Bible and demanded instead the Bhagavad Gita--which had to be purchased in a local bookstore. Previous Indian ministers in the government had invariably converted to Christianity. In 1996, Basdeo became the country's first Hindu prime minister. The once silent Hindu leaders are now clamoring for change. Sat Maharaj, leader of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, has been in the forefront of the crusade designed to have certain laws and practices changed to treat all religions equally. There are eight such laws. One is Blasphemous Libel. According to the Attorney General of Trinidad & Tobago, only Christianity is protected by law from blasphemy. Blasphemy is specifically defined as "any contemptuous, reviling, scurrilous or ludicrous matter relating to God, Jesus Christ or the Bible, or the formularies of the Church of England as by law established" [Chapter 27.I.C]. A 1991 attempt to extend it to the protection to Islam failed, and the law is specifically "restricted to attacks on Christianity." This offense is defined in English Common Law and appears to remain in effect in England and possibly other present and former Commonwealth countries and colonies. At the time the law was formulated, Christianity was the state religion, and an attack upon it was regarded as an attack upon the state. The government wants a new law that recognizes blasphemous publications as those which revile, attack and wrongly criticize any religion in Trinidad and Tobago. A second law cited as discriminatory makes it illegal for the armed forces to invade and search a Christian church without a warrant. The same does not apply to Hindu temples or Islamic mosques. The law originates in the medieval European custom of "sanctuary," wherein a criminal was immune from arrest in a Christian church. The Hindu leaders want the law changed to require warrants for temples and mosques, too. It is, however, Maharaj's demand to cease using "amen" to end the prayer that opens each meeting of parliament which has attracted the most fire. He pointed out the parliament is a "national institution belonging to everybody in the society." As such, he feels that Hindus should not be compelled to end their parliamentary prayer with "amen." He wants a universal closing. Controversy erupted immediately over his request. Non-Hindus labeled Maharaj as "racist" and his demand "out of place." Maharaj retorted that "Amen is only part of the problem which exists in the society. The critics have missed the point completely. It is my Parliament. It is the national Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago. Whatever transpires there affects me and the Hindu community. Whenever a universal prayer is made, there is no ending. In the school system, for instance, a universal prayer is said and there is no ending. Further, the Inter-Religious Organization had a prayer framed for radio programs and there is no ending in that prayer. I have no problem with the Christians saying 'amen,' but if it is a national prayer, it should reflect everyone." Raji Ji, head of the Hindu Prachar Kendra, supported Maharaj's efforts and said, "The issue has to do with having laws which are reflective of a plural society." In a document titled "Reform of Media Law: Towards a Free and Responsible Media" the government has signalled its intention to change certain laws that enforce inequality. The proposals are in the "Green Paper" stage, meaning still open for comment and review before being submitted to parliament. Hindus count it imperative that laws reflect the constitution of Trinidad & Tobago, which guarantees freedom of religious expression and allows for the peaceful co-existence of all religions. This ideal is stated in the country's national anthem, "Here every creed and race finds an equal place." Hindus in other countries, especially those with systems based on English common law, such as the former colonies, should research their laws and see if such discriminatory statutes still exist in their judicial system. TO COMMENT WRITE: OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, ATTORNEY GENERAL CHAMBERS, "COMMENTS PERTAINING TO GOVERNMENT GREEN PAPER: REFORM OF MEDIA LAW," PORT OF SPAIN, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Briefly . . . MANTRAS ARE SPIRITUALLY POTENT, but can they heal the body? Janak Shahi, chosen to run the Mantra Healing Centre in New Delhi, says yes, mantras can cure conditions from rheumatoid arthritis to cancer and muscular dystrophy. But doctors with the Delhi Medical Association say the clinic "has no rational or scientific basis" and that government support is unwarranted. Even ayurvedic doctors object, saying, "in place of encouraging proven systems of medicine, the government is encouraging mantra recitation." NEPAL'S REMOTE MANAKAMANA TEMPLE is becoming more accessible. By October, a new 1.5-mile cable car system, appropriately named Manakamana Darshan, Ltd., will ferry 600 pilgrims per hour to view the Goddess. Visitors are expected to increase from 400,000 per year to one million. PILGRIMS TO AMARNATH have found a pious if untidy use for those blue & white identification cards the Jammu and Kashmir government now requires the faithful to carry. They're being tied to the railing protecting the ice Shiva Lingam, joining other types of name tags, wedding announcements, even a missing-person flyer, as calling cards--invitations for God's blessings. TEMPLE DESECRATION IN FIJI has sunk to a new low. A Member of Parliament reports that a land rental dispute actually resulted in local villagers entering a Hindu temple with a bundle of fish and cooking it in the havana kunda, or sacred fire pit. NORTH INDIAN HINDUS are being specifically targeted by evangelicals. The goal of "OM India" (Operation Mobilization) is 100 million converts. The Partnership for North India "has a goal of seeing a Christian church within 'shouting distance' of every village and urban area (one million churches)," reports the missionary publication Pulse. By one estimate, "just nine Indian and Western agencies have started nearly 5,700 Indian churches." THE US DEPARTMENT OF STATE issued its first report on religious rights around the world, naming Saudi Arabia as the only nation where freedom of religion is nonexistent. But the report, commissioned by Congress, focuses only on the worldwide persecution of Christians. The National Council of Churches urges "further dialogue among America's various faith communities as to how to respond to any religious persecutions..." and prayerful conversations "based on the assumption that each is seeking the best interests of all religious people around the world." SPOUSAL ABUSE is not just a man-beat-woman issue. "Of the 9,000-odd cases of marital disturbances registered by the Crimes Against Women unit during the past year, 10 to 15 percent of the complaints were of women harassing and beating up their husbands. And the numbers are growing..." reports The Gazette, Montreal. New Delhi's All-India Front Against Atrocities by Wives claims to have "a membership of 40,000 maltreated husbands across India." FIVE YEARS AFTER AYODHYA erupted with violence between Hindus and Muslims, 49 people have been indicted on criminal charges for their role in the destruction of Babri mosque. The charges include conspiracy, creating hatred, defiling a place of worship, causing grievous hurt by threatening and damaging the life and safety of others. Over 2,000 people died in the subsequent December, 1992, riots. NEW EXCAVATIONS at Dholavira, in Gujarat, have "given a well-stratified account of the rise and fall of Harappan culture and revealed an exquisite planning, monumental and aesthetic architecture, and water-harnessing and storm-water drainage systems," writes R.S. Bisht, a senior director at the Archeological Survey of India. Among the unearthed marvels is a reservoir measuring 30 feet wide by 260 feet deep, cut into a single rock. GRAMIN SEVA SANGHA, dedicated to educating children and helping the needy of rural West Bengal, is facing needs in excess of resources, and is appealing to non-resident Indians for help. Programs include several rural schools and support of the destitute and disabled. Contact: Baduria Village School, 24 Parganas, West Bengal, India. "ORGANIC" MEANS MORE than simply "grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers"--it means money. Organic produce has grown into a $3.5-billion dollar a year agri-business in the USA with a four-fold increase expected in the next decade. A similar expansion is reported in Britain, where Europe's demand for organic fruit and vegetables is rising 20% annually. A PATENT ON TURMERIC has been revoked by the USA's Patent Office, a decision applauded as a crucial but "small step" in stopping bio-piracy. American law "permits patents to be filed on discoveries in the US, despite the fact that identical ones may already exist and be in use in other parts of the world," reports The Hindu. "The US needs to revoke all patents based on indigenous knowledge," they said. IS IT REVOLUTION OR REVIVAL? The Madhya Kailash temple complex in Chennai now allows devotees (not just priests) to perform puja and arati, generally a North Indian tradition. Temple trust secretary S.T. Swami says that Saint Aandal offered her garland to Lord Vishnu, and Saint Kannappan his eyes to Lord Siva, and that personal worship used to be the tradition and should be again. His 25-year-old temple is otherwise unique, too: chanting is to be done only in Tamil; an "invented Deity" of half Lord Ganesh and half Lord Hanuman has been installed, and a pancha-loha (five metals) image of Tamil nationalist poet Subramania Bharati, installed August 15, has received regular worship ever since. Hmmm! AIDS IS DEADLY, BUT MALARIA kills almost as many people each year as AIDS has in 15 years. A full 40% of the world population is now at risk from the parasites and viruses carried by the anopheles mosquito. Ironically, the mosquito's resurgence as "a new drug-resistant avatar of malaria" is linked to previously successful drugs and insecticides. According to the Malaria Foundation, research dollars spent per death by AIDS in 1990 equalled $3,274; for malaria it was $65. Briefly is compiled from press, TV and wire-service reports and edited by Ravi Peruman, award-winning radio journalist at KGO in San Francisco. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PRIESTHOOD Vedas, USA How for the first time in America 121 traditionally-trained Vedic priests performed the ancient Ati Rudra Maha Yajna over eleven days in the tranquil Poconos mountains of eastern Pennsylvania FOR ELEVEN DAYS IN AUGUST, DIVINE Vedic chants resounded through the tranquil Poconos mountains of Pennsylvania. The Ati Rudra Maha Yajna,"very great worship of Lord Siva," was performed for the first time on American soil, and witnessed by 6,000 enchanted devotees. One-hundred-twenty-one Vedic priests surrounded 11 fire altars in a huge yagasala (worship hall) set up for the event at the Sringeri Sadhana Center in Stroudsburg. Following a ritual formula set thousands of years ago, priests chanted "Sri Rudram," the most sacred of Vedic chants to Lord Siva, 11 times a day each day for a total of 14,641 individual recitations. The ritual's official purpose was to enhance America's prosperity, though pre-existing prosperity on the part of the organizers was required. The event cost US$600,000 (Rs 2.2 crore). Nearly half was used to bring 81 eminently qualified priests from India for the ceremony. Permanent improvements at the Center consumed $100,000. The affair proved as costly and as complex to organize, calculated one devotee, as 11 kumbhabhishekams (temple dedications), usually the biggest spectacle sponsored by a temple. The yajna was managed by the Indian-American devotees of Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Sri Bharathi Teertha Mahaswamiji of India's renowned Sringeri Math, who blessed and guided each detail from afar. Why go to all this time and expense? For no less a goal, stated the event's general chairman, S. Yegnasubramanian [see "My Turn," page ten], than to rescue the Hindu priesthood from social and economic extinction. "We bring musicians and dancers from India to the West," he told Hinduism Today. "We bring temple architects and sculptors. They all make money and receive respect. As a result, these exponents of the fine arts, which are the offshoots of the Vedas, get so much encouragement. But what are we doing to encourage the Vedic pundits, those who know the Vedas, without whom this dharma will die?" In India, fewer and fewer brahmin families are sending their children to the pathasala training schools as has been done for thousands of years, bemoaned Yegnasubramanian. Fearing a life of penury for their children, they educate them as doctors, engineers and scientists. India's temples still have priests, but they are a depressed, even desperate class. "Go into any village in India," says T.S. Shanmuga Sivacharya of Chennai, son of eminent Saiva priest Sambamurthi Sivacharya, "and the poorest, most broken-down house will be that of the priest. There are very few full-time priests, because of poor economic conditions." Respect is waning. "When a politician comes in," Shanmuga complained, "we are expected to stand up. At least Sri Lankans still respect the priests, and among them the politicians stand when the priest enters." Shanmuga laments, "Fifty years ago priests were looked upon as representatives of God. They had patrons. They had a respectable position in society. Today the priesthood suffers from low pay and disrespect. It is undergoing extinction. This trend must be taken very seriously." One can cite numerous reasons for the situation in India--colonization, secularism, Marxism, Westernization--but the fact is that the same plight is faced in growing measure by all the world's religions. In America, for example, so few Catholics are entering the seminary that the church must import clergy from abroad (including India) to meet its obligations to parishioners, and the average age of Catholic nuns is an astounding 65. Yegnasubramanian and several associates are themselves a product of this trend. Their ancestors were priests who, in one or two generations, educated their children to become doctors, businessmen and engineers. Recent visits to India have left Sringeri devotees painfully cognizant that the Hindu priesthood in India may indeed be slated for the endangered species list. Ironically, they noted, the opposite is true in the West. The clergy in America are an esteemed class, roughly the professional peers of attorneys or doctors. As Yegnasubramanian had seen, other exponents of the Vedic arts have been honored in the West, and this has translated into renewed regard back in India. "I told my colleagues," he reminisced, "'Let's make an international Maha Yajna (great sacrificial offering) and bring a large consignment of priests from India. We can make so much noise about it that the priests throughout India will realize that there are prospects for them over here. It will motivate them to send their children for priest training. It will increase their self-esteem.'" A December of 1996 visit to the Sringeri pontiff near Bangalore earned the guru's blessings upon the plan. Then, with the help of Sringeri administrator V.R. Gowrishankar, the team set out to organize, in just eight months, the largest Vedic ritual ever held in America. They succeeded for two reasons. First and foremost, as devotees of a single guru, they proceeded in harmonious cooperation to fulfill his intent. Second, each is a highly accomplished individual. Yegnasubramanian is an eminent research scientist. Ravi Subramanian, who provided logistical support, initial financial backing and expertise, runs a top-notch software company. Likewise, trustees T.R. Ramachandran, S. Ramakrishnan (Dubai), V. Panchapekesan (India), G. Viswanathan (Hong Kong), Aju Daswani, Ram Mehtani (Hong Kong) and many others who helped, such as Sharad Trivedi, are all experts in their fields. Two years earlier the group had come together to create the Sringeri Sadhana Center in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, 200 miles west of New York City. The property was previously the Rajarajeswari Peetham, which after a series of staffing changes, was unable to sustain itself financially. The new center is an official branch of Sringeri Math, the first outside India. Their intent is to create and implement guidelines for modern life based on the philosophy of Adi Shankara [see page 30], even develop the site as a learning center rivaling Harvard or Yale. Presently the center conducts retreats for children, and next year plans training camps for entire families. Organizers say a minor miracle occurred prior to the Maha Yajna--the US Consulate in Chennai granted the 81 Indian priests visitor's visas with no personal interviews and no rejections. Immigration attorney Michael Phulwani attributes the success to proper presentation and a knowledgeable US Consulate. A century ago, priests would have been subject to rigorous prayaschitta (penance), even loss of caste, for "crossing the ocean." With today's air travel, however, most priests deem that a simple penance is sufficient to efface any demerit or impurity. To fill out the yajna's 121 seats, 40 qualified priests were recruited from within the US, some of whom preside at temples here. Unexpectedly, the priests were invited to join the India Independence Day parade. They marched en masse in ochre-colored robes through the streets of Manhattan on August 17, thrilled to see New York up close as they chanted the Vedas. Some among the 50,000 onlookers were so delighted they prostrated as the Vedic liturgists passed by. The priests returned to the Poconos that evening to continue the yajna. Invited by the organizers, Hinduism Today's managing editor, Tyagi Arumugaswami and production/distribution manager, Tyagi Kathirswami, attended as representatives of publisher Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. We arrived on the eighth day to encounter a palpable spiritual force. In lilting Sanskrit and practiced unity the priests hastened through the day's first ten recitations; then slowly and deliberately intoned the eleventh while offering ghee to the sacred fire. Pandit Chandra Sekhara Sharma presided as chief priest. Swami Narayananda Bharati performed exquisite devotional songs throughout. Each afternoon, a variety of rare Vedic rites took place. Vedic ceremonies differ outwardly and inwardly from the Agamic tradition of elaborate temple ritual in which offerings of flowers, water, lights, etc., pour forth deep religious feelings toward the Deity. Vedic rituals bypass the devotional element and propel one immediately into a meditative state. Sarala, a Chennai devotee of Sringeri who chanted along with the priests with others, said, "Often I stopped because the sounds induce meditation so beautifully." Belur Krishnaswami Sridhar, 38, a priest from Bangalore, was delighted with the event. "Too good," he called it. "Most surprising," he said, "is that we have seen a lot of English people, Americans, who could meditate and chant the mantras. This amazed us priests." Young people there were few. Many spent the Labor Day weekend getting ready to head for college. One parent thought children were not allowed. Jehi Jayaraman, age 8, did come and enjoyed it, "Because I can chant along, I think it's fun." Others did not, like the clueless 16-year-old who said, "I don't know what's going on. They should have had workshops on why they are doing it on such a grand scale." Yajna is an esoteric practice combining the science of mantras, sacred sounds, with the use of fire to transmit offerings to a higher plane, to "nourish" the devas. But none of the youth and few of the adults could explain just how that works. Dr. Sankar Sastri had a plausible answer: "We are told by great seers that the performance of austerities and yajnas is what keeps the heavenly devas prosperous. And when they prosper, the whole universe prospers." T.R. Ramachandran, editor of Sringeri's Tattvaloka magazine, concurred, "It is called in Sanskrit drishta and adrishta, which are seen and unseen effects. When we work in the material world, it is toward seen results. But these mantras, chanted in the right rhythm, create an unseen effect which allows things to be achieved in the material world." Did these rare rites succeed in their noble aims? As for prosperity in America, the Standard & Poor index (mirroring 70% of US stock, valued at $6 trillion) was 907 on August 21, a day before the sacrifice, and hit 945 on September 26. That's a jump of 4.2%, a whopping increase in overall value of $252 billion, or about $1,000 for every man, woman and child in the country! Not a bad five-week return for $600,000 invested in the Maha Yajna! Then, too, each priest returned to India $1,000 richer--their honorarium. Devotees were spiritually enriched. The spectacle's sheer scale focused needed light on the bedarkened prospects of today's priesthood. Surely, Vedic rishis would have wanted their sacred ways thus practiced and perpetuated. What can those who were not there do? At the local level, every Hindu should look into the priests' situation and work to see they are better paid, properly treated and reinspired to guide their children in the sacred profession. This problem should be discussed at all international Hindu conferences, and global strategies formulated to solve it. If more priests perform such empowering rituals with such mindful proficiency, all mankind may prosper in the worlds seen and unseen. SRINGERI SADHANA CENTER, RD 8, BOX 8116, STROUDSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA 18360 USA Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INHUMANITY In God's Name Community activists seek to end the sale of girls to temples By Dr. Hari Bansh Jha, Nepal IN THE 17TH CENTURY, THE REIGN of King Nagi Malla of Doti, western Nepal, was in ruin. Natural calamities, drought and cholera consumed his kingdom. Relief would come, the royal priests predicted, if he gave his daughter to the temple of Bhageshwor Mahadev. Housing facilities were immediately prepared, and the daughter of the kingdom began her life with the Gods. When the afflictions assailing the country ceased, a new tradition was born, one that has grossly degenerated and now mars the image of cultural purity that Nepal would proudly claim. Nagi Malla could never have foreseen the injustices that would be performed centuries later in the name of his "tradition." But his subjects were watching, and irresistible--offer a young girl to the temple, and the throes of life will cease. Parents began giving away their own offspring as payoff for petitions to the Gods that had been fulfilled. As subsequent monarchs failed to rectify the injustice, the practice perverted as it spread through the surrounding districts. In a tragic twist, it is now common practice in western Nepal for feudal families to buy girls from poor families like the Nayak, Bist and Negi. The girls are then traded to the temple like a commodity in the hopes of a boon from the Gods. Girls thus offered are called Deuki, meaning "girl offered to God." They are expected to engage themselves in the worship of the Gods and Goddesses. They also clean the temple utensils, collect wood and prepare food for ritual offerings. They are not considered to be ordinary servants, as their main job is to assist the priests. During festival periods, the Deuki and priests have much to do in performing the rituals and tending to devotees. But on most days of the year, there is little for a Deuki to do. And with no means to support themselves, the majority resort to prostitution. The name Deuki has become virtually synonymous with harlot. If you ask at a temple to see the Deuki, you will be told the practice has been abolished. The muluki ain, civil code of Nepal, strictly prohibits the sale and purchase of girls for any purpose, with a stiff punishment of years of imprisonment. Nevertheless, a clandestine Deuki trade manages to thrive, and the Deuki can be found in several districts in western Nepal, including Baitadi, Darchula, Dadeldhura and Doti. The going rate for Nepalese girls these days ranges from us$400 to $500. Prominent temples where girls are offered in Baitadi district are Melauli Bhagwati, Niglasaini Bhagwati, Tripurasundari Bhagwati, Jagannath and Bhageshwor Mahadev. Baitadi claims the largest concentration of Deuki, with approximately 250. A Kathmandu UNICEF agent estimated the total number of Deuki in Nepal to be 1,000. No way out: King Nagi Malla had the capacity to provide for his daughter and to make her life with the Deity comfortable and spiritually fulfilling. She had no wants and enjoyed a life of religious service and worship. But today's parents do not have the means to provide for their daughter, and those who illegally trade girls feel no obligation to meet her needs once she's at the temple. The young Deuki are thus abandoned. They are also discriminated against. It is considered inauspicious to have a Deuki serve in your household. It is deemed unwise to marry a Deuki, as they have already been "married" to the temple. They cannot share in their parental property, as they are considered no longer to have a family. In a seeming contradiction, society regards the Deuki highly--a remnant of an earlier chaste system and the fact of their dedication to the temple. However, it is this esteem that bars them from earning wages to meet their basic needs. People are afraid of insulting or offending them, but at the same time no one offers them support. So the Deuki end up trapped, first victimized by the whim of a wealthy devotee, then crushed by the rules handed them by society. Offered to the temples between ages five and nine years, Deuki are expected to maintain celibacy for life. It is through the offerings made to the temples that they try to scratch out their living. But such offerings are meager. Therefore, when still children, many vainly search for livelihood as a servant. As soon as they reach menarche, they are compelled to sell their body. Many feudals consider the Deuki an exclusive source of physical entertainment and lure them to indulge their desires. They claim this as their right earned through purchasing and offering the girl. Thus, their ulterior motive for giving the girl to the temple is revealed, as most of the Deuki directly or indirectly fall in this trap. Some Deuki are even consigned to live in certain families as concubines. In such cases they do not share beds with general clients but remain as private concubines. The cases where a Deuki remains celibate are rare. Of late, there has developed a trend for Deuki girls to travel outside their district in search of clients. According to a report from D.N. Bhatta of the Child Protection Centre (CPC) in Baitadi, such girls commonly go to urban centers like Dhangadi and Mahendranagar in Nepal and to the metropolitan cities like Bombay and Delhi in India for prostitution. This has raised serious concern over the introduction and spread of diseases like syphilis, gonorrhea and AIDS in Nepal. Less hope: A prevalent misconception is that the Deuki system is none other than India's devadasi system migrated and adapted to Nepal. But the history and original practice of the two systems prove this wrong. The devadasi system started long before the Deuki. In the untainted devadasi system, the girls were highly trained in India's complex dance arts. They offered dance to the Deities daily as a part of the temple's routine worship. They were considered an integral part of the ceremonies. By comparison, the Deuki are untrained and are not considered integral to, nor do they perform any part of the worship of the temple. They are essentially a class of assistant priests. The only commonalities are that neither system is practiced in its original purity (the devadasis of today also must resort to prostitution). It is felt that assistance should focus on education, vocational training and annulling the superstitions that prohibit the Deuki from working and marrying. While there are thousands of Non-Governmental Organizations and several International groups working in Nepal, few have taken the problems of the Deuki seriously. The Snehi Women's Awareness Center (SWAC) in Baitadi is an exception. Established by Krishna Kumari Poon, the Center aims to create awareness among the "socially deprived and exploited women" of western Nepal. Poon appears petite and unassuming, but she has a core of steel and a will that won't quit. She is a rarity. The Child Protection Center was set up in Baitadi district in 1993 with the objectives of providing shelter and protecting the daughters of the Deuki from becoming temple girls themselves. The tendency is for the daughters of a Deuki to follow their mother, thus perpetuating the tradition. According to Bhatta, Executive Secretary of the CPC, 30 girls have been admitted to the Center. There, they receive primary education and learn certain income-generating activities like making textile products and cotton garments. UNICEF of Nepal supports the CPC and the SWAC, and together they work to create public opinion opposing the Deuki system. Their commonly held hope is that this age-old custom will be eliminated by the year 2005. But with no significant involvement yet on behalf of the current government, their confidence is tenuous. CONTACT: DR. HARI BANSH JHA, POST OFFICE ,BOX 3174, KATHMANDU, NEPAL Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TRIBUTE Hindu of the Year Sri Chinmoy clinches 1997 "Hindu Renaissance Award" Upon learning he had received the 1997 Hindu Renaissance Award at his 66th birthday celebration in New York, Sri Chinmoy modestly proclaimed to 1,300 followers who had come from around the world for his jayanthi, "To be a true Hindu is to become the beauty of Hinduism's Heart and the fragrance of Hinduism's Soul, and also to be a sleeplessly self-giving life to the world community. I am praying to my Lord Absolute Supreme to make me a perfect Hindu. It is a great honor." And a prayer for us all. Starting in 1990 Hinduism Today has honored one saint each year who has most impacted the faith and spread its vastness, compassion and profundity across the globe. Past renaissance winners are: Swami Paramananda Bharati ('90), Swami Chidananda Saraswati ('91), Swami Chinmayananda ('92), Mata Amritanandamayi ('93), Swami Satchidananda ('94), Pramukhswami Maharaj ('95) and Sri Satya Sai Baba ('96). Sri Chinmoy was an easy choice for 1997. Since his arrival in America in 1964 "on inner orders," the Bengali yogi has quietly emerged as one of the most dynamic and innovative spiritual leaders on the world scene. The yoga he teaches is at once strictly traditional and progressively modern, dynamically Hindu and decidedly universal. It is a synthesis of devotion, intuitive knowledge and dedicated action, with a distinctive emphasis on effective living through the surpassing of self-imposed limits. Sri Chinmoy lives this teaching himself, as demonstrated by his herculean achievements--some without precedent--in the areas of music, writing, art and athletics. He may be peace's greatest evangelist, through his Peace Concerts, International Peace Run and meditations he leads at the United Nations. Guru, as he is affectionately known, spends most of his time looking after a few thousand far-flung followers with whom he maintains a close, personal relationship and of whom he requires responsiveness and tangible spiritual progress. Followers work in the world in normal careers, meeting weekly without fail for darshan and satsang. Guru's headquarters is no big ashram on a hill. Instead of congregating in a single facility, followers have homesteaded one square mile in Jamaica Hills on New York's Long Island. Outwardly there is little to distinguish the area as the hub of 350 Sri Chinmoy Centers on five continents. Only a handful of stores, such as Guru Health Foods, and Garland of Divinity's Love florist shop, offer evidence of their presence. But this is where Sri Chinmoy has lived since 1968, and this is where his followers have put down their roots to be near him. In a modest dwelling on a quiet street, he has composed thousands of poems and songs, sketched millions of paintings and weight-lifted a kazillion pounds. Devotees are not hard to spot on the street, however. They are the ones radiating a brightness born of the celibacy most follow strictly. Most are single, and many are in superb physical shape, able to complete, and even win, the grueling ultra-marathons--races above 100 miles and up to 3,000! Sri Chinmoy's spiritual achievements eclipse his outer feats, vast as they are [see box below]. The marrow of his path is mystic communion with the Absolute within through prayer and meditation, approached with an ingenuous purity, tinged, like his kaleidoscopic wardrobe, with an enchanting other-worldliness. According to disciples, before age 13 he had a spiritual experience during which he recalled the past-life attainment of the ultimate state of God Realization, simultaneously reexperiencing that illumination in this life. In his consciousness-raising book, The Summits of God-Life: Samadhi and Siddhi, Guru writes, "God-realization, or siddhi, means Self-discovery in the highest sense of the term. One consciously realizes his oneness with God. As long as the seeker remains in ignorance, he will feel that God is somebody else who has infinite Power, while he, the seeker, is the feeblest person on Earth. But the moment he realizes God, he comes to know that he and God are absolutely one in both the inner and outer life. He sees God both in the finite and in the infinite; he sees God as both personal and impersonal. And in his case, this is not mental hallucination or imagination; it is direct reality." In a 1994 interview with Hinduism Today, Sri Chinmoy was asked, "How should we serve God?" He replied, "You are destined to serve God the creation. If I know my Father is all for me, can I not have faith in Him that whatever I need He will give me? Be like a child. The child knows only how to cry. The mother comes running to give milk to the child. The child is not using the term, 'milk, milk,' or something else. His only job is to cry. Similarly, I'm crying to God only to make me a good instrument of His use. CONTACT: SRI CHINMOY CENTRES INTERNATIONAL, 84-43 164TH STREET, JAMAICA, NEW YORK 11432 USA One Yogi's Odyssey Sri Chinmoy Kumar Ghose was born on August 27, 1931, in Shakpura, a small village in East Bengal, India, which is now part of Bangladesh. He was the youngest of seven children. Upon the death of both his parents in 1944, at the age of 13, he entered the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. There he lived for 20 years, immersing himself in intense prayer and meditation (14 hours on some days), writing poems and songs, practicing sports and becoming ashram decathlon champion. In response to an inner command, he came to New York City in 1964 to serve aspiring seekers in the West. He initially held an administrative post at the Indian consulate but left after three years to devote himself fully to spiritual pursuits. The first Sri Chinmoy Centre was inaugurated in Puerto Rico in 1966. His first lecture tour in 1968 took him to eight major universities. In 1970, at the invitation of then UN Secretary-General U Thant, Sri Chinmoy began leading twice-weekly peace meditations at the UN for delegates and staff. These have continued uninterrupted to the present day. His literary output increased immensely in the 1970s when he commenced work on what would become tens of thousands of poems, hundreds of books and thousands of spiritual songs in Bengali and English (including one song honoring Hinduism Today). He completed and exhibited tens of thousands of paintings during this prolific decade. His interest in sports intensified, not for competition, but as a means of overcoming self-imposed limits. The Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team was founded in 1977. Today it sponsors more than 500 track and field events and a 3,100-mile foot race--the world's longest--and enjoys the support of Olympic athletes such as Carl Lewis. The first Peace Concert dedicated to world peace was performed in Cologne, Germany, in 1984. Other concerts followed in several countries. His 1995 Prague Concert drew 15,000 seekers. He completed his 500th Peace Concert in 1997 with a performance at London's Royal Albert Hall. His efforts toward world peace have resulted in meetings with dozens of international leaders, including the King of Nepal, the Prime Minister of Britain and Soviet President Gorbachev. Sri Chinmoy began weightlifting in 1985 and achieved several world records. In 1987 he lifted an unprecedented 7,063-pound weight with one arm (left). The next year he began his "Lifting Up the World with a Oneness-Heart" program, honoring luminaries (now more than 2,000) from various walks of life by lifting them overhead on a special platform. Inspired by his various activities for peace, government officials around the world began dedicating cities, mountains, lakes and other natural wonders or historical sites (over 1,000) to the cause of peace in Sri Chinmoy's name. In 1991 Sri Chinmoy began his "Dream-Freedom-Peace Birds," depictions of the human soul in the form of birds. By 1997 he completed (right) an astonishing seven million bird drawings. To celebrate India's 50th year of independence in 1997, he held 50 peace concerts, performing on 50 different instruments in the last. He has received numerous awards and honorary degrees, including Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's Gandhi Peace Award. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ASTROLOGY Why Did She Have to Die? Diana--blessed by the Moon, beleaguered by Mars By Chakrapani Ullal, Los Angeles Vedic Astrology lifts the veil of illusions to reveal the underlying mental, emotional and psychological states propelling one's actions. Consider the natal chart of Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales, born July 1, 1961, 2:15 PM BST (GMT+1), Sandringham, England. It is replete with many indications of her rise to prominence, her rebellious tendencies, philanthropic interests, unhappy marriage and tenuous emotional/psychological health, as well as the possibility of an untimely death. The chart shows a strong Saturnian influence (the planet of the common man), which allowed Diana to resonate with the masses as "one of them." Her birth in Virgo rising made her youthful, vital and contemporary in style, with keen interests in health, beauty and aesthetics. The ruler of her rising sign, Mercury, in the 10th House, Gemini, created Bhadraka yoga, which made Mercury (indicator of communication) a determining planet for her. Mercury also with the royal planet Sun, of accomplishment, success and status, brought her excellence in the ability to communicate and connect with others. Jupiter, Saturn and the Moon in Capricorn, significantly placed in the 5th House, brought her philanthropic interests, as well as the opportunity to create institutions for humanitarian purposes. Capricorn planets give practical understanding of how to best protect oneself and how one's interests can be served. This makes it clear that she was never unaware of how her interest in public service could also give her political advantage, as well as fulfill her need to be valued and appreciated. One of the ironies of her death was that despite the problems of an intrusive press, she required the media to feed an urgent and compelling desire for affection and approval. Jupiter in conjunction with the Moon gave her a love for children, and created Gaja Kesari yoga, which brought prominence, importance, recognition and visibility, as well as association with powerful and influential people. A powerful Moon situated in the house of Saturn created Sasha yoga, characterized as "Lord over the common people," which gave a natural instinct for leadership and echoes the theme of her involvement with the everyday man. Diana had a highly emotional temperament, caused by a Mars/Rahu conjunction in the 12th House of Leo, supported by Virgo rising in the constellation of Mars. The Moon, being the planet of emotions, also in the constellation of Mars in the 5th House, resulted in the emotional nature assuming radical aggressive qualities. Essentially, Diana's planetary set-up created an intensely emotional environment which resulted in a craving to be known, understood and appreciated, as well as a tendency to be governed by passionate likes and dislikes. Her chart shows philanthropy was not the overriding motivation of her life. She had emotional struggles which resulted in her being able to identify with the suffering of others and propelled her to do good works, so as to receive recognition and appreciation and to heal a fractured sense of worthiness. For those with Virgo rising, Mars is a malefic. This is increased many fold by the rising sign degree occupying a Mars constellation, and Mars itself placed in the 12th House along with vicious Rahu in Leo, which also caused her to be different in thinking, style and action. Mars conjunct Rahu in the 12th House in the constellation of malefic Ketu is also a sure indication for misery, suffering, depression, emotional problems and accidents. In addition Mars and Rahu created Kuja dosha, a strong affliction to marital happiness and indicated that she would have secret lovers. It was all these malefic indications that gave her a rebellious and unconventional nature, the spirit to challenge conventional wisdom and rise above the prevailing social norms, and brought her to the status of a popular leader. As much power as the malefics have to push one up, they also have the power to bring the fall, in this case, Diana's death. Jupiter is also a malefic for people born with Virgo Rising. Princess Diana's death occurred during the major dasha cycle of Jupiter (which has the power to inflict death for people with Virgo rising) and the sub cycle of malefic Rahu. Jupiter and Rahu are natural enemies, further aggravated here by being placed in adversarial positions to one another. Death was also partly caused by two eclipses in the month of September affecting Leo (sign of people in high positions), which had a global effect for kings, royalty and prime ministers. An eclipse is like an obstruction of the life force of those energies and consequently has a powerful effect upon people in high places. Among such people, anyone going through difficult planetary cycles would definitely suffer. The phenomenon of Princess Diana's popularity was, in part, an expression of the growing global trend starting in 1988 for the gradual loss of power of dictators, autocrats and monarchies, and the elevation of the people of the lower echelons. This is due to the transit of powerful Saturn from Sagittarius to Pisces, which culminates in 1998. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PARENTING Spanking Hurts Forever Children subjected to physical punishment often end up bigger troublemakers than before Corporal punishment of children does not improve behavior, concludes a newly published study by Professor Murray A. Straus of New Hampshire University's Family Research Laboratory. In fact, far from achieving that goal, the more parents physically punish a child, the more that child is going to misbehave, the study strongly indicates. This conclusion contradicts the folk wisdom of nearly all cultures that "sparing the rod spoils the child." But Straus has insightful research to back it up. Consider the following true story from a related study by Philip Fisher, Ph.D., a research scientist and clinical psychologist at the Oregon Social Learning Center: "Jeff's life was rough. His parents fought often. Mother used corporal punishment frequently to stop Jeff's misbehavior. But simultaneously she made her deep love for Jeff very clear, showering him with affection. At school he was aggressive towards kids, using similar methods that his mother used to punish him. He was placed in special programs. Excelling in athletics, everyone thought he was improving. Then he started to associate with gangs, and one day when a rival youth approached him, Jeff shot him with a gun. Now he is incarcerated." Research up to 1985, says Straus's study, shows that over 90% of US parents used corporal punishment--mainly spanking--on toddlers and over half continued into teen years. Even this is a decrease from 99% in the 1950s and 97% in 1975. There have been further decreases since 1985, but nearly all American children still get spanked. Previous studies have found that the more the parent spanks, the greater the tendency of the child to misbehave. However, the design of these studies could not allow researchers to conclude that spanking causes the increase in misbehavior, only that, on average, it fails to reduce it--a startling conclusion in itself. Straus wanted to take the research one step further, to determine what sociologists call the "causal direction," that is, did the parents spank more because the child's behavior got naturally worse as he got older, or did the spanking actually cause the child's increased misbehavior? "The key," says Straus, "was to measure the child's anti-social behavior level one year, then again two years later and measure the difference. Does spanking make the child a nonviolent person in the long run? Well, it's been argued for years that, no, ironically, it has the opposite effect. It tends to make the child a violent person. But parents have no way of seeing that. They can't look down the road two or three years. They only see what's happening right when they administer the punishment (i.e., the misbehavior stops). That's where the research is necessary." His analysis used data from interviews with a national sample of 807 mothers of children in three age groups (3-5, 6-9, 10 and over), in the National Longitudinal Study of Youth from 1986 to 1990. By sophisticated statistical analysis, the study attempted to remove the effects of family socioeconomic status, sex of the child, and the extent to which the home provided emotional support and cognitive stimulation, and focus only on the relationship between spanking and behavior. In 1986, at the beginning of the study, 44% of the mothers reported spanking during the previous week, averaging 2.1 times. (When using the word spanking, parents usually refer to several forms of physical punishment, such as slapping, caning or paddling.) Some mothers even spanked their children during the interview itself. Ten percent of the 6 to 9-year-old children were spanked three or more times. (Millions of children they represent would have the greatest probability of improved behavior if their parents stopped hitting them.) An anti-social behavior scale had been developed, based on six items. Mothers were asked the extent to which each of these items described their child during the preceding three months: "cheats or tells lies," "bullies or is cruel/mean to others," "does not feel sorry after misbehaving," "breaks things deliberately and is disobedient at school," "has trouble getting along with teachers." Two years later all the mothers were interviewed again. As Straus had predicted, the more spanking, the higher the level of anti-social behavior reported. Findings were parallel for all ages. Girls had a lower level of anti-social behavior, which Straus attributes to their being generally better behaved than boys, regardless of what parents do. Professor Straus concludes his study, "I believe in years ahead, corporal punishment as a cause of anti-social behavior will receive the same broad endorsement that smoking as a cause of lung cancer is now receiving. Because most US children experience corporal punishment, our findings suggest that nearly all American children could benefit from a reduction or elimination of corporal punishment. Moreover, taking into account research showing that anti-social behavior in childhood is associated with violence and other crimes as an adult, society as a whole, not just children, could benefit from ending the system of violent child rearing that goes under the euphemism of spanking." PROF. MURRAY A. STRAUS, UNIV. OF NEW HAMPSHIRE, FAMILY RESEARCH LABORATORY, DURHAM, NEW YORK 03824 USA Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ HEALING Better Ways to Help Bn Overactive Child Nature can solve "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder," without drugs' side effects By Devananda Tandavan M. D. When children are in adults' presence or environment, many of them are fidgety, cannot sit still, whine and are an overall distraction to the adults. For some this may be perfectly normal, because what is important in the adult world is usually not important in the child's world. For many this may merely be a lack of education, discipline and proper guidance from the parents. For others, however, it may be a symptom of a condition known as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is a neurological condition that usually sets in about age 6-7 (often as early as age 3) and may go into the teens, though rarely on into adulthood. Those with ADHD have a very short attention span, act impulsively, appear hyperactive and sometimes out of control of their physical movements and emotions. They do not take directions well and sometimes appear to not have heard the parents at all, which may even suggest deafness. This is a serious condition needing professional help. The help usually received from an allopathic doctor is a prescription for stimulant agents such as Ritalin, Dexedrone or Cylert. These are potent, with side effects such as appetite loss, stomach aches, nervousness and insomnia. There may also be some temporary growth retardation. Additionally, a class of drugs called beta-blockers are used for those patients who do not respond to stimulants. I recommend a different approach. The child or young adult should see a competent homeopath who can give a remedy specific to the person with ADHD. An ayurvedic doctor should assure whether the patient's diet and lifestyle is balanced and appropriate. Parents should not "bribe" their children with sweets, especially white sugar--although not causative in this condition, it often aggravates ADHD, much like pouring gasoline onto a fire. With so much energy released, the child is unable to cope and "goes off the deep end." Misbehavior is not his fault, and he should not be punished for it, as some parents do. There may be a need for counseling of both parents and children to bring a true understanding of the multiple sources of ADHD. I recommend a powerful antioxidant as a dietary supplement, along with Beta Carotene, Zinc Gluconate, Vitamin E, EsterC, selenium and Ginkgo Biloba. That antioxidant is pycnogenol--a patented, registered, maritime pine bark extract supplied in two forms: Pycnogenol (plain pine bark substance) and Pycnogenol Plus (pycnogenol supplemented with the above vitamins.) The dosage is not difficult, but must be followed faithfully with both Pyc and Pyc+ twice daily, preferably with meals, in an amount according to the patient's weight. There may be no relief of symptoms for a period of 10-39 days or until saturation has been achieved. After this, a maintenance dosage is used and slowly decreased as the symptoms come under control. The dose is from 2-8 Pyc+ pills and 1-8 regular pills twice a day for ten days or until saturation. Maintain saturation for two months and then, perhaps after symptoms have subsided, slowly withdraw the pycnogenol. If symptoms are still present, continue treating for another couple of months. This eliminator of "free radicals" will gradually bring about more responsive and civilized behavior of the ADHD patient. Dr. Tandavan, 77, retired nuclear physician and hospital staff president, lives in Chicago, where he specializes in alternative healing arts. Visit his home page at the Hinduism Today Website. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ EVOLUTIONS AWARDED: The "Best of Industry" to Ayush Herbs Inc. on June 11, 1997, by the Himachal Pradesh state government in India. The award was received for innovation in technology, quality assurance, providing jobs and environmental conservation. Ayush Herbs was founded by brothers Virender and Jitender Sodhi to provide quality ayurvedic herbs for a growing world market. Their herbs are grown organically in the Himalayas. Awarded: US$1.9 million in a Pennsylvania, USA, jury judgment September 4 to a woman who charged she was sexually assaulted 30 times by Swami Rama of the Himalayan Institute in 1993 when he was 66 and she was 19. The Institute was assessed the high damages because, according to the Associated Press, "Although she told an institute official about the assaults and the institute was aware of similar complaints by other women, the center did nothing to stop it." SENTENCED: Premananda in Tamil Nadu state, India, to two life prison terms. A Sri Lankan, he was convicted on August 20, 1997, of having raped at least 13 disciples at an ashram retreat he set up after fleeing civil war in Sri Lanka. TAKEN TO COURT: Lord Brahma Himself in Ajmer, India. With a Puranic story--involving Brahma's wedding a second 'wife'--as its fulcrum, a court is addressing a dispute over customary sharing of offerings between a Savitri temple and the nearby Brahma temple in Pushkar. The Savitri priest, Benigopal Mishra, feeling financially burdened, stopped sharing with the Brahma priest on grounds that Brahma "should not expect His estranged wife to provide for him." Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MANTRA MUSIC To Goddess, with Love A Canadian trio solemnize Saraswati on a CD of musical and poetic genius By Radhika Srinivasan, New Jersey For Ghanshyam Singh Birla, there is nothing more powerfully healing than mantra, music and meditation. "If done with faith," the multi-faceted Birla explains, "the psychic centers of the body can be aroused through chanting, a powerful medium to soothe the nervous system and attract positive influences into our lives." This Vedic scholar turned philosopher and poet is the founder and director of the National Research Institute for Self Understanding, a center of ancient Indian palmistry and astrology based in Montreal, Canada. He aspires to introduce mantra into the mainstream and to promote meditation and healing through spiritual music. Saraswati Devi, the latest CD of Galaxy Publications and Recordings, an arm of the NRISU, features Birla's original poems set to music, traditional Sanskrit slokas and Birla's sublimely spoken words explaining the "majesty of Saraswati Devi" and the "power of the Saraswati mantra." Saraswati is a devotional tribute to the "Goddess of inspiration and beauty" delivered with delightful talent and taste by Kala Ramnath on vocal, Narendra Verma on tabla and Aditya Verma on sarod. At the same time, it is an offering of profound and practical Hindu wisdom, both introductory and advanced. The musicians unite brilliantly in their performances, and the recording sparkles. The truly heavenly voice of Ramnath is nectar for the ears. By all counts, Saraswati is a one-of-a-kind audio venture and an all-out success. Birla's narration, with soft celestial background music, is clear and soothing. He is to be commended for his excellent presentation of the Hindu teachings. For example, he not only avoids the shallow explanations of the Gods and Goddesses commonly put forward, but he offers his own eloquent phrasing. His description of the Hindu trinity is poetic. He narrates, "The single omnipotent and omnipresent Godhead is primarily divided into the trinity of Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. Each is responsible for a specific task. Lord Brahma is the creator of the universe. Through His supreme will, He lights the spark that ignites the universe. Lord Vishnu is the sustainer, who upholds the balance of all things within the universe. Lord Siva is the destroyer who, through His fiery dance called the tandava, breaks down old patterns of consciousness, allowing them to be recreated anew. Together these three illustrious forces regulate the unending cycles of creation, preservation and transformation of the cosmos." Provenance: Born into a family of Vedic astrologers, Birla was inspired early in life by his grandfather, Sri Net Ram Singh Birla, who had deep insight into the ancient science of the heavens. Birla recalls how the memories of his spirit-filled youth created a longing which eventually manifested the Saraswati CD. "As a young man growing up in India, part of my education was in the Dayananda Mahavidyalaya gurukula, a spiritual academy where every morning before breakfast, students would assemble to chant mantras. It was there that I first learned about the Goddess Saraswati and the mantra recited to invoke Her presence. Years later, it seemed as if Saraswati Herself whispered to me. After working as a personal growth consultant in Canada for over twenty-five years, I was struck by a powerful feeling of nostalgia for those days at the gurukula. As I reflected upon the countless hours spent in prayer and meditation trying to understand the ineffable, I was suddenly overcome with the joy of creative inspiration and found myself writing lyrics to celebrate the beauty and wisdom of Saraswati. I hoped that, with the right music, these lyrics could become songs to inspire others in their own personal growth. For the next two years, circumstances prevented any progress beyond the original lyrics. Then I met Narendra Verma and his son Aditya, two highly regarded musicians who have studied under and performed with some of the most famous and accomplished artists of Indian classical music. On that blessed day, the Saraswati Devi project was born! The album was recorded in Montreal from August to November 1995. We hope that Saraswati brings you as much joy as she has brought to us." GALAXY PUBLICATIONS AND RECORDINGS, 315 VICTORIA AVENUE, WESTMOUNT QUEBEC H3Z 2N1 CANADA.TEL: 514-484-8090; WWW.PALMISTRY.COM/GALAXY.HTML Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ INTERVIEW Pious Portrayals Rajasthan-born Sri Indra Sharma, age 74, has been depicting Gods, Goddesses, saints and epic heroes in oil and watercolor as one of India's preeminent religious artists for over 60 years. It is likely that your favorite sacred poster was done by Indraji. He learned the Vallabhacharya style of infusing a painting with Godliness, thereby rendering it a holy piece of art. Based in Mumbai, Sharma lives part-time at his son-in-law's home on Kauai, Hawaii, where he spoke with Hinduism Today about the painter's world. He indeed is an international treasure. On painting as a sadhana It is a meditation, a contact to God. I paint every day--from 6 to 7 hours--after a 1-hour puja. Sometimes I paint in the late evening because a thought comes to me and I need to express it before forgetting. Early morning is also wonderful. No noise, no thinking. On his early, village training In Nathadwar village is Chitrakaroki Gali, "street of painters." All the houses in this district belong to painters. This is the community where I learned traditional techniques from my uncle, Gopilalji, beginning at age 13. So many techniques are learned only through the village structure, not in formal schools. On squirrel hair for paint brushes Part of our Rajasthani training was to make our own brushes. We went to a garden and trapped squirrels under baskets. One student held the squirrel, while another person soaked its tail in water and arranged the hair. With scissors, we cut the hair on both sides of the tail. After that we let the squirrel go. We performed this ritual only in the summer, because in the winter squirrels needed their tails full of hair to keep warm! On his British college years In 1946 I entered Mumbai's Sir J.J. School of Art to also absorb Western styles. Here I learned about sitting portraits, life size and landscape paintings. By God's grace I was first in the class. The best quality of Western style is in depicting scenes realistically. On some big name commissions I did 12 paintings a year for the Graphite India Ltd. calendar, each one 22 by 30 inches. This lasted for 20 years. They gave themes, such as Mahabharata or great saints. For Birla, the industrialist, I created 25 paintings. On his most expensive order It was for the Singapore museum, at Rs.3 lakhs (US$10,000), 8 by 10 feet. The scene was of a Moghul King and his court. I put real gold and jewels in the painting, Tanjore style. On his prime years of production I typically produced 30 or 40 per year. The largest ever was 15 by 20 feet for the Brahma Kumaris at Mt. Abu. It was a meeting in heaven, an all-Gods "conference." On family involvement, training successors The whole family supports my work. I am teaching my style to ten students in Mumbai. They are doing well, not at a deep level yet, because painting is a meditation. It takes time to develop. My brother's son, Parsottam, has studied with me for many years and is now a good artist, following my style. On Hussain's nude painting of Saraswati I was so angry I could not sleep for two nights. I told newspapers, "This person is no artist." This is an insult to Hinduism. Nude paintings are okay, but not of Goddesses. On the other hand, many Muslims in India create wonderful Hindu religious paintings. Because when the artist is at work, he forgets about Hindu or Muslim. He only thinks "God wants to be painted." On trends in Indian art production Most traditional artists remain in villages. Some artists are indulging in Western modern art because traditional styles take longer to perfect and longer to create. Now everybody wants to become famous quickly and not spend much time learning, so they go into modern art, in big cities like Mumbai. India's painters right now are about 75% traditional and 25% modern. Some of the modern art [he says with a laugh], if you hang it upside down or right side up, it won't matter. On financial realities for Indian artists Traditional artists are still more affluent than modern artists, because their work is popular among foreign buyers. In India, many families have their own museums and collect only Indian traditional paintings. On what infuses a painting with power I paint with my heart and through meditation, imagination on the subject and through devotion, bhakti. I study scriptures to understand the nature of the characters I paint. It is difficult to convey how all this works, but I basically carry the feeling of Godliness. The main magic is to put soul into the painting, so it has life in it. I have given all my life to this work. INDRA SHARMA, 18 EVEREST, 3RD FLOOR, PEDDER ROAD, MUMBAI, 400 026, INDIA. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PROFILE Guarding Lives, Dharma Young Tamil lifeguard serves Lord Krishna with vigor By Gowri Shanker, Chennai Thirty kilometers South of Chennnai, Narayanan, a 28-year-old lifeguard at the five-star Fishermen's Cove beach resort near Mahabalipuram, says, "I have saved more than 100 people from drowning to date--some prominent persons, too. One was a Russian consul, another a German diplomat. They tip me. However, I see only Kannan [the Tamil name for Lord Krishna] behind them. I use such rewards on public weal. Even yesterday we spent 200 rupees on brooms. I took 35 men and another 65 came from other parts of the city. We set to work and spruced up the main railway station in Chennai." Narayanan is a magnificent amalgam of social worker, athletic coach, yoga teacher, bhajan singer and exemplar of Krishna's ideal of service. Born in the poor fishing village of Kovalam, he was cut off from higher education, but never gave up higher pursuits. "At 22, I ran 1,500 meters in three minutes and forty-five seconds, just three seconds behind the Indian national record," recalls this Tamil rather wistfully. The would-be-famous long distance runner then adds, "As a boy, I used to visit Ramakrishna Mutt and the Vivekananda Kendra in Triplicane, Chennai. Vivekananda's call to India's youth, 'For Brave Youths,' left an abiding impression on me. I learned yoga at the Triplicane Kendra and got further training at Vivekananda Kendra at Kanyakumari. I have started a sports club attended by 45 children and named it after Vivekananda. He was as brave as he was compassionate to the downtrodden. I teach swimming, running and yoga postures. We begin with omkara dhyanam [meditation while chanting Om] and then repeat aloud 'I am good because, Kannan, You occupy my heart. I am prepared to spend my life in the service of my motherland, upliftment of my village and my home. All are equals, for Kannan is in each one of us. I shall treat every one with love and kindness. I shall acquire the necessary skill and fight in the sports fields to win laurels for my country. I will keep my head high and never, never give up.' Some tourists help us after learning about these potential champions. One Englishman got them T-shirts, cricket bats and balls." Asked if he was gaining any notoriety for his activity, Narayanan, an active abolitionist, says, "Without meaning to sound immodest, I succeeded in routing country liquor shops in my village. It is a feat, because for decades attempts by much better placed persons, even police, have failed. We banded women together under the title Sakthi Exnora, mounted a campaign, and the outraged females smashed some 20 liquor shops. Smashed they remain. It was hot news and Tamil dailies splashed it." Narayanan's day begins at 5 am with "Kannan, help me do my duty well,"on his lips. Asked about the source of his devotion and passion for social service, he replied, "I owe it all to my father who passed away two years back. He was my God and guru. He always told us Ramayana and Mahabharata stories before going to bed. He dinned into us the importance of honesty and fairness." As for Tamil Nadu's atheistic politicians, Narayanan feels, "Who cares? It is their philosophy. We aren't concerned with it. Without God there is nothing here for us. We fishermen folk firmly trust in the Almighty. We feel His hands in the deep sea, calm or storm. It is not peculiar to my family alone. My sister-in-law, Jothy, says: 'We all pray to Om Sakthi. She is there, constantly in the back of our minds even as we are engaged in domestic chores. And we pray to her at the end of the day before turning in.' Every Saturday evening we sing bhajans in front of icons we recovered from the sea and installed near our home. In 1965, when there was a big sea erosion. A huge statue of Perumal [Lord Vishnu] was discovered. With the help of a white gentleman from Singapore we built a small temple over it and other icons later discovered in the sea while swimming. The sea here harbors many more icons. Only a few have surfaced." Asked how he stays cool, undazzled by the elegant, affluent tourists, their language, polish, etc., the young lifeguard asserts, "Easy. You hold on to your Kannan. He is the eternal truth. How can you be blown off your feet when He fills you?" As for his challenges, he bemoans, "There is this massive pull that these cinema houses exert on our youth. Fighting it is not easy. When they hear me talk of Kannan, they seem impressed. They come. But they are far from regular. They find the films and seductions of the cable TV network irresistible. That is why I start with the young in my yoga school. I fare far better with them. Even if a dozen out of 45 should live out the values that are imparted here, they are bound to make a mark as good, responsible, God-fearing citizens. Asked if he had any regrets, Narayanan laments, "I am unhappy that compliments gladden me yet. I still care for appreciation. For, has not Kannan told us to do our duty unmindful of any reward? That craving, though mild, for acceptance, has not been stamped out yet. That is my only regret. "But I don't mind having never become a famous athlete. There are many Narayanans in my care waiting in the wings to sprint, hop and swim their way to gold. An individual is something. A country is great. But Kannan is forever." Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ MINISTER'S MESSAGE Destroy Egocentric Desire and Anger Lasting joy comes when the mind is purified enough to surrender to devotion and dharma By Jagadguru Shankaracharya Sri Bharati Tirtha Adi Shankaracharya says, "again birth, again death and again lying in the mother's womb. This world-jugglery is very difficult to cross over. O Lord! Please save me and take me ashore." Spiritual strength alone bestows joy in one's life. People devoid of this are often caught in the maddening rhythm of a helpless delusion. Having been caught thus, they even bring in disintegration, disasters, disturbances and disharmony around them for others to suffer. The knowledge of the objective world, however exhaustive it may appear to be, cannot give us any durable satisfaction. This is evidenced by the present-day testimony that there is an increase in tensions amidst increases in material comforts. Though the common direction of all human endeavor and the instinct of all the human mind is to run away from sorrow and seek only peace or joy, few alone achieve this. This joy which a human being seeks outside in this phenomenal world is never experienced by him in its truest sense. Instead, illusion takes possession of him, and he mistakenly thinks that illusion is joy. Continuous egocentric desires and anger are the breeding ground for the spread of illusion around us. Because of this illusion, one is not able to correctly discriminate between right and wrong, and the situation deteriorates from bad to worse. Before the dawn of peace or right knowledge, this illusion, being spread out by the "desire/anger" syndrome, seems to affect the majority of the universe, and this syndrome is shared by all who are engulfed by it. Unlike a small dream which lasts for a few hours during deep sleep, this dream of life's journey is an elongated illusion generated by the continuous nonrealization of one's peaceful nature and sequences of wrong outbursts of desire and anger. And, naturally, as long as this illusion lasts, one has to live in accordance with the effects of that illusion. Anger harms the one who gives room to it in more ways than one. It is, as declared by the Lord Himself, a gateway to hell. Hence, it is in the interest of everyone to give no quarter to anger. Desire, anger and greed are the pitfalls that one should avoid to lead a peaceful life. What is the way out? Shastras [religious scriptures] promise the way to achieve permanent peace by a permanent cessation of sorrow. To achieve this peace, one has to disengage oneself from the cobweb of illusion. This disentanglement is called chitta shuddhi [consciousness purification]. To attain this chitta shuddhi one has to remove all dirt from the mind. And what are the dirts of the mind? One is egocentric desire, and the other is anger. If we reflect on the nature of desire, we will arrive at the conclusion that almost all desires have failed to yield any permanent satisfaction or peace. By attempts at fulfillment, both the ego as well as the objects of desire get expanded. And expanded growth of such vices in the world has been the cause of ruin. Anger, being the effect of an unfulfilled desire, is yet another enemy to mankind. In thousands of years people have fought hundreds of wars--all prompted by egocentric desire and by destructive anger. Sruti [the revealed scriptures of Hinduism] advises us to intelligently evaporate the unending egocentric desires for acquisition of trivial and unworthy things of this world by repeatedly pointing out the faults both in the ego as well as in the object of egocentric desires. These two dirts are removed by performing the svadharma [the individual's unique duty according to his or her station in life] as prescribed in the shastras in the spirit of sacrifice and self-surrender to the Lord. Action performed with this surrender generated in the mental mood is called devotion. On attaining such a concentration of devotion, the mind gets clearer because the ego and egocentric desires obstructing that clarity are removed by the "therapy" of self surrender to the Lord. And this enhances chitta shuddhi. Desire and anger distract the mental moon like an eclipse, and are removed by the treatment of devotion. The mind then becomes fit in the trans-mental stage to receive the tattvopadesha [discourses on the nature of reality] from the Lord Himself, incarnated as the supreme Guru. This removes all the illusions of jiva [individual soul] and jagat [the phenomenal world] and makes one dwell in pristine glory and unending bliss. By eschewing adharma [wrong actions] and discharging one's duties in a spirit of dedication to the Lord, one attains great purity of the mind. Full of dispassion, he turns away from the world and, seeking refuge in Guru, strives to attain liberation from transmigratory existence, the cycle of reincarnation. Dear devotees! Learn to respect the teachings of wise and elderly persons. Do not be puffed up with pride as though you are the master of your life, as though you have nothing more to learn. Such a misunderstanding has been the downfall and misery of many. Be humble, subdue your arrogance. Understand that elders, wise and learned men, are all your well-wishers only. They have nothing personal to gain by showing you the path of peace. A happy world is our motto. Never make the mistake of acting in haste, without considering the consequences of your actions. You will have to pay dearly for your impetuosity. May God give all the wisdom to practice dharma. May all become better persons and lead a happy life. SHANKARACHARYA SRI BHARATI TIRTHA, 46, head of the Sringeri Math in Karnataka, is the 36th descendent in an unbroken line of spiritual preceptors beginning with the great Adi Sankaracharya. Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Digital Dharma CD-ROM Graceful Gestures India's paragon of the performing arts scintillates on "Indian Dance: Bharata Natyam," a first class CD from Chennai. Illustrations, slide shows, classical music and 75 video clips take you deep into this traditional temple art. First you study its evolution from the Vedas to its 20th century revival led by dozens of modern exponents. Next hear about the dance's every move and pose, the embellishing jewelry, the musical accompanists, the phases of a dance performance and sequence of a dancer's training--all supplemented with a huge Sanskrit glossary. Windows. US$99. Contact: Info-drive, 91 V.M. Street, Mylapore, Chennai 600004 India, email: infodrive@pobox.com. SAGES Expert Enlightener Sage Ramana Maharshi lived at the foot of a mountain in South India and exuded mountaintop-perspective wisdom. "The body is the temple, the soul is God Siva. If one worships Him with the 'I am He' thought, one will gain release," teaches Ramana in one of four online books at www.rtanet.com/ramana/. Duplicated in Japanese and German, this big site has 465 rare, restored photographs and a pictoral tour of the main India ashram. Read how "environmental pollution and materialism" are threatening the once-serene ashram, and how you can help by writing to concerned parties. DIALECTS Say What? Speech is a powerful tool. So, India thought, "Let's convey it in 800-plus ways!" The premier website for assimilating Bharat's languages and scripts is at http://tick.informatik.uni-stuttgart.de/~gangultr/india/scripts.html. It links you with other sites in five groupings: 1) Indian languages (learn to speak them and obtain computer fonts); 2) Brahmi script: Historical Developments (Brahmi was ancient India's national script); 3) Manuscript Images (view photos of scriptures like the Isa Upanishad); 4) Calligraphy: Bijaksharas and Yantras (includes Om symbols); and 5) Classical Languages and Texts (with links to online Sanskrit dictionaries). ANNIVERSARY I Love India Two major sites on the Web celebrate and ruminate upon Bharat's 50 independent years. At www.ilovein dia.com, The gem is a slide show of 254 photos of Indian life. A virtual-reality Jukebox sounds forth 50 years of film songs. The Message Index posts your thoughts and others' replies. The Travel Planner has information on major cities. Register online to get India news by email, or to vote on issues. The other website (www.india50. com) is "under construction." So far you can read the PM's independence day address, peek into "The State of the Nation" TV series and view installments of "The Indian Emigré," a global photo journey. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ I am the ruling Queen, the amasser of treasures, full of wisdom, first of those worthy of worship. In various places, divine powers have set Me. I enter many homes and take numerous forms. Rig Veda Samhita 10.125.3 Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ All about Hinduism Today Hinduism Today was founded on January 5, 1979, by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami to strengthen all Hindu lineages. Published by Himalayan Academy, 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304 USA. Editorial Office Ph: 1-808 822-7032. Subscriptions: 1-808-822-3152 or 1-800- 890-1008; advertising: 1-808-823-9620 or 1-800-850-1008. All-department fax: 1-808-822-4351. USA subscriptions: US$35/1 year, $65/2 years, $95/3 years, $500/lifetime. Foreign rates on request. © 1996 Himalayan Academy. All rights reserved. ISSN# 0896-0801. CORRESPONDENTS: Gowri Shankar & Anandhi Ramachandran, Madras; Choodamani Shivaram, Bangalore; Rajiv Malik & Mangala Prasad Mohanty, Delhi; Vrindavanam Gopala Krishnan, Kerala; Shyamal Chandra Debnath, Bangladesh; Archana Dongre, Los Angeles; Lavina Melwani, New York; Prabha Bhardwaj, Kenya; Dr. Hari Bansh Jha, Kathmandu; Parasram Ramoutar, Trinidad; Vetcha Rajesh, London; Ravi Peruman, San Francisco; Dr. Devananda Tandavan, Chicago. Web Masters: Deva Seyon; Sadhunathan Nadesan. PUBLISHER: Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR: Acharya Veylanswami EDITOR-in-chief: Acharya Palaniswami PUBLISHER'S ASSISTANT: Acharya Ceyonswami DEPUTY EDITOR: Acharya Kumarswami MANAGING EDITOR: Tyagi Arumugaswami GRAPHICS DIRECTOR: Tyagi Natarajaswami PROMOTION/PRODUCTION: Tyagi Kathirswami MANAGING EDITOR'S AID: Tyagi Shanmuganathaswami ADVERTISING MANAGER: Sadhaka Jothinatha SUBSCRIPTION MANAGER: Sadhaka Haranandinatha EDITOR-in-chief's assistant: Sadhaka Yuganatha DEPUTY MANAGING EDITOR: Yogi Kasinatha Go back to the index ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Return to Hinduism Today Home Page