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AUGUST, 1997
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INTE~NATIONAL I
Corruption: India's Common Citizens
Are Fed Up with Bribery 17
Cover Story: We Ponder Past, Present and
FUture at India's 50th Anniversary 22
Russia: A Hindu Catechism in Cyrillic 28
Malaysia: Murugan's Big New Home 34
Controversy: Jains Struggle to Wipe
'Away the Swastika's Nazi Taint 49
LIFESTYLE
Insight: The How, where and Why
of Est<J.blishing a Home Shrine 30
Astrology: Can £Wcide Be Predicted? 40
Art:';'Gods, Kings and Tigers" 41"
Books: Divakaruni's "Mistress of Spices" 50
OPINION
Publisher's Desk: Reincarnation:-
Coming Back Until You Getlt Right 6
-
Edi~orial: Loosening Bribery's Grip 8
My Turn: Favoring Joint Families 9
Letters 14
Healing: How to Ext~guish Heartburn 44
Minister's Message: Seek the Transcendent
Power of the True Self 52
DIGESTS ,,-
Qulites " Quips 10 Evolutions 44
~ 'ri Dlaspora 11 Digital Dharma 54
;- ' Briefly 20

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Welcome
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PUBLISHER'S DESK
Retur:rii,ng Again and Again
Until You Get it Right ·
Its not necessary to ~ecall past lives, but it is reassuring
to know YO"l:llived before and that death is not the e~d
BY, SAT G U R U S I V A Y A SUB RAM U N I Y A.8 W A M I
HE TWIN BE1.IEFS OF KARMA
and reincarnation are among
Hinduism's many jewels of
knowledge. Others include dhar-
ma (our pattern of conduct),
worshipful communion wijh God -
and Gods, tihe necessary guidance of
a'satgum, and enlightenment
through personal realization of our
identity in and, with Qod. So the
strong-shouldered and keen-minded
rishis knew and stated in the Vedas.
And thes~ are not me're assumptions of probing, brilliant minds.
They are laws of the cosmos. As God's force of gravi1y shapes cos-
mic order, karma shapes experiential order. Our long s~quence of
lives is a tapestry of creating and resolving karmas-p~sitive, nega-
tive and an amalgam of the two. During the succession of a soul's
li:.(,e s-through the mysteries of our higher chakras and God's ·and
guru's Grace-no karmic situation will arise that exceeds an indi-
vidual's ability to resolve it in love and understanding.
Many people are curious about their past lives and expend
great time, effort and money to explore them. Actually, this curious
probing into past liv~s is unnecessary. Indeed, it is a natural protec-
tion from reliving past trauma or becoming infatuated more with
ou~ past lives than our present life that the inner recesses of the
mulaghara memory chakra are not easily accessed. For as \ye exist
nowis a sum. total of all our past lives. Our mind and body state in
our present moment is the cumulative re~ult of the eLltire spec-/
trum of our past lives. So, no matter how great the intellectual
knowing of thes~ two key principles, it is ho~ we currently live
that positivel:y shapes karIl}a and unfolds us spiritually. Knowing
the laws, we are responsible to resolve blossoming karmas from
past lives and create karma that, projected into the future, will ad-
vance, not hinder, us. , Because certain seed karmas can
- The soul dwells as the inmost body of light and superconscious,
or universal mind within a serie( of nested bodies, each more re-
fined than{'t he next: physical, pranic, astral, mental. In our con-
scio).ls,mind we tnink and feel ourselves to be a physical body witn
some intangible spirit within it. Yet, right now our real identity is
the soul that is sensing, through its multiple bodies, physical, emo-
tional and mental' experience. Recognizing this as reality, We pow-
erfully know that life doesn't end: with the death of the biological
body. The soul continues to occupy the astral body, a subtle, lumi-
nous duplicate' of the physical body. This subtle body is made of
higher energy astral matter and dwells in a dimension ca1led the
astral plane. If the soul body itself is highly evolved, it will occupy
6 HIN~UISM TODAY · AUG u,.ST, 1997
the astral/mental bodies on a
~ery refined plane of tne astral
known as the Devaloka, "the
world of light -shining beings."
At death, the soul slowly be-
comes totally aware in its as-
tral/mental bodies, and it pre-
dominantly lives through those
bodies in the astral dimension.
The soul ,functions with
complete continuity in its as-
tral/mental bodies. It is with
these sensitive vehicles that we experi-
ence dream or "astral" worlds during
sleep every night. The astral world is as
solid and beautiful, as varied and com-
prehEmsive-as the earth dimension-;-if
not much more so. Spiritual growth,
psychic development, 'guidance in mat-
ters of governance and commerce, artis-
tic cultivation, inventions and discover-
ies of medicine, science and technology
all continue by astral people who are
"in-betwe~n" earthly lives. Many of. the
Vedic hymns· entreat the assistance of
devas, advanced astral or mental people.
Yet, also in the grey, lower regions of
this vast, invisible dimension exist astral
people whose present pursuits are base"
selfish, even sadistic, Where the soul .
goes in the astral plane at sleep or death
is dependent upon his earthly pursuits
and the quality of his mind.
only be resolved in earth consciou~ness
and beca~e the soul's initial realizations < lL~~::~~5i
of Absolute Reality are only achieved in
a physical body, our soul joyously enters another biological body on'
its journey toward liberation. At the right time, it is reborn into a
flesh body that will best fulfill its karmic pattern. In this process,
the current astral body-'-which is a duplicate of the last physical
form-is sloughed off as a li.feless shell that in due course disinte-
grates, and a new-astral b(i)a.y develops as the new physical body
grows, This entering into another body is called reincartJ.ation, "re-
occupying the flesh." In Sanskrit it is pun arjanrne., "taking bil:th
again and again." During our numerous Earth lives, a remarkable
variety of life patterns is experienced. We exist as male and fe-
male, often switching back and forth from life to life as the nature
a
becomes more harmonized into person exhibiting both feminine
nurturing and masc.uline intrepidness. We cbme to Earth as
princesses and presidents, as paupers and pirates, as tribals and
scientists, a~ murderers and healers, as atheists and, ultimately,
God-realized sages. We take bodies of every race and live the
many religions, faiths and philosophies as the soul gains more
knowledge and evolutionary experience.
,
From life to life: Each soul undergoes many lives on its path to
liberation and perfect Oneness. Th'e ray of white light flOWing
through each of the incarnations in the picture reprtsents the
undying consciousness of a soul movingfrom birth to birth.
n . u . u .. u u ...... u" . . . . . . . _ ............. ~u .... u ............... . ... . . . . . .. . . U . ... h . . . " . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .... un ••
Therefore, the Hindu knows that the belief in a single life on
Earth, followed by eternal joy or pain is utterly wrong and causes
great anxiety, confusion andJear. Hindus krfow that all souls rein-
carnate, take one body and then another, evolving through experi-
ence over long periods C9f time. Like the caterpillars metamorpho-
sis into the butterfly, death doesn't end our existence but frees us
to pursue an even greilter development.
underst~ding the laws of the death process, the Hindu is
vigilant of his thoughts and mental loyalties. He knows that the
contents of his mind at the point of death in large part dictate
where he will function in the astral plane and tIre quality of tis
next birth. Secret questioB-lngs and doubt of Hindu belief, and as-
sociations with other belief systems will automatically place him
among like-minded people whose beliefs are alien to Hinduism. A
nominal Hindu on Earth could be a selfish materialist in the astral
world. The Hindu also knows that death must come natura:Uy, in its
own course, and that suicide only accelerates the intensity of one~
karma, placing one in a lengthy earth-bound limbo state in the
astral plane, br'inging a series of immediate lesser births and re-
quiring several lives for the soul to return to the exact evolutionary
point that existed at the moment of suicide, at which time the still-
extsting karmic entanglements must again be l aced and resolved.
Two other karmically sensitive processes are: artificially sustain-
i~g life in a wholly incapacitated physical body through mechani-
~cal devices, drugs or intravenous feeding; and euthanasia, "mercy
killing." There is a critical timing in the death transition. The dy-
ing process can involve long suffering or be peaceful or painfully
sudden, all dependent on the karma involved. To keep a person on
life support with the sole intent of continuing the bodys biological
functions nullifies the natural timing of death. It also keeps the
person's' astral body earthbound, tether;ed to a lower astral region
rather than being released into higher astral/mental levels.
Moksha: Freedom from Rebirth: Life's real attainment is not
money, not material luxury, not sexual or eating p!easure, not intel-
lectual, business or political power, or any other of the human in-
stinctive or intellectual needs. These are natural pursuits, to be
sure, but our divine purpose on this Earth is to personally realize
our identity in and with God. This is now called by many names:
enlightenment, Self realization, God realization and ni1'l)ika~pa
samadhi. After many lifetimes of wisely controlling the creation of
karma and resolving past karmas when they return, the soul is ful-
ly matured in the knowledge of these divine laws and the highest
use of them. Through the practice of yoga, ,the Hindu bursts into
God's superconscious mind, the experience of bliss, all-knowing- ,
ness, p~rfect silence. His int~llect is transmuted, and he soars into
the Absolute Reality of God. He is a jnani, a knower of the
Known. When the jnani is stable in repeating his realization of the
Absolute, there is no longer a need for physical birth, for all Earth-
ly lessoI!s have been learned, all karnfas fulfilled and Godness is
his natural s~te. That individual soul is then liberated, freed from
the cycle of birth, death and rebirth on this planet.
The belief in karma and reincarnation brings to each Hindu in-
ner peace and self-assurance. The Hindu knows that the maturing
of the soul takes many lives, and that if the soul is immature in the
present birth, then there is' hope, for there will be many opportu-
nities for learning and growing in future lives. These dual beliefs
and the attitudes they produce eliminate anxiety, giving the serene
perception that everything is all right as it is. And, there is 'also a
keen insight into the human condition and appreciation for people
in all stages of spiritual unfoldment.
AUGUST , 1997 HINDUISM T.ODAY?
 ,,
EDITORIAL
6ribery: 't he Poor
Man's 'Extbrt,i on
Probing the petty monetary) muggings th;at are
all-tao-common an experience -in India
BY THE EDITOR
RIBER"lf IS NOT INDIA'S PRIVATE PROVINCE, THOUGH
has taken its subtle arts to profound, almost philosopJ!-
kal, depths, as our article on page 17 shows. In fact, many
Indians will be startled to heaF that we are eclipsed by
several nations in this field. A March 29 Reuters report by
Rene Pastor of Singapore placed Indonesia at the head of the class
as the most corrupt country in all of Asia. In this, study, wherein
280 business executives assessed their ,experiences only in Asia,
India came in a dubious second, followed by China, Vietnam and
- general' manager of telecommunications and scolded him. He im-
South Korea. f-1alaysi~ was ninth, after Taiwan. Had all nations
been included, India would have'done much worse (or is that bet- ~
ter?). A 1995 survey in Berlin tagged Nigeria as the world's worst,
followed by Pakistan and Kenya.
Don't despair. The survey was based on the extent that "politi-
cally influential individuals werfl able to arrange matters to their
own financial benefit." Had it focused instead on everyday transac-
tions, India would surely have come in number one. Consider the
tiGket seller at any bus or train station. You're tired, you need·a
seat, and they're all sold out. That is until you
pony up a pair of Rs.I00 notes that go into
his back pocket as he deftly hands you a tick-
et he knew was there,all along. You get on the
night express. He ca11 buy a new CD for his
family Everyone wins, right? I ried. In a hurry, they paid, se)1sing the
Wrong. Everyone is diminished by this
trivia] transaction, which, multiplied millions
of times each day, erodes the trust and hon-
esty secure nations and peoples depend on.
Graft has a -roassive impact on an economy,
for, we are told, distrust distorts free market '
mechanisms, depressing prices. Yesterday a
Sri Lankan entrepreneur told me of his expe-
rience running a telecom company in India.
He had offered a bid contract,for a govern- oj
IiJ.ent project, but never got a respon~e. Only ~
later did he discover that the cle(k wh0 was :0
hired to type and submit it never did so, be- <'---'-'="'--'''"""''=-
cause no incentive had been offered. Thus a Rs.lOO bribe not giv~ -
en cost him a mu!ti-lakh project. The effect ·is not merely
monetary, either. Such payoffs are a form of mugging, without
knife or gun, yet engendering a similar sense of being assaulted
an'd psychologically victimized.
To be honest; it is hard to live honestly in India, abstaining from
bribes. There are only two ways to get things efficiently done
there: through high-level influence or by resorting to payOffs.
With.out these, progress comes only to the patient and persistent.'
8 HINDUISM TODAy .AUGUJi,T, 1997
It is ~ damning intimation of how deeply
institutionalized graft is in India that the
government is considering a law to protect-
politicians from criminal charges for kick-
backs, fraud, nepotism and the like, essen-
tially giving lawmakers a "do-as-you-please
ticket." No wonder Indians are cynical.
One leader humdrously offered that India
should require bribery, making it a law,
which then would tre dutifully broken by
all and sundry, eliminating most payoffs.
The briber's weapons are access and de-
lay Consider one Indian resident's recent
travails, told to me personally. He wanted
to install a phone and was assured' of a line
"within 8 to 10 years'time from the date of
'your application." For an extra (legal) fee-
of Rs 15 ,000 he was able to get a line in
five months. "F1nally, one day the lineman '
came and installed the phone. My happiness lasted a few minutes
only. As soon as it was working, the lineman-demanded ·money. 1
asked why, and he told me that this is normal protocol. I gave him
Rs 50. To my surprise, he told me, 'F1fty rupees is not enough.' I
grew mad and chased him away. Hours later the line went down. I
complained to atfriend who asked whether I had 'taken care' of the
1unior Engineer at the Exchange. I asked why I should take care of
him. My friend said this is the way it workS here. I went to the
mediately called up tpe JE, and the line was connected. But after
four days, it was dow.n again." The lineman kept up his harrass-
ment, essentially exacting his own phone f~es. He only desisted
when a formal complaint was lodged. Similar robberies occur with
electricity, gas, custqms duty, almost anything. An agricultural4n-
spector refused to open a box of plants for this same man pending
a personal contribution of Rs.200, and then assessed another
Rs.200 to dose it (noting that by law only he can do these tasks).
Need more? A large family arriving in Chennai last year from
the US was told by a customs inspector that
for Rs. 3,500 he would)et their 20 bags
through unchecked. Without it, he threat-
ened to take three hours to examine (and
collect duty on) every single item they car-
punishment that awaited them i~ they de-
clined. Horror stories abound: people
forced to wait in empty offioes for hours
and then sent home unserved at day's end.
'Others having bllsiness papers, even mail,
"lost" until- money ma~es them reappear.
. Both the demander and the giver of
graft are guilty, and equally. We ratify the.:
iniquity whenever we accept a bribEjr's bid.
It is not elll'mgh to complain and then ante-
up the reqUisite fee. Every time we partici-
pate, even reluctantly, in the smallest bribe,
we give new hope to unscrupulous fellows,
nurture their petty plunders and invite them to keep up the
villainy. We also place ourselves in the same category as corrupt
officialS-just because the transaction is smaller does not make it
less venal. There is a solution. Surrender the excuses: a. ) Everyone
does it, why not me? b.) It's just part of the culture and c.) My ac-
tions aren't going-to change things. Stand strong for dharma and
stop paying. Endure the delays and nuisances, then complain to
'the briber's boss. Send a new message. If we all did so, bribers
would soon lose their clciut and their craft would disappear.
,,
MY)TURN
.l~t)o~rif Families
Forge ~ Better Future
Fifty years spent encouraging nuclear
families has
. -,only hindered Indias progress
BY BHARAT J. ' GAJJAR
IGHT AFTER 'I:HE INDEPEN-
'_ of India, in 1947, mY'
"U<:::JllCe
put four names out-
our house. At that time
we lived as a joint family Both
my father and my uncles' families
. . lived in a big bungalow. I asked
my father why he had put our
names outside the home. He told
me that legally we were no longer
a joint family He added t hat
Jawaharlal Nehrus government wanted to
give a tax inceutive to smaller families. If
we kept a joint tamily, we would have to
pay more taxes. r asked him why a.joint
family was not preferred. Wasn't it the
Hindu way of living? He said Prir;ne Minis-
ter 1'\ehru was a Westernized man who
believed that India was woor and nonindus-
trial because the Hindus have if joint
family system. He wanted to break up
this system in order to qJ.ake material
progress in India.
I did not understand what my fathev was
talking about then. After li¥ing many years
in the Vl{est, I came to know what he really
meant. in the West, family means a father,
mother and children, and children leave
the family when they become 18. In the
East, family means parents, children, ,
cousins, aunts and uncles. All the children
live with tile parents. The Cnristian way of
~ living is to have individual small families,
. and their attitude comes from th\3 Bible.
. JesuS\ says, "Do not think that I have come
to bring peace on earth. I have not ~ome to
bring peace, but a sword. For I have come
to set a man against his father, and a
daughter against her .mother, and a daugh-
ter-in-Iaw against her mother-in-law. A
man's foes will be those of his own house-
I I hold.-:-He who loves father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me; and he who
loves son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me. He who does not take his
cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
He who finds his life will lose
Loving Ganesa, at once simple,
it, and he who loses his life for
my sake~will find it."-Luke
12:51:53 deep and practical, teaches ever so
This passage means some-
thing in spirituality, but it is I many ways that Ganesas grace
interpreted differently, in a
mundane way. It leads one to
can be attained by sincere devo-
live a free and more individu-
alized life. A good example of
this is in t1)e state of Kerala, tion, song, prayer and meditation
India, where Hindus are converted to
Christianity. Churches have become strong, to bring greater harmony,
but families have become weaker, resulting
in a higher divorce rate. contentment and spirituality into
What happens when families in the USA
break up? The family suffers, out the'mate-
rial world gains. lnstead of one peaceful ones daily life. An aOO-page illus-
family, now we have two miserable, broken
families. They need two apartments and trated resource by Satguru
sell their home. The lawyers are busy, the
counselors-and doctors are busy, fast food Sivaya Subramuniyaswami. $) 9.95
places are busy, dating services and restau-
rants are busy. And on and on it goes.
plus shipping (US $2,
When a person feels lousy and miserable,
he embraces thy material world to get ftap-
piness. A loving person with a loving fami- Foreign $4)_ Also in bookstores.
ly will not and will, be less motivatea to
fight. Sadly, this is only partially true. Look 1-800-890-1008
at some of the Indian people in the West.
They have strong, loving fammes with well 1-808-822-3152
educated children and are successfuL But
they tend to dote on the material world.
http://www.HinduismToday.
The ,Japanese have maintained a joint fami- kauaLhi.us/ashram
ly system, and they are very suc;cessfuL
After 50 years of independence, Incl.ta has
made poor progress, in spite of Nehru's
policies to divide families and push social- LOVING
ism. If India wants to make progress, she
should keep the joint family system and
enjoy an even more free and true enter-
GANESA
prise. United we grow, divided we lose.
BHARAT GAJJAR, a disciple of Swami Vishnu-
.' HIMAlAYAN ACADEMY PUBUCATIONS
107 KAHOIALELE ROAD
Devananda, 'has been giving seminars on KAPAA. HI 96746-9304 USA
yoga for the past,3D years in Delaware, USA.
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 ,,
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Seven Million Birds of Peace tional audiences from UK
t ame to Australia, can ex-
suc ayou :..~_ "' ...:...::_-------:, national Yogi Competition yesterday with a world-record point ARCH 29TH INDIAN-BORN SPIRITUAL L E ADE R AND . pect a
, cer tam
A ' ' '~am1
' ' ' l man attended the corbnation of Queen Elizabeth
in the' UK. He wore kurta, veshti, sash, vibhuti, kumkuma and all
- ts 0 f a'~ fine Saivite devotee. At the dinner party
total of 873.6. "I am the serenest!» Bikram shouted to the estimated
crowd of 20,000 yoga fans, vigorously pumping his fists. "No one is
serener than Dhananjai Bikram-I am the greatest monk of all
M creative giant, Sri Chinmoy, reached his monumental
goal of drawing and painting seven million birds of
peace. Beginning in December, 1991, in Malta, Sri Chinmoy av-
class
act.

the acoutermen
time!" Bikram averaged 1,89 breaths a minute during the two-hour
competition, nearly .3 fewer than his nearest competitor, second-
place finisher and two-time champion Sri Salil "The Hammer"
Gupt~. The heavily favored Gupta was upset after the loss. "I
should be able to beat that guy with one lung tied," Gupta said.
"I'm beside myself right now, and I'don't mean trans-bodily"
Bikram enjoyed a fast start at the Lhasa meet, which like most
major competitions, is a six-event affair. In the first event he at- ternational pressure led the
tained total consciousness (TC) in just 2 minutes" 34 seconds, and Taleban to retract the threat,
who relented because it is not
set the tone for the rest of the meet by repeatedly shouting, "I'm "actively worshiped." ,
blissful! You blissful? I'm blissful!" to the other yogis. From a
purely fictio~al report circulating on the Internet
FESTIVALS
Mega Mela
F24, 1998, the 20th century's
ROM FEBRUARY 1 TO APRIL
eraged 1.33 million birds a year for over five years, while main-
taining a rigorous schedule of travel, athletics and spiritual mis-
sion work. He says, 'i\merica's message to the fo ur corners of
the globe is freedom. Real freedom has to be founded upon in-
ner peace. Without inner peace, there can be no freedom-in-
ner or outer. Birds fly in the firmament of freedom. They bring
us the special message of freedom, which can be found only in
the peaceful heart-home of humanity Birds flying remind us of
our souls infinite freedom. My soul, your soul and everybodys
soul has come from heaven. When we think of these birds, we
feel a yearning to go back to our source." He drew his final mil-
lion peace birds in a creative marathon of five and a half days.
varatri; the new moon day, . In the theaters/first in-
March 28; and the final day, tegration of a Hindu
April 24, when the Sun moves , theme, acclaimed
into Aries. The festival, put on bharata natyam

last Kumbha Mela will take

place in Haridwar, India. An es-
timated five-million souls will
come to bathe in the Ganga.
Crowds taking sacred dips will
peak en February 25, Mahasi-
by the government of India, is
known as "the worlds largest
act of faith." Many fear disaster.
Rapid transfer of experienced
officers has vaporized the ex-
pertise needed to manage the
~normous conclave. With only
months left, the nearly US$30-
million lies unspent
that was allocated for
building roads,
'bridges, sanitation, etc.,
to facilitate the event,
and pilgrims may face
unsafe conditions.
Bathing in God's gz:ace
dan~r Ramaa Bha-
radvaj played Hanu-
man in a harmonious
face-to-face with Kung
FU master Andy Lowe
Kids play monkeys in a profeSSional pldy as the Chinese Bud-
dhist Monkey King. It
ARTS/TWEATER
was a innovative cress-cultural
strategem for dharma by
US Kids Meet founder/director, Kent Brisby,
who takes "seriously the issues
Hanuman facing today's children, such as
the rising outbreak of gangs . ..
AN DIEGO' S ASIA.N STORY to bring the kids a message, not
S Theater presented the play only about peaceful coexistence,
Hanuman and the Monkey King but developing a .real under-
to 10,000 Californians in April. standing for another culture."

CL OCKWISE F ROM T OP: SRI CHINMOY CENTRES INTE RNATION-

10 HI~DUISM TODA'Y A19; GUST , 1 997 AL, JuDY HOUSTON, SADHUNAl'HAN NADESAN, J ACK HEBNER AUGUST , 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 1~
 VEGETARIANISM
Pure Chelsea
, "7\;r PRESIDENT CLINTON'S
.r-\50th birthday party last
September, gymnast Kerri
Shrug sat next to the presi-
dent's daughter, 16-year-old
Chelsea Clinton, and learned
she is a vegetarian.
When People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA)
heard the story, they created
an advertise-
ment with the
young White
The Shahi Idgah mosque (center) and the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple (right) at Krishna's birthplace House face on
the top, say-
INDIA The government, fearing riots, ing: "This
barricaded the temple-mosque Clinton's
Sights on Krishna's Birthplace complex and put it under secu- health care
rity forces. The demonstration plan really
In 1964 the Krishna Janrnab- concluded without mishap. works." The
Mthe river Yamuna in Uttar
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and petticoats, children's clothes • Jaintri and Panchang • 289 Route 416, RR3, Campbell Hall,
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• Religious Books: Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, By Swami Chinmayananda.
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Pradesh, is one of Indias holiest

towns. Inhabited for millenia, it
was pillaged by Mahmud of
Ghazna, in 1017 and sacked
four more times between 1500
and 1757. Around 1656 a .
mosque was built right on the
site of the Kesavadeva temple,
the birthspot of Lord Krishna.
hoomi temple was built next to
it. In 1992 Hi~dus destroyed a
similar mosque built at the
birthplace of Rama in Ayodhya.
The subsequent bloodbath of
I riots cast a pall over the Vishwa
Hindu Parishad's agenda to '1ib-
erate" Hindu holy sites. In 1995
they conducted a yatra [pil-
grimage/march] on ,Mathura.
Then on March /12, 1997, the
VHP staged another march on
Mathura "to create awareness
for the removal of barricades
and withdrawal of forces from
the Sri KrishIila Janmasthan."
Again public reaction was one
of alarm. The protest, which
was joined by 200 of Mathura's
monks, ended peacefully.
ever-bold
activist
PETA de- Chelsea Clinton:
buted the ad first-family veggie
in flyers dis-
tributed at the World Beef
Expo. The White House would
not officially affirm Chelsea's
choice, but insiders confiLmed
that indeed, she is a veggie.
• Clothing: kurta pyjama sets, silk saris and punjabi sets, pooja
clothes, wool shawls, cotton, rayon and silk prayer shawls.
physical, mental, intellectual and
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• And much, much more • Mail Order Inquiries welcome. Chinmaya Publications,
Free Catalog: Moneesh • 467 Brickman Rd., Hurleyville, 560 Bridgetown Pike
NY 12747 USA • Tel: 914-434-8990 • Fax 914-436-5878. Langhorne, PA 19053-7201 USA

THE VEDAS
God's Word,
Sages'Voices
Let him approach with
humility a guru who is
learned in the scriptures
and established in Brah-
man. To such a seeker,
whose mind is tranquil and
senses controlled, and who
has approached him in the
proper manner, let the
learned guru impart the
science of Brahman,
through which the true, Imperishable Being is realized.
ATHARVA VEDA. MANDUKYA UPANISHAD L2.12-13
Yes, may the man who within his home pleases you all
his days with songs and with offerings receive a rich
reward, be loaded with your giftsl To him be happiness!
This is our prayer.
RIG VEDA 4.4.7
12 HINDUISM TODA¥ A tI"GUST, 1997
The ten abstinences are nonviolence, truth, nonstealing, We offer a wide selection of Roy Eugene Davis,
chastity, kindness, rectitude, forgiveness, endurance, tem- Sri Chinmoy's inspirational a widely-traveled teacher,
perance in food and purity. and instructional written
SHUKLA YAJUR VEDA. TRlSHIKHI BRAHMANA UPANISHAD 32-33 works, including essays,
author and direct diSCiple of
Paramahansa Yogananda,
They say of a man who speaks the truth, "He speaks the
poetry, plays and extensive
answers to questions asked
has taught in the kriya yoga
tradition for more than four
dharma," or of a man who speaks the dharma, "he speaks by seekers. decades.
the truth." Verily, both these are the same Hung.
SHUKLA YAJUR VEDA. BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD 14.14 Music includes soul-stirring Request information about
audio and video perform- his books and classes in the
The hands are alike but in their work they differ. So also, ances by Sri Chinmoy and his USA, India, Europe and
two cows, offspring of a single mother, may yet give differ- students on instruments from other countries.
ing yields of milk. Even twins are not the same in strength, allover the world.
or kinsmen in bounty. Center for Spiritual Awareness
RIG VEDA 10.117.9.
Just published- P.O. Box 7-H
Sri Chinmoy's long-awaited Lakemont, Georgia
In vain the foolish man accumulates food. I tell you, truly, it trilogy, Commentaries on the Vedas, the Upanishads and the 30552-0007 USA
will be his downfall! He gathers to himself neither friend Bhagavad Gita: The Three Branches of India's Life-Tree
nor comrade. Alone he eats; alone he sits in sin. The plough- and a 4-CD set of selections from Sri Chinmoy's fifty Peace Tel: 706-782-4723 • Fax 706-782-4560
share cleaving the soil helps satisfy hunger. The traveler, Concerts offered in honor of the 50th anniversary of the http://www.csa-davis.org • E-mail csainc@stc.net
using his legs, achieves his goal. The p~iest who speaJ<:; United Nations.
surpasses the one who is silent. The friend who gIves IS In India:
better than the miser. Call or write for our free catalog! A Master Guide to Meditation (Rs. 55)
RIG VEDo\ 10.117.6-7
The Book of Life (Rs. 65) by Mr. Davis.
Heart-Light Distributors Motilal Banarsidass
Verses are drawn from various sources. Those taken from The Vedic
&perlence by Prof Raimon Panikkar are available at www. PO Box 85464-H 41 U.A., Bungalow Road
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• Offices and stores also in Patna, Bangalore, Madras,
Tel: 800-739-2885 or 1-206-527-2099 Varanasi, Calcutta and Pune.
CLOCKWI SE FROM TOP: NO f\REDIl' Fax: 1-206-527-2099 If by mail, add Rs. 15 each book for postage.
PI:.-rA, PAINTJNG BY S. RAJAM

Waxing Trend. Waning Traditions
THE ARTICLE ABOUT KERALA AND THE JOINT
fap:1ilies ("Joint families, a Vene;:,able Tradi-
tion in Jeopardy," SPECIAL REPORT, January
'97) made me feel sorry, and I felt anguish
for the traditions that are 'disappearing.
Many beautiful traditions have vanished,
and some are in the process. Many of the
traditions are being heckled by the younger
g~neration as unnecessary fuss or supersti-
tion. The Europeans destroyed beautiful
cultures in the world wherever they went.
They thought, even honestly believed, that
they were doing a great service to the bar-
barians by civilizing them. The worst thing
the Europeans brought to India is the con-
sumer culture-making people want more
and "more, giving them worthless paper
money, thus raising the rate of inflation.
Omsumer culture has brought so much dis-
content to India. British civilization caused
Indians to become ,greedy. They have be-
come black marketers. India is a lovely
country which needs simple clothes. The
climate is conducive to wearing cottons. Peo-
ple were content with what they possessed
in those days. But now, Indians want to buy
suits from Hong Kong, get gadgets from
Japan, etc. We are breeding an elite, enter-
tainment-loving, lawless generation. I hope
and pray that this trend will change in the
next fifty years.
ANANDID RAMACHANDRAN
CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA
Shhh ...
MY GOD, WHAT A MASTERPIECE HINDUISM
TODAY has become. My vigil period today
was "Silence is Golden." I never want to say
another word! Actually, I am going to begin
a regular silence sadhana on Mondays until
sunset. I became painfully aware that I need
to be more direct in my appreciation for
your wonderful magazine, and I will.
DEVA SEYON
KAUAI, HAWAII, USA
. "deva@aloha.net
SILENCE IS GOLDEN... (INSIGHT, June '97)
is a gem of an article! It confirms my beliefs,
gives invaluable suggestions, and insightfully
answers many questions. I sincerely hope
that the readers will use the enlightening in-
formation in this article to better their lives.
lRENERuDRA
'MARION, INDIANA, USA
UncloneableMind '
I MUST SAY THAT OF ALL THE PUBLICA-
tions I had read, HINDUISM TODAY dealt with
the issue of cloning best (Playing God?,
MEDICAL ETHfcs, June '97). Maybe this is be-
cause cloning does not challenge the very
existence of Himl.u religion as it does some
14 HINDUISM TODAY AUGUST , 1997
Ayurveda Holistic Center Self-Realization Fellowship
LETTERS Books by Swami Shankar Paramahansa Yogananda's
others. I would like to pose a question to all dom provided in the federal constitution of Purushottam Tirtha: teachings offer instruction
the religious leaders of this faith. Is not the M~laysia. Unfortunately, there is no law for in Kriya Yoga, guidance
birth of Kauravas an example of cloning? Hindus to be protected from Christian mis- Yoga Vani
GURU
on seeking God and much founDED In 1980
The "experience" at that time, when Maha- ~ionary groups which are going from house Instructions for the attain- BAN' more to help you realize BH
bharata was written, appears to be that to house or in the pretext of giving free tu- ment of Siddhayoga during your true soul nature. PAAAmRHRnSR
cloning only produces phYSically identical ition, medical, food and money. It is high sadhana. Send for a free booklet: HOGRnRnOR
people and not mentally identical. Seen in time for the Malaysian Consultative Council postpaid: US$13.50 (USA) Undreamed-of Possibilities
that light, many arguments against cloning of Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity and $16.50 (Canada) Self-Realization Fellowship • 3880 San Rafael • Dept. 7HTG
will just disappear. ,,- Sikhism to be reorganized or break away to Los Angeles, CA 90065-3298 USA
NANDAKUMAR PARUVAKAT protect HilJdus, Buddhists and Sikhs from Guru Bani Tel: 213-225-2471 (9-5 Pac). 24-hr fax: 213-225-5088
GREEN BAY, WISCONSIN, USA this evil missionary program. 100 ways to attain inner Visit us on the Web: http://www.yogananda-srforg
"NParuvakat@ao!'com peace. How to live a spiritual
PALPANATHAN PODUVAL
PULAU PINANG, MALAYStA life-for monks and families.
Jai Viswanathan! postpaid: US$9.50 (USA)
I WAS DEEPLY TOUCHED BY THE LETTER Will Anyone Help? $12.50 (Canada)
of 18-year-old student from South Africa, IN A RECENT ViSIT TO NEPAL, A NEPALI Custom Tours to India
Mr. Vivekananda Moodley, who carmot af- Christian told me that one cannot separate Ayurvedic Products Distributors-wholesale or retail
ford to subscribe to your magazine (Some~ the Hindu religion from the Nepali culture, catalog: $1.00 (free via e-mail) • Consultations. 2-year Kali Travel is uniquely qualified to
thing is Missing, LETTERS, June '~7). We so Hinduism must be abandoned to escape Ayurveda Certification Courses in person or by correspon- organize custom-made tours to satis-
Hindus should help students like him. I from the evils of the caste system. This dence (either by post or via e-mail). fy the needs of any type of group,
know that you have no way of reducing your sounds like a misinterpretation of the basic organization or individual and to
subscription price; almost everything in the caste system concept. It is indicative, Ayurveda Holistic Center structure an itinerary appropriate to
world, including the printing, ink and paper, though, of the propaganda some Christians c/o Swami Narayan Tirtha Math their specific needs and interests.
has gone up. At the same time, I hate to see are spreading in Nepal. We would like to see 82A-H Bayville Ave • Bayville, NY 11709-1671 USA
an Indian student who is really interested in some Hindu aid go towards scholarships to Tel/fax: 1-516-628-8200 • Ask for Swami Sada Shiva Tirtha For more information, contact:
Hinduism complaining that he carmot af- counter this active effort to undermine the E-mail: mail@ayurvedahc.com Kali Travel Ltd.
ford your wonderful, thought-provoking religious and cultural traditions of the coun- 169-12 Hillside Ave,
magazine. I wish to pay for one-}iear sub- try. There are certainly many Hindu organi- Web: httpllwww.ayurvedahc.com Jamaica, NY 11432-4498 USA
scription for Mr. Moodley. zations in Nepal, but few can match the (Free interactive dosha self-test and articles) Tel: 1-718-291-9292
ED VISWANATHAN funds of the much wealthier European and
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, USA American Christian missionary orgaRiza-
tions. If I were to get in touch with Hindu
Yoga Is Always an Aid organizations in Nepal, would there be any
I WOULD LIKE TO RESPOND TO THE LETTER possibility of providing scholarships to poor
"The Yogic Life" (LETTERS, May '97). Some, Nepali students?
definitely not all, yoga classes in the West LAYTON MONTGOMERY The Enlightenment Process By Swami Tejomayananda.
may appear to be taught as physical exercise I. UKRAINE How it deepens your sense of An optimum blend of spirit-
se'ssions. This is an approach that can en- "montgomery@kis.freenet.kiev.ua Self, Body and Community ual, cultural and personal
courage many Westerners to take up yoga, By Judith Blackstone experience. Experienced
as physical exercise is popular in the West. Corrections teachers offer the essence of
The truth that yoga is a spiritual disci- V In our December 1996 issue we erro- Blackstone clarifies common Hindu scripture at all levels:
pline is inherent in every asana. The student neously reported a "coup attempt" against misconceptions about enlight- adult, youth, and children.
may think he or she is only exercising the the government of Trinidad in August, 1996. enment. Many people who • Bhagavad Gita
body, but in reality one is expanding one's There was no such attempt. Our Trinidad are on the spiritual path ·Shrimad Bhagavat
awar~ness of self. Firstly, by becoming more correspondent, Parasaram Ramoutar, was believe that they must lose
·Other texts • Meditation
aware of the physical body, then comes an not responSible for this mistake. their sense of self in order to • Interactive groups
a~areness of the flow of subtle energy, ,,- achieve enlightenment. Here, • Drama, cultural programs
which follows naturally and instinctively. V The publisher'S adflress of the children's the author shows us how to • Arts and crafts
These carmot really be taught to one by an- book The Adventure of Yoga was i ncorrect combine our unique sense of • Recreation, and more...
other. The practice of yoga asanas, whatever (Yoga for Kids, CULTURE, May '97). Please self and our sense of universal
approach is taken, will always bring benefits direct all the inquires to Don & Moo Brid- connection through simple Family Camps:
both of physical fitness, health and spiritual dell, 8002-A Dollyhyde Road, Mt. Airy, MD meditations and exercises. A remarkable work offering July 18-25 Washington, DC 301-384-5009
growth. ;'
21771-9408. guidance to those seeking spiritual wisdom. July 27-Aug 3 Allendale, Michigan 810-732-4255
SUSAN JAMES Aug 4-10 Vancouver, Canada 604-433-3441
CATFORD, LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
Letters, with writers name, address and daytime • Clarifies confusing concepts of spiritual selflessness Aug 10-17 San Francisco, CA 408-998-2793
phone number, should be sent to: • Spiritual realization
Time to Guard Letters, HINDUISM TDDAY • Meditation and physical exercises Vedanta for spiritual growth. Values for lasting happiness.
Malaysias official religioR is Islam, Jmt Mus- 107 Kaholalele Road
lim's missionaries never go to houses con- KAPAA, HI, 96746-9304 USA US$12.95. ISBN 1-86204-059-1
or faxed to: (808) 822-4351 Talks!Jnana Yagnas:
verting and preaching to people unless you To order: Penguin Putnam, Inc. • Po.B. 999, Dept 17109 July 7-11 Buffalo, NY 716-633-1633
or e-mailed to:
are"a Muslim or you ask for it. Muslims are letters@HlndulsmToday.kauai.hl.us Bergenfield, NJ 07621-0903 USA • Tel: 1-800-253-6476 July 12-18 Toronto, Canada 416-663-6553
welf protected by the Muslim laws from the Letters may be edited for space and clarity and may Please include $2.00 per order for shipping. Chinmaya Mission West • Krishnalaya
Christian missionary group which broke up appear in electronic versions of HINDUISM TODAY. PO Box 129, Piercy, CA 95587-0129 USA
many families in the name of religious free- " INDICATES LETTERS RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL Distributed by Penguin Worldwide. Tel: 707-247-3488 • Fax: 707-247-3422
Also available at your local bookseller. http://www.chinmaya. org/events
15
...
..
 Bread, not bribery: Irate Delhi residents protest
the "Telecom Scam," 11Wney and flat bread

Autobiography of a Yogi-Audiobook
The complete, unabridged Dr. Vasant Lad, Ayurvedic
edition of Paramahansa Physician and Director of the
Yoganandas extraordinary Institute, with visiting faculty,
life story is available now offer the Ayurvedic Studies
for the first time in the Program, seminars and pri-
immediacy of the spoken vate consultations.
word.
Yearly Curriculum:
Yoganandaji was a master • I: Introduction to philosophy,
storyteller, and his profound theory and systems (Fall).
and eloquent autobiography • II: Introduction to Ayurvedic
readily lends itself to an audio assessment (Winter).
presentation. The remarkable • III: Intro. to management of
saints and sages he intro- imbalances (Spring).
duces .. .the colorful scenes
and rich spiritual heritage of • Correspondence Course by
India ... his unforgettable Dr. Robert Svoboda, Ayurvedic Physician
experiences in higher states of God-communion ... the • Weekend and Intensive Seminars: Ayurvedic Cooking, Psy-
founding of his worldwide work in America ... the wisdom, chology, Herbology, Pulse Reading, Sanskrit, Jyotish, etc.
subtle humor, and divine insight of a master of yoga ... all are • Panchakarma-purification and rejuvenation by licensed staff:
brought to vivid life in a sensitive and compelling reading by oil massage, herbal steam, cleansing diet, herbal therapy, etc. ,
Academy Award®-winning actor Ben Kingsley. • Ayur-yoga-integrating Ayurveda and Yoga for the purpose SOCIETY dealing with the government.
of returning each person to his or her balanced state. After the coming to light of a number of
12 Audiocassettes, 18 hours
Handsomely boxed, with notes and photos US$48.00
(does not include shipping, or sales tax in California)
• Ayurvedic and Western herbs, extracts, oils, books, audio
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those indulging in petty corruption-are of-
ten seen saying, "See, even the prime minis-
Write/call for our mail order catalog and information: ter and other ministers get briefcases full of
Self-Realization Fellowship. Visa/MC Orders (Dept.7HTA) The Ayuvedic Institute • PO Box 23445
Albuquerque, NM 87192-1445 USA
What price do we pay for letting it happen? money. I am, after all, a poor person. The
Tel: 213-342-0247 (9-5 Pac) • 24-hour fax: 800-801-1952 (USA) inflation rate is so high, I have my family to
Visit us on the web: http://www.yogananda-srforg Tel: 505-291-9698. Fax: 505-294-7572 look after. I have marriageable sons and
daughters. What does it matterifI also ac-
HEN PRIME MINISTER INDIRA GAN- Th~ situation has reached a point in India cept some money?" People are more inter-
dhi said "CoNuption is a worldwide where, for all major contracts with the gov- ested in tackling the corruption that grips
phenomenon," she had in a way jus- ernment, the percentage is an accepted their day-to-day life than in combating the

Recipient of
For Excellence in Journalism
And Community Service.
13 Awards tified the graft prevailing during her norm known by both the giver and the re-
regime. Her comments were then widely cipient. Corruption has now come to mean
used by corrupt politicians and government a demand beyond this understood, fixed
officials to justify their wrongdoings. Later, percentage. Businessmen and contractors
multi-crore scams which do not directly af-
fect them.
No one in India has a clear plan to solve
the problem. Singapore did it by draconian
her son Rajiv Gandhi commented, "Only fIf- dealing with the government do not com- laws rigorously enforced. Mexico City made
teen percent of what the government spends plain, because what they pay to bribe gov- honest its police force by simultaneously im-
actually reaches the common man." ernment officials is charged right back to posing stiff penalties for bribe-taking and
Today nobody disputes that corruption is the government. But a man on the street increasing police wages and benefits to off-
there. It is in the newspapers every day. By cries because to get even small things done set the loss of bribe money.
one survey, India is the ninth most corrupt he has to pay from his own pocket. Common The national cynicism that has developed
country in the world; another places it fifth. people are very insecure when they are in India with regard to corruption is reflect-
Today's kids and teenagers learning contem- ed in the following anecdote now making
porary Indian political history, instead of re- the rounds: An income tax commissioner

Published in three separate sections each week

Publisher: Ramesh Murarka e Editor: Bina Murarka e Advertising Manager: Prem Dutt
• INDIA WF55T is the second oldest and second
largest publication in North America catering
to Americans of Indian origin.
• more column-inches of news and advertisements
than any other Indian newspaper in North
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• extensively researched in-depth articles on
sensitive issues
• an average of almost 100 pages each week.
• a wealth of material for all age groups.
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lying on books glorifying the' past, are bound Pillagers' Price List was handling the tax returns of an industri-
to know a compendiUIIlJof scams: the Bofors alist who happened to,be his friend. He was
Scam, the Sugar Scam, the Fodder Scam, the There are stanqard bribe costs in every trans- amazed to fmd 100,000 rupees sp{nt under
Since 19;7;5 Fodder Machine Scam, the Land Scam, the action. Here is a sampling from Delhi. the heading "dog account." The commis-
Wheat Scam, the Urea Scam, the Securities sioner, who had visited the farmhouse of the
Scam. Bribe, kickback and commission are SERVICE BRIBE (IN RUPEES-) industrialist, asked how he spent such a phe-
media buzzwords heard day in and day out. 'Caught jumping a red light 50-200 nomenal sum on three or four dogs which
Head Office Allover the country, chai pani in the local Immedia'fe railway seat 30-300 he owned. His fri~d said, "Oh, besides
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language means "bribe." Literally, chai Driver's license in a hurry 100-1000 those four dogs, I have to feed at least fifty
means "tea" and pani m:eans "water" or· Upper~floor mail delivery (monthly) 10-40 dogs in connectiQn with my business. My
Tel: 510-652-3552
Fax: 510-652-7968 "cold drink"-originally refreshments pur- Gas line connection out of turn 2000-4000 dear friend, how do I account for the mon-
INDIAWEST@ATTMAIL.com chased for petty officiais. Arrange for chai Gas cylinder during.scarcity 50- 200 ey that I pay to various government officials
pani, and you can get small things done Choked sewage lines cleaned 00-400 as bribe? My simple solution is that I put all
Southern California without a problem. The breeding ground for Pay to peon to see his boss 10-50 the bribes paid by my company in the 'dog
Tel: 213-385-3241 corruption is wherever minor discretion can For.a, clerk to move a file 50-500 account.'" :~,
714-739-5309
be exercised O f a small deviation overlooked. To purchase a cinema ticket 20-70 Excerpted from The Week, May 25, 1997,
Bombay, India In fact, the rules and procedures are so com- To have your phone repaired 50-100 "Grease To Go Around" by VIJAYA PUSHKARNA
Tel: 91-22-205-1592/2724 plicated that nobody can follow all of them. New phone connection quickly 200-1000 with contributions from RAJIV MALIK, Delhi

AUGUST, 1997 HINDUISM TODAY 17

'"
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DISTANCE CAN'T DAMPEN DEVOTION. Devotees
of Lord Ayyappa recently recreated the
final part of the arduous annual Sabari-
malai pilgrimage by climbing 'a replica of
the famous Kerala shrine's 18 steps, lovingly
erected at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in
Malibu, California. The celebratQry puja
lli,ld feast was sponsored by the Organiza-
tion of Hindu Malayalees. \ cotton waste-no trees. Stated on each
A TEARY-EYED NELSON MANDELA described
the gathering of 40,000 cnildren at the
Hare Krishna's Food for Life "Festival for ": what a tree living 50 years generates in
the Children of the Rainbow Nation" as
"the happiest day of my life." South Africa's pollution control, while providing bird and
President told the huge crowd at Kings
Park soccer stadi-
um in Durban
that his "batter-
ies" had been re-
newed by their
energy. Krishna's
devotees proudly
boast they are
providing a mil-
lion meals a yew Mandela's happy day
to the hungry of
NataL The event included youth perfor-
mances and bharata natyam dancing.
THIEVES HAVE STOLEN an historic 200-year-
old Sivalingam from a family temple in the
village of Mulrupattan, in Bangladesh's Bho-
la district. Originally installed by the
Zaminder of Daulakhan, and a regional
favorite for Sivaratri worship, the nearly
250-pound lingam was recently moved to a
new shrine. The midnight raid is believed
to be the work of international smugglers
suspected in thousands of similar thefts.
DEVOTION DISSOLVES EVEN THE ICE between
nati9ns. "More than 450 Hindu pilgrims
from Pakistan visited the Laxmi Narayan
Temple-better known as Birla Mandir ...
on a month's tour of holy places," reports
The Hindu, covering a cultural exchange
pilgrimage "organized only for religious
purposes" by the Shadani Darbar and al-
lowed under a 1983 Indo-Pakistani agree-
ment. The Samjhauta Express now brings
"Hindu pilgrims from Pakistan in April and
takes the Hindu pilgrims from India to
Pakistan in October." Pilgrims report appli-
cation and visa formalities being cleared by also report miracles
the Indian Consulate "m a record time."
NEPAL'S "HINDU RELIGION, Culture Preserva-
tion Committee" comprising 17 members,
has been esta'blished by Jagadguru
Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati "with
20 HIN DUISM TODAY AUGUST, 1997
an objective of publicizing, preserving and
promoting Hindu religion in Nepal," reports
the RSS. The Committee will assist in de-
veloping education and health programs.
ECO-FRIENDLY~ GREETING CARDS really are.
Designed to save trees and creatE(jobs in
India, the cards are producea from 100%
card's backside is how 100,000 Eco-Friend-
Iy greeting cards "can save 696 Bamboos or
415 Eucalyptus trees!" And by quantifying
oxygen, or provides in erosion, soil and air
animal shelter and producing flowers, fruit ·
and timber, the card concludes "so when
one tree falls or is felled, the country. loses
something worth more than US$89,000.",
"HAPPY ·BIRTHDAY, UNIVERSE," reads an item
in The Indian Express. "Another year has
passed in the life of the universe as it turns
1,955,885,098 years old on Tuesday (last
April 8th), according to the Vedic calender.
Humanity has endured 5,09,.7 year~ of the
much maligned Kali Yuga, which is sup-
posed to run for 432,000 years." Whew,
only.426,903 years to go.
WE HEAR IRAQ'S SADDAM Hussain wants to
clone himself, and that he's setting up a lab
now to do it. It seems hes not alone. "In-
deed, in less than two weeks from the date
of the Roslin Institute's announcement in
N1:Lture (about cloning Dolly the sheep),
Valiant Ventures in the Bahamas an- "
nounced that it will build a laboratory to
clone people willing to pay," reports Scien-
tifiC A.merican.
SEEMS DEVOTION SUSTAINS both spirit and
bod~ Jain sadhvi Mohan Mala, 57, rep.ort-
edly fasted from June 20, 1996, to Apnl 6,
19~1J- a world record 291 days. The fast for ...rers-especially from outside the US. Inter-
"self-purification" baffled physicians who
examined th~ nun. "This is completely un-
heard of in medical
history," said Dr. S.K.
Wangnoo of New
. Delhi. Taking only
cups of hot water, the
nun lost over 60
pounds. Devotees
amid her meditations
such as rose petals .
and saffron powder No food for 291 days
arr.anging them-
selves into a swastika pattern during the
nine-month fast.'
CLOCKWISE FROM 'TOP: HARE KRISHNA FOOD FOR LIFE, INDIA ABROAD, THE SATURDAY STATESMAN
,
ArnongVidyas, \'edasaresupreme, Om Sri Curubhyo Nafnaha
In \\rlas, Rudram is supreme.
In Rudram, the Panchakshari Sringeri Wdya Bharati Foundation Inc. USA • Sringeri Sadhana Center invites you to the
"Nam~ivaya" is supreme.
~~~~~~:~labl(S Athi RudTa Maha Yagnam
REGONVERSION OF TRIBAL Christians back to Conducted for the first time outside India
fIinduism continues in Madhya Pradesh.
The Deccan Herald reports a "much-trum-
peted 'Ghar Vapsi' (homecoming) cam-
paign ... could attract barely 200 converts." ,
Sponsorship Schedule
IIWO~_ _ __ mgust ~~-Septemher [~ I
Its organizer, Raja Sabha member Dilip Items 1-4 are both Individual and ColJlOrate Sponsorships
Singh Judeo, retorted to HINDUISM TODAY, U.S,$ Indian Rupees
"These pr~s people are quite biased- Grand Patron ... ................. 50,001
Patron: Entire Yagnam
IS lakhs Sringeri Sadhana Center
1,200 people were converted back to Hin-
duism. The BJP and VHP has collected so
&Associated Events ....... 10,001
Grand Sponsor: 11 day
3.01akhs RD 8, Box 8116, Stroudsburg, PA 18360 USA · Tel: 717-629-7881, 1-800-45HINDU
much money for the building of the Ayod-.... Rudra]apam, Abhishekam Dr. s. Yegna Subramanian 609-530-0299, or Dr. S. S. Iyer 908-238-1119
hra Rama temple, but nothing has hap- & Homams . ..... .. ... , 5,001 1.5 lakhs
Sponsor: One Priest from
pened. Here we are converting people \ Contributions in US dolla.rs may be made
India . ................................... 3,001 1.0 lakhs
,back, and still people are finding fault." Final Day Rudra]apam, payable to SVBF - Athi Rudram Account.
Abhishekam & Homam ........ 1,001 30,001 Please mail checks to our registered office:
Veda Parayanam (iill4 Vedas) Sringeri Vidya Bharati Foundation
TELEVISION ATTRACTS huge audiences, and & other Parayanams 501 10,001
Indias Doordarshan is planning to capital- Rudra Homam . ......... ......... 251 7,001
Silverline Corp. Plaza, 53 Knightsbridge Rd.
ize on divine popu- .-_ _-:- ' -;-_ _-, Swama (gold) Sambhavana Piscataway, N] 08854, USA
to One Priest ..... ... ... lSI 5,001
larity. Successful Vastram, Ganapati Homam,
high-budget produc- DOMtions in Indian rupees will be
Navagraha Homam, Avahanti
tions have already Homam, Mrityunjaya accepted and usedfOI'Pl'iest expenses and
Homam, Lalita Homam, sa.mbbavanas and the purcbase ofpUja
included serials on Sri Sukta Homam ............. , 51 1,001 items from India. Please mail your cbecks
the Mahabharata, or bank drafts, payable to:
Hanuman, Buddha Contributions to SVBF are tax·dedtlctible
in the US4, Sri Sharada Peetham, Sringeri
and the Bible. In Prasadam will be mailed within two weeks Sri V. R. Gowrishanka~
production are "Om after the conclusion of the yagnam for Administrator, Sringeri Sharada Peetham
sponsors who cannot attend the yagnam. 71Jis Yagnam is the highest/o,.,n 0/Rudra Yagnam with 14641
Namah Shivaya," Sringeri - 577 139, Karnataka, INDIA "ecila/ions o/Sri Rudram & 1331 Rudra Homams.
"Shri Ganesha," Shi-
va Puranam, The
Vedas, Geeta
Rashaya.
125th Jayanti Celebrations
AMRITSAR'S GOLDEN TEMPLE of Sikhism is
becoming even more golden-just in time and World Tour of the Panchaloka Murtl of His Holiness
for its 300th anniversary in 1999. First or-
namented with 12-1ayer gold-plated copper Sri Sri Siva Yogaswaml
sheets in 1830, the temple's top domes are
now receiving 24-layer leaves, adding up to
an estimated IS-quintals of gold-52,800-
Canada-1997
ounces, worth around $18 million. The
new gold leaf is expected to last another
300 years. . Toronto Ottawa
August 7-14 August 16
BILLIONS ARE POURING into US Christian cof-
Cornwall Montreal
national Bulletin of ~issionary Research August 15 August 16-17
reports "income of global foreign missions"
International Seminar on Saiva Siddhanta, attended by scholars from India, Sri
at $10.9 billion. It also counts nearly 300
million Christians now in Asia, and expects Lanka and the world . Children 's competitions in speech, essay, hymns, etc.
a nearly 74% increase by 2025. Yet in the Publication of a souvenir on Saiva Siddhanta Exhibition of works of HIs Holiness
Sri Siva Yogaswami and more .
USA itself, weekly attendance at churches,
synagogues and "otper places of worship"
is at 38%-the lowest US level in 60 years, . Wortd Tour of the Murt1 In celebration of the 125th anniversary year of his birth, a small gold-plated, five-
according to the princeton Religion Re- metal statue of Sri Lanka's great spiritual leader, Satguru Yogaswami, begins a world tour to join devotees at the many Siva-
search Center. thondan Nilayams and more than 35 Tamil temples and communities. As he travels, celebrations and satsangs will be held in
Canada, USA, Europe, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Seychelles and finally Jaffna, Sri Lanka,
where the statue will be permanently installed.
BRIEFLY is compiled from press, TV and
Anyone wishing to attend, contribute scholarly material or lend support in any way, please contact:
wire-service reports and, edited by RAVI
PERUMAN, award-winning radio journalist SRI SRI SIVA YOGASWAMY'S SIVATHONDAN CENTRE, CANADA PO Box 73008, Westford Plaza RPO, 2131 Lawrence Ave East,
at KGO in San Francisco. Scarborough, Ontario M 1R-5G5 TORONTO: Sivanesan, 416-293-4697 . Thirunadarajah, 416-266-435, fax: 416-499-9382
. Satkunendran, 416-422-5069 . MONTRtAL: Murugan Temple, 514-683-8044 OrrAWA: P.A. Moorthy: 613-737-9809
Co-sponsored by the Hindu Temples &. Hindu Religious Societies of Canada

VERYONE KNOWS HOW TO CELE-
On August 15, 1947, brate; only a time and date are re-
quired to set in motion this inborn
the British quieVy human behavior. So when some-
thing as big as Indi~'s 50th year of
walked out of India. independence from BQtish rule
Five decades later, (not to mention 1,200 years of foreign domi-
nation) comes along, 936 million lndians
Bharat enthusia~tically need be told no more than "Party on, peo-
ple." The government of Bharat efficially
celebrates and soberly kicks off the year-long celebrations in Au-
gust. But in the West, many organizations
reflects upon her and institutions have already begun.
The Parliament of India will hold a spe-
condi tion after that cial session from August 6 to 14-in part to
hard-won freedom. ratify the celebration plans, but more sub-
stantively to reflect upon all that India has
22 HINDUISM TODA.Y A\JGUST , 1997
/ artists and dancers, and even hon-
e4perienced and done in the last fifty years.
Then, on August 15, following a formal flag
raising in every village of India, the prime
minister will address the nation from the
ramparts of the Red Fort, just as Jaw~arlal
Nehru did at free India's first dawn.
An entire government secretariat has
been set up to coordinate the year of obser.!
vances in India. The official intent is to
"rekindle the spirit of idealism and the cul-
fure of sacrifice that gave birth to modern
India." "It is a moment," the government
hopes, "for Indians to rededicate themselves
to the noble task of nation building in pursuit
of the great vision that had guided the free-
dom struggle." The wording of these goals is
significant, for few in India today seem alto-
Whither India's future? One sure
cO"lponent of India's second half
century toilllikely be a resurgent
Hinduism. The unexpected popu-
larity of the BJp, shown here
meeting in Jaipur, is one sign.
India today is the state of what
citizens call. "communal relations,"
whether it is between Muslims,
Hindus, Sikhs and Christi~s, be-
tween high caste, low caste and
no caste or between the various
linguistic groups. These commu-
nal problems, inherited from
Britain's divide-and-rule pelicy,
have not been solved. In fact, they
are growing worse. The Indian
economy still leaves too many in
poverty. Another burden is over-
popuTation (theoretically an un-
believable 4.6 billion by ~150,
nearly the present world popu-
lation), illiteracy, polluti~n, de-
forestation and the rest of the
modern world's woes. There is
Westernization, regarded as both
curse and cure. Last and most de-
pressing to the common man is
corruption, where eyen t4e top
f'oliticians are regularly caught
lining their pockets with phenom-
enal sums of bribe money [see
story page 17]. Indians lament the
widespread cynicism which has
resulted. Some still fume over the
partition of India and talk as if it
is something which could be un-
done-a task achievable by noth-
ing short of full-scale war.
Bharat was not like this in the
past. In earlier centuries, it en-
joyeg. remarkable harmony among
communities. It had a prosperous
economy that the world envied
and, unfortunately, coveted. It had
clean water, abundant trees, tigers
'---'_ _----II'< . and elephants, great musicians,
gether satisfied with the Fesults of 50 years est p~liticians. If there is one thing to be ac-
of freedom. Yes, the British are gone. And complished by this year of celebration, it is
never before in history had a nation won to bring this past back into Indian and world
freedom by the power of dharma, right- consciousness so that it may be rect-eated in
eousness' instead of the might of arms. For the prese~t. It is not necessary to create a
many years India was regarded by the world completely new India, many believe, but
with respect and even awe for this accom- - only to rediScover from india's past.
plishment. But something happened along International observances: The celebra-
the way duriFlg these five de( ades, and now . tions in tndia itself are, naturally, the most
even this government committee must con- extensive, and at US$15 million, the most ex-
sider now to regain the "great vision" which pensive. They include. a year of teleJ ision
earlier prevailed. In the second half of this and radio programs in eleven languages on
article, distinguished observers of India- the independence struggle and India's fifty
Ram Swarup, M~k Tully and Rashmi Ma- years ~f freedom, events honoring freedom
yur-offer their evaluations of India's past, fighters,. programs focused on socio-eco-
present and future, Fespectively._ nomic progress, women's issues, minorities,
On top of most .lists of complaints about children, science, law, farmers and trade
unions and, of course, commemorative
stamps and coins.
Nearly every nongovernmental organiza-
tion ~ll mark the armiversary in some way.
The Divine Life Society, for example, plans
to ,distribute hundreds of thousands of
copies of a "National Code of Conduct for
India"-a virtual manifesto of patriotism,
duty, character, honesty, nonviolence and
ecology.
The NGO "Pakistan-India People's Fo-
rum" was just established with the ambi-
tious goal of creating a "new era of peace
and harmony between India and Pakistan."
Organizer Shrikumar Poddar scheduled its .;
first conference of 200 delegates from India
and Pakistan for May in Mumbai. '
The United Kingdom is celebrating, most
notably with a visit by the Queen to India
-and Pakistan in October. A web site at
bricoun.orglvisitingartslindpakl997 gives a
long, month-by-month list of events in the
UK to honor India's independence. There /
will be art shows, cultural events (one called
"making laddus"-even though creation of
the delectable sweets doesn't seem to be on
the agenda), theatre and banquets (includ-
iI).g some at Buckingham Palace). Said Lord
Robert Cranborne, leader of the upper
House of Lords: "We have been friends with
the peoples of the subcontinent for cen-
turies. Our present relations have never
been better or more productive. They we
based on a shared history and shared tradi-
tions: parliamentary government, the rule of
law, cricket." It is an irony of the 50th an-
niversary that these very shared traditions
(with the possible exception of cricket) are
now questioned as to pow much good they
have really done for India. In .one sense,
Britain still rules India through the institu-
tions they left behind, which are so different
than the traditional government of India.
Many Indian organizations in America,
such as the Hindu Students COUIlcil (see:
freeindia.org), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
Federation of Indian Associations and
dozens of others are engineering programs.
At.-]east one organization, the Federation of .
Hindu Associations, refqses to celebrate the
day unless it is also "remembered as a
Memorial Day for the massacre of millions
of Hindus" upon partition, according to
their president, Prithvi Raj Singh.
Umpteen art shows are in the offing, in-
cluding two mentionegAn this issue of HIN-
DUISM TODAy-the book and exhibition "In-
dia, "A Celebration Qf Independence 1947-
1997," and. "Gods, Kings and Tigers: the Art
of Kotah." The Sackler Gallery at the Smith-
sonian Institute in Washington DC, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York,
and the Asian Art Museum in San Francis-
co all have scheduled show~ on India. The
latter exhibit includes items on Hindu home
ritual, the sari and Siva Nataraja. National
AUGUST , 1997 Hl'NDUISM TODAY 23
 --------------------------~~~--------------------------------~--~------~~----------------------------------------------------------------------------~

both 0ur exploiter and

also our teacher. Its
products and creations
were everywhere; its '"
power and presence .
was felt in everythin,g.
, I
It could not but impress
our best people.
But a self-conscious
imperialism was not sat-
isfied -With making
merely a psychological
impression. It waged a
regular ideological of-
fensive, an offensive in
which missionary Sri Ram Swarup: The noted
Christianity was already author activelyrparticipated in '
engaged. The white , independence. His writings
man's burden of civiliz- cover politics, economics, phi-
o ing the world ana the losophy and religion.
;;; Biblical command to go
<
~L_~~~~u.~ __~~urn out and rhake converts questionable politics. The
Best of the old, best of the new: India's past and present live side by side, unlike in other countries which have left their past behind became one single same old forces worked under /
task-&task both prof- new labels. Separatism, Balka-
GeographiC magazine's ~aleidoscopic Au- Pietermartizburg station that Gandhi twas hands. If the collective will which withstood
lWst cover story on India's 50th features the to~sed out of a first -class train seat on racial the bullets, lathi blows and jails of the
dazzling photography of Steve McOurry. grounds, prompting his campaign against British can be rekindled, the current raft of
An Unfinished Past" itable and meritorious.
A new colonial-mission-
ary view came into be-
nization of the G:o{intry and
casteism became progressive
politics. Under their influence,
Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in New York has discrimination-training ground for India. problems can be solved by determined ap- ing which taught tpe S\!l- many parties adopted Leftist
produced an e!.'hibit ~f national heroes and Whatever the progJ:ess or lack of progress plication of the one resource never plun- Oharma inspired us in the early days periority of Europe and slogans to improve their im-
freedom fighters of India. The Music Festi- over the last fifty ye,ars, one important fact dered by any invader: 5,000 years of accu- Ghristia,nity over all. age~at least they thought so.
val of India will present India's greatest ex- remains-the destiny of Bharat is in her own mulated wisdom. " -./ With some modifica- Most political parties passed
ponents of ctassical ,dance and By RAM SWARUP, DELfII " care
were spoken, and it took tions here and there, this view though this evolution, but the
music in September at New HE EARLY INDEPEN- of the rest. The nation was became specially attractive in BJP was regarded as different.
York's Carnegie Hall. It is safe . dence struggle had .no galvanized. Hindu awakening its Marxist garb. Marx said It was shunned by them even
to say tRat most Americans will
know India is celebrating some;-
thing in 1997.
Pictures Tell Her Story teeth and had yet to learn
to make any worthwhile
demands. The approach was
had begun. Later on, it passed
through many phases and ups
and downs, but things were
about the same things, though
he put it in radical and even in
anti-colonial and anti-religious
when it did its best to court
them. It was the great un-
touchable of India politics. In
Dr. Gujja Magesan of tlie petitioI'lary. Perhaps it had to never the same again. This in- language. Marxism attracted its origin and development it
VHP in New Zealand repor(s a NDIA, A CELEBRATION Sacred and the Sec- be that way at the time; it pro- put w:as to play an important

series of events being planned
for August 15. In the Nether-
lands, seminars, art'exhibits, a
Sri Chinmoy Peace Conference,
cultural events and a mela in
the ~ague are all on the docket
for later this year. The India
Canada Association of Montre-
al, the Bharat Bhawan Founda-
tion and the Global Organiza-
tion of People Q! Indian Origin
are collaborating in Canada to
commemorate the event.
Countries where Indians mi-
grated before independence,
such as Fiji, South Africa,
Trinidad, Guyana and Mauri-
tius, in general are not taking
much 'note of the pccasion. But
one significant gesture was
made April 26 in South Africa,
where President Nelson Man-
dela posthumously awarded the
Freedom of Pietermartizburg
award to Mahatma Gandhi. He
called the award "a message of
dignity restored." It was in
24 HINDUISM TODA.Y A l{ GUST, 1997
I
of Independence 1947 to
1997 is the book version
of a major exhibition of
photographs now simultane-
ously touring the USA, UK
and Bharat. Sunil Janah,
Raghu Rai, Henri Cartier-
Bresson and Sebastiao Salga-
do plus youngsters Dayanita
Singh, Sanjeev Saith and
Pamela Singh are among the
21 photographers who con-
tributed to the large-format
book. Like the recently pub-
lished 24 Hours in India, it
attempts to portray a cross-
section of Indian life today.
Courageously, it records many book on India published in
classic black-and-white pho-
tographs from the years of In- itself complete without in-
dia's independence struggle.
The book is more success-
ful than 24 Hours in present-
ing India's upcoming middle
class, rather than focusing
almost exclusively on "poor
India." Still, no exhibition. or
the West seems to consider
cluding the requisite conces-
sion to "strange and exotic
India," such as, in this case,
eunuchs in Delhi or transves-
tites in South india.
The book opens with "The
ular," a powerful vided a necessary protective
personal essay by cover. But something was hap-
Kerala-bom Victor pening at a deeper level. An
Anant on his life ancient people were waking up
from his boyhood, from a deep slumber and long
when the indepen- self-forgetfulness. A Hindu re-
dence struggle came naissance was taking place.
into full swing, to SwaII}i. DayanaRda, Swami Vi-
the present. In a vekananda, Sri Aurobindo and
way that transcends later on Mahatma Gandhi pro-
photographs, Anant vided its leadership. Some Eu-
lyrically traces the ropean friends of India, like
slow changes to his Madame Blavatsky, Annie Be-
life on a personal sant and Sister Nivedita, played
level over the last a noble role in this awakening.
half century. As we can easily see, these
The book was produced as pioneers 'were not politici'ans
a collaborative effort of the as we understand the word to-
publisher, Aperture, the day. They were philosoph~s,
Philadelphia Museum of Art, sadhakas (spiritual seekers)
the Ford Motor Company, the ancl-'cultural thinkers. They
Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and spoke of Gods, humanity, larg-
Eastman Kodak Company. er life, truth and justice. Th~y
Ap enwre, 20 East 23rd spoke of San afiana Dharma, of
Street , N ew York, N ew York, a golden Vedic Age, of Rama-
10010-4463, USA. U5$50.00 rajya. The pre gnant words
I ,
,
part in the struggle, much of
which still lay ahead. These
pioneers taught us to look at
India and her struggle in a
particular way. India was to
them more than a geogra,phic
entity ; it was a spiritual idea
and power, a sacred trust,
even a Deity. India'was to rise
for the truth it represented, for
recoveh ng its so~l and sva-
bhav a, innate nature. Howev-
er, the forces of Hindu aw~k­
ening were not the only ones
in the field. There were also
powerful, opposed currents.
One of them was the aid, un-
solved Muslim problem-more
correctly the problem of Islam
or Islamic ideology, though
even now we do not wantto
see it that way.
The next most immediate
ahd important influences were
those unleashed by Europe. A
new triumphant Europe was
many intellectuals, for it
seemed to explain every nook
and corner of the V'(orld, every
notch and fold of history. It at-
tracted many young men be-
cause they could now be radi-
, cal without taking a part in the
great national struggle of the
day and even by opposing it. It
was attractive to the self-alien-
ated section, which was quite
extensive, for it helped to justi-
fy their alienation from their
country, people and religion.
These wi re the forces at
work when India became free,
the forces apathetic and an-
tipathetic to Hindu awakening
being very powerful and even
more so after Independence:
Although Marxist parties
. were not important electorally,
their ideas dominated and
shaped India politics. Their
one important function con-
sisted in providing progressive
labels to all reactionary and
AUG UST , 1 997
had a different orientation;
there(ore, rriany expected it to
be different politically; too. But
it could not live up to this ex-
pectation. It, too, failed to
withstand the pressure of the
prevailing slogans. Thoughjt
still found it useful to play' the
Hindu card, it did it without
conviction or commitment.
What India needs is not an-
other party u!.!der the same
prevailing ideological inflti-:
ences but Hindus opened to
the message of ancient teach-
ers, Hindus who are also
sadhakas. India's Indepen-
dence struggle was rooted in a
,i
Hindu renaissance and it I
could properly be nourished
also by the same souroe. It
would also be meanIngful to
the world on that condition.
Hinduism is the principle of
India's self-renewal, its capaci-
ty to play its great civilization
role and to serve humanity.
H l'N DUISM TOD A Y 25

Pride in ,t he Present
A Hindu cure for the «colonial hangover"
MARK 'fuLLY, DELHI-
-\ HE END OF INDIA'S FREE-
-dom struggle fifty years
ago was only the end of
, one stage of India's strug- oped in India in such a way
,gle. India deserves by size and
its ancient civilization a place
at the top table of the nations
of the world. But it does not.
We have to see why it does
not enjoy that position, where
_freedom has not worked in In-
dia, and where the next stages
of the struggle have to go. '1
think there has been-and In-
dia is not unique iI). this-a
fundamental problem in
achieving real freedom: a colo- , is in theory a communally
nial hangover which still exists
in the minds of some leaders
aJ:J:d in the .political and insti- gions-every historic religion
tutional arrangements. Cor-
ruption iB the administrative
services and courts, inefficien- worship in their own way.
cy in the government and mis-
directed economic liberaliza-
tion are all results of this
hangover.
One aspect of this colonial
hangover is the vexed and
eontroversial question of secu-
larism. I think there is no
doubt that the concept of sec-
ularism was inherited by •
Nehru from the West. It
:Comes from a debased form 01 out, but it demonstrates the
Enlightenment thinking which sort of way in which secular
thought science and modern
development had killed reli-
gion. Nehru's secularism was
26 HINDUISM TOD A.Y A 1\ GUST, 1997
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~ ~ soon as you talk about
rrwt1Wr and daughter, Delhi
based to a 11l{ge extent on the
Western lack of concern, if I
can put it like that, for .reli-
gion. This secularism devel-
that they would say, "If you
are a Christian and you go to
church, you arEl' communal. If
you are a Hindu 119d you go to
the temple, you are communal. it." The genius of Hinduism,
If you are a Muslim and you
say namaaz, you are commu-
nal." But if you 'look at the
arrangements in Britain, you
find the Queen is still the
head of the Church of Eng-
land-so you could say Britain
Christian country. India is
unique in its variety of ,reli-
in the world has a home in, In-
dia, and everyone is free to
I remember once at an exhi-
bition of advertisements en-
couraging communal harmony
t in India run by the Times of
India there was one which
had a picture of a Christian
priest, a Hindu priest and a
Muslim cleric. The subtitle .
was, "Would you trust one of
these?" Now this is a disgrace-
ful thing, in my view, to put
people have been ta~ght to
think of religion.
Indians are still for the most
part deeply religious.
India has to have
some accommodation
With religion which is
mOFe meaningful to
people than merely
saying, "Keep it out of
p6litics, it's all rather
suspicious and dirty
and grubby." India has
to have some way of
iII expressing its respect
~ lor its own civilization. , :"
~ Now the extraordi-
~ nary thing is that as
Hinduism in Bharat,
you are immediately-
and I have had this
said to me many
times-told that you
are BJP, RSS or some-
thing like that. In my
view the BJP is a legit- I believe very strongly that it
imate pl'llitical party,
but I do not share their ideolo- frohtational.
.gy-I know from the slogans
I've heard BJP supporters
shouting that their id~ology
can lead to hatred of Muslims.
But I do profoundly believe
that India needs to be able to
say with pride, "Yes, our civi-
lization has a Hindu base to
the very re"ason it has survived npt stuck in history. That is
so long, is that it does not
stand up and fight. It changes
and adapts and modernizes
and absorbs-that is the scien-
tific and proper way of going
about it.
Why is Christianity in so
much trouble at the moment?
Because it is so difficult for it
to adapt, to face up to the sci-
entific inventions of our times
and the findings of history. It
is also difficult for Christians
to say that the most important
thing about a reli'gion is the
myth that underlies it. That is
the power. Anyone who thinks
myth. equals lie, as some peo-
ple appe~ to do, is totally mis-
led. Hinduism has this great
strength. It is based on myth
unashamedly. You do not have
to run around trying to find
historical evidence to say that
Krishna was born in Mathura
to understand the teachings of
the Bhagavad Gita. Whether
"Krishna or Arjun ever stood in mous amount to teach the rest
a chariot .together or not is
g liberated from material dis-
"' ':-:--~~~:-:::--"-=-:---,,;:-:-_-'
Mark Tully: The Calcutta-born
journalist earned the respect of-
Bharat during his years as the
BBC's India correspondent
not, in my view, of great im-_
portance to tradition and right
and proper Hindu thinking. So
is a mistake to become con-
What" is needed is the prop-
er teaching of Hinduism and
the study of ways in which
Hindus should adapt to the lat-
est circumstances. I believe
that Hinduism may actually
prove to be the religion of the
next millennium, because it
can adapt itself to change. It is
the pr9blem of the Semitic re-
ligions. A Roman Catholic car-
dinal said hEt thought that an
Eastern religion-Buddhism-
would be the !5[eatest chal-
lenge to the Church in the
next millennium, not material-
ism, as so many peoplE1 think.
So you have the resources in
Hinduism, you have the teach-
ings, you have the history that
shows,You can do it. You can
revive your religion in such a,
way that it does not become
confrontational (which is a
common practice) but do~s
something unique by becom-
{ng adaptive and adapting
itself to the needs of the time.
India must be able to be proud
of Hinduism. At the same
time, it should be proud that
Indian Muslims can do na-
maaz whenever they like, and
proud of Indian Christians
flooding their churches.
I believe Bharat has an enor-
of the world.
Self-Creation: Carving our own future through present karmas
Is There 8 Futu're?
Tow~d a new relationship with Earth
RASHMI MAYUR, MUMBAI
LMOST HALF A CENTU-
ry, we are told, has
elapsed into history
since India became
"independent" from the colo-
nial British. Much of what has
happ~ed during this period is
a memory, a great deal of
which is already effaced. ThIS
is a stark reality confronting
955 million people now occu-
pying the soil where Hin-
duism originated more than
4,000 years ago. The world has winners, gave a warning to the essence of plants is a person."
undergone profound changes
since therl. India had no
boundary ever, and today only
globalized Earth exists. Wllat
will happen to the people in-
habiting this nation, thei'r land, decades will collapse, bringing . mans whose sole pursuit is ex-
their philosophical system,
their life, as humanity pre-
pares itself to enter the third
millennium is only a mystery
wrapped in the unknown of
the future.
it is to search for the un-
known that we turn to Hin-
duism. As I understand it,
Hinduism is philosophy, it is a
way of life, it is a search for
liberation, it is an exploration
of the unknown, itj s an ad-
venture of finding a path in
the .darkness.
Today, howeve~, darkness
pervades the Earth. In Nov~m­
ber, 1992, i,600 eminent scien-
tists, including 105 Nobel Prize
world that it is in trouble, and if
the present human driVen de-
struction of the Earth contin-
ues, the eoological and environ- ing the last 300 years, is
mental systems in about two
an end to civilized living
everywhere. This was not a sil-
ly warning of gua~ks forecast-
ing on an April Foo]\; day. The
warning was based on the vast of India. That is the malady of
research, analysis and under-
standing of the ravaged state
of the natural and human sys-
tems in the globalized world ..,
Such pralayas or catastrophes'
were not unknown to the •
great Indian philosophers of
the past or to the thinkers in
other religions. In fact, from
time immemorial Hinduism
attempted to/address the trag-
ic problems of human life and
attempted to search for a life
tresses and bondages.
A casual account of the
world we are living in presents
a grotesque scenario of mate-
rialism gone berserk, convert-
ing great treasures of the
beautiful Earth into carcasses.
The Earth is littered with
dead trees, foul air, poisoned
seas, wasted lands, thirsty
rivers, mountains of garbage
along with miseries, emascu-
lating hunger, dreadful dis-
eases like AIDS and canger,
perennial wars-the list is
endless., The Earth is suffer-
ing. It is bleeding. It is dying
as if a Shakespearean tragedy
is being enacted everywhere,
as if God Siva is performing
his Tandava dance. Hinduism
as a way of life venerated all
forces of Nature. Today Indi-
ans like all other earthlings
are pursuing illusion-mayo,.
It is here that a true Hin-
duism, like any other great re-
ligion, offers direction, hope
and a challenge for creating a
vibrant life in harmony with
Nature.
There is a deep philosophi-
cal statement in the Upan-
ishads, which reveals the truth
about our relations with nat
ture. It says: "The essence of
things here is the Earth. The
essence of Earth is water. The
essence of <Vater is plants. The
The armihilating material-
ism of the industrial civiliza-
tion, which has emerged dur-
rooted in the arrogance of hu-
ploitation, con~mption and
greed. Indians have become
renegades against their sacred
philosophy. That is the tragedy
A UGUST , 1997
;,;
~
::;
'~"
iII
Dr. Rashml Mayur: The Mum-
bai-based futurist is one of the
world's rrwst influential envi-
ronmen-balleaders
the Earth.
It is here that Hinduism as a
way of life provides a chal-
lenge to humanity by offering
the revelations of the ages as a /
path to salvation for the fu-
ture. The essence 'Of revelation
is that we did n0t create the
Earth, but we ha ve come from
the Earth. If we understand
the deep meaning of our rela-
tionship with all-pervasive na-
ture, then our approach to
everything will be based on
reverence and not exploitation,
on love and not hated, on con-
servation and not destruction.
Sivadasa expresses it more elo-
quently, "The gift beyond all
gifts, as it is said, is in this
world the gift of sanctuary."
As we grope in the qarkness
of tomorrow, as the Earth
shrinks, as time abridges, the
ancient message of Indian phi-
losophy becomes more rele-
vant. Its idealism, its message
of renunciation, its tenet of
simplicity, its doctrine of pur-
shling higher purposes of truth,
love and beauty, if brought to
ailing humanity, will take them
and everyone to the mornirtg
of the raising Sun. Hinduism,
with this grand but practical
message, will liberate us from
the tyrarmy of the present, and
take us to th~ eternal possibili-
ties of the future.
And as ~volution unfolds be-
yond the next millennium, our
spirits will harmonize with
the flowers and birds, rising
above the clouds and suns and
galaxies, beyond tim~ and
space and unite ~ith the Ulti-
mate-Brahma.
HI'NDUISM TODAY 27
RUSSIA
A Cyrillic Catechism
Most comprehensive Hindu book yet is published in the Russian language
OUR YEARS OF ON-AGAIN, OFF-
again effort came to fruition for
Swami Sadashivacharya on April 27
at Moscow's \Moskva conference
halL On that brisk spring day the
Russian language version of Dancing
witn Siva was released. Russian books on
Hinduism are few; so this encyclopedic
tome-1,008 pages in tne original English-
fills a wide gap at a critical time in the evo-
lution of the nation's spiritual consciousness.
By timely and judicious compromises, the
Russian Orthodox Church survivedBO years
of communist rule. But the institution that
limped into freedom's dawn was a mere
shadow of the mighty mentor of all things
Russian it had once been. The old folks had
clung to their faith o~er the years, but the
new generation was educated on communist
doctrines which dismissed religion's necessi-
ty. Now, with communism itself relegated to
the netherworld of failed social experi-
ments, religion is an appealing, untested op-
tion for Russiah youth. And just as India
ORce looked to the Soviets for inspiration
and guidance in forming a socialist country,
seekers of the disbanded Union now look to
India as the world's 'Primeval fountain of
wisdom and knowleclge.
It was such a qu~st that took the young
Swami Sadashivacharya to India years ago.
He and other seekers formed Moscow's Tan-
tra S~gha in 1992, with the intent of pro-
motiBg Hindu Tantric philosophy and wor-
ship. When he met HINDUISM TODAY
publisher Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
in Berlin in 1993, he was presented a copy of
Dancing with Siva. <1\t the very first moment
of getting it, I was deeply impressed and
wished to do everything possible to make a
Russian version," recalls Swami. «I asked Gu-
ru'deva for his blessing to translate the book,
and immediately, without any w'ltds, he put
his hands upon my head and gave his bless-
ings." Swami knew the book would fill the
great void in Rus~ian-Ianguage publications
for comprehensive books on In'dian spiritual-
ity. «There are several hundred books 'on
Hinduism in Russia," Swami said, <but most
of them are very simple, thin and unillustrat-
ed." Dancing With Siva covers every aspect
of Hinduism in question/answer format, and
includes extensive references on major Hin-
du denominations, hundreds of carefully de-
28 HINDUISM TODA'Y At/GUST, 1997
~ '-:::-:A r~oseited !tol¢_S~iv.aGha~a..!!-nd rlir~~~"J~:Bgdhj~irtna-infron! of ..
~ --, .--. tJie eight:~~ l~#t1+r!fS; ~ls Cjthe9ra1-thtitdojn~nat~ Mos~'S' &d
~ . .; -Sqtulre; 'th.e Russian eH;ho~ chufOh ~jnat:ed t.oc4lfe~tgious life. _
5 -- --: . .~ _.-_ ;:".- -:._ ,_ ,- , _ -,.;.- :,. _ -:, ___,,-;'
~ -:::;:.- .... - _~ _ -:-.-
:;: L:::~~'--..;!:..._ _::":"-='::=:=--_ _I!:-~=--_---::-,--=-_.....c..-=-_ _--"....,.::_ _-,,-~,--_ _~~ I
fined Sanskrit terms, a timeline of Hindu
history, material for parents and children, a
synopsis of each of the world's major reli-
gions and abundant illustrations.
Le9- Ozolin began the massive translation
task immediately upon Swami's return to
Russia in 1993, but soon stopped for lack of
funds. In 1996, Sophia Publishing company
took an interest in adding the Catechism to
their titles on yoga, New Age, healing, med-
itation and transpersonal psychology. Two
Russia: Not so far.from India
Connections ancient and modern: Paramacharya Bodhinatha
(above left) with Tantra Sangha leader Swami Sadashivachar-
ya (center) and translator Peter Aleinikov at April book re-
lease in Moscow. The Ukraine ten-kopek coin (right) carries
the country's national symboL: the trident. The Ukraine is lo-
cated just north of the Black Sea (map). Recent archeological
investigations uncovered strong links to ancient India. Page
(below right') from the Russian version of Dancing with Siva. Slo-
ka 56 answers the query, 'What is dharma? What are its forms?"
- - . - . KorAJ. MY CIIe.a:yeM iJxaf"'tU. Mbi IIUOAKMai • ra p MOJUfM C Hc-
.-:::. .". --
< ,. " -
~-::..
",,"" "". - . J"
.~
•
professional trahslators, Peter Aleinikov of brought to the complex subject of Hin-
Moscow and Andrey Kostenko of Dneprope- duism." He served as proofreader and pro-
trovsk, Ukraille, were hired to complete the duction motivator while Swami Sadashiv-
text. They divided the book between them, achar~a provided editing and organizational
and reported easy going with the translation, input. -The high-quality, hardbound text is
though they admitted, "The Sanskrit terms now available for US$12 to $15 in Russian
were hard." Aleinikov, who spent a full year stor~s-a moderate price within reach of
en the project, believes it is a useful work as even a students budget. The reception is
«Russian people are very interested in Hindu
philosophy." Kostenko was inspired by «the
«very warm and excellent," Swami reports.
Paramacharya Bodhinatha ·Veylanswami
divinity, integrity and ease-of-undersfanding of Himalayan Academy Publications-pub-
lishers of Danf ing with Siva and, we need
disclose, HINDUISM TODAy-flew to Russia
for the book release. He reports a successful
event with a number of distinguished speak- "
ers enthusiastically endorsing the book, in-
cluding the publisher, scholars and leaders of
several spiritual groups, notably Vladimir B.
Avdeyev, chairman of the Russian Pagan
-community and Sri Vaidyanath das, presi-
dent of the Russian branch of ISKCON.
The most unexpected revelations came
from speaker Yuri P Shilov, an archeologist I'
of Ukraine. He explained how his life had
been transformed when hIs archeological
research into Ukraines history revealed that
the region's early culture' was Vedic. As a
Marxist at the time, this came as a great
shock. Mainstream scholars had not suspect-
ed such a strorig Ukraine-India connection.
But other evidence was already at hand, in-
cluding the ten-kopek Ukraine coin bearing
the country's national symbol-the Hindu
trident! Shilov plans to join new digs in In-
dia, and to team up with visiting Indian
archeologists in his own land.
Kim I. Shilin, a scholar in the «Laborato-
ry of East Culture's Ecology," Institute of
Asian-African Studies, Moscow University,
praised the Indian approach, which «treats
life as a whole and seeks revival ot the initial
harmony," an outlook he hopes will counter-
balance the impact of the West's aggressive,
materialistic philosophy.
There is no permanent Indian pr~sence in
Russia. Indians come from Bharat for a few
167
years, but then return. This differs from the
l..fTO TaKOe A x apMa? Western paradigm, where resident Indian
KaKOBbl ee ¢>QPMbl?
Hindu populations have built temples, es- .
mnOKA 56 tablished their teachings,;md given strength
J].xnp.vA - 3TO ::1 1 1(011 C)'UttcTJlOaaJUf.ll, ::IUOH n paaHlII>-
110it peaJDf3all )U( Rfl1TPCIT UeA' n p ll poAW H C:YA.lo6w. J],;tApt.UI
COCTOHT H3 'tnwpeJC OOlOIlH WX puAenoa. KOTOpwe 1I..,..,nOTeJI
to inspired Westerners. Russia's seekers with
.a:eAcnylCIIl1KMl{ 31UI:OIl I MM 5on. flO' "ItTwpu ypoll lllllX xawuo
cytI{tC1"8Ol12.lIJur: YUl( a epaJU,lI OM, 'lvroae'lKKoM, COLtKam. -
Hindu leanings are on their own (though in-
n OM H JO('fno .... ArM. dia is not that far away). Thus, they are en-
6XA WbJl couraged by the section in Dancing with
Kor,a,a Sor C03JI,Z1I lIceneHtty1O . OllllaAenHJI te n Op JlAKOM,
.!I.VJ :Y KOIIW, ynpaJlmnoII;tKt J.IH po::!nH HeM • .4mpwn _ 3'TO Siva on how people not born into the faith
6o*ecnelnllofA :JUOU Bora, AeAcrIlPO~K1I" Iia )'":l)t(AOM YPOII-
can enter Hinduism 1!jlrough study, sever-
lI e~ecao UJfH .II , OT n OJJ,If,C J)".«:lUH .II J;:()Q,(II"1ecKOro n opJlAtca
/1,0 pvot r llOlllw.x II M opaiIl>lI WX 3&KOIIO .... KOTOPblt 06eate"l " -
N JOT HaM npMOHKlO C 3'T1tM n OpIlAKo),l. Hac ITC\IUI,tp :«H aaeT ance and traditional rites. Meanwhile, oth-
~;alP""', 06eme<UtlWOw,aJI Il I IUy n l H6om:e cosepwtu K)'JO
ClUl lIo co cn())t(lfoA I<VJtIlKo A. Ka*,II:lJIII ~pMJ. lKK311H, Ka)I(- ers in the former U$SR are turning to Pa-
,II,U: rpynna JHO.IleA KMCCT iJxaf'MY - :)aKon ~ec",o.aJIJI ••
ganism, the land's pre-Christ.ian faith,
TMU OA:, KOTOpaJI npx~ actJItKnoA' M u an paL'UleT ee, M ee-
sparking a grassroots revival, as is also hap-
TCCTBtlnrWM' 06pa30M npe6 ..IU64 '" MK30CTM K
MIl - :no nponrBon onollOlOC1'1o 6o:«eCTDeRKowy 3UOMY.
/lxt1fJ1tU1 npeo6na.A1tT B 3axonax n p Hpo.ilhI H Bwpa»<ae-ra: •
liDf)'. Aamp-
pening in Europe. Pagans in both communi-
lIawe1l xym.T}'Pf:. Dna COCTOMT . MarouCTlI:KK 3 'n1 Ke,. P,OII-
re. K 06nuulDCTllX. 3To nyn.. t."OTOpw1t!IeAt;T Il ac K oa.o6o)ll;- ties are discovering, too, that their ancient
.IltJIMID. Y lfM aepcan..u u ibtnpNlt Hilll«Tll a KaK puma. ColVl -
ImoHU 3XD{1MtI - 3TO .....J'HIl-3mf'Mt1. l{enoBncacu ih:apMl1
KlBKTIl a n Ktf wptutn.-dxapMn. HauJaIlJl,",u ib:afJItUI - .:.a3-
rn~ H ~3M. 'JMCTdtmee _wpaJKetlKe 3TJ(X 'l:eTwptX s lIe -
s peM euu blX 3Jmp:w. IIUW"'atTCII CaJllVTItlHa /1,xnfJItUI. Be.l.w
ruT:
heritage is closely akin to Hinduism. --'
The Russian version of Dcfu.cing with Siva
ocH er lfH"lero abl we iJmp1t(w. BOHCTIIMY. TO, 'lTO ecn.
is available from the Tantra Sangha, po.
dxap:r.&tl. ecn. HCTXHb. A yx Hawu: UlNadJl.
Box 70, Moscow 103055, Russia.
AUGUST, 1997 HI'NDUISM TODAY 29
 INSIGHT
Hama Sanctuary
The most important space in the Hindu home is the shrine room, strictly
reserved for worship and meditation. This Insight explores the how, where
and why of establishing a home shrine, focusing on the four major sects.
HAT IS THE CENTER OF YOUR HOME? THE KITCHEN,
the workshop, the living room or den? The ancients des-
ignated a crucial part of the home as a sacred sanctuary,
a f@rtress of purity to which dwellers could retreat before
dawn each day, to commune with their higher nature and
with God and the Gods. This center of spiritual force is
called devatarchanam, the "place for honoring Divinity."
Sacred architecture places it in the northeast corner, the realm of
Isana, where its potency naturally flourishes. Scriptures speak but
little of this tradition, perhaps because its necessity is taken for
granted. Nevertheless, the custom has lived on, and every prominent
devout Hindu home has a holy shrine room, often opulent, some-
times austere, the domiciles' most auspicious quadrant, reserved for
religious pursuits, and like a miniature temple, radiating blessings
constantly through the abode and out to the community.
Love and joy come to Hindu families who worship God in their
home through the traditional ceremony known as puja, meaning
adoration 0r worship. ThIough such rites and the divine energies in-
voked, each family makes the house a sanctuary, a refuge from the
concerns and worries of the world. The center of that sanctuary, the
site of puja, is the shrine, mystically tied to the temple to which they
pilgrimage weekly. Puja is performed daily-usually in the early
morning, but also in the afternoon or evening-generally by the head
of the house. All members of the family attend. Rites can be as sim-
Salvite shrine: Husband offers
arati (flame), wife rings the bell
and son blows (]I conch before their
altar to Siva Nataraja, Ardha-
narishvara, Sivalinga, Ganesha
and Muroga.
their devotion through an image." The home shrine is also the locus for private and groVP medita-
The Science of Ritual: Puja is a ceremony in which the ringing of tion, prayer, mantra recitation and devotional singing. Its sanctity is
bells, passing of flames, presenting of offerings and chanting of protected by never using it for other purposes. This space is metic-
mantras invoke the devas and Gods, who then come to bless and help ulously cared for, Kept immaculate and elaborately decorated to look
the devotees. Puja is holy communion, full of wonder and tender af- like a small temple. It should be well-lit and free from drafts and
fections. Thus the home shrine is a place of tremendous importance, household disturbanees. The altar is generally close to the floor,
made more and more sacred by the culmulative p@wer of prayer. since most of the puja is performed while seated. But when there are
Daily puja is the axis of religious life, and the puja room is the heart small children in the home it is ef-
of the home. Chanting the Vedas is the magic enlivener. In the words ten higher, as to be out of their
of Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, "The Veda mantras liJeing the reaeh. Pictured in this Insight are
root cause of creation, the meI:e ohanting of Veda mantras would, by "typical" altars (slightly larger
their vibrations, make the Devas appear in person." than life) of the four major Hindu
Do Hindus Worship Idols? worship is also frowned on by
some professing Hindus.
The question of image wor-
pIe as lighting a lamp and offering a flower at the Lord's holy feet, or ROM THE MOMENT THE VEDIC RITES any beautiful form ship will be debated for years
they can be most elaborate and detailed, with myriad Sanskrit are completed and a statue or paint- or any sy.mbolic .; to come. Here it suffices to say
chants and offerings. The essential and indispensable part of any , ing of the Deity is consecrated, the form, said the Jew, it ~ that with the ancient Hindus
puja is devotion. Without love and reverence in the heart, outer per- Lord through the image manifests all is awfully bad; it is ~ image worship was not left to
formance is of little value. But with true devotion even simple ges- His glory and grace. He accepts various sin. But if He is rep- ~ be treated as an ignorant and
tures become sacred ritual. devotions. He listens to prayers and woes. resented in the 0 t.....L_--"-~-'----"''--Ik...l..._ _ ---' useless practice fit only for the
As in a temple, the images OF icons of God and Gods are the fo- He is at once a confidante and giver of form of a chest So lifelike: Iron of Santoshi ignorant and spiritually imma-
cus of the shrine room. These are called murti in Sanskrit, wor- blessings. Thus, an image cannot be said with two angels sit- Ma, Bhubaneshwar, Orissa ture; even the greatest visited
shiped and cared for as the physical body of the the Divine. Hindus to be merely a beautiful statue or doll, nor ting on either side, mandirs and worshiped im-
do not worship these "idols" per se. They worship God and the Gods an excellent painting. The image is God. it is the holiest of holies. If God comes in ages, and these thinkers did not do so
who by their infinite powers spiritual hover over and indwell the im- Said Swami Vivekananda, "It has be- the form of a dove, it is holy. But if He blindly or unconsciously. A human neces-
age. Murtis of the Gods are sanctified forms through which their come a trite saying that idolatry is bad, comes in the form of a cow, it is heathen sity was recognized, the nature of the ne-
love, power and blessings flood forth to bless the family. The God's and everyone swallows it at the present superstition, condemn it . .. " cessity was understood, its psychology
vibration and presence can be felt in the image, and the Divinity can time without questioning. lance thought Over the centuries, in their conde- systematically analyzed, the various phas-
use the images as a temporary physical place body or channel. Hin- so, and to pay the penalty of that, I had to scending haste and missionary fervor to es of image worship, mental and material,
dus believe and expect that the God is actually present and con- learn my lessons sitting at the feet of a convert the rest of the world to the "One were defined. The modern Hindu follows
scious in the mum during puja, aware of thoughts and feelings and man who realized everything from idols. I and only correct faith, and to commit the in footsteps of his forebearers. Through
even sensing the worshiper's gentle touch on the metal or stone. The allude to Ramakrishna Paramahansa. Yet, souls of the otherwise damned to God," the image, the eye is taught to see God,
great Adi Shankaracharya, while espousing a strict monism, wrote, idolatry is condemned. Why? Some hun- various religions have condemned image and not to seek God. The first lesson re-
'f\lthough Parabrahman is all pervading, to attain Him one should dreds of years ago, some man of JeWish worship with fanatic zeal. This has led to ceived at the sanctum is to be applied
accept that He is 'more' present in one particular place, just as we blood happened to condemn it. He hap- a shallow refutal of image worship and a everywhere: see God in everything!
see Vishnu in the Shaligrama, a small round stone." The Vaishnava pened to condemn everybody elses idols misinterpretation of the Hindu image By SADHU SHANTIPRIYADAS,
saint Ramanuja similarly stated, 'f\lthough the Lord is all pervading, except his own. If God is represented in worshiped. To complicate the issue, image Swaminarayana Fellowship
using His omnipotent powers He appears before devotees to accept
Sakta shrine: In a large
jOint-family home,
womenfolk clean and
decorate the shrine
room and prepare
offerings to Kali Ma,
the fierce image of the
Goddess. Flower
garlands are hung to
create the feeling of a
small temple.
denominations: Saivism, Vaishnavism, Saktism and Smartism. In also honor a picture of the guru of the family lineage, either on the who places a small spoonful in each devotee's right palm. throughout the puja; ideally kept lit all day; 5) a dipa (or damp with
truth, Hinduism consists of ten thousand lineages and more, each altar or adorning the walls. Holy Accoutrements: Puja implements for the shrine are kept on cotton string wick) for waving light before the Deity; 6) a small met-
with its unique traditions, and as many variations in home altars as Bathing the Gods image is often a central part of puja. For this, large metal trays. On these are arranged ghee lamps, bells, cups, spoons al bell, ghanta; 7) an incense burner and a few sticks of incense,
well. Yet, there are many similarities. special arrangements are established at the altar to catch the sacred and pots to hold the various sacraments. Available from Indian shops, agarbhatti; 8) sacraments of one's tradition, such as holy ash, vibhuti;
At a Ganesha shdne, for example, an icon, or murti, of the ele- water or milk as it pours off the icon. Most simply, the murt~ may be these are dedicated articles, never used for purposes other than sandalwood paste, chandana; and red powder, kumku'l1W (these are
phant-headed God is placed at the center of the altar. A metal or fllaced in a deep tray to catch the water. After the bath, the tray is re- puja. Their care, cleaning and polishing is considered a sacred duty. kept it polished brass or silver containers); 9) naivedya, an offering
stone image is considered best, but if not available there are two tra- moved and the mwrti dried off, then dressed and decorated. More Usual items include: 1) water cups and a small spoon for offering wa- for the Deity of fresh fruit and-or a covered dish of freshly cooked
ditional alternatives: 1) a framed picture, preferably with a sheet of elaborately, a drain is set up so the water flows into a pot at the side ter; 2) a brass vessel of unbroken, uncooked rice (usually mixed with food, such as rice (never tasted during preparation); 10) a camphor
copper on the back, or 2) A kwmbha, which is a symbol of Ganesha of the altar. If devotees are in turmeric powder), also for offering; 3) tray (karpum) burner for passing flame before the God at the height of
made by placing a coconut on a brass pot of water with five mango attendance, this blessed water or basket of freshly picked flowers (without puja; 11) brass or silver pots for bathing the mum; 12) colorful cloth-
leaves inserted between the coconut and the pot. The coconut is is later served by the pujari (the stems) or loose flower petals; 4) a standing ing for dressing the murti; 13) flower garlands; 14) additional oil
husked but the tuft of fibers at the top is not removed. Most shrines person performing the ritual) oil lamp, dipastambha, that remains lit lamps to illumine and decorate the room; 15) a CD or tape player.
Purity: Before entering the shrine room, all attending the cere-
mony bathe and dress in fresh, clean clothes. It is a common practice
ecological friendliness with the subtle to not partake of food at least an hour or more before ptlja. The best
A Hindu Home Is More than a House forces of the spirit-those spaces
(quarters) are assigned as follows:
time for puja is before dawn. Each worshiper brings an offering of
flowers or fruit (prepared before the bath). Traditionally, women
N INDIAN ARCHITECTURE, THE DWELLING pied by the central 3x3=9 squares is called northeast for the home shrine, south- during their monthly period refrain from attending puja, entering
is itself a shrine. A home is called 'I1Wnushya- Brahmasthanam, meaning the "nuclear energy east for the kitchen, southwest for mas- the home shrine or temple or approaching swamis or other holy
laya, literally, "human temple." It is not mere- field." It should be kept unbuilt and open to the ter bedroom and northwest for the men. Also during this time women do not help in puja preparation,
ly a shelter for human beings sky so as to have contact with storage of grains. The spaces lying be- such as picking flowers or making prasada for the Deity. Use of the
in which to rest and eat. The the outer space (akasha). This tween the corner zones, measuring home shrine is also restricted during periods of retreat that follow
central courtyard is likened to 2x5=10 squares, are those of the north, the birth or death of a family member.
concept behind house design is
the lungs of the human body. It east, south and west. They are meant Worshipful Icons: As seen in the main illustrations, the images en- /
the same as for temple design,

100
so sacred and spiritual are the is not for living purposes. Reli- for multi purposes. shrined on home altars vary according to lineage and denomination.
two spaces. The "open court- gious and cultural events can be For home All icons, however, are either anthropomorphic, meaning human in
yard" system of house design held here-such as yajna (fire worship, griha appearance; theriomorphic, having animal characteristics (for ex-
was the national pattern in In- ritual), music and dance perfor- ample, Lord Hanuman, the monkey God); or aniconic, meaning
dia before Westem models were
introduced. The order intro-
duced into the "built space" ac-
mances and marriage.
The row of squares surround-
ing the Brahmasthanam is the
ptlja, theshould
ity icon De-
be smaller in
size than in a
t 0
without representational likeness, such as the element fire, or the
smooth Shaligrama stone, worshiped as Lord Vishnu. Other objects
of enshrinement include divine emblems or artifacts, including
counts for the creation of spiri- walkway. The corner spaces, oc- temple. The ---t~""'-r....L weapons, such as Durgas sword; animal mounts, like Sivas bull; a full
tual ambience required for the cupying 2x2=4 squares, are agreeable and pot of water, indicating the presence of the Devi; the sun disk, rep-
indweller to enjoy spiritual House grid: With sloping rooms with specific purposes. generally rec- resenting Surya; the holy footprints or sandals of a God or saint; the
well-being and material welfare roof and open courtyard The northeast quarter is called ommended height of the standing im- standing oil lamp; the fire pit, mystic diagrams called yantra; water
and prosperity. Isana, the southeast Agni, the The "built space:" The ideal position age without pedestal is ones own fist from holy rivers; and sacred plants, such as the tulsi tree. All these
At right is a typical layout of a square build- southwest Niruthi and northwest Vayu. These hanced by that place's inherent nature. (mushti) size, measured with the are honored as embodiments of the God or Goddess. The Vedas en-
ing, with a grid of 9x9=81 squares, meant for are said to possess the qualities of four respec- Vas1lu. Shastras, a study of the dynamiCS thumb raised. join: "The Gods, led oy the spirit, honor faith in their worship. Faith
family persons (for yogis, scientists and artists, a tive devatas or Gods-Isa, Agni, Niruthi and the architect and town planner of By V. GANAPATI STHAPATI, is composed of the heart's intention. Light comes through faith.
grid of 8x8=64 is prescribed). The space occu- Vayu. Accordingly-with due respect to homes still follow this paradisiacal Master Architect, Chennai Through faith men come to prayer, faith in the morning, faith at
noon and at the setting of the sun. a Faith, give us faith!"

, .J..
 ,
MALAYSIA of South Indians came at the same time. But the all-Hindu "6eylon Saivites Association," ister of Malaysia, YAB Tun Abdul Razak bin
they were put to work as laborers on the rail- assumed management from the original Se- Dato Hussein. The First National Saiva Sid-
/
way and in plantations, while Sri Lankans, langor Ceylon Tamil Association, some of dhanta Conference, convened in 1983 and

M.uruga~'s N'ew Home

by virtue of their ability in English, gained whose members were of other faiths. chair~ by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswa-
bette;!: posts. Over the years the two groups The Japanese invaded Malaysia in De- mi, with dozens of religious leaders and
have remained distinct, with mini~um so- cember, 1941, and occupied it until 1945. schplars from around the world, was the
cial interaction and virtually no intermar- The Scott Road area was deserted, the water largest such religious conference held to date
riage. Initially, the Sri Lankans 'benefitted sURply cut off, food was scarce and the tem- in Malaysia. Following the temple's renova-
from their better education and higher in- ple's bank accounts were frozen. The priest tion and rededication in 1984, plans were ,
comes, but now the groups are about equal and several devotees remained, carrying on laid for the reconstruction just completed.
Indian craftsmen create a US$I.4 million masterpiece in Kuala Lumpur in social and economic status. ,- the pujas and temple affairs even ~s first Chairman Perampalam offered, "Our com-
By the end of the 19th century, a ~izeable Japanese and later American bombs rained mittee is happy to leave behind a culturally,
concentration, dubbed "Little Jaffna," had from the sky. The temple well supplied wa- religiously and financially rich temple for
ORE THAN 10,000 HINDUS FROM general consensus among the temple mem- edge, after all, will lead to harmony, and formed in the area of Brickfields (near cen- ter for the neighborhood, and kanji (rice posterity. We pray to Lord Murugan that our
Malaysia and Singapore thronged bers and began construction a few years lat- where better to obtain,it than in a temple?" tral KiJala Lumpur), because of its proximi- porridge) was distributed daily. forthcoming generations will perpetuate ,-
the Sri Kanclaswamy Temple on er." A further motivation was to upgrade the Origins: The "Ceylonese" (as they are still ty to the railway administration center. It As normalcy returned after war, the tem- and nurture their rich heritage and lead.a
Scott Road in Brickfields; KiJala temple's presence as the area had become known) community who own the temple are was this group that met in 1890 and set in Ple's development resumed. In the 1950s, re- prosperous and no~le life.'? .I
Lumpur, on March 24th morning surrounded by modern apartment buildings. descendants of thousands of English-edu- motion plans for the Lord Subramaniam tem- ligious classes on Saiva Siddhanta were insti- Sm KANDASWAM l"'KQVIL. NO.3, LoRONG SCOTT, OFF
AD p RESS:
JALAN TuN SMmANTHAN, 50470, KUALA LUMPUR, M ALAYSIA.
for the mahakumbha ab- On January 24, 1992, the Deities were cated Sri Lankan Hindus brought to Malay- / ple. A community elder received a vision of tuted for youth, along with the learning of
a temple at a site located at the end of Scott Tamil Devaram, sacred hymns by the saints. With reports from Eddin Khoo and
hishekarn. priests, some flown moved to a temporary shelter and the origi- sia at the end of the 19th century. They
K Anuradha of The Star,from the
specially from Lanka and Eng- nal building dem01ished. Local fi~ms did the helped the British plan and build the rail- Road, at 'Klang River. It was acquired short- By 1965 the temple boasted a library, offices
Tamil language Malaysia Nanban and
land, conducted to reconsecrate major construction, and twenty temple way system, and staffed hospital and gov- 1y thereafter. The temple developed slowly and dining facility. In 1973 a 700-seat wed-
over the years. In 1927 a new organization, ding hall was dedicated by then Pri~e Min- Ramesh Sivanathan, Kuala Lumpur.
the completely temple. Shouts of craftsmen brought from India under the su- ernmental clerical services. Large numbers
pervision of Sthapati G. Vanmee-
ganathan executed the intri'cate
stonework and plaster sculptures
on the exterior and interior.
A small but intense controversy
arose early regarding the perma-
nent installation of a Sri Raja Rajes-
wary Deity in the "Vayu" corner of
the temple. Some members object-
ed to the presence of the Goddess
, in a Murugan temple. After con-
sulting with Sivacharyas in Sri
Lanka and India, the dis}JUte was
settled in 1993 in favor of installing
High pOint: Blessing the temple Spires with sacred water the Goddess as an Utsava Parivara
Moortham (moveable, parade De-
"Muruga," "Shanmuga" and "Kantha" roared ity). Other aspects of the temple not in ac-
forth from the crowl'i as at precisely 10:55 cord with scripture were also corrected, es-
AM priests on narrow scaffolding surround- pecially the location of the navagraha (nine
ing the temple towers poured sacred water planets) and the shrine for Satur~.
fmm India's Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, The new edifice boasts Indias finest crafts-
Godqvari and Kaveri rivers over the gold manship, with marble tiled walls and floors.
kalasam (spiJ:es). Arati lights were offered to The Deities and shrines are granite and dis-
the towers, as devotees below were show- play ornate motifs and carvings. The 33-foot
ered with flowers and sacred water. Follow- kodirnararn (central flag pole under a glass
ing the consecration and spiritual enlivening enclosure) is gold plated, and a $33,600 gold
of the sanctuary, each individual Deity was kudarn (ceremonial pot) was acquired for
ceremoniously installed inside. Lord Murugans abhishekam (ritual bath).
Sri Vaitheeswara Sabaratnam Gurukkal, Heavy teak doors greet worshipers at the
chief priest of Urumparai Sr~ Karunakam main entrance. A $200,000 set of ornate
PIllaiyar Temple in Sri Lanka, £.lew to arches flanking the temple _are still under
Malaysia to advise on the 48 day~ of contin- construction. "It is not mere artistry," said
uous ceremonies which were directed by craftsman supervisor Lakshmanan of Kerala,
Kandaswamy Temple's chief priest, Sabarat- India, "We are literally creating Gods. The
na Parameswar Linganathar. whole art is absorbing simply because it is so
Hindu temples are normally repaired and reverential. Our concentration is, of course,
rededicated every twelve years~ but in this heightened by the chanting of a mantra and a
case a reconstruction from ground up was supplication that accompanies the act of cre-
undertaken. Thiru S. Perampalam, chair- ation." Perampalam expressed the communi-
man of the temple committee explained, "In ty:'; vision for the new temple, "It is not only
1984 we discovered the foundation haG! to be an extension of faith, but a center to inculcate
reinforced, so we resolved to reconstruct the knowledge and awareness of that faith. When
temple completely. After this, we sought a it reopens, we will stress these points. Knowl-

34 HINDUISM TODA,Y Al{ GUST , 1997

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 Natural Healing Through Ayurveda Aryan-Invasion Theory Debunked
ASTROLOGY individual case must be examined in itself
Ramana Maharshi said that we are all sui- Pictured is our featured Vedic ~ry~~s and the .Origins of Civilization: A Literary

Suicide and Free Will cides unless we come to realize the Self"
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- - - AS THE SUICIDE OF 39 guidance. Free will is involved in taining existing hair. It is longer tenable.· S$20 + $5 pstg. Checks to: World Heritage
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indications of a particular plan- Suicide: the complex interaction of planetary influence and free will Dr. Devananda Tandavan: "It
etary setup, if one uses free will, seems to me that a suicide uses
a particular event can be 0vercome or mini- eral error in associating karma with destiny. his OWl! willpower to bring about his death
mized. That is the very purpose of astrology. The correct word for destiny in Sanskrit is prematurely. It is not 'fated' by the birth The Fifth
Otherwise it has no value. With this objec- daivam. In the Mahabharata it is taught that chart. As for the Heaven's Gate mass suicide,
tive, the great sages gave us the knowledge personal effort, or purushartha, counts much perhaps they were all meant to die at that International
of astrology and also suggested remedial more than destiny, or daivam, so we should time because they were together, the same as
measures to overcome the indicated event or always act, make efforts and never resign those who die in an air crash. But they made
Symposium
danger. The great sage Parashara has said, ourselves to fate. Daivam is some divine a choice of will to be together and to bring
"For brahmajnanis [God-Realized souls] the help or obstruction that enhances the effect about this premature death. I haven't seen
longevity is unlimited." This indicates that of karma, though this also is ultimately any of the charts from this group, but I am
ASTROLOGY
people can take measures to overcome the based upon karma. There may be a prarab- sure there would be a general tendency to Vedic Astrology was developed by the ancient
possibilities of an event. dha karma [an effect of past actions set in dependency and weak intellects; and also a sages of India over 5,000 years ago. Called Jyotisha,
"The type and nature of one's death is motion for this life] for suicide, but that is neurotic dependency on their leader. ~ the Science of Light, It Is renowned for Its spiritual depth
Dennis Flaherty R.G. Krishnan
and accuracy In predicting future events.
gen~ally reflected in the natal chart, but karma, not destiny. A person may have, by Andrew Foss Drew Lawrence
that does not mean a particular person in- wro;g actions, set in motion forces that ThIs SymposIum will Introduce Vedic Astrology Dr. David Frawley WillIam Levacy
evitably dies by a particular event at a par- wquld impel him in that direction, just as a to the general public and provide a forum for: Hank FreIdman Ann Muldoon
ticular time. These events can be changed person speeding a car may reach a speed
by one's wisdom, understanding and spiritu- when he can no longer control the car and
* The education of the general public in the
principles of Vedic Astrology
DennIs M. Harness, PhD Alex Nagel
Edith Hathaway T.R. Raghunath, PhD
al growth. We are not stooges in the hands must have an accident.
of destiny from birth, without any recourse. The birth chart for the person who com-
* The free exchange and discussion of ideas
and techniques in Vedic Astrology
Richard Houck
Nallnl Kanta Das
George Roman
Dr. Dlnesh Sharma

If that is the case, why should anyone make mits suicide should indicate a suicide-prone * The presentation of modern research findings
validating ancient astrological principles
LInda Johnsen
James Kelleher
Sat Sirl Kaur Khalsa
Prince Hlrfndra Singh
Atreya SmIth
Dr. Robert Svoboda
any kind of effort in this world? mind or a vulnerable time in their life. In
"Suicide is an undesirable way to die, for it the forrtler case, the death may have been * The promotion of professional standards in the
training and practice of Vedic Astrology
Robert Koch Chakrapanl Ullal
r------------------------__________________________________ ,
is said the astral bodies of suicides hover indicated from birth, but not necessarily in : 0 Please register me for attendance at the International Symposium I

around the Earth withou(peace until their the latter case. For example, people whose Substantial Savings for early registration!
!: on Vedic Astrology. October 2-7, t 997, at the Del Mar Hilton Hotel,
Del Mar, CA. Endosed Is payment of $_ _ for _ _ Registration c"e{s) :
!
time for resolution comes." charts indicate they are likely to be killed if Registration fees : 0 Send more Information on the Symposium and hotel accommodations :
Dennis Harness: "My belief is that there they go to war can avoid this by avoiding ex-
can be definite suicidal tendencies seen in posure to such danger. The HeaV;;n's Gate
for maln symposium: PI..,., mall this registration form with
:*
:
Optional pre-conference Introductory classes and post-conference
Intensives will also be offered.
:
:
$195 by July 31,1997 payment by cIleck, money order or I
the chart, such as an afflicted Moon, Mer- suicides who were victims of bad timing or $245 after July 31, 1997 credit card to the Institute address t - - - - -..... Name I

cury, First and Fourth House. However, the psychological vulnerability, rather than a ($25 Discount ror ACVA Members)
below. Registrations paid by credit
card may also be faxed or phoned In. Address
:: .:~
•••
actual act of suicide seems to me an act of generally suicidal nature, could have been City, State. Zip
I
:
the individual will in most cases." saved. Generally, suicide is looked upon INsmUTE OF VEDIC ASTROLOGY I

Vamadeva Shastri: "I think there is a gen- with great disfavor in the Vedas, but each Solution to Kumar Balani's July puzzle P.O. BOX 2149· SEDONA, AZ 86339 Telephone (day/night) :
I
Phone (520) 282-6595 • FAX (520) 282-6097 VISA/Mel ! f.xp.Date ---1_
40 gINDUISM T ODAY AUGUST, 1997 Signature :.
---------------------------________________________________ J 41
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SIVANANDA ASHRAM
~et:UUI~lrI~ 7emjtte
673 Eighth Avenue - Val Morin Quebec - Canada JOT 2RO
Swami Vishnu-
1-819-322-3226
devananda
1917-1993
Sunday JunelOth-29th
Thanks and Appreciation
Mariamman Temple We wish to thank all the devotees who helped
1St Anniversary Celebrations to make l.Jstyear's program so successful. We
especially thank those who worked so hard to
The first anniversary of the
install the Mariamman and Navagraha statues
Mariamman installation will be in their new shrines. Special thanks to those
celebrated with special ten-day who built the beautiful 18 foot tall Chariot for
theK.lavadi festival.
pujas, each sponsored by a different
family. The tenth day will conclude Some of the wonderful projects planned for
the series of pujas with a grand next Summer include thecompletionof an
pongala festival. outdoor kitchen and dining hall. These will be
SundaYI June 29th construct 18 steps for Lord Ayyappa . as at
Sabarimalai. and continue the steps to the
PONGALA bottom of the hill.
Our 6th annual Pongala celebra-
tions will commence with a special Of course. the Temple requires funds forthe
completion of all these works. All donations
Homa for Devi from 6-9am. after in time and/or moneyare very much
which fire from the Homa pit will appreciated. Checks and money order.;
be taken to start the cooking fires. should be drawn in favourof"Sivananda
Atraditional Tamil festival Ashram Temple." Contact the Temple manager
if you desire a receipt fortd)( deduction. Be
especially for women for women, sure to send your full postal address and
for the well being of all. phone number along with your donation.

Available at bookstores, or order from Inner Traditions, Dept. H, P.O. Box 388, Rochester, VT 05767 1-800-246-8648
Visit our Web Site at www.gotoit.com
Please add $3.00 for the first book, $1 each additional, for shipping
.~.
Founder: H.H. Sri Swami Vishnu-devanandaji
.. '~
Maharaj
,~" '~ ~':i ~:~ "'~, :.~.' ~ ~ "~< ?,'" " ' .", , ...
.
...
, " ',- .... - _. '- , • - .. , • -< ... " ,_ ••• < • _ , ,_" .: ," ,,','", <

'
HEALING
Ways to Soothe
That Heartburn
Antacids, "H-2 ,blockers" and surgery have
their place, but it's best to adjust your lifestyle
BY DEVANANDA TANDAVAN, M.D.
HIRTY PERCENT OF THE
American public suffers
from it at least once a month
and 10 percent suffer daily.
Heartburn is a burIJing pain in
the substernal (upper-torso) area
or in the back at heart-level be-
tween the shoulders. The pain
may be localized, but may also
extend up to the throat.
The usual callse is dietary
indiscretion: overeating, overdrinking, too
much coffee, alcohol or very spicy food.
When one overeats or partakes of the
wrong foods, there is a tendency for stom-
ach contents to regurgitate into the lower
end of the esophagus. This is especially
true when one-lies down to sleep. Pain
results when the stomach acid irritates and
burns the delicate mucosa lining of the
esophagus. The cause of heartburn is mal-
function of the valve at die lower end of
the esophagus. It is most common in the
older population. This simple form of
heartburn can be readily treated with
antacids (Maalox, Gaviscon, etc.) or H2-
blockers (Tagamet, Axid, Pepcide, etc.)
AJecent study found that conventional
antacids gave quick relief usually lasting
two hours. The H2-blockeis often took two
hours just to have any ,effect-a good case
for not spending extra money on such high-
tech drugs. Manufacturers advertise that
one should take medication before antici-
pated dietary indiscretions, which is really
showing a seller's bias. If the heartburn is
only intermittent or occasional, antacids
and H2-blockers can relieve the symptoms.
But if it becomes a daily symptom, the
condition should be looked into for more
serious problems.
Chronic heartburn is usually caused by a
loose esophageal gastric junction (at the
entry to the stomach) so that reflux (reen-
try of stomach fluids to the esophagus) is
frequent. There are also times when herni-
44 HJNDUISM TODAY AUGUST, 1997
EVOLUTIONS
COMMEMORATED: Sri Auroblndo's 125th
birth anniversary with a conference to
be held July 25-29 in New York, spon-
sored by Matagiri
7he real life and secret of India's vitality is her
spiritual culture, from time immemorial....India has
been the unproclaimed reformer, the grand i.nspirer of
human minds and souls.
Center. Devotees
from around the
wodd will share
practices and experi-
-PARAMAHANSA YOGANANDA
ences of the great
Yogi and the Mother. On t his historic occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of Indian independence, Self-
Sri Aurobindo urged Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society members around t he world and all
seekers to view our
of us who reside in the monastic communities of our revered guru and founder,
world not as illuso- Yoga synthesizer
ry, but the scene of Paramahansa Yogananda, pay loving tribute to Mother India-to her centuried ideals
spiritual evolution out of which Divine and timeless spiritual heritage, and to the example that she has given to the world, in
Consciousness is manifested.
ation pushes the stomach into this centur:y, of freedom won by peaceful means. May that sublime example inspire
the lower thorax, allowing TRANSITIONS: Swami Vidhya Saraswatl all nations and peoples to continue to strive for a spirit of greater peace, compassion,
ready pouring of the stomach to the higher worlds. Born in Glencoe,
contents into the esophagus. South Africa, she inspired many to be
and understanding, and to live more fully by the truth that evil can be overcome only
Both conditions may require a active in the broader community, pro- through love.
simple surgical operation. moting education in both English and Sri Daya Mata, Sanghamata and President
Chronic heartburn must be Hindi to perpetuate Hindu heritage.
diagnosed and treated. On very She was a South
rare occasions it may be a symp- . African original in
tom for heart disease and even several ways: or-
cance~ . J . dained Vedic pan-
Daily use of antacids may be harmful, dita in the early
due to their content of magnesium or alu- 19805, Hindu san-
minblm. These metals cause problems when nyasini in 1983 and
their level in the blood gets too high. fIrst president of
Antacids containing calcium can disrupt Arya Sthree Samaj. Tireless pioneer
the sensitive balance of the body's miner- Join the jo.'Jous testivities at Lord Krishn 's appearance da.'J ...
als, leading to bone and joint problems. As In Delhi, Prof. Veda Vyasa, 94, doyen
lanmashtmi Celebrations
safe as the H2-blockers seem to be, exces- of Dayanand Anglo-Vedic Education
sive dosage can lead to a dangerously low Society (DAV) chain of educational in-
level of gastric acid-inadequate for proper stitutions and Arya Samaj leader. He
digestion or absorption of vitamin BI2 and was a zealous activist, participating in
possibly causing pernicious anemia.
Dietary changes can reduce heartburn.
the Non-Cooperation movement during
India's freedom struggle and the Shud-
Barsana Dham, Austin, USA TX,
~~~--~----~=-
Start by eliminating offending foods, such dhi Movement organized by Mahatma Saturda'y, August 2;, 1997
as caffeine, chocolate, tomatoes, citrus Hans Raj and Swami Shraddhanand for 6:00 p.m. - midnight art!
juices and fried, fatty or spicy foods. Have reconversion of Malkana Rajputs whose
the l~gest meal at midday and limit the ancestors adopted Islam. We welcome ;:JOU a nd ;:Jour famil;:J to attend
size of meals so that the stomach is not this memorable and devotional occasion.
overdistended. Do not bend or squat after ;' 50TH WEDDING:
ea'ting. Perhaps elevating the head of the anniversary for
bed will help'. Eliminating aspirin and alco- HINDU1SM TODAY
hol is desirable. Smoking should be discon- supJDorters Shanker-
tinued. It has been shown that smoking prasad S. Bhatt and
only two cigarettes over twenty minutes wife Ranjan at a 150-
reduces the strength of the esophageal strong event held by
valve bf.fifty percent and increases the his six children on
stomach's acidity. The simple Vedic diet, May 3 in Illinois. "It
even t'hough spicy, is ideal, and will usually is the duty of every
not allow this symptom to occur. Hindu elder to pass
on the ancient
DR. TANDAVAN, 77, retired nucleaf physi- knowledge of our re-
cian and hospital staff president? lives in ligion to our chil-
Chtcago, where he specializes in alternative dren and grandchil-
healing arts. Vis# his home page at the dren," he said.
HINDUISM TODAY Website. Honored parents
I ,
Hinduism Today Subs.lAd Offices Marriage Rites and Rituals of Hindus
For all your HINDUISM TODAY acquisition, subscription Hindu Marriage Samskara by Shri Anandi Ma-Master in Sai Bhajans:
or advertising requirements, kindly contact: Dr. Prem Sahai. HINI9U the tradition of Kundalini
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Surrounding Iraivan Temple is an
extraordinary botanical garden par-
adise, providing an area of
contemplative, natural beauty.
Pilgrims enjoy groves of plumeria,
konrai, hibiscus, heliconia, native
Hawaiian plant species and more.
At the entrance to the 5 I-acre
sanctuary is a forest of healing
rudraksha trees. Send US$ I 2 to
purchase a single-bead necklace of
a sacred rudraksha, receive as our
gift another bead to plant and sup-
port the Iraivan Temple project.
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RUDRAKSHA
FOREST
SAN MARGA lRAfVAN TEMPLE
107 KAHOLAlELE ROAD
KAPAA. HI 96746-9304 USA
A TEMPLE BUILT TO LAST 1. 000 YEARS
ART part of the picture," and therefore he taught MEDIA tionally sacred to the Jains, it was our right
that real Gods and their wives are what to use it. But when the Vancouver, Canada,
Dods, Kings viewers see in the paintihgs.
There is a lot of Kotah art; the palace
walls are covered with it inside and out,
The Twist of Fate Multi-faith Action Society printed a 1996-
1997 g.alendar they only used the palm por-
tion of the Jain symbol and removed the up-
and Tigers
.. f
some panels reaching fourteen feet in per, half of the design, which included the
height. The rulers successfully preserved
huge stashes of paintings through the turbu-
Jai~ leader ~truggles to de-stigmatize the swastika swastika. I wrote and asked them to use the
complete image in the future, but they have
.,- - - - - - - - - - -
lent times. The present :p.eir to the Kotah dy~ not responded." He recently con- ,
The master artists of nasty, H.H. Mahar'ba Brijraj Singh, main- :PRAKASH MODY PULLED HIS vinced the Canadian Gage Dic-
tains a large collection. The book drew upon 24th issue of Ti~ maga- tionary to carry the auspicious
. Rajasthan's Kotah regiof,l all sources for its selection. out of the mailbox, he felt· his me{IDing of the swastika.
The paintings are mostly of court life, es- sink. There on the cbver was a The Nazi stigma carries real
pecially palace scenes, battles and hunts. huge gold swastika set against a backdrop of hazards to Jains and Hindus. At-
MONG THE MANY ART AND PHOTO Artists were brought along to historic meet- starving victims of the holocaust. It was the tacks apparently promoted by ,
books published in commemoration ings-much as the paparazzi follow today's lead-in for an article on gold originally be- the presence of the swastika as
of India's 50th year of independence, ...politicians-to record in detailed paintings longing to Jews which the German Nazis religious building decoration~
Gods, Kings and Tigers, the Art of the day's ·events. So, too, were individual had stored in Swiss banks during World War have occUrred at several temples.
Kota'h, published by Asia Society II and which had never been returned to its A South Indian lady settled in
Galleries and Harvard University rightfuvowners: The image was used to New Jersey told HINDUISM To-
Art Museums, is truly outstand- evoke the horrors-some never put to rest- DAY correspondent Radhika Sri-
ing. First credit must go to the of Nazi Germany. But for Mody, a devout nivasan that she used fo draw
now nameless artists who created Jain, it was just one more vilification of his auspicious rangoli, floral designs /
these timeless masterpieces, but cherished swastika, sy;nbol of good luck, which included swastikas, in
the book's editors deserve kudos prosperity and all things auspicious, not front of her hom€, as is the uni-
fo~ their keen eye in selecting a only to followers of his faith, but to Hindus, versal custom in India, but
fascinating range of representa- Buddhists and dozens of ancie~ cultures. promptly discontinued the prac-
tive pieces. Superb German litho- He complained to Time that such promi- tice after receiving anonymous
graphy renders every painting in nentAlse of the swastika with no acknowl- threats. Nearby residents of Irish
vivid detail. The or,iginal pieces . edgement of its au~picious meanings to oth- and' Polish descent Radhika
are part of an exhibition touring er religioI)s was creating problems for spoke with could hardly associ-
New York, Cambridge (USA) and minority religions. He received a polite re- ate the name swastika with sanc-
Zuril!:h, Switzerland, during 1997. ply stating: "You are correct in pointing out tity, piety or anything positive'. -
Kot~ was a princely state of that that swastiKa is an,anclent symbol that Adolf Hitler adopted what was
Rajpoo~ana, an area that nowadays is often used to represent prosperity and known as the "twisted or broken
corresponds more or less to Ra- good fortune. Hitler adopted the swastika, cross" to promote "German or
jasthan in nor~hwest India. It was but with a major change:'he switched the di- Positive Christianity." He re-
created in 1631 by Mughal decree, rection of the arms so that the top arm faced Sullied Symbol:'Time magazine's February cover placed the cross with the swasti-
with whom Kotah maintained an righlj insteaq of left. We were glad to hear ka in all c£urches. He selected
alliance until the 1820s when it • _from you about this subject. Symbols often the North American Federation of Jain Or- the dynamic sWClstika from several hundred
came under British suzerainty. Its have very different meanings-to people." ganizations adopted the same logo, but f8,- alternatives as a counter to the communist
economic prosperity-especially Time stopped short of printing any clarifi- moved the swastika, fearing the association harnmer-and-sickle emblem. The swastika is
the rich farmlands-invoked envy' cation, likely unaware of the depth of the of Jainism with Nazis. Four years ago when one of the most widely used symbols, found
in British inspectors. problem. They also repeated the common the Jains applied to join the Ontario Multi- in the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia,
The refined court culture at error-found even in rep.utable .dictionar- Faith Council,1 asked that we use the origi- Greece, Central Asia, SGythia, Partp.ia, pre-
Kotah was ~ique in the status it ies-about the swastika: that Hitler used the nal symbol with the swastika. The' council Columbian Mexico and the Americas. The
accorded painti¥gs. In sharp con- "right-handed" (clockwise rotating) swasti- agreed,jaying that even if some objected American Navajo Indians called it tsil no'
trast to their role at other me- :: ka and everyone else the left-handed one. that it was a Nazi symbol, since it was tradi- ali, "whirling winds." It is found on the In-
dieval Indian courts, paintings at . ~ This is simply not true. The _ _ _ _- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - , "- _ dus Valley seals, on rock petro- .
Kotah had pivotal roles in impor- right-handed swastika is the glyphs near ~ayan tombs and,
tant royal and religious rituals in Kotah art: Rajput prince and ladies at a Siva shrine most commonly used in world Jainism's Official Sacred Emblem according to 'one expert~ even
which they often were (and still religions including Jainism, Hin- King Solomon's temple.
are) considered to be invested with life. hunts recorded (occasicmally in rath~r grue- duism and Buddhism. Mody Abode of Liberated Souls To those in India, all this may
Philosophically, the painttngs reflect the some detai1). Animals were a specialty of proposes the Nazi swastika al- Three Paths: Right faith, right conduct, Right seem needless fussing, for they
Vaishnava Vallabha Sampradaya.: to which this school, especially elephants and tigers. ways be set at 45°, as the Nazis Knowledge are not aware of the potent emo-
the royal family and a majority of Kotah's Many festivals were depicted. did in later' years, in order to at Four destinies: Heaven, human, animal, hell tional associ9-tions of the swastika,
"Ahimsa" (Nonviolence)
Hindu population have belonged since the The religious art, such as seen in the gate.!
early 18th century. According to Vallab- fold opening this issue of HINDUISM TODAY,
least partly distinguish it frpm
the sacred usage. ~
"Mutual ASSistance of All Beings" nor of the Jews' collective 0ath to
"never fOJ;get" (or allow the world
hacharya's shuddhadvaita ("purified nondu- is superb, every bit the invocation of the Di- Jains have faced this problem -. Based on ancient scriptural cosmological to forget) what happened to them
alism"), Divinity could reside in paintings as vine intended by Sri Vallabhacharya. Alto- . repeatedly in the West. Mody designs, the s.ymbol to re~resent a unified under the Nazis. But the Nazis are
well as stone or metal images of the Gods. gether, the art is so detailed, so realistic and told HINDUISM TODAY, "In 1973 Jam commuruty was adopted in India in dead and gone, and Jains, Hindus
The religious practice of worshiping .and so successful at conveying emotion as to Jain leaders of all sects met ip. :: 1973, and is now accepted in Canada. It and others would prefer that the
lovingly caring for '1ive" paintings (vchitra constitute a vivid and accurate glimpse into India and adopted a single sym- ~ represents the realm ot transcendence, Nazis not be allowed this one last
seva) condnues at Kotali today. Saint Vallab- ~e life and times of early- Rajasthan. _ bol, to be used Ey all Jains, re-8 three paths to liberation, the destinies of victory of snatchfug away our an-
ha (ca 1475-1530) said that Lord Krishna ASIA SOCIETY GALLERIES , 725 PARK AVENUE
gardless of theIr denomination _z reincarnating souls, nonviolence and the cient, holy and much-beloved
asked both bods and their wives to "form N EW YORK, N EW YORK, 10021, USA. u5$49.95 [see right]. Over a csl.ecade ago, ~ mutual interdependence of all beings. symbol of good fortune. _
/
AUG U S T, 1 997 HI N D U ISM TO DAY 49
-~" --- -----~~-----------.---
BOOKS ,/ before, 'breaking ethnic barriers, showing
people of different races at war and in love. I
Dissolving , Bound~ries
dipped into the l~guage and imagery of my
childhood, the folk tales I grew up on, 'and
alterl).ated them with slang from Oakland's
inner-city streets. And I wrote in a~pirit of ,
play, collapsing the divisions between the re-
alistic world of twentieth-century America
and the timeless one of myth and magic in
After a lengthy near-death eXRerience, Divakaruni casts storyteller magic my attempt to. create a modern fable."
"I am the Mistress of Spices," Tile: says to
opeI1/ his fable. "I know their ori-
By JULIE RAJAN, PHILADELPHIA .gins, and what their (wlors signi- '
T IS NOT AN EASY TASK FOR A HINDU fy, and their smells. I can call
writer born in India to break into the each by the true-name it was
mainstream Amer-ican market. But Chi- given at the first, when earth
, tra Banerjee Divakaruni has dohe just split like skin and offered it up to
that with her very first noveL The Mistress the sky. At a whisper they yield
of S):Jices has received rave reviews from up to me their hidden properties,
major newspapers such as the Los Angeles their magic powers. Yes, they ,all
Times and S'an Francisco Chronicle and in- hold magic, even the everyday
fluential trade publications including Li- Amer.ican spices you toss un-
bran) Journal and Publisher's Weekly. This thinking into your cooking pot."
and her equally-acclaimed, earlier collec- Tilo, following her t¢ning in
tion of short stories, Arranged Marr:iage, ex- the healing power of spices, sets
~~e a poetic, realistic and mystic voice that up practice in the unlikely loca-
set them 'apart. tion of an Indian grocery store i!,1
Divakaruni is getting recognition not just Oakland, California. She takes
from reviewers, but also top writers, Amy on th'e body of an old woman to
Tan, author ofthe Joy Luck Club, desoribes . disguise herself. S,he was first .
The Mistress of Spices as 'fa dazzling tale of taught that the spices are meant
misbegotten preams- and" desires, hopes and to heal only South Asians, But
expectations, woven with poetry and story- she soon is helping everyone.
teller magic." Author Pat Conroy exclaims, In the way of fables, the spices
"It is a splendid novel, beautifully conceived talk. For example: "I am turmer-
and crafted. I want to read everything that ic, who rose out of the ocean of
Divakaruni has written before and every- milk when the Mvas 1angels]
thing that she will ever write in the future." and asuras [demons] churned for
The concept for The MiStress of Spices the treasures of the universe. I
I '
grew out of a 1994 near-death experience am furmeric who came after the
that Divakaruni haq following her second nectar and before the poison and
pregnancy. Followin~ mishaps dl!lring deliv- thus lie in-between." Divakaruni
ery, Divakaruni found herself hospitalized, works through the medium of
caught in the boundary somewhere be- spices because she feels they are ~
tween life and death for one month. She did one of Hinduism's most i.mpor- . z
not ~perience the typical tunnel of light or tant symbols. Spices play a large : Chlt.a Bane.lee
out-of-body experience that many en- role in 1J.Ujas (worship), as spiced
counter when near death, Rather, she went food is a'common and central rit-
into a meditative state that allowed her to ual offering.
experience a profound understanding and
appreciation for life. "I felt as though I float-
"I see my writing as a gift and
as a sacred activity," Divakaruni
'1 'am turmeric who rose out of the
ed between states of life and death, and that
it didn't matter which side I Illnded on. The
states. "I think it comes not from
the conscious mind but from
ocean of milk the de'qas 9.lld asuras
b'6undary we humans. had drawn between
these two states was not as impOJ;tant, nor as
some place deeper within us."
Divakaruni broke into the US
churned for treasures,' I came after
irrevocabl~, as we believed," she wrote. "And
it seemed to me, in some wordless way, that
market first as a poet-for which
there is precious little readership
the nectar and before the poison
the art of dissolving boundaries is what liv-
ing is about."
(even her husband showed sC:ant and thus
in-between,"
I interest)-then five years ago '
':But I didri't know how," she ~es on, "un- . made/ the transition to ~tories
til'Tilo, my heroine, the Mistress of Spices, (which her husband loves). "Once I started
came to me. I wrote the book urgently-al- writing fiction, I was very fortl,mate. I really
most breathlessly. Having beeh so close fo do think of it as God's grace in my life," ~he
death, I could no longer take even a single says of her mettoric success. Divakarunis
day fur granted. It was a book full of risks for books are directed mainly to women of all
me. I ventured into paths I hadn't traveled races and faiths who share a common "fe-
50 HINDUISM TOD A;Y A t( GUST , 1997
rumayi's spiritual guidance has allowed Di-
male experience.:' All her heroines must find
themselves within the constraining bound- vakaruni to understand her direction and
aries of thetr cultures and. religions. "My purpose in life and to be more lo\(ing and
characters struggle in the balance between unive~al in her thoughts.
family responsibility and indjvjdual happi- "Mille is a very simple life. I found that
bec,ause I do several things that are very im-
ness, which is, in a way, at the center of the
conflict between our Hindu culture, which portant to me, I've had to make my priori-
always shows the mother as the giver, as theties clear," she said. "I think one of the
things that our religion teaches us is to try
nurturer, and' as saorifJcing herself for the
good of the family, and the Western concept and make our lives simple amI to cut out
of self-happiness." ", things that are not necessary, so that we
har e time for the important
, A Pol 0 'V E L thiT,lgs." As a w.ife and mother of
two sons, family is a strong pri-
ority in her life. She is a creative r
writing professor at Foothill
Collegs. "I leve teaching," she
said, "Ins a great satisfaction."
Divakaruni is also president of
MAITRI, the first help line for
abused women of South Asian
descent in California, \
In Bengal, India, Divakaruni /'
underst00d that ,t he spirituality
of Hindu women,was as impor-
tant as that of Hindu men: "The
worship of the' Mother Goddess
is a big part of the Bengali cul-
ture, It's given·me a sense of the
power of the Goddess in
women. I was brought up to
think that women can do any-
thing that they want, that
women are successfuL They are
powerful guiding forces in the
family and outside the family"
"I think one of the first things
that I learned about Hinduism,
. and that ~ always loved about
Hinduism, is its inclusive and
all-embracing attitude to the
world." She acknowledges that it
is sometimes difficult to bridge
the gap between the Western
mindset and experieI).ce and
Dh'a~a.un; true Hindu principles. And for
AUTHOR OF A .RRANGEP I1 A IUUP.GE Divakaruni, modern-day Hin-
duism does. not always seem so
",
loving, so understanding. She
points to the:.,selfish and 1ateful
acts that Hindus comID.itted
during recent religious riots in
-India, "How can we believe that
the same divine Self is in every-
one, and then turn around and
do somethipg horrible to anoth-
er person who calls G0d by an-
li~
other n~e? It distresses me."
Divakaruni's next n0vel details
the relationship between two fe-
It has been 19 years since Divak~i left male cousins bound by love but separated by
Bengal to live in Sunnyvale, California. distance, time and culture. Her newest col-
Leav~ her homeland has only strength- lecti9n of short stories, Leaving Yuba City is
ened her Hindu beliefs, She is an avid fol- set for publication in August 1997. _
lower ~f Gurumayi Chidvalasananda of Contact: Anchor Books, 1540 Broadway,
SYDA, successor to Baba Muktananda. Gu- New York, New York 10036, USA.
., AUGUST, 1997 HI' NDUISM TODAY 51
MINISTER'S MESSAGE
Reacbin~ for
The Golden Ring
Seek the transcendent power of the true Self in
a world that forgets the soul with painful results.
BY SWAMI SHUDDHANANDA BRAMACHARI
LESSED ARE THEY WHO DWELL ON THE DEEPEST
of human life, especially in a wor'ld:z:
tnrTYl".nt~.rl by crisis, violence, poverty and despair.
Yes, the news of the world is oppressive. It erodes ~
confidence in the potential of humanity and your
own life. Natural resources are shrinking. Cultures are be-
coming degraded. Corrupt governments, unwilling to
respond to the ills of society, sell the future to the highest
bidder. Inhumane crimes and ethnic genocide are common- "III
place. Suffering and ~cological devastation abound.
The illusion of success, the possibility of laying claim to the ~
good life beckons, a welcome escape from desperation. In a
blind rush, people reach for the golden ring. It is an under-
standable defense from chaos and uncertainty.
But what is true success? Success is always a mixed blessing.
(Look closely at the Western world!!! ) Success never cemes with-
out tentacles of' attachment, maya, eventual crises, or haunting
insecurities and fear. Success is never the end. It is inevitably. fol-
lowed by failure and difficulty. Ups and downs are Unavoidable.
That is the way of things in a self-balancing, ever-evolving
universe. Life painfully brings to light all that is unfit for the next,
new level of consciousness. Within struggle the seeds Gf Truth are
hidden. Behind all Stlperficial, transient struggle lies a brilliant
reality waiting to be revealed through transcendence.
.True success refines harmony and peace in the heart. It confers
emotional and psychological balance, profound wisdom. It l;>rings
the 19lessings. of health and vitality, not only to yourself but to the
world around you. True success uplifts all life. Today, humanit}l' is
at the threshold of a new evolution of consciousness. The patholo-
gies ofthe old world are erupting. But conscj..ousness works out its
destiny, emerging through crises, moving humanity inevitably to-
ward perfection and realization.
The Vedas speak of dharma, which involves the expression of
the intrinsic essence, property or quality. The dharma of fire is to
give light and warmth. The dharma 0f ice is to give cold. And the
dharma of the human being is t~ manifest innate divinity. All pain
derives from the failure to understand and act in accordance with
the waiting dharma of divinity. The Vedic rishis propounded the
unchangeable principles which transcend the limits of time, geog-
raphy and society to give insight into our manava dharma [human
dharma] and to lead us back to our intrinsic, true nature. These
principles are the natural, operabonallaws by which the Divine
Cosmic Intelligence unfolds in manifestation. That is the essence
of manava dharma-the ultimate, deeper reality. Manava dharma
liberates the divine being. It manifests the potential divinity in
each human soul. It nurtures the humanizing qualities of sattwa
52 HINDUISM TODAY A.UGUST , 1997
guna-truth, non-violence, forgiveness, love
and service to the less privileged-gradual-
ly developing a higher leVel of energy in the
body-mind system Whether visiting temples
. or churches or not, those nurturing the quali-
ties of sattwa guna are on the path of dharma.
A close disciple once asked Baba Loke-
nath, "What is the benefit of contemplation
on the higher qualities of human life?" The
Living Siva replied,""Just as darkness disap-
pears with the rising of the sun, just as the
Benefit Performance
thief runs away when the householder
wakes up, in the same manner if you con-
template the higher qualities, the lower
instincts will run away from you, and your
body will be transformed into a temple of
..the Divine. Later, when the power of Braa-
man awakens in you, you will become
Bharata Nat yam
Brahman." Through these words the Awak-
~
ened One calls us all to awaken from the
sleep of unawareness and recognize our in-
nate divine qualities. The Guru is the dis -
peller of darkness. He is the one who fans to
byGarani &Divani Nadaraja
Daughters of Drs. Ravi and Iswara Gowri Nadaraja
~ fire the awareness of the highest purposes
:3 of human birth. Baba is only repeating the and disciples of Smt. Mythili Kumar, California, USA
~ words of the Vedas: "You are what your
;; deep, driving desire is. As your desire is, so
is your will. As your will is, so is your deed.
~ As your deed is, so is your destiny." Sunday, August 24, 1997
You are what you think. The need for
3 contemplation of higher human values and 6:30 PM
'-----'------'-=-~-'----' for determined efforts to live up to them
shapes your destiny toward the ultimate-the Brahman.
Your dream state continues as long as you are unconscious, but
the moment you become aware of the dream, the dream stops. As
Ashcroft Theatre, Fairfield Halls
long "as you live the life of flesh and. ego-identification, however Park Lane, Croydon, Surrey
high you may rise in the world, fall is inevitable. But one who
builds on the rock of Self-contemplation and who performs all
work as worship to the Divine, gradually a~ens to the higher
energy of the Cosmic Source. Drawing from the wellsprings of
ENGLAND
creativity, you are never exhausted, never cheate~. You are contin- Suggested donation: £6 or more per person
uously renewed by the Infinite. Become aware 01 that Infinite
(No audio/video taping or flash photogrpahy during the performance, please.
Fountain within your own Soul! Experience the rising Sun of eter-
All gifts in cash.)
nal illumination in your inner being! You are the builder of your
own destiny. Build it on the rock of faith in your true Self It will
stand against all odds. Finally, the Grace of the Divine will bring
the highest transformation of Brahmanhood. For you are That.
The Divine Designer is Truth and Bliss. In the midst of deepen-
ing darkness, nature takes humans toward the-dawn of higher qon- All proceeds will be gifted to the
sciousness, leading us from asat to sat, from lower to higher truth.
May we all cooperate in our small, humble way with nature to
San Marga Iraivan Temple of Kauai, Hawaii, USA
manifest a higher culture of Spirit which breaks the shackles of all This white granite temple will be the first of its kind in the West. It will be made entirely and
human bondage. May we work to usher in an era of conscious love exclusively of stone, totally hand carved, designed according to Agamic architectural
and blessedness. You and I are bofn to achieve this in this birth!! canon, and will weigh more than 3.8 million pounds. In its center will reside the world's
No small ~ffort goes in vain; all good actions must yield fruit of largest spnatika (crystal) lingam . The carving, being done near Bangalore, is now half
blessedness for all. Om shanti.
~
, complete, and f\lmcls to CCJnstruct the temple's foundation are urgently needed.
r-J /':J. /J _ P _ L .~ Please donate gener:ously and. rese(Ve your seats early.
2::; '" \...:I" V~ ~"</I.A....
Contact: Easan Katlr, 2 Old Brompton Road, sm 30Q London,
UK. Tel: 44-181-994-5425, Fax: 44-181-987-9270,
E-mail: easan3@aol.com
SWAMI SHVDDHANANDA, 47, founder Lokenath Divine Life Mission,
Mr.
"India and Lokenath Divine Life Fellowship, USA, works to alleviate
poverty in Calcutta's slums and hundreds of surrounding villages.
 SCRIPTURE

ORGANIZATIONS
Swaminarayan
Mission Swells
I ONDONMEMBERSOFTHE
L.Bochasanwasi Akshar Pu-
rushottam Sanstha (BAPS) creat-
ed a webpage matching the high
Shree Pramukh Swami (left); Neasdon temple opening in UK (above)
standard of their organization's
other accomplishments. Similar-
ly selfless members created the
Neasdon temple (now a Guin-
ness World Record), the incredi-
ble Akshardham complex in In-
dia and the Cultural Festivals of
India in the UK, USA and India.
Prarnukh Swami Maharaj heads
BAPS, one of three present-day
branches of the followers of Lord
Swaminarayan (l781-1830CE).
The Gita
As it Is
ITA LOVERS WILL
G be delighted. with a
high-powered, interao-
tive, multimedia GD of
the Bhagavad Gita As It
Is publIshed by Knslyla
The website is wonderfully com- Software Inc. Excellent
prehensive, with the history of music and full-screen,
Swaminarayan and BAPS, full vivid color video images
text of their principal scriptures are generously spread
Vachanamritm and Shiksha-
patri, their monthly magazine
throughout. You can fol-
low the "Disciplic Suc-
Amrut, "100 Questions and An-
swers" about the Swaminarayan
cession" from Krishna to
Swami Prabhupada, read
sect, poetry, and location of all Swami's full Gita transla-
BAPS temples and e-mail con- tion and study his illus-
tacts worldwide. Search for:
wp.comlAksharnetl

TRAVEL cursions, directions to poets, painters and other

hotels, temples, muse- visual artistes. This col-
Beautiful ums, art galleries, histor- laboration is encouraged !;;
ical places and more. You by the trust's frequent "'...."
Bali will read how Bali Hin- dance and theatre pro-
"o
F YOU ABE EN ROUTE
duism differs from In-
dia's and why no Bali-
ductions. Other activi-
ties include eance work-
o
.
I to Bali, experience it nese ever feels alone. shops for urban Chennai <2:
school students and
~

vicariously first by visit- Every action is intended ">'"

ing the island's highly ac- to please the Gods and mask making and pup- ;:::
claimed, colorful web- Goddesses. Therefore, petry classes for street " IIltl>Mneo....
~ A.C.ShaktiYedaDta SwamI Probbuplda
.......... a.....-
~floit...........,,,....
site. Guidance is all one "cannot separate the 1995 Purush show children. A tantalizing I:Q

here-a travel planner, religious life of Bali from glimpse is given of Widely used translation
maps, lists of nature ex- its daily life"-the secret ARTS Narthaki, a printed di-
of Balis endur- rectory (unfortunately trated biography. A
ing indigenous Arangham not available online). it beautiful production as
identity See the contains 4,000 names it is, future versions of
Calendar of ISTINGUISHED AR- and addresses of dance the CD could be im-
Events and be
sure to attend a
Dtiste Anita Ratnam
established Arangham
teachers and institutions, proved in some areas.
along with information Window:; only. Write:
temple festival ["Performing Arena"] about jewelry, costumes, Krishna Software, 19
and ritual Trust in Chennai, 1992, dance critics and more- Ventnor Drive, Edison,
dance-they oc- to create synergy be- a valuable resource in- New Jersey 08820, USA.
cur daily! Travel tween Indian dancers deed! Pay a visit to Phone: 908-283-166l.
Lake temple a11 Candi Klu.ning to indo. com! ., and traditional sculptors, Arangham.com! Web: krishnasoft.coml

Him whQ is withQut beginnin~ and withQut end, the CreatQr of all,
Qf manifold fQrm, the One embracer Qf the univers~-
by knQwing GQd, one is released frQm all fetters,
KRISHNA YAjUR VEDA SVETASVATARJI. UPANISHAD 5.13