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THE VEDAS
God's Word,
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By means of the hymns one attains this world, by the sacri-
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8 HINDUISM TODAY MA CH , 1998
9
 PUBLISHER'S DESK
Everyo.ne Guru, H8S 8
Knowingly or Not
Introducing Sri Sri Sri Vishvaguru Maha-Maharajji,
the grea~ world teacher of hard knocks
BY. SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI
RI SRI SRI VISHVAGURU MAHA-MAHARAJJI IS SEEN IN THE
picture to the right with·me in Rio de Janiero. What were we
doing there? Well, it was the 1992 Earth Summit, when hun-
dreds of political and religious leaders met to discuss the
fate of mankind. It was only fitting that this worldly-wise
one be there at that time, .being a world teacher, a very strict one
at that. Vishvaguruji, as I call him, teaches so patiently, yet accepts
no excuses and remains unforgivingly exacting in his lessons.
Everyone living on this planet has a guru, whether they know it or
not. There are !hree kinds of gurus that are traditionally available
to guide the souL The first, of course, are the parents. Next is the
family guru, or a guru chosen by the children. The third guru,
often the most attractive and always the most demanding, is Vish-
vaguruji. He does live up to his name in all ways, for vishva means
"everything and everyone in the world," and guru, of cpurse,
means "teacher." Maharaj is "great ruler."
When the world becomes the teacher, the lessons can be rough,
enticing, unloving, endearing, unpleasant or full of temporary hap-
piness. The world is relentless in its challenges, in the rewards it
offers, the scars it leaves and the healing it neglects. The unrelent-
ing Vishvaguruji works surreptitiously through the people you
meet, as past life karmas unfold into this life. He never gives direct
advice or guidance but leaves the lessons from each experience to
be discovered or never discovered. His favorite sloka is
3111:1"12)"11(\ ~ -"Learn by your own mistakes." His way of
teaching is through unexpected happenings and untimely events,
which are timely from his point of view. Unnecessary karmas are
created while the old ones that were supposed to be eliminated
smolder, waiting patiently for still another birth. Pleasure and pain
are among his effective methods of instructi n. He is the teacher
of all who turn their backs on parents, elders, teachers, laws and
traditions of all kinds.
Those on the anava marga, the path of the external ego, often
claim to be their own guru. Some untraditional teachers even en-
courage this attitude. However, being ones own guru is a false
concept. Traditionally, one would be his "own guru" only if he
were initiated as such and his guru left the physical body. But even
then he would be bound by the .lineage within the sect of
Sanatana Dharma he dedicated his life to, and would still maintain
contact with his guruji withirt the inner world. Therefore, he
_ would not really ever be his own guru at all. Being one's own guru
.is a definite part of the anava marga, a very important part. It is
_. raw, eccentric egoism. A teenager doesn't become his own teacher
in schooL A medical doctor doesn't become his own prof~ssor and
then get a license to practice, signed by himself Nor does a
lawyer, an engineer or even an airline stewardess. So, logic would
10 HINDUISM TODAY MARCH , 1998
tell us that those pursuing something as
sensitive, as personal and final as the
path to perfection cannot on their own
gain the necessary skills and knowledge
to be successful in this endeavor.
Well, we are having fun here, aren't
we? But it is also a serious subject. Think
about it. In the realm of training and
responsiveness, we can say that there are
two basic margas, or stages: the anava
marga and the jnana marga, the path of
wisdom. Those on the jnana marga
know they need someone in their life
who has already attained what they are
seeking to attain, who can see ahead of
their seeing and consciously guide them.
This'is the traditional path of Hind\!
dharma leading to Self Realization.
Those on the way of external ego have met many teachers, tested
them very carefully and have found them all npt meeting up to
their standards. They are the devotees of Sri Sri Sri Vishvaguru
Maha-Maharajji, members of his Bhogabhumi Ashram, place of
pleasure. The regular daily sadhana, discipline, is stimulating the
desire for 'sex, for money, for food and for clothing.
Unlike other ashrams, here there are no apparent boundaries or
clear-cut guidelines. Followers are free to do as they please. All
classes are open to everyone, from the most refined studies to the
most devious and low-minded. Advanced low-level classes feature
how to "do in" your enemies and remain undetected; how to access
pornography on the Internet, one of the great tools of the ashrapl,
and then participate in the pleasures it recommends. There are
courses on effective ways to beat the children, the wife, the hus-
band to maximize domestic chaos. Executive education includes
how to climb a corporate ladder, the pros and cons of saving face
whell rightly accused and downing your accuser as misinformed
or as a petpetualliar. One whole department is dedicated to self-
indulgence. Advancements in technology provide never-ending
novelty. Theres experiential training in crime and punishment, in I
terrorism and being terrorized, revenge, retribution and the quest
for forgiveness. The ashram's brochure was mailed to me to publish
in HINDUISM TODAY; ouf it was too extensive and provocative for
our journal. (I'm sure its available on the Internet.) Vishvaguruji
has teachers allover the globe, in every city and small community
in every country. In fact, every facet of our lovely planet partici-
pates in his training programs at every moment in time.
Mid-range subjects include politics, how to lose and still gain in
the process. Love and relationships is very popular, with intensives
in promiscuity, marriage, infidelity and divorce. How to find your
little self and make it big-name and fame-is among the top ten
pursuits. There are numerous variations on the acquisition and loss
of property. Suicide and threatening suicide to get your own way
have many students. Certain subjects are compulsory, including
the quest: for health and longevity, and the reality of decline, death
and dying. The emotional wing is always full, especially the se~­
sions on joy and sorrow. Anger is overcrowded, and jealousy, too.
The list goes on and on. How to be totally committed to being
noncommitted keeps many from advancing into higher grades.
Keeping your children from becoming interested in religion, lest it
hamper their education and job possibilities, has lots of apparently
intelligent advocates. Making a living is one of the largest branches,
with a recent addition of remaining sane while holding three jobs.
Understanding your rebellious te~nager and other parenting chal-
lenges are very big. How to have a family and neglect it at the
same time (subtitled Latch Key Kids) is the latest rage.
Most ashramites, or bhogis, are swamped with so many subjects.
They struggle twenty-four hours a day and still never catch up.
This is one tough school, and the odd thing is, enrollment is auto-
matic; even without applying for'a course, you wind up studying it.
It's the default when the guidance of other gurus is rejected. Vish-
vaguruji has many doors for entering his ashram and only one for
exiting. Gradually, eventually, and it may take many lifetimes,
everyone comes to see that he is leading them to an understanding
that every freedom has its price, every action its reaction, th'at the
path to perfection is up and up and up. Recently 1 called Sri Sri Sri
l
Earth personified: Some have wondered whether the ancient
world teacher Sri Sri Sri Vishvaguruji is a real be~ng or a fanciful
fiction. His somewhat burdened existence is validated in the photo
above, taken June 6, 1992, in Rio de Janeiro at the Earth Summit.
Vishvaguru Maha-Maharajji and suggested that students nearly
ready to graduate might be recommended the solid principles of
Sanatana Dharma, the less strenuous path of daily sadhana, right
speech, right thought and right action, nOninjury-ahimsa-physi-
cally, mentally and emotionally. He complied. He understood. In
fact, he said he's always drepping hints for his nearly five billion
enrollees, that his every course points in iliat direction, though
most students are very slow to catch on. He is infinitely patient.
So, you can tell your friends, "I have a guru and you have one,
too. Everyone has a guru, whether they know it or not." All three
gurus-parents, family guru and Vishvaguruji-unanimously say,
"Its a dirty job, but somebody has to db it." Vishvaguru's school of
hard knocks eventually, in this life or a future one, delivers all er-
rant seekers back to a satguru, minister, rabbi, shaman or priest. To
not repeat his training, you either learn through the tough reactions I
of his courses or gentler lessons under the guidance of the two oth-
er traditional gurus. All gurus are conspirators in the evolution of
the soul, and Sri Sri Sri Vishvaguru Maha-Maharajji is no exception.
Well, Sri Sri Sri Vishvaguru Maha-Maharajji and 1 have become
friends, partners, in the gruelfug guruing business. We understand
each other and work together along with elders, swamis, gurus of all
denominations of all religions. Oh! 1 almost forgot to mention: visit
his home page: www.hindu.orglbhogal
MARCH, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 11
 LETTERS
December 25th's Pagan Roots

Youths Need to G~asp

IN REFERENCE TO YOUR EDITORIAL [IT'S
Chrismastime in the Ashram Again, De-
c;mber, '97], I don't think you"would 4nd
any Christian historian who would deny
tolerance, benign neglect and passivity. It is
not uncommon to see Hindu gods, sages'and
gurus being ridiculed in prime time sit-
coms. It is time we fight back to protect our
great religion and cultural heritage.
In this regard, I was pleasantly shocked
tW9 years ago when the main newsletter of
this University did a large, full-page review
pf my first book, The Astrology of Death. I
didn't even know they had it! This book

'T he Value of Religion

that Christmas has pagan roots. For that
matter, so does All Saints Day and Candle-
mas and Lady Day and, well, pretty much
every traditional feast day. As you probably
lq1ow, the Church deliberately "Christian-
ized" Europe's older holy days. Whatever
one might think of that practice (and the
Puritans obviously hated it), I am not sure
that it is in the same category as the horri-
ble commercialization which, as Nis- '"
PRADEEP SRIVASTAVA
DETROIT, MICHIGAN USA
"srivasta@dwsd.org
'"
I COMMEND THE LETTER BY MR. ARJUN J.
Mehta and regret to say that your reply was
disappointing not because it did not recom-
mend violence but it promotes unques-
tioned tolerance [The Limits of Tolerance,
was specifically dedicated to bringing
many of the ideas of Vedic astrology to..
Western astrologers. To my amazement,
there was no mocking of the concept at all.
Clearly the world of conventional medicine
HINDU RENAISSANCE TEAM
is indeed changing! HINDUISM TODAY was founded January 5, 1979, We will be neither happy nor successful if
RICHARD HOUCK by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, for the
GAITHERSBURG, MARYLAND, US"A
" RichardHouck@worldnet.att.net
following purposes: 1. To foster Hindu solidarity
as a unity in diversi~y among all sects and lin-
we fail to bring spirituality into our life
• I eages; 2. To inform and inspire Hindus world-

senbaum rightly points out, has been around
for quite a while. Also, I hope that Nis-
senbaum doesn't say, as your editorial seems
LETTERS, January '98]. My view is that you
can only forgive'a person, a community or a
religion if it asks for forgiveness. I have yet to
India in the Middle East
WE IRANIANS LIKE INDIAN PEOPLE VERY
much and are interested in getting ac-
-
wide and people interested in Hinduism; 3. To BY YARSHA RAMOUTA'R
dispel myths, illusions and misinformation
about Hinduism; 4. To protect, preserve and
ELIGION CAN BE DEFINED tivity. They will make and keep

to suggest, that Christmas first became im-
portant during the Reformation. Eastern
Christians have never been verY' big on
Christmas, but it wqs quite a lively feast day
in the medieval West.
HEATHER ELIZABETH PETERSON
GREENBEL~MARYLAND , USA
" news@greenbeIt.com
This Course ,is on Course
WE ARE DELIGHTED TO REPORT THAT THE
first edition of the book Explaining Hindu
Dharma: A Guide for Teachers, produced
by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to aid teach-
ing of Hinduism in British schools, has been
sold out. The work has started on the second
edition. This book tooK nearly three years to
produce and has contributions from sixteen
authors belonging to various Hindu organi-
zations. HINDUISM TODAY also provided
some very useful material for the book
which presents the Hindu point of view to
pupils from 5 to 16 years of age. This year
thousands of 16-year-old students in the UK
selected the option to study Hinduism for
their GCSE (General Certificate of Educa-
tion"Examination). Most of these students
are non-Hindus. The book has received ex-
cellent reviews from schools teachers, in-
spectors and examiners.
NAWAL K. PRINJA
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION SPOKESMAN
WORLD COUNCIL OF HINDUS
UNITED KINGDOM
"NPrinja@aol.com
Enough with Tolerance
I WAS INFURIATED TO LEARN ABOUT
Chicago's nightclub, "Kafma" [Hindu Bar
Protested, DIASPORA, January .' 98], which is
one of the first Hindu '"theme bars." I hope
the American Hindu Anti-Defamation
Coalition files a lawsuit against this bar and
puts it out of business. It is not enough to be
just "shocked.' They have to act on their out-
rage. Hindus are tolerant to a fault. People
have always taken advantage of their over-
R
promote the sacred Vedas and the flindu reli-
meet a Muslim who regrets what was and quainted with their culture, literature and as a belief in, reverence for, you strong. Adversity will not
gion; 5. To nurture and monitor the ongoing
still is being done to Hindus where they are religion-particularly mysticism'. I see stu- or worship of a deity or hold you down, but spur you on
in a minority in Islamic nations. Forgiving dents today inquiring about India. They
spiritual Hinou renaissance. We invite our read-
ers to share these purposes with us by WTiting deities and an observance to achieve more. When you /
what is not requested for is total cowardice, learn of Hinduism by reading books like letters, contributing reports and articles on of a particular doctrine or doc- think all has failed and a fight
and we have probably used this aspect of the Bhagavad Gita. They ask themselves, events, sending news clippings and encouraging trines. But religion is much between you and the world is
our religion wrongly and unknowingly. It is "How is this dreamy land in the new other to subscribe. more It is a way of life and a on, your faith will be your
time to say enough is enough and forgive world? What happene'd to it in the age of method of thinking, conduct weapon.This is very, very im-
those who ask for it. speed?" Fortunately, we find out India still and speech. Religion builds our portant for the youth. I cannot
Publisher': Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
SHASHI H. DAVE is India. We have reached this conclusion character, instills in us values even begin to stress its signifi-
Admin. Dir.: Paramacharya Bodhinathaswami
OYSTER BAY, NEW YORK, USA through your good magazine. It helps us to
Editor-in-Chie! Acharya Palanis~ami
and inspires good deeds. It cance. The figures of academic
know and experience India today. teaches us to be scrupulous and to know dropouts and suicides are increasing.
Let's '"Not Idolize MARYAM AMINY
Publisher"s Aide: Acharya ~eypnswami
Deputy Editor: Acharya Kumarswami
the difference between right and wrong. Times are tough. Students are giving their
I AGREE WITH A. K. NATARAJA (THE SEARCH SHIRAJ, IRAN Thus, it'IIlolds our conscience. That is why all, but they seem to just fall short. Frus-
Managing Editor: Sannyasi Arumugaswami
is Within, LETTERS, November, '97) that we religion is ~o important to the youth in soci- tration and the thought of themselves as
Graphics Director: Sannyasi Natarajaswami
should be strong enough to resist external Toward Better Brahmins ety, especially now when there are so many failures eat their spirit away. They loose
ridicule. However, I can also see Dr. Ram- THERE IS NO QUESTION THAT THE SITUA-
bachan's point of view in his article (MY tion of brahmin priests deserves much im-
TURN, September, '97). The younger genera- provement. However, this cannot be accom-
tion, especially those growing up in the plished in contegtporary India if they
i Mauritius Editor: Sannyasi Murugaswami
Mauritius Staff Writer: Sannyasi Devaswami
Prod) Promotion Manager: Sannyasi Kathirswami
Managing Ed. 's Aide: Tyagi Saravananathaswami
Dep. Managing Ed.: Tyagi Karttikeyanathaswami
distractions, avenues of escape to inlmorali-
ty and temptations to be led astray.
It seems as if the tapestry of a good,
pure and disciplined society that took our
sight of all their hopes and aspirations, and
they shut the gates to imagination and
sinother their dreams. If they only knew
that with faith they could,fly anywhere,
West, need to have ambiguous terms cleared continue to claim superior . social status forefathers lifetimes to weave has fallen to no matter how many obstacles come in
up since the language and wording we. use based on their birth and knowledge of ritu- Editor-in-Chiefs Aide: Yogi Yuganatha rapid moral decay and frayed ends. Abuse their way.
makes all the difference. I would like to als and scriptures. They will serve better Advertising Manager: Sadhaka Jothinatha of drugs and alcohol, prostitution, defiance Youth is often described as the spring-
point out that in the West and among those their cause, as well as our religion, if they Subscription Manager: Sadhaka Haranandi~atha of parents and family life, theft, viotence time of our lives. It is when we are most
who profess to not being idol worshipers reach out to other Hindus, especially the so- Correwondents: Gowri Shankar & Anandhi Rama- and wanton destruction are rising rapidly, energetic, imaginative, impulsive and
chandran., Chennai; Choodarnani Shivaram, Banga-
there is plenty of that very thing going on! called lower castes, and shed tJleir "touch
When someone "idolizes" another person, me not" and "holier than thou" attitude and
one ~ho is full of flaws and physically mor- communicate with love. I am convinced
I lore; Rajil( Malik &: Mangala Prasad Mohanty, Del-
hi; V. S. Gopalakrishnan, Kerala; Basudeb Dhar,
particularly ampng the twelve to twenty-
five-years age group. Alcohol abuse is re-
sponsible for ramp911t drunk driving
carefree, living life to the fullest. Religion
-in youth helps us to enjoy all these, and
other things, even more. We learn to ap-
tal, whether it be a princess, a pop singer or that such a change will result in very posi-
a Ilolitician, then the true sin of idol worship , tive responses from the rest of the popula-
is committed. When someone worships tion and usher in a n~w renaissance of Hin-
money, possessions or a vulgar pin-up girl- duism, and also respect toward brahmins.
I Bangladesh; Archana Dongre, Los Angeles; Lavina
Melwani, New York; Prabha Prabhakar Bhardwaj,
Kenya; Dr. Hari Bansh Jha, Nepal; Parasrarn Rarnou-
tar, Ani! Mahabir, Trinidad; Dr. Devananda Tanda-
among the youth as well as sixty percent
Q[ petty theft and fifty percent of spouse
and sibling battery. We pick up the papers
and read of so many crimes being com-
preciate life for what it was, what it is and
what it will become. We learn to see peo-.
pIe f9r who they are, and not what they
can offer. We learn to laugh and sing with
that is idol worship. It is harmless to have
role models to look up to, but it is not healthy
to "idolize."
MUKUNDARAo
BUCKHANNON, WEST VIRGINIA, USA 1 van, Chicago; v.G. Julie Rajan, Philadelphia; Shikha
, Malaviya, Minnesota, Rajesh Jantilal, Sputh Africa
Artists: A. Manivelu, S. Rajam
mitted by the youth of our country. Why?
Can this be avoided or at least curbed? Of
course it can! It all begins in the home. If
our spirit, to let our personality shine
through our eyes, to appreciate nature and
all its glory. We learn what it truly means
Cartoonists: Barry Geller, David Lourie,....Mario de
SONIYA SHANKAR each parent took his or her child to the to be free.
CORK, IRELAND Miranda, Manick Sorcar, Gary L. Stair, Bob Thaves temple, church or mosque and brought As we go through life, the lessons will be
Photo Contributors: Thomas L. Kelly, Stephen P. them up in an atmosphere of spiritual many. But our life will be incomplete with-
Letters with writer's n~e, address and daytime
Surltrising Transformations phone number, shou!Gl. be sent to: Huyler, Dev Raj Agrawal, Phal S. Girota, Tony Stone knowledge, there would not be as many out love; love's glory will never shine with-
YOUR' JANUARY '98 ISSUE, WITH ITS FOCUS Letters, HINDUISM TODAY Images, Photobank, Art Wolfe Inc., Gohlon Wiltsie, lost people out there. The vicious circle of out freedom; freedom will never be
on alternative medicine, was most interest- 107 Kaholalele Road IndivaJ; Sivanathan domestic violence, oppression and hate ach1eved without peace; and peace cannot
ing. I was particularly intrigued. by the KAPAA, HI, 96746-9304 USA Web Masters: Deva Seyon, Sadhunathan Nadesan would be broken. exist without spirituality-our religion.
comment in one of the articles [Welcome or faxed to: (BoB) 822-4351 Scanning: Vikram Patel, New York Wisdom, no matter how little, goes a
or e-mailed to:
the-;New Healers, HEALTH] that the Johns letters@hindu.org Distribution: Jiva Rajasankara, Bangalore; Dohade- long way. Religion and God would provide VARSHA RAMOUTAR, 22, is a veterinary
Hopkins University and Medical Center, Letters may be edited for space and clarity and may va Samugam, Singapore; Chudikadevi Saravan, Sel- a haven, a phice of hope when feeling dis- medical science student at the University of
perhaps this country's leading hospital, appear in electronic versions of HINDUISM TODAY. ladurai Perakasam & Rohini Kumar, Malaysia traught and love'when experiencing nega- the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago.
now offers courses in alternative medicine. .... I NDICATES LEITERS RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL

12 HINDUISM TODAY MARCH, 1998 MARCH, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 13

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EDITORIAL
One pay' My Religion
Will Ru'le the World
Irs called triumphalism, and it seem.s that
almost nobody is immune from its conceits
\ in many spiritual Naditions, it IS a
BY THE EDITOR
ARVARD UNIVERSITY'S GROUND BREAKING PROJECT
on religious pluralism in America [page 20] is a potent
sign of our multicultural times. To some it is a joyous •
sign, a welcome reconciliation in which past hatreds are
being hammered into present understandings. To many it
is a frightful omen, a most unwelcome misapprehension that will
dilute and destroy Christianity's historic dominance in the United
States. Hindus, of course, tend to side,with the first view. In fact,
most Americans do. But by all means not all. . gains as conquests, their losses as being besieged. Evangelists still
Those who stand opposed to Harvard's celebration of religious
differences are justifiably worried. Within a few short decades, the
religious rainbow in America has grown from a basic pallet of red,
white and blue-Protestant, Catholic and Jewish-to a dozen or
more colors with many subtle hues between. As new pigments are
added, basic colors are both enriched and diluted. That dilution
worries those who love plain red. They don't want pm'k or rose.
They may detest cerise, vermilion and maroon. While we see it as
a more colorful world, they are seeing red.
And for good cause. Consider NEWSWEEK'S December 15
cover which asked, "Whose Faith for the Kids? Mixed Marriages,
Holidays and Hard Choices." The story reveals a growing trend
for people to marry ,outside their born religion, and what happens
to the children raised in a multi-faith home. In describing how in-
terfaith marriages are "creating, irr effect, a new form of religious
ictentification in America, analogous to the 'mixed race' category,"
the story tells of Dilip Visvanath and Carmen Guerra, two doctors
raisM in New York City. They were married at a Hindu temple in
Queens on Friday night, and again by
her Catholic priest the following morning
in Manhattan. Speaking of their hoped-
for children, Dilip said, "We want to ex-
pose them to both religions."
Similarly, Muslims are marrying Mor-
mons, Jews are espousing El"iscopalians
and Buddhists are wedding JaiJ).s. How
profoundly is this affecting these com-
munities? Very. NEWSWEEK cites several
studies which conclude that today 50%
of all American Jews marry.partners of ~
other faiths, as do 21 % of Catholics, ~ said, we need not accept the argument,
3Q.% of Mormons and 40% of Muslims. U
Hindus have no such statistics, but certainly they would be com-
parable.
Even with all this mixing and mingling of isms, America is not
freed of religious conflicts, and the rest of the world has yet to .
experience the full impact of a free-flow of peoples and their
16 HINDUISM TODAY MARCH, 1998
I
creeds. In many hearts and nations
religious triumphalism is still the flavor of
choice. What is triumphalism? Prof Dur- ms
wood Foster of the Pacific School of Reli-
gion in Berkeley, California, defines it as
the belief which "assumes the primacy of
"There is enough in this worJd for everyone's need, but
there is riqt. enough in this world for everyone'~greed."
one's own values and the right to rule oth-
ers." It is the hope that my religion will
. one day rule all others, that it will take ·
.
Mah~tma Gandhi (186g-1948)
.
over the world, eIlminate lesser dogmas,
and reign as the global mega-faith. Many Fran~~ and Ernest
wish this in their hearts, though they may
not openly speak of it outside their own ty"1 WANT TO HAVe AN DID YOU KNOW?
circles. Triumphalism is found in all reli- OUT-Of!- 'ObY Serious Studiousness
gious communities. For the religious right
tf" ' eXPE~/~N'~1
mantra: "We shall overcome. Our God. ~ PON'T HE WORLD' S FIRST UNIVERSITY
will be the judge of all who worship at 'LAMe YOU. was established at Takshashilla,
lesser altars. This is our mission on Earth, well known as Taxila (in India's
our prayer and promise." Ahem! northwest region), in
The definition of triumph derives from a military parade for Ro-
man conquerors returning from war. The qualification was • . approximately 700
simple-he had to have won a battle in which at least 5,000 BCE. Another large /
enemies were killed. That sense of conquest abides in the word as The arrow is straight but cruel; the lute is One has to discover the voidness of the university was found-
applied to religion, though the battlefield now is more in people's crooked but sweet. Therefore.! judge men seeming full before one can know the , ed at Nalanda in Bi-
hearts and minds. Religious leaders still perceive the struggle be- • by ~eh" acts, not their appearance. fullness of the seeming void. Ram Swarup, har circa 500 CEoAc-
tween faiths in warlike terms, their missions as campaigns, their
Tirukural, Verse 279 in an essay comparing Hinduism with cording to Chinese
love to sing "Onward, Christian Soldiers!" Buddhism. traveler Hiuen Tsang,
Lest you find yourself taking refuge in the fact that not all If you don't believe in reincarnation, don't the Taxila campus housed 10,000 stu-
faiths think in such bellieose terms, ponder this. On the World worry. You probably will in your next Student activist U Aung Ko: "We will need dents and 2,000 professors. Students
Wide Web this month you can follow an internal debate in the lifetime. Swami Beyondananda to make an offering." American visitor from as far away as China came to ob-
Bahai faith about triumphalism. That's right, Bahai, one ot: the
most embracing and tolerant faiths in existence, one which has Laura: "What kind of offering?" tain a religion-based education.
suffered the most harmful hubris of which triumphalism is The Chinese may have Tai Chi, but tasteful U Aung Ko: "That would depend on how
capable, is itself wrestling with t;he notion that it may become Indians have Chai·Tea! much good karma you want for your llext
the world religion of the future. If a small and tolerant religion life." Laura: "Hmm, I can't plan that far More enlightening than a course on en-
like Bahai can dreain such triumphal dreams, imagine what There are voices which we hear in soli- ahead."·U Aung Ko: "Then some fresh fruit lightenment. Sri Sri Sri Vishvaguru Maha-
nightmares larger faiths are capable of. An~ don't get too smug.
Even our own Hinduism is not exempt, though we may be mas- tude, but they grow faint and ~audible as from the market will do!" from the Holly- Mahariiji speaking of how,he, the world,
ters of the subtler martial arts. While accept'hg all faiths, Hin- we enter into the world. American poet, wood mov~e "Beyond Rangoon," as teaches Dharma to people who follow his
dus also,take a kind of perverse pride in our universalism, not- lecture1" and Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo U Aung Ko and Laura prepare to enter a path. (See page 10)
ing-even when we don't say it-that our religion teaches the Emerson (1803-1882) who, disillusion,e d Myanmar (Burmese) temple. •
principle qf "Truth is one, paths are many" or "Yoga'~ light by Chnistianity, taught that God could Seek truth in meditation, not in molp.y
illumines all religions." This being true, all faiths are part of the
Sanatana Dharma:. So, in a sense, all are following our path, best be ,found by looking inward to one's books. Look to the sky to fmd the moon,
right? It's a philosophical triumphalism, own Sot?!. • "not in the pond. Persian proverb
and though we don't apply it to convert
and condemn, we apply it nonetheless.
Christians appear to be discovering
EATING CHOCOLATE 15
the dangers of triumphalism, and theFe
are signs that a wiser view is being MY.'GONE.~
50,IVE
adopteg. Read From Triumphalism to I'M TRYING TO CUT DOWN TAKEN A
Maturity by Harvard's Donald A. . ON MY AifACHMENT5.
VOW TO --------
Carson. Whenever we feel the flush of
our ancientness and our all-embracing-
"l~ AB5TAIN
FROM
ness, we can recall that is only our vieW CHOCOLATE.
and give honor to others' ways. That
still common in the Abrahamic faiths
that their scriptures coJ.{imission them to evangelize the Earth,
and since we claim to respect their faith we must accept their
mission. We must do no such thing. Instead, we can remind them
of the simple rule oflaw taught in first-year torts classes: Your
right to swing your arms freely ends at my nose.
MARCH, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 11
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18 L -___ ~----------~f~Q.U~
. ~N_O~
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' ~~l~Q~
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· ~P~A~R~A_M_'_A_R_A __N_S__ __D_A______________~
A__y_Q_· _G_A_N_'_A_N 19
COMMUNITY · Team-CD: (left to right) Grove Harris, Sat-
Stirring 'Up:the
Melting Pot
Harvard~s Pluralism Project Delivers a
Ground-brecikipg CD-ROM: On Comrrwn Ground
...
By LAVINA MELWANI, NEW YORK
au ARE ABOUT TO GO ON A PIL-
,grimage. Not to India's Kashi or
Vrindavan, but to the sacred sanctu-
aries of the United States of America.
You will visit the more than 80 Hin-
du temples scattered across the conti~
n'ent, including the towering Sri Venkates-
wara -Temple in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
the Chola-styl~ Meel\akshi Temple in Texas,
and America's oldest Hindu temple, located
in Queens, New York. Y<'lU'li also immerse
yourself in every nuance'of Hinduism as you
listen to priests, devotees and second-gener-
ation youth talk about their faith. You'll see
the rituals of puja, listen to the Ganesha
Saranam chant and much, much more-all
V\.\ithout leaving home.
All you need to embark upon this intrigu-
ing journey is a computer and the remark-
able multimedia CD-ROM, On Comnwn
Ground: World Religions in America (1997,
Columbia University Press, New York). A
few hours of browsing will take YOllFnot only
through the salient points of Hinduism in the
US, gut also of 15 other world religions now
thriv,ing in this multicultural climate. Be-
sides countless churches and synagogues,
there are now hundreds of mosques, ,temples,
shrines and meditation halls scattered
20 HINDUISM TODAY M 4; RCH, Igg8
through every town and city. Some even
share the same street. " that bring each religious tradition to life as
How are the tra'ditions evolving, and what
are the problems and issues facing faiths
that alight in this land? How is America it-
self changing as a result? These are ques-
tions that Comnwn Ground asks and an-
swers. It is the fruition ,of fastidious work by
Diana L. Eck and the Pluralism Project at
Harvard University in Cambridge, Massa- .
chusetts. Eck, Profe§sor of Comparative Re-.
ligion and Indian Studies at Harvard, spent
over three intensive years with her team of
researchers to actualize this powerful social
education tool.
Eck is convinced that the Eastern reli-
gions in the US have adapted and evolved,
and that the influx of new immigrants has,
in hirn, transformed US communities. Once
foreign, these transplanted cultures and their
faiths are now integral. They have become
American. "This is happening before our
very eyes," Eck narates, "and historians of re-
ligion need to pay attention to it. it is the on-
going history of religion .... America is chang-
ing, too, as ~ begin to appropriate thls much
more complex religious pluralism."
The world's religions in your hand: On
Comnwn Ground documents the changing
' face of faith in over 18 communities in 400
centers, from Buddhist temples and Islamic
centers to Christian churches and their di-
'Verse denominations. The CD is in three
main parts. A New Religious Landscap ~ in-
vestigates the diversity in 18 regions of the
US. At the click of a mouse one can access a
comprehensive directory of mosques, tem-
ples and gurudwaras (Sikh temples). Maps
locate the centers-and addresses and
phone n,!Pllbers are included! There are over
400 portraits of different centers. America's
Many. Religions covers 15 different faiths,
nam Khalsa, Sam Herring, Diana Eck, Jen-
ny Juyun Song, Ellie Pierce and Lance Laird
giving'"in-depth information on core beliefs,
praptices and the challenges, historical
overviews, timelines, discussions of religious
practices and profiles ofleaders. Encounter-
ing Religious Diversity takes on the hard is-
sues faced by each religion as it tries to fit
into the surrounding community. Hindus
may be surpri?ed to see and hear how oth-
er faiths face the exact same obstacles they
do, such as zoning and traffic complaints as
attempts to stop temple building. Encounter- ,
ing Religious Diversity engages one to con-
sider how passive tolerance can be turned
int0 truly interactive religious pluralism, and
discusses the ups and downs of this path.
- The CD features an abundance of movies
real people tell their stories. Excellent pho-
tographs show devotees engaged in day to
/
day practices. Music of the various tradi-
tions augments the cultural"diversity even
further. These real-life glimpses have a mag-
ical way of instilling a feeling of empathy, a
djstinct feeling that "We are all in this to-
gether" and "Those people are not so differ-
ent from us." If the CD is taken up by
schools across the nation as expected, the so-
cial impact of youth's increased understand-
ing will be unprecedented. One scholarly re-
viewer affirms that, "Every social studies
teacher in America should have this CD."
There's more, including over 100 technical
documents-a treasury of data for students
and academics. All this is supplemented-
get this-by a comparative thematic index, a
glossary, bibliography ' and a guide written
by Eck. Online updates and an expanding
database are available at the Columbia Uni-
versity Press website (see end of article).
The Pluralism Project offers affiliate grants
for "professors and/or departmen!s to in-
volve themselves and their students in re-
search on the changing religious life of their
city or region ... and the new patterns of re-
ligious and interreligious involvement in •
MARCH, Igg8 HINDUISM TODAY 21
American civil society." Applications can be
found online.
Media for tlie masses: CD-ROM was cho-
sen as the most effective technology to give
students and academics the prodigious fmd-
ings of the Pluralism Project's years of mas-
sive research. As Eck points out, education
is one arena where inter..religious encoun-
ters can be intense, because school and col-
lege communities most reflect the diversity
of society. She says, "Teaching about .religion
is important in public school curriculums.
For too long we have had the idea that it is
less controversial to steer away from religion
in curriculum. This is the moment in Amer-
ican history when we are trying hard to cor-
rect that."
This is a comprehensive teaching tool that
makes it fun to learn about religion. In its
fair and balanced way it gives answers to the
many questions which minority children of-
ten ponder. Since religious and community
leaders have given their own input, the in-
formation is correct and personable. Chil-
dren and teenagers who I]1ay balk.at being
force-fed religion will certainly be drawn to-
ward Common Ground. They can play the
quicktime movies and learn an eye and ear-
ful about Hinqu pujas; see Cat Steven's call
to prayer; or hear gospel music from San
Francisco and on and on. it is an irresistible
invitation to pigh school students to become
interested in the religious diversity of their
area. They can enter through the US gate-
way map to find out what's happening in
their vicinity. Teachers, too, are empowered
to explain religion fairly and accurately with
this CD as the guide. Hindus will fmd many
fascinating facts about their own faith, and
parents will fmd answers to questions their
children ask about the reasons for rituals.
The history of tHe growth of Hinduism
and the other world religions in America
makes for interesting reading. In the early
days,. when there were few temples and
mosques, people would meet informally in
each other's homes and pray at the home
shrine. Yet, as each community established
itself, a place cl worship was established, ,
22 HINDUISM TODAY MARCH, 1998
Clickable culture: Screen captures show the izing of Hindu shrines and burning of
elegant graphjcs and easy navigation win- mosques are realities, as are the bigoted
dows. Windows offour offifteen traditions statements of people like Pat Robertson, the
are shown, along with the main entry win- truth j s that there are a multitude of ways
dow and the gateway to the religiOns. (Be- that America's civic life is changing because
low, left to right) Pagan, Hindu, JeWish, of ~ew initiatives of inter-religious coopera-
American Indian (NavajO), Christian and tion. After all, America was the site of the
Muslim images from movies on the CD. first World Parliament of Religions way
back in 1893 and again, one hundred years ,
later in 1993. In cities across America, there
are sincere efforts at interfaith dialogue and
experiments i1l, living together. Observes Di-
ana Eck, "We see both things happening in
the US. We can see incredible religious
1~~~~~~~1-' chauvinism on all sides and also attempts at '
....t cooperation and bridge-building that are
virtually unprecedented. I think the picture
00
... is more optimistic than not."
and cultural life flourished On Common Ground is impressively com-
around that hub. At first, .prehensive, and it takes several long and fo-
many temples and mosques cused sittings to absorb all its information.
~ The same insight, depth and detail about
were in makeshift quarters
or loaned premises span- ~ Hinduism in American that we have just 7'
ning everything from a for - >< discussed is there for each of the 14 other
mer mattress showroom in ~ religions. Its many navigatioflal options give
Northridge, California, to a '~" freedom to wander off in diverse directions
YMCA in New Jersey. The ~ and explore as inspiration 'directs. On Com-
Muslim and.Hindu commu- .., tions are largely from one area of India, the "!On Ground's world of intriguing facts can
nities of Houston, Texas, ~ temples are more insular. be the starting point for dialogue, tolerance
gathered for prayers in the ~ As Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Budqhists, and, better still, advises Eck, religious plu-
multi-faith Rothko Chapel 81.._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _~_ _ _ _...1_ Jains and :Barsis become Americas next door ralism. It clearly should be required brows-
until they built their own neighbors, service providers, teachers, ing at schools, colleges and places of wor-
centers. The Houston Zoroastrians still gath- teerism that is so typical of Ameri- physicians and friends, the Eastern religions ship. "Part of the strategy of the CD," Diana
er in this chapel while they complete their ca's many religious traditions. Mem- lose their strangeness. Intercultural mar- explains, "is to give the teacher a company of
own Dar-e-Mehr. Sikhs in Queens, New bership dues, annual fund-raisers, temple tower. Indeed, the Hindu identity and what riages, too, are adding to the climate of tol- friends and scholars from a variety of stand-
York, established their gurtidwara in a for- publication~ and newsletters, videotapes of constitutes a Hindu is constantly being ne- erance and pluralism. Hinduism is especial- points to be present in the classroom to talk
mer church while Muslims in Chicago start- temple festivals and audio tapes of devotion- gotiated in America, as fudians from differ- ly qualified to participate in this new drive. about each faith. Since a variety of voices
ed out with an old movie theater as their . al music are all now part of the American ent regions and communities reside in close As explained in the CD, " 'The one and the are included, you get the idea that these re-
community center. temple milieu." , proximity. In Nashville, Hindus building, a many.' No other theme in India has played ligions are not monolithic. You begin to un-
The CD shows how Hinduism is changing Many of the newer temples are an amal- temple sent out a ballot to decide which so co'nstantly, like a continuously evolving derstand each religioris tradition as a con-
as it becomes counted as an American reli- gam of Hindu and AmeJjcan styles, incor- would be the central Deity, since there are raga, a musical scale with a multitude of versation, and sometimes even as an
gion. While vast numbers of Americans con- porating just a few ornate touches, while worshipers of Kali, Krishna and Shiva in variations. No culture on Earth has devel- argument. All the ideas we have about one
verted to Hinduism through vari~us organi- others go for overt Hindu architecture. The their area. It was democratically voted to oped as complex an understanding of hu- another can actually be transformed when
zations, born Hindus living in America are magnificent Sri Meenakshi Temgle in Pear- choose Lord Ganesha. In Livermore, the man and Divine as Hindu India. To say we meet one another. The CD is a way to
becoming mpre Americanized in thclr ways. land, Texas, for instance, echoes the archi- community decided on a joint Shiva-Vishnu 'This is the one and only' may be a marker meet one another in virtual space." . :..;
The CD defines the trend, ']\merica's great tecture of South India. The Hindu Temple Temple, thus appeasing the devotees of both of importance to other cultures. Hindu In- COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY PRESS, 136 SOUTH BROADWAY, IRV-
I N GTON, NEW YORK 10533 USA. TEL : (USA) 1-800-944-8648;
new Hindu temples signal the presence of a of Greater Chicago has a complex which Gods. IJl most temples, in deference to the dia, however, has long taken a different mea- FAX (USA), 1-800'944-1844;
religious community that has taken to 'houses both a Sri Rama Temple and a Gane- many languages spoken by Indians, the lit- sure of the meaning of plurality." E-MA.I L: CW204@coiumbia.ed.u
httpilwww.columbia.edulculcup
American ways, with the spirit .of volun- sha-Siva temple, with a 8o-foot-tall temple erature is often in English. Where popula- Altf.ough dotbusters, hate crimes, vandal- ,. httpilwww.fas.harvard.edul- plUlalism •
-I
MARCH , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 23
 .
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
Let's Go
Beyond.
Tolerance "
A Harvard professors
report c¥d on religion
By LAVINA MELWANI, NEW YORK
MAGINE BEING COVERED IN COLORS
I
from head to toe and having to walk sev-
eral blocks in crowded Manhattan. This
is the predicament Diana Eck, Director
of the Pluralism Project at Harvard Univer-
sity, found herself in after attending an avid
celebration of the Hindu Holi festival at the
Pushtamargi Temple in Sayerville, New Jer-
sey. "They had a bonfire in the parkiNg lot
and were throwing colors back and forth be-
tween the pujari [priest] and the wor-
shipers," she recalls. '~ll of us were smeared
with red powder. I was splattered with col-
or allover IIJ.y face, my hair, my clothes. I
didn't quite know what to do. So I just drove
into Manhattan, through the toll booth, and
parked in a garage in the Upper West Side
and walked five blocks to the apartment
building I was staying in. Literally no one
noticed my appearance, and that is a
tremendous testimony on the diversity of
New York City. I was walking home from
Holi as if I were in Vrindavan!"
Dr. Diana L. Eck"has been following the
growth of Hinduism in America fer many
years. She is also Chair of the Committee on
the S!udy of Religion in the Faculty of Arts
and Sciences, and a member of the interna-
tional presidium of the World Conference
on Religion and Peace. Eck has spent some
time at Banaras Hindu University and is the ..
author of Banaras, City of Light and Dar-
shan: Seeing the Divine Image in India,
among other books. Beginning around 1990,
she noticed more and more s~cond-genera­
tion South Asians in her classes, children
who had grown up in America.: as Hindu,
Muslim, Sikh or Jain. She recalls: "I realized
at that point how much the religious com-
munities of America must be changing. I de-
veloped a research project that used Har-
vard students, employed them as summer
re!:earchers to do hometown research in
Denver, Houston, Salt Lake City and Chica-
go to fmd out exactly what was happening."
From these early beginnings evolved the
Pluralism Project, which is funded by the
Lilly Endowment and the Pew Charitable
24 HINDUISM TODAY MARCH, 1998
Trusts, and the end result was On Common
Ground: World Religions in America [see ar-
ticle page 20]. The most exciting part for all
the researchers involved with the project
was the illuminating hands-on experience of
doing the research, of putting
themselves over and over in the
position of b~ing a stranger in
someone else's community. Eck
herself recalls witnessing Bais-
I •
akhi celebrations at a gurudwara
(Sikh temple) in Fairfax County,
VIrginla. "I remember arriving at
J
that gurudwara at six in the
evening as a total stranger and
leaving at midnight from the
midst of what really felt like a
new family." One of the things
Eck has noticed in her research is
the gradual Americanization of
Hinduism as it takes root in this
country. She observes, "The Hin-
du temple in Troy, Michigan, is
very unusual as an American •
Hindu temple because it has
brought t0gether people from a
vast spectrum of society who
have tried to design a Hindu tem-
ple that really is American." The
temple is designed in the typical-
ly Western way, with a vast audi-
torium, ibckers for shoes, a large
kitchen, skylights and a big con-
gregation hall. She says, "They
actually hired an architect to de-
sign not a Chola Hindu temple,
t Life Surrendered in God (yoga-sutras),
but an American Hindu temple."
Eck, who has visited many temples and
witnessed countless rituals, fmds that tradi-
tions of North and South India often merge
in America \is the Indians here try to find a
happy compromise. She recalled how the
elaborate Ram Navami celebrations at the
temple in Troy incluqed the marriage of
Sita and Ram in a typically South Indian
context followed by rounds of Om Jai
Jagdish Hare, a time-honored North Indian
song. And in a nod to the Americanization
of Hinduism, this was followed b¥ a delight-
ful play about Hanuman versus Superman
by high school students. She says, "The play
was touchingly devotional, but entirely pre-
sented in an American teenage idiom that
was very winning." • texts of all tradi-
.Still, there exists an obvious gap between
our 'live and let live" attitude and our actu~
al living together. Eck believes Americans
need to step up from simple, passive toler-
ance to actIve pluralism. "Tolerance lets lie
the half-truths and the half-baked stereo-
types we hold. If there are incidents of van-
dalism, people aren't prepared to responeV
because they just don't have accurate infor-
mation. Our diversity is encountered in
very critical areas-schools and colleges,
hospitals and the military-so we certainly
do need to know more about each other.
That, to me, is the difference between mere
tolerance and an active, generative plural-
ism, which requires an engagement beyond
tolerance." ...
\ 25
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Moneesh Resources - Gifts and Books Visit Barsana Dham
For the past 18 VIsit Shree
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developed an ex- Rani Temple,
tensive collection Barsana Dham,
of gifts, statues and and you will
books to support find you are in a
you in your spirit- different world, a
ual upliftment. world of spiritual
peacefulness that
• A broad collec- will excite your
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Radha Krishn.
tions, esp. Hindu-Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras, Puranas, etc.
• The fmest rudraksha malas, custom made-gold-filled, Barsana Dham founder, H.D. Swami Prakashanand
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necklace malas in various stones and styles • Statues of VIsitors can stay in the comfortable new guest rooms, enjoy
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shawls, wool meditation asanas, cushions and more Write for information about Barsana Dham, books by Shree
• Alternative health care remedies and books: ayurvedic Swamiji, audio and video tape lecture series in English and
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• Apparel: hatha yoga T-shirts and mats, meditation clothes,
kurtas and dhotis Upcoming 1998 events at Barsana Dham:
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 Armed Forces presents an interesting career
option to a motivated Hindu. The qualifica-
tions are quite stringent~American citizen-
ship (or permanent residence), a college de-
gree and the Hindu equivalent of a Master
of Divinity in religious study, two years of
pastoral experience, character references
from one's guru dud temple society and the
approval of a certified endorsing agency.
There is so far orily one endorsing agency ,
for Hindus, Chinmaya Mission West. They
will, at present, provide endorsement only
for a fully qualified teacher within their
own Mission. Other Hindu organizations
can request certification as an endorsing
agency. There are 'about 220 endorsing
agencies of all faiths nationally. One can en-
roll in the Chaplain Candidate Program, a
pre-commissioning training program, as a •
graduate student. This is perhaps the sim-
plest way to fulfill all the requirements, in-
cluding the two years of pastoral experi- UK Scenes: Scottish bagpipers-a common Sight at Hindu events-lead Swami into the ltall. Right, he presents prize to marathon winner.
ence. The services are prepared to adapt
their requirements to the particulars of the MISSION beliefs, methods of worship, celebrations
Hindu priestly tradition. There are about
and their meanings, our id ills and values.

Swrami Satyamitranand
3,000 chaplains in the combined US forces,
Then only shall we be able to meaningfully
and 100 to 200 are added each year.
appreciate and preserve oUr identity."
Being a chaplain in the US Army, Navy or
On July 20, Scottish bagpipers led Swami

Tours United Kh~gdom ,

Air Force is a full-time commitment. One
into a huge London hall overflOwing with
lives on a military base, wears an officer's
disciples for the celebration of Guru Purni-
uniform and is subject to all the regulations
ma, the yearly honoring religious teachers.
of the military. Chaplains are not allowed to
He advised those gathered to "pause and
carry arms, but if the troops they minister
to are sent to the front lines, the chaplain Devotees across the Isles honor their guru ponder upon the intimate relations you have
built with wife and children, parents and
APluralistic Army: Chaplains of several faiths pose with the US Army soldie;S they guide goes with them. Each chaplain ministers to
friends. Worthwhile intimacy can only exist
those of hi~ or her own faith through reli- TER COMPLETING AN ENTIRE YEAR health and comfort. Among the highlights of

CAREER
Call for Military Ministers
US Armed Forces are recruiting qualified
Hindus as career clergy among i,ts soldiers
RMIES SINCE ANCIENT TIMES HAVE
Chaplain is a general term for a person
gious services, classes and counseling.
Overall, chaplains are responsible for the
morale of the troops av-d expected to coun-
sel anyone in need. Every chaplain is
trained to give last rites tg, a dying soldier of
any religion. "There are no atheists in fox-
holes," says the old military adage. But pros-
elytizing or "sheep-stealing"-converting
soldiers from other denominations or reli-
gions-is not only frowned upon but would
be cause for disciplinary action, according
to one senior chaplain.
I
in silence, which he observes every
, five years, Swami Satyamitranand
.
Ciri visited Britain in June and July
of 1997. In forty years, the venerated swami,
65, has traveled to more than 50 countries,
beginning with Nairobi in 1962, always
alone, penniless and caring little for his own
his UK tour was a two-day Rudra Puja
youth event at Leicester. There after fielding
dozens of religious questions from the thou-
sands of adolescent boys and girls, he ex-
claimed, "The air is full of holy vibrations,
like a Vedic school in India." He declared,
"There is need for us to find out about our
between us and our Creator, the one who re-
sides in each heart."
At Coventry, a giant Surya Yagna, three
days of open-air Sun worship, was conduct-
ed by 501 devotees under Swami's direction,
and enjoyed by 30,000 spectators. .,..;
SAAfANVAYA SEVA TRUST, SAMANVAYA KUTlR,
SAPTA SARQVAR. HA.JU)WAR 249410 INDIA

A ! required the services of religious

! '. guides. Consider, for example, Lord
. Krishna on the battlefield at Kuruk-
shetra, advising Arjuna on his duties as a
kshatriya, or warrior. This reality of war has
not changed, and nearly every army in the
world provides chaplains to minister to its
soldiers. What has changed is the religious
make-up of the world's armies. In a dramat-
ic example of America's religious pluralism,
the US Armed Forces have t ommissioned
not only Jewish and Christian chaplains of
all denominations, but Buddhist and Islam-
ic ones as well. Recently the Department of
Defense stated its willingness to commission
Hindu chaplains to minister to the nearly
one thousand Hindus, mostly doctors, serv-
ing in American armed forces.
26 HINDUISM TODAY M~ RCH, 1998
holding a spiritual office. It encompasses
priests, ministers, rabbis, imams-any per-
son of any faith holding such a post. In the
United States Armed Forces, chaplains are
regularly commissioned career officers, ex-
pected to serve twenty year~ or more.
The Indian Army has the same system, but
uses the term "religious teachers." These
serve as junior commissioned officers, na-
yabsubadar. There are religious teachers of
five faiths-Hindu, Islamic, Sikh, Buddhist
and Christian. They are trained for their re-
ligious duties at a special schooL Each major
military base in India has a saroa dharma
sthal where all religions can worship. Some
bases have built huge temples-for example,
that of the Rajputana regiment in Delhi.
The post ot chaplain in a branch of the US
Pay is good, beginning at US$30,000,per
year at the rank of captain, and perhaps
reaching $60,000 as a full colonel by the en.{!
of a 20-year career. Benefits are excellent-
housing, food, full lifetime medical cover-
age, discOlfnt purchasing at base stores and
30 vacation days per year, to name a few.
Lifetime retirement pay is about 50% of the
highest salary earned. The entire employ"
ment package is far beyond anything the
Hindu temples offer their priests.
, For the right people, the US military
chaplaincy offers a challenging religious
lllnistry, and for Hindus, it would be official
recognition of a permanent presence on the
American religious scene. .,..;
CHAPLAIN RECRUITING CENTERS: CHAPLAIN VANN, US ARMY,
800 223 3735. EXT. 60435; CHAPLAIN JOHNSON, US NAVY, 703
6g6- 5363; CHAPLAIN LEM.MON, US AIR FORCE 800 803 2452
Guru Purlllima: Youth participate in personal ritual worship (puja). Right, Swami sits bedecked in flowers offered in the guru-honOring rites.
27 HINDUISM TODAY MARCH, 1998
 HE TIRUKURAL, "HOLY COUPLETS," IS A TREASury OF HINDU ETHICAL INSIGHT AND A LITERARY
masterpiece ofthe Tamil language, written by Saiva Saint Tiruvalluvar (ca 200 BCE) near present-day
Chennai in South India. This sagely compendium of practical advice is so pithy, so profound and so
sacred that it is sworn upon today in South Indian courts. The text focuses primarily on the first three
goals of life-artha (wealth), dharma (conduct) and kama (desire)-but also includes thirteen chap-
ters on renunciate dharma, relating to life's fourth goal, rrwksha (liberation). In an extraordinarily compact
verse form of fourteen syllables, the poet presents 133 subjects of ten verses each on relationships, human
strengths and foibles, statecraft and more-1,330 verses in all. One of the worlds earliest ethical texts, the
Tirukural has been called "a bible on virtue for the human race."
Although it has been translated into English by many scholars, the haps its main function-to perfect and protect our lives in the every-
Holy Kural has remained virtually unknown in the Western world. day world by preventing mistakes which can cause an unhappy kar-
There is a similar work, written in modern times by the mystic ma, by preventing erroneous attitudes which can bring unnecessary
Kahil Gibran, called the Prophet, which has been widely distributed. sorrow into our experience. There is nothing in the Kural that has
Everyone knows and loves this great work. The Holy Kural parallels to be obeyed. Each of the couplets contains such insight, however,
the Prophet in many ways. Both books speak in profound yet useful that we are drawn to it and want to comply with its discernments.
terms of love and friendship, of health and death, of joy and sorrow. Teach these gems to the children. This advice and admonition,
Details of Tiruvalluvar's life are meager. It is known that he was a coming from the Sanatana Dharma, the world's most ancient faith and
weaver lmd that his wife, Vasuki, was the perfect example of devotion culture, will enrich every childs understanding of goodness, right
and obedience to her husband. Several stories are told depicting the conduct and right thought. It is essential that the values which are the
exemplary harmony in their marriage. The Tirukural was his only substance of the Holy Kural-the do's as well as the donts-be carried /
work, and though it is relatively short, it was sufficient to bring renown over into the next generation with courage, persistence and fortitude
to the humble weaver, making him a venerated sage and lawgiver. so that our descendants are benefited by these age-old insights into
The Holy Kural is most useful in everyday life when its verses are universal laws, humanitarian laws and plain common sense.
committed to memory and meditated upon, quoted freely as one's The Kural does not contain a single ethical concept or expression
very own. One of its greatest benefits is to guide our actions and our that would offend another faith, and thus it is a fme introduction to
thoughts, to direct our purpose in life and refine our interactions the scriptures of the East. The Holy Kural is a liberal meeting ground
with our fellow man. Business, family and personal problems can be for all religions. It could well be called a Common Creed for the
resolved in the light of the saint's wisdom. If something is going modern world. The selected verses which follow were rendered into
along wrong in your life, bring the forces of life back into harmony modern 'i\merican English" by two acharyas of the Saiva Siddhanta
by studying the Holy Kural and applying its knowledge. That is per- Yoga Order at the request of Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami.

Translation's Dubious Art

Ho\1V uneasily the Kurars cryptic verses yield
. N THE TAMIL LANGUAGE, TIRU
)means "holy" or sacred, and kural
l means anything that is brief or short.
'. In this case it describes the difficult
and disciplined kural-venpa meter in
which the verses were written. Each two-
line verse is short, containing just four
feet in the first line and three in the sec-
ond-14 syllables in all. As a rule, the last
foot of the first line, or the first foot of the
second line, rhymes with the first foot of
the first line. In many ways these couplets
are similar to such Sanskrit verses as the
Brahrna Sutras. With subjects or predi-
cates often only implied, the reader is left
to intuit the meaning, and the result is an
array of legitimate interpretations. Show-
ing the range of style and meaning, here
is verse 805 rendered by eight of the
Tirukural's 150 known English translators:
Rev. W.H. Drew (1840): If friends should
perform what is painful, understand that
it is owing not only to ignorance, but also
to the strong claims of intimacy.
G.U. Pope (1886): Not folly merely, but
familiar carelessness, esteem it, when
your friends cause you distress.
A. Ranganatha Mudaliar (1949): Deem
the sting caused by friends to be born of
not folly merely, but of easy fanllliarity.
K.M. Balasubramanlam, (1962): When
thine own friends perchance did some-
thing thou dost hate indeed, do treat it as
their folly or as friendship's privilege-deed.
Shuddhananda Bharatl (1971): Offence of
friends feel it easy as folly or close intimacy.
G. Vanmlkanathan (1984): If intimate
friends do some painful thing, take it ei-
ther as a piece of foolishness or privilege
of friendship.
P.S. Sundaram (1989): If friends hurt,
put it down to ignorance or fanllliarity.
Salva Siddhanta Yoga Order (1993): <&U6m~6mlD ~dr<&!Drr
When friends do things that hurt you, Qu@iN$lW 6m1D 6TdrW~rT85
attribute it to unawareness or to the
privileges of friendship. <&ffirr ~a;85 ffiLLrTrT Q6'ulldr.

ART BY A. MANlVEL
MARCH , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 29

Greatness of Renunciates
Behold those who have weighed the
dual nature of things and followed
the renunciates way. Their
greatness illumines the world.
CHAPTER 3 , VERSE 23
One's Duty to Give
Riches retained
by big-hearted men
Resemble a fruit tree
ripening in the heart of a village.
CHAPTER 22, VERSE 216
30 HINDUISM TODAY MARCH , 1998
Asserting Virtue's Power
Be unremitting in the
doing of good deeds.
Do them with all your might and
by every possible means.
CHAPTER 4, VERSE 33
Destiny
A man may amass millions,
but its enjoyment
will never exceed that
portion allotted to him.
CHAPTER 38, VERSE 377
Avoidance of Envy
Fortune's Goddess, intolerant of men
who cannot tolerate other's success,
Introduces them to her sister
Misfortune and goes away.
CHAPTER 17, VERSE 167
Unjust Reign
A scepter-wielding king
requesting a gift is like
a lance-bearing robber
demanding, "Give me all you have."
CHAPTER 56, V ERSE 552
/
Resoluteness of Action Judging the Audience Hatred
Do not disparage men who Speaking to an audience Though men plot disunity
appear small, for there are those, of thinking men and deliberately harm you,
seemingly insignificant, who is like watering a the highest path plans
are like the linchpin of a mighty chariot. bed of growing plants no hateful retribution.
CHAPTER 67, VERSE 667 CHAPTER 72, VERSE 718 CHAPTER 86, VERSE 852
Honor Possession of Courtesy Begging
Cultivate modesty in the If a man is easy of access to all, There are men who never
midst of good fortune, then the virtue of courtesy deny a request, even in a dream.
but in times of adversity will be easily Begging from such men
preserve your dignity. accessible to him. is as good as giving.
CHAPTER 97, VERSE 963 CHAPTER 100, VERSE 992 CHAPTER 106, VERSE 1054
MARCH , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 31
NATIONAL TREASURES
.
Ne Cameras Allowed
" .
Capturing on canvas the concealed countenance of Indias temple Deities
TENDING SOUTH INDIA'S MAJESTIC
I
1 , Hindu temples, such as Madurai's
I ! Meenakshi citadel, evokes profound
. reverenCe and joy. As bhakti-filled
devotees bathe in the powerful radiance of
the f}eity, they long to sorn.i!how bring the
DeifIJ 's image, which may be hundreds or
thousands of years old, back to their own
homes for personal worship. But this is eth-
ically impossible. Even taking photographs
or video of a temple's main sanctum is tradi-
tionally taboo. The Gods, however, do have
recourse to appease their devotees' desire
for constant company. In 1978, they enlist-
ed Sri. A Manivelu to paint their portraits.
DiVinely inspired, Manivelu, 56, patiently
.
sits before the temple's\ sanctum sanctorum
for hours at a stretch to sketch India's Gods
and Goddesses and later to bring them to
life in oil an4 watereolor. Manivelu, the
chief artist ofJnanabumi, a monthly Tamil
family magaZine, thus fills a unique niche
in the art world. He also regularly pro-
duces original drt for HINDUISM TODAY,
influding the Publisher's Desk illustrations.
Our Insight section this month displays an-
other of his commissions-fdurteen illustra-
tions of the ancient TIRUKURAL scripture.
Manivelu recently spgke with HINDUISM
TODAY at his home itear Chennai.
0", the drive to portray divinity
At ag~ ten, my wife endured the extremely
traumatizing.experience of losing most of
her family to small pox. Depressed, she be-
came unusually withdrawn, and I only dis-
covered her condition after our marriage. I
fervently prayed to almighty God, seeking
His grace for my wife's fast recovery. This
spiritual involvement naturally gave me the
urge-and a special power-to. render
Gbd's images on canvas. " be self-critical' of his paintings.
On his heritage
My ancestors were chariot and temple
builders. I am in the ninth generation of
this lineage. It is the custom 6f temples to
appoint the elder sons of chief temple
bUilders to assume the father's post after
his demise. My elder brother is currently
holding such a post. My father, Sri
Arumuga Achari, was a chief temple
builder, carpenter and also
a capable artist.
32 HINDUISM TOD A.Y M RCH, 1998
On his hl~me village
I was bOirn in Sikkal village of Tanjavur,
Tamil Nadu. Sikk'al is famous for the
Surasamhara temple festival, which denotes
the day Lord Murugan received the Vel
from -His mother Shakti. Qn this auspicious
day the vigraha (image) of Lord Muruga
perspires the same way hurn@ beings do.
Even after wiping it again and again, the
vigraha continues to perspire.
On his early life and training
Mter schooling I became a mechanic, and
eventually the supervisor of a fIrm. Mean-
while, I had great interest in my faffiily pro-
fession of painting and did this in my spare
time. I learned from my father, be~g
at age tel). I did not attend any art school
·or classes. I assisted my father and careful-
ly observed his methods. He usually paint-
ed near the temple or at home. The chief
artist of Kalaimagal magazine and guru to
me, Sri Kumarasamy, taught me how to
shine as a devotional painter.,
On his transition to full-time painting
When Jayendra Saraswathy Swami of
Kanchi Peetam visited Chennai two years
ago, I showed him my paintings and asked
him to bless me. He \vas impressed and ad-
vised me to quit the supervisor job and
concentrate on painting full-time. With
that blessing to sustain me, I complied.
On his depictions of temple icons
There are differences between paintings
for ordinary magazines and portrayals' of
temple deities. My guru 'Sri Kumaras;my
said, 'm-tists in abundance draw mundane
pictures, but only a few can depict the
Gods." Ever since he told me this, I painted
only the Gods. Since 1978, Jnanabumi has
commissioned me to pOFtray the mgT-aha in
the main sanctum of India's most popular •
temples. Before entering the temple I ob- /
serve religious disciplines such as fasting,
early morning worship and japa. Some peo-
ple tried to intimidate me by sayillg that the
fIerce-lookIng Gods will curse me if I went
too close! But nothing but blessings have
ever come to me. I do a sketch prior to the
abhishekam, ritual bathing, and after the
decoration. Finally, I drtlw sketches of the
face-every detail is noted. I ask the priest
for the temple's customs-what jewelery and
dress are used on the deity, how many gar-
lands are put on, etc. I draw the sketches just
as I see the deity, asking the priest not to
decorate just for the painting. I take a week
t6 sketch, then do the painting at home
within 45-60 days. I have c;ompleted about
one hundred paintings-all published in
Jnanabumi and suitable for hgme worship.
On why modern Gods look like film stars
Some art students draw the same type of
amateur pictures over and over again and
·these images stay in their minds. Mter
graduating, they repeat the same style.
Therefore, the presEtnt pictures are the
same as they had practiced long ago. An
artist must observe every part of the body
carefully for his pictures. He must tell him- ....
self that the eyes must be like this, and the
nose should be sharper and so on. He ~ust
On finance and the future
Everything is God's grace. My father used F
to say, "Do not worry. If not this God, some
other God will look after you. The Gods
will not let you starve." I believe my chil-
dren will have the same intuition as I 'did to
portray the Gods. My second son has com-
pleted a course in fIne art. A person should
not treat painting the Gods as a chore. It
should be done on one's own free will with
full -involvement and commitment. ' __
MARCH , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 33

.
<~==--~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scru~ hard: A mahout bathes his elephant at the Gandok Riper during the fair in Sonepur
FAIRS
Aahh, That's the Spot!.
Thousands of animals are bought and sold in
India at Asia's largest elephant emporium
II
NDER THE SHADE OF A MANGO
I ' grove in eastern India, four men
. leisurely haggle over the 'price of a
magnificent ten-foot-tall81ephant. ''At
least 1 million rupees," owner Ram Lakhan
Verma says, demanding the equivalent of
US$25,500 for 25-year-old Bhola. "Look at his
tusks. Look at his nails. He is a healthy male
in his prime." "Too much, too much," wran-
34 HINDUISM TODA.; MARCH, Igg8
Asia\; oldest and largest elephant fair, a year-
ly month-long jamboree during November.
The elephants come fro'm across India to
Sonepur, a dusty village in the eastern state
of Bihar that has hosted the annual fair for
at least 300 years. Hindu mythology tales
describe a fierce battIe between a divine
elephant and a viNous crocodile that is won
by the elephant. Some people claim the bat-
tIe took place in Sonepur.
Hundreds of thousands of people throng
the fair on the first day to buy and sell ele-
phants, horses, cows, buffaloes, goats, dogs
and birds. Some have come just to have a
good time. Crowds ,mill about -the ele-
phants-the star attraction-gawking at the
..brass rings on their tusks and ears and the
bright designs painted on their bodies.
Elephant owner Verma walked 10 days •
with a retinue of 50 people and five ele-
phants to reach the fair. The trek from his
village of Faizabad, 180 miles to the west,
was arduous, but Verma says nowhere else
can he find such a market for his prized
pachyderms. As dusk falls, Verma still had
not sold Bhola. But he bought 'an eight-year-
old baby elephant 'for uS$I2,300. In a few
years, he hopes to sell it for a good profit.
The deals are almost always in cash to
avoid bad checks. And Verma, like most
dealers, is surrounded by burly bodyguards
with fierce mustaches and guns. The num-
ber of elephants available for sale has dwin-
dled over the years, Verma says. The Indi-
an government has banned capture of wild
elephants, tQ help animal conservation. But
elephants still are sought by loggers, who
use them in forests to haul trees, since ma-
chines often cannot m~euver through the
vegetation.
Wealthy Hindu temp~s use elephants
during religious ceremonies, often to carry
idols of the Gods through the streets. Others
hire out the animals for weddings and festi-
vals. Though many people own elephants as
an investment-earning good profits off the
sale of a full-grown animal-the prime rea-
son for having elfi!phants is social status.
Elephants are a status symbol among
w~althy land owners, especially in rural In-
dia. The rich have vast farm fields and OI:;-
chards that can satisfy the voracious appetite
of these mammals, which are completely veg-
etarian. AIf adult elephant eats 450 pOIDlds
of sugarcane, rice paddy and grass a day-
one-fifth its body weight. Feeding the mas-
sive manIffial costs about US$500 a month,'
gles the prospective buyer, unimpressed by about one year's wages for a farm hand. But
the long tusks covered with brass rings or owners can make up the money just using
Bhola's leathery body painted in vivid col- the dung as fertilizer for their farms. "The
ors. The deal falls through. rich love to have elephants tied to their
No problem: there are dozens of other ele- front door. It is a throw back to the days of
phants to choose from. More than 100 gaily the maharajas, when a man was respected
by the number of elephants he had," says
decorated 'elephants quietly chew on sugar-
cane and rice paddy along the Ganges Riv- Sukhiya, a villager at the fair. WI
er while their owners wait for buyers at By Hema Shukla, Associated Press
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T THE HEART OF HINDU ECONOM- vestmel}ts and strengthening local econ- of environmental resources such as forests.
ics is this: the test of every policy is omies by decentralizing economic and polit- The Tamil Tirukural [featured in our In-
not profit, employme.nt or growth, ical power." The idea is not to enforce Hindu sight this mQnth, page 28] spoke of the right
but how it strengthens family and economics, as communism was enforced and wrong ways to gather and spend wealth.
community, individual character upon the people, but to create an environ- The new "Hindu economics" advocated by a
and sensitivity, states Romesh ment where these principles become viable. few pioneers is based jn part on these an-
Diwan, Professor of Economics at Rensse-
laer Polytechnic Institute in
Troy, New York. Diwan, Dat-
topant Thengdi of New Delhi
(founder of India's foremost la-
bor ~ion, Bhartiya Mazdoor
Sangh), M.G., Bokare, (a disen-
chanted Marxist and author of
· larger ideas such as capitfllism and social- ple's trust by his own honesty and integrity.
. and consuming. Rather, humans comprise to grow inwardly, as well as a 'simple, rich
Economics has been a topic of discussion cient systems, and in part on a practical ap-
plication of Hindu philosophy to
the modern situation.
The best minds in economics
and social sciences, such as Lester
Thurow and Alvin Toffl~r, question
the viability of the capitalist ap-
proach to economics. They are
aware that in last two decades the
the prevalent theories-capitalism or com- should be taken into consideration. When
munism-deliver that? The more the ex- you apply these fundamental beliefs, the
perts try to answer these fundamenta! ques- kind of economics you get is very different.
GUiding Prin9iples
tions of economics, the more they turn For example, in Ralegaon Siddhi, 1he first Sri Dattopant Thengdi's
towards the Hindu approach. "In terms of thing Anna Hazare began was to earn peo-
book, Third Way, outlines
ism, Hindu economics belongs te spiritual- This, in ,turn, allowed them to trust each the dharma of wealth
ism" says Professor Diwan. • . other-a significant factor in Hindu eco-
According to Dattopant Thengdi, Hindu nomics. He then persuaded the citizens to
economics is fundamentally different from make their ·village self-sufficient by their • For all economic activities, dharma
must be the guidintprinciple and sva-
Western economics. To start with, he says, oV{Il cooperative efforts so they were not ex- dharma-what comes naturally to you-
in the West economics is treated as a sepa- ploited by outsiders. The environment of should playa fundamental role in choos-
rate discipline. But within Hinduism, eco- nonexploitation convinced the people that ing your economic livelihood.
nomics falls under artha, one of the four le- when they worked hard, they-not an out-
gitimate aims of life: dharma (righteousness), side person-benefited from the fruits of • Workers, by contributing their labor to
the business, can become shareholders
artha (wealth), kama (pleasure) and rrwksha their own labor. Also it is important to keep ;md are thereby given participation in
(liberation). In Western economics, human in mihd that there is a fundamental differ- ..the ownership of their industries. De-
beings are too often regarded as essentially ence between poverty and frugality. There pending upon the nature of the indus-
econontic beings, carrying out economic was poverty in Ralegaon Siddhi prior to the try, the share may differ.
activities, producing goods and, in turn, application of ethical economic principles.
consuming goods to complete the econom- Today, though the level of material con-
• Nature is to be respected: milked but
not killed. Ecological factors, balance of
ic cycle. sumption is not high: the poverty is gone. nature and the requirements of future
It is, of course, an oversimplification to say Real-world application of a Hindu eco- generations should never be forgotten.
I
the Western economic system is totally self- nomic theory remains in a nascent state.
ish, for charitable giving is common in the The practical application of its principles on
• Education, ecology, economics and
ethics-all four must be taken into con-
West among both poor and-rich-witness a pe sonal, national or global level, is not sideration in an integrated maimer for
the sated intention of Bill Gates, the world's clear, but the goal is. As captured by the any economic activity.
richest mlm, to eventually give most of his great spiritual teacher Sri Aurobindo: "The
money to charity or Ted Turner's recent bil- aim of economics would be not to create a
• Material wealth is to be acquired with
the object of serving the society.
lion-dollar gift to the UN. Indeed, American huge engine of producpon, whether of the
philanthropy has few equals. . competitive or the cooperative kind, but to
• It is not only the technical ''know-how''
but also the technical "know-what' (to
In contrast to ~he mechanical approach of give to men and women-not only some understand what is good for the sOciety)
Western economics, Hindu philosophy men ane. women but to all, each in his high- that should be given consideration.
holds that human beings are not just physi- est possibl~ measure-the joy of work ac-
cal entities to be kept happy by producing cording to their own nature and free leisure
• Consumerism is not the ultimate goal of
life. In fact, consumerism is not compat-
ible with th~ spirit of the Hindu culture.
phys~cal, mental and spiritual aspects, and
for the happiness of an individual all three
and beautifullife·for all."
By MEENAL PANDYA, Massachusetts
..,I • The basic needs of life are available to
every citizen.
was beyond any hope for eco-
Miracle Village nomic or social recovery.
Droughts were a regular event,
the soil was poor, there was lit-
Where Anna Hazare and Hindu economics changed the future tle work to be had, about a
fifth of the families ate only
once a day and desperate
m;LCOME TO you cannot find a denizens had taken to manu-

II
Hindu Economics ) and others
gulf between private affluence.and Ralegaon Sid- single liquor still. facturing liquor. Drunkenness,
are advocates of a thoroughly
public poverty has widened, the dhi-a tiny vil- While neighboring feuds and crimes were com-
Hindu revamping of today's
gap between the rich and the pOqf lage near Pune, villages await the mon occurrences. Life in this
economic systems. "Many
economists wonder how prac- has virtually doubled, the Earth India-where everyone government tanker burg was pretty bleak.
has been polluted and things far cares for everyone elses to bring drinking Then, Anna Hazare, a re-
tical these ideas are," state~ .
m6re precious to humanity-such well-beilog, where vil- water, Ralegaon Sid- tired army truck driver in-
Pi-of Diwan. "I think, at the ~
core of it, Hindu economics is as children, families, personal val- lagers who have extra dhi has enough not spired by the teachings of
ues and clean air and water-have grain harvest, instead of only for everyone in Swami Vivekananda to serve
very practical because it touch-
been threatened. storing iit for the next the village but also others, set out to change things I"
es all aspects of a human life." I"

FUndamental questions remain year, de )()sit it in a for the hundreds by putting the ethics back into
In places such as I,lalegaon Sid- Economic exponents: Dattopant Thengdi (left), Romesh Diwan
unanswered. What is wealth? Is it grain bank where it can who visit. Sounds the economics, and the village.
dhi [see sidebar], where they
be borrowed by vil- like the almost per- He instituted what is now be-
have been applied even on a minuscule scale, for Hindu scripture since the Rig Veda. In ~ccumulation of monetary resources, or
lagers who have noth- feet community? ing called Hindu economics,
the results have been impressive and real that ancient scripture are found key con- should it also take into account the nonma-
enough to support Diwan's claim. It is not a cepts such as production, exchange, wages, tenal possessions such as friends, family, ing to eat, where the Ralegaon Slddhl: Village activists take pledges Yes, now it is. How- governed not by profit motives
temple is the hub of all ever, if you had visit- but by dharma, encompassing
system imposed from up down by the gov- interest, rent, profit and the market. Kau- health and environment? What should be
ernment, but, according to Diwan, "The gov- tilya's Arthashastra, a treatise on statecraft, the goal of economics? Should it be maxi- the activrities, where 400,000 I
community, where not a single
trees ha, been planted by the store sells tobacco and where
Ied only two decades ago you
would have seen a hamlet that
not just the value of goods, but
also of lives.
ernment plays an important role in Hindu includes extensive advice on taxation, cus- mi.z~tion of profits or of human happiness?
economics by defining priorities for large in- toms duties, trade and intelligent protection If It IS human happiness, then can either of

36 HINDUISM TODA.Y M RCH , Igg8

MARCH , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 37
SOCIAL PROGRESS tions, legal aid, etc.-are funded from sub- ca, Africa and ~ustralia on a pauper's pro- readers first fully understand the subtler
scriptions and single copy sales," Madhu motional budget. Manushi sells itself. In- forces within Indian societal fabric in order

Not for Wo.men Only

proudly shares. "In India, if people see that spired readers are its invisible sales force. to meaningfully assess any event or issue.
you're not in social work for personal gain- The editorial focus is an evolving thing. She did not want the journal to become sim-
that it's not a money-making enterprise- Early issues dealt with specific social issues ply a bullhorn for "propaganda-oriented re-

.
you get a lot of affection and respeC't."
Manush1~ has an impressive 6 000 sub-
'
scribers-parliamentarians to housewives-
and hot-button incidents, notably atrocities
against women, rural labor disputes, the
landless poor, tribal rights, etc. However,
por!s of struggles by different organiza-
tions."
This brought a new energy to Manushi.
India's leading advocate for women's rights doesn't fit anyones preconceptions and has spread its wings to Europe, Ameri- Madhu soon realized that it was critical that How-awful-everything-is metamorphosed ,
;

By
Woman of Vision
POORNIMA NARAYANAN, DELHI
N A MILD WINTER EVENING I
walked into the home of Madhu
Kishwar-social activist, inter-
national lecturer and editor of Interview with Madhu Kishwar
Manushi, India's only "serious"
magazine about women. The
By POORNIMA NARAYANAN would just wilt and die. I con-
apartment is cozy, very Indian,
Motivations: So often people sider it one of the biggest
with soft ikat prints, oil paintings and book-
presuppose that I take an in- blessings of my life.
lined walls. Madhu herself, dressed in bright
terest in women's issues be- Critics and challenges: The . I
ethnic colors, is a petite figure. Behind her
cause I came from a patriar- on'ly kind of women I have
unusually expressive, soft amber eyes, I see
chal family filled with male or had problems with are Indian'
the trenchant mind that unnerves even the
fatherly oppression. 'For me, feminists who are overly tuned
boldest bullies who attempt to defend or ex-
it's been the contrary. Since I to Westernized feminism and
cuse India's blatant social abuses, especially
never was treated badly, I can- have very little respect for
tliose who denigrate her women. Over tea,
not beaT to see others mal- their own society and people.
we talked about her personal life, her jour-
treated. It's an aberration. It For some reason they're the·
nal's birth, its tremulous adolescence and,
was only after I jOined college only ones who can't stand
more recently: its heart-warming recogni-
that I began to see how Manushi. Nothing satisfies
tion as one of India's most ·intelligent and in-
women grow up with such low them. I don't understand what
formed voices of soeial conscience and sen-
self-esteem and therefore al- they want, which is one of the
sible religio/political debate. low others to treat them shab- reasons I distance myself from
Founded in 1978 by a group of women in
bily. As a woman student try- the Westernized feminist
Delhi, "Manushi was conceived to exist for a
ing to participate in university movement in India. I have an
cause, for causes, and serve as a catalyst to
politics, I became mote sensi- uneasy feeling they dislike In-
make our society more just and humane,"
tive to· the kind of pressures dian women as they are and
Madhu summarizes. "Our task is not just to
women confront. But not want to remold them into crea-
passively put together articles that come to
raIsed to accept an inferior, tures alienated from their own
us but to initiate positive corrective change,
meek position, I would puf my social environment.
improvement." For this reason, the Manushi
foot down and say, "No, this I chose not to get married. I
world is far more than printed words and
mistreatment of women can- am happy in the life I've cho-
meeting bi-monthly deadlines. Always, the
not happen." sen, and enjoy the work I do.
printed word is their most powerful tool, but
Family background: My fa- It's hard, but very challenging. On everyone's behalf: Manushi tackles the tough social issuqs
Manushi's action palette includes all kinds
ther worked for Life Insurance Yes, stressful. I'm overstressed.
of strategies .and endeavors-legal aid ser-
Corppration. He is now re- I'm overexhausted. I'm over- is, you could say, my puja am unwilling to ever consider
vice, human rights campaigns, book pub- worked. ,.
tired. My mother is a house- time. When you're doing God as an external creature
lishing, even street plays, whatever.
wife. I have two younger I am always calling upon my breath control, you're control- sitting in the heavens, telling
Exposing the discrimination-and demor-
brothers. Perhaps the only ex- family to help Olit. My father ling your mind, focusing it. I people what tg. do, frightening
alizing minimallzation-of women in Indian
ceptional thing- which I never will rarely walk out of the don't do any ritualistic pujas as them into submission. '
society is the tempest that thrusts against
realized then, but I appreciate house without a copy of such. My family inculcated Her personal interests: Mu-
Manushi's sails. But there is so much more.
now when I see the lives of Manushi in his bag to get sub- this idea very strongly in all of sic interests me profoundly.
This is definitely not a for-woqten-only, fem-
inists' empowerment manual. Manushi is
very much every thinking m~ magazine
Daringly different: Madhu Kishwar at a meeting with HINDUISM

riages) in a long, logically reason~d out arti-

, TODAY in New Delhi, 1995
.
bumpy, lots of begging, never enough read-
other women-is the amount
of unconditional love, support
scribers. If I asked them all to
even sit on the street to polish
us, that doing good karma is
the best puja. Also, to be hon-
Theater, good cinema, also. But
I have very little time for
cle (for which she interviewed 1,715 adults). ers. "Our initial capital consisted of no more and freedom, rarely given to shoes to do fundraising for est, I haven't fully sorted out those. If I had lived in a world
too. Muslims love it. Though Hindu, Madhu
Fearing she had sold out to the arch-conser- than Rs. 500 (US$13) collected from early' kids, that: I got from my family, Manushi, they would do it. my relationship with God. The where there'wasn't so much in-
routinely comes down hardest on her own
vative medievalists, or entrenched patriar- volunteers," Madhu reminisces. "Oftentimes no matter what I did. Not j~st That's the .kind of ullcondi- only kind of God that is ac- . justice, th~m perhaps I would
co-religionists when they can't even live up
chalists she was supposed to be emancipat- we would have no money for postage, and an from my parents but also my tionallove and support that ceptable to me (and luckily, have time for other pursuits. If
to the most basic Hindu teachings of love
ing her country from-or just getting old and issue had to be put together tlrrough loans. grandparents, aunts and Un- surrounds me. Which is equal- . our Hindu faith teaches it) is I could, I would have spent my
and respecting God in people of all faiths.
unromantic-readers stormed her mailbox We could not even afford a typewriter. In cles. This has contributed the ly true for most of my friends the idea that God is sar- entire life on two things-mu-
In'fact, Manushi's elusive editonhl mind-set
with letters crying betrayal. She stood her those early years, Manushi was on the verge most to my ability to stand by and volunteers-males and fe- vavyapi, all pervasive, and in- sic and yoga- and learning
disorients even the most loyal readers who
ground. of dying every day." It was daringly decided my own b eliefs and convic- males. ' dwelling-One who lives in Sanskrit. But I don't have those
think they have Madhu and Manushi pi-
It all began with Rs. 500: The story of at the outset to not accept grants and adver- tions. In fact, Without their Yoga and worship: The time every living being, connects luxuries available t o me. At
geon-holed. Readers were stunned when
Manushi's early years is the story of all "lit- tisements. And Manushi still does not. 'M continued affection, I think I I spend on yoga, meditation, all forms of life to each other. I least not in this lifetime.
Madhu came out supporting arranged mar-
tle" magazines with a conscience-uphill, our activities- including research, investiga-
riages (while not condemning love mar- ,
38 HINDUISM TODA.Y M RCH, 199 8
MARCH . 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 39
into more of a let's-see-what-we- Masjid at Ayodhya in December, PARENTING
.
can-actually-do-to-help attitude. 1992. Madhu jets forceful: "The
Readers responded and sub-
scriptions jumped. New articles
appeared with a marked cultur-
secular intellectuals argue that
religion is unduly interfering in
politics. In fact, it is the other
YOII're Worth a Million!
aI/x:eligious focus, r~flective, way around. Politicians are tak-
more philosophical. There came ing over religious institutions and Why 'we should rai:;e children tq respect themselves
inspirational people p ofiles, religious symbols with the sole
presentations of Indian tradi- aim of grabbing political power
tions, tribal rituals and their in the crudest possible fashion. I

I
~MILY W~S OUT TO DINNER WITH self-esteem' he begins to see himself as in-
meaning, even humor (the hard- think a real believer would de- I their nine-year-old son. When the boy
! ad~quate ana unacceptable. Children come
est emotion for die-hard social fine religion, dharma, as a space . fInished eating, he began to entertain into the world not knowing who they are.
activists to express). Readers for altruism, where you forget . himself by playing with a small plas- They learn who they are from those around
died laughing when editors ran your self-interest in the name of tic airplane. When he threw it in the air, it them, their 'sense of self' develops from the
a piece on the superiority of In- God, where you seek no recogni- hit his father's glasses. His father flew into a attitudes reflected in the faces of those who
dian-style over Western-style tion, rewai'd, no monetary or po- rage. He became louder -and louder as he are important to them and care for them."
toilets! Their tenth anniversary litical gain. It's simply labor fer said, "Don't you know how dangerous it IS to Parents and caregivers are the childs first
issue, "Women Bhakta Poets"-a God. Religion, or dharma, to me throw things at people's faces? I have told mirrors. When they respond with attention,
superbly-crafted 108 pages on begins where self-interest ceases • you tim'e and time again about these things." cuddling, smiles, singing and talking, he (or
the female songsters and saints to exist. That's what makes it sa- Then mother chimed in with, "Why do you she) begins to believe that he is valuable.
who helped shape India's spiri- cred. My mother tells me how The ancient Tirukural reminds, Here it is-the Hindu art CD of the
tual landscape-was a master- stressful it has become for her to "'Sweet are the sounds of the
piece. In every issue there is al- go to the local Arya Samaj flute and the lute: say those who decade. It contains a wealth of Clip
ways a deep-research piece by Mandir, because, she says, they have not 'heard the prattle of their
Madhu herself start giving political speeches children." If, on the other hanei', art, Aums, patterns, textures,
In her "In Defense of bhar- against Muslims and for-or- he is neglected, treated with in-
rna" [issue #60] she outlined a against certain political parties. difference or ignored for long
down-to-earth, yet visionary 10- They do it even at shraddha (fu- sacred symbols, borders, finished
hours at a time, he develops a
point plan to .stren~en Hin- neral) ceremonies. She says it's negative view of himself
duism. It included the return of where we go to seek peace, we Kersey says a child's behavior is graphics and some rare Rajput
temples to their earliest clesign don't go to listen to political a clue to his self-image. When
as potent cultural- education speeches!" children are sure of themselves, scans. More than 1,500 images
hubs. Readers love her high- One would assume an opin- • feel good about themselves, they
minded, lucid writing style-so ionated magazine like Manushi B[e friendly, outgoing and self-
refreshing in India where would attract enemies. Strangely, reflecting Indias rich traditions and
't!!onfident. They have no need to
British-era-styled journalists still it has not. "Only two kinds of misbehave, make trouble, annoy
delight in floral, Victorian phras- people are perpetually annoyed and destroy. When children have spiritual culture. Great graphics for
es of hollow substance. with Manushi," Madhu relates. a low opinion of themselves, they
Poetry, film reviews, book re- "One is a section of the feminist lack the courage and energy to an ashram bulletin, yoga book,
views, fiction stories and analy- lobby in India and the other, one tackle problems. A good self-im-
sis of social trends ~d political Dignified living: Femininity in India follows wise cultural traditions section of Marxists, who've been age is not to be confused with Web page or multimedia presen-
events-usually witlt-an angle on traditionally hostile." "What's conceit, which is quite the oppo-
women-spice up the magazine a lot. Since many of her articles carry in-depth their grouse?" I ask. "That we exist," Madhu site-mere whitewash used. as an
Madhu also realized that in order to ac- information about the legal aspects of social responds with a smile. "Other ,than that, effort to cover up low self-esteem. tation. Mac only. Special offer for
comRlish real social reform in India, it was issues, I was, curious to know if Ma'ahu, an well, in 16 years of our existence, we have so A per~on with sincere self-respect
essential to factor in unique, geographic, re- ex-professor, had any legal background. "No;- far received only one hate letter, and that is so secure that he does not need Hinduism Today readers: $ 199.
ligious values and village customs-and nev- I have no legal ,background at all," Madhu from an NRI in America who never read the to impre~s others.
er formulate a facile, one-solution-for-all ap- replied. "In fact, I believe that the present- magazine. His .finance executive was a "I love you, daughter:" Simple words work wonders "It is our job as parents," Kersey 1-800-890-1008 or
proach-so often artificial, imposed, day legal profession is devilish." The fire I Manushi subscFiber and since she was.not explains, "to raise emotionally
unwanted, alien' and delusively panacean in have heard about her flares. "They make super-submissive, he thought Manushi was always have to make trouble? You can never healthy children who possess a solid sense 1-808-822-3152 (ext. 238)
nature. For this editorial accomplishment, people fight, and then drag them into infer- spoiling her. Other than this, Manushi h~ behave. You are always getting into mischief of self-worth. We must enhance their self-' Fax: 1-808-822-4531
she has won major journalism awards. minable conflicts. When Manushi got start- mostly evoked love and affection. I, would We should have left you at home." Embar- esteem so they will grow up to be construc-
People, not laws, dictate jJJstice: In the ed, a lot of abused wives came to us, right not have survived but for this." 'rassed, and stunned after receivi,ng several tive members of society who contribute to E-mail: books@hindu.org
sp'irit of Gandhi, peaceful protest has been to our door, to seek help. W.e had perforce It has befen a special evening getting to . slaps, the boy cowered in his seat until. his the peaceful ongoing of humanlQ.nd, possess
one of Manushis most effective,.:wedges in to go and look for lawyers who 'ould help know Manushi and its charismatic editor, parents were ready to leave. inner strength and enjoy successful ~volve­
leveraging truth, compassion and justice. One them. In the process, we saw how very lim- her courage and conviction, I leave Madhus This is an anecdote from Katherine C. ment with others." Self-esteem builds the
demonstration outside the home of a young ited were the eXIsting laws in helping home with good wishes for Manushi's fu..l Kersey's child-raising book, The Art of Sen- same way muscles do~with constant work DHARMA
victim of dowry murder (whose husband women and how limited the legal machin- ture, inspiring Hindu society to honor sitive Parenting. In the section "Fill Your and practice. Just as muscles provide
burned his wife to death with kerosene be- ery is in giving people justice. There's some- women as a precious strength and better
cause not enough dowry was paid) spark'ed thing terribly wrong with this so-called 8ignify their position in the home, society
Child with Self-Esteem," she describes the strength for the body, self-confidence brings
effect of the above sttuation: "By embarrass- "inner sureness" and is the backbone of hap-
GRAPHICS CD
hUndreds of similar protests all over India. modern system of jurisprudence that the and workplace. ..,." ing ai'td insulting their son in public, these piness and the foundation of a productive
Madhu precisely pinpoints its unprecedented British gave us." parents only make matters worse. By label- life. Our goal as parents and teachers is to . HIMAlAYAN ACADEMY PUBUCATIONS
success: "This form of protest has certain pe- One issue extensively covered by Manushi FOR SUBSCRIPTION RATES OR LETTERS
ing him a troublemaker and telling him that encourage children to keep on trying and to 107 KAHOlAlELE ROAD
culiarly Indian characteristics. In our society, is the Ramjanmabhoomi movement that cul- TO THE EDITOR, WRITE TO: MANUSHI . cizo').
LAJPAT NAGAR 1, NEW DELHI , 110024 INDIA,
he never does anything right, they provide do their best. ' wi KAPAA. HI 96746-9304 USA
social opinion matters far more in regulating minated in massacre and bloodshed in the E -MAIL : madhu@manushi.unv.enet.in. OR MANUSHI c/o him with a negative image to live up to. In- TO ORDER THE ART OF-SENSITIVE PARENTI NG, WRITE TO:

aftermath 01' the destruction of the Babri

SPECIAL MARKETS}t.THE BERKELEY PUBLISHING GROUP, 200
social behavior than do laws." MANAVI , PO BOX 614 , BLOOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY 07003 USA.
cidents such as this take a toll on the child's MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, NEW YORK 100146, U SA BOOKS YOU CAN TAKE . SERIOUSLY

40 HINDUISM TOOA,Y M RCH, 1998

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7500. E-mail: dsharma@worldchat.com.
Devotional Supplies
Ganges clayfired statues for puja, meditation,
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Color catalog includes 200 other deities.
Send US$2 to: JBL, Box 163 H, Crozet, VA
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Beautiful wooden puzzles. Krishna, gods and
42
goddesses. Also two games for Hindu children:
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Quality Incense
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Education
Spirituality & healing in medicine-IV & V,
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Excellent correspondence course on Vedic
Astrology by Jyotish Krishnan, recipient
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Normal cost for four courses, US$558 (regis-
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Richardson TX 75085-2892 USA.
Vedic Astrology classes, workshops, tapes,
books. Offered by Umananda-Stephen Quong,
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E-mail: quongassoc@jyotisha.com
Free Products and Services
Free educational flow charts on all aspects
of Hinduism. Write to Viswanath. Am I a
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6697 USA. arvind-4@msn.com
Find God. "What right has a man to say that
there is a God if he does not see Him?" Any-
one with a burning desire to honestly know
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For inspiration, call 808-822-7482 (or 808-822-
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Jewelry
Affordable gems/jewelry for ayurveda, astrology,
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Music and Art
Hindu Deity paintings, notecards and prints
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Catalog. Lakshmi International, 411 Madison
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East Indian instruments and gift items.
Giant selection of instruments: harmoniums,
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Exquisite Vedic paintings done to order. Art
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Discover the heart and mind of India/Nepal.
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Auroml~re: Sri Aurobindo books, classical spir- Palanl Panchang 1998. Trivedis American Pan- Hinduism Todayis looking for news items, quips,
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(USA).
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Pragya Yug Literature Center, Chicago 10th Annual Dance Camp, Jul. 4-18, '98
The only center outside of India to This unique Gurukulam Dance
obtain the enlightened, inspiring and Camp will be conducted by
spiritual literature of Pandit Shree The Fine Arts Society (FAS)
Ram Sharma Acharya. His works Satchidananda Ashram, Yogaville
promote the development of family, Buckingham, VA 23921 USA.
society and world for now and the Instructors are: VP. Dhananjayans,
future by stimulating genuine awak- eminent artists from India and their
ening of mankind. Inexpensive and senior disciple, renowned dancer
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February and March, 1998
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• Shivaratri, Feb. 25
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Canada V6Y 3B8
 PILGRIMAGE the pas~ Muslims used to physically intimi- vascular disease is the nation's
date Hindus, but things are improving now. number one killer, accounting for

Blessed There are good Muslirrts who take you to

their houses, try to make you comfortable
and offer eatables."
two out of every five deaths, at a
rate of 2,500 per day.
Guggal is also a cure for arthri-

Blisters The people of Delhi are much uplifted by

"One God, One World " will be
chiseled in many languages into
the w hite granite ceiling of Iraivan
Temple, Americas first all-stone
traditional Siva temple. In 199 1
a small village was created
in Bangalore, India, for 100
craftsm en and their families w ho
are, to this day, hand-carving the
Ira ivan temple to be shipped to the
Garden Island of Kauai. Call or visit
This year 5 million l.
.tackled the tough trek
By RAJIv MALIK, NEW DELHI
; N DELHI I AM USED TO A VERY COM- kanwarias passing tHrough the city. Local
; fortable lifestyle," said Delhi business- ..religious organizations also organized assis-
I man Navin Yadav, ''but after walking
. torty kilometers in a day, I had .....-- -- - - - - - -- - - - - - -- - - ' - --1
no problem sleeping on the floor 9r
in any open spac~. It is indeed a
very powerful experience. My feet
were so full of blisters, but God
gave me the strength to carryon
the journey."
Yadav was one of 1.5 million
kanwaria pilgrims who trekked to
Neelkanth, near Haridwar, to fetch
sacred water from the Ganga and
take it back to their home place.
They traveled all or part way on
foot and took but one meal a day. It
was the largest number of pilgrims
to date for this yearly observance.
Many jtlurney hundreds of kilome-
ters to and from their vlllages
throughout Uttar Pradesh and
neighboring states. Others, like Ya-
dav, make the arduous trek on foot
from Delhi itsel£
Their· name comes from the pole
each carries known as a kanwar. It
has a pot on either end to hold the
Ganga river water. The 210-km
the passing through of the kanwarias, which
is like watching an endless series of wedding
processions. Previolls years' pilgrimages
tis and rheumatism. A 27-year-
old female patient of Dr. Sodhi
had pains in her joints and was
regularly taking large doses of
have caused traffic jams, but special potent allopathic drugs to keep
arrangements this year ensured a smooth her arthritis in check. Fortunate-
interaction of traffic and pilgrims.
The city government of Delhi set up hun-
ly, ~er father, a medical doctor
with first-hand knowledge of the
dreds of camps during June and July to shel- long-term side effects of the
ter and feed the hundreds of thousands of drugs- including diabetes, obesi- ..,.
ty and ulcers-urged her to seek
alternative treatment to free het
tance. At these places pilgrims could spend from the 'drug regime.
Dr. Sodhi reports, "She under-
went a cleansing treatment, mod-
ified her diet and took regular
doses of guggal and 'boswe-
lia-another natural herb. We re-
duced her allopathic drug intake
to the bare minifuum, five mil-
ligrams a day. Recently she re-
turned from successfully com-
pleting the Pacific Crest Trail, a
2,000-mile hike from Mexico to
Canada, without inconvenience
from her arthritis."
Guggal is extracted f rom the
Indian bedellium by making in-
cisions in the bark during the
winter. The resulting fragrant
golden resin burns in fire, melts
in the sun and forms a milky
emulsion when stirred into hot
water. Ori~ally it was used for
religious rituals. The. resin was
traded between India and
Guggal gOEIS to market: Resin is drawn from the desert-loving thorny plant during the winter months Greece in the first century CE,
the very time the ayurvedic trea-
LTERNATIVE MEDICAL PRACTITION- It's a common scenario, Dr. Sodhi told tises that describe its characteristics were

our w eb site for more details.
1-808-639-8886
www.HinduismToday.kauai .
hi. us/ashram/lraivan. html
nONE GOD,
ONE WORLD"
SAN MARGA IRAlVAN TEMPLE
J 07 KAHOlALELE ROAD,
KAPAA HI 96746-9304 USA
(126-mile) trip from Neelkanth
back to Delhi takes six days on
foot. Kanwarias don't undertake
this journey for' penance, explains
one. "They carry it for two rea~
sons-to thank God for fulfilling
one's wish, or to tell Him to let
things stay as they are. Kanwarias
are mostly satisfied people."
The journey is not witho\lt its Drawing water: Kanv/arias stop at Haridwar to wor-
dangers, however, and each year ' ship their decorated arches for carrying Ganga water
a few kanwarias are injured or
killed in road accidents. Short of such major the night on a carpet, wash and feed themf
problems, it is rare that one drops out half selves and, as necessary, bandage their worn
way. Satish Kumar, age 32, recounts, "My feet. At the roadside camp in Paschim Vihar,
first journey a couple of years back was very West Delhi, I saw the young kanwarias
inconvenient, I had body aches and wounds. dancing and merrymaking to the beat of
This time it was much better for me, sut drums, despite sore feet and shoulders. In
some of my companions underwent a lot of fact, there was hardly any sign of physical
suffering." . fatigue. In keeping with tradition, this group
Echoing the concerns of other kan- offered a portion of their Ganga water to the
~
.
ers share a common fate.in Ameri- HINDUISM TODAY. "Hundreds of patients written.
ca--they often serve as a '1ast re- come to the clinic concerned with high Those treatises are full of praise for gug-
o . . ource" for patients whose condi- blood cholesterol. In Joyce's case, she was gal and its curative actions-healing bone
tions have not been improved by modern given p~ncha karma treatment to cleanse fractures and inflammations, treating obesi-
medicine. One such patient-"we'll call,her her b? dy, placed on a kapha-pacifying diet ty,~cers , hay fever, rheumatism and thy-
Joyce-came to Dr. Virendra Sodhi's Ayur- and given guggal, which is very effective in roia conditions, to name a few. It has none of
vedic and Naturopathic Medical Clinic in regulating lipids in the body, along with oth- the side effects generally 'associated With al-
Bellevue, Washington, suffering from high er herbs to treat her liver and rejuvenate her lopathic drugs such as clofibrates (used to
blood cholesterol. She had already spent five digestive functions. Within three' months, reduce cholesterol levels), which can cause
years in a leading-edge treatment program her cholesterol dropped to 167, well within liver damage, gall stones and cancer.
run by a major university, but with no im- average normal levels." With similar treat- In its pure resin form, guggal can cause
provement. Her blood cholesterol count ment, a 49~year-old man's cholesterol level diarrhea or skin rash~ if taken in excess.
measured 418, double the normal limit. She dropped from 277 to 188 in five months. A But in its extracted form, called guggal-lip,
was discouraged and, given ( family history ,woman's 239 level dropped to 129 in three it has no known side,effects and is gentle on
of heart trouble, worried for her future. Her months. 'A third patient, with an off-the- the body. It is believed to work by regulating
husband, a doctor, was skeptical when he chart triglyceride level.of 2,121, saw h~r lev- the thyroid. A standard dose of guggal-lip is
learned that central to her ayurvedic treat- el fall to 178 in only three months. 250-500MG, two to three times a day. Gug-
ment-far from the high-tech regimen she Despite such astounding exam.\?les and gal, advises Dr. Sodhi, is one antidote for
had just endured-would be the resin of In- clinical studies in India showing improve- our modern diet of highly processed, oily
dian bedellium, 'br guggal, a humble shrub ment for nearly every patient treated, gug- and salty food. ...
that abounds in the arid, rocky tracts of Ra- gal is yet to gain wide acceptance in the US. DR. Vl RENnER SODHI , MD (AYURVED), NO, AYURVEDIC AND

warias, Kumar said, "We have heard that in Siva Lingam at a nearby Siva temple. -.1
NATUROPATHIC CLINIC, 20115 llZTH AVENUE NE ,

A TEMPLE BUILT ,A LAS T 1,000 YEARS

jasthan, Gujarat and Karnataka. This is unfortunate, considering that cardio- BELLEVUE , WASHINGTON 9 80°4 . USA

M A RCH , Ig g 8 HINDUISM TODAY 45


+-Ire Wtp Wearing the
rrr'uths about AI OS?
As the media spouts warnings, lefs n~vie:w the
facts an~ myths
,
about this insidious disease
BY DEVANANDA TANDA.VAN, M.D.
E LAST EXPLORED THE
AIDS epidemic in a .
series of six articles be-
ginning in September,
1993. Now, four years later, there
is more evidence and new theo-
ries
" about this controversial and
blghly politicized disease. On
December 1, "World Aids Day,"
the news media tried to outdo
each other with reports which,
as usual, tended to increase our fear, but
not our knowledge, of tire dreaded disease.
We heard that there are more cases than
we should have expected, that the people
are sicker than before, that there may be
some minor help from the "cocktail" multi-
drug medication and that the incubation
period for the disease is again lengthened,
now to ten to eleven years.
But there are serious problems with this
scenario. As we mentioned in February,
1994, a minority of 'doctors at that time
were unconvinced that HIV (human im-
munovirus) caused AIDS, because there
was I}o acceptable scientific proof There
still isn't. Robert Koch, a famous German
bacteriologist, formulated a system of four
postulates for establishing causation of dis-
ease. These postulates have not been met
in the case of AIDS. There remains only a
theory that HIY, along with other risk fac-
tors, is the cause of AIDS. But there is no
proof that HIV causes AIDS, p.or in fact,
tfiat it causes any disease. However, the
prevailing opinion in medical ci~Cles and
the government remains that HIV is a con-
tagious agent that always results in AIDS.
The compelling logic presented by these
skeptics is that if HIV caused' AIDS, or
even if HIV were just a necessaFY part of
th"e cause, every case of AIDS would have
to test positive for HIV But this is not the
case. The so-dilled AIDS epidemic in
Mrica has over 70% of the patients with
HIY. negative blood (see Lancet, October,
46 HINDUISM TODAY MARCH , 1998
1992, for a related study). The
cause of their epidemics can be
more plausibly pinpointed as
starvation and other compro-
mises to their immune systems.
AIDS-acquired immune'
deficiency syndrome-is not
the name of a specific disease.
It is really a construct of clini-
cal conditions. If these condi-
tions occur in a patient who
tests positive for HIY, he is said to have
AIDS. If he tests negative, the disease is
given a different name, more clinical. The
US Center for Disease Control claims that
AIDS patients always have HIV positive
blood. Other Health Organiz ations claim
that the clinical picture is all that is neces-
sary, HIV blood not withstanding. Wasting
of the body is one of these symptoms, which
li!
is also associated with chronic infections,
unsanitary conditions and malnutrition.
When the press says millions in a coun-
try are dying of AIDS, this is only an esti-
mate of the number of people that are HIV
positive. ThE1re is ample evidence th"at peo-
ple with HIV positive blood can lead long •
and productive Jives as long as they eat
well, exercise regularly, do not take drugs,
excess alcohol or tobacco products.
Skeptics about the HIV-AIDS connec-
tions implicate the roll of AZT, an
extremely toxic drug originally given indis-
criminately to all 'jUDS" patients. Its docu-
mented side effects are exactly the same as
the symptoms of full-blown AID~. The
simple reason behind the success of newer
therapies may be the reduction or elimina-
tion of this toxic drug in the treatment.
To be continued...
DR. TANDAVAN, 77, retired nuclear physi-
cian and hospital staff president, lives in
Chicago, where he speCializes in alternative
healing arts. Visit his home page at the
HINDUISM TODAY website.
EVOLUTIONS
PASSED ON: Sad guru Sant Keshavadas,
age sixty-three, at 2:20PM on Decem-
ber 4,1997, in Vishakhapatnam, India,
where he had a vision of Sri Panduran-
ga (a form of Vishnu) twenty years ago.
A doctor reported witnessing a mira-
cle-light ema-
nating from Ke-
shavadas' mouth
as he spoke
Gods name just
before breath-
ing his last. His
body was cre-
mated 3 days
later in Banga-
lore at Vishwa
Shanti Ashram. Thousands attended
the December 16 commemorative cer-
emonies for the saint, our dear friend
and a frequent contributor to HINDUISM
TODAY. Keshavadas' esteemed wife,
Rama Mata, will assume responsibility
to continue his worldwide mission of
expounding the Vaishnava bhakti tradi-
tion. At age 11
Keshavadas had
a mystical "white
light" experience
that changed his
life. He heard a
voice say, "Sing
my name
throughout the
world." He be-
came a singing
Bhagavadgita saint and roamed
temple, Bangalore the world, estab-
lishing centers in
Europe and Trinidad, the Temple of
Cosmic Religion in the USA and re-
cently the Gayatri University and Bha-
gavadgita Temple in Bangalore. He
loved pilgrimage, saying, 'J\. pilgrimage
is beautiful. You can offer up at a holy
place your sins, karma and anger and
go back light-hearted." For information
on Rama Mata's future activities, con-
tact Maury Rama Iskowitz in the US at
1-310-827-9161, or Rarna Mata in Ban-
galore at 011-91-8118-22057.
PASSED ON: Senior, retired, Shankar-
acharya of Jyotir Peeth, Swami Shan-
tanand Saraswatl JI Mahar~, age
ninety, on December 7, 1997, in Alla-
habad, India. Senior leaders of the
VHP participated in final rites. SWami
became Shankaracharya in 1953 after
the death of his guru, Brahmanand
Saraswati. SWami Basudevanand
Saraswati is his successor.
,,
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;
comprehensive home-study course with instruc- close, direct disciple who lived and studied
tion in beginning and advanced meditation, yoga with Paramhansa Yogananda . The original
postures fOr higher awareness, breathing exercises, 1946 edition of Autobiography of a Yogi
yoga philosophy, diet, nutrition and vegetarian- audio book is $29.95, includes six cassettes
ism, deepening yo ur spiritual life and Kriya Yoga (app rox. 10 hours) of selected chapters. To
preparaton. For a broch u re~
.. '. \.ll order or fOr a free catalog,
please call 888-535-8160. ~ call 800-424-1055.
rlll!f;
.~
Ananda, fOunded in 1968 by Swami Kriyananda, a direct disciple ofParamhama Yogananda, is not affiliated with Self-Realization Felluwship.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~47
 Our warmest greetings
On the joyous occasion of
India Republic Day, 1998
your footprints for your children to follow!!!
Herit~Q-e
Brahma Swarup Varma, Director ofAdministration,lHRF
621111ini Drive, Monroeville, PA 15146·1917
Phone: 412-733-1118 Fax 412-733-2224 E-mail: ihrfhq@weslol.com
48 ~==========================~==========================d
H.H. Swami Chidanand Saraswati
..
Research Foundation (IHRF) and mail to:
Jatin Desai, Marketing Director
Phone: 860-233·0011 Fax: 860·675·4062
E·mail: jdesai@desai.com
SUNDERLAL BAHUGUNA ENDED his fast at the
work"';;ite of the controversial Tehri'Dam on ,
the Ganges River in the Himalayas after 56
days. Bahuguna was informed N6vember
26-before the call for new elections-by
high level government officials that work
was being suspended until he coukt:meet
with,the Prime Minister. Bahuguna has "
won promises-none fulfilled-frbm three
former Prime Ministers to review the pro-
ject, which faces criticism due to potential
ecological impact, earthquake disaster and,
most recently, even a dam-breaking missile
attack from a hostile country.
HOUSESJN THE SMALL VILLAGE of Siadia in
Orissa sfate, India, have no doors and no
bars G>n the windows. Villagers believe
Kharkhai Thakurani, their local Deity,'
guards each house, say~jay Nayak, an ed-
ucated youth of the villa:ge. Neighboring ar-
eas are regularly visited by thieves, but in
Siadia the last robbery was twenty years
ago. In tha.t case the thief was caught im-
mediately, and he died within a month.
SRI SUGENIENDRA niEERTHA, whose visit to
America was greatly appreciated by Hin-
dus, will not be allowed to perform puja to
Lord Krislma at'the Udupi $ri Krishna
temple upon his return to Kerala, according
to the Deccan Herald. He is abbot of Putige
Math, one of the eIght m'onasteries founded
by the great dualist philosopher, Madva-
chariya, 700 years ago. Sri Vidyavarinidhh
Theertha, abbot of the Kaniyoor Krishna
monastery, said the abbots oIthe eight,
monasteries were expected to not cross the
ocean. The provision dates from ancient
times when sea travel made impossible the
mandatory daily ablutions and observances.
INDIAN g..OW BONES are being used-really-
to filter water for towns in Northern Eng-
land. Local vegetarians are turrung off •
their taps and buying bottled water-lots of
it-to avoid the local
water filtered
through charcoal
made from the bones.
Only the bones of old
cows make good
charcoal ("activated
carbon," to be exact),
according to the wa-
. ter utility, and only in
India do cows live
to a ripe old age. Cow bqne water?
Vegetarians should ' ,
be aware that grtund cow bones are also
sometimes used in the refining of sugar.
, ,
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: pf TER TYM!TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL NINTENDO, COREL
THE "GUIDE TO FOOD INGREDIENTS" from the
Vegetarian Resource Group will alert you
to such problems as the previous item's non-
vegetarian source of activated carbon. For
example, you inspect a,carton of delicious
ice cream containing "cellulose gum."
Should you be worried? Nope, it's to(ally a
nonanimal product. But, wait, what about
the "carmine" also listed in the ingredients?
Yuck!-it's "food coloring derived from the
dried bodies of female beetles." Contact
VRG, Post Office Box 1463, Baltimore,
Nfaryland, 21203, USA.
ONE IN SIX CANADIANS CHOOSE YOGA as their
method of de-stressing, according to a sur-
vey conducted for the Royal Bank of Cana-
da. Two-thirds of Canadians feel their J'bb is
too stress-
ful-two
percent say
it's so bad
they believe
themselyes
on the edge
ofanervous
break- ",
down. A . De-streSSing Canadians
quarter do
nothing to relieve stress, another quarter
take to physical exercise, and a full sixteen
percent have taken up yoga exercises.
READING THE MAHABHARATl, even a short-
ened version such as C. Rajagopalachari's
Engli'sh translation, is a mammoth under-
taking. Now you can listen to it on the way,
to work or school, thanks to Dr. Akshay R.
Rao's 13-hour dramatic reading ofRa-
jagopalachari's excellent version on cassette
tape or CD. Contact: 'Ethnic Enterprises,
p.o. Box 385468, Bloomington, Minbesota
55438 'S,SA.
THE US RELIGIOUS WORKER VISA has been ex-
tended. another three years, despite allega-
tions of widespr~ad fraud. "The Religious
Professionals and Other Religious Workers"
provision first added in 1996 to Am'erican
immigration law allows for not only minis-
ters, but nonclergy religious workers, such
as instructm;s in dance and music, transla-
tors, and broadcasters to receive a visa and
. eventually permanent status. The US State
Department "uncovered a troubling num-
ber of scams, both indimdual and orga-
nized, including Christian churches th'at
sell visas to the highest bidder," according
to a report in Christianity Today. The visa
provision has allowed Hindu priests and
temple workers easier entry to the country.
MORT(L KOMBAT: ANNIHILATION, for those who
don't already know, is the latest movie to be
bas~d upon the video game of the same
name. 'ffilyone who really wants to see this
really doesn't care what any critic has to
say," begins one scathing review: of this kid's
martial arts flick. At issue for Hindus is a
minor, four-armed character named "Shee-
va" played by Marjean Holden. We only
know one person who admits to seeing tile
movie, and he claims the character is just
named "Sheeva," and is not intended to be
a warped depiction of the'Supreme God. \
We hope so. Investigation is underway.
·THE CENTER FOR INDIA STUDIES at the State
University of New York at Stony Brook is
celebrating one of its first major accom-
plishments-the release of Ananya, A Por-
trait of India, a formidable 900-plus page
book on India. Forty scholar .collaborated
to produce a "reliable, readable, single-vol-
ume resource" intended fOr college under-
graduates. Sections include history-thank-
fully devoid of the now-debunked '/\ryan
Invasion" of India theory-religion, society,
business, art, language, literature, "Makers
of Modern India," the Indian diaspora and
much, much more. Contact: Center for In"
dia Studies, E 5350 Melville Library, SUNY
Stony Brook, New York 11794-3386 USA.
SEVEN-HUNDRED JAPANESE school children
were rushed to hospitals after suffering
seizures brought on by a popular TV car-
toon show, "Pokeman,' based on Nintendo's
"Pocket Monsters" video game. "1 was
shocked to see my daughter lose conscious-
ness," said one Japanese parent. "She start-
ed to breathe only when I hit her on the
back." Video games are known to c~use
seizures-convulsions, spasms or nausea,
but this is the first case involving a TV car-
toon. The children, living mostly in Japans
compact apartments, were watching large
sets from about three feet away. They had
become very ex- .
".. "
cited from the
fast-paced show.
1rvventyminutes
into the program
bright flashing
red lights filled
the screen, ap-
parently trigger-
ing the seizure Pocket Monsters game
reaction in the
brain. A few of the children were hospital-
ized overnight, and more came in after
watching video recordings or the same pro-
gram over the next few days.
49
MARCH, Igg8 HINDUISM TODAY
~~~~~~~~~~~====~------~-------------------r--------------------------------~~~-----------

, Bhagavad Bita Home Study Program Pooja, Devotional and Wedding Iterps
MINISTER'S MESSAGE who is hiding in your fontanel. Kriya Yoga is
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havans • Religious statues 34159 Fremont Bvd •
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from the realized master. The moment you PO Box 1059, Saylorsburg, PA 18353-
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omnipotent. Where is He not? He is present in every quantity of nerves. According to the HINDUISM TODAY (with circulation especially high in the
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ror. But on the top of the head, He is hiding in the formless state, breath and seek God in the fontanel and the pituitary, you will .
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The Kriya Yoga technique that we teach does not rely on the fIve BELLEVUE, WA 98004-2946 USA
sense organs. It is not written in books; it can only be learned di- PARAMAHAMSA HARIHARANANDA, go, last living realized disciple of IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE
rectly from a realized Kriya Yoga master or his empowere(I Shri Yukteshwar, attained the supreme state of nirvikalpa samadhi CALL US AT
1.800.925-1371 /425-637.1400
acharyas. Kri means «to do work." Ya is your indwelling self, sa, in 1948. He has been teaching the authentic Kriya Yoga since then. OR SEND A FAX AT 1-425-451.2670
WE ACCEPT MASTERCARD, VISA, DISCOVER &
AMERICAN EXPRESS CREDIT CARDS
50 HI~DUISM TODA.Y M RCH, Igg8
51
 ----~~~,

R ECENT D ONO R S

Hindu Businessmen's Association Trust Edwin Hawk $1,186.57 Malaysian Hindu Youth Educational Fund
Adi Alahan $31.00 Se!vanathan Jothiswarar $608.33 Jeyasreedharan $40.00
Vel Alahan $250.00 Nalakini Niranjana $264.71 Total $40.00
MISSION STATEMENT Paramaseeven Canagasaby $14.36 Umah Rani Palanisamy $103.36
.
Hindu Heritage Endowment is a publicly supported, charitable organization'recognized as tax
Vel Mahalingum
Manogaran Mardemootoo
$11.29
$17.48
Balan Raja n
Aran Sambandar
$71.58
$360.00
Mafua~iM~calFund

Gowri Nadason
Matthew Wieczork
$30.00
$10.00
I Vishwanaden Maofaoven $4.52 Padmini Samufu iran $343.00
Total $40.00
exempt by the IRS o~ April 22, 1994. Its .employer ID !:lumber is 99-0308924. FOJJndeg by Satguru Nafuan Palani $509 .00 Loganafu a Shivam
Palaka Shivam
$500.00
$500.00 Mafua~i Travel Fund
Easvan Param $229.13
Janaka Param $12.00 Saiva Siddhanta Church $7,828.33 Erasenthiran Poonjolai $75 .00
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, its philanthropic mission is t(') provide secure, professionally man- Sivaneswaran Sockanathan $78.00 Total $75 .00
Deva Rajan $52 1.00
'" . Total $1,599.78 Gokula Vani $100.00 '"
aged financial support for institutions and-religious leaders of all lineages of Sanatana Dharma. Total $13,6 19.37
Purl Monasteries Endowm ent
Hindu Orphanage Endowment Fund Gouri Shanker $31.00
Ramakumar & Sailaja Kosu ru $20.00 Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund Total $31.00
MARCH DONOR PROFILE Alex Ruberto $30.00 Gopiladeva Doorgiat $1.81 Sri Subramuniya Kottam Fund
Matthew Wieczork $30.00 Saroja Devi Doorgiat $4.97
And rew Schoenbaum $10.00
"From the days of my youth, I have dreamed of creating a Hindu Total $80.00 Van ad eva Doorgiat $1.35
Total $10.00
research institute and schools, and this is still one of my goals in life. I Arnouda Koothan $0.45
Hinduism Today Distribution Fund Sundari Peruman Memorial Fund
Egilen Koofuan $0.45
was very happy to know of the formation of Hindu Heritage Himalayan Academy $2,850.00
Saravan Koothan $0.45 Markandeya Peruman $25.00
Soondiren Arnasalon $54.19
Endowment, for this is the first step in s:reating a solid financial front Dustin Baumann $90.00
Kamaladevi Mootoosawmy $0.45 Total $25.00
Yuvamanee Mootoosawmy $0.45
for Hinduism in the modern world. Variou,s other endowments I envi- Ravindra Doorgiat $52 .83 Thank You Gurudeva Fund
Soondiren Nellatamby $0.45
Se!vanathan Jothiswarar $22.79
sion include those for archeological/historical research, Hindu institu- Anand Greedh ur $9.00
Devaladevi Sivaceyon $3.13
Cheri Lyons $70.00 Anonymo us $118.00
tions, Hindu film / cartoon industries and, of course, historical temples, Kartikeyen Manick $29.92
Nutan aya Sivaceyon $3.13
Total $140.79
Patudeva Sivaceyon $3.13
libraries and for helping the poor." Erasenthiran Poonjolai, a Jayaluxmee Moothoo $13.54
Nandi Devi Sivanathan $2.90 Tirumular Sanuidhi Preservation Trust
Malaysian studying Mechanical Engine'e ring and Laser Technology D hanya Nadesan $36.71 Shyamadeva Dandapani $25.00
Potriyan Sivanathan $5.72
Chandran Param $100.00 Total $25.00
Research in Great Britain, has dedicated much of his life to serving his Ka nthasamy Pillaiyar $110.00
Total $28.84
Tirunavakkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam Fund
religion. As a youth he conducted academic and religious classes in local villages. In England, he Surya Sabaratnam $38.00 Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment
Govinden Sanjeevee $15.00 Vinaya Alahan $225.00 Peshala Dike! $10.00
has organized dharma-based ~ctivities and, ip 1995, formed a Hindu Society at Liverpool University Sivan Murrugappa Naicken $22.67 Clive Fetzer $40.00
Priya Devi Utchanah $10.00
, Total $3,479.19 Kumaren Nataraja $9.07 Bhavani Param $2.00
Janaka Param $5.00
FUND OF THE MONTH Hinduism Today Endowment Trust Ramsamy Natarajan $18.06
Dohadeva Samugam $95.00 Total $57.00
Anonymous $478.82
The young women who devote years of their lives to becoming living channels for the Goddess in Total $478.82 Total $369.80 Undesignated
the ten districts of the Katbmandu valley are finding it il}creasingly difficult to adjust tC? life in the Iraivan Temple Endowment Loving Ganesha Distribution Fund Anonymous 687.31
Vayudeva Dike! $1,558.49 Eric Mitchell $10.00 Elfriede Paoletti $50.00
world around them once their time of service Kriya Haran $117.00 Total $10.00 Total $737.31
comes to an. end. And as the area becomes
more influenced by Western visitors and values, We especially thank those young child ren wh o gave a sm all am ount, Total Recent Contrib. llS$20,846.90

many families are reluctant to allow theiI;. tith ing fro m their allowance each month, creating positive patterns early in life. Total Endowment Funds US$2,263,912.53
daughters to participate in this venerable tradi-
tion, for the years of educat-ion that are lost are
important and hard to regain. The Nepal INVESTMENT MANAGERS AND CONSULTANTS: Franklin Management Inc.; First Hawaiian Bank,
Kumari Goddess Education Fund will smooth Trust & Investment Division; Brandes Investment Partners, Inc.; Pacific Century Trust (Bank of
this transition by providing a stipend for the Hawaii); Alvin G. Buchignani, Esq., attorney; and Nathan palani, CPA. HHE is a member of the
education and adjustment of future Kumaris as' Council on Foundations, an association of 1,500 foundations which interprets relevant law, inteJ;"-
they re-enter the world from their time of service national and domestic, and accounting, management and investment principles.
to the Gods. (For fhe incredible story of this
sacred tradition, see HINDUISMTODAY, June 1997.) I W:ANT TO PARTICIPATE. WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY DONATION? You can send your gift to
an existing fund, create a new endowmen.t or request information through the address below.
A·PROFESSIONAL'S PERSPECI1VE. In many insta)lces, the family business accounts for a signifi- Credit card gifts may be made directly by E-mail. Or, use the HHE tear-out card in this magazine.
cant portion of the gross estate of a business owner. The Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 offers estate to join our family of benefactors who are Strengthening Hinduism Worldwide. Thank you .
tax relief for these individuals. The estate tax savings from the family business exclusion may be
over $300,000, depending on the size of the estate and the year of death. HINDu HERITAGE ENDOWMENT
However, the family business exclusion is only available to taxpayers whq KAUAI'S HINDU MONASTERY
have m~t. the complex qualifying requirements. Two of these requirements are 107 Kaholalele Road
that the family business must account for 50% or more of the total estate and Kapaa, Hawa.ii, 96746-9304 USA
there must be "material participation" from family members before and after Tel: (800) 890-1008, Ext. 222
death. Nitai H. Pathak, CPA, MST, of Kling, Lee & Pathak, Artesia, California, Outside US: (808) 822-31 §2, Ext. 222
(888) 721-5370 and (562) 921-8610.
Fax: (808) 822-4351
E-mail: hhe@l).indu.org
~

As a public service, HHE occasionally will offer the opinion s of various finanGial plan ners. However, it ~ndorses n either these adviso.rs nor their
counsel, an d recommends that all individuals seek p rofeSSIOnal advice from several sources before making lffiportant long-term deCiSIons. www.hindu.org/hhe/
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