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THE VEDAS
God's Word,
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May I attain to Vishnu's
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RIG VEDA 1.154.5
I breathe out strongly like
the wind while clasping
unto myself all worlds, all
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Having examined the worlds gained by deeds, the wise
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PHOTOS FROM COREL, PAINTING BY s. ~JAM

8 HINDUISM TODAY. MA 1998 9
PUBLISHER'S DESK
To the.Psychic,. Nothing
Is Reaily Ever Hidden
Everyone's emotional memories are registered in
their inner aura as various shades and hues of color
BY SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI
ANY YEARS AGO, IN THE LATE FIFTIES,
while listening to seekers unfold from
their subconscious deep-rooted problems
created from unfulfilled desires and not-
so-happy experiences, I began to see
pictures form in the deep inner aura of their as-
tral body. These patterns, or vasanas, were por-
trayed in complex arrangements of several colors.
The inner aura, I discovered, is imbedded within
the chest and torso. This experience was most
amazing when it first began to happen, but it
wasn't long before it was easy to understand ex-
actly how each coloF related to a deep-seated
emotional memory pattern. Looking like "mod-
ern art," the colors interrelated with the seeker's
emotional experiences, stress pressures, repressions arn;l
reactionary con'ditions built up over the years. As time went on,
this siddhi was perfected.
A negative reactionary condition lodged in this sub-subcon-.
scious, inner aura is seen as shades of deep, heavy gray, or brown-
ish, greenish black. This would appear in the torso of the body
from the neck down to the waist. A happy experience is seen as
blue, yellow, pink an'd all the lighter hues. By observing auras time
and time again, while listening to many hundreds of devotees tell
their subconscious stories, all through the sixties, the accuracy was
astoupding. By simply looking at their inner aura, it becam~ easier
and easier to,know almost at a glance what was going to be said
next-not the very words, but the nature of the condition that )'las
to be unfolded. I later found that when a negative condition
cleared, the spir:itual pmnas lightened the cq!ors to almost a bril-
liancy, and the seeker was lifted into a beautiful, high state of con-
templation. Some even experienced the clear white light for the
first time, and others saw their entire body filled with light. This
only happened when the dar~r shades of color were dissolved
fr m the sub of the subconscious state of mind, the home of deep-
seated impressions of past exper¢ nce. This means that some of the
emotion was lifted from the experience. They usually remained in
a high state of consciousness until they started to react to having .
told me their story, then began to relive the PJroblems and recreate
some of the darker colors, clouding the white light and returning to
the mental-emotional state where they started.
1n the beginning years of yoga in America, in the middle of this
century, this occurred more than often: a yoga student would
reach the clear white light through clearing sub-subconscious con-
ditions, then recreate the subconscious congestion over ruid over
agaiR. Why did this happen? Because of wrong knowledge~no .
10 HI.NDUISM TODAY M Y, 1998
understanding of karma,
knowing little about dhar-
ma and the other basics of
Hinduism.
Seeing that a seeker's
inner aura was holding a
darker color, a deep blue
or reddish black, would
prompt my question:
"What do you have on
your mind?" They would
say, "Nothing." I would say,
"Oh, you have something
on your mind. What is it?"
They would say, "Not a
thing." Soon the dark, congested area
wouln slowly begin to move up froll} the
solar plexus into the chest. I would then
say, "There must be something on your
mind that you are remembering that
bothered you when you were about
twelve years old, or fourteen or sixteen."
They would say, "I can't think of a thing."
But when 'the dark congestion reached
the throat area, automatically they
would start talking. The problem would
pop right into their eonscious mind, and
they would tell everything about the
situation until the dark congestion slow-
ly changed into a bright yellow. At this .
point, you would notice tp.ey had a pre-
liminary understanding of the experi-
ence to which they had been reacting.
In studying color we find that the < or mixed, but that we have set the pmnas into motion that eventu-
emotjon of jealousy bursts forth bMckish
green. ~ emotion of fear gives forth many shades of gray.
Deeply congested states give forth black, indicating depression and
the desire for security. Brown indicates the magnetic, pmnic forces'
of nature. A deep desire of greed would produce brown. Deep
blue indicates religious devotion without knowledge, something
like blind faith. Light brue indicates knowlegeable devotional prac-
tices. The color yellow indicates the richness of a purified intellec-
tual knowing. PUFple indicates bringing spiritual teachings down
through the intellect and expounding them on the physical plane,
whereas lavender is indicative of the higher spiritual teachings
held inside on the higher mental plane. Pink is refined emotion
and creates a devotional atmospher~ and orange is the color of
activity created by desire to serve selflessly. Blackish red on the
other hane! indicates repressed lust and sensual desire.
The primary colors, red, blue and yellow, are the basic force
colors of the great prism of life. Actinic, or spiritual, force hitting
the most sensitive odic force fields blends tHese colors into myriad
hues In the inner and outer aura. In the inner plane of conscious-
ness, each color is separate and distinct within itself, even while
intermingling, for colors stand alone just as sounds vibrate simulta-
neously in the same atmosphere in this plane of consciousness.
Should one be able to see sound waves, they would register as an
The aura tells all: A guru and his devotees mdiate the brilliant
hues of cognition and divine love. Yellow predominates in -&he auras
of a teacher and her students. An arguing couple ditplay the black-
ish red shadEs of mmpant anger and hurtfulness. Persistent colors
become part of the inner aum. (Giant 3' by S' full-color, educational
.posters of the Publisher's Desk original art are available for US$gg.)
.-----~---
interplay of colors, each separate, with one flOwing through the
other at different rates of vibration.
Color and sounds interrelated bring down form, for the atomic
structure of form, when broken down to its most refmed aspect,
equals sound. All aspects of color qualify themselves as emotions
of people, ot only instinctive, but intellectual and superconscious.
These are registered in the atmospheric condition of the inner
plane as various combinations of colors, shades and hues.
In a yoga gathering, a student once asked: "When you see colors
inside of people, is this the. aura?" No, this is not the outer aura,
which extends three or four feet out from the physical body and is
constantly changing. That inner aura portrays tense sub-subcon-
scious tendencies, desires and reactionary conditions that have
gone to seed and often do not change for years on end. The more
changeable outer aura is affected by the static inner aura which
profoundly influences a persons daily feelings and thoughts. The /
interplay between the two is an underlying force of human life.
When the third eye opens in this capacity, people begin to look
like plastic images with colors streaming through them. Suppose,
for example, a person became extremely upset over an unfair hap-
pening. The congested pmnas remain vibrating in the inner aura
until cleared. Such an experience could be brought again to the
surface (the conscious mind), relived through conversation, and
the congestion unleashed and dissipated through the outer auric
field from the core of the inner aura itself
Hindu seers of ancient times used the term vasana to name
deep-seated subconscious traits or tendencies that shape one's be-
lief's, attitudes and motivations. Vasanas can be positive or nega-
tive. One of the best methods for dissolving troublesome vasanas,
is the practice of burning confessions, or even long letters to loved
ones or acquaintances, describing pains, expressing confusions and
registering complaints and long-held hurts. In San,skrit, I call this
the Vasana Daha Tantra, meaning "subconscious purification by
fire." Writing down problems and burning them in any ordinary
fire brings them from the subconscious into the external mind,
releasing the supressed emotion as the fire consumes the paper.
This is a magical healing process, and one of the few methops I
have found for actually clearing up the inner aura.
Truly, we are progressing very well along the San Marga, the
straight path to perfection. What is perfection? By perfection, we
mean two things: first, strength of character-self control and ex-
periencing life's adventures in love and understanding; and second"
having a pure heart and love, of God as the ever-giving life energy
in all beings. We gain strength of character by understanding the
unfailing law of karma-that nothing can happen to us, good, bSld
ally maI1ifest every experience. In understanding this divine law,
we conquer 4..1J.rt feelings, resentment, anger and all the uncOlnfort-
able emotions of life. Next, we accept the fact that all manifested
life is in motion because of the pmnas that have manifested into
form and that those pmnas are emanating right from the
Godhead, every minute of every hour of every day. It is all that
simple. But in today's comp1ex world we sometimes lose sight of
Sanatana Dharma's truths.
At times like thes.e, when we stumble on the path, dark, troubled
emotions add their dismal colors to our static inner aura. It is now
time to stimulate heartfelt forgiveness and be diligent in daily sad-
hana. Once the problem is mown, we can correct it!
MAY , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 11

And Proud of It!
I READ YOUR MAGAZINE FROM COVER TO
coyer with such zeal and fascination. The
article from the PUBLISHER'S D~SK and the
EDITORIAL in Dec., '97 issue made me
question why I've been celeb~ating Christ-
mas for the last 15 years when I'm proud to
be a Hindu. This prompted us to have some
serious family discussions and nliturally led
to, the family gathering for prayer and sat-
sang at our home. • might point to his egoism-which he was
AJITAPATEL
MISSION VIEJO, CALIFORNIA, US
Outreach Is Needed
HINDUISM TODAY SHOULD HAVE A CORRE-
spondent in the land of Lord Jagannath and
the venue of 'one of the four pithams (mon-
asteries) established by Adi Sankara. Orissa
has the highest demographic percentage of
Hindus in India after tiny Himachal Pra-
desh. Your readers qright want to hear regu-
larly from this area variously known as
KalingalUtkallKosal Pradesh.
VYOMAKHIL
SAMBALPUR, OIUSSA, INDIA
Useful Hints.
I JUST WANTED TO PRAISE YOU FO'R PRO-
viding a good source of information and
news on Hinduism. I have just married into
a Hindu family and am eager to learn about
my new culture and religion. In Phoenix,
Arizona, this can be difficult. We don't even
have a temple. The article on proper con-
duct (Cues and Clues, INSIGHT, Sept. , '97)
really helped me to enjoy my visit in India,
where my husband and I were married in a
Hindu wedding ceremony. His family was
honored and impressed that I knew how to
conduct myself in a temple and in the home.
It also took away my ~iety and allowed me
to enjoy my temple visits.
AMBER SUKUMARAN
MESA, ARIZONA, us
" contact_amber@hotmail.com
Iran Letter Heartening
I READ THE BEAUTIFUL LETTER TO HIN-
DUISM T ODAY (LETTERS, Mar., '98) from
Iran telling about interest in Hinduism and
mysticism among some Iranians. If it is au-
thentic, it is indeed heartening that some
Iranians are looking outside of their own re-
ligion for spirituality. Ram Swarup, in his
seminal A Hindu View of Christianity and
Islam, argues that a reawakened Hinduism
can help the world rediscover its religious
past. I pray that we can reach out to these
seekers in Iran and encourage them.
JULIE BINDER MAiTRA
WARRENTOWN, VIRGINIA, US
" juliem@homemail.com
12 HINDUISM TODAY MAY, 1998
LETTERS ~~~~ MYTURN
Analyzirig the Differences Your Kenya correspondent wore a sari but I
PERHAPS THOSE OUTSIDE INDIA MAY BE
more inclined to choose Buddhism over
Hinduism because Buddha went to a great
deal of trouble and suffering while Hin-
no hindi and the ones from the United States
w~e neither sari nor hindi. This perhaps
y.rould not be so surprising in a context of
day-to-day life. But for HINDUISM TODAY,
Sureness'in Faith Will
duism was in place (Dharmic Differences,
INSIGHT, Feb., '98). In effect, was he saying
this religion I was raised in is horrible-so I
must seek out the real one? Or dO we have
could they not have found more traditional
and appropriate portraits of themselves?,
There is nothing like a sari for combining el-
egance and modesty. And the bindi is re- HINDU RENAISSANCE TEAM
Surely Lead Us to,God
Buddha demonizing Hinduism, which quired of apHindu women except widows.
Perhaps our daughters of Bharat need to be HINDUISM TODAY was founded January 5, 1979, It is the noblest element of our existence,
not supposed to have? HINDUISM TODAY reminded of who they really are and where by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, for the
shows distinct differences under an indis- they have come from. They are not Euro- following purposes: 1. To foster Hindu solidarity
as a unity in diversity amo~g all sects and lin-
removing all forms of hurdles in our life
tinct banner, both religions coming off as pean Christians. They should not seek to be
very noble, adding fodder to the 'question, more like them. My wife just came into'the eages; 2. 'Ib inform and inspire Hindus world-
why would Buddha seek as he did? room. She is wearing pants and a blouse. I wide and people interested ~I). Hinduism; 3. To BY SIVANANDINI DURAISWAMY
am reminded that she has not worn a bindi dispel myths, illusions and misinformation
HOUSTON FITZGERALD
about Hinduism; 4. To protect, preserve and
HUACHUCA CITY, ARIZONA, US- for years except when we go to temple or an TRAVELLER SETS OUT understanding, while doubt
" houstonfitz@juno.com promote the sacred Vedas and the ~indu reli-
, Indian social function. Perhaps I should early one day 9n a long sheds uncertainty through life,
gion; 5. To nurture and monitor the ongoing
start by narrowing the focus of my concerns _ _ J - - - " ' - J with the hope creating misunderstanding and
spiritual Hindu renaissance. We invite our read-
HINDU TEXTS AND PHILOSOPHY ACKNOWL- closer to home. ers to share these purposes with us by writing that it will be through unrest. In moments of doubt
edge that the Divine may be both imma- ADITYAN letters, contributing reports and articles on pleasant and verdant pastures. and despair, it is faith that sheds
nent and transcendent. However, individual GAiTHERS~URG, MARYLAND, US events, sending news clippings and encouraging The day is still young and the light and comes to our rescue.
Hindus are known to hold more dogmatic Adityan@aol.com ollie s to subscribe. sky qear. The crisp landscape This flame must burri every
views. In fact, some Vaishnavas even insist lies before him as if painted moment, especially as We move
that Yaishnavism is not a part of Hinduism Holy Couplets for Kids with the light strokes of a brush. forward in life, radiating beauti-
Publisher: 'Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami
since Hinduism admits Gods other than WHAT A FANTASTIC IDEA TO TEACH Admin. Dir.: Paramacharya,Bodhinathaswami But as he proceeds he suddenly ful positive qualities and helping
Vishnu. The Buddha, in tea9hing l:y.s guide- Tirokural td the children through pictures Editor-in-Chief Acharya Palaniswami realizes that he is losing his way, us to walk without fear or doubt.
lines for right living, described only the with verses (The Weaver, INSIGHT, Mar., Publisher's Aide: Acharya Ceyonswami and after a while finds hinlself in a desolate When the problems of life take the better
transcendent nature of the Divine. Howev- '98). Is it possible to undertake' a mammoth Deputy Edl1tor: Acharya Kumarswami and arid area bereft of pastures and trees. of us, we seek consolation and help from
er, I do not know of any writing in which he project to take one Kural from each of the Managing Editor: Sannyasi Arumugaswami The scorching sand is beneath his feet and outside and forget to look within. "Have
denied the possibility of the immanent. The 133 or 108 Chapters (Artha & Dharma) ex- Graphics [;lirector: Sannyasi Natarajaswami the blazing sun above, blinding and choking faith in God and in yourself," were the
immanent was simply not relevant in his plairung it with beautiful pictures in HIN- Mauritius Editor: Sannyasi Murugaswami him. The ronely tracts of the arid sands magnetic words of Swami Vivekananda,
frame of reference. Consequently, followers DUISM TODAY? It can be sponsored by the Mauritius Staff Writer: Sannyasi Devaswami
haunt him and the hoot of the owl frightens based on the c<;Jnception of the Divinity in
Prod.lPromotion Manager: Sannyasi Kathirswami
of the Buddha, depending on what he had readers who are interested in doing this so- Man Jging Ed. 's Aide: Tyagi Saravananathaswami him. He despairs.and is frightened that he man which should help us to tap our faith
spoken and written for guidance, could cial service. I am afraid that the children who Dep. Managing Ed.: Tyagi Klrrttikeyanathaswami may have to pursue this journey forever. Within and enter into the inner realm of
only know of the transcendent. Some Bud- are growing in this land who are more at- Editor-in-Chiefs Aide: Yogi Yuganatha But as he moves forward, the sun goes life where the Atman resides.
dliists groups have devised their own icons tracted to the Western influences may fail to Advertising Manager: Sadhaka Jothinatha down and his senses come back to him. In life we realize that a; we have faith in
to represent the immanent. The natur.e of incorporate our ancient wisdom. SubSCription Manager: Sad,haka Adinatha Who is this traveller and what is this ourselves, we bring the outer-material
the human being is such that while some A. BALASUBRAMANIAN
Graphics Director Aide: Sivananda Katir desert through which he moves? I am the world and the inner spiritual world togeth-
people need the comforting presence of the AUBURN,ALABAMA,US Correspondents: Gowri Shankar & Anandhi ~a­ traveller, the human being, the pilgrim of er. Strangely, the outer material life then
immanent CreatorlProtector, others only aum@mindspring.com chan<4an, Chennai; Choodamarii Shivaram, Banga- eternity in my sojourn on Earth. The • becomes more beautiful, acquiring a
lore; Rajiv Malik, Prabha Prabhakar Bhardwaj, Man-
find a transcendent Divinity to be mean- gala Prasad Mohanty, Delhi; Y S. Gopalakrishnan, desert is the wheel ofsamsara-the life of granrleur that is influenced by the iDner
ingful and logical. All religions would do News for Indonesians Kerala; Basudeb Dhar, Bangladesh; Archana Dongre, births and deaths which seems never end- .spirituality; and we in turn become calm,
well to allow for this diversity in human na- THE INDONESIAN HINDUS NEED TO FIND Los Angeles; Lavina Melwani, New York; Dr. Hari ing. There are time.s when life was too big peaceful and steadfast-attributes that
ture ~d acknowledge both forms of the Di- more information concerning their fellow Bansh Jha, Nepal; Parasram Ramoutar, Anil Mahabir, for me, when all things conspired to frus- make one truly beautifuL
viJ?-e. Mankind should be taught to rejoice in "Hindu communities and activities all over Trinidad; Dr. Devananda Tandavan, Chicago; Y G. rate, obstruct and destroy, and I felt that I Thus, when sorraw and misfortune, fear ,
our similarities instead of battling over our the world. HINDUISM JODAY is very useful in Julie Rajan, Philadelphia; Shikha Malaviya, Mllmeso- had lost my bearings. I felt lonely and lost and gepression come our way, our faith in
differences. increasing understanding and sohdarity of ta; Rajesh Jantilal, South Africa; Tara Katir, Hawaii deep within me. In such a situation, experi- God and in ourselves should not waver.
Artists: A. Manivelu, S. Rajam
S.Y SINGAM Hindus, especially youth in this country. ence taught me that I can only pick up and There are no chance happenings in this
Cartoonists: Barry Geller, David Lourie, Mario de
PENANG, MALAYSIA 1. NYOMAN NURJAYA Miranda, Manick Sorcar, Gary L. Stair,'Bob Thaves keep moving with faith and courage even world. It is our karma working itself out.
" sv@hitachi.com.my MALANG, INDONESIA though I may not know where ~ am going. During the dark moment as we cross the
Photo Contributors: Thomas L. Kelly, St~phen P.
Huyler, Dev Raj Agrawal, Pha! S. Girota, Tilny Stone But as I moved on, the sun did set oij the scorching desert tracts of our life, genuine
Example Begins at Home Images, Photobank, Art Wolfe Inc., Gordon Wiltsie, scorching sands, due to some collected faith is the greatest reformer which accom-
I HAVE JUST READ YOUR "WOMEN OF VI- Indivar Siv<Ulathan merits of the earlier births, and my faith plishes miracles. Therefore, instead of re- ,
Le~terswith writers name, address and daytime
sion" article (PUBLISHER'S DESK, Jan., '98) phone number, shoul<il. be sent to: Web Maste'rs: Deva Seyon, Sadhunathan Nadesan and confidence gave me a feeling of relief belling against these adverse odds, we
and r was struck by the depth of commit- Letters, HINDUISM TDDlY Scanning: \Tlicram Patel, New York t Each one of us is a weary traveller who is should try to convert them into benefits,
ment and the breadth of interest and ability 107 Kaholalele Road Distribution: USA: Ingram Periodicals, N;ew Leaf, , tossed in the sea of samsara, and during from evil into good, which will make the
KAPAA, HAWAII, 96746-9304 USA EBSCQ Subscription Services, Indo-US Beoks, One
displayed by the women you featuT'ed. I was Source, Ubiquity, Total Circulation Services. Cana- our sojourn on Earth we must strengthen process calm and peacefuL
also struck and dismayed by the level of as- or faxed to: (808) 822-4351 our faith in the Lord.
or e-mailed to: letters@hindu.org da: Gordon and Gotch. Europe: SWETS Subscrip-
similation into the majority ~ulture dis- , tion Service. MalaYsia and Singapore: Sanathana Faith and doubt are the two sides of the MRS. SIVANANDINI DURAISWAMY, 60, is the
played by the women who had left the Letters may be edited for space and clarity and may Dharma Publications. South Africa: Atlas Printers same coin. TIie flame of faith sheds light coordinating secretary to the Minister of
homeland. Only the two ladies from India appear in electronic versions of HINDUISM TODAY. Printer: Banta Publications Group, Kansas City upon our life, emiching it by bringing true Cultural and Religious Affairs of Sri Lanka.
wore their bindis (also known as pottu). ..... INDICATES LEITERS RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL
MAY , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 13
 ----------------~---~.----~-.-.--------------------

LoVING GANESA
Special Hard Cover 5th Edition, Limited Quantity (Only 500 Printed)!
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This remarkable 1,008-page sourcebook covers the subjects and answers the questions to quench the soul's
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GURUDEVKS
THE VEDIC EXPERIENCE INSPIRED TEACHINGS
Back when we were gathering Vedic verses for Dancing ON CD. There are
with Siva, we could hardly believe our eyes when we came gurus for mathematics, t.-o- . ...o-
t.
upon this thoughtful anthology from the Vedic Samhitas,
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This Vedic epiphany tells the story of the universal rhythms of
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Saioitt Hindu ~:::,.
SAIVITE HINDU
RELIGION
nature, history and humanity.
The translation and abundant
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- guru is the one who
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Satguru Subramuniya-
What every Hindu
parent needs:
intelligent, non-
renaissance thinker Raimon violent, traditional
Panikkar-the fruit of twelve swami, publisher of
texts for their kids-
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an authentic, illus-
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A..

MULTIPURPOSE HINDU GREETING CARDS created by veals the deep mystical

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Siva temple on the Ganges. inside. Proceeds go to the Iraivan Temple construction project.
He 4"x 6", high quality coated paper. Twelve cards: $12.
• HAPPY PANCHA GANAPATI CARD: joyous Ganesh radiates divine
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 g~_&m~~_~~]
,1I. Iaa. '
"The cultured give happ,iness'wherever they go.
'1 he unc.ultured, whenever th~y go." .
Swamii Chinmayananda (1917-1993), Vedantist writer, lecturer and Hindu renaissance founder of Chin maya M~ion International

boatman and he ferries us across the river!"

IF THe1~ IS sue'"
A Tt-tING AS Narrated by Baba Muktananda and retold
~E'N('A1NATION, I t:.NOIJI by Swami Prakashananda
wt-tAT I WANT TO
- - - {'OMe 'Ae~ AS! Serious sport has nothing to do with fair
~=::::::;;;.~ play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy,
wHAT! boastfulness, disregard of all rules and
sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence. In
other words, it is war minus the shooting.
British writer George Orwell (1903-1950), ;'
I see God walking in every human form. human beings are ·a round to enjoy it. expressing his opinion of modem competi-
When I meet different peop!e, I say to Swami Beyondananda tive sports
• my elf, "God in the form of the saint, God
in the form of the sinner, God in the fonft The world looks like a mathematical equa-
of the righteous, God in the form of the tion which, turn it how you will, balances
unrighteous." Sri RamalCrishna (1836- itself Every secret is told, every crime is
1886), gum of Swami Vivekananda punished, every virtue rewarded, every
wrong redressed, in silence and certainty.
That's because Hinduism, historically A quotJ by American poet Ralph Waldo
speaking, is the world's only non-prophet Emerson,.l,lOsted on a website following a
religion. Wry response from a little-known jury's judgment against Anandtz Chu1'ch
swami when asked for an explanation of and its leader, J. Donald Walters, AKA
the apparent poverty found in India Swami 'Kriyananda (see Evolutions, P.46)
MATA AMRITANANDAMAYI
It was a pleading look, as if they were ask- Once a m~ acquired the power to walk on
1998 WORLD ~OUR ing me not to put thenhin the pot. British
chef Simoln Beavis, who quit his job at..a
water. A'real saint met him and asked how
long it took him to acquire this power. The
seafdod restaurant because he refused, on man replied proudly that it had taken ~m DID YOU KNOW?
Tokyo, Japan May 24-27 81 -35-382-6523 grounds of cruelty, to boil live lobsters . 17 years. The saint, laughing, replied, "In
Seattle, WA May 29-June 2 206-329-4008 17 years you have acquired a power worth
"COW Pie" Power
Peace on Earth is inevitable. I just hope we 25 cents. Since we just give a quarter to the OW DUNG IS AN ANTISEPTIc! NOT
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Dallas, TX June 28-29 972-380-0951 TO ITS FATE
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Chicago,ll June 30-July 2 630-325-9867 ash. In villages it is still the principal
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odorless and produces a slow, even
New York, NY July 6-8 212-932-1182 heat. Additionally, smoke from a dung
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Meet Ammachi, a living saint from southern India, and share the extraordinary experience of insulator, keeping heat out in the sum-
individually receiving her blessing. Known world-wide for their ecstatic devotional music and mer and holding it inside in winter.
inspirational lectures, we invite you to join Ammachi and her senior monastic disciples for a
spiritual feast not to be forgotten. All public programs are free of charge.
MAY , Igg8 HINDUISM TODAY 17
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QUA ,L I T yeO N SCI a U s shiram ManohaIial Publishers Pvt. Ltd., the of Tulsidas and dozens of linguistic and
present name." Buddhistic tomes (the latter follOWing Bud-

MlJlnshiram In the '70s' the older sons jOined and a

new strategy was fashioned whereby 19th
century texts whose copyrights had ex-
dhism's global surge of popularity). The
famil.};. is on a rolL Ashok's brother's two
sons, Ashok and Pankaj, have joined the

Melnoharlal pired-lN. Faraqurhar's Modem Religious

The road from devasta-
,.
tion to consummation,
UNSHIRAM, OLDEST OF THE SIX
publishers we profile, literally rose
like a Phoenix frolP the ashes. The
company was begun by Manohar
Chand who named it Meherchand and Lax-
mandas ... Chand: a widely-respected literary
figure, nad translated the Granth Sahib,
Sikhism's holy book, into English. The
British decorated him for his ground-break-
ing work., and the company slowly expand-
ed. Soon his books were being
sold at the premier bookshops all
over the country. Munshiram s
current director, Mr. Ashok Jain,
relates his family's remarkable
tale of.)oss and recovery. "La-
PUB LIS H I N G . hore was the center of educa-
tion, and our publishing house
Movements of India is an example-were
reprinted in fresh editions. It worked, and
bus,iness. His third son is in the US, training
to be a graphics designer. Ashok told us,
"We expect him to join us on his return. My
such classic resources became their bread own son is 18 now and seems inclined to-
and butter. In recent years MunshiI:am has wards the business. Let us wait and see
put together some truly extraof.dinary what he decides. Children must enjoy full
works, among them Bhishma's 17-volume freedom. In an,y event, I have no doubt that
Indian history, a 5,000-page, four-volume the books will continue to flourish." ..I
English Mahabharata, the complete works MUNSHIRAM MANOHARLAL PUBLISHERS, 54 RANI JA:ANSI
ROAD, NEW DELHI 110055 I N DIA. T EL : 9 1-11-777-3650 '"
WORLD RENOWNED I
Moti.lal Banarsidass
India's rel~giously ropt'ed book-making magnate
HROUGH THE PAST THIRT¥
years we monks at HINDUISM
TOD~Y in Hawaii have amassed
, so many books that we recent-
1y had to buy a used 40-foot shW-
ping container to serve as a library
annex. Browsing there in prepara-

Book"Barons of Delh"i
Decades-old publishing dynasties protect, promote and preserve dharma
INTERVIEWS AND REPORTING BY
PRABHA BHARDWAJ, NEW DELHI
PEAKING OF THINGS TRANSCEN-
dental and divine, an Indian sage
once advised, "It's not in books, you
fool." True enough of Truth, but
when it comes to matters of culture
and history, books are the surest
repository of a nation's intellect and ide~fity.
While other nations publish tons of trash,
India, in keeping with her con~ervative soul,
se'ems to prefer a more traditional st.r1e. Wit-
ness the leading book publishe~ in Delhi,
each and everyone committed to preserving
the Hindu literary legacy, ancient and mod-
ern. The religious resolve of the six publish-
ers that HINDUISM TODAY spo~e to in Febru-
ary is more than superficial spiritual fervor.
It'l"s a family covenant. Within each clan ex-
ists an unspoken contract that gently binds
sons to continuing the patrilineal trade.
The pious publishing giAnt Motilal Banar-
sidass traces its heritag&back to 1903, and
Munshiram Manoharlal tracks their family
20 HINDUISM TOD A.Y M Y , 1998
printing tree back to 1870. Both companies
were begun in Lahore prior to India!; parti-
tion, and botp. have set the admirable Indian
printing standard. "We could publish any-
meaningless tra~h to turn a profit," suggests
Naresh Gupta of Indian Books Centre and Sri
Satguru Publications, which began in 1976.
'jUter all, it is the same paper, the same ink
and the same technology. But we choose to
publish serious, religious and useful books."
Explaining the inception of the Sanskrit spe-
cialization of Nag Publications, Surendra
.Pratap recalls, "My father had a dtlep love of
Sanskrit. And because original texts in San-
skrit were largely unavailable, he decided to
publish them himself, fully knowing that the
volume of sales would be very low."
Indeed, high volume sales is not an expec-
tation of any of these publishers. Sunil Gup-
ta points out, "The books are mostly in Eng-
lish. But the masses are not English literate."
Only eight percent of all Indians speak any
English. Also,. until the recent upsurge of In-
dia's middle tIass, book prices generally pre-
cluded sales to any but libraries, wealthy in-
dividuals and foreigners. If a survey was con-
ducted in Delhi, Gita Press would likely
show the greatest sales and prove to be the
publisher that most people read from daily-
that is, a chapter {rom the Gita or Ramayana.
Suruchi Prakasfian, the publisher manqged
by a trust set up by the Rashtriya Sevak
Sangh, also produces cheap books for t~
masses. Both publish many works in Hindi.
The publishers described here have a dis-
tinctly different outlook. As we spoke, each
exuded a sense of poise, dignity and pride of
achievement. In response to the idea of
"missing the mass market," Abhinav's Shakti'
Malik countered that "Quality and long life
is the key to salability. Our buyers look for
quality, and price does not bother them.
That is how we are able to sustain ourselves."
tn the spirit of objective reporting and
disclosure, it should be noted that Hi-
malayan Academy, publisher of this maga-
zine, has on-going projects with four of the
publishers reported on in this article.
and bookshops specialized in
Indology. Books were produced
with meticulous. quality con-
sciousness. We did not care for
quantily, bJt aimed only to
make beautiful books. It re-
mained a flourishing family
business until the partition.
"Then, on the eve of Pakistan's
independence, August 14, 1947,
our business premises and
house were completely burned
down. That day we lost every-
thing. Luckily, we all had been
evacuated earlier to Amritsar.
Later kindly Muslim neighbors
helped our father to escape sF\fe-
ly across the border. Our family
was again united, but with no
business or assets.
"In 1948, we sold the jewelry
my grandmother had brought
with her from Lahore, and with
that money steps were taken to
re-establish the business. Be-
cause we were ~ll-known pub-
lishers with a good reputation, it
was easy to restart. Our services
to the literary world were recog-
nized, and the business flour-
ished once again.
"I:ti the 1950S my father
reestablished the family busi-
ness under the banner of Mun-
tion fOli this article, no name
flashed before our vision more of-
ten than Motilal13anarsidass, the
largest of Delhis publishers, serv-
ing up the creme de la creme ofIn-
dian wisdom, especially scripture,
through the worlds widest distrib-
ution' network for Indian books.
Printing in India is an arduous
process, done mostly by hand. So
each volume is a treasure, and in
this case, one of love.
Motilal was founded in 1903 by
Mr. Motilal and son Banarsidass
in Lahore. At Motilal's transition
at an eaIiy age, his younger broth-
er, L¥ Sunderlal Jain, stepped in.
Later, Mr. Shantilal Jain joined the
effort. Mter partition, the Punjabi
family started fresh in Varanasi,
then moved headquarters to Del-
hi in 1958. Shantilal's five sons
now each handle different aspects
of the business, with the youngest Present heir: Moti/al Banarsidass; Rajeev Prakash Jain
looking after exports. Senior son
. and head of the firm, Rajeev Praka§>h Jain, main clients are res.earchers and universi-
says, "Our mottos are 'Do not diverSify' and ties," Rajeev explains. "Indian scholars are
'Do not spoil the long-established r~uta­ dependent upon libraries because they can-
tion.' Commercial viability is not our prima- not afford to buy personal copies. It is a pity
ry concern. The company has a firm policy: that people who have the money do not wish
if we think a book should be publiShed, we to read, and the serious readers do not have
do not worry about the cost. The company is the means to buy books. Th~ country has an
able to absorb the extra expense." interesting pattern. In Western India, Maha-
"Because our books are scholarly, our rashtra and in the South, most people are vo-
MAY , 1998 HINDUISM TOD A Y 21
racious readers. Calcuttians are real book ars, libraries and specialized orga- line of handmade paper prod-
lovers. When we have exhibitions, if they nizations. Our books are meant to ucts which were specifically de-
cannot afford to buy a book, they 'o/ill come be used by num~rous readers. Most signed and marketed for export.
several times just to see and' feel them. They go to collectors or to reference The products include writing
start saving, maybe for a year, and then buy desks." paper and matching e9velopes
the, book during the ne¥t exhibition." Malik is a graduate of mathemat- decorated with various Indian
Publishing, Rajeev affirms, is "in our ics who later specialized in arts and motifs, including iconographic
blood. It's in our genes." Irs a family effort, religion. His career began at the In- depictions of Hindu' Gods like
"We all live under one roof and eat from one dian Institute of Public Opinion: Ganesha. A very popular series
common kitchen. You may term it as the During thiS'time, his interest in an- carries symbols of the different
family culture or hierarchy, but only the cient history developed, and he be- rasis (astrological birth" signs).
males work in the business. Our daughters came a partner in the Young Asia Ateev's division has won prizes
get married and go with their husbands, Publications company in 1965. In from the governmen't of India
who have their own businesses. They all are 1972, he quit his job and became a and awards from the Federation
married into very well-to-do families. My full-time independent ~ublisher. of Publishers.
son, trained in ~ondon in printing technolo- Although he has had no formal Shakti Malik himself is im-
gy, has started his own company, ' Excell training in publishing, his success pressively tall and stocky, but
Publishers, which produces books on man- has been explosive, and he has nev- holds a demure countenance.
agerrtent. I think we have a bright future." er doubted his decision. He feels ' He radiates a profound satisfac-
He explains, "We follow the Jain religion, that his venture into publishing is tion· with his station in life.
but this is not reflected in our publishing. "God's will" and maintains that Along with the security of hav-
Rather, we are known the world over for our "The customer is God." ing a thriving business, of being
specialization in ancient Indian and specifi- Certainly, God was smiling on his own boss and of having the
cally Hindu culture, religion, tantra, art and Malik when his first book, Iconog- ' sure suppoJ:.t of his son, Shakti
philosophy." But, "We pu~lish a lot on reli- Founding father: Abhinav's Shakti Malik raphy of Vishnu, was launched in Malik is also enjoying personal
gion in general, which includes Jainism and 1973. It was priced at RS 75 , which edification. He couldn't resist Brothers bound: The founders of Sri Satguru Publications, Naresh and Sunil Gupta
B'1Iddhism. Hindu sacred literature is in San- AR T'S ARCHIVISTS was quite high at ttat time, but 400 copies telling how he learned about ,
skrit, Buddhism is in Pali, and Jainism is in sold on· the first day. Although record sales the Tamil saint, Tiruvalluvar. "I DHARMA DRIVEN
Prakriti. So we have earned a name for our-
selves as publishers of those three languages.
Lately we have covered Buddhism exten-
Abhinav like that have never been repeated, Malik
has also not been disappointed. "Whatever
we choose to publish sells well," he rejoices.
Another reason Malik is a satisfied salesman
had never heard of him," Malik
reveal~d. "But he is immensely
popular among Tamilians. In Inclian Books Centre
sively. Our largest selec1!ion is Tibetan." his Tirukural, he has· written
From behind his desk amidst stacks of
books, Rajeev told HINDUISM TODAY, "We
Beginning his own is that, as he proudly declares, "There is no
black money. All our income is accounted
extensively about the various
distribute in the US, South Asia and the UK. tradi tion of exc~nence for, and we pay accurate taxes. We have
duties and responsibilities of
the different stages of life-
Men with a mission to make meaningful books
There is a MotHal Books Ltd. in Oxford to peace of Illind and contentment, unlike something like Manu's works in
whom we have given full autonomy. For the some businesses." the North. Careful inquiry on ELIGIOUS FERVOR FUELS THE TWO beginning, we had to look for titles, but now
last 25 years we have had Indian shops op- ITH A LITTLE SOLE SEARCHING, Questioned on the profitability of his the thesis of Tirukural reveals erudite and gregarious brothers who that we have our reputation, authors ap-
erating in Calcutta, Chennai, Bangalore and is, plodding along the back plethora of titles on sp~cialized Indian and that the primary aim of our life pilot Sri Satguru Publications, the
of Delhi's Hauz Khas Market, Hindu topics, such as The Yoga Tradition of proach us. We consider the novelty, content
Mumbai, in addition to our branches at Pat- is to realize the divine inner self
na and Varanasi." ¥otilal is a significant you know where to look and whom the Mysore Palace, Zardo.~i: Glittering Gold
publishing arm of Indian Books Cen- and language and ask ~urselves, would this
and simultaneous1y to be able to tre. "God willed us into this business ~' be suitable for the general reader or acade-
supplier to the Delhi office of the US Li- to ask, you can find the ramshackle building Embroidery, Costumes of the Rulers of Me- lead our mundane life without Naresh and Sunil Gupta, the proprietors and micians only? Thus different criteria are
brary of Congress, which procures Indian that houses the humble offices of Shakti Ma- war and Secret Power of Tantrik Breathing, misery and difficulty. I have managers, concur conclUSively. "We are reli- used for different subjects."
books for distribution to libraries and insti- lik, proprietor and managing director of Ab- Malik conceded, "True, there is not much published two translations thus gious, and this is our destiny," adds Naresh.
tutions around the world. Praising Motilal, hinav Publications. With one look at an Ab- monetary gain in this genre- but' I am fully Being the newest publisher in Delhi, it is
far. First is Readings from "Our wish is that our books will in some fitting that they have taken the lead in the
Honerable Chief Justice Mohan of Karnata- hinav book: however, you would never· committed to it." He was silent for a moment, Thirukkural, by G.N. Das, and way uplift, inspire or educate the reader. But
ka said while opening the Bangalore branch, believe that it caple from these hidden head- then added, "I have strong faith in religion in freshest market-internet sales. Their home
the second is Ambrosia of at least 'jIe know that they are not leading page on the world wide web-www.ibcin-
"I will not call them mere publishers. Tliey quarters. Each Abhinav opus is a stylish and all its forms, and therefore I expect our titles Thirukkural, by Swarniji Iraian- anyone astray." Sunil chimes in, "We fully dia.com-has greatly enhanced their export
are explorers who find the gems of Hindu vivid Indian cultural archive, and Malik to be successfu~. At least, we do break e,.ven ban. All this work enhances. my expec,t that they will help people to follow sales. But, according to Naresh, the brothers
thought and present them to the world." makes no disclaimers for his standards. "We wjth our publications on Hinduism." status, • and J am becoming the right path." have noticed that "In the last two to three
Reflecting on trends he hopes their books are not aiming at the man on the streets," he Malik stresses that Abhinav is "purely ~ known 'as a specialist in this True to their calling, their debut book was years the Indian market has grown su'bstan-
will counteract, Rajeev offered, "Today, Indi- certifies. "Our readership consists of schol- family business," and he takes great pride field. What would you call this, the Shiv Samhita. Later, they released major tially, and there is vast potential. Earlier, we
ans are religious only at face, that his son, Ateev Malik, a if not the providence of God?" works such as the 7-volume antltology of
; commerce graduate, is con- never concentrated on sales in India."
villue, not from within. Life is Shakti Malik's faith in Hin- Mimamsakosah, by Swami Kevalananda When asked if their parents lived with
going at such a pace that no-
body stops to think about it.
Production at a Glance tributing his talents to the
team. The father remembers
duism holds his hope for the fu- Sataswati, and the complete Encyclopedia them, Naresh, in a sudden break from his
ture. He told HINDUISM TODAY, "I of Indian Philosophy. 'AS we are Hindus," cool corporate compos)lre, quipped a terse
Poverty and the Western influ- his recruiting, "I was in dint am a born-Hindu, and I believe explains Naresh, "we publish about Ayurve-
YEAR TITLES NEW TITLES "No." Then he sallied, "We live with them,
ences are definitely ruinin~ FOUNDED IN PRINT PER YEAR PRINT RUN need of help due to expansion, that Hinduism i~ not changing. .da, Vastushastra and all the sacred sciences
and it was perfectly natural to and there is a vast cljfference. They are the
our culture. Modern women Munshiram 18 0 1,500 50-60 1,000-5,000 For centuries, the teaehings have which are allied to Hinduism."
7 have him join me." head of our family, which is one unit. We do
are no longer humble. They endured, and the religion is ad- While they look to their Lord for inspira-
Motilal 19 03 2,000 150 500-2,000 But as soon as he was put in not worry about the future in heated com-
wish to carve their own niche vancing. Its traditions and teach- tion, they rely on God-given manage'ment
charge of Abhinav's exports, petition with others. For we wish to main-
in society, with their own style, Abhlnav 1972 375 25 1,000 ings insure its surv.ival. So there skills for success. "We are in business to pub-
Ateev implemented innovative tain a religious household. We believe that
which is far refnoved from the shall always be opportunity to lish books for sale, not to fill shelvJs in our
Nag 1975 500 80-100 700- 1,000 ideas that unfolded new direc- we each have our karmas to live through and
traditional way." ..; prosper under its umbrella." ..; stores,'" qsserts SuniL "It is our policy not to dharma to fulfilL Thus we a}e content." ..;
MOTILAL BANARSlDASS , BUNCALOW
ROAD, JAWAHAR NAGAR, DELHI 110007
Satguru 1976 600 40-60 tions for the ongoing publishing accept subsidies, so the title has to be ab-
ABHINAV, E-37 HAUZ KHAS, NEW DELHI
INDIA. TEL: gl-1l-291-1g8S activities. Ateev introduced a t UO 016 INDlA. TEL: 91-11- 666--387 solutely saleable," Naresh elaborates. "In the
INDIAN BOOKS CENTRE, SRI SATGURU PUBLICATIONS , 4015
SHAKTI NAGAR, DELHI 110007 INDIA. TEL: 91-11-712-6497

22 HINDUISM TODA-Y M Y , 1998

,
MAY, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 23

Bookish brothers: Surendra Pratap (left) and Narendra bring Indian script to th€ fore
TAPPING TRADITION
Nag Publishing
Where Sanskrit has become the. family specialty
HEN MY FATHER: DIED IN 1994 AT
the age of '75, ,the whole responsi-
bility for the family and the busi-
fell on me," recalls Surendra
Pratap of Nag Publishers. Surendra and his
brother Narendra now guide the company.
"Qur field of concentration," Surendra
states, "is the Vedas and Vedic epics, such as
the Puranas, Smritis, Brahmin Granth, as
well as works in astrology, dictionaries, liter-
ature, philosophy an9. ancient Sanskrit. We
do not limit ourselve~ to Hinduism alone but
include Buddhist and other religious works."
Nag publications include all of the Maha-
purar;as, Vedas, Nine Gems of Sanskrit Lit-
eratwre, Siddhanta Darpana and Complete
Plays of Bhasa in their original Sanskrit as
well as Geographical Survey of the Puranas,
Science and Technology in the Vedas, Medi-
cinal Plants of India and several Sanskrit-
English dictionaries.
There was no hint of hesitation for Sur-
endra to take the helm aft~ his father's
passing. He relates, "I am a graduate in com-
merce, and from my early days t was inter-
ested in what my father was doing. I joined
him when we started this new business and
have had no regrets and have never looked
back. I knew I had to hold everything to-
gether," he told I;IINDUISM TODAY·over a cup
of'Indian tea. "That is the mean1'ng of fami-
ly and business. Otherwise, our father's
forty years of experience would be lost. My
goal was to move ahead with the family. I
understood that in any relation, coordina-
tion and compromise is a must. If you think
24 HINDUISM TOD A.Y MAY , 1998
J
for the other party and not for yourself,
there is no problem. I am very happy that
we 1!wo brothers, with our families, are
working and living together. Our biggest
wealth-.l.s our sanskars: manners, tradition
and culture."
The Nag publishing family hails from
MirZ'a pur district of Uttar Pradesh. Suren-
dra's father, Nagsharan Singh, was born on
the festival day of Nag Panchami. He
worked. with Leader Press at Allahabad,
then moved to Patna where he printed the
daily Search Light. Coming to 'Delhi, he
worked as a manager with Motilal Banarsi-
dass for 20 y~ars. In 1975, with his two sons,
he started Nag Publishing, naming it after.
the auspicious d.ay of his birth.
"My father," Surendra explains, "wanted to
publish Sanskrit text, fully knowing that the
volume of sales would be very low. It took
two to three years before any returns came.
Our enduring strategy is that Sanskrit texts
never get outdated." The brothers have a
Board of Editors who advis ~ on new titles.
''Additionally there are four or flYe profes-
sors who write," says Surendra.
There is a gracious comraderie among all
the Delhi publishers. Surendra confirms,
"There are many publishers in our neld, but
we maintain a healthy competition and have
cordial relations." It was a sure sign when a
representative of Motilal Banarsidass escort-
ed us from their headquarters to the Nag
Publishing offices: ' ...,
NAG PUBLI S~RS, llA V.A. J AWAHAR NAGAR, (P O ST OFF I CE
BUILDING ), D E LHI 110007 I NDIA. TEL: 91- 11-25 1-7975
HINDU ADVOCATES
The Voice
or India
.,
Lifting the .long siege
surrounding Hinduism
> STARTED VOICE OF INDIA IN i989 BE-
cause Hindu soc~ty was under siege,"
Sita Ram Goel, 76, told HINDUISM TE>-
. DAY. "Hindus have a damaged psyche.
They find fault with themselves. They have '
no pride. Voice of India is one individual's
effort to counteract that." This .small Fub-
lishing house has produced a remarkable se-
ries of books relatively free of biased infor-
mation despite their provocative topics.
They deal with the Muslim and Christian
presence in India, the impaCt of commu-
nism and secularism and historical issues,
especially the ''Aryan Invasion." Foremost
among the authors published by Voice of In-
dia is Sri Ram Swarup, perhaps Hinduism's
most cogent analyst. Goel, who writes five
National treasure: Sri SUa Ram Gael
hours a day, N.S. Rajaram and Arun Shourie"
are other great Indian authors represented
here, along with Vamadeva Shastri (David
Frawley) and Koenraad Elst. Their collec-
tive efforts have substantially impacted
resurgent Hindu organizations such as the
RSS, VHP, the political party BJ'P, and Hin-
dus and Hindu friends outside India. "..;
VOICE OF rNDIA, 2118 ANSARI ROAD, NEW DELH I
llO 002 INDIA. TEL: 9 1- 11-724- 5 s84
"
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RESERVNI'ION THROUGH DOCUMEN-
and education." This is the
modus operandi of Dr. S.K Jain, the
retired yet tireless defender of India's in-
finitely useful and especially sacred plants
and trees. Jain, nOID73 'and still very active
in the field, is the Scientist Emeritus of the
National Botanical Research Institute in
Lucknow. He began in the early Ig60s by
studying the e'thnobotany of the Adivasi
tribals in central India, in what then was an
unprecedented effort. His objective was to
record in scientific detail the' tribals' medic-
inal use of plants. Later, his sister, a scholar
of the Vedas, reveale(i to him how the same
plants are described'in the Vedas. His inter-
est germinated, and soon his resear,ch blos-
somed to include recording how and why
India:s flora are found to be sacred. With
this ilual objective, he served the Botanical
Survey of India for nearly three decades
and was its director for almost seven years.
He initiated a1}d organized broad-based
ethnobotanical studies in several parts of
the country and coordinated all-India re-
search projects in endangered species and
ethonobotany. His work attrqcted funding
fr'bm the Ford Foundation and the -Smith-
sonian Institution of the US. At ;(he request
of HINDUISM TODAY, Dr. Jain introduces
this vast subject.
DR. S.K. JAIN, LUCKNOW
HE EXTENT TO WHICH PLANTS IN iN-
dia are used in worship and medicine is
unrivaled. The closest match would
. perhaps oe the forest and mountain-
dwelling tribals of Central and South Amer-
ica. .Retired Harvard University professor
Richard Evans Schultes, who is now over go
26 HINDUISM TODA.Y MAY, 1998
years old, acknowledged this fact. In
Iggl he described how India is ''A
nation blessed with an extremely di-
verse flora but likewise an extraordi-
I narily large l{opulation of tribals who
still have an unequalled, rich knowl-
edge of the properties of their ambi-
ent vegetations." In India, this deep
knowledge of and faith in plants, ani-
mals . and forests has largely con-
tributed to natural conservation of
the environment and its biodiversity.
There is hardlY any sphere of hu-
man activity in India where sacred
plants do not play ~Tole. Even nonbe-
lievers who usually scorn at "mythol-
ogy" and "magic-o-religious" beliefs
are likely to pray at a parv cular tree
or offer certain specific flowers when
it comes to helping their ailing kith
and kin. In my book, Dictionary of
Indian Folk Medicine and Ethnob-
otany (l~gl, De,ep Publications, ])Jew
Delhi), I have enumerated some
2,500 species and 15,000 folk uses oJ
plants in India. But there is much
more knowledge yet to be codified.
Apart from individual plants, some
whole forest patches are considered
hallowed. These sacred groves are
known locally as vanrai, and there'
are hundreds of large and small van-
rai in India. A study has revealed the
presence of several hundred such
groves in the state of Maharashtra
alone. Some areas, like the Mawflong
Bird's eye view: (from top), Indian
Banyan fruits; the Peepul tree; sub-
tle flowers of Sandalwood
forest in Meghalaya is the only orig- said never to shrink.
inal and virgin forest left in that re- Rice and seeds such as sesame are associ-
gion, and it harbors hundreds of ated with many rites. When proper statues
rare and unique plants. are la9king for puja to the navagraha, the
Sac;:ed groves are believed to b~ nine planets of Hindu astrology, Brahmin
the abode of certain deities or spir- priE(sts may invoke each planet by using the
its. For example, the sacred groves specific seed, spice or dal that is ritually as-
in the western ghat in Maharasht ra sociated with it.
are belie;"ed to be the abode of For the performance of havana, or homa,
deities and spirits such as Kalkai, the Vedic fire ceremony, the twigs of five
Shirkai, Waghjai, Gangoba, Ramr species-Banyan tree, Bilva, mango, Pakur
Shiv,)3him, Nagnath and many oth- (Ficus lacor) ~d Peepul-are recommend-
ers. Usually there are no temples for ed. Certain regions in South India substitute
these deities. Rather, a few vermil- mango, Pakur and Peepul with Palas, Deo-
ion-smeared stones at the base of a dar and Chandana. Of all the aboY-e, mango '
tree demarcate the spot as sacred, twigs are preferred. Bamboo is associated
and there the folk worship and place with the Brahmin threadfceremony and fot
flowers and their varied offerings. worship of ancestors. Leaves of mango,
Some trees are believed to have Ashok and plantain (banana) are the most
originated from-bodies or limbs of -common materials for decorating places for
Gods. The Peepul, or Bo-tree, was sacred rituals and for festivals. The coconut
born from the body of Lord Vishnu. or a fruiting branch of the Supari (Areca nut
Palas, Flame of the forest, was born palm) are also commonly used.
from the body of Brghma. Amla Saving grace: The faith of the tribal and
(Emblic myrobalan) rose from tears rural folk in the sanctity ana: utilitarian na-
of Brahma and the Rudraksha (Blue ture of these plants has directly resulted not
marble tree) grew from tears shed only in their veneration, but in their preser-
by Siva. Harada (Chebulic myrobal- Towering torch: ~amphor comes from this regal tree vation as well. Traditional taboos have effec-
an) evolved from a drop of nectar ti~ely protected the purity and biodiversity
spilled onto Earth 1;>y the Gods. It i:s believed Chandana, sandalwood, is aIl10ng the elite of the environment and have enforced strict
that Lord Brahma was born on a lotus, and and most ...renowned of sacred trees. The indigenous conservation. Yet due to urban-
it is commonly known that Tulsi (holy basil) wood is rubbed on stone and the paste is ization and the pressures of population,
is worshiped as an incarnation of the fiance widely used for anointing the forehead as many sacred plants are rapidly becoming en-
of Lord Krishna. well as for incense and in ayurvedic prepa- dangered. The socio-religious rules that re-
Some plants have become venerable only rations. Temple deities are also bathed with strict or. regulate the collection of plant parts,
in recent times, as the species itself has the paste. The famous Murugan temple at even for or use in homa and other rites, have
been introduced into India in the last one or Tiruttani, Tamil Nadu, has a rare stick of been a self-regulating mechanism between
two centllries. Shivlingi (the Canonball tree) sandalwood. Ihs ground for paste used in the human and plant kingdoms. Our genera-
is a popular example. The name is due to the the temple rituals, which is then given to tion must be committed to preserve these
rese-fublance to the shape of a Sivalinga of devotees. This special paste is lauded to have traditions of conservation for posterity. wi
the stamens that protrude and bend like the curative powers. But the mystery of thi.s DR. S.K. JAIN, INSTITUTE OF ETHNOBIOLOGY, NATIONAL
hood of a snake over the stigma. temple cure is that the stick of sandalwood is BOTANICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, LUCKNOW 22600 INDIA.
WOHSHIP rounding Siva Nataraja is often
decorated with Datum flowers.
In tlJardens of the Gods Lakshmi: Flowers of Padma
(lotus) and Parijata; fruits of
AmZa (Emblic myrobalan),
INDU SCRIPTURES PRO and the plants that are specifi- K.ela (plantain); Bilva.
vide some general cally associated with them. Durga: Amra (mango), pome-
guidelines for the use of Jasmine, pomegranate and granate, Asoka, Bilva, rice,
plants in worship. 1. Bakula are acceptable for turmeric, plantain, Mana (Alo-
Flower buds should not be of- all deities. casia indica) and barley
fered. 2. Flowers found on the Brahma: Vata (Banyan tree ). Saraswati: Padma flowers;
ground should not be offerred, Vishnu: Leaves of Tulsi (sacred leaves of Dub (Bermuda grass).
with the two exceptions, Pari- Basil) and Vata; flowers of Kali: Curhal (Shoe-flower).
jata (coral jasmine) and Baku- Parijata. Taboo for Vishnu are Rama and Jagannath: Tulsi.
la (Elengi tree). 3. Red flowers Datura (thorn apple ) and Krishna: Tulsi, Kadamb(~
are preferred for Goddesses, Shivalingi (canonball tree ). (Wild Cinchona).
but with lotus, rose and kaner Shiva: Bilva (Bael fruit tree), Ganesha: Ikh (sugarcane),
(oleander), all colors are con- Kachnar (Bauhinia), Ak white Ak.
sidered equal. (Crown flower), Datura, Arnal- Sun: Bilva. @
The following is a list of tas (Golden shower tree), Kan- Moon: Sim (Sarcostema Vata: Aerial roots of t he
Gods, Goddesses and planets er. The circle of flames sur- acidum), Kapur (camphor). massive Indian Banyan
MAY, 1998 HI'NDUISM TOD AY 27
INSIGHT
The Colors of 0
Consclollsness
How the mystic art of perceiving
auras can help you appreciate
others and enhance your life
HE HUMAN AURA EXTENDS OUT AROUND THE
from three to four feet, even from five to
six feet in the case of more evolved souls. It is
made up of a variety of vibratory rates or colors.
Each area of the mind that awareness flows
through reflects a change in these vibratory rates of
colors in the human aura. When you have developed
a certain psychic sight, by seeing through the eyes of
the soul, you will be able to look at a person, see the
aura around him and know immediately the area of
the instinctive, intellectual or superconscious mind
he is aware in at that particular time.
For instance, if someone's awareness was flowing through the realms
of depression, that is, the area within the vast mind substance that
contains the vibratory rate of depression, his aura would look rather
gray, dim and dismal. If he was aware in the feeling of a beautiful love
for all humanity, his aura would look light blue, fringed and tinged
With yellow. However, if his love for humanity was of a superficial,
emotional nature, being more idle talk and emotion than sub-super-
conscious compassion, his aura would be pink or reddish, telling you
there was still a lot of instinctive fire, and should an upsetting cir-
cumstance occur, he could easily forget about universal love and be-
come quite angry. Then the pink would turn to flaming red streaked
with black. After this, if he were to feel remorseful about the emo-
tional upheaval, the aura would turn to dark blue, and you could
hardly see his face for the deep blue mist that would form around his
body. If awareness was flowing through the area of the mind of infe-
riority and jealousy, the aura would be dark grayish-green in color.
Someone with healing inclinations would have a pale green aura. A
student increasing his intellectual knowledge would have an aura of
brilliant yellow. The combinations are almost endless.
Several colors often appear in the aura at the same time. For ex-
ample, the red of suppressed desire and seething anger might ap-
pear along with the yellow of intellectual involvement. This person's
head would be surrounded in yellow, and the lower part of his body
streaked in red. Even a touch of very dark green might appear,
showing that jealousy caused his anger. A devotee sitting in medita-
tion, diligently working within himself, will in the course of half an
hour change the colors of his aura from three to four to five times,
as he moves his awareness from the instinctive-intellectual areas into
28 HINDUISM TODAY MAY, 1998
II:
~ all of the time, but just when he wants to.
..;
II:
~ Deity. In the unseen world of the Devaloka what actually hap- and spiritual effect of each color by simply looking at one color af-
2-
A depiction by contemporary clairooyant Barbara Brennan of the
astral or emotional body's moving energy fields of myriad colors.
the brilliancy of subsuperconscious realms. His aura will take on
shades of light blue and light yellow interlaced with white. Then as
he moves into superconsciousness, rays of light from the central
source of energy will begin to emerge from the core of his spine and
flood out through his aura and penetrate the atmosphere of the
room. You feel his presence as darshan. The sub of the subconscious
mind, the home of deep-seated, often emotionally charged impres-
ILLUSTRATION OR I GINALLY APPEARS IN HANDS OF LIGHT ( TM ) BY BAR-
BARA BRENNAN ( SM ), IL LUSTRATED BY JO S A. SMI TH , BANTAM BOOKS
sions, has an aura of its own deep within the outer aura that we have Reading: Man Visible and Invisible, C.W Leadbeater, The Theosophical Publishing House, 306 West Gen-
been describing. It is seen "within" the physical body itself and is evea Road, Wheaton, lllinois 60187 USA. Hands of Light, Barbara Ann Brennan, Bantam Books, 666 FIfth
Avenue, New York, New York 10103 USA. The Raiment of Light, AStudy of the Human Aura, David Tans-
different from the daily emotional-intellectual aura which appears ley, Routledge & Kegan Paul, Ltd., II New Fetter Lane, London, EC4P 4EE, London, United Kingdom.
around the physical body as a result of awareness being in one area
of the mind or another. All the reactionary conditions of our past yourself Your aura is now brownish with murky, dirty green, possi-
which are currently reacting in our subconscious mind are reflect- bly accented with black and red sparks. To counteract this heavi-
ed in the colors of this inner subconscious aura. ness, just add white. Visualize white light flooding out from the cen-
The big question always arises, "How do we know whether or not ter of your spine into and through your aura. Visualize violet rays
we are seeing an aura, or if it is just our imagination?" The colors flooding into your new white aura, invigorating and cutting through
around the person are first seen within your own mind. You would the darkness. When you go, as pure awareness, right into the center
not clearly see them around their physical body. Later, after becom- of your spine and flood white mind-substance out into your aura,
ing adjusted to this new form of sight, you may see colors around the white mixes with the black, and gray appears in your aura. Im-
an individual's physical body. Where dp these colors come from? mediately you experience fear, but this emotion soon passes as more
All things in the mind are sound and color. Look around you white enters the aura. The gray soon disappears. As still more white
and observe each vibratory rate of every physical object as enters the aura, the flamilng red of anger turns to the pink shades of
haMng a sound as well as a color. Everything is sound. Every- tolerance and compassion. The dark browns and the murky dark
thing is color. Everything is shape. Therefore, in the refined green of jealousy turn to the emerald green of confidence and hu-
areas of the mind, all things are color and all things are sound, mility. A feeling of peace and contentment comes as the new colors
recognizable through the sixth sense of the all-seeing eye. react back on the emotions. It takes but a little effort on your part,
This faculty is always awake. You only have to learn how to be a little concentration, persistence and faith in your ability to change
aware of and use it, in a similar way an artist must learn to your own mood by a positive effort of will. You have no doubt ex-
dIstinguish with his physical eyes between one perienced difficulty in getting up in the morning. What is
shade of color and another and between the ___---_~ the remedy for this? Flood your aura with red, of i
dimensions in a painting. The mystic learns course. A nice, bright red. It doesn't take much ef-
how to use his already developed sixth fort to visualize the color red. You will know
sense, his third eye. It is used all the that you have succeeded when all of a sudden
time, constantly, day in and day out, your physical vitality awakens and you feel
though not consciously. For example, invigorated and ready to jump up for a
someone may walk into your home. wonderful day. All of us at one time or
You look at them and say, "You are another experience mental laziness.
not feelling very well today. You seem What is the remedy? Simply flood your
disturbed." How do you know? In- aura with yellow by visualizing yellow
side yourself you are seeing their light all around you, and soon you will
aura. If they enter looking bright and be drawn into the thinking area of the
shiny, you know how they feel inside mind and be able to progressively pur-
because you see their aura. sue your studies. Visualizing orange
Some people are born with psychic strengthens your intellectual aggressive-
sight and maintain it throughout their ness because red is added to the yellow.
lifetime. As this faculty was developed If your child is crying uncontrollably
in a prior birth, the wisdom and un- and you can't get to sleep, what color would
derstanding of its proper use comes you bless him with? Would you get angry and
naturally to them. But more commonly, yell, "Why don't you go to sleep! I told you,
psychic sight develops slowly, almost im- you're disturbing your father!" Flashes of red? The
perceptively, through an unbroken continu- child would be terrified. No, you would harmonize the
ity of sadhana. Through the unveiling grace of child's emotions with shades of blue and pale green. Beating,
Lord Siva we are allowed to see what needs to be seen at berating and insulting of children does permanent damage to their
the proper time in our life when we can sustain the resul- aura. C. W. Leadbeater described one case of a child tormented by
tant reactions. Generally, if you do have this awakened in- a teacher. "The child's aura changed and twisted about horribly, and
ner perception of auras, you would only notice someone's when it was still again, all the beautiful little shoots of lovely color
aura if it were peculiarly dull or strongly radiant. A mystic had disappeared, and in their place were innumerable little scars,
who has control of this faculty does not generally see auras harm done which could not be cancelled in the present life." The
colors of deep red, representing suppressed anger, and the grays and
AlUric cleansing: You as a devotee have often gone to the black of fear and hatred would now permanently predominate.
temple with your problems and placed them at the feet of the You can familiarize yourself with the individual physical, mental
pens is that the Deity and His many devas work with your prob- ter another and experiencing the results. Each color and the emo-
lems by working with your aura, most especially the inner aura, by tions it reflects are like two sides of the same coin. Learn them so
disintegrating or clearing up any congestion they find. From the in- well that the thought of one immediately brings the idea of the oth-
ner sanctum, they lighten the darker colors, which were created by er. For example, how do you feel when you enter a room that is
traveling through troubled states of mind, infusing them with rays painted blue? White? Yellow? Place before you a piece of paper of
of white and violet light. We rarely see this happening, but we can the color you wish to visualize. Look at the paper and then close
certainly feel it, and we depart the temple feeling relieved and freed your eyes and try to see the exact same color in your mind. Then
from congestion and worry. open your eyes and look at the paper again and, with eyes still open,
You can also flood your aura with rays of white and violet light, turn your head away from the paper and try to see the color in your
just like the Deities and devas do. If you are in a negative mood be- conscious mind. Literally fill your mind with the color of the paper.
cause of having just become angry with somebody because you After you have accomplished this exercise with one color, repeat it
were jeallous of them, there is a remedy that you can perform for with another, then another and then another.
MAY , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 29

AModern
Psychic's Hands
of Light
S A CHILD, BARBARA
Brennan would prac-
tice walking blindfold
in the woods of her
family's Wisconsin farm. "I
would feel the trees long be-
fore I could touch them," she
recalls. "They were larger
than they appeared to the
visible eye." She learned to
see this energy field, as well
as that around small animals.
Later in life she earned a
master's degree in atmospher-
ic physics and then worked
for NASA for a number of
years. Unsatisfied, she trained
as a counselor and started
helping people. Her forgotten
ability to see energy fields
returned. '1 became skeptical
and confused. Were they
really there? Did they have
meaning? Was it wishful
thinking, or was I experienc-
ing another dimension of
reality that had meaning, was
orderly and was very helpful
in understanding my present
life circumstances and, in
fact, life as a whole." She per-
severed and sought out the
esoteric literature, such as
that of the great theosophist,
Normal aura Pregnant woman
Strong feelings
30 HINDUISM T ODAY MAY ,
Barbara Brennan's psychic
sense assists her in healings
c. W Leadbeater, which con-
firmed her experiences.
Her clairvoyant ability to
see auras helped her counsel-
ing work immensely, for she
was able to diagnose physical,
emotional, mental and spiri-
tual difficulties just by ob-
serving the aura of her
patients. Especially she could
see how a person's disease
was actually caused by emo-
tional and mental blocks.
Some of what she has seen is
depicted in the paintings
below. As with other clairvoy-
ants, who can always be
found among the general
population, she teaches that
anyone can develop the abili-
ty; indeed, everyone already
possesses it to some extent.
Musician performing
Anger turned inward
1998
Protecting your aura: Each color has its own special protective come angry with someone, they are actually cursing you astrally, or
qualities, which can be chosen to counteract or balance out the par- you them. This is because powerful vibrations of red and black,
ticular vibrations you are or will be experiencing. Let's take the ex-
ample of protecting yourself from the auric emanations of persons
grays and. muddy, brownish greens are being sent from one person to
another. Truly, this hurts, and bad karma is made.
The Occult
who are ill, a condition you will encounter if you visit a hospital. You
can easily counteract this influence by flooding your aura with col-
Our holy scriptures tell us that we must purify our intellects. That World of C.W.
means that we must lighten up the colors that are within our sub-
ors of health and physical strength. This will not only protect you, conscious and sub of the subconscious mind. When the intellect is Leadbeater
but it will also improve the condition of those around you. How do finally purified, the outer aura shows many pastel colors in and
you do this? Become aware of your spine and visualize a stream of through it. The permanent, inner aura will be filled with beautiful . N HIS BOOK MAN VISIBLE
white light in its center, from the base to the top of your head. Then patterns of golden yellow, blue and lavender. But once the intellect and Invisible, published in
mentally draw from this pure white light warm red and vibrant is purified, good mental maintenance must occur daily so that con- 1925, the great psychic
pink. As a healing power, visualize pale green surrounding the pa- gested areas are not recreated out of habit. This is the great value of and theosophist, C. W
tient, a color many modern hospitals have adopted to invoke healing. a regulated religious life and daily sadhana. Leadbeater, illustrated and
To increase your vitality even more, visualize yourself effortlessly To keep the colors of our subconscious and sub-subconscious re- explained at length his pro-
performing some strenuous physical or athletic feat, and you will fined, our religion tells us to go on a long pilgrimage once a year. found experience of the hu-
soon feel the energy rising within you. This melllS we take our inner aura that has been building up man aura. His was not a new
Bright oranges and yellows will bring a new energy which will en- through the year and place it at the feet of the Deity at some far-off discovery But in the past
hance your intellect and protect you from being overpowered by the temple. While on the pilgrimage, we are able to collect all its colors, such psychic revelations, C. W Leadbeater
intellectual force of someone else. This is also a way to help over- emotions and deep feelings and leave them, along with our offering which have been experienced
coming shyness. Surrounded by a vibrant aura, charged with bright of fruit and flowers, at the God's holy feet to be disintegrated by by individuals of all religions, gate and verify the worlds
orange and yellow, you are a secure and confident individual, able Him. To keep the colors of our subconscious and sub-subconscious were kept secret, passed pri- beyond the physical plane.
to enter into discussion with a new self-assurance. The vibrations of refined, our religion tells us to read scriptures daily because their vately from guru to diSciple. "I am perfectly aware that
others tend to rebound from your aura. You are relaxed and friend- high-minded thoughts and concepts bring purple, lavender, pink Leadbeater and his fellow the world at large is not yet
ly, and intelligence pours forth uninhibitedly from you. and yellow into our aura. theosophists, Annie Besant convinced of the existence of
The colors used to harmonize and protect the emotional nature To keep the colors of our subconscious and sub-subconscious re- and Madam Blavatsky, had this power of clairvoyant
are light blue and violet. By flooding your aura with beautiful sky fined, our religion tells us to perform puja daily to personally invoke advanced clairvoyant abilities, sight," wrote Leadbeater. "But
blue and vivid violet, you quiet your own lower emotions and feel- the higher beings in the Devaloka at our own home shrine and ob- and were among the fIrst to I also know that all who have
ings and become impervious to the negative feelings and moods of tain their blessings. It may interest you to know that such blessings put in writing and attempt to really studied the question
those around you. With the advent of these colors, your individual lighten not only the aura of each one in the household but also the illustrate the human aura, the have found the evidence for it
awareness is transported into the more refined, uplifting realms of physical building itself To keep the colors of our subconscious and chakras and thought forms. irresistible. To those who are
the superconscious mind. Always remember that by flooding your sub-subconscious refined, our religion tells us to provide the essen- At about the same time, Swa- daily in the habit of exercis-
aura with bright sky-blue and lavender you are automatically build- tial sacraments in life for the children so that the permanent im- mi Panchadasi of India came ing this higher vision in a
ing an armor to protect yourself from their lower feelings and pas- pressions of these special combinations of color and sound are to America and published in hundred different ways, the
sions, such as anger, jealousy, hatred and lust. So, now make a study placed into the inner aura of the sub-subconscious mind and added 1912 The Human Aura, an denial of the majority that
of bright, clear blues and violets and select the ones that appeal to to the ones that are already there from previous impressions. equally profound exposition. such sight is possible natural-
you the most. Intuitively you will know which shades are best for E XCERPTED F ROM M E RGING WITH SIVA Leadbeater sought not to ly seems ridiculous. It is as if
you. Beautiful shades of blue and violets will always be found in the By SATGURU SIVAYA S UBRAM UNIYASWAMI establish a new religion. Ra- a blind man came up to us
auras of successful teachers, missionaries, social workers and those ther, he wrote, he wanted to and assured us there was no
who work among those of lesser emotional and mental refinement Fro·m · C~w:·Leaiiiie·aierjs ·pe·rcePtiiiii·s;·i·T~· ~~;~·~f~· ~~ti~~;;i· ····· · awaken "the inner faculties as such thing as ordinary physi-
than their own. When someone becomes angry at you, or you be- person, with the lower portions betraying selfishness. 2. A wave of yet latent in the majority of cal sight, and that we were
"strong and perfectly pure affection sweeping over a person. »
mankind" so that each person
B~~~; · T~·h~~~ ·~~;~·~ ·~~ri~~~~d· bY ·~~~t~p~;~;;Y ·d~i~~Y~ · deluded in supposing that we
J. Intense anger. 4. A person "in love.» Lust and j ealousy show in could independently investi- possessed this faculty"
ant Barbara Ann Brennan in her counseling and healing work. the lower half, affection and devotion in the upper areas.
Child playing
f'
Anger expressed Result of cocaine use
ILL US T RATI ONS O RI G I NA L L Y A PP EAR IN HAN D S O F L I G H T (T M ), BY BA R- THE O SO P HI CAL PUB LI SH I NG HOUSE: MAN , V I SIB L E A N D I NV I S IB LE , C. W LEADBEAT ER
M AY, 1998 HINDUISM TODA Y 31
BARA BR ENNAN ( SM ). ILLUST RATED B Y JOS A. SM IT H , BA NTAM BOOK S

LANGUAGE
Cracking the Indus Valley Code
Two bold researchers say
HAVE WORKED WFrH OUTSTANDING ings. After ' a careful examination of his ed in the Indian press in November, 1997,
scientists at NASA, including Nobel work, the American Vedic scholar Vamade: but most scholars have yet to even hear of it,
laureates," Dr. N.S. Rajaram told HIN- va Shastri (David Frawley) and N.S. Ra- much less study Jhas, book.
DUISM TODAY. "Never have I met a ge- jaram, both experts in the Indus civilization,
nius like Dr., Natwar Jha. His com- believe his reading to be substantially cor- working in a rural part o.,f West Bengal could
mand of l'1u1guage and ability to rect. By applying Jhas method~ they found make such a breakthrough? At least two of
correlate details is astounding." Jha's prodi- they could independently read a large num- the great decipherments of history-Egypt-
gious abilities may well earn him a coveted ber of seals. The breakthrough was report- ian hieroglyphics and MinoaI} "Linear B" .
pla~e in history as the man who
firtally deciphered the confound-
ing script of the Indus Valley civ-
ilization. The remains of that civ-
ilization wer:e discovered by
British explorers in 1875 in what
is now Pakistan. Yet, much about
the people who inhabited these
urban centers remains in the. dark
because the script they used,
specimens of which are available
on 4,000 small soapstone seals,
has long baffled scholars.
Natwar Jha, a 58-year-olp Ve-
dic scholar and paleographer
[.rom West Bengal, may have
1'ound the solution to the great
problem. In a slim volume of 60
pages titled' Vedic Glossary on
Indus Seals, Jha has provided
both the key to the ancient script
as well as a large number of read-
32 lj:INDUISM TOElAY MAY ,
Collaborators: (above) Dr: N.'
Jha of West Bengal, a school
principal and Sanskrit scholar, •
skillfully deciphered the Indus
script. Dr: N. Rajaram (left), a .
mathematician, linguist and en-
gineer in the field of artifiCial in-
telligence and robotics, verified
and publicized J~a's work.
th~ ancient seals have surrendered their secrets
Is it reasonable that an unknown scholar
script-were cracked by outside
amateurs. Thomas Young, a bril-
liant English doctor and physi-
Alphabetic Parallels cist, deciphered hieroglyphics
on the famed Rosetta Stone in
Indus sign:" Consonant "K" Equivalent signs In 1815. The Linear B script was
other languages: deciphered only in 1952 byJ he
Stages of Development: determined amateur Michael
+ "k" In Brahml Ventris, a British architect. Out-
earllestl ~ + ..... )I "k" In Phoenician
, siders, in fact, have a decided
seals + N X X advantage over those logically
~ "k" In Hlmyarltlc more qualified for the work, for
to )I K " ~ they do not share the prejudices
latest ~ 'fI 41 "k" In Aramaic and misconceptions which may
have taken deep root among
One of Jha's decipherment strategies was to relate the Indus scholars.
script to other ancient scripts. Here the symbol (in several The first and biggest miscon-
forms) identified as 'X " is related to Brahmi (Sanskrit's pre- ception corrected by Jha con-
Devanagari script), plus Phoenician, Himyaritic and Aramaic cerned who inhabited the Indus
(Chaldean)-all Semitic languages of the Middle East. This Valley. Most scholars believe it
means our English "K" dates back to the Indus Valley! was a Dravidian-speaking peo-
ple who were driven out of the
1998
Dramatic decli
8indh and resu
Punjab and Ha
Back to farminl
What's the Deal About a Cr 1 MAY , 1 9 98 HIN D U I SM
NDlJS SEALS ARE MADE FROM STEATITE (SOAPSTONE) i
and are about an inch square. On the 4,200 so far recov-
ere(a there are 400 different signs with the average text just
five signs long. Many have numbers on the sides or back
leading Jha and Rajaram to believe them a kind of library in~
ptic Seal?
<
ex cru:d system. The image and words, they sugges!
,.'"
z
bbreVlated statement of subject which then require
c:J ive verbal explanation or bhasya- the same style fo
o
.J
o ter Sanskrit literature. Below are Jhas proposed rel
'"
< ;;anskrit transliteration and English translation for
'"
u
"<
"'o
...z
...'"
:li
inah suretiih vapvagha volJ,ha
.
"< "Ish~ara, who~e creative "Indra as Lord of Waters
'" force fills the universe" who washes away sins"
"
J
area in 1500 BeE py an invasion of Aryans that there was some rt.:
from the north and west. They therefore as- the Indus script and the
sumed the script to be an ancient form of a of Brahmi, the predeces
Dravidian language, perhaps Tamil. All at- Devanagiri script. In an ~
tempts to provide a Dravidian interpretation relation, Jha compared a
Isadyattal). maral). arka sruti
for the script have failed. But in the last ten from all languages and I
"Ishvara who controls "prayer for the SI
years, a strong minority of scholars and oth- dance of siInilar charactl
forces of destruction"
ers have challengea the Aryan Invasion the- found that letters of m
ory as wrong and proposed that the people scripts were related to I n ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -....!
of the Indus Valley are the ancestors of peo- By,painstaking cross-nationship
. between ly hit upon the'meaning of ir
ple irho live in India today. Accepting this
- - - - - - - - -.. .,Iflost ancient forms boIs, and found words from tb
point of view, Jha proceeded on the as-
to the Sanskrit the seals. After several hundrl
sumption the seals were in an ancient form
of Sanskrit. OIIOI!1~1a~:J-?g feat of cor- rived at a relatively consist
characters translation that anyone can a
Jha decided to search for Vedic words on
the seals. In this he was helped .by an an- job is to verify and refine his
cient work known as the Nighantu. It is a With Dr. N.S. Rajar
TO CONTACT DR . N. JH A AND TO OR!
glossar~ of Sanskrit words compiled by the
sage Yaska. Jha also found that the "Shanti
GLOSSARY ON INDUS SEALS WRITE: GM
INC HOUSE, D. 35177. J ANGAMAWADIMA1
INDIA. N.S. RAJARAM, F2 "RAJAT HA MAl
Parva" of the Mahabharata (the ancient his- TEMPLE ROAD, BASAVANAGUDI. 1
tory of India) preserves an account of Yas-
ka's search for older, "buried" glossaries-
perhaps the seals-in compiling his own.
From this Jha concluded that some of the
seals must contain words found in Yaskas Stage 1: 7000-
Nighantu. This conclusion was critical, for it Beginnings of
greatly narrowed what he was looking for. farming comrr
The Nighantu is a late Vedic work, dealing Stage 2: 4300-
with the words of ancillary ~dic texts. The Developed far
entire Rig Veda would already have been in pastoral coron:
. existence for thousands of'years at the time ,.
the seals were produced. ~ Stage 3: 3200-
o Agricultural SI
It has long been known that there was a ...
correspondence between the Indus 'script "
< SOcieties, urba
and characters iriother ancient scripts of the ~ Stage 4: 2600-
Indian sub-continent and neighboring re- ~ The big leap. j
gions. Especially it had been demonstrated town planning
scripts emerge
". Stage 5: 2500-
Indus in full b
Sf:Iu(a 8: '2.000-
 . chapter'on religion in The Earliest Civiliza-
ARCHAEOLOGY
..
Fixing •
History
B. B. Lal's book buries
the Aryan Invasion
myth by. exhuming
India's true antiquity
HE OUTSTANDING FEATURE OF
" Professor Lal's book, <' says famed
historian Shiva G. Bajpai, "is that in
one volume you have the l1WSt compre-
hensive and up-to-date treatment of all
the major archaeolggical sites of the
Indus-Saraswati civilization." Lal's book,
The Earliest Civilization of South Asia, de-
lineates in 300 pages of readable text, as well
as abundant photographs of excavated sights
and artifacts, an extensive and engaging ac-
count of the Indus Valley Givilization's chro-
nology, ecof!omy, religion, socio-politioal
stratification, script as well as causes of de-
cline and legacy. HINDUISM TODAY corre-
spondent, Archana Dongre interviewed the
learned author'and seasoned archaeologist,
nqw 76, both in Los Angeles and in Delhi.
On the Aryan Invasion theory
The Indus civilization came to a peak from
2600 BeE to 1900 Br;E. Marauding Aryans
[war-like tribes from central Asia, central to
an invasion theory long believed by Western
Indologists] can no longer be held responsi-
ble for the destruction of the Harappan civ-
ilizat-ion. Perhaps climactic changes, envi-
ronmental degradation and a steep fall in
trade robbed the civilization of its affluence.
On why the Aryan Invasion is stili taught
No overnight change is possible for many
teachers and scholars. Let them first realize
that there was no evidence of Aryan inva-
sion. Also let them understand that the ge-
ography of the Rig Veda coincide:s with that
of Harappan civilization. The equation of
Harappans being Dravidians [that is, the
present residents of South India who speak
Tamil, Telugu and related Dravidian lan-
guages] does not exist. Max MulJer's theory
tHat the Harappans were driven away to the
south by marauding Aryans does not hold
true, also because we do not have a single
Harappan site in South India, south of the
rive); Godavari [as would be expected if the
Harappans were pushed to the South].
34 HINDUISM TODAY M4Y , 1998
Saraswati River: This false-color satellite photo shows
the missing five-mile-wide river-now dry
On who lived in Indus Valley
The flourishing trade, affluence, social or- tars has been found in the southern half of
der and a lifestyle of luxury had attracted to the "Citadel," major part of the city. My
Indus Valley, the earli~st civiliza-
tion of South Asia, people from
varied races and regions, even
outside of the continent. Skele-
tons -excavated indicate that, the
population comprised Mediter-
raneans, Caucasoids, Armenoid:1,
Alpines, Australoids and Mon-
goloids [meaning people from as
far away as China and Europe
were living in Indus Valley r.
On yajna fire worship
Fire altars [which figure promi-
nently in the ancient Vedic texts]
have been found in Banawali,
Lothal and Kalibangan cities of
the Indus Valley. They are found
in houses and also in public
I places. In Kalibangan, a [0W of seven fire al-
tion of South Asia deals extensively with fire
altars, built in such a way that the worship-
per can sit facing the east [an important
point for the fire altars described in the
Vedas-all allow the worshipper to f:ee east].
On the date of the Vedas
The river Saraswati was a major river both
in the Vedas and in the Harappan civiliza-
tion, flowing from the Himalayan m6.untains
to th¥ Bay of Bengal. [Long thought mythi-
cal, it was recently rediscover~d in the
deserts of Rajasthan from satellite images].
The sites at Kalibangan were ruined around
1900 BeE due to the drying up of Saraswati
[caused by massive climatic changes and
shifts in the Earth's surface]' The Vedas
must date before that. Sanskrit probably ex-
isted 2000 years before 1900 BeE [putting
the origi'n of Sanskrit before 4000 BeE]. It
can easily take two millenniums for a lan-
guage to originate and develop to the level of
versifying and compositions in meters.
Pointed penance: Steven Tan, one of many Chinese who joined the festival, ~ith spears
On Natwar' Jha's Indus seal translations
I have not evaluated his book [see page 32, CELEBRATION
in which Jha claims to have translated the
Malaysia~s Piercing Praxis
seals,]. When it came out, my book was al-
ready in print. But, I have devoted an entire
chapter to the "Script and Language" in my
book, and I have shown how the methodolo- '"
gy of various scholars, the ones who are try- Ever-yone in the country joins in Tai Pusam
ing to read Sanskrit in it, and others who
want to read Proto-Dravidian in it, have gone
wrong. The simple test is that there should FISH HOOKS EMBEDDED IN helped induce the trance, removed the
be uniformity. Wliatevet value you give to a backs and spears piercing their skewers. Devotees claim to feel no pain and
symbol it-should be uniform throughout. hundreds of thousands of little blood comes out of the wounds. When
lVl'U'''fSl'''' Hindus marched toward a the hooks and spears are removed, the only
.. On tHe nature of the script prehi toric cave today in an annual ritual of sign of the flagellation' is rednes~ and slight
The Harappan script is neither logographic, -penance. The festival known as Tai Pusaro bruising. "It is all faith and belief in God,"
that is, comprised of pictures which corre- was brought to Malaysia in the 19th century said temple priest Krishna Vadyar.
sponded to words, nor alphabetic, that is by Indian immigrants who came to work on Before Tai Fusam, devotees fast for three
comprised of letters which formed words. It rubber estates and in government offices. In to 48 days. During that time, they meditate
may have been at some transitional stage be- Malaysia, the pilgrimage drew one million daily and avoid food and drink throughout
tween the logo graphic and the alphabetic, people today-devotees and camera-snap- the day. They avoid alcohol and foods, such
perhap~nearer the latter [a conclusion also ping onlookers alike-to a temple at the Batu as onions, believed to arouse sexual desire.
reached'by Jha]. Caves {Mst north of the capital, Kuala Only then, they say, are they prepared on the
LumRur. day itself to slip into a pain-defying trance.
On his per'sonal religious beliefs Near the foothills of the temple, a penitent All around the temple,),endors sold tinsel,
I do not believe in external rituals like ha- carried a 100-p0p?d kavadi up the 272 steps fresh flowers, fruit and religious itemS. The
vana (fire worship) or puja, but in the con- to the top. The kavadi, a metal frame cocoon- ground was littered with offerings to the
stant search for the ultimate truth through ing the penitents body, is attached With hun- Gods, such as bananas and smashed co-
one's own experience, swanubhava. I was dreds of thin hooks and steel shafts. An esti- conuts. The air was scented by jasmine and
initiated many years ago by Gurudeva R. D. mated 9,000 people carried it at the festival. rose, and contemporary Tamil movie sound-
Ranade, wno was a professor of philosophy A stream.....of trance-induced devotees fol- tracks blared on speakE7s.
, and later vice chancellor of the Allahabad lowed the path up the temple steps today to Some of this year's pilgrims said they were
University. I also believe in ~editation and -pay homage to their deity, Lord Muruga. praying for fertility, fl good harvest, a pass-
yoga. Meditation and yoga practices enable Their foteheads, tongues and cheeks were ing grade on school examinations. Others
one tg have a tensionless,'quiet mind. The pierced with spears,. some as wide as travel from near and far just to watch. An-
mental energy is conserved. I believe in un- broomstick handles. Everywhere, bal5. men drew Kaminski of Britain described the fes-
conditional, complete surrender to the God's smeared in holy ash and saffron powder and tival as "quite gruesome but compelling." 'At
wish. Then you are free from problems._ women' draped in orange saris 'chanted first I thought I saw a man walking on stilts,"
PROF. B.B. L~F-7 HAUZ KHAS ENCLAVE, NEW DELHI
110016 INDIA. THE EARLIEST CIVILIZATION OF SOUTH ASIA
"Murugg, Muruga" amid the sweltering Kaminski said. "But when he got closer I
IS AVAILABLE FROM ARYAN BOOKS INTERNA,:fIONAL , 4378/4B heat and thundering beat of drums. saw.he was walking on ax blades."
POOJA APARTMENT~. 4 , ANSARI RO.AgE~~~~o~:JiN~~ After about two hours, priests, who By Alvin Ung, Associated Press
MAY, 1998 HfNDUISM TODAY 35
 ,

Gayatri Gyanyagya Samaroh, Chicago American Institute of Vedic Studies

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ebrate GAYATRI GYANYAGYA SAMAROH Vedic and Hindu Dharma.
on Gurupurnima, Jul. 12, '98. The Practical teachings of
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LILAPATJI SHARMA-will attend, mak- edge in a clear modern idiom.
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nity to receive Saint Lilapatji's bless- information, from the Rig
ings. Call: Gayatri Mandir, Chicago: Veda to India Today .
773-465-2533 or Gayatri Pariwar,
Chicago: 847-692-7712. Dr. Frawley's latest books:
• Ayuroeda and the Mind
.' • Oracle of Rarna
• Awaken Bharata:
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• Ayurvedic Correspondence Course:
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Worlds most popular doll gets a Hindu makeover the traditional folk dance dress of the Indi-
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the world. Truly, wherever you find Hindus, you will find
FAIRFIELD, IOWA HINDUISM TODAY (with circulation especially high in the
best-selling toy of all times. It is plausibly She found modest success border, a matching kU$ USA, Australia, SE Asia). It is an ideal medium for
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36 HINDUISM TODAY MAY , 1998
37
 , if women are being exploited, the responsi-
AYURVEDA
The Yellow·- Miracle Root
, '
Turmeric is alow-cost cure for what ails you
G
Spice seller: Newar vendor with bags of turmeric in a Kathrrwndu, Nepal, rrwrketplace
HINK "NATURAL HEALING," AND YOU
likely conju;e an image 'of rare herbal
extracts with exotic names. But don't Un-
derestimate the curative powers of com-
mon spices. Case in point: turmeric. Just
consider the uhassuming yellow root's magi-
cal effect on wounds. Ayurvedic doctor
Virendra Sodhi told HINDUISM TODAY: "I had
a bad bicycle accident some time ago. Falling
38 HINDUISM TODA.Y M4Y , IggB
self the amazing health benefits of this in-
expensive, common spice." Against arthritis
and other tissue infl~atory illnesses, the
ad correctly explains, turmeric is as effec-
tive as hydrocortisone, and with none of the
drug's side-effects.
Western researchers are rediscovering
properties already familiar to Ayurveda:
age-abating antioxidant, digestive enhancer,
liver protector, blood purifier, antiseptic,
anti-swelling, cholesterol buster, skin toner
and anti-cancerous. More uses are being
discovered as researchers experiment with
curcuminoids, turmeric's active chemical in-
gredient. '
Two eager researcRers were so enamored
with the spice that they applied for and re-
ceived in 1995 an exclusive US patent for its
use on wounds. Thanks to a protest by the •
Indian government's Council for Scientific
and Industrial Research, the 'patent was
thrown out last August on the grounds of
"prior art" or existing public knowledge.
Haridra in Sanskrit, Curcuma longa
botanically, turmeric is a small plant closely
related to ginger. Its bright yellow, ginger-
like roots are ground into a paste or powder.
It is used in cuisines as varied as Indian and
Italian. The plant is sacred to Hindus, in-
digenous to India and an essential part of its
society. In temples, turmeric water is used
daily in ritual ablution of the Deities. The
powder mixed with unpolished rice is an
important offering during puja.
Kumkurrw (literally "red-red"), that dis-
tinctive for~head mark of pious Hindus, is
turmeric turned red by mixing with lime. It
is common practice among women to apply
turmeric paste before ~ bath to cleanse and
revitalize the skin. At home, turmeric is
used in many recipes fQ[ flavor and as a
preservative in making pickles.
"E. Coli or Salmonella bacteria don't stand
a chance against even a pinch of,turmeric,"
says Dr. Sodhi. At his clinic in Bellevue,
Washington, he liberally prescribes turmer-
ic to treat a kaleidoscope of problems, from
Iheartburn, liver and kidney disorders to
surgical trauma~ not to mention arthritis, "It
iS,my favorite herb. The only other herb that
comes close to turmerics wide reaching C'l:
pabilities is ginger. Also, there are no side
effects." A medicinal dose is a teaspoon a
day with e~ch meal. A
More research on turmeric's power is un-
derway, including its effect on cancer. Dr.
Sodhi said a study in India linked the low
from my bike on a downhill trail, I badly rate of cancer among Indians to their use of
scraped my skin from elbow to shoulder. I turmeric. He recommends that turmeric be
applied turmeric and ghee paste to the used raw to treat ailments. If cooked or
wound, and it healed completely in ten days. heated, it looses its effectiveness.
The US$3 per pound kitchen spice is just
I don't even have a scar to show from it."
as effective as the far more costly 500 mil-
Turmeric is gaining ground in the Ameri-
ligram tablets (at $90 a pound) or the even
can health' market. An ad from the Indiana
more expensive standardized extracts of
Botanic Gardens hypes, "Joint pain? Try for
relief with .... Turmeric! Discover for your- curcumin. ....J
Lioness of Hindu dharma: Shakuntala Arya's strong religiOUS will vitalizes her role as rrwyor
WOMEN OF VISION
.duJ~ling_ Spir.i t
Delhis mayor finds strength in daily ritual worship
ROM A DISTANCE, SHAKUNTALA ARYA,
69, looks like an ordinary PUnJabi
, housewife, not at all like the rrwyor of
_I Delhi-the world's twenty-first largest
city. The Bharatiya Janata Party tapped
o her for the post bi1$ed on her years of politi-
cal in.,volvement, even though she had never
actually held office. Deeply religiOUS and
hardworking, Mrs. Arya is hailed as an en-
ergetic fOl-ce-her first mission was to clean
up Delhi's streets, possi~ly the world's most
intimidating piece ofhoosekeeping. To see
what rrwkes this unique leader tick, w e/sent
our HINDUISM TODAY correspondent,
Rajiv Mqlik, to interview her in Delhi.
On family religious upbringing
My father belonged to the army, but de-
spite this he never wavered from dharma.
We all arose at 4AM:-even the two-year
old. After arising, our whole family per-
formed hatha yoga postures, then partici-
o pated in yagna, ritual fire worship. Without
. yagn'a and a baili, no breakfast was al- .,
lowed. Father took us to Arya SamaJ:reli-
gious gatherings, and to meetings ad-
dressed by prominent saints. Listening was
not enough-after returning home my fa-
ther had us repeat it in writing. '
On hffi' daily morning schedule
I still arise at 4AM, the Brahma Muhurta
period. The Rig Veda says that prana
vayu-the vital, life-giving energy of the
air-flows at this time. Those who inhale
this prana remain healthy and blissful,
" Politics
while those whose doors are closed and
faces covered with blankets are deprived
of it. I work on writing books for awhile,
perform 2Q yoga postures, yagna and only
then take 19reakfast. After breakfast, my
time belongs completely to the ·people.
On her role as mayor
My first priority is to attend religious func-
tions, then political. Even while performing
mayoral duties, I never miss daily fire wor-
ship, whether traveling on the train or
abroad. One time while in another country,
in the hotel I performed yagna, and due to
the smoke, sireI!s started wailing. It was a
panic! The hotel staff ran in. I explained
everything to them, I pointed to the vessel
in which yagna is performed, which is part
of my travel kit, and from which the smoke
was emanating. The staff left smiling.
On corruption
Those of us who talk of removing corrup-
tion from public life must first r~move it
from our own life. We must see whe(e we
personally stand in this matter. For in-
stance, we five people who are present [for
this interview1must today pledge to never
accept or give bribes. Even not offering
bribes is a brave move in todays times.
On abuse of women and children
Before becoming mayor, I was president of
a body for th~ struggle of women's rights.
In many cases we found that the wife her-
self was exploiting her husband. I feel that
bility for this also lies in iliemselves. Re-
garding children, today pare'nts encourage
and feel proud when their young children
sing obscene film songs and emulate film
actors and actresses. But what looks like a
blessing at this point becomes a ourse later
in lif~. We must encclurage and inspire our
girls to become like Rhani, the noble
Queen of Jhansi. But uhfortunately we en-
courage them to emulate films stars like
Madhuri Dixit. I feel the mother is to be
blamed for this. Mother is the first guru of
the child and can transform her completely.
On her message to youtlf'
You.th have the capacity to get things done.
You can realize your golden dreams. Wher-
ever you go, in whatever sphere you work,
you can bring about a revolution, because
your blood is hot, your youth is full 'of en-
iliusiasm. Youth must pledge to not give or I
take dowry. The girl must also say she will
not marry someone who is interested in
dowry. Secondly, youth must always keep
the religious viewpoint. When I visit other
countries, I tell Hindu youth to never forget
their Indian culture and Hindu roots. Re-
member that ultimately it is our Indian cul-
ture which will see us through life. Run-
ning after Western culture will not take us
anywhere. It is like the deer who looks for
the good smell outside himself, whereas it
is corning from his own stomach. Today
Westerners come to India with much inter-
est, as they are .fed up with materialism.
On systems of family
I prefer the joint family system. Grandpar-
ents living in the home witl shower the
grandchildren with love and affection, fa-
miliarize them with our ancient, rich cul-
ture, and look after their health and char-
acter, all of which will lead to better
development of the children. When both
.the parents are working, they cannot give
due time and attention to the kids.
On Indian women .
Indiqn women are sacrifice and penance
personified. Their shyness is accepted as a
virtue the world over. They are deeply ryli-
gious. And they keep away from sinful ac-
tions. They make many sacrifices for their
children, husband and society.
On Hinduism
Someone who believes in God is as much a
Hindu as someone who doesn't. Hinduism
is s6 liberal. But I treat only that individual
as a Hindu who loves his own culture, who
loves ffirery particle of the earth to which
he belongs, where he was born. He'IIlust
treat all the rivers of iliis country, Ganga,
Yamuna and Saraswati, as his moiliers. He
does not even want to crush an ant. ~
MAY , IggB HINDUISM TODAY 39
 South Asia Books PARENTING
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Gurani Anjali (Guruvi)
EVOLUTIONS
Author, poet, songwriter and artist.
Hear her message for the body, mind
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• Abbott. Life of Tukaram. US$16.00
cassettes: Someone is Calling, From ter in New Delhi,
• Griffith. Hymns of the Rigveda. 28.00 child as an individual!"
the Silent Depth Within Me and FORTY YEARS OF PEDIATRIC December 19,
• Alston. Devotional Poems of Mirabai. 9.00 in Massachusetts, participat- 'J'ouchpoints covers emotional change-
other works. Yoga Anand Ashram. 1997. Every year
• Hiriyanna. Essentials of Indian Philosophy. 12.00 in the parenting of 25,000 pa- overs affecting basic functions and learning: Bharat Nirman
Tel 516-691-8475 • Mailing address:
• Monier Williams. Sanskrit-English Dictionary 40.00 tients, I have developed the map of sleep, eating, independence with walking, honors ladies in
49 Forrest PI, Amityville, NY 1170l- 9.00
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• MacDonell. Vedic Grammar for Students. 9.00 Brazelton in his bestselling Touchpoints, ing. On disciplining two-year-olds, Brazelton from dance to
• Miller. Hindu Monastic Life. revised edition 24.00 The Essential Reference. It is his 24th child- writes: '1\s I warn parents, it's easy to predict naturopathy.
• Keshavadas. Ramayana at a Glance. 8.50 care volume. Brazelton, 80, is perhaps the whicH times of day she'll be at her worst; at Guru Maa heads Maa Jyotishananda
• Wade. Music in India, Classical Traditions. 16.00 world's most experienced mind on child the end ef the day when you are both tired, the Vedic Her-
Spiritual Books from Blue Dove • w.J. Wilkins. Hindu Mythology. pa. rep. 9.00 raising 'from prenatal to six-year-olds-the whenever you have an important visitor, get itage Institution in New York.
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• Anandashram
• Ramakrishna Order dren's books, write or call: punishment such as hitting or Chair in India Studies at the University
• Anandamayi Ma spanking will mean two things to of California, Santa Cruz. It was given
• Scriptures-Puranas, ver- South Asia Books • PO Box 502 her: one, that you are bigger than in honor of his wife Chandra, to pro-
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PO Box 261611, San Diego, CA 92196-4109 USA child. Love comes first, and disci-
Tel: 619-271-0490 • Fax: 619-271-5695 • bdp@bluedove.com Visa, MC, checks accepted. pline second. Discipline means APPOINTED: Sri Rama Mata as the spiri-
• teaching, not punishment." tual successor to her late husband, Sant
We all know parents are a Keshavadas. She
'€hild's first role model. So if Mom assumes the man- ;;:
leaves home to worK, the child's tle of guru of "<
"oJ<
Sri Panchaksharl mind is taught that one-on-one
love and teaching from a mother
Vishwa Shanti
Ashram in Banga- <

doesn't come first, making money lore, India, and "z<

Sahlto Moho
:It
does. Brazelton realizes this, and responsibility to ,;

r
in interviews with newspapers propagate Ke-
flatly promotes a viewpoint hotly shavadass teach- "'o"
"
Rudra Yagom criticized: "Mothers really need
to stay home with their babies.
Every' day home is a gift to your
ings worldwide
through the
The new leader

Temple of Cosmic Religion.

child. If they want to work, moth-
NGy 22-25# 1998 ers better split themselves in two. HELD LIABLE: California's Ananda
India Cultural Center & Temple Friend to kids: Brazelton knows their biological clock We're not family and child-ori- Church by a county jury on February
Eads, Tennessee, USA (Near Memphis) ented in our society. We are the 6, 1998, for fraud and emotional dis-
doubt and late-niglit vigils. least supportive country in terms of par- tress. Anne-Marie Bertolucci, 34, was
The book is a guided map to just about ents." "He's never been a champion of work- awarded US$625,000 in compensatory
You are cordially invited to participate in this holy maha yagam, every situation a parent encounters-from ing moms," says Judsen Culbreth, editor of damages. Anan-
undertaken with the blessings and patronage of Satguru Sivaya bed-weWng to imaginary friend~ and deal- Working Mother magazine. das spiritual
Subramuniyaswami of Saiva Siddhanta Church-with his matha- ing ~ith loss and death. Each of these.de- Touchpoints explores speciftc issues of head, J. Donald
vasi Acharya Kumarswami, Tyagi Saravananathaswami and velopmental markers signify "toucJ.ipoints: child-rearing in the first six years: siQ.ling ri- Walters (AKA
Brahmachari Nilakantha in attendence-all for the peace predictable times occurring just before a valry, crying, tantrums, waking at night, ly- Swami Kriyanan-
surge of rapid growth in any line of develop- ing, television and more. Brazelton sees da), 72, was or-
and prosperity of mankind.
ment-motor, cognitive or emotional- these as expressions of the child's emerging dered February
Registration fees: All days $501 . One day $201 . when, for a short time, the child'S behavior struggle for autonomy and offers solutions in 19 to pay addi-
For further details, please contact: falls apart." Brazelton clarifies the positive which the parents remove themselves from tional punitive
nature of touchpoints: "They become a win- the struggle and thus can defuse it. For par- damages of J. Donald Walters
dow through which parents can view great ents with youngsters, Touchpoints provides US$1,000,000.
energy that fuels a child for learning. A rich background and solid practical knowl- Walters admitted in testimony under
INDIA CULTURAL CENTER & TEMPLE, INC. child's strengths and vulnerabilities, as well edge in successfully raising kids. .., oath to having had sex with female
12005 Hwy. 64 as tempelrament and coping style, all sur- TO ORDER TOUCHPOI~TS .
THE ESSENTIAL REFERENCE, WRITE
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devotees. Ananda plans to appeal.
face. What a chance for understanding the REDDING , MASSACHUSETTS 100146, USA
Eads TN 38028-9528 USA
Tel: 901-867-0400· Fax: 901-867-7711· E-mail: sridevi@ibm.net MAY , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 41
40
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42
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43

HEALING
AI DS: The epidemic
That May Not Be
Unconventional sexual activity, harmful drugs'
and toxi~ remedies can explain this disease
BY, DEVANANDA TANDAVAN, M.D .
ECEMBER 1,1997,
marked World AIDS'
Day. A United Nations
agency gravely an-
nounced that AIDS has
struck the world much harder
than previously thought-30 mil-
lion people are 'now infected
with f,UV: For the last two
months we have explored the
position of a minority of doctors
and medical researchers who believe AIDS
is not an epi<~emic in the traditional sense.
We have explained that no one has proven
scientifically that HIV causes MDS, that
the common HIV test can yield positive
results for many conditions completely
unrelated to AIDS and that the potent toxic
drugs, such as AZT, used to treat HIV +, are
alone quite capable of killing a patient.
This month we complete our appraisal of
this point of view with a discussion of the
various risk factors which can cause a
breakdown of the immune system, and
with further aspects of AIDS statistics,
transmission and treatment.
Risks: After years of study, researchers
still find that AIDS is predominantly a
male homosexual disease. The only females
shown to have t~e disease were intravenous "
drug users (including probable use of amyl
or butyl nitrate-"poppers," a powerful
stimulant) or recipients of anal sex. Kaposi's
Sarcoma (a cancer associated p,rith AIDS)
uhtil recently was solely a male condition.
It now appears in females, and "Zhen accu-
rate histori.'es are obtained, the females are
shown to be either intravenous drug users,
sleeping and sharing needles with intra-
venous drug users, or having anal sex.
There is a strong correlation between use
of'poppers and Kaposi's Sarcom'il. It is seen
in persons who test both positive and nega-
tive for HIV: Poppers heighten the sexual
experience and relax the anal sphincter-
this being a strong reason for its use, de-
44 HINDUISM TODA>Y M Y, 1998
spite the fact its correlation
with Kaposi's Sarcoma has
been known for years. Doctors
must be skillful in recording a
patient's history, for the patient
often lies about drugs and sex
habits-causing the doctor to
miss obvious correlations be-
tween their physical condition
and their lifestyle.
Anal sex does not cause
AIDS, as some claim. But it does cause
immune suppression, in two ways: by the
act itself and by absorption of semen and
sperm trat is deposited in the rectum. One
of the rectum's natural functions is to ab-
sorb fluids from the bowel, and this is one
way abnormal·proteins infiltrate the blood
stream, leading to immune suppression.
Fluids flow just the opposite in vaginal
insemination-foreign protein is not ab-
sorbed, .but either moved up and into the
uterus or down and out of the body. Also,
rough sex can damage rectum membranes
so that direct entry into the blood is possi-
ble by semin.al fluids. At the same time
many, if not most, of these encounters are
associated with jmmunosuppressing pop-
pers. This helps explain why heterosexual
transmission of the disease is uncommon
(unless anal sex is used). The HIV status of
people using anal sex seems to be equally
divided between positive and negative, and
no predictions can be made as to the level
of increased immunosuppre~sion.
Other risk factors for developing AIDS
are use of street drugs and some prescrip-
tion drugs; intravenous use of street drugs
and sharing of needles; recipients of blood
transfusion (possibly for hemophiliacs); or
other methods of getting a foreign protein
into the blood stream. Starvation or malnu-
trition often cause immunosuppression.
Testing positive for HIV is not one of
these risk Factors. Ward, et al, (1989) stud-
ied a group of paired patients, half testing
HIV+ and half testing HIV-. They report-
ed, "Nowhere have we been able to find
any evidence whatsoever that transfusion
of HIV ever caused any disease."
Many legal and illegal drugs can suppress'
the immune system, including cocaine,
nitrite inhalants, amphetamines, barbitu-
rates, ethyl chloride inhalers, phenylcycli-
dine, heroin, marijuana and medically
pre-scribed drugs of the DNA terminator
type which are toxic and designed to kill
cells. The hazard of these drugs is
increased by frequent sharing of needles,
. pression, dementia, fever and other oppor-
often with dried blood upon therp.. These
drugs cause a marked depression of the.
immune system-the greater and lo~ger the
use, the more depression. It was shown in
1908 by Terry and Pellens that long habitu-
ated users of "recreational" drugs develop
AIDS-like symptoms of weight Idss, demen-
tia, fevers, mouth infections, endocarditis
and pneumonias. This was long befdre HIV
was found or the term AIDS used.
We must conclude that the condition
called AIDS may be explained directly by
the individual's lifestyle. There is no need
to postulate an infectious cause. Immune
systems of patients are depressed by pro-
longecl.;and chronic use of street drugs.
Dietary deficiency further depress~s the
immune system. Sex-stimulating drugs,and
anal sex add to it. Eventually a patient has
typical Il).arkers of AIDS-weight loss, de-
tunistic i~fections-because the immune
system is so weakened that it cannot recov-
er from these assaults. He may easily test
positive for HIV for any of these reasons,
not because he has contracted "HIV." Once
he is given immunosuppressive prescription
drugs as therapy and the vicious cycle of
immunosuppression is started, it continues
until there is real and very serious illness,
which is .then called AIDS.
Common criteria of inflanlIDatory dis-
ease are not present in AIDS; researchers
increasingly accept the idea that AIDS is
not an infection. Transmission is unlike any
infection known. Support for this comes
from studies of pregnant women. Infants
are born with AIDS symptoms if the moth>-
er is a chronic drug user and HIV - , but
with no sy mptoms if she is not a chronic
drug user even .though she is HIV+. That
means drug use is the cause of the child's
AIDS symptoms, not an infectious agent.
Other questions: Aside from issues of
definition, transmission, etc., is the value of
the "viral load" test to "monitor" progress of
a patient's disease. By manipulating a pa-
tient's blood sample, doctors look for cells
or fragments that are assumed fo be part of
the HIV virus. When found, these are
magnified, again by manipulation, to give a
number supposedly corresponding to the
total virus present in the body. There are
many deficiencies in the test as discussed
in Reappraising AIDS, edited by Paul
Philpott. His conclusion is that the vfral
load test has not been properly standard-
ized, hence wor~hless as an aid to therapy.
Published numbers for AIDS are confus-
ing. The United Nations generates consoli-
dated figures, but agencies report to the UN
differently-some report only HIV+ cases,
others report HIV + and full AIDS. A few
report only full blown AIDS cases. Then
the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
uses cumulative statistics, meaning the total
number of people with AIDS ea,ch year are
added to the totals for all previous y~s­
ignoring the fact that the same person may
be counted in more than one year.
A further complication is that the CDC
frequently changes definitions. In 1981
only 12 diseases qualified as AIDS, with no
mention of HIV positivity or CD-T 4 cell
counts. In 1985 seven more diseases were
added, plus a requirement of being HIV+.
In 1993 four more diseases were added,
with a further stipulation on CD-T 4 count.
Three more conditions were recently
added to the AIDS category: cervical carci-
noma, recurrent pneumonia' and tuberculo-
sis. These three occurred for many years
before the AIDS controversy and seem to
have nothing in common with the otner
diseases, except to raise statistics. All of
this causes a UN rep'ort of "30 million in-
fections" to be very misleading.
The World Health Organization and
others have entirely different criteria. The
WHO does not require any HIV positivity
to diagnose AIDS. Wasting of the body and
presence of dementia (mental deteriora-
tion) are far more important. It seems there
is a different political agElnda for each defi-
nit.lon as given by various organizations.
Estimates of HIV/ AIDS patients in India
and Africa are large. AIDS in Africa fol-
lows different diagnostic rules and probably
has nothing to do with bIIV: Because of
differences in lifestyle, there are different ;'
risk factors for those nations. It is difficult
to test correctly in these areas, except in
larger medical centers. Statistics are also
suspect because of indiscriminate use of
the terms HIV and AIDS. Doctors do not
hesitate to guess the number of people
with disease. Most of these '/\IDS" patients
are ill because of starvation.
Treatment and prevention: Alternative
treatment shows good results in the small
number of heroic patients who have used
it. Herbals, homeopathic remedies, mas-
sage, supplemented nutrition, acupuncture
and reasonable exercise are combined ac-
cording to the patient's needs. As the im-
mune system is stimulated, improvement
occurs gradually; as long as all use of toxic
and street drugs is stopped. Recently news-
papers reported that AIDS deaths are de-
creasing, attributed to new mugs. There is
no real assessment of the "cocktail" drugs
at this time. These cocktails still contain
the AZT-type DNA terminators and' pro-
.tease inhibitors; both are highly toxic.
Louis Pasteur was a major figure in med-
icine's germ theory. He said, "Terrain is
more important than the germ." In other •
words, if the body's immune system is de-
pressed, almost any germ, regardless of
potency, may cause illness. A good example
of this is that the tubercle bacillus is every-
where in our environment, yet few of us
contract tuberculosis. If we choose a
lifestyle of good nutrition, moderate exer-
cise and sensible sexual life, avoiding street
drugs, and are wary of toxic prescribed
drugs, we shall not need to fear AIDS.
•
DR. TANDAVAN, 78, retired nuclearp hysi-
cian and hospital staff president, lives in
Chicago, where he specializes in alternative
healing arts. Visit his home page at the
HINDUISM TODAY w ebsite.
MAY , 1998 HINDUISM TOD AY 45

Surrounding Iraivan Temple is an
extraordinary botanical garden
paradise, providing an area of
contemplative, natural beauty.
Pilgrims enjoy groves of plumeria,
konrai, hibiscus, heliconia, native
Hawaiian plant species and more.
At the entrance to the 5 I -acre
sanctuary is Americas only forest of
healing rudraksha trees. Send US$ 12
to purchase a single-bead necklace
of a sacred rudraksha, and receive as
our gift another bead to plant at
home to grow your own tree.
1-808-639-8886
E-mail: books@hindu.org
http://www. HinduismToday.
Kauai.hi.us/ashram/lraivan.html
RUDRAKSHA
FOREST
SAN MARGA IRAlVAN TEMPLE
I 07 KAHOIALELE ROAD
KAPAA. HI 96746-9304 USA
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Where do I belongP: Her gaze on an English tea set and arms in Indian bangles,
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Between Two Worlds
Bharat's Anglo-Indians struggle with identity
. CCLUSKIEGANJ, A HAMLET OF DE-
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inhabited by people 'whose mixture
of identities has left them uncertain
of a place in their homeland ever since Indi-
an independence. Timothy McCluskie, of
Indo-Irish parentage, carved this niche for
himself and others like him in the 1930S
when the Indian national movement accel-
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British enough to emigrate to Britain 'nor In-
dian enough ,to stay welcomed the enclave.
McCluskie sought out this spot in the cool
hills 625 miles east of New Delhi and
named it McCluskieganj. "Ganj" means alley
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hood." Nearly 400 families of Anglo-Indians,
a catchall phrase in India for everyone of
mixed European and Indian ancestry, had
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dia's shores in 1947. In McClpskieganj's hey-
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years India has been independent. Only 20
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Homes are deserted. Weekly services at
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der the British would end. Young Anglo-In-
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BRIEflY,,,
A repprtedl proposal by the British p op
group'Spice Girls to perform in front of a
• Shiva: An Introduction. l,ooo-year-old Hindu temple, known for its
Pattanaik. US$19.95 erotic sculptures, has sparked outrage
• Srimad Bhagavata Maha- among In'dian artists and conservationists.
purana: With Sanskrit text Geeta Chanch:an, classical Indian dance ex-
and English translation, ponent, said the show should be stoIfped
2 vols. set. $55.00 bec~yse it would undermine the sanctity of
• Understanding Your Puja . the temple in the central Indian t1lwn of
Better. B. Dwarka. $4.95 Khajuraho. "The eroticism of Khajuraho is
• Devatma Shakti: Kundalini part of the larger Hindu view of the cycli-
Divine Power. Swami cality of life. The Spice Girls' profile does
Vishnu Tirtha. $8.95 not match that of the temple. Eroticism
• Mantrapushpam (in Sanskrit). Swami Dev Rupanand. without spirituality becomes pornography."
\
$15.00
• Shri Rudram De-Coded: Mystery of Vedas Revealed, DEBATESrO"ER C~ONING escalated recently
Mantras and Medicines for Healing. Shubhakaran. $35.00 when Cnic:ago physicist Richard Seed an-
• Aadi Shankara's Bhajagovindam. Krishnamani. $18.00 noun~ed he would try to clone a human.
• Handbook ofVastu. B. Niranjan Babu. $9.95 US senators quickly introduced legislation
• Kundalini Tantra. Satyananda Saraswati. $16.95 that would ban publicly..or privately funded
• Rabindranath Tagore: A Biography. Kripalani. $25.00 cloning of human cells. Meanwhile, Scottish
scientist Ian Wilmut, cloner of the sheep,
Nataraj Books Dolly, admitted to a remote possibility of
7073 Brookfield Plaza. Springfield, VA 22150-2915 USA error. Dolly shocked the world because she
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mother (her twin? clone?) was pregnant
when the cell was taken, Wilmut said,
"there is a remofe possibility. the cell came
from her fi~tus instead." Scientists have
BRITAIN'S 1.5-MILLION-STRONG Muslim com-
munity smiled in January when Education
Secretary David Blunkett agreed for the
£irst time to state funding of Islamic
schools. "It marks an important step in New
Labor Partys promise to build an equal, in-
clusive society," said Iqbal Sacranie d{ the
UK Action Committee on Islamic Affairs.
Britain has for years funded Christian and
Jewish schools. Are Hindu schools next?
BRITISH AIRWAYS now wears a s-ari, and
:K1eera Mehta helped them put it on. :En an
effort to defreeze their stiffness, the popu-
lar airline is painting traditional destgns
from across the world-a tartan from Scot-
land, an Egyptian tent panel, a sari from
India-on the -:
tails of their
planes. Airline
bosses flew to
Paithan, India
and found a color-
ful sari ~tyled by
Mehta. A designer
for 22 years,
Mehta, 4?-'
says, "This IS even British flying colors
better tlian having
someone wear it."
'-'
pants believe laughter is an effective thera-
py to ease tension and stress.
INDIA'S CENTRAL GOVERNMENT IS being urged
to provide immediate relief for 32,000 Re-
ang tribals forced out of their homeland,
Mizoram, in January by the Mizoram Stu-
dents Associatlon, a Christian-backed mili-
tant group. Terrorists burned houses, de-
stroyed crops and assaulted Reang women.
The tribal community fled to bordering vil- ."
lages; where they are now living in miser-
able conditions. Over 40 people have died
so fill of hunger, cold and disease.
~N AN ATTEMPT TO PROMOTE TAMIL, the Tamil
Nadu government recently ordered temple
puja ritual be conducted in the local Tamil
languagf? Presently, most mantras are I
chanted in Sanskrit, the traditional lan-
guage of the Gods. A commi'ttee has been
formed to assure that each translated word
is purely Tamil, with no Sanskrit influ-
ep.ce-likely an impossible task, as there are
so many Sanskrit terms in Tamil.
AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE RECEIVED major
coverage and favorable opinion in a Denver,
USA, newspaper. A huge page-one photo
showed Shashi Mehti, the groom, and his
bride, Soudhamini, having a feet washing

"/"~"/I' rJ ~ ~~ (?6u&~
been able to clone mammals from fetal cells TWO US PHYSICISTS prese nted a new study in a traditional wedding ritual at a Hindu
for two decades. Using tlfat method, US re- based upon photographs taken aboard temple. The couple was introduced by
searchers-have cloned a small herd of ge- NASA's Polar spacecraft as further proof of Soudhamini's
netically engineered calves in Texas. their ll-year-old theory tliat thousands of sister via the
-I
hous~-sized ice comets disintegrate in the Internet, but
Decisions un new nationallab-eling rules for ' Earth's atmosphere each day and are the , the match was
(D/q?(//f%d ()/~ US organic foods-a $3.5 billion industry- source of most of the Earth's water. The not approved
were delayed in February with protests revolutionary theory is pooh-poohed by op- until horo-
Karunamayi CITY DATES CONTACT
770·973·2614 that products produced or processed using ponents who claim the photographs show scopes were
Atlanta April 10·12
Dallas April 14-16 972-702-9900 irradiation, genetic engi- nothing but camera noise. shown to be
Houston April 17-19
April 20-22
713-526 - 5491
210-434 - 1738
~ j...... Beering and sewage compatible.
San Antonio

*
505-986·3881 ~ ~~ sludge fertilizer could Alarmln~ statistics published by the New The article's Hindu wedding on front page ,
Bhagavati Santa Fe April 24·26

•
Phoenix April 27·29 602·502·8888 ~ be allowed by the York Times show 500,000 US kids use author, Jean
L.A. April 30-May 4 818-955-7946
Santa Barbara May 5 805-957 - 4901 , rules to be labeled . Prozaf and other anti-depressant drugs. Torkelson, attended the wedding. She com-

~~. ,:~~t~~~~~~~l~~pe
San Francisco May 7·9 510-482-8201 Only one in a hundred children ages two to mented that "the couple ;pas awfully happy
Portland May 10-12 503-297-2181
nineteen eats a qiet meeting minimal gov- Sunday. When they were 'United in a Hindu
Sri Sri Sri Seattle
West Coast Retreat
May 13·14
May 15·17
425·391·9582
425·391-9582 . complained, "If the ernment standards. Instead of receiving the ceremony of petals, fire, water and thrown
Boulder May 19·20 303-786-7437 rice, it was enough to give romantic chance
May 22-24 708-481-4984
proposed rules are adopt- recommended ten percent of calor'es from
Chicago
Ann Arbor May 25-26 517-522-8114 ed as written, consumers will fats and sugar, youth receive 40 percent. A [that is, love matches] a bad name."
Toronto May 28-30 416-598·3331 lose all faith in the 'organic' label." That report from India states that urban Indians
Vijayeswari Pittsburgh June 1·2
green sym601 above isn't meant to label or- likewise foll0w a highly malnourished diet LEADERS OF NINE WORLDJAITHS met with the
.
Maryland June 3·4 301·977-5666
Philad e lphia June 5-7 610-933-6019 ganic food. It has been approved by the US far overloaded with sugars, oils and fat. World Bank's president in London mid-
New Jersey June 8 908-479-1037
Boston June 9-11 617-354-0865 Food and DrB.g Administrati~n for red Febrttary for talks 01} poverty and develop-
East Coast Retreat June 12-14 914-941·3659 meat packaging. It means the meat has OVER 7,000 PEOPLE FROM ACROSS India guf- ment policies. The meeting brought togeth-
Devi New York June 15-18
June 22·24
718·898-2841
been 'n-radiated to elimina1:e harmful mi- fawed together Januar)' 11 to celebrate er representatives from the Bahai,
"World Laughter Day." Participants r~ged
London. England
croorganisms. Purists are aghast at the mis- Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jain, Jewish,

~er
leading symbol, as they considEjr irradiation from little children to old men and women Muslim, Sikh and Taoist religions to discuss
birth, Sri Karunamayi has been revered as an incarnation of the Divine Mother, Sarasvati, with all its hazar€l.ous side-effects to be . who assembled in Mumbai's Mahalakshmi how respect for different cultural values
about as far from" 'organic" as one can get. Race c'o.urse. Laughter Club International, and faiths could be incorporated into devel-
Goddess of Knowledge, Music and the Arts. On behalf of humanity, She meditated in a remote forest for which organized the event, said the partici- opment programs.
ten years. Come. Receive Her guidance in meditation and human values. Experience the fullness of
Karunamayi's unconditional love. For more information, http://www.globeworks.com/karunamayi CLOCKWISE ? OM TOP: INOlA TODAY, ROCKY MOYNTAIN NEWs/STEVEN R. NICKERSON, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION
MAY , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 49
48 ~~==========r=================================================~
\~Dm~~~ _ _ ~~~iMl
MINISTER'S MESSAGE rious inner voice that doubts, questions and
depresses him. What a wonder! Where
does this come from? wBen our outer ene-
Shiva Process Meditation Course Moneesh Resources - Gifts and Books
Self-inquiry is the yoga of the For the past 18
razor's edge, the path for the years, we have

How to Become th:e

mies revile us, they are nowhere near as 21st century. developed an ex-
effective as our own negative self-talk. I call The unique SHIVA PROCESS tensive collection
these negative thoughts of self-attack "tear- method allows us to speak the of gifts, statues and
• ing thoughts" and "shrinking thoughts," truth w ith compassion, to be

Lord of Our',Mind
books to support
be.c ause they literhlly tear into our hearts kind w ithout being weak. you in your spirit-
and shrink us from Divinity to diminished ' SWAMI SHANKARANANDA of ual upliftment.
personhood. They s~, "I am no good." "That the Shiva Ashram near
person is better than I am." "I am stupid." Melbourne, Australia shares • A broad collec-
"No one loves me." "I am far from God." his br illiant method in 2 tion of spiritual
We must identify negative, «tearing fboughts,n . Tearing thoughts are always accompanied correspondence courses: texts of all tradi-
by negative feeling. Conversely, the pres- tions, esp. Hindu-Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras, Puranas, etc.
look them in the eye and stop believing them ence of depression and unhappiness sounds • CORRESPONDENCE COURSE 1: • The finest rudraksha malas, custom made-gold-filled,
. . the alert: "tearing thottghts in the vicinity!"
...As yogis, our job is to ferret out these tear-
LEARN To MEDITATE
(6 months ). Complete basic
14k gold, with silver etc. • A wide collection of wrist or

.
BY SWAMI SHANKARANANDA
EFORE MY TRIP TO INDIA IN 1970, I WAS AN ACADE-
in the field: of literature. I considered myself the
.epitolme of the Western contemporary man. An "in-
~ tP II P('nl" I " I used my mind fairly effectively, but I
no idea how it worked, nor how to deal with
negative emotional states. My intellect was often my friend,
but also often my enemy. Seeking a deeper truth I looked for
a teacher. After many adventures, I found him in the siddha
mastel:", Swami Muktananda, and spent many years with him.
One day, early in my stay with him, I was having a difficult
time. He came up to me while I was working in the ashram
garden and stood nose to Rose, an inch from my face. He
whispered t~e five-syllaBle mantra Om Namah Sivaya to me.
He said, "Repeat this twenty-four hours a day; meditate intensely
for four hours a day!" I began the practice, and in less than a day I
was experiencing a powerful joy bubbling in my hear .
This was my first experience of the yogic process of introjection,
eJqllained by Maharishi Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras (II 33-4); re-
placing unsuitable thoughts with better ones. Better· thoughts in-
clude mantras, affirmations like "I am worthy," mahavakyas or
great scriptural statements like "I am That," and prayer and invo-
cation. The import~t thing to understand is that the heart of yoga
lies in the conscious'choice you can make to uplift your mind.
The philosophy of Kashmir Saivism introduces the concept of
11'l4trika. A rough modern equivalent for matrika might be "self-
talk,'',the thoughts we have in our inner consciousness. Som~ ma-
trika-.is governed by contracting forces of separation and negation
and leads us to states of suffering, while the higher kind of matrika
soars with mantric power and connects us to the Divine. A person
lost in illusion i~ tossed up and down on this,guixotic stream of
matrika, his mind moving in dark habitual spaces, relieved some-
times by a ray of light when things in the world work out briefly.
Matrika literally means "the unknown mother." She is the dark
womb of all possible meaning~ uttering from the depths of con-
sCiousness. Only the yogi can become the "Lord of Matrika." He
empowers himself, choosing to n;love away from contracted nega-
tive thought forms that bring fear, anger and sorrow, and towards
peace and joy.
The essence of sadhana, or spiritual practice, is to work with
your own thought and feeling~ The first thing to do is to observe
how your mind works. Watch it in action' and reaction. Reflect on
yoUr own consciousness. This Will reveal facts about your inner
world that may have escaped your notice. Think of a rock: it sits
quietly, fully eXhibiting its "rockness" without a doubt or confu-
sion. Even my dog, Bhakti, is certain about who she is and. what
are her needs. Only a human being comes equipped with a myste-
50 HINDUISM TOD A,Y M Y, 1998
ing thoughts, look them in the eye and stop instruction for successful meditation.
necklace malas in various stones and styles • Statues of
deities: Ganesha, Krishna, Shiva Nataraj, etc. • Posters,
believing them. Our goal may be the state • CORRESPONDENCE COURSE 2: SHIVA PROCESS MEDITATION calendars and notecards of deities from the finest artists-all
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R ECEl'\T D ONORS

Hindu Businessmen's Association Trust Iraivan Temple Endowment MathavasiMerucalFund

Vel Alahan $266.71 Anonymous $32.60 Gowri Nadason $60.00 :
Paramaseeven Canagasaby $22.95 Kriya Haran $197.00 Matthew Wieczork $1 1.00
MISSION STATEMENT Vel Mahalingum $22.25 Edwin Hawk $943. 12 Total $71.00
Manogaran Mardemootoo $75.23 Toshadeva Lynam Guhan $9.80 Mathavasi Travel Fund
Vishwanaden Moorooven $4.50 Loganatha Shivam $600.00
Erase nthira n Poonjolai $75.00
Hindu Heritage Endowment is a publicly supported, charitable organization'recognized as tax Nathan Palani $28 .92 Saiva Siddhanta Church $9,607.82
Total $75 .00
I Total $420.56 Gokula Vani $70.00
exempt by the IRS on April 22, 1994. Its employer ID ~umber is 99-0308924. FO,1J.ndeg by Satguru Vayudeva &Peshala Varadan $1,592.67 Nepal Kumari Goddess Endowment
Hindu Orphanage Fund
Selva rajah Vengadesan $1,534.25 Wendy Schuljan $10.00
Clive Fetzer $40.00
Total $14,587.26 Total $10.00
Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, its philanthropic mission is to provide secure, professionally man- Madhusudan Kanhai $51.00
Ramakumar & Sailaja Kos uru $20.00 Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund Saiva Agamas 'frnst
aged financial support for institutions and-religious leaders of all lineages of Sanatana Dhar~a. Bhavani Param $10.70 Soondiren Arnasalon $26.42 Matthew Wieczork $10.00
V Srikanth $100.00 Vijayam Arnasalon $51.16 Total $10.00
Adi Srikantha $6.75 Arnravaddee Kownden $26.42 Sundari Peruman Memorial Fund
Gokula Vani $75 .00 Toshadeva Lynam Guhan $288.48
APRIL RONOR PROFILE Matthew Wieczork $33.00 Arnbika Manickavel $24.64
Markandeya Peruman $50.00
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Hinduism Today Endowment 'frnst
moon was so clear and so brilliant in the darkened skies. The branches Joanne Baryla $25.00
Selvarajah Vengadesan $225.00 Adi Alahan $51.00
Devasiva Veylan $26.22 Anonymo us $784.74
of the birch trees looked like they were made of crystals, with the hoar Robert Sorrells $18.00
Saravan Veylan $36.06 Shyamadeva Dandapani $101.00
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frost clinging to them. God's beauty ansi grace seem to be so perva- Shivani Vinayaga $47.69 Barry Giles $200.00
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mercial realtor Shyamadeva Dandapani. Hinduism has found a warm Soondiren Am asalon $29.24 Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment Toshadeva Lynam Guhan $20.34

home in the frozen north; Shyamadeva and his wife Peshanidevi

Appamal Athimulam $49.25
Kailash Sivam Dhaksinamurthi $166.67
Sivan Murr uga ppa Naicken $11 4.32
Darrick Nordmeier
Deva Seyon
$40.00
$101.00
/
Kumaren Nataraja $8.79
report that about nin~ty Hindu families meet regularly in Anchorage Ravindra Doorgiat $63.52
Ramsamy Natarajan $17.53
Vayudeva Varadan $36.00
Diksha Katir $208.65 John William Wooten $20.00
for satsang and cultural events. Their ultimate goal is a Hindu temple N.A. Pethu Raja $98.55
Amravaddee Kownden $53.97 Bernard Carvalho $20.00
Rajini Raja $12.33
, for families of the area. On a recent pilgrimage to India, Shyamadeva Toshadeva Lynam Guhan $141.38 Glenn Carvalho $40.00
Devarajen Selen Samoo $45.69
Ka rtikeyen Manick $6 1.56 Monica Evslin $50.00
was inspired to help create the Tirumular Saniddhi Preservation Trust, an endowment that will Sinniah Sivagnanasuntharam $52.69
Valavandan Manickavel $98.55 Total $1,6 15.08
Total $349.90
permanently support an anci~nt shrine in Ti.n;tvavaduthurai, Tamil Nadu. He reports that the fund Kamala Mootoosamy $5 1.27 Tirumular Sannidhi Preservation Trust
Kanthasamy Pillaiyar $110.00 Kumbhalavalai Pillaiyar Temple End.
is growing steadily and encourages others to start funds for temples and shrines that are close to Shyamadeva Dandapani $25.00
Suguneswary Ponniah $51. 18 lndra Dhaksi namurthi $101.00
Total $25.00
Logadassen Raday $209.69 Total $1 01.00
their heart. ;' Kevin Pillay Samoo $26.85 Tirunavakkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam End.
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Total $28.70
Gokula Vani $70.00 Loving Ganesha Distribution Fund Gifts to Pay Premiums on Previously Gifted
More than 800 pages long and weighing in at Selvarajah Vengadesan $700.00 Eric Mitchell $10.00 Insurance Policies
2.81bs, Lovitlg Ganesha, in the world of books, Tara Anjali Veylan $111.50 Total $10.00 Anonymous $12,762.00
Small Gifts to Fund $47.36 Malaysian Hindu Youth Educational Fund Total $12,762.00
is much like its namesake, portly and full of Total $4,045.00
Jeyasreedharan $40.00 Total Recent Contrib. $36,602.39
knowledge. At once simple, deep and practical, Total $40.00
this books teaches in ever so many ways that
Lord Ganesha's grace can be 'attained by sin-
cere devotion, song, prayer and meditation. INVESTMENT MANAGERS AND CONSULTANTS: Franklin Management Inc.; First Hawaiian Bank,
Touching the hearts of Hindus around the Trust & Investment Division; Brandes Investment Partners, Inc.; Pacific Century Trust (Bank of
world, it has inspired the creation of its own Hawaii); Alvin G. Buchignani, Esq., attorney; and Nathan palani, CPA. HHE is a member of the
endowment fund, The Loving Ganesha Council on Foundations, an association of 1,500 foundations which interprets relevant law, inte~­
Distribution Fund, to provide free distribution national and domestic, and gccounting, management and investment principles.
to libraries and ashrams. A permanent endow-
ment, it'will make the book availab~e to I WANT TO PAlITIOPATE. WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY DONATION? You can send your gift to
Hindus of each successive geReration as they begin to mature and to seek profound insights into an existing fund, create a new endowment or request information through the address below.
at\d knowledge of their spiritual heritage. (For infprmation on Loving Ganesha, call or write Credit card gifts may be made directly by E-mail. Or, use the HHE tear-out card in this magazine.
Himalayan Academy, 107 Kaholale/e Road, Kapaa, HI 96746-9304, USA 808-822-3152 ext. 238.) to join our family of benefactors who are Strengthening Hinduism Worldwide. Thank you.
A PROFESSIONAL'S PERSPECTIVE: Life insurance can provide important HINDU HERITAGE ENDOWMENT
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In addition, if you use life insurance to create endowments for social and reli- Tel: (800) 890-1008, Ext. 235
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counsel, and recommends that all individuals seek professlOnal adVICe from severa! sources before making Important long-term deCislOns. www.hindu.org/hhe/
 ~ "OJ) fJl

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