"God, Save Us From The Saviours"

The following is an excerpt of an article on Christian Conversions by B R Haran Ji. It is high time that the Hindu Community wakes up and puts an end to all this nonsense.

Thiruvanmiyur is a beautiful place in Chennai, on the East Coast Road leading up to the southern tip of Tamil Nadu. Thiruvanmiyur is historically significant as the place where Vanmiki Maharishi did penance and worshipped Bhagwan Shiva. There is a Shiva temple Sri Marundeeswarar Temple. There is also a small temple for Maharishi Vanmiki opposite (slightly diagonal) to the Shiva Temple; both stand as testimonies to the ancient history of this sacred place.

Now, within hundred yards of the Shiva Temple, stands a huge ‘Advent Church’ which was started as a small prayer house just three years ago. On 5 August 2009, two digital banners, placed just above the compound wall of the Church, attracted the attention of passers by. They read, “Christian Brahmin Seva Samiti - First Year Anniversary” and announced, “Kathaakaalakshebam (Religious discourse) by Pujya Sri Bhagavathar Vedanayaga Saastrigal on Saturday 8 August evening by 5 pm – Entry free.”

Though churches claim they don’t practice casteism, the reality is exactly the opposite, as evidenced by conflicts between various castes within Christianity in various places. In fact, when evangelists convert gullible Hindus, especially Scheduled Castes, they always deceive them saying, “All are equal in the eyes of Jesus.” But once the conversion is over, the evangelists close their eyes and the
converted group finds no change except in the god and the pattern of worship. Still, the “Christian-Brahmin” Samiti was a real shocker as Brahmins converting is a rare phenomenon.

P.S: When these missionaries try to "save" people from "Satan". All we could pray is "God, please save me from these saviours!"

UK Kids Chant Veda Mantras

The following is the recitation of veda mantras by school children in London during the visit of Pratibha Patil to receive the Commonwealth baton.

Do you speak हिन्दी? Your Brain Must be Active!

Below is a piece of an article that appeared in India Today. Enjoy!

Learning Hindi has an advantage over English-it exercises more areas of the brain compared to the Queen's language. In a first-of-its-kind study in the country, scientists have discovered that reading Hindi involves more areas of human brain than English.

Scientists at the Manesar-based National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) have for the first time studied the processing of an Indian script-Devanagari-in the human brain using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI).

In contrast, Devanagari has the properties of both alphabetic and syllabic scripts. Scientists have found reading the language involves activation of the left and right hemisphere. The result of the study has recently appeared in journal Current Science. Researchers used the fMRI technique to record images of a working brain while reading Hindi. The study was conducted with individuals who primarily read Devanagari.

Source: India Today

"How to make Circles & Triangles with Squares & Rectangles?"

The following is an extract of an article that appeared in an American daily 10 days before:

While Western history has traditionally taught the Greeks were responsible for advances in mathematics, for things like irrational and prime numbers, Indian history has another story to tell.

Nearly a century before Pythagoras, a Greek philosopher and mathematician, Vedic priest scholars had already discovered much of what the Greeks have been given credit for. These scholars made vast contributions to the field of mathematics, dated from 800 to 500 B.C., for the purposes of religion and astronomy.

Winona State University Professor Joyati Debnath will talk about how a period some have referred to as "primitive" was anything but - and they have the mathematical equations and expressions to prove it. "They were constructing sacrificial and burial altars in the shape of falcons and tortoises from square and rectangular layers of bricks - they were skilled craftsmen," Debnath said.

The Vedic period wasn't using the mathematics as philosophy, rather the priests were solving complex real life problems - like constructing sacrificial altars, burial monuments, relative size of the planets, length of the day, conduct of marriage and sacred laws.

Debnath described the problem: How do you make a burial structure that looks like a tortoise or a falcon, using nothing but rectangular bricks, stake and a cord? In other words, how do you make circles and triangles out of squares and rectangles?

To solve the problems, the priests had to have an advanced mathematical understanding of numbers that could tell them precisely how to arrange and trim bricks so that they came together in symmetrical ways. The measurements for the geometrical constructions were performed by drawing arcs with different radii and centers using a cord or "sulba."

P.S: Why cant we be taught Vedic Mathematics in our schools? Does it need a "White Certificate" or Will learning mathematics as explained in vedic texts question our "secular" image? (Another Post on Vedic Mathematics soon!)

Source: Winona Daily

Hindu Monuments - Thou hath no value in secular eyes?

The World Monuments Foundation (WMF) is the leading private organization dedicated to saving the worlds most treasured places. Since 1965–in more than 90 countries–WMF experts have been racing against time, applying proven techniques to preserve important architectural and cultural heritage sites around the globe.

The 2010 watch list for India has five monuments and is listed below.

1) Chiktan Castle

2) Dechen Namgyal Gonpa

3) Historic Civic Center of Shimla:

4) Kothi, Qila Mahmudabad:

Of the four, though there are monuments from other notable religions, is no Hindu monument worth preservation in the eyes of WMF? What about the Hampi caves or the Jogeshwari caves which are in a state of neglect? What about hundreds of monuments in Orissa? What about the Ram Sethu? No one seeing any value and greatness in them? The Jogeshwari caves are beneath a slum in Mumbai crying for attention.

Yo, Hindu Monuments, you have done the biggest mistake of your life by being Hindu in this secular nation and secular world!

Now Kerala Points to Harappan Civilization

KERALA, INDIA, September 29, 2009: A rock engraving, indicating clear remnants of Harappan culture, has been found in the Edakkal caves in neighboring Wayanad district, linking the Indus Valley civilization with South India.

“There had been indications of remnants akin to the Indus Valley civilization in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, but these new findings give credence to the fact that the Harappan civilization had its presence in the region too and could trace the history of Kerala even beyond the Iron Age,” historian M.R. Raghava Varier said.

The unique symbols integral to the Indus Valley culture traced in Harappa and Mohanjedaro region that stretched upto Pakistan, were found inside the caves during recent excavations by the State Archaeological Department.

Of the identified 429 signs, one was “a man with jar cup”, a symbol unique to the Indus civilization and other compound letters testified to remnants of the Harappan culture, spanning from 2300 BC to 1700 BC, in South India.

Source: Hindustan Times

Scottish Island to Spread Indian Values

A island in Scotland will now serve as Baba Ramdev's base overseas. The island was bought by a Scottish couple of Indian origin, Sam and Sunita Poddar, who saw recession and the resultant fall in property prices as an opportunity to expand the base of Patanjali Yogpeeth — the institution founded by Baba Ramdev for scientific research and treatment in yog, spiritualism and ayurveda.

"The island base is not about property as much as it is about spreading Indian values. My aim is to turn this island into a peace haven” Baba Ramdev said.

The conch-shaped island, spread over 1.25 sq km and home to a 13th century castle, was put on the block, according to a source familiar with the deal, by its previous owner due to developments related to the credit crunch.

About 1,000 people, mostly disciples of Ramdev and media persons, descended on the island for its inauguration today. Over the next 18 months, Patanjali Yogpeeth (UK) Trust plans to create a world-class health and wellness facility on the Little Cumbrae, island that derives its name from the Gaelic word for shelter or refuge.

Source: Business Standard

Our "White Masters" dump Aryan Invasion Theory

Now that our "white masters" have also dumped the Aryan Invasion theory in trash, will the Government of India or more particularly the NCERT change the lies being taught in schools? Read what a study by Indian and Harvard professors says:

The great Indian divide along north-south lines now stands blurred. A pathbreaking study by Harvard and indigenous researchers on ancestral Indian populations says there is a genetic relationship between all Indians and more importantly, the hitherto believed ``fact'' that Aryans and Dravidians signify the ancestry of north and south Indians might after all, be a myth.

``This paper rewrites history... there is no north-south divide,'' Lalji Singh, former director of the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) and a co-author of the study, said.

The study analysed 500,000 genetic markers across the genomes of 132 individuals from 25 diverse groups from 13 states. All the individuals were from six-language families and traditionally ``upper'' and ``lower'' castes and tribal groups. ``The genetics proves that castes grew directly out of tribe-like organizations during the formation of the Indian society,'' the study said.

Source: TOI

No more repairs, says HC

ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA, September 8, 2009: At a hearing of a writ petition on Monday, a two-member bench of the AP High Court directed authorities to maintain status quo on government funds for building or repairing churches.

The petition, filed by Tripuraneni Hanuman Chowdary, complained that the state government was engaging itself in the promotion of a religion contrary to court injunctions. Chowdary listed 49 GOs, placing 150 Christian institutions as beneficiaries of state aid. He argued that there were no legislative sanction for the said expenditures and thus they were illegal. Listing various GOs between December 2001 and March 2009, he said the state was promoting Christian-related activities in the guise of SC/ST welfare. He said the state was getting involved systematically in promoting church-related activities.

The petitioner had earlier filed a writ challenging the action of the government in granting funds for Christian pilgrimage. In an order dated July 22, a two-member bench suspended the GO granting such allowances.

Hats off Hanuman Choudhary Ji.

Source: TOI

Thailand Returns Ancient Treasures to Cambodia

Thailand returned seven 12th-century treasures to its neighbor as both countries pledged to prevent further smuggling of antiquities। The Angkor-era statues, which included six heads of the Hindu god Shiva, were handed to Cambodian officials during an official one-day visit by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva। Widespread looting of Cambodia’s ancient temples has occurred in recent decades, with many items smuggled into Thailand for sale on international antiques markets or to private collectors. The Thai authorities seized the antiquities from smugglers in 1999. Eang Sophalleth, a spokesman for Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, said the two sides had agreed to cooperate in stamping out the smuggling of national antiquities. Hun Sen is urging Thailand to return 36 other Cambodian artifacts.

"Let (US) All Say Aum"

Lisa Miller wrote an article in the Newsweek titled "We are all Hindus now". The article talks about the change in mindset among the Americans regarding religion. Looks like its time for US.... I mean United States to say Aum. Excerpts from the article are below:

America is not a Christian nation. We are, it is true, a nation founded by Christians, and according to a 2008 survey, 76 percent of us continue to identify as Christian (still, that's the lowest percentage in American history). A million-plus Hindus live in the United States, a fraction of the billion who live on Earth.

A Hindu believes there are many paths to God.The most traditional, conservative Christians have not been taught to think like this. They learn in Sunday school that their religion is true, and others are false. According to a 2008 Pew Forum survey, 65 percent of us believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life"-including 37 percent of white evangelicals, the group most likely to believe that salvation is theirs alone!

Thirty percent of Americans call themselves "spiritual, not religious," according to a 2009 NEWSWEEK Poll, up from 24 percent in 2005. Says Stephen Prothero, religion professor at Boston University "It isn't about orthodoxy. It's about whatever works. If going to yoga works, great-and if going to Catholic mass works, great. And if going to Catholic mass plus the yoga plus the Buddhist retreat works, that's great, too."

24 percent of Americans say they believe in reincarnation, according to a 2008 Harris poll. So agnostic are we about the ultimate fates of our bodies that we're burning them-like Hindus-after death. More than a third of Americans now choose cremation, according to the Cremation Association of North America, up from 6
percent in 1975.

So let us all say "Om."

Source: Newsweek

Fete de Ganesh in Paris

Taking place on August 30th, Fete de Ganesh is Paris' version of the Notting Hill Carnival and is a colourful and entertaining celebration of the arts. The event centres around the Sri Manicka Vinayakar Alayam Temple, in the Little India district of the city.

Spectators can expect to hear Indian music and see costumed dancers and street entertainers, who traditionally carry an arch made of peacock feathers and flowers above their heads. Dancers also carry terracotta pots filled with burning camphor.

Thousands of coconuts are smashed on the streets during the procession, which, according to festival organisers, is an offering to the gods and symbolises the world and human egos. Sweets, cold drinks and blessed gifts are distributed to spectators as the statue of Ganesha is carried through the city.

Source: www.pr-inside.com

Someone to Fight the Pseudo Secular Media

A video of Narendra Modi talking about the unparalleled development of Gujarat and slams the pseudo secular media. Dont miss the 4th and the 5th for sure where the Q&A session is shown. Worth a watch!

Its Ganesha all the way!

SAN DIEGO, CA.- Ganeshmobile — A 2008 Prius decorated with the design of a nineteenth century Indian paisley shawl, enhanced by images of the Remover of All Obstacles, Ganesha, India’s elephant-headed god. The hood ornament is a bronze sculpture of Ganesha dancing at the front of the car to remove obstacles from its path.

The owner is Stephen Huyler, Ph.D. cultural anthropologist, art historian, photographer and author, who has spent much of the past 33 years traveling in Indian villages documenting craftsmanship and contemporary traditions. Dr. Huyler is the Curator of SONABAI – Another Way of Seeing, an exhibition opening at Mingei International in Balboa Park on July 26.

Venture Advertising of Rockport, Maine created a vinyl wrap for the car using as a design a nineteenth century Indian shawl owned by Huyler’s grandmother, then superimposed Ganesha on the passenger doors.

Source: artdaily.org

Know More About Hindu Temples

"Sin or no sin depends on purpose, intention & circumstance"

Question:Is it not a sin to kill silkworms for silk cloth, or to kill deers for making deer skin meditation mats?

The answer is that it is a sin if we do it for trading purposes.Sin is not a substance associated with a particular activity. The same activity can result in either sin or no sin depending upon the purpose, intention and circumstance. For example, killing in general is a sin, but killing a demon or murderer is not a sin. Similarly if we kill animals to avoid being killed, it is not a sin. As said earlier, every creature in this world is here for doing "sadhana". In this world the priority is for those who are doing greater "sadhana". To accomplish that, if others have to sacrifice their "sadhana", there is no harm in that.

For example, assume that there are two students in a house. One is preparing for second grade and the other is preparing for a college medical exam. Though both are preparing for their exams, we consider that the medical exam is more important and give preference to him. If needed, we may ask the other student to sacrifice his preparation, because he will not lose much.

Similarly, in this world, the living entity who is doing a higher level of sadhana, gets preference. So for the benefit of the higher sadhana, others performing lesser sadhana may be sacrificed without any sin. If we are preparing silk for God's pooja, then it is not a sin. But if we are preparing silk for decorating ourselves, then it is a sin. So we need to understand what is the purpose of the action, and what is going to be achieved finally.

Source: indiadivine.org

"Nobel prize is not at all a yardstick"

Question:If non vegetarian food does not improve the mind, how do you explain so many Nobel laureates who are meat eaters?

Answer: Getting a noble prize is not at all a yardstick to measure the peace and purity, stability and concentration of someone's mind. It is known that the suicide rate is high in scientists as well. Actually scientists are more disturbed in their mind. Due to this, they get activated and get involved deeply in something and come out with some new concepts or ideas. For their success, the basic reason is not the peaceful mind, but their disturbed mind.

Generally brahmanas who are "supposed" to have the mental capacity to understand "brahman" (God), need to have a very good concentration power for performing "japa" (mantra chanting) and "tapa" (austerities). They are supposed to be people who are not mentally disturbed.

In olden days even if they consumed meat, they used to keep up their mental stability and peace of mind due to their yogic power or "tapas" (severe austerity). But now in the present age of kali-yuga, our mental powers and concentration powers are getting reduced. We are loosing our purity and peace of mind due to various reasons. As such, the sattvic atmosphere and sattvic qualities are reducing because we are not doing enough japa, tapa, etc.

So if we start consuming meat we will loose all our good mental qualities very quickly. In kaliyuga, meat is strictly prohibited for brahmanas. It is also sinful for all people, as mentioned in the previous answers.

Source: indiadivine.org

"Namaste India, says New Zealand"

Indian students might prefer New Zealand for higher studies and immigration after they were being targeted in Australia. Though New Zealand is close to Australia, there is marked difference in the country’s attitude towards multi-ethnic society and tolerant towards Asian race. "Namaste India, says New Zealand"

There are five main reasons why New Zealand serves as better overseas choice for Indians to study and immigrate.

1)New Zealand is an egalitarian society which accepts no difference in social structure. It also means that there is no prejudice on any race, ethnicity or religion.

2)Though New Zealand is predominately populated by the white population known as Paheka, there is an overhauling Maori population of 16%. Maori are the tribal inhabitants who are modern in their thinking but still have retained their traditional culture. Maori enjoys political rights in New Zealand and have 7 separate electorates in the 122 seats parliament.

3)Indians and Indian origin population enjoy better political influence in New Zealand than in Australia.

4) New Zealand has always been a favorite destination for migrants. It is believed that the Maoris who came 800 years ago from Pacific Islands through a canoe (boat) were the first migrants and they still have their culture and Marai (temple) intact. Even the whites (Pahekas ) who came from Dutch, Scotland, Ireland and British Isles were migrants. Therefore they have a passive approach to life.

5) The chance for immigrants to get Permanent Residency (PR) and then citizenship is more in New Zealand than in Australia. As per the latest trend, students who come to New Zealand on a one-year student visa can have their graduate open work visa for one-year which allows them to opt for any job. After one-year they can avail a two –year work visa on their respective fields. Meanwhile, they can apply for a PR and can get one if they get maximum points the skilled migrant category.

Source: internationalreporter.com

"Non-vegetarian food improves the body, not mind"

Question: Is it true that in olden days, the sages used to eat meat? There is an incident of Agasthya Muni eating meat in the "Vathapi - Ilvala" story.

Yes, we can see some mention about such things in very old stories. We need to understand clearly why and under what circumstances they used to consume meat. Firstly, they used to take meat, but not as their regular food. The animal would be offered to 'yajna', the sacred fire, and then the sages, having very high yogic power, would consume the meat as a prasada of the yajna. Due to this auspicious activity (of yajna), the animal would go to the heavens. In the story of Agasthya Muni, when he said ' vathapi jirno bhava', he was digested immediately. Such was the power of the sages in those days.

First we need to understand why we consume food. It is to have good health. Health means not only the physical health, but the mental health also plays a very important role. That's why in Sanskrit it is known as "swasthya", which means mental peace, purity and health. Meat or non-vegetarian food improves the body, but not the mind. So for those people who need to have physical strength, like soldiers, meat is not prohibited. Soldiers do not need to have as much thinking power. They have to fight like machines. But for people such as the priests (or the brahmins in general), mental power is the more important. We need to have peace and purity of mind, stability and concentration of mind. For such people meat is prohibited. If we start consuming meat, slowly we will loose these good qualities. We will not see these negative changes overnight. It takes time but we will see the changes clearly in the later generation.

Source: indiadivine.org

"Even animals can do sadhana"

Question: We were thinking that only human beings have thinking ability, and thus only they can do "sadhana" (spiritual practices), but other animals could not. Is this concept false? How can animals do "sadhana"?

Answer: This is not true. All animals can also do "sadhana" (spiritual practices). If animals cannot do "sadhana", they cannot get better lives, which lead to the human life. If they cannot get a human life, then they cannot get moksha (liberation) at all at any time. This is not true, thus it is proven that animals also do "sadhana" and get better lives.

They do "sadhana" by their mental activities. We can see a lot of differences in the behaviors of various animals. In the same category of, say cat, dog or cow, we can see a lot of difference between two animals. For example some are soft, some are sensitive, some are more active, etc. This is due to their mental "sadhana". Also in children, who are not having developed thinking power, we can see many differences. We have seen a child, in Bombay, around 2 years old. While sleeping, he tightly hugs a Krishna idol. He does not drink milk without offering to Krishna. He always wants to listen to Krishna's stories. He always wants to see the puja of Krishna. This is all due to previous "samskara" (purification). Like this, animals also will have their own previous samskara and "sadhana"

If killing plants is sin, how is vegetarian food better?

The following is a response of Sri Sugunendra Theertha Swamji of Udupi Puthige Matha (of the Madhva Sampradaya) about vegetarianism. We will be posting each of his answers to various questions on the topic in successive posts.

Plants are also having life, so killing plants should also be a sin. Thus in what way is vegetarian food better than non-vegetarian food in terms of killing or committing "sin"?

It is true that plants also have "life" and killing plants is also sin.The best way is to observe total non-violence, that is to take only those fruits which have naturally fallen from the trees or plants. In this way we are doing harm to no one. But everyone can not follow that vow. We have to take food in order to survive and sustain this body. Hence, we need to take that path which is less sinful and does less harm to other jivas (living entities).

Now there are two reasons to say that vegetarian food is having insignificant sin. Many plants like rice, wheat, etc., are having life only for one crop time. Once their yield is over, they die naturally, even if we don't cut them. So by cutting those plants (which have already died) we are doing less or no sin at all. In other plants, like mango, coconut, etc., by plucking the fruit, we are not killing the plants, and so we are doing very minimal or no sin at all. So vegetarian food is less sinful. Moreover, it is inevitable for our survival, but non-vegetarian food is a luxury to us and we can survive even if we avoid that.It is more sinful since we need to kill animals all the time.

Next we need to know why certain acts are sinful। Each and every life (whether plant, animal, or human) has come to this world to do "sadhana" (spiritual practices), so that they may get a better birth next life and finally get "moksha" (liberation). Whenever such "sadhana" opportunities are cut short, it becomes a sin. For plants there is not much "sadhana" available to them. They cannot do any kind of physical or mental activities in terms of "sadhana". So by cutting them, we are not doing much harm to their "sadhana".So it is not so sinful. But animals can do a good amount of "sadhana" by means of physical and mental activities. By killing them, we are cutting short their opportunities to do "sadhana" towards their liberation (moksha). Thus it is much more sinful.

Source: indiadivine.org

Remove TTD Chief, urge Evangelists!

Christian Missionary groups in AP have met Andhra Chief Minister Samuel Reddy and demanded the removal of TTD Executive officer K. V. Ramanachary from his post.This is in wake of Hindu revival programs conducted by TTD which in turned checked the conversion agenda of Christists among poor and naive.

TTD in recent past has stepped up Hindu culture based programs like Annamacharya Kiratns,BajaGovindam, DalitaGovindam, teaching vedas to Fishermen & Tribal’s etc. The response to these Hindu revivalism was great.

This has angered Christian groups and are now unleashing their evil tactics once again. Chief Minister's son in law and a notorious evangelist is the mediator between Christist and CM, who himself is a crypto Christian.

SOURCE: http://www.haindavakeralam.com

Vedic Perspective On The Environment

The World Environment Day theme this year exhorts people to help combat climate change for our collective survival. It is interesting to know that the ancient Vedas have several references in them on environmental protection, ecological balance, weather cycles, rainfall phenomena, hydrologic cycle, and related subjects that directly indicate the high level of awareness of the seers and people of that time.

Ancient treasures of vast knowledge reveal a full cognizance of the undesirable effects of environmental degradation, whether caused by natural factors or human activities. The protection of the environment was understood to be closely related to the protection of the dyaus or heavens and prithvi or earth. Between these two lies the atmosphere and the environment that we refer to as the paryavaran.

The Rig Veda venerates deities like Mitra, Varuna, Indra, Maruts and Aditya, that are responsible for maintaining the requisite balance. Seers recognised that changes caused due to indiscreet human activities could result in imbalances in seasons, rainfall patterns, crops and atmosphere and degrade the quality of water, air, and earth resources.

The Rig Veda makes a clear reference to the presence of a protective layer – which we know now to be the ozone layer – that filters the harmful rays of the sun and protects the earth and praises the radiation that enters the atmosphere that is responsible for the health of the environment. In a hymn of the Rig Veda the seer prays to the Ashvins for their indulgence for protection against any excessive solar flares that also affect earth’s temperature.

It is remarkable that the people in Vedic times regarded Nature and the environment in a holistic manner and revered each of its constituents and entities by carefully preserving them. “Do not harm the environment; do not harm the water and the flora; earth is my mother, I am her son; may the waters remain fresh, do not harm the waters… Tranquillity be to the atmosphere, to the earth, to the waters, to the crops and vegetation.” This Vedic prayer invokes divine intervention to bless and protect the environment.

Source:Times Of India

A century after, Gangbal Pilgrimage resumes

The first batch of 100 devotees set out on a pilgrimage to the ancient Harmukh-Gangbal shrine situated at an altitude of 12,000 ft in Ganderbal district as the sacred sojourn was revived after about a century.

Chanting mantras, pilgrims started the religious undertaking after a gap of about a century, chairman of All Party Migrant Coordination Committee (APMCC) Vinod Pandit told reporters here.

He said 'Vedic Yajnya' commenced around 6 pm and 'Puran Ahuti' would be followed by 'Shraad' on Tuesday at Harmukh Ganga, popularly known as Gangbal.

Mr. Pandit said the three-day-long yatra had been revived as part of efforts to restore historic religious places which are of importance to Kashmiri pandits and preserve their cultural and religious history. The region is believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva.

Gangbal is situated in the hills of Harmukh range in the north east of Kashmir valley on Ganderbal-Sonamarg road. Gangbal is also called Harmukut Ganga and Hindus regard this place as auspicious as Haridwar.

Source: www.hinduonnet.com

Certificates Success Bother "Marketing" Agents!

This is a curious trend in Christian countries in Europe. It became a fad in England last year, where an online store selling de-baptism certificates was an unexpected success. Now, we understand why Asian and African countries are a potential "market" for Christianity "marketing" agents! Read ahead....

The northern Italian city of Milan is experiencing a boom in the number of people who want to renounce their baptism and leave the Catholic church. A report in the Italian daily Il Giornale said the diocese had received over 200 requests in the first five months of 2009, equalling the total number received in 2008.

“As a pastor, I worry and suffer every time I have to sign, as I did this morning, when I signed five or six of these requests,” said Luigi Manganini, the priest who presides over the discipline of the sacraments of the Milan diocese.

Manganini said this upwards trend of so-called debaptisms is “worrying” because the majority of the cases are of people between the age of 40 and 50.

The act of debaptism amounts to apostasy and the applicant is thus automatically excommunicated and prohibited from taking sacraments or having a funeral in a church.



Source: worldmonitoring.co.cc

New Temple all set for grand opening at Fiji

NADI, FIJI, May 27, 2009: Nadi is fast becoming the spiritual hub for Hindus in Fiji following the construction of a second magnificent temple in the district. The one million dollar Gayatri Shaktipith Temple built by the Gayatri Pariwar of Nadi is all set to open its doors for devotees and visitors with a colourful three day inauguration ceremony due to start on Saturday June 13.

The new temple which has been constructed in a two story structure will also help boost the preaching of Hinduism in the tourist town of Nadi which already houses the Sri Siva Subrahmanya Swami Temple built in 1994 by the Devasthanam Board and believed to be the biggest Hindu shrine in the southern hemisphere. Participating devotees will start the opening program with a march procession leading up to a colourful three days of worshipping and other activities.

Source: fijidailypost.com

Pseudo-secularism at its best in Kanyakumari

The Collector of Kanyakumari has ordered the removal of Hanuman from a park. It has been removed despite protests from villagers nearby. Looks like the presence of Hanuman brings fear in the heart of Ravana (u know who it is!!)

Belgian City Plans “Veggie Days”

GHENT, BELGIUM, May 2009: The Belgian city of Ghent is about to become the first in the world to go vegetarian at least once a week. [HPI note: of course, many Indian towns and maybe cities are completely vegetarian all the time following their tradition, religion and culture. But Ghent is making an effort toward vegetarianism while immersed in a western context.]

Starting this week there will be a regular weekly meatless day, in which civil servants and elected councillors will opt for vegetarian meals.

Ghent means to recognise the impact of livestock on the environment. The UN says livestock is responsible for nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions, hence Ghent’s declaration of a weekly “veggie day”.

Public officials and politicians will be the first to give up meat for a day. Schoolchildren will follow suit with their own veggie day in September. It is hoped the move will cut Ghent’s environmental footprint and help tackle obesity.

Source:BBC

'Spend Money to Improve Poor, Rather Than Conversion'

The following is a report on the stature of Dalit Christians in the Christian community. It is an irony that conversion of Dalits to Christianity occurs mainly by telling them (the Dalits) that the Hindu society has isolated them and kept them backward. Christianity which professes that it does not have any caste system, still calls these converts as Dalit Christians. Its time that the converts introspect on what they have gained by converting? As swami Dayananda Saraswati says "Save us from these saviours" Dont you think the man in the photo also seems to say the same???!!!. Now read the report...

Mr. R.L. Francis is the National President of the “Poor Christian Liberation Movement.” Unhappy with the stagnant condition of dalits who converted to Christianity, Francis is asking the Church for less proselityzing and more compassion.

Mr. Francis says that church authorities are spending millions of rupees in preaching: there are around two hundred Catholic dioceses in India and the Vatican encourages a vigorous growth. But Mr. Francis says that if Catholic Church spends more money to help the existing dalit Christians, they will have better opportunity in their lives.

Mr. France says that the church authorities have best educational institutions in India: around 22% of the nation’s educational institutions and 30% of health care facilities. Next to government, the churches are the biggest land owners in India. In spite of having enough facilities with the church yet dalit Christians’ condition is deteriorating. Dalit Christians are often illiterate in spite of having best convent schools in the church. Thousands of tribal girls are forced to do hard work with low pay and no recognition, he says.

The Poor Christian Liberation Movement regrets the behavior of Church authorities who are collecting money from national and international level. The money is not reaching fully to the effected people. Mr. R.L. Francis says,”There are no problem between Christians and Hindus. The problems come only when we interfere in the lives of others and religions. We should follow sincerely our own religion without criticizing. We must honor all the religions because all religions give salvation.”

Source: www.free-press-release.com

Aryan Invasion Theory Continues To Fail

The video below summarizes information gained from high-resolution satellite images and recent archeological discoveries corroborating historical statements in the Rig Veda and the Mahabharata and casting further doubt on the “Aryan invasion” theory.

The course of the ancient Saraswati River can now be seen to extend from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea. Major tectonic shifts in the earth’s crust diverted its main tributaries to other rivers, and the Saraswati dried up around 1900 BCE. The Rig Veda’s many references to the Saraswati prove the greater antiquity of that scripture. The many archaeological sites along the course of the river demonstrate a cultural continuity since ancient times and give no evidence of a foreign invasion. In other words, archeology does not support the “Aryan invasion” theory.

The video also gives nice quotes from some of the many Western scholars and philosophers who, despite the vilification of the missionary-minded early Indologists, recognized the majesty of the Vedas.

Dvaraka Giant Underwater City found in India

Grammy Awards for Kirtans?

Hindus have called for the introduction of "kirtan" as a new field of awards at the famed Grammys to be held at the Los Angeles' Staples Center on January 31 next year. Last Grammys were awarded in 110 music categories, covering 32 fields, including Pop, Rock, Rap, Country, New Age, Gospel, Jazz, Folk, World Music, Latin, Reggae, Blues, etc., for outstanding achievements.

Acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, said that outside India, kirtan was attracting large audiences in the USA, Canada, United Kingdom, and many other countries of the world, resulting in various new albums and creation of the star kirtan artists.

Rajan Zed points out that Kirtan is rapidly and continually growing in the West and becoming a vogue and bringing increasing number of Americans to its events. According to Kirtan participants, the powerful healing and transformational energies of these ancient chants in a living room style music experience help calming and focusing the mind, uplift, provide a soothing melody, inspire, bring peace and connectedness, etc. Its sacred and spiritual experience takes one to the state of deep meditation. Moreover, Kirtan is highly accessible and does not require training.

Kirtan (also referred to as call-and-response chanting session, ecstatic chanting, participatory music experience, devotional singing, sacred chant) is one of the oldest sacred music genres of the world, which originated in India many centuries ago. Mostly a Sanskrit chant with audience usually clapping and swaying and repeating the words after the singer with some dancing, its lyrics are usually something like "Om Nama Shivaya", "Jai Govinda Jai Gopala", "Shri Ram Jai Ram", "Om Shanti Om", etc.

Kirtan has produced lot of star performers in USA, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Mexico, Australia, etc., like Krishna Das, Jai Uttal, David Newman, Wah!, Shantala, Dave Stringer, Sean Johnson, Shyamdas, Snatam Kaur, etc., and has reached the mainstream venues.

With ticket/donation rates usually less than $25, Kirtan is a blessing in these difficult economic times as it offers means to connect to the heart, to the divinity that lies within, Rajan Zed adds.

Source: Newsblaze

Evangelists want to "save" Obama's Grandma From Eternal Damnation!

NAIROBI, KENYA: A row is simmering between Christians and Muslims in Kenya over reported attempts to convert President Obama’s grandmother, Sarah Obama, to Christianity.”We had invited her to grace our meeting in Kisumu,” Lewis Ondiek, an official with the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kenya, told Ecumenical News International. “Mama Sarah had assured us that she was converting, and we were ready to baptize her today,” Seventh-day Adventist Pastor Tom Obuya claimed.

Some family members stopped Sarah Obama from attending the service, which was led by an Australian evangelist, John Jeremic. Sheikh Mohamed Khalifa, secretary of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya, said “Mama Sarah should not be forced by anybody to join Christianity since she is a Muslim. Conversion must take place in a voluntary manner.” He said, “Muslims will not sit and watch one of their own being coerced by some religious leaders to convert to Christianity.”

The 87-year-old Obama captured the media spotlight in the remote, mainly Christian village of Kogelo, in western Kenya, soon after Barack Obama was elected president in November. She is widely sought after to preside over occasions because of her new status.

Source: RNS

"O Goddess Earth, Please Forgive Us As We Walk On You This Day"

Twentieth annual Nevada Earth Day Celebration opened with prayers from ancient Hindu Sanskrit scriptures on a biofuel-powered stage in Idlewild Park in Reno (Nevada, USA) on April 20, 2009.

Starting with Shanti Mantra in Sanskrit, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed read “Prithvi Sukta” (hymn to earth) from Atharva-Veda, invoking the Goddess Earth, after sprinkling holy water of river Ganga from India around the stage.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, also prayed from another ancient scripture Bhagavad-Gita (Song of the Lord), where Lord Krishna is quoted as saying, “The brightness of the sun, which lights up the world, the brightness of the moon and of fire—these are my glory. With a drop of my energy I enter the earth and support all creatures. Through the moon, the vessel of life-giving fluid, I nourish all plants.”

We may believe in different religions, yet we share the same home—our Earth. We must learn to happily progress or miserably perish together. For man can live individually but can only survive collectively, Rajan Zed said quoting ancient Hindu scriptures. O Goddess Earth, please forgive us as we walk on you this day, Zed added.

According to Travis Owen Souza, one of the Directors of Nevada Econet, which organized this Celebration, the Earth Day participants, many of them came as families, took a very positive message home. Nevada Econet supported informed action on the important environmental issues impacting the region and quality of life.

Nevada, strewn with limitless tracts of desert and more mountain ranges than any other state, is the largest gold producing state in the nation and second in the world behind South Africa.

Source: http://www.webnewswire.com/node/451593

Bali celebrates Nyepi, a Hindu Festival

Isn’t it extraordinary that the country with the largest Hindu population is unaware of the most remarkable holiday in Hinduism? The largest
Muslim country in the world, Indonesia, declares a national holiday each year — this year, on March 26 — to mark Hindu-majority Bali’s day of silence, Hari Raya Nyepi Tahun Baru. This beautiful concept has been absorbed into the syncretic Muslim-Hindu culture of that unique nation.

We Indians are not averse to holidays, so we must be averse to silence. Since Hinduism went from India to Indonesia, the concept of Nyepi travelled the same route. Silence has been mislaid in the land of its origin.

The father of modern India, who could never resist the temptation of turning a virtue into a discipline, gave his voice a day off every week. Mahatma Gandhi would keep maun every Monday. If he had a meeting he could not avoid, say with a toff like a Viceroy, on a Monday, he would write down his answers on chits of paper and pass them on.

Source: Times of India

"Hinduism stands not to get influenced, but to influence”

The following is a first hand report of the Dharma Sabha by a Temple Project volunteer. Happy Reading!

Hindu Janajagruthi Samithi (HJS) organized a Dharma Sabha on 19th April, 2009 at the D.G. Vaishnav College, Chennai. The auditorium had an electrifying atmosphere with 400 Hindus gracing the occasion.

There was a grand reception, each one was invited by a traditional “Namaste” (becoming rare to hear these nowadays!). Tilak was applied to all (arousing the valiant Hindu spirit within each one),and rose water was sprinkled. Stalls were put up informing people about Hindu culture and spirituality. The meeting started off by the scintillating Veda Parayanam by the Chidambaram Dheekshithars, and soon the entire hall was sanctified.





V Sundaram began his talk by cautioning the Hindus against the forces of global Islam, Christianity, Marxism and the (more dangerous) anti-Hindu pseudo secularism by few political parties. The editor of News Today, expressed his dismay at the alarming rate in which the temples are being destroyed, with the government remaining a mute spectator. He said “A few countries like France, Italy had proudly declared their religion. In the US, before taking a vow, they commence their speech by mentioning ‘I promise on Jesus’, but why do we hesitate?” He concluded by urging every Hindu to feel proud of his religion and establish a Hindu nation.





Uma Ravichandran of HJS pointed out a few achievements of the organization like banning the entry of the film “Love Guru”in India,which demeaned the guru-shishya tradition, etc. She also said that around 8 lakh Hindus were being converted every year. The HJS member voiced “The plight of the children who were made to read the distorted version on Indian History (Ramakrishna Paramahamsa called a lunatic, Bhagat Singh called a terrorist, etc) has to be taken note.” She questioned why no monetary allocation was made for the Hindus and Sikhs after the Anti-Sikh riots and 1993 blasts when the minorities were given 330 crores.

Maharaj Anand Chaitanya Swamiji, a disciple of Swami Dayanand Saraswati, conveyed that if we wanted to protect our samskruti then we have to adhere to Dharma. The Swamiji,asked the crowd if they could make their sons and daughters feel proud of being a Hindu? Swamiji also pointed out that we are fed with biased news from most media houses (which have some vested interest) and asked “In the globalization era, instead of getting influenced, why cannot we influence others? This Hinduism stands not to get influenced,but to influence others.” These talks were laced with the invigorating cries of Vande Mataram, Bharat Mata Ki Jai, etc from the audience.

The last speaker of the day was Jagadguru Shri Jayendra Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham, who began his address with a bang saying “ Only when there is birth, there will be death. As far as Hinduism is concerned, it is primordial (eternally present, without any beginning) and thus it has no death. We have to understand that Dharma always reigns supreme, whether we follow it or not.” The Acharya also said that according to the Tamil Tradition, we address a gathering of people as Sagodhara Sagodharigalle (brothers and sisters), treating each and everyone as our own family member unlike a few who address the people as ‘Paavigalle’ (Sinners).

The Acharya further requested all such organizations to unite as one and work together for Hindu Dharma.

A few resolutions passed by the HJS were:

1) Raise voice against the government for framing Sadhus.
2) Condemn TV channels and newspaper for calling Hindus as terrorists.
3) Execution of death sentence of Afzal guru.
4) Cancellation of funds for the Haj Pilgrims
5) Allocation of permanent place of stay for 5 lakh Kashmiri Hindus.
6) M F Hussain (famous for nude paintings! He painted Bharat Mata and other Hindu Gods and Godesses nude) should be brought back to India, and must be awarded punishment.
7) Protest against conversion.
8) Dheekshithars should have a control over the temple.
9) 10 Rs coin having cross symbol should be withdrawn.

‘Jaya Jaya Shankara Hara Hara Shankara’ was loudly chanted after passing each resolution.

The meeting seemed to be an eye opener for the common Hindu who is usually in his sleeping state (or Tamasic) urging him to bring out the Kshatriya in him. The call of Vivekananda to “Arise, Awake and stop not till the goal is reached” is very much relevant to the Hindu society today.

Southeast Asia and its Hindu Footprints

New Delhi (IANS): He has done a documentary on the spread of Hinduism and Buddhism from India to southeast Asia. Now filmmaker S. Krishnaswamy plans to come out with the second part of Indian Imprints in 2010.

Hundreds of ancient monuments and temples reflecting the impact of ancient India on southeast Asia are presented in the 18-episode documentary serial. It has been filmed in over 100 locations in Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

"We are planning to come out with a second part of the documentary by 2010 that will include more countries including Myanmar," Krishnaswamy told IANS.

"Thirty years ago when I made Indus Valley To Indira Gandhi, I came across facts that stressed upon India's not so well-explored bond with southeast Asia. Indus Valley... didn't have the scope to include those facts, since it was already four hours long. So, I decided to make a different film to go deep into the subject.

"I spoke to a lot of historians. But when we decided to go ahead with this film there was political turmoil in Cambodia. Without Cambodia we thought our documentary will be lacking an essential point, so we waited. Once things smoothed in the country, we took up the topic again," he added.

Krishnaswamy also revealed that one of the many things he got to know after his research was that Hinduism and Buddhism spread in various Asian countries as mutually infused religions.

"Hinduism and Buddhism were exported not as two different religions but as mutually infused in each other, while in a certain region one might be more prominent than the other. In Cambodia, there were periods when people were followers of Shiva and in other periods there were followers of Vishnu. Likewise, there were also followers of Buddha," said the filmmaker.

But why did the documentary include only five countries?

"While India has a relationship with almost all countries in Asia, the maximum impact was noticed in southeast. Also, we had to stop somewhere to lend focus. Thus, we decided to shortlist and zero in on these five countries."

Krishnaswamy has made Indian Imprints under his banner of Krishnaswamy Associates, Chennai. It was funded by state broadcaster Prasar Bharati. The filmmaker was recently given the Padma Shri award.

Apart from that Krishnaswamy has been honoured with national awards four times; he has also received the Watumull Foundation award in Hawaii and the lifetime achievement award at the US International Film and Video Festival, Los Angeles.

Indian Imprints, currently being telecast on Doordarshan's international channel DD India and DD Bharati, was completed in 2007.

Source: The Hindu

BJP's appeal to all Dharma Gurus for support

In addition to freeing temples from the control of Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowment Trust (HR&CE), The BJP has now promised to take the advice of Dharma Gurus. Following is a report.

New Delhi: Shri. Lal Krushna Advani, BJP's candidate for the post of Prime Minister has promised that a committee would be formed to solve problems faced by the country and advice of Dharmagurus and spiritual Gurus would be sought in this connection.

He has, however, tried to strike a balance by stating that there would be establishment of 'Rama-rajya' as envisaged by Mahatma Gandhi following the path of secularism.

Advani has written a letter to about 1000 Dharmagurus and spiritual organizations for obtaining support. He has also promised to make efforts towards spread of Hinduism all over the world.

BJP has come out with an independent election manifesto, after 11 years, different from that of National Democratic Front (NDF) to show its spirit of strong Hinduism. He has said that on behalf of the party, special promise is being given to religious organizations.

Advani has stated further that the country has always remained on right path owing to its righteous base and advice given by 'Dharma-Gurus' and 'Spiritual Gurus' in the time of need. Now also there is need for advice from spiritual Guru as there is depression everywhere in the present time of recession. United Progressive Front (UPA) has created an atmosphere of atheism during its regime but NDA, if elected, will bring together religious organizations of all faiths to spread nationalism and spirituality, says the letter. It has been assured that there would not be repetition of issue created due to withdrawal of the land donated for Amarnath pilgrims. Further, priority will be given to the protection of 'Ram-setu', purification of water of rivers including River Ganges.

The ban on cow-slaughter will be strictly implemented. Without referring to Missionary Organizations, it has been mentioned in the letter that there would be strict watch on the financial aid received from outside India by religious institutions. There would be stringent rules to prevent conversions using this aid.

Source:Dainik Sanatan Prabhat

NGO's, Teesta Faked Gujarat Riots

Following is a report which appeared in the Times Of India. Obviously this is a fitting reply to the electronic media which has made Modi-bashing its "Swadharma". Hail the "secular media".

NEW DELHI: The Special Investigation Team responsible for the arrests of those accused in Gujarat riots has severely censured NGOs and social activist Teesta Setalvad who campaigned for the riot victims.

In a significant development, the SIT led by former CBI director R K Raghavan told the Supreme Court on Monday that the celebrated rights activist cooked up macabre tales of wanton killings.

Many incidents of killings and violence were cooked up, false charges were levelled against then police chief P C Pandey and false witnesses were tutored to give evidence about imaginary incidents, the SIT said in a report submitted before a Bench comprising Justices Arijit Pasayat, P Sathasivam and Aftab Alam.

The SIT said it had been alleged in the Gulbarg Society case that Pandey, instead of taking measures to protect people facing the wrath of rioteers, was helping the mob. The truth was that he was helping with hospitalisation of riot victims and making arrangements for police bandobast, Gujarat counsel, senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi, said quoting from the SIT report.

Rohtagi also said that 22 witnesses, who had submitted identical affidavits before various courts relating to riot incidents, were questioned by the SIT which found that they had been tutored and handed over the affidavits by Setalvad and that they had not actually witnessed the riot incidents.

Rohtagi said: "On a reading of the report, it is clear that horrendous allegations made by the NGOs were false. Stereotyped affidavits were supplied by a social activist and the allegations made in them were found untrue."

Obviously happy with the fresh findings of the SIT which was responsible for the recent arrests of former Gujarat minister Maya Kodanani and VHP leader Jaideep Patel, Rohtagi tried to spruce up the image of the Modi administration, which was castigated in the Best Bakery case by the apex court as "modern day Neros". He was swiftly told by the Bench that but for the SIT, many more accused, who are freshly added, would not have been brought to book.

The SIT also found no truth in the following incidents widely publicised by the NGOs:

* A pregnant Muslim woman Kausar Banu was gangraped by a mob, who then gouged out the foetus with sharp weapons

* Dumping of dead bodies into a well by rioteers at Naroda Patiya

* Police botching up investigation into the killing of British nationals, who were on a visit to Gujarat and unfortunately got caught in the riots

Source: TOI

Rulers Propose, People dispose

This article though appeared a year ago is still worth reading. Team Temple Project wishes all its readers and followers (!!!) a Happy and Prosperous New Year... Let us all strive to to achieve a culturally awakened country this this year. Happy reading.

In political theory, the definition of democracy is : By the people, for the people and of the people. A satirical description of democracy that is often doing rounds is ‘bye the people, far the people and off the people.’

This description of democracy was at display when the Tamilians across the world pooh-poohed the much-boasted Tamilnadu Government Order reducing the Tamil New year’s Day, to the nominal Chithirai Thirunaal. But the celebrations that were on view last Sunday proved beyond doubt that the government’s move to change the Tamil New Year was off the minds of the people, far from the hearts of the people and bidding bye to the scientific tradition followed for centuries will take a lot of doing.

The Tamil New Year (unofficial) this year was similar if not grander than those in the previous years. The major difference being the use of Chithirai Thirunaal in most television and radio programmes instead of Puthandu.

‘Chithirai Thirunaal may be inferred as an important day in Chithirai. What importance does Chithirai hold without it being the first month?’ asks a visibly agitated Tamizhvanan, a school teacher. The TV channels seem partial to Chithirai else why celebrate only Chithirai Thirunaal and not Panguni Thirunaal or Avani thirunaal. Most of the Tamil magazines and dailies published ‘Fortunes’ in tune with the Sarvadhari Tamil New Year that began on Chithirai 1st day.

The corporate world in fact heralded the new year celebrations this year. A popular GSM provider had provided full TT (for those who are new to the mobile lingo TT means Talk Time) and also had advertisement stating ‘Tamil New Year! New happiness and luck coming your way. SMS to ....’. The happiness and luck were quite cheap, priced at Rs 3 per sms. If it was Rs 3 in the previous case, it was Rs 300 at a popular star hotel at T Nagar for happiness through a traditional New Year lunch.

The retail market players had their own slew of offers. A popular shopping mart had announced 50 per cent off for the occasion. Even those selling tiles to textiles and calculators to computers had a discount to offer. If discounts were the trademark for a New Year celebration in some sectors, a hike in others proved the same. The prices of vegetables, fruits and flowers had shot up (forget the inflation, we have got used to it) on the eve itself.

Marimuthu, a vegetable seller says ‘it is the usual scenario of prices rising before every festival being celebrated. It is nothing new’. Coming to temples, many of the famous ones had special poojas and other rituals. The devotees flocking temples from early morning sent a crystal clear message. Muthuvel, a devotee says ‘the New Year is based on scientific facts propounded by our rishis to whom neither the past nor the future hold any secrets. But to our rationalists the past is a mystery and their future itself murky’.

People from all walks of life celebrated the New Year. Prior to the occasion, when asked about the celebration plans, a popular cricketer of yesteryear said that a prayer in the house and going to the temples just like any other New Year.

If all this was the scenario in the Dravida Nadu, it would be worth knowing the status of the Tamil New Year celebrated by our brethren at Sri Lanka for whom most of our politicos have been vociferously campaigning. The Tamil New Year was celebrated with great pomp and fanfare there with special rituals and all the other attendant events. In Singapore, the government’s Hindu Endowment Board played host to the celebrations. Similar was the case in America, Australia, England and Malaysia.

The Canadian Prime Minister had greeted all Tamils in Canada on the occasion. So what ? Our leaders will greet us happily for the English New Year, which they even dare not touch. For us, Anglo-Saxon is Tamilian and the so called Aryan is alien.

Anyway, Tamilnadu is sure to enter into the Guinness Books of World Records for having two Tamil new years, every year ! One for the people (in Chithirai), the other for the Government (in Thai) and of course, both for the advertisement-savvy channels including those owned by the rulers. Three cheers, Tamilians!

Source: Newstoday

Hindu Flags to decorate Chennai on 19th April

Dear Proud Hindus,

Hindu Janjagruti Samiti, an organization started by likeminded Hindus is dedicated to the cause of Protecting the Nation and Dharma is organising the First Dharma Jagruti Sabha in Tamil Nadu at Chennai city on 19th April 2009, 5.30 P.M., at D.G. Vaishnav College, Poonamallee High Road, Arumbakkam, Chennai. The speakers on the occasion include Maharaj Ananda Chaitanya , disciple of Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Shri S Gurumurthy from Swadeshi Jagran Manch, Shri V Sundaram, Editor Newstoday, Smt. Sailaja Vittaldev, Sanathan Sanstha and Smt. Uma Ravi chandran, Hindu Janajagruti Samithi.

Objectives of Hindu Janjagruti Samiti include -
1. To create awareness about Hindu issues,
2. To Educate about Hindu Dharma,
3. To unite Hindus globally,
4. To protect the Nation.

With the above objectives Hindu Janjagruti Samiti does many activities like Nationwide campaign against Denigration of deities, M.F.Hussain campaign, Save Temples campaign, Hang terrorist Afzal Guru campaign. The major activity of Hindu Janjagruti Samiti includes organizing Dharma Jagruti Sabhas all over India. Hindu Janjagruti Samiti has organized 116 Dharma Jagruti Sabhas till now in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand. After receiving a tremendous response in these states, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti has now organized a Sabha at Chennai.

This Dharma Jagruti Sabha will be a show of Hindu Unity, hence all likeminded Hindus are to be brought together to this Sabha. All are requested to come along with your friends, relatives & others to this meeting.

Contact details:
Sri. P. Prabhakaran, Co-ordinator, Hindu Janjagruti Samiti
Chennai. Mobile – 9003053054

Nevada Assembly Session Opens With Samskritam Mantras

SAMSKRITAM MANTRAS from ancient Hindu scriptures opened the Nevada State Assembly session in capital Carson City on April 6.

After sprinkling Gangajal (holy water brought from river Ganga in India) around the podium, acclaimed Hindu statesman Rajan Zed started and ended the prayer with 'Om', the mystical syllable containing the universe, which in Hinduism is used to introduce and conclude religious work.

Zed, President of Universal Society of Hinduism, recited from Rig-Veda, the oldest scripture of the world still in common use, dated from around 1,500 BCE, besides lines from Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita, both ancient Hindu scriptures.

Legislators and others, including many teenagers, who filled the visitors gallery, stood respectfully in prayer mode with heads bowed down during the prayer. Adina and Kurt Karst, who came from Minden to listen to the prayer, described it as 'wonderful'.

After Samskritam delivery, Zed read the English translation of the prayer. Samskritam is considered sacred language in Hinduism and root language of Indo-European languages. Reciting from Brahadaranyakopanishad, Zed said, “Asato ma sad gamaya, Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya, Mrtyor mamrtam gamaya,”, which he then translated as - “Lead us from the unreal to the real, from darkness to light, and from death to immortality.”

Reciting from Bhagavad-Gita, he urged legislators to keep the welfare of others always in mind. Concluding lines were 'Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti', which he translated as 'Peace, Peace, Peace be unto all'

Source: Merinews

Doctored CDs and Gita For Gandhi's: The Truth

The mysterious appearance of an allegedly ‘doctored’ CD is being used by our Hindu-bashing media to defame and condemn Varun Gandhi, the bright young B J P aspirant wanting to contest election for the Lok Sabha seat from Pilibhit. In this comical debate the media has conveniently forgotten that a number of similarly doctored CDs are being openly sold in hundreds across Pilibhit and several U.P. towns. According to a news published on March 22, 2009, in Hindustan Times, New Delhi, a CD of the so-called ‘hate’ speech of Varun Gandhi was being sold for Rs. 15,000 and several political parties and mediapersons were lapping up the coveted CDs.

On top of it, the buyers are openly telling the CD seller, one Maqbool, to “delete this scene, it will not serve my purpose”. And such openly ‘doctored’ CDs are being unabashedly purchased by the election campaigners for three well known political parties. Yet not one media analyst has tried to fathom the origin of the ‘dubious’ CD, nor who prepared it and why, nor where is the original CD. All these questions have been left unanswered by the Indian media as well as the Election Commission.

How is it that the Election Commission and our voluble media analysts have not bothered to investigate what made the cyber café owner, Maqbool of Pilibhit, openly doctor and modify CDs of Varun’s speech for selling them like hot cakes to all and sundry ? Most mysterious, however, is the inaction of the somnolent Uttar Pradesh police who have neither caught Maqbool, nor interrogated him.

Varun’s knowledge of Gita is questioned... Frankly, not many media analysts appear to have any sound knowledge of Gita, nor of the bold message of recourse to karmic action it gives to Hindus like Varun. No wonder they fail to realize that in not too distant past the same message had fired the imagination of the renowned stalwarts like Lokmanya Tilak, Aurobindo Ghosh, Ras Behari Bose and hundreds of revolutionaries and freedom fighters, including Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Ram Prasad Bismal and lakhs of foot soldiers of our freedom movement.

After conversion to the hollow western creed called ‘secularism’, most media WOGs (i.e., West Oriented Gentlemen) have lost their civilizational moorings. In their static minds ‘ahimsa parmo dharmo’, a truncated shloka popularized by Mahatma Gandhi, remains etched as the central theme of Gita. They seem to be blissfully unaware that Gita goes far beyond ‘ahimsa parmo dharma’ and gloriously sanctions the use of violence as a sacred duty in the cause of righteousness, especially for protecting ‘Dharma’. As highlighted by Swami Chinmayananda in a soul stirring article, the correct Shloka in Gita is ‘Ahimsa Parmo Dharma, Dharmah Himsa Tathaiva Cha’, meaning thereby that recourse to violence for protecting ‘Dharma’ is an equally important duty enjoined upon all Hindus.2 The learned sage bemoans that frequent misuse of this truncated sacred verse has reduced us Indians (read Hindus) to the status of “poltroons and cowards”.3 By over emphasizing non-violence, says Swamiji, “we have reached the pathetic situation of today when thousands, in cowardly fear take to precipitate flight, leaving their innocent children to be butchered and their unarmed helpless women to be converted or killed”.

The rousing speech of Varun Gandhi has to be understood in the context of the pitiable condition of Hindus of Pilibhit. In recent months there have been innumerable complaints by Hindus of Pilibhit alleging oppression by Muslim gangsters of the area, including scores of instances of cow slaughter which is forbidden by law. But no one listens to Hindus because the District Magistrate and Additional District Magistrate of Pilibhit, being Muslims, are perceived to be ranged against the majority community. In such a dismal scenario, the courage shown by Varun came like a whiff of fresh air for the beseiged Hindus of Pilibhit.

It is time that voluble journos and politicos realized that there is a healthy unanimity of views between what Varun Gandhi told the beleaguered Hindus of Pilibhit and what the learned Swami Chinmayananda upholds as our grand civilizational ideal, enshrined in Bhagvad Gita.

Though Priyanka Gandhi did not say anything about her own understanding of Gita, apparently she does not know much about the bold and valorous message to fight the forces of evil given by Sri Krishna to Arjun on the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Gita does not preach passivity or renunciation, nor submission to tyranny. It preaches action, bold and purposeful, for achieving victory against tyranny. Instead of faulting Varun, she would do well to listen to the sagely advice of Swami Chinmayananda when he says that “the only solution for the day’s internal chaos is to bring home to the people the significance of the much neglected teaching of ‘dharma-himsa’. Gita gives the message of victory through valour to every Hindu, loudly and clearly, exhorting them to join the battle when no other option is available.

And that is what Varun Gandhi has been trying to do by relaying the wake up call to oppressed Hindu masses, besieged by jihadi terrorists and enemies of Dharma. It is time that our ignorant media analysts devoted a little bit of their time to re-reading of the Gita, instead of faulting Varun’s knowledge of the sacred Song Divine.

- R. K. Ohri, IPS (Retd)

Villagers seek govt support to maintain 300-year-old temple

CHENNAI: Every first Sunday of the month, villagers of Vengampakkam, belonging to the Agaram Then village panchayat, 40 km south of Chennaiassemble on thepremises of the Vengeeshwar temple. Not to worship the main deity, Shiva, but to mobilise money to pay the salary - Rs 2,500 - of K Srinivasan, the chief priest of the 300-year-old temple.

Located off the Vandalur-Kelambakkam High Road, the Shiva temple is the only ancient temple worshipped by the 200-odd families living nearby. Villagers from neighbouring villages such as Rathnamangalam, Kandigai, Mappadu and Kasapapuram also visit the temple regularly. Nearly 90% are farmers who cultivate crops themselves without employing labourers. For the farmers, the temple is the source of their prosperity, which brings good rainfall every year followed by a bountiful harvest. Paddy is the main crop here.

Jayachandran, E K Damodharan, a petty shop owner, and S Karnan, a lorry driver, were the catalysts in renovating the temple in 2003. The temple was then covered by thick vegetation and there were poisonous snakes, too. The three had a tough time convincing other poor farmers in renovating the temple.

Most farmers here eke out a miserable existence by cultivating small plots of farmland. But that did not stop Jayachandran, Damodharan and Karnan to organise a meeting of villagers near the old Panchayat Primary School on a Sunday in May 2003. Their hope turned to reality after about three hours of arguments between those who supported renovation and others who wanted more time. Soon, contributions began to pour in with everyone doing their bit. While some gave their hard-earned money, others brought bricks for the main temple construction. A few helped build the compound wall. The village carpenter S Chakarapani did not take any money to make the eight-foot wooden door for the sanctum sanctorum. He spent his own money to get wood from Kumbakonam. Almost all the villagers helped in the construction of the temple as well as a store room, taking turns to work.

The villagers then engaged a priest to conduct poojas. They now want a shelter for the Nandhi statue made up of stone, which stands before the main deity, and also a shelter for devottees. The temple does not have an electricity connection. An external wire has been tapped for power. "We want the government agencies or other donars to help us maintain the temple," says B Saravanan, a farmer and the local DMK functionary.

Sources in the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments department told TOI that it would be difficult for them to take over the maintainance of the temple as they were cash-strapped. "It is better the villagers try to mobilise local funds to maintain the temple. We have our own limitations," they said.

Source: TOI

Sesame And Water: Where Do They Go?

An explanation of tarpanam by Shri Chandrashekarendra Saraswati swamigal of Kanchi Kamakoti matham.

All human beings must express their gratitude to their fathers (pitrs) and to the gods- they have a debt to pay their fathers, rites to perform for the gods. We must serve our fellow creatures to the best of our ability and extend hospitality at least to one guest a day. This is atithya or what Thiruvalluvar calls "virundu", also known as manusyayajna. Thiruvalluvar has said more or less the same thing as the Vedas say:

Tenpulattar, deivam, virundu, okkal, tan enru angu aimbulattaru ombal talai.

Tenpulattar are the pitrs, the fathers. All are duty-bound to pay their debt to them. Mother Veda says: "Matr-devo bhava, pitr-devo bhava. " (Be one to whom the mother is a deity. Be one to whom the father is a deity. ) Auvvai, who brings us the essence of the Vedas, observes: Annayum pitavum munnari deivam" [Mother and Father are the deities first known. ]

We must treat our parents with respect and do all we can to keep them in comfort. We cannot make sufficient recompense for all the sacrifices they make on our behalf. After they depart from this world we must without fail offer libations to them and perform the sraddha ceremony, all in the sastric manner. Though they ridicule the idea of performing sraddha, even reformers have agreed that we must care for our parents.

"The sesame you offer, the water, the balls of rice, the plantains and other items of food remain here," point out the reformists. "Or we see someone removing them before our own eyes, or eating them. You say that the departed parents are born again in this world. If that is true, is it not madness to claim that what is offered here will reach them?" Some of you must be harbouring similar doubts.

Let me tell you a story.

A certain man had sent his son to college in a distant town. One day the boy woke up to the fact that he had to pay his examination fee in a few days. So he wrote to his father: "Please send such and such a sum by telegraphic money order. " The father was a little perplexed. All the same he went to the telegraph office and handed the clerk at the counter the money that had to be sent to his son. "Please send it by telegraphic money order," he told the clerk. He had thought that the clerk would make holes in the notes, put a length of wire through them and send the whole thing to his son. Moments later the clerk said to the man: "Your son will get your money. It has already been sent. " The villager was again puzzled. He saw the money still in the cash box without the notes strung together. He told the clerk:"My money is still here. You haven't made holes in the notes yet." The clerk assured him: "It will reach your son." Now he turned to his work of sending messages: "Ka-tu-katu-katu." The poor village was still not satisfied.

But the money of course reached his son.

Offering libations to one's fathers is similar. If this rite is performed according to the sastras, the deities concerned will convey them to those for whom they are meant. If the fathers are reborn as cows the offering made to them will be taken to them in the form of grass or hay. The deities in charge carry out the orders of the Paramatman. So the father of the mother whose sraddha is performed need not personally come to receive the offering.

Does not the telegraphic money order reach the addressee? If the addressee resides in a foreign country our currency will not be valid there. If rupees are paid here arrangements are made to pay the money in dollars, pounds of whatever. The things offered to the fathers according to the sastras are conveyed in a form suitable to them.

What is important is a sense of gratitude to our fathers and faith in the sastras. At parties a toast is proposed to somebody and all the guests drink or eat to his health. They do so in the belief that by virtue of the mental power the man toasted will become healthy. Sraddha means that which is done in faith. Faith is of the utmost importance. If we do something we must do it according to the rules laid down for it. When you write a letter how do you make sure that it reaches the addressee? "I will write the address as I like. Why should I drop the letter in that letterbox over there? I have a better box at home." would you speak thus?

Source: kamakoti.org

Every One Has The Right To Be Ignorant!

The India Today Conclave offered a basis for a discussion on spirituality, “Halo or Hoax?” Javed Akhtar joked, “In movies we create an illusion and then after three hours we put up a sign, The End, and make people step back into reality, whereas spiritual people also create an illusion but they do not put an end to it.” The audience applauded. I smiled within and thought, yes, what this man says is correct, all that is created comes to an end. If something does not end then it is not created! Perhaps he didn’t even realise the profound truth of what he was saying.

So in some way he tacitly accepted that the love and drama he creates in the movies does end, but the love and transformation created by spiritual people never end. Yes, this whole world is an illusion that never ends. I drew Adi Shankara from his sarcasm. What an enigma: the perception and the reality.......

Spirituality is intoxicating. Only those who step into it will know. Before criticising we need to do our homework.Has one spent time with saints? Only then does one’s views carry weight, else they remain simple accusations only, a distorted perception, not reality.

Mr Akhtar thundered again: “All modern-day spiritualists are hypocrites”. Many people froze as he dismissed the present-day gurus. Today there are millions of people who follow spirituality: are they all hypocrites? I appreciated that he could express his feelings boldly, without pretension. But the contempt that was exhibited for gurus was alarming. The hatred and frustration were obvious from his body language. It’s not just Mr Akhtar. Many journalists, communists, atheists and naxalites live in that state of mind, of being anti-religious, anti-rich, anti-famous, anti-business.

Should I argue and put him down? No! I have never put anyone down. I can’t deviate from my nature. So I simply said, everyone has the right to be ignorant. A flash of Aurangzeb, who butchered thousands of gurus and would not listen to any reason or logic, came to mind. An intelligent man would look into all the avenues before he makes a comment or accusation.....Blaming the entire modern-day spiritual guru and sadhu community is as foolish as branding the entire Muslim community as terrorists.

Then came his next statement that Buddha went from the palace to the forest and today the gurus come from the forest to the palace. I said to myself, ‘Come on! Buddha went to the forest when he was unhappy and miserable, and he came right back when he became a guru’. Any high school student knows this. Besides, every palace had a rajguru. Last year hundreds of sadhus were evicted from the caves and hermitages of the Himalayan region, near Haridwar, by the forest department. People generally think sadhus should live in forests with torn clothes but the forest department wanted to send them to the city!

A man who equates arms, drugs and spirituality is not going to change his opinion immediately and anyway his opinion is not going to matter for what is and what will be. Come on, I thought, sing a new song. My compassion grew. Spirituality is not a matter of the head, it is a matter of the heart. I had two choices: to argue and turn the conclave into a conflict or to keep silence. I chose the latter.

(H.H. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Founder of the Art of Living)

Source: http://www.haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=8463&SKIN=D