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INSIDE THIS ISSUE From Editor’s Desk 2 Durga Puja 3 Meaning of Rituals 4 Reasons to Celebrate Diwali 5 Hindu View of God, Individual & World 6 Legends of Bhai Dooj 7 Deepavali - South In- dian Style 8 Geeta Jayanti 9 Youth Corner 13 Dussehra - It’s Signifi- cance 14 A Unique Hindu - African Temple 15 Is Vedanta Really Practical 16 Mother Supereme Kali 18 Significance of Tulsidas Jayanti 19 Raja Ram Mohan Roy 20 Perspective on Idol Worship 21 Q & A on Hinduism 22 Volume 2 Issue 4 Canadian Hindu link A Free Quarterly Journal Dedicated to educating the New Generation of Canadian Hindus DIWALI SPECIAL ISSN # 1920-9339 Oct./ Nov./ Dec. 2010 This Issue is Sponsored By: Mr. Ashwani Goel [Ace Financial Group] Mr. Amit Shah[Floradale Medical Pharmacy] Mrs. Seema Makhija[Accounting Services] Dr. Naresh Sharma[Family Dentist] Mr. Prabhat Kapur[Heartlake Florist & Gifts] Mr. Ashwani Sharma[B. R. Auto Sales] Mr. Dave Bhatia[Improbus Realty Corp.] Mr. Anil Sharma[Akal Financial Group] Mr. Indar Singh[Optimum Closing Centre Inc.] Mr. Harpaul Rishi[Sajawat & Puja Hut] Ms. Ann M. Sehdeo[Canada Mortgage Experts] Mr. Vishva & Mrs. Kamlesh Sharma[Vishal's Gas & Fuel Ltd.] Mr. Vinod Sharma[Avenue Optical] Mr. Pramod Anand[Market & Financial Analyst] Mr. Rakesh M. Joshi[Joshi Law Office]

Canadian Hindu link - Hindu Education Link – Hindu ...€¦ · A Unique Hindu - African Temple 15 Is Vedanta Really Practical 16 Mother Supereme Kali 18 Significance of Tulsidas

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Page 1: Canadian Hindu link - Hindu Education Link – Hindu ...€¦ · A Unique Hindu - African Temple 15 Is Vedanta Really Practical 16 Mother Supereme Kali 18 Significance of Tulsidas

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E

From Editor’s Desk 2

Durga Puja 3

Meaning of Rituals 4

Reasons to Celebrate

Diwali

5

Hindu View of God,

Individual & World

6

Legends of Bhai Dooj 7

Deepavali - South In-

dian Style

8

Geeta Jayanti 9

Youth Corner 13

Dussehra - It’s Signifi-

cance

14

A Unique Hindu -

African Temple

15

Is Vedanta Really

Practical

16

Mother Supereme Kali 18

Significance of Tulsidas

Jayanti

19

Raja Ram Mohan Roy 20

Perspective on Idol

Worship

21

Q & A on

Hinduism

22

Volume 2 Issue 4

Canadian

Hindu link A Free Quarterly Journal Dedicated to educating the New Generation of Canadian Hindus

DIWALI SPECIAL

ISSN # 1920-9339 Oct./ Nov./ Dec. 2010

This Issue is Sponsored By:

Mr. Ashwani Goel [Ace Financial Group] Mr. Amit Shah[Floradale Medical Pharmacy]

Mrs. Seema Makhija[Accounting Services] Dr. Naresh Sharma[Family Dentist]

Mr. Prabhat Kapur[Heartlake Florist & Gifts] Mr. Ashwani Sharma[B. R. Auto Sales]

Mr. Dave Bhatia[Improbus Realty Corp.] Mr. Anil Sharma[Akal Financial Group]

Mr. Indar Singh[Optimum Closing Centre Inc.] Mr. Harpaul Rishi[Sajawat & Puja Hut]

Ms. Ann M. Sehdeo[Canada Mortgage Experts]

Mr. Vishva & Mrs. Kamlesh Sharma[Vishal's Gas & Fuel Ltd.]

Mr. Vinod Sharma[Avenue Optical] Mr. Pramod Anand[Market & Financial Analyst]

Mr. Rakesh M. Joshi[Joshi Law Office]

Page 2: Canadian Hindu link - Hindu Education Link – Hindu ...€¦ · A Unique Hindu - African Temple 15 Is Vedanta Really Practical 16 Mother Supereme Kali 18 Significance of Tulsidas

P A G E 2

From the Editor’s Desk

Restoring Peace in GTA Temples Democracy is the best system of

governance until a better system is

found. This is what wise people say,

but it does not apply to the manage-

ment of many temples in the GTA.

We go to temples to find a few mo-

ments of peace, and to remain con-

nected with our Dharma. It has now

become common knowledge that

most of our temples, if not all, are

plagued with conflict, unrest and

tension arising from power struggles

between two or more small groups or

caused by certain individuals with

over-inflated egos and desires for

fame and power; they want to stay in

power forever. In some temples, the

conflict is out in the open, while in

others it is simmering and festering

under the surface. Thank God, there

have been no incidents of violence so

far though police have been called

many times to restore peace. Some

temples have spent thousands of dol-

lars we donate, on litigation.

Like many concerned Hindus, I

find this trend personally very painful

and disturbing. I have been tempted

many times to write about this issue,

but I was restrained by some of my

friends and by those who have been

performing Nishkam Sewa at temples

either as part of the management or

as an ordinary volunteer. They tell

me that this matter should remain as

an internal community affair. If ex-

posed, it could tarnish our image as a

peace loving community. Now, any-

one can read all about it in the media.

It is no longer a hidden secret.

We discuss this matter in private

parties, but no one offers a solution to

maintain peace in our temples. We

have half a dozen federations claim-

ing to represent Hindus of Canada.

What they do for the community

seems to be a well-hidden secret. No

Hindu leader has taken any initiative

to do something to resolve and pla-

cate conflicts and ugly confrontations

related to temple management, and

establish the much-needed peace in

our temples. We make two sugges-

tions that may help restore peace in

GTA temples,

Arbitration and mediation

Board

One solution that is worth trying

is to establish a permanent voluntary

mediation and arbitration board in

Ontario that can volunteer its services

to parties involved in any conflict in

temples, as a substitute to costly liti-

gation. The board should develop a

panel of mediators and arbitrators

with a variety of expertise- lawyers,

judges, corporate executives, char-

tered accountants, senior priests, pro-

fessional social workers or counsel-

ors and individuals with substantial

experience in temple management,

provided they have not held any man-

agement position in any temple at

least for five years. Our community

has plenty of people with such exper-

tise. The members of this board can

receive training in mediation and

arbitration by attending a short

course offered by many professional

organizations in Ontario. The parties

in the conflict can approach the

board, and select a committee of

three or five individuals from this

panel to mediate or arbitrate. Both

parties should be required to sign an

agreement that they will refrain from

discussing this matter in public or

media, and they will accept the deci-

sion or the solution offered by the

committee. The details of the referral

procedure can be developed by the

Board once established.

Is there any Hindu federation or

leader in Ontario who would step

forward and take the initiative to

work on this solution or come up

with an alternative? This will be a

yeoman service to the Hindu commu-

nity. It will also add to their credibil-

ity and enhance their prestige and

public image.

Presidential system of gov-

ernance

The second solution is to do

away with the parliamentary system

involving annual elections of office

bearers, as frequent elections seem to

be the root cause of discord among

leaders. It is commonly observed that

the defeated candidates form an in-

formal opposition group and indulge

in all kinds of undesirable tactics-

smearing campaign of wild and un-

substantiated accusations and even

sabotage against those in power.

Therefore, it is worth trying the US

style Presidential form of govern-

ance. Perhaps, Hindu temples may

consider this idea seriously. Under

this system, the general membership

could elect an all-powerful President

for a period of five years or more,

allowing the elected President to

choose his or her own Executive or

cabinet. The general membership

would have the power to impeach the

President, if he or she violates the

constitution. This system may bring

peace in temples at least for five

years or more

These two proposals are not new

ideas, but they have never tried to

solve our community problems re-

lated to the management of NGOs or

temples. If these suggestions are not

workable, let us hope and pray that a

messiah will emerge to perform a

miracle and restore peace in our tem-

ples.

I also earnestly appeal to our

readers to send their comments and

suggestions on this issue, by letter or

email. We will publish them in the

Feedback Section of our next issue

Ajit Adhopia, Editor

Tel. 905-273-9563

Email: [email protected]

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P A G E 3 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4

Significance of Durga Puja

The Durga Puja is perhaps the

most important festival on the Bengali

religious calendar. It celebrates the

victory of the goddess Durga over the

buffalo demon Mahisa. It comes as a climax of the Navaratri (nine nights)

festivities, which are observed in one

form or another throughout India.

Who is this Durga? When did the

stories about her become part of

Hindu culture? It is generally be-

lieved by scholars that the concept of

a ferocious Mother Goddess existed in

the pre-Aryan Indus Civilization. In

the Mahabharata, there are references to Durga. However, here she is de-

scribed as a goddess worshipped by

savage tribes. She is pictured as riding

a lion or tiger, and indulging in blood,

meat, and wine.

It was during the period of the

puranas that this goddess was re-

garded as a manifestation of Shakti,

and especially through the influence

of the Markandeya Purana. In one section of this Purana there is a

lengthy poem proclaiming the powers

of Shakti. It is here that the currently

popular Durga legends first appear.

Durga literally means,

‗inaccessible‘, ‗unapproachable‘ or

‗fortress‘. It was once the name of a

vicious giant who had acquired enor-

mous powers through penance. He,

too, like Hiranyakasipu, brought havoc in the world, preventing Brah-

mins from reading the Vedas. The

pious and righteous, the saints and

sages, the gods and the godliness, all

appealed to Siva to intervene. Siva

entrusted the task to his consort Par-

vati. Parvati in turn sent a formidable

female by the name of Kalaratri (dark

night) to order the giant to calm down

so that peace and spiritual rule may be

restored in the world. Durga answered by sending his army of ferocious gi-

ants to capture Kalaratri. Kalaratri

summarily destroyed them en masse.

The infuriated Durga now dispatched

several thousand more giants, innu-

merable chariots, elephants and horses

to vanquish Kalaratri. This vast array

of power frightened even the envoy of

Parvati, who therefore fled to her mis-

tress,

At this point Parvati felt that enough was enough. She transformed

herself into a ferocious power with a

thousand arms. Followed by terrible

looking beings she now faced Durga

with burning rage. A gory fight en-

sued during which she stepped merci-

lessly over Durga, pierced his heart

with her trident, provoking mighty

streams of blood and she flung him

into the air. She struck him further

when he fell to the ground until even-tually the mighty giant breathed his

last. As a result of this stupendous

victory, the Gods gave Parvati the

name of Durga. Therefore, it is this

victory that is celebrated in the Durga

Puja.

After she had destroyed the giant,

a process that involved an enormous

output of emotion

and energy, Shakti got into a state of

uncontrollable rap-

ture. She now

danced and jumped

with joy, shaking

meadows and the

mountains, the rivers

and oceans. Even

Siva could not put an

end to this wild and

turbulent state of Parvati and so as she

waved and wandered

wildly. Siva lay down

on her random path,

Durga, still in her

intoxicated joy,

stepped over the

Lords chest and this

brought her to a

stunned halt. In utter

shock and surprise, she opened her mouth

and let her tongue

hang out. This pos-

ture of Shakti is

known as the Kali

state

The idea sug-

gested by the Durga episode is simply

this- evil forces come into play not

infrequently in this mortal and imper-

fect world of ours. Good and dedi-

cated people often exert their utmost to hinder the foul play, and once in a

while, they may succeed. However,

occasionally the forces of harm and

destruction acquire enormous powers,

and all the efforts of the good and the

righteous seem to be in vain. When

this continues for long, the wrath of

the spirit of history is turned loose

with frightening ferocity until the hor-

rors of the wicked are routed out once

for all. In this process, the innocent and the helpless may also suffer. Hu-

man history has provided ample in-

stances of such sequences of events

Source : Indher Journal, Volume II

issue 6 [page 247-249] republished

here with the consent of the pub-

lisher.

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P A G E 4

light. They pray: lead me from illu-

sion to reality; lead me from darkness

to light; lead me from death to im-

mortality. This prayer is a reminder

to us, repeated year after year, of our

real nature- pure, immaculate, free

wrapped in golden hue, immortal:

You are a child of Divinity,

Your roots go deep to Eternity,

Your reach is unto Infinity!

Ritual is the beginning of the

search performed in the state of pu-

rity, piety and honesty of gratitude.

When on the battlefield of Kuruk-

shetra, Yudhistar touches the feet of

Bhishma Pitamaha and the Pitamaha

blesses him, Drayodhana protests,

and Pitamaha tries to enlighten him

by saying, ―Droyodhana! Know that

even if your enemy touches your feet,

your hand, unconsciously, moves and

caresses him on the head with bless-

ings.‖ Therefore, ritual is a natural

instinct, and the response of Divinity

is spontaneous. Only we have forgot-

ten this fact of life, as we are forget-

ting the little ceremonial Deeya in the

dazzle of electric flare.

Every Act of ritual is sacred,

from folding of hands in Namaste in

silence to touching the ground on

Mother Earth; it should be respected

and understood in the spirit. When

you fold your hands, bring close to

your heart and bow your head in

obeisance, the meaning is, ―With all

the strength in my hands, with all the

love in my heart, with all the knowl-

edge in my head, I bow to thee‖

The language of silence is deep,

unfathomable, unmistakable and

mysterious, because all thought and

languages arise from silence and re-

turns into silence, and silence can be

the highest ritual.

Man, by nature is loving, re-

spectful and worshipful, depending

on the stage of development, being

otherwise is unnatural. All our acts,

Ritual at the beginning of an ac-

tion is indicative of surrender and

worship in response to the vision of

Divinity for the sake of self-

fulfillment. In course of time, it be-

comes a sacred exercise in pursuit of

the same vision. Ultimately, the per-

former, performance and the Deity

merge and become one in a state of

being.

Ideally speaking, ritual is the

beginning, from the outside though,

of Yoga of the highest order: self-

integration of the particle, re-

integration of the part with the whole,

and reunion of the finite with the

infinite. It is the first step in piety in

the state of purity, on a long road of

self-realization and even beyond self-

transcendence, which is a state be-

yond the human imagination.

Let us think in simple practical

terms. On Diwali, we light the Dee-

jays (lamps) in worship of goddess

Lakshmi. What sort is Lakshmi?

Goddess of wealth. Therefore, we

celebrate Dhan-teras, before Diwali

evening on Amavasya, and buy metal

wealth, from brass utensils to Gold.

That act of purchase is a symbol of

the advent of Lakshmi. The lighting

of lamps is a simple celebration for

most people, but for some enlight-

ened souls, it is the descent of light

more and ever more.

This ritual, and any ritual, can be

an end in itself; celebration, merry-

making, sheer fun ending in the ex-

citing to the point of self-

forgetfulness. In addition, it can be

the means to an end of the highest

order imaginable. Watch the news

immediately after Diwali, ―so many

people died of self-poisoning by spu-

rious drinks.‖ That was not the kind

of celebration in the honour of return

of Lord Ram to Ayodhya after his

victory over the forces of darkness,

but it happens. For the others of right

understanding, Diwali lights symbol-

ize another stage n their search for

manners and behavior, whether they

are personal, familial, social or reli-

gious, are to be meticulous. That is

the ideal. Therefore, our secular acts,

when performed well, are also de-

scribed and valued as ritualistic.

Therefore, it is important that our

rituals should also be faultlessly me-

ticulous. Any act of prayer, worship

in temple, gurudwara, church,

mosque or anywhere should be sim-

ple, honest and meaningful without

violating the spirit and philosophy of

its tradition. A violation of sincerity

and honesty is a desecration, which

brings its own retribution. Sacred is

sacred. Even a secular act should be

treated as sacred because performed

in the spirit of sanctity, it brings the

best results.

Sometimes, blind imitation of

rituals goes against tradition and phi-

losophy. For example, blowing out

the candles, all except one, violates

the Hindu tradition and the Hindu

concept of time. Hindu concept of

time is cyclical, not lineal. The past

does not die out, it lives on. Even

death is not termination absolute. We

live on; our time and age live on. The

candles must go on, no black out

please! Rethink.

HAPPY DIWALI

TO OUR READERS,

VOLUNTEERS AND

SPONSORS.

Read all our previous issues

at our website :

canadianhindulink.com

Ajit Adhopia, Editor

[email protected]

905-273-9563

Meaning and Significance of Rituals By : Dr. Tulasi Ram Sharma (Hamilton, Ontario)

Page 5: Canadian Hindu link - Hindu Education Link – Hindu ...€¦ · A Unique Hindu - African Temple 15 Is Vedanta Really Practical 16 Mother Supereme Kali 18 Significance of Tulsidas

P A G E 5 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4

Why do we celebrate Di-

wali? It‘s not just the festive mood in

the air that makes you happy, or just

that it's a good time to enjoy before

the advent of winter. There are 10

mythical and historical reasons why

Diwali is a great time to celebrate.

And there are good reasons not just

for Hindus but also for all others to

celebrate this great Festival of

Lights.

1.Goddess Lakshmi’s

Birthday: The Goddess of wealth,

Lakshmi incarnated on the new

moon day (amaavasyaa) of the Kar-

tik month during the churning of the

ocean (samudra-manthan), hence the

association of Diwali with Lakshmi.

2. Vishnu Rescued Lakshmi: On

this very day (Diwali day), Lord

Vishnu in his fifth incarnation as

Vaman-avtaara rescued Lakshmi

from the prison of King Bali and this

is another reason of worshipping Ma

Larkshmi on Diwali.

3. Krishna Killed Narakaasur: On

the day preceding Diwali, Lord

Krishna killed the demon king Nara-

kaasur and rescued 16,000 women

from his captivity. The celebration of

this freedom went on for two days

including the Diwali day as a victory

festival.

4. The Return of the Pandavas:

According to the great epic

‗Mahabharata‘, it was ‗Kartik

Amavashya‘ when the Pandavas ap-

peared from their 12 years of banish-

ment as a result of their defeat in the

hands of the Kauravas at the game of

dice (gambling). The subjects who

loved the Pandavas celebrated the

day by lighting the earthen lamps.

5. The Victory of Rama: According

to the epic ‗Ramayana‘, it was the

new moon day of Kartik when Lord

Ram, Ma Sita and Lakshman re-

turned to Ayodhya after vanquishing

Ravana and conquering Lanka. The

citizens of Ayodhya decorated the

entire city with the earthen lamps

and illuminated it like never before.

6. Coronation of Vikramaditya:

One of the greatest Hindu Kings

Vikramaditya was coroneted on the

Diwali day, hence Diwali became a

historical event as well.

7. Special Day for the Arya Samaj:

It was the new moon day of Kartik

(Diwali day) when Maharshi

Dayananda, one of the greatest re-

formers of Hinduism and the founder

of Arya Samaj attained his nirvana.

8. Special Day for the Jains: Ma-

havir Tirthankar, considered to be

the founder of modern Jainism also

attained his nirvana on Diwali day.

9. Special Day for the Sikhs: The

third Sikh Guru Amar Das institu-

tionalized Diwali as a Red-Letter

Day when all Sikhs would gather to

receive the Gurus blessings. In 1577,

the foundation stone of the Golden

Temple at Amritsar was laid on Di-

wali. In 1619, the sixth Sikh Guru

Hargobind, who was held by the

Ten Reasons to Celebrate Diwali By : Gyan Rajhans

Mughal Emperor Jahengir, was re-

leased from the Gwalior fort along

with 52 kings.

10. The Pope’s Diwali Speech: In

1999, Pope John Paul II performed a

special Eucharist in an Indian church

where the altar was decorated with

Diwali lamps, the Pope had a ‗tilak‘

marked on his forehead and his

speech was bristled with references

to the festival of light.

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P A G E 6

―Hindu religious thought is

based upon the belief in the Ultimate

Reality (Brahman of the Upani-

shads), faith in the reality of the spirit

(ãtman), and faith in the spiritual

order of the world. Through their

spiritual experiences, the ancient

rishis (sages) discovered that there

are different ways to approach the

same goal, catering to different peo-

ple exhibiting different levels of

spiritual development. Enormous

diversity is thus an essential feature

of the religious life of Hindus.

Hindu View of God

Hindu view of the Ultimate Real-

ity is expressed in the following reve-

lation of the Rig Veda, the oldest

Hindu scripture:

"Ekam sat vipraha, bahudha

vadanti." "Truth is one, the wise call

It by various names."

This doctrine recognizes that the

Ultimate Reality possesses infinite

potential, power and intelligence, and

therefore cannot be limited by a sin-

gle name or form. Thus, Hindus view

the Ultimate Reality as having two

aspects: impersonal and personal.

The impersonal aspect of the Ulti-

mate Reality is called Nirguna Brah-

man in Hindu scriptures. Nirguna

Brahman has no attributes and, as

such, is not an object of prayer, but of

meditation and knowledge. This as-

pect of the Ultimate Reality is be-

yond conception, beyond reasoning

and beyond thought.

The personal aspect of the Ulti-

mate Reality is known as Saguna

Brahman, that is Brahman with at-

tributes. Saguna Brahman is the crea-

tor, sustainer and controller of the

universe. Saguna Brahman cannot be

limited by one form and is therefore

worshipped by Hindus in both male

and female forms. As the male as-

pect, Saguna Brahman is called by

various Sanskrit names, such as Ish-

vara, Parameshvara, Paramãtma,

Maheshvara, and Purusha. These

Sanskrit names represent more or less

the same concept as the word God in

other religions.

As the female aspect, Hindus

refer to Saguna Brahman by various

names, such as Divine Mother, Durgã

and Kãlî. Hindus further worship the

male and female aspects of Saguna

Brahman in many forms, called dei-

ties.

Hindu View of the Individual

Hindu scriptures teach that an

individual is essentially ãtman

clothed in a physical body. The San-

skrit word ãtman, meaning "God

within," is usually translated as soul,

self, or spirit. If the physical body of

an individual were compared to a

computer, the ãtman would represent

the electricity that operates the com-

puter. Thus, without ãtman, the hu-

man body is insentient. In a human

body ãtman is the source of the mind,

intellect and ego sense.

Hindu scriptures declare that

ãtman is immortal and divine. In

Hindu view, therefore, an individual

is potentially divine and eternally

perfect. There are two states of exis-

tence associated with ãtman: the

bound state and the liberated state. In

the bound state, ãtman is associated

with a physical body. As a result of

this association, ãtman is subject to

mãyã, which causes it to forget its

true divine nature and commit evil

deeds in the world. The powers of

mãyã are two-fold. As cosmic igno-

rance, mãyã deludes the ãtman into

forgetting its own true nature.

As creative energy (shakti) of

Brahman, mãyã is the material cause

of the universe. In the liberated state,

ãtman is said to have attained moksha

(spiritual perfection) and conse-

quently enjoys union with God. Mok-

sha simply means freedom of the

individual from ignorance, i.e. reali-

zation of one's own true divine na-

ture, or union with God.

Although there are various view-

points, the predominant Hindu view

is that the same ãtman dwells in all

beings. Thus, all human beings have

a common source and are intercon-

nected in a subtle way. The reason

humans are different from each other

(or at least think they are different) is

that the manifestation of ãtman in a

physical body depends upon the type

and construction of the physical

body. Just as the same electricity

manifests as cold in a refrigerator and

heat in an oven, the same ãtman

manifests as a saint in one human

body and a sinner in another human

body, owing to the past karma. Thus

a sinner of today is a potential saint

of tomorrow.

In Hindu view, an individual is

not born a sinner, but commits sin

due to mãyã. Just as darkness quickly

disappears upon the appearance of

light, an individual's delusion van-

ishes when he gains self-knowledge.

Self-effort and guru's (spiritual pre-

ceptor) grace is all that is needed to

dispel one's ignorance and attain self-

knowledge.

Hindu View of the World

The Sanskrit word for creation is

srishtî, which means "projecting

gross phenomenon from subtle sub-

stance." In Hindu view, creation

originates from the Ultimate Reality,

Brahman. When a potter makes a pot

from clay, he makes the process hap-

pen and is the efficient cause. The

wheel he uses to spin and mold the

pot is the instrumental cause, and the

clay is the material cause. Unlike

Jewish, Christian and other Western

theologies, the predominant Hindu

view is that Brahman is the efficient

cause, the instrumental cause, as well

as the material cause of the universe.

Thus Brahman is the whole universe,

animate and inanimate. With this

thought in mind, Hindus worship

God as abiding in all created things

Hindu View of God, Individual & World

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P A G E 7 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4

and beings.

Brahman manifests as conscious-

ness (ãtman) and nature (matter) in

the phenomenal world. This manifes-

tation is made possible by mãyã, the

inherent creative energy of Brahman.

Hindu scriptures reveal that the mani-

festation of Brahman as the things

and beings of the world is a divine

sport (lîlã). In this eternal sport Brah-

man manifests in diverse forms in the

phenomenal world (creation), stays in

that mode for a time (sustenance),

and reverts back to the original state

(dissolution). This process of crea-

tion, sustenance and dissolution is

repetitive and occurs in cycles with-

out beginning (anãdi) and without

end (ananta). Thus, in Hindu view

there is no absolute beginning or end

to the universe. Whenever the words

"beginning" and "end" appear in

Hindu scriptures, they simply mean

the beginning and end of a particular

cycle of creation.

In the beginning of creation, con-

sciousness is wrapped up in matter.

Through the process of evolution,

consciousness evolves from lower

forms to higher forms of life until it

becomes aware of itself in a human

body. From that stage onwards, it

struggles to free itself from physical

limitations (through spiritual disci-

pline) and attain union with Brah-

man, the original source of con-

sciousness.

In Hindu view, individuals go

through the repeated cycles of birth

and death, while time goes through

the repeated cycles of creation, suste-

nance, and dissolution. Thus, the

Hindu notion of time is cyclic and

both time and individuals are viewed

as non-unique entities. The Western

notion of time is unidirectional and in

the Western system both individuals

and time are viewed as unique enti-

ties.

Practical Significance

The Hindu view of God allows

one to exercise complete freedom in

worship. A Hindu may worship any

deity as he chooses based upon his

own mental constitution. He knows

that different modes of worship are

just different roads to the same desti-

nation of union with God. He has no

quarrel with other religions as he

considers them as different rivers

flowing to ultimately merge in the

same ocean. As such, he has no urge

to forcibly convert other people to his

own faith.

The belief in the existence of the

all-pervasive Divinity in the universe

creates an attitude of acceptance,

reverence, benevolence and compas-

sion for all things and beings in the

mind of a Hindu. He does not see any

intrinsic evil in Nature. He sees the

ground, the sky, the trees, the hills

and mountains, and the rivers all sa-

cred.

The Hindu concepts of the indi-

vidual and the world eliminate the

fear of God or eternal hell from one's

mind. A Hindu considers life a divine

pilgrimage from "unreal to real, dark-

ness to light, and death to immortal-

ity." Being on this road of pilgrim-

age, a Hindu has no intention to hurt

anyone. He is thoroughly convinced

that whatever he does in this life will

come back to him in the next life.

Thus he must do good and be good

now, as he will have to come back

again and again in this world until all

scores are settled.‖

This article was gleaned from the

website : www.hinduwebsite.com

and edited by Ajit Adhopia.

Yami, who puts the auspicious mark

on his forehead and prays for his well

being. Therefore, it is believed that

anyone who receives a tilak from his

sister on this day would never be

hurled into hell.

According to one legend, on this

day, Lord Krishna, after slaying the

Narakasura demon, goes to his sister

Subhadra who welcomes him with

the lamp, flowers and sweets, and

puts the holy protective spot on her

brother's forehead.

Yet another story behind the

origin of Bhai Dooj says that when

Mahavir, the founder of Jainism, at-

Nowhere is the bond of brotherly

-sisterly love glorified with such

grandeur as in India. Hindus cele-

brate this special relationship twice

every year, with the festivals of Rak-

sha Bandhan and Bhai Dooj.

What, When & How

After the high voltage celebra-

tions of Diwali, the festival of lights

and fire-crackers, sisters all over In-

dia get ready for 'Bhai Dooj'. This

involves sisters symbolizing their

love by putting an auspicious tilak or

a vermilion mark on the forehead of

their brothers. Sisters perform an

aarti of their brothers by showing

them the light of the holy flame as a

testament of their love and protection

from evil forces. Sisters are lavished

with gifts, goodies and blessings

from their brothers. Bhai Dooj comes

every year on the fifth and last day of

Diwali, which falls on the night of

the new moon. The name 'Dooj'

means the second day after the new

moon, the day of the festival, and

'Bhai' means brother.

Myths & Legends

Bhai Dooj is also called 'Yama

Dwiteeya' as it is believed that on this

day, Yamaraj, the Lord of Death and

the Custodian of hell, visits his sister

Legends of Bhai Dooj festival

Continues on page 8…….

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P A G E 8

perhaps the greater the appreciation

and adulation for the lady of the

household. Well, some of these prac-

tices are not in vogue any more, more

due to the changes that have come

about in the living style and infeasi-

bility of such practices.

The evening before the

Deepavali Day is noteworthy for the

elaborate feast the family members

share. As mentioned earlier, one of

the unique features of the South In-

dian practice is the expectation that

the entire family wake up quite early

in the morning during

‗Brahmamuhurtham‘ (the most auspi-

cious time) before sunrise, to start the

festivities. It is not unusual to find

some getting up as early as 4 a.m. to

start off the day‘s activities with zest.

The first task after the morning

chores is to apply warm sesame oil

seasoned with cumin seeds, ginger

and turmeric powder on one‘s head

and fire the first round of crackers.

The younger members of the family

take charge of firing crackers, an

activity they eagerly look forward to

in the days leading up to the

Deeoavali. After the opening round

of the same, the family members

troop in to take their turns. The fam-

ily members take oil bath, wear new

clothes, which are kept before the

family deities for divine blessings,

It would be no exaggeration to

describe Diwali, known as Deepavali

in South India, as the Queen of all

Hindu festivals, which are numerous

in number. Deepavali, celebrated to

remember the triumph of good over

evil as demonstrated by Lord Krishna

by his annihilation of the demon king

Narahasura, is celebrated with equal

intensity of spirit and fervor both in

North and South India. However, as

in the case with other festivals, prac-

tices and rituals performed on the

occasion differ, though not substan-

tially. The purpose of this essay is to

give a bird‘s eye view on the manner

in which Deepavali is celebrated in

South India.

The title Deepavali, or DEEPA

OLI, means illumination spreading

from the lamp. Deepam literally

translated means Lamp and Oli

means illumination. The jubilant

spirit with which the festival is cele-

brated is infectious and creates an

atmosphere of oneness and solidarity

among kith, kin, and among one‘s

own friends and acquaintances. It is

not inaccurate to state that Deepavali

is seen as more of a social occasion

and less of a religious one, though the

occasion itself celebrates divine acts

of the Almighty.

The five important features of

celebrating Deepavali could be stated

in terms of the following: Rising up

early in the morning before sunrise,

wearing new attire purchased espe-

cially for the occasion, firing of

crackers, seeking the blessings of

elders by reaching out to them , shar-

ing of sweets with friends and rela-

tives and of course, remembering the

Almighty with special prayers. In all

of this, the lady of the house has an

especially lead role to play in orga-

nizing things, though from behind the

scenes.

The one activity in which her

expertise and active role comes to the

fore is in drawing what is called KO-

LAM, a form of artistic drawing done

with rice flour in front of the house

for the passersby to see, admire and

comment. This is done by connecting

various dots to bring out various

shapes and images. The more the

number of dots, the better it is and

Deepavali - South Indian Style By : Shankar Swaminathan (Mississauga)

tained nirvana, his brother King

Nandivardhan was distressed because

he missed him and was comforted by

his sister Sudarshana. Since then,

women have been revered during

Bhai Dooj.

Bhai Phota

In Bengal, this event is called

'Bhai Phota', which is performed by

the sister who religiously fasts until

she applies a 'phota' or mark with

sandalwood paste on her brother's

forehead, offers him sweets and gifts

and prays for his long and healthy

life. Every brother eagerly waits for

this occasion that reinforces the bond

between brothers and sisters and their

affectionate relationship. It is an op-

portunity for a good feast at the sis-

ter's place, coupled with an enthusias-

tic exchange of gifts, and merriment

amid the resounding of conch shells

in every Bengali household.

Underlying Significance

Like all other Hindu festivals,

Bhai Dooj too has a lot to do with

family ties and social attachments. It

serves as a good time, especially for a

married girl, to get together with her

own family, and share the post-

Diwali glee. Nowadays, sisters who

are unable to meet their brothers send

their tika - the spot of protection - in

an envelope by post. Virtual tilaks

and Bhai Dooj e-cards have made it

even easier for brothers and sisters,

who are far away from each other,

specially remember their siblings on

this propitious occasion.

Source of This article:

www.boloji.org/legends of bhai-

dooj.html

(Continued from page 7)

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P A G E 9 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4

and participate in the family prayers

together. Typically, these prayers are

performed by the head of the family,

usually the father of the household.

Here mention must be made of

what has come to be known as

‗Deepavali Lehiyam‘ in Tamil par-

lance, which is a home-made medi-

cine of sorts, with ingredients such as

dry ginger, black pepper, jaggery,

cumin seeds, etc., which aid the di-

gestive process. This medicine is

somewhat sweet tasting and is ad-

ministered to all the family members

by the mother after the prayer. The

medicine has utility value as the

number of sweets and other eats that

one ingests on the day is almost lim-

itless given that during visits to dif-

ferent homes, goodwill is best dem-

onstrated by accepting what is of-

fered to consume . It is considered

rude to refuse what is offered by the

host, though the hosts themselves are

sensible enough to understand the

limits to which the guests could be

pushed.

One of the praiseworthy features

of the Hindu cultural heritage is the

respect, reverence, esteem the family

elder is held in, and the exalted posi-

tion he or she is conferred with in

terms of status and moral authority.

Thus, it is natural that seeking the

blessings of such elder is of utmost

importance on all days but more par-

ticularly on occasions such as

Deepavali day. This is perhaps one of

the clear illustrations of the Hindu

belief that accumulated wisdom is

derived not exclusively from the

bookish knowledge alone but from

the life long experiences that an indi-

vidual has undergone in his lifetime

and the amount of learning and wis-

dom that he has acquired to his credit

from such experiences, considered

invaluable.

The morning visits culminate

with a visit to the nearby temple

where prayers are offered to the

Lord. While the obligatory rituals do

not extend beyond the morning

hours, the spirit of Deepavali lingers

on for the entire day. The whole fam-

ily takes stock of the situation at the

end of the day of the bruises and

burns incurred by the youngsters, of

the affectionate banter among the

siblings while dividing the crackers,

and of the rivalry in firing the crack-

ers. Thus, the celebrations that all

looked forward to with great expecta-

tions for months, come to a close

with the participants having to accept

the reality with reluctance.

Relevance of Geeta Jayanti By : V. N. Gopalakrishanan (Mumbai, India)

The Bhagavad Gita (Song Ce-

lestial) is one of the greatest and

most beautiful of the Hindu scrip-

tures. It is said to be the most popular

religious, philosophic poem of its

kind existing in any known tongue.

This Sanskrit text conveys the sub-

lime teachings on religion, philoso-

phy, ethics, and the art and science of

correct and efficient living. Bhaga-

vad Gita gives a synopsis of the reli-

gious thought and experience of In-

dia through the ages and describes

the ultimate reality as a personal

God, identified with Lord Krishna.

Gita Jayanti marks the birth of

this Holy Book and is to commemo-

rate the day when Lord Krishna, an

earthly incarnation of Lord Vishnu

rendered his philosophical teachings

to Prince Arjuna on the first day of

the 18-day battle of Kurukshetra

between the Pandavas and the Kau-

ravas. The two armies stand oppos-

ing each other, and on seeing many

of his friends and relatives among

those lined up on the other side, Ar-

juna hesitates to engage in a just but

cruel war. However, he is recalled to

his sense of duty as a warrior by

Lord Krishna. The epic battle of the

Mahabharata took place in Kuruk-

shetra in Uttar Pradesh and Sage

Manu is said to have written the

Manusmriti here. According to the

Hindu calendar, Gita Jayanti falls on

the Ekadashi day of Shukla Paksha

(November-December).

The Bhagavad Gita consists of

700 Sanskrit verses divided into 18

chapters. Bhishma Parva (Chapters

25 to 42) of the Mahabharata consti-

tutes this immortal dialogue. All the

18 chapters in the Bhagavad Gita are

designated, each as a type of Yoga

and all the 18 Yogas contained in it

may be reduced to four - the Karma

Yoga, the Raja Yoga, the Bhakti

Yoga and the Jnana Yoga. Yoga in

the Bhagavad Gita is not merely

thought control as in the technical

Yoga-shastra, but the whole of spiri-

tual life, which aims at union with

the Supreme. Since Lord Krishna

handles all the four Yogas with equal

importance, he is called Yogeswara.

The popularity of the Bhagavad Gita

is evident from the many commen-

taries, glossaries and expository

works written on it. The earliest

commentary on Bhagavad Gita is by

Shankaracharya followed by Bhaska-

racharya, Ramanujacharya, Madhva-

charya, Nilakanthacharya, Sridhara-

chaya, and Madhusudanacharya. In

modern times, commentaries were

written by Bal Gangadhara Tilak, Sri

Aurobindo, Mahatma Gandhi, Vi-

noba Bhave, and Dr. S. Radhakrish-

nan.

The Bhagavad Gita has been

translated into many languages. It

was first translated into English in

1785 by Sir Charles Wilkins and

published by the East India Com-

pany, with an introduction by War-

ren Hastings, the then Governor

General of India. It was well re-

ceived in Europe and translated into

the French, German and Russian

languages. A.W. Schlegeal published

the Latin version in 1823, and called

the Bhagavad Gita “the most beauti-

ful, and perhaps the only truly phi-

Continues on page 12…….

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P A G E 1 0

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P A G E 1 1 V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4

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P A G E 1 2

losophical poem that the whole

range of literature known to us has

produced”. The Bhagavad Gita in

Sanskrit, Kannada and English along

with Schlegeal‘s Latin version and

Humboldt‘s Essay on the Philosophy

of Gita, was published in 1847 by

John Garrett. J. Cockburn Thomson

translated Bhagavad Gita into Eng-

lish in 1885. Dean Milman says, ―It

reads like a noble fragment of Empe-

docles or Lucretius, introduced into

the midst of a Homeric epic. Some of

the Western scholars who studied

deeply the Bhagavad Gita include

Albert Einstein, Dr. Albert

Schweizer, Aldous Huxley, Carl

Jung and Henry David Thoreau.

A clear and exhaustive exposi-

tion of Sat-Chit-Anand (Existence-

Knowledge-Bliss) is the theme of

Bhagavad Gita and it expounds the

philosophy of Karma and Dharma.

Although the words Karma and

Dharma have been used with 30 dif-

ferent meanings in Bhagwad Gita,

nowhere does the word ‗Dharma‘

meaning ‗religion‘ comes up. The

word ‗Hindu‘ also does not occur

anywhere in Bhagavad Gita. In its

three disciplines, the Bhagavad Gita

gives a typology of the three domi-

nant trends: dharma-based Brahman-

ism, enlightenment-based asceticism

and devotion-based theism. For those

who must lead a normal life in this

world, the Bhagavad Gita gave a

moral code and a prospect for final

liberation. It has been addressing

contemporary issues and solving day

-to-day problems of humanity.

The Bhagavad Gita can be ex-

perienced as a powerful catalyst for

transformation. It has become a se-

cret driving force behind the unfold-

ing of one's life and will contribute

to self-reflection, finer feeling and

deepen one's inner process. It has all

the management tactics to achieve

the mental equilibrium and to over-

come any crisis. The method of sal-

vation taught in the Bhagavad Gita is

that a man should

live a life of actions

without focusing on

results, which should

be dedicated to God.

The Bhagavad

Gita reveals the ex-

perience of everyone

in this world, the

ascent of man from a

state of utter dejec-

tion, sorrow and

total breakdown and

hopelessness to a

state of perfect un-

derstanding, re-

newed strength and

triumph. The Bhaga-

vad Gita serves as an

essential guide to

better living and it

prompts an individ-

ual to think, to take

fair and right deci-

sion without surren-

dering one's identity.

Lord Krishna has

shown the way and

has said repeatedly,

"Use your intellect and decide‖.

The Bhagavad Gita is the es-

sence of the Vedas and Upanishads

and it is profound in thought and

sublime in heights of vision. If the

hold, which a work has on the mind

of man, is any clue to its importance,

then evidently the Bhagavad Gita is

the most influential work in Indian

thought.

Here‘s what some of the greats

have to say in praise of this vener-

able scripture.

"When I read the Bhagavad Gita

and reflect about how God created

this universe everything else seems

so superfluous." ~ Albert Einstein

"When doubts haunt me, when dis-

appointments stare me in the face,

and I see not one ray of hope on the

horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita

and find a verse to comfort me; and

I immediately begin to smile in the

midst of overwhelming sorrow.

Those who meditate on the Gita will

derive fresh joy and new meanings

from it every day."

Mahatma Gandhi

"The Bhagavad Gita is a true scrip-

ture of the human race a living

creation rather than a book, with a

new message for every age and a

new meaning for every civilization."

~ Rishi Aurobindo

Editor’s note: This article is a

short, edited version of the original

one submitted by Mr. V. N.

Gopalakrishnan. He is a social ac-

tivist, and the Director, Indo-Gulf

Consulting, based in Mumbai, In-

dia.

(Continued from page 9)

Email : [email protected]

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V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 1 3

The World’s Dream By : Sarina Sharma (Age 13), Edited By : Falitaa Chhabra

As I get older, I‘m beginning to

see that the world‘s religions are split

into two. On the one hand we have

the ―Abrahamic‖ religions, namely

Judaism, Islam and Christianity,

which are all based on a Holy Scrip-

ture. On the other hand we have the

―Dharmic‖ or ―Vedic‖ traditions,

which are not based off one particular

book or scripture, but instead are

based on reflections of various sages

and wise people at different times in

our history.

The Vedic traditions say that

while there is only one truth, there

are many paths to it. There‘s no right

way or wrong way, if it gives you

spiritual enlightenment. Hinduism

and Buddhism in particular are two

of the most tolerant religions in the

world. That‘s what I like about Hin-

duism. I don‘t have to follow every-

thing as literally as possible. Even if I

forget to do Hanuman puja for one

Tuesday, it doesn‘t make me a non

believer. Even if I disagree with

something, it doesn‘t make me a non

believer.

Another thing I like about being

a Hindu is that I can accept other

faiths as being different paths to the

same truth. Hinduism even says,

―One truth many paths‖ and ―The

world is one big family‖. Hindus are

so accepting and tolerant that nearly

14% of India‘s population is Muslims

and is the only country that is a true

face of democracy. In fact, India is

the only country in the world that

subsidizes the airfare for Muslims

going to the Hajj. Hindus living out-

side of India have also successfully

made a place for themselves in for-

eign countries by respecting people

of all faiths and cultures and living in

harmony with everyone.

I‘m glad to be a Hindu. I‘m glad

to be able to say my mind about my

religion and not be shunned. I‘m

proud to be able to have friends with

many different faiths and not be dis-

liked. I‘m honored to be part of a

religion that‘s willing to move for-

ward, that‘s so modern, yet so ancient

at the same time. People have fought

and continue to fight wars for their

religion, thinking they‘ll please God

and go to heaven by either killing or

converting everyone who doesn‘t

believe in their religion. But I believe

they only anger God further. I believe

God will only be happy when human-

ity can join hands with one another

and live in harmony, and when relig-

ion is glue that holds us together in-

stead of a blade tearing us apart.

That‘s the Hindu dream. That is the

world‘s dream.

Sarina is a grade 9 student in Mis-

sissauga, Ontario.

Education Guides Inner Meaning By : Jiv Parasram

"Well, first of all, Hindus have a

pantheon of gods." These words have

been lectured to me all too often by

teachers. During class, I would often

attempt to gain enough time to ex-

plain the concepts of Hinduism. It

was usually glazed over by over-

worked and underpaid instructors

trying to compact the world's spiri-

tual history into a neat package palat-

able to the western intellectual diet.

Perhaps living as a Hindu in Canada

is a challenging reality. However, I

know no other.

I was born in Ottawa, a Canadian

citizen. Soon I was living in Dart-

mouth, N.S., — I was the personifi-

cation of "minority". Dartmouth is a

beautiful town, with beautiful

weather, beautiful parks and a quaint

collection of world religion books in

its libraries.

I would have to search through

the mythology section (located close

to the religion section) to find in

oversized picture books (after several

chapters of Ancient Greek and Egyp-

tian myths), finally the Hinduism

chapter! This was a major part of my

initial religious education.

There was no denying that I was

different from other children in my

area. The pigment was a dead give-

away. What was probably a minority

complex would act as a catalyst in

my need for knowledge about Hindu-

ism.

Religious discoveries made

My parents and brothers were all

born in Trinidad. I am a Canadian,

and the teasing joke was to constantly

remind me of this difference. So, I

decided that if I was to fit in with my

family culturally, I had to find a com-

mon link. An ancient link. It would

be much easier than fitting in at

Continues on page 14…….

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Dussehra is one of the most

popular, splendid and fascinating

Hindu festivals of India. The10-day

festival takes place in the month of

Asvin. The festival is celebrated from

September 23-28. Dussehra is cele-

brated to commemorate the victory of

Lord Rama, prince of Ayodhya and

an incarnation of Vishnu, over Ra-

vana, the ruler of Lanka who had

abducted Rama‘s wife, Sita Devi and

held her captive in his realm. The ten

days represent the ten heads of Ra-

vana, and each day is used by the

Hindus to get rid of lust and jealousy.

The tenth day is known as

Vijayadashami, the day of victory.

According to the Ramayana,

Lord Rama performed Chandi Puja in

order to invoke the blessings of the

goddess Durga for killing of Ravana.

Durgadevi is believed to have di-

vulged the secret to Lord Rama on

how he could slay Ravana.

Durga Puja is part of the Dusse-

hra festival and is more popular in

West Bengal. Goddess Durga is be-

lieved to have possessed great delu-

sive powers and is regarded as the

creator and destroyer of the universe.

Paying homage to ‗Shakti‘, the cos-

mic power is the purpose of the festi-

val and hence its puja has a universal

appeal. The ten-armed Goddess

Durga presents a radiantly beautiful

form simultaneously benign and

transmits profound spiritual teach-

ings. The nine different forms of god-

dess Durga are worshipped over the

nine days. They are: Durga Shailapu-

tri, Brahmacharini, Chandraghanta,

Kushmanda, Skanda Mata,

Katyayani, Kalratri, Maha Gauri and

Siddhidatri.

Durgotsav in Mysore celebrates

Dussehra - It’s Significance By : V. N. Gopalakrishanan (Mumbai, India)

much potential and so much hope in

the embracement — not mere toler-

ance — of diversity. The patronizing

tone of the past will someday die

with the unnecessary dogma of way-

ward lecturers of religion, and rein-

carnate itself into a release of accep-

tance — not of god's way, but of our

own. What is more divine than hu-

man harmony?

Had I grown up in Trinidad, my

views on my religion would more

than likely be identical to that of my

cousins back in McBean village. Not

wrong, but not my own.

Canada is part of who I am, is

me. Had I not grown up here, in

crowded isolation I would not have

found my own path and possibly dis-

carded the religion as archaic dogma

without ever truly examining it.

"Well, first of all Hindus have a

pantheon of Gods." Whatever makes

you happy.

Jiv Parasram is a third-year

student at the University of To-

ronto working towards a double

major in international relations

and drama.

to be taboo. Spirituality is in, dogma

is out. Unfortunately, yoga is also

trendy and, with it, a very basic

vaguely linked reference to Hindu-

ism.

To avoid that, I have a further

need to become informed on my

found heritage. For me, the only way

I could look at the religion was from

a relatively objective standpoint as

philosophy.

This is the way I believe I can

truly live as a religious Hindu. Like

most Hindus, I believe there are

many paths to God. As to how I de-

fine "God" is another matter alto-

gether. Perhaps I'm a product of the

information age. But when I can

watch the Robert Dziekanski Taser

incident at Vancouver's airport on

YouTube, I can't believe that there is

a physical god who chooses to not

intervene.

I've come to interpret the teach-

ings of Hinduism as a certain laissez-

faire energy held within every living

thing in the universe. To explain this

to the followers of Dawkins is not

always the easiest, not to mention

those of other faiths.

Yet in my generation, I see so

school.

There, we would sing Christmas

carols every year and I would try to

figure out what exactly Diwali, the

Hindu festival of light, meant. The

truth was that I was no different than

anyone to whom I might now explain

my take on Hinduism. My knowledge

was based on encyclopaedias and

what I could learn from my parents,

who never talked much on the topic.

I couldn't read Hindi, nor can I

now, so my reading was very limited.

There was nowhere that I felt I be-

longed that might teach me about the

religion, therefore I decided it best to

learn myself. After some time, my

father noticed my interest in the relig-

ion and went to great lengths to en-

sure that I had the resources available

to read. My whole family was very

supportive.

And I certainly read the Rama-

yana, the Upanishads, the Rig Veda,

the Mahabharata — I soaked up as

much ancient philosophy as I could.

And that's when it began to make

sense.

Spirituality trumps dogma

In Canadian youth, religion tends

(Continued from page 13)

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V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 1 5

Mariamma temples followed by a

procession of 10 mantapas from 10

temples on the night of

Vijayadashami. At night, effigies of

Ravana, Kumbhakarna and

Meghanad are set afire.

It is on the Durgashtami day, the

warriors perform their puja by sur-

rendering their weapons before the

goddess Durga. The students surren-

der their books and the artists their

tools or instruments before the deity.

It is an effort to see divinity in the

tools and objects one uses in daily

life. Basically, it includes all tools

that help to earn one‘s livelihood.

The legend underlying the cele-

bration of Dussehra, vary vastly by

region. However, all festivities focus

on the victory of the forces of good

over evil. It is considered to be an

auspicious day to begin new things in

life. It is believed that any new ven-

ture commencing during this time

such is bound to succeed.

The author is a social activist and

Director of Indo-Gulf Consulting,

Mumbai. He can be contacted on

[email protected]

Vijayadashami day.

`

Vijayadashami is known as

‗Dashain‘ in Nepali and is celebrated

in Nepal on the tenth day of Ashwa-

yuja or Asvin month and is the grand

culmination of the annual festival of

Dussehra.

There is another little-known

legend associated with Mahabharata.

According to legends, the Pandavas

underwent a period of exile for 14

years of dwelling in the forest fol-

lowed by a year of exile incognito.

The Pandavas found it necessary to

lay aside the divine and distinctive

weapons that they possessed. They

secreted them in a ‗Shami‘ tree in the

vicinity of their chosen residence. At

the end of the year, they returned to

the spot and found their weapons in

tact. They worshipped both the

Shami tree and the Goddess Durga,

the presiding deity of strength and

victory. Even today, people exchange

Shami leaves and wish each other

victory in their own ventures and

efforts.

Madikeri Dasara in the South has

a history of over 100 years and is

celebrated in a different style. Dasara

starts off with Kargas from four

the destruction of the demon king

Mahishasura in order to restore peace

in the world. Mysore is said to have

derived its name from Mahishasura

who once lived there and was van-

quished in the battle by the goddess

Chamundeshwari. On Vijaydashami

day, the idol of Chamundeshwari is

taken in a grand procession through

the city of Mysore, from the histori-

cal Mysore Palace to the Banni Man-

tapa. Banni is the Kannada equivalent

for the Sanskrit word Shami and

Mantapa means Pavilion. In Karna-

taka, Ayudh Puja on the ninth day of

Dussehra is celebrated with the wor-

ship of implements used in daily life.

In Gujarat, the people celebrate

another aspect of the worship of the

goddess Durga. The most visible sign

is the all-women dance called

‗Garbha‘. In North India, Dussehra is

celebrated as ‗ Ramleela‘, the drama-

tization of the Ramayana. The burn-

ing of the effigies of Ravana,

Meghanad and Kumbhakarna on the

Vijayadashami day brings the festivi-

ties to a colourful close.

In olden days, Kerala patronized

Dussehra but now young children are

initiated into the world of learning

(Vidyarambh) on the auspicious

Continues on page 16…….

Hindu Temple in Accra (Ghana)

The air is filled with the sweet

smell of incense burning in a corner

of the huge hall. Wrapped in shiny

bright clothes, idols of Hindu gods

and goddesses smile benevolently

from the elevated platform.Sitting on

the white marble floor a group of

more than 50 men, women and chil-

dren sing devotional Hindi songs.

Nothing extraordinary about this

scene, except that the temple is in

Ghana and the devotees are all in-

digenous Africans. The tall cone-

shaped temple emerges out of the

crowded neighbourhood of Orkordi

on the outskirts of the capital Accra.

It can be easily identified - the holy

Sanskrit word 'Om' shines on its top.

The devotees here have no

links with India and have never vis-

ited the country. Still they strictly

follow religious rules and observe

rituals in traditional Hindu way. They

say they have all converted to Hindu-

ism but many still use their Christian

names and African surnames. How-

ever, they give their young ones

Hindu names like Rama or Krishna.

Once inside the temple, you for-

get that you are a continent away

from India. Diyas or little lamps are

lit in obeisance to the gods. Surpris-

ingly, there is even a picture of Jesus

Christ amid the idols of Hindu dei-

ties. Come evening and the devotees

A Unique African - Hindu Temple in Ghana By : Rajesh Joshi (BBC Hindi)

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P A G E 1 6

gather in the temple hall for evening

prayer rituals. Holy offerings to the

gods are distributed after prayers.

Swami Ghanananda Saras-

wati, the man who established

Ghana's first African Hindu Monas-

tery in 1975, oversees the prayers

sitting in a high chair. Dressed in a

flowing saffron kurta and a wrap-

around, he addresses the people on

the public address system and ex-

plains the finer points of the Hindu

faith and philosophy.

He was born in a village nearby

into a native Ghanaian faith, but his

parents converted to Christianity.

"From a very early age I would think

about the mysteries of the universe

and try to find the answers in reli-

gious texts. But I failed," Swami

Ghanananda says. Then he read some

books on Hindu faith and embarked

upon a new journey which took him

to Rishikesh in north India. He spent

some time there with a spiritual guru

who suggested him to open the mon-

astery in Accra.

Ask Swami Ghanananda his

original name and the reply comes

promptly: "My real name is Guide!"

It's not been easy for him to keep the

faith. He says initially he faced some

opposition from a section of the local

people, but then the number of visi-

tors started growing. "We don't ask

anyone to convert to Hinduism.

Those who seek the truth enquire

about the Hindu monastery. We write

articles in newspapers before we ob-

serve big Hindu festivals like Nava-

ratri or Dipawali," says DG Otchere,

manager of the temple. He says that

when a devotee died recently, a local

TV channel covered his cremation

because burning a body on pyre was

unusual in Ghana.

There is even one Muslim among

the devotees. Jamer Baroudy says he

was born into the Islamic faith but his

mother introduced him to Hinduism

when he was eight years old. I am

aware that Islam prohibits idol wor-

shipping but then God does not make

any distinction. I visit this temple

because I find solace here."

Today there are more than 2,000

indigenous African Hindus in Ghana

who come to the temple quite regu-

larly. The total number of Hindus,

including those from India, is much

larger. Hindu religion was first intro-

duced in Ghana by Sindhi settlers

who migrated to Africa after India

was divided in 1947. There is still a

Sindhi temple in Accra.

Note this article was forwarded to us

by Mrs. Aruna Duggal, our Volun-

teer Copy Editor

(Continued from page 15)

Vedanta: Upanishads, Personal-

ity Development, Spirituality. Ve-

danta has come to be known in many

ways. Etymologically, Vedanta is a

Sanskrit word derived from veda

(knowledge) + anta (end) or the ‗ end

of knowledge ‘. Philosophically,

what is the ‗end of knowledge‘? Self

knowledge - a science which is the

consummation of all other sciences.

When we listen to, reflect on and live

Self Knowledge, a despondent per-

sonality is transformed into a Divine

personality. Knowing this, the best

way to explain Vedanta would be, the

Science of Life. Knowing this, the

best way to live is to understand Ve-

danta.

As an Acharya of Chinmaya

Mission, people and Centers often

approach me to speak on ‗Practical

Vedanta‘, ‗Spirituality in Day to Day

Life‘, Gita in Daily Living‘, etc. And

every time I receive such a request I

smile inwardly. Smile because there

is no other science as comprehensive

or transformational as Vedanta! Ve-

danta elevates our vision. With our

thoughts raised our actions match

suit. The final outcome of this chain

reaction: more peace for ourselves.

Actually there is one more link in this

chain reaction. And that is peace is

contagious; our inward peace spreads

outwards to all around us. The next

time people or Centers ask for practi-

cal Vedanta I am going to ask them

to teach me what is not practical

about Vedanta!

Nonetheless, with the incessant

pull of the finite world upon us, we

have been deceived to believe that

matters of the world are simple and

matters of the spirit are complex. To

save us from such deceit, we often

need tips on how to apply Vedanta

here and now. Fascinatingly, as these

tips are shared, all those listening or

reading come to appreciate the fal-

lacy of their request for practical Ve-

danta. They too come to smile in-

wardly acknowledging that Vedanta

= practical and practical = Vedanta.

Enough of the temptation, what

are these tips?! Well the first tip to

becoming more spiritual today is to

become more aware of the utility of

spirituality. Quite often our ego pre-

vents us from acknowledging the joy

we derive from engaging in puja or

Hypothesis - Is Vedanta Really Practical? By : Acharya Vivek

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V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 1 7

to the fruits of our actions 4) we

should not be attached to inaction.

With this knowledge on how to act

effectively, we will be dedicating

ourselves to the divine present mo-

ment. Through a simple change in

attitude, actions which bind us would

serve to liberate us. Even from a

worldly perspective, if we can dis-

cover happiness in the action itself

then we have the control to bring

happiness into our lives here and

now. Those who do not practice

karma yoga are forever depending on

chances of happiness at some other

place and time. Slowly and steadily

we have to make right thinking our

lighthouse for guidance on the un-

known spiritual path.

In our search for practical Ve-

danta we have discovered three se-

crets on how to be more spiritual.

These secrets are: 1) recognizing the

utility of Vedanta 2) making Vedanta

more approachable 3) creating time

for Vedanta.

Often at the end of a prakarana

grantha the author shares with the

readers, ‗If you are unable to follow

any of the instructions given, surren-

der to the Guru and God and all vir-

tues will accrue to you‘ (i.e. Manah

Shodanam, Upadesha Sara, etc.).

Following the same style, if anyone

finds any of the tips shared out of

reach, if one simply engages in sat-

sanga and seva one will inculcate all

the greatness that comes with the

daily practice of Vedanta. Through

satsanga we learn we are all One.

Through seva we put this learning

into action. Satsanga gives us knowl-

edge, seva gives us wisdom. The

more we immerse ourselves in these

sadhanas the more we will appreciate

the benefits, intimacy and timeliness

of spirituality. As I mentioned at the

beginning there is no science more

comprehensive or transformational

than Vedanta.

[Acharya Vivek is the Resident

Acharya at the Chinmaya Mission

Niagara. For more information,

please visit the Chinmaya Mission

website, www.chinmayamission.org]

we study a shloka of Gita every

morning and every evening, within a

year we would have studied this most

popular Vedantic Scripture. The

same goes for sadhanas. We are ex-

posed to mauna, puja, vrata, etc. If

we are able to take up just one disci-

pline sincerely, we are set. Especially

if this discipline is japa. Japa can be

practiced anytime, all the time. This

means while we are eating, driving,

exercising, etc. In Bhagavatam Lord

Krishna says, that by chanting a Di-

vine name we can be taken beyond

sorrow. With the right attitude we

will comprehend that spirituality is

not far from us but in front of us.

The last tip on how to become

more spiritual today is to make time

for spirituality. Each and every week

we have 168 hours. What are we do-

ing with these 168 hours? If we took

the time (no sarcasm intended) to

analyze our schedules we would dis-

cover inefficiencies. Whether these

inefficiencies are sleeping too much,

eating too much, socializing too

much or even working too much, this

is a compromise on time we should

be dedicating to our inner world

rather than the outer. Think about

how much time we invest on our-

selves (i.e. beautifying the body) in

comparison to how much time we

invest in ourselves (i.e. beautifying

the mind). Even more shocking is

how much importance we give to

appointments with strangers in com-

parison to the appointment with our

timeless Self. Our relationship with

our Self is even more intimate than

our relationship with God.

If we still find reason not to ‗go‘

to spirituality, then we have to

‗bring‘ spirituality to us. And this fits

in perfectly with the famous quote,

‗A spiritual person does not do differ-

ent things, rather does the same

things differently.‘ Instead of engag-

ing in karma let us practice karma

yoga. Everyday before we begin any

activity, whether it be cooking, oper-

ating or studying let us reflect and

remember the basic tenets of karma

yoga: 1) we do not control the fruits

of our actions 2) we do control our

actions 3) we should not be attached

reading Gita or listening to Upani-

shads or just being quiet. Our ego

tells us we do not need spirituality;

that spirituality is for the dejected and

aged; that there is no joy in spiritual-

ity.

If we could temporarily detach

from the ego and accept that spiritu-

ality is the means to the Spirit and

that the Spirit is Unconditional Joy,

we would slowly replace finite joy

with Infinite Joy. A method to detach

from the ego is to attach to the Spirit.

Every morning before we go to work

or school and every evening before

we sleep or study, we should read a

spiritual text for 15 minutes. This

sravanam should be followed up with

a 15 minute walk sans a cell phone,

head phone or people phone, to en-

courage mananam. This simple prac-

tice will fill us with inspiration each

morning and evening allowing us to

embrace the challenges of our work

and family affairs. Everyday we fill

our cars with fuel, our stomachs with

food. So why is it that we do not

regularly fill our minds with inspira-

tion? We should!

The second tip to becoming

spiritual today is to make spirituality

more approachable. There are endless

acharyas, granthas and sadhanas

available to all of us. Add moksha to

the equation and we are utterly over-

whelmed. In this state we end up

simply discarding the spiritual path

as not available for us. But if we

choose one acharya, one grantha and

one sadhana, we will understand that

the only roadblock on the spiritual

path was ourselves. With all the spiri-

tual teachers available to us, we have

to follow the one which brings us the

most long term solace. We should be

open to, accepting of all the other

teachers, but what our Guru says

goes. In the same way we should be

open to, accepting of all scriptures

but resort to a shastra which offers us

the most intimate guidance.

Many people tell me they are

unable to study Gita. And I agree

with them today. But not tomorrow.

If we aspire to study the whole Gita

today we will be unsuccessful. But if

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P A G E 1 8

Besides the Indian sub-continent

and all adjacent nations from the East

Indies to Central Asia, Tibet and Ja-

pan, worship of Divine Mother Su-

preme has been in vogue for thou-

sands of years. It is known that:

* Mother worship was prevalent

in ancient Greece, Rome, Japan and

China...

* In the ruins of the Egyptian

civilization images of Mother God-

dess were found, including that of

Mahishasura-Mardinee – the slayer

of the demon Mahishashura.

* Many ancient temples of

Mother Goddesses of the Latin

American countries were converted

to the temple of Mary, as Christianity

made headway in later periods.

* In the ruins of Mohenjo Daro,

Harappa and all other sites in far

away locations of the sub-continent

of India, the image of mother God-

dess is seemingly as numerous as of

Lord Shiva. These civilizations be-

longed to diverse peoples of space

and time - over thousands of years of

immigration, settlement, emigration,

invasion, destruction and exodus.

* Mother worship is amply evi-

dent in the Vedas, Raamaayana, Ma-

haa-Bhaarata, all Mahaa-Puraanas

and Upa-Puraanas. The repertoire is

immense, diverse and even comple-

mentary on occasions.

Indeed, over a period of 11 thou-

sand years, evidences from the re-

gions of the Vindhya mountains in

India prove that worship of God as a

Mother Divine, the process has been

an unbroken continuum. Devadatta

Kali – an Occidental devotee of

Mother Kaalee - writes in his In

Praise of the Goddess (2003, Devi-

mahatmya, pronounced as Devee-

Maahaatmya, page 3):

―In the winter of 1980, a

team of Indian, American and Aus-

tralian archeologists and anthropolo-

gists uncovered what may be the old-

est evidence of religious practice on

the Indian subcontinent. Dating as

far back as 9000 BCE, the site is in

the Son valley, below the nearby

Vindhya mountains – a region that

will play an important part in the

story of the DeviMahatmya. There,

the researchers excavated what ap-

pears to be a circular shrine, meas-

uring about three feet across and

made of sandstone blocks. In the cen-

ter lay another sandstone block,

measuring about 12 by 6 by 4 inches.

Its weathered surface reveals harder

layers that stand out in relief to form

a natural pattern of concentric trian-

gles. Tribal villagers assisting in the

excavation immediately recognized

the stone as a sacred emblem of

Shakti, the Goddess. Such stones,

they confirmed, are still sought out

today and installed in the local vil-

lages, in both individual and commu-

nal shrines. According to the arche-

ologists, this dramatic evidence of

cultural continuity indicates that the

veneration of Shakti in the mountains

of north central India stretches back

at least 10,000 years.” Formatted:

Indent: Before: 0.25"Formatted: Bul-

lets and NumberingFormatted: In-

dent: Before: 0.25"

The tradition of worshipping a

clay image of Mother Divine - at a

season, or at different seasons of a

year, and delivering it to Ganga to

melt away – appears by all signs, to

be even older stone cultures, for its

creativity, simplicity and liveliness.

In the last Chapter 13 of Shree Shree

Chandee, a prime sourcebook of

mother worship, we find a deposed

emperor, Suratha and a discredited

and abandoned merchant, Samaadhi,

who daily worshiped Mother Divine

in clay images for three years, until

Mother of the universe appeared be-

fore them for offering benediction.

She granted: that king Suratha to be

born in his next life as the son of

Manu: that Swambhuva to regain his

sovereignty, ; and that Samaadhi to

receive Moksha, or deliverance from

the cycles of birth and death.

It is recognized that worship

Mother Supreme in an image in a

stone sculpture is but one of the innu-

merable ways where each image is a

symbol of God. Indeed, each created

stuff is a symbol of God. Though we

each worship Divinity or God, or

Divine Mother Supreme. Thus, the

creation of an image of Godhead Su-

preme in the form of a Deity allows

for the greatest devotion, care, con-

centration and meditation.

* Indeed, Mother Supreme is

primordial: for human worship.

My gratitude to Mr. Prabhat

Raha for linking me with this journal.

Mother Supereme Kali A Historical Perspective

By : Samprasad Majumdar (Hamilton, Ontario)

Wanted

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write letter-to-editor in re-

sponse to the articles of

this journal, opinion, col-

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P A G E 1 9

Tulsidas Jayanti is a popular

festival held all over India on the

seventh day of Shukla Paksha Shra-

van. The festival is being celebrated

on July 23 this year in honor of Tulsi-

das, a great poet-saint who wrote

Ramacharitamanas (Sacred Lake of

the Acts of Rama). It is popularly

known as Tulsi Ramayana and is the

greatest achievement of medieval

Hindi literature. It expresses the reli-

gious sentiments of Bhakti to Lord

Rama. His poems give expressions

both to monistic Advaita doctrine as

well as to the polytheistic mythology

of Hinduism. His eclectic approach to

doctrinal questions meant that he was

able to rally wide support for the

worship of Lord Rama.

Sage Valmiki narrated the story

of Lord Rama in the Ramayana and

after him many poets have retold it.

However, Tulsi Ramayana is one of

the most venerated Ramayanas. He is

regarded as an incarnation of Sage

Valmiki. In Bhavishyottar Purana

(Pratisarga Parva, 4.20), Lord Shiva

tells Parvati how Valmiki got a boon

from Hanuman to sing the glories of

Lord Rama in the vernacular lan-

guage in Kali Yuga. Nabhadas, au-

thor of Bhaktamala, describes Tulsi-

das as an incarnation of Sage Valmiki

born again to explain Ramayana in

the vernacular language. Tulsidas

used Awadhi (a dialect of Hindi),

Bhojpuri and Brijbhasa in his works.

Like many translations of the original

Sanskrit Ramayana, Ramacharitama-

nas is read with reverence in many

Hindu homes and is also called Tulsi-

Kirtan-Ramayan.

Though Ramcharitmanas is the

immortal creation of Tulsidas, his

other works are also considered as

important. Tulsidas wrote overall 22

different works out of which five are

longer and six works shorter includ-

ing Dohavali, Kavitavali, Gitavali,

Krishnavali and Vinaya Patrika.

Most of them deal with his devotion

to Lord Rama. Tulsidas' most read

work, apart from the Ramayana is the

Hanuman Chalisa, a poem praising

Hanuman.

The literary legacy of Tulsidas

has been highlighted by Acharya

Ram Chandra Shukla in his critical

work Hindi Sahitya Ka Itihaas. The

entire collection of compositions by

Tulsidas has been translated into

English by Binda Prasad Khattri

(1898-1985) but the work is yet to be

published. All the known facts of

Tulsidas' life are critically discussed

in the introduction to Ramayana pub-

lished by the Nagri Pracharni Sabha.

F.S. Growse has translated the work

in English in 1891. Hill, Grandsay,

Atkins and Allwyn also have ren-

dered English translations. Edwin

Greaves has written Notes on the

Grammar of the Ramayan of Tulsidas

in 1895. Alexander Barranikov, a

Soviet Academician translated the

work in Russian. Dr (Mrs.) Shalont

Vodvil, a French scholar has written

a book titled ―The Basis of Tulsidas’

Ramcharitmanas: A Critical Literary

Study.” Dr Camille Bulcke, a Belgian

by birth wrote a book on the epic in

Hindi titled Utpatti Aur Vikas. Gan-

dhiji has referred to

'Ramacharitamanas' as the greatest

book ever written.

Tulsidas was well-versed in

Vedic lore, philosophy and mythol-

ogy. There is a belief that by virtue of

his devotion, Tulsidas could meet

Anjaneya, the renowned devotee of

Lord Rama during a recitation of the

Ramayana. It is believed that An-

janeya helped Tulsidas to see with his

own eyes Lord Rama and Lakshman.

According to another legend, Tulsi-

das was thrown into a jail as he re-

fused to perform a miracle for Em-

peror Akhbar but an army of mon-

keys attacked the jail and set him

free!

Tulsidas was a personification of

humility and he professed himself the

humble follower of his teacher, Nara-

hari Dasa, from whom as a boy, he

first heard the tale of Lord Rama's

exploits that would form the subject

of his masterpiece. Tulsidas pointed

out that there is no inconsistency

between devotion to Lord Rama and

Lord Shiva. While worshipping Lord

Rama as supreme in his writings, he

also paid attention to Lord Krishna

and Lord Siva. According to Tulsi-

das, the name Rama is bigger than

Lord Rama himself because ‗Rama‘

is a mantra, a sound, the repetition of

which can lead one to higher state of

consciousness.

Tulsidas was born in 1532 in

Rajpur in Uttar Pradesh to Hulsi Devi

and Atmaram Shukla Dubey and the

child was named Rama Bhola. As

per the legends, his mother died the

day after his birth and that Rama

Bhola was wet-nursed until the age of

five when he was given over to Nara-

hari Dasa, a wandering sadhu. He re-

named him as Tulsi Dasa (Servant of

the Tulsi plant) and from him, Tulsi-

das learnt the story of Lord Rama.

When he grew up, he lived as a

householder and married Ratnavali,

daughter of Dinabandhu Pathaka He

had a son named Taraka, who died at

an early age. In later years, Tulsidas

became the head of a monastery in

Kashi and passed away in 1623.

Tulsidas is considered a world

poet as he brought a subject to the

common people in their own lan-

guage. He brought the spiritual mes-

sage that helped establish rapport

among the various devotional streams

and practices.

(The author is a freelance Jour-

nalist and Director, Indo-Gulf Con-

sulting. He can be contacted on

[email protected])

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4

Significance of Tulsidas jayanti By : V. N. Gopalakrishnan (Mumbai, India)

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P A G E 2 0

Most people remember Raja Ram

Mohan Roy as the man who fought to

abolish Sati (the practice of a wife

immolating herself on her husband's

funeral pyre) and founded the-

Brahmo Samaj. However, his contri-

bution was a great deal more than

that.

Roy was born in Radhanagar

village in Bengal's Hooghly district

on May 22, 1772, to conservative

Bengali Brahmin parents. Not much

has been chronicled about his early

life but what is known is that he had

an eclectic education that sowed the

seeds for his founding a universal

religion, the Brahmo Samaj.

Roy did his elementary edu-

cation in the village school in Ben-

gali, his mother tongue. At the age of

12, Roy went to a seat of Muslim

studies in Patna where he mastered

Persian and Arabic. His knowledge

of Arabic enabled him to read the

Koran in the original, as well as the

works of Sufi saints. He also de-

voured Arabic translations of the

works of Aristotle and Plato.

When he was 16, Roy clashed

with his orthodox father on the issue

of idol worship and left home. To

acquaint himself with the Buddhist

religion, he travelled across northern

India and Tibet for the next three

years. His questioning mind objected

to the deification of the Buddha and

this did not go down well with some

of the lamas. He then visited Vara-

nasi where he learnt Sanskrit and

studied ancient Hindu scriptures.

In 1803, he secured a job with

the East India Company, and in 1809,

he was posted to Rangpur. From the

Marwaris of Rangpur, he learnt about

Jainism and studied the Jain texts.

Roy was drawn to certain aspects of

Christianity that led some of the fol-

lowers of the religion to suggest that

he convert; but he politely declined.

Roy's understanding of the dif-

ferent religions of the world helped

him to compare them with Vedantic

philosophy and glean the best from

each religion. Sufi mysticism had a

great influence on Roy. He loved to

repeat three of their maxims: "Man is

the slave of benefits"; "The enjoy-

ment of the worlds rests on these two

points - kindness to friends and civil-

ity to enemies"; and "The way of

serving God is to do good to man".

To pursue his interests, Roy

resigned from the East India Com-

pany a few years later and came to

Calcutta in 1815. Dissatisfied with

the system of education and the rote

method of teaching English, he

formed an association of English and

Hindu scholars. He also invested his

own money in the starting of a school

where he introduced subjects like

science, mathematics, political sci-

ence and English. Roy felt that an

understanding of these "modern"

subjects would give Indians a better

standing in the world of the day.

Though initially antago-

nistic towards British rule in India,

Roy later began to feel that the coun-

try would benefit in terms of educa-

tion and by exposure to the good

points of Christianity. For this, he

was called a stooge of the British..

Along with a group of like-

minded people, Roy founded the At-

miya Sabha in 1815. The group held

weekly meetings at his house; texts

from the Vedas were recited and the-

istic hymns were sung. Roy was

drawn to the Unitarian form of Chris-

tianity that resulted in him supporting

a Unitarian Mission to be set up in

Calcutta in 1824. Roy's efforts to

abolish the practice of Sati were

largely driven by his concern for the

moral dimensions of religion. It was

the sight of the burning of his

brother's widow on her husband's

funeral pyre and his inability to save

her that spurred Ram Mohan into

action.

He delved into the scrip-

tures in detail and proved that the

practice of Sati could not

gain moksha (salvation) for the hus-

band, as each man was responsible

for his own destiny. He also realized

that very often it was greedy relatives

interested in the property of the dead

husband who were behind promoting

the practice.

His relentless efforts in the

form of petitions, writings and the

organizing of vigilance committees

paid off when the William Bentinck

administration passed a law in 1829

banning the practice of Sati. Roy also

succeeded in starting a revolution for

women's education and women's

right to property. By delving into

Hindu scriptures, he showed that

women enjoyed equal freedom with

men.

Among Roy's other firsts

was the publishing of a newspaper in

an Indian language. The Atmiya

Sabha brought out a weekly called

the 'Bangal Gazette'. He also pub-

lished a newspaper in Persian called

'Miratul-Akhbar' and a Bengali

weekly called 'Sambad Kaumudi'.

Roy placed a great deal of impor-

tance on the development of his

mother tongue. His 'Gaudiya Vya-

karan' in Bengali is rated highly

Raja Ram Mohan Roy - Man for all Times By : Melaine P Kumar

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P A G E 2 1

among his writings in prose.

The founding of the Brahmo

Samaj was among Roy's most impor-

tant contributions. Beginning in 1828

as a small group, the Samaj played a

major role in Renaissance Bengal of

the 19th century by attracting lumi-

naries like Keshub Chandra Sen and

Rabindranath Tagore and other mem-

bers of the Tagore family. The objec-

tives of the Samaj were to follow a

theistic form of Hinduism combining

the best of what Roy inculcated

through his exposure to other relig-

ions.

Even today, in Brahmo prayer halls

all over the country, people meet

once a week, most often on Sundays,

and worship the one God or Brahma.

At these gatherings, discourses are

offered, Vedic texts recited and

hymns sung. Present-day followers

try to inculcate his words: "Testing,

questing, never resting, with open

mind and open heart."

Roy felt strongly for the

downtrodden and his belief in the

universal brotherhood of man led him

to support many causes and reform

movements. A 100 years before the

establishment of the League of Na-

tions, Roy expressed the need for a

similar institution. He said that just as

two individuals resorted to a court of

law to settle major disputes, there

should be an organization that could

help to settle differences between two

countries.

Roy made his first and only

trip to England in November 1830

where he lived until his life was

tragically cut short on September 27,

1833 after a brief illness.

In today's world of turmoil

where religious dogma results in ha-

tred, violence and alienation, Roy's

universal approach to religion has

much to offer.

Source: www.boloji.com/people/index.htm

V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4

My late father belonged to the

Arya Samaj, a reform movement in

Hinduism that condemns idol or sym-

bol worship. With his influence, the

idea of praying to a statue or picture

of any deity was absurd until I felt a

void in my life, and praying to God

became a spiritual need for me. I

tried meditation for a while but found

it extremely hard to concentrate.

Then, I realized that in order to con-

centrate I needed a focal point. Every

morning I stand in front of an idol of

Lord Krishna, burn incense and utter

a self-composed prayer. Yet, I still

believe in Brahman, the formless

Divine Energy that runs within us, in

everything around and beyond us. I

find no contradiction in what I be-

lieve and how I pray. I cannot imag-

ine how a follower of any religion,

can pray to God or meditate without

holding some sort of imagery in his

or her mind. Every spiritual person

needs a prop to help him connect to

his or her Lord. Iconography and

symbolism are excellent tools to

comprehend God, especially for be-

ginners.

In order to explain something

difficult or to make learning interest-

ing, we use various audio-visual aids

and techniques. For example, a

teacher uses a globe to teach world

geography to his/her students. The

students know that the globe itself is

not the world; it only helps them un-

derstand and appreciate the world in

an interesting way. Similarly, in or-

der to make common people under-

stand and realize the glory of form-

less and infinite God, Hindus use

iconography and the art of symbol-

ism. No other people in the world

have utilized the art of symbolism so

extensively for so many purposes: to

express their love for God, to graphi-

cally illustrate His powers, to deliver

His messages for mankind, and to

explain His limitless attributes, atti-

tudes and functions.

My Perspective on Idol Worship By : Ajit Adhopia

Continues on page 23…….

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P A G E 2 2

Questions and Answers on Hinduism By : Ajit Adhopia

1. Is the concept of Ahinsa not imprac-

tical and unworkable? Even the sim-

plest action can kill millions of germs

and insects !

Indeed, the death of millions of

germs and creatures is unavoidable as

one goes about one's daily business. It

is necessary to kill insects, rodents and

germs that threaten life and health.

However, the purpose of Ahinsa is to

prevent the intentional killing and suf-

fering of harmless, innocent living crea-

tures. It is senseless, and cruel to de-

stroy life for fur hats, coats and enter-

tainment, or torture animals in laborato-ries in order to test cosmetics.

2 . What is the status of women in

Hinduism?

Hindu scriptures accord women a

place of equality, honour and dignity.

Hindus conceive God in both male and

female manifestations. Many worship

God through female deities. No Hindu

ceremony or sacrament in a family is considered complete, unless husband

and wife perform it together. The an-

cient Hindu society produced many

illustrious female sages, seers and intel-

lectuals; Lopamudra, Urvashi, Yami,

Ghosha, Gargi and Maitreyi, just to

name a few. They are remembered with

great reverence.

3 . What is the role of a Hindu woman

in the family?

Hindus call an unmarried girl a

Kanya, meaning radiant, illustrious or

brilliant, which implies that a girl must

acquire all such qualities that can make

her excel in every field. During the

stage of girlhood, she must develop

herself physically, intellectually and

spiritually in order to enter the life of a

homemaker.

4. Why does Hindu woman have to be

a homemaker? Why does Hinduism

not allow her to work?

According to Hinduism, woman is

a teacher of humankind. They build the

foundation of society and shape the

destiny of a nation. Since the future of a

nation depends upon the quality of chil-

dren it produces, motherhood occupies

an exalted position in Hindu society.

Women are considered qualified for

this role than men because they are regarded as possessing the gentler

qualities- patience, tolerance, nurturing

and caring. She is a natural teacher,

counsellor, and possesses superior

managerial skills. Therefore, being a

homemaker is not an inferior status for

Hindu woman. The concept of husband

earning an income, and wife managing

the household and raising children is an

equal division of labour.

Hindus who follow the traditional

family system believe that the high

quality of life , conducive to raising

virtuous children is a fulltime responsi-

bility, and this task is too crucial to be

entrusted to babysitters or nannies.

Hindu Woman is not forbidden by her

religion from working. She is free to

become a career woman or a full time

homemaker. In both India and Canada,

Educated modern, Hindu women are now entering many professions and

occupations that were previously mo-

nopolized by men, and doing very well.

5. If Hinduism promotes equality of

man and woman, why has the status of

women declined in Hindu society?

Women's status gradually declined,

as Hindu society decayed over the cen-

turies. Some Hindus would rather say that the Hindu society decayed because

of the decline in the status of women.

There are many reasons for the de-

valuation of women's status: Hindus

moved away from their traditional

Hindu values; women's education was

totally neglected; men's control over

power and money corrupted them, and

they made women subservient to them.

Foreign occupation of India for over

seven centuries has also contributed to this decline.

6. Has there been any improvement in

the status of women in modern Hindu

society?

Many Reform movements that

have swept across India emphasized

that restoring to women the prestige

they once enjoyed was the key to the

betterment of Hindus society in general.

After independence in 1947, with the

spread of mass education, this aware-

ness has gathered momentum. Since independence, the progress made by

urban Hindu women in every field has

been phenomenal. Hindu women have

become doctors, lawyers, managers,

engineers, elected politicians, scientists,

pilots, police officers and joined every

other field that was previously man's

domain. However, the progress in the

rural India has been much slower due to

the low level of education.

7. Why do Hindu women wear a dot

on their forehead?

Traditionally, the dot called "Bindi"

worn by a married woman signifies her

marital status. It serves the same pur-

pose as the wedding band on the finger.

The Bindi also has a spiritual connota-

tion. It represents the third inner eye, a

metaphor for spiritual awakening.

However, to many modern Hindu women, the Bindi is simply comsmetic.

8. Is the custom of dowry a part of

Hinduism?

No, it has nothing to do with Hin-

duism. Dowry, called "Dahej", is a

social custom, as old as the institution

of marriage. It simply refers to the wed-

ding gifts parents willingly give to their

daughter. This custom is common throughout Asia.

9. How did the dowry custom become

a social evil in India?

Dowry was never been mandatory

nor demanded by the groom. Over the

centuries, however, this custom became

distorted as most parents started making

dowry compulsory in order to maintain

their prestige in society, while some greedy parents of the groom started

demanding it. In this manner, a per-

fectly reasonable custom became a

serious social problem, as many poor

parents had to incur heavy debts in or-

der to meet the dowry demands of the

groom's family. Demanding dowry is

illegal in India, and carries a jail term.

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V O L U M E 2 , I S S U E 4 P A G E 2 3

Canadian Hindu Link Publisher Inderlekh Publication Editor Ajit Adhopia Editorial Advisors Prabhat kapur Kumar Agarwal Dr. Nitin Deckha Youth Advisor Falitaa Chhabra Layout Designer Lovelesh Anand Website Master Ram Sharma Address 2546 Pollard Drive, Mississauga, Ontario, L5C 3H1 Tel. & Fax 905-273-9563 E-mail [email protected]

Acknowledgements We acknowledge the selfless service (Nishkam Sewa) rendered by these volunteers who make it possible for this issue of the Canadian Hindu Link to reach you. Narinder Anand :Distribution -Scarborough &

Markham Raghu Sharma : Consultant Web Designing Aruna Duggal :Copy Editing Sunny Sharma :Copy Editing Manmohan Anand :Distribution- Halton Region &

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Disclaimer

The views and opinions Expressed in this publication are those of the writers, and

not necessarily those of the Management of the journal Canadian Hindu Link

Over the centuries, poets, paint-

ers and sculptors have used their rich

sense of imagination to describe the

Indescribable, and give form to the

Formless. The colourful and interest-

ing stories Hindus hear about these

deities, and various idols and pictures

we see in Hindu temples, are a clever

use of the art of symbolism as a sim-

ple technique or visual aid to explain

to ordinary people the glory of God.

The ancient Hindu sages recognized

the fact that most working people

neither had time nor the intellectual

ability to reach the depths of thoughts

expressed about the formless Creator

in the Vedas. Moreover, symbols and

icons make the attributes of deities

easily and logically comprehensible.

This explains why the Hindus wor-

ship countless gods and goddesses.

However, many Hindus do not

make use of the art of symbolism for

the purpose of understanding and

experiencing God. Instead, they read,

understand and follow their holy

scriptures or meditate on an imper-

sonal or abstract God without focus-

ing on any idol or symbol. Many

saints and reformist movements, e.g.

Arya Samaj and Brahmo Samaj, in

Hinduism have vehemently de-

nounced the worship of idols and

symbols. They would claim that sym-

bol worship and the rituals associated

with it had distorted the true concept

of God in Hinduism. Moreover, they

assert, it is not validated or sanc-

tioned by the Vedas.

Notwithstanding the merits of

these arguments, it cannot be denied

that the large majority of Hindus do

worship God through many ‗gods‘ as

the medium of imagery and symbol-

ism. They worship what a symbol or

idol represents, not the idol itself. As

a Hindu, I am lucky that my religion

does not impose any specific mode of

worship on me. I enjoy the freedom

to worship God in any way that suits

my spiritual needs. Idol worship is no

different than a Sikh prostrating in

front of his holy scripture or a Chris-

tian bowing to the Cross.

(Continued from page 21)

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