Hinduism Today, Oct, 1998

October, 1998 uS$3.95 L

Affirming Sanatana Dharma and Recording the Modern History of a Billion-Strong Global Religion in Renaissance

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LI, .... "l""'''' sandaran dancers await their turn to perform. Their ·inovethe butterflies in God Inelra's garden Our feature this month

pj~I'nalJS the most splendorous surviving culture on Earth. p. .

(jCTOBE~ 199tf • I",/,

I " .

~~~-CY~~ INTERNATIONAL Lead StorN: Precious Hiildu Island in an

Unsteady Muslim Nation 20 Religion: ISKCON Renounces Hinduism?32 Identity: Will the Real Hindus Stand Up? 33 Profile: Pagans Arise Again in Europe 34 MystiC: Me Taught Sun-Centered Yoga 38

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LIFESTYLE Resources: Touring Bali At Home 24 Videos: Indonesias RiJ.!g of Fire 25 Insight: Bali: WhereLive the Gods 27 i!arentIQ$ Your Kids Deserve Better 41 A~t~!tlogy~ These Men Do Know it All 45. Televl~lo~: Early Edition's Karma Class 41

OFINION ~ubllsher's Desk: Making the Gods

• A Reality in Our Daily Life 10

Letters 12 My Jurn: Tourisms Toll on My Atoll 13 Editorial: Hinduism¥ Identity Cnsis 18 WOlllen of Vision: ThE1 Cows Golden Gill 39 Healing: Don't Be Suckered by Sugar 44 Minister's Message: Women Are Anything

But Weak, Says . Santoshi Ma Ji 50

News In Brief 49 Digital Dharma 58

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COMMUNITY

Helping Strangers

I THOUGHT THAT WAS

awfully nice of them ," said Debbie Marsh in a hot and muggy Yuba City, California, after she stopped by the Sri Narayan Hindu Temple for free cold drinks and fruit. Every year temple members serve whoever drops bj', a continuance of their East Indian tradition. "It's to

. please God," explains temple spokesman Paul Mehta. '1Jl nationalities, all cultures come close to love each other." Marsh told Mehta, "I think it's wonderful you guys are doing this."

Thanga Battar, 67, performs the ablutions for the new Siva shrine

T E MPLES

Festival of Renewal in Malibu

THREE DAYS OF RELIGIOUS FERVOR FUELED DEVOTEES

June 5, 6 and 7 at the Shri Venkateshwara temple in Malibu, California. The event centered around the installation

of new deities in the Ganapati, Siva and Subramanyam shrines of the new Siva complex. Twelve priests, headed by Thanga Bhattar from New Orleans, with some 50 years of experience under his sash, performed dozens of rituals, commencing lOAM

Friday and lasting until late Sunday afternoon. In addition to the six resident Vaishnava priests, six Saiva priests were invited to assist: Bhairava Sundaram from Boston; Bhairava Murthy from Flushing, New York; Sundareshan from Nashville; Chandrashekhar Sharma from Detroit and Vaidyanathan Shastry from Washington, D.C. An estimated 6,000 people attended. '1 have seen many temple events in South India, but this tops them all in authenticity, approachability and enthusiasm,n commented a tearful 75-year-old woman.

she found 93,900 hitr:;. "When I searched 'Hindu braille: n she recalls, I "there were 3 hits, and upon inspection, none of them actually offered any Hindu scriptures in braille, even though there are about 3 million blind readers of English

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ECO-PIRATES

Stolen Sandals , "7\ WAKENED BY A CRASH, SON

Rof Kanlataka Cooperation Minister, S.S. Patil, alerted house security. But it was too late to stop rogue tree poachers from stealing a mature, sacred sandalwood tree. The brazen theft of June 5 punctuates a persistent concern for Bangalore police and residents alike. Police commissioner L. Revannasiddhaiah assures, "The latest is the handiwork of a gang close to Bangalore. It is just a matter of time before we apprehend them."

miraculous moment in a' Hong Kong slaughterhouse has changed the lives of many. One bison, about to become beef, fell to its lrnees and began weeping. The ten seasoned slaughterers who witnessed this also began to cry "I began to shake," 0l1e butcher recounts. "The hair on my skin stood on end. We knew that none of us would be able to kill him." Collectively they bought the bison and gave him to a Buddhist monastery where he could ''live the rest of his life in peace." Only after assuring the beast that it would not die did it stop its tears and follow the changed men to freedom. Three workers have quit, vowing never to kill another animal.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: ARCHANA DONGRE; THE WEEK; © THOMAS L. KELLY; DAM.ARA SH ANMVGAN, COREL OCTOBER, Igg8 HINDUISM TODAY 7

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. PILGRIMAGE

A New Cave Is DJscovered , .

band, Arun, describes the muslim locals as "excellent people" and adds, "Next year we will bring our' children."

FASHION

EVERY YEAR THEY GO.

ne threat of death qy wretched weather or weathered·terrorists cannot dissuade them. These hardy, humble pilgrims to the Amarnath ice Lingam cave are certain that the benefits of their arduous devotional trek far outweigh any risk of mere physical calamity.

.------------::----------"., Unbeknownst to the

Bindi Hits The Big Time

In 1996, weather claimed the lives of 300. In 1995, Muslim separatist guerrillas staged two bomb attacks upon the heavily guarded pilgrims. This year, well over 30,000 pilgrims reached the sacred destination. But many rejoiced as much in what they found along the way. «Tell the people that if you want to see Hindu-Muslim unity, visit this place," Mrs. PooRam Mehta of Mumbai told The Hindu. Her hus- Trekking the rugged terrain,to Amarnath

THE VEDAS

God's Word, Sages'Voices

Words cannot describe the joy of the soul whose impurities are cleansed in deep contemplationwho is one with his atman, his own Spirit. Only those who feel this joy know what it is.

KRISHNA YAJUR VEDA 6.34

There is on Earth no diversity. He gets death after death who perceives here seeing diversity. As a unity only is It to be looked uponthis indemonstrable, enduring Being, spotless, beyond space, the unborn Soul, great, enduring.

SHUKLA YAJUR VEDA, BRIHADARANYAKA UPANISHAD 4.4.l~20

What people call salvation is really continence. For through continence man is freed from ignorance. And what is known as the vow of silence, that too is really

8 HINI?UISM TODAY . OOT \? BER, 1998

Melitas, on July 15, Doda District security forces had a lethal confrontation with foreign mercenaries who had planned to attack pilgrims. According to I10lice reports, three militants were killed in the gun fight and several automatic weapons and grenades were confiscated.

Elsewhere, in the Zanskar Valley of eastern Ladakh, minister of state for tourism, Tsetan Namgyal, has disclosed that a Siva Lingam much lar.ger in size than Amarnath's has been discovered inside a similar cavern at a height of about 4,000 meters. The discovery, now being officially investigated, was made by Buddhist lamas during a recent visit to the area.

IT WOULD SEEM THAT THE

Coof Dot Club [Turning Cruel to Cool, July, 1998] has capped 1l: cultural coup. Now, Hindu youths' biggest concern about wearing their bindi, the Hindu sectarian forehead mark, is whether it's in step with latest fashions. Julys cover of the rave teen maga'Zine, 19, shows a young Euro-damsel sporting a ' Hindu bindi. But that's just the bindi beginning. Stuck on every cover in the UK was a free package of bindis and quasi-Indian tatoos.

The hindi-toting teen.-rrutg cover

continence. For a man through continence realizes the Self and lives in quiet contemplation.

SAMA VEDA, OHANDOGYA UPANISHAD 8.5.1.

By means of the hymns one attains this world, by the sacrificial formulas the space in-between, by holy chant the world revealed by the sages. With the syllable Aum as his sole support, the wise man attains that which is peaceful, unaging, deathless, fearless-the Supreme.

ATHARVA VEDA, 'PRASHNA UPANISHAD 5.7

The Vedas are the divinely revealed and most revered scriptures, sruti, of Hinduism, likened to the Torah (2 ,000 BCE), Bible New Testament (200 ~El, Koran (600 OE) or ZendAvesta (600 BOE). Four in number, Rig, Yqju.l', Sarna and Atharoo, the Vedas include over 100,000 verses. Oldest portions may date back as far as 6,000 BOE.

Who Is a Hindu? ':Acceptance of the Vedas with reverence; recognition of the fact that the means or ways to salvation are diverse; and the realization of the truth that the number ' of Gods to be worshiped is large, that indeed is the distinguishing feature of the Hindu religion." B,G. Tllak's definition of what makes one a basic Hindu, as quoted by India's Supreme Court. On July 2 , 1995, the Court referred to it as an "adequate and satisfactory f01"l"r/.Ula ...

CLOCXW]SE FROM TOP: ROM.MEL AND SADHANA VARMA; 19; S.,..ij.AJAM

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PUBLISHER'S DESK

Ange.li~ 'Beings ' Are a Living 'Reality In Bali, as elsewhere in the Hindu world, the Deities are a po~ent presence, impacting every part of life

BY SATGURU SIVAYA SUBRAMUNIYASWAMI

EVOTION TO GOD AND THE GODS OF HIN

duism is alive in Bali, 'as our fascinating feature this month proves. We realized this during a visit in this beautiful island coun

try while attending an International Hindu Conference. The music, the art, the drama and dance all reflect some aspect of spirituality. It is in BaIi that an entire realm of knowledge, and practice begins at an early age for children, It ranges from the childlike wonder of the unknown and the mysterious to the deep reverence which comes with understanding of esoteric inter workings of the three worlds. The Hindu view of existence is composed of three worlds. The First World is the physical uni- , verse; the Second World is the subtle astral or mental plane of existence in which the devas, angels and spirits live; and 'the Third World is the spiritual universe of the Mahadevas, "great shining beings," the Gods. In the pantheon of Gods there are said to be three hundred and thirty~three million. The religious life is to invoke' the harmonious working together of these three worlds,

The most prevalent expression of worship comes as devotion to God and the Gods. Hindus believe in one Supreme Being. The plurality of Gods are perceived as divine creations of that one Being, So, Hinduism has one supreme God, but it also has an extensive J¥erarchy of many, many Gods, Still there are many whp view the <sods as mere symbols, representations of forces or mind strata, or as various personifications generated as a projection of man'~ mind onto an impersonal pure Beingness. In reality, the Gods are individual soul beings, and down through the' ages ordinary men and women, great saints and sages, prophets and mystics in all cultures have inwardly seen, heard and been profoundly influenced by these superconscious inner plane beings. Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed Deity, is suc!) a being. He can think, just as we can think. He can see and understand and make decisions so vast in their implications and compl~ity that we could never comprehend them with our human faculties and understanding,

These intelligent beings have evolved through eons of time and ' are able to help mankind without themselves having to live in a physical body. These great Mlilladevas, with their multitudes of angelic devas, live and work constantly aild tirelessly for the devotees of Sanatana Dharma, protecting and guiding them, opening new doors and closing unused ones,

It is said in the Rig Veda, "He who is beyond all exists ~ the relative universe. That part of Him appears as sentient and insentient beings. From a part of Him was born the body of the uni-

10 HINDUISM TODAN OCTOBER , Igg8 . ,

verse, and out of this body were born the Gods, the Earth and men."

As the Gods are individual soul beings, so too is humankind, The soul body is a body of light which evolves and matures into the likeness of Purusha Brahman, just as the seed of a tree one day becomes a tree. Within this body of light and consciousness exist, without beginning or end, the two perfections

of Parabrahman and Satchidananda .. Satchidananda is the superconscious mind of the soul body-the mind of Brahman. Parabrahman is the inmost core of the soul. Many of the village Deities in Bali and other countries who protect children and crops are actually souls living close to Earth in the astral plane, still functioning through the astral female or male body that is a duplicate of their last physical. body.

It is in the temple that the three worlds meet and devotees invoke the Gods. The.temple is built as a palace in which the Gods live. It is .the home of the Gods, a sacred place unlike every other place on the Earth. Hindus associate themselves with these Gods in a very §ensitive way when they apprOach the templ~ Though the devotees rarely have psychic vision of the Deity, they are aware of the God's divine presence. As they approach the sanc-' tum sanctorum, they are fully aware that an intelligent being, greater and more evolved than themselves, is there. Their Gods are intently aware of them, safeguarding them, fully knowing their inmost thoughts, fully capable of coping with any situation the devotees may melltally lay at their Holy Feet. It is important that the Deity be approached in this way-conscious and confident that the needs are known in the inner spiritual worlds.

The physical representation of the God, be it a stone or metal

image, a yantra or other sacred form, simply marks the place that the God will manifest in or hover over in His etheric body, It can be conceived as an antenna to receive the divine rays of the God or as the material body in or throu~h which He manifests in this FirstWorld. When we perform daily puja, we are attracting the attention of the devas and Mahadevas in the inner worlds, That is the purpose of a puja; it is a form of communication, To enhance this communication, groups build temples and individuals establish altars in homes. Both become charged or magnetized through our

Heaven on Earth: An artist's view of a Village in Bali, where perhaps more than anywhere on Earth, human life is deeply integrated with the angeliC worlds. Shrines and temples are'everywhere, and Balinese Hindus make intricate offerings several times a day to invoke the Deities' bleSSings and success for each endeavor. . .. . ............ uu ...... J1". .. . . . . ............. unu ....... .. . .............. . . . ... .... H .... . ... .. , . .. u .... . . ............ . . ......... ... . ... .

devotional thoughts and feelings which radiate out and affect the surrounding environment. Soon the presence of these divine beings-and this radiation from them is known as shakti--can be felt. Shakti is a vibration of spiritual prana coihing from the God and devas through the temple and home shrine. It is first experienced in the simple physical glimpse of the form of the Deity in the sanct~. Later that physical sight gives way to a clairvoyant vision or to a refmed cognition received through the sensitive ganglia within the nerve system: the chakras. Through these receptors, a subtle message is received, often not conS'ciously. Perh~ps not inlmediately, but the message that the shakti carries from the Mahadeva manifests in the life of the devotees. This is the way the Gods converse. It is a communication more real than the communication of language that is experienced each day.

Visiting a 'Hindu temple, receiving the shakti from the majestic Gods, can altogether change the life of any individual, It alters the flow of the pranas, or life currents, within the body. It draws awareness into the deeper chakras. But the change is slow. The devotee lives with t?he experience for months and months after visiting the temple. The devotee comes to know and love the Deity. The God extends sublime psychic assistanCe, but never tests or punishes a devotee. Shakti coming from the great temples of the Gods can change the patterns of karma dating back many past ,lives, clearing and clarifying conditions that were created hundreds of years ago and are but seeds now, waiting to manifest in the future. Through the grace of these loving Gods and Goddesses, those seeds are removed, if the manifestation in the futur.e would not enhance the evolution of the souL

If a temple or shrine is not available for worship, then it is possible to establish' a communication with Jhe Deity through visualization, Take for example, Lord Ganesha, the elephant-headed governor of nature, dharhuL, science and knowledge. Worship of Lord Ganesha is immediate; to think of His form is to contact Him. Close your eyes for a second, visualize His :nurthi or form, and a direct communication has begun. This is like .£lunching in a €ode on a computer terminal which gives immediate access to a central supercomputer. All information and answers to every question are now available. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we can use the d omputer terminal of our brain and code in'the divine image of Lord Ganesha. We have complete access to His grand computer mind which has been progranImed over eons of time and naturally encomlDasses the intrica~ies of the universe in all its ramifications and simplicities. I

Hindus look to God and t4e Gods for very practical assistancefrom affairs of employment, family and heart to knowledge both secular and superconscious. Devotees devoutly believe that the Gods, from their dwelling in the Third World, are capable of consciously.working with the forces of eVolution in the universe and they could tQ.en certainly manage a few simpler problems. Devotees devoutly believe that the Gods are given to care for human-

. ' kind on the planet and see them through their tenure on Earth, and that their decisions are vast in their implications. Their overview spans time itself, and yet their detailed focus upon the complicated fabric of human affairs is just as awesome.

The ancient Rig Veda (10 .151.4-5) intones, "The Gods, led by the spirit, honor faith in their worship. Faith is composed of the heart's intention. Light comes through faith. Through faith"lllen come to prayer, faith in the morning, faith at noon and at the setting of the sun. 0 faith, give us faith!"

OCTOBER , Igg8 HINDUISM TODAY 1~

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All Religions Are Not the Same THE OCTOBER 1997 MINISTER'S MESSAGE

by ... Swami Dayananda Saraswati stimulated much discussion, He sent a devotees querY, with his response, to share with our readers,

•

LETTERS '98] is as ~elf-deceptive as it is dangerous. Since when is one gorilla able to wipe' 0ut millions of other gorillas at the flick of a switch? We are not talking about relatively harmless international political posturing here, but the flagrant usage of the most

DEAR SWAMI DAYANANDAJI: WE ENJOYED YOUR hideous weapons of mass-destruction. I say article in HINDUISM TODAY. Your statement, this as a Western European who has been "all religions do not have the s1f}ne goals," drawn increasingly close to Hindl1i.sm in the g~ve rise to some questions and doubts. past year, only to have been sent spiritual Many raised the belief that ali religions are reeling by the explosions in the deserts of equally valid. We assumed that this meant Rajasthan which were the decisions of a that the ultimate goal is the same. One government which claims to be the political scholar here says that all religions have pro- face of that most consumately life-respectduced great saints and liberated, self-real- ' , ing, life-affIrming faith, Sanatana Dharma. ized souls. I would greatly appreciate it if D J J G R. , . ORDON you would clear our confusion. BERLIN, GERMANY

PROFESSOR R. RANGA RAo ILLINOIS, USA

DR. RAO, AS I MADE CLEAR IN THE 'ARTICLE published in HINDUJSM TODAY, all forms of prayer are valid, But each religion has its own concept of moksa, which is what we call the goal. The Veda says that you are the whole and that you are already free and you have to know that. Your being away from the whole is by wropg thinking. Now, if some religions say that you are different from God, the whole, that you are limited, and with the blessings of God you have to redeem yourself from your sin and go to heaven, how can there be identity of goals-unless you interpret the whole thing differently? To interpret all this to' fIt info the Vedic vision of moksa [liberation from rebirth] is to have the Vedic knowledge in the fIrst place. It is v~ry clear that we are away from the whole by thought, so when some religious theologies advocate thoughts that separate us from the whole, we cannot say that all religions lead to the. same goal.

Christianity has not produced another Christ. If anyone claims to be another Chr~st, the theology cannot allow such a claim, because Christ is the only son of God. So too, Islam has not produced another Mohammed. He was the latest and the last prophet. By saying so, it cannot produce another prophet. But there were always spiritual persons in all traditions who transcended their theologies and talked about the truth. But they were not produced by those religions. They grew out of them. You can not grow out of Vedanta to realize that you are the whole. In fact:: you understand Vedanta to realize that you are the whole.

I SWAMI DAYANANDA SARASWATI ARSHA VIDYA GURUKULAM

PENNSYLVANIA, USA

Your Editcrrial Bombed TO COMPARE THE INDIAN GOVERNMENT'S actions to "gorilla dust" [Editorial, August.

I

12 ffiNDUISM TODAY OCTOBER, 1998

THE AUGUST, ' 1998, EDITORIAL PROCLAIMING "India's nuclear threat mere gorilla dilst" was the height of irresponsibility. To gloat over the CIA's alleged failure at forecasting, while ignoring the permanent change in risk of holocaust to citizens of all nations strikes me as superfIcial and unworthy of HINDUISM TOD4Y'S usually high editorial standards.

PROF. ROBERT MANIS COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA

,; LAS VEGAS, NEVADA, USA

V A~y right-thinking human being will deplore escalation of such devastating arms, and we do, too. Our purpose in the editorial was not to say the obvious, though we perhaps should have. It was to acknowledge and celebrate India's newfound strengthnot of bombs but of rediscovered self-worth add lost self-loathing caused by centuries of cruel tyranny from outside. Bharats real, profound and only endUring strength lies in her spiritual heart, in her assertion of ahimsa and her native devotion. We will rejoice with you when Pakistan and India disown weapons of mass destruction forever, hopefully in the bargain bringing other nations to do tTie same. The editor,

God, Not J;)eva; Atma, Not I I APPRECIATE YOUR COMPARATIVE LOOK at the two great traditions [Feb! '98, Insight on Buddhism and Hinduism], which is neCessary to identify their common grounds and diff~rences and to establish a meaningful rapprochement. The disappearance of Buddlllsm from India was a major loss, since Buddhism provides an ethical and philosophical complement as well as a c.,9rrective to Hinduism in its non-casteist orientation and in its focus on universal compassion.

I..-take issue with some imprecise statements made by the Honorable Yihua that obfuscate the real issues and misrepresent the differences. Her confused use of the

term deva in the sense of "God," is disturbin&> Early Buddhism is atheistic, while Hinduisms fundamental postulate is Brahman (not deva), the Divine Reality, GOD, both Absolute and personal. But devas are deities with specifIc functions. It is those deities, such as Indra, who are referred to as paying\ homage to the Buddha [not- Brahman]'

The other confusion is made between Self and self Sht surprisingly called it [Atman or Self] "the center 1" and "abiding by its own deeds." But karmas pertain to the psychophysical integuments of Atman, which, ae'companied by the karmic or psychic body, is simply reembodied. lIt is to be ultimately freed from karmic bondage and reincarnation. Vedanta posits a unitary principle of trans personal consciousness Atman as the basis of all conscious and fluctuating experiences. Buddhism denies Atmah (anatta) , which is the real point of difference. Both fully coincide in their notion of self or "I and mine" as the source of uffering, that one must eventually extinguish.

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PROFESSOR MAHESH MEHTA WINDSOR, ONTARIO, CANADA

Praises from Australia WE ARE VERY PROUD OF HINDUISM TODAY -a storehouse of spiritual and general knowledge, I carry a copy of it wherever I go for people to enjoy its valuable contents. It's so attractive externally as well as internally. Wishing you all at HINDUISM TODAY radiant health, success, peace of mind, joy, wealth and longevity. Long live HINDUISM TODAY. It's by your sincere efforts that all are blessed with this ~nderfullI!-agazine.

NAGESWARI NADARAJAH EpPING, N.S.W., AUSTRALIA

Send your Soil to Lalithambiga LALITHAMBIGA TRUST IS CONSTRUCTING A temple for universal mother, Lalithambiga, symbolic of the unifIcation of all humanity. , The trustees appeal to you to send 100

.. grams of the soil of your nation, clearly marked, and to ask your friends in other countries to send their soil also to: '"

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COIMBATORE, 641 007, TAMIL NADU, IN.DIA

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Letters, HINDUISM TODAY 107 Kaholalele Road KAPAA, HAWAII, 96746-9304 USA or faxed to: (80B) 822-4351 or e-mailed to: [email protected]

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HINDU RENAISSANCE TEAM

HINDUISM TODAY was founded January 5, 1979, by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, for the following purposes: l.Jb foster Hindu solidarity as a unity in diversity amo~g all sects and lineages; 2, To inform and inspire Hindus worldwide and people interested in Hinduism; 3. To dispel myths, illusions and misinformation about Hinduism; 4. To protect, preserve and promote the sacred Vedas and the JIindu religion; 5, To nurture and monitor the ongoing spiritual Hindu renaissance. We invite our readers to share these purposes with us by writing letters, contributing reports and articles on events, sending news clippings and encouraging othe\s to subscribe.

Publisher: Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami Admin. Dir:: Paramacharya Bodhinatha Editor-in-Chief: Acharya Palaniswami Publisher's Aide: Acharya Ceyonswiuni Deputy Editor: Acllarya KumarsWanu Managing Editor: Sannyasin Arumugaswami Graphics Director: Sannyasin Natarajnathaswami Mauritius Editor: Sannyasin Sivamurugaswami Mauritius Staff Writer: >Sannyasin Sivadevanathaswami Prod.lPromotion Mgr:: Sannyasin Sivakatirswami Managing Ed. 's Aide: Tyagi Saravanannathaswami Dep. Managing Ed.: Tyagi Karttikeyanathaswami Editor-in-Chiefs Aide: Yogi Yuganatha Advertising Manager: Sadhak~ Jothinatha SubSCription Manager: Sadhaka Adinatha Correspondents: Gowri Shankar & Anandhi Ramachandran, Chennai; Choodamani Shivaram, Bangalore; Rajiv Malik, Prabha Prabhakar Bhardwaj, Mangala Prasad Mohanty, Delhi; V S. Gopalakrishnan, Kerala; Basudeb rihar, Bangladesh; Archana Dongre, Los Angeles; Lavina Melwani, New York; Dr. Hari Bansh Jha, Nepal; Parasram Ramoutar, Anil Mahabir, Trinidad;' Dr. Devananda Tandavan, Chicago; V G, Julie Rajan, Philadelphia; Shikha Malaviya, Minnesota; Rajesh Jantilal, South Africa; Tara Katir, Hawaii. Sanskritist: Dr. S, Jayaraman, New York. Artists: A. Manivelu, S. Rajam, Cartoonists: Barry Geller, David Lourie, Mario de Miranda, Manick Sorear, Gary L. Stair, Bob Thaves. Photo Contributors: Thomas L. Kelly, Stephen P. Huyler, Dev Raj Agrawal, Phal S. Girota, 'J12ny Stone Images, Photobank, Art Wolfe Inc. , Gordon Wiltsie, Indivar Sivanathan. Web Masters: Deva Seyon, Sadhunathan Nadesan. Scanning: Vikram Patel, New York. Distribution: USA: Ingram Peribdicals, New Leaf, EBSCO Subscription Services, Indo-US Books, , One ~urce, Ubiquity, Total Circulatiou.:Services, Canada: Gordon and Gotch. Europe: SWETS Subscription Service, Malaysia and Singapore: Sanathana Dharma Publications~ South Africa: Atlas Printers, india: Central News Agency Limited, New Delhi. Printer: Banta Publications Group, Kansas City

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Will Tourism Trample Bal.i's Hindu Heritage? It may take more than borrowed sarongs and behavior drills to curtail cultural pollution

BY ~ MADE SURYASA

ALI IS A HINDU OUTPOST the world's biggest

, nLU~LHH countiy, Indonesia, with more than 200

million people. It is impressive that this tiny island of 2.7 mil-

' lion,.only 90 miles long and 50 miles wide, survived numerous attempts to convert her inhabitants to other faiths. Retaining our Balinese Hindu belief system has been a challenge. Today, perhaps the biggest challenge of all is tourism.

For hnndreds of years the Dutch colonialists kep't a hands-off policy in Bali, exploiting instead the Java and Maluku islands, rich in spices, tea and rubber. , Attitudes changed in the early 20th century. The 'Dutch attacked and razed Bali's fIve major palaces. After slaughtering the Rajahs and their followers in the Puputan (Death March) of the major capitals of Denpasar in 1906 and Klung Kung in 1908, the Netherlands strove to change their image, They created an intensive promoti0n of Bali as an " F;nchanted Isle," "The Last Paradise," etc .... to lure visitors to come experience the arti»tic, traditional Balinese way of life. Around 1914 the Dutch ~earnship line KPM brought Bali's fIrst recorded tourist.

As early as 1917, reports began to circu- • late that Balinese culture would be ruined by tourism. In the 1950'S the Governor of Bali was horrifIed to discover tQur companies promoting Bali as "The Island of Bare Breasts." Cultural preservation and certain types of tourism usually do not work together. Despite this, we Balinese understood time and again that we have something valuable that we wanted to share, but also to try to preserve.

Mass tourism was recently introduced to .• the island by an Indonesian government desperate for 'foreign currency. It is now unrealistic for us to close the island to

tourism. Fortunately, tourism with a cultural orientation can help to maintain culture conti-nuity and also give the Balinese, historically an agricultural community, an alternative way to make a living. So, we try to teach visito s how to Behave when visiting spiritual/religious events, and to encourage tour operators and hoteliers not to

desecrate any artifacts that have religious meaning. We are a very open society, and we treat all visitors to the island as tamu, .• guests. We greet and entertain ow; guests with our traditional values and hope that our guests beh\l-ve themselves.

We also tried to maintain cultural continUity by setting aside an arid but beautiful beach in the south as a tourist resort, to restrict close daily contact between tourists and the Balinese. Unfortunately this policy proved unsuccessful due to the machinations oHhe recently deposed Suharto government and lack of local participatjon. Suharto's family and cronies bought up -most of the designated "green" areas of the island. With hotel occupancy at just 76%, they announced that there were not enough hotels to heuse visitors, and the Soutb Bali preservation project was scrapped. Another challenge now is to let some travelers know that Bali is not a "s"ex tour" destination. Research done by Bali's University of Udayana reveals that some visitors ask for "services" they fInd elsewhere in Asia.

It is very hard to control all tourism activities. The best that we can do is to treat situations case by case and, meanwhile, try to strengthen the Banjars, our neighborhood associations, as our last defense.

I MADE SURYASA, 39, a scholar and priest's son, lives in California, teaches mask dance and conducts tours to Bali (Danu Enterpr.)

OCTOBER , 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 13

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EDITORIAL du temples, worship Hindu Deities and observe Hindu holy days. Even if they

Why D~ HindusS8~ "I Am 'Not a -'HinduJJ?

teach the Vedas and hold havanas and pujas. Even if their founder is a Hindu swami, born and raised in the faith. Even if they wear the Hindu monk's saffron robes and take the sannyasin's initiation. If y ou ask them, they will declare, "We are not Hindus."

Such a trend'is based on the tenacious misconception that Hinduism is somehow unacceptable to the non-Hindu world. Those who do speak openly of their Hinduness know this is not true. People these days enjoy knowing about other paths, enjoy

Exploring the erosive power of self-alienation and the mas9uerade that denies who we really are

BY THE EDI -TOR

HERE ARE TWO KIND OF HINDUS : THOSE WHO ADMIT

they are Hindu and those who will admit they are just about anything else. I exaggerate, but not much. To be sure, such identities are part of the political and social fashions of the day, and fashions change. From century to century, overt affil

iation with Hinduism becomes faddish and'then usty in cycles. In recent years it has become voguish for,Hindus to openly and proudly proclaim themselves. Five decades back, being a Hindu was not cool, what with the Anglican British in charge and all. Nine decades back, Swami Vivekananda, bucking the anti-Hindu fashion of the late 1800s, spoke proudly of his Hinduism, and called on others to do the same, as did Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo and Swami Dayailanda. And so it goes, see-sawing back '8Ild forth.

Diverse reasons drive today!> Hindus to not openly ~sociate themselves with their heritage. They might lose their jQb or their friends. They rriight forfeit members in institutions which have attracted large numbers of Christians and Jews. They may feel Hinduism has "backward" elements, such as caste or ritualism, which they wish to distance themselves from. They may be cowered by a brash, confident and aggreSsive Western cultural as-sault and its superior attitudes, bOfJiowing a ~ contempt for Eastern culture and Hinduism ~ from foreigners. Or they may simply be ~ cultill"al Hindus, not all that religious. ~

While these may be advantageous reasons, ~ today the trend is shifting, and once again it is II:

stylish to embark on a journey of spiritual self- ~ discovery and claim one's Hinduness. Sudden- ~ ly, it may win an election or empower an insti- ~ tution. Witness the audaciously pro-Hindu ~ Swaminarayan Fellowship's astpunding growth ~ aild impact in the US and Europe, and com- ~ pare it to the conflicted "We ar~t Hindus, 8 yet we sort of are, but not really" position of @

the ISKCON movement [see page 32]. Politicians are showing the press their home shrines. Executives are talking dharma at cocktail parties. Even globe-trotting sWamis are saying, "I was a Hindu the whole time. I thought you knew iliaC'

'Still, not everyone is following the fashion. Especially in the West, institutions don't like the H word. Groups whose roots lie in Indian spirituality prefer the neutral sound of words like yoga, Vedanta or Sanatana Dharma, and use those instead of Hindu to. describe themselves. This is true even if they build orthodox. Hin-

16 HINDUISM TODA;Y OC OBER , 1998

hearing other's spiritual passions andbeliefs. The clearer, the better. No apologies or dissembling needed.

Indian intellectual Ram Swarup, who rediscovered his own Hinduness as an adult, notes that lmti-Hindu Hindus are casualties of cultural illiteracy, self-loathing and selfalienation. He is campaigning for Indians to rediscover their heritage, as he did. He writes from New Delhi, "A permanent stigma seems to have st<\lck to the terms Hindu and Hinduism. These have now become terms of abuse in the mouth of the very elite which the Hindu millions have raised to the pinriacle of power and prestige with their blood, sweat and tears. How did this happen? I have come to the conclusion that the Muslim and British invasions of India, though defeated and dispersed, have yet managed to crystallize certain residues~psychological and intellectual-which a battered Hindu society is finding very difficult to digest. These residues are now in active alliance with powerful internationalforces, and are being aided and abetted on a scale which an impoverished Hindu society cannot match. Although at loggerheads

• ., among themselves, these residues have forged a united front which is holding Hindu society under siege. The danger is from within as from without."

Ram Swarup envisions a daY,when Hindus are again centered in their dharma, proud of their faith. His ideal is echoed by a profound statement and fitting conclusion from Annie Besant (1847-1933), the Englishwoman who became the leader of the Theosophical Society: 'Mter a stugy of some forty years and more of the great religions of the world, I find none so perfect, none so scientific, none so philosophic and none so spiritual as the great religion known by the name of Hinduism. The more you know it, the more you will love. '01e more you ,try to understand it, the more deeply will you value it. Make no mistake, without Hinduism,..,: India has no future. Hinduism is the soil into which India's roots are struck, and torn out of that, ~he will inevitably witlfer, as a tree torn out from i ~ place. Many are the religions and many are the races flourishing in India, but none of them

stretches back into the far dawn of her past, nor is necessary for her endurance as a nation. Everyone might pass away as they came, and India would still remain. But let Hinduism vanish and what is she? A 'geographical expression' of the past, a dim memory of a perished glory. Her history, her art, her monuments all have Hinduism written across them. And if Hindus do not maintain Hinduism, who shall save it? If India's own children do not cling to her faith, who shall guard it? India alone can save India, and India and Hinduism are one."

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U IES~ "I've been practicihg two months to say his name. He's my b~ss, so I hf!veto'prono~unce it correctly!"

. , Silicon Valley engineer Vladimir Orlovsky, after demonstrating how fast he could address his Tamil boss, Kodampak~am Balachandran

Frank and Ernest

We have kindly requested them to carry only religious symbols. 1998 kumbha mela

. manager J.P, Sharma asking Naga sadnus • not ·to tote pistols and other firearms dur-

ing procl.!.ssions to the Ganges '

. , The only problem with Yogi Berra is that every time he exacerbated a 'situation it just got worse. From our Editor

Smile! It takes only 13 muscles. Frowning takes 64.

However beautiful sex may be,5t does not open the door to a state of higher consciousness. If that w~re so, the majority of people who believe ill sexual excesses would all have achieved enlightenment The Z::Zte Swami Sivananda Radha in her book, KjJndalini. Yoga for the West

© 1996 TH Jl.VES, REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION

yts, .:t ~NOyi AL.L. T~E AN~.;~'5 TO EV~/lYTti/NG.

w~Y 1>0 YOU AS'1C1

Yesterday is history, tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift from God, that's why it is called the present.

\

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When I moved from Roman Catholic to I

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19

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HINDU LANDS

Bali: .. Island Oftha 'Gods A tiny, lush enclave fights to preserve a magical culture little changed over 'the millennia

Temple-bound: Balinese women take offerings of fruits, flowers and rice to the Gods

ILMMAKER LAWRENCE BLAIR, MID

through documel}ting Indoneindigenous peoples, planned to

Bali, with its interrl{ltional airport and luxury hotels. But "When I finally arrived in 1975, on the desk of

the immigration officer who stamped my passport was an. exquisitely Woven offering of ,flowers with burning incense leaning against his ink pad. Outside, I noticed an even more elaborate offering affixed to the radiator grill of my taxi. For this was the day of offerings to active sharp and blunt objects of our lives, ... thus ritually connecting the officer's inkpad with the front of my taxi."

20 HINDUISM TODAY 0 TOBER , 1998

Bali-which means "offering" and is popularly known as the "Island of the Gods"had cast its spell on Blair. It's a religious oasis where two million Hindus, out of a 2.8 million total population, live and breathe th.eir faith 24 hours a day.

Bali lies just below the equator in Southeast Asia, part of the world's largest stretch of volcanoes. Peppered with mountains, lakes, rivers and for~sts, it has 2,147 square miles of fertile land and history. Legend states that the Supreme God, Ida Sanghyang Widi Wasa, created the sky for Gods, the Earth for animals and seas for fish. He decided te create man in an earthly paradise. Pulling a fish from the water, He held it to the light. Its tail became the Kutri peninsula, its gills Lake Bator, and its backbone the range of mountains shimmering across the length and breadth of the island.

Many have felt Balis blessedness-Hickman Powell, a 1930S visitor, called it a "vast wonderland" and the "embodied 'dreams of pastoral poets," and India's Jawarhala1 Nehru immortalizeq. it in the 1950'S when he dubbed it the "Morning of the World." Adds Blair, "It wasn't, surprising that the rest of the world saw Bali as the living symbol of

, heaven on earth, where man and Gods, nature and spirits, the within and without, coexisted harmoniously in the best of all possible worlds. What did surprise me, was fmding that the Balinese entirely agreed, and took the unusual position th~t the grass was indeed greener on their side of tIte fence."

Tourists-1.2 million a year- have their impact. Rima Xoyamayagya, a recent visitor, says ''Areas around big beach hotels have crime and a low vibration now." A thousand hectares of rice fields are turned over yearly for development, much of it for tourism. You can't drink the tap water, and when stepping out of a hotel you're likely to be accosted by liawkers. So why do travelers flock to Bali? Man~ are eager to witness the nonWestern, uninhibited Hindu culture which

is Bali's charm. And the Muslim Indonesian government, understanding the economic benefits, tries to maintain it in several ways. Hotels are restricted to certain areas. Foreigners wanting to live in Bali are also confined to special areas. Tourists aren't allowed in the center of temples. And the rigidity of Balinese social structures keeps tourists at the "onlooker" level, where they are content

~~--------------~

Island central: Festival at Pum Besakih, Bali's preeminent temple complex, situated just below the island's most sacred mountain and volcano, Gunung Agung. Two-and-a-half million devotees pilgrimaged here over a 42-day period for the massive Eka Dasa Rudm ceremony in 1979. Siva is worshiper most prominently in Bali, and Besakih s three main sanctums are dedicawI to different aspects of Siva, with '~amasiva" in the center sanctum.

to ooh and aah. HINDUISM TODAY interviewed Hindu Balinese and outside visitors to understand what fosters Bali's charm. ' Their 'nsights are shared in the cont ext of a day in the life of Balinese village housewife Men Parni, narrated by her nephew, Nyoman Wenten.

5am: First to arise, she fetches firewood, water at the family well, then makes por-

ridge. After breakfast, her two children are off to school and her husband to the nearby rice field. Most Balinese eat very simply at home-and mainly rice. It's consumed, using fingers, with a side dish of vegetables , and tofu, a spicy chili seasoning made fresh daily, and soy' sauce. A banana leaf is usually the plate. Peo~le eat little meat in everyday meals, deriving most protein from soy

Visitors to Bali NUMBERS OF TOURISTS IN THOUSANDS

1400

1200

1000

800

200

0---1900 '60 '79 '88 '92 '97

prod~cts, and more converts to total vegetarianism are appearing with the desire to eat pure food. Even though life is urbanized in Denpasar, Bali's capital, six 16-and 17-year-old youth (we'll call them the Youth Group) told HINDUISM TODAY they daily "offer cooked food to ancestors, devas and buta kalas (evil spirits), worship at the family house temple and recite Gayatri Mantra."

It's hard work for Men Parni's husband in the fields, but the inseparable religion (shrines to Dewi Sri, the Rice Mother, dot the fields) offsets hardships of a 'lifestyle largely unchanged since the 1600s. In the 1970S bureaucrats tried to impose the "Green Revolution" on Bali's rice irrigation,

OCTOBER, 1998 HIND U ISM TODAY 21

/

Prayer time: Married women wear their hair in a bun; unmarried girls let a lock fall loose

but it failed miserably, and farmers reverted to their intricate "water-temple" system.

8am: A festival is coming, so Men Parni makes decorations out of young coconut leaves for a couple hours. Then time to cook lunch, which her husband returns to eat. Before serving, she offers rice and salt to all corners of the house and the family temple. Dewan Nyoman Batuan, a painter friend of Lawrence Blair, observes, "You don't need much in Bali, just enQ.ugh to eat and to make

husband. Then she makes more decorations. Unless the wife has an outside job, her main duty .is to make offerings and care for the house. ~he may gossip with a neighbor or help her- conduct a home ceremony. Kids return from school and play gamelan instruments or help in the rice field. Young children "are revered as divine. They're carried everywhere, held in the protective arms (without ever touching the ground) of a family member until three months old.

necessary ritual offerings. Feed- """'iiii~§j~===:::::':7~=::-""""::::::::::::::~--~ ing the Gods feeds your soul as , II well."

The Youth Group feels Hinduism. fares better in Bali than in India, because it's cared for by the government, the Hindu Parishad, teachers and village customs. Most schools have a Hindu religion teacher who, besides parents and priests, is the Balinese equivalent of a guru. Most girls wis.b. to marry Hindus. The Group believes the next generation will b~ even stronger than now. In fact, Western visitors occasionally convert to Balinese Hinduism, as in the case of scholar Fred Eiseman: "The Central Hindu Dharma Committee approved. Then a peCianda (high-caste priest) at a Denpasar temple said prayers and administered a purification offering, bestowing the name I Wayan Darsana. I received a certificate from. the committee signifying my religion."

12:30pm: Naptime for Men Parni and her

22 HINDUISM TODAY OCTOBER , 1998

Bali has an extraordinary sense of community, transcending Western ideals of liberty and individualism and putting cooperation above competition. Restaurant manager I Komang Budastra, 27, says this "keeps us from differentiating between rich and poor. By following individual ways, people don't share." When Nyoman Batuan invited Blair to build a home on his land, he said, "It's not

my land anyway. Only Gods can own land. Humans borrow it for awhile." The whole village turned out to built! Blair's house.

6pm: An offering is given to the home's four corners and temple. Men Parni and her husband leave for their nightly dance performances in temples all over Bali, to which they often bring the kids. He is a drummer, while she is an opera dancer. Dances begin" at lOpm and last tilt""early morning. Bali has 20,000 public temples, and most homes have a family temple. Each celebrates its dedication anniversary, which is frequent, because the Balinese lunar year lasts just 210 days. It's hard to miss a temple festival~ because one occurs somewhere every day. But watch

.. what you wear-modest clothing with a sash is the rule for everyone. Blair observes, "Food and entertainment is right in the tem- I

pIe. If my childhood churches were like this, I would've spent a lot more time'in them!"

The Youth Group say they always observe at least five festivals: 1) Galungan, where deified ancestors descend to former homes; 2) local temple anniversaries; 3) Nyepi, or Day of Silence, during which the whole island shuts down-people stay home to meditate (tourists can't leave their hotels), and lights are out; 4) Saraswati puja; and 5) Purnima-full moon. Miss Ayu Eka, 24, says she pays homage to knowledge on Saraswati Day. "I make offerings of yellow rice to my temple and books." And children sweep schools with brooms to honor their place of learning.

Shadow pvppetry, dance, theater, carving and other art forms are abundant. Nearly all arts are religious, because all life is religious for the Balinese. Paintprs aren't possessive about their work, and even create many of their canvasses together. Nyoman Wenten, 53, describes the flowering of a dance artist. "My grandfather was an actor, puppeteer, musician and dancer. I began at age six by watching older dancers perform' at my village, who I then imitated. My grandfather saw I was interested, and corrected my moves. One day he appeared with a costume and said, 'Let's g0 to the temple: I ?las sc.ared. 'I've never performed with an orchestra!' He said, 'No problem, you can dp it.' This was my debut, at age seve!}." Girl dancers are at their peak at age 11, because they're still 'Considered totally heavenly,<until puberty. One instructor, Ms. Utuwarthi, uses no mirrors for training. "If the inner dance is right," she says, "it'll show itself outwardly." ,

With Bali's powerful belief that religion is woven into every part of life, it's no wonder iliat the Balinese Youth Group tells brothers and sisters worldwide: "Keep Hinduism, it's the great religion. All must learn its essentials. We must be strong in faith and devotion. God will always bless us." ..,.; With SARA SASTRA in Denpasar, Bali, NYOMAN WENTEN

in California and RIMA XOYAMAYAGYA in Texas

~ I \

~

: I

HISTORICAL BALI ; ~

ca 10ce: Indian traders bring Hinduism to the northern Indonesian islands. ca 650ce: Visited by Indian literati, Balinese embrace Hinduism. Java and Bali royalty marry. Many Javanese Hindus immigrate to Bali as eastern Java's Majapahit empire takes over Bali. 1478: Muslims overthrow Java's Hindu Majapahits, making Bali a refuge for their Hindu nobles, priests and intellectuals. 1906: Dutch invaders attack Denpasar, Bali's capital, massacre 3,600 Balinese and capture the whole island . 1950: Dutch are overthrown and Bali becomes part of the Republic of Indonesia. 1963: Bali's highest peak, Mt. Gunung Agung, known as the "navel of the world," erupts after a 120-year dormancy, killing 1,500 and leaving 85,000 homeless. ca 19n: Television enters homes, offering first glimpse of world tourists come from. 1979: Eka Dasa Rudra, Bali's most elaborate ceremony, held only once each century. Taking months to enact, it intends to achieve a balance of good and evil throughout the 11 directions of space.

Chip, chip: I B aka, right, a wood carver, takes full advantage of Bali's booming business.

" 3

Beyond Bali's FOllies One professor's c?ntemporary take on things

YOMAN WENTE-tl IS AN ACCOM

'plished musician, actor and dancer tliving in southern California s~ce .1972, where he teaches at the Insti

tute of the Arts in Valencia. He returns to his vi!lage in Bali for three months each summer.

On spirituality in performing There is more thim just great talent. Spirits, Dewa Taksu, help the performers gain stage presence or charisma. In order to receive the Taksu, we must giv~ offerings ana recite mantras before and after every performance.

On tourism's impact Hotels make us shorten our dance from 25 minutes to five. if you dance at the hotel every night for a living, you don't have ' a 101 of energy, not the same soul1nspiration as when you dance at the temple or for rites of passage like the tooth fIling ceremony or weddings. Certain sacred dances shouldn't be performed in hotels.

Maestro: A spirited Wenten on drums

On village obligations and ceremonies We have so many ceremonies that take so much time and money. People are too proud, spending hundreds of dollars and getting in trouble fmancially. I used to ask my mom, "Why-do you make huge offer-

ings?" She replied, "Well, the neighbor's offerings are taller!" There is a movement now to simplify ceremonies, like holding collective crem~tions and tooth-filings.

On the strength of the next generation Many families can't afford to send their kids to normal schools, so lads go to the Christian schools and get converted. Our youth need to be well educated in Hinduism. They learn some in school, but just at surface leveL They only get ta~ght in depth every six months, so we need more frequent teaching programs.

On nonviolence and meat-eating We have blood sacrifices. Balinese are educated to not hurt other living beings, so we" must consider whether to continue killing animals. I hope we can slow down the offering of meat at temples. Recently, my friend Sreeruvasan took me to a South Indian vegetarian restaurant in California, and I really enjoyed the food!

On corporal punishment of children My aunt raised a cane to scare me, but dicW't strike me. Grandfather was different. He spoke compassionately and lovingly. Now he is the one I respect, because he had a different mentality for discipline.

1 NYOMAN WENTEN , 23202. REDBUD RlDGE

CIRCLE , VALE NCIA, CALIFORNIA 91354-2037 USA

OCTOBER, 1998 HINDUISM TOD;\.Y 23

F

Experience Balis moods and colors at home

MAJOR BENEFIT OF BALI'S THRIVING

tourist industry to world culture enthusiasts is the abundance of mediums to promote Bali's beauty. You

can enjoy vividly poetic descriptions by early visitors, scholarly expositions of every aspect of Balinese life, full-size photos, music CDs and detailed websites.

Foremost among the glossy, coffee-table style overview books is Bali, Morning of the World (97 pages, Periplus EditiQns), with fantas tic rich photographs by world-renowned Luca Invernizzi Tettoni. African.;born English writer Nigel Simmonds, living in Bali since 1992, opens one chapter: " 'Do you believe in God?' We. were sittin~, my Balinese landlord and I, on the floor of his house in Sayan, close to the town of Ubud, where pamters and sculptors ply their trade amid deep green rice fields and steep river gorges. I wanted to rent his house; he needed to make sure I was a suitable occupant. 'Do you believe in God?' he repeated. 'I need to know before you rent this house.' He was

24 HI~DUISM TODA.Y OCTOBER, 1998

dressed, like the rest of the village that day, in his temple clothes-an immaculate picture of white and,gold, his cloth headdress set off by a sweet smelling champaca flower tucked in the fold of cotton cloth around his crown. In the background I could clearly hear the delicate tapestry of the gamelan .orchestra playing for the temple ceremony. 'Yes,' I said, 'I believe.' "Good!' he said with a flourish. 'Then we will be friends.' " Another lavish picture cornucopia is found in Offerings, The Ritual Art of Bali [see page 30 J.

Balinese mask drama-you w.pn't know the half of it without Masks of Bali (131 pages, Danu Enterprise), written by educator Judy Slattum. With full page photos by Paul Schraub, the visually stunning masks literally jump out at you. Masks are powerful receptacles of wandering spirits, as well as representations of witches, gods, animals and people. Because many of the masks are sacred and never displayed, most Westerners have not 'seen their spectacular detail and craftsmanship.

Grace: The legong dance (part of photo feature in Bali, Morning of the World), said to be created by a king who saw two devas (angels) during a deep meditation

Gunung Agung, Bali's "dwelling place df the Gods," is celebrated in a small section of Sacred' Mountain'S of the World (291 pages, University of California Press,) by Edwin Bernbaum. Gunung Agung plus every other tidbit about Bali is found in the finest scholarly work weTe aware of [see page 28], Bali, Sekala & Niskala (two volumes, Peripltls Editions).

Needing great photos of Bali to I

accompany your travel brochure? Corel Professional Photos on CDRom can help. Two CDs with 100 photos each cover Bali's length and breadth. On their website (corel.digitalriver.coml) you can order a whole CD, or just one image for as little as US$9.

World music lovers will be delighted with the international fame of Balinese gamelan which has resulted in many fine CDs. Music of the Gamelan Gong Kebyar (Vital Records), performed by musicians from the National Institute of the Arts in Denpasar, Bali, cqrries the essence of a frenetic style that is now Bali's predominant musical force. Amazingly, the

US is home to 80 gaIllelan orchestras, the most accomplished bring the Gamelan Sekar Jaya based in Q.alifornia-they're about to release a special CD to honor their celebration of 20 years of artistry. Honoring a major part of Bali's musical anc~stry is the Banyumas Bamboo Gamelan (Nimbus Records), a new CD of traditional music from Centra Java.

I Now that we'ye seen, heard and read about Bali, let's go! Lfimg years of tour,ism h~ve yielded sensitive tour companies that truly educate about Bali's Hindu religio~ life, such as Art Research Tours (WW\¥-learningvacations.comlartis7.html), which offers hands-on Classes in making offerings and other artistry. Websites are burgeoning with everything you need to know to plan a trip. Most spectacular is the award winning Bali' Online (www.indo.com). Also exciting is Bali Paradise Online ( www.baliparadise ~com). See you there! ..,.;

Publishers and contacts PERlPLUS (SINGAPORE) PRIVA'!iE LIMITED,S LITTLE ROAD

#08:01. SINGAPORE 536983; DANU ENTERPRISE, 313 MC-CORMICK AVE, CAPITOLA. CALIFORNIA 95010 USA; UNIVERSI

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LAN SEKAR JAYA (SAME ADDRESS AS VITAL RECORDS)

"1

DOCUMENTARIES

Vicarious Voyaging,r Remote and exotic, r

Bali has been captured on film for all to see

ORTUNATELy' FOR THOSE WHO DON'T

have the means to travel to Bali, the island is one of the most thoroughly and

sensitively documented exotic destinations. If you can settle for being an armchair wayfarer, you're in for a lengthy and fascinating journey to cultures and places you've never even heard aboJlt, and people you wouldn't dare to meet in person.

Released May 15, 1989, and seen by millions of public television viewers, the exciting Ring of Fire series (four 58 min. videos, 1988~ Mystic Fire Video, New York) documents the ten-yeru: voyage of two filmmakers, brothers Lorne and Lawrence Blair, through the world's largest and least-known archipelago-the spectacular islands of Indonesia. The Blair brothers found themselves drawn into danger and. discovery in a magical land where ancient myths still flourish. "It was a"form 6f meditational surrender and possession by a higher energy," offers Lawrence. "Isolated and living for

• , 10ng1>eriods amongst little-known peoples, I felt that we were drawing closer to the shadow screen, beyond which lay a much subtler and perhaps more dangerous adventure. Trance and possession of every form were all around us."

The Blair videos include, but are not limited to,J he island of Bali, which the Blairs made their port of call. They end up living there, with the local community volunteering to build their house. ./

Sacred scapes: The temple lotus pool in Ubud; (inset) Lawrence Blair in his Bali home

A complementary Blair classic is Lempad of Bali (58 min., $24.95, 1989, Mystic Fire, New York), revealing the incredible and mystically cf.eative life of Lempad, one of modern Bali's most highly revered spiritual figUres, now deceased. After accompanying the Blairs throughoVt Indonesia in these five videos, you will anguish at Lawrence's account of his brother's sudden' death in Bali in Beyond the Ring of Fire (58 min., $24.95, 1996, Mystic Fire, New York). The story of the tragedy. is briefly told, then this latest

, video records a new voyage of discovery, eight years later, into some of the same areas first visited in the initial series, as well as others never previously filmed.

Keep your seatbelts fastened, there:s still more adventure to be had. Bali: Beyond Good and Evil (50 min. , $19.98, 1997, WinStar, New Yqrk) centers around the spiritual quest of Ed Ross, professor of fme arts at the University of South Florida, who has re-

turned to the Indonesian island every year for the last ten. Ed climbs the sacred volcano of Batur in search of spiritual vision, visits an astrological calendar-maker for personal guidance and meets with Hindu priests and . festivals. Revering Bali ~s his special "place of vision," Ed tenderly presents the place ritual and prayer holds in Balinese life. He comments, "To the Balinese, the spirit world is real, and exists right here, right now."

A highlight of Beyond is an insider's look into the enthralling kecpk, monkey dance, in which Ed participates: The exciting, rare footage of this dy.p.amic village performance, along with personal meetings with the dancers, leave us with a feeling of intimate rapport with these gracious people-a people who dare to defy change. ..,.;

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.. !ldh,huUlCt rituals: Known in Balinese as a ~Iafiida, this revered man in full regalia is of

bnlLbnuma, or highest class of priests, and apjp&ln.jn..J~ temple only at special times to

voweTftlUol.llWfrtn!ZS and commune with

ERHAPS NOWHERE ON EARTH IS HINDUISM

energetic and culturally explicit than the tiny island of Bali. It has a unique ex

pression, different than India, yet the same. Perhaps it mirrors what Hinduism was like in

India 1,500 years ago. Let's explore a bit of Bali's religious beliefs, temple structure and rites of passage, excerpting generously from the scholarly Bali, Sekala & Niskala, by Fred Eiseman.

August occasion: Young girls perform the baris dance in a large temple's outer courtyard. Bali's temples are hubs for traditional entertainment. If a dance is especially sacred, it will be performed in the temple's innermost courtyard. Inset: A wooden dance dra-ma mask Kumbakama, I Ravana's younger brother:

(' Eons ago, seven celestial nymphs from the Pleiades star cluster visited Earth. A prince fell in love with one, and a child was born-half divine, half earthly. That child is all children. And so goes the Balinese version of human origins. If a Balinese child cries at night, she is comforted by being shown the night sky and gently told, "There is your mother, where we all come from and where we all return. There's no need for tears." "Religion is everywhere," wrote Gregor Krausse, a young medical officer sent to Bali by the Dutch army in 1912. "It causes all laws to descend from Heaven to Earth, it allows nobody and nothing to feel alone. Each duty is divine, each place holy, each hour sanctified, every exterior feature is spiritually connected with the inner life." Balinese call it Agama Hindu Dharma, an amalgamation of elements from Hinduism and Buddhism, mixed with indigenous customs. They produce a colorful mix of ritual and doctrine dominated by two Hindu epics-Mahabharata and Ramayana-and the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva; most temples being dedicated to one of the three. Affinity is shown by an old Mahayana Buddhist poem composed in Java: "The one substance is called two, Buddha or Siva. They say its different, but how can it be divided by two? Such is how the teaching of Buddha and Siva became one. It's different, but it's one; there aren't two truths." Ida Sanghyang Widi Wasa is the Balinese equivalent of the Supreme God of the Vedas, Brahman.

Balinese are never alone, but coexist with good and evil forces. Life is devoted to maintaining an equilibrium, so that neither Gods or demons get the upper hand. All religious practices are based on this principle, summed up by Balinese painter Dewan Nyoman Batuan, "Everything has its opposite- up/down, day and night, good and evil. If we can integrate these opposites, then we share the strengths of both in our lives and our art." How is this done? Mainly through honoring the Gods daily (in traditional dress) with fruits, flowers, incense and food, and-where Bali departs from classical Hinduism-honoring the demons just as equally, but with meat and rotten vegetables. If the demons are not constantly pacified, believe the Balinese, they can wreak havoc and disrupt the balance. But if they are honored, they can actually be helpful. Another contributor to a balanced cosmos is trance. Channelers, known as balians, are commonly hired by families to bring through ancestors and other entities, who are asked if they are well satisfied in their world, or if more offerings should be given to them.

In celebration of this integration is the arts. "Everybody in Bali seems to be an artist," wrote Miguel Covarrubias in 1937. "Coolies and princes, priests and peasants, men and women alike, can dance, play musical instruments, paint or carve in wood or stone." And it's still like that today. Whether carving a mask to represent a God or performing a sacred dance to welcome the Deities in a temple, all the arts strive to bring alive the Gods and demons from great epics.

28 HINDUISM TODAY OCTOBER , 1998

I Wayan Dibia, Director of the National Institute of Art in Denpasar, says, ''A dancer must purify herself with rituals, because dance is a religious offering. It comes from Siva Nataraja. All movement came from Siva when He created the macro and microcosms."

Temples: Every family compound (each contains homes for brothers and their families) has its temple in the corner closest to Mt. Agung. A village has three public temples: in the center is Pura Desa, temple of the first settlers, dedicated to Brahma. In the mountain direction is Pura Puseh, dedicated to Vishnu. At the opposite end is Pura Dalem, dedicated to Siva. One of the oldest temples in Bali, Goa Gajah, is a cave dedicated to Lord Ganesha, the only one

of its kind, thought to have been created during Bali's first contact with Hindus from Java. Jitendra Russle, a recent visitor to Bali, says he was told by a priest that twice people have tried to steal the ancient Ganesha icon. In the first case, the thief was attacked by a rooster and fell to his death. In a later attempt, two thieves were found in a trance on a roadside, with a rooster standing guard!

Each village temple is divided into three roofless sections. In the upslope direction is the inner sanctum, which contains sacred shrines. If the land is flat, the sanctum is elevated. During a temple anniversary festival, carved humanlike figures are taken out of repositories, placed in the shrines and Gods are invited to inhabit

them. This courtyard is divided from the rest of the temple by a wall and a huge split

gate decorated with a carving of a leering face, bhoma, whose fangs and bulging eyes keep evil away from the holiest area. A temple's middle section contains storage rooms, a kitchen and pavilions for ar

ranging offerings before they are taken into the inner courtyard. Separated by another

wall and gate is the least sacred courtyard, where secular activities are permitted: food stalls are present and people relax, eat and chat.

The brahmana priests, pedandas, are revered spiritual leaders. Besides conducting subtle temple ceremonies and dispensing holy water to fam

S ilies, it's their duty to help other castes with ~ sculpture repairs, cremations, house purifications t: and family temple anniversaries where they read " ~ from the Balinese sacred scriptures, lontars. It's a ~ joy for Ida Rsi Bujangga Widnyana, a pedanda ~ who says he is "always asking God through ~ mantras and offerings to make the micro and ~ macrocosm safe and calm, and all life happy." :oJ Rites of passage: Balinese mark, sometimes

with elaborate purification ceremonies, passage from the godlike child to the duty-bound adult. These include: birth, cutting of teeth, puberty, marriage and death. The aim of these rites is to purify and ensure the transition of one's spirit from birth to death and later reincarnation. Everyone HINDUISM TODAY interviewed said tooth filing was the crucial ceremony. While a certain implication in this ceremony is beautification- the front teeth are evened out- the filing is a symbolic reducing of the sad ripu, six personality characteristics: lust, greed, anger, drunkenness, confusion and jealousy. Ms. Ayu Eka, 24, says it was important for her because "it gets rid of bad habits," and Komang Budastra adds it "makes us more godlike and calm."

Nyoman Wenten [see pg 23] describes the ceremony. "I had my tooth filing after graduating from high school (it can happen between ages 12 and 18). I asked the priest to not file my teeth too deeply, because its painful! The priest uses three levels of files, from rough to smooth. Many offerings were given-to the house shrine, where I lay down, etc. With all the people around you, you go into a different state of mind and don't feel the pain as much. For the next three days you have to stay home and eat food that is not chewed."

According to Bali resident Lawrence Blair, "In recent years there's been a government attempt to influence Hindus on Bali to be more monotheistic. But over the last year of political change

we've reverted to the rich brew of the original import from India, a dash of Buddhism and much original island animism. This brew is, to my · mind, what lies behind the much touted 'Bali magic' -and which delights foreign visitors for the same reason that it vexes foreign academic ethnographers: namely, the endless varieties of ritual expression, plus as many interpretive versions of what they mean as there are lay and high priests of the some 20,000 active temples and major shrines on the island. So, the recession may be bad for business, but its been good for the soul of the island." ..,.;

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OCTOBER , 199 8 HINDUISM TODAY 29

/

I

Offering: Giant rice dough sculpture depicts Bali's three worlds. Inset: a typical offering

DEVOTION

Outstanding Offerings Look no further for top standards of selflessness

NE BALMY EVENING IN UBUD, BALI visitor Rima Xoyamaygya looked out her hotel window: "Streaming by me were 300 children and adults joyfully

carrying offerings to a temple festival. A gamelan orchestra played alongside in a truck, and all traffic was stopped. This was my happiest experience on Bali."

Miguel Covarrubias wrote in 1937 that offerings "are given in the same spirit as presents to the prince or friends, a sort of mod-

30 HINDUISM TODAY OCTOBER, 1998

est bribe to strengthen a request; but it is a condition that they should be beautiful and well made to please the Gods and should be placed on well-decorated high altars." These devotional creations are stunningly showcased in the coffee-table book Offerings, The Ritual Art of Bali (160 pages, Image Network Indonesia) , with lavish photos by David Stuart-Fox and accompanying text by Francine Brinkgreve. The following is excerpted from the book:

Except for once a year, no day passes without offerings, found everywhere. Each day the lady of the house places little flowerladen palm leaf containers on a family shrine. A driver places a similar offering on his dashboard. Families graciously carry towers of fruits and cookies to a temple on its armiversary day. Whole villages sometimes create enormous offerings meters high. Within offerings, wondrous details like rice dough figurines and delicate palm leaf creations are nearly hidden from view.

An offering is the most important means of maintaining good relations with Gods and demons. When presented to the Deities, it expresses gratitude and thanks for Earth's fertility, for everything making life. When offered to the demons, it prevents them from disturbing universal harmony. An offering presented to souls of the deceased helps them in their journey toward reincarnation.

So important in helping to maintain the continual renewal of life in Bali, an offering has a life cycle of its own. Its ingredients are the fruits of the Earth, and stay fresh only

for a couple of days. Beyond the ephemeral nature of the materials themselves, the gift is transitory by intention: once offered it may not be offered again. Made one day, gone the next, only to be recreated again and again, it symbolizes the hope that nature itself will continue to renew its fruitfulness.

After daily food is prepared and before a family starts eating, Deities, ancestors and demons receive their share in the form of many tiny offerings consist

ing of small pieces of banana leaf with rice and salt. Every day, too, they are given little offerings called canang, palm leaf containers with colorful flowers and the ingredients for chewing betel: betel leaf, areca nut and lime. Apart from these basic daily offerings, the complex Balinese calendrical system requires more elaborate ones on many special days, such as full and new moons and temple festivals. Gods and ancestors receive their offerings on high shrines whereas demons get theirs on the ground. ~ .

Offerings also serve to cleanse or purify, or act as a kind of seat for the invisible beings witnessing the ceremony. Some offerings are more decorative, such as the sarad, a spectacular structure only seen at major festivals, consisting of a bamboo framework several meters high, totally covered with brightly colored cookies made of rice dough. Balinese certainly have no qualms about displaying their devotion in grand style.~

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31

I I I

· RELIGION

Can it Be ,That the Hare Krishnas Are Not Hindu? ISKGON's Srila Prabhupadas edicts on religion are clear

HERE IS A MISCONCEPTION," wrote His Divine Grace

A.c. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 197'7 in Sci

ence of Self Realization, "tha~ the Krishna consciousness movemen1: represents the Hindu religion. Sometimes Indians both inside and outside of India think that we are preaching the Hindu religion, but actually we are not." In chapter three of the book [available from Bhaktivedanta Archives, P.o. Box 255, Sandy Ridge, North Carolina 27046 USA],.this startling point is made several times: "The Krishna consciousness movement has nothing to do with the Hindu religion or any system @f religion .... One should clearly understand that the Krishna consciousness movement is not preaching the so-called Hindu' religion."

>

= u

" .,

mains the case today, for Srila Prabhupada left no.i successor with the authority to change his spiritual edicts.

So why does the general Hindu community mistakenly believe that ISKCON is a Hindu organization, when it never describes itself as such? Well, it sometimes does. D.uring the recent ISKCON temple openings in New Delhi and Bangalore, where news: paper reports frequently identified the grand temples as Hindu, the ISKCON press

releases, such as that of April 15, 1998, never used the H word. Yet, when Indian devotees serving at each of those' temples were aske"d in late July by jour- rnalists for this article, they said it is a Hindu temple. The discrepancy between public per- I

ception and internal policy is further confused by the group's official exceptions to the nonHindu position. Faced with difficulties, ISKCON leaders have appealed to the Hindu community to back them up, as in a dispute over the Bhaktivedanta Manor in the UK or when being hassled by Christians in Russia and Poland. In appeals to judges and governments, the word Hindu is openly used. In other legal cases, including one to the US Supreme Court, ISKCON has attempted to counteract the "cult" l.abel by claiming to be a traditional Hindu lineage, and asked other Hindus to affirm this in the courts. Other organizations who parted company with Hinduism, such as Transcendental Meditation and Brahma Kumaris, do not compromise their position under anX circumstances.

Followers of Srila Prabhupada have assembled all of his letters, books, lectures, interviews and conversations on the Bhaktivedanta Vedabase [alsp available from Bhaktivedantd- Archives] . This CD-Rom database yielded 18:3 references to Hinduism, which were compiled and analyzel'i to understand Srila Prabhupada's point of view.

What also sets ISKCON apart ISKCON founder: Srila Prabhupada (1896--1977) leading.bhajana is its open repudiation and criti

cism of HinduisJ;Il, especially among members. There are :reports of Hindus who joi,ned I1iKCON only to be taught to reject their family's religion. "Previously we were HiJidus. Now we are Hare Krishnas," sOlI}e said. At the same time, the organization often appeals to the'lfindu community and bU§inessmen for financial support of its social programs and political help to protect ISKCON from detractors. '

Often Srila Prabhupada would, simply deny the existence of a religion called "Hin- .. duism." He attributed the improper designation to "foreign invaders." At other times he a,cknowledged the existence of the faith, but considered it a hopelessly degraded form of th'e original Sanatana Dharma of the. Vedas. In his April, 1967, New York lectj..rres he remarked, ''Although posing as great scholars, ascetics, householders and swamis, the socalled followers of the Hindu religion are all useless, dried-up branches of the Vedic religion." ISKCON, he believed, was the oilly true exponent of the Vedic faith today. In an interview given for Bhavan's Journal on June 28, 1976, he said, "India, they have given up the real religious system, Sanatana Dharma. Fictitiously, they have accepted a hodgepodge thing which is called Hin-

32 HINDUISM TOD AoY OCTOBER , 1 9 9 8

I

duism. Therefore there is trouble." The Guru frequently explainecL his posi

tion, and acted upon his beliefs in establishing his dynamic society. At a 1974 Mumbai lecture, he declared, "We are not preaching Hindu religion. While registering the association, I purposely kept this !lame, 'Krishna Consciousness,' neither Hindu r ligion nor Christian nor Buddhist religion."

Srila Prabhupada was aware that the Indian community had a mistaken impression of his Hinduness. In a 1970 letter to a temple administrator in Los Angeles, he wrote, "The Hindu community in the West has got some good feeling for me because superficially they are seeing that I am spreading Hindu reUgion, but factually this Krishna Consciousness movement is neither Hindu religion nor any other religion." That re-

Considering ISKCON's appearancesmember's dress, names, bhajana, festivals, worship, scripture, pilgrimage, temple building; and so forth-it's little wonder that so many have assumed they are Hindus. To fmd out they are not will certainly surprise many-Hindus and non-Hindus alike. It may even surprise a few Hare Krishnas themselves. wi

IDENTITY

Who Then Are the Hindus?

., o FIND OUT WHICH ORGAmZATIONS with prominence in the West call

themselves Hindus, we tapped the massive power of the Internet's World Wide

Web. Many major Hindu, not exactly Hindu

the table below, including an excerpted statement on their position.

The method isn't perfect, and ,perhaps some ,.9rganizations don't quite mean what they say (or don't say) on their web site. The cle1p'est distinction is between those who declare up front they are Hindus, and those who never use the word "Hindu" anywhere-despite their teaching of Hindu scriptures, worship of Hindu deities, etc.

and non-Hindu organizations have a web site, and a search of each usually locates a statement of identity, aims and purposes. The resUlts of our search are summarized in

Swami Chinmayanallda: The founding member of the Vishwa Hindu Paris had said, "My mission is to convert Hindus to Hinduism"

The organizations which are fmnly in the Hindu camp 'l[e those that share responsibility for all Hindus. Those who have set themselves apart are not necessarily concerned with the promotion, protection and '" renaissance of our religion. Hindus need to educate themselves about: organizations, and especially distinguish in their minds those, such as ISKCON, the Brahma Kumaris and ·TM, who have completely forsaken the Hindu fold to pursue an independent path. wi

Organization AryaSamaj Chinmaya Mission Gitananda Ashram (Italy) Hindu Students Council Hindu Temple Society of North America International Swaminarayan Satsang (ISSO) Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam Nityananda Institute Ramakrishna Mission (New York) Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Saiva Siddhanta Church Swaminarayan Hindu Mission (BSS) Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)

Yoga-Vedanta Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Divine Life Society Ramanashrama (Ramana Maharshi) Siddha Yoga Dham (Chidvalasananda) Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers

Social Service and/or Universalism Ananda Marga Gayatri Pariwar M.A. Ashram (Mata Amritanandamayi) Sadhu Vaswani Mission Integral Yoga Institute (Satchidananda) Satya Sai Baba Self-Realization Fellowship Sri Sri Ravi Shankar

New Religions or Non-Religious Brahma Kumaris ISKCON Transcendental Meditation Veerashaivite

'"

Statement of Purpose "move Hindu dharma away from all factitious beliefs, back to Vedas" "Chinmayananda's ... primary aim was 'to convert Hindus to Hinduism'"

,

"If you are really interested in the Hindu culture and spirituality, click here" "Learn about Hindu heritage and culture" "Everything in Hinduism begins with worship of Ganapati" "Our sampradaya in Hinduism is called Swaminarayan" "propagation of Sankara's advaita based on Vedic tenets" "Trika Yoga, an Indian Tantric tradition of Kashmir Saivism" 'based on Vedanta, both the religion and philosophy of the Hindus" "[ Our] supreme task ... is to consolidate the Hindu society" "a traditional Hindu fellowship" [Subramuniyaswami, publisher HINDUISM TODAY] "a socio-spiritual organization with its roots in the Vedas" "foster Hindu unity, consolidate Hindu society, work for Hindu interests"

"Institute for the traditional study of Vedanta ... " "Disseminate spiritual knowledge [by] yoga, and revival of true culture" "ashram confers on devotees of all religions mental peace, bliss and happiness" "Wisdom of India's ancient sages ... welcomes people of all faiths and cultures" "Yoga can be practiced by individuals with any set of beliefs"

"an international social service organization" "charitable and educational organization ... integrating sciences with spirituality" "infused devotion to God, love for fellow beings and spirit of s'elfless service" "non-sectarian, non-political, non-communal body" "a spiritual center based on principles of yoga and ecumenism" "not come to speak on behalf of any particular religion, e.g. Hindu religion" "reveal the basic oneness of original Christianity and original yoga" "engaged in community services and spreading Vedic knowledge"

[Designated their organization as a new religion at Global Forum meetings] "is neither Hindu religion nor any other religion." "purely a practical technique ... a science ... does not depend on any faith" "Veerashaivas call Veerashaivism a separate religion"

Note: InfoTTTU.Ltion here is based upon statements on each organization's World Wide Web sites. See www.hindu.orglteachersorgslidentityl for a complete listing of URLs to the complete original documents. Organizations wishing to clarify the information given on their web sites, or those not listed at all, may send their position statement to the editor of Hinooism Today.

OC TOB E R , 199 8 H I'N DUISM TODAY 33

;'

· RELIGION

Pot~nt Pagan Po -ow Representatives of Europes pre-Christian faiths meet in Lithuania, last of th~ Pagan nations

OR SIX DAYS OVER THE SUMMER

solstice, 200 representatives to the World Pagan Congress met in Vilnius, capital city of the Baltic coun

try of Lithuania. 1)1e modest event augured well for what is being called

" Europe. As church membership drops across the continent, some are harkening back to the pre-Christian days when the Pagan religion flourished. That wasn't so long ago in Lithuania, where Paganism was suppressed: only in the 18th century. In nearby parts of Ukraine and Russia, Pagan ritual never ceased. The congress is one attempt among several to regather the threads of tradition and re-establisP. ancient indigenous religions.

Timed to begin on- the June 20 solstice, the 50 international participants joined their local hosts and about half of Lithuania's 3.7 million people for th~ national celebration of Rasa, a Pagan festival. In the cities, people just party late into the night, bu~ in the countryside they assemble, as they have for centqries, outside the villages on forest hills

Lithuania: Reviving a nation's Pagan past

34 HINDUISM TODA.Y OCTOBER, 1998

near rivers, decor~te themselves and kupolines, sacred poles, with wreaths of herbs and ferns, and build large bonfires. The congress gathered for the night's celebrations outside Vilnius, at the nearby K€rn ve ruins, medieval capital of Pagan Lithuania. Dancing around bonfires to ethnic music was followed by setting floats with candles adrift on the nearby Neris river.

This Rasa celebratjon is remarkably close in practice and name to rasayatra, the festival celebrated in North India in the lunar monMl of Karttika (OctoberlNovember), by nocturnfil dances in circles and representations of-the sports of Krishna. It is only one indication of how closely allied these Pagan faiths are with Hinduism. Lithuanian is additionally the oldest living language of Europe, closely related to Sanskrit and ancient Greek and hence widely studied by linguists. These three languages were used as a basis for the reconstruction of Proto-Indo-European. '

Returning from the Rasa celebration at 3 AM, dawn, organizers wisely set the con

gress opening ceremonies for late afternoon, at the statue of Grand Duke Gediminas. He was the 14th-century Pagan ruler who defended Lithuania against Christian crusaders seeking· to convert his nation by force. In his time, he declared that Pagans, Catholics and 0 1;thodox Christians worship the same.,Qivinity in different forms, and guaranteed religious· freedom. His openness did little good, for it is a fact of European history that nation after nation was converted to Christianity by conquest, and the existing Pagan faith in each forcibly suppressed. Lithuania fell to the crusaders in i41O, just fifty years after Gediminas' rule. Pagan temples were demolished and church-

e; built upon their ruins. Even then, ~ church missionaries complained tlJat the peasant population-who regarded the Christians '8.s foreign invaders-were tenacious in holding to their old beliefs. The last Pagan temple was closed in-1790. Paganism and Lithuanian nationalism have since been' linked, and provided a double reason for the people's resistance to conversion. Even the Soviet occupation following World War II failed to eliminate Romuva, the national Pagan church. Believers, including Jonas Trinkunas, one of the congress organizers and a leading religious scholar, kept it alive through to the nation's independence in the '80S.

On the 22nd evening, Lithuanians, Lat-

vians and Belorussians conducted a Baltic fire ritual for congress members at the Romuva temple, followed by Russian, Ukranian and Polish rites. After the fire was lit, Dainas [related to Sanskrit dhyanam, "medi.tation"], ancient Pagan songs known as the "Lithuanian Vedic hymns," were sung as participants slowly circled the fire altar. Beer was offered first to the FIre Goddess Gabija (tuso known as Ugnis, the same as the Hindu FIre-God ' AgniY;- then to the Earth Goddess Zemyna, the ancestors and finally to the deities of the skies. Everyone was offered a sip of the sanctified beer. The Russian Pagan priest, Vadim Kazakov, smudged everyone's third eye with ashes from the fire, in accordance

with traditions-this use of sacred ash being another parallel to Hindu practice.

On the third and fourth day, c9ngress delegates discussed their concerns, such as the on-going demolition of ancient temples in Greece and the discrimination against Pagans in the Czech republic, where people have lost their jobs because of their beliefs. They drafted a declaration [sidebar] and have continued discussions on the Internet (www.wwa.coml-audriusl) since the event, working to set up a meeting next year in Greece. ..,..;

Pagans celebrate: (clockwise from top) Congress guests at statue of Gediminas, Lithuania's great Pagan king. Fire ritual at Vilnius, June'22. Modem druids at Stonehenge, England, on June 21 solstice.

At Vilnius Pagans Define Their Faith

E HAVE GATHERED TO EXPRESS OUR

solidarity for the ethnic, indigenous, native and/or traditional religions of Eu

rope and the world. All cultures, native religions and faiths should be equally valued and respected. Each religion and each people have their distinctive local traditions (faith, mythology, etc. ) which articulate their love of their land and history, and cultivate a regard for the sacredness of all life and the divinity of Nature. Just as Nature survives through a wide variety of species, so can humanity be allowed to develop freely and without interference along a wide variety of cultural expressions. According to our ancient traditional ethics, the Earth and all creation must be valued and protected. We as human beings must find our place within the web of all life, not outside or separate from the whole of creation.

We share a common understanding of our position in the world, based upon our common historical experience of oppression and intolerance. Ethnic and/or "Pagan" religions have suffered great injury and destruction in the past from religions claiming they possess the only truth. It is our sincere wish to live in peace and harmony, and to strive for cooperation with the followers of all other religions, faiths and beliefs. We believe that the dawn of a new era of individual and intellectual freedom and global exchange of views and information gives us an opportunity to start again to return to our own native spiritual roots in order to reclaim our religious heritage.

We are worshipers of Nature, as most of humanity has been for the greater part of hUlllan history True indigenous religions should give us love and respect for all that we see and feel around, to accept all forms of worship which emphasize sincere hearts, pure thoughts and noble conduct at every moment of our life, towards all that exists. Let us be proud of our reborn ethnic religions. Our new Universalism induces people not to remain closed within walls of hatred and jealousy against those who are not inside our walls. We established the World Congress of Ethnic Religions to help all ethnic religion groups survive and cooperate with each other. Our motto is "Unity in Diversity."

weER, v l VULSn o 27-4. LT-20og VILNIUS, LITHUANIA. EMAI L: [email protected]


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· MYSTICS ,

Solar-Powered Seer Gnostic Mas't~r of Surya Yoga spre~d the Sun's divine powers throughout France

N THIS DEEPAVALI MONTH,

it is appropriate that we honor a man of light. For thousands of years, pious Hindus

have recited the-GayatFi mantra in praise of Savitri, the quickening aspect of the life-giving 'Sun. In o'ur own time, this ancient solar teaching has had a most ardent and convincing spokesman in the person of Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov. The Bulgarian-born European master made the life-bestowing solar being the focus of his whole life and teaching. Mainstream Christians denounced him, for Aivanhoy was a follower of Gnosticism, a pre-Christian Pagan, Je)Nish and early ChristiaI'J. esoteric tradition regarcted as heresy by many orthodox. Over the centuries, European mystics have often turned to the syncretic Gnostic theology as a system within which to expound their realizations.

Aivanhov was born in 1900 in the village of Serbtzy in Mace- " donia, a small Balk1Pl country § just north of Greec1!. He early .., on became fascinated with spir- ~ itual matters. At the age of six- ~ teen, ,he was plunged into a state ~ of eostasy in which he experi- ~ enced everything bathed in, Z

ited nearly every country in the world. When touring India in 1960, Aivanhov

was welcomed by severa'! renowned Hindu sages, including Swami Nityananda, as an accomplished master from Europe. The title "Omraam," bestowed on him by Neernkaroli Baba when visiting that Indian sage, is the French spelling Of the two sacred syllables am and Ram. His devotees remarked upon his return from Iiitlia that he seemed a

deeply changed man, different even in physical appearance.

It was on the basis of his own spiritual realization and of his reading of what he called the "Book of Nature" that Aivanhov discovered in the Sun a great secret. He observed, "Deprived of sunshine, men could never have I

existed. Without his light, men could never have had the faculty of sight, and not only on the physical level but also on the intellectuallevel: they could never have had understanding, for understanding is a higher form of sight." Rivanhov taught that, as a supremely intelligent being, the Sun is responsive to our spiritual intentions and aspirations, able to reply "in a flash, like an electronic machine." Thus his teachings parallel the Gayatri Mantra, "We meditate upon the glorious splendor of the Vivifier divine. May He Himself illumine our minds."

and suffused with, light-an ex- European mystic: Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov in France, 1984

Aivanhov gave the name Surya Yoga, "Solar Yoga," to the conscious cultivation of that solar umbilical ~ord to the Divine. He explained: "By the practice of Surya Yoga you establish a link between yourse,lf and the power that governs and gives life to the whole Universe: the Sun. That is why you must necessarily get results! No book can give you ·what ,the Sun gives yO\!, if perience that left a lasting mark

on his understanding of the nature of existence. Aivanhov had learned Hindu philosophy and yoga through the books of "Swami Ramacharaka"-pen name of the erudite Alnerican writer William Walker . Atkinson-published at the turn of th~ century.

Aivanhov's yoga without a guru's guidance proved hazardous. He later said, "I had throwiJ. myself tot~y into certain yoga exercises of breathing and concentration. One could say that I.had lost my head. I spent days and nights studying, fasting, meditating, concentrating, breathing, and I became thin, pale and very' weak." He experienced the awakening of kundalini, the primordial cosmic energy which lays dormant at the base of the spine. "It was a terrible sensation, as if

36 HI\'IDUISM TODbY 0 TOBER, 1998

my head was on fire. I was very afraid. I then made gigantic efforts to make it go to sleep again, and I succeeded. As I was so young, it would have been the greatest disaster for me if I had not been capable pf making this force go to sleep once again." ,

A year later he found his teacher in the saintly Peter Deunov (Beinsa Deuno), a Gnostic master who had a following of tens of thousands organized as the "Universal White Brotherhood." At his teachers behest, Aivanhov immigrated to France in 1937 to spread the teaching of light outside. his homeland. He lived and tirelessly taught in France for nearly half a century until his death in December of 1986. He also traveled widely, saying once he thought he'd vis-

YQU learn to have the proper relationship with him. If you want to create a bond b E;{tween you [and the Sun], you have to) ook at him in all consciousness. If you do that, there will ])e a communication of vibrations between the Sun and you in which forms and colors, a whole new world, will be born."

Master Aivanhov never wrote anything( but his countless talks were recorded and collected by his disciples. Over forty volumes of these impromptu talks are in print in English and other languages, with hundreds more being planned for publication over the coming years. .-

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for help. A10ng with dietary help, I recommended a simple tea made trom hot water, ghee and triphala which she took for three months every evening after dinner. Her condition is now vastly improved.

For centuries ghee has been used as a reme,dy during the seasonal junctions when diseases tend to become more prevalent. At the onset of spring, a t~blespoon of ghee may be taken with a few pinches of turmeric every morning for a week or so. Similarly, a tablespoon of ghee can be taken for a week at the commencement of summer with a teaspoon,of unrefmed· br~wn sugar; at the onse'tofthe rainy seaSOFt combined with a few pinches of rock salt; at the arrival of autumn with a teaspoon of honey and as winter sets in, mixed with a teaspoon of molasses.

Proper preparation and utilization of the essence of the cow is itself a form of s~dhana BY BRAHMACHARIN'I MAYA TIWARI

EDIC SEERS CONSIDERED MILK TO BE

most sattvic (peace-producing) food humankind. From this salubrious l~HHl<;!U, choice butter, buttermilk,

and ghee are made-that is, when the quality has remaint:d pure and un-

o • tamp'ered with, Throughout the ages, milk has' been used Widely but not wisely. Because,of the corruption prevalent in todays animal husbandry, we are in danger of losing this sacred food of the earth. The crhel practices engaged in minding the animals, as well as the arsenal of poisons, chemic~s and >hormones which are used in their feed, all contribute to the misery of this beneficent animal, the impa,irment of her life-sustaining milk and the dimming of her ~

. natural Divine Light. But when butter, yogurt ui > and ghee are made from milk produced by '---___ --'!LL:;iIU

conscious organic dairy farmers, they are con

Ghee is made by boiling sweet butter, thereby ridding it of enzymes that could • encourage bacteria. The quality of the ghee depends on the quality of the butter, as well as the means of making it and how it is stored. Stored in the right conditions, ghee not oruy lasts a 16ng time, but its medicinal value increases as it ages. Used in small quantity, ghee is ideal for cooking as it does not burn unless heated excessively. It blends with food nutrients without losing its medicinal quality and therefore soothes and nourishes bodily constituents.' Ghee is good for persons of all doshas (constitutional types) and is a specific for pitta. It requir~s no refrigeration, should be kept covered, away from direct sunlight or lieat and protected from any contaminants.

sidered to be our most nourishin.g and healing foods. Among them, ghee stands out as the elixir for excellent health.

Sushruta, an ancient Ayurvedic seer, regarded ghee as an intelligence-building principle that fosters the bodys confidence and virility. Another ancient, Charaka, praises ghee's ability to promote mem0ry and immunity within the body. From the perspective of sadhana,. spiritual discipline, ghee is associated with the body's. elemen~of love. Its dominant action allows it to soothe our vital tissues. In Ayurveda, ghee is used as a primary vehicle for conveYi ing her:bal powders, essences and medicines into affected tissues because it penetrates them and enlivens vital tissue memory, soothing the body, inind and spirit of the patient.

Ghee also builds ojas, the body's primordial immunological force, thereby reducing fatigue and stress while aiding the body to let go

. of its toxicity, Ghee may be used ~n cooking to reduce fatigue, . emaciation, loss of appetite and stress from time to time through-

out the year. Since the nature of gh~e is usually peaceful and nourishing, it accommodates all metabolic types, restoring agni, digestive fIre, and allowing the body to adjust to its newly attuned state of revitalization,

A few stories may best serve to illustrate the vast healing powers of ghee. Lynn had a. severe strep infection irl her throat. After one week'bf gargling with ghee, turmeF1C and warm water, her throat infection was gone, Eric, who had a chronic case of psoriasis, treated his condition oy applying a poultice made from ghee and neem powder. One month later, Eric's skin ailment was completely cured. Gita had suffered from years of nervous exhaustion, constipation

Ceremony of ghee making: In times of yore, Vedic monks basked in the joyous ceremony of making ghee. This was held at pumima, the full moon. In meditative silence they would oversee the various stages of preparation. You, too, can approach ghee making as a sadhana. Proceed with a clean body and a calm mind. As the Vedic monks discovered, this sadhana can evoke the sattvic mind and brings forili wondrous healing energies in its practice. Be mindful of the aromas, sounds and presence of this delightful ceremony. For one pound of organic, sweet (unsalted) butter, you will need a heavy stainless steel saucepan, a staipless steel spoon and a glass storage jar, all sterilized in advance with bo$ng water. Melt • the but.ter in the saucepan oyer low flame. Continue to heat until it boils gently and a bUff-colored foam rises to the surface. Do not stir the melted butter or remove the foam (which would result in "clarified butter," common in Western cooking). Allow the ghe~ to cook gel}tly until the foam thickens arfd settles to the bottom of the pan as sedi~nt. When the ghee turns a golden color and begins to boil silently, with only a trace of air bubbles on the surface, it is

" done, When it is cool, pour the liquid into the jar, making sure that the sediments remain on the bottom of the saucepan.

MAYA TIWARI, founder of the Wise Earth School of Ayurueda, is reviving and reintrodUcing Vedic Earth Sadhana teachings, An established author, b.er columns for HINDUISM TODAY are based on her newest work, Migrant Spirit: Recovering Our Ancestral'Memories, to be published in the spring of 1999. Tiwari lives reclusively as a brahmacharini in Asheville, North Carolina, USA.

OCTOBER, Igg8 HINDUISM TODAY 39

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PARENTING . Not Taking 'It Out on .Kids Positive parenting without ,swats; threats or screams

By TARA K ATIR, HAWAII

( . au ARE OUT SHOPPING . with your child. She

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to cooperate, please you and be like you. Kersey gives hundreds of suggestions for

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h 'ldr b ,. A Parent's Guide 10 our c 1 en ecome our ~ Posilive Discipline

porates spanking, yelling or threats. Those techniques do bring immediate results. Yes, out of fear your child )'Iill stop. However, Kersey says, by spanking, threatening p.nd yelling we are teaching violence as a problemsolving technique . and creating a child who is resentful, revengeful, rebel-• lious, deceitful and believes himself unworthy. Instead, Kersey advocate.s, treat children and,young adul.(s with respect, and they will want to please us and imitate us. Discipline becomes easier,

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Computer

Fast, friendly, fun software-Hindi, Sanskrit, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, diacritics, all-inone for Windows, now on special offer. Call 416-315-3186 (Canada).

www.spiritway.com • Body-mind-spirit resource center. Tel: 888-459-1020 (USA).

Devotional Supplies

Ganges clayfired statues for puja, meditation, immersion, other rituals. Sixty intricately hand-painted images, many hard to find. Color catalog includes 200 other deities. Send US$2 to: JBL, Box 163 H, Crozet, VA 22932-0163 USA.

Quality Incense from India. Golden Rose. Neel Kamal Pure Sandalwood cones, and more. Tel 970-949-6329 USA Email vel@vailnet

Beautiful wooden puzzles. Krishna, gods & goddesses. Also two games for Hindu children: "Memory" and 'Dominoes."Call Lakshmi: 209-337-2477 (USA). [email protected]

Education

Excellent correspondence course on Vedic Astrology by Jyotish Krishnan, recipient of several awards including the recent award of Jyotish Vachaspathi by ICAS, India. Normal cost for four courses, US$558 (registration through May '98: $200 off). TeVfax: 972-783-1242 or write: PO Box 852892,

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Accredited Vedic astrology degree program offered by state-recognized Florida Vedic College (FVe.) Also: books, workshops. Contact Shyamasundara Dasa, Dean of Astrology (FVC), Jyotish Sastri, member ICAS, fully trained by masters in India, over 20 years experience, author of the pioneer Matrix Jyotish Vedic astrology program that made Vedic astrology accessible to the West. Tel 352-332-3931. E-mail: [email protected]

Vedic Astrology classes, workshops, tapes, books. Offered by Umananda- Stephen Quong, Ph.D. , Jyotisha Vachaspati.17513 Grizzly Den Road, Lake Shastina, CA 96094-9448, USA. Tel: 530-938-2997. Website: wwwjyotisha.com E-mail: [email protected]

Free Products and Services

Free educational flow charts on all aspects of Hinduism. Write to Viswanath. Am I a Hindu? Box 56697, New Orleans, LA 70156-6697 USA. [email protected]

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Jewelry

Jyotish/ayurveda gem and metal information. Free brochure. Informative video: $12. Satisfaction guaranteed. King Enterprises, 1305 N. H St.lA-289-T, Lompoc, CA 93436-4377 USA. Tel: 805-736-0449 (no credit cards.)

Astrological rings, pendants of gemstones, made to order in 14, 18, 22 karat gold or silver. Call Manju: 914-434-6630 (USA). Website: www.moneesh.com

Sweet, sattvic jyotis_h quality gemstones. "The quality of the gem is directly related to the power of the effect." Importer, wholesaler, G.I.A. graduate gemologist with 18 years experience personally selects the best Jyotish quality gemstones for you. Superior quality, competitive pricing, satisfaction guaranteed. Visa, Me. We ship anywhere. Jay Boyle Company • Tel: 800-559-5090 (USA) Website: www.astrologicalgem.com

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Exquisite Vedic paintings done to order. Art book, Windows to Spiritual World. Pushkar, PO Box 1094, Alachua, FL 32615-1094 USA. Tel: 904-462-0144. www.seva.iskcon.netlpushkaralintrop.htm

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Auromere: Sri Aurobindo books, classical spiritual texts, ayurveda books, children's books from India, ayurvedic products, incense, and much more. Free catalog: 1-800-735-4691 (USA).

Palani Pan chang 1998. Trivedi's American Panchang available in English or Gujarati. ~S$9 +$2 sib. 3 versions for NY, Chicago, San Francisco times. 510-490-1533. Devendra Trivedi, 4831 Piper St, Fremont, CA 94538 USA.

Yoga

Yoga in Daily Life. Yoga, meditation, guest lecturers, satsang. Books, audio & video tapes and more. Free catalog. 1310 Mt. Vernon, Alexandria, VA 22301-1714 USA. E-mail: [email protected] • Tel: 703-299-8946 • Fax: 703-299-9051.

Ayurveda Encyclopedia Natural Secrets to Healing, Prevention and Longevity

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••• , .It.l' ll •• 1 ••• ' •• ;'.l ~ ,l"l \;",." •• 'll" ll.", ••• ' •• I' l' l' l', ll.ll ••• \ l' II ,I" ~ ~~~ ~ ~~.~~~~~.~~~~~~~~~

HEALING

Sweet and Insidious: , . Ptease Pass the Su~{ Few fully comprehend the serious physical ailments. incurred from excessive sugar intake . \

BY DEVANANDA TANDi\VAN, M.D.

UGAR'S EFFECT ON OUR

well being is a very controversial subject. Any of the following symptoms may be

related to a high intake of simple sugar: anxiety, bed-wetting, tooth decay, depression, diabetes, poor .. \ . . lIIlIIlune response, perSpIratIOn, fainting, fatigue, heart disease, hypog~cemia,insomnia,memory loss, obeSity,' osteoporosis, seizures, skin rashes, itching, rapid heart beat, hoarseness, vaginal' itching, weakness, marked irritability and many others.

The causal relationship of these symptoms is rather complex. For instance, a high intake of sugars will produce an elevation of insulin secretion. If the sugar is not all utilized, the insulin will help convert some of the sugar to fats which thEm are deposited in the arteries, especially the small arteries of the heart. 1P.ose people who eat a lot of sweet foods tehd to overeat, as the sugars do not satisfy the appetite as well as the more complex carbohydrates. That is, they p.o not fill us. Since B vitamins are required to help metabolize the sugars, these are taken from the stored quantities, which can easily be depleted. These factors combined tend to produce not just obesity but hypertension and heart problems.

Usually, by sugar we mean the highly purified, concentrated, white product of sugar beets or sugar cane. Alsp there are other sugars such as: raw sugar, brown sugar, fruit sugar, milk sugar, honey, 'sucanat, maple, jaggery, etc. Of these, white sugar is the most processed and contains a singular structure of sucrose. Pure white sugar has zero nutritional value and is only a source of ,pure energy. The other sugars mentioned contain some contaminates or other plant products that give them some, but minimal, nutritional value. The ideal energy source in our diet is the complex carbohydrates from whole grains, fruits and

44 HI)'IDUISM TODAY 0 TOBER, 1998

vegetables. It has been shown that excess

dietary sugar will deplete the stores of copper in the body. There is also a disruption of the calcium/phosphorous ratio, resulting in some degree of bone absorption. Reactive hypoglycemia, the result of sudden increase in blood sugar levels, will manifest as the many psy

chological types of symptoms mentioned above. This is the most easily treated of conditions-one merely needs to lower the intake qf sugars and increase the intake of complex carbohydrates accompanied by high fiber and low protein foods, which are digested more-slowly, so that the sudden rise in blood sugar level does not occur.

The biggest hazard to our dietary efficiency is processed foods, for it is very easy to obtain sugars in these without its presence being obvious. Who would think that tomato catsup is high in sugar? Sugar and salt are both the unsuspected offenders in most proces~ed foods. It is absolutely essential, for health's sake, to become a label reader. It is pos~ible that over 75% of all sugar intake is hidden in the processed foods that are advertised so highly: in the media. These are the first things one should eliminate to reducing dietary sugar. If we could eliminate all hidden sources, we could then control our intake and keep it within the reasonable limiJ of less than 10% of all ingested calories. ....

We must also note that excessive sugar in the diet is addictive, making us slaves to a habit which may be equally as strong as drug or alcohol addiction.

DR. TANDAVAN, 78, retired nuclearphysician and hospital staff preSident, lives inChicago, where he specializes in alternative healing arts. Visit his ho17l£ page at the HINDllSM TODAY website.

EVOLUTIONS RECOVERING: From quintuple heart bypass surgery at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital on July 7 is H.H. Pramukh Swami Maharlij. Swamishri had arrived in New York with a retinue of 12 sadhus for a nationwide tour of Swaminarayan Sanstha temples and centers in North America. The tour was cut short when Swa- Leaving hospital mishri suddenly fell ill. Thousands of fullowers and wellwishers prayed and fasted for the 78-year-old elders complete recovery. After the successful surgery by Dr. Subramanian and his expert team of cardiologists (several of them Swami's followers) , Swami rested at a devotees house in a quite suburb of New York. He had spent 6 days in the hospital before moving out on July 13. As of July 26, Swamis condition is fme, and he is able to eat and walk as per the doctor's advice. While awaiting surgery, Swamishri requested the saints present to sing bhajans and he remained absorbed in worship.

EMBARKING: On a new and ambitious blueprint for life are the world famous classical Indian dancers C.P. Shanta and V.P. Dhananjayan. Having been enriched by dance for so many years, they now want to give back. Their venture is Bhaaskara, a center for Indian culture and arts which they are working to establish in scenic Kerala, on a small hill near an ancient Siva temple. Facilities will include courses in the Indian arts for up to five-hundred students studying in the gurukula system, a craft village and a national theatre.

HONORED: By Pandit Leelapat Sharma, head of the Gayatri Pariwar, Mathura, was Kusumben Patel of Chicago on April 16. Patel was awarded the "Gyan Mashal," the "Torch of Enlightenment," in recognition of her spiritual services in spreading the message Service awarded of the Pariwars Guru, Pandit Shree Ram Sharma.

--"I,.l"., ••• 'I'".".". \ .•• , l \ , •• ,"', ••• ,. \., •• ,.".", ~,. 'l,") ll"'" t\ It'' 'I" ~~ ~~~~~g~~~E~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~

DIVINATION

Leafing Through a Life The mysterious Npdi Shastras saw it all before

OIa oracle: Ancient rishi writes upon ola/ palm) leave~, the essence of the Nadi Shastras I

MAGINE WALKING INTO A SIMPLE

, dwelling in India and having someone : you have never met pull out an ancient l palm leaf and begin reading about your

past, telling about the house you were born in and the name of your parents. Hard to believe, but persons are daily unnerved by such details at the Chennai Mme of Mr. Durai Subburathinam, a "Nadi r~ader." Nadi astrology is relatively unknown in the West, and even in India it's surrounded by mystery. Thousands of palm-leaf bundles of prophecy, going by the name of Nadi Granthas in Tainil in South India and Bhrigu Samhitas in Sanskrit in. the North, expound minute details about a persons life,

including their name, caste, occupation, medical problems and remedies for sins committed in the past life. -Subburathinam says the existence of the leaves can be traced back at least 2 ,000 years. Reading the leaves is a' hereditary profession, passed down from father to son. The leaves are said

. to be aut'hored by the Sapta Rishis (seven sages), who long ago used their divine sight to look into the future and give details about the lives of every soul who would one d.ay go for a Nadi reading.

Another theory-different from the idea that leaves exist only for those who will come-is that readings for all possible horoscopes were written on the leaves. The re-

spected astrologer BV Raman spent many years trying to unravel their mystery. He found most readers were able to give detailed information of one's past up to the prese;;'t, but only a few could accurately predict the future. The best system, according to Raman, were the 36 Tantra Nadis. Each Tantra Nadi contains 1,588,320 astrological charts, which re-occur every 360 years. A third theory is that kshudra devatas (angels, spirit beings) pass on information about the individual to the Nadi reader.

Raman said>'The correctness of the forecasts depended upon the intensity of the rituals performed and recitation of the mantra ' to propitiate the devata. " Raman cites an example: "The native will be born in a holy city on the coast of the ocean. At the age of 20, he will go to a foreign country. His ·mother will die at the age of 22 in his absence. He will marry at 13. At 32, he will be a lawyer. He will always speak truth and will be pure in heart. There will be no distinction between his thoughts, words and deeds. Before the age of 65, 11e will meet the king of the white race. He will resort to fasting for the good of the world and will live b.eyond the age of 70." These accurate details were on the leaf for Mahatma Gandhi.

In Hoshiapur , Punjab, the Nadi reader casts a chart for the moment you walk in his door and then proceeds to find the appropriate leaf, which may take hours. At Subburathinam's Nadi centre in Chennai, only your thumb print is used. The particular pattern of lines in the center of the thumb is identified, and the corresponding set of palm leaves are then taken.

Subburathinam makes it clear that "We are only Nadi reader/. What is written on the leaves is read and explained' by us. We ourselves do not add anything. Some clients get irritated when some of the facts are unpleasant. We carmot help it. Common people and VIPs from all walks of life have consulted us. We show them the particular leaf with the predictions, and some of our customers are able to read the leaves on their own. Some even buy their leaves for preservation. The language 1; poetic, and the script is the same as in the ancient temples. We have only a certain amount of leaves. Natives whose leaves are here will somehow or other come to us at the appropriate age specified on the leaves from any corner of the world. Leaves are Shere not only for Indians, but also for foreigners belonging to other religions. Who,ever is destined to look into the leaves will come to us on his own accord. The very word Nadi in Tamil means 'destined to come on its own accord.' So, we do not advertise for our profession. Whoever is destined to come will come. Faith is the root of our system." \ ~

WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM EXPRESS STAR TELLER. EXPRESS ESTATES, CLUB HOUSE ROAD, MOUNT ROAD, CHENNAI,

INDIA 600002 INDIA. HTTP://www.STARTELLER.COM

OCTOBER, 1998 HINDUISM TODAY 45

/

One God, One World, the theme of

the Iraivan Temple, will be caNed

into its stone ceiling in all the worlds

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TELEVISION

Karma Comes Full Circle TV~s Early' Edition delivers a lesson in Hinduism ,

: N THE POPULAR US TELEVISION SERIES,

1 Early Edition, young Gary Hobson, comanager of a Chicago bar, mysteriously receives the next da)'s new~aper early

each morning. Think about it. If you have to-morrow's news, you know what will happen today. This gives him an overwhelming sense of 'responsibility. He now has the chance to halt disasters, save lives and otherwise intervene'in destiny, which he dutifully does, often aided by bar partner, Chuck Fishman. But the plots are thick, and he usually fmds his own destiny intricately woven with those he tries to rescue. And while there is a prudent non-sectarian stance, there is always the supposition that Hobson is being use<'i by s~e superior cosmic guiding force.

One episode early this year went a bit further and borrowed from Hinduism, hinging an ethical transformation of Fishman on the law of karma. After a typical fateful turn of events, Fishman is deep in trouble, faced with an execution by mob thugs. Hobson and Fishman turn to Crum, a retired police detective 'fho is an earthy former beat-cop. So it is all -the more potent and surprising when Crum casually explains to Fishman that all his problems are due to his own karma: Fishman: Why is this happening to me? Crum: Its your karma. Bad things have a way of catching up with you. You reap what you sow. Fishman: You believe that? Crum: In your case, absolutely. Fishman: You can change your karma, right? I mean, by ds>ing a good deed you can make a difference? Crum: I forgot tq.e rulebook.

At this point, Fishman, desperate for any good karma he can earn, runs out. to help a bag lady cross the street. :But it seems too late. Caught by the mob, Fishman ends' up trapped on a tugboat. Hobson and Crum also become prisoners. A dejected Fishman worries, «Crum says, 'You .reap what you sow.' If that's the case, I'd hate tc;! be me at harvest time."

With no hope for escape and having endangered his friends, Fishman is overcome with the burden of his karma. He confesses to a series of past transgressions which, according to him, reveal his flawed character. He repents, begs forgiveness and vows ,that if he ever gets out of this mess, he will change his ways forever.

They esca~e, barely, and Fishman later learns that the bag lady he helped was actu-

ally a department store heiress millionaire. Convinced that he is a decent man, she gives him $100,000. True to his vow, Fishman decides to leave the bar in order to put the money to use for the benefit of others. His life has been forever transformed by understanding the law of karma. We may never see him again . .. but that's our karma.""

Moneesh Resources - Gifts and Books

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The Book of the Century

"The Divine Vision of Radha Krishn" is a Divine gift by H.D.

Swami Prakashanand Saraswati. It is a

practical guide for all who sincerely desire to

experience the loving Bliss of Radha

Krishn or any other form of God as

described in our scriptures.

The Divine Vision of Radha Krishn

by His Divinity Swami Prakashanand Saraswati It incorporates the philosophy and the theme of more than 400 scriptures and gives a crystal clear view of the path to supreme God.

The Divine Vision of Radha Krishn is, in fact, a reference book that provides the authentic

information about all the aspects of soul, maya, brahm, creation, karm, gyan, yog, sanyas, bhakti, darshan shastras, the Divine

abodes, bhakti tattva, bhagwat tattva, Krishn tattva, Radha tattva, Vrindaban tattva and the devotional path (of raganuga

bhakti) that reveals the Bliss of Divine Vrindaban. Hardbound, 6114 "x 9 112 ", 445 pages, 16 color pages, $45.

• The Desire of Your Inner Self. Definition of God • Dispelling the 15 Most Important Fallacies • What is Grace • The Oneness of all the Forms of God along with Their Blissful Superiority • Kinds and Classes of Saints • The Creation of the Universe is still a mystery to Physicists. Creation as Described in our Scriptures • Reconciliation of all the Philosophies (of the Jagadgurus) • The Practical Side of Raganuga Devotion. Reconciliation of Shankaracharya's advait vad • How to Experience the Bliss of the Name ...

"It is astonishing to find Shree Swamiji's penetrating perception of the complexities of human nature and the marvelous manner in which he co-relates the teachings of all of our ancient scriptures (the Vedas, the Puranas, the Upnishads, the Brahm Sutra and the Gita). His message, though rooted in deep philosophy, is marked by clarity and simplicity and is pragmatic. We need the teachings of Shree Swamiji. " - Justice Ram Nandan Prasad, M.Sc., B.L. Visharad, New Delhi, India

"The Divine Vision of Radha Krishn is the 'book of the century'. " - Smt. Premlata Paliwal, Dir., Vrindaban Shodh Sansthan (Research Institute), India

"Really 'The Divine Vision of Radha Krishn ' is a shastra for devotees of Priya Priyatam. We should be grateful to Shree Swamiji for one of the most authoritative expositions of the spiritual wealth of India ever to be published. " - Dr. Krishnaji, M.A., Ph.D., D.Litt., Principal Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Vrindaban, India

"This is probably the first book in the English language that reveals the true Divine form of Radha Krishn, Divine Vrindaban and raganuga bhakti. " - Prof. Dr. Jayamanta Mishra, Ph.D. VyakaranSah ityacharya, Ex-head of Department of Sanskrit, Bihar University, Muzaffarpur, India

"The Divine Vision of Radha Krishn" by Swami Prakashanand Saraswati ~s a spiritual discourse that answers all the concerns of humankind. " - K.Y.S. Rama Sarma, Editor-in-Chief, National Herald, New Delhi, India

Please send me " The Divine Vision of Radha Krishn" for $45 plus shipping ($3.00 US/Can, $5.00 Intl.). (Allow 2 weeks

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An ashram in the raganuga tradition which is a main aspect of Hindu religion

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BRIEflY", A SAGJ OF THE FOREST, 80-year-old Swami Vankhandi lives high on India's Nicllinba mountain. He is using his spiritual clout to save the region from poachers an~ revive a spirit of environmental stewardship among locals and eve!) government

estation of the region. Other scientists point and these dishes are corrupting the morals of tp,e young people."

officials. Swami has plantyd more than 3,000 trees and hundreds of medicinal plants, posted signs identifying edible tree and shrub species and healing herbs, and he has b"anned logging, foraging and hunting. The swami admits, "Some people are not happy with me, but the trees and birds are."

TEMPLES WERE CLOSED to the public in Hyderabad, India, briefly in July. Priests in most temples in and around the city performed requisite rituals, but admitted no entry to protest a double suicide of two young priests-Srinivasa Shastry, 32, and Ganapati Shastry, ~5, who served at the Sri Sitaramanjaneya complex. The two were found dead under suspicious circumstances. Police conjectured the two were "unable to bear the ignominy at ,the hands of the temple management," whQ had charged them with theft. The police arrested the temple Vice president and ,two of the managing committ) e for abetment of suicide .

AUSTRALIAN PRESS DEFAMED the Hindu' God Ganesha with a crude depiction of Him in The Au.stralian, the nation's leading newspaper, on July 16. The image shows the most loved Hindu God.holding a beer bottle, cake, a cigarette and a glass of beer. It"accompanies an article which has no mention of Ganesha, leading one to wonder even more at the choice. Three . hundred Hindus demonstFated peacefully outside the office of News Ltd., publisher of The Au.stralian. The deputy editor met with Hindu representatives and promised to publish an apology.

IN A FEW THOUSAND YEARS, a tick or two on the cosmic clock, pilgrims to the Ganges river may find a dry river bed. Scientists at the Geological Survey of India (GSI) report

. that Oangotri glacier, the sburce of the holi· est river, is melting and receding at a pace that could leave the Ganges high and dry. Ravi Kumar, a senior scientist at the GSI, ' attributes the rat~ of recession to increased human activity and indiscriminate defor-

, to simply the natural evolution of the glacier, river and planet. But Swami Sundarananda, who lives in Gangotri, states, "In 1947 even this town was full of green cover. Now it has turned into a concrete jungle." , EIGHTEEN LETTERS BY MAHATMA GANDHI were sold for US$33,900 in July by the UK auction house, Sotheby's. Two British Asian businessmen made the purchase for the Indian High Commission (IHC) in London. The letters, written to Indian Moslem ' leader, Maulana Abdul Bari, reveal Gandhi's anxiety over riots which had broken out in protest of British rule. In 1997, the sale by a Hawaii Hindu charity of a separate collection of Gandhi papers collected by V. ~yanam was cancel).ed, and the Haw~ Hindu group agreed to freely give the letters over to the -Indian government. The distinction of the two cases is that the Bari letters were written personally to Bari, and thus were the legal property of his descendents.

BREATHE EASY! A car that runs OI} tankspf compressea air, producing zero pollution, was unveiled in France in February. It is due

to go into mass production in Mexico this year, where it will eventually replace Mexico Citys

87,000 petrol and diesel taxis, Invented by race car engineer

Guy Negre in France, , the ZP engine runs

The hybrid harbinger on an integrated system which starts

the car moving with petrol, then switches to compressed air. A carbon fIltering system in the engirJe results in emissions that are cleaner than the surrounding environment. The cost (electric) to refill the compressed air tmtl< is estimated at $1.60.

IT WAS LOUD AND'CLEAR to all Afghanistanis. On July 10, 1998, the Islamic Talibfm movement, which rules most of Afghanistan, amplified a 1996 ban on audio cassettes and {ave citizens 15 days to dispose of televisions, VCRs and satellite dishes, Af·

. ter the Is-day period, the religious police promised to smash any equipment that remained. The move aims to stop dilution of Islamic culture by Western influenceS' and give Afghans more time to pray. Ha~i Mullah Qalamuddin, a Taliban official explained, "We want to reform society and make it 100 percent Islamic. Televisions

CLOCKWISE Fj\OM TOP: CENTER FOR INDIAN KNOWLEDGE SYSTEMS; KALA VAND~A DANCE CENTER/PETERSON PHOTOGRAPHY; PEOPLE AND THE PLANET

RESIDENTS OF THE SAN FRANCISCO Bay Area were lovingly introduced to the Hindu God Siva through the Kala Vandana Dance Centers presentation, Lord of Dance{ at the Spangenberg Theater in Palo Alto on April 26, Ten dances choreographed by Sundara Swaminathan focused upon distinct ·aspects of Siva. Each dance-and aspect-was detailed in the event's program, Siva's dancing team giving viewers not ~ only an exciting show, but a memorable lesson in Hinduism as well. '

THE UNBECOMING BIDI (Indian cigarette) has become a cult craze among teens in the US. A recent study by a Community Center in San Francisco reveals that 58 percent of students at four S. F. high schools have tried bidis, 40 percent had been smoking them for over, a year and 45-percent of bidi smokers were female. The S.F. Department of Public Health stresses that bidis contain 7 to 8 percent nicotine, compared to 1 to 2 percent found in American cigarettes.

"' THIRTY-SIX THOUSAND TEMPLES across Tamil Nadu shut down for three days in June to protest wage structures and benefits for priests of non-senior-grade temples. Over 10,000 staff participated in the walk-out to leverage a 23-point charter of demaids. Priests performed the core rituals required by Agamic rules, but once this duty was dORe, they left. No individual services, such as archanas, were provided, resulting in a substantial revenue loss that the government took seriously. On June 12, negotiators came to agreement, including some wage revisions, and the temples reopened.

AT LAST! FOR THOSE TRA~ELERS interested in more than just basic food and lodging, we have found the The Vegetarian Traveler (294 pages, Larson 'Publications, uS$l5 .95) by Jed and Susan Civic. An extensive and worthwhile guide, the environmentally sensitive traveler can now fmd accommodations and food to suit his or her needs. Larson Publications, 4936 NYS Route 414, Burdett, New York 14818 USA.

OCTOBER, 1998 HINDUI SM TODAY 49

i

MINISTER'S MESSAGE tioner J, the company of a male is banned.

"-

~waken Moral Force, For a male sadhak, the company of a female is not permissible. If will be more appropriate if both live separately, because the heart is not trustworthy. Our scriptures say that when a girl is grown up, she should not stay alone, even with her father. Though father is lier creator, still even his company, unchaperoned, has not been advised. So, the more the gap, the better it is. Both have to practice restraint of senses.

S~e Uri'ity'in ~God Forget the women-are-weak idea, thi.s Hindu nun advises, and stop grasping for materialism

On abortion: According to our scriptures jiva hatya [killing of the soul] is a maha paap [a great sin]. It has been said that killing of the child in the womb is a bigger ~in than Brahm hatya [murder of a priest]. .. Today's man is deeply influenced by West· ern thought. So immersed is he in the blind race for materialism that he has no time to study his ancient scriptures, understand them and follow their teachings. 'One result is that this deplorable crime of abortion is done in such an easy and simple manner. Instead of indulging in this great sin, it is better if the person leads a regulated life in our system. We do not approve.

, BY SRI - L A - S· R I SANTOSHI MA JI

WANT TO DO SOMETHING FOR SOCIETY. JUST BE

cause I am a woman, I do not think this is an impediment in my path. Twelve years back, during the last Kumbha Mela, Niranjani Akhara appointed me as one of their Maha Mandaleshwars [senior abbots]' Though

I was not expecting this, t!Iese people pushed me forward and honored me with this title. This decision was made by tHe head of this monastic order in consultations with other Maha ·Mandaleshwars.

Whenever I determined to do something with a pure heart and went ahead, I got willing support from all men and women of our society. I have never expected anything in return from society .• And whenever I initiated any work, I got excellent cooperation from the people. That!; why I do not think that being a women has ever been a limitation for me. ] have no experience to substantiate the idea that I could do better if I were a man. To my ol'her sisters alSQ I will like to suggest that not much importance be given to the idea that if one is a woman, therefore , she is weak. If our soul power and mind power are fIrm, then everybody cooperates, and everybody looks alike. It is of no significance whether an individual is a man or a woman. All are parts of God. All have the same soul and same prana, life force, The same mind is there, and the same five senses are there.

India today: India's youth are forgetting our moral and cultural values. They are going into modernity. But they must first stop at the P9int where they are in life. From there, they must look, back and identify and understand their ancient heritage and culture. Once this is done, they can move forward again and learn to cQmbine the modern outlook with the ancient way of thinking.

We are all watching the situation in India. Due to the fall in . "-moral standards, there has been a fall in people's characters. To build a society with people of high character we must provide moral education. There is a high level of corruption and exploitation of women in society, also .because of India!; race for materialishl. Man is lost in material comforts -and means. But our country has never given importance to blipga [materialism]. India's innate uniqueness is that even when one's feet are in bad shape, when one has no proper clothes and a poor material standard of living, still .. the happiness and contentment of the soul are there. Lack of material things was never felt by oiu- people as something significant. Our people were always happy at heart, because they had wealth or-character and moral force. We cannot be safe until our people revert back to our ancient heritage and high moral values.

On men and women staying in ashrams: In the state of param siddhi [full realization], it does not matter. But until that stage of God.Realization is reached, then for a lady sadhak [spiritual'prac-

50 HINDUISM TODA.Y 0 TOBER, 1998

On the harmony of mankind: At the Kumbha Mela we have a glimpse of complete Bharatiyata [Indianness]. People have come from all four directions-East, West, North and South-people whose languages, eating habits and lifestyles are different. We

have a glimpse of unity in diversity in this great festival. From outside we all look different, but in fact we are all one .. This spirit of oneness should be imbibed by all of us. This is my message for all tliose who have gathered here fr9m all over India and all over the world. Pilgrims should also make an attempt to discover their own selves. They must know who they are. They must not forget their identity. Our eternal identity is one, and that is that we are children of one God. He is the One who has created this entire creation. People must remember Him. ....

A key principle of Indian culture is vasudhaiva kutumbakam [the whole world is one family]. This thought has not been limited to any caste, community or section of society. It has be~n for the entire universe. The entire cosmos is just the reflection of God. Nothing is separate from God. So all human beings must recognize this creation of God, this omnipresence of God. They must understand that they are a part of the Almighty and should get liberated hom feelings of lack of self cenfidence and weakness, All must become knowlelJgeable. All should be blissful. All should be healthy. Anarchy, violence and feelings of ill will towards oth- . ers should be removed from this earth. Then only will people be truly happy.

NIRANJA1(PEETHADHISHWAR SANATAN RATNA ANAT SRI

VIBHUSHIT PARAVRAJKACHARYA TAPOMURTI SRI SRI 1008 MAHA

MANDALESHWAR SANTOSHI MATA ]I ,

was interuiewed by Hinduism Today at the 1998 Kumbha Mela. A senior female abbot of the Niranjani Akhara monastic order, she is based at a large ashram in

Raridwar where she lives with about twenty sadhvis (nuns) of her "order while overseeing the spiritual life of hundreds

of other sadhvis and thousands of devotees the world over.

An Experience of a Lifetim ave terna

II •• If I were asked under what sky the human mind has fully developed and has found solutions to some of1he

greatest problems of life, I woul(j point to India ... 11

- Max Muller

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M I SSION STATEMENT

Hindu Heritage Endowment is a publicly supported, charitable organization 'r~cognized as tax , I

exempt by the IRS on April 22, 1994. Its employer ID ~umber is 99-0308924. FOl,!11.deq by Satguru - "

Sivaya Subramuniyaswami, its philanthropk\tnission is to provide secure, professionally man-

aged £mancialsupport f9r i!tstitutions and:religious leaders of all lineages of Sanatana Dhar~a.

OC:rOBER, DONOR PROFILE "

If every Hindu diO. a little service throughout their life, supporting , their favorite temple or ashram, and left a part of their fortune, large or small, at the time of their death, Hinduism would flourish on the planet as it once did just a few centurie§ ago. So believes Ahila Devi Ganesan of Sungai Petani, Malaysia. A strop.g-supporter of Hindu dharma, she made the proud decision to devote her full time and energies to her-family"following the ~cieri.t tradition of womanly Dharma. Finding Jhat' she owned an insurance policy that was not needed, she has donated its proceeds. td Hindu Heritage Endowment

, as a legacy for future generatiorts'. She observed, "It is very satisfying to know that by leaving an insurance policy to an endowment, I benefit not just one or two people, but I leave a gift for futu~e generations 9~Hindus around the world."

FUN,D OF THE MONTH •

When Bala Shanmugam decided to create a memorial fund in honor of his father, A. Shanmugam, he was joined by his mothgr, Sambugardevi, and other m~mbers of the fam.ily. The fund pow gives a permanent and steady income to the Abirami Amman Temple at Thirukadaiyur! South India. As long as the temple stands, it will receive a check eaci1 year from the A. Shanmugam,.. Family Fund. In return, the temple is requested to perform an archana (ceremonial blessing for the fa-!Ilily) on the full-moon evening of each month. Born in 1925, A. Shanmugam married Sambugardev( at the age of 25 (wedding photo, right). He pursued his path to God by way of . service and spent much of his time, effort and resources in assisting the less fortunate. He is suryived by his wife of 27 years, his .son Bala, and three other children. His wue teaches Tamil and Thevarams to local Mala~ian children, condo.cts Hinduism classes at a local t~fuple and doep socio-religious work for the community. - .

A PROFESSIONAL'S PERSPECTIVE: Wealth creation needs in;vestmeIolt acumen and some starting capital. Howeyer, wealth preservation is more complex. It requires knowledge of income tax and estate tax laws, as well as t'echniques of retirement plan: ning. N~turally, professional assistance in this area is very important. Proper income tax planning and retirement planning will allow you to preserve wealth for later years, while estate planning will preserve wealth for your heirs. Whatever the size of one's estate, it always pays to plan. Dilip Vyas, CLU, EAi of Valley Ta-x & Fi1Jancial Services, Inc., San Jose, California 1-408-723-319Q.

. As a public service, HHE occasionally will offer the opinions of various finanGial planners. However, it ~nd,?rses neither these advisors nor their counsel, and recommends that all individuals seek J;rofesslOnal adVice from several sources before m aking lffiportant long-term deCiSIOns.

; ,

R E CENT DONORS

Hindu Businessmen's Association Trust Iraivan Temple Endowment Malaysian Hindu Youth Educational Fund Adi Alahan $45.00 Anonymous $5,680.38 Jeyasreedharan $40.00 Vel Alahan $175.00 Kailash Sivam Dhaksinamurthi $191.67 Total $40.00 Satya Palani $31.00 Ravindra Doorgiat $53 .96 Mathavasi Medical Fund Nathan Palani $22 .00 Chitravelloo Gunasegaran $163.59 Matthew Wieczork $12.00 Easvan Param $487.82 Mohana Sundari Gunasegaran $141.70 Vel Alahan $25.00 Deva Rajan $887.77 Kriya Haran $177.00 Gowri Nadason $30.00

Total $1,648.59 Edwin Hawk $1,345.57 Total $67.00 Hindu of the Year Fund Selvanathan Jothiswarar $425 .88

Mathavasi Travel Fund Usha Devi Katir $41.20 VelAiahan $5 1.00 Diksha Katir $22.60 Erasenthiran Poonjolai $75.00

Total $5 1.00 Andrzej & Beatriz Kraja $50.00 Total $75 .00

Hindu Orphanage Endowment Fund Toshadeva Lynam Guhan $185.20 Saiva Agamas Trust Anonymous $150.00 Santha Devi Muniandy $76.68 Matthew Wieczork $12 .00 Theresa Kato $25.00 Deva Natharaja $100.00 Total $12.00 Alex Ruberto $30.00 Nalakini Niranjana $113.52 Saivite Hindu Scriptural Fund for the Matthew Wieczork $24.00 Umah Rani Palanisamy $76.45 VISUally Impaired GokuJa Vani $50.00 Kanthasamy Pillaiyar $110.00 Anonymous $15.00 Troy Zukowski $5.00 Deva Rajan $1,000.00 Total $15.00 Total $284.00 Padmini Samuthiran $325.05 Hinduism Today Endowment Trust Hitesvara Saravan $413.90 Sri Siva Subramauiya Swami Devasthanam

Trust Anonymous $540.05 Loganatha Shivam $300.00 Bryan Bailey $5.00 Palaka Shivam $300.00 Vel Alahan $25.00

Joanne Baryla $25.00 Rodney & Ilene Standen $10.00 Shiva Sookhai $20.00

Nils Victor Montan $15.00 GokulaVani $100.00 Total $45.00

Aran Sambandar $360.00 Vayudeva Varadan $110.70 Sri Subramuuiya Kottam Fund Total $945.05 Peshala Varadan $693.00 Peshala Varadan $10.00

Hinduism Today Distribution Fund Total $12,208.05 Andrew Schoenbaum $10.00

Vinaya Alahan $175.00 Iyarappan Temple Trust Total $20.00

Jatinder Bhan $46.00 Alphonse Van Well $50.00 Sundari Peruman Memorial Fund Anand Greedhur $20.00 Total $50.00 Markandeya Peru man $50.00 Tarakini Gunasegaran $10.87 Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund Total $50.00 Tirunyanam Gunasegaran $10.87 Small Gifts to Fund $40.58 Thank You Gurudeva Fund Rajan Kumar $71.00 Total $40.58 Vayudeva Varadan $42.00 Chundadevan Mahadevan $12.59

Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment Total $42.00 Kartikeyen Man:ick $30.10

Sinniah Sivagnanasuntharam $105.62 TirumuJar Sanuidhi Preservation Fund Jayaluxmee Moothoo $4.09 Govinden Sanjeevee $20.00 Kumaren Nataraja $8.25 Shyamadeva Dandapani $5 1.00

Sarkunavathy Sockanathan $7.39 Ramsamy Natarajan $49.04 Total $5 1.00 Dhasan Sivananda $24.95 J Srinivasaraghavan $20.00

Total $187.86 Tirunavakkarasu Nayanar GurukuJam Fund

OmkarTiku $52.00 Anonymous $108.00 Bhamar & Kanta Trivedi $50.00 Loving Ganesha Distribution Fund Small Gifts to Fund $24.40 Priya Devi Utchanah $38 .00 Eric Mitchell $10.00 Total $132.40 Appamal Athimulam $20.09 Total $10.00 Aravindraj Chandrasekaran $27.62 Mahajana College Hindu Endowment Fund Total Recent Contrib. $21,612.32 Kamala Mootoosamy $17.1 7 Anonymous $5,000.00 Surya Sabaratnam $5.00 Total $5,000.00 Total Endowments at Market Value

Total $637.79 As of June 30, 1998 $2,536,037.45

INVESTMENT MANAGERS AND CONSULTANTS: Franklin Management Inc.; First Hawaiian 'Bank, Trust & Investment Division; Brandes In'\restment Partners, Inc.; Pacific Century Trust (Bank of Hawaii); Alvin G. Buc'hignani, Esq., attorney; and Nathan palani, CPA. HHE is a member of the Council on Foundations, an association of 1,500 foundatiohs which interprets relevant law, inteJ;national and domestic, and gccounting, management and investment principles.

. I WANT TO PARTICIPATE. WHERE SHOULD I SEND MY DONATION? You can send your gift to , an existing fund, create a new endowment or request information through the address below.

Credit card gilts may be made directly by E-mail. Or, use the- HHE tear-out card in this magazine. to join our family of benefactors who are Strengthening Hinduism Worldwide. Thank you.

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lIINDu HERITAGE ENDOWMENT " KAUAI'S HINDU MONASTERY

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FOOD

On-Une Cookbook

No ONE HAS SOLVED the interface prob

lem between cookbooks and kitchens, nor CDs and kitchens, and certainly not the WWW and the kitchen. FIngers soaked in ghee 01; covered with flour just don't go well with keyboards and pointing devices. So, if you want to try the delicious recipes available at http://www bawarchi.coml, print them out first. "Your Indian Cook, Bawarchi" is one part of the web site, www.indiaworld.co.in,

spoIlSored by India World Communications. Bawarchi.co alone is huge, with recipes (including some non-vegetarian, ones), feature stories (such as the 77 kinds of mangos grown in Goa), glossary of terms and corresponding EnglishlHindi food and spice names, tips for cooks (such as making perfect eggless cakes) and a place to submit your own favorite recipe. Discover creative replacements to hard-tofind ingredients, such as

khoya, buffalo milk cooked down to a semi-solid state and essential for the famed Indian sweets, burfie and laddu. North Indian dishes tend to dominate, with a lesser number from the South.

Ibawaucb .. This on-line chef delivers sumptuous home meals

ORIGINS

TheWeb Weaver

MULTIM E DIA

Virtual Stonehenge

FORGET THIS WEB SITE IS REALLY A PRO

promotion for Superscape programs and I Pentium II processors (it won't run on

your Mac). Borrow a PC, if you must, but check out www.connectedpc.comlcpclexplore/ stonehenge/ for a trip into virtual reality. Don't just look at pictures of Stonehenge, the ancient English Druid astronomical calculator, as you might on any other website, but take a walk through the giant stones, fly over them if you like, jump backward to 8500BCE or forward to the future, all with a click of your mouse. Don't let the fog- part of the special effects-chill your tour, and save lots of money over actually traveling to the Salisbury Plain in southern England.

JUST NINE SHORT YEARS

ago, Tim Berners-Lee sought to improve communications among researchers at the European Particle Physics Laboratory in Geneva, Switzerland. The UK- Bemers-Lees system linked mankind as never before

born, Oxford educated, son of computer engineers developed ''hypertext" to uniformly link inform~hon stored in the many computers already connected by the existing Internet. And voila!-the World Wide Web. Just two measures of the impact: 217,000 documents mentioning "Hindu" and 2.5 million referencing "India."

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Bytes for " the Masses ~ DATE ALL HARD-

I ware manufacturers have been marketing computers to the five percent of India that speaks English," said Manu Parpia, president of the Manufacturer's Association for Information Technology. MAlT has begun a national Indian effort, named the BharatBhasha Project

Just 13 of India's languages

(www. bharatbhashaorg), to "make computers accessible to the 855 million Indians who speak vernacular languages," according to Parpia. Both computer use and progranling in any Indi-an language will be possible from a standard English keyboard. It will also be possible, with special fonts, to create World Wide Web pages in regional languages.

NOH-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U. S. 'POSTAGE PAID LIBERTY, MO PER"!{T NO.

Documents

Hinduism Today, Oct, 1998