Ganesha Chaturthi

By Pravin Kotian, Ph.D.

(Republished from September, 2009)

Birmingham, AL Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesha. Ganesha Chaturthi or "Vinayak Chaturthi" is one of the major traditional holiest festivals of Hindus. Lord Ganesha happens to be one of the most popular deities and everyone seems to be in love with this cute, pot-bellied elephant god. The occasion sees pious worships to Lord Ganesha, who is widely worshipped as the supreme god of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. The deity is also believed to be the remover of all obstacles and is also famous for being a trickster and for his profound sense of humor.

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Posted by ks on 09/03/10 at 02:17 PM
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Vedic Mathematics

By Dr. Narayana Bhat

Introduction

“The so called Vedic Mathematics is neither Vedic nor Mathematics”, says my good friend and a well-known mathematician Prof. S. G. Dani. That is the pedantic view. Nonetheless, it is believed that the strategies provided by Vedic mathematics are creative and useful, and could potentially be applied in a number of ways to advanced calculus and linear algebra, most notably within the education system.

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Posted by ks on 07/01/10 at 12:01 AM
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Hindu Scriptures – The Smritis (Part II)

By Dr. Narayana Bhat

Mr. Bhat is a member of the Hindu Cultural Center of North Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Bhat will be writing for our Hindu Religion column on bi-monthly basis and will choose his topic from readers’ questions. Please send your questions and suggestions to Mr. Bhat at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Here are some of the choices for the next article: Dharma, Karma, Hinduism & Science, Bhakti, Vedic Varna System, Idol Worship etc.

The Agamas
Another class of popular scriptures is the Agamas. The Agamas are theological treatises and practical manuals of divine worship. The Agamas include the Tantras, Mantras and Yantras. These are treatises explaining the external worship of God, in idols, temples etc. All the Agamas treat of:
1. Gyana or Knowledge
2. Yoga or Concentration
3. Kriya or Esoteric Ritual
4. Charya or Exoteric Worship

They also give elaborate details about ontology and cosmology, liberation, devotion, meditation, philosophy of Mantras, mystic diagrams, charms and spells, temple-building, image-making, domestic observances, social rules, public festivals etc.

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Posted by ks on 05/01/10 at 12:08 AM
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Ramnavami

SRI SWAMI SIVANANDA
Courtesy: Divine Life Society http://www.dlshq.org

Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram

SALUTATIONS to Lord Rama, an Incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who is measureless, who is of the nature of pure Consciousness and bliss, who is the consort of Sita, Master of Sri Hanuman, and the Lord of the three worlds, who took His birth at His own will in order to establish righteousness, destroy the wicked and protect His devotees.

Ramnavami or the birthday of Lord Rama falls on the 9th day of the bright fortnight of the month of Chaitra (March-April).

Rama was the Lord Hari Himself, incarnate on earth for the destruction of Ravana. He was well accomplished, beautiful and endowed with royal marks. His glory and prowess were unlimited. He was peerless on earth. He was free from malice. He was gentle. He was the protector of all His people. He always addressed them in gentle words. He never used any harsh words even when somebody provoked Him. He held sway over the whole world.

Let Sri Rama be your ideal. Ideals are remembered and adored for the purpose of adopting them in your own life. The Ramnavmi celebration or the Vasanta Navaratri every year is an opportune period for us to saturate ourselves with the spirit of Lord Rama. We love and adore our ideals because we express thereby our yearning to unite with them. In our worship of God it is implied that we should be virtuous, good and perfect even as God is. Hence the wise instruction: “One should become divine in order to be able to worship God”. One cannot be a real worshipper of Lord Rama unless one makes an honest attempt to grow in the virtues that the Lord represents. On the other hand, worship of Lord Rama is itself the surest means to develop such virtues.

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Posted by ks on 03/15/10 at 10:18 PM
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Ugadi Festival

By Meena Sthanam
Feb 18, 2009 (republished this year on the occasion of Ugadi)

Ugadi comes from a word Yugadi, which means ‘the aadi’ (beginning) of new (Kali) Yuga.  It was the day when Kali Yuga started. The Sanskrit verse by Maharishi Vedavyasa says that ‘Yesmin Krishno Divam Vyathaha, Tasmat eeva pratipannam Kaliyugam’. It means the Kali Yuga started on the day when Lord Sri Krishna attained Nirvana. Some Indian historians date the beginning of Kali Yuga to 3102 BC.
   
Hindus celebrate Ugadi festival marking the beginning of the New Year, since it brings happiness with the onset of Vasantha Ruthuvu (spring) after a long dreary winter. In lunar calendar, this festival falls on Chaitra Shuddha Padyami, which comes generally in the months of March or April of the Gregorian calendar. This year Ugadi falls on March 27. Sixty years make one cycle and each cycle starts with names like Prabhava, Vibhava, Shukla etc., and ends with Akshaya. This year’s name is going to be Virodhi, which is 23rd year out of 60. 

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Posted by ks on 03/13/10 at 07:16 AM
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Hindu Scriptures – The Smritis

By Dr. Narayana Bhat

Mr. Bhat is a member of the Hindu Cultural Center of North Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Bhat will be writing for our Hindu Religion column on bi-monthly basis and will choose his topic from readers’ questions. Please send your questions to Mr. Bhat at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The Smritis

Next in importance to the Srutis are the Smritis or secondary scriptures. These are the ancient sacred law-codes of the Hindus dealing with the Sanatana-Varnasrama-Dharma. They supplement and explain the ritualistic injunctions called Vidhis in the Vedas. The Smriti or Dharma Sastra is founded on the Sruti. The Smritis are based on the teachings of the Vedas. The Smriti stands next in authority to the Sruti (Vedas). It explains and develops Dharma. It lays down the laws which regulate Hindu national, social, family and individual obligations.

The laws for regulating Hindu society from time to time are codified in the Smritis. The Smritis have laid down definite rules and laws to guide the individuals and communities in their daily conduct and to regulate their manners and customs. The Smritis have given detailed instructions, according to the conditions of the time, to all classes of men regarding their duties in life.

The Hindu learns how he has to spend his whole life from these Smritis. The duties of Varnasramas (the four stages of life) are clearly given in these books. The Smritis describe certain acts and prohibit some others for a Hindu, according to his birth and stage of life. The object of the Smritis is to purify the heart of man and take him gradually to the supreme abode of immortality and make him perfect and free.

These Smritis have varied from time to time. The injunctions and prohibitions of the Smritis are related to the particular social surroundings. As these surroundings and essential conditions of the Hindu society changed from time to time, new Smritis had to be compiled by the sages of different ages and different parts of India. The time dependence of Smritis is the key to the survival of Hinduism in the face of foreign invasions.

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Posted by ks on 03/01/10 at 12:18 AM
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Hindu Scriptures – The Srutis

By Narayana Bhat

Mr. Bhat is a member of the Hindu Cultural Center of North Alabama, Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Bhat will be writing for our Hindu Religion column on bi-monthly basis and will choose his topic from readers’ questions. Please send your questions to Mr. Bhat at: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

The Vedas are the oldest texts of Hindu literature, stemming from an oral tradition believed to be of unknown origin so much so that they are held to be transcendental and immutable gospels (apourusheya prabhu samhitas). They are the eternal truths revealed by God to the great Rishis of India. The word Rishi means a seer, from the root dris, to see. The Rishi is the Mantra-Drashta, a seer of Mantra or thought. The thought was not his (her) own. The Rishis saw the truths or heard them. Therefore, the Vedas are what are heard (Sruti). The Rishi did not write. He (or she) did not create it out of his (or her) mind. He (she) was the seer of thought which existed already. He (she) was only the spiritual discoverer of the thought. He (she) was not the inventor of the Veda.

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Posted by ks on 01/07/10 at 05:45 AM
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Indian Holidays and Festivals

Republic Day Celebrations

Ugadi

Ganesha Chaturthi

Independence Day (Link1) (Link2)

Mahashivaratri

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Posted by ks on 01/06/10 at 11:15 AM
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Diwali Pooja

Dhan Teras

Posted by ks on 10/14/09 at 11:56 PM
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Indian Festivals

Raksha Bandhan
This much loved festival is celebrated on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravana in India. “Raksha” means protection, “bandhan” means bound or binding.

The festival of Raksha Bandhan is entirely dedicated to the love and affection shared between a brother and a sister. On this day, sisters pray for long life of their brothers and ask God to bless them with his blessings. Brothers, in turn, give them enticing rakhi gifts and promise to care life long.

This custom has been there since time immemorial. Various other believes are associated with Rakhi and therefore, people follow certain custom and tradition to celebrate this festival.

This frail of thread of Rakhi is considered as stronger than iron chains as it binds the most beautiful relationship in an inseparable bond of love and trust. Rakhi festival also has a social significance because it underlines the notion that everybody should live in harmonious coexistence with each other.

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Posted by ks on 10/03/09 at 10:56 AM
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