Tattva

Namaste,

This year, the festival of Guru Poornima falls on July 18th. On this day, we pay respect to Sage Vedavyas and other gurus, or spiritual teachers. This edition of Tattva covers the Guru Poornima festival; there is a wide variety of other articles, including one on the fascinating state Arunachal Pradesh and one on an interesting yoga event in Times Square, New York.

We encourage all readers to contribute articles for the upcoming August edition. Please e-mail your suggestions, articles, and feedback to tattva-editor@hinduyuva.org.

Please visit http://www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/2008/07/ to read the July 2008 edition of Tattva.

Creator and Creation
“My nature is the womb of all creation. The birth and dissolution of the cosmos itself take place in me. There is nothing that exists separate from me, Arjuna. The entire universe is suspended from me as my necklace of jewels.” (VII: 6-7)

Who created this world? The sun, the stars, the clouds, the cycles of the tides and the seasons, the laws by which these function? Who provided for the needs of every creature? The world is a furnished house meant to be enjoyed by all. All beings are equipped for survival. How can one account for this objective creation? Who authorized this intelligent, meaningful creation? Read the rest of this entry »

Recently, I had the great fortune of meeting two social workers from Arunachal Pradesh, Dr. Joram Begi and Shri Vijay Swami. They delivered a presentation explaining the economic, historical, social, and cultural situations of a state which has lagged in comparison to the rest of Bharat. They extensively spoke of the challenges faced by the inhabitants of the state when it comes to strengthening cultural identity. With the presentations, the speakers hoped that we become more aware of the conditions in Arunachal Pradesh and understand the strong need of cultural unity to bring the state as well as the nation together. Read the rest of this entry »

“Shiva Shiva Shiva Shiva Sambho, Mahadeva sambho.” This mantra was chanted by more than 500 people from various ethnic groups in Times Square, New York City on the morning of June 21, 2008. The summer solstice was a day of yoga in the heart of Manhattan, one of the largest and busiest cities in America. Read the rest of this entry »

Introduction:
Having a teacher to guide us in any field is invaluable. This is true in Spirituality as well. As Spirituality is subtle or intangible in nature, it is difficult to identify with certainty, who a spiritually evolved guide or Guru is. A Guru is very different to a teacher or a preacher. He is a beacon of spiritual light in our world and teaches us, the universal spiritual principles that underlie all religions and cultures. The article expands on what one should do gain Guru’s grace. This year Gurupournima is on 18th July and on this day Guru principle (Guiding principle of God) is 1000 times active. Read the rest of this entry »

Hinduism upholds a single reality that is manifested in various forms; every part of creation is seen as nothing but a manifestation of this supreme reality. Every form of creation is a combination of one or more of the Pancha Bhutas: Akaasha, Vaayu, Agni, Jalam, and Prithvi. Read the rest of this entry »

Namaste,

As always, with each new month comes a new edition of Tattva. An important festival falls in this month-Hindu Sanghatan Diwas, or Hindu Unity Day. This day marks the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the 17th century Hindu king who defeated the invading Moghul rulers and established an ideal kingdom. This day reminds us that unity is strength.

As many will remember, last September to mark the first anniversary of Tattva, we released a special print edition of the magazine. This September, we will be printing another edition to mark the second anniversary. If you are interested in contributing to the second anniversary issue, please e-mail tattva-editor@hinduyuva.org. Ways you can help: write an article, help edit articles, suggest topics for articles, help with the formatting of the magazine, and encourage your friends to contribute to contribute to Tattva.

Please visit http://www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/2008/06 to read the June 2008 edition of Tattva.

This is the second of a 3-part series on Sowmya Ranganathan’s Kailash Yatra, a journey that was a life-changing experience for her. She was 15 years old at the time that she embarked on this 18-day yatra. Below, Sowmya shares her diary account of the pilgrimage. To read Part 1, please visit http://www.hinduyuva.org/tattva-blog/2008/05/kailash-yatra/

Read the rest of this entry »

Chhatrapati Shivaji was the 17th century Hindu King who inspired and organized the native people for the fight against the Moguls and five Sultanats (Shahas) –foreign invaders who had conquered Bharat to loot its wealth and intellect and to destroy its ancient culture and civilization.  After 36 years of fighting, Shivaji established the ideal kingdom with rule of law, a Hindu kingdom, rather than a kingdom under his own name.  His coronation as a king took place in 1674 A.D. on the Jyeshtha Shukla Trayodashi (13th day of the bright half of Jyeshtha Maasa) day at Raigarh in Maharashtra. His kingdom was known as “Hindavi Swaraja” (Sovereign Hindu State). Shivaji set an example for all Hindus that they belong to the same faith and should be a united force. His coronation day is therefore celebrated as Hindu Sangathan Diwas (Hindu Unity Day). In 2008 this day falls on June 15th. Read the rest of this entry »

Hinduism accepts and advocates evolution. I look upon Dharma as the ethos that promotes social evolution. I depend upon the Taittiriya Upanishad, the concept of the Dahshavatara or ten incarnations of God, and the Gita, to explain evolution according to the Hindu beliefs. We shall discuss these below.
 
Hindu evolution is different from Darwinian evolution. Darwinian version has two derivative postulates, natural selection and survival of the fittest. According to the first postulate, environment or circumstance decides which species survive under a given set of conditions. Thus, white, snow-covered ground favored the survival of white minnows. They became less visible to predators. When the snow turned blackish with coal ash after industrial revolution, the environment favored the gray-colored bird. Intra- and inter- species competition is implied in the second postulate, namely, survival of the fittest. Hinduism rejects this postulate. Read the rest of this entry »