Tattva

In this article, Pragya Kalla, a college student from Boston, reflects on her experience volunteering with the Yuva for Sewa internship program. To learn more about Yuva for Sewa, please visit http://www.sewausa.org/yuva-for-sewa.

“Being a youth doesn’t only imply a period of time where we play, socialize and have as much fun as we can. It also implies that this is the time when we have the most power and energy to create change in the issues that really matter in our world”. These were the words of a teenage girl from a government school in Hyderabad. I heard her testimonial in a video we saw during orientation and I was immediately impressed by her elocution and confidence. After hearing her and meeting many other children in government schools in Bangalore, I realized that if these children were given the opportunity and proper guidance, they would probably perform much better than many of my peers in America. Although my main project did not involve education, the determination of these children was what kept me inspired throughout my stay in Bangalore. Read the rest of this entry »

Q. What is Navratri (Nav Durga)?

Navratri (Nav Durga) is a nine day festival of hindus to honor the Mother Goddess. This celebration occurs twice a year: The first one is in the spring, during March/April and the second one is in the fall, during September/October based on the lunar cycle (9.24.2011 to 10.04.2011). “Navratri is not just a time to celebrate and of joy but is to attain Everlasting happiness, Peace and Anandam (Bliss) through self-discipline, self-control, and sacrifice. It is 9 Days of Living in Mother Goddess Consciousness and Experiencing Her Grace and Love.

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“Hinduism is not just a faith. It is the union of reason and intuition that cannot be defined but is only to be experienced. “

- Dr. S. Radhakrishnan (Bhagavad Gita)

Unlike monotheistic religions which speak about one God, one prophet and one book and lays stress on developing unquestionable faith in the theology, Hinduism lays stress on the individual’s journey towards truth. It is a way of life in the sense that it’s not confined to one thought, one ideology to which all must adhere to, but instead it speaks about the all pervading truth (Sat/Dharma) and how it is important for every individual to realize this truth first hand on his own. Hence, we find the Vedas boldly declaring, “Truth is one, paths many.”¹ Every individual must create his own niche and pursue truth in his own way is the essence of Hindu philosophy. For this very reason we find people practicing upasana (worship) of various deities (Devas), adhering to different schools of philosophy (Shakhas) and following the traditions and practices (Acharas) of different cults (Kulas) in Hindu tradition. But what is common to all Shakas, all Kulas, is the need of sadhana to progress through that path.

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Matangi, the tantric Saraswathi, is the word as the embodiment of thought. Matangi bestows knowledge, talent and expertise. She is the Goddess of the spoken word and of any outward articulation of inner knowledge, including all forms of art, music and dance. The ultimate residue and representation of who we are through speech is Rajamatangi. This, however, is not ordinary or casual speech, but the deepest expression of our hearts. Rajamatangi represents the ministerial power of the Goddess. She is the counselor to Rajarajeshvari and as such she is called Mantrini and has power over all mantras, particularly in their vocalization and articulation. She rules over all forms of knowledge, counseling and teaching. She also represents the continuity of spiritual instruction in the world. By honoring her we also honor the guru. Matangi is dark emerald green in color, the color of the planet Mercury that governs intelligence. She plays the Veena and carries various weapons with which to fascinate and subdue us. She carries a bunch of palm leaves, representing ancient knowledge and is often said to have a parrot in her hands, which represents the powers of speech as inherent in nature. Matangi is that tantric portion of Saraswathi that is allied with the transforming power of Kali.

Deepak Saagar is a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati.

The Hindu YUVA chapter of San Jose State University conducted a Speaker on Campus program on September 13, 2011. Shri Ravi Kumar ji was the speaker conducting a workshop on Vedic Mathematics. Around 35 students attended the event, in fact the largest turnout for an SoC event conducted by Hindu YUVA on campus. The audience was predominantly Fall 2011 graduate students. Read the rest of this entry »

The University of Cincinnati (UC) chapter of Hindu YUVA organized a three-day Niagara youth camp for incoming students from India from September 17 to 19, 2011. This camp brought fresh minds into the laps of nature where they could prepare to assimilate themselves with the new culture empowered with integrated ethics, self-belief and consciousness. Forty-six students from UC and one student from Ohio State University participated in this trip. The YUVA group stayed at Jagannath Dhaam, an 80-acre scenic campsite of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh located in Belfast, NY.

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There is an anomaly in the middle of all the pulsating beats, sizzling woks, and careening car horns of the East Village of Manhattan.  Within a humble brownstone building at First Avenue and First Street is a monastery, with simple, humble monks attempting to focus their entire being on connecting with God.  The anomaly goes further: these monks are not of any known Western tradition, but instead they carry forward in the line of bhakti-yoga, the devotional expression of the monotheistic schools of the Hindu/Vedic tradition. Read the rest of this entry »