Chaturanga is an ancient Indian game. It is the common ancestor of strategic board games such as Chess, Shogi, Janggi and Makruk. While Chess is a well known game, the others are games native to Japan, Korea and Thailand respectively.
No one knows the complexities of divine play. Inscrutable are the ways of the Lord that only a few can understand; others call it fate. Such a life-shattering event occurred in the life of Narendra when he had passed his degree course in the college. Everything was going smoothly for him at home and at Dakshineswar, when his father suddenly died of massive heart attack. The liberal attorney, Vishwanath Dutta, although outwardly appeared well off, was in severe debt. His unusual generosity and carelessness in handling money-matters had put him in a situation where nothing was left as savings. The debtors took away their share, leaving the bereaved family in utter poverty and want. Narendra’s uncles also shied away in this hour of crisis and, instead of helping him, they also took their share and kept aloof.
The major contribution of India, in the world today, is in the sphere of spirituality. The rich spiritual heritage of India, as expounded by the Seers in Vedanta and more recently by Sri Ramakrishna and Swami Vivekananda, is the most important ‘thing’ which India can offer for global prosperity and welfare.
Vedic Mathematics and Sciences
Lecture by Shri Ravi Kumar Iyer
University of Washington, 28th August
On Monday 28th August, Hindu YUVA, UW organized a lecture by Shri Ravi Kumar Iyer in Mary Gates Hall, University of Washington on Vedic Mathematics - the ancient mathematics and sciences developed in India.
वक्रतुंड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभनिर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा
vakratuṁḍa mahākāya sūryakoṭi samaprabhanirvighnaṁ kuru me deva sarvakāryeṣu sarvadā Read the rest of this entry »
Hinduism is a unique religion and culture in more than one way. Its most remarkable characteristic is the tenacity with which this oldest surviving tradition has kept itself alive, vibrant and relevant through the passage of time, barbaric invasions and advent of newer ideas. The wisdom left upon by ]the ancient rishis (saints) and sadhus (sages) is still available in the form of countless scriptures: Vedas, Upanishads, Shrutis to name a few. The timeless tales of Ramayana and Mahabharata are told with the same enthusiasm through centuries.
On hearing the word ‘Yoga’, the first image that comes to our mind is that of a person doing some kind of a complex pose displaying unnatural flexibility. Almost everyone invariably associates Yoga with conditioning the body for some kind of flexibility. Indeed, the desire to keep our bodies in shape and beauty has attracted most people to Yoga. So what exactly is Yoga? Is it limited to achieving flexibility in the body? As we shall see, this is just one of the many aspects of Yoga. Yoga is a way of life. Yoga is an entire philosophy in itself. This article (which will continue into a series), attempts to explore how Yoga can affect us in ways other than improving our physical fitness.
Ayurveda is made up of two Sanskrit words: Ayu which means life and Veda which means the knowledge of. Ayurveda deals with the measures of healthy living, along with therapeutic measures that relate to physical, mental, social and spiritual harmony .It is based on a holistic approach rooted in Vedic culture. It has been practiced for more than 5000 years. Below is a basic quiz on Ayurveda. Identify the plants from the images and their medicinal properties? Answers are given at the bottom.
As a part of the Hindu culture there are many practices which we follow diligently. We have often wondered what is the explanation behind them. One such practice is lighting a lamp. In almost every Hindu home, a lamp is lit daily before the altar of the Lord. All auspicious functions commence with the lighting of the lamp, which is often maintained right through the function. What is the reason behind this practice?