Tattva

The decision of leaving India for education in the USA is a tough one for every Indian student. It is a big leap in the career path that comes with a huge financial investment and a challenge of adjusting to a completely new country and culture. So, when I started my journey to Seattle for my master’s degree at the University of Washington, there was a sense of apprehension over whether I would be able to adjust to the way of life in the USA and if I would ever get a chance to follow Indian culture and traditions. Read the rest of this entry »

Mother’s Day is an annual celebration that recognizes mothers, motherhood and maternal bonds, in addition to the positive contributions mothers render to the society. By raising children and inculcating good qualities in them, mothers carry out the vital responsibility of building and molding tomorrow’s leaders. All around the world, people take Mother’s Day as an occasion to reflect on the importance of mothers and to appreciate the many sacrifices they make. Read the rest of this entry »

(This is the second of a series of three articles. Please read the first article of the series here.)

A vivid example of the confusion caused by Homer can be seen when we look at his view on Kronos the Greek God of Time. Our word Chronology is rooted in the word Kronos. Homer presents the God Kronos as a disturbed and psychotic being who kills and eats his own children. The image is horrific, dark and blatantly asuric-demonic in nature. However when we apply the Vedic perspective to this image it becomes clear that Homer took ancient knowledge and repackaged it to suit his own ideas. Kronos is God as Time. In the Bhagavad-Gita Krsna as the Supreme Being states,” Time I am, the Devourer of worlds.” Homer took this concept and turned it into an actual human-like entity that brutally murders and eats his own children. However the original concept points to an actual and obvious law of nature. Recognizing Time as the all consuming and merciless destroyer, the Ancients were in awe of this power. This concept was well known throughout antiquity and still rings true today. Read the rest of this entry »

When we browse through the philosophical concepts and spiritual manuals of various Hindu schools and sects, we can see that the spiritual evolution conception of God can be broadly classified into 3 stages.

First, the Vedic (which includes Veda Samhita, Aranyakas, Brahmanas and Upanishads). Second, the Agamic or tantric (which includes various tantric texts of various schools such as Shaivas, Shaktas, Vaishnavas and Ganapathyas). Although Aghoras, like Naths, form a separate category themselves, they can be clubbed in Tantras under Vamachara (Left hand Path). The third stage is the Puranas. Read the rest of this entry »

Pandit Madana Mohana Malaviya is well-known as the founder of the Hindu Benares University. Just as Gandhi has the epithet “Father of the Nation,” Malaviya has earned the title “Teacher of the Nation,” for his determination in manifesting the greatness of India and her culture in the Indian youth. He was three times elected the President of the Indian National Congress, and is also known for popularizing the slogan “Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone will Triumph).” Though his boyhood was spent in utter poverty, he earned much respect through his scholarship, pure life, and selflessness, and this itself earned him more than thirteen million rupees for the university. He is an example of one of the rare geniuses that take birth from time to time in this world. Read the rest of this entry »

Guru Vandhana, “Reverence to the Teacher,” took place for the first time in the history of one of America’s top universities, Case Western Reserve University. The event honored Professor of Mathematics, Christopher Butler. Guru Vandhana is a concept, an idea that is as old as humanity itself. If looked at from the literal definition, the “Gu” in Guru means Darkness/Ignorance, and “Ru” means Light. The Guru is the One who dispels the darkness of ignorance and bestows upon him or her knowledge. From a spiritual prespective, the word Guru is “one who is beyond attributes and forms.” Gu stands for Gunaatheetha - one who transcends the three Gunas (Satva, Rajas and Thamas); Rustands for Rupavarjitha - one who is formless. The One who is beyond all attributes and forms is none other than the Supreme Self (the Brahmam) who is resident within each of us. Only God can be regarded as One who is beyond attributes and forms. “Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Guru Devoh, Maheshwarahah. Guru Sakshat Parabrahama, Tasmay Shri Guraveh Namah,” Guru is Brahma, who is the Creator of the universe. Guru is Vishnu who is all pervasive and is also the Doer in the universe. Guru is Maheshvara who commands and ordains everything in the universe in the right manner. Guru is not one who merely teaches. A real Guru is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent, He is God Himself. Read the rest of this entry »

UNC Charlotte Hindu YUVA conducted a program, named Bridging the Gap, involving two Dharmic faiths (Hindu and Sikh) and three Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).  It started with an introduction to Hindu YUVA and the need for communication between the religions.  The last part of the program was reserved for questions from the audience, which had many things to ask the panel members.  Even though there were not many religious similarities uncovered during the discussion, everyone agreed that the program went well.  About 30 people participated in the two hour program.

-Report by Sanjay Lohar, UNC Charlotte

Hindu YUVA at University of Cincinnati won the 2010 Outstanding New Group Award (First Prize) and Diversity Award (Runner-up). The awards were given by the Student Activities Board of the university in recognition of Hindu YUVA’s many successful events and activities on campus. Read the rest of this entry »

The University of Washington chapter of Hindu YUVA organized their annual Speaker on Campus program on May 2, 2010. Hindu YUVA (Hindu Youth for Unity, Virtues and Action) is a registered student organization at the University of Washington which organizes a range of weekly and annual activities to increase awareness about Hindu culture in the community. There were two very informative talks by invited speakers –“Indian Culture and Traditions” by Dr. Yashwant Pathak and, “Introduction to Ayurveda” by Shri Harvilas Das. The event saw an attendance of around 60 people which included people from different cultures. The general response was good and everybody learnt a lot of new things from the two talks. Read the rest of this entry »

Prayer to recite while taking a bath

गङ्गे च यमुने चैव  गोदावरि सरस्वति |
नर्मदे सिन्धु कावेरि  जलेऽस्मिन् सन्निधिं कुरु ॥

gange ca yamune caiva  godavari saraswathi
narmade sindhu kaveri  jalesmin sannidhim kuru

Sanskrit to English Word Meaning:
Ganga, Yamana, Godavari, Saraswathi, Narmada, Sindhu, Kaveri-names of holy Indian rivers; Ca- of; Jalesmin- In this water; Sannidhim- presence; Kuru- Invoke

Translation:
In this water, I invoke the presence of holy waters from the rivers Ganga, Yamana, Godavari, Saraswathi, Narmada, Sindhu (Indus) and Kaveri.

Brief Explanation:
An important part of ritual purification in Hinduism is the bathing of the entire body. It is considered auspicious to perform this form of purification before any festival, before visiting a temple or performing a pooja. One not only purifies one’s body but also the mind during taking a bath. Such a purificatory bath is ultimate if it is done in the sacred waters of some great rivers of India like the river Ganga. Hence one chants this shloka invoking the presence of holy waters while taking a shower.