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HINDU TODAY

HINDU TODAY May 2013 Issue 60 Editorial

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF : ARJAN VEKARIAPUBLISHER : PANNA VEKARIA

LEGAL CONSULTANT : VIJAY GOELUSA EDITOR

VRNDAVAN PARKERAFRICA EDITOR

MULJIBHAI PINDOLIA

VASTU EDITORCORALIE FELICITAS SRIVASTAVA

EDITORIAL, ADVERTISEMENT &CIRCULATION

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Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hindu Today Group.

I ssues, debates and controversies surrounding environmental concerns are certainly not new. But equally, at every pass-ing moment there is a new urgency and a growing range of environmental concerns all over the world. The very fact

that it is a ‘growing range’ of concern is enough cause for alarm. So it is that today, loss of forest and green cover – flora and fauna, pollution in several forms and at different levels – be it the water, air, the food we consume, the consumer products we use, global climate change, harmful waste disposal, construction in the name of development on rivers and on land, and more – threatens our future. Not only this, it is a dire threat to those precious links to our ancient and priceless cultural heritage. It will be the greatest tragedy if these invaluable natural resources that have been nur-tured by the farsighted civilizations of our ancestors are destroyed.

It is there in India where perhaps the world’s richest culture, traditions, literature, unique spirituality, diverse ecosystems and stunning natural beauty have flourished since ancient times that the threat of destruction is now more real than ever. This scenario is quite obvious in relation to those efforts to save the holy Ganga from further desecration. To millions of Hindus, the Ganga is not just a river: she is a revered Goddess, a ‘Mother’ – Ganga Ma. Almost every Hindu from the most rustic to the most sophisticated treasures bathing in the Ganga. To take home a container full of ‘Gangajal’ – the holy water, that remains fresh even after being stored for many years - is a matter of faith and pride. But all this may change, the unthinkable may happen and the Ganga may run dry in the very near future. This threat in fact endangers our entire Hindu civilization. The recent Kumbha Mela is a case in point.

It is no small matter that this same Ganga is at the epicenter of humanity's largest religious gathering. The entire event is centred upon bathing oneself in the waters of the Ganga. Thus to destroy the River Ganga is to destroy our religion. An article in this issue of Hindu Today features a pilgrim's first-hand experience at the Kumbha Mela and the central role of the River Ganga to this event. All over the world countries are trying to preserve and restore their rivers. In Canada, for instance, the Heritage Rivers Program seeks to promote, protect and enhance Canada’s river heritage, and en-sures that rivers are managed in a sustainable manner. It is time, in my opinion, for Hindus to unite solidly on this issue and ensure that the Ganga is accorded a ‘heritage’ status – time is running out and we are already running behind the clock. n

Arjan VekariaEditor-in-Chief

Mother Ganga

HINDU TODAY May 2013 Issue 60

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Content

In This EditionFrom the Desk of Editor ...................................................................................................................... 1

Letter to Editor.......................................................................................................................................

To The Editor................................................................................................................................. 3

Cover story...............................................................................................................................................

Jagannath The Universal Lord.................................................................................................. 4

Management...........................................................................................................................................

Chanakya The Eternal Management Guru................................................................................ 11

Vastu.........................................................................................................................................................

Vastu Guidelines for Bedroom.................................................................................................... 12

Dharmic Champions...........................................................................................................................

Guyana's Hindu Renaissance.................................................................................................... 14

Demystifying Hinduism......................................................................................................................

Hinduism : A Colorful Orange.................................................................................................. 18

Philosophy...............................................................................................................................................

Life and Death............................................................................................................................. 20

Culture......................................................................................................................................................

Hindu Mudras in Egyptian and Sumerian Statues................................................................... 22

Holy Quote...............................................................................................................................................

Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana................................................................. 24

Panchang............................................................................................................................................... 25

Tradition...................................................................................................................................................

American Indian Finds His Indian Heart................................................................................. 26

Travel.........................................................................................................................................................

Witnessing The Largest Act of Faith!........................................................................................ 34

Religion.....................................................................................................................................................

Sri Sri Balarama Revati............................................................................................................. 38

Darshan.....................................................................................................................................................

Charwaka Darshana.................................................................................................................. 42

Meditation.................................................................................................................................................

Are You Blessed?....................................................................................................................... 47

News..............................................................................................................................................................

New York City’s Sikh Day Parade 2013................................................................................... 48


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Letter to Editor

To The EditorI would really like to appreciate

the team of Hindu Today and the author of the article "Seeing Vishnu in all beings - examining our treat of sex and gender minorities" for bringing in the view of the gender minorities. The world is one family. As the isha Upanishad says "That is perfect, This is perfect, Perfect comes from perfect, Take perfect from perfect, The remainder is perfect." With this in mind, who are we to judge or criti-cise anyone.

K Gheerawo, London, UK

I would like to thank you and applaud you for publishing the beautiful article "Seeing Vishnu in all beings - examining our treat of sex and gender minorities".The article was very thoughtful, inter-esting to read and above all based on Sastra, unlike so many popular opinions these days. I hope we can read many more open minded ar-ticles like this.

Bernd MeuwissenAmsterdam, Netherlands

I was interested to see the article on LGBT issues in your publication. I think it is nice to see such relevant issues being brought to the fore-front where they can benefit from the light of intelligent and rational discussion. Modern society is truly struggling with this issue and we see religion on both different sides of it. We know our Hindu tradition is the oldest in the world. Unfortu-nately our culture is beset by super-stition and backwardness as well. I can only hope that the discussion is not limited to simple cultural bi-ases but is truly based a spiritual outlook which the world knows is the hallmark of Hindu thought. I think it is the same for Christians where their leader, Jesus Christ, was the most revolutionary liberal and inclusive leader they had seen, but many modern adherents make it a point to be close minded and ex-clusive. I hope our Hindu commu-

nity and it's leaders can rise above that.

Ankur Sethi, Washington DC

I read the article "Seeing Vishnu in all beings". I think that article is certainly applaudable, specially in context of the fact that I have been once associated with ISKCON close enough to consider initiation, as well as with LGBT communi-ties and groups. I have had judg-mental devotee friends as well as judgmental LGBT friends as well. And I think the article in question is a healthy approach to encourage both groups of people to be more accepting of each other.

Anupama Garg, New Delhi, India

We live in a world where Hin-dus follow culture or tradition more than the actual religion, and very often they seem to confuse both as one and the same which is errone-ous of course. The caste system, the killing and/or rejection of widows, the disrespect towards women, all these kinds of discrimination is not endorsed by Dharma! Neither is the discrimination towards the LGBTI people. And pointing it out using valid reference from the shastras might not please everyone specially those who aren't shastris or who voluntarily want to perpetuate this kind of himsa, but ultimately they cannot quote to defend their big-oted views. Everybody talks of Sati to show how backward Hindus are but no one quote the story where Krishna married thousands of wid-ows to stop this new alien idea of widows as polluted. Everybody talks of caste but nobody bothers

to mention Rama eating the rem-nants of a low caste woman or us-ing the boat of a low caste person. Dharma is said to be subtle some-times but on those cases it is obvi-ous that there is absolutely nothing Dharmic about discrimination...at all!||Dharmo Rakshati Rakshi-tah||. I applaud this gentleman

for having the courage to show the truth to the world.||Satyameva Jayate||

Amit Parsad, Dublin, Ireland

To act on these sexual proclivi-ties is considered demonic. Even sex between a husband and wife is to be abstained from unless for pro-creation. We cannot ignore what Srila Prabhupada said on this sub-ject and supporting same sex mar-riage and promoting it does just that. It is true all can come to Krs-na but they have to give up these things. Without giving it up the standards are not there. Srila Prab-hupada did not condone same sex marriage in any way anywhere and spoke against such actions. He gave us the highest standards and to give anything less is just cheating. Just read Srila Prabhupadas books on all matters and everything becomes clear. Putting material designations on one’s self will only entangle us further. I find Amara prabhu to be a nice devotee but some of his views on this matter go against Srila Prab-hupadas teachings.

Zoltan Balarama Das CorbettHonolulu, Hawaii

Thank you so much for your beauti-ful tribute to Kula. I never knew about his early days in the Krishna movement nor how much of an impact he had on so many people. The guy was a genius in more ways than one. It’s sad we don’t live in a society that values such talent above and beyond money. From what he told me even his own Krishna group never really facilitated people accord-ing to their natural inclinations. Either way for better or worse I was lucky to know him during his days in Eugene. He told me more about food, music, the Beatles and religion in 3 months than I ever knew in a lifetime. He had a great sense of humor as well. Reading your tribute has given me a sense of closure and if what he told me about Krishna is true then Im sure that’s where he went.

John W. Nannell, Eugene, Oregon

HINDU TODAY May 2013 Issue 60 Cover Story

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JAGANNATH THE UNIVERSAL LORD

Oh Lord Jagan-natha Kindly be visible to me. Jagannāthah svāmī nayana-patha-gāmī bhavatu me

May that Jagannatha Svami be the object of my vision

Evidence of Ancient Jagannath Worship in India, Egypt and the Middle East

The Tribal Peoples of Odisha (Orissa) India claim that since time immemorial they have worshiped their for-est's World Tree Brahman-Daru (daru=tree) Form of Lord Jagannatha, who is also the great Lord Jagannatha

of the Holy City of Puri. Factually, in addition to the Tribals of Odisha, every major Tradition of Hinduism, including the ortho-dox and heterodox sects of the Vaishnavas, Shaivas and Shakti Worshipers, the sattvic bhakti yogins, and ritualistically pure caste brahmanas, the rajarshic hereditary royal kshatriyas, the tamasic so called left hand tantrists, and even the non Hindu Buddhists and Jains have famously worshiped Lord Jagannatha, the Purushottama of Puri, at one time or another.

So, we should ask historically and theologically who is this strange-looking aniconic pillar like Form of the Supreme Lord, Whose worship has out lasted the rise and fall of great Indian and regional empires and the conflicts of their patronizing reli-gions, for thousands of years? We should ask ourselves Who is This God, Whose aniconic Form and cartoon-like Face as Patita Pavana (Savior of the Fallen Souls) is so simple that a little child can remember and draw Him. Equally adored by the greatest saints and thinkers, the most powerful rulers and little children as well, the original identity of Lord Jagannatha is certainly the Supreme Enigma. We know Who He was to His earliest Odishan Tribal Peoples, and to His subsequent Tribal worshipers in Puri, but to so many others, we can only ask if He was a Jain, the Bud-dha, the Vedic AdiPurusha as the Puranic Rama or Krishna, or even the Agamic Shiva. But, why should our questioning stop there?

If we study the many local and regional Indian Traditions re-lated to Lord Jagannatha of Puri, there are countless oral and written (shastric) lila/ pastime stories, and local versions of these sacred traditions, there are the documentable histories and systematized theologies, the esoteric 'mysteries' and the public doctrines, the vedic, dakshinamarga and the vamamarga tantric practices, the countless saints, scriptures, commentaries, litanies, hymns and cult centers associated with Him. He is worshiped by the Monists, the Advaiti Non Dualists and the Dvaiti Dualists. He is the Supreme Lord of the Universe, and His universal cha-


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risma/ attractiveness is evident in His most widespread and ecu-menical appeal. This is why so many millions of pilgrims from so many Indian religious tradi-tions, tribes, occupational varnas and religious ashrams come to see Him during His Rath Yatra Festival each year.

But is Lord Jagannatha only the Lord of the Universe to 'Hin-dus', or to the traditionally up-per class or caste of the suppos-edly 'Aryan' Peoples of India? What about the Tribal Peoples' claims that they worshiped the Daru Brahman 'Tree' or 'Pillar' Form of Jaganata, along with His Chakra and Lion-Headed Form (of Nara-Hari) before any so called invasion of racial 'Aryans'? The Telugu Language is as impor-tant as Hindi and Bengali in India, and the Telugu speakers also wor-ship Krishna or Vishnu, Shiva and Devi in Their Multiforms. Lord Jagannatha is thus as popular with the Tribal Peoples and the so called 'Dravidians' and Telugu Speakers of India as He is with the Sanskrit using so called 'Aryans'. In addition to the Sanskrit of the now discredited racist 'Aryan In-vasion Theory' of Indian Civiliza-tion, hundreds of other languag-es and dialects are used by the rich diversity of Mother India's Peoples, who are to this day still

united in their worship of Lord Ja-gannnatha of Puri. Factually the astoundingly rich diversity of the different Peoples who are united in their love of Lord Jagannatha, and in the Divine Love of Lord Ja-gannatha, is hardly equalled any-where else on Earth.

We should understand by this profound diversity of His wor-shipers, and the general mobil-ity of ancient peoples and the continual transplantation of their religions and cultures, that Lord Jagannatha's worship was never the exclusive property of any one ethnic or linguistic group, social class or caste within the India of the ancient World. Rather than assuming that Lord Jagannatha's

worship was somehow (impos-sibly) confined to the Indian sub-continent, we should consider the whole of Bharata, the ancient Fer-tile Earth, which was once unified under the rule of the righteous Emperor Bharata. We should ask if Lord Jagannatha's ancient wor-ship was once a global phenom-enon, which crossed all kinds of ethnic, linguistic and social class barriers, just as it does today.

Is the compelling evidence of His Daru Brahman worship by the so called 'primitive' Tribal Peoples of India proof that He was the Su-preme Lord of earliest humanity? If we study the religious beliefs, the sacramental social organiza-tion and practices of such 'primi-

tive' peoples world wide, will we find evidence of Lord Jagan-natha's worship among them? To answer this question, we need to consider the totality of the leg-ends and the essential beliefs and practices of Lord Jagannatha of Puri, and to summarize the most essential elements of these for comparison with other very ancient traditions world wide.

Taken together the most es-sential elements of the pan Hin-du Legend of Lord Jagannatha include His appearance in, or as, a great Tree or a gigantic Log that floats up and/or grows on the shore of a pious King's do-main. At the point of the King's

possession of the Brahman Daru Log/Tree, the many Stories of Ja-ganata/Jagannatha and Narahari Rupa crossover or become con-founded with each other. Thus from within a cruel King's throne room Pillar, the Man Lion (Nara-Hari) Form of Jagannatha Puru-shottama reveals Himself oto the impious demon King Hiran-yakasipu, and punishes the king for his cruelty to his 5 year old son, Prahlad. This Revelation of God from inside the Pillar is in-stigated by His Devotee, the child Prahlad. Returning to the Jagan-natha of Puri legend, the Form of Jagannatha is revealed to His pi-ous King Devotee, Indradyumna,

We should ask if Lord Jagannatha's ancient worship wasonce a global phe-nomenon, whichcrossed all kinds of ethnic, linguisticand social class bar-riers, just as it does today


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after the King's impatience to see the Lord instigates Jagannatha to appear before His impatient Dev-otee, from 'within' His Brahman Daru Tree or Log Form.

It should be noted that the worship of God as the World Tree or Universal Axis Mundi, Pillar or Stambha of Heaven was common throughout the ancient World. In this context one can study the Druids of Europe, who were Tree worshipers (the Sanskrit word daru = tree), and compare the practices of the Druids with the Sun Dance World Tree related rit-uals of the Native Americans.

Another essential and persis-tent element of the Mega Story of Jagannatha is related to how His Body was enclosed inside of the Daru Brahman Tree or Log. Here are excerpts regarding this strange but important Mahab-harata related Tradition.

"The Skanda Purana and Brahma Purana have attrib-uted the creation of the Jagan-nath puri during the reign of Indradyumna, a pious king and an ascetic who ruled from Ujj-ain. According to the second leg-end, associated with the Vaish-nava's, when Krishna was killed by a Jara and his mortal remains were left to decay, some pious people saw the body, collected the bones and preserved them in

a box. They remained in the box till it was brought to the attention of Indradyumna by Lord Vishnu himself who directed him to cre-ate the image or a murti of Jagan-nath from a log and consecrate the bones of Krishna in its belly. Then King Indradyumna, appointed Vishwakarma, the architect of gods, a Brahmin carpenter to carve a murti of the deity from a log which would eventually wash up on the shore at Puri. Indrady-umna commissioned Vishwakar-ma (also said to be the divine god himself in disguise) who accepted the commission on the condition

that he would not be disturbed till the carving of the image of the de-ity was completed, and the king agreed to this condition. He then

began his work in complete isola-tion behind closed doors." Desh-pande, Aruna (2005). India: A Di-vine Destination.

"Sarala Dasa, the great Oriya poet of the 15th century C.E while praising Jagannath as the savior of mankind considered him both as a form of Buddha as well as a manifestation of Krishna.”Das, Suryanarayan (2010). Lord Jagan-nath: Through the Ages

According to Sarala Dasa's Ma-habharata, the mortal remains of Krishna transformed into a wood-en form and floated up to the Puri sea shore. Jara Savara, an aborig-ine, picked it and worshiped it. Subsequently, Indradyumna, the king of Somavamsa, had three wooden images made out of the log and established a grand tem-ple for the images."

The profound significance of this seemingly incongruous but persistent part of the pan Hindu Legend of Krishna Jagannatha as Daru Brahman becomes readily apparent when we compare the Indic Traditions of Jagannatha to those of Heru Ausu Atum (Hari Vasu Atman) as DjedDjedNouti (Jagannatha) of the ancient Afro-Helleno Semitic Heliopolitan Asy-la Federations. The Supreme Lord of most ancient Egypt was Heru The Elder, the original Helios of

He creates, maintains and destroys all com-posite 'material' things. Thus Arjuna saw Him as Kalah devouring the Worlds. To the Shavites, Jagannatha and/ or Baladeva of Puri is Shiva.


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Cover Story

the Sacred Lotus, Rose or Star Is-land of Rhodes and the Egyptian City of Heliopolis. Heru (Hari, the Eli of the Jews) was always worshiped with His Alter-Form or 'Brother' Ausu (the Bal Yahu of the Jews), and Their All Pervasive Holy Spirit Hidden Form as Atum (the much later omnipresent Aten of the Amarna Period). Ausu/ Wasu-Theos (Vasu-Deva) was the Per-Ausu/ Pharaoh/ Puru-sha (Greek Polieus) Who presid-ed over every sacred City Nome district of Egypt. His mystical social-body as the sacrificed Cos-mic Per-Ausu was thus the Source of all of the so called 'gods' of the Heliopolitan-Alliance Asyla Tem-ples of the ancient World. Factu-ally these 'gods' were all Forms of the One God, Per-Ausu, the Adi Purusha Purushottama, the Lord of the Universe, Jagannatha.

Did Heru Ausu Atum as Per-Ausu have a giant Log, Pillar or Tree Form? Yes. Here is a sum-mary of some of the countless variations of His Story.

Donald Alexander Mackenzie writes in his book ‘Egyptian Myth and Legend: With Historical Nar-rative, Notes on Race Problems, Comparative Beliefs,’ "In the myth of Osiris and Isis, Osiris was killed by Set by being tricked into

a coffin made to fit Osiris exactly. Set then had the coffin with the now deceased Osiris flung into the Nile. The coffin was carried by the Nile to the ocean and on to the city of Byblos in Syria. It ran aground and a sacred tree took root and rapidly grew around the coffin, enclosing the coffin within its trunk. The king of the land, in-trigued by the tree's quick growth, ordered the tree cut down and installed as a pillar in his palace, unaware that the tree contained Osiris's body. Meanwhile, Isis searched for Osiris aided by An-ubis, and came to know of Osiris's location in Byblos. Isis maneu-vered herself into the favor of the king and queen and was granted a boon. She asked for the pillar in the palace hall, and upon be-ing granted it, extracted the coffin from the pillar. She then conse-crated the pillar, anointing it with myrrh and wrapping it in linen. This pillar came to be known as the pillar of Djed.”

In this version of the Greco-Egyptian and Near Eastern Story of Brahman Daru Jagannatha, the Lord's Body has been enclosed in His great sacred Tree or Log (Daru) and in this Form He has floated up on the shore of the Kingdom of Byblos, where the pi-

ous King makes Him into a Pillar in his Throne Room. However, the pious God loving King does not know that the Lord is within the Pillar, until God, Ausu Theos (Vasu Deva) is revealed there by His Devotee, in this version of the Story, by His Beloved Wife, Isis.

The worship of the Egyptian Djed Pillar or Tree, which was also common throughout the Re-gion among the Semites, is ex-plained in these Egyptian Osirian Legends as related to this Biblical Holy Land Byblos Story. In the above version, Isis Herself inau-gurates the worship of the Djed Pillar/ Tree in memory of Her the Lord. In other versions of the Story of Isis and Osiris, while Isis is lamenting the loss of Her Lord, the cruel Adversary of God and the Theoi/Devas, Setu (Ketu) shows Her a wax head of Osiris. This is reminiscent of Mother Sita being shown a wax head of Rama. When Per-Ausu's, Purusha's (Po-lieus's) Body Parts are divided-up among the sacred Cities of Egypt and the Region, His Body Parts become the Polieus Theoi/ Devas presiding over those PR/L cities. Thus the religiopolitical Helio-politan Alliances of the Egyptian


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Cover Story

Per, Greek pol, Semitic Yir and Sanskrit Pura sacred City-States formed and reformed over thou-sands of years, unifying the very diverse and widespread Devotees of the Supreme Lord, DjedDjed-Neter/Nouti/Jagannatha.

The Pharaoh/kings of the vari-ous Nomes or Temple Districts were the anointed empowered Purushas/Per-Ausu Pharaohs, and the Supreme Emperor Pha-raoh was the empowered Earth-ly King of Kings, but these were properly All empowered rulers, only sanctified and anointed to serve God in His Name, and with His crowns, thrones, weapons, ve-hicles and miscellaneous regalia. Expert Egyptologists understand that the Pharaohs were conse-crated Sacred Kings and were not born as gods hereditary semidi-vine rulers. Thus God's favor could be bestowed upon a king or official, or withdrawn from him if he was unworthy. All, even the greatest Pharaohs, who were not God Himself, were just servants of the same Lord. This was a fea-ture common to both the earliest Heliopolitan and Vedic traditions. This is of course why the King of Puri sweeps the street before Lord Jagannatha's Chariot during the RathaYatra Festival.

However, forgetting this prin-ciple of the necessary humility of the anointed ruler before God, as Kali Yuga progressed, the de-graded mode of passion rajarshic idolatry of merely fallible human kings arose, and suffering the arro-gant cruelty and unworthiness of these self proclaimed semidivine tyrannical false kings, the people of the World gradually overthrew them, thus now very few remain. Unfortunately though, such un-worthy leaders still do exist to-day, behaving like self appointed gods on Earth by denying the God given freedom and dignity of the many millions of their severely oppressed and exploited subjects, who continue to live under their abominable systems of inhuman 'laws', especially those 'laws' cru

elly exploiting and oppressing women and children.

This brings us to the ques-tion of the ancient confounding of the Forms of Jagannatha and Nrsimhadeva or Nara Hari Rupa, the Lion-Headed Form of the Su-preme Lord Purushottama Jagan-natha. In the ancient World, the Lion headed Form of the Supreme Lord was especially considered the Protector of women and chil-dren, the infirm, elderly and any other helpless oppressed or en-dangered beings. Thus He was also the Patron Deity of protec-tors everywhere. His Hero/Sura armies fought to liberate the en-slaved and oppressed. They were not oppressors and exploiting rapists, enslavers and plunderers. The Heroes of the One True God were Saviours of all those in need. They ventured into the World to find and rescue all those in need of their help. Thus the Lord's various sanctuaries or Asyla shel-tered women and their children, orphans, runaway slaves, the in-jured, ill and elderly, and even re-deemed criminals. The Sanctuar-

ies of the One True God were His Asyla and Cities of Refuge and Hospitals. Much evidence is avail-able in this regard by a study of the Heliopolitan Cults of Bes, As-clepios and Serapis and the Ayur Vedic AnantaCharaka. Lord Hari Vasu Atman's/Heru Ausu Atum's Sanctuaries, Sabbaths, Ekadasis and Jubilees created sa-cred spaces and times of rescue, redemption, rest and respite for all those in need.

His worthy Raja Rishi Royal Raya Rulers defeated those self appointed idolatrous false god kings (like Vasudeva Paundraka) who abused their dependent sub-jects and were thus unworthy of their rule. The True God's real anointed Raja kings (Roman RE-Gents, Greek Rex Kings, Jewish Rosh, Razan Chieftains) cared for their dependents, as a Loving Father cares for his own children. The real representatives of God on Earth were not despots; they liberated those in the bondage of despots. As the All God, the One True God was (and is) the Loving Father of All, and the Promoter of

(Above: Egyptian Jagannath - DjedDjedNeter / Nouti/ Jagannatha)


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peace and the common good of all. He is not just the Patron De-ity of one gender, ethnicity, social class or religious congregation.

As both the Universal Destroy-er and Protector, Lord Narahari is the wrathful Lion Headed Form of Lord Jagannatha. He is also called by the Names of Lord Baladeva and Shiva, such as Kalah/ Time, Mahadeva and Bairava. He is Ka-lah Purusha the Lord of the Kalah Cakra Time Cycle/ Cakra. As Ka-lah/ Time He creates, maintains and destroys all composite 'mate-rial' things. Thus Arjuna saw Him as Kalah devouring the Worlds. To the Shavites, Jagannatha and/ or Baladeva of Puri is Shiva. To the Mahayana Buddhists, Tantric and Pure Land Buddhists, Jagan-natha of Puri is Kala Bairab, or Mahadeva the wrathful Trans-formation of Narasingha Lokesh-vara. Thus the Lion Headed Form of Sri Hari or Bhagavan Krishna, the Adi Purusha, is worshiped in all of these ways within the cultus of Jagannatha Narasimha of Puri.

At Puri and elsewhere, there is a clear and consistent confound-ing or crossing-over in the Leg-ends of Jagannatha Daru Brah-man, in which the Lord's Log or Tree Form floats up on some pious king's shoreline, and the Nara-Hari Story, in which the Man-Li-

on Form of the Lord appears from within a great wooden Pillar in the atheistic King Hiranyakasipu's throne room. Again in Egypt and the Ancient Mediterranean, and in many other lokas/ locales/ lo-cations around the World, we can find vestiges of Lord Jagannatha's worship connected to the wor-ship of God as Time in the form of the Lion-Headed Nara Hari or confounded with the worship of the Leontocephalos Lion Headed Time/Kalah Form of Lord Nara Hari. Thus in ancient Africa and Egypt, among the Europeans, and the Biblical Semites, the wrathful Lion Headed Form of God was of-ten worshiped in connection with the Pillar Cultus of DjedDjedNe-ter/Nouti/ Natha. In Egyptian Biblical Coptic Nouti means 'Lord' and it is clearly cognate with the Sanskrit Divine Title Natha 'Lord'. On the top of the famous Egyptian Metternich Stele, the Lion Headed Form of the Supreme Lord Heru Ausu Atum is depicted holding His various Scepters, which in-clude the Scepter of Wasu Theos/ Vasudeva, the Scepter of Ausar/Osiris/Ahura Mazda the Vedic Vishnu-Ashura, and the Scepter of DjedDjedNouti/Jagannatha.

So to answer our original ques-tion about the mysterious identity of Jaga-nata of the forest-realms

and the Indigenous Tribal Peoples of Odisha, and the Jagannatha of the Vedic Religionists of Jagan-natha Puri, and why this Deity seems to be worshiped by every major Tradition in India in some way or another, we can safely con-clude from the very ancient Medi-terranean Regional evidence that the Tribal Jaganata is also the Ve-dic (Greek Oida = Biblical Yeda) or 'Aryan' Jagannatha, and that His worship has the same features in the Mediterranean Region as it does in the Indian constellation of Religious Traditions. This evi-dence shows that in the beginning there was No Racial distinction between the Devotees of the Lord. They all worked and worshiped cooperatively together for the pleasure of the Lord and for their common good. Thus such alli-ances or Leagues of Devotees of Lord Jagannatha Purushottama, the One True God, created long lasting eras of Purusha worship based Varnashrama Dharma so-cial stability and peace, and pros-perous high civilizations.

May Lord Nara Hari again raise-up righteous Raya Royal Rulers of true Heroic Aryan No-ble Character, to serve and protect Humanity and the Earth. And May the World-wide unity of the Devotees of this Loving and Liberating Universal Father God bring us mutual protection, peace and prosperity once again. Jaya Jagannatha! n

Bhakti Ananda Goswami The author of this article is a Vedic Monk in the Brahma-Mad-hvaGaudiya Vaish-nava Lineage Tridanda Sannyasi and Siksha (Instructing) Master. Retired Head of In-terfaith Research and Communications for the World Vaishnava Association, Vrindavan India. B.A. 1983, With Three Years of Accredited Graduate Level Interdisciplinary Research, (including an Independent Research South East Asian and Indian Field Study Course Contract) in History of Religion, Comparative Religion and Theology, Marylhurst University, Lake Oswego, Oregon.


11

Management

High attrition rates are a major problem in the IT, ITeS, BPO, and

other sectors. The reasons why people leave a job cloud be any-thing – the lack of incentives, or better offers from rival compa-nies who are luring away the employees to deal with their own shortage of manpower.

But regardless of such exter-nal conditions that the current employers can hardly anything about, the fact remains that em-ployees are motivated or de-motivated by the way their em-ployers treat them.

There are three ways of getting work done from your subordinates – instigation, mo-tivation, and motivation. Insti-gation is the way terrorist are made to work. Motivation in-volves incentives and promo-tions, whereas inspiration comes from within the self, which is eter-nal and everlasting.

The real change for an em-ployer is to take his employees from ‘Motivation to Inspiration’.Chanakya outlines the reasons that demoralise employees, “Rea-sons for dissatisfaction of subjects: By ruining human exertions, by spoiling the excellence of work done.” (7.5.19-26)

Employees work hard and ex-ert themselves. If their efforts are not recognised and are destroyed instead, the first seed of attrition is sown. Secondly, when the em-ployees create or produce some-thing better for the company, he or she deserves rewards. So, how does on inspire one’s employees?

8Money Is The PriorityDo employees work for mon-

ey? Yes, they do. That is the first and the most important require-ment. No organisation can keep a person inspired, if the salaries are not paid on time. Also offer o ptions beyond their salaries – em-ployee stock options, incentives, share in profits, and other schemes can be worked out by the manage-ment to keep the employees finan-cially secure. 8Work Hard, Rest Well

The employer has to believe that optimum productivity is achieved by giving space and peace of mind to the employee. In some developed countries, employees work very hard for ten months to take a two months holiday. We may have a problem

with this model, but the impor-tant fact is that the thought of a two-month vacation has made employee work hard for ten months. The balance between work and rest has to be main-tained for better results.8 A ‘Higher Purpose’

Employees want something beyond money and that is re-spect and challenge. They also want a purpose for their lives. If the leader is able to find that ‘purpose’ for the employees then phenomenal success is guaranteed. This is a spiritual requirement. The Spiritual Quo-tient (SQ) of the employee has to be developed for this to happen.

A recruitment advertisement of a well-known IT company carried a caption under an em-ployee’s photograph: ‘I found a purpose to live for in this organ-

isation’. A ‘Best Employer’ survey has also found ‘higher purpose’ to be essential for employees. n

Chanakya The Eternal Management Guru

Dr. Radhakrishnan PillaiRadhakrishnan Pillai from the university of mumbai, department of Philosophy is the foun-derdirector of Chanakya institute of Public leader-ship (CiPl) a research based organisa-tion that is working to promote indian concepts in management. he has done an extensive research on “kautilya’s Arthashastra”, the well known book on management written in 4th bC from Chinmaya international founda-tion (Cif), kerala under the guidance of dr gangadharan nair, the dean of Adi shankara samskrit university. he later proceeded to do his MA in san-skrit and a Phd. in the subject. he is a certified management consultant from the international institute of manage-ment consultants.


12

Vastu

Vastu Guidelines for BedroomSomething that everyone has

in common is sleeping. It takes up approximately one third of your life and there-

fore is an extremely important factor in your overall health. The Bedroom is the private place, where you can unwind, relax and sleep. It is also the space where you get dressed, read and study. The Bedroom is usually accessed from the dining room if it is on the Ground Floor or the staircase if it is on the Upper Floors. Since Vastu is a science, every guideline is based on reasoning and logic.

Scholarly king Bhojdev remarks the importance of the Vastu princi-ples in the first chapter of his historic treatise “Samarangana Sutradhar” as.... Sukhamdhanani iddhishcha San-tati Sarvada Nanam I Priyas-hyesham Tu Sansiddhayai Sar-vam Syachchhubhalakshanam II Yachcha Nindita Lakshmatra Tadetesham Vighatakrat I Ata Sar-vamupadeyam Yad Bhavechchhub-halakshanam II

It implies that the house com-plying with the Vastu specifications

would bring happiness, prosperity and health to the owner and his fam-ily residing in it; the family will be blessed with noble-souled children who will brighten the name of their parents. The house designed against Vastu principles might, however, prove to be the reverse that is, may bring misery, poverty, ill health, in-harmony and other negative effects.

Some other scriptures also cite: “Shastramanen Yo Ramyo Sa Ra-myo Nanya Eva Hi”. It means that any creation or construction, howso-ever outwardly beautiful it may be,


13

Vastu

is complete and fulfilling only when it is in accordance with the laws and guidelines of the concerned Shastras (Vedic scriptures).

As such all the rooms in the house are important for the occupants, how-ever, like the kitchen, the bedroom attains special significance for them. Whether it is a palatial mansion or a big or small flat, the bedroom hap-pens to be the only place where one relaxes and sleeps for a few hours after the hectic, stressful or busy schedule of the day. In most cases, one spends about one-third of the whole day in taking rest or sleeping here. If we consider the active age of a person to be around 70 years on an average, and let his average hours of sleep/rest per day to be about 7 to 8 hours, we find that we would have spent about 23 to 24 years of our ac-tive life span in the bedroom!

Sound sleep and proper rest is important for sound health. It is therefore of obvious priority that our bedrooms bear a soothing ambi-ence where we could relax and sleep without disturbance and irritation. Location of the bedroom relative to the other room(s) and with respect to the geo-magnetic effects and natural energy fields is therefore very impor-tant. Vastu plays a key role in opti-mizing its position and design in our homes.

As per the Vastu Shastra, South and West are supposed to be the suit-able directions for construction of the bedroom. Of these, South is said to be the best. Maharshi Vashishthas guidelines in this regard, as quoted in the “Vastu Ratnawali”, are... Aindrayam Snanagraham Karyamagneyam Pachanalaya | Yamyayam Shayanam Veshma Na-iatyam Shastramandiram ||

Maharshi Kashyap also states the same in an independent context, Prachyam Dishi Snanagrahamag-neyam Pachanalaya| Shayanam Yamyadigbhage Naiatyam Shastra-mandiram||

Both the shlokas mean Bathroom should be placed in the East, Kitchen in the Southeast. Bedroom should be located in the Yamya (South) direc-tion and weaponry (security-related

storage and safe) in the Southwest. “Muhurtamartand” and “Muhurta Chintamani” also specify south as the best direction for construction of the bedrooms.

The 150th Shloka of the"Vrahadvastumala" also says Purvasyam Shrigraham Prokta-magneyyam Syanmahanasam | Shayanam Dakshinasyam Ca Na-iatyamayudhashrayam ||

The Shloka indicates that the wealth should be safeguarded in the eastern corner of the house. South-east direction is best for the con-struction of the kitchen, south for the bedrooms and southwest for the weaponry.

The 154th Shloka of the same scripture indicates another possible direction for the master bedroom of the house as somewhere in the Northwestern side of the house “Ka-mopabhogashamanam Vayavyotta-rayorgaham” (The room for amour of the husband and wife owning the house, should be somewhere be-tween the Northwest and the North directions).

Because of being the most private part in the house, bedroom is also referred as “antahpur” in the scrip-tures. It should obviously be away from the main entrance of the house to prevent disturbances by the visi-tors.

Depending upon the size of the family, more than one bedroom might also be required in some houses. In such cases, the scriptural guide-lines on Vastu suggest bedrooms could be (in the order of suitability) in the South and Southwest direc-tions. Putting bedroom in the south is supposed to be the best choice. The geomagnetic effects are most soothing here for mental and bodily relaxation. One gets good sleep here and regains energy and freshness for the next day. This way, his/her pro-ductivity and mental peace and cre-ativity also increase. Thus, having the master bedroom in this direction generally results in happiness and prosperity for the family.

Having bedroom in the Northeast (Ishana) Direction is supposed to be against the principles of Vastu. Hav-

ing bedroom in this direction is not suitable because, as the name sug-gests (Isha = God; Ishana = place of God), this direction is most suited for the worship-, prayer- and meditation room. If the master bedroom hap-pens to be in this corner and is being used by the head of the family, he/she might suffer physical and mental problems and often face economic constraints.

Apart from these, if necessary, the portions between the West and Southwest or, with lesser positive effects, in-between West and North-west, or Northwest and North could also be selected for this purpose. If only two bedrooms are required, the best combination would be one in the South and the other in the North-west. The directions East, North, Southeast and Northeast are said to be unsuitable for the construction of a bedroom.

If needed, the house could have the following arrangements: the master bedroom in the South or Southwest corner of the house; the bedroom for the youngsters or the children should in the east or north of this room; the bedroom for grownup girls in the family in the Northwest. For the newly married younger cou-ples, it could be in-between the North and the Northwest; and towards the North (or Northwest, if there is free space available) for the guests.

If it is feasible, the bedrooms could be designed (successively) in the L-shaped portion around the southwest (from Southwest up to Northwest and from Southwest up to just before Southeast). n

Coralie Felicitas Srivastava M.Phil, Ph.D, honoriscausa

Coralie Felicitas Srivastava is a London-based researcher, writer and a VastuShastra consultant who has received her Ph. D de-gree from the Zoroastrian Col-lege on the importance of using the Universal Scanner and VasatiYantras to obtain optimum health and create a stress free environment and life. She is an expert at counter balancing Geopathic stress and negative energy fields in a property using metal rods and Yantras. She has received an Honorary Doctorate from the Indian Institute of Complementary Medicine and is the Vastu consulting editor for the Hindu Today.


14

Dharmic Champions

Pandit Mohanlal Sa-hadeo Ji was born into a Hindu family in Guyana on September

9th, 1939. He attended St. Peter's Roman Catholic school in the next village. As was the norm then, the Catholic Church that owned the school was next door and the students had to attend Mass every Sunday. Mohanlal Ji did so, and soon became an altar boy. He was baptized and given the name Je-rome. He stayed Christian until he got married at age 23 years.

His wife Phulmati was from a very traditional Hindu family. Her father and uncles were all Ra-mayana exponents and there was even a mandir (Hindu temple) in their yard. (In Guyana and other Caribbean nations, devotion to Lord Ram through chanting of the Ramayana (Ram-carit-manas) of Tulsidas is central for many Hin-dus.) From the moment the young couple started their new life to-gether, Mohanlal Ji started taking an intense interest in Hinduism. He joined the youth arm of what was then the only major Hindu or-ganization in Guyana at that time, the Maha Sabha. He also began taking an active role in the mandir in his village.

Both before and after gaining independence, Guyana was divid-ed into two major political parties and their leaders played on the insecurities of the two most popu-lous races. Politicians infiltrated the Maha Sabha: the ruling party took control of the leadership and threw out those who didn’t sup-port their party. One such person was Pandit Reepu Daman Per-saud, an executive member of the opposition party. He said that after being kicked out of the Maha Sab-ha, he was at home one day when

he received a call from Mohanlal Ji. Pandit Persaud said that Mo-hanlal Ji asked him what he was now doing and he replied that he was at home most of the time with little to do. Mohanlal Ji then said to him,”Pandit, why don't we start our own Hindu organization?" And the Pandit said that his words in reply were, “Jer*, do you think

it will work?” to which Mohanlal Ji replied, “We will make it work!” Pandit Persaud then invited Mo-hanlal Ji to come to his home and discuss this groundbreaking idea. Thus was born the biggest Hin-du organization in Guyana: the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, and was inaugurated on January 8, 1974. Pandit Mohanlal Ji was

Guyana's Hindu Renaissance


15

Dharmic Champions

made the Junior Vice President of the Sabha.

These details were revealed to the public exactly 3 weeks before the passing of Pandit Mohanlal Sa-hadeo: on the March 6, 1992. There was a Bhagwat Puran Yagna at his Mandir and Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud was the presiding priest. At the Sampoorn/final session of the Yagna, Pandit Persaud spoke about his long relationship with Sri Mohanlal Sahadeo and shared this story, which was corroborated by Sri Harry Persaud Ramdass Ji,

the first general secretary of the Dharmic Sabha. He came to attend the shraddha (Hindu funeral/me-morial service) of Mohanlal and he related further that when Pandit Persaud invited Mohanlal Ji to his home, he had also asked Harry Ji to attend.

The Dharmic Sabha became the largest Hindu organization in Guyana, with Praants/branches in the different regions of country. The first of these was the East De-merara Praant that was launched after the Sampoorn of a yagna

held at the opening of the new Mandir in his village. Mohanlal Ji had been instrumental in its con-struction.

The original temple in his vil-lage was one of the oldest in the country and it had become difficult to maintain, so a new building was sorely needed. By this time, Mo-hanlal Ji had become the President of the mandir. It was his greatest desire to see a new mandir built. On the night after the cornerstone-laying ceremony, Mohanlal Ji was already planning the program for the Mandir's opening, which he scheduled for the following Janu-ary. There was no room for doubt in his mind and sure enough, within 6 months of laying its cor-nerstone, the mandir was declared open at a grand yagna on January 14, 1980. This was a most remark-able achievement, as in those days Guyana was going through some of its darkest days where Indians/Hindus felt as if their very exis-tence was at risk. During that peri-od, basic food items, including and especially the staples of the Hindu diet were only available as black market contraband. Furthermore, basic construction materials such as cement, etc, were also scarce. Despite these obstacles, Mohanlal Ji used his vast contacts and per-sonal finances as a businessman to make his dream of a new mandir a reality.

During the early 70's, most of the temples paid Pujaris (a kind of Hindu priest) to conduct the satsanghas (religious meetings). When the Pujaris had to perform private pujas (Hindu rituals) at people's homes at the same time as temple services, the devotees in the temple were left without any puja. This happened a few times at his temple and Mohanlal Ji de-cided that this was unacceptable. He was closely associated with Swami Purnananda Ji Maharaj of the Guyana branch of the Bharat Sevashrama Sangha. Mohanlal


16

Dharmic Champions

Ji formulated a Hindu prayer book, based on the “Hindutwam” of the latter's organization, which he introduced to his temple. This book was later used as the prototype to be intro-duced to all the other temples in the Dharmic Sabha with some addi-tions by Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud. No longer were the temples dependent on the Pu-jaris to conduct their satsanghas. Mohanlal Ji also trained in and began doing the for-mal pujas at his temple. His Guru Ji was a di-rect shishya (disciple) of Swami Sivananda Ji Maharaj of the The Di-vine Life Society. Swa-mi Chinmayananda Ji Maharaj visited Guyana in 1967 and Mohanlal Ji was one of fortunate ones to meet Swami Ji. After Swami Ji returned to India, he started to send his books to Mohanlal Ji and would also words of encourage-ment and wisdom for him.

Mohanlal Ji was elected the President of the East Demerara Praant and remained in that po-sition until his passing. He was always interested in creating av-enues to propagate and promote his Dharma. As mentioned ear-lier, Hindus were under tremen-dous political pressure. To help strengthen the community against such pressures, he was instrumen-tal in the creation of many initia-tives. For example, Mohanlal Ji devised several youth programs that included inter temple sport-ing activities. There were separate annual Youth Camps for boys and girls. The boys' camp was hosted at the Cane Grove temple every year at that time, while the girls'

camp was hosted at his temple in Triumph. Every month, there was an activity at the Praant level. He initiated an annual Chowtaal (tra-ditional songs sung for the Hindu spring festival/Holi) Samelaans (gatherings) to herald in the Holi season. Kirtan samelaans were also started. He organized training sessions for the Executives of the approximately fifty temples under his leadership. The Motorcade (an annual parade) was another of his major activities. The wife of the then-Organizing Secretary said that she will miss seeing him at her home early every Diwali morning as he would make sure that all the supplies used for the Motor-cade were safely back in place as early as possible at their home and then he would sit and have coffee with her...the Motorcade was al-ways hosted on the eve of Diwali.

Because of such initia-tives during his tenure, the East Coast Praant became the model for the other praants of the Dharmic Sabha to fol-low.

The Triumph temple was a landmark in Guy-ana when it opened and many came to visit. Swa-mi Chidananda Ji Maha-raj of The Divine Life So-ciety was one of its first visitors. This Mandir was the pride and joy of Mohanlal Ji. There was arti every evening at the mandir. Hindi, mu-sic, and home economic classes were held. De-bating and sports were encouraged. He had a body building machine and table tennis table put in at the mandir. There was also a library and home economics centre that was later constructed with assis-tance from the American and Canadian Govern-

ments and the Indian Government supplied books to the library and donated musical instruments. He was also very much interested in the welfare of children and started one of the first Bacchon/kids class at his Mandir in the late 1960's and continued this class up until he passed away. His students came and sang through his service and marched along with the proces-sion that followed his bodily re-mains to the cremation ground 1 mile away from his home. He started honoring children on the birth anniversary of Pandit Nehru as the latter was very keen on the welfare of children. This day is still being observed by the Dhar-mic Sabha.

Many Hindu groups from other countries, like the Sai Baba organi-zation and ISKCON/Hare Krsna,

(Pandit Mohanlal Sahadeo (L.) felicitates the President of Guyana Cheddi Jagan (R.))


17

Dharmic Champions

were helped to get established in Guyana by Mohanlal Ji. When the Hare Krsnas wanted to expand to Guyana they came to Mohanlal Ji. There was nowhere to even house their leaders/pujaris when they came to visit so he had them stay at his home. He even hosted satsang-has and film shows to educate the locals on their mission. Many oth-er Swamijis and Hindu missionar-ies that visited Guyana would also stay at Mohanlal Ji's home where they were assured of sat-tvika/pure vegetarian food and company. Mohanlal Ji raised his children in Sanatana Dharma/Hinduism in all its purity. Their very earliest memories are filled with visits of spiritual personali-ties and places. Whether it was visiting the temple or ashram, he always had his young family with him. Srimati Sahadeo (his wife) recalls an incident when Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud was visiting one evening when they were at their mandir. She said Pandit Ji was chatting with her and her husband and he looked over to where the older 3 siblings (the youngest was not born as yet) were playing in the mandir's yard and he remarked that when they grew up, no matter what anyone may try to do, they are never ever going to be able to take Dharma/spirituality away from these children.

It has now been 20 years since his Lord took him back at the age of 51 years. Even today, people still remember him for his humil-

ity, kindness and dedication to his dharma. Many of the practising Pujari/pandits today remember his helping them in their forma-tive years. At a fund raising cer-emony in New York City held at the end of March, for the building of a new temple, Pandit Mahendra Doobay spoke about Sri Mohan-lal Ji. He was one of the students of Sri Mohanlal Ji's bacchon class

when it was first started. Mohanlal Ji never took himself

too seriously, and was not obsessed with his own importance. From the smallest child to the oldest el-der, no one was afraid to approach him. He promoted the usage of the Sanskrit greeting using the word “Pranaam”. This word literally means "I bow to you". Mohanlal Ji would not wait for anyone to tell him Pranaam when they see him;

he would automatically say Pra-naam. Mohanlal Ji was not only a devotee, he was also a karma yogi in its purest form. He used his in-fluence as a business man to help many people in many ways, from getting them scholarships to India and North America, to financing such trips, to paying for the funer-als of people who couldn’t afford the expenses. Many still remember how he helped them to construct or repair many mandirs and he never asked for any recognition. After his passing, our family was regaled with many a story of what he did for people. In one case, we were told the story of when he saw his photograph on the altar of a mandir because he had paid for its construction, but as soon as he walked into the mandir and saw his photograph there, he de-manded that they remove it. Simi-larly, he never allowed himself to be praised. He was deeply pas-sionate about his dharma and his people. Then-incumbent President Dr.Cheddi Jagan left aside prepa-rations for the upcoming elections to attend his cremation. Dr. Jagan explained that it was his duty to be there, and he helped to carry the arti/Hindu funeral, and he wel-comed and thanked the people that turned out in the thousands to pay tribute to Pandit Mohan-lal Ji. It was a fitting send off for a soul who came from humble be-ginnings, yet left such an immense impact on the lives of all whom he came in contact with. n

Nanda SahadeoDaughter of Pandit Mohanlal Sahadeo, who was a founding member of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha and President of the Tri-umph Mandir. She and her siblings grew up in the Sabha and Mandir. She was given Diksha when she was 5 years old and received Diksha again from a direct shishya of Swami Chinmayananda Ji Maharaja and Swami Dayanananda Ji Maharaja. She is trained in Indian Classical Vocal Music, Dance, Yoga, Hindi and Sanskrit from the Indian Cultural Center in Georgetown and studied Vedanta. She is a qualified Writer and Journalist and also paints. Nanda became the Pujari of the Triumph Mandir, Triumph Village, after the passing of her youngest Brother Pandit Maheshwar Sahadeo. Nanda was the first woman in Guyana to serve as a MandirPujari; after injury prevented her from sitting down, her younger sister is now serving as the Pujari. She is a fervent Hindu Rights Activist who frequently defends anything pertaining to and educating others about Sanatana Dharma especially in the newspapers in Guyana and online. One of her most successful actions was getting promoters in Guyana to desist from hosting the Miss Diwali Pageant and stopping them from using the name and festival of Diwali when holding any activity that does not uphold the sanctity of the sacred occasion of Diwali which is Maha Lakshmi Puja. Her present interests lie in the rights of Hindu women and children and social problems facing the Hindu home especially with regards to abuse.

Mohanlal Ji raised his children in Sanatana Dharma/Hinduism in all its purity. Their very earliest memories are filled with visits of spiritual personalities and places. Whether it was visiting the temple or ashram, he always had his young family with him.


18

Demystifying Hinduism

Hinduism can be com-pared to an Orange fruit. Everyone iden-tifies the religion

with the color orange. But not just any ordinary orange, it is an orange with each of its peel dis-tinctly different in color, taste smell and texture. For a thinking mind it is a garden of thoughts. Hinduism has profound philoso-phy embedded within. It has in it all the branches identified in western philosophy and more. Hinduism stands out not only as a guide for rituals, beliefs and practices; but also acts as a river which quenches the thirst of ev-ery human mind.

In my subsequent articles, I shall attempt to substantiate my claims with examples picked from various writings of several great thinkers of the religion. Ev-ery thinker enjoys the freedom of thought and expression and it is a treat to study these thinkers ex-ploring every possible interpreta-tion of even the finest details of the observable world around us.

Let us consider an epistemo-logical question: The validity of knowledge. Different schools of Indian philosophy take different stands with reference to the dis-tinction of true knowledge from fallacious one.

We see many things all around us. While we believe most of them, we also reject a few as in-correct. The objects around us, the book you hold in your hand now, the table you’re perhaps sitting by, etc., are taken to be true. We believe in our perception of these objects. On the other hand, we are also prone to misconceptions, we mistake a rope lying in dark to be a snake, which we initially believe and then disregard. Once

we realize that it is actually a rope and not a snake, we disregard the earlier perception that told us it was actually a snake and accept the latter perception, the correct one. We are aware of two kinds of perceptions, one which is correct, like the perception of the book in

your hand; and the other which is wrong, like the rope which is mistaken to be a snake. How do we make out which perception to believe and which not to? And should we disregard one kind of perception completely?

No, says Sri Ramanujacha-

A Colorful Orange Hinduism


19

Demystifying Hinduism

rya, a philosopher who lived in the10th and 11th century CE. All knowledge has some degree of truthfulness to it. He explains that every object has components of every other object. All the ob-jects in the universe are made of a few basic ingredients like air, wa-ter, fire, earth and space. It is the proportion of each of these build-ing materials that decide what the end product is. It can be seen like the formation of different col-ors from three basic colors: red, blue, green; or cyan, magenta and yellow. Just the way all colors are merely combinations of these ba-sic colors, we get different objects like a mango, a rock and others by varied combinations of the basic elements. So, essentially, though very small in quantity, the proportions of other ob-jects exist in all objects. But they are overridden by one dominant proportion and we identify that object dis-tinctly on general accord. When we see an object as the other, we are actually seeing the minor fraction of the whole. The perception which grasps the dominant proportion is to be believed for practical purposes and the perception which only shows you the minority proportions, though in some sense correct, should not be accepted in practice.

The rope has in it the propor-tions of the basic elements that make a snake, but more than the proportions of a snake; it has the ones of a rope, making it distinct from the snake. It is due to this similarity that both the snake and the rope have a few common fea-tures, like the softness, color etc.

Another school of thought holds a completely different view on the same subject matter. In the first place it rejects “two kinds” of knowledge. The Prabhakara tra-dition believes that all knowledge is true and correct. There exists no “misconception” as such. We might wonder then, what about the popular misconception of the

rope and the snake? The explana-tion given is that when you see a rope, two things happen. You ‘see’ the rope and actuated by the similarity seen you ‘remember’ the snake. The cognition, “it is a snake” is not just one, but a group of two different kinds of percep-tions. One kind is that of sensual perception and the other kind is recollection. We do not mistake the rope as snake but fail to rec-ognize the difference between these two cognitions which come in package of a single sentence, the way it would be, if it were a

single perception.Another school of thought

called the Vaisheshika, builds upon the previous conceptual-ization. It is the existence of the object of cognition that decides whether it is a misconception or not. When you see an existent ob-ject, it’s considered correct cogni-tion. And when you see an inex-istent one, it is a misconception. But since an inexistent object can-not be seen, the snake cannot be completely inexistent (it must ex-ist somewhere, if not where you see the rope). So a misconcep-tion cannot exist. The snake-rope mystery is explained as a com-

posite of two cognitions. Firstly, the cognition of the object lying in front of the viewer (the rope) and secondly, the perception of the snake which is true elsewhere.

These schools of thought reject the existence of any misconcep-tion by providing different expla-nations of the concept.

Hinduism also has thinkers who maintain a completely op-posite view.

The Dwaita school of thought, popularized by Sri Madhwacha-rya of the twelfth century CE, contradicts the previous notions of the snake-rope quandary. It ac-cepts that there are two kinds of knowledge, correct and incorrect. By employing reason and logic

it suggests that untrue objects can be seen because of defects;

defects in the instrument of perception, and in the ob-jects perceived. It believes that we misconceive real-ity. We often mistake the rope to be a snake, and hence feel fear, a very real emotion and an accurate response to seeing a snake.

We have seen diverse views regarding the di na-

ture of perception and cogni-tion. , Such diversity is reflect-

ed by the metaphor of Hinduism as an Orange. Indeed Hinduism has produced a variety of think-ers with widely different world-views, yet the religion stands out united. This elegance unique to Hinduism. n

… To be continued

Pandit LakshmeeshacharyaPandit Lakshmee-shacharya is a student of HH Sri Satyatma-teertha Swamiji, he went to Jayatirtha Vidyapitha and stud-ied Vyakarana, Tarka and Vedanta, and was taught higher texts by HH. He also has the distinction of being a student of science. This young scholar from Bangalore, has dedicated his life for research in philosophy, quantum theory and evolu-tionary biology.


20

ManagementPhilosophy

M an the world over has sought to discover the purpose and meaning of

life and death. In pursuit of know-ing, he has created mythology, as-trology, philosophy, religion, god, worship, Tantra, Samadhi and lib-eration. The yogis desire to know the nature of the Self led them to experience the Divine within themselves. The experience of Di-vinity caused their behavior to be ethical by nature.

They realized we have not just one lifetime, but many in a con-tinuing chain of evolution. Each lifetime we take birth in order to satisfy particular desires and to re-solve certain chakra drives.

It has been said that the cause of life is ignorance, the purpose of life is to be free, the tool of life is knowledge, the method of life is perseverance, the joy of life is bliss and the height of life is in stillness.

We can briefly discuss these concepts. The cause of life is ig-norance; ignorance of one’s past, of the karmic seeds that are re-sulting in our present experience; ignorance of the forces that are operating at this present moment on earth and throughout the uni-verse; ignorance of what makes us feel the emotions the way we do, what makes us feel the pains we do, what gives us the loved ones we have and then takes them away; ignorance of how to live in a human body and survive, love, accomplish, give and evolve spiri-tually in an often times difficult world.

The purpose of life is to be free. Not the pseudo freedom to simply be able to act out one’s desires as they bubble up in the mind one after another, but the genuine and lasting freedom of being able to transcend personal wants and desires. Mother Earth produces enough for her sons and daugh-ters but fails to provide all one hu-

man being can desire.To achieve an objective aware-

ness to witness how the forces push and pull ourselves as they

push and pull those around us; to be free to accept and tolerate the passing waves of emotions and energies and fix one’s mind on the

Life and Death


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MeditationPhilosophy

absolute, to be free to let go of at-tachments to youth, to pleasures, to the body, to life itself. For the ancient yogis, the highest of all human virtues was the virtue of absolute un-attachment.

If a man be thoroughly un-at-tached, all other virtues will neces-sarily find a place in him. He will, thus by nature, be truthful, honest, just, upright, generous and chari-table, for there is nothing to which he is attached. There is no interest uppermost in his mind, he will naturally be thoroughly selfless and absolutely disinterested in his action and conduct towards oth-ers. No joy can elate him, no sor-row can depress him, no suffering or despair can overwhelm. He is above all earthly joys and suffer-ings above all attachments to worldly things. Nothing can swerve him from the path of uprightness and virtue; no in-terest can distract his mind. He is thus far above all others. The great god Shiva is the highest personification of the virtue of unattachment. He is the high-est ideal of all yogins and san-nyasins.

To be free is to also be free of the fear of dying, not strug-gling to survive just a few mo-ments longer. Rather than dy-ing in a state of fear of what is beyond, or dying while re-gretting all the things one was not able to accomplish, one may die in a peaceful, accept-ing way. One is able to expe-rience faith in the divine and full awareness of the transition process as it occurs out of the body into subtler realms of con-sciousness.

The tool of life is knowledge. Knowledge of what is required at each age and stage in life. Knowl-edge of what is the dharmic role for which one is best suited in this life. Knowledge of what kind of food should be eaten for health and clarity of awareness. How to use sex, how to relate to people, how to rear children, how to do Sadhana (spiritual work), to expe-

rience higher states of awareness.The method of how to attain

this knowledge is perseverance; following daily disciplines for re-training, developing and recondi-tioning old habit patterns of the mind and body to sensitize it and allow unfoldment of its vast po-tentials.

And what is the result of such spiritual perseverance—the joy of life. It is a feeling of deeper contentment and bliss than can be attained through any victory, achievement, vacation, sex or drug. Everyone seeks that state of inner peace and harmony whether consciously or not. The most plea-surable things are done again and again to get a brief glimpse or ex-perience of that feeling of “Ahh!

Hhaa!.” In that wonderful instant one feels satisfied and content. But quickly it passes and the next desire wells up—and we are off again to satisfy it.

Microchakra Psychology™ does not encourage renunciation from the world. In fact, the op-posite is true. It is one of the most sophisticated and elaborately de-tailed systems for explaining how to optimize and enrich living in the world, in order to fulfill all of one’s duties to parents, to chil-dren, to friends, to society and to the planet as a whole.

Working in the world but maintaining a non attached at-titude and following a regular spiritual discipline brings content-ment. When one reaches old age,

the remaining years of life can be a very extraordinary expe-rience. Instead of ending one’s life in loneliness and senil-ity and fear of the approach-ing death, one is able to elevate and expand one’s awareness to planes of bliss detached from physical and emotional suffer-ing. In India such persons are not uncommon and are sought out with the greatest respect and reverence for guidance and advice. By fulfilling all of one’s worldly responsibilities and duties while young, one has a clear conscience to sustain the highest awareness possible for the remainder of one’s years. For the height of life lies in the stillness of meditation, return-ing to the source within. n

Working in the world but maintaining a non attached attitude and following a regular spiritual discipline brings contentment. When one reaches old age, the remaining years of life can be a very extraordinary experience.

Sri Shyamji BhatnagarShyam Bhatnagar Shyamji met his guru at twelve years of age in the hills of Dehradun, India. A year later he learned to play tambura from the great artists Pran Nath and later with Jagdish Mohan. In 1965, Shyamji was using chant and tambura to treat clients and students spiritually and psychologically. Ravi Shan-kar heard one of Shyamji’s recordings and asked him to play tambura on his first American tour in the late 1960s, which included historic performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York. Currently, as head of the Chakra Institute, Shyamji maintains a vigorous teaching schedule from his base in the New York metro area. In addition, he regularly conducts classes, consultations and workshops in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. His authoritative book on Microchakras, co-authored with David Isaacs, PhD., is a landmark in the study of chakras in the subtle body. Shyamji’s reputation rests on his insight into the action of microchakra blockages on the physical body, and the effect of chanted sound on the dissolution of those blocks. Many who have participated in his classes report that they have experienced true meditation for the first time.


22

VastuCulture

What is a Mudra? Mu-dra is the hand gesture or the finger position.

Gods or saintly persons who prac-tise meditation or Yoga use Mu-dras. The Mudras are sacred, mysterious and magical. They can attract or distract people. They express lot of things. They are meaningful. They can give you certain powers.

The word Mudra is de-rived from two Sanskrit words:

MODHANATH and DRAVA-NATH. The meaning is that

which makes the Devas happy and that which gets rid of the sins. More over it fulfils the de-sires of the people who practise them. The Sanskrit sloka says:

ModhanathsarvadevanamDravanath papa santhathe:Thasmathmudrethisakyatha

SarvakamarthasadhaniMudra Vidhanam, a book

published by Ramakrishna Mutt lists 137 Mudras practised by

the Hindus. Buddhists and Jains have added some

more. So there are at least 150 recognised Mudras.

But naturally the per-mutation and combi-

nation of hand

and finger positions can give us hundreds of different Mudras. If one notices the hand and finger positions of Hindu Gods and God-desses or the statues of the Bud-dha, one can easily learn about them. Why did the Hindu Gods or the Buddha who was born a Hindu use them? The reason is they can give the practisers some power. Even in the modern culture, show-ing middle finger in western coun-tries is rude. Recently a singer and a foot ball player were condemned for the rude gestures. So hand ges-tures are powerful.

In the classical dance called Bharatanatyam, there are lot of Mudras called Karanas. They are used to express feelings and give different messages. The books about Mudras are in Sanskrit. There are 108 different Mudras shown on the tower of Chidam-baram temple where the Lord of Dance Nataraja/Shiva appears in his dancing form. The dance Mu-dras are different from Yoga Mu-dras. The Tantric Mudras are dif-ferent from these two categories.

Mudras have been used by the Hindus for thousands of years. Egyptians and Sumerians have learnt them from the Hindus. The most famous Mudra is the Chin Mudra of Lord Dakshinamurthy (Shiva). Abhaya Mudra shown by all the Hindu Gods and saints is also famous. Chin Mudra gives one the divine wisdom. Abhaya Mudra gives us the message, “Why fear when I am here?”. Though Hindus invented them, Buddha was the one who mas-tered them. Every Buddha statue shows a different type of Mudra. Now the Buddhists have been

Hindu Mudras in Egyptian and Sumerian Statues


23

VastuCulture

talking about them in the medita-tion classes more than the Hindus.

Mudras in Egypt and BabyloniaIf anyone has an eye for dif-

ferent gestures, one can notice the Egyptian and Sumerian Gods show different gestures. Babylo-nian gods touches their shoulders with crossed hands. This is called Kavacham Mudra. This protects one like a shield. Other gods and goddesses show one hand touch-ing the heart (chest). It is called Jnana Mudra. We are told that Lord Rama liked this very much.

Lower hand facing up, usually on one lap is called Vara (boon) mudra. Hindu gods show Abhaya Mudra with one hand and Vara Mudra with another hand mean-ing “You don’t need to fear, I will give you the boons you ask for”.

Mudras affect the flow of en-ergy in the body. By positioning the hands and fingers in a particu-lar position one can channelize the

energy. Jain Thirthankaras , Indus valley Statues and Egyptian Pha-raohs keep their hanging hands straight. They resemble one anoth-er establishing some connection in the past. This Mudra is called Kay-otsarga Mudra.

Hand on hand on the lap is called Buddha Mudra. We find it in Jain and Buddha statues.

Hindus use Mudras in the Puja, Meditation, Yoga Sadhana (Prac-tice), Yagas (Fire Ceremonies) and Naivedhyam (food offerings). There are different types of Mu-dras for different Gods. Anna, a great Sanskrit scholar, has listed 137 Mudras under 12 different cat-egories in his book Mudra Vidha-nam (Ramakrishna Mutt Publica-tion) .This is authentic. But several websites give us different types of Mudras with different inter-pretations without attributing the sources. So one wonders whether there is any basis for such inter-pretations.

Brahmins who do the daily rit-ual of Sandhyavandhana use Mu-dras and Nyasam. Brahmins do see the sun though the finger hole (not to damage the eye). Nyasam is touching different parts of body like head, mouth and heart with the right hand. Priests who do Siva Puja use lot of Mudras. Those who want to learn about the Mudras should learn it from those who practise it instead of the websites and books. Websites and Books are only guides, and not Gurus. n

Santanam SwaminathanSantanam Swaminathan was born in Nagappattinam in Tamil Nadu. He is working as a tutor at the University of London and a Health Advo-cate in a London hospital. He hails from a journalist family. His father Santanam was the News Editor of Dinamani in Madurai. He translated Anna Karenina of Leo Tolstoy in 1940s which runs to 1500 pages. It was considered a great achievement at that time.


24

VastuHoly Quote

Karmanye Vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana

·¤×ü‡Ø×ßææç×æ·¤æÚUSÌ× ×æ È¤Ü×áé ·¤Îæ¿Ù×

×æ ·¤×üÈ¤Üã×UÌéÖüê×æü Ì× â´»æ×sSˆß·¤×üç‡æ××

(Bhagavad Gita, Chapter II, Verse 47)In English transliteration:Karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachnaKarmaphalehtur bhurma te sangostvakarmani.In English translation:“Your right is to work only,But never to its fruits;Let not the fruits of action be thy motive,Nor let thy attachment be to inaction.”

CommentaryThis famous verse from Bhagavad

Gita contains the essential principle of detachment in the actions that people perform. It cautions that the natural tendency of people while doing work is to be deflected from disinterested-ness - particularly thinking of fame or fortune along the way. The will of God is supreme, and the fulfillment of that will is all that matters. Success or fail-ure does not depend on the individu-al, but on many other factors as well.

The core principle of this verse prompts you to work with a perfect serenity, steadfast in inner composure, and being indifferent to the results. He who acts by virtue of an inner law is on a higher level than the one whose action is dictated by his whims and emotions. It is the true inner poise (samatvam) and self-mastery. It is the true conquest of anger, sensitiveness, pride and ambition. It is the true yoga. Those who purse this wisdom go the region of the Gods.

Symbiotic RelationsWell, here is a simple instance to bring out the dif-

ference in understanding the real essence of karma. When people take debts, as per law of any land, they have to payback it with due interest. Isn't it? There is

no way of turning down the responsibility of paying back.

While you perform duty, the nature of the conse-quence that follows from the performance of duty is not clear to your mind. So to expect a particular re-sult to follow from a particular action would be like a blind man groping in the dark and catching hold of what he does not know is there, for example how seven blind people describe the elephant differently because they don't have the physical vision to see the reality. While under the given circumstance of your existence you have an obligation towards things, which has to be clear to your mind, you cannot clearly perceive the result that will follow from that action because results

are conditioned by infinite factors; not necessarily the thing that you do from the point of view of your only limited understanding. There are other factors which conditions things.

You can sow seeds in a field and expect a harvest. You may be justified in expecting a large harvest to follow the fact of your sowing a seed, put-ting the manure, watering it, fencing it, guarding it. But do you believe that this is the only thing that determines the harvest? There are other conditions necessary for the harvest to be reaped apart from your tending it, and apart from all that you have done for it - the rainfall, the seasons, and the other natural conditions necessary may be greater conditioning factors than your need to sow the seed and pour manure

and water into it; and many other invisible factors also are involved. Since you are not omniscient, you can-not know all the things in the world, you cannot know what result will follow from what action. Hence, it is not proper on the part of the person to expect a par-ticular fruit from any action because the fruit is not in your hands, while the duty is your obligation. You can present a case before a court, but you cannot decide the case yourself - that has to be done by the judge. If you already decided the case, there is no need of presenting the case at all. So, the performance of duty is some-thing like presenting a case, and the judgment is not in your hands, so don't expect the fruits. n


25

VastuMedition


26

Tradition

Have you ever been looking for some-thing specific and rather than finding

what you were looking for found something else which totally cap-tivated you? Perhaps there was the forgetting of that thing which was originally sought. However that which was found contained

a key to a door. There is a choice to either step through or to pass it by. There is no right or wrong. But when one gives up the idea of being in control, moving through this period in faith and trust, it is than that the journey can transi-tion from mundane to ethereal. This is the story of such a journey and it began with four people. For

me these four people represent the sacred medicine wheel. Each has a direction. Each has a place at any particular time, but there is constant movement. Today one might be here in the east and then in a few seconds be in the north. Never the less, these four people have ridden with me, whether or not they are aware of this is uncer-

American Indian Finds His Indian Heart


27

Tradition

tain. To not mention them would be equal to saying that this was all done by the self and that there is no divine inspiration. Tools, that is what each and every one of us are, tools of the Divine. These four very beautiful people have been so important and inspiring in this leg of my journey into the Hindu traditions. They are RashikaDasi, Vijay Krishna, SarasvatiDasi and Nitai Gaur Prem. Together they are the Kirtaniyas. Hearing their Bhajan invoked my journey to-wards Krishna. It is actually not that startling for when we open ourselves to God, Keshava in both Sanskrit and in the American Na-tive Dakota dialect, then the tal-ents which we possess become the tools of God.

In the American Indian Da-kota dialect, Na means ‘And’ or ‘Here’ as in something is here or recognizing something is here, or in making an offering of some-thing. Maste means warmth which comes from the Sun. Thus the word Namaste means 'Here is warmth, here is light, here is fire, here is love'. The three primary di-alects of my people are Dakota or Ina Iyaku kin–the mother's speak. Lakota of the Plains and Nakota of the West. The Dhegiha –spot-ted flesh or rusty hair (both are

correct) this includes the Osage and all of the 21 fires (nations) as well as Mdewakanton–Dwellers of Spirit Lake. Our people have a beautiful phrase in our language. According to my research the word appears to be rooted in San-skrit. WotakaheOyateWanji and it means Many Nations (People) are One. This is why we say Mita-kuyeOyasin–We Are All Related.

When we say MitakyeOyasin, this includes the animals as well for we really are all related. Now there are those Lakotas who tout the "Buffalo Nation" and so on. It is an entirely different story, but their ears for the time being are closed to the true meaning and connections with Sanskrit and Ve-dic India. Other than the names of the deities, everything is the same.

As I research Hinduism and East Indian culture I am finding many startling similarities be-tween the "Lakota" people and the Tamil People of South India. For example the aarti and puja offerings–Aarti in my language means to build an elevated place to pray and Puja means 'thirst'. andIpujapi means 'they thirst'. It is the ceremony of the pouring, offering and worship of the wa-ter–Maka We Kin Le–Blood of the Mother or Earth Mother. Maka

means Mother and it is the same word Mata for linguis-tically the letters 'k' and 't' are interchangble. The Ken-tucky region of the USA is home to my ancestors and the mound where I live is the spring solstice wing of the Sacred Serpent Uncakila. Today by the will of the cre-ator there is a Hindu temple in Louisville, Kentucky; it is a Vishnu -Shiva temple. Un-kown to most is that it has been built on what was once a Native American temple mound of the Mandan Indi-an People. Surely it is not the first time Vishnu or Shiva

have been worshiped on that spot. These ceremonial mounds such as the one upon which the Kentucky Hindu Temple now stands is said to have an umbilical cord to the burial mound of the holy people. It is believed that there is always a connection to the Old Ones. These 'Old Ones' often called Nephalim are the descendants of the Chil-dren of the Sun "Surye" and the Children of the Earth. In our lan-guage there is no "r" thus there is a slight difference in the pro-nounciation but otherwise its the same word. The Sacred Serpent is called Uncakila and is known as the friend of the Kolas– or the Cholas and it is the guardian of the passage to Odissa. This Odissa is none other than Orissa of India and it is home to Bhuvaneshwar the City of Lingaraj, Lord Shiva and the Kolas are the famous Cho-las of India. In our dialect, Odissa means to dwell within the red and blue days, and there are only so many such days assigned from the beginning of creation. We can stave off destruction or the End of Days by honoring the ances-tors and their teachings of Canku Cholaya or ‘Walking the Path of the Cholas’ or the ‘Path of Good-ness and Love’.

"Several examples of effigy-mounds are found in Ohio. The most notable one is that known as the Great Serpent Mound, in Adanis County. We give an il-lustration of it. The entire sur-rounding country is hilly. The ef-figy itself is situated on a tongue of land formed by the junction of a ravine with the main branch of Brush Creek, and rising to a height of about one hundred feet above the creek. Its form is irregu-lar on its surface, being crescent-shaped, with the point resting to the north-west. We give in a note some of the dimensions. The fig-ure we give of this important effi-gy is different from any heretofore presented. We are indebted for


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InterviewTradition

the plan from which the drawing was made to Rev. J. P. MacLean, of Hamilton, Ohio. Mr. MacLean is a well-known writer on these topics. During the Summer of 1884, while in the employ of the Bureau of Ethnology, he visited the place, taking with him a thor-oughly competent surveyor, and made a very careful plan of the work for the Bureau. All the other figures published represent the oval as the end of the works. Prof. Putnam, who visited the locality in 1883, noticed, between the oval figure and the edge of the ledge, a slightly raised, circular ridge of earth, from either side of which a curved ridge extended towards the sides of the oval figure. Mr. MacLean's researches and mea-surements have shown that the ridges last spoken of are but part of what is either a distinct figure or a very important portion of the original figure...We are told that the serpent, separate or in com-bination with the circle, egg, or globe, has been a predominant symbol among many primitive nations. "It prevailed in Egypt, Greece, and Assyria, and entered widely into the superstitions of the Celts, the Hindoos, and the Chi-nese." "Wherever native religions have had their scope, this symbol is sure to appear." The Prehistoric

world: or vanished races. By E. A. Allen, Nashville: Central Publish-ing House, 1885. This quote from 1880 represents research that was done on the Serpent Mound that revealed that there is indeed more to the Serpent Mound than a mere serpent and an egg.

Regarding the famous Serpent Mound in Ohio; the serpent is said by some to have an egg in its mouth. This is the claim made by "educated" Anglicans who refuse to listen to the old stories of the Native Wazhazhe–Ogazu. Per-haps they feel they know better since they have books rather than an oral tradition such as ours that

has been passed down for hun-dreds of years. However accord-ing to our Native tradition it is not an egg. By comparing it with Vedic lore it is clearly the flaired head of a "monacled" cobra. Thus the Great Serpent Mound of Ohio is indicative of the Sacred Cobra accompanied by the Linga form of Lord Shiva. It is said that there are no cobras in this country yet this is not true. The Eastern Hog-nose snake (Heterodonplatirhi-nos) is also known as the Ameri-can Cobra and it shares the flared hood in common with the Cobra. Clearly the Native people were aware of this serpent and even today it is often found near holy native sites. At what would be the mouth regarding the famous Serpent Mound in Ohio;, there is something of a sitting place, not accessible legally, but the place was used by persons, holy people as a protective place to be during particular ceremonies. The head is aligned with the summer sol-stice. The left wing is the spring equinox and also points to an area where giants are buried. The gi-ants were a people that are 9 foot tall and more. I think this has a bearing on the huge steps carved in the various rock paths. A per-The Eastern Hognose Snake also known as the North American Cobra

HINDU TODAY May 2013 Issue 60 Tradition

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Interview

son of regular stature has to strain to make it up each step. In each of the casks the giants had red hair and some, the bodies were perfectly preserved. They had a freckle complexion, which in itself is unique. The Lakota dialect of the Wazhazhe is called Dhegiha which translates spotted skin and or rust colored hair. I my opin-ion and after seeing the various temples coming to fruition in the area, predominantly Vishnu Shi-va Temples, these things might be related to what I discovered to be Harihara. "Educated" people have not been allowed into the sanctum sanctorum, not because a holy person would not take them there, but because something happens to them that they never make it there. Under the head of sacred serpent Uncakila is a cave, inside it is carved to be the Ea-gle Anukasan who is none other than Garuda. It is believed that as long as Uncakila is laying out and moving forward, then things are progressing as they should. At night, when the sun sets, Uncakila wraps around the sacred as a pro-tection just as the Serpent wraps aorund the Shiva Linga. It is monacled, or 'One Eyed', it is on guard only against the deceiver and has no trouble with having to determine the spiritual from the physi-cal. If Uncakila coils to strike, then we have brought ourselves to a time of great destruction. Uncakila will rise up and fly away when the sacred hoop of the nations has come together.

From the voice of my ancestors we learn a phrase; Om harimihunk-sikeshava 'unwanjipelo–Om and praises my dear brother, by whatever name, we are the same. The journey is beautiful.

Once the illusion of difference created by those who would con-trol for the sake of self has been removed, eyes are opened to see-ing the oneness of everything that is. Vishnu–to take flight as an eagle.Shiva–to walk a path of austerities or The Beauty Way–CankuWasteya. Brahma and Blahma–to reach salvation. I was raised rooted in the traditions of my Lakota American Ancestors. Yet the journey of the soul never ends and thus my journey of dis-covery has now brought me back to the Hindu ways. The more I learn of Hinduism the more obvi-ous it becomes; my ancestors, the American Indians, followed the same path as that of the Hindus. It is now obvious to me that my people have indeed always been followers of Sanatana Dharma.

To be clear sharing my story is not boasting. To boast about things is often done by the mem-bers of the ‘Dog Soldiers’ as a means to gain the merits of feath-ers from the Elders. This is not the way of the society I was initiated into. As a rule we remain quiet,

taking the backseat so to speak. It is well known who is who, like, sitting close to the door of the lodge, not so near the fire where it's warm. Seldom initiating talks, but listening to every word and recording them mentally so that these things can be retold in an in-stant if needed. But on those very rare occasions, if one of us stands, even while another is speaking, dead silence comes over the place. Very seldom are we seen wear-ing our feathers or bonnets, usu-ally a simple woven string over the shoulder, not unlike the Ve-dic Brahmin's sacred thread, a re-minder of our ties to all of the peo-ple and all of creation. So many things the new Americans have forgotten. Many people will come to ancient Native Sacred places taking pictures of our sacred/cer-emonial things. Yet this is pretty much the same as taking pictures at the Venkateswara Temple and it is against our traditions. There are some caves near my home. Immediately upon entering the vestibule there are signs, "Cam-eras Forbidden". These caves

were once burial places. They are salt peter caves and aside from the burials, they were a place where the holy people would live and pray day and night exactly like the Sadhus and Rishis of India. They would make offerings to the Gods with the gifts brought to them by the people. Yet nowadays ev-eryone goes there as tour-ists picnicing and having a grand ole time, not even knowing exactly where or what they are sitting on or near.

Yet through all of this forgetfulness and igno-rance of America's ancient past I never gave up and thus my search towards the ways of India began. It


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Festival

all started in a very simple way. I recall it was a very warm summer day. The humidity was so high that a person literally sweltered in the heat. I recalled some advice my grandfather once gave me one hot summer long ago. 'Wear a Sarong' he'd said.. Oh there had been sarongs in the past. Each of them gave way to the tortures of time and wear. But suddenly I felt I needed to once and for all forgo my "western"-style clothes for something better and more practical and natural. Shopping time it was. No, it wouldn't be in a mall. It would be online in front of a fan in a home located in Pittsburgh, PA. Now there al-ways needs to be music for shop-ping, Something soothing would be good. When it comes to music Youtube is a wonderful friend. I typed in 'Palestrina Violin' to see what the variant choices avail-able. Nothing came up. Maybe it was a solar flare that caused a glitch in the computer. Suddenly

music began playing with a drone sound. Searches for sarongs were being typed in another window and suddenly melodious sing-ing began.Govinda Jaya Jaya. Sa-rongs? Never mind. This is better than sarongs. The length of time it takes to listen to each and every video is not known. It didn't mat-ter. I felt weightless as I listened. It was blissful. What was this mu-sic? I scanned my screen. I saw the words 'Kirtan' and 'Bhajan'. Now what was this all about?

What's this Hare Krishna and Haribol? Are these the same peo-ple I was forbidden to talk to as a child? After all, they did dress rather oddly, going back and forth from the Rose Temple in Pasade-na, California. But just look at this. These people are happy. Happy is nice. I like happy. But happy was not to be an emotion during child-hood. It was a troublesome time. AIM (American Indian Move-ment) was just forming. Walk-outs, protests, cruelties, absurdi-

ties, hidden identities as a means to survive and of course the Viet-nam War. So on that hot summer day I had a return to my child-hood, but now with a different twist. There was no longer a need for the sorrow and grief of isola-tion, relocation and assimilation. At 300 pounds there was no need to worry about being snatched up and carried off to the Rose Temple by cultists never to be seen again. Besides, Pittsburgh is a pretty long way from Pasadena. After some time enjoying the Bhajans I turned back to my search for Sarongs. No sarongs were to be found in all of Pittsburgh. But a Hindu store was. A call was made, "Do you have sarongs?" "No", was the an-swer. So a description was made, "Ah, you mean a lungi." Okay, it was time to get across town to get a nice lungi then. I "wanted" a wo-ven tube-style. What I got was a wrap around. It wasn't what I was looking for at all. But it would do. It was later discovered that


the high dollar lungi was the end piece cut off of a dhoti. It was so thin; but the thinness wasn't real-ized at the time. Then the Indian man asked, "Have you been to the temple yet?" "No sir. Where is the temple? I'd like to see it." He gave me directions to the Hindu temple and I made plans for a visit. I took my new lungi thanked him and went home.

Oh it felt so wonderful walking around in the new "lungi". It was as if nothing at all was being worn. A couple days later I decided to go to the Hindu Temple. As soon as I stepped inside it was as if I were stepping into the the-atre of the most divine healer. Awestruck, in tears of wonder and emotion, I realized that this was the path of my ances-tors. Being in the presence of the Murtis resuscitated ances-tral memories of a time when the Indians of both the West and the East were on the same Dharmic path. I was hooked. I looked at the murtis and said a prayer. I did not pray so much to learn or to be taught but rather I prayed to be prepared to accept whatever comes at each bend and twist of this river journey.

Returning home, comforted, curious, walking on air, I passed by the mirror. I saw myself dressed in my new lungi. It was a return to childhood, a re-birth, just as a baby unclothed, but wrapped in a modest cloth, the cleansing had been had. Lips quivered and trembled in an attempt to find the appropriate words to describe to others just exactly what had hap-pened. There were no words. My head and back pounded with pressure. Those who called them-selves Elders and Teachers among my people scolded me for hav-ing gone to the Hindu Temple, a forbidden palace. Was this the same as the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden? No. It couldn't

be. Then the first words were ut-tered, my response to the elders and teachers was a simple yet sweet "Hare Krishna.' Immedi-ately the tears flowed uncontrol-lably, but the weight was now gone and my head was no longer throbbing. Hare Krishna - came another breath. They looked at me and knew it was real even if they could not understand it.

Overwhelming realities are ev-erywhere and the doubt among my people regarding India and Hinduism is at times strong. Yet a good many of the Native Elders got a tremendous joy hearing me speak of my new love for India and its sacred terminolgies and concepts. Hearing me use Sanskrit phrases and mantras many think that I am now teaching the Ameri-can Dhegiha dialect to the people. They stand dumbfounded when I tell them no, this is Sanskrit rooted language from India. I tell them that our American Dhegiha language is very similar to the di-alect used in Orissa, India.At first people were confused but as the years went by they now breathe a deep sigh of relief, sit back and smile as if the wonderment had been there all along, even if they had been afraid to voice it.

No, the journey had not

reached a prescribed end. It had begun once again. Only now when I carry the canunpawakan, the sacred pipe of my grandfather I no longer sing of the sorrows and laments. Now it is to sing the glories of our Creator and to call upon him in the Sanskrit lan-guagewhich is clearly related to many Native American dialects. which is clearly related to many

Native American dialects. I am now convinced that our Amer-ican Indian languages are in fact dialects of Sanskrit. Now I see the smoke from the tobac-co carrying on it our prayers to wherever the wind chooses to take it, it is as incense offer-ings to God. And my pipe is an incense holder. Thank you God.Hare Krishna. It is enter-ing childhood once again, but this time with eyes of wonder rather than fear, with joy rath-er than despair; with the first knowing of true love rather than with discouragement and shame.

Some Vaishnavas have be-friended me and when they dis-covered that I am the keeper of a pipe which has been joined to the pipe of the White Buffalo Woman, they have remarked, ‘You must stop this. You are not nor can you call yourself or ever be a Vaish-nava if you smoke tobacco. You must throw that pipe away.’ I smiled and asked if it is true that Krishna is everywhere and in ev-erything. Yes was the answer. Could Krishna not be in this pipe? No was the answer. Then Krishna is not everywhere and in every-thing. What else is there where Krishna is not or cannot be? There was no answer.

I remember reading the story of King Shibi for the first time. I had tears in my eyes. It was such a beautiful story and it seemed so familiar. I went back to the cabin and started writing about this in my journal. There are two

I passed by the mirror. I saw myself dressed in my new lungi. It was a return to childhood, a rebirth, just as a baby unclothed, but wrapped in a modest cloth, the cleansing had been had.

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windows on the cabin part of my hut. Where I normally sit to write I can see a portion of the pasture where the cows graze. They come to the fence and we commune. I had written so long that I had gone through an entire pot of tea. I needed plain water for drinking. I had just asked, "Am I descended from King Shibi? Are the two In-dian peoples actually one?"

I gathered my water jugs and opened the door. There were at least 30 doves all around the cabin and on the fence post sat a huge yellow hawk. What more signs do I need? There may or may not be a paper or written trail proving the unity of the Indians of East and West yet it doesn't mat-ter. When Wakontah (God) sends signs such as this there are only two things left to do: say thank you and then be-lieve. With many people, there is indeed the fear of letting go. There are times when people may challenge and ask for proof. This is not a bad thing. Someone might say, "No. This is impossible." In that instance your faith and trust might be rattled a little bit. Oftentimes further signs are asked for and they come. But I think it's best to shake off the negative remarks of others and continue believing in those things already shown. This strengthens one's faith. This is not new. The Indigenous people have suffered long the world over and our faiths and traditions savaged and brutalized by the allegedly 'civilized' peoples. In the region now called the United Kingdom, atrocities were committed against indigenous people. The Celts and Picts were nearly exterminated.There have been atrocities com-mitted against indigenous people in India as well. Even today pow-ers both foreign and domestic tar-get the Adivasis of India whether it be the Maoists, Christian and Islamic extremists or corporate in-

dustrialists hungry for resources and land. We find many Hindus and American Indians as well are grasping tightly to ethnocentric-ity. It's a sad truth. It can either be accepted and tolerated or side stepped and passed by, like the fellow in the canoe flowing with the current and depth of the river.

The modern caste system prev-alent in India is a way to maintain, control and gain power over oth-ers. It is a distorted view and a gross misinterpretation of the sacred Vedic scriptures and traditions. It is the same with many Muslims who read in the Quran that, "Un-

believers will perish...” Thus some feel it is their duty to assist with the per-ishing of those that do not fully embrace the same re;igion and outlook as themselves. It is well beyond time to distinguish the "religion" aspect and illuminate the "spiritual" practice as it was and as it is meant to be. It is the Native way and the Hindu way to allow each individual time to Cry for God within their own per-sonal vision and relationship with the Divine. This is the holy path waked by our countless ancestors. These are the holy people or Sad-hus.

Sadhus and Holy people are another feature common to both the American Indians and the Hindus. Wicasawakan means Sadhu or holy man; some people choose to become this and they do so. Then there are those who are chosen, and rather than will-ingly let go, through whatever circumstances, material things and relationships are removed fr-pom their lives. It is not as a pun-ishment nor as a test, rather it is a kind of conditioning, a learning of deep feeling and heartfelt emo-tion. Acceptance, once truly ac-cepted is to possess within the self takuwahskanskan which means to be imbued with the Spirit of Skanskan (Shankarshan) or God. After having experienced every emotion pre-ordained for you,

when you then pass by some-one, no words need by spoken, you immediately recognize their feelings because you have al-ready experienced them. That part of you that has overcome the particular emotion or pain or physical illness is immediately transferred to the other person by nothing more than a simple touch, a hand on the shoulder while shaking the other hand, it is circular, what is in them that is not beneficial goes into you. What is in you that is ben-

eficial goes into them. But your ability to make the connection through the chanting and medi-tating then gives this over to the universe, like rivers flowing into the sea, salination, cleansing, to be evaporated by the sun and then returned to the source. In other words when you are in tune with the Creator with Wakantanka, Krishna or God all negativity is washed away and only positivity remains. Krishna actually states this in Bhagavad Gita. The Lord says, "But those who worship Me with devotion, meditating on My transcendental form–to them I carry what they lack and preserve


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what they have." Bhagavad Gita Ch 9, verse 22

Since making the decision three years ago to become vegetarian, to open myself to this acceptance and the likelihood of an ancient connection to India, my dreams and visions have become much more intense. There are those who say, "Where's the proof?" The proof is within myself and others who dare to open their minds and hearts beyond the sacred scrip-tures, which in themselves serve as a mere passage, an opening to an understanding and in time a reflection of parallelism when cer-tain truths are attained through prayer and meditation. It is sad that in this day and time people are still falling subject to fear and remain stuck in excluvistic preju-dices assuming that only certain people are heard and answered by God. Rather than seeking for the answers within themselves and then believing, walking and liv-ing in faith that God is God to one and all, they divide humanity into believers and unbelievers merely based on the external differences in our worship methodologies. Time and patience will tell. And one thing is certain. When Taku-waskanskan (Thakur Shankar-shan) decides that it is time for the Sacred Hoop or Circle of the Na-tions to come together and unite

in our mutual Love of God, there will be no stopping it. In fact it is happening all around us despite the ongoing efforts to stoke our collective fears and insecurities.

Some have asked me. "In body you are an American Indian yet now you seem to have converted to Hinduism? So where on Earth do do you belong?" My answer? "I belong right where I am, other-wise I would be someplace else. It is true; I could fight the flow of the current and be where I want. Perhaps this love, this beautiful chanting of Harinam would be more enjoyable with others in In-dia like myself. But perhaps Sri Krishna chose me to be here. Per-haps where I am, in this place and in this time needs the love and healing which comes from chant-

ing the holy names of the lord. Maybe its not so much for myself alone, but for the place. Wakon-tah who is Sri Brahman HariVa-sudeva Sri Krishna, has given me a temple, the place where I stand, wherever I am, this is my temple. Brightened by Suryadev the Sun during the day and Chandradev the Moon and the stars by night and with Earth Mother Maka (Bhumi Mata) beneath my feet, it is obvious that no man has the capability to create something as grand as this. It is the same for each of us. We need no fancy buildings or elaborate rituals and societies to love Krishna. We need not suffer ourselves for the sake of a building. We only need to chant the holy names of the lord. Like a stone being dropped into a pond; the ripples reach every border of the pond. Stone after stone, the ripples become stronger, larger, returning back on themselves to the place of their origin.This chanting of the lord's holy names, Harinam returns to its source and in that place there is always heal-ing and light. Mitakuye Oyasin–We are all related. Jaya Sri Krishna Wastecinlaka I Love YouNa tunkasilawakontahkiciya'un

May the Graces of the Grand-father who is Most Sacred and Older than the Beginning of Time Be with You. n

Charlie Lame DeerCharlie Lame Deer was born in the San Gabriel Valley area of southern Califor-nia in the year 1960. His mother was from the Wazhazhe and Mdewakanton In-dian Tribes; his father being Lakota, Ojibway and German. He received the name Canli–Tobacco aka Charlie from his uncle at the age of twelve. He took the name of his paternal grandfather Lame Deer after receiving the Sacred Pipe. He now resides in the Appalachian region of the Ohio River Valley. He comes from a trib-ally diverse family and celebrates his ancestral ties with passion. Having worked in the medical field, he developed an interest in indigenous foods as a method of better facilitating healing and wellness. He ancestors include Lame Deer whose son, Good Fox was a survivor of the Wounded Knee Massacre and Rev. Evan Jones who was instrumental in restoring the Night Hawk Society of the Keetowah after the forced removal of the Cherokee during the period kown as The Trail of Tears. He accepted the calling of carrying a sacred bundle (akin to an Acharya) containing a ceremonial pipe and following the path of his paternal grandfather, John Lame Deer, seeking the similarities of all people everywhere, rather than seeing the differences. His journey through the various tribes brought him the acquaintance of Vaishnavism where he sees the oneness of the two people, the American Indians and East Indians, though being from opposites ends of the globe. Mitakuye Oyasin–We Are Related


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The day of January 14th 2013 was fast approaching. It was a very special day known as Pongal/ Ma-

karsankranti, a time when millions of people begin converging at the sacred confluence of the Three Sacred Rivers or the Triveni San-gam. Here the rivers of the Ganga, Yamuna and the mystic Saras-wati converge into one and here millions of pilgrims gather for an ancient festival known as Kumb-ha Mela. From time immemorial people have bathed in these Holy Waters at this auspicious juncture of time. I was also very eager to participate in this great festival and I specifically look forward to bathing in the Triveni Sangam.

Since my marriage 2 years ago I have been living in Dubai with my husband. We were both keen

to get back to India to attend the Maha Kumbh Mela. After years away we looked forward to the empowering energy of the occa-sion and the chance to bathe in the Sacred Waters on Shahi Snaan day.

God is seated within every soul how could he not listen to our deep desire. My husband asked for and was granted leave for a short trip of 15 days and we booked our tickets that same day. Though we faced several logistical challenges we were excited about the coming journey.

On the 23rd of February we boarded a night flight from Dubai to Lucknow, UP, India. After some hassles, rude airline employ-ees and flight mix-ups we finally reached Lucknow via Delhi. From there we took an airport taxi to Al-lahabad (Prayag). I cursed Sonia

Gandhi as we suffered through the worst roads as we made our way through her constituency of Raebareli. We hadn’t booked any accommodations in Allahabad but we knew Krishna will always take care of us. My husband had saved a number a friend had given him in Dubai. He called the number. A man named S.K Yaddav an-swered. He sounded very help-ful and assured us that he will book a place for us. We reached Allahabad in 5-6 hours and were suddenly caught in a whirlpool of round-abouts. No vehicles were allowed near the Kumbha Mela Site. After several more hours, traffic induced tension and a now very anxious taxi driver, we met up with S.K. Yadav and finally ar-rived at our room.

We had made it to the Kumbha Mela just in time. The next day,

Witnessing The Largest Act of Faith!


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25th of February was ‘Maaghi Poornima Snaan’ the most impor-tant day of the entire occasion.We awoke at 5 AM, got ready and met with our guide, Yadavji. It was a cold day as the three of us be-gan trekking towards the Triveni Sangam. We could feel the excite-ment all around us. We still had to walk for another 3-4 kilome-ters. Along the way we saw many people making their way to the Sacred Rivers. They were desper-ately poor people and many el-derly people who could not even walk properly, struggling to make their way to the holy site. Despite their feeble conditions they made their way without complaint and walked the 5-6 kilometer trail to-wards the bathing spot.

I felt humbled and was awed into a deep silence as I observed the determination of these great souls. Without any material facil-ity, be it physical, financial or soci-etal they persevered towards their goal. How many of us curse God when we don't get our food of choice or become angry when some unpleasant incident oc-curs? At times we don’t get our way in life and thus many of us adopt atheistic outlooks despite being surrounded by luxury and comfort. Yet these people with absolutely nothing represent the epitome of faith, humility, trust and bravery. For despite being in physically frail conditions they were fearlessly prepared to endure the last Shahi Snaan of Amavasya, a mad rush of millions of people into the holy waters of Triveni. Many lives of such brave people were also lost in a stampede at the Allahabad Railway Station.

I can never compare myself

with these humble yet noble be-ings. They traveled from various parts of India with so much of trouble. Neither the government of India, the various State Govern-ments or the Government of Uttar Pradesh, the location of this grand

event, had provided any facility for these millions of desperately poor pilgrims. Thinking of these people and their determination I can only say, ‘I AM AMAZED! ‘

‘We are nearing the Sangam!’ said Yadavji. We could feel the en-

ergy rushing through us. In or-der to reach the Sangam spot we either had to cross the Pipa pool (a temporary pontoon bridge) or take a ferry. Just as we were about to step on the bridge an official said it was closed to any further traffic due to the massive crowds. Now we either had to take the ferry or walk another 1-2 kilometers to another bridge. Another long trek seemed im-possible for us so we decided to ride the ferry. As we approached the ferryman we heard the offi-cials announcing on loud speak-ers, “Only pay 40 rupees to the ferry man to take you to the San-gam. Do not pay more than 40 Rs!”As we approached the fer-ryman he demanded 300 rupees

Neither the Government of India, the various State Governments or the Government of Ut-tar Pradesh, the loca-tion of this grand event, had provided any facil-ity for these millions of desperately poor pil-grims. Thinking of these people and their deter-mination I can only say, ‘I AM AMAZED! ‘


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per person. I protested. “Didn’t you hear the announcement?” He behaved as if I didn’t exist. We talked him down to 200 Rs per person and sat down on the ferry.

I was very excited and snapped a lot of pictures as we made our way across the flowing waters. Our guide Yadavji pointed out the fort built by Akhbar the Mughal King but I was not really happy to hear about it. I saw it as a sign of the Mughal's autocracy and a viv-id example of their mood of trium-phalism. Here at this holy place of Prayag, the ancient epicenter of in-digenous Indian faith and a place which in no sense belongs to the Islamic faith, Akbar built a fort. Beyond that he renamed the an-cient city of Prayag and thus today it is called Allahabad.

After a short and exhilarat-ing journey we reached the spot; what a feeling! Suddenly I saw a man gargle and spit in the water. Yuck! I yelled at him to desist. He too behaved as if I did not exist. I was now having second thoughts about taking the holy dip which I had been so looking forward to. My husband sensed my hesita-tion. “We have come from so far just for this sacred dip alone. How can you not enter the water after all this effort?” I agreed.

I then offered a prayer to Moth-er Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati seeking their permission to enter their sacred waters. Then with prayers in our hearts and upon

our lips we immersed ourselves into the Triveni Sangam. We plunged ourselves into the water three times, performed the Sun Salutation with the holy water and instantly felt surcharged with a sense of joy combined with a state of peace and wellbeing. We did it!

We had to go and the ferry was waiting but I was not prepared to leave. I was here at one of the most sacred spots in the Universe! I took a minimum of 15 more dips into the water. It was so refreshing and the water was so pure. It was beautiful. We both began to drink the water! Yes we drank the very same water of the Triveni Sangam

that I had hesitated to enter. Leav-ing was the last thing on my mind. The ferry man began yelling, "It’s getting late madam. We must go now."

We then collected some of the holy water for our parents in Mumbai and then made our way back unto the boat. On the return journey I asked Yadavji as to how the water could remain so pure even after so much pollution and waste is dumped into the rivers. He said, “There is only one reason alone and that reason is Ganga; Ganga has the power to absorb all impurities and yet always remain pure. This is her power.”

The entire experience was mag-ical and enchanting. It is amaz-ing to think of how an event and gathering of such magnitude can take place. Everywhere we went people spoke about the miracle of the Maha Kumbha Mela. Ev-eryday 20-30 million of people all gathered in one place without mishap or mayhem. The success-ful management of such a massive event was not due to the efforts of the UP State government rather it is due to the direct influence of God himself. Indeed no one else but God could have managed this event. Yes, we both agreed and felt


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and said the same. With a happy heart we made it

back to our place. After a nice din-ner and some rest we decided to maximize our good fortune and meet with Sri Jagad Guru Kripalu Maharaj Ji. After some phone calls we were happy to hear that he was in Mangarh and we could reach there within 2-3 hours; hurray!!! We made our plans to have his Darshan the next day. To be on the safe side we called the same taxi driver we had hired earlier.

The next day we started for Jagad Guru Kripalu Maharaj's place arriving at 9:45 am as I had hoped. The Ashram vicin-ity was beautifully maintained and the environment was peaceful and tranquil. Some-how we found the main office and they gave us a pass to enter a hall where only Satsangees are allowed. We went there and sat for some time clapping our hands and joining in the Bhajans. Jagad Guru Kripalu Maharaj As we chanted Jagad Guru Kripalu Maharaj entered the Assembly walked towards the dais and then sat down. From our vantage point we had a beautiful Darshan of Maha-raj Ji. He is 91 years old now. I could not believe my good fortune and I was in tears. I use to listen to his lectures on the Sanskar TV channel back in my college days. I had always found his preaching to be profound.I felt very fortunate to see such a great soul here in Kali-yuga with my own eyes. Suddenly I heard my name being called out by someone behind me. A Mataji was calling me and she called us to come over to meet with Maharaj ji. “They have come from Dubai after hearing your Satsang on TV. They want to have your Darshan." See-ing Maharaj ji up close I could not speak a word and I was in tears. After our introduction we went back to our sitting place and then they invited me to sit near Maha-raj Ji. It was an awesome feeling but I could not see him eye to eye. I was just sitting there with my

head down with tears in my eyes. After sometime he left the hall and went back to his room.

A Satsangee named Rakhee Didi informed us that Jagad Guru Kripalu Maharaj ji's was born in this very place of Mangarh. Today a beautiful Radharani and Krish-na Bhakti Mandir has been built at this spot. She persuaded us to spend the night and we made ar-rangements for our driver too stay as well.

The next morning during Dar-shan Maharaj ji we were delighted

to hear about his many projects like a Vrindavan hospital that serves the public free of charge. We were also given an apple by Maharj ji and he put Tulsi beads around our necks. Then to my de-light he embraced both of us. Once again tears streamed from my eyes. My husband became teary eyed as well After lunch and some rest it was evening. We then at-tended a nice program performed by the girls of the Ashram school (a girl’s school.)

Afterwards we were accompa-nied by an elderly man, a Satsan-gee, on a tour of the Ashram. I saw him as a pure yogi for his mood and energy was uplifting. He had joined the ashram leaving every-thing behind; his young wife 3 children and a successful business to work at the Jagad Guru Chikit-

salaya. Here all kinds of treatment be it Allopathic, Ayurvedic, Na-turopathy, Yoga, Physiotherapy, Dental, Eye care and other such services are given free of charge. The services are all provided by Satsangees with the special touch of agenuine service attitude. We were very happy to see and hear the Chacha explaining such im-portant works. Here the poorest of the poor can get the best of the best treatment in an atmosphere of genuine care and love. It was ob-vious to me that these good deeds can only be done by true saints alone. Indeed this nation of India is not run by the Government but by God himself.

The next morning we took the blessings of Jagad Guru Kripalu Maharaj Jiand he invited us to visit once again during Holi and in October. I asked him to bless us and after offering our respects and some Guru Dakshina (dona-tion) we took our leave.

Our journey to the Kumbha Mela and bathing in the Triveni Sangham was complimented by the association of this living saint and lover of God. It was a remind-er that it is not the holy places or rivers alone that are considered to be sacred Tirthas. For the saints

are themselves Tirthas and wher-ever they go becomes sacred. To-day despite the chaos and tragedy that is Kali Yuga these Holy Places and Saintly people are still acces-sible to one and all. However, like anything in this world there is a price. That price is not money or gold rather it is determination, faith and love. Ultimately in the end all you need is one thing and one thing alone. All you need is Love. n

Punita Prabhakaran PillaiPunita Prabhakaran Pillai originally from Mumbai, India currently lives in Dubai and writes on Hindu related topics. She is dedicated to the love of her 'Ladoo Gopal' the promo-tion of Dharma and the Vedic traditions in all its forms.

He is 91 years old now. I could not believe my good fortune and I was in tears. I use to listen to his lectures on the Sanskar TV channel back in my college days. I had always found his preaching to be profound.

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Tucked away amongst vast plains of green paddy fields and mud houses, where not a single car or

motor vehicle can be seen or heard, where the stars shine bright, where the birds’ and crickets’ chatter are magnified manifold in the absence of the artificial hustle and bustle of the city, stand smiling sweetly, Sri SriBalarama Revati. There they are worshiped in the village of Bara-hatti, in the district of Mushidabad, in the state of West Bengal, India. This place is about two hours north of Navadvipa-Mayapura, where the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna Cai-tanya Mahaprabhu appeared. By train, Barahatti is one hour north of Katwa, where Lord Caitanya Ma-haprabhu took sannyasa, and by road, half an hour north of Jhamat-pur, the birth place of Sri Krishna-das Kaviraja Gosvami, the author of Sri Caitanya-Caritamrita. This small village is two and half hour east of Ekacakra where Lord Nity-ananda appeared.

These Deities have been wor-shiped since many generations for hundreds of years. Along with the main Deities Balarama and Revati, a small specially carved brass De-ity of Laddu Gopala and five shala-grama-shilas are also worshipped. The Sri SriBalarama Revati Deities are originally carved out of Neem wood covered with clay collected from the bank of Ganga River. Balarama is 2 feet tall with a spar-kling white complexion, and Re-vati is 1 1/2 feet tall, yellowish in complexion. The two armed form of Balarama is playing a flute; such a Deity is very rare to find. The tiny Laddu Gopala is very unique as His right hand holding a Laddu is almost touching His mouth and a self made flower garland and a waist band is engraved on His body; nowadays, you can’t find this kind of Deity.

These Deities are said to have

been worshiped by a great devo-tee named Sri Abhirama Goswami (his family lineage or disciplic suc-cession still needs to be further researched). Presently, there are 4 brothers who are decendants of Abhirama, and still continue to serve.

According to Prabhanu Das Mukherjee, the 2nd brother, the history of Sri SriBalarama-Revati is as follows:

A few hundred years ago, in the place of Maadumni Daha (lake), post: Andiran, Murshidabad Dis-

trict, Lord Balarama appeared in a dream to a poor Brahmana named Abhirama Thakur. That night, Lord Balarama instructed him, “install Me, and serve Me.” Bhakta Abhirama asked how he should do this, and Balarama replied, “I am near Maadumni Daha situated in a bamboo forest. Come and take me”. So Abhiram Thakur, along with some devotees immediately went to that place and arrived at night where they were able to see a jyoti, or effulgence, in a particu-lar place in that very bamboo for-

Sri Sri Balarama Revati

HINDU TODAY May 2013 Issue 60 Religion

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Gaura-ganodesa-dipika, "The dev-otee who was formerly known as Subahu in Vraja, and who was one of the cowherd boys in Vrndavana, later appeared in Gaura-lila as Sri Udharan Datta. Chaitanya Mahap-rabhu, and Nityananda Prabhu ap-peared around 500 years ago, so we may place Abhirama’s time a little later than this.

Udharan Datta Thakur was the manager of the estate of a big zamindar land owner in Naihati, about one and a half miles north of Katwa, West Bengal, India. The relics of this royal family are still visible near the Dainhata station. Since Udharan Datta Thakur was the manager of the estate, this place was also known as Udharan-pura.

Vrndavanadasa Thakura writes as follows about Udharan Thakur in his Caitanya Bhagavata: "Af-ter Nityananda Prabhu stayed for many days in Khadadaha, he went to Saptagrama. There is a famous ghata in Saptagrama at the con-fluence of the three rivers (Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati) which is celebrated as being the place of the seven rishis. At that ghata on the Ganges the seven rishis had once performed penances in order to at-tain the lotus feet of Govinda, and it is one of the most holy places within this world. One may be de-livered from all his sins just by see-ing that place. Nityananda Prabhu was extremely happy to see this sacred place and bathed here with all His devotees. Udharan Datta was staying in a temple of the Lord on the banks of that river when Nityananda Prabhu came to the Triveni confluence. When he saw Nityananda, he offered his mind, body, and words to His lotus feet, and worshiped Him without any duplicity in his heart. As a result of the mercy of Nityananda Prabhu, Udharan Datta was qualified by constitution to worship and serve Nityananda.” To this day, there is a special festival once a year to cel-ebrate Udharan Datta, and people come from very far, just to bathe in the ghat and listen tokirtan. It is be-lieved that by bathing on that day,

est near the lake. At that time, he heard a voice saying, “I am here”. The devotees took a shovel and started to dig the ground at that very area. Inside the ground, Lord Balarama and Revati’s wooden murti forms were found, and these were placed in a box and taken that very night, because if any one saw them, they might have not allowed Balarama to leave. So they took Lord Balarama and Revati to Mur-shidabad district to the village of Barahatti, and installed them here. Upon arrival, Abhirama brought Their Lordships to his house and started serving Them. He told Balarama, “vishayabasanamugda (I am involved with samsara and family life, etc), I don’t have any knowledge or intelligence; how can I serve You?” The Lord then told Him,” you don’t worry about anything; I will take care of every-thing.” Then, Abhirama Thakur

started serving the Lord. He used to beg biksha, or alms, and served the Lord with whatever he re-ceived. Then, Balarama, with His shakti, came in the dream of many landlords, and instructed them to give Him some land for His ser-vice. So all these landlords donated around 60 bhighas, and seva for Balarama started very nicely.

Now, the present devotees are the 9th generation sevayats serving Sri Sri Balarama and Revati, so Ab-hirama Thakur was 9 generations before. Abhirama Thakur was the disciple of Udharan Datta of Ud-hanpur. According to Sri Krsna-dasa Kaviraja Goswami in his book Sri Chaitanya Charitamrita, “Ud-haran Datta Thakur, the eleventh among the twelve cowherd boys, was an exalted devotee of Lord Ni-tyananda Prabhu. He worshiped the lotus feet of Lord Nityanan-da in all respects." According to


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all one’s sins are removed and one can become liberated by the mercy of Udharan Datta.

In his translation and commen-tary on Caitanya Caritamrta (CC Adi 11.41) Sri A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami writes: "Udharan Datta Thakur, previously known as Sri Udharan Datta, was a resident of Saptagrama, which is situated on the bank of the Saraswati River near the Trisbhigha railway station in the district of Hugli. At the time of Udharan Datta Thakur, Sapta-grama was a very big town, encom-passing many other places such as Vasudeva-pura, Bansabediya, Krsnapura, Nityananda-pura, Sivapura, Sanhanagara and Sapta-grama.

According to Prabhanu Das Mukherjee, Udharana Datta Thakura had 3 disciples, and Ab-hirama of Barahatti was foremost. One other disciple resided in Te-nya village, and the 3rd, lived in Baidyapura. Abhirama Thakur was a nishta Brahmana, and re-ceived initiation from Udharan Datta Thakur into the Vaishnava tradition at a very young age-when he was around 12 or 13 years old. It was soon after he received ini-tiation that Balarama had come to him in his dream, and his service to the Lord had started. Abhiram’s fa-thers name was Gopal Das Thakur. From his service to Balarama, the Lord gave him shakti (power) that he got dehasidha and he was a sid-dha purusha (eternally liberated). Whatever he said happened. Many people from many villages took shelter of him and accepted him as their guru.

There are many stories and pastimes related to this particular Balarama Deity since the time of Abhirama, that were passed down from generations, and in this ar-ticle, I will just mention a few. First, I will start with the story how Balarama’s temple was built.

One night, after taking dinner, the wife of the then priest was washing her hands outside, where she saw a gang of dacoits passing by. The leader of the dacoits was

unhappy to see the face of a wom-an while going for his business of plundering, because he thought it was bad luck. He said to her angri-ly, “if I have good business tonight I will build a concrete temple for your Lord, and if I return empty handed then I will sever your head from your body.” By the mercy of Lord Balarama, the pujari’s wife was saved, as the dacoit leader had good business that night. As promised, the leader donated a large amount of gold with which a temple for Balarama and Revati was constructed. Not only that, but when they came back that same night to donate the gold, they also demanded some food to eat. The pujari couple cooked rice and veg-etables and served them after offer-ing to their Lord.

Sri Sri Balarama Revati have some land for growing paddy, wheat, potatoes, and other veg-etables. Traditionally, each servi-tor (sevayat) of these Dietiesmakes many disciples who contribute in different ways for the service of Their Lordship; this practice is still current. One time a particular ser-vitor went to visit one of his disci-ples in a far away village. He had to return home before dark so that he could offer evening arati and vari-ous offerings to his Lord, but he became very late. He had to cross a river while coming back home, and as it became dark, the ferry man in the river stopped rowing his boat. The pujari had to cross the river in order to serve his Lord on time, and finding no other alternative to cross, the pujari spread his sitting mat on the surface of the water, sat down on it, and sailed to the other side of the river. The ferry man was completely astonished to see this wonderful power of the Gosvami, and subsequently became his dis-ciple. Since then, up to this day, all the members from the Sri Sri Balarama-Revati’s pujari’s family are exempted from the fee of cross-ing the river.

One day, some thieves came to the temple to steal jackfruit at night. After stealing the fruit,

they reached a little ways past the temple near the fields, and could not see the road, and had to sit ex-actly where they were. After some time, Abhirama Thakur woke up in the morning, and as he was on his way to perform his morning ablutions and take bath, he heard some crying, so he asked who it was. The thieves replied, “Maha-rajji, please come to us.” Abhirama Thakur came to them, and they all fell and held his feet. They started crying, and said, “We have made a huge mistake”. So, Abhirama Thakur asked, “What did you do?” They then told him that they stole some jackfruit from the temple. He said, “Why did you do this? You should not steal, especially from the Lord”. The thieves said, “Because of this, we have become blind and we can’t see; how can we go home? Please do something!” So Abhirama went to the temple, woke Balarama up, and gave him a bath. He took this caranamrita and sprinkled it on the thieves’ eyes. Their vision was immediately and miraculously restored, and they said promised never to repeat this blunder again. After this incident, to this day, no one steals from the temple premises.

There are other stories about Sri Sri Balarama Revati. For in-stance, one fine morning, the pujari surprisingly found that the lotus feet of Sri Balarama were covered by the soil from the paddy field. So it was understood that Lord Balarama goes out at night to enjoy His pastime of visiting His paddy fields and garden.

Once, in the village, there was one Devi whose puja had been stopped. This Devi become very angry and everyone in the village started vomiting, having diarrhea, and many were dying. The vil-lagers become scared and went to Abhirama Thakur and told him of their plight. Abhirama Thakur bathed Balarama the next morning along with his Salagram Sila and made 2 huge buckets of this ca-ranamrita which he gave to all the villagers to drink. Their health was


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immediately restored, and their faith and love for Sri Balaram and Revati also increased many fold.

On another occasion, it so hap-pened that the service to Sri Sri Balarama Revati throughout the year was divided among the three sons of the one of the servitors. Two of the sons lived in the same village with Lord Balarama and the third son lived in a faraway village called Masimpura. When the third son’s turn came for the service, he wanted to take Sri Sri Balarama-Revati to his village. Everything was arranged and the Deities were to go in the next morning. But to everyone’s astonishment they found in the morning that Lord Balarama was lying on His stom-ach right on the throne. Usually Sri Sri Balarama-Revatiare put to rest at night by mantras only, and the small Laddu Gopal is usually laid on the bed. So from this incident they realized that Lord Balarama did not wish to leave the place and go to the other village. Till today Sri Sri Balarama Revati reside in this village throughout the year even though the third son enjoys the share of Lord Balarama’s prop-erty.

In this way Lord Balaram showed many lilas and miracles. Till now, Balarama is included in every aspect of the villagers’ lives. When the rice grows in the fields, the first rice is first given to Balara-ma, if a cow starts to give milk, the milk is first given to Him, and only then will the owners start to drink or sell it. When children have their first grains, the family will make sure that they offer lunch to Sri SriBalarama and Revati, and give their child the prasada, so that their first grains will be from the Lord. If anyone gets married, that day, they will only have prasada from Their Lordships. When any man gets married, before going to the bride’s house, he will first take darshan of Sri Sri Balarama and Revati, and the next day, when he brings his new wife home, even before entering his own house, the groom first shows Their Lordships

his new wife, takes darshan and blessings, and then proceeds home. Even now, there are many utsavas and festivals with Balarama. In addition, Gaura Purnima (Holi) Guru Purnima, Balarama Jayanti, Janmashtami, Radhashtami, Nity-ananda Trayodashi, and Aghyan month, navanna, and other small utsava’s take place. Navanna fes-tival usually takes place around November, when the rice and other produce from the fields get harvested. On this day, everyone from the village comes and offers Sri Sri Balarama and Revati offer-ings from their first harvest, and a huge feast is made for Their Lord-ships as well as in their individual houses. In fact, on the day after, no one in the entire village cooks in their houses, and they only eat this prasada.

Now, we are the fortunate fam-ily who are blessed to serve these same Deities today. At present, there are 4 brothers and 3 sisters and their families. Presently, the eldest brother, Bhumipati Das Mukherjee stays in Vrindavan, India, with his wife and son, and translates many Vedic texts into English. The 2nd son, Prabhanu Das Mukherjee, stays in Barahatti village, India, and continually serves Sri Sri Balarama Revati. The 3rd son, Sada Shiva Das Mukher-jee stays in Vrindavan, India along with his wife and 2 sons and man-ages a residence complex. The 4th son, Advaita Das Mukherjee re-cently moved to America, where he serves and worships at Sri Sri Radha Bankebihari temple in Boi-se, Idaho,USA along with myself, his wife. The eldest daughter, Svar-nalata Banerjee, is married with 2 daughters, a son, and 4 grandchil-dren and resides in Kolkatta, In-dia. Vidya Mani Devi Goswami, the 2nd daughter, is also married and has a daughter and a son and 4 grandchildren; she stays in Vrin-davan where she takes care of the sacred Tulsi garden and makes flower and Tulsi garlands for the temple. The youngest, daughter and last of all the siblings, Rannu

Chatterjee, lives in Plassy, India, near Nabadwip, and is also mar-ried with 2 sons.

Although, all of them are not presently living at the temple in Barahatti, the seva is divided amongst the 4 brothers, where each of the brothers take turns to serve Sri Sri Balarama Revati for 3 months of the year each. But they all come together for Gaura Purn-ima and celebrate a huge festival. The biggest festival of the year in Barahatti village takes place on Gaura Purnima (Holi), which is a Maha Utsava. Harinamasankirtan, puja, and Sri Balarama Revati’s prasada is given to everyone in the village. The whole village takes part in the 24 kirtan of chanting and singing the holy names of the Lord, and everyone gathers to take prasada together. At this time, the family meets and discusses how to conduct the Seva for the next year. And thus the sacred tradition and worship of Sri Sri Balarama Revati continues to this very day.

Sri Sri Balarama Revatiki jai! n

Radhika Priya Prassannatma

Radhika Priya Pras-sannatma was born in 1981into a very spiri-tual family who raised her within the Vaish-nava tradition. Her childhood was spent in Mumbai, Dallas, San Diego, and Vrindavan, India where she grew up hearing and study-ing the Bhagavad Gita, SrimadBhagavatam, Mahabharata and other various Vedic literatures. She is trained in classical Indian Bharatnatyam dance and in several other Indian arts such as cooking, rangoli and music.She attended City College of San Francisco from 2002-2005, and also attended the Muniyal Institute for Ayurveda Medical Sciences in Manipal, India. There she received her B.A.M.S (Bachelors of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) in 2011. Radhika is a practicing Ayurvedic doctor and she, along with her husband,is an official Priest at the Sri Sri Radha Bankebihari Idaho Temple. Her husband is the 10th generation descendent of the Pujaris who serve the Sri SriBalarama and Revati deities inBarahatti, West Bengal, thus they return to India annu-ally to continue the family’s traditional ser-vice at that temple.Radhika and her husband currently reside in Boise, Idaho, USA


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No body knows exactly when Charwaka lived on this Earth, but his thoughts are quite fa-

mous all over India. Modern scien-tists believe in the similar thoughts and demand for direct proofs. It is surprising that Charwaka went on similar lines like modern scientists in ancient era. Charwaka is men-tioned in the epic Mahabharata. The date of the epic Mahabharata as fixed by me is 5561 years of the planetary positions stated by the sage Vyasa in the Mahabharata it-self. As it is a direct proof we must

believe in this date if we want to honour Charwaka and his reliance on direct proofs. It is a wonder that in so ancient an era Charwaka real-ized the importance of direct proof or evidence.

Because there is no direct evi-dence proving Ishwara, Charwaka does not admit presence of Ishwara. Kapila Muni too does not admit Ish-wara. Kapila Muni is revered in the Mahabharata but not Charwaka. Charwaka was a Brahmin and was a friend of Duryodhana, the main vil-lain of the epic. Charwaka harshly criticized Yudhishthira, at the time

of enthronement of Yudhishthira and so he was killed by other Brah-mins, not physically but poetically, as a figure of speech. Therefore it is stated that he was burnt by mere „Humkar, uttering a sound „Hum in defiance to express disregard or condemnation.

Charwaka was not the originator of Nastika philosophy. Even before Charwaka non-believers were pres-ent as is reported by the Mahabhara-ta [Shanti Parva A.218] in a dialogue between Panchashikha and Janaka. Nastikas say that in a small seed of a tree there is present the capacity to

Charwaka Darshana


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produce a big tree, similarly that ca-pacity is present in a sperm to pro-duce a man. Ghee can be prepared from milk and by mixing some ar-ticles new material can be produced like a scent or perfume. In the same way combination of four prime principles namely Vayu, Teja, Apa, and Pruthwi can give rise to an ani-mal, its mind, intelligence, ego etc. A magnet attracts iron or a lens can produce heat; similarly combina-tion of the four original principles induce a particular energy. This ar-gument shows that Ishwara is not necessary to explain the riddles of the world. In reply Panchashi-kha says that though a man has a body formed of a combination of Mahabhootas, it is not only that combination because when dead the man has all the Mahabhootas incorporated in his body but he is unable to do anything which he was able to do before death. This definitely proves that there is something else than the Ma-habhootas in a living body. Even after death all the Mahabhootas are present in that dead body, but he does not perform respiration, digestion, micturition, reproduc-tion, voluntary and involuntary muscle movements etc. Therefore there must have been some other energy in the body before death, which left the body at the time of death. That energy cannot be produced from physical things. If we assemble 50 or 1000 physical articles together it will produce a physical article only, say a motor car, an aeroplane or a computer. It cannot produce a living thing like even a bacteria, leave aside more complicated human being.

With the help of modern sci-ence one may say that a combina-tion of a rotating coil and a magnet can produce energy like electricity. It is quite true, but that electricity has no desire, no thinking power, no knowledge; therefore it cannot be said to be a living thing. A living thing is quite different than electric-ity or any other energy, which are at a lower level than the life energy.

Moreover, a combination does

produce something else but there must be an agent to do that combi-nation. Without an agent there can-not happen anything in the physi-cal world. Therefore assumption of an agent is necessary. As there is no agent in this world seen by any-body, we have to assume that the agent must be beyond this world and superior to any power on this globe. That supreme agent is called as Ishwara.

Going by Charwaka philoso-phy unless we see that Ishwara we must not believe in Him. But by the same Charwaka philosophy unless some body produces a living thing by combining four or more physi-

cal articles we should not believe that life is produced by such combination. So far not a single scientist has produced life by combinations of material things. Hence logically we have to accept the possibility of an agent work-ing behind the world called as Ishwara. A matter may produce another matter, one energy can produce another form of energy, similarly, only intelligence can produce intelligence, only mind can produce mind, and only life can produce life. An agent who has energy, mind, intelligence, life and many other powers can pro-duce life and such super agent is Ishwara. Thus logically we have to assume some super power, super agent who has created this Universe and living creatures.

Pratyaksha, Anumana and Agama are the three Pramanas ac-

cepted by Yoga Darshana. Sankhya Darshana holds Drushta, Anumana and Aptawakya as Pramanas. Both are unanimous because Pratyaksha means Drushta. The word Pratyak-sha is composed as Prati + Aksha. Prati means towards, in front. Ak-sha means eye. Whatever happens in front of eye is Pratyaksha. Drush-ta means seen.Nyaya, Vaisheshika and all other Darshanas accept Pratyaksha Pramana. In modern courts eyewitness is important. Charwaka also honours Pratyak-sha. It is inevitable. It is scientific. But even Pratyaksha or Drushta may be some illusion. Mirage is

Even after death all the Mahabhootas are pres-ent in that dead body, but he does not perform respiration, digestion, micturition, reproduc-tion, voluntary and in-voluntary muscle move-ments etc. Therefore there must have been some other energy in the body before death, which left the body at the time of death.

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seen by everybody, but is a mere il-lusion. We see a beautiful lake full of clear water with trees around in a desert during day in a broad day-light, but it is all illusion caused by peculiar refraction of light rays tak-ing place due to rarefied layers of air near heated ground. Many such phenomena are „seen which are not real. Therefore one must be careful when believing in an eyewitness.

The word Pratyaksha or Drush-ta depends on eyes, but here eye is taken as a sample. In fact all the five sense organs are included in Pratyaksha or Drushta, the wider meaning being experience by all the five sense organs. Charwaka gives credit to only Pratyaksha Pramana and not others like Anumana and Agama.

In the case of mirage if we depend only on eyes we will be ruined in a desert, because some-where we see a lake full of wa-ter and if we believe that scene and run to drink water we will never get any water and we suc-cumb. In such circumstances only „Agama helps us. We remember somebody's sentence that such mirage is seen in a heated desert and we realize the danger, we do not run there to drink water and thus save our energy and in turn save our life. Here Agama Pramana helped us save life not Pratyaksha or Drushta. Thus Agama does lead us to knowledge and we must hon-our Agama as a Pramana.

How this Agama knowledge about mirage originated? It origi-nated from Anumana. Once a man was alone in a hot desert. He saw mirage and ran to drink water but when he approached the spot he realized that there was no water. It happened again and again till the Sunset. After sunset mirage did not appear. Day after day he ex-perienced such mirages. He began thinking in his mind on the fact and he concluded that due to heat we see mirage. This is Anumana, going behind [Anu] Mana [mind]. Thus Anumana is very important to get knowledge.

How are eclipses discovered

and now decided? To begin with all of a sudden the Sun vanished from the sky and after some time the Sun reappeared. Then the mind followed the phenomenon and thought repeatedly on it. Man ob-served the movements of the Sun and the Moon. They discovered the cause of Amavasya that the Moon comes very close to the Sun. They discovered that the Sun disappears totally only on Amavasya day. So their Anumana was that the Moon must be the cause of eclipse. They followed the Moon's path and its movements and built Anumana that the Sun disappears because the Moon comes in between us and the Sun. This was Anumana, there was no direct proof, no Pratyaksha Pramana. Even then that Anumana

was later proved correct. Even to-day we forecast Anumana that on this date and at this time there will be eclipse of the Sun or the Moon. This Anumana is based on Mana i.e. measurements of motions of the Sun and the Moon. Following that measurement [Mana] we fore-cast the eclipse and the eclipse does take place at the said moment. This proves the importance of Anumana.

Einstein observed that due to gravitational attraction objects fall down. Therefore he formed an Anumana that due to gravitation the light rays must also be bend-ing down. And it was later proved by experiments. Thus Anumana is quite valuable and has important place in science. It is another Anu-mana of Einstein that due to very high velocity in the space, time and space contract. There is no direct proof for this Anumana, but it holds

good place in science because many problems are solved with that as-sumption based on Anumana. Thus Charwaka was wrong to dismiss Anumana as a Pramana.

Agama also has much im-portance in daily life as well as in science. Because Einstein said something all others believe in his statement. Nobody tries to take its experience to get Pratyaksha Pra-mana. Because our mother tells us in childhood,” do not touch a flame, it will cause burns”, we believe and do not touch the flame throughout our life. This is Agama. If we do not believe in that Agama and try to experience we will be hurt seri-ously. Because our father tells that if we fall from a height of say 20 feet we are hurt and if we fall from a

height of 100 feet we will die, we really keep faith in him and avoid fall from any height. It is Agama, but is very important. If we do not honor that Agama and jump from a height of 100 feet we will definitely die. Here Pratyaksha Pramana is not necessary. Even the world famous scientist and rationalist Einstein had a faith in Agama. When he fell ill he used to go to his doctor and take medicine from him. Faithfully he used to

take doctor's medicine and got cure. He did not like to test the medicine given by his doctor in his labora-tory because it would have been folly. Einstein had no knowledge of health science and he had to keep faith in a doctor. This is Agama. Be-lieving in a word of somebody else having experience is Agama. Thus Agama is very important as a Pra-mana. Charwaka was wrong to dis-miss Agama as a Pramana.

Keeping faith only in Pratyaksha Pramana and dismissing Anumana and Agama as Pramana, he disbe-lieved in rebirth. Nobody can get or give Pratyaksha Pramana, a direct proof to rebirth theory. But if we believe in Anumana and Agama we have to believe in rebirth.

It is a rule of physics that every action has an equal and opposite re-action. We do get direct proof there-of. Another rule of science is that

Keeping faith only in Pratyaksha Pramana and dismissing Anu-mana and Agama as Pramana, he disbe-lieved in rebirth.

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for every happening there must be some previous cause. Cause gives effect. Without any previous cause there cannot be any effect. The cause must precede the effect, the cause cannot be later in time sequence. All these rules depend on ample evi-dence, direct proofs. Keeping these basic laws of science in mind we consider some incidents around us.

We see around us that one child is born in poverty, another is born in riches, third is born with sharp intelligence while fourth child is born without intelligence.

Why there are such four types? As the effect is seen at birth its cause must be prior to the birth. With-out any cause there cannot be any effect. Hence if we want to think logically and scientifically we have to accept that the child must have done some deeds before birth, in its previous life, which are effected in the present life. No other cause can be attributed to the effect seen at birth. It proves rebirth.

I have seen one boy of six years age. His name was Sanjeeva Sharma. I have demonstrated his abilities in a meeting of the Veda Vidnyana Mandal, Pune around 1980. He could recite Geeta. If told to tell a particular verse from a particular chapter he used to tell it immediately. If a word at the beginning of any verse was told he could immediately tell the verse and could quote the num-ber of the verse and chapter. Not only that he could tell a verse and give its meaning in English, Hindi, Marathi and Gujarathi and could recite the parallel verse from Gee-tai composed by the Late Acharya Vinoba Bhave. How is it possible without training? Where is a time for that much training because he could tell all this since the age of four years? Out of those four years he was not able to speak till two years of his age. So there remained only two years to recite Geeta, 700 verses of two lines each along with 700 verses of Geetai. Is it pos-sible for any intelligent person? No. Hence only one probability is seen

that he must have recited Geeta and Geetai in his prior birth. He could tell translation of Geeta in four lan-guages. Where and when could he have learned four languages in only two years period? It indicates that he must have learnt those languag-es in the previous birth. There can not be any other reasoning scientific and logical. Is this not a direct proof of rebirth?

Mrs Shakuntaladevi is still living at Mumbai. She exhibits her capac-ity to perform any job of mathemat-ics in moments since her childhood. Where did she learn such an ex-traordinary mathematics only in

two years of her life when there is no teacher available doing that per-formance in this world? We must accept rebirth to get the explana-tion.

Master Anand Bhate is another child who began singing famous songs from Marathi drama in the style of the Late Bala Gandharva. I had arranged his program for Veda Vidnyana Mandal around 1978. Without learning from any teacher he sang so perfectly that no teacher could compete him. He played him-self on harmonium to assist him while singing. Who taught him har-monium? Nobody. Then how could he play on harmonium at the age of

four years? We have to accept the previous birth where he could have learnt singing and playing harmo-nium.

Young children who have never experienced death and never seen any person dying exhibit enormous threat about death, why? Even the small kittens and pups show fear of death, why? Chicken has no expe-rience of the world, but if they see a kite in the sky they immediately run to hide somewhere. How they understand that kite is their enemy and kite may kill them? It is because of their experience of the previous birth.

Latest investigations and re-search have proved that in a hu-man embryo when its kidney de-velops, to begin with, it assumes the form of Pronephros i.e. kidney of lower animals, then it takes the shape of Mesonephros i.e.aquarian or amphibian kidney, then it be-comes Metanephros i.e.kidney of snakes, birds etc. and finally it becomes Nephros i.e. kidney of humans. Scientists say that these changes take place through past memory. It means there was some body and some kidney in the past, before this birth. It proves the the-ory of rebirth. Of course this is in-ference i.e. Anumana arrived at by analogy or comparative study.

There is one direct proof to es-tablish rebirth. Examine the life cycle of a butterfly. It begins its life as an egg. After a few days the

egg bursts open and a larva crawls out of the broken egg. The external body is totally changed but the indi-vidual is the same. After 21 days the larva disappears, it assumes a shape of a pupa. The outer body is totally changed, but the internal principle is the same. After some time the pupa bursts open and a beauti-ful butterfly flies away. Again, the exterior is changed in toto but the interior is the same. Here we see the four different bodies worn by a single individual. External bodies are totally changed. It means four rebirths happened. If the internal principle changes the outer body four times it is quite logical to say

He could recite Gee-ta. If told to tell a particular verse from a particular chapter he used to tell it im-mediately. If a word at the beginning of any verse was told he could immediately tell the verse and could quote the num-ber of the verse and chapter.


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Darshan News

that at the death of the butterfly its internal principle must have left its outer body again for the fifth time to wear a new body.

This example of butterfly also disproves the theory of Charwaka that the physical body is the whole and sole, and there is nothing like soul or Atman. If Charwaka was correct how it is that some impor-tant thing in the butterfly trans-ferred from egg to larva, then to pupa and then into butterfly? That important thing is Atman. It is ob-served that larva eats continuously and devours food many times its weight, which is used in its next body in pupal stage. In still next body i.e. in the body of butterfly it does not eat at all throughout its life. It proves that deeds done by one body can be carried for-wards into next body. This proves the statement of Charwaka ab-solutely wrong that when this body is burnt to ashes how can it come back? So take a debt and enjoy your life. There is no need to repay the debt. Larva eats too much so it cannot eat anything in its next body of butterfly. Its ac-tion of overeating is compensated in the next body by fasting. In the same way our deeds in the past life are to be suffered from in the pres-ent body.

This way of teaching is also dan-gerous for the society and morality. Morals hold the society together. If the morals are lost society will be ruined. If one unit of society takes debt and enjoys life without repay-ing the debt thinking that he will not have to suffer in the next birth, similar line of thought will be used by the creditor to kill the debtor and grab his property. For some benefit any man will rob another or will kill another. If this is the condition in any society can anyone enjoy his life peacefully? All these factors were not considered by Charwaka. Therefore his philosophy was not accepted by people in general and he was killed by disregard and condemnation in the court of Yu-dhishthira during Yudhishthira's coronation on 16th November 5561

B.C. {This date is fixed by me; for details read “Scientific Dating of the Mahabharata War” authored by Dr.P.V.Vartak}

On research we find many small children telling the true stories of their past lives. Those children range from 2 to 6 years of age. They cannot be taught to speak lies. On in-vestigations all their statements ap-pear correct. That is a direct proof of rebirth. But Charwaka did not take pains to collect such cases of rebirth, his predecessors did that extraordi-nary work in the long past of the Vedas. They observed that ordinary grass lives for some time and dies in

summer. But immediately after first rain the grass becomes green again and begins growing. Life comes in the same body of grass. But as the physical body is immaterial we have to concentrate on the point that grass comes to life again after death. This induced a thought of rebirth in mind of the sages. Later the sages considered fully, observed many facts around them and con-cluded that rebirth is a rule of this Universe. Every thing is unmanifest to begin with, becomes manifest for some time and then gets lost in ob-scurity. This cycle continues, with-out any halt, permanently.

Deeds done in the previous life are actions and every action has an equal and opposite reaction. These actions and reactions are called as Karma and Karma-Phala. We do many actions every day. We get their reactions every day but time is not sufficient to bear all those reac-tions. Therefore those reaction forc-es are stored to be given to suffer

from or to enjoy in the next birth. It is for this reason that one has to bear the fruits of the past deeds since birth. Here I shall cite one example. The late Rajeeva Gandhi was in ser-vice as a pilot. He did not work for the society or in politics any time in his life. But all of a sudden he got a chance to become the Prime Min-ister of India. What is the reason of this opportunity? There was no cause in the present life but the ef-fect is seen, therefore the cause must be in the previous life. Hence we have to accept the rebirth theory, which appears to be very scientific and logical.

Charwaka does not admit Ish-wara. But there are many phenom-ena in the world which when ob-served prove that there must have been some controller. For example is a species of fish named as Goura-mi where male and female unite to lay eggs in thousands which hatch automatically producing infants. Female eats up her infants but male does not. Male prevents her. Male produces air bubbles in which eggs float and produce offsprings. If an offspring falls down male picks it up and places in the bubbles. Who teaches male to protect offsprings in bubbles,who gives them an organ to produce bubbles? That teacher and organizer is Ishwara.

Thus we have to conclude that Charwaka was intelligent and thoughtful but could not compete the sages in the depth and expanse of knowledge and efficiency of ob-servation and contemplation. n

This way of teaching is also dangerous for the society and mo-rality. Morals hold the society together. If the morals are lost society will be ruined.

Dr. P.V. VartakDr. P.V. Vartak is a renowned scholar who has been instrumen-tal in unfolding many scientific facts from ancient Indian scrip-tures in Sanskrit and has present-ed it to the modern day generation in lucid and intelligible form. He was born on 25 th Feb 1933 at Pune, Maharashtra, India. Besides being a spiritualist & a medical pro-fessional, he combines in himself the attri-butes of a Historian, Astronomer, Astrologer, Mathematician, Philosopher, Counsellor, Or-ator & Author. As a seeker of truth, he does not differentiate between the followers of dif-ferent religions and faiths.


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Meditation

“Curse”- the word cre-ates a very strong re-sponse when one per-

ceives it. Nobody wants to be ever cursed in their life time. Do we? We live our whole life with a particu-lar thought in the back of our mind that while we say a final good bye to this world, we should be full clean and free from any kind of curses (if any). As children we have heard lots of stories about windfalls and curses (vardaan & shaap). Scrip-tures also narrate stories of sages and holy men who had accumu-lated miraculous powers through dedication and penance.

It is said that if they were an-noyed, with one angry look or word they could curse someone who would suffer for long or if they were pleased with someone they could also bless them. Whilst living in 21st century, one really wonders if these blessings or curse really influence our lives? Do we humans really possess such pow-ers of giving boons and curses? Can boons turn into curses and vice versa? The answers to these questions require a thorough un-derstanding of the phenomena.

In simple terms, blessings bestow some special power or protection upon a person who is blessed. They are always linked to piety, devotion, penance and noble deeds. They are always beneficial but are of various types. Some blessings last forever, some work for one time or a few times, some work only in a special situation or at the time of great need and some are absolutely conditional. There have been lots of mythical stories about kings, warriors and sages undergoing arduous penance, fast-ing, meditation and austerities in order to get benefit from divinity and holy men. Once a person gets a windfall, he need not labour fur-ther for that which he has already

received. But!!!! a blessing auto-matically becomes a curse for the person if it is misused under the in-fluence of vices such as lust, greed, anger etc. There are several stories that explain how a curse was un-done by the blessing of almighty when the suffering person repent-ed & prayed to him. This shows that a seemingly unending phase of misfortune and suffering can be resolved by performing righteous

actions (karma) and by devoting oneself to almighty’s service

We all know that universal law of karma says “what we sow,so we reap”. Hence, blessing is the reward of benevolent deeds and curse is the result of bad deeds. Ev-idently, a person who intends ill for others brings misery for himself. A curse befalls the one who tries to harm others. If at all anybody feels harmed, it is because of giving / causing pain to others.

One can earn the greatest boons if one live’s by almighty’s will and serve others selflessly. By being soul conscious & being aware of one's own eternal spiritual identity and innate divine qualities, we can

express and share the best within us and thus constantly earn bene-fits through blessings.On the other hand, when we are body-conscious - attached to our temporary physi-cal identity and status, we tend to become influenced by vices, which results in immorality, deprivation and sufferings. When we use force, violence, deception and exploita-tion we automatically get cursed.We must always remember that exploiters always get exploited; fury burns the one who is furious. People having occult powers use them to help or harm others. How-ever, such shortcut methods can’t sustain the gain for long term. Tak-ing recourse to such people and their powers may give temporary respite or support, however, it sets into motion a vicious circle of kar-mic debts that further aggravate the misfortunes of those who seek such help and also those who mis-use their powers. So!! the simplest and best way to get blessings and remain safe from curses is by main-taining purity of mind & compas-sionate feelings, thereby generat-ing unconditional love for all. n

Are You Blessed?

Rajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj jiRajyogi Brahmakumar Nikunj ji is an interna-tional speaker, columnist, spiritual educator and an experienced meditation teacher. His life is the epitome of dedication, selflessness and commit-ment towards self- and world transforma-tion. For the past 22 years he has a treasure of valuable experiences resulting from sac-rifice and community services. A linguist in 07 languages,he has been writing columns regularly for over 40 national and interna-tional dailies. Educated in Mumbai(India), he carries a blend of eastern spiritual wisdom of cultures. With a background in Massmedia ,Communications & IT, he has travelled all over the world creating importance of values among mediapersons . He firmly believes that mass media, corporates & community development activities have a huge potential to impact peoples life positively.

In simple terms, blessings bestow some special power or protection upon a person who is blessed. They are always linked to piety, de-votion, penance and noble deeds. They are always beneficial but are of various types.


In the ancient tradition of Nagar Kirtan, the public singing of the names of God, tens of thousands of Sikhs assembled on Madison

Avenue in mid-town Manhattan on April, 27, 2013 to celebrate the most important Sikh holiday, Baisakhi.

At the head of the parade were Sikh devotees sweeping the street be-fore the parade. They were followed by two groups of PanjPiaras or five beloved ones: one group carrying the traditional Siri Sahib swords, rep-resenting the fight against tyranny; and the other five carried the Nishan Sahib, or the flag of the Sikh people. They were followed by a float con-veying the Sikh Guru, the Siri Guru Granth Sahib, the Shabad Guru or presence of the transcendental sound current. Also on the float were Sikh musicians singing Sikh devotional hymns and the names of God.

Behind their Guru thousands of Sikhs followed enthusiastically sing-ing the names of God. There was even a float containing a large reproduction the central Sikh house of worship the Golden Temple or Harimandir Sahib

as well as contingents of Sikhs from the dozens of Sikh communities from the North East United States followed behind identifying banners and flags. In contrast to the devotional sing-ing there were also several march-ing brass bands playing traditional marching tunes and popular songs.

Sikh swordsmanship and tradi-tional weaponry was on display as steel clanged on steel in mock battles in traditional wear. The fast move-ments and almost daredevil weapon displays accompanied by loud mar-tial drumming kept onlookers en-thralled as several GatkaAkharas stopped during the parade to give weapon demonstrations.

Other contingents enjoying the spring day, included turbaned Sikhs from Civil Service organizations, lo-cal law enforcement groups and the US Military, all in uniform. The Sikhs in military and law enforcement uni-forms were evidence of the success Sikhs have had in fighting the harsh discrimination against turbaned and un-cut hair Sikhs in the current Is-lamist terrorist environment. This

was all an inspiration to Sikhs who bear the brunt of this backlash. The parade added to the fight against this backlash by clearly identifying the Sikhs as a distinct religion and people, not to be confused with other religions.

The long and lively parade went on for hours with the Holy Names and hymns echoing in the canyons created by New York City’s many skyscrapers. Onlookers took it all in and many stopped and watched seeing it as an excellent opportunity to experience New York’s diversity. Many followed the Parade route to Madison Square Park where kiosks distributed free dishes of Langar Prasad - delicious traditional Punjabi foods. This spot was seemingly the most popular aspect of the parade for non-South Asians, as they took authentic Panjabi cuisine. In Madi-son Square Park at the parade’s end hundreds sat and enjoyed a meal of dal, chole, samosas, chapatti and tra-ditional American soda.

The parade was another successful opportunity for the Sikhs to present themselves to the public as they have for centuries by distributing the Holy Name through Kirtan-singing and distributing sanctified foods-Langar. This has been the secret of Sikh suc-cess in the past by holding fast to their Guru’s program and reaching out to other spirit souls with God’s message and good food. n

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New York City’s Sikh Day Parade 2013

Sathari S. KhalsaSathari S. Khalsa is a Sikh Minister, teacher of Sikh meditation, a noted Sikh Civil Rights Activist as well as leader of his Union; the New York City Transport Workers Union as one of the Union’s Vice Presidents representing 7000 NY Subway train operators, conductors and tower operators.

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