October/November/December, 2004 US$5.

95

Affirming Sanatana Dharma and Recording the Modern History of a Billion-Strong Global Religion in Renaissance

HINDUISM
TODAY

t h o m a s k e l ly
COVER: Two Hindu girls prepare their oil lamps for the evening worship of the Shipra River at Ujjain’s Kumbha Mela festival;
(above) Naga Babas, yogi ascetics, are poised at the river’s edge awaiting the auspicious moment for their sacred bath.

october/november/december, 2004 • Hindu Year 5106

YEARS Tarana, the Year of Safe Passage
1979–2004
www.gurudeva.org

IN T ER NAT IONA L
Feature Story: The Amazing Adventure of Thirty Animals: Other Creatures Live a Surprisingly
Million Hindus at the Ujjain Festival 18 Complex Emotional and Social Life 54
Issues: Spiritual Leaders at the Mela Speak Out Teens: Five Hindu Youths Share Their Sense
on Organ Donation, Gay Marriage and More 30 of Personal Identity in a Multi-Ethnic World 58
Tradition: How the Devas and Asuras Churned the Testimony: Young Ramya Gopal Reports on the Ritu
Ocean for the Chalice of Immortality 34 Kala, Girls’ Coming of Age Ceremony 59
Honor: Pichai Sivacharya—One of India’s Foremost Environment: Artificial Decorative Powders,
Priests Is Our 2004 Hindu of the Year 40 Such as Kumkum, May Be Bad for Health 60
Revival: Nominal Muslims of Central Java Are Worship: How Vermont’s Backwoods Was Introduced
Returning to the Hinduism of Their Ancestors 52 to the Elephant-Headed God, Ganesha 62
Temple: Atlanta Area Hindus Dedicate Siva Temple 66
OPINION
LIFEST YLE In My Opinion: The Ethics of Stem Cell Research 9
Women: Commentator Madhu Kishwar Explores the Publisher’s Desk: What is True Success? 10
Letters 12
Complex Hindu Interpretation of Sita 36
Insight: Visiting a Hindu Temple—the Illustrated From the Vedas: Our duty to Preach Dharma 16
Esoterics and Protocol of Worship 41 DIGESTS
Medicine: Exploring the Impact of Diet

KUMBHA MELA
Diaspora 6 Digital Dharma 86
and Lifestyle on Type 2 Diabetes 49 Quotes & Quips 14
Craftsmanship: Swamimalai’s Bronze Artisans Create
Larger-than-Life Statues of Indian Saints 50
Letters to the editor, subscription and editorial inquiries may be sent to Hinduism Today, 107 Kaholalele Road, Kapaa, Hawaii 96746-9304 USA,

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pg 01-2 cover Oct04 §.indd 1 8/5/04 7:44:35 AM

 3030Million
MillionGather
Gather
for
forBlessings
Blessings
atatthe
theUjjain
Ujjain
Kumbha
KumbhaMelaMela

s a n g e e v g u p ta

s a n g e e v g u p ta
a l l p h o t o s : t h o m a s k e l ly

a l l p h o t o s : t h o m a s k e l ly

No No
oneone
knows
knowswhen
when
thethefirst
first
Kumbha
KumbhaMela
Mela
took
took
place.
place.
Distinguished
Distinguished as as
thethe
largest
largest
religious
religious
Seeking
Seeking
Grace:
Grace:
(From(Fromleft left
to right)
to right)
Sadhus
Sadhus
gather
gather
to lead
to lead
their
their
spiritual
spiritual
preceptor
preceptor
in proces-
in proces- festival
festival
on on
Earth,
Earth,
it occurs
it occurs
in only
in only
four
four
plac-
plac-
sionsion
toward
toward
bathing
bathing
ghats ghats
for for
the the
“royal
“royal
bath.”
bath.”
A devotee
A devotee
worships
worships
in prayer,
in prayer,
offering
offering
water
water es.es.
This
This
year
year
more
more thanthan
30 30
million
million
devotees
devotees
intointo
the the
river.
river.
A select
A select
group group
of men
of men
andand
women
women
taketake
a holy
a holy
dip dip
before
before
being
being
initiated
initiated
intointo
gathered
gatheredon on
thethe
shores
shoresof the
of the
Shipra
Shipra
River
River
in in
renunciate
renunciate
monastic
monasticlife.life.
Crowds
Crowds
overfl
overfl
ow the
ow the
bathing
bathing
ghatsghats
ontoonto
temporary
temporary
bridges
bridges
on April
on April
19th19th
known
known
as “Parvani
as “Parvani Snan,”
Snan,”
an an
astrologically
astrologically
auspicious
auspiciousdayday
during
during
the the
month-long
month-longevent.
event. Ujjain
Ujjain
to to
be be
blessed
blessedandandpurifi
purifi
ed ed
andand
share
sharea a
Sadhvi
Sadhvi
Meera
Meera
Puri,Puri,
a respected
a respected ladylady
saint,
saint,
takes
takes
a moment
a momentfor for
prayer.
prayer. little
little
of history
of history
in the
in the
making.
making.
SeeSee
page
page
18. 18.

pg 03 GATE BIG Oct04 §.indd 2 8/4/04 4:00:28 PM Oct-pg 5.indd 5 8/4/04 3:56:00 PM
Welcome
to hinduism today’s digital edition!
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 nepal Population growth has turned
the river into a sewer of hu-
Saving Sacred man filth and chemical waste.
Huta Ram Baidya, 77, recounts
portugal faith congress entitled “The Bagmati (Google “Water Wisdom,” Ne-
Interfaith Flap Present of Man—the Future of pal), “They are constructing

In Fatima
God: the Place of Sanctuaries
in the Relations to the Sacred,”
at the Paul VI Pastoral Center
F rom june 5 to august
21, 2004, the 4th Bagmati
River Festival was held in Nepal.
toilets that empty into the rivers
with the help of World Bank
Loans.… Now we do not bathe
adjacent to the Fatima Shrine The goal: stop the pollution and in these rivers,…devoid of any

O n may 5, sixty hindus

left by bus from Lisbon
to visit Portugal’s famed shrine,
“Our Lady of Fatima.” They of-
fered flowers to Mother Mary
and their shastri chanted the
Shanti mantra from the Catho-
A devotee does penance during a chariot festival in Hamm lic altar. National TV station
germany
SIC covered the trip, announc-
ing it as “an uncommon ecu-
Goddess Temple Festival menical experience....She is also
called the Most Holy Mother,
the goddess Devi, the Deity of
in Portugal. Portugal’s plans
to build a new 9,000-seat, sta-
dium-sized bassilica that would
welcome pilgrims of all faiths
fueled fears that there was an
initiative to turn Fatima into an
interfaith sanctuary. The Hin-
dus’ May visit only served to
add ghee to the fire (see www.
fatima.org.)
A provacateur in the contro-
versy was Belgian Jesuit Father
Jacques Dupuis, who called the
clean up the river. The religious
and cultural value of this cradle
of Nepalese civilization, as well
as its present day importance
to ecology and recreation, were
highlighted with events ranging
from rafting to recycling, com-
post training to poetry and the-
atrical events in the schools.
life but stinking anaerobic bac-
teria;…we dip our fingers with
the greatest reluctance and wash Members of the dynamic Awakening Forum of Mauritius
our hands as soon as we leave.”
The Nepal River Conserva- mauritius
tion Trust can use all the help
you can give. See: Tackling Conversion with
www.NepalRivers.org.np
Intelligence and Upliftment
T he awakening forum of mauritius is challenging
Christian proselytization of disadvantaged Hindus with
a broad strategy to minister to the Hindu community rather

O n june 6, 2004, 15,000 hindus from all over europe

joined the annual Ther Thiruvila (Chariot Festival) of
the Kamadchi Ampal Temple, Hamm. The announcement
Nature whom many Portuguese
Hindus also find in Fatima.”
Orthodox Catholics were
reads: “Goddess Sri Kamadhi has her big trip out around the outraged. Catholic Family
temple in the adjoining streets, being seen by many people, News editor, John Vennari
blessing the town and its citizens.” At 1,500 square meters, (USA), reported,
with a 17-meter tall Rajagopuram and a 700-square meter in- “They Hinduized
ner hall, the temple claims to be the largest in Europe. Found- the Fatima Shrine,
ed in 1989 by the Sri Lankan refugee community, the temple folding their pagan
celebrated its first public chariot festival procession in 1993, myths and super-
moved to its present location in the district of Hamm-Uentrop stitions into one
in 1997 and had its inaugural Kumbhabhishekam in July, 2002. of Catholicism’s
The temple is testimony to the spiritual strength and sacrifice most sacred sites....
of Sri Lankan Hindus who fled their homeland when ethnic a desecration... a
strife became all out war in 1983. Sixty-thousand Sri Lankans blasphemy... plac-
now live in Germany, forty-thousand of them Hindus. See the ing our Lady on
temple’s excellent web site: www.kamadchi-ampal.de. the same level as
one more goddess
in their pantheon
1442 Council of Florence dec-
laration a “horrible text.” That
declaration says that no one
than just complaining. In early 2004 meetings, comprised of
representatives from various Hindu organizations, the Forum
drafted a plan for educational outreach to homes, priest train-
outside the Catholic church ing, distribution of publications, community surveys, regular
can ever be saved. They go hospital visitation by Hindu priests, setting up special funds
for the needy, assertion of the anti-conversion stand through
the media, and more. Implementation is to be done through
local-area committees, who may also enlist other Hindus in
their areas to carry out the objectives. The analysis is excellent
and the model is well designed, but results have yet to come.
Hopefully, they will fulfill their own April Workshop final ob-
jective, “Stop talking and get on to action.” Stay tuned.
Devout Nepalese pour water from six clean rivers into the Bagmati
usa Via correspondence studies, Ms. england Rajesh Sompura is the Indian
Graduation Uma Balu, HUA’s first student,
received her masters in Hindu London’s First temple architect in charge of
construction. Most of the stones
Studies and Ms. Jessica Sayle, will be carved in India and

International English Lan-

guage Testing Scheme will
be a minimum requirement
for a “Ministers of Religion”
work permit visa. After two
years, the minimum will be
raised to level 6 competency. dus’ visit, writing that Hindu-
The legislation was passed
despite Hindu Council
of UK members’ previous
pleas to the Home Office to
UK priests coordinating, all in Tamil allow a 10-year grace pe-
riod for Hindu priests. They duism in a nutshell.”
united kingdom explained that the priests do no
of demonic deities.”
(see www.oltyn.
com/HindMay5.
htm). He con-
demned the Bishop
Shastri honors Fatima Rector Guerra
of Fatima and Shrine Rector
Guerra who facilitated the Hin- He also said at the Congress
ism teaches, in the Bhagavad
Gita, “Krishna told Arjuna...
hack his friends and relatives to “the Christian to become a bet-
pieces. It is all illusion anyway.
No one really dies. This is Hin-
The uproar highlights the
O n saturday, june 19,
2004, the Hindu Univer-
her masters in Vedic Astrology.
Brainchild of visionaries Dr.
sity of America, HUA, Orlando,
Florida, held its first graduation
commencement and formal
Kuldip Gupta, Dr. Khandelwal,
Dr. Mahesh Mehta, Abhinav
Dwivedi, Braham R. Aggarwal
into the eternal fires of hell. facility dedication ceremony. and Ram Agarwal, HUA was
incorporated in 1989. It started
that the purpose of interfaith teaching through correspon-
dialogue is not to convert the dence in 1993, acquired land
non-Catholic, but rather to help in 2000 and began teaching on
campus in 2002. Today it has
ter Christian and the Hindu a 60 students, 12 on campus and
better Hindu.” He was branded the rest in “distance education.”
a heretic by the Catholic right. Years of dedication and sac-
On the Hindu side, many rifice created this small but his-
Jain Temple then brought to the UK to be
assembled. The temple will be
I n march this year, the
stone-laying ceremony was
held for London’s first Jain tem-
in the middle of landscaped
gardens. Viewed from the air
it will show the Jain symbol
ple. Located on ten acres at the of Triloka, and the symbol of
Oshwal Centre in Potters Bar, ahimsa will be represented by a
North London, it will serve the magnificent mosaic pond.
30,000 Jains who live
in the city. Here-to-
fore, England’s only
Jain temple was in
the city of Leicester.
Generous donor,
Mr. Kantilal Jeshan

Priest Visas— preaching, but qualified priests

erudite in Sanskrit are abso-
lutely essential to the Hindu re-
English Only? ligious community. The Home
Office agreed to further consul- Church is the absolute and only as a manifestation of the same
controversy over Vatican II’s
pan-religious ecumenism that
has sharply polarized those
who believe the Catholic
will agree with the Portugese
Hindu girl, “It is natural to
toric graduation milestone. By
2010, HUA envisions a student
Haria, along with
his wife, Champa, of
see any manifestation of God, body of 1,500 students. With InHouse Kitchens,
including Our Lady of Fatima,
the skilled team of educators
and the mission spirit in their
placed the auspi-
cious first carved

T he uk has announced
that from August 31, 2004,
level 4 competency under the
tation on the Hindu priesthood
issue in the fall. Existing visas
will not be affected.
path of salvation. The tension
heated up in October, 2003,
when Catholics held an inter-
God.” Others question embrac-
ing icons based on a theology
so opposed to Vedic values.
Ms. Jessica Sayles receives mas-
ters degree in astrology
hearts, they expect steady prog-
ress.You can help or enroll at:
www.hindu-university.edu.
stone in ceremonies
attended by 4,000
people. Side view plan for London’s new Jain temple

c l o c k w i s e f r o m t o p : e pa p h o t o s , r o l a n d w e i h r au c h ; clockwise from top: zuma press, mukunda bogati; awakening forum,

6 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 s i c t e l e v i s o n , p o r t u g a l ; naw j e e t k . h . a j o d a h v. pillay; courtesy, global news; hindu university of america o c t o b e r / n o v e m b e r / d e c e m b e r , 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 7

T he annual taoist chinese
Priest prays at Mount Bromo
indonesia
Mount Bromo
Erupts in Java
M ount bromo, home of
East Java’s unique Teng-
gerese Hindus, erupted in June.
Two people were killed. Indo-
nesia has 100 active volcanoes.
Each year Tenggerese climb to
the edge of Mount Bromo’s crater
and throw offerings to the Gods
into its fiery, open vent.
AN ADVANCED ANCIENT INDIAN
civilization has been discovered
in the Gulf of Cambay off the
coast of Pakistan. India’s Na-
tional Institute of Ocean Tech-
nology scientists found blade
scrapers, stones and beads with
holes and 9,500-year-old bricks
made of clay and straw.
AMARNATH YATRA BY AIR FOR
the affluent is now available for
US
$206 per head via helicopter
from Baltal base camp to the
cave shrine and back. Tour
operators are happy with the
business, daily shuttling 30 to
40 pilgrims who want to avoid
the treacherous trek.
THE SHRI AMARNATH BOARD
is planning to preserve the ice
stalagmite (Sivalingam) by in-
stalling skating rink technology
in the cave, using ethylene ve-
8 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
thailand
Chinese Give
Up Meat
Vegetarian Festival is grandly
celebrated in Phuket, Thailand,
every October. The vegetarian
God Kiu Wong In is worshiped
by devotees who purify them-
selves for nine days by various
penances, including fire-walking
and abstaining from meat.
Purification by fire-walking
nyl acetate pipes to maintain a
constant sub-zero temperature
inside the cave. This would en-
sure devotees who arrive in July,
when the mountain passage is
still open, having braved the
treacherous 675 km trek, would
be able to see the Lingam.
Presently the Lingam begins to
melt in June and disappears by
mid-July. Authorities say there
will be no interference with
the Lingam itself, just the sur-
rounding atmosphere.
CHRISTIAN CONVERSION IS ON
the march in Nepal. As many as
100 churches have been built
in Makwanapur district and
nearly 60,000 people of the Ta-
mang community have already
become Christians. The Praja
community, too, have become
Christians in large numbers.
Both communities are poor and
Queens, New York: The Vedic Foundation study group participants
usa/new york
Study Group
Is a Big Hit
A t the queens, new york,
Maha Ganapati Temple, in
May, Texas-based Vedic Foun-
dation conducted a successful
study group. Instructor Chi-
rag Patel, Ph.D, using Swami
Prakashananand’s text, The
True History and the Religion of
India, held a two-hour seminar
illiterate. The conversions are
made with enticements of food,
clothing and economic assis-
tance funded by foreign aid.
EFFORTS TO ENFORCE THE BAN
against corporal punishment in
schools heated up in India in
June when two school children
died in Hyderabad. Venamma
died in the hospital after be-
ing forced (though she pleaded
ill) to do 150 pushups because
she was not wearing her school
uniform. K. Lakshmaiah was
beaten for not paying fees and
not purchasing a uniform. His
parents were poor and could
not meet the requirements. He
hanged himself from a tree.
INDIA’S MINISTRY OF
non-resident Affairs announced
in July that the net amount
of remittances sent by NRIs
from around the world during
2003-04 was US$18.9 billion in
private transfers as compared
to US$14.8 billion in 2002-03.
reuters photo archive, andrees latif; the vedic foundation
every Sunday for four weeks.
Students were so inspired they
extended the classes for another
four weeks.
“Classes like this help present
our religion in the right manner.
They are few and far between,”
said Bhavin Modi, a 26-year-old
pharmaceutical salesman. The
Vaishnavite oriented Vedic
Foundation, www.vedicfounda-
tion.org, is well organized, set-
ting high educational standards
and providing an excellent
model to follow.
IN JULY PARAMANAND PURIJI
Maharaj assumed the seat of
the Pir of Dattatreya Akhara
in Ujjain, as head of one of
India’s major monastic orders.
The leader is very popular. His
abhishekam was like a spiritual
coronation, attended by many
high priests, thousands of yogis
of all sects and Muslims whose
families have historical connec-
tions with the monastery.
THE PALANI HILLS “STAND IN”
icon which was installed in
front of the original Deity to
receive ritual ablution was
removed in June. The new icon
had been brought in to prevent
further damage caused by
bathing the seriously deteriorat-
ed original murti, made of nine
poisons. Even so, residents of
Palani deemed it highly inaus-
picious that the old murti was
being blocked from view. Now
devotees can once again seen
and be blessed by this ancient,
powerful icon of Lord Palani.
reuters live photos; stringer;
HINDU RENAISSANCE TEAM
HINDUISM TODAY was founded January 5, 1979,
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City, MO
IN MY OPINION
On Stem Cell Research
There’s great potential, but consider the source
B Y D R . VA L AVA N D A N M A N I C K AV E L
lot of people are
talking about stem cell
research these days.
c o u r t e s y v. m a n i c k av e l
Some say it may pro-
vide a cure for all ailments.
This seems almost too good to
be true. Maybe it is. If current
stem cell research yields even
some of the cures speculated,
health care—as we understand
it—could drastically change,
and a new world of medicine
thus created would beg answers to at least
two important ethical questions.
A stem cell is unspecialized and usually
embryonic. It is a master cell of sorts and
has the wonderful potential of growing into
just about any kind of cell, tissue, organ or
organism. Even as I am writing this article,
stem cell researchers are striving to provide
cures for ailments previously considered
untreatable, like Alzhelmer’s disease and
serious spinal injury.
Most sickness can be attributed to dis-
eased organs, tissues or cells. These ab-
normal conditions may arise for a variety
of reasons, including old age, unhealthy
dietary habits and alcohol or drug abuse.
However, some ailments in children are
genetic. They are provoked by “defective
genes” passed on by their parents.
Implanting stem cells is a treatment sys-
tem that is similar to transplantation, but
without surgery. Defective or diseased cells
are replaced with stem cells. These stem
cells then multiply as necessary in a variety
of directions to eventually restore normal
bodily function. In people with Parkinson’s
disease, for instance, stem cells can synthe-
size dopamine. In diabetes patients, they
can make insulin.
Stem cells may be obtained in three ways.
They can be harvested from aborted fetus-
es. They may be developed from the culti-
vation of excess male and female gametes
produced by in-vitro fertilization but not
used in implantation. Or they may come
from other stem cells cultivated specifically
for the purpose of creating more stem cells.
One ethical question with regard to this
research has to do with obtaining stem
cells from aborted fetuses. Here we must
october/november/december, 2004
ask: “Is a fetus a person?”
Hindus believe that it is, for
they contend that life begins
at conception. Yet Hindus
do permit abortion, when it
is preformed to save the life
of the mother. These are not
views held by every Hindu on
this complicated issue. The
debate continues.
In a diplomatic move to ap-
pease both stem cell research
scientists and pro-life antagonists intent
upon stopping stem cell research, President
Bush recently imposed restrictions in the
US on human embryonic stem-cell research,
stating that only about 60 cell lineages
would be available for research. Pro-lifers
are happy to have been heard and re-
searchers are moderately content to at least
be able to proceed with their work in the
security of legal protection.
There is another ethical question, less
discussed but just as important. Most stem
cell research is done by private biological
and pharmaceutical companies that are
motivated, at least in part, by the potential
of great financial gain. The price of their
product as it first comes onto the market
will most certainly be high to cover expens-
es and provide a profit. Only the rich will
be able to pay. What about the poor?
Hindus join the followers of most reli-
gions of the world in condoning the saving
of lives—even at great sacrifice—but the
precise extent of that sacrifice is a line that
is hard to draw. The Singapore Hindu En-
dowment Board in their written response
on this issue for the Singapore Bioethics
Advisory Committee recently offered a
typically ambiguous statement. “There is no
non-acceptance to the use of these [stem]
cells to protect human life and to advance
life by curing disease,” they said. Later
they added: “Killing a fetus is a sinful act.”
Dr. Manickavel lives in Chidambaram,
India, has a Ph.D. in Immunology and is
an internationally recognized authority in
the field of bioethics. Now retired, he has
taught at the University of Rochester, USA,
and the University of Alberta, Canada.
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 9
PUBLISHER’S DESK
What Is True Success?
Hinduism favors and furthers the pursuit of wealth,
pleasure and happiness—all guided by dharma
B Y S A T G U R U B O D H I N A T H A V E Y L A N S WA M I
n today’s material world, success in
life is popularly measured by looking solely at
people’s professional and family life. Do they
have a good, well-paying job and a large home
with a highly educated spouse and intelligent
children? If the answer is yes, then they are consid-
ered to be successful. We will take that as our ini-
tial definition of success and throughout this article
deepen and broaden it in important ways.
Parents are naturally focused on making sure
their children are as successful in life as possible,
which is good. However, unfortunately, some Hindu
parents feel that their children’s participation
in Hindu religious activities and studies is a complete waste of
time, meaning that it contributes nothing at all to their becoming
successful. This attitude is based on incorrect concepts, such as
the following: 1) Hinduism encourages us to look at the world as
unreal and thus take no interest in material success; 2) Hinduism
values world-renunciation and thus stands against the acquiring of
wealth and the enjoyment of life; 3) Hinduism’s devotional prac-
tices and attending the Hindu temple are only for field and factory
workers and not for educated professionals. These three concepts
are, of course, incorrect, because Hinduism, when properly taught
and practiced, helps us be more successful in all dimensions of life.
Four legitimate goals: Let’s begin deepening our understand-
ing of the Hindu view of success by looking at the concept of the
purusharthas, which literally means “human wealths or goals.”
These are four pursuits in which humans may legitimately engage.
Also called chaturvarga, “four-fold good,” they form a cornerstone
of Hindu ethics. They are piety, wealth, pleasure and liberation.
The achievement of the second and third of these goals, wealth
and pleasure, is clearly identical to our initial definition of suc-
cess, and thus we can see that Hinduism—contrary to what many
people believe—is vitally concerned with an individual’s being
successful in worldly life. Said another way, wealth and pleasure,
artha and kama, are natural goals of all humans, including Hindus.
Artha is material welfare and abundance, money, property, pos-
sessions. It includes the necessities of life—food, money, clothing
and shelter—and extends to the wealth required to maintain a
comfortable home, raise a family, fulfill a career and perform reli-
gious duties. My Gurudeva adds a broader meaning to artha when
he describes it as embracing financial independence, freedom
from debt, worthy children, good friends, leisure time, faithful ser-
vants, trustworthy employees, the joys of giving, feeding the poor,
supporting religious mendicants, worshiping devoutly, protecting
all creatures, and offering hospitality to guests. In other words,
artha measures not only riches but also the quality of life, provid-
ing the security needed to pursue kama, dharma and moksha.
Kama is earthly love, aesthetic and cultural fulfillment, pleasures
of the world (including sexual), joys of family and friends, intel-
10 h i n d u i s m t o day o c t o be r / n ov e m be r / d e c e m be r , 2 0 0 4
lectual satisfaction, happiness,
security, physicality, creativity,
usefulness and inspiration.
Moksha, or mukti, is
freedom from samsara, the
rounds of birth and death.
It occurs after karma has
been resolved and realiza-
tion of the Self God has
been attained. The desire
for moksha only comes
after a soul has pursued and
been successful in fulfilling
dharma, artha and kama for numerous
lives, so that it is no longer attached to
worldly joys or sorrows. Said another way,
those who renounce the world in this
life in one-pointed pursuit of moksha do
so having achieved worldly success and
fulfillment in past lives.
While dharma is a goal in its own right,
it is also the guiding principle of the
other three, as it defines the proper way
to pursue wealth, pleasure and moksha.
Do we acquire wealth in a virtuous and
honest way? Are spouses faithful to one
another, or not? These are concerns of
all the world’s religions, including Hindu-
ism. Dharma, piety, now enters the pic-
ture. Dharma is the fulfillment of virtue,
good works, duties and responsibilities,
restraints and observances, performing
one’s part in the service and upliftment
of society. It includes religious disciplines
a. manivel
and the pursuit of truth under a guru
of a particular lineage (parampara) and
tradition (sampradaya). It is the steady
guide for artha and kama, and ultimately
it leads the soul to moksha.
Building good character: Parents, of course, want their children
to bring honor to the family name, to be pillars of their community
and to be of unblemished character. They know that without good
character true success is not possible. Good conduct and good char-
acter are not taught in most secular schools. Therefore, the natural
place to learn them is in a children’s class on Hinduism. Academic
studies teach us how to read and write. But religious studies teach
us what to read and write, which is equally important. Good con-
duct is the foundation of all other practices in Hinduism.
Happiness: From the Hindu point of view, happiness is the natu-
ral outcome of the fulfillment of the purusharthas. Many adults
have told me that they are surprised that even though they have,
after many years, achieved the professional and family goals they
thought would make them happy, they find they are not happy.
This can be discouraging, disillusioning and depressing, even lead-
ing some to commit suicide. In looking back, many realize they
neglected their religious life, dharma, at the expense of seeking
wealth and worldly enjoyments. They see now that they are not
content, not fulfilled, because they failed to devote equal energy
to spiritual practice, attending the temple, meditation, hearing the
words of enlightened teachers and studying the scriptures. Many
resolve at this point to teach their children what they learned the
hard way, that dharma is the center pole of success, and happiness
o c t o be r / n ov e m be r / d e c e m be r , 2 0 0 4
A happy home: In Vedic times, a successful family gathers on their
balcony. Father embraces his youngest son, while the older son
plays a lute. Mother listens to the music, gratified to spend these
sweet moments and thus pass the dharma to the next generation.
is its flag of victory. Dharma includes holding firm to a religious
view of life and the universe—embracing the wisdom of Sanatana
Dharma on all levels of our being—a view which my guru said is
simply the best description of the way things actually are. This
means seeing the world as the arena of our evolution as divine
beings on a spiritual journey extending many lifetimes, knowing
that we come from God, live in God and ultimately will merge
in God. Abiding by this spiritual, mountaintop perspective, fac-
ing each challenge as our own self-created karma, gives us the
inner stability, poise and contentment that we call enduring hap-
piness, known in Sanskrit as ananda, the natural bliss of the soul.
It enables us to achieve success after success in all areas of effort,
and it strengthens us to withstand the ups and downs, joys and
sorrows, gains and losses that are natural to life on Earth. Striving
for and achieving one’s goals exercises the nerve system not only
of the physical body, but of the inner bodies as well, strengthening
the soul body and furthering its evolution. That prowess can then
be applied to all future endeavors, including spiritual pursuits. It
can be carried from alife to life. Through this process we learn
that while real fulfillment is not to be found in the outer world, the
world trains us how to find the peace and happiness we already
have within ourselves.
Hindu parents in temple societies across the US and Canada are
realizing the importance of teaching these values to their youth,
and they are seeking out programs and systems to do so. They are
realizing that academic studies and Hindu practices we pursue
in our youth have the effect of refining our desires to the point
where we can, as adults, be religious enough to experience endur-
ing happiness through connecting with our inner, spiritual self in
three traditional ways: meditation, devotion and service. Through
meditation, we go deep into the lotus of the heart and experience
our inner self, our inner light, our spiritual energy. Through wor-
ship in the temple, we open ourselves to the blessings of the Dei-
ties. We can come to the temple in an unhappy state, receive the
blessings of God and the Gods and go away uplifted and happy.
Why? Because the blessings have cleared our mind and aura of
congested thought forms and emotions, allowing us to connect
with the same blissful state that can be achieved through medi-
tation. And through helping and serving others, trying to make
them happy, we naturally forget about ourselves and our problems.
When we see the smile on the faces of those we are helping, it
brings a smile to our face, opening access to our inner happiness.
In summary, the popular, materialistic view of success focuses
narrowly on wealth and pleasure. To achieve lasting happiness, the
hallmark of real success, the devout Hindu broadens the scope of
success by pursuing dharma with the same vigor and enthusiasm.
Hindus who fulfill this complete and high-minded paradigm will
naturally be looked up to not only by their family, but by their
community and nation, as embodying what it truly means to be
a successful person. Hindus should be proud that their religion
provides the tools they need to be truly successful in life. So, let us
banish the three illusions that discourage parents from imparting
the knowledge and use of those tools to their children. Let’s fulfill
our duty to the next generation, knowing that: 1) our faith furthers
personal success in the highest sense; 2) that it is fully supportive
of acquiring wealth and enjoying life; and 3) that meditation, tem-
ple worship and helping others are sophisticated, success-building
tools appropriate for Hindus of all walks of life. Knowing that it
will contribute pragmatically to their success in life, let’s confi-
dently teach Hinduism to the youth!
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 11

God’s Slave Is Great
the last statement in the article
“God’s Slave” (Jul/Aug/Sept 2004) on Swamiji
Balamurugan Adimai has been very thought-
provoking. I have not met Swamiji, but I
have heard a lot about him. He is a great
saint with innumerable inimitable qualities.
You did a great job by publishing his story.
Venugopal Kota
Hyderabad, India
∫ kota.venugopal@ge.com
Skewed Toward Saivism
in a letter printed in the april/may/
June 2004 issue a reader expressed his con-
cern over Hinduism Today’s being skewed
toward Saivism. My guess would be that the
majority of subscribers to Hinduism To-
day subscribe to it exactly because of its
Saivite lineage. Most of Hinduism is so bi-
ased toward Vaishnavism and Smartism, so
much so that often Smartism is considered
to be the Hinduism. It is only in a handful of
institutions such as Hinduism Today that
Saivism gets some breathing space!
Renuka Kumarasamy
Edison, New Jersey
∫ re_ku@hotmail.com
Hindu American Foundation
i recently had the honor of being
invited to a presentation by the Hindu Amer-
ican Foundation. I think it is outrageous that
some so-called intellectuals are teaching ab-
surd fallacies about Hinduism. Hindus are
LETTERS
rarely acknowledged in the media, yet there create a series of online audio slide lectures
are many Sanskrit words used in the Eng- on aspects of Hinduism and Indian art and
lish language, such as pajamas, mantra and culture that will include QuickTime video
Happy Pancha Ganapati!
pundits, and then there are the television clips as well. We will gradually develop those
shows, such as Dharma and Gregg. At last, into packages that can be used as additional Yuletide is not a Hindu holiday, but we have our own December gift-giving festival
the Hindu American Foundation has been “texts” for high school and university programs.
established to promote understanding, toler- Stephen Huyler
ance and pluralism. Every Hindu ought to Camden, Maine addy, why don don’t we have christmas? what do we December 21, yellow: The family sadhana for the first day of
visit their website at www.hinduamerican ∫ stiviji@aol.com do? Don’t we get presents, too?” Those questions were Pancha Ganapati is to create a vibration of love and harmony
foundation.org. heard in so many Hindu homes some 20 years ago that among immediate family members. The day begins early, and
Henry Karnilowicz Outrageous Attacks it inspired us to create a new holiday based on time-hon- the entire family works together to design and decorate the
San Francisco, California the temple attack report (hindu press ored traditions. Pancha Ganapati, a five-day festival celebrated shrine with traditional symbols, rangoli, lamps and more. Then a
∫ occexp@aol.com International, July 7, 2004) is a really sad from December 21 through 25, has since become a favorite in grand puja is performed invoking the spirit of Pancha Ganapati
reflection on the state of affairs in India, in homes all over the world. The winter solstice has always been a in the home. The sadhana of the day now begins. The family sits
Thanks for the Mention particular Tamil Nadu. Not only are Hindu festive time of year in all countries, religions and among Hindus together for the purpose of easing any strained relationships that
i was thrilled to unexpectedly find philosophy, thought, Sanskrit language and especially, for it is a traditional season for the worship of Lord have arisen during the year by making amends one with an-
your acclaim for my new website on the heritage attacked in Tamil movies and oth- Ganesha, the elephant-headed Lord other. When forgiveness is offered to
back cover of the new issue (“Online Gal- er media regularly, now even the physical of Culture and the Arts. all by one and all, they speak of each
lery,” Digital Dharma, Jul/Aug/Sept 2004)! structures are under attack. Where is the Since most Hindus do not celebrate other’s good qualities and resolve that
We have had a large team working on the king (government) who is supposed to pro- Christmas, they often find it difficult in the days ahead they will remember
new site for about a year, so it is wonderful tect the religion? to relate in a meaningful way to those the futility of trying to change others.
to have that acknowledgement and exposure. P. Balashanmugam who do. Their children are often em- Gifts are then exchanged and placed
My work, as always, is simply about trying Cheras, Selangor, Malaysia barrassed when asked why they don’t unopened before Pancha Ganapati.
to bring attention and appropriate respect to ∫ balap@iwk.com.my receive gifts like their friends. Adults December 22, blue: Day two is
the cultures, traditions and peoples of South feel the need to give gifts and mail devoted to creating a vibration of
Asia, and most of that emphasis is Hindu. I Letters with writer’s name, address and day- greeting cards as well as accept them love and harmony among neighbors,
am finding the Web to be an exciting new time phone number, should be sent to: from relatives, neighbors, friends and relatives and close friends and pre-
Letters, Hinduism Today
direction through which to develop infor- 107 Kaholalele Road
business associates. The five days of senting them with heartfelt gifts. The
mation channels to easily reach a large mass. Kapaa, Hawaii, 96746-9304 USA Pancha Ganapati offer a Hindu ex- sadhana of the day is to offer apolo-
Your article can only help that outreach. or faxed to: (808) 822-4351 pression of this natural season of wor- gies and clear up any misunderstand-
I have a young team of developers who are or e-mailed to: letters@hindu.org ship, gift-giving and celebration. ings that exist. Relatives and friends
really delighted to be working on this site. To- Letters may be edited for space and clarity During each of the five days of in far-off places are written to or
gether we have many goals, and the site will and may appear in electronic versions of Pancha Ganapati, a special sadhana, called, forgiveness is sought, apologies
keep growing and changing over the next Hinduism Today. spiritual discipline, is focused upon made and tensions released. Each day,
months and years. Our aim is to gradually ∫ indicates letters received via e-mail by the entire family. A shrine is cre- gifts received are placed unopened
ated in the main living room of the before Pancha Ganapati.
home and decorated in the spirit of December 23, red: The sadhana for

Teaming Up for Dharma this festive occasion. At the center

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ince the very beginning, in 1979, readers have en-
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is placed a large wooden or bronze
five-faced murti of Lord Pancha
the third day is to create a vibration
of love and harmony among business
associates, the casual merchant and
Ganapati. If this is not available, any the public at large. This is the day for
large picture or statue of Lord Ga-
nesha will do. Lord Ganesha is often
presenting gifts to fellow workers and
customers and to honor employers
depicted as coming from the forest; and employees with gifts and ap-
therefore, pine boughs (or banana preciation. The sadhana today is the
leaves) may be used. Flashing lights, settling of all debts and disputes.
tinsel and colorful hanging ornaments December 24, green: The sadhana
may also be added. Each morning the A happy holiday: The children are celebrating Pan- of day four is to draw forth the vibra-
children dress or decorate Ganesha cha Ganapati in gala fashion with a real, live five- tion of joy and harmony that comes
anew in a different color: golden yel- faced Ganesha. The five-segmented sky, each with from music, art, drama and the dance.
low on December 21, then royal blue, its own distinct color, represents His five powers. Family, relatives and friends gather
ruby red, emerald green and finally for satsang to share and enjoy their
brilliant orange—the colors of His five powers, or shaktis. artistic gifts. Then all sit together before Ganesha, Patron of Arts
Each day a tray of sweets, fruits and incense is offered to Lord and Guardian of Culture, discussing Hindu Dharma and making
Ganapati, often prepared and presented by the children. Chants, plans to bring more cultural refinements into the home.
songs and bhajanas are sung in His praise. After puja, the abun- December 25, orange:The family sadhana for the final day is
dant, diverse sweets are shared by one and all as prasada. Each to bring forth love and harmony within all three worlds. Because
day gifts are given to the children, who place them before Pan- of sadhanas well performed during the first four days, the family
cha Ganapati to open only on the fifth day. Greeting cards, ide- is now more open and aware of Ganesha’s grace, and their love
ally made by the children, offer Hindu art and wisdom, such as for Him is now overflowing. On this day the entire family expe-
verses from the Vedas. riences an outpouring of love and tranquility from the great God
Now we shall explain the special significance and observances Himself. His blessings fill the home and the hearts of everyone
for each of the five days of Pancha Ganapati: within it, inspiring them anew for the coming year. Jai Ganapati!

12 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 13


“I am a Hindu because it is Hinduism
which makes the world worth living.”
Four monks made an agreement to medi-
tate in silence for a week and not to speak
a single word. On the first day, they main-
tained silence. But as darkness fell, the
flame of their singular candle began to
flicker. “Oh, the flame is going out,” said
one monk. “Eh, we should not speak a
single word,” said the second. “Why do you
two want to speak?” said the third. “Ha! I
am the only one who did not talk!” said the
fourth.
Why does a vijnani (enlightened person)
keep an attitude of love toward God? The
answer is that ‘I-conciousness’ persists. It
disappears in the state of samadhi, no
doubt, but it comes back. In the case of or-
dinary people the ‘I’ never disappears. You
a. manivelu
14 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948), in Young India
may cut down the ashwattha tree, but the
next day sprouts shoot up. Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahansa (1836-1886), guru of Swami
Vivekananda
I submit to you that the tolerant society is
open to and encouraging of all religions.
And this does not weaken us; it strengthens
us, it makes us strong. You know, if we
look back through history to all those great than legend, and looks twice as old as all of
civilizations, those great nations that rose them put together.”
up to even world dominance and then dete-
riorated, declined and fell, we find they all Temper is the one thing you can’t get rid
had one thing in common. One of the sig-
nificant forerunners of their fall was their “Anger Management”
turning away from their God or Gods.
Ronald Reagan (1911-2004), 40th Presi-
dent of the United States
Deceptive Conduct
Tirukural 272: Of what avail is
an outer appearance of saintli-
ness if the mind suffers inwardly
from knowledge of its iniquity?
Tirukural 278: Many are the men
who piously bathe in purifying
waters, while in their black hearts
impure conduct lies concealed.
Tirukural 279: The arrow is
straight but cruel; the lute is
crooked but sweet. There-
fore, judge men by their acts,
not their appearance.
Tirukural 280: Neither shaven
head nor long matted locks are
needed, provided one casts off
conduct condemned by the world.
Anger is nothing but an attachment for an
object, when expressed towards an obstacle
between ourselves and the object of our
attachment. Swami Chinmayananda (1916-
1993), founder of Chinmaya Mission
Mark Twain visited over a century ago and
commented that Varanasi was “older than
history, older than tradition, older even
of by losing it. Jack Nicholson in the movie
Your heart is the temple where God should
be enshrined. Your good thoughts are
the flowers, your good words the hymns,
your good deeds the rituals. And love is
the offering. Mata Amritanandamayi Ma,
Kerala-based hugging saint and Hinduism
Today’s Hindu of the Year 1993
Even among high-context cultures, the
Indian wedding stands out. It involves as
much planning as the construction of a
nuclear power plant—except it costs more.
Anonymous
Sugar is sweet at all times, even in the
dark. So remains devotion for the devout,
in times of comfort or discomfort, praises
or insults, darkness or enlightenment. His
Divine Holiness Pramukhswami Maharaj,
spiritual head of Bochasanwasi Shree Ak-
shar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha
Tell the truth; there’s less to remember.
He is the Supreme Brahman, the Self of all,
the chief foundation of this world, subtler
than the subtle, eternal. That thou art; thou
art That. Atharva Veda, Kaivalya Upanishad
Frank and Ernest
Life is a boomerang. It brings you back
what you send out.
It is a child, not an old person, who makes
progress in life. If you really want to be-
come a child, then you have to feel that
there is always something to learn and that
God is there to teach you. Sri Chinmoy,
renowned spiritual leader, author, poet,
artist, musician and athlete
DID YOU KNOW?
Cow Dung’s Many Uses
little-known sshloka says that
every Deity dwells in a different
part of the cow, making her as holy
as the Deities themselves. According to
the Mahabharata, Lakshmi, Goddess
of Wealth and Prosperity, dwells in the
cow’s dung, giving it spiritual value in
Hinduism. Through the centuries, many
practical uses for cow dung, as well as
urine, have been discovered.
The floor where havanas are performed
is traditionally coated with cow dung
and sprinkled with cow urine, the fire is
ignited with dried cow dung, and no such
ceremony is said to be complete without
a five-part offering containing cow dung
and urine. Cow dung is also used to pre-
pare vibhuti (holy ash) and plays a role
in a variety of religious rituals, such as
Lakshmi Puja (a trail of cow-dung plaster
invites Her from the main door of the
house to the shrine room where She is in-
voked for Her blessings), Govardhan Puja
Q: What does a Hindu wish someone on
their birthday? A: May you have many
happy returns.
A millennium before Europeans were wil-
ing to divest themselves of the Biblical idea
that the world was a few thousand years
old, the Mayans were thinking of millions
and the Hindus billions. Carl Sagan (1934-
1996), astrophysicist and author of Cosmos
(worship is performed on a mound of cow
dung representing Govardhan Hill for
prosperity and fertility of the land) and
countless other festivals of nearly every
tradition throughout India.
Aside from their sanctifying qualities,
cow dung and urine are also praised for
their purifying, healing and sanitizing ac-
tions. Jewelers employ cow urine to purify
gold and silver ornaments, and ayurvedic
doctors prescribe it in the treatment of
skin disease, obesity, ulcers, stomach dis-
eases and liver pain. Cow dung can leech
poison from the body, including from
snake and scorpion bites, and when made
into a solution and sprayed on municipal
waste, its antiseptic qualities kill foul odors.
Used as fuel for cooking fires, cow dung
saves money otherwise spent on firewood
or gas, and the smoke helps kill germs
and repel mosquitoes and flies. The cow’s
dung and urine are both used as inex-
pensive, organic fertilizers, and the urine
october/november/december, 2004
© 2003 THAVES. REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION.
Austerity is the powerful bath of fire and
bright rays of showering light that washes
the soul clean of the dross of its many
past lives, and of the current life, which
have held it in the bondage of ignorance,
misgiving, unforgivingness and the self-
perpetuating ignorance of the truths of the
Sanatana Dharma. Satguru Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami (1927-2001),
founder of Hinduism Today
sri indra sharma
Govinda: Lord Krishna, the irresistable
flautist, is the friend and steward of cows
makes an effective bio-pesticide.
Cow dung ash mixed with mud
strengthens mud houses, and houses
coated with cow dung are insulated from
extremes of heat and cold and protected
from diseases like cholera and plague,
insects and reptiles, wild elephants and
even, so they say, nuclear radiation.
with Bindu Chaudhary, Nepal
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 15
 FROM THE VEDAS

Stay True! Study and Preach!

Rishis exhort every Hindu to share Vedic Dharma with all
Advice to graduates to carry For this missionary work
Vedic values into their new The practice of what is right and proper, the Hindu Rishis saw no ne-
life in the world is given in along with studying the texts oneself and cessity for organizing a spe-
the Taittiriya Upanishad. It cial class of teachers. It was
elicits rousing commentary propagating the truths therein; ‘Truth’, made every householder’s
from the great Swami Chin- regular studies and preaching; penance, duty! The householder was
mayananda. not asked to sacrifice his du-
study and preaching; control of the senses, ties. Instead, while emphasiz-
t is clear that the study and preaching; tranquillity, study ing the need for pursuing his
present world’s tribute to and preaching; the ‘maintenance of fire,’ duties, he is asked to keep
the glory that was of In- continuously in touch with
dia is not the compelling study and preaching; offering to fires in fire the scriptures and to preach
glory of some rare beings, sacrifice, study and preaching of the Vedas; that same truth to others.
mighty in their own perfec- The great qualities insisted
tions and glorious in their serving the guests, study and preaching; the on are: the practice of what
worlds, but it is the loving performance of duties towards man, study is right and proper as indicat-
reverence that an age feels and preaching; duties towards children, ed in the scripture (ritham);
towards a past generation that living up to the ideals that
knew how to live the right study and teaching of Vedas; procreation, have been intellectually com-
values of life and bring the study and preaching; propagation of the prehended (satyam); spirit of
entire generation to enjoy a self-sacrifice and self-denial
greater quota of intellectual race, study and preaching—all these are to (tapas); control of the senses
poise, mental stability, physi- be practised sincerely. ¶Satyavachas, son (dama); tranquillity of the
cal health, social happiness, of Rathitara, declares truth alone. Thapa- mind (sama); maintenance of
communal growth and na- a charitable and ready kitch-
tional well-being. In order to nitya, son of Paurusishti, declares penance en at home in the Seva of
create such a consummate alone. Naka, son of Mudgala, holds to study all deserving hungry fellow
scheme of things around and beings (guests-athiti, agni);
about us, among a people, and preaching alone. That is penance, in- practice of concentration and
it must be the duty of the deed, that is penance. ritualism through fire wor-
educationists to see that they KRISHNA YAJUR VEDA, TAITTIRIYA UPANISHAD 1.9
ship (agnihotra), one’s duty
impart to the growing genera- towards humanity, children,
tion not merely some factual grandchildren and society
knowledge or some wondrous theories, but they also must (manusham, prajaha, prajanaha, prajati).
instill into the growing generation ideals of pure living and In the close of the section, three great masters have
train the children to live those in their individual life. been quoted who had in the past declared the most impor-
This section gives twelve immortal ideas of living and tant of the above. The section reads as though it is a mani-
rules of conduct and insists an equal number of times that festo upon the Hindu way of living in which every Hindu,
the student should continue his study of the scriptures and striving to live up to his or her sacred culture, is charged
propagation of the immortal ideas of his glorious culture to live true to his or her own intellectual convictions (sa-
among the people all through his life. To believe that the tyam), in a spirit of self-denial (tapas), the study of his
Hindus are not missionary in their zeal for the propaga- sacred bible (swadhyaya) and the spread of his culture
tion of their ideas in the world is not to understand at all among the peoples of the world (pravachanam).
the spirit of Hinduism. Our present idea that the spread
of our culture and free discussions on the scripture is the Swami Chinmayananda (1917-1993), Vedantist writer,
special right of a few and that it should be addressed to lecturer, translator, dynamic spiritual leader and Hindu
only a few specially selected individuals is an absurd no- renaissance founder of Chinmaya Mission International
tion which has not the sanction of the Rishis, especially in
a. manivel

our age. Here we find that the brilliant students are repeat- The Vedas are the divinely revealed and most revered scriptures,
edly commissioned, with twelve repetitions in just one sruti, of Hinduism, likened to the Torah (1,200 bce), Bible New
Testament (100 ce), Koran (630 ce) or Zend Avesta (600 bce). Four
small verse, to continue their study (swadhyaya) and to be in number, Rig, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, the Vedas include over
preachers (pravachanam) throughout their lifetime. 100,000 verses. Oldest portions may date back as far as 6,000 BCE.

16 h i n d u i s m t o d ay o c t o b e r / n o v e m b e r / d e c e m b e r , 2004 october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 17

 S P E C I A L F E AT U R E

U
River
River Revelry
Revelry
jjain is one of the great cities of the hindu
religion. In ancient times, Lord Krishna went to school
here, the poet Kalidas advanced Sanskrit literature and
King Vikramaditya ruled a great kingdom. The zero merid-
ian in Hindu astrology passed through the Siva Lingam of the
city’s Mahakal Temple situated on the shores of the Shipra

a l l p h o t o s t h o m a s k e l ly
River. Last, but far from least, Ujjain is one of the four cit-
Thirty
Thirty
million
million
pilgrims
pilgrims
gather
gatherforfor
Kumbha
Kumbha Mela
Mela ies blessed by drops from the chalice holding the nectar of
immortality, one of the sites of the Kumbha Mela held here
atat
thethe
Shipra
ShipraRiver
River
in in
thethe
holy
holy
city
city
of of
Ujjain
Ujjain every four years. Join us as we recount ten days in the city of
Siva at the April, 2004, festival.

Mahakal: Ujjain’s
famed temple to God
Siva as Lord of Time.
(below) view of the
river ghats during the
April 22 “royal bath.”

18 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 19

B Y R AJIV M ALIK , D ELHI
induism’s kumbha mela is by
far the largest human event on the
planet, a moment when millions
of people descend upon a single
sacred place. According to Hindu
lore, the devas and the asuras teamed up
to “churn the ocean,” from which arose a
series of precious objects, the most prized
of which was the nectar of immortality. As
they struggled for the pot, kumbha, holding
the elixir, one drop spilled at each of four
sacred places: Nashik, Ujjain, Haridwar and
Prayag. From ancient times Hindus have
celebrated the Kumbha Mela (festival) at
each of these places in a twelve-year rota-
tion determined by the position of Jupiter.
The Mela is held in Ujjain when Jupiter is
in Leo and the Sun in Aries, which in 2004
occurred from April 5 to May 4.
The nectar is said to have been absorbed
in the sacred rivers of these places, which
is why tens of millions of people come to
these festivals to advance their spiritual life.
The Mela is the one time when tens of thou-
sands of saints and sages come out of their
solitude and meditation in the inaccessible
caves and areas of the Himalayas and min-
gle with the people. The babas with long
dreadlocks wrapped around their heads like
turbans, and the saffron-attired sadhus and
sages are, for a few days, a common sight. SADHUS ANDAND
SADHUS PILGRIMS, YOUNG
PILGRIMS, ANDAND
YOUNG OLD,OLD,
ENJOY THE THE
ENJOY SACRED BATHBATH
SACRED
This was to be the fourth Mela I covered
for Hinduism Today, having begun the The central observance of the Kumbha
cycle with Haridwar in 1998, then Prayag Mela is bathing in the sacred river nastic orders).” Mela should be less of a logistical challenge
(Allahabad) in 2001 and Nashik in 2003. At The superintendent had a bigger than Superintendent Jain faced. Then, on
each event, we covered the sights and sounds which carries the touch of the nectar of concern than crowd control and petty departure day, Thomas’ flight out of Kath-
of the Mela, and also sought the wisdom and immortality and spiritual enlightenment. crime: terrorism. Muslim militants as- mandu was canceled on account of weather,
guidance of the saints on a selection of con- The pilgrims rush to take their bath sociated with the attempts to wrest and I had to fly alone to Indore. After a
temporary issues. Questions this year ranged (above) right after the sadhus. Kashmir from India had already at- six-hour car ride to cover just the 60 kilo-
from the theological, such as on the nature tacked Hindu temples, with consid- meters to Ujjain, I settled into Sita Travel’s
a l l p h o t o s t h o m a s k e l ly

of the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva erable loss of life. An attack here and “Nirvana Tented Colony.” Its air-conditioned
and the use of regional languages in worship Life guards in the water (to the right) subsequent stampede could be hor- tents were a welcome relief from the day-
in place of Sanskrit, to the ethical, such as ensure the safety of the pilgrims and rendous. He had 15,000 police—that’s time temperatures which reached 110° F.
organ donation, to the social, including what regulate the time of the bathing to an entire army division—at his dis-
proved to be a highly controversial question keep the crowds moving. All ghats posal, including 25 commando teams. My First Day
on the Hindu view of “gay marriage.” We hold 60,000 people taking a bath It was a testament to their planning April 19 was my first full day. The roads
decided to include the city of Ujjain itself, that no incidents, neither stampedes were jam packed with pilgrims moving to-
and that aspect of our journey turned out at the same time, with 250,000 nor terrorism, occurred at this Mela. wards the main bathing ghats shouting “Jai
so rich we’ve set it aside for the next issue completing their ablutions each hour. Superintendent Upendra Jain said, “I Mahakal!” and “Jai Mother Shipra!” Many
when we will have the space to do it justice. THANKS AND JUBILATION think it is a God-given opportunity for were attired in colorful clothes, carrying lug-
me to be part of this great event where gage and even their small children on their
Preparations 30 million people will participate. We heads and shoulders. Large family groups
I’ve learned from experience to have very tors over a four-week period. I met with Ra- came clear to me when I spoke with Up- ly long roads in 20 hectares of field near the have been training the 15,000-member force were firmly holding each others hands,
clear arrangements for accommodation jni Kant Gupta, the Indian Administrative endra Jain, Ujjain superintendent of po- ghats so we have a holding capacity of one for one year, and trying to motivate them watching out especially for the elderly. It is
and transport in place far ahead. Ujjain is Officer in charge of the Mela. The ancient lice—the man responsible for festival law million. With this plan, I can manage 1.4 in a religious and spiritual way. I have told so common to get lost at a Kumbha Mela
a small town, just half a million people, soon narrow streets of Ujjain were hardly able and order. “We calculate that if all the ghats million people at a time, and 5 million can them, ‘This is much more than a duty. This that it is a standard plot device of Indian
to be host to several million a day—changing to cope with such crowds. Gupta explained (steps built along the river’s edge) are full at easily be handled in a day. We have arranged is an opportunity for you to contribute to movies.
hotels at a moment’s notice was not going how they had set up seven satellite towns one time, there are about 60,000 people on it so any individual pilgrim needs to walk this event and earn punya, good merit. Be a I met Nitya Devi, age 40, of Indore. She
to be an option! We didn’t know anyone in and 115 kilometers of outer- and inner-ring the ghats,” he said. “With the help of volun- at most one kilometer and wait at most two friend, philosopher and guide for the com- was impressed with the devotion of the rural
Ujjain, so we decided to go there in advance, roads to handle the traffic. According to C.P. teers, we will keep each pilgrim’s bath to six hours. All of this can be observed through mon pilgrim.’ ” We later witnessed the good folk. “If I told a middle class urban person
in February, to scout out the situation. Arora, the Commissioner of Ujjain, the riv- minutes, meaning 250,000 can take a bath closed circuit video. In addition to all this, results of this training and heard pilgrims to lie down on the ground under the sun in
What we found in mid-February was a er’s bathing ghats had been extended a full in one hour. The roads to the ghats can ac- we’ve arranged mass transit so pilgrims can compliment the police on their conduct. this heat and wait until four in the morning
town working as if a war were impending, two kilometers, and every temple in the city commodate 300,000 at a time. So the real get to the major points of interest in Ujjain Back in Delhi, I completed the remainder of the next day for having a bath in holy wa-
with a government-funded budget of us$50 was being renovated. problem comes when we have one million itself after their bath—e.g., Mahakal Temple of our arrangements, believing getting my- ter, how many would do it? The youth must
million to get ready to host 30 million visi- The full extent of the planning only be- people. What we’ve done is create artificial- and the Saiva and Vaishnava akharas (mo- self and photographer Thomas Kelly to the come here, it will bring change and trans-

20 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 21


ASH-COVERED RENUNCIATE WORSHIPS AT AN ANCIENT SIVA LINGAM
formation.” She had met Sarkhandi Ji Maha-
raj, a Vaishnava saint, and was so moved by
him that she took initiation. I, too, met this
swami who would utter “With the grace of
Lord Rama,” before saying anything impor-
tant. Maharaj told me stories about his guru,
Balliya Baba, literally, “sand baba,” who
could survive, they say, for months eating
nothing but sand.
Janak Singh, age 20, a student from Pali,
Rajasthan, said, “It is amazing to see hun-
dreds of thousands of people coming here
due to their faith in God. Scientists say that
only nature is there and there is nothing like
God. But after coming to this Mela, one real-
ly feels there is some superpower like God.”
Umikaa Ghatge, age 15, of Indore, was like-
wise getting his faith strengthened. “What
has impressed me the most about these
22 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
EVENING
EVENING
WORSHIP
WORSHIP
WITHWITH
OIL LAMPS
OIL LAMPS
from the spiritual purpose they had in com-
ing here. In my opinion, these screens could
have been better used to enhance the Mela
experience with religious messages and
teachings. There were thousands of paper
posters and billboards announcing the dis-
courses of the numerous saints at the Mela.
This whole first day was one of great ten-
sion for me, not knowing if Thomas would
catch up or not. But, thanks to the efforts of
Sita Travel, he arrived late that evening. The
second morning we collected our official
press passes and went to work in earnest.
sadhus and some of the naga babas is that
they have no interest in materialism. God is Sadhu Initiation Day
the only thing that one should strive to at- We next went to the camp of Swami Pragya-
tain during life. After I go back from here, I nand, a long-time friend of Satguru Sivaya
will think about God in my own way, relate Subramuniyaswami, founder of Hinduism
to Him in my own way and serve Him until Today. Swamiji provided us with an im-
the end of my life. In fact, my experience mense boon, a car and driver which allowed
here is difficult to convey in words.” us easy access around the vast Mela area. In
In the evening, I visited Mangalnath Ghat, a few days, Swamiji was to be inducted as
which is adjacent to the famed Mangalnath mahamandaleshwar of the Avahan Akhara,
Temple. Long lines of pilgrims waited to en- one of the monastic order’s top posts. He
ter the temple after their bath. It was here informed us that tonight several hundred
I first encountered the commercialization of sadhus were to be initiated into the Ava-
the Mela. A huge electronic screen had been han Akhara at Ram Ghat. We immediately
set up just a few meters from the temple joined the preparations, which was a rare
showing glamorous advertisements of tooth- opportunity. Even Thomas, who has photo-
pastes and shampoos. These were all far be- graphed the sadhus of India and Nepal for
yond the means of the rural folk waiting at 20 years, had never been to such an initiation.
the temple, and seemed quite a distraction In late afternoon about 450 sadhus and
This is a magnificent view of the
Shipra River arati (offering of flames)
at the Ghat of Datta Akhara, a mo-
nastic order, several great saints of
which lived in the historical build-
ing in the background. The singing
of the Shipra arati song is broad-
cast throughout the Mela area.
The young sadhu ( far left) with ash
smeared all over his body is sitting
near a Siva Lingam at Ram Ghat. Pil-
grims who come and offer water and
flowers to the Siva Lingam reverently
bow and touch his feet. The sadhu in
the foreground holds a chimta rhythm
instrument and leads the pilgrims in
Siva bhajans (devotional songs).
Hundreds of about-to-be monks
(below) of the Avahan Akhara wait
in the scorching heat as head shav-
ing is completed for the group.
They shortly moved on in a huge
procession, witnessed by hundreds
of thousands, to Ram Ghat for the
two-hour initiation ceremony.
HEADS
HEADS
FRESHLY
FRESHLY
SHAVEN,
SHAVEN,
CANDIDATES
CANDIDATES
AWAIT
AWAIT
THEIR
THEIR
INITIATION
INITIATION
24 sadhvis (women) had their heads shaven
by a half-dozen barbers. The monks sat
by patiently as this went on, occasionally
raising their hands and shouting “Har Har
Mahadev!” Shortly the procession to the
ghat began, with hundreds of thousands
of devotees lining the road. Every time the
sadhus would shout “Har Har Mahadev!” or
“Om Namasivaya,” the crowd would shout
the words back with loud devotion.
Once at the ghats, the two-hour long ini-
tiation was conducted by Pandit Shailendra
Shri Sheshnarayan Vaidhka and several se-
nior priests, whose privilege it was to con-
duct the initiation of sadhus. As the ceremo-
ny went on, all 500 or so sadhus and sadhvis
would perform the same action at the same
time, the offering of incense, for example,
or bathing in the river. At one point several
supervising sadhus became annoyed with
the photographers, including Thomas, and
scolded them. It was a passing moment,
however, and the photographers continued
unhindered a few minutes later. Finally, the
a l l p h o t o s t h o m a s k e l ly
ceremony concluded with the donning of
new loincloths and the sacred thread.
I was not especially impressed with the
criteria for selecting some of the would-be
monks. A few were disabled, others unedu-
cated, perhaps even mentally challenged.
Later Sadhvi Meera Puri, who was in charge
of the lady initiates, defended the group.
october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 23
a l l p h o t o s t h o m a s k e l ly
RENUNCIATES
RENUNCIATES
HAILHAIL
THE THE
INSTALLATION
INSTALLATION
OF SWAMI
OF SWAMI
PRAGYANAND
“The ones who we think are less educated
are often the ones who are more firm in
their devotion to God.”
The next morning, April 21, we visited
the camp of Barfani Baba, acclaimed to be
215 years old. He is said to have revitalized
his physical body three times in his lifetime
through a technique called kaya kalp. I had
met him previously at the Nashik Kumbha
Mela and also his would-be successor,
Jagadguru Rajivlochanacharya, who has since
passed on. We spoke only briefly with Bar-
fani Baba who said, “The future of India is
extremely bright, and we can all look forward
to a peaceful and prosperous India to come.”
Due to the extreme heat, the area was not
particularly crowded during the day, except
on the main bathing days. People preferred
to move about at night, often frequenting
the many shops to buy gifts for friends. The
stalls selling chilled mineral water were do-
ing a brisk business.
The government had set up allopathic
and ayurvedic dispensaries near the me-
dia center. They were intensely busy as
chest congestion was a widespread problem
among both pilgrims and sadhus. There was
a constant cloud of dust from the roads, and
the impact was compounded by the high
24 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
PRAGYANAND
AS MAHAMANDALESHWAR,
AS MAHAMANDALESHWAR,
A HIGH
A HIGH
POSTPOST
IN THEIR
IN THEIR
quantity of DDT insecticide powder be-
ing sprinkled all over the Mela area. Both
Thomas and I suffered from chest conges-
tion, and we did not recover until weeks
later. The same problem occurred at the
Prayag Kumbha Mela in 2001 when dust
mixed with sand had played havoc with
my lungs. Even many sadhus were afflicted
with these kinds of problems.
We had planned our visit to bracket one
of the three main bathing days, April 22,
known as the shahi snan, or royal bath. This
is one of the most colorful and spiritually el-
evating events of any Kumbha Mela. Shahi
snan is the one in which the saints of all
sadhu akharas (monastic orders) partici-
pate in a colorful procession to the ghats for
their bath at the most auspicious time. Dev-
otees of the various akharas keenly looked
forward to bathing immediately after their
spiritual teachers, at which time the water
is all the more holy.
Unfortunately, these shahi snans and the
order of procession of the akharas were a
point of contention among the sadhus, so
much so that Avahan Akhara was unable to
participate as they normally would with the
Juna Akhara on the 22nd. We were never
able to ascertain the issues involved, and
ORDER
ORDER
several sadhus told us the issues could be
easily resolved if it were not for the “big
egos” of some sadhu leaders. Even Swami
Pragyanand, who is well respected, was
unable to resolve the matter. This dispute
spilled over to the entire Mela, disturbing
the pilgrims and worrying the police, who
felt it might result in a clash between the
Juna and Avahan Akhara. Twenty-year-old
Janak Singh asked, “When all our saints have
a similar message to give to the masses, why
are they themselves divided into so many
factions which fight with each other?”
Even though it was not a shahi snan, the
largest turnout for bathing was on April 19,
the day I arrived, as it was the astrologically
auspicious day of Mauni Amavasya. On this
day four million people took their sacred
bath in the Shipra River.
Holy River Shipra
That there was much river to bathe in at all
was a feat of engineering. The Shipra is not
a large river, and on all the bathing days
water had to be artificially inducted into it,
then reprocessed and recycled. It was not as
clean as one might wish.
Clean or not, the river is itself an object
of worship in Hinduism. Every evening was
Thousands of sadhus (above)
raised their hands chanting ‘Har
Har Mahadev’ at a special conclave
organized at the camp of Swami
Pragyanand in connection with his
assuming the prestigious position
of Mahamandaleshwar of Avahan
Akhara. This is an honor generally
given to educated sadhus who are
able to represent the monastic
order to the general public.
An elderly sadhu (at right)
reverentially offers Shipra’s holy
water to the Siva Linga installed in
the river side itself. It is rightly said
that the number of Siva Lingams in
Ujjain exceeds the population of the
city many times over. Once you are
through with the holy dip in Shipra,
you need only look around to find
a Siva Lingam nearby to bathe.
A SADHU OFFERS WATER TO A SIVA LINGAM AT THE RIVER’S EDGE
october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 25
 SERVING UP FRESH-COOKED FLAT BREAD (PURIS), WITH A SMILE
Shipra arati, the offering of lit oil lamps to
the river. This was popular with the pilgrims.
Thousands would gather at the ghats at 7 pm,
including a large number of saints, to watch
the two dozen priests perform the worship.
The whole area reverberates with shouts
of “Shipra Maiya Ki Jai,” “Hail to Mother
Shipra” while the bells chime, conches are
blown and huge arati trays with flames leap-
ing skywards are waved by the priests and
devotees. Then thousands of small lamps are
set afloat on the river on rafts of leaves and
flowers. It is believed that the north-bound
Shipra takes these offerings to the abode of
Lord Siva in the Himalayas. The daily event
provided a brisk business for those sell-
ing worship material along the river’s edge.
After the arati, we took the opportunity to
a l l p h o t o s t h o m a s k e l ly
There are free feeding halls all over the Mela grounds. Above, a happy
cook pulls freshly cooked puris from a wok filled with hot oil. Imagine the
infrastructure set up at the Mela to feed a million people a day or more.
It makes the logistics of feeding, say a few hundred thousand Olympic
spectators in Greece, look like a small family affair.
Sadhus of Nath Sampradaya (right) have gathered from all over India
near the Bhrithari’s Cave, the central place of Nath Sampradaya in
Ujjain, to participate in Simhastha Mela. Nath sadhus can be easily
recognized by the large bone earrings they wear. Once you enter this
area, you feel as if you have traveled thousands of years back in time.
26 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
scout out a place for Thomas to take pictures community. We would sit with him and A shahi snan day is always difficult for ev-
the following morning of the shahi snan. We the other sadhus around the dhuni, sacred eryone. Part of the burden on the 22nd was
spotted a high-rise building with a clear fire, in a section of the camp which served eased by Madhya Pradesh chief minister
view of the ghats, but when we approached, as a kind of gathering space for the sadhus. Sadhvi Uma Bharati, who called a press con-
the gatekeeper would not let us in. As he Everything under the sun was discussed ference in Delhi to ask that no VIPs come on
was turning us away, a senior official of the around the dhuni, from politics to spiritual- the shahi snan day. Two years ago there was
trust which owned the building arrived and, ity. Everyone who arrived was greeted with a deadly mishap at the Mahakal temple here
upon learning of Hinduism Today, gave “Aum Namo Narayana” by all those sitting when crowds of devotees were held back
his permission. Thomas took some breath- around it. Food and drink were served to all. as VIPs were given preferential treatment.
taking shots from the spot, including this Thousands of pilgrims walking by would all No one wanted a repeat of that incident.
article’s opening photo on page 18. look in on the dhuni and pay their respects
After a hectic day on the grounds, we to the sadhus from a distance. It is difficult The Royal Bath
would come and spend time at the camp to describe what happens around a dhuni. We encountered the parade of Juna Akhara
of Juna Akhara. We knew one member of For me it was a great, soul-stirring experi- sadhus in the predawn morning of the 22nd
this akhara from earlier melas, Mahant Ram ence. You never would know when a sadhu as they made their way to the ghats. A band
Puri, an American sadhu who has spent the would start giving you some important spiri- was playing loud music while the sadhus
last 30 years in India. He speaks excellent tual knowledge. They welcomed questions were sitting on a large number of flower-
Hindi and is well respected in the sadhu and answered them as best they could. decked vehicles moving towards the ghats.
SADHUS OF THE
SADHUS OF THE
NATHNATH
SAMPRADAYA
SAMPRADAYA
AT THEIR
AT THEIR
PERMANENT
PERMANENT
MONASTIC
MONASTIC
CENTER
CENTER
IN UJJAIN
IN UJJAIN
 SADHUS ENGAGED
SADHUS ENGAGED
IN FIRE
IN FIRE
PENANCE
PENANCE
MEDITATE
MEDITATE
IN THE
IN THE
NOON-DAY
NOON-DAY
SUN SUN

Some were blowing bugles, others dancing

and some on horseback showing off their
prowess with long, sharp swords. The fact
that these sadhus are armed makes clashes
between them unpleasant affairs.
Once they reached the ghats, ceremonies
were performed, then thousands of naked
naga sadhus charged the river with shouts
of “Jai Shipra Maiya” and “Jai Mahakal.” All
the Saiva Akharas took their bath at Datta
Akhara Ghat and the Vaishnavs at Harihar
Ghat and Ram Ghat on the opposite side of
the river. Thousands of devotees were stand-
ing on every available space and building
top to watch. As soon as one akhara had fin-
ished, volunteers would move in, clean the
ghats and the next group would arrive. It
was wonderfully choreographed. The public
address system provided a kind of running
commentary on the activity by informing the
sadhus when their time was over, who was
coming next and when the regular pilgrims
could enter. The senior-most officials of the
Mela could be seen barefooted on the ghats
to receive the leading saints as they arrived.
Adjacent to the Datta Akhara building
(their permanent headquarters) are 15
wide steps leading down to the ghats. Here
a large number of foreign journalists, cam-
eramen and colorfully dressed foreign la-
dies observed the proceedings in pin-drop
silence. Looking at them on those stadium-
like steps was like seeing a group of serious
tennis fans watching the crucial stage of a
match, so deep was their attention and focus
a l l p h o t o s t h o m a s k e l ly

on the shahi snan.

After the ghats were opened for com-
mon pilgrims around 1:00 pm, an unending
stream of humanity kept pouring in until
the next morning. The careful planning
paid off handsomely as the Mela proceed-
ed without incident. After being there the
whole of the morning, I was feeling totally
blissful, quite completely intoxicated. The
thought of being near the holy Shipra, with
Mahakal temple on its banks, and realizing
you are in the company of the 330 million
Hindu Gods and Goddesses said to attend
the Mela on the inner planes is a truly life-
transforming and soul-calming experience.
Moving about with Thomas was entertain-
ing as the handsome cameraman was often
mistaken for cricketer Imram Khan or ac-
tor Richard Gere, both rumored to be at the
Mela. He took the attention in good stride,
amusing the pilgrims with a few words in
broken Hindi. Having lived in Kathmandu
for two decades, he is fluent in Nepalese
and hit it off very well with the Nepal pil-
grims. Not only was he a star attraction on
the roads of Ujjain, the fellow residents at
our tent colony were amazed at his mas-
terful hatha yoga practice each morning.
Thomas’ photos have appeared in many of
the world’s leading publications. Fortunately,
his love of Hinduism and the dharma in-
EVENING WORSHIP OF THE SHIPRA RIVER
spire him to share his photographic genius
with Hinduism Today for a small part of
his normal fees.
We spent the next several days visit-
ing the famed temples and holy places of
Ujjain. At the caves of Bhartrihari, a large
party of Nath sadhus were camped. Bhar-
trihari was a disciple of Guru Gorakshan-
atha, whose philosophy of hatha yoga is
the basis for most yoga taught in the world
today. When we met the Nath sadhus, they
were all sitting around their dhunis, looking
distinct with their heavy earrings of many
different shapes and colors. I felt as if I had
been transported back thousands of years.
These sparsely-clad sadhus were not willing
to spare time to speak with us or even get
photographed. But when they were told the
publisher of Hinduism Today is connected
to the Natha Sampradaya, they opened up.
These sadhus reside here permanently, as
this is a major center for their lineage.
That evening was an important one for
me, also, as I finally got to take the sacred
bath myself. Well, myself and 100 relatives
and friends who had said, “Take a holy dip
in my name also!” It took some time to get
through the list, and at the end I felt light,
blissful and refreshed.
Monastic Leader Installation
On the 25th, we continued our good fortune
in witnessing initiation rites of the sadhu
community usually closed to the outsiders,
leave alone the press. This was the instal-
lation of Swami Pragyanand as Mahaman-
A priest waves a large oil lamp (at left) for the
Shipra arati, the worship of the River Shipra
each evening. In addition to the priests,
individual devotees also offered lamps.
daleshwar of the Avahan Akhara. Swami
normally cuts a stunning pose in his long
hair and beard, but for this ceremony he
was completely clean-shaven. Many promi-
nent persons had come to attend, including
Swami Harinarayananda, president of the
Bharat Sadhu Samaj, Swami Nrityagopal
Das, president of the Ramjanmabhoomi
Nyas and many others. The colorful func-
tion was completed with a community meal
for a thousand sadhus.
All the while we were trying to get inter-
views with prominent saints, but it proved
difficult. They were busy, as hundreds of
thousands of devotees would gather to listen
to their discourses in huge tented areas. On
page 36 is a summary of their remarks on
important issues.
As we neared the end of our stay, we were
able to meet some of the Vaishnava swamis,
especially the vairagi sadhus who were en-
gaged in tapas surrounded by fires—and this
A sadhu (above) sits in the middle of burning cow dung cakes
for three hours. They perform this penance daily for twelve
years, using fire in summer, standing in cold water in the winter
and standing outside in the rain during the rainy season.
in the already scorching heat. Shri Mahant every corner. But does that mean I need
Shankar Das Mahatyagi, age 30, explained to update and upgrade my sannyas? How?
to us that the purpose of the penance is to Celibacy, truthfulness, sweetness of speech,
connect to God. The fire tapas was one of purity of thought, transparency of conduct,
three, according to the seasons. In winter these are our ethics, our values, which will
they have a bath of 108 pitchers of cold always remain central to our life.”
water, or stand in water for four hours each
day. In the rainy season they stay in an open Returning to Delhi
field rather than under any shelter. These Everywhere in Ujjain you are greeted with
three penances are continued for a period “Jai Mahakal,” and by the end of my stay, I,
of twelve years. These sadhus only come too, was greeting everyone so. It had be-
out in public at the Melas. come such second nature, that upon dis-
We had a memorable encounter with embarking from our plane on the return to
Swami Avdheshananda Giri Ji, a head of the Delhi, when the air hostess wished me good
Juna Akhara. He said, “Sannyas (Hindu mo- night, I instinctively responded warmly and
nasticism) means truthfulness and celibacy. even a bit loudly, “Jai Mahakal.” She was for
Sannyas means simplicity. Sannyas means a moment nonplussed, not knowing how to
offering our everything to others. There is respond, but finally she collected herself
no change coming in the values of sannyas and said, “Jai Mahakal,” as did all the near-
in today’s context. Yes, I am living in a time by passengers. Though I had reached New
which is the age of information technology. Delhi, I saw that the magic of the mantra
Today the Internet has brought the world to was still working. ∏π

28 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 29

 Council of the Wise: The camp of Maharishi Sarkhani Ji Maharaj (center
left with hand raised), a Vaishnava Saint and devotee of Balliya Baba,
literally “sand baba,” who could subsist for months on sand alone
Discussions on Dharma
FROM THE LANGUAGE OF PUJA AND THE HINDU TRINITY TO ORGAN DONATION AND
GAY MARRIAGE, THE MELA’S RELIGIOUS LEADERS OFFERED SAGELY OPINIONS
s with previous melas, we pretation sometimes offered by non-Hindu
brought with us a prepared list commentators. Nirvanpeethadheeshwar
of questions regarding current Shri 108, Ahmedabad-based Devananda Ji
issues facing the Hindu world to ask the var- Maharaj, Mahamandaleshwar, Mahanirvani
ious saints we met. There were six main top- Akhara, gave the most complete response:
ics: the Hindu concept of Trinity (Brahma, “All the three forms are taken by Him as He
Vishnu and Siva); the Hindu approach to the desires to take them. But the supreme pow-
post 9/11 world; organ donation; gay mar- er is one. The God has no name and form.
riage; whether one must be born a Hindu to But this world has a name and form, and
be a Hindu; and whether Sanskrit is the only in the context of this world God has three
proper language for worship. Here are the names and forms. They are the representa-
responses gathered by reporter Rajiv Malik. tive forms of the God; they are the forms
Trinity: To the first question, all the swamis of the God. But definitely God has a mysti-
answered that God is one, and that Brahma, cal identity which is other than these three
Vishnu and Siva are different forms of the forms. But then, that is a matter of research
same power, not separate Gods—an inter- and that is a matter of sadhana. And it is
30 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
also a subject of self experience.”
Post 9/11: The intent of this question was
to see if the Hindu leaders felt we were en-
tering some “clash of civilizations” or pitched
battle between religions. They offered mel-
low observations, such as that of Mahant
Ram Puri of Juna Akhara. He said, “My ex-
perience of the world is that Hindus are the
less violent and revengeful when compared
to many other places in the world.”
Mahamandaleshwar Dr. Swami Banwari
Puri, who is in charge of academic and
intellectual activities of Juna Akhara in
India’s eastern region, said, “My message
to the Hindus would be to maintain peace
in the world. In fact, we have been sent to
the world as harbingers and not even discuss it.” Juna Peethadheeshwar eighty percent have been converted from
messengers of peace, and we Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avd- Hindus. Definitely we can also make Hindus.”
must try to play this role only.” heshananda Giri Ji Maharaj called the con- Language of Worship: This is a question
Swami Pragyanand added, cept “so unnatural, uncommon and unusual.” coming up all over the world for Hindus.
“Wherever fundamentalism Others were conciliatory, such as Shri Ma- Should we be doing our temple and home
is there, dharma is not there. hant Madhusudan Giri of Avahan Akhara, worship only in Sanskrit, the traditional lan-
Wherever compassion, love, popularly known as Nepali Baba. He ex- guage, or should we use the language most
nonviolence and truth are pounded, “Today people are even changing familiar to us? Nepali Baba said, “We have
there, dharma is there.” their sexes. They want a lot of freedom, and to use the language in the temple worship
Awahan Peethadhishwar this freedom is available to them. So if they which is understood both by the God and
Acharya Mahamadaleshwar choose to live in a particular way out of the the worshiper. If I worship in a language
Swami Shivendra Puri Ji Ma- consent of two grown up people, how can which I do not understand, what kind of
haraj, said, “I do not think we stop them?” Ram Puri gave an insightful communication will I have with the God?
any community of the world answer, “There is a principle in all Hindu Therefore, there is no harm in communi-
is afraid of Hindus.” Swami law that local always has precedence. In oth- cating with the God in a language which
Sachidhanandha, Sri Chakra er words, the general rules and the general is one’s own language.” Ram Puri believed
Maha Meru Peethadheesh- laws are always overruled by a local situa- other languages could be used, but did not
war, Mau Maye Mandir, Na- tion. I do not think that this is something want to see the replacement of Sanskrit if it
gar Para, Bilaspur, Chattis- that is decided on a theoretical level. We do is already in use. There are such attempts
garh, offered, “We should not not have a rule book in Hinduism. We have in some areas to stop the use of Sanskrit
follow the path of violence or a hundred million authorities.” in the temples and replace it with the lo-
get into a struggle with the The most liberal opinion came from cal language. Dr. Swami Banwari explained,
Muslims. We must follow the Pandit Shailendra Shri Sheshnarayan Ji “Worship is something related to one’s heart,
path of dharma.” Vaidyaka. He reasoned, “Whatever is done and I think it is wrong to say that I can
Organ donation: The swa- in a hidden manner becomes a wrong act please God by praying in one or the other
mis were universal in their and is treated as a sin. But whatever is done language. It is not essential that one does
approval of organ donation. openly does invite criticism for some time the puja worship in Sanskrit only. I think
They did not accept the con- but ultimately gains acceptance. Why not one should have the freedom to do puja in
cept sometimes heard in In- give them the liberty to live in their own whatever language one finds convenient to
dia that if one donated their way, if they are going to do it anyway? Af- converse or use. But at the same time we
eyes in this life, they would ter all, we have kinnars, eunuchs, who have have to remember that Sanskrit is a beauti-
be blind in the next. Shri Ma- been accepted by the society. Similarly ful and well-built language. It is a Vedic lan-
hant Krishan Nath Ji, based in these people can also be accepted. Like we guage. And because it is a Vedic language, it
Haryana, explained, “If some- have a kinnar samaj, eunuch society, we can is good to worship God in this language.”
one donates an organ willingly, have a gay samaj.” Swami Shivendra elucidated, “I think they
then there is nothing wrong Born Hindus: Many swamis expressed the should recite the slokas in Sanskrit, as they
in that. And it is wrong to say idea that everyone was born a Hindu, be- were originally in Sanskrit. But if they are
that if you donate eyes in this cause Hinduism is the timeless faith. Only not able to recite in a good way and want to
birth, next birth you would be later in their life could they join another re- use their own language, I see nothing wrong
born without eyes. We have ligion. So it was not a matter of conversion so with it.” Swami Pragyanand pointed out, “If
the story of Baba Sheel Nath much as returning to the original faith. Ma- we do not know a language, then we can
of Nath Sampradaya who harishi Sarkhandi Ji Maharaj Mahatyagi, of create the sounds of that language but not
transferred the sight of one the Shri Ramananda Sampradaya, Digambar the emotions and feelings behind the words.
of his eyes to that of a blind Akhara, Shri Sarkhandi Ji Maharaj Ashram So if we want to change the hearts of people
lady by his yogic powers. So And Yogic Centre, Gujarat, told us, “Hin- through worship, then they should be al-
our Nath Sampradaya has dus have been there for an infinite period lowed to use the local language, the language
had such realized saints who of time. In fact, all other religions came out that can make them blissful, or so emotional
even made people immortal. of Hinduism only. So the actual fact is that that tears roll down their cheeks. Something
To them, eye donation was a one is Hindu by birth. For those people who like this will never happen if you use a lan-
very small thing.” went into other religions, there is a proce- guage other than your mother tongue. I’ve
Gay marriage: This question got our dure by which they can be brought back to seen devotees in other countries sing bha-
reporter Rajiv in a lot of trouble. Several Hinduism. Shastras have clear directions on jans in Hindi without understanding a word
people tried to talk him out of asking it al- certain things.” Swami Pragyanand added, of it. So they just keep repeating the words
together, but he explained that the editors “I have said many times that if a Christian like a tape recorder, with no emotions. Such
of Hinduism Today in America sought or a Muslim comes to Hinduism, it is like repetition is useless.”
the Hindu position on the subject as it is an coming back to home.” Swami Avdeshananda concluded, “God
issue, even in the current presidential elec- Swami Devananda Ji said, “Normally an can be worshiped in any language. In the
tions. Suffice it to say that most of the swamis individual inherits the dharma which is Sanskrit language the vibrations formed are
opposed the concept of a Hindu-sanctified followed by his parents. If that person, due unique. Now, how do I translate ‘Aum’ in
“gay marriage.” Swami Pragyanand, for ex- to his freedom of thought and intelligence, Hindi? How do I translate the Omkar Man-
ample, said, “Gay marriages do not fit with feels that it would be better for him to fol- tra? Our mantras have their own vibrations.
our culture and heritage. All those people low some other dharma, then such a choice These vibrations lead to the development
who are raising demand for approving such would be his ethical freedom and he can ex- of an aura mandala. Special musical tunes
marriages in India are doing so under the ercise this freedom to become a Hindu also.” emerge out of them and they create a sacred
influence of the West. Sanatana Dharma Swami Sachidhanandha offered, “If you do environment. So the other languages cannot
has no place for such marriages, and we do a rough calculation of Christians in India, convey what Sanskrit can.” ∏π
october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 31
 RETROSPECTIVE

Our Man at the Melas

Reflections on the madness and magic of
attending India’s four Kumbha Melas

By Rajiv Malik, Delhi

hen my friends and relatives—and even strangers—learn
that I bathed at the Maha Kumbha Melas of Haridwar, Prayag, Nashik
and Ujjain, they treat me with great reverence. Adults bow before me with
folded hands, and children touch my feet. To appreciate this, one must grasp
the fervor of Siva bhakti (worship) and the magic of India.
Great Siva devotees have told me again and again that to pilgrimage to even
one of India’s four Maha Kumbha Melas guarantees spiritual salvation at death.
They further claim that to attend all four of these Melas raises one to the status of
a jivanmukti, one who is even now spiritually liberated, yet lives on in a human
body. By some magical dance of karma, I have been blessed to attend all four
Prayag, 2001 of these grand events as a correspondent for Hinduism Today. I may not be a
jivanmukti because of this, but I am certainly a changed man, poised and ready
for a better life. Of this there can be no doubt.
India’s Four My first Kumbha Mela was in Haridwar in 1998. It was the most difficult of the
Kumbha Mela four by far. For starters, it took place during the last century. Okay sure, that was
Locations only six years ago, but in many ways it really was like going back in time 100 years
or more. We had no access to telephones, cell phones were not yet popular and
Haridwar there were no Internet and e-mail connections. Provisions for lodging, food and
1998 transportation were minimal at best, and we had no official press accreditation
Prayag from central government, state government or the Mela administration. Still, as I
2001 returned home to New Delhi after the event had concluded, I could not wait to go
Ujjain back for more of the magic of the Mela.
2004 Only Amit Kumar and I reported on the next Maha Kumbha Mela in Prayag in
2001. A new millennium had just begun and everything really did feel different.
Nashik For the first time in history, a Mela was wired with cyber cafés providing Internet
2003 and e-mail facilities everywhere and in all directions. The camp we stayed in was
prestigious, having been jointly established by Muniji of Parmarth Niketan and
Swami Veda Bharati, a disciple of Swami Rama. Telephones were also available for
international calls and fax transmission. The public relations department of the
Uttar Pradesh Government even provided the press with background information
about the Kumbha Mela, as well as a list detailing where dignitaries and sadhus
were staying. This was a huge improvement over Melas of the past.
This Prayag Mela was the largest in history. Not surprisingly, no other city
hosting a Mela had ever set up such a large township to accommodate incoming
pilgrims. During that ten-day celebration an estimated one hundred and fifty mil-
lion souls took their blessed dip in the convergence of the holy Ganga and Yamuna
rivers. Just witnessing this was an awe-inspiring experience.
The next Mela in Nashik was organized extremely well by the Maharashtra gov-
A glimse at Melas past: ernment. All of the hi-tech facilities had improved even more since Prayag. Here,
Haridwar, 1998 (Clockwise from above) The Prayag everything from supervising the Mela to establishing and enforcing high-level
Kumbha Mela of 2001, seen here in a security controls was being done with computers. The use of cell phones was also
photograph taken from a satellite, was widely prevalent, even by the sadhus. None of this seemed to have any effect on
the largest Mela of all time, hosting an the spirituality of the event. Everywhere and always, the atmosphere was divine
estimated 150 million pilgrims who and uplifting. Both in Nashik and in Triambkeshwar where the shahi snans (baths
bathed in the confluence of the Ganga of the holy men) took place, we could actually feel Divinity in the air. Never
River flowing in from above and the before had we been able to cover the grand procession of the sadhus to their cer-
Yamuna River flowing in from the left. emonial bath from such close quarters.
The Nashik Kumbha Mela of 2003 and I feel extremely blessed that I was chosen to report on India’s four Maha
the Haridwar Kumbha Mela of 1998. Kumbha Melas. All of the various mundane difficulties I encountered along the
(Inset left to right) Author Rajiv Malik, way only enriched my inner experience of it all. I don’t know why this is true, but
Swami Pragyanand, photographer it is. Now I am immersed in retrospect—looking back and enjoying it all again. It’s
Thomas Kelly. better the second time around. Yet all I really want to do is go back again.

32 h i n d u i s m t o d ay a p r i l / m ay / j u n e , 2 0 0 4
Nashik, 2003 o c t o b e r / n o v e mabperri /ld/ e
mcay
em/ jbuenre, , 22000044 h
hiinndduuiissm
m ttoodday
ay 33
33
H I S TORY

The Story of the Mela

The world’s largest religious festival is inspired
by a magical tale of devas, demons and more
eep in india’s ancient past, know- this ocean and enlisted the assistance of a Making the magic happen:
ledge was often conveyed in allegory. sea serpent named Vasuki to act as a churn- In this painting by Harish Johari the
One such meaningful chronicle of ing rope. The Gods pulled her tail, the Gods and demons are churning the ocean
yore provides a dramatic explanation demons pulled her head and the resulting of milk like butter to create amrita. The
for the auspiciousness of the world-famous agitation galvanized quite an unexpected flying creatures and forces of Nature are
Kumbha Mela. Although variations of this tale perturbation. Unfortunately, poison got cre- being produced along with the amrita.
abound, one popular version goes like this: ated before amrita. Lord Siva sprang to the
A long time ago, just after the creation of rescue and drank the dangerous substance
the universe, the Gods of heaven and the before it could cause harm to heaven, Earth
demons of the lower worlds were experi- or hell. Although the poison turned Siva’s
encing a most uncomfortable debilitation throat blue, the Gods and demons were able
of their most fundamental life force. After to continue their churning and finally pro-
due deliberation, they determined that their duced their magic elixir. This is not the end
perplexing dilemma was due to the fact that of the story. Almost immediately, another
a divine substance called amrita had not tussle began. Although the devas and de-
been properly flowing forth from the source mons had previously agreed amicably on a
of all things. This emergency inspired a mir- 50/50 split of the treasured substance, they
acle of sorts. The Gods and demons decided each now clamored to seize it all. In the
to bind their forces and work together to re- struggle that ensued, the demons ultimately
generate this much-needed, live-giving elixir.prevailed, causing the Gods great concern.
It had been speculated that churning Lord Vishnu tried to get the elixir back
a certain famous ocean of milk in heaven in a less than forthright manner by magi-
could manifest this divine substance. Wast- cally assuming the form of Mohini, a beau-
ing no time, the Gods and demons found tiful woman. Under the pretence of split-
ting the amrita equally for each
of the two groups, he disguised
liquor as the demon’s portion and
gave all of the real elixir to the
Gods. Unfortunately, the demons
caught on to this ploy and be-
came infuriated. They snatched
the amrita back from the Gods,
and yet another struggle began.
Finally, Jayant—the son of Indra,
King of the Gods—got hold of the
elixir and flew off with it. Far and
wide he fled. For rest on Earth, he
harish johari

touched down in only four places—

all in India. At each of these spots,
he drank a little of the sacred sub-
stance he was carrying to renew
his energy. Each time he drank,
a few drops of the precious liquid
fell to the ground. These locations, snan, “royal bath,” while pilgrims line the grims came together, doubling its own sin- navite (formed beginning in 1299 by Saint exist outside the Dasanami and akhara sys-
where the amrita touched the streets to watch. gle-day record of 15 million set on February Ramananda Ji) and a few are Sikh orders tems. The akharas’ dates of founding range
Earth, eventually became the four The Kumbha Mela takes place every four 6, 1989. Haridwar, which is logistically less patterned after the Hindu monastic system. from the sixth to the fourteenth century,
hallowed sites of the Kumbha Mela. years in rotation: at Haridwar, Prayag (Alla- convenient, managed ten million on April Akhara is Hindi for a “wrestling arena.” It though large monastic orders have existed
From a more practical point of habad), Nashik and Ujjain, according to the 14, 1998. Still, that’s five times the second can mean either a place of verbal debate or throughout India’s long history.
view, the Kumbha Mela is a gath- position of Jupiter in the Zodiac. A modern largest gathering on record—two million one of real fighting. Each akhara may con- Many are the motivations and benefits for
indra sharma

ering of the great monastic orders
of India, known as akharas. At the
high point of the Mela, hundreds
of thousands of these renunciate
Siva the rescuer: When the churning of the ocean of monks travel in grand procession to
milk produced poison, the Lord of Yoga drank it a nearby river’s edge for the shahi
innovation are the popular half-melas, ar-
dha-kumbhas, every six years at Haridwar
and Prayag. It was at Prayag, where the Ya-
muna River joins the Ganga, that the largest
number of human beings in history gath-
ered. On January 24, 2001, 30 million pil-
Muslim pilgrims who converge in Mecca for tain monks of several different Dasanami or- Hindus to attend the Kumbha Mela, the most
the Haj each year. ders—the ten designations—Saraswati, Puri, popular pilgrimage on Earth. It is a time to
The most prominent akharas are Juna and Bana, Tirtha, Giri, Parvati, Bharati, Aranya, gain a new look on life, to purify oneself and
Niranjani. Others include the Agan, Alakh- Ashrama and Sagara, as organized by Adi to regain the sense of Godly aspiration as
iya, Abhana, Anand, Mahanirvani and Atal. Shankara around 800 ce. There are also the central purpose for this incarnation on
Most orders are Saivite, three are Vaish- sannyasi orders, such as the Nathas, that the spinning orb we call Earth. ∏π

34 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 35

 The Power of Mother Sita in Modern India
Sharad Joshi’s 1980 campaign for women’s empowerment did not discard,
but rather drew upon India’s great legacy of Hindu Gods and Their lives
BY MADHU KISHWAR, NEW DELHI
any people in india find it difficult to justify
or reconcile themselves to the fact that in a culture
which worships Saraswati as the Goddess of Learning,
so many girls are deprived of even primary education;
in a culture which worships Lakshmi as the Goddess
of Wealth, so many modern-day Lakshmis live a slavish
life of economic dependence; in a culture where male Gods have
had to appeal for perfection to the feminine Shakti, women among
many communities are not allowed to venture out of their domes-
tic confines without male protection. This bewilderment and guilt
has compelled numerous people to pick up cudgels on behalf of
women, throwing up important social movements. It is noteworthy
that a majority of women’s rights struggles and movements in mod- Maithili Sharan Gupt, authors have challenged Rama’s behavior
ern India have been often initiated, led and sustained by men.
In the nineteenth century, considered
by many as a period of severe erosion of
women’s rights in India, Vidyasagar in
Bengal, Ranade and Phule in Maharashtra,
Veerasalingam in Andhra, Lala Devraj in
Punjab and a host of others committed
their entire lives to the cause of women. In
the writings of these social reformers, cut-
inder sharma
ting across regional and caste boundaries,
woman as the wronged matri shakti, is a
recurring metaphor. A good part of their
efforts went into convincing other men that
Indian society could not make progress as Divine couple: Hindus have long debated the
long as their partners stayed oppressed, that treatment of Sita by Lord Rama
the country’s freedom could not be won as
long as women were denied their rightful due in the family and in
society. To women, their message was that they should recognise
their own feminine shakti and become modern-day Durgas with-
out, of course, losing Sita’s nurturing qualities.
Sita is considered a very negative role model, the hallmark of
wifely slavery for most of those who consider themselves progres-
sives and feminists. Her suffering is seen as a product of masoch-
ism, lack of selfhood and supine surrender to patriarchy. Many
Indian “modernists” see Sita as an adversary whose influence
among people is to be countered. The association of the feminine
with nurturing mother figures is seen as a patriarchal conspiracy
to put women in restrictive and self-effacing roles.
Needless to say, this projection is altogether contrary to the pop-
ular perception of Sita. The Ramayana tells the story of a whole
spectrum of voluntary sacrifices and hardships endured by most
of the main characters in their resolve to adhere to their dharmic
codes. However, it is Sita’s sacrifices, and the raw deal meted out
to her, that loom much larger in the Indian consciousness than the
hardships undergone by any of the other characters in the epic.
Sita emerges as the final moral touchstone of the story. Her pain
and sorrow hang heavily on the collective consciousness of the
Indian people like that of no other character, divine or mortal.
harish johari
Trial by fire: The late artist Harish Johari depicts Sita’s ordeal by
fire to prove her purity after being abducted. The fire God, Agni,
stands behind her, preventing her from being harmed, while Lord
Hanuman, Lord Rama, his brother Lakshman and others watch.
36 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 2004
Sita short-changed: The popular obsession with Sita’s predica-
ment is rooted in the three episodes after her liberation from
Ravana’s captivity: her agnipariksha (ordeal by fire), her later
banishment by Rama and, in the end, Rama’s demand for a second
fire-ordeal, which she rejects through an appeal to her mother,
Prithvi (Goddess Earth), to receive her back into Her womb.
These episodes, as depicted in the Valmiki Ramayana, have dis-
turbed devotees and nondevotees alike throughout the centuries.
Rama’s treatment of Sita, in the latter parts of the Ramayana,
remains immensely controversial and has provoked innumerable
attempts by successive generations to critique and rework their
relationship. From Kalidasa and Bhavabhuti to Kamban, Tulsidas
and contemporary writers such as Bharat Bhushan Agarwal and
towards Sita or have attempted to reform Rama to make him prove
himself a more worthy husband for her.
Who is to blame? This obsession with
reforming Rama has to do with the
popular perception of Sita as perfection
incarnate, so much so that even Mary-
ada Purushottam Rama, the Divinely
Perfect Rama, does not measure up to
her. Sita is seen as flawless, despite the
fact that she brings about trouble for
everyone by crossing the magic circle
of protection around her forest hut. In
this projection, people have voluntarily
glossed over those few occasions when
Sita behaves unreasonably as in her
castigation of Lakshmana, accusing him
of lustful intentions towards her at the time he refuses to follow her
dictates and go to help Rama in the forest.
Whereas feminists interpret Sita’s offer to undergo agnipariksha
as an act of surrender to the whims of an unreasonable husband,
in popular perception it is seen as an act of defiance that challeng-
es her husband’s aspersions. Sita emerges as a woman that even
Agni, the Fire God—who has the power to destroy everything He
touches—does not dare harm.
My assessment is that while no one in India feels offended if
Rama is asked to improve, reform and change some of his anti-
women notions, people unencumbered by “isms” are not enthusias-
tic about Sita being subjected to “improvements” which make her
behave altogether out of character. Politically inspired attempts to
make Sita lose the very qualities that make her Sita are resented
or simply dismissed by those who have some roots in their culture
and tradition.
Sita as ally: If we want people to gracefully yield space for our
newly acquired ideologies, we have to learn to be tolerant and
respectful of those they already hold. There is no need to treat
our traditional Gods and Goddesses as adversaries, especially con-
sidering that they are willing to come a long way to support our
causes. At the heart of this controversy between these two oppos-
ing approaches to social and religious reform is the key question:
How do we relate to our cultural heritage and define our relation-
ship to our own people and the values they cherish?
Do we disown tradition and position ourselves outside it, or do
we accept it as our own, in the way we accept our gene stock?
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 37
Owning up to our traditions does not imply subscribing to every
one of their pathological norms and endorsing harmful practices.
It simply means learning to distinguish between inherently unjust
practices and those that one doesn’t like because one has adopted
a different value framework.
Social reformers can be effective only when people see them
as caring insiders who have stood by them in their various trials
and tribulations. But if we descend as attacking outsiders, focusing
solely on practices we disapprove of, we will not make much of a
dent. Only by creating a shared sense of right and wrong with the
people whose lives we wish to change for the better can we create
a new social consensus for a more just and humane society within
our respective communities.
Mahatma Gandhi was among the most creative reformers who
instinctively understood the creative potential of many of our
traditions and values. For example, he
used the Sita symbol to advocate the
idea of women’s strength, autonomy and
ability to protect themselves rather than
depend on men for safety. His Sita was
like a “lioness in spirit” before which
Ravana became “as helpless as a goat.”
For the protection of her virtues even
in Ravana’s custody, she did not “need
the assistance of Rama.” Her own purity
was her sole shield.
Gandhi’s Sita became a symbol of
swadeshi or the decolonization of the
Indian economy. He asked the women
of India to follow her example by wear-
ing Indian homespun and boycotting
foreign fineries because Gandhi’s Sita
would have never worn imported fabric.
Gandhi wanted to create a whole army
of new Sitas who were not brought up to
think that a woman “was well only with
her husband or on the funeral pyre.”
He wanted them to stop aspiring to be
mere wives and instead become leaders
of men, teaching them the message of
peace and social harmony.
Even those who are put off by Gan-
dhi’s use of Hindu religious symbols
for political mobilization and who have
s rajam
problems with many of his views on
women and sexuality do not deny that,
more than any other modern leader, he Goddess Lakshmi: Joshi’s campaign convinced men around and collect anything that can
helped create a favorable atmosphere to regard their wives as the Goddess of Wealth
for women’s large scale and respectful
entry into public life. Gandhi’s moral backing legitimized women’s
right to hold political office without having to wage long-drawn
battles, like the Suffragists in the West had to do to. His Sitas were
encouraged to break the shackles of domesticity, to come out of
purdah, to lead political movements and teach the art of peace to
this warring world.
Joshi’s movement: In recent years, the Shetkari Sangathana
leader Sharad Joshi also used the Sita symbol to drive home a radi-
cal message of gender justice among the farmers of Maharashtra.
It was in 1986 that I was first invited to come and work out a
program of action for the Shetkari Sangathana’s women’s front,
the Shetkari Mahila Aghadi. An important outcome of my inputs
and interactions with the Mahila Aghadi was the Lakshmi Mukti
Karyakram. That is, the program for Liberating Lakshmis—the
Goddesses of wealth. Sita is believed to be an incarnation of Lak-
shmi. An ordinary wife is also referred to as a Lakshmi of the
household—a grihalakshmi. The Lakshmi Mukti Karyakram re-
38 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
volved around the idea that the peasantry could not get a fair deal
for itself and would remain exploited by urban interests as long as
the curse of Mother Sita stayed on them, that is, as long as they
kept their wives or grihalakshmis enslaved by keeping them eco-
nomically dependent and powerless in the family. The Sangathana
announced in 1989 that any village in which a hundred or more
families transferred, of their own accord, a piece of land to the
wife’s name would be honored as a Lakshmi Mukti Gaon, a village
which had liberated its hitherto enslaved Lakshmis.
This campaign became the real turning point in my understand-
ing of the powerful emotional hold of certain traditional symbols
on the psyches of people of all ages and varied communities in
India. During the campaign tours, while I would use images and
examples from contemporary life, Sharad Joshi’s speeches revolved
around the Sita story, which seems to have played a crucial role in
striking a deep emotional chord among
the Sangathana followers. I quote from
his very evocative speech which first
establishes a link between the daily
privations, drudgery and acts of loyalty
of the wives of ordinary, poor farmers
and the privations suffered by Sita in
Valmiki Ramayana:
“During our struggle for remunera-
tive prices I taught you to calculate the
cost of production of farm produce and
asked you to get into the habit of not-
ing down each and every item of ag-
ricultural work and the cost involved.
I would now suggest another exercise:
On an off day, just sit down in a quiet
corner of your house and start noting
down on a long sheet of paper the vari-
ous tasks your Lakshmi performs from
as early as five in the morning to late
at night: feeding the cattle, followed by
all the chores required for the upkeep
of the house and its surroundings,
cooking, fetching water, and the care of
children. All these by themselves rep-
resent a full day’s work. But she goes
on non-stop.
“After completing housework, she
goes to the fields and, at the end of
a back-breaking day of work, on her
way back home, she tries to scrounge
be used as firewood for the evening
meal. Then she follows with a second
round of tasks—cooking the evening meal, looking after little chil-
dren, feeding the animals and tending to the needs of other family
members including the old and sick. From the time she wakes up
to feed the cattle to the time she lays down to sleep, she has prob-
ably put in no less than 15 hours of work. How do you calculate
in rupee terms the love, care and affection that she puts into all
these tasks? How do you put a money value on the services of a
person who saves the honor of the family by going and stealthily
borrowing milk or sugar from the neighbors so she can provide tea
for your guests who come at an unexpected hour at a time when
the house does not have those provisions? Let us put the value
of all these acts of loyalty and love at zero. But shouldn’t she get
at least as much money as a person working for the Employment
Guarantee Scheme gets for simply moving earth from one place to
another?
“Let us figure out the value of her labor on the basis of a mini-
mum wage of 12 rupees per day [then us$1]. She works 365 days
a year. Let us say she has been married to you for 20 years. Given farmers will not go away unless they get rid of the curse of Mother
that she has worked 365 days a year for 20 years, the amount Sita by atoning for the misdeed of Rama. They can do so by repay-
comes to more than 160,000 rupees [$12,700]. She has never tried ing their debt to their own Lakshmis and free themselves of her
to demand this amount you owe her, nor sent a notice with a jeep curses. After all the husband of a slave cannot be a free man.”
load of people to come, seize and take away your household uten- Sharad Joshi would conclude his speech by saying that the pur-
sils as the bank officials do when you owe much smaller amounts pose of the Lakshmi Mukti campaign was to see that no modern-
as agricultural loans to government banks. On the contrary, to save day Sita would ever have to suffer the fate of Rama’s Sita because
you from other creditors, remember how often she even sold off she had nothing to call her own, no house or property of her
the little bit of jewellery she was wearing? If we calculate the total, own. By transferring land to their wives, they were paying off “a
along with the interest, it comes to a minimum of 400,000 rupees long overdue debt” to Mother Sita: “Through this gesture you, my
[$31,700]. What have you given her in return? Two saris for a farmer brothers, will be vanquishing that monster of male tyranny
whole year and that, too, forgotten if there is a drought. No guaran- which even Prabhu Ram could not vanquish though he slayed a
tee of even adequate food. If there is not enough food in the house, greater warrior like Ravana with ease.”
the husband’s share is not reduced. And a mother will hardly This is indeed a hard-hitting critique of Bhagwan Rama, and
snatch food away from her own children’s mouths. She makes do yet no one seemed to mind because Joshi was drawing upon
with whatever is left over—a popular sentiment on this issue
half or a quarter chapati and even while putting it far more
fills the rest of her stomach by strongly. In village after village,
drinking water. This has been I saw men reduced to tears as
her fate so far.” Sharad Joshi retold the story of
Having thus established the Sita, adapting it movingly to the
credentials of their wives as no context of the campaign. Within
less self-effacing than Sita Mata a couple of years, hundreds
herself, Joshi goes on to show of villages had already been
them that they are emulating honored as Lakshmi Mukti vil-
a very negative role model and lages and hundreds more had
being as ungrateful and uncar- volunteered to carry out Lak-
ing as was Rama: shmi Mukti. Most of the villages
“That this situation is not that carried out Lakshmi Mukti
new is certain. But how and celebrated it as though it were a
freer gallery of art
when did it start? Prabhu Ram- big festival. We would find the
chandra is considered a puru- entire village decorated with
shottam, the ideal human. But buntings, balloons and ran-
think of how he treated Sita goli (colored floor designs). We
Mata, who joyfully embraced would be received with women
exile in the forest for 14 years performing aratis (worship with
to be with him. As soon as oil lamps) while men danced to
Rama was appointed as king, he Sita returns: Unwilling to endure a second shaming from Lord the beat of celebratory drums.
decided to cast her off. It is not Rama, Sita is swallowed up by the Earth, her Mother. Men seemed even more elated
necessary for us to get into a than women—some of the men
debate on whether it was right or not for Rama to give up Sita. But I interviewed described the whole campaign as a mahayagna, a
was it not necessary for him to at least take the trouble of explain- great religious sacrifice.
ing to Sita why, as a king, he was compelled to abandon her? He For as long as it lasted, this unique campaign was able to draw
could have assured her that she need not lack anything after his deep emotional response because Mother Sita has the power to
parting company with her, that she could continue living respect- guilt-trip the most hard-hearted Hindu men to respond to her plea
ably in Ayodhya. Better still, Rama should have told his subjects: ‘If for justice. Needless to say, this campaign for women’s economic
she is not good enough for you as a queen, I will go along with her.’ rights could take off in rural Maharashtra in large part due to Joshi’s
After all that is what she had done when Rama was banished by charisma and credibility as a leader. However, as the Sangathana
Kaikeyi who had told Sita she could continue living in the palace. gravitated more and more towards electoral politics, it lost a good
But Sita had said, ‘Jithe Rama, tithe Sita’; [“Wherever Ram goes, deal of its power to evoke similar enthusiasm for such nonpartisan,
there goes Sita”]. Even if Rama was not ready to leave his kingship moral causes. Is it because, while people in India have let Lord
for her, surely there were less cruel ways to deal with the situation. Rama be dragged into the murkiness of electoral politics, they do
Sita was pregnant at that time. If Rama had provided her a small not want Mother Sita to be used for such narrow purposes? ∏π
straw hut till the time of her delivery, he would not have lost any
of his greatness by doing so.” Madhu Kishwar, New Delhi, is editor of Ma-
Joshi then links the story to an architectural relic which stands nushi, India’s leading magazine on human is-
as testimony to the injustice done to Sita in popular imagination: sues, especially women’s rights. This essay is a
“There is a Sita temple at Raveri village of Maharashtra. The vil- revised version of excerpts from two essays in
lagers in that area tell you that Sita Mata delivered her two sons Manushi—A Journal about Women and Society
on that very spot. She was in such a destitute condition that she published from Delhi since 1978: “Of Humans
went begging for a handful of grains. The people of village Raveri and Divines, Female Moral Exemplars in the
spurned her and refused to give her any. Sita Mata cursed them Hindu Tradition,” issue 136 of 2003, and “Yes to Sita, No to Ram:
in her grief. Such was the power of that curse that not a grain of The Continuing Hold of Sita on Popular Imagination,” issue 98 of
wheat would grow in that village for centuries (until the arrival of 1997. Both these issues and subscriptions to Manushi can be or-
the hybrid variety), even though the neighboring villages produced dered from Manushi, C1/3 Sangam Estate, 1 Underhill Road, Civil
plentiful harvests of wheat. In other words, the poverty of Indian Lines, Delhi 110054 India. E-mail Manushi@nda.vsnl.net.in
october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 39
 T
insight he Hindu temple is a sacred space where man
A priest’s priest: Dr. K. Pichai Sivacharya and God commune. It is the home of God
with his senior students. (below) The Hindu
of the Year bronze plaque award. VISITING A and the Gods. Within these sacred abodes,

Hi n du
priests conduct puja rites—presenting flowers,
Divine Life Society (’99), Ma Yoga Shakti water, incense, lights, food and other choice of-
(’00), priest Sri T. S. Sambamurthy Sivacha-
riar (’01), Dada Vaswani (’02) and Sri Tiru-
ferings—to honor God and the Gods and invoke
chi Mahaswamigal (’03). their presence and blessings. ¶In this Insight, we

Temple
The Hindu priesthood, like that of all the explore the experience of attending a temple,
world’s religions, has suffered in recent times. drawing from Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami’s
Especially, the temples lost their traditional
land endowments, leading to deteriorating wisdom on the mysticism of Hindu worship. While
infrastructure and impoverished priests. basic customs described here are common to tem-
Faced with a bleak future, many priest ples of all traditions, we focus mainly on the style
families made the decision to send their A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO THE JOYS OF WORSHIP
brightest children for higher education and of puja done in the temples of South India.
leave the less skilled to the family profession.
But a greater destiny was at work here,
and when those doctors, among many 11
other well-educated Hindus, went to the 7 13
West to make their fortunes, they could not
10
live without temples. They founded hun- 9

hinduism today
dreds across the West, then sent to India
for priests to serve in them. Temple work 6
in the West was hardly high-paying by
Western standards, but it was good com-
HINDU RENAISSANCE AW A R D pared to India and carried with it rather
more respect. Those Western temples, too, 8

Our Hindu of the Year

wanted grand ceremony, and started bring-
ing priests by the dozens for their events.
This was a big change, and where Dr. Pi-
chai’s work, begun in 1980, began to show 15
Dr. K. Pichai Sivacharya is honored for real promise. Good priests were in high
demand, and he was an expert at turning
14
advancing and expanding priest education them out. Discipline at the school is exem-
plary, as any visitor can attest. Students re-
2
12
16

gard him not only as a skilled teacher, but as 5

ou may not know who dr. k.
Pichai Sivacharya is, but if you’re a
temple-going Hindu, you may have
well encountered one of his thousand
students. As reported in Hinduism To-
day’s April/May/June, 2003, issue, Dr. Pi-
chai, age 53, has accomplished a significant
revolution among the priests of the South
Indian traditions. His two schools, both in
Pillaiyarpatti, Tamil Nadu, are turning
profundity across the globe. Past renais- their spiritual master and guru, an inspiring,
sance winners are: Swami Paramananda powerfully motivated leader. Dr. Pichai dis-
Bharati (’90), Swami Chidananda Saraswati, covered that performance of grand yagnas
“Muniji” of Parmath Niketan (’91), Swami (fire ceremonies) and like rituals, involving 19
Chinmayananda (’92), Mata Amritananda- dozens of his students at a time, were very
mayi Ma (’93), Swami Satchidananda (’94), popular in India and a significant source 4
Pramukhswami Maharaj (’95), Sri Satya of income for his school, which now boasts 1
Sai Baba (’96), Sri Chinmoy (’97), Swami 220 students. Such events were also held in
Bua (’98), Swami Chidananda Saraswati of the temples in the West, with the temple
trustees demanding the quality seen 17

out highly trained priests who undergo
a stringent five-year study program.
They are so knowledgeable, espe-
cially in the Agamas, that they have
a. manivel
in India. The graduates of Dr. Pichai’s 18
3
Where the World’s One Billion Hindus Live school are providing that highest
Hindus are one-sixth of the human family. While India is home to 93% of the world’s
one billion Hindus, nearly 70 million are scattered widely across the globe. quality worldwide, with a resulting
backwash of not only prestige but a
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raised the standards of every temple concerted effort on the part of many
welcome to
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In the mural above, artist A. Manivel depicts the myriad goings-on

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in which they serve. And in a real in- temples in India to improve their own
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the temple!
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in a large temple courtyard. Below is a key to illustrated events.

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novation, Dr. Pichai opened his school ritual observances.

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to non-brahmins. For his exemplary His students don’t just memorize

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service to Hinduism by reinvigorating chants and learn the motions of puja.

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the priesthood and extending the gu- They are trained as well in the mysti-
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rukula system to Hindus born in other cal arts of opening a door from this
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����������� 1. A family worship at the main gate of the tem- shrine while praying for a new job. lamp before the Sivalinga at the height of puja.
lands and of other castes, Dr. K. Pichai world to the higher worlds through
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Sivacharya is honored with Hinduism
Today’s Hindu Renaissance Award as
“Hindu of the Year 2004.”
Starting in 1990, Hinduism Today
has honored one eminent Hindu each
year who has most impacted the faith
and spread its values, compassion and
40 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
ple. Vendors sell garlands, incense, rosewater,
which the blessings of God and Gods coconuts and other tradition offering items.
HINDU RENAISSANCE AWARD FOR 2004 pour out upon the devotees. For turn- 2. A woman approaches with an offering tray.
Presented by HINDUISM TODAY to Hindu of the Year, 2004, Dr. K. Pichai
Sivacharya, for his exemplary resurrection of the gurukulam system of ing out such well and broadly trained 3. A merchant at a stall watches after devotee’s
priest training resulting in more than a thousand skilled priests serving
Hindu around the world, strengthening the temples, inspiring the devo-
priests by the dozens, we honor Dr. Pi- footwear for a small fee.
tees and helping usher in the age of the Hindu Renaissance. chai as “Hindu of the Year 2004.” ∏π 4. A husband and wife prostrate at the flag pole.
contact: dr. k. pichai sivachariyar,
pillaiyarpatti, sivagangai, tamil nadu, india 5. A father and son receive blessings from the ele-
phant, who lightly touches their forehead with
his trunk.
6. A devotee breaks a coconut near the Ganesha
7. A man bathes and worships at the temple tank
as an act of purification.
8. Led by musicians, the festival Deity is pulled
around the temple in a special chariot.
9. A youth meditates in a quiet corner.
10. A child, held by his father, is having his ears
pierced by a trained priest.
11. A family sings devotional hymns in praise of
God and the Gods.
12. At the main shrine, a pujari offers the lighted oil
13. Hovering over the temple in the inner worlds,
Lord Siva gives forth blessings.
14. A woman circumambulates the Siva shrine.
15. A girl joyfully rings the big temple bell.
16. Two boys listen as their teacher chants the Vedas.
17. A man gives coins to a group of sadhus.
18. After enjoying the morning at the temple, a
family partakes of picnic lunch.
19. At the Murugan shrine, a woman beseeches the
Deity for help with a difficult problem.
 There
There
are are
three
three
worlds
worlds
of existence:
of existence:
thethe
gross
gross
plane
plane
where
where
souls
souls
livelive
in physical
in physical
bodies;
bodies;
thethe
subtle
subtle
plane,
plane,
where
where
souls
souls
reside
reside
in astral
in astral
bodies;
bodies;
andand
thethe
causal,
causal,
divine
divine
plane
plane
of God
of God
andand
thethe
Gods.
Gods.

God and the Gods are real beings; they are not
mere symbols or figments of imagination. If you
could view the temple from the inner worlds,
you would see a brilliant ray coming from the
Third World right into the temple on the physical
plane. This ray allows commu-
nication similar to a live video
conference. The priest opens
the connection by perform-
ing puja worship. When the
puja is performed with loving
devotion, the ray becomes
strong and inner doors open
from God’s world to ours; the
angelic helpers, called devas,
hover around and through the
temple, and blessings pour
out to the devotees. A Hindu temple’s devonic
rays have the power to transform the course of
karma, open inner doors to new opportunities,
assuage long-held hurts and provide inner vi-
sions equaling the fullness of devotion.
evotion in hinduism is known as bhakti. it is an
entire realm of knowledge and practice unto itself,
ranging from the child-like wonder of the unknown
and the mysterious to the deep reverence which
comes with understanding of the esoteric interworkings of the
three worlds. Hinduism views existence as composed of three
worlds. The First World is the physical universe, the Second
World is the subtle astral or mental plane of ex-
istence in which the devas, or angels, and spirits
live, and the Third World is the spiritual sphere
of the Mahadevas, the Deities, the Gods. Hin-
Worship is pouring all your energy into
one-pointedly adoring the God or Goddess…
duism is the harmonious working together of
these three worlds. Religion blossoms for the
Hindu as he awakens to the existence of the
Second and Third Worlds. These inner worlds
naturally inspire in man responses of love and
devotion and even awe. They are that wonderful.
Devotion in Hinduism occurs on many levels and at dif-
ferent cycles of time in the evolution of the soul. All forms of
devotion are equally valid, and none claims itself as the only
proper form of worship. There is devotion to the tribal Deities,
to the scriptures, to the saints and to the satguru. But the most
prevalent expression of worship for the Hindu comes as devotion
to God and the Gods. In the Hindu pantheon there are said to
be 330 million Gods. Even so, all Hindus believe in one Supreme
Being who pervades the entire universe.
The many Gods are perceived as divine creations of that one
Being. These Gods, or Mahadevas, are real beings, capable of
thought and feeling beyond the limited thought and feeling of
embodied man. So, Hinduism has one God, but
it has many Gods. There are only a few of these
Gods for whom temples are built and pujas con-
ducted. Ganesha, Siva, Subramaniam, Vishnu
…feeling your loving sincerity, the Deity
responds with life-changing blessings.
and Shakti are the most prominent Deities in
contemporary Hinduism. Of course, there are
many others for whom certain rites or mantras
are done in daily ceremony, often in the home
shrine. These include Brahma, Surya, Sarasvati,
Lakshmi, Agni, Chandra, Ayyappan, Hanuman, Mariyamman
and others.
The Hindu traditionally adopts an Ishta Devata. This is a
personal Deity chosen from the many Hindu Gods, often ac-
cording to the devotee’s family background or the feeling of
closeness to one form of divine manifestation. It is the unique
and all-encompassing nature of Hinduism that one devotee may
be worshiping Ganesha while his friend worships Subramaniam
or Vishnu, and yet both honor the other’s choice and feel no
sense of conflict. The profound understanding and universal
acceptance that are unique in Hinduism are reflected in this
faculty for accommodating different approaches to the Divine,
allowing for different names and forms of God to be worshiped
side by side within the temple walls. It may
even happen that one may adopt a different
personal Deity through the years according
to one’s spiritual unfoldment and inner needs.
The Hindu religion brings to us the gift of
tolerance that allows for different stages of
worship, different and personal expressions
of devotion and even different Gods to guide
our life on this Earth. Yet, it is a one religion
under a single divine hierarchy that sees
to the harmonious working together of the
three worlds. These intelligent beings have
evolved through eons of time and are able
to help mankind without themselves hav-
ing to live in a physical body. These great Mahadevas, with
their multitudes of angelic devas, live and work constantly and
tirelessly for the people of our religion, protecting and guiding
them, opening new doors and closing unused ones. The Gods
worshiped by the Hindu abide in the Third World, aided by the
devas that inhabit the Second World.

TEMPLE MANNERS: Remove your shoes before wishes or your sorrows but leave improper Deities, the guru or another person. Hugging

Approaching the Temple entering. Be respectful of God and the Gods

at all times, as if approaching the benevolent
leader of a great realm. Bring your problems,
manners outside as you enter this holy sanctu-
ary. Do not enter the shrines without invitation.
Do not sit with your feet pointing toward the
and other demonstrations of affection between
adults are not appropriate. Refrain from gossip
and worldly talk. Treat the priests with respect.

Look and Feel Your Best Prepare Mentally; Bring a Gift Prostrate to the Deity Worship Wholeheartedly
a l l a r t b y a . m a n i v e l ( e x c e p t c h a k r a a r t, p. 4 5 )

You will want to look and feel Prepare your mind by thinking Prostrating is a traditional expres- Ardent worship takes many
your best when you go to the about God in anticipation of sion of worshipful surrender forms in a temple. You can
temple, God’s home. Pre- your visit. Bring an offering, and adoration. The form be immersed in the joys
pare yourself by bathing such as fruits and flow- of prostration differs for of devotion, in prayerful
and putting on clean ers. Prostrate and walk men and women. Men communion, seeking
clothing. Traditional around the temple perform a fully prone solace for a loss, sing-
dress is best—saris where possible. Hands pose, called ashtanga ing hymns, chanting
or punjabis for ladies, pressed together in pranama, in which mantras or celebrating
long dresses for girls, namaskara, greet the hands, chest, forehead, a rite of passage. Med-
and kurta shirt and Deities at their shrines, knees and feet touch the itation is appropriate,
dhoti or pants for men starting with Ganesha, ground. Women perform especially after the puja,
and boys. But any nice, and present your offerings. a kneeling pose, panchan-
chan- and emotion is not out of
modest clothing suitable for Inwardly feel God’s uplifting ga pranama, in which hands, place. God will receive your
sitting on the floor is acceptable. presence, called sannidhya. head and legs touch the ground. devotion, however you offer it.

42 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 20 04 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 43

photo by
thomas Religion is the harmonious working together of the three worlds. This harmony can be created through temple worship, wherein the beings of all three worlds can communicate.
k e l ly

It is in the Hindu temple that the three worlds meet and the place that the God will manifest in or hover above and dwell there and can stay for periods of time, providing the voice through the sensitive organ, your ear. Meaning comes into
devotees invoke the Gods of our religion. The temple is built in His etheric body. It can be conceived as an antenna vibration is kept pure and undisturbed. The altar takes on a your mind, for you have been trained to translate these vibra-
as a palace in which the Gods reside. It is the visible home to receive the divine rays of the God or as the material certain power. In our religion there are altars in temples all over tions into meaning through the knowing of the language that I
of the Gods, a sacred place unlike every other place on the body in or through which the God manifests in this First the world inhabited by the devas and the great Gods. When am speaking. Darshan is a vibration, too. It is first experienced
Earth. The Hindu must associate himself with these Gods World. Man takes one body and then another in his pro- you enter these holy places, you can sense their sanctity. You in the simple physical glimpse of the form of the Deity in the
in a very sensitive way when he approaches the temple. gression through the cycles of birth and death and rebirth. can feel the presence of these divine beings, and this radiation sanctum. Later, that physical sight gives way to a clairvoyant vi-
Though the devotee rarely has the psychic vision of the Similarly, the Gods in their subtle bodies inhabit, for brief from them is known as darshan. The reality of the Mahadevas sion or to a refined cognition received through the sensitive gan-
Deity, he is aware of the God’s or protracted spans of time, these temple images. and their darshan can be experienced by the glia within your nerve system, the chakras.
divine presence. He is aware When we perform puja, a religious ritual, we are devotee through his awakened ajna vision, or Through these receptors, a subtle message is
through feeling, through sensing attracting the attention of the devas and Maha- more often as the physical sight of the image received, often not consciously. Perhaps not
the divine presence within the devas in the inner worlds. That is the purpose in the sanctum coupled with the inner know- immediately, but the message that the dar-
temple. As he approaches the shan carries, direct from the Mahadeva—di-
sanctum sanctorum, the Hindu rect from Lord Ganesha, direct from Lord
is fully aware that an intelligent You can go into the temple with problems …and later leave feeling uplifted, hardly Murugan, direct from Lord Siva Himself—
being, greater and more evolved and lay them at the feet of the Deity, remembering what was bothering you. manifests in your life. This is the way the
than himself, is there. This God is Gods converse. It is a communication more
intently aware of him, safeguard- of a puja; it is a form of communication. To en- ing that He is there within the microcosm. This real than the communication of language that
ing him, fully knowing his inmost hance this communication, we establish an altar darshan can be felt by all devotees, becoming you experience each day. It is not necessary to
thought, fully capable of coping in the temple and in the home. This becomes stronger and more defined as devotion is per- understand the communication immediately.
with any situation the devotee charged or magnetized through our devotional fected. Through this darshan, messages can be The devotee may go away from the temple
may mentally lay at His holy feet. thoughts and feelings, which radiate out and af- channeled along the vibratory emanations that outwardly feeling that there was no particular
It is important that we approach the Deity in this way— fect the surrounding environment. radiate out from the Mahadevas, as well as from their represen- message, or not knowing in his intellectual mind exactly what the
conscious and confident that our needs are known in the Chanting and satsanga and ceremonial rituals all con- tatives, the Second World devas who carry out their work for darshan meant. Even the words you are now reading may not
inner spiritual worlds. tribute to this sanctifying process, creating an atmosphere them in shrines and altars. be fully cognized for days, weeks or even months. The depth
The physical representation of the God, be it a stone or to which the Gods are drawn and in which they can man- To understand darshan, consider the everyday and yet subtle of meaning will unfold itself on reflection.
metal image, a yantra or other sacred form, simply marks ifest. By the word manifest, I mean they actually come communication of language. You are hearing the tones of my Visiting a Hindu temple, receiving darshan from the majestic

Attending the Puja Ceremony Partaking of the Sacred Flame Receiving Holy Ash & Water

C onducted by a trained cious substances to the flowers. At this point, devotees may sing devo- The sacramental lamp which has A sacrament offered in many
priest called a pujari,
pujari Deity, including water, tional songs. After decorating the Deity, the just been offered at the high temples is holy ash, vibhuti,
a Hindu worship ser- uncooked rice with tur- pujari offers incense, oil lamps and food. He point of the puja is some- by burning dried cow
vice or puja, literally “adora- meric powder, holy ash, offers flowers while chanting 108 names of times passed among the dung cakes with ghee,
tion,” is similar to a grand sandalwood paste and the God. At the high point of the puja, a large, devotees. The devas flowers, yogurt and
reception for a king. Pujas k u m k u m. S o m e t i m e s sacred lamp is waved before the Deity and can see and bless you and other ingredi-
can last from ten minutes water, sesame oil, tur- the temple bells are rung loudly as God sends through this flame as ents. It symbolizes
to several hours, but all fol- meric water, saffron, milk, His power through the holy image of Himself. it lights up your face. the purity we attain
low one basic pattern. First, yogurt, ghee, honey, lime When the lamp is lowered, everyone pros- Sometimes you, too, by burning the
all art by a. manivel

the pujari purifies himself, juice, vibhuti, sandalwood trates to the Divine. The lamp is then carried can glimpse into bonds of ego, karma
the sacred implements p a s te, panchamritam out to bless the worshipers, who often leave their world. When the and maya to reveal the
and the place of worship. (mixture of five fruits), a donation on the tray (or later in the temple priest comes to you with soul’s natural goodness.
He chants in Sanskrit the coconut water and rose- offering box). Finally, depending on the tradi- the lamp, hold your hands The priest will put a pinch
time, place and nature of water are poured over the tion, sacraments such as holy ash, holy water, a few inches apart with your of ash into your right palm.
this particular puja.. Through Deity in a ritual bath called sandalwood paste, kumkum, fruit, sweets palms down. Reach out and pass (Accept all offerings with your
hand gestures (mudras) and abhishekam. Devotees are and flowers are passed out to bless all pres- both hands devoutly over the flame. Then bring your hands back, turn right hand.) Transfer the vibhuti into your left palm, then apply it to
chants, hee beseeches the Deity to come and seated during most of the puja, in some tra- ent. These include a portion of the offerings— your palms toward your face and touch your eyes with your fingertips your forehead using your right hand, generally three broad stripes for
dwell in the image. Ringing a bell and chant- ditions, men on the right and women on the flowers, cooked food and more—brought by to receive the Deity’s blessings. At Lord Vishnu’s shrine, the priest may men, one short stroke for ladies. Next, a small spoonful of holy water,
ing mantras and hymns from the ancient left. After abhishekam, the Deity is dressed in devotees. Devotees may then sit in meditation, bring out the silver or gold crown of the Deity and lightly touch it to the or tirtham, is placed into your cupped right hand, which you then sip,
Vedas and Agamas, the pujari then offers pre- new clothes and beautifully decorated with basking in the blessings invoked by the puja. head of each devotee as a personal blessing. afterwards touching the right palm to the crown of your head.

44 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 20 04 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 45

photo by
Pray first to Ganesha. When in the temple, take every opportunity to serve
thomas
k e l ly in simple ways, sweeping the floor, polishing the brass, making flower garlands.
Gods of our religion, can altogether change the life
of a worshiper. It alters the flow of the pranas, or
life currents, within his body. It draws his awareness
into the deeper chakras. It adjusts his beliefs and the
attitudes that are the natural consequence of those
beliefs. But the change is slow. He lives with the ex-
perience for months and months after his visit to the
temple. He comes to know and love
the Deity. The Deity comes to know
and love him, helping and guiding
his entire evolutionary pattern.
Darshan coming from the great
temples of our Gods can change
the patterns of karma dating back
many past lives, clearing and clar-
ifying conditions that were creat-
ed hundreds of years ago and are
but seeds now, waiting to manifest
in the future. Through the grace
of the Gods, those seeds can be
removed if the manifestation in the
future would not enhance the evolution of the soul.
Devotees ask, “Why do we circumambulate the
temple?” When we come to the temple out of the
world, off the street, we are often shrouded by nega-
tive vibrations, which can actually be seen in our
aura. Our nerve system may be upset, especially
now, in the technological age, when we often suffer
Accepting Other Sacraments
Chandanam, or sandalwood
paste, is a traditional pre-
cious substance, valued
for its wonderful scent.
A small dab is placed
in your hand by the
priest, which you
transfer to your left
palm with a wip-
ing motion. Dip your
right-hand ring finger
into the paste and apply
it with a small circular
motion between the eye-
brows. Kumkum, a red powder, is
next. The priest will either place a small pinch in your right hand or
invite you to take some from the container which he holds for you.
Apply the kumkum on top of the sandalwood, creating a dot, bindi,
which represents the third eye of spiritual seeing.
46 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
from stress and strain, the insecurity of so many changes and
the rapid pace of life. In order to prepare ourselves to enter the
sanctum sanctorum of the temple, the great mandapam inside,
we walk clockwise around the temple very slowly. In this way we
prepare our mind. We consciously drop off worldliness, letting
the sufferings go, letting all disturbances leave our mind the best
we can, and trying to reach deep inside of ourselves where peace
exists eternally. We become as celestial as we
can during the time we are walking around the
temple, so that we can communicate with the
celestial beings within the temple.
It is from worship in the temple that the cul-
ture arises—refined living, selfless giving,
In a Hindu temple there is often a multiplic-
ity of simultaneous proceedings and ceremo-
nies. In one corner, an extended family, or clan,
with its hundreds of tightly knit members, may
be joyously celebrating a wedding. At another
shrine a lady might be crying in front of the Deity, saddened by
some misfortune and in need of solace. Elsewhere in the crowd-
ed precincts a baby is being blessed, and several groups of temple
musicians are filling the chamber with the shrill sounds of the
nagasvaram and drum. After the puja reaches its zenith, brah-
min priests move in and out of the sanctum, passing camphor and
sacred ash and holy water to hundreds of worshipers crowding
Internalizing Your Worship
The bhakti of uncompromising
surrender, prapatti, to the
God during a temple puja
pu
awakens the amrita. The
amrita is the sweet
essence from the
sahasrara chakra.. It
is the binding yoke to
the Divine. Sit down in
the lotus posture after
the puja and internalize
all the feeling that you
had for the God during the
worship. Draw into yourself the
pranas you feel around your body.
Then draw those energies up the spine into the head. This is done
with the mind and with the breath. Devotees who want to awaken
the higher chakras and sustain that awakening on the safe path
will throw themselves into becoming uncompromising bhak tars.
During the puja, focus on the acts of worship, rather than letting your mind wander.
Learn the inner meaning of what the priest is doing and follow along.
eagerly to get a glimpse of the Deity. All of this is happening
at once, unplanned and yet totally organized. It is a wonderful
experience, and such a diverse array of devotional ceremonies
and such an intensity of worship can only be seen in a Hindu
temple. There is no place on Earth quite like a Hindu temple.
Esoterically, the Gods in the temple, who live in the micro-
cosm, can work extraordinarily fast with everyone. There is so
much going on that everyone has the sense of
being alone. The weeping woman is allowed her
moment of mourning. No one feels that she is
upsetting the nearby wedding. No one even no-
harmony, integrity, music, art, drama, dance
and other aspects of spiritual conduct.
tices her. The temple is so active, so filled with
people, that each one is left to worship as he
needs that day—to cry or to laugh or to sing or
to sit in silent contemplation in a far-off corner.
Like the Hindu religion itself, the Hindu temple
is able to absorb and encompass everyone. It never says you must
worship in this way, or you must be silent because there is a cer-
emony in progress. It accepts all, rejects none. It encourages all
to come to God and does not legislate a single form of devotion.
Hindus always want to live near a temple so they can fre-
quent it regularly. When we go to the temple, we leave with
our mind filled with the shakti of the Deity. We are filled and
Invoking Special Blessings
An archana is a short puja for an
individual, usually done after
the main puja.. It is a way of
asking God for something
specific, such as success
in school or business,
or to express thanks for
good fortune. Inform
the priest that you want
an archana. You should
bring fruit and flowers, as
well as the archana fee, on
an offering tray, which can
also have a coconut, incense,
kumkum,, camphor and sandalwood
paste. As you stand before the shrine, the priest will ask your name,
gotra (family lineage), and nakshatra (birthstar). During the archana,
pray for your special needs. Afterwards the priest will return part of
your blessed offerings to take home.
october/november/december, 20 04
thrilled with the shakti of the temple in every nerve current of
our body. When we return to our home, we light an oil lamp,
and that brings the power of the temple into the home. This
simple act brings the devas in the Second World right into your
home, where they can bless the rest of the family who perhaps
did not go to the temple. Each Hindu temple throughout the
world has its own rules on how to proceed and what to do with-
in it. In some temples, in fact most temples
in South India, all the men are required to
take off their shirts and enter bare-chested.
However, if you are in a business suit in the
South Indian temple in New York, that’s all
right. You are not required to take off your
shirt. Every temple has its own rules, so
you have to observe what everybody else
is doing the first time you go.
In the beginning stages of worship, a
Hindu soul may have to wrestle with disbe-
lief in the Gods. He may wonder whether
they really exist, especially if his own intu-
ition is obscured by assimilation of Western,
existentialist beliefs and attitudes. Yet, he senses their existence,
and this sensing brings him back to the temple. He is looking
for proof, immersed in the process of coming to know the Gods
for himself. He is heartened and assured by hundreds of saints
and rishis who have fathomed and found close and enduring
relationships with the Gods, and who then extolled their great-
ness in pages of scripture and chronicle.
Celebrating Rites of Passage
A central part of every Hindu’s life,
samskaras are sacred rites of
passage. You can arrange
for a samskara with the
temple priest. There is
a charge for these rites,
which usually include a
puja and homa, or fire
all art by a. manivel
ceremony. The priest
will set an auspicious
time, explain how to
prepare and what to bring,
as well as what you do dur-
ing the ceremony. The principal
samskaras held in temples, homes or
halls are: name-giving (11 to 41 days old for a child, or anytime for an
adult entering Hinduism); first solid food (6 months old); ear-piercing (1,
3 or 5 years old); head shaving (1 to 4 years old); first learning (4 years
old); initiation into Vedic study (9 to 15 years old); marriage and funeral.
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 47
 Go into the temple as you would approach a great king, a governor, a president of a
great realm, anticipating, with a little trepidation, your audience with Him.
The devotee stands before the sanctum and
telepathically tells the Gods a problem, and with
hopeful faith leaves and waits. Days or weeks
later, after he had forgotten about his prayer, he
suddenly realizes the problem has disappeared.
He attempts to trace the source of its solution
and finds that a simple, favorable play of cir-
cumstance and events brought it about. Had the
Gods answered his prayer, or would it have hap-
pened anyway? He brings another prayer to the
Gods, and again in time an answer appears in
the natural course of his life. It appears to him
that the Gods are hearing and responding to his
needs. Trust and love have taken root. He goes
on, year after year, bringing the Gods into his
secular affairs, while just as carefully the Gods
are bringing him into their celestial spheres, en-
livening his soul with energy, joy and intelligence.
The Hindu looks to the Gods for very prac-
tical assistance. He devoutly believes that the
Free Will and Surrender to the Divine
A s we come closer to the wonderful Gods of Hinduism, we come
to love them in a natural way, to be guided by them and to
depend on them more than we depend on ourselves. The
exuberant enthusiasm so prevalent in the West, of hold-
ing to an existential independence and expressing
an autonomous will to wield the direction of our
lives, loses its fascination as we mature within
the steady radiance of these Gods and begin
to realize the divine purpose of our Earthly
sojourn. ¶One might ask how the Hindu
can become so involved in the love of
the Gods that he is beholden to their will.
Similarly, one might ask how does any-
one become so involved and in love with
his mother and father, trusting their guid-
ance and protection, that he is beholden
to them? It works the same way. Where
you find the Hindu family close to one
another and happy, you find them close to
the Gods. Where they are not close, and live in
a fractured or broken home, the Gods will unfor-
tunately have been exiled from their lives. They will
not be invoked, and perhaps not even believed in.
Many think that the ultimate devotion, called prapatti in San-
skrit, means giving up their willpower, their independence and their
judgment. This is not the meaning of prapatti at all. Not at all. I shall
48 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
Gods from their dwelling in the Third World are capable of
consciously working with the forces of evolution in the universe
and they could then certainly manage a few simpler prob-
lems. He devoutly believes that the Gods are given to care for
man on the planet and see him through his tenure on Earth,
and that their decisions are vast in their implications. Their
overview spans time itself, and yet their detailed focus upon
the complicated fabric of human affairs is just as awesome.
The Gods of Hinduism create, preserve and protect mankind.
It is through their sanction that all things continue, and through
their will that they cease. It is through their grace that all good
things happen, and all things that happen are for the good. Now,
you may wonder why one would put himself under this divine
authority so willingly, thus losing his semblance of freedom. But
does one not willingly put himself in total harmony with those
whom he loves? Of course he does. And loving these great souls
comes so naturally. Their timeless wisdom, their vast intelligence,
their thoroughly benign natures, their ceaseless concern for the
problems and well-being of devotees, and their power and sheer
godly brilliance—all these inspire our love.
give an example. People who are employed by others work with full
energy and vigor, utilizing all their skills on the job, day after day after
day, year after year after year. They give of their talents and ener-
gies freely, but they do hold back some of the energies
and fight within themselves. This is called resistance.
That resistance is what they have to offer on the
altar of purification. Getting rid of resistance, to
be able to flow with the river of life, is what
prapatti is all about. Prapatti is freedom.
This truly is free will. Free will is not an obsti-
nate will, an opposite force invoked for the
preservation of the personal ego. This is
willfulness, not free will. Free will is total,
intelligent cooperation, total merging of
the individual mind with that of another,
or of a group. . In religious life, we must
have prapatti twenty-four hours a day,
which means getting rid of our resistance.
¶There are various forms of free will. There
is free will of the ego, or the instinctive mind,
there is free will of the intellect that has been
educated in dharma, and there is free will of the
intuition. For many, free will is an expression of the little
ego, which often entangles them more in the world of maya. For
me, true free will means the dharmic will that is divine and guided by
the superconscious. In reality, only this kind of will makes you free. ¶
AYURVEDA
Avoiding Diabetes
Current medical and dietary advice won’t
prevent the onset of this killing disease
BY DR. VIRENDER SODHI
iabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in
America. It is also the country’s number one cause
of blindness, non-traumatic amputations and renal
failure. In the last issue of Hinduism Today, we ex-
plored the treatment of diabetes in India’s traditional
medical system, ayurveda. In this column and the next, we’ll
discuss ways to avoid or lessen one’s chances of developing the
dreaded disease through adjustments to one’s diet and lifestyle.
Diabetes is divided into several classifications, but, in gener-
al, we talk about Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes’
etiological factors can be genetics, auto immune dysfunction
due to gut flora imbalance, and viral diseases. It is treated with
insulin because the pancreas, which normally produces insulin,
is nonfunctional. Children who are introduced to cow’s milk at less
than three months of age have 1.5 times more chance of getting
Type 1 diabetes than those who are breast fed. Another dietary
cause of Type 1 diabetes is nitrates from water or smoked meat,
which have been shown to destroy the pancreas due to oxidation.
Type 1 diabetes is relatively rare, impacting less that ten percent
of diabetics (statistics refer to the US, but are typical of industrial-
ized countries).
The rest of those afflicted, 90%, have Type 2 diabetes. In Type 2
diabetes, people don’t have less insulin, rather they are not able to
utilize insulin. This is called insulin resistance. It can happen due
to many factors, such as excessive eating of sugars or trans fatty
acids, exposure to chemicals causing oxidation and drugs such as
beta-blockers given for hypertension and heart disease. A lack of
essential nutrients such as chromium, a lack of essential fatty acids,
such as fish oils or oils from different nuts and seeds, increased
consumption of coffee or other caffeine products and increased
alcohol consumption are contributors to diabetes and many other
chronic diseases.
But obesity is single-handedly the major risk factor for diabetes.
Findings from the US government’s third National Health and
Nutritional Exam Survey (HNANES III) make it quite clear that
diabetes is a disease of diet and lifestyle. For example, the Pima
Indians live on both sides of our border with Mexico. Those in Ar-
izona, living on a typical American diet, have a 70% rate of obesity.
Twenty-two percent of the population have diabetes. Their cousins
across the border, living on a more natural diet, have a rate of 10%
obesity and just one percent incidence of diabetes. In 1983, only
15% of the US population met the definition of obesity. By 2000,
32% were obese. The number of obese children is increasing at an
alarming rate, as is their rate of Type 2 diabetes.
According to the HNANES III study, among individuals with
Type 2 diabetes, 69% did not exercise, 62% ate fewer than five
servings of fruits and vegetables daily, 65% consumed more than
30% daily calories from fat and 10% of total calories from satu-
rated fat, and 82% were either overweight or obese.
Harvard researchers studied 42,000 physicians. They divided
physicians into two major groups according to diet. One group
october/november/december, 2004
consisted of those with a relatively higher
consumption of vegetables, fruits, fish,
poultry and whole grains. The other
group followed a typical Western diet,
with higher consumption of red meat,
processed meat, french fries, high-fat
dairy products, refined grains, sweets and
deserts. The Western diet alone increased
the risk of Type 2 diabetes 50%. When
diet was combined with low physical ac-
tivity, the risk of Type 2 diabetes nearly
doubled. If obesity was present, the risk
jumped eleven times more!
One hundred million Americans are
obese. Our nutritional habits are horrible,
and we shun exercise. Corporate America
may see this as a trillion-dollar business
opportunity to cash in on, but the bottom
line is we have to fix it ourselves. The gov-
ernment cannot stop us from eating the
wrong foods and won’t arrest us for not
exercising. I personally believe that the
American Diabetic Association and Amer-
ican Medical Association have completely
failed their responsibilities in preventing
diabetes. We are boasting new drug treat-
ments, but the results are not changing.
One of the most famous books mention-
ing the link between diet and chronic conditions such as diabetes
and heart disease is Western Diseases: Their Emergence and Pre-
vention by Denis Burkitt, MD, and Hugh Trowell, MD, first pub-
lished in 1981. It was based on extensive studies examining the
rate of diseases in various world populations and on observations
of indigenous cultures. They formulated the following sequence of
events. In the first stage, cultures consume a traditional diet con-
sisting of whole, unprocessed foods. The rate of chronic diseases
such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer is quiet low. In the sec-
ond stage, when cultures start eating a more Western diet, there
is a sharp rise in the number of individuals with obesity and dia-
betes. In the third stage, as people abandon their traditional diet,
more complications such as constipation, hemorrhoids, varicose
veins and appendicitis become more prevalent. In the fourth stage,
with the full Westernization of the diet, more chronic diseases
such as heart disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis
and gout become extremely common.
The average American consumes 100 pounds of sucrose each
year. This sugar addiction probably plays a major role in the high
prevalence of poor health and chronic diseases in the United
States. Foods containing sugars in the form of sucrose, glucose,
maltose, lactose, fructose, corn syrup or fruit juices make the
body’s blood sugars go higher, and put a strain on the balance of
sugar. Research in the last two decades has provided us new in-
formation on refined carbohydrates (sugars and low-fiber starchy
foods) and faulty blood-glucose control. New terminologies, such
as Syndrome X, and impaired glucose tolerance have been used to
define blood-sugar imbalance, along with lipid disorders, elevated
blood sugars and inflammation. The invention of packaged food
containing harmful oils, additives and substances never before
consumed by humans has compounded the problem. In the next
article we discuss how to change your diet and lifestyle to lessen
your chances of developing diabetes.
dr. virender sodhi holds an M.D. (Ayurveda) from India and a
N.D. from Bastyr College of Nauropathic Medicine, USA. E-mail:
drsodhi@ayurvedicscience.com. Web: www.ayurvedicscience.com.
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 49
Detailed elegance: With intricate work-
manship (above) veiled in elaborate
clothing during high ceremony, the
statues of the five Vaishnava saints stand
as visible testimony to the extraordinary
craftsmanship of the highly skilled
sthapatis of Swamimalai in Thanjavur

Bringing spiritual giants to life:

Govindendas (above, third from left) from
Brazil poses with the famous family of
the late great Devasenapathy Sthapati in
Swamimalai where the five finished statues
had been packed onto trucks en route to
Mayapur in West Bengal. Sthapati’s first
son, Radhakrishna (above right), is now
the head sculptor. His brother, Srikanda
(far left), stands next to his uncle, Pranava.
(Right) H.H. Sri Dhar Swami begins the
ceremonious decoration of the twelve-foot
murtis—which cost several hundred thou-
sand dollars to create—at the grand instal-
lation of the icons in Mayapur.

SCULPTURE

Honoring saintliness with awsome art

n february 22, 2004, five twelve
-foot-tall, three-ton sculptural mas-
terpieces were installed for worship
in the International Society for Krish-
na consciousness (ISKCON) temple at May-
apur in West Bengal. These temple icons
were crafted by the highly skilled sthapatis
(artisans) of Swamimalai in the Thanjavur
district of India. They are made of pancha-
loka, an alloy of five metals—zinc, copper,
tin, silver and gold—heated at 1,400 degrees
in an open pit, as in ancient, Vedic times.
The five murtis (temple statues for wor-
ship) are of Lord Krishna’s devotees: Chai-
tanya Mahaprabhu (with his hands raised),
Gadadara Prabhu (with his right hand
raised), Srivas Prabhu (with folded hands),
Nityananda Prabhu and Advaita Prabhu.
According to the three master craftsmen
in charge of the project—D. Radhakrish-
na Stapathi, D. Srikanta Stapathi and D.
Swaminatha Stapathi—it took a year to com-
plete the works. The design was submitted
by Bharath Maharaj, an ISKCON architect
from Australia who followed guidelines from
a Hindu scripture named Silpashastra. In
describing the work, one of the sthapatis
said, “We have ornamented the idols in the
early Chola style.” These five saints—Chait-
anya Mahaprabhu and four of his disciples—
lived 500 years ago in Mayapur. Together
they are credited with popularizing a devo-
tional practice of singing the names of Lord
Krishna called “Sankirtan.”
For more information contact: sthapati_
kmb@sancharnet.in. ∏π

october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 51
 Temples spur growth: The
Pura Mandaragiri Sumeru
Agung temple was ompleted in
1992 with aid from Bali. Local
Hindu adherents have grown
from a handful to 5,000 house-
holds in 1999 through recon-
version to Hinduism. (inset)
The local countryside.

ing many to make decision to-

wards Hinduism.
Repeated experiences of
harassment have left adher-
ents of Hindu-Javanese tradi-
tions with deep-seated resent-
ments. Many of my informants
100� 110 120� 130� 140� 150�
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C H I N A
TAIWAN

portrayed their return to 20�

BURMA
Hanoi
Haiphong
Maca Hong

Bashi C
hanne l

Hinduism, the “religion of

Luang Prabang Haikou NORTHERN
Hainan
LAOS Laoag
MARIANAS

their mighty Majapahit ances-

Vientiane
Yangoo P A
Luzon
Da Nang P H I L I P P I N E
THAILAND S E A
Guam

tors,” as a new expression of

Bangko Manila
k
VIETNAM S O U T H
ANDAMAN CAMBODIA
C H I N A
SEA Nha Trang
PHILIPPINES
national pride. Political trends
Phnom Penh M I
S E A C
Iloilo Tacloba R
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n
Gulf of Minh

Java’s Hindu Revival

aside, however, I should note
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Thailand PALAU
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Zamboang Davao

that the choice between Islam George

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Terengganu
Bandar Seri Begawan
BRUNEI
Sandakan Isabela

C E L E B E S

and Hinduism is often a highly

Medan h Kelang

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Kuala Nantuna Besar S E A

ra
t
of

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al Johor E
ac Manad

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as
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ss

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Padang Ha Balikpapan Palu Jayapura

informants reported that other

ka
ri Wewa BISMARCK SEA

PE

Barito
Jambi

Ma
Bangka Rab
Sulawesi CERAM SEA
S e p i kk

G.
Seram
I N D O N E S I A Ambon PEGUNUNGAN MAOKE

B
Palembang

A
Belitun Madan New
S

members of their own fami-

CENT

R
A Banjarmasin Buru

I
N RAL g

Digul
Kepulauan Lae
J A V A S E A Ujung Aru
B A N D A S E A
Jakarta Pandang Baubau
PAPUA NEW GUINEA

lies are nominal or even pious Bandung

J a v a
Malang
Surabaya
Bali
F L O R E S

Lombo
MataraSumbaw
Flores
S E A

Timor
Wetar Kepulauan
Taninbar

ARAFURA SEA
Fl
y
Daru
Gulf of
Papua Port
Moresby

Muslims.
Ende Torres Strait
10�

Golden
GoldenAgeAge
prophesized
prophesized byby
Hindu
Hinduking—when
king—when
“iron
“iron
wagons
wagons
drive
drive
without
without Java
Sumba Kupang Melville I.
Bathurst

A common feature among Ja-

Darwin C O R A L S E A
T I M O R S E A
D Gulf of
al
y Carpentaria

va’s Hindu communities is that

M

horses
horses
andand
ships
ships
sailsail
through
through
thethe
sky”—catalyzes
sky”—catalyzes
religious
religious
movements
movements
it c
Wyndham he
ll Cairns

they tend to rally around newly Heralding a golden age: (clockwise from left) Procession to the samadhi, burial site, of Jayabaya, king Broome
ro
y
A U S T R A L I A Townsvill

F li
tz
Fi e

nd
e rs
20�

built temples (pura), which are and prophet; Lord Ganesha in a nearby shrine; half of Indonesia’s population is concentrated on Java
100� 110
�
120� 130� 140� 150�

often located near archaeologi- 0 500 1000 Miles

cal sites, or ancient temples (candi) which and much of their generous cash donations and for his dedication to the welfare of the
0 500 1000 1500 Kilometres

Islam came late to Indonesia, and its domi-
nance was never complete. Hinduism sur-
vived in full form quite well in Bali and a
few other areas. In some regions where
Islam had only a moderate impact, a con-
siderable proportion of the population are
only nominal Muslims. For several reasons,
including the country’s complex political
dynamics, there has been, in recent decades,
an increasing trend of these nominal Mus-
lims to return to Hinduism. In the following
report, Dr. Thomas Reuter, researcher at
the University of Melbourne’s School of An-
thropology and president of the Australian
Anthropological Society (thomasr@unimelb.
edu.au), shares his evaluation of the histori-
cal and religious dynamics of this shift in
religious allegiance.
ava is a center of islam within
the Indonesian archipelago, which,
in turn, is home to the world’s most
populous Muslim nation. Eighty-eight
percent of Indonesia’s 235 million peo-
ple are Muslims, and just two percent are
Hindus. But the many ancient monuments
scattered across its landscape remind one of
a very different Java, one where Hindu king-
doms flourished for more than a millennium.
At the peak of its power in the 15th century,
the influence of Majapahit, the last and larg-
est among Hindu Javanese empires, reached
far across the Indonesian archipelago.
Islamic influence first advanced along
trade networks, gaining a foothold along
the northern coast of Java with the rise of
early sultanates. Hinduism lost its status as
the dominant state religion in Java at the be-
ginning of the 16th century, as these new
Islamic polities expanded and the Hindu
empire Majapahit collapsed.
While the majority of the population did
become Muslims along with their rulers, for
many Javanese this was a change in name
only. And even though an ever-more popu-
lar and educated acceptance of Islam was
gained in the colonial and post-colonial era,
through the work of independent and gov-
ernment Islamic organizations, the victory
of Islam has remained incomplete. Most
recently, a back-to-Hinduism movement
which first emerged in Java in the 1960s,
has gathered new momentum in the tur-
moil of Indonesia’s economic and political
crisis. Some of its members are prophesying
that a natural cataclysm or final battle is at
hand, in which Islam will be swept from the
island and Hindu civilization restored to its
past glory. The movement in Java is part of a
wider national phenomenon of reconversion
to Hinduism. In part, this is a reflection of
the rapid Islamization of Indonesian society
in recent decades, and especially after the
fall of Suharto in 1998, which has made it
difficult for many Javanese to carry on their
Hindu traditions and retain a nominal Mus-
lim identity. As a result, the Hindu commu-
nity of Java is now the largest in Indonesia.
Officially identifying their religion as
Hinduism was not a possibility for Indone-
sians until 1962, when it became the fifth
state-recognized religion. This recognition
was initially sought by Balinese religious or-
ganizations and granted for the sake of Bali,
where the majority were Hindu. The larg-
est of these organizations, Parisada Hindu
Dharma Bali, changed its name to Parisada
Hindu Dharma Indonesia in 1964, reflect-
ing subsequent efforts to define Hinduism as
a national, rather than solely Balinese, affair.
During the violent anti-communist purge
of 1965-66, many practitioners of Hindu Ja-
vanese traditions felt compelled to declare
themselves Muslims for their own safety.
But their initial assessment of having to
abandon their earlier traditions in order to
survive in an imminent Islamic state proved
incorrect. Recent political developments
and Islamic education and mosque-build-
ing aimed at their community are motivat-
had remained intact from the Hindu period flow into the local economy. Offerings, meals common people. Regarded as an incarnation
and are now being partially reclaimed for and accommodation are provided in an ever- of Vishnu, Jayabaya is the archetypal image
Hindu worship. For example, one of the new lengthening row of shops and hotels along of the “just king” (ratu adil) who is reborn at
Hindu temples is Pura Mandaragiri Sumeru the main road leading to the temple. Pon- the cataclysmic end of each dark age (jaman
Agung in eastern Java. When the temple dering the secret to the economic success of edan, “age of madness”) to restore social jus-
was completed in July 1992 with Balinese their Balinese neighbors, many locals have tice and natural harmony in the world. Many
aid, only a few local families confessed to concluded that Hindu culture may be more believe that the time for a new ratu adil is
Hinduism. By 1999 the local Hindu com- conducive to the development of a lucrative now, or as the Jayabaya prophesies put it, the
munity had grown to more than 5,000 international tourism industry than is Islam. time “when iron wagons drive without horses
households. Another important site is Pura In view of the social difficulties of being a and ships sail through the sky.” These apoca-
Loka Moksa Jayabaya near Kediri, where Hindu amongst a vast majority of Muslims lyptic and utopian prophesies evoke the no-
the Hindu king and prophet Jayabaya is in Java, however, I do not think that such tion of a revolving cosmic cycle, of a future
said to have achieved spiritual liberation economic considerations offer an explana- that is in effect a return to a golden past.
(moksa). A movement in the earliest stages tion for the new popularity of Hindu religion. Muslim and Hindu interpreters agree
of development was observed around the Followers and opponents alike explain the that this is the time of reckoning, of major
newly completed Pura Pucak Raung. Here sudden rise of a Hindu revival movement political reform, if not a revolution. Many
the Indian saint Maharishi Markandeya is in Java by referring, among others, to the also agree that a truly democratic system of
said to have gathered followers for an ex- prophecies (ramalan) of Jayabaya. Various government may only be established by a
pedition to bring Hinduism from Java to editions of the Ramalan Jayabaya have be- national leader of the highest moral caliber,
Bali in the fifth century. Still, the perhaps come national bestsellers, and the predic- thus blending traditional notions of charis-
one million Hindus in Java are just un- tions made therein are often discussed in matic leadership with modern notions of de-
der one percent of the island’s population. daily newspapers. Indeed, the prophesies mocracy. My work in Java, if anything, has
It is evident that Hindu temples tend to are an important idiom for a public debate reminded me that human civilization does
bring economic prosperity to local popu- on the ideal shape of a new Indonesia. not flourish in the absence of shared values
lations. Take, for example, Pura Sumeru. The historical personage Sri Mapanji that actively promote a more humane and
Apart from employment in the building and Jayabaya, who reigned over the kingdom enlightened society. In a religiously or ethni-
repair of the temple itself, a steady stream of Kediri in the 12th century, is known for cally diverse society—and that description
of visitors has led to the growth of a size- his efforts to reunify Java after a split had applies to most societies nowadays—one of
able service industry. During festivals, thou- occurred with the death of his predecessor, the most important of these values is un-
sands of Balinese pilgrims arrive each day, Airlangga, for his just and prosperous rule, doubtedly tolerance. ∏π

52 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 53

 THE SECRET LIFE
LIFE OF
OF ANIMALS
ANIMALS
One man’s discovery of the surprisingly rich
mental and emotional life of creatures
N AT U R E
By Mark Hawthorne, California
ike any bestselling author with
more than 20 books to his credit, Jef-
frey Moussaieff Masson has attracted
criticism. Yet when he started writing
about the inner lives of animals—in books
such as When Elephants Weep: The Emo-
tional Lives of Animals (co-authored with
Susan McCarthy) and Dogs Never Lie About
Love: Reflections on the Emotional World of
—his detractors got more serious. Some
Dogs—his
called his ideas “unorthodox,” “far-fetched”
and “pseudo-scientific nonsense.” And those
were among the kinder observations.
Many in the farm industry see Masson
as downright subversive—someone try-
ing to stir up trouble by inviting people
to perceive that animals have feelings and
are unhappy living in confinement. The
author is not deterred. He is convinced
that all animals, not
just dogs and cats,
are sentient be-
ings who display
a full range of emotions, including hope,
love, grief and even happiness. An animal is
happy, he contends, if it can live according
to its nature. While his viewpoint is gener-
ally rejected by behaviorists, animal lovers
around the world applaud it.
In his latest book, The Pig Who Sang to
the Moon: The Emotional World of Farm
Animals,, Masson asserts that the animals hu-
mans routinely eat have feelings, intelligence,
thoughts, emotions and even dreams.
He recounts stories of pigs dying of
broken hearts, of a ram who mourns
the death of a cow, of a newborn calf
and a mother who are separated and
then call for each other until they are
hoarse. As a result of writing this book,
for which he spent five years studying ton lived with the
farm animals and interviewing those Massons in New Zealand
who seek to protect them, Masson has for many years and encouraged
converted from a vegetarian to a “veg- Jeffrey to study Sanskrit. Brunton’s
an” lifestyle, neither eating nor using influence led the Masson family to
any animal products. embrace Advaita Vedanta.
The Pig Who Sang to the Moon has “I was studying Sanskrit at 13,” he says
become fodder for his opponents and from his home in Auckland, New Zealand.
doctrine for animal-rights activists, “When other kids read comic books, I was
turning the former religious studies in- studying Shankara. I spent much of the first
structor into an international celebrity. 18 years of my life absorbed in Indian reli-
Not only does he tell stories of animals gious texts like the Asthavakra Gita, which
experiencing joy, sorrow and compassion, is still one of my favorite pieces of literature.
but he also posits that they fear death. And from the Ramayana, which is my most
“Farm animals,” he asserts, “may under- favorite text, I still know whole chunks by
stand and dread the fate that awaits them.” heart, in Sanskrit.”
One such anecdote is the story of two pigs Masson later traveled to India—first to
that went to extraordinary lengths to escape Calcutta, where he attended university and
slaughter in England and won the hearts of studied with traditional pundits, then to
locals. “For some people,” Masson writes, “it Poona, where he spent two years working
was the first time they realized that a pig with late Pandit T. Shrinivas Shastri, the
does not want to die.” man he claims was a mentor to the Shankara-
Jeffrey Masson was born into a Jewish charya at the Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Pitham
h i n d u i s m t o d ay
family that was deeply influenced by Paul in Kanchipuram in South India. “This direct
Brunton, the celebrated mystic whose book A contact with Hinduism and with the ancient Alot like us: Animals like the elephant and
Search in Secret India introduced Bhagavan Sanskrit texts had a very strong influence on the rhinoceros have shown that they feel
Sri Ramana Maharshi to the West. Brun- my life. Ahimsa, for example, is my central compassion even beyond their species
 philosophy of life. I think it is one of the Perhaps even more touching is the rela-
chickens have a rich emotional life, very why cats purr. Darwin argued that not only feelings when in fact they are not so differ-
great concepts of all time.” tionship between a chicken named Mary
much like our companion dogs and cats,” do animals feel emotions but they also dis- ent from people.
The author eventually earned his Ph.D. in and a young rooster named Notorious Boy.
says Kim Sturla, director of Animal Place. play them in ways similar to humans. Masson offers the cow as example. They
Sanskrit and Indian Studies from Harvard They spent all their time together and liked
While researching The Pig Who Sang Masson explains that the British naturalist have enormous, complex, folded brains, not
University. He attributes his inspiration to to sleep on a picnic table near the main
to the Moon, Masson spent a lot of time was severely criticized for anthropomorphiz- unlike those of humans. “What do they use
have compassion for animals to the influ- house at Animal Place. One day a storm
at Animal Place, getting to know such resi- ing animal behavior, and cites as an example such large brains for?” he askes. “To relate
ence of Hinduism in his life, but credits his broke, so Sturla went outside to bring the
dents there as “Jesse the cow” and “Lulu the story Darwin tells of a monkey who to one another, to keep track of family re-
training as a psychoanalyst for his interest birds indoors. “She found them huddling
the pig.” Lulu was here with her brother bravely stood up to a fierce baboon to save a lations, just as we do. Any farmer can tell
in animal emotions. In his preface to Dogs close together,” Masson writes, “Notorious
Wilbur. One evening Sturla and some of the human. “Bravery and courage are not words you about the long moans (they sound like
Never Lie About Love, Masson writes, “So Boy’s wing draped over Mary to protect her
staff watched Lulu “tuck in” Wilbur. “We scientists are eager to see applied to a mon- ‘moo’) that a cow gives forth when her calf
little was known about a person’s inner life from the wind and rain, just as a mother
peeked into their straw and we could not key by the founder of evolutionary theory,” is taken away from her a few hours after
that for years analysts claimed that women hen would protect her chicks. If we can’t
see Wilbur anywhere,” Sturla recalls. “Then Masson writes in When Elephants Weep. birth. Her mental anguish is probably not so
who recounted episodes of abuse in their call this love, the word has no meaning.”
we noticed Lulu going to one end of the Later in the same book, readers meet Alex, different from the anguish of a mother who
childhood were not remembering but en- And there’s the remarkable story of an-
stall with a mouthful of straw and bring- an African gray parrot who is famous for his loses her child at birth.”

gaging in fantasy. We know now that they other pig named Lulu. This was a 200-
ing it over to the other corner of the stall
were wrong. If we were so ill-informed pound, Vietnamese, potbellied pig living on
where she dropped it. She continued doing
about the experiences of our closest associ- Presque Isle in Pennsylvania. Upon seeing
this. We soon observed that she was bury-
ates, what mysteries still lie undiscovered in the woman she lived with having a heart at-
ing Wilbur under the huge mound of straw.
the emotional lives of animals?” tack, Lulu struggled through a small doggie
Lulu had succeeded in completely covering
Masson’s work depends upon anecdotal- door in the wall of her owner’s house—injur-
him up to endure a cold winter evening!”
ism, an approach most in the scientific com- ing herself in the process—ran out into the
Masson regards animal sanctuaries as be-
munity regard as unreliable. In collecting street and lay in the road until a car stopped.
ing crucial for the education of the public
his anecdotes, he observes animal She then led the driver to the house.
behavior and develops, in his words, Lulu received international attention
“a careful description of an unusual for saving the woman’s life.
event.” Such events range from the It is hard to deny the altruism ex-
whimsical to the utterly reckless, like hibited by an African elephant in
the time in India he approached When Elephants Weep. When a baby
a group of elephants grazing with black rhinoceros became mired in
their calves, greeting one of the mud after a rainstorm, it called for its
large adults with the Sanskrit salute mother, who could do nothing to help
c o u r t e s y m a r k h aw t h o r n e
m a r k h aw t h o r n e
English vocabulary—and his dislike of vet-
erinarians. Dr. Irene Pepperberg, who has
worked with this parrot since 1977, dropped
Alex off at the veterinarian’s office one day.
Alex called out, “Come here. I love you. I’m
sorry. I want to go back.” While African
grays are known for their intelligence, Alex
may well be the Einstein of the breed. He
can count. He can identify objects, shapes,
colors and materials. He understands the
comparison of opposites like big and small,
like and unlike. He even manipulates lab
assistants to modify his environment to suit
his whim. Pepperberg asserts that Alex can
think, and presents evidence suggesting he
may one day be able to read.
Why aren’t more people interested in the
When questioned why humans have re-
mained ignorant of the emotions of animals
for so long, Sturla replies that it is in our
own self-interest not to know them; that is,
it is more convenient to not know whom we
are exploiting.
Pioneer: Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson lives in “In general,” Masson writes, “the more we
New Zealand and can by contacted on the know about something, the more we care.”
web at www.jeffreymasson.com As he sees it, the abuse of animals has gone
on too long. “We have a unique opportunity
contends that while some scientists are in- to live with other animals in a kind of har-
deed willing to explore the emotions of ani- mony that has never been possible in the
mals, most are fearful they will be ridiculed past, but could well be the one and only
by their peers and, like Darwin, be labeled way we can continue to live on this planet
anthropomorphic. Mainstream scientists, he into the future. Since we share so much of
says, stay clear of the emotional complexity our genetic heritage with other animals, it
of farm animals in order to avoid the moral is high time we realized how much we share

to Lord Ganesha: “Bhoh, Gajendra” it. A herd of elephants arrived, and
(“Greetings, Lord of the elephants”); an adult with large tusks knelt and
the enraged pachyderm chased the began lifting the little rhino. But the
terrified author, who barely escaped mother rhino charged the elephant,
with his life. who retreated. The elephant made
several attempts to help the baby, yet
inner lives of animals? How can ethologists consequences involved in killing them—ten emotional capacities as well. Once that is
(who study animal behavior), zoologists and billion a year in the US alone. Perhaps it’s realized perhaps we can begin to share the
other “experts” ignore so many instances easier on the conscience, he muses, to dis- Earth, which has been given to all animals,
of animals expressing themselves? Masson miss these animals as dumb and without human and otherwise, in common.” ∏π

Evolution of Animal Sanctuaries

Hog Heaven each time the large rhino, trying to Occasionally an animal escapes
Some critics argue that because protect her young, charged. Finally, a slaughterhouse, is deemed too
Masson’s observations are not based the elephants moved on, and the hu- sick by a farmer and finds its way
on empirical evidence, his work is Sitting with the master: In his New Zealand home, 13- mans observing the encounter res- into one of a handful of animal
“sophistry.” Although he acknowledg- year-old Jeffrey Masson poses with Paul Brunton cued the rhinoceros. What besides com- ow protection is the gift of hinduism sanctuaries. One such haven is
es that anecdotes do present difficul- passion, the author asks, would motivate to the world,” said Mahatma Gandhi. India Animal Place in Vacaville, Cali-
ties for scientists, such as the inability to on the proper treatment of animals. “I think an animal to risk its life to save an animal of runs more than 3,000 shelters, called Gausha- fornia. Founded in 1989 by Kim
control events, Masson rejects the claim that they are the only hope,” he says. “There, another species? las, to care for bovines in need, but Hindu- Sturla and Ned Buyukmihci, Ani-
the only valid conclusions about animals are people get to see what these animals are Masson addresses other characteristics ism’s respect for animals includes providing sanctu- mal Place takes in animals who
those based on empirical study. truly like. We need more of these places in of wild animals that seem all-too human: ary for other creatures as well. You’ll find monkeys have been abused or neglected
“What is empirical evidence? asks Masson. different countries. School kids need to go chimpanzees who rejoice upon discovering protected among the temples of Mandala Wisata and have no place else to go. Ani-
“If a scientist observes animals in a labora- to them as regularly as they go to zoos.” a cache of food, embracing, holding hands Wanara Wana (Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary) mals rescued from auctions and
tory, what he sees is considered data. But if and pressing their mouths against one an- in Bali, for example. Though the West was slow to stockyards and left over from
he sees the same thing in the wild, it is not. Fowl Play other before calming down enough to eat; catch on, animal sanctuaries have been popping up laboratory research also peace-
Or at least, that used to be the case. Jane Animals, it seems, are just waiting to express dolphins who “chuckle” to indicate friendly across the United States and Europe over the last fully live on the 60 acres of for-
Goodall [who has documented the social or- their affection and happiness. The kinds of contact; two groups of elephants who race 20 years. So what’s changed? Factory farming. As est, meadow, pasture, hills and a
ganization of chimpanzees in the wild] has friendships that we might expect to find toward each other over a quarter mile, Jeffrey Masson observes, the cruel concepts of fac- small lake. In addition to provid-
changed all that for good. Of course, some only between humans are common between trumpeting with delight, and finally meet tory farming go back nearly 2,000 years. But it was ing the day-to-day care of animals,
anecdotes are better than others. And ac- animals. It is not unheard of for even wild in a thundering display, clasping trunks and just after World War II—when small, family-scale Animal Place is an advocacy

m a r k h aw t h o r n e
cumulation is not always a guarantee of au- animals to bond with humans. Among the spinning around. farming in the US and Europe gave way to large- organization offering outreach
thenticity, but I believe that observing farm examples Masson uses to illustrate this point scale confined animal feeding operations—that fac- activities such as vegetarian cook-
animals under natural conditions is a good is the story of naturalist Joe Hutto. Joe spent Science Friction tory farming became the model, with domesticated ing classes.
way to get evidence of what they are like. a year living with wild turkeys and in the Throughout his books on the inner lives of animals like cows, sheep, chickens and pigs being For more information concern-
Sanctuaries are the best place to do this.” book describes his friendship with one of animals, Masson refers to Charles Darwin, forced to exist in shocking conditions, treated as ing the humane treatment of ani-
One such sanctuary is Animal Place, the birds. “Each time I saw him,” Hutto says, whose 1872 magnum opus, The Expression commodities and subjected to institutionalized mals, visit these web sites: www.
where animals that have been rescued from “he greeted me with a happy dance, a joyful of the Emotions in Man and Animals (still in abuse. Many scientists believe these conditions A caring soul: Kim Sturla, posing with Lulu animalplace.org, www.cowprotec-
slaughter or abuse share 60 bucolic acres in display of ducking and dodging, with wings print), is generally regarded as the first sci- are the cause of illnesses like bovine spongiform the pig, cofounded Animal Place in Califor- tion.com, www.farmanimalshel-
northern California. “Jeffrey Masson elo- outstretched and a frisky shake of his head, entific exploration of its kind seeking to solve encephalopathy (“mad cow disease”) and its human nia for the protection and care of abused or ters.org, www.animalrescuers.
quently makes the case that pigs, cows and like a dog with water in his ears.” such puzzles as why dogs wag their tails and variant, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. neglected creatures co.uk.

56 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 57


YOUTH
Finding Self Identity
Smart, young American Hindus of Indian origin
cope with the contrast of East and West
n a march edition of hindu press
International, our daily e-mail news
service, we invited essays from Hindu
teens and young adults of Indian origin
living in the USA, ages 13 to 25, to discuss
the challenges they face as they reconcile
Eastern religious culture with Western
daily life. The submissions that we received
were heart-felt, honest and revealing. We
share some excerpts below:
Shurjendu Dutt-Mazumdar, 19,
New York: India and America: one is my
motherland, the other, my fatherland. To
deny one at the expense of the other would
be foolhardy. The Gods and Goddesses
of India speak in unison to the universal
essence of oneness, while the starry blue
of America hails the ideals of democracy
and freedom. While I have personally wit-
nessed a great deal of ambiguity, mutual
exclusivity and “black and white” under-
standings expressed by fellow “split nation-
als,” I have had no problem being a Hindu-
Indian-American. I only pray that my own
weaknesses and aspirations to worldly
success are tempered by the age-old Hindu
edicts of love for God, reflection on the Self
Five of tomorrow’s best: (Clockwise from lower left) Saagar Ashvin Pandit, Swetha Rao
Surapaneni, Shivangi Gandhi, Shurjendu Dutt-Mazumdar, Priya Pandit
58 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
and firm adherence to dharma (righteous
duty). The ideals of America and of India
are but two manifestations of the One. I
feel that both these cultures, when culled
of the extraneous and embraced at the
core, can work harmoniously to encourage
self-growth. It is up to me to respond well
to the proffered hand of opportunity.
Shivangi Gandhi, 17, Illinois: I immigrated
to America with my parents when I was
ten. As a young girl, I stayed as “Indian” as
possible, and my parents were proud of me.
As the years passed by, however, I became
misguided, thinking that in order to be-
come a part of “American life,” I had to let
go of the culture of my birth. In the high
school I attended, which was 98 percent
Caucasian, I was confronted by Ameri-
cans—and many Indians as well—who
mocked me for my Indian behavior. At that
time, I chose to conform to American cul-
ture because I was tired of being laughed
at and excluded. This concerned my par-
ents. During my first week in college, I met
a young man from India. He had all those
qualities that any Indian mom and dad
would be proud of. Yet he had managed to
conform to the American culture. As we
became closer friends, I learned from him
that being Indian was not something that
I should be embarrassed about. Rather, it
should be a source of pride. My parents
were ecstatic to learn that, in college, I
joined an Indian organization that stressed
Indian culture, and was invited to join an-
other group that promotes Hinduism.
Saagar Ashvin Pandit, 13, Connecticut:
I was born here in America, but my par-
ents are from India. The town I live in and
the school I attend have a good sense of
cultural diversity and sponsor programs
that foster this awareness. Our town library
recently organized two events entitled
World of Words and United Nations Day,
which featured Hindu books and artwork
and provided information on our culture
and tradition. I have not experienced any
racial intolerance so far. But I do speak
out, because I believe that everyone has a
role to play in maintaining harmony, racial
or otherwise. I try to respect the religious
heritage of others and expect the same in
return. First and foremost, however, I am
proud of my Hinduism and my “mother
country,” India.
Swetha Rao Surapaneni, 17, California:
When I started elementary school, all my
friends were Indian Hindu. We got along
well together because we shared the same
values and beliefs. Then I got to know
other “Asians,” including kids who were
Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese.
I discovered that I was similar to these peo-
ple in many ways. In high school, my group
of friends expanded even more to include
kids who are Caucasian, Mexican and Afri-
can American. I even know some Christian
Indians. For me, all of these different influ-
ences have helped me a lot. Our Hindu re-
ligion tells us not to put down others, or to
try and convert them, but rather to try and
learn from them and embrace them.
Priya Pandit, 15, Connecticut: Some oc-
currences in my life have rattled me mo-
mentarily and made me speak up for my
civil rights. Once, a girl noticed a small pic-
ture of Ganesha in my binder. She started
asking me questions. My explanation of
the Hindu elephant God surprised her.
“Ooh, why would any one want to pray to
an elephant!” she exclaimed. I was shocked.
I politely suggested that if she was ever
inquisitive about my faith, she might feel
free to ask me questions but restrain from
making any rude remarks. I have also expe-
rienced racial acceptance. A local YMCA
chapter allowed me to host an auction to
collect money for a good cause in service of
our local Hindu temple. This was a refresh-
ing incident for me!
TESTIMONY
COMING OF AGE
How my faith honors the mothers of tomorrow
By Ramya Gopal, Tr Troy, Michigan
hen i reached puberty, my
mother gave me a necklace to
honor the occasion. Being young
and naive, I questioned not. At the
time, I did not know—nor was I interested
in knowing—that what had just occurred
was an abbreviated form of a
ceremony called the ritu kala
samskara. A few years later,
after talking to a Jewish friend
about her Bat Mitzvah, I won-
dered why Hinduism did not
have an equivalent ceremony
to acknowledge this impor-
tant stage of a young woman’s
development. When I asked
my mother about this, she ex-
plained that the ritu kala was
indeed just such a ceremony.
When I googled “ritu kala,”
r a m ya g o pa l
the results were far from
satisfactory. Realizing that the
Internet world could never give
me the information I was seek-
ing, I asked my grandmother
about it. She said that, like the coming-of-
age society balls of the Victorian Era in
England, this samskara (sacrament) was
supposed to commemorate a girl’s formal
initiation into adult society. Yet unlike those
secular and social parties of England, it was
also supposed to signify an important point
in the spiritual development of a girl.
In the not-so-distant past, Indian parents
would often arrange for their daughter’s
marriage to occur a few years before she
reached puberty. (Before 1951, the aver-
age marriage age for girls in India was 13.)
After marriage, she would remain in her
parent’s home until puberty, learning of the
household duties she would perform later
as a mother and a wife. After puberty, she
would move into the house of her in-laws,
serve her husband and live the life for
which she had been prepared. Hence, the
ritu kala not only recognized a young girl’s
important physical and emotional trans-
formations, it also indicated her readiness
to take on a woman’s responsibilities, often
including starting a family of her own.
Unlike most Hindu celebrations, only
women are present at the ritu kala. During
the ceremony, the girl is presented with her
first sari while all the ladies present gather
october/november/december, 2004
near, sing songs of praise and shower her
with gifts. In some communities, green-col-
ored presents are given to invite fertility.
While this Hindu ceremony, as it is
traditionally performed, is slowly disap-
pearing in India, it seems to have barely
gotten started here in the US. To satisfy my
own curiosity, I presented a
questionnaire to a few of my
second-generation Indian
friends, asking what they
thought about this event, and
if they had participated in
it. The families of these girls
originally came from Andra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karna-
taka, Maharashtra, and Pun-
jab. Many of the responses
I received from the 20 girls
that I asked consisted of one
or two-word answers.
Most the girls had indeed
participated in the ceremony.
This in itself was surprising
to me, even though—as they
described it—“the whole
thing was no big deal.” According to one
girl, it was a very small event performed at
home with no priest: “just mom, dad, my
sister and me. And I didn’t get anything.”
In general, my friends seemed indifferent
to the whole idea of ritu kala. Before I un-
derstood the ceremony, I felt the same way.
The last person in my family to formally
participate in this ceremony was my great
grandmother. When I asked the mothers
of my friends about the ritual, they seemed
shy to talk about the issue. Most of them
confessed they would be hesitant to have it
performed for their daughters.
I strongly feel that if the significance of
this important ceremony had been better
articulated in our Hindu community over
the past 20 years, today’s teenage girls
would have more respect for this aspect of
our Hindu culture and be more inclined
to participate in it. After all, today’s young
women represent the future of humanity,
for they are the mothers of tomorrow.
Ramya Gopal, 14, plays violin in an or-
chestra, studies classical Indian music and
dance and attends the International Acad-
emy, named the number one high school in
the nation by Time magazine.
h i n d u i s m t o d ay 59
CU LT U R E
The Hazards of Synthetic Sindoor
Studies disclose serious health risks from chemical cosmetics marketed
for the ancient Hindu practice of adorning the forehead with red powder
By Tirtho Banerjee, Lucknow, india
he recent new jersey case in
which a couple and their 13-year-old
child were diagnosed with serious lead
poisoning due to regular consumption
of sindoor as a food coloring has come as a
shock. Sindoor was never meant for use in
any type of eatable. Sindoor or kumkum as
it is known in the South, is meant for use as
a forehead mark, referred to as tilak, bindi
or pottu, put on the spot between the brows
which is considered the seat of latent wis-
dom, the ajna chakra. The case highlights
modern cosmetic manufacturers’ use of
synthetic and often dangerous materials for
making sindoor, which are harmful, even
when just used for ornamentation
While sindoor was the ancient name giv-
en to the very toxic, red, mercury oxide, as a
cosmetic its most common base is turmeric
powder which becomes red when mixed
with lime juice or lime powder (calcium
compound), moistened in water, or with
alum, iodine and camphor, or with oil and
sea shell powder (calcium salts), or aguru,
chandan and kasturi. It can also be made
of sandalwood mixed with musk, or from a
mixture of saffron ground with kusumbha
flower. Another traditional ingredient used
in making kumkum was raw rice in water
heated in a pan until it formed into a glue-
like red carbonaceous compound which
solidified on cooling. At the time of placing
the kumkum, it was made into a paste by
adding water. National Botanical Research
Institute (NBRI) color experts say that in
olden days sindoor was made with a special
type of red marble stone, covered with tur-
meric and a little oil and left undisturbed
for a few days, after which it turned into
red powder. In Tamil, turmeric powder is
known as manjal and the final product is
called manjal kunkumam.
However, these traditional preparations
have long been forgotten. Today most mod-
dinodia picture agency
ern cosmetic product manufacturers pro-
duce sindoor and kumkum from synthetic
materials, lead, zinc and industrial dyes. It is
also called red lead (Pb3O4). Manufacturers
follow no single method. Some mix oxidized
metals and substandard oil to bring about
the texture. Now sindoor is also available in
liquid form. Scientists also say that it would
not be surprising if the red sindoor color
60 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004
was attained by adding Rhodamine B dye, absorption and in utero exposures. Inges- Hindu astrologers say that, Mesha Rashi
which can induce hereditary disorders. Red tion can occur through lead contaminated or the House of Aries is on the forehead.
is also being derived from mercury sulphite, hands, he adds. Lead exposure can lead to The Lord of Mesha is Mars and his color is
which can cause skin cancer. All these toxic a wide range of biological effects, depend- red. It is believed to be auspicious. This is
substances can trigger hair loss, edema and ing upon the level and duration of exposure. why red sindoor is applied at the forehead
erythema. When ingested, inhaled or absorbed, lead and at the parting of the hair. Both are signs
Branded sindoor and kumkum, even the can harm virtually every organ in the hu- of saubhagya (good fortune). Sindoor is also
liquid sindoor marketed by the reputed cos- man body, especially the brain, kidney and considered to be the symbol of the female
metic company, Lakme, does not carry the reproductive systems. energy of Parvati and Sati.
mandatory label of ingredients. Adding to Sindoor (also called vermillion) and kum- Sadly, today not only the ingredients of
the toxicity problem are a flood of unbrand- kum have traveled through more than 5,000 sindoor, but the methods for applying the
ed products on the markets. Even big shops years of Hindu culture. Female figurines bindi have been distorted. The traditional
in urban markets sell spurious or unbranded excavated at Mehrgarh, Baluchistan, show forehead marks have all but been replaced
products without a list of ingredients. that sindoor was applied to the partition by black and red velvet cloth pressings,
Way back in 1994, a working group com- of women’s hair even in early Harappan available in the ready-to-use sticker type
prising the Central Pollution Control Board forms. Sticker bindis, as we call them, come
(CPCB), Delhi, CUTS and Pharmacopoe- in every color, form, size and shape. They
ial Laboratory of Indian Medicine (PLIM), are a fashion statement these days. A ma-
Ghaziabad, was formed to verify the de- jority of the young female population sports
tailed technical information of ingredients the red bindi as an embellishment to match
of liquid kumkum, sticker bindi and sindoor their outfits. It has been transformed into
before awarding the Ecomark. Ecomarked an ornamental mark and lost its traditional
products must satisfy the quality, perfor- meanings and preparations.
mance and safety requirements of the In ancient India, flower garlands were an
Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). These important part of the evening dress of both
products are also required to declare the list men and women. They were often accom-
of critical inputs and are not supposed to panied by visesakachhedya, painting the
be manufactured from any carcinogenic or forehead with a bindi or tilak. In those days,
tirtho banerjee
harmful ingredients. Though the Ecomark thin and tender leaves used to be cut into
has been made mandatory, to date no produc- different shapes and pasted upon the fore-
er of sindoor or kumkum has applied for it. head.The dhava plant (grislea tomentosa)
Sindoor can cause local irritation and skin and its hard, blood-red clustered bushes are
toxicity, says N. M. Khanna, an ex-Central referred to as sindura (puspi) in the Unadi
Drug Research Institute sci- Sutras of Panini’s Astadhyayi.
entist. The nature of sindoor Sindoor and kumkum have
or kumkum can change with social and religious significance
exposure to the environment attached to them. Placed at the
over time and this can result top of the forehead at the part-
in blisters, itching, rashes, pig- ing of the hair, it signifies that a
mentation and, at times, serious woman is married. In North In-
dermatological disorders. In a dia, it is customary for a husband
survey conducted by the Con- to apply sindoor on his wife’s
sumer Unity and Trusts Society forehead during important fes-
(CUTS), Kolkata, in November tivals. Sindoor is offered to mar-
2001, half of the respondents ried women on Navaratri and
(consumers) said that they had Sankranti. Sindoor and kumkum
suffered allergic reaction to are also offered to Gods mostly
tirtho banerjee
personal care products which in temples dedicated to Shakti,
included bindi and sindoor. Lakshmi and Vishnu. The wide-
The synthetic adhesive used spread use of tilak, pottu and
in sticker bindis may lead to bindi is deeply embedded in
eczema, leucoderma or skin Hindu culture and here to stay.
irritation. Dr. Roopa Vajpayee, A global spread of health
a consumer activist of Delhi- Many forms of sindoorr: An array (right) of cosmetics, some dan- awareness is prompting an in-
based Voluntary Organisation gerous, put a mark on the forehead. Few distributors declare their dustry-wide makeover. Now
in Interest of Consumer Edu- ingredients. Natural sindoor made with tumeric powder and lime many companies are claim-
cation (VOICE), says the use of (above) is a safe bet, as are natural, herbal products now available. ing to be making bindis in ISO
sticker bindis can cause white 9002 certified manufacturing
patches on the forehead. times. Legends says that Radha, the con- facilities with nontoxic and nonallergenic
Monitorings of lead levels in food mate- sort of Lord Krishna, turned the kumkum adhesives on the back. Similarly, cosmetic
rials undertaken from time to time by the into a flame like design on her forehead. stalwarts like Shahnaz Hussain are claiming
Industrial Toxicology Research Centre In the epic Mahabharata, Draupadi, the to produce safe herbal sindoor containing
(ITRC) have also found possible exposure wife of the Pandavas, is believed to have precious herbs and flowers such as hibiscus,
to lead through adulterated sindoor. A sci- wiped her sindoor in disgust and despair. marigold, safflower and chandan. We hope
entist at ITRC says lead enters humans The Puranas, Lalitha Sahasranamam and the entire industry follows their example
“I am married”: Sindoor smeared at parting of the hair declares the status of the bride mostly through ingestion, inhalation, skin Soundarya Lahhari all mention their use. and provides nontoxic products. ∏π
o c t o b e r / n o v e m b e r / d e c e m b e r , 2 0 0 4 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 61
 WOR S H I P

One woman’s devotion brings the blessings of

i l l u s t r at i o n : i n d r a s h a r m a

the elephant-headed God to rural USA

By Vatsala Sperling, Vermont a frozen cloud in the cold air.

ith three feet of freshly-
fallen snow on the ground and the
morning sun shining brightly in a
clear blue sky, it was a typical win-
ter day in Vermont. The man who came that
morning to take measurements in my home
p h o t o s ; vata s a l a s p e r l i n g
“Oh, you simply must,” I insisted. “The
pool doesn’t have any chlorine or chemi-
cals in it, so we ask our guests to remove
their shoes. And, see that over there?” I said,
pointing in the direction of our Ganesha
statue. “Whenever you see one of those, you

for a window drape spoke with a heavy Ver-
mont accent. When I asked him to take his
boots off before entering our pool building,
he grunted: “Don’t work without my boots.”
Wisps of water vapor bellowed from his
barely open mouth, forming
should take your shoes off as a courtesy.”
I guess my voice sounded a little more se-
rious than I intended, or perhaps Ga-
nesha caught the

Ganesha
Comess to Vermont
Come He’s everywhere: (Far left) This
photo, taken near the author’s home in Roches-
ter, reveals a typical Vermont scene. The superimposed painting
of Ganesha symbolizes an all-prevading sense of peace He brings when worshiped
with devotion, as shown above at the shrine created for Him by Vatsala Sperling next to
her indoor swimming pool, which she refers to as “His temple tank.”

62 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 63

man’s attention. With eyes darting back and and streams. There will be no shortage of bath, pause for a moment before entering balancing the crate with ease. er with me?” She asked. “Bring your teacher commodity at any Hindu affair. All of our
forth between me and the statue, he finally beautiful girls who will come every day to the water. Bow to Lord Ganesha. Ask for His The elegant, finely chiseled, three-foot- anytime,” I answered. This teacher turned friends help with all aspects of the occa-
bent over to remove his boots. As soon as I fetch water.’ Ganesha obeyed his mother protection and His blessing. Then ask the high dancing Ganesha of gray-black gran- out to be a sannyasini (a female renunciate sion including decorating, dressing Ganesha,
opened the door, he took two long strides and made it a habit to find a seat near every water to be merciful and life giving before ite that emerged from the crate was an en- monk) named Shubhra from the lineage hosting guests and cleaning up afterward.
and planted himself right in front of the body of water he came across. And that’s you finally step into it. No matter what you chanting beauty to behold. The soul of the of Swami Chinmayananda. What a coin- Many of the guests have never been to a
statue. “What the heck is this elephant do- why you rarely see a well without a Gane- do, this humility and devotion will help.” sculptor shining through the stone was hard cidence! As a child I had attended classes Hindu religious ceremony, yet feel quite at
ing here?” he muttered. “Never seen an el- sha nearby,” his mother concluded, adding: This conversation came back to me as I to ignore. One of the three men had worked conducted by the Chinnaya Mission. Dur- home here. Amidst all the devotional fervor
ephant dancing on one foot before. Got four “There is always hope, you see, not only that considered the idea of installing a Ganesha in Italy in a marble-sculptor’s workshop. He ing those years, I met Swami Chinmayanan- and festivities, my sister and I cook up a
arms. Strangest elephant I’ve ever seen!” Ganesha might find a girl as beautiful as his statue near our swimming pool. I told my knew what it meant to carve a statue with da and heard him speak and chant often. saatwik (simple and pure) vegetarian meal
Clearly, this man needed a crash course mother, but also that all young ladies might husband about it. such fine proportion and detail. He could Shubhra teaches Vedanta throughout the and prasadam.
on Ganesha. I mentioned a few things find a husband as handsome as Ganesha.” “Get in touch with Hinduism Today for not take his eyes off it, and complimented United States. When she learned of my In the evening, my husband’s book-pub-
quickly to which he replied, “I’m going to Years later my mother advice,” he exclaimed. I was so happy that its craftsmanship again and again. childhood association with Swamiji, she em- lishing company, Inner Traditions Interna-
look for Him on the web.” He then took he was not only endorsing my idea but also Immediately after Ganesha’s arrival, all of braced me warmly. She was ecstatic when tional, sponsors a talk by Shubhra as a ser-
the measurement for the window drape offering a practical plan for obtaining a the appropriate ceremonies were performed she saw Ganesha, and during the evening vice to the community, which facilitates the
and left. Ganesha statue from India. to make Him comfortable in His new home. puja, spontaneously chanted bhajanas (de- sharing of Indian philosophy and wisdom
In 1999 my husband, Ehud, decided to My Hindu background and upbringing To begin with, the pratisthapana puja (in- votional songs) for several hours. After the with local Vermonters. The local church
build a 26,000-gallon
-gallon indoor swimming are a source of immense joy to Ehud. He stallation ceremony) was done by—oh dear— puja was over, we all soaked in peace, hap- gives free use of its space.
pool for us to use for exercise during the has always encouraged me to write ar- me! For prasadam (sacred offering) I most piness and tranquility that filled the air. This talk is quite an event. We go up to the
long Vermont winters, which can linger ticles for Hinduism Today. Now he was gladly prepared Ganesha’s favorite sweet, “We need to offer our Ganesha a royal altar of this church where there is a Jesus
on for up to five months. Growing up thinking that the staff there might be able koikattai—traditional candy balls made of treat,” said Shubhra after some time. “I will on the cross in a town where the population
in Tamil Nadu, I wasn’t used to outdoor to help find a sculptor who could assist us rice, jaggery and coconut. Although I had speak with Kailashan.” She said this quietly, is almost entirely white. We bring flowers,
winter sports, and we were in the habit in planting a seed from the “land of Bharat” never actually prepared this dish before almost as if she was just talking to herself. incense, lamp and a picture of Swami Chin-
of exercising vigorously every day. It in the frigid soil of Vermont. myself, I had watched my mother make it I soon learned that Kailashan was a high- mayananda (Shubhra’s teacher). The hall
just made perfect sense to have an in- Immediately, I dashed off an e-mail to many times back in Tamil Nadu. To powered priest from Tamil Nadu, trained fills up with people, and the whole affair is
door pool. Hawaii. The reply was immediate. It was my happy surprise, it turned out since childhood in a tremendous success. Shubhra talks about
During one of my frequent solitary recommended that I contact Mr. great. I was quite impressed with relationships, letting go of anger, forgiving
walks through the forest around Nellaiappan, a gentleman who myself, to tell the truth, and thought: and being free—all in relation-
our house, I stopped and sat had worked with the monastery “Well, I have passed the test of being ship to Hinduism. This is what
by a nearby pond to watch the in Hawaii to export religious icons a good Tamil girl.” I call religious integration and
gentle wind make tiny waves from India and knew qualified While my two-year-old Mahar tolerance in small-town America.
on the surface of the water. sculptors who could do fine work. squirmed in my lap to get my atten- Our little town of Rochester
In my mind I caught a fleet- During our next visit to India, we tion, I finished the puja by chant- in Vermont has only 900 people.
ing glimpse of Ganesha by a met Mr. Nellaiappan and his main ing Ganesha’s 1008 names. For Having scanned the local public
temple pond near my home in sculptor, Sri Venkatesh. We all arati (showing burning camphor archives, I know that I am the
India. It was an inspiring mo- agreed upon a picture of Gane- to the Deity to conclude the cer- only Hindu who has ever lived in

g in
ment, infusing me with a pow- sha that could be used as a model emony), Mahar rang the bell. As this 36-square-mile town. Although

a sperl
erful burst of energy. Ganesha for carving our Ganesha statue. the flames bellowed smoke and there are a few other Hindu fami-
rling

is often an integral part of the Seven months later, in July the camphor burned, I pleaded lies in Vermont, there are no Hindu
landscape near any body of of 2000, we got a call from the with Ganesha, “Please pardon temples. We perform daily puja to

va ta s a l
p h o t o s : vata s a l a s p e

water in Tamil Nadu. Suddenly,
I was consumed with an idea:
We could make a home for Ga-
nesha by our swimming pool!
Mother’s story
Years ago, my mother told me a
Ganesha story illustrating why
you never see a well in Tamil Nadu without
a Ganesha shrine nearby, and why everyone
who fetches water at a well always bows to
Ganesha first.
“It has to do with a little argument Ga-
nesha had with his mother,” she explained,
locking her beautiful eyes with mine. “Ga-
nesha was a handsome young bachelor who
was soon to be married. ‘I will only marry
a woman as beautiful as you,’ He told his
mom. When Siva heard this, He admon-
ished Ganesha. ‘Forget it, son,’ He said.
‘The most beautiful woman ever created is
my wife and your mother, Paravati.’ Always
the supremely compassionate mother, Para-
vati consoled Ganesha saying, ‘Son, there is
always hope. Keep searching and you might
succeed in finding the lady of your dreams.
Sit by temple ponds, wells, rivers, lakes
Bringing forth the magic: Priest and friend
Kailashan performs a Ganesha puja every
year (top). Ganesha’s new residence by the
author’s swimming pool.
asked me, “Do you remember that story of
Ganesha and the wells that I told you some
time ago? Do you think that is the only rea-
son Ganesha sits near wells and ponds?” She
wasn’t trying to drive home a message. She
wanted to know if I had learned the story’s
real lesson.
“Mother you must have been kidding about
Ganesha looking for a wife,” I said. “None
of the books I have ever read mention that
story.” “Many stories are not written down,”
she explained. “This one is all about water.
We must have a profound respect for water.
Water gives life, and it can take life in the
blink of an eye. The next time you take a
warehouse where my husband’s
publishing company ships and
receives books.“There is a 1,000-
pound crate here, addressed to
the attention of Ehud Sperling,”
said the voice on the other end
of the line. “And I can tell you, it
is not books.” The huge parcel had traveled
by land, sea and by air from Chennai [Ma-
dras] through Mumbai [Bombay], Singapore,
California, Boston, and finally on to Rutland
here in Vermont.
That crate was very heavy and could
not be budged. My husband and I had no
clue what to do. One of Ehud’s staff casu-
ally mentioned, “Why not call the people
who carve monuments for cemeteries?
They must know how to move large stones.”
Good idea! Actually, Vermont is famous for
granite quarrying and stone carving, so we
contacted one of the stone companies. Sure
enough, that crate was soon being hauled
up our driveway on the back of a truck
equipped with a crane and three burly men.
With that crane plus a collection of ramps,
dollies, and pulleys, these fellows waltzed
into our pool building like dainty ballerinas,
me for any transgression I have
made in trying to discharge my
cultural and religious obligations
here in Vermont where no one knows You.”
Pilgrims begin to come
Soon Ganesha got busy on His own, pulling
strings here and there to make sure people
would come to visit Him. The first to come
was Sri Ramaswami from Chennai. He is a
renowned and highly acclaimed Sanskrit
scholar with a golden voice and impeccable
Sanskrit pronunciation. He is also a student
of the hatha yoga master, Sri T. Krishnam-
achari, and an author of several books on
yoga. He had came to visit my husband’s
publishing office and was invited by Ehud
to our home. During his visit, he sat in front
of the Ganesha statue and performed a most
eloquent puja. It was so beautiful. Honestly,
if you could see this scene: the priest, the
statue, the lamps and the people sitting by
devotedly. You would think you were in the
heart of India.
A couple of weeks later, a friend of ours
named Lynn called to arrange to visit us.
“Would it be a problem if I brought my teach-
Just like home:
The author (left) and her sister,
Bhuvaneshwari, bask in their devotion to
Lord Ganesha, just as they did in India
Hindu temple ceremony. He now lives in
New Jersey, about a seven-hour drive from
our home here in Vermont.
Shubhra arranged for Kailashan to come
with his wife and their children to do a
Ganesha homa (fire ceremony) in August
of 2000. Every summer since then, he has
visited us to do a special puja for Ganesha.
At that time, my sister who lives in Oman,
comes with her two sons. Shubhra, Lynn
and their friends come from New York.
Shyamdas and his wife, Tulsi, also come
from New York. Many of our neighbors and
friends from Vermont also attend. It has be-
come quite a big event.
Another friend of ours named Leslie
always makes sure that the event is fully
supplied with flowers, a very important
our beloved Ganesha, but it is this
annual Ganesha homa that truly
transforms our humble pool-side
shrine into Vermont’s one and only
Hindu temple. I am always amazed
and dazzled when His shrine takes
on all its powerful grandeur. For days after-
wards I hear how the joyful experience has
changed the lives not only of those who at-
tended but also those who just heard of the
ceremony.
Both my husband and I believe that a last-
ing happiness, health and security can only
exist for an individual when humanity as a
whole lives with some sense of unity. That
this dream might come true is our prayer to
the elephant-headed remover of obstacles. It
is a prayer that a God of His power and love
must consider worthy of an answer.
Meanwhile, Vermont’s first Ganesha lives
happily here with us in Rochester through
our cold, gray winters. All year round He re-
ceives visitors, and each day as we prepare
to take our daily dip in our pool—which has
now become His temple tank—we reflect
on His grace and the vast hope it brings into
our lives. ∏π

64 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 65

 the ritual tent just outside the Installation festival: (clockwise
temple. The purpose of the from left) God Siva is beseeched
complex rituals is to invoke through fire rituals (homa) to
God first into the fires and the indwell sacred pots of water
kumbhas (pots) of water, and that will later be used at the
then magically transfer this height of the ceremony to bathe
power to the icons themselves the newly installed Sivalingam,
during installation in the tem- investing it with the power and
ple. On the morning of May 29, presence of God; entrance tower
the American Memorial Day of the existing Venkateswara
holiday, the new temple came temple; Hinduism Today
alive as the Sivalingam and publisher Satguru Bodhinatha
other Deities were installed in Veylanswami joins the priests in
their sanctums in the ritual parading the sacred icon (murti)
called prana pratishthapana. of Lord Venkateswara, the pri-
Fund-raising for the Siva tem- mary Deity, around His temple
ple began two years ago as dev-
otees sponsored the special Ga- now, some Hindu communities
nesha puja held once a month. have placed Siva and Vishnu in
Cultural programs successfully the same building with equal
raised funds, including two size shrines. These Siva/Vishnu
sold-out performances by the temples being built outside of In-
renowned dancer Venupathi dia (he was unaware of any in In-
Satyam. Building the Siva tem- dia) are a new innovation within
ple next to the existing Vishnu Hinduism. Traditionally, Hindu
temple allowed for collabora- temples have a single main sanc-
tion and sharing of resources tum for the temple’s main Deity,
already existing at the Vishnu and smaller, subsidiary shrines
temple, according to temple for other Gods and Goddesses.
trustee Dr. Vauseda Kulkarni. According to Hindu philosophy,
Contractors built on the experi- Siva and Vishnu are different de-
ences and lessons gained when pictions of the one Supreme God
the Vishnu temple was built (see page 30 for several swamis’
TEMPLES more than a decade earlier. observations on this point). So,

Siva in the South

The Lord Venkateswara tem- Bodhinatha points out, when the
ple was dedicated when just two forms are put in two sepa-
the plain concrete and wooden rate and equal central sanctums,
structure was finished. Later it is like splitting the one God
came the process of “Indianiza- into two Gods, which can cre-
tion,” in which highly decora- ate confusion about the nature of
tive plaster relief work was ap- God and cause Hinduism to be
Atlanta Hindu Temple adds God Siva to its pantheon with His own temple plied to just about every surface
inside and out. The Siva temple
perceived as polytheistic. A more
basic problem is that conflicts of-
followed the same route, with ten arise between the different
urrounded by pine trees and devotees in the Atlanta area, they drew up are worshiping God, not the image as such. the elaborate decorations on priest lineages in such a mixed
sitting atop a hillock creatively land- plans for a Siva temple on the new land. The principal Deity of the new temple is the edifice to take an additional circumstance. The Atlanta ar-
scaped in Vaishnava symbols, situ- They hired Sri Muthiah Sthapati, a tradi- Lord Siva in the form of a Sivalingam. The two years and be performed by rangement allows the shrines,
ated next to a state highway allow- tional temple architect from India who de- Lingam was given the name of Ramalinges- ten artisans from India. They ceremonies and priesthoods
ing darshan to all who drive by, the signed and oversaw the construction of the wara by Sri Jayendra Saraswati of Kanchi will include depiction of the in each temple to be solely of
Hindu Temple of Atlanta, Georgia, stands Venkateswara temple, as well as many others Kamakoti Peetham in South India. This 108 tandava dance poses of Vaishnavite or Saivite tradition,
out as one of the most beautiful temples in in North America. By May, 2003, Sthapati particular Lingam is a naturally formed Lord Siva. providing each group of devotees
North America. In a grand week of ceremo- completed the Siva temple plans. Ground- stone from the Narmada River in India. The Vishnu temple (www. the forms of worship to which
nies in late May, local devotees and priests breaking ceremonies were conducted the This rounded, elliptical, aniconic image is hindutempleofatlanta.org) was they are accustomed.
from temples all across the continent per- same month, and construction began in the simplest and most ancient symbol of conceived back in the 1970s Today the paired temples stand
formed the first twelve-year rededication January, 2004. The main structure of the Siva, especially of Parasiva, God beyond all with a group of like-minded on twelve acres of land with com-
ceremony, kumbhabhishekam, for the Lord building was completed in a few months, forms and qualities. Hindus pledging us $10,000 plete facilities for the practice
Venkateswara (Vishnu) temple plus dedicat- and the dedication scheduled to coincide According to temple priest Pandit Kumar, each to the project, according and perpetuation of Hinduism,
ed a newly built temple to God Siva. It is be- with the rededication of the Venkateswara the Sivalingam, along with the icons of God- to temple president Dr. G.V. setting an excellent example for
lieved to be the first community in America temple from May 25 to 29. dess Parvati, Lord Ganapati and Lord Sub- Raghu. Ground was broken new temples coming up in the
to build a completely separate Siva temple Hinduism Today’s publisher, Satguru rahmanya were kept in the Venkateswara in 1986, and the main Deities West. With its proximity to a ma-
of equal size on the same land as another Bodhinatha Veylanswami, attended as chief temple where they rested in water, milk were installed in 1992. The temple has since music, dance and yoga. jor airline hub, a plethora of hotels (at least
temple. guest. He gave daily talks through the week, and flowers for five days to purify, soften added land and buildings. The most recent Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami com- one of which provides shuttle service to the
In 2001, eleven years after the Venkates- emphasizing the necessity and metaphysics and heal any hurts that may have occurred addition, before the Siva temple, was a com- mented that the Hindu Temple of Atlanta temple) and other Atlanta attractions, this
wara temple was established, the trustees of temple worship. Bodhinatha explained that during the sculpting process. During these bined education/banquet hall dedicated in is the first temple society in North America oasis of traditional Hinduism could become
bought six acres of adjoining land. In rec- communicating with the Gods through wor- days, homas, fire worship ceremonies, were 2003. It is designed to accommodate the ac- to build a separate Siva temple of the same one of Hinduism’s premier pilgrimage spots
ognition of the increasing number of Siva ship of the image is a very real thing. But we conducted each morning and evening in tive children’s classes in religion, language, size as its existing Vishnu temple. Up until in America. ∏π

66 h i n d u i s m t o d ay october/november/december, 2004 october/november/december, 2004 h i n d u i s m t o d ay 67

 APRIL TO JUNE ENDOWMENT CONTRIBUTIONS
Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment Natraj Narayanswami 25.00 Anonymous 100.00 Ganesan & Rajalakshmi Ramalingam 50.00
Anonymous 350.00 Umah Rani Palanisamy 159.47 Rajendra Giri 15.00 Rajalakshmi Ramalingam 50.00
Rajendra Giri 35.00 Janaka Param 6.00 Total 115.00 Raja Vishnu 10.00
HHE helps provide Hindu institutions with a permanent and growing source of income. Diksha Katir
Rhawnee Pauahi Kealoha
136.59
25.00
Gassa Patten
Adi Sankara Perumal
35.88
86.55 Loving Ganesha Distribution Fund
Rajendra Giri 15.00
Total
Manjung Hindu Sabha Orphanage Fund
975.00

Rakesh Sood 125.00 Anjeeni Devi Perumal 28.50

Individual donors may establish a fund which benefits a specific project or organization, Other Donations
Himalayan Academy
11,161.31
3,250.00
K. V. Ramachandran
Charles & Jan Roberts
866.05
30.00
Christian Langers
Manoharan Navaratnarajah
150.00
75.00
Rajendra Giri
Total
15.00
15.00
Total 15,082.90 Padmini Samuthiran 180.16 Gassa Patten 1,667.00
or an institution may establish itself as the beneficiary. Donations are invested in a broadly Iraivan Temple Endowment
Vatsala Sastry
Linda Seeley
252.00
75.00
Total
Swami Agnivesh Endowment Fund
1,907.00 Pazhassi Balamandiram Orphanage Fund
Rajendra Giri
Natraj Narayanswami
25.00
35.00
Anonymous 100.00
diversified portfolio of marketable securities to provide a regular grant each year. Currently, Diksha Katir
Chandran Nagalingam
136.59
50.00
Urvashi Bhupendra Shah
Jiva Shanmuga
Chandra Shekharan
1,001.00
102.00
135.00
Rajendra Giri
Total
15.00
15.00
Ganesan & Rajalakshmi Ramalingam
Total
50.00
110.00
S.V. Ravi Rahavendran 152.00
HHE holds fifty-nine professionally managed endowment funds that benefit orphanages, Marshall Silva
Nitya Sivam
333.34
50.00
Tillainathan Shivanbodhiselvan
Devaladevi Sivaceyon
800.00
7.83
Saiva Agamas Trust
Matthew Wieczork
Total
45.00
45.00
Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple of Utah Endowment Fund
Praneel Chandra Gosai
Tanjore & Sumithranrani Govindarajan
250.00
5.00
Nutanaya Sivaceyon 7.83
temples, ashrams, educational institutes, monasteries, homes for the elderly and various Devananda Tandavan
Arlene Vaughn
Raja Vishnu
125,000.00
12.50
10.00
Dasa Sivam
Lavanadevi Sivam
70.00
51.00
Positive Discipline Endowment
Vijay - Daksha - Neil Mithal 5.00
Ada K. Moore
Indra & R. Neelameggham
Jutikadevi Sivaraja
150.00
100.00
216.00
Potriyan Sivanathan 7.84 Total 5.00
publications in Bangladesh, Fiji, India, Malaysia, Mauritius, Sri Lanka and the USA. HHE Total
Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund
125,844.43
Robert Sorrells
Satheesan Sudhakaran
108.00
79.50 Kauai Aadheenam Religious Art and Artifacts Fund
Total
Swami Vipulananta Children’s Home Endowment
721.00

Sivanathan Batumalai 26.14 Nagaraj Tanguturu 160.00 Rajadeva Alahan 153.00

maintains an office at the Hindu Monastery on the Hawaiian island of Kauai and is overseen Hemakheshaa Naatha Batumallah
Gunavadee Caremben
6.00
0.92
Vayudeva Varadan
Arlene Vaughn
200.00
12.50
Total
Thank You Bodhinatha Fund
153.00
Sivakanthan Sivanathapillai
Total
5,000.00
5,000.00
Hindu Literature Fund
and managed by the monastic stewards and staff. For information visit www.hheonline.org. Somasundaram Caremben
Sukanta Caremben
Ruth Ann Delph
0.92
0.92
45.00
Srinivasa Yegnasubramanian
Total
1,000.00
8,337.84
Anonymous
Ashish Suresh Chitnis
344.00
2,001.00
Patrick Coyle
Thomas F. Fellowes
805.28
100.00
Hindu Businessmen’s Association Trust Amarnath Devarmanai 324.00 Jutikadevi Sivaraja 108.00
Umaiyal Devasegayam Family 65.36 Lila Shakti Devi 101.00
COMPLETE ENDOWMENTS LIST Tarakini Gunasegaran
Tirunyanam Gunasegaran
3.68
2.90
Paramaseeven Canagasaby
Vel Mahalingum
32.79
21.62 Rajendra Giri
Rhawnee Pauahi Kealoha
15.00
25.00
Matthew Wieczork
Total
20.00
1,033.28
Manogaran Mardemootoo 54.04
Isanah Kameni 39.45
01 Kauai Aadheenam Monastic Endowment 31 Spiritual Park of Mauritius Endowment Amouda Koothan 1.44
Vishwanaden Moorooven
Janaka Param
7.14
52.00
Shama Kumaran
Devdatta V. Mhaiskar
51.00
51.00
Pooled Income Fund Trust (PIF)
Gowri Nadason 30.00
Egilen Koothan 28.91 Chandran Nagalingam 50.00 Satya Palani 75.00
Total 167.59
02 Iraivan Temple Endowment 32 Positive Discipline Endowment Saravan Koothan
Souda Koothan
1.44
1.44 Kailasa Peedam Gift Fund
Manoharan Navaratnarajah 150.00 Barathy Sockanathan 10.00
Shanta Devi Periasamy 226.35 Total 115.00
03 Kauai Aadheenam Annual Archana Fund 33 Tirumular Sannidhi Preservation Fund Usharani Kuppusamy
Bhaveshan Moorghen
39.21
10.71
Anonymous
Total
111.00
111.00
Deva Rajan
Alex Ruberto
1,001.00
60.00
Shanda Kumaran Moorghen 10.71
04 Hinduism Today Lifetime Subscription Fund 34 Mauritius Saiva Dharmasala Endowment Udeyadeva Moorghen 10.71 Boys School for Iraivan Priesthood
Rajendra Giri 15.00
Hitesvara Saravan
Dasa Sivam
501.00
108.00
Total Contributions $172,250.05
Toshadeva Palani 7.40 Rakesh Sood 125.00
05 Hindu Businessmen’s Association Trust 35 Alaveddy Pasupatheeswarar Temple Fund Yoganathan Palani 33.00 S.V. Ravi Rahavendran
Bala Sivaceyon
51.00
26.14 Vayudeva Varadan 60.00
Funds at Market Value, June 30, 2004
Total Endowment Funds $5,427,786.60
Bijamati Pareatumbee 5.50 Raja Vishnu 145.00
Total 92.14
06 Kailasa Peedam Gift Fund 36 Hindu Heritage EndowmentAdministrative Fund Padmini Pareatumbee
Suselah Periasamy
5.50
110.22 Kauai Aadheenam Matavasi Medical Fund
Matthew Wieczork 26.00
Total Pooled Income Funds $199,784.47
Total 5,364.35
Grand Total $5,627,571.07
07 Hindu of the Year Fund 37 A. Shanmugam Family Fund Anjeeni Devi Perumal
Kirtideva Peruman
14.75
5.50
Anonymous
Rajendra Giri
600.00
15.00 Mathavasi Travel Fund
Niroshnee Peruman 16.50 Gowri Nadason 90.09 Rajendra Giri 15.00
08 Boys School for Iraivan Priesthood 38 Kauai Aadheenam Endowment for Hindu Religious Kasturi Raman 5.51 Chandran Nagalingam 50.00 Total 15.00
P. Raman 110.22 Barathy Sockanathan 10.00 Udayan Care Endowment Fund
09 Kauai Aadheenam Matavasi Medical Fund Art and Artifacts Shamala Raman
Akileiswaran Samuthiran
5.51
2.75
Vayudeva Varadan 72.00 Anonymous 100.00
Matthew Wieczork 20.00 Rajendra Giri 15.00
10 Nadesan Family Lord Muruga Shum Fund 39 Murugan Temple Pillaiayar Shrine Fund Jayasutha Samuthiran
Sathialingeswari
12.67
43.92
Total 857.09 Christian Langers 150.00
Tirunavukkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam Shailender Pinnapureddy 25.00
Patudeva Sivaceyon 5.22
11 Iyarappan Temple Trust 40 Thank You Bodhinatha Fund Hemavalli Sivalingam 1.58 T. Subramaniam 25.00 Surendar Purohit
Total
500.00
790.00
Kantha Ruben Sivalingam 1.58 Total 25.00
12 Tirunavukkarasu Nayanar Gurukulam 41 Mathavasi Travel Fund Rohini Sivalingam
Tirumalai
1.58
26.14
Kumbhalavalai Ganesha Temple Endowment Saivite Hindu Scriptural Fund for the Visually
Jozica Mesaric 50.00 Impaired
13 Kauai Aadheenam Renovation Endowment 42 Udayan Care Endowment Fund Gunavintran Tirumalai
Priyatarshini Tirumalai
104.58
26.14
Manoharan Navaratnarajah 75.00 Anonymous
Rajendra Giri
100.00
15.00
Total 125.00
Total 841.63
14 Sri Subramuniya Ashram Scholarship Fund 43 Saivite Hindu Fund for the Visually Impaired Hinduism Today Lifetime Subscription Fund
Hinduism Today Production Fund
Vijay - Daksha - Neil Mithal
Alex Ruberto
5.00
60.00
Marshall Silva 333.33 Total 180.00
15 Sri Subramuniya Kottam Fund 44 Sri Chandra Madhab Debnath Endowment Priya Alahan
Vinaya Alahan
148.00
445.00
Total 333.33
Puri Monasteries Fund
Cecelia Autar 252.00 Hindu Orphanage Endowment Fund
16 Malaysian Hindu Youth Education Trust 45 Murugan Temple Yalpanam Festival Fund Anil Ananda Badhwar 145.10 Anonymous 100.00
Vijay - Daksha - Neil Mithal
Total
5.00
5.00
Sanjay Bajekal 160.00 Ajit S. Adhopia 330.76
17 Kumbhalavalai Ganesha Temple Endowment 46 Puri Monasteries Fund Sivarama Dandamudi 240.00 Lila Shakti Devi
Rajendra Giri
75.00
30.00
Manitha Neyam Trust Fund
Bala Sivaceyon 31.38
Rohit & Bisram Deocharan 33.00
18 Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Devasthanam Trust 47 Manitha Neyam Trust Fund Ravindra Doorgiat
Rajul & Heidi Gandhi
101.12
111.99
Pankaj N. Lalaji
Christian Langers
500.00
150.00
Total 31.38
Kerala Temple Trust
Vijay - Daksha - Neil Mithal 5.00
19 Dancing with Siva Endowment 48 Tiptur Shiva Temple & Youth Hostel Fund Rajendra Giri
Toshadeva Guhan
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In Remembrance of the Supreme Consciousness by Dr Arjunan Subramaniam, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, 5th September 2002

84 85
 Visit www.hindu.org
A RT A N D CU LT U R E artwork of Johari and his stu-
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Johari’s Legacy office or your home.

T he prolific and visionary

Hinduism Today completes its issues archive from 1979 to 2004
RESOURCES are now conveniently archived
online at www.hinduismtoday.
Twenty-Five com/past_issues.shtml
With the help of ProQuest’s
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w w w. s a nata n s o c i e t y. c o m
and some savvy programming ternet platform to give spiritual

S omewhere you just know

you saw a fabulous article
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but in what issue and when?
Or was that the one the dog
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issues from 1979 to the present
w w w. s h i k s h a pat r i . o r g . u k
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prominently, the breathtaking strengthened Hindu traditions

the building arts

Harmonize Your Living Space

V astu shastra, a vedic
science whose principles
were envisioned some 5,000
Web access to original text and audio rendition of the founding years ago by the rishis, deals
scripture of the Lord Swaminarayan movement with natural forces and energies.
The correct application of these
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Bringing Life to the Word comes not only a refuge, but a
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F aced with thousands of swaminarayan devotees

wanting to see the copy of the revered Shikshapatri, a Sanskrit
manuscript hand-written by their founder, held by the Oxford
juvenation. At www.omvaastu-
shastra.org is a concise guide to
these ideas by an experienced
University’s Bodleian Library, library officials decided to put it on author from India. Intricacies of
the web at www.shikshapatri.org.uk. The Shikshapatri is a dharma the shastras are explained and
text of guidelines by Lord Swaminarayan (1781-1830) for devotees helpful suggestions for their use
of his reformed Vaishnava lineage. The site provides information on are offered in a well-organized,
the historical, religious and cultural context of the manuscript, page cleanly-designed and easy-to- Books, programs, speeches, im-
views, study aids and audio recitations in various languages. read format. ages—an oceanic resource

pg 86 digi_dharma oct04.indd 86 8/4/04 3:40:21 PM