Science and Spirituality: Symbiosis Between Science & Spirit

Some years ago, I called upon the great scientist Prof S Chandrasekhar in Chicago and asked him how seers of the Vedas and Upanishads had two astounding insights that have emerged in modern science only recently.

The first is the concept of anantakoti brahmanda , endless universes. The second is the concept of vast aeons of time through which creation passes, much like the ancient belief that a single day of Brahma is 4.32 million human years long, so that his one year corresponds roughly to the age of planet earth. When I suggested that perhaps this knowledge came to seers in enhanced states of consciousness, Prof Chandrasekhar seemed to agree.

Read more here: » Science and Spirituality: Symbiosis Between Science Spirit

Kabir Panthis: Kabir Panthis are the followers of saint Kabir. They are numerous in all the provinces of Upper and Central India. There are twelve branches. Kabir Chaura is at Varanasi. It is a big monastery of Kabir Panthis. Dharamdas was the chief disciple of Kabir.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Kabir Panthis: Hindu Sects and Cults - Kabir Panthis

Motor Your Mind Towards Godhead

Compare your wealth to the automobile that you drive everyday. When you are at the wheel, you have two options: You can either drive without direction or, you can drive steadily to the temple and derive long-lasting happiness. The decision is yours. So are the effects. You are the master of your destiny. You may choose to amass wealth and use it for inferior means of consumption or decide to use your resources to serve humanity and therefore, Lord Krishna.

Read more here: » Godhead: Motor Your Mind Towards Godhead

See also these related archives:

New Era Dianetics, NewBirth Process, Newtonian manifestation, NIA technique, Nichiren Buddhism, Nikkon Restorative Massage, Nine Gates Training Program, Nine Star Ki, Norse magic, Nosode, Nsoromma Body Therapy, Nuad Bo Rarn, Nuat Thai, Nueral Touch Therapy, Numbers Diet, Numerology, Nursing, Nutripathy, Nutrition Kinesiology, Nutrition Therapy, Nutritional Counseling, Nutritional herbology, Nutritional Medicine, Nutritional Therapy, Nvwoti

For more dictionary entries, see » Hindu Ethics Dictionary

The doctrine of rebirth is a corollary to the Law of Karma. The differences of disposition that are found between one individual and another must be due to their respective past actions. Past action implies past birth. Further, all your Karmas cannot certainly bear fruit in this life. Therefore, there must be another birth for enjoying the remaining actions. Each soul has a series of births and deaths. Births and deaths will continue till you attain Knowledge of the Imperishable.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Karma: Karma And Rebirth

The Cosmic Force And Shiv-Shakti

Before creation took place there was nothing but a pervading consciousness that had no name. Creation was the result of manifestation of this pervading consciousness.

The first form in which the consciousness manifested was Adi Shakti, Gayatri or power. From her emerged everything else. Once the universe was created there was a need for super forces or energies to look after the governance of the world. To perform this role Adi Shakti manifested herself into the trinity: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.

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Devotion: Rama Nama Brings Lasting Benefits

Devotion for the Lord can be likened to the monsoon season. New crops burst forth during the monsoons. So too, in the showers of divine love for the Lord, devotees are born.

The two main rainy seasons, sravana and bhadrapada (around July and August respectively) are good for crops. These two months are compared to the Rama Nama , since chanting verses in His praise inspires deep devotion in our hearts.

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Legendary Tales Of True Sanyasis

A true sanyasi is one who has no attachments to worldly things. He has no self interest and whatever he does is for the benefit of society. This is more a state of mind and does not depend on whether he is a grihasth, brahmachari or sanyasi. Once Swami Vivekananda was invited to Mysore. The king had arranged for a grand reception befitting royalty that included a dance by a dasi. When Vivekananda heard of it, he chose not to attend the reception. The dasi, overcome by sadness, sang a song to express her feelings:

Read more here: » Sanyasis: Legendary Tales Of True Sanyasis

God as Mother: Celebration of the Mother Principle

Durga Puja is to Bengal what Ganesh Chaturthi is to Maharashtra - an occasion to celebrate, worship, bond together, to get festive, to exhibit one's artistic abilities, and all in the name of the Divine Mother.

Relating to God as Mother forges a personalised relationship, strengthening the bond between bhakta and bhagvan, as between a child and mother. Celebrated as Navratri in other parts of India, these nine nights are devoted to the worship of the Divine Mother - some do it through dancing the Garba or Dandiya Raas as in Gujarat, and some do it through austerities and fasting.

Read more here: » God as Mother: Celebration of the Mother Principle

Krishna - The Loveable Hero-God

The Ekashloki Bhagavatam encapsulates his entire life in one stanza, the Krishna-shtakam attempts to define him in eight couplets, the Madhurashtakam describes him as the Emperor of Sweetness, the Gita Govinda immortalises his love, Vyasa's Srimad Bhagavatam details his glories.

Iconised as a hero-god, Krishna has charmed poets, philosophers and devotees for the last 3,500 years.

Read more here: » Krishna: The Loveable Hero-God - Krishna

Shodoshi: The Holy Mother's Mission of Grace

According to a tantric school, Shodoshi is the highest manifestation of Divinity. In tantra, each deity has a mantra or mystic formula which represents her nature.

In Shodoshi, it is the Trikuta mantra and it has three parts: Vagbhavakuta signifying speech and knowledge through worship of Saraswati , Kamarajakuta representing human will or Kali and Shaktikuta or Durga , the supreme manifestation of divine power and energy.

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Sravana, a Month Devoted to Shiva

The devout spend the entire month of Sravana in austerities and worship of Shiva, culminating in the Sravana Purnima on Raksha Bandhan day. Shiva is beyond the gunas, as His trident represents all three, sattva, rajas and tamas. The elephant skin attire indicates that he is beyond pride; the tiger skin symbolises his going beyond lust, and the snake around his neck represents wisdom and eternity.

Read more here: » Shiva: Sravana, a Month Devoted to Shiva

Vastu Shastra: Role of Destiny

All the defects, blasphemy and curses by sages on the house site should be expiated by performing suitable purification ceremonies and worships before one attempts to start the construction work of a house on such a site. Maya, the celestial architect, had explained the easy ways and means of identifying the nature of the soil. According to Maya, the master of the house who is going to construct the house should with his own hands dig out a square pit one cubit side and one cubit depth at the eastern direction or at the middle of the site (Brahmasthala).

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Dharma and Religion - Many Paths to One

A four-line verse of wisdom in Sanskrit - Subhashit - pronounces the commonness among animals and men of certain primal appetites and urges, and proclaims the supremacy of Dharma in man's actions and life, without which he would be no different from animals. Here, Dharma is to be understood as encompassing man's entire life, including all his thoughts and deeds, and is not to be confused with any religion.

Read more here: » Dharma and Religion: Dharma and Religion - Many Paths to One

Theism is the Basis of High-end Hinduism

Since we believe in the Paramatma or Supreme energy that is beginningless and endless, it is clear that Hinduism in its purest form is theistic. Theism is hindusim basic premise.

Read more here: » Hinduism: Theism is the Basis of High-end Hinduism

Karma has quite a karma. Long after India's seers immortalized it in the Vedas, it suffered bad press under European missionaries who belittled it as "fate" and "fatalism," and today finds itself again in the ascendancy as the subtle and all-encompassing principle which governs man's experiential universe in a way likened to gravity's governance over the physical plane. Like gravity, karma was always there in its fullest potency, even when people did not comprehend it.

Read more here: » Karma: Meaning and Definition of Karma

Dasanama Sannyasins: Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanat-Kumara and Sanat-Sujata were the four mind-born sons of Lord Brahma. They refused to enter the Pravritti Marga or worldly life and entered the Nivritti Marga or the path of renunciation. The four Kumaras were the pioneers in the path of Sannyasa. Sri Dattatreya also is among the original Sannyasins. The Sannyasins of the present day all descendants of the four Kumaras, Dattatreya and Sankaracharya.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Dasanama Sannyasins: Hindu Sects and Cults - Dasanama Sannyasins

Mauna: Silence Please, It's Mauni Amavasya

Indian tradition emphasises the concept of mauna or silence as an ideal trigger for introspection and reflection. Derived from the word muni , an ascetic who practises silence, mauna ideally symbolises a state of oneness with the Self.

Mauna has been described by Sankara as one of the three essential attributes of a sanyasi , along with balya or childlike state and panditya or wisdom. According to Ramana Maharshi, mauna is a state beyond speech and thought, it is "living without the ego-sense". He made silence the medium of spiritual instruction.

Read more here: » Mauna: Silence Please, It's Mauni Amavasya

Water

Water is a very common but powerful dream symbol. Its meaning varies with the details and the mood of the dream. Water is a deeply spiritual symbol representing the "water of life" or the "flow of life." Large bodies of water usually represent our unconscious minds or/and soul experiences. Water symbolizes emotions (rough, smooth, clear, murky, etc.). Freud thought that since fluids are involved in sexual activities, at times, water in dreams has sexual connotations.

See also: Meaning of Dreams about Ocean, Rain, River

Source: Dream Lover Incorporated, http://www.dreamloverinc.com

(See also: Dream Archives, Meaning of Dreams, Dream Interpretation, Dream Dictionary, Dream Dictionary - Water , Meaning of Dreams about Water , Dream Interpretation Water )

For more dictionary entries, see » Hindu Ethics Dictionary

The tradition of naming children after the name of God was followed so that when a person calls out to his children, he is reciting some of the Sahasranama of God.

Nama Sangirthana is the easiest way to attain salvation. We should continue the practice of naming our children after God so that when we call out to our children, we recite at least some of the Sahasranama of the Lord, which washes away our sins and leads us to salvation.

Read more here: » Naming Children: Take God's Name And Absolve Your Self

Lal Ded's Vaakhs and Kashmir Shaivism

Kashmir, often described as the abode of saints, has produced a number of spiritually evolved persons. Among them Lal Ded, better known as Lalla Yogeshwari, ranks as a great mystic poetess of the 14th century.

She was an ardent practitioner of Kashmir Shaivism which is also known as Trika Shastra founded by Vasu Gupta. Lal Ded took Shaktipat Diksha from her guru, Sri Neel Kanth.

Read more here: » Kashmir Shaivism: Lal Ded's Vaakhs and Kashmir Shaivism

Dadu Panthis: The Dadu Panthis form one of the Vaishnava cults. Dadu, the founder of this sect, was a disciple of one of the Kabir Panthi teachers. The followers worship the Lord Rama.

Excerpt from All About Hinduism by Sri Swami Sivananda

Read more here: » Dadu Panthis: Hindu Sects and Cults - Dadu Panthis