Lent is a special season in which Christians prepare for the feast of Easter, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. The word Lent is derived from the old English term 'Lencten' which means 'spring'.

The term derives from the word 'lengthen', referring to the lengthening of the daylight hours. In the northern hemisphere, when Lent begins, the bare trees around seem dead. Underneath the ground and inside, they are very much alive. Spring brings them back to life. Lent tries to do the same for persons, to bring them back to life.

(See also: Lent, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

During the mid-19th century, Baha'u'llah proclaimed three cardinal principles: The oneness of mankind, oneness of God and oneness of religion. He provided the blueprint for a New World Order which would help reduce h uman suffering.

Baha'u'llah revealed: "The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy." The entire focus of Baha'u'llah's revelation is the well-being of humanity, mitigation of man's suffering in this world and the progress of his soul both in this world and in the world to come.

(See also: Declaration of the Bab, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Christmas symbolises peace and goodwill towards all; that is why ceasefires are inspired by Christmas. It also means that we should ready ourselves to receive the child God, who epitomises the spirit of giving and receiving.

For many of us, sadly, the spirit of Christmas is ''hurry''.And yet, eventually, the hour comes when the rushing ends and the race against the calendar mercifully comes to a close. It is only now perhaps that we truly recognise the spirit of Christmas. Christmas itself is eternal, said Burton Hillis.

(See also: Christmas, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Lent, the season of fasting, penance and prayer begins today, on Ash Wednesday. The Lenten theme has often been negatively interpreted as a time for self-flagellation rather than empowerment.

However, signing the heads of Christians with ashes on this day is viewed today as a positive symbol: Repent and believe in the Gospel or the Good News, often preferred to the old formula, "Dust thou art and into dust thou shall return". The good news with which the Gospel empowers us is that we are all sons and daughters of God, the King, and so should view ourselves with the empowering eyes of our divine inheritance.

(See also: Ash Wednesday, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Lent, commencing is the 40-day period of preparation before Easter. For Christians worldwide, it is a time for repentance, fasting and almsgiving, all of which calls for a change of mind and heart.

Gerard Hughes says a change of mind and heart cannot in a sense be achieved by us alone, as all Christian renewal starts not from self-effort but by attentiveness to God, who alone is good. It is God who does the transforming. A real change of mind and heart means an inner surrendering of our mind and heart to God, so that whatever we do, we do in his Spirit.

(See also: Lent, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Every festival in India is celebrated with a divine purpose so as to receive the grace of the Almighty. Science explores the law of gravitation while religion unfolds the law of grace. One can grow horizontally with the help of scientific knowledge. Horizontal growth involves more of everything that can provide comfort but not inner satisfaction. Religion invites us to grow vertically, exploring deeply love, devotion and contentment.

(See also: Navaratri, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Id-ul-Azha is the second most important festival of Muslims across the world. Today's celebration comes almost two months after Eid-ul-Fitr, the culmination of the holy month of Ramadan. The spirit of Eid- ul-Azha is incorporated in Hajj, the pilgrimage to Makkah. The underlying flavour is the spirit of sacrifice or qurbani, commemorating Abraham's great act of faith many centuries ago.

Eid-ul-Azha, also known as Eid-e-Qurban, is a time for Muslims to learn the value of self-denial by making a sacrifice of something living to God.

(See also: Id-ul-Azha, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Shivaratri is a festival of fasting, worship and prayer. Fasting is undertaken to get rid of one's ego. Once the ego is destroyed, the Shiva hidden within gets revealed.

Sri Ramana Maharshi often said that Shiva signifies the Great Dissolution. Where things dissolve, there they must originate. Hence Shiva is the source of the entire creation, including Brahma and Vishnu.

(See also: Shivaratri, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Although ancient Jain scientific thought is not so well known, it is a rich source of Indian scientific heritage. The grand Jain spiritual tradition and its masters broadly influenced Indian thought and rationality in three key areas:

Atomism, non-absolutism and mathematical concepts including the theory of numbers: As realists, a satisfactory explanation for the origin of the material world was important to Jain philosophers. Karma, according to the Jains, is paudgalika or of material nature. By its linkages with body and thus with the outer world, the soul is literally penetrated with material particles of a very subtle kind.

(See also: Jain Philosophy, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Gurgadi Diwas is observed on October 20, when on this day in 1708, Guru Gobind Singh canonised the sacred Aad Granth pothi that Sikhs worship as the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

He said: " As ordained by the Lord Eternal/ A new way of life is evolved./ All the Sikhs are asked/ To accept the Holy Granth as the Guru./ Guru Granth should be accepted/ As the living Guru./ Those who wish to meet God/ Will find Him in the Word."

(See also: Gurgadi Diwas, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

In the Jagannath Puri festival the king works as a sweeper, cleaning the pathway ahead of the chariot, denoting that no labour is insignificant if done for a higher cause. People from all communities get together to draw the chariots with great enthusiasm, upholding the spirit of celebration and exalting the concept of dignity of labour.

(See also: Puri festival, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

TS Eliot wrote in Four Quartets : "The only wisdom one can hope to acquire is the wisdom of humility...humility is endless..." I mulled over these words as I strolled through the bazaars of Hyderabad; its unique multicultural and multilingual tehzeeb an eloquent testimony of the richness of life itself, a flavour one couldn't possibly acquire from books alone.

Spiritually, Hyderabad stands out as a wonderful link-bridge between the north and south, imbibing the best of both in its culture, cuisine and character. The Deccan festival, conducted every year in March, celebrates the city's composite and secular character.

(See also: Deccan, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Religion is not meant to create conflict and division, but to promote dialogue and harmony. Buddha Purnima is an appropriate occasion to dwell a little on the Buddhist philosophy I follow, of Nichiren Daishonin, called the Soka Gakkai, which literally means "Value Creating Society".

Daisaku Ikeda, president of Soka Gakkai International, says: "The people and the society of our age might be compared to a ship in the middle of the ocean which has lost its compass. Without an accurate guide to lead them, they sail aimlessly along towards the future''.

(See also: Buddha Purnima, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Many important events are believed to have happened on Rosh Hashanah. The six days of creation were completed; Abraham and Jacob were born; Sarah, Rachel and Hannah - after years of wanting and praying for children - conceived Isaac, Joseph and Samuel, and Joseph was freed from prison.

Rosh Hashanah is also called Yom Ha-Din, the Day of Judgment. It is the day people are judged by God, and their fate for the coming year is also decided. The idea of the Day of Judgment produced a special liturgy and special customs.

(See also: Rosh Hashanah, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Festive bonhomie apart, many myths, legends and spiritual insights are woven around the customs and rituals associated with Diwali.

Celebrations commence a day before amavas on Naraka Chaturdasi , which marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and Satyabhama. According to the puranas , demon king Naraka had acquired immense power through penance and had imprisoned the gods. He had also held captive 16,000 celestial princesses.

(See also: Diwali, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

According to Jain tradition, among the 12 types of penances, the first four - anshan (fasting), unodari (eating less), vritti-sankshepa (selective eating) and rasa-parityaga (taste-selection) - are particularly good for health.

Fasting is more than mere abstinence from food. US scientist Selton says: "Food intake leads to accumulation of toxicants in the body which adversely affect health". Fasting is one way of getting rid of toxic substances from the body since it provides rest to the digestive system. A faulty digestive system can have a negative effect on the functioning of the respiratory system, leading to breathing problems.

(See also: Paryushan Parva, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Diwali is a time of the year when families, friends and communities come together in a spirit of celebration and joy. Diwali is the time, according to the version popular north of Vindhyas, when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya after spending 14 years in exile.

However, the deeper meaning of Diwali is celebration of the message of Lord Rama's life of sacrifice and dharma.

(See also: Diwali, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Idol worship, caste and ascetic austerity had no place in Nanak's religion. He believed in one God, Ek Omkar ; singing His praises was the best way of devotion. He advocated listening to kirtan or hymn singing and set his compositions to music in suitable ragas or melodies.

Nanak was 27 when he went out to spread the Name of God expounding the message of 'true path'. With Mardana as companion, he travelled throughout the country, going as far as Tibet in the north and Sri Lanka in the south. He even visited Mecca. Wherever he went, his hymn-singing drew large crowds. Mardana would faithfully reproduce notes on the rabab as Nanak sang his way to the hearts of the listeners.

(See also: Nanak, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Post-industrial revolution, developed nations acquired dominant control over world resources. But industrial pollution began to threaten the environment. Powerful nations became more of a threat than sources of strength, as they had their eyes on economic empire-building.

Mahavira said that the one who rejects the people and the world, rejects his own existence; and the one who rejects his own existence rejects the existence of the world.

He said: "Do not reject the existence of the world and do not reject your existence as well. The most important principle of environment is that you are not the only element. When you do something for yourself you must know your action/s will impact the entire world." So what can an individual do? How do his actions affect the rest of the world?

(See also: Mahavira, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

The Hebrew word for Passover is Pesach, a combination of peh and sach . The two words mean, 'the mouth speaks'. Passover is all about communication.

It all started with that communication from God to Moses or Moshe about the redemption of the Hebrews from their slavery under the Pharoah. This Holy communication guided the oppressed to freedom. For this act of redemption the Jews are so reverential to Him that they never write the word 'God' in full. Instead, they write G-d, afraid that the paper on which it is written may get trampled upon, however inadvertently. For God's name, YaHWeH, or JeHoVaH they use the tetragrammaton, YHWH, or JHVH. With the vowels absent, they cannot and do not pronounce His name.

(See also: Passover, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)

Traditionally, going on a tirtha or pilgrimage is believed to present an ideal occasion for soul-searching. The more arduous the journey, the greater the opportunity to reflect. A yatra is a good time - when the temporal and the timeless meet - to try and expand our understanding of our own selves and the Absolute. This is the spirit of the annual pilgrimage to the hallowed cave-shrine of Amarnath.

(See also: Amarnath, Indian Festivals, Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)