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In vedanta, the second capsule of the Brahma Sutras is the most fundamental, cardinal, sacrosanct, and is also the most famous. Janmadyasya yatah - Brahman is that from which the birth and the evolution of the universe follow.
It says Brahman is that ultimate 'world’ which we gain access to by distilling the world down to its inmost content, or the furthest stop from where we get off by travelling backwards in time-space. Astronomical observations have confirmed more or less beyond doubt that stars, galaxies and clusters of super galaxies are receding from the earth and from one another.
The clinching evidence comes from the Doppler Effect or the Red Shift. The shift in the spectral lines towards the longer wavelengths identified by the red colour in the spectrum confirms that the source of light is moving and is not at rest.
(See also: Big Bang Theory , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Whenever the Golden Temple is mentioned, we tend automatically to think of the beautiful Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar, which is known worldwide by that name. However, there is another Golden Temple down South - the great Nataraja temple at Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu.
This temple figures prominently in Tamil Shaivite literature and is considered to be one of the most holy spots dedicated to Lord Shiva, next in importance to Mount Kailash itself.
(See also: Nataraja , God and Religion,
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and Soul)
Twenty-five years ago, in the light of a full moon, I sat facing the lying Buddha in Polonnaruwa in central Sri Lanka. It was Buddha Purnima . I noticed the Buddha’s smile as he lay dying, and the concern on his disciple, Ananda’s face, standing before him.
Buddha’s last words were: “Be lamps unto yourselves”. As he left us, the Sakyamuni did not ask us to pray to him or believe in him as a messiah. Unfortunately, over time, his life and teachings have become encrusted in layers of religiosity.
(See also: Buddhism , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
When Nelson Mandela was released, he was told by some to get even for the monumental wrong that was done to him - but he refused to be swayed by hatred. He said he had already been a physical prisoner of his opponents for long and did not wish to live the rest of his life as their emotional captive.
The idea of ahimsa or non-violence is an emancipatory one. Yet it is not just a concept. It begins as a feeling and can grow into an all-encompassing life approach. The idea morphs into a feeling.
(See also: Mahavir , Spiritual Guidance,
God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and
Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
The chanting of the Divine Name or nama japa has an important place in bhakti tradition. Nama japa can be in the form of japa or stotra. Japa is silent repetition of a mantra while stotra is uttered out loud.
The sahasranama stotra is perhaps the most popular of all stotras. There are sahasranamas of most of the deities of the Hindu pantheon of which two have attained great popularity. These are the Lalita Sahasranama in praise of the Divine Mother and Vishnu Sahasranama in praise of the Lord conceived as Vishnu.
(See also: Sahasranama , God and Religion,
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and Soul)
For the living, death is certain and for the dead, birth is certain. Since death is definite for all embodied beings, the Bhagavad Gita enjoins the seeker to aspire for that state of attainment, after which there is no return or rebirth.
Among the paths leading to the deathless state, Krishna discusses jnana -yoga, the path of contemplation, and karmayoga , the path of action. All actions, he says, finally culminate in knowledge.
For the common man, whose senses and desires are rooted in this world and who craves desired results, the shrutis - the Vedas and the Upanishads - prescribe various types of yajnas . Among the yajnas , the Maharudrabhisheka is accorded high status.
(See also: Mantra , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Vedas are four in number: The Rig Veda , the Sama Veda , the Yajur Veda and the Atharva Veda . Each of these four Vedas has four parts: the Samhita, the Brahmana, the Aranyaka, and a number of Upanishads. The first three parts of all the Vedas are collectively called the Vedas , and the fourth and the last, the Upanishads, are collectively called Vedanta .
These four parts of the Vedas represent the historical order of their development over millennia. The Samhitas are the most ancient, and of them, the Rig Veda Samhita is the earliest. The Samhitas are considered the Vedas proper; the Brahmanas , the Aranyakas and the Upanishads are periodic additions, made by way of growing with the changing times.
(See also: The Vedas , God and Religion,
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and Soul)
This day, over 5,000 years ago, Krishna appeared on Earth as the son of Vasudeva and Devaki. Because of his human form and behaviour, not many knew He was God incarnate.
But while rendering advice to Arjuna at Kurukshetra, Krishna unabashedly reveals - in the Bhagavad Gita - that he is infinite, his vibhutis or divine manifestations and opulences being unlimited. No one, not even the gods, can know him completely. Krishna then proceeds to impart what he calls the most sovereign knowledge and profound mystery, contemplating on which alone one can attain moksha or liberation.
(See also: Gopala , Indian Festivals,
Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
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As the sighting of the moon is a must in Islam to signal holy occasions, so is the confluence of the full moon, pournami , and the star Pushya in the month of Makara or January. It is a day consecrated to the worship of Subrahmanya - he who is full of bliss and effulgence - the younger son of Shiva. He is more or less appropriated by the Tamils as their own god; temples to Kartikeya dot the state, most of them situated on hilltops, in places like Palani and Tiruttani, in thick forests as in Subrahmanya in Dakshina Kannada and on the seashore as in Tiruchendur.
(See also: Subrahmanya , God and Religion,
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and Soul)
I am a Hindu because I was born in a Hindu home. The Hindu way of life appeals to me because it gives me freedom to think and act. It does not bind me to rigid codes or to some particular book, but only requires that I try to follow the first two parts of the eight-fold ashtanga yoga, namely, yama or abstentions and niyama or observances, expecting me to do nothing more than being a good member of society. Practice of the next six parts is optional.
(See also: Hinduism , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
The traditional festivals of the Indian diaspora all reflect the ancient concept of the Utsav Mela, which encouraged everyone to congregate, meet and mix amid festivity and pageantry. In fact, the word mela (fair) is derived from the word mil , meaning 'to meet'.
Baisakhi epitomises the mela notion of convergence for it brings together people of all castes and communities on the first day of Vaisakha, the beginning of the traditional Indian New Year. Basically a harvest festival, Baisakhi marks the ripening of the Rabi harvest, especially in the Punjab. It is called the Naba Barsha celebrations in Bengal, Rongali Bihu in Assam, Puthandu in Tamil Nadu and Pooram (Vishu) in Kerala.
(See also: Baisakhi , Indian Festivals,
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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,
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Today is the martyrdom day of Imam Husain, grandson of Prophet Mohammed. In 61 Hizrat (680 AD) a battle took place at Karbala, Iraq, on the banks of the river Euphrates.
A large army mobilised by Yazid, descendant of the Umayyad regime, besieged a small group led by Imam Husain, and forced them to pay allegiance to the Caliph and submit to his authority. Husain and his small group put up a brave resistance but were killed in the fierce battle.
(See also: Imam Husain , Indian Festivals,
Spiritual Guidance, God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and
Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
All followers of a guru, regardless of age , are like his children. He gives them shelter from misery and imparts to them the knowledge of self-realisation without expecting anything in return.
In a satsang the guru teaches meditation and other methods for realising the God who resides within. How does one find a guru? An ancient saying says that when the disciple is prepared, the guru appears. A genuine spiritual guru seeks out good students. If he finds that the student is not yet ready, he will gradually prepare him for higher teachings. And when the wick and oil are properly prepared, the guru lights the lamp.
(See also: Satsang , Spiritual Guidance,
God and Religion, Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and
Beyond, Body Mind and Soul)
In her autobiography, Kagazhi hai Pairahan , Ismat Chugtai recalls her experience one Janmashtmi , when as a child, she had visited her friend Sushi's house. Sushi, who otherwise was a friendly soul, wouldn't let her enter the puja room where little Krishna lay in his palna , surrounded by sweets and incense. Young Ismat couldn't resist the lure of Bal Gopal's tantalising smile and stole into the room when no one was looking. She lifted the silver idol and hugged it to her bosom, only to find it rudely snatched from her. Sushi's hysterical mother dragged her out of the house and told her parents of their errant daughter's misdeeds. Ismat had to suffer the blows of her parents too.
(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)
The Vedas describe an ultimate reality, which they call Brahman . The awareness of this 'reality' is attained through the practice of yoga and meditation. " Aham Brahmasmi " (I am Brahman) - is the statement of this realisation and identification, which is synonymous with the concept of nirvana. Conceptions of Brahman and nirvana are integral to the different schools of Indian and Buddhist philosophy. However, untill recently, they had not been subject to scientific scrutiny.
Physicists have discovered that the various quantum fields , which underlie all physical reality, arise from one common source, namely, the unified field. Our goal here is to show an overall connection between two primary realities - the unified field and consciousness.
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The Satyanarayan puja is performed usually on the day of the full moon night. Many Hindus believe that listening to the katha or story and performing the puja will help them fulfil their desires, that it will bring prosperity, remove fear and free them from bondage. While emotional and sincere chanting of the katha has been known to bring positive results, they are more the result of a true understanding and implementation of the essence and complete message of the katha, rather than the fruits of the ritual itself.
(See also: Satyanarayana , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Studying the myths of various cultures leads to a better understanding of their social and religious underpinnings. By turning the myths inwards, inviting them into our lives and learning their language of imagery and symbolism, we learn more about ourselves.
In almost every culture, the metaphor of descent serves as a powerful, sacred and mythic image for women. One of the earliest such accounts is the story of Inanna, the Sumerian goddess and Queen of the Upper World. She was worshipped in Sumer from the third millennium BCE (before the common era) to the first millennium BCE.
(See also: Spiritual Mythology , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Ayurveda and Yoga can be called sister sciences of 'self-healing and self-realisation'. Both evolved from a Vedic background in ancient India, based on the same philosophy, sharing many practices. Ayurveda, the 'yogic form of healing', is aimed at bringing us back into harmony with our true Self or Atman . The great Ayurvedic teacher Charaka defines Ayurveda as the harmony of body, prana , mind and soul. Patanjali defines yoga as controlling the mind in order to realise the Purusha .
(See also: Ayurveda , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Why do children refer to themselves by name rather than in the first person singular? If you were disembodied in one location and reconstructed in another, would you still be yourself?
What about that tune you were humming when you morphed? We may still be a long way from Star Trek, but scientists in Australia have recently managed to teleport a beam of light. 'I' has literally been the bugbear of religion, philosophy and science, across all cultures. Conceptions of the self invariably lead us down slippery slopes of exploration into the nature of identity, and possibly ethnicity.
(See also: The Self , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Do human brains play any role in spiritual contemplation? Is the spiritual experience real? And, if so, is the spiritual urge programmed into the brain's neural structure? Is the complex relationship between spirituality and the brain understandable?
Neurotheology
Scientific studies have explored the genetic basis of our systems of belief, giving rise to a new discipline - Neurotheology
(See also: Spirituality and Science , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
Women are the power and very foundation of our existence in the world. When women lose touch with their real selves, there is disharmony. So, it is crucial for women everywhere to make the effort to rediscover their fundamental nature.
The infinite potential inherent in men and women is the same. If women really want to, they can somehow acquire the strength to break free of the 'rules' and conditioning that society has imposed on them. The greatest strength of women lies in their innate motherhood, in their creative, life-giving power. And this power can help women to bring about far more significant changes in society than men could ever hope to accomplish.
(See also: Womens Spirituality , God and Religion,
Peace on Earth, Peace of Mind, Love and Happiness, Life and Beyond, Body Mind
and Soul)
