एकं सत्! Ekam sat!

गुढी पडवा (Gudhi Padawaa) is celebrated as the Hindu new year in Maharashtra and parts of Goa and Karnataka. This is the first day in the month of चैत्र (Chaitra) which occurs at the beginning of spring and is celebrated with different names and slight variations across India, that is, Bharat. The origins of this festival go way back in antiquity and a description that comes in a story in the Mahabharata has incredible similarities to how the festival is celebrated even today! This story is in the 63rd Adhyaaya of the Adiparva (Gita Press edition) and is about Raja Uparichara Vasu (उपरिचर वसु), the father of Satyavati and the grandfather of Maharshi Ved Vyas who is the author of the Mahabharata. Raja Uparichara was the king of Chedidesha (चेदिदेश). The kingdom of Chedidesha was a prosperous one in both material and natural wealth and was gifted to Uparichara by the lord of the Devas, Indra, himself. Chedidesha was abundant in beautiful forests full of varied species of animals and bird

Diversity is natural for those living close to nature for it is unmistakable! From the celestial objects, the stars big and small, the comets to the rainbows and even the paintings painted daily at sunrise and sunset on the canvas of the sky to the trees, flowers, birds, bees and innumerable species of animals living on land and the seas on this Bhoodevi that we revere as our mother, Earth! The ancient Hindus observed all this living close to nature which is reflected in the Hindu festivals which are in sync with the seasons. The poornima or full moon day in the month of Falguna in the Hindu calendar is celebrated as Holi.  Holi is a celebration welcoming the spring season, the splash of colors that nature puts on display as the trees come to life once again. Holi is a celebration of that diversity of nature and the universe! And yet, like the color wheel when spun shows only one color or like that one ray of sunlight when passed through the prism splits into the many colors, the rishi

Here are factual answers to some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the false equivalence of the Swastika and the Hakenkreuz. As always, links and references are provided. What is the difference between the Swastika and the Hakenkreuz? Swastika - a Sanskrit word meaning  “that which brings good luck and well-being” and important to Dharmic traditions (Hindus, Buddhist, Jains and Sikhs).  The word Swasti occurs in the Vedas as well as classical Hindu literature. It has various meanings – health, luck, success, prosperity, etc. and has been continuously used since at least 10,000 years. It is an extremely sacred symbol for over 2 billion people globally. Hakenkreuz - a German word, which translates to “Hooked-Cross”.  It was used by Hitler and the Nazis.  To the Jewish people, this Nazi symbol represents the most genocidal evil; one which was responsible for the extermination of over six million Jews, one and half million Roma and others. This symbol brings fear, trauma and pain i

As Hindus we’ve forgotten both शास्त्रबोध | Shaastra bodha (knowledge of our shaastras/scriptures, and for me, it is also knowledge of our history) and शत्रुबोध | Shatru bodha (being able to distinguish who is a true friend and who is not). The following three revelations taught me both. As always, have tried to provide references for each. My  first revelation  was about Swastika, a symbol of well being and auspiciousness not just for the Hindus but many ancient cultures around the world. An excellent well researched documentary 1  taught me that that this word was appropriated by someone who translated Hitler's autobiography into English. Hitler or the Nazis NEVER used the word Swastika but instead the word they had for their symbol of hate and terror was Hakenkreuz . The correct translation of this word in English is "Hooked Cross". This was a Shaastra bodha for me, a history lesson that should have been taught in school but was not and is still not part of history

What is श्रद्धा / Shraddhaa? It is not simply faith as is often translated but it also has an implicit trust built into it. We use it all the time but do not always recognize it. From having Shraddhaa when boarding a flight on the pilots to the flight and ground crew that they know their job and are doing it well to having Shraddhaa in everyday things like taking a class, going to the doctor or dentist etc. When it comes to studying something we must have Shraddhaa on the teacher teaching the subject or else we cannot even begin to start learning! What is required to get the translation of an ancient Hindu Purarana or Itihaas right? There is of course the knowledge of Sanskrit and an understanding of the culture or having some cultural context but there is a third hidden underlying strand that is needed and that is of Shraddhaa. Like a braid where only two strands are seen by the eye but we all know there are three, a good translation that captures the essence of what the author of the

A recent staging of plays on "caste" was deeply hurtful as it just proved that the "gift" of "caste" that the colonialists imposed on us, still keeps on giving, continuing to trap and enslave us to this day. What's worse is that an entire community and the faith it holds dear gets beaten and blamed for this when nothing could be farther from the truth. Here are some questions and data points to illustrate this along with links to resources. Have tried to select short videos and small articles, as far as possible, respecting the reader's time. How did we get here? The "caste" narrative beats the colonial drum. But what is the  history of "Caste" ? How did  we get here ? Do last names indicate "caste"  or is it simply indicative of ancestral profession or the name of a place?  Most importantly, is this  sanctioned in the Vedas , the foundational text of Hindu Dharma? Or any Hindu scripture for that matter? No, it is not!